10/1 update

Phoenix,

The Region Championships are upon us! It's been a long time coming, and here we are. Time flies am I right?

Region Information

Busing

The buses will depart at 1 PM on Wednesday. 

Schedule

3:00- Girls JV
3:40- Boys JV
4:15- Girls Varsity
4:45- Boys Varsity 

Projection

On paper we are not projected to win the region meet, for the girls or boys, so it's a good thing these races aren't done on paper. We have a plan, and if we are able to execute the plan then we will have a chance at winning both races. It's going to take all of us, the 10 in the varsity races, and the other 80+ of us at the meet. 

JV runners, we are asking you to set the tone for the meet right off the bat. Show the varsity runners that it is a great day. Run uninhibited and show of your fitness that you have earned over the past weeks, months, and years. We then are going to ask you to spread out around the course to support the varsity teams. We'll fill you in on the race plan, so you can give feedback about where the racers need to be relative to the field if we are going to be in a winning position.

Varsity runners, get out and cheer on the JV runners in their races, and build off of their momentum. Rely on your teammates' support, both your fellow racers and those on the side cheering you on, and then execute the race plan. 

More than anything, let's put our best foot forward and leave it all out their on the course. 

NXR

It is time to start to nail down our plans for NXR. I have the hotel rooms booked (but can drop some if needed) and now I need to lock in the buses. Before I can do that, I need to know who is still planning on coming. Even if you filled out the previous form, I need you to fill out this one if you still want to go. If you no longer want/are able to, please indicate 'no' on the form.

NXR FORM (same as the link in the paragraph before)

Last year the cost was about $350, but this year the price of hotels and transportation has gone up. It will likely be closer to $425. That cost could go up if we don't fill the buses, or it could drop if we do fill them. (The cost of the buses alone increased by over 30%).

We have over 80 kids who expressed interest in the original survey, and I don't want to leave 30+ kids home by taking only 1 bus. I want the whole team to come if they want to. We could bring as many as 96 kids in total (the buses hold 52, so that would be with coaches and chaperones).

We will be staying at Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix Chandler/Fashion Center.

For more information please view NXR General Info (farmingtontrack.blogspot.com)

Week 18 - 70%			0.7	60	55	50	45	40	35	30	25
Mon	October 2	FHS in Class	workout	7	7	6	6.00	5.00	5.00	4.00	4.00
Tues	October 3	FHS A Day	distance run	5.00	5.00	4.00	4.00	3.50	3.50	3.00	3.00
Wed	October 4	Region championships	Race @ Weber County	7	7	7	5.50	5.00	5.00	5.00	5.00
Thurs	October 5	FHS A Day	recovery	6.00	5.00	4.00	4.00	3.50	3.50	3.00	3.00
Fri	October 6	FHS then maybe to regional park	workout	8.00	7.00	6.00	6.00	5.00	5.00	5.00	5.00
Sat	October 7	on own	mid-Long run	9.00	8.00	8.00	6.00	6.00	6.00	5.00	5.00
Sun	October 8		Off Day
Weekly Volume				42	39	35	31.5	28	28	25	25

9/25 Update

Phoenix,

Our time is very short - do I sound like a broken record? Well, we have this week, and then Region on Wednesday of the following week. We've done what we can to prepare ourselves, now it's time to execute.

This week

On Wednesday we will be headed to Layton City Park to compete at the District Championships. Our team will look a bit differently that day, as some of our top varsity runners won't be competing there (they just raced Saturday up in Idaho and could use the break). Therefore, others of you will have the opportunity to step up and race in the varsity race. I look forward to that, as so many of you are deserving of the honor of racing varsity. You can view the order of the races on our schedule page. I will send out entries on Tuesday (in the team groupme) so you know which race you're in.

The buses will depart at 2 PM on Wednesday for Layton City.

The mileage this week will be reduced a bit more, to hopefully help you feel fleet of foot for the region championships. Continue to get enough sleep, eat enough, and take care of your business one day at a time.

Team Dinner

The Thornton's have been kind enough to volunteer for a team diner on Tuesday, 9/27 at 6 PM. The address to their home will be shared in the team groupme.

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for things over the season, it has been awesome, and the kids have really appreciated it.

Upcoming

Next week we head back to the Weber County Fairgrounds to defend our region titles. We have our work cut out for us this year, but we have a plan, and we know what we need to do. Over the course of the next 9-10 days we'll be working on honing in our fitness so we are best prepared to execute on Wednesday 10/4.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Week 17 - 70%			0.7	60	55	50	45	40	35	30	25
Mon	September 25	Regional Park at 3:15	workout	8	7	6	6.00	5.00	5.00	4.00	4.00
Tues	September 26	FHS - 1:15	distance run	5.00	5.00	4.00	4.00	3.50	3.50	3.00	3.00
Wed	September 27	Bus leaves at 2	Race @ Layton	7	7	7	5.50	5.00	5.00	5.00	5.00
Thurs	September 28	FHS - 1:15	recovery	6.00	5.00	4.00	4.00	3.50	3.50	3.00	3.00
Fri	September 29	FHS 3:15	workout	7.00	7.00	6.00	6.00	5.00	5.00	5.00	5.00
Sat	September 30	on own	mid-Long run	9.00	8.00	8.00	6.00	6.00	6.00	5.00	5.00
Sun	October 1		Off Day
Weekly Volume				42	39	35	31.5	28	28	25	25

9/17 update

Phoenix,

We had maybe our most enjoyable workout of the year on Thursday, and we followed that up with some outstanding performances at Sugar House Park. I really feel like these last few days were our best of the year. Let us continue with that same energy for the last few weeks of the season. 

