me ranting

soo i was really looking forward to Regionals tomorrow!! i have been getting TONS of sleep, and getting pumped
AND THEN THEY HAD TO GO AND POSTPONE!
MPA bugs me! a ton, last year we had the track issue, and now they wont let us run tomorrow...
and the forecast for tomorrow
47º and 10% of precipitation
so i ask you, why can't we run, I thought cross country was about running in all sorts of weather, in all sorts of conditions, and yet when its going to be only rain, they cancel, which screws up our training
so that was my little rant
i hope you enjoyed it
ill see you all in one week for regionals now i guess

KVAC

so yesterday for me was a BLAST! approaching the meet i wasn't sure if i was ready or not because i felt a bit tired and like I couldn't get my legs moving. I had decided to go out fast, the course bottlenecks pretty quickly and so you'll get boxed in otherwise. For some reason I felt like treating today like a USATF meet and not any of the others, which I now realize is a mistake. However I saw the girls start and the adrenaline starting pumping. The girls had a bit of a rocky start thanks to a bad command to the starter, but everyone got off okay. Watching Kate get first REALLY got me pumped. As we approached the starting line to do strides I mentioned to Jake, Nick, and Colin "I'm going out fast, I hope your with me" Jake had already sad that by the first mile we would the four of us be packing, but I wasn't completely positive about this, because usually the races start, i'm 4th for the team and I try to get people to rope onto me as I pass them.

So we did some strides, and on our final one we all circled close and did our chant. It was really nice to finally be at the wiked important meets. So we are on the line ready, the starter gives the command. and BANG off goes the gun. I BOOK it. I was up with the front group for awhile, Liam Cassidy didn't pass me until about where the 200 mark from the finish was (this is very good for me.) I kept close to that group, but more importantly didn't get boxed in at all, so I knew I was running as well as I could. I just kind of went with the flow for the first mile, surging occasionally, and making sure to push up the hills. I reach the mile marker, slap my watch so it will save the time and hear Colin Swan yell out my time "5:20 andy!" this got me wicked pumped and I surged a bit harder. This race was definitely my best so far, and I was having lots of fun. I'll skip ahead cause most of this part is a blur except i remember getting a bit of a cramp and slowing down a bit. Going over the bridge right before the long grass hill is where 2 lewiston kids passed me. I pushed it as hard as I could up that hill, and from the top of that hill to the 2nd mile mark was definitely the hardest part of the course for me. I reached the 2nd mile mark and heard "11:19" From Dakota who was there. I didn't get it, how did I run a faster 2 mile here then at the relays last week? I didn't care, I knew I still had the hardest part of the course left, however it was also a nice downhill before then, so i just let myself go with it. Reaching the hill I pushed, I pushed and pushed it up the hill and felt like I was going to die a the top. But I didn't, and so I kept going, and made it around and back onto the grassy section. As I reached the back side of the grassy field i made a quick look at my watch and saw 16:44, no sub 18 for me today I thought to myself. Either way I started to pick up speed, and when i crested the tiny little hill i starting sprinting, I tried to focus on what coach had told me about keeping my head in line with my body, and that entire time was the clock clicking upwards with the time, and as i got close i saw 17:43 :44 :45 and I crossed the line! I couldn't believe it, I had PR'd on the hardest course we had raced on yet! it was a great race for me, even if the rest of the team only had good ones. They have good enough ones for us to get 4th overall beating Mt. Blue! and giving us a chance next week if everyone else has a good race!

Race Day Playlist

So with KVACs tomorrow and Regionals and States in the upcoming weeks I have been turning up the music. I have a certain race playlist I listen to on the morning of the race, and some pump up songs the couple of days before.

To some, the playlist makes no sense, because unlike some playlists that just have a lot of really good beat songs.
My playlist starts out pretty slow, and slowly gets faster. Also most songs in it have a certain meaning.
1. Happy Ending -Mika
2. Fix You - Coldplay
3. Desperdao -The Eagles
4. If I should Fall Behind - Bruce Springsteen
4. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
5. In My Eyes -Sam R-P
6. Maho - Sam R-P
7. Sending Me Angels -Delbert McClinton
8. We Have a Say - Sam R-P
9. I don't want to miss a thing -Aerosmith
10. The Weight -The Band
11. Soulshine -Gov't Mule
12. 36 Days -Hawk Nelson
13. Letters to the President -Hawk Nelson
14. Jasons Song -Hawk Nelson
15. Centerfield -John Fogarty
16. Wonderful Day -OAR
17. Zero -Hawk Nelson
18. Happy Ending -Mika
19. Bring 'Em Out -Hawk Nelson
20. And of course! Chariots of Fire

so thats my list, I would love if i could find some better kinda of pump up music rather then getting focused music, but i still like the playlist!

