Closing in!

Ladies,

It won't be long now. Tomorrow marks two weeks until Sectional. Can you believe it? True enough. This weekend is HHC - that's the first step in our tournament series. And what about the drama of the Morgan/Kaitlyn duel? Wow! Things are going to get exciting.

So tomorrow... halves, on the course, of course. Wrap your minds around this though... this will be the last time we do this particular workout this year. The. Last. Time. So give it your all. Do your best, hang in there, finish it. The hard stuff is nearly over, so make the most of your last chance to alter Sectional.

Huh?

Yes, that's right. The race you do today is a direct reflection of what you were able to do two weeks ago. Wait, how many weeks will Sectional be from tomorrow? Two weeks? Oh....

We'll have everyone there. Everyone needs to be ready to hit it hard. Get your game faces on, girls. It's time.

A bit more...

Ladies,

Okay, back from Lafayette, and I have a bit more time to pull things apart. The times I gave you yesterday stand, of course. The splits were a bit jagged, but we are veering off the beaten path a bit.

Athlete	Mile 1	Mile 2	Pace
Carrie	6:12:00	13:13:00	7:01:00
Danielle	6:27:00	13:30:00	7:03:00
Allie	6:34:00	13:56:00	7:22:00
Madison	6:34:00	13:59:00	7:25:00
Bret	7:12:00	14:53:00	7:41:00
Chloe	7:23:00	15:06:00	7:43:00
Diana			0:00:00
Morgan	7:06:00	14:57:00	7:51:00
Kaitlyn	7:10:00	15:11:00	8:01:00
Carlee	7:18:00	15:46:00	8:28:00
McKena	7:36:00	16:04:00	8:28:00
Claudia	7:43:00	16:27:00	8:44:00

This is what I'll limit my discussion to for tonight. It has to do with the drop-off from mile 1 to mile 2. As you see, everyone dropped at least 30 seconds or more from 1 to 2. This would indicate you have laid it all out there, and that's good. Of course I wouldn't be a good coach if I didn't insist on more.

Our goal is to continue to be aggressive, but focus on holding that second mile. It's absolutely true of the BNL course that the 2nd mile is the hardest one. No doubt about it. But you have to know that going in, and really focus your head on maintaining your pace as much as possible. Why? Because no one else can do it, and it's a chance for us to move ahead. 

I know, I know, that sounds nuts, but it isn't. You are familiar with this course, every bend and corner, every rise, every pothole. You have a better chance of running it faster because it is yours! Think of this... you hold that second mile, and all the other runners will think you are gods. They will break. This is no joke. When you project strength, you break those runners around you who are struggling - and everyone struggles with the 2nd mile on our course. 

Speaking of breaking... Carrie, Danielle, Alli, Madison... great job on our target girl this week. She absolutely broke down after Carrie dropped her (beautifully done, by the way), and when she looked back and saw several BNL girls right behind her... I can tell you it must have been devastating. She's a fighter, and she will come back harder. We have to be ready to do the same. 

Carrie, you have her number now... Danielle, you are 10 seconds off. She's human, she's beatable, and the next runner isn't that far up. Keep fighting! 

I need to go through more of the results to compare the other Sectional opponents. Edgewood is one we'll have to watch for sure. We're not going to catch their #1, but we can work the other four. We can also close the gap on the #1. Think of it this way... she can't get much faster where she is. We can. That's an advantage to us, as odd as it sounds. 

See you ladies tomorrow!

Ted Fox and Mystery!

Ladies,

It was a great meet today. We answered a lot of questions, and I like the answers. I don't have time to go through this in detail at the moment - on my way to Lafayette - but I did want to stoke the fire a bit before I go.

You thought this last week had drama. Uh-uh.
You thought the whole Homecoming Court thingy was drama. Uh-uh.
You thought getting to your hair appointments after the meet was drama. Uh-uh.

Here's the real drama. Morgan and Kaitlyn have exactly the same season's-best time. They are tied for 7th place! Yes, we're going to have to devise some kind of tie-breaker (you would have thought I'd have this in place already). I have shared the information with the other coaches. We will devise a...

...wait a second...

Chloe is going to be missing next week for SAT. She will not be running HHC. That means both Kaitlyn and Morgan can go mano-e-mano. Winner runs Sectional! Oh! The drama! I love it!

Barring some unforeseen turn of events, that's the working plan for now. 

Ted Fox - that running thingy we're doing tomorrow

Ladies,

I'm no fool. I've coached girls' sports for many years. More than any of you are alive, for that matter. I know the Homecoming Dance will be on your minds. That cannot be stopped.

At least slow it down a bit. At least share a little concentration on the meet. Some. A little. Any.

Seriously, I cannot stress enough how important it is for us at this juncture. So many questions get answered in a very real and almost final way. We are running out of chances to affect the final lineups for the year. Tomorrow settles HHC. The only other two chances to change the Sectional lineup come the following week at NE Dubois. That's it!

We need to make progress on Salem. I hate to put the heat on it, but if we can't fair well against them, we may have a hard time escaping Sectional. Yeah, like that. We're a better team than that. Think of the time you sacrificed all summer. Make it count.

Carrie - find Sydney from the jump and do not let her escape. Not one inch of slack on the rope! You have better kick speed, so the only way she breaks away is if you let it happen. Simple as that. She is not better than you, not at all. She has been more determined. That changes tomorrow. Target - beat Sydney.

Danielle - the second mile is the ticket for you. No matter what happens the first mile, too fast or too slow, you have to make the second mile hard. Really hard. You'll be fine once you get to the third mile. But get there in a hurry! Target - 6:40 pace.

Alli - the ankle is getting better. You ran great the last time you ran this course, hit it with the same determination you did the first time. You are so tough, I know you can do it. You are still very strong, and you are a fighter. You'll do great. Target - 6:50 pace.

Madison - by now you have to realize you can run at or near the front of this group of girls. Don't be afraid to go hard, and don't be afraid to hurt. It won't last forever (though it may feel like it). Reach deep. You are a major factor in our Sectional plans. You are a pivotal player in our battle against Salem. Target - 6:50 pace.

Bret - like Danielle, you cannot mentally break in the second mile. You have great turnover and stride length when you are confident. Decide to be confident! I know that sounds stupid, but whatever it is that you are afraid of, whatever thought it is that is holding you back, shove it out of your head. Better still, recognize it for what it is - a limiter. Whatever that thing might be, it can't be worse than giving less than your best. That's the only thing worth being afraid of. Target - 7:25 pace.

Kaitlyn - you are first of the bubble girls. Like Madison, we have to have a drop from you. We need another minute out of you. Are you up for it? Twenty seconds per mile. You've done it in practice. Do it in a race. Get through the second mile, then turn it on hard. Target - 7:20 pace.

