Greetings from sunny San Diego! Well, I am actually home now, but I wish I could be back out West where it was 80 degrees and sunny! I recently returned from the Footlocker Cross Country Championships, where I had the most incredible experience of my life. Now, in my final Milestat journal entry, I am excited to share the experience with you. I hope that everyone becomes inspired to work hard to qualify next year, as I can guarantee it is the best meet a high school runner can go to.
Tuesday
I would like to begin by thanking my teammates and coaches. You guys have been amazingly supportive. On Tuesday after school, I went for a short jog with Coach Vicky. As I returned to the school, I went inside to where the Indoor team was having a team meeting. At the end, I was overwhelmed with a huge posterboard-sized card that was signed by nearly the entire team, wishing me good luck. Next, I received a CD from Emily Moffett and Emily Wood to get me pumped on the flight over (it included songs like “Dani California” and “California Girls”, how appropriate). When I thought the surprises were over, I returned to my car, only to see yellow paint that spelled, “Going to Nationals!” and “San Diego Bound!”. Did I mention how thankful I am for such great teammates?
Wednesday
Today was pretty uneventful, especially compared to the days that lied ahead of me. I got out of school early to pack, which took a very long time. Then that night my family and I drove to Richmond to stay at a hotel near the airport. I went to bed early, knowing that I would have to wake up at three the following morning.
Thursday
Since my flight was leaving Richmond at 6:15, I arrived around 4:15, hardly awake. Soon after, I met Silas Frantz, who was going to be flying with me the whole way. After a short stop to exchange flights in Houston, we were on our way to the final destination: San Diego. After we arrived, we were boarded onto a bus, where we ran into the other Virginians, Sophie Chase and Ahmed Bile. Finally, we were at the famous Hotel Del Coronado, which is just as impressive as it sounds. Before we could explore the amazing scenery, we got a nice surprise in the registration room: free stuff! From shoes to jackets to bags, I no longer needed anything else for Christmas. This was already the best trip ever.
With time to kill before the run, Ahmed, Sophie, and I went down to the beach to hang out. It was so pretty, even though the water was freezing cold. Before I knew it, all of the runners had arrived and we were ready for our run. Within a short amount of time, I learned lots of new names and met some of the nicest people. Just being there and doing an easy run with such talented runners was humbling to me. That night, I got a taste (literally) of the amazing food that we would be having all weekend. As I was eating, I looked around and saw some familiar faces: Shalane Flanagan, Meb Keflezighi, Molly Huddle, Carrie Tollefson, and Suzy Favor Hamilton. It was amazing for me to think that I was eating dinner with some of my idols. Within the dinner, I got to really know the South Team. We became the tightest team there. Shalane Flanagan even took pictures in the photo booth with us. It had only been a day, but I knew this trip was, without doubt, the best experience of my life.
Friday
Clearly not adjusted to West Coast time, my roommate, Megan Venables, and I woke up well before seven to head down to breakfast. Again, the food was incredible. I saw the same famous runners I had the previous night. I guess I would have to get used to that. Next up was the course preview. We were bussed over to Morley Field at Balboa Park. It was almost like we were Olympians; we were only practicing, but photographers were all over the place. It took a while to get used to. I jogged the course with a future rival in UNC bound Emma Brink. We were both equally impressed by the beautiful course. After the jog, I got a chance to see my parents, my brother, and my coach. We took a few pictures and I introduced them to all of my new friends. Then we took even more pictures before loading up the bus to head back to the hotel.
The afternoon was filled with a lot of activity, but nothing too strenuous since the race was not far away. Not before long, it was time for our pasta dinner. Our South team sat together in the front row, right in front of the guest speakers. All of the famous runners I referred to earlier gave a panel discussion to all of us on any topic we asked them to elaborate on. The evening was concluded with Meb giving all athletes an autographed copy of his book, Run to Overcome. I came up to him to thank him and he wrote a personalized note in mine. It was very inspiring. As Megan and I returned to the room, we got to bed, trying to get a good sleep before the race.
