THIS IS WHAT MID-SEASON SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: 

GREAT AMERICAN CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL!

Some of our XC Warriors traveled down to Cary, NC to compete in the Great American Cross Country Festival this past weekend. This is our one overnight trip, and WAHS XC represented very well at this huge, prestigious meet! We had girls in three races over the course of the morning, and there were many notable performances in all of them. Out of the 15 girls competing, 9 had overall PRs and another 4 had Season Best times. Of the two that didn't quite get a season best , one was only 2 sec. off and the other was 16 seconds off from her time on the super-fast Knight's Crossing Course. I could not be happier with the way the team ran yesterday, and it bodes very well for our chances of placing post-season. Read below for a recap of some of the trip highlights!

Friday = Fun Day!

We boarded a school bus during Warrior Period and started the long ride down to NC. On the way, we stopped at a park for a picnic lunch and a chance to stretch our legs. It was a gorgeous day and a few of the girls played around on the playground before we boarded the bus again to head to the race course.  

We drove straight to the Wake Med Soccer Facility to preview the course. It was VERY BUSY! There were tons of teams running the course, buying shirts, and getting ready to race. We did a solid Pre-Race: we ran the first 1.3 miles of the course for our warm-up, which let the girls experience the fast first 600 meter start and the nice, flat wooded area that finishes out the first mile. We also ran up "THE HILL" during our warm-up, and realized that YES, it is long, but that we had practiced running up a steeper hill on Wednesday and that they were mentally and physically ready to tackle this hill. After the warm-up the girls did drills and strides before we jogged the second mile of the course, which is primarily downhill with  two small uphills. The trick about the second mile is that is is far away from all of the spectators, so it is where you have to stay focused without any external "help", or reminders. 

After Pre-Race, the girls bought race shirts and then boarded the bus to go to the hotel. We had about 10 minutes total in our rooms before we had to scurry off to dinner.  The Italian restaurant (Paolo's on 54) was very good and dealt with all of our separate checks nicely, even though I'm sure it was stressful for our waitress. The girls carbo-loaded on pasta and garlic bread, and Elea Kate got a tiramisu to go! Yum!

After dinner we went to a nearby Target to run wild for a little while, and Emerson showed up! She had to stay in school Friday (AP Physics is a BEAST!), but she made it down for the post-dinner fun. 

After Target we went back to the hotel, quickly went over logistics for Race Day, and (as far as I know!), went to our rooms. The BIG DAY was fast approaching...

Saturday dawned clear and cool, and the JV girls were up and out of the hotel by 6:30am! That was an early morning, and although the girls were tired and not quite awake, they were all ready to roll once we got to the race site.  

We found a place to set up our tarp and the girls put on race numbers and chips, and got ready to warm-up.  It was obvious that they were very nervous, and for good reason: this was by far the biggest race any of them had ever run in AND they were the first race of the day. The girls were quiet and reserved as they set off for their warm-up, but when the gun went off, they were all confidence! 

EVERY SINGLE WAHS GIRL IN THE JV RACE RAN THEIR FASTEST TIME EVER ON SATURDAY!  They ran smart but aggressive races, and really showcased all of their hard word. It is fun to watch young runners drop lots of time as they start racing, and these girls were no exception.

Cole ran a truly spectacular race! She finished 3rd out of 407 runners in the huge JV race, and ended up with a big PR time of 20:05, a 23 second improvement from last week! She is a joy to watch race as she lays it all out there.  Her time would have placed her as our #4 runner in varsity.

Hannah ran a big PR as well, finishing in 26th place with a great time of 21:28, which is almost a minute faster than her former best time! She ran strong from the beginning, and didn't let her super-fast first mile intimidate her. Her time would have put her as the 5th runner on the varsity team. 

Ruby ran a smart race, staying strong through the very end, and running a PR time of 22:15. This is a 31 second improvement! She was followed closely by Chelsea who ran her fastest time of 22:22 (which is good luck as we were in starting box 22!). She and Ruby ran together much of the race, and helped each other out. 

Olivia came in next for our JV team, running an excellent PR time of 23:23 despite having very limited running since Jarman's Gap due to achilles pain.  

