Buzz Cut: Before and After

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This weekend I’m heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. It’s going to be very very very HOT out there. In preparation for the heat, I decided to cut my hair really short. I can’t remember when I had really short hair so it was fun to see how it would turn out.

One cool thing was one of my best friends heard I was going to do it and he said he would do it, too! So we both went to Supercuts together at the same time.

Here is our “before” shot:

And here is our “after” shot:

Wow. Short, huh? That’s my buddy, John. Actually, he’s my brother from another mother 🙂 He’s a super smart guy and extremely fast swimmer. I wish he and I could team up on triathlons. I could use his speed!!

Anyway, now that my hair is more aerodynamic, I’m ready for Youth Nationals!!!

I love my competitors :)

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Last weekend I went to Los Angeles for a Track & Field meet hosted by the LA Jets Youth Track Club. Each year they attract some of the best track and field athletes in the region.

I entered two events: the 1500m and the 800m dash. My first race was the 1500m. Since that distance is what I consider to be “my race”, I did not want to save anything for later. My coach told me to run until I had absolutely nothing left. He said this because he knew that I would be racing against several top runners including a boy who just ran a 5:01 (fastest in the country) the week before.

My fastest time ever was 5:06 and Coach said that if I was going to break the 5-minute mark, it would probably be at this meet.

You can watch the race below (I’m in the yellow tank top): **It was extremely windy (20mph).. so bear with the sound..

It was a surprising race. I was expecting a very close, head-to-head battle and the whole time I thought someone was right behind me. It worked because it got me a new personal record (4:59.42)! 🙂

For my next race (800m), I knew that I would again, be racing against extremely fast runners and that they would be racing in the lanes right next to me! It was an exciting thought and also one that gave me my usual butterflies.

Here is the race below:

 

I liked this race because it was the first time all season that I was chasing somebody else. I gave it my best and in doing so I made another new personal record (2:30.60)! It was a totally different experience and I had fun.

After my races I usually talk with some of the other competitors and they are all really cool kids who work hard and are kind. He was no different.

This is why I love and appreciate my competitors. Win or lose, they bring out the best in me and help me push myself to new highs!