(photo Byron Horter)
Thoughts on Ohio Southwest District at VOA
10/22/2016
God blessed us with a beautiful day. It was about 50 degrees by the time the race started with a slight headwind. The team seemed ready to go for the race despite the fact that we weren't on extremely fresh legs. We warmed up one and a half miles, stretched, and did our drills and strides at the start line. Not too much later, the gun blasted and we were off. I got out decently fast, but my plan was to keep myself relaxed throughout the entire race. By the 400 mark, I hopped into the lead and didn't look back. I had a comfortable lead by the 1200 mark, so I decided to settle in and cruised through the first mile in 4:38 with no problems. I kept myself relaxed through the mile and a half mark and even smiled quite a bit as I reached the Lakota East girls XC team, who was screaming at me. I raced through the two-mile mark at 9:37 feeling great. I realized that I was close to a sub 15 race, it would just take the last mile to really push and I could get it. Although it wasn't the original plan, I decided to push a tad bit harder than I did before in the race, still feeling good doing it. The last mile went by in a breeze, and I reached the three-mile marker in 14:30. I ran up hill to the finish and had an "Awe Shucks" moment when I saw the clock tick over 15 minutes, and I finished in 15:02.1. Despite the fact that I didn't get under 15, I had a very comfortable race, as well as a confidence boosting race to start the post season, and I was proud of it. I tried to shake as many hands as I could after the race and got to see all my guys run big PRs and come runner-up in the District. It seems as though everything is clicking at the right time for the Lakota East XC team and we have some serious momentum going into the regional meet at Troy. Overall, I felt comfortable throughout the race and had fun while doing it, even smiling at the crowd a few times. To me, that's what cross country is all about.
(photo Byron Horter)
Special Moment: My special moment from this week didn't come from my training or my race, but from a mid-week announcement by Ohio Milesplit Web Master Mark Stonecipher. Mark announced his retirement from his position at Milesplit on Wednesday. I just wanted to take this moment and thank Mark for how great he has been to all Ohio runners, my family, and myself. Mark asked me personally my sophomore year at the OHSAA preseason meet to blog my journey throughout High School XC and it has been a great experience ever since then. Mark has been very encouraging and complimentary of not only myself, but many generations of XC runners throughout the state. It's been a privilege to be able to share my race day experiences with Mark and Milesplit, and I know Mark is going to be missed by Ohio. Once again, thank you Mark for everything you've done for Ohio Cross Country, I wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Editors Note: THANK YOU DUSTIN!
(photo Byron Horter)
