Strawberries - The Runners Food!

The red color of strawberries comes from antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins, which are also found in other red and blue fruits. They help to reduce inflammation and counteract muscle damage from exercise. One cup of strawberries contains just 49 calories and nearly 150 percent of your daily value for vitamin C - more than an orange!
So if they are not now a part of your diet, consider keeping them on hand for post workout intake.

Carius, Imig, and Donini excel at Race for the Cure

Brittany Carius and Alyssa Imig took second and third, respectively, at the 2009 Race for the Cure in Peoria. Brittany's time of 19:34 was 42 seconds behind winner Angelina Anliker of Chicago. Alyssa was 24 seconds behind Britt with her 19:58.

In the men's division, Michael Donini placed third with a time of 17:13. Josh Bannister of Peoria was the winner with a time of 16:40. Nice Job Cougars!

Raven Pettry signs letter of intent

Raven Pettry, a four time state cross country qualifier from Henry, has signed a letter of intent to run for the Cougars this fall. She is the seventh runner to commit to the women's team this year, joining Olivia Renken , Kayla Christ, Rebekah Baer, Danie Fisher, Jenny Smiles, and Amelia Schultz. Add those to the six returning women and we will have the largest female roster in the eight year history of the

program. Not only is the roster high in numbers, but quality as well. Both Danie and Raven have been on the Journal Star honor roll list this year for the 3200 meters, while Kayla was top 20 at the state cross country meet last fall. Expectations are high for the coming season!

Tying a better shoelace knot

Here is a link to a video showing how to tie the Ian knot:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-319--13002-0,00.html

If you have trouble following that link, go to http://www.runnersworld.com/shoelaces and follow the link in the article

Women's Team Earns Academic All-American Honors

The ICC Women's Cross Country team was listed by the Cross Country Coaches Association as having achieved the 7th highest team GPA in the nation for the semester ending December, 2008. The cumulative team average was a hefty 3.569. Individual honors were earned by Brittany Carius, Alyssa Imig, Elizabeth Isbell, and Darci Knapp Schmidgall. All had averages over 3.60.

The men's team just missed team honors with a cumulative GPA of 2.904, finishing 17th in the nation. Butler County Community College led the women with a near perfect 3.935 GPA, while Iowa Central Community College topped the men with 3.637.

Deena Kastor Quotes

Quotes from Deena Kastor, bronze medalist, marathon, 2004:

"I just love running. I love the invigoration of accomplishing goals every day. My goal of making the 2012 Olympic team is four years off, but each day that I'm out running I'm chiseling away at that goal. So there's a sense of daily gratification even before a long-term goal is reached."

"I love cross country. I love the ruggedness of it and battling the elements. It's just a gritty, tough way to run."

"I get as equally excited with good workouts as with good races."

"That for me kind of sums up what racing is all about; the preparation is what gives you all the tools and empowerment in the world. The race is a sweet reward for all the work you've done in the months leading up to it."

Cougars Earn Academic Honors

Five individuals and the entire women's team were honored for their academic prowess during the fall semester. The women's team achieved the best grade point average of any of the ICC athletic teams with a team composite of over 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. This also earned them Academic Team of the Year honors with the NJCAA. Team members are Brittany Carius, Alyssa Imig, Bonni Martin, Carrie Bunting, Olivia Coker, Elizabeth Isbell, and Darci Knapp.

The following also achieved individual honors:
President's List (Perfect 4.0):

• Brittany Carius
• Alyssa Imig

Dean's List (3.5-3.99):

• Elizabeth Isbell
• Darci Knapp

Athletic Director's List (3.25-3.499):

• Frederick Kiprono

"Excellence is not an act, but a habit" (Aristotle)