Ran on River Trail to Spring Hollow campground and back with Dave, Ben, Jon, Cody, and Dan. Very easy pace. 33 miles running for the week, 36 scheduled for next week.
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I have to brag here a little, because I'm proud...my Alma Mater, Calvin College, just won the NCAA D-III National XC title today with a team score of 37 points. That is very low. Second place had 92 points. The Calvin runners came in 2, 5, 12, 16, 17, (31), (51). This means that they had 6 All Americans (Top 35), and is probably one of the lowest team scores in D-III history. Amazing. I'm quite a proud alumnus. This is the 9th straight year the Calvin men have trophied at nationals (one 4th place, four 2nd places, and four championships). At Calvin they taught us to run as a pack, because teammates running together can achieve greater feats than individuals running for their own ends. That pack and running for team goals is what made the Calvin program great when I was there, and looking at these results, that concept is still running strong. I believe that one of the reasons of my own degradation of performance post-collegiately is that I lost my teammates, the people who pushed me, dreamed with me, and gave me a reason to be fast...for them. Running as an individual is tough because all you have is you; no one is there to pick you up, hold you accountable, and push you to new levels.
Anyway, congrats to the Calvin men, and also the women's team, who pulled out a suprise 3rd-place team trophy! Way to keep the dynasty going! | 