My last first cross country meet. Of all the things that I will miss from high school, cross country is one of the greatest. I love cross country. My coach asked me during my first year of xc after a meet which seemed perfect, whether I liked track or xc better. I told him xc was growing on me but I liked track better because I liked running under the lights during the 1500. But then I fell in love with cross country. I love everything about it, the races, the practices, how everyone cheers everyone on, running through big crowds, running with no crowds, even the way no one else seems to care about the sport. I have even started loving what before I didn't enjoy.
In one of the few practices I went to during the two weeks we had practice before school started (I had to work), our team went to Vito's. Vito's is a restaurant up the street from my school so we actually run on the field next to it. It is flat for about 100m then turns left uphill with a path flanked by trees on each side. We usually run 200's there, done in 4 sets, with a minute rest between the first 200's, then 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds. It is also the site of one of the top three worst practices, when we ran 28 200's, 4 sets of 7, and didn't have the usual 3 minutes rest between sets. We usually only do 20 200's plus it was about 90 degrees that day. We were doing the 28 200's with the rest, in cooler weather, when we went to Vito's that day. I was turning the corner around a tree, in the middle of our workout, to the flatter part, when I realized something unusual. I was having fun. And then I told myself I couldn't be, we were at Vito's and doing a sprint workout. A combination that I very much dislike. But it was true. I was having fun. I was hitting my times (48 seconds) throughout the workout but that wasn't the only reason I was enjoying myself. It was a whole comination of things, racing others, running in the grass, running with my teammates, knowing I was one of the strongest, knowing I was the reason I was one of the strongest, knowing my coach was proud of me, knowing that I won't always get to run at Vito's, knowing that this is my last year of cross country and I'd better enjoy it. And I was.
I love cross country, even the little things. When running to our home course at Noelridge Park, so we could run the actual course, it was hotter than it had been. But then I told myself that this was cross country weather. And it didn't feel so hot or so hard. I didn't want to complain, I wanted to take it all in. So as I ran the course that day, I enjoyed it. I remembered everything that had taken place there, each different spot that we ran past that held a memory.
Last Thursday, we ran to Noelridge to do a pretty hard workout in the heat, after a few days of rain that were a lot of fun to run in. We were doing 4 minutes of hard running and 1 minute easy, 6 times, around part of the course, including a slight uphill. It was hard, it mostly sucked, and I was getting tired. One of my teammates was running with me for awhile but I really wanted to finish the workout in front on my own. And on the 5th one, I refound my legs. And it just so happened that a middle school cross country team was there running along a trail, which part of our path intersected. They were only running about a mile, so they were going a little faster than us. But when I came to a point where I was running with one of the middle school boys, I couldn't help it. I started racing him. I was near the end of my hard workout, with almost 20 minutes of fast running in, after a long and difficult week. But I raced him because it was fun. The kid probably thought it was weird that a girl at least four years older than him was doing this but it's not like he slowed down either. I just wanted to race, to have a little fun. I didn't think anyone had seen me, but when I had finished, my coach told me how awesome it was when I took that kid on.
For my last first cross country meet, I have two main goals. It is not a time, I'm not even sure how fast I can go. It is not beating specific people, although I would like to do so. They have nothing to do with anyone else. The first, is that I want to enjoy it. When it feels good and when it hurts, in the good moments and the bad, I want to take it in. I want to remember it all. I want to love it. My second goal, is to leave nothing. I am going to try my hardest out there, no matter how I am doing during the race. I will give my all. Because this is my sport. My favorite sport. I'm going to miss it. Because I love it.
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
PLATEAU
Even with all the training I have been doing, I've hit a plateau. My 3000m times have not decreased since I ran 11:46 on April 11. They've actually been increasing with 11:50 and 11:53. My coach thinks I can run an 11:30, but I'm not sure about that. He says I need competition, people running those times instead of the large gaps that there has been. It's hard to believe him though when whatever I'm doing doesn't seem to be working.
What's most frustrating however, is not my 3000m. It's the 1500, my favorite race. The last four times I've ran in the race- 5:23, 5:18, 5:18, 5:19. I need to improve in this race if I want to go anywhere with it. My coach keeps telling me that a big drop in time follows a plateau but with Friday's meet, it doesn't seem like it. Comparing that meet with the one on April 11, in which I ran the same races, I've gotten slower in both events. I don't know what to do about it but I want to do something. And it's not like there isn't anyone else in my races who aren't running those times, if I would have run a 5:18 on Friday, the crazy finish wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like I can get my times down except I'm too tired from practices. We haven't even been doing that much in practices though so I'm not sure. I don't like complaining about my times that much either, before this season I would've been estastic to be running like this. I just really want to get better and improve, but I don't know how.
