XC- Day 5

Coach said today would be an easy day. He said that yesterday too, and it was not easy. When I pointed that out, he asked me what I thought our workout should be and I clammed up because there was no way I was going out on a limb to suggest 40 minute jog. For the record, it was 2 quads and five laps in the Smelly Woods (and 3 quads for the warm-up, which I always forget to mention). That's roughly 4 miles in total. Unfortunately, after the first quad (the workout quad, I had already completed the warm-up) I discovered that my attempts to develop a bladder of steel had failed. I REALLY had to go to the bathroom. So I asked and Coach said, "Ok. Go up to the school. The bathrooms down here are locked," because really, he couldn't just tell me to pee in my pants. In my defense, i ran the 1/4 mile uphill to the bathroom (admittedly, more because I had to pee than because I have a spectacular work ethic) and I ran back down when I was finished. When I came back down, the other girls had finished their 2nd quad and were somewhere in the Smelly Woods, according to the injured/tired girls who were sitting out. "Should I do my second quad?" I asked.
"Screw it," they said. "Just start in the woods." Two girls who had decided they were done resting joined me. I ran with them at first, but they were going rather slowly and stopping to walk frequently, which I don't blame them for, but still, I do want to get at least a little faster before the season ends. So I started running by myself. The woods are pretty big and dense, so it's easy to feel very.. lonely inside. I also found it was harder to push myself when I wasn't trying to keep up with someone else. They're also kind of creepy, because sometimes you can hear people, but you can see them, so it feels like they're constantly sneaking up on you. Once during Winter Track last year (I wasn't there, obviously) Mr. Speedy hid behind a big, old tree while the girls were running through the woods and jumped out and scared them. They'll never forgive him for that. Well, maybe they will when he wins a gold medal at the Olympics. We'll see.
Anyway, I was the last one to finish my 5 laps because the other girls either started earlier or gave up earlier than me. As I finished my 4th lap and approached the clearing where coach was waiting with a few stragglers they cheered, "Homestretch, baby! You can do it! Finish it out!"
"I have 1 lap left!" I yelled as I ran past.
"Oh," they said lamely. "Keep going, then!"
When I finished they cheered again, and then offered me a hair tie, gesturing to the pile of matted hay-- I mean hair-- on my head. I turned it down: I never tie my hair up. It' s just a habit.
"That was a good run," Coach said. I don't know if he meant I ran well, or he set a good, hard workout.
"You're becoming a good long distance runner," he added. Once again, I'm not sure what he meant. This is kind of getting annoying.
The thing about our Coachis that he's really nice. He wouldn't hurt a fly, even though he looks really tough. He's a Special Ed teacher during the day and he coaches with a passion after school (or in the morning, as is the case now). He's like 65% of the reason I'm on the team. He's just great. He's proud of us in a quiet way, very unassuming and very, VERY encouraging. There is no such thing as bad to him, only things that "could use improvement." Which is why I'm afraid to interpret his "compliment" literally. To him, "good" does not necessarily mean "fast." It could mean a host of other things, such as determined, improving, or hardworking. While it's nice to be all of these things, I'd rather be a fast runner. Considering the speed I started out at, just "improving" isn't going to make me a County Champ anytime soon.
So, for now, I'll just assume he meant I'm improving to the point that I might be an average runner (hallelujah!!). When I'm a county champ, I'll let you know. Though, you'll probably hear from me sooner that Mr. Speedy broke a world record.