Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

Nov. 26, 2014

I warn you now that this may more resemble a novel than a blog post in length, but as I must debrief not only the most important meet of the season but also the entire season itself, please bear with me. I will spare you a poetic introduction and dive right in.
 

As I mentioned last time, the weather boarded the Polar Express in the last week or so, and it bore its teeth last Monday with painful winds and a decent layer of snow. We had a steady state (up-tempo run) scheduled, so we discussed in the pre-practice meeting just how to do that. Given the choice of the snow-covered, windy cross country course or a slick but relatively sheltered bike path, we opted for the former. I did not experience the bike path that day and thus cannot tell you whether our pick was the wiser of the two, but I do know that it was a run we will never forget. First, the wind caused snow drifts throughout the course so that we were ankle-deep at minimum for the duration of the run. Second, we donned spikes, so in theory we should have had better grip but I feel the benefits were outweighed by the kicks’ poor insulation (meaning that one step into the grass filled my shoes with snow). Third, the wind was a force to be reckoned with. In all, the elements put us about a minute per mile over pace. I dared not complain too much during the run, but in hindsight I feel I have a more objective view of the experience:

With Kristen Laaman as my witness, between the warm-up and the end of the workout, I went from "this will be so fun!" to "please just let me see my family one more time."

Most people would say that leaving a perfectly warm building to jog a few miles in a tundra prior to running several more miles in said environment is idiotic. We just call it a warm-up.

I do believe I heard the wind verbally mock me for my choice to leave the ear band behind. Perhaps that was a hallucination, but in any case, I had tears streaming down my face by the last 400 meters…completely involuntarily, of course. I also literally told the wind to stop. Yes, out loud. No, it didn’t listen.

Numbness. By the end of the "warmup" I had lost feeling in one foot, and the first mile of the workout sufficiently shut down the other foot. Then, I lost one ankle at a time, and it was quite odd to run without feeling anything below my shin.

We finished the workout with triumphant smiles on our faces (well, at least I think I was smiling…I couldn’t quite feel what my face was doing.) Coach Bolender had his van all warmed up for us at the finish line, so we climbed in to thaw before our "cool down" (seriously, someone needs to rethink these phrases for this time of year). As he drove us back toward the campus, we came across a car in the ditch between our course and the main road. When Coach Bo stopped to ponder, I admittedly raised a frozen eyebrow in doubt - that car appeared quite stuck. Even as we got out of the van to see what we could do, Coach said something along the lines of, "I don’t think we’ll get him anywhere." Less than a minute later, the car was back on all four wheels and its driver was yelling "Girl power!" as he gave each of us a high-five. I’ll let you figure out the lesson to be learned here.

Compared to Monday, the rest of the week was fairly normal, and on Friday morning we departed for Evansville, Indiana. Although we had narrowed the team down to ten, the coaches managed to get a few extra hotel rooms so that all of the guys and girls’ teams could attend. We were grateful to have everyone because it’s always more fun to race when you have fans on the sidelines. Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and headed out to see our guys race. One benefit of us racing second was that the boys were able to warn us of the hazardous mud on the course. The last of the week’s snow had melted overnight as Saturday’s high temperature was close to sixty, so the backstretch - which the girls had to run twice - was a swamp. Everyone standing around team camp grabbed a pair of the girls’ shoes and a spike wrench to replace the baby-tooth spikes with ¾ inch fangs. With that, our fearless seven trekked over to the start line to get in a final few drills and sprints before the gun.

The course proved excellent for spectators; with a little sprint here and there, we were able to see our girls go by multiple times. One highlight of this week’s race was our front-running trio, made up of Alex, Olivia, and Carsyn. The three never separated until the final 400 meters, where Alex kicked in for a 22:11. Olivia followed in 22:15, and Carsyn crossed in 22:23. Pack-running pushes everyone in the group and offers a mental advantage, so it was exciting to see these three thrive from each other’s energy. Additionally, imagine what being passed by three girls on the same team simultaneously is like; can you say intimidation? After Carsyn were Kristen in 23:03, Rachel in 23:14, Nicole in 23:14, and Melanie in 23:31. I do not remember whether I have mentioned our regional place goal, but early in the season we set out to finish in the top ten of our region, and I am thrilled to tell you that we did just that. Only eight points away from ninth and seven points from eleventh, our girls did exactly what they set out to do and proved the effectiveness of season-long patience.

If anyone is proof of the benefits of long-term dedication, it is Melanie Redfield. Hailing from Rochester, NY, Mel has led by example. In the three years I have trained and raced with her, I have seen constant, consistent improvement, not only from one season to the next, but also from the first to the last meets of the individual seasons. I have been privileged to serve alongside Melanie in her two years as team captain, and I have been inspired by her constant seeking to do what is best for the entire team. Mel intentionally seeks to get to know every teammate a little better each week, whether through interrogations about their hometowns or just checking in on their lives. I’m glad we have one more track season with Mel, because even then we won’t be ready to let her go.

God blesses us every season in multiple ways, and this year we have had the distinct gift of seeing success. We were able to accomplish so many of our goals through his strength, and that is not caused by a bar set too low - low injury rates and serious hard work put the team where they ended up. I am thankful to be a part of such an extraordinary group of girls.

Two final shout-outs: Dani Modderman, who was unable to run due to knee surgery over the summer, has had an excellent attitude and servants’ heart throughout the season. She attended every meet as our photographer and spent the first hour after each meet uploading pictures to be sent to our athletic department for the website. She just got her first few minutes on a treadmill this week, so we are looking forward to seeing her back at it! Finally, (this sounds akin to the "viewers like you" segment of PBS credits, but I am far more sincere), thank YOU for following and supporting the team this fall. Whether you were cheering at meets or just keeping up with results and the blog, we are grateful to everyone who keeps up with CU WXC.

As we wrap up one season, we break only for a short time before track kicks into gear. The momentum continues straight through the winter and spring, and before you know it, you’ll be reading the 2015 women’s cross country blog. I know you have a countdown on your calendar, but relax - the 2014 still has a month to go. Meanwhile, go get some dirt (or snow) on your running shoes!


