The 3,000m track race was my first of the two events I competed in at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics and Road Race Championships this year in Timaru. We travelled down on the Thursday morning to allow lots of time to get used to the environment and settle into where I will be staying for the week. I got the chance to get a shake out run in and a few warm up laps on the track to shake the nerves.
This was actually the first time I have ever raced the 3,000m track race at this level let alone any track race at this level. I usually just focus on the road race, but with the option to do both with a day recovery between I thought I may as-well, as they are only short events and my body could recover that system in time enough to put my best foot forward in both.
I was nervous going into the race and self conscious of what I can achieve as I had been training longer distances for my half marathon and only some speed work where my body was struggling to keep up to the demand of pace in training just a couple weeks prior.
Never the less, I got to the start line as showing up is the first step and then putting my best foot into it is the next. It was a full race of almost 30 girls so the track was spread across completely and when the gun went off it was a quick start not like the usual like I had at the North Island Champs where they try start slow and speed up as time goes, but I knew if that happened I couldn’t sit back as I can’t reach the speeds they do so running my own race was set a stone.
I sat where I was comfortable but did keep dropping back to the lower quarter for the first few laps and didn’t feel comfortable nor confident in myself, something switched in me where I was like I need to actually start trying and pushing now and not be comfortable working or I will be disappointed in my performance so that’s just what I did. I picked up my pace while others slowed and one by one picked others off and bettered my placing.
I knew from my endurance I could out run these girls in a long distance race so I would have more kick at the end, which I pulled out and secured one placing higher from and is always the best way to confidently end.
I know there is work to be done on my starting and to get out stronger and not have to pick off people as that’s what I used to do in cross country before I started to get out hard and fast but there’s something about track where the speed is next level that’s preformed.
I came away with a huge PB, of over 20 seconds and hence the training not being directly towards it I was stocked to see how anything can help everything improve over time and consistency, I finished 15th rather than my seeded second to last and beat people I used to never think I could. One future top for myself is to go in with confidence other wise I’m letting myself down in that aspect.
– Jessica Bray