Hello, flrunners! First of all, thank you to Todd for giving me the opportunity to blog for track season as well. Track is my favorite time of the year, so I plan on enjoying every second of my last high school season. Meets are already under way and fast times have been filling up the rankings. Congrats to all on a great first few meets!
The girls’ team decided at the beginning of the season to mix it up a bit, as we have been competing in the Miami area for the past two weekends! It has been a great change getting to race unfamiliar faces along with runners we do not see very often. Two weekends ago, we competed at the Louie Bing Invite. I started my track season with an 800 prelim and the 4x800 meter relay that Friday night. I have never run an 800 prelim before, so this required extra strategy to race it only enough to qualify for the final the next day. Our 4x800 relay team consisted of two freshmen, one sophomore, and myself, and I think we ran pretty strong for our first go of the season!
The next day I competed in the 1600 and the 800 final. My goal for these races was to focus on the competition, not times. I usually struggle with this as I like to start out quick and try to hold on up front, but practicing different racing strategies prepares you for any situation in a race. I was fortunate to win both my events, learning that with mental will power you can get through anything.
Last week was a very difficult week between two tough speed workouts, school presentations and orals for IB, and symphonic band rehearsals. Most of my running that week was on my own, but it was a very good week of training for me. This led up to the Sam Burley Invitational Friday and Saturday. I competed in the 4x8, 1600, and 4x4, and my times improved from the prior week! I always love to be a part of the 4x4 relay team because it is an entirely new racing strategy and helps with speed. I am always up for a challenge, so I was put as the 3rd leg to hold or make up any ground in our heat. I surprised myself by splitting a 59 and moving up the team to first with a freshman holding on to the lead to win our heat! It was the highlight of my day, and I am very proud of this relay team.
Finally, I would like to welcome Coach Strong as our new head track coach. He has been a great addition and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!
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