Districts: Triple PR!!!

I am super-grateful to announce that, at Districts, I set THREE NEW PERSONAL RECORDS!
I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my seventh year of track.
 Last year I ended up dropping to the ground due to heat exhaustion once they did the second call for the 1600 meter race. I had tried staying loose for 8 hours in hot weather (low to mid 80's Fahrenheit) and suffered from cramps, dizziness, and a general feeling of turdiness.  I remember a coach from another team seeing me crumpled against the fence and walking me over to the trainer's tent, where I was iced for a good 40 minutes or so and given Gatorade and Sunchips to rehydrate.
Thankfully it was more cloudy this year, but I still took precautions to make sure that I would not burn my energy too early.
After running the 4*8 relay, where I earned 2:59 for my 800, I completed a 10 minute cooldown jog and dropped onto my mat for a 30 minute power nap.
After the nap, I went for a quick jog, munched on orange slices and granola bars, and visited the bathroom about fifteen hundred times.
This meet went way slower than last year, saying that I ran the 1600 around 9 PM and the 3200 at 11 PM. Thankfully my fantastic Mom and Tina brought me coffee an hour before the 1600, I don't think that I would have survived without the caffeine.
The cool thing was that for all of my races, even though my body was giving 100%, it didn't hurt as much as I imagined it would. For the 1600 meter race I stayed with a group of girls and fixed my eyes on their ponytails, vowing not to let them surge ahead of me. I tailed them until they began to tire out from the extra speed that you put out when someone is breathing down your neck, and then I surged ahead of them and focused on keeping a hard pace. I was so focused on staying ahead of the other girls that the four laps flew by.
During the 3200 there was one girl who was right behind me during the first three laps, but I keep a strong pace as she slowly faded farther behind me. Just the thought of her summoning a kick from somewhere deep inside and passing me (which has happened before) motivated me to sprint the final 300 meters to the finish line like a madwoman.
My seven years in track have taught me that it is better to follow packs, allow them to break the headwind, and surge ahead of them for the final 800 meters, letting out every ounce of kick within you.
The meet finished around 12:15 AM, and we didn't arrive home until 1 AM, so studying was out of the question. I walked straight to the shower, washed off the sweat that I had accumulated over the past 19 hours since I had last showered, and rolled underneath my comforter. I was completely comatose and didn't wake up until 7:16 AM. School today? No thank-you.

SENIOR SEASON PERSONAL RECORDS:
800 meters - 2:59
1600 meters -
3200 meters -

will publish times once they are posted on the official athletic association site

Full Circle

The Sunset just as My Team was leaving the Track.

Photo of the starting and finishing line that has caused quite an amount of anxiety and accomplishment

Last night was my last highschool dual track meet. Although I didn't tear up or anything (I probably will after Districts) I was undergoing some serious nostalgic memories of staying at meets from 3:30 PM to past 8 PM.  Out-kicking other girls and being out-kicked. Not realizing how hungry I was until I left the track and realized that I had only eaten a handful of dried fruit for the past 5 hours. I wouldn't give up these memories for the whole world.
As I snapped a photo of the sunset and walked to the bus, I realized that my last highschool meet was at the same track where I ran my first highschool race, coming in a full circle.

The Sweat Was Worth It: $cholarship

Coconut bars are one of the best treats ever created by mankind, right after dark chocolate.

Sadly, I missed my track meet today due to a headache, fatigue, and other circumstances beyond my control. I need a break though, as racing every week is really starting to wear me down. I only have two weeks until Districts, where I hope to break my 6:30 minute mile.

Anyhow, one of my favorite parts about Spring is that my mom buys really pretty flowers for the front and backyard. This year, she bought some beautiful purple flowers for the frontyard and a climbing vine with pink blossoms for the backyard fence. So pretty! She also went out of her way to buy a blueberry plant, since those delicious little jewels thrive in the Summer. Now we just have to work on keeping them alive.

Another sad thing happened today - there is no Wednesday night fellowship or Bible Study today, which means no talking with Bobbilee or drinking one of her wonderful lattes.  ):

Before I forget, I do have some pretty exciting stuff to share. The sweat and tears that I endured for cross-country, track, and school have brought in yet another award besides a sense of accomplishment and confidence - I was chosen as a BCAA Scholar Athlete for 2012, which comes with a scholarship!
I was literally shocked when my school's athletic director walked into the yearbook room, which is where I spend lunch with my yearbook creeps, and handed me the letter. When I had applied, I totally thought that one of the waterpolo or softball girls who are at the top of the class would get it. But the gander paid off, and I am left completely shocked! That is totally cool. The only thing is that the wording on the letter is really vague, so I am not 100% sure if I am getting the $1,000 scholarship or not. Part of the letter reads:
All Scholar Athletes will receive a special award in recognition of their accomplishments. Each school will be guaranteed at least one $1,000 scholarship winner.
I guess I will find out soon. The only other negative part about this award is that while I get into the Scholar Athlete Banquet for free, I can only bring 2 or 3 people with me, and it costs $30 per person. Oh well. I still want to go to the Banquet to see who else won for other highschools. I have never attended one those banquet things anyways, and I think it would be cool.  :)

Thoughts Before Bedtime

I love how our clothes match the picture frame. SEU had a photographer for the Preview Days who took photos of the attendees. I refused to take the picture without Tina at my side.

