Race at the Track

August 2, 2044- Friday

Rise sticks his right foot into his school shoes, He is in a rush to get out of the door and into the outdoors, he overslept a few minutes. The last thing he remembers is Jackson shaking him awake in the morning telling him to wake up. Once he reached the heavy wooden ornate door both his feet were properly inside his shoes.

He zooms out into the bright sun with his school things in hand. Rise dashes among the trees, cutting through the grass. He reaches the school building and the halls are empty. Oh no he is late, he thinks. He pulls the door open hearing the voice of his teacher. Rise sits down on his seat feeling the eyes of everyone.

“Oh, you made it Mr. Sharp. Be mindful of the time next time,” says Mr. Jet pausing from his lesson on the board.

“Yes, Mr. Jet,” says Rise, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.

He finds the lesson number in the textbook on the tablet. From the seat next to him Jackson waves at him.

“I told you to wake up,” says Jackson, shaking his head with a half grin.

“Yeah, I was tired,” says Rise in a whisper, leaning to talk to Jackson.

Rise concentrates on the lesson on hand, but his mind feels a bit foggy and not too concentrated right now.

The teacher has them move the desks forming a circle in the room. Then Mr. Jet drags his chair to the center of the circle and starts their lesson.

“Today, I’d like to provide a useful tool for your running. The use of breathing and calming techniques. This goes hand in hand with meditation and mindfulness,” says Mr. Jet.

They go through some breathing techniques together breathing in deeply for four counts and holding and letting go again for four counts. As Rise breathes in deeply he feels the tension in his body easing away. His mind becomes less fogged up, but of course, thoughts still pop into his mind. Rise is able to relax his body and he feels a sense of relief. It is a sense familiar to him similar to the times he would sit at the top of the hill back home and lay back on the grass. He is brought back to attention as Mr. Jet continues talking about the ways they can implement the techniques in their everyday lives.

“We’ll be journaling for the next next. You might find that you like it. The class will end soon,” says Mr. Jet.

The teenagers move their desks back into their position as the bell rings above them in its high-pitched tone. They pick up their school items and leave for the dormitory building.

Once inside the dormitory, Jackson and Rise change into their running clothes. They are having a conversation about class. The other boys are still not really talking to them and keeping their distance. This is not all too bad for the five of them who have garnered a type of designated seat at the dining hall because nobody else will talk to them. Nix, Lily were already sitting next to Han on the table eating full sandwiches stuffed with ham, veggies, and condiments. Jackson and Rise sat across from them. THey had all opted to drink tall glasses of water on this hot day. Even with the air vents the inside of the dormitory building felt a bit stuffy though Rise was shaking the collar of his air-wicking shirt. Soon they were one of the last to finish their lunch and they cleaned up their plates in the kitchen. Out onto the track they went.

Man, was it a hot day!

The surface of the track seemed to steam from the temperature of the sun. The nearby runners were already drinking lots of water. Unable to quince their thirst in the heat. RIse and his team started to stretch where there was shade from the trees which were cast from the other side of the fence. It was not as cooling as Rise would have liked but it felt alright.

Soon the coach whistled for their attention.

“There will be a relay race of 1.25 miles broken into five, 400 meter sections. The already formed team will race against some of its team members from the track,” says coach Palmer pointing from Rise and his group to the other runs.

The other runners looked at them like a tasty slice of meat hot off the grill.

Han called Rise over to ask him what section of the relay he would like to run.

“Anywhere I am best,” says Rise.

“Okay, you go after Jackson in second position,” says Han.

The whistle was blown again and it was time to begin the relay race.

At the start line Jackson stood next to another member of the dormitories. At coach Palmer’s signal they ran down the track. Since this was a 400 meter for each it was all very fast, soon Jackson was half way and Rise had to stand in place for the baton. Jackson had a short lead ahead of the other person. Rise felt the baton and he was off. He tries to be mindful of the baton in his hand. That was in a firm grasp, its metallic feeling. He concentrates on that as an anchor to his breathing. He could almost hear the other person behind him. Rounding the last corner he saw the silhouette of Lily. Looking clearly he handed the baton to her. And she was off. Soon it was time for Nix, while their lead had stayed the same 25 meters or so. During her turn their lead grew a bit. At the end Han finished strong, winning for their team. The whole team embraced into a circle. Han shook hands with the other runners and the others also did the same.

Rise thinks that is the end of the practice but they still have to do a cool down mile run.

On the campus of the buildings they run the mile distance doing long laps. The five of them are in a good mood for winning. Even Han is smiling. Jackson is trying to run and hit the tree leaves by the road. Rise joins him and they smack the leaves on the side of the road. It takes a while to complete their mile. Once they are done running a mile they stretch at the track. Only a few other runners remain.

“I wonder what is for dinner?” wonders Rise out loud.

“A dinner for champions!” says Jackson.

They all laugh and retreat to eat dinner at the dormitory building.