My last race at home was a little anti-climactic. I wish I could say I left everything out on the course, but I’m afraid I didn’t. Looking back, I know I am at the level that the leaders ran at and hopefully in the next races I will be able to prove that. I also have to say that I’m a little disappointed with how the team placed. We placed third behind West Virginia and UConn. I feel like some members of the team aren’t grasping how great we could be if we all connected and ran great on the same day. Hopefully Big Tens will be that moment and we will walk away champions. But we’ll just have to wait and see.
With the conclusion of the Penn State National it is now, BIG TEN TIME! Basically Big Ten Time is when regular season competitions are over and we are in Championship Season. The women’s team has a tradition that about ten days out from Big Tens we have “Theme Days.” While these may seem silly we have a lot of fun and it really gets us ready for Big Tens. Power color day, Ninja day, crazy hair day and costume day have just been a number of the themes we have done. Be prepared to see a whole bunch of crazy looking girls running through campus over the next two weeks.
Whenever we get to championship season I am reminded of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. I was fortunate enough when I was a youngster to compete in a variety of different meets. Starting at the age of 7, I competed at the USATF and AAU Championships where I was able to travel to Disney World, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine and more. I had parents who wanted me to get all the experience I could because they knew at some point I’d be where I am today. I continued to be able to take part in amazing experiences through high school where I was fortunate enough to race and have my team win at Nike Team Nationals and I competed at the Foot Locker National Championships. I am thankful for all of the experiences I’ve had and for all of the teammates that helped me grow and mature along the way.
Not only have I had many experiences, but I’ve had great influences as well. Obviously, my former teammate and Nike Steeple all-star Bridget Franek helped me grow so much my freshman and sophomore years. Without her guidance and the help of the other juniors and seniors I wouldn’t be where I am today. Also, I was lucky enough to have my best friend, training partner and partner in crime be Nicole Blood. For those of you who don’t know, shame on you, Nicole will go down in the history books as one of the greatest high school runners of all time. Nicole went on to become an Oregon Duck; she is a 9-time All-American, school record holder and 4-time Pac-Ten champion. With training partners like these, how can you not be inspired? Bridget and Nicole are training partners that you hope you have. I was lucky enough to have both.
Thinking about Big Tens, Regionals and Nationals makes me excited. We have such a talented team and I can’t wait to see how these meets play out. If everyone can work together and race how I know they can we are a force to be reckoned with. When I think about all of the teammates that have helped me along the way, I can only hope that I’ve played a small part in the lives of my teammates now as well. Let’s regroup and get ready to head into Big Tens with a mission and one goal in mind. To leave as Big Ten CHAMPIONS!
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