What's most frustrating however, is not my 3000m. It's the 1500, my favorite race. The last four times I've ran in the race- 5:23, 5:18, 5:18, 5:19. I need to improve in this race if I want to go anywhere with it. My coach keeps telling me that a big drop in time follows a plateau but with Friday's meet, it doesn't seem like it. Comparing that meet with the one on April 11, in which I ran the same races, I've gotten slower in both events. I don't know what to do about it but I want to do something. And it's not like there isn't anyone else in my races who aren't running those times, if I would have run a 5:18 on Friday, the crazy finish wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like I can get my times down except I'm too tired from practices. We haven't even been doing that much in practices though so I'm not sure. I don't like complaining about my times that much either, before this season I would've been estastic to be running like this. I just really want to get better and improve, but I don't know how.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A LITTLE BIT OF GREATNESS: RACE REPORT
My coach can be a jerk sometimes. I have went through many days where I can't stand him. Many, many days. He's the type of person who makes you feel that he doesn't care about you. He doesn't yell at us but he lets us know that he is very unhappy. I've been told on certain days that we've accomplished nothing or that we just plain suck. He used to expect us to run hard everyday until he began running again over the winter (which has made him a much nicer person and a better coach because he know's what we go through). He does have his good days, which can be very strange, but on those days the workouts seem easier.
Our team, both xc and distance track, do not get a lot of encouragement from him. At meets he wanders around by himself and doesn't talk to us except to yell during the race, if he does that. We don't get pep talks but then again, we also don't get post meet disappointment talks or any other talk. Yet we also don't get "congratulations" or "good jobs" unless we really did extremely well and accomplished something big. And no matter how much you tell yourself after races that you don't care what he says or what he thinks, you do care. His opinion can turn a good day into a bad day or make your good days so much better. His congratulations mean so much more because they are rare. He's not going to give false compliments but he will let you know when you've achieved something great. He is part of the reason that made this meet so special.
We left school around 12:30 and settled in for a nervous, 1:15 hour bus ride. This was a varsity meet, although there were only a few schools we regularly ran against, and it was to be on a 200m indoor track. And lucky me, I, along with my fast teammate JS, received the honor of running the 3000m. That's 15 laps, although it sounds longer than it actually is. I was even more nervous however, since I've only ran one 3000 about two years ago. It was the first meet of the year and a chance to show off how good I had become.
After we arrived at the college where the meet was being held, at around 3:10 JS and I began warming up with some slow laps around the track. We received the news that the state cross country champion was supposed to be in our heat because they weren't splitting us up by time. By the time we agreed on the number of times we would get lapped by her (at least twice), we found out that the heats were now by time so we would be in the second heat. Relief settled upon us but we were still worried about getting lapped because it was, after all, only a 200m track. 3000 meters leaves plenty of time for embarrassment, because if you suck, everyone knows you suck. We left those thoughts behind though once every bit of moisture left our throats. The air was incredibly dry, like all indoor meets, and having a bit of stuffy nose/sore throat, I was worried about it. Everyone had to deal with the same conditions though so that didn't leave me any excuses. I was also unsure on what shoes to wear. I had brought my spikes but following the first meet, whether xc or track, my calves hurt badly and I can't walk without being in pain. My coach told me to just wear my trainers so I ran with my regular shoes that happen to have bright pink shoelaces (others have them too, it's an xc related story).
After some stretching and strides, we headed over to the starting line which was on the opposite side of where you would think it was, so in other words it was a backwards track. We waited for the first heat to finish (state xc champion 10:43, second place 11:35, which meant she not only lapped every single person who ran the 3000m but she lapped others in her own heat twice) and we had those nervous conversations with the other runners that always take place right before a race. Once we stepped onto the track my nervousness went away, as it usually does, because there was no way of getting out of it. The directions were explained to us as we did last minute stretches and then we got ready to go. At this point, when the starter guy told us to "get set" we should've moved forward to another line. None of us did though because no one else did, so there was some stress relieving laughter at our mistake. And then we were off.
JS had somehow decided our goal should be 12:00. I was counting on her to help pace me because my splits are all over the place while she's one of those people who runs exact or negative splits. She knows how to race so I trusted her with the 48 second laps. I was still having trouble believing I could keep up with her because she has always seemed like an unreachable runner although she's a year younger. She believed in me though, so we planned to run together.
Our first lap was 51 seconds (only 14 to go!) which made me finally believe that maybe, just maybe I could keep up with these girls. It was slower than our projected pace and my legs felt pretty good. We had started out in the back, like my coach always tells us to (not that I have a choice most of the time), and since the pace wasn't increasing, we went around the three wide pack. All of a sudden there was only two girls in front of us. Dressed in purple and yellow, they were teammates and seemed to increase the gap with each lap. JS was running good and our laps (which I was still counting down) which my coach was helpfully yelling, were at 49 seconds.
When we had 8 laps left, the race began to feel very long. I couldn't believe we were still not halfway and my legs started to get a twinge of tiredness. I tried to push all these negative thoughts out of my head with the thought of the cyclists I idolize and the recent Paris-Nice ITT. I told myself this was my time trial and that I had to give it all just like those riders did. And then we had seven (7!) laps left and we were over halfway done.
This was when my coach began to yell "you can move up, if you want". This uncharacteristically pleasant shouting threw me off a little but I began noticing that JS and I had actually been decreasing the gap between the front girls and us for awhile. It still seemed we had a ways to go though so I didn't think much about what lay ahead of them.
