My faith is very important to me and I am so grateful to belong to a Father who loves to give great gifts to His children. I feel like getting to set a state record was one of those gifts for me! In the weeks leading up to Running Lane, I won a state title and was loving running more than ever. My workouts began to transition from endurance stuff to shorter and more speed focused repeats. This type of workout helped me to increase focus and really set my mind on post-season races. These weeks were filled with workouts that were performed exactly as expected, and a race that showed me I had fitness. So, the day of Running Lane I got up and was honestly calm! The most anxiety I experienced was deciding when I should eat breakfast because the race was so late in the day.
I drove through a tsunami of rain with great anticipation to the event. When I finally arrived, I started warming up and felt strong. The race started, and it definitely got out fast, as I hit the 200 meters at 40 seconds and was at the back of the pack. This was exactly what we planned however, so I was honestly excited for the rest of the race to unfold. I began to pass girls and felt stronger with every lap. It was such a fun and competitive race with an awesome field of athletes.
I finished 6th, with a major PR. Someone came up to me afterwards and told me that I broke the state record, and when I asked if they were sure, they showed me my time. I began to question if the previous record was a 10:39 or a 10:29. When I found out that I did indeed break it, I was so excited. Such an honor! There was so much work that went into that moment. Multiple injuries, a surgery in early 2020, drama,tears, and questioning.
I was so thankful to belong to a group of people who wouldn't let me quit. Quite literally. My mom wouldn't let me quit in 8th grade when I was so scared to talk to people that it almost cost me my first team state championship. After that I started running and set a goal for a college scholarship that was out of state. I had no clue how to do that, but I trusted the process, and got better every year. Setting a state record was not my goal back then, but life kinda took me where I never thought of going. I say life did that, but really it was parents who refused to let me settle, a coach who humbly led me, a team who hyped me up on my worst days, and my teachers,mentors,and pastors who helped me balance being an athlete with the rest of life.
I do not think I could set a state record for the most athleticism, hardest work ethic, or best attitude. So, I truly believe that my people deserve every ounce of celebration that I get. Thank you to every girl on my team. I'm gonna miss their twerking lessons during lunch. Mia Card - thank you for training with me on all those distance runs.I'm so excited to see where you go. Thank you Brooklyn Biancamano,watching you helped me believe that I could be as fast as I want to be. Thank you to Coach Covington, as I will never forget your awesome example of consistency and immense investment in our team. Thank you Coach Steve, for not only being my trainer but a mentor and my biggest cheerleader. To Coach Rankin and Coach Michael- thank you for investing so much in the track team and keeping it alive for us. Thank you Saltillo teachers and administration - Saltillo high will always be such a special place to me. Thanks Pastor Chase for constantly reminding me that Jesus is worthy of quitting all of this. Thank you dad for helping me not take myself too seriously and making me laugh when things didn't go as expected. Finally, Mom, thank you. You've kept me sane and fought so hard for me every step of the way. You all deserve some sort of record for not killing me this year.
I wanted to thank these people because when I was asked to write an article about what it felt like to be a state record holder, I knew that the most honest answer was thankful. I was so thankful to run every one of those 8 laps at Running Lane. This experience has been so sweet, and I wouldn't trade it - or y'all - for the world.
