Everyone needs a little sparkle in their life

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July!!!

Slowly but surely

With a bit of nudging, pestering, and encouragment to update my blog from some friends, I am working on catching it up by the end of the weekend...stay tuned ☺ I'm even working on them from my phone.

Work in progress

After 4 dark and dreary days, that were actually beautiful weather days, I have finally popped out of my funk. I was on the bridge spikes in hand weighed down with stones ready to throw them over the side and watch them drown, never to return. I had a lot of support from those around me urging me not to take the plunge but didn't want to hear it. That's my stubbornness getting the best of me, once I get an idea in my head no one can change it and I go full force ahead, whether it be good or bad. Deep in my heart I knew that I would be miserable but the stress of disappointment was just breaking me. I did in my despair reach out to a friend/teammate who is in the realm of sports psych to see if she could talk me down from the ledge and help me breakdown where mentally I went astray.

Out of nowhere just about an hour before I was going to break the news to my coach that I was stepping away, it hit me. I donated blood the Wed before. I wasn't really sure at that epiphany moment what that entailed but I set out to research. I started with the sites that went over what to expect after donation, nothing, the only thing they covered was not working out right after. I googled some more, then I found a few articles on what I was looking for. Bingo. Despite not many studies done on the entity, the science, math, and physiology were laid out in perfection. Basically your hemoglobin levels don't completely reset for at least 60 days, which in turn affects the level of iron your blood stores, which then affects how your body transports oxygen to the organs/muscles, which then affects performance. In a nut shell.

With that knowledge in hand I was able to take a step back and not throw my true love away with a single toss. A relief to myself and other supporters around me.

Twilight Zone

Today's meet is the first meet I've raced in almost a month. It's been a quiet time since all the colleges are finished up, the meets start to dwindle down around this time. There's a few select low key races series like this one hosted by New Balance, another post collegiate team. Though mainly geared towards middle distance runners the main/only races are the 800, 1500, and 5000, but they do feature one sprint race in the mix either a 400 or 200, in the series of 3 meets. Today I got to dabble my finesse in the 400. Since indoors ended I have switched my training group from the 800m to the 400m group. I haven't trained with this group since 07 when I first joined GBTC. Determined to battle back out the 8, I think I switched over to that group too suddenly, possibly causing me my "turmoil" in not reaching my goal times. So with this I have decided to work on pulling together my quarter speed which will hopefully enhance both the hurdles as well as the half. My main focus is the hurdles but since there a few meets that host intermediates I have to divert the focus to open races.

My training's been going really well and I was ready to see it come out in a race. Since I had run a 62 in indoor on no real speed work, I was confident that I could run faster with the change in training. Somewhere something's gone wrong. I got out nicely then at the 200 meter mark I just lost it. I'm simply baffled by this, and cannot understand, nothing translates. I'm starting to question whether I'm cut out to be a runner. I've put so much time and effort into my training that it's hard to not see any kind of progress. Very heartbreaking. This hit me hard.

Some like it hot

On fire...well my body and feet that is. Wish I could say the same for my races. Again the pleasures of spring weather in New England, always bringing the unknown. One day it's freezing the next it's like the dead of summer. Today would be that steamy summery weather. I thought that it would be perfect weather but it took a turn for the worst with temps rising to 90. The complete opposite of the prior races. With sprint races, warmer is better, but acclimating to the heat can be essential to racing, especially when your body has been training in the cooler temperatures. I'm not really sure which is worse to run in, freezing or extreme heat.
I invoked on a what I thought would be a good double, 400 open and 400 hurdles. Unfortunately the heat didn't converge well, I don't think my body knew what to do with the temperature. Though not what I had hoped for I just have to chock it up to a training day and look forward.

Come rain or shine

Bring on the hurdles, the time has come to step up and move to going over the intermediates. The IH's are far and few between for races so the more I chances I can get to race the more aped I will be come July. They have also changed the qualifying window for club nationals so my time from last year's nationals now won't carry over. We're required to hit the standard during the 09 season only- indoor or outdoor- but there's not intermeds in indoor so the sooner I get it out of the way the better. I thought that this would be the perfect meet to do so. Perfect it would be if the weather would just cooperate. Getting to the track it wasn't so bad but right after I finished the warm up and started to do drills the drizzle started, then the drizzle turned steady, then the temperatures started to drop. And it boy really sucked. My hands started to go numb, I even had to run in my tights it was so cold. In the end it didn't turn out so bad. I was able to go over all but 2 hurdles very smoothly and time wise I was able to hit the qualifying time. Now no worries come closer to the end of the season. It did however take a while before I got the feeling back in my hands. Guess you can't win them all.

