Gabrielle Jennings’ Travel Journal
Jesse Owens Classic: Decatur, Alabama
I knew about this race a long time ago. My dad, who is my coach, actually made plans for me to compete in this race in mid-summer. We had hopes back then that I would have fully recovered from my hip problems by now, but unfortunately that did not go as planned. Regular visits to the Orthopedist and physical therapy have helped, however I am still not close to where I expected to be before the injury. My dad has estimated that I have only completed about 30-40 percent of my total workouts since April. It has been very frustrating but I have been slowly coming back with the help of the therapy and the incorporation of swimming into my workout schedule.
We left for Decatur on Friday right after lunch. We were off of school due to the St. Tammany Parish fair, so I was able to get a little extra sleep. My dad called from work and told me we were going to leave at 12:30 so I got up to finish packing. We left right on schedule and got some snacks for the trip…navel oranges, baked lays potato chips, and water. I was now on my way to what I knew would be a very tough competition, with runners from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee. Even though I knew I wasn’t as far along in my training as I had wished, I was looking forward to competing against this type of field. My race had 327 entrants, with the total meet having 5,466 entrants in various divisions.
This race also held sort of a personal spot in my heart because we actually relocated to Huntsville, Alabama after Hurricane Katrina for my mom and dad’s work. I attended school for the first half of my second grade year at Whitesburg Academy and had many great memories of my teacher and the wonderful classmates that treated me as one of their own. I was really wishing that I could see some of them again and talk about the times we shared.
The 5 ½ hour trip passed fairly quickly, as my dad and I had a fun time singing and dancing to music and cracking jokes, but also had a serious time of talking about our memories of Hurricane Katrina. We also talked about strategy and what I needed to do to accomplish my goal I had set for this race. As I mentioned earlier, in mid-summer we were looking at hopefully running in the 17:45 range for the 5,000. Due to the injury, however, we re-assessed where I was at and set a more reasonable goal based on my times so far this year and the training I had gotten in over the last two weeks.
We had an off week from racing last week so my parents rented a condo and invited four of my best friends to Destin, Florida for two nights as a late birthday celebration. We had a blast and I did some running on the beach.
Over the last two weeks, I was also able to get two decent pick-up sessions done, as well as a set of 5 x 600 on the track. It felt really good to go “fast” again. I was getting excited about the race now and we set a goal of between 18:20-18:25 for the 5,000. We talked and agreed that this would be a good take-off point, as long as my hip stayed healthy, to finish the second half of the season.
As soon as we got to Decatur we checked into our hotel, unpacked our things, and went down to the parking lot to run an easy 15 minutes and do some stretching. We were not alone, though. A man of the hotel’s staff was walking through the parking lot and started talking to my dad about how he was from the New Orleans area too, but had to move after Katrina. I finished my run, said goodbye to the nice man, and went back inside to clean off for dinner. Driving down the main road in front of our hotel, we spotted a Cracker Barrel and decided to eat there. I have always been conscious about nutrition so I wanted to make sure that I ate well the night before the race. I had a bottle of water and the country chef salad, which included slices of turkey, ham, and hickory smoked bacon bits on top of lettuce, cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, and croutons…no dressing. We left the restaurant and went to Academy Sports to buy some pink socks to run in. I know people that have survived breast cancer and wanted to run in the pink socks for “breast cancer awareness”. We found the socks and headed back to our hotel. Just a little time remained to complete my therapy exercises, lay out my uniform, clean up, brush my teeth, and get to bed…lights out at 10:00.
My dad woke me at 6:00 in the morning to get ready for the big race. Although tired, I was also getting excited. Dad went to the lobby and got me a banana, a box of plain cheerios, and strawberry yogurt while I soaked my legs for about 10 minutes. I got dressed, ate my breakfast, packed up, and we checked out at 6:45. When we walked outside to my dad’s truck, I was shocked. The night before, it was cool but clear weather. It was now pouring down rain, very windy, and in the mid 40’s. We made the 30 minute drive to the course with it raining all the way. We both just looked at each other and my dad said, “just run hard but within yourself”. He told me to have fun because today was going to be a “true” cross country race and don’t worry about times.
