Written by Cameo Mooney
Cross country camp helped me in more ways than one. They say running is half physical and half mental. Physically, the running was hard and the pacing was a large focus. Most of the runs were around 7:30 pace and though I was near the back of the pack, I finished each run feeling accomplished. It wasn't just the soreness after a run that helped though. It was the realization that I was running at my formerly known "race pace" for a regular run. It wasn't easy, but it didn't take everything out of me. The coach from Southern Regional talked about racing when he came to speak to us. He said that he sees too many people get caught up in trying to run specific times and forgetting why they are there in the first place. When you toe the line, you should be prepared to race. Not just run what you believe is your fastest. Race. Beat the girl in front of you. Then beat the girl in front of her. Or even stick with a fast girl and tell yourself to stay with her at all costs. It wasn't until after this speech that I really thought about my pacing. I was running fast because I was just trying to stay with everyone else. I simply had to. Whether by fault or by coercion, I hope to think the same way in real races. I hope everyone thinks this way during races. You don't have to know me too well to know it has been a hard time for me mentally this summer. I didn't have a reason and I didn't know how to fix something so obscure. All runners have their downs but I was tired of the same lectures about just being the best I could be at the time. I was worried my mindset would change camp, but thankfully it was the other way around. I finally feel ready to race this season. My individualistic mentality towards races is now fully team oriented. It doesn't mean as much to go to big races if your team isn't right along side you. I always had the best interest of the team in mind, but I now feel like the team is even ahead of my personal goals. Multiple coaches talked about the importance of the family vibe and the need for a good leader. Good leaders are not necessarily the fastest girls or the ones that tell you what to do. We have a coach to do that part. A good leader is someone you can go to when you're having a bad day. Someone who makes each individual feel like an important part of the team. My roommate had been the captain of her team since freshmen year because she knew the girls and helped everyone when they needed it. I will definitely keep all of this in mind when voting for captain this year. Camp taught me leadership and positive mentality. Overall, Push Your Pace was a good vibe and I hope we get more than three girls to experience the same next summer.
