First of all, let me say congratulations to all the Florida runners who ran great races this past weekend! There were some fast times and some battles, and it points to how competitive the state meets are going to be come November. I had an interesting experience in my first high school cross country race, but it is only making me feel anticipation and excitement for the upcoming season.
I felt great leading up to this first race. My training has been going fantastically and I couldn’t wait to lace up my spikes again! While I was warming up beforehand, I could feel the adrenaline building up. In the first 2.5 miles of the race, it showed! Mackenzie Wilson of Bolles, Kaley Delay of Fletcher, and I formed a lead pack, and it was awesome how we were working together to set a fast pace. With 1200 to go,I felt strong, and I could feel myself picking up the pace. However, the race quickly turned around with 800 left. My mind began to feel fuzzy and my left quad went numb. After taking a few lopsided strides, my left leg gave out, and I collapsed. I tried to get up, only to collapse again. At this point, my coach, parents, and athletic trainers arrived, and my race was over.
I had become dehydrated, despite the bottles of water I am constantly drinking. I was extremely frustrated, mainly because I had almost reached the finish line! I understand however, that running has its ups and downs. There were definitely pros and cons. The pros were that everyone ran great, especially for the first race of the season! I’m really happy with my 2.5 miles was on pace to run a time that I couldn’t even fathom at this time last year. The biggest con though was not being able to have the satisfaction of crossing the finish line. I’ll take this experience and learn from it. For the next race, I know I’ll have to try out some new things to make sure my body is fully hydrated and ready to go! I also learned what kind of shape I’m in which will only help to improve my training in the coming weeks.
The main thing I will take from this experience is motivation to come back next weekend at Katie Caples even stronger and faster. I also remembered how much I love racing. I have to say, cross country is certainly different than track, and I loved it! The course at UNF was fast and fun, the weather was perfect, and it was apparent how great of a community the sport of cross country is. There are many races left this season, and I cannot wait to experience each and every one of them. There’s nothing like lacing up your spikes and getting butterflies in your stomach before the gun goes off. In case that’s not enough motivation, I’ll remember the fartlek I ran on the beach this past Monday with this view, and remember why I love the sport so much.
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