Ladies,
Guess where I'm going with this post? ;)
Tomorrow is a different kind of invite. Freshmen and Sophomores run in one race, then Juniors and Seniors run in the other. We won't be able to do our normal pairings per se, but in lieu of the status quo, I have a better idea.
Beat Salem.
Salem is our chief rival at Sectional. With the Bloomington schools pretty much out of reach, Salem represents the nexus of our Semi-State search. IF we can best them at Sectional and Regional, we likely punch our ticket out.
Here's the thing though... most of their fast girls are underclassmen. They were 20:28, 21:10, and 21:35.
*CraCKle* - Carrie Flinn, report to the starting gate, Carrie Flinn.
That's a lot of heat on you Carrie, but it does sharpen your race to a fine focus. Your strategy is easy - beat as many of the top girls as you can. The tactics are not so simple. The top girl may or may not be out of your reach, but do always remember this; you can kick anyone. If you can stay in contact with the girls, you will beat them. That's a win for us, regardless of where you come in the overall.
See girls, what we want to do with any team we need to beat is to match our runners to theirs, and at least be one runner better by position. Our #1 needs to beat their #1, our #2 needs to beat their #2, etc. It's the clearest path to victory, but hardly the only one.
Another way to get the win is to pack our top 5 runners between their 2-5 runners. If we beat their #4 and #5 by enough time, we still beat them. This is a very plausible and even the most likely scenario.
Every one of you has a job to do. On the line, search out the Salem girls, mark them, and as the race starts, pay attention to where they are. If they dart out, let them go, but never lose sight. They are not good enough, any of them, to run sub-6:30 the whole race. Remember this, and don't fall into the trap! If our top three can run in the 6:50 range, We'll be under 21:15 for three. Then it's up to our #4 and #5.
Alli and Morgan, their #4 was 23:55 last weekend at Brown County. Their #5 was 25:31. We can put 7 girls before that time, but unfortunately only 5 score. So... we need to make the most of this gap - their only weakness.
Alli, you've looked great this week. If you could get into the 22:50 range, it would go a LONG way to hurting Salem. Morgan, here's hoping you are feeling fine. I think you looked fine this morning, and seeing you able to run in basketball has been encouraging.
Chloe and Locki, don't think you guys are off the hook. Break into the 23's if possible! You never know on this team when someone might be hurt, and we're heading into the home stretch. I have to make rosters for Conference and Sectional soon. Run for your spot!
Bret, we need you like never before. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Go out there and give it everything you have, and have no regrets afterward. If you have to go down, go down swinging as they say. You'll never regret trying and failing; you'll always regret not trying and failing. I believe in you, I know you can do it.
Diana, it's going to be cool out there. Throw down like you did last week. Surprise yourself. There is a lot of time left in you.
Keeley, it's time to step up. Last week you proved you could run on the front of our team. Want that Sectional spot? Prove you can do it again! Practice may have been rough this week, but if you're the big-time competition athlete I think you might be, you'll step up. Go after the front of the race. You have my blessing. If that's what it takes to make you go for it, go for it.
Shelby, I know this has been a tough week for you too. Don't worry; you're going to do great. You've done the workouts, don't forget that. The conditioning is there. Run your race!
Danielle, you really are a mature racer. Your only weakness is sometimes during a race you get down on yourself. Don't! That tempo you did this week was miserable feeling, but you gutted it out with a very fine time, what amounted to the fastest 5k you've done all season. That's no small thing. You are getting faster, believe it, and if you'll just get on your pace early and unwaveringly believe in your ability and conditioning, you'll succeed.
Oldie but goodie: The old tale goes that science has studied the bumble bee. After measuring the wing area, muscle density and structure, and comparing all to the body mass, science has determined it is theoretically impossible for a bumble bee to fly. Simply put, it can't beat its wings fast or hard enough to lift its comparatively heavy bulk.
Fortunately for the bumble bee, it also possess a brain so small it can't understand science.
