As you're all aware, this Thursday we are headed back to everyone's favorite course at Lower Woodland (what, is it just me? :P) for the Metro League Championships! Our annual pasta dinner will be held on Wednesday at Coach Greg's house (details are on the Facebook page). This week- and the next two weeks for those who qualify for Districts and beyond- mark the end of cross country season. The workouts are getting easier, the runs are getting shorter... I mean, when does a half mile warm-up qualify as practice? We're tapering, people. We're getting ready to run one of the biggest (if not THE biggest, for some) meet of the year. Not in size- there will only be 7 runners from each team in the League for the Varsity races- but in guts, effort and willpower.
All I can think is, "wow."
Guys, this has been a phenomenal year so far. Some of you started running just THIS SUMMER. You couldn't make it a mile without stopping and now you've completed 5k races on one of the most difficult courses in the entire STATE. That's awesome!! Those of you who had run before have also shown improvement, whether in your times, enthusiasm, or simply a better understanding of and respect for the sport. All season long, each and every one of you has proved, in some way or another, that you are capable of far more than you imagined. Maybe it was summer mileage, completing a race, finishing a long run, or simply showing up to practice. Whatever it was, you did it. And now we're here, ready for the post-season. I'm confident. I hope you're all as excited and prepared for Metros as I am, because guys? We GOT this.
Some people ask us why we run. I've never, ever been able to answer that question. Maybe some of you have. I usually just mumble something random like, "uh... 'cause it's fun?" But if someone ever asks me why I run for my team, I know exactly what I'd say.
You guys are the most hard-working kids I know. We've got people showing up at 9 AM on Saturdays to go for a run before they've eaten breakfast because this matters to them. I can count at least three injured runners off the top of my head who have come to nearly every practice and meet... because this matters to them. The team matters to them. Why? In cross-country, we make sacrifices every day. We sacrifice comfort when we race to pursue a time, an achievement, self-satisfaction. We sacrifice lazy Saturday mornings or after-school activities to practice and get better. We sacrifice junk food while preparing for a meet so we have faith that we can perform well. Who better is going to understand these things than those who experience them with you every day? For the last four years, I have found no one I connect with better than my teammates. We've all seen each other at our very best- PRing in a meet, pushing the pace in a workout, or just being excited about a personal accomplishment. The thing that really makes us stronger, though, is that we've also all seen each other at our worst- muddy faces after slipping in the mud at Bellevue, crying after a bad race, vomiting on the finish line.... But we don't judge. We embrace the beauty of the guts that come with this sport. The fact that this year we have such a large, confident group of runners just proves it. Just yesterday we split into girls/guys teams for a little competition, and we had both teams cheering before the race, just like at a real meet. We are fierce, we are competitive, we are loyal, and we are strong.
I want you to gain two things from this post. First, I want you to know how much you all mean to me, and how much I'm sure you mean to one another. I've said this before and though it may sound like I'm gushing, I will say it again and again, because you guys have the power to change each other's lives. As a team, we are a hundred times better than on our own. Not to say that we aren't all great on our own! But hey, isn't a big group of great people better? So just keep that in mind when you race this week; your entire team will have your back and be cheering you on like there's no tomorrow.
Second, I want to make sure you walk off that yellow bus this Thursday with an unshakable confidence. Here's why you should...
You have worked every damn day for MONTHS to prepare for the post-season. You are rested, relaxed, and ready to fight.
You have nothing to lose by running your hardest. Pain is temporary. What is pain compared to the satisfaction of having a fantastic race for the end of your season? Push yourself. Remember, you always have more left than you think!
As my mom likes to say, "Beating the competition is relatively easy, but beating YOURSELF is a never-ending commitment."
I'll see you all on the starting line... smiling. Let's go, SEAHAWKS!
:D
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Nutrition and Health
Hey everyone!! It's been a while since I've posted anything, as I've been busy running (as have all of you, I hope!) but I've wanted to write a nutrition post for a while. Before I start, I want to congratulate everyone who has been running this summer, whether on their own or with the team- we're looking strong! The mileage chart is pretty dang impressive and I'm super happy that everyone seems to be getting ready for the season. Our first meet is in a month, which is CRAZY, but I think we're going to be as prepared as we can get! On that note, don't forget to grab your sports packet and any physical forms you might need from the main office at Sealth (or you can download them here). And now, on to nutrition!
So I wrote a bit about food and eating and stuff a year or so ago, but mainly in regards to the days leading up to a big meet. If you're interested, you can review them here and here. Now I want to talk about nutrition in general, as far as fueling your body for training and generally eating in a way that will benefit you.
