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One Last Race

November 4, 2017 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
Can't believe this was my final high school cross country race. I couldn't have asked for a better day for it. Matt Simonson made a surprise (sort of) appearance out of the bushes while we were jogging the course! After hearing numerous rumors about the course being long, I just tried to put that out of my head, motivate myself through the various awesome GDS performances earlier in the day, and focus on competing.

The race itself was great. I went out in 5:34, which was too fast, but I felt good and I didn't want to slow down and conserve, I wanted to just try to keep my pacing, knowing that I would inevitably slow down but could push through. I didn't want to feel like I was letting up in any moment of the race. I flip-flopped with a Latin guy for most of the second mile and beginning of the third mile, and was unable to pull away. I didn't want to speed up too soon, seeing as every time I moved in front of him he called my bluff and retook control of the pace. I decided to race with him until early in the third mile when I tried to actively accelerate. I think the time with that Latin runner was when I was at my slowest pace. Including him, I still was able to pass at least four people in the third mile. One guy in blue did pass me back going into that last curve before the finish line. I had miscalculated my kick, forgetting that you have to go around that curve before you go to the straightaway at the finish. I was able to keep my kick speed despite that, but I was unable to really sprint out the last 50 or so. I'm still proud of the kick seeing as it was a lot better than most I've had this season. I churned out the second fastest time I've ever run.

I plan to run the Sam Freeling run at the boathouse the day before Thanksgiving.

It still hasn't really hit me that this was my last XC race, but I'm looking forward to focusing in on training again in two weeks for track. Congratulations to everyone on a difficult, but great, gritty, and especially memorable season, and thank you to everyone, current team members, current and former coaches, and of course, alumni, that have made this experience so special to me for the past four years. I am forever grateful.