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!

Yay guys!! I actually got to really run today! :)

I started out warming up with the team for the first time in too long. Then I did a few drills and started a "fartlek" - I was supposed to do what the team was going to do at the end of their workout, but that wasn't going so hot. It ended up being more like 2000 meters of periodic warmup strides. So, when the ladies passed by on their first 2k, I jumped in and joined them for a while! That went a lot better and was a lot more fun too! I took a short break in the middle, then started back with them for the last 850m or so. It felt surprisingly better than I anticipated - my foot didn't bother me on the hill! (that's where it is strained the most). Then I had the amazing priviledge of running a couple thousands with Lisa, Natty, & Kate! Wow, you ladies were fast and looking strong and ready! I only did two of them, then my foot started to threaten me a bit if I continued to batter it. So I did some more light jogging, then strided in with Jane on her last 1,000 - dang, girl, you were cookin'! :) Then I got to walk-jog back to the vans with Wally and promptly get some ice while you all fartleked around the park.

But, anyway, I got to run today! though I know I still have a long way to go to get back... But GOD has been faithful and will continue to be faithful, and I will run my best in honor of Him!

Flyin Falcon Running! :)

Okay, so I realize this is a bit lame, but it's funny! :) We are fast like the XC Falcon speed racin' car....with an engine we have fed and trained well, and a body that is rockin (hehe), we are so dedicated and smokin' that people want to video tape us. We are like the Falcon Fighter jet plane, passing our enemies (yes enemies...hehe) and roaring through the air (yes the air, but the ground too), with a pointed focus and a tail that kicks at the end of the race. We are also Mr(s). Muscley Falcon man, with wings that will propel us farther than our greatest expectations with an ANCHOR on our arms to lift us up when we THINK we are tired, but really we are not (because the race is then just starting).

OKay, I will stop with my crazy schpeal, (wow is that how it's spelled?) :) I just wanted to tell everyone that we are strong, beautiful, amazing, women who RUN together. Good luck with this week of practice, visualize yourself running this weekend, I mean visualize yourself RACING this weekend, and be safe. Good luck to all who race at GNAC as well as the other race (sorry I forgot the name of it). Anyways, I love you all~!! Have a good monday.

RAAAAIIIINNNN!!!!!

Today it rained SOOOOO much!! holy slugs! (they must have enjoyed it, those slugs...)
It was the wettest I have ever been in my life! Really. so crazy. But at least it wasn't cold at all. In fact, it was a really pleasant temperature out! Just soaking though! At one point it literally felt like God was holding a gardening hose over Seattle, watering us all on "shower" mode. It was really actually pretty fun to run in such ridiculous conditions. although it did make me feel pretty slow - probably because of all that extra water weight! I bet my shirt alone added an extra pound or two!

ahhh....yay for crazy workouts.

I also had a time of September nostalgia today, because Marg and I started reminiscing on the wonderful days of practice and friends and nothing else! This homework thing is cramping our style, we decided. The solution - rewind to September and pause it there. forever....ah. best month of life. I feel so blessed to have had such wonderful times to look back on and wonderful friends to look back with. =)

Thursday 10/15:
Green Lake Track-Lake-Track and one lap of the lake fartlick.

Quote of the day:
Natty - "Kelsey, you have been chosen."

Several thoughts from Several days...

So, I haven't been able to blog about workout for quite a while...so I thought I would just do a few shorter thoughts about several days in the recent past...

Friday: I was really not feeling very good on Friday. It was the day before the Lake Padden race, and I was pretty nervous that my cold was not feeling any better and that now I was getting nauseated from running just 15 minutes! But what I am remembering most about that afternoon is actually a great feeling of peace and contentment - not the anxiety or anger that would normally come from such an experience the day before a meet! But the thing that made the difference that afternoon was Doris. When I returned from my 20 minute run 30 minutes later (I had to stop and walk for 10 minutes 15 minutes into the run from my head/stomach freak-out), I was feeling like hell. But there was Doris with nothing but positive words and cheery encouragement. She reminded me that this wasn't Conference or anything, so if I felt really badly tomorrow, I would be okay to rest; and, she reminded me that I would undoubtedly feel better tomorrow and be nice and rested from my light day today! Knowing that Doris was confident in the situation really helped me relax and feel like no matter what happened, everything would be okay.

