New training!

Hey Girls,

I've left you alone for some time. This was by design, because I think you need a break after a long season. It's now time to start thinking about the spring track season.

Some of you have been running a bit. That's good! There probably hasn't been a lot of structure about it though, and that's what we need to start creating.

If you are in a sport, stay in it. That's your training. If you are not in a sport, let's get going!

We want to start with the mileage first. Assuming you girls have been running a bit, you'll want to start edging it up. Track doesn't need as many total miles per week as cross, but it won't be that much less.

Let's say you've been running 3 miles three days per week. Let's start by adding a day. Let that go for two weeks, then add another day. Stay there for two weeks. After that, take a couple of the days up to 4 miles. Two weeks, then add a couple more days of 4 miles. Once you have five days of 4 miles per day, you will be at a good level to jump off for track.

Track will be more intense than cross. The overall speed is much greater, which is good for those of you with good natural speed. However, you still need to be strong. You need a good base over the winter so you will be ready for the higher stress of the daily track workouts. The stronger you are, the less likely you are to be hurt when the real speedwork begins.

The main thing is you must run. You must run consistently. This will work best if you meet with others. Try to set a schedule where you can meet together. Believe me, as the weather turns colder and nastier, it gets really hard to head out the door. If someone is counting on you, the chances are much greater you'll go.

I am available to train with you any time you want. I don't think it's my place at this point to run the track preseason training officially, so I won't set a hard schedule for you. I do not want to run afoul of coach Lambrecht! Kathy Hammel would also gladly train with you, especially if you want to run Spring Mill.

Get out there and run!

Banquet December 6th

Ladies,

Okay, change of plans. The banquet will be December 6th, regardless of whether or not we join the boys. Mark it on your calendar. Simply put, it's a day we can all meet without a school event conflict. I will try to nail down (with Coach Hiles) where we will do this, so stay tuned.

We'll need to get those uniforms in, too. A couple of you have done so already, but I need the rest.

The yearbook is done, and I have to say I like how it turned out. I still have time to get more pictures in if you want to get them to me. CD format works best. Let me know and we can try to get together.

DONUT RUN!
Ladies, how many plan to do it? This year they are Krispy Kreme, the official donut of all donut races. You won't want to miss out! I will make sure you get a shirt one way or another, though the order has been placed. I have been instructed to tell you there will be race-day registration, if needed.

An alternative plan

Ladies,

There is a chance we may change the dinner.

I was contacted yesterday by Coach Hiles. He is planning for a December 6th dinner. This is still a Thursday, and would avoid any athletic competition. That's a plus, because we have one athlete at least who cannot attend next Thursday. Additionally, we would likely have more room for parents.

The drawback of course is it would be less "just us", which may or may not be an issue in your minds. It would also mean we would have to listen to the boys' awards as they are given. I don't have a problem with that, I support both programs, but you should know it heading in.

So here's the thing... are you interested in sharing the night with the boys? Would you rather do it with just us? Would we need to pick a night everyone can come?

Please, ladies, I need an answer on this one. If you don't state a preference, I will make the choice. Nobody needs THAT to happen...

Banquet

Ladies,

The yearbooks are all but done - all I need are some pictures. They aren't necessary, they'd just make it nicer. I am limited on my photo collection because I was... well, coaching.

The banquet is beginning to look iffy. I have sent numerous e-mails concerning an event, and to be honest, the response has been underwhelming. I know you're all busy, and many have moved on to other sports or activities. It may just be a case of there being too much to do to get it done. I hope I'm wrong, but as I haven't really gotten a strong response, I can only assume I'm not.

Right now I'm inclined to say I will be sitting at Mr. Gatti's in a booth, eating pizza, if anyone wants to show up on Thursday, November 15th, 7 PM. If not, I'll eat my pizza, go jump in the balloon room for a while, cry softly in a corner, then go home. If you can rest with that on your conscience, go ahead. (the jumping in the balloon room part, not the crying)

This is for you, ladies. I would still love to meet with you once more, but if it can't happen, it can't. So, unless I hear something different, my aforementioned plan is the plan. There is still time for some of you to make other plans (if you hold a religious objection to Mr. Gatti's or pizza in general).

We cannot extend beyond November 15th. Winter sports will begin competition, and the chances of us being able to meet beyond that point will be highly unlikely. 

Post season

Ladies,

How did it feel today, being off? Relax, you've earned it. Take some time completely off, let your bodies heal. Two weeks off running won't hurt you.

After that, consider training again. Start slow. Three miles a day would be plenty, certainly no more. Gradually build it up to five miles a day over the next few weeks.

Find a team member, arrange to meet regularly. If you don't, you won't run. Trust me. It works best when you have one another.

How you guys come out in track, indeed, how far you go in State series, will depend on what you do between now and then. Be consistent; endurance athletics are unforgiving of sporadic training.

Kathy would love to train with you. If you are so inclined, by all means, do it. I will train with groups of you, but as you might guess, I will not meet individuals for training. It would not be proper.

As for the dinner on Thursday, no details yet. I will try again tomorrow to find out the particulars. Regardless, I will want the opportunity to sit down one more time with you ladies in the very near future. We also have to turn in uniforms, of course. ;)

Regional

Ladies,

I told you before the meet; no matter what, no matter how the day went, I was already proud of you. I haven't changed my mind at all on that point. I am.

You were asked to go out and give it your all. You did. Perhaps one or two didn't stick to plan, but it wasn't through lack of desire to compete or a lack of effort.

A couple were sick. One was up late last night nauseous, another had an asthma attack on the course. These things happen, and often at the most inopportune times.

Look, the reality was we needed a perfect day, and we needed Salem to have a bad day. Salem had a somewhat bad day, ours was simply worse. If we were to run the race again tomorrow it could easily reverse. Nothing we can do about that.

The thing that is not mitigated by any other circumstance is how hard you tried. Ladies, that's all you had. I know it, I believe it. And I'm proud, win or lose, you threw it out there.

Those aren't empty words. I live by them. Almost to an event, and I mean both athletic and non-athletic, my life's successes are often preceded by a failure. I may not fully understand what it takes to do a particular thing, and when I fail, I examine what happened, what I did right, what I did wrong, and I resolve to fix the things that went wrong. I stare right into the face of my own weakness, face it, and conquer it.

This was not a failure today. This was falling short of a goal. Please, please do not look at it as a failing. Some of you are too young in running to realize this is not the way it goes normally. You don't see this many people on ice, on bikes, cutting miles, etc. No! This is a banged-up team. We weren't able to do everything necessary for us to escape our hard Sectional, much less get through an even tougher Regional.

