getting going

The freshmen are all moved in and now we await the upperclassmen later this week.  We're excited to get started with practice next week even as uncertainly continues to swirl around us.  There will be a lot to go over regarding covid protocols and we continue to stress how individual responsibility and team accountability are so important.

Make sure you are on top of everything and managing your obligations this week.  It's important that you also have a solid week of training.  Make sure you get the medical paperwork and the compliance forms done early this week. If you are unsure about anything, text or call one of your coaches asap.

Because of the busy week with travel, move-in, and meetings, etc, only do one workout, either Tue or Wed (whichever works best for you), then do your long run on Saturday. Moving into a new training phase, you can choose either of the recommended workouts listed below. For either workout you will need to consult the pace chart included as a tab with your annual training plan (or use the one provided below). Determine a very conservative and honest estimate of your current 5k fitness. Then looking at the pace chart, select the 5k level one below (i.e. slower than) your estimate. Use this level to determine your 80% pace or your 85% pace.

Tempo run at 80% (women = 5-6 miles / men = 7-8 miles), then 4 x 20" fast strides with slow walk back recovery (start 80% a little slower than desired pace, then gradually work your way to desired pace)
OR...
85% threshold 1600's + 1 x rep @ 5k pace, so...
women = 3 x 1600 @ 85%, r= 1' + 5' jogging + 1 x 1200 @ 5k
men = 4-5 x 1600 @ 85%, r= 1' + 5' jogging + 1 x 1600 @ 5k

Read that as 1600s @ 85% with 1 minute recovery, then 5 minutes jogging, then 1 x effort at 5k pace. Make sure you understand the workout, if you have questions, contact us.  These workouts should be done in the morning. Since we don't start official practice until next week, coaches will not be in attendance during the workout.  But it would be beneficial to send your workout results as it will help to structure workout paces going forward.

COVID-19 testing:

Freshman @ Monday morning, August 10th

Upperclassmen @ Saturday morning, August 15th

TEAM MEETING:

Friday afternoon, August 14th (possibly followed by team dinner)

PHYSICALS:

Sunday morning, August 16th

COMPLIANCE MEETING (virtual):

Sunday afternoon (2:00 PM), August 16th

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

the final countdown

One week closer...it's about to get real!  Reminder to be checking emails and texts, a lot of info went out last week and surely more to come.  You should have received an email from our Compliance Office regarding online forms that MUST be filled out.  You may have received an email from Sports Medicine with instructions on more online forms that they need.  And we sent some messages out regarding the date for Physicals and blood tests, and also dates for COVID-19 testing for freshmen and upperclassmen.  IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT US!

This week we will be working with Sports Medicine and our administration on practice protocols and limitations.  There will be guidelines that we will have to adhere to.  We'll also be working on our team meetings and Compliance meeting for next week.  At this point we know some and maybe all will be virtual.  The best news at this time is that the season is moving forward and we are working on what our schedule might look like!  All this info will be communicated to you soon so stay tuned!

Workouts for this week:

Tue*: 10-12 x 1' @ either 6k or 8k goal pace with 3' easy recovery

Fri:    3' + 5' + 3' + 5' + 3' @ ~85%, r= 2' @ ~65%
          OR 75% Easy Tempo run

*make sure you are taking the full recovery and running EASY during the recovery, OR you can run a hill fartlek if you have a hilly route, just run strong up the hill and again make sure you have plenty of easy recovery between.

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

almost here

Workouts for this week:

Tue: 5