2012 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships

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I am back from Albuquerque, New Mexico where I competed in the USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. What a weekend! My family drove from California on Thursday. It took us 13 hours including all of our stops for food and gas. My sister and I enjoyed the ride- we always have fun stuff to do.

On Friday morning I went out to Balloon Fiesta Park where the race course was. I did a course run-through and noticed right away that I had a bit of trouble breathing. Albuquerque is about 5500 feet above sea level. I had heard a lot about the altitude being something to be aware of, but I had no idea what it would feel like until then. I had to breathe a lot harder which I wasn’t used to. After doing the course run-through, I did some drills and hard strides at the start. For some reason I felt like I needed to run the full course again. I wanted to be really familiar with every turn and all of the terrain. So I did it again.

My family and I had a really nice lunch, rested up for a bit, and then attended the Opening Ceremonies at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The Governor of Albuquerque welcomed us and US Olympic Silver medalist, Leo Manzano spoke. He specializes in the 1500m distance, something I am very familiar with, so I enjoyed watching his highlight video and hearing him talk about how he got to the Olympic podium.

I noticed that after the Opening Ceremonies, I was feeling really exhausted and my throat was starting to bother me. It felt really dry and it hurt when I swallowed. I asked if we could skip going out for dinner and go straight to the hotel. We ordered room service and I got in bed right away. During the night I woke up constantly because I was coughing and sniffling a lot. I didn’t get much sleep but I tried not to worry about it.

The next morning, I knew I must have caught something because I was congested and my throat still felt horrible. What could I do? Nothing, so I just ignored it and drank a lot of water. We went to Starbucks for breakfast where I had a bagel and some hot water with honey. I knew that my race was in a couple hours and all I had to do was get through it somehow.

When we got to the course, I immediately started moving to stay warm. The temperature outside was very cold, about 33 degrees. Even though my cough was bad, it was hard not to get excited with all the people and athletes there. When it was time to check-in for my race, I felt like I was as ready as I ever would be. I said goodbye to my family and headed to the staging tent.

At the start line, I practiced a few starts and strides. I could see my family up ahead and I just tried to stay calm and focused. Once the race began my mind emptied. I controlled my start, ran the pace I knew, and pumped my arms. About a mile into the course my arms really started to hurt like never before. I don’t know why, but they were killing me! I felt like I was carrying bricks. I was also feeling tired and winded. I think it was the altitude. I never looked behind me so I had no idea where anyone else was- I just kept running.

When I crossed the finish line first, I felt so amazing. My family was there to greet me which made me really happy.

 

Here is a video of the race. Happy Holidays everyone and see you next year!

A Winter Track Meet

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Last night, instead of a regular cross country practice, my coach told our team to join in on a local track meet. So we all went to Cathedral Catholic High School for the Winter Distance Festival. I didn’t know what to expect but realized shortly after we arrived that this was going to be fun. No pressure, pretty casual. It was a small turnout with mostly high school runners and I like running against new people.

I entered the 3200m event and ran in the Junior/Senior Girls group. I just got some new spikes and this was my first chance to try them out. They were AWESOME!!! So light. They felt like air. If you’re wondering which ones I have, I have the Brooks Mach 14. I LOVE THEM!!!

Anyway, I’ve never done a 3200m at the track so I decided to just treat it like a cross country race and run my own race. For the first 4 laps, I was in the lead but got overtaken by one girl. I could tell from her pace that if I picked up my own pace, I would not be able to keep it up for the distance so I stayed at my pace and tried to keep the distance between us from getting too far apart. I managed to do this and stayed about 30m behind her until the last 300m where I started to pick up my pace and try to lessen the gap.

Down the final 100m stretch, I managed to come in 2 seconds behind her. I was really proud of myself.

I just learned her name and this is the girl who beat me.

I have 8 days left to go before Nationals. Stay healthy everyone!

 

 

 

My first half marathon

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This weekend I ran my first half marathon to benefit Medals 4 Mettle San Diego. I had a great time. I met some really nice runners. Actually, ALL runners are really nice. 🙂 It’s true!

Anyway, one of the guys I ran with was really funny, talkative, and enthusiastic. His name is Steve and he kept making “WOO WOO” sounds that made me laugh. He led our group through all kinds of hills. Every time we came to a hill he would name it after someone in our group. He named a hill and a bridge after me 🙂

Steve just qualified for the Boston Marathon during his race at the Chicago Marathon last month. He runs 3 marathons a month!

This is Steve and me after our run. See how happy he is?

I was really proud of myself for completing the 13.1 miles. I’ve never run that far in a single run before. And it was fun! The most exciting part was earning a big, cool medal to donate to someone who is fighting for their life. Sometimes these medals go to kids and I am happy to run on their behalf ANY TIME.

 

My 4th Annual Turkey Trot

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I ran at the Oceanside Turkey Trot for the 4th year in a row this year. It was great. I really love our family tradition of waking up really early on Thanksgiving morning and driving to Oceanside’s Pier to race. I started when I was 7 years old, running the mile race. This year, I decided to run in the 5k race AND the mile race.