Truth? When I heard about the realignment, and once I saw how hurt you girls were, I didn't expect to survive Sectional. That was way back in JUNE! There were many times along the way it seemed that notion was reinforced. And yet, somehow, you did get through Sectional, and better than that, improved a great deal by the end.

How well? Every single girl in Sectional was under 23:10. Our top-5 were nearing 22:00 and under. This was a massive improvement over the course of the year. And, let's not forget, we put several girls on the All-Time Top-25 board. All-Time. You might think you did poorly, but truth is, you outperformed your training.

Where do we go from here? I need a few days to digest that. Of course you girls should participate in winter sports, and if you do, play that sport. Give everything to that sport. But if you're not, you need to train. Not just running; you can do anything that will improve you as an athlete. Cycle, lift, swim, P90X, I don't care, but train. Everything adds up!

We'll be talking about spring track before you know it, and you girls have the foundation for an outstanding distance group on the track, plus a few relays. State meet? I surely think so!

The breakdown

Ladies,

Examining the top 5 runners of both Salem and BNL yields an interesting point or two. Let me share them with you.

First, let's look at total time. If you add the total time of Salem, you get 1:08:10. Our total time was 1:09:07. Time differential, 57 seconds. That 57 seconds was worth 8 points. Obviously, we have to find a way to close that time.

Let's start with Danielle. Hate to lay the heat on you, but you have a big job. You have to run a smart race, dig in, and do something special. As I've often said to Carrie, you can do anything she can. If Carrie can break 21, and I think she can, so can you. This is the gig girls... 6:45 pace takes you under 21. You can do it. You must do it.

Retaining focus on Danielle, that's 28 seconds of the 57 erased. That's a great start. As captain, as one of the most experienced runners in the race, you have to step up to the task.

Carrie, you have to control that first mile also. 6:46 should be an easy thing to do, especially when you guys consider you were doing 800s at 6:08 pace. Think about that. Let it soak in. 6:46 will feel like a relative cruise. You only have to run 2 hard miles. 9 more seconds gone, 37 of 57 wiped out.

Shelby, 7-minute pace would be terrific. That would give you 21:40. I am setting a cautious goal for you, because your health has to be respected. If you hit 7-minute pace, you will net a 33-second drop. We are now ahead of Salem by 13 seconds.

Alli, that was a pretty solid run time-wise, but I think you could do the 7-minute pace, too. 24 more seconds gone, and we are ahead by 37 seconds.

Keeley, you have to make up your mind that anything Alli and Shelby can do, you can do. Don't get ahead of them until late in the race, if ever. That's another 33 seconds in the bag, and now we have 70 seconds advantage on Salem.

Morgan and Chloe, 7:15-7:20 pace is where you should start. Not one step faster! This will break 22 for both of you, and if things get close - and they might - your tie-breaker times will be critical.

Okay, sounds easy, right? Not really. We probably won't get it all for a variety of reasons, but if we can get most of it, and if Salem doesn't have the stellar night they had the other night, we beat them. Trust me on this one, girls... I've watched races for a long time, have raced myself for a long time, and I know what these girls are doing... the top three Salem girls will chase the front because they can't count on getting out as a team. Sydney Calhoun might, but the other two won't. That practically guarantees they'll blow up, because there'll be four State power teams there. The quality on the front will be too great for them to chase without a price.

What we have to be very careful about is that we don't get sucked into the front too. Our whole race plan turns on this point, ladies. We have to control that first mile.

It's as we thought

Click for full-size picture

Ladies,

I've just been looking over the Terre Haute Sectional results, and from what I can tell, and assuming they ran on the State course (I'm sure they did), our calculations look to be correct. If you can beat Salem, you will go to Semi-State.

That has to be your focus for the next few days... beat green. Beat that green DOWN! Man... makes me want to break into song...


Ahem...

When I find myself in a spot of trouble, Kathy Ham-mel runs to me, Screaming words of wisdom, Beat the green. 

And in my hour of darkness, She is yelling, Right in front of me, Screaming words of wisdom, Beat the green. 

Beat the green, beat the green, Beat the green, beat the green, They're Kathy's words of wisdom, Beat the green.

(Apologies to Paul McCartney and Kathy Hammel)

Controlled first mile. She-Hulk the last two miles. It's all or nothing now.

Take tomorrow off. See  you on Friday, after school, short run. Saturday's race starts at 10:30 AM, so we will meet at the course at 9:30.

Click for full-size picture

Sectional Results

Ladies,

Let me just start by saying I can't think of many ways I could be more pleased. One way I suppose I could be happier is if I hit the lottery multi-million dollar jackpot. Another might be if my daughter got a full-ride scholarship to Harvard. Short of that, I'm pretty pleased with tonight!

Let's hit the numbers, and examine what they tell us.

Runner	800	Mile 1	Mile 2		Mile 3		Last 10th		5k
Carrie	3:00:00	6:24:00	13:19:00	6:55:00	20:22:00	7:03:00	0:47:00	6:16:00	21:09:00	6:49:21
Danielle	3:00:00	6:24:00	13:18:00	6:54:00	20:32:00	7:14:00	0:56:00	7:28:00	21:28:00	6:55:29
Shelby	3:02:00	6:39:00	13:53:00	7:14:00	21:17:00	7:24:00	0:56:00	7:28:00	22:13:00	7:10:00
Keeley	3:02:00	6:39:00	14:00:00	7:21:00	21:21:00	7:21:00	0:52:00	6:56:00	22:13:00	7:10:00
Alli	3:02:00	6:39:00	13:49:00	7:10:00	21:08:00	7:19:00	0:56:00	7:28:00	22:04:00	7:07:06
Morgan	3:15:00	6:56:00	14:35:00	7:39:00	22:11:00	7:36:00	0:53:00	7:04:00	23:04:00	7:26:27
Chloe	3:20:00	7:04:00	14:41:00	7:37:00	22:16:00	7:35:00	0:53:00	7:04:00	23:09:00	7:28:04

As you can see, five of the seven girls either had their best ever race or season best tonight. That's really great news all by itself. It gets better. Carrie improved 23 seconds, and over 2 minutes since the start of the year; Keeley improved 16 seconds, 3:42 from the start; Alli improved 30 seconds, and 1:32 since the start; Morgan dropped 28 seconds from her best time of 23:32 in the first meet, and; Chloe lopped 44 seconds off her previous best, and 3:05 since the start.

That is outstanding news. You see, normal progression from start to finish on a season is around 30-45 seconds drop. Of course that would be considering an experienced runner, which many of you are not, but still, dropping the kind of time you girls have over this season, especially with the trouble you've had... well, that's just impressive.

And there's more to get.

