Amidst all the fun, we've had some tough weeks. Very challenging race courses, training through, and lots of coaching/teaching on form and breathing. Pre-race day, the kids were a little low on "oomph" and not super excited about competing. We arrived at the meet to be greeted by cold (50s) and wind. But the consensus was that it was better than the heat, and in walking the course they discovered it to be crazy flat and promised to be fast.
The junior highers were up first, taking 1st place individuals in both boys' and girls' races and PR's by everyone else. That set the tone for some excitement. Girls' high schoolers were next, with our first runner breaking the 20-minute barrier and most of the rest smashing their PR's as well. They sent the boys out to ride the wave, and they too crushed their previous records. [Pictured: much needed and well deserved breakthrough performances for these runners!]
Meets are not the end all. We strive to create a balance of fun and competition (with themselves and others), and we've been proud of these kids all season. Although times and places aren't the only determination of progress, today they just *looked* different: strong, confident, athletic. Things came together for them, and our hope is that they will see races as a place to find what's inside them and show themselves how far they've come.
