Salem Invite - Results

Ladies,

The results are in. First let's start with your times and splits.

Runner	Mile 1	Mile 2	Pace	Finish	Pace
Joslyn Weaver	6:51:00	14:13:00	7:22:00	22:11:00	7:09:21
Carrie Flinn	6:40:00	14:16:00	7:36:00	22:38:00	7:18:04
Madison Ryan	6:54:00	14:33:00	7:39:00	23:05:00	7:26:46
Zoe Zollman	7:16:00	15:20:00	8:04:00	24:14:00	7:49:02
Katlyn Eagan	7:28:00	15:42:00	8:14:00	24:30:00	7:54:12
Chelsey Schofield	7:52:00	16:15:00	8:23:00	25:26:00	8:12:15
Diana Kattau	7:52:00	16:15:00	8:23:00	25:46:00	8:18:43
Sara Peterson	7:53:00	17:13:00	9:20:00	27:00:00	8:42:35
Cynthany Hignite	7:54:00	16:49:00	8:55:00	27:13:00	8:46:46

It goes without saying this is vastly improved over Monday's meet. We expected as much, given it was cooler and flatter. No, not perfectly cool nor perfectly flat, but better on both counts. We also had a fair chance to win, at least on paper.

The top 3 girls I gave a hefty assignment, and I think you all accomplished it. You were supposed to break up Salem's top 3, and you did that. Joslyn nearly beat their #2. That's a big deal, a very big deal. If we could get all three of you ahead of their #2, and we can, then their top runner won't much matter. Assuming we don't catch her too. ;)

Zoe, great job. You were supposed to treat this like practice, and I could tell by your face you did. It takes a lot of the pressure off to have your head in the right place. Staying in the positive makes you a faster racer every time. This was a huge time drop from Monday (1:35!) - you are a great runner! More drops like this are on the way!

Kaitlyn - super effort, especially the final kick. You were given instructions to run between 7:45 and 8:00, and I think 7:54 fits nicely into that slot. It's a great place to start the year, and I'm certain you will drop a lot more time. By the way, 3rd mile was faster than mile 2 by 15 seconds... good place to start is focus in 2nd mile!

Chelsey - just a great job all around. You recognized when the pace fell off and left Diana, which is what you should do. Your splits actually look really solid - speedwork will do a lot to give you big drops!

Diana - this was another super effort. It's not as bad as you think - you're racing better than you ever have, and you are doing great workouts in the heat. I think you've turned the corner on this whole thing. If you split the difference between the opening mile and your eventual pace, you should find easy drops. 8-flat starting split?

Sara - that was tough on you, but look; you got a good effort in. You were able to do it in race conditions, and you got a chance to pull through some people. You have to experience it to get it. Things are going to get a lot better soon, hang in there. I can't believe how tough you are, and I know you're going to amaze me even more. 

Cynthany - I've seen many athletes quit a race with far less provocation than you had today. You were in agony by mile 1 but kept plugging along. You pulled yourself together and actually had one of the best closing kicks. That was nice to see. I encourage you to push yourself more in practice, because the only thing you really lack is base mileage. 

Oh! Final team scores:

Silver Creek: 34

Vincennes Lincoln: 55

BNL: 72

Salem: 88

Borden: 160

Mitchell: 174

Lanesville: 201

West Washington: 230

I am proud of you girls, all of you. Our goal was to beat Salem and get a look at who we will face in the tournament. We did both. Every girl did what was asked, and I can't ask any more of you.

I want you to think on this too... If you look at everyone who ran today, 4 of the top 5 were sick this week, and 3 of the next 5 are nursing chronic issues. Yes, we have things to work out, but I'm telling you the sky is the limit here. Push yourselves in practice! Take every chance to be great! The heat is going to be with us for a while, and I will do what I can to mitigate that, but we still have quality work that needs done. We know what we have to do, so let's individually choose to make the most of the time left.

See you on Monday, Milwaukee Trail, 8 AM.