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Welp, I managed to pick up Covid from somewhere, so I missed my first meet since 2000 when I stood up in a friend's wedding (who gets married during XC season?! :) ). The reports I heard were outstanding, though, so I want to mention some highlights.
First, we were missing a lot of people due to illness today. I need everyone to WASH their hands before eating, get plenty of sleep each night, and try to eat balanced as consistently as possible. No sharing water or food, please! Let's get healthy and stay healthy! We had most of our girls in the first race of the day. Arwen had a great effort, placing 5th and earning a medal. Nice work, Arwen! After resting her hip on Wednesday, Juju had a nice effort today, averaging 7:55 pace. Sweet! Eva had a stand out performance, too! After struggling at Lakes, Eva had a great effort on this hilly course, averaging 9:08 pace! Awesome, Eva! A little birdie told me that Sofie had the best kick of the day. Impressive effort, Sofie! In the varsity race, we did not have a complete team, but we did have nice efforts. Sofia decided one medal was not enough this week, so she placed 10th and earned another. Norah was just a step behind her with a strong race, too! And Liv ran a smart race today, running super even! No matter how you feel about your race, you now have those hills in you, and no one can take that away. Note to self--this is a college course, and you handled your business! Nothing we face this season is harder than that course, and you have conquered it--proud of you! Pro-tips for newbees: You can find all of your stats on our athletic.net page. Make a free account, and you can see your progress, our team, as well as stalk other teams. ;) You can search for your name, or from our team page, you can click on the Records menu and pick Seasons Bests to see a ranked list -OR- look at the Results Grid to see all our progress (LPRs are highlighted in yellow and are in red ink; SPRs are highlighted in yellow and are bold black ink). Don't forget to click on the "women" tab to see us. Seriously, it is a great resource as a student of your sport. For some reason, the F/S and JV results are not up there for Parkside. You can access all that info here on Wisconsin Runner's site. Cool bonus info--it shows your splits!
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Varsity Race: I was so excited to get to this meet. Last year, SO many of our bees ran well at Lakes, and I was hoping we could replicate that good energy at Lake County. This week has been tricky, though: lots of respiratory ick going around despite a three day weekend. I was optimistic nonetheless.
Our varsity women were first, and truth be told, it was a bit toasty on the starting line. This course is not known for its shade, so I was hoping the breeze would be enough to cool our bees. Without Lauren on the line, we were six: Fia, Rachel, Jana, Norah, Alivia, & Arwen. When the gun sounded, we took off well (easy to do with such a perfect, straight-on box assignment), and I darted toward the road to get to see our bees. I positioned myself just outside of Narnia and waited to see how we got out. Sofia was our first bee, looking great. She was sitting in a pack of girls who were about 20th-25th place. She looked confident and strong! Rachel was next look ing absolutely incredible! Somehow, her immune system did not get the memo that she was done being sick, so she was racing with a cough. I was really impressed by her early aggression AND her positive body language--eyes up, assertive posture, and positive face! Jana was only a few people behind Rachel with an equally impressive start. She, too, has been experiencing the crud that has been circulating our team, so I was surprised and thrilled to see her out so quickly! My picture of her from that section shows her lovely improved form--a little forward lean, level chin, and eyes locked in on Rachel. I was so excited that these two took a risk and went out hard! Norah was our 4th bee at this point in the race in her 2024 xc debut. Form-wise, she looked great, but she seemed tentative. I encouraged her to find Rachel and Jana, and like always, she perked up and responded! Finally, our duo of Alivia and Arwen emerged from Narnia, stride for stride. They looked great together, pushing up the hill. The second time our bees came around, I was able to see them pre AND post-Narnia. Fia had made some progress on her pack, moving to the front and looking assertive. Rachel and Jana were still close to each other, while Norah had nearly caught up to Jana. I somehow missed a pic of Arwen and Alivia on the way in, but I believe they were still in contact at that point. Post-Narnia, Fia looked strong off the roller coaster hill; she had clearly caught some girls in that loop and was moving up. Rachel looked so strong coming off the hill, and Jana and Norah were working together to catch her (although Norah took that downhill like a maniac!). Liv had separated from Arwen, picking up the pace in that second mile. Arwen was working through something, but I didn't know it was her ankle until after the race. In the final loop, I nearly lost my mind over our progress! Fia was in 15th--the last spot for All-Lake County. I urged her on, asking her to be brave, and knowing that the Stevenson girl behind her looked like she was gaining momentum. Thankfully, she kept that spot and earned a medal for the day as well as her second sub-19 race. Awesome