Bittersweet Endings and New Beginnings

November is one of my favorite months of the year. During November I begin my transition from cross country to lacrosse. This week is the last week of cross country and the state meet is on Saturday. I am excited and sad at the same time. The end of the any season is always bittersweet.  Many cross country runners have already ended their seasons, but for the twelve girls and ten boys who are going to state, the season continues. We all worked are butts of this week and hopefully we will soon reap the benefits. Thankfully for me, I am going to state as an alternate, which means that I don’t have to run. Since I do not have to run on Saturday, I get to spend my weekend pigging out and cheering on my teammates.

Next week, after cross country has ended, I begin my first week of lacrosse conditioning. Technically I started to run cross country as lacrosse conditioning, but then I just became a cross country runner. Lacrosse conditioning is a combination of endurance and strength training. I’ve the endurance part down pact, but the strength part always offers me a little bit of a challenge. On top of being a transition in variation and type of workout, switching from cross country to lacrosse is also a transition of people. I adore the people on my lacrosse team and cannot wait to be reunited with them. Lacrosse conditioning also excites me because it means that I am just that much closer to the actual lacrosse season. Although I play on a year round team, there is nothing like the high school season. This is due to the competition. When you are playing in a tournament, winning games matters but it’s not everything. Tournament and showcase games that I play with my year round team are more about improving your skill and show casing the skill for college coaches. However, the high school season is all about team work. The competition is much more intense and the stakes are higher. Rival games, especially Chattahoochee, are the most adrenaline pumping. Even though the cross country season is about to be over, I am excited because cross country is just a prelude to my favorite sport, lacrosse.