Official after school practice begins on Monday, September 18th. There are optional summer conditioning sessions, check out our training calendar.
The last day of practice will be Thursday, November 6th. The final team meet will be the Albemarle County Championships scheduled for November 8th.
Our runners meet in the Turf room (next to the gym) directly after school.
Absolutely. While some Henley students have some running experience, many others have never run before. Some of our strongest competitors never set foot on a track before starting with us!
The only gear you need to get started are a pair of running shoes and a water bottle. The team provides running singlets or uniforms for full time participants (i.e., regularly attend practice and meets).
There are both locker rooms and bathrooms that our runners use at Henley. The best location depends on the time of year and the other activities that are going on—just ask the more seasoned runners for their pro tips and they'll be happy to share!
Dicks Sporting Goods has a reasonable selection of brands and you should be able to find something for less than $99. The team over at Ragged Mountain does an excellent job at fitting local runners. As they advance, runners may look for different features: cross country runners may prefer waffle soles (mud is slippery!), track may prefer flatter/lighter shoes, and serious sprinters may consider 1/4" spikes.
Runners are not required to compete in every meet but competition is an important part of the experience. Full team participation allows us to compete in more events and achieve higher team scores. We encourage all of our runners to compete as soon as they're ready!
Runners will leave afternoon practice from the door near the Turf room. This exit is located behind the school where the buses line up.
In general it's better to run on an emptier stomach. We'll normally have some drinks and snacks at the meet. Oranges and other fruits are great choices for pre-race snacks and fueling up in between events.
Parents are responsible for transportation to and from meets. Coach Mike can generally provide transportation for up to five runners in his van and parents often carpool. If a runner wants to participate in an event but does not have transportation lined up, there is usually someone who can help—just ask.
A week or two before each meet, a preliminary roster will be developed and shared for each race based on our meet surveys. Coach Mike will ask athletes to review the rosters during practice and will share the same information with parents via email.
A good rule of thumb is to show up an hour before your first event. Everyone performs better when they have time to warm up and explore the course/environment in a relaxed way. It's also a lot more fun when the whole team is there to cheer everyone on!
For cross country and outdoor track, we'll have a Henley tent where our athletes get ready and store their gear. Indoor track meets are more cramped (no tents inside!) but this also means it's not hard to find us. Just keep an eye out for our red and white uniforms!
Yes, that happens all the time. Team scoring in cross country uses the five fastest runners on each team and it's not uncommon for the 6th, 7th, or even 8th runner to push another team down in the rankings. So, when you have a larger meet with 10-20 teams, runners finishing 30th, 40th, 50th or even later can determine how the entire team places.