By Ashly Sutherland
November 20, 2013:
Left for the National Cross Country Championships in Spokane, Washington today! It was neat being able to fly again. I have not done that in a while. Though, the flight from Atlanta to Seattle was unbearably long. So long that I had time to read an entire play for my History of Theatre class, color a page from a coloring book, and take a two hour long nap. It was time well spent. Traveling will wear a girl out, though, so I am going to sleep so good tonight! Not to mention the time change. My day has been unrealistically long from gaining three hours. After we landed and got checked into the hotel, I got to go on my first run here in Spokane. All the people in the hotel looked at me like I was crazy because I was wearing shorts in twenty degree weather. I mean I didn’t think it felt that cold. Besides, I have to get ready for Saturday! I didn’t get to run on the course today because they are still preparing for this weekend, but I got to see it. It looks like it will be a great course to run. I’m not going to lie. Seeing the course makes me ready to race! After seeing the course, Kevin and I got dinner, and I even got a piece of pecan pie to make up for missing Thanksgiving dinner at school. Gotta stay in that holiday spirit! Overall, it was a great day and an awesome introduction to my first time at Nationals. I couldn’t be more happy and excited to be here.
November 21, 2013:
Day two of my National trip! I got up at 6:30 this morning to run in 16 degree weather. It was actually pretty nice, though. We got to go to this awesome breakfast place called the Cottage House and they had the best homemade strawberry jam ever! Waffle house will never be the same that is for sure. Spartanburg needs to invest in one of these places! After breakfast, Kevin and I took a trip down to the golf course where he watched his team race Nationals in 2000. It was neat. Then we had to go buy me a hat because of course I didn’t bring one and I felt like I might get frost bite on my ears from this Washington weather. I had one of the best experiences of my running career today. I got to represent Converse at an elementary school talking to kids about getting involved in Cross Country. They were so adorable! We got to sign autographs for them and even got to go outside with them during their recess and run with them. I had quite a few little boys tell me they wanted to race me, and that they would be me. Of course, they all gave me a run for my money. Those little kids have some energy! They are sure going to make great runners one day.
November 22, 2013:
Day three of my National Journey. Did some 150s on the track this morning. Talk about cold. 13 degree weather? I don’t think so! I can finally type now that I 
have some feeling back in my fingers. Today has been a pretty chill day (no pun intended.) I’ve been working on my behavior modification study guide and of course been chatting it up with some of my friends on good old Facebook. They are very supportive and can’t wait to watch me race. Kevin and I picked up my racing bibs and shoe chips. I feel like Nationals is actually becoming a reality now. I am so excited and cannot wait to step on that starting line tomorrow. I know it will be hard and unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I am eager for this learning experience. No matter what happens, I am thankful for this journey that God has blessed me with. I just hope I can make everyone back home proud!
November 23, 2013:
Oh my goodness. The day is here! Nationals. I feel like since I have been here the excitement has just been building. I race in two hours and have finally started getting a little anxious. I hope and pray everything goes well! I can’t wait to be the first person in school history to represent Converse! I will write back as soon as I get back to the hotel after the race.
Well. The race didn’t go as planned. But does anything ever go exactly planned? I certainly did not finish where I wanted to and ran slower than normal, but I feel like I learned so much from this collegiate race. It was definitely the most aggressive race I have ever had the pleasure of running in. I got spiked, pushed and of course almost fell flat on my face! Oh, you know. Just the elements of your average cross country race. I felt weaker than normal. Maybe it was the altitude and the cold weather? I’m certainly not used to running in this climate. I don’t know, but I know that feeling lactic acid build up in your arms is not exactly normal. Well at least not for me anyways. I’ve learned to let the outside elements that I cannot control go. I did my best and that is all that matters. I finished my last race of the season at Nationals with absolutely no energy left and could not have possibly ran any faster. No matter what my time was or the place I finished in, I ran the race that God set out before me and that is all I could ever ask for.