12.11.07
effort is all
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words … well, this photo of Brent expresses what is essential about CAC’s first-ever National Club cross-country championship: effort.
Every single CAC athlete on the men’s and women’s team ran as hard as they could in West Chester, Ohio on December 8, 2007. What more could a coach ask for? We didn’t line up our fastest team of men … Marc is post-marathoning, Devin is RRO, and Tom was taking his law school exams … but we certainly took a team with the best of intentions to run their hearts out. The women ran to exhaustion as well, earning a happy van ride home (I told them 9 hours in a van is a looooooong time if you don’t race well).
My only regret is that I misjudged the caliber of the field, perhaps setting the team up for disappointment. Looking at results from the last 5 years of club Nationals, there was no way to predict 50 men’s teams and 32 total women’s teams. I had hoped for two top 10 finishes … and was initially disappointed with 17th (women) and 21st (men) … but, I must say now after having a few days to let the week-end sink in, I am truly pleased with this first-year team’s performances. I am already thinking about next year! It takes three years to get it right: one to gather information, another to practice implementing what you’ve learned, and a third to get it right. It took me years to get it right; when I was an “elite” athlete I can remember many a middle-of-the-pack race when I was straining to see what was happening up front.
That’s where CAC is right now … middle of the pack … straining to get up front.
AND training to make the jump. I see it in Brent’s face and I saw it in each and every one of the Club XC racers this past Saturday. I am proud and humbled to coach this group of high caliber men and women.
view results: http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USATFClubXCChampionships/schedule.asp
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brent said,
December 11, 2007 at 10:43 pm
well, i can certainly relate to that metaphor. i cast several glances up at the front on saturday only to have my body rebuke aspirations of gaining ground. i feel like it is right there, though. i want to break through, and though my definition may be arbitrary, i thought top 30 this past weekend would be a good start. alas, i didn’t have the race i would have liked, but i damn sure ran as hard as i could. the “pop” i had had in my last two races was stolen by time or the mud, perhaps. i have come to terms with not being as fast as i had hoped (the comp was much stiffer that years past, i suppose). that little orange guy (in the pic…btw is that WRRT dude not huge for a XC runner, dang!) kept surging past me and i kept passing him back-at least i was not going to lose that battle…i agree with joan, and i also think that it takes a little while to believe that we belong, and with that confidence, we will come into our own. i am starting to believe, and i hope that everyone else is too. tyler and i are already talking about next year and how we want to bring our next level “A” game…i can’t wait.
Marc said,
December 12, 2007 at 9:51 am
I have been eagerly reading these reports from Amsterdam and the Hague as I have follow the post race blog religiously. Thanks for these impressions and thoughts; I am proud to be running with you all!