Serena Tripodi's 'Most Excellent Adventure' to NXN Nationals

Dec 04, 2015

Day #1: Thursday

After arriving in Portland last night, I had no idea what I was in store for the next few days, but I know I was beyond excited for what was to come. We woke up this morning at about 7:30am, ate breakfast, and then headed over on the bus to the Tiger Woods Center at Nike Headquarters. Now this is where the fun begins. As we walked in, we were greeted by a 10ft tall Nike star, and posters everywhere of past national champions. All of the Southeast members and I were overcome with emotions, and couldn't wait for what was next.

After waiting about 15 minutes, the Southeast girls and I walked on stage, where they announced all of our accomplishments and presented us with our gear! This was incredible, and gave us a great start to our morning! Then, the girls and I went for a 4 mile jog around the Nike campus, and we even got to see some professional athletes from the Bowerman Track Club, such as Evan Jager! After our run, we hung out in the athlete lounge, which is filled with snacks, games, recovery stations, and treadmills where people will correct our form. Later, we leave Nike, go back to the hotel for lunch, and relax in the hotel athlete lounge.

We then leave at 4pm to go back to Nike, where we relax some more in the lounge, eat dinner, and attend the opening ceremonies. At the opening ceremonies, they announced all the teams and individuals, which was very special. Also, professional athlete and NXN winner Chris Derrick and Alexa Efraimson spoke, giving us advice about the race, and general running tips. Once the ceremony concluded, we went back to the hotel, socialized in the athlete lounge a little more, and then went to bed. Wow, what a day.