When we arrived at the course, we literally had to run to the packet pick-up tent through the rain. We got soaked, but we eventually found a dry place in the museum at the Jesse Owens Park. While receiving a bit of an arrowhead lesson, we remained inside for a while just trying to get warm. Eventually we were brave enough to face the elements and go outside. My race was the fourth race of the day and was scheduled for 9:40 a.m. My dad and I walked around some of the team tents and then he walked up to a lady at the Westminster Christian tent. When he said hi and she turned around, I was in shock. It was Mrs. Ford, my second grade teacher from Huntsville. We hugged and told each other how excited we were to see each other. It did not end there… one of the girls on their team was my friend Amanda Beard (her code name was blue eyes from a club we had formed back then). I was so happy and started to think what a special day this was. My dad told me my mom had texted my teacher and this was all set up. Being surprised, at first, made me a little aggravated, since I wished I would have known earlier. Knowing that my mom is full of nice surprises and has done similar things in the past, however, just made me smile inside.
I started my warm-up at about 8:45, getting in some light jogging and plenty of stretching. I could see some of the course and it was in terrible shape. With three races ahead of mine, I knew it would only get worse as others ran on it. I got good and loose and got in a few nice strides. My dad came up to me and reminded me to “compete”. He had wanted me to hit splits of around 5:48-5:50 at the mile and sub-12:00 at the two mile, but with course conditions, he said just run what you can. He showed me the best spot on the starting line, if there was one, and I was ready to go. I was really feeling good about my warm-up and the thought of my friend and teacher being there. We stood on the line and the gun went off without even a “runners to your mark”! At first, I thought that a mud bomb had exploded in my face… clean the first second then mud in my hair and on my face the next. All throughout the first 75 meters girls struggled to keep from falling face first in the 4-6 inch deep mud.
After I rounded the first turn and came face-to-face with a giant tree in the middle of the path, the trail turned to gravel and wasn’t quite as muddy. The race continued on this way for about another 800 meters. When the time came, the straight gravel road ended with a sharp turn to the left, turning into a winding mud-run once again. I hit the 1-mile in 5:42 but felt surprisingly good. I literally thought something was wrong with me by the speed of my leg turn-over.
I thought that the worse part was over as we rounded another turn going up a hill and across a road to a small field. Going up the hill was easier than going down because of the long gradual downgrade with the slippery earth below our feet. We made yet another sharp turn entering the killer portion of the race. The “snake”: 4 of the steepest hills I have ever run on with the turns basically marked as corners (like the ^^^^ in a lightning bolt shape). It was very narrow and full of what I call “peanut-butter mud”, the kind where you just put the slightest bit of weight on your foot and you slip immediately. It was also during the second mile that it started to pour down raining again so this made things even worse. I almost wanted to slide down the hills like a penguin or something, but figured I better not! People were falling and you almost had to come to a complete stop going down the hills to avoid being injured. In all of the mud, once you would slow to a crawl at the bottom, you would have to re-accelerate to get up the hills with no traction whatsoever, which was harder than anything I’ve ever had to do in my racing experiences. Right after I hit the two mile at the top of the second hill in 11:47 (which surprised me even more than my mile time because of all the constant starting and stopping), I had a girl right behind me that kept her hand on my shoulder almost shoving me down while trying to keep her balance.
