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2009 Weekly Update - Aug. 25

This Past Week

This was our second week of official practice.  We had three focused days this week - a long run on Monday, Thresholds on Wednesday and a had 3 X 1 Mile on Saturday. 

One of the things that new runners need to watch out for is running too hard.  The long run should be slow.  There were also a number of runners (Sheehan!) that went too fast on the thresholds.  The purpose of those is the stay in the Aerobic zone the entire time.

Saturday was the big workout of the week.  The purpose was to start getting used to race pace, and understanding that it was time to start learning how to be tough.  We were very pleased with the results from top to bottom (except for the guys who did not make practice!).  Some of the highlights I noted:

-          Up top, Horten seemed to be floating leading the pack with a 5:23 and 5:11.  He only did 2 of the miles because he is nursing a bit of tendonitis in his knee (which seems to be improving).  Robinson and Samocki were looking very solid - both aiming to be in the top 5 this year.  We are also nursing Greenwood and making sure he does not work too hard early in the season so he is ready for the big meets in November.  He snuck a second mile repeat in and looked to be beyond what I had expected right now. Monaghan recovered from his poor 2 mile time trial and nailed even splits on his miles at around 5:45.  Rothenberger was right behind him and seems to be rounding into running form after dedicating himself to swimming this summer.  Nece and Inglis both cut short their work with hopefully minor pains, but looked strong and steady on the first mile.

-          There are a number of guys in the middle pack that could move up as they round into shape and become more competitive.  Klawunn continued to be impressive, delivering the fastest final mile in this group (and the final mile is when all races are really decided).  Bennett was not feeling well, but ran them anyway and his first two were outstanding.  Lavery, Spirgel and Shipley also looked to be improving and more competitive.  Ruetsch had a good first two and fought hard on the third one as he rounds into shape.  It was especially good to see Mitch Cain back and running healthy.

-          The new guys continue to impress.  Van Fossen and Ems clearly have a lot of talent and it will be fun to see them improve over the next few years.  Orzechowicz, Geaney and Siegel also look to be working hard and getting stronger - they all looked like they had improved even over the past week from the 2 mile time trial.

-          Weintraub, one of our Captains, is resting an injury and helped with timing.  We are hoping he gets healthy again soon, because we aren't sure he would win a Varsity letter as a manager!

-          Congrats to Ems and Schwartz, who both competed in the DQ Triathlon this past weekend.  Tyler got 11th overall and 1st in his age group, and Schwartz was 43rd overall and 3rd in his age group.  Ems ran sun 19 and Schwartz ran sub-20 for the 5K after swimming and biking.

Injuries

We seem to be having a number of injury problems this year.  A number of the new guys did not run enough over the summer and are getting shin splints and knee pain.  This is fairly normal, but you need to communicate with the coaches and follow a plan to get healthy again.  We also need to be better at stretching before and after you run.  We especially need to concentrate on the ITBand - the tendon that connects your hip and knee on the outside.  Go to http://www.moorestownxc.org/Training/Injuries.html to see more information and stretches.

This Coming Week

We have practice at 8AM on Monday morning, then after school each day.  You MUST communicate with the coaches if you are not going to able to attend.  We will be doing a long run on Monday and probably a hill workout on Wednesday.

Saturday, Sept. 12 - Cherokee Challenge.  This is our first meet of the year, and is a great meet.  The format is unique - all races are 2 miles, and the races are broken into school year.  So there are separate Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior races, alternating between boys and girls.  It is a chance to get a true gauge on where you are in your fitness level and a test of your toughness in a real race situation.  Also, we want parents to come out and cheer for the team!  It is a fun environment with about 200 runners in each race, music, food and medals to the top 25 in each race (which is tough with that many competitors).  Watch for bus times later this week. 

A Personal Note

As some of you know, Marlise and I are now empty nesters.  Our two daughters are off in college now and we have planned on doing a series of road trips this fall.  It will be great to have adventures together, but the downside is that I will miss a good part of the fall XC season.  Our first trip will be starting this Thursday for a couple of weeks.  So I will be missing the Cherokee Challenge.  But you can bet I will be online from my hotel room checking on the results when they are posted and hoping each of you run PR's! - Bob Bickel