Follow York senior Heather Evans as she blogs about her indoor track season. Evans is a distance runner who runs the 800-2mile. She has personal best of 5:24.62 in the mile, 2:33.47 in the 800 & 12:10.54 for 2 miles. A year ago Heather placed 7th in the mile at the Class B state meet.
SNOW DAY! As I sit in front of my wood stove, on this lovely snowy morning, I can’t help but reminisce about where I was at this point last season...
Last year, during the 800 in WMCs, I sprained a ligament in my foot. I was devastated. I had felt something uncomfortable during the mile, but ignored it. While cooling down, and getting ready for the 800, I felt it again, but I thought it was nerves, so I kept going. My coach told me to do whatever I could in the 800, I had run a great race in the mile, and didn’t need another. So with those thoughts in mind I lined up for the 800. Me and my teammate Lydia were seeded 3rd and 5th, but were going to try for a 1st, 2nd finish. We were determined to do just that, and we went out fast. We held 1 and 2 for the first two laps, but then the uncomfortable feeling came back. Except this time it wasn’t just an annoying discomfort, it was a constant stabbing pain. I fought for a little, but people started passing me, and I knew it wasn’t worth it.
Lydia went on to finish 2nd, and me 17th, but it wasn’t that race that upset me, it was the fact that I wouldn’t be able to compete for a top 3 finish in the mile at States like I’d hoped. All of the hard work and effort I had put into this season, was taken away from me. For the week leading up to States, I was limited to biking, and jogging very slowly for very short periods of time. Mostly I just stretched and iced, and hoped that my foot would magically heal in a week. At States, I warmed up on a bike, and prepared to give it my all despite the circumstance, but I just couldn’t settle into my normal pace. I managed a 7th place finish with a 5:45, and was restricted to cross training for the month in between indoor and outdoor.
This past weekend, I had a much more successful meet at WMCs. I placed second in the mile and two mile, and our girls team came 2nd overall! Now that a new year has come, and another season has almost passed, I am so grateful that I am healthy, and so excited to be able to taper normally for States! In four days, I won’t be praying for time that will squeeze me into the top 7, I will stay relaxed, run confident, and leave it all on the track. I am aiming for a top three finish, and will give it everything I have. No matter what happens though, I am just happy that I have trained hard and stayed injury free!
I wish everyone the best of luck at States, and hope that we all stay healthy! The euphoric feeling after a successful race lasts forever, whereas the pain that you feel during the race in only temporary. Leave it all on the line! Run smooth, run proud, and run happy.(:
~Heather
