Phoenix,
I wrote the below update prior to learning of the accident that happened to our teammate, Skye. I'm glad I wrote it on Friday afternoon, so I didn't have to try to today, while struggling with the worry about Skye. Please continue with your positive thoughts and prayers, as her mom said those would be greatly appreciated.
When faced with the sad, difficult, and scary experiences of reality, like this one, things like running, and practices no longer seem that important. Of course, they aren't that important in the grand scheme of things. And yet, our team is so much more than just running, as evidenced by all you have done to try to support Skye in any way that you can. Our sport is just one way that we try to make our life more meaningful through a group pursuit of goals, relationships we create, and the lessons we learn. If you are in town, I encourage you to come to practice tomorrow so we can run together. You know Skye would have been there. In fact, I designed this workout with Skye in mind, hoping to see her continue to improve and build her confidence. We were also going to begin at 11 to accommodate her schedule. However, because more people voted for 10 AM, we will start at 10 at the regional park.
Lastly, (to the foreword at least), I want you to know that we, the coaches, care about the success, happiness, and wellbeing of each you, and should you need anything, please reach out to any of us.
Below is what was written Friday.
We are wrapping an amazing month of progress, capped by a very strong week of training. I'm really pleased with where we are and where we are going. I'm confident you will all see excellent jumps in your improvement.
A few things I've loved: your effort, which has been top notch pretty consistently; your positivity, which I've seen and heard as you guys determine to give your best mental effort in each workout, and tell me afterwards how it benefited you, or how a teammates positivity helped carry you; your sleep time increase, which many of you report has gotten better.
That isn't to say we're perfect, but we're moving in the right direction. Continue to give your best effort, be positive, and sleep (and eat) enough. The cruelest irony would be to give your best effort in workouts, determined to level up, only to sabotage yourself by neglecting your sleep, which is the most important element to adaptation and improvement after a hard bout. In other words, being determined and disciplined to get enough sleep is how you give yourself the best shot at improving after working hard. Work hard consistently, sleep long enough consistently, thrive.
In the words of the great Eliud, great runners need to have enough "vitamin N" which is, the ability to say "no". Those of us who go to bed early on a regular basis, in order to ensure enough sleep and being able to get going at the proper hour, have to say no at times to things taking place later than is reasonable for sufficient sleep. Clayton Young calls sleeping "a super power". There are loads of studies on the importance of sleep for longevity, performance, mental health, etc. If you are inclined to go read the studies, go watch a tedtalk about sleep.
A poor night's sleep here and there due to extenuating circumstances isn't the end of the world, it's about habits. I'm not saying to sacrifice your high school experience or your family life, but I am saying to be judicious in your activities and organize your life so you have consistent sleeping patterns. It will help you now and in the future. End rant.
This week
We will be heading to Park City on Friday morning. The buses will depart at 7:15 from the west side. Please view the entries below, which are still subject to change.
You can view the location of the race and the times on our schedule page.
Labor Day
There isn't school on Monday, Labor Day, but we will hold a practice on Monday for those who are in town. The issue we have is that if we want to have two quality days before the race, then we need to do a workout on Monday. If you are somewhere where you can't do it, then you can do it on Tuesday, but you'll just have a lesser workout on Wednesday. Not that big of a deal, but not ideal.
We'll meet at the regional park at 10 on Monday.
NXR
If you would like to go to NXR, please fill out this form. For more information on what NXR is, please go here.
Please note, the itinerary for this year is up in the air due to the bus needing to be back by 2 AM. We've never made it back that early, so there is a possibility that we need to stop in Kanab on the way home and spend the night, before coming home Sunday. This is a new rule for the bussing companies that hasn't affected us in the past. If either of our teams qualifies for nationals, we may not be able to make it back in time.
