Gettin' Closer

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since my last post; I've been getting adjusted to the new fall semester which started on Monday.

When I'm not in class and I'm out on my runs I find myself thinking about the race in Switzerland. Training has been going smoothly so I'll be up to 65 miles this week. I've been very careful with my foot because this is the most I've run since my injury so I ice it a couple times a day. The West Virginia University Cross Country team has started practicing together every afternoon. It's nice to have a big group of people to run with and suffer through the heat and humidity with me. After todays run I dove feet first into an ice bath which felt amazing after 8 miles in the blistering sun.

As for workouts, we did a 4 mile tempo on Tuesday. I averaged 6:12 pace on an up and down course. I was very under control and finished it without a big effort. My coach and I were very pleased with it because it was a lot better than the same workout we did last year even after taking 4 months off. So that is a great sign for the weeks to come.

Next week I'm going to start planning out what to pack for Switzerland. It will be here before we know it! I can't wait to meet all of you; I hope they're ready for us!

Cheers,

Maria