AP XC

Last night at the Awards presentation, I was struck again by the number of scholar athletes we enjoy as kind of a "fringe benefit" of cross country. It's pretty standard fare, actually, as motivated and disciplined students tend to get drawn toward extra curricular activities of similar virtues. The Big 8 League has a new honor, a "scholar athlete" certificate, given to the top 8 "scholars" at the varsity level by the end of the season. Jason Schupp, Derek Nelson and Katrina Graham were in that elite 8. Mr. Masi, our Athletic Director, informed me that a 4.4 gpa "wasn't good enough" to make the list on the girls' side. It didn't surprise me, for that's what cross country kids are like! Duh!

Since I take my teaching job as seriously as I take my coaching, it's fun on occassion to have some of our runners in my classes. This year, in my AP (Advanced Placement) US History course, it seems the room is overrun with runners! While Dylan Gallagher is the lone Wolf in my first period class, period 4 has six runners enrolled and doing well. Sean, Derek, Jarod, Brad, Kelsi and Brandon are on pace and hitting their stride.

I love it especially because an AP class is alot like cross country: Only the strong survive. It's a challenging course, very fast paced, and with the National Exam awaiting them in May, there's a victorious finish line up ahead that draws the students on.

Today we got neck-deep in a theoretical workout on the ramifications of Abraham Lincoln's "redefinition of the word freedom" during the Civil War. We first chewed on an 1864 racist illustration of Southern fears of emancipation, then followed that up with a Lincoln piece from 1863 that gave an explanation to his critics for why the Emancipation Proclamation was not only legal (some considered it illegal), but also both militarily and socially necessary. The lesson then finished with a disection of Lincoln's masterpiece, The Gettysburg Address. Thrown into the mix, just to see if the kids were paying attention, were connections to the colonial period and the Revolutionary War. Oh yea, Barack Obama wiggled his way into the topic as well. Whew!

It was a bit like mental intervals, with very short rest, and by the time we got to "a new birth of freedom" it was hammer time. I looked into the eyes of these young scholars as they were obviously tracking with the topic, hanging on the pace, and waiting for that exhausted moment when every runner -- scratch that -- every scholar knows they nailed it. What I saw this morning, I've seen many times in practice ... this is hard, but I'm gettin' it.

I know, that realization may not have happened neatly today or even this evening. But rest assuredly, just as it does with running, that point of success ... that great aah ha! moment ... will proclaim itself victorious when these young historians cross that finish line in May... that finish line otherwise known as the AP US History exam.

Keep on keepin' on, scholars!

The Beauty of the State Meet

Where Will Running Take You?

Look at that photo! As a self-confessed lover of bright lights and big cities and tall buildings, I must say, I'm jealous! That's Carissa Bowman on the left along with her Biola University cross country teammates at the top of the John Hancock building in Chicago. It was a fun, extra excursion the team took after competing at the NAIA Cross Country Nationals held just north of Chicago in Kenosha Wisconsin.

Marv Alvarez talks about how "running discovers us." It's true. Few kids get into cross country "to become a runner." Usually it's to get in shape for another sport, or to be with their friends. But for many, somewhere along the way, running discovers them. Carissa was no different. She came out five years ago to get in shape for soccer and discovered that she had talent in running. Surprise! Since then, she's traveled all over the country and the state to compete, has seen places and people she'd never have otherwise. What a treat! Running discovered her and has given her experiences unimaginable before.

And she's not alone. Our cross country program has been a lot of places over the years; Alabama, San Diego, Mammoth Lakes, Fresno, San Francisco to name a few. I remember driving into San Francisco with a group a number of years ago, and one of the boys in my car had never been there before. As soon as the famed city came into view, he said from the back seat, "Whoaaaa!" That young man would later use his running to land him acceptance at Houghton College in New York. Nestled near Niagara Falls, he lived for four years in a part of the country that he would never have otherwise, had it not been for running. Two other alums are running and competing in Virginia. Their talent, in part, got them there.

So where will running take you? Keep at it. Don't give up. You just might find yourself looking down on the bright lights of a big city you never thought imaginable. If you don't believe me, just ask Carissa.

Getting what you need, not what you want

I'm a big fan of Ryan Hall, America's top marathoner, and record holder of both the marathon and half marathon distances. Maybe it's because he's a local product, (Big Bear HS, class of '02), but mostly it's because he's got a great perspective on life and running.

