Track and Field Blogs - Scott Bauhs

Cross Country is here and it is time to get excited. This will be my last collegiate cross country season and it could also be the best. This will be my third week of workouts as I try to catch up to my team and the rest of the NCAA who; for the most part, had the whole summer to train.

Our season was kicked off by a weeklong camp by Lake Tahoe before school started. This gave the team a chance to congregate after a summer spent spread out in various locations, as well as a chance to meet the newcomers as well as get in some rough hilly runs at altitude. Camp was capped off by a tough 18 mile run on the Pacific Crest Trail (A trail that extends from Canada to Mexico). This was a run that 17 guys ran; almost tripling our highest ever total (6 from 2007). It was very exciting to see so many members of our team running so far. When we got to the finish I was as inspired as ever about running.

This weekend will be the first race of the season for our team as they travel to San Diego… but I will be staying home. Like I said earlier, I am entering my third week of workouts and I’m not ready to race. If everything goes well then I will be ready to race in two weeks at Stanford and hopefully I will be able to defend my title. Either way our team is ready to race and hopefully they will go and show how good they are with or without me on Saturday. We have one of the deepest teams in the nation regardless of division and this weekend is our first chance to prove that.

We will be sending full squads to San Diego, Stanford, Willamette, Conference, Regionals and Nationals and we will send partial squads to San Francisco, The Almond Bowl (local Chico road-race), and a 5k Time trial on our track. Tentatively I will also be racing the Seagate Elite 5k and the USATF Club Cross-Country nationals.

I love cross-country and I can’t wait to get started. This year is going to be a good one!