Running Rivals, page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
Back to the Team
CHAPTER 2
Scared
CHAPTER 3
A Different Track
CHAPTER 4
Out of Practice
CHAPTER 5
Natalie’s Idea
CHAPTER 6
The Old Amy
CHAPTER 7
The First Meet
CHAPTER 8
Another Idea
CHAPTER 9
My Biggest Competition
CHAPTER 10
Personal Best
CHAPTER 1
BACK TO THE TEAM
The walls of Dr. Smith’s exam room were mint green. They were covered with certificates, diplomas, and drawings that looked like they’d been made by little kids.
My dad was sitting in a chair, reading a magazine. I was sitting on the exam table, wishing that Dr. Smith would hurry up.
All he had to do was walk in, look at my knee, and tell me whether it was healed enough for me to run again.
I was a mid-distance runner. I ran the 400. A lot of people think the 400 is the toughest race in track. It’s 400 meters, one lap around the track, running as fast as you can.
I usually got first place. I only got second place if my biggest rival, Madison Palmer, was running.
But you can’t run at all if your knee has been hurt, like mine was. I had hurt my knee almost two months earlier, at the very beginning of the season.
There was a knock at the door and Dr. Smith walked in. “Hi Amy! Hi Mr. Reid! How are you two doing?” he asked.
Dr. Smith shook my dad’s hand. Then he got out an orange rubber hammer and started tapping on my knee.
“How has your knee been feeling?” he asked me.
“It feels normal,” I told him. “Can I get back to my team?”
Dr. Smith laughed. “That’s why I love sports medicine,” he said. “Athletes always want to get better so fast.”
He looked at my chart and continued, “Well, I’ve looked at all of your X-rays and scans. Your knee seems to be healed. I’ll let you go back, but you have to promise not to overdo it.”
“I’ll take it easy,” I promised. “Anyway, we don’t have a track meet until Tuesday.”
“Okay, Amy,” the doctor said. “You’ll have to start slowly, and make sure you’re stretching and resting your knee after runs. Good luck on Tuesday.” He shook my hand.
“Thanks, Dr. Smith!” I said.
When we left the clinic, I was so excited that I jumped for joy. But my knee gave a little shake. I suddenly felt nervous.
What if my knee wasn’t better enough? What if I didn’t have any speed?
The next meet was only five days away. What if I wasn’t ready?
CHAPTER 2
SCARED
“Wow, I didn’t think he’d let you run again so soon,” Dad said as we headed home. “Are you excited?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Do we have an ice pack at home? I need to make sure to use it on my knee every time after I’m done running.”
I was trying to change the subject. I didn’t want to tell my dad how scared I was.
“Yes, we do. Hey, is everything okay?” asked Dad.
“Yep,” I replied.
“Good,” said Dad. “Don’t worry, honey. Tuesday’s meet will be here before you know it.”
When we got home, I put my backpack in my room, and then went into the dining room for dinner. For a few minutes, the only sounds were the clinks of forks and knives on plates.
“Natalie, how was school today?” asked my dad between bites.
“It was good,” my older sister replied. “The yearbook is going really well.”
“Great!” Dad said.
“Amy, what did the doctor say?” Natalie asked.
I felt my face turn red. I could hide my nervousness from my dad, but not from my sister. I looked down and answered, “I can go back to practice. Dr. Smith said I had to be careful, though.”
I concentrated really hard on cutting my chicken so I didn’t have to look at her. Natalie could always tell if I wasn’t telling her something by looking at my face.
“I think I’ll go for a run after dinner,” I said. I loved running. It always made me feel better. I guess it helped me think things through in my head.
“I found a new trail in the park, and I don’t have any homework,” I added.
“Just don’t push too hard,” said Dad. “I’ll have the ice pack ready for you when you get back.”
I went down the hall to my room and changed my clothes. I was really worried about my knee as I slipped out the back door. I walked across the street and into the park, stretching as I went.
When I got to the beginning of the trail, I began to jog.
CHAPTER 3
A DIFFERENT TRACK
I usually ran at the track at school, but so did all of my teammates. I didn’t want them to see me if I had to stop or if I was slow. I just wanted to run. So I headed to a different track than usual.
Concentrating on my breathing and form, I ran up a little hill. Just on the other side, the trees cleared and I could see a tennis court, two basketball hoops, and a track.
I started to jog down the hill toward the track. Then I noticed a flash of purple under the track lights.
It was a girl. She was tall and had a long brown ponytail. She was wearing purple and gold, the colors of our rival school, Emeryville.
I stopped and waited just out of sight. When the girl rounded a corner, I realized who she was. It was Madison Palmer. Why was she running there?
Madison was my biggest competition for the 400. She and I had been running against each other since fifth grade, and she almost always beat me. And to make matters even worse, she’d been running next to me when I’d gotten hurt earlier in the season.