Both Sarah and Paige  had a very strong races, and both broke 25 for the first time. Sarah ran great, finishing with her fastest time of 24:25, and Paige smiled the whole time, finishing in a PR time of  24:40.

 JV got it DONE at Great American: they finished 8th out of  38 teams! Way to go!

Varsity Girls Run Strong at Great American

Our 7 varsity runners ran quite well in the Girls Blue Varsity Race this Saturday at Great American. The team was led by Zoey, who ran a Season Best time of 19:47--this time is just 9 seconds off her PR time from the flat VA Showcase course last year! She was followed just 3 seconds back by Maddie, who ran a fantastic PR time of 19:50--this is a 19 second improvement over her 2024 Showcase time.  Maddie's race was a breakthrough in more than one way: she had been in a little bit of a mid-season slump (which is very normal), and had to do some mental work to get out of it. She proved that she is more than capable of running with Zoey, and this is what the team will need moving into second half of our season. Elea Kate ran incredibly well, continuing to drop time. She ran a PR time of 20:56, an 18 second improvement! Daisy ran a solid Season Best time 21:49. This is an excellent time for this point in the season, as it is only 7 seconds off her 2024 Showcase time. She was followed by Lily in 22:11, just 16 seconds off of her PR from Knight's Crossing. Lily is putting in the work at practice and showing her strength! Our mightly seniors, Anja and Abbie, rounded out our varsity squad. Anja ran a very strong time of 22:23, just 2 seconds off of her Season Best time. Abbie had a great race, running a Season Best time of 22:38! 

The varsity girls finished 22nd out of 52 teams in temperatures about 15 degrees warmer than the JV had, and that is without their fastest runner, Emerson. Emerson ran in the Race of Champions so that she would have excellent competition (which was a wonderful opportunity and the best way she can ultimately help the team!) To put things in perspective: the time she ran in the ROC would have placed her 3rd overall in the Blue Race, and that would have pushed the team up to 10th or 11th place. This bodes well for the team as a whole. 

Emerson Rocks the Race of Champions!

Senior Emerson showed her true grit in the Race of Champions at Great American on Saturday as the temperature rose! She went into the race with a PR of 18:30 from the 2024 Showcase, and came very close to breaking that. She finished in 18:33, her second fastest time ever, and 66th place out of 362 finishers. Emerson is tough on herself and sets high standards, and she really wanted to run a PR yesterday. Nonetheless, this is an excellent time at this point in the season, and she did it without the knowledge that her teammates were running right behind her as they usually are. Emerson is poised to do exciting things as we move forward!

Looking AHEAD: DEPTH and DEDICATION...

It is hard to believe it, but we are a month away from the State Meet! To make it to the State Meet, we have to finish in the top 3 teams in both the Jefferson District and Region 3C Meets. Before those meets, we have the Albemarle Invitational, the Ragged Mountain Cup, and the Virginia Showcase. Right now, there are MANY girls that are vying to be able to race varsity in the big meets. At this point, any girl (except 8th graders) that has run at least in the 22s has a chance to be varsity in those races: a lot will depend on factors such as recent race performance, attendance / punctuality to practice, sportsmanship / being a good teammate, finishing all long runs and workouts, and work ethic in the weight room / abs.  I may experiment with putting different varsity groups together to see who steps up, etc. Always know there is a reason for every decision as to who runs what race in each meet, and it is not always solely based, at this point in the season, on the fastest times. 

Below are the season best times so far as of this weekend (girls that have run in the 22s or better). I'm putting them up so that everyone can see where they are and what they need to do. At this point in the season, if you aren't already,  it is time to start pushing it in every aspect of cross country. Run with a group that you perceive as "above" you. Don't enter into workouts with the attitude that it is something to endure, but instead as an opportunity to improve and get stronger. 

At the end of the day, when we get to the post regular season meets, only 7 runners + 2-3 alternates will keep training / competing. To be successful at these meets, everyone will need to try to move to the next "minute group", or get as close as possible. For instance, all of the girls in the 21s (Hannah, Daisy, Louise, Lily) should be aiming to get into the 20s, etc. 

