AM: quick 3 around sandy
PM: went to the course, watched the girls race then got warming up.
My lateral side of my right calf was in major pain on the warm up from the weird accident yesterday when i stepped off the curb and strectched something in there pretty bad. I just ran it off and tried not to worry about it too much. got a good warm up in, and the time came to go to the line. I was sooo excited to show off our new state uniforms, with the jailbreak shorts and everything! sooo awesome. before I knew it the gun shot and The Race was ON!
the first turn up the asphalt was crowded, and I was stuck in a pack, so I struggled my way out and did some illigal running up on the grass to pass people, but nothing actually against the rules, just getting to where i belong. up front. the whole top stretch was me passing people to get up in the lead. I managed it easily, and actually had to slow myself down to not break out in the lead too much. going down the hill there was some uinta domo or something out in front, not even wearing spikes. i knew i didnt have to worry much. i was looking for marsing because i wanted to stick with him, make him do the work for the rest of the race. i was looking for abel too but no such luck. we went up and down the hill and just like that the first mile was done. i set my placing up very nicely for the first mile i think.
the long stretch around the hill was hard but controlled pace, breaking people off the lead pack and making moves with marsing when he would move. rounding the top of the long hill and down into the twists and turns it was just me, marsing and a park city kid. marsing would surge and i would keep thinking i was loosing him but i pushed the thoughts away and kepts fighting with him.
rounding the road and going down the stretch by the creek, we were going suprisingly slow. (the whole race was actually paced as a very slow race comparitively. nobody went out to push the pace dramatically, it was all about placement with the leaders. not times apparantly) I actually fancied pushing the pace and leading it, but decided it would be smarter to stick with marsing. now that i look back at it, im kicking myself for not doing that! i could have, and it very well could have broken garret marsing! but you never know.
we rounded the lake for the last time and our pace started moving faster and faster. we broke the park city kid and created a 20 second or so gap from us to everyone else. the race was really getting on at this point! we went up the bump, coach yelled at me to get moving fast and both of us just kicked like crazy! he pulled away about 2 seconds, but i kept it at that. once we hit the gate marsing just exploded and I think i was just not quite ready for that, and i was so tired from that last 400 it took me a second or two to respond, but those quick moments let marsing start his amazing kick to the finish. I kicked very hard as well, because i was afraid josh mcphie was going to be at my heels any second now. unfourtunately he had a little bit of a bad race, and fell behind:( but the finish showed marsing at 16:03 and me at 16:08. (i had goals for mid/high 15's but the pace of the race didnt quite allow for record-breaking times this year)
Marsing is a great runner, and Im proud of myself for sticking with him for the whole race. true, i wanted to win and true, if i raced different there was a chance i could have got him but in my mind im glad that I had the guts to go with him and fight at the end! Im happy with second this time, but some state champ titles are deffinantly in my sights for track!
after the race I congradulated my friends, hugged a teary eyed coach (which soon turned in to a colourfully worded coach when the park city coach wouldent stop yelling and braging about how they got second) and went to wait for my team to finish up.
we didnt have that great of a race as a team. abel who is usually with me all the time, placed 14. its too bad, but it happens sometimes. we lost to park city by 6 points. desert hills made southern utah region 9 proud in their win.
all in all im not too dissapointed in the meet. we can all learn, and the seasons not over yet. Dare to GO.
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