Phoenix,
I want to say great job to all who competed and supported on Saturday. It was great to get out and show off some of your summer fitness and take our first step on our journey to repeat as region champions, and compete for a state title and beyond.
There were many standout performances, including Abbey Klein in the JV girls race, who would have finished 4th on our team in the varsity race. Hailey Bird stepped up with a moment's notice to run in the varsity race instead of Katie who was out ill. Hudson Scott claimed our top spot in the JV boys race, and would have been our 6th runner in the varsity race. We had tons of people mention how many minutes faster than we this year than last, which was awesome to see. And, in many cases, athletes were faster on Saturday than they were at the end of last season - which is not easy to do, considering the focus of our training at the moment.
As many of you know, Farrah had a bit of a scare there at the end of the JV girls race, as the heat seemed to take a massive toll, leading to a bout with heat exhaustion. But thanks to those who were nearby and ready to help she was able to bounce back, but it certainly wasn't easy. It is always hard to see someone you care about hurting, but it was also special to see her family and friends there to support her.
You can find the meet results here.
We continue to move into some increased intensity as we get ready to race more, but we are also going to keep the volume high for the time being. This week we return to 100% and we will also be getting used to running in the heat a bit more. It is paramount that you treat your body with the utmost care as we run more in the heat, by giving it the rest and nutrition it needs to perform at it's best. When heat training it is also important to not worry about pace, but effort. If you normally easily run about 9 minute miles in 70 degree weather, that may increase by a minute or two in 90+ degrees.
Please note the practice times for this week - beginning on Thursday we will be practicing after school/during 8th period class.
Coming up
We do not race again until 8/26, so we have some time to prepare. This week we will be doing a bit more heat training, with most of our runs being in the afternoon this week. The exceptions being Wednesday and Saturday. Please note the start time for Monday and Tuesday (1 PM). Wednesday will be at 7 AM unless otherwise noted.
You'll also notice that I got rid of the 20 mile column. Now that we'll be running together 5 days a week, plus a race or necessary long run on Saturday, it's going to be near impossible to only do 20 miles. (You'd be limited to 1 mile runs, after the warm up, which simply would not give you the stimulus you need to improve in any meaningful way, after the work you've put in this summer).
Team Store
If you would like to buy something from the team store, please visit this link. All items are optional and are paid for through the BSN site. Items will ship to the school once the store closes. The store closes on Friday. BSN Team Store
Spikes
Many of you have been running in xc spikes/flats for the races, and you well know the benefit. Others have yet to get spikes, and just race in their regular running shoes. I strongly recommend getting xc spikes to race in for a litany of reasons, but what it boils down to is, because we race on grass, you are significantly faster with the proper footwear. They are also helpful in training, as they allow you to strengthen up your feet and lower legs which in turn helps reduce energy. Anyway, don't just take my word for it, if you're skeptical of the value of spikes, just ask anyone who races in them. Or just google it.
BSN is generously offering 20% off retail on Nike Dragonfly X ($110) and Rival X ($50) cross country spikes. If you'd like to order these they will ship at once to your home, not to the school. This is totally optional, and you can order or purchase from elsewhere if you are so inclined. BSN Nike Spikes
Team Dinner/Drinks and snacks at meets
If you would like to host a team dinner, or volunteer to provide drinks or snacks at the races, please go to our sign up genius.
If you'd like to host on a different day just let me know and we can arrange that as well.
Fees/Eligibility
If you haven't yet, please go pay your summer fees on mydsd. (Freshman, I will send a link out later this week so you can get those paid). There will be season fees uploaded in the coming days as well. And again, if you haven't yet, please go finish register my athlete. Many of you haven't finished it (if you raced than you have it done), so please take care of that ASAP.
Joining the team
This time of year we get a lot of questions on if it is too late to join. The answer to such inquiries is that it is not too late, you can still join for the next couple of weeks. So if you know anyone, please let them know.
Garmin order
I don't yet have a date on when these will be delivered, but they won't ship until payment is received, and payment is being mailed from the school. So once they get that, then they will ship. Once the items are received I'll let you know how to pay for them (through a link setup on dsdgives (a donation site set up by the school district). Once paid for you can pick up the watch!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Coach Jacobson
