Super Co-ed Quad@ Home w/LF, Libertyville, & Warren. SENIOR NIGHT!

All day long, I refreshed my weather apps to see if we would be rained on for our race. Thankfully, the weather gods smiled on the bees! Other than a light mist as we set things up, our only home race of the season was dry (well, if you exclude the standing water by the bike path and at the 300 to go mark and at the 50 to go mark!).

The evening began with a great tribute to our seniors. Women--great job making posters to honor our six beautifuls--Sofia, Lauren, Sheila, Janalise, Melanie, and Tatianna!  It was nice to have family, friends, and supporters take the time to make these six feel special. Special shout out to Coach Hamilton's parents for bringing extra treats for our seniors--they were much appreciated!  I have included our senior women's advice here because I think it all bears repeating!

Sofia: This is definitely a mental sport. It’s definitely not for quitters but it’s very worth it in the end. Even after a bad race or bad workout or bad run just take it in and smile :) you only have so many meets, practices, and workouts that you have with your teammates and it’s better to make the most out of it before it’s too late to go back in time and change anything. For the lovely women’s team, keep pushing and working together to overcome any obstacles.
Lauren:  My advice to the team is to smile! Smiling during parts of a race can remind you that you love this sport and are happy to have this opportunity to be speedy.
Sheila:  Don't be discouraged when you have to do something hard.
Janalise:  Really love this sport and show it care, care for your team, races, and yourself. Know that if you want improvement you have to be willing to step up and try something new, push yourself harder. Don't take your team or yourself for granted, support one another and create that positive environment that makes people want to stick around.
Melanie:  Try to enjoy the moments you have with your teammates.
Tati: "The sky is not the limit your mind is". That is a quote I have lived by for a while. No matter what your mind tells you, just know deep down that you can do more, that you are enough, and you are always doing your best, even when it feels like you aren't, trust me you are. Don't let your mind hold you back from your goals, whether it be in cross country or in life overall. Be the best you can be, look at yourself once and a while and reflect on your accomplishments not your failures. Your failures will lead to your accomplishments through growth so make sure to acknowledge that. Just be yourself and try your hardest, that's all I can say. That may sound simple but there's a bigger picture to it all and with growth you'll realize what that means for you.

Libertyville has a funky bus situation, so we couldn't start racing until 5:50. To our benefit, we ran a super-race with all the guys joining us. Any chance we get to pull on the energy of our guys is a plus, and our team made the most of both the home course advantage AND the co-ed race. Honestly, I was FLOORED by how well we raced today. While the times were great, the racing is what stood out to me. I was able to see our bees in three spots:  at about 1000 meters in along the building, at the volleyball court corner on the Shiloh side, and at the 300 to go mark. EVERY TIME I was impressed by you all responding to my encouragement. In particular, the corner in Shiloh was powerful. To a woman, you pushed off that turn back into the woods, and it was so beautiful to watch! So many of you caught packs on that turn and used that momentum to help your overall race. Likewise, with 300 to go, you all made the most of that downhill and used it to vault your kick into high gear.

Here are some highlights from the race:
Lauren had a huge race, patiently working on the early leader from Lake Forest and eventually besting both her and Libertyville's #1. Her speedy time of 18:54 pushed her past Riley Franz (2021 XC State Qualifier), placing her in 3rd on The Board. The only two people ahead of her each ran their times when we hosted Conference, giving them faster competition and 3 weeks more fitness (Audrey Luell--2-time XC State Qualifier, 2021; and Bailey Lippeth--2011). Congrats, on a smart and gutsy race, Lauren!

Fia was our second bee for the day, and she ran a heck of a race.  She continued her trend of breaking 20, earning a new LPR of 19:47 and landing on spot #7 on The Board! Her arrival on The Board kicked Alejandra Cardenaz off the bottom, class of 2014. Ally was a 4-time Varsity letter-earner and a key figure in helping us qualify for the Sectional as a team in 2011 and 2013. Ally took a very calm approach to racing--she believed in her fitness, and she had fun on our home course especially. Fia took that same approach today--she enjoyed Senior Night, believed in her fitness, and simply raced hard! Proud of you, Fia! 

