Submitted by Luke Lovelace
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006
My mom and I left for the Charlotte Airport early Thursday morning to fly to San Diego. Our flight left at 9:40 a.m. and we got to the airport about two hours before hand, when we got to the gate we met up Ryan Hill (South Regional Champion) and his family who were going to be on the same flight. We arrived in San Diego at about 12 p.m. PST. When we arrived at the hotel we were given Nike bags, warm-ups, shoes, and uniforms and of course our room keys. I met my roommate Tommy Gruenewald from the Northeast region. That night we had a welcome dinner for all the finalists.
Friday, Dec. 8, 2006
We left for the course around 9:45 a.m. When we arrived we put our stuff down and walked the course with parents and the Nike athletes. The course seemed fairly difficult and there was a very steep hill that had to be run twice. I ran the course after the walk through with some of my south teammates and Alan Culpepper. We then had lunch at the course and played a cool game. We returned to the hotel around 2 p.m. and were allowed free time. That night we had a pasta dinner, which consisted of many different types of pasta. At the dinner the Nike athletes gave autographs and answered questions from the athletes and parents. Everyone went to his or her rooms after to prepare for the next days' race.
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006
I did my warm-up and stretched and I felt good. However me feeling good didn't help me in the race. I got out just as I had wanted but after that everything went bad. Overall I just had a bad race and even ran my worst time of the season. I wish that I had run better for the people of South Carolina and those who support me, however I truly enjoyed the whole experience and felt honored just to able to represent South Carolina.
Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006
My mom and I left the hotel around 11 a.m. to return home. Our flight left at 1 p.m. PST and we arrived in Charlotte around 8:30 p.m. EST. I truly enjoyed my experience in San Diego and was amazed by the royal treatment that the athletes received. The hotel was amazing. I would like to thank everyone for their support and my fellow competitors in South Carolina for helping succeed this cross-country season. I look forward to track and wish everyone a happy holiday.