#Kerra Vick# is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team.
Written 11-24-09
Wow, we are done with cross country! Even typing this, I cannot believe that last Saturday was our last cross country race of the year. And what a season it was! None of us could have imagined in August that three months from then we would be standing on the start line of Nationals as a team.
We jumped from being unranked in the nation to being ranked 28th. We then beat that ranking by finishing 24th at the NCAA Championship on Saturday. What a season!
Because this is my last post for cross country this season, I would like to give a special thanks to our head coach, Nick (McDonough), and our two assistant coaches, James (McCarthy) and Jon (Phillips). They pushed us, made us get up at 8am on weekends to go run, often in pouring rain, and saw us through each race. They taught us how to race: how to run in order to benefit the team as well as your individual place. They took a small group of girls and made a team.
Thank you!
#Kerra Vick# is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 11-15-09
On Saturday, we decided to take a break from our usual trip to Ohio in favor of upstate New York in Geneseo. This weekend, the girls ran in the NCAA Atlantic Region meet, competing with 40 different schools.
When we all crossed the finish line, we were quiet. We knew that our success (best-ever third place) at the UAA Championship put us in a good chance to qualify for nationals. But, we were all aware that despite being good, it was still just a chance.
Ten minutes into our cool-down run, we saw Katherine (Wang) and Hannah (Satzke) racing
towards us shouting that we got third! Although the NCAA only guarantees the first two finishers at the regionals a spot in nationals, our performance at UAA placed us above other schools.
So, while I couldn't say for sure that we were going to nationals, it looks likely! (In fact, the Violets wound up receiving an at-large bid).
However, no matter what, we showed the region and the nation that NYU girls mean
business!
#Kerra Vick# is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 11-7-09
It's hard to believe last week was UAA's and next week is Regionals! The time has flown by: it seems like yesterday Natalie (Helpern) and Emily (Olsen) were explaining to us the route on our first run in case we got lost.
Although we are not done running, I'd like to share what some of the team loves most about cross country:
One of the most distinctive characteristics of our team is a trait lovingly called "festering", as noted by Emily. Festering involves sitting around for long periods of time doing nothing.
Hannah (Satzke) and Maeve (Evans) both enjoy the process of racing. From the hotel
rooms to that powerful feeling after crossing the finish line, nothing beats the race.
But, Laura (Santoski) noted that her favorite aspect of the cross country team is our closeness. We run together everyday, eat together, and spend most weekends together. We are a small team, but we stick together. And that closeness makes us stronger.
#Kerra Vick# is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 10-30-09
Today is the eve before the UAA Championship at Case Western University. Once again, we are back in Ohio.
However, there are a couple of differences from the meet two weeks ago (Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble).
First of all, Natalie Helpern, who previously was unable to come do to health reasons is with us this time. The competitors this week are Natalie, Katherine (Wang), Emily (Olsen), Joan (Kanarkiewicz), Maeve (Evans), Paige (Zelinsky), Laura (Santoski), Hannah (Satzke), Kirsten (Keller), and myself.
Secondly, because this is UAA's, there will only be eight teams with 10 girls, so a maximum of 80 runners are running.Most meets we are swamped with runners. This time especially, every point helps the team.
We are a strong team and are looking forward to the race tomorrow!
Written 10-26-09
One of our team's bonding experiences revolves around eating. Because of the very nature of the sport and the fact we run so many miles in a given week, proper nutrition is one of the most important parts of training.
A proper runner's diet is a combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates usually make up a large portion of our diet because our bodies rely mainly on them for energy.
The best carbohydrates are whole grain carbs, fruits, and starchy vegetables, while avoiding the empty carbs like white bread and sweets. Proteins and fats, are especially important for long term energy. Proteins and fats that are low in saturated and trans fats are the best.
Vitamins and minerals help the body fight against the daily wear and tear running puts on our bodies, such as calcium for stronger bones and iron for better oxygen delivery.
Finally, I believe frozen yogurt is an important part of a runner's diet. Okay, I confess. It's not backed up by experts, but it is DELICIOUS!
#Kerra Vick# is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 9-19-09
Over the weekend, our team headed off to Oberlin, OH. We were a bit light on the numbers because both Natalie (Helpern) and Franca (Godenzi) didn't come with us do to illness. Still, nine of us arrived on Friday afternoon ready to run.
When we arrived in Ohio, we were greeted by drizzle and rain, which brought memories from last year where apparently the course was a soupy mess!
Luckily, the course remained more or less solid during our race. When I write more or less, I mean the course was solid enough that we weren't slipping but muddy enough to turn our legs and back of our uniforms brown.The best part of the race was the final loop when the sun broke out of the clouds for the first time.
Our race was first, which gave us time to cheer on the men who won the meet!
