Location: South Whidbey High School - Langley, WA
Date: 9.16.17
Distance: 1.54mi. Conditions: Grass, gravel and track. A little less twisting than the HS course.
General comments: A super-fun first race of the Middle School Season! Our athletes were ready to race and offered a great glimpse of good things to come. Across the board we saw tremendous effort, a whole lot of smiling, and it seems that quite a few of our new racers caught the cross-country bug and will hopefully be a part of the program for years to come. Next week in Wenatchee will be an even bigger middle school field, so lots to look forward to! Plus, the pyramid cheering was impressive and we heard from more than one high schooler that your efforts spurred them on. Excellent teamwork!
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS
1st place. 33 points — David! SO much great 8th grade leadership in guiding a huge group through the warmup run and stretching before gathering at the starting line for skips and sprint drills. The team as a whole did a fantastic job — but managing the routine for 11 totally new XC runners in this very first meet of the season — is without a doubt worth some acclaim.
Isaiah: 9:01, 2nd place - 5:51 pace
Boundless enthusiasm and a nice all-around effort from start to finish. Keep challenging the front of the group in the weeks ahead and we’ll find that threshold for starting fast and finishing strong! So great to have two teammates close behind, and you three will undoubtedly work together as a team for many weeks to come.
Bellamy: 9:16, 5th place - 6:01 pace
Loved what you said on the bus Bellamy, about being excited to have completed your first running race with a team. And a great team effort at that! Not quite sure how much you and Eamon were able to run together during that race, but so great to have you close at the finish line. Our practices and races over the next several weeks will have you both getting faster and learning more about both your team and individual approach to racing.
Eamon: 9:18, 6th place - 6:02 pace
Nice! Such great determination and drive start to finish, and your competitive nature is going to be a BEAST as the season finally gets rolling and we get a few more workouts and races under our belts. Congrats on your first ever XC race and look forward for sure to having 9 MS teams in the mix next weekend in Wenatchee.
Carter: 9:35, 9th place - 6:13 pace
A great first race and some excellent drive at the end even though you were a little bit on your own with some gaps up to Eamon and the other runners up ahead. Another big field of 9 MS teams to look forward to down in Wenatchee this weekend!
David: 9:39, 11th place - 6:16 pace
As mentioned earlier, your leadership was key to so many parts of the day. A super solid race for you as well, with an early-season effort here nearly 30 sec. faster than the comparable weekend last year in Idaho. Try getting out just a little closer to Eamon and Bellamy this week in Wenatchee and you will hold on well to drop even more time and tighten up an already impressive Liberty Bell pack!
Sawyer: 9:59, 12th place - 6:29 pace
Super solid Sawyer - especially considering that you were under the weather this week and far from 100%. More good competition to come in the next few weeks and a few more race-effort practice sessions too that will help to make each and every race get just a little bit easier every time.
Graham: 10:05, 16th place - 6:33 pace
Nearly 50 seconds faster for your race pace then you were two weeks ago at the time trial — so an excellent job of channeling some energy into a great first race of the year! Lots of ‘up’ in your stride… so keep your chin down and your arms and legs driving forward down the trail. Great job Graham!
Tristan: 10:29, 21st place - 6:48 pace
A great little pack with you and Kieren and Jackson for your first race of the season. Way to be smooth and fluid throughout the race - to keep your wits about you - and too not get sucked out too hard by all of the excitement! A great job battling as you were right in the thick of it with several other runners at the end. Amazing too that your pace per mile was faster than your 1mi time trial just two weeks ago. Keep up the great work!
Graham: 10:05, 16th place - 6:33 pace
Nearly 50 seconds faster for your race pace then you were two weeks ago at the time trial — so an excellent job of channeling some energy into a great first race of the year! Lots of ‘up’ in your stride… so keep your chin down and your arms and legs driving forward down the trail. Great job Graham!
Tristan: 10:29, 21st place - 6:48 pace
A great little pack with you and Kieren and Jackson for your first race of the season. Way to be smooth and fluid throughout the race - to keep your wits about you - and too not get sucked out too hard by all of the excitement! A great job battling as you were right in the thick of it with several other runners at the end. Amazing too that your pace per mile was faster than your 1mi time trial just two weeks ago. Keep up the great work!
