Reliving state cross country dream

DECORAH - 'Control what you can control.”

Those are the words I was told almost daily starting, Aug. 8, 2016. As I looked around, I already knew our team was ready, ready for the 3.1 mile battle, ready for burning lungs, callused feet, black toenails, blistered ankles, endless tight calves, the sweet smell of victory.

We were ready - after ups and downs, changes of varsity and JV positions - for the race most of us had trained for since January.

We left Decorah Friday afternoon to travel for the Saturday race. As we spent the evening doing our normal state meet preparations, the time came to meet in the coaches' hotel room, the last time I would be at this meeting. As my teammates and I looked around we felt the overpowering confidence in the room, the smell of determination. We heard the sniffling noses from the tears being cried as we saw our family of runners and tasted the hunger from the previous year.

The coaches knew we were ready, and so did we - my team. However, the sadness had to leave us that night because no sadness or fear could not be present on race day.

It was go time from the moment we rose from our beds. First, we ate breakfast in a room, then we were off to Fort Dodge to walk the running course, go to the bathroom for the 14th time, warm-up and toe the line. Fans were there, family was there and we were there to compete.

The time came. Gunshot, burning lungs, loosened calves, spikes tied to preferable tightness and our lucky pennies to get us through the chute.

After almost 22 minutes, our family headed to camp for our last cool-down together. Tears were shed as worry and excitement set in. Did we do it again? We wanted it. We pushed to our collapse zone.

As our head coach approached us, she was very serious.

'I need all seven of you. Where are Iz and Allie?”

We all looked around and muttered 'I don't know.”

The team responded. We scrambled around to find the two girls in the masses of people. Finally, we saw them emerging from the crowd.

'Isabel! Allie! Isabel! Allie!” We yelled for this girls to come quickly because we wanted our coach to tell us what was going on.

We all huddled together and, worried, our coach looked us all in the eye,

'Go put your shoes on ...” A smile began to spread across her face, '...because you are climbing up on the deck.” We all continued to wonder what place we were, '... as number one!” she shouted while forming a 'one” with her pointer finger. Immediately we started screaming and crying, hugging and laughing, running, sprinting, and holding pinkies all the way back to camp.

We were family. This team meant more than the world to me, and I couldn't be prouder to be a Decorah Viking, especially with the great coaches and other athletes I get to work with every day. I will carry this team in my heart forever. Running brings out the best in people and my team showed it.

When I control what I can control, I worry less about the result and more about my team.