A confusing post about an amazing sport

How do you explain to people about running. I mean almost anyone can go out and run right? well what am i supposed to say. It's just something indescribable. I mean all the sports out there have hard days, and they all complain. Now how am i supposed to tell them that when coach makes us do mile repeats as fast as we can and i feel like i'm going to throw up/crap my pants/faint...and yet wish we could do it for more than 40 minutes. Being on Varsity means that when we do 200s and 400s, everyone except us is done because they had to do 6 400s and 8 200s. we had to to 8 400s and 10 200s. I am dead tired, and ready to quit, but it feels so good! tomorrow is the hardest practice of the year, and everyone is complaining and worrying, and here i am thinking YES!!!!! SOO SOO EXCITED!!! AHHHH i just dont get it. I don't even know if people like Geoghegan or Cullenberg feeling like this. I don't know if there is a way to describe it, but I just get wicked excited about running. The weirdest part is that over the summer and on the weekends i have so many problems getting myself to get changed and go for a run, even if i REALLY REALLY want to!

so that is my problem issue how i feel about running,

oh and i get really annoyed when i hear like the Emma Wood (a very good friend) who is number 2 on the team being like, well i love it more then soccer but its still painful. And I find that really obnoxious cause although she IS someone who works really hard a practice, and she definitely deserves being one of the top in the state. I just don't quite get why I run really hard and although i think i am doing really well being first for the team, and like number 98 in the state. I just get soo annoyed with girls who don't have it easier, but to boys it feels like it is easier, cause i mean seriously how hard is it for the top guys to run an 18:30? not very, but for a girl? very hard and although i understand that, i just get annoyed, cause i mean if i want to be in the top 50 for the state i need to be running sub 17:30 by the end of the year!


so ya im done now I SWEAR! for those of you who suffered through and actually read everything congrats and for those of you whom are runners, please let me know how you feel about this if it made any sense to you?

The Relays

As I approached the line I began to worry. This entire race was based on me, if I did poorly our team would suffer. All around me I could hear people wishing each other good luck. Looking around I was surprised to see Alonzo running first for Morse. We went out strong, with me being in 7th overall. During the first mile all I could do was pay attention and worry about the mud. My first mile was a 5:34, which was my 5k first mile also, this gave me energy and as we headed back into the woods I passed Alonzo. Desperate to put distance between us. As I came out of the woods for the second time and looked to the left, I realized that Cullenberg was so "close" he hadn't even gone back into the woods for the last time. I was by now following a messalonski kid and was determined to pass him. The big strategy we had all planned was halfway up the final hill to push it. I passed the mes. kid there, and as we crested the hill I prayed he had nothing left. I knew that if he was able to push it a little harder I might not be able to stay with him, luckily he didn't and so I tagged off to nick with a 11:33 and in 5th place.
After the race we had the of course DANCE PARTY! I don't understand myself in the fact that I can't dance very well i think, and I barely dance at all at Homecoming, but put me in a group of Cross Country runners and I will dance my best (which is still pretty bad) After the dancing we went into the cafeteria and ate. we of course had to make our famous cup pyramid/tower. This year we used over 100 cups! afterwards we went to a rave dance party in the auditorium waiting for awards ceremony. I got fastest sophomore, we got third overall as boys. On the Girls side out MTA A team got 2nd, with our A, B, and C teams all getting top 10.
Overall it was a fun time and I am very excited for KVAC's next weekend!

Mt. Blue Relays

Tomorrow is Mt blue relays, the plan is to go out and hold on. Last year I got fastest freshman, and this year I am going for fastest Sophomore. Not sure of the order of the other teams but our biggest worry is Mt. Blue. If they have Cullenberg go out first I will just have to go out and hold on as best I can, hopefully not much farther back then 30 seconds or so. If they have Brody Hines go out first I hope to be able to keep up with him or go out ahead since he usually doesn't pass me or anyone else on our top 4 until after the 2nd mile mark, and since there will only be 2 miles... After those two, i'm not sure who else they have, but they are slower then our 2-4.

In other news, it has now been nearly one year since my mother died. Last year on Thursday October 9th, 2008 my mom passed away. She made sure that we were ready, and only held on cause she didn't want us to be unprepared. Not a day goes by when I don't think about her, and I know that ever since then every race I have run has been run for her. My only hope, is that now after a year has gone by I wont feel like she has let me go and make me run on my own. I know that when I go to the caribbean for Thanksgiving (a place she loved) I will be thinking of her. I run my race tomorrow, for you, and only you, Betsy Reifman March 21, 1953-October 9, 2008 from Breast Cancer