What do you do to keep things interesting while stretching down somewhere in the middle of your sixteenth week of formal cross country practice? Making snow midgets is good therapy, and a whole lot cheaper than a visit with the sports psychologist.
Note: This is the first installment of a series of articles leading up to the NXN finals on Saturday, December 6. I make no claims that our (TCA's) experience is normative for all, but I thought many readers might find it interesting to drop in on what the two weeks between NXN regionals and nationals are like.
There is a very real sense in which the pressure is off. We made it out of the Southwest regional meet and have advanced to Nike Cross Nationals.
In fact, that's exactly what team co-captain Kassie Mazzocco told me in the security line at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport, "Coach, we're going to run hard in Portland, but we're going to have fun the next two weeks. The pressure is off now; we made it!"
Although Kassie and I were of one mind on that subject, she was using her tone of voice that said, "I'm telling you this for informational purposes only; it is not open for negotiation." By finishing 14, 11, 7, and 7 in four consecutive state meets, she has earned the right to call a shot or two. And, if you're wanting to have fun, it's a lot better to have Kassie in charge of the merry-making than some crusty old coach.
In keeping with our mutual understanding, practices have been as relaxed this week as I can ever remember them being. I'm not a loosey-goosey kind of coach, but I have zero inclination to rein in any expressions of mirth these two weeks. This is a (prolonged) moment worth savoring.
Did we feel the pressure leading up to the NXN SW regional? You'd better believe we did. You don't line up against teams like Fort Collins and Davis, UT, for a trip to Portland without feeling pressure. Nothing we accomplished all season mattered any longer on that starting line. It was very much a case of do-now-or-go-home-and-wait-for-next-year. The collective relief we felt at qualifying defies any easy description.
Still, there's another sense in which the pressure isn't off. Nobody wants to go to Portland and lay an egg on the course.
This is the kind of meet you want to walk away from knowing you left your best effort on the course. While still several days out from the race, nobody is ready yet to start talking about that side of the equation, but the thought simmers on the back burner. I'm confident they'll be fully ready on race day, but even 12 hours before the gun may be too soon.
So, there we are, ping-ponging between two mindsets. Workouts have been crisp, but relaxation kicks in quickly when the running is done. A couple of team birthdays this week have helped to keep the mood elevated.
For my part, I keep reminding myself that it's better to err slightly on the side of doing too little than to err slightly on the side of doing too much leading up to NXN. In a real sense, we began training for this about June 5. We've been going six days a week with direct supervision since August 11.
But for the sheer excitement and anticipation of it all, the legs of the 15, 16, 17, and 18-year-olds I coach could easily be in surrender mode. Going a full six weeks beyond the CHSAA season with a team, not just a singularly motivated individual, is more difficult than it looks. We'll take our chances with a lot of other things if only we can come into the race with reasonably recharged legs.
We've taken a team picture and shot some team video, all with Nike's urging of "showing off our hometown pride, team spirit, and personality" in mind. This team does have (a lot of) personality, does have team spirit, and does have--for being from a city of half a million people--a surprising amount of hometown pride. Colorado Springs is a nice place to represent.
Has anything been missing this last week and next? Absolutely, yes. The girls have expressed the sentiment that they miss having the guys at practice--including the one who needs to drop his training shirt off at a toxic waste disposal facility 
. It just isn't the same training without the guys. Respect runs deep, and in both directions, on this team. They are not two teams, but one.
In fact, that's one of the first reasons I'd offer if you asked me why it is that I believe I have the best coaching job on the planet.