Check out what I found online from his journal. You can read the unedited version here. It was posted just a few weeks ago, after he had some time to digest his Olympic "disappointment" -- he finished in 10th in the marathon, a race he and many others thought he could win.

I've highlighted some parts that really caught me. Here it is: (it's lengthy, but read it all!)

"As crazy as the summer and fall have been it has been exactly what the doctor ordered. After the Olympics I was fighting a bit of a post-Olympic letdown. I had invested so much into that one race and I wanted so badly to make everyone proud, to honor all that they had invested in me. I felt like August 24 was my moment to shine, and it was. Yet from day one of my training it was like I was butting my head against a wall.

The very first day back after taking a break from the London Marathon (last April) I ... had to hobble through a run as my patella tendons on both legs were badly inflamed. It was a problem that plagued me for my entire Olympic buildup and even in the race itself. .... I really poured myself into my workouts, yet they never improved to the level I had previously been able to get to.

Maybe this was precisely my problem—that I was trying too hard. There is something interesting about paradoxes in life. ...one must lose one’s life to gain it, there are paradoxes everywhere and running is no exception. From the moment I ran through the tunnel into the Olympic stadium I knew that the Olympics wasn’t everything I wanted but it was everything I needed.

I had dreamt of winning for so long but by losing I would develop a whole lot of character and my running career would have a lot different direction compared to if I had won. I could see it being somewhat difficult to stay motivated after accomplishing something as big as winning a gold medal. I am not sure but I would think there have been plenty of athletes whose careers took a turn for the worse after winning it all.

... This reality (that placing 10th was perhaps just what the doctor ordered) didn’t keep me from being disappointed at the time. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that if the Olympics had gone how I wanted them to it would have been bad for me in the long run and even in my day to day life. There is something very healthy about not having everything we want, ... a lot of joy can come from not getting everything we want.

Let me explain. After the Olympics what I needed to get "back on the horse" was not hard training or time at home thinking, what I needed was inspiration. I needed inspiration that I could hear, touch, and see. So on my birthday, October 14, I unwrapped a most timely present: a trip to Zambia to go and see for myself the faces that Sara and I had been working alongside Team World Vision to bring clean water to. I must admit that going to Zambia I had a lot of preconceived notions of what the people and the country would be like. I knew it was one of the poorest countries in the world so I expected to see a lot of heartache and devastation. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Describing my trip to Zambia can easily be summed up with two words: community and joy.

On weekends like the ING New York City Marathon I am reminded that we do have events that bring the nation and even whole world together, when everyone is united to conquer something bigger than they could do on their own, which is exactly what the people in Zambia do on a daily basis, only their giant is not 26.2 miles of pavement, rather it is shelter, food, disease, and most urgently, clean water. So in an effort to start combating the problem this year Sara (his wife) and I got involved with Team World Vision which tries to bring clean water to some villages in Zambia filled with people who desperately need it.

After our first run in Zambia I was convinced that the trip was already worth it. Children ran alongside of us laughing and smiling for miles and miles as we ran along the main road going through town. The people were contagiously joyful. I could not help but to have my spirits return from the post-Olympic letdown. I will never forget the looks in the kids’ faces. I see them now when I am doing abs or zoning in on a hard run and I feel their joy in my steps. It is important for me to know that I am not just running for me but there are people all over the world who are urging me on. I may be helping in some small way to bring them clean water but they are helping me to run with joy, purpose and passion.

The other image from Africa that is burned into my head is being on the starting line of a 15K road race that this small village put on for us as a way of showing their appreciation for all our efforts and seeing 150 pairs of feet ranging from barefoot, to flip-flops to knee-high plastic farming boots. I ran the entire race in 90 degree temperatures on black pavement straight up hill next to two guys: one that had a pair of flip flops on and the other was running barefoot. I realized then that I have no idea what it means to be tough. What was really cool was seeing the boreholes that had already been dug in the community along our running route. We were way out in the sticks yet kids could fill their buckets from the clean water from the boreholes whenever they needed. While I was there I learned that a community with clean water increases the life expectancy of its members from 34 to 56. The 12 years of extra life means that more children can grow up with their parents still around.

Water is so essential to us as elite runners that if we miss one of eight bottles along the course filled with just 8 oz of fluid it could mean the difference between victory and defeat, so it is neat to give something that is so essential for us to something that is so much more essential for them. I will never look at water the same way.

