Race Day: Saturday Edition

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This post is a follow-up to the post about how a small/home/weeknight race day goes. 

Races of any kind, big or small, get me hype, but Saturday races are exciting on a whole different level.  Cross country is one of those things that you just can't understand without having the experience, but I'll try to give you an inside look.

This was our first Saturday meet of the season.  It's not the biggest, but it's a fun one!  I love the course, too, at Jackson Park in Western North Carolina.

Start lines are intense.  That's my least favorite part.  It is a stampede.  It's actually rather scary, especially for those who have never run in a race of this size before, as is the case for our freshmen at this race each year.  Unless you're a speed demon like Jessica (who fell flat on her face when the gun went off), if you don't get a good start, you get stuck in with so many people way too close together, all heading for the same place!  I didn't even know this until this season, but my mom never watches the start.  Never.  It scares her, too, and she's not even running!

It gets dead silent as the starter gives instructions then tells us to take our marks.  His arm goes up.  BANG.

That gunshot is an intense noise. 

As I am not a sprinter, starts are tough for me.  I need to get out faster to get good position, but it's tough when my legs don't want to go that fast!  This race was especially bad in that.  I started the race in the back!  However, over the first half mile or so, I caught up, just focusing on passing people bit by bit.  I was surprised at how quickly I caught up to the two leaders.  Then I even passed them!  I knew that was God taking me up front so fast because if you had seen my start and all the people I had to work through, this was not an easy task.  Anna Vess, the defending NC state champion was right on my heels until mile 2 where I left her.  I was so thankful to have her there pushing me through the whole thing!

This course is two loops, and this is us coming up the "horseshoe hill" the first time.  Every hill on this course has a name like that, including "hill hill," "seizure hill," and "heart attack hill," etc.

Anna and I were really pushing each other for the first 2 miles of the race.  It always adds tension within myself when I have someone right with me, but it can be a good thing if I use it to push myself faster.  That's what happened!  I was so thankful to have her there to keep me going.

  

Like with my starts, I don't have that much speed going down the finish either.  I can push a little faster, but it's not a sprint like some girls can.  Everyone always has things they can improve on, and that's something I'm trying to work on!

I was super surprised as I crossed the line of just the second race of the season with a time only 10 seconds off my PR, despite that horrendous start!  I was so thankful that God carried me through that.

Not that I feel like I need recognition, but cross country meets do give awards to the top finishers and teams!
How does a team win in cross country? is a typical question.  The lowest score wins.  Whatever place a person gets is how many points they "score" for their team, runners 1-5 to finish.  (At least 5 people are required to have a full team)  For example, in this race, I placed first, so I counted 1 point.  Just making this up, but if the next 4 on my team were 8th, 11th, 14th, and 20th, we would have 54 points.

Scriptures containing "stumble" have come up a lot this season, as I often stumble during races!  It's scary, since if you fall, you just might get trampled!  Or lose your position and throw off your pace.  These are a couple verses that I really like to go with the life and running metaphor. 
"For You, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living...what shall I return to the Lord for all His goodness to me?"  Psalm 116:8-9, 12
Life now seems more fulfilling than ever; God has filled me with joy and keeps me safe; even when I stumble in my races or mess up in life, He never lets me totally fall; I have hope that no matter what happens here on earth, I have heaven to look forward to!  All this is so wonderful, I just want to make use of the blessings.  With a day like this when I started out feeling bad, got an awful start, yet still almost PRd, it leaves me asking "How can I thank God enough!?"

I try to use who I am and what I do to point to the One who made me as such.
Instagram caption:  Although I may be first, I am second.
I might get first in races sometimes, but I wouldn't be able to have this life without God.  I, as a child of God, am to put God first in my life, followed by others.  (Matthew 22:36-39, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’")
(For more "I Am Second" testimonies, there is an actual thing-for lack of better terms.)

This is Katie, and she is a hard worker!  She may not be the fastest, but she will push herself.  That's the beauty of the sport.  We have such admiration for those who work hard.
I also love that she bought two boxes of pumpkin spice granola bars for the snack bars thinking of me and my love for pumpkin!

I like to switch things up sometimes, but we usually end up going to one of the same few places after races, those being Chick-fil-a, Salsarita's, or Chili's almost every time.  The past couple years after this race, we went in Chick-fil-a!  (Although 2 years ago, we made a special trip to Tupelo Honey Cafe because I was dying to try it, and the Asheville location wasn't too far.)  My mom even got a treat by going here this time, too, because she got free samples of the frosted lemonade from the sample stand!

Races are also great opportunities to have fun and meet new people!  We helped out some guys get some social media attention with their cardboard friend, Super Trent.  Check him out on instagram!

The Sundays after races are always fun and relaxing.  I'll do some stuff to loosen up and get my blood flowing, but I spend most of the afternoon catching up on schoolwork, preparing myself for the upcoming week, and looking at race results and pictures online.

Again, as I didn't feel good before the race, it was not my strength that carried me through to a fast time, but God's. 
Jackson Park is also a pretty place, and now anyone who sees this post on Swarm will get a glimpse of the Lord!

Milesplit's twitter always posts tons of updates and articles, and this one advertised the results from our race!  They even had great videos!

This guy is the Morristown/East TN sports writer, and I must say, he is on the ball! 

It was also exciting to see myself and the team making a statement in another state!

The week's header photo for Tennessee Milesplit!

Another thing I do after race days is make collages and post pictures of course!

 

Every race is different, but they all have some things in common.  This is just a little bit of cross country.  I suggest you go see a big race for yourself sometime!  It really is exciting, but you'll never know until you've done it yourself.

It's Race Day, Race Day, Gotta Run Fast on Race Day..