effort today, Fia! I turned around to see Norah on the charge, looking so strong headed up the path by the road! She finished with a new LPR today: 21:06! This improves her previous best from the Busse Sectional of 22:09 by over a minute! I like her second-half strong racing tactics, too. Awesome work, Norah! Rachel was our next finisher with a simply gutsy race. I honestly don't know how she has managed through all this respiratory junk, but I am so proud of her grit! She provided our team great leadership today--she cued off of Fia's strong start and provided both Jana and Norah a beacon in the big sea of runners. NEVER underestimate how your teammate behind you is inspired by your courage! Jana was only steps away from Rachel at the finish with an equally gutsy race. She helped shepherd Norah up to Rachel and to a PR. She also kept it tight between her and Rachel in the last mile despite being sick. Impressive race, Jana! Alivia was our 5th bee with such a strong race. I asked her to help Arwen pre-race, but she recognized that Arwen was not having an A-day and moved up to help our team. When I look at her time at Lake County last year, she is MORE than 2:00 faster. I realize the courses are very different, but that kind of growth is important to note! One other cool fact that shows she is ready for a big race: her last mile was poppin--7:11! Impressive second-half strength, Liv! Arwen fought her angry ankle to finish 6th for us. I didn't get to see it, but I hear that her kick was outstanding! Arwen is just going to get stronger as she learns how to race XC, and I can't wait to see it. Overall, we had a strong team day, finishing in 9th without Lauren. My hope is that we can work on fixing the split in upcoming races by committing to stick on the teammate ahead no matter what! Let that be our focus as we proceed--stronger together will definitely be our superpower this season. Open Race: There was SO much to celebrate in this race, too! If you look at my pictures on Insta, you can see just how PACKED this starting line was! I love when they make the open race co-ed because it provides everyone a ton of competition, and our bees used that to their advantage for sure. There wasn't much movement among our team after the first Narnia, so I'm going to talk about the highlights of each person's race. Alex was first for us with another gutsy race. I love how she used the terrain and her teammates to make moves! She finished 22nd in a giant field of 138 women. Woo-hoo! More importantly, she was confident about her race after the fact. That's what I want! Janelle was our next finisher with a new LPR of 24:44, dropping 12 seconds from Deerfield! She was SO responsive when her teammates encouraged her; she was definitely locked in the whole race. Awesome progress, Janelley-nelley! April finished 3rd for us with a tremendous second-half race. She started out with Eva and Nathaly T., and she just picked people off the entire race. This was an impressive tactic in her first 3-mile race. Awesome effort, April! Keep it up! Sofie had a great race today, too. We had a good talk before her race, and she was locked in today! Not only did she do a great job of responding to her teammates and the race itself, she also felt proud after the race. She earned a season PR, improving over the easier Deerfield course. Nice work, Sofie! Tyla was next, and she had an equally great day. She is a different racer this year--completely positive and feeding off the cheers of her teammates. She did an awesome job of working the last hill to the finish. Awesome race, Tyla! So close to your LPR! I think Nathaly T.'s post-race comment sums it all up: "I didn't PR, but I don't care. That was a great race!" Anyone who watched would agree. Not only did she work well with her teammates, I love how she whipped around corners and used the little hills to her advantage. Great effort, Nathaly! Mel knew how to handle this course, as this is the home of her LPR. She looked like an experienced senior today: totally open stride, responsive to cheers, and using the course to her advantage. All that work paid off with over a minute drop from last week at Deerfield. It was so cool to watch it unfold, Mel! Proud of you! The biggest PR of the day was Cici, though. This woman is on fire this season! She got out hard, pushed with Sheila then Eva and then Mel. Between that and a sweet kick, she earned a new HUGE LPR of 29:41. For context, this is a big step. Her previous LPR was at Lakes last year--31:45--which she smashed at Deerfield last week. This woman just skipped right over the 30s and headed right for 29. What a day, Cici! Proud of your effort! Keep that locked in mindset! Eva was our next finisher. Although she did not have the day she wanted, there was lots of good in her race. I loved how well she worked with Nathaly T. and April early in the race. I love how she reset her arms whenever I prompted her. And I loved how she fought through even though she didn't feel 100%. That kind of grit will pay off in the long run (pun intended). Keep at it, Eva. Progress is not always linear; you have made some big gains this summer and early season, and it will pay off soon. Candy was our next finisher, and she had a great day, too! Like Cici, she is a new racer this year. I was particularly impressed by her ability to use the little mogul hill to launch her into the long straightaway back to the starting line. She dropped over 3:00 from last week and :51 from her LPR from