May the Penn Relays be ever in your favor!

This Saturday I’ll be racing in the Olympic Development Mile at the 118^th running of the Penn Relays. It will be my 6^th appearance at the Relays (three times with my college 4×4, twice in the mile), and I anticipate it will be, like every time before, absolutely and without fail, utter pandemonium. With over 100,000 people attending the 3 day racing carnival and with over 400 races taking place, this is the most insane track event in the United States. Warming up for USA Nationals at Hayward Field last summer was downright civilized when compared to the mayhem that is the Penn Relays’ paddock system. The crowd at Pan Americans this fall seemed like attendees of garden party when compared the riotous crowd in Franklin Field.

(http://news.pennrelaysonline.com/2009/04/24/high-school-boys-4×100-heats/)

Hell, even the Penn Relays’ website calls their paddock “controlled chaos.”

Let me be clear. The noise, the crowd, and the intensity are exactly why I love the Penn Relays. If you can successfully warm-up through the packed streets and food vendors, handle the potentially extreme heat or freezing rain that is April weather in Pennsylvania, make it to the starting line and navigate a huge a field of racers, AND race well, then you can race well ANYWHERE. A win at Penn Relays is a win against the odds and a huge confidence boost. My parents and I joke that the Olympics have nothing on the Penn Relays. As far as I know, no Olympic stadium has broken out into a deafening choir of “whoops” when a runner makes a decisive pass on the top turn and catches the leader.

The Penn Relays are like a mini-Hunger Games. There are 23 women in my race on Saturday, just 1 person shy of the 24 tributes featured the books, and only one gold-watch winner. And while no one dies at the Penn Relays, there are a fair amount of injuries. I’ve been spiked twice, fell once, and received a bruise from another racer last year that made me look like I’d been in a bar fight. And if you think the Penn Relays aren’t dangerous, don’t tell this girl:

(http://www.runnerspace.com/news.php?news_id=2173)

I’ve also got my own personal Haymitch in Coach Gags to mentor me through the race. Here he is working his coaching magic at the Penn Relays 20+ years ago with Georgetown.

So Happy Penn Relays, Track Fans! And may the odds be ever in your favor!

Runners ♥ Dogs

Dear Track Fans,

Follow more than 10 runners on Twitter and you learn that runners (as a whole) love two things more than they love running: coffee and their pets.

I’m no exception and my BFF is Ella, a blind, diabetic black labrador. She likes all the things that I like (napping, eating, West Wing) and she’s an amazing listener.

While Ella and I are 99% of the time having a serious chill session, her only failing comes when we take her out of the house. Give her a leash and she’ll lose her mind. Put her in the car and she’ll start to shake. Take her anywhere and prepare yourself for wiggly dog mayhem.

I once took Ella to a “Dog Party” where she distinguished herself by chasing the host’s dog under the deck, making a 13 year old girl cry and vomiting all over the patio. While I spent 20 minutes hosing Ella’s lunch off of paving stones, she fell asleep in their kiddie pool. Needless to say, we weren’t invited to the next party.

So if you (like almost all Americans) like to watch dog videos, enjoy!

 

One Track Mind

(Explosions, escaped circus animals and Ryan Gosling: Things I wouldn’t notice on race day.)

 

Saturday’s 800m at Princeton will be both my first race of 2012 and my return from injury. As I haven’t competed in quite a few months, I’d forgotten that distinct pre-race feeling that begins the Wednesday before I race and stops only when the starting gun sets me loose. Pre-race jitters are not just about being nervous. For me, they are a way of mentally preparing myself for the extreme effort I’m about to undertake.

Racing can be extremely painful. With 300 meters left in any given race my body experiences a new level of distress far beyond the initial discomfort. As my legs go numb, my breathing becomes ragged and my arms uselessly flail, and my body shows signs of starting to fail. It’s when my body shouts at me, “Stop!” that I’ve got to draw on my mental fortitude, override this natural response, and instead pick up the pace.

My pre-race countdown is a learned behavior and it helps me cope with the pressure, anxiety, and pain that racing brings. It involves setting aside time to visual how I’d like the race to unfold, reviewing mantras about my own agency and abilities, and trying to keep the nerves at bay so I don’t unravel before I get to the starting line. A healthy amount of tunnel vision means that as the week progresses I slowly lose interest in things non-track and field related. By Thursday my friends know I’m zoning out. To wake me after 10pm on a Friday night is a friendship-ending offense. By this time my ability to watch or read anything of quality diminishes significantly. Racing has already taken root in my mind and leaves little room for much else. Only the most trashy and absorbing of all art forms can distract me. In college I took to reading romance novels. As they required only 2% of my brain power to read, they offered the perfect escape. The pursuit of excellence in running has caused me to read over 100+ romance novels, and although I’ve since kicked the habit, I’m still waiting for the emotional scars caused by such an undertaking to manifest themselves. 

All this strange behavior does serve a purpose, because on race day I’m so focused that all I care about is my race. As I’ve given myself adequate time to achieve a state of pre-race Zen, few things can distract me from my task. Explosions, escaped circus animals, and Ryan Gosling would all go unnoticed. I have a one track mind and I’m able to get down to the very serious task of racing.

After a long season of track races, this routine of tunnel vision can get a little boring. Thankfully, as I’ve gotten older I’ve tamed my nerves and I can mentally prepare for a race more quickly. Traveling on the racing circuit is a welcome distraction, and the constant influx of new athletes to meet means my social life need not end on Wednesday night. Still, for the first race of 2012 I’m embracing my pre-race countdown like an old friend, an old friend that makes your stomach churn, your palms sweat, and forces you to read books titled The Very Virile Viking and A Highlander Never Surrenders.

Meet the New Jersey*New York Track Club!

Dear Track Fans,

For my inaugural post, I’m pleased to introduce you to my second family, The New Jersey* New York Track Club. In August, this fantastic group of athletes and coaches welcomed me with open arms and I’m eternally grateful for their love, support and jokes. With our fearless leader, Frank Gagliano, putting us through our paces and keeping us on the right track (pun!) we’ve developed into a team of running machines and, to my delight, friends.

During my break from competing I filmed a few workouts and decided to throw them together into a video. As post-collegiate runners with Olympic aspirations our lifestyles tend to mirror that of struggling artists rather than pro-athletes. If you feel compelled, please check out our website (www.NJNYTC.com) and donate. Your donations go toward medical care, transportation, race entry fees and the box of crayons I’m using to write you all thank-you notes.

Best,

Annick