The Montoya's

I have a little time this Sunday morning to actually make an update as opposed to just cutting and pasting newspaper articles like I've been. I really have been very busy with teaching, coaching, family, training...One thing that is nice is that coaching and training sometimes get done at the same time. This last week we had our toughest week yet in CC. On Monday I met a runner for a morning 4 miles then a long one after school for another 8. On Tuesdays we always get a school suburban and drive out somewhere outside of Socorro and this week we went to the Quebradas mountains that are East of Socorro. The suburban only has room for Varsity runners and we did an out and back 5 mile negative split run. My assistant coach, Lindsey, took the reigns of the JV runners that day. She is always there to help and support the team and I know I couldn't do much of anything without her. Wednesday was a half day at school and we had a track workout planned. The goal was a long warm up then 3 X 1 mile repeats that got faster as we went along. These workouts are tough and always challenge the runners and push them past their preconceived limits. I didn't run this workout because I was busy with timing and recording splits. For different reasons I did have a significant number of kids miss that day so on Thursday I had those kids do the workout they missed and I decided to do it with them and help them with pacing. All this working out with the kids has really gotten me into great running shape and I found that I could pace them to a 6:20 mile, holding back and coaching as we ran. That really ups my own confidence for upcoming events.

Now Friday was really special as NM Tech was sponsoring a fun run called the Owl Bar run. They have this run twice a year, once in the fall and again in the spring. The run is free, participants get a free t shirt, there is water stations along the way, the Owl Bar gives you a free beverage for finishing, and Tech gives you a free ride back to town. What I didn't say was that the race starts on campus, runs down to the Bosque and along the Rio Grande to the Owl Bar and Cafe 13 miles South of Socorro. I wasn't sure about having the kids do this run as it is long (for any age) and we had a meet on Saturday. I finaly decided to let whoever wanted to do it run with me and Lindsey again stepped up and held practice for those that knew the distance was beyond them. I ended up having 7 kids run the distance with me and I know all of them challenged themselves, did something that they thought not possible before this season, gained confidence, and became more of a team. As we ran, the groups spread out a little and what made finishing even more special was that parents had joined at the Owl Bar and cheered, took pictures, and asked questions as the kids finished. Needless to say that I was very proud of each and every one of them.

Now jump to Saturday and the reality of racing 3 miles at a meet sets in after a week of high mileage and speed work. The outcome? Every single runner ran a personal record! For some it might have been by seconds but other dropped minutes from their previous PR. I don't think we could have asked for a better end to a tough week. One boy in particular, an 8th grader no less, finally ran confident and finished in 17:58.....an 8th grader! For the first time, I also had all five boys finish under 20 minutes. We are not going to win State or anything but these times are from a junior, 2 freshmen, and two 8th graders.

This meet was also the first time that our school has allowed us to take a bus. For all previous meets we have had to take a suburban and that had forced me to take only 8 kids with me. As my team has grown, that constraint had become something I hated, but I was able to take a full Varsity and a full JV boys to Las Cruces for the meet. The kids all had a great time and I think that word is getting out that CC is definitely a sport that is challenging, but also fun, motivating, and more of a team than most sports offered. This season is already a success far beyond what I had imagined in August and I wonder what next year will have in store for SHS CC.

As for today, I am relaxing a bit before I go out on a bike ride in the crisp, wet weather that has come to town this weekend. I also am happy for Danny Montoya, who completed his third Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, yesterday in a time of roughly 10 and half hours. Danny epitomizes hard work and dedication when it comes to training. Congratulations bro! Last but not least, Mike is racing a triathlon in Tucson this morning. Danny did the Ironman and Mike is actually doing the Tinfoilman! Needless to say it is a little shorter in distance but still a very tough field and without knowing, I bet Mike calls me and tells me he was top 5 overall. My brother is just fast and he always races good there. Well until next time when I have a little time on my hands, adios!