18s:

1. Emerson 18:33

-------

19s

2. Zoey 19:47

3. Maddie 19:50

-------

20s

4. Cole 20:05 (can't compete on varsity)

5. Elea Kate 20:56

-----

21s

6. Hannah 21:28

7. Daisy 21:49

8. Louise 21:49 (did not race Great American)

9. Lily 21:57

-----

22s

10. Juliet 22:10 (did not race Great American)

11. Ruby 22:15

12. Anja 22:21

13. Chelsea 22:23

14. Abbie 22:38

If you aren't in this group, don't despair! Some of you are improving so fast, there is still time to make it there. I have faith in all of you, and am so impressed by what you have accomplished already this season. Let's keep it rolling!

FLUVANNA, JARMAN'S,  AND VTCA RECAPS!

FLUVANNA QUAD: SOME SURPRISE PRs

Many of our top girls were pacing some of the newer runners at the mid-week Fluvanna meet, which helped them learn to pace and led to some PRs. Elea Kate, Cole and Louise all had huge PRs, dropping down into the 21s for the first time. Elea Kate ran 21:14, followed closely by Cole in 21:16, and Louise in 21:49. Olivia ran another great PR, finishing in 23:50, and Sophia continues to have a great season, running a PR time of 24:20. Sarah M also ran a PR (25:16). 

Several of our newer runners ran the 2 mile option again, and we had some big improvements there as well. Grace ran a speedy 16:50, and Violet (17:55), Noelle (17:20), and Ghiana (17:34) all PRed at that distance. Great work!

JARMAN'S GAP ATTACK 2025

Last Saturday the girls RAN UP A MOUNTAIN! The Jarman's Gap Attack is always a big challenge and a rite of passage on WAHS XC. This year we changed it up a bit: instead of adding mileage on the Skyline Drive after the ascent as we have always done, the girls added mileage before the event in the relatively flat (and safer) Greenwood area. This also allowed us to eliminate the INSANE COACH / PARENT high-speed drive up to the Skyline Drive, through the entry gate, several miles to the Jarman's Gap Parking Area, and a 1/2 mile sprint up the mountain to the top to try to beat the girls (last year I may have hit 85 on the Skyline Drive and  Daisy STILL almost beat us to the top!). Finally, by changing things up it allowed me to drop some of the newer girls 1/2 way up the mountain so they too had the thrill of running up the mountain instead of doing an out-and-back like previous years. Yay for positive change: THANK YOU COACH MARGARET! :)

This was by far our biggest group of girls to run up Jarman's Gap (20 girls!). Here are some highlights: 

--This year the Queen of the Mountain (fastest time up) was Zoey Downer with a speedy time of 31:28! 

--Top 10 finishers after Zoey: Emerson (33:12), Cole (35:39), Elea Kate (38:25), Ruby (38:33), Hadley (39:25), Sophia (39:46), Louise (39:53), Daisy (40:15), and Lily (40:40)

--I always stagger start the girls to try to have them finish somewhat close together. Every year there is someone that completely messes up my stagger by running too fast! This year it was two girls: Grace S far exceeded my expectations on the 1/2 Mountain Run--she never got caught and was the first one to cross the finish line! The other girl to really wreck my stagger was Sophia. She blew Jarman's Gap out of the water by NEVER GETTING CAUGHT by any of the girls starting behind her and running a super-fast time of 39:46. She has been running really well in practice and it is starting to show in her racing. 

--Two girls that ran it last year (we had a very small crew run it last year--only 8) had great improvement this year. Daisy dropped 1 min. 15 seconds off of her time from last year, and Finleigh dropped a whopping 2 min. 36 seconds! 

--Before the run, the girls predicted how long it would take them to run up the mountain. This year, our closest predictions went to Daisy in the 3 mile run (only 30 seconds off) and Alex in he 1.5 mile run (only 4 seconds off)!

This was a really great Jarman's Gap Attack--thank you to all the parents that helped shuttled the girls back down the mountain, help time, and cheer on the girls. 

Two Solid Day of Practice This Week

After a week with 3 hard efforts, the girls were due for a distance day at Couch on Monday. As they may have told you, parents, distance days at Couch come in various "flavors". Sometimes they are distance workouts, sometimes just straight distance, sometimes pace work, and sometimes "recovery" distance.  On Monday it was "straight distance" but, to ensure that the girls were running the correct pace, they were put into groups and given a fairly broad pace range to hit in their run.  As I told them afterwards, this past Monday was one of our better group runs at Couch. Everyone ran their assigned paces, the stretch/ water break at my car was quick (if they even stopped, which several didn't), and everyone just did what they needed to do with little to no drama. 

