HS Bloggers: Liam Simpson Cape Elizabeth HS #2

 

Follow Cape Elizabeth HS distance star Liam SImpson as he blogs about his senior xc season. Simpson was one of the top xc runners in Class B last fall finishing 6th and leading his team to the state title. Liam was 33rd in the New England meet last fall, and is the 9th fastest returner in the region. Check out Liam in his quest to lead his team to another state title.

 

 

Well, believe it or not, that time of the year has crept up on us again: school starts tomorrow. In our sport, summer's final hours dwindling also means the end of summer training. It's finally time to stop worrying, "have I trained hard enough?" or "am I prepared for the season?" Because now, what's done (or hasn't been done) is past and all that's left is the will to prove ourselves on the trail. On the day of our first meet, we all start with a clean slate. The work began months ago, but the payoff starts on race day.
 
The final weeks of my summer were climactic to say the least. My team went to our annual preseason camp last weekend, and per usual, it was a blast. The camp we go to is located in a near perfect location, surrounded by mountains and dirt roads to run on, just outside of Fryeburg and across the state border in New Hampshire. The experience was capped off by our 1.5- mile downhill time trial, with cinnamon buns for those who beat both our own and our coaches goals. The famous time trial is always a good fitness gauge as we enter the season, and a good rust buster for our legs, having not done a whole lot of faster paced work during the summer. Another highlight of our trip was the 100 minute long run we did on the final day of the trip. For most of the team, it was the longest run we've ever done. The idyllic location, perfect trails, and fast pace all came together to make one heck of a memorable run.
 
As the beginning of the season finally closes in, I'm also beginning to realize with growing sadness that this is the last year I'll ever run high school cross country. It's been such a formative part of my high school years and coming to terms with the fact that it's going to end soon is tough. However, with this newfound understanding of my favorite sport's fleeting last season, I've become more motivated than ever to place extra importance on this year, and for lack of a better phrase, run my heart out. I hope that all the other runners that have helped make cross country such an experience do the same this year.