This time of cross country season is the toughest phase in my opinion. The two months of preseason summer conditioning pass slowly and are full of mileage, but at least we practice at 5:30 in the morning before the air gets too warm. Then the real season begins, and I start to miss summer training. Workouts are long, the temperature is crazy hot, and I can never drink enough water throughout the school day. Having such loving teammates and supportive coaches is what pushes me through this strenuous part of the season, but the anticipation of speed work drives me even more. I love cross country, but long runs of the same steady pace eventually get boring. Sprints on the other hand are always fun and for the most part fairly easy. That's one of several reasons why I prefer track season because then I'm training for 800 or mile pace rather than a 5K time.
Back to my previous write up about being a senior… Just this past weekend Scottsboro ran our second race of the year at Pisgah's Invitational - a.k.a. The Dust Bowl. This was my first and thankfully last time racing there. Nothing against their true cross country trail, but I believe I had more dirt in my lungs during the race than oxygen! After talking with Pisgah's Coach, Gus Hembree, I realize his goal was indeed to create the most treacherous, defeating trail possible, and he nailed it. With no other girls next to me, I ended up running behind the dusty trail of the lead gator alone. The first mile was clear as I went out under 6 minutes, but the second two miles were terrible to say the least. There was a hill on the third mile the size of the famous incline at Spain Park's course! Nevertheless, thanks to Coach Hembree for a fun race and overall meet!!
