Hawks on the Run by James McGowan

Fall 2015 Girls Cross Country

McGowan’s Journalism

Volume I

pack mentality With Downing’s emphasis on pack running as a strategy this year, Hawks now do more than just fly together.

Tech Talk

It’s not just about the shoes and uniform anymore. Now, runners use high-tech equipment to aid them in their run.

Senior Spotlight

These Hawks are about to fly away, but their impact on the season will be something to remember.

every mile counts

Adding up the total miles for the runners shows just how far these girls are actually going.

cross country 2015

“

unning is an acquired taste,” said Olivia Niziolek, “but once you love running, you will never stop. That feeling of absolute exhaustion at the end of each workout and race -- the feeling most people hate about running-- is now something that I strive for because then I know that I did my best.” This attitude and commitment, combined with the 2014 team’s 7th place finish at sectionals, 2 spots out of qualifying for the State Meet, served as motivation for this year’s team. Coach Downing said, “The ultimate goal this year is getting into that top 5 at Sectionals so this team can compete at State. The core group of girls’ took last year’s disappointment and used it to motivate them through the summer workouts.”

above Shannon Ryan and Maddie Dingle show off their medals and their school spirit.

right The varsity runners show off their conference championship hardware. Next stop, Regionals.

chasing down nt In September, Coach Downing said, “The team to beat in the conference is, and has been, New Trier. They are on top until we can beat them. They’re ranked #7 and we’re #11 so if we continue to improve, we have a great chance of

beating them. Downing’s prophecy came true on October 17 when the girls assembled on the track at the conference meet with the 1st place trophy in hand. Olivia Niziolek said, “We were very confident because we knew

cross country 2015

This year we will not be relying on one girl to carry us constantly, but for all of them to carry each other. -Coach Downing Left Abigail Krischke paints the head of “Henrietta”, the team’s spirit stick.

we could compete with them as we beat them in the quad meet. Now we have to do it again at Regionals.”

a close-knit team Casey Bomrad said, “Every practice and every meet is time that I spend with seven of my best friends. We had a team sleepover where we had relay races in our sleeping bags; on long runs we explore side trails in the forest preserve to pass the time; and we play the card game Mafia for hours on long bus rides. After runs, we lie on our backs with our legs in the air to drain the lactic acid and we end up cloud watching and talking for half an hour.”

competitive balance One of the potential drawbacks of such a close team running as a pack is that they might be too

below Kathleen Glockner, Olivia Holmes, Kalina Gardiner, Sydney Richter, Maura Lally, Casey Bomrad, Maddie Dingle, and Olivia Niziolek cool down after a training run.

nice to push each other. That has not been the case. Maura Lally said, “When you assemble eight hard-working people who want nothing less than a trip to State, there is no risk of settling for an easy pace.” According to Casey Bomrad, despite the competitive spirit, it is the

below The varsity team takes the concept of pack running pretty seriously.

team-first philosophy that tempers any potential hard feelings. “We are not competitive with each other about the top five spots. What is important is the team and we honestly do not care who it is that has the five scoring positions. We realize that our competition is with the other teams, not each other.”

cross country 2015

pack

mentality

n the wild, hawks tend to fly solo, but Coach Downing’s 2015 Maine South Hawk runners soar together. Though Cross Country depends on each individual runner, there is a huge team dynamic at play. With the top 5 finishers counting toward the team’s overall score, and the 6th and 7th runner potentially adding points to opponent’s scores, it is essential for team success that the pack -- a group of 7 to 9 top runners -- pushes itself to quicken every runer’s pace in order to get the best overall score. Coach Downing explained, “Pack running is something that is new for our program as we have always had one stand-out runner. But, the elite teams in the state are all focused on pack running.” According to Downing, the reason that top teams usually gravitate to pack running is that if an individual improves, especially at the top spot, it might lower the team score by 1 or 2 points total. But, if the pack can push its pace and reduce their times by the same amount, it could mean the improvement of 20-30 points. That could be the difference between qualifying for state or going home. The team’s goal, as they define it, is a trip to State, and with the