In the middle of one of the laps, one of the front girls began to fall back. It was slow, hardly noticable, just like JS who was increasing our pace. She caught the girl and all of a sudden I did too. We were running 2-3 which made me think of our jokes before the race with another teammate. We had been saying that "the bell would ring for us" (on the last lap) and that we "were going to finish 1-2" (in our own heat). The possibility of this crossed my mind briefly at this moment but I dismissed it because something extraordinary was happening.....I was lapping people. I was lapping people, people who began the race in front of me, I was a lap ahead of them. And I had been worried about being lapped. I know that when you're being lapped, it is very depressing but lapping someone feels amazing. That feeling became even more amazing when half a lap later, JS moved into the lead.
I was cheering her on in my mind but then I also became aware of what this meant. My teammate also helped me realize this by shouting it at me "1-2, let's go 1-2". My coach thankfully didn't yell it, probably because he was in a state of shock that we were even in this position. I then realized that I had the ability to do something great. JS was doing her part so I had to do mine. We had the chance to make our coach so happy so I was going to do everything possible to achieve the unexpected.
I caught the second place girl with around two laps to go. I ran right beside her until I felt I was wasting energy in the second lane, so I moved slightly behind her. When the bell rang, it rang for JS just as we had joked it would. At this point, I was mentally cheering and throwing up my arms. We were going to do this. There was no way she was going to be caught, and by the way she took off once she heard that bell (on a 40 second lap), she was going to win our heat. She was the 1, now I had to go get that 2.
As soon as I crossed the line, with only one lap to go, I began to sprint. I passed the girl but she didn't try to pass me. She didn't go faster, just kept the same pace. I was hoping she wasn't going to pass me up right at the line and to make sure that wasn't going to happen, I ran. Fast. I gave it my all to get to that line. When JS crossed the line in front, I felt like celebrating. It made me think of pro cycling when one teammate wins and the other also puts his arms up. I couldn't figure out why, because wouldn't you want to be the one to win? At that moment however, I knew why they did that because I felt like doing the same. I left my thoughts of cycling behind as I sprinted the last meters of the race.
I crossed the line 11 seconds later in second place. We had gotten our 1-2 finish. I walked five feet to JS with a big smile on my face where she stood with an equally large smile. We high fived each other and she told me that what we had done was awesome. I didn't care what my time was or about my overall finish. I cared only about our heat, our race, which we had swept.
When JS and I walked over to our coach, he told us how amazing we were. He also told us we had used a good race strategy (slow start and in the back, then slowly passing people) and looked like he wanted to hug us. He was absolutely estastic and so where we.
The rest of the meet (which ended about 4.5 hours after our race) was spent wandering around in a daze. My coach kept coming up to us and making little comments. My favorite was not one making fun of the sprinters but one about JS and I. He came up to us and actually said "you guys are just wandering around in all your awesomeness." I knew then that my coach was incredibly proud of us and his happiness did not diminish all night, not in the cold or because of the sprinters.
Our first indoor meet this year was a great way to start off the season. My coach is still dumbfounded at what we achieved on Tuesday which was probably why he asked us for training suggestions. The race wasn't all about my coach though, it was about what my teammate and I had done over the winter and were now showing off. That small bit of greatness we accomplished has left me wanting more however, and I'm willing to work even harder to get it.
3000m
Time: 12:20
Heat finish: 2nd
Overall finish: 10th
Our team, both xc and distance track, do not get a lot of encouragement from him. At meets he wanders around by himself and doesn't talk to us except to yell during the race, if he does that. We don't get pep talks but then again, we also don't get post meet disappointment talks or any other talk. Yet we also don't get "congratulations" or "good jobs" unless we really did extremely well and accomplished something big. And no matter how much you tell yourself after races that you don't care what he says or what he thinks, you do care. His opinion can turn a good day into a bad day or make your good days so much better. His congratulations mean so much more because they are rare. He's not going to give false compliments but he will let you know when you've achieved something great. He is part of the reason that made this meet so special.
We left school around 12:30 and settled in for a nervous, 1:15 hour bus ride. This was a varsity meet, although there were only a few schools we regularly ran against, and it was to be on a 200m indoor track. And lucky me, I, along with my fast teammate JS, received the honor of running the 3000m. That's 15 laps, although it sounds longer than it actually is. I was even more nervous however, since I've only ran one 3000 about two years ago. It was the first meet of the year and a chance to show off how good I had become.
After we arrived at the college where the meet was being held, at around 3:10 JS and I began warming up with some slow laps around the track. We received the news that the state cross country champion was supposed to be in our heat because they weren't splitting us up by time. By the time we agreed on the number of times we would get lapped by her (at least twice), we found out that the heats were now by time so we would be in the second heat. Relief settled upon us but we were still worried about getting lapped because it was, after all, only a 200m track. 3000 meters leaves plenty of time for embarrassment, because if you suck, everyone knows you suck. We left those thoughts behind though once every bit of moisture left our throats. The air was incredibly dry, like all indoor meets, and having a bit of stuffy nose/sore throat, I was worried about it. Everyone had to deal with the same conditions though so that didn't leave me any excuses. I was also unsure on what shoes to wear. I had brought my spikes but following the first meet, whether xc or track, my calves hurt badly and I can't walk without being in pain. My coach told me to just wear my trainers so I ran with my regular shoes that happen to have bright pink shoelaces (others have them too, it's an xc related story).
