State!
I warmed up with the Varsity girls and did strides and such, really didn't feel in the race mode until right before the race when we were lining up. I got a great start, almost too good to be true, I had been fretting that I was going to get boxed in. It looked like I was in the top 25. LOTS of elbowing, some girl jabbed my side along the straight after the first hill. We came along the flower beds and I used the downhill well, was doing great. I had thought that today was my lucky day. If I could just keep it up I would have a good time. But then a girl behind me followed too close and kicked my feet out from under me and I fell, her falling on top of me. I really hurt my hip, and it took a lot More effort than it should have to get back up and start running again. There went my good start. When I started again, my hip hurt so bad I was on the verge of tears, the choking feeling did not feel good going up state hill. I tried to calm myself and just focus on my race, but couldn't focus again. Not with everyone now passing me. My mile mark was 6:26 including my stupid fall and state hill. Yeah I forgot to turn off GPS but whatever. I felt like I was just running the last part. Really slow. Some parts like poker hill felt like above 10 minute pace. I tried to pull myself together, but it was like after I tripped I flipped a switch and everything turned negative, plus my hip hurt a ton. I literally thought in the middle of the race "Well XC junior year turned out a failure." And it did. Couldn't even pull off a good race at region let alone state. I wanted to quit so many times in the race. I forced myself to finish though. i also fought the urge to walk. man i havent felt that urge in a really long time. At the 2 mile mark i heard Tomy and Natalie screaming at me, and Bill yelling to pick it up. I tried, I really did. I focused on my arms and tried to get myself moving. Arou the pond people started passing me again, I tried to match but lost it when Olivia passed me. She was nice enough to talk me through it and tell me to go with her. I tried to kick with 300 left going towards the track. I let everyone down and everyone was disappointed in me. I went from freaking top 30 to 107th. Of course I had to do bad at the most important race of the season.
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