Southeast Regional Championships

Early AM: 1/2 mile shakeout
AM: 2.5 mile w/u + strides
6k race
1+ mile c/d
Total: 8 miles



The morning of my first and possibly last XC meet started bright and early--literally. It started early because the entire team woke up for a 7:15 am shakeout prior to getting the day started. This consisted of me waking up just in time to throw on a pair of shoes and walk out the door. I was immediately greeted by the 31-degree chill that permeated the air, and was thankful that the sun was already shining brightly.

Once our wog was complete, it was time to get packed up and ready to head to the course. The women would be running first, at 9:30, so our warmup began almost immediately upon arrival. I was excited to see so many familiar faces who had made the drive from Charlotte to watch us--Jeannie (our athletic director and, might I add, fellow Horned Frog alum), Tim (our compliance officer), Chandler and pup Sanford (both decked out in Queens gear), xc alum Sairy, both Jess's and Holly's parents, and of course Jordan and Tanya. This would really make a difference for me later in the race each time I received a much-needed boost from their shouted encouragement.


Pre-race prayer with QU Athletic Director Jeannie King

Over almost before it began, our warmup was uneventful. It also became apparent that despite the cooler temps, the sunshine made previously considered accessories like gloves and arm warmers unnecessary. In fact, once we finished our strides and huddled up for a pre-race prayer, I was quite comfortable in nothing but my singlet and spandex. Mentally, however, I wasn't quite as comfortable. I found myself unexpectedly much more nervous than I'd anticipated, in equal parts because of worrying about my hip (though it felt fine to this point) and about contributing to the team.

Once the gun went off, however, none of that would matter. The old competitive instincts took over and I allowed myself to turn off my thoughts and get swept along with the masses. I knew it was imperative that I take things incredibly easy the first two miles, as I had no idea how my body would respond to almost 4 miles of hard running (considering that my predator run last week was 2 miles and Tuesday's 800s only amounted to 3). The first mile passed quickly, and this would be the only mile split I would hear: 6:21. It's probably for the best that I didn't hear any others, as I would've no doubt grown frustrated with my pace. Instead, I pushed all thoughts of time completely out of my head and instead concentrated on the sole goal of catching people. I was feeling surprisingly in control at this point, and could already tell that some of the girls around me were breathing much more heavily than I was.


The elusive Dark Knight caught on film while tracking our race

Between miles 1 and 3 I saw several familiar faces, including Jordan (several times), Jenna, Scott, Chandler and most of the guys. I'd told them in advance not to patronize me with things like "You look great!" or "You're almost there!" when both of those comments were obvious lies. In fact, I specifically asked the guys to think of something funny to say instead, and I had to crack a smile just before the 3 mile mark when Oscar shouted, "Okay, um, sorry I can't think of anything funny...but...enjoy the experience!"


Doing work

And, surprisingly enough, I was enjoying the experience for most of the race. My deliberately conservative first half meant that although I was certainly fatigued toward the end, I was nowhere near as cashed as I'd expected/feared. I was surprised to find myself passing Holly around the 5k mark, and knowing that Jess and Maraya weren't that far ahead gave me a confidence boost. The last time I saw Jordan he'd told me I was in 14th place, and at this point the realization dawned on me that I was going to be able to snag a top 10 spot. There was a small group of girls ahead but I was gaining on them, and I knew I had enough in the tank to pass before the finishing straightaway. Once I rounded the final bend there was nothing standing between me and the finish line but a 200-meter straight shot (and, of course, the building lactic acid). I launched into my version of a kick, which felt impressive enough to me but evidently wasn't enough to shake the girl who walked me down in the final 10 meters. Sigh. Still, in the end I finished in 9th place, a solid third on our team behind Maraya (5th) and Jess (6th). I knew Holly was close behind and hoped Katie was as well, but at this point I wasn't sure what our team score would be.


Futsum, Oscar and Simon jump out to an early lead in the men's race

There wasn't much time to reflect on our results at this point, as the men were set to start in a few minutes. For the next half hour I "cooled down" by running back and forth over the course trying to catch the Queens guys in as many places as possible. The team making it to Nationals was a certainty despite Mike being injured, but it was still fun to watch them completely dominate the competition (and to watch Oscar win by an eyelash in a sprint finish with a Kenyan from Columbus State). With 6 Queens runners in the top 15, victory was certain before the race was even over.


Oscar's photo finish

For the women, however, the results were still up in the air. We were fairly sure we'd routed former champs Lees-McRae, as we put 4 before their 2nd, but the red and white Columbus State uniforms seemed to crop up quite a bit in the top 20. When the scores were finally posted, it showed us in second place--by one point. 68 Columbus State, 69 Queens. Though this automatically gave us a team berth to Nationals, it also caused a bit of a stir with our coaches. Because the race was not chip-timed, nor were the promised backup cameras in place at the finish, the only scoring system to fall back on was the pull-tag system. Thanks, D2. Scott made a prudent move to challenge the final results and request a recount, though I think we all knew the outcome would remain the same. Was this score correct? Probably, but who knows. Oh, and the girl who passed me in the final seconds of the race...yup, she was from Columbus State. Shoot me.

I've already rambled on far too long, so let me close out now with a few final thoughts. First and most importantly, history was made today for Queens XC. Never before has the school sent a women's team to Nationals. We all know that we sit in a weak region and that two weeks from now we'll be in an entirely different ballgame, but today was simply about celebrating all the hard work and dedication this team has put in this year. For myself, today was a solid start. Honestly I'm just thankful for the opportunity to be out there, even if it is this late in the game. The hip felt fine, and I'm confident my fitness will increase exponentially over the next few weeks. This may turn into one of the shortest cross-country seasons on record, but I'm determined to make the most of it. Overall, I couldn't be prouder of my team and more excited to represent Queens at D2 Nationals on November 21st.