The meet was in Emeryville. I had been in lane one, the closest to the inside of the track. Madison had been in lane two. When the starting gun went off, I had burst out in the lead. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Madison was keeping pace with me.
As we rounded the second turn into the last straightaway, I had glanced over at Madison.
That was the biggest mistake I could have made.
When I looked away, I stepped just a little too close to the edge of the track. My shoe got caught on the plastic between the grass and the asphalt.
I felt a pop, and then a lot of pain in my left knee.
Somehow, I managed to finish the race. I placed last. And then my dad took me to the hospital. I hadn’t run since.
A woman’s voice snapped me back to the present. “You had a good kick there at the end,” the woman called to Madison. The woman was standing just off the track. “1:05,” she went on. “That’s your best time all year.”
“Really?” said Madison, panting slightly. “Great!”
“It’s getting late,” said the woman. “Why don’t you jog a couple of laps to cool down, and then we’ll go.”
One minute and five seconds? I couldn’t believe it. That was a great time. I had never run the 400 that fast.
“Okay, Mom,” Madison said.
I sat for a while. I just listened to Madison’s footsteps.
Her mom was right. It was getting late. As I turned to jog back up the hill, my knee gave another shake. My heart sank. Madison was running a very fast 400 and I could hardly jog without pain.
Dad had the ice pack waiting for me when I got home. It was so cold I had to close my eyes and grit my teeth as I put it onto my knee.
Then Natalie walked in. “Hey, Amy. How was your run?” she asked.
“Fine,” I said. I looked away.
“It wasn’t fine,” she said, frowning. “When you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me.”
CHAPTER 4
OUT OF PRACTICE
The next day was Friday. I was really looking forward to getting back to practice. It seemed like the school day lasted forever.
As soon I got out to the field after school, I found Coach Joseph.
“Amy! I’m so glad to have you back,” said Coach Joseph. “How’s your knee feeling?”
“It’s okay,” I said, looking away.
The truth was that my knee was sore from my run the night before. I didn’t tell my coach. I didn’t want him to worry.
“Are you ready for practice?” Coach Joseph asked.
“Absolutely,” I said.
“Great,” he said. Then he blew his whistle. “Okay, team,” he called. “Let’s do two laps and stretch.” He blew his whistle again and we started running.
After we stretched, my knee was still sore, but not really painful. It seemed okay.
Then we split up. The people who did field events, like the discus or high jump, went to practice their throws and jumps. The long-distance runners took the three outside lanes of the track and started running.
Those of us who started our races with starting blocks (the 100-meter, 200-meter and most of the 400-meter runners) each had a partner. The other person stood on the block so that it wouldn’t move. Then, after the race started, they took the block off the track.
My partner was a girl named Katie. We grabbed a set of blocks. Katie said, “Amy, I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve had to practice starting with Coach Joseph. He makes me so nervous!”
“Oh, Katie, that’s too bad,” I said with a laugh. “I’m glad to be back too. Is it okay if I go first?”
“Sure,” said Katie.
I set up the b locks at the starting line and adjusted them.
Katie stood on the back of the blocks. I put my feet up against the blocks and got down on one knee. She waited as I lined my hands up to the starting line.
When my hands were in place, Katie said, “On your mark! Get set!”
I pushed up so that my knee was off the ground. But just before she yelled, “Go!” I shot out of the blocks and ran a few yards. That was a false start. In a real race, that would have disqualified me.
We tried a few more times, but I just kept false starting. I was so afraid of starting slow that I couldn’t relax and wait.
“Don’t worry about it, Amy. You’re just out of practice,” said Katie.
“Yeah, that’s probably it,” I said. “Your turn.”
I got up. The starting position was making my knee sore anyway.
When Katie was done practicing her starts, we were rounded up with the rest of the runners. We were going to do a drill called the Caterpillar.
We all ran in a line, one behind the other, around the track. Every so often, the last person in the line would sprint to the front.
It felt so good to be back, running next to my teammates. It was a beautiful, sunny day for my first practice back.
As we ran, I timed my breathing with my footsteps, in for two and out for two. I just listened to the sounds of our footsteps on the ground and let myself be happy to be back, running along the track.
But the longer I ran, the more my knee hurt. I was glad when Coach Joseph finally blew his whistle.
“Great practice today, everyone,” he said. “Now, you all know we have two meets next week, on Tuesday and Friday. So get some rest this weekend and get ready for a big week. Have a great weekend!”
CHAPTER 5
NATALIE’S IDEA
I woke up late on Saturday morning. Natalie was in the kitchen when I went to find something to eat.
“Are you ready to tell me what’s bothering you, Amy?” she asked. She looked at me over her glass of orange juice.
I knew she was trying to help me feel better. I just wasn’t ready to talk about my fears.
“I’m fine, Natalie. Really,” I said.
My sister raised her eyebrows. I could tell that she didn’t believe me.
“What?” I asked her.