new focus on pack running, they just might do it. The pack running style also plays into the mental aspect of the sport. In cross country, motivation comes from more than just a cheering crowd or a shouting parent. The competition between teammates is a basis for improvement. “If your teammate starts speeding up the pace, then you start speeding up the pace, too. If someone passes you--even if it’s a teammate--you naturally want to keep up with them,” said senior Riley Eckhart. Olivia Holmes agrees. “When you’re running a race all alone, it can be hard to motivate yourself to push forward past runners from other schools. But, surrounded by your six teammates, it makes you feel united and stronger than other teams who are so spread out. We push each other to perform to our maximum potential, to race smarter and faster,” she said. The pack has a psychological impact on opposing runners as well. Downing explained that it is a very different feeling being passed on the course by one runner, but that it is extremely discouraging to be passed by four or five at one time. “You see it on the course all the

cross country 2015 time. A runner is holding a steady pace, thinking they are runof running as a pack comes from.” ning a solid race, and then all of a sudden four or five red shirts go “The number 5 runner is more important than the number flying by. You can see [the disappointment] on her face and then, one runner because if they don’t come in until way late, then you almost immediately, her pace slows.” don’t qualify,” said Coach Downing. “Typically, the number 5 As much as the pack itself can push an individual, there is no runner has a lot of pressure on them. As the coach, I am [most discounting the importance of internal drive. “It depends on if often] tracking along the course with that [fifth] runner and they you have an internal motivation to be a better runner. If you are certainly get an earfull of motionly out there to get in shape, we vation from me by the end of the are okay with that, but if you are race. But, this year we have a few ”We push each other to internally motivated then each that can be in that number perform to our maximum runners day you push yourself a bit past 5 spot so there is less pressure potential, to race smarwhat you thought was your abon a single girl. That is certainly solute limit and little by little you preferred.” ter and faster.” get better,” said Coach Downing. The girls credit much of their Imagine being a coach who’s -Olivia Holmes success this season to the pack just finished with tryouts. You mentality. Maddie Dingle said, have the fastest runner the school “Pack running has really helped has ever seen, and you can’t wait me improve my time because it has to train her to be the best she can be. You should be able to make reminded me that my teammates are racing with me, not against it to and win State, right? Wrong. As it turns out, teams that rely me. We are all so close and I never want to let my teammates on one or two top runners have a defined ceiling as far as results down so instead of giving up, I keep going.” they can achieve. Casey Bomrad said, “In races it is so motivating. At the Downing said, “As much as you need elite runners, more often Conference Meet, I had a complete mental block once I hit the 2 than not it’s your number five runner that ultimately decides the mile marker. I had mentally given up and started to slow down. team’s fate in a race, so focusing on one or two top runners is an Just then, Olivia Holmes came right up next to me and told me ineffective strategy.” multiple times, ’Don’t give up, keep going!’ and I did. I ended up That’s why Coach Downing stresses the importance of working with my fastest time of the season.” as a team. “This team is not going to have someone up front; they have to figure out how to get five together, so that’s where this idea

The varsity team prepares for the start of the District 207 invite. The team scored a perfect score of 15 at the meet, and had 17 runners finish before the first opponent hit the finish tape.

cross country 2015

going

the distance

very afternoon at 3:45 or so, traffic along S. Dee Rd. pauses for a moment as 80 girls dash from the Maine South parking lot to the entrance to the forest preserve path across the street. Their home course has them running 4 laps around a square mapped out on the school’s campus. Despite running in these limited spaces, if you strung it all together the girls have racked up some

HoW far have they run?

