RunSignUp for Timing Services

We have had some great adoption of RunSignUp from timing service partners.  We provide a unique Timing Service Program that gives both timing services and race directors access to the race information.  This means no more emailing of race participants, but access to the latest by-the-minute information.

Here are some of our partners who take advantage of this program today:

• 
  
• Road Runners Club of America - http://www.rrca.org/services/online-services/create-event-profile/
• RunningintheUSA.com - http://runningintheusa.com/Race/OnlineRegAbout.aspx
• HiTek Racing - http://www.hitekracing.com/feature.htm
• Lee Timing - http://www.leetiming.com/index.html
• TNT Event Management - http://tnteventmanagement.com
• Pro Race Group - http://www.proracegroup.com
• Michigan Running Foundation - http://www.runningfoundation.com
• Run Snoqualmie - http://www.runsnoqualmie.com

We will continue to build out the capabilities to make life easier for timing services.  Look for some nice additions from us this winter that will integrate some of the most popular timing service software into RunSignUp.  If you have suggestions for us, please let us know!

MXC Weekly Update - Nov. 7, 2011

This Past Week South Jersey Group 3 Championships - We started this season thinking there was only a slim chance of us being able to make it to States.  To do so, we would need to finish in the top 5 teams in South Jersey in Group 3.  We had lost 4 of our top 5 from the previous year, including the best runner to ever wear an MXC uniform.  However, this group of young men made a decision to work - and work hard.  They ran all summer long when the days are hot and the miles are boring.  They stepped up to a new level of mileage - 9 miles per day - that would give them the strength to be able to compete at this level.  They really came together over the past two weeks.  Hammering out some of the most epic workouts our program has seen, including the rain-sleet-hail-snow 5 X Paul Drive the week before the race. The culmination was STATES!  Yes, we are moving on thanks to this dedication and some really remarkable performances. Jack Inglis continued to show his leadership - running in the top 15 the whole way.  He earned a great PR, and importantly helped Horten the whole way.  We had a plan that the two of them should run together.  Even though Kevin Horten was nursing a sore IT Band injury, having Jack set the pace gave him the marker he needed to keep going.  He knew if the team was to have any chance, he had to hang on for dear life.  He ignored those demons that come during the race to just let go.  He shattered his PR and ran sub-17 minutes for the first time in his life. No way he does that alone.  Jack really showed the importance of running as a team and stepping up. Joe Inglis provided the biggest breakthrough of any runner.  He broke his PR by 35 seconds and just missed sub-17 by 2 seconds...  This was a big league performance.  He warms up with a very loose, talkative attitude, but once in the race he runs with a quiet determination.  He picked up places the whole way - focusing on the stripes of his older brother and Horten ahead of him. Luke Howard had one of those races where you learn to be tough.  Every runner has races where they are not at their best and the legs just don't feel right in the race.  Many runners will pack it in and accept that it is not their day.  Howard was a true warrior.  Gritting out every single place to make sure his team had a chance to advance. Reed Kramer had a horrible workout last Saturday.  It was the beginning of an illness and fever that bothered him much of the week.  No one was sure what to expect.  As he has proven all year, he is one tough runner.  After the race he said all he was thinking about was picking up places for the team.  The result was a big PR and his first sub-18 minute race. Mitch Cain and Evan Nece also ran great races.  As our 6th and 7th men, they both ran faster than 10 of the teams 5th men - pushing competitive teams back in the point totals.  Cain also set a PR by over 20 seconds.  Both Cain and Nece have had a remarkable senior year - really making significant progress from previous years and showing their determination to make an impact on this team in their final year. I want to make special note of Jack Spirgel.  He got sick during the middle of the season.  Unfortunately we can only run 7 guys in races, but in our view we have a Varsity 8 this year.  He has been a part of every workout - putting as much or more effort in each day as any of the other 8 guys.  He has been there at every race, cheering on, but ready to step up if someone goes down.  He has been a true leader by example and really the type of role model this team is all about. Also, special thanks to the guys who came up to cheer on the team (as well as a special surprise, the fastest runner in MXC history, Anthony Horten, was there with some inspiration).  It was a fun day.  Hanging the Sock Monkey mascot in the tree, running around the course cheering the guys on, and learning the ropes so that they are ready to step up as they prepare to take the place of departing Seniors. Our average team time dropped from the South Jersey Open to to this race by over 30 seconds.  While we had an "off day" at that race, that level of improvement is quite a testament to the hard work the team has put in. This Coming Week State Championships - Saturday Nov. 12 10:50 AM Race Time - Holmdel Park We head to the home of Cross Country, Holmdel Park, to take part in the State Championships this weekend.  This is a great final race for our Seniors.  A beautiful course.  The best runners in the state.  A fun day to let it rip one more time this season and see what we have.  Can't wait! Also, remember the team Banquet on Tuesday, November 15 at 6PM in the high school. Go to the website for more information! And the Turkey Trot is fast approaching!  This is our major fundraiser each year.  We need everyone's help - we will talk more about this at the banquet. And finally, we would like to invite all runners to schedule time with us to debrief on the season and talk about your upcoming plans.  Eagles, Cote and Bickel will be in Eagles room after school this week and next week.  Please stop by, as we want to make sure we get to spend time with each runner on an individual basis.

