We are finally back to class for the 2008-09 school year, and I couldn't be happier. It has been a pretty good summer for a few of the kids, but all-in-all it has been pretty frustrating for me. We had six very motivated and talented freshaman join over the summer, as well as two new juniors. Unfortunately the senior group who I relied on for leadership and rides home are all gone so it was very difficult to get everybody to practice on a regular basis. In some ways it is like starting all over again.
Yesterday was our first practice and I decided to throw a little hill workout at the kids and see who has been running over the summer. It was pretty apparent from the get got that the upper classmen spent their summer playing XBox and that the underclassmen have been doing what I asked of them as there were 3 freshmen in the top 5 throughout the workout! Altought we do not have any superstars, one more year of CONSISTENT training and I could have a pretty dang good team next fall. In particular, freshman Kevin Eades has shown that he has the talent as well as the mindset to be a real special athlete. Mark my word, you will be hearing a lot more about him from me in the future.
There is not much to report on my running. Just plotting away. Actually my motivation has had a real rejuvination while spending so much time watching the games. I have been getting the same question over and over during the last week, "Is it hard to watch?". My answer is always the same, HECK NO! I have to admit that I really wasnt that dissappointed that I wasnt going to Beijing at first, as I didnt have that high of expectations for the Chinese. But after watching the opening ceremonies all I could say was "WOW".
There is nothing more exciting to me that watching the successes and failures of athletes competing at the biggest stage in the world and seeing how they handle the pressures. All the highs and lows, the emotions of the people who have dedicated their lives to one goal is like nothing else you will ever see. It was a little frustrating watching the distance events, particularly the steeplechase, but I just keep one thing in mind, London is only 4 years away!
That being said, I hope everyone is enjoying the big show. I am really suprised and a little jealous that NBC is having such wonderful coverage. I wish they had their stuff together 4 years ago, but is great for track and every other sport for that matter. Take care and I will keep you posted over the season. We have our first meet of the year two weeks from Saturday, so cross you fingers (were going to need it ; )
tb
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Out With the Old
Well, we are in full swing with our summer training here in Central IL. It was a bit of a rough start as I have lost my 4 leaders from last year. I didnt know how much I depended on them, not just for leadership on the course, but for rides for those who are not able to make it to practice on their own. It was a is frustrating having kids who want to come to practice everyday but have other commitments (work, band, ect) or cannot get rides. We are starting to wrinkle those logistical problems out over the last week.
I have inherited 4 new freshmen, and with a little work, I truly believe we will have a top 10 team in the state of Illinois in 2009! Although it is a bit of work teaching everything over again, I believe it will be very nice to have a new core group to mold from day 1. We started this week with our first hill session, so there were some sore butts and a bunch of whining going the last few days. Today was our first trip away from the home course, where we do most of our practicing. We got a school van and drove out to the Rock Island Trail, an old railroad that was converted into a running trail of crushed cynder. The workout was a 2 mile warm up and then 6 miles of on/off mile repeats (3 hard and 3 easy continues in case you are wondering). Although the long straight ways of the trail can be a bit monotonous, the kids handled it pretty well, and I think really enjoyed going somewhere new to run.
We will also be getting a new volunteer coach starting next week which is ecspecially exciting for me as it can be real burden trying to chase 20 kids around, coach, worry about injury, logistics, ect. Most importantly, it will be nice to teach someone who wants to learn and continue what I started here down the road when it is time for me to step aside.
My running has been going pretty well, just plotting around doing my theraputic 5-10 miles. No foot problems as of yet, so cross your fingers, I may actually be running track this time next year! I have also decided to start volunteering at a local kids charity, The Neighborhood House, which mentors and gives shelter for inner city youth. Probably going to spread myself a little thin, but what the hey, I got the time.