To start with, why is eating any different for a distance runner than anyone else? Well, as athletes we burn more calories, lose more electrolytes and sodium, and need more protein for muscle recovery than inactive people. Runners expend quite a bit of energy, and if we don't recover properly we can get injured or have our performances drop. That's not good. What can we do to prevent it?
THE BASICS
1. Drink water! This is probably the oldest and most basic advice, but it can be tough to follow. If you already drink a lot, good for you! But if you're like me, you forget, or don't think you're thirsty, or don't want to drink too much and end up with side aches. My trick? Try carrying a water bottle around everywhere and take a few sips every half hour or so. If nothing else, try and down a water bottle after practice, so you will at least regain most of what you sweat off. Nuun (which you can buy at West Seattle Runner or QFC) is a fantastic electrolyte drink. It works amazingly and is free of all the sugars and food coloring used in "sports drinks" like Gatorade. Have you ever looked at how many grams of sugar are in a bottle of Gatorade? About 34. That's a lot. If you can't visualize how much sugar that is, check out these examples!
2. Maintain a balanced diet. Okay, I'm sure you've heard this in health class every year since you were ten, but what does it mean? Make sure you're getting protein, carbs, fresh fruit and veggies EVERY. DAY. Female runners, who are more likely to be anemic, should make sure they're getting a lot of iron (kale or other dark greens, beans, nuts and seeds are all good sources). Make sure you'e not eating too much or too little, and aim for at least 3 meals and a snack or two throughout the day.
3. Keep crap to a minimum. I'm not even going to be nice about this one. One of my favorite quotes is, "There is no such thing as junk food; there is junk, and there is food." I personally am a big believer in avoiding processed foods and added sugars in my diet, though I know for most people that's not always possible. Eating entirely clean is often impractical, as well, due to lack of convenience or availability and the fact that it gets expensive quickly. So although I would love to encourage everyone to eat fresh fruits and veggies for every meal, I will only advise you include those in every
meal. As I mentioned above, focusing on nutrients and a BALANCED diet is essnetial. If you subsist solely on lettuce then sure, you might be thinner and think you're going to be lighter for running, but you're never going to have enough muscle or energy to do anything. Vary it up!
THE EXTRA STEP
Eating healthfully most of the time and drinking a lot of water are the biggest aspects of staying healthy and preparing yourself for cross country season. However, there are a few other things you can tweak in your life to give you a little more of an edge...
Nutritionally... You know how at Jamba Juice, you can add a "boost" to your smoothie? Seek out superfoods at places like Super Supplements and add them to various meals throughout the day. In my house we always have chia seeds, flax meal, spirulina, bee pollen, and maca root. These are all in the form of mostly flavorless seeds or powders, so you can throw them in smoothies or juices. Or baked goods. Or egg dishes. Or cold cereal and oatmeal. Or just sprinkle them on top of fruit or a salad. You can use them for anything! Some less versatile add-ins are protein powder and wheatgrass. Protein powder again works well in smoothies and baked goods (just look at this this protein powder pancake recipe!) and wheatgrass is a great in juices or on it's own in "shots."
Mentally... Try to avoid stress. I know homework, maybe a job, friend drama or stress in your home life can add up. Then you go and throw the pressure of running well on top of it? Well, there are days when it can be too much. Just remember to take a little time for yourself every day and to breathe. Don't be afraid to ask someone for help if you're overly stressed about a project or deadline or something. I know this is kind of vague, but what I'm trying to say is that being uptight and overworked is going to do more harm than good. Just something to keep in mind!
Physically... Obviously, come to practice and complete every workout the way it's intended to be completed. If it's a hard workout, push yourself, and if it's a rest day then make sure you get that rest. Then? Sleep! It's a lot easier to race on 8 hours of sleep than it is on 3- I know this from experience. Lack of sleep won't mess with your body too much unless it's a matter of consistent deprivation (we're talking 1-2 weeks here) but you'll be mentally exhausted, which is not the best way to start practice- or a race!
Finally, here are some websites and blogs to check out for health tips...
So I wrote a bit about food and eating and stuff a year or so ago, but mainly in regards to the days leading up to a big meet. If you're interested, you can review them here and here. Now I want to talk about nutrition in general, as far as fueling your body for training and generally eating in a way that will benefit you.
To start with, why is eating any different for a distance runner than anyone else? Well, as athletes we burn more calories, lose more electrolytes and sodium, and need more protein for muscle recovery than inactive people. Runners expend quite a bit of energy, and if we don't recover properly we can get injured or have our performances drop. That's not good. What can we do to prevent it?