Cold and all alone

The time has come to face the bitter truth...that no matter how much you wish for warmer weather in March it's probably not going to happen. Case in point the first meet of the outdoor season. I somewhere in my dazed logic thought that running the steeple would be a brilliant idea in the middle of March. The weekend before was perfect weather, I wasn't quite ready to take on the 400 IH or really anything too short, I absolutely loathe the 1500, I was burnt out from the 800, and I kind of enjoy steeple minus the fact that it's 3000 meters. I also wanted to see where I compared to last year. I was roaring and ready to go take on all 7 1/2 laps and 35 barriers until I watched the temps Friday night drop below 36 degrees. Why that matters is not so much the temperature of the air, I can deal with that, it's the temperature of the water in the pit. Lucky me they were out there at 11am just before the men's race raking off ice! I kid you not. The sun was shining but it was still quite brisk out (we're talking mid 40's). I bellied up since I did pay for this entry and it's non refundable, signed myself in only to find that there was only one other girl in the race. The rest had scratched. Smart girls. I one the other hand am crazy so I just gooed my legs up with Aquaphor (similar to Vaseline) to try and help defer some of the cold from both the air and water. The time comes to step up to the line only to find out now the other girl wasn't running, it was going to be just me out there. Not the most ideal conditions. HA! I'm slightly amused by this, as well as slightly nerve wracked because that meant ALL eyes were watching ME. I do love the spotlight but only when I know that it's something I can super excel. I got over the that fast once I smoothly went over the first couple of barriers and just ran. That was until I got to the first water pit jump. I approached it with vigor until my left foot pulled up on the barrier, I stood on top of the barrier with both feet looked down into the water and in a split second jumped in with TWO feet like you would jump into a pool or puddle. I'm not sure if it was the first initial time of going over the pit or if I was trying defer the inevitable coldness of jumping into the freezing water, but I can assure you that that is NOT how you jump the water pit. After the jump I thought to myself what in the world was I thinking and chuckled. I also had a laugh because some guys had been standing by the pit, for some reason that's people's favorite watching spot in race, and I heard one of the say 'Oh no she didn't' referring to my two footed jump. Haha. I did resolve after I got my breath back from the shock of cold water that I would not do that again. And around I went 7 more times all by lonesome, with no more mishaps might I add. I finished about 10 seconds faster than my time from last year so not too bad, all things considered. I do think that I will probably reconsider opening in March with the steeple if I decide to go at it again, I was pretty painful.

Photos by GreaterSnap

Luck be a lady

The annual St Patrick's Day 5K road race, one of my few favorite road races. It falls nicely in my training schedule where it won't hurt me, and is a bit helpful. I'm also partial to it because I seem to shave time off every year, so that doesn't hurt the ego at all.

Mid-March in Boston can bring a myriad of temperatures-it can either be freezing, snowing, a combo of freezing and snowing, it can be mild, warm, sunny-there is no constant from year to year. This year it was perfect, sunny and mid to high 50's. I lined up with 2 other of my teammates decked out in my green shamrock boxer shorts, team singlet (which I'm on a mission to find a green or white one and screen print it so I don't look like a xmas ornament or an Italian flag) and the finishing touch of knee high shamrock socks. Since it's a fun run may as well have fun! I'm beginning to see big improvements on my 5Ks in the past year or so. First and foremost in the finishing times but also in my race tactics. I'm running smarter and more efficiently rather than so haphazardly. I managed to pop out a fairly even split race, made sure I unleashed the monstrous kick, finished in a PR of 19:53 and 4th overall female. It's nice to know that even though I'm not in the realm of fast in the distance I still kick some butt on the local level. I picked up the first South Boston female resident for the 3rd year in a row, which this year they threw in a free pair of kicks with the medal. Gotta love free sneakers, especially when you go through them like water.☺

And cut

Today marked the last indoor meet of the season. A bittersweet goodbye-happy to be done with the indoor track which wrecks havoc on my legs, hips, back but somewhat sad that I could get just one more race in to prove that I've got it there. In the middle of the season I was excited that I actually might have the chance to be an 800 leg of the DMR at Indoor Nationals, though as the season unfolded to now it was evident that I'd have to really prove myself. I came into the meet today hoping that it would all fall into place with the 800. The reality is, it did not. I was a bit disappointed but it made me realize that not everything comes right away. I've had a phenomenal training season which I thought would translate into perfect races. I think that my biggest mistake was that I aimed too far ahead, though I will give myself a pat on the back for not beating myself up after not hitting "that time". Sometimes for me it's all about the numbers and if I can learn to let those numbers/times not get to my head, I think that I'll be just fine. Live and learn or rather run and learn. On a bright note for today's meet I ran a leg in the 4x400 and hit my best 400 time in 62.6. Makes me optimistic that just maybe I can break 60 in outdoors as well as 70 in the intermediates. Looking forward to getting out!