Saturday
The day I had been waiting for since I had started running was now here. I wasn’t even nervous, as I still couldn’t believe I was even running in this prestigious race. However, as we arrived at the course, my nerves slowly increased. The atmosphere was unlike that of any cross country competition I had been to before. There was a huge press box and big screen. In addition, there were lines of spectators, covering every inch of sideline along the course. Introductions began, which was really exciting. They would call out each runner’s name and we would jog to the line. After that was over, the South team united and did a quick huddle. We were all so excited to race and knew that our team unity would help us. Then, the gun went off. Everyone took it out so fast. It was the first time I had been near the back of the pack after only a half mile. I just focused on passing one person at a time and not worrying about how many runners were around me. I was at the National Championship, so I knew every single runner would be fighting hard to the end. The steep hill was challenging, but the sharp downhill was surprisingly the most painful part. As I passed the 1.5 mile mark, I opened up my stride and really tried to focus on maintaining my pace. Before I knew it, I was only a short tenth of a mile away from finishing my final cross country race of my high school career, and my first Footlocker Nationals race. Crossing the finish line was a great feeling, as I knew that I had worked so hard to get here and I had finished out a long but rewarding season. I immediately got congratulated by my parents, as well as parents of fellow runners. Everyone was just so nice. Soon I found the rest of the South Team. Some had amazing races while others ran well but were a little disappointed. However, no one had a bad race. Just to even get a chance to run against the best runners in the country is amazing in itself. Everyone had accomplished what very few runners have, being a Footlocker Finalist. While there was some disappointment, everyone was eventually ok, knowing that only one person can be fully satisfied, taking home the National Championship and that was Aisling Cuffe. Aisling ran an incredible race, running a time faster than the majority of boys in the running world. Not only that, but she was incredibly nice and laidback, something that is nice to see in such an elite runner.
After talking to my coach, who was incredibly excited for me, I went on a cool down with my future NC State teammate, Joanna Thompson, who placed 10th overall. We just kept talking and ended up doing a very long cool down. Meanwhile, the guy’s race was going on. I cheered hard for the South boys, who came in a solid 2nd place. I made sure to yell extra hard to Ahmed and Silas, who had good races and represented Virginia well.
Soon, we were ready to return to the hotel. On the bus, I sat with Sophie as we planned all of the fun activities we wanted to do on our last day in San Diego. First thing was first, we took a huge group picture in front of the hotel. All of the runners received copies of it. Then it was lunch time. We all went to this grill with a huge patio overlooking the beach. Finally, after a season of healthy eating, we all got huge platters of chili cheese fries. Afterwards, we spent some quality time at Coronado beach while the boys played an intense game of football. After we all got solid tans, we hit the hot tub and the heated pool. This whole day was so relaxing.
Finally, we had the big banquet in the Grande Hall. It was set up to host all of the runners, as well as the parents and coaches. The meal was amazing, and consisted of five courses. Afterwards, the runners were all put on stage to receive plaques. After both of the champions gave their speeches, we were officially dismissed. I graciously thanked my family and Coach Katie for coming. They were glad too, as they had a great time. The next final planned event was the dance. It was really fun! It was great to see everyone so happy celebrating a terrific cross country season. As I usually go to bed very early during the season, I felt like I needed to stay up late for once. Considering everyone was waking up at three for the morning’s flights, we all stayed up late.
Sunday
Unfortunately, we had to leave today. My amazing roommate and I said our final goodbyes, and congratulated each other on our races. The flights home were fun, as Silas and I had a group of runners with us for the first half. Then, from Houston to Richmond, it was just us. We were both very tired but tried to stay awake (I had had an hour of sleep and he had none). When it comes to flying, I am not a fan of turbulence, fog, rain, or landing in general. Since all four of those things were happening at once, I was honestly pretty nervous as we neared the landing. However, we safely landed and, unfortunately, were greeted by the cold weather of Virginia.
As I am writing this now, I am thinking about how much I miss San Diego, the runners, the hotel, the weather, and the experience. It was the best weekend ever. I am incredibly jealous of anyone who has the opportunity to go again, especially Sophie Chase, who ran a good race and has the experience under her belt. For anyone who has never gone before, my advice is to keep it as a goal. Even when I was far from being considered a finalist, I pictured myself going one day and didn’t let anyone tell me I couldn’t. The hard work you are putting in now is really worth it. I want to end this entry by thanking everyone who has taken the time to read my long entries. I have enjoyed writing them and am very thankful to have had the opportunity. Best of luck during Indoor and Merry Christmas, everyone!