Nov. 18, 2014

As my Rinnova (campus café) drink warms me from the inside-out while I type away at near-to-my-final blog post, I can’t help but bring up the most common, cliché, "I have nothing else to talk about" question: so how ‘bout that weather? DISCLAIMER: no, I don’t plan to unnecessarily bring out the unpredictability of "Ohio weather," because let’s face it, Ohio weather is no different from the rest of the Midwest, and as a whole, the Midwest is far more docile than, say, Colorado or Alaska, so please forgive me for rolling my eyes at every "Ohio weather is ridiculous" social media post. But I digress…In any case, it is not the most common Midwest experience to enjoy 65 degrees, sunshine, t-shirts, and shorts in November, but that describes last Monday. Tuesday, on the other hand, brought the first car-scraping day of the season, and I finally broke out the full-length running tights. With snow in the forecast, we move on to the holiday season.

In a sense, this week was relatively uneventful, as this particular week of the season tends to be. We face a new sharp dichotomy, and we must choose whether it will make us sluggish or propel us forward. The high of being G-MAC champs - along with that sunshine I spoke of - carried us through Monday, but after that some changes to our routine dropped a bit of the excitement. First, at this point in the season we narrow the team down to tournament-size, because at regionals only varsity (the top seven) race. Therefore, we move on to the end with a team of ten. Although it makes sense to half the team once most girls’ season is over, it is sad not to see their faces in the locker room every day, or to have twenty-three girls pushing through the same workout. Simultaneously, last week was huge in the realm of Cedarville sports, so we found ourselves in various new meeting places due to the away-teams’ use of our locker room (which we are happy to share!) Honestly, though, the changes in weather, team size, and routine have made the high-energy dynamic a bit more difficult to come by.

All of that said, we have a thrilling meet ahead. Not only do we look forward to the fast course (it is almost entirely flat!), but we also enter the most exciting field we have encountered all season. Our regional includes several of the top collegiate runners in the nation, so Coach Bolender has been preparing us through workouts and team meetings to go out hard and maintain. Because we followed his rule of patience geared our training toward helping us most here at the end, we plan on high placement and multiple PR’s.

In light of the lengthy meet coverage I expect to write next week, I will end here by encouraging you to check out the regional results after we race! Meanwhile, we covet your prayers not only for the girls’ health and safety as we come to our final race, but also for the stress of school this time of year. Thank you very much for your support!


Nov. 11, 2014

Last week’s blog proved the purpose of proofreading! Sorry to those who were driven crazy by a few mistakes. What happened to that third girl I was going to highlight? And how about the second set of quotes after the Coach Bo-ism? My high school English teachers would be ashamed, but I know you’ll bear with me, right? After all, here you are back for more.

We shared a bit of excitement during our mile repeats this past Tuesday. During the rest period after mile two, one of the girls ventured out into the cornfield that runs along our course’s backstretch. As her hot pink shirt disappeared into the tall stalks, a furry black figure entered the scene. A double-take confirmed for us that a skunk now stood between our teammate and the start line for our final mile. When our teammate emerged once again, we all yelled for her to walk far out of the way of the foul beast. Thankfully, she eventually made out the message of our jumbled cries and returned to us safely. Then, about two minutes into the final repeat, we found Coach Bolender standing in the middle of the course, gesturing animatedly for us to detour, as the skunk had inconveniently moved into our path. In the end, he left us smelling only of sweat, so we parted on good terms.

Tuesday was quickly followed by Wednesday, as it so often is, and before we knew it, Friday had come and we were Kentucky-bound for the G-MAC meet. This time around we shared a charter bus with the guys’ team, which is a positive to me on a few levels:

1.) Charter buses are 2754x better than the CU athletic bus. What more can I say?

2.) The guys’ movie choice is typically on point. We got our month’s dose of inspirational sports movies, but I’d prefer Rocky to Tangled any day. (Disclaimer: I don’t speak for all of the girls’ team, as evidenced by their groans when each movie was popped in.)

3.) We have a great relationship with the guys’ team, so it is always fun to spend time together. They are a very supportive bunch; when we raced in Wilmington over fall break, several of the guys showed up in full paint to cheer us on. Their team brings an adventurous spirit to the group dynamic, and we love having them around.

On Friday afternoon we stopped at the course to try it out and run our pre-meet. After a LONG dinner at Applebee’s (rough night for the wait-staff), we made it to the hotel. The girls had a final meeting that night to continue the "Senior Share" tradition. Melanie and Louise offered advice from their four years of college and many years of running. We will miss them very much next fall, but we are looking forward to one more track season with both of them! Melanie’s season will continue, but G-MAC was Louise’s final meet with CUXC, so please allow me to take some space for her legacy:

Louise Van Matre came to Cedarville from Cambridge Springs, PA. With a spirit as spunky as her spring-loaded hair, Louise has been a vocal yet humble leader on the team since I met her. Even though she was only a sophomore when I joined the team, she took the freshmen under her wing, and was a constant source of guidance. Her dedication to the team was a strong example to the rest of us - I always see her doing what we call "the little things," because she lives the disciplined yet well-rounded lifestyle an athlete should live. In life news, Louise became ENGAGED last week to Sam Harris!! She has an adorable proposal story, so be sure to ask her if you see her. Thank you, Louise, for your influence, leadership, and love for your team!

Saturday rolled around, and we headed out to the course for the meet. We set our goal for this meet near the beginning of the season, and it has remained constant: win. Cedarville won both the men’s and women’s titles for the last two years (and only two years of the G-MAC’s existence), and we wanted a three-peat. For a recap of the guy’s day, read Tyler Greenwood’s blog, but I am happy to report that both teams won! We were thrilled to hold that trophy once again, but as Coach reminds us, trophies and t-shirts aren’t the memories that last. Let me impart to you what we won’t forget:

We won’t forget that we put twelve girls under 24 minutes, which far surpassed the 6K time bar we set for the season. We won’t forget that about 80% of the team ran PR’s, and some by up to two minutes. We won’t forget Coach Bo’s and Ryan "Gus" Gustafson’s loud, inspiring yells as he sprinted from one point of the course to another to cheer us on. I will always remember the number of beaming faces I saw in the finish area as our girls crushed their individual time goals. Once again, we wrote each person’s desired time on the board in the locker room, and I can’t wait to go in on Monday and write the real finish times next to them. I have no idea how we are going to choose an athlete of the week this week, because so many girls left everything on the course. The mental stamina I spoke of last week was evidently put into effect, and I am inspired by reports of each person who finally conquered the desire to give up.


We give all the glory to God who gave us the talent and strength to run and who has answered our prayer to be a positive influence. Among my favorite moments this weekend was a girl from another team who crossed the finish line, immediately walked to where a couple of our team members were standing, and asked, "Are you going to lead a group prayer like you usually do?" Praise God for our testimony!

