Gatorland Run
– 9/21/19
As I said to our athletes on
the bus as we got back to FCHS – we really had a great overnight trip this
year. The kids were well-behaved and
represented themselves and their school with class and integrity. Between course runs, movies, and a catered
dinner, we kept the team busy, but there was lots of time for team bonding and
fun. Thank you all for a great trip, and
a special thanks to the pareants and family members that tagged along and
helped me out as needs arose. From
grabbing water to helping set up the meal, I really appreciate all that you do
in lending a helping hand to the team.
Meet Results:
Team Photos:
Girls Race
Highlights
·
Most of our girls really pushed the pace from the start of the race, but
especially our top-3 of Tayona, Kaci, and Trishna. To be honest, they probably went out a little
too aggressively, slowing down by about a minute in the second mile. Despite that, Tayona really pushed herself to her limit and was
rewarded with a huge PR and solid top-30 finish in a huge field. Congrats!
·
Kendall had a PR-day!
After being sick last week it was great to see her back out competing in
that FC uniform and racing to a new all-time best.
·
Sarah & Kylie both did far less walking on the course than last
weekend and were rewarded for their work with PRs. As you all get in better shape those times will
continue to come down. Just keep showing
up and working hard!
·
Congrats on your first 5k, Madi!
Boys Race
· Two wins in two weeks for sophomore Jimmy Mullarkey. Jimmy has the potential to win most races he
enters, and yet, it still comes down to race execution and going out and and
putting a plan in place. Jimmy went out
a bit quickly this week but was able to put in a few strategic surges that put
some space between himself and two other VERY talented runners. Next week will be another big test, with Griffin
Staude of Western Hills currently entered in the Berea Invite.
· Mickey wins
perhaps the toughest athlete of the meet.
He was literally pushed in to the course boundary, taking a tumble
within the first mile. Unfortunately,
the course marshals didn’t see the act, or the other athlete would have been
disqualified. Despite this, Mickey
recovered, and still ran his second fastest 5k ever. I know he’s disappointed in not medaling and
not having a chance to fairly compete, but Mickey’s perseverance and dedication
to getting back on his feet and competing fairly, rather than trying to get
back at the kid, was one of the most inspiring parts of the day. I’m very proud of you.
· A new PR for Weston! I am so happy to see the success that this
kid is having. I tease him a lot at
practice but he’s really one of our hardest working kids and it’s great to see
that hard work pay off. I have no doubt
he will break 18:00 this year. Cooler temps
are coming! (I hope).
· George took
a big step this week. Racing in spikes
for the firt time, he’s now a sub-19 runner and I don’t honestly expect him to
go back anytime soon. We are hoping to
get him out to a few more practices a week and really are counting on him to
solidify our varsity lineup. Nice run!
· Great to see Xavier back running after taking
most of the week off due to his knees. I
know that his time wasn’t what he wanted, but with a full week of practice and
getting you some XC spikes, I have no doubt you will be back to where you want
to be.
· Also great to get Trey back out there! Even though he’s been injured, Trey has been
with us at practice every day, working with the trainer, getting short runs in
when he can, and still supporting the team.
Just because you’re injured doesn’t mean you aren’t a big part of this
program – and that goes for everyone.
· For our varsity group, we are really heading in to the
most important stretch of the season.
The next few weeks will determine whether we make State as a team or simply
send some individuals. We are not quite as deep as in prior years, but I do
think that we have some kids ready to make a leap. Can we train consistently, get enough sleep,
eat right and get 5 guys under 19:00 minutes?
Can we get our entire top-7 under 20:00?
What about our top-10? I honestly
think we can do it, but it’s going to take the next level of dedication on an
individual level.
· We have a huge pack of runners in the 21:00 – 22:00
ish area. Who is going to rise up and
decide they want to break through? We
need some athletes to take some chances in practice over the next few weeks and
get after it. Check out our group from
last year to see what I mean:
· Congrats on your new PR, Trent! Trent has been super consistent about
rehabbing his knee and it was so nice to see him back our there running in the
FC singlet and hitting a new all-time best.
