Run For It

by Matt Christopher

  Theo sighed. “I guess you’re right. Let’s go back. I think I can make it.”

  “We’ll take it real easy,” Paul said.

  Theo grinned. “Excellent idea.”

  It took a lot more time to walk back than it had to get to the place where Theo had collapsed. Theo didn’t think he would faint or fall over again, but he still felt sick and feverish.

  As they got back to the bikes, Theo saw a public phone and called his house. Mrs. Gordimer answered, and Theo asked for a lift. He gave his mother a short version of what had happened to him and assured her that he was feeling better.

  “Well, if you say you’re all right, I’ll take the van so you can fit your bikes in.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  When Mrs. Gordimer drove up, she looked concerned, but she brightened when she saw that her son was on his feet. The boys loaded their bikes into the back of the van.

  “Maybe it’s not a good idea to be too active when the weather’s this hot,” Mrs. Gordimer said.

  “It’s usually okay,” Paul replied, “as long as you’re careful.”

  “Which I wasn’t,” added Theo. “But now I know better.” He settled back and closed his eyes.

  “You learned a valuable lesson, then,” Mrs. Gordimer said.

  “I sure did,” said Theo softly, not opening his eyes. He wasn’t sure what the lesson was. Maybe it was that some people aren’t meant to be athletes.

  7

  The next morning, Theo woke up and felt better — but not completely. He was still a little shaky and his face felt hot. Mr. Baskin had called the previous evening and advised Theo not to work out the next day.

  “Take it easy and you can probably go back to your regular routine the day after. And, even though you already know this, I’ll say it again: never go without drinking, especially on a hot day.”

  “Never again,” Theo said. “I was really, really dumb yesterday.”

  “Don’t let it get to you,” said Paul’s father. “You’re not the first person to ever make a mistake. And you can just pick right up where you left off.”

  “Right,” Theo said. “I will.”

  But that morning, Theo wasn’t sure about what he was going to do. He’d had trouble getting to sleep the night before. He’d kept thinking about collapsing in the park and lying there like a jerk. It was embarrassing, even though nobody had seen it happen except Paul.

  What would it be like if the same thing happened during the five K? How would he feel if he fainted, or whatever it was, with a whole bunch of runners around him and a lot of people, maybe even his family, watching from the sidelines? It was a horrible thought.

  Theo lay back in bed. He wished that he had never said anything about running to Marj. If he wasn’t able to run the race, or to finish it, she would be really disappointed. And if he just suddenly quit running, gave it up, she would probably be even more disappointed.

  What should he do?

  Feeling very sorry for himself, Theo pulled out a video game and started playing. At least he could do something that would let him stop thinking about yesterday and the way he felt today.

  He was still playing the game when Paul knocked on his door and peeked inside. Theo didn’t know whether he’d been playing the game for half an hour or three hours. He did know that he wasn’t happy to see Paul. He really didn’t feel like seeing anyone at all.

  “How you feeling?” asked Paul, coming in with a big smile on his face, like everything in the world was just fine.

  “Oh… okay,” Theo said, reluctantly putting down his joystick and turning off the game player. “I mean, I feel better than yesterday, but I’m not all better. You know.”

  “Sure,” Paul said. “It’s a good idea to take the day off. Tomorrow, I bet you’re feeling as good as new.”

  “Probably,” Theo said. There was a long, awkward silence. “Uh, listen, I really don’t feel like any company right now, okay? You all right with that?”

  Paul, who had just sat down in Theo’s desk chair, jumped up again. “Sure, no problem. I really only wanted to make sure you were feeling better. See you later, then.”

  “Right,” said Theo, reaching for the joystick.

  Paul got as far as the bedroom door and stopped. “I’m leaving,” he said, “but I want to say one thing before I go. I hope you’re not going to give up your running just because of what happened yesterday. That’d be a huge mistake.”

  “I haven’t given up,” Theo replied, feeling a little trapped. “And, even if I did, I don’t know if it’s such a big mistake.”

