Changing Strides

~Chapter 7~

  As of last year, our track coach started Running Club, where you literally get to run the for an hour after school, the whole time with friends. We started in November and we end when track starts. I dropped my backpack on the edge of the gym floor and walked onto the track. I jogged a warm up lap before Sammy came. I stopped running to wait for Sammy when my coach, Coach Dennis started talking, "Claire, why aren't you running?" He was joking of course. Half of the words that came out of his mouth weren't serious. "Waiting for Slow Poke." He laughed as I indicated to Sammy. "Claire," he pulled out a stopwatch. "One lap. Ready, go!" I took off sprinting through the turn I started on, opening up to the backstretch. I picked up speed on the stretch but was forced to slow at the sharp turn up ahead. I rounded the corner to see Sammy standing there, ready and Coach Dennis looking at me, then his stopwatch. I picked up a final gear and cruised to my finish. I heard the stopwatch tick as I came up to coach. "Um, ok, wow. 37.3" My jaw dropped before I collected myself. "I still got it." Coach Dennis laughed as I ran off with Sammy, I could hear the faint tick of the stopwatch as I left.

Once I completed a mile, Coach Dennis summoned Sammy and I over. "Hey you two are looking good out there. Can you help me?" I looked at Sammy and nodded. "Can you two go and get the bag of batons from my jeep? It should be unlocked." We both nodded and jogged down the halls and made our way to the hard-to-miss golden jeep. Sammy grabbed the batons and we walked back to the track. We greeted Coach and handed him the drawstring bag. He pulled out a silver baton and handed it to us. "One of you stand at the straightaway, the other in the middle, I want you to hand off in the little amount of space you have. Go." Sammy and I obediently jogged around to the last stretch. Sammy motioned me to go as I stood in the middle. Coach Dennis raised his arm, and lowered it and I assumed Sammy took off. I heard her approach and yell go. I launched from my feet, getting good speed when I heard Sammy say, stick. I whipped my hand back and felt the cool metal touch my skin. I grasped it and brought the baton in front of me running the rest of the way to Coach. He gave a nod of approval as Sammy walked up. He flashes a stopwatch. It only took roughly five seconds to do a hand off. I was impressed.

Coach Dennis then flashed a smile. "You two are special. You're gonna carry the team. I know it. I feel it." I looked at Sammy out eyes locking gazes. I beamed with pride at the compliment. "Sammy, line up, do a lap, I'll signal." Sammy crouched down. On the first count, Sammy perfected her form. On the second count, she was still as a statue. On the last count, she was off. She flew forward. Her elegant stride becoming prominent as she went through the backstretch. She went through the turns and she aimed for us. Her speed was amazing, she flew down the stretch quickly and finished in a blink of an eye. I looked over Coach Dennis's shoulder and glanced at the time. I looked at the watch in astonishment. 00:36.92. That was fast.