(Photo by Tyler Copeland)
This past weekend I had my third race of the season. Our team ran at the Hagerty Invitational which was held at UCF. I wasn't sure of who my competition would be, but I knew I wanted to break 18. The course was pretty flat and mostly grass. There was only one section of mud and it was short.
Our bus got there a little later than expected. We arrived around 7:55 and I raced at 8:35. So, I quickly warmed up, put my uniform on, and headed over to the start. (I am the only girl on our team that is on varsity, so it doesn't take too long to warm up) I went out to do some strides and felt a little slow. I quickly realized that I still had my trainers on. I heard the starter yell,"Four minutes until the start." So I sprinted back to the tent and shoved my feet in my spikes before sprinting back to the start. Then my coach helped me tie them quickly before the starter began to give the final instructions.
I went out at a 5:40 for the first mile. I was on pace to break 18, but knew I couldn't slow down too much. I came around to the second mile at 5:48 and realized I could still break 18 but the last mile was going to be tough. My last mile was a 5:58 and I finished at 18:06. Although I didn't break 18, I was still happy with the PR. Also, congrats to Gabriel Curtis for running a 16:44 and placing second.
Follow Rebecca all season long!
