Wildcats Head to Miller Woods
September 28, 2013
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - With no race on the
schedule, the Wildcats headed to Miller Woods for the now infamous “Hill 1981”
workout followed by a brutal final climb to “The Bench.” A brief ten minute
drive from Linfield, Miller Woods is a 130 acre property with 94 forested acres
and 36 acres in pasture and hay land. You can find old growth trees, ponds and
streams, great views of the Yamhill Valley, and of course, many miles of
running trails.
“I don’t think there is any other location in the county with trails and
scenery that rival Miller Woods,” stated Associate Head Coach Greg Mitchell.
“It’s great to be hammering your way up the hills through a tunnel of branches
with the morning sun just breaking through the trees and the only sound is the
gasping breathing of you and your teammates. It’s a quintessential cross
country training ground.”
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| Madison Trowbridge leads the varsity women up the final climb to "The Bench." |
The workout involved running a hill circuit on a double-track access
road that loops through a heavily forested area of the park. The athletes
complete four to nine circuits – depending on gender and fitness – and then
finish the workout off with a climb out of the wooded area and up to The Bench,
which sits at the apex of a hill at the center of the park. The workout builds
physical strength, but perhaps more importantly, tests the mental toughness of
the athletes.
“It was a soul-searching kind of workout,” continued
Mitchell. “The rain was falling. The wind was whipping through the trees. It
was cold and muddy. Only each individual knows what kind of effort they put in.
I hope at the end of the day, the athletes were able to answer the question:
‘What am I made of?'"
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| Tess Andresen takes some Miller Woods home with her after a muddy workout. |
