How well did the boys run on Saturday? Well, we finished 28 points ahead of Lancaster, and just 18 points behind Williamsville North. According to the latest Section VI XC poll, published in the Buffalo News (here), Willy North is tied for 3rd among large schools in Section VI and Lancaster is 5th.
We lost to Athena 23-34 in the first meet of the season. We scored 144 points at McQuaid, to their 225 (despite having the overall winner), and beat them 25-32 in dual meet scoring.
We also had a chance to run against two of our next dual meet opponents: Gates and Spencerport, and outscored them handily.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wow!
The team turned in an excellent performance at McQuaid yesterday. The varsity boys exceeded all expectations to bring home some hardware, finishing 3rd in our race. They were led by an awesome 9th place finish by Kenny. Nico and Nate both placed in the 20s, and Chris just missed, in 31st. Alex in 55th place just about equaled our top runner's place last year. I am not concerned about the times, that may have seemed a little slower than expected, because the humidity and stealthy heat that showed up for our race certainly had an effect. In fact, I saw a couple of girls that were down on the last 1/2 mile of the course in the following race.
The girls showed some incredible improvement, and managed to beat Vestal. Alaina appears to be rounding into form, and went under 21 minutes. Khristyna was 1:47 faster than last year, but even that wasn't quite enough to keep up with Karen in the homestretch. Anneleise realized, during the race, that she can run, and turned in a 7:43 last mile. Hannah improved over last year, despite the tougher conditions, and Sarah was 40 seconds faster in the first mile, which is all we have to compare.
The JV Boys then stepped up for a great run. Placing 11th in that field is terrific. And beating Thomas's JV is an accomplishment (even if they did have a couple 18:30-something runners in the Sophomore race. Other notable teams behind us include Corning, Penfield and St. Joe's.
As individuals, there is a lot worth mentioning: Wade under 18 and ahead of 2 Varsity runners, and Goeff snuck in ahead of one. Ethan's 18:43 is an excellent freshman time (not far behind AJ from last year and Nate from 2006), and Eric was sub-19. JP put in a solid 3rd mile to go under 19:30. Elliot, Trevor, Joe, Tom and John were all between 19:44 and 20:12. The next batch of freshmen: Alex, Tristan (with a big third mile), Patrick and Kenny, were all 21:05 and better, and Justin was right behind them.
With no dual meet this week, it's time to go back to work. There are only 27 days until Counties. These next two weeks of training are a great opportunity to get ready for that meet.
The girls showed some incredible improvement, and managed to beat Vestal. Alaina appears to be rounding into form, and went under 21 minutes. Khristyna was 1:47 faster than last year, but even that wasn't quite enough to keep up with Karen in the homestretch. Anneleise realized, during the race, that she can run, and turned in a 7:43 last mile. Hannah improved over last year, despite the tougher conditions, and Sarah was 40 seconds faster in the first mile, which is all we have to compare.
The JV Boys then stepped up for a great run. Placing 11th in that field is terrific. And beating Thomas's JV is an accomplishment (even if they did have a couple 18:30-something runners in the Sophomore race. Other notable teams behind us include Corning, Penfield and St. Joe's.
As individuals, there is a lot worth mentioning: Wade under 18 and ahead of 2 Varsity runners, and Goeff snuck in ahead of one. Ethan's 18:43 is an excellent freshman time (not far behind AJ from last year and Nate from 2006), and Eric was sub-19. JP put in a solid 3rd mile to go under 19:30. Elliot, Trevor, Joe, Tom and John were all between 19:44 and 20:12. The next batch of freshmen: Alex, Tristan (with a big third mile), Patrick and Kenny, were all 21:05 and better, and Justin was right behind them.
With no dual meet this week, it's time to go back to work. There are only 27 days until Counties. These next two weeks of training are a great opportunity to get ready for that meet.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
McQuaid Invitational
On Saturday we travel to Genesee Valley Park for the McQuaid Invitational. There are over 7000 runners entered, from 235 schools, for the 24 races that will be run. The course is flat and usually very fast; however, there are some showers in the forecast for Friday and Saturday and, since we run races 21, 22 and 24, the course could be sloppy by the time we run. Be sure to have your spikes ready to go! And make sure you have proper clothing to stay warm and dry.
How fast is the course? Since it is only 3 miles, last year 20 of the 24 boys and 9 of the 13 girls that ran, had their fastest time of the year. 8 runners had their fastest pace of the year. For example, AJ ran 18:16, Geoff ran 19:08, and John Pilato ran 20:18. JP was 16th on the team and ran 20:01. For the girls, Alaina ran 21:33, Megan Rieger ran 19:41 and Sarah M ran 23:05.
The meet web site is located here. It has past results and information about this year's meet.
Last year, our boys were 15th out of 27 schools. Of the 22 teams that I have seen entered in that race, it seems that the best teams are McQuaid, Williamsville North, Lancaster, Union-Endicott, Athena, Spencerport, Hilton. We should be able to knock off some of those teams. Our JV team was 18th out of 27 in 2007; we are capable of placing in the top half of that race, even though it includes "seeded" teams.
How fast is the course? Since it is only 3 miles, last year 20 of the 24 boys and 9 of the 13 girls that ran, had their fastest time of the year. 8 runners had their fastest pace of the year. For example, AJ ran 18:16, Geoff ran 19:08, and John Pilato ran 20:18. JP was 16th on the team and ran 20:01. For the girls, Alaina ran 21:33, Megan Rieger ran 19:41 and Sarah M ran 23:05.
