You've got to want it to win it

This morning after registering for the 10k I started my warmup.  I did a mile, out and back from the park, and then I ran into Natalie.  I went to the car to get gloves and then I went and ran some more for warmup and I ran into Nat doing her warmup so we ran back to the park together.  Then we changed shoes and stretched and did a few strides on the sidewalk.  Then Bill found us and knew where some bathrooms were that didn't have lines so we ran to there and then once we were back at the park they were running behind schedule on getting the races started.  We did a few laps around the building and parking lot, calling it a mile, and then stretched for a few minutes.  Finally they were ready to begin the race so we got lined up.  For the first part of the race the people doing the 5k and the people doing the 10k go on the same route so you don't know who is doing what race.  I was the first girl and there were a lot of guys ahead of me.  After the course split there weren't very many guys ahead of me in the 10k, I just followed a guy in yellow the whole time.  At the first mile I was at a 5:47, my goal was to try and stay at sub 6 minute pace.  The first half of the course kept steadily climbing uphill so I knew if my next few mile splits weren't as fast that would be why.  At some point I could hear someone behind me and it sounded like a girl, but I didn't want to look even as I was turning a corner so I just let myself think that it was so that I would run faster.  The whole time I kept trying to close on the guy in the yellow but never could.  At mile 2 my time was about 11:48 and I was at 18:38 I think at mile 3.  During mile 3 there is a part where you come up a hill and you can see a playground that had a bright orange slide!  I was tempted to run up and go down it haha but not enough to leave the race course.  Coming up one hill and around a turn I could see that the guy in yellow had stopped to walk but he began running again once I got to the top of the hill, I was determined to catch him even more after that point but he was able to get back as much of a lead as he had had before.  Going through mile 4 I was at 24 something, I accidentally stopped my watch for a few seconds when I was pushing my sleeve up to look at it but fortunately caught my mistake right then and got it going again.  I made myself push on the downhills and thought carefully about leaning forward so that I wouldn't be overstriding.  Going through the cemetery I started to be passing some of the 5k runners so I was able to push as I ran past them.  Coming down back onto Main Street I pushed hard because I knew the finish line was really close, it was around a corner in a driveway where it isn't visible from turning onto Main Street but I had seen it before so I knew where it was.  Afterwards I changed shoes and put my sweats back on and did a mile cooldown with Bill and Nat.

Today I was ceremoniously kicked off of the team as I turned in my uniforms, about time :P  For the run we went to Fairmont Park, we went along 1300e until 1700s and then turned on 1100e and then went down 2100s and weaved our way over to the park.  Then we stretched for a while until everyone was there.  Then we did 10 strides.  After we finished those we ran back to the stadium along 900e until we reached 900s and then went up the hill.  When we for to 1100e instead of continuing up the hill like usual we went up one of the side streets that was less steep but very twisty and turny.  That wove us up to 1300e and then we went back to the stadium and did a half lap on the track to get to 7 for the day.  When I got home I did my abs, pushups, and arm swings.

Today at practice we started with 2 laps warmup on the track and then stretching, since Bill said he was sore. Then we ran over to the soccer field where we did 6 strides up the hill to the fence, walking backwards back down and jogging back to the start. Then for the run we ran to Shriner's drinking fountain and back. We did a lap on the track when we got back to bring us up to 6 for the day. When I got home I did my abs, pushups, and arm swings.

This morning I got up and ran 2 miles with my iPod.  I ran from my house to 1700s and back twice.

Today Nat and I traveled to Albuquerque.  We rested pretty much all afternoon and then in the evening we went to the stadium to watch steeplechase and to do a shakeout run.  We did a mile over to a field and did some laps there.  Then we stretched and did 6 strides.

After relaxing in our hotel room all day except for when we had to leave to get food, Nat and I got our stuff and took the shuttle to the track.  When we got there Bill tool us to get waffles since we still had a few hours and he took Nat to get her t-shirt so she could get printing on the back.  Finally when we were back at the track and had our shirts printed and had taken a POTTY break we went and warmed up.  We ran for about 5 minutes and then stopped to stretch.  After that we did a few drills and ran for a bit longer.  We were doing strides and then it was time to get to the track and put our spikes on.  Bill had put some towels in a bag of ice from the hotel and we draped those over our shoulders as we changed our spikes and then did a few strides on the track.  Finally they began to line us up.  The start of this race was not like one I've done before, they started us 2 in a lane at the green lines which mark the 200 starts and we had to stay in the lanes for the first 100 meters.  It was fun doing it this way instead of in alleys!  I took the lead immediately and held onto it for most of the race.  My first lap was a 1:13, and at the 800 I was at 2:33.  On the third lap I could tell that there was a girl coming with me, but she never tried to pass me so I figured she must be struggling to hold the pace or she was sitting and would have a good kick.  At the mile I was at 5:22.  There were times when I would surge and I could tell I was separating a little bit on her but I never was able to pull away.  With 2 laps to go Bill was saying 700 left and telling me to go.  The girl behind me moved at 700 left and really separated on me and at that point in the race it didn't look like I was going to be able to catch her, I didn't have a kick in me at that point.  Going into the final lap she had probably 10 meters on me but hadn't been opening further since when she broke off.  At 300 I went to my toes and pushed and noticed that I was closing on her.  I kept it up through 200 to go and then reaching the final stretch I told myself that since I closed on her as much as I had that I would be able to catch her and I did with maybe 50 meters to go.  It was a great race and I was very proud of my finish, Bill was complaining that I never kick that hard in other races haha.  Afterwards as I was on the podium they announced that I would receive a special award from the family sponsoring the 3200.  A really cute elder lady gave me a watch in memory of her brother who had been a great distance runner.  At age 19 he left to fight in WWII and never returned.  She came to America and got married and had a son who she named after her brother.  He was a distance runner too, and his 5 daughters were runners.  It was neat to talk to her afterwards to get more of the story, I couldn't hear all of it on the podium but afterwards they gave me the piece of paper that the announcer had read about it in addition to what they told me.  Afterwards Nat and I went to dinner with Bill, and now it is officially time to start cross country training!!! =DDD