The Liberty League Championships were a true test, an example of what real cross country racing is all about. While not as torn up as it was during last year's Regional Championships, the St. Lawrence course was definitely not in pristine shape by the time the men's race got started last week. We definitely got to face some great competition, and while not all of us had the races of our lives, there were some bright spots. I set a new personal best despite the tough conditions, and even though as a team, our performance wasn't top-notch, we still held onto 3rd place, which is where we finished last year.
Coming into this weekend, Albany provided us with the opportunity for a major boost in confidence, and I think we definitely seized it. Albany is a course designed to be fast. -- there's a lot of hard surfaces and not a lot of hills. In addition, the presence of Division I teams ensures that the race will go out quickly, and it definitely is the best tune-up for the first mile of Regionals, in terms of getting used to going out fast and in large packs.
One fact of cross country racing is that there can be some physical contact involved, regardless of intent. Albany definitely facilitates some pushing, shoving and trampling just because it requires a fast field of 200 to funnel through a gate within 400 meters of the start. While it's not necessarily fun to get cut off, hit, or stepped on, it was good for us to have it happen, to practice how to deal with the situation.
In terms of results, we saw personal bests pretty much across the board. We had four runners under 27 minutes, and seven more between 27 and 28 minutes. Even with all those times, we still placed 17th out of 24 teams, a testament to the kind of competition that exists across divisions in collegiate cross country in the Northeast. Seeing those times will definitely provide a spark to get us through October Break, as a number of us took a bit of time to train on our own. We'll be coming back together on Wednesday for practice, and then attempting to build on the last two weeks at Saratoga, a race that will provide a window into how we stack up against some of our regional rivals.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Being A Good Listener Speaks Volumes
Sometimes, I'm not as good of a listener as I should be.
You see, James, my coach, has a lot of sayings having to do with running. James lives running. He embraces the science of running (even though, as an Anthropology major at Vassar, I have a hard time seeing him embracing lab science in general), he loves quoting obscure running coaches from the 1960s, and he loves sending along inspirational videos of recent professional races. One thing James has said a lot is that September is for training, October is for...well...something, and November is for...something else. The point is, it isn't September anymore, and it's time for us to start thinking about something else in addition to training...and I think it's probably racing.
We'll be toeing the line at the Liberty League Championships on Saturday. As a senior, I know what to expect. For the second year in a row, we'll be at St. Lawrence for this race. Most of us have run this course before, and knowing about footing and terrain is invaluable. We'll be competing against the same five teams as last year: St. Lawrence, RPI, Clarkson, Union, and Hobart/William Smith. I've been following these teams' results over the last few weeks, and I know roughly where their top runners are. I'd be lying if I said I haven't developed some personal and team expectations for where I want us to be.
That said, on Saturday morning, when we're in the thick of things, everything goes out the window. A successful race is all about reacting to unforseen circumstances. Maybe it will be unseasonably cold...this is in fact a definite possibility in the North Country in mid-October. Maybe the race will go out faster than we anticipated. Maybe another team has been hiding their cards, and puts up a strong challenge at the start that we didn't expect. Maybe we'll stay together in big packs, maybe we'll have a few guys take chances and try to hang on someone else's pack. Responding to myriad situations is just as much a conscious as an unconscious effort, and I think one of my greatest strengths I've developed as a Vassar runner has been the ability to process what's going on around me and make adjustments mid-race. Racing isn't just about running fast, it's about relativity. I'd rather we come in first and run slow times because the conditions were awful, than come in 3rd with fast times on a beautiful day.
This blog has inspired me to cut back on the scouting, and focus on the big picture a bit more. Workouts have been going well. We feel ready. It's still October. Now is the time to begin racing.
You see, James, my coach, has a lot of sayings having to do with running. James lives running. He embraces the science of running (even though, as an Anthropology major at Vassar, I have a hard time seeing him embracing lab science in general), he loves quoting obscure running coaches from the 1960s, and he loves sending along inspirational videos of recent professional races. One thing James has said a lot is that September is for training, October is for...well...something, and November is for...something else. The point is, it isn't September anymore, and it's time for us to start thinking about something else in addition to training...and I think it's probably racing.