The meet web site is located here. It has past results and information about this year's meet.
Last year, our boys were 15th out of 27 schools. Of the 22 teams that I have seen entered in that race, it seems that the best teams are McQuaid, Williamsville North, Lancaster, Union-Endicott, Athena, Spencerport, Hilton. We should be able to knock off some of those teams. Our JV team was 18th out of 27 in 2007; we are capable of placing in the top half of that race, even though it includes "seeded" teams.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
4 and Oh, Baby!
Well, we picked up a big win last night. The team effort was outstanding!
First, the girls. We lost to Churchville, 24-33 and Eastridge, 24-31, but gave them nice battles. If we keep improving at our current rate, we should be able to run with those teams at the end of the year. Alaina ran faster than at Mendon West, on a course that is 0.1 mile longer. Khristyna, Sarah M, and Hannah all ran over 30 seconds faster than expected. Janelle seems to be getting fit, and Anneleise and Amanda made nice dual meet debuts, giving Kristen someone to accompany.
The boys bounced back from the Wildcat Invitational very well, with most running their races as planned. It was great to see the solid teamwork throughout our line-up, from Kenny and Nico working together to go after Hilton's top guy, to the loud cheering section bringing Bobby home in under 30.
Schroeder had not been 4-0 in a dual meet since 10/5/2004 against much weaker opponents (we were 3-0 on 10/10/2006, also against a weak schedule). That day was the last time we had 3 runners in the D&C for a single race - and they were 18:26-18:35 at English Road, which is about 30 seconds faster than Parma.
We finally had our top 5 runners in attendance and performing well, for the first time this season, so we had 5 under 19 minutes. Our 1-5 gap, which had been in the 1:50s all year, dropped to 1:15, and it was our 1-7 that was 1:53.
Beyond the top 7, we had some great performances, such as Ethan's sub-20 to be 8th, John pulling Tommy to a course-adjusted PR and Alex running 22:00, about 1.5 minutes faster than expected.
I would write more, but I think my boss is coming, so don't feel slighted if you weren't mentioned!
First, the girls. We lost to Churchville, 24-33 and Eastridge, 24-31, but gave them nice battles. If we keep improving at our current rate, we should be able to run with those teams at the end of the year. Alaina ran faster than at Mendon West, on a course that is 0.1 mile longer. Khristyna, Sarah M, and Hannah all ran over 30 seconds faster than expected. Janelle seems to be getting fit, and Anneleise and Amanda made nice dual meet debuts, giving Kristen someone to accompany.
The boys bounced back from the Wildcat Invitational very well, with most running their races as planned. It was great to see the solid teamwork throughout our line-up, from Kenny and Nico working together to go after Hilton's top guy, to the loud cheering section bringing Bobby home in under 30.
Schroeder had not been 4-0 in a dual meet since 10/5/2004 against much weaker opponents (we were 3-0 on 10/10/2006, also against a weak schedule). That day was the last time we had 3 runners in the D&C for a single race - and they were 18:26-18:35 at English Road, which is about 30 seconds faster than Parma.
We finally had our top 5 runners in attendance and performing well, for the first time this season, so we had 5 under 19 minutes. Our 1-5 gap, which had been in the 1:50s all year, dropped to 1:15, and it was our 1-7 that was 1:53.
Beyond the top 7, we had some great performances, such as Ethan's sub-20 to be 8th, John pulling Tommy to a course-adjusted PR and Alex running 22:00, about 1.5 minutes faster than expected.
I would write more, but I think my boss is coming, so don't feel slighted if you weren't mentioned!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Girls Preview
OK, so there is not much chance that our girls will knock off Hilton today; however, East Rochester has not fielded a full team this year, and last week at the same Parma course their two girls ran 24:30 and 28:01, so we should be able to get a win there.
The other meets could be interesting. Eastridge has one fast girl (ran in the 22s at Mendon East the last two weeks), but the next two should be in the 24s, then one in the 25s and one around 27. That amounts to a very nice challenge for our girls. Churchville's top girls isn't as fast, but they have two girls that should be in the 23s - nice targets for Alaina. They come in a little quicker than Eastridge after that: 2 could be in the 24s and 1 in the 25s.
The other meets could be interesting. Eastridge has one fast girl (ran in the 22s at Mendon East the last two weeks), but the next two should be in the 24s, then one in the 25s and one around 27. That amounts to a very nice challenge for our girls. Churchville's top girls isn't as fast, but they have two girls that should be in the 23s - nice targets for Alaina. They come in a little quicker than Eastridge after that: 2 could be in the 24s and 1 in the 25s.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Warning Shot to Hilton
So, we had a chance to avenge some losses last weekend, and to send a message to Hilton. We sort of did the latter - we beat Hilton by 22 points in the invitational, but they beat us 28-28 in dual meet scoring, so we have some work to do on Tuesday. We did not manage to get Irondequoit, losing by 24 points (and 27-28 in dual meet scoring).
Sutherland and Victor were in the Division II race. Plugging our times in that race shows that we would have beaten both teams, and finished 2nd to Wayne. So, our improvement was certainly demonstrated; however, to be successful as the season continues, we need to close our 1-5 (and 1-7) gap. It was still at 1:52 (and 2:24) on Saturday. Since our top guy was 21 seconds behind the "average" top guy, we need to get it done with a tighter pack, a closer team.
