Sept. 2, 2010
Day Two We woke up this morning to howling winds and rain pelting the windows--a weather day that, as a Southern California girl, I would usually deem "unrunable" and opt to cross train indoors. Between jokes from Coach Metcalf asking, `Will the California girls actually survive in some actual weather?' I bundled up and thought to myself that these Seattle people must be crazy. I mean, why would you want to run in this weather, let alone walk the ten yards from the cabin to the kitchen to eat breakfast?! Apparently this torrential weather was nothing out of the ordinary for the Midwesterners and Seattle natives because while I stood there with tights, pants, and three layers on my upper body, my teammates from Chicago and Michigan simply changed from a short sleeve shirt to a long sleeve. I quickly learned after five minutes into the warm up run that I had dressed in an excessive amount of clothing for what turned out to be just a little wind and rain. By the end of the four mile warm-up I had abandoned gloves, headband, pants, and still felt like I was in a hundred degree sauna. Lesson of the day: wear what the Midwesterners wear! A muddy, yet beautiful warm-up run through the woods flowed into 300 meter repeats around the grass field out back of camp. While coaches stood by shivering in the rain despite heavy Gore-Tex jackets, the Husky men and women ripped through some speedy 300 repeats, attempting to avoid slipping and enjoying every time the gusty winds picked up at our backs to push us along. A successful workout was followed by a warm-down once again through the woods, and if you were lucky, spotting a deer running across the wooded path. After some core work and push-ups in the old theater, it was back to the mess hall for breakfast. To our delight, we found that the injured Huskies had cooked everyone chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and a delicious fruit salad for our post-run "snack". Some enjoyed the "rocket fuel" coffee that a few unnamed athletes attempted to make, Coach Metcalf enjoying the extra dose of caffeine probably more than most. Now for some hangout time, then a barbecue chicken dinner tonight--that is, if anyone is actually willing to stand out in the rain long enough to barbecue the chicken :-) Then later by the campfire tonight, a few freshman skits and possibly if we're lucky, another story of Charlie (William's) mysterious "abductions" or my personal favorite idea: Grace Unleashed--an opportunity to hear about the craziest stories of Grace Green's summer, which without fail always manages to be more exciting than any summer I've ever heard of. Hopefully the weather warms up so those of us from So Cal don't develop pneumonia, but until then more team bonding, games, relaxing...and of course--food, food and more good food! Day One After a quick stop at Costco to pick up a few things - well, actually enough snacks, fruits, veggies, and sweets to feed a small army - we were off to cross country camp! For returning team members camp is looked forward to as a relaxing vacation with old friends. For the freshmen, camp is an anticipated week of exciting unknowns. Breathtaking views of Hood Canal with the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop delivered us to the ferry and, for a few freshmen, their first ever fery ride. Those warm-blooded Huskies took to the decks to take in spectacular views, while others remained inside to chat, drink coffee, and stay warm! Older girls welcomed freshmen to join them on their benbches, making small talk and getting to know one another. Arriving at the army barracks at Fort Flagler State Park, we were welcomed by vast fields escaping into grand cliffs and a slate blue Puget Sound. The freshmen boys and girls, with Nicole (Aurigemma) as our host, journeyed to explore the abandoned army bunkers. Dark underground tunnels and a few old metal ladders toured us through the center bunkers while others enjoyed capturing photos of the landscape. A lasagna dinner followed by a few post-dinner dashes to the pantry for snacks brought us to team games of mafia and dominos and s'mores alongside the campfire; sharing laughs and every so often clarifying someone's name. Now for a good night's sleep - that is, as good as can be expected on crinkly mattresses - and up early for our first xc camp run! -- Megan |