Once I got through the toughest part of the race, it was mainly flat and wet with sharp turns. I still laugh looking back at how I was caught in the situation where I had to run a few feet in the very edge of the freezing lake’s water. There was a slight incline from about the 2.5-2.8 mile mark, but after that, there was a slight downhill for about 100 meters. The course then made a horseshoe turn to the left, ending the third mile (my split was 18:06). From there, it was a slip and slide for almost 200 meters to the finish, which I crossed in 18:49.90 to place 13th overall. Though the course wasn’t in its best shape, and the conditions weren’t all that great, I was very happy with my race effort. It was also after the race that I realized my hip didn’t hurt me one bit the entire way. My dad found me right away and gave me a big congratulatory hug, telling me what a great job I did. It really makes me feel good when he reassures me, whether I think I do well or not. He is an excellent coach and is always there to motivate me, even when it seems like there is nothing good at all to look upon. He also made me laugh so hard when he told me of how he actually fell in the mud going from the 2 mile to the finish. He looked like he had fun judging by the skid marks on his pants…sorry dad
Afterwards, we walked around and stopped by the New Balance tent. A nice lady there noticed how cold I looked and actually gave me an awesome New Balance workout jersey. We stopped and saw my teacher again and took some more pictures. We promised to keep in touch and said our goodbyes. I then went back to the truck and got my warm-ups on to wait for the awards. Awards were given out and we were ready for our journey back, but not before stopping by Subway for a large turkey and American cheese sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mayo…my favorite. We enjoyed our trip back home, talking about the race, the rest of the season, but more importantly the fresh set of memories of another cross country meet.
Travel Journal: Brady Warren
MC Watson Ford Invitational: Clinon, Missisippi
Monday October 1, 2012
I'm certainly excited. The last week had consisted of homecoming week, well executed cross country workouts, and was concluded with a team and individual victory. So today, even though tired and in sleep-recovery mode, I dragged myself out of bed and headed off to school excited to hear of our victory over the intercom while sitting in 1st block. To add, I had an interview scheduled right after school with the Advocate; AND It was going to my first ever concert that night. I will not lie, It was going to be an exciting day.
After the dismissal bell rang, I headed out to the track, knowing what I wanted to say but as the moment came I forgot everything and probably sounded like a blabbering mess.
After the interview I headed out on my warm up. My workout consisted of 4 x 1000 (3 mile pace), 400 (1 mile pace) with
90 second recovery.
I felt quite sluggish because of little sleep during homecoming week. After the workout, I cooled down, headed out to take a shower, and then off to the rock concert in New Orleans I went. I wouldn't return home until around 1:30ish
Tuesday October 2
I managed to make it through the school day, I'm dead and coach pretty much knew that I would be, he tells me I can take an easy day. We end up doing a distance run of 45 minutes. Afterwards, I returned home where a fellow teammate came over and hung out. I went to sleep early that night.
Wednesday, October 3
School work, with the addition of some of my teachers approaching me about my article that was on the paper that morning to give me a pat on the back, and then a track workout.
This workout consisted of 3 sets of 4x400m (1 mile pace). Being our first quarter workout of the season, I was quite ready for a good one. We usually don't do too many workouts on the track but the ballpark had been wet during the week. I did not complain being that I absolutely love the track. We warmed up around the school, worked out, had a satisfying workout, then cooled down, stretched, and headed back to our homes to eat, shower, and rest.
Thursday, October 4
I ended up waking up late for school and had to check in. I was not upset because it was the best nap I had taken in some time. I completed my school work and headed home after the dismissal bell -a greatly anticipated tone. Instead of my usual nap after school before practice I completed various yard work tasks: Weed eating, cutting the grass, taking out the trash, trimming the hedges (which were getting out of control), and all the other usual things. Needless to say, I was glad to make it to practice (a little late) and do a 45 minute distance run. We all had great expectations of ourselves, wanting to PR in the 5k and to show a great overall team performance.
Following I was invited by the team to eat at Walk-Ons but declined to eat gumbo that was awaiting at home.
That night, I turned on the light in my closet and took hold of my clothes hanger which held my racing uniform. The uniforms were brand new and I certainly took care of it. The patterns and designs on it made it awe striking when I first laid my eyes upon it and it still held a kind of powerful energy as I held it in my hands before placing it in my travel bag. After packing a few more necessary items, I headed off to bed.