Chloe - you have earned your spot on the Varsity roster tomorrow. Fight to keep it. You are stronger than you know. You have a great kick. This one is easy - beat Kaitlyn. Target - 7:20 pace.

Morgan - it's a tall order. You are hurting, no doubt about it. Still, you are extremely talented and tough. You won't hurt your foot running on it, but it's going to hurt. If you can shove that aside, you can do what you must. You'll have to beat Kaitlyn and Chloe. Target - 7:20 pace.

Diana - it's time. You have worked hard, fought hard, but now you have a hard target before you. Somehow you have to turn yourself inside-out and beat the three girls mentioned above: Kaitlyn, Chloe, and Morgan. Target - 7:20 pace.

Carlee - I could add you to this bubble too. And the order is the same - beat the girls above: Kaitlyn, Chloe, Morgan, and Diana. Target - 7:20 pace.

Claudia - you should be running in the 24's. That's about 7:40 pace. Mentally dig in, give it a shot. You have the talent. Don't coast, don't be afraid of the pain. Embrace it! Target - 7:40 pace.

McKena - yes, like Morgan, you have plantar. Yes, it hurts. It won't hurt your foot, but you are going to be in pain. Tough it out! You only have a couple races left, and taper starts for you Monday. You can do this! Target - 8:00 pace.

Now if all else fails, think of it this way... you are all valiant soldiers in defense of the honor and kingdom of your newly crowned queen, Her Royal Highness Danielle. Fight with honor, my Valkyries!

Drawing nearer

Ladies,

The season's end draws nearer, and there are still questions that need answered. This weekend's race will help in some of those decisions.

The top-7 for HHC must be settled. That will come Saturday. There are four girls on the bubble - you know who you are - you have your shot. Make the most of it!

We also need to try to close on Salem. What ever you do, know where they are at the beginning of the race and do whatever it takes to close on or pass them. Whatever it takes.

The top-7 runners by time this year are, in this order:

1. Carrie
2. Danielle
3. Alli
4. Madison
5. Bret
6. Kaitlyn
7. Chloe

That's your varsity for this meet. It's splitting hairs though, because the JV race is just as important. 

We'll practice three miles tomorrow, easy. We'll meet at the soccer field (normal area) at 8:30 AM Saturday. We race at 9:30. Be on time!

The next two days

Ladies,

It's late, so I'm going to keep this short.

The next two days will be easy. Very easy. Tomorrow we will run 4 miles. Friday will be 3 miles. It's time to start giving you more rest, not because the schedule says so, because your bodies do. Some of you are beginning to break down, so like it or not, we need to rest a bit.

That doesn't mean taper is starting. Far from it! We still have plenty of hard work yet. I'm just backing off you a bit. We've done quality two out of three days this week. We're just not going to get quite as many miles is all.

Be thinking about this race. Yes, there is a lot of stress. Handle it! There will be more stress at conference and Sectional, right? Stress is always part of high-level competition. Champions can handle it. You're champions. You can do this.

I will be posting the top-7 tomorrow, but right now, there should be no secret - the 7 fastest times this season will run.

Ted Fox Invite

Ladies,

The Ted Fox Invite draws nigh. This annual event has significance for a number of reasons.

1. It's our last home meet before Sectional.
2. Most of our Sectional competition will be there.
3. We almost always run well.
4. It's the final race before HHC; will determine top-7 runners for HHC.
5. Will be part of the decision-making process for top-7 for Sectional.

There is no getting around it... we're winding the season up quickly. I know I'm being tougher on injuries and pain, but that's the point... we're at the point where there is no time left. We have to figure out who can go and who can't. No time left for healing!

Two weeks from tonight is Northeast Dubois, the final regular season match, and the final meet for many of the runners. Did you realize that? The following Tuesday is Sectional. Did you realize that?

This means practice will change for a few of you. Mileage is going to get reduced, as well as the number of quality intervals. Things will still be sharp at times, but they won't last as long. Overall, things are going to get easier now.

Those going to Sectional, you have another week. I will keep top-7 and two more (as alternates). That plan could change though... I have 12 runners to work with, and there is a chance that our Sectional and Regional lineups could vary. It's a risky move, but it might be just the edge we need to get through Regional. More on that later.

For now, start turning your thoughts to racing hard this week. Close those gaps on Salem!

Crawford County Results Are In

Ladies,

I do have the final results for the weekend's race. We were 8th of 22 complete teams, a fine finish for us. Our times were actually a bit better than I thought they were, and though we had slow times, everyone did. Only two runners from any team broke 20 minutes. That says a lot.

I did some cross-referencing to compare us to Salem. What I gather is we gained 9 seconds on them. We lost a bit at #1 and #2, but Madison killed it at #3. From there on we piled on. I didn't extrapolate out from there mainly because they didn't run their full team, but we got some idea of what is what.

Here are our numbers for the meet:

Athlete	Mile 1	Mile 2	Pace	Mile 3	Pace	5k	Pace
Carrie	6:29:00	13:45:00	7:16:00	21:14:00	7:29:00	21:57:00	7:04:50
Danielle	6:32:00	13:51:00	7:19:00	21:18:00	7:27:00	22:05:00	7:07:25
Madison	6:47:00	14:11:00	7:24:00	21:47:00	7:36:00	22:30:00	7:15:29
Chloe	7:21:00	15:15:00	7:54:00	23:16:00	8:01:00	24:04:00	7:45:48
Kaitlyn	7:09:00	15:15:00	8:06:00	23:24:00	8:09:00	24:08:00	7:47:06
Diana	7:27:00	15:51:00	8:24:00	24:35:00	8:44:00	25:30:00	8:13:33
Claudia	8:07:00	17:15:00	9:08:00	26:30:00	9:15:00	27:23:00	8:50:00
Nicole	8:41:00	18:40:00	9:59:00	28:52:00	10:12:00	29:55:00	9:39:02

What's remarkable here is how nearly identical Carrie and Danielle's races were. Chloe and Kaitlyn also had very similar races. 

I can see everyone went out hard, but couldn't hold on in the muck in the back. I also see your legs were pretty tired by the end. This I expected. I have been blasting you guys hard. There wasn't any rest last week. This will soon change, so hang in there.

Our 800s tonight were interesting too. 

Athlete	Avg	Per 100	Adj Pace	Mile	5k
Carrie	2:53:40	0:23:28	3:07:45	6:15:30	19:24:02
Danielle	2:48:00	0:22:42	3:01:37	6:03:15	18:46:03
Alli	2:53:40	0:23:28	3:07:45	6:15:30	19:24:02
Madison	2:55:10	0:23:40	3:09:22	6:18:44	19:34:05
Bret	3:02:40	0:24:41	3:17:29	6:34:57	20:24:22
Kaitlyn	3:10:10	0:25:42	3:25:35	6:51:10	21:14:38
Chloe	3:20:10	0:27:03	3:36:24	7:12:48	22:21:39
Diana	3:29:50	0:28:21	3:46:51	7:33:42	23:26:27
Carlee	3:29:30	0:28:19	3:46:29	7:32:58	23:24:13
Claudia	3:44:36	0:30:21	4:02:49	8:05:37	25:05:26

Granted, Carrie and Danielle only did 2 and 1 (respectively), so this data isn't valid for them tonight - though I'm sure they're capable of these numbers. The rest of you, well, this is legit. That's how hard you are running at the moment, when you go all-out. You have the speed - can you take the pain? 

