Manson Invite -- 9/11/2021

Course length: 1.5 miles.

General Notes –The course was mostly flat with only a couple hills to deal with. Most of the course was gravel with the rest being run on grass. The weather was warm and sunny with minimal wind. Everyone ran really well, particularly for the first race of the season (and for many, the first cross country race ever)! We hope everyone is proud of what they accomplished, because you all should be! 

This year, we’re going to highlight a few athletes each week with a quick race write-up. Everyone who ran will still see some pictures as well as their mile split, finishing time/place, and average pace. The highlighted athletes will be first.

The girls were the only scoring team and therefore won. There were 22 athletes in the girls' race. 

The boys were second out of 4 teams with 39 points. Okanogan won with 30 points. There were 37 athletes in the boys' race. 

Highlighted Athletes

Josie – One mile: 7:19. Finish: 11:32, 4th place. Average 7:41.

You had some nerves going into the race, but you had a fantastic race! Way to push hard up the hills and pump those arms. You looked smooth coming down the hills and on the flats. You got a bit tired towards the end, but that's totally fine! You still found a way to finish with everything you had. Nice job!

Anja – One mile: 7:27. Finish: 11:38, 6th place. Average 7:45.

You did a great job of maintaining your speed and intensity throughout the race, which is super awesome to see in your first race! Running with your teammates in a pack always makes it easier to keep going, and you instinctively found your[LD1]  niche. Nice job digging deep when the going got tough!

Freya W – One mile: 8:17. Finish: 12:55, 11th place. Average: 8:36.

A few nerves never hurt anyone, and I think they helped you for sure! You went out fast then managed to hang on while running by yourself, which is not easy to do. Plus, I heard you had quite a bit of fun while doing it!

Elsa – One mile: 8:54. Finish: 14:09, 17th place. Average: 9:26.

Before the race you seemed calm, and that translated to how you ran. You looked cool and collected the whole way through the finish. You powered through the pack and up the hills. You found that extra little bit at the finish. Nice job!

Keira -- One mile: 13:02. Finish: 18:36, 21st place. Average: 12:24.

Congratulations! I know you had some doubts, but you proved what you're capable of. You spent some time running by yourself and with a teammate, but that didn't matter at all. You were able to get faster after the mile, which is super awesome! Plus, you looked smooth and steady the whole time. Way to go!

Oliver – One mile: 6:40. Finish: 10:23, 12th place. Average: 6:55.

Good work Oliver! You did a great job, even if you might have gone out hard for that first mile. Its superb that you were able to run with Landon and find the strength in you through the second part of the race. I have total confidence that you’ll find an even more steady pace at the next race!

Sawyer – One mile: 7:29. Finish: 11:35, 19th place. Average: 7:43.

It was so much fun to see you working with your teammates throughout the race! It can make racing a lot more fun when you run with people. And you were able to keep moving up through the second part of the race – which shows a lot of determination and grit. Way to work hard and race well!

 

Hugo – One mile: 7:32. Finish: 11:49, 22nd place. Average: 7:52.

Yippee! You finished your first ever XC race! And you did great. We’ll work on finding our race pace more before the next meet but even though you ran that first mile hard, you used your teammates around you to help you continue to work hard and have fun all the way to the finish.

Ben N – One mile: 7:33. Finish: 12:38, 27th place. Average: 8:25.

Great job finishing the first race of the season! It’s difficult to go out at your own pace but you stayed steady and ran with your teammates which makes racing more exciting. You put in a hard effort and had fun which is awesome!

 

Elliot – One mile: 10:57. Finish: 17:30, 37th place. Average: 11:40.

You did it! I know that you’ve had some tired legs but you still found the fight to keep up the strength and energy and finish with a lot of heart. I could see the determination on your face and it was inspiring! Keep up the hard work!

GIRLS

Ingrid – One mile: 7:13. Finish: 11:14, 1st place. Average: 7:29.

Taylor – One mile: 7:22. Finish: 11:31, 3rd place. Average: 7:40.

Wylie – One mile: 7:28. Finish: 11:38, 5th place. Average 7:45.

Sisu – One mile: 7:31. Finish: 11:43, 7th place. Average: 7:48.

Ava – One mile: 7:38. Finish: 11:43, 8th place. Average: 7:48.

Nina – One mile: 8:13. Finish: 12:37, 10th place. Average: 8:24. 

Yasmin – One mile: 8:24. Finish: 13:17, 13th place. Average: 8:51.

Bailey – One mile: 8:32. Finish: 13:49, 14th place. Average: 9:12.

 

Freya P – One mile: 8:38. Finish: 13:58, 15th place. Average: 9:18.

