XC RACE REPORT: WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME

Last Thursday, was my last MVC Supermeet. The last time I will run on that particular course. The last time I might run against some of those teams. Cross country is almost over. But I'm not ready for it to end.

We got to leave school early because the fresh/soph girl's race began at 3:30. I was racing at 5:10 so I had a ways to go. I didn't really do much on the 30 minute bus ride except to think about what my mom had asked me that morning. She had known that I didn't have a goal and struggled more with my race last week because of that. She asked me what my goal was for this meet and so I was trying to think of one. It was the same course as last week, only with different teams. It was also colder (in the low 40's) and rainy. Out of the four times I have ran at that course though, three have been rainy, so I was used to it.

When we arrived, my coach told us to set up camp as far away from the boys as possible, because most of them don't care about xc (this didn't work because we got there first). We put up our little tent, that is kind of embarrassing because it only goes up to about half the normal height of tents. My coach talked to us for awhile and I had some snacks. We cheered on our teammates and then I began warming up with AK, because everyone else had left earlier.

As I ran the warmup, I tried to make myself realize how much I want it. Wanting it more than everyone else makes a difference. You can push yourself so much harder. I knew my legs could do it, if I made them and realized that this was something I wanted. I also tried to tell myself not to freak out if my teammates were near me. AK and the freshman, TM, were near me in the last race and it made me panic. I wanted to beat them. I was determined to just run with them though, and not try to change my race just because one of my close competitors was wearing the same jersey that I was.

During the warmup, I also passed the spot where one of my senior teammates had asked me if I was going to miss xc, at our meet the week before. I had told her that of course I was going to miss it. I remembered that I didn't have many chances left in cross country so I had to make every single one count. Including this race.

Our team was in the second box from the left. We stood around and tried to keep warm in our sweats before we had to take them off. Then we told each other good luck and the gun went off. The opening stretch is very long, about 400m, and it's wide, so you don't have to cut over right away. I felt like I got off to a little faster start than I wanted, but I managed to settle in before we turned the first corner. I wanted to get into my rhythm so I could begin running my race.

It had rained almost the entire day so the course was a mud pit. There was a big mud puddle after the first 800m that I managed to avoid but I couldn't keep away from all of it. Four races had already been run on the course which made it even muddier and the rain had made the leaves slick. There was a couple of places that felt like I wasn't even running in my spikes because I was sinking down into the mud. It didn't bother me too much though, because it reminded me of how tough xc runners are compared to everyone else.

I ran the first mile between 6:00 and 6:10; I wasn't sure what was yelled out but I think it was 6:05. This meant that I had started out faster, but I didn't know if that was a good thing. I was slightly ahead of my teammates though, so that made me feel a little better. My legs felt okay and I didn't feel tired yet.

The next part of the course involved a hill that had a slanted surface when you came down it. I still haven't figured out the best way to go down it, the right, the left, or the middle. I made it down without tripping though and made my way to a flatter stretch, where TM caught up with me. I reminded myself not to freak out and that she was just another competitor in the race. My reaction was a little better than last week but I did change my rhythm a little. I was just trying to keep up with her when we hit a spot where my legs began feeling tired. It was almost the same exact spot as last week; it was about 1.75 miles into the race. It was all I could do to remind myself of last week's quote, "when you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long". So I kept holding on.

There is a slight hill, just a little before the 2 mile mark. It really shouldn't be that big of deal but when it comes near enough to the end of a race that you feel really tired, but not close enough to the finish line for it not to matter, it really does matter a lot. I tried staying with TM as we went up that hill because I knew I would give up if she had gotten away from me. My coach was yelling as we went past him and he seemed very excited.

At almost the same part as last week, slightly before we turn the corner to the uphill finishing straightaway, TM got ahead of me. I stayed calm though and kept a little closer than I had before. I waited until a little after the corner before giving everything. I sprinted past TM and climbed up the hill. I just told myself that I had to get up the hill and then I was at the finish line, although that isn't true. But once it was flat, I knew I could make it. I could see the numbers changing on the clock and the people beside me that passed me going one way or the other. I finished in 15:52, but that's really all I remember about finishing. According to the results, there was a girl right in front of me who finished in the same time, but I can seriously not remember anything about it. I didn't even know in the chute. I took 18th place, with TM getting 20th, in 15:57. AK didn't have her best race and was farther back. TM told me after I had congratulated her, that she sucks at sprinting at the end. I told her it was because she had left it all out on the rest of the course and then I found my parents. I felt a little dizzy after my race though, kind of like the week before.

AK and I did our cooldown together, which consisted of running from camp to the middle of the finishing straight, cheering on the varsity boys, and then running back to camp. We were cold, wet, and tired. Then, the few of us that were riding the bus home had to wait for about 45 minutes because both our coachs had just left us. It was getting dark out, and my pants, socks, and shoes were wet. We all talked to each other though, talking about random topics, with a feeling that can only be felt after a race. It's like everyone is relieved and happy and free of almost all emotions. It's when you feel like you are really yourself and you can talk about anything. And when we finally made it back to the bus, that feeling stayed. My coach was really happy because we placed fifth and he thought that at best, we'd get 6th. We actually beat a ranked team. Then our team all joked around with each other (after changing into dry clothes) and it was just fun. This doesn't happen in track, because the sprinters are there. It only happens in cross country, and I'm really going to miss it.

I talked to my coach the next morning so I could look at the results. I only briefly looked at my time, and I didn't even look at my place. What I really cared about was my place when the runners not in our district were taken out. The top ten individuals and top three teams make it to state. I counted down the list and realized that I would have been 9th. Ninth place. I could have a chance. Three of the four teams that had beat us though, are in our district. And one of those teams was not running their number two runner, who probably would have placed second. That bumps me down to 10th. I'm on the edge. But looking at this meet, it did go okay. I had a PR. It was my third race under sixteen minutes. What I have to remember though, is that I want it.