Proof

The BU Wildcat Cross Country team found proof that Kansas is indeed as "flat as a pancake" (at least in some places). Saturday's meet was held at Marion Reservoir about two hours west of here. A ditch next to one of the roads the course intersected was the biggest incline for the whole 5K.
When coach told us the course was going to be flat I was initially excited. Finally, a course with some relief. Well, it wasn't more than a mile or so into the race before I realized just how monotonous this run was going to be. There was absolutely zero change, as far as elevation was concerned.
The scenery was interesting, though. The first part curved pretty distinctly to the right and then wrapped us back around into a "nature trail." This part was a nightmare for anyone with allergies, mostly because we were surrounded by sunflower-like plants on both sides. Then we disappeared into the trees for quite a ways before emerging back into the sunlight in front of the spectators.
Overall, we had a good meet. We finished fourth (and it might be worth mentioning, Kansas Wesleyan, coach's old school, finished two spots in front of us...awkward) and the top three girls, Mary, me, and Amber, were all within three seconds of each other. This week we compete at Emporia. Gun goes off at 5:00 p.m., and this one is close enough to invite you all to come watch.

Welcome to the Big Time

As I crossed the 5,000 meter mark of our 6,000 meter race, I heard a man announcing the time of the first finisher. My initial thought was, "Wow! That is soooo not fair." Then I had to chuckle to myself (as much as you can chuckle after 5,000 meters). The girls crossing the finish line had blown my pace out of the water, they had pushed harder than me to get there first, it was perfectly fair, and reasonable for that matter, that they finish before me.
We were in the 21st chute on a starting line longer than I had ever seen before (to give you an idea, the 21st chute put us about in the middle). It only took a matter of seconds after the gun went off for me to get lost in a sea of 223 runners all headed for the same narrowing curve up ahead.
The good news is that I didn't take out too fast with the pack this time. I knew there was a reason I was running for Baker University and not Nebraska or K-State. The bad news was that I started out way too slow. I remember hearing a coach yelling to his runner that she was in 119th place; I was just a few behind her. I worked my way up the pack the entire race. I crossed the finish line behind only 86 of the 223 competitors, with a time that landed me the 13th fastest 6K time for BU. I was satisfied.
The rest of the team did well, too. Our pack time remains close, which is a good thing (pack time is the amount of time difference between the first BU runner and the last BU runner to cross the finish line).
It was a rather chilly morning, which helped keep our heart rates down and our minds off the longer race. This week's practices are supposed to be plenty easy in order for us to have fresh legs for the meet at Marion Lake this weekend, hosted by Tabor.

The Ups and Downs

If you haven't already noticed, my blogs are getting distanced by more and more time each entry. I will go ahead and blame this on an increasingly busy schedule, and also, the fact that I've needed almost a week to regain enough strength to type.
Consider the following: wake-up, sometimes a morning run, inhale some breakfast, off to class, grab some lunch, head to the library for study hall, get back to my room and change for practice, spend 15 minutes complaining about how I don't want to go to practice, get to practice, run, abs, stretch, weights, dinner, crash.
The good news is mileage is slowing down. Coach is easing off a little bit, and we're getting our legs back underneath us. The bad news is between allergy season approaching and having practice in the chilly rain, most of us are getting colds. It's okay though, it makes our voices sound funny, and that'll make us laugh.
This week we head off to Lincoln, NB, to run at the Woody Greeno Invitational, where we will be reminded that there are a lot of incredibly talented runners in this country. And also, that there are a lot of hills in this country. I will let you all know how we hold up.

One Down, Another One on Friday

Our first meet went well. The girl's team came in fourth overall, versus last year's seventh place finish. As far as my personal experience, you can call me a fortune teller. My previous post pretty much explains what happened. That's okay though, at least I was prepared.
I'll tell you the one thing that kept my mind off how nervous I was right before the race; stripping down from sweats to spandex! My high school uniform consisted of a close cousin of the basketball shorts and a loose tank top. Saturday's attire was a change. Of course, as soon as the gun went off my mind wasn't on how uncomortable I felt.
Tomorrow we leave for a meet in Missouri. The course should have "rolling hills," which in this part of the country I've found to be close to mountainous when you have to run them. Other than that, it should be fun getting to experience my first away meet with my new team.
Oh, and props to my roommate, Mary, for coming in number one on the girls side.