Sat: ...and everything was surprisingly MORE than okay. Saturday morning was BEAUTIFUL. We all got into the vans and proceeded to sleep our way up to Bellingham - all except Kate and Suzie, our valiant van drivers! Kate's generosity really saved me, I think. We were supposed to switch off driving half way, but instead, I fell asleep and Kate continued to drive the whole way. Even though I had been feeling pretty sick when I woke up, I was feeling a lot better by the time I woke up from my hour and a half nap! thanks Kate! I warmed up, pumped myself up with some music (which also really really helped, I think), and decided to just get out there and see what happened - at least make it into a tempo-ish workout if my sickness was making me not feel strong or energized enough to really race....

well, God just answered prayer and worked a little miracle. I had an amazing race. Probably one of my best cross country races ever. It was a lifetime PR (by close to 20 seconds, I think...) and even more than that, it was easy! It actually felt like the easiest 6k I've ever run! My mind never wandered or got negative, my stride felt smooth, my legs only felt heavy right near the very end...it seemed like the shortest 6k ever! (well, I guess it was, time-wise =)

I felt so inspired by God's providence during that race. Because I had just gone into the race with no expectations about my own strength, knowing I had to totally rely on God's strength, I was able to just relax and run. That whole process just allowed me to run "with freedom" like Erika always talks about. Freedom and joy. It was a fun race!

Part of the fun was also running with Natty during the hill section before she ran away from me - that little speed demon! She was so inspiring to run next to and then to chase as she stretched out her stride and kept powering ahead. Even just as another runner in the race, I could tell that she was loving being back racing again, injury free. It was a beautiful thing.

Hearing the stories of everyone's experience around the lake on the cool down and over chili was also a beautiful thing. It seemed like it was a pretty darn good day for most all the falcons =)

and the weather! have I mentioned the weather?! it was the most perfect you could hope for! cool but not cold, sunny...a perfect fall racing day.

Sun: Another GORGEOUS fall day! I had a beautiful run at Discovery/"necker's nob". Because of church schedules and me sleeping in (I really needed to though. it helped me get over my cold!!), I didn't get to run with any teammates, which was disappointing. However, I was able to run with my ipod playing worship music and really just make it a Me-and-God run where I could think about praising God through my running and by enjoying the beauty of His creation.

Mon: Whole Foods grand opening party!! Jane, Jessica, Kate, Natty and I went to go get some free dinner!! super fun.

Tue: Even though it had been cold on monday, tuesday morning was actually surprisingly warm! We kept feeling these warm breezes, too! It was very strange...but also much appreciated. Not everyone was there, as some people do tuesdays at 11am, but the group there did a great job. We did Ravenna hill repeats, but this time we made them a mile by going up the gravel path, through the tree, out to the sign, around the backstop, and across the path over to finish on the other side of the other grassy area, near three small trees. I think all us ladies did either 4 or 5. Jane and Jess were running with the guys, and Natty, Kate, and I made a nice pack, and Mary and Kelsey were able to run together. It sure was great to see Kelsey back out there, running up the hill and rockin' it! I am so glad her knee is feeling better! I was able to have a great workout today, personally...and I was really really excited about it! My stride just felt super good...like..almost best ever kind of good. =) and I was able to run faster every mile (except the fifth/last, but it was just two seconds off from the fourth!). Woo-hoo! now that I remember what it feels like to run really really well, I can start praying for that same feeling for everyone next week at GNAC!!! ahhh!!!! =D

Just let me run!

I should probably be pounding out some hydrocarbon nomenclature right now-- not tapping out a blog post, but I did sign up to be Ms. Tuesday, and hopefully I can make up some of the ground I lost not following through on that the last few weeks!

Everything's crazy this year. I know, I know. When is a student/athlete's life not crazy? But there's something different this year. Last year we worked our butts off, ran in dusty, sunny 90s and sloshy, flurry-filled 30s, and finished 4th in the nation. Which we still got trophies for! Who gives trophies to the top 4? Don't get me wrong- last year was great. I couldn't believe I was running with such talented, driven people, or hanging out with a team who loved each other and loved running so much.

But I think I speak for everyone when I say, we're hungry for more.

For me personally, it's a season where I just want to see what God's going to do. I want to talk to him, hear his voice, run with him, let his joy become my strength. I want to see how far he'll take us when we run for his glory. I want to see what his strength can do when ours runs out.

