In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz - Journal #7
The crowd cheered, anticipation was in the air, and the final gun went off to conclude the exciting 2011 cross country season this past Saturday morning. The state meet always can be expected to bring the most excitement of the season while creating a race stage for the best of the best in Florida to compete. Qualifying for the state meet requires countless hours of dedication, heart, and desire to be called a state finalist. I can’t believe the 2011 cross country season has come to an end, it seems like just yesterday the first official practice took place. I hope everyone had a successful state meet experience and 2011 cross country season!
Now on to my class 3A state meet experience. My mindset prior to the race was to do to the best I could, relax, and run my race. Luckily, the 3A girls were the first race of the day because the temperature rose as the morning progressed. When I arrived there was just enough time to purchase a sweatshirt and complete the pre-race routine. Soon enough, final stride outs were completed and the race was well on its way. There was so much amazing competition taking the lead making it an unpredictable race anyone could win. From the beginning to the end many surges occurred adding to the intense fast pace. I decided to make my move just before the turn onto the “big, green monster” long straightaway for the third and final time. I am beyond grateful to say I won with a time of 17:39. Compared to my fifth place state finish last year, I would never have imagined to win the this upcoming year. What a difference a year can make! For my third cross country season, my goal was to take each race at a time and I definitely surprised myself. This past Saturday was a day that I will always remember but I realize they do not come easily, but must be heavily worked for and never should be taken for granted.
As a team, Lakewood Ranch finished third to Estero and Chiles. I could not be anymore proud of my team this season. Injuries were a factor this season but we overcame them and moved forward. Everyone gave it their best and nothing more could ever be asked. As a team, we are always there for each other and supporting each other like sisters. I love my team.
For many others and myself, our cross country season is not over yet! This week, my training is still in session to prepare for Footlocker Southeast Regionals taking place this Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am extremely excited and anxious as this would be my first experience at Footlocker. My number one goal is to place in the top ten and qualify for Nationals in San Diego. To be honest, this is one of my dreams and will need to stay focused and determined in everything I do this week. I also know Nike Cross Southeast Regionals in Cary, North Carolina will be taking place this Saturday as well. I wish everyone the best of luck in the post-season meet they decide to go to.
To conclude, I wanted to wish everyone a “Happy Thanksgiving!” There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for. I hope you all enjoy the special holiday.
More On Olivia
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In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)Hello! I hope everyone had a great Regional meet this past weekend! After all the many cross country weekends this season, taking place in all different locations around the state of Florida, I can finally write in my blog this week that the next race is the state meet taking place in Dade City. - 2011-11-14 14:30:00
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In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)Hello everyone! Where has the time gone? I can’t believe this past weekend Districts took place already. It’s crazy how time flies. Before I talk about my District experience this past weekend I wanted to share my thoughts about the sport we all love...cross country. - 2011-11-07 13:18:00
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In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)This past Saturday I finally ran very close to home in the Manatee County Championship which included sven other local high schools. I was very excited to have a race finally in Lakewood Ranch; making it very convenient for family and friends to watch. Coming into the county meet, I had a feeling it might be a little different race compared to the other highly competitive races during this cross country season. - 2011-10-31 12:15:00
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In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)As I knew it would be, this past Saturday morning was intense facing the best competition in the state. Stepping off the bus, about an hour before race time there was a crisp chill in the air making it perfect racing weather similar to last year’s chilly conditions. The Pre State Invitational is a great opportunity to run the state course. - 2011-10-17 13:01:00
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In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)Wow! What an exciting past two weekends filled with cross country! Last weekend, I raced in the Flrunners.com Invitational in Titusville. Going into the race I was faced with a bad head cold, but I was determined not to let it bring me down. - 2011-10-10 10:43:00
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In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)What a great cross country weekend! This weekend the Lakewood Ranch team and I ran in the Mountain Dew Invitational at the University of Florida. We all stayed in a hotel the night before since Gainesville is a three hour drive from Lakewood Ranch. That always makes for great fun and bonding time as a team. I was very excited and focused about this race throughout this week. As a team, we were excited about racing on the Gator campus again and then the opportunity to watch the college races, which is really inspiring before the start of our race. - 2011-09-26 10:20:00
In Her Own Words: Olivia Ortiz (Article)
My name is Olivia Ortiz and I am a junior at Lakewood Ranch. First, I want to say thank you to flrunners for letting me contribute to their incredible website! What a great opportunity and honor to be apart of. What an amazing start to the 2011 season with the first two races having intense competition, forcing everyone to get into race mode. Opening race last week was the Déjà vu Invitational in Tampa also know as the “mudfest”. - 2011-09-19 11:40:00
