Thank you Shila, you will always be part of the big red machine, if only for being here so breifly.
When I came to WSC as a freshman, Lisa was only a sophomore. She had never posted anything close to amazing. She had come to WSC and had been one of the slowest girls and she had just started her climb to the top of the pack, so she understood the hardships of being a "back-packer". After work outs and tempos she'd ask how my splits were and would compare them to her previous seasons-- "right on track and even a bit ahead" she'd tell me. She kept getting better and better-- a true running hero, hardly any natural talent, but a fierce mentality that pushed her to the top. A couple days ago I was telling her that she better write a book once she makes it to the Olympics telling "back-packers" her secrets and how to keep hope even when other runners/teammates and even coaches don't believe in you. Lisa, was just amazing. Simply put, Lisa was a stud.