Tuesday's meet is likely to be decided by the performance of the 4-5-6 runners on each team. I have confidence that our 4-5-6 (and 7-8-9, et al) runners are ready to tough it out in a mano-a-mano meet like this. This meet will be very different than most dual meets we run, and we should get excited by this during the race. I expect 17 of the top 20 places in the race on Tuesday will be Hilton or Schroeder runners; the majority of those should be ours!
Sutherland and Victor were in the Division II race. Plugging our times in that race shows that we would have beaten both teams, and finished 2nd to Wayne. So, our improvement was certainly demonstrated; however, to be successful as the season continues, we need to close our 1-5 (and 1-7) gap. It was still at 1:52 (and 2:24) on Saturday. Since our top guy was 21 seconds behind the "average" top guy, we need to get it done with a tighter pack, a closer team.
Tuesday's meet is likely to be decided by the performance of the 4-5-6 runners on each team. I have confidence that our 4-5-6 (and 7-8-9, et al) runners are ready to tough it out in a mano-a-mano meet like this. This meet will be very different than most dual meets we run, and we should get excited by this during the race. I expect 17 of the top 20 places in the race on Tuesday will be Hilton or Schroeder runners; the majority of those should be ours!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wildcat and Workout
Tomorrow's Wildcat Invite includes Irondequoit, Spencerport, Hilton, Sutherland, Athena and Victor. It should give us a decent idea of where we stand against the middle tier of Monroe County teams, in invitational scoring (some top teams will also be there: Brighton, Mendon, Thomas, Rush-Henrietta). It also gives us a chance to avenge a couple of our dual meet losses.
Yesterday's workout went pretty well. I've compared the times to the similar workout last year, and the results are encouraging. With a few exceptions, the improvements were notable. Leading the way was Adrian, who improved his average time by 50 seconds per interval. Other big improvements came from Afro Thunder (30 seconds), Arik (17), Wade (11) and Trevor (10). 10 seconds per interval is better than a minute in a 5K, so we should continue to see great race improvements from these guys. Khristyna showed the big improvement on the girls side - 12 seconds per interval.
A few more workouts like that, with even better participation, and we will be ready to shine at Counties!
Yesterday's workout went pretty well. I've compared the times to the similar workout last year, and the results are encouraging. With a few exceptions, the improvements were notable. Leading the way was Adrian, who improved his average time by 50 seconds per interval. Other big improvements came from Afro Thunder (30 seconds), Arik (17), Wade (11) and Trevor (10). 10 seconds per interval is better than a minute in a 5K, so we should continue to see great race improvements from these guys. Khristyna showed the big improvement on the girls side - 12 seconds per interval.
A few more workouts like that, with even better participation, and we will be ready to shine at Counties!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Saturday (this, not last!)
We're off for a preview of the Sectional course on Saturday. We should be looking to improve both the quantity and quality of our finishers this year.
In 2006, we had just 5 boys and 3 girls finish. The meet official messed up the timing of the boys race, so we don't have times. At sectionals, only one runner was under 19:59, but 6th was 20:17. For the girls, Ashley ran well (21:55), but the others were 25:41 and 26:38. At sectionals, Brianna was first for the team in 21:54, 5th was 24:39 and 7th was 25:34.
In 2007, we had 14 boys and 11 girls finish. Chris ran 19:42, no one else was under 20 minutes. Our 5th man was 21:09 and 7th was 21:39. Sectionals was much better, with our 7th man at 19:40 and Nico led the way in 18:17. For the girls, only 5 girls were under 28 minutes, with Megan first in 23:07. They were also much better at sectionals, with the 5th girl at 23:40, and Megan running 21:18.
This year we have 40 runners on our roster. I think a few injured runners will miss this meet, but we should have a much better turnout than last year. We should be able to put 5 runners under 19:42 (perhaps 3 under 19:00?), and 7 under 20 minutes. We should also be able to put 5 girls under 26 minutes, perhaps 7 under 28 minutes.
Looking back at the splits from last year's invitational and sectionals, one thing is clear: the first mile was run far too fast at the invitational. The top 7 boys slowed by an average of 1:08 from the first mile to the second. A couple of boys that did not break 20 minutes, were through the mile in 5:35-5:36. The top 7 girls slowed by 1:33. At Sectionals, the boys slowed by just 43 seconds, the girls by 58 seconds. The smart runner will learn from this, and run very conservatively for the first mile - it's downhill and has to be completed without much effort, so that you are in position to pass the dying multitudes over the next 1.5 miles.
In 2006, we had just 5 boys and 3 girls finish. The meet official messed up the timing of the boys race, so we don't have times. At sectionals, only one runner was under 19:59, but 6th was 20:17. For the girls, Ashley ran well (21:55), but the others were 25:41 and 26:38. At sectionals, Brianna was first for the team in 21:54, 5th was 24:39 and 7th was 25:34.
In 2007, we had 14 boys and 11 girls finish. Chris ran 19:42, no one else was under 20 minutes. Our 5th man was 21:09 and 7th was 21:39. Sectionals was much better, with our 7th man at 19:40 and Nico led the way in 18:17. For the girls, only 5 girls were under 28 minutes, with Megan first in 23:07. They were also much better at sectionals, with the 5th girl at 23:40, and Megan running 21:18.
This year we have 40 runners on our roster. I think a few injured runners will miss this meet, but we should have a much better turnout than last year. We should be able to put 5 runners under 19:42 (perhaps 3 under 19:00?), and 7 under 20 minutes. We should also be able to put 5 girls under 26 minutes, perhaps 7 under 28 minutes.
