Florida!! The trip began by flying out Thursday night and getting in very late, I still had a very hard time sleeping despite getting in late. It was exciting to be in Florida! This Half Marathon trip worked out great for me and the team. I was able to travel to West Palm Beach with 19 of my cross country runners. Friday, we started out by volunteering at Feeding South Florida where we sorted food and other goods in an attempt to give back to the community. The afternoon was awesome as we spent it at the beach, body surfing and playing in the sand. Saturday was spent at Peanut Island in West Palm Beach where we snorkeled and swam with some really cool fish. When the team took to the beach, I took to the back seat of the van in an attempt to sleep off my late Friday night that I spent out with friends enjoying the night life of Florida.
Sunday morning came quickly, and I was able to warm up with Justin Hill and Chris Scheideman. The first mile I went out and was neck and neck with the defending champion as we rolled through 5:27 at the mile. We ran together for five miles until he did a small fartlek, trying to break me. I slowly tried to close the gap that he had made over the next four miles, but at mile eight he officially broke me. He had found a way to pull away, running negative splits, and put a good gap on me by mile 9. To be honest, I was almost glad to see him leave,as I was flat out sick of running behind that stupid convertible with a running clock attached to it. Having motorcycles on each side of me also started to get old. Little did I know, things were about to get even more annoying. The last three miles was hard mentally, as the cyclist who was leading me had her radio on as they read off the time difference every few minutes between the top three men.
The temperature was perfect and so was running along beside the ocean, as it was in the mid 50’s to low 60’s throughout the race. As I crossed the line, I was not really happy with at 1:13.44 but realized I had run a very competitive race. Considering my activities Friday night, I was very pleased.
My T6s supplied by Brooks felt great and truly helped me stay light on my feet, especially late in the race. Finishing behind me was Chris, a junior at Baker University. It was really exciting to see him finish in the top 3. Also, finishing 3rd on the women's side overall was Megan Rosa who qualified for NAIA nationals by six minutes, destroying the A standard. During post race interviews, I did my best to express just how proud I was of all the runners from Baker and gave thanks to God, leaving my name out of it.
Although I will not be in West Palm Beach to watch the television coverage, I am still really excited about the team and my efforts. This race officially closes my 2010 racing season, and I am looking forward to 2011 when I hope to set new PR’s. Thanks to everyone who supports me.
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