East Tennessee State University

AM: 59 mins.
8 miles
PM: 27 mins. + strides, stretching
~3.5 miles

My morning run found me touring familiar territory in Freedom Park and on the bike path before the team embarked for the Niswonger Invitational at East Tennessee State University. The school is located in Johnson City, TN (wherever that is), and was roughly a three hour drive from Charlotte.

We arrived at the meet site just after 5pm and set up camp inside the stadium. I've never been to an indoor track before and I've gotta admit, I was a bit overwhelmed. The nice thing about this facility is that the track measures 276 meters (as opposed to the standard 200 meters for most indoor tracks), which means--at least for my first time--this will feel more like the outdoor track I'm accustomed to.


My view from the bleachers at ETSU

Jess, Holly, Tanya and I took in our second runs on and around the ETSU campus. Temperatures had dropped considerably since we left Charlotte (and we drove through a barrage of snow flurries while on the mountain pass) and I was the 'tard wearing shorts on the run (although my Oxy Socks did help out considerably in the heat department). Basically this jaunt was freezing cold and windy and we just wanted to finish up as soon as possible. Once we were back inside and our bodies had reached a comfortable temperature, we hopped onto the track and did some strides on the backstretch. I wish I could say I felt awesome, but in reality my legs felt pretty tight and flat. I'm hoping it's just nerves. After everyone finished up it was off to dinner and then to the hotel for an early bedtime. It's almost game day.