As a track and field athlete, I understand the commitment, joys, and struggles that come along with it. A collegiate track season spans from the month of October to the month of May. When we are not in season, we are following lifting and conditioning programs given to us by our coaches. It takes a special (somewhat crazy) person to be willing to devote their life to the sport. If you yourself are a track and field athlete, then you will most likely be able to relate to these "track-isms."
1. It's always a party in the training room before practice.
Heating is essential to ensure that your muscles don't die during the workout, especially if you're injured. Or, this could also be seen as a death match to get to your own training table before they all fill up.
2. Ice is your frenemy.
You need it, but it sucks. Either you wrap yourself in it and have to walk like a robot for the next 20 minutes, or practically die in the cold tub.
3. Becoming BFFs with the athletic trainer.
If you're anything like me, you're probably injury prone and spend a lot of time with your athletic trainer. Before you know it, you'll be telling her that her butt looks real cute in those khaki shorts and there is nothing weird about it.
4. While heading to practice or a meet after heating, you and your teammates compare how many ibuprofen pills everyone will need to pop to be able to survive practice.
If you took enough, your body might not actually feel like it's going to fall apart this time.
5. There's always that one teammate who gets super nervous before meets and will probably rip your face off if you try to talk to them.
That teammate may or may not be me.
6. Sometimes, you just have to end up dancing the nerves out and look like the biggest goofballs on the whole entire track.
7. You have some sort of pre-meet ritual. My fellow high jump girls and I always pray together before meets.
8. You go out barefoot for the first time in the summer and someone always says, "Hey nice white socks!" because your tan lines are so awful.
9. Thinking your coach is a little nuts for taking the team to an all-you-can-eat buffet and expecting you to "limit yourself."
10. And then proceeding to eat whatever the heck you want anyway while trying to ignore the disappointment in your coach's eyes.
11. You hate listening to other athletes complain about conditioning and running, because that's practically all that you do.
12. When friends ask you to go out, your typical response is, "Sorry, I have a meet tomorrow." You then proceed to watch six hours straight of Netflix and pass out by 11:00 p.m.
13. You miss it before you even hit two weeks into the off season. Your body can't even seem to function properly without the daily training.
14. Your team truly becomes your family.
