Saturday Morning Racing

Sterling Invite @ Hoover Park
This meet is over 75 years old, and the Sterling coaches decided to switch the course to a 5K this year. Yes, the girls have changed distances from 2-miles to 2.5 miles to 3-miles (don't get me started on the stupidity of girls racing a shorter distance than the guys), but the men have been racing 3 miles for all of those years. The course has changed a bit. Back in the day, the guys used to cross that creed where we take bridge pictures (except there was NO bridge), and then they had to run up and down a sled hill back in there, but it's always been three miles! I'm not going to lie:  I did not take this news well initially. We go to Sterling for many reasons, but one of them is to run on a fast course that has a similar feel to the State course. You start at the top of a hill, run down it and around it three times, and finish up. While there are more trees at Sterling, the vibes are pretty similar to Detweiller. I have debated with coaches over the years--some prefer to bring their teams to Detweiller during the season so that athletes get used to the course and don't feel nervous should they make it to State. I totally get this argument, and I appreciate that Anderson brings the boys for that very reason! Other coaches, including myself, put Detweiller on a bit of a pedestal and believe that you should earn the right to race there at State. There is no "right" answer. The fact that Sterling holds a special place in my heart tipped the decision to a Sterling trip over a Peoria trip. I digress...

I was big mad about the distance change. So much so that I emailed the coaches to ask about it (and secretly hoping that I could change their minds?!). They did assure me that the 3-mile would be marked, so I could still get that split. Ok, I started to calm down a bit.  :) Once we arrived and ran the new configuration, I liked it. There was less repetition. The starting line was slightly closer to the woods, and the first loop was the same. The second loop detoured into the trees a bit further, making it different than the final loop. I was on board. What helped me finalize my mindset was the way the team reacted--you all seemed unfazed by the news, so I decided I needed to chill out.  ;)

Practice went well, as did dinner and team building. As I drifted off to sleep, I felt confident that we would race well. I was not wrong. Our young trio of April B. (ha!), Alex, and Janelle started things right in the F/S race. We talked about the pack work that had earned them a trip to Sterling, both in the 100s and in the Paavo 400s, and they took that talk to heart. After the first 800, the three emerged within arms-length of each other, looking strong at the front of the race in 10th-12th place. They did a fantastic job of working together but not settling. April emerged as the leader in the second mile, pulling her packmates up in the race to 7th, 9th, and 12th. The beauty of this race was in the last mile where these three really dug in to keep close. Their finish times were sweet as a result: April finished in 7th with a new lifetime of 22:42, her first time in the 22s. Alex was next in 9th in 23:11, not far off her LPR and looking stronger than ever, her hip no longer a factor in racing. More importantly, this race was an important "comeback" after a tough go at JT. Janelle moved up to 11th to earn a PR of 23:22, a 25 second drop from her great race at home. What stood out the most about this race was the courage these three had racing together. It was beautiful to watch, and they set the table for Varsity to do the same.

Our Varsity women were definitely nervous on the line, but they fixed that once the gun sounded. Coming out of the woods the first time, Lauren was with the second lead pack looking comfortable around 8th place. Just like in recent workouts, Fia and Norah were locked in together, sitting in a pack in the high 20s. Jana, Liv, and Juju were in a nice pack in the next group of runners in the high 30s. They could definitely see Norah and Fia up the hill. Rachel was within shouting distance in about 40. Here's what I liked--nearly everyone looked comfortable and ready to move. Rachel was having a bit of a struggle at the start of the race, but by the time I saw her at the mile, she had reset her mindset and locked in.

At the mile, everyone had made significant moves. Lauren (6:05) was now in 3rd and charging down the hill. Fia (6:21) and Norah (6:21) had caught a pack and were closer to the teens. Jana (6:33) had moved closer to Fia & Norah, and Liv (6:44) had caught some peeps and was pulling on Jana's surge. Rachel (6:55) had nearly caught Juju (6:54) at this point, and Juju was using the downhill to the woods to keep Rachel's momentum. We worked the woods well, and while I didn't get splits for the 2-mile (Forgive me!  I was going too crazy about the race!), I could see what you all were doing:  CATCHING PEEPS.

