The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“They all have been on a steady trajectory in their running”
by Than Acuff
Last season was a mix of seasoned veterans and young up-and-comers for the Crested Butte Titans cross-country team, and while they lost two seniors to graduation, the team looks to be back on pace for the upcoming season.
“I think last season we were underdogs that had a very successful season,” says coach Laura Puckett Daniels. “The boys team made it to state so we were pretty pleased with that.”
The team has nine runners out this year and started their pre-season workouts on Monday, August 12. And while still down from optimal numbers, Daniels sees something new this year.
“Our program is never huge, 20 is really the sweet spot, so we’re pretty small,” says Daniels. “But the kids who are there are super-motivated. For the first time in all of my years of coaching, all of the kids like to run.”
Shari Sullivan-Marshall joins Daniels as a co-coach and Vince Rogers is back as the assistant coach, making for an even more seamless transition for the team.
“The runners have had us now for a couple of years so there is much more fluidity this year,” explains Daniels. “We’ve been able to ease back into things and build naturally off where we left it last season.”
But there is a twist to their program this year. Daniels is also the head track coach and she devised a new training regimen with the track team last spring that paid off in spades. Therefore, she and her coaching staff have adopted that same training mentality for the cross-country team. Rather than spend the first few weeks building mileage, they have the runners focused on preparation to then start taking on miles.
“The emphasis is on strength and mobility to make them structurally solid and building up running miles in a gradual way,” says Daniels. “It makes running much more sustainable over the 12-week season and creates a stronger finish.”
Ultimately the coaches are looking for the athletes to reach their stride by the sixth week of the season and then peak once they hit the post-season.
“We want their very best race of the season to be the regional meet,” says Daniels.
Since all but one of the runners is returning from last year, and several ran track in the spring, they have adapted quickly and bought into the new philosophy and are continuing their progress from one season to the next.
“They all have been on a steady trajectory in their running,” says Daniels. “It’s been a super-smooth start and everyone knows what to expect. They’re there because they all want to be there.”
