RACE COURSE: Walla Walla Point Park, 5km. A course we’ve run many times before, with a long out-n’-back section and a few tight turns in the second half of the loop. Mostly grass with just a few quick sidewalk crossings. A return to form with the grass a little longer and softer for sure than it was in 2021. AQI in the green – thankfully! – and a very nice day in the 60 or low 70s with a slight breeze.
OVERALL: I’d say this was a pretty good day all around. It was great to see a girl's team take the line – and while we missed our captain Leki, she did a great job with the glitter and leg writing and cheering. Huge thanks to our three 8th graders for being brave enough to give this a try and kudos to all for putting it all out there. Our mantras were Relax, Engage, and It’s All Good - and I saw all three of those things out there with each of you. Every single one of you should be feeling the Lion Pride, for sure!
GIRLS: 95 Finishers - 3rd place as a team with 84 points!
Sandra: 22:23, PR, 3rd place, 1st Mile: 7:12, 2nd Mile: 14:53, Overall Pace: 7:12
Last year’s write up for this race focused on how excited I was to see you go out harder than you want to. This year you went out almost 40 seconds faster….and look what happened! An overall 5K PR - besting your previous 5K PR by more than a minute. You made a real statement with this race – you are here, you are strong, and you’re ready to race. It was simply pure joy to watch you get out hard yet within yourself and then just get stronger and stronger and move up with each half mile. Now you know what you can do – and you’re only going to get faster.
Last year’s write up for this race focused on how excited I was to see you go out harder than you want to. This year you went out almost 40 seconds faster….and look what happened! An overall 5K PR - besting your previous 5K PR by more than a minute. You made a real statement with this race – you are here, you are strong, and you’re ready to race. It was simply pure joy to watch you get out hard yet within yourself and then just get stronger and stronger and move up with each half mile. Now you know what you can do – and you’re only going to get faster.
Zoe: 24:25, PR, 12th place. 1st Mile: 7:45, 2nd Mile: 16:15, Overall Pace: 7:52
Four and a half minutes – that’s how much faster you were today compared to just one year ago today. That’s more than a minute a mile faster. And, 12th place – 12th place (that’s almost t-shirt territory)! I cannot tell you how excited I was to see you put yourself up in that top 20 right away and then you just kept passing people. Super nice steady pacing the whole way and you weren’t just trying to finish, like last year, you were racing. You said you want to break 24 this season – and look at that, we’re almost there with race #1. Keep working hard and smart and keep that great positive approach, and you’ll do things you can’t even imagine this season!
Ingrid: 25:07, PR, 20th place. 1st Mile: 7:32, 2nd Mile: 16:14, Overall Pace: 8:05
I like your guts! First time taking the line in a 5K race with high schoolers and you just throw yourself into the mix. You got out into a great position and you looked smooth and relaxed that whole first mile. I saw you then switch into working hard and focusing during that second mile, and then I think I could hear you saying good things to yourself that third mile. Remarkable pacing, really, for a first time race – you held tough when the going got harder and you had a really strong finish. I know it was hard – and I know you did it!
Juniper: 26:11, PR, 26th place. 1st Mile: 7:32, 2nd Mile: 16:14, Overall Pace: 8:26
You sure have an engine that just keeps motoring along. So impressive! Every time I saw you, your eyes were up and focused ahead – just the way you want to be in a race, thinking about what’s ahead rather than worrying about what’s behind. You showed awesome patience in that first mile and were a great teammate encouraging those around you. And, then you got to work and you worked hard. It was an all-in effort that you should feel as good about as we do. You’re a racer.
Yasmin: 26:20, PR, 29th place. 1st Mile: 8:00, 2nd Mile: 17:12, Overall Pace: 8:29
You made 5K look like the race distance you’ve been doing all along. I know you were working hard but you kept good running form the whole time – you stayed tall and kept your arms moving. That propelled you to a really amazing second half of the race. And, throughout the race, I saw you looking focused and engaged - racing the people around you. You are totally ready for a 5K season! We’re glad to have the chance to coach you.
You made 5K look like the race distance you’ve been doing all along. I know you were working hard but you kept good running form the whole time – you stayed tall and kept your arms moving. That propelled you to a really amazing second half of the race. And, throughout the race, I saw you looking focused and engaged - racing the people around you. You are totally ready for a 5K season! We’re glad to have the chance to coach you.
Josie: 27:49, PR, 45th place. 1st Mile: 8:08, 2nd Mile: 17:12, Overall Pace: 8:57
Determined. That sums up that incredible effort you put in today. I know that no part of that felt right – and your body is recovering from being really tired so that’s understandable. What was quite frankly humbling was to watch you just dig in and refuse to give up. When you are feeling better, you will eclipse that PR in no time at all, but I hope you always see what an incredible depth of determination and perseverance you have as evidenced by what you just did in that race. That speaks more to who you are than any time or place ever will. And, you should know that such determination will carry you very far - in athletics and beyond.
Leki: Chief cheerer, glitterer, and leg writer
Thanks for being there to help launch the team and thanks for recognizing that sometimes you have to let your body rest and recover from things like colds. You’ll be back at it this week and ready to go! I have absolutely no worries whatsoever that you won’t have missed a beat. Just trust.
Thanks for being there to help launch the team and thanks for recognizing that sometimes you have to let your body rest and recover from things like colds. You’ll be back at it this week and ready to go! I have absolutely no worries whatsoever that you won’t have missed a beat. Just trust.