For some, this weekend marked the end of the season. For others, at least two weeks remain as we continue to train for regionals. Thank you for supporting our team through prayer; God has certainly blessed us in more ways than I can give account to in a blog! We look forward to seeing our top seven represent us in two weeks in Evansville, Indiana.

Coach Bo Quote of the Week: "If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas all year long."


Nov. 4, 2014

Mental toughness-n-the transforming of subconscious pessimism into controlled confidence.

November has come, and our final meets are upon us. Physically, the hay is in the barn (city girl learned that one from living here in the cornfields too long). We have stored up fitness over the course of five months (and much longer if you include prior seasons), and now it simply waits to be unleashed. Mile repeats and tempo runs continue to top off speed and endurance, but the work that determines potential has been accomplished. At this point, the order of the day is mental toughness.

No matter the zeal we had in August, no matter what goals we knew we were going to accomplish, no matter how excited we were, three months of training and racing wears on the mind. Don’t mistake me for saying we are giving up on the bar we set for ourselves - on the contrary, we are working harder than ever to shatter every goal. For the last couple of weeks and as we head into the next three, we have had many discussions on mental toughness and how to keep our heads in the long-lasting game.

There comes a point in almost every race where everything within you begs for mercy. You go from excited determination for that PR to a sudden desire to quit, and it sounds something like this:

Mind: Wow, 6:05 first mile! I’m on perfect pace for my goal. Just maintain…
Legs: We’re in it to win - wait, did we just go up a 2 incline? Lactic acid, get down here, stat!
Arms: We know we’re not the ones who bear three times your weight for 1200 steps a mile, but we have decided to start getting tired for no reason.
Lungs: Oh no, your limbs are giving up! Seems like a logical time to mimic asthma symptoms.
Stomach: You had a sip of water an hour ago, and you expect me just to hold that down?
Head: Fun Fact Friday! Did you know that I weigh as much as a bowling ball?
Mind: Maybe if I slow down just a bit now, I can rest for a while and pick it up again in mile three…right?

And THEN you must decide. Will this be another race where I surrender to pain and run the same time I have for the last three weeks, or will this be the time that I actually push through? I warmed up for the Cedarville Open with Hailey and Kat, and we spent those twenty minutes discussing personal perspectives on racing. Everyone has something different that works for them when the temptation to give up hits hard. Hailey talked about thinking to the end of the race and wondering if she will be satisfied with the effort she put in. Kat has a "why not" mentality, and asks, "What is keeping me right here and right now from running fast today?" We talked about how we run seven 800 meter intervals at two mile race pace, or five miles at tempo, so there’s no reason we can’t run a 5K or 6K at a pace between the two.

My point isn’t to complain about how hard our sport is or how long the season goes; in fact, those are aspects that keep me coming back for more. I hope instead to tell you that our training has more significance than building muscle and putting in miles. So much of what we do is about finding our potential, and that can only be reached with confidence. Not arrogance, not cockiness, but the knowledge that you can achieve well-set goals.

I want to highlight three girls who have shown excellence in the realm of doing what they set out to do. Last week we awarded two athletes of the week due to a missed week, and they were freshmen Alaina Spears and Christy Jesson. Alaina has shown what persistence in effort can do. The softball-player-turned-cross-country-runner (not your typical sport switch) came from a difficult summer of training and even sat out the first meet of the season. However, she has overcome the difficulties she could have used as excuses and trained hard and smart. We have seen her continuously improve from week to week, so it was thrilling to see her dip under 20 minutes for her 19:52 at the Cedarville Open. Christy came from a non-cross-country background as well, and I can quote her saying, "Cross country isn’t really my thing - I’m more of a track runner." Well look again, everyone, because she finished close behind Alaina last week with a 19:59. Her solid race was exciting for all of us, but I cannot claim surprise, because her training has been strong and consistent. In track workouts she seems to move up in the field a bit with each interval. If you want to see the result of determination, check out our Facebook page (Cedarville Women’s Cross Country) and find the picture of her crossing the finish line with arms in the air.

This weekend we head down to good ol’ Kentucky for the conference championship. We are racing for the title that could be our third in a row, so it’s bound to be a great race. Keep an eye out for results Saturday afternoon! Thank you so much for keeping up with us through the season so far; I can’t wait to update you on the coming weekend’s trip!

Coach Bo word of the week: "equivilate


Oct. 29, 2014

A few hours after our meet this past Friday, I saw the following quote posted by the triathlon store I work for back home:

"It will hurt. It will take time. It will require dedication. It will require willpower. You will need to make healthy decisions. It requires sacrifice. You will need to push your body to the max. There will be temptation. But, I promise you, when you reach your goal, it’s worth it."

Those words summarize the life of an athlete, and they especially resonate with the mentality we sought in the last week. Time, dedication, healthy decisions, and sacrifices have undergirded our season already, and now we move into the few weeks where willpower and pushing our bodies to the limit matter most. With two meets left for some and only one remaining for others, the work we have put in for the last several months is coming to fruition.

Enough with the sappy portion for a moment; allow me to divulge the secrets of a pre-, mid-, and post-race brain. The entire process is a roller coaster of thoughts and feelings wilder than that of the typical tween girl. Fasten your seatbelt - this gets messy.

Before the Race

Let’s assume the conditions are similar to that of our most recent race day. Here is a basic layout:

6-9 a.m.: Somewhere in this range, you wake to a new day with either (A) a smile at the wonderful pre-race sleep or (B) serious regrets for staying up past the average 80-year-old’s bedtime. In either case, the dawning that it is race day soon hits, accompanied by a minor heart attack and achy chills of excitement. The full physical experience in those two short seconds is slightly terrifying, but it eventually settles enough for you to plant your feet on the floor.

10-2 p.m.: Two main occurrences occupy this time frame: classes and lunch. During class, attention spans range from toddler watching a documentary to caffeinated squirrel; regardless, the lesson is somewhat lost on you. Even when you can pay attention enough to record the content of a single PowerPoint slide, a thought of the impending meet jolts your heart like a defibrillator and renders your writing hand useless for a solid few seconds. Whether due to nervousness or excitement, not much gets past the copy-paste stage of learning.

You rush to lunch with something akin to the following thought process: "If my race is at 4 p.m. and it’s sunny and above 56 degrees, I think I should start warming up by 3:12, which means that I need to have my last bite down my gullet by 12:12 - oh my lanta it’s already noon, what can I scarf down that won’t make me puke my guts out?" Then, you mull about the good ol’ Chuck’s attempting to find that perfect no-risk meal, and finally at 12:09 you settle on a banana and a side of lettuce. (Alright, not all of us are quite that crazy, but my exaggeration is minimal.)