Africa opened up my eyes to a lot of things. Most of all it showed me what it looks like to not have everything you want but to have everything you need. They had each other and they had joy and that seemed to suffice for them even if all that was served was one meal of shima and beans and some clean water. I have been inspired to look at my own life and decide what things I really need and have realized that this is enough for me.

I remember when I was young not having some things that I really wanted but I always had everything I needed. It made me really appreciate the things I did have.

... I have to step back from my Olympic experience and think, sure I am disappointed to not have my best stuff on that day, but I should be overwhelmingly thankful that I was privileged enough to be there. Sometimes life’s events aren’t everything we dreamt of, but I think if we step back, maybe look at life through someone else’s eyes, we will probably realize that although the shattered dream wasn’t everything we hoped for, just maybe it was everything we needed."

More Photo Phun

Some fun images taken at CIF Prelims last Saturday...

What More Can a Coach Ask For?

It was truly a bittersweet day, Saturday was. I was so happy for the girls, proud of the challenges they overcame to not just qualify, but also to run so well as a team in the process. But my heart was saddened for our boys; I so wanted them to have the "reward" of CIF Finals.

I wanted that for them because they have made such a tremendous transformation in the last 12 months. This team of 2008, save a couple of graduated seniors last Spring, is the same group that finished 13th in '07 in their Prelim heat. I've coached long enough to have seen every conceivable reaction to poor results; everything from tears and heartbreak to smirks and nonchalance. Sometimes the kids go home with goals "to improve next year" only to see those goals evaporate by Christmas.

Such was not the case with this team. They got determined. They got motivated. And they got to work.

We've preached for years the value of off-season training and the absolute need to take track (viewed by many as their "second sport") seriously. It's all part of making a great cross country season. Well, for the first time really, a nucleus of guys starting taking such admonitions to heart.

They began in November of 2007 at Orange Terrace Park, running countless circuits in the dark and cold of winter. They ran a half-marathon in January. They came into track IN SHAPE (what a concept!) and had a great track season. I kept telling them back in March, "enjoy this now, but even better things are coming next Fall."

Well the "better things" wasn't a spot on the Finals line, though they came right up to the doorstep of it. Instead, the team will have to settle for the intrinsic reward of knowing they are sooooo much better than they used to be. As I looked at a bunch of disappointed faces in the twilight of last Saturday, I saw a group that walked out of Mt.SAC a year ago not even close to being "there." Understandably, "we almost made it this year" were hollow words. But in contrast to 2007, "we almost made it" is an incredible statement.

It's disappointing for sure to not yet be "there", but I take great comfort in knowing that this group did everything they could do -- for one full calendar year -- to be in a position to get to the Big Dance. Though they came up short, they are so far beyond where they once were.

And ultimately in life, that's all that really counts. We cannot control what our opponents do, we can only control what we do. And as much as it was in their power, this group of guys controlled their efforts, their miles, their races, their workouts, their team chemistry to make the moment possible.

What more can a coach ask for? Nothing. (But he can still wish for another week of racing!)

Halloween Run

Team Sparta makes their grand entrance:



The reaction as "Sparta" enters the stadium...









Jimi and the Jester


Beauties...


And the beast...


What will you do for a Milky Way bar?



Bzzzzz...

"Chemistry and Attitude"

Ever since my little girl was born 8 years ago this coming November 4, I've been trying to instill in her the reality that attitude trumps talent. I don't know what talents she has yet, she's still in the process of developing them, but in the course of her life, she's going to have to work at things that are NOT her speciality, and in those moments of challenge, she's going to have to realize that a positive attitude will see her through to success.

I thought of that a couple of days ago when I watched the Philadelphia Phillies Phinish their Phantastic, even fenomenal season. Even though they are not my boys -- my boys wear blue -- I still get a kick out of watching the celebration of winning teams. I get the dog pile. The champagne makes sense. The jubilation, jumping and jiving are fun to watch. After a long, grueling season, the moment of accomplishment must be almost impossible to contain. It erupts on the pitching mound. Mound Vesuvius flows with molten glee.

The Phillies are no doubt talented. But are they the most talented? One could argue that there were a lot of teams equally talented. So why did they win?

Maybe the best explanation would be Charlie Manuel's, the manager. When asked by a reporter what made the difference this season, why they were the champions, his answer was quick and short: Chemistry and Attitude.