We'll be toeing the line at the Liberty League Championships on Saturday. As a senior, I know what to expect. For the second year in a row, we'll be at St. Lawrence for this race. Most of us have run this course before, and knowing about footing and terrain is invaluable. We'll be competing against the same five teams as last year: St. Lawrence, RPI, Clarkson, Union, and Hobart/William Smith. I've been following these teams' results over the last few weeks, and I know roughly where their top runners are. I'd be lying if I said I haven't developed some personal and team expectations for where I want us to be.
That said, on Saturday morning, when we're in the thick of things, everything goes out the window. A successful race is all about reacting to unforseen circumstances. Maybe it will be unseasonably cold...this is in fact a definite possibility in the North Country in mid-October. Maybe the race will go out faster than we anticipated. Maybe another team has been hiding their cards, and puts up a strong challenge at the start that we didn't expect. Maybe we'll stay together in big packs, maybe we'll have a few guys take chances and try to hang on someone else's pack. Responding to myriad situations is just as much a conscious as an unconscious effort, and I think one of my greatest strengths I've developed as a Vassar runner has been the ability to process what's going on around me and make adjustments mid-race. Racing isn't just about running fast, it's about relativity. I'd rather we come in first and run slow times because the conditions were awful, than come in 3rd with fast times on a beautiful day.
This blog has inspired me to cut back on the scouting, and focus on the big picture a bit more. Workouts have been going well. We feel ready. It's still October. Now is the time to begin racing.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Using Stevens Meet to Prep for Liberty League's
The Stevens Invitational, this weekend's race, was supposed to provide us with the first full-length (8K for men, 6K for women) experience for most of our runners this year. However, due to some measurement errors by the course designers, it was not meant to be. That said, the course was still a treat. The race took place in a state park in New Jersey, right next to the Hudson. The views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty were better than any I've ever seen from New York, and the skyline of Lower Manhattan was also something to behold.
As for the actual race, Stevens did something unique, in terms of offering both 4K and 8K options for the race. Both started together, and those competing in the shorter race just turned off early rather than completing a second loop of the course. Unlike some other schools, we put the vast majority of our runners in the longer race, as we weren't too concerned about winning the meet title. Since the 4K and 8K were scored equally, the fact that we put 8 runners in the top 12 of the 8K didn't secure us the team title, which I find a bit frustrating. It would have been nice to win the meet title, instead of just the one forthe 8K race.
That said, we needed to get some experience on a longer course before Liberty Leagues, and this was our best shot at doing so. While the times won't stand up since the course was about 150 meters short, we're definitely much more physically and mentally ready for an 8K now than we were this time last week.
As for the actual race, Stevens did something unique, in terms of offering both 4K and 8K options for the race. Both started together, and those competing in the shorter race just turned off early rather than completing a second loop of the course. Unlike some other schools, we put the vast majority of our runners in the longer race, as we weren't too concerned about winning the meet title. Since the 4K and 8K were scored equally, the fact that we put 8 runners in the top 12 of the 8K didn't secure us the team title, which I find a bit frustrating. It would have been nice to win the meet title, instead of just the one forthe 8K race.
That said, we needed to get some experience on a longer course before Liberty Leagues, and this was our best shot at doing so. While the times won't stand up since the course was about 150 meters short, we're definitely much more physically and mentally ready for an 8K now than we were this time last week.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Great Start to the New Season
We're over two weeks into the regular season, and things are going well for us. Not only do we have victories in both of our races, but we're doing a great job of staying focused and healthy. Last week's race at Hamilton was a bit of a surprise for us, as we were expecting to be facing a historically strong Ithaca team, but they never arrived at the meet. This left us in a five team race, with opponents including Nazareth, a team who we finished just ahead of at last year's Atlantic Regional Championships, and Hamilton, a regionally ranked team on their home course. Although Hamilton's top runner, national champion Peter Kosgei, dropped out a mile into the race, a victory is a victory, and you have to finish to win.
