Blog #10 – Friend 7 and a 3200 Meter Run

By Brenna Cohoon

Here we are.

We have arrived upon the final week of the track season in Illinois.  It is difficult to comprehend how quickly the last few months have just flown by.  Our sectional meet last Thursday served as a reality check for how fast time is passing.  At that point every year, the track season is almost over, and school is winding down.

Naperville North High School was buzzing with energy from all of the athletes and spectators last week as everyone prepared to compete in the ultimate meet before the IHSA State Track & Field Championships.  It was a brisk evening, and almost everyone there could be seen bundled in a winter jacket or under a blanket.  There was a pretty strong breeze of about 15 mph winds throughout the earlier part of the meet.  That did not prevent anyone running, jumping, or throwing from chasing their postseason dreams, though.

I took some time to scope things out with my teammate Melissa Weidner.  We joked around with each other and started calling one another by our seed numbers.  She was “Friend 7,” and I was “Friend 5”.  It was pretty random, but definitely helped calm some of our nerves.  Some of our other teammates even joined in on the fun!  We walked a lap around the track to see where the wind would hit us during our race.  The two of us concluded that running a smart race would be vital in these conditions.  We wanted to run well under the qualifying time to ensure a spot on that starting line in Charleston.

Our warmup went well and served as a nice shakeout for the minor aches and pains I had been feeling earlier in the day.  I am 99 percent sure that it was just my mind playing tricks on me, trying to convince me that I wasn’t prepared for my race.  I shoved those negative thoughts away, completely out of my mind as I stepped up to the starting line for the 3200 Meter Run.  Everything was going to be great.

The gun went off, and the fun began.  I ran a race that was much different than my typical strategy.  I usually try to get out at a good pace with a solid pack and let my competitors take the lead.  Instead, after getting out to a strong start, I decided to keep leading this pack.  I didn’t want to back off because I was worried that the pace would slow down and prevent us from running our time goals.

I used my watch and the clock near the start/finish line to gauge my pace.  The first two laps were on pace for my goal, but things started to slow down in the second 800 meters of the race.  My coaches helped to tell me my splits, and at one point, my teammate Melissa Weidner yelled that we needed to pick things up.  Our whole pack of five or so girls then made the effort to get back up to our initial pace. 

I went through the first mile much slower than I had intended to and really focused on speeding up.  I needed to stay mentally tough in the second half of this race so I could finish strong.  With about 800 meters left, McKenna Revord from Hinsdale Central started to make a move and tried to break away from our pack.  I tried to respond, but eventually fell behind and was passed by Wheaton Warrenville South’s Laurel Moneysmith.

I was still determined to finish strong.  I closed in on the last lap and finished with a time of 10:53.95, just about two seconds off of my season best time.  My initial reaction when I finished was relief from simply knowing that I had securely qualified for State.  Now, all I had to focus on was State itself.  However, I felt a little disappointed that I hadn’t run an overall personal best.  I didn’t consider that it was windy or that there would be even more bodies around me in my race the following weekend.

Perhaps the most rewarding moment was watching Melissa finish a phenomenal race, breaking the 11:00 mark and qualifying for State for the first time in the 3200 Meter Run.  She has worked so hard over these past four years and seeing everything come full circle during her senior year of high school was an absolute pleasure.  I’m very proud of you, Friend 7!

The rest of the night was incredibly enjoyable.  I had the opportunity to relax and cheer on my teammates as some of them ran their personal bests, while others qualified for state!  Before my race, I saw some of my teammate Ari Johnson’s jumps that qualified her for both Long Jump and Triple Jump, as well as the end of our 4x800 Meter Relay that qualified.  After my race, two other teammates qualified for State: Erin Reidy in the 800 Meter Run, and Kennedy Warden in the 1600 Meter Run. 

We all excitedly await the challenges that will come with the trip to Charleston.  I know that we are all ready to get on that blue track and compete!

Photo: ©2019 Laura Duffy