Socorro XC

2011-09-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

WOW with one of the nation's best XC High School teams

Watch more video of Workout Wednesday Season 6 on flotrack.org

Race Report: Alamogordo (Boys)

2011-09-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

"We just OWNED that race!"

You know any race is good when you ever hear a quote like that after it. All I have to say is, "Wow!" We kicked some major booty today. It was awesome. It started with the Varsity boy's race. We had some holes to fill in the varsity roster, and right now it's looking like they might have been filled. We had James and Raymond pushing each other till the end and they both ended up sub 20, which is a huge PR for James. He did awesome. I got 9th, and then Luke was not far behind me, Sierra came in next, followed by Dylan. Raymond edged out James in a sprint at the finish, and then Greg. Our Varsity boys came in 3rd overall, which is a huge accomplishment. We have never placed that high as a team in Alamogordo before. Ruidoso came in 2nd though. That we have to work on. Their 4th boy came in before our 2nd boy. We have to start beating those guys, especially with district at our house. For the JV race, it was good news after good news. Pretty much everyone PR'ed. Starting with Jared, who claimed the 7th spot for Varsity next week. He got 11th, and had a hell of a race. Brendan and Hanson cleaned up the race. They pushed each other so hard, and had some crazy good times to show for it. They both PR'ed like crazy. It was inspiring to them running hard for each other, and I'm very excited to see how their season will keep going. Ricardo had a great race too. He always works hard, and I think he is going to surprise a lot of people this season. He had a great summer training and it's going to all pay off. Matt had a kick ass race. He PR'ed as well, and was not that far behind the pack. He was running so hard, I don't think I have ever seen him go as fast as he did today. Adonnis had a great race too. He was working hard and he finally looks like he is starting to open his stride. I think he has the potential to be a solid runner. Anthony had his first race today, and he did really well. I never saw him walking, which is really good. As the season continues, he will just get better and better. We finished off the meet with some great pizza and custard. That had to be one of the funnest meets ever. Good job you guys! You all just got me pumped for this season!!!

FAQ on the new assistant coach

2011-08-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Q: Why is Julie's mom our new assistant coach?

A: Like you, I love to run, and I do 1-2 races a month. I like to mix up the distance, terrain, and elevation. This year I have done races ranging from 5K to 40 miles. My love is longer trail distances, but I occasionally put on my road shoes to see how I can perform on pavement. Sometimes I feel golden, sometimes I suffer, but I try to end every event with a smile, grateful to be out there with health and doing my best. I believe that in running, the glory is not in finishing fast, but in being brave enough to take the first step.

Q: Do you run local races?

A: Sometimes, but this summer I have focused on a race series in Colorado. I have one more event left, and am 52 seconds out of first place in my age group, but I hope to fix that this coming Saturday. :)

Q: If you run all sorts of races, what is the hardest distance?

A: A 5K.

Q: Are you a nutrition nut?

A: Yes. I try to eat food that is an ingredient, not made up of ingredients, because I have seen it help my endurance and keeps me healthy.

Q: Why do you want to be our assistant coach?

A: Running gives you much more than speedy times. XC demands persistence, inner strength, and is a great metaphor for handling life and stressful situations. I hope to encourage the XC athletes to be the absolute best person they can be. Everyone will finish the runs with a different time, but our work ethic and attitude are our common denominator and make us a team. And I am honored to be part of that team.

Q: If you are such a nutrition nut, why did I see chips and soda in your house?

A: Don't tell anyone. In the summer I am weak. But it does not happen very often.

2011-08-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Golden Rules of Racing and Training

1. Run hills!!! Always go the hillier route on a run. If you see a hill coming but it's time to turn around, GO UP THE HILL. Run that

2 extra minutes. It will make you strong and tough and build a discipline that you will use while racing. Don't be a candy-ass up the hill. Run every hill strong and in control. Push the hills and use the flat or downhill to recover if you need it.

2. There's not much traffic on the extra mile. If you are thinking about going either 7 or 8 miles, go 8 and a half. If you are healthy go the maximum plus some. Do those 10 extra push-ups. Do the extra set of sit-ups in the morning. Make it a lifestyle. DO MORE AND DO IT BETTER!

3. Embrace the pain. Think about what this means. When you race YOU WILL HURT. If our sport was easy everyone would do it. When the pain gets really bad, push through the pain and you will reach a new pain threshold. You might have to stay tough and push through it for 1 minute or 2 minutes or 5 minutes but if you hold on and don't give in YOU WILL BREAK THROUGH THE PAIN.

4. Take a chance! You have to try in order to succeed. A gamble won't always work out but when it does, you realize that your potential for success is unlimited.

5. Have confidence in your training. Believe in what you are doing. Step to the line KNOWING you are ready to run. YOU WORK HARDER THAN YOUR COMPETITION!! Believe this and kick some ass!!!!

6. Stay Positive!!!! Don't say or act negatively it only hurts yourself and your team.

7. Get mean. Race like you've got something to prove. Get mad and take it out on the competition.

8. Stay Hungry. Don't ever settle. YOU ARE BETTER THAN THE STATUS QUO!

9. Run for each other. WE ARE A TEAM. Don't let your teammates down by giving less than your best. Missing a long run or a workout hurts EVERYBODY.

10. Set goals. Know what you want and work towards it everyday. Write your goal down. Make yourself accountable.

11. VISUALIZE!!! Think about how the race is going to play out. Go over it in your mind. Picture yourself accomplishing your goals. IT HELPS, I PROMISE!!!!!

2011-07-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Definitely worth watching if you're interested in running faster.

The Lunge Matrix

2011-07-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is going to become a staple in our program. Every season we all improve, you, me, the team, and the program. To do that we need to constantly be looking for ways to improve while avoiding injury. How do we expect any of this by repeating the year over and over again without change. We are a team with 3 years of experience... Not a team with 1 year of experience repeated 3 times!

Lunge Warm-Up from CoachJayJohnson on Vimeo.

Coaching Openings - Join SHS XC

2011-06-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

The SHS Cross Country teams will very shortly be opening up a paid assistant coaching position. If anyone is interested in applying for this position, please go to:

www.socorro.k12.nm.us and click on departments, then on Human resources. Download and fill out a non-certified application and return to SCS at 700 Franklin Street.

If anyone has any questions, please contact Coach Montoya at smontoya@socorro.k12.nm.us

Also, the Cross Country teams are in need of 2 volunteer assistant coaches. If the time commitment of being a paid coach frightens you, perhaps this may be an option.

Either of these positions will require a fingerprint and background check as well as the successful attainment of a NM coaching license.

I truly hope that we have a good turnout of applicants, especially those who are interested in helping with the ladies team specifically. I feel that a good female running role model is just what these girls could use to help motivate them and show them how much fun running can be. The team is not made up entirely of fast young men and women, just like our club we have a diverse group of runners that all could use some mentoring and encouragement. The only thing better than achieving a goal is helping someone else achieve a goal...in my opinion it is even sweeter!

2011-05-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

A lot of you are pretty motivated to make 2011 XC season your best yet. I am still excited from last week's meeting and all the new runners we have attracted. We had 33 people come and give me their contact information and I feel confident we will be able to keep most of those. If you consider that is only 3 classes worth of kids and doesn't include freshman... we are looking good for 2011. With all this Title IX business and changes that are going to happen regarding funding for teams, one thing that doesn't lie is participation. I want more girls than soccer and volleyball, more boys than soccer and more people than football. We have to be doing things right if every year we attract more and more kids to b healthy, have fun, and challenge and learn about themselves in a way they wouldn't have without XC.

I would like for those of you that just finished track to read the following article regarding time off after track.

I follow this blog and I believe a lot of the same things and methods prescribed by this coach. It makes sense. Read the blog and answer those questions about yourself honestly. It's a long haul from now till November and I expect you to be your absolute best at the State Championships, not a broken down version of yourself.

Enjoy some time, physically and mentally to recover. Then start doing some fun stuff that is training without feeling like it. Go for casual runs with friends, ride bikes, play ultimate frisbee, swim, hike, play basketball.... Have fun but stay moving!

2011-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious! We need to make a video next season!

2011-03-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the little things can make a big difference. We will be incorporating more dynamic drills into XC for 2011 so look them over and don't be afraid to try them before we do them as a group. Be a runner.

Watch more video of Ryan Fenton on flotrack.org

2011-03-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

The characteristics of a dedicated athlete - nothing comes between them and the workout. They just do the work required to be a great runner.

Whatever weather or whatever workout is thrown at them they just accept it and get through it.

Watch more video of Flotrack's Workout Wednesday, Season 5 on flotrack.org

2011-03-13T10:59:00.001-07:00

2011-02-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

Nomination page

Do you know a high school track or cross country coach that inspires others to Run Happy? Do they deserve recognition for everything they do? Then here’s your chance to salute them; you could even win new gear for the team!

The Brooks Inspiring Coaches program gives you the opportunity to nominate an inspirational track/XC coach* for giving their time, encouragement, and dedication to support a team. We want to share their stories so they can inspire even more people – and we want to reward the best of the best with sweet prizes.

Tell us about high school coaches who:
• Go above and beyond to build and keep their programs strong
• Make a lasting difference in the lives of their athletes
• Inspire not only their own athletes, but others in their communities to run and be active

We’ll pick the 10 most stirring stories to profile here on BrooksRunning.com and then crown the most inspiring coach in the U.S. But it’s more than dishing out bragging rights. We’re awarding these exceptional people with running gear and cold, hard cash to benefit their running programs.

