Track Races: A Lesson in Staying in My Lane

Our school Inter House Sport introduced me to track races and this was marked by an unforgettable experience. During my first race, despite finishing among the top five, I lost due to the mistake of running into another participant's lane.

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This incident made me learn a big lesson. This is to avoid the dangerous path of imitating others or straying away from my own path. The outcome of such deviations is often catastrophic, with loss as the unintended reward. A loss I faced as I raced to fifth place and was stripped of it in the end.

Till today, making decisions on my own terms is of utmost priority. And I try not to succumb to external pressures. I allow myself the luxury of thinking carefully, especially when I am evaluating my ability to keep pace with those decisions.

If I start something and realize I can't maintain the rhythm, I opt to step back early rather than linger on the emotional turmoil of embarrassment, guilt, and self-reproach. I've come to understand that it's wiser to gracefully let go than to be ensnared in regrets especially when I try to persist without any sight of the finish line.

Reflecting on that incident where I strayed into another lane and faced disappointment from my house captain, I realized that I should have dropped the baton and exited the track. However, because I was driven by the fear of disappointing her, I continued to the end, only to find that my actions still fell short.

This cycle of disappointment and correction persisted through multiple practices, which made her bench me a lot of time. Eventually, I decided not to participate in the track races for my house during inter-house sports events. I tried other events like the rag race and the egg on a spoon race, but success eluded me. Eventually, I decided to throw in the towel and left completely.

On the day of the main event, I unexpectedly found myself participating in a fashion parade when the original participant backed out. Despite my lack of preparation, I took the challenge in good faith and strides and finished in a fourth-place.

As a result of these experiences, I have realized that life is indeed a race, but as it is often said; "It's a marathon not a sprint". I learned the value of running within my own lane, steadfastly avoiding the temptation to cross into others'.

It became clear that each person's journey is different, and as such, our arrival times at various milestones will naturally differ. This lesson applies to my own instance where I accidentally ran into someone else's lane. It realized that even though we make mistakes along the way, we are all still racing toward the finish line.

I no longer find myself running into the territory of others. The lesson had solidified my commitment to stay on my path. This is because I understand that regardless of how far the finish line may appear, I am certain that I will always make it. But I can only win in my own time if I faithfully remain within my own lane.