Look at those 800s. Insane. INSANE! The front girls were supposed to be at 3:20. I guess Chloe was the first BNL girl tonight, because she was the only one close to it. Hmmm... and she should have been at 7:30 pace! By the numbers, those paces are 6:00, 6:00, 6:04, 6:04, 6:04, 6:30, and 6:40. Gulp!

Now watch how that takes effect. If you split Carrie and Danielle's first mile into halves, what do you get? 6-flat and 6:48 halves. Is that smart? Nope. The next mile was a much more realistic 6:55, but look how hard it was to hold that third mile. That's what happens if you take that first 800 so hard.

Look, it's like this - as you move along in State series, the quality of the competition moves up. There will be faster and faster girls on the front. You get used to being in a certain position in regular races, but these aren't regular races. You have to let that front go. You have to be able to look at the ground, listen to your feet and breathing, and get on your pace. The first girls went through the 800 tonight in 5:20 pace. No one, and I mean NO ONE held that. Let them burn themselves out! Run your race, and you will be better off.

Salem beat us by 8 points tonight. That's nothing, and is easily coverable. Guess what they will do Saturday? Exactly what they did tonight... chase the front. Let them. That will play into our hands IF we run our races. Control the first mile, go crazy after that. Tactically, we have to run within ourselves, let the other teams blow up, then pick up the pieces. That's our ticket out.

Good news? It'll be a much easier start to the race than you had tonight. Bad news? You have to beat Salem to get out. Have. To. There is no beating either Bloomington or Terre Haute teams. There is only one spot up for grabs.

It's yours, ladies. You can do this!

Sectional Eve

Ladies,

It's here. The moment we've waited for is here.

Tomorrow, we have to be on. We have to run a smart first mile, but after that, it's an all-out fight to the finish. Shirts matter, every single shirt, no matter who you are or where you're at in the race. We're going for third, and we really need it.

You should be feeling fresh and maybe a bit antsy. It may be hard to sleep tonight. Do your best. Even if you don't sleep well, don't worry about it; the real important sleep is the night before the night before. Ask any racer, and they'll tell you, few sleep the night before a big race.

We'll meet at 4:30 tomorrow, giving us an hour before we race at 5:30. Make sure you have all your equipment packed and ready tomorrow. Bring a long sleeve shirt for warm-up. You might even bring a hat to help keep you warm up to the race. Heat is energy, ladies.

I'll see you ladies tomorrow!

And now, it gets fun again

Ladies,

I don't care what anyone says, taper is fun.

You feel fresh. You feel rested. You feel like you want to run fast. Practice is fun. It's all so... easy. You even begin to wish it would never end.

The down side is you also feel pain you didn't know you had before. This is normal. Running gives you a natural anesthetic called endorphin. Endorphins mask regular pain, so when you run less, the regular pain comes back. Don't worry about it, everyone goes through it.

You'll also feel bloated a bit. That too is normal. You can't gain much weight in the short time you're resting. Eat as normal.

Rest as much as possible. No new activities until the season is over! This is very important... you'll feel like doing anything/everything. Resist, and rest as much as you can.

No practice tomorrow... I mean it, total rest. We'll run Saturday, 8 AM at Parkview (pancake breakfast afterward?). Monday evening we are working the Middle School Invite, so practice will happen right before the meet (short run).

It's all in ladies. Now all you have to do is make history!

Getting easier

Enjoy. Enjoy enjoy ENJOY! This is the part of the season that is best, when you cut back the miles and begin to rest. You feel better. The sun shines brighter. It's just... better.

Be careful, though. This is not the time to pick up another activity because you have energy and time to kill. Oh, no! This is the time to rest. In fact, it's the only thing you can do to impact your next race at all. We'll run enough to keep loose and keep the feel of running, but beyond that, nothing hard.

Except tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll do a few quarters - few, as in no more than 4. We just want to tap the speed one last time before Sectional, then rest. Yes, hard quarters, but tons of rest between. One at a time.

I'm also hearing news about some kind of dinner. I haven't been given specifics, and it it's supposed to happen and one of your parents know about it, you might want to relay the information to me. Soon.

Speaking of other engagements, Monday night is the final Middle School Meet (tm) of the year. We are working it! More details later, but guess who the world-class timer is? ME! You ladies will be the shoot workers - I mean, CHUTE workers. (Remember, offer assistance from the side, never directly in front. The front is the splash zone!)

Those photos we took today will be whisked off to Mrs. Barrett, who is working with Artistic Images for a Sectional surprise. I don't know what it is specifically, so we'll have to wait until then to see.

What a mess!

Clockwise: Chloe, Locki, Danielle, Alli, Diana,
Lauren, Shelby, Hanna, Summer, Keeley,
Carrie, Bret, Morgan

We all knew the course would be a hard one - after all, we'd already discussed the big hill. What we hadn't considered was what a horrible mess the course would be in after the rain. Wow! To me, this qualified as the messiest course we've run this year. That is saying a lot, because Brown County was a swamp.

I started to work out the splits, but you know what? I stopped. Maybe it's because it's late. Nah. Maybe I'm tired. Yes, but that's not it. No, I stopped because they don't matter.

The course is short. It's also in horrible shape, the terrain is uneven, and the huge hill (the signature feature of the course) all make for splits that can't possibly be used for any real analysis. No, in a race like this, you don't run for time - you run for place.

I thought we did a very nice job in that department. We had three girls in the top-15, all 5 scorers in the top-20, so that was good. We were within 14 points of Jasper, a team that demolished us last week. And, not the least, we finished 2nd.

So what's left? Sectional! The regular season is over now, and everything we've worked for is now come to this one race. It's a bittersweet moment, because I now have to select the 7 runners that will run Varsity. There will be no JV race, so tonight was the last night some of you girls will race.

Back to the Varsity... a moment ago, I said "I now have to select the 7 runners that will run Varsity." That's not exactly true... you did. You've already done it. The runners with the 7 fastest times this season will be the squad. Barring the unforeseen, that's the fairest way to do it. Having double-checked the numbers, this is what I have:

Danielle
Carrie
Shelby
Keeley
Alli
Morgan
Chloe

1st Alt. - Locki
2nd Alt. - Diana
3rd Alt. - Bret

I'm sorry to have to choose, but it was always going to come to this. Do not feel bad if you didn't make the list. I'm so proud of all you girls, beginning to end. Things didn't always go the way we wanted or hoped, especially in the realm of health, but I do believe you gave me an honest effort. Hold your heads up - your best is all you can ever give.

You are of course welcome to workout with the Sectional runners and alternates. I would be happy to keep seeing you, and I'm sure the girls would too. This is voluntary, however.

Tomorrow will be an easy and short practice. See you all then.

