Kathleen Shay's Cross Country University Camp Blog


Embedded YouTube video was put together by the camp itself with highlights from the week. 

During the summer we had a few athletes record their experiences at running camps. Here is Kathleen Shay's daily log from the Cross Country University Camp that took place August 7th through 12th. A huge thank you to Kathleen for sharing her experience with us. The above video was put together by the camp itself. 
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XCU Training Camp Blog

By Kathleen Shay, Middletown South HS

I spent a week training with my team at Cross Country University in the Pocono Mountains. It was an amazing opportunity to bond, not only with my team, but also with new friends who I will see on the race course this coming season.

Here are some highlights from my week at XCU:

Tuesday:

Campers arrived on the Lindenmere Campus and received Cabin/Olympic assignments. After unpacking, lunch, and a quick learning session about running form, a bus arrived to bring us to White Haven, a scenic trail along the Lehigh River. This was a great trail for a long run, with 26 miles of gravel to explore with your running group. A quick shower and some dinner later, it was Championship night! Campers participated in tournaments of Knock-Out, Rock-Paper-Scissors, and Ninja.

Wednesday:

Woke up to a beautiful day and a challenging 7:15am run on our very hilly campus...all before coffee!  Our learning session with Rich Agnello on how to use resistance bands for injury prevention was very informative as well as the running form video analysis.  I spent a lot of the day playing gaga with my team and swimming in Camp Lindenmere's brand-new lake facility. Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and the giant water trampoline were a great addition to camp this summer!  The day ended with another presentation by Tim Collins about running in college and a core workout on the covered basketball courts. Our evening entertainment was provided by Skylr, the hypnotist, a perennial camp favorite.  I don't think that any of us will ever think of Oscar Meyer the same way again!

Thursday:

Muddy start to the morning on the trails at Lake Tobyhanna.  Everyone enjoys running this 5 mile loop because it is so picturesque (totally Instagram-worthy!).  Nicol Traynor gave a great presentation/Q&A on her experiences with the NJNY Track Club and the importance of summer training.  A high-stakes gaga tournament in the afternoon followed by an energetic Zumba session meant that we earned a bonfire with s'mores in the evening. It was a beautiful, clear night in the mountains and all the stars were out!


Friday:

Yet another hilly morning distance run on campus...at least the rain held off until we were finished.  A lot of campers used this as a rest day and as an opportunity to make Olympic shirts for their teams.  The most brave and dedicated campers chose aqua-jogging or added a second run later in the day. Madeline Noe-Schlentz gave a nutrition presentation and then it was time for the Volleyball Championship tournament. (Shout out to my team for being camp champs!!)  We had a relaxing yoga session and a well-deserved stretch after all of those Pocono hills. The talent show gave campers an opportunity to showcase their more "obscure" (??!!) skills followed by pick-up soccer games all the way until curfew at 10:45.

Saturday:

An early morning thunderstorm meant a change in location for our first run of the day.  We hopped on the buses to escape the weather and did a distance run along a beautiful rail trail.  After breakfast and a much-needed shower, we had a presentation by James Smirk from Princeton HS about the phases of team bonding. (as if a week at XCU with your team wasn't enough!!!) We participated in water balloon toss, the medley relay, and everyone's favorite, dizzy bat!  Camp Olympics is always one of the most memorable events at Lindenmere and today's games were no exception. This year the girls really outdid themselves making creative Olympic shirts for the boys to wear. Our final Zumba session ensured that we would be starving for dinner. Saturday night's camp dance is the absolute pinnacle of our week at XCU!  

Great music+mediocre dance moves=one awesome night.

Sunday:

My favorite workout of the whole week, RHYTHM MILES!  We ran our final workout on campus with our groups before heading to breakfast.  We spent the morning cleaning, packing, and saying goodbye to a week that will never be forgotten!

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You can follow along with Kathleen Shay's season on her MileSplit profile.