BOYS: 82 Finishers - 3rd place as a team with 72 points. Really nice to have all of you running out there together and so many good things happening across the board. We are still learning a lot about who we are – both as 5k racers and as a team – but this is a terrific beginning!
Aksel: 18:07, 1st place, 1st Mile: 5:36, 2nd Mile: 11:56, Overall Pace: 5:50
A terrific first race, Aksel. It was fun watching you find the spot at the front, and great to see you looking steady and strong throughout the race. The fact that you came through in 11:56 and finished at 11:40 pace is also extremely encouraging. You closed! You may be missing a few recent workouts, but you have an internal strength from early summer and you are only going to get stronger/quicker as the season unfolds. This will NOT be your fastest race of the year and you will be knocking on the 17:30 door again in several weeks. Keep doing your PT and being thoughtful about form in workouts and races. Awesome first race and more of that to come!
Jackson: 19:25, 9th place, 1st Mile: 5:46, 2nd Mile: 12:36, Overall Pace: 6:15
Some really perfect positioning early and it was great to see you out faster again at right around that TT mile pace. A little gap opened up later on that left you in no-man’s land – a distinct possibility in the thinner front part of the field – and as you pointed out as well, you didn’t have Tristan hunting you down the whole time for that added inspiration. That being said, I like where you are at. You are in solid proximity to last season, and without a huge summer running base you just have to race into form a little bit. You look really strong in practice and I am very confident that you will quickly surpass last year’s mid-season efforts. We need these first few races to prime the pump, but this year is different than the last. It's your senior year, you DO have a load of work/strength time and winter basketball and activity under your belt (as opposed to last year’s post-covid “get back to it” adjustments) and we just need to get comfortable with the discomfort of racing again. Great job all around and here we go!
Jayden: 19:54, PR, 13th place. 1st Mile: 6:10, 2nd Mile: 13:04, Overall Pace: 6:24
OK Jayden, a 4 minute PR over your one 5k race from the spring 2020 season. And you have SO much more in the tank! Your effort today puts you solidly in the mix for running varsity with this team! I know that you have work, but if you can figure out that schedule so that you can race as much as possible, you could also be a critical factor to helping us not only get back to State for the 13th year in a row but also in helping us to defend a spot on the podium. And that would be pretty great. You have tons of natural speed and strength – plus some mental toughness and grit. The longer races and the longer workouts will help with that endurance, and you could really surprise yourself with how fast you could actually be. Keep up the great work!
Little T (Tristan H): 20:14, PR, 19th place. 1st Mile: 6:10, 2nd Mile: 13:19, Overall Pace: 6:31
Last year we said that your first mile (6:26) seemed a little “ambitious” but for this year it was faster than last year and just the right place for you to be! So glad to see you feeling just a little more lively today and since your 2mi split here was 30sec. faster than Sehome we know that this is more where you want to be! You also just set a new 5k PR to best your League champs meet from last year by about 13 seconds. And finally, you did a VERY nice job in helping Jayden to his own new 5k PR. Your smart but still speedy (and not too cautious) racing was helpful to you both and there is lots more racing and improvement yet to come!
George: 21:54, PR, 36th place. 1st Mile: 6:28, 2nd Mile: 14:11, Overall Pace: 7:03
A great first race, George! Maybe out a little quick… but then again you finished up your final mile better than your second. A little more base; a little more experience with the longer racing, and you will see this time drop quite significantly in the weeks ahead. You had that side cramp after mile two, but you still finished with an overall pace that was quite a bit faster than your second mile. You look bouncy and light on your feet, and with potentially quite a few extra gears to give as we even out the pacing. Congrats again and it will be fun to have you and John in the same race soon as well!
Hunter: 23:19, PR, 49th place. 1st Mile: 7:23, 2nd Mile: 15:37, Overall Pace: 7:30
The comparisons between this year and last year are ASTOUNDING! You were literally 3min per mile faster – so you have definitely had a lot more races (between XC and track) and found your ability to move at a faster speed. That being said, you looked SO strong and even in today’s race that I think that you can probably also take it out a bit fast and still run that second and third mile at a similar clip. A good goal ahead to break that 23 minute barrier, and the PR’s should keep on coming!
Birch: 24:10, PR, 59th place. 1st Mile: 7:26, 2nd Mile: 16:02, Overall Pace: 7:47
You said that you felt better with the longer distance… and the time on clock tells the tale! Right at your 16 minute pace for 2mi. from Sehome, and then you had a faster final 1.1mi for a sub-8min overall average mile pace. It was very clear that you were racing out there, and you do an excellent job of getting your arms into the mix when you are trying to surge or in that final kick to the finish. The impact/shock of that first mile is going to get easier and easier as well go, but it is an excellent sign that you were able to rally for a 3rd mile that was faster than your second.
Omar: 29:52, PR, 76th place. 1st Mile: 8:33, 2nd Mile: 19:11, Overall Pace: 9:37
Awesome first race, Omar – and a 5k to boot! Just for context, Hunter’s first race last year was 32:48. You already know how to race and you surprised yourself with maybe the quickest mile that you can remember running – in the first mile of your race. That will get easier and easier – and I’m also quite sure that several races down the line you will have a little less soreness in your hips to overcome in the process. Really good form out there and an excellent job in using your arms – kind of like the change of gears in a stride – to climb that final hill into the finish. Excellent job and more good things to come!