THE BASICS
1. Drink water! This is probably the oldest and most basic advice, but it can be tough to follow. If you already drink a lot, good for you! But if you're like me, you forget, or don't think you're thirsty, or don't want to drink too much and end up with side aches. My trick? Try carrying a water bottle around everywhere and take a few sips every half hour or so. If nothing else, try and down a water bottle after practice, so you will at least regain most of what you sweat off. Nuun (which you can buy at West Seattle Runner or QFC) is a fantastic electrolyte drink. It works amazingly and is free of all the sugars and food coloring used in "sports drinks" like Gatorade. Have you ever looked at how many grams of sugar are in a bottle of Gatorade? About 34. That's a lot. If you can't visualize how much sugar that is, check out these examples!
2. Maintain a balanced diet. Okay, I'm sure you've heard this in health class every year since you were ten, but what does it mean? Make sure you're getting protein, carbs, fresh fruit and veggies EVERY. DAY. Female runners, who are more likely to be anemic, should make sure they're getting a lot of iron (kale or other dark greens, beans, nuts and seeds are all good sources). Make sure you'e not eating too much or too little, and aim for at least 3 meals and a snack or two throughout the day.
 |
| Yaaay random veggies! |
meal. As I mentioned above, focusing on nutrients and a BALANCED diet is essnetial. If you subsist solely on lettuce then sure, you might be thinner and think you're going to be lighter for running, but you're never going to have enough muscle or energy to do anything. Vary it up!
THE EXTRA STEP
Eating healthfully most of the time and drinking a lot of water are the biggest aspects of staying healthy and preparing yourself for cross country season. However, there are a few other things you can tweak in your life to give you a little more of an edge...
Nutritionally... You know how at Jamba Juice, you can add a "boost" to your smoothie? Seek out superfoods at places like Super Supplements and add them to various meals throughout the day. In my house we always have chia seeds, flax meal, spirulina, bee pollen, and maca root. These are all in the form of mostly flavorless seeds or powders, so you can throw them in smoothies or juices. Or baked goods. Or egg dishes. Or cold cereal and oatmeal. Or just sprinkle them on top of fruit or a salad. You can use them for anything! Some less versatile add-ins are protein powder and wheatgrass. Protein powder again works well in smoothies and baked goods (just look at this this protein powder pancake recipe!) and wheatgrass is a great in juices or on it's own in "shots."
 |
| Pomegranate and kiwis are great post-workout snacks; pomegranates are full of antioxidants and kiwis have almost as much potassium as bananas! |
Physically... Obviously, come to practice and complete every workout the way it's intended to be completed. If it's a hard workout, push yourself, and if it's a rest day then make sure you get that rest. Then? Sleep! It's a lot easier to race on 8 hours of sleep than it is on 3- I know this from experience. Lack of sleep won't mess with your body too much unless it's a matter of consistent deprivation (we're talking 1-2 weeks here) but you'll be mentally exhausted, which is not the best way to start practice- or a race!
Finally, here are some websites and blogs to check out for health tips...
- fitbie.com, recommended by Levi
- fitsugar.com (mainly for the girls...)
- runnersworld.com
- anutritionisteats.com
- thehealthyhedonisttalks.blogspot.com- this is actually a blog run by a friend of mine, but she's really knowledgable about health and is a former high school xc runner herself!
Questions? Things you'd like to add? Talk to me or one of the other captains and we'd be glad to help. See you all at practice this week!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Injury Prevention
Hey guys!
Are you as excited as I am?? Cross country is coming up fast and summer is already upon us. It's time to start training! As we begin increasing our milage to prepare for cross county season, it's important to make sure we avoid injury. Of course, if you are going to get injured it's better to have that happen now so you can recover before actual racing season, but it's better to simply avoid it all together. Those of you who have received your training plans have probably noticed that every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you're supposed to be doing injury prevention drills. If you ran track you may be familiar with these drills, and if you're a new runner, showing up to practice will benefit you, as I and the other captains can demonstrate them. As it is I am going to try to outline the basic drills here...
1. The first thing we do is a set of different kinds of walking. Basically, you walk about 25 meters for each exercise. First you walk on the outside edges of your feet, then the inside. Then walk with your toes pointing in, almost touching when you're standing still. Next, walk with them turned out. When you turn in and out, it's important to turn your legs from your hips and not your knees! Finally, walk backwards on your tiptoes and forwards on your heels. When you do these you should be barefoot and on soft ground, like turf or grass, but put your shoes back on when doing the heel drill so it doesn't make any injuries worse! We do these drills to strengthen all the muscles around your shins and ankles and feet to support your legs.
2. Toe taps! The captains have begun incorporating the 20 slow toe taps, 20 fast and 20 side-to-side routine to prevent shin splints.
