Summer Training 2003

Tuesday night, August 5 was not much different from many of the other dreary
evenings that marked the late July, early August period in the northeast this
summer. Around 6 pm the sky opened up in a tropical deluge that dropped several inches of rain in a half an hour, much faster than any storm drains could absorb it resulting in Westfield Road flooding as bad as any time since Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999. In brief it was not the type of night that lent itself to outdoor activity of any kind.

But if failed to stop a determined group of boys and girls’ runners from the Scotch Plains cross country team who waded through knee deep water to get their nightly summer workout in. Since starting practice July 1, the team has run together every weeknight. There have been some closer calls than this night with thunderstorms delaying things, but each time the team waited them
out in the shelter of the clubhouse at the high school track and eventually ran.

“The kids are dedicated and determined,” said Coach Jeff Koegel in an
understatement. Of course it helped that Koegel was out there sloshing around
with them. Koegel’s dedication to his kids as well as his running knowledge has
resulted in the Scotch Plains cross country program becoming one of the
county’s best.

In seven years Koegel’s teams have compiled a sterling 50-6 dual meet record
with 1 conference title and six seconds as well as a multitude of close
finishes at the county and state sectional meets.

“We would obviously never endanger anyone by having them run in a thunderstorm.“ said Koegel. “Rain is a different story. Cross country meets do not get rained out so it helps to have them used to running in inclement conditions.”

The dedication paid off on August 16 at the Fanwood Contact We Care 5k race when Raider runners,Zack Mcguire and Mary Shashaty swept the men’s and women’s divisions respectively.

“Zack has worked very hard all summer and deserves his success”, said Koegel.
“I am way ahead of where I was a year ago”, said Mcguire,second in the county cross country championships last fall.
“I have trained harder and without as much strain”.

The workouts have evolved over time from their original format. “The kids didn’t think three nights were enough so it eventually grew to every night”, said Koegel.

The runners generally split up into several groups with the fastest boys in one and Koegel joins the girls for their run. Koegel, an elite runner before incurring serious leg injuries, prefers to run with the girls and won his age group at the Fanwood 5k.

It should be noted that the workouts are purely optional but there is a very high level of attendance. A coach is allowed to supervise his athletes all summer as long as the practice isn’t mandatory.
Even when the runners go on vacation, they have Koegel give them training
plan for their time away.

Even with McGuire, a five-year veteran of the workouts,graduating next spring,Koegel expects the workouts to continue for the foreseeable future.
. “The kids have had a taste of success and want to keep this going”, said Koegel.