Tracktown

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1

"In long-distance running,

the only opponent

you have to beat is yourself."

Haruki Murakami.

"Gold medals

aren't really made of gold.

They're made

of sweat, determination,

and a hard-to-find alloy

called guts."

Dan gable.

"If you keep on believing,

the dreams that you wish

will come true."

Cinderella.

"Team, t-e-a-m...

Together,

everyone achieves more."

Anonymous.

So, my cousin, dancer cousin?

Yeah?

She said she does it every night

before one of her

big dance shows.

- Does what?

- She does it.

- Plum, she has sex.

- What?

- Yo, plum!

- Good luck!

Yeah, so, ever since then,

it's kind of become

one of my pre-race rituals.

Oh, my god.

Doesn't that hurt you, like,

the night before a race?

Yeah, but running hurts.

You still enjoy that, right?

Come on.

I'm just messing with you.

"I don't compare myself

to anyone else

because they do

what's right for them,

and that's okay by me."

- Hi, plum marigold!

- - Taylor swift.

Hey, wanna come get

pre-race cookies?

Are you going to finally ask

for bakery boy's number?

- No.

- Then I am not going with you.

"You give up your childhood,

and people say it's awful.

I say it was a good trade."

Mary Lou Retton.

We all know the college

running star plum marigold.

But the Olympic trials?

It's a whole new level

of competition.

What's going through

your mind right now?

Well, I've wanted to make

an Olympic team

for my entire life.

All the work is done.

I just have to stick

to my routine

and, you know,

turn in my homework.

So I'm not going

to let any distractions

get in my way between now

and making the Olympic team.

One sec.

So, I just sold

a bunch of power muffins

to a group of 80-year-old guys

wearing the same tights as you.

Cool.

- What?

- Sorry.

Fine.

It's okay.

What?

I sent in my Eugene marathon

design today.

The committee loved the idea

of finishing at Hayward field.

They said that's something

you can't do

in New York or Boston.

Mm.

It's just exciting, is all.

Okay.

Sweetie, I know you're worried

about tomorrow's race.

But listen...

Do you know

what the kernels are?

What, dad?

Untapped potential, all right?

I have so many 10th-graders,

11th-graders on my team

that could be great

if they chose,

but there's

only 24 hours in a day.

Okay, dad.

You know what the... ah...

The burnt ones are?

Burnouts.

Over-trainers.

- Okay.

- But this one, plummy...

You know what this one is?

This is you, plum.

Perfect.

Ready.

A prime kernel.

Protein powder.

- Morning.

- Morning.

"The successful warrior

is the average man

with laser-like focus."

Bruce Lee.

Remember, 30% of these women

won't even show up

to the race mentally.

They let their nerves

take them out.

When that first move is made,

I want you to go with them.

Stay on the lead pack.

All we need is sixth place

to make the final.

Next up on the track,

it's the women's

5,000-meter prelims.

You are seeing the makings

of the new team Usa.

And a big hometown welcome

for plum "all that glitters is"

marigold.

"A goal is a dream

with a deadline."

Napoleon hill.

The race

is starting to speed up.

We can see the lead pack

breaking away now.

Remember, folks,

only six go to the finals.

Legere heads straight

to the front

and controls the pace.

There's no surprise there.

And there's the bell lap!

Uh-oh, a little pushing

and shoving!

Plum gets hit!

That's not supposed to happen!

Can she recover?

These ladies mean business.

Who will go all the way?

Final stretch.

Legere, Siegel, Hirsch,

Schmidt, Anderson,

and marigold grabbing

the last spot in the finals!

Next up:

The men's 10,000 meters.

Plum!

Plum marigold!

You just got sixth place

to advance to the finals.

Must feel pretty good.

Yeah, I'm happy to be advancing.

You were seeded first

in that heat.

Can you talk

about what happened?

It looked like you were in pain

towards the end there.

No, yeah, with 300 to go,

I tried to make a move

and got a little knocked around

and, um, you know,

wasn't feeling that final kick,

and, you know,

nothing's guaranteed.

And, um, I tried to be brave.

I'm sorry.

"Expectation is the root

of all heartache."

William Shakespeare.

I can't recommend

that you run in the finals

unless you're recovered.

You had an extremely

aggressive race today,

and your body needs to heal.

I want you to take tomorrow

completely off.

No running.

But I never take days

completely off.

The finals are in three days.

I'm well aware,

but if you want

to tow the line strong,

you need to be smart now.

Plum,

what's your weekly mileage?

90 to 100.

It says here you haven't

menstruated in two years.

Is that right?

Is that bad?

It has to do

with your bone density,

which is likely low,

and poor bone density

can lead to complications...

For starters,

increased likelihood

of injury, permanent damage.

There are long-term

consequences

that you need to consider

beyond your athletics.

I mean, you're still a woman.

What does that matter?

Hello?

Hello!

They said I'm ruining my body!

It's better than, you know,

letting it wither away

from disuse.

What you mean wither?

Why do you have all these

trophies in the house, dad?

Why don't you get rid of them?

Because they're yours, plummy.

You've earned them.

- They're your achievements.

- I don't want them!

- Okay. All right.

- Hello?

- Gail!

- Mom, why are you in our house?

I came to see you.

Great timing, mom!

Gail, um...

Are your parents with you?

No.

Maybe we should call them.

No, I don't have to tell them

everything I do.

What...

Is plum mad because of me?

No. She had

a very hard race.

I thought the race was Monday.

The finals are Monday.

The prelims were today.

Gail, okay, we love it

when you visit,

but you have to contact us

before you come, Gail.

It's as simple as that.

You don't think

I should go talk to her?

No, absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

You made the finals.

It didn't have to be pretty.

This isn't just a fun race.

The Olympic trials

are really important

for my future.

It's just a day off, plum.

Your future will be fine, okay?

Mm.

My mom showed up again.

Are you all right?

I have a headache.

You can't worry about her.

Just take your nap, okay?

Hey, do you think we're going

to be able to have babies?

What?

Plum, we're fine.

Yeah.

Let's worry about not having

babies for now, okay?

Okay.

I love you.

Bye.

Love you, too.

And then

we've got high school events

from 10:
00 am till 5:00 pm

nonstop tomorrow night

right here at historic

Hayward field.

Louis takes the lead

as they go to three laps.

4:
18:01.

That was at 70.

88:
06.

That was the second fastest

in the last heat.

He's coming up now

on the outside.

I was watching that.

No, you weren't.

Please turn that back on.

I don't like it when you fall

asleep in front of the TV.

It makes me feel sad for you.

Plum, I was just watching TV.

I don't know why

that would make you sad.

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