Slithering motivation

As our women's XC runners were preparing for the final interval in a grueling, 3xmile workout at the rail trail in New Paltz on Saturday morning, I was trying to motivate them by telling them this would be one of their last hard intervals of the fall season.

But then! One of our captains shrieked for me to watch out as a snake was slithering up from behind. So much for the rah-rah speech!

You can see the slithering interloper in the photo to the left. The women completed the workout in strong fashion, one day after the men completed a similar workout on the same trail in a similarly strong and unified way, as we prepare for the final two weeks of the cross country season.