· Speaking of knee pain, Connor has struggled
mightily since the summer with tendonitis, and it was great to get him back out
for the first time since Tiger Run. He
PR’ed by nearly a minute!
· Kendrick had
a huge PR after not running last week.
Great job!
· Congrats on your first 5k, Jonathan!
Things to Work On
·
We have only a few guaranteed meets left, especially for JV runners. Think about what you want to accomplish over
this last month of competition and think about what you can do to take your
races to the next level. Once the season
is over you don’t want to have any regrets.
If you’re young, ask a Senior how they feel as the season wraps up. The time is now. Let’s do everything we can to have a great
rest of the season.
·
We had one runner DQed for swearing and talking to a race official in the
finish chute. I know that officials don’t
always have as much patience as they should, but you must remember it is their
job to herd 300+ runners in a safe manner and get all of their times
correct. If you ever have an issue, keep
your cool, bring it to me, and let me address it.
·
Diet. And. Sleep. The two areas some
of us failed on Friday night. Lots of
popcorn, soda, and snacks at the movie theater, even after a healthy Olive
Garden dinner that had tons of uneaten food.
After that, lots of us likely staying up too late in the hotel
rooms. I could send you all literally
hundreds of articles/studies etc. that show that the number one performance
enhancer for teenage athletes is consistent sleep and healthy food, but rather,
I’ll just remind you that the teams we are trying to beat are not drinking soda
the night before a race and they definitely aren’t eating fast food before
practices or workouts.
News & Notes
for the Week Ahead
Tuesday:
JV
Meet @ Tom Sawyer Park (4k)
(Varsity
Workout)
Please
note the updated times for this meet, as I had them incorrect from last year.
Saturday
Berea
Invitational (Entries due Tuesday). I need to know by Tuesday if you cannot run
on Saturday.
We
will stop somewhere for lunch after the meet. (Pay individually)
Remaining Schedule:
|
Tuesday, September 24th
|
Assumption JV Series #2
(Varsity Workout)
Bus = 3:00
Boys JV = 5:00
Girls JV = 5:30
Back = 7:00
|
Tom Sawyer Park (BMX Area)
3000 Freys Hill Road
Louisville, KY 40241
|
|
Saturday, September 28th
|
Berea Invitational
Bus = 7:45
Combined JV (4k) = 11:00
Girls Varsity = 11:45
Boys Varsity = 12:30
Back = 4:00
|
Berea Alumni Field
225 Scaffold Cane Road, Berea, KY 40404
|
|
Friday, October 4th –
Sunday, October 6th
|
Open Weekend
|
No Meet
|
|
Wednesday, October 9th
|
Triple M JV Race
(Varsity Workout)
Bus
= 3:00
Girls JV = 4:30
Boys JV = 5:00
Back
= 6:00
|
Moore High School
6415 Outer Loop,
Louisville, KY 40228
|
|
Saturday, October 12th
|
Haunted Woods Classic
Bus
= 7:00
Girls Varsity =9:00
Boys Varsity = 9:35
Girls JV = 10:05
Boys JV = 10:50
Back
= 12:00
|
Oldham County High School
1150 KY-393,
Buckner, KY 40010
|
|
Thursday, October 17th
|
JCPS Championships
Bus = 2:30
Boys Varsity =
4:30
Girls Varsity =
5:00
Combined JV =
5:30
Back = 7:00
|
Tom Sawyer Park
3000 Freys Hill Rd
Louisville, KY 40241
|
|
Saturday, October 19th
|
Open Date / No Meet
(Varsity Workout)
|
Run on Your Own
|
|
Saturday, October 26th
|
Regional Meet
Schedule
TBA
|
Seneca Park
3114 Rock Creek Dr
Louisville, KY 40207
|
|
Saturday, November 2nd
|
State Meet
|
Kentucky Horse Park
4089 Iron Works Pkwy
Lexington, KY 40511
|