Thats it for now. Happy running and Go Raiders!
tb
I have inherited 4 new freshmen, and with a little work, I truly believe we will have a top 10 team in the state of Illinois in 2009! Although it is a bit of work teaching everything over again, I believe it will be very nice to have a new core group to mold from day 1. We started this week with our first hill session, so there were some sore butts and a bunch of whining going the last few days. Today was our first trip away from the home course, where we do most of our practicing. We got a school van and drove out to the Rock Island Trail, an old railroad that was converted into a running trail of crushed cynder. The workout was a 2 mile warm up and then 6 miles of on/off mile repeats (3 hard and 3 easy continues in case you are wondering). Although the long straight ways of the trail can be a bit monotonous, the kids handled it pretty well, and I think really enjoyed going somewhere new to run.
We will also be getting a new volunteer coach starting next week which is ecspecially exciting for me as it can be real burden trying to chase 20 kids around, coach, worry about injury, logistics, ect. Most importantly, it will be nice to teach someone who wants to learn and continue what I started here down the road when it is time for me to step aside.
My running has been going pretty well, just plotting around doing my theraputic 5-10 miles. No foot problems as of yet, so cross your fingers, I may actually be running track this time next year! I have also decided to start volunteering at a local kids charity, The Neighborhood House, which mentors and gives shelter for inner city youth. Probably going to spread myself a little thin, but what the hey, I got the time.
Thats it for now. Happy running and Go Raiders!
tb
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
No Breaks
Well, we are back at it again. After giving the kids a month "off", practice has officially started for the 2008 cross country season. It was a wonderful suprise to show up at practice on Monday and find some new faces in the crowd. I have inhereted a talented new crop of freshman, whom I am convinced can really make a difference on this team right away. Although we did lose a great crop of seniors, the hard work and dedication of the underclassmen over the last 18 months will really pay dividens this fall.
There is not really a whole lot to report on the coaching end of things. Most of the kids ran our local road race, the Steamboat Classic and fared well. There are two different distances within the race, the 4 miler and the 15k, and 5 of the group actually opted for the 15k! I think I may finally be turning these kids into runners ; ) We will also be doing a 7 mile trail race this weekend at a local park, a race we did last year and had 4 medal winners.
I personally have been trudging through the training and have not had any setbacks as of yet. The toe feels pretty good as does the rest of the body. I have gotten back on a serious core routine and am back to lifting regularly. I also had the priveledge of being nominated the assistant race director of the Steamboat Classic, which took up a big chunk of time over the last few weeks. I have been going back on forth whether I am going to go out to the Olympic Trials next week. There is a big part of me that loves to watch the competition, but it is also a bit painful to watch knowing that I could be in there shaking things up. Call me bitter. Anyhow, that is it for now. Hopefully next time you hear from me I will be another 2 weeks along in my training and I will have 20 motivated kids out for practice everyday at 8 am!
tb
There is not really a whole lot to report on the coaching end of things. Most of the kids ran our local road race, the Steamboat Classic and fared well. There are two different distances within the race, the 4 miler and the 15k, and 5 of the group actually opted for the 15k! I think I may finally be turning these kids into runners ; ) We will also be doing a 7 mile trail race this weekend at a local park, a race we did last year and had 4 medal winners.
I personally have been trudging through the training and have not had any setbacks as of yet. The toe feels pretty good as does the rest of the body. I have gotten back on a serious core routine and am back to lifting regularly. I also had the priveledge of being nominated the assistant race director of the Steamboat Classic, which took up a big chunk of time over the last few weeks. I have been going back on forth whether I am going to go out to the Olympic Trials next week. There is a big part of me that loves to watch the competition, but it is also a bit painful to watch knowing that I could be in there shaking things up. Call me bitter. Anyhow, that is it for now. Hopefully next time you hear from me I will be another 2 weeks along in my training and I will have 20 motivated kids out for practice everyday at 8 am!
tb
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Season Finale
We finally reached the end of a exciting and record breaking 2008 track season. Despite the unusaully cold and windy spring, there were so many things to brag about.
