View Workout (Billy Cox)

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DC/MD States

November 12, 2011 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
I can't believe that I've finished my third year of cross country, and I can't believe how far we've come as a team. The momentum is still there -- our team is still young, and the new freshman always have incredible potential. I'm already excited to see what we can do next year.

Part of me questions whether I've grown this season as a runner. Why have I never managed to improve on the time from my first race this season? I can't say I wasn't disappointed in my race today. Sickness affected me more than I thought, the sore throat tricking me into thinking I was breathing harder than I actually was. I got trapped in the back at the start and never really recovered. However, I immediately know I've grown when I think about the race I ran at Oatlands. This image of a guy stopping to walk on "Woods Hill" has stuck with me. I have never wanted to stop running more in my life. That entire race, I doubted myself and questioned why I ran cross country.

Though I haven't been giving any less effort in my later races, I have become more able to manage my exhaustion. I've come to relish the pain of the sport, because at the end of the day, I'm not going to remember how terrible I felt at the second mile mark. I'm going to remember how I passed people, how I attacked the downhills, how I finished strong, how I'm part of the best cross country team in DC, how many of my greatest friendships have stemmed from running.

This summer I will train more consistently, and build enough of a mileage base that I don't have to be so cautious at Makemie Woods. I'll run stupid and love it, like I did freshman year. I'll be more rigorous about the little things like crunches and planks. I'll enjoy cross country, and I won't let myself forget how much running has enriched my life.