Kieren: 10:36, 23rd place - 6:53 pace
So glad that your back is feeling better and letting you open in up a bit at the tail end of your very first XC race. You looked strong and tall heading into that final 300m on the track and we’re excited to have a new 8th grader in the XC mix. Your enthusiasm - both for working hard and for how to improve upon everything from running to better pyramid cheering - will be MUCH appreciated in the weeks ahead.
Jackson: 10:36, 24th place - 6:53 pace
Such a great summer with so much enthusiasm for running, and we’re very excited by your results and approach to this very first race! Relaxed and fast is the name of the game, and this whole group of 7th grade boys seems to be having fun and enjoying every step of the way. You hung tough to that pack in the finish and you too were almost 20 sec. per mile pace faster for this race then you were at the 1mi. time trial — which is awesome indeed!
Eli: 11:05, 30th place - 7:12 pace
Hard to compare courses and times from year-to-year, but you almost broke 11min for your first 1.5mi race — on a course that wasn’t even close fast or easy. So great to have you back for an 8th grade year that is already looking stronger than almost any race from 2016. We can’t wait for you to celebrate more PR’s in the weeks ahead on familiar courses!
Kellen: 11:10, 32nd place - 7:15 pace
A little sickness this week, but somehow your first ever XC race pace was still over 1:40 faster than your 1mi time trial at the school!!! So much great stuff to learn about how fast to start and how gutsy you can be at the end, and you are off to an awesome start. Loved your determination in chasing down that runner in the red & black over the last 500m of the race.
Connor: 12:06, 40th place - 7:51 pace
Finally Conner, after YEARS of excellent cheering and support for the LBHS XC squad, a race of your own to run!!!! And such a great one at that. Super impressed to see you throwing down in the kick over the final 500m. You we’re right in the thick of it with several other runners and no one got away — plus you accelerated away from the runners trying to chase you down. And 7:51 pace for the entire race… I mean totally awesome!
Connor: 12:06, 40th place - 7:51 pace
Finally Conner, after YEARS of excellent cheering and support for the LBHS XC squad, a race of your own to run!!!! And such a great one at that. Super impressed to see you throwing down in the kick over the final 500m. You we’re right in the thick of it with several other runners and no one got away — plus you accelerated away from the runners trying to chase you down. And 7:51 pace for the entire race… I mean totally awesome!
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS
1st place. 31 points — Congratulations! We saw so much heart and determination out there. Our returning racers, Jori, Stella G, and Mariah, were steady role-models and set the tone for a very welcoming first race in the Liberty Bell uniform for their teammates. You all kept the nerves light and free on the starting line and you let the race unfold before you with a whole lot of maturity. You looked like you've been doing this forever! Nicely done!
Stella S: 9:51, 2nd place - 6:24 pace
Great job just trusting your legs and lungs. You were patient and yet kept contact with those in front of you early on and then patiently worked on moving up. You clearly still had a few extra gears left, too, with a monster kick. Just keep choosing to see these races as fun opportunities to “play” with speed changes and you’ll keep finding strong performances!
Jori: 9:51, 3rd place - 6:24 pace
Nice job getting out strong from the start and running with confidence. It’s not always easy to run up front and you carried that responsibility well. You looked so steady and in control the whole way. As we have a chance to do more short intervals and strides, your kick will come along, for sure.
Mahali: 10:27, 6th place - 6:47 pace
Terrific race with an especially strong second half. You really found another gear there as you crossed the starting area at the end and then rocketed around that track. Plus, you were relaxed enough to chuckle when I yelled pineapple, so I know you were calm and collected. Just right!
Lilia: 10:49, 9th place - 7:01 pace
You worked hard out there and you ran fast! Loved you determination and your willingness to hop right in and compete. You clearly have some fight in you and some speed in those legs. Great job, too, cheering for others throughout the day — you’ve figured out how the whole team thing works really well.
