This week MileStat caught up with the Princess Anne XC team down at 87th Street in Virginia Beach. Down there, on a perfect fall day with the sun shining, the athletes got to work quick. Whether it was the fact that we were there or that conferences was a week away you could see the intensity.
The best part of it all though is being able to warm up and cool down along the beach in the sand. After that though the sand became an enemy.
The workout was between 6-12 times ~250m along a gradual and then steep sand dune. After that was done there was another 4-5 reps of a much steeper 70m sand dune just straight up.
This workout was centered around getting the heart rate up and keeping the body fresh as the season becomes much longer.
Watch here to see what coach Kevin Rhue had to say about the workout and season:
Though Princess Anne takes homecoming quite seriously, three runners at PA take XC even more seriously. These runners skipped out on the full day of homecoming activities to drive up to Richmond for one last chance at regular season pr's.
These three runners chose wisely as they competed in the MileStat.com XC Invitational against some of the best competition in the state this year. Including a lot of the faces they will be seeing in the coming weeks during the post-season.
The most notable of these athletes was Doria Martingayle (junior) who was Princess Anne's first ever Girl Distance Runner State Champion (3200m - 2015 Outdoor Track). She was also runner-up a year ago to Heather Holt (George C. Marshall) in XC and hungrier then ever. She used this workout and weekend to run a speedy VA #14 18:16. A time that now ranks third in 5A. This time was also just .84 seconds off of a personal record.
Also placing well and posting a huge 21 second pr was Doria's older brother Harrison Martingayle. Harrison is a former wrestler and finally focusing 100% on running which is translating very well. All three of the Martingayles have a history in wrestling including Doria. Harrison finished in 13th place with his 15:38 time which ranks him fifth amongst 5A runners.
Stealing the show when it comes to pr's though was Josh Spare who blasted a 31 second pr. This time was also 50 seconds faster then his performance at Albemarle. It shows you what a stacked field, great workout, and the right conditions can do.
Josh and the others are ready to roll this post-season as they face off in Conference 9 Wednesday and then regionals and hopefully states.
Check out the interview with the entire Martingayle crew here:
Be sure to check out the full album of photos from our practice visit by: Mary Ann Magnant!