This is it

This is it.  This is what we’ve all been training for.  This is what we drove 10 hours on a bus for.  Tomorrow is the day where all of our hard work pays off.  Tomorrow is the day where when the gun goes off, it’s every man for himself.  Not only should we focus on getting PRs, but beating every person who’s ahead of us… Every. Single. Girl.

Atlantic 10 Championships.

As my second season of collegiate cross-country comes to an end, I think about how great this season has been.  Having been through two major injuries within the last year–including one of which happened over the summer–I have made a great comeback.  Sure, I wish I was maybe a little farther along, but hey, my turn out could’ve been way worse.

Yeah, it kind of sucks not being able to celebrate Halloween with my fellow Bonnie friends, but at least I’m accomplishing something.

My best friend transferred to George Mason (also in the A-10s conference) early in the summer, and I could kill her because things just aren’t the same.  I could go on forever about how strong our bond is, but I’ll save it for another time.

For the last half hour though, we thought we were staying at the same hotel.  Nope, same hotel just different area.

I don’t know about you, but racing against your best friend is weird to think about, but even more weird to see her in a different uniform.

Here goes nothin.’

Picture taken at A-10s last year in Pittsburg, PA. GO BONNIES!! 

The Things I Think About While Running

I’ve been asked both by non-runners and runners what I think about while running. Trust me, thinking isn’t hard at all. I used to think it was impractical to recall the list of things I’ve thought about because it includes literally everything you can imagine.  Here’s a list of some of the many things I think about while running:

What a beautiful day to run

This sucks

My hips are tight. I’m stiff. I can’t feel my fingers. Why is she stomping her feet so loud?!

Well, 800 meters is two laps around a track… So the first lap doesn’t count and the second doesn’t count sooo basically, it’s like I’m not even running

HOW HAS IT ONLY BEEN THREE MINUTES??!!

God damn it. This hill is such a bitch!!

Great, my watch died

Maybe if I look depressed, Coach will change the workout 

Wow, that was fast

I’m not going to check my watch until I get to that tree

What’s for dinner?

Hey, look! Another jogger

If I were to have a heart attack, who would find my body?

Why do I run? It’s so hard

Sorry car, but I’m not moving out of the way

She totally doesn’t run.. look at her awful form. Her arms are flopping around everywhere. Who do she think she is?!

Come on, Nicolette run faster

It’s so hot out, I need water

Should I inform these walkers that I’m coming up behind them, or should I stomp my feet really loud so they know I’m trying to pass them? Ehh I won’t say anything. (Surprise)

This puddle doesn’t look that deep, so I thought… 

I’m almost home. I need to sprint the last half mile

I probably shouldn’t have eaten 15 minutes beforehand.. oh well

Mother Effer..

What do you think about while running?

 

It’s not a true XC race without a little mud

There’s nothing that sucks more than being at a cross-country meet in the freezing cold, not to mention it was a muddy, rainy, windy and miserable day.  Correction:  nothing sucks more than sitting in wet clothes.

We drove 5 hours to Lehigh University in PA to race at the Paul Short Run, with over 40 schools from the East Coast.

How the day went:

Oct. 2

7:00 a.m. A ten-minute “shake out” run in the hotel’s parking lot… I’m sure the cars going by thought we were crazy or something because who runs around in circles in a parking lot?  Only Bonaventure XC.

7:10 a.m. Well, someone asked if we were a volleyball team, so that’s pretty much how breakfast went.

8:30 a.m. Getting a text from coach saying I have 30 seconds to get downstairs before the bus leaves isn’t quite ideal.

9:00 a.m. We arrived at the course, and it was a TORRENTIAL RAINSTORM. It was muddy everywhere, so the fact that I washed my sneakers before coming was a complete waste.

10:15 a.m. Four runners from the team ran in the Women’s Open. I envied every one of them for getting their race out of the way because they could now eat pumpkin spice cookies with a carmel kiss in the middle.

12:15 p.m. Men’s College Brown Race. From afar, it looked like a herd of animals running from how fast the people in that race were going.

1:00 p.m. Finally, the top 7 ran after waiting a long, painful 5 hours.  By then, the course was so wet and muddy that it could’ve made a great slip and slide. Maybe next time.

2:30 p.m. The bus departed and we were on our way home.  I’ve never, ever wanted to get off a bus so badly in my life….  Needless to say, I got to reword myself with a hot shower when I got back to campus.

(A quick shoutout to my parents and sister for driving hours to come watch me race for about 40 seconds).

Picture was taken after the first meet of the season.

Why I run

The question I often get from people is this: Why do you run? To tell you the truth, I run because it’s hard. It takes a lot of guts to run—to be able to get up every morning even when you don’t feel like it. It takes a lot of motivation, too. Sometimes I feel like staying in bed, but I know that if I do, someone is one step ahead of me. Or sometimes I wish I could sleep in, but I know someone else out there is working harder than me. The reason why I run is because it feels natural to me. Unlike any other sport, there are no time-outs or half times. Running is all legs. We don’t stop until the race is over. That’s why it’s so mentally grueling.

I started running at a very young age, which lead me to running competitively. As you can imagine, I was pretty underdeveloped. I had no hips, had not gone through puberty, and I did not feel lactic acid. That’s why I ran so fast. I felt as though I was always under a lot of pressure trying to please my coaches and my family. It began to be a lot to handle for someone my age.

Due to several injuries, I struggled with my mentality, and it is still something I struggle with today. Coming back from injuries is hard, but what is even harder is gaining that strength back just to get injured again. Within the last year, I obtained two major injuries–a quad tear and severe shin splints. I felt like I was in one of those nightmares where you are in a race, and your legs physically cannot move. During that time, that nightmare became a reality for me.

They say that running is 90% mental and the rest is physical. It’s that mental aspect of it all that makes running so tough. You can be in the best physical shape of your life, but if your mind isn’t positive, it’s game over. As you run, your body will tell you to stop running, and that you can’t take anymore, but a strong mind will tell you to handle the pain with strategy.

From all the years I’ve been running, I’ve learned that no matter where you are in your career, you’re going to get hurt. You just have to be patient. I’ve learned that injuries teach you a valuable lesson—to appreciate every moment you have. I’ve learned that it’s a mental battle trying to come back after being injured repeatedly, and most of the time the battle is with myself. I’ve learned that whenever I have bad races or bad practices, to not get discouraged. I’ve learned to remember that everyday you get stronger and are better than you were the previous day. Lastly, I’ve learned that injuries bother you when you aren’t working, but when the gun goes off, you no longer feel anything.