10/9/24 - Bow

Results Here Soon

(Still having photo upload issues, but check out the SmugMug link!)

Today was a Happy Coach meet! Our clothing order finally came in, and the weather was perfect for both running and spectating (rare that both happen at the same time), and the girls ran FANTASTIC! It was fun to have just a little old-fashioned duel meet and to be able to truly race it. We were down 1 runner due to illness (we missed you Tess!), and one runner due to injury (Raven, there cheering loudest of all!) but all the other 9 were able to line up on the track, competing against Bow, Laconia (!?), and St. Thomas, who I feel we’ve raced more than any other team this year. The directive was to continue to work on starts, and race quickly but mentally light (low stress). Both seemed to be successful.

The race got out with 2 Bow girls in the lead, trailed by Lily and Maddy. Maddy was always a step behind (can’t you two run side-by-side? Geesh), but they were eventually able to drop 1 Bow girl and push the other all the way to the line. Lily gave it a go with a valiant effort over the final 100 meters, but was outkicked in the end, taking 2nd in her best time of the year. Maddy closed at the end, finishing only a second or so back of Lily in what is likely a new PR. Those don’t happen every day!

Next our sophomore duo of Reagan and Emily, with Reagan tasked with staying with Emily at the beginning. Photo evidence shows that this did indeed happen! Reagan has been undergoing “Project 23” for several weeks now, and today it was Mission Accomplished! Due to lack of results at the time of this writing it looks like she ran well under 24, if the scoreboard time was anywhere close. That is yet another PR! Now it is on to “Project 22”! Emily, fairly full of cold-related fluids, ran through the discomfort to cross as our number 4 runner, just a little bit ahead of a battling Nicole and Keira. Both Nicole and Keira have taken large chunks of time off their PR’s recently, and are now locked in a battle for the #5 spot. Nicole had it today for 4996 meters, while Keira had it for only 4 meters. But it was the final 4. Interchangeable #5 runners is not exactly something that saddens a coach though. The more the merrier! Kendra, also usually battling for #5, probably felt like she was running underwater and breathing through a straw. She ran with no excuses though, and made MVXC proud today. Now it’s time to get better! Hot tea, hot showers, and extra rest! Our 8th on the day was Jessi’s first race in a while - and she ran very strong, perhaps running in the 28’s? She mentioned it was a quiet run, no one in sight front or back. It almost sounds pleasant. Emma wrapped things up for us with another sub-30 run, despite falling at some point. It seems she made an XC friend though, there was some nice camaraderie with a Laconia runner at the end. All in all, a great day with great people!