The top ten finalists will each receive:
• $5,000 in Brooks running shoes, apparel, and accessories for their team
• $500 cash for team expenses (paid to the school athletic department or booster club)
• Membership in the Brooks Inspire Daily (I.D.) program for 2011

The nation’s most inspiring coach will also receive:
• Another $5,000 in Brooks gear
• Additional $2,000 cash for team expenses (paid to the school athletic department or booster club)
• A trip for two to the 2012 Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle

Fill out our online application to nominate a high school coach who has inspired you. We’ll accept applications through April 30, 2011. On June 1, 2011, Brooks will announce the top 10 finalists. The nation’s most inspiring coach will be chosen from the group of finalists and announced in July.

2011-02-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Watch more video of Brooks PR Stories on flotrack.org

2011-02-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

A 2:00 minute PR for the 5k, who wouldn't want that? Right, everybody would. But only those willing to work and trust in the work they are doing will have that capability. Don't let your mark be your mindset.

Watch more video of Brooks PR Stories on flotrack.org

2011-02-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

You are only as good as you think you are, so stop putting limits on yourself and race the race before you. You can do amazing things!

Watch more Videos on Flotrack

2011-01-26T16:17:00.001-08:00

Why not? Why can't you do something? Who says you "can't"? I say you can do whatever you want to. Don't put limits on yourself. You weren't born with an owners manual defining your limits.

Watch more Videos on Flotrack

2011-01-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars. Friday, April 8th, 2011.

Do this:

for this many miles:

And finish here:

So you can feel like this:

And you can eat one of these:

2011-01-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

If you want to take your running to the next level in 2011 then you need to start the New Year off with a bang with coach Montoya's explosive Super High Intensity Training

...More details to come so stay tuned and I'll see you out for track practice where we will indulge in some group S.H.I.T together ;)

2010-12-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

I would say guess who this is but you can simply read the caption to figure it out. Before Mr. Badass won 7 Tour De France races and beat cancer... He ran XC. And he has confirmed that he will race the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in 2011. BAMF.

Motivation

2010-12-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

It's a little bit long of a video (an entire race) but it's worth watching for the story and finish around the 19:00 mark. Inspirational.

Here is a story about the team and finish.

This is a new begining to an ending season..

2010-11-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's been awhile since I have been on here. I can't believe the season is already over, it flew by soooo fast and that's not even cool. Omg there's only one more for a lot of us. How sad. :( But I'm proud about this season, everyone had fun, everyone improved, and everyone got along really well. I'm really proud of the girls I ran with. Dayna was amazing this entire season, and at state she got fourth overall! Coming in behind her, was DamiAna, with her injury for most of the season, she kept her spot and she still kicked butt! Behind her was me, I had a really good season this year. I felt soo much stronger and faster this season. Following behind me was Angela, this was her first year running XC and she was right on my butt all season. She's ddid really good all season and set a career PR at state!! Next was Brittani, she has been running really strong as well. But I can never understand how she can smile while running so hard. LOL! After Brittani was Cassie, who was also a first year runner. Wow, she did great running the state course and she too set a career PR! Finishing off the team was Leah who ran like a solider. She was injured almost the whole season but she still ran the state course when we needed her and did really good! I'm proud of all the girls!! :) I don't what kind of girls team we would have without all of you.

When you put in the hard work throughout the season, good things come out of it. Everyone gave it all they had, and ran their hearts out! Everyone counts in a cross country race, whether your #1, #3, #5, or #7, you are a big part of the team. Anyone can be number one out there, you just gotta get in shape and then rest is mental. Yeah, of course it's going to hurt, but just push through that hurt and when you cross the finish line in pain, out of breath, vision blurred, your going to be happy and satisfied. Next year is hopefully going to be even better as Dayna, Dami, me, and Angela said we would try to get in the top ten, or at least top 20 at the state meet. That would really help us out. We need a better pack time ladies, the boys have a great pack time, so why not us.? I think next year we should have a competition with the boys to see who has a better pack time at the races so lets show them what's up!!! Well, since the season has ended it doesn't mean our tradition ends.

I'm miss you guys so much. :( But hopefully I will see you all in track. :)

"Only think of two things - the pistol and the tape. When you hear one, run like hell until you break the other."

"The gun goes off and everthing changes... the world changes... and nothing else really matters."

Love you guys.

-Lil Nikki.<3

2010-11-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

Last local newspaper article of the season is here.

It is a great read and it was an even better season.

It's over...

2010-11-08T05:45:00.001-08:00

Well another season has passed by. Socorro XC 2010 is officially over. We ended our season on Saturday in the State Championships in Rio Rancho. We took two teams for the 2nd straight year and it was a really fun trip. We went bowling, watched a movie, and ate in style at Outback Steakhouse. It's crazy how fast this season went by, and next year will be the last one I have. But first, on saturday, we had to send out our seniors with a bang.

In the boys race, we used a strategy to start off slower than usual and try to make the last half faster than the first. I admit, I was questioning the strategy around Mile 1 when I saw how many people were ahead of us. I was starting to think we would never be able to catch up to those guys. In the 2nd mile, we were all so close together it was insane. If we finished right there we would have had a 3 second pack time. Right when we got on the grass, Sierra and I picked it up a little bit and we were able to close the gap on this huge pack in front of us. Then we passed the Mile 2 marker and we started to open it up. We caught our district rival, Chris from Cobre, and started to cut apart the pack in front of us. We were passing people like crazy on that last mile, and they were super tired. We felt good though and we went really fast up the hill on the last mile. We finished with a 30 second pack time, epitomizing what we had been able to do all season long. We are all so close together, it doesn't even matter what order we finished. We had two members of our team run their last race with us. Booters was a two-year runners with a great story. Last year, he came on to the team and was struggling to keep up. He ran mostly JV, but earned a spot on Varsity late in the season. This year, he came out of his shell. Starting in Cloudcroft, he really took control and lead us for half of our races. He ran strong and brave. We will definitely miss him. The other senior we lost Saturday was Brandon, and he was here from the starting season, and he was a great asset to the team this year. Even though he ran in 6th position nearly all year, he was one of the reasons we had such a great pack time this year. Whoever was in 5th knew they had to get going, because Brandon was always right there behind them. Brandon had a great year, and he should be proud of how he did, and how he left a mark on this team. We will miss them a lot.

On the girl's side, and maybe Nikki can elaborate more on this race. Dayna kicked ass, as she has all year long. Dayna got 4th (ALL STATE WOOP WOOP I'M SO JEALOUS) running a awesome race! It was crazy. Two girls ahead of her are seniors and one is a junior. She can beat her too so she will be deadly next year. Dami had a great race and she finished just outside of the top 20. Dami was plagued with injuries this year, and hopefully next year she will come back and be stronger then ever. With those two on top, the girls are always a dangerous team. Next was Nikki, who had a great race, her last as a junior. Next year, her and I will be done, so watch out for us to go all out next year. Another two runners that will be leaving are Angela and Brittani, and they both had awesome races. Angela set a career PR, which was very difficult on a hard course. Brittani ran great too, she was working hard. You can tell, because for the first time, I saw she wasn't smiling when she was running. Cassie and Leah rounded out the girls, and they are two girls that can make an impression the next two seasons. Cassie ran the 2nd career PR of the day, and she ran really hard, it was impressive. Leah was another girl that was injured this season, but she rubbed some dirt on it, and got out there anyways.

Now I know the season just ended, but I'm already looking forward to next season. The girl's team will be really strong, they are returning all their runners. I except them to take back the District when we run it on our course. For the boys, we lost two pivotal runners. That's leaves us a solid 4 for next year. We need one of you guys to step up. One of you has the chance to break from the rest and come and run with us. Don't think it can't happen. Look at Booters. That could be anyone. You guys just need to believe you can do it. Don't be satisfied with running JV all the time. Make a difference. Because we do need help next year. Make it up there with us, and we can win district, and make some noise at state. Let's do this!

I'm really proud of this team this season. I think we accomplished a lot this season and we should all be proud of ourselves because we deserve it. I will miss you guys...see ya at track!

-Tim

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

2010-11-07T11:37:00.001-08:00

This season has flown by and I think many of you can agree. It seems like just a few weeks ago that we left for camp in Red River. I suppose time does fly when you're having fun! I remember high school basketball season feeling like it was an eternity.

The 2010 State Championships just finished yesterday in Rio Rancho and it was a great day for Socorro XC and we all have lots to be proud of. First, for the boys, they placed 7th as a team in 3A and our :30 pack time bested the entire field minus 4A Los Alamos. Every boy that ran yesterday bettered their time from a few weeks earlier at Jamboree which was held on the exact same course and we improved from 2009 where we were 10th overall and even more from 2008 where we failed to even qualify as a team. We are continuing to improve and I can't wait for next year to see who among the JV boys is going to step up and if we'll get another Luke surprise like we did this year. We are definitely going to miss our seniors, Booters and Brandon but we will make them proud by continuing on our tradition. Also, I can't help but say but we will be hosting the 2011 district championships and I sure as hell want that blue trophy and the bragging rights that go along with it.

The girls did a fantastic job of stepping up and also all ran faster than they had a couple of weeks earlier at Jamboree. Angela and Cassie even ran career PR's on the course! As a team the girls finished in 8th which is one place better than 2009 when we were 9th and also better than 2008 when we only had 2 girls on the team. Individually, Dayna became our very first all-state runner by placing 4th overall in the race behind 2 seniors and a junior. Dayna has big things ahead of her and I hope she continues to love running and surrounds herself with people and friends that support her in that. Dayna and Dami give us such a solid one-two punch and with every single runner from this team coming back next year I hope for even better things next year. Like the boys, I wonder if we will have any new faces competing for a spot on the team or maybe someone pulling a Boots and stepping up and becoming a leader. Next year is Operation Catch Silver.

