Friday Night Racing!

Sunset Invite @ Lakes
With half part of our crew at Sterling, I historically have not been able to see this meet, and it kills me to miss it. We have done SO well here in the past, and this meet was no exception. As the varsity girls and I readied for their pre-meet workout, I checked the results from the Bronze race and could not stop smiling. The numbers were impressive: Of the ten women who raced, SEVEN ran lifetime PRs! Unfortunately, Lakes did not record the race like in the past, so I cannot comment on specifics of races--I can only share what Anderson passed on to me!

Arwen was our first finisher with a return to her speed from the beginning of the season. She has battled illness and a mad knee, but her time nearly matched her LPR. Although she was mad about her second mile, I was really happy that her race was a closer indication of her fitness level. Anderson reported that she had a great finish, too! Très forte, Arwen! Our second bee was Sophie, and she had a heck of a day! She finally smashed her freshman year PR, dipping into the low 23s and running a brilliant race. She went negative with each lap--the only person to "win" coach's challenge. Congrats on the new PR, Sophie!  Tyla was third and had a great day! Not only did she race so hard that she smashed her previous LPR from our home meet, she also had a great finish according to Anderson. Tyla keeps getting stronger as the season progresses. I'm honestly excited to see this base of strength translate to track! Well done, Tyla!  After giving her knee some time to chill out, Mary made a great return to racing in this meet! The fact that she is so close to her LPR despite having to back off is a testament to her hard work on the bike! She also gave Nathaly T. a beacon to key off of during the race. Nathaly had a great day, dropping 15 seconds to earn a new LPR. That positive energy in all the hard workouts has translated into great racing, too. Proud of you, Nathaly!

There was a bit of a gap in our racers, and Melanie led the next group. After a nice race at home, Mel struggled with some health issues, but she brought the focus back to this race. She was near her season PR, and she definitely helped the pack behind her today. Cici keyed off of Mel, finishing just behind her with a sixteen second PR! Cici has really been stacking great workouts, showing her confidence in her open-stride form. This is her third race under 30, which is her new normal. Way to go, Cici!  Dani was our next finisher with a great race, too. She has been steadily improving this season, but she has been frustrated by missing out on a new LPR. Today was her day! Not only did she SMASH her previous PR by nearly 2:30, she also broke 30 for the first time. For newer runners or people who do not run during track season, this barrier is an important one (just ask Cici!). Congrats on the huge breakthrough, Dani! Your hard work is paying off! Yaritza was our next finisher. Like Dani, she has been steadily improving. Today, she dropped 38 seconds to set a new LPR! Awesome work, Yaritza! Keep pushing! Nathaly S. was our final finisher from the day. What a great improvement over the first time she ran at Lakes! She dropped 1:18 to set a new LPR. More importantly, I think something clicked for her at this meet. In the following workouts, she really stepped it up!

Overall, Anderson told me that the meet was a delight. In the past, people were not focused or efficient for warm up. This crew took care of business, though, locking in immediately, racing hard, and cheering hard, too! That matters as much to me as the PRs do! Proud of you all for a great meet!