On Wednesday we traveled to Mint Spring's Farm for our first real speed workout of the season. The girls ran 1000 repeats on a somewhat hilly grass course, using the new Party Barn as our headquarters. Before the workout, we talked about how these types of workouts develop not only physical but also mental strength and stamina. I read them some quotes from a university XC coach about what truly defines strength (see below).  All of the girls nailed this workout--perhaps they weren't always able to hit the super-fast times, they all completed the workout well by starting their next interval within the time given.  Great job!

Yesterday the girls race at Panorama, one of the best XC courses in the country, on what turned out to be a drizzly but decent racing day. We ran in three races: the Varsity A, the Varsity B, and the JV Race.  For all of the girls running the goal was to truly race, meaning race for place, not time. This is a good way to practice for our important meets later in the season when it is all about getting a certain place to be able to move on to the next level of competition. 

The Varsity A team of Emerson, Zoey, Maddie, Elea Kate, Juliet, Daisy, Lily and Louise finished 5th out of 14 teams.  Emerson ran a really smart race, finishing in 6th place with a time of 19:14.  She showed her true competitive Warrior Spirit in the last 400 meters as she blew by the #1 Spotswood girl going up the final hill. The last time Emerson ran this course at Panorama was at the AHS Invitational last year, where is ran a 19:35. Great work, Emerson! 

Zoey came in second for our varsity team, running a very good time of 20:26, a 27 second improvement over her time at VTCA last year! She was followed by Maddie, who finished in 21:37, an improvement of 4 seconds from her time last year at this meet. Elea Kate ran a strong race, finishing in 22 flat, and Juliet ran a very good time of 22:10, an 11 second improvement over her time in this race last year.  

The trio of Daisy, Lily, and Louise worked together for much of the race. Daisy  finished with a solid time of 22:48, a 31 second improvement over last year. Lily was right behind her in 22:51, and Louise ran 23:04.  Good job!

Our Varsity B team of Hannah, Ruby, Finleigh, Chelsea, Sophia, Paige and Miriam came in 3rd overall and had some very impressive races! Hannah ran a simply fantastic race, posting a PR time of 22:23 and 6th place. This time would have placed her 6th on our varsity A team. Ruby  also ran a big PR, finishing in 22:46 and 12th place. This time would have placed her 7th on our varsity team, and is an improvement of 1:34 from last year. Amazing work!

Finleigh ran one of the best races of the day. She finished in 24:18, just 4 seconds off of her PR time at the flat Knight's Crossing. She took it perhaps a bit too easy in the middle of the race, but really came on in the last mile and is poised to break 24 for sure very soon. She improved 1:17 from last year's time. She was followed quickly by both Chelsea (24:26) and Sophia (24:55).  Paige finished in 25:23, a huge 5:54 improvement! Miriam ran strong the whole race, finishing in 27:47. 

The JV team of Cole, Grace, Noelle, Ghiana, Violet, and Alex did amazing at VTCA!  Almost all of them ran PRs or very close to their fastest time. 

8th grader Cole won the event with an incredible PR time of 20:28! This time would have placed her 3rd on our Varsity A team! Cole had to fight with girls from both Louisa and Fluvanna the whole time, but she stayed strong and lost them in the last 600. Excellent race! 

Grace ran a wonderful race, running a PR time of 26:46 and placing 9th overall. She was followed by Noelle in 10th place with a PR time of 27:29.  Ghiana ran a great PR time of 27: 37, and Violet also PRed with a time of 29:38. Alex ran a very strong race, finishing in 29:56. Excellent work, JV girls! 

See below for more photos from the meet!

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN THE FUN STARTS @ RVA

Last Saturday the team participated in perhaps the most fun and exciting meet of the entire season: the RVA Relays down at Pole Green Park outside of Richmond. The meet starts out with the B and C Relays, then the Open Race followed quickly by the Middle School Race, and ends with the marquee race: the A Relay Race under the lights once the sun goes down! 

