Rehearsing Your Prerace Routine

You should begin to rehearse by "seeing" yourself before the race. How does air feel, smell? How do you look as you warm up and jog to the starting line? Feel composed, poised, and confident, ready to burst forward like a contained horse let loose. Pay close attention to your body. As your rehearsals become more complete, you may notice an increase in heart rate or breathing rate. You may begin to sweat and feel tension in your belly. These are normal physiological changes that accompany your mental training drills. As you rehearse the race, get in touch with how it feels to run your best, and imagine the race unfolding exactly as you would like. Carry your visualization into the evening. See yourself enjoying the fact that you performed well earlier in the day; imagine what it would be like to eat your favorite meal with close friends discussing the race. Don't leave anything out. Rehearsal should encompass every aspect of the entire day.

Then do you start preparing for a race (mentally)? There's no such thing as too soon; the more crucial the race, the earlier you should begin your mental preparation. (some prepare for years, others months)

Eldersburg Rogue Runners claim two of first three WRRC races

Club member Carl Henn started the year off leading a pack of 6 ERR runners (Frank Sisolak, Jim Ridder, Bryan Mull, Pete Lester, Rush Lester) to the finish in the Winfield Mile. Robert Ward came back in the second race for WRRC with a second place finish, but redeemed himself in the third race of the year, winning by a comfortable 40 seconds.

Lion Pride: Liberty High School wins first Cross Country State Championship

A year ago, the Liberty Boys Cross Country team finished 11th in the Maryland State Cross Country Championships.  With most of the team returning, they knew they had a chance to be even better in 2003.  The team met on their own during the summer decided to make a commitment on that day, one goal: To Win the State Championship.

Without an elite runner, they understood from the outset that it would have to be a team effort. At one time or anther during the cross country season, every varsity runner, except one, has finished in the team's seventh position.  The team ran all season in a tight pack with all seven runners finishing within 30 seconds of the leader.  Being the seventh man has been an enormous source of pride for the Lions which can state with certainty that the seventh man at Liberty, can run on any team in the state.

From day one they showed the desire, focus and determination of a Championship Team, and on November 8th, the Liberty Cross Country Team achieved their goal winning Liberty High School's 1st Cross Country State Championship by 20 points over a strong Atholton squad.  Congratulations to the Liberty Boys Cross Country Team, their parents, the alumni, and everybody involved in the running community in Eldersburg.  It was a combined effort. 

The state team included: Chris Devilbiss - CoCaptain (Sr.), Carl Henn (Jr.), Pete Lester - CoCaptain (Sr.), Bryan Mull (Jr.), Steve Mullens (Sr.), Jim Ridder (Soph.), and Frank Sisolak (Jr.) competing and Kevin Burdinski (Jr.), Rush Lester, (Soph.) and Phil Grapes (Sr.) running as alternates.

With four of their top seven returning (and six of the top nine) the team has high hopes for a successful season in 2004.

Front:  Assistant Coach Andy Bokman (left), Head Coach Dan Jones, Head Coach Bobby Ward (right)
Middle:  Captain Pete Lester, Frank Sisolak, Bryan Mull, Steve Mullens
Back:  Carl Henn, Jim Ridder, Captain Chris DeVilbiss