Challenge Brings Good Things

James Madison University Meet    9.15.12

Early in the season as I reviewed the meets with the runners, I had mentioned that our second meet would be at James Madison University against mainly Division I runners.  I also mentioned that it was a good challenging course, not too far from school and would push our number 1 runner.

Yesterday morning we arrived at the New Market Battlefield and since we didn't have to arrive early for a men's team to warm up, we were the last to arrive.  Present at the meet were JMU, the host team, Longwood College, Howard University, Virginia Military Institute and Southern Virginia University.  All except SVU are NCAA DI programs.  SVU is an NAIA program who currently is transitioning to a DIII program.

As we exited the van, some discouraging words started to take over.  Coach, we are going to be dead last.
Coach, this is going to be embarrassing.....and more that I can't remember.  I tried to assure them that each runner had a very good week of practice and that it was them against the course.  I encouraged all to try and reach a personal record.

The race began and Mary Baldwin had runners at the front, in the middle and at the end.  None of that was a surprise to me.  The first mile they had splits that were a little fast for some and a little slow for some, but I still believed good things would happen.

As the race finished, we had some surprises.  A DIII runner had finished second among a field of DI runners.  She had led most of the race and was overtaken in the last half mile.  There had been some place finish changes among our nine runners since the first meet.  At first glance it appeared that when these 5.2 K times were converted to 5 K times there would be lots of personal records.

So here is the outcome.  As a team we came in 6 out of 6 teams.  When our brilliant Coach Mark figured out the mile splits and converted the times to 5 K times we did have lots of small wins.  The tide started changing and there were encouraging words and congratulations happening among the team members.

After smiling and feeling great all afternoon and evening about the team's accomplishment, I woke up this morning and did a little more work with the times.  As a team we were 2 minutes and 10 seconds faster than our first meet.  The individual personal records varied from 2 seconds faster to 1:36 minutes faster.  So I feel that we are doing the right things in practice.

What I wonder about is our individual and team mentality.  I truly believe that looking for the good and staying positive is needed at all times even when the deck seems stacked against you.

I wonder where this team will go as we work this week not just physically, but mentally?

PLACE

Place is a theme for Mary Baldwin College this year.  I have to say that I truly feel my place early each morning is to be at Mary Baldwin College home of the Fighting Squirrels getting ready for Cross Country practice.

Just this morning I was thinking what a great group of nine runners appear each morning!  Although they don't all welcome the workout of the day announcement, they do put on the safety vests and head out for the workout.

Today it was a track workout!  The coaches thought they had set pretty aggressive times for the 400 workout.  The first rep was preceded by some dynamic warm up and then it was time to begin.  Coach Mark reminded them of the times and that they had a long rest in between each one which meant the work should be quality.  I reminded them that the work needed to stay quality throughout all 10 reps!
The start as it sometimes is was pretty fast, on repetition 2 runners started settling into paces faster than we had set and continued with those paces for all 10.  It was a great morning.

Although the runners always don't see their place as at cross country practice at 0600, by the end of the workout they do feel good about the work accomplished and how this will lead them to better times in races.

This team is moving together in the right direction.  I have to reflect on Patriot's Day that I believe many since 9-11-01 want to make sure that they live each day happy and without regret.  Being at cross country practice with this team is that for me.

Stay tuned for practice tomorrow - meet at 0600, same place!

Rain Changes the Venue

The ladies came to practice knowing that today was a tempo day, but not knowing the workout.  They were particularly lively this morning as they tried to guess what we had in store for them today.  Coach Mark had created a progressive mile workout based on their CNU Opening Meet times.  The goal was to work on overall speed and finishing speed.

The times for each mile were passed around and then one asked for a pen to write her times on her hand……then the pen was passed around.  The warm up to the park was uneventful, but as we started doing the dynamic warm up down to the starting line, the sky opened up on us. 

The times written on hands were soon washed away, the coaches had to be creative in writing down times, but the rain didn’t dampen the workout!  Although one runner was mad about the rain, she actually had a PR – I think we need to find ways to make her mad before each race!  One runner donned her shower cap because “her hair doesn’t do rain”, but the shower cap kept a smile on her face and provided a giggle for lots of runners and walkers in the park.  Others in the group commented on how they loved running in the rain, and one of our runners who decided to leave her glasses with the coaches had a great “almost collision with another runner” story.  Her story – the guy was wearing black and probably wondered why I was running right at him!

All in all it was a great workout for each runner.  I wondered on the way back about adversity and how it can work for the good.  The team posted some awesome performances this morning, we had some laughs, and we took a team picture!

I hope that we also can remember this positive performance the next time we have a rainy practice or race.  Better yet when faced with adversity off the course, I hope that we can remember how the rain changed the venue for the good!

Squirrels love to run in the rain!

