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| Feb. 2012- Guana River Wildlife Management Area |
After cross country season ended in November, I decided to continue running, only dropping my weekly mileage in order to give my legs a break. In no way was I ready to voluntarily take two weeks off after so recently having a forced nine months off.
It was the right decision.
In the past month, I have finally started to run like myself. I am able to run tall and strong, hit even splits, and recover more quickly from workouts and during intervals. My pace has dropped significantly since the season ended. During cross country season last year, my workouts were all over the place. I could never predict how I would feel, and that frustrated me beyond belief.
After an entire summer and cross country season of struggling with running, it seems that I finally overcome the months of near inactivity. I am not one to bounce back into shape because I am not a naturally athletic person. I will be the first to admit that I have to work at running in order to compete decently in races. I'm now stronger, physically and most certainly mentally. Actually, I have started to think of the injury as a blessing in disguise because it forced me to reevaluate what I do and why I put myself through it. Persistence, and not to mention a coach with incredible knowledge and similar determination, has brought me this far. I love the sport, the people, and the feeling, and I'm not going anywhere.
