OVERALL: Another excellent weekend of running and racing. It’s a long day on the bus, but always such a fun race :) Thanks to both teams for rising to the occasion in impressive fashion. Great to see you finding a groove, supporting each other, and racing with confidence. XC is unique in that we actually do get lots of chances to challenge ourselves against “big school” competition… but take serious pride in the fact that we are small AND mighty. We beat a lot of strong programs again on Saturday - teams with 2-3 times the number of runners that we have. This doesn’t happen by accident, but it also doesn’t happen without the focus and grit that you all find when you need it. Keep doing that and keep having fun with it!
JV 9/10 BOYS: 403 Finishers - The largest race of the day!
JV 9/10 BOYS: 403 Finishers - The largest race of the day!
Kyler: 20:16, PR, 115th place. 1st Mile: 6:20, Overall pace: 6:31
Back on the PR train after just a slight pause at the Okanogan station last week. In all seriousness of course, you are still getting better and still finding ways to race deeper and deeper into the distance. Really great use of your arms to climb that hill before the two mile, and you’ve done an excellent job in the last two races of getting out fast and then running tough through the middle of the race. A sub-20 effort is definitely possible in a few weeks at Moses Lake!
Malloch: 23:41, 316th place. 1st Mile: 7:30, Overall pace: 7:37
Super glad to hear that you enjoyed this event! XC is a challenging sport, but also one filled with many ways to participate and excel :) The costume/fun run part of this event is just the icing on the cake of a lot of hard work and sometimes not-as-much-fun work in practices etc., but the two things can exist side-by-side for sure. Another solid effort today with 400+ runners to navigate and a brand new experience with the single loop course. You can try getting out a little harder again next week at home and with less of a “stampede” of other runners to worry about -- plus maybe your ankle feeling a little better -- we’ve got a pair or spikes for you to try as well if you’d like!
JV 9/10 GIRLS: 256 Finishers - A full field with lots of people to run with. Our lone Liberty Bell representative did the Mountain Lions Proud with a patient, smart race.
Zoe: 27:59.9, PR, 153rd place. 1st Mile: 9:12, Overall pace: 9:00
Another PR and under 28 minutes! You ran an absolutely brilliant second mile -- you were just a steady machine on the hills and you were passing people right and left. And, then, you just let it rip and were totally flying down that long long downhill near the end. It was so exciting to watch you come through the arches with a super solid track kick to sneak in under 28 minutes. I’m noticing that your overall pace was quite a bit faster than your first mile pace -- which says to me we can still get you going out a little bit harder and then you’ll bring that PR time down even more!
JV 11/12 BOYS: 304 Finishers - A lone junior rep for LBHS. Way to get after it and drop some serious time!
Madison: 22:56, PR, 239th place. 1st Mile: 6:37, Overall pace: 7:23
Congrats on the HUGE PR Madison!!! And also on staying calm and keeping your cool even when you got a little bit of a late start on the warmup or didn’t have your training shoes or were missing a spike. Any one of those things could have wrecked your race, but you just put on some shoes, warmed up and ran. A SUPER fast first mile -- so well done in getting out quick. You are also getting stronger, so you were able to keep that pace longer and also not fall off too much at the end. As per usual, you are also doing better and better at racing the runners around you, and all of that together is how you cut 2:20 from your previous best!! Bye bye to 25min. Now you get to focus on staying consistent in that upper 22-23 min range.
1B/2B-2A VARSITY GIRLS: 149 Finishers. 4th place out of 20. Anacortes 45, Sehome, 74, Kings 145, LBHS 168, Cedarcrest 170. A crazy-surprise of 4th place finish in this big field of mostly much bigger schools! Not that we didn’t believe you were a good team -- just that we hadn’t really anticipated walking out of there with a trophy (filled with chocolate, no less!). You earned that because you all ran strong (and with joy). We loved hearing you sing during the skipping warm-up -- you were loose, optimistic, glad to be with each other, and feeling ready. Let’s keep that exact vibe with us for the next 5 weeks.
