Log Your Summer Miles

Log Your Summer Miles on Running2Win.com:

The Trinity CC team uses Running2Win to log and track our summer mileage as a team. The website has lots of great features and will be a big benefit to us if everyone gets on board by registering and using it.

There's plenty of time before official summer running starts (Memorial Day – May 28th), so I wanted to get this information to you to allow time for everyone to check out the Running2Win website and get familiar with it.

In 2011, Trinity CC runners had the best summer of training ever…and it was no fluke that both the boys and girls teams were the most successful in school history as well.  Off-season training is the key for any cross country program that wants success.  Please register at Running2Win and contribute to help make Trinity CC as strong as ever in 2012!

Here's how to register/signup:

- Go to http://www.running2win.com and click on the green 'Get Started' button.

- Create a username and password, enter your contact information, and register your running2win account.

- Once you are registered, click on the Teams/Groups tab and select 'join a team'.

- You will then be asked to enter a Team ID - the Trinity Team ID to enter is: T-38595111004-03

The website will send me a message to approve your request, and I will add you to the team. Unfortunately, the approval message won't go to your normal email - it will go to your running2win inbox, so please check it.

We would like all Trinity runners (past or present) and any of our running support family to register and log miles with us.

The more we can stay connected over the summer, the better we will become as a group. There is strength in numbers and if you are able to login and see that other teammates are running, it will be extra motivation to keep up with them.

The website can also be used to connect with teammates about getting together to run and share information about different road races over the summer.

If you have any problems or questions with the website, please let me know.

Thanks,
Jesse

Summer Road Races

Hello,

There are plenty of road races to choose from throughout the summer months.

Here is a great calendar from MDRA (Minnesota Distance Running Association) that you can use to search registered races in and around Minnesota: http://www.raceberryjam.com/mdraschedule.php3

I encourage everyone to get out and experience road racing! It can be a great gauge of how your training is going and they are LOTS of fun with fans, food, t-shirts, and competition at all levels and ages.

I have listed a few races that are either favorites of mine or races recommended to me over the years.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Jesse
--
Recommended Summer Road Races-

Saturday, June 16th - Farmington Dew Run - 4-mile - Farmington, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.raceberryjam.com/farmington.html

Saturday, June 23rd - Run for the Roses - 5k or 10k - Roseville, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.raceberryjam.com/roses.html

Wednesday, July 4th - Firecracker Runs - 10k or 2-mile - Excelsior, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.raceberryjam.com/firecracker.html

Saturday, July 7th - Lakeville Pan-O-Prog Run - 4-mile - Casperson Park in Lakeville, MN
Check here for more information:
http://www.lakeville-rapconnect.com/Activities/ActivitiesDetails.asp?ProcessWait=N&aid=41

Saturday, July 7th - Challenge Diabetes - 5k - Como Lake in St. Paul, MN
Check here for more information: http://charitieschallenge.org/html/challenge_diabetes.html

Saturday, July 14th - Stillwater River Run - 10-mile or 5k - Square Lake in Stillwater, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/event/stillwater-river-runs

Sunday, July 16th - Hopkins Raspberry Run - 5-mile - Hopkins, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.raceberryjam.com/hopkins5.html

Saturday, July 21st - Rosemount's Run for the Gold - 4-mile - Community Center in Rosemount, MN
Check here for more information:
http://www.ci.rosemount.mn.us/vertical/sites/%7B9EB5E841-C29C-4154-8A28-AC41E049797A%7D/uploads/Run_for_the_Gold_brochure_-_2012.pdf

Saturday, July 28th - Challenge Cancer - 5k - Como Lake in St. Paul, MN
Check here for more information: http://charitieschallenge.org/html/challenge_cancer_5k.html

Saturday, August 4th - Derby Days Turf Run - 5k - Canterbury Park in Shakopee, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.shakopeederbydays.com/5kTurfRun.php

Saturday, August 11th - Get Your Green On - 5k - Harriet Island in St. Paul, MN
Check here for more information: http://www.irishfair.com/content/run

Summer Track Schedule

Hello,

For those of you that want to continue racing on the track, or maybe even just want to try some events you don't normally get to compete in, I have listed information on some of the summer series track meets throughout the summer in and around Minnesota.

It can be a fun time to go get a little racing and competition in with friends at some very low-key meets.

Let me me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Jesse
--
Summer Track Schedule-

Thursday-Sunday, June 14th-17th - 2012 USATF Minnesota Association Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships
at Eagan High School - Eagan, MN (4185 Braddock Trail, Eagan, MN)
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/jo-track--field

Tuesday, June 19th - USA Track & Field Summer Series Meet #1
5:30pm at St. Louis Park High School - St. Louis Park, MN (6425 West 33rd St, St. Louis Park)
Events: Shot Put, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Discus, 100m, Mile Run, 100/110m Hurdles, 200m, 800m, 4x400m Relay
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/summer-league

Tuesday, June 26th - USA Track & Field Summer Series Meet #2
5:30pm at St. Louis Park High School - St. Louis Park, MN (6425 West 33rd St, St. Louis Park)
Events: Discus, Pole Vault, Long Jump, High Jump. Shot Put, 100m, 400m, 1500m, 200m, 800m, 4x100m Relay
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/summer-league