That said, we're much more concerned about how we're going to perform come October and November. We've had a few guys in the sophomore class really step up so far, and if they can keep improving, I think we'll continue to turn some heads. We're definitely not in the kind of shape we need to be in order to meet our goals for November, but we're getting there. Not having a race this weekend will help us on two fronts; one, we'll get to rest up and let any nagging pains or injuries heal up. Two, we get to put in the kind of hard workouts this week that make a big difference without worrying about being tired for the weekend
That said, we're much more concerned about how we're going to perform come October and November. We've had a few guys in the sophomore class really step up so far, and if they can keep improving, I think we'll continue to turn some heads. We're definitely not in the kind of shape we need to be in order to meet our goals for November, but we're getting there. Not having a race this weekend will help us on two fronts; one, we'll get to rest up and let any nagging pains or injuries heal up. Two, we get to put in the kind of hard workouts this week that make a big difference without worrying about being tired for the weekend
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Championship Saturday
Saturday was our first race of the season, and by all accounts, it was a success. Historically, we've always opened our season with a home race, and unlike most other teams on campus, it's our only chance to compete on our home campus. Not having raced since Founders' Day weekend in May, it was a little difficult for me to get back into the racing mindset.
We've been doing some faster runs and interval work as a team for the last two weeks, but those workouts are all about hitting times, not about beating the people you're running with. On race day, especially early in the season in cross-country, it's not about how fast you go, but where you finish. Although the race went out fast, due to an early charge by New Paltz, who had been scouting us and were looking for an upset, we stayed in control and let them fall back to us. I personally tried to maintain visual contact with the lead group for as long as possible, and was happy to see our burgundy and white jerseys catch most of the New Paltz team by 2 kilometers.
From that point on, our pack was in control. Although we didn't take the #1 individual spot, as a team, we put our entire scoring seven in the top ten scorers. Personally, my time improved by exactly a minute over last year's effort on the same course, good enough for a top ten finish, and better yet, a t-shirt. More importantly, it helped keep our trophy mug in Vassar's hands for another year.
We've been doing some faster runs and interval work as a team for the last two weeks, but those workouts are all about hitting times, not about beating the people you're running with. On race day, especially early in the season in cross-country, it's not about how fast you go, but where you finish. Although the race went out fast, due to an early charge by New Paltz, who had been scouting us and were looking for an upset, we stayed in control and let them fall back to us. I personally tried to maintain visual contact with the lead group for as long as possible, and was happy to see our burgundy and white jerseys catch most of the New Paltz team by 2 kilometers.
From that point on, our pack was in control. Although we didn't take the #1 individual spot, as a team, we put our entire scoring seven in the top ten scorers. Personally, my time improved by exactly a minute over last year's effort on the same course, good enough for a top ten finish, and better yet, a t-shirt. More importantly, it helped keep our trophy mug in Vassar's hands for another year.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Back On Campus And The Season Ahead
This is Danny "McFly" McBee, returning for the second season of the Vassar cross-country blog. After a summer of training on my own, it's so nice to get back on campus and have people to run with. Today is the 4th day of pre-season, and the first without a double session. Sleeping in this morning was great, and I'm going to get a few miles in this afternoon before a pool running session and a team meeting.
On the men's side, we graduated a few guys who definitely made huge impacts on both the team's character and results, so it will be interesting to see how we forge a new identity. On that note, I'll be one of the three captains this year, along with one of my housemates, Ges Adams, and junior Jon Erickson. The women will have a bit more continuity this year, although they too lost some great leaders. Both teams have a bunch of talented freshmen coming in, and they definitely seem excited to be here. All in all, I think everyone's prepared for a successful season, and we're already looking forward to opening up on our home course in six days.
On the men's side, we graduated a few guys who definitely made huge impacts on both the team's character and results, so it will be interesting to see how we forge a new identity. On that note, I'll be one of the three captains this year, along with one of my housemates, Ges Adams, and junior Jon Erickson. The women will have a bit more continuity this year, although they too lost some great leaders. Both teams have a bunch of talented freshmen coming in, and they definitely seem excited to be here. All in all, I think everyone's prepared for a successful season, and we're already looking forward to opening up on our home course in six days.
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