This is how we feel about waking up before 6 on a Saturday.
Last Saturday the UNC Asheville Cross Country team competed in the Pre-Conference meet at Gardner-Webb (which is in Boiling Springs, aka the middle of nowhere.) We upperclassmen were taking a rest weekend doing a workout instead of the race, but of course we wanted to go cheer our teammates on. Our only problem: there were 6 of us and only 5-person cars. Luckily, I have a [great, wonderful, fantastic] boss who lets me borrow his car, if I’ll blog about the trip, of course.
I began the morning at 5 a.m., which I forgot existed, but apparently it does. I picked up Gary’s car – after getting lost – and was well on my way back to the school when I got a call from Gary saying his brain had been a little scrambled because of the early hour and he forgot to grab the car seat. Way to go, Gary! Luckily, the red light gods had my back and I somehow made it to the school on time to meet for our “shake-out,” or shuffle/jog before breakfast.
The team van passing us at “high speed.”
We hit the road around 7 a.m. with only a few surprises – I couldn’t figure out how to turn the windshield wipers completely off. Oh, and I learned that driving over 75 mph in a larger car (I drive a tiny Honda Civic, so I’m not used to anything taller than a couple feet off the ground) produces a noise that sounds like the car is about to explode. You don’t test that. So I was stuck at 75.
We arrived, we ran, we conquered. The upperclassmen did a workout on the race course as our 5 underclassmen warmed up, then we cheered them on while they raced. I brought my camera so that I could take photos of them while racing, but of course, I was too busy yelling animatedly, so I forgot. No one looks good in running pictures anyways. Our girls looked strong though, making it an exciting beginning to the season.
The real reason we run.
After a core circuit, a quick stretch sesh, and a much-needed outfit-change, we hopped back in the car. Unfortunately, I turned the key and the gas light came on. In a middle-of-nowhere-town, finding a gas station is a real challenge! Apparently, so is finding a way to open the gas tank. I had to call Gary to figure it out, talk about an embarrassing phone call.
An Oreo-induced sugar high only lasts so long, and I was in the middle of a conversation when I realized everyone in the back was dead to the world. But when T-Swift’s “Shake It Off” came on for the third time in a row (each time on a different station, it was following us) they awakened long enough to jam out and then pass back out. Some company they were.
At last, we made it back to our beautiful home. My roommate, Erin, and I headed to Biscuit Head in West Asheville to trade out cars with Gary, intending just to grab the keys and leave, but of course we ended up staying for brunch. There’s really no way to pass up Mimosa Fried Chicken on a massive biscuit. The food mysteriously disappeared before I could get a picture.
Game Face, ya’ll.
The UNCA Bulldog Cross Country team will host our annual home meet at Asheville Christian Academy (74 Riverwood Road in Swannanoa) this Saturday, September 20. The men’s 8k goes off at 9 a.m. with the women’s 5k to follow at 9:45. Come on out to cheer on your Bulldogs!
(Foreword by Adrian Etheridge, of 
