Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. We are missing all of you at open gyms. It's okay, though. I am definitely doing a Spring race...let me know if you might want to run a race at the end of March or in early April. Yet to be decided. Enjoy the holidays.

Hello. Is There Anybody Out There?

We miss all of you that could be running and aren't. Don't underestimate the value of running when it's cold. First, it is actually not hot. Second, most athletes don't do it, and when we do it that makes us better than them--physically and mentally. Third, I would love many of us to participate in a Spring race somewhere, so we need to train and prepare for that.

Did I say I miss you?

Bring a Friend Day!

We start Open Gyms on Tuesday. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:45. We lift int the weight room until 4, then run until 4:45.

Every day is BRING A FRIEND DAY!

Open Gyms

I hope all are enjoying their brief hiatus from the stresses of running every day. We are now entering the post-season phase of training, which involves rest, maintenance, and recovery. We will start Open Gyms on Tuesday, December 6th. All are invited even if they are not a Cross Country team member. We generally do a light workout in the weight room until 4pm then we run til 4:45. Your rides need to be ready to get you at 4:45.

Welcome one and all. I hope to see anyone who is not participating in a winter sport running with us.

Mud Run Details

Just to be clear for everybody, we are going to meet at the park and ride at 9:15. The fun run starts at 10:15 with a $15 entry fee, more if you want a shirt. If anyone wants to do the competetive race with awards, it will start earlier and you will need to head to Slippery Rock before the group going with Fuzzy. All they provide is a hose to clean off with so take garbage bags for muddy clothes and definately some towels. Hopefully we don't freeze, hope to see a bunch of you there. It will be lots of fun!

Banquet Remarks

I wish to thank everyone for the wonderful gathering last evening. I am always delighted that I get to participate in such a way that I can see the "inside" of what makes us all do the things we do. We all are passionate about the same things: making young girls into confident young ladies, boys into accepting and motivated men. The self-discipline it takes to be a runner is truly at the heart of this building process. Our kids are special.

I am very lucky to have great parents who go above and beyond to make the banquet special for those deserving kids. I know we all want what's best for our kids, but it takes more than words to get things down, and YOU make that happen. Thank you.

As for me, it's been a great season. It seems that an era has ended--something feels different. This class of seniors? The make-up of our team? I don't know. I am sad. But life is a paradox, of course. And therefore, I am also happy.

I am already thinking about next year. What is possible?

Open Gyms begin the first week after Thanksgiving Break. Except if you run with Fuzzy at Woodcock Dam (Fuzzy never takes time off).

Banquet

Don't forget the finale of our season on Wednesday. Our banquet begins at 6pm with dinner, followed by presentations at 7 or so. I hope everyone has rsvp'ed to the Coons. Please remember to bring a side dish as the main course has been taken care of by the boosters. It is always a treat to see everyone one last time before we part and embark on other journeys until we can reconvene at Open Gyms or next season.

See you Wednesday!

Let's Get Dirty Fun Run!

A little short notice, but the mud run is this Saturday, Nov. 12. The information is provided if you follow the link: http://www.rockathletics.com/documents/2011/8/17/2011_Lets_Get_Dirty.pdf?id=805

We took a group last year and had so much fun, so we hope to get an even bigger group together this year. Please don't worry about being fast enough to keep up with the Saegertown bunch...we just want to have fun and get dirty; I think our time last year was around 30 mins and if I remember correctly we decided to skip a section on the second time around. The pictures from last year are actually still on the blog under "past blogs" if anybody hasn't seen them yet. I'm sure we will car-pull, so if you want to go we can find a way to get you there. We'll talk about it at the banquet, see you all there.

Thank You

Well . . . I'm sure you already know. It was a grand day for Saegertown. Nate placed ninth, and he is now a four time state medalist. And that is rare even among those very talented and gifted athletes like him. Hunter passed a runner near the end to grab 25th and the final medalist spot. He earned it. He was 15th last week and 25th in the state today.

The van ride down and back was awesome. Our team is hilarious. And Fuzzy is God's gift to us all.

More later . . . but thanks to all of the team who were able to attend the race today and to the parents and other family members who drove them here.

I was able to place two medals on two very special runners today. I am so proud of them.

Here is a link to PennTrackXC for the results for all of the races: http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/96835.

