MileStat.com is bringing back a popular feature from several years ago with weekly journal blogs from some of the state's top athletes. Hopefully, these journals will allow site visitors to get to know better some of the Virginia's best runners in what's going on with their running and life in general as they share a little bit about both. The last season that we posted athlete journals, the participating runners definitely grew a greater fan base and a few more cheers at meets from the site followers of their weekly blogs.
Western Albemarle senior Mattie Webb (pictured above by John Olson of scrunners.com) joins the group of Virginia elite high school runners now contributing weekly journal blogs for MileStat.com. Webb's introductory journal also recaps the week leading into her 18:20 cross country 5K personal best performance as the top Virginian finisher at the Maymont Festival's invitational division. Webb came into this season as a runner expected to go to the next level following a fantastic ending to her outdoor season running under 11 minutes for 3200 meters and 18 flat minute performance for 5K on the track at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. She has done nothing but live up to those pre-season expectations with a 11:03 two mile trial on a MileStat.com workout visit, posting one of the fastest splits ever at the Ragged Mountain Cup, and winning the Judges Classic in dominant fashion prior to her Maymont race. The former swimmer converted to running superstar travels with her Western Albemarle teammates down to Cary, North Carolina this weekend for the Great American Cross Country Festival.
Mattie Webb Journal Entry #1 - 9/28/2010
Hi everyone! First of all, I hope everyone is having a great 2010 cross country season! My name is Mattie Webb and I am a senior at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet (pronounced crow-zay), Virginia. I have been given the opportunity to keep a weekly journal on all of my running experiences. When MileStat.com asked me if I wanted to do this, I thought they were asking the wrong person! I am sure there are many people out there that are better runners and writers than I am. In all honesty, I am very thankful to God for giving me this opportunity. I am completely honored and will try my best to write interesting entries to share with everyone. (Please excuse my occasional grammatical errors)
To begin, I’m using this first entry to give you a brief introduction. One thing I know for certain about myself is that I LOVE running! However, what a lot of people don’t know about me is that I was a very serious swimmer for the first sixteen years of my life. I am talking about a year-round swimmer who woke up at 4:45 AM daily to drive to practice. I never missed a practice and was very opposed to doing another sport. Entering my freshman year at WAHS, I approached my parents, telling them that I was ready for a change. They suggested running, as they had always been runners themselves. I nervously joined the team, not knowing it would have such an impact on my life.
Photo by Ryan Kelly
I still continued to swim yet I secretly hated it. Who really likes jumping into cold water before 5 AM? However, not knowing what I was meant to succeed in, I continued being a two sport athlete, running only six months of the year. After a frustrating junior swim season, I realized I wanted to be very successful at something. As a result, I dedicated myself to running. I told my parents my expectations. They probably thought I was crazy, but, being supportive, they told me I had no limits to what I could accomplish.
Finally, leading into senior year, I gradually built up to 50 miles per week over the summer (after a break following the New Balance Nationals). I got the chance to run with many amazing runners at the High Performance Distance Academy in Blacksburg, which I would highly recommend to anyone who has a drive to improve. I knew what I was capable of and couldn’t wait for the season to begin!
As for my team, they are awesome! Coach Katie Pugh is an amazing coach! She has been there for me all four years and has guided me on everything. My teammates are very laid back in general, but very hard working when it comes to practice and racing. Both Claire Johnson and I are the captains. We try our best to be good team leaders and lead by example. Our team has very high expectations, yet we still have time for fun! The highlight of the summer was our team camp in the beautiful Canaan Valley of West Virginia. We had hard runs, like the notorious mountain run, but combined it with fun traditions, such as dance parties and scavenger hunts.
After returning from camp, we started to get psyched for our first meet, the Ragged Mountain Cup. I was so nervous, as it was my first race and everyone had high expectations for me. However, I didn’t let that get to me. I won it individually and dropped nearly a minute and a half from my previous best time. Our relay team (Me, Killian, Katie, and Claire) was also victorious. In addition, I got to see my brother Cy run in the open race, destroying my freshman time. Next up was the Judges Classic, which Peri Bowser ran with a shattered ankle (though she didn’t know at the time) and still managed a fast time on a tough course. Western won again, getting our season off to a great start!
(Photo left by Frank Locascio)
Maymont, one of the biggest meets in Virginia, was last weekend. This was a huge breakthrough race for me. I had a good track workout earlier in the week, which boosted my confidence. I surprised myself by running 3:10 faster than my previous course time, and earning a huge PR. Our varsity team was missing three runners: Peri, Emily (out with stress fracture), and Katie (soccer game). However, some amazing underclassmen really stepped it up! Alicia Cardwell, who is in her first cross country season, ran fourth for us. It was a great day for everyone!
The next big meet is Great American in Cary, NC this coming weekend. I am very excited to have the chance to race on a fast course with lots of amazing runners. It is going to be a team travel trip, so I am sure I will have some funny stories to share! Good luck to everyone in the upcoming races!