Norah was our next finisher with ANOTHER LPR. After the race, she knowingly walked up to me to report her PR with a smile. I can really get used to this trend! Nice work, Norah!

Jana was our 4th bee, and she had a stand out day, too. This is her second time under 21, and she dropped 13 seconds from Warren's speedy course! Incredible! What I loved most was watching her confidence--she has grown so much since her sophomore year! Proud of you, Jana!

Alivia rounded out our scoring 5 today with her strongest race of the season. Not only did she have a great second half, but she reported feeling more like herself. She ran a big season PR of 21:37, dropping 16 seconds from her outstanding race at Warren just days before! Proud of your tenacity, Liv! 

Janelle was our next PR, running a big LPR of 23:47. This was her first time under 24, and she did it by pushing hard through The Twilight Loop and kicking like a pro! She dropped a crazy 42 seconds after such a strong race at Warren. I know she is going to continue to drop time as she gains even more confidence. Way to go, Janelly-nelly!

Tyla was our next PR, running a heck of a race. She has been bouncing around the 25s and low 26s all season. Today, she said goodbye to them both, running a huge LPR of 24:59! She dropped 23 seconds by locking in the whole race and using the course to her advantage. Welcome to the 24s, Tyla! 

Nathaly T. earned the next PR! She was stuck in the 26s for a few races, but she locked in today and ran 25:29. Honestly, her race face was so impressive--she STAYED pulling on the competition and she supplied an impressive kick, too. It was so fun to watch her race and own her fitness today. Way to go, Nat!

Eva had an equally impressive race today, earning a bit season PR of 27:53. She has been managing some sore knees and hips, but today she set that aside for a great race. Her arms looked amazing, and her race reflected her tenacity. She lopped 30 seconds of her season best time, and I could not be more proud! Keep it up, Eva!

Melanie matched Eva's grit with a big SPR, too! She embraced her senior night, shredding 45 seconds from her previous season best! More importantly, she felt good after the race, which is what I want! Proud of your effort, MelMel!

Cici was not going to be outdone by her training crew. She ran a gutsy race today. She did an impeccable job of working the woods, and her kick was outstanding! She zoomed from the 400 and didn't look back! She shaved 14 seconds off her previous LPR to earn a new one! I honestly can't wait to see what she can do back at Lakes in two weeks. Awesome grit, Cici!

Sheila pulled on Cici's energy, earning a new SPR today! She looked outstanding as she said goodbye to the 30s and embraced her fitness. She dropped an impressive 34 seconds to get herself closer to a new LPR. I know you can do it, Sheila! Keep up the locked-in effort, Sheila!

Speaking of leaning into fitness, Dani also had a great race today. She has been consistently improving all season, and she earned a new SPR today by dropping a sweet 22 seconds and waving goodbye to the 33s. Proud of you, sophomore! 

Saleema has been learning from Dani (not to jump ahead, but Dani helped her on the long run on Wednesday!). She is starting to figure out racing, too. She dropped an impressive 48 seconds today, and she did it by believing in herself. Proud of you, Saleema!  Keep it up!

In her second race, Valery dropped a pun-worthy 2:00 on Tuesday. She is starting to see how strong she can be, especially after having her debut race at Libertyville. She found a nice kick at our course, too. Keep it up, Valery!

Nadia finished her first 3-mile race today, earning her first 3-mile LPR. Awesome work, Nadia! We are glad you are back!

Yes, I focused on times for this recap, but this race was more than times. It felt good to race so hard at home. We beat Lake Forest by one point and Warren by eight. Libertyville's pack nabbed us, but I don't care--we raced hard today! Proud of you all--let's keep this momentum as we head into our capstone invites--Lakes and Sterling. FYI, Sterling is only for Varsity racers. It is an overnight trip to help forge a stronger bond as we head into championship season. I use attendance, race mindset, and workout consistency to determine who will attend. People not racing at Sterling will get an awesome opportunity to race at Lakes again (same course as Lake County earlier this season). We have raced REALLY well at the Lakes Invite for the last few years, and I assume that this year will be no different. The awesome part is that you have a chance to see your progress from late August to October AND capitalize on your knowledge of the course. Let's lock in at practice to get the most out of this training week ahead!