Beauty By The Book, Nancy Stafford
A little while ago, my youth pastor asked me questions regarding my past, allowing me to share things that I have kept bottled up forever - anger, hurt, betrayal, fear.  It was great to finally talk to someone other than my family about things that have consumed me for years. The book my youth pastor gave me is helping me to re-evaluate the way that I see myself, my pain, and more importantly, how God sees me. When I read the first few chapters tears were streaming down my face, and I can't stop writing notes down in my journal.  I couldn't believe that someone else had gone through the same hurts and emotions as me, and that I don't have to be defined by them forever. This book is helping me shift my perspective from myself to those around me. A big thank-you to my youth pastor and his sweet wife who have taken an interest in my spiritual and emotional well-being (:

That moment when you brew an aromatic, wonderful cup of coffee only to realize that it's almost your bed time and you should probably go without it since you have a race the next day. *Dramatic sigh*.
I am currently praying that...

• I will be able to snap a quick team photo before the meet tomorrow since my yearbook deadline is this Wednesday.
• My 4*8 relay team will perform exceptionally well.
• That I will have the strength and endurance I need to finish all of my events strong (800 relay, 1600 meters, 3200 meters)

Goodnight!

PR!!!

Remember my little rant on my last post??? The one about me not be anywhere near the shape I need to be in to race the 3200, let alone set a PR??? Well, I was wrong.
Yesterday evening, I won the 3200 meter race and SET A PR. It was one of the best races of my life. I originally didn't want to race the 3200, thinking that I wouldn't perform well after completing the 1600 and 4*8 relay with subpar times. Danny, however, wouldn't hear it. I mumbled and grumbled and called him a jerk as I did my warm-up jog and drills behind him. When they called for the athetes to line up at the starting line, I unethusiatically slipped out of my warm-up sweats and ambled over.
Once the pistol went off, I took off at a nice pace. By the first lap I had zoned into the red rubber track. It was just me and the run. It was beautiful.
Daniel's dad yelled out my splits every now and then, but I thought he was mistaken. The times he was yelling out seemed too fast. Whatever. I just kept on running.
I felt great when I crossed the finish line, despite my gasping for oxygen and grabbing onto Wadi to steady myself after he gave me a high five.  He thought I was dying or something. Right after giving the race officials my name, I looked for Danny's dad to find out what my time was. My watch read 13:52, but I thought that was too fast.
Walking across the field, I spotted Danny's dad and jogged over to him, asking him what my time was. He glanced up at me and said, 13:46.
I HAD JUST RUN A 13:46. A NEW PERSONAL RECORD!
I was beyond psyched. As a matter of fact, I ran over to Danny (who had just won first place in the 3200 with a time around 10 minutes) and gave him a hug, proclaiming that he was the best jerk in the universe. I then resorted to shrieking like the esctatic athlete that I was.
This is a huge mental breakthrough for me. I still can barely believe that I ran a 6:56 pace. Now that I have broken that 14 minute mark, how much lower can I go?

(For those of you who are not aware, Danny is my friend, as well as the best jerk in the world. He is a beast when it comes to cross-country and track. During school, we jabber about running in every class we have together.)

I thank God for giving me this great breakthrough. He is an awesome God.