He didn't talk of how good his players were. He talked of how they got along, made each other better, kept each other accountable and had a "winning attitude." There were several teams with better records than Philly, but in the end they stood on top because of team chemistry and great attitudes.

As a coach for 19 years now, I've come to realize that most of our kids come already preloaded with their attitudes. They're hardwired into them and there's not much I can do to radically alter their world view. (That's why I'm trying like the dickens to get my daughter to fashion a can-do attitude early.) I agree with Manuel, though, that when it comes to great teams, chemistry takes the cake. Throw the most talented athletes in the world together and it doesn't guarantee a winning record if they can't get along.

Our teams have enjoyed positive chemistry now for a few seasons, and our boys have it in spades this year. It's fun to watch. We're not the most naturally talented crew in the Section, though we have a fair dose of it. But we are running circles around other teams when it comes to the singular goal of "getting along."

What will that mean for us down the stretch? I'm not sure, but if the Pholks in Philly are any indication, there could be a dog pile going on. We'll see.

Made at Mt.SAC

Texas

They say big things come from Texas. Big trucks, big guns, big hats, big burritos (OK, that's Texmex, but I think you get my point). Well, we've got a bit of big Texas right here in our program. He goes by Brad Sheets.

I've called him Texas mainly because back when he started as a freshman, the now-Junior seemed to wear a University of Texas shirt every day. Being the big 'SC fan that I am, and being that Texas had beaten SC for the football National Championship that previous New Year's (actually their quarterback Vince Young beat 'SC, but that's a different post), the burnt-orange long horns that were printed across his chest every morning got my attention.

There was another thing that got my attention as well ... Brad liked to walk. He walked a lot. He walked sooner, rather than later. He was a very timid runner that first summer. I thought, "we've got work to do!"

Well, the work has been done, and Brad Sheets has gone from walker to runner, and now in his third season, he's well on his way toward showing what can be done when one's mind is made up.

Back in '06, it would normally take Brad 20 or 21 minutes to cover three miles. His Mt.SAC PR, normally a standard for the season, was 20:05. This season, he's been consistently in the mid-17:00's, and racing somewhere from 10-13 on our depth chart.



What hasn't changed about Brad is his Texas-sized attitude, smile and good cheer. When he got literally clotheslined playing hat-tag in Mammoth, ripping some good skin off his face, he just smiled, got up and kept playing. The raspberry near his left eye was more the cardinal of USC than the orange of Texas, but it soon became an opportunity for some self-deprecating humor that had everyone in stitches. Fortunately for him, stitches weren't necessary. The guy is class, all the way, even if he is a fan of the Texas Longhorns.

I've heard some speeches described as "longhorn speeches." A point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in between. That does NOT describe Brad, he's intelligent, athletic, funny, well-rounded and well respected. Not bad for a young man!

And he's also not alone. Brad's no "Lone Star" on the team, he's got a posse of runners around him, many of whom joined with him back in 2006 and make up a large part of what is today, King's best ever guys team.

For that improvement and good cheer, I have just one thing to say:

Yee hah!

Captured at Clovis

Ahh, the sweet nectar of morning!


What's the guy in the middle (with the C on his chest) thinking?? Dude, relax!

Monday Miscellany #4

I had a great conversation with Robyn Wroblewski this weekend. We had a full van of kids, but no one wanted to talk (has today's ipod generation lost the art of conversation? I wonder...), so I got to pick the mind of Robyn for a couple of hours. She's an amazing person, has a well-paying modeling job, yet "isn't interested in fashion." She's an avid horse-enthusiast, training and caring for Omega a Warmblood-Thoroughbred mix. I learned all about her two lives, the modeling world (I asked a lot of photography questions!) and the horse jumping/show world -- something I know just next to nothing about! I came away totally impressed by Robyn ... a quiet senior who's quietly doing the things she loves and is good at doing. Thanks Robyn!

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Some stats from Clovis -- King had six runners that finished in the top 30 of their individual class, two were the third fastest of their class!

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The weather in Clovis was absolutely stunning. I loved being cold again! Fall ... nothing beats Fall.
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Mrs. Becerra, Mrs. Bowman, Mrs. Werley, Mr. Schupp -- we're not in Clovis without you guys! Wow, thanks!!!
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Talking with Coach Peirce over dinner Friday night ... who are the top 5 presidents of all time? While we could agree to disagree on #1, (He goes with Washington, I go with Lincoln) he tried to sneak Jackson in at #3. Number three?? Are you kidding me? For the record, here's where I'm at: Lincoln, Washington, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Jefferson. For fun I try to get Polk promoted to "legendary status" after all, he did get California in the union, but it never seems to stick with folks. I'm trying to start a club called "Polk Folks". Any takers?