Looking back at the splits from last year's invitational and sectionals, one thing is clear: the first mile was run far too fast at the invitational. The top 7 boys slowed by an average of 1:08 from the first mile to the second. A couple of boys that did not break 20 minutes, were through the mile in 5:35-5:36. The top 7 girls slowed by 1:33. At Sectionals, the boys slowed by just 43 seconds, the girls by 58 seconds. The smart runner will learn from this, and run very conservatively for the first mile - it's downhill and has to be completed without much effort, so that you are in position to pass the dying multitudes over the next 1.5 miles.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Close, But No Cigar
Well, we made a very good run at Fairport yesterday, but fell just short, 27-30. The downside was our huge 1-5 and 1-7 gaps, which were 1:58 and 2:21, respectively. We can't make the jump to the next level of competition without closing those gaps, and we have the capability to do it - there are still 10-15 boys with a chance to make the top 7 this year. Someone will certainly have a breakthrough.
Just about everything else was great. From Kenny leading the way to a 2-3-4 finish against Fairport, to AB catching a Fairport runner from way back with 800 to go, to Geoff putting up his best race, with his pack in pursuit and almost breaking 20, to the continued improvements of JP and Afro Thunder, to nice runs by a host of rookies, and to Bobby completing his first 5K race. There is much to look forward to, as the season (and your high school careers) progress.
For the girls, Alaina was the heroine. We were in danger of being shut out, 15-50, by all three teams, but Alaina beat the 7th runner on all of the teams (plus the 6th runner for Penfield). Khristyna and Sarah W. continued their huge improvement over last year, beating their times on this course by over two minutes. Karen made a very nice debut, finishing 4th for the team.
Just about everything else was great. From Kenny leading the way to a 2-3-4 finish against Fairport, to AB catching a Fairport runner from way back with 800 to go, to Geoff putting up his best race, with his pack in pursuit and almost breaking 20, to the continued improvements of JP and Afro Thunder, to nice runs by a host of rookies, and to Bobby completing his first 5K race. There is much to look forward to, as the season (and your high school careers) progress.
For the girls, Alaina was the heroine. We were in danger of being shut out, 15-50, by all three teams, but Alaina beat the 7th runner on all of the teams (plus the 6th runner for Penfield). Khristyna and Sarah W. continued their huge improvement over last year, beating their times on this course by over two minutes. Karen made a very nice debut, finishing 4th for the team.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monroe County Rankings
Based purely on performances in the first two dual meets of the year, here is how the boys' teams stack up in Monroe County:
Brighton 76
Brockport 102
Mendon 121
Thomas 128
Penfield 135
Rush Henrietta 160
Irondequoit 241
Arcadia 263
Fairport 265
Spencerport 291
Hilton 306
Sutherland 311
Athena 352
Odyssey 370
Victor 384
Schroeder 420
Gates Chili 450
Olympia 469
Batavia 591
Churchville 602
East Iron. 631
East Rochester 705
Interestingly, including results from the second half of last year causes R-H to leapfrog everyone. I'm not sure whether they have been holding back during non-divisional losses to Thomas and Mendon, or whether their top runners have entered the season in poor fitness. They have another chance to answer that today at Mendon East, where they have a very nice non-divisional match-up with Brockport.
Black Creek should be interesting today. Can the Thomas duo go 1-2 again? Or will it be Lipani (Arcadia) or Dunham (Spencerport). Arcadia only seems to have 4 runners, can they hold off Spencerport and Hilton in dual meets?
Seneca Park features the team ahead of Schroeder and the three teams after Schroeder, so that should generate some very close scores.
The Monroe County girls stack up like this, after two weeks:
Mendon 43
Fairport 95
Rush Henrietta 117
Thomas 145
Brighton 161
Hilton 171
Sutherland 176
Spencerport 241
Gates Chili 247
Athena 250
Penfield 301
Victor 305
Odyssey 352
Brockport 400
Irondequoit 437
Olympia 452
Churchville Chili 476
East Irondequoit 479
Schroeder 544
Batavia 556
Arcadia 685
East Rochester Inc
I'm not sure if/when Sarah Ritchie will return for Hilton, so they may drop another meet today, this time to Thomas. Not many other dual meets seem interesting this week.
Brighton 76
Brockport 102
Mendon 121
Thomas 128
Penfield 135
Rush Henrietta 160
Irondequoit 241
Arcadia 263
Fairport 265
Spencerport 291
Hilton 306
Sutherland 311
Athena 352
Odyssey 370
Victor 384
Schroeder 420
Gates Chili 450
Olympia 469
Batavia 591
Churchville 602
East Iron. 631
East Rochester 705
Interestingly, including results from the second half of last year causes R-H to leapfrog everyone. I'm not sure whether they have been holding back during non-divisional losses to Thomas and Mendon, or whether their top runners have entered the season in poor fitness. They have another chance to answer that today at Mendon East, where they have a very nice non-divisional match-up with Brockport.
Black Creek should be interesting today. Can the Thomas duo go 1-2 again? Or will it be Lipani (Arcadia) or Dunham (Spencerport). Arcadia only seems to have 4 runners, can they hold off Spencerport and Hilton in dual meets?
Seneca Park features the team ahead of Schroeder and the three teams after Schroeder, so that should generate some very close scores.