3. Finally, 20 calf raises. Basically, stand tall and slowly rise to your tip toes, then come slowly back down (all the way!) to the ground. This will help strengthen your calves, obviously, which is just good for running in general as well as fending off injury by helping stabilize your leg muscles.
As far as general injury prevention....
- make sure you're warming up before running, and stretching afterwards. This will help ensure your muscles don't tighten up, which reduces the risk of straining or pulling them.
- Make sure you switch out your training shoes about every 400 miles. Remember this: http://chiefsealthxc.blogspot.com/2012/06/running-shoes.html.
- If your knees are hurting, refer to this old post: http://chiefsealthxc.blogspot.com/2012/09/awkward-runners-shin-splints.html.
-If you've got arch issues (tight arches, tight achilles and calves...) put a dish towel on the floor and scrunch your toes up about 30 times. This will make your arches sore but that's only because it's strengthening them! Make sure to be stretching your arches and calves too, and use a roller ball (like this one) on your feet to release tension.
Got questions about a specific injury? Ask a coach or captain and we'll help you out. Don't wait until you're seriously injured!
See you all at practice tomorrow-- 9:00 am at SWAC!
Are you as excited as I am?? Cross country is coming up fast and summer is already upon us. It's time to start training! As we begin increasing our milage to prepare for cross county season, it's important to make sure we avoid injury. Of course, if you are going to get injured it's better to have that happen now so you can recover before actual racing season, but it's better to simply avoid it all together. Those of you who have received your training plans have probably noticed that every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you're supposed to be doing injury prevention drills. If you ran track you may be familiar with these drills, and if you're a new runner, showing up to practice will benefit you, as I and the other captains can demonstrate them. As it is I am going to try to outline the basic drills here...
1. The first thing we do is a set of different kinds of walking. Basically, you walk about 25 meters for each exercise. First you walk on the outside edges of your feet, then the inside. Then walk with your toes pointing in, almost touching when you're standing still. Next, walk with them turned out. When you turn in and out, it's important to turn your legs from your hips and not your knees! Finally, walk backwards on your tiptoes and forwards on your heels. When you do these you should be barefoot and on soft ground, like turf or grass, but put your shoes back on when doing the heel drill so it doesn't make any injuries worse! We do these drills to strengthen all the muscles around your shins and ankles and feet to support your legs.
2. Toe taps! The captains have begun incorporating the 20 slow toe taps, 20 fast and 20 side-to-side routine to prevent shin splints.
3. Finally, 20 calf raises. Basically, stand tall and slowly rise to your tip toes, then come slowly back down (all the way!) to the ground. This will help strengthen your calves, obviously, which is just good for running in general as well as fending off injury by helping stabilize your leg muscles.
As far as general injury prevention....
- make sure you're warming up before running, and stretching afterwards. This will help ensure your muscles don't tighten up, which reduces the risk of straining or pulling them.
- Make sure you switch out your training shoes about every 400 miles. Remember this: http://chiefsealthxc.blogspot.com/2012/06/running-shoes.html.
- If your knees are hurting, refer to this old post: http://chiefsealthxc.blogspot.com/2012/09/awkward-runners-shin-splints.html.
-If you've got arch issues (tight arches, tight achilles and calves...) put a dish towel on the floor and scrunch your toes up about 30 times. This will make your arches sore but that's only because it's strengthening them! Make sure to be stretching your arches and calves too, and use a roller ball (like this one) on your feet to release tension.
Got questions about a specific injury? Ask a coach or captain and we'll help you out. Don't wait until you're seriously injured!
See you all at practice tomorrow-- 9:00 am at SWAC!
Monday, May 13, 2013
What's Next?
Hey everyone!
First of all, I want to congratulate you all on a truly fantastic season. We had an amazing group of runners this year, both old and new. People PRd, persevered through injuries, and some made it all the way to Metros! Those who didn't had an incredible time at All-Comers. I think some non-distance runners may have made it to Districts but this is the distance blog so although I congratulate them, I'm not focusing on them. Anyways, I'm not going to spend too much time on how great we were this season because I kind of already did that in the last post. Instead, I want to talk about what's next.
The school year is coming to a close and with it, the end of high school for some of our teammates. I believe I speak for the team when I say we will miss all of the seniors that have run cross country and track with us over the past few years. Specifically, though, I want to say goodbye to three of our captains: Lisel Perrine, Bryson Good, and Jesse Simpson. You know these guys as leaders, teammates, and most importantly, friends. It'll be strange and a bit difficult to start the new season without them, but I hope you all join me in wishing them luck in the next phases of their lives. I know they will be successful and strong in whatever they choose to do, and I'm very glad to have gotten to know all of them.
