The Woodberry Harrier 2010: Volume 5
A view from the pool....
Good words, Kevin. I will add only that Kevin is very right about the way the team has responded to his injury. They are working hard and racing hard and pushing each other. They pledged to be ready when Kevin come s back, and if they keep at it, they will be very ready indeed. And Kevin has been burning up the pool workouts with dedication that I admire.
We had a great week of practice last week. We ran hill repeats in Uno, we ran a fartlek at Crooked Run, we pounded the strength work in the Barbee. And on Saturday, we raced in the big Albemarle Invitational at Panorama Farms, the most competitive race in the Charlottesville area. It was hotter than we'd been used to all week, but it was hot for everybody there, and it was a beautiful day. We had all the upper-form parents in attendance, and we had some excellent performances, from Logan's amazing and deftly executed victory in the B Race to Josh's step up to #1 in the varsity race. Here are the results:
It’s hard to truly appreciate something until it’s been taken from you. The full impact of my injury didn’t hit me until just this week. Before, it seemed I had only missed a few good workouts and some meets, but nothing that seemed too significant. However, as I walked by myself down to my pool workout Friday, it hit me: I was missing more than just the running, I was missing out on spending my last cross-country season with my teammates. The team was meeting every day without me, running every day without me, and getting to experience the beautiful fall days here at Woodberry. All this was going on while I was stuck in the deep end of the swimming pool, aqua-running endless 20-yard lengths (at least I had Nick and Thomas with me at times).
Not only was I not able to train with my teammates, but I wasn’t able to race with them either. As they laced up their spikes at Panorama on Saturday, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. I felt completely disconnected from the team. I’ve been away from them for what seems like a lifetime. I had never imagined what it would feel like to have this significant part of my life ripped from me in the middle of my most cherished season in my senior year. Everyone has been telling me, “At least you will be healthy for indoor track.” They don’t understand, it’s not about the running, it’s really about everything else that makes cross-country so special and different from every other team at Woodberry, and like Matt said in his Harrier entry, it’s unexplainable.
But as I have learned firsthand: there is always a silver lining. This one has been watching my teammates step up in big ways. Whether it has been Addison becoming a force to be reckoned with, Josh leading us at Albemarle, Matt taking the win against St. Chris, or Logan getting a big win in the B race at Albemarle, everyone has defiantly risen to the challenge. And in the end, this will make us all the stronger at the end of the season.
That is what makes Woodberry runners different. No one is calling it quits with all the odds stacked against us. And at the rate things are going, I have a feeling we can make something special happen at the end of the season.
Kevin Bennert
Good words, Kevin. I will add only that Kevin is very right about the way the team has responded to his injury. They are working hard and racing hard and pushing each other. They pledged to be ready when Kevin come s back, and if they keep at it, they will be very ready indeed. And Kevin has been burning up the pool workouts with dedication that I admire.
We had a great week of practice last week. We ran hill repeats in Uno, we ran a fartlek at Crooked Run, we pounded the strength work in the Barbee. And on Saturday, we raced in the big Albemarle Invitational at Panorama Farms, the most competitive race in the Charlottesville area. It was hotter than we'd been used to all week, but it was hot for everybody there, and it was a beautiful day. We had all the upper-form parents in attendance, and we had some excellent performances, from Logan's amazing and deftly executed victory in the B Race to Josh's step up to #1 in the varsity race. Here are the results:
Albemarle Invitational | |||
Panorama Farms, VA | |||
October 9th, 2010 | |||
9th place out of 31 teams; top-five spread: 0:47 top-seven spread: 0:56 | |||
Runner | Time | Place out of 224 (A) & 126 (B) | |
Trudgeon | 17:35 | 39th | A 24-sec. season PR!! |
Winston | 17:39 | 44th | A 16-sec. lifetime PR. |
Garrison | 18:11 | 70th | |
Grantham | 18:20 | 83nd | A 3-sec. season PR |
Shelton | 18:21 | 84th | |
Laws | 18:22 | 86th | |
Flynn | 18:31 | 98th | An 8-sec. season PR |
Rafield | 18:44 | 1st (B Race) | For his first big win! |
Exum | 20:37 | 23rd (B Race) | |
Gimbert | DNF | DNF | |
Bennert | DNR | DNR | |
Evans | DNR | DNR | |
After the race we celebrated with a wonderful meal at the Flynn's. It was a delight to have so many parents there with the team.
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