Violet – One mile: 8:48. Finish: 13:58, 16th place. Average: 9:18.

Clara – One mile: 8:48. Finish: 14:26, 18th place. Average: 9:37.

Elaine – One mile: 8:54. Finish: 14:26, 19th place. Average: 9:37.

Greta –  You've totally got this!

BOYS

Bodie – One mile: 5:56. Finish: 9:11, 1st place. Average: 6:07.

Ben K – One mile: 6:11. Finish: 9:22, 4th place. Average: 6:14.

Landon – One mile: 6:41. Finish: 10:26, 13th place. Average: 6:57.

Wyatt – One mile: 7:25. Finish: 11:28, 17th place. Average: 7:38.

Keller – One mile: 6:54. Finish: 11:29, 18th place. Average: 7:39.

River – One mile: 7:30. Finish: 11:42, 20th place. Average: 7:48.

Luke – One mile: 7:29. Finish: 12:12, 2th place. Average: 8:08.

Liam – One mile: 8:26. Finish: 12:42, 29th place. Average: 8:28.

Orlo – One mile: 8:26. Finish: 13:12, 31st place. Average: 8:48.

Sehome Invite @ Bellingham Civic Stadium - 9/11/21

RACE COURSE: Bellingham Civic Stadium, 2mi. The course is fast but challenging. Outer loop (run twice) includes a long downhill on trail/grass and a challenging uphill on trail. Grass start, middle loop around inner facility ends on the track. Fun early season running. Mid 60’s and overcast. Excellent running weather!

OVERALL: An excellent first day of racing and overall successful trip across the mountains! This race was about getting out and making a race day effort. It was also a good chance to remind ourselves of how to start, how to finish, and how to keep your mental game engaged at various points throughout a race. We don’t run 2mi races all that often, but it’s also worth noting that these were PR (personal record) finishes for ALL of you today. Great job all around!

JV1: 100 Finishers - The first race of the first meet of the season! It’s a time for nerves and excitement and a whole lot of learning about racing! An excellent show by our 3 LBHS runners -- all of whom have been working hard these last three weeks and who will continue to improve each race!

Malloch: 14:59, 24th place. 1st Mile: 7:15, Overall Pace: 7:30

It was great to see you confidently move up throughout this entire race. You charged up that hill the first time and found a rhythm that just kept you rolling along. I could tell you were not just running to finish, but you were racing. You had your eyes focused ahead and you even looked like you had some fun catching people. Excellent introduction to high school racing! And, hopefully a good end to a birthday week!

Madison: 15:53, 43rd place. 1st Mile: 7:20, Overall Pace: 7:57
We so appreciate your willingness to get out strong. You put yourself in a good spot in the race and while that made the second lap hurt a bit, you were strong and you finished with a good solid kick. Keep working hard like you have been at practice and in just a few weeks that 7:20 opening mile will become your average. You are so much stronger than last season!

Hunter: 17:58, 81st place. 1st Mile: 8:35, Overall Pace: 8:59
Congratulations! Finishing your first cross-country race is always a reason to celebrate and we sure hope you feel good and proud of this one. You navigated a big field of runners and found your race. You ran steady and with focus throughout. To have your first and second miles only about 24 seconds apart in your first try at this is great -- you showed you have patience and you understand pace. It was a joy to watch you kick into a whole different gear at the finish!!

FROSH BOYS: 87 Finishers

Dexter: 10:38.44, 1st place, 1st Mile: 5:20, Overall Pace: 5:19
Tough racing! A really nice job in being confident, getting to the front, and then responding each and every time the Seattle Prep runner wanted to push you a little further. You are strong from consistent summer miles - both on your feet and on the bike - and you had the mental tenacity to keep taking the fight and throwing it right back into his corner. Not every race will be this much of a dog fight, but it was awesome to see you handle one right out of the gates. Great lift and drive in your legs even late in the race. You held form really well over that final 150m and that made all the difference. An awesome first HS race!

Tristan: 13:25.21, 58th place, 1st Mile: 6:20, Overall Pace: 6:43
Congrats on your first HS race as well Tristan. And a crowded and chaotic one at that! You did an excellent job in navigating that early crowd on the track, and it’s impressive to see you starting this race in almost the same pace as you did for the mile TT just two weeks back. SO much to learn and build on in these next few weeks. This is a terrific beginning, and if your season in any way mirrors that of other 9th graders before you, then a 13:25 at this race should have you running in the 20 to 20:30 minute range for 5k very soon.

