Lewis Is in Shape for 10.04 : Track: He wins heat with wind-aided time, is second in semifinal and advances to 100 final.

Carl Lewis, the world record-holder in the 100-meter dash, says that he is out of shape after taking time off to write his autobiography, but he didn’t show it in the USA/Mobil National Championships Thursday at Cerritos College.

Lewis ran a wind-aided 10.04 seconds to win his opening heat, then advanced to today’s final by finishing second in 10.20 behind Mike Marsh in a semifinal heat.

Considering that Lewis hadn’t run in a meet since September, was he surprised that he ran so smoothly?

“I stopped surprising myself a long time ago,” he said. “But I was pleased that I was able to feel as good as I did, especially after the first round. It did a lot for my confidence.”

Lewis probably could have gone under 10 seconds in his first heat if he hadn’t looked back twice to survey the field and raised his fist as he crossed the finish line.

“He accelerated pretty well,” said Tom Tellez of Houston, who coaches Lewis. “I don’t think he thought he’d be out ahead at that point. That’s why he looked. I think he just wanted to see where everyone was. I think he surprised himself.”

Lewis got out of the blocks slowly in his semifinal, but made it up at the end. Marsh outleaned Lewis, who cramped at the end. Although it appeared that Lewis was limping after crossing the finish line, he said he wasn’t injured.

“My calves felt tight at about 50 meters, but there was nothing wrong,” Lewis said. “I just didn’t take in enough fluids today.”

It may have taken him longer to peel off his warm-up clothes than to run his races. Lewis, who always makes a fashion statement, wore a tight-fitting, one-piece blue-and-orange running suit.

After sitting out this competition last year, Lewis was forced to race here by The Athletics Congress, which mandated that athletes who want to run in the Goodwill Games must enter the national meet. And there had been speculation that Lewis would pull out after running in just one heat.

“People love to put rumors out on me,” he said. “This was basically my first meet of the season, so who was to know what I could run? I knew I was in shape to get through, but I didn’t know how fast I could run or how I would hold up in the heats.

“I came in with the objective of running all three rounds, but if I had a problem or didn’t feel well, I was going to back off.”

Has Lewis reached a truce with TAC officials?

“It seems as though they’re open toward being more positive, toward moving our sport forward,” he said. “For example, they’re talking about summer meets next year, and the drug program . . . (has) some flaws, but I think it’s a good program overall.”

Willie Banks, world record-holder in the triple jump, decided to enter the meet at the last minute. Banks, who has spent the last 15 months coaching at Chukyo University in Nagoya, Japan, had entered just two meets this season.

“I’m entered in the masters division,” quipped Banks, 34. “I really missed track. I wanted one big year, and then I was going to do my Willie Banks victory tour through Europe and Asia, and then I was going to quit. But it never happened. I guess my body just couldn’t take the pressure. So now I’m in it for the fun of it. I’m enjoying it so far.

“It’s difficult for me to retire. When I was younger, I said I was going to leave the sport gracefully when it came time for me to retire. But it doesn’t happen that way. You have to slowly take yourself away from it and find something that takes the place of the sport. I’m trying to get comfortable with me as a retired athlete.

“Maybe after somebody breaks the world record, then I’ll feel comfortable with retirement. But I’m lying through my teeth.”

Banks jumped in only two meets this season in Japan and Taiwan, posting a best mark of 51 feet 8 1/2 inches.

Asked if he could beat Sheila Hudson, the American record-holder in the women’s triple jump, Banks said: “Just barely.”

What does that do for his ego?

“It brings me back down to earth,” he said. “I’m near the center of the earth. I’m a core jumper now. I’m jumping at the core of the earth.”

Banks jumped 53-2 1/2 to qualify for the final.

Track and Field Notes

In the only final event Thursday, Colette Murphy won the women’s 10,000 meters in 32:31.01, the fastest time by an American this year. . . . Sheila Hudson needed only one jump to qualify for the women’s triple jump final. She quit after leaping 43 feet 11 inches. . . . Evelyn Ashford, the 1984 Olympic women’s 100-meter champion, ran well in winning her semifinal heat to qualify for the final. Ashford was clocked in 11.38 seconds.

Danny Harris, who has the fastest time in the world in the 800 meters, decided not to enter the meet. “It’s too close to my last meet,” Harris said. “I didn’t see myself running three rounds after running four days ago in Madrid. This wasn’t a protest. It was nothing out of the ordinary. I’m tired because I’ve run two races in the last 10 days, and I feel like I would have been stretching myself by running here. I’m sorry that some people were disappointed because I didn’t run, but sometimes you have to look out for your best interest.”

Mark Witherspoon of the Santa Monica Track Club was the fastest semifinal qualifier in the 100 meters, running 10.16 to win his semifinal heat. . . Roger Kingdom, the world record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles, won his semifinal heat in 13.33 seconds.