Anderson University Electric City Invite

On the road again! I feel like I barely unpacked my suitcase from last week and our plans have already changes for next weekend, putting me into a tailspin of looking for places to stay in Myrtle Beach instead of Florida. But we're taking one day at a time and making it. The girls are looking forward to four days of school this week and then Spring Break. Patrick and I will still have work, plus a few projects and of course, more track. Ha!

This weekend we headed back to my parents house to stay overnight again. They were kind enough to make more spaghetti and host us for the night before we headed to Anderson University, just 45 minutes away. We got there around 8:30am and pretty much camped out there all day. It was supposed to warm up, but the temps were in the low 50s with a good little breeze going most of the day. So we were all pretty chilly and got sunburned in some strange places where our clothing didn't cover. Thankfully, sunscreen helped and nobody is too far gone. 

Up in just the 2nd race of the meet was the 4x800. We haven't run this race with our A team at all this year, but the girls have each been racing the open 800 at varying events. The head coach wanted to try Anna as anchor and Hayley as lead off with Scarlett and Paige in the middle. So they lined up and Hayley shot off to the lead, leaving everybody in the dust. Scarlett got it next and held the lead, but got spiked by Hayley coming in. Paige took the baton next and almost had a PR. She ran great. Then she handed off to her sister which always makes me smile. Anna easily kept the lead and Patrick told her to back off just a bit because it was clear they were going to win. The girls came in at 9:50 something, but there's definitely more time to come off that and I think this is the group that is a lock for state. 

Because we were at Anderson, I texted Madison to let her know we were there. Madison and her boyfriend Will came over to watch the first race and then she returned later to watch Paige do the steeplechase. It was great catching up with both of them. And we also saw Madison's cousin, Nate, who used to live in Blythewood. He's a student at Anderson and on the track team so it was cool to see how his first year is going. 

After that, we pretty much posted up to wait for the later races. Anna and I headed to the car so she could squish her legs and take a nap. I wasn't sad about getting in a toasty vehicle and out of the wind. Paige got a pic on the podium with the other girls. She hung out at the tent with her friends and helped cheer for some other distance events. My parents came mid-afternoon and delivered me a yummy Publix sub along with other lunch items. I never eat that good at a meet! 

Finally, Anna was up for the 3200, seeded 2nd but the 1st seed was a no-show. She had a great start that was comparable to her sub-11 starts and looked good with a sizeable lead until the middle of the 6th lap. She started to fade and the 2nd and 3rd place girls began to close the gap. They passed her at the start of the 7th lap and Anna couldn't seem to get the speed she wanted as her legs felt heavy. Sometimes it happens. She finished 3rd with a time of 11:18 which is actually not a bad time at all. Of course, she was not happy that she didn't win and we had to deal with the post-race slump/attitude. 

We hung around for the very last race of the meet which was the steeplechase. That's right! Because it was at a college campus, the steeplechase was added as an option and Paige jumped at the opportunity. Anna did too, but she was banned. I was actually happy for Paige because this was a chance for her to shine and do something her sister has never done. There's no school record! Watching the boys go around I was a little afraid this was not going to be her jam. I had no idea there was going to be an audience at the water jump chanting "cannon ball!" Anna and I kept saying it was her worst nightmare, but her friend Lucas who has done it before, assured us she would actually enjoy it. 

She took off with Patrick yelling from the infield while we hung at the water jump. She came around with the front girl and tackled it with courage. The first landing was a bit rocky, but after that she was far more stable when she landed. She held second place the entire race and walked away with a silver medal as well as a smile on her face. Turns out she enjoyed it and Lucas was right. 

We left the meet for some chick-fil-A and another long ride home. It was a fun day with ups and downs. I've loved seeing Paige succeed this year as she gains more confidence and muscle. I know Anna will get her groove back soon and I am hoping not running this Wednesday will help. In the meantime, Teddy was enjoying his cuddle time on Megan's bed this weekend. He wormed his way into some snuggles and stealing her blankets. Ha!

Paige frame by frame in the steeplechase

Home meet....again

If it's spring, we're probably at a track meet! Our second home meet of the season was last night. It had less teams than last time, but still lasted long into the night. I was stationed at my post near the snack table, managing kids walking across the track, hurdles, trash pick up, calling out races, snack refills, etc. It's definitely fun to help out, but boy am I tired after five hours of track! Of course, Patrick was bouncing back and forth between the press box, calling out upcoming race information and instructions as well as being a coach on the field with the distance events. I hardly seem him during home meets, but I can always here him. 

The girls just ran last weekend and will run again this weekend so their racing last night was light. They were both entered in the open 800 which Anna hasn't run since her freshman year. She's run the 4x800 plenty of times, but not the 800. Paige is working on getting her time down even further and doing great. Her goal is to secure a spot on the 4x800 team and I think she's nailing it. 

