FIRST RACE!!!

OK, I hate getting letters and e-mails with three exclamation points, but hey, if it gets your attention...here goes. At long last our first race week has arrived! I am very excited about this team and am confident they will do very well. Let me review some race information in preparation for our big day.

The meet is held at the Dominican Campus (Overbrook, St. Cecilia, Aquinas) on West End, next to St. Thomas Hospital. It begins at 1:00 in the afternoon and usually wraps up by 3:30. Please be there no later than 12:15! We need to have ample time to get everyone checked in. When you enter the Campus, you will be directed to parking - they charge for parking, I believe it is $5.00. Sorry, this money goes to Overbrook for hosting the races. We have a large yellow and red banner that says "Christ the King" on it, so assemble over there. Please check in with Coach Katy Holmes so we know who is there!!

We will go through our warm-up and stretch routine and last minute discussions before the races begin.

The race order is as follows:
1. All Kindergardeners
2. 1-2 Girls
3. 1-2 Boys
4. 3-4 Girls
5. 3-4 Boys
6. 5-6 Girls
7. 5-6 Boys
8. 7-8 Girls
9. 7-8 Boys

Parents, please tell your children to stay close to the CKS sign so we can collect them and shuttle them to the start line. After all this preparation, you don't want them to miss the start because they've wandered off to the playground!

What to bring? Plenty of water, a sports drink is fine too. A snack if you want. Sunscreen - looks like it's going to be bright and sunny. Don't forget your "running pizza man shirt!" If you haven't received it, see me before the race, I will have shirts available.

Let's exhibit good sportsmanship! (Please see my post below on "Character.") Please encourage your kids to cheer for the other runners on our team and for all finishers. I will not accept ANY poor sportsmanship - we pride ourselves on the 3 "C's"

Most importantly, let's have fun. Cross country doesn't have marching bands and stadium pageantry, but it does have great crowds at our Diocesan meets. It does offer the drama of every one of those runners that toe the line going through their personal transformations and asking themselves whether they have the mental toughness and self-discipline to perform...the race is an incredible reality show! It is a joy to watch a child become a believer in themselves and it is a life lesson they will carry with them always.

OKAY - now the pre-race routine:

1. Eat a supper the night before that is high in carbohydrates - pasta, sweet potatoes, rice. Drink lots of fluids.
2. Before going to sleep, visualize the race. Close your eyes and rehearse everything from the start to the finish...see yourself gliding up the big hill, opening your stride on the downhills. See yourself running through the finish line. We spent some time this week on developing the race strategy, replay it all in your head.
3. GO TO BED!!! The best training tip there is is to get a good night's sleep!
4. Eat a good breakfast...if you are brunchers, try to get the last meal in at least 2 hours before race time. Continue drinking fluids.
5. Repeat the visualization exercise.
6. Check the weather and dress appropriately. Bring warm-ups for after the race if necessary.
7. Arrive at the Dominican Campus at 12:15!
8. Check in with Coach Holmes
9. Gather with the team for warm-up jog and stretching.
10. Once the races begin, stay focused! Cheer for your teammates and then find a quiet spot for yourself to go through your visualization again in preparation for your race.

During the race:
Once the race has begun -THINK!! Keep your head in the game:
• Study the runner in front of you...look for signs of weakness (hands high? dragging footsteps?) Don't get caught staring at their feet - it will put you to sleep.
• Remember the strategy - preserve yourself on the hills, charge the downhills.
• Pass with authority!
• Never look back - you have ears to determine if someone is closing in on you - run your race!
• Run uphills with shorter strides, lean into the hill but not over - you don't want to collapse your chest. Drive the arms.
• Rembember your landmarks - stay out of the ditch, run in straight lines, left side of the chute!
• Remember, if you are hurting - so is the other guy - see story below.
• Run through the finish line.
• Have a great race!!!!

After the race:
1. Congratulate yourself - YOU DID IT!!
2. Drink lots of water/sports drink.
3. Stretch out - go through our yoga routine.
4. Get back out there and cheer for your teammates!

Now as many of you know, I am a huge Steve Prefontaine fan, so what race prep would be complete without a quick Prefontaine story:

Early in his career at the University of Oregon, Pre found himself running stride for stride with Henry Rono, a veteran runner from Washington State. The event was the NCAA Cross Country Championships. At the five mile mark, the blistering pace was taking a toll on Pre. Now, he could have said "I'm hurting so bad, I'm guaranteed second..." and let up. But that was not his style...it is not the attitude of a champion. Instead, Pre said to himself, "If I am hurting this badly, he must be hurting much more than I." So he threw in a surge with a mile to go. Rono was unable to respond, and Pre went on to win the event. As Pre always said, "I don't run races to see who is faster, I run to find out who has more guts." He did.