Okanogan Invite
Location: Omak Golf Course
Date: 9.24.19
General Notes: I know a lot of people didn’t run as fast as they did at Wenatchee, but there are many reasons for that. For example, it was a really hot day, especially while the race was going on. The hill right before the mile was actually pretty long, and it was at a point in the race when you were all starting to get tired, but you all did a fantastic job of powering up and over! Also, you had a full day of school before you even got on the bus! Despite the times not being what some of you may have hoped, you all ran great races, and now we have a week and a half to get ready for Leavenworth!
All of the averages are based on my assumption that the course was about 1.4 miles long instead of the 1.5 that was advertised. As much as you all have improved, I don’t think we’ve come quite that far just yet! Also, if you want to know what place you were, feel free to ask me.
As a side note, I took some videos of all of you both at Wenatchee and Okanogan, and I would be more than happy to go over some of it with you if you are interested. I might be pulling some of you aside to point out form things that I think are important as well.
7th GRADE GIRLS
Zoe: 8:55 at one mile, 12:50 finishing time, 9:10 average
It looked like you really got off to a good start on the straight away! Your mile wasn’t as fast as in Wenatchee, but that could be because of many reasons. You seemed to be running by yourself, at least coming through the mile, which can be very tough, but you were really able to use the downhill to pick up some serious speed! I saw that you were able to catch up with a group towards the finish, and that looked great!
Mia: 7:33 at one mile, 10:52 finishing time, 7:46 average
You went out a little bit slower today than at Wenatchee, but only by about 6 seconds. It looked like maybe that hill took a lot out of you, because you seemed a little timid going down the other side through the mile. Don’t be afraid to really lean into it and use gravity to give you a huge boost! We’ll keep working on that throughout the rest of the season. You and Peter seemed to be working well together, really pushing each other along just like at Wenatchee, which is awesome to see! The next step is to try to get you two to continue moving up on the competition!
7TH GRADE BOYS
Mac: 5:34 at one mile, 8:03 finishing time, 5:45 average
You were about dead on with your mile split from Wenatchee, which was great to see considering the first mile today was definitely more hilly than at Wenatchee. Once again, the Dexter-Mac duo got off to a great start and was doing some solid team running, which is fantastic! When you crested the hill and started coming down, you had a great forward lean and nice long strides (and windmill!) that was eating up the ground. I don’t know where exactly Dexter started to pull away, but when your teammate starts to go, it’s usually a sign that you should start shifting gears because it will mean that both of you are going to go faster! You’re a tough kid and I know you can close that 5 second gap.
Damon: 6:54 at one mile, 9:45 finishing time
You looked very comfortable at the start, and nice and loose as you were coming through the mile, which is great to see, especially since you weren’t really running with someone. Right at the end you were able to hold Brewster off, so excellent work! Something you might want to think about is, although it requires some serious toughness when you’re tired, putting on a little burst of speed to catch the next person in front of you will make it that much easier for you in the long run. Eventually, if you do that enough, you’ll catch up with Landry!
Kaden: 8:44 at one mile, 12:35 finishing time, 8:59 average
You were a bit slower through the first mile, but this is also only your second race so we’re definitely still working on dialing everything in and a lot is going to change week to week. One thing to remember, especially when running hills, is to really try to take nice, aggressive strides when you’ve got some momentum going in your favor. Use gravity! But you did a fantastic job of catching up to Conrad, and then moving together until you were finally able to get just enough ahead of him to beat the infamous “Conrad Kick”!
Malloch: 9:41 at one mile, 13:48 finishing time, 9:51 average
You had another truly stellar improvement on your last race! Even if we extended that distance to a 5k, your pace would still have put you at least 30 seconds faster than in Wenatchee. You went out faster for the first mile, which paid out some huge dividends because you were able to hold on for the last half mile. As you get more comfortable with running long distance, something to work on is to try to keep your head and shoulders from swaying from side to side as you get tired. It’s difficult, but if you stay as focused as you were in the race, I know you can do it!
Dexter: 5:34 at one mile, 7:58 finishing time, 5:41 average
Once again, you were basically right on your mile pace from Saturday which was no easy feat. You and Mac have been working really well together the past couple of races, and I’m excited to see you guys continue your momentum as you tracked down LR. Something that can really help your teammate is, when you’re getting ready to move, telling them to go with you because I know that the two of you together can generate some serious speed. You had some massive strides going down that hill, which was excellent to see! You weren’t able to out kick LR this time, but you’ve been consistently closing the gap, and pretty soon you’ll be blowing by him. Nice race all around!
Tristan: 6:31 at one mile, 9:19 finishing time, 6:39 average
You actually were faster today for the first mile than on Saturday, which was great to see! It looked like once Leki and you started to run together (and I mean you two were literally in lock-step at one point), you added some serious speed and you looked very smooth while doing so! I know we had talked about getting your arms going forward, and it looks like you were really focusing on that (or maybe you did it unintentionally) because they looked great when I saw you. I know its a new thing, but try to remember our windmill technique! Regardless, you held on really well after the mile and finished strong right in the middle of that group.