BNL Invite is this week. It'll be the last time we race on the course before Sectional. Fire up for it! We know how to run it better than anyone. Let's show 'em how it's done!

Crawford County Results

Ladies,

As much as I love the Crawford County course, and as much as I enjoy their unique race format, I find their no-tech approach absolutely vexing. Whatever convinces them year after year that 400 teen-aged girls and boys can run through appropriate chutes at the end of a hard race without anyone making a mistake... well, I can't fathom what that would be. It would be no problem of course if it didn't completely screw up results for everyone else. It's a guaranteed snafu year-in and year-out. *sigh*

No, I don't have results. We won't have those until Monday or Tuesday, I'm guessing. I'll hold back posting specifics until I get the final results. Let me just restrict this to observations.

This was a "Time Doesn't Matter" sort of race. No one broke 20 out there, at least not in the second race. Consider what that means. There are girls in this field that have run in the 18's. It was that kind of day. You had to race for position, and that I thought we did well. As best as I can recall:

Carrie - 6th
Danielle - 9th
Madison - 12th
Chloe - 20th
Kaitlyn - 23rd
Diana - 30th
Claudia - 33rd
Nicole - 50th

I'm very happy with those slots, especially with respect to how we placed with our biggest rival Salem. I'm sure they still beat us, but not by as much. We're closing the gap, and that's the plan.

About today... I shared something with the older girls that perhaps I should have shared with all of you regarding the meaning of time. Sometimes we get all hooked up with a number, how many of them it takes to cover another number, but the only numbers that really matter are the order of finish. We want to do our best time, because that's the best way to get the best finish. It's a means to an end. Most of the time focusing on time serves the purpose we want, so it's easier to keep things simple. Sometimes it's counter-productive to focus on time, because it's frustrating and demoralizing.

Like today.

If we look at today from a time standpoint, it would be a failure (except for Chloe, who actually improved). Today wasn't a failure, not at all. I thought it was a great race day. Things aren't very clear-cut because I don't have a sheet in front of me to dissect, but I felt great about the racing I saw. Yes, we definitely have things to work on yet. And we will. But today was a good day - no - a great day.

You are tired, sore, and today you ran under slick and sloppy conditions, but you fought anyway. That's what we have to have. Well done!

Crawford County and Bounty

Ladies,

Sorry about practice tonight... maybe it was the right call, maybe it wasn't, but in the end I think the bulk of you needed the rest anyway.

Tomorrow... the meet is not your regular invite. Freshmen and Sophomores run together, then Junior and Seniors run together. It's two different races, and I feel really good about our chances. I also think some of you are going to pop big.

So let's talk about that... I gave you bounty sheets the other day. So how do you collect? Here's your first chance...

Let's look at Carrie. She ran 20:50 at Brown county. If she can drop 30 seconds tomorrow, she collects a bounty.

Same for Danielle. She went 21:20. Go 20:50 and make my nightmares come true.

Alli goes 21:27 and her dreams come true.

Madison was 22:11. Run 21:41 and your ticket is punched. Or mine is. You get the idea.

Bret, 23:05 and coach will not survive.

Kaitlyn, go 23:23 and make me cry.

Chloe, 23:49, try oh try.

Morgan, 23:48 and my hair you can violate.

Diana, 24:15 and you can be mean.

Carlee, 24:08 would be great.

Lauren, 24:34 gives you a SCOOOOOORRRRE!!!

Claudia, 25:34 and make me sore.

26:26 and McKena is a winnah.

Nicole, 27:37 would be heaven.

These bounties are good through your next meet. New goals set after!

We are meeting 7:30 AM at the BNL pool. Don't be late!

The Dark Hours

In June of 1940, the false war had ended, and German troops arrived in an undefended Paris. At this point, all of Western Europe was either conquered or an ally of Germany. The only country left, and it was one of the smaller ones at that, was the island country of Great Britain.

To say things looked bleak is beyond understatement. German U-boats had severed almost every lifeline the island possessed, English war material was vastly inferior to Germany's, and the Luftwaffe (German air force) outnumbered the RAF (English air force) by 4-1. Western Europe had fallen in mere weeks; that an invasion of the islands was coming was obvious. The only thing that stood in the way was the meager RAF.

There were many who felt the cause was lost, that a negotiated peace with Hitler was the far more preferable alternative to invasion and destruction of the homeland. Hitler himself considered the Anglo-Saxon English brothers, and preferred not to destroy them. On paper it looked like the smart plan.

Winston Churchill, prime minister of Great Britain, would have none of it. He was a character of mettle seldom seen before or since. The idea of giving up was ludicrous to him. He didn't know how England would survive, he only knew they would, or would at least make Germany pay a full measure for every inch of English soil they touched. His words, laid in context to the fears and anxieties of his fellow Britains, are as inspiring to me today as they were to them:

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender..."

 I get chills every time I read this. It's a testament to courage and integrity, to an absolute focus on a job that must be done, no matter how hard or how long it takes. It's a testament to how a great leader, when the time seems hopeless and most desperate, that one person can be all that stands between success or failure, life or death. These words put steel into the backs of the British, and comments I've read from those who were there speak of how broken they felt until they heard them, and then suddenly something in the message touched the deepest wells of their resolve. One account I read went something like this:

"We had just made our last flight over Dunkirk. Our armies were in disarray, our weapons lay on an enemy beach across the Channel, and we knew with certainty the Nazis would shortly follow us over. Just then I heard the radio address. I heard our Prime Minister, and I knew then he was right. Those bloody bastards would never set foot on our soil!"

Sometimes things seem pretty tough. Right now we have many things going right, and some things going wrong. The injuries are the big ones... at this point, some of it is out of our control, and we'll need some luck to pull it together. I can't predict how it will come out, and neither can anyone else. I do know, as an athlete that's had his share of injury over the years, you can't give up, no matter what. Sometimes when things seem their worst, you catch a break. We may have to get creative, try exercise or therapy we've never tried before, but athletics favor persistence. Like Churchill, you have to believe you're going to win in the end, even if you can't dream how it might be possible.

I for one choose to be optimistic wherever possible. I feel like we've been given a hard hand, but we are adapting and actually improving in spite of the adversity. There are girls who have stepped up and filled spots in a way that would have been difficult to imagine only a month ago. It would be easy to make excuses, to bail on workouts, to just not try hard. For these girls, that hasn't happened, at all.