Friday, October 5.
I woke up pumped up. I dressed for school and equipped my travel bag. I was only at school until 1st lunch when the cross country traveling group was dismissed for the track and departure. We headed out for Mississippi - where I quickly fell asleep an hour into the ride while listening to music, and didn't wake up until a little before we reached the race course. When arriving we did a pre-race shakeout on the course. It brought back good memories from freshman year when I had raced this course before. The course was a true xc one - with various terrain just as I had remembered - which pleased me. After the course preview, we headed to the hotel and checked in. Realizing there was an Applebee's and a theatre next to our hotel we ate there, watched a movie, and then headed back to the hotel for R&R. It was a pretty nice night out- nothing crazy before the meet.
Saturday Race Day
We woke up at 6:50 am the day of the race, packed our bags, headed down for breakfast, then departed for the course. When arriving at the course it was a misty, chilly morning and so we dressed accordingly in our warmup uniforms. We set up the team tent, banner, and then relaxed under the shelter we had just created.
When race time approached, we did an easy 10 minute warmup, and then did our routine drills. After, we returned to our team area and spiked it up. Being part of my own personal addition to pre-race, I turned my iPod on to my classical orchestra playlist and entered my zone. Soon the runners started heading to the line, I turned off my music and followed. At the line, coach pumped us up and we shed our sweats and lined up.
I have always loved the start of races, with the many different colored uniforms and spikes lined up along the field - like that of ancient warriors preparing to face off on the battlefield.
As we sat there listening to the usual instructions, I tried to go over my personal race strategy one last time which I quickly realized I had never agreed upon one. It was obviously too late for this and the starting siren blared away. sending us into a battle charged start. We raced down the starting hill where I established myself in the top 3 before the first turn. Immediately following we charged up another hill where I quickly I found myself in the lead. I could clearly hear the hundreds of spikes pounding on the ground behind me as the individual groups formed. I came through the mile in the lead (5:05) with a few runners on my heels. Shortly following we rushed down a hill where someone tried to take the lead in which I quickly countered causing the challenger to back off. As we continued up and down, left and right - I could still hear a pair of spikes pounding away just a short distance behind me.
Going through 2 miles I did not notice my split as we continued on we reached a part of the course that I recognized with a small lake which I knew was close to the finish. I picked it up hoping to break my pursuer, who was still at this point in hearing distance. I had lead the whole race and I was not about to let anyone steal it from me this close to the line.
Coming down around one of the final turns, I could no longer hear footsteps following, but in my mind I had continued to picture that someone was still sitting, waiting for the right moment to outkick me. So I worked harder and attempted to hold my form. As I rounded for the final straightaway, it was me vs the gradual inclining hill to the finish. The crowds cheered, which made me believed they were not cheering for me- but rather for someone who may be trying to catch me in the final sprint, and it powered me harder and harder.
My thighs burned as I covered the hill to the finish and then just like that it was over. I had lead from start to finish, a great accomplishment.
After, I patted my competitors on the back, shook hands, and was happy to see that the majority of the top finishers (if not all) were from Louisiana. One Mississippi runner who had passed though the finish a little while later was gulping down water as he said, "You Louisiana runners! What do you all eat down there?".
We shared in laughter and then separated.
I did a cooled down with the team and stretched.
At the awards we received 3rd place, a mere three points from fellow Louisiana team Parkway.
West Monroe would go on to win the meet as it was much deserved after their performance this day. I had aimed for our school 5k record of 15:56 and missed it running 16:07. Maybe if I had run a ilttle differently, I would have come closer, but personally, I was happy with my performance knowing I left it all on the course. Hard work always pays off.
<p> If you would be interested in keeping a travel journal, please write to <a href="mailto:pat@louisianarunning.com">pat@louisianarunning.com</a>. </p>