FU Year Two

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Before last year's camp was even over, I had already decided that I was going back to Furman for cross country camp the next summer, and that is what I did! This year the camp was one day longer and combined both sessions, instead of two like they did last year.  The turnout was great:  almost 130 campers!  The days flew by, and we all got some great information and experience.  I just love the whole thing! 

I was ready to go from head to toe(nails).

We instagram captioned this photo "Let's go stand by that bush so we look like we're doing something outdoorsy," becuase we wanted a cute picture to start the trip, but we were at a gas station.  I was also excited about my super color coordination.

It's only 2 years, but we still are calling it tradition!  Lifewater is my favorite.  Thanks Coach Haas.

This is the group that Coach Haas got to come!  He was so excited that little Madison, one of his middle schoolers got to come.  I am, too!  She did great and had a blast.  She even had her birthday while she was there, and we all sang to her!

On the first day of camp after everyone is checked in, we all run a 2 mile time trial so they can see what we've got so we can be put into groups for the week.  It's always so hard doing time trials because we're not really prepared!  So far, it's been all base training for summer, no speed yet, but I love a challenge!  It was tough and painful, but I was so glad to have Furman runner and my camp counselor Allie Buchalski there to run along side me, pushing me, through parts of it.

Cross country always leads to new friends, and this is Madeline!  My friend that I made last year, Jennifer, came back again this year, and Madeline was her new roommate all the way from Florida!
 Teal Garmin Forerunner 15 matchers!

Excited to be here!

I am a slow eater, and I like to hang out and talk while I eat, so we had a group that was in the dining hall for 2 hours one lunch!  It's always great to sit around with the counselors and other runners and tell stories.

I took this with my pizza-loving mom in mind. In the pizza section, they have a fancy fire oven back.

Camp isn't all about running; we listen and learn, too. Each day we had a different "lecture" in a classroom somewhere on campus. This gave us a chance to get new information and see some of the school part of the school. One session was on nutrition, one on running form, and another on shoes.

I was trying to be all "poetic."  This is probably the most-photographed/famous spot on all of the campus.

The lake is also home to turtles!

This is a very adequate picture of me. #RunHappy, eat, sleep, repeat. And Jesus of course.

It has been so hot and humid basically every day for the past few weeks, so even short runs leave me nasty. Thanks to the Yes To soap and wipes mom put in my Christmas stocking, no matter how hot and sweaty I get, this always cools and refreshes me!

These were my counselors this year, Austin and Allie!  We had a blast, and I couldn't have asked for a better pair. They gave us so many laughs and were willing to help us with anything we needed.

This fountain outside the bookstore is fascinating. This was taken at dinner time, and yes, it was still 98 degrees.

A little reminder to hydrate. Last time you peed, were you hydrated?

Katlyn cracks me up. How she fell asleep like this, I do not understand. Even funnier, though, right after I took this, she fell off!  No worries, no "Kat's" were harmed in the taking of this photo.

Niamh, Jennifer, and I had the opportunity on the last full day to join the Group 1 guys and do a longer, tougher part of the trail at Paris Mountain for our last group run of camp.

I took my phone on this one, remembering last year that I wish I had it!  Not that I could even see what I was taking pictures of while I ran, but they all turned out great!

*Me running with an Ethiopian*

Come to find out, he actually recognized me from a race we both ran in Spartanburg last season!  Small world...

The flat part of the run

This is the bottom, where the trail levels out and opens up for a loop around the lake before you hook back on and start the journey up. 

This picture ended up getting reported several times to various sites, including Runnerspace for the #RSXCCamp hashtag project of the week!

By this time, it was just the guys and me. The trail wasn't easy, but compared to Panther Creek where I run almost every day. It was a piece of cake. No pin intended with Matt back there. (His twitter and Instagram name: The Cake)

On the way back up Matt stayed with me and another guy, and we had a lot of fun talking about all kinds of running and college stuff!

Picture of our post-Paris-picnic

Moe's on the Mountain

After everyone is done with their run, Moe's sets up a buffet line, and we get to have a picnic dinner!

Since we don't eat in the dining hall the last night, that means no dessert...unless you are with me. We got this crazy idea last year, and had to bring it back this year, too!  At lunch, we stashed up a bunch of Greek yogurt and frozen yogurt to keep in our room's fridge until we got back from the park.

Jennifer, Katlyn, Maddie, and I rationed it all out, along with protein bars and granola to have dessert before we went to the LipSync competition!

When you do things like this, you end up in one of those moods where you laugh at things that aren't even funny, and then you can't stop. The week flew by, but I had a blast with these girls!

This was probably the funniest group for LipSync. Group 1 guys did That's What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. Yes, that's a guy wearing a sports bra and makeup. The hair is real.

Group 2!
We did Watch Me for the lip sync contest, and we got 2nd!  Not too bad, I'd say.  If you watch the video, make sure you see the ending! Our signature move for the week was the pterodactyl. One of the warm up drills we do before every run looks like a pterodactyl, so we started making that noise while we do it!  Coach Rita recorded it one day and posted it to their Instagram account.

My mom and dad came to pick us up on the last day so they could see campus. We got to run a bit then finished up with an obstacle course before cleaning up and heading to awards. 

This is one of my favorite pictures. Life just wouldn't be complete without Katlyn!

The counselors surprised us all at the end of all the groups performances by doing their own LipSync!  Not even the coaches/judges knew they had planned this, so it was entertaining. I just love how great this team works together and has fun.

I know dining hall/cafeteria food doesn't sound appetizing, but you are WRONG. Furman has amazing food. Just ask any of the campers. Of course there are the not-so-healthy options, but there are more healthy options than you could imagine!  The salad bar is huge and has more things than you would ever think for a college salad bar. There is frozen yogurt, yogurt, fruit, and granola. Hot foods are always available, and so is make-your-own stir fry (they do the cooking), and right up my ally: sweet potatoes pretty much every meal. 

I am lover of all things spicy, but the Paladin 5-Chile Sauce is labeled "extremely hot, eat with caution" for a reason. It set even my mouth on fire!