This week I want to start setting up individual meetings with each and every one of you and please wash and gather your XC equipment so you can turn it in then. I will also start making plans for our banquet and resting as should you. Some of you will be going on to other sports and others will take the season off from a school sport. Whichever you choose I suggest you give yourself a week before you do so, especially for basketball which will also require more pounding for your legs and feet. Swimming is a little gentler on your body and certainly a change of pace. If you're not playing basketball or swimming we will have some unofficial off-season stuff for track because you don't want to get out of shape completely. It's not worth it and too hard to get back from.

Well, I'm proud of all of you and the things you achieved this season and I have have enjoyed all of it. Thank you for coming out and running, I truly appreciate that because without you we wouldn't be a team.

WE RUN... LONG... WE RUN... HARD... 1, 2, 3... WARRIORS!!

-Coach

District Race Report

2010-11-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

The 2010 district championships were held in beautiful Ruidoso, NM. I was expecting much colder weather but were greeted with warm weather and a great challenging course through the trees with all the Fall colors in full bloom.

We arrived 3 hours ahead of time so we could really take our time getting ready and getting to know the course and developing a race plan. We divided the course up into several sections each with its own strategy. At elevation, I knew the first mile had the potential to do more harm than good. At the same time, my rookie coaching knowledge and my own racing spirit always gets the best of me and the plan goes out the window. I think I am learning as I go just like the kids are.

The girls race went as expected. My girls ran hard and bested the field from last year but newcomer, Silver City, were just a better team and they deserved the district championship and we wish them the best of luck representing our district at the state level this week at the State Championships. Looking at the ages of the girls from Silver, they are almost entirely 8th graders and freshmen so they will be good for a while. This off season is definitely operation catch up to Silver.

As individuals, Socorro had the individual district champion and the 3rd and 8th place finishers. These girls were freshman Dayna Guerro, sophomore Damiana Contreras and junior Nikki Mortensen. Because of their finishes, these girls were recognized as making all-district. We also had junior Brittani Webb and sophomore Cassie Parker run PR's at the race. Brittani ran a season PR and Cassie a career PR. That shows me they went after it because that course was not a "fast" course.

The boys race did not go as expected unfortunately. All season we were able to come out on top whenever we raced against our district competitors but at this most important race, Ruidoso was clearly the best team on the day and we ended up as district runner up. I believe that our undoing was a first mile that saw us in the lead but also left us with nothing in the tank and when Ruidoso made their move we had nothing there to counter with. Perhaps the high elevation and the home course was an advantage to Ruidoso but like I said earlier, they deserved the win and ran almost the perfect race strategy wise. Next year the district championships will be in Socorro and we will do our best to win back that district champion title.

Individually, we also had 3 boys make all-district. Those boys were senior Raul Contreras who finished in 7th, sophomore Luke Malone who finished 9th, and junior Tim Abeyta who finished in 10th. To be honest, the plan was to get all 5 scoring boys into the top 10. I do not believe that Raul is only the 7th best in the district and I don't believe that one person from every team and 3 from Ruidoso are better than our best. But that is exactly the way it played out. It is what it is. Hopefully we can develop and stick with a better strategy for this weekends State Championships.

As a 3rd year team we are doing great things. In fact, in each of those 3 years we have owned the girls individual champion with 3 different girls. And for the second straight year we are taking both a boys and girls team to State. Those are definitely things to be proud of and I am and I hope our kids are.

Coach

Team photos 2010

2010-10-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Some Motivation For You

2010-10-26T19:30:00.002-07:00

With the District Championship just days away, it's all I am thinking about. It's all you should be thinking about too. Picture yourself running the best race of your career thus far. Think about your start, mile 2 where the hill is and everyone else will tire but you will stay strong. Think about how when you start your kick during the final 400 meters the only kick your competitors will have left is the one you give 'em on the butt as you run by.

We have trained better than any year previous, we have put in more miles, we are more of a team, and we will be tapered and ready to fly.

Run like a beast this Friday.

If you run in this manner you will finish and have no regrets because you have truly done your best.

"Winning as a team is better than anything." - Jim Harbaugh

Race Report: Grants

2010-10-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well we ended our "regular season" meets in Grants and we had a great race!

Starting off with the Varsity girls, the gap got closed and that's great! You girls are really starting to run well as a team. Dayna got first with Dami very close behind her and Nikki closed in as well. You girls are gonna give Silver some competition at district and I bet they are getting really nervous over there. In the Varsity boys race, we ran as a great pack (again). Boots led the way for the 4th time this season followed by me, Luke, Dylan, Sierra, Brandon, then Greg. We ended up getting 7th out of 18 schools. We ran really well on a tough course and we destroyed the times from last year. The race I really want to talk about is the JV race. Way to finish guys! Everyone in JV really ran their hearts out and you can tell. Starting with Raymond, he ran a brave race and was in the lead (literally) at the start. He held on to lead the JV boys and regain his varsity spot. Jared was close behind him, and he also won a spot in the district race. Jacob and James ran really good and they got the 8th and 9th spots in the Varsity district race this friday in Ruidoso. Ricardo, Brendan, and Matt ran awesome! We had some PR's in that group as well! Cree did also, on a very tough course and she ran a really good race. Michelle did great! We will miss you next year! Hopefully you guys that moved up into the varsity race next year can experience being champs! We will see...Ruidoso is starting to come together as a team and District is where everyone really races their hearts out. Next Friday is going to be very exciting and I can't wait for it to come

Jamboree Race Report

2010-10-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Rio Rancho Cross Country Jamboree happened this weekend on Saturday. Jamboree is probably the biggest XC meet held in NM and is basically a precursor for the state championships that are to be held in 3 weeks time. It is a good meet that I always look forward to attending because it gives us a chance to run the state course and see how we measure up against the northern 3A teams that we don't see very often. These northern schools also happen to be the best when it comes to 3A XC in NM.

The boys started the day off as first on the schedule. The boys continued to run as a tight pack with only :33 separating the first boy and the fifth and final scoring boy. Our average finishing time however was 18:41 and our highest placing boy was in 42nd place overall. It is obviously very difficult to compete when our points start at 42. In the end we finished as the 10th place small school out of 30 total teams and the 6th place 3A team. Surprisingly this is the same exact team finish finish we had last year at this meet where we were also 10th overall. Hmmm. I know if we ever want to compete amongst the state's best we will need a frontrunner (or 2 or 3) that is capable and willing to run in the top 10 overall. I do believe we have that kind of kid but we haven't gotten them there mentally yet.

The girls were next up and the highlight was little Dayna who continues to roll this season with a 9th place overall finish and 4th 3A finish. Dayna is setting up herself nicely for all-state honors. In order to accomplish this she will need to finish in the top 10 overall girls at the state championships. Running second on the team was Dami who finished a very respectable 30th overall. Last year, Dami had her biggest race at the state meet and is still the only SHS girl to break :20 on any course. I know she will finish the season off with a bang. The other girls need to keep doing what they're doing which is working and challenging themselves to run as fast as possible. Compared to the boys the girls pack time of a little more than 6 minutes is still too large to compete with the best. As a team the girls finished 15th out of 27 schools.

The JV races also had some great action with Greg and Jared outrunning a varsity runner and for that, Greg will again have a spot on varsity this weekend. Jared though was right on Greg's heels and has a good a chance as anyone to make the coveted varsity spot for State.

The JV girls had Cree and Michelle racing as individuals and this was Michelle's last race for the season. Michelle has been awesome all year and I am so glad she decided to come out. Michelle was a little emotional after she finished as she is a senior and will be graduating early in December so the reality of her high school career ending came to her in the final meters of the race. Michelle, I am so proud of you and am better because I got the opportunity to know you this season, thank you.

Next up is the Ruidoso Invitational this Saturday which is a precursor the the district championships the following weekend. In XC, the road to state always leads through district as everything really happens there. There is no qualifying anywhere else but at the district championships so this weekend will be another opportunity to measure up one last time against our district rivals and see the course before the big show.

ROW this week are Michelle Mora for the girls... enough said. And Sierra Cahall for the boys who is the 4th SHS boy to lead our team this season. Sierra has it in him to be really good. He has the best mix of speed, endurance and strength on the team and I am glad to see him in the top spot.

Race Report: Los Lunas

2010-10-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

We had our first ever meet without our loyal coach in Los Lunas yesterday. For those of you who don't know, Montoya did the Ironman in Hawaii and finished in a time of 11:27!!!! You rock Montoya! First off, I was real proud of how you guys and gals acted yesterday. We really represented Montoya and I think Coach Lee and Z were impressed. We showed we are the best team Socorro High has! In the girl's varsity race, we had a couple newcomers for Varsity this year, Eli and Cassie. They both did great in their first action! The girls are running hard, and it's all gonna pay off come district time. The Varsity boys continued our pack running domination. 38 second pack time on a hard course is amazing! Dayna led the girls and Boots led the boys for the 3rd straight week (your going down Saturday Boots! Callin' you out!) Raymond reclaimed his Varsity spot with a very strong race. He was with the top pack the whole time and he got 11th. In JV girls, poor Cree! She had to go it alone yesterday and I can tell you, that is so difficult to do! She did awesome though. She creamed her course PR. In the JV boys, I am seeing a lot of improvement all over the board. Ricardo is running amazing! Jared was great, as usual. You better watch out for Jared, Raymond, he wants your spot. Brendan ran great, I can tell he's is starting to feel better. James keeps improving every meet! Matt had one of the best finishes yesterday and Jacob was running smooth in sick shades! Speaking of sick finishes, Dylan totally embarrassed a Belen guy. 100 meters left, and overcame a 50 meter lead to beat him. Come on Dylan! Poor guy! Good job yesterday everyone! Way to represent and GO IRONMAN MONTOYA!