MXC Weekly Update - Oct. 31

MXC Banquet - Nov. 15 Our season ending banquet is Tuesday, November 15 at 6PM.  Everyone has to signup for the dinner. Download the form here - http://www.moorestownxc.org/2011/MXCBanquetForm2011.pdf Turkey Trot! The Moorestown Turkey Trot has become a true annual community event for our town.  Last year about 800 people came out on Thanksgiving morning to run and have fun and see old friends.     Joyce Nece is again leading the charge as our race director.  As usual, we need lots of help from other parents to coordinate food and drinks, register people that morning, act as course monitors, etc. If you can help, please let us know.   Also, we are looking for someone to learn the "system' this year to take over as Race Director next year since Evan will be graduating.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping out.     More info at http://www.moorestownxc.org/mdrc/TurkeyTrot.html.  This Past (2) Week(s) Yes, I missed a week.  Lots has happened over the past couple of weeks.  We'll review in chronological order.  Also, remember to go to www.moorestownxc.org and lick on the Pictures links on the right hand side.  Steve Kramer has shot hundreds of great pics.  Hopefully we have at least one of each of the guys on the team.  He captures the spirit of this sport so well. (Thank you Steve!) South Jersey Frosh/Soph Meet - This meet was held down at the GCC course where we had been for the South Jersey Shootout.  We were happy that almost the entire team was able to improve from their races in September - testament to some hard work.  Significant improvements were made by Munilla, Coneby, Ing, Handlan, LaLumia, Bauscher, Malta and Gross.  On a hilly course, we had PR's by Gross, Malta, Nick Poaletti, LaLumia and Coneby. Divisionals - This was a tough meet, and it had nothing to do with the fact we lost.  I expressed my disappointment with the team the next day as we seemed to have strayed from our Guiding Principles (http://www.moorestownxc.org/2010/Principles.html) - Work, Learn, Fun, Team.  The good news is that we actually returned very quickly to our foundation after this race and learned a lot from the experience.  The past week and a half has been fantastic in terms of team support, and level of effort.  The Top 8 has done some awesome workouts and run much better in packs as a team.  And as the next paragraph will show, the Frosh/Soph guys really responded with blow-out performances. Burlington County Frosh/Soph Championships - Best meet of the year.  Truly amazing performances from everyone.  We had 16 PR's out of 21 5K runners - Caffrey, Barsoum, Ems, Coneby, Ing, Sam Spirgel, Voyack, Testa, Handlan, LaLumia, Pollock, Dugan, Nick Poaletti, Malta, Gross and LaGatta.  That is just what we try to do as a team - work hard all season, then taper a bit and put everything together for the final races.  Malta, Dugan, Pollock, Sam Spirgel, Munilla and Ing all had improvements of almost a minute.  Caffrey provided the highlight with a Varsity qualifying time of under 19:00.  It was also cool to see some guys really emerge who put themselves in reach of a Varsity award next year if they put in some good work - Barsoum, Munilla, Coneby, Ing, and Sam Spirgel are near or under 20 minutes.  This provides the foundation for us up top in the future. Spirit Week - We had some great participantion by the MXC team in Spirit Week. Joe Inglis brought down the house in a dominating unicycle performace.  Kramer was a close second in ping pong.  And we held most of the positions for Ultimate Frisbie.  Devin Connelly's Soph's beat Mike Connelly's Seniors - some serious bragging rights in that house... Saturday Rain-Sleet-Hail-Snow Workout - This was probably the most epic, memorable workout we can recall in 7 years of coaching.  The 5 X Paul Drive hill provides over 1,000 meters of uphill to provide a challenge.  Add to that the goal of dropping time on each interval.  Add to that the total mileage from this workout is 10 miles.  But the kicker was the weather.  Freezing temperatures. Heavy clothes from all the rain.  And the harshness of everything Mother Nature could throw at us culminated in a true Cross Country experience.  This team is ready for Sectionals and a hoped-for-trip to States! This Coming Week -  Sectionals - Saturday, November 5. http://www.njsiaa.org/tournaments/2011/11b&gCC.pdf.  We are the last race of the meet at 12:55 at Delsea.  We want everyone who can to take the bus down and cheer on the team.  Only the top 5 teams will qualify for States the following week - and we are right on the bubble.  Check with other team members later this week for bus time.

MXC Weekly Update Oct. 16

This Past Week

The Cote Mile - Our Batch Meet season is over, but we had a special event on Tuesday as Coach Cote ran his first mile time trial with a goal of breaking 5:00.  He was set up well.  A season of running 9 miles per day most days with the high guys.  A set of pacers with Inglis, Horten, Howard and others.  And a raucous crowd to cheer him on.  The first 400 was a bit fast as they came thru in 72.  The 800 was right on pace at 2:30, but that meant he was slowing down.  Inglis hopped in and picked up the pace, but as Cote rounded the curve coming into the start of his final lap he looked ready to give up the dream.  That is when the crowd really went wild, and you could see he was just not going to let the team down.  A blazing last lap brought him home in 4:59.75.  A proud moment and a great team effort...

  

Burlington County Open - It was a beautiful cross country day.  Windy with massive storms mixed with sunshine and rainbows. As the JV warmed up in the back woods we had to jump a pretty big puddle of water on the back trail. By the time they raced, the puddle had grown and they were splashing thru it.  When the Varsity raced a half hour later, Howard hit the deepest spot and was submerged to his chest.  After the race, we went back and took a closer look. The swollen river from the rain and high tide had covered the course and about 50 feet of trail was covered.  Truly a great cross country day!

