From The Trail
Cassandra Goodson and the Lady Eagle cross country team head to Starkville for the MSU Invitational, their last tuneup before heading to the Conference USA meet, Nov. 1, in Tampa, Fla. |
From the Trail: A page from junior Cassandra Goodson’s Diary.
Goodson is a junior transfer from Diablo Valley College in Concord, Calif., where she earned two letters. She was named most valuable member of the cross country team last season. She finished second overall at the NorCal Championships in cross country. She was the outdoor NorCal 10,000 meter champion. She also finished fifth in the state in the same event. She is the school record holder in the 10,000.
Goodson has been the top finisher for the Lady Eagles in all but one meet this season. She has posted four top 20 finishes, including a first-place finish at the Ole Miss Invitational. Her best time in the 5K was 19:03.75 at the Crimson Tide Classic. She is the daughter of James and Marina Goodson.
Monday:
Monday’s are the hardest workout days of the week and my nerves are getting to me. I dread going to practice. The workout was tough, but I got through it. Coach decided that we could run whichever race we would like at the Mississippi State meet. I’m glad. I can run the 4k. After practice, I rushed to my dorm for my 6:30 lab. I ate my dinner in five-minutes flat. After lab, I watched battle of “Road Rules and Real World”. I got caught up in MTV and don’t go to sleep until midnight.
Tuesday:
I woke up and had my usual two hard-boiled eggs and two biscuits. My class was canceled, so I got a badly-needed car wash. I studied for my English test. I took my test and it was kind of difficult, but I think I did o.k. Work out was relatively easy.
Wednesday:
I woke up at 5:45 a.m. for morning practice. It’s so hard to wake up that early, but it was a nice easy run. I had car problems so I had to walk from Hillcrest to the other side of campus in high-heeled boots. By the end of the day, the balls of my feet were killing me! I took a nap ‘til practice. We had a speed workout, I don’t really like them because I am a distance girl, but I got through it. I had dinner with my friend Rachel and went to Wal-Mart, which I had never been to until I came to Mississippi. I can’t believe they have everything you would need in one store!
Thursday:
I went to class, but it was canceled…again, so I was just lazy for the rest of the morning, until my next class at one. We got our English test back and I did o.k. After class, I went to practice where I was feeling a little sluggish. I am kind of tired and so are a lot of people on the team. I think it is just the combination of training every day and school burnout. However, all of our hard work should pay off. I went to dinner with some girls on my team and then went to bed early.
Friday:
Today is the day we leave for Mississippi State, and I am feeling prepared and ready. We run on Saturday morning, so my regular race-day anxiety hasn’t really kicked in. I went to my usual classes and I found out my Geology grade, which I am happy about. Ever since I came to Southern Miss, I’ve become really focused on my school and running. I think some of the distractions from Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the places I’ve lived in, hindered me, but now I am in a smaller town with less stress. My team, coach, and just the whole environment of Hattiesburg have helped me to enjoy my time here. I’m glad I came.