Update, Events, and Quote of the Day.

2010-10-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Mayfield Update:
All of the girls did sooo amazing in Mayfield. The course was cut a little shorter, it was about 2.6 miles and it was completely flat. So once again Dayna, the running beast, did great. She got sixth place out of about 100 girls. That's soo good! Dami being hurt and not feeling good, did good as well. But we need her to heal fast, we need her for district and state. Great well Dami. Angela is doing soo good, is right there right behind me, she breathing down my neck which is scaring me. But I won't allow her to pass me. I swear both Brittani and Leah do better as every meet passes. Also both are fighting to get that fifth place spot. It's actually pretty intense. Now JV, Eli was the first girl to get on the track for Socorro girls and was finishing pretty strong. But Cassie had a really good kick and passed Eli. Wow those two are getting competitive with eachother. I like too see that. And for Shayna, well she hasn't ran this whole week and she did pretty good. I'm soo proud of her. I'm happy she decided to do cross country. And as for Cree, wow that girl is so awesome. She ran the Owl Bar run (13 miles) and finished it. She said she did little walking, and after that she had the Mayfield meet. She didn't walk at all. That's amazing Cree, and plus she's runner of the week. Congrats. This was Michelle's first meet of the season and she did amazing, but it's because she's beautiful. :) I'm soo so proud of all the girls, lets keep it up! We run LONG and we run HARD! Let's kick some ass this weekend ladies.

Today's Events:
Today was Dami's birthday.
Happy Birthday DamiAna. :D
&& it was coach's surprise good luck party! It was fun and we totally surprised him. We are so good. Well good luck this weekend coach, your team loves you. You got this. :)

Quote of the Day:
"Speed kills... Especially if you don't have any."

2010-10-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm out! Next stop the Big Island of Hawaii. Behave yourselves and GTWD in my absence. Represent SHS XC well all week and at the meet. I'm not positive what teams will be there but I bet we'll be one of the smallest schools... Who cares?! Run it. Get after it and don't be afraid to mix it up with all the runners there. Be confident.

On Saturday at 11:00 am I will start and you can follow me online at ironman.com

There will be live video and athlete tracking. I am racer number 1525 or you can just search "montoya". I hope to be done by 10:00 pm your time.

There are 26 miles in that marathon and it will be the toughest part of the race, no doubt. I will have lots of time to think about a lot of stuff all day and I am dedicating those 26 miles to each and every one of my 26 XC kids. One mile for each of you (Leah already called mile 7). You guys rock and are the hardest working kids in any sport.

It's cool the way that worked out, and the theme for this year is Ke Alahele O Ke Koa which translates to "The Way of the Warrior."

Thanks for everything you guys do for me without even knowing it!

Aloha

District Thoughts

2010-10-03T16:10:00.001-07:00

I'm so sorry but this article will be sort of biased towards the boys, Nikki can do one about the girls side if she wants:

If you haven't heard yet, we will be able to run 9 at district instead of 7, because of there not being a JV race this year at district. And if you haven't heard, it sounds like Brandon won't be able to attend this year's district meet. So right now, our top nine is: Booters, Dylan, Sierra, Me, Luke, Greg, Jared, Raymond, and Ricardo. Now district has become a race of unpredictables. Last year, I got pushed and lost the drive to get back up towards the top. Thankfully, Isaiah and Booters were right there to help us take our first district championship. Right now, our top 6 is running solid. Our pack is tight and we are running good. However, without Brandon, there is now a bit of a gap between 5 and 6. Like I said, district is unpredictable. If one of us goes down, then our 6-9 guys need to be there to pick up the slack. You guys who are in that 6-9 situation need to try to get that gap down. Who knows? One of you guys could be the hero for us in the district meet. Try to stick with us during practice and during the meets. It's great to be the district favorites, but you know everyone there is gonna run the race of their season. So we need to be ready. All of us

2010-10-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Mayfield Invitational

The season is halfway behind us. We ran our 5th race of the season this morning in Las Cruces at Mayfiled High School. Despite the race being moved last minute or at least without telling the majority of the schools attending, things did get started on time and the kids were fans of the short 2.6 mile flat course.

The first race of the day was the girls varsity followed by the boys varsity then the 2 JV races. The Socorro lady Warriors continue to improve with every race. I have noticed they are becoming a team more and more with each passing week. I first noticed it last week in Cloudcroft and I saw it agin today. Girls are pushing to run faster and are getting more and more competitive with themselves. Dayna started strong and lead the beginning of the race then fell back and eventually finished in 6th place overall. Only 200 meters behind Dayna was Dami who we are trying to get back to full health. One thing I was very proud of was the kick that Nikki, Angela, Brittani, and Leah all showed when they ran the final 300 meters on the track. They all ran hard and did their best to leave it all out on the course. The final results showed Socorro in 9th place out of 14 schools. We were once agin ahead of Cobre but still chasing Silver. We will work to close that gap between us and Silver by the time district rolls around.

The boys again ran a very good team race finishing with a pack time of :30, the smallest of the season. We have boys that are all capable of leading us and we have now had 4 different number 1's this season. When we all run to our potential we will be the dark horse of 3A boys. Today, we were led by Booters, Dylan, Sierra, Tim, Luke, Brandon and Greg. The boys finished in 6th overall and were only one spot behind 5A Las Cruces Onate as the top NM schools as places 1 through 4 were taken over by Texas schools. We ran ahead of both Silver and Cobre despite our tough training week. We cannot wait for district and we aren't giving up our district championship from last year.

The future of our program, the JV runners, also ran very well. Jared led the boys for the second time in a row and all of the boys just continue to improve all the time. The girls had a good battle between Cassie and Eli as the top girl. That battle will be an exciting one as the 2 of them are going after our final varsity spot for the State Championships. And last but in no way the least... I have to congratulate Michelle Mora on runing her first XC race of the season and to Cree for not only running the 13.1 miles to the Owl Bar in San Antonio on Friday, but for also finishing her first XC race in which she didn't walk!

I am proud of each and every one of you kids for so many reasons, running is just one of them.

Now focus on the the next 3 weeks of speed training before we taper for the district and State Championships. We won't be our best without it so be at practice and GTWD.

Quote of the Day:

2010-09-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

"Sunshine is delicious,
Rain is refreshing,
Wind braces us up,
Snow is exhilarating,
There's really no such thing as bad weather,
Only different kinds of good weather."

Quote of the Day:

2010-09-22T18:45:00.001-07:00

"Some people don't have the guts for distance racing. The polite term for them is sprinters."

Quote of the Day:

2010-09-21T18:58:00.001-07:00

"Cross Country philosophy...the faster you run the faster you're done."

2010-09-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today I rode 101 miles. Then when I got home 5 hours and 20 minutes later, I put on running shoes and ran :30 with :10 of that at tempo pace.

I'm not posting this on here to brag (I'm too tired for that). I'm posting it because it can be pretty impressive what a body can do when the body is conditioned and the mind is willing to accept the challenge.

Running and XC in high school is no easy road. Training is difficult and racing fast hurts. But we have 26 kids that show up daily to GTWD. Don't let other people bring you down and even more importantly, don't let yourself bring you down. Don't be your worst enemy. Don't be afraid of a challenge or getting outside that comfort zone we all have. Challenging yourself and experiencing new things is how we grow as people. You will be better off for it and the lessons you learn in XC will be with you long after high school.

My point here? You can do more than you think. You weren't born with a users manual and no one knows what they are capable of doing unless they try. And sometimes that means failure and sometimes that means success. But without trying you experience nothing. You live a comfortable, easy life... with Cheeto puffs in your belly button and orange finger tips. Don't even get me started on muffin tops or cankles.

Don't be afraid and just be AWESOME!