After some stretching and strides, we headed over to the starting line which was on the opposite side of where you would think it was, so in other words it was a backwards track. We waited for the first heat to finish (state xc champion 10:43, second place 11:35, which meant she not only lapped every single person who ran the 3000m but she lapped others in her own heat twice) and we had those nervous conversations with the other runners that always take place right before a race. Once we stepped onto the track my nervousness went away, as it usually does, because there was no way of getting out of it. The directions were explained to us as we did last minute stretches and then we got ready to go. At this point, when the starter guy told us to "get set" we should've moved forward to another line. None of us did though because no one else did, so there was some stress relieving laughter at our mistake. And then we were off.
JS had somehow decided our goal should be 12:00. I was counting on her to help pace me because my splits are all over the place while she's one of those people who runs exact or negative splits. She knows how to race so I trusted her with the 48 second laps. I was still having trouble believing I could keep up with her because she has always seemed like an unreachable runner although she's a year younger. She believed in me though, so we planned to run together.
Our first lap was 51 seconds (only 14 to go!) which made me finally believe that maybe, just maybe I could keep up with these girls. It was slower than our projected pace and my legs felt pretty good. We had started out in the back, like my coach always tells us to (not that I have a choice most of the time), and since the pace wasn't increasing, we went around the three wide pack. All of a sudden there was only two girls in front of us. Dressed in purple and yellow, they were teammates and seemed to increase the gap with each lap. JS was running good and our laps (which I was still counting down) which my coach was helpfully yelling, were at 49 seconds.
When we had 8 laps left, the race began to feel very long. I couldn't believe we were still not halfway and my legs started to get a twinge of tiredness. I tried to push all these negative thoughts out of my head with the thought of the cyclists I idolize and the recent Paris-Nice ITT. I told myself this was my time trial and that I had to give it all just like those riders did. And then we had seven (7!) laps left and we were over halfway done.
This was when my coach began to yell "you can move up, if you want". This uncharacteristically pleasant shouting threw me off a little but I began noticing that JS and I had actually been decreasing the gap between the front girls and us for awhile. It still seemed we had a ways to go though so I didn't think much about what lay ahead of them.
In the middle of one of the laps, one of the front girls began to fall back. It was slow, hardly noticable, just like JS who was increasing our pace. She caught the girl and all of a sudden I did too. We were running 2-3 which made me think of our jokes before the race with another teammate. We had been saying that "the bell would ring for us" (on the last lap) and that we "were going to finish 1-2" (in our own heat). The possibility of this crossed my mind briefly at this moment but I dismissed it because something extraordinary was happening.....I was lapping people. I was lapping people, people who began the race in front of me, I was a lap ahead of them. And I had been worried about being lapped. I know that when you're being lapped, it is very depressing but lapping someone feels amazing. That feeling became even more amazing when half a lap later, JS moved into the lead.
I was cheering her on in my mind but then I also became aware of what this meant. My teammate also helped me realize this by shouting it at me "1-2, let's go 1-2". My coach thankfully didn't yell it, probably because he was in a state of shock that we were even in this position. I then realized that I had the ability to do something great. JS was doing her part so I had to do mine. We had the chance to make our coach so happy so I was going to do everything possible to achieve the unexpected.
I caught the second place girl with around two laps to go. I ran right beside her until I felt I was wasting energy in the second lane, so I moved slightly behind her. When the bell rang, it rang for JS just as we had joked it would. At this point, I was mentally cheering and throwing up my arms. We were going to do this. There was no way she was going to be caught, and by the way she took off once she heard that bell (on a 40 second lap), she was going to win our heat. She was the 1, now I had to go get that 2.
As soon as I crossed the line, with only one lap to go, I began to sprint. I passed the girl but she didn't try to pass me. She didn't go faster, just kept the same pace. I was hoping she wasn't going to pass me up right at the line and to make sure that wasn't going to happen, I ran. Fast. I gave it my all to get to that line. When JS crossed the line in front, I felt like celebrating. It made me think of pro cycling when one teammate wins and the other also puts his arms up. I couldn't figure out why, because wouldn't you want to be the one to win? At that moment however, I knew why they did that because I felt like doing the same. I left my thoughts of cycling behind as I sprinted the last meters of the race.
I crossed the line 11 seconds later in second place. We had gotten our 1-2 finish. I walked five feet to JS with a big smile on my face where she stood with an equally large smile. We high fived each other and she told me that what we had done was awesome. I didn't care what my time was or about my overall finish. I cared only about our heat, our race, which we had swept.
When JS and I walked over to our coach, he told us how amazing we were. He also told us we had used a good race strategy (slow start and in the back, then slowly passing people) and looked like he wanted to hug us. He was absolutely estastic and so where we.
The rest of the meet (which ended about 4.5 hours after our race) was spent wandering around in a daze. My coach kept coming up to us and making little comments. My favorite was not one making fun of the sprinters but one about JS and I. He came up to us and actually said "you guys are just wandering around in all your awesomeness." I knew then that my coach was incredibly proud of us and his happiness did not diminish all night, not in the cold or because of the sprinters.
