Phil Hagedorn

Past Entries

Entry 1

September 15, 2003

One always tries to tiptoe the line between racing too often, which inevitably results in burnout, and racing too little, which lends itself to an acute lack of experience when the important meets roll around in November.

Following what amounted to a training run at Sewanee on opening weekend, we were given an opportunity to regroup and prepare ourselves for the long season to come. Instead, we found ourselves early Sunday morning at the base of Kennesaw Mountain. Once a Civil War battlefield, the park serves modern-day weekend warriors with miles of beautiful trails which offer a forested respite from the sidewalks of Atlanta.

We drive out to Kennesaw every Sunday morning but rarely do we tackle Kennesaw Mountain. The run boils down to around 20 minutes of sustained running up a 45-degree slope. The burning in the lungs starts around minute two and refuses to subside until we reach the summit--clearly marked by an antique cannon overlooking the view of Atlanta.

Because it hurts while going up, I'm always reminded why my heart rate increases upon hearing coach say "We're going up the mountain!" As I turned around last Sunday to cheer my teammates up the last 100 yards, I watched my companions do the same and I remembered why I love cross country; very little in this world rivals the level of camaraderie which I have experienced on the team here at Emory.

Phil Hagedorn is a senior from Atlanta. He would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.