  “Sure it is,” Paul insisted. “Look at the progress you made already. It’ll get easier if you just keep it up. Really. The more you do it, the better you’ll get and the less it’ll feel like a huge, heavy load you’re carrying and the more it’ll feel like fun.”

  Theo shrugged. “If you say so.”

  “I do say so. Maybe you haven’t noticed this yet, but you’ve lost some weight. It shows in your face. I bet you have pants that you had trouble fitting into that fit just fine now. Well, anyway… see you.”

  Paul waved and left Theo alone in the bedroom.

  Theo thought about what Paul had said. He hadn’t considered his weight, but now he was curious. He opened his closet and pulled out a pair of new pants that he hadn’t gotten around to wearing because they’d felt tight and uncomfortable around the waist. He tried them on. They fit perfectly. Paul was right.

  He suddenly felt better. Wearing the new pants, Theo went downstairs, looking for his father. He found Mr. Gordimer in his basement workshop, sanding down a set of bookshelves that he was building.

  “Hey, Dad!” Theo trotted down the basement steps. “Check this out!”

  Mr. Gordimer put down the sander and looked at his son.

  “Remember these pants? How they were too tight when I tried them on? Well, look at them now!”

  Theo’s father smiled. “You’re looking good, son. You’ve lost weight. That’s great!”

  Theo looked at himself in a mirror leaning against a wall of the workshop. “Yeah, I have. It’s got to be the workouts.”

  “Well, that makes sense,” agreed Mr. Gordimer. “You’re more active, burning more calories. Well done, Theo. Keep it up!”

  “Thanks, Dad, I will… only…”

  Mr. Gordimer wiped off his hands. “What’s on your mind, Theo? For a guy who’s looking good, you don’t look all that happy.”

  Theo wasn’t sure how to say what was on his mind. “Well, I guess I feel a little scared, basically.”

  “About what?” Theo’s father walked away from his workbench. “Let’s sit down someplace and talk this out.”

  Father and son climbed the stairs and sat in the living room. “Now then,” said Mr. Gordimer, “what are you scared of?”

  “What if I can’t do this?” Theo asked. “What if I’m getting in too deep? If I can’t finish this race, it’s going to be bad news. Especially for Aunt Marj. I mean, I promised her that I’d do this.”

  Mr. Gordimer nodded thoughtfully. “Let me talk about this in two parts. First, the thing to remember is that Marj loves you a lot. When you told her that you were going to take up running to enter this race, she was very happy. She still is. And there is absolutely nothing you could do that would disappoint her, not now. Just knowing that you’re doing your best is all she wants or needs from you. She doesn’t expect you to become a running champion overnight. And neither should you.

  “That brings me to the second part. You’re worrying too much about not being able to finish the race, or that you’ll fall over in the middle of it and embarrass yourself and us. In other words, you’re worrying about something that won’t happen. For what it’s worth, I’m betting that you’ll run the race and finish it. You have a habit of selling yourself short, and you should try not to do that.”

  Theo laughed. “I’m not selling myself short. It’s just that I know I’m no athlete. That’s just knowing the truth when you s
ee it.”

  His father held up a hand. “You’d be closer to the mark if you said that you’ve never been an athlete, up to now. Which is very different. That doesn’t mean that you can’t become an athlete. The fact is that you’ve never tried — until now. Now, for the first time, you are trying, and, so far, you’re doing better at it. You still don’t know what your limits are.

  “What you ought to say is: ‘I’m an athlete, but I still don’t know how good I am.’”

  “Five K,” Theo said. “That’s a long run.”

  “But you still have lots of time to get ready for it,” Mr. Gordimer pointed out. “Also, you can be very strong-minded, when you want to be. You forget how stubborn you can be when you really want to overcome a challenge. Remember when you learned to ride a bike? I lost count of the number of times you fell and scraped your knees and elbows. But every time, you jumped right back on the bike and gave it another shot. You wouldn’t quit. You never said, ‘Well, I’m just not a bike rider and I never will be.’ And you finally did it. I was really proud of you.”