Saturday Invitational Recap

 
Waking up at 5:50 AM on Saturday morning, Tina and I started to get ready for Invitationals. I had scrambled eggs and honey wheat toast for breakfast, while Tina had a minimalist meal consisting of a cinnamon waffle drizzled with honey. My wonderful mom made us porkchops, rice, plantains, and veggies (baby carrots,cherry tomatoes, celery) to pack for after our race. We also packed energy bars (Kashi for Tina, Clif for me) and orange Powerade. It was a good thing that we packed so much food, since we ended up arriving home at 6:13 in the evening.
It was cool to race in our new uniforms, especially since this was the first time in my 7 years of track that I was not on the team with the baggy ol' uniforms originally bought just for the boys. Since the invitational only consisted of sprints, relays, and medleys, I only ran in one event, which was kind of weird. I would of liked to contribute more, but there were no open 1600 or 3200 meter races. As if I am anywhere near the shape I need to be in for a 3200. I probably need 2 or 3 more weeks of training in order to run a good 3200 race. I would need 2 months of consistent training to even dream of setting a PR. Well, good thing Districts are in April.  :)
Sophie, Cat, Tina, and I raced the 4*8 relay, which means that we each ran 2 laps. The beginning of our race was not strong, but Tina ran her heart out on the second leg, narrowing the distance from the girl ahead of her from 300 to less than 100 meters. Cat then clawed out the remaining distance with an even, speedy pace, handing me the baton 5 meters ahead of our competition. I ran the first lap hard, hoping that my surge would demoralize the competition. However, the other team had saved their best runner for last, and she ended up beating me in the final lap. I felt horrible. Our freshman runners had put their all into the race in order to catch up with the competition, and I ended up blowing it with a bad racing tactic. In the end, we ended up with a time of 12:53:75. While I am proud of my team, I realize that we can do much much better. I have decided that no matter how badly practice hurts, it cannot be more painful than losing.  It is my responsibility to set an example by training harder, as well as staying positive and focused.

Tina's warm-up socks. Her dry-wick socks were still wet from being pulled out of the dryer during the early morning frenzy.

 



Yep. Power naps are the best way to wait out the 2 hours before your event.




Stretching as a team. I'm the chick with the white headband.




Cat passing the baton to me for the final leg of the 4 by 8 relay. Number 13 ended up passing me on the final lap.

   

  

Sunday morning cinnamon sticky buns. Made completely from scratch. I actually kneaded the dough and made caramel syrup.

 

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Buns

Speeding Up :)

80 degrees Fahrenheit, 58% humidity, 9 mph winds....Practice started at 10:30 AM, leaving my team under the direct gaze of the sun. Whenever I begin feeling fatigued in while running in hot weather, I just think of the athletes that run a marathon through the lava fields of the Kona Ironman race in Hawaii.
Despite the heat, I thought that practice went pretty well. There was a strong breeze that was a welcome relief in between reps. Here is a run-down of today's practice:

• 1600 meter warm-up (7:55)
• 400 meter recovery
• 2*200 meter sprints (approximately 44 seconds each), 200 meter recovery in between
• 200 meter recovery
• 1200 meters hard (5:54)
• 400 meter recovery
• 800 meters hard (3:51)
• 400 meter recovery
• 400 meters hard (1:45)

Total interval distance: 2.75 miles
Total recovery distance: 1 mile

My legs felt great today, and I am psyched by the fact that my times have gone down. I was super surprised that my warm-up was done so quickly, especially since I have not run 1600 meters on the track so far this season. It probably is because of all the crazy 800 meter and 1000 meter repeats Coach has had me run.
Cat was the only other distance girl that came to practice today (today being Saturday), and it was super awesome being able to run with her.  I am astounded by the amount of grace God gave me during Sophomore year to run track despite being the only distance girl. Running solo is hard during painful workouts. I have also found that I run faster when I have someone to compete with at practice.
Despite being a freshman, Cat has a ton of potential. I can't wait to see how she and the newer girls do during our first track meet next Wednesday!

Tina's cello lessons are right by a Dunkin' Donuts, so her and Dad saved me a glazed donut for after track practice.



A book that I just finished reading. It really encouraged me, and I would refer it to anyone seeking spiritual and training inspiration. It's like running advice and a devotional morphed into one.

  

Chocolate protein bar that I devoured after getting my hair trimmed. Sitting in the salon makes me hungry, probably because I usually go 2-3 hours after eating lunch.



Not a mushy Valentine's Day post

One more week until invitationals, two more weeks until my team's first track meet.  I have been focusing on 1,000 meter sprints and working on the baton technique for the 4 by 8 relay during practice. So far I am down for the 4 by 8 relay, 1600 meter, and 3200 meter race. However, I feel that I am nowhere near the shape I need to be in for the 3200 meter race.  I have been gradually easing back into my running routine so I can get over my abductor strain, which means I have not been able to focus on a hard two mile run, let alone a mile run. :/

I also have to confess that I haven't been doing so hot in my devotions either. I just feel so far away from God. The Bible says to "come close to God, and God will come close to you", but I don't know how to get near God.  It just has been pretty hard just to focus on reading the Bible. I try using devotional books, but none of them really work. The adult devotional books focus on trials and suffering, while the teenage books deal with seemingly frivolous matters such as relationships and heartbreak. I want something more. Life can't just be about God throwing us to the ground to see if we are resilient enough to bounce back up or smash into pieces.
 I don't know. I am probably just disillusioned with Church in general.
When I longed for solid teaching and mentorship, I was told to "wait a little longer".  I feel like I have waited too long and just don't care anymore. Actually, I still do care, but I don't think anyone else does.