I came across a photo I took from the 2015 CAA Women's Track & Field Championships at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.
I love this photo and it's one of the few favorites I have from my cell phone. The benefit of cell phone photos is that you can capture awesome moments quickly and spontaneously. It takes effort to have a DSLR out all the time.
I took this picture at the team hotel after Elyse, Shelby and Haylee had finished their respective long distance races on the first night of the championship. They ran 3.1 and 6.2 miles respectively for their races, plus many more miles in warm-ups and cool downs. They could eat whatever they wanted and they proudly did and that's why I loved the photo.
So often females in sports that don't require power as much as endurance or flexibility, fret over every calorie that they eat, to a point where it is destructive. So often it happens in distance running and gymnastics.
This photo proves that it's ok to cheat and eat whatever you want. You have to reward yourself and you should after you work hard. You also should enjoy what you are eating. That's what I love about this photo. It sends a positive and healthy message to all runners and athletes that struggle with not eating enough.
The second part of this post will be devoted to the accommodations I experienced on some different trips. There is a HUGE difference between traveling with a Mid-Major Olympic Sport and a BCS School Olympic Sport. HUGE difference between traveling with a major sport and an Olympic sport.
Earlier in the year I traveled on a sleeper bus with Women's Basketball to the CAA Championship. The hotel we stayed at was impeccable. It was the Gaylord National just outside of Washington D.C. It was on the National Harbor, near shopping and restaurants. The hotel had a stream running through it, awesome breakfast, and a state of the art fitness facility. The food on the trip was amazing. I'd say that traveling with Elon Women's Basketball was similar to traveling with UConn Women's Soccer. A Mid Major, major sport, gave me similar accommodations as a BCS School, Olympic Sport trip.
With Track, it was slightly different. It was more like scenes out of the movie Major League with Charlie Sheen. The Holiday Inn that we stayed at was special. It had probably been fifteen other hotel chains before. The Fitness Equipment was well, broken. The elevator weights were on the opposite side of the building from the elevator. We were no where near shops to walk to and the common areas of the hotel were dark and dingy. Instead of going out to eat at nice restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory, I ended up eating at Olive Garden. The breakfast consisted of options that were less than continental. I still can't complain about the free meals, but it was definitely different.
