Falcon Fast!

NATIONALS BABY.


I was looking through the SanFran photos of Regionals, and I have to say, Suzie had some amazing photos!! It looked like you guys had a ton of fun, and I wanted to share a picture with you that I thought was extremely powerful.

The photo above, just look at it, take it in for a minute and think about what it means....."NATIONALS BABY", is what I get from it! (Those ladies competing at nationals soon, good luck and race hard! ). Sometimes there are photos, there are experienced captured by a mere image, and it is amazing at how a picture truly is worth more than a thousand words. I look forward to seeing the many photos compiled over this great season! (Can I say collage waiting to happen! or scrapbook for those of you who like that!)


Anyways, I just wanted to comment about photographs, and even if most of us aren't running, we can still be inspired for those racing at nationals, and for our own practices and goals for the indoor season.

p.s.
I'd also like to say how great our team is...truly! :) I love you guys.

Ravenna Hills, Tues. 11/10

Another morning practice. =) I love getting up in the mornings to run! It's so beautiful, and the air is so fresh - it's a great way to start the day!

Ravenna was beautiful, as always. The air was a bit chilly and it tried to rain on us a little bit, but all in all, the weather was quite nice. The field was pretty mucky from the rain we got the day before, but that just added some adventure. ;)

We warmed up running from Greenlake to the bottom of the hill where we did our active drills. Jessica, Jane & Jason started the repeats a little before the rest of us, as Mary, Natty & I made a quick run to McDonalds. I have to say that I wanted to laugh when Natty asked, "does anyone want to accompany me to McDonalds?" I tried to picture Natty eating a burger right before workout! :D Needless to say, that's not why we went to McDonald's... ;)

Anyway, it was Natty, Kate, Lisa, I and Mary running together. We did 3 x hill+field loop, and 1 x hill+surge. I felt pretty good - I was able to stay up with Lisa, Kate & Natty. We made a great pack. It felt really good to be able to go that pace and hold it, and I found that I need extra focus to push up and crest the steeper hills. The field up top was very muddy. We slipped and slid through there and got practice "running on sponges" as Erika said. It really kinda sucked us down and forced us to be lighter on our feet and adjust our stride. It was kinda fun - added some new variety and tacticality. :)

Gals were looking good today - Jessica and Jane looked strong out front, Lisa made sure we kept the pace moving... and I was really impressed by Natty's consistency and ability to pace - her times were identical! :) On our last repeat, we had to carry our warm-up clothes with us, so Lisa styled her half-tights around her neck like a scarf. She looked real snazzy! =) Then we cooled back down to Greelake, ate Lara bars, and headed back to SPU. :) It was a good day.

The Endless Hill =)

So, because my foot is still recovering a bit from Conference, I was back in the pool yesterday for the majority of my workout. I met Erika up at the Queen Anne pool at 11:15am for my aqua running session. The workout was 6 x 1,000m repeats (4min hard, 90sec rest). I think it's one of her favorites - I seem to do it a lot. :) Anyway, she had me visualizing different parts of the regional xc course, slight ups & downs, different surfaces, etc. The visualizations are really fun and bring a lot more variety to aqua jogging. The first three repeats went well - slight uphill along grass, flat harder path, steeper down, then flat again... all with Erika motioning with her hands and directing me through the terrain of the repeat. On the fourth repeat, Erika told me I was going to start on a good uphill, crest it, come downhill, then continue strong to the finish on the flat. When she said "go," I started on up the hill. I was working the hill pretty decently, picturing something like the Conference hill, only longer. After 30-45sec or so, I started to periodically glance up at Erika to watch for her to tell me when to crest and go down. However, the only directions I seemed to get from her were smiles, nods, str. shoulders, and other form work. I was beginning to wonder if this hill would ever end! My visualizations involuntarily changed from the Conference hill to McBee Hill - a hill in the Tri-Cities that my high school xc team would run in the summer. It's about a 2-3mile steady hill, and very dreary. Sand and sagebrush the entire way! :) Finally, with a little less than 2min to go, I aqua ran right by her and asked if I was going downhill yet. She looked at me rather startled and told me I was already running along the flat! We both kinda laughed and I quickly changed gears - shorter downhill then a tired sprint to try to catch up. Needless to say, my legs were a bit tired for the last 2 x 1,000's at Discovery! (but I know that stretch better than the back of my hand, so I didn't get lost there! and Erika also made sure to periodically tell/ask me where I was) Good pool times. =D

Conference

Conference! Wow, that was amazing. :)

To think that just a week and a half earlier I couldn't even run 5min. Jesus, You're amazing.
Conference was soo good for me - it was such a positive experience. I am still very overwhelmed by everyone's support and love shown at the race, and the incredible gift it was. You have all been such troopers coming alongside me this season, praying and encouraging me. Thank you so much! Here's my Conference story: (sorry it’s so long!)