The highlight of the meet was our tremendous 3rd place finish!  We had been expecting to finish 5th, but ended up beating Shawnee by 2 points and Northern Burlington by 3 (109-111-112).  It is an important reminder of how every place counts.  Horten ran his best race of the year, narrowly beating Inglis for the first time.  Both placed in front of any Northern Burlington runner - reversing the results from our batch meet with them.  Howard recovered from his swim and ran a very tough race. Joe Inglis continues his emergence as our strong #4 runner.  Kramer stepped up as our #5 man this week - running the best race of his life.  If any of these guys had run just a few seconds slower we would have been 5th - the strength of the pack...  

We have a tough choice for our 7th slot as we head to the Liberty Division Championships this week.  Spirgel ran the Varsity race in 18:58 and Cain ran the JV race in 18:58.  We will be holding a mile time trial on Monday to decide who will be the 7th man on Thursday.

Times were not great, but we did have 4 PR's - Bauscher, LaLumia, Malta and Maier.  Nicely done on a tough course.

This is always a bittersweet race.  For many seniors it is their last race as part of the Moorestown Cross Country team.  So many thoughts come to mind.  Mike Connelly's many hard summer miles and tremendous improvement this year and his leadership skills on the Ultimate Frisbie fields.  Jay Jenei's hurdles and that great flash in the first half mile of the race on Friday.  Basle Lavery's quiet determination and consistency. Vincent Lee's radical improvement.  Dan Poaletti discovering his ability to run and becoming a great asset to the team even though he was only with us for 2 years.  Dan Sheehan and his big heart - a sometimes rough exterior, but he has been a core component of this team for 4 years and he loves this sport and team.  Kevin Zhang as a quiet, hard worker.  Of course many of these guys will continue to train with us thru the end of the season and come out for Spring track. We thank all of them for their contributions to the team.  And they can always count themselves as part of MXC!

This Coming Week - 

This is the end of the season for our Juniors and Seniors.  Freshmen and Sophomores have two races left - this Monday is the SJ Frosh-Soph Meet, and next Tuesday is the Burlington County Frosh-Soph meet at RV.  That meet is a great opportunity for PR's and coming home with some medals.  So all Frosh-Soph will continue to train.  Juniors and Seniors can continue to come out and train with the team - however this is the serious part of the season, and we want everyone to have focus on training hard.

Monday - South Jersey Frosh-Soph Meet.  This will be an opportunity for our freshman and sophomores to see how much they have improved since the SJ Shootout.  Bus leaves at 2:15.

Thursday - Liberty Division Championships.   After splitting our head-head competitions with Northern Burlington this year, we are looking forward to a very tough meet.  Starts at 3:45 at New Egypt.  We will be the third race.

MXC Weekly Update - Oct. 12

This Past Week Northern Burlington Batch Meet - It was a strange day in many ways.  Let's get the bad news out of the way. Our 2+ year batch meet winning streak was ended by a very good Northern Burlington squad.  Also, Kevin Horten was DQ'd for an elbow at the finish.  There are photos that show he was provoked, but we need to be smarter.  And finally, after the loss we were acted less as than true sportsmen.  This was due to the sting of the loss and the feeling of unfairness due to the DQ.  But we are better than that. Now for all the positives.  Our top 4 ran like true warriors.  Inglis and Horten really battled right thru the finish line, and Howard and Joe Inglis showed true determination in their races.  I think it is possible for us to come back at the Divisional race being a bit more rested and a bit more ready, with a whole top 7 effort we can make a come back and win the Championship race.  Let's get focused on that goal. The other good news is that a LOT of guys were able to run PR's.  Some of them were huge! Orzechowicz dropped 1:17 and is short of a Varsity letter by only 1 second at 19:01.  6 guys dropped by over a minute: Charlie Spirgel by 1:40, Nick Poaletti by 1:28, Kohart by 1:12, Reubel by 1:03, Macaluso by 1:03 and Handlon by 1:01.  Other big drops were Barsoum by 47 seconds, Wu by 40, Coneby by 37, Ing by 37, and Dugan by 35. It was also great to see some of the injured runners have solid races - Sheehan (earning a Varsity Letter by running 19:00), Siegel and Testa.  Also having solid comeback races were Malta and Maier! One of our Guiding Principles is LEARN.  This was a great day for learning.  A number of guys learned how to break thru in a race to earn PR's and learned about the satisfaction of working hard and seeing great improvements.  Some guys learned how to compete without striking back. Hopefully we learned being a good sportsperson is holding your head high and congratulating your competitor when they beat you.  And that we will come back and face them on another day, having learned from our mistakes and being just a bit more determined to run as a team to win.    South Jersey Open - It was a hot Sunday, and very tough conditions for the PR's we usually see at this meet. The freshmen all ran great - improving drastically from the 2 mile times they had at the start of the season time trial and the Cherokee Challenge.  We hope it gives them a glimpse of what they can do as they continue to work over the next 4 years. Cain led the JV crew and is putting himself in a position to compete for a Top 7 spot at the end of the season.  He is on a real roll, dropping his time on a consistent basis by over a minute since the SJ Shootout.  Lavery had another strong race as well - showing a remarkable consistency of running 4 of his last 5 races within a 12 second range.  Ems also keeps improving week-to-week and set a PR. Coneby also had a PR, dropping over a minute and a half since he ran his first 5K earlier this season. Devin Connelly showed some of the grit he had last year and ran his best race of the year.  Novak and LaLumia also had solid PR's.  Special shout-out to Moorer (26 seconds) and Charlie Spirgel (39 seconds) for their tough PR's.  It looked like both of them were running with renewed vigor - a combination of better conditioning and great attitude during the race. The Varsity ran a bit flat overall.  Perhaps it is the tired legs, the heat, the loss on Tuesday or running on a Sunday.  The team average time was only 6 seconds faster than Holmdel the previous week when it is typically 20-30 seconds faster.  The bright spots were Inglis again running tough up top and a PR performance by Evan Nece.  Hopefully we will get everyone in sync by the Divisional Meet next Thursday and have the type of team race we should be able to have. This Coming Week -  Burlington County Open - Mill Creek.  This is our last race as a whole team together.  It is also the last race for Juniors and Seniors who are not part of the Top 7.  It is bittersweet to see the season and for the seniors, their MXC careers, coming to a close.  A number of them will run spring Track, but this is a great race to come out and cheer them on!  The JV race will be at 3:45, Varsity at 4:15 and Girls at 4:45.