We came in at a solid fourth place despite the absences. We will be back in Ohio for the UAA Championship in two weeks. Hopefully, the weather will be a bit better.
Kerra Vick is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 10-11-09
On Friday we had the closest thing to a home meet this season, as we went up to Van Cortland Park, which is located in the Bronx, for the Metropolitan Championship. We often go there to do long runs on Saturdays. In fact, the previous week we had a rather tough workout there on a Friday, running up and down hills.
The course is a bit different this year than in year’s past. Instead of going deep in the back woods, we did three loops in the front section of the park. This was a little more forgiving in that there was only one minor hill we had to run up three times.
The practices and familiar course proved advantageous as our team took third place behind Rutgers and Columbia, both NCAA Division I teams!
We are looking forward to traveling to Oberlin (Ohio) College next week to face some more outstanding competition.
Kerra Vick is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 10-7-09
If you browse through the website, you can read about us in formal biographies. However, I would like to introduce you to the “real” sophomore and freshmen cross country runners on our team…..
Maeve Evans- Maeve, a sophomore and Stern marketing representative, is from Swanton, Vermont. Despite being a prestigious Stern student, she actually is known for her lifelike dolphin impressions and the ability to twist her arms in quite a unique way.
Laura Santoski- Laura's sweet spirit always helps out on a run. She is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is a sophomore studying Spanish and journalism. She is also useful if you need help on an essay or letter…she won the spelling bee twice in middle school.
Paige Zelensky- Paige is quite easy to spot during practice. She always sports a bandana with Joan (Kanarkiewicz). My favorite is the patriotic American flag. Originally from Chicago, Illinois (if you don't believe her, ask her to say "Chicago"), she is currently a sophomore in Studio Art.
Joan Kanarkiewicz (yes, that is her last name)- Joan is also a sophomore, studying language and mind. She is from Duanesburg, New York, and coming to NYU probably was a bigger change for her than most. When at home, Joan lives in an actual log cabin.
Hannah Satzke- Starting off the freshman group, Hannah is from Fair Haven, New Jersey. She currently is in sports management. Fun Fact about Hannah: she speaks German.
Franca Godenzi- Another freshman, Franca is continuing the Spanish trend by studying Latin American studies. She says she's from Boston, Massachusetts. However, I have my doubts: she's moved across the
Atlantic three times.
Kirsten Keller- Coming all the way from Fort Morgan, Colorado, Kirsten is starting her NYU career as an undeclared major. She always has quite the smile, but apparently she didn’t always have one: she had a grey front tooth for a while because she whacked her head on a toilet seat.
Kerra Vick- Last but not least, I am a media, culture, and communications major. I am from Denver, Colorado, but I've traveled to 20 countries on five continents.
Written 10-4-09
Kerra Vick is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
If you browse through the website, you can read about us in formal biographies. However, I would like to introduce you to the “real” cross country runners on the girls team, starting with the juniors…..
Katharine Wang- Katharine is starting her junior year at NYU. She is from Orange, Connecticut, and is studying politics and Spanish. She fondly remembers her loving pet goldfish. Did I mention the goldfish
was legally blind?
Emily Olsen- Emily is also a junior here studying political science. She comes from Charlotte, Vermont. While most kids spent there summer working, she spent the summer volunteering (and of course, running) in Peru.
Natalie Helpern- Speaking of noble summer endeavors, Natalie spent that time as a lifeguard. Despite the stereotype that lifeguards spend their days basking in the sun, Natalie actually has saved lives in her job. She also is junior studying history. Home for her is Cornwall, New York.
Kerra Vick is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 9-26-09
Today we raced in Williamstown, MA, which was an eye-opener for our team. Three weeks ago, we competed against eight different teams.
This time, we competed with 12 teams, six ranking in the top-35 in the entire nation! Our goal this time was to mainly show the bigger teams what NYU has going on.
Racing today was a learning experience for most of us. When the gun went off, we found ourselves in a pack behind the others. Let me tell you, you do not want to be in that position.
Despite the weak start, we kicked into gear with Joan (Kanarkiewicz) leading the team, coming in at around 23:14. Kirsten (Keller) came in close behind and Maeve (Evans) came in behind her. We managed to bring our pack from the back into a strong sixth-place finish.
Another enjoyable part of this race was the families that came to support the team for both the men and women, including Joan's, Maeve's, Emily's (Olsen), and Franca's (Godenzi) families. It always gives the runners an extra boost during the race to hear "Go NYU!" from the sides.
Coming up, we have one weekend "off" to train, and will be back in full force in Van Cortlandt Park on Oct. 9 (The New York Metropolitan Championship).
