In Her Own Words: Alexa Cruz - Summer Fun

Hello everyone! My name is Alexa Cruz and I am going to be a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas. I hope everyone had a very fun and safe summer, filled with lots of miles and good training. Before I start talking about how my summer went, I’d just like to give Flrunners a BIG thank you for letting me blog throughout my upcoming season. I’m super excited and can’t wait to see what this season has in store! Now, let’s get started. 

 

I can’t believe that summer is almost over, but this year I was blessed with an exciting one. In the beginning of the summer, I was able to visit my great-grandmother in Nicaragua. It was my first time ever going to Nicaragua, so it was an interesting experience. I was able to run on the beach while I was there which was so relaxing and beautiful. I mean, who doesn’t love a good ocean view? After I came back from my trip, I had an awesome time running with my teammates, going to the beach, and relaxing with friends and family. 

 

As the weeks progressed, the anticipation for running camp, aka the best week of summer training, kept growing. The whole team was ready to take on the North Carolina mountains at Brevard Distance Runners Camp! Once there, we settled into our dorm rooms and the fun began. Running on the trails is great because you build leg strength and you’re able to take in all the natural beauty around you. My favorite run that we do at camp is the “Graduation Run” because we get to run above the clouds and of course, take pictures once we get to the top. One of the best things about Brevard is the creek! It’s basically like a natural ice bath, which is great to soak in after all the runs. Countless team bonding exercises brought our team closer than ever. Tubing, white water rafting, and the dodgeball tournament helped to make the experience even better! This was definitely a week filled with memories that I’ll never forget. 

 

Running with my team this summer has been a blast! Getting to know the new runners has been very fun. It’s so cool to see how close the team gets and how well everyone bonds together. We’re all pumped for the upcoming season and can’t wait to have some more fun! I hope everyone has a great rest of the summer and I’ll be blogging again real soon. Happy running!