Alex Nichols is a senior at Brunswick HS, he is the defending Class A indoor state champion in the 400m. Nichols has a personal best of 49.91 in the 400m & 22.69 in the 200m. Follow along this winter as Alex goes for a repeat.
Indoor! Hooray! Indoor has always been my favorite season. Maybe it’s because the weather never gets ridiculous. Maybe it’s because the workouts aren’t quite as intense, but I think it’s because in indoor you take all the energy of an outdoor track meet and cram it into a field house. Indoor meets definitely have an excitement that you won’t find in outdoor.
We’ve been practicing for two weeks now, and I think I’m finally used to sprinting again. Going from cross country to sprinting is always kind of weird, and I always end up with random tweaks and pains at the start of the season. That said, I feel pretty good. I mean, I didn’t break my collar in an XC race this year, so I’ve either gotten more coordinated or less stupid since last year’s tumble down the mountain at Morse. So at least I’m pretty healthy, unless you count senioritis as an injury.
Speaking of which, I remember freshman year I heard seniors complaining and thought they were whiners. Ha. Silly freshman me. College stuff is so crazy. I am personally of the opinion that if you are mentally gifted enough to put together your Common App, supplements, and all the random other financial info and recommendations without losing your sanity, colleges should just accept you as a credited genius.
Right, back on track. (Ha…) I have pretty high expectations for the 200m and the 400m this year. The 400 has always been my major concern, and I would like to think I’m in contention for the State Meet again this year. The 200 is more of a “Wow, let’s see if I can still walk after that 400 and then I’ll worry about the 200,” kind of thing. I guess I should find a third event too. I would like to continue high jump this year, but my coach painfully pointed out that I should be in events “that I can score in”. That’s a valid point I guess. Maybe I’ll end up in the 55 or the 4x200, or maybe even the 4x800 (gross).
Our first meet of the season is Bowdoin Relays, which is the most fun meet of the year. My sophomore year there was a bomb threat in our school which canceled school the Friday before the meet. If school gets canceled, school policy is to pull us out of all athletic events for the weekend, so Brunswick did not attend that year. 5 of us ended up entering as a last minute club team. 3 kids ran the 3xmile, Mike Slovenski pole vaulted, and I high jumped. The 3xmile then realized they had to find matching jerseys, and they weren’t allowed to wear Brunswick ones. The only jersey anyone had 3 of was a bunch of old New York Knicks jerseys, so that year the “Knicks Club Team” ended up attending Bowdoin Relays. Watching 3 kids from Brunswick run the mile in really old, really tight New York Knicks jerseys was probably the highlight of the season for me.
Thus concludes my first running blog. I’m sure a lot of runners share my anticipation for the first meet, unless you’ve already had your first meet, in which case I hope the season hasn’t lost its charm already. Best of luck to everyone in their upcoming meets, and I hope that the season starts well for everyone!
-Alex Nichols
More Information
