Follow Greely HS distance star Kirstin Sandreuter as she blogs about her senior outdoor track season. Sandreuter was the Class B state runner-up last spring in the 1600 & 3200m, and is the top returner in 2014. See what it takes to be one of the top distance runners in New England & the Nation.
We made it!! Congratulations to all graduates on a “race well run” -- I canʼt help flashing back to what I wrote in one of my first blogs of cross-country season, about “toeing the line” on the long road before us to graduation... honestly, I canʼt believe itʼs over now, with only summer and our futures stretched before us! This yearʼs been kind of like a 5k, actually -- although it might have been a little daunting at the start, and somewhat grueling in the process, it went by quicker than I first expected and brought tremendous joy and happy circumstance when all was said and done.
Aligning well with this symbolic thinking, my last race ever of high school happened to be a 5k! Although Iʼm bummed to have missed my last chance to run at the New England Championships, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to end my season with a trip to Outdoor Nationals. When I discovered I could sign up for the 5k with my 2 mile time early this season, I jumped at the chance -- Iʼve always loved the longer races that Iʼve run, so the idea of doing 12 laps on the track against some top-notch competition sounded awesome to me!
I traveled with my Dad to this one, which was really great -- the race was only at 8:20 at night, so we spent a low-key day together having breakfast at Whole Foods, taking a walk and watching some World Cup coverage in our hotel room. Then, it was time to head over to the track -- it happened that the meet was running over an hour behind, so I had plenty of time to kill once there. A special shout-out to my dad for taking on the role of coach -- from giving me the chance to pet his lucky cow hat and stopping me from doing one too many strides to filming every second of my race
and cheering for me from the stands(at the same time!), my dad has been the best companion I could ask for in my running years so far. Twelve years ago, he had to urge me just to jog to the end of the road and back together -- oh, how things have
changed ;) Thanks for everything, Dad!
Back on the subject of Nationals, the race itself was so much fun, especially since spectators were invited to the track to cheer us on! With crowds lining the outer lanes, it felt almost like the famous “relay corner” for the 4x2s in indoor track -- that comeradery and spirit is one of my favorite parts of track, for sure :)
I finished 13th overall, with a time of 17:27. Ultimately, I would have loved to break 17 minutes and/or place in the top 6 to earn All-American honors -- but, I know I raced strong, had fun, and finished ready to dive into many more performance gains ahead.
This spring did not end up including everything Iʼd hoped for as I pictured it, but honestly, when does that ever happen? Looking back on the past few months, I feel so blessed and happy with how things went -- special thanks to the coaches, team- members, family, friends and everybody else who played a role in that.
So whatʼs next? My summer plans include taking a bit of time off from running(with the exception of a Color Run that some of us Maine Track/XC girls will be joining in next weekend!), then starting my new summer training plan, attending Acadia Running
Camp, doing some races like the Clam Fest and the Beach-to-Beacon and of course, relaxing and adventuring with family and friends!
I hope all of you, especially seniors, have wonderful summers in store as well. And if you have time, take a moment to look back on where youʼve come from -- even if you feel as if youʼve fallen short of goals you set, athletically or otherwise, chances are youʼll be amazed at all that youʼve accomplished since youʼre very first experience as a high school runner. To emphasize this point, Iʼve added pictures from my first and last 5k races ever run in high school -- what a difference! Most of all, as I glance at the first picture, I remember all the nervous thoughts that flooded through my head, and how thrilled I was to cross the finish line and realize, “I can do this.” And honestly, I know that Freshman me would look at Senior me with pride.
So best of luck to everyone, no matter what your future has in store or what your goals are -- remember that high school is only the first step, and things do not always unfold as you expect. Enjoy the journey and above all, live and run with heart and spirit!
Happy summer, Kirstin :)