All leading up to Conference I was very anxious and concerned about a) would I be able to run? b) how in shape am I to run? and c) will I be able to walk afterwards? I was getting very tired of constantly having to xtrain and not being able to run with you all. I just wanted to run, to run with the team! I wanted to practice with you guys, to run in costumes around Greenlake, to do the Buns Run... It was at the point where I didn't even want to run Conference if it was going to make me take another couple weeks off. But I also knew that not running was not going to be an option. God had given me an assurance that I would be running at the Conference course in Yakima, and He gave me this Scripture:
"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death, but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, which raiseth the dead. He delivered us from so great a peril, and doth deliver: and we trust that He will yet deliver us: Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by may on our behalf." ~II Cor. 1:8-11
I also knew that I had to honor all your prayers and faith, and give God the chance to work a miracle.

When it became clear that I would be running at Conference, I was excited but mostly anxious. My foot was not 100% nor was I in perfect shape as I quickly found out trying to do 1k's with Kate and Lisa. Thursday's practice was a big boost, as I was able to complete the workout and accepted a slower pace. But it was all flat, and Conference would have hills, which were significantly harder for my foot. So I was still very uncertain as to how things would go.

The night before the race, I was still feeling very uncertain and discouraged. My legs felt terrible warming up on the course that afternoon, and I had no idea how to pace or mentally approach the race. I talked with Erika briefly that night and she said to treat this race as a special gift from God and just be glad to be out there - no matter what happens. That was the best possible thing she could've told me and it snapped me back into place. How could I have forgotten to be thankful?? This race truly was a gift from God and an amazing answer to prayer! Just last week I had been begging God to simply heal my foot in time to run Conference in honor of my teammates' steadfast prayers and faith. And here I was at the Conference meet getting ready to run! And yet all I could think about was how unprepared I was. I was focusing on how far I had to go rather than on how far God had brought me. I immediately went back to my room, knelt down and asked God's forgiveness for my selfish attitude, and purposed to run this race in thanksgiving to Him for all He had done in the last year of my life, and for my teammates because I loved them, and it was a team race.

The Conference race itself was A-mazing. I got adequately warmed up with healthy nerves and no pain. :) There was quite the ordeal at the start because the crazy timer clock wasn't working right, so we hopped around for lots of minutes before finally being told to get our sweats back on. Then, just as we were about to receive our clothes (they had already been taken back to the vans), it was sweats off again! oh well, we had a good team huddle/Indian(?) dance time. :)

As we were getting back on the starting line, Jessica told us to picture that guy, whose name I cannot remember (from Endurance), and how he ran - beautiful. Running is beautiful. That stuck with me throughout the race and encouraged me along through some of the tougher portions - "Running is beautiful. This is beautiful and pleasing to God. I am running for Him and for my team."

After the long wait and a false start, we finally started the race. I went out and made sure I stayed behind Kate and Lisa and let them go. I still felt very uncertain and didn't know where I was/where I should be/my pace but tried to relax and remind myself that running is beautiful and I was running for God and my team in thanksgiving. Shortly thereafter, a Western girl came up beside me and started to pass me. Then another, and another. There was a solid pack of them (about 5 or so), and I realized that this was my group, this was my pack with which to run. So I went with them.

It was absolutely perfect. They ran probably the perfect pace for me gave me something specific to focus on through the race. I stuck with them and they pulled me up through the race, working to pass several runners. I stuck with them until we got to the big hill, where they really slowed down. I didn't exactly want to pass them because I knew I wasn't strong enough to hold my own against them and it would break me mentally, but I also didn't want to break my stride to stay with them. So I decided to continue up the hill, do a miniature crest for practice, then ease up on the downhill to let them catch back up. It worked wonderfully. Two of the girls caught back up with me and I followed them on down. This was where their pack broke up. :)

Coming along the straight from the start, I caught my mind drifting to my foot for a check-in where my mind & body wanted to let-up and pre-celebrate that I would be finishing the race. But by God's grace I was promptly reminded that my goals were higher than that - I was running for God and for the team, and it is beautiful, when done from the heart. I kicked my mind back in gear and noticed that I was falling back with the 2nd girl while the other Western was starting to pull away. So with renewed purpose, I went with the front Western girl (their #3, Emily).

