So, what goes through a coach’s mind after such a defeat? A myriad of emotions. Especially since we thought we had a legitimate chance to win this meet.

The first initial reaction is disappointment, of course. Especially since it was such a close meet. We were eight points out of first place. I knew after Linganore’s fifth runner came across the line in the top-20 that they had won. I walked away from my usual spot by the finish line to try and be by myself to collect my thoughts.

My runners know enough to stay away from me during this time, no matter how well or bad they ran. During this time, you start questioning your work-outs leading up to this meet, if you might’ve given too much of a break to certain runners, or if you simply were not prepared.

I also start thinking about people I might have let down, such as the runners’ parents, the teachers who showed up, other coaches from Walkersville who showed up, even alumni’s parents who made an appearance. They were all so excited about this weekend. But it’s just part of my nature — I can’t help but feel bad for them.

Cross Country is unique in the fact that the coaches are all extremely accessible before, during, and after the meet. We’re not confined to a sideline or a bench that is not accessible for spectators. I had a couple parents approach me during this time to offer words of encouragement. And to those parents — thank you. I think our team has some of the best support from parents in the area. And thank you for that as well.

But anyway ... The initial disappointment lasted for about 15 minutes for me. Talking to those parents help you snap out of that emotion. After that, you start analyzing what went wrong for you during the race. This is the start of the “reflection” period for me. You look at your runners’ times and placings. Who ran a good race? Who dropped a dud? How would things have played out if so-and-so had finished where you thought he would’ve finished?

After my reflection period, you start to realize the positives of the race. For me, there were a few positives to be taken away from this particular race. Stephen Keith ran a decent race in finishing fourth for us. Christian Blackner continues his second-half surge of the season with a strong sixth-place showing. Same thing with Edward Hong, who finished 16th for us. Hugo Morales — normally our seventh runner — had a monster race. He was our number four runner in also placing in the top 20.

So you start taking these positives, and next you talk to the runners who had an off race. You ask them what went wrong, and if they learned anything from it. You take both of these things into account, and you start to feel even better about things.

Second place in the County meet is nothing to be ashamed of or to hang your head about. I was talking to Coach Coleman — the Urbana boys’ coach — about the meet later on. We were talking about how the whole entire county has improved over the past couple years. Linganore’s going to be a force for years to come with their young squad. Urbana is going to be tough as always. Same with Middletown. Tuscarora is, I think, the most improved team in the County this year. I think Frederick is also going to start making some noise in the future. I think Thomas Johnson will also bounce back.

So by the time we boarded the bus to make the trip back to Walkersville, I was actually feeling pretty good about the day. Even though we had a couple runners have an off-day, we still managed to finish a strong second at Counties. And I think this will give us some momentum heading into our next meet.

Next up we have our Regional Championships at Middletown Park this Thursday. Another shot at redemption, but the ultimate goal is to qualify for States. As I said in one of my previous blogs — and I think the Middletown guys will back me up on this — our Region is LOADED.

I don’t think it is a stretch for me to say that three or four teams from our Region will be in the top five team-wise at the State Championships. If you thought Counties was close, I think this meet is going to be even closer.

Post your comments »