"Why Not?"

The Baker women's 4x400 meter relay team has done it again. We qualified for outdoor nationals last week at the Conference track meet at Central Methodist with a time of 3:58.66, a new school record. Where, I might add, both the women and men's team placed third overall.
It had been a successful weekend already with personal records for me in my split of the 4x800 meter relay and the open 800 meter run. Katey Wegemer had already competed in nine other events, Kelsey Heckathorne had qualified for finals in the 200 meter dash and set a new personal record in the open 400 meter dash, and Ashlee Miller did her usual sweeping of all her events. We were dead tired. While warming up we decided, "Why not?" (which was also our team motto for the weekend). Why not just go bust out some sub-60 second quarters and qualify for nationals. And we did just that.
Along with the success of the Baker Track and Field team comes a minor downfall. Our team qualified so many people in so many events that according to NAIA rules they cannot all go. So, in the excitement of qualifying there is a difficult decision to be made.

Stuck in a Rut

It's about that time of season again when we all get stuck in a rut. Track has been going on since January, which seems like an eternity ago. Just around this time it becomes increasingly important to keep focus, but it also becomes increasingly difficult to do so. My next round of tests are rolling around and with the extra studying that comes with that it is easy to let track slip my mind. Every weekend from here on out has a track meet scheduled in it and that is discouraging as well. But on the bright side, we get to visit amazing Kansan vistas like Wichita, Lawrence, and Emporia. And how could I forget about my site-seeing in Hays, Kan. It was just fantastic; you could sit in the van and see the whole part of western Kansas.

Even with all other things going on in my life right now, track has to remain a priority. So, at least I know that at the end of every day I am required to spend 2-3 hours of my life at the track. And speaking of the track, you could all mosey down there Tuesday to support the 'Cats at the Baker Quad meet.

A Place in the Record Book

As mentioned previously, our 4x400 meter relay had to set the school record to qualify for Indoor Nationals in Johnson City, Tenn. We qualified with a time of 4:08.2. Well, not to brag or anything, but we finished 19 of 23 in a time of 4:05. That time broke our own record by three seconds. In addition to that, and to make it even more impressive, our alternate ran.
Our normal anchor leg, Ashlee Miller, participated in the pentathalon, the long jump, and the high jump. So, it would be too much for her to also run the 4x400 meter relay. Regan Boyer stepped up and ran. The order was rearranged and I was moved to the anchor leg. I was petrified.
Instead of having the heats separated from fastest to slowest they were evenly distributed. This meant that all the girls in our heat were amazing runners. I didn't know it at the time, but the slowest girl in my heat, besides me, ran around a 56 second 400 meters (that is phenomenal). As we stripped off our sweats I also began to realize that I was not buff enough to be in this race. Most of the teams we were competing against were all-star runners with amazing natural talent. Our team from small-town Kansas was simply a group of hard working girls.
Needless to say, even though we didn't make it to finals, we were extremely proud of ourselves. It was a successful mission.
Our first outdoor meet is this Saturday. It's here at Baker, so let's see all our wonderful supporters out there cheering.

In Preparation

As the rest of the team starts to transition to outdoor track workouts, ten of us have our focus set on Indoor Nationals in just under two weeks. There is a lot to do on top of keeping a strong mental focus during practice.
We leave early Wednesday, Feb. 5, from "beautiful Baldwin City" (according to Coach). So, that leaves me with the chore of collecting piles of homework. I am not happy to say I am missing two tests that I can't make up until after Spring Break.
There is also the laundry issue. It has formed its own community in my room again. I actually think it’s staring at me as I sit at my desk ignoring it. Inevitably, it will all have to be washed before I leave so I have something clean to wear.
And of course there is the packing itself. Hopefully I can manage to remember all the essentials in what I'm sure will be a scurry Tuesday night to shove all items in my suitcase.
Besides all the smalls things, the trip looks to be an enjoyable experience. I will let you know how it goes because I honestly have no idea what to expect.

