MileSplit XC Journals 2011

Meet Erin Finn, Foot Locker finalist from West Bloomfield MI.  Erin will be sending in a journal several times over the course of the 2011 season to update you on her running and the life of an elite HS runner.  Enjoy!

Sometimes life can be so busy!  I have definitely discovered this in the past few weeks.  It seems like high school is just a cycle of waking up (too early!), going to school, going to practice (the fun part of the day!), cramming in homework, and trying to get to bed to squeeze in as much sleep as possible.  Now that I finally have a chance to sit down and reflect, I realize that no matter how tired or worn-out I may feel, a fast-paced life is what I love.  Running tough workouts leaves you drained of energy, but overflowing with the satisfaction of knowing that the effort you put in should pay off at the end of the season.  In the same way, I feel that challenging myself in school and in other aspects of life leaves me better prepared for what is to come.  September and October are great months for this; you are in the swing of school and can handle what it dishes out at you, but you are not too frustrated with the monotony of it (yet!).  Knowing that you gave something your all is truly satisfying.

However, demanding workouts do have a negative side.  The harder you work, the more you tire out your body; the more you tire out your body, the less likely you are to perform well at upcoming meets and competitions.  This has really bothered me lately.  It seems like my times should be improving if I am working harder!  When you do not see a positive outcome to something that you are working very hard at, it can be discouraging.

Overcoming this discouragement, I believe, is what will allow all of my hard work to finally pay off.  If I know in my heart that I am capable of more, I am much more likely to achieve my goals than if a wallow in self-pity.  My coach has struggled many times to try to tell me this.  He knows that running slower does not always been running worse and that running faster at the wrong time is not always better.  It took a long time for me to finally understand this.  I am still trying to convince my stubborn self!  Typically, the toughest opponent that you face in a race is yourself.

Aside from my momentous epiphany, I have had a lot of fun with my cross country team as we move through the “nitty-gritty” of the season.  We went to the apple orchard after the county championship meet and had a blast.  Starved, we bought some apples to snack on when we first arrived.  After this, we made our way through the orchard’s signature corn maze.  This year it was shaped like a spider, so I tried to get through the labyrinth of corn as fast as possible (I am terrified of spiders!).  After this, we went on the “Giant Jumping Pumpkin Bounce.”  This was by far one of the best experiences of my life (well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture).  This contraption was basically a bouncy house without a roof and filled with a lot more air, thus allowing you to bounce higher.  I stole everybody’s double bounces and went flying into the air!  We could not stop laughing as people fell over.  We also wondered what it would be like to explain to our coach why we would not be able to come to practice the next day.  Imagining his face as we explained the greatness of the Giant Jumping Pumpkin Bounce made us double-over laughing.

After sorrowfully getting off of the bounce (it was the little kids turn to jump; apparently we were too dangerous to jump at the same time as them), my cross country team headed for the other best thing about going to the cider mill: the cinnamon donuts.  We had to wait in a long line to get warm donuts, but it was worth it.  There is little more satisfying than going on a Giant Jumping Pumpkin Bounce and eating a cider mill cinnamon donut after a good cross country race.  We all had an exceptional day and were reveling in the pure happiness that possessed us.

Reflecting on this past month has allowed me to see how truly blessed I am; I have an incredible team and a great coach, I am healthy and running, and I have a family who loves me and God to guide me.  Who knows, maybe running faster times is not what cross country is even about?  Maybe it is simply about spending time with friends and overcoming the limitations that you put on yourself (as well as pumpkin bounces and cinnamon donuts!).

Sprinting to the end at Oakland County Cross Country Championships 2011!

Taking on one of the many hills at Kensington Metropark, the site of the 2011 Oakland County Cross Country Championships.

Who doesn’t take funny pictures just to post them on Facebook?

Accepting my award the Oakland County Championships 2011.

Fooling around at the cider mill (I’m the sheep!).

A couple of the runners on my team are pretty short, including me!  Luckily, I am not the shortest.

Before every meet, the girls’ XC team huddles up.  We pump each other up, exchange tips, and calm each other down.  It’s a tradition to say and sing that we are the “Eye of the Tiger.” I have the greatest team in the world; I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Erin Finn Journal #1

Erin's MileSplit Profile