Flashback Friday # 87

Running Fast

A hearty welcome to all. pull up a chair and join the story telling ring. In today's post we cover the fine are of running fast, pro and con.

When I was but a youth, I'll be the first to admit that I was on the larger side of average (aka I was a fat kid). I may have been fat, but I was able to move very good for someone my size. In fact, I was able to outrun and/or out race other kids my age who weighed less. This frustrated many of them. I won many a quarter by outracing them.

Alas, pride goeth before a fall. One day at school, this kid, who I really didn't like, challenged me to a race. I knew I could beat him because I had seen him race before, and I had beaten many of the kids that raced him. I figured it was an easy quarter.

Our course was the sidewalk in front of the school, from the front door to the gymnasium door (about 40 yards or so). We each gave our quarter to "an impartial third party", and waited for the judge to take his position at the finish line.

When he got to the finish line, he turned and said "On your mark, get set, GO!". Like a blur, I took off, eating the yards with each passing second. In a moment of realization, I found out why this course was chosen.

This sidewalk sloped downhill. when you are running full tilt downhill, strange things start to happen. About halfway through the course, I started losing my balance. It was almost like slow motion. I felt myself pitching foreword, arms flailing, until I felt myself lift off the ground, temporarily flying.

Since I am not a bird, butterfly, bumble bee, or any other flying animal, there was only one thing that could have happened. And it did. I crash landed. I hit hard and rolled to the bottom of the race course. The bad thing was, I still almost beat him. Almost doesn't count. He got my quarter and the satisfaction of sneering at me and laughing his head off at my plight.

All my future races were run on level ground.