Northeast Dubois Invitational

Ladies,

Tomorrow is our last regular season meet. It's the Northeast Dubois (pronounced "Doo-BWAH") County Invitational. It's hosted by Northeast Dubois High School, not in Jasper. I think I have it nailed down now.

I do know some details. To whit:

JV Boys and Girls run at 5:45.
Varsity Girls run at 6:15. Ish. You know 1/2 hour won't be enough separation.
Varsity Boys run at 6:50.

We'll see Princeton, Shoals, Jasper, Loogootee, Techumseh, NE Dubois, Southridge, Forest Park, South Spencer, Tell City, Washington Cathedral, and Washington.

Top-5 runners get trophies, 6-20 get medals.

Okay, that's pretty much all I have at the moment. It's enough. We'll get there, we'll have plenty of time to warm up, so don't sweat it. Sure, I want you by the pool ASAP after school, but aside from that, we have nothing to worry about. We'll follow the boys' team down, Hiles knows where to go.

As for the course, it's mostly flat, but there is a beast of a hill in the middle. It's simply the hardest hill you'll run all year. No use sugar-coating it. It's tough. It's also an opportunity. Every girl that runs that hill will dread it. Use that mental weakness to your advantage. Make up your mind that, the second you crest, you're going to lay on the gas for 40 yards. Open a gap, and likely as not, it will stick. It will be slapping your opponent at their weakest possible moment, and it might be the difference in the race.

Who will run varsity? Here's the list as I see it right now:

• Danielle
• Carrie
• Shelby
• Keeley
• Alli
• Morgan
• Chloe

JV will be as follows:

• Locki (first alternate)
• Diana (second alternate)
• Bret
• Lauren
• Hanna

Obviously this is subject to change. I will say this; this is absolutely the last chance to change the Sectional line up. Assuming you all run, the seven fastest runners will run Sectional. 

A word on Sectional, who runs, and misplaced chivalry... I know by this point in the season you are all tired of running. Some of you want it to be over, you don't want to run another race, etc. This is normal. It's okay to feel that way. It says you've been pushed, and you are tired. I'm okay with that, I can relate, really. Every athlete feels like this sooner or later. That said, you still have to fight for the position. You still have a job to do, it's what you spent the whole season preparing to do, and each and every one of you should fight for the honor of being on that Sectional roster. 

I've seen hints of some of you (okay, outright examples) trying to do the chivalrous thing and offer your spot you've earned to another person. That makes great television, but it doesn't pan in real life. You want to be a great teammate? Do your very best, run the spot you earned, and pass every shirt you can. This isn't about making a BFF, it's about moving your team as far as it can go. You can be BFFs outside of the event. Your team needs the best athlete to run, and if that's you, that's you. 

I like to end with personal anecdotes, so let me offer another. When I first started running, one of my friends asked me what time I'd like to ultimately run (for 5k). I thought about it a moment, then said, "15:30". He looked me up and down for a moment, silently considering what I'd said, then said, and I quote, "Bill, you might wind up being one of the best runners in Lawrence County some day, but I don't know about 15 and a half." He was trying to be kind, because that was a pretty lofty goal. 

A couple of years later, I was in the final stretch of a long season. I routinely trained 24 weeks for a peak race, logging 75-85 miles a week in many two-a-day sessions, weekly long runs, secondary long runs mid-week. On top of that, I would have to train much of it alone, as there weren't many people with the same goals as mine. Naturally by the end I was burnt out and ready for the break.

Each season ended with a 4-race series, each race becoming progressively more focused (and painful), building to the big race. In this particular season, I had broken 16:00 in the first race, 15:50 in the second, and in the third, ran 15:40.something. That's significant, because if I had run 15:30-anything, I would have considered it close enough. In fact, I wanted it to happen in the third race, because I didn't want to run the fourth. I was tired. 

It didn't happen. By less than a quarter second it didn't happen. I was crushed. I didn't feel I had another week in me, that I would likely go slower. Still, I'd committed to going for it. I had done all the work. Who knows when I'd be healthy enough again? There was no choice, I had to do it.

The following week, I told myself if I wasn't at sub-5 minute pace at mile 1, I'd pull off. Mile 1, 4:58. I'd told myself if I wasn't sub-10 minutes at mile 2, I'd pull off. Mile 2, 9:58. Crap, now I was stuck. I had to go for it. Mile 3 was slightly slower, 5:03, but the last tenth was right on pace. Final time was 15:33, close enough to the life goal. I was absolutely gassed, but also absolutely happy that I had gone ahead and tried. 

Now comes the twist - it turns out I would never be healthy enough to challenge this time ever again. I developed a debilitating heel spur right after this point, and for all intents and purposes my 5k racing career ended. Had I caved and not gone ahead with that last race, I would never have run as fast. I would have regretted that decision forever. 

You all have abilities - now - but you don't know how long it will last. Never take it for granted, because all too soon the time passes. Make the most of your right now, RIGHT NOW. Remember, racing often comes down to who wants it most. Of course it's not easy! Understand this, master it, and use it to your advantage. To me, knowing my opponent is weak gives me strength. Know this: all runners are tired at this point, and weak. Seize the opportunity!

HHC

Ladies,

Let's get right into it.

Runner	1	2		3		Final 10th		5k
Danielle	6:37:00	13:34:00	6:57:00	20:38:00	7:04:00	0:46:00	6:08:00	21:24:00	6:54:12
Carrie	6:37:00	13:51:00	7:14:00	21:07:00	7:16:00	0:47:00	6:16:00	21:54:00	7:03:52
Alli	6:59:00	14:21:00	7:22:00	21:44:00	7:23:00	0:50:00	6:40:00	22:34:00	7:16:46
Shelby	6:58:00	14:21:00	7:23:00	21:44:00	7:23:00	0:51:00	6:48:00	22:35:00	7:17:06
Morgan	7:03:00	14:47:00	7:44:00	22:44:00	7:57:00	0:53:00	7:04:00	23:37:00	7:37:06
Chloe	7:20:00	15:08:00	7:48:00	23:01:00	7:53:00	0:52:00	6:56:00	23:53:00	7:42:15
Bret	7:41:00	16:07:00	8:26:00	24:35:00	8:28:00	0:54:00	7:12:00	25:29:00	8:13:14

Okay, you were all out quickly.That's fine, that's what needs to happen (with minor adjustments for a couple of you). What can't happen is the big drop-off in the second mile. We'll be resting a great deal this week - you won't believe how easy practice is going to be - and we should see an improvement in your ability to hold pace.

A comment for each of you:

Danielle - great race. Your time might not be your best time, but you raced the whole race. You were passing shirts until the end, and had the race gone on another half mile you might have gotten 7th. Congratulations on getting Honorable Mention!