The Monroe County girls stack up like this, after two weeks:
Mendon 43
Fairport 95
Rush Henrietta 117
Thomas 145
Brighton 161
Hilton 171
Sutherland 176
Spencerport 241
Gates Chili 247
Athena 250
Penfield 301
Victor 305
Odyssey 352
Brockport 400
Irondequoit 437
Olympia 452
Churchville Chili 476
East Irondequoit 479
Schroeder 544
Batavia 556
Arcadia 685
East Rochester Inc
I'm not sure if/when Sarah Ritchie will return for Hilton, so they may drop another meet today, this time to Thomas. Not many other dual meets seem interesting this week.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Tomorrow's Meet
On the girls side, Brighton is 9-0 and Fairport is 8-0, but neither are as good as 7-0 Mendon, who we face later. Penfield is 5-2, so I don't think our record will improve this week. Fairport's top returning girl, Jenn Spitzer has not run this year, but they may still go 1-2-3 tomorrow - last week their 3rd girl was 21:11 at Harris Whalen and their 6th girl was 22:02. The first week their 5th girl was 22:10 at Parma. Brighton runs a pretty tight pack - their 5th girl was under 23 minutes at Mendon East the first week. Penfield isn't quite as strong, but Alaina would do well to finish ahead of their 4th and 5th runners.
Last year our girls ran the following times at Mendon West:
Alaina - 22:51 (computer predicts 23:22 this year)
Janelle - 23:08 (25:05)
Sarah M - 24:44 (25:14)
Hannah - 26:24 (26:29)
Khristyna - 26:45 (25:55)
Sarah W - 29:35 (27:21)
The computer does not know that we are in better shape than we were for the first two meets, so we should expect some faster times.
The other boys teams also have outstanding records: Brighton, 9-0; Penfield, 6-1; Fairport, 6-2. At this point in the season, Brighton appears to be the best team in Section V. Penfield is the defending Class AA champs. So, we'll keep our focus on Fairport. Based on the times run so far this year, Fairport would trounce us 21-40. We can do significantly better than that. Adding Nico and having solid runs from the first five runners across the line can put us in upset territory.
Some times from last year:
Nate - 18:03
Nico - 18:03
Chris - 18:16
Kenny - 18:19
AJ - 19:06
Wade - 19:08
The computer expects Fairport to run the following:
A. Rice - 17:24
Rowe & Korts around 18:10
E. Rice - 18:22
Mitchell - 18:32
6-8 pack - 18:52
If all falls in place for us, we could go 1-2-4-9-10, for a 26-29 win, so we need a close-to-perfect team race, with a solid run by Nate, Chris and whoever steps up to be our 5th man.
The individual race could be interesting between Penfield's Greg Redfield and Brighton's David Geary. Both are capable of running down around 16:30 on this course. Brighton has another runner that could challenge the 17 minute barrier.
Last year our girls ran the following times at Mendon West:
Alaina - 22:51 (computer predicts 23:22 this year)
Janelle - 23:08 (25:05)
Sarah M - 24:44 (25:14)
Hannah - 26:24 (26:29)
Khristyna - 26:45 (25:55)
Sarah W - 29:35 (27:21)
The computer does not know that we are in better shape than we were for the first two meets, so we should expect some faster times.
The other boys teams also have outstanding records: Brighton, 9-0; Penfield, 6-1; Fairport, 6-2. At this point in the season, Brighton appears to be the best team in Section V. Penfield is the defending Class AA champs. So, we'll keep our focus on Fairport. Based on the times run so far this year, Fairport would trounce us 21-40. We can do significantly better than that. Adding Nico and having solid runs from the first five runners across the line can put us in upset territory.
Some times from last year:
Nate - 18:03
Nico - 18:03
Chris - 18:16
Kenny - 18:19
AJ - 19:06
Wade - 19:08
The computer expects Fairport to run the following:
A. Rice - 17:24
Rowe & Korts around 18:10
E. Rice - 18:22
Mitchell - 18:32
6-8 pack - 18:52
If all falls in place for us, we could go 1-2-4-9-10, for a 26-29 win, so we need a close-to-perfect team race, with a solid run by Nate, Chris and whoever steps up to be our 5th man.
The individual race could be interesting between Penfield's Greg Redfield and Brighton's David Geary. Both are capable of running down around 16:30 on this course. Brighton has another runner that could challenge the 17 minute barrier.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Head Games
Many runners race below their capabilities, and there are many reasons for this - not all are physical. Much of running performance is mental, so we should think about some things that may help our mental strength as well as our physical conditioning.
One of the first things to realize is that racing fast is hard. You will have times in the race where you will want to back off. How does one get through those times?
One way is through physical workouts. Many of our training sessions are intended to replicate feelings that you'll encounter during the later part of a race: fatigue, pain, doubts. Running strong through those feelings in workouts can help you get through the same feelings in a race.
Another way is by mental training. Practice addressing, in your mind, the feelings you will encounter in a race. Most of the best runners do this frequently. There are different strategies for dealing with pain, and some will be better than others for a given person, so you need to try them out and learn what works for you.
Two major categories of strategies for dealing with pain are association and disassociation. Disassociation strategies focus on finding a distraction for your mind, so that you are not thinking about the discomfort. That can include thinking "happy thoughts", completely unrelated to the race, or thinking about the upcoming downhill or reeling in the next runner. Associative strategies can include focusing on the fatigue or pain as a sign of strength, or focusing on your breathing rate or stride rate.
There are many ways to get over the mental hurdles that get in your way during a race. The important thing is to practice a variety of techniques and see what works best for you. On any given day, this can turn a good race into a great race, or even a poor race (due to physical factors) into a decent race.
