 This week we had great running weather. Everybody said that their runs were the best ones they’ve had all season. On Thursday during our speed workout it started raining and there were lots of happy but wet faces :) We had wet feet from jumping in all the puddles, but it was definitely worth it. We even had some playful water fights. These are great opportunities for team building. This week ended with wacky sock day. We saw lots of weird and fun socks. There were cupcakes, superman, stripes, and polka dots! Saturday was the big day! We were headed off to Bismarck. It is a very flat course and it’s just waiting for fast times and great races. As a team we are getting closer and having lots of laughs. We are getting stronger and faster as a team and getting more and more PR’s each race which is what we want to see.
Lauren Harrison, Soph, Captain I don’t think we could’ve asked for a better week of practice before a big meet. The weather was perfect for running it ranged anywhere from warm and a little humid to cool with no wind and we even had a little bit of rain during the week which I think really helped everyone get even more excited for the big meet Saturday in Bismarck. Thursday was the day we get the rain, everyone had a blast in it because it was just fun to run with your team and friends in that type of weather. Friday we had an easy day with cut down in the mileage to get well rested for Saturday. We also had the Cushman Classic so everyone was very excited about that we had set a curfew of 10:30 so that everyone was well rested for Saturday. Finally we hit the big meet we left for Bismarck at 6:45 so that we got there in enough time for everyone to get ready and warmed up for there races. When asking everyone after the race how it all I heard was “Really good” or “It was fantastic”. This was definitely a “step in the right direction” as coach would put and I would say he’s absolutely right. This is exactly the type of race that everyone needed getting closer to the end of the season and our bigger meets. Next weekend we have the Milaca Mega Meet which is a very exciting meet so lets have another great week of practice before another big meet Ryan Meyer, Soph, Captain  We started off the week on Labor day which we had off from school. But even tho we didn't have school we still had a lot of people show up to practice which is great to see. But coming off of a huge meet in Sioux Falls we needed to stay focused on the meet on Saturday. So we started off Monday with a speed workout, which was 1000 meter or 800 meter repeats. Which isn't easy especially because we are running up hills part of the time. Then Tuesday was just a normal run and then we went hard with long run on Wednesday. With another speed workout on Thursday which was 400 and 800 meter repeats. Then we got ready for Saturday with a normal run on Friday. On Saturday we went to West Fargo for a smaller meet. A very small meet compared to the sioux falls race but was still a fun race. We had a lot of younger runner really improve and set some PR's besides the fact that there was a decent wind that can be a killer to some smaller or younger runner. But they took it very well and ran good races. We are very proud of our young team and the boys are really improving and having some fun while doing it.
Adam Arnold, Soph Captain This past week has been a great week for Grand Forks Central XC. The week started out with a speed workout in which everyone did super great in. We then had a normal run the next day and a long run on Wednesday. Thursday we saw another speed workout, that was geared toward what our race was going to be like. Everyone pushed through the workout and looked super good. Friday was a nice recovering run getting us ready for race day on Saturday. Our meet was in West Fargo, with middle school, jv, and varsity races all different lengths. The meet started out with the varsity races. On both the girls and guys side we saw pr's, high placing, and great races! The jv races were next, with our very own Carter Elde winning his first race! The middle school races showed a great future for our team as the younger runners ran super hard and fast for some great races. Overall it was a great week for the Knights. Now time to train hard for Bismarck next week! Alexis Roehl, Senior Captain  Week three of cross country, doubled as the first week of school with everyone back to hitting the books. On Monday was speed with some of the team at an 800 workout at Lincoln Park and the other half at a Rock n’ Roll workout on the bike path by Blue Moose. The 800 course was modified this time around to include and uphill on the dike for practice racing on hillier courses like Jamestown, so we are more prepared for the state meet in October. Meanwhile, at Rock n’ Roll, runners ran repeats for a certain amount of time and when they finished a repeat they placed a colorful rock on the path where they stopped. On the next one, The goal to run further in the same amount of time to be able to move their rock further up the path. Both of these workouts got us ready to run at the Twilight Meet in Sioux Falls on Friday night.
