Conference Week
Going into conference week, no one was very sure how it would end up.. Everyone kept a positive and confident demeanor, but on the inside a lot of the guys were uncertain if we would bring home the LSC title again. We saw a team in TSU that we haven’t seen before. I tried not to think about it too much, but with our #5 guy low on iron, we didn’t really know how things were going to end up. I tried to get good sleep and good nutrition the days leading up to the meet, made sure I took the recovery measures necessary to be at my best for the meet, but things just felt off.
The morning of the meet, I felt ok. I knew I was physically the best I could be. The only thing that was bothering me was the thought that I was our #6 runner, and that our #5 wasn’t 100%. We had 5 straight LSC titles at risk all for this race. My parents and other teammates were there to support me, but I knew that it was more important for me to run for the 9 other guys with me on the corse at that point in time. We did our regular warmup on race day, prayed together, and had our pre-meet pep talks before we toed the line. Then, the minutes before the gun fired turned to seconds. Then right before the gunpowder sparked, “The Range” sat perfectly still, and time froze.
This wasn’t Nats. Why was it such a big dea for me? The reason was that this was the point where I could prove to be a vital part of the team, or let my guys down.
Before I could let myself get into my own head, the gun fired, and we were off. I took off slightly conservative jut like coach wanted me to. The guys in maroon quickly worked up behind the Tarleton boys in purple and waited patiently to make a move.
Mile one: I’m sitting pretty far back. Watching as a swarm of purple crowds the front of the pack. My teammates keep in touch, but aren’t supposed to make a move until Mile 2. The pace is slower than I thought it would be.
Mile two: a Kenyan runner from Oklahoma Cameron makes a move to the front of the first pack, and took control of the race. The Maroon Platoon doesn’t push past the purple group like we thought we would. I saw what was happening, but tried not to put too much thought on it. Mile 2 is where I put a guy named Kyle Doty into my sights. Kyle was my division state champ when I was in HS, where he beat me by 23 places my Sr year, and well over 35 spots my JR year. He was just out of my sight as we twisted and turned throughout the rugged paths. I didn’t let the past get into my head, but let my mind just think about the steps I was taking, and nothing else.
Mile 3: Our top 5 guys still haven’t taken over the TSU guys, and for a split second I lost my focus and thought that maybe it was our turn to get 2nd. I quickly erased that thought from my mind and put my eyes on their 5th runner again. I’m stuck with tarletons 6&7 runners. I see their #5 In Doty falling back. This gets me excited, but the excitement is quickly replaced with the sight of our #5 guy falling back. I made a decision to make a move and catch Kyle, in hopes that TSU’s 6&7 break. I realize that I might have to fill in for our #5 if he can’t get into a rut hem again.
Mile 4: I break the #7 runner from our new rivals on purple, but 6 still leads me by a few steps. We are catching up to the #5 runners from each respective team, and pass them. We are making our final moves to set us up for the final kick. I have no idea how my teammates in front our doing, or what places they are in. All I know is that I have to beat their 5 guy for us to have a chance.
Last mile: We are running with everything we have left. Nothing is left in my tank and I am neck in neck with the other teams last scoring runner. As we near the final hill where the finish line is I give it my all. But it’s not enough.. I lost to their guy. I finish the race and sit down. I just blew it for my guys. My fan parade comes to congratulate me. I knew I would have ran a PR if our corse wasn’t long, but that didn’t satisfy me. My teammates come to ask me how I ran and we all exchanged the info we knew. Then my Mom comes with her phone, that had the video of all of the finishes. My team gathers around to count out the totals.
We won. Barely lol, but we did it. We had wait to see the official results, but we had a good idea. I came in the second to last all conference spot, along with 4 of my teammates who also received all conference honors. My teammates at the top end ran well enough to make up for my 14tg place performance.
There was nothing better than getting to hoist a 6th LSC title trophy with my boys.
On to Regionals. Get Your Popcorn ready, and go Buffs :P
The morning of the meet, I felt ok. I knew I was physically the best I could be. The only thing that was bothering me was the thought that I was our #6 runner, and that our #5 wasn’t 100%. We had 5 straight LSC titles at risk all for this race. My parents and other teammates were there to support me, but I knew that it was more important for me to run for the 9 other guys with me on the corse at that point in time. We did our regular warmup on race day, prayed together, and had our pre-meet pep talks before we toed the line. Then, the minutes before the gun fired turned to seconds. Then right before the gunpowder sparked, “The Range” sat perfectly still, and time froze.
This wasn’t Nats. Why was it such a big dea for me? The reason was that this was the point where I could prove to be a vital part of the team, or let my guys down.
Before I could let myself get into my own head, the gun fired, and we were off. I took off slightly conservative jut like coach wanted me to. The guys in maroon quickly worked up behind the Tarleton boys in purple and waited patiently to make a move.
Mile one: I’m sitting pretty far back. Watching as a swarm of purple crowds the front of the pack. My teammates keep in touch, but aren’t supposed to make a move until Mile 2. The pace is slower than I thought it would be.
Mile two: a Kenyan runner from Oklahoma Cameron makes a move to the front of the first pack, and took control of the race. The Maroon Platoon doesn’t push past the purple group like we thought we would. I saw what was happening, but tried not to put too much thought on it. Mile 2 is where I put a guy named Kyle Doty into my sights. Kyle was my division state champ when I was in HS, where he beat me by 23 places my Sr year, and well over 35 spots my JR year. He was just out of my sight as we twisted and turned throughout the rugged paths. I didn’t let the past get into my head, but let my mind just think about the steps I was taking, and nothing else.
Mile 3: Our top 5 guys still haven’t taken over the TSU guys, and for a split second I lost my focus and thought that maybe it was our turn to get 2nd. I quickly erased that thought from my mind and put my eyes on their 5th runner again. I’m stuck with tarletons 6&7 runners. I see their #5 In Doty falling back. This gets me excited, but the excitement is quickly replaced with the sight of our #5 guy falling back. I made a decision to make a move and catch Kyle, in hopes that TSU’s 6&7 break. I realize that I might have to fill in for our #5 if he can’t get into a rut hem again.
Mile 4: I break the #7 runner from our new rivals on purple, but 6 still leads me by a few steps. We are catching up to the #5 runners from each respective team, and pass them. We are making our final moves to set us up for the final kick. I have no idea how my teammates in front our doing, or what places they are in. All I know is that I have to beat their 5 guy for us to have a chance.
Last mile: We are running with everything we have left. Nothing is left in my tank and I am neck in neck with the other teams last scoring runner. As we near the final hill where the finish line is I give it my all. But it’s not enough.. I lost to their guy. I finish the race and sit down. I just blew it for my guys. My fan parade comes to congratulate me. I knew I would have ran a PR if our corse wasn’t long, but that didn’t satisfy me. My teammates come to ask me how I ran and we all exchanged the info we knew. Then my Mom comes with her phone, that had the video of all of the finishes. My team gathers around to count out the totals.
We won. Barely lol, but we did it. We had wait to see the official results, but we had a good idea. I came in the second to last all conference spot, along with 4 of my teammates who also received all conference honors. My teammates at the top end ran well enough to make up for my 14tg place performance.
There was nothing better than getting to hoist a 6th LSC title trophy with my boys.
On to Regionals. Get Your Popcorn ready, and go Buffs :P
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