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A little "run down" of what goes down on a home race day. 

I sleep in a little more...and run less. 

I also get my dinner ready to warm up as soon as I get home since it will be so late. 

 

This is what I had for lunch-toaster waffle with blackberry jam, blueberries, and strawberries. I have coffee at school every day, too.

Ya know, just some more evidence of my gift...

I tried a new protein bar and loved it!  It was the Picky Bars Smooth Caffinator.

I love to participate in contests and projects, so I did this one for Camelbak's #LivingColorful and to remind my team to hydrate!

Another new thing I tried before this race was the same brand of drink mix that I've been using when it's been more humid and I sweat more, but the kind with caffeine! I don't know if I even drank enough to make a difference, but it tasted good.

Before our first home meet, things are busy. We do team and individual pictures as well as take pictures with every single banner from each sponsor to send them a thank you. 

We start warming up about an hour before race time, make final bathroom breaks, and change shoes before heading to the line around 15 minutes before where we do strides, team prayer, and our cheer. At this meet Coach Burroughs sang the national anthem and our area FCA leader led us all in a prayer. Coach Farmer is the starter!  (Should we trust him with a gun?)

Our 5k course:  

I'd say it would compare to any of the toughest high school courses you would find anywhere. If you know anything about course record times, my old record was 19:40 (However I've lowered it to 18:38). It's tough, hilly, rocky, and rooty, but I love the challenge. We tell our new girls that if they can race our home course, they can make it anywhere. 

Flat, open start, a loop through/around some trees, the mile loop, a little flat area past the campground, cross the road and onto Old Wagon where there are little spectators but big hills. The two mile mark is at the top of a long, gradual hill about halfway through. After another half mile comes the toughest hills, a short and steep one and a long and steep one. But this is my favorite part!  It's up that hill and you're on the downhill stretch--literally!  You go down the big hill and it flattens out!  From there you run to the 3 mile marker, round the corner, and to the finish!

We are also lucky not only to have the park to practice and host races, but to have an official timing system, too!  We also have some pretty great music, and having a great race makes me want to dance; dance is what I did (just a little after I caught my breath and legs). 

Farmer likes to do his races a little different order than most, where the boys race first. His logic is that they run faster so they'll all finish sooner so the girls can start sooner. (This helps even more at our second home meet because middle school races two 2-mile races after us, followed by an elementary 1-mile race that I get the joy of leading!  It really hurts me trying to run after a race, even after a cool down, but that's just what happens! Racing hard is brutal on a body!  However, I get a big head start and just show them where to go. By the end when they pass me I just tell them where to go.)

That was the race from more of an outsider's perspective, so here it is from a runner.  I won't give too much detail, because running and racing is just something that you can't understand unless you actually do it.

Before races, I am never sure how things will go.  Like James 4:14 says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow..."  I always make time to read some scriptures and pray before every race to give me some peace and focus for what I am about to do.  Before this race, I read Psalm 37.  A couple verses from there that stood out were the first words:  "Do not fret..." because I was a little nervous for this first race.  Verse 4 is also one of my all-time favorites:  "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

 

  I also wrote 1 Peter 4:11 on my lower leg to remind me that I have to do this with His strength because I literally have none.  Especially with anemia, I have no energy except that that God fills me with.  Then because it is all from Him, it is all for Him.  The result is to use His strength to proclaim that strength.

  This is my calling.  Each race is an opportunity to use my gifts.  Whether I win or lose, feel good or miserable, if I have done my best, the result is God's plan.  I am to use every step to shine for Him.  Win, I praise Him.  Lose, I praise Him.  Racing is not easy.  Start lines are the scariest part.  Hearing that gun go off and the stampede of runners taking off in that first speed out is a bit intimidating!  There are so many bodies all heading for the same place as the trail narrows; I am always relieved when this part is over. 

 

Throughout races, I pray, sing bits of songs, and remember Bible verses.  Some particular to this race were from the Psalms passage, verse 24, "though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand," and the Bible Gateway verse of the day from the day before from Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have they who love Your law, and nothing can make them stumble."  Though I did stumble a few times, literally, I did not fall!  And though I have my fears and failures, God never lets me fall.

The song that was in my head was "Lord I Need You" 

Races seem to fly by so fast!  The great ones especially.  This night was one of those.  When I have a run where I feel so free and flying and joyful, it is truly a gift from God.  I was so excited and thankful crossing that finish line, feeling better than I had since last season, relieved to have my first race this season done, I was filled with joy to the point of tears!

I have become so attached to my teammates!  They truly are my best friends. These two have been with me running since 6th grade, and Katlyn has been with me since kindergarten. Now we're seniors. We are so much more mature and have been through so much, but we are so thankful to have each other through the struggles. Each struggle is unique, but we can all relate. We are so pumped to be here in this season.
On Monday, we didn't all 3 plan to dress up, but since we did, I wanted to get a pretty picture of us.  Then we decided that we needed one just like it in our uniforms before the race and our first-team shirts after the race.  Again, there through it all!

Not to brag, just honestly what happens, I can't name a Panther Creek race where we didn't get a perfect score.

Farmer always picks out different colored first and second team all-meet shirts to give out to the top and second seven finishers. The individual winner gets a nice embroidered polo (one year was sweatshirts), and the top teams get plaques. 

After awards and pictures, it's time to head up the hill to the parking lot and back home!

It's late. No shower before dinner these nights.  I threw my leftover bows in the microwave and whipped up some dessert, finally cleaning up around 9:30. Now I still had to unpack and repack for school, do some work, and shower before bed. I love my sleep but race nights are just one of those times I am up late!

It may seem like a long day, but it flies by. 

I love it. 

There really is nothing like cross country season.