Written 9-18-09
A common yet concerning problem of running is the high rate of injuries, especially if you are running everyday on hard surfaces such as concrete and pavement. Unfortunately, because we live in the middle of a concrete jungle, we spend a fair amount of time pounding on the
pavement. Naturally, we focus heavily on other exercises to keep our joints healthy:
Stretching- Every day before and after practice, we warm up with a series of stretches. Many of the stretches are like the ones you learn in gym class, like touching your toes and butterflies. Yoga is also a popular activity among the team because nothing is better after a long run than zen-like meditation and deep breathing.
Icing- When muscles start aching, another relief is icing the trouble spots. The ice numbs the trouble spots and reduces inflammation. Sometimes an entire ice bath is needed, and luckily Coles provides that service to us!
Running on a "soft" track- Often, if one of the girls has pain or is recovering from an injury, (head coach) Nick (McDonough) sends us up to Central Park to run on the dirt trails. Also, we go out of the city every weekend to parks with dirt instead of concrete.
Avoiding all aches and pains is impossible for an athlete, but with proper care, we can reduce the chances of a serious injury and run stronger than ever.
Kerra Vick is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
Written 9-12-09
One of the keys to success in cross country relies in training over the summer. We have already have had one race, but haven't even had a full week of school. Granted, we arrived a week earlier, but one week of intense training doesn't place an athlete at peak performance.
During one of our runs through the city, I asked the girls in our group (Joan, Maeve, Laura, and Kirsten) what they did to prepare for cross country over the break. It seems that everyone kept in contact with our coach, Nick McDonough, who gave us individual instructions. For many of us, including Maeve, Kirsten and me, we started off running about 30 minutes a day and
worked up to 60 minutes by the end of the summer. Nick also recommended doing core exercises such as push-ups, planks, and sit-ups. And, one must not also forget to do strides, a series of short, intense sprints.
Although it can be difficult to motivate yourself to run in the summer, training before the first week of cross country makes jumping in to running "miles" easier.
Kerra Vick is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 9-9-09
Last Saturday, we had success in our first cross country meet of the season. A story of the meet is up on the NYU Athletics website (gonyuathletics.com).
However, what the article doesn't describe is what it feels like to be right in the action.
On the starting line, there is an unseen charge electrifying the air. It is fairly quiet as each runner prepares for her race. Then, the gun blasts and it becomes a cacophony of sounds with Nick (head coach Nick McDonough) yelling and onlookers cheering.
During the race, the only goal is to keep a steady pace and of course run as fast as possible. You lose touch with the outside world. Kelsey (Holland) apparently got stung by a bee, but continued on. Hannah (Satzke) couldn't remember most of the course after we finished because of her concentration.
However, when the finish line appears and is finally crossed, the feelings are of exhaustion, elation and a sense of success.
We are already looking forward to our next race to see what we can accomplish.
Katharine Wang is a junior on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 9/6/09
After a tough first week of practice, we finally headed out to our first meet (the Monmouth Cross Country Kickoff). Facing teams from both Division I and Division III, there was a good amount of competition from everyone. The weather was perfect for racing, which seemed to foreshadow our team’s results.
For many of us, it had been a while since our last race, let alone our last cross country race. Also, with a good portion of the team being freshmen, no one knew what to expect on the starting line. But, everyone was looking forward to seeing what we could bring to the table.
Many of us were baffled by the fact we were racing a 4k rather than a 5k or 6k. But, instead of letting race day pressure get to us, we treated the race as a speed workout to calm our nerves.
Many of the teams at the meet had already been back for weeks, whereas we had only been back for six days. Yet, we placed first among the Division III schools and third overall, showing the strength of our team.
I am already looking forward to racing in the future and seeing how much we can improve. With three out of our top-five finishers being freshmen, our team is bound for some great races. As a junior, I am seeing this team develop over the last year and a half, and it has been amazing. From not even being recognized in the NCAA Regional poll to being ranked number seven this year demonstrates how far along our team has come.
Written 9/3/09
Coming from Colorado with wide open spaces and ample running tracks, I was surprised to hear that NYU had a competitive cross country team. I had trouble envisioning a group of tank-top clad girls jogging amid the cabs in the streets of New York City.
During our first week, though, I learned that it is indeed possible to run extensively in the heart of the city.
The first day we ran through Central Park. Through a maze of hidden paths…a more common run, I thought.
The second day gave us a taste of running in the city, as we ran from Coles through the streets to the east side.
The next day, we ran from Central Park back to Coles, then down Seventh Avenue. Between dodging pedestrians and avoiding trucks, our run became a real-life video game. All arrived safely back at Coles ( I guess that means we won the game!).
From the tourists snapping pictures of us to the cabbies that let us run in front of them, running for NYU in NYC certainly provides an exciting training ground.
#Kerra Vick# is a freshman on the NYU women's cross country team. Periodically throughout the season, she will share her thoughts in this space.