One of the first things to realize is that racing fast is hard. You will have times in the race where you will want to back off. How does one get through those times?
One way is through physical workouts. Many of our training sessions are intended to replicate feelings that you'll encounter during the later part of a race: fatigue, pain, doubts. Running strong through those feelings in workouts can help you get through the same feelings in a race.
Another way is by mental training. Practice addressing, in your mind, the feelings you will encounter in a race. Most of the best runners do this frequently. There are different strategies for dealing with pain, and some will be better than others for a given person, so you need to try them out and learn what works for you.
Two major categories of strategies for dealing with pain are association and disassociation. Disassociation strategies focus on finding a distraction for your mind, so that you are not thinking about the discomfort. That can include thinking "happy thoughts", completely unrelated to the race, or thinking about the upcoming downhill or reeling in the next runner. Associative strategies can include focusing on the fatigue or pain as a sign of strength, or focusing on your breathing rate or stride rate.
There are many ways to get over the mental hurdles that get in your way during a race. The important thing is to practice a variety of techniques and see what works best for you. On any given day, this can turn a good race into a great race, or even a poor race (due to physical factors) into a decent race.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Dude, Where's My Bus?
Well, thanks to the wonderful transportation department, we started our next phase of training a week early. I noticed that Sutherland and Rush Henrietta each had no trouble getting two buses to Mendon West.
Anyway, we'll have to see what we can do to make up for the lost hills, and we'll talk about the course, since I got to run it, at least (and we have run it each of the past two years).
Our next phase is the most intense phase of the season, and will quickly get us ready to run strong for the full 5K. I'm looking forward to the improvement we should see in the third mile over the next few weeks.
We remember.
Anyway, we'll have to see what we can do to make up for the lost hills, and we'll talk about the course, since I got to run it, at least (and we have run it each of the past two years).
Our next phase is the most intense phase of the season, and will quickly get us ready to run strong for the full 5K. I'm looking forward to the improvement we should see in the third mile over the next few weeks.
We remember.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Optimism
OK, so the Boys and Girls have both started 1-7. And next week is Penfield, Brighton and Fairport (Girls: combined 22-2; Boys: 21-3). But we have reason for optimism.
We've had some disappointing performances as a team. At Seneca Park, we were missing three of our top boys; at Black Creek, we were still missing Nico, and lost time and places in most positions. Those races are behind us. The size of our girls team may increase substantially over the six runners that competed in each of the first two meets. Our boys are poised for a turnaround.
I won't discuss next Tuesday's meet right here, right now, but we will talk about it soon. After next Tuesday, the dual meet schedule gets substantially easier: 9/23 is Churchville, East Irondequoit, ER, Hilton (Girls: combined 8-22; Boys: 4-28); 10/14 is Arcadia, Odyssey, Olympia (Girls: combined 2-22; Boys: 10-14). I think we can make a very good showing at both of those meets.
Our hard work now may cost us a few seconds in current races, but it will really pay off at the end of the year, which is coming soon: only 45 days until Counties! I'm looking forward to the rest of the season; I hope you are, too.
We've had some disappointing performances as a team. At Seneca Park, we were missing three of our top boys; at Black Creek, we were still missing Nico, and lost time and places in most positions. Those races are behind us. The size of our girls team may increase substantially over the six runners that competed in each of the first two meets. Our boys are poised for a turnaround.
I won't discuss next Tuesday's meet right here, right now, but we will talk about it soon. After next Tuesday, the dual meet schedule gets substantially easier: 9/23 is Churchville, East Irondequoit, ER, Hilton (Girls: combined 8-22; Boys: 4-28); 10/14 is Arcadia, Odyssey, Olympia (Girls: combined 2-22; Boys: 10-14). I think we can make a very good showing at both of those meets.
Our hard work now may cost us a few seconds in current races, but it will really pay off at the end of the year, which is coming soon: only 45 days until Counties! I'm looking forward to the rest of the season; I hope you are, too.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Nicely Done!
Well, our win-loss record does not show it, but we turned in a very nice performance on Saturday. All 11 boys who ran on Saturday, and also ran at Seneca Park in late September 2007, improved their times. Not only that, but the average improvement was an outstanding 1 minute and 30 seconds, and the median was 1:39 (last year's first meet only showed a median improvement of 1:02, and 7 of the 16 boys improved less than 41 seconds)! The minimum improvement was 41 seconds. Excluding the injured Janelle, the girls improved by an average of 1:32. Outstanding!
Our boys record is 0-3 and was hurt badly by the absence of Nico, Alex and Chris. If Nico or AB had run under 17:56 (so, within 10 seconds of Nate) and Alex or Chris had run under 18:25 (within 39 seconds of Nate), we would be 2-1 right now. That bodes well for the future of our season, but also demonstrates the importance of team commitment.
Now, on to tomorrow. We face some pretty tough competition against established teams: Rush-Henrietta, Thomas, Irondequoit, Victor and Batavia. The girls should be able to notch a win against Batavia.
