Week 3 - The Field Expands
Hello Junior Cougar Nation!
Week 2 is in the books. We added some new runners this week to the team (bringing our registered total to over 80!) and despite the heat and humidity turned in some good practices. I want to take a moment to recognize all the runners; they've maintained positive attitudes and (mostly) stayed off their phones, and efforts have been very good for nearly everyone! Both Coach Cross and I received comments from Coaches Paul and Sinco about the efforts they witnessed, and a number of high school runners have also chimed in with great reports. It is our hope that cross country provides your runners with a good, positive experience in middle school. As a reminder, as the schoolwork picks up, if you have concerns please let Coach Cross or me know. Cross country is a priority, but it should be after scholastics and being a good young person.
On Thursday we completed our first Mile Time Trial (MTT). From that MTT we had 5 additional runners who hit State qualifying times, expanding our list of already qualified runners to 16. There were a lot of runners who showed a ton of heart and will likely qualify soon. When I adjust for the heat and humidity, many runners would have probably posted times 30-45 seconds faster than what they actually ran. So it's a great start! We run the MTT every two weeks; runners can also achieve a qualifying time in any race.
Speaking of races, our Summer Elite mileage runners had their first race this morning at Boling Park in Canton, participating in the Fleet Feet Cherokee County Invite. It was hot, humid, crowded and the grass was a soggy mess. We went in with no expectations or strategy for this race, instead allowing the runners to just get their legs unleashed for the first time this fall.
Even without a plan, the boys placed 4th overall (out of 26 teams) behind an all-star team and two other middle schools. 233 runners lined up for this race. Very strong performances by our 8th graders: Brady (15), Caleb (19), Bryce (31) and Nick (35) who all placed in the top 35 while Ben (125) barely missed a PR in conditions that very easily added 20-30 seconds to everyone's time. 7th graders Haseong (88) set a PR by 51 seconds while Jason (159) had a great first race as a new runner. Two 6th graders - Michual (66) and Bennett (116) - both completed in the top half of the field in their first middle school races.
On the girls side we placed 2nd out of 21 teams, and all 7 runners finished in the top 40. Tamar and Gabi anchored the front of the pack, finishing 8th and 12th, while other returning Nationals runners Caroline, Rena, and Emily packed right in behind them at 16th, 18th and 22nd. Highlighting the capabilities of the 6th grade class, Hanna was nipping at the heels of Emily, finishing barely 2 seconds later for 23rd place, while Zahra broke the tape at 16:01 in 40th, meaning almost 80% of the field was behind our runners (186 runners)!
Special thanks to the high school runners (CHS brought their Summer Elite mileage achievers for the morning's first races) who jumped in to help warm-up the girls while I was out with the boys. For those who don't know, Coach Cross picked a fight with a rock on the MTT and her knee lost...she's on crutches for another week as her stitches heal.
This week our field of runners will expand to include our Summer Runners, and we will race on Friday evening under the lights at Roper Park in Jasper in the perennial crowd favorite: Pickens Preview. Runners can expect a flat, fast course with a LOT of crowd cheering and high visibility throughout. Many JRCXC runners have set Personal Records (PRs) at Pickens. We have had success at Pickens in the past, but each year and field are different. We'll see stiff competition on both sides from our friends over at clubs Great Strides and Georgia 575 Elite, as well as perennial competitors Creekland MS, Dean Rusk MS, and the Junior Hoyas. The girls will get their first look at 2026's iteration of Pinckneyville MS, who were the surprise newcomers last year that gave everyone a run for their money. We should be competitive in all races, but we're still rounding into form so all we're looking for is some fun, some good runs, and to give it our best shot for August. Details for the race will be coming this week.
If your runner didn't participate in the required number of summer runs, or you're just joining us back this fall, your time is coming soon! Looking ahead to Saturday, August 29th, we will have our first complete team meet at the North Georgia Championships in Commerce, GA. I will send out details to everyone next week, but please plan on an early Saturday morning: our first race will be at 7:30am(!). We encourage everyone to stick around after our races to cheer on Chattahoochee as part of Cougar Nation, making this the first meet in years where the middle school and high school have raced at the same meet...and there are several more to come this year!
Looking forward to another great week of practice. Please stay on top of your runners about hydration. We will adjust workouts this week to address the heat and humidity, but hydration needs to occur at all times of the day. Reminder that our Sunday night Family Run at the Greenway is open to all and a great way to wind down your weekend as a family with a nice walk/jog/bike/run at the YMCA greenway entrance in Alpharetta.
You can find the fall schedule, and all communications, on www.jrcougarsxc.com
Stay updated in our Parent Communication GroupMe: https://groupme.com/join_group/113286769/ZzKxRofL
Follow on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1183605125118509
-Coach Derek & Coach Cross
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