On a Saturday morning last November, I got up at 5 to be at the Armory track on 168th Street in Harlem, a neighborhood in Manhattan for the girls'4×2 relay race (接力赛).
I joined the team when I was a freshman at Abraham Lincoln High School. I hadn't considered it until a girl came up to me and said, "You look like a good runner. Would you like to join the track team?" She thought I would make a good runner because she saw my legs and arms were built, but I was just naturally slim.
I was excited and surprised, "I don't know. What do I have to do?"
"It is a lot of hard work and devotion. It's not easy."
She was right. My team had practice every day from 3:30 to 6 except for Fridays. When we didn't have practice, I'd run on my own on the boardwalk. I got faster and focused. Track helped me get away from troubles. Arguments with my mom, problems with schoolwork, and dramas with the kids at school. I felt calm every time I ran.
I got to the Armory at 7. My team was already there. We gave each other hugs and high fives. When the officials called for the relay race, I went out to the starting line. Then the gun went off. As I pounded the track, I was focusing so much on myself. I started running away from my problems. I couldn't see anyone or anything but the finish line. Everything else was just a blur. I fought to the finish line. I wasn't only fighting against the other teams; I was also fighting to win my battle against my stress.
I could feel the wind blowing against my skin. I felt like I was flying. My stress disappeared. I came in second as I passed the baton (接力棒) to my teammate.