State Championships

It is the morning of the PIAA State Championship meet. It is around 30 degrees as I sit here with Fuzzy in our hotel room. It is supposed to be 42 by race time, 11:30. We are in box 47 out of 48. It is a nice position. Houck and Fuzzy will space themselves out at various points along the course, and I will be there for the start and then the finish.

Those 15 minutes that I see nothing I live a lifetime. So much is happening and I have to wait. It always gives me time to reflect on the season, these particular runners, and this beautiful day that God has given us.

Our sport and its participants make me a better person. I am quite thankful for all of you and the blessings you bring to my life.

I am thinking of Nate and Hunter and hope their day ends as it should. Good luck!

We Are Here

Give us a shout out. We are here at the hotel . . . heading to the course in 45 minutes to do our final workout. We are ready!!!!

Send Off

On Thursday at 3pm we will have a sendoff presentation for Nate and Hunter. I have prepared an iMovie presentation that will include interviews and comments from the runners and me. We will be leaving at 8am on Friday for our five hour trip.

Hope to see some of you there! I'll post results as soon as I can.

Link to GoErie and Meadvilletribune

Great photos as always! Here's a link to GoErie to read Nate's interview: http://www.goerie.com/article/20111030/VARSITY07/310309874/Saegertown%27s-Tallada-wins-3rd-straight-D-10-cross-country-title

Here's the link to meadvilletribune.com: http://meadvilletribune.com/sports/x717139591/Tallada-wins-again

Well...It Was Muddy

I've been going to Buhl Park for 10 years, and this was the muddiest day I've ever seen and Districts is notoriously a horrible day.

Nate is a three time district champion. And that is an amazing accomplishment. Nate has run some great races over the years, but this was an amazing performance. Hunter finished 15th and is going to States, as well. Unfortunately, Morgan was one place shy of qualifying. Jub, Danielle, Alexis . . . great seasons. It is always a joy to watch them run.

Here is a link to the results: http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/98993

We will be leaving for Hershey at 8ish next Friday, November 4th. We will be arrive there in the early afternoon, check out the course, and head off to rest for the night. Saturday's race will certainly be great.

Here is a link to the PIAA Championship website to check out start times and lane assignments (much of this is yet to be posted): http://www.piaa.org/news/details.aspx?ID=2340

More information will follow.

Update from D10 for Districts

The D-10 Cross Country course at Buhl Park is being modified and will be an all-grass surface for this Saturday’s D-10 Championship Meet. The starting line has been moved forward and a few of the curves have been enlarged to address the muddy conditions. This will all be reviewed and explained at the coaches meeting on Saturday at 8:30 AM with Jack McIntire.

Good luck to all teams and runners at tomorrow’s meet.

Senior Night

This Friday night before the football game our seniors and their parents will be recognized. Along with most of the other fall sports, our fab five will be honored. I am unsure of the actual time, but I guess it will be around 6:30. Parents and their son or daughter will get in free to the game by wearing the "badge" I've been given for them.

District X Championship

Hey. We are headed to Buhl Park on Saturday for the District X Championship. The bus pulls out at 7:30am. The first race is Varsity Girls at 10am followed by the AAA girls race then our boys take the course at approximately 11:30. As I have not received any official information regarding this race, these are all assumptions.

We will be stopping at Pizza Hut after we leave the race course for our traditional post-Districts meal. The boosters are picking up the tab. Thank you for that!

What a Day!

Dear runners,

You have to be proud of yourselves. Today was a glorious day. The weather cleared, you laced up those shoes, and you ran. And you did very well. I'm so proud of all of you, particularly the junior high runners who came in knowing this was your last race of the season. Your last day. Wow.

Of course, you all are invited to attend Districts next week with us on Saturday as we head to Buhl Park. I'll post more about this later.

Great slideshow, again! Check out all of the pics.

Carnival Delight!

The photos tell the story! And we made nearly $300 to boot. Thanks to all for the wonderful turnout and help with the event.

Bake Sale

We are doing the bake sale. And it will be yummy!

Also, Halloween Carnival will be Thursday with pizza party beforehand for the team. We will then have our usuals: pie toss, bake sale, and games. 6-7:30, plus set-up and clean-up.

Help!

The Region 3 Invitational is fast approaching. I hope all are on board to help us with this tremendous undertaking. I always get nervous about such huge events. But they always work out just fine.

