The West Bloomfield High School (WBHS) Cross Country (XC) teams competed at Kensington State Park on September 27, 2014. This meet was the first county meet of the XC season and both the girls and boys teams competed against 30 teams in the Oakland County area. In the 5000 meters (3.1 miles) event, the boys team placed 21st out of 28 teams with a score of 579 points, and the girls team placed 24th out of 29 teams with a score of 632 points.

There are two XC coaches at WBHS; the girls team coach is Mr. Brian Murphy. This season is Murphy’s 4th year coaching XC. Murphy has taught at WBHS for 5 years and is currently teaching Honors Geometry and AP Statistics. The boys team coach is Mr. Nathan Belill. This is Belill’s 5th year coaching XC. Belill has taught at WBHS for 10 years and currently teaches Spanish.

“I think they [the team] performed well. Oakland County is probably the strongest county for distance running in Michigan and for us to perform in the middle of the pack is acceptable,” stated Belill when asked about the Kensington Meet. Similarly, Murphy said, “I think they did pretty well, It is a hilly course and a lot of people’s times were good for that course.” Overall, both coaches were pleased with the performance of the team. Collin Goan (Grade 9), who placed 141st with a time of 18:51.59 and was the 4th fastest WBHS Varsity boys runner for that meet, however, was not as impressed with his performance. Goan said “I did pretty well, but I could’ve done better.” Others are more pleased with their performances. Robby Niehof (Grade 12), who placed 71st with a time of 17:49 and was the 1st fastest WBHS Varsity boys runner for that meet, stated “Since it was my last time running this course, I knew that I had to go all out and I did, I got my best time for that course.” Another, Marissa Stone (Grade 9), who placed 124th with a time of 23:29 and was the 2nd fastest WBHS Varsity girls runner for that meet, claimed, “[I think I did] good. I got my second best time [of the season] and it was a hilly course.” Overall, most of the runners were pleased with their times.

The Cross Country teams have at least one meet per week, so it is important for both the coaches and the runners to be preparing for those meets. Murphy explained that “the day before [a meet] is an easier workout, but prior to that, there’s a lot of various types of workouts that take place in preparation for all meets.” Belill added they “design workout plans for each individual based on their experience and fitness level with running.” Individually, the runners have their own methods of preparation; Rachel Lambert (Grade 10), who placed 181st with a time of 25:55 and was the 4th fastest WBHS Varsity girls runner for that meet, says “I make sure I get enough rest, try to eat healthy that week, make sure I’m training, [and] doing the correct amount of mileage.” When at the meet, Brandon Coats (Grade 10), who placed 132nd with a time of 18:39 and was the 3rd fastest WBHS Varsity Boys runner for that meet, stated that, “We [the teams] do a 2 mile jog, then we stretch as a team… [and] go to the line to warm up as a team. Then we stand at the line and say good luck to each other and wait for the gun to go off.” With all this preparation, it can be expected that the coaches have big goals for the team.

Belill claimed his goal is “To finish 3rd out of 7 teams in our league.” While Murphy’s goal is for the team is “To move up the ladder [have a higher ranking] in the league.”. The runners have different personal goals; Dylan Edelman (Grade 9), who is a WBHS Junior Varsity (JV) boys runner, stated, “In  Cross Country, you race against others, but it is mostly about racing against yourself and beating your previous times.”The runners main goal for the season is to set new personal records (PRs). Runners set a PR by running a faster time for the specific course or for all courses. Each runner has a different way of  preparing to set a new PR. Ian Goan (Grade 9), who placed 156th with a time of 19:25.27 and was the 5th fastest WBHS Varsity boys runner for that meet, said “I’m trying to run more miles every week and every time we do a new workout I try to do it faster each time.” Similarly, Roopa Gorur (Grade 10), who placed 86th with a time of 22:30 and was the fastest WBHS Varsity girls runner for that meet, claimed she prepares by “putting on a lot of miles, practicing, [and] running hard.” Aside from workouts, the coaches also have suggested diets and hours of sleep per night.

The Cross Country coaches post nutrition articles on the Cross Country Website for the runners to read and hopefully follow. The links to these articles are included below. Each runner’s diet is similar, and two runners share their diets for the XC season: “Carb load: bread, wheat, pasta,” said Justin Christopher-Moody (Grade 10), who placed 89th with a time of 18:00.29 and was the 2nd fastest WBHS Varsity boys runner for that meet. Additionally, Juliana Jackson (Grade 12), who placed 188th with a time of 26:49 and was the 5th fastest WBHS Varsity girls runner for that meet, stated she “eat[s] a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, [and] salad.” For hours of sleep per night, the coaches recommend at least 8 hours in order to perform as well as possible. Niehof claimed he gets “7-8 hours. The days I don’t get enough sleep I can feel it during the workout or running.” Likewise, Reina Otsuka (Grade 11), who placed 170th with a time of 25:03 and was the 3rd fastest WBHS Varsity girls runner for that meet, stated she gets “5 [hours], when I don’t get a lot of sleep I can’t run very well.”  Keeping to their diets for the season and getting an adequate number of hours of sleep per night can help the team achieve their goals and run at their best abilities.

Although the XC season is winding down, there is plenty of time for growth and improvement. There are still plenty of meets for the Varsity and JV teams where the teams can improve and move up in the league. Good luck runners, make your school  proud.

Cross Country Nutrition Article Links:

Iron Deficiency In Runners

Fuel Your Run: Nutrition for Training and Racing

The Best Foods for Runners

How to Fuel for a 5K