MileSplit50 Girls Team Rankings Countdown

How long have you coached at your school?

This will be my 16th year coaching, three at the University of St. Thomas and now 13 at Edina. I spent five years as an assistant with the boys and this will be my eighth as head girls coach.

What is your meet schedule this fall? 

We have a nice balance of meets for the varsity this fall. 

• August 24th: Northwoods Open (2 mile)
• September 1: Pleasant Vally Spartan Challenge (Always good to compete with Naperville North and some solid Iowa teams)
• September 15th: Lakeville Apple Jack Invite
• September 29th: Roy Griak Invitational
• October 11th: Lake Conference
• October 24th: Section 6AA
• November 3rd: MN State Meet (must qualify)

Edina XC Club:

• November 11th: NXR Heartland
• December 1: NXN (must qualify)

How has summer training been different for your team in 2018 as opposed to year's past (or how has training changed even in the last five years, as compared to the last decade) What are the small differences in training that you've seen this offseason?

I would say the biggest difference is that we have been running our mileage faster without intending to do so. This is probably a good sign.

I am not sure there have been any big changes as there aren't too many secrets with training distance runners. We have focused more on the amount of weight training we have done. We are all following the "MorGain Strength Training Plan." 

"If I was stuck on a desert island and I could choose one workout to do, it would be the progression long run and fast strides. I firmly believe you could do this type of run every week all season from June to December and run as just as fast as you would doing all out 400 repeats as training."

Which athletes do you see as the probable top five this season? 

I think there are about 12-15 people who could represent us in the varsity meets. Our top returners are very good: Morgan Richter and Maria Rickman were both injured last year but are healthy and ready to go. Sadie Schreiner, Macy Iyer, and Maddy Lawler round out our top returning runners. Maddy sustained an injury during track that took some time to get over, but is on the mend. We also have Liesl Schreiner, who was All-State as a 9th grader, among others.

Other than that there are a number of girls who also work very hard and want to be really great distance runners. We have some ninth graders who are tough as nails, and have one eighth-grader training with them. Someone will surprise this year; who that is remains to be seen!

Who are your team captains or leaders? Based on your finish at state, region and NXN last year, how has your team continued to work toward new goals this fall? 

Cecie Bourbour, Maddy Lawler, Maria Rickman, Julia Kloiber, Liesl Schreiner--a nice blend of JV and Varsity runners.

I think that what has been special about our teams over the past eight years is that they have set a very high expectation for themselves to get better at distance running and we do that by running optimal amounts of miles at optimal paces. They commit to that and see it through. We are really focusing on trusting our internal monitors during training and racing. 

We have a large team and we provide a place for anyone who wants to commit to the fun, yet challenging work; where they can be supported, and be around kind, positive, caring, fun people. When you have this in place, the racing takes care of itself.

Who are some new faces who will make an impact on your team this year? (i.e. freshmen, transfers, runners who have improved a lot)

I would reckon 8th grader Lauren Cossack will be solid, along with 9th graders Maggie Wagner and Emma Hudson. I would say that Heidi Engman will be much improved as a junior. 

What are some principle workouts your team does during the season?

We try to follow through with the belief that every run and workout should be progressive in nature. What the workout entails depends on where we are at in the season. If I was stuck on a desert island and I could choose one workout to do, it would be the progression long run and fast strides. I firmly believe you could do this type of run every week all season from June to December and run as just as fast as you would doing all out 400 repeats as training.

"Some people think that you get injured by running too many miles or doing too much. I would argue that the chances of getting injured are higher when you do a bunch of lighting fast training and race too often."

What's one belief you've leaned on over your years coaching high school athletics, and why has that been important each year

Probably the most valuable thing we can do as parents, educators, and coaches is view our young people as human beings with holistic needs that we must help them try to meet. At Edina, we want to support our girls academically, athletically, emotionally, psychologically, socially, and even spiritually if they want us to. I believe when you help people in this way then they strive to become the person who they want to become. This absolutely carries over to the race course.

What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season? 

I would say because they know how to balance the work and the fun. The past experiences they have had in high-pressure situations like the state meet, NXR, and NXN have provided for this. Even if we have girls who have not had an experience like NXN, there are many who have and the mindset needed for success in these types of situations transfers over through communication and even osmosis.

In addition, I think that this group wants to build their own legacy for Edina XC while honoring and upholding what has been built over the years.

What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season? 

As always, I believe our biggest challenge as coaches is running health. Some people think that you get injured by running too many miles or doing too much. I would argue that the chances of getting injured are higher when you do a bunch of lighting fast training and race too often. At any rate, we are doing everything we can to be strong and healthy runners.

How has your team's culture changed and adapted since you began coaching at Edina?

I would say the single, most influential variable is that we have increased the number of people running in the summer each year. I think the Nordic Ski team and the track team benefits from this as well. The type of work they put in from June to December carries over tremendously. These girls rock-and-roll in all three seasons because they know how to do work. This is the expectation now, and that did not exist prior to 2011.

What are your top three goals for the team this fall? 

1. Work hard, have fun, enjoy the process, love the sport with our entire team. Continue to do this for the rest of our lives.

2. Always be working at changing what our personal best is with a Nekton mentality.

3. Challenge for Conference, Section, State, and Region titles. Aspire to be on the podium at NXN. .

If I can look in the mirror every day and confirm with myself that what I am having these girls do is beneficial to them and contributing to their development into strong, confident, caring young women; where they continue on in the sport no matter what level it is, then I have done my job.