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.
Monday, September 28, 2009
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.
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