NXN

Nike took pretty good care of us

It has been such an honor to be here this weekend.  I got to compete with some of the best athletes in the country, and meet some of the best athletes in the world.  Nike catered to myself and my fellow qualifiers all weekend, and it was amazing.
On Thursday, we arrived and got our gear packs, then went for a run around the campus.  Portland was honestly stunning.  It was completely different from Utah, and I loved being there this weekend.

View on the bus to our hotel

  The running here was absolutely gorgeous-most of my runs were done on trails that went through the surrounding woody areas.  I even had the pleasure of running on the legendary Nike track in the woods.  We later went to the opening ceremonies, where we got to take a selfie with Mo Farah, learn more about what our experience for the weekend would be, and learn a little about our fellow runners.  Oh, and this happened.

What can I say?  Hydration is my life.

I had some of the best teammates anyone could ask for.  My fellow Utahn and good friend Courtney was my roommate, which just made the trip that much better.  I also got to meet many new and incredible people.  They made the whole atmosphere tons of fun.  

The course this year was definitely a huge change from last year's.  It rained for days before the race, so the footing was somewhat less than stable.  Athletes emerged from the course covered in mud and sweat.  There were also several hills that made it more challenging this year.  I didn't have exactly the race I was hoping for, but even being there was a great experience.

Oh, and I got featured by Nike Running.  Not a big deal.

Perhaps the most glorious and proud moment of my entire weekend was when I successfully carried my teammate, Alek, up seven flights of stairs on my back.  It was a huge victory, and an incredibly difficult one.