Ladies,
The first tempo on our course this season turned out to be a hot one - that is, the day was pretty warm. Temps were in the low 90's as you started, which will be what you can expect on Monday when we race. If I'm wrong and it's cooler, so much the better. Still, better be ready!
Given the course is rougher than the road, and it was 20 degrees hotter, I knew the runs would be slower. Don't be upset with your times! It was bound to happen, and if you think about it, I warned you as much last week.
The average difference in time was roughly 2 minutes or so, except for Morgan, who actually ran faster! This you can attribute to her getting healthier. One by one we are getting better, even if it doesn't feel like it.
The breakdown is as follows:
The first tempo on our course this season turned out to be a hot one - that is, the day was pretty warm. Temps were in the low 90's as you started, which will be what you can expect on Monday when we race. If I'm wrong and it's cooler, so much the better. Still, better be ready!
Given the course is rougher than the road, and it was 20 degrees hotter, I knew the runs would be slower. Don't be upset with your times! It was bound to happen, and if you think about it, I warned you as much last week.
The average difference in time was roughly 2 minutes or so, except for Morgan, who actually ran faster! This you can attribute to her getting healthier. One by one we are getting better, even if it doesn't feel like it.
The breakdown is as follows:
- Danielle and Shelby: 7:03, 7:27, 7:31 - 22:01, 7:20 mpm
- Morgan: 8:04, 7:51, 8:06 - 24:01, 8:00 mpm (PR!)
- Alli: 7:44, 8:20, 8:38 - 24:42, 8:14 mpm (she was instructed to hold back)
- Bret: 7:54, 8:42, 8:39 - 25:16, 8:25 mpm (she was instructed to hold back)
- Chloe: 8:42, and I didn't catch the second mile. She ran two (planned)
- Carrie: 8:15, stopped with sore knee
- Summer: 9:51, stopped with sore knee
It's tough to see a workout break down for so many girls, and I hate to schedule them knowing this is going to happen, but the truth is we no longer have a choice. This work has to be done or you won't have a chance to be ready by Sectional. I'm pushing you as hard as I dare to get the minimum mileage we need to compete. It's a hard target!
I don't mean this to sound negative, because it surely isn't my intent. This is a problem we have to solve together, and we need to stay upbeat about it - attitude is critical to injury recovery. We can get better, and we will. Have faith.
Look at Shelby. She started the summer unable to run much at all. Now she's on the front of the group. Or Morgan, who's struggled off-and-on with her shins. Great run today. Alli couldn't run at all a month ago, and now she can hold 6.5 miles a day without too much trouble. Maybe our recovery didn't happen as fast as we would have liked, but it is happening.
We may race fast on Monday, we may not. I want you to try your best, always. But I also want you to listen to me and to stick to the plan. Whether we win or take last doesn't matter. What matters is we continually get better as the season goes on. What matters is we are at our best when it really matters.
There's a chance we won't run all of you on Monday - no, it is likely you won't all get to run. I have absolutely no desire to see someone get hurt in the first meet of the year. If I feel you can complete the run in a reasonably hard effort, I'll let you run. If I don't think you can, I won't let you go.
I'm proud of you girls, all of you. This is going to be rough for a while, but that will make the reward all the sweeter!
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