University of Richmond Athletics
Inside the Loop with Conor Phelan
09/27/2011 | Cross Country
Sept. 27, 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 fourth entry of the season.
For many of us, this past week seemed to be all about exams. It was one of those unfortunate weeks when just enough time had passed that all of our professors thought that nothing would be more appropriate than an evaluation of our knowledge gained over the past five weeks.
Lucky for us, nothing defines a cross country runner better than discipline, hard work and focus; all attributes that we carry with us into the classroom. So, needless to say, we were all ready to take care of business. Personally, I had two science exams (genetics and cell biology), and I know my roommates, Kyle Ragan and Chris York, both had an important geography test. Everyone else on the team was also in the same boat.
The beginning of the week dragged by and included long nights of soaking our brains in our dense textbooks and days spent running from class to class balancing our normal workload with the added stress of the examinations. I can only speak for myself, but going to practice each morning seemed therapeutic. It allowed us a few hours to let our minds stop worrying about the deamination of a nucleotide base, or the declination of the Earth as it spins around the Sun or active general ledger accounts with debit and credit balances. The pain of reading hundreds of pages of notes and solving innumerable homework problems doesn't quite compare to the tangible, desirable pain as you crush a hard workout, knowing that each step forward is putting you one step closer toward achieving your goals.
This week of training also stuck out in my mind, as it was the first time in what felt like ages that we had our whole group together training as one. Freshman Billy Fayette and sophomore Ryan Lee joined back up with the team for some solid workouts this week after their World Mountain Running Championship adventure. Training as a unit is important as we move into this Friday's race, Lehigh's Paul Short Invitational, which we have all been looking forward to for some time now.
As the week came to a close, everyone was able to relax a little and enjoy Parents Weekend. Team members met up with their friends and family and got to escape off campus for dinner in nearby Carytown or downtown Richmond. Our on-campus coffee shop came out with their famously delicious Spider Cider, and the Maymont Running Festival provided for a fun long run along the river this weekend.
For now, it is back to the books as we are all trying to get a jump on our schoolwork before heading to Bethlehem, Pa., on Thursday for our next competition. I look forward to getting back to you all next week. Take care.
Players Mentioned