This whole ordeal has cast the team into a weird spot... despite my best efforts, I'm afraid an unhealthy aspect of competition may be creeping in. I've been watching for the signs, especially since I had a hand in it (albeit unintentionally and out of necessity). I want everyone fighting for the top-7 spots. That has to happen. It always had to happen, no matter whether people were hurt or not. We have 15 girls. Seven get to run varsity in meets. The 7 fastest girls will run the meets. That has never changed.

What we all have to realize is the struggle we go through collectively creates that great team - and it can be great, that's our choice - when choose to see this from the selfless perspective. Your success isn't just about you running fast. It's also about what you contribute to the whole that makes others faster AND makes the team more competitive.

This is a mindset. It's sophisticated, and I'm challenging all of you to grasp it... you have to be selfish enough to fight for the spot you want and selfless enough to want the fastest 7 girls to run, even if it doesn't include you. You can never look for an easier way... you have to glory in the hard work you can do, in fact, embrace it and look forward to it. Prove to everyone around you how tough you are. Prove to everyone you are perfectly willing to outwork them anytime.

"You're faster than me? So what, I'll last longer!"
"You can run that hill? I'll do it 5 times!"

I'm not asking you to be in-your-face about this. Show it. Example from today's workout...

Carrie is looking great right now. She is responding to everything we're doing perfectly, and to be honest, is ready to take on anyone at any level, at least in spirit. This puts her ahead of everyone in practice, and she's doing exactly what she should - runs away on her own. She wasn't working too hard today - I know, I ran with her. She could talk just fine. We hit the Water Company at 15:15 for two miles, and we took it easy up the hill. 7:37 pace for easy? Yup, that happened.

Danielle on the other hand is still very muscle-weary from Brown County. I've not let her rest, either. I've laid a heavy load on her, because I feel this is what she needs to have the big taper. I think if we can hold it together she may just break 20. That's my goal. But for now, it's tough, really tough to be Danielle. She is watching Carrie run away and the racer in her doesn't like it. She could be spiteful and hateful, but that's not how she's handling it.

On the way back down the trail tonight, I staggered the girls. I sent the ones who were struggling first, then another group, then another group, and finally Carrie. Danielle had gone in the group just ahead of Carrie, and she knew exactly what would happen, because I've done it with her before.

"Okay Carrie, this is a race drill. Make your way through the groups one-by-one."
"All of them?" she asked.
I didn't want her to go quite that hard, so I said, "No, just Danielle's group."

Now comes the part where Danielle did it right. As sore as she was, as tired as she was, she told herself that no matter what, Carrie would not catch her. That singular thought possessed her. Pride rose in her heart, and she would not suffer giving Carrie a head start and still get caught. Wasn't. Gonna. Happen. And it didn't. Carrie would have had to flat-out sprint to get her, and I don't know if she could have even then.

Now I'm very proud of how Carrie has accepted her responsibility on the team, how willing she is to fight all the time, and how she understands that, unless she finds a way to match up with Salem's #1 runner, we're in trouble at Regional.

But tonight, I think I'm more proud of Danielle. In spite of all the odds, when it would have been easier to accept what seemed an inescapable fate, when she could have let it all climb in her head and defeat her, instead she focused on the one thing that would keep her going. That's racing folks, hard-core racing.

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender..."

It's hard, I know

Ladies,

I know things are hard right now. Stick with it. It will get better. Things ARE better. I'm betting some of you left today a bit discouraged because it felt so hard. Oh, contraire!

I've prepared a little data for you. You need to look at your splits first of all. Were you even? Did you speed up? Did you slow down? Is your projected 5k faster than your best time? Is it slower? Go ahead, take a minute. I'll be quiet for a few...

Athlete	Mile 1	Mile 2	Mile 3	Total	Pace	5k	Impr
Carrie	6:52:00	6:51:00	6:44:00	20:27:00	6:49:00	21:07:54	0:47:32
Danielle	7:20:00	7:36:00	7:17:00	22:13:00	7:24:20	22:57:26
Bret	7:26:00	7:56:00	7:02:00	22:24:00	7:28:00	23:08:48	0:46:30
Madison	7:28:00	7:36:00	7:22:00	22:26:00	7:28:40	23:10:52	3:22:32
Chloe	7:29:00	7:38:00	7:35:00	22:42:00	7:34:00	23:27:24	6:50:14
Morgan	7:36:00		7:21:00	14:57:00	7:28:30	23:10:21	3:11:41
Kaitlyn	7:37:00	7:44:00	7:28:00	22:49:00	7:36:20	23:34:38	3:28:44
Diana	8:15:00	8:49:00	8:43:00	25:47:00	8:35:40	26:38:34	6:58:30
Carlee	8:50:00	9:12:00	8:30:00	26:32:00	8:50:40	27:25:04	5:35:50
McKena	9:39:00			9:39:00	9:39:00	29:54:54

...and last week's repeats...

Athlete	Mile 1	Mile 2	Mile 3	Total	Pace	5k
Carrie	7:10:00	7:09:00	6:54:00	21:13:00	7:04:20	21:55:26
Alli	7:24:00		7:12:00	14:36:00	7:18:00	22:37:48
Bret	7:33:00	7:59:00	7:37:00	23:09:00	7:43:00	23:55:18
Madison	8:08:00	8:26:00	9:08:00	25:42:00	8:34:00	26:33:24
Morgan	7:55:00	8:39:00	8:57:00	25:31:00	8:30:20	26:22:02
Kaitlyn	9:10:00	8:48:00	8:13:00	26:11:00	8:43:40	27:03:22
Diana	10:01:00	10:51:00	11:40:00	32:32:00	10:50:40	33:37:04
Chloe	9:34:00	9:54:00	9:51:00	29:19:00	9:46:20	30:17:38
Carlee	9:50:00	11:01:00	11:06:00	31:57:00	10:39:00	33:00:54
Claudia	11:01:00		10:46:00	21:47:00	10:53:30	33:45:51
Nicole	12:07:00		10:35:00	22:42:00	11:21:00	35:11:06
Jill	7:32:00	7:56:00	7:22:00	22:50:00	7:36:40	23:35:40

........is that enough time yet?

As you can see, each and every one of you got a LOT faster this week compared to last week. Yes, it hurt just as much, but for that pain you became a LOT faster. 

Even splits are hard to do on our course, so don't read a lot into it if your middle mile is a little slow. True, it may be an indication of something you need to focus on, but I don't think anyone needs to panic about it since the second mile is the hilliest one. 

That the 5k pace was slower than some of your races? I told you controlled run. You are tired. This is not surprising. Runners like Carrie, Madison, Chloe, and Kaitlyn looked like they were on cruise control... very, very strong. World-beaters is what I would call you guys at the moment.