I want to run.

the the unfortunate news of Mr. Zucchini Monster's passing

a collection of convo's and thoughts:
-I've started telling myself that Tuesday yoga from Dr. Weber is a 4-for-one: stretching, strengthening, balance, afternoon nap. I'm grateful for the subsidized service.
-I ran into Mark Moschetti today! He was right about to go for a run on the Burke. In addition to very kindly congratulating me on my Western Invite race & asking about my foot, he mentioned our upcoming challenge of breaking up Alaska Anchorage. We talked about Conference & our excitement for it! Mark makes me smile; the man is a dear (I'm not talking about the animal kind)
-Speaking of Conference competition, Jane gave us a well-informed report, based on racing the AA ladies at Pre-Reg. She said that once more teams (including women on our squad) are racing together, their once-intimidating pack of 5 will be broken up. Jane also found them easier to catch on the hills, esp the downhills. Also, she said that they were being coached through the whole race. In fact, she estimated that Western would be a tougher target.
-Jane believed that our workouts will have prepared us well for the terrain of Golden Gate Park (Reg race). Erika points out the similarities between our workouts and our future races, and we have the privilege of having many parks & surfaces to choose from. Ex- the Ravenna hill is quite a bit like the Apple Ridge hill.
-and the unfortunate news (it's a little belated):
Mr. Zucchini Monster (camp prank) has passed away due to neglect :(
I'm sure he will make very lovely soil in his next life, courtesy of Ceder Grove Compost, but he will not be re-appearing as next year's prank.

Thur. 10/08/09

Yay! I've finally caught up with all you faithful bloggers! =) Thanks so much for getting this going and sharing such wonderful and heart-filled stories. I am so blessed to have each of you as teammates and friends - and am especially thankful for your attitude/focus on God. It really encourages and challenges me to recenter my mindset and goals on Christ.

Just a quick little synopsis about today:
Another beautiful early October morning at Discovery Park for a 7am fartlek. Marg's favorite workout at Marg's favorite place! :) and Mary got to wear her glasses today instead of contacts because she had chemistry lab later ;) [she was quite pleased about it really]. Anyway, it was a beautiful morning and while everyone else did their workout, I got to walk around the park and eat blackberries and watch out for their guard-spiders! :) [Don't worry, I did a hard bike workout and weights when we got back...] It sounded like most everyone had a really good workout - Kate was starting to feel a little more like herself, Kelsey's knee didn't bother her at all, Natty still felt good, Kassandra said she felt good... all in all, it was a very positive morning. We did miss Lisa who was not feeling well, and the pre-regional racers who decided to sleep in...
Kayla and Lauren also had an amazing workout later this morning - they did this same workout last week, only this week they covered a lot more distance! i.e. they were running a lot faster! Yay ladies! :)

I have been feeling a lot better this week - my foot has been making great improvements! I can now walk almost indefinitely without pain, and I was even able to do some light elyptical last night! So that is a huge praise! So Please keep praying!!

I would write more, but I think I'll go to bed instead. But cadre was really good tonight! Natty brought part of a sermon from her pastor which was really good! It was about integrating our faith with our work, not keeping them separate, and how God is honored when we work hard and do our best in our work - including running, homework, etc. (Col. 3:23) There was more to it than just that, but that was the #1 part that stuck out to me. We bring glory to God by doing our best at whatever we're doing - even the mundane things like studying for a lab exam, or xtraining... :)

More later! Love you all!

Emerald City Invite and that gorgeous fall day

It was a beautiful September morning, and we spent it at the park, in each other’s company- wonderful! Seemed like the stepdown went well for most people. Jess & Lisar hit the track a bit afterwards- those speedsters! Thankfully, Kelsey had a good workout too, now that time & Active Release are getting her quite healed up. I did a race pace lap around Greenlake and even though I’m bummed that I made the mistake at ending before 3mi, I’m happy about how my time trial went b/c mile splits were very close. Mary & I had a nice warmdown lapping talking about how God works through the act & metaphor of running :] I love the support & freedom of expression that this team provides when it comes to spirituality. We can share what’s on our hearts and minds without fear.

Quite a few Falcon Fans came to the meet! Marie & Steph, from last year’s team, the Lerums, and Lauren’s boyfriend, Jaime. Also, we happened to see a few FRC campers doing a workout! The high & low reviews of the meet from the women’s team stick out to me- Kayla’s appraised the race as ‘great’ and Madel as ‘torturous’ (I summarized).