Just Call Me Murphy

Murphy's Law roughly states anything that can go wrong will go wrong. That statement seems to be holding quite true for my life. The past few days have been overflowing with bad luck.
After a long day of fighting through minute problems, I had a clumsy moment that ended being the cherry on top of what is about to be as sucky-week sundae.
A good friend of mine, Chris Scheideman, was picking me up outside Irwin to go to Sonic. I wasn't in a hurry, I wasn't messing around, and I definitely wasn't looking at the sidewalk. As soon as my shoes touched the glassy surface my body was briefly airborne before I hit the pavement. Luckily, my greater trochanter, the large bone in your upper thigh that seems to stick out a little bit, broke my fall. I was immediately welcomed by sharp, stabbing pains down my leg and into my lower back. Chris kindly got out of the car to make sure I wasn’t dead, and I tried to brush it off as much as possible.
In the morning I realized there was something wrong besides just a bruise and some soreness. I ended up sitting in a doctor's office for a couple of hours waiting for x-rays. As of now I do not have any fractures, but I can't run until all the pain is gone when I am walking. So, with conference coming fast I am patiently waiting for things to hurry up and heal.
The only good news is that things have to get better from here....right?

4:08.8

Butterflies are pounding inside me, I can feel them colliding with the sides of my stomach. There is energy tingling up every inch of me. I strip off my sweats as Katey Wegemer, our first leg of the 4x400 meter relay steps to the line. BANG! Katey soars away with the sound of the gun, two laps later she hands the baton to Kesley Heckathorne for the second leg. We are right in the mix of the pack. She flies past on her first lap, and I shuffle down to the exchange zone. As she fights the pain of the last stretch, I can feel myself anticipate the feel of the cool metal in my hand. Our exchange is sloppy, but once it is safely in my hand I am gone. Around the first corner I pass two girls and slip into second. The first 200 meters are gone in a flash as I feel myself digging deeper. I swerve into the second lane to pass the first place girl and pull back into the curve for the final stretch. My stomach is no longer filled with butterflies, but in a knot. My head is pounding and I know this is as fast as I can go. With all my teammates screaming me on, I hand the baton to Ashley Miller, our final leg. Handing off to her in first place position means one thing, victory. I try to watch her leg as I fight the extreme pain that is the 400. Kesley screams, "62!" a four second personal record for me. All the coaches are going crazy as Ashley crosses the line well ahead in first place. Now for the agony of waiting. The screen refuses to show us our official time. Finally we know.

4:08.21. Less than six tenths of a second faster than the qualifying mark. Nationals, here we come.

Work'n For the Weekend

With three meets under my belt, I am finally getting used to the unique qualities that compose the indoor season. The tracks have ranged from 160 meters to 300 meters, making each race a completely new experience. My races got turned upside down when I realized I was going to have to face the mental challenge of more laps per race.
The first meet at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, was a new experience all around. The biggest struggle was the air. Running indoors kills your throat. I have exercise induced asthma anyways, and breathing air that dry really does a number on your breathing.
The size and air are aspects that I will get used to as more meets pass. As a team, our main goal is to train through indoor to peak during our outdoor season.
Next weekend we have a meet at Cornell in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Wish us luck!

Clean Up

We're back. The 'Cats bundled up in tights, under armor, hoodies, hats, and gloves to fight off the winter chill. As we sat in the gym most of us wondered if we had ran enough over the break to get us through this practice alive. We soon found out that we wouldn't be running. Immediately after the sigh of relief came the groan. Instead, we would be clearing the snow off the track.
When we got to the track, we went out in small teams and alternated the work (as to make sure none of us froze). There were two guys in the front with snow shovels, then two more guys with upside down rakes, and then a trail of about six girls with brooms. We kept this formation and switched every six minutes. Two hours had gone by and we weren't even down with the first curve.
My thoughts? I thought I had left the farm? Why do we have a maintenance crew if we have to clear the track? After two hours of everyone complaining, including me, we had cleared 150 meters, apparently enough for coach. We were done.
I would have to say, I think I would have rather had an actual practice. We will have practices on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon because of promising weather. The forecast predicts 60 degrees, I'll have to dig out my shorts!
Our first meet will be on Jan. 11, in Lamoni, Iowa.