NCR XC #2 Okanogan 3/6/21
RACE COURSE: Okanogan Valley Golf Club. 5k. 50+ degrees again, spring-like and sunny! A firm fairway surface with some cart path running and a large uphill/downhill near the one-mile mark.
BIG THANKS: To the Okanogan AD and all of the other coaches who delayed the race start and gave us an extra 30min to warm up after our late arrival. It was a “go with the flow” moment for sure, but the rest of the field was very gracious and patient.
HS GIRLS: 5k. 18 Finishers.
Leki: 21:33, 1st place. First mile, 7:12 - 6:56 pace overall.
Sandra: 27:13, 10th place, First mile 8:39 - 8:46 pace overall.
I think you must like those spikes! Congratulations on your first 5K! We should point out that your per mile pace this week was 7 seconds a mile faster than last week -- and last week was only 2 miles! You are getting stronger and stronger with each practice. I like that your first mile and your overall pace were within 10 seconds of each other -- that tells me that you have a good sense for what pace feels right and you aren’t going out too hard. You did a great job racing the boys around you -- you worked hard to stay connected to the racer ahead and, like last week, you had a huge kick! A great week.
HS BOYS: 5k. 45 Finishers.
Will: 19:57, 10th place. First mile 5:50 - 6:25 pace overall.
Congrats on the first HS 5k! Out in about the same mile pace as last week, and really looking good and under control for those first 2-2.5 miles. Super hard to say where the stitch came from, but you got yourself to the finish line and you know in your head that you had a firm grip on 3rd place if you’d been able to breathe. Goal for the week: Quick arms and quick feet. Think about some power to go with that smooth glide and we’ll play with pace again a little to mix things up.
Aksel: 20:22, 13th place. First mile 6:04 - 6:33 pace overall.
Congrats as well on your own first HS 5k XC race. An excellent job getting out there and fighting hard through the second half of the race. Correct pacing is an enigma right now, but we will dial it in slowly but surely. You probably got out a little hard, but you pitched yourself into those dowhills, still had some kick left at the finish and now we’ve got one race under the belt to build on. Excited for race number two!
Isaiah: 20:39, 14th place. 1st mile 7:00 - 6:39 pace overall.
Negative splits always look great, and your pace this week for a longer race was only 5 sec. slower per mile then last week. We can’t always start you in the second wave, but in doing so you stayed relaxed, ran your own race, and moved up through the field. You can do the same in wave #1, and it will accelerate the overall time and understanding of who you are racing as well. Really glad that the back was improved over last week and your finishing kick looked really strong!
Jackson: 21:15, 18th place. 1st mile 6:22 - 6:50 pace overall. (21:12)
Just three seconds shy of your 5k debut last year, and that seems pretty great considering that in 2019 you had also run a 2mi race in Bellingham and had about 4 weeks of solid training under your belt beforehand. Like Will, Aksel and Tristan, you got out strong and fought hard when it hurt. Your first mile was a little more under control and you moved up well throughout. Next week we’ll hope to be chasing even harder and feeling even better in the second half. So much great experience for next fall!
Tristan: 21:20, 19th place. 1st mile 6:09 - 6:50 pace overall. (20:53)
Well done Tristan despite the short warmup and “all of a sudden” feeling of the race. You went for it for sure with a 6:09 first mile, and in another two weeks that is going to feel a LOT better than it did for this one. Awesome heart and determination on display at the finish. I’m not sure that any of you are fully prepared for that kind of all out kick just yet, but your brain simply took your legs and arms as far as they would go. Admirable for sure! That kind of drive can’t be trained, but we can in the next few weeks get the legs a little more ready to follow.
Kyler: 22:36, 28th place. 1st mile 7:38 - 7:16 pace overall.
Like Isaiah and Leki, you also managed to get faster as the race went on! Congrats on your HS debut 5k and also on running smart and consistent - either generally moving up or holding steady in various places along the way. Negative split racing is not at all easy -- and especially when there are major hills in your first longer race. Really glad the the aches from last week were a little less and it’s worth noting for sure that your “Frigid 5k” on the track last Oct. was 23:15 -- so you just ran 50+ seconds faster WITH 2 x up that hill. Good work!
Madison: 30:27, 43rd place. 1st mile 8:37 - 9:48 pace overall.
SO much to be excited about here Madison. It was hard for sure and it probably hurt, but you didn’t walk when you wanted to and you finished your first-ever XC race in style! Next week should feel even better from a fitness/experience standpoint, and we also won’t have the rushed start time that we had this week, which should make the whole experience just a little more predictable and relaxed. Really glad that you are giving this a try and I can’t wait to see those times start to drop in major chunks!
Jayden: Sorry we missed you this week but we hope that you will join us for the race in East Wenatchee next Saturday!