Last I left everyone, the girls were getting prepared for their conference meet. Although were were a bit shorthanded, they ran tough as nails. Junior Emily Gustafson ran the tough 2 mile-mile double, finishing second in both and running a season pb in the process. Then being the team player that she is, she lead off our 4x4 which also finished second. Sophmore Cassie Lohmeir ran the 800/1600 double, placeing 2nd in the 8 and winning the 1600 with season prs in both! She also came back to anchor our 2nd place 4x400. Both girls earned All-Conference honors in the process. Freshman Ashley Schmitt fought through a bad case of asthma placing 5th in the 3200, then came back in the fresh/soph mile and got nipped at the line by .05 for the win. Not to shabby for a little fresh who had never run a competitive 2 mile in her life!
The girls then went on to the state qualifying sectional meet where both Emily and Cassie qualified for the state finals! Emily placed fifth in the 3200 to qualify on time, running a season best of 11:25. Cassie qualified on time as well, running 5:17 to finish for a hard fought third in the mile. I cannot tell you how proud I was of both of them to run though the frustration of not being in the hunt for a win, and to dig in when they both were having an off day to still qualify for the meet. It showed a lot of character.
The state meet was not as exciting as I would have hoped, as both girls ran right off season and personal bests to finish respectable. As it is at any big race though, if you are not one of the stud top dogs coming in, you are really just racing at the mercy of everyone else. It is pin your ears back and pray to God! What we took away from it though is that we do have the talent to compete at a state level, we just need the training to back it up. I really thought the girls would want a long break after a tough, grinding season, but they were asking for summer workouts before we even got back on the van to head home. That just goes to show the kind of competitive, hard working kids that I have been blessed to coach and mentor. I told them, as I have told thousands of young runners, they have the talent and the desire, they just need some CONSISTENT hard work to back it up.
Where to start with the boys? I have to admit, as badly as I wanted to think that the they were capable of running 8 min for the 2 mile relay, we really hadnt done much throughout the season to justify that. But one thing I have learned about high school runners is that they somehow find several gears which I have no idea existed at the most random of times. Thank God all 4 decided to find those gears at the conference meet! With 4 other teams capable of running sub 8:10 in our conference, it seemed a long shot that we would win. I really believed on a good day we were capable of running 8:08-8:12. But after a 1:59 lead-off leg by senior Nick Leiby, a 2:03 leg by senior Brock Kingsland, a 2:01 3rd leg from soph Hugh Gill and a 1:56 leg by senior Shane Lieby we came away with a conference title and a huge season best of 8:02!!! I do not believe I have ever seen a happier group of runners than I did after that relay. Not only was it good enough for the win, but it was the 7th fastest relay in the state of IL! Shane Lieby then came back in the 800 to get nipped for second by the state cross country champ, still running a school record 1:56.5! That was the real highlight of the meet, as the rest of the relay team ran like complete poo. My fault as a coach to let them get too excited at the beginning of the meet.
The fresh/soph kids had an excellent meet as well. Cody Margetis ran a pb in the mile, clocking a 5:12. Sophmore Drew Thomas ran a pr in the 3200, breaking 11 min for the first time. Alex Cortes ran just off his pbs in both the mile and 2 mile, scoring in both. The fresh/soph 4x400 also won, conisisting of two distance kids and two sophmore jumpers. I was really glad that the young kids got an opportunity to see that winning relay though, as it was proof to them that if they just commit 2 hours out of their day, 6 days a week, they can accomplish anything. To some so far in just a short amount of time just reinforces to everybody that there is plenty of talent in this young group.
On paper we were the favorites leading into the state qualifying sectional meet in the 4x800. But I knew it would not be that easy. Getting 4 17 year-olds to perform their best all on the same day is a real challenge. The boys went from the Rocky 1 attitude of "nothing to lose" to the Rocky 4 attitude of "well, all we can do is screw up". That is where perspective comes into play. What I have found after coaching at this level is that high school kids running is so much more mental than physical, and their margin for error, as well as for improvement, is scary big. Just putting the moment into context and helping them realize that this is just a small step in their lives, I think helped calm a lot of their anxiety. Helping them realize that we do not have to all run 5 second prs to make it to the big dance, but just running what we did at the conference meet is all that was needed out of them.