A little bit Off then On

I have never considered 13 an unlucky number or for that matter Friday the 13th an unlucky day. Actually 13 is one of my favorite numbers and as for the whole Friday thing I've never really taken that to heart. By definition luck is a chance happening and it is, but I also think that some luck is one of those things that's kind of created. When I say created I mean more along the lines of how we perceive things to be in our minds. Take for instance, Friday the 13th is supposedly an unlucky day, why is it so "unlucky"? I believe it's because we've been programmed to think it's a bad day so when it rolls around we think oh no, then look for the "unlucky" things that are happening. They become the focus rather than occurrences, and it snowballs to being a bad day. Wow, sorry to get out on a tangent and start psychoanalysing how the mind plays, just a little habit I have. I really love how the mind works. Hmmm maybe in some past life I was a psychologist or it's what I should pursue. (I might just take a look into that now that I think of it).


Okay so the preface of all that leads into the meet this weekend, Friday and Saturday were the BU Valentine Invitational. In which Friday happen to be the 13th and my little sister also sent me an email wishing me good luck at my meet and added that she didn't understand why the 13th wasn't unlucky for me, hence another reason for my tangent. Similar to the meet 2 weeks ago but in an even larger scale, which it amazes me that that's possible. Friday the ladies raced open events with the men's distance medley relay (DMR) thrown in and Sat was flip-flopped, men raced open events, ladies DMR. For my open event I decided on the 800 and I'd be running the 800 leg of the DMR. I thought that everything was in order to run really good races. I did have to work a luncheon at the restaurant but I figured that I would have enough time to relax before so I didn't fret too much. I did my normal warmup routine, thought I was in a good heat that would challenge me, and everything was on track. That was until I actually stepped on to the track, somewhere in my race I completely lost it. I'd like to say it was right after the halfway mark because that's where the numbers say I lost it but it might have come before, I just can't remember. Or it could have been the exponential factor of being on my feet for 5 hours earlier in the day. None of these really in my mind stand out as the clear concise winner. It could have been that the field went out too aggressive for me. The first girl went through the 200 at 28, I went through at 31 (which is FAST, too fast for the seeds of this heat) then they followed through the 400 at 62, I fell off at a respectable 67. Thereafter I completely fell off the deep end. My pace was almost perfect but maybe when I lost touch with the other girls it mentally killed me. I've actually had that happen in practice when my training partner pulls out so far ahead of me I think that I'm so well off pace that I tend to either slow down or stop, when actually I'm dead on where I need to be. I could rack my brain for hours to find everything, and I have, but the race is over and I can't do anything about it. It's disappointing but I need to push it out of my mind and bring it on to the next day. As Dave told me after the race it was bound to happen at some point. I was continually dropping times like flies and it if I kept dropping times every race like I had been I'd be racing a sub 2 min 800. Which would be fantastic just not logistical.
I went home with my tail between my legs to rest up before the relay the next morning. Before I went to bed I powered up the computer to do random surfing and I checked in on the blogs I follow. The most random/bizarre post came across me on the B family's blog. It was a good bizarre but one of those things that kinda make you go woah. Gina had just posted a post that had this quote:
"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wow how fitting was that for what my day had been and that I did need to get ready for the next day to race again. I do think that this should be the way we should view everyday but it was the perfect ending to read especially for this day.

I blissfully woke up Saturday morning ready to redeem myself from my failed race the night before. I wasn't taking any prisoners. I wanted to be sure that it was what it was, a fluke race. I am pleased to say that it was a fluke. I race extremely well and hit a pretty sweet time, fastest one all season, though I'm certain I could have run faster had I not had to a girl mess with my final kick. I knew I had it in me but it felt good to solidify it. Now it's off to the next week for the final indoor meet of the season.

