The Renegade

So this was somewhat emotional for me seeing that it's my last time racing on the course I've raced on most. I'm just thankful that it was a PR, and a big one, even if it's not as fast as I envisioned running on it my senior year, ideally, in my mind in the past, I would have liked for my final time to be low 17's or faster, but I'm still sacrificing racing well during the season so I can race amazing in the post regular season (Region and State). The weather was really bad that morning, but then it got better later, and it didn't rain at all during the meet. Got in a mile and a half warmup with the varsity guys and then we were on the line soon. I didn't worry too much about getting out fast, so I didn't psych myself out before it started. The gun went off, and 300m in, 6 of the Logan guys were in the very back of the pack. I looked behind me and I was super surprised at how little of a buffer zone there was between me and last place. But I stuck right behind Austin and we started moving up together. Stuck behind all the way through the two mile mark. They had to change the course up so it didn't hit the soft dirt (now mud) part. Befpre I get too far, Mile 1 was a 5:34, which is most likely the fastest I've ever started a cross country race. Mile 2 was 5:47, but we hadn't been passed up by anybody, only moved up. At the 2 mile mark, Austin started to pull away, and picked people off, and I picked them off eventually too. Even passed two Mt. Crest guys, and I guess I felt cool doing that because it means I could be on the varsity squad of a decent 5A team. Anyways, I got behind this Bear River kid I had never seen before, and tried to pass him but never did, he pulled away in the last straight. Did pass a Box Elder kid. Mile 3 was 5:47, last .1 was 4:50 pace. That's the first time this season that my watch has picked up a full 5K. This course is longer than it was at Aggie, which made me even happier when I found out I PR"d by nearly 30 seconds. Austin passed about 3 more people after he dropped me and ran 17:35. So I guess I would have run about that if this was the same course on a dry day. The final curve on the grass was terribly soggy, and it got my socks soaked in a matter of seconds. But yeah, I guess I'm good with that, I was just really sad that it's my last Cache-Box (with the same weather conditions as my first, ironically) and my last race on this course. I guess I was pretty dissapointed that I didn't medal, because I always thought I would medal at Cache-Box. The team didn't do well, we got dead last, but we had some tough races, and Jack was ordered to hold back a little on this race so he doesn't get a butt cramp. Average pace was 5:40. That's the same pace that I want to run at state in 5 weeks. I believe with all my heart that I can do it, I've got a lot more speedwork ahead, and I havn't dropped any mileage since the season started. Once I get my speed on and drop my mileage, that goal of sub 17:00 at state is going to be CRUSHED, MARK MY WORDS.