-Coach

Quote of the Day:

2010-09-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

"Pain is only temporary, Pride is forever,
Pain passes with time and Time passes,
therefore Pain is just a strain on the Brain without Refrain,
and that's why Cross Country runners are Insane."

found on a t-shirt

- Nikki

Race Report: Belen

2010-09-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

I think we surprised a few teams yesterday in more ways than one. If you guys aren't familiar with the story, our first year doing XC we went to Belen looking like a bunch of thugs. We had on jeans/shorts, various T-shirts, middle school track uniforms, and a borrowed, non-school colored canopy. We did pretty horrible in the actual race and then to make it a complete bad day, our canopy blew away and we had to chase it, with all the properly dressed teams watching and laughing. It was not the best time. But yesterday, we arrived styling some warm-ups, some awesome shirts, and some comfortable sweats. We looked like a team finally. Our canopy is actually blue, and our uniforms don't say Sarracino on them anymore. And we have gotten better in the race too. Our varsity girl's team did really well. Dayna did great, of course. Nikki and Angela are running really strong and Brittani and Leah are improving by a lot everyday. I saw they beat Onate, a respectable 5A squad in XC. I think the boys varsity are seriously starting to scare everyone in our district. They have to be worrying if they are even going to be competitive. We are getting faster, our pack time is down to less than a minute(:54 seconds), and we are starting to do good at these big meets. Socorro was easily the smallest school there yesterday, and we took fourth, beating some 4A and 5A schools (Espanola Valley, VALENCIA (WOOT WOOT), Los Lunas, Mayfield, and Las Cruces High). People could say that was because Valencia didn't have Justin running but I think we would have beat them with him there too. We beat them by almost 40 points. Booters had a strong race. Luke did great, even with a little pit stop during the race. Raymond and Brandon are starting to close the gap. We are getting stronger everyday. We defended our 5th 3A power ranking for sure. For girls JV, I saw some girls working hard and running together. Eli had a great race, and Cassie was right behind her. Shayna was working hard the whole race and Cree, even though she felt dizzy, did pretty well. In boys JV, those guys were working! Greg led the team for the 3rd straight meet and Jared was right behind him. Ricardo ran really strong, he was leading us for most of the race, setting a great pace for everyone to follow. Jacob and James ran pretty close together and James PR'ed by a lot again! Matt was close by them, and he ran hard too. Guys that course is NOT a piece of cake. It doesn't matter if it's flat when it's sandy. It's almost 0.1 miles longer than our other two races (might not seem like a lot, but it adds on about 30 something seconds). We did great yesterday, and we were the team with the closest bond and team spirit once again! It was great to see people cheering. RULE 1: When your not racing, your either warming up for your race or cheering for those who are racing! I heard several times yesterday that people went faster when they got cheered for. So let's make our team faster! Get out on the course and cheer! If you already raced, you know the point on the course you felt like slowing down. Jog out to that place and cheer for your teammates! We run LONG and we run HARD!

-Tim

Hey everyone :)

2010-09-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

It's Shayna!
So first off I would like to let everyone on the team know that I love you guys! This team has been the best thing that I have done my entire high school career, and I am so glad that I did it. Cross country is the most challenging, stimulating, and rewarding sport I have ever participated in!
Aside from the praise, I would like everyone to join the Official Cross Country Facebook page! We have a lot of pictures, post events, news, and what is happening on our team!
Click Here to be Directed to the Page

Socorro Stampede 2010

2010-09-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

We have an awesome race, period. I have heard nothing but compliments on the course from kids, coaches and community members and although the result doesn't do us justice, we ran a very good race.

On the boys side of things we had 4 boys run faster than Trey's time from last year when he led us as the number 1 runner in that meet. Basically that says we are better than we were last year when we won district and placed 10th at State. Boys are stepping up nicely when needed and some are really starting to run fast. To the others, the time will come when you have your day. I swear that we have 7 boys who are all capable of big races.

The girls had 2 finishers in the top 20 overall individuals and Angela was a great addition to the team this meet. I can really see her start to improve as the season goes along. Brittani is doing a great job as the number 5 runner for the moment as she continues to improve.

Runners of the week are: Luke "the Beast" Malone for leading the team and setting a new career PR and Angela Ellis for running such a tough race and staying right on Nikki's heals.

As we start a 3 week long strength phase I want you all to know that you will come out of these 3 weeks faster than you are now but it will require some hard work. We are going to increase our weekly milage and the effort at which we run some of those miles. But that's the point. We run CC to race and to race and win we have to be fast and in order to be fast we have to work... harder than our competition.

I wish you all knew how proud I am of all of you and how thankful I am that you run. I hope I make your day better because you always make mine.

Get the work done... Long & Hard.

-Coach

Quote of the day:

2010-09-12T13:09:00.001-07:00

"Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage."
-George Patton

My team..

2010-09-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

I'm so pumped for our home meet. It's going to be so fun. There's soooo many teams coming here, its insane. But it's okay, Socorro got this. :) This year I plan on finishing all my races and not stop at all. Last year was probably my worst year for cross country and track. My hips were so messed up, I hated it so much. I wanted to run, I wanted to push through the pain, I wanted to be fast. Well this year it's different, I'm a new runner, I'm so much stronger and I think I might have a second wind. I'm so pumped for this season, I think it's going to be a good season for everyone. I'm so happy we have new runners this year, and the team keeps growing each year. Hopefully I'm not as sick for the home meet, I wanna do good. What would I do without running? Actually the really question is what would I do without my dad or my coach or my team mates? My dad is the one who encouraged me to go out for cross country because he did it his high school year, and he said it was really fun. Also for the first year Socorro had a cross country team, my coach needed some people, he too kept telling me to do cross country. At first I didn't want to, 'cause it seemed to hard. But I'm happy I changed my mind. And for my fellow teammates, well they are my second family, I mean literally. I'm so close to all of them, and so comfortable with each and every one of them. We all get along just fine and we definitely love to have fun. I love everyone on the team. And our coach acts like one of us, it's totally awesome. :) This team is definitely going to kick some ass this year. We run LONG and we run HARD!

Nikki

2010 Doughnut Mile Challenge

2010-09-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

What a better way to celebrate a day off from school than to run almost 5 miles at practice in the morning then race a doughnut mile challenge?!

The rules are simple:

1. Eat 4 doughnuts from the local bakery (glazed, chocolate or maple)

2. Drink a quart of milk (white, chocolate or strawberry)

3. Run 1 mile

4. You can eat and drink only in the eating corral located at the start of the race

5. You may do rues 1 - 3 in any order you prefer

6. Puking is automatic DQ

7. If your doughnut mile is slower than your 5K race time, you are also DQ'ed

The 2010 Champion was Sierra in 9:40

Coach Montoya was second in 10:58

Greg Stover was third

Owen was fourth

Although 3 girls attempted the challenge, no girls finished :(

Only 1 DQ but many casualties.

Race Report: Alamogordo

2010-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

WOOHOO! First cross country meet for the Socorro Warriors was yesterday in Alamogordo. The course is mostly flat, on grass, dirt, and a little bit of pavement. It's a great course to get rid of your nerves. It starts out with a wide start then after about 80 yards, it bottlenecks to the right. Our team did great on this course. 11 PR's! That is insane! Imagine how good we are gonna be if half of us already ran better than last year. And we haven't even started any strength or speed. That was pure endurance and we kicked butt. Dayna won! That is amazing! What an upset, she beat one of the best runners in the state, Kendra from Los Lunas. This is the biggest meet a Warrior has won the individual title. The girl's team did well as a unit, they only have one district team to beat, and that's Silver City. On the boy's side, what a race. We ran together again, as a pack, but unlike the scrimmage, we went FAST! Last year we had one boy in the 18's and the rest in the 19's. This year, we had one boy in the 17's and the rest in the 18's. We got 4th out of 11 teams, our best finish at this meet. We beat all the teams from our district. Only one Silver boy got in front of us, but we can beat him. We made a statement with this race. We are the team to beat for the second year in a row. Luke was a beast again! He ran great, skipping the 19's straight to the 18's. Our start as a team looked sort of bad, but we passed a bunch of tired runners. Our younger runners also had success! Cree PR'ed by 21 minutes!!! That's awesome! Everyone ran faster then last week. Greg had a great race, he looked strong the whole way through. And also, we got some compliments from our amazing shoes. We had a great time. We were the top finisher for small schools for sure. Our pack time was about a minute. It is looking like we are gonna have a fun and accomplished season. We put a scare into our fellow district teams, they know they are gonna have to work super hard just to compete with us. Looking forward to our meet. My goal: Beat Valencia for the first time. We can do it. GO WARRIORS!

Tim

Alamogordo Pics

2010-09-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Yeah we ran... And did pretty well. BUT we also had FUN!!

3A State Preview

2010-08-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

From the NM CC coaches forum

3A Boys Team

1. Santa Fe Indian School, Braves
The Braves return 4 of 7 runners off of their 2009 State Championship team including 3 runners who could take home state medals for top 10 (Santiago Pasquale, Jesse Madalena, and Stephen Mora.) Coach John Grimley has also done an excellent job of building a strong JV program that will be called upon to shore up the back end of the line-up. SFIS has won three Boy’s State Championships in school history. To win their 4th the Braves will have to hold off some tough competition as the 3A division brings back a pack of young legs.

2. Zuni, Thunderbirds
The 2009 Zuni Thunderbird comes fully equipped with turbo, cruise control and powerful engine. It has the capability of going 0 to a state championship in under 3 months. In the past the Thunderbird has cruised to 13 State Championships with the last one coming in 2007. This year the Thunderbird will utilize two top drivers (Brannon Wallace and Kevin Gia). Both drivers are proven on oval as well as off road courses. Count on Crew Chief Chris Carrol having this puppy running smooth all season.

3. Pojoaque Valley
The great philosopher Lock once said, “Just Shut Up and Run.” If the 2010 Elkes followed this advise this summer they will have an excellent chance at taking home another state title to Pojoaque. The Elks return 5 of 7 runners off of a team that finished 2nd in 2009. But they will have to make up of the loss of their #1 Elk, James Viarreal who graduated in May. Head Coach Alan Lockridge has guided 3 teams to the top of the podium in the 2000s (2000, 2002, 2003) and this year’s squad could make it four. The 3A division looks like a 3 team battle.

4. Shiprock, Chieftains
The 3A division looks like it falls off a bit after the “Big 3” but the Chieftains may have enough firepower to catch a team if they falter. Shiprock returns 5 runners indcluding their top 3 (Herbert Beyalle III, Deion Benally and Robert Lapahie.) But the Cheiftains may struggle after that as no one else was able to break 18 minutes on the Rio Rancho course. Head Coach Brian Paniagua will have his hands full attempting to close the gap between his #3 and #4 runners.