Peter: 7:32 at one mile, 10:51 finishing time, 7:45 average
You and Mia looked great coming up and over the top of the hill before the one mile, and you really were able to use the downhill to pick up speed and get you off to a great finish! It’s great to see you working with your teammate. Something to think about is, when you start to get tired, your arms can get a little floppy. But otherwise nice job implementing the windmill!
Sam: 6:32 at one mile, 9:27 finishing time, 6:45 average
Your second race got off to an even better start than your first! Congratulations, you’re a veteran now! You came roaring up and over the hill, speeding past on the other side and really pushed it all the way through to the finish! I know you maybe slowed down a bit after the mile, but that’s to be expected with the short recovery and everything else. It’s very exciting to see you bring some serious energy to the team and really get moving out there on the course.
Raiff: 7:00 at one mile, 10:01 finishing time, 7:45 average
I was very happy to see that you didn’t have to do a quick recovery at the start today! You have some exceptionally long strides, and you can really use those to your advantage on the downhills, which you definitely were doing today. You were more or less in the middle of a group, but what’s even better than running in a group is running with a teammate, and Damon wasn’t all that far ahead of you. See if you can work your way up to be with him and then use those big strides to help finish off the race.
Brayden: 5:53 at one mile, 8:31 finishing time, 6:05 average
Mr. Smooth strikes again! You always look so calm out there on the course, and you were even able to get off to a better first mile today and close that gap with Aksel. The next step is to get you all the way up there with him so that he can pull you along for the last half mile! You have a tendency to bring your arms across your body, especially when you get tired, but otherwise you have super form! It’s awesome to see you striding through the course!
8TH GRADE GIRLS (places combined with 7th grade girls, 30 finishers):
Leki - 9:17, 2nd place. 6:31 first mile. Overall pace: 6:11 per mile
A super solid race effort, Leki with a terrific last kick. Kaydence Carrington from Brewster was just three seconds ahead of you today. She went out harder and I think if you can just stay in a little more contact with her in that middle half mile, you can catch her with your strong endurance-based finish. You were up on your toes and moving your arms with crisp speed, which led to your awesome finishing kick!
Ayla - 9:20, 4th place. 6:33 first mile. Overall pace: 6:13 per mile
Excellent pacing this race. It’s great to see you and Leki running near each other—find strength in the comfort of running with the people you train with, as that can carry you through the middle sections of the race. Keep thinking about quiet feet when you get tired. You turned on the speed burners there are the end and fought hard in your pack. Nice!
8th GRADE BOYS (places combined with 7th grade boys; 72 finishers)
Will - 8:17, 4th place. 5:40 first mile. Overall pace: 5:31 per mile
Nice work keeping up a rhythm when you didn’t feel your best. A cold/sickness can definitely make it feel like your legs have lost their zip, but trust us, that feeling is only temporary. You’ll be back to your old self, soon! I love that you went for it despite not feeling great — you love to race and that will serve you well over the long haul. Rest up. Get better. And use this race to reassure yourself that you are mentally very tough in any racing situation.
Aksel - 8:23, 6th place. 5:50 first mile. Overall pace: 5:35 per mile
Your one mile split is almost the same as at Wenatchee....for most runners this mile was about 5-10 seconds slower, so you did a nice job of getting out just a bit faster than on Saturday. I think that earlier connection to a pack helped—and you still had plenty if reserve for a solid kick. Let’s work on finding someone to run with in the middle to mid-late part of the race so you can zone out a bit in your head and just run.
Kyler - 9:27, 17th place. 6:36 first mile. Overall pace: 6:18 per mile
This was a really good race! You looked strong from the first 400 meters and you just kept right in your rhythm. It’s good to see you and Landry working together. You looked confident and relatively relaxed out there—every week getting stronger. I also want to acknowledge the excellent role you played being a leader on the bus and in the warm up. Thank you!
Landry - 9:28, 18th place. 6:39 first mile. Overall pace: 6:19 per mile
You got out a little slower than Saturday, but settled in to a great pace and held your form with plenty left in the last 200 meters. You are a strong runner — and stronger than last year — and that will serve you well at Leavenworth. Be confident in getting out with the pack you want to be running with and trust that your strength won’t let you down in the middle of the race.
Conrad - 12:36, 59th place. 8:41 first mile. Overall pace: 8:24 per mile
You must love a good golf course, because oh-my-goodness was that an awesome improvement. You were more than 45 seconds faster at the mile than on Saturday. And, you held it together to have a huge PR in overall pace per mile. You are totally getting the hang of this racing thing and you can look forward to improvements each week. Just keep track of those running shoes and your legs and lungs will do the rest!
Connor - 13:14, 63rd place. 9:12 first mile. Overall pace: 8:49 per mile
Another solid performance, especially coming off a tough illness. You were conservative at the start and had plenty left after the big downhill to bring it home in good speed. I especially liked seeing you use your quick elbows to bring those legs along in your final kick. Remember to use those arms again on the hills at Leavenworth.