impressive distances. Coach Downing estimated that during summer training, eight girls trained together and ran 300 miles each. To put that in perspective, that means that one girl, in one week of training, ran 31 miles, enough to get themselves to Waukegan. In 5 weeks, one girl would have run about 175 miles, or enough to get all the way to Indianapolis. For the entire summer, one girl could have gotten all the way to St. Louis. To some people this sounds impos-

sible, but to the girls it’s a huge accomplishment. Senior Annie Dysart said, “I feel very accomplished that we have run that many miles. It is that training in the summer that has helped us compete this year.” Once the season begins Coach Downing changes the weekly mileage according to what the girls are training for. “We are going to be doing 35 to 40 miles a week, probably never over 40 (miles).” In addition to those longer runs, the girls also complete ab workouts, stretch-

Below: Olivia Niziolek, Julia Sirvinskas and Casey Bomrad lead the team through the forest preserve during a practice. The team logs between 35-40 miles during a typical week durng the season.

cross country 2015

Summer running, had me a blast!

Seattle

7 Runners

Maine South Salt Lake City

New York City 3 Runners

5 Runners

Los Angeles 7 Runners

Phoenix 6 Runners

The map above shows some places around the U.S.A. that the girls could have run to this past summer.

ing, strides (shorter distance drills), and even an occasional cardio session in the pool. Despite the heavy work load, Downing explained that some teams’ run even more. “You hear about teams running 7 to 8 miles a day; we don’t pump as many a day. Meets actually sometimes decrease the mileage in the week because of easier days before and after.”

Charleston 3 Runners

Dallas 3 Runners New Orleans 3 Runners

Over the course of 4 weeks of typical practices, one girl could have run all the way to Peoria, 169 miles away, where the state meet is held. It would take one runner, training from the beginning of summer to the conference meet to get to Kansas City, 512 miles from campus. The total summer and season mileage of 7 runners (the number of runners that count in the standing s at each meet) could get all the way across the country to

Orlando 4 Runners

Los Angeles. Despite running most of these miles relatively close to Maine South, they do occasionally get stuck too far from home. Senior Paige Prendergast said, “One time, it started to thunder and lightning when we were 2 miles away from Maine South and we had to sprint back and we got absolutely soaked!”

oh, the places you’ll go Red line: One girl’s total distance for the summer and regular season. Purple Line: One girl’s total distance during the summer training sessions. Blue Line: One girl’s

total distance in four weeks of regular season practice.

cross country 2015

PUSHING Through

pain

ross country is a sport that is not all too focused on skill but determination, physical strength and mental toughness. Cross country is a difficult sport because of the pain threshold one has to endure in both practice and meets. In order to do well in the sport a competitor must push their body to its limits, not listening to their body’s instinct but rather their mind that is telling them they want to win. Steve Prefontaine, a legend in cross country lore, explained the mentality that these runners try to follow when he said, “I’m going to work so that it’s a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.” While some runners use motivation to push their bodies to the max, some use other tactics to take their mind off running. To distract herself while running, Julia Sirvinskas sings the Greek alphabet, only allowing that to be on her mind. Emily Stevens employs a similar distraction as well, singing songs in her head because, “if you focus too much on running, your body and mind begin to get exhausted.” For Olivia Holmes, the key is the bond she has with her teammates. “When my body hurts, and I feel utterly exhausted and out of breath, my teammates on the sidelines and the girls I am running with are what keep me

below Marlowe Bangeman pushes herself to hold off a surging Palatine runner at the Palatine Invite.

going. I never want to let them down and that is more powerful than the pain.” The pain for a runner can turn into a quasi-coach, too. “Pushing past pain sort of becomes routine,” said Maddie Dingle. “Once you find the pain manageable, you know that you can be going faster so you do.” Coach Downing explains to the team that the pain they are feeling is not unique -- every runner out there is feeling it -- and that it is an opportunity. Dingle said, “Downing stresses the importance

of really pushing yourself during the second mile. That’s when most people step back and that’s when we try to surge and take advantage of that.” The team practices pushing through pain, too. Dingle explained, “When we are tired at practice and ask for a break, Downing always asks, ‘Do you get to take a break in a race?’ which is really cruel, but also true. The only way you know you can run through that feeling is to do it over and over again.”

