Lake County Invite @ Lakes

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