The Woodbridge shuffle

Congratulations have to go to our freshman standout Brian Gomez after his outstanding 15:49 effort at Woodbridge this past Saturday. Brian's time is the fastest ever posted by a Mustang frosh on the fast Woodbridge course. Brian was well backed up as the frosh team took the Div 1 team title in convincing style with fine efforts by Jantzen Oshier and Brent Ritschel both finishing in the top 10.

There, in fact, were many great performances at Woodbridge; too many for me to name them all. A few highlights were Scott Blair running to a second place showing in the sweepstakes in a school record time, Colton Addy and John Wright both dipped under 16 minutes for the first time, Nick Otto had a nice 20 sec. PR of 16:32, and Alex Theologidy covered the three miles in just under 17 minutes (not bad for a sprinter). With the good often comes the bad, and this time around the fabled Warrior path was no exception. The varsity took a major thumping, to say the least, and hopefully learned a few key lessons in the process.

One parent asked me if I felt embarrassed after the sweepstakes race on Saturday. I had to stop a second to take a breath and think before I answered that one. I quickly realized, however, that I can never be embarrassed of what we do on the course. I am proud to coach such a fine group of young men. I am behind you in victory and defeat. So, when asked about reddish hue of my cheeks, I replied...never.

All of the events of Woodbridge have lead to a few shake-ups though. The varsity will be slightly retooled for Bob Firman and the travel roster has been shaken up a bit. These changes are intended to benefit the team and bring about a positive swing in motivation and morale. First, and probably most necessary, Riley will be back in action in Idaho. He assures me that he is ready and he will help Scotty to lead this team in a new direction. Next, we will for the first time in two years be adding a freshmen to the varsity ranks. Brian Gomez will don a white singlet this week and take his first shot at the big boys. Lastly, we will be inviting three freshmen to Idaho this year. Gomez, Oshier, and Ritschel have all EARNED the privilege of traveling with the varsity to Boise and competing in an outstanding Northwest slug fest.

To all of my runners I say keep your eyes on the goal. November is still a long way off and we have much work left to do. We will be ready when it counts most.

A little Pre-Race inspiration

Just watch

Heading into Competition

As this summer prep period winds down I find myself excited for what is to come. The boys have put in a tremendous amount of work in the last 7 weeks and it is starting to really show now.

Our freshman class appears to be the fastest ever, I can't wait to see them race as a team and see if they can live up to their billing. The sophomores are getting stronger ever day due in large part to the efforts of Ian Shiedenberger, James Mata, Cody Deleon, and others. I am impressed with their willingness to take chances and challenge themselves more than they did a year ago. I know the extra efforts will pay dividends, and I am excited for them. The JV and Varsity squads are tremendous. We look stronger now then we did last year, and that is really something special. No one can predict what the future will bring, but we can and will prepare to face it with all of our strength and tenacity.

This time of year is always a concerning period as well. Injuries of all varieties seem to spring up all over. The weather is unbearable. Legs are fatigued and bodies are feeling the effect of a couple months of hard training. The most important thing to remember is: This is all normal. Recovery is on the way. In fact, the week of Woodbridge is our next scheduled down week and it will be a welcomed one I am sure. In order to improve as a runner, you must first stress your body, then you recover. After a period of recovery, the body responds with more strength and energy. We call this callousing and it is a necessary part of distance running. I is as important as the shoes you wear.

We are on our way now and I just wanted to wish all of you the best of luck. There isn't much luck involved in running, but a little bit in your favor never hurts.

Let's go get our goals.

Coach Clemons