2009 Season

  Before discussing the current LVC XC season, it is very important for me to stress how young our team is.  This is particularly important due to the size of our team, we do not have the depth that some of the other teams in the conference have, so we must rely on everyone performing to their very best for the team to reach its full potential.  With only one senior and one junior, youth could be the word that defines our team.  For many freshmen, their first XC season can be difficult as they have to adjust to the many aspects of college life as well as higher mileage and more running related expectations off the course.  For the 2009 LVC XC team, the freshmen have stepped in and been able to compete and place high right away, despite each of them having some sore spots or injuries throughout the season.  Without this group, our season would have been a very difficult one.  The other major part of our team is the sophomore class and many of them put in their first real summer training under Coach O’Brien’s program. 

  This has been a unique and somewhat frustrating season for our team as nearly all of our runners on both the men and women’s teams have had to endure an injury period, some during and some before the season.  Injuries may play more of a role in cross country than any other sport, due to the physical pounding your body takes day after day and the simple fact that one individual who is out can greatly affect your entire squad.  In most other sports, you have the ability to replace your starter and although the team may lose a little skill at one area, the rest of the team can help pick up that slack.  A cross country team can work in the same way, however if you lose your best runner they are gone and everyone gets bumped up a slot.  Thus many of us are often called upon to run through injuries for the good of the team.  We also do not get to stop or take a breather, it is simply us against the course for the duration of the race.  Injuries or illness are not an excuse however, as each team no matter what the sport has to deal with these issues.  As a team, we had a good first showing at the muddy LVC Invite, but after our next few meets we were not at the point we expected to be.  About midway through the season the coaches decided to change things up a little bit.  Morning practices were made mandatory, and although sometimes waking at 6:30 is the last thing you want to do (especially when the Phillies game runs late) the entire team has done a great job in attending and has done a great job in focusing our energy on MACs, which now is only a few days away.

  Our lone junior Brad Sweigart is a warrior, plain and simple.  He is incredibly consistent and puts in great results every time he is out on the course, regardless of how he feels or what the conditions are.  As his roommate, his laid-back demeanor and dedication have helped me as I have struggled through one of the more frustrating seasons of my life.  As our only senior, and one of the only people to be under Coach O’Brien’s tutelage for three years, we felt that a jump in mileage would be beneficial to my final season as a Cross Country runner.  I also competed for the LVC Track team in the Spring, trying to do everything possible to have a successful XC season.  Early in the season I looked good, I was able to run workouts quicker and stronger than seasons past with less fatigue.  As the season has progressed, my workout ability has not changed much, but my racing has flat lined.  The best explanation we have for this is that my body is stuck in my summer training pace mode and cannot break out of it.  With that in mind, we have employed a crash training philosophy over the last few weeks to try to improve my turnover, break the rut and finish the season on a high note.  Without going into too much detail, this program consists of one high intensity week of high mileage and many workouts, often one in the morning and another in the afternoon.  This is followed by about a week of very slow running, and then another 3 day high intensity session.  This program is not for the faint of heart, but I knew it was my best chance to make an impact at MACs.  The first session ended with the 2 Mile 1 Mile indicator workout which Coach highlighted in his last post.  Many of you may have seen me running a lot in the rain, including a track workout in a hour and a half track workout in driving rain and sub-40 degree weather or running very slow…I am not insane, nor is that slow pace my normal running pace.  That was all part of the plan to try to get me where I needed to be! 

  Although this season has been very disappointing for me, I have had the support throughout of a great group of men and women who have encouraged me and never allowed me to dwell on my struggles.  As a captain and as a teammate there is nothing more that I could ask from this group, especially through this unique training period.  They always are there to ask how I am doing, check how the workout went and keep my spirits high.  That is simply the type of athletes we have here at the Valley across all sports, individuals who care about their sport but also their teammates.  I would not trade the last four years of competition for anything, and although I may not run my best race on Saturday, I can’t wait to go through our cheer and stand on the line with a great group of guys one last time.  Although our season has had its fair share of ups and downs, both teams look prepared to have their best showing of the season at the MAC Championships at DeSales University this weekend, and our team would love to see as many supporters as possible there to cheer us on!

