Injuries and Keeping Faith
What up to all you track and field lovers. I know yall are probably like, "who the hell is Jarrel Anderson?" That's cool with me, but let me fill you in by giving you a quick bio. I was recruited out of Houston, Tx at Aldine Sr. High. I got 4th at state my sophomore year with a 14.06. My junior year is when things really got me attention, until the curse of Injury surrounded me. I'll skip all the little stuff and jump to state. Made it to state after missing 5 weeks of competing due to a hamstring pull. The bad news is I pulled my other hamstring the week before state at practice. Kerron Clement was in lane 8 and I do believe Jason Richardson was in that race also. My lane was open. Clement ran 13.4 to win it. Please believe, I cried like a baby under the bleachers. Didn't run my senior year, but I still managed to get a full ride to the University of Iowa. Iowa....don't ask why, I still can't answer that. Anyways struggled the next 2 years with classes. Ya boy is no dummy people, I just didn't go to class because it was soooo cold. Got sent to juco and became an all-american. Don't know how. The school I went to had no track. Imagine setting up some hurdles on a tile floor in a hallway, that was practice. Had injuries there but still managed to run 7.98 indoor, (not too bad for being injured and practicing on tile) and 13.9 outdoor, still injured.
Now that you have a lil info on me, I can tell you my story about me trying to get back on the track scene. After juco, I signed with UNI. I seen that they were ranked so I was excited to join a good team for a change. I was just so damn happy to be back in Div.I. I do have to say that I had never ran so much in my life. I swear I wanted to quit after the first day of practice. I was cussin and just mad at the world. I managed to make it through the off season and was ready to compete in Jan. I had false hope. There was a new transfer rule applied by the NCAA that held me from running for the team until the week before conference. I ran 7.95 in the 60H at this meet. I know it's nothing special, but it was a start. At the conference meet I ran 7.84 to tie for the win. Now I'm getting some hope and a lil confidence. Last chance meet, I run 7.81, placing 4th behind the future National Champ of the 2007 indoor season (Jeff Porter). I knew that time wouldn't get me into nationals, but some athletes were injured. I got in, and it was the biggest shock to me. I say I got lucky and some say it was God's plan. Either way, I was taking advantage of it. Got to nationals and didn't even make the finals. I ran 7.83 after exploding out the blocks and to the first hurdle by myself. Unfortunately, the rest of the field had other plans for my start, cauz they threw the fishing line out and reeled me right on in. Didn't run outdoors due to yet another hamstring injury and school issues.
Now for this year. Get the same "retarded" a$$ training. (I'm only calling it that because it kills me, so don't get mad if you see this coach.) Ok....I don't even go home for Christmas because I want to train and get ready for the 2008 Indoor season. I'm goin hard in the paint everyday at practice. My first meet for the team is in Feb at the Iowa State Cyclone Classic. Listen up, I just had a tooth pulled and my face is swelled up, (looking like I got a mouthful of grapes). I end up running 7.97 in the finals. I wasn't happy, but I was cool wit it since it was 2 tenths faster than I ran at that meet the previous year. I decide to shake out the next day in the treadmill pool with some teammates. Here comes that dreadful curse of Injury!! I step on a teammates foot and break one of my toes. We started looking at it and my teammate T. Reid starts crackin up saying (yo to look like it's throwin up gang signs!!!) So imagine what it looked like yall. I now have to stop practicing, but being myself, I keep competing. I get to the last chance meet at Notre Dame and run 7.88 on my broke toe some weeks down the line. Now I'm pissed because I'm not going to nationals. Here is when I question my faith. Maybe track is not for me, and God is trying to tell me something. A few people talk some sense into me, mostly my momma (love you ma'). So from Feb till around mid March, I haven't been training. I start back training and out of nowhere, my hammy starts actin up. I'm down and depressed, but I keep goin. I decide to wrap up the hammy and run my first meet at Drake Relays. Pep this first. On the way to the meet, I tell my teammates if Allen Johnson signs my poster of him, it's over, that's him passing the torch to me. Now of course I'm just clowin being retarded. I run bad in the prelims and even worse on the hurdle relay. I had positioned myself to catch ol' buddy from Nebraska and I fall at the 8th hurdle. I didn't talk to anyone, I just walked off the track and went and sat on a curve outside the stadium. I felt like I let the team down, and was ashamed of myself. All I could do was think about how could that happen. I'm talking to my momma on the phone and Allen Johnson is about to walk by me. I pretty much hung up on her to talk to him. We discuss what happened and he gives some words of advice. I can't even lie mayne, I was so nervous talking to him, but I got him to sign my poster. After what had just happened to me on the track and me saying what I said about him signing my poster, I started to smile a lil bit...(just a lil bit, I was still pissed off.) This was my new beginning.
This past Saturday I ran 14.18 to qualify for regionals, still running on this messed up hammy that's all wrapped up. That was 4 tenths faster than what I ran at Drake. My coach thinks it should've been faster due to me hitting the last few hurdles. I would say that race gave me new faith in myself. After all these years of injuries, I still find a way to believe, especially with Allen Johnson signing my poster (I'm joking in a serious manner.) I have a quote from the bible tatted on my arm that reads (That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might, by the spirit in the inner man). All I have to say is, access has been granted. I do plan on running fast, on this hurt hammy. To all the top dogs out there in the hurldes, I'm Coming. Please don't take that as disrespect or a threat, but more as a friendly challenge by a newly inspired competitor. I want to thank Allen Johnson for the words of encouragement and all those that believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself. Until next time..."picture me rollin"...lol.
post comment
welcome!
11:06 PM, May 5, 2008
.. Posted by missbri
welcome to the blog world. I enjoyed reading your story and wish you the best of luck. ;)
Hang in there
12:49 AM, May 6, 2008
.. Posted by Anonymous
Hang in that Choc baby, and keep God First!!! Allen can be second!!! The best is yet to come with a broke toe and a wrapped up hammy!
Love momma
Lil' Wezzy
2:18 PM, May 6, 2008
.. Posted by Anonymous
Good luck, I started your college career with you and looked forward to what you can do.
blessing
4:56 PM, May 7, 2008
.. Posted by spade
as a fomrer teammate and as a friend best of luck and God Bless
trakbois for 4-life
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