Race Time

You jog a couple of miles to warm up, do drills, take a run-out, huddle up with the team and either half-listen to encouragement or offer a pump-up speech of your own, and then you cram twenty girls into a five-foot-wide plot of land. You do a few these-do-nothing-but-they-look-cool knee-tuck jumps, listen to your heart pound as if you are already in mile three of the race, and wait in silence for the loud crack of a gun. With another mini-heart attack due to the sudden noise, you sprint - along with hundreds of other girls - from the line to jostle for a good position.

Certain points define the race. At the first mile, you look up to a clock to find out how you are doing in comparison to your goal; you adjust pace if necessary and continue into the brutal second mile. At some point in this middle mile, you reach the pivotal point of the race - enter pain, stage right. Common thoughts at that moment: "Since when do my legs weigh 85 pounds each?" "Ugh, Mel, why do you want us to surge NOW?" "So if my competitor has the same name as me, all the cheers for her count for me too, right?" You either let the tough thoughts get to you and settle for a slower pace, or you replace them with determination and embrace the pain. When you have completed three miles, you hope that your weary legs will tap into some unlabeled energy source so that you can sprint and make a few final passes. With the beep of a sensor as your time chip crosses the finish line, you are done.

After the Race

That first minute after crossing the finish line is spent gasping as if you were holding your breath for the last fifteen minutes. As you stumble for a moment, workers in the finish corral yell at you to get out of the way, stand up, put your hands over your head, keep moving, give me your chip. Once all of those orders have been followed and you conquer temporary dizziness, you go around to high-five your teammates.

For a moment you are simply content to have finished, but eventually you have to process the race. A poor race can bring a person down for a while, but even just one other teammate’s good race lifts everyone’s spirits. If you meet a goal, you wear a smile that can’t be wiped off. The joy of a PR makes all of the pain a mere shadow of a thought as teammates slap you on the back and offer gleeful congratulations.

This Week’s Meet

The Cedarville Open was both our final 5K and final home meet of the season. Comparative to the rest of our races, this one was rather small with only seven full teams and 64 finishers. However, low-key does not indicate low-effort, as evidenced by multiple strong performances. We sat four of our top girls to ensure their good health for tournament season, so this week’s top seven finishers were as follows: Alex won the race in 18:51, followed by Nicole in 2nd with a 19:19 and Melanie in 4th with a 19:30. Hailey came through 5th in 19:39, I finished 6th in 19:40, and Kat was on our heels in 7th with a 19:43. Carly rounded out our seven in 19:49 and came in 9th overall. We won the meet with a low team score of 18 points (low is good in cross country!)

I truly wish that I had a complete list of those who ran a PR or a season-best and by how many seconds, because the number of breakthrough races was incredibly encouraging. I believe I have mentioned before that a constant theme for us is patience, and this point in the season is the reason for the patience we held early on. Personal records may at times pleasantly surprise us, but that doesn’t mean they are flukes; achievement does not happen by accident. Discipline and dedication fuel success.

In closing, I come full-circle to the quote I offered before: "It will hurt. It will take time. It will require dedication. It will require willpower. You will need to make healthy decisions. It requires sacrifice. You will need to push your body to the max. There will be temptation. But, I promise you, when you reach your goal, it’s worth it."

And let me tell you - it has been worth it.


Oct. 21, 2014

Have you ever been in a large group setting where the mood is so thick you don’t even have to ask how people are doing? That has been campus for the last two weeks. Weary smiles greeted me on the sidewalks, and almost all "How are you’s" were met with the word "tired" or some variation thereof. Midterms exams, projects, and papers struck, rendering the student body primed for fall break. After a very hard workout on Monday and an up-tempo run on Wednesday plus classes in between, we welcomed Thursday with open arms.

Since we couldn’t skip town during break due to the meet, we took advantage of the four-day weekend by getting off campus and eating a home-cooked meal. The Norman family blessed us Thursday evening with a delicious pre-race dinner, not to mention the company of the goats, dog, calf, and cats! Dinner was followed by hair-bow-making so that at least our ponytails would look pretty while we raced. Thank you, Normans!

Coach Bolender prepared us for the meet earlier in the week by taking the team to the course and discussing race strategy, so we came in with interesting expectations. First, when the team tested the course on Tuesday, the creek we had to cross was shin-deep. Second, there was a large mound of dirt - made mud by rain - obstructing the course. Third, the trail portion of the course was supremely rooty and slippery due to mud. Fourth, at the time there were only four port-a-potties on the grounds, and I won’t say too much about that except that it was concerning. Finally, the course was fairly narrow, so we thought through getting into a good position early on.

On Friday, however, we found many of the aforementioned issues solved. The school offered an indoor restroom, the creek had dried enough that the water was only ankle-deep, the roots were painted and the trails were drier, and Mount Mud had been bulldozed down its center and covered in sheets of turf. I can’t speak for the whole team, but as I warmed up I grew increasingly more excited to race on the course. We are immensely blessed to have a home cross country course that is so well-kept, but sometimes it’s nice to get a break from running through fields and get some trails underfoot. Cross country is different from track for a reason, so why not throw in a water crossing and get muddy?

When the gun went off, 43 teams sprinted from the starting line in a desperate attempt to achieve a good position quickly. A few hundred meters in, the course funneled to a path a bit narrow for holding as many runners as we did, so the first few turns slowed the pack to a jog. We tripped over one another for the first mile, and finally the field began to shake out enough for us to find a consistent pace. The general consensus was that the course was tough and slow due to the large field of runners, the quick turns, and the mud. However, our times didn’t discourage us; not every race can be a PR, especially in cross country. Instead, we based our attitude on strategy and how well we ran in comparison to the field. Overall, we did well on both fronts.

We were pleased to finish second out of 43 teams, but perhaps even more impressive was the time gap among our top seven runners. Only 47 seconds elapsed between our first and seventh finisher, and they came through in this order: Olivia came through in 14th with a 19:02, and Alex was less than a second behind. Next were Carsyn, Groh, Kristen, Nicole, and Melanie. Several of the girls ran PR’s or season-bests, which confirms that we are peaking at a good time as long as we can keep everyone healthy!

After Coach treated us to dinner, we returned to Cedarville where everyone packed up to get away for a couple of days. Rachel Groh and her family opened their home in Columbus to the team, and we were so thankful for the chance to get off campus and spend time together! The weekend filled with ice cream, thrifting, home-cooked meals, running, church, and friends revived the strength we needed to get back to classes on Monday.

