Monterey Bay XC Invite

Before you continue reading this recap, realize just one thing. It just doesn't matter. Even if we won, even if we lost, even if every runner got mortally injured, even if every runner qualified for world XC championships, it just doesn't matter.

That being said, it was a fascinating day as the Warriors lined up for their first race of the year on Saturday September 5 in Monterey, CA. The weather was great, cool but sunny, and the Warriors were ready to get back in racing form after training all those long and lonely miles over the summer. CSU Monterey Bay, East Bay, Notre Dame de Namur, Sonoma State, and San Francisco State were all there to see where they are at this early in the season as well.

This was the first time CSUS had traveled and competed at the CSU Monterey Bay Invite, so we had no idea what to expect from the course. As it turns out, not much. I'll list a few pros and cons I observed from the course and let you make the call:

Pros:
1. Almost exclusively dirt or sand. In other words, no concrete.
2. All on trails
3. Well marked and maintained

Cons:
1. A lot of very thick and heavy sand, so it was hard to get good footing on a lot of crucial turns and coming off big downhills
2. The trails were narrow, nearly impossible to pass people in most spots.
3. The trails were very twisty and winding between mile 2-3, very hard to go fast in such a technical twisty trail
4. Turn a corner and finish 20 meters onto cement with no time to react or initiate a kick. The finish line wasn't visible before this, so it was hard to judge how much of the race you had left.

Anyway, I can complain more, but I'll leave it at that. To CSUMB's credit, it was a very traditional XC course, which is fun in an age where XC races are becoming more and more like road races with a bit of grass thrown in. They did a great job of organizing and running the meet, there were no problems I observed, and it would have been an accomplishment to go the wrong way or miss a turn, as they had great volunteers and directors. It just wasn't a course made for speed, which is actually nice every now and again.

Moving on, the Lady Warriors had a strong showing despite a few injured or redshirting runners. Denali "She-Beast" Foldager won her first collegiate race, coming in ahead of the field in the 2.75 mile race. She looked really strong down the stretch, and is showing she will be a force to be reckoned with in the CCAA. She was followed by teammates Rubye, Mary, Al-Face, Andrea, Chelsea, and Lindsay Garcia to round out the top 7 for the Lady Warriors. All had a good first race, and there are more exciting things to come.

In the men's race, Joey "Portuguese Man-o-War" Nunes also won his first collegiate XC race, coming in first for the men's 4 mile in a time of 22:05. Joey took the lead at mile 3 and brought it in strong to hold of a SFSU runner and teammate Dawson "Man-Beard" Vorderbruegge for second and third places, respectively. Palmer, Shane, Ivan, Tyler, Kanwar, and Terrance brought in the rest of the points for the Warriors in that order.

Overall, the times were slow on a junky course, and nobody really felt like they ran the best they could, but it's freaking September 5th! Unlike a lot of schools, the Warriors are exclusively concerned about peaking and running our best on October 24 and November 7, when it matters. It was a good tune up race, and provided a fun day of racing for everyone involved.

But remember, it just doesn't matter!