from the mountains to the pacific northwest and a partial schedule

In the mountains of North Carolina for the start of running camp.  At the same time following the Olympic Trials out in Eugene.  So suffice to say every day is fully immersed in our sport!  But also thinking and planning for our fall season, working to finalize our schedule.  I'll post what is set, and then update later.  We're giving a lot of thought to the middle of the season so we're still not set there.

Saturday, Sep 3 @ UGA (w= 5k / m= 8k)
Friday, Oct 14 @ BAMA (w= 6k / m= 8k)
Friday, Oct 29 @ ACC's in Cary, NC (w= 6k / m= 8k)
Friday, Nov 11 @ NCAA South in Tallahassee, FL (w= 6k / m= 10k)
Saturday, Nov 19 @ NCAA's in Terre Haute, IN (w= 6k / m= 10k)

reppin out west

Not much time to post, about to leave for the track in Clovis, CA for the last day of the US Junior National Championships.  Amy races in the women's 1500m final after doing a great to qualify from the prelims with a 4:35.79.  Bria competes in the triple jump after winning the women's long jump yesterday, breaking her own school record with a jump of 6.49m / 21' 3.5"; with the win she qualifies for the US Junior National team which will compete in the World U20 Championships in Poland in July.  And Avery finished 7th last night in the men's 800m final in 1:50.43, after qualifying for the final with a 1:50.09 in the prelims.  So good stuff happening out here!  And we've made two trips in the last two days to see Yosemite National Park.  Don't miss it if you're ever out this way!

summer '16 roll call

Everyone should have received an email regarding the annual summer roll call on our facebook page.  We're hoping for 100% participation!  It was neat just looking through the previous summers' roll call, so we can't wait to see this year's!

Along with the roll call instructions was the strength-training schedule.  As always, ask if you have questions.  Focus on the correct execution of each exercise and do not just go through the motions.  The summer strength training is very important and will provide a foundation for the rest of the year.

Lastly, a small group heads west to Clovis, CA to compete in the US Junior National Championships...Amy in the women's 1500m, Avery in the men's 800m, and Bria in both the women's long jump and triple jump.  Everyone wish them well!

moving forward

Hopefully everyone had a good first week back of training on the schedule.  Don't forget to post your mileage for last week in the comments section.  Strength training will be added this week, a schedule will be emailed early in the week.  The summer is a great time to increase strength in all areas, and to strengthen weak areas.  Make a commitment to work hard to make important strength gains.

There was some great coverage of the NCAA Championships in Eugene (commentators not withstanding!), hopefully you were able to watch and be inspired!  Courtney Frerichs of New Mexico became an NCAA Champion and set a collegiate record in the process.  As a high school senior in Missouri she was 54th in her XC state championship race and ran a personal best of 2:24 for the 800m in her spring track season.  Her story is awesome.  To be sure, talent is important, but do not underestimate how important commitment and desire are!

back to work

With the new training spreadsheets sent out yesterday, a new training cycle begins for all but the handful still training and racing.  Hopefully you've had a chance to look everything over.  Two main changes from previous years are 1) an updated breakdown and color-coding of phases that more accurately reflects what we actually do as the previous spreadsheets had become out-dated, and 2) a more consistent "full volume" mileage level.  Basically we build up to that full volume week, maintain that level with consolidation weeks every 2-3 weeks, and then taper toward championships. The first phase of six weeks consists of a gradual build up to your full volume mileage week.  During this six weeks, run easily as you feel, DO NOT worry about paces, and there are no workouts.  One a week, preferably on Thursdays, do 6-8 strides focusing on being relaxed and running with good technique.  Some mobility and stretching should be included both before and after your runs.

Sleep and nutrition, as always, are integral parts of proper training.  Sleep times should be as consistent as possible and at least seven hours each night.  Nutrition should include good sources of carbohydrate, the more starches and fruit the better.  And lean protein should be included with every meal.  Staying hydrated is obviously very important.

Strength & Conditioning will be sent separately.  The summer is a great opportunity to make gains in strength, and also to strengthen weak areas.

The pace chart was included as a tab in the spreadsheets that were sent.  We'll begin to focus on the pace chart a little in the next phase, but mostly we will begin to use it extensively once we get back to school and practice starts.  The golden rule regarding the pace chart is that we ALWAYS look at it thinking about where our current fitness is...we NEVER use it thinking about what our personal bests are or what our goals are.

