Before I knew it, I was on the starting line with the fastest girls in the state. The gun was fired, my feet flew forward, and the biggest XC race of my life had started. Excitement, fear, and anticipation were just a few of the emotions that I had this past Saturday at the 2012 XC State Championships. Jesse Owens, the trails were perfect. When the gun went off, the world changed. I sprinted down the large field as everyone else did and tried to get in the top groups. I ran my first mile quite faster than any other of my races, so I knew this would be a personal best time if I kept up my pace. I overheard someone say “You’re 14th!” to a runner behind me and knew I was definitely in Top 15. I looked ahead and passed a few girls in front of me to secure my spot in the Top 15. I blazed through my second mile and seeing my time 15 seconds faster than any race I’ve ever ran before definitely gave me confidence for a strong finish. I picked up my pace through the last mile and once again heard a coach yell “You’re in 13th!” to another runner. I was currently in 12th place as I was coming to the last 800m of the race. A few girls behind me tried to pick up their pace, but I was not slowing down. I ran one of my fastest 800m times to finish the race. I looked at the clock as I finished. With my season best as a 21:13, I clocked in at a 21:04! Also, I placed 10th out of the whole race! I received a medal and placed All-State. After all of the doubt that I endured this season of telling myself “There’s no way that’s possible, you can’t do that!” , I overcame those thoughts and for once, I was not only physically strong, but I was mentally strong as well. Although that was the State Championship, my season is not over. I have once race left and I’m prepared to hopefully set another personal best. I have never ran on the course before, but I’m hoping for another Top 10 placing. This season I have learned that if you are not mentally strong, it will ruin your race before you even begin. Also, I have built up more confidence and I’m a much stronger competitor than before. I hope everyone who is finished with their season has had a great one and will return next year! Thank you MileSplit for giving me the opportunity to share my experiences throughout my seasons!