But to be honest, the biggest recent event of all is that *Mary now has a mobile*

Oh yea, and I don’t know if she was informed of this, but Jess’ former high school team (well, the boys team) lost to Bro’s high school team this week. Just gotta brag on the Bro-man! But he was really happy about their team & his individual performance, and that makes me happy too. Kinda fun that it happened to occur in a race against Jess’ team. (Nope, it would not have been possible for me to make my entries in the blog for the whole season w/o mentioning Bro at some point ;)

Hello Fellow Flocking, Blogging Falcons!!

So my day for blogging is technically Mondays. And I actually did write most of an entry on Monday night, but I didn't finish it because I just didn't like the direction it was going in.... I was writing about Stanford and just couldn't quite articulate my myriad feelings without sounding like a person who needs serious counseling. But my feelings were real and I think the sort of thing one should share on a blog. So I've modified what I wrote a bit, and here are some of my thoughts on the epic event of Stanford.

I tasted a little bit of hell and a little bit of heaven. Dramatic, I know. But allow me to explain myself...

It was a fantastic opportunity to race in a notorious Division I cross country meet such as the Standford Invite. Kind of a big deal. It was amazing; it was exciting; it was epic. Jessica, Jane, Lisa, and Mary all had really stellar races. They seriously all ran amazingly. There was a lot to be proud of and a lot to be grateful for and a lot of guts and sweat spilled over the course of six kilometers. As for me, the last of those statements would apply to me: a lot of guts and sweat spilt. And I probably left a little of my pride on the course too.

I think there were a few things contributing to how crappy--with a captial C, R,A,P,P, and Y--I felt but that is not what I am here to speculate about (though I can do the best I can to learn about what to do differently and what/how to fix) and there's no need to burden you with a long saga about how I'm going to mold that bad experience into motivation and hard work (with God's help).

Now let me explain what I meant by the whole heaven and hell statement. There have been times in my life where I have felt something--either strongly or subtlely--and had a thought/feeling/intuition that that was a glimpse of true Joy or Misery. During my race I felt mentally and physically broken down, and that was hellish enough in itself. But the real hell came in the subsequent overwhelming emotions. I felt worthless. Mainly, I felt huge remorse like I had disappointed my team, my coach, my parents, and myself. I felt unreliable. I felt so much remorse that I could hardly hold it all in. I wanted to scream and sob and run off alone for hours and hours. I did run off alone--but only for a handful of minutes--to the nearby large grassy field for warming up, where I threw off my shoes (Golden Arm can use her skills for unhealthy throwing too) and laid down under a tree and cried until a high school boys team ran past and I pretended like I wasn't having a break down but rather was just enjoying the shade of that lovely tree. Once they had gone by I started beating myself up again.

Goodness, you'd think I was a teenager in the depths of hormonal puberty with all this dramatic weeping going on. But I just had to get it all out before I could start sorting it all out in my mind and move on with life. And move on in a way that I would take what had happened and learn from it.

And here the glimpse of heaven comes in. I went back and found my teammates and we started cooling down together. I had gotten most of my frustrations out and had a level head by now. I ran with Jane and she encouraged me a lot and gave me some uplifting words. I really appreciated that. I was still pretty down though. We finished jogging and all started to stretch, do strides, etc. More encouraging and uplifting and optimistic words came, none of which down-played how bad I had done, which I appreciated and thought it was important that no one said, "You didn't do THAT bad" or "Don't worry about it, it doesn't really matter." Thanks in part to having such intelligent and capable teammates, the words were constructive and helpful rather than fluff and cliche. They encouraged me to seek out what I could learn from my race, and to use it as motivation to work even harder. What especially sticks out is Jessica reminding me of one of the core Christian messages. Christianity is about the paradoxical possibility of good emerging from bad, of redemption in the midst of despondency. Christ is the embodiment of hope. And redemption. And second chances (and third and fourth and seven-thousandth... Though I realize there is no time--and I have no desire to--have that many chances at a bad race. NO MORE!)