MXC Weekly Update - Oct. 2, 2011

This Past Week BCIT Westhampton Batch Meet - We matched up very well against BCSL Division rivals Rancocas Valley this week.  Inglis showed what a tough #1 runner he is, refusing to "let some (blank) RV runner beat me."  The strength of our pack was backing him up, even with a couple of our usual top 7 having off days.  We ended up beating RV handily. There were a number of stand-out performances.  Up top Joe Inglis was our third man and Jack Spirgel was our 4th man.  Lavery and Kramer combined to lock down our top 7 - pushing the RV 4 and 5 runners back in the scoring. Poaletti had another PR (3rd in a row).  Barsoum ran his first complete 5K and re-affirmed his talent and promise as our best frosh runner with a nice 20:12 debut.  Ing and Micro-Spirgel also had big PR's showing this freshman class may grow into some good runners if they keep working. Shore Coaches - It was a beautiful XC day - cool with the leaves just on the cusp of turning color and a threat of showers.  The course was a bit muddy and slippery and guys came back from their races with muddy shoes and uniforms in need of a wash... Our Freshmen started the day out on this historic course and ran very well.  Barsoum continues to lead the pack, but the improvement of Ing and Barsoum in particular has been impressive.  This class is putting in the work.  If they keep their miles up the next couple of years I think the future of our program is strong! The real highlight of the day was the Varsity team.  To be honest, our expectations for this year were not as high as previous years given the senior class that graduated last year.  We entered the season not expecting to make States.  But yesterday proved this is a quality team, with some real character. Inglis went out aggressively, but was not feeling his best.  He gutted out to continue to run as our #1 man.  Then came, quickly, Horten, Howard and Joe Inglis.  Only a 25 second gap between the 4 of them - really a great effort.  Nece had a great come-back race after Tuesday and was our 5th man. I would have to single our Joe Inglis for a truly break-out race.  He started pushing the pace after the 1,000 meter mark and really led himself and Howard to great performances.  Joe set a PR on the toughest course in New Jersey - breaking 18 minutes for the first time. Our average team time of 17:53 ranked us far better against other South Jersey teams than we had imagined at the beginning of the season.  Ahead of us were Haddonfield, Lenape, Shawnee, Ocean City and Haddon Twp.  But we were better than Northern Burlington, Cherry Hill East and West, Washington Twp., Lacey, Toms River North, Seneca and Delsea.  You can do your own over-analysis by looking at the results here - http://nj.milesplit.com/meets/100994.  The cool thing is that we can still improve quite a bit... Our JV team finished off the day with solid races across the board.  Cain was the hero of the race for us, with a near career PR, and the 6th best time on the team and brining home a nice medal.  Some very nice PR's by Hillman, Schlesinger, Gross and Kohart.  Gross in particular has made huge strides from last year. This is also the time of year that we start to think a bit about who might be able to step up to the Top 7 next year.  Caffrey and Klawunn made some strong statements yesterday.  If they make the commitment to work next summer, along with the other returning runners, it could be a very interesting year... This Coming Week -  Tuesday - Batch meet at Northern Burlington.  This is our biggest race of the year from a dual meet perspective.  Northern Burlington has been a tough competitor and if they had run their freshmen in the Varsity race, our results are pretty close from this past Saturday.  We will need to run as a pack and be tough to keep our 2 year unbeaten streak going... Sunday - (Yes, Sunday!) - South Jersey Open - Delsea.  This is the fastest course we will run on this season and is a great opportunity for some PR's.  We will cut back this week for the Low and Mid groups, although the Varsity will continue to train thru this meet to focus on Sectionals and States. Racing begins at noon. Special Note - See the article on Jack Inglis in the Moorestown Patch.  Some well-deserved recognition to our hard working senior Captain.  http://moorestown.patch.com/articles/senior-profile-cross-country-runner-jack-inglis

