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2010 state cross country meet

October 31, 2010 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: windy but nice

Comments:
Somedays suck and others don't but sadly yesterday sucked.
Going into the race was a weird experience I knew I didn't prepare for the race in the same way I prepared for districts. Riding up to state my eyeballs hurt and I felt sane. There were no nerves all I could focus on was Dan singing his Vanilla Ice. Then my dad called and said he had slept in and could not attend my meet. Well, the only times i really wanted my parents at my meets were when i do absolutely awful. I was a little bummed but i knew the outcome of the race depended on me and no one else. My mom then got on the phone and told me that my dad had a feeling that i was going to do well. By this time i feel like "i can do this" and this is right. i shot high and aimed for second place in my head. I couldn't see how I couldn't do it. oh i knew it would not be a cakewalk and i was ready to go through hell but it was reachable. Run like the dickens was my motto for this race and i knew i was going to do it. State races have always been good or my best race and i would be 2nd in the mile and 2nd at XC! I was ready.
1: I toe the line and feel ready to go my stride was good and i am loving the weather. The gun goes and im running. the air feels good and i rip my gloves off by the 50 meter mark. 100 meters in i feel a little breathless and fall back a little the mountain view girls elbow their way past me and i lose sight of cheryn. We finish the loopie thing and are coming around on the grass before the hill. I feel great and all i can think of is kenyan runner, everything smooth and effortless. we go up the hill and my legs burn a bit but overall my lungs were the ones being attacked. I fell back a lot and let them go knowing i was going to rock the downhill.

2: I go and go and go. my shoe is untied and it reminds me of state last year i keep going until i see that yellow jersey. I catch up with cheryn and i see the guys on the sideline flipping out. i smile but am feeling a bit fatigued. I tell myself to calm down and move to the back of the pack. My legs keep going but it's a bit harder now not quite as kenyan like the first half of the race was. the pack pulls ahead and i mentally slap myself. i surge back to them and try to keep myself there. The pack is splitting now.

3: I try and stick with cheryn but i am still behind her. I count her down...7 seconds....4 seconds...5 seconds...oh crap....9 seconds. and i begin my descent from there. from then on i tried to appreciate the trees and how i was actually there, at state, with my team. then another vallievue passed me i try to stick with her then she goes. repeat with about 8 more runners and i see the guy's face and they are videoing me. i think "wow it'll be kind of cool seeing me dying on camera" and i was actually kind of excited to see it. then towards the end a capital girl passed me, that ultimately sucked and i tried to hang on and was catching her and then the stupid tioh line came and it was done. i wasn't sure if i was even on the podium i got passed so much at the end. i wasn't sure whether to cry but i was too tired to cry. I dropped my place tag and rachel tatko picked it up for me...thanks rachel! a bonding moment for us. haha nah i just thought it was real nice of her.

soo we finish and the team makes a circle where we all say how glad we are to be here even though our races didn't go as planned.

I love my team and was soo happy I went with them. but at the end of the trip i needed to take all the shattered pieces of my brain (from a bad race) and put them back together. I spent a long time thinking and i wouldn't change this race for anything it makes me know that to be the best you have to work hardest and rusty you can know that i will be trying sooooo hard to be state champion at the mile and XC next year. Bad races are to be learned from and not to be repeated. This season has been such a learning experience with the emotional ups and downs i don't think i have ever cried this much in my life but i feel that i have had a lot more failure races this year than any before and i am proud. Proud because i put something on the line for the first time. "only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." I have definitely learned to fail greatly but the successes have been so high that it's hard to say im not proud of every race this season. State sucked because it was not "our home" but districts was and that's what im taking this season. The leaps and bounds we and i have made this season and the near perfect guarantee that our boys will finally make it to state next year. Thank you all for the incredible season.

ps: Chris, Meghan, Ashley, and Rachael these past two years have been an absolute dream with you guys and you all make me laugh soo much with your snark-isms, sarcasm, and great accents.