Anyhow, long story short, we ran 8:05 and placed second to our arch rivals, qualifying the first distacne runners from East Peoria for the state meet since 1995 (that being me)!!! Man alive were those boys excited. It wasnt our best time, but it got the job done. Actually, had we not gotten so pumped up and went out in 55 for the first 400, we probably would have run 8 flat. Just like the conference meet, Shane came back shortly after to win the 800 and the rest of the guys ran like poo. But we got the job done.
The state meet was quite anticlimatic, as I held Shane off the relay to run the open 800, in hopes of running 1:55. I really thought we were ready for it, but everybody looked really tired and nervous. Actually, every guy bombed, so I guess I am to blame. Not sure if all the big races had finally caught up with us, or if it was the pressure of the meet, but I guess you cannot replace experience. We had a wonderful time at the meet though, despite the stares and comments that the guys got for dying their hair white!!! We looked like a bunch of little Eminems : ) Although it wasnt our best effort, it is a memory that will last a lifetime for the boys.
Looking back on the last 18 months, I do not think we could have accomplished much more. Regional cross country champs, missing the state xc meet by 10 points, qualifying the first indivilual to the state xc meet since 1995, school record in the 4x400, 400, 800, first distance individual and relay to qualify for the state track meet since 1995, conference champs and a whole lot of personal bests. I do not claim to be an expert coach by any means, in fact I am learning most of it on the fly. Coaching high schoolers is a whole different beast than coaching a handfull of elite athletes. But what I have found at the high school is that there is a lot of talent out there, and if you just give them a little attention and give them some hope and direction, you can make a world of difference. As much work as it has been, I am extremely grateful that ITA has given me the opportunity to get out and touch so many young lives.
Enough of the sappy stuff. Its back to the grind. We have lost a lot of senior talent, but we also have gained a lot of experience and confidence. Unofficial practice starts in a week, so I am going to go fishing and enjoy my break! Happy Running
p.s. I will try to post a few videos of the races taken over the last few weeks later today or tomorrow. They arent exactly Spielberg, but I will get the hang of it.
Last I left everyone, the girls were getting prepared for their conference meet. Although were were a bit shorthanded, they ran tough as nails. Junior Emily Gustafson ran the tough 2 mile-mile double, finishing second in both and running a season pb in the process. Then being the team player that she is, she lead off our 4x4 which also finished second. Sophmore Cassie Lohmeir ran the 800/1600 double, placeing 2nd in the 8 and winning the 1600 with season prs in both! She also came back to anchor our 2nd place 4x400. Both girls earned All-Conference honors in the process. Freshman Ashley Schmitt fought through a bad case of asthma placing 5th in the 3200, then came back in the fresh/soph mile and got nipped at the line by .05 for the win. Not to shabby for a little fresh who had never run a competitive 2 mile in her life!
The girls then went on to the state qualifying sectional meet where both Emily and Cassie qualified for the state finals! Emily placed fifth in the 3200 to qualify on time, running a season best of 11:25. Cassie qualified on time as well, running 5:17 to finish for a hard fought third in the mile. I cannot tell you how proud I was of both of them to run though the frustration of not being in the hunt for a win, and to dig in when they both were having an off day to still qualify for the meet. It showed a lot of character.
The state meet was not as exciting as I would have hoped, as both girls ran right off season and personal bests to finish respectable. As it is at any big race though, if you are not one of the stud top dogs coming in, you are really just racing at the mercy of everyone else. It is pin your ears back and pray to God! What we took away from it though is that we do have the talent to compete at a state level, we just need the training to back it up. I really thought the girls would want a long break after a tough, grinding season, but they were asking for summer workouts before we even got back on the van to head home. That just goes to show the kind of competitive, hard working kids that I have been blessed to coach and mentor. I told them, as I have told thousands of young runners, they have the talent and the desire, they just need some CONSISTENT hard work to back it up.