Carrie - as we discussed, mile two is where you have to mentally knuckle down. You're great on the closing sprint. You're great on the final stretch. Remember, you are the same runner throughout the race. When you catch people in a race, keep going, because you will be slowing down with them if you settle into their pace. Catch, pass. Catch, pass. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Alli - Great race! You're almost there, almost ready to crack into the 21's and lower. Try not to get kicked this week, and who knows what might happen!

Shelby - I know you're frustrated, but health issues like this are never instantly resolved. Have faith. We'll figure out how to use that inhaler. You did a great job in spite of the trouble you're having.

Morgan - way to go! If all you do is hold even it will be a victory. You almost had your best time, so hey, we're getting there. Better still, your time seemed to be impacted more from stomach cramps than legs, so that is another positive step.

Chloe - PR! That was a big one too, more than 30 seconds. Imagine, just imagine, your side wasn't cramping. eh? EH?!

Bret - You took your shot. You weren't able to hold the pace, but you went for it the first mile. Now dig in that second mile! One mile at a time!

Extending that idea... notice how some of you tear it up on the 800s, but struggle on the tempo/race distances. Think it's the distance that makes it harder? Wrong. It's the way you segment your running that makes all the difference.

Your body will take the pain of running, if you will it to do so. You aren't doing anything injurious, you are doing something uncomfortable, albeit very uncomfortable. That means you won't hurt yourself by enduring the pain. So? That's actually a pretty big deal

You see, slowing down is a decision for the most part. You decide you can't take it anymore. You decide you don't want to hurt any longer. You decide what is happening now is good enough, even if you could go harder. Search yourself. You know it's true.

Carrie was speaking near me when she realized she was only 2 places away from Honorable Mention today, and worse, she'd passed the girls who took her spot. This is going to eat her for days, because she knows she could have had the spot. Eight seconds was all she needed. Eight seconds.

Using this as the perfect example, here's what I would be thinking if I were Carrie:

1. First, I run with Danielle every day, step-for-step. No way she should be able to get away from me in a race. Won't happen again.
2. Second, once I pass someone, they stay passed. That's my rule from now on. 
3. Third, my second mile was the point the race got away. I may make a lot of mistakes in the next race, but there is one I won't make; letting the second mile drop away like that. That's a major focus for my future racing.

I hope you all realize I'm not beating up on Carrie by discussing it this way. Far from it! This is a process I use on my own racing, indeed I would say any thoughtful endurance athlete would do. You have to recognize your weaknesses to fix them. They don't magically go away, they must be dealt with, directly and decisively. 

I also want to say I felt the course was not a particularly fast one. I wasn't sure after the girls' race, so I set the watch to the boys' race. Sure enough, Arthur was only in the 16:20 range, and Lane slower than that by another 20 seconds or so. These boys were on the edge of 16 flat just a week ago on our course, a hard one. So... I'm not sure what it was about it, but fast it wasn't. That means if you were at or near your best time, you did a truly outstanding job. My guess is it was probably 20-25 seconds off our course times. 

Now for fun...

I was trying to fulfill my contractual obligations with McDonald's, Timex, and Geezer Jock by snapping a photo of a pretty snazzy looking, athletic, older gentleman sipping a McDonald's Diet Coke. It was going pretty well, I thought I had the job done, then I looked over my shoulder. 

Critique of the photo bomb: Excellent placement. The lighting was used to advantage, highlighting the eyes and expression. Slight demerit for not getting the mouth in, which would have allowed a completely moronic expression (always worth extra points), but otherwise a pretty good example of how to do it right. Grade: A-

Conference!

First, the details.

• Meet at the pool 6:20 AM
• Leave BNL at 6:30 AM
• Arrive at course by 8 AM
• Walk the course, warm-up
• Race at 9 AM
• Awards at 10:15 AM
• Be back to BNL by 1 PM

Yeah, I know it's an early start, but we want to be there in time to not be rushed. At all. 

Another thing - we won't run JV. Period. I don't care if they do wind up having a JV race (there isn't one listed on the info pack), I don't want anyone running it. Those that aren't racing are resting, with the exception of the alternates. 

There is a small change to the line up tomorrow:

1. Danielle
2. Carrie
3. Shelby
4. Alli
5. Morgan
6. Locki
7. Chloe

Alt. Bret

Alt. Diana

Here's the reality we face in the next two weeks - we are not healthy. I'm hoping as we reduce mileage things get better, but we must prepare for the possibility they won't. What does that mean? Take tomorrow. Keeley won't run, which hurts us a bit. But it doesn't have to. All of you girls are capable of moving up, and to be honest, you need to anyway. Sure, this makes it a bit harder, but you know something? Sometimes it takes an even bigger challenge to bring out the best in us. 

I attempted two Ironman competitions in my life. In the first one, I couldn't have been better trained. I was a machine throughout the lead up, ran terrific races, and looked like a lock. I did a half Ironman at the time which will likely stand as one of the best athletic events I've done in 35 years of endurance athletics. 

And I still died race day. DNF. Went into convulsive cramping halfway through the bike, and wound up on the ground in a writhing ball of agony. 

Of course I was disappointed at first, and vowed to not waste my time again. Then I thought about it. This only seemed impossible - after all, 2,000 people did it that day. There had to be a way to make it work. I might have done a great job training, but I would have to do a better job, and yes, face the challenge again. No way I was going out like that, no way I would have my daughters look at me like a quitter. 

That race wasn't going to beat me. I set my jaw, looked squarely at my weaknesses and determined what I had to do to overcome it. The focus went from what can go wrong to what can I control. One mindset is inherently negative, the other is positive. With a positive attitude and a strong conviction that you will do whatever it takes to accomplish a goal, there's really not much you can't do. 

The very next year, I was back, and the conditions were every bit as bad as the year before. It didn't matter. Was it tough? YES! But by focusing on the "right now", I was able to function and perform well. I didn't win, I didn't set records, but I was in control the whole way, and in Ironman, that's the ticket. 

What you ladies have before you tomorrow is your own personal Ironman - er, Ironwoman. Whether you're chasing an All-Conference (some of you are), Honorable Mention (some of you are), or simply improving your time, you all have to overcome your particular set of problems. What might they be? Inexperience? Training? Injury? Guess what? Very few athletes EVER show up to the starting line 100% .There is ALWAYS something wrong. Don't focus on that. Focus on what you can control. Pick three things to target, and take them, step-by-step. These are mini-goals that give you just enough carrot to keep moving forward. Do that, and the race will be over before you know it. 

The perfect race has to include total mastery of the body and mind. Keep your head in the game, and your body will follow.