Moral: your brain can rationalize a thousand reasons why something is impossible. There are times when the best thing to do is stop thinking so much and start beating your wings. ;)
Guess where I'm going with this post? ;)
Tomorrow is a different kind of invite. Freshmen and Sophomores run in one race, then Juniors and Seniors run in the other. We won't be able to do our normal pairings per se, but in lieu of the status quo, I have a better idea.
Beat Salem.
Salem is our chief rival at Sectional. With the Bloomington schools pretty much out of reach, Salem represents the nexus of our Semi-State search. IF we can best them at Sectional and Regional, we likely punch our ticket out.
Here's the thing though... most of their fast girls are underclassmen. They were 20:28, 21:10, and 21:35.
*CraCKle* - Carrie Flinn, report to the starting gate, Carrie Flinn.
That's a lot of heat on you Carrie, but it does sharpen your race to a fine focus. Your strategy is easy - beat as many of the top girls as you can. The tactics are not so simple. The top girl may or may not be out of your reach, but do always remember this; you can kick anyone. If you can stay in contact with the girls, you will beat them. That's a win for us, regardless of where you come in the overall.
See girls, what we want to do with any team we need to beat is to match our runners to theirs, and at least be one runner better by position. Our #1 needs to beat their #1, our #2 needs to beat their #2, etc. It's the clearest path to victory, but hardly the only one.
Another way to get the win is to pack our top 5 runners between their 2-5 runners. If we beat their #4 and #5 by enough time, we still beat them. This is a very plausible and even the most likely scenario.
Every one of you has a job to do. On the line, search out the Salem girls, mark them, and as the race starts, pay attention to where they are. If they dart out, let them go, but never lose sight. They are not good enough, any of them, to run sub-6:30 the whole race. Remember this, and don't fall into the trap! If our top three can run in the 6:50 range, We'll be under 21:15 for three. Then it's up to our #4 and #5.
Alli and Morgan, their #4 was 23:55 last weekend at Brown County. Their #5 was 25:31. We can put 7 girls before that time, but unfortunately only 5 score. So... we need to make the most of this gap - their only weakness.
Alli, you've looked great this week. If you could get into the 22:50 range, it would go a LONG way to hurting Salem. Morgan, here's hoping you are feeling fine. I think you looked fine this morning, and seeing you able to run in basketball has been encouraging.
Chloe and Locki, don't think you guys are off the hook. Break into the 23's if possible! You never know on this team when someone might be hurt, and we're heading into the home stretch. I have to make rosters for Conference and Sectional soon. Run for your spot!
Bret, we need you like never before. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Go out there and give it everything you have, and have no regrets afterward. If you have to go down, go down swinging as they say. You'll never regret trying and failing; you'll always regret not trying and failing. I believe in you, I know you can do it.
Diana, it's going to be cool out there. Throw down like you did last week. Surprise yourself. There is a lot of time left in you.
Keeley, it's time to step up. Last week you proved you could run on the front of our team. Want that Sectional spot? Prove you can do it again! Practice may have been rough this week, but if you're the big-time competition athlete I think you might be, you'll step up. Go after the front of the race. You have my blessing. If that's what it takes to make you go for it, go for it.
Shelby, I know this has been a tough week for you too. Don't worry; you're going to do great. You've done the workouts, don't forget that. The conditioning is there. Run your race!
Danielle, you really are a mature racer. Your only weakness is sometimes during a race you get down on yourself. Don't! That tempo you did this week was miserable feeling, but you gutted it out with a very fine time, what amounted to the fastest 5k you've done all season. That's no small thing. You are getting faster, believe it, and if you'll just get on your pace early and unwaveringly believe in your ability and conditioning, you'll succeed.
Oldie but goodie: The old tale goes that science has studied the bumble bee. After measuring the wing area, muscle density and structure, and comparing all to the body mass, science has determined it is theoretically impossible for a bumble bee to fly. Simply put, it can't beat its wings fast or hard enough to lift its comparatively heavy bulk.
Fortunately for the bumble bee, it also possess a brain so small it can't understand science.
Moral: your brain can rationalize a thousand reasons why something is impossible. There are times when the best thing to do is stop thinking so much and start beating your wings. ;)
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