Now that the cross country season has been finished for a while, that's still no excuse to not run, especially if you're not in another winter sport. A runner doesn't want to lose the fitness gained during the hard work of the cross country season.
It's cold you say, but that's no excuse. Just put on the sweats and mittens and you'll be fine. It takes about a mile for the body to get warmed up on these cold days, so just stay with it for a bit and you'll be fine.
With the All-Delco team being published earlier this week, congratulations to Runners of the Year Hannah Grossman, of Strath Haven, and Chris Garrity, of Cardinal O'Hara.
Grossman was good at the start of the season and gradually improved as the season went on. What was best about Grossman is she had her best race of the year at the state meet with that third-place finish. To run your best at the biggest meet is not an easy accomplishment.
Garrity was also very good all season and he led O'Hara to a third-place finish in the team standings at the state meet. Like Grossman, he ran very well in the most important race of the season.

I was not at all surprised by the performance of Strath Haven's Hannah Grossman at districts. She's been the top girls runner in Delaware County all season and had her best race in the biggest race of the season. And now with THE biggest race of the season set for Saturday, given health, she could very well have another good run.
As a sophomore last year, Grossman was 62nd in the state meet up at Hershey. She's a good bet to make a marked improvement on that mark this year.
Last year, Pennsbury's Sara Sargeant won the District 1 Class AAA race in 17:39 and then took the state race in 18:35. So, if you add approximately a minute from Grossman's District 1 time of 18:02 to the state course in Hershey, she's a good bet to finish in the top 10 Saturday. Last year, Haverford's Tess Meehan finished 10th in the states as a freshman in 19:21. and yes, don't forget about the Sophia and Tess Meehan in this race. They've been in plenty of big-meet situations and it wouldn't be a surprise to either one of them challenge for a top 10 spot as well.
Sometimes, runners get in a big meet like the states and feel they have to do something different to have that extra-special race. However, if Grossman just races the way she has all year, then a good showing at states is a high probability.
The two best individual bets to place on the boys side from Delaware County are Glen Mills' Mahdi Koliso and Cardinal O'Hara's Chris Garrity. Garrity nipped Koliso at the Delaware County meet. Koliso ran a 16:02 at Districts to reach the states. So, if those two are still comparable, and can run something in the 16:15-25 range, they would have a shot at making the top 10. Tenth place last year at states in the Class AAA race was 16:24. It will be interesting to see how Garrity and Koliso respond to the tough competition because they could go even faster than expected.
In terms of the team scoring, the Cardinal O'Hara boys could make a big jump from last year's 18th place finish. The scoring five last year were Garrity, Dan Savage, Mike Bilotta, Jake Saccetti and Chris Pastore. They all returned this year and Garrity is the only senior. The addition of Christian Ostrowski and Mike Hess into the mix, with Ostrowski being the No. 2 O'Hara runner at the Catholic League Championships, makes the Lions even stronger this year.

QUOTE TO RUN BY
Here is this week's Quote to Run By: It comes from William Faulkner, which hopefully some of you have read. "Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."

Here's a quick look at the Delco meet scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Rose Tree Park. Something to note, is that due to construction, the course will be slightly different. The finish has been extended some to make up the difference in distance, but the course still may be a little short.

First, the boys side.
Individually, you've got Cardinal O'Hara's Chris Garrity, Glen Mills' Mahdi Moliso, Harriton's Peter Downs, Haverford's Woo Kim and Strath Haven's Noah Frick all look to contend for the title. A lot will depend on who had to run hard in Wednesday's dual meets and who could coast a little. Haverford ran hard and beat Conestoga for the Central League title, so it might not be quite as sharp Saturday. Moliso also ran a fast time Tuesday, but the extra day may be just enough for him to bounce back today. Downs didn't run in a dual meet this week, so assuming he's healthy, he could have a good race, and expect Garrity to be strong as well.
As far as the team scoring goes, look for O'Hara to run well as it was second in the championship division at the Briarwood Invitational in September. Then you've got Haverford, depending on how much they have left in the tank after Wednesday, and Strath Haven should be a factor as well.

On the girls side, individually, Strath Haven's Hannah Grossman has been consistently fast all season. She could get a challenge from Archbishop Carroll's Katie Rodden. After that there are Haverford's Sophia and Tess Meehan, Notre Dame's Maria Seykora, Springfield's Francie McNally and Penncrest's Grace Chang.
Team wise, even though they appeared to run hard on Wednesday, Haverford has consistently shown the most depth this season. Also looking to challenge will be Strath Haven, which did not run all out Wednesday, so maybe it will have a little more left for Delcos, along with Notre Dame and Cardinal O'Hara.

And the quote for this post:
When it's hard to run, run hard.