Okay, split workout tomorrow. Split in that most of you will run or swim in the morning, the rest will run in the afternoon.

So far, Shelby, Bret, Morgan, and Lauren have opted for the PM. The rest have opted for morning.

In the morning, Hanna, Locki, Chloe, and Keeley should swim.

The rest of you ladies should run 3 miles.

Practice in the morning is 6:30 AM. Practice in the PM is after school. That takes care of that order of business.

We leave Saturday morning from the pool entrance at 6:30 AM. We will not run any JV race, regardless of whether or not coaches opt to do it (it's not currently on the schedule).

I've made the final call on the varsity squad. It was not an easy decision for a lot of reasons. It's tough to tell an athlete she won't be running. It hurts, I know it. You all want the slot, you all work hard. The fact is, some of you are hurt, and some of you are faster than others. I have to pick the girls that in the short term will give us the best chance to place highly and in the long term won't jeopardize State series. Hard choices must be made.

So, here's the line up.

1. Danielle
2. Carrie
3. Shelby
4. Alli
5. Morgan
6. Locki
7. Chloe

Alt. Bret

Alt. Keeley

These girls, all of them, need to be ready to race Saturday. Of the top-7, three have moderate issues with their health. If any of the top-7 cannot race, we pull up Bret. If two, it'll be Keeley.

Understand ladies, this isn't how I wish the decision would be made. I'd prefer everyone be healthy and you all duke it out, straight-up. It isn't so. This is the best we can do.

This doesn't mean we won't do well. We have a chance to do quite well as a team, and we certainly have girls ready to bust great times, and I think we will. Focus on that, and the rest takes care of itself. 

We are going to rest a great deal next week. We have a race on Tuesday, and I will likely sit out a few of you. After that - Sectional. 

A lot better!

Well, that sure went better today!

I can't say you gals enjoyed it, but I warned you, didn't I? Running in the water is not easy, it's not fun, but it does condition you. Sometimes it's the only training a runner can do. Imagine doing it every day for 8 weeks!

Hopefully today gave all of you the rest you needed without conceding training. I wanted a full hour of aerobic activity, and that's what we got. Between the running (half an hour), kicking, and swimming, you all did around 1500 yards. That's not a lot for a swimmer, but it's a ton for a runner. Good job!

We are handling the Middle School Invite tomorrow. The consensus of the team was we should meet at the pool at 4 PM, run 4-5 miles, then go to the meet. We will need to work the chute, monitor the course, and do whatever other ancillary activity Mr. Callahan deems necessary. We want the even to go as smoothly as possible for everyone. Afterwards, it might be a great idea to schmooze it up with the yunga gurlz. Make them feel welcome, fill them with empty promises like, I don't know, "I'll make you popular!" (instant classic, and one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time).

As for myself, I can't wait to see how my BMS kids run, in particular Chelsey and Zoe (of course). I also have my eye on a couple of other prospects, so stay tuned.

Up for consideration: Friday morning practice?

There have been better days

Ah, what a Renaissance man Ryan Gosling is!

I could have used some of that comfort after practice tonight... not a good one, not a good one at all.

I misspoke earlier when I said Sectional is three weeks from tonight - it's two weeks from tonight. A week from tonight is the Jasper Invite, and the following week is Sectional, ergo, two weeks.

What difference does it make? Plenty. I've pushed you guys to the breaking point, and perhaps beyond. Like it or not, taper has to begin sooner than later. I don't know if we have the base for a full two-week taper, but I do know you folks cannot take another hard week. If I have to choose the lesser of evils, I'll go with rest. You can't race at all with broken legs.

So tomorrow will be different - tomorrow, we run in the water. Well, not everyone. Danielle, Carrie, Shelby, you will run seven miles. The rest of you will run in the pool.

What?! Run in the pool?

Yup. One kick board under each arm and run back-and-forth the length of the pool. I'm not joking, I'm not making it up. It is commonly done with runners with stress fractures. We'll do some laps too, but count on running.

I mentioned progression before practice today, and some of you asked what I meant. I've been charting your progress, and for the most part we are moving ahead nicely. Let's see if I can lay a few out for you and explain them...

Danielle has shown steady growth. Notice how she started a bit over 22 minutes and has steadily lost time ever since? She's lost over 40 seconds from the start of the year, and that alone (assuming it stops there) would be a great season. She has a bunch more time in her, I think, and Sectional should be good to her. In any event, I don't think we've seen the best of her yet.

Shelby's graph is not a steady pattern. The trend was generally faster until the last week or so, and then there is a marked slowdown. This is health-related, and there finally has been a determination as to exactly what is wrong. I cannot disclose this information publicly, however we hope we have it resolved and we should see a return to growth.

Like Danielle, this chart shows great progress. It has tapered in the last few meets, but practice is another story. Carrie is about to experience another bust-out performance, trust me. We aren't even close to seeing what she can do yet.

Alli's quad is finally healthy. Too bad she's been kicked in the shin the last few soccer games. She is progressing in spite of everything, though we must wonder what might have been without the injury. No matter. Once this shin is done, Alli should bust into the 21's again.

Some days I want to hug her, some days I want to choke her, but there's no denying Keeley's ability. The key to improvement is more about next year than this one. Keeley, run more. Simple formula, run more. Fall cross is made in summer training. It's really hard to see what you can do without a good, full running base. That's all that's missing here. As progress goes, this is far better than could be expected, and a hint of what is possible.

Okay, this is the chart of someone who has spent the season injured. While it's true it shows no growth, it also doesn't show a decline. That's remarkable given the slim amount of running Morgan has been able to generate. She's tough, she's managed to ride enough to hold her own. I can't say enough about her dedication.

Locki does not come off as the most confident runner, and often her pre-race utterances are confined to what's wrong and how bad the race is going to be. Then, miracle! She improves in spite of it all. Truth is, all athletes do this to some degree before an event - get the excuses out of the way, then run like heck! The growth here is pretty steady by the way, and I don't think we're near the bottom yet.

Injured! The progression was great, and Chloe was on the verge of being on the front of the group, and now shins and back. It's a shame, because I can tell she really does understand and, dare I say it, is beginning to really like this whole running thing. We're going to figure this out, because I can't imagine a team next year without Chloe on it.

Diana has been a little up-and-down, but as you can see, she has dropped considerable time throughout the season. This is an issue of confidence as much as anything. As the weather cools, she's going to have to become more aggressive about staying with the girls ahead.

Bret has been on a roller coaster. She has split time with soccer, hence the break in the graph. I think that's what the graph tells us too... it's hard to be a dual-sport athlete, and if your confidence wanes a bit, it gets even harder. Bret has run better in the last couple of meets, and it's a hopeful sign perhaps she's turned a corner.