Lastly, at the end of the season we asked everyone individually "what do you bring to the team".  Continue to think about that question.  For those joining the team next year, consider how you would answer that question.  At some point you will very likely be asked!

welcome back

We're back after a short hiatus!  The annual volume plans will be emailed to everyone this week along with instructions/information.  The first week on the new schedules will start next Sunday, though most of you probably have already started back running.  If you've already started back, keep this week light and pretty short.  The spreadsheet will look a little different, with color-coded phases that will reflect what we actual do. Don't hesitate to contact your coaches if you have any questions! Lastly, just read a short training tips article, take the time to read....

Run, Eat, Sleep, Repeat. -Katie McGee The body likes routine. Many runners are mystified when their workouts are going poorly because they don't respect the stress/rest cycle. Training stress and life stress are not separate from one another, rather they compound. It becomes impossible to handle heavy training in times of high stress, and it becomes impossible to manage life stress when over training. Many times athletes will get down after a bad workout and report, "I haven't been mentally tough lately," or, "I am totally out of shape." When pressed, they will begrudgingly admit to some "minor" life stress or change in their routines that could be to blame. Some "minor" concerns recently reported by some of my athletes included: moving across the country, getting married, changing jobs, and traveling to three different countries for work in a week. My response to these disparaging remarks about a workout gone badly is usually a gentle reminder that the body likes routine, and when the routine is disrupted training often suffers. A lot of people work under the assumption that elite athletes are more talented and train harder than the rest of us and that is what makes them elite. Although these are factors in their successes, I believe that the biggest advantage that many elite athletes have is their lifestyle. I have had fits and spurts of time when I was able to live like an elite athlete, and I'll admit that running over 100 miles a week, if that's all you have to do, is much easier than working full time, having a family, and not being on a consistent schedule where you can control the many variables in your life that affect training.

So what's the solution? Be mindful of the amount of stress that you are under and take it into account when you head out for a run. Also, if you can possibly take time to get an extra half hour of sleep at night, can take ten minutes to do some deep breathing to reduce stress during the day, or have two extra minutes to pack your recovery snack or drink for post-run, you will see a big difference in your training and racing performances.

championship week

"Victorious warriors win first in their minds, and then go to war" - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

As we begin this week, let's focus on winning the mental battle first.  Each of you will face this battle between positive and negative.  Focus on the positive, push out the negative with positive thoughts. The Native American legend of two wolves teaches us.  There is a good wolf and and evil wolf in each of us.  Which one will win?  The one we feed.  Feed the good wolf with positive thoughts, every day, all week.  Each of you is physically prepared, it is this mental battle that hangs in the balance. Feed the good wolf with positive thoughts, feed the good wolf with positive thoughts!

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."
- William Feather, American author

Practice times for Mon, Tue, and Wed - 9:30 AM.  Below are the workouts for the week for each event group.  We will depart on Wednesday after lunch.

1500m:
mon - 5 x 300 @ 1500GP, r= 60" + 1600j + 3 x 300 cut-downs
tue - light aerobic running + hurdle drills + strides + foot-drills
wed - off
thu - light aerobic running + 3 x 200 @ RP
fri - shake-out in AM + 1500m prelims
sat - light aerobic running + strides
sun - shake-out in AM + 1500m final

10,000m:
mon - 400+600+400+200 @ 1500GP, r= 60" + 1600j + 1600AT
tue - light aerobic running + hurdle drills + strides + foot-drills
wed - off
thu - light aerobic running + 3 x 200 @ RP
fri - shake-out in AM + 10,000m final
sat - light aerobic running
sun - med-long aerobic running

800m:
mon - light aerobic running + strides
tue - 4 x 200 @ GP, r= 30" + 1600j + 3 x 300 cut-downs
wed - light aerobic running + hurdle drills + strides + foot-drills
thu - off
fri - light aerobic running + 3 x 200 @ RP
sat - shake-out in AM + 800m prelims
sun - shake-out in AM + 800m final

3000SC:
mon - light aerobic running + strides
tue - 400+600+400+200 @ 1500GP, r= 60" + 1600j + 1600AT
wed - light aerobic running + hurdle drills + strides + foot-drills
thu - off
fri - light aerobic running + 3 x 200 @ RP
sat - shake-out in AM + 3000SC final
sun - light aerobic running

5000m:
mon - light aerobic running + strides
tue - 400+600+400+200 @ 1500GP, r= 60" + 1600j + 1600AT
wed - light aerobic running + hurdle drills + strides + foot-drills
thu - 6 x 200, r= 200j
fri - off
sat - light aerobic running + 3 x 200 @ RP
sun - shake-out in AM + 5000m final