This is the 9th year we have competed in this event, and each year it seems to get better! The girls spend a lot of time before their race putting on glitter, glow in the dark tattoes, light-up scrunchies, funny ears/ glasses, glow in the dark face paint, and light up hair! 

The night started off with our B and C Relays racing at the same time at 5:30. Our B team moved up steadily throughout the race, finishing in 16th place out of 75 teams. Our C relay team was the 4th of all of the C Relay teams to finish, earning them a medal and showcasing our depth! There were some notable performances in these two relays. In the B Relay, both Daisy and Lily had very good races. Daisy dropped quite a bit of time from her 2024 race, finishing in a solid 10:18. Lily was running this event for the first time and came very close to breaking 10, finishing in 10:01.  Veteran runner Abbie led off the racing, finishing strong in 10:19. Hadley, just coming off a bad bout of illness, finished in 11:01 and Ruby stayed strong, finishing in 10:40. In the C race, new-to-XC runner Louise popped a great time of 10:07, and newbies Chelsea (10:37) and Olivia (10:48) ran fantastic! Finleigh ran 11:20, and lead off leg senior Anja ran a strong time of 10:38. Great job, ladies!

The Open Race and Middle School races took off within 10 minute of each other as dusk was starting to fall. In the Open Race, Paige Lane was the first Warrior to finish, running a great time of 11:02. Paige was by far the most improved from 2024 to this year, dropping nearly a minute off of her previous time! Sophia was not far behind, finishing in 11:16. Grace S had a fantastic race, finishing in 11:33! Noelle ran a strong 12:19, which is under 8 min/ mile pace. Miriam was close behind her in 12:25, followed by Ghiana (12:39) and Peyton (12:42).  Violet finish in 12:50, and Dorothy, who has just started back training with us, in 13:36. Nice work!

Our two middles schoolers also ran excellent races! Cole finished 6th out of 101 runners with a speedy time of 9:37, a time which would have placed her solidly on our A Relay team.  Sarah finished in 26th place with a time of 10:38, again a time worthy of B / C Relays. These two young runners aren't afraid of a challenge and always bring their A game! Keep it up!

At 9:50, when it is truly pitch black out, the most exciting race of the night starts: the Girls Championship Relay.  Our A Relay team finished  14th out of 63 teams, two spots higher than last year.  We were the second 3A school to finish, behind our friendly rival, Spotswood. Zoey was our lead off leg, running an excellent time of 9:16, dropping time from last year.  Senior Juliet ran a strong time of 10:08, and the freshmen dynamic duo of Maddie and Elea Kate blazed with times of 9:34 and 9:42. Anchor leg Emerson ran a great PR time of 8:42, taking 8 seconds off of her already fast time from last year.  Her time placed her 7th overall out of 315 girls! I have never seen a more focused yet happy team.  Way to get it done, girls!

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE XC COURSE?

On Wednesday the girls ran in their first mid-week quad meet at Darden Towe Park. The WAHS girls won the meet despite the fact that the majority of the team was using this race more as a workout.  Before the race, some of the girls made friends with an unlikely visitor: a CHICKEN that got separated from her little group. I think if given the opportunity, Hannah and Chelsea would have competed to see who could take her home...

There were some notable performances from WAHS girls at the Darden Meet on Wednesday.  First, Sophia Cook had a very good run, taking a lot of time off her Saturday race. Most girls doing the workout (top 15 or so) ran about 2-2:30 minutes slower than their race time at Knight's Crossing (which is to be expected). A few girls, however, were much closer to their race time from Saturday.  Elea Kate, for example, was just 5 seconds off her Saturday time, and Olivia 29 seconds.  Juliet ran very well too, and was less than a minute slower, while Daisy, Louise, and Hannah were just over a minute slower.  

Several of our girls ran the 2 mile option on Wednesday. Noelle, Peyton and Miriam had great races, finishing in the low 18s.  Alex ran great too, finishing just 1 second off her Tempo Run time, finishing in 18:51. Grace R. also had a very good time of 20:16, which is a huge improvement in pace from her Saturday race. 

Great job on a hot day in the middle of a busy week!

GETTING INTO THE SWING OF XC: WEEKS 2 and 3!

The past 2 weeks have been incredibly busy for our Cross Country team. The girls did the annual Two Mile Time Trial, volunteered at the Women's 4 Miler, and participated in their first meet of the season. Hope you enjoy this quick recap of all things XC!