Another week, another encouraging race, and now we push forward to the end. There are two more meets at which the whole team will run, including the Cedarville Open this Friday at 4 p.m. Come out and cheer if you can - a relatively dry week and good temperatures sets us up for a fast day. Please keep our team in prayer as we have a few struggling with injury and sickness. Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you on the course Friday!


Oct. 15, 2014

This one is for all you folks who wonder why we spend so much time in a week just putting one foot in front of the other.

Sports are great, period. I’ll admit that I have preferences and some seem less enthralling to observe than others, but in general I love athletics. Several of the girls on our current team played other sports in high school - basketball, soccer, softball, and gymnastics are all represented. Every sport has certain things that make it fun and things that make it tough, so I try not to play the my-sport-is-harder-and-better game. All of that said, there are a few things somewhat unique to running (and other individual-oriented sports) that we tend to appreciate:
 
1). Running offers a mental release. Of course we focus on running itself while racing or doing drills, but aerobic and long runs allow for conversation, prayer, solitude, or even hitting the "off" switch.

2). The world of running is an exciting one. We hardly go a year without a new record being set. Just a few weeks ago, Dennis Kimetto ran a 2:02.57 marathon - that’s the fifth world record within eight years!

3). "Best" is easily measurable; times leave little room for questioning. Sure there is no question that Babe Ruth was a better baseball player than I could dream of being (although I only had the second lowest batting average on my Little League team), but it’s hard to argue objectively whether he was the best ever. Dennis Kimetto, on the other hand, is the best marathoner ever. Maybe he hasn’t trained or raced for as long as some of those who have gone before him, but he just ran 26.2 miles faster than any other human has ever done it. Galen Rupp ran a faster 10K than any other American. Usain Bolt is the fastest man ever. You can’t argue with the clock.

4). Just about anyone can do it. You don’t need anything but shoes, and some of us don’t even use those. No hand-eye coordination, no need for someone to throw the ball back to you, no rules. You just lace up and go.

I could write a fifth, sixth, and twentieth reason we love running, but I will reserve some zeal. Aside from wistfully pondering the bliss of being competitive runners (or maybe that was just me), we had a pretty average week. Bible study with Jill (so encouraging as always!), two speed days, some early pre-race planning for the next meet, Inside Out on Saturday, and the final full week before fall break. No major injuries, no illnesses, and another week of daily blessings from God.

Perhaps I bored you with lack of exciting news, or maybe I inspired someone to dust off the old kicks. Either way, thank you for reading once again! We look forward to our next race this Friday at Wilmington - I smell PR’s in this fine autumnal air!


Oct. 8, 2014

Ah, Homecoming. A week to garner pride in our school through special chapels, dress-up days (ugly sweater day in 80 degrees, anyone?), the Return of the Alumni (should be a movie), and home competitions. The team had an all-around exciting week as we celebrated in our own fashion with "Extra Fun Week" - Coach Bolender’s enthusiastic enterprise.

On Monday, the lovely Carolyn Watson (class of 2013 and our assistant coach last year) graced us with her presence. She provided sage advice on training drawn from her own experience, and we are thankful for her encouragement! Tuesday, Coach blessed us with breakfast and coffee at Stoney Creek, a local café. The food and fellowship were worth every moan about the early-morning wake-up. Wednesday we donned crazy colors from head to toe for Neon Day. On Thursday our talented chefs Melanie, Tenny (Kristen), and Louise made us a pre-meet dinner at Melanie’s house. The food was phenomenal. We filled our plates with salad, steak and chicken shish-kabobs, Italian bread (I don’t know what Louise did to that bread, but I wanted to sneak back the entire tray to my dorm), pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies, and apple crisp. Dinner was followed by two testimonies and a time of prayer. The evening was immensely refreshing to my soul, and I know that those who attended would echo that sentiment. I can hardly express my gratitude for such a godly group of friends. Finally, on Friday we all matched in our team gear.

Both as individuals and as a team, we strongly believe in the importance of goal setting. Coach and the captains have discussed goals at multiple points throughout the season so far, but this week marked a pivotal point in our season objectives. With the season underway, we are now able to more accurately gauge what we might be capable of at multiple points of the season. On Tuesday we wrote our team time and place goals on the white board in our locker room so that we will see them every time we walk in. Secondly, every team member wrote her personal time goal for the All-Ohio Championship meet. Most runners aim for a particular time in each race, but by writing them publically we each committed to what we wanted to achieve.

On to the race! Although we didn’t do anything too out-of-the-ordinary, the extra little bonding moments this week set the stage for an exciting meet. The starting line of the All-Ohio Championship is always a sight to behold, made even more so this year by the combining of the varsity and open races (due to storms in the forecast). Tremors of nervous excitement from over 500 runners ran along the start line, and before we knew it we were off racing the first 6K of the season. Overall, the team ran an excellent race and surpassed both our time and place goals; in fact, we achieved the time goal that we set for the season, so it looks like we have some work to do in raising that bar!

Various shout-outs: Freshman Carsyn Koch (pronounced "Cotch" in case your head deceives you into thinking differently) led our pack with a 23:11, closely followed by Olivia "Liv Shady" Esbenshade in 23:14. Also breaking the 24-minute barrier were Kristen Laaman, Rachel Groh, Nicole Watterud, Alex Archambault, Hailey Bredeson, and Melanie Redfield. Special note for Kristen - this week she was our Athlete of the Week. Each week, the captains choose one team member who has shown excellence in training (and racing if applicable that week). Kristen not only broke her personal 6K record, but she also exceeded her goal time by a full minute! We are so glad to have her training and racing healthy these days, and I can’t wait to see what she can do from here. Every freshman raced their debut 6K, so all of their times were automatic PR’s, but outside of the freshmen the majority of our team PR’d as well. Most improved goes to senior and captain Louise Van Matre who bettered her best time last year by two minutes!

As a whole, the meet was incredibly encouraging to us. We were pleased with where we finished, and we hope to use the meet as a springboard for bigger and better things as the season progresses. Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer in spite of the intimidating cloud cover, and especially to the alumni runners who came back to their old stomping grounds! Cedarville Cross Country tradition plays a vital role in our success, and we are thankful for your support.

Looking forward to what lies ahead.

P.S. The picture is of our post-race prayer; we grabbed as many girls in the finish corral as we could to circle up and thank God for the opportunity to race. This is among my favorite CUXC traditions, because we get to put aside competition and approach the throne together!