Our finishes were solid, but I definitely want to work on this aspect. At Regionals, we will need to be on the attack rather than simply trying to defend a spot. I want people to be hungry like Brionne! Otherwise, this was a great team race. Lauren finished in 6th (18:59), Fia 13th (19:54), Norah 15th (20:34), Jana 18th (20:30), Liv 33rd (21:34), Rachel 40th (21:59) and Juju 49th (22:40).  The official 5k times are on Athletic if you are interested! We are in the part of the season where times don't matter, so I will talk about them in the context that DOES matter.  Juju earned a PR by going out harder than she has before. She stayed focused in the second half to kiss the 23s goodbye and help her team.  Rachel ran a great second half, catching Juju and helping her team. This is her first race since we rested her injury, and it is normal to feel a bit heavy when racing after limited mileage. This race was an important rust-buster to help her get back into the flow for championship season. Spoiler--I am writing this after witnessing our Conference performances (sorry for the tardiness--it was Bee Pink Week!). As I broke down the races for my husband while we walked, he pointed out that Rachel has the biggest upside as we head into the Regional. She is feeling healthy, and she is only going to get sharper and more confident as she races more (as evidenced by Conference). Rach, I know this Sterling race does not meet your high standards, but know that I saw a lot of good things in it that make me excited for championship season: You were able to "fix" how you felt at the start, you helped your teammate, and you were second-half strong. These are ALL things we will need in the coming weeks. In the meantime:  patience and grace, ok? :) Proud of you, kid!

Liv is looking more like Liv every week. Let me use this as a chance to shout out nutrition and sometimes supplementation. SO many young women are working at a deficit because their iron/ferritin levels are not high enough for distance running. It makes SUCH a difference to fuel for the hard work you all do AND take a supplement if your doctor recommends it! Ok, I'll step off my soapbox! It's just exciting to see Liv be able to race the way we know she can. Her 3-mile time nearly matched her LPR that she earned at the Sectional last year. To see her in that shape three weeks ahead of schedule is exciting! More importantly, she was making moves to catch, catch, catch in the final mile. And Jana? She had SUCH an impressive second half of the race--the strongest of our crew. For her to finish in 18th after starting near 40 is just fantastic! She looked hungry, working to close the gap between her and Norah in the final mile. This mindset is going to be KEY at the Regional, so keep that belief and fight, Jana! On a day that was not particularly fast (it wasn't hot, but it was definitely dry and dusty), Jana earned a new LPR by racing hard and catching sleepy runners! Proud of your guts, Jana!

Norah was able to whisper to me post-race that she had earned a new PR and could now let Brionne know that her girl was in the 19s officially! Norah did this NOT by thinking about time. She did what she does best--she is not afraid to pull on Fia's experience and racing leadership. Norah fought hard in the second half, resetting her shoulders and face heading into the woods for the last time and was able to nab the last medal of the day. Sweet, Norah! Fia played no games either, working hard in the second half and pressing at the finish to keep a Sterling runner at bay. Great second half, Fia! Finally, Lauren looked sharp for the first and last mile of this race, adjusting well after admitting that she backed off in the second mile. We made a pact that she would work on mile 2 at Conference (spoiler--she did!). 

Overall, I was happy about the team race we put together. We finished 3rd, only 10 points back from Fenwick (and three points off of last year, according to Liv! :) ) My hope is that the switch to 5K will help attract more Iowa schools back to the meet. In it's heyday, this race had 27 teams--much like Warren this year. The strong the meet, the more we can sharpen for the upcoming weeks! 

My call to you 10:  Let's work on supporting each other as we head into the coming weeks. We must keep filling each others tanks and looking out for each other so that we can link for greatness!