Last Wednesday the girls ran their first timed, hard effort of the season by doing the 2 Mile Time Trial at Henley. After warming-up, they took off on a flat course that combines the gravel track and adjacent soccer field. The conditions were pretty good, and the girls performed very well, with the vast majority running much faster than they did last year on the same course. This time trial is a fairly good indicator of where the girls are going into the season. Great job, ladies!

Volunteering at the Women's 4 Miler

Every year the local high school cross country teams give back to the running community by volunteering at the Women's 4 Miler. Our job is to block driveways west of the starting line. However, that is not all we do! Our team, being the wonderful, energetic group that it is, BRINGS THE FUN to this already incredible event. The girls do a PINK-OUT, wearing as much pink as they can to support breast cancer awareness and research. They all bring music, dance, and CHEER the entire time. I am always told that our girls are the most enthusiastic and supportive cheerers along the whole course! 

We also had some members of our team and families participate! Several team-moms ran or walked the race (I only got photos of a few). Also, 8th grader Cole Arbour raced it, finishing 1st for her age group and running near the front of the 1, 700 runners! Way to represent, Cole! 

OUR FIRST MEET: KNIGHT'S CROSSING!

Yesterday we started off our racing season early with a trip down to the Knight's Crossing Invitational in Salem, Virginia. We chose to go to this meet as it is the site of the State Meet in November, so it is a good way to preview the course and knock some rust off our our racing legs. Also, it is a flat course, so it is a more gentle introduction to racing for some of our newer runners on the team. 

I was very impressed with how the team performed on what turned out to be a somewhat hot day at times. The first race of the season is always a bit stressful, and the girls handled it well. See below for some highlights and fun photos.

Both 8th Graders in the top 35 out of 391 Finishers!

Our 8th graders proved their strength, determination, and GRIT yesterday at the Knight's Crossing 4k. Cole ran a blazing 6:53 pace to finish in 17:01, fighting off a final stretch challenge to finish in 5th place. Sarah ran strong and was near the front of the huge field from the start. She finished in 33rd place with a great time of 18:50. Her pace of 7:35 is one second faster  than her 2 mile time trial from the previous week. Way to go, speedy 8th graders!

Varsity 6th out of 39 teams!

Our "Red Race" (AKA Varsity) placed 6th out of a large field of 39 teams, right behind "friendly rival" Spotswood.  The conditions for the varsity race ended up being the worst of the day as the sun was fully out. The girls powered through it. The first race is a learning, or re-learning, experience in a lot of ways. Your body and mind have to relearn what racing feels like (that it is going to be hard, hurt much worse than practice, and make you think you can't do it).  All of the varsity finishers ran faster yesterday than they did in their first race last year, which bodes well for our prospects as a team this season. And remember, if this first race wasn't what you hoped for, it is still very early in the season. We have a lot of training and racing to come. You want to run your fastest in Novevmber, not barely into September. 

Very Strong Front Runner:

Emerson Ritter ran a great season-starting time of 18:48, finishing 5th out of 320 finishers! She got out fast (it looked for a little while like she was trying to get herself a new motorcycle...) and then ended up running a large portion of the race in what we call "no-man's land", meaning that she was completely alone between groups. She held on, though, and ran a solid time for this early race. Emerson continues to be a leader on and off the race course, and is one of our two co-captains. 

2 and 3 Got it Done:

Zoey Downer finished 27th with a great time of 20:06. The only time she has run faster than that was at the VA Showcase last year mid-season, in much cooler temperatures. This is exciting as it shows that Zoey will really drop time over the season.

Maddie Fritts finished in 38th place with a time of 20:26. Like Zoey, Maddie has only run faster last year at the VA Showcase, and yesterday's time was only 17 seconds slower! 

4-8 Run Strong Times!:

A cross country team is only as good as it's 5-7th runners, and luckily for us, we have huge depth this year. Even though Cam struggled yesterday and unfortunately wasn't able to finish the meet, and Hadley was out sick,  we had many strong runners in the 4-8 positions. 