The Halloween Carnival is on Thursday. Don't forget that the boosters will provide pizza after practice (which will end early) so we can get cleaned up and head down to be doused by pies.

Pie toss! Games! Halloween bake sale! Ooh rah!

Region 3 is Complete

Tonight at Cochranton the Boys Varsity team wrapped up the Region 3 Championship for the 4th straight season, going undefeated for the 4th year in a row as well. Wow. Great job to the team for this wonderful accomplishment.

Danielle won the girls race and Alexis was close on her heels. Wyatt won the Boys Junior High race with Garrett looking good, as always. The boys have not lost a meet when we've had a full team compete. Not bad. The girls looked fine with three of them coming in within one second of each other. They were 1-1 today.

The Region 3 season is now complete with only the invitational on the 22nd remaining. Then districts and states. The junior high season will end on the 22nd since they do not participate in Districts or States.

We have another two weeks of hard practices to go before we begin to prepare for the finish. Are we ready? We shall see.

On With the Carnival

On with the show! Our Cross Country team will continue to participate in the Halloween Carnival. We will have our traditional pie toss event, plus games upon games. So we will petition parents and team members for help with these events. The carnival is Thursday, October 20. We will forgo the bake sale so as not to burden all members alike because of the impending Region 3 Invitational.

To sum: pie toss--check! games--check! bake sale--not this year.

Thanks to those who gave their input.

What Fun!

Boy was it nice to see all of our current college runners racing today at the Slippery Rock University Invitational held at Cooper's Lake. Julie and Michele looked awesome and Drew was smooth as always. I am so proud of these fine examples of young women and men who have committed to becoming well-rounded people.

The course was very hard with a 300 or 400 yard uphill start. The day was beautiful. I am so blessed to see our alums do their thing again. I am smiling. Always smiling.

Home Meet

What a grand performance by the team. I believe nearly half of the runners set personal bests today! Our program design seems to be working as planned. I'm thrilled.

Our Boys team is still undefeated, at 6-0 in Region 3. Our Junior High teams looked good, as well.

In the upcoming weeks, you should see our team start preparing for the end-of-season peak, as we head into Districts.

Thanks to Danielle and Others

Wow. The pictures in the slideshows are awesome. Thanks to the photographer and to Danielle for getting them up. And so quickly, too. You are a wonder.

Results from Central Catholic

Check out our results from Saturday, October 1, at Schenley Park. Good stuff! Here's the link: http://www.smileymiles.com/2011Results.html

North East

Here is a link to North East High School's home page. I assume the races will be held there for Tuesday, 9.27.2011. http://www.nesd1.org/content/view/46/98/. Our bus will be pulling out at 2:25 to head up north for some great non-region action. Hope to see you there!

Hershey and Buhl Park Results Are In

First of all, thanks to all who helped make this happen! What a great day for Saegertown XC. The boys varsity ran an unbelievable race, finishing 5th out of 40 teams in the Blue Race. Check out the results here: http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/93177/results/170610.

We still have a little bit to go if we wish to have a shot of going to states as a team, but it is within our grasp.

Here are the results for the Buhl Park races. Check them out here: http://www.smileymiles.com/2011Results.html. Gaby Lee had our high place finish with a great 15th in the Girls Jr. High event.

It looks like we accomplished our goals, for the most part.

Thank you to the parents for allowing this to happen. I am so proud of our team!

In Hershey

We are here. We are not allowed on the course until tomorrow morning, though. We had a safe trip, though it rained horribly the last half hour or so. The pool is also closed. We may get a small workout in around the hotel, but we will see.

Results will be posted as soon as possible tomorrow.

Big Win in Region 3

The boys varsity won easily against Rocky Grove and Conneaut Lake with our top three taking 1, 2, and 3. Our 4 and 5 runners placed very well and are getting where they need to be. Our varsity girls did well, too.

In junior high action, both the boys and girls raced their best of the season thus far and several team members dropped their personal bests by considerable margins.

Our boys varsity are now 4-0 and our junior high teams are 2-2 (boys) and the girls are 3-1. Good job.

Nate set a new course record, blitzing the course in a time of 15:58 followed closely by Hunter in 16:02.

