A Runner's Nightmare...

MT. SAC INVITATIONALAbout Mt SAC CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL

"Celebrating our 62nd Year, the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational has become our nation's largest cross country invitational. Last year a record 22,000+ participants competed over our famed 3 mile cross country course. The names "Valley Loop", "Switchbacks", "Poop Out Hill" and "Reservoir Hill" have become part of cross country legend and lingo. The course has changed little over the last 61 years, making it one of the few courses where different generations can compare times.
With races starting every 8 minutes or less (except the Sweepstakes Races) along with the famous Mark Guitierrez designed t-shirts, live webcast/feed and the huge "Big Screen", the event has become the most cherished cross country competiiton to the hundreds of thousands of runners who have competed in the invitational. "

- from http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/about.htm

NOW... LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT!!

Since my freshman year in high school, i have attended this invitational. The first time I went, I remember, my senior teammate told me it was a HORRIBLE race! Her and the rest of the senior runners kept telling us it was tough and hot. I was scared to go, but like any other race, i had to experience it to judge it myself. So there we were, a hot day in Walnut, Ca, ready to race a 2.93 mi course. From the parking lot we could see the BIGGEST hill of the course, otherwise know as "Reservoir"...

THE START LINE : http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/movies/course/Airstrip%20Start.mov

The course starts with a flat 1 mile run around a 'dry lake'. This is the easiest part because its flat! Anyways, you go around this lake twice. http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/movies/course/One%20Mile%20Mark.mov

After your second lap, you go up the hills known as 'Switchbacks'. Wonder why they're called like that..? http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/movies/course/Switchbacks.mov

well after you get up those switchbacks.. you head your way down to the 'Poopout Hill'. Yeah its a funny name, but if you run it, you literary poop out!! this is the toughest hill for me because its soo steep!! http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/movies/course/Poop%20Out%20Hill.mov

after poop out, we head into the last hill, Reservoir. They say this one is the toughest, mostly because you go up a steep hill (less steep than poop out) to a flat 3o meters ground, then for about 20 meters, theres a bit more of that hill. Once you are at the top, you have ONLY 800 METERS TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE!! [ my favorite part]http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/movies/course/Reservoir%20Hill.mov

this is where we kick some booty!!!

http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/movies/course/Finish%20Line.mov

The reason why i love Mt. Sac is because there are many runners THAT DONT KNOW HOW TO RUN SMART! they either start off too fast, walk up the hills or poop out at the hills. Im not the fastest runner, never have been, but i sure know how to run Mt Sac.

Well, tomorrow Oxnard College takes on 35 teams at this invitational. We hope to do good, and beat some booty! Gotta go and represent who we are!

lets go condors!!!!!

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