The Montoya's

Red River XC Camp 2009

I just returned from XC camp in Red River, NM. We spent three days and two nights there and Socorro was well represented with 15 runners. Although this was the 19th annual camp, it was the first time Socorro has ever attended but it won't be our last. Two other schools attended as well and we had a total of 44 runners ready to finish off summer training and transition to the season.

Some highlights of the trip included running through Tent Rocks National Park near Cochiti Pueblo. The trail there is only about 3 miles for the loop but it was certainly a fun trail to run and had some very pretty views of Cochiti Lake and the surrounding mountains when you made it to the top. There were several hikers along the way but I doubt that trail gets run on much.

In Red River we rented seven townhouses for all the kids. There was a fishing pond on one side of us and an ice cold stream on the other. The first time I saw that stream I knew I would make my way into it after a good hard run. I even convinced two of my runners to do it with me and it was FREEZING! We went numb after about a minute then it wasn't so bad. I'm positive it helped our legs feel better and made us feel a little more hardcore.

The hardcore run that made us decide to sit in that stream was a 10.7 miler that started at 8,667 ft and reached 10,374 ft at the halfway point. It was basically up and up and up. The kids did great and I think I had seven boys complete the run in its entirety, no walking.

We have finished summer training and my kids are off until later this week when things become "official". We had a successful summer and we are so far ahead of where we were last year at this time when we were not even sure we would have a team. I think the kids are beginning to realize that they are capable of competing this season with other schools and are valuing the training I have them doing. Not only that but I see them becoming a team.