2020金秋越野跑小记

2020庚子年已经过了三季。这两天一场秋雨，瑟瑟秋风，温度降到40度，冬季即将来临。

小儿子升高中后，加入了越野跑俱乐部。他们每天下午3:15到4:30在附近的公园训练。从七月28号的第一次训练到如今，每天训练之前两小时需要在网上填写健康情况。而且每个带队老师不能超过9名学生。今年只有八名高一学生参加。

男孩子们打着赤膊一起在公园奔跑的场景真是一道风景！我每天送他后，也在公园里跑跑走走。四点正，附近教堂钟声响起。古朴悠远，令人心静。

比赛每周一次，但大多不许有观众。儿子第一次五千米的成绩是27分钟，以后每次都有进步。有时快半分，有时快几秒。昨天是最后一次比赛，也是我们可以观看的唯一一次比赛。他们队安排在下午5:20。天阴阴的，气温只有44度。刮着风，虽然我穿着大衣，围着围巾，戴着口罩，但感觉还是挺冷的。观众不多，基本戴着口罩。比赛分成许多小队，每队十几个队员。昨天他跑了个人最好成绩: 22分25秒。

回家的路上他说，他本来想跑到22分之内，但跑的时候肚子有点痛。先生说可能吹到冷风了。他自己说是比赛前40分钟吃了一个蛋白质糖条，可能吃得有点晚了。

我们这儿的小学和初中都开实体课了，但高中还是网课。学区正在研究开实体课的可能性。跑步增强体质。希望大家不得COVID-19。如果得了则好得快，就象我朋友孩子一样。

[林凡_圣路易]

more links
2020
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Season.aspx?SchoolID=11741&S=2020

2021
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Season.aspx?SchoolID=11741&S=2021

[林凡_圣路易]

Here is coach - Ms Dani Whitcher's Final Frosh Footspeed Notes:

2020 has been a lesson in adaptability and letting go of our attachments to the way things used to be. We began this season uncertain if we would have many opportunities to race. We also knew that opportunities would be limited and that, perhaps, not all of our athletes would have the chance to race at every meet. For those who are competitive, this can be a big mental shift. After all, what’s the point of completing or competing in something if you don’t get a chance to showcase your talents?

I didn’t know how many of the freshmen boys would stick around with this being our reality. I know many runners who are discouraged by the lack of races and the lack of competition. The boys were quick to prove me wrong. Each day, they showed up eager to practice and eager to learn. They didn’t complain once of drills, strength work, or hill workouts. They were receptive and open to learning new things. They asked questions and listened to constructive criticism and feedback. They encouraged and challenged each other in workouts and laughed and joked on easy days. It was crystal clear that despite the looming limitations of the season, they were going to dictate their own XC experience and not leave it to the hands of the pandemic. These young men were nothing short of a total dream to coach and to run alongside. With that, here are my final words for each young man:


Allen Zheng - Allen makes everything look so easy! From drills to strides to hills to strength, Allen has flawless form that makes me jealous. Seriously. He is so fun to watch! A slight learning curve for Allen this season was figuring out just how hard to push himself during races. The first several races of the season, Allen just looked so relaxed. He knew it too and would always tell me that he felt he could go faster. It wasn’t until the Eureka meet that Allen looked different during a race - his face was strained and he was actually running to his max effort. It was such a breakthrough for him and he ended up beating his previous PR by 40 seconds. Allen used this data to the best of his ability and bested his Eureka performance by 2 seconds on Friday ending with a season best of 22:26. Allen has made major gains this season and I look forward to what he is able to accomplish during track season and next XC season!

Final Words:

Thank you all for an amazing season.

Boys, thank you so much for showing up each and every day. It may sound corny, but your presence was such a light to me during this virtual teaching period and was a powerful reminder of why I love to coach and teach. Nothing can replace interacting with such neat individuals such as yourselves. Thank you so much! Now make sure you continue to build upon this momentum that you’ve gained.

Parents, thank you for your support and encouragement. You’ve all raised incredible young men. Seriously. I look forward to seeing you at meets in the 2021 XC season!

[林凡_圣路易]

End of season summary:
1 Mile Time - Beginning of Season: 7:19
1 Mile Time - End of Season : 6:05
5 km Goals: 22
Tempo Pace (per mile): 7:23-7:31
Mile/1500 pace (per 400m):1:40-1:42