In the Arena with the ITA NH Team: World Champs

So over the past week and a half, I have managed to travel a little over 13,000 miles, race 27 kilometers, and jump over 54 logs. Yup, logs. You see, since my last blog entry, I have left my fellow ITAers in Santa Barbara and journeyed to Jacksonville, Florida for the Gate River Run- a quick 15 kilometer warm-me-up- before heading over to Punta Umbria, Spain for the World Cross Country Championships. And what an experience that was. One hundred and fifty of the world’s best cross country runners toeing the line for six laps of an undulating 2 kilometer course, complete with three sets of three knee high logs, two gradual climbs, and one short steep hill. The course was covered in manicured grass that weaved its way throughout a coastal forest. And on race day, the sun glared down, baking the course into a hot and humid mess of suffering. The race itself was a blur of pain and log jumping, but the things I was able to learn and take away from my international debut will greatly help in my growth as an athlete. While the travels were long and arduous, and the fact that I broke out in some weird allergic reaction from Jacksonville crippled my mood at times (I fervently believed I was turning into "Swamp Thing"), it was great to be able to compete on the international stage, don the USA singlet for the first time in my career and be able to represent not only my training group but also my country. The whole experience was a huge honor, and I relished every minute of it. I am now safely back in the Upper Valley, have been reunited with my faithful pup, and look forward to continuing on, putting in the miles and trials before my next race, preparing and prepping, laying down fountain, one brick at a time.