How to "Kick"

As I'm writing this I am eating the most massive sweet potato in the world topped with globs of peanut butter. If you haven't tried it, DO! If you don't like it, that's okay because that means there is more sweet potato and peanut butter in the world for me!! 

Tomorrow morning we head bright and early to Eugene for our regionals meet, and I must admit that I am slightly nervous. I have been excited all week. Then, one day, I realized that regionals is pre-championships (I'm a genius, you guys) and that if I have any plan of winning NWAACCS I should probably do my best to win pre-NWAACCS. 

I'm not saying that I am the best runner in the world in any way, but I seriously believe I can do this. I'm just going to have to not get out-kicked. 

The problem is that I can run for miles and miles and outlast most people, but if I get on the track at the end of a 5k cross country race with 300 meters to go and there is someone next to me, my turnover is not likely going to match theirs....

Know your weaknesses. Figure out a way to overcome them. So I'm learning to be a better "kicker". To drive my knees. To turnover. But my coach told me today that I'm just going to have to kick early. 

Here's my plan. I'm going to get ahead... way ahead... before we even get onto the track at regionals. That's it. I hope it works. 

And I'm going to race with confidence. And love to run. And love to win. That's my plan. 

Also, the new racing spikes I got... in love with them!! But I think I'm going to save them for NWAACCS because A) it will be really muddy and B) I think they are potentially magic shoes and I need to save their magic for that event. 

Aren't they pretty????

Okay, well... I'll let you know how it goes I suppose! Prayer, good wishes, all that will be greatly appreciated :)