USATF Nationals journal: SCA's Logan Morris finishes eighth

By Logan Morris

Photo gallery from Morris' trip - courtesy of Dwayne Morris

Friday, December 10
My day began really early.  While I live in Inman, I had spent most of my week in Myrtle Beach at the South Carolina Beta Club Convention.  My mom and I loaded the car and pulled out at 6 a.m. heading to Columbia to meet up with my dad.  I slept the whole way and woke up to the sounds of my mom and dad moving stuff from one car to another. 

Soon my dad and I were on our way to Birmingham, Ala.  We drove straight to Veterans Park and ran the course.  Most of the course was narrow with crushed gravel, which was a concern because it was new terrain for me.  Another thing that concerned me was the sharp turns - this could be a challenge.

Our next destination was the packet pick-up in the beautiful Winfrey Hotel at Galleria Mall.  Traffic was crazy!  We parked at the mall, found where it connected to the hotel and then located packet pick-up. 

When I got my packet I discovered that every runner had to wear a number on their shirt and on their hip, as well as two timing chips (one for each shoe).  Something told me that this was a little more serious than my other races.  Across the hall was a room where you could get your shirt for the race, but we didn’t have time (we learned later this was a mistake…details to come.)  Our next destination was Samford University for the opening ceremony.

When we arrived at the university, we were greeted by the Samford Belles.  They were college girls wearing hoop-skirts and bonnets.  I had to go to the athlete staging area while my dad went into the gym to find a seat.  We were grouped by regions, so I got to see many of the girls I ran against in Maryland.  Soon it was time to begin.  We walked over to the gym and marched around the perimeter of the bleachers and finally down to the floor.  After everyone was seated, the program began. 

There were several speakers, but I think my favorite was Olympian, Chris Solinsky.  He’s the current American record holder for the 10,000 meters.  He challenged us to have big dreams and to set goals to help us accomplish those dreams.  It was a fun experience.

Afterwards, my dad and I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to check in at our hotel. I’m finally heading to bed…big day tomorrow!

Saturday, December 11
Race day!  My dad got me up around 7 a.m. to go eat breakfast.  After half of a waffle and some water, we went back up to the room to dress and leave.  My race was at 11 a.m. so we left the room at 9 a.m.  That put us at the course shortly before 9:30 a.m.  The weather was cloudy, cool (50 degrees) and a little breezy (I prefer a little warmer and no breeze).

Shortly after parking the car and getting to the course, I started my warm-up.  This is one part of being “unattached” that is my least favorite.  I have to warm up alone.  Soon it was time to check in for my race.  I definitely learned something that I wished I had known before.  Not fully aware of the pre-race schedule, I took off all of my warm-ups just before check-in.  I found out later that there was time built in for runners to take their gear to a coach or parent just before the start.  Since I had already done so, I had to work hard to keep my muscles warm before the race.

Soon it was time to go to the starting line.  I was in box one, which seemed to be a good place to start except for a slight uphill for the first 500 meters.  Then the gun sounded and all 236 of us were charging across the field.  It was basically a dash to the woods. 

Once we got to the woods, the path would narrow.  As we entered the woods, I was probably in the first 50 girls.  It was  hard to tell since I was surrounded by runners on all sides.  By the time we had reached the one mile mark, I had moved up to somewhere in the top 30.  We looped around back into the woods.  In front of me was a pack of girls all running the same pace. I was able to pass the whole pack and in doing so, I gained a lot of places.  When I came out of the woods, I was now in 9th place.  As we made the turn for the last 500 meters, I was able to pass one more girl to secure my eighth place finish.

As I finished, one of the race officials ripped my bib number off my shirt.  I knew they wanted the bib numbers of the top 25 finishers, but I wasn’t expecting it to be ripped off.  Then another official started to cut my timing chip off of my shoe.  My first thought was, “I hope she’s not cutting my laces!”  It was quite a whirl-wind at the finish line. 

I soon found my dad and another S.C. family (the Howells), and we talked about the race while I cooled off.

After the race, we went to get a race shirt.  We jumped in line and waited for one hour to get to the shirt tent (this is where I learned that we should have gotten this the night before back at packet pick-up).  I love my shirt!  Next stop was the USATF tent to meet Chris Solinsky and get a lapel pin.  I was the last person to see him before he had to leave to catch a flight.

By this time we were getting hungry.  We left to get lunch and visit Galleria Mall until it was time to return for the Award Ceremony.  When we arrived at the school, the USATF folks wasted no time in getting things started.  They did a great job of recognizing the All-American Finishers (top 25) without taking a long time.  Each All-American received a plaque with their bib number included in the frame and a medal.  After receiving our awards, we made our way to a photo shoot.  I wasn’t expecting all of the attention. 

Afterwards, we met up with the Howells and made our way out to the parking lot.  It was a long day.

Sunday, December 12, 2010
We were up early to prepare for our return trip home.  As we were eating breakfast, we noticed snow beginning to fall outside our hotel.  Yes…snow!  We were hoping to visit a local church before heading home but, not sure of what the snow was going to do, we decided to start our journey home.  We finished breakfast, loaded up and got on the road. 

It snowed on us all through the state of Alabama and the first part of Georgia.  It even started to stick to the roads which slowed us down for a little while.  Once we got to Atlanta, it eventually stopped.  I was so glad it had not been that cold just 24 hours earlier.

Conclusion
My overall experience was a good one.  I met some new runners and discovered some areas where I need to work to improve.  It was great to run with so many girls close to my age.

I’m grateful for having this opportunity and look forward to racing with USATF next year.