Where to start with the boys? I have to admit, as badly as I wanted to think that the they were capable of running 8 min for the 2 mile relay, we really hadnt done much throughout the season to justify that. But one thing I have learned about high school runners is that they somehow find several gears which I have no idea existed at the most random of times. Thank God all 4 decided to find those gears at the conference meet! With 4 other teams capable of running sub 8:10 in our conference, it seemed a long shot that we would win. I really believed on a good day we were capable of running 8:08-8:12. But after a 1:59 lead-off leg by senior Nick Leiby, a 2:03 leg by senior Brock Kingsland, a 2:01 3rd leg from soph Hugh Gill and a 1:56 leg by senior Shane Lieby we came away with a conference title and a huge season best of 8:02!!! I do not believe I have ever seen a happier group of runners than I did after that relay. Not only was it good enough for the win, but it was the 7th fastest relay in the state of IL! Shane Lieby then came back in the 800 to get nipped for second by the state cross country champ, still running a school record 1:56.5! That was the real highlight of the meet, as the rest of the relay team ran like complete poo. My fault as a coach to let them get too excited at the beginning of the meet.
The fresh/soph kids had an excellent meet as well. Cody Margetis ran a pb in the mile, clocking a 5:12. Sophmore Drew Thomas ran a pr in the 3200, breaking 11 min for the first time. Alex Cortes ran just off his pbs in both the mile and 2 mile, scoring in both. The fresh/soph 4x400 also won, conisisting of two distance kids and two sophmore jumpers. I was really glad that the young kids got an opportunity to see that winning relay though, as it was proof to them that if they just commit 2 hours out of their day, 6 days a week, they can accomplish anything. To some so far in just a short amount of time just reinforces to everybody that there is plenty of talent in this young group.
On paper we were the favorites leading into the state qualifying sectional meet in the 4x800. But I knew it would not be that easy. Getting 4 17 year-olds to perform their best all on the same day is a real challenge. The boys went from the Rocky 1 attitude of "nothing to lose" to the Rocky 4 attitude of "well, all we can do is screw up". That is where perspective comes into play. What I have found after coaching at this level is that high school kids running is so much more mental than physical, and their margin for error, as well as for improvement, is scary big. Just putting the moment into context and helping them realize that this is just a small step in their lives, I think helped calm a lot of their anxiety. Helping them realize that we do not have to all run 5 second prs to make it to the big dance, but just running what we did at the conference meet is all that was needed out of them.
Anyhow, long story short, we ran 8:05 and placed second to our arch rivals, qualifying the first distacne runners from East Peoria for the state meet since 1995 (that being me)!!! Man alive were those boys excited. It wasnt our best time, but it got the job done. Actually, had we not gotten so pumped up and went out in 55 for the first 400, we probably would have run 8 flat. Just like the conference meet, Shane came back shortly after to win the 800 and the rest of the guys ran like poo. But we got the job done.
The state meet was quite anticlimatic, as I held Shane off the relay to run the open 800, in hopes of running 1:55. I really thought we were ready for it, but everybody looked really tired and nervous. Actually, every guy bombed, so I guess I am to blame. Not sure if all the big races had finally caught up with us, or if it was the pressure of the meet, but I guess you cannot replace experience. We had a wonderful time at the meet though, despite the stares and comments that the guys got for dying their hair white!!! We looked like a bunch of little Eminems : ) Although it wasnt our best effort, it is a memory that will last a lifetime for the boys.
Looking back on the last 18 months, I do not think we could have accomplished much more. Regional cross country champs, missing the state xc meet by 10 points, qualifying the first indivilual to the state xc meet since 1995, school record in the 4x400, 400, 800, first distance individual and relay to qualify for the state track meet since 1995, conference champs and a whole lot of personal bests. I do not claim to be an expert coach by any means, in fact I am learning most of it on the fly. Coaching high schoolers is a whole different beast than coaching a handfull of elite athletes. But what I have found at the high school is that there is a lot of talent out there, and if you just give them a little attention and give them some hope and direction, you can make a world of difference. As much work as it has been, I am extremely grateful that ITA has given me the opportunity to get out and touch so many young lives.