  Theo grinned. “Did I fall that much?”

  “Over and over and over,” said his father, smiling at the memory. “And when you had to pass a swimming test to use the deep end of the pool at camp? It was the same deal. It’s not like you started out as a great natural swimmer. You worked at it until you had it. Same thing when you had to dive off a diving board. At first you were scared at the idea of diving headfirst off a board. But you didn’t let it stop you. You went ahead and did it.

  “I think it’ll turn out the same way with running. I believe in you, Theo. This is just another one of those challenges that you’ll meet and overcome.”

  Theo felt much better. “I’ll sure try,” he said. “Thanks, Dad.”

  Mr. Gordimer ruffled Theo’s hair. “I’m just telling it like it is, son.”

  Theo went to the phone and called Paul. “Listen, I wanted to let you know — I’ll be on the school track tomorrow, running again.”

  “Excellent!” said his friend.

  “And I’ll follow your dad’s schedule. And… I’ll bring plenty to drink.”

  8

  The next day was comfortably cooler, to Theo’s relief. He felt healthy and ready to go to work. It helped Theo to know that he had already lost some weight and that he wouldn’t be carrying as much fat around the track anymore. He started with his stretches, feeling eager to see what he could do.

  According to Mr. Baskin’s schedule, today Theo would walk eight minutes. Then he’d walk and run for twelve minutes — making sure that he ran for at least six minutes without stopping — and finish with a fast ten-minute walk.

  Theo had had plenty to drink before leaving home and was carrying a bottle of sports drink with him. Also, he had a new watch, a gift from his parents. It had a digital readout and an alarm that could be programmed to beep at intervals. It would let him know when the first eight minutes was up and then the following twelve minutes. He thought it looked really cool on his wrist. His parents had also promised him a new pair of running shoes to replace his old sneakers, which were getting worn out. He’d get advice from Mr. Baskin on what shoes to buy.

  Theo liked the idea of dressing and looking like a runner. It might help him to feel more like a runner, and even to be a better runner.

  It was late in the afternoon, and Theo saw some other people on the track. Some were older and some were younger, including two girls his own age. Most of them, Theo noticed, were running. He felt a little self-conscious as he began walking around the track. Most of the others were zipping past him, even though he was walking at a pretty fast rate. But nobody seemed to pay much attention to the fact that he was walking while they were running — at least nobody said or did anything to show that they found it odd or silly. An older couple, a man and a woman, were also walking, and at about his speed.

  Theo was staying on the inside edge of the track, assuming that it didn’t make any difference where he walked. Suddenly a voice just behind him shouted out, “Track!”

  He turned to look, not understanding what was the matter. A slightly older boy came up behind him and swung out to pass him. As he went by, the other boy glared at Theo.

  “Don’t you know enough to get out of the way?” he yelled, without stopping or slowing down. Theo’s face turned red, but he kept walking. He had done something wrong and didn’t even know what it had been.

  Behind him, he heard another, quieter voice. “When someone yells ‘Track,’ it means they’re faster than you, and you should move to an outside lane to let them go by. That’s a basic rule of track running.”

  The speaker was a young man, thin but with muscular legs. He came up to Theo and slowed down to a walk. “You just getting started? I don’t mean today, I mean, are you new to running and jogging and all this stuff?”

  Theo nodded. “Yeah. I want to get into running, and this guy told me to start by doing a combination of walking and running and then run more and walk less. Is that a good idea?”

  The young man said, “That’s a great way to begin. You don’t want to try to do too much, too fast. That can get you in trouble.”

  Theo smiled. “I already found that out the hard way. Have you been running a long time?”

  The young man said, “First, let’s get over to the outside edge of the track, okay? I started when I was about your age — what are you, around thirteen? I was twelve.

  “When I first got going, I switched from walking to running, just like you’re doing now. It took me about two months before I could run for thirty minutes without stopping. Now I run six days a week, and I love it. I hope I can keep doing it till I’m ninety. My name is Steve, by the way, Steve LaMotta.”

  “Theo Gordimer. Nice to meet you.”