Upcoming Races

Varsity girls, jv boys, and junior high runners are all headed to Sharpsville this coming Saturday for races on the District X championship course. The varsity boys will be in Hershey. Coach Houck, Fuzzy, and Ms. Schenberg will lead the charge as we head down to Buhl Park to show our stuff. The first race begins at 10am with varsity girls. Check out this link to see the official invitational page: http://www.bluedevilinvitational.moonfruit.com/.

Directions and bus times will be up shortly. The boys will be leaving at 8am from school on Friday. We will be staying at a Courtyard Marriott outside of Hershey on Eisenhower Boulevard. Check back for more information soon.

Parent Meeting

There will be a brief parent meeting after the home meet on Tuesday to discuss the Region Invitational and the banquet. Please stay and discuss these upcoming events.

Danielle???

Danielle is going to post new pics to the blog. Tell her to get on it. :)

Upcoming Events!

Hey! Our Varsity Boys are now 2-0 on the year with Junior High Girls at 1-1. We'll take that. Our boys' team members have never lost a Region meet as varsity runners. Pretty impressive. Our chances at them going undefeated this season is very possible! (Knock on wood at this point!)

Anyhow, we have no race this weekend--please rest! Next week we are headed to Hershey for the PIAA Foundation race. It is great to get the opportunity to race on the state meet course. The rest of the team (other than the top seven boys) will be headed to Sharpsville (WHICH IS NOT ON THE SCHEDULE, BY THE WAY). When I get confirmations from Mr. Nowakowski, I will announce that information to the team and post it on the blog as well.

Keep checking back.

Good Day at McDowell

I think yesterday was a good first race. I was pleased with the varsity boys' finishing places, and the girls were great, too. The junior high boys learned a bit about themselves, I think, and the jr. high girls did well.

The results were about what I had hoped for, overall. I'm looking forward to next Saturday. No practice on Labor Day. Rest and recovery is the key now.

Here is the link to the McDowell results: http://www.bigwhitetrailer.com/timing/results_2011/20110903McDowell.php

Also, here's a link to a video on why and how to use ice baths in recovery. Check it out: http://bcove.me/qe7vco03

Good First Week

We are all tired after a couple of days adjusting to the school schedule. But that also means shorter practices which gives our legs a better recovery time. Rest is just as important as running now the season has hit our first stretch of races.

No practice on Friday! We've earned the break after three hard weeks. Remember that Thursday's sleep and nutrition (eat pasta) is more important than Friday's.

I think we are ready for McDowell.

First Week of School

Some reminders for the first week of school: drink plenty of water (leave a bottle in your locker and drink between classes or get a drink out of the fountain as often as you can); do your Danielle stretches during class; be the best student you can be.

Good luck.

Yessir!

Today was just another one of those days. No, not really. The times for Time Trial #2 were unnervingly fast. Almost all runners dropped their times significantly. We are certainly prepared for the week to come. We will see what happens.

There are a few who are still nursing through soreness and minor injury. Stick with the recovery plan you are on. You will persevere.

Time Trial #2

Tomorrow will be our final time trial. What will happen? Who will improve? Who will not? Our top runners seem to be improving. Our bottom runners are as well. It's the middle group--those who are filling in the important positions of 5, 6, & 7 on the boys team, and the 3-5 positions on the girls that I'm very interested in.

As will all efforts, the race is decided by those who overcome great obstacles.

A shout out to Alecia for coming out this week!

Mental Work

Today's practice was a solid eye-opener. Some runners are putting in the true effort while others are muddling through. This is the time when the work really matters. When you are sore, and tired, and mentally drained, that is when the ability to improve is at its greatest potential. If you can STILL outperform your expectations, then you are on your way. If not, then you are not where you need to be.

HW: Run the course, our home course, where we will race three times this season, in your mind--visualize it. See every corner, every dip and hill, each side-slant sodden section, the start, the gravel finish. See yourself getting where you need to be. Visualization of the course is the best way to make running it become second nature.

Comment on your mental work at the bottom of this post.

Bonus

The first three to add a comment to this post will be excused from 3 of the 5 sprints at the end of practice tomorrow.

Finally--Hills

Reservoir today. And what a hill it is. We looked very good today. I don't recall any walking. And that is something else. Our slogan next year, acc. to Hunter, should be: "Reservoir--a hill of a good time!" I think he may be right.

Congrats to Paige, Danielle, Morgan, Hunter, and Dan especially. All looked great, but today these few looked really loose. Long easy tomorrow. Recovery day.