Enough of the sappy stuff. Its back to the grind. We have lost a lot of senior talent, but we also have gained a lot of experience and confidence. Unofficial practice starts in a week, so I am going to go fishing and enjoy my break! Happy Running
p.s. I will try to post a few videos of the races taken over the last few weeks later today or tomorrow. They arent exactly Spielberg, but I will get the hang of it.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Last Weeks Pictures
Above: Top L-Nick Leiby (800 meter pr 2:03); Top R-Brant Watson and Cody Margetis (1600 meter prs 5:32 and 5:22); Middle L-David Blackford (800 meter pr 2:09 split); Middle R-Hugh Gill (800 meter pr 2:07 split); Bottom L-Shane Leiby (800 meter 2:05 split, came back 30 min later tieing the 400 meter school record 50.2!); Bottom R-Hugh Gill (1600 pr 4:45); Bottom-Brock Kingsland (800 pr split 2:05, came back yesterday to win the mile and run a huge pb of 4:48!)Here are a few pictures the kids took for me from last week at a conference triangular meet with our two biggest rivals. I was hoping to get some video with the new camera last night, but once again it rained : ( Every picture is of a kid running a personal best that night!
The girls conference meet is Thursday, and Friday will be the true test to see if the boys 4X800 team is capable of qualifying for the state meet. I will keep you posted. Happy Running!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Big Week
Last I updated everyone, we had returned from our first outdoor meet of the season in Moline, IL with a very bright start to the spring. Unfortunately, the weather has not cooperated since. After a few dual meets with hurricane force winds, we had to cancel 4 meets in a row due to snow, cold, wind and rain. We have also had a lot of injuries since we started workout out agressively on the track, ecspecially those who did not train all winter. And although we did not run particularly fast times at those meets, we competed very well. Even better was that I have successfully recruited 4 "sprinters" to become distance runners and to run cross country this fall!
Last Friday night was our first real chance to get good competition, but once again the weather slowed us down a bit. Despite 30 mph winds and torential rains, good things are sure to come. The 4x800 team that I was sure could run 8:12 finally proved to themselves that the work we put in over the winter is starting to pay off, as we cracked 8:30 without my two studs. Shane Lieby won the open 800 with a solo performance and pr of 1:59. His first time under two minutes! He then came back on Tuesday and tied the shcool record on his first attempt at an open 400m with a 50.2! I am so jealous of runers with that kind of foot speed. Senior Nick Leiby, Shane's twin brother, ran 4:43 to place 2nd in the mile. Although that is not near what I think he is capable of, this proves that with a healthy hip and a warm calm evening, he will run 4:30 before he graduates. Nick also came back Tuesday evening to run a pr of 2:03 in the 800 after going out in a suicidal 56 (not his fault, bad coaching)! Senior Brock Kingsland finally broke through in the 800, running a 4 second pr of 2:05. David Blackford, or Mr Glass as I like to call him, is starting to round into shape, running 2:09 (just in time for him to get hurt again). Freshmen Cody Margetis, Alex Cortes and Brant Watson ran personal bests in the mile, running 5:22, 4:51 and 5:36 respectively.
We have not had the same amount of success on the girls side, but there have been some good performances. Unfortunately we are very short of numbers on the girls squad, which has placed the few I have in a tough position of running more events than needed at times for the sake of scoring points. I could not be more proud of 3 in particular: Emily Gustafson, Cassie Lohmier and Ashley Schmitt. They have ran 3-4 events every Tuesday for the last 3 weeks and have not complained or moaned a bit. And although they are not running as fast as they want, they have competed hard and that will pay off over the next two weeks when we back off for next weeks conference meet.
As all may have noticed from others blogs, the athletes at In-The-Arena have so kindly been supplied with digital video cameras. These will allow our viewers and supporters an ability to see first hand what goes on behind the scenes from day to day. I have to admit I am about as tech-savy as a monkey, so please bear with me as I try to figure out how to use the camera, post in on here and then make some sort of sense of what it is that you are watching. I did have some of my injured kids take video of our meet on Tuesday night, but most of the video is of chopped up races. Tomorrow night is our big home invite of the girls and a huge invite just down the road for the boys. I will really try to take some good footage and post it over the weekend at both of those meets (hopefully they kids give you a good show) and give you a look at what is happening here in Central Illinois.