Time, as you know, is running short on the year, so we need to maximize every opportunity. We are on the right track, let's continue to hone in on the things we can control and make the most of each shot we have.

We have to do better as a team of attending practices on A days. We have not done great in that regard, so each of us must find a way to do better. If you have been coming each time, find a way to help your teammates be there. There isn't time to waste. Especially this week, as we're doing our tougher days on those A days. That isn't to say that distance runs aren't important, because they are equally important. The various types of runs work in concert together to help become who you want to be. 

Race Recap

Race Results

We had a great day at the races on Saturday. Going in to the meet there were a lot of nerves related to the course profile, and worry about struggling with the hills. However, in most cases, you guys dominated the hills. Tons of you ran faster over the second half of the course, and many more had their best race of the year. Considering how hilly the course is (it's a beautiful course) anything close to your current PR means you're due for another great race in our next one.

I'm in the process of entering the new times into the "nerd report" so I'll have a more complete view later, and I can't wait to dive into it all.

Shout out to Trey and Josh, who led our senior boys to a team victory in the senior boys race, finishing in 3rd and 4th. They had 5 finish in the top 15 (Tommy, Sam, and Henry). 4 senior girls finished in the top 20, Brooklyn, Sahara, Audrey and Courtney. Love to see it. 

Shout out to Tai, who was unable to race this week, but still came down and supported like a champ for each race. The better we are at that, the better our team will be. 

Other top 20 finishers included Hailey, Koda, and Spencer in their Junior races. Gabri, Henry, Kyler, and Micah in the sophomore races, and Hudson and Kage in the Freshman race.

Alexis and Skye finished in the top 20 of the championship race, both running under 19 minutes! 

Many of you may relate to Alexis, when after finishing a race a few weeks ago in about the same time as a few other races, or maybe slightly slower, she asked something to the effect of, "do you think I'm going to get faster?" 

We are often faced with doubts about what we will be able to do, especially on the heels of a few performances (races or practices) that aren't up to our expectations. What we do from there determines the outcome. What did Alexis do? She stayed the course, she was consistent, she worked hard, she strived to eat and sleep enough, she sought feedback, etc. She wasn't perfect, she had doubts, but she gave her best effort each day, and here she is now with a nice new breakthrough race and the excitement for what is to come. The best is still ahead for her, and for all of you who stay the course.

The training design of summer and fall is to really accumulate a lot of volume and then some long tough workouts. We are only now getting into a groove of balance between volume and intensity, which will help you really reap the speed and strength rewards of what you sowed for the past 3 months. The best is still ahead. 

Upcoming

This week will not have an official race. Some of our team will be travelling to Idaho to race at the Bob Firman XC invitational. 

I keep repeating that the season is going by quickly, and here we are, with 2.5 weeks until region. Next week (meaning the week of 9/25) we will have our District championship meet. The week after that is Region. The week after that is Divisionals. The week after that is fall break, then 2 days after that is State. Time is all but up, so we have no time to waste.

We keep repeating it, and we will do so until the end of time, but it takes all of us. We are better together. If we are going to get where we want to go, we need everyone at their best each day. Take it one day and a time and just keep grinding.

This week

While some are going to Idaho on Saturday, the rest of us will be doing on a long run on the weekend (hurray!). We'll be able to get a quality week in leading up to the final few weeks of the season. 

 

Week 16 - 80%			0.8	60	55	50	45	40	35	30	25
Mon	September 18	FHS A Day	Distance run	3/6	3/6	3/5	6.00	5.00	4.00	5.00	4.00
Tues	September 19	Regional Park at 3:15	Tempo + 600s	8.00	7.00	7.00	7.00	6.00	5.00	5.00	4.00
Wed	September 20	FHS A day	easy run	3/6	3/6	5	5.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	3.00
Thurs	September 21	Regional Park at 3:15	Threshold/5k alternations	8.00	7.00	6.00	6.00	6.00	5.00	5.00	5.00
Fri	September 22	FHS A day	Easy run	6.00	5.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	3.00
Sat	September 23	on own	Long run	8.00	7.00	10.00	9.00	8.00	7.00	6.00	5.00
Sun	September 24		Off Day
Weekly Volume				48	44	40	37	33	29	29	24