University of Richmond Athletics
Inside the Loop with Conor Phelan
10/25/2011 | Cross Country
Oct. 25, 2011
Editor's Note: Cross country junior Conor Phelan will take some time over the course of the 2011 season to share his thoughts and experiences in an ongoing blog that offers readers an inside look into life as a Spider both on and off the course. Below is his seventh entry of the season.
From the time I am writing this, only six days remain until our conference meet in Charlotte. The many days, weeks and months of dedicated training we have undertaken since this summer are going to pay off over the next few weeks as we approach Saturday's A-10 Championships and the Southeast Regional Championship on Nov. 12.
Last weekend we competed at Panorama Farms in a meet hosted by the University of Virginia. As a team, we showed that we have the ability to run as a pack and work off each other to get the job done. At A-10s we are going to show that our pack cannot only run together, but that we can all compete as well. Freshman Andrew Valenski had what was probably the team's most stellar performance as he broke 26 minutes on a difficult course on a slow day.
This past week of classes has not been kind to many of us. Just when I thought "midterm season" was over, we all got slammed with projects, papers, tests, quizzes and who knows what else. Myself, ugh, I had back-to-back exams on Monday and Tuesday, a project due on Wednesday, a 20-minute presentation on Thursday and a cumulative lab report from the first half of the semester due on Friday. This is not to mention my normal workload.
Needless to say, I know I can speak for many of my teammates when I say that I am glad to be heading into next week without nearly as much stress as this past week. This is especially important because it is more crucial than ever to get as much sleep as possible these upcoming few days so that we are all rested and ready to roll come next Saturday when the gun goes off in Charlotte.
This weekend offered me a few days to relax and let my mind settle. My girlfriend, Sarah, and I went out for dinner at a restaurant in Carytown called The Mezzanine, where I without a doubt had one of the top three meals of my life. Believe me when I say that you cannot go wrong ordering the Free Range Chicken there. On Saturday, a few of the freshman (Matt Groff, Paul Meyer and Andrew Valenski) came over to hang out at our apartment. With Curly, Larry and Moe in our living room, it is pretty easy to have a good laugh and relax after a week of what seemed like absolutely no free time.
Wish us all good luck as we head off to Charlotte, N.C., on Friday for what will hopefully be some more warm weather!