So, back to the kids who are still at Sealth... what IS next? I know some of you are moving on to soccer or swimming or whatever else, and I wish you luck. But for those of you why are planning on joining us for CROSS COUNTRY (!!!) as a veteran or a newcomer, it's time...
to rest. Yup.
Although I am incredibly excited for and looking forward to cross country, I want to stress that RIGHT NOW you should be resting. Within the next few weeks we'll figure out when summer practices are and Greg will start handing out those packets he's been talking about. We'll go on adventure runs and get ice cream afterwards and we'll see how many of us can get our 200 mile shirts before the season actually starts. We'll compare our awkward running tan lines (along with some burns) and wear out our favorite shoes. But RIGHT NOW you should be on your butt on the couch or something, not running. Taking time off, even it's only a week, will help prevent injury. Not only will it give your body a chance to recover physically, but it will give you a mental break from training, racing, tapering, peaking and everything else that went with track season. REST IS GOOD. When you get to the point where you can't focus in school because you're staring out the window, wanting to feel that ache in your lungs, the stretch of muscles under your skin as you fly across the ground... Then you're ready to start training again. We'll be waiting. :) So go eat all the things you don't eat while training, do all the things you don't have time for during the season and stay posted- I'll put up summer practice times soon! Plus some ideas for fun running events this summer. OH and also! The spring sports banquet will be next Tuesday, May 21st at 6:00. I hope to see you all there!
...are you resting yet?? :P
First of all, I want to congratulate you all on a truly fantastic season. We had an amazing group of runners this year, both old and new. People PRd, persevered through injuries, and some made it all the way to Metros! Those who didn't had an incredible time at All-Comers. I think some non-distance runners may have made it to Districts but this is the distance blog so although I congratulate them, I'm not focusing on them. Anyways, I'm not going to spend too much time on how great we were this season because I kind of already did that in the last post. Instead, I want to talk about what's next.
The school year is coming to a close and with it, the end of high school for some of our teammates. I believe I speak for the team when I say we will miss all of the seniors that have run cross country and track with us over the past few years. Specifically, though, I want to say goodbye to three of our captains: Lisel Perrine, Bryson Good, and Jesse Simpson. You know these guys as leaders, teammates, and most importantly, friends. It'll be strange and a bit difficult to start the new season without them, but I hope you all join me in wishing them luck in the next phases of their lives. I know they will be successful and strong in whatever they choose to do, and I'm very glad to have gotten to know all of them.
So, back to the kids who are still at Sealth... what IS next? I know some of you are moving on to soccer or swimming or whatever else, and I wish you luck. But for those of you why are planning on joining us for CROSS COUNTRY (!!!) as a veteran or a newcomer, it's time...
to rest. Yup.
Although I am incredibly excited for and looking forward to cross country, I want to stress that RIGHT NOW you should be resting. Within the next few weeks we'll figure out when summer practices are and Greg will start handing out those packets he's been talking about. We'll go on adventure runs and get ice cream afterwards and we'll see how many of us can get our 200 mile shirts before the season actually starts. We'll compare our awkward running tan lines (along with some burns) and wear out our favorite shoes. But RIGHT NOW you should be on your butt on the couch or something, not running. Taking time off, even it's only a week, will help prevent injury. Not only will it give your body a chance to recover physically, but it will give you a mental break from training, racing, tapering, peaking and everything else that went with track season. REST IS GOOD. When you get to the point where you can't focus in school because you're staring out the window, wanting to feel that ache in your lungs, the stretch of muscles under your skin as you fly across the ground... Then you're ready to start training again. We'll be waiting. :) So go eat all the things you don't eat while training, do all the things you don't have time for during the season and stay posted- I'll put up summer practice times soon! Plus some ideas for fun running events this summer. OH and also! The spring sports banquet will be next Tuesday, May 21st at 6:00. I hope to see you all there!
...are you resting yet?? :P
Friday, April 26, 2013
On Being A Team
Although right now I should definitely be doing my homework instead of blogging, today's meet impacted me so much that I feel the need to share it with you all before I become lost in a weekend of work. So, this will be relatively short, but important!
Today's weather was beautiful, right? The sun made a rare appearance and encouraged everyone to go out and enjoy it. Everyone except those of us racing on a shade-free track during the hottest part of the day (which, by the way, was 71 degrees). I saw tons of runners return to the stands after their event exhausted, guzzling water and wishing their lungs would return to normal while battling sunburns. I experienced the effects of the heat, too, and had my lungs pretty much seize up for the entire two miles I ran. My point here is that the weather today was surprisingly tough. Not to mention the injuries! But I'll get to that later.
Now this sounds like the most negative, whiny post I could have written. But look closer. Look at what we did today, as a team.