last year at Conference (do you remember that muddy mess?). I cannot wait to watch her race again because I know that she is headed for the 29s like Cici VERY soon. :) Saleema was next, running her first 3-mile race, along with Nathaly T. and Yaritza. These newbees looked SO MUCH more confident than last week at Deerfield, despite the longer race. I was so happy to see them push through Narnia and the mogul. These freshies still have work to do on pacing, but I can already see the progress! They all now have 3-mile PRs established so that they can keep growing throughout the season! Mixed in between these newbees, Sheila had her racing debut for the season. This is technical course for an opener, but she handled it like a veteran. Nice work, Sheila! Dani was steady behind Sheila with a great race. She dropped 41 seconds for a season PR through a nice, open stride. Nice work on the SPR, Dani! And finally, Camille had a strong race today, but we pulled her after 2-miles because her hip was causing her form to change too much to be safe. When your form shifts, it can mess up another spot, and we don't want that. She would have kept pushing through, and I'm proud of that mindset breakthrough! Overall, this crew raced incredibly well! We placed 7th out of 11 complete teams, which is outstanding for this early in the season. I really liked how we worked together today, and I'm hoping we can make our packs even bigger and more competitive in upcoming races! In the meantime, proud of you all! I really enjoyed the shout outs on the bus ride home, too. Let's keep that positive energy! Two important things for next week: 1. We have pictures on Monday. Please bring practice gear as well as your uniform and black shorts. We will practice first, then take pics. 2. Please make sure you are looking at your grades every Monday or Tuesday. I get the grade report on Thursday, and I expect that you are on time to every class as well as taking care of your academics. If you are struggling, PLEASE ASK! Don't just struggle alone! #strongertogether Thursday @ Deerfield with Hersey & Grayslake North After a crazy week of weather--ridiculous, triple-digit heat index as well as destructive storms--things calmed down in time for our season opener at Deerfield. I love this meet. It provides everyone what they need: good competition, a flat and fast course, and the right distance for newbees and veterans alike. 2-Mile Women: We had a small crew of 6 newbees in this race. While the nerves were obvious as we warmed up, I also felt that this group was optimistic about what they could do. They soaked in the advice of their veteran teammates, and they put it into practice once the gun sounded. April was our top finisher of the race. She did an excellent job of keying off her competitors and kicking hard at the end! She finished 18th overall and had a great first race of her high school career! Awesome job, April! Saleema was our second finisher. She started on day one of the season, and she has been making steady progress. She did an outstanding job of staying even in this race--a concept that she had struggled with in practice! I'm so proud of her effort in this race! Great growth, Saleema! Keep it up! Nadia was our 3rd bee, and she is new-new! Cousin to Victor Mares, class of 2019, she has running in her blood! She did a great job surging, fueled by the cheers of her teammates. As she gains aerobic fitness, she is going to be a great competitor. Nice first race, Nadia! Yaritza was our 4th bee with a strong first race. With new spikes and a positive mindset, she did a great job today. After our race analysis during Saturday's run, I know that she will put all her knew knowledge to work in our next race. Proud of you, Yaritza! :) Nathaly S. was close behind Yaritza, finishing as our 5th bee. Like Nadia, she did a great job of using the crowd to fuel her surges. When she learns to keep a steady pace between those go-zones, she is going to be a force to be reckoned with! Nice finish today, Nathaly S.! Our final bee of this race was Camille. She did an EXCELLENT job of keeping a steady pace in this race, using her new-found confidence as fuel after a great long run the Saturday before. She did an outstanding job of using her teammates' cheers to keep herself in a positive mindset, too. So proud of her progress since this summer! Overall, this group learned a lot about our sport. They had to endure the warmer temperatures of the day, and they did it with grit. Awesome work, crew! 3-Mile Women: We were 19 strong in this race, and there are SO many good things to report! I was stoked by all the growth in this race! Lauren started off strong, leading most of the race until Hersey decided to do Hersey things in the last mile (kudos to them--they have a great pack!). While I know that she was mad that their pack caught her, what I prefer to focus on is the growth over one year. Last year on the same course, Lauren ran 19:24. This year, she broke 19 in the first meet, clocking a 29 second course PR (18:55). That is a HUGE improvement! Shout out to her gutsy start and gritty finish! Fia was our second finisher with an equally gritty performance. Last year, she ran 20:59. This year, she confidently picked people off, racing the whole way to a 1:06 course PR. WHAT?! She has looked fantastic all summer, specifically at Garbage Hill and the Glowstick DMR at Oshkosh. I knew she was ready to run fast, but I was so excited that she broke 20 in her racing debut! Her new LPR