Leki: 19:55.10, PR, 12th place, 1st Mile: 6:12, Overall pace: 6:25
Mark this one on the calendar as the first time you broke 20. That’s a huge milestone in 5K running and it should make you very confident about your racing into the future. You did a great job navigating the crowd at the beginning and I know that first mile was fast -- but that’s what running under 20 takes. Good job just going with it and not overthinking it. You ran such an excellent hill section. You looked strong and confident. You were running with some excellent company in that race and you reminded us of your ability to dig in during the second half and race hard.
Jori: 19:59.3, PR, 15th place, 1st Mile: 6:13, Overall pace: 6:26
Yes! It is awesome to go under 20 -- and you did that by pulling out the most amazing (and long) kick! It’s really fun to see you finding that speed gear at the end of races and your grit and determination engage it for sure. You are a fierce (and kind) competitor and you are setting such a good example for your teammates. This was a big PR on the Twilight course for you -- 25 seconds faster than freshman year. You should take great confidence from both your fitness and your racing instincts -- you are on your way to a great second half of your Senior season!
Dashe: 20:24.7, 21st place, 1st Mile: 6:14, Overall pace: 6:34
What a strong performance that was so central to the 4th place team finish. Top 25 in this very good field -- you would have been the top runner on most of the teams in the race. Excellent job getting out good and hard and managing the general mayhem at the start of a big race like this. You looked calm and in control and like you were focused on running your race -- which is so key! And, my oh my, what a kick you found. That entire long downhill and the “island” loop, you were just running so tough and then once you hit the finish arches you were flying. You caught several in that last stretch -- and that made the difference. Congrats!
Payten: 22:35.9, 65th place, 1st Mile: 7:01, Overall pace: 7:16
Varsity at Twilight -- and a scoring runner on the 4th place team at Twilight. Tuck that one away in the data file for when you ever question what you are capable of. I know those shins and hips really hurt - and that is, no doubt, the only thing that kept you from another PR. It was another super solid 22 minute effort, however, and there’s no question you are just racing in another league than ever before. Excellent job getting out right where you needed to be and then just taking each phase of the race as it unfolded. I’m so hoping your body heals enough to keep this season going for you -- it’s too fun to watch you just get better and better.
Ayeanna: 23:05.4, PR, 77th place, 1st Mile: 7:04, Overall pace: 7:26
So much to like about this race! A PR, of course. And a pretty big one at that -- more than 20 seconds worth. Plus, you threw yourself into the mix in that first mile, going out strong with Payten, and I’ll contend that set you up to feel good and fast and that’s what made the final PR possible. You also ran that last mile super tough, closing the race with a whole bunch of spring in your step. Best of all, you said it felt good and you were an awesome captain, celebrating with others and checking in with everyone. A good day for the memory books.
Sandra: 23:46.10, PR, 97th place, 1st Mile: 7:24, Overall pace: 7:39
Yes! Another PR and another excellent racing performance. Thank you for trusting us to get you out harder in that first mile. You went out almost 30 seconds faster than you did in Okanogan and that launched you into a different race entirely! And, you were still passing people in that second half of the race and especially on that long downhill going into the last half mile. Keep trusting yourself at the start -- you have excellent running form and a fitness base getting deeper and deeper every week.
1B/2B-2A VARSITY BOYS: 199 Finishers. 4th place out of 30 complete teams. Squalicum 73, Sehome 104, Cedarcrest 125, LBHS 150, Anacortes 164. This is our best team finish in five tries at this meet! In 2018 and 2019 we were 14th, and in 2017 we were 5th with 211 points -- a year in which we went on to finish 2nd at the 1B/2B state meet in Pasco.
Will: 16:48.5, 9th place, 1st Mile: 5:09, Overall pace: 5:25
The best individual finish enroute to the best team finish that we have ever had at this meet. Also a FAST first mile that will mimic in many ways the first mile at state (and really 16:48 is nothing to sneeze at either). But throw out the time (which is always relative to something and just consider this a race well run. Maybe you could have gotten out a little quicker - just to be closer to that front group of 5 - but at the same time your patient move from 20+ at 800m to the 12-13 spot by the mile looked controlled and smart. With a 5:09 split you certainly weren’t out “slow”. Turnover looked in both the arms and legs looked good and the look in your eyes was always focused on the runners just ahead. I missed that final kick stretch to the finish, but you must have held ground or passed people, so really a terrific race all around and the kind of overall effort that should definitely put you in the battle for top 10 spots at State.