What a difference a year can make

DMR team goofing off

It's now been a year since I started my blog, rolling back with the Terrier Invitational. It all started on a whim that more or less was a place for me vent out my frustrations, not thinking that I'd actually keep up with it. Then it turned into a way to keep family and out town friends or anyone else who chose to read up to date on that thing I call running. Now it's evolved to much more, for myself that is, for all the readers it's still the same. It's been a remarkable way to keep myself upbeat about how my performances have panned out and in turn I think changed the way I perform. My first couple of entries are pretty harsh, we are our own worst critics. I believe that there always needs to be a dose of hard reality, can't always be sugar plums and fairy tales, but it doesn't necessarily have to be so nasty and I've learned that along the way as I read back on earlier posts. I plan to continue this diary of a mad woman who runs lot and I hope anyone that reads it possibly gets a laugh, becomes inspired, relates to a story, or maybe just wants to know a chapter in my life that genuinely makes me me and happy (along with a couple of random entries that have nothing to do with running at all since my life is not completely consumed by running despite my slight obsession with it).

Coming full circle with the meet that left much disappointment a year ago, I'd never know I'd be where I am now. Actually I take that back because I knew I'd get there, it was the waiting out and not knowing when part that was most frustrating. Having already raced less than 5 days before, GBTC's Invite was Sun and open events for women at Terrier were on Friday, it was going to be interesting how things unfolded. I had a great race on Sunday so either my body would not be too happy about the shortened recovery time or it wouldn't care too much-it's a very fine line. After deliberation with my coach we settled on the 1000m then an 800 leg on the DMR on Sat. Usually I seed myself but because I was unsure of my event strategy I just sent Dave an email with my thoughts and he agreed then seeded me himself. When the reply email came back it had the seed time he entered me in, and my chin hit the floor. He had me entered in at 3:00, which isn't crazy fast but for me that was a bit over zealous since at the opening meet of the season I ran a 3:12. I am definitely racing much better than that but 12 sec is a lot for a quasi short race. Literally for the days leading up to the meet I played every possible combo of splits that I'd need to hit to achieve this. It's possible that this could have been detrimental to my psyche but I continued with the nervous twitter up until I stepped up to the line. As soon as the gun went off it all just dissipated and I just ran. I started off great but about the 600 mark I felt my body tense up, then loose it's ability to gauge where exactly I was going with my race. At 200 meters to go I gave in picked up my legs thought to myself it's only 200 meters and just heaved forward knowing it would be over soon. I crossed the finish line, looked up at the score board and saw my finishing time. 3:04.50. Wow I really almost did it! Dave wasn't so far off base. I took off 8 secs from a race only 2 months ago, as well as 8 sec from this exact meet a year ago. I'm not at all disappointed, oh no totally absolutely giddy, but I can't say that I ran smarter because the races were very similar in execution the difference is I ran faster, a plus, it's a good thing that the 1000 is not my race. Like I mentioned in the interlude I do have to look at the reality of it.
The hardest part was over, but I still had Sat morning to contest with. I made sure that I did everything possible so that my body would be recovered for the relay-a cooldown, stretching, chocolate milk for protein to feed the muscles, plenty of water, a good balanced dinner, a couple Ibuprofen for preventative swelling since I wouldn't be able to get an ice bath in adequate time, and a night's rest. I woke up with all seeming well, moseyed on down to track to tackle the 800 leg of the DMR. I must have done something right because I managed to run a pretty decent leg. Big leaps from last year.
Flotrack was at the meet again http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234504/127456

