Cross Country 2019 - Meet #2

Olivia ran her second meet of the 2019 Cross Country season today and it was a great race. The last meet at Bur-Mil was very different, with lots of hills and a path strewn with rocks and roots. This one was almost completely flat and mostly on a groomed dirt path. 

Unfortunately, Rebecca and I missed the start of her race by a couple of minutes, but we were there when she came around at the one-mile mark.

 Olivia looking strong at the one-mile mark. she clearly isn't tired out yet because she had energy enough to smile for the camera.

 They were gone on the trail for almost all of the rest of the race,  but we could see her coming at about the 3-mile mark and cheer her on the last 2/10. 

 No more smiles. It was a hot day, but she was focused and determined to finish strong.

 I think I'll call this one "The Agony of the Feet." (Ask your older parents, kids...)

She really did finish strong! She ran the 5k (3.2-mile) race in 29:16 and came in 33rd out of 68 high school girls, helping her team place second overall at the meet! Her per-mile average was 9:08, which is almost a full minute faster than her average last season! 

Olivia's New Sport

After doing the spring training, Olivia has joined the Greensboro Gladiators Homeschool Cross Country Team.

Coaches Rebekah and Michelle have been pushing her hard because they see some real potential in her abilities.

Her first couple of races were hard and she took a couple of falls, but she always finished and consistently improved her times.

She even got competitive a time or two.

Her hardest meet was unquestionably the State Championships they held at Hagan Stone Park. It was a full 5k, which she hadn't done before and there were some tough hills, especially the one up to the finish line.

She did great, though, and persevered through the heat and hills and finished the race.

The kids had a great time celebrating when they were done.

The parents did, too!

Olivia's New Sport

Olivia started a new sport this spring: Cross Country Running.

We put the boys in a homeschool running club back in the fall and it turns out that the same women who run that club also coach a Cross Country team for homeschoolers. This seemed like a great thing for Olivia to try. They do a 10-week spring training session where kids 12 and over run twice a week at different parks and trails around Greensboro. They run anywhere from 2 to 6 miles, getting themselves in shape for a late-summer season starting at the end of July. 

Her coaches say that she has the perfect build for it and has the potential to be really good at it if she wants to be, so we are encouraging her every way possible.