RACE COURSE: Somewhere between 3 miles and 5K….. An overcast and the first true cooler day of the whole season. Course was sort of two loops through the park, with two times on sand/rocky shore, two times around a campground, and up and down a big hill twice.
OVERALL: The write-ups this week are a little weak – Erik was out of town, so you only had Sarah to try to keep track of all the racing – and we all know she gets a little distracted cheering for everyone. So, we’ll keep the individual comments brief. But, a HUGE THANK YOU to all for being so self-sufficient and so capable of helping each other with glitter, warm-ups, cool-downs, etc. Big kudos to Captains Leki and Tristan for making sure your teams were ready to go!
GIRLS: 18 finishers. 1st place overall. Our goal was to keep this one fun. And, it looks like you all did keep a good perspective on it. I saw lots of good racing and relatively little anxiety and stress. You are learning that races are just little challenges to see how far we can push ourselves – they aren’t tests of who we are. Keep remembering to find the joy in each other and in the races – look for those moments that make you laugh or smile or just feel good.
Leki: 20:22, 1st place, 1st Mile: 6:31, Overall Pace: 6:41
Another wire to wire win with excellent pacing. You looked confident and relaxed the whole way. Nice job being patient, finding your spot to pull away on the big uphill, and then never doubting or looking back. You’re set for a big race at State.
Sandra: 21:30, 3rd place, 1st Mile: 6:51, Overall Pace: 7:03
I think it must have been the glitter, because wow! You just went for it. You were bold and strong in the first mile and then you just looked like you felt better and got stronger with every stride. Huge pace PR for you – you can break 7 for overall pace, for sure, as we get into the taper. So exciting to see you running so well at this point of the season.
Ingrid: 24:44, 7th place. 1st Mile: 7:35, Overall Pace: 8:07
Excellent job moving up confidently throughout the race. You got out a bit slower than last weekend, so now all we need to do is combine a confident first mile with your strong middle and end and you’ll be amazed at your time. This was an excellent race for you in the middle mile – you kept your arm swing going and your stride long. You are totally getting the feel for 5K!
Juniper: 25:32, 9th place. 1st Mile: 7:35, Overall Pace: 8:22
Great job getting out hard and putting yourself in the mix of the race. It was great to see you and Ingrid run together for so long. You looked like you were having more fun this week than last and we’ll work to keep that momentum going.
Yasmin: 26:48, 11th place. 1st Mile: 8:11, Overall Pace: 8:47
Another good solid effort. I saw you working hard the whole way. Your overall pace was a bit slower than last week, and I think the fact that you went out a little more hesitantly made the difference. Work hard at practice this week and I think you’ll feel confident and ready to get out a little harder in that first mile on a home course you know.
Josie: 28:42, 14th place, 1st mile: 8:31, Overall Pace: 9:25
Better than any time or place was the comment you made after the race that you kept the words to yourself 90%+ positive during the race. That’s huge! I know that was hard and your legs just weren’t doing what you wanted them to, but you met your goals and that’s what matters.
Zoe: resting that hip and taking mile splits! Thanks for understanding our desire to keep you healthy and ready for a strong districts. You’re going to feel rested and ready. Right where we want you to be.
BOYS: Varsity 40 finishers. 3rd place as a team. With a full team, we would have been right in the mix with Brewster and Chelan. It’s going to be tight with Brewster, but that’s what makes XC a great team sport!
Will: 16:52, 1st place, Overall Pace: 5:32
You are looking smoother and smoother each race. Nice job staying patient, yet quick, pushing hard, yet looking like you still have another gear to go when you need it. You are peaking at just the right time of the season.
Aksel: 18:04, 4th place, Overall Pace: 5:55
That actually looked like you had some fun. Great job racing Chelan’s #1 and Brewster’s Calderon. You were making up good ground on him in the last half mile–I think you can race him the whole way. I appreciate that you adapted this week and found the joy again (at least a little). Let’s keep that going into Districts.
Tristan Schmekel: 19:15, 13th place. Overall Pace: 6:19
Good to see you in the pack of yellow and to have you back on track to where you were when you ran the 5K on the track. An excellent last kick to just show that you never bet against a senior. I’m hoping your confidence is back – because it should be.
Kyler: 19:16, 14th place, Overall Pace: 6:19
Excellent job pushing your pack of Mountain Lions. We’ll need you three to fill the gap up to Brewster’s pack – and you can. It will take just one of you to be bold and lead the group. You can do that. Nice job giving it all you had in the last 100 meters.
Tristan Hover: 19:17, 15th place. Overall Pace: 6:19
Awesome job sticking like glue to your teammates…that’s how teams do this! You took almost 10 seconds off per mile on your pace from last week, which was a PR. You are running so well right now. Can’t wait to see what you do at Districts.
George: 20:05, 15th place. Overall Pace: 6:35
Wow – you ran 4 seconds per mile faster this week than last week, and last week was already a PR AND your knee hurt a ton! That’s pretty amazing. And, when you finished you felt like if your knee wasn’t hurting you could have gone even faster. That’s good for our team! Let’s hope the knee is feeling better.
John: 21:11 24th place. Overall Pace: 6:57
What a huge race! Last week your pace per mile was 7:14 (a PR) and this week you went under 7 per mile. That’s a pretty amazing improvement and especially noteworthy since you had to run by yourself for much of the race. Great job staying focused and trusting all the hard work you’ve been putting in.
Hunter: 21:42, 28th place. Overall Pace: 7:07
Another big improvement for you, Hunter. Last week you PR’d and your pace was 7:14 per mile and you just took 7 seconds a mile off that. That’s really really good. You were working hard out there and I especially noticed you digging in on the big uphill. Next week, no sand.
Omar: 26:25, 39th place. Overall Pace: 8:40
That was a PR, Omar! You ran 8:51 per mile at Twilight and then raced right past that this week. I know you didn’t like the sand but you were motoring on the hills – both the ups and the downs. I see a big PR in your future on the home course.
Dexter, Jackson, Jayden, Birch: We definitely missed you out there. Looking forward to having you all at Districts racing or on that lead bike!