Runners like Danielle, Diana, Carlee look sore and muscle-heavy. This too is a normal reaction after such a tough race and tough workout schedule. Stay with it a bit longer... you gals are about to turn the corner on this. You are being broken down, but you will recover and be better than ever before. 

Bret and Morgan are readjusting to the speedwork. The soccer schedule doesn't give much time for running practice, so they've lost the feel of their pace somewhat. Morgan also has a nagging plantar issue. It was a solid job, but it will take some mental focus to overcome the lack of daily feedback you get from running. 

McKena is struggling through plantar as well. It's a toughie. Again, I say hang in there. We may have to bike you some, but you will come out of this better than you started.

I'm starting to feel really good about the direction we're going. I'm seeing quality running, not just garbage miles. Keep your focus ladies. It's coming. 

Comme Si, Comme Sa

Ladies,

How's your French? If you are having trouble, maybe you can run it through a translator. It's the theme for today, but only slightly so.

First, the positive. We ran great today. I did have a few of you on bikes, two for precautionary sake, but the rest ran. And, though some were sore, everyone that did run appeared to do so well. You are all beginning to look like runners out there.

Eleven girls headed for the railroad bed, three were on bikes, and one was with the trainer. I wound up forgetting my running shorts, and thought I'd gotten out of running, but it was no use; Chloe yelled, "Run in your cargo shorts!" Whether or not that was sarcasm I cannot be sure, but boy did she look surprised when I did. Hey, it was her idea!

This was a medium day, and wow, I'm really glad you girls have accepted the challenge of running faster. There are no freeloaders here - everybody works! Yes, the run is stringing out a bit, but that is how it should be. What is very gratifying to watch is how people are clawing their way to the next runner. That's how you form a group. You don't slow people down - you speed up the slower people.

To recap the main conversation regarding work and fatigue: we are stressing your systems hard now. The body is equipped with a wonderful self-defense mechanism. Once it comes under stress the brain assesses what the load is and how to adapt to it. Usually this means it will send more energy that direction, along with increased blood flow and capillaries (over time). The effect is the body adapts to the level of stress and will no longer be stressed by that level of work. In short, the body grows stronger and more efficient.

Part of this process is a speeding up of the metabolism. Since the body gets into a rhythm of using energy at a certain level, the brain sets a schedule to feed that need. You will notice an increased appetite. There is a lag to this change though, and that is tough at first and useful later.

On the front end, you're going to feel pretty worn down and muscle heavy. Have faith! Once the body determines this requires a change, things move quickly. Within a couple of weeks it will adapt and what once felt really hard gets much easier. The payoff comes when you taper. Since the body is in overdrive delivering energy, and since you aren't using the energy during taper, it gets stored. When you do finally do your peak race, you won't believe the explosive power you possess. So hunker down over the next few weeks! There is a payoff coming.

Finally, I am especially proud of the girls fighting for the top-7 spot so hard. You are transforming right before my eyes. It's amazing, and I feel lucky to be part of it.

Now for the bad... we do have people hurt. That's a fact. Time is closing in, and we want to get as many people healthy as possible. If I say, "ride the bike", then do so. If we do water running, do it. Our choices are becoming very limited at this point. I want the seven best people we have for tournament season. Let's get healthy!

Stock is Rising

Ladies,

I challenged you again today - it's only two days since you last ran hard, and today we did some hard 800s on the course. I know it was hard for you, your legs must have been blasted after Saturday. I only heard scattered whining, nothing serious and nothing that couldn't be overcome.

I guess this would be as good a place as any to interject how proud I was of two of my seniors for keeping spirits up - Chloe and Carlee. Just when I thought the mood would bottom out, you two stepped up and made it fun again. Well, maybe not the running part, but the being there part. You were just being your stupid selves, but man-o-man, you can't overestimate how valuable that kind of presence is at the right moment. Well done.

Back to the 800s... these were solid. Very solid. There was no real reason to believe you gals could hold it together, but you did. Take a look:

Athlete	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total	Pace
Carrie	2:57:00	2:53:00	2:57:00	2:56:00	2:55:00	2:55:00	17:33:00	2:55:30
Danielle	2:58:00	2:57:00	2:59:00	3:00:00	3:00:00	2:59:00	17:53:00	2:58:50
Madison	3:01:00	2:58:00	3:00:00	3:01:00	3:00:00	3:00:00	18:00:00	3:00:00
Chloe	3:07:00	3:10:00	3:07:00	3:05:00	3:07:00	3:05:00	18:41:00	3:06:50
Kaitlyn	3:15:00	3:15:00	3:13:00	3:12:00	3:09:00	3:08:00	19:12:00	3:12:00
Carlee	3:19:00	3:25:00	3:27:00	3:32:00	3:19:00	3:16:00	20:18:00	3:23:00
Diana	3:14:00	3:18:00	3:26:00	3:26:00	3:25:00	3:24:00	20:13:00	3:22:10
McKena	3:44:00	3:30:00	3:39:00	3:37:00	3:36:00	3:23:00	21:29:00	3:34:50
Nicole	4:03:00	3:44:00	3:48:00	3:45:00	3:44:00	3:39:00	22:43:00	3:47:10
Claudia	4:06:00	3:37:00	4:19:00	4:19:00	4:26:00	3:29:00	24:16:00	4:02:40

Athlete	Pace	Per 100	Adj. Pace	Per Mile	5k
Carrie	2:55:30	0:23:43	3:09:44	6:19:28	19:36:19
Danielle	2:58:50	0:24:10	3:13:20	6:26:40	19:58:40
Madison	3:00:00	0:24:19	3:14:36	6:29:11	20:06:29
Chloe	3:06:50	0:25:15	3:21:59	6:43:58	20:52:17
Kaitlyn	3:12:00	0:25:57	3:27:34	6:55:08	21:26:55
Carlee	3:23:00	0:27:26	3:39:28	7:18:55	22:40:39
Diana	3:22:10	0:27:19	3:38:34	7:17:07	22:35:04
McKena	3:34:50	0:29:02	3:52:15	7:44:30	23:59:58
Nicole	3:47:10	0:30:42	4:05:35	8:11:10	25:22:38
Claudia	4:02:40	0:32:48	4:22:21	8:44:41	27:06:31

Athlete	Last Wk
Carrie	6:29:00
Danielle	6:17:00
Bret	6:56:00
Alli	6:40:00
Madison	6:47:00
Kaitlyn	7:30:00
Diana	8:51:00
Keeley	7:34:00
Chloe	7:22:00
Carlee	7:51:00
Claudia	10:21:00

Okay, a ton of numbers, but let's consider them... first, compare your time this week to last week. With the exception of Danielle (who is seriously feeling the effects of Saturday), everyone got much faster. Not only that, but everyone did 6 this week instead of the 4 last week. That's huge improvement, ladies. You've jumped up a level or two in only a week!

