Rebecca Buteau: Official Visit to Alabama.

This past weekend, I took my official visit to the University of Alabama. My parents and I drove up to Tuscaloosa Thursday night because I was planning on running in the Crimson Classic the next day. The race went well. All the times were really slow, but overall I think it was one of my better races this year. I am still way off from where I would like to be, but coming back from a year long injury has been way harder than I ever imagined. After the race, my visit officially started. I went and checked into the hotel I was staying at for the weekend, where I met three other recruits. That night we went to Paneras and TCBY with the Alabama team. I was so nervous. There I was hanging out with my future team, and I could not help but think to myself "What if they don't like me?" However, the whole weekend went great. The next morning I did a 60 minute run with the team. I can't remember the last time I trained with a group of girls like that. I am always training by myself, so being able to run with a team felt amazing. I did not even realize I ran for 60 minutes. It went by so fast. After the run, we went to a breakfast/coffee place called Heritage House. This is where the team always goes after their long runs. It was the cutest little place, and the food was amazing (I'm a sucker for breakfast food). Around 1:00 the recruits, the parents, and I went on a tour of the athletic and academic facilities (for the athletes). I was in awe. Everyone is VERY well taken care of there. My dad even asked Coach Tribble if there was a way he could be an athlete there haha! That night, we met back up with the team at a place called Chuy's. After, the girls took me and the other recruits to a bonfire. There were throwers, gymnasts, and pole vaulters there. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The throwers had all of us in tears. We hung out at the bonfire for about two hours. After that the girls took us back to the hotel where we had to say goodbye. This was my least favorite part of the whole trip. The next morning I did not want to leave. I just wanted to go ahead and enroll. The whole trip was amazing. I am so excited to be there and have a group of girls to push me day in and day out. After my visit, I realized that my best days are ahead of me. Even though this Cross Country season has been the opposite of what I want it to be, I have relaxed in the fact that for the next 4 years, I will have a team full of life-long friends to train with. All I can do now is continue to work hard, trusting that God has my future. No matter how this season ends, I will always be thankful. God has answered the one prayer I have been praying since the seventh grade--I'm going to be a collegiate athlete!