It was another beautiful day and I hadn’t run a 5k in over a year, so I was excited to see if I could maybe get a new PR. Every year this event has grown and this year there were over 5000 runners in the 5k! I felt okay during this race. My tummy was bothering me for some reason but I just ignored it. I finished in 18:11 which was a new PR for me by over a minute. I wasn’t feeling to well after the race and I needed to sit down. After about 20 minutes and a little bit of food, I started to feel better.

The results were posted and it turned out that I won the 12-unders division- yeah! My mile race was coming up so I went to the starting line. I wasn’t sure how I would do since I already had a 5k in my legs, but I would do my best to run as if I were fresh.

I don’t know what happened but during the race, I FELT AMAZING! I felt so so so strong. I couldn’t believe how good everything felt. I caught up to the rabbits and passed one of them. As I neared the finish, I felt like I could have gone on and on. I didn’t feel tired. It was really really cool. I ended up winning the 12-unders and got a new PR for the mile, too, with a time of 5:23. This is me catching the rabbits 🙂

After my race, I quickly ran back to the starting line to meet my little sister who was also running the mile race. She is 7 years old and her race was going to start in less than 10 minutes. She likes it when I run with her so I wanted to make it back in time. Luckily, I did but I held back to let the kids get off the starting line. Mia was in the front group after about 50 meters when I hopped in next to her. Even though she doesn’t like running as much as I do, she runs really well.

As we neared the finish, I jumped out of the race to let her finish by herself. She took 2nd place with a time of 7:04! I was really proud of her.

What a way to start Thanksgiving! We all went home and Mom cooked a delicious turkey and we had the best apple crumble pie and ice cream for dessert! Yum!!!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too!

Kicking things up another notch

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*guest post at Team NOW

We’ve just past the Halloween mark and for me, that means it’s time to kick my training up another notch. I am five weeks away from the Junior Olympic National Cross Country Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I’ve been having a great season but am ready to start breaking new ground.

I always use Halloween as my marker because it happens to be one of my favorite holidays. I love getting into costume and going out in the neighborhood with my friends. This year I collected a lot of candy and like every year, I have two pieces and then I go on a candy fast until after Nationals. My favorite candy is candy corn and that is a big no-no when it comes to nutrition and fueling my body for peak performance.

Starting this week, I’m increasing my training schedule and will be raising the intensity even more. It’s going to get uncomfortable but it’s what you have to do. Over the next five weeks, I’ll be focusing on getting plenty of sleep, water, nutrition, and quality practices.

What are you all doing to raise your game?

Talk soon,

 

 

 

Don’t just practice… Practice like a champ!

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*guest post at Team NOW

I read an awesome quote today by someone called, Coach K. He said,

“To have championship season, you have to have championship practices.”

I really really believe that is true. I’ve always thought that it doesn’t matter how many practices I go to, or how long I practice for. If I don’t bring my absolute best efforts TO the practice, I may as well not count it. Last year when I won the Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship, I knew in my heart that I didn’t just have a great race. I had great practices. Even though there were so many days when I didn’t feel like giving 100%, I always reminded myself what I wanted and why I was there in the first place.

I WANTED A CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON.

When I remember why I am there, it is much easier to dig deep and endure the challenges. Just last week, I had to do a hills workout in 90+ degree heat. I knew it was going to be painful. I had 3 hills to choose from and I picked the steepest, toughest one.

14 of these with a single 1-minute rest in the middle made for my championship practice.

Until next time– keep crushing it.

 

 

 

 

If you fall… Get back up!

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*guest post at Team NOW

Hello NOW friends!

Yesterday I was up near Los Angeles for a cross country race. It was my first meet of the season so I was really excited. When we arrived, my coach told me he bumped me up to the next age division for some extra competition. Yeah! I love the challenge of chasing more people so this was great news.

The 2-mile course had all the cool things I love about cross country: hills, stones, gravel, cement, dirt, and tree roots. As always, I studied the course and started my pre-race preparation routine.

Before any race or stressful event (like a test!) I always go through some exercises in my mind that help me remain calm. I think about times when I was at my extreme personal best and I try to relive everything about those moments. What was I feeling? How was I breathing? What were the sights, sounds, and smells? I can’t explain what it does to me except that I get into a feeling that is like relaxed intensity. My shoulders and fists are not tight. My breathing is deep and controlled. I am calm, but I am also really focused and ready for battle!

At the starting line, I had a clear vision of what was going to happen. After the horn sounded, everything went as it did in my head. I was in the lead group feeling strong and controlled. I kept about 3 strides distance behind the leader the entire first half, noticing and respecting his pace. I didn’t know if I would be able to pass him but I believed I could and I was certainly going to go for it at the right time!

That was the plan.

However, somewhere closer to the end I came to a sharp turn on the gravel. I lost my footing and slipped and fell.. hard. Even though I’d seen and heard stories of other people falling during races, that was the first time it had ever happened to me. It all happened so quickly that before I could think about it, I was already up again and running.