Thursday-Sunday, July 5th-8th - 2012 USATF Region VIII Junior Olympic Outdoor Track & Field Championships
at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh - Oshkosh, WI
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/jo-track--field

Tuesday, July 10th - USA Track & Field Summer Series Meet #3
5:30pm at St. Louis Park High School - St. Louis Park, MN (6425 West 33rd St, St. Louis Park)
Events: Shot Put, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Discus, 100m, 400m, Mile, 300m Hurdles, 200m, 4x200m Relay
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/summer-league

Tuesday, July 24th - USA Track & Field Summer Series Meet #4
5:30pm at St. Louis Park High School - St. Louis Park, MN (6425 West 33rd St, St. Louis Park)
Events: Discus, Long Jump, High Jump, Shot Put, 100m, 100/110m Hurdles, 800m, 3000m, 200m, Distance Medley Relay
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/summer-league

Tuesday, August 7th - USA Track & Field Summer Series Meet #5
5:30pm at St. Louis Park High School - St. Louis Park, MN (6425 West 33rd St, St. Louis Park)
Events: Discus, Long Jump, Pole Vault, Shot Put, 100m, 400m, 800m, Mile, 200m, 4x200m Relay
Check here for more information: http://www.usatfmn.org/summer-league

Trinity 2012 CC Schedule

Here's the 2012 Trinity Cross Country Schedule:

Monday, August 13th - First Day of Cross Country Practice at Trinity School - 8am

Saturday, August 18th - Alumni, Family & Friends Run at Blackhawk Park in Eagan - 9am

Saturday, August 25th - 4-Hour Relay of Miles at Blackhawk Middle School in Eagan - 8am

Saturday, September 8th - Ron Kretsch Invitational at Bassett Creek Park in Crystal - 10am

Thursday, September 13th - Private School Championships at St. Catherine's in St. Paul - 4pm

Saturday, September 22nd - Milaca Mega Meet at Stones Throw Golf Course in Milaca - 10am

Thursday, September 27th - Jaguar All-Terrain Challenge at Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington - 4pm

Saturday, September 29th - St. Paul CAA Jr. High Meet (5th-8th grades) in Maplewood - 8am

Tuesday, October 2nd - Trinity Invitational - Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington - 4:30pm

Thursday, October 11th - MCAA/MCSC Conference Meet at Bassett Creek Park in Crystal - 4pm

Thursday, October 25th - Section 4A Meet at Battle Creek Park in St. Paul - 4pm

Saturday, November 3rd - State Meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield - 10am

--

The only real change from 2011 is the addition of the CAA Junior High Meet.

Trinity CC Christmas Party

Hello,

I hope everyone has had a nice break from school and enjoyable time with family during the Christmas season! For any of the cross country runners that are available next week, we have plans for the 4th annual Trinity CC Christmas Party. Here are the details:

What: Trinity Cross Country Christmas Party
Where: Oxboro Evangelical Free Church - 9431 Nicollet Avenue South, Bloomington, MN 55420
Date: Monday, January 2nd
Time: 6:00-9:00pm
Who: All Trinity 2011 Cross Country Runners (...any high school-graduated Trinity distance running alumni are welcome to attend also)
What To Bring: $3 for pizza supper and a white elephant gift (something you made, something to regift, or something that would cost under $5)

Schedule of Events:
6:00pm - Doors are open
6:30pm - Pizza will be delivered for supper (there will be vegetarian and gluten-free pizza available)
7:15pm - White Elephant gift exchange
8:00pm - Games/Hang Out Time/Open Gym

There will be a gym for dodgeball, basketball, floor hockey, etc...there will also be plenty of games, trivia, and contests available to play...or you can just sit and catch up with your friends and teammates. If you can't stay until 9pm, don't worry...just come join us for as long as you can.

We hope to see you on Monday! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Jesse

State Meet and 2011 Season Wrap-Up

Hello,

This post is long overdue, but I wanted to share some information from the State Meet, recognize runners for team awards, and say thank you.

State Meet Results-
Boys Varsity-
17:15.1 - Charlie Leighton (5:08, 5:38, 5:51, :38) - 45th place
(150 total boys runners)

Girls Varsity-
Trinity Team Time - 1:22:13.8 - 11th place of 16 teams - 247 points
Team Range - :57.8
16:03.2 - Mary Ennis (6:01, 6:45, 3:18) - 58th place (33rd in team scoring)
16:13.8 - Lotus Schifsky (6:11, 6:46, 3:16) - 70th place (41st in team scoring)
16:16.6 - Lucy Leighton (6:13, 6:44, 3:19) - 74th place (43rd in team scoring)
16:39.5 - Ruthie Gross (6:15, 6:50, 3:34) - 101st place (59th in team scoring)
17:01.0 - Maria Kraker (6:24, 6:56, 3:41) - 115th place (71st in team scoring)
17:13.6 - Maria Stephenson (6:30, 7:17, 3:26) - 123rd place (79th in team scoring)
18:06.8 - Katie Stephenson (6:47, 7:36, 3:43) - 147th place (102th in team scoring)
(156 total girls runners)

For the first time in Trinity school history a cross country team qualified for the State Meet! It was an exciting experience for the entire team to be involved and have so many fans, friends, and family come out to support their Tri-Hawk runners at State.