A final thought...

...And time races by...

Heh. Never been one afraid of pounding a point home...

As the picture suggests, we are indeed doing 800s tomorrow. It's a pivotal workout - actually, both tomorrow and Wednesday's workouts are. I turned in the Conference roster today, and it's been narrowed to 10 runners. I have to decide Saturday morning who will run.

Much of that decision of course is based on time - who are the fastest seven runners based on race times? However, there's more to that equation, so before I opt to name the runners now, I need to consider the whole of this week to assess who has the best chance to advance the team.

It's simple. We are fighting for 2nd, which is extremely realistic, though not a given. We've seen everyone else but Columbus East, so I have to like our chances. I think, especially if we run as we should, 2nd is easily within grasp. Therein lies the hook.

We have a lot of girls that are far from 100%. I need to see who is healthy and who is not before making the call. I'm pretty sure of the top-5, but the last 2 slots could be filled by many of you. And here's another thought; would resting a couple of you make you better for Sectional, a much harder path for us?

Ahh... that's why I wear the big-boy pants. Decision time!

So... we'll be going hard after the 800s tomorrow, and yes, we'll do a tempo the next day. I'm telling you now, no, challenging you now to be up for it. Don't look away, stare right at it, steel your mind to be tough and handle what you must. Taper is almost here, don't blink now!

The boys are scouting the Conference course tomorrow... they'll give us the intel on Wednesday. I've run it before, but it was 15 years ago, and I can't remember much other than it was flatter than our course. That means we'll likely see fast times IF we can manage the choke points on the course.

But, to the task at hand...

Carrie, Danielle - 3:05
Shelby - 3:10
Alli, Keeley - 3:15
Chloe, Locki, Bret -3:25
Diana - 3:45

BNL Invite

Hey Girl(s),

Just wanted to drop a note and say I understand if you didn't like the pumpkin bread I made. It only took a few hours of my life.

............

Okay, that's a freebie (from today's discussion).

The meet today went well - for those that were able to run. It's still disappointing to have so many girls hurt, but that's the way sports go sometimes. I'll confess, I've never had so many hurt at one time. It can't go on forever though. I have to believe things will come around in the end.

Runner	1	2		3		Last 10th		3.1
Danielle	6:46:00	13:26:00	6:40:00	20:27:00	7:01:00	0:53:00	7:04:00	21:20:00	6:52:54
Carrie	6:46:00	13:37:00	6:51:00	20:45:00	7:08:00	0:47:00	6:16:00	21:32:00	6:56:46
Shelby	6:49:00	14:00:00	7:11:00	21:09:00	7:09:00	0:54:00	7:12:00	22:03:00	7:06:46
Keeley	6:55:00	14:05:00	7:10:00	21:37:00	7:32:00	0:52:00	6:56:00	22:29:00	7:15:10
Alli	7:02:00	14:40:00	7:38:00	22:26:00	7:46:00	1:00:00	8:00:00	23:26:00	7:33:33
Diana	7:34:00	15:32:00	7:58:00	23:42:00	8:10:00	1:05:00	8:40:00	24:47:00	7:59:41
Bret	7:40:00	16:00:00	8:20:00	24:07:00	8:07:00	1:03:00	8:24:00	25:10:00	8:07:06
JV	1	2		3		Last 10th		3.1
Locki	7:06:00	14:59:00	7:53:00	22:55:00	7:56:00	1:00:00	8:00:00	23:55:00	7:42:54
Hanna	7:51:00	16:44:00	8:53:00	25:35:00	8:51:00	1:00:00	8:00:00	26:35:00	8:34:31

The numbers are easy to read. Danielle and Carrie had terrific first miles, but let the last mile get away. It's getting better every time, and look the times are faster. We just need to tighten up a bit.

Shelby also did well in spite of having another asthma episode. She actually sped up towards the end.

Keeley had her smartest race yet, running splits 15 seconds apart. That's not bad. Of course we can still tweak that, but there's not a lot to complain about here. Good race.

Alli was sick. I should have sat her out, but I didn't. It was a good race regardless.

Diana had a great one, and PR'd. She didn't let the big gaps open up on her splits, either. Getting better!

Bret ran her best race since opening meet. We still need to work on the second mile! It was good to see her racing more like herself.

Locki! I know she hates for us to cheer, but she loves it too. This was a huge drop for her, 25 seconds from last week. Considering this is also a harder course, the drop was all the more remarkable.

Finally, Hanna ran her first race. Clearly there was a big drop-off from mile one to mile two, but hey, it was the first race. After that point, it was an even race. I managed to keep her moving in the final third of the race by employing an old coach's tactic - I lied. She asked how far from the end, and I said, "It's almost over". No, not really from where we were!

One more week of the hard stuff girls, then things get MUCH easier. The hard part's almost over. Hang in there one more week!

The Eve of Construction

Ladies,

A little play on 60's music, my dears. Apropos to the time though... tomorrow, we get some answers. The workouts have been pretty strong, really strong in some cases. We're deep into the speed phase of our training - who will be the first to break huge?

That's a hard one to guess. So many of you have had stellar 800 workouts, I have to think it could come from any of you. A few of you have been backing that workout up with outstanding tempos the day after. I have to feel really good about those prospects. But you know what? Anything can happen in this business. That's why we go ahead and run the meet.

Tomorrow is the biggest meet we run all year. TONS of people will be on the course, and if the promised rain appears, this is going to be a slogfest. Bring the spikes!

Some times to think about...

Danielle, Shelby, Carrie - 6:45 average. You are ready. Make up your minds and do it!
Alli - 7:00 average. Hang tough. You're ready.
Keeley - 7:15 average. Whatever it takes, do it.
Morgan, Bret - 7:30 average. Be brave. Nothing to lose ladies!
Chloe, Locki - 7:45 average. You girls are great on the averages. Be smooth.
Diana - 7:50 average. Don't be afraid to try. Chase shirts after halfway.
Hanna - just have fun!

8 AM at the course!

Here and there

Ladies,

Just a few things tonight... last couple days have been very tough workouts, as I promised they would be. You are showing the nicks and cuts I thought we'd see (figuratively speaking), and tonight's practice showed how close to the edge some of you are. With that in mind, we'll be doing morning practice tomorrow. We'll be meeting 6:30 AM at the pool for... a swim! That's right, we'll do some yards for about an hour, then we'll be done.

Credit Morgan for this one. She asked if we could do it, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. You're all hurting to some degree. It's cardio. It's non-weight bearing. Finally, it gives you a full 24 hours rest before you race. I like it! The only thing I hate is I didn't think of it first!

See you all in the morning. 

Tempo - you knew it'd be hard!

