Get Moving!

It's Time.  Time to Play.  Time to Play Ketchup Catch up.  That's right.  In the next few days, I will once again begin my yearly XC adventure with a couple of light runs to work the rust off before I submerge myself into some real university training.  A few days ago, I started to get that little itch to start running again, a sure sign that I have done a good job recovering, and that I'm good to go.  A lot of the Americans will be quite a bit further ahead in their cross country prep schedule, as most of them shut down in the first half of June before starting to train for XC season.  This puts me quite a few weeks behind their fitness level, but I am confident that I've given myself more than enough time to be fit as a fiddle when the real racing starts.  After all, there is no point in blowing everyone out of the water in September, if you can't perform when the chips are down in November.  So for now, I'll be playing a little catch up until I've piled 3 or 4 good weeks of running together.  This season will be long compared to my high school cross country seasons as my first race will arrive about 20 days earlier, and I plan on continuing racing through the end of November, compared to mid-November in previous years.  This season ahead will also open new doors for me.  Getting an opportunity to race against some of the best college runners in North America is sure to be an eye-opener, but also something that is required in order to continue excelling in athletics.  Being pushed by the big boys this year is something that will pay off for me down the road, and something that's necessary if I ever want to be able to push them back.  I've set very high goals for myself this season, and with smart, hard work I know I will be able to run faster than ever before, and shock more than a few people this year.  Also, after my university season, I will try to set myself up for an opportunity to challenge at the Canadian XC Championships.  This will be my last year to try to make the Junior National XC team, and I can't wait to give it my best shot!  Finally, the title of this blog serves a dual purpose, as I am packing my bags to head up north 7 days from now.  I know I already gave you a long speech about how excited I am in my last post, so I'll keep that to a minimum.  I'm going to be spending one week in Wasilla, Alaska A.K.A. hometown of Sarah Palin! Then, I'll be off to Homer, Alaska for a week, before I make my way back to Anchorage for the 17th of August.  I really don't know when I'll get the chance to update my blog, but you can be sure that when I do I'll have something exciting to talk about.  This is going to be my last post before I leave, so when you read my next post I'll be thousands of kilometers away, living in my igloo, riding my pet polar bear to school.  Until next time fellow readers!  Adios!  Farewell!  Au Revoir!  Bye!