Running is a means and never merely an end

Easy 6 at Fletcher Park in Hendersonville, the location of the first cross country meet I ever won! Fun memories running there. 8:14 avg pace. It was approaching 80 degrees out today, which was amazing, but I am currently as red as a tomato via racerback-shaped-sunburn, so that's not amazing. I'd call it a net gain though.

Got back to Wofford just in time for selection sunday. Wofford was picked as a 12 seed in the west bracket!!! Pretty proud to be a Terrier!

I really don't want to even blog about this but maybe it'll be useful for me to go back and look at later for some reason.

AM- 2 mile warm up, then the workout was 1600 (5k pace), 600 (3k pace), 1200 (5k pace), 400 (mile pace), 300 (3k into a kick). But all we got done was the first 3 before coach Harris just stopped the workout....that is how bad we were doing. My mile was supposed to be 6:16 and I was barely under 6:30. It was all just so bad. I don't know what was wrong. I could blame it on things all day long but it doesn't really matter, we just didn't run well. So Coach Harris said we were gonna re-do the workout on Wednesday morning before classes because this was an important workout that we needed to hit the splits for. Pretty angry about how it turned out but there's nothing I can do about it now but kill it on Wednesday. I think I'll do much better then.

PM- weights/core.

AM- This run was...interesting, to say the least! It all started because Breck and I were in the mood to explore. Ha. So I remember that there is this street called Wofford street about a mile and a half away that I've always wondered what is down, and we decide to run there and see. So we do, and we keep following for a while it until it pretty much turns into the projects. It comes to a fork and the street name sounds familliar so we figure it'll probably lead back up to the main road. Ha. A mile or two later, we're somehow at Spartanburg Methodist College, which I literally didn't even know existed (much less was so close??). We run through that campus for a bit and then take the most mainstream-looking road out that we could see. At this point we're like 5 miles in, and we were only supposed to have 7, so we were like ahhh okay time to ask for directions back or this could be bad. So we stopped half a mile away at Jesse S. Bobo Elementary school (which I also didn't know existed) and got directions to the main road, which popped us out not far from the mall (!!!)....we went straight back to Wofford but we inevitably went over. All this while its like 85 degrees out, so its all fun and games until you're running on the highway with no shade and hot pavement, already past the mileage you were supposed to do. Oops :) I'd still look back and call it a W though. Exploration nation.

PM- 3ish on my own later before dinner with our recruit!

AM- Today was the make-up workout of that disaster on Monday. Went infinitely better today! 1600 (5k), 600 (3k), 1200 (5k), 300 (mile), and then 600 (first 300 at 3k, last 300 as a kick). Hit 6:16, 2:12, 4:38, 60, and 2:09, respectively. 1600 was right on, and all the others were a bit under. So I am happy with today for sure in comparison to Monday.

PM- weights/core.

Easy pre-meet today. I am running the 1500 tomorrow night, which is pretty far out of my 5k-comfort zone, but I am kind of excited to see what I can do in something so short. Then Saturday I'm running the 3k. Coach Harris wanted this to be a training meet of sorts that I could use to get some speed under me. I've never ran a 1500 before, so I am just shooting for at or under the equivalent of my 1600 PR from high school (5:31), which would be about 5:11 for 1500. As for the 3k, hey a PR is always the goal. So sub-11:17. I also just want to have lots of fun with this meet and enjoy myself in the gift God gave me!

First 1500 today! It was actually so fun. I didn't do quite as well as I was hoping, but I don't feel awful about it because I definitely think I had it in me to do better if I was more experienced with the strategy of a short race like that. I think I could have kicked a good but earlier and been alright. First lap was an 80, then came through the 800 right on pace at 2:45, but I think my third lap must have been a little on the slow side. Closed in 5:13, which is around a 5:34 1600 I guess. It was just over so fast though! So fun. Shouts out to Anya, who ran the equivalent of 7 or 8 seconds faster than her 1600 PR! Cooled down 3 and a half afterwards.

3k up next, Saturday at 3:10 I think. I'm excited about this one too! I feel like Breck and I will work together really well during this, we've really been going back and forth in practice lately and feeding off of eachother. I'm gonna try and go with her when she throws in little surges. I've never had a teammate to work with like this before, I'm super thankful for Breck. Hopefully we'll both PR!

3k today! I didn't quite PR, 1 second off, but I am actually so happy about how the race went. I think I ran the smartest race I've ever ran, mostly thanks to Breck and Coach Harris. I was ranked 12th, and Breck was ranked 8th, so we were supposedly mid-pack I thought. So when we went out, I settled in at about 5th after the first 100, and Breck was on the inside of me. After 200m we realized that we were way too comfortable and this was actually just a really slow pack. Breck urged me to get out and go around and get in front, so at like 300m I did, and she followed and took the lead. It was me and Breck and another girl for the next 800 or so, and then I made a move and passed the girl, and Breck and I started to pull away a little bit. That felt so cool, to have two Wofford people in the front, like we were representing our school well. Then with three laps to go, Coach Harris told us to take turns leading and challenge eachother, so I took the lead and picked it up just a tad. Breck fell off within the next lap, but we were far enough ahead that she had a little room to do so. I came through the bell lap and gradually accelerated till about the 175, and closed pretty well. Coach Harris said it was a strong looking kick considering I didn't have anyone. I beat the last 2 girls in the first heat too, so that was cool. My first college heat win! I just had so much fun with that - it reminded me of high school when I was actually good, comparitively speaking. Cooled down 1.5 afterwards and got a nice little track tan!