MXC Weekly Update - Sept. 26

This Past Week Home Batch Meet - We had a very successful home meet again this year.  We shifted the course, to very positive results.  We won all of the match-ups: MXC 21, Holy Cross 40 MXC 18, Maple Shade 43 MXC 22, Bordentown 39 MXC 15, Palmyra 50 On a traditionally slow course (probably about the same as GCC, but a bit faster than Holmdel), we had a number of PR's:  Lavery, Connelly, Martainou, Poaletti (49 seconds!), Novak (55 seconds!), Lee, Kahn (over 2 minutes!!), LaLumia, Schlesinger, Reubel, Kohart, Dugan and Maier.  And we had a number of guys that were close.  We are clearly benefitting from the miles and they will pay dividens over the next few weekends. Special kudos to Connelly.  Broke 19 minutes for the first time, earning a Varsity letter.  Your consistent, hard work is really a great example for the whole team. Up top, we were really impressed with Inglis being so tough the last mile and putting away the race, as well as Horten being willing to take a chance and take the lead after the mile point.  Howard showed some resilience to come back in the last mile and Spirgel seems to be rounding into racing shape. The finish of the day was between Reubel and Kohart.  Freight trains hurtling toward the line, although I am still not sure who won... Final shout-out to Kramer, who withstood the rath of all the coaches yelling at him because they were so frustrated with the official.  Kramer had unknowingly volunteered to help mark team places - thanks! Friday Workout - The JV had a track workout on Friday to start to build a bit of speed as they come toward the end of their season the next few weeks.  We did 800's and 400's on the track, working on feeling comfortable at a faster pace. Saturday Workout - The Varsity headed to Holmdel to get ready for this weekend's Shore Coaches meet.  They did 4 X 1 mile at threshold pace for the first 3 and then worked hard on the last mile. This Coming Week -  Tuesday - Batch meet at BCIT Westhamton.  Remember you can get directions to all race locations on our website at http://www.moorestownxc.org/Racing/Directions.html.   Starts at 3:45. Psych Party Special Collection - Luke Howard will bring a box to every psych party that people can donate non-perishable food items into, and he will take care of the rest, delivering the food to the SJFB center, in Pennsauken. Saturday - Shore Coaches Championship at Holmdel.  Meet Information is at http://nj.milesplit.com/meets/95925.  Frosh Boys run at 1:10, Varsity is in the B school size Race - at 2:15, and the JV will run the B race as well at 4:35PM.  Expect a late return home!  Thought for the day: "It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." - George Sheehan