Mariah: 11:13, 13th place - 7:17 pace
A really solid first race — and actually faster per-mile than your opener last year at Ellensburg by 8 seconds. That’s a great starting place. We know you felt so-so about this one, but we’ll work on balancing speed and endurance the next few weeks and those middle parts of the race will start to seem much easier. Excellent job racing those around you—there was a lot of good in that race for you, just choose to see it!
Ayeanna: 11:31, 15th place - 7:29 pace
Wow! You had such perfect running form out there. You were tall and your arms were powerful and you were driving your legs forward with each stride. You also looked confident and relaxed. And, all that showed in your terrific place and time. So excited you decided to give cross-country a try. We’re glad you are here.
Stella G: 11:54, 20th place - 7:44 pace
An almost 30 seconds per mile improvement over your Ellensburg debut last year — and this was a longer and slower-running course. That’s amazing! Not surprising, however, given the tenacity you’ve shown in workouts already this year. You will be re-writing your own personal record book every week! So excited for you.
Nina: 12:12, 23rd place - 7:55 pace
Thrilled to see you out there running so well! Below 8 minute pace is awesome, especially on a relatively slow-running grassy course. You went out a little hard and if you can just be a bit more patient, that per mile pace will drop for sure. Appreciated your joy throughout the race — we could feel it!
Liberty Bell XC - Carl Westling South Whidbey Invite - High School
Location: South Whidbey High School - Langley, WA
Date: 9.16.17
Distance: 5km. Conditions: A twisting first mile on grass and track, followed by a significant hill and woodsy gravel second — into a final mile downhill onto grass flats with a finish on the track. Low 60’s - mid-70’s. Sunny and dry ground underfoot. Times run slow — and have for the past few years!
General comments: Another new race and a pretty tough course for our first 5k distance of the smoke-addled early season. With a little hill work and some tempo pace last week, we’ve barely scratched the surface of our running workouts. Still, the team is finding form and learning new things with each and every effort. Some fine camping in the trees as well at Camp Casey, and a race worth returning to another year.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS
We are just getting started, but its clear enough indeed that we will be a force at the end of the season. That being said, let’s give ourselves plenty of time and space to experiment along the way. Early season times and races - flashes of brilliance and fiery crashes alike - are but a step along the way in the procession towards an ultimately successful conclusion. Three different races this week, but we are a TEAM in which contributions come in many forms. A special congrats to Andrew, Galen, Ian, Travis, Bodhi, and Nick on their first-ever HS 5k races. Excited for the week of clear skies ahead and some more great competition in Wenatchee this weekend!
HS BOYS JV 22 +
10th place. 295 points. 14 teams. 184 runners.
Andrew: 20:52, 14th place, 1st mile 6:13 - 6:43 pace
Just a little more conservative in that first mile this week, and you were in the right race at the right time for sure. Awesome to see you thrive in the final mile as well, and obviously being closer to the front was a good motivation to keep you moving up through almost the entire race! Congrats on a tremendous first HS 5k, and from the bounce in your step we know that there are many seconds to drop over the course of the next few weeks!
Logan: 23:01, 90th place, 1st mile 7:00 - 7:24 pace
No race until Manson in 2016, so you’re getting a jump on things that will serve you well later in the season. Almost a minute difference between you and Andrew today, but I really think that you can challenge that first mile just a little bit more and still have the strength and form to carry you though the rest of the race. You looked smooth and easy in that final lap of the track, so keep that rhythm just a little higher early and the next few weeks of running will develop that endurance for later in the race.
Michael: 24:05, 110th place, 1st mile 7:06 - 7:45 pace
A different course in a new season, but faster this year by nearly 30 seconds then your first 5k of in Idaho last year. Out almost 35 seconds faster for the mile then last week in Bellingham, but composed and steady across the board - and in a longer race as well! A big thanks for taking charge of the warmup and the summer running is looking good.
Galen: 25:16, 134th place, 1st mile 6:40 - 8:08 pace
Another first-ever performance — and one that you will remember and learn from in the weeks ahead. Even with an opening mile that was FAST, you fought hard to the end and will definitely develop a little more sense of pace from race-to-race. Even tired, your form stayed solid start-to-finish, and that is a natural gift that will only help to ease your transition to a brand new sport and some excellent future races!
