The only thing more boring than hearing someone tell you about their dream is hearing someone tell you about a dream that you weren't in. That's why this post is mostly for Aaron Nadolsky, Connor Manley, Wade Endress, and Coach Sullivan. On the off chance you are still interested in reading, well then, enjoy...
January 30, 2015. The Penn State National.
Glen Mills High School Indoor Track Facility. Glen Mills, PA.
Tonight's DMR team is in the midst of an attempt at a national-leading mark. Connor Manley has just finished the 800 meter leg and hands off the baton to 400m leg Aaron Nadolsky in 1:51 (in this particular race someone arbitrarily decides to run the 800 before the 400. Just go with it.)
Penn State holds a commanding lead. Nadolsky now carries the baton, pumps his arms relentlessly, and cycles his legs through strong and steady like pistons, but he's not going anywhere. Instead he runs in place on the start line for 47 seconds. Having covered no ground whatsoever but clearly giving it all he's got judging by the look of Greg Jennings-esque determination on his face, his leg is now apparently over as he lunges forward to hand me the baton.
At this point I'm confused. It's not unusual at all to me that Aaron just ran in place for 47 seconds, but I do find it strange that he did it facing in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, now the baton is in my grasp and I hesitantly start jogging clockwise headed toward the turn on the backstretch. Not really sure about what I'm doing or if I am running in the right direction, I stop dead in my tracks and look to the sideline, and calmly ask Penn State senior Wade Endress.
"Which way?"
Wade is biting his lip, with a big grin trying not to laugh, he shakes his head, and points me in the other direction. I laugh at myself too.
No big deal. I retrace my lost 50 meters and head off for the first of (apparently) four laps. Four minutes and four seconds later I cross the finish line feeling no fatigue, no strain. I ran most of the race in lane six, as my tremendous speed and momentum forced me to the outside lanes.
I've only run four, 200-meter laps but Coach Sullivan says I'm done. I try in vain to convince her that I am pretty sure I still have another four laps to go, but everyone on the team seems to disagree with me. I shrug my shoulders, smile, and look up at the scoreboard to see our official, winning time: 9:33.12 - it's an NCAA leader! The Glen Mills crowd roars its approval! Coach Sullivan informs me I closed the last 400 meters of the race in a blistering 89 seconds to secure the victory. Everyone is impressed. I am confused by the math, but happy nonetheless.
It was the strangest, most glorious race of our lives. And I now issue a challenge to Penn State's season opening DMR to top Connor Manley's, Aaron Nadolsky's, and my NCAA-leading performance. Should we expect it on January 30? Should Glen Mills host in 2016? Does the team need me to fly back to State College and count laps?
If you can dream it, you can achieve it.
My recent dreams are almost as weird. I'm on my way to Disney World just as Coach Gondak is leaving. I'm hallucinating while in the throes of H2N4 flu despite 20 straight years of flu shots.
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