We all crossed finish lines. No one dropped out in the middle no matter how much they were hurting, even if they were seriously injured and perhaps would have really benefitted from quitting. But that's just it- we're not quitters! We had at LEAST four people get hurt/injured today, and I swear over half the team is suffering from, recovering from, or on the verge of another injury. When we get to a meet, do we sit there and sulk and complain? No! We make jokes and laugh, we goof off and take great pictures. We share stories and tease each other in a way that only people who are truly comfortable with each other can. We have fun, and after seeing how the team reacted today, I'd say we make the best of things too.
As you may have noticed, we don't have enough uniforms to go around. Instead of people selfishly holding on to their clothes for fear of not having a uniform for their own race, we make do trading jerseys and shorts so that everyone who deserves a chance to compete and earn a score (which a. you have to have a uniform for, and b. everyone deserves) gets one. We're cool like that.
I've learned a lot so far this season. Not in the way you'd expect- not much related to running form or new workouts and the like. I'm actually having the slowest track season I've ever had and have been extremely disappointed with my performances. Yet somehow, this is also the very best track season I've ever experienced. What makes the difference?
You. All of you. You guys are my team and this year I've grown to realize just how damn grateful I am for all of you. We are a group of runners that are more fun-loving, enthusiastic, supportive of each other and fun to be around than any other I know. I am excited to go to practice every day, even if I have the flu and shin splints and probably even if I had three broken limbs, simply because I get to be with my favorite people ever. I don't think I can even fully explain the extent to which you all matter to me, and I hope you all feel the same way about each other. I am constantly amazed at the strong program we are building at Sealth, and that's not just because we got lucky and happened to get a few good runners. It's because our runners are not just runners. They- we- are hard-working, inspiring, tough, crazy, weird, outgoing and just plain freaking magnificently awesome.
I am incredibly grateful for every minute I spend with you guys as a team, and I hope I'm not alone in recognizing that our team is truly indescribable. Thanks, everyone. :) I'll see you all at practice!
Today's weather was beautiful, right? The sun made a rare appearance and encouraged everyone to go out and enjoy it. Everyone except those of us racing on a shade-free track during the hottest part of the day (which, by the way, was 71 degrees). I saw tons of runners return to the stands after their event exhausted, guzzling water and wishing their lungs would return to normal while battling sunburns. I experienced the effects of the heat, too, and had my lungs pretty much seize up for the entire two miles I ran. My point here is that the weather today was surprisingly tough. Not to mention the injuries! But I'll get to that later.
Now this sounds like the most negative, whiny post I could have written. But look closer. Look at what we did today, as a team.
We all crossed finish lines. No one dropped out in the middle no matter how much they were hurting, even if they were seriously injured and perhaps would have really benefitted from quitting. But that's just it- we're not quitters! We had at LEAST four people get hurt/injured today, and I swear over half the team is suffering from, recovering from, or on the verge of another injury. When we get to a meet, do we sit there and sulk and complain? No! We make jokes and laugh, we goof off and take great pictures. We share stories and tease each other in a way that only people who are truly comfortable with each other can. We have fun, and after seeing how the team reacted today, I'd say we make the best of things too.
As you may have noticed, we don't have enough uniforms to go around. Instead of people selfishly holding on to their clothes for fear of not having a uniform for their own race, we make do trading jerseys and shorts so that everyone who deserves a chance to compete and earn a score (which a. you have to have a uniform for, and b. everyone deserves) gets one. We're cool like that.
I've learned a lot so far this season. Not in the way you'd expect- not much related to running form or new workouts and the like. I'm actually having the slowest track season I've ever had and have been extremely disappointed with my performances. Yet somehow, this is also the very best track season I've ever experienced. What makes the difference?
You. All of you. You guys are my team and this year I've grown to realize just how damn grateful I am for all of you. We are a group of runners that are more fun-loving, enthusiastic, supportive of each other and fun to be around than any other I know. I am excited to go to practice every day, even if I have the flu and shin splints and probably even if I had three broken limbs, simply because I get to be with my favorite people ever. I don't think I can even fully explain the extent to which you all matter to me, and I hope you all feel the same way about each other. I am constantly amazed at the strong program we are building at Sealth, and that's not just because we got lucky and happened to get a few good runners. It's because our runners are not just runners. They- we- are hard-working, inspiring, tough, crazy, weird, outgoing and just plain freaking magnificently awesome.
I am incredibly grateful for every minute I spend with you guys as a team, and I hope I'm not alone in recognizing that our team is truly indescribable. Thanks, everyone. :) I'll see you all at practice!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Ready... Set... GO!
Hey everyone!