uring a cross country event, a spectator can observe a plethora of events that could happen that would astound most grown men. These events range from a simple dry heave to full on urination during the middle of a race. Julia Sirvinskas uses these types of pain thresholds as motivation. “At least I know that if I do throw up, it means I pushed myself to the limit.” These girls are pushing their bodies to the limits and accepting their pain as part of the sport, adapting and performing against it in order to succeed.

“I think it really hurt the team mentally last season when we didn’t qualify for State. It felt like all the work we put into that season didn’t matter in the end. That really pushed us this summer to train really hard and come back better than ever. Nothing in any race or practice hurts as bad as that feeling of not qualifying,” said Olivia Holmes. Casey Bomrad added, “Downing is helpful because he is so realistic. He would never tell us we had a chance of going to State unless he believed it. When he tells us it is possible, we all feel like it is possible and that belief gets us through the pain of the moment.”

Julia Sirvinskas “I dry heave at the end of every race with about 200 meters left; I puke after about 50% of races.”

Kalina Gardiner “I have only thrown up after one race. I have never peed myself after a race, but I peed once in practice!”

”This is going to come down to which runners can handle the pain.” -Legendary Coach Jim White

The Girls Cross Country team is pushing their bodies to the limit in hopes of qualifying for State.

GaRmin Forerunner 15 Watch

$120 Starts and stops; finds location; acts as an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;enterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; key for menu items.

Back light button; on/off button.

Scrolls through activity; tracking data; Select to make a new lap; select to access a new screen.

Scrolls through data screen, options and settings.

Favorite Features -Satellite GPS tracks the distance of your run accurately. -At each mile, the watch beeps and displays your time for that mile. -After saving your run, a summary screen displays distance, average pace, and calories burned. -Alerts are posted for meeting personal goals such as fastest mile or longest run to date. -Virtual Pacer tool compares your current running pace to your target pace. -Upload your run to the Garmin website to see your run on a map and share the information. -Large display for easy readability during the run.

cross country 2015

Watch Out Data drives this team’s improvement

lthough it appears simplistic to improve as a runner- run faster- it’s a much more intricate process than one might think. New technology, in the form of GPS watches, play a big role. Coach Downing said, “It used to be that you would look at how you progressed on a 3 mile course each week. Now, each girl knows exactly how she ran each separate mile of each race. Then, we use that data to tailor a training program that targets the girls’ weaker portions of the race.” One way this happens is Fartlek training, where the pace one has to run is altered to push your body during specific points of a race where a girl might tend to relax or hold back. Downing explained, “Generally, as a team, we start too fast

above Sophomores Sophie Grabowski and Ellie O’Brien, along with Juniors Maura Lally and Olivia Holmes locate satellite on their GPS watches before going out for a run. below Sophomore Olivia Nizolek checks her watch during the CSL quad meet at Maine South.

and we can’t maintain it. So, to work on this we’ll run six 1000M, but the last three are going to be faster than the first three.. By doing this, the girls condition their body to be able to, at the end of the race when they are tired, keep or even push the pace not only for the last 300 meters, but for the whole last mile.” The detailed information available is used by the girls to get ready for big races. “My teammates and I frequently visit the running website Dyestatil. com which provides rankings, previews, and results. We use these to compare ourselves to other teams, and see how we can beat them,” said Julia Sirvinskas. Previous times are essential information in order to improve. “It is very helpful to look at my splits after races. That way, I can see how my times shifted for each mile of a race, and look at where I need to improve,” said Olivia Niziolek. A ‘split’ in cross country is the time you get per mile during the race. “We typically run our first and last mile the fastest during a 3 mile race and the second mile is normally our slowest. Other teams use this to their advantage and will make their second mile their fastest, so that they can get ahead,” said Riley Eckhart.