Our first indoor meet this year was a great way to start off the season. My coach is still dumbfounded at what we achieved on Tuesday which was probably why he asked us for training suggestions. The race wasn't all about my coach though, it was about what my teammate and I had done over the winter and were now showing off. That small bit of greatness we accomplished has left me wanting more however, and I'm willing to work even harder to get it.
3000m
Time: 12:20
Heat finish: 2nd
Overall finish: 10th
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
AN ICE COLD RACE
The last race of the year sounds like a good idea, if you live in Florida or something like that. In Iowa, not so much. It was 4 degrees outside at 9:00 a.m. when I ran my race. The gravel trail where we ran parts of our race on was partly covered by snow and ice. And not all of the ice was thin and crunchy, the stuff that you can keep upright on. Some of the ice was in sheets, shiny like glass. In one area there was a frozen puddle that was more the size of a small pond. It looked like a good ice skating rink but dangerous to run on.
True, it was supposed to be a fun run or whatever that is, but who goes for "fun runs" when it's 4 degrees out. Apparently quite a few people. When I went to warm up outside about 40 minutes before the race, there was no one else. There was a lot of people warming up on the indoor track at the rec center, but I prefer not to run around 200m elipses over and over and over. Instead I ran around a parking lot in multiple layers. I figured I might as well get used to it before the race.
When we actually gathered for the race, we were told that we had the option of running inside around the track and no one would make fun of us for not wanting to run outside (wimps). We had to take multiple pictures and get told that it was only a "fun run" and not a real race (which is a total lie) before we could actually start the race. There was no official starting line and we were just yelled at to go which allowed me to start towards the front. Less than 400m from where we started we had to cross a busy street. I stopped because I didn't want to get hit by a car but this idiot little kid who looked about 10, ran in front of the car. A few cars later an adult, probably the kids dad, raced in front of the cars. I waited until there was no potential collision waiting to happen before I crossed the street and ran across the frosty field (where I passed the idiot little kid).
The next part of my race was running 3 laps around the trail at the park which happens to be the site of my home xc course. I haven't really ran around the trail before, only parts of it, but everywhere I looked I found more memories of practices and races even though we were running around the course backwards. There was the bridge that constantly contained people even during a race, the always muddy spot where people slip near the evergreens, and the slight hill that never fails in tiring you out.
On the first lap I realized I had started out way too fast. I should've started out slower but I was so caught up in racing and beating a bunch of guys, especially the ones in the matching outfits, that I sprinted. While going up the slight hill, the one that always tires me out, I found that a 5k is longer than you think. I hit the downhill and I felt a lot better even though I almost fell on an icy corner. At least the guy behind me didn't laugh. I also got a compliment on my knee socks, my incredibly luck red and black ones that I specially chose for my race. This was by a volunteer but I had gotten another one earlier from the only female to beat me.
On the second lap, after that little hill, I began thinking of excuses I could tell others, but mostly myself, as to why I completely sucked during this race. I had only let a few people pass me but I was slowing way down and my legs were getting tired. I thought the cold, tired legs, maybe an ache here or there could convince people that it really wasn't my fault I slowed down so much and completely lost the race. When I started passing the familiar xc spots I realized I was a complete idiot. If I sucked, it was my fault, the same as it was if I rocked. This was when my legs started feeling better although they might have finally been going numb. Somebody passed me right after that but I was ready to finish my race.
The third lap was hard but I was in my zone. I concentrated on picking up the pace and efficiently dodging ice. Near a large ice puddle, an man wearing a winter coat that was open and flying back in the wind, passed me. At first I couldn't figure out why he was racing me, I thought he was just exercising on the trail like some walkers I had passed. He was actually in the race though, because he followed the path I was running. I didn't see him before or after the race, and I'm not sure he did all the laps (you didn't have to but those who didn't, wimps) but he kind of freaked me out. Everyone else who had passed me, although not as colorful, were wearing all the right running gear. Speaking of which, I saw many people wearing the running tights without shorts over them. At my school and all the others I've seen, you wear shorts over the tights. Without the shorts, you remind me of an annoying girl on the team who likes to show off as much skin in tight clothes as possible. Also, it's just gross.
After my third lap and running across the open field behind the coat dude, we had to stop at a stoplight. It was there I met up with one pair of guys who were wearing matching clothes, the college aged ones. I was very close to them before the light and would've passed them if we hadn't had to stop but I liked the look on their faces when they saw a girl was close to beating them. Once the light changed, I ran behind them for a bit so they would forget about me. Then I slowly sped up, although I was very tired, so I was running beside them. One of the guy kept giving me looks but I sprinted for the non existant finish line.
I ended up beating them, but then sitting beside them while I won no door prizes (they both won backpacks). Most of the prizes were strange but I got Gatorade and 2 waters. It was red Gatorade, which I don't really like, but I was fast enough so that I didn't have to drink the yellow, pure disgusting sugar Gatorade. I also got a pink colored energy gel that looks like something they eat (or drink?) at the Tour de France. Since I don't plan on riding up the Alps at 30mph anytime soon, I don't think the gel will be used. My tie dye T-shirt is pretty cool though so all the race stuff wasn't that bad.