SOPH BOYS: 101 Finishers

Will: 11:13.03, 12th place, 1st Mile: 5:30, Overall Pace: 5:37
A few seconds slower than your track PR, but about a minute faster than your Moses Lake 2mi XC race last spring and a solid showing 12th place with 10th graders from MUCH larger no-slouch programs from the west side of the state! Next week we race as a team and you can push a few relativity buttons regarding your sense of place, pace etc.. You are fit from summer miles for sure, so we can push a bit at the start and trust that you will hold. Super happy with your finishing ‘pep’ on the track at Sehome and we just need to keep moving ahead with consistent work and racing. Tons of great stuff to build on here. Keep up the good work!

 
Aksel: 11:47.21, 24th place, 1st Mile: 5:42, Overall Pace: 5:54
A solid opening mile and comparable to your 1 mile TT. That being said, you were still running on tired legs from the week I think and you will feel better in the next couple of races. 11:47 also translates to about 18:50 for 5k, so regardless you are still ahead of where you were at this point last spring and you have MANY weeks ahead to find that racing groove that we know is in there!

SOPH GIRLS: 88 Finishers. Sandra represented our sophomore contingent-- knowing that Leki and Dashe were cheering from afar!

 
Sandra: 16:13.07, 51st place, 1st Mile: 8:05, Overall Pace: 8:07
Look at those mile paces -- that is the very definition of STEADY...and in about 10 seconds faster each mile than when you did the mile time trial! You’ve been working really hard at practice and that is all money in the bank that will pay off in the weeks to come. I think you are ready to go out harder. You are such a fierce competitor that I just suspect once you get in the race, you’ll just run--so let’s try setting that starting pace just a bit quicker next week and learn about what might happen!

JUNIOR BOYS: 90 Finishers, 4th place junior team w/ 89 points. Just 2 points behind Kamiak HS -- a 4A school with an enrollment of 2100 kids! ALL of you improved upon your times from 2019 and the pack/group running potential for this team as the season unfolds is awesome to consider.

 
Graham: 11:11.76, 12th place, 1st Mile: 5:25, Overall Pace: 5:36
Running on strength from summer biking and ski training, you are in an excellent place. Your endurance is super solid and like you already stated you just need to adapt a little to the running/speed training. Lots of time for that to happen and your own confidence as to how long and how hard you can push will grow as well. A great start! PS 46 sec. faster than freshman year.

Isaiah: 11:22.64, 15th place, 1st Mile: 5:25, Overall Pace: 5:42
An improvement upon freshman year, but even more exciting was the adjustments made mid-race to reconnect and the SO MUCH speed that you still had left for a kick at the end! Remember always that when you open up and let it roll, momentum eventually takes over. Little surges anytime you need to reset, and then start to trust that you can go from 400m or even 6-800m from the finish. Excited for this as your opener and very much looking forward to the next few weeks ahead. Let’s stay consistent with miles and just make sure that we keep getting in the work. The sky’s the limit for this team!

Carter: 11:24.18, 18th place, 1st Mile: 5:25, Overall Pace: 5:42
Another excellent start to the season and nearly a whole minute faster than freshman year. Really excited to have you and your brother back in the XC mix! You looked super comfortable and strong out there and I know that you like to race. The next couple of races you can test the limits a bit of that opening mile and it looks like you and Graham, Isaiah, Will, Dexter and Aksel will have an awesome pack to run with in these next several week of more wide open courses and slightly better sight lines. Just keep racing and being competitive out there. Great work!

Jackson: 12:06.23, 39th place, 1st Mile: 5:45, 

Overall Pace: 6:03
Pshaw! 1:40 faster than freshman year and an opening mile faster than the TT on the track. You had a good week of practice and it carried right over to race no. 1. Give it another week or three and you will be right in that 6 min pace ballpark for the 5k distance. This team is going to be deep no matter how you slice it. Excited to have you all back in one piece and running strong!

Tristan: 12:41.83, 56th place, 1st Mile: 5:55, 

Overall Pace: 6:21
Another side stitch I think but as per usual you are tough as nails and fighting through it no matter. And you showed that yet again with a final kick to the finish that was fun to watch. 40 seconds better than freshman year, plus your opening mile was just about the same as in our TT, but the race was twice as far. Another 2-3 races of adaptation to the 5k distance, but you will be dropping some serious time by Twilight. Super excited to see what this team can do!

SENIOR GIRLS: 84 Finishers -- As always, the Senior Girls start line was a composed, calm, and actually a pleasant place to be. Always a moment for me to reflect on where each of you were three years ago - I trust that each of you can sense that difference, too! Our LBHS women showed their leadership in their confident approach to racing AND reminded the 1B/2B girls across the state that, while we may not have a huge team in numbers, we have some serious depth.

