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...
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