And it has passed..

That was not how I wanted my season to end. That was not the race I prepared, both physically and mentally to have. That is not the race I know I could have run today. If I would have run how I know I could have, how I prepared to, and how I should have, I would have actually put myself in a position to win. That is just based on times. Factor in the snow, and I walk away from this race an All-American easily.

But here we end up: 77th place and a 33:02. My slowest 10k ever and around 40 places back from where I should have been at worst. It took my almost 5k to get going,to get into a groove. It wasn't enough, it was too little too late, it wasn't good enough.

I don't know where this leaves me, but I do know that I have a lot of work to do. A lot of miles to run.

This is it.

3 hours left until the race. Time to put it all on the line.

The calm before the storm.

The night before the big race. Last night to rest up and prepare. The nerves haven't hit yet, but tomorrow they should. Everything is ready. I've prepared all I can. This is the moment.

A friend of mine told me today, " Good luck and treat it as if you'll never get this chance again." And that is exactly how I plan on racing tomorrow.

Let it snow, let is snow let it.... wait, snow?

So I woke up this morning and it was a chilly 21 and snowing out! Yes, there is already about 1-2 inches of snow on the ground here in Spokane and more is expected today and tonight. It's going to be a cold and wet race, but, I am very excited for it. I love snow and I love racing in it. I'd rather have snow then cold rain.

Also, my parents get here tonight! I haven't seen them since August 10th (I believe that was the day I left). This is going to be very exciting! Hopefully they will get here in time for dinner, if the mountain passes are clear enough, so they can join my coach, teammate, and I. It's going to be a very exciting day.

Today we head to the course for a very easy, short run and then some strides in our spikes to get a feel for the snow and longer spike length. Hopefully I don't freeze!

And so it beings!

Last night I arrived in Spokane, WA (my home state) for the NCAA D2 XC National Championships! It was a long day of travel, hitting 4 different airports and 3 long and uncomfortable flights (for those of you that may not know, I HATE flying...). I survived the day on a bowl of oatmeal and chocolate milk for breakfast, then just the packs of peanuts/pretzels and ginger ale on the planes. All of them were late, so we had zero time to stop to eat a real lunch. Plus, my butt started hurting really bad from all that sitting... Finally, we made it to Spokane and man, am I happy. It's good to breathe in that Northwest air again.

After we landed, we went straight in search of dinner. We ended up at P.F. Changs and man, it was good! Asian grilled Norwegian salmon and dumplings. This is the plus side to being only one of two athletes at this meet, we have a bit more money for food. It snowed a bit after dinner and it was cold, which is the forecast for the rest of our stay really.

Today, we preview the course. I have run this course before in high school (the 5k version) and I'm excited to race it again. It should be fast, fast, fast! I think we are also seeing "Immortals" tonight to pass the time. Honestly though, I am looking forward to eating again. I like this whole, "Order whatever you want" deal we have going this trip!

But in all honesty, I am beyond stoked and pumped for this race. I know I have earned this and I have a chance to prove that I should be here. Sub-31 and All-American are the goals, and I am ready to reach them. Destroy all self-doubt.

I'll be tweeting and blogging more often these next few days, so keep a look out for updates!

Wow!

That is the only word I can think of to quickly sum up how I feel right now. I am so happy with my race today. 4th place, over a minute PR, and earned myself a trip to Nationals. I'm excited, but at the same time I knew all along I could do this. My times throughout the season may not have reflected it, my places may have said otherwise, but in my mind I was always making it. And I think it was that mental state that helped me most. Finally breaking through my mental barriers. I did exactly what I set out to do, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

I want to say thank you to all my coaches, friends, family, teammates, teachers and competitors who have supported me all season long and helped me believe I could.

I have my sights set on All-American at Nationals, and I will do my best to represent my school, my conference, region, home state, and everyone I know at Nationals! These next two weeks of training will be filled with hard work and preparation, because this year, my season isn't over yet!

There's something about November...

Maybe it's the cooler weather. Maybe it's the feeling of the holidays approaching. Or the changing color of the leaves. Or that it's close to the end of semester. No... that's not it... It's that it is championship season! Yes, conference championships happen at the end of October, but those aren't the important ones. November is the time for high school runners to chase down State championships and us college runners to go for the big one, the National championship. There is a feeling in the air you don't get at any other time of the season. Through August, September, and October, things are calmer. Races are run to set PR's, gauge your training, and have fun. But once November hits, you can feel a change in the air (and I'm not talking about just the weather). Training becomes refined. Attitudes become more intense. Goals get bigger. It's no longer about how fast you've run, it's about who you will beat. All that is left of us are those who have proven themselves to be the best. Determination is everywhere. This is championship season. This is where legends are made. Its those legends that people remember. It's time to go for it. Don't hold back. Go for it all!