Thanks for listening and Go Raiders!!!
Last Friday night was our first real chance to get good competition, but once again the weather slowed us down a bit. Despite 30 mph winds and torential rains, good things are sure to come. The 4x800 team that I was sure could run 8:12 finally proved to themselves that the work we put in over the winter is starting to pay off, as we cracked 8:30 without my two studs. Shane Lieby won the open 800 with a solo performance and pr of 1:59. His first time under two minutes! He then came back on Tuesday and tied the shcool record on his first attempt at an open 400m with a 50.2! I am so jealous of runers with that kind of foot speed. Senior Nick Leiby, Shane's twin brother, ran 4:43 to place 2nd in the mile. Although that is not near what I think he is capable of, this proves that with a healthy hip and a warm calm evening, he will run 4:30 before he graduates. Nick also came back Tuesday evening to run a pr of 2:03 in the 800 after going out in a suicidal 56 (not his fault, bad coaching)! Senior Brock Kingsland finally broke through in the 800, running a 4 second pr of 2:05. David Blackford, or Mr Glass as I like to call him, is starting to round into shape, running 2:09 (just in time for him to get hurt again). Freshmen Cody Margetis, Alex Cortes and Brant Watson ran personal bests in the mile, running 5:22, 4:51 and 5:36 respectively.
We have not had the same amount of success on the girls side, but there have been some good performances. Unfortunately we are very short of numbers on the girls squad, which has placed the few I have in a tough position of running more events than needed at times for the sake of scoring points. I could not be more proud of 3 in particular: Emily Gustafson, Cassie Lohmier and Ashley Schmitt. They have ran 3-4 events every Tuesday for the last 3 weeks and have not complained or moaned a bit. And although they are not running as fast as they want, they have competed hard and that will pay off over the next two weeks when we back off for next weeks conference meet.
As all may have noticed from others blogs, the athletes at In-The-Arena have so kindly been supplied with digital video cameras. These will allow our viewers and supporters an ability to see first hand what goes on behind the scenes from day to day. I have to admit I am about as tech-savy as a monkey, so please bear with me as I try to figure out how to use the camera, post in on here and then make some sort of sense of what it is that you are watching. I did have some of my injured kids take video of our meet on Tuesday night, but most of the video is of chopped up races. Tomorrow night is our big home invite of the girls and a huge invite just down the road for the boys. I will really try to take some good footage and post it over the weekend at both of those meets (hopefully they kids give you a good show) and give you a look at what is happening here in Central Illinois.
Thanks for listening and Go Raiders!!!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Outdoor Season Has Begun
After a long grueling winter, I am relieved to inform everyone that our outdoor season finally kicked off Saturday at the Moline Invite. I say relieved because it is difficult to keep 15 year olds motivated to do workouts when the next race is still 3 months away. The weather was not suited for world record conditions, but nonetheless, we had a lot of successes, a few mediocre performances and fortunately, no bombs.
Starting off on the girls side, junior star Emily Gustafson cruised to a win the two mile by over 30 seconds, and then came back with a bit of a dissappointing third place finish in the mile. She was quite upset with herself for letting the leaders go, but reassured her that she has heavy legs for the first time in her life (from training all winter, her first time) and that she will feel snappy when the time is right. Freshman Ashely Schmitt placed second in her first two mile ever, running just over 12 min. Again, she was a little dissappointed with herself, but as a coach, I was thrilled to see her compete so well and hang in there with a 20 degree windchill, which is really hard on her asthma. Sophmore Cassie Lohmeir ran her first race of the year, placing 2nd in the 800 with a time of 2:26. Like the other two, she was a bit mad at herself for not going after it earlier, but 2:26 is pretty amazing for a 16 year old who plays basketball all winter and has only been running for 4 weeks. Needless to say, we have a lot of talent on the girls side. Best of all, we had a real desire to work hard, compete and see the long term picture.
