Parents and Athletes,
We are looking forward to getting started with Summer XC! Each week I will send out an email and group me announcement with the update for the week, which will include practice locations, and distances for the day. I have included the chart for the first week at the end of this email.
This email has some new information and recaps some of the information from the parent meeting, in addition to some further clarification, so please look through it all to save yourself some questions later.
The rest of the emails this summer will be much shorter, I assure you.
Summer XC
We will officially begin on Wednesday, June 7th, and 7 AM. We will meet at the high school. We are encouraging anyone from 8th grade and above to join us, and we will have kids of all experience levels, some who've never run before, and others who have national championship aspirations. As coaches we will do our best to tailor runs to accommodate all levels.
Reading the schedule
(You know you've probably made something too complicated when you have to write this part, but here we are, and there is no going back now...)
If you look at the schedule you'll notice some obvious things, like the week number, day, date, location, and the type of run. The unusual part is the columns beginning with 60 and going down to 20. These numbers represent one's goal weekly mileage at their highest week(s). So if one's goal is to run 60 mpw at their highest, that is the column they will read to get their mileage for the day. At the end of week one, they would be at 30 miles, 50% of their max goal. We will work up each week towards that max mileage number. You'll notice that if your goal is to hit 40 mile weeks eventually, that on Friday of week 1 you'll be running 3-5 miles that day. I give a range so that you have some flexibility during the week and you aren't feeling forced to run exactly 4.67 miles.
You'll also notice a few hyperlinks in the table. The locations which are hyperlinked give the google map location of where we are going to meet. The hyperlinked numbers send you to a "map my run" map of a route to hit that mileage. Usually it will be on the lower end of the range, but you can add a bit to it quite easily with strides, which we will do most days. We will add maps to the chart as we get closer - it just takes a bit of time.
The high end of the range is one's max for that day. Note that if you only run the low end you'll be short at the end of the week, and if you only run the high end, you'll be over. You'll want to mix it up from day to day depending on feel.
Deciding on your Max mileage
If you are an inexperienced runner you should probably be in the 20-30 range. If you are experienced you should probably be in the 30-50 range. Some of our varsity level boys will be shooting for 50-60. Varsity level girls will generally be about 40. A lot of what determines your mileage is also how fast you can easily cover this amount of mileage (by easily, I mean easy running so you can accumulate miles without over-training). If you run 10 minute miles for easy runs, getting to 40 mpw means putting in almost 7 hours of running each week, which is asking a lot at a high school age, for someone at that current fitness level.
You should consult with your coaches before definitively deciding on a max mileage, and you should always leave room for some flexibility. I'm not a huge fan of prescribing exact numbers each day, which is why I went with a range.
Vacations etc.
I realize pretty much all of you are going to miss practices due to vacation. That isn't a problem whatsoever. Definitely go on family trips. The beauty of running is it can be done basically anywhere. The weekly plans will always be posted here, so while you're out, just check the weekly plan and do them where you can. I, too, will be going out of town a few times (one of my favorite runs of the year is going up to White Pine Lake during a family trip - can't wait).
Training Design
The training is designed to progress you wisely through a accumulating volume. Summer is a time to increase mileage and build the metaphorical aerobic base. Our goal is to increase your aerobic engine, so when the time to race is upon us we are as prepared as possible.
Often people think that it is the hard workouts that prepare you for the race. Those are basically the finishing touches, and I dare say 80% (probably more) of your physical preparation comes from the work you do in the summer on distance runs. The workouts later are almost pointless without the benefit of summer training.
We are also sensitive to other health issues that may arise during training. In the parent meeting we made it a point to talk about nutrition, and how runners need to eat A LOT, in order to properly recover, and be fueled for the next day. When applicable, female athletes should maintain a regular period - which is greatly aided by eating sufficiently, and being sensitive to over-training. Fueling sufficiently and sleeping enough is paramount to the success of each individual athlete. The mantra "Eat. Sleep. Run. Repeat." is sound advice, and for many of you I'd add a bit of eating after sleeping. So it's probably more eat. sleep. eat. run. repeat. but I digress. There is research out there saying that, especially for girls, it is important to eat before a run, even a morning run, so I encourage you to wake early enough to get some calories in before beginning the run.
Team breakfasts/dinners
Parents, if you'd like to host a team breakfast or dinner please go to this sign up genius. Team breakfasts and dinners are an excellent way for our team to bond, which plays a huge role in the quality of experience that the kids have. If you're able to help on any of the days linked above, we'd be very grateful.
