The View from the Infield
February 02, 2010 | 12:35 pm
I spent the weekend at the McGill Team Challenge. Six Dartmouth Athletics athletes were competing, two of which are still in high school and train with the club over the winter. It was strange being back on the McGill track; the CIS championships were hosted by McGill in 2007 and 2008. I don't think I've ever experienced so many conflicting emotions at a track meet. First of all, I was WAY more nervous for my athletes' races than I have ever been for my own. Secondly, watching the 4X800 was a thrill. I wish I had still been hooked up to Daniel Crumback's heart rate harness during the relay, as I'm sure my readings would have been almost identical to where they were while on the treadmill. Sherbrooke and Laval had a great race at the front, but I'll admit I breathed a sigh of relief as the time of my UVic team's track record set in 2008 ticked by with the leaders just entering the final corner.
But the strangest feeling of the weekend was just coming to terms with the idea of being a spectator. A couple of people asked me what I was doing there. I suppose I haven't been removed from that scene for long enough that they realized I wasn't racing anymore (yet?), and aside from a small group that I still keep in touch with, none of them knew I was coaching. I guess they thought I had flown to Montreal just to watch a track meet. Anyways, when the men's 600m and 1000m races were going I was just blown away by how fast everyone was running. It just looks so impressive! I was standing on the infield watching these guys cruising past and it seemed completely out of this world. Then I would see the times after the fact and realize that there was a time, not too long ago, where I would have been in the hunt for a medal in both of those events. Suddenly the idea of a comeback seemed almost ridiculous. Not only was I intimidated by the guys racing, I was also intimidated by my old self. But, at the same time, the idea of covering ground that fast again got me pretty fired up.
One of the most exciting parts of the weekend for me was STFX's 4X800. They ran 7:48.20, which I'm assuming is a school record by quite a bit. But more importantly, it leaves them ranked 7th in the CIS. The only two fast schools who haven't run yet are Calgary, who will likely be right around the same time as X, and UVic. I might be a bit biased, but UVic will be ranked first by the time nationals come around. But what that means is that X will probably still be ranked in the top 10 and have probably earned themselves a spot on the start line at nationals. And anything can happen there! (Anything but UVic losing!)
I haven't really touched on what my workouts for the week were like, but it all seems irrelevant after watching the races this weekend. Let's just say that nothing I did would indicate that I was ready to compete this weekend! I'm not hurt yet, though. And that's always a good thing.
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