Blog #6 – A Trip to Minnesota

By Brenna Cohoon

This past weekend my team competed at the 33rd Annual Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota.  It was a race that all of us have been looking forward to and could not believe that the time had finally come as our bus left early Friday morning.  Departing from DGS at 5:45 a.m., we drove down to pick up the Yorkville girls and boys teams, as our teams shared a bus for the trip to Minnesota.

The six-hour bus ride didn’t seem that long thanks to my teammates and their insane amount of energy.  We passed the time quickly and before we knew it, we had arrived at our destination.  As we pulled up to the Les Bolstad Golf Course, I immediately grinned, thinking about all of the possibilities that would await us the following day.   

Our course run through on Friday afternoon was successful and gave us the confidence we needed before our race.  We felt strong on the rolling hills of Les Bolstad and were able to pick out smart places to surge.  Going through the course also allowed us to picture what things would be like when the time to race came on Saturday.

After a good night’s sleep, Saturday arrived. I was excited to get out there and compete.  We completed a short shake out run where we encountered some wild turkeys and followed that up with a satisfying breakfast.  No, our breakfast was not the turkeys!

There was some time afterward to relax that I spent by rolling out and just talking with some of my teammates.  Eventually, we packed everything up and enjoyed the short bus ride from our hotel to the course.  I took some time to myself to visualize my race and fill my mind with positive thoughts. 

Instead of feeling pressure to “prove” myself after my race last week, I looked at Griak as yet another opportunity to learn and grow.  I had high goals and wanted to have a better race than the Naperville Invite.  I didn’t let that stress me out, though.  I was so incredibly excited to compete in this race and see what I could do against some of the top runners in the Midwest.  Perhaps even more, I was eager to see what our team could do.

The weather was absolutely perfect for a cross country meet.  Temperatures were in the high 40’s, about 50 degrees cooler than the Roy Griak Invitational last year.  We finished our warmup at the starting line, and as we completed our strides, one of our favorite songs, “Get Low” started to play.  Smiles crept across each one of our faces as we belted out the lyrics.  We were feeling fantastic both physically and mentally.

The gun went off and there was a mad dash to the first flag.  Teams from all around us sprinted to the front of the pack in the first 250 meters, but I kept my composure and stayed patient.  As things settled down over the next few meters, I settled into a top 15 spot and began to cruise.  My goal was to stay with a pack and stay positive.  I knew that my place would take care of itself if I did those two things.  The race progressed, and I had moved up closer to the top 10.  I was feeling great and smiled as I heard my name cheered by my coaches, teammates, and the supportive parents of my team who made the trip to watch our race.  The hills made me feel strong rather than weak, and with each stride I made, I felt more confident.

The race strung out as time passed, but there was still a pretty solid pack near me.  I maintained a top 15 spot and before I knew it, arrived at the 4K mark.  It was “go time”.  That last hill before the straightaway hit me harder than I had expected, but I focused on finishing hard through the line.  I knew that every place counted if my team wanted to finish in the top three.

I left the finish chute and congratulated some of my fellow competitors on their excellent races.  I found my family, teammates, and coaches shortly afterwards.  We retreated to our tent as we awaited the news of the team score.  Our tent was right next to Yorkville’s, and at one point, a member of their team exclaimed that they had won the meet.  My teammates and I looked around at each other, chomping at the bit to discover how we had placed.  Shortly afterward, somebody in our tent screamed, “We got third!”

The screams that came from our team came from pure joy.  When we calmed down, our coaches informed us that Yorkville had, in fact, taken first, while Naperville North finished second.  There was a clean sweep from the Illinois teams which we were extremely honored to be a part of.  Shortly afterward, we engaged in a group hug with Yorkville, and then began our own team cooldown.

Our cooldown was filled with happiness, but we were already discussing ways to improve.  We knew that our pack had separated more than desired over the hilly course, and not everyone was in the best condition in terms of illness.  Even those who were happy with their performance knew that this was a learning experience and wanted to improve further.

I did not find out my individual place or time until the awards ceremony.  I ended up finishing 14th in 18:29, a new personal record in the 5K for me.  I had been hoping to finish in the top 10 but could not be disappointed after a performance that had improved so much from the year before.  More importantly, I was proud to have contributed to the exciting success of my team.

Our next race is this Wednesday at Naperville North for the Naperville Twilight Invite.  This is one of the best races of the regular season in the state of Illinois, so I eagerly anticipate the endless opportunities that await.  

The Twilight competition is phenomenal. The crowd offers so much great energy while we are racing.  We all eagerly await the race this Wednesday and cannot wait to see what this meet has in store!

DGS Team Photo Credit Courtesy of Allison Calek, Downers Grove South High School