5. St. Michael's, Horsemen
Coach Lenny Gurule returns all 7 of his runners from a squad that finished 6th in 2009. The Horsemen are led by Andres Gonzales who should have a shot at taking home the individual title. St. Mike’s young runners will have to grow up in a hurry if they have aspirations of standing on the podium. Don’t count them out of the mix though. Gurule has a history of building tough teams following ‘down’ years. I would not be surprised if they were ranked in the top 3 going into the State Championships.

Other Teams to watch: Thoreau, Hope Christian, Socorro, Cobre

3A Individuals

1. Eric Fenton-12 Hope Christian (2009 XC 2nd 15:56; State Track 2010, 3200m 5th 10:11, 1600m 1st 4:32)
2. Andres Gonzales-11 St. Michael's (2009 XC 7th 16:24; State Track 2010, 3200m 3rd 10:00, 1600m 7th 4:41, 800m 6th 2:06)
3. Brannon Wallace-12 Zuni (2009 XC 4th 16:16, State Track 2010, 1600m 4th 4:36, 800m 4th 2:02)
4. Steven Mora-12 Santa Fe Indian (2009 XC 13th 16:46; State Track 2010 3200m 6th 10:13, 1600m 2nd 4:34)
5. Kevin Gia-11 Zuni 5(2009 XC 10th 16:37; State Track 2010, 3200m 4th 10:08, 1600m 9th 4:48)
6. Jesse Madalena-11 Santa Fe Indian (2009 XC 11th 16:38)
7. Daniel Santistevan-12 Pojoaque Valley (2009 XC 9th 16:32
8. Brian Maestas-10 Robertson (2009 XC 14th 16:54, State Track 2010 3200m 9th 10:25
9. Santiago Pasquale-11 Santa Fe Indian (2009 XC 8th 16:25
10. Sam Roybal-11 Pojoaque Valley (2009 XC 12th 16:41

Others to Watch: Herbert Beyalle III-11 Shiprock, Devin Casamero-10 Thoreau, Cole Nez Thoreau, Ben Pacheco-12 St. Michael's

3A Girls Teams

1. Zuni, Thunderbirds
In 2009 the Thunderbirds finally made it “over the hump” when they won the 3A State Title. In 2007 and 2008 they went into the state championship as the favorites only to fall short. With a new blue trophy in the gym (Zuni’s 9th such trophy) the girls from Zuni find themselves as the favorites. Three girls graduated from last year’s squad but Zuni has a legendary reputation for producing a new crop of fleet harriers every year. Head Coach Chris Carrol will count on Lean Lee and Allycia Hanneweeke to lead the way. But they better be ready because two tough teams are nipping at their heels.

2. St. Michael’s, Horsemen
After 4 state championships in a row (2005-2008) the Horsemen had to settle for 3rd in 2009. In 2010 St. Mikes brings back 6 of 7 including the 3 time individual champion, “Killer” Kate Norskog. The Horsmen are loaded and ready to challenge Zuni for the title. But to do that Head Coach Lenny Gurule will have to get some improvement after Norskog as St. Mike’s #2 ran nearly a full 2 minutes behind the state champ.

2. Wingate, Bears
Wingate is a school with a great running tradition; but no team state championships. 2010 could be the year that the Bears take home the Blue Trophy. Head Coach Tony Notah returns 6 of 7 runners from a squad that finished 4th in 2009. The Bears are led by Dianne Duboise who should contend for a top 3 medal. If Wingate can collapse their pack time they may be able to sneak by the two perennial powerhouses.

4. Santa Fe Indian School, Braves
John Grimley’s squads almost sweep of the team titles in 2009 with the girls finishing in 2nd. Gone are Marlinda Pecos and Olivia Mermejo who lead the team admirably. Their replacements will have to come from a well stocked JV squad. Currently it seems like SFIS lacks the frontrunners and experience to contend for the title but no one should be surprised if the Braves are in the mix in November.

5. Hope, Huskies
The Huskies bring back 5 of 7 from a squad that finished a distant 6th in 2009. On paper the 3A drops of significantly after the top 4 but Head Coach Kyle Skarkwed knows success and his teams have been known to overachieve. The 2010 Huskies will be led by Emily Nicholaysen and Alex Haigh. Both of whom will need to improve by about a minute if they want to crack the top 10.

Other Teams to Watch: Shiprock, Pojoaque, Socorro, Cuba

3A Girls Individuals

1. "Killer" Kate Norskog-12 St. Michael's (State XC 2009 1st 18:05, 2008 1st 18:08; 2006 1st 18:38; State Track 2010, 3200m 1st 11:48, 1600m 1st 5:19)
2. Allycia Gashytewa-10 Zuni (State XC 2009 3rd 18:58)
3. Leann Lee-12 Zuni (State XC 2009 6th 19:15, State Track 2010 3200m 4th 12:21)
4. Dianne Duboise-12 Wingate (State XC 2009 8th 19:18, 2008 9th 19:57)
5. Raeshelle Largo-11 Wingate (State XC 2009 11th 19:40)
6. Jennifer Willie-10 Santa Fe Indian (State XC 2009 13th 19:52)
7. Analyssa Garcia-12 St. Michael's (State XC 2009 20th 20:04)
8. Damiana Contreras-10 Socorro (State XC 2009 15th 19:53)
9. Felicia Nez-10 Wingate (State XC 2009 19th 20:01.75 6:27)
10. Kaitlin Hutchinson-12 Robertson (State XC 2009 14th 19:52)

Others to Watch: Amanda Ortzow-12 West Las Vegas, Meaghan Martinez-Palmer-12 St. Michael's, Dayna Guerrro-9 Socorro, Barbara Abeita-12 Santa Fe Indian, Kolette Dayish-12 Shiprock

Now that we have got a taste...

2010-08-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Socorro XC team traveled to Los Lunas yesterday, for our mock meet. We got there a little late, got in a 8 minute warm-up and 2 strides, and then waited on the line for the gun. I think the start was a little fast, next week in Alamogordo, I'm gonna go a little bit slower. First off, props to all the first years, who got their first taste of what we have been training for. You guys probably have a little bit of a sour feeling, especially if you think you could have done better. But believe me, ask any of the veterans on the team, we all had that feeling. It will get easier, and it will get faster. The course yesterday felt pretty tough with all the sand. Don't think that every course will be like that. Alamogordo is a pretty easy course. Mostly flat, mostly pavement and grass and hard dirt. So congrats to: Luke (BEASTLY YESTERDAY! SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME), Ricardo, James, Cassie, Leah, Michelle, Cree, Xia, and anybody else that I forgot sorry and will add later. I was really proud of our team. Everyone cheered each other on; we were definitely the loudest team at the meet. That's how it should be at every meet. That was awesome how our top 6 boys came in pretty close together. That's really never happened before this early in the season. It was a good race for our team. Nobody should be discouraged by anything yesterday. You aren't supposed to feel good yet. Our aim is so you feel good in late October and November. I hope you guys enjoyed the trip yesterday, and are getting yourself pumped up for Saturday. PEACE

Tim

2010-08-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

"Motivational quotes are no substitute for motivation."

Just some words...

2010-08-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well another XC season is about to start and I'm psyched!!! Our boys team is looking strong once again, our top 5 may be even better than last year (no offense to Trey or Owen) , our girls team is almost outnumbering our guys team (come on guys, where's the love?) , and everybody seems to be very motivated this year. Nobody has wanted to slack or anything, and it feels good to get a run done and feel accomplished. I predict we will be seeing two new trophies added to our XC trophy case by the end of the season :)

Everything is looking up this year. And guys, once the workouts start getting harder, we all need to start thinking: hey, my whole team is going through this with me. We are all together as one team. We all are trying to make each other better. Anything could happen this year. I know its early in the season, but I'm already dreaming about state. Last year was bittersweet yet again...it was awesome that we got there as a team, but only beating the teams from our district, when we knew we could have placed better as a team was bittersweet. I want us to aim high this year, because I know we can do it. Top 5 Hooah!

First Year Runners: If your sore and feeling down, don't feel bad. We all know the feeling. Everybody on the team, including the people that have been here for a very long time, know what your going through. I remember the first practice we ever had for cross country. I was thinking: my coach is insane. But after awhile, I got used to it. Running is actually pretty fun to do.

Our girls team looks like it's gonna do some great deeds this year. Our girls team is so closely tied together, all you girls get along and that's great. I except a great season, including our first ever girl's Team XC district champions. Wouldn't that be a great feeling to come home and have both trophies? Double Trouble! And we can do it! Starting with these extra runs, such as the one tomorrow, we can push each other farther than we ever thought possible. It's time to stop wishing and start doing, and it all starts here.

2010-08-12T18:55:00.001-07:00

So here is a link to a blog I began to follow recently. It is very honest, funny, and a little rude... But the guy says the truth! I am going to continue to read this blog because I think it's inspiring. He writes the stuff that I think and would like to say but don't. He really does have a pretty cool message... DO STUFF! Do stuff that challenges you and makes you a better person. Stuff that is worthwhile and rewarding. Celebrate these things and take pride in them.

If you don't like it, don't read it. If you do like it, tell me you read it and what you think.

2010 Preview: Boys

2010-08-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished a run with 4 boys who were willing to get up and meet early in the morning before the day got started. As we ran I realized that we will be just as good or even better than we were last year.

Graduation did hurt us in 2010 as we lost 2 of our top 5 runners. One of those runners, Owen Azevedo, never finished worse than 2nd on our team all season. Talk about consistency, Owen was solid and is a very difficult person to replace. We also lost Trey Thunborg, who was our captain and leader and who came up very big for us at the district meet this year, finishing as individual district runner up.