Rush-Henrietta should be able to win the boys race. Without Nico, we cannot compete with Thomas, as a team, but we should be able to make some individual statements against our cross-town rivals. Irondequoit is pretty decent, they put 9 guys under 19 minutes at Center Park on Saturday, but only 2 under 18 (I think Kenny, Nate and AB could all be under 18 at Center Park), so the race should come down to the 4-5 (and 6?) runners:
Looby, Ricky 17:34
Greenfield-Tuttle, Josh 17:46
Perry, Luke 18:32
Frachioni, Anthony 18:54
Mclaughlin, Ian 18:56
Duguay, Ben 19:03
Bigenwald, Eric 19:31
Densieski, Ben 19:42
Koss, Nick 19:51
Victor ran at Mendon East. We have a very good chance of beating them. Here are their top runners:
Reid, Kyle (10) 18:40
Hayward, Connor (9) 19:19
Erb, M.J. (9) 19:41
Ballard, David (12) 19:43
Palomaki, Joe (11) 19:48
Iovoli, Austin (10) 19:56
Smathers, Mike (9) 19:57
Rieck, Matt (10) 20:04
Spawton, Jeff (11) 20:06
So, the boys should aim for 3-2 tomorrow.
Our boys record is 0-3 and was hurt badly by the absence of Nico, Alex and Chris. If Nico or AB had run under 17:56 (so, within 10 seconds of Nate) and Alex or Chris had run under 18:25 (within 39 seconds of Nate), we would be 2-1 right now. That bodes well for the future of our season, but also demonstrates the importance of team commitment.
Now, on to tomorrow. We face some pretty tough competition against established teams: Rush-Henrietta, Thomas, Irondequoit, Victor and Batavia. The girls should be able to notch a win against Batavia.
Rush-Henrietta should be able to win the boys race. Without Nico, we cannot compete with Thomas, as a team, but we should be able to make some individual statements against our cross-town rivals. Irondequoit is pretty decent, they put 9 guys under 19 minutes at Center Park on Saturday, but only 2 under 18 (I think Kenny, Nate and AB could all be under 18 at Center Park), so the race should come down to the 4-5 (and 6?) runners:
Looby, Ricky 17:34
Greenfield-Tuttle, Josh 17:46
Perry, Luke 18:32
Frachioni, Anthony 18:54
Mclaughlin, Ian 18:56
Duguay, Ben 19:03
Bigenwald, Eric 19:31
Densieski, Ben 19:42
Koss, Nick 19:51
Victor ran at Mendon East. We have a very good chance of beating them. Here are their top runners:
Reid, Kyle (10) 18:40
Hayward, Connor (9) 19:19
Erb, M.J. (9) 19:41
Ballard, David (12) 19:43
Palomaki, Joe (11) 19:48
Iovoli, Austin (10) 19:56
Smathers, Mike (9) 19:57
Rieck, Matt (10) 20:04
Spawton, Jeff (11) 20:06
So, the boys should aim for 3-2 tomorrow.
Friday, September 5, 2008
For Tomorrow We Try!
Yes, tomorrow we finally get to show our stuff. After a summer of training, and 17 days of practice, we are set for our first real competition.
As a reminder, we lost a very close race (1 second) to Athena at Seneca Park last year:
We ran much faster when we returned to Seneca Park, but Sutherland spanked us 15-47; however, they have lost 6 of their top 7 runners from last year. Note that their 5th returning man from that day finished behind our 8th returning man. Our depth will be key to beating them on Saturday. Here are last year's results:
Our girls have a shot at Brockport. Here are the only girls returning from last year's dual meet at Mendon East:
As a reminder, here is how the returning girls ran at Seneca Park last October:
As a reminder, we lost a very close race (1 second) to Athena at Seneca Park last year:
Name School Place Time Pace
Wallenhorst, Nate (11) Athena 3 17:55 05:46.8
Johnson, Tyler (11) Athena 7 18:23 05:55.8
Piacentini, Anthony (10)Schroeder 8 18:31 05:58.4
Lyons, Nate (10) Schroeder 9 18:36 06:00.0
Richard, Kevin (11) Athena 10 18:38 06:00.6
Grzebien, Patryk (12) Schroeder 11 18:42 06:01.9
Brett, Alex (11) Schroeder 14 18:56 06:06.5
Maiola, Lucas (12) Athena 15 18:58 06:07.1
Mauro, Chris (10) Schroeder 16 18:59 06:07.4
Miller, Kenny (11) Schroeder 21 19:28 06:16.8
Houle, Bryan (11) Athena 29 20:07 06:29.4
Owczarczyk, Marcin (12) Schroeder 30 20:10 06:30.3
Coirzazza, Nick (11) Athena 31 20:13 06:31.3
Whittemore, Steve (10) Schroeder 32 20:29 06:36.5
Piotrowski, Wade (11) Schroeder 36 20:54 06:44.5
We ran much faster when we returned to Seneca Park, but Sutherland spanked us 15-47; however, they have lost 6 of their top 7 runners from last year. Note that their 5th returning man from that day finished behind our 8th returning man. Our depth will be key to beating them on Saturday. Here are last year's results:
Name School Place Time
Phelan, Paul (12) Sutherland 2 16:23
Boucher, Mitchell (12) Sutherland 3 16:26
Longwell, Scott (12) Sutherland 4 16:29
Phelan, Conor (11) Sutherland 8 16:44
Jacobson, Max (12) Sutherland 10 17:01
Piacentini, Anthony (10)Schroeder 15 17:41
Jaenike, Peter (12) Sutherland 17 17:50
Lyons, Nate (10) Schroeder 18 17:53
LaDelfa, Steve (12) Sutherland 19 17:54
Miller, Kenny (11) Schroeder 21 17:58
Mauro, Chris (10) Schroeder 22 18:00
Lee, Cameron (11) Sutherland 23 18:05
Nasello, AJ (9) Schroeder 24 18:18
Hayden, Rob (10) Sutherland 28 18:29
Owczarczyk, Marcin (12) Schroeder 29 18:29
Tyler, Terrence (10) Sutherland 30 18:33
Grzebien, Patryk (12) Schroeder 32 18:49
Brett, Alex (11) Schroeder 34 18:54
Piotrowski, Wade (11) Schroeder 35 18:55
Whittemore, Steve (10) Schroeder 36 18:56
Our girls have a shot at Brockport. Here are the only girls returning from last year's dual meet at Mendon East:
Name School Place Time
Haag , Chelsea (11) Brockport 14 24:39:00
Jewell, Janelle (10) Schroeder 16 24:51:00
Meyers, Julia (10) Brockport 21 25:36:00
Mills, Sarah (10) Schroeder 28 27:08:00
Schwabe, Hannah (11) Schroeder 32 27:17:00
Dilai, Khristyna (9) Schroeder 42 28:38:00
Weigand, Sarah (11) Schroeder 45 29:59:00
Jensen , Kayleigh (9) Brockport 47 30:59:00
As a reminder, here is how the returning girls ran at Seneca Park last October:
Jewell, Janelle (10) Schroeder 23 22:39 7:18.4 Race
Mills, Sarah (10) Schroeder 31 23:21 7:31.9 Race
Schwabe, Hannah (11) Schroeder 42 25:06 8:05.8 Race
Dilai, Khristyna (9) Schroeder 43 25:07 8:06.1 Race
Weigand, Sarah (11) Schroeder 62 28:07 9:04.2 Race
Thursday, September 4, 2008
And Be Merry
Have fun!