It was a great season for both the boys and girls teams...definitely the most successful for either squad ever at Trinity. We are going to miss this great group of senior leaders next year, but they have paved the way for another group to follow their lead and keep some strong traditions going in 2012 and beyond.

Academic All-State-
Both the Trinity Boys and Girls Cross Country teams achieved the highest level of academic all-state honor - Gold Level. This means that the varsity runners listed on the Section 4A roster averaged a GPA level of 3.75 or higher Congratulations to both squads!

Also, Charlie Leighton and Lucy Leighton have earned individual academic all-state honors. If a runner is a junior or senior, places in the top 15 at the Section meet, and has a GPA over 3.75 - they also are recognized as individual academic all-state student-athletes. Congratulations Charlie and Lucy!

Team Awards-
Our CC banquet seems so long ago now, but on Saturday, November 12th we acknowledged these runners with well-deserved awards:

Boys-
Most Valuable - Charlie Leighton
Most Dedicated - JonElliott Brubaker
Most Improved - Joe Berchem
Spirit Award - Chris Vance
Junior High Runner of the Year - Henry Brink
Emerging Leaders - Henry Croll, Henry Brink

Girls-
Most Valuable - Mary Ennis
Most Dedicated - Rebeccca Driessen & Maria Kraker
Most Improved - Claire Mealey
Spirit Award - Catherine DeMarais & Katie Stephenson
Junior High Runner of the Year - Grace Ennis
Emerging Leaders - Lucy Leighton, Claire Mealey, Sydney Kloster

Motivation for 2012 Season-
Summer and off-season training is the key for any individual and team success in distance running...and it's no different at Trinity.

We had a chance to see what an improved summer of training did for the boys and girls teams in 2011, as every returning runner ran more miles than they did the previous summer. That is an outstanding accomplishment! Let's keep the growth of this cross country program going by each doing our part to improve!

Every runner should evaluate their own situation and determine what the next step in their training should be to improve - it will be different for everyone based on experience, previous summer training, and age. If you have questions, please ask me...I would be glad to help.

There is no magic method to becoming a better and faster runner, but I can give you some important advice a previous coach of mine imparted on me:

Coach: "Do you know the secret to becoming a better runner? To run. And run some more. And do it often."

Seems simple doesn't it? ...but when the cold winter months or the busy summer months roll around, it gets harder and harder to be diligent in training...to keep the routine and remember that consistency in training is the best way to improve.

Thank you-
I want to say thanks again to the parents and families of the cross country runners for hosting events, providing transportation, timing and working at meets, and for your support and patience throughout the season. It was the biggest challenge yet for coaches with such a large group this year, but it ended up being everything we hoped it could be. Our success comes from your involvement and the positive team atmosphere you help us instill in the program.

State Meet Information

Race: State Meet
Date: Saturday, November 5th
Place: St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN - warmup/camp area for participating athletes is in the Tostrud Center on the old indoor track.
Driving:
Meet at Trinity School at 10:00am to drive down to the meet with teammates
Drivers: Kim Kelly-Sommer (6), Jesse Schoen (6), Teresa Stephenson (7) and any others that want to caravan at this time from Trinity
Schedule:
Class AA Girls Race: 10:00am
Class AA Boys Race: 11:00am
Class AA Awards: 11:30am in Tostrud Center gymnasium
Class A Girls Race: 1:00pm
Class A Boys Race: 2:00pm
Class A Awards: 2:30am in Tostrud Center gymnasium

Directions from Trinity:
...on 35:
take 494 West to 35E South
take 35E South to 35 South
take 35 South to Hwy 19 going East
take Hwy 19 East for about 5-6 miles to St. Olaf College (spectator parking will be on the east side of campus)

...on Hwy 3:
take Argenta Trail to 70th Street W going East
take 70th Street W to Hwy 3/Robert Street going South (right)
take Hwy 3 through Rosemount, Farmington and into Northfield
take Hwy 3 to Hwy 19 and go West (right)
take Hwy 19 West for about a mile to St. Olaf College (spectator parking will be on the east side of campus)

Race Distances and Maps:
Boys Race 5000m Course Map
Girls Race 4000m Course Map

Schedule for the Girls Team and Charlie Leighton:
11:00am - arrive at Race Site/Tostrud Center indoor track
11:15-11:45am - setup camp, pickup packet information, turn in forms, get race numbers, see the course
12:30pm - girls warmup, stretch, get to starting line early (teammates are encouraged to warmup with the team)
1:00pm - Girls race (Lane 22)
1:30pm - boys warmup, stretch, get to starting line early (teammates are encouraged to warmup with Charlie)
2:00pm - Boys race (Lane 9)
2:30pm - Class A awards (...these always start late by 15-20 minutes)

Awards:
Top 3 Teams: Trophies and Team Medals
Top 7 Individuals: Medals
Top 25 Individuals: All-State