We do however return Senior: Raul Contreras, Junior: Tim Abeyta, and Sophomores: Sierra Cahall and Dylan Gallegos. A new recruit this season is sophomore Luke Malone. These five runners should be our scoring crew so it is vital that they stay motivated and injury-free.

Raul has come a long way in just 1 year. He went from struggling to finish a mile to finishing 3rd overall at the King of the Mountain Run at our recent summer CC camp in Red River. A camp with 3 other schools all part of the larger 4A state class. If CC goes like track in the Spring went, then Tim will be our number 1 runner. He was our best distance kid on the track all season, setting PR's in both the mile and 2 mile and qualifying for state in the 2 mile. Sierra has had moments of brilliance and moments we'd like to forget. If he runs to his potential he will be our number 1 runner and get back the SHS record he had as an 8th grader. Dylan is another with lots of potential. He finished as the top non-senior at last years district championships and he has more flat out speed than anyone on the team. A couple things that he has going for him this season are he ran over the summer and he is really motivated right now. Dylan will be as fast as he lets himself be. And finally, newcomer Luke Malone. Luke is a beast plain and simple. He came out for track and immediately ran the workouts with the more advanced kids. He pushed Sierra in track and has the ability to just stick on someone's shoulder and just run with them. He is tough and his size 15 shoes might just run you over if you're not paying attention.

The biggest question on our team will be which boys are going to step up to be our vital number 6 and 7 runners. There were a few meets last season that these 2 positions came up very big for us, one of them being the district championships. The boys in the mix include Brendan Siebert and Brandon Raymond as of now but I'd love to see a surprise from Greg Stover, Jacob Lewis, Jared Lam, Raymond Chavez....

Maybe we will even pick up a few more before the races start?

2010-08-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Socorro Chile Harvest Triathlon

2010-07-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in training shoes for cross country you should consider getting them here:

www.runningwarehouse.com

For 15% off your order:

click on team discounts on the top, then enter CP15 as the team code.

2010-07-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Red River CC Camp 2010

we are leaving from the Tech pool parking lot on Sunday 8/1/2010 morning at 6:00 am
be dressed to run as we will run on a trail before we eat lunch in Santa Fe
bring some warm clothes for the evenings and maybe a long sleeve for running
bring a flashlight
bring 2 pairs of running shoes if possible
you will need some spending money
all meals at camp are prepared and are free
we will be back on Tuesday around 4:00 pm (in Los lunas)
we need some parent volunteers who can drive kids to and from Los Lunas

2010-07-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is how we do summer practice! After a run we slip n' slide!

Some Motivation for the Girls

2010-07-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

2010 preview: girls

2010-07-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

This page hasn't been updated in quite some time and it's long overdue for one. Currently, we are about half way through summer training and camp in Red River is right around the corner. As I take a good look at our team I feel pretty good about the upcoming season.

The biggest news so far is how many girls we have had out running. Today, the girls outnumbered the boys 5 - 4 and we still had many girls absent. It is looking like we will have varsity and jv teams for the girls this year. More than anything, I hope the girls are enjoying the running and having fun. As far as returners, the girls graduated no one from the 2009 district runner up and state teams and we have the district champ and runner up In Dami and Dayna. Last year, Dami set our team record by being the first SHS girl to break 20 minutes and that was with soccer serving as her only form of training. This year she is dedicating herself to cross country full time and I expect some even bigger things from her. Dayna and Nikki are both running very well right now and will continue to improve. I am looking forward to see if we can find 2 more girls that will step up and run some solid varsity races for us. Other runners include Leah Guengerich, Angela Ellis, Eli Ware, Michelle Mora, Brittani Webb, Kaitlin Warden, Cassie Parker, Julie Aster and Shayna Delehanty. We may even convince a couple more to come out before the season starts. So in 2 seasons we have gone from 2 girls total to having 2 complete teams, I would have to say that we are doing things right and heading in the right direction!

Next post I'll take a close look at the boys team.

2010-05-09T20:29:00.001-07:00

QTD: "Loads of people have talent. Talent + $1 = a bag of chips. Without hard work, talent will never bloom."

2010-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

If you're tired of wind...

wake up early and get a run in before the sun comes up! I got up early today and did just that and it was great. I know waking up early for a teenager is difficult, but if you do some things to help you get up and out the door you will be more successful making a morning run happen.

1. Set your alarm on your phone with a song that gets you going. I have Goo Goo Dolls "Better Days" on mine.

2. Don't hit snooze. The hardest part of this whole thing is just getting out of bed. Sometimes you can jump out and get dressed and out the door before you even know what the hell you're doing.

3. Set your running clothes and shoes out the night before. Make it as easy as possible to get ready.

4. Invite a friend to meet you so that you are accountable to someone. Knowing if someone is waiting on you will help to get you there.

Morning runs are a great time to run in a different environment. The air is cool and there aren't too many people on the roads. It's a neat time to be out running. Being able to witness a sunrise is very good in starting your day off in the right direction.

"Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up knowing that it must outrun the fastest lion if it wants to live. Each morning a lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest gazelle if it wants to live. The moral of the story is when the sun comes up you best be running."

An open challenge to the distance runners...

2010-03-23T10:34:00.001-07:00

As we enter our Transition Quality phase of training for the next 3 weeks, I challenge you to be there everyday and soak up all the training, push through soreness and excuses, encourage your distance teammates and pull through the next 3 weeks faster than you have ever been and get those NMAA qualifying times. Distance needs to start scoring points and running with some fight in you, a little bit of attitude and some kick ass.

When we re-evaluate in 3 weeks I expect this from you.

This is why you are here.

Eat right. Get plenty of sleep. Drink lots of fluids. Run like Hell.

2010-03-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Laziness can spread like a sickness. Poor attitudes can do the same. You cannot be a successful runner with either of these qualities. Running is the ultimate metaphor for life because you will get out of it what you put into it. It's not easy and it is a lot of hard work. There are setbacks and obstacles that get in your way. You need to be consistent, you need to know what you are trying to achieve and you need to go after that goal with an almost tunnel vision approach. Surround yourself with people and habits that help you achieve your goals. Don't listen to naysayers or allow anybody to bring you down. Be a leader and encourage others to follow. You are all capable of more than you think so go out there and surprise yourself by being the runner you want to be, the person you want to be. Why do you run? It's a vital question that needs to be answered before you can do anything.

Belen Track Meet Report

2010-02-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

WARNING: HUGE OLD MONOLOGUE

Wow what a meet! The weather was cold and windy-not my ideal conditions for a good day at a meet. The boys team was without a bunch of sprinters, so we could only compete in one relay. A bunch of the points come from the relays, so we didn't score that high, but we still took 4th place. We beat everyone we were supposed to beat. After a few confusing schedules changes, I had a great warm-up for the 1 mile. I got out and ran for 10 minutes at a good pace, and did some sprints and stretched really good. I started off fast for the 1st lap, wanting to get out of the jumble of the first 200. My first lap was at 71 seconds. After that I settled into my race pace. Unfortunately, the top 5 runners separated themselves in that 2nd lap. I slowed down too much, and will need to work out that for next week. I kept my pace for the 3rd lap and started to gain some ground on the top runners. The 4th lap I kicked it in and almost caught the pack but fell a little bit short thanks to my lacking ability to sprint. I still PR'ed with a 5:12 and I was really happy with the way things went. For the first time, I felt like I was able to use my stride to my best ability. Hopefully with some good weather, I will be able to knock down even more time. The 2-mile race was one of my best strategic races I have ever run. I fell right into my pace on the first lap and tucked in behind the top boy from Valencia to draft and let him take all the wind for me. The only mistake I made is I waited too late to make my move and the lap before I made it was slow at 90 seconds. At the end of the 5th lap, I decided it was too slow so I passed him and kept my fast pace for the remainder of the race. I almost caught the 3rd and 4th runners but like I said, I made my move too late. I was able to negative split the miles and once again I PR'ed, this time with an 11:11. I have learned a lot from this meet and I had a great time. This was the first time I have been able to score in a meet like this with some big schools competing. All my hard work at practice paid off and I'm looking forward to next Saturday in Los Lunas.

2010-02-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Track has officially started in NM and at SHS. The first meet is on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Belen. If you're not training, someone else is, and that person will have the advantage. Make every practice make you better. Have a goal in mind, a purpose, everyday, and get the work done. GTWD

SHS XC 2009

2010-01-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

2010 Track State Qualifying Times

2009-12-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Girls

400 meters - 63.6
800 meters - 2:34.2
1600 meters - 5:54
3200 meters - 12:44

Boys

400 meters - 52.2
800 meters - 2:06
1600 meters - 4:49
3200 meters - 10:36

2009-12-20T15:15:00.001-08:00

If you put the work in, believe in yourself, and convince yourself that you can achieve a goal...

... then there is no limit to what you can do. We were not born with a manual that says what we are and aren't capable of doing or being. The only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves.

2009-12-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

XC 2009 is now officially in the books

We had our awards banquet last night and it was great to have everyone together and celebrating our success. The food was really good, our guest speaker did a great job and the movie was a hit. I tried to upload it here but it's just too big of a file. Well, congratulations one last time on a very successful season and I am already looking ahead to next year to see what kind of surprises and breakthroughs are in store for us. Enjoy your break from school and realize that it is not at all absurd to actually go out on tour own and run. In fact, right now you should be running easy about 4 times per week. When we get back to school things will be getting more organized for those of you not playing a winter sport and there should be something going on after school daily. Have a merry Christmas!