Sept. 30, 2014

Have I mentioned that I love fall? The first hints of the season are exhilarating, but this week autumn has arrived in its fullness. This morning we trod upon bright orange and yellow leaves in John Bryan State Park. The air smelled of spices, and the cool breeze whispered hints of the chilly days to come. After the run we drove over to Peifer Orchards to reward our weary selves with apple cider slushies. Saturday morning long runs are not easy to wake up for; this morning my body seemed magnetically attached to my bed, but once we get out on the trail everything is worth it.

No meet this past weekend, but we certainly have kept busy. Since I don’t have results to discuss, allow me to highlight some of the non-running activities we have been doing. On Wednesdays, Marcia Williams (Kristianna’s mama) comes to our team meeting to impart to us her nutritional wisdom. Each week she brings a new article and talks about a specific nutrient or eating habit important for athletes. Some athletes will tell you that after a workout they’ll go to Chucks and eat four pieces of pizza, a burger, and fries. Or, as the adage goes, "If the furnace is hot enough, anything will burn."

Those aren’t ideas we advocate. While we do burn off quite a few calories every day, excellent performance requires dietary discipline; it is imperative that we refuel with the nutrients that will promote rather than act against our fitness. This past Wednesday Marcia spoke on a topic she has studied extensively: iron. Anemia (iron deficiency) is common among female endurance athletes, and our team has not been immune to the struggle. Low iron can destroy a season by making an athlete feel sluggish and exhausted during exercise, and it takes several weeks (if not months) to return to adequate levels. We appreciate Marcia’s passion for nutrition and willingness to share her knowledge with us!

As I have mentioned before, we send a team of 4-5 girls each Saturday evening to a ministry called Inside Out. My week to go has not come yet, so I asked Kat Sill to write about her experience so we could share it with you:
 

On Saturday, September 13th, Kristen, Paige, Carly, and I (Kathryn) went to Inside Out in Springfield, Ohio. Inside Out is the ministry we are participating in as a team this season. Inside Out is a Christian organization that seeks to help youth in the community of Springfield through positive change made only possible in Jesus Christ. It is in a building that used to be a school, but has since been turned into a church. On Saturday night they were having a youth group that consisted of elementary age children to high school students. First of all, I just want to start by saying this experience was made complete by our ride to Inside Out! That’s right…we rode in style in a school van! Those bad boys are brand new and have that "new car smell", so yeah I guess you could say Kristen looked pretty cool driving it. When we arrived at Inside Out we were greeted by a few children, ages 5-7, that were overjoyed by our presence! It was such a treat to spend time with them! Kristen and I helped make dinner, while Carly and Paige played in the gym with some of the kids. Then, we went to a service where we sang some praise songs and listened to preaching by the pastor. Some of the kids played with our hair and made it look stylish! Then, we ate dinner and had the best bean soup we have ever tasted, and guess what? They sent some soup home with us. Overall, we were blessed to be able to spend time with the children and adults that work at Inside Out! The love they showed to us encouraged us to model Christ’s love to this world. We are excited for more Saturday nights spent at Inside Out.

We started Bible study with Jill this week as well. Unfortunately, I missed out due to a different meeting, but the girls said that she kicked things off with some background information on Colossians so that we will have some context when we study it. We chose Colossians because our team passage this year is Colossians 3:12-14:
 

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (NASB)
 

These verses summarize the way we desire to operate as a team - we are all sisters in Christ (plus our bro Coach Bolender), and we have daily influence on one another. The passage is within instructions of how to live in light of Christ’s redemption of us; we respond to the Gospel by having right relationships with one another. We can’t wait to dive into Paul’s letter and glean more wisdom.

Hopefully that gives you a glimpse of our routine happenings outside of training. Our next meet is the All-Ohio Championship on Friday, October 3. There will be two girls’ races; the varsity gun goes off at 2 p.m. followed by the open race at 3:30 p.m. The guys will also be racing in between those races, so come on out to back the Jackets!


Sept. 24, 2014

Happy autumn! I love everything about fall - biting into honey crisp apples, pumpkin-flavored EVERYTHING (my roommate even has a pumpkin spice room spray), 60 degree days, flannel button-ups, bonfires…what’s not to love? As leaves begin to change and nights turn chilly, we move a bit closer to the heart of the cross country season. Several more workouts, long runs, and races lie ahead, but I suppose this is when you might say we are "in the swing of things." This weekend proved that the team is finding its mojo.

On Saturday we hosted the annual Friendship Invitational. Racing on our own grass offers us both physical and mental advantages. First, while traveling is a blast, running at home takes the edge off the pre-race stress. Second, we practice on our course so that we will know it like the back of our hands. Thus we can visualize the entire race, know where to pass, know where our weaknesses might be, and know the tangent for every turn. Finally, our course is fabulous, if I may say so. Several people, including Coach Bo, put in countless hours behind the scenes to ensure that our course is in the best shape possible for every meet. We always have cut grass, fresh paint, wide paths, ribbons on every post, and mile/kilometer markers.

On to the meet itself. Unfortunately, this Cedarplague has continued to sideline me with infections and antibiotics that haven’t worked yet, so I was out of commission again this Saturday. On the positive side, my sideline view allowed me to see our team race first-hand, and let me tell you that it was a fun competition to observe. Our girls pushed through the field to bring home gold! You can see the full results here:

24th Annual Friendship Invitational Women's Results

Alex Archambault led the pack and won with her 18:55, followed by Carsyn Koch in second with a 19:06 to match her PR (personal record). Taking one-two in cross country is far from easy, and it helps our team points immensely, so congratulations to both of them! Rachel "Reggie" Groh came through in 5th with a 19:19, and Hailey Bredeson ran 19:31 for 11th. Melanie Redfield and Kathryn Sill ran 19:40 and 19:48 respectively, and then Kristen Laaman rounded out our Top 7 to finish in 19:48 alongside Kat. (The significance of Top 7 is that they are the only team members who can affect our score; in the future, varsity races will be run by seven runners only.) Two more shout-outs go to former CU runner Neola Putnam, class of 2013, who came back to race unattached, and Coach Hannah Brooker who actually led the race and finished in 18:28! Impressive for a girl who recently had a baby! Congratulations to the entire team for an excellent meet; the season has had a promising start, and we look forward to seeing where our strength will take us.

