The Third 220

For Coach Lucas

“Good job 
on that third 220 Harper.
Take a breather”
 
Is what I heard my coach say after I completed
my 880-yard leg of our team’s two-mile relay race.
 
Coach is preparing us for the city championships.
Along with passing the baton
and maneuvering through traffic on the track
he is working on our individual times.

He says: “You all run your first quarter mile well
and you run the last half of your last quarter mile well.
It is that third 220 yards in between that needs improvement.”
 
“You can divide the 880-yard race into four 220 yards sections.
The first 220 yards is the beginning of your race
and all your energy and optimism are at their peak
and you are sprinting to establish your position.
The second 220 yards is when you ease into your pace.
Even though it is a stiff pace you still feel strong and capable.
The fourth 220 is when you know the end is near and you marshal
your final energy to sprint toward the finish line.”
 
“However, the third 220 yards is always the challenge.
You see, in the third 220 you have completed your first lap
and you have accrued a painful oxygen debt because of that effort.  
Your lungs can no longer supply your body with sufficient
oxygen to remove the lactic acid from the muscle tissues
and allow them to continue to function at peak capacity.
In other words, you grow fatigued. “
 
“In addition to the painful discomfort of your body crying
out for relief there are the psychological effects.
These effects can be even more devastating to your running than the physical.
Your mind tells you that you have only completed half of your race.
And the dread of completing another entire lap with your body in such
a depleted and painful state can lead you to let up during that third 220.”
 
“Runners, this is a deception.”
 
“The truth is it is that easing up on that third 220 does not relieve your current pain
and pushing forward does not increase your pain beyond your capacity to endure it.
If you are willing to increase your effort, and with it your discomfort, during the third 220
then you will increase your personal best and gain an advantage over your competitors.
We do all this training as preparation to overcome our challenges on the track
but our biggest challenge is not in our legs or lungs but resides squarely within our will to compete."
 
"Runners, no matter what you think or feel press on through your third two twenty." 
 
We all improved our times that year and qualified for the state championships.
I have never forgotten that lesson given on Schenley’s track all those years ago.
As with every life I have had my successes and challenges but the lesson
of the third 220 has help sustain me and pushed me forward when I needed it most.
 
I know when I finish my race and run my course
I am supposed to look forward to hearing God say:
“Well done my good and faithful servant…”
 
But if it's all the same to you Lord
I would really enjoy hearing the words:
 
“Good job 
on that third 220 Harper.
Take a breather.”