Next, I adjusted the distance to more accurately reflect the true segment. 740 yards seemed about right after I calculated things, and would be within the margin of error of where I believe the post should be. That said, your predicted 5k times are based on your intervals. Check it out! 

Erase from you minds what was. Start believing what might be! Whatever box you've put yourself in, bust out! From here on out, when we race, we race hard. If we fall short, we analyze what went wrong and fix it. No fear. Let it all out, every day. In practice, expect to hear about racing, expect to run harder and faster. Hang in there. You'll accomplish things you never thought possible if you are willing to push yourselves and take a chance. 

Now a few specific comments:

Carrie - excellent. You were fast and controlled, a deadly combination. Get yourself into that rhythm in a race and I think you could hold it. We'll certainly be practicing that!

Danielle - I know you felt busted up today. You had every right to. Saturday's race was phenomenal, and you were bound to pay a price for it. It's okay. You ran super today, you kept Carrie in sight, and most of all, you provided inspiration and pacing for Madison. Sure, you nudged her at every finish - "I like you, but I'm going to kick your butt!" - but you were helping her too. Great job.

Madison - excellent. Excellent! Believe you can run on the front and you will. The ability is there, you have to trust it. Like we talked about, get in step with Danielle and stay there. When her foot hits the ground, so does yours. Don't let go.

Chloe - OMG! Where have YOU been?! Chloe, you're starting to look like a frontrunner, I kid you not. You didn't just do the workout today, you laughed through it. Let that soak in. Laughed. I cannot BEGIN to tell you how improved our chances are to go to State if your improvement continues on this arc. WOW!

Kaitlyn - notice something about those splits? They got faster. Each one got faster. That's impressive, and confirms what I've suspected - you haven't figured out yet just how hard you can push. You're exploring the boundaries, but don't be afraid - you really are good enough to run in the 21's right now. It'll hurt, I won't lie, but you can do it. Make up your mind to take the pain and watch what happens. 

Carlee - I see in you what we saw in Chloe last year... at some point the whole thing just clicked with her. You're running has suddenly gotten much faster. You're pushing yourself harder than ever. Just wait. Just wait. You won't believe it.

Diana - see that projected time? You can do that. Yes, YOU can. Like Kaitlyn, I will tell you it's going to hurt. A lot. I know you can take pain. Make up your mind to endure it, and it's yours. And I hope you understand I know you've suffered a lot already - no doubt about it. This is another level, very intense, and very mental. Your mind has to tell your body that no matter what, a certain time is going to happen today. You have to know what numbers have to be hit at checkpoints, and be willing to turn yourself inside-out to get the numbers. Understand, your opponents will. If they can do it, so can you. Remember that.

McKena - this was a great relief. You've struggled with your foot, but not today. This was a great workout, and surely a confidence booster. I can't wait for your next race!

Nicole - you got faster as it went on! Terrific! This shows you are getting stronger. It also shows you are willing to push yourself deeper and deeper into trouble. That's racing! Keep pushing the boundaries, let's see how far we can go!

Claudia - you were a little up and down on this one, but it is interesting to note when I told you there was only one more you dropped almost a full minute. Know what that means? You're not sure how hard to push yourself. You are inexperienced, and this is common. What I would say is this... don't let Nicole get away from you in anything. She's pushing, and if she can take it, so can you. Keep telling yourself that. 

Momentum

Ladies,

Feel that? Feel that confidence, that euphoria you feel from a job well done? That's great, isn't it? Want to keep it going? Understand it. Here's how I see it.

This week we really focused on the mental side of the game. We upped the quality, and accepted mentally it had to happen, and that it would have good results in the end. You girls all rose a level this week, and you surprised yourselves.

All of these elements amount to momentum. Now that we have it, we want to keep it. How? Keep up the intensity day-to-day, and by that I mean continue what we worked on last week. Elevate every run. Go for your very best in the hard workouts. Don't let the weather stop of you. Be thankful the work is hard, and that you can do it, and that you are doing it.

For those of you that were at the meet Saturday, notice Carmel's JV? Looked something like this. Click on it to get the full effect.

Why did Carmel do this? Why did they bring so many, for that matter, why do they keep so many runners for JV? I could think of a few that would be useful to the runners, such as junior olympics, quality of coaching, etc., but as to why they did this particular move is more subtle, yet profound.

This was totally done for effect. What effect? Size matters. Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the U.S. It has over 800,000 people in the city, and over a million in the greater metropolitan area. Carmel is one of the most exclusive and rich schools in the area. It's facilities are second to none. It's budget is second to none. This means they largely get the pick of the talent from the greater metropolitan area. Give them 60 of those girls, and they will dominate. And they did. Carmel's top 7 made the top-15 in a loaded field.

These girls may as well have been praying, "We're going to kill all of you", because that's what all the coaches heard.

Gamesmanship is a big part of sports. There is nothing wrong in what Carmel did. What we have to do is recognize when it is happening and not let it have the desired effect. Gamesmanship won't always be as obvious as this, so we have to be on our guard to be in our own zone to the point the outside stuff can't bother us.

That's what you girls did Saturday. I loved Danielle's comment on her second mile, how she focused on her form and effort and it kept her positive. Exactly right! Carrie was keeping Sydney Calhoun in sight (Salem runner). Loved it. Alli fought through her ankle. Loved it. All the way down the line, you girls stayed in your game. LOVED IT!

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Brown County Psuedo Results

Ladies,

I apologize. My impatience at the awards ceremony was well intended - we had lunch to get in, and Danielle had to work. We really couldn't wait another half an hour to get the results, and THEN try to eat. As a result we didn't wait to get results in hand. There was the promise they would be promptly posted, which as of this writing has yet to happen. I don't wish to wait any longer, so I'll dig right in with what I do have.

First - outstanding effort all the way up and down the line. Every single girl did something special today, no exceptions. You should all feel very proud of yourselves for what you did. It went beyond my wildest expectations. I was talking to Matthew before the first race. "What a great day. Something special HAS to happen today!" was my exact quote. And it did. Boy, did it!

We've been talking a lot about focus this week, how important that is to maintain, how it gives you control. Watching your faces on the line I could see no fear, no anxiety, only an eagerness to get out there and do it. I loved it! And the execution... wait a minute, I have to wipe my eyes, I'm tearing up... there... and the execution! You all had a plan and stuck to it. I really don't have a single negative thing to say about any of your races. Not one. That's how perfect a day it was.

Carrie, you're the hunter, and you sure did today. A 6:11 split might have spelled doom, but you are tough, and you followed with two more sub-7's and were in the thick the whole time. By the way, you moved up in place from last year by over 10 spots.

Danielle, you really maintained that focus. You said afterward you were able to think about your form and monitor your body through that second mile, and it showed. You too had a fast first, but you settled down to two even splits after that. Beautiful effort all the way. Convince the mind, and the body will always follow.

