Emma traveled to the University of Washington with the Kokopelli club team to run in the HS invitational. The weekend also hosted many college Div 1 schools and it was fun for her to witness what college races were like. Emma was one of two girls on her team that ran in the 3000m on Saturday evening. While we couldn't watch her run in person, we were able to watch her race via LIVE feed on RunnerSpace. This race was such an exhilarating race to watch. Emma ran in the fastest heat with two nationally ranked runners and she held her own in a tough field. One of my favorite parts was the beginning when she almost got boxed in but that fire emerged and she pushed her way to the front. She hung in the top 4 for a few laps, running faster than she is used to, but then listened to her coach who told her to slow down. She hung in 7-8th place and by the last few laps found that fire again and pushed her way to a 5th place finish in 10:06.92 (5:24 pace). WOW…go Emma! It was so fun to watch this with my parents and Andrew who chimed in on messenger!!
It’s officially still the off season for Emma with her running but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t working hard and pushing herself towards some amazing goals for her upcoming races. Her first indoor race of the season was at AFA where she ran the one-mile race. Her performance was phenomenal even though this race was only intended to be a kick start race to get her leg turnover figured out before the next race. She ended up placing 5th and got a PR of 5:31.77 (the top 5 were all within 3 sec of each other) even though she died a bit on the last lap and lost two places. Her upper body and arms were severely tired which meant that she will need to focus more on upper body strength throughout her upcoming HS track season. Still, she learned that she has to stay mentally strong even when her body isn’t feeling it. It was a great reminder for her as she focuses her mind on track running. At the end of the day, you only become a better runner by learning from each race.
Emma is truly an amazing and gifted runner. She had an incredible season and PRd several times for the 3200m at elevation and finally got a new PR in the 1600m during the last meet. She was told by her coaches that she was the most mature freshman distance runner they have ever had. She ran smart, ran her own race, and was consistent throughout the season. She didn’t let the paces of other girls throw her off her game. It was so fun being able to watch that fire in her eyes during this season. With an extended season into the summer, she started to feel a little burned out and struggled during meets 5 and 6. They were not her best races (although still amazing times) but she showed up to her last meet ready to run hard. She came away with a new PR in the 1600m and ran that in 5:29.37. She beat not only my 3200m time several times during the season but finally beat my 1600m time which was her goal for this season. Her PR in the 3200m at sea level was 11:45.87 (Nike Chandler Invite) and 11:47.02 at elevation (Fountain Fort Carson Invitational). I made it to every meet except for the last one and that one I was able to watch on Livestream. Running in a competitive field and at the 5A level, Emma didn’t qualify for State for any individual events, but she was asked to be an alternate for the 4x800m relay team. She loved being able to attend the state meet with some of her teammates to cheer them on. It won’t be long before she is at the state meet running in the 3200m. 3200m 11:45.87 NIKE Chandler Rotary Invite (PR sea level) 12:18.76 Valor Early Qualifier 11:51.78 Broomfield Shootout 11:47.02 Fountain Fort Carson Invitational (PR elevation) 12:18.41 PPAC League Meet 11:57.12 Liberty Bell Invitational 11:51.53 St. Vrain Invitational 1600m 5:31.34 NIKE Chandler Rotary Invite 5:34.75 Fountain Fort Carson Invitational 5:32.17 Petrelli and Hunt Invitational 5:37.28 PPAC League Meet 5:29.37 St. Vrain Invitational (PR elevation) Meet #1 - Valor christian invite |
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