Blog: Nothing can be Changed

By Carmille Garcia, Staff writer

Every race, every moment in that race among your own enemies is priceless and to not hold back all those moments can be the race of your life. The race of your life is surreal, amazing and unimaginably slow. As a runner, they remember every instant that their heart beats uncontrollably to the loud crowd alongside with the hundreds of feet trying to move that one and only place: first.

First in front of runners breathing down your neck and waiting to stampede ahead to get in their rightfully position. It was a foggy, cold morning at Mt. Sac for the CIF finals in cross country. This was going to be my day, my race, and I could feel the tension rising in the air.

 Nervous did not hit me until the redcoat lifted that gun in the air. Then the race of my life had started. Chasing the pack of girls was a reminder of all the crazy mile repeats that our team did over the summer. Not to mention the twenty mile days alongside it too. The first mile went way to quick for I was running after the fastest girls in the state.

A random coach shouted in the distance…5:15….5:17….5:20! As I pass by hearing that last number, I was thinking our crazy coach is right about hitting the first mile in 5:20 then surviving the rest considering the millions of miles we did, the Fountain Valley team could almost handle everything. Then it hit me…the hill. Yes the hill, the first of three uphill battles to challenge.

 Trying to stay with group of runners is hard enough when that was personal best in the mile for the three mile race. Almost up and over the hill and it’s down to the very bottom again in just a flash. Making our way towards poopout, (name for the next hill on the course) and this name for it does not make it the worst hill in the world for it is actually the shortest.

Runner’s around me were breathing heavily as so was I and there was still a long way to finish. Up over the next hill, done and finished. The crowds were a bit more subtle here behind the mountain as some runners start to slow down. This is always a chance for opportunity to move ahead in front of many girls as you can.

One girl, two girls the two miles has been passed and there is no coach to shout out the times to tell you to go faster! In a race there is no slowing down, and there are no easy days. Run every race like it is your last race that you will ever run in your life. Turning around the bend makes you look up to see the last and final test of the hill were the fans below will almost never walk up the horrendous mountain to cheer you on through the last moments of agony.

This was the concluding of the eight hundred meters left in the race and to leave everything that was already been put out, to go all out. The crowd kept getting bigger and bigger more down the mountain till the crowd had gotten enormous all around the gauntlet, the final stretch where anyone can challenge anyone.

Chanting, screaming and in my mind all it said was to finish, to finish. That was all I heard through the final moment and sprinted up the last hill through the finish chute holding my hands out. Nothing can be changed.