There were some great races on the boys side as well. My pic for athlete of the day was definately freshman Alex Cortes, who ran his first two mile ever (hanging in well in A heat) and then came back to place second in his heat of the mile running 4:50!!! I cannot express how happy I was for a kid who has not missed a practice since he started with me last summer. Expect to hear a lot more about him. Sophomore Hugh Gill also ran a 15 second pr in the mile, running 4:45. And last, but not least, my senior twins Shane and Nick Leiby kicked off the season with quick splits in the 4X800 and coming back and placing 3rd and 4th respectively in the open 800. We were all a little dissapointed with the times, as I really thought they would run around 2 min. It made me sit down and try to rethink what I have been doing and what I have planned for the next month. As a coach, you must not put the blame of bad performances on anybody but yourself, and after looking back on all the work we have done over the last 5 months, I have decided to stick with the plan. What really threw me for a loop was, after having heavy legs in both 800s, and thinking the 4x400 splits would be sluggish, Shane lead off the relay with a 50 flat!!! Into a cold headwind with two races under his belt and the first time running really hard all season.
So to sum it up, all-in-all, it was a pretty good start to the season. I do have a lot of injuries, especially with the younger kids. Some of that is my fault, as it took me a while realized that some of them just cannot handle anything but easy 25 min runs. I really believe that now that the races have begun, our level of intensity and urgency will elevate. Like I said before, coaching track is a heck of a lot of problems. Dealing with so many problems and personalities can make a coach feel a bit insane at times, but it is all worth it when you see a kid work his rear off all winter and come out and run 4:50 for his first high school mile ever!!!
Take care all and GO RAIDERS!
tim
Starting off on the girls side, junior star Emily Gustafson cruised to a win the two mile by over 30 seconds, and then came back with a bit of a dissappointing third place finish in the mile. She was quite upset with herself for letting the leaders go, but reassured her that she has heavy legs for the first time in her life (from training all winter, her first time) and that she will feel snappy when the time is right. Freshman Ashely Schmitt placed second in her first two mile ever, running just over 12 min. Again, she was a little dissappointed with herself, but as a coach, I was thrilled to see her compete so well and hang in there with a 20 degree windchill, which is really hard on her asthma. Sophmore Cassie Lohmeir ran her first race of the year, placing 2nd in the 800 with a time of 2:26. Like the other two, she was a bit mad at herself for not going after it earlier, but 2:26 is pretty amazing for a 16 year old who plays basketball all winter and has only been running for 4 weeks. Needless to say, we have a lot of talent on the girls side. Best of all, we had a real desire to work hard, compete and see the long term picture.
There were some great races on the boys side as well. My pic for athlete of the day was definately freshman Alex Cortes, who ran his first two mile ever (hanging in well in A heat) and then came back to place second in his heat of the mile running 4:50!!! I cannot express how happy I was for a kid who has not missed a practice since he started with me last summer. Expect to hear a lot more about him. Sophomore Hugh Gill also ran a 15 second pr in the mile, running 4:45. And last, but not least, my senior twins Shane and Nick Leiby kicked off the season with quick splits in the 4X800 and coming back and placing 3rd and 4th respectively in the open 800. We were all a little dissapointed with the times, as I really thought they would run around 2 min. It made me sit down and try to rethink what I have been doing and what I have planned for the next month. As a coach, you must not put the blame of bad performances on anybody but yourself, and after looking back on all the work we have done over the last 5 months, I have decided to stick with the plan. What really threw me for a loop was, after having heavy legs in both 800s, and thinking the 4x400 splits would be sluggish, Shane lead off the relay with a 50 flat!!! Into a cold headwind with two races under his belt and the first time running really hard all season.
So to sum it up, all-in-all, it was a pretty good start to the season. I do have a lot of injuries, especially with the younger kids. Some of that is my fault, as it took me a while realized that some of them just cannot handle anything but easy 25 min runs. I really believe that now that the races have begun, our level of intensity and urgency will elevate. Like I said before, coaching track is a heck of a lot of problems. Dealing with so many problems and personalities can make a coach feel a bit insane at times, but it is all worth it when you see a kid work his rear off all winter and come out and run 4:50 for his first high school mile ever!!!
Take care all and GO RAIDERS!
tim
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