TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

I attended the Patriot League meeting for Indoor Track and Field last evening, but found it difficult to focus, I am still in XC mode.  Yesterday's practice did nothing to change that.  Jack and Samantha seem prepared for their respective races on Saturday and ran 45 Minutes followed by Strides and Stretching.  At last night's meeting I had the opportunity to congratulate Coach Jewett of Hingham on his team's first place finish in the Boy's section of the D3 Championship.  They were underrated going in and I knew they would be a contender.  As Patriot League members we are proud of their accomplishment.

As some of you may know, if you read the Blog during the summer months, most days I run in Hingham.  The town is lucky to have several parks in which to run.  Washington Town Forest, Bare Cove, Wompatuck, Turkey Hill, and my favorite World's End, have miles of challenging trails for those of us with a running "jones."  On dozens of occasions this summer I saw the Hingham Boys running together, pushing each other, deliberate and focused in their training.  Two a days on occasion! My thought in July was they would be a very good team, and I felt they were vastly underrated during the season.  I was not surprised at their success in the D3 meet.  I recall a few years back driving through Whitman on weekday mornings I would see the XC teams out on the streets getting their miles in early in the day.  In fact, seeing first hand the dedication of the athletes was one factor in my pursuing the Coaching position at Whitman-Hanson.  At the time I was working at a school which drew from many towns between Cape Cod and Boston making Captains practices and group runs impractical during the summer. I liked the idea that dedicated athletes, not separated geographically, could work together to create enthusiasm and a true team spirit.  I could see the genesis of that camaraderie this past summer.  I honestly believe it is a necessity if a Cross Country program is to become successful and I hope to see more of it in the years to come.

I will be meeting Samantha and Jack on the Track at 2:30 today.  If any of you would like to join us, you are welcome.  Doesn't a 10 minute warm up, followed by 8 X :45 at repetition pace, and a 10 minute cool down, sound like a great way to spend an hour or so?  Stretching . . . no strides!