It was late January in the year 2007. Track was scheduled to start in a few weeks. Our whole cross country team was still training, trying to stay in shape for the upcoming track and field season. Alex had the idea that we should go down to Lincoln, Nebraska for an indoor track meet. It would help us to tune up for soon-to-come speed workouts and help show us where we are, time wise.
The whole team, or whoever wanted to run there, was scheduled to drive there on a bus together. Everyone started to get excited and some prerace jiggers as usual. We soon found out that there was a huge snowstorm that was going to hit Lincoln that very day that we wanted to head down there. The parents decided that it would be too dangerous and risky, especially since it was just one little track meet.
Alex came up to me and told me that his dad was going down there no matter what because they were going to stay with his dad’s sister. He asked me if I wanted to go and maybe one other person. I said of course.
As we were driving to Lincoln, it started snowing like crazy. It was basically a blizzard. I suppose it could have been safer to stay home, but I am a man that likes to take risks.
We finally arrived in Lincoln safely and drove to Alex’s aunt’s house. This is where we would be staying for the next couple of nights. She has one son who is a senior.
It was a Saturday and the race was not until tomorrow. We decided that we better go to church. We then drove to this one story building with a cross on top of it. As soon as we arrived there the snow storm got worse.
The mass was only thirty minutes, basically the fastest church service I have ever been to. When we went out to the car, there was at least two inches of snow on the car that we drove there with. Now, the thing is Alex’s dad is one of those drivers that has to go fast and be the first one to the finish. As we were driving home on a gravel road, there was car in front of us that was going about ten miles per hour. He decided to pass it. We went off the road into the ditch. The car was still driving and there was a railroad crossing sign dead ahead. He tried to swerve to miss it and it scraped the side of the car. Somehow, the car got back on top of the road and we drove like nothing had happened. The only good thing about that experience was that we still passed the car.
It was Sunday, race day. I was running the mile and Alex was doing the same. The meet was apparently for the Nebraska State Junior Olympics. We were still in it even though we were from South Dakota.
The indoor track there was amazing. It 200 meters around and the turns were banked, like a race car track. There was a pole vault pit, shot put rink, and a long jump pit. We watched people participate in all of those events at least once.
Our race was next. We were kind of nervous, but then we were like, "Hey, this doesn’t even count for anything." That helped me relax a little. Then the gun went off. The race went by so fast. I don’t even remember that much from it.
In the end, we both had our fastest times ever. I finally broke five minutes, but barely, and Alex was about ten seconds ahead of me.
When we came back home, it ended up to be the first day of track. The whole team had practice. As soon as we got home, we went to the high school and went to track and told the team of our interesting days in Lincoln, Nebraska.