MXC 2011 Weekly Update - Sept. 20

Special Thanks to the Kramers and Poaletti's for forwarding pictures!  They are linked from www.moorestownxc.org.  You can also see the latest results spreadsheet with VDOT's and PR's there as well. This Past Week New Egypt Dual Meet - The team followed the plan.  The guys were grouped based upon VDOTs from Saturday's race, gave them approximate pacing, and urged initial restraint due to the warm, muggy weather.  Regardless, most guys were still out comfortably and looking good.  Horten and Inglis worked together and ran with Andrew Stewart and Kevin Wright from Cinnaminson, quickly separating from the rest of the field.  We had a whole pack next -- the potential strength of the team -- led by Howard, Little Inglis, Spirgel, and Nece.  Mitch Cain, Connelly, Lavery were clinging on.  They came out of the woods the final time looking steady and strong.  The rest of the team -- in spite of encouragement to run together, got pretty strung out.  Guys were working hard but not tightly packed.  Still, effort was there and the results, again by appearance only, looked good. Some guys jumped up the ladder compared to their Cherokee Challenge times.  Evan pushed out a strong final 300 on the track to come in 4th on the team behind Inglis, Horten and Howard, beating Joe by 4 seconds.  Reed Kramer, who didn't race on Saturday, bounced back from his illness to clearly inject himself into the varsity conversation with a 7th place finish,  30 seconds behind Spirgel but right ahead of Lavery.   And Greg Rothman looks to be gaining back more of his form, finishing as the #1 JVer (and 12th overall, up from 16th best time at CC).  Of course, there was a lot more shuffling as the rest of the field came through, but kudos should also go to Connor Ems and Nick Novak, who passed lots of guys who beat them on Saturday.  South Jersey Shootout -  Frosh Races:  Welcome to the true world of XC for the young ones - hills!  Barsoum learned from last week's quick start and ran much more conservatively, leading the frosh in 15:03 and medaling in 22nd place.  He now has to figure out the smart start and the strong 2nd half push to the top.  Mike Macaluso, Mike Ing, Sam Bauscher, and Sam Spirgel followed, not really packed up but not too far apart either.  Macaluso led most of the way before feeling the full impact of the hills.  The others, again out a little more conservatively, looked solid.   Graham and Maier ran much of the way together before Ryan separated to outdistance Nolan, who again displayed a good final surge. JV:  We have a BIG team.  And, for the most part, they ran with great effort, raced with each other - lots of black and gold packs out there - and found good results.   Lavery led the squad, running a consistent and solid race, passing guys throughout to finish in 7th.   Right on his heals were Sheehan (who was as high as fourth early on, probably getting out too fast in 5:30) and a solid pack of Cain, Caffrey, Rothman, and Martinou.  Klawunn and Orzechowicz ran with them for much of the race, too.   Caffrey and Martinou posted some big life PRs.  Other noteworthy performances: ·         Dan Poaletti running a strong race, picking up runners the whole time, to PR in 20:16. ·         Vincent Lee quantifies his improvement, knocking 33 seconds off his life PR ·         Greg Munilla starting very slowly, but picking up steam the entire race and looking as fresh as anyone crossing the line. ·         Stephen Burke showing off the speed on the final stretch, finishing in 22:02, a PR by 17 seconds. ·         Andrew Moorer running 45 seconds faster yesterday on 5k of GCC's hills than he did on 4700m of flat New Egypt course.  A little experience goes a long way. ·         Jon Pollock finished a 5k without his knee killing him! ·         David LaGatta led another pack to some strong finishes as well.  He, Dugan, Reubel (who will love the 800 after this XC season!), Kohart, and Gross all ran the entire race together.  Great push to the finish line, too.  Big PRs for LaGatta and Gross.  Gross knocked almost two minutes off!  5,6,7 Race:   Joe Inglis ran a fist-pump worthy race - looking cool, calm, and collected as he cruised to a big PR (18:07 from last year's 18:40) and a 9th place finish.   Jack Spirgel ran well, too, although he let Joe go early and never was able to make up the difference.  He finished in a respectable 18:17.  Reed Kramer proved he belonged in the Top 7, running a smart and consistent race to finish in 18:43.   All three ran strong tactical races - no one got caught up in the fast start, all ran with strength through the hills, and finished well.  Great building block for the rest of the year. 3,4 Race:  As often happens, after watching the 5,6,7 guys run well, the 3,4 guys rose to the raised expectations.  Luke Howard ran a wonderful race, starting comfortably (he was in the 30s at the 800) but slowly and strongly moving up the fast field the entire race.  He closed to 14th with a powerful kick, finishing in 17:45, nearly 45s faster than last year's PR and 1:30 faster than last year's time at the Shoot-out.  Who says summer mileage doesn't pay off?  Evan ran with Luke until the hills, where he slowly let him go.  To his credit, he rallied over the last mile and closed confidently with a strong kick, picking four or five runners in the final 400.  His 18:16 is a life PR (imagine that) and, more importantly, a strong step forward.  He faced down a crisis on those hills and came out strong.  Bodes well for the future! 1,2 Race:  Jack Inglis was on his way to a big break out race - rising up as high as #9  (he was 25th at the 800) and running with confident comfort - until he ran out of gas after the hills.  He dropped a couple of places but rallied to hold onto 14th by the finish.   Right behind him?   Kevin Horten, who looked great, again out conservatively and picking up guys the entire time.  A 17:17 is a big step up from him and his 16th place finish definitely earns the stud label. Overall, a good day.  Lots of kids took steps forward.  Many had their first XC experience on the hills of GCC, gaining some valuable experience.  And the entire Top 7 had positive races to build on as we go forward.  What to complain about?   Well, Ringo talked way too long at the awards ceremony.  But it was Ok because not only did we get two kids on the podium, but the GIRLS TEAM WON!   Denning got to give a speech.  I wanted to cry.... This Coming Week -  Tuesday - Our HOME Batch Meet!  Come out and cheer the team on.  Starts at 3:45. Saturday - No meet.  We may take the Varsity level guys to Holmdel - details at practice.

MXC Weekly Update Sept. 13

This Past Week Overall, we are happy with the day.  Given where we are, the guys ran great races.  Lots of conservative starts and strong finishes.  Lots of guys coming off the course talking about all the runners they picked up over the second mile and feeling like they had more to give.   Given our training and lack of emphasis on speed, I thought that was promising.   Noteworthy performances:  1.  The Inglis Brothers:  Joe got out strong, ran steady through the middle mile, and continued to pick up runners right to the end.   He kept Kevin in sight and cut 30 seconds off his 2 mile time trial time.  Jack followed suit in the senior race, running like a #1.  Out strong (but not foolishly).  He was 25 at the 800, held steady through the mile, and picked up 10 guys over he last half of the race.  Look collected and strong throughout.   2.  The Solid Seniors:  Evan Nece, Jack Spirgel, Mitch Cain, Mike Connelly:  While Lavery and Sheehan were a little off, the rest of the crew ran good races.   Following instructions, they were out slow -- maybe a little too slow -- but picked up steam throughout the race and finished strong, picking off lots of runners as they went.  Times are good, but the promise is better.   Looking forward to bigger things as they continue to get stronger and push harder.  3.  The Bounce Backs --  Greg Rothman, Spiro Martinou:   Although he said he is feeling much better, I am still impressed with Rothman's performance given the roller coaster health ride he has been on over the last two seasons.  And Spiro, while not improving on his time trial time, still looks infinitely better now that he is healthy again.  Evan Nece could get an honorable mention, here, too.  4.  The Flashes:  As in, flashing some potential.  Corey K (12:07), Mike O (12:16), Devin C (12:37), Connor Ems (12:43), and even Hillman (12:53) ran aggressively and well, all finishing much improved over their time trial times and pushing themselves up the depth chart.  They now sit right outside the top 12 and one only wonders how good they could be if they got serious about summer mileage.   Carrigan could also fall into this category.  He was a little slower, but still chopped 1:26 off his time trial time to finish in a respectable 12:58.  5.  Frosh Figuring it Out:  In their second races, several of the young guys really stepped up time wise from their track time trial.   Micro Spirgel (-2:02 to 13:18), Macaluso (-2:55 to 13:26), Ing (-1:49 to 13:46), and Graham (-2:00 to 14:49) all ran markedly better the second time around.  Their leader, Barsoum, roared off the start line a little too quickly, seemed to struggle soon after, before crossing the line first for our frosh squad in 13:02, about 30 seconds slower than the track time.  6.  Rounding into Shape:  Like some of the frosh, many of our older guys are in much better shape now than they were when practice started in August.  Carrigan (-1:26), Voyack (-1:20), Handlan (-1:05), Burke (-1:06), Burns (-1:45), Coneby (-1:19), LaGatta (-1:41), Malta (-5:03!!), and Charlie S (-1:12) all dropped over a minute.   Overall, 30 runners improved on their time -- to be expected, but good none the less.  7.  Vincent Lee:  Special shout out to Vincent, who I've been impressed with.  A senior who has come in running more than ever continues to make strides.  He hoped to break 14 minutes (topping last year's CC time of 14:33).  After racing down the back stretch chasing two guys, he crossed in 13:14!   A just reward for a guy who is doing all he can to max out his potential.  The moments I live for!  This Coming Week -  Tuesday - Batch Meet at New Egypt Saturday - South Jersey Shootout.