Then, the most powerful and memorable moment occured. We circled together and prayed; the five of us there, in sports bras and running shorts, sticky from all the dried sweat on our skin, California sun beating down on us from above, golf course grass beneath our feet; talking to God and just telling God how we felt, our hopes, our disappointments; pouring out our hearts in thanks, things just kept being brought to our mind of the many many many reasons we had to be filled with gratitude and praise of our Good God Above. But maybe not so "above"--God's presence was there with us, right among us, smack dab in the middle of our sweaty little circle and all of our hearts. I love those four girls prety dang much; but I felt like the Holy Spirit increased my capability to love right then, and my insides were burning with how strongly I felt for all of them. That love, that joy, that overwhelming assurance that God had us, and has us, in the palm of God's hand--THAT was, to me, a glimpse of heaven.

Shoe 4 Africa

Hey ladies!

Check this link out-- http://shoe4africa.org/sendshoes.htm. 

Is this something we want to donate to towards cadre? Or maybe just do a little shoe drive through our own team and maybe even SPU?

The Green Lake Buddy Run!!

This morning's cool, cloudy weather set the perfect atmosphere for an "intense" Buddy Run competition...okay, so maybe the GL Buddy Run isn't the biggest workout of the year, but it is still a fun tradition. This boy-girl partnering is one of the few times our workout is really integrated across the entire spectrum of athletes. Yes, Jess and Jane run with the guys during many workouts, but this time everyone got to mingle. I love the element of luck involved too. Now, those who won the smallest time gap and closest to predicted overall time prizes might not want to admit it, but it really is a matter of luck/chance. (I was pretty excited - I just took a wild guess on the overall time and was actually close enough for second place!)

I think a lot of the Stanford folks were still feeling a bit run down (at least I know I was), but that is sort of what this week is all about - being tired/not fresh but still getting the work done.

Kelsey and Natty were both able to run with us today!!! Praise the Lord! It was so great to have you two out there again. =) We really missed you.

Also, a little side-note...something I've been thinking about a lot since after Stanford is how much of running is mental. I know I have always known that that element is important, but I still usually focus so much on how my legs are feeling that I usually don't consider it enough. My goal for the rest of the season is to really remember the mental side of running all the time, in practices especially, so that when the races come, I'm ready.

Here's a little motivation for everyone: 23 Days to GNAC
what we do everyday until then counts!!!! Keep your eyes on the prize ladies...and start visualizing yourself passing an Alaskan-African or a white/blue Viking... (today, I pretended Kate was the "Rockstar" girl :P and i sang 'party like a rockstar'....haha. it helped)

first am xc workout of the school year!

I signed up for Saturdays but didn't end up going to either race, and I had a few comments to make now, so I hope Ms. Tuesday doesn't mind.
2 lil comments:
-This falcon pic is maravilloso- falcons seem like quite the majestic birds of prey.
Imagine if we had Evergreen's mascot; the blog would have a title like, "bury yourself in multiple feet of sand and hide inside your shell with the Geoducks"...
-In procrastinating on hw, I did a little bit of comparison b/w the Stanford results of last year & this year and was impressed to see that Jane, Jess, and Lisa improved in time! Jess' finish looked pretty thrilling; wish I could have been there to watch & cheer. Jane- the Chico woman who beat you by a bit last year finished dozens of spots behind you this year. Lisar- I know you didn't feel like you'd giving Stanford your "all" last year, but your 2 min improvement this year is still soooo cool! And Mary- you're quite the valuable racer, finishing well ahead of our #4 finisher last year. Chico raced very fast; more so than last year. My response is to be excited about the improvement that we'll be making (and the injuries that we'll be healed from- imagine a fully healthy squad!) before we chase them down at Regionals.

And now, to the report of running our butts off:
Today was the first am xc workout of the school year!!! I brought my camera but forgot to take pics. I've been placed in the 11am Tues workout group, but the report from the 7am Disco group was that the workout was "tough". Erika mentioned that Lisa looked great (kudos :)
We did 2k's and then some 1k's on the Fremont side of the canal. "We" included Marj, Erika & I, and 3 wonderful newcomers: Laura, Lauren, Madel. I think we'll be grouping up for the next few weeks but not sure. On the warmup, I felt a little voice telling me to invite our group to open in prayer, which we did. I'm glad, esp since there are so many times when I block out the voice that might be the Holy Spirit.
The canal workout & strides on the kidney track were a first for the newbies, which is fun for me to participate in w/ them.I was pleasantly surprised to see (and wave to) Yvonne taking Lucas for a stroller walk on the Burke :] Gotta say, I miss stroller walks w/ my little charge, Grant (the two yr old who I nanny for during breaks)
By the end, the sky had parted & looked very nice. One thing that thrilled me 'bout my workout was that its volume (2x3k, 1x1k) did not need to be modified! I did a full running workout w/o pain! God is faithful in healing my stress fracture. Looking forward to doing this workout again, but w/ more even times & faster. Might not do a pretty tough pool workout the night before, as I did this time.
Needless to say, I'm in love w/ this blog already! OK, back to writing for hw.