Anna was seeded the fastest in the race because our top girl, Hayley, wasn't entered. She definitely drug the field out fast in the first lap and then they faded behind her. It's tough to get a PR in an 800 when you are not racing anybody, but Anna pressed hard and came across the line in 2:21. Patrick had her closer to 2:19/2:20. Regardless she was a few seconds off her PR, but happy with the results considering the race she was in.

Paige went out fast and had the goal to try and stay with a competing senior from another school. She hung tough, but bugger muscles won out and that girl pulled away just a bit, finishing just 4 seconds in front of Paige. Her teammate, Scarlett, is good competition for her and this time Paige wanted to get far in front of her from the beginning and then hopefully hold her off. Scarlett has a great kick in the end. To her credit, Paige opened up a wide gap and then in the last 100, Scarlett started coming for her. It's actually a really fun race to watch because they help each other compete. Right at the line Scarlett beat Paige by a step. However, Paige PRed by 4 seconds with a time of 2:31. She was really proud of her race and keeps getting that time down. 

We finished the night with a run to chick-fil-A and a late bed time. Boy are we tired! Somewhere in there I also managed to build my new patio furniture, teach three classes, grade resumes (at 5am and again at 12pm) and bang my knee pretty good on the coffee table. All in day's work! Oh yeah....Anna got her graduation regalia today too. Nooooooooo!

 

Gail Devers Track Meet

This was a new meet for us, located in Northwest Georgia at Mountain View High School. Typically, we would go to the Coach's Classic qualifying meet which gets you entry into Coach's Classic elite meet. But the elite meet is being held on a Friday at Hilton Head and our coach was said: NOPE! Track meets should not interfere with school that much. So that freed up the weekend to do another meet, and Coach loves some Olympic athletes. Ha!

We traveled on Friday night to my parents' house to get us a little closer for the next day. It's a three and half hour drive from our house but cut it down to one hour and twenty minutes from my parents. Plus, Riley and Channing were in town from their Spring Break, so we had a chance to visit with them. Even if it was brief, it was fun to see Riley for her 19th birthday! My dad happily obliged and made us spaghetti for dinner. 

It was a hot one (why? it's supposed to be March weather!) and we arrived with tent in hand, finding the most shade we could. Paige and Anna were up for the 1600, running in the same heat. Anna was seeded 2nd and had a chance to grab a good time with some good competition. She looked solid in the first lap and even in the 2nd, hanging with the girl in first place. But then she died. It looked like she was dragging weights. By the time the final lap was happening, she dropped into 5th place with a time of 5:23 and looked pretty defeated. Between the heat and her head cold, I could tell she her body was not responding like she wanted. Let's just say there was a lot of talking between her and Coach Dad afterward. 

Meanwhile, Paige was seeded in the back of the pack and hung there for one lap before making some moves. She started passing some people and hung with a group of two other runners. Her final push at the end of the last lap, plus a lean at the line helped her to finish with a new PR of 5:40. She finished 19th overall in the 1600 and was proud of her race. 

It was just a short rest before Paige headed back to the line for the 800. She was in the 2nd fastest heat with her teammate Scarlett and seeded 15th. The pack went out really fast and Patrick said later that was her fastest 400 she's ever run. Again, she was toward the back but started to make good progress passing some girls. She was on the heels of Scarlett and sprinted in for another PR of 2:35 (just .3 faster than her last race). She finished that race 10th overall across all fields which was awesome. So close to getting on the podium! Her two PR performances earned her a Performer of the Week recognition. 

While waiting around for Paige to run, I sat with Anna who was blowing bloody snot and looking pretty worm down. We talked to her about scratching the race because her body was just not feeling great and it went back and forth. So, we told her to talk to Coach Aleshia and when she came back, she said she was running but didn't look like she was really thrilled about it. I was honestly surprised she told her to run, but this would make sense later. Anna really had to do a lot of mental gymnastics to get herself in race shape. I told Patrick no matter what the time was today was about learning to do hard things and in the end, it was a race that didn't really matter. 

She lined up and dominated the race the entire time. She led every lap and when the 2nd place girl tried to come up on her in the last lap, Anna shut it down. She had a terrible time of 11:54, but she did it and scored 14 points for the team. The 4x4 was the only event left after that, and our girls were a good lock to win it. We stayed to cheer for them and then they announced our girls' team had won the meet....by 14 points. Turns out Anna running and winning had won the meet for the girls and the coach knew it. She hadn't told Anna that she needed to win, but she also knew that if Anna stepped on the track, she would compete. 

We finished the meet by taking a picture with Olympian Gail Devers and then made our way to Chick-fil-A before heading home. It was a long drive through some thunderstorms, but we made it and everybody collapsed into bed! This was a tough day for both girls. Paige was battling some stuff and Anna had her cold, but both stepped up and delivered. I'm proud of them!