XC 2014: Thoughts on Training and Racing

Follow North Yarmouth Academy senior Hannah Austin during her senior xc season. Austin was the Class C state xc runner-up a year ago, and returns as the individual favorite to win the Class C title this fall. While she is small in stature she certainly makes up for with her grit & determination on the course.

 

Hi again!


It looks like this season is getting off to a really good start for many of you; there were some extremely fast times in many of the races this past week! It seems like based on the results so far, there is a larger number of fast runners in Maine than in the other years I’ve run cross country, which is really exciting. I can’t wait to see everyone’s times get even better!


My past few races however were definitely not my best. I know that it is still early in the season, and that all races, even the bad ones, can be learning experiences, and what is learned can be used to run better races in the future, but that doesn’t stop the sub-par races from being disheartening.


My first meet of the season was my last home meet ever, so I was hoping to do really well and run a fast time. However, it was extremely hot and humid that day, and I had been feeling tired all week, probably a result of school starting up again. Because of these factors, my time was considerably worse than I was hoping it would be. My course can usually be considered pretty fast, owing to the fact that it is mostly on paved trails, so it’s usually a great place to run a PR. But a large amount of the course is out in the sun, and on a hot day, that can lead to slower times. There are also three major hills on the course. There’s usually enough time to recover in between them, but it was harder with the heat. I am so glad that it is finally cooling off; not only do I (and probably most other people as well) run horribly when it’s hot and humid, but it’s also so much more pleasant to be outside when it’s cooler!


This past week, my team and I ran at Merriconeag’s home course, which is a really nice course to run on, though there are some difficult aspects to it. There is a part out in the field where the grass is still pretty long in some places. Though this is a pretty small part of the course, it always feels so much longer than it actually is. Then, the rest of the course is in the woods. There are a few pretty big hills, and just gradual hills where you don’t really notice you’re going up, but you feel your legs burn. There are also some downhill parts to make up for it though! The race started out really badly for me, owing to the fact that the gun went off with no warning. My teammates and I were standing on the starting line, waiting for the starter to announce when we’d go. Some of my teammates were talking as they waited, and so were many people around us. I was just standing on the starting line, waiting to hear the starter call for our attention. Then, suddenly, I heard the firing of the gun. Many people around me made noises of surprise, and then all of us began sprinting away from the starting line. The few people who did know the gun was about to go off (I don’t know how they did!) were easily able to get to the front, but many of us, who had no warning, started a couple seconds later, startled and confused. I found myself somewhere in the middle of the pack, struggling through the field trying to get up to the front. I basically spent the whole first mile panicking and trying to get a good position. I was very stressed out, and never completely recovered from it throughout the whole race. I had also used a lot of my energy in the first mile trying to move up to where I was supposed to be! Overall, my time was once again not what I was hoping it would be, but definitely better than last week. Even though I would have liked to achieve a better time in this race, I have to remind myself that I shouldn’t be too upset; I still ran a better time on this course than I did last year, and this year, the race came earlier in the season. Even better, at both meets, my team members have been running really well! We seem to keep getting better each week, and we’ve all run some good workouts. We have more girls than we thought we would at the start of the season, and everyone is working hard and excited to improve. It’s awesome watching everyone’s times drop as the season goes on!


I hope you all continue to do well in your races! Remember to value what you learn from each race, especially the ones that don’t go as you hoped, and you’ll continue to improve and achieve your goals!


~Hannah