Lily Z ran her first 5k for WAHS and to say she nailed it would be a huge understatement! She ran a SMART race, did not go out too fast, and moved up steadily throughout the last mile. She finished 4th for our team with an incredible debut time of 21:54. Lily put in the work this summer--she did every single run, even on vacation. She is living proof  that your XC season is made in the summer. Keep it up, Lily!

Daisy finished in the all-important 5th (and last scoring spot) for our varsity team with a solid time of  22:11.  Again, like both Zoey and Maddie, Daisy has only run faster than that last year at the VA Showcase. Daisy is another girl that did the work over the summer and always has a positive attitude. We can expect exciting things from her this season.

Elea Kate had a solid first 5k for WAHS, finishing in 22:58! Elea Kate ran the 4th fastest 2 mile Time Trial last week and has had many very good interval workouts. I am excited to see what she can do in the 5k a little later on in the season once she's had some more racing experience and long tempos under her belt. She is a fantastic, young addition to our varsity team!

Abbie had a very good first XC race as well, running nearly a minute and a half faster than her first race last year.  She finished with a strong season-opening time of  23:23. Abbie has a solid distance base right now as she put in the miles this summer, and has had some excellent distance runs lately.  I'm excited to see what she can accomplish this season once we get some more speed training under our belts in a few weeks. Abbie is leaning into her role as a team leader as well, and is one of our co-captains. 

Juliet also ran well for this time of year, finishing in 23:49.  She went out perhaps a bit fast for where she is now, and wasn't quite ready to maintain that pace. However, the fact that she ran a speedy 13:52  2 mile time trial last week (6th fastest on the team), which was 34 seconds faster than last year, bodes well for where Juliet is right now. She doesn't quite have the base to maintain that pace over a 5k yet, but she will when it counts! 

And getting back to Cam and Hadley: Despite their recent setbacks, these two young ladies are poised to do really big things this season. Cam ran the 5th fastest time trial last week, and Hadley ran the same time as Daisy (who finished 5th for our varsity team this week). There is still plenty of time in the season for these two Warriors to regroup and have great races! Keep your heads up!

JV Finishes 4th out of 17 teams!

Not only that, our JV team was the top 3A school, again showcasing our depth.  Also, we had 3 girls finish in the top 25 and earn medals! These girls raced hard in the mid-afternoon heat and did very well. I could not be more proud of them, and am excited to see what they can do as the season progresses.

The team was led by Hannah, who ran an incredibly smart first XC race! She finished in 18th place with a time of  23:13. This time would have placed her solidly in our varsity pack. Hannah moved up steadily throughout the race, staying focused the whole time. It is pretty clear to see that the sky is the limit for Hannah!

Ruby C ran a great race, finishing in 23:32 in 21st place. She went out a bit too fast, but pushed through the pain to finish strong. Ruby was injured the second half of last XC season, so we really didn't get to see what she could do. Her time yesterday was only 8 seconds off her PR from last year, so we know she is going to run much faster this year! 

Also in the top 25 was 23rd place finisher Chelsea Larson, with a time of 23:43! Chelsea has a lot of talent and has just recently started serious training. I'm excited for what she can accomplish this season!

Running 4th for the team was Finleigh, with a PR time of 24:14. Finleigh is one of JUST TWO girls that ran PRs yesterday! She has been working hard and it is already paying off.  She is also a budding team leader (even if she doesn't know it yet): she taught the girls the complicated Dogface Cheer yesterday,  and often leads drills (sometimes that is out of impatience to just get them started, but it still works!). Keep it up, Finleigh!

The 5th and 6th runners came in side-by-side and have the same finish time of 24:19. Anja and Louise worked together the whole race, pushing each other. Louise is brand new to XC--I've been trying for years to get her to come out. It finally worked! Both Louise and Anja also are on the mountain bike team, which is a great compliment to running! Both of these girls are working hard.

Now let's talk about Paige...Paige was uncharacteristically flailing about a bit right before the race. First, she realized she had forgotten her spikes when we went down to the line. Then she realized she had only put the spikes in one of her shoes. Then she realized she had forgotten the band to hold her glasses on! To top it all off, she ran the majority of the race with one shoe untied. Any other girl would have been so flustered that she would have run a bad race: BUT NOT PAIGE! She is the second of the two runners that ran a PR yesterday! She ran a speedy time of 25:05, and is poised to drop lots of time over the course of the season. Way to go, Paige!