Guess what? If you're running track, our first meet is THIS THURSDAY!!!! The day after tomorrow!
We're heading to Bainbridge early, so get ready for a long afternoon- but a fun one! Lisel and I plan to organize the traditional game of ninja on the ferry over, so remember to sharpen your skills for that. Which skills, I don't know, but sharpen them. Anyways. I hope you're all excited! But if you're nervous, remember...
-You're ready! You've been training for at least a month, if not more, for the season! Why wouldn't you do well? The only possible reason, besides an actual injury, would be because...
-This is the first meet of the season! Nobody expects mind-blowing PRs. Whatever you do will be fine because IT'S THE FIRST DARN MEET.
-That being said, if you're new to competition or you've just forgotten how nervous it makes you, use this meet to deal with all that. Get the nerves and pressured feelings out of the way now and you might feel better the rest of the season.
-Also, don't psych yourself out! I'm gonna keep this post short because I can feel myself getting nervous and antsy just typing about the meet and looking up stats. But that's unneccessary so I'm going to avoid it. No athletic.net stalking for me tonight!
-Finally, no matter how nervous or stressed you might be... remember the reason you joined. Be honest here. You're not staying because someone is holding a gun to your head and saying RUUUUUUUUUN! No, you're staying because there's a part of you that is unequivocally in love with running. It's what keeps you coming to practices in the rain and wind. It's what bonds you to the rest of the team. And this Thursday, it is going to be that force that pushes past whatever fears or doubts you may have as you stretch every limb to cross that finish line as fast as you can.
Believe in yourself, and I promise, you will be successful.
Good luck, everyone, and see you on Thursday!
Guess what? If you're running track, our first meet is THIS THURSDAY!!!! The day after tomorrow!
We're heading to Bainbridge early, so get ready for a long afternoon- but a fun one! Lisel and I plan to organize the traditional game of ninja on the ferry over, so remember to sharpen your skills for that. Which skills, I don't know, but sharpen them. Anyways. I hope you're all excited! But if you're nervous, remember...
-You're ready! You've been training for at least a month, if not more, for the season! Why wouldn't you do well? The only possible reason, besides an actual injury, would be because...
-This is the first meet of the season! Nobody expects mind-blowing PRs. Whatever you do will be fine because IT'S THE FIRST DARN MEET.
-That being said, if you're new to competition or you've just forgotten how nervous it makes you, use this meet to deal with all that. Get the nerves and pressured feelings out of the way now and you might feel better the rest of the season.
-Also, don't psych yourself out! I'm gonna keep this post short because I can feel myself getting nervous and antsy just typing about the meet and looking up stats. But that's unneccessary so I'm going to avoid it. No athletic.net stalking for me tonight!
-Finally, no matter how nervous or stressed you might be... remember the reason you joined. Be honest here. You're not staying because someone is holding a gun to your head and saying RUUUUUUUUUN! No, you're staying because there's a part of you that is unequivocally in love with running. It's what keeps you coming to practices in the rain and wind. It's what bonds you to the rest of the team. And this Thursday, it is going to be that force that pushes past whatever fears or doubts you may have as you stretch every limb to cross that finish line as fast as you can.
Believe in yourself, and I promise, you will be successful.
Good luck, everyone, and see you on Thursday!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
This Is Your Today
Hey everyone!
I'm going to start this post by letting you all know that this is really hard for me to say. What I'm about to discuss is really important, but I feel like it might not be well received. However, it needs to be said. As a captain and, more importantly, someone who loves and is dedicated to her team, I am going to put myself out there and talk about the issue that has arisen recently. Please know I am not blaming, criticizing, or insulting ANYONE; I just want what's best for our team.
Today I was sitting in one of my classes and my classmates started talking about drugs. They were talking about some people who they claimed had been doing some drug-related stuff and I wasn't really listening, until I heard this:
"Oh yeah, the whole cross-country team does it."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah... Hey, do you think Kenaia's part of it?"
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I've overheard a conversation like this. It's not the first time I've heard people I know make comments about drug use on our team. But this is the first time I've heard people say THE WHOLE TEAM is some big drug fest. This is the first time my NAME has been associated with anything of the sort, which makes me pretty upset. I'm not trying to be cocky here, I've just never even thought that I could be related to a rumor like this. I was so surprised today in class I almost started laughing- I mean, are you kidding me?? I can take rumors like this with a sense of humor even if I'm shocked and irritated. But what about those newer members of our team, who joined cross country because they'd heard great things about us? What about the underclassmen who joined cross country for the sport, for the community? How would you feel if you knew people believed you were doing things you'd never even considered just because of this silly reputation?