 
Jori: 13:13.21, 13th place, 1st Mile: 6:25, Overall Pace: 6:37
What a nice way to start your senior year - a PR on this course. You ran 13 seconds faster than your sophomore year and two seconds faster than your freshman year - and both of those years resulted in some pretty terrific racing by November. You looked so strong and so focused from the start all the way through the finish line. And, that kick… oh my… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you kick quite like that - you’ve got some serious speed!!

Payten: 14:43.67, 29th place, 1st Mile: 7:12, Overall Pace: 7:22

As we’ve already discussed, this was a HUGE breakthrough - and I hope you’ll carry a whole lot of confidence with you after this race. A one minute improvement over sophomore year and a two minute improvement over freshman year - for just two miles of racing! You are just stronger and I can see your heart is all-in this season. So, keep getting that shin looked after and let’s be sure we can keep you running, because you are about to surprise yourself with just how tough you can run! (And, just for the record, your first mile was faster than your mile time trial on the track - that should make you smile).

 
Ayeanna: 15:08.49, 40th place, 1st Mile: 7:20, Overall Pace: 7:34
The epitome of senior poise, you ran this one with smarts and strength. 20 seconds faster than your sophomore year and close to 2 minutes faster than your freshman time on this course. Let that soak in for a second -- because your training this year is just getting started. I don’t think we should put any limits on what we think is possible for you by the end of the season. You are a key component of this team - as a runner and a leader - keep working hard and being a good example for us all of positive thinking!

The XC Running Season Begins!

XC running starts tomorrow, Monday 8/23! The HS team will meet at 7:30am at LBHS, the JRH at 7:45. Tuesday will also be a morning practice at 7:30/7:45, and then the rest of the week will be at 3:30pm after school.

Additional reminders -- and for some of you this is ALL brand new:
1.) Wear your running shoes :)
2.) Dress according to the weather. We will talk and stretch at the start so it may be cooler until we get running.
3.) Bring a mask to have if you need to enter the building.
4.) You need to register in order to be at practice. You can register HERE
5.) You need to achieve 10 total practices before being eligible to participate in the first meet on Saturday, September 11.

We'll talk more about this and other things on Monday and Tuesday. Parents, we will also pick a date/time for a parent meeting early in the second week of practice 8/30-9/3 and will communicate that shortly.

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Erik & Sarah, Liam and Haida

GRRR!!!

7/17/21 Practice Cancelled!

Sorry all,

It's SO hard to really tell, but the monitor systems say 150-170 in the areas around Twin Lakes/Sun Mt. and it smells pretty smokey out the door of our house.

I DO hope it clears a bit later on but we will NOT meet as a team again this morning.

Try to get an easy distance run of 40-60+ minutes in either later today or perhaps on Sunday.

Hope to see you soon!

GRRR!!!

7/17/21 SATURDAY RUN at Sun Mt. - 8am

Hi all, 

As mentioned in my email, any interested high school runners will meet in the Chickadee Trailhead parking lot of Sun Mountain on 7/17/21. Please let us know if you plan to attend and check back here by 7:15am on Saturday just in case there are any changes/cancellations due to smoke. 

See you soon!

GRRR!!!! 

7/13/21 TUESDAY PRACTICE CANCELLED!

Hi all, 

Due to AQI readings for Twisp and Winthrop in the 140-160 range we decide to cancel practice for Tuesday 7/13. 

Our focus for this time of year is still on building strength and some consistency in your running efforts, but at the same time we don't need to run around in the smoke and unreasonably stress our systems. 

We will hope to meet on THURSDAY at LBHS at 8am as originally planned but will communicate via email if something changes. 

****

A FEW WORKOUT THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:

IF you can find some cleaner air a some point later in the day, try to get in an easy distance run of 35-50+ minutes. Depending on where you live in the valley morning or evening may be best. 

Try to run at least THREE days this week. 

If you've been running three days a week, try to add a FOURTH. 

Add 6 x 50-60m strides at the end of TWO runs this week. 

On one of your runs this week, at some point after the first 15min do 6 x 30 sec. ON/30 sec. OFF. Pickup to a comfortably quick pace and just count "one, one-thousand, two one-thousand..." in your head for both the pickup and the rest. OR...

Find a nice long hill near a run and mix in 6-8 x about 30 sec. hill repeats. 

****

Stay patient with the smoke, but try keep building on your work so far. 

Have a good week!

7/10/21 SATURDAY RUN at Lester Road! - 8AM

Another chance to meet in a new and different spot :) Meet us at the intersection of Upper Bear Creek and Lester road for a nice easy distance run on some dirt road and trails. See you on Saturday!