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I close with Kasey Tippets ... #3 all-time sophomore in KXC history. She may not want you to know that, she may not want to know that herself, but I'm here to tell ya' the girl can roll!

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Ok, maybe I'll close with Casey Candelaria ... #2 senior all time! Amazing!

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Big things ahead of KXC! Let's keep rolling!

Oxygen is for Wimps

Back in 2006 we welcomed one of the most exciting groups of freshmen we've had since the school opened. That group, now juniors, was large, enthusiastic, coachable and fairly talented. Though a few of them have quit under the pressure of work, the majority have survived and thrived and make up the nucleus of what is, in my mind, one of the best teams (guys and girls) that we've ever had. It's funny, even back then, when many of them were toiling at the frosh soph level, I just knew they were destined for great things if they would just persevere.

Here in 2008, I'm seeing what was once the future.

There are a ton of great stories emerging from this group. Many have found their talent, their knack. Some have become leaders. Others are hard working followers. They are enthusiastic about the team, about running in general, about their success. They are learning to set goals. I'll try and post occassionally here over the next month on some of those stories.

But for today, the story is Sean Lee. His nickname is Sean Lee, (you can ask him sometime what that means), but Sean's story is one that in many ways epitomizes the stories of so many of the guys in the class of '10, thereby making him as good as anyone to start with.

The brother of David, who was part of King's original team in 1999 and is now in law school at Santa Clara, Sean brings to our team an insatiable appetite for success. He's a worker beyond measure, in fact, he's trying to figure out how to take an "easy day" easy. Not an easy task for someone prone to find brick walls he can run through, or Everests to climb. If he could find a brick wall while climbing Everest, one would assume he'd found his own slice of heaven. In his backpack he carries the weight of self-imposed rigor. He drinks from the canteen of competition. His standard of success is so high it requires an oxygen tank, but like only Sean can do, he's attempting this summit on guts alone. Oxygen is for wimps.

The success he's achieved is obvious. Go back into the archives of 2006 and you'll find a runner straining to break 22:00; it wasn't until League Finals that season that he finally broke through, but still well above 20:00 for three miles

Last year his times dropped consistently in the 19:00's, with a PR of 18:12 on the fastest course we ran, Poly. Check out the first month of 2008, and you'll find him opening up at Seaside's speed course at 17:31, but more impressively was last weekend's grass and hill covered crusade at Central Park which netted him a 17:43 mark, a much faster effort than the PR in week one. His time at Mt. Carmel this year was 1:13 faster than it was a year ago. You get the picture. The Sean Lee of '09 is not the same Sean Lee of '06. This version, call it SL 3.0, makes the first release look like a dinosaur.

And Sean is not alone, for his work ethic has without doubt pulled many to keep climbing and climb more aggressively. Much of what he's done on this three-year trek has been a model that others have followed toward their own summits.

So take heart, those of you who read this while sitting in base camp. You are not what you will be if you choose to go the route of Sean Lee and many of this amazing class of 2010. Climb! Go! Head out onto the North Face of achievement. Discover for yourself, the lessons of Sean Lee, lessons found only in the rarified air of great improvement.

Monday Miscellany #3

How 'bout them Dodgers! Sweeeet!
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It was an interesting experience sitting there on the 91 freeway Saturday morning. I was thinking about all the hundreds of bus rides I've taken over the years, never have we had a breakdown. One feels so helpless in that situation. What can you do? It wasn't the driver's fault. Stuff like that happens and leaves you thinking, "well, I guess we wait it out." Hope it never happens again.
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Monique Carrasco again volunteered in her injured state to help with timing and record keeping at Central Park. She did a great job and I'm thankful for her willingness to help with a cheerful spirit.
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Clovis is this weekend! I love everything about the trip. The drive is very manageable, the meet is so well organized, the course is to die for, and the competition always brings the best out of us. I can hardly wait!
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Patience! We're doing a wonderful job of being patient in racing! Many of you are figuring out the early 1000 meters is not overly critical ... you gotta race, but you don't have to be winning at 1000 meters. Be patient, and the fast-starters will come back.
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Pictures in the Park

Rini, Rising

One of the true and pleasant surprises of this season has been the ascension of Nick Rini. An unheralded freshman one year ago, he toiled in the ranks of the Frosh/Soph team. Little about his racing shouted for attention. He has always been a pleasant and quiet kid, and those qualities typified his performance as well.

