In Her Own Words: Natalie Varela - Gearing Up For The ROC


So it's a couple of days out from the Race of Champions and I can't wait to see how I stack up against the top runners in the state. Last year as middle schooler the coaches decided to run me in the invitational. I was a little bummed out but I guess it was best for me. I won the invite with a time of 18:48. Not bad for last year, but unacceptable for 2016.




This year has been great. My  training is coming along good and I feel great heading into the Saturday showdown. My PR this year stands at 18:29 but I haven't run on any of the so called fast courses yet. So I'm not sure how I'll stack up against some of the other girls in the field. That's what's exciting about this race to me, the unknown factor.

One thing for sure with all the talent out there. I think it will take a sub 18 to win it. If all goes according to plan I'll be fighting for one of the top spots before all is set and done. The plan is to hopefully break 18 but that's just me being me. I know I'll have to bring my A game to be competitive, but I've been pretty consistence so far this season.

Well let's keep our fingers cross and hope for the best. My adrenaline is high and so is my confidence. See you all Saturday.

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