XC Update

Another post on Austin's latest and greatest. I'm trying not to post too much about it on social media because I don't want to bombard everyone with his progress since he gets a PR every race. He has so many friends who run XC, and they're all doing so well. I don't want them to feel like we're boasting. I also don't want to jinx it, but here's the scoop.

Last Thursday evening, he started to develop a sore throat. When he didn't feel well on Friday morning and ended up coming home from school early that day, we got a little worried. The big Jackson invitational was the next day, and it is a huge meet where many of the fastest schools in the area race. It's also a fast course, meaning the way it's laid out (turns, hills, ground cover) is all easier to navigate for a runner, so many of them receive faster times. It's a good indicator of how runners could do at States, if they make it there. 

Since Austin was pretty much sick the entire season last year, I was really hoping he could last a longer time without catching anything. The school nurse said he had a fever and thought he may have strep throat. Jason made an appointment for him, which I took him to later when I returned from work. They did the strep test, which was negative. The doctor said it was probably viral and that he could do whatever he felt good enough to do.

Our plan was to feed him a good dinner, have him rest, and then go to sleep early Friday night. We would see how he was on Saturday morning. He told Coach that if he felt good enough, he would be there.

I made homemade spaghetti sauce with the tomatoes and basil from our garden, to which we added a ton of garlic. We also made fresh garlic bread, with extra garlic as well. I can't remember what veggie we had with it, probably green beans. Jason prepared an electrolyte drink for him for the next morning, in case he went to the meet. It had an electrolyte tablet, a scoop of lemonade, sea salt, and vitamin C powder. He also prepared a nasal rinse for Austin in a neti pot, which was a saline rinse (the two of them have been using a neti pot very often since last year, when they both kept getting sick). Austin gargled with salt water that included apple cider vinegar, and I made him a fresh lemon tea with cinnamon and honey. We gave him ibuprofen, magnesium, and melatonin so he fell asleep easily, and he woke up feeling decent, so off we went to the meet.  

Of course, I wasn't sure if he really was okay or just wanted to go to the meet. I had no idea how his run would be. Last year, he managed many PRs, sometimes when he was feeling the worst, but he has since passed those PRs and is hoping for even faster times. 

Let me tell you something about this Jackson race. As I said, it's a fast race and it is very noticeable as a spectator! It was the first race Austin ran varsity in last year that I attended. It's like a huge stampede of super-fast high school boys all clumped up, especially in the front. You don't dare cut across the course until most of that front group flies by, and even then, you never know who's coming around the corner! It surprised me last year, and I noticed the same thing this year. Other varsity races aren't like it. It's the only one where I fear cutting across the course.

At the start of the race, I could see Austin further back in the first 50 yards than he normally is. All those fast guys fight for their spots! At the first point, when we could see them about a 1/2 mile in, I was recording, expecting Austin any second about where he would be, but I didn't see him! Jack ran by, and then Sam, who are usually right behind him, but I didn't see Austin. I kept recording, thinking he just felt horrible and was at the very back, or worse, that he fell and injured himself, but I got to the last runners and never saw him. Then Jason and I were all confused and worried. We tried another location and still didn't see him. At this point, I checked my recording and saw that he was where we thought he would be, just on the outside, bunched in with some top runners. Then I lost Jason, so I saw Jack's dad sprinting to the next viewpoint, so I followed him. While I was running, up ahead I thought I saw a white runner (our team was in all white with a blue S) streak across the course before I definitely saw Jack in his white and then followed his dad again to the next spot. It was super crowded there (which is the other hard thing about this fast course- all the spectators!), so I was on my tiptoes trying to record the first group come by, but I didn't see him again! (He was in that recording, too, on the outside.)

(See if you can find him in the first video.)

https://youtube.com/shorts/_XEkNhaKbzc?feature=share

After that, I stood there, completely lost because I didn't know where Jason was, and I had no idea where to go for the next viewpoint. After only like a minute, I realized that the race was going to end soon, and I needed to just get to the finish line. I knew where that was! I dared to cut across the course so I could get a better view where there were fewer people. I was determined to see him this time!

I still didn't know exactly who he was running near or if he was even still feeling good enough to keep up with whoever he was with earlier. The first two freaky fast runners came in faster than 15 minutes. Then there were another 2 guys who came in about 15 seconds later, 5 seconds apart from each other, then 5 more came in about another 10 seconds later, more or less, and Austin was in that group! I had no idea what his time was at first, but he came in with determination! 

Here he is at the end, passing two big rivaling runners for him. 

When I found Jason a minute later, he told me of Austin's new PR, 15:40! He came in 9th place, and we were all stunned. That's really fast and another big PR by 34 seconds. His team came in 9th place as well. 

Currently, Salem is ranked 16th in the State, leading up to States, and number 1 in our Region. Right now, Austin has the 23rd fastest season record in the State, and he holds the fastest season record in our Region. He also has the 4th fastest time in Salem history. 

Michigan Cross Country Speed Ratings, a blog that focuses on Michigan XC, featured him this week on their Instagram page. And even the Activity Director from Salem, the one who tried to fire Coach Goodridge, stopped by Austin's math class a couple of days ago, to give him a card congratulating him on his 4th fastest time in Salem history and a t-shirt. We got a laugh out of that when he showed us because we're not too fond of that guy. 

MI Speed Ratings: Austin's sphiel is on the bottom left in blue. 

The shirt from the AD.

The Salem XC weekly email highlighting Austin. 

And Austin's health? Well, when we met up with him after his cool-down, he told us he felt pretty good, but his stomach hurt. I commented that he had just run his guts out (haha), but was glad to hear he felt decent otherwise. He rested the rest of the day and the weekend. By Monday, he seemed pretty good. He started coughing more again yesterday, but it has lessened again today. Luckily, they didn't have a meet today, so he's just been training this week. The next meet is on Tuesday, but it's only a dual meet, so it's a little more lowkey. We're excited to keep supporting him and his team. A couple of his teammates also had PRs last week. When the season is over, we plan on visiting the School Board again, thanking them for reinstating Coach's job and sharing with them all the amazing progress this season.