Pass me a paper bag and a shovel

What an interesting day, all starting with Sat night. I had my usual work day on Saturday but it ended in a bit of an off tone. First I didn't get out of work until quarter til 12 (am) which is not so uncommon, not common either, except for the fact that I was only waiting for one table to leave and it wasn't my table. That's neither here nor there. I get home around midnight, I was hoping that I could get a decent night's sleep, haha, apparently I was mistaken. As soon as I curl up into bed my stomach decides that it's not in a good mood. Oddly the same thing happened on Thur night too. I have no clue what's brought this on since I was fine on Friday, so that ruled out a bug and I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary. Needless to say I was up for a good portion of the night. Fast forward to this morning. I woke up feeling a little better, but very weak, uncertain if I was up for racing today. At around 8:30am I got a call from my family letting me know that they weren't going to make it due to the snow, no worries plenty more meets no need to trek through the snow from NH for a meet in MA. I just figured they were getting pummeled with snow. I finally got up, fighting the temptation to just blow off the meet and stay in bed all day, and made my usual pre-race breakfast of toast with PB and coffee. Then I look outside, there's a white out. Holy cow I thought we were only supposed to get 1-3 inches all day, there's already 3+in and it's still falling at a heavy rate. So that's why the fam wasn't coming, not only was it probably snowing up there it's blanketing the city here. Okay so the toast and coffee settled in my stomach, good sign, but I was slated to race a 400/800 double at the meet, not good. I was entirely too weak to pull off both races so I called my coach and told him to scratch me from the 400, then we'd see how I felt after my warmup as to whether or not I'd race the 800. I warmed up, did drills and what have you, still a bit off but I decided to race anyway. I figured if I had to drop out of the middle of the race I would, not that I ever use that as an option, this was an exception. I had a teammate Laura in my heat with me who helped to ease a bit of the nerves. Up to the line, on your mark, set, *bang* and I'm off. I'm off fast, a little too fast, 33 for the 1st 200. Leading I ease back the pace, 400 hit 68, kept steady, still in the lead hit the 3rd 200 in 37, then came down the last 25 meters and was edged out by my teammate. No big deal, I was happy for her since this was her first race back from being injured and she out kicked me fair & square. I did have other things to be excited about I FINALLY broke the 2:25 barrier that I have been stuck at for the past year. I finished in 2:22.55, crazily on a sour stomach and bad night's sleep, impressive. Wondering what I could have done if I was on a good day. Can't change that, on to the next meet. Afterwards we started cooling down inside around the outside of the track but part of it was blocked off so it was proving to be a bit difficult. Figuring out that neither of us were going to race any more events I suggested maybe going outside and running in the snow. She was aboard and we took to the snowy half plowed/shoveled sidewalks of Cambridge for a beautiful serene scenic cooldown.

It was a long day but it was good. That was until I got home and had to shovel the sidewalk and attempt to unbury the car. Leave that for next day.

Scene overlooking the Charles

To double or to not double

Photo by GreaterSnap

Sometimes we do things that we really aren't all that too excited to do, but we do them because they are "good" for us. One of those many things is racing races I really don't have a fond liking to or racing a double that just seems way out in third base. Today's meet was no exception to that. While chatting with my coach at practice Tuesday what I should race for the last of the mini meets, I had asked him whether I should race either the 800 or the mile then possibly a workout afterwards. He promptly replied yeah I think a mile, 800 double would be good workout. Okay I'm certain I clearly said or in the statement but he was adamant that I should take on both. I kind of sulked and reluctantly caved, deciding to race both. It's not that I question that he doesn't know what he's doing, because he definitely knows his stuff, I wouldn't ask him if I thought otherwise. I more so question myself and if I'm able to really do it. A bit of self doubt creeping in. After all the woe is me self-pity, I can't believe I'm doing this insane double I ended up racing 2 really good races. I pr'd in the mile (5:26--YAY!) and ran even splits with my ever so favorite kick to boot. Felt amazing. Then came back and raced a not so shabby 800 almost breaking that 2:25 line, where I've been stuck for the past year. Though I was deceived at first since hand timed by my coach he had me in at 2:24.9, but the actual results had me at 2:25.14, so I originally thought I had a double pr. Oh well. I was just floored that I could turn out both races without blowing either one or the other. We got workouts and races turning over which makes me super stoked and more faithful that 2009 is going to be a good one.

Happy 2009

Here's to a new year...May everyday be blessed with with love, happiness, family and friends!

How much do you really want it

A young man asked Socrates how he could get wisdom. Socrates replied, "Come with me."
He took the lad to a river, pushed the boy's head under water, held it there until the boy was gasping for air, then relaxed and released his head.
When the boy regained his composure, Socrates asked him, "What did you desire most when you were under water?"
"I wanted air," said the boy
Socrates said to him, "When you want wisdom as much as you wanted air when you were immersed in the water, you will receive it."



I found this on a fellow teammate's page on facebook and it totally moved me, so I thought I'd share it with you. How true.

Merry Happy Holiday

Wishing the best day to you and your family!

Only in Horse shoes and hand grenades

Almost. I almost made this decision, I almost did this or that, I almost got it, I almost... You hear that word so often and possibly say it on a regular basis. The dictionary defines it as not quite; slightly short of, nearly.