Work for It

Hi Ladies,
I wanted to give you a saying that I was given in the 7th grade by one of my favorite teachers. She believed in me, and wanted to encourage me and thought of me when she read this. And now I'm giving it to you guys because I believe in all of you and we all are very strong women who can do anything. Most of you will have heard this before, but no matter how many times you read it, it always has the same impact. Good luck with the first week of school, it will go well.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running."

Remember, we are powerful and have the grace of God in our hearts. I love you team, best training and studying :)

And we're off and running!

Well, this is my first attempt at a post on our new blog! It seems that these past few weeks have just been jam-packed with so much lovely cross-country practice and team bonding time that there has not been much time for anyone to write! But I thought it would be good to share a few thoughts on the season so far... hopefully others will add more soon ( :

GOD 

has already been doing some amazing things on this team. 

From our prayer times at retreat and during goal-setting and before and after races, it is very evident that Christ is indeed our focus this season and that is such a beautiful and wonderful blessing that we can take hold of going into the season. I also have complete faith that He is going to heal those with injuries. Suzie--we are all relentlessly hoping and praying for your healing!

GROWTH

is also taking place in a big way on our team. We have quite the mix this year of different backgrounds, levels of experience, ages and backgrounds...and yet already everyone is learning and growing a lot. Its been great to see the freshman ladies jump right in and get involved...to see Kayla and Madel's enthusiasm as they try out a new sport for the first time...to see people supporting those that are working through injuries and also to see us setting a high goal--winning nationals! --And then setting out to work hard to accomplish this.

FUN

this team is so much fun and absolutely hilarious! Some memories so far are...the awesome freshman skit at retreat, Mr. Zucchini and our fantastic sting web pranks on the guys (I don't think they fully appreciated our 3am efforts!)...the amazing dance party...freshman breakfast...scavenger hunt...Lisa's hippie b-day and granola making and so many more...post 'em if you guys have random 'fun' memories of the season so far!

Well, there is so much more I could say, but it will have to wait for another time. One last thing I want to add as we are setting our eyes ahead  is that these last few weeks have been really encouraging as we continue to move toward our goals. Sundodger was a great wake-up call of what we all need to work on and a valuable first racing experience. This past weekend both in Olympia and down at Stanford the team continued to learn and I also saw a new dedication and desire to get better and close up our pack. With hard work and smart training and most of all CHRIST JESUS going with us and before us I know we are on our way!

Fly Falcons ( :

Falcon XC, Women

Here is the first post, and I will do all I can to contribute and learn about this sport I have just became a part of....XC. But note, as it has already been many times before, this is not just another women's XC team , this is the SPU women's team we are speaking of. Before I started running with the team, I had an idea of how this experience would work out, and thought it would simply be a great team bonding experience with teammates and coaches in addition to getting extra work for the track season. Over these past few weeks, I have learned that this is, and will be, a much greater experience than I will have ever thought it to be. I have also realized I forgot about the most important aspect of this all, and that is GOD.

I have never ran this far and hard in my life, and have never realized the strength it requires. I have for many years ran, swam, jumped and competed for "myself" because I thought no one had cared. But I soon learned that it was my best friends, my teammates, and coaches and others who cared and believed in me and in each other...and now I realize it is also God. Growing up only hearing the word "God" as a word spoken in anger, I knew SPU would change my outlook on life. I of course had always believed in God; whatever, whoever and wherever he may be. But running on this team has so far strengthened my trust in God and others, and myself. During the two XC races I have ran so far, I have had to trust myself that I can finish working hard, with the help of positive thoughts (mostly yours) in my mind to keep my arms pumping and legs moving. It is so easy to quit, sometimes too easy to quit. But what makes it all worth it is the hard work put into it all, and knowing that you finished with your team working as hard as you could for them and God. What makes you keep running?

I would like to say thanks right now, and I am sure I don't have to say why. We are a great team, and every one is so supportive, working towards each other's goals.

Let's make it a great one. (Above is the picture of most of our women's team at Camp Casey, and sorry about those who missed out on this special opportunity).