Thought for the week: "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them." Isaiah 9:2

This quote has an obvious interpretation for people (like me) who literally sat in darkness, waiting for LG&E to pay a visit; but the word “light” is also a metaphor for things that aren’t electricity-related. E.g., when doing homework, having the lights suddenly go on has nothing to do with electricity and everything to do with figuring something out. This metaphor is applicable in many areas of life, and certainly with running. As I told our freshman girls after their race, “No brain, no gain!” I.e., it takes intelligence, desire, courage, and a keen understanding of both yourself and what you can do to become a great runner. With running, your mind has to operate on a certain wavelength if you want to get better, and nothing made me happier with the Valkyrie Invitational than observing how so many of you seem to be getting it. In short, I see evidence of a great light shining brightly in your midst.

It was a day of great seconds for our team. The Varsity team finished second to Carmel, the #1 team in Indiana (also the #2 ranked team in the Midwest); and beat St Ursula, the #7 ranked team in Ohio and always a very good team. Although it’s no fun to get waxed, and Carmel HS definitely smoked us good, it’s a significant step forward to beat a team like St Ursula. Allison Riedling, Sara Davis and Hillary Raidt deserve huge credit for their respective races. They ran better than even I expected. Ellen Daly took a distinct step forward and Amy Stamon is certainly on her way back. Ashley El Rady ran quite well for someone who should have been very tired, and Olivia Harlow and Amanda Day ran solid races not far behind. Each one of you should be realizing that you are capable of still greater performances, and that you are only just beginning to see what lies ahead. Far greater things await each of you if you believe you’re capable of achieving those things.

Turning next to our JV girls, the lights only get brighter. Last year, we ran under perfect conditions and had 8 girls run 23:30 or better. This year, in less than perfect conditions, we had 14 girls break 23:30 (15, if you include Lindsay Marko from the Freshman race). This was clearly an outstanding effort, one of our strongest JV performances ever. Kelly Dermody deserves much praise for how she responded to my “encouragement” just before the 2 mile. Kelly made a strong move that pulled her from the pack she was hovering in, and helped her run a a very good race as a result. Meredith Craven came through for us yet again and is getting better by the week. Colleen McKiernan may have been the day’s biggest surprise in some respects, but not if you go back and look at how she’s been running lately in practice. Colleen was nothing less than phenomenal. Still more of our JV girls ran one of their best races to date – girls like Kayla Franck, Morgan Lewis, Michelle and Abby Pike, Sarah Steier, etc, etc, etc. And while some of our top JV runners, girls like Taylor Dadds and Nicole P, may feel that they had bad races, I was very happy with their perseverance. Remember, it’s performing at your best on days when you feel like garbage that defines your ability to perform well on days when everything’s going right. Your day will come, and it will come sooner than later.

Lastly, our Freshmanites had a good day too. While their race was more about gaining experience, our freshmen also showed some nice potential. Lindsay Marko will be a very good runner one day, and girls like Melanie Strothman, Olivia Reibel and Erin McHugh will continue getting better with experience. That statement certainly also describes girls like Abby Crum, Katelyn Sandell, Candace Quill, Sarah Robinson and Cailin McKinney as well.

As the lights came on this week, both at home and maybe inside your head, you girls showed that you’re realizing you are capable of achieving great things. Greatness is available to those who seek it, and once the lights go on – it’s that much easier to find. Great job this week girls, I’m proud of you.

Meet MVPs
Varsity race: Allison Riedling, Sara Davis, Hillary Raidt
JV race: Kelly Dermody, Meredith Craven, Kayla Franck, Colleen McKiernan, Morgan Lewis, Michelle Pike, Sarah Steier
Freshman race: Lindsay Marko