This is my favorite part of the cross country season. While last week I could barely get out of bed due to soreness from hard workouts, it seems we have finally started to usher in easier practices in preparation for Conference, and hopefully Nationals. This week in cross country, we have been able to enjoy more relaxed, but still rewarding workouts. 

Tuesday night’s workout at the track at 8:00 pm (yes, with the sun setting earlier, we are now able to enjoy the stars on our morning AND night workouts) was most likely our last really intense one of the season.  It was one of those sessions were you just “let it rip,” as Coach Layne likes to say with this huge grin, while rubbing his palms together, of course.  While we did really fast intervals, it was encouraging to see how well one’s body responded to the increasing speeds.  It was, dare I say, even lots of fun. All of the girls really worked together; we tried encouraging each other while still pushing ourselves. Needless to say, Tuesday was an important and satisfying workout.

Even though we might be cutting back on intensity of our running, we still must take the time from now until Conference seriously. It’s the little things now that make difference. Coach Layne has prepared us well for the running, and now we have to make sure we get enough rest, eat well, and take care of our bodies. Yes, we have more time for fun things, like the push-up competition we had during our workout this morning( the girl’s so won, thanks to Heather Exline), but the upcoming two to three weeks are really what all of the pain, and difficult practices with planks and mile repeats, have been for. Now, we must take all of that work and sharpened mental toughness and go out and “bring the fire.” Everyone has worked so hard, and I am so excited to see it pay off for everyone as we work together to show that we really do deserve to be ranked among the top teams in the Nation. Go Lady Buffs!

Lauren Hubbard (Class of 2013)