Ian: 25:37, 139th place, 1st mile 7:07 - 8:15 pace
Great to have you back in a race, and after a summer on the bike — but not so much on your legs - there is a lot of room for improvement that we’ll be excited to see. Easy runs are the foundation, and the workout efforts bring the speed. The running motion too can sometimes bug the gut - and our next few races should be a little easier to time with breakfast etc..
Erick: Great to have you along for some camping and Whidbey Island fun. Just one more practice this week and you’ll be eligible for Wenatchee this weekend!
HS BOYS JV 22 -
205 runners.
Simon: 19:36, 62nd place, 1st mile 5:48 - 6:19 pace
A HUGE first race, and those summer miles and Big Valley Rallies are evident right away. The same grit and determination from last season, but much more ease across the spectrum! And you still found a kick in that final 100m on the track — another sign of inner strength and something that not too many on the team were able to find at that point in the race.
Nick: 19:44, 68th place, 1st mile 5:48 - 6:21 pace
Dogged determination and an awesome XC debut! You stuck to Simon AMAZINGLY - surprisingly - well, and it pulled you to a time and finish that is impressive indeed for your very first 5k. Course and time comparisons are way different then track, but stay tuned for faster times and less complete-and-total finish line exhaustion as the season unfolds. Please also keep us posted on fatigue etc.. You have some natural strength and an amazing attitude. We don’t want to overstep too quickly on miles etc.
205 runners.
Simon: 19:36, 62nd place, 1st mile 5:48 - 6:19 pace
A HUGE first race, and those summer miles and Big Valley Rallies are evident right away. The same grit and determination from last season, but much more ease across the spectrum! And you still found a kick in that final 100m on the track — another sign of inner strength and something that not too many on the team were able to find at that point in the race.
Nick: 19:44, 68th place, 1st mile 5:48 - 6:21 pace
Dogged determination and an awesome XC debut! You stuck to Simon AMAZINGLY - surprisingly - well, and it pulled you to a time and finish that is impressive indeed for your very first 5k. Course and time comparisons are way different then track, but stay tuned for faster times and less complete-and-total finish line exhaustion as the season unfolds. Please also keep us posted on fatigue etc.. You have some natural strength and an amazing attitude. We don’t want to overstep too quickly on miles etc.
Bodhi: 21:30, 144th place, 1st mile 6:22 - 6:55 pace
Tough and gritty racing for your very first HS 5k XC race! A little hot. A little hilly. A lot of learning to do — but you did an amazing job of responding to Tim’s encouragement — and I love the fact that even a brand new teammate can trust the support of a fellow runner and pick themselves up from a rough spot in a race. You have TONS of grit, and a lot of progress will happen for you with times and racing comfort over the course of this season. This was an excellent start!
Tim: 21:37, 152nd place, 1st mile 6:26 - 6:57 pace
Incredibly proud of you for being just the teammate that Bodhi needed during the middle of that race! Talking it up. Throwing down the “you don’t want me to beat you” challenge — these are selfless acts of picking up a teammate that speak volumes of your character and of your contribution to helping everyone succeed in the best of all possible ways. Thank you!
HS BOYS VARSITY - DIVISION II
6th place. 190 points. 16 teams. 205 runners.
Walker: 18:05, 17th place, 1st mile 5:27 - 5:49 pace
Another fine race Walker, and keep experimenting with that aggressive push in the early mile. You have strength to hold in the middle, and runners like Garrett Wilson from Tonasket will be flustered for sure. Ultimately, some unexpected early company will serve him up on a platter for you and Eli and maybe even others from our team. It’s a different kind of mind game than the tactical finish to a ski race, but it’s a game that I can see you liking on both sides of the coin. More solid competition at Wenatchee this weekend.