A New Season

Today is Thursday, August 23rd.  The runners moved in Friday the 17th and today marks our sixth day of preseason practice.  It has been a pleasure to welcome back returning runners and to add new faces to the team.  The runners are determined and dedicated and I am looking forward to an exciting season.

The cool weather has welcomed us to our first practice each day.  The team has arrived each morning ready for the next run.  They are getting to know each other and look forward to team breakfast after our workout.

This is a dedicated group which is active in other areas on campus.  They leave breakfast to other campus duties to include training in our corps of cadets and research in our psychology lab.  The upperclass students are introducing our two freshman to the college and the city of Staunton.

They have set high goals as individuals and as a team and it is going to be a great adventure seeing all this play out between now and November.  I hope you will follow along with us.

Coach Spalding

Track Club Off and Running

The MBC Track Club continues to see ladies coming out to improve their runs.  We have been practicing 2 weeks now and I have enjoyed seeing my cross country ladies out putting in miles and also working with the sprint group.  Our goal is to go to an outdoor meet on March 24th!

It seems that the winds of March are already upon us, and I thought it might be a good time to discuss the wind - Head Wind, Tail Wind and Cross Wind.  Think about running in the wind....sometimes the wind just seems so stiff it is hard to run....but the good side of a Head Wind is that it can be a training tool, it provides added resistance and in the long run will improve your running.  As a distance runner one usually gets to experience all the winds on a windy day, so looking forward to the Tail Wind and how it makes you feel so FAST is great.  A Cross Wind is just enough to make you think about your posture and running form, so it to helps us to keep our eyes on the finish.

For Sprinters, tracks are laid out with the finish in line with the prevailing wind, so it is awesome to train your repeats with a Tail Wind....just makes the walk back to the start challenging.

In life sometimes our days resemble the wind.  A Head Wind day where we keep thinking this is going to make me stronger, to the Cross Wind days when we need to keep our posture upright and our eyes on the final goal, and then those great epic Tail Wind days when everything is right with the world.

I wish you strength for your Head Wind runs, patience and determination for your Cross Wind days and great joy on your Tail Wind days.  Remember in running and in life you usually get some of each.

Happy Running,
Coach Spalding

The End of 2011 Cross Country Season

Aug 22 was the beginning of our season and we had a great group of runners who did everything we asked and ran many PRs. It was great to see them improve each week. It was also a pleasure to share my mornings, breakfasts and many weekends with the runners!

Nov 12th we had a great regional race with our top runner winning the region and advancing to Nationals. We had a great time in San Antonio, TX

Today, Nov 19th marks the end of the season. The national experience was a great one with Sophia finishing 31st and being named an All American. Congrats to Sophia and a big thank you to my assistant Holly Breen. Today is definitely the greatest day of my cross country coaching career!

Fall Break Brings Fun in Frederick, Md.

Believe it or not, fall break as already come and gone on the Mary Baldwin campus. While many students went home for some much needed rest and relaxation, the members of the cross country team that chose to stay behind, embarked on their own little adventure. On Friday October 14, five of us, myself and my assistant included, loaded up for a little road trip. Our ultimate destination was Frederick, Maryland, where the ladies were to compete in a 5k race at Hood College. With the race not being until Saturday morning, that meant we had plenty of time for a little bit of fun.

On our drive to Frederick, we stopped to pick up lunches for a little picnic I had planned at Harper’s Ferry. Many of my runners had never been to this historical site, and with peak fall foliage weekend almost upon us, I thought it would be the perfect break from the road. While stopped, the team ventured down to the lower town of Harper’s Ferry where we were able to freshen up on our history a little and enjoy the scenic views.

Later that day, we made it to our final destination with time to spare. Seeing another opportunity for fun, we ventured out to a local running store where the ladies were able to spend as much or as little as their pockets would allow. Once the shopping trip was complete, it was time to head back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner. With the numbers being on the smaller side for this excursion, we decided to partake in something a little nicer at a nearby Italian restaurant. The conversation was great and all involved truly enjoyed themselves. So many times during the season, the ladies on the team become so accustom to looking at one another as simply teammates. They forget how much they really do have in common in other areas of their life. It did my heart good to know that they we were all enjoying each other’s company so much.

By the time meet morning rolled around, the MBC runners were well rested and ready to race. Even though the weather was a little windy, the sun was out, and it was a beautiful day. The 5k course looped around the Hood College campus and was completely flat.  Sophomore runner, Sophia Stone, took first place with a time of 19:12, a finish that would have easily achieved her a top 10 finish in the men’s race. Amanda Fadden (FR) was second for the MBC team coming in with a time of 24:10, followed by upper classman Lucy Bruno.

Even though we didn’t have enough runners to make a team, it was a fun weekend for all involved. Just to end the trip on an especially sweet note, we made a quick stop for ice cream on the drive home.  At this point in the season, I feel this was just what the girls needed. Now that our conference meet is staring us down, the girls deserved something that would help take the pressure off and remind them just how fun it really is to be on MBC’s  Cross Country team!