Hi again,
I'm glad to see you've returned to my blog. Guess that's a sure sign that I'm doing something right. I'd like to start off with congratulating everyone on an outstanding performance this past Saturday at the first Southern Maine Classic! It was a fast course and I think that we all set the stage for great races to come.
On that note, I would like to address something I noticed during the end of the event. Wrapping up the girls and boys unseeded races, both times I saw that little to no one was down at the finish line when the last of the athletes ran through. It was sad to know that as one of the top runners, I would to get more praise at my finish than someone at the end. An aspect about running that drew me to the sport, was that everyone is hurting. We all are running the same distance, on the same course, at our fastest paces. Everyone is trying just as hard as the next. Sometimes the bravest runners are not always the fastest runners.
While I lived in Oregon, my coach would ask for our team to run the last athlete in towards the finish line. Not in the manner that we were running with them to say: "we finished before you", but to let them know that we acknowledge their strength in running even when they are not the quickest. Basing off of that, I encourage everyone--athletes, parents, and coaches--to stay at the finish line until all the runners are through. We are constantly told that the running community is like a family, therefore I think we should uphold that title and acknowledge everyone on the course.
Anyhow, I hope that everyone has had a great start to their school year. Congrats to all who have made it this far without dropping and good luck to the seniors with figuring out how college applications work. Already, I am beyond excited for Belfast and can't wait for the cold, rainy weather. Catch you all in the next blog and catch me doing my rain dance at Friday's race.
Your little senior blogger,
-Anneka
