From Ratchet to Riches

I am no Tom Clancy, and definitely no Usain Bolt. But, I do enjoy sharing experiences and making the most out of memories. So these are stories from an average runner's triumphs, struggles, and adventures.

If there is one thing our team knows how to do well, it is to leave it all out on the course, and we have certainly done that these past two weeks. We kicked off our season last Saturday at the Trinity Prep Invite. As usual, Girls Varsity began the meet that morning. Within a quarter mile from the gun, we were trudging through mud. It had been a rainy week, and an exceptionally rainy Friday the night before. We faced some puddles which left us shin deep in mud, leaving our shoes nice and soggy. Fortunately for us, we hear other girls don't particularly enjoy getting a little muddy, and we were able to pass competitors as they splashed through the muck. 

As a team, we were very pleased with our performance placing first, with our top six individuals all within the top 14. The team also cheered as the announcer read that our JV boys had won as well, with Boys Varsity and Girls JV bringing home the runner-up trophies. I guess Coach W was right when she told us all summer, "Summer miles bring fall smiles." :)

This morning we had our second showing of the season at the Jim Ryun meet in Lakeland. The course is brand new, with this weekend being the first time it has hosted a meet. After serving as the mosquito's breakfast while setting up the tent, we headed out to preview the course and warm up. This was the first course I have ever ran on that was only one true lap, which was very exciting. The start of the Girls Varsity race also was eventful as Jim Ryun himself lead with a prayer, and signaled the start of the race. I'm pretty sure all the girls on the line were a little caught off guard when the gun went off with little, if any, of a "set."

Sadly, we came up a little short today coming in second by a measly five points. The course was extremely challenging, as we battled sugar sand and rolling hills. But, we knew that we all gave everything we had in us, and that's all that matters. We worked together as a team and today only served as better practice for the future. Plus, all top six girls got medals for placing individually, so that's always a bonus. Not to mention Boys Varsity & JV, and Girls JV all came top 3!

Overall, we have had a great start to the season and we are all eager to bring our times down. The best part about our team is all the laughs and jokes we share, hence the title to this post. (thanks Kait) We may or may not win every time, but we always have fun out there and learn more about ourselves and each other. Finally, if there's anything that we learned as a team this weekend, it's that we need to order these shirts, pronto!