7/3/21 SATURDAY RUNNING for HS at Wolf Ridge Resort! - 8AM

For Saturday running this week I thought we'd try something a little different than Sun Mountain, but someplace that still has trails and shade and some river access for a post-run cooling.

8am at Wolf Ridge Resort

The link below should help with directions. It's basically 5 five miles of relatively flat on Wolf Creek road from Winthrop. For anyone coming from Twisp/south it'll be another 10 minutes total north and west of the school (Twin Lakes rd. to Wolf Creek road.)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wolfridge+Resort/@48.4983854,-120.2631202,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa32a9fb90c4df602!8m2!3d48.4997197!4d-120.2638323

Let me know if you will try to come.

Let go for a run :)

GRRR!!!!

Erik & Sarah, Liam and Haida

6/26/21 SATURDAY RUN at Sun Mt. (Chickadee Trailhead) - 8AM

Hi all,

SUPER hot this next week - too hot really for June - but we DO still want to keep building into that summer running routine.

If you'd like to beat the heat and have some company on a run tomorrow (Saturday 6/26) meet us at 8am at the Chickadee Trailhead at Sun Mountain. We'll stretch a bit and go for a run. Based on how you feel, we'd love to see 40-60+ minutes or somewhere in the ballpark of 4-8 miles.

We will try to jump in the lake near the end of the run :)

Practice should be done 9:15-9:30.

See you there. Let's go for a run!

GRRR!!!!

Erik & Sarah

Summer Running 2021!

Greetings all,

Congratulations on the completion of such an odd and epic year! As a XC team we discovered butte climbs and post-race picnics, we ran frigid 5k races on snow-shoveled tracks, and we found new workout locations or routines that will carry over into many seasons to come.

We missed some of you due to the quirky timing of a Feb-March “official” season, but we were fortunate enough to have both a fall and a spring of experience to build upon, and we look forward to having a newly burgeoning roster in August. By all current understandings, we should be back to a more typical season schedule -- with the official starting date on Monday, August 23rd, just before the start of school.

For now however, THE SUMMER XC SEASON BEGINS THIS TUESDAY!

Summer practices (optional but highly encouraged) will run TUES 6/15 thru TH 7/29. For those of you new to HS sports. We are allowed to coach through the month of July, but then have a short “no contact” period until the official start of the season.

WHEN AND WHERE?:
Practice starts at 8am and should last about 60-80min.

TUESDAYS we will meet at the Winthrop Park (by the barn) and

THURSDAYS will meet at LBHS.

This is the same general schedule as the JRH, although HS practice will use more of the allotted time as we build fitness and run longer.

Each of our summer practice days will involve both running and strength/conditioning work. We meet at 8:00 to facilitate some sleep and to avoid the worst of the summer heat, but it can still be warm. Please dress according to the weather and bring your own water bottle.

SATURDAYS or other team runs?:
We are putting just two days per week on the calendar, but will post/convey information on a week-to-week basis regarding possible additional team runs (Saturday’s or otherwise) in different locations. There are SO many awesome options in the area and it’s fun to run in different spots when we can. We will check-in regarding interest on Tuesdays and announce any extra run day/location on both the team blog and via email.

GENERAL GOALS:
Summer is about building strength and fitness for the fall racing season. The more consistent and regular your summer running, the better you will feel when we start more speed-focused practices in the fall, AND the speed work will be more fun :)

Smart and steady summer running -- days and weeks that build on each other and allow your body to adapt to the sport -- is also the best way to avoid a disruptive injury. Start slow or for lesser amounts of time and build your miles with patience and regular practice. Make sure that your shoes** are not too old and that they are supportive enough for your individual needs.

Some of you will start from scratch -- totally awesome! And others will have a base from spring track/beyond that allows for longer runs or bigger weeks. Both are great and both can be a foundation for excellent seasons later this fall. We will talk to you individually, and will post some general outlines/goals for different kinds of summer mileage to the team XC blog.

And finally, we will, as usual, use both this email list and the blog to communicate. If you are brand new to the team you can bookmark this link for the blog: http://libertybellxc.blogspot.com/ but feel free to reach out via email if you ever have any additional questions or concerns.

Have a great summer and we’ll be excited to see you on Tuesday or whenever we can!

GRRR!

Erik & Sarah Brooks and JRH coaches Liam Daily and Haida Ikeda

** For questions about shoes or an assessment of current footwear, please ask Erik at practice or check in via email etc.. A decent pair of training shoes should last about 300-400miles and for most of you that would mean the bulk of summer and in-season running.