Graham: 17:13.5, PR, 23rd place, 1st Mile: 5:20, Overall pace: 5:33
35 seconds faster than freshman year and spot on pacing for that top 25 that we’d talked about on the bus. I’m sure that you were pressing for every place and second that you could get, but I do think that the darker race conditions slowed everyone down just a bit -- maybe 10-15 seconds -- just because it was slightly harder to judge your footing and really trust your speed. Regardless of the time, it was a really excellent race. Great to follow Carter and then you basically returned the favor by giving him a great option to follow in that final mile. This kind of pack running will make us great and hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can get Aksel and Isaiah to push up a little closer to you all at the start as well.
Carter: 17:28.9, PR, 32nd place, 1st Mile: 5:18, Overall pace: 5:38
Quite solidly one minute faster than freshman year and as noted your charge from the start was the perfect pacing for both you and Graham for sure. Really glad that you experimented with a bold beginning. Your legs will keep adjusting to the lactate and it will factor in less and less in the final couple of races. The clarity of competition between us and Pope John Paul, St. Georges, and Asotin + maybe a few other teams will start to crystalize in the next couple of weeks. However, if we can be scary aggressive like that in the first mile and hold strong in the final stretch, we will put some serious hurt on those other teams. Our meet this weekend will be a little more low-key, but we can try this again at Moses Lake. Well done!
Aksel: 17:36.7, PR, 38th place, 1st Mile: 5:29, Overall pace: 5:40
3rd race in a row sub-17. Awesome consistency and tenacious second half running. At the next two meets we want to get you and Isaiah out a little closer to the Carter/Graham group. Impressive as usual your ability to just crank it up at the end. Your instant response to my “time to kick” call was awesome -- even if it was a little far out. Next time just get close with 400m to go and then launch that final push in the last 200m. 38th place and a new PR in your first Twilight race is really great!
Isaiah: 18:05.7, 58th place, 1st Mile: 5:31, Overall pace: 5:50
Awesome kick x two! Both in the race and in the man vs. machine of the costume dash :) When you really open up, stand tall, drive those arms and get those legs to follow you have serious speed!! Another solid race and such a fun team effort for sure. I also appreciated your positive input in the pre-race boy’s chat. Great that you and Aksel were able to work together/find each other in that opening mile. Next Saturday at home it will be MUCH smaller, so let’s practice again going out as a tighter group with Graham and Carter. Then at Moses Lake we can practice again in a bigger field. This is all good prep for State where as you remember from last time you want to be up in that group and a little more connected (not necessarily leading) to the front in that opening mile.
Jackson: 18:42.1, 86th place, 1st Mile: 5:50, Overall pace: 6:01
20:05 in 2019, so basically a 1:15-1:20 kind of improvement which is super solid. Really great Jackson, and you made that happen by launching yourself into the race and going for it from the start! You just earned yourself some slightly faster pacing in workouts too :) but as per usual we will hold off on any real changes for another week or so. You are still running into shape a bit, adapting to the length of races etc.. It will be fun to show off an impressive LBHS pack again in front of the home crowd this coming weekend and it will also be similar to Okanogan where you can more easily chase the front of the race and keep practice pushing that early mile. Keep up the great work!
Tristan: 19:20.1, 116th place, 1st Mile: 5:58, Overall pace: 6:13
A step back in the saddle again after Okanogan and basically similar to your excellent freshman year performance at Twilight… but I DO think that this year ran at least 10-15 seconds slower because of the dark. You are feeling better, looking snappier, and totally ready to break 19 in the next two races. You didn’t crack 19 until Districts freshman year and you will be ready for the low 18’s by State for sure. Quite the crazy crowded start at Twilight. It will be easier to pack up with Jackson both at home and the Moses Lake meet in the next two weeks. Keep thinking light on your feet, relaxed and fast. Any strange dizzy feelings at all or were you totally fine on that front?
Dexter, Taro, Little ‘T’ Hover: Some great racing by your LBHS teammates but we hope that you all are on the mend, feeling better and that you will be excited to join them in another week or two.