When all is said and done, that's one of the most important goals for our team. We absolutely want each of you to perform your best, but if you don't have fun while doing it, the season is only a partial success. We all want the team to be successful and camaraderie and cheering for each other, with a genuine concern for each other's performance, comes much easier when we have fun together.
This isn't to say there won't be hard work, especially over the next few weeks, but the hope is that one of the ways to have fun is to see your times drop, and that, between bouts of hard work, we will have the chance to have some fun. Or, we can combine hard work and fun, like we did with yesterday's hill relays.
When all is said and done, that's one of the most important goals for our team. We absolutely want each of you to perform your best, but if you don't have fun while doing it, the season is only a partial success. We all want the team to be successful and camaraderie and cheering for each other, with a genuine concern for each other's performance, comes much easier when we have fun together.
This isn't to say there won't be hard work, especially over the next few weeks, but the hope is that one of the ways to have fun is to see your times drop, and that, between bouts of hard work, we will have the chance to have some fun. Or, we can combine hard work and fun, like we did with yesterday's hill relays.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Drink
Today, I'd like to remind you to stay hydrated. The best article that I've found so far on the importance of hydration is here. If you don't have time to read the entire article, please pay attention to some of the key points:
- Drink early and often (hit the drinking fountain between every block or carry a water bottle)
- Don't wait until you are thirsty (your brain is slow to catch on)
- Dehydrated runners fatigue more quickly (it can make the difference between the team winning and losing some meets)
You should also be sure to include minerals in your diet. Many of them, such as potassium, help your body retain fluids. Some good sources of potassium are bananas, orange juice, tomato products, baked potatoes and yogurt.
- Drink early and often (hit the drinking fountain between every block or carry a water bottle)
- Don't wait until you are thirsty (your brain is slow to catch on)
- Dehydrated runners fatigue more quickly (it can make the difference between the team winning and losing some meets)
You should also be sure to include minerals in your diet. Many of them, such as potassium, help your body retain fluids. Some good sources of potassium are bananas, orange juice, tomato products, baked potatoes and yogurt.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sleep
OK, school starts tomorrow. That means that habits for many of you must change. Gone are the days of sleeping until noon (OK, no one actually sleeps that late, right?); however, as young student-athletes, your sleep needs are not decreasing, but actually increasing as we ratchet up the intensity of our training and you start back on heavy schoolwork. So, make sure that you continue to get plenty of sleep.
Tomorrow we will be at Black Creek Park. You'll all get to see the whole course during the warm-up and warm-down. You'll also get to experience the hill that we climb twice during the race, so that we will be ready for it next Tuesday. So, you will likely have no problem falling asleep tomorrow night.
Tomorrow we will be at Black Creek Park. You'll all get to see the whole course during the warm-up and warm-down. You'll also get to experience the hill that we climb twice during the race, so that we will be ready for it next Tuesday. So, you will likely have no problem falling asleep tomorrow night.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Nice Workout
Well, if Friday's Blue / Gold times were a little disappointing overall, today's workout more than made up for it. Almost everyone ran their 2nd tempo mile faster than they ran the second mile in the race, even after having run a faster first mile in the workout.
There was certainly a lesson learned during the last of the 400s - and that was that you each have much more left in you than you realize. Remember that during our first meet on Saturday. When you start to feel uncomfortable, push through it. Don't save your kick for the last 100-200m, instead pick up the pace with 800m to go, or a little more. Going moderately faster for a longer time is 1) easier and B) certain to lead to a faster overall time, than a late all-out sprint (not that you won't do that, it just won't be at quite as quick a pace).
There was certainly a lesson learned during the last of the 400s - and that was that you each have much more left in you than you realize. Remember that during our first meet on Saturday. When you start to feel uncomfortable, push through it. Don't save your kick for the last 100-200m, instead pick up the pace with 800m to go, or a little more. Going moderately faster for a longer time is 1) easier and B) certain to lead to a faster overall time, than a late all-out sprint (not that you won't do that, it just won't be at quite as quick a pace).
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