LVC Moments

Favorite Course: Lehigh University, Old Elizabethtown Course (at the Middle School)

Least Favorite: Delaware Valley (hands down!)

Best Race: 2007 NCAA Division 3 Regionals @ Lehigh University 

Best Course to Race on: Belmont Plateau @ Fairmount Park (known for its hill, I always seemed to run well there)

Favorite XC Memory:  Too many to pick one, probably something off the XC course

Proudest XC Moment: Being named LVC 2007-2008 Men’s Team of the Year

Favorite LVC Running Memory: Cheering Jenn Cronin, Megan Long, Amy Willow and Jeremy Ansbach in their respective 1500s at the 2008 MAC Track & Field Championships

  Running in College

As the lone senior on the men’s Cross Country team, it is incredible to look back over the last four years and think about all of my experiences.  This two part entry looks at what running Cross Country is all about, and the LVC XC 2009 Season in general.  What I have to say comes from my XC experience, but it can go for many of the sports here at LVC.  Although I was one of the top runners on my high school team, my times were middle of the road.  Most of my best times were right around the nineteen minute mark, not overly impressive.  Coming from a small and somewhat limited program, I questioned whether I would be able to run at the collegiate level.  Over the next four years, I went from running a tick above six minute pace over a 5K in HS to sub 6:00 minute pace over five miles in college.  Throughout the last four years, I have greatly improved my running and have learned a lot about how the body reacts to running, which will be very helpful in my future as a Physical Therapist.  Through running I have learned a lot more about myself as a person, how to be a leader, and how to deal with adversity.

In high school, many runners are able to get by solely on natural ability with little focus required on proper nutrition, base training or strength/plyometric training.  In college, running is only one of the components of a Cross Country runner.  Collegiate distance running is largely a year round sport, requiring dedication, perseverance and hard work.  Many distance runners run XC in the fall, Indoor Track in the Winter and Outdoor in the Spring.  For these runners, each season provides its own hurdles and obstacles as you must keep your legs going for more than 3/4ths of each year.  There are some runners who compete solely in XC, choosing to participate in other sports or take time off during the other seasons.  Whether you run all three seasons or just one, base mileage is seen as very important.  Running a lot of distance miles in preparation for the upcoming season allows your body to prepare itself for the rigors of the season and hopefully not break down as you adjust to workouts and races.  Proper nutrition, hydration and adequate rest are also important in keeping your body healthy and able to deal with the daily strain placed on your body.  This season was the first where the LVC XC team had a defined strength and plyometric program, developed by former runner and current Assistant Coach Chris Bauer.  This program introduced a lot of exercises that we had never done before, and although they challenged us, they also made us stronger as runners.  Running is not just show up at practice in the afternoon, do the workout and that’s all for the day, instead extra runs to increase mileage and the items listed above all play a role in allowing a runner to being the best that they can be. 

Through running XC, I have met a lot of people from other schools and made lasting friendships within the LVC running team.  As a Freshmen, the upperclassmen of that team, including Kyle Himmelreich and James O’Brien (who would become the LVC coach by my Junior year) took our class of 2010 under their wing and led us not only on the course but also in learning the LVC XC way.  Some of the most vivid memories of Freshmen year include our extra long dinners because no one wanted to go do their school work, and our first introduction to the LVC XC pre-race cheer.  This cheer, often the loudest at any race we go to, was started in the early 1990s and continues to be almost exactly the same today.  Although some of our teammates graduate each year and new faces step in to fill the shoes, the camaraderie between the LVC XC team stays largely the same.  Last year's seniors were large in numbers but also large in heart.  This group was very diverse and unique in their personalities but they all were more than willing to help out a teammate at anytime.  This is what collegiate athletics is all about, especially at the Division 3 level.  While our results and all of the hard work are very important to each of us, equally important is the lasting friendships and trust that we develop with our teammates.  As a team we are known for our short shorts, long and often loud meals in the cafeteria and our willingness to train in any weather and any temperature.  While I am largely talking about the Men’s team, the Women’s team is exactly the same, they also do a lot of things together and although their topics of conversation and activities may be different, the bond between them is the same. 

* Part 2 of Nick's LVC Cross Country experience will be posted on Thursday morning, focusing on the trials and tribulations of the 2009 season.