“New Trier usually stays back the first mile, and then on the second mile they shoot ahead of us.” That strategy of identifying and attacking a team’s weakness is a vital strategic approach. Getting those last couple seconds off your time is very important and the technology on your wrist can now tell you exactly how many more steps you have until the finish. Most runners wear a GPS watch during practice and races. Sirvinskas,who relies heavily on the info for training purposes, doesn’t use a watch during races. “I feel that if you know exactly what pace you’re going and exactly how much you have left, you will limit yourself and refrain from racing your hardest,” said Sirvinskas. “Our bodies are used to running at certain paces, so we know how it feels to be slower than, at, or faster than those paces.” Others use watches to their advantage during races “I look at it after each mile, and whenever I want to know how much I have left,” said Kalina Gardiner. “During actual races, I do not look at my watch as much. This is simply because in a race I am running as hard as I possibly can, not going according to a specific pace,” said Niziolek.

Stellar seniors Olivia Holmes and Cathleen Glockner lead the team at the CSL Quad meet.

in the home stretch

Stellar Seniors

“For this team, success means a trip to the state meet. Anything less would be a disappointment.”

very team needs a leader, and this year’s team is loaded with seniors who have seen it all. Between going to practice and participating in the meets, these four seniors are almost ready to finish up their final lap in their cross country career. Junior Maura Lally said, “The seniors on the team are natural leaders. They do so much

-Riley Eckhart for our team, and they are able to deal efficiently with any situation that confronts them. Their dedication to the team is incredible. They sacrifice their time and energy to bring the team together, and we are so grateful for it!” As much as runners are defined by their top times, the season was much more than that to them and to their coach.

Kalina Gardiner 18:25

Casey Bomrad 18:40

Kalina has been running cross country since sophomore year, despite never running more than a mile before that. “My favorite memory was when I qualified for state in 2014. I was excited I qualified, but I cried because we didn’t go as a team. I don’t think anyone was expecting me to qualify; I know I wasn’t.” Coach Downing said, “Kalina has a great stride, and she is the quiet leader of the team.”

Casey has been running cross country since sophomore year, and began running on varsity as a junior. “My favorite memory was when we found out the team had got third place at the Lake Park meet earlier this year because it was the highest place we had ever gotten at this meet.” Coach Downing said, “ Casey is way more talented than she thinks she is. She’s a great runner.”

Julia Sirvinskas 18:56

riley Eckhart 20:39

Julia has been running cross country since sophomore year, but has done the cross country summer camps since the summer before 7th grade. “My favorite memory was at the Lake Park meet. After the meet, we were all awaiting the results, and when they finally posted, we all ran to see we placed 3rd overall! It was the first time we ever placed that high at this meet.” Coach Downing said, “Julia is the voice of the team, and she always takes over practice.”

Riley has been running cross country since sophomore year. “ My favorite memory was during summer camp where we ran a 200 m holding watermelons.” Coach Downing said, “Riley is hard-working, and she accepts nothing less than her best every time out. I really appreciate how competitive she is.”

youth gone wild

Olivia Niziolek: SOPH

Kathleen Glockner: SOPH

“Olivia is a great runner, teammate and friend. She smiles when she’s racing and is one of the funniest people you will meet. She is extremely competitive; she is vital to the team because she constantly pushes the pace. One moment I will never forget is when she was in 15th place at the one mile mark and ended up winning the race.” -Kathleen Glockner

“Kathleen is constantly bringing positive energy to the team. She is very enthusiastic at races and it helps energize everyone else before big meets.” -Maura Lally

meet

time

D207

20:38

lake Park

place (MS)

meet

time

place (MS)

7th

D207

19:45

3rd

18:47

5th

lake Park

18:45

4th

peoria

DNR

peoria