In social news, this week we kicked off our team Bible study. Every other week we will meet with our team chaplain (Jill Cobb), and on off weeks such as this past one, we just meet as a team. Tuesday evening we got to hear testimonies from our two seniors, Melanie and Louise. To me, team testimonies are a blatant display of God’s sovereignty: God brought just over twenty girls from all backgrounds together to be a family of crazy runners, and He is working through every single girl’s life in very visible ways. Both Melanie and Louise touched on how membership on the cross country team is one way of being a part of something that is bigger than us. I am not trying to be cheesy or over dramatic when I say that the runners who have gone before us left a legacy. Each of the seniors on the team when I was a freshman influenced me in some way through their words, deeds, or work ethic; the girls who shared testimonies expressed their desire to leave the same sort of legacy behind. People on the team come and go, but the examples set by the upperclassmen demonstrate to the younger classes why we do what we do - we continuously seek to show that God is the center of our team.

In that line of thought, please be in prayer for us as we continue the season. Pray that we will see and use the opportunities we have to build one another up in the Lord. Please also pray for our team’s health - sickness is still going around, and a few of the girls are battling injuries. Thank you for supporting us; even if you can’t make it out for a meet, we appreciate those who think of us, follow results, and pray for the team!

Looking forward to what lies ahead.


Sept. 16, 2014

I fear that my report on the week will be somewhat incomplete due to my lack of presence during the first half. The Cedarplague has struck, rendering numerable students miserably congested and fevered. Several on our team have caught it; I fell victim right when we returned from the trip last week. Since I missed a few practices, I will relay what second-hand knowledge I was given, provide my own, and use this opportunity to brush you up on a few generalities.We typically accomplish two workouts each week ("workout" meaning something more intense than a basic 5-9 mile run). Workouts are not necessarily more important than a seven mile aerobic run or a long and slow twelve, but they certainly tend to be memorable because of the discipline they take. Coach Bo and Coach Brooker remind us often that exercising our minds is as vital as exercising the physical body. No matter how strong or fast you are, a race is going to be tough, is going to hurt, is going to dare you to quit. The mentality that it takes to get through a set of 200 meter intervals or a long tempo run simulates the frame of mind required to race well.

On Tuesday the group met up at 6:15 a.m. at the track to push through some faster-than-race-pace 800’s. Believe it or not, I love morning workouts, and I know that several of our girls would echo that sentiment. First, the track offers a splendid view of the early morning sky. We start under a breathtaking expanse of twinkling stars, enhanced by the exceptional darkness of the secluded track at that time of day. With each lap, rays of sunlight grow gradually brighter until the sun itself peeks over the horizon to greet our sweaty faces. Second, it gets the workout out of the way. We all love to run, but we don’t complain about having an occasional free afternoon. Third, a hard run starts us off on a good note. Even if the workout does not go well, the endorphins released provide a unique energy for the rest of the day. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, rising early requires discipline. The girls on our team range from morning glories to the walking dead at the crack of dawn, but regardless of your attitude toward an early wake up, it encourages a more managed and organized lifestyle. For all of these reasons and more, if you have never dragged yourself out of bed for a quiet jog in the dark, I highly recommend it.

In social news, we began our team ministry this week. On Saturday evenings we send a small team of girls to volunteer at Inside Out, a ministry in Springfield for at-risk youth. I was not with the group that went this week, but I will be sure to get a report from them and from the other groups so I can update you next time! We are very excited to be partnering with them and look forward to the ways we will grow through the experience. Additionally, next week we will begin Bible study with the one and only Jill Cobb! This will be Jill’s second year as our team chaplain, and we look forward to going through Colossians with her (I will explain the choice of Colossians in a future installment).

Other random tidbits for the week: Coach Bo’s birthday was on Wednesday (his real one - we don’t lie like the guys’ team). Daniele has graduated from her long knee contraption to a small, flexible brace - we love progress! Our beyond-wonderful athletic trainer Hannah Stedge raced a half Ironman last weekend - what a champ. Clifton Gorge offers the best Saturday morning long runs, and also the most dangerous. Apple pie ice cream is definitely a great idea.

Thank you for tuning in again this week! We have our first home meet - the Friendship Invitational - on Saturday with a 9:30 a.m. guys’ gun time (10:15 for us), so come on out to cheer if you can!


Sept. 10, 2014

There are multiple "beginnings" to a cross country season. You might say that it starts with that first week of summer training. Track ended, we took some time to recover, but before we knew it we’re itching to lace up the shoes again. In their sweltering, often lonely glory, (unless you’re our resident Alaskan, in which case only the latter may apply) summer miles easily make or break a racing season. The base an athlete builds both physically and mentally over those few months sets her up for either greatness or mediocrity.

Then you have the first official practice of the season, which for us was a few weeks ago. That marks when the team joins with the coach to start training together. I suppose that in legitimate terms, the season began on that day.

Finally, you have the beginning that we finally encountered this past weekend - the first competition. Coach Bolender heavily emphasizes the importance of peaking at the end of the season, so I certainly wouldn’t say that our training has all led up to this. However, we also don’t believe in racing at less than 100% effort. Each race offers an opportunity to leave everything we have on the course, to learn how to push through pain, and to gradually approach our potential. Therefore, we went into our first meet well-armed with goals and race plans.

The Course
The meet, dubbed the "Stegemoller Classic," was hosted by the University of Southern Indiana and held at a brand new course. When we arrived at the start line Thursday afternoon to scope things out, we were greeted by a jolly man in a Gator who announced that we were only the second team to ever run the course. He then took a few of our girls out for a spin so that they could show the rest of the team the way. The course was almost completely flat and consisted of two 2k loops, so we looked forward to the opportunity to run fast.

The Race
Thursday was a pretty toasty day - 96 degrees, sunny, and humid. Even the typically dry girls had sweat flying from their foreheads. Thankfully, our meet was on Friday. Until about 4 p.m., the weather story was the same as Thursday’s…in a word, gross. Praise the Lord for the little things, though, because by the time we warmed up clouds had formed and the temperature dropped just enough to make us more comfortable. We warmed up, loosened up, prayed together, and with the sound of an obnoxious airhorn, we were off.

I’d love to offer a person-by-person breakdown of the race complete with splits and appropriate kudos, but 1). I was racing and had a limited perspective, and 2.) there simply is not enough space. Thus, each meet I’ll throw you some highlights. These are by no means exclusive, especially because of the many successes we had this weekend. First, we met our team goal with flying colors by coming in second. Coach also told us afterward that as he watched, he saw determination and fight on almost every one of our face’s. You can’t measure toughness the way you can take times, but giving a race everything we have is our supreme goal; Coach’s words were encouraging.

