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,

 

 

 

NOW = No Opportunity Wasted!

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I’m so excited to be a NOW energy bar athlete and part of a team of athletes who also live life to the max! If you’ve never heard of NOW, definitely go check them out: NOWenergybar.com

 

This picture was from the USA Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June in Arlington, Texas. I won the 1500m event and it was my last race of the season. I had a blast! Right after this picture was taken, we went straight to Six Flags for some more high energy thrills!

I’ve been having a great summer running and cross-training, getting ready for the cross-country season. I’ll be sharing more of my NOW adventures here and over on my blog at NOW.

See ya!

 

 

 

PS – In case you are wondering about my intention to break the national record in the 1500m event, I did my absolute best but was unable to do it. After my last post, I did manage to cut another second off my time, but breaking the record proved to be 1 more second out of reach. I don’t regret pushing myself to reach a higher goal. That is probably the reason I continued to PR with every race. Don’t be discouraged if you try for something and you don’t get it. There is always next time!

 

 

3.3 Seconds

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I have 3.3 seconds on my mind.

Sometimes I think- that’s so short. Some roller coaster ride drops are around that long, and I think they’re way too short. On the other hand, 3.3 seconds can seem like forever, like if you had to stand in an ice-cold shower for that long. Brrrr!

3.3 seconds…

Last weekend, I ran a new personal best time in the 1500m run at the LA Jets Track and Field Invitational. I reached my goal for the season which was to beat 4:47 by running 4:46.97. Since I had been working really hard and getting faster each week, I was really happy and proud of myself.

When I saw the official results, I discovered an interesting fact: the national record which was set back in 2005, is 4:43.70. And I realized…

3.3 seconds is how far I am from breaking the national record.

AND I REALLY WANT TO DO IT.

So, as it turns out, I reached my original goal and already have a new one in place. There are only a few more weeks left in the season and I know they will be difficult and painful. I am choosing to believe that in this case, 3.3 seconds is on the short side and I’m going to go for it 200%. Everything I’ve been doing is going to get taken up another several notches. I’m ready for it and I’m excited about the possibilities.

I have a new motto: Train insane or remain the same.

Until next time…

 

 

 

 

The “Field”

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I am just starting my 2nd season of Track and Field where my usual events are the 1500m run and the 800m run. This year I wanted to add the Field part of Track and Field to my schedule.

I decided to try the Long Jump. I have no training in it, but who cares? It is sooooo fun! All you have to do is run up to a white line and make sure that your foot doesn’t pass it when you take off (otherwise the jump doesn’t count.) Your goal is to jump as far as you can. You get 3 tries and they take your longest distance.

It sounds pretty simple, right? The idea of it is, but it can be hard to make sure your foot doesn’t go past the white line. You want to get as close as possible to the edge, though, so you don’t lose any distance in your jump. And you want to run fast so you have a lot of momentum going into the jump. Finally, you don’t want to fall backwards when you land because they measure from the first body part marked in the sand. So if you fall back onto your hand, they’ll measure to there instead of to where your foot landed. It’s a lot of things to think about and do at the same time.

These photos are from this past weekend’s meet:

I got so much sand in my ear after that jump! Ha ha ha

I’d love to hear from anyone who trains in this event. Any tips you could share with a beginner?

Results.

End of the year thoughts…

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I heard that a picture is worth a thousand words.

This picture was from an 800m race in May 2011 during the final 100 meter stretch to the finish. That’s me and my good friend, Willie. We became friends after racing against each other practically every single week during track season. He is an incredible competitor and amazing runner. I love his spirit and HEART.

I think this picture is so cool. I remember that moment very clearly.

And in the photo below, we are just being buddies 🙂 This was taken in New Orleans at the AAU Junior Olympics in August.

I was the only person from my team there and I also didn’t have my coach. It can be a little scary being all by yourself.

The cool thing was, Willie and his teammates and even his coach helped me feel less “alone” out there. It makes such a big difference when you are surrounded by thousands of competitors from all over the country.

Any familiar faces feel like home no matter whose team they’re on.

Here are a few photos from throughout the year of friends old and new who have inspired me in so many ways (that a thousand words could not even describe!):




It’s been a really fun year. I feel so lucky to have met and made so many amazing friends this year. They taught me how to win and lose gracefully, how to break through personal goals, and how to never give up. What champions! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 🙂

I wish you all a joyful and blessed new year!