Phoenix,
This update is coming a hair early because I won't be around this weekend. (It might be late to some of you, if you didn't come to the website on your own to find it... since I forgot to send it out.)
I've said it a million times, but I'll keep saying it. Consistency is our biggest weakness right now. We have to be consistent. Consistent mileage week after week is what leads to improvement. We are having too few people show up to practice every day. The team needs you there. We need you badly. Where ever you are right now in terms of what you've done this summer, let's put it behind us and start anew right now.
Every year we have kids who are somewhat hit or miss during June, but then are able to start picking it back up in July. In the vast majority of cases they lament not using June to the fullest, but they are able to see much more improvement than those who start during August. If you haven't been great at being consistent yet, start now, you won't regret it. And our team needs you.
Camp - CANCELLED
Due to a few factors, primarily due to lack of interest/ability to attend, we are going to have to cancel the camp to snow college.
Garmin order
The Garmin watches have arrived. I will send each person a link to pay for them, then just send me a screenshot of the completed payment and amount, and we can get those to you.
Looking ahead
NXR
Each year in November we charter a bus and travel to NXR. The last two years we've gotten two buses, and filled them nearly completely. That was when we had over 120 kids on the team. With a rather large graduating class last year, and not as many new numbers this year, we have a bit over 80 kids who have signed up for XC thus far. That means that it is extremely unlikely that we'll be taking two buses to Arizona - that is, unless we get some more people committed and join the team. Therefore, we're likely only going to be able to take around 45-50 kids on the trip.
If we're limited on numbers we're going to determine who goes based on the 14 varsity runners and then the next most committed group of kids. In the past we've allowed anyone to come, even if they were hit or miss during the season. This year we likely won't have that luxury, simply due to space. So, if you want to be able to go, you gotta be consistent. Furthermore, we need our team to grow, if we want to reach our goals of being region and state champions and Nike National qualifiers. So we need to invite and encourage people to join us. My ideal version of the trip is taking two buses and filling it with everyone on the team. I love traveling like that, and I've had so much fun the last two years doing that.
Cross Country Class
This year we're having our XC class 1st period instead of 8th. That change is to enhance our training, and it applies to everyone on the team, not just our most experienced runners. If your mileage is still low because you're new to running, it will help us increase it carefully, and, in many cases, allow you a time to cross train in addition to running, which will help you be able to increase your mileage down the line.
I strongly encourage everyone to get into that class. It is going to be super helpful, we'll have team breakfasts, we'll use it to safely increase mileage, cross train when needed, strength train, increase our mobility, and generally improve as a team.
Mileage talk is funny because on the one hand, for the vast majority, increasing mileage (wisely, so you avoid injury) is the key to getting better. Then on the other hand, for kids who are already hitting it high, we have to try to talk them down a bit. Mileage is king to an extent, and after a certain point it can be detrimental. But, for most of us, we could be doing more. Which is why each of you should be talking to us coaches about how many miles you should be shooting for for your max mileage. New runners typically should be between 20-35. If this is your second year, typically you'd be between 30-45. Juniors and seniors who have several years under their belt can be shooting for 40-60 miles, depending on ability and gender.
Again, ask us if you are unsure. The bottom line is, running more is generally better. But, not if you overdo it. That's where we come in, to help you determine how much you can safely do and be consistent.
Weekly Plan
Now that the season is nearly upon us, and we have some time at our max mileage, we are going to be mixing in some moderate workouts. This coming week we will have a tempo on Monday and a steady run Saturday. The following week we are going to do some hill repeats, and probably some tempo miles while at camp.
If you have any questions about anything, please let me know.
