Week #8 college: Reflections on a Challenging Week: Balancing School and Adventures
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
By: Hong Bing Tang October 21, 2024
10/14/2024 to 10/20/2024
Introduction:
Hey all. I hope you all had an awesome week. This week has been one for sure. The first three days of the week started off with being a very tough week with being super busy and a little stressful with exams. However, on Thursday I was able to travel to Madison for a cross-country meet and had a little mini break. Overall, it’s been a hard but good week! I look forward to sharing with you!
Exams/School:
This week I had two exams for 2 different classes although with the same professor. These two classes are arguable the hardest ones I have so I spent some time studying for them however I really was not too confident on either of them. While most of my week days are pretty busy, I really have not had much stress due to being able to manage everything. Unfortunately, because of the exams, I was feeling a little bit more stressed and, on top of things, I added a couple more meetings that I normally would not have. With that it was a little bit rough but once I completed the first exam, most the stress went away since even though the exam was tough, I realized that I was worrying about something that I could not control. So this experience was eye-opening in showing that I may have stacked myself with too many things to do along with knowing that in the end things will be okay and there is no point in stressing over the little things.
The Body:
On Wednesday night, us Junior attended a special workshop hosted by the athletic department to help us think about our next steps for our future. We first started off by learning about an elevator pitch and then did a little competition to see who could come up with the best elevator pitch. After that, we discussed the results of the assessments we had completed beforehand and wrote down our passions, interests, values, and personality. This was helpful in revealing more about us. The last thing we did was separating ourselves into groups based on our career preferences and discussing questions about what we needed to do to prepare for the future. Overall, this night was a good introduction in learning more about what we may need in the future.
Thursday Travel Day:
Since our meet was in Madison, Wisconsin which is about six and a half hours away from Mount Pleasant, we were traveling two days in advance for the meeting. This was exciting since traveling is one of the highlights of being on a cross-country team. For most of the trip down, I either slept or talked to other teammates. The big thing about this trip was that everyone was playing among us, and it was funny to watch them play and turn on each other over the little things. We arrived in Madison around 3pm and went to practice around this part and it was really pretty outside, and the weather was perfect for running. Also, the park we were running had a zoo nearby, so we visited it and saw a tiger and two capibaras that were chill.
After practicing we headed back to the hotel and ate dinner which was pasta. After not really fueling throughout the day, it was nice to get back to homeostasis and eat a big dinner. After a delicious dinner we had the rest of the evening to do whatever we wanted to do so, we played Euchre. I was partners with Jessie for two rounds and Carson for one round. I guess I am the loose link since I lost every single game against other people, however it was still a lot of fun. Everyone was feeling quite tired afterwards, most likely for the time change shift back one hour and traveling all day, so we went to bed quite early. Overall, it was a chill and relaxing day that was nice to spend with everyone.
Friday:
Since we had traveled all of yesterday instead of today, the day before the race, we had a very loose day, we were able to wake up on our own and have a good breakfast before headed out to see the course. I had never been to the Wisconsin course, so I was not sure what to expect although I had heard that it was quite a hilly course and was hard. When we arrived at the course, the weather was amazing. It was a nice 60 degrees which was perfect for running. Additionally, there were no clouds, and it was sunny. We quickly got to running and like said, the course was quite hilly, but it was also a “true” cross country course, so I was super excited. A lot of big teams were at the meet, which was awesome since I was able to catch up with Sophie who runs at Notre Dame. After a great run, we took a team picture at the finish line before heading to get lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was basically on our own. Nick, Carson, Aiden, and I grabbed lunch at MOD pizza, which was the first time that I had it, and it was really good. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel, and I got some homework done and called Blake P from back home. Soon enough it was dinnertime, which was a 3-hour block that was given towards us to walk around Madison and find something to eat. Since it was Aiden’s birthday, we decided to have the whole guys team sit down together and enjoy a nice dinner. The dinner was in fact very nice, maybe a little too nice, since I spent over half my per diem at the place, but it was well worth the experience. After eating a huge dinner, we all had to walk off the massive number of calories we consumed so we took a walk around the campus plus downtown. It was very lively outside, which was a different environment than I had ever been to before. At around 7:30 we headed back to the hotel to relax before going to bed and I read and journaled before going to bed.
Race Day:
Aiden, Floros, Miciah, and I woke up relatively early to shakeout since our race was at 12pm and had a good shakeout before we headed to eat a big breakfast; I may have eaten too big of a breakfast since I felt it during the race. Afterwards we headed to the course. We had a decent amount of downtime before the race, so we were able to get out and watch some elite guys and girls races before starting out warm-up. On the warm-up it was a small crew of us, but we were able to keep the energy lighthearted and enjoy being out there. The race started right on time and went out hot. I noticed it right away but was freaking out a little. I tried to relax myself, and it worked well. The race strung out fast, and I got stuck closer to the back of the pack for a while. I attempted to make my way up throughout the race, but it was constantly fartlek it felt like. Overall, it was a tough race and mentally and physically I did not feel like I was confident or trusting my body. Although the race did not go as I wanted. I felt indifferent to the race. This is a completely new experience for me, and I am happy about it. In the past I felt like I would beat myself up over these races, however I think that my mindset changes over this year allowed me to really enjoy the process more and in turn put less pressure and emphasis for the races. In reality races don’t define who you are as a person or a runner, so I am happy I wasn’t beating myself up too much. The rest of the meet went pretty well, and it seemed that a lot of people had rougher days. Although it was tough for the team the atmosphere was still positive and the bus ride back was still a blast. Overall, it was a very successful trip!
Conclusion:
This last week has been very revealing for me, whether finding what makes me stressed, what I want to do with my future, or reflecting on racing, I am happy with how this week has gone. I am looking forward to finishing the season on a high note and look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.
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