For ME

Today's the big day.. I mean THE day. The day of the duhduhduh, gulp, 6 minute run. See on our cross country team we do these 6 minute runs to test our V02 Max, or our ability to use our hearts and lungs effectively. Let me tell you though, my heart is quailing right now and I still have a couple hours!! See the thing is, I shouldn't really take the 6 minute run personally. It's basically a measure of your god given talent and just because someone runs it faster than you doesn't mean they are going to be a better 5k racer. Somehow though, this 6 minute run seeps its way into each of our souls and all of us get on that starting line jittery and rarin' to go. It's a madhouse I tell you and ESPECIALLY the first one of the year, everyone wants to make a good impression on the coach and for most of us there are SCHOLARSHIPS on the line here. Justin is currently telling me that he thinks " Coach will take the 5k into perspective more than the 6 min." He fails to encourage me.

To top it all off I totally hurt my achilles last week and haven't  gotten a good and proper training run in since MONDAY! ahhhh One whole week of swim workouts and the elliptical, I might as well just claim my place in the back here and now...and yet...there's my little notebook lying slyly on th bed with my goal times for each 200 meter split of that 6 minute...and I tell you what those goals ain't based on bad-ankle-me. In any case, I am totally scared out of my pants right now but at the same time I relish it, this feeling of pumping up , of getting ready. Somehow it really doesn't matter whether I beat my teammates in this one or not. All that matters is that win or lose I LOVE this sport. I love it so much that I kept doing it, even when my scholarship was NOT renewed after my freshman year.

Last year I made a big point of that fact. I would tell my teammates "Well who cares if I only got 6th on our team, I am running for coach for free and you guys are getting paid." It was a terrible attitude...and one I would like to say has changed. I think it has anyway. If you ask me today what I run for, it's not for coach, it's not for free, it's for ME... and a teeny bit for Justin and my Dad because they just get so excited about it... so this year I am nervous, but in a good way because I am out to impress someone who I know will give me a totally fair critique...ME.