That Old 440

As I just finished entering 440 posts on my internet blog, it occurred to me that this three digit number was, at one time, a rather important part of my life.

For you see, I ran the 440 yard dash in high school. It was my specialty, (if any distance race might have been given that moniker). For to put it bluntly,

… I was just plain slow.

Now there was nothing at all wrong with my physiognomy. Nope, nothing at all.

I have an old photo of yours truly taken at the age of 17, and the famous muscleman pose left little doubt “I was strutting my stuff.” And I admit it, I looked GOOD. While at 5’9” tallness was never an attribute, and I weighed all of 160 pounds soaking wet, there’s no mistaking that classic V shape, nor the iron-hard sinew of my biceps. My BFP couldn’t have registered more than 5%.

Nonetheless, in terms of the circular 440, I just managed to pull off a 59 second time, (and that was in competition)! And at this juncture, I have no earthly idea why Coach Murphy insisted on running me in this event, nor why he allowed me to run it

… bare footed!

Of course, time and distance eventually caught up with me, and I withdrew from my “best” event as the result of a stone bruise on my right heel. (Crutches kinda get in the way in a sprint).

My memory is a bit fuzzy this far along, (I mean, it’s been half a century) but this may have very well been the last time I participated in high school track.

There’s an old adage. “Saved by the Bell.”

Well, I guess I was, (I know its corny)

…. Saved by the Bruise.

 

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 11