XC Update - July 14th

TIME TO GET SERIOUS!!!!
While many of you have been working hard this summer, many more of you have not been performing at a level that will help you or the TEAM reach their potential. It won’t do any good to concern ourselves with what we haven’t done so far- only focus on what we can now do to make the most of the 2008 Cross Country season.
"When nothing seems to help, go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two. Know that is was not that blow that did it - but all that had gone first."
Work hard now- this is the time for the "100 blows" without much to see from your efforts. If you properly prepare, the "101st", or breakthrough performance, will be a great experience. GET COMMITTED AND HAMMERING NOW!!!

TEAM WORKOUTS THIS WEEK
Monday- 7:00 am Trail Run at Fernwood Campground. Meet at Fernwood at 7:00 am or Syracuse High at 6:30 am. I will hand out the new workouts and more info on "SHARC" (Syracuse High Altitude Running Camp).
Tuesday- 7:00 am at Syracuse High.
Thursday- 7:00 am at Layton Commons Park (west of Layton High School).

DEADLINES
Monday- High Altitude commitment- I need to know how many t-shirts to order. You don’t have to pay anything yet, just let me know if you are going to camp.
Tuesday- $20 and Entry Info for the Deseret News 10k. I got the meet director to extend our deadline a couple days.

COMMUNICATION
If you have run any races and haven’t reported your times to me, please do so. Also, PLEASE send me your workout logs at the end of each week.

RACE RESULTS
Good job by those who ran races recently. Austin Costley turned in good times of 18:23 and 18:40 in his two races. Kyle Kelly ran 19:50 and Brandon Yardley 21:25 in races on the 4th. Hannah Williams’ 20:55 won the women’s race at Clearfield. Mikelann Wilcox ran 24:26 to also finish high.

OLYMPIC TRIALS HIGHLIGHTS
In my way of thinking, there is nothing better than spending eight days watching track and field. It’s even better when it’s in Eugene, Oregon, Track Town USA. The city has earned the nickname. There were over 20,000 people at the meet every day, and they were all extremely knowledgeable and LOUD. Imagine all of them clapping, cheering and stomping for all 25 laps of the 10,000 meter run- what an atmosphere. It was great watching athletes reach their goals- making the US Olympic TEAM, and sad to see even more just fall short. The emotions ran high in each event.
For me, the meet highlight was Lindsey Anderson from Morgan placing 2nd in the Steeplechase. She will be in Beijing. She’s a great runner, and a better person. Great interview link:
http://track.flocasts.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234031-us-olympic-track-field-team-trials/68743-lindsey-anderson-2nd-steeple

Other Buhrley highlights:
Men’s 800- it was a sweep for Eugene-trained athletes. Andrew Wheating, a sophomore at Oregon, didn’t even think he would be running in the trials- he barely made it in. He finished 2nd with a huge PR. Christian Smith dove at the line to get 3rd and narrowly edge out the 7-time national champion. Nick Symmonds came from last to first over the last 250 meters to win. In fact, all three qualifiers were in the last places with about 400 meters to go. Here’s a link to the race- it’s well worth your time to watch it.
http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=259399
Women’s 5000/10,000- Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan qualified in both- not big upsets. In the 10,000, Amy Begley ran the last 5000 just 10 seconds slower than her 5000 PR to get 3rd and make the TEAM for Beijing.
Men’s 1500/5000- Bernard Lagat dominated both races to capture the titles. He looked great. The first three in the 1500 are naturalized U.S. citizens. Lopez Lomong is one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan", and escaped to come to the U.S.
Men’s Pole Vault- Derek Miles and Jeff Hartwig finished 1-2. One of my former Davis vaulters, Mark Calvin, trained with them in Arkansas for about five years and says they are great guys. Hartwig is 40 years old!!!
Women’s Pole Vault- American Record-Holder Jenn Stuczynski missed her first two attempts at her opening height. She looked terrible- and faced not making the TEAM. She cleared it on her third attempt, then went on to break her American Record clearing 16'01.75". Erica Bartolina PR’ed twice (her first in four years) to place 3rd and make the TEAM.
Women’s 800- Hazel Clark won in 1:59. Why neat? Because her family was sitting by us.
Men’s 100 dash- Tyson Gay ran the fastest ever 100 (9.68) in the trials, but it was wind-aided. He came back in the finals to set an American Record in a legal 9.77.
Womern’s 1500 run- High school junior Jordan Hasay (about 5' tall, hair about 3' long) ran 4:14.50 to make the finals. It was a national high school record. About 10,000 fans started chanting in unison "come to Oregon".
Men’s Hammer- James Parker, 1994 Northridge graduate, did not make the team. He won in 2004 and competed in Athens, but injuries hampered his preparation. After he took his 6th throw, he knelt down and kissed the ring. After being an All-American and several times National Champion, he has retired and will enter Chiropractic School next month.
Women’s Shot Put- Jill Camerena, coached by a friend of mine, finished 3rd by 3-inches and made the TEAM. Both were stoked!!
Women’s 200 dash- Allison Felix ran 21.82 to easily win. Any race she runs is a highlight- what mechanics, and smile.
Women’s 100 hurdles- Lolo Jones ran 12.29, the fastest ever run by and American- but it was wind-aided. Still, a great race.
OK, I’ve probably lost you. In case you are still reading, trust me, it was great. There was drama in every event. If interested, there are some great interviews and articles at:
http://track.flocasts.org/

Great meet- you owe it to yourself to go sometime.