Track and Field Blogs - Natasha Bonina

Today I wasn't in my best racing state. I was out of it and feeling a bit dizzy and, to be honest, my breathing sounded a bit shaky. I think it was partially due to malnutrishion and partly because it was a friday. I have a bit of a theory that I run better in the morning or at the beginning of the week. I dunno, just a theory.

So anyways, the race itself was a bit more interesting than usual today. At the start of the race, some random car parked up near that sign between the track and the baseball field so that we couldn't run around it. In trying to change my direction so I wouldn't run smack into the car, I practically rolled my ankle. I didn't by some miracle, but that sort of annoys me how close I came to doing so over something so...stupid.

Well, I wasn't the only one tripping over my own two feet today. A girl from the other team was running side-by-side with me most of the race, but occasionally I was leading. And the weird thing is, she actually did try to pass me twice. The first time she took the lead, we were coming up to one of the giant logs that's in the path of the course. I saw her start to jump, and was preparing to do the same as I watched her front foot swing over the log. And then she was falling, her back foot not coming up high enough and catching on the log. I slowed down a bit with a rushed "Areyouokay?" and once I heard her "Yea" I continued on. I gotta say, this girl was quite the trooper. Farther into the race, she had caught up to me again and prepared to pass. This was right after we had gone up Superman hill and the slight incline afterward. Where the incline ends, the path makes a sharp right and the ground is flat for a bit before reaching the development hill. I was nearing that sharp right turn, where I always run on the inside on top of a tree's roots, when I heard her running up behind me. Well, I heard her breathing anyway. Coming up on my left side, she had her right hand in a thumbs up, which I guessed was for me. I assume it was more likely an "I'm okay" thumbs up rather than a "Good job" one. No sooner had I recognized her hand guesture, than I saw her tripping again. The corner of my eye saw her fall. I slowed again, but not as much this time. My "AreYouOkay?" probably sounded more like gibberish than words. I did not wait for a response this time, but I made a mental note to find her at the finish. The whole event was funny in a way-I was the one running over tree roots and she was the one tripping. Then I had to look up to the sky and wonder if God was messing with me-tripping her up so that I thought I had a chance. You're kidding me, right? I thought and then I heard her say "I'm a mess today." By the end of the second loop out of the woods, she had passed me (at last) right before where she had tripped the previous time. I heard someone else behind me and was panicing for a second until I realized that it was Chrysantie (did I just mutilate her name? =/ ...). She gave me a pat on the back and immediately I felt her encouragement. Aww great, now I HAVE to try and beat that other girl, I thought lazily. So I pushed myself foward, though the girl kept her lead. As we ran up the development hill, I wanted to just close my eyes and stop. Unfortunately, that's not the kind of thing you can do during a race. Plus, I also heard Chrysante shout "Go Natasha" or something like that. So I kept my eyes focused on that girl, imagining an invisible force was towing me up the hill much like a skii lift. And that's when I saw the dog. It was an average sized thing and it was freely exploring the surroundings while its owner gabbed away on his cell phone. Ugh, I thought grudgingly. I went past the two of them easily, but as I got farther away, I realized that the dog was running behind me. It made its way past me and to the girl in front of me. This poor girl, I thought, wondering why karma was so against her today. I don't really remember what happened next-I think I was being blinded by the sun. But then we were running up the final incline, turining at the stop sign, and flying down the final decline. I admit that once I had caught up to her at the stop sign, I was so out of breath I began to give in. And in a way, I did. Mentally. My legs felt heavy as I pushed that last bit forward and made a poor attempt at sprinting in the parking lot's straight away leading to the finish line. I grabbed my numbered popsicle stick and went over to the girl who may have been the best running partner I could have asked for. She had showed me the kind of strength and determination that I wish all runners could have, so the least I could do was thank her. I will be sure to keep her in mind whenever I am on the verge of giving in or giving up. She deserves some sort of medal and I hope one day I can race her again.