My time was 29:02, give or take a few seconds, which seems incredibly crappy. I was at least in the top 15 so I really wasn't that bad. The combination of the cold, ice and snow, and an unknown route all factored into the time. I'm still not spreading the news of my time around though but the race was a lot of fun.
True, it was supposed to be a fun run or whatever that is, but who goes for "fun runs" when it's 4 degrees out. Apparently quite a few people. When I went to warm up outside about 40 minutes before the race, there was no one else. There was a lot of people warming up on the indoor track at the rec center, but I prefer not to run around 200m elipses over and over and over. Instead I ran around a parking lot in multiple layers. I figured I might as well get used to it before the race.
When we actually gathered for the race, we were told that we had the option of running inside around the track and no one would make fun of us for not wanting to run outside (wimps). We had to take multiple pictures and get told that it was only a "fun run" and not a real race (which is a total lie) before we could actually start the race. There was no official starting line and we were just yelled at to go which allowed me to start towards the front. Less than 400m from where we started we had to cross a busy street. I stopped because I didn't want to get hit by a car but this idiot little kid who looked about 10, ran in front of the car. A few cars later an adult, probably the kids dad, raced in front of the cars. I waited until there was no potential collision waiting to happen before I crossed the street and ran across the frosty field (where I passed the idiot little kid).
The next part of my race was running 3 laps around the trail at the park which happens to be the site of my home xc course. I haven't really ran around the trail before, only parts of it, but everywhere I looked I found more memories of practices and races even though we were running around the course backwards. There was the bridge that constantly contained people even during a race, the always muddy spot where people slip near the evergreens, and the slight hill that never fails in tiring you out.
On the first lap I realized I had started out way too fast. I should've started out slower but I was so caught up in racing and beating a bunch of guys, especially the ones in the matching outfits, that I sprinted. While going up the slight hill, the one that always tires me out, I found that a 5k is longer than you think. I hit the downhill and I felt a lot better even though I almost fell on an icy corner. At least the guy behind me didn't laugh. I also got a compliment on my knee socks, my incredibly luck red and black ones that I specially chose for my race. This was by a volunteer but I had gotten another one earlier from the only female to beat me.
On the second lap, after that little hill, I began thinking of excuses I could tell others, but mostly myself, as to why I completely sucked during this race. I had only let a few people pass me but I was slowing way down and my legs were getting tired. I thought the cold, tired legs, maybe an ache here or there could convince people that it really wasn't my fault I slowed down so much and completely lost the race. When I started passing the familiar xc spots I realized I was a complete idiot. If I sucked, it was my fault, the same as it was if I rocked. This was when my legs started feeling better although they might have finally been going numb. Somebody passed me right after that but I was ready to finish my race.
The third lap was hard but I was in my zone. I concentrated on picking up the pace and efficiently dodging ice. Near a large ice puddle, an man wearing a winter coat that was open and flying back in the wind, passed me. At first I couldn't figure out why he was racing me, I thought he was just exercising on the trail like some walkers I had passed. He was actually in the race though, because he followed the path I was running. I didn't see him before or after the race, and I'm not sure he did all the laps (you didn't have to but those who didn't, wimps) but he kind of freaked me out. Everyone else who had passed me, although not as colorful, were wearing all the right running gear. Speaking of which, I saw many people wearing the running tights without shorts over them. At my school and all the others I've seen, you wear shorts over the tights. Without the shorts, you remind me of an annoying girl on the team who likes to show off as much skin in tight clothes as possible. Also, it's just gross.
After my third lap and running across the open field behind the coat dude, we had to stop at a stoplight. It was there I met up with one pair of guys who were wearing matching clothes, the college aged ones. I was very close to them before the light and would've passed them if we hadn't had to stop but I liked the look on their faces when they saw a girl was close to beating them. Once the light changed, I ran behind them for a bit so they would forget about me. Then I slowly sped up, although I was very tired, so I was running beside them. One of the guy kept giving me looks but I sprinted for the non existant finish line.
I ended up beating them, but then sitting beside them while I won no door prizes (they both won backpacks). Most of the prizes were strange but I got Gatorade and 2 waters. It was red Gatorade, which I don't really like, but I was fast enough so that I didn't have to drink the yellow, pure disgusting sugar Gatorade. I also got a pink colored energy gel that looks like something they eat (or drink?) at the Tour de France. Since I don't plan on riding up the Alps at 30mph anytime soon, I don't think the gel will be used. My tie dye T-shirt is pretty cool though so all the race stuff wasn't that bad.
My time was 29:02, give or take a few seconds, which seems incredibly crappy. I was at least in the top 15 so I really wasn't that bad. The combination of the cold, ice and snow, and an unknown route all factored into the time. I'm still not spreading the news of my time around though but the race was a lot of fun.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
NON RUNNERS
Yes, it is -2 degrees out with a windchill of -25 degrees, but I still need to run. My mother actually told me I was forbidden to go run today because "it's too cold" and "this cold isn't good for your lungs". Since my running clothes are now in the laundry, I can't defy her and run. It doesn't even seem that cold outside, I've ran in far worse weather. Besides, today was supposed to be my long run day, and now I won't have met my mileage for the week and I'll have to make up my run tomorrow when it's a warm 0 degrees. I have to be properly prepared for my race on New Year's Eve and the weather is messing my schedule up.