Eli: 18:24, 24th place, 1st mile 5:24 - 5:55 pace
Proud of you for committing to race — and deciding that even a little under the weather you would race as if you were totally fine. Super solid again with a top 25 effort on this course that we knew was possible — but didn’t quite know that you would be totally up for given the cold. A second race on the season where you looked composed and strong. The feel for these efforts will ease with time, and like a few others on the team as well, look forward to Twilight in another few weeks where you really felt some speed for the first time in 2016.
Ian: 18:42, 31st place, 1st mile 5:42 - 6:01 pace
We said it last week in some fashion, but once again rock solid steady! The 3rd fastest freshman in your first-ever HS 5k and you once again looked unflappable start-to-finish. More workouts ahead to find some speed and turnover for mid-race surges and a more lively kick at the finish, but lots and lots of time for all of that to develop!
Emerson: 19:47, 60th place, 1st mile 5:42 - 6:22 pace
One race at a time. Better than last week for sure and like many MANY things for this entire boy’s team, your efforts will begin to coalesce into a more solid and competitive whole. Pleased with the early rhythm and flow. Remember to keep those shoulders down and find some snap in the later stages of a race. You took a nice jump forwards at Twilight last season, so day-by-day and run-by-run without making too much of any one thing. Totally confident in your ability to have it all together when in matters later on.
Cade: 20:01, 63rd place, 1st mile 5:35 - 6:27 pace
As mentioned on the bus, a strong and solid first mile with a bad patch in the middle that you conquered late. Running with decidedly more flow and power into the finish. Workouts this week plus another race and some cooler temps will start to bring us into mid-season form. One race at a time with a continued positive look towards the State meet course where your experience and leadership will be just what we need as a team with high podium aspirations.
Travis: 20:06, 67th place, 1st mile 6:06 - 6:28 pace
Accomplishments can be measured many ways, and this very first HS 5k XC race should count for sure as a definite success. We all know that faster times will come and that you will place higher and approach that starting line with more calm and confidence — but you made lemonade out of lemons on Saturday — and you should be proud for sure of getting to the line and for looking like one of our strongest runners on the day in that final mile of the race!
Lazo: 20:39, 81st place, 1st mile 6:06 - 6:39 pace
Just a touch slower pace per mile then you had in Idaho last year, but a faster first mile by over 20 seconds. To have you starting a 5k faster than last year - this early in the season - is a great sign of things to come. You still look relaxed and composed, but are naturally starting quicker. Another year, another step forward. Keep going with the flow and find some mid-race surges to propel you towards your typically strong final mile push.
Peter: 21:00, 88th place, 1st mile 6:06 - 6:46 pace
Out quick compared to last year this same weekend in Idaho (6:21) — and it’s great to try and recapture that early rhythm and mid-race pain tolerance that was so successful last year. The trip - that happens - and you can be confident that late race endurance will evolve appropriately as well. Another few weeks of actual running workouts plus a few more races under the belt, and your junior strength and 3rd year experience will start to pay exponential dividends.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS
My, oh, my! It is so fun to watch you all! You tackle any challenge thrown your way with speed and grace (and a whole lot of grit). With most of you feeling under the weather, everyone battling heat and a very long wait until your races, and with us tossing you into the big school division or a 200+ runner JV mixed school division, you would think this paragraph would be a sort of upbeat message about keeping your chins up and things will get better. But that pep talk is not necessary. You rocked it! All of you — from JV to Varsity— showed no fear in competing under any circumstances. You are quite simply super tough and in the best way possible determinedly competitive. We approached this one thinking about the Latin root of the word compete — which is competere — which means “to come together to seek.” It’s still early in the season and this journey we are on. It’s important to seek answers together — about what warm ups work, what race strategies inspire, what you like and what you need to work on. We learned a ton, individually and as a group, and we’ll look forward to building from that in the weeks to come. Most of all, though, we learned you all are, as a team (and by that we mean ALL of you) a true force to be reckoned with!
HS GIRLS JV
219 runners
Lindsay: 24:13, 35th place, 1st mile 7:12 - overall 7:47 pace
You looked so good in this race. Completely steady and strong. You must have loved that hill in the woods because you just never seemed to slow down and in fact, you moved up several places after the mile. You ran a similar per mile pace to last week on this week’s much longer and much slower-running course. That’s impressive and such a good sign for the weeks ahead. Hope you are still smiling about this one because it was a good one!