When I visualize my races, I never imagine falling or anything else that I don’t want to happen. I only imagine flawless races where everything that is in my control goes exactly as planned. There is nothing I can do about things that are out of my control and so I don’t spend any time worrying about those things. When I fell, the only thing I knew to do was to run because that was the original plan and giving up is never an option.

I’m grateful for the experience and I can’t wait to tear up the trails again!

Until next time,

 

 

 

Pacific Coast Triathlon

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*guest post at Team NOW

This past Sunday I was in Laguna Niguel at Crystal Cove Park for the Pacific Coast Triathlon. It was the SoCal Youth Tri Series Championship race featuring slightly longer distances (which I love!)

The weather was great and I had a blast. The swim is my least favorite part because people are always bumping you and kicking because there are so many people bunched up together trying to get through the water. I just try to remain calm and do my best to manage not to get kicked in the face 🙂 This distance was very manageable at 300 yards.

The swim to bike transition was interesting. It was a pretty long and steep hill – I’d say at least 200m. I was probably the 8th or 9th swimmer out of the water, but I powered up to T1 and I think I was 2nd or 3rd entering the bike portion.

The bike had some big hills! It was 6 miles. By the time I reached the U-turn, I believe I was in the lead overall. There weren’t anymore youth athletes ahead of me and I started to catch some adults from the previous wave.

A smooth T2 led to the run which is my favorite part. I felt strong and enjoyed the mile and a half to the end. I pushed as though I were in last place and was happy to see my family at the finish line.

Based on my points earned in the entire series, I also captured the series championship. I am really excited about this because there is an organization (Medals 4 Mettle) which gives triathlon and marathon medals to patients who are fighting for their lives. I will be donating my medal and hope it will lift someone’s spirits even if it’s just a little.

Thanks for reading, NOW Friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone I watch and learn from..

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*guest post at Team NOW

Hello Friends!

My parents have always taught me to surround myself with positive people who inspire me. So I try to hang around people I admire. These people are friends, family members, authors, speakers, professional athletes, etc. I “hang around” them by spending time with them, reading their books, listening to them speak, or watching their videos.

Heather Jackson is one of these people. She’s a professional triathlete and a local hero of mine. Even though I only met her once, I do continue to read about her in news articles and follow her progress as a competitor.

This picture was taken earlier this year in May during a local triathlon we were both competing in. She spent a bit of time talking with me. I appreciated how encouraging she was and I also enjoyed watching her win the next morning.

This week I read an article about Heather on Triathlete.com. It talked about how she is competing in the Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Las Vegas this Sunday. I read that she has been doing some really intense training in Colorado for the past month to prepare. She seems super focused. I was surprised to read she lost 20 pounds in order to improve her run time. I also liked reading about how she’s been working on her mental training. Sometimes it seems like you can be the best athlete, but if you don’t believe you can do it, you can easily be beaten by other people who may not be as fast or as strong as you, but have a stronger mind. Even professionals continue to work on these skills.

I am so excited to see how her race goes on Sunday. I have also been doing a lot of cross-training and will be competing in a Socal Series Championship Triathlon on the same morning. I’m looking forward to the race and I definitely plan to go all out like Heather on race day!

Until next time, have an awesome weekend!

 

 

 

 

Triathletes ROCK.

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Last weekend, I met a super cool, very inspiring, and incredible triathlete named John Hatala. He is a retired Marine who competes in various triathlons including IronMan and XTerra races. Since I love competing in triathlons, I was so excited to be able to ask Mr. Hatala questions about training, races, and expert tips.

I learned that he is the 2011 Western Region XTerra Champion. I had never heard of the XTerra races, and as he talked about them, my eyes got bigger and bigger. It’s basically an OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON where the run and bike is OFF-ROAD. That means like dirt, rocks, streams, and mountains.. and a DIRT BIKE! So cool.

I had no idea there were such competitions and now I have it on my list of things I want to do when I am old enough. Mr. Hatala had all kinds of stories from his experiences that really showed how brave and dedicated he is to the sport and to always improving.

He is a bike enthusiast so I learned about the importance of bike maintenance, weight considerations, and training methods. He talked about the importance of monitoring his heart rate during training so he could improve the efficiency of his heart muscle for endurance. He talked about pacing, nutrition, pre-race preparation.. so many things.

One time during a triathlon, he said he had a panic attack during the first few minutes of the swim. The water was freezing cold and it sort of took his breath away. He had pre-race nerves and when he entered the water, he found that he simply couldn’t move. So he floated onto his back and just slowly waved his arms back and forth to stay afloat until the panic attack went away and he was able to turn over and start swimming. I thought this was really amazing because he is a well-trained athlete and I learned that something like that can happen to anyone at anytime.

I was most grateful that he would take an hour and a half out of his weekend to talk and share tips with me. He said that triathletes as a community are pretty laid-back and enjoy a sense of comraderie(sp?). Just by sitting with me, I felt like I got to experience a piece of that community! Thank you, Mr. Hatala!!!!