Any non runners reading this probably think I'm completely crazy but I've thought of that already. The idea of non runners not understanding runners reminds me of a post in the Runner's World discussions by xtrackaholicx. It is possibly one of the greatest posts ever about running.
"I'm not talking about running, some people can watch track on TV or attend meets, keep tabs on elites and get a pretty fundamental understanding of what times are good, how scoring is done, how training is done. all that technical running stuff that can easily be learned by any observant couch potato in the same way a person can watch "how its made" on discovery channel and understand how they make a car engine but never be able to do it themselves.
Basically, most people don't understand us RUNNERS, the PEOPLE of the sport.
Whenever we feel ****ty and out of shape because we have not run in a while, they assume we must be too mentally attached, or, in other words crazy. After all, who would be upset about NOT exercising right? They also don’t understand how we can make commitments without being miserable. "You cant drink soda? you have to run 70mpw? You have to skip out on a your friends beach party because of a meet? You can't do this? you cant do that? etc... how do you live like that!?"
Perfectly happy, that's how. Or at least happy enough to make it worthwhile.
But I think where we differ most is our perceptions of what an accomplishment is.
I run xx:xx time, I'm miserable because I feel it is slow and that I should be running so much faster. I get 4th place in a race. Most people patronize you by saying "Its not like xx:xx isnt a bad time! You should be proud of yourself! and 4th place is fantastic!"
No, your wrong. because I ran the exact same time 6 months ago. 6 months, 1100+ miles later, consisting of heartbreaking speed works, freezing morning runs, painful hills and long, seemingly endless runs. YOU go through all that, then YOU tell me that its okay and I'm being to hard on myself. It's not like you dedicated yourself to all those miles, only to find them worthless and without improvement. No sweat off your back right? And sure, its easy to say 4th place is great, after all 4's pretty close to 1 right? Well, it doesn't work that way.
I ask you,
Were YOU in the race, and coming around the last half mile YOU saw 3rd place, and did YOU realize that you needed to kick like hell to break it? How would YOU feel, if in that last 400m of the race, you saw third slipping away slowly, while cursing yourself to run faster, harder, ANYTHING just to get to him and finding yourself shriveling back, too afraid to embrace the pain needed to do so? And as third place crossed the finish, and you ambled across the line behind him, did YOU see the look on your opponents face, a look of agony, but relief? And did YOU realize that if only you had sucked it up, if only you had been tough and resilient like a true runner, you would have been able to out kick him? Did YOU look at 5th place, and see how deadly close he had been to passing you? Did YOU cross the finish line, looking at those who proceeded you, and realize that all your miles and hardships had amounted to second best, almost the winner, sorta good, coulda been better, should have tried harder, a secondhand runner. Did YOU look at the guy in second, and realize he was two years younger than you, and his feet over 10,000 miles fresher than yours, and yet still able to beat you regardless of your own work simply because HE HAS THE GIFT, and you do not. And did YOU realize that even though all this may be true, it is no excuse to stop. That you must go and pick up your trainers again in anticipation of another long, silent run, in anticipation of another brain numbing speed work,in anticipation of another day of seemingly endless hills,in anticipation of miles and miles and miles of work.And if even then you find yourself still a secondhand runner, to quit would still mean just that. To be a quitter, to give in and succumb to defeat, to surrender like hundreds before you and become another lost face in a crowd, dreams jaded and faded by a rough, unforgiving self-inflicted nature. To forget what it means to be a runner. To forget the strength it has given you and to forget how it has defined you by creating an ever-determined spirit filled with hope. In favor of succumbing to false realities where time, place, and numbers are all that matters
....
Yes, none of these things cross the mind of non-runners, they know only the numbers. And they patronize you by giving you soap-box pep talks and sanctimonious speeches designed to make you feel stupid for ever doubting yourself. A runner doesn't want to be shown for a fool who is too hard on themselves, they want to express their unrelenting pursuit of their goals by raising the bar higher and higher the further they can reach. Perfection is boring to a runner, to be told to take it easy, your doing fine, there's nothing wrong, some people are just better than others and there is nothing you can do about it. Such rationalizations are the opposite of a runners nature. We dedicate our lives to growing stronger and faster, we derive pleasure from the pursuit, not the catch. We may think that the catch is all we really want. But if your a 15:30 5k runner who has trained for 5 years to achieve that mark, you most likely feel more accomplished and pleased about that time than a gifted runner who ran that time ever since they first started running.
Non-runners don't understand this. To them, our whole world is numbers with no real tangible merit. you either run fast or you don't. The pursuit of victory has ever been dramatized by Hollywood as a glorious affair in which the underdogs eventually triumph over the unbeatable team.
They know nothing of the people who run day after day, mile after mile, hill after hill. only to come up short, again, again, again, and again.
and to still keep running anyway.