Ladies,

It's always amazing to see how differently you can approach back-to-back days. The girls of Tuesday are resolute, jaw set, give-me-all-you-got athletes that are afraid of nothing. The girls of Wednesday are full of foreboding, doom dripping from their brows. Sure, it's hard to run back-to-back hard days, but it's done, and more often than you think. The way a week spaces out, you'll find any serious program will include such combinations. Could it be worse? Easily. We could switch the days.

I like this combination. It let's you get the very most out of your highest quality work, the speed work. It lessens the risk of injury, because that's one workout you don't want to approach already beaten down. Bad form + speed workouts = injury. It also teaches you how to run a hard effort even when you are tired.

I was talking to a couple of you the last couple of days about the real goal of some workouts - to wear you down to the point you have to make a choice. Can you take it any more? Are you tougher than that person next to you? It's funny, because the very same topic came up tonight in the growny-up run I had with my friends. Dr. Jimmy Sowders was trying to encourage a fellow runner to push through her desire to quit early in a run by explaining:

"The reason a 5k is 3.1 miles long is to get you to the last mile. That's where the race really begins."

That's profound, and it's exactly right. Amazing how great minds think alike! Intervals, tempos, long runs... they all share this characteristic. At some point, if the workout is structured right, you have to make a choice. And here's the thing... it's a choice you can't make once-and-for-all. It's a choice that has to be made every single workout, every single day. The toughness has to be developed, cultivated, nurtured, so that when the time comes, it's there.

Some people have that wild-eyed craziness, that absolute fear of losing to the point of doing absolutely anything and everything to win, no matter what the competition. That's not always healthy, especially if you're talking about a tack-eating contest (and I've known people like this), but you can rest assured this type of person always possesses the motivation to hurt more.

The bad part of that type of competitor is it really relegates competition to the instinctual level, and in my mind less fulfilling. There is so much more to this competition thingy than merely winning. For myself, I've always enjoyed strengthening my body, to feel the use of it, to experience my temperature rising and my muscles throbbing as I force myself further and further towards the edge, to experience something few around me can or ever will. I enjoy pitting my will against theirs, to break their resolve. It's my mind against theirs, about analyzing the course and the runners, looking for and finding weaknesses, devising tactics and strategies to capitalize on opportunities, to see it clearer and brighter... What's the perfect race? When all the forces - the body, the mind, the will - come together in unity and execute in perfect harmony.

Man...

Oh, we did a workout today, right? Sorry, lost myself in reflection for a bit... we had some great stuff today. And some not-so-great stuff too, but hey, it was the second hard day, right?

Runner	1	2	Pace	3	Pace	AVG		Projected 5k
Carrie	6:49:00	13:38:00	6:49:00	20:18:00	6:40:00	6:46:00		20:58:36
Danielle	6:49:00	13:42:00	6:53:00	20:47:00	7:05:00	6:55:40		21:28:34
Shelby	6:49:00	13:44:00	6:55:00	21:06:00	7:22:00	7:02:00		21:48:12
Alli	6:58:00	14:00:00	7:02:00		7:00:00	7:00:00		21:42:00
Bret	7:47:00	15:41:00	7:54:00	23:23:00	7:42:00	7:47:40		24:09:46
Locki	8:00:00	16:30:00	8:30:00	23:51:00	7:21:00	7:57:00		24:38:42
Chloe	8:00:00	16:32:00	8:32:00	23:51:00	7:19:00	7:57:00		24:38:42
Keeley	7:50:00	16:16:00	8:26:00	24:53:00	8:37:00	8:17:40		25:42:46
Diana	8:01:00	16:30:00	8:29:00	26:00:00	9:30:00	8:40:00		26:52:00

Pour over the numbers. Start at the top. Carrie was able to negative split, and pretty much ran away from the group. Very impressive! She also continued on for the 5k, running a 21:15, which is her PR. Sure it was practice, but you know what? It's actual. It's not guesswork, it happened.

Danielle also had a great workout. I give her a lot of credit, because she steps up to lead every workout, whether or not she feels up to it. The intervals last night took a lot out of her, but she gave it her best shot. Sure, today, Carrie was too much. But Danielle also ran a 5k, running her season-best 21:38 on a day she was bone-tired. I'd say that was pretty good!

Shelby toughed out another one. This asthma/allergy thing is tough, discouraging, and really getting in the way of uncovering what she's capable of, but Shelby is full of fight. She isn't making excuses, she tries every day, no matter what. I'm very proud of her.

Alli ran as well today as I've ever seen her. She chugged through two miles as if she were a metronome. Her problems do continue, this time in the form of a cracked shin (from soccer), but it's still a net positive; it wasn't her quad! As co-captain, it's good to see her step up and try to bridge a gap that would daunt others to try. She's an important part of our Conference/Sectional/Regional formula, and she knows it. Great job!

Bret returned! The Bret we've all known and loved over the years showed up today, and she rose to the occasion. I handed her a 7:50 goal pace, and she bested it by 3 seconds per mile. That's 18 spm faster than last week's pace, by the way. It was really, really good to see, and Bret, this should give you the confidence to know you are a great runner, you are important to the team, and we need you to keep stepping up. Great work!

Chloe, I know your back hurt awfully bad the last two days, and now your shins are killing you. Hang in there! We are in the home stretch, and taper is right around the corner. You have some great drops left in you. We'll run easy the next two days, and if necessary, you can ride. You are working hard, everyone can see it, and as much as anyone, I believe you've "gotten it" over the last few weeks. Keep it up.

Locki, the toes hurt, sometimes you complain, but I never mind, because you also always come through. As much as you try to push it away, you are a born competitor. You always find something at the end of a hard run, and it may surprise you to hear you're one of the fastest sprinters on the team.

Diana, you started off great, but ended in a struggle. It happens. You are good enough to run with everyone, but you have to believe it. Everyone hurts! Everyone finds it hard to breathe. Everyone cramps. There isn't a single person on the team who hasn't suffered the last two days. It's okay. Convince yourself you can do what they do. Then do it. You are working hard physically, but we need the mind to catch up.

Keeley, you did a great job yesterday. Today was a struggle. You really didn't give the workout a chance. You can do it. As I've already said, everyone hurt today, everyone. Everyone was tired. Push through it. If you have to pretend every day is a race, then do it. I know your feet hurt. Again, the end is almost here. We have to get every hard mile out of you we can before the tournament. We're simply out of time. I've said it to you before but let me say it again, publicly... you might be the most talented runner on the team. Believe it. Accept the responsibility that goes with it. These girls want you to be great, they need you to be great, and by golly, you can be great. If you want it, want it badly enough, nothing will stop you from being great.