The HHS Cross Country team participated in a meet on Saturday, Oct. 7. Over sixty teams and almost 2300 runners participated in the Glory Days Invitational located at Bull Run Regional Park in Manassas, Virginia. The 5K races spanned over the entire day, totalling nine competitions.

Junior Evan Wood competed in the JV boys race. The mental aspect of the race played a role in his and the entire team’s racing.

“I feel like the last mile I wasn’t really as motivated as I think I could’ve been. So, I think if I just train a bit more mentally, I’ll be able to keep the mentality of going fast for the last mile,” Wood said.

As the day progressed, the heat caused runners to struggle to finish the race. The temperature was high enough that many runners spent time at the trainers’ tent due to heat exhaustion. Dizziness, disorientation, nausea and vomiting are among the symptoms runners experienced.

Along with Wood, sophomore Ty McDaniel also competed in the JV boys race.

“It’s a really nice course, but it’s just really hot, which I didn’t like,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel’s goal for next season is run sub 20. He was happy to PR (personal record) even though he felt it was a terrible race.

Since the regular XC season is coming to a close, sophomore Jewelia Rodriguez wants to try to beat her previous time at her final race this Saturday. Rodriguez has aspirations next season to run a 26:00-minute 5K or faster at the Glory Days Invitational course.

Despite the heat, some runners, like Rodriguez, felt very good about their overall performance.

“I think that the heat affected my second mile, but after that I was fine and sprinted the finish,” Rodriguez said.

McDaniel was also positive about the outcome of his race.

“I felt pretty darn swell about it,” McDaniel said.

The XC team has their final regular season race this Saturday at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, VA.