I wanted a rewarding meet on a difficult course that we could run to win at, and the Desales LakeView Invitaional was just the thing!
    I knew the girls would have a good shot at defending last year's Invitational title, but taking the line I must admit those athletic gals from Collegiate had me concerned.  Once the race was underway, however, our girls placed themselves perfectly.  Jessie ran great, just a second or two off her PR on a course that is nearly a minute slow for most runners.  I knew she'd run well there; she seems to really like difficult courses (I told her she's kind of a sadist that way while we shared a run today).  Kayla, Dani, and Bree were not far behind--it's clear my constant reminders to run in contact ("like a chain") are bearing fruit.  But I was perhaps most thrilled with Emily's debut.  Her fifth place time on the team sealed the win for us, and makes me really excited to see what she has in store for us.  She's a huge pickup for us.  HUGE.  A tremendous competitor.  Watch her times drop as she continues to catch on to this XC thing.
    The boys captured the Invitational Runner-up spot, which might have been a surprise to some.  Not me.  Morgan showed some guts by taking the lead for a while, which was a fun experiment to watch.  I've really got to hand it to him for going for it when it felt right.  Like Jessie, Landon nearly PRed on the least PR-like course of the season.  The rest of the boys basically saddled Paden.  It's great to have him back.  When the dust cleared, we were the second place team, with a lot to celebrate.  But the coach in me had to remind them today how close we came to being the first place team.  I mean, every one of our boys had a Desales kid right in front of him at the finish.  I think if they'd have realized they were all sharing the same view--all looking at the backside of the same color jersey--we might have done something about it.  But live and learn.  It was a great lesson on an all-around great night.  
    Times keep dropping.  Gaps keep closing.  And this weekend brings a well-deserved break.  Enjoy it runners.  You deserve it.

    After what I would call a pretty challenging start to the 2012 season, yesterday's Central Hardin Invitational may have been the shot in the arm I've been waiting for.  
    While the boys finished 10th of 14 teams, it was a very comeptitive meet, with state-ranked #7 Meade Co (who is in the region we're still stuck in, oh joy) taking the crown over 8 or so schools that will be joining them at the Horse Park in their respective state championship races come November.  For our part, 13 of the 15 boys who ran yesterday PRed for the season.  Improvement feels good.  Two full boys' teams, 9 on the line for the JV race, and almost everyone running their best so far.  A great day.  Best of all, to see new guys like Derek and Grant ABSOLUTELY SMASHING thier previous best times.  A HUGE congrats to you guys!
    The girls finished an impressive 5th of 14, again against very competitive squads.  Notice was served that when we put our full varsity team on the line, we can run with almost anybody.  Region foe Butler just KILLED it, but among the 10 or so teams we beat were three from our region, including one that's bumped us from state spots for several years now.  The girls are starting to understand that a state meet could be in our future, a state meet coming out of a killer-hard region in a large-school class we no longer ought to be stuck in, IF we work hard, pull together, and keep improving.  Great to see Kayla back, and running her heart out like always, with Dani right on her heels.  Seeing good athletes work together to achieve great performances makes me love being a coach.  Great runs by Jessie, Breanne, and Shelby too!  Thanks girls!  (Now for those 6th and 7th spots...)  Great to see a full JV girls team on the line.  Big smile!  8 or 10 of our girls PRed, and the 4 JV runners who did did so by some of the biggest margins of the day.  AWESOME JOB!
    ATTENTION NCHS RUNNERS: I know we've been working hard.  I know you walk into the trackhouse, look in the bulletin board for the day's workout, and sigh or moan or wish you could leave.  But the results we've been working for are starting to roll in.  Trust me.  Stick to it.  Keep it up.  Sure, for me...sure, for you...sure, for the team...but most of all, for the team we CAN BECOME.
    Looking forward to another great week.
    

Whew!

    A HUGE thanks to all the loyal NCXC boosters who came out to help host the inaugural running of our Ndurance Labor Day 5K.   Congrats to all who finished the race.  If you haven't yet, check out all the results on the "Labor Day 5K" page.
     Great job by Coach Jessica Sparrow and all the ladies in the concession stand for getting both the team and individual results out so quickly.  Great job by Tom Vernon and the course crew for not getting anybody killed.  Great job by the timers and chute workers too!
    If you worked the event and didn't pick up a shirt, stop by the trackhouse office this week and get one.  THANKS AGAIN EVERYBODY!