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(Photo: BYU Track & Field)
One of the things that separates cross-country from most professional running races is that athletes compete as a team. And nowhere was that more true than at the national meet this past weekend.
Without getting a single runner in the top 10 individually, BYU pulled off the national title through a combo of depth and sticking together.
“That last kilometer was whatever you had for the sisterhood. It wasn’t about ourselves. It was about the women we were running with.”
- Lexy Halladay-Lowry, the team’s top runner after the race
Last year, the team came in ranked #3 and imploded in the second half. What did coach Diljeet Taylor tell them immediately after that race? "Just when the caterpillar thinks the world is ending, she becomes a butterfly." Butterflies then became a theme for the team this season.
[Taylor is nothing if not a quotable machine. And, also, one of the few women in top-level collegiate coaching.]
READ: How Diljeet Taylor is Building a Winning Culture Focused on the Athletes
With the team competition so tight, underdogs West Virginia University and Providence College were able to slide in at #2 and #3 👏
And for the individual title: Alabama sophomore Doris Lemngole pulled away with a little under a quarter-mile to go. Last year, she came in second to Parker Valby, but this year she went with the lead pack and outkicked them. Lemngole didn't actually start running until high school in Kenya and then was recruited to 'Bama.
READ: Doris Lemngole's 'improbable' journey
3. A Thanksgiving reminder: Eat and exercise however you want
Thanksgiving has become the most popular day for running in America. Last year, nearly 1 million people participated in a Turkey Trot 🦃
READ: Curious how the Turkey Trot became so popular? It all started in Buffalo, New York.
And, here at Feisty, we're all about getting outside for a run or ride or hike or throwing some weights around a parking lot, whatever activity you enjoy. But enjoy is the key word there (!) — because we're also not about having to "earn" your food. (Not to mention: If you wear a fitness tracker, keep in mind they consistently struggle to measure calories correctly.)
Plus: All foods can be "good" foods within the context of the value they provide to you! 🥧
With 43% of women reporting increased levels of stress and anxiety during the holidays — while only 32% of men report those increases — don't put more pressure on yourself this week. Be kind to yourself (and each other), go for a Turkey Trot if you want to Turkey Trot, take a break and mentally recharge with a solo bike ride if you need to mentally recharge, and eat the pie if you want to eat the pie!
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