Here were our top seven finishers (for confused readers, the top seven on each team are those who affect team points): #OliviaEsbenshade (get her trending) came back from an injury-plagued 2013 season to lead our pack with a 4th place finish in 14:36. Liv was followed by freshman Carsyn Koch, who debuted with a solid race, clocking into 6th with a 14:39. Rachel Groh (14:53) and Hailey Bredeson (14:59) came through in 10th and 13th respectively, and Melanie Redfield was close behind in 15:02 (14th). Rounding out the top seven were Nicole Watterud (15:13, 16th) and Alex Archambault (15:17, 17th).

Congratulations to freshmen Paige Logan, Carly Rose, Jodi Davis, Kristiana Williams, and Anna Parkinson for running their first college race. A huge shout-out also goes to Daniele Modderman, who served as our team photographer/videographer for the trip. We are sad to see her injured, but so thankful for her cheerful spirit and willingness to serve. Thanks to Alaina Spears as well for taking splits - that is an enormous help when there aren’t clocks on the course!

The Fun
Yes, racing is a blast (to me, at least), but we also found other ways to enjoy our trip. One benefit to travelling this early in the season is the opportunity for team bonding. We left for Indiana Thursday morning, and the bus ride stories and hair-braiding got the good times rolling (several of us experienced the thrill of cornrowed hair for the first time thanks to Carsyn’s mad skills). After we got our run in on the course, we cleaned up and went to dinner at a classy restaurant on the banks of the Ohio River. As a Hoosier I wasn’t sure that I could be impressed with Indiana scenery, but the beauty of the sunset over the river proved me wrong. After filling our bellies con comida deliciosa, we returned to the hotel for a devotional and pre-race pep talk with Coach Bo.

Friday morning we had breakfast and R & R, then we left for lunch and a movie. Perhaps a movie is not the best social activity, but many of the other options would have forced us to bake in the sun prior to racing in the sun. We opted for the safer option and saw The 100 Foot Journey. The movie was well-received and kept the pre-race jitters at bay, so I’d say it was a success.

We began our return journey on Saturday morning with plans to stop in Owensboro, KY to get a run in on the conference course. After several closed roads and detours, we finally made it, and the Kentucky Wesleyan coach was kind enough to help us figure out the course. After a stop at a buffet-style barbeque restaurant (food is definitely a highlight of these trips), we travelled the rest of the way back to Cedarville.

Overall everyone seemed to really enjoy the weekend, and the team continues to grow closer week by week. God worked through our experiences as well. Learning to depend on Him for strength and to run for His glory is a continuous process. We pray before meets to ask Him for safety and mental toughness, but also to direct our focus on Him before we take a single step beyond the starting line. We also had the chance to pray with many runners from other teams after the race. As I said in the first installment, running for Cedarville is an opportunity to be witnesses for Christ, and we hope to be a blessing to the teams we meet!

Thank you for reading! We are blessed by your support. Our next meet will be on our own turf on Saturday, September 20th, and we’d love to see you out there! Back the Jackets!


Sept. 4, 2014

Welcome back, faithful blog readers, and welcome also to you first-timers! Another year, another cross country season, but that certainly does not mean a lack of zeal on our part. Some might assume that a tenth year of competitive running would wear on a girl, but somehow the scent of dewy grass on a late-summer run still gives me butterflies. Echoes of crowded start lines, rhythmic breathing, grunts of determination, and sideline cheers increase in volume with each training run, and we all look forward with a certain nervous excitement to that first race of the season.

A little about myself since I’m new to our blogosphere: my name is Ali Logan, and I am a junior psychology major from Indianapolis, Indiana. This is my second year as a team captain, and it is a joy to be serving alongside three lovely ladies whom I will introduce momentarily. Running runs in my family (see what I did there?), and I am privileged to have my sister join our team this year!

Allow me to introduce you to the 2014 team. We welcome a powerhouse freshman class, and they hail from all parts of the country (and world); these newbies alone represent Ohio, Indiana, California, Alaska, Maine, Washington, and Kenya! They are Melody Chupp, Jodi Davis, Christy Jesson, Carsyn Koch, Paige Logan, Daniele Modderman, Anna Parkinson, Carly Rose, Alaina Spears, and Kristianna Williams.

The sophomores include Hailey Bredeson, Kacy Dunn, Olivia Esbenshade, Rachel Groh, Mary Kearney, Bethany Norman, and Nicole Watterud. We have four juniors including myself, Kathryn Sill, Alex Archambault, and Captain Kristen Laaman. Finally, our two seniors are our other two captains, Louise Van Matre and Melanie Redfield. I wish I could write a mini-intro for every team member, but instead I encourage you to check out the roster on the CU Athletics website to read some background on each of our runners.

On the website you will also notice a new (or potentially familiar) face among us, and that would be Hannah Brooker! Formerly Cedarville runner Hannah Lamos, she has returned to coach for the fall. Hannah is married to alum runner Matt Brooker (cross country has a way of match-making), and they have an adorable baby boy named Emmett. We are thrilled to have Hannah’s experience and expertise this season.

Our timeframe for arrival on campus was similar to last year’s in that we were not allowed a full "camp week" due to NCAA date restrictions. The situation is unfortunate, but rules are rules, so we have done our best to fit in team bonding experiences. A team favorite was our canoe trip. Lack of rain made for a shallow river, so we spent some of the time standing in the water and dragging our crafts over rocky sections. We also learned a lot about each other, specifically Kathryn (Kat) and her unique ability to row and not actually go anywhere. A successful rescue mission executed by Coach Bolender returned Kat and her partner safely to the group, though, and all was well again.

We also did several other fun activities such as team dinners and a bonfire, and more recently we joined the guy’s team for a pool party and a trip to Young’s. The recreational events have certainly bonded us, but much of our camaraderie stems from our training. Not only are we with each other three hours a day for practice, but in that time we all experience the same pain, determination, runners’ high, and all of the other feelings a runner encounters.

I promise to wrap up soon, but first I want to mention my favorite aspect of Cedarville Cross Country. Training, racing, and team bonding are all fantastic, but nothing is more important than the reason we run. To paraphrase Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, we run to feel God’s pleasure. At Cedarville we strive to glorify God in all that we do, and that certainly includes athletics. Cross country is an opportunity for us to show Christ to other teams, depend on God for strength, enjoy the beauty of creation, and sharpen one another as the body of Christ.

There is so much more to be said, but I will save the rest of my thoughts for future installments. We look forward to a season of finding our potential, and we would love for you to keep up with us as we pursue that goal!


Ali Logan is a junior at Cedarville University from Indianapolis, Ind. and is a Dean's List student majoring in pyschology.