Alli, I couldn't guess what would happen after your injury. I hoped you'd be able to race well, because I frankly thought you needed the confidence from a great effort. You of all people today suffered the most, and I commend your guts for doing it, and even more so for the time you posted. There is no doubt in my mind you have another easy minute in you if you get healthy, not that there was anything wrong with today. I guess I want you to know how deeply I appreciate what you put yourself through for the team, and what it means to them, too. You are one tough girl.

Madison! In the 22s now! I'd make some vague "Matrix" reference about "Yes. She's starting to believe!", but you wouldn't get it. My point is I think you're beginning to believe in your potential. Yes, YOU are a great runner, and you have more time you'll drop, lots of it, before the season is over. A drop of 1:29 in a week is nothing to sneeze at.

Kaitlyn, you too are beginning to see it. You have run only since season has been in, but you are really doing a terrific job for us. Running in the 23s with no summer is amazing, and I don't think that's even close to all you have. The next couple of weeks are going to be really interesting for you.

Chloe! That was great to see, that final mile when you looked like the 800 runner you were born to be. That's the strongest I think I've ever seen you look in a race. You beat your time from last year, and it was a huge drop from last meet. Great, great job.

Diana, you too beat your time from last year. Yes, you did. I looked it up. After the hard week I put you through you were probably the least rested of the top-7. No matter, you ran great. You'll soon be in the 23s, I know that. I hope you believe it too.

Carlee, I think in a lot of ways you're still sorting this out, and today I saw a big step in that direction. Your time was a huge improvement over your last race (1:43), and I think there may be more jumps of a similar nature just around the corner. I'll reveal a little secret now... Coach Jo said all summer, "Carlee is your sleeper... she's going to surprise everyone!" What do you think about that!

Claudia, remember when you said you just wanted to complete a 5-mile run without stopping? Now look at you. That was a fantastic race for you today, and I think the athlete in you is really waking up. Now you're ready to go out there and collect a few scalps! Keep pushing, it will pay off.

Nicole, people can say whatever they want, but girl, you can SPRINT! In that final straight there was no question who was the fastest girl. It was you. Great drop on your time - 2:39 from last week to be precise. As your confidence grows, watch the time drop!

Here is the data I was able to pull together. Sorry about the mile 3 splits on a few of you... I was distracted and excited!

Athlete	Mile 1	Mile 2	Pace	Mile 3	Pace	5k	Pace
Carrie	6:11:00	13:10:00	6:59:00	20:08:00	6:58:00	20:50:00	6:43:14
Danielle	6:29:00	13:32:00	7:03:00	20:36:00	7:04:00	21:20:00	6:52:54
Alli	6:37:00	13:49:00	7:12:00	21:10:00	7:21:00	21:57:00	7:04:50
Madison	6:41:00	14:07:00	7:26:00	21:20:00	7:13:00	22:11:00	7:09:21
Kaitlyn	7:15:00	15:13:00	7:58:00	23:14:00	8:01:00	23:53:00	7:42:15
Diana	7:39:00	15:47:00	8:08:00		########	24:45:00	7:59:02
Chloe	7:40:00	15:47:00	8:07:00		########	24:19:00	7:50:39
Carlee	7:48:00	15:43:00	7:55:00		########	24:38:00	7:56:46
Claudia	8:15:00	16:51:00	8:36:00	25:23:00	8:32:00	26:04:00	8:24:31
Nicole	8:45:00	18:11:00	9:26:00		########	28:07:00	9:04:12

Here is a comparison to last week's times:

Athlete	Last 5k	Impr
Carrie	21:47:00	0:57:00
Danielle	22:11:00	0:51:00
Alli	23:00:00	1:03:00
Madison	23:40:00	1:29:00
Kaitlyn	24:30:00	0:37:00
Diana	25:22:00	0:37:00
Chloe	26:17:00	1:58:00
Carlee	26:21:00	1:43:00
Claudia	27:57:00	1:53:00
Nicole	30:46:00	2:39:00

One final nugget for you - last year, the top-5 runners' times totaled up to 1:12:00. This year it was 1:10:11. Think about that. This top-5 we used today, on paper not even our fastest top-5, is better than last year's group. Significantly so, I might add. That total time translates into gap, and gap is points. The smaller the time, the smaller the gap, the fewer the points, the better the place. Follow that?

Now it's true there's a pretty big gap from #1-#5 today. We expected that, and it would have been unrealistic to see that closed to a minute in one meet. However, over the next few meets we need to try to close the distance down. This was what I was indirectly referring to at lunch, Kaitlyn. We'll close it, but not by slowing down the front; we'll do it by improving everyone, especially the back end. 

Brown County Eve

Ladies,

Not a lot to add to what has already been said. Tomorrow is your day. Never mind the team standings, all you need to worry about is your race. Well, and Salem's race.

Don't be afraid to be aggressive. It's the day to try your best. Flat course, cool weather, great competition. This is what it's all about. Don't squander your chance, make the most of it!

Varsity girls race about 10:30, JV about 11:30. Those times are approximate, and likely will push out a bit.

We meet at the BNL pool entrance at 8 AM and leave as soon as we are loaded. It'll take just over an hour to get there if traffic isn't too slow. That gives us a bit over an hour to get settled and get warmed up before the race starts.

It will be cool out. Wear warm clothes! Heat is energy, ladies.

Bring money - we will probably stop on the way home, at least for a short stop.

We should be back by around 2:30. Plan accordingly (if you need a ride home).

Get some sleep, see you all in the morning!

A great workout!

Ladies,

For those present, tonight was a godsend workout in so many ways. The weather finally broke and we had tolerable running conditions (though it was still humid). We ran to the railroad bed, which is always fun, and we got some pretty good quality in there, too.

"Wait, quality? Didn't you say last night it would be an easy workout?"

Fair question, anonymous faceless nameless questioner. Let me explain. "Easy" has a lot of meanings. Easy doesn't mean (necessarily) a total absence of quality. It means less quality, or more accurately, less intensity. It's a relative term, you understand. So lil' Miss Questioner, you need to climb out of that box you've put yourself in and adjust your understanding!

Here's the thing; we're coming down to it. There are so many injuries and so few girls completing workouts, I feel compelled to really push the healthy girls to elevate. My philosophy is always hope for the best but plan for the worst. Worst-case scenario for us is if those girls who are hurt don't get better. As a team, we cannot wait around and depend on that happening. Fact is, it won't for all the injured girls - statistically that doesn't work out.

So if you're healthy, assume you are a top-7 runner. Don't worry about the math - let me worry about that. Now that you are assuming you are a top-7 runner, assume you have to get faster or we don't get out of Sectional. Assume you have to drop a couple of minutes between now and Sectional. Assume the only way to do that is up the quality of every single run, every single day. If everyone who is hurt gets healthy, that's great. If they don't, we're ready.

"Ohhhh... now I see why we are running so hard so often..."

