Catherine's Corner: Paul Short Invitational
10/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Imagine standing on a start line, leaning forward, facing a wall of early morning mist. When you look to your right you see your teammates, and about 300 other runners leaning over the same line in the grass. To your left, another 150 women are waiting for the gun as well.
Looking around at the start of the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh is one of the most intimidating, and inspiring, moments of cross country season. In a few seconds, the flag will fall, the gun will fire, all 450 of those runners will jump from the line, fighting for space as the pack sprints towards the edge of the field where the course narrows.
But in this moment, everything is still. The race and the season are just beginning.
While our competitive season technically starts in September, it's common for teams and coaches to not race all of their top runners early in the year. On smaller teams this helps to keep top runners healthy, and on larger teams it gives younger or less experienced runners a chance to race before only the varsity group travels later in the season.
Lehigh is an exciting meet for us to run not just because of the atmosphere, but also because it will be our first time this season racing with all of our fastest girls. The sheer number of teams in the race make it one of our best chances to see how we stack up against some of the top programs in the country before flying out to Big Tens in the beginning of November. And because the teams represented are so diverse, most of us will get to see high school teammates or summer training partners.
It's a cross country race for cross country runners. The course itself is a perfect mix of fields, paths and the dreaded uphill cornfield that has inspired its fair share of jokes on our team. The final 1000 meters is all downhill, making for the most exciting finish I've seen at any race in my career.
But what truly makes this meet so great is the attitude of every runner on the line. This is the time of the season when things get serious. Each and every one of us is out there take care of business and set the tone for championship time. On the start line, the potential of what the race will be, and what it will represent, is the best part.