We arrived at the course around 5:30 pm and the first race, JV girls, started at 6:00 pm, so the girls running that race were pressed for time. Luckily, our team is always willing to help each other out, so as the JV girls hopped of the bus and started warming up the ones running the varsity race later carried their bags to the team camp and pinned racing numbers on uniforms to help make things as efficient as possible and in the end, everyone made it to the starting line in time. The races were all 5k’s on an H-shaped course composed of several loops. This was especially fun because it allowed people to cheer on all the races, pretty much the entire way which was excellent motivation to keep working hard and moving up throughout the entire race. Also, since the meet was around sunset, the course was lined with glow-sticks to light the way when it got too dark which looked super cool. Finally, to round out the night, we got to cheer on one of our own coaches, Rousseau, take on the college men’s racing for North Dakota while eating pizza from Papa John’s. This race was a new one this year, so hopefully we can come back next year and do even better. - Mikayla Weiss - Junior - Girls Captain The team has started having theme days before meets. Week 1 we had hat day, this week we did a blackout because our meet in Sioux Falls was under the lights. It’s a fun way for us to team build and have some fun the day prior to a meet. For blackout day a couple of the boys went above and beyond wearing black morph suits to practice. With the freshmen boys around, there is never a dull moment! After seeing the Jamestown state meet course last week, the coaches have decided we need better hill training and have moved us to Lincoln Park to use the dike for training, it’s a lot of hard work that will hopefully pay off in the end. Sioux Falls was a little intimidating for our middle school runners, who were going to be competing in their first race, because this meet did not have a middle school division and they needed to run a 5K. This didn’t seem to bother seventh grader Cooper who had an amazing race! It was his first race ever and he was the second GFC JV runner across the finish line! Although it was a long bus ride the Augustana Twilight Meet was a fun experience having the meet in the evening under the lights with music playing and food trucks there made for a different environment than we are used to, and it made for a unique trip. Collin Allan, Sophomore Captain  This week was a very busy and exciting week. There were lots of nerves coming up as the first meet was less than a week away, but everyone did an awesome job pushing through the week with positive attitudes. On Monday we did two different speed workouts. The younger runners did 3, 2, 1’s and the older ones did 800’s. We had our long run on Wednesday and again there were positive attitudes and smiles. Thursday, we had our second speed workout of the week and we did a race simulation. Although it was difficult, we all stepped up and worked really hard. On Saturday morning, the bus left at 7 a.m. heading to Jamestown! For many people, it was their first ever cross country meet, which was really exciting. In the varsity girls race, Silje Kindseth did an outstanding job. She was out injured for an entire season and she ended up placing third for our team, and also got athlete of the meet. Alexis Roehl started out the season strong, finishing in 6th place. The JV girls really stepped up. For a lot of them it was their first race ever. Despite any first race jitters, the team looked very strong. Maggie Spoor was one of the few PR’s on a day filled with nerves and on a tough course. Claire Hynek did an amazing job with her first cross country race and finished in the top 20! I think the team provided great support to each other and we’re looking for a great meet next weekend when we get a chance to run under the lights!
Lauren Harrison, Sophomore, Captain  The first week of cross country is in the books, and our team is looking to be an amazing, hard working team. Our first day started out with a team meeting, outlining the basics of what it means to be on the Central cross country team. A lot of people returned from last year, and we also welcomed brand new members to the cross country team. Tuesday was a lot cooler than Monday, and for the people who had done summer running, it was our first speed workout of the season, those new to the team did a normal run. Everyone looked great on the speed workout, with a large group of people improving their times from last year. Wednesday was another normal run, and then on Thursday we had a speed workout that the whole team did. Our speed was Run Bike Run around Lincoln Park, so the front of Central looked like a bike shop with all of the bikes we had to bring for the workout. Even though it was hot outside, everyone was looking great throughout the workout, with some improving their times from last year. Friday was another normal run, and Saturday was the first long run of the season with donuts at the end!! Even though it is very early in the season, everybody is working hard to improve, and make themselves better. It looks like we are going to have a great cross country season ahead of us! Now we are working toward our first meet in Jamestown on Saturday the 25th!!
Lexi Roehl - Senior - Girls Captain The first week of the season is generally a little bit of a cluster with teaching all the new athletes our post workouts and stretching. But they did a great job on working hard and doing what they are supposed to do! We had two hard workouts this week, one being 1,000 meter repeats! Then later in the week we had run bike run where you run a mile then bike a mile! With that workout we had a lot of younger runners really impress us with their times and work ethic! It’s exciting to see how deep our team is this year! It looks like we are gonna have a gr at year! Adam Arnold - Soph - Boys Captain |
AuthorVarious people will write about what is happening with the teams. Coach Allan and captains will be regular contributors. Alumni and parents are also welcome to submit entries. Archives
September 2018
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