Caroline Barlow -Gulf Coast - Athlete Blog #2 Peaking and thoughts of Bama

Hello DistancePreps! It has been a very exciting couple weeks for me! Between training, racing, school, and college decisions, I’ve hardly had time to sleep.

The FSU Invitational was one of those days where everything was just feeling right. The weather was a perfect amount of cold, the course was super fast, and the other girls set the right pace. I had been planning on running a consistent 5:45 pace, but after a fast first mile, it was clear that would not be happening. I ran with the pack until around the mile and half point, when Emily made a gap. I knew that if I caught up to her, we could separate from the rest of the pack. Around the two mile mark I was still feeling strong and decided it was my chance to get under 18. After climbing the hill and seeing the clock above the finish line, it hit me that I was in first! Crossing the line in a time of 17:53 was unreal!

Since then I have had three more meets: our Conference meet, the Lely Invitational, and Districts. I used them to test different strategies and to work on my surging. Me, individually, and my team, won all three, so I think it has been a great confidence booster for us all! We have had a number of big PR’s which has helped make everyone ready to work hard these next couple of weeks. I am very excited to see what our girls can do!

This Sunday my team volunteered at a Halloween themed race, called "The Crazy 8K". We helped by clipping timing chips off shoes. It was nice to be on the other side of the finish line and give back to our local running community after all they have done for us. Most of the racers had costumes on, which made the race especially entertaining. My favorite was a couple dressed as the "tortoise and the hare". The hare even stopped and stretched in front of the finish line until after the tortoise crossed! This reminded me of the saying “slow and steady wins the race” and while it is not true for one particular cross country race, it is for the season as a whole. Working to peak at just the right time may make the beginning of the season frustrating, but PRing when it counts is made even sweeter because of it!

Last Monday I made a very exciting phone call, committing to the University of Alabama.

I am so thankful to have had the ability to get this far in my running career! The opportunities running has opened up for me are incredible and I seriously cannot be thankful enough for them! That being said, I am so excited to join the team! Emily Edwards and I are very happy to be teammates and I am sure we will create unforgettable memories. ROLL TIDE!