Every track meet I’d ever been to I was either racing in, or I was there to support my team. Now that I’m a Poolesville track alumna, I went to watch the Poolesville track team run regionals. Now in my heart of hearts, Poolesville is still my team, but technically, I’m no longer a member, and that made this experience of going to the meet and spectating quite different than any experience I’ve had at a track meet before. Running the risk of appearing like the washed out college student that hasn’t moved on from high school, I’m so glad I went. It was priceless just watching some of my best friends compete and being there to support, but aside from that, here are 12 things I learned that weren't so apparent to me in all the meets I'd attended before.
1. Hugging teammates after they race is asking to be bathed in sweat.
I consider it standard operating procedure to hug a teammate after they race, but this is a completely different experience when you’re sweaty too, than when you are perfectly clean and not in an exercising mode.
2. I can’t be a fair weather fan.
When it’s cold and rainy and windy, as much as the runners complain about less than ideal racing conditions, at least they get to run around to warm up instead of sitting and shivering on metal bleachers.
3. Meets go sooo slow.
When I was in high school and racing multiple events in a meet, I always wanted meets to drag on as long as possible to maximize my rest, but meets sure pass by slower when you aren’t competing.
4. Races go sooo fast.
You spend the entire meet sitting around waiting for specific heats in which you get to watch a specific person or people run for anywhere from about 12 seconds to about 13 minutes. The proportion of time is small as is, but the races always seem as if time is sped up. 12 minutes isn’t short, but the 3200 always seems like it’s nearly over right after it begins.
5. It’s inspiring to see how hard people are trying.
Without the realization that I’m going to put forth the same effort later, I can really appreciate how hard the athletes are working, and can see how much they care about their performances. This makes me want to be out there racing.
6. I can yell louder and stress more.
I always get to watch at least some of my teammates compete when I’m competing at meets too, but to not be distracted by the looming prospect of my own race allows me to be a better fan. I can yell louder and stress more, without feeling as though I need to conserve my energy for myself.
7. Runners have, or should have, a magic "go faster" button.
In reality, when racing, when people yell at me to go faster, it’s just another voice in the crowd, but when I’m cheering and I tell someone to go faster, I just expect them to do it.
8. A timing watch or cellphone is a necessity.
Meets rarely have clocks running during an event that are visible to the spectators, and times really are the best way to tell how someone is performing, so whether on a watch or phone, the masses all focus on starting and stopping their stopwatches to be as precise as possible
9. Having to pee does not directly correlate to time spent at the track.
When I’m at a track meet in which I’m competing, I pee as if my bladder were the size of a peanut. Yet, as merely a fan, I had no urge to break my record for times peed at a meet (it’s 9). So I guess it really is nervous pee as I always hypothesized.
10. I’ll always be a fan of high school running.
In many ways we leave high school behind when we go to college, but I think there’s always something to be gained from revisiting one's roots. High school running directly influenced my decision to run in college, and for that I’ll always be a fan.
11. I appreciate my fans that much more.
Watching track meets makes me want to race, but it also gives me a newfound appreciation for the parents and coaches who put all of their time and energy into watching their athletes run, jump, and throw for consecutive hours of a track meet. All of my fans mean that much more to me because I understand how invested they are and how much they sacrifice.
12. Coach’s cookies taste just as good if you didn’t earn them.
Quite frankly, I feel as if I put in enough work to earn it, and I didn’t even race. Regardless, I have a soft spot for those chocolate chip cookies.