If drugs are your thing, if that's something you choose to do, then I can't stop you. However, I don't think it's good for you or a good idea. It's illegal and can have serious consequences. It could cause you to develop an addiction, get cancer, or a number of other things. It can mess with your social, academic and personal life. Worse- it can actually KILL you. It can also have a very negative impact on other people.
Why is our reputation so important? It causes a huge problem with recruiting. People don't want to join a team that's known for less-than-ideal behavior. There's a school right now that has such a bad reputation that other schools are being overcrowded because students are so desperate not to be there. I don't want that to happen to us.
So I'm asking you all, as my teammates and as my running family: what are we going to do? Because this is not us, not what we should be known for. We are not the team that is going to be ridiculed and judged and gossiped about. When I joined cross country freshman year, I quickly realized it was the best decision I'd ever made. It has been a beautiful and amazing part of my world these last three years. It's not an exaggeration when I say it has changed my life, made me more confident, and introduced me to some of the coolest people I've ever met. We are at a pivotal moment in the process of building this amazing program- look at what we accomplished this past season! BOTH teams went to Districts for the first time in literally DECADES. We have a young team with the potential to go so, so far. There is nothing in our way... except this. So please, think. Just think about this issue. What can you do- what can we do- to rebuild our reputation and our community? Each day of the season- even right now, in the middle of the off season- I see you all working so hard to succeed, so hard to push beyond the physical and mental limits most people simply accept as impassable. So please, let's keep our team going strong. Let's be the most amazing thing that's ever happened to cross country at Chief Sealth. I believe in all of you- in all of us. I will ask this one last time: what are WE going to do?
I'm going to start this post by letting you all know that this is really hard for me to say. What I'm about to discuss is really important, but I feel like it might not be well received. However, it needs to be said. As a captain and, more importantly, someone who loves and is dedicated to her team, I am going to put myself out there and talk about the issue that has arisen recently. Please know I am not blaming, criticizing, or insulting ANYONE; I just want what's best for our team.
Today I was sitting in one of my classes and my classmates started talking about drugs. They were talking about some people who they claimed had been doing some drug-related stuff and I wasn't really listening, until I heard this:
"Oh yeah, the whole cross-country team does it."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah... Hey, do you think Kenaia's part of it?"
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I've overheard a conversation like this. It's not the first time I've heard people I know make comments about drug use on our team. But this is the first time I've heard people say THE WHOLE TEAM is some big drug fest. This is the first time my NAME has been associated with anything of the sort, which makes me pretty upset. I'm not trying to be cocky here, I've just never even thought that I could be related to a rumor like this. I was so surprised today in class I almost started laughing- I mean, are you kidding me?? I can take rumors like this with a sense of humor even if I'm shocked and irritated. But what about those newer members of our team, who joined cross country because they'd heard great things about us? What about the underclassmen who joined cross country for the sport, for the community? How would you feel if you knew people believed you were doing things you'd never even considered just because of this silly reputation?
If drugs are your thing, if that's something you choose to do, then I can't stop you. However, I don't think it's good for you or a good idea. It's illegal and can have serious consequences. It could cause you to develop an addiction, get cancer, or a number of other things. It can mess with your social, academic and personal life. Worse- it can actually KILL you. It can also have a very negative impact on other people.
Something like this affects our team. It makes it harder to bond with each other. It can create a divide between teammates when people feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing. It can cause health problems. It can destroy our reputation as a team.
Why is our reputation so important? It causes a huge problem with recruiting. People don't want to join a team that's known for less-than-ideal behavior. There's a school right now that has such a bad reputation that other schools are being overcrowded because students are so desperate not to be there. I don't want that to happen to us.
So I'm asking you all, as my teammates and as my running family: what are we going to do? Because this is not us, not what we should be known for. We are not the team that is going to be ridiculed and judged and gossiped about. When I joined cross country freshman year, I quickly realized it was the best decision I'd ever made. It has been a beautiful and amazing part of my world these last three years. It's not an exaggeration when I say it has changed my life, made me more confident, and introduced me to some of the coolest people I've ever met. We are at a pivotal moment in the process of building this amazing program- look at what we accomplished this past season! BOTH teams went to Districts for the first time in literally DECADES. We have a young team with the potential to go so, so far. There is nothing in our way... except this. So please, think. Just think about this issue. What can you do- what can we do- to rebuild our reputation and our community? Each day of the season- even right now, in the middle of the off season- I see you all working so hard to succeed, so hard to push beyond the physical and mental limits most people simply accept as impassable. So please, let's keep our team going strong. Let's be the most amazing thing that's ever happened to cross country at Chief Sealth. I believe in all of you- in all of us. I will ask this one last time: what are WE going to do?
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