of 19:53 isn't just sneaking under 20...it shows that she is ready for a really fun season. Proud of you, Fia! Jana was our third bee with a HUGE glow-up, too. Last year, she was our 5th bee in 23:53. Her race today showed how stacking days and believing in oneself matter! She dropped a huge LPR of 21:15, beating her Sectional time of 21:58 by a whopping 43 seconds. And compared to last year at this meet? 2:38! Whew! This race is a testament to Jana's consistency. This is why we preach attendance and putting in the work--it pays off! While those numbers are fun to think about, Jana also did an outstanding job RACING to make that LPR happen. She had an aggressive start, worked with the people around her, and had an outstanding finish. Proud of you, Jana! Rachel was not far behind Jana and looked so STRONG today. Rachel has been sick since the end of July, yet she keeps showing up and putting in the work. She thought she had finally kicked the respiratory junk out, and woke up on race day feeling stuffy again. To say that I am impressed by her grit is an understatement. Running hard is such a mental game, and trying to be a tough runner while sick is simply exhausting. She has been pushing through like a champ, and I could not be more proud of her body language in this race. She had her eyes up and her posture tall THE ENTIRE RACE. I know that she is not thrilled with the numbers, but I honestly couldn't care less about those. This race was a big moment in my eyes. She was assertive, worked on Jana the whole time, and LOOKED like the runner I know she can be. It was so much fun to watch! I am so proud of you, Rach. Way to fight! Our newbee Arwen rounded out our scoring, but I cannot talk about Arwen without Liv. Arwen might have been the most nervous (at least outwardly) out of everyone pre-race. In order to avoid a too-aggressive start, we advised her to stay with Liv for the first half of the race. Although only a sophomore, Alivia has more experience and is definitely good at pacing herself. This duo was PERFECT together. As Arwen explained on the bus during shout-outs: "I love my partner! We push and push and push!" These two challenged one another the entire way! It was so much fun to watch. I never felt like one was settling to stay with the other. Arwen finished with her signature kick in a speedy 22:04--her first 3 mile race time and LPR. Liv was only steps behind her, zooming down that finish in 22:05. Last year, Liv raced the 2-mile with a pace of 8:15ish per mile. Today, she averaged 7:21--talk about progress! She did this while coming off the plague that has been circulating, so that makes the time even more impressive. I cannot say this enough--she did it by RACING rather than worrying about times. LOVE IT! Proud of this racing duo! There was a bit of a break in our bees before Alex popped up. Alex has been consistently putting in work ALL SUMMER. She has been quietly and smartly improving by listening to her coaches and teammates. At Bee Linked, she ran 27:05. Today? 23:21! Talk about believing in the process and herself! Her growth has been so fun to watch. I know she was mad about a wrong turn, but she still had an outstanding first day. I love her competitiveness, too. Keep striving, Alex! Our next finisher was Juju. After battling a rude knee all week, it was great to see Juliana looking smooth and strong for the whole race! Not far from her LPR, Juju smashed her course record by finishing in 24:27--1:11 faster than last year! She did it like her sisters in running: she competed hard the whole way! I loved watching her surge to catch groups, and her kick looked outstanding, too! Awesome growth, Juju! Keep it up! Mary wasn't far behind Juju with a great race of her own. As a second-year XCer, she has grown so much already! It took her until Lakes last year to hit the 24s; she decided to start there this year! She smashed her previous course time of 28:03 by running a speedy 24:53. Everyone knows that Mary has learned how to improve as a distance runner by asking questions. Today, she was the veteran helping out her teammates. In the race, she did a great job pushing her pack and leading the way. Proud of your growth, Mary! Speaking of her pack, Janelley-nelley was not far behind her, pulling on Mary's experience. In her official season debut, Janelle looked so wise! Like Alex, she smashed her Bee Linked effort of 28:44, finishing in a speedy 24:56. Talk about consistent growth! What an improvement in a little over a month! I know she is going to continue to learn and improve this season--proud of you, Janelle. I feel like a broken record, but Tyla had a huge growth race, too. She did a great job of pulling on Mary and Janelle. Last year, she ran 28:44 at Deerfield? Today, with the help of her team and a stronger mindset, she ran 25:22! I cannot emphasize how impressive this is. Tyla is a new runner this year--she "gets it." She ran a lifetime PR in her season debut, dropping 29 seconds off her sweet race at the Warren Invite last year. I cannot wait to see what she does this season! Proud of you, Tyla! Sofie was not far behind in 25:28. She did a great job pulling on this group, and she nearly matched her PR from last year! I know that Sofie is capable of pushing this group, so I look forward to seeing that growth this season! This race was a great starting place--way to go, Sofie! Nathaly T. was the final woman in this pack, and she had an A-day. After taking a break from our sport last year, she came in