MXC Weekly Update Sept. 3

Special - MXC Apparel Mrs. Testa has again organized a special ordering of MXC apparel.  This is separate from the Uniform program, and offers everyone a chance to get some cool MXC logo gear.  You can print off this webpage - http://www.moorestownxc.org/2011/XCApparel2011.jpg.  Either bring it to a coach or drop it off at the Moorestown Running Company.  All orders are due this Tuesday, Sept. 6. This Past Week Trail Work - Thanks to everyone who came out and helped spread the chips before the big storm!  They mostly stayed in place.  Later in the season we will do a refresh from the piles we left remaining.  It was a quick 2 hours, gave us a break from running for a day and we even got donuts! Workouts - We focused again on accumulating miles this week.  We are really impressed with a lot of guys.  The high mileage group looks very strong.  We got a bit of speedwork and cross training in on Thursday with Frisbee.  On Saturday the high mileage guys did a 4.2 mile tempo workout designed to build strength as well as learn how to run in packs.  The rest of the team did 1000 meter Thresholds.   We were very happy with how well the top guys were able to run in packs and focus on negative splits.  Inglis looked very strong, and Horten was able to hang with him for splits of 9:00, 8:55 and 8:35 - perfect way to run.  Nece also looked great and the concept of running in packs proved very useful to Howard, who was able to gut it out and run right with him.  Lavery led the third pack with Joe Inglis and Connolly hanging tough.  This whole group, including Sheehan, really shows the great work they did this summer.  We can't talk about PR's and most improved until late in the season, but it has to be noted just how much Connolly has improved - his consistent long miles this summer are paying off.  It was a shame Spirgel and Kramer could not have been there. The Threshold group also looked really good.  Caffrey and Martainou were simply cruising at the top of the group and should be considered potential contenders for the Varsity 7.  It was great to see Klawunn, Ems and Devin Connolly also having good, solid workouts.  Newcomers Novak and Voyack also both looked like they have some interesting potential.  The best thing was seeing good, consistent effort from everyone. You can read about the type of workouts we do  at http://www.moorestownxc.org/Training/TrainingPhilosophy.html.  Again, we are focusing on building the basic cardio system this year.  You can read more about that here - http://www.moorestownxc.org/Training/RunningPhysiology.html.  Logging Miles - We have a Uniform Program, where runners can earn uniforms, shirts and even sweats.  To earn a uniform (that you keep for the 4 years you run), runners must complete 100 miles.  T-Shirts are awarded at 250 miles, 500 miles, 1,000 miles and every 1,000 miles after.  That is based on total cumulative miles during a runner's career on the team.  We also award full sweats with embroidered name for runners who run over 500 miles from June 1 thru the Turkey Trot.  We are using a new log program this year - you must signup to be part of the MXC Club and then you will get weekly assignments as well as be able to log your miles.  We are using this effective for all miles after June 1.  You do not need to transfer Voomaxer miles - we will keep track of those.  Go to https://www.runclubsignup.com/Club/NJ/Moorestown/MoorestownBoysCrossCountry and join the club and start logging miles. This Coming Week -  We meet on Monday at 8AM, and then the rest of the week we shift to the afternoon at 3PM.   Cherokee Challenge - Saturday is our first meet.  You can learn more about it at http://www.ccctf.com/ch_chal_main.html.  It is a great meet where there is a different 2 mile race for each class - Frosh, Soph, Jr and Sr.  We strongly encourage parents and family to come out and cheer for their favorite runners!  It is a blast, and even if your son says he doesn't want you - tell him Bickel said you were allowed to come ;-)

