Capital City Biathalon

I was planning to run the Passavant 10k, but Bob Thompson asked if I would do the Biathalon Relay 5k portion for a very fast biker who was wanting to break the course record. I love that kind of challenge and couldn't say no! I won 2 min over 2nd place running a 16:12 5k and we broke the record by 9 minutes!

The following Saturday I ran an emotional 5k. The Brian McMillan Memorial 5k was special to me, as Brian was a friend who ran the St. Jude Springfield to Peoria Run with me the past couple of years. His wife Angela, worked in the ER when I started at the age of 16 and is like a big sister to me. (If you don't know, Brian was an Illinois State Trooper who was killed in the line of duty last fall.) The Sangamon County Sheriff's deputies paid my entry and gave me a police memorial shirt to run in. I told them I could pay my own entry fee and they said: "No way....we are betting money on you!" Gee, no pressure! haha I won and I am consistent if nothing else! I ran it in 16:12 again. Taking the next week off to rest per my EIU coach's advice--but I am doing active recovery with the bike, eliptical, ect... Scholastic is next on 6/21!

Class A 3200 State Finals Awards

IHSA State 3200-9th place

Hard to believe my high school running days are over! I am proud to have achieved all-state status in both XC and track this year. Coach Williams said I am the first person in our school's history to achieve this! I felt very relaxed at state--not very nervous at all. The gun went off and Blake DeLong went out in a dead sprint! He had 50 meters easy on the rest of us for the first 2 or 3 laps. I was patient and kept from getting boxed in and went with the eventual winner Brian Peterson in the 2nd, 3rd position. Our first lap was 1:08, I believe and we came through the mile together at 4:46. In lap 6 and 7, Brian and some of the others started making surges that I couldn't seem to respond to. I stayed on pace, but couldn't seem to go with them. I finished in 9:52.21 in 9th place. (Just a hair off my PR) I was hoping to break into the 9:40's, but it's a done deal now. I shook the hands of my opponents these last 4 years: Peterson, Emerick, Feldhake (my future teammate),Block, DeLong, ect and started to exit the field. I thought only 8 got medals and was preparing to face my coaches for falling short. My sister, Chelsey, comes sprinting into the tent to inform me that I HAD medaled. I didn't believe her at first--but to say I was happy to be wrong is an understatement!! I only wish I hadn't cut it so close!