Wrong Date

As happens often enough, the date of the PIAA Foundation Race was wrong on the schedule. The new (and correct) date is on the schedule now (on blog). It is the 24th, not the 23rd.

Also, still looking into getting races for the junior high as alternatives to the Pittsburgh invitationals.

200s and Beyond

Today's 200s went very well. Many are doing exactly what they need to do to get in shape for next week. I'm impressed with the varsity boys. We will have 7 solid contributors. Who they will be is still up in the air. Many solid performances today. Again, we logged about 12 miles total. A good high number, and it is not including this evening's minutes.

Tomorrow we are off to Reservoir. We are lucky to have a hill like this to get a solid workout, though the runners probably feel differently.

Pictures tomorrow as well, and impact testing on Thursday after practice. Impact testing is for all 7, 9, and 11 graders, and any athlete who did not have one last year as part of another sport that is in grade 8 or 10.

Final Pre-Season Week

This is the second week of camp. It is imperative that we put in another round of large miles tempered with much speed training. This program seems to pull us all together at the right time. I like the modifications that we are making this year. So far, so good.

In other news, Mack appears to be healthy, Alexis got her run in on Sunday, and Jared says he will be back on Monday. Is this all good news?

Time Trial Results

Today was a very good day. The first time trial sheds much light on what is possible for most of the runners. Many looked good. Not too many surprises, other than the times were fast for this early in the season. I think several were surprised at how well they did, and felt. That's a good attitude heading into next week's tough practice schedule.

Day 5

Fartleks went well today. Bursts of speed are great for the body and the mind when it comes time to race. And tomorrow's time trial will reveal a little bit about where we are in regards to that.

I'm expecting some good things, and some will see they are not where they want to be. That's the beauty of the first Saturday.

Day 4

I could not attend practice this morning, but Coach Houck said that the sixty-minute long run was good. We still got our mileage--12 to 13, and many looked comfortable achieving that number. This was a recovery day compared to the intense regimen of the previous two days.

I anticipate a good fun run tomorrow, as we are doing fartleks. Google this word if you don't know what we're up to. Hint: It is in the sentence!

Day 3

A very good day, again. The top runners ran around 12 to 13 miles at a very high level. We did 15x400m with 1:30 rest between for the varsity boys, and less from there on down. I have to say that they are getting accustomed to the mileage and the expectations. And as always, they blend very well together--a solid testament to the program and the leadership from the seniors.

Tomorrow will be a long recovery run to rest up for the time trial on Saturday. I have very high hopes that we'll see some surprises. We always do.

Day 2

You have to be impressed with the numbers. All sorts of numbers. Some of our runners put up 13 miles today when combining all running we did. Some a little less, but not much. It is easy to see who put in the miles over the off season to prepare for the in season. The effort was there today.

Quote of the Day

Here it is:

Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.

Amby Burfoot, The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life

First Day Done

Okay team, here's your chance. I'm still thinking about a team motto. We've had "Never, never, never quit" and "Just Believe" the last two seasons. What are your ideas for this season?

Also, our first day of practice was adequate. I'm not thrilled with the little mileage we ran today, but that is my fault. We will increase as appropriate the rest of this week. I hope to see improvement.

We need runners. All levels other than varsity boys need numbers. Help.

A New Season: The Journey Begins

On August 15th, we will embark on the next step in our journey. To what is it we are reaching? I tell you this. It is much easier to reach than you might imagine. Do we want to win team titles? Sure. Do we want to win individual races and medals? Yes. Absolutely. But it is not those things that makes you a champion. It is not that, I tell you.

To have success, you have to be able to look in the mirror and look that person in the eye and be satisfied. You have given your body, yes, your mind, yes. But more importantly, your spirit. Your heart, your vitality and energy, your commitment. It is not the glory of winning that makes you a champion, but the knowledge that the mirror gives you.

I encourage you to commit yourself to becoming the student-athlete that you are most capable of becoming. Please define winner differently. Did you commit, then achieve?

See you all on August 15th, 8am to 11am. A new journey begins.

Out-Run Cancer Run

I write this the day before our 7th Annual Out-Run Cancer run benefiting MMC's Yolanda Barco Oncology Institute. We've raised over $5000 for cancer research over the years. I hope to add a significant addition to that tomorrow. Our runners give so much back, it is truly awesome to behold! We'll see how it goes tomorrow.