Tracktown

"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