1. California Starts.

The worst saying that could be heard prior to starting a race. Having to fight the stampede at the start line, hoping you can get in front, or better yet hoping you don’t get trampled over and stepped on by 20 different spikes.

2. Not Sporting The Proper Uniform Requirements.

Wearing a pink sports bra when it needs to be black? Wearing grey spandex when Coach told you ten times that black spandex were required at every meet? Showing a company’s logo on your spandex? All of these are problems that are far too familiar for every track runner.

3. Pulling A Muscle Is Second Nature.

Whether it is too cold outside, you did not have a proper warm up, or you just took a wrong step, pulling a muscle is a daily struggle for the track runner. Hamstrings, groins, you list them and we’ve had it pulled.

4. Feeling As Though Death Is Coming After Every Race.

Hitting the point in a race where you can just begin to see the finish line, but unfortunately your legs would prefer you to stop abruptly. Every track runner knows the out of body experience when everything turns numb; your head starts to boggle from side to side, and your arms are slowly collapsing. Dramatically bending over or falling after you have crossed the finish line is guaranteed.

When the time came around, you literally would hide from your coach just to reassure yourself that there would be no possibility that you would have to run in the relay. For sprinters, running the 400 was comparable to being in a shark attack, although many would argue that the 400 is worse. You swore every time that it was because of your awful luck that you somehow were chosen to run in the relay, no matter how hard you tried to avoid it.

6. Don't Get Your Hopes Up, Pictures Will Never Turn Out Good.

All you have wanted in your track career was a cool, intense, action shot of you running. Possibly of you crossing the finish line, leading a race, or exchanging a hand off. Unfortunately, every time, it is of a pale, wheezing, distraught, sick, old- looking, cheek sagging runner that you are sad to identify as yourself. Please, keep the cameras away.

7. Different Spike Sizes For Different Tracks.

For indoor season, depending on the track the meet was held at you would need varying sizes of spikes. 1/2 inch, 1 inch, whatever. Forgetting your screwdriver to put them in was common, not having the right spike size was common, and of course with your luck you always forgot to bring five dollars to buy them at the table.

8. Checking Out Your Opponents.

All track runners know that as soon as heats had been given out, everyone, whether you knew them or not, frantically rushed around asking what heat so and so was in. Of course, you then tried to determine how good your opponent was, or tried to sneak a peak at their card to see the time they wrote down. Being in the first heat was the worst news you could hear, and being on an outside lane meant the world was ending and that you were going down in this race.

9. Waiting Around At Meets.

Often times, as the season went on and you had to qualify for certain meets, you would find yourself going to run the first out of twenty-some events. Of course, Coach said it was mandatory for you to stay the rest of the meet. Who cares what your friends were planning to do for the day in your group chat, you were there for at least another six hours.

10. Cutting In.

You always feared for the race in which you were in the position to cut in. Not remembering where to do so, or when, was always the biggest concern. You hoped and hoped every time that you would not be that person who cuts in too soon or at the wrong place.