University of Tennessee Athletics
Price Shares Bite Of Big Apple
February 06, 2011 | Women's Track
Feb. 6, 2011
Four-time All-American middle distance runner Chanelle Price took some time out of her busy schedule on the Lady Vols' road trip to New York for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational to share some of her experiences. Here are the entries the junior from Easton, Pa., made from Friday through Sunday.
02/03/11- 6:30 a.m. Restless nights. I haven't encountered them so far this Indoor season, but last night was an exception. I simply couldn't sleep. My mind was spinning, excited about racing this weekend at my favorite track, the Armory. It's like home-turf to me. I raced there countless times in high school and clocked some of my fastest races. It's the team's biggest meet so far this season, so it'll be a test of how we match up to some of the top teams in the nation. My adrenaline has been racing all morning. From 4:30 a.m., when I woke up, to 5:25 a.m. when my roommates and I had to sprint (in dresses and heals mind you) to the bus to avoid being left, and now, as I sit in the airport waiting to board the plane. I know I need to relax a little bit so I can get some sleep on the plane. I have a long day of traveling ahead of me, but before I know it, I'll be in New York. Mmmmm .... I can smell it now.
02/03/11- 9:00 p.m. I'm exhausted. I was on the go since 1 p.m., when we arrived at the hotel, until 8:30 p.m., when a few teammates and I finished dinner. In between there included a fun trip to the nail salon, some homework, and a pre-race work out. N.Y. may not be as cold as I expected, but it's definitely as busy, loud, and intense as I remembered. Two things from today will not escape my memory: the crazy N.Y. pigeons and the ridiculous N.Y. food prices. Twenty dollars for an 8oz steak?! Only in the Big Apple. I'm actually glad I've kept busy all day because I haven't had time to think about my upcoming races. Now that I've settled down, I'm starting to envision my first race, the distance medley relay tomorrow evening. Of course, I don't want to do too much thinking. I would hate to have another restless night.
02/04/11- 10:53 a.m. My clothes smell like eggs, bacon, and dirt! The deli my teammates and I ate at for breakfast is to blame. I can't complain too much about the awful scent though because the food was delicious. And, guess what? It was a reasonable price! I'm feeling a little sleepy, but I'm not sure why because I slept GREAT. I think I'm just nervous, so instead of staying up and thinking about the race, I'd rather just sleep. I enjoy night races. The only downfall is sitting around all day. Coach gave Brit (Brittany Sheffey), Liz (Liz Costello), and I a pep-talk this morning. I usually don't get too nervous for the DMR, but this year is different. In the past two years, we didn't even worry about hitting the NCAA automatic qualifying time. We KNEW we were going to do it. In fact, I didn't even know what the time was until coach told us this morning. This year, my teammates and I all have to run our absolute bests in order to break the 11:05 barrier. I can tell coach is a little nervous, but I know he believes in us. I believe in us too. We can do it.
02/04/11- 9:33 p.m. I can't believe how fast today went by. I took a nap, and then it was already time to get dressed and head to the track. My nerves grew worse and worse as time went on. On the 30-minute subway trip, I was pretty relaxed, but once we entered the track, I got mixed emotions- excited and nervous. Seeing my parents in the stands and listening to my gospel music definitely helped put me at ease. Throughout the entire warm-up I just kept telling myself, "You're the best, you can do it. You run this. No stress." I had a lot of confidence in my team, and although we didn't get the win or the automatic qualifying time, I'm keeping a positive attitude. I know coach will find somewhere for us to have a second chance at it. What matters is where we're at for NCAAs, not now. I'm content with my 2:04 split. I felt great. I just have to do it again tomorrow. I know I can do it. My goal is to not even think about it tonight so that I can get some good sleep. Then, I'll wake up in the morning with a positive, confident attitude, go out there, and give it my all. That's all I can do. With God on my side, everything else will fall into place. Well, the shower is calling my name. Good night.
02/05/11- 7:10 p.m. Confidence. It's the one thing I've chosen to really work on this season. And I had it today. All day I remained calm, even until right before the race. I just KNEW this was going to be my day. I kept telling myself, "You're the best. Just run." And I did just that. I ran and gave it my all. I just happened to fall short this time. But, I'm not going to dwell on it. Coach and I discussed what I did wrong, and I'm moving forward. Time to keep training hard and focus on the next race. My time will come. I wanted it to be today, but God has another plan. I'm NOT giving up though. I've never been a quitter and don't plan on ever becoming one. But, enough on the race. I'm ready to eat dinner and relax for the rest of the night. We have a 3:30 a.m. departure to the airport. I need to get a move on so that I can get some rest.
02/06/11- 5 a.m. I can't wait to get back to Knoxville. I'm surprised I'm even functioning right now after only getting four hours of sleep. I was up at 2:30 a.m., on the bus at 3:30, and at the airport by 4:00. I'm anxious to get on the plane so that I can get some rest. My mood this morning is pretty positive. I have no choice but to move forward. Coach sent me an encouraging message last night. I know he believes in me, I just have to keep believing in myself. My time will come. I have a busy week of training and school work ahead of me, so hopefully I can use today to re-coop and enjoy the Super Bowl. Go Steelers! I don't really follow the NFL, but I guess I'll root for the Pennsylvania team.
NOTE: Chanelle finished fifth with a time of 2:06.80 in the Championship division of the 800 meters and ran the 800m leg on UT's distance medley relay unit, which placed sixth in a season-best 11:12.40. She will head to College Station, Texas, on Friday with her teammates to compete in the Texas A&M Challenge.