That's right, anonymous faceless nameless epiphany-haver. You've heard me say before your race pace is within a minute to a minute-and-a-half of your training pace? If you run your training runs at 10-minute pace, where does that put you? 8:30 pace at best. Will that get us out of Sectional? Nope. Lower that to 9-minute pace. Now you might be at 7:30 pace. Better, but we still need more. 8:30 training pace? Now you're racing at the 7-minute range. Yeah, that's more like it.

But I'm greedy, and let's face it, we have the talent to do this. What if we had some girls train at 8-minute pace on easy days? Hmmm... if you can relax at 8 minutes, you could race at 6:30. Now you're rubbing up against the school record. Junk miles are okay when you're new or trying to get in shape to train, but once you can train, junk is junk.

Our drill today was about learning to relax at higher rates of speed. It can be done with concentration, and frankly needs to happen now. Give this two weeks, and the paces you girls ran today will be very easy to maintain. We'll have cooler weather too, and hopefully we'll see some very good drops. Here's the catch though... you have to do it. You have to be willing to leave people and spread out. You have to try to kick one another's butts in the hard workouts. You have to focus harder than you ever have. You are all in good enough shape to have big drops from wherever you are, so long as you put your heads in the right place. Put another way, you have to want it so bad you don't think of anything else while you're running.

I think positive thinking is one of the best mental tools to have. Positive to me means I am going forward with a plan that will work, and I have control over how that comes out. This post (and many in the last few days) may sound negative to you, but they really aren't. I am a realist, a pragmatist, and I always look the situation squarely in the eye and try to asses it in as unbiased a fashion as possible. Once done, I determine what I have the power to change, and make my plans accordingly. This gives me control, which is power, which to me makes me feel positive.

We are a deep enough team we can overcome the loss of some runners, but it demands that every single person be ready to run a quality time if the need arises. In the end, we run the 7 fastest runners, whoever that is. If you are not currently in the top-7, there is still time - you could be. Fight for it!

Easy practice tomorrow - only 3 miles. We should easily be done shortly after 4:15. Plan accordingly!

Oh, Saturday's Varsity lineup:

1. Danielle
2. Alli
3. Carrie
4. Madison
5. Kaitlyn
6. Diana
7. Chloe

May the dam burst!

Ladies,

Okay, seriously, the weather is going to break, I promise. The forecast for tomorrow is for a high of 85 and 50% chance of storms. It will not be like the last three days again. I promise. Still, I admire the way you ladies handled it today. I bet you didn't know it, but I secretly taped the whole event. I'll play a little excerpt from the pre-workout talk...

<click>*hssssssss....*
"Okay ladies, I know it's hot, but we have to work out hard today. I know, you don't want to-"

"Coach?! I just want to say I hope it's 800s. I LOVE 800s! Can we please do 800s?"

"Settle down, Chloe. No, it's not 800s-"

"But COACH! We have to do something hard. WE MUST! I feel utterly WORTHLESS unless you make the team suffer for the cause. Think of the kids!"

"Chloe, I don't see what 'the kids' have to do with anythin-"

"Of course they do, coach, they have EVERYTHING to do with it."

"How so?"

"They look up to you, coach. Heck, we ALL do! We know the second there's a running coach Hall of Fame, you'll be the first draftee."

"Now you're making me blush."

"No, I mean it coach. You're the bomb. You're the... the 4G of coaches!"

"And the kids?"

<the sound of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" rises in the background>
"You owe it to the kids to create more legends. Us, coach. Us. We're all part of the legacy. If we don't do great, your legend will be diminished. The kids who dream of some day running for you, the legend, will have no hope, no purpose. So you see coach, you have to make us suffer. You have to."

"Well, when you put it THAT way-"

"Oh, I do. I DO! Make us hurt coach. Make us throw up!"
<click>

So you see ladies, I was only fulfilling the wishes of one of your seniors, who I am sure was speaking for all of you. Sure, maybe you don't remember the conversation quite that way, but I have tape and you don't. Suffah.

As for the workout itself, it was indeed tough. I know you gals really suffered. We've run hard a lot lately, and the soccer girls played last night. The times weren't great on the whole (with the exceptions of Carrie, Bret, and Alli), but the effort was there. Some times you have to throw time out the window and just promise yourself you're stronger than the girl next to you, and if she can take it, so can you. And you keep going. That can happen at any speed, and at any point in a race. You make the choice to keep fighting, no matter what.

Tomorrow and Friday are easy runs. We race on Saturday.

Clouds gathering

Ladies,

It was a weird training day. I'd planned from the start to run a shorter practice, mainly because of the weather. Funny then that we'd have to shorten the workout because of the... well, weather.

The heat index was out the roof this afternoon. High humidity and high dew point combined once again to make the real-feel over 100 degrees. This is dangerous running if overdone, so the plan was to go shorter and easier. Most of the team made for the trail, which offered the best opportunity for some semblance of comfort.

I went to the Athletic Office to check mail, collect some forms, and check grades. That took a few minutes, but when I was done I hopped in the car to cruise around and see how everyone was holding up. I figured I might have to drag an overheated runner in. Better safe than sorry!

I was happy to see most of you were doing just fine, if not happy about it. Once I was satisfied everyone was going to be okay, I headed back to the course to check on the other girls.

On the way back I began to notice the building clouds. It was still quite sunny out, but the towering cumulus clouds were topping out and beginning to flatten, a sure sign a storm was forming. I was alarmed at how quickly it was happening.

I spoke to a few of you about your grades, then headed back to the girls out on the road. It was time to pick you up, because I couldn't be sure you would make it back safely before a storm hit. Yes, things were coming apart that fast by this time.

So I loaded you all up and we rode in. At that point, practice had to end because of lightning. And that's how it all ended today. I wouldn't have cut the run quite as short, but there are some things that cannot be controlled, and I can't stress about it.

Looking forward though... tomorrow is a harder workout. I am not saying what yet. Hopefully it will be cooler, but either way we're running harder. That's the way it's going to have to be. I have a couple of workouts in mind, and I won't pick until I see the conditions at the time of the run.

We race at Brown County this weekend. Your mind should already be turning toward that point. We have a flat course. It's the Semi-State course, so we are getting a preview. It's going to be very cool, perfect running weather. We will be running against several conference and State Series foes. We are ready to run faster. All we need is to get our minds in the right place, and it's ours.

Salem is our main concern. Our top-5 has to beat their top-5. Every girl has the responsibility to attack the Salem girls whenever and wherever possible. No, I don't mean grab them at the parking area and club them unconscious... I mean out on the course, you press, hard. We are good enough to match them 1-for-1 if we choose to do so. We are deeper, but I don't want to settle for that... I want to take it to them at every level. Even if they get us this time, we're going to keep going at them until we get them. No excuses. No compromise. It's time to set your jaw and take it. We need to beat their quality too, because in a large meet that gap hurts us.

Fire up!