Most Valuable Runner: Owen Azevedo and DamiAna Contreras
Top Newcomers: Raul Contreras and Dayna Guerro
Most Improved: Greg Stover and Brittani Webb
Team Spirit: Kaitlin Warden
Perfect Attendance: Jaron Martinez

Guest Speaker: Jonah Ruybalid

Hawaii Ironman Triathlon will be on TV this Weekend

2009-12-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship broadcast will air on NBC, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, from 4:30 - 6 PM ET (check local listings). The telecast will highlight the physical and emotional journey taken by athletes during the renowned 140.6-mile triathlon.

Athletes profiled in the Emmy-award-winning program range from professionals including Great Britain's three-time Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington to physically challenged athletes, military veterans, retired professionals and weight loss success stories.

In its 31st year, the Ford Ironman World Championship start cannon sounded on Oct. 10, 2009. Nearly 1,700 of the world’s fittest athletes braved the harsh elements of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in an attempt to earn the title of “Ironman.” Temperatures on event day reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit and higher at certain times on the bike and run portions. Athletes ranging in age from 20 to 80 years competed in the 2.4-mile Pacific Ocean swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon in a classic battle of human motivation versus sweltering heat and mental and physical fatigue.

My Nephew is All-American

2009-12-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

So my 9 year old nephew from Las Cruces competed this weekend in Reno, Nevada, in the National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships and placed 25th overall in the Bantam boys division. Finishing in the top 25 is what gave him his All-American status. He races with a club from Albuquerque called ABQ Track club. The race distance was a 3k course that he finished in 11:51, or a 6:21 pace per mile. Not bad for a 9 year old! That is him racing the NM state championships in Laguna-Acoma, he is wearing the orange uniform.

Wouldn't it be nice for us to have had a headstart like that? He has a bright future ahead of him for sure. The cool thing about Thomas is that he doesn't "train" per se. He is just a kid who likes being active whether it's running, playing baseball, soccer or swimming. One thing about him though is that he is competitive and has the ability to run hard even though he is feeling uncomfortable. He doesn't quit. It is obvious to anyone as soon as you watch him. This quality allows him to outlast his competition when the pace starts to take its toll on the other runners. This quality is something all of you can set out to improve in yourselves. XC and running competitively in general has nothing to do with feeling comfortable. Best case scenario is that you are "managing" your pain. Running is hard and it is going to hurt. And in order to beat someone else you will have to be willing to hurt more and for a longer period of time than they are willing to.

Not everyone is meant to be a distance runner, it's just too hard for some people. It takes a special person for sure and the lessons, experiences and habits developed in training and racing as a distance runner will be with you long after high school and will contribute to who you are as a person. How long can you endure hardship? Do you quit or see the journey through? You will be better because of XC.

Congratulations to Owen

2009-12-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Looks like our own Owen Azevedo has been chosen to the 2009 All Harrier team for NM. This is a very special honor for seniors. To be selected, you need to have been one of the top 7 senior finishers at the State XC meet. By the looks of it, Owen was the 6th senior to cross the line for boys 3A. This is even more remarkable when you realize that this is Owen's first season of XC and he had really only been training for about 4 months when the state meet rolled around.

For those of you who want to experience success like Owen, be willing to work. Owen was one of the hardest workers on our team. He finished every workout without question or complaint. He was always ready and willing to meet for a long run and he has become one of our success stories this season.

And if you think he is taking it easy now that XC is over, you are wrong. He is running 4 days per week and lifting 2 and he is going to have an even better track season because of it.

Albuquerque Academy Finishes 5th in the Nation at NXN

2009-12-06T10:44:00.001-08:00

Albuquerque Academy, the best XC team in NM in 2009 regardless of class, has finished 5th in the nation in the championship of the Nike Cross Nationals series in Portland, Oregon.

At the regional race in Tempe, AA finished in a tie for first place with American Fork High School from Utah after each of the teams top 5 runners crossed the line. The winner was determined by each teams 6th runner and AF was crowned the SW regional champ. AA got them back at Nationals though and ended up placing 5th overall and their top runner, Pat Zacharias, finished 13th individual in the nation.

Good job to AA and way to represent New Mexico!

hello

2009-12-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to next years cross country team, and being on it. But I really wish we would have taken a picture for this year. Maybe we should think about taking one at the banquet?

-Kaitlin Warden

SHS XC Banquet

2009-12-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

The XC banquet will be held on Saturday, December 19th, in the commons area of SHS. The banquet will be a dinner catered by the Stagedoor Grill. Expect to receive invitations and RSVP's this week.

I look forward to seeing all of you together again and enjoying some good food, watching the highly anticipated XC DVD, receiving awards and letters, listening to a special guest and basically having a good time.

Mark it on your calenders.

2009-11-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

NXN SW

2009-11-28T21:06:00.001-08:00

Magic Word of the Day.....

2009-11-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

CONSISTENCY

As I have grown as a runner and a person, I have learned the way to get better at nearly everything is CONSISTENCY! Ever take a week off when your training? You feel horrible when you come back and try to do a run. If you ever want to be better at something, you need get out there and do work. I'm not saying to kill yourself everyday. But do SOMETHING. And when you do go and get out on a workout, work. It won't help if you go and start slacking off and walking. There are some people that are born with natural speed and don't have the will to do any work to get better (sprinters at SHS). But if your like me, and don't have God-given speed, hard work can overcome that. Imagine how fast those guys could go if they put in the work. Last year, we started cross country very late. It didn't seem that late then, but now that I think of it, it was VERY late. This year, we were doing two-a-days in July. That's better. This year, I'm gonna try to run year round. And there will be some days when I feel like just laying down and eating, but I have to remember, to be great, you have to be CONSISTENT. You can't work hard for one mile of the race, and slack the next. It about working hard for all of the 3 miles. You'll find that LAZY and CROSS COUNTRY are two phrases that don't work together. There is no such thing as a LAZY CROSS COUNTRY runner. Or there shouldn't be. If you are, you probably could be going much faster. I want our team to be better this year, and to do that, all of us are going to have to be hard-working and CONSISTENT. Until next time...

Tim

2009-11-25T16:57:00.000-08:00

Chupadera Trail

Six dedicated XC runners met me this morning for an easy 9.5 mile run on the Chupadera trail at the Bosque Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio. The trail does nothing but climb from the start to the turnaround on the top of Chupadera Peak, 1750 feet of climbing later. It was great to see kids meet for a run when they didn't have to. If Socorro XC is ever going to be on the podium at state we all need to become runners and not just people who run during the season. These kids definitely earned their turkey!

Coach

Race Report: Tempe, AZ

2009-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

Well our last race is DONE! We got 24th out of 30 teams. That's pretty good considering how we haven't really trained in the last 3 weeks. Our first guy got 18:20's and I followed him at 18:30's. The course was deceivingly hard. It's looks fast, but it's actually very challenging. There are some short, steep hills that you have to go through. And because it's a 2 loop course, the hills just totally took your momentum away. There was a bunch of cement in the race, and I tried to pick it up there and had some success. But the last hill on the second loop just killed me. My legs felt tired and I couldn't really kick (once again, I didn't have much of a kick to start with). I was proud of the fact just like 2 boys passed me in the last 50 meters. Usually it's a huge throng, and this really was really packed. Overall, I got like 129th. Which sounds horrible, but it's actually not that bad. It was a fun course, and I would love the chance to run it when I'm in decent shape. My family came to see us race, so that was exciting. Probably the second most spectators we have ever had (including our home meet LOL!). This race made me excited for next season. Our team is young and strong! Go XC!

Tim

The Future is Looking Good

2009-11-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Now that the XC season is over a lot of coaches have more time on their hands and it is easy for us to start analyzing numbers and results and daydreaming about next season. I found this article online regarding the states best freshmen (class of 2013) as of the state championships race. It looks like Dylan was about 10 seconds too slow to get mentioned, Sierra probably should have, but DamiAna did. Dami ran a 19:53, good enough for 10th best time in the state regardless of class for all freshmen. That is awesome! Congratulations to Dami. Stay tuned as the site will eventually rank the best sophomores and juniors as well.

One thing they are not ranking is 8th graders. If they did I think Dayna would definitely be up there as she was the second overall 8th grader in 3A.

Coach

2009-11-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

This weekend 5 Socorro boys will travel to Tempe, Arizona, to participate in the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Southwest Regionals. This will be the first time we ever participate in NXN but I have a feeling it is going to be fun and an annual thing we can do with the boys and the girls. On Friday we will run the course, have a T shirt exchange with kids from AZ, CO, UT, NV and NM, listen to a talk from Nike sponsored athlete Alan Webb. Saturday is the race and on Sunday we are going to stay and watch Ironman Arizona. It is going to be FUN!

Coach

2009-11-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

OK we need to start recruiting for next season. Here is your motivation.

2009-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

XC 2008 - Stayed tuned for 2009

2009-11-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

The Year in (some) Pictures

Run-a-Thon 2009

2009-11-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

We had a great time yesterday at our first annual run-a-thon fundraiser. We collected pledges and donations and ran around the school track for an hour. Top honors went to Tim, Owen, and Trey who completed 32 laps. Doing the math, they ran 8 miles in one hour at 7:30 pace. It was great getting to see the kids one more time. Top honors as far as funds raised have yet to be determined. Thanks to the parents and kids who were involved yesterday, your efforts make this team better!

Coach