ready to rock this junior season. Her mindset has definitely strengthened while she was away because she opened the season with a LIFETIME PR of 25:37, a 1:08 improvement since her freshie season. What growth! I am so glad that she is back with us, and I cannot wait to see how she continues to challenge herself this season! There was another gap in our bees, but that gap does not mean there wasn't growth! Tati had an extraordinary opener! She has only run faster ONE TIME--at Lakes last year. Those of you who raced at Lakes KNOW that it was a PR fest last season. :) She debuted in 28:15, a whopping 4:11 faster than last year on the same course. There is something to be said about stacking seasons of work and maturing as an athlete. Tati is ready to rock this season! I'm so impressed by her focused race and sweet kick. Awesome work, Tati! Eva was only seconds behind her, following the same pattern. Eva ran half of the summer with us after her soccer camp. The hard work has paid off. Last year, she ran 31:06 at Deerfield; today, she ran 28:27, dropping 2:39! Her mindset has become so much stronger, and it is fun to watch! She is becoming a stronger runner and is ready to have an outstanding season. Way to go, Eva! :) Mel was our next bee, leading our next pack. She has never raced the 3-mile at Deerfield, so this race was a big deal! She ran 30:57 and is way ahead of her trajectory from last year. What impressed me most was that her form looks so much more assertive. Her stride was open every time I saw her, and she just looked strong. It's no wonder her race looked so good! Nice start to the season, MelMel! Cici was not far behind Mel, and she, too, looked STRONG. She has been evolving as a runner this summer, and it is fun to watch. She is locked in! She ran a LIFETIME PR today, besting her effort from Lakes last year of 31:45. That's a 25 second improvement at the first meet! This is Cici's first time racing at Deerfield, and it was an impressive debut. Yes, she smashed her LPR, but it was the way she did it that was impressive. Every time I saw her, she was open-stride like Mel, and she was passing someone. It was fun to watch Cici run with such confidence. There is nothing better than watching a woman find her power! Awesome job today, Cici, and congrats on the big growth! Candy had Cici in her sights on the long stretches, and she did a great job of being assertive throughout. Candy came to us late last year, so she did not race at Deerfield. Already, I can see that she is a different athlete: she is dedicated to practice, and she is focused at meets. I was so excited to see her return this year! I know that this is going to be a season of growth because this gutsy race is a great indicator! Let's go, Candy! Our final bee of this race was Dani. Last year, Dani raced in the 2-mile and averaged 14-minute pace. Today, she was in the low 12s for pace for a longer race! That's growth! She has looked so strong in practice this season so far. There is nothing like the benefit of a year of perspective to help improve as a runner; Dani is the embodiment of that! I know that she is going to do big things this season! Overall, this race was fun because EVERY LAST BEE was locked in and racing hard. The times are fun to look at, but what I care about most is that we made a statement as a team about being gritty in the race. The shout outs on the bus ride home were filled with beautifully positive energy, and I cannot wait to repeat it on Wednesday when we race at Lakes. I think you all will love this course--it's a mile loop that offers turns and small, manageable hills that give your short-term focus so that the race seems to fly by. After seeing this debut, I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL RACE AGAIN! We have a good-busy week coming up, so I need you to take care of the following: 1. Please fill out this Google Form for the ZBXC Jamboree this Friday. The more the merrier, so please join us! 2. Get your sleep schedule right. We are racing twice, and that stupid snot-bug has been going around. Let's halt it in its tracks by giving our immune systems what they need: rest. 3. The Positive Doorway Technique. Coach Hamilton told me about a video she saw about it, and I'm in love. You can watch the explanation here or read on! The record-breaking beast of a swimmer Michael Phelps changed the swimming scene in the US and the world. It is hard to be that dominant, so he did a lot of mental training to help him stay sharp. One technique he used was the Positive Doorway Technique. Literally every time he walked through a door, he told himself a positive and true affirmation about himself. The science says that our brains attach memories to places; when we walk through a doorway to a new space, we dump our short term memory. Since a doorway represents a new place, we can replace anxious or negative thoughts with positive ones! So think about how much positive juju will be flowing through your brain pathways if you try this technique? At school alone, you probably walk through AT LEAST 20 doorways in a single day. Your brain will adopt that positive pattern and will flush out negativity. Let's all give it a try this week! Pro-tip: You can use the same mantra every time, or your can switch it up! Just make sure it's something you have actually done. Need some ideas for a phrase to say? Try this list:
Shout out to Coach Hamilton for finding this great technique! :) |
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