I continued to follow Emily around the course, again until the hill. This time I tried to make my move there as I knew she wasn't as strong on the hill. I did beat her on the hill and tried to surge on the downhill, but I wasn't able to hold it and she caught me near the bottom. I would not let her go however, and kept her within striking distance. Along the parking area, Doris told me to pass two. I groaned. (there was another girl we had caught up with) I had a hard time judging finishing distance and strength, but with that new goal in mind, I somehow managed to pass both, the other just before the line.

Yay! I was so filled with thanks and gratitude when I was done! I had a hard time grasping what God had just done - healed my foot in time to race Conference, gave me some good wake-up calls at practice, fixed my attitude, gave me people to run with and helped me stay strong mentally! And my foot didn't even hurt! I felt so incredibly blessed and unworthy of it all! And Lisa and Jessica, the whole team, sincerely rejoiced and celebrated with me. Even though the team did not do as well as we would've liked, you all still joyfully came alongside and selflessly rejoiced. Then Jessica gave us an encouraging team debrief, and we prayed together. It was beautiful.


So that was my Conference race! I am still filled with thankfulness to God and each of you for the roles you have played in my life! I would not have been able to do any of this without you! It's because of all of you that I even came back to SPU to try to run one more season. And you prayed and encouraged and kept my hopes up through the thick and thin of this season as well. You are each a very special blessing from God! I appreciate you all so much! I know we didn't do as well as a team as we had hoped, but every race when run your best for God is a success. And I believe you all are over-achievers! =)

So thank you so much for the ways you have so richly blessed my life in the last two years! (or four for you seniors! and even the last couple months of knowing you freshies! ;) You each have been very inspiring and wonderful teammates and friends. I pray that God richly blesses the rest of your time at SPU and that you can rejoice in His work! Cherish it!

I love each of you!

~Suzie

Doing a little helpin' out at Bethany's WND

A group of us (Will came too!) volunteered at Bethany Presbyterian's Wednesday Night Dinner(WND)tonight and enjoyed ourselves. Bethany has put on WND for 9 years, in which they offer fellowship, a comfortable place to hang out, and a meal to whomever (mostly homeless locals). Janet Moore's in charge (she's a social worker!), and they've got quite an orderly system down. They happened to have an abundance of volunteers this time, but we made ourselves useful in serving food and cleanup. I enjoyed making eye contact and a personal interaction (it was quite elaborate: "would you like some bread? Enjoy your meal!") with each person who came through :) Marj & Will & I had a really great conversation with a nice Turkish man, too. Erika's interested in volunteering more often at WND w/ the team b/c it's so close by. I'd like to do the Bible Study and Communion time sometime; Pastor Dan makes a commitment to lead it every week. I only wish I had more room in my schedule for more, regular service work, but I can look forward to that post-college. God's definitely putting me to use with the opportunities that He's given to me at present.

Last race of the season (for me!)

As I look back at the endless opportunities this season has given me, I can definitely count them on more than two hands. I find that through all of this hard work, I have become great friends with my teammates and coaches and have done things I never thought I could EVER do. But with all of your help, I did, I ran XC. With everything I do, I try and do it well, otherwise there is no point in doing it. I had really no idea what was going to happen when I joined XC, for heaven's sake I never ran MILES!! I am glad to say that I feel great about my first XC season and how it rolled out. Who would have guessed I could actually run a "real XC time!" (hehe, quote from Mary after my 2minute drop in my 6K race at Lake Padden).

And for my last XC race of the year, at Lake Sammamish with Madel, I felt good but knew I could ran put out a stronger and faster effort. I have to tell you about the girl in the mud story during my race. No, no, don't get excited, she didn't fall and biff it into the mud. BUT this girl was right near me for a while during the race, and right off the bat she sounded like a annoying bug in your ear...."ew, ew, ewww, ew, ew" No seriously, she said EW so many times I couldn't keep pace with her "ew's"! And do you want to know what she was "ew'ing" about??? About our friend MUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha, I couldn't help but laugh and want to kick her in the mud at the same time. Maybe she wasn't a true XC runner, because we don't have mud phobias. Is the photo above not just thrilling!? :)

So anyways, I hope you all are enjoying this last week of October. I LOVE YOU GUYS and appreciate all of you and what you do.

Thansk for the memories, truly.

It was a dark and foggy morning.
Ha.
No, seriously, it was so foggy that my goal on the 2k at discovery was to stay close enough to Kate, Lisa, Natty, and Suzie that they didn't evaporate into the fog. It was so foggy you couldn't even see the water off the bluffs--much less the mountains! The fog had formed little crystal droplets on the spiderwebs all over the meadow that we 1k through; Laura even observed several droplets on her eyelashes!