Cross Country Nationals 2012: Race Recap

Dear USA Track and Field:

Let me start off by saying how much I appreciate your continued support of Masters running (although something has to be done about the age-grading crap). Staging championship events at multiple disciplines allows for competitive fields all year round and gives people an opportunity to excel at their best/favorite events. Particularly, placing the Masters cross country championships in conjunction with the Open and Junior championships, provides a full day of fun for racers and spectators.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Cross Country championships in St. Louis. Kudos to the organizing committee, they staged an excellent race.

The host hotel was convenient to the race site. The staff was accommodating. We really enjoyed the free breakfast.

Nothing like a gigantic sign to make you feel welcome.

The staff: don't they look like they stepped out of the movie "My Fair Lady"?

I realize the weather is beyond the control of mere humans, but… It was deplorable! When I woke up race morning and walked outside, I saw that it snowed over night.

Race morning this year.

Race morning last year.

In the mid-West, there is no such thing as absolute temperature. In the winter, they go by “wind-chill factor” and in the summer the “heat index”. I found this really cool Java script calculator that computed the wind chill factor on Saturday as 0 degrees (16 degree air temperature with 20 mph wind). That is mighty cold! I am sure you felt the nip in the air while attending the race. Did you notice that there weren’t very many spectators? They were at home drinking hot coffee.

The flags are blowing in the wind

My teammates and I had a lot of discussion about what to wear during the race. Shorts? Tights? Gloves?  I opted for tights over shorts, a heavy long sleeved shirt with my singlet over it, two pairs of gloves, wool socks and a hat. I was still cold! My crazy teammates wore much less clothing.

Pre Race: Lydia,
please put some clothes on!

After,  bundled up!

I am very psyched that I won the race. But even better, my teammates Mary Alico (4th) and Lydia Dissly (8th) kicked butt and we won the team competition.

I could barely lift my arms with those heavy boxing gloves.

We stuck around to watch the Masters men run. It was unpleasantly cold! While waiting for the men to pass by, we huddled around this tiny heater. I actually tried to crawl into it, but I couldn't fit.

Four hours after the race, my toes were still thawing out. We finally ventured out mid-afternoon to do some sightseeing.

The famous St. Louis arch.

USATF, if you insist on keeping the cross championships in February, I formally request that it be moved somewhere warm. Most of the country is blanketed in snow this time of year. A warm weather respite in a family friendly venue would do a lot to boost your participation and spectator numbers. Might I suggest moving the race to San Diego again? Or, Florida? If you do, I will send you this commemorative snow globe.

Ok, so I didn't actually buy this because I only had carry-on.

Sincerely,

Joanna Zeiger

Cross Country National Championships

The happy team before the race

If I was a horse, I would not be a mudder; I hate getting dirty. Luckily, the course for the 2011 Cross Country National Championships in San Diego was entirely on grass.

The 2k loop, which was completed four times, was deceptively hard. The first kilometer was flat, with a single turn. The second kilometer was twisty, hilly, off camber and a ton of fun! The spikes definitely provided needed stability, especially on the steep downhills.

My regular race strategy is to start controlled and build my pace. I knew that I would not be able to adhere to this plan. I was advised to go out hard to establish my position. In fact, I received a lot of pre-race guidance from people.

My good friend Greg sent along the best comments. He said, “XC is great! Primal. Tactical. It's mano-a-mano. No triathlon penalties here. No whiners allowed. Everyone is on their own. The gloves are off. You're not there to be nice, you’re there to beat everyone you can. You're there to win.”

When the gun fired, I went out hard. Really hard.  I found myself in third and by the one kilometer mark, I moved into second. I knew a woman in my age group was sitting on my shoulder. I had to shed her before the last lap. I did not want to sprint anyone down the homestretch; that is not a battle I can win. I accelerated on the hills and by the third lap, I finally dropped her. I finished first in my age group and second overall.

Colleen De Reuck was the overall winner, beating me by 90 seconds. At 46, she is still incredibly fast, and thankfully not in my age group. Her first, my second and Laura Breuss’s sixth put our team on the top step of the podium. The other two team members, Lydia Dissly and Mary Mosier, also put in strong performances.

The cross country format is exciting. The course layout is spectator friendly and the varying terrain make the kilometers pass by quickly.

After an easy warm down and a quick swim, I went back to the race site to watch the open men’s and women’s races. I follow track and field closely, so I am familiar with the top runners, and I felt like it was an opportunity to learn something by watching the best.

It was enlightening. I realized why I am not a world class runner.

• My ponytail is too short. All of the top women had ponytails flowing behind them like a mane. My ponytail is stubby and looks like a chia pet.

• I have the wrong attire. In order to place in the top 10, one must wear booty shorts and a jog bra with awesome abs on display. I wear regular running shorts and a longer top to cover my frighteningly white stomach that does not have a 6-pack.

• My run form is deplorable. Do you remember the scene from Miss Congeniality in which Michael Cain’s character tells Sandra Bullock’s character to glide while she walks? Well, Shalane Flannagan, the women’s winner, glided. Her run form is impeccable; she made the hard work look easy. In stark contrast, my arms flail, my feet turn out, I have a grimace on my face, and even when I run at full speed, it looks like I am doing the Kona shuffle. 

• But, the primary reason I am not world class runner? I’m just not that fast. 

I hope to run another cross country race again. I have to put my funky spikes to good use.

A little silly at dinner after the race.

There is no I in team (but there is in triathlon)

In the world of swimming, Masters status is achieved at the age of 18. I swam my first Masters meet when I was 23. In the world of running, Masters status is achieved at the age of 40. Guess what? I am 40. It turns out that being a 40 year old female runner is quite useful.