  “How come you want to be a runner? If you don’t mind my asking.”

  Theo definitely didn’t mind. He explained about wanting to be in better shape, and told Steve about Aunt Marj, her illness, and the five-K race he was hoping to enter.

  “Those sound like excellent reasons for wanting to run — not that there’s such a thing as a bad reason.”

  “You think I can do it — be ready to run five K in two and a half months?” asked Theo. “Sometimes it sounds crazy to me.”

  Steve shook his head. “It’s not crazy at all. I mean, you don’t have any notions of winning the race or setting some kind of record, do you? Only to enter and hopefully finish it?”

  “That’s it,” Theo replied.

  “No reason you can’t, if you commit to it and work on it,” said Steve.

  “Do you run races?” Theo asked.

  “Yeah,” Steve said. “Longer ones… ten K, twenty K, marathons.”

  “Marathons!” Theo said. “That’s pretty long, right?”

  Steve laughed. “Yeah, pretty long. A marathon is twenty-six-point-two miles — more than forty kilometers.”

  Theo gulped. “That’s amazing. I heard of marathons, but I thought that people who ran them were, like, superheroes. But you look ordinary… I mean…” He stopped talking, feeling a little foolish.

  Steve laughed. “I left my superhero costume at home today. But seriously, most of the good runners I know look pretty ordinary.”

  The guy who had yelled at Theo earlier came up alongside Theo and Steve. He sneered at them. “If you want to walk, why don’t you find a sidewalk? Tracks are for runners!”

  “Chill out,” said Steve, smiling. “Nobody’s stopping you from running.”

  “Well, this kid was walking on the inside lane before,” the guy said.

  “He’s new, and he made a mistake,” replied Steve. “It won’t happen again. Why don’t you just get over it and leave him alone? Go on and run.”

  The other guy looked like he wanted to say something more, but finally he just sneered again and took off down the track. Steve watched him go.

  “Don’t pay any attention to guys like that,” he said. “You find a few like him everywhe
re, in any sport — and not only in sports. Don’t ever let them get to you. That guy probably doesn’t feel good unless he can make someone else feel bad. You have as much right to be here as he does, and don’t forget that. Was that you, beeping just now?”

  “Yeah, that was my watch,” Theo said. “It’s time for me to run.”

  “Okay, then,” said Steve. “Don’t push yourself too hard. I’ll be seeing you around. Nice meeting you, Theo.”

  “You, too,” Theo said. “And thanks.”

  Steve speeded up and took off, waving good-bye as he did. Theo took a drink and began to run, encouraged by the fact that this Steve, who was a really good runner, had started in much the same way that he was doing now.

  As he ran, Theo actually passed a few others on the track, including the two older walkers. By the time he felt tired enough to slow down to a walk, he checked his watch to find that he’d been running for six and a half minutes and had covered two and a half laps. He walked for a minute and then ran again until his watch beeped and it was time for his last ten-minute walk.

  In that ten minutes, Theo walked three quarters of a mile. Afterward, he drank again and did his stretches. Steve caught his eye, running past, and gave Theo a thumbs-up signal. The boy who’d given Theo a hard time was also still on the track but ignored him, which was fine.

  Theo felt tired but not wiped out. It had been a good workout. He’d met a good runner who’d given him advice and encouragement. He’d learned a little about good manners on a track. And he’d run a little farther and a little faster than he had before. That made it an excellent day.

  That evening, Theo dropped by to see Paul. Mr. Baskin came out to where the boys were sitting in the backyard. “How are you doing, Theo? Have you recovered from what happened the other day?”

  Theo nodded. “Yeah, I had a good run on the track today. I ran for more than six minutes, nonstop, and I felt really good. Also, I met this really nice guy who’s a good runner, and he helped me.”

  “How did he help, Gee?” asked Paul.

  “He told me that you shouldn’t run on the inside lane of a track unless you’re really fast, and he told me he got started doing the same things your dad told me to do. Also, when this kid got on my case because I was walking, Steve told him to get lost.”