Olivia: Olivia came in right behind Paige with a great debut race time of 25:11.  Olivia has high goals for herself this season, and has an incredible work ethic. She never cuts corners in her training, and it will pay off in the improvement she will see down the line.

First time racers Grace S (27:10), Ghiana (29:51), and Violet (30:30) stayed strong and steady the whole race. These young runners are great additions to the team and are working so hard. Good job!

I could not be more proud of Alex H! She ran her first 5k yesterday, and had a solid time of 29:23. She has come so far in the year that she has been running--last year she wasn't ready to run the 5k distance, but she never let up, worked hard all year, and is now ready to not only run it, but start working to drop her time. She is living proof of the power of persistence and never giving up!

Not every race will be your best. Sophia and Grace R struggled yesterday, but pushed through and finished the race. Even when a race doesn't go your way, keep working and know that good races are coming! 

FIRST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL + PRACTICE!

The girls made it through their first full week of school and full XC pratice schedule this past week! It was nice to establish the routine that we will follow most non-meet weeks: one distance day, one interval / hills, etc. day, and one tempo / threshold day, and of course our all-important recovery / flexibility / strength day.  Below are a few highlights from this past week.

On Tuesday we started back up the much-loved TUESDAY TREAT DAY routine! This week featured giant cookies in 3 different flavors (chocolate chocolate chip, salted caramel chocolate chip, and S'mores).  I didn't have time to actually bake this week, so these were store bought. Hopefully this week I can bring something homemade!

Also on Tuesday some of the newer girls had a quick presentation on "Why we do what we do when we do it" in which I try to explain the different types of workouts we do in a training cycle and the reasons behind them. Parents, if you are interested, the slide deck is below. Soon we will have another meeting with the whole team to set goals. 

On Thursday we all gathered again after practice to hear our team captains, Abbie and Emerson, present on Team Traditions. They talked about our very unique team cheer (ask your daughter if she remembers it!), Secret Buddies, our annual Scavenger Hunt, Halloweeen Relays, temporary tatooes / glitter, etc. It was a nice way to show that even though we have a tough practice schedule, early morning workouts, and a hectic meet schedule, we also have a lot of fun together!

WHAT A BUSY FIRST WEEK OF CROSS COUNTRY!

I was trying to think of all of the things that our XC Girls had to deal with this week, and this was the short list:

• Getting back from XC Camp on Monday (12 girls)

• Starting back at school Wednesday (EVERYONE!)

• Lightening on Day 1 of practice causing lots of confusion, waiting, soaked 8th Graders, and intense, crazy TAG in the hallways.

• Very hard combo workout in the heat on Thursday (hills, tempo, track all in one workout!)

• Two to three early morning XC days in a row: Friday morning practice, Saturday morning practice + hike / swim, and Sunday morning volunteering at the tri.

• Track Reunion on Saturday

I have probably left something out. Either way, if your daughter seemed a bit tired this weekend, it wasn't unfounded!

Sugarhollow RUN, HIKE, PLUNGE!

The team met way down at the end of Sugarhollow Reservoir for our annual RUN, HIKE, SWIM event! The girls first did a challenging distance run that included a long tempo portion. Once we all made it back to the cars, we hiked a little under a mile to Snake Hole, a beautiful little swimming spot. All of the girls "did the plunge", with various degrees of coercion involved! See below for some hilarious pictures.

Saying Goodbye to Our "Super-Seniors" Anja Le Fleur and Leanne Hodgson

Track Reunion

On Saturday after the Sugarhollow fun, many of the girls on the team went to the track reunion lunch at WAHS. There were athletes in attendance from as far back as the class of 1980! Marie Whitten, long-time head track coach, was honored, and it was wonderful to reconnect with some of our former runners. Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!

Volunteering at the Cal-Tri at Walnut Creek Park

A good number of XC runners and parents helped out this Sunday at the Cal-Tri event at Walnut Creek Park. It was an EARLY start and turned into a hot and humid day, but the volunteers were so helpful and the event ran smoothly. I can't thank you enough for helping out--I know it was hard to get up that early, but you were all fantastic! 

All of the previous pictures, posts, etc. are now on the "Archives 2023-2025" page.