Yesterday was the first meet of the indoor season. I decided to run one of the random distances that is only offered at a couple of the meets, 1000 meters. I don't particularly like this race but it's good to mix it up with and odd distance here and there. I seeded myself so that I was in a middle of the road heat, wasn't quite sure where I was racing wise but I was confident enough that I knew I could hit somewhere near my seed time. Threw the iPod on my pre-race mix warmed up, and hoped it would all click. Click it did. I surprisingly ran relaxed and in control. My 200 splits were not all over the place like the last couple of 1000's I ran last indoor...they were pretty even minus getting only slightly lost in the middle and coming back for the last lap like a bat out of hell. I don't think the 2 girls ahead of me knew what hit them as I whizzed passed them in the last 100 meters to win that heat. And of course I can't forget that almost moment...I ALMOST hit a pb, but missed it by .41-less than a half a second, wow how's that for an opening season race.

A Thankfulgiving Day

Today is a day to be grateful and count those small incurious details that our lives have been blessed with. Okay so it should technically be everyday but I think it serves as a reminder or reflection time since sometimes in our busy lives we forget. So to everyone and everything out there...Thank You...because you can never say it enough times.

That's my little turn inside thought for the day, which in turn was quite blessed and I am quite thankful for. It all started with a tradition that I started 4 years ago, a turkey trot in Andover called the Feaster Five. I don't know what exactly spurred this "tradition", it was before Greater Boston so I wasn't super serious about my racing again, but still continue on. I still recall that first race. I geared up, planted myself in the middle of the 7000+ trotters, and did not finish well in any sense. And here I stand 4 races later and you'd never know it was me running that first race. Each consecutive year after that disastrous race I have improved by leaps, all time wise. This year was no exception. I shaved approximately 50 sec off of my time from last year, almost breaking my 5K PR. Though that was not the best improvement or proudest that I made in this race. It was my mile splits. I have never in any of my years racing ever ran an even split race, ever, especially not a 5K. This would be my first. Funny thing is I didn't realize it until hours later when I went to recall my mile times. I clocked my first mile in 6:26, the second was 6:27, my third 1.1miles was 7:12 (which with the math boils down to a 6:30ish 3rd mile). I definitely have to add that to one of the best/proudest racing moments of my career. It's such a great feeling when your training finally shines, if even for the smallest moment, through.

After that early morning jolt instead of heading up to NH to my parents house like I normally do, I went back home. Here was another shining moment of the day-I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner for my family at my house in Boston. Might I add it turned out wonderfully too. A fabulous day spent with my mom, dad and sisters...and the oven.

Selective Memory?

I ponder a simple question that came to me yesterday as I lugged up Summit Hill for a continuous hill workout. I know before I'm going to start this workout that it's going to hurt. It hurt the last time I did it. Yet somehow in the 1.43 mile warmup to the hill I forget that there's going to be any pain involved and trot up the massive hill. That is of course until I reach just past where we stop for sprint hills and the intense burning from lactic acid starts to creep in. Then all of the sudden that memory comes back to the previous times of doing this workout. It's quite painful! How do you forget something so vivid so quickly?

Late can sometimes be Great

As most people know I'm notoriously late for most things. The whole time management concept, not one of my strongest suits. It's me, I try and that's all I can offer. Today however I honed in on my tardiness. I managed to make it to the race today relatively on time, which meant that I had time to warm-up and stretch and whatnot before the race started. I will state that there's no reason for me to be at a cross country race any more than 45 min prior to the start so I consider getting there 40 min before, on time. Well we all start lining up at the start line, I do a couple of striders, the official states the race will go off in 5 min, I start to get super cotton mouth. So I thought that I'd have time to quickly sprint to my stuff not too far from the line and grab a quick sip of water. As I'm heading back to the start to my surprise the gun went off before I made it back. Not expecting that, what a way to get into the race! Of course through the madness of processing everything I was trying to search for my teammates so I could pace with someone. Not an easy task with a mass of runners. I just gave up and ran, figuring that one way or another either I would find them or they'd find me, which did happen eventually. From start to finish it was an interesting race. I was late to the start. I played cat and mouse a couple of times with a few runners in the middle. The most energy efficient tactic it is not but it worked for me. Then I ran down quite a few runners in last 100 meters. Oh how I love when my track speed conveys out on the finishes! Such a great feeling! Best part of it all I shaved 1:10 off of my time from 2 weeks ago giving me an all time personal best for a 5K cross country course and an inside peak to what is to come I hope!
Here's a link to a pretty cool pic that was snapped of me at this race http://eliterunning.com/photos/index.php?g2_itemId=160771