Thanks, Eagles, Cote & Bickel

MXC Weekly Update - Aug. 26

Special News: Saturday, August 27 - Trail Work. Yes, we are still planning on doing work Saturday starting at 8AM. If the rain is too bad, we may call it quits early and we may decide not to put down all the mulch - but there is still plenty of cleanup work we need to do. We will need lots of wheelbarrows, pitchforks, rakes, shovels as well as shears for trimming brush. We also need parents to come and help with this as well. We will be doing this starting at 8AM instead of the normal run. Sunday, August 28 - Clementon Park 5K and Splash World Classic! - This race has been postponed until Sept. 18. We have a real race the day before, so we will not be doing this as a team activity. This Past Week We had a good first week of practice. Most of the guys showed up - with daily totals of over 50 each day. Some guys are missing, much to our chagrin. I only hope you have been running. Time Trial - We held a time trial on Tuesday to get a sense of where the fitness level is for everyone. The results confirmed we are not as strong up top as we were last year. On the other hand, we had a lot of good, solid performances for the early season. This is a team that can certainly develop into a solid contender and hold our dual meet winning streak going as well as win the Liberty Division. Also note that time trial results are up on the website - www.moorestownxc.org. Miles - We are taking a new approach with this year's team. It goes back to the basics of needing to run to be a good runner. We're taking a page from my college Coach's playbook. His basic XC philosophy was that the races were long enough that the key was aerobic capacity - how much oxygen could be delivered by the heart and lungs to the muscles. The best way to expand this system is to run for long, slow distances. It also has the benefit of minimizing injuries as opposed to running fast. As the season kicks in we will have a number of races that we will learn to run fast and be tough. But we need the aerobic systems to be able to sustain us for the full 5K. We have broken the team into three general groups - Low, Mid and High mileage. They have a goal for running 5, 7 and 9 miles each day Monday-Saturday. We have a good pack of around 10 guys in the high group and they all look solid. The Mid's are a bit larger group and also look solid, although some that did nto get full mileage in this summer are feeling tired. The Low's are still a mix. Some will be moving up to the mid's over the next couple of weeks. Some are still working on the 3 mile level, but will see steady improvement and get up to 5 in the next couple of weeks. Logging Miles - We have a Uniform Program, where runners can earn uniforms, shirts and even sweats. To earn a uniform (that you keep for the 4 years you run), runners must complete 100 miles. T-Shirts are awarded at 250 miles, 500 miles, 1,000 miles and every 1,000 miles after. That is based on total cumulative miles during a runner's career on the team. We also award full sweats with embroidered name for runners who run over 500 miles from June 1 thru the Turkey Trot. We are using a new log program this year - you must signup to be part of the MXC Club and then you will get weekly assignments as well as be able to log your miles. We are using this effective for all miles after June 1. You do not need to transfer Voomaxer miles - we will keep track of those. Go to https://www.runclubsignup.com/Club/NJ/Moorestown/MoorestownBoysCrossCountry and join the club and start logging miles. This Coming Week - We will continue the pre-season training schedule, meeting each morning at 8AM. We will likely have a workout or two that involves some hills at threshold pace. If we are not able to complete trail work tomorrow, we will have another work day next Saturday.

Thanks, Eagles, Cote & Bickel

MXC 2011 Weekly Update - Trail Work & Race This Weekend!

This is a special reminder email about this weekend's activities! Saturday, August 27 - Trail Work. This year we will be putting down new wood chips on the trail in the middle school woods. We will need lots of wheelbarrows, pitchforks, rakes and shovels. We also need parents to come and help with this as well. We will be doing this starting at 8AM instead of the normal run. Sunday, August 28 - Clementon Park 5K and Splash World Classic! - We want everyone to sign up for this race. It includes free entry to the water park after the race. We also get fundraising help form this event, as $10 donation is made to the team for each runner that signs up from our team! It would be great to have 50+ guys show up with family and friends and raise a bunch of money to pay for our uniform program and trail maintenance! Also note that time trial results are up on the website - www.moorestownxc.org.

RunSignUp goes Mobile!

RunSignUp has gone mobile! With 9% of visitors to our website coming from mobile devices (and growing!), we wanted to optimize their experience by making our site as simple to use as possible.

The new interface works on Android, iPhone and iPad devices, and the reviews have been great!

The RunSignUp mobile interface is designed to be simple and straightforward, with larger fonts and bigger, easily press-able buttons, to make race registration a breeze!

And best of all, race directors do not need to do anything! Your race registration is automatically optimized for each runner coming to your race webpage. Simply post your race at www.RunSignUp.com.

MXC Weekly Update- Spring Track Edition - Time Trials

Welcome to Spring Track! We have about 30 guys out for the Distance team and 60+ overall including the sprints, jumps and weights. This is the largest distance crew we have had out for Track, which is a good sign! The only downside is that track does not have the same opportunity for everyone to run in every meet like Cross Country does, but there should be plenty of chances for everyone to run some races.

We had our annual season opening 2 Mile Time Trial (actually semi-annual counting XC). We had 27 guys run it - another record. Overall we were very pleased with the results. The guys that had been running all winter showed it. Some of the guys doing winter sports also showed a great start - the Inglis brothers, Howard, Caffrey, Orzechowicz pop to mind.

Of course it would not be a time trial without someone losing it - and Kramer came thru for us on his final lap taking a moment to fertilize some grass...

You can see the times on the www.moorestownxc.org website along with the new VDOT. These VDOT's will rise rapidly by early April when racing starts in earnest. There is also a link to the Spring Schedule.

This coming week, we will get easy miles in on Monday and Tuesday. Then a good interval workout on the track on Wednesday and then some Threshold on Saturday.

As a PS, congrats to the guys who ran the Indoor Sectionals. In the 3200, Shipley ran a nice PR (indoor and outdoor) in 11:06. Rothman also PR'd BIG with a 11:54. Samocki and Sieggreen ran good 1600's for having no speedwork. Kevin Horten and Munilla did a bit of a spped workout running the 800. Munilla especially had a nice kick at the end.