Out of the gate this season, he finished 16th of King's runners at the Seaside Invite, and again, it was a typical finish for the sophomore. It was about where one would have expected him to be. But something has changed in Nick of late and that something is producing remarkable results.

At the second meet of the year, Mt. Carmel, he ran like someone else, ultimately writing his PR on the course some two minutes faster than he had run it a year ago. He was the 9th man for King that day, knocking on the door of varsity. Still quiet and a bit in the shadows at practice, his presence was noticed in the morning runs ... first in the required AM workout a week ago, (where he truly rolled) and then this week in the optional AM runs, he was there! A week ago he was right at the front of the JV race in the inaugural Big 8 meet.

This Saturday he dons the varsity jersey for the first time ever. Watch out, Rini's rising!

Monday Miscellany

Alumni! How cool was it getting to watch a bunch of the 'old guys/gals' get their run on! Saturday's UCR invitational brought out Matt Cummins, Larissa Davis, Monika Valenzuela, Bekah Fairley and Carissa Bowman all running for their respective colleges. Very nice!
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So when is the weather going to change? I'm frankly done with the heat. Very done.
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With October happening officially on Wednesday, it's amazing to realize that with that month, we are officially into the final stretch of the season! October always flies by, and then it's November and Finals. Whew, where does the time go?
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It was almost a year ago now that we took what has become in my mind at least, the trip of a lifetime. It was mid-October that we headed off to Alabama for the Great American XC Festival and a look-see at the Martin Luther King/Civil Rights historic spots. What an amazing trip that was. Honestly, hardly a day goes by where I don't run a few of those memories through my mind and enjoy again what was really a very special experience.
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The next season of CBS's Amazing Race started last night. I would absolutely LOVE the chance to be on that show. I think Coach Peirce and I would make great partners, too!

Shared Sacrifice, Shared Glory

In the pre-dawn darkness this morning I was reminded again of an old truth; in shared sacrifice, there comes shared glory.

Nothing good comes in life without some kind of sacrifice. Want to make a million bucks? Better accept long hours at the office. Want a great marriage? Better learn to compromise. Want a nice car? Sign up for big monthly payments. You get the idea.

But here, today, in the dark, our team emerged from their beds to begin an early morning workout, before school. It was dark enough that the track needed illumination from a couple sets of headlights. Bed heads bobbed in the blackness, making their bodies move in unison, on pace with their goals.



By the time the sun rose, our spirits seemed to rise as well. As I watched and cheered, I realized that most if not all, were lifted on the winds of progress, and accomplishment, discovering that this sacrifice of sleep and tradition -- could and will bring great reward.

We are doing great things, of which the developing discipline is foremost. And it is that very chiseling of our character that will, when the time is right, bring great reward and glory, a destination of attainment that will be shared by all and made all the sweeter because we all made it happen in the twilight of sacrifice. And there, in the bright light of success we would do well to remember that in the darkness of morning you found the secret truth; great rewards are born in the sacrifices of many.

Well done, team!

Monday Miscellany #1

I had fun last night watching the end of the Yankee game of the last game to be played at Yankee stadium, ever. I'm not a Yankee fan, but I appreciate baseball history and East coast baseball seems far more rabid than the Left Coast version, so it was fun to be there at a distance. Now, Go Dodgers!!

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Monique Carrasco and Taylar Amiot were injured this past weekend, but did a great job helping out with the timing and record keeping. Great job girls!

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I'm excited about the BIG 8 meet on Wednesday. Something new! New teams, new format, tougher challenge than in the past, all good stuff.

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16:00! Yep, that's the amount of time our runners took OFF of their Mt. Carmel times from a year ago. Did we just stink last year, or are our guys just getting ALOT better. For the record, we didn't stink last year! But yea, 16 full minutes, all guys combined, faster than one year ago on the same course. Sweet! (the guuurls were 5:03 faster!)

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Fall is in the air! So, I know, it's like mid-80's, but it's downright chilly!! Today's the first day of Fall. I love this time of year!