“Well,” she said, “you haven’t been able to talk about running lately without looking away from me. It’s your favorite thing. Why are you acting like you don’t like it anymore?”
“I do still like it!” I answered.
“Then what’s the problem?” she asked again. “Amy, you know me. I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me.”
Great, I thought. Natalie could be really stubborn when she wanted something.
“Okay,” I said. “I had a hard time with starts today. I’m sure I was just kind of out of practice, though, so now will you leave me alone?”
“Okay,” said Natalie. “I need to shower and think. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
“You do that,” I said under my breath. “I’m going for a run,” I told her.
I wasn’t normally so crabby with my sister, but the more I thought about the upcoming meets, especially Friday’s meet against Madison, the more scared I got. I didn’t see how anyone could help me, so I just didn’t want to talk about it at all.
* * *
When I got home, I was limping a little from the soreness in my knee and not feeling any better. I took some medicine to help my knee. When I came out of the bathroom, Natalie was waiting for me. She had a big smile on her face.
“Why are you so happy?” I asked, wiping my sweaty forehead with a towel.
“Because I had an idea,” she replied. “What do you think about calling Coach Joseph and asking to use a set of blocks for the weekend?”
I stared at her. What did I think? “Natalie!” I shouted. “That’s a great idea!”
CHAPTER 6
THE OLD AMY
I gave Natalie a sweaty hug while she screamed and tried to get away.
“I get it! I get it!” she cried, laughing. “You like the idea! Now get away from me and call your coach.”
“Do you think he’ll mind if I call him?” I asked nervously.
Natalie shook her head. “I doubt it,” she told me. “He will be glad that you want to work hard over the weekend.”
I grabbed the telephone. Coach Joseph answered on the second ring.
“Coach?” I said. “It’s Amy.”
“Good morning, Amy,” said Coach. He sounded worried. “Is anything wrong? How’s your knee?”
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” I said. I tried to ignore the nervous feeling in my stomach when he mentioned my knee. “I’m really sorry to call you at home, but I was hoping I could borrow a set of blocks for the weekend. Is that okay?”
“Oh! Sure!” Coach said. “That’s a great idea!”
“It was Natalie’s,” I said honestly. I looked over to see her smiling at me. “Can you meet us at the school in twenty minutes?” I asked.
“Sure thing,” Coach Joseph said. I gave Natalie a thumbs-up.
“Okay,” I said. “See you then.”
* * *
When we got home, Natalie and I planned our afternoon. She said, “I can hold your blocks for you. I was also thinking I could bang on a pan with a spoon for the starting gun.”
I laughed. “We usually just say ‘go,’” I told her, “but if you want to bang on a pan, you go right ahead.”
Natalie blushed a little. “Right,” she said. “I guess I got a little carried away.” Then she laughed too.
We went to the back yard. Natalie searched for a flat spot while I stretched.
“Let’s get you started,” she said when she found a spot.
My first few attempts went as badly as they had at practice the day before. I false started every time. Every time, I was up and past the string we were using for a starting line before Natalie ever said go.
“Amy, just wait for it,” she said after the fifth try, sounding frustrated. “It’s not even a real race!”
“I know that, Natalie,” I said, trying to be patient. “But you have to practice like it’s the real thing.”
Natalie sighed and stepped off the block. She put her hands on my shoulders. “Amy, I don’t know what’s really bugging you, but you’re a good runner. You’ve worked so hard,” she said.
Then she looked me in the eyes and said very slowly, “You can do this. I know you can. Just take a deep breath and try to relax.”
The knot in my stomach, which had been getting worse with every start, loosened a little. I smiled at my sister.
Natalie and I worked until almost dinnertime. My knee was sore by the time we finished, but not like it had been the day before. Toward the end, my old timing had started to come back. I was still a little bit too quick out of the blocks, but I felt more confident.
“That’s better,” said Natalie as we walked inside. “Almost like the old Amy.”
CHAPTER 7
THE FIRST MEET
I was nervous about my first meet, and Tuesday came fast. Madison’s school wasn’t going to be at the meet, though, so at least I could relax about that.
The meet was at our school. After classes let out, Katie and I took our time changing into our uniforms and making our way to the field.
“How are you feeling, Amy?” asked Katie as we changed. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” I said. “It’ll be good to get this meet over with so I can concentrate on Friday.”
“Well,” said Katie, “I’m really glad you’re back.”
I smiled and said, “Thanks, Katie. I’m really glad to be back. I can’t believe how much I missed all this hard work!”
We laughed. Then we walked toward the team camp in the middle of the field.
Soon the meet started. I jogged between starting lines, sand pits, finish lines, and jumps to root for my teammates. Race after race finished.
Finally, it was time to find out which lane I would run in. The official with the clipboard was a short, gray-haired lady with bright pink shoes.
“Name, please,” she said, glancing at my jacket to see the name of my school.