Because it's in our nature to always feel as if we could have run faster, harder, longer.
To tell us that we need to relax, that we should be grateful, that we should rest and just be happy with what we already have achieved.
how could you understand?"
Any non runners reading this probably think I'm completely crazy but I've thought of that already. The idea of non runners not understanding runners reminds me of a post in the Runner's World discussions by xtrackaholicx. It is possibly one of the greatest posts ever about running.
"I'm not talking about running, some people can watch track on TV or attend meets, keep tabs on elites and get a pretty fundamental understanding of what times are good, how scoring is done, how training is done. all that technical running stuff that can easily be learned by any observant couch potato in the same way a person can watch "how its made" on discovery channel and understand how they make a car engine but never be able to do it themselves.
Basically, most people don't understand us RUNNERS, the PEOPLE of the sport.
Whenever we feel ****ty and out of shape because we have not run in a while, they assume we must be too mentally attached, or, in other words crazy. After all, who would be upset about NOT exercising right? They also don’t understand how we can make commitments without being miserable. "You cant drink soda? you have to run 70mpw? You have to skip out on a your friends beach party because of a meet? You can't do this? you cant do that? etc... how do you live like that!?"
Perfectly happy, that's how. Or at least happy enough to make it worthwhile.
But I think where we differ most is our perceptions of what an accomplishment is.
I run xx:xx time, I'm miserable because I feel it is slow and that I should be running so much faster. I get 4th place in a race. Most people patronize you by saying "Its not like xx:xx isnt a bad time! You should be proud of yourself! and 4th place is fantastic!"
No, your wrong. because I ran the exact same time 6 months ago. 6 months, 1100+ miles later, consisting of heartbreaking speed works, freezing morning runs, painful hills and long, seemingly endless runs. YOU go through all that, then YOU tell me that its okay and I'm being to hard on myself. It's not like you dedicated yourself to all those miles, only to find them worthless and without improvement. No sweat off your back right? And sure, its easy to say 4th place is great, after all 4's pretty close to 1 right? Well, it doesn't work that way.
I ask you,
Were YOU in the race, and coming around the last half mile YOU saw 3rd place, and did YOU realize that you needed to kick like hell to break it? How would YOU feel, if in that last 400m of the race, you saw third slipping away slowly, while cursing yourself to run faster, harder, ANYTHING just to get to him and finding yourself shriveling back, too afraid to embrace the pain needed to do so? And as third place crossed the finish, and you ambled across the line behind him, did YOU see the look on your opponents face, a look of agony, but relief? And did YOU realize that if only you had sucked it up, if only you had been tough and resilient like a true runner, you would have been able to out kick him? Did YOU look at 5th place, and see how deadly close he had been to passing you? Did YOU cross the finish line, looking at those who proceeded you, and realize that all your miles and hardships had amounted to second best, almost the winner, sorta good, coulda been better, should have tried harder, a secondhand runner. Did YOU look at the guy in second, and realize he was two years younger than you, and his feet over 10,000 miles fresher than yours, and yet still able to beat you regardless of your own work simply because HE HAS THE GIFT, and you do not. And did YOU realize that even though all this may be true, it is no excuse to stop. That you must go and pick up your trainers again in anticipation of another long, silent run, in anticipation of another brain numbing speed work,in anticipation of another day of seemingly endless hills,in anticipation of miles and miles and miles of work.And if even then you find yourself still a secondhand runner, to quit would still mean just that. To be a quitter, to give in and succumb to defeat, to surrender like hundreds before you and become another lost face in a crowd, dreams jaded and faded by a rough, unforgiving self-inflicted nature. To forget what it means to be a runner. To forget the strength it has given you and to forget how it has defined you by creating an ever-determined spirit filled with hope. In favor of succumbing to false realities where time, place, and numbers are all that matters
....
Yes, none of these things cross the mind of non-runners, they know only the numbers. And they patronize you by giving you soap-box pep talks and sanctimonious speeches designed to make you feel stupid for ever doubting yourself. A runner doesn't want to be shown for a fool who is too hard on themselves, they want to express their unrelenting pursuit of their goals by raising the bar higher and higher the further they can reach. Perfection is boring to a runner, to be told to take it easy, your doing fine, there's nothing wrong, some people are just better than others and there is nothing you can do about it. Such rationalizations are the opposite of a runners nature. We dedicate our lives to growing stronger and faster, we derive pleasure from the pursuit, not the catch. We may think that the catch is all we really want. But if your a 15:30 5k runner who has trained for 5 years to achieve that mark, you most likely feel more accomplished and pleased about that time than a gifted runner who ran that time ever since they first started running.
Non-runners don't understand this. To them, our whole world is numbers with no real tangible merit. you either run fast or you don't. The pursuit of victory has ever been dramatized by Hollywood as a glorious affair in which the underdogs eventually triumph over the unbeatable team.
They know nothing of the people who run day after day, mile after mile, hill after hill. only to come up short, again, again, again, and again.
and to still keep running anyway.
Because it's in our nature to always feel as if we could have run faster, harder, longer.
To tell us that we need to relax, that we should be grateful, that we should rest and just be happy with what we already have achieved.
how could you understand?"
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