Hello again all Florida running fans, it has been a crazy few days, all culminating in my racing at the Manhattan Invite in New York City on Sunday. This was my first trip back to the state of New York since moving more than a year ago; and let me say, it was great to be back. The race itself left quite a bit to be desired, however it great to be back and racing at Van Cortlandt. For all of those who have not had the opportunity to run at Van Cortlandt park (which I am sure is most of you) I would highly suggest, if ever in NYC, stopping and running over the course. It is a cross country course in the truest sense of the sport.
With that being said, I want to describe the race a little bit. I ran in the Eastern States Championships, which is the fastest race of the day (and this year, fastest race ever), given that, it was stacked with many of the top runners in the northeast, and multiple teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The course itself is tough. The start is very open, however narrows out onto a thin trail after the first 400 meters or so, therefore it is essential to start well. However, the start is the easy part. Once on the narrow trail, the course snakes through 2 miles of hills, larger than anything found in Florida. This makes the course incredibly challenging, especially coming from Florida to race.
Being the second time I had raced at this meet (first time as a sophomore living in NY) I was expecting the rough course, and the rough feeling in the legs that comes with such a course. It was certainly one the toughest races I have ran in a bit, but the experience gained from running such a race in unparalleled. Despite not running at the level that I have been, and the level I expect myself to be at, I had a ton of fun being at such an incredible race, and being part of a truly historic meet. I would have loved to be able to see the record breaking performances that took place, however being a part of the race was just as meaningful to me.
I don’t know if there is a video of the race online, but if there is I would suggest finding it and watching it! It was truly an incredible performance up front by Edward Cheserek; he is continuing a record breaking season. He is truly above and beyond his peers.
Now I am back in the Sunshine State, and looking forward to getting back to work and preparing for some more big races. Next stop for me will be at the Pre-State meet next weekend. It will be nice to be back at Little Everglades Ranch to run the State meet course. Hopefully it will be a quick race like last year!
Hello again everyone. This past week has been one of the best this season here in Celebration; both training and racing wise. The team traveled up to Gainesville for the Mt. Dew invitational at the University of Florida, and raced better than we have as a team in a long while. Our average time of 20:18 is the fastest that it has been since I began at Celebration, needless to say, it was a good weekend for the team. - 2011-09-26 11:46:00
Hey all Florida running fans, my name is Quincy O’Connor and I am just getting underway in my senior year at Celebration High School, right outside of Orlando. After a great summer of running and some fun, I am now getting my final XC season underway. My summer this year was nothing too crazy, just building mileage. I was lucky enough to be able to go to camp in Flagstaff, AZ, which for all those who like to travel, I would highly recommend. I have never been to a city more perfectly set up for runners than Flagstaff; and I cannot think of a better place to train. - 2011-09-19 11:15:00
Hello again all Florida running fans, it has been a crazy few days, all culminating in my racing at the Manhattan Invite in New York City on Sunday. This was my first trip back to the state of New York since moving more than a year ago; and let me say, it was great to be back. The race itself left quite a bit to be desired, however it great to be back and racing at Van Cortlandt. For all of those who have not had the opportunity to run at Van Cortlandt park (which I am sure is most of you) I would highly suggest, if ever in NYC, stopping and running over the course. It is a cross country course in the truest sense of the sport.