Eva: 25:10, 62nd place, 1st mile 7:30 - 8:06 pace
Pretty impressive for your first-ever high school cross-country 5K and only your 9th or 10th run in the last month. Your running comfort will increase each week and we’ll get those knees figured out so they aren’t driving you crazy. Just keep believing. It’s going to feel better every race and now you know you can do it!
HS GIRLS VARSITY - DIVISION I
3rd place. 113 points. 12 teams. 87 runners.
Novie: 19:29, 3rd place, 1st mile 6:01 - 6:16 pace
You really put it out there today. So incredible that you felt under the weather but can still pull off such a focused and physically tough effort. We talked about picking a race strategy that would bring you joy—and we hope that you had fun out there competing. We love that your default is to choose to believe things will be good and that you’d rather just go for it. You are a smart racer and that mindset of abundance will always serve you well. Thanks, as always, for being one of the best team cheerleaders and positive presences at the finish line.
Liv: 20:38, 8th place, 1st mile 6:11 - 6:38 pace
So excited for you, Liv. Not just for a truly phenomenal running race — which, by the way, was executed with the race smarts of someone much more experienced and with guts any one would admire — but for keeping it cool in the 40 minutes before the race. Once we got that water over the head flowing, you just settled in and started to believe this really was one big party. And, once you started enjoying the opportunity before you, you just embraced it and ran like crazy! We’ll aim to keep finding that groove each week — and then, well, watch out world!
Gretta: 20:43, 11th place, 1st mile 6:11 - 6:40 pace
We know you were less fond of the heat and the long pre-race wait, and that you were somewhat frustrated with how you felt out there. But we also hope, that you can see what a gritty and amazing performance this was on a slow-running course. We learned we can figure out how to make sure you are eating and drinking a bit more before later race starts and we also learned that even when you are fighting with discomfort, you are always in the race. That’s something to tuck away in the back of your mind and to pull out the next time you sense things are a little off. Even when they are, you can never count Gretta out. You’re just too tough.
Ella: 22:35, 49th place, 1st mile 6:55 - 7:16 pace
Admire the way you approached this race — you appeared so calm and go-with-the-flow. You went out smart and steady and then after a mile just started eating people and places up in front of you. You looked so strong when you hit the track at the end — like you wanted a whole other half mile to keep gobbling up the runners in front of you! Congratulations!
Athena: 22:44, 52nd place, 1st mile 6:55 - 7:19 pace
A great first-race-of-the-season effort. You showed your classic Athena approach, taking it out conservatively and then turning on the engines in the middle of the race. You looked strong, had a powerful stride throughout, and you ran the downhill section exceptionally well. Your lungs and legs will gain strength and ease each week. Remember, historically, the work we do week-to-week has a way of adding up to a great end of the season.
Keeley: 23:52, 68th place, 1st mile 6:55 - 7:41 pace
Another first in the books — this one your first high school 5K cross-country race. Way to go! Loved your approach to this whole process. You kept positive throughout all of it — from the early morning to the warm up to the race itself and even after. You will gain confidence each week as you figure out how you can best tackle 5K for you. It was cool to watch you experiment with different surges here and there and good for you for trying to kick before the track!
Lucy: 24:37, 70th place, 1st mile 6:55 - 7:55 pace
It is so much fun to watch you when you hit a track — just all flow and ease. Your stride just knows what to do. We’ll work now on how to find those same track gear changes when you are out on the hills and trails. You’ve totally got it within you. You already looked stronger and more confident this week. Next week, even more, we’re sure of it!
Mia:
It’s completely ok. This one didn’t go as planned but that’s all right. We learn and we take that learning and help ourselves grow for the next opportunity.
Icel and Lena: Thanks for being there. You both felt lousy and it’s no fun being sick on a camping trip with 9 hours of bus riding tossed in. But, you never complained and you were amazingly supportive of your teammates. You were smart to listen to what your bodies needed and your patience will pay off. We’ll be psyched to have you back in full force soon!
