AM: Surprise surprise.. Arctic Circle.
PM: Time trial. I don't know my time, or I'd list it as a race up there. I heard it was around 5:50, but I don't know if that's correct. Anywho, I was super nervous for this, which is kinda ridiculous, cause it's a time trial for goodness sake. But I've really been struggling mentally since the end of cross, cause my races were going nowhere but downhill. And since then, it's really been hard for me. So I was super scared. But once we got out, I was feeling okay-ish. I was sticking up with Kaylee and Stoner, which is where I wanted to be. When Kaylee made her move around the second lap, Frida went with her. And I guess I didn't really think about going with them. My goal was to stick with Stoner no matter what.. so it never crossed my mind to run up with Kaylee and Frida. But I think I might have been able to. Once we hit the final lap, my breathing was starting to go haywire again.. but it wasn't totally out of control. At the 200 meter mark, Stoner started to take off. And I kinda let her. But she said "come on" and I realized what I was doing and went up with her. I feel like I could have gone harder in the last 200, but I kinda had the wrong mindset about it. So it was more of a fast-paced coast. Afterward, my throat was super raw and I tasted blood. And my mouth had a TON of spit in it.. I had to keep spitting, which I find revolting. But there was just so much! Besides that and the fact that I got a terrible runner's cough and I'm sitting here coughing up a lung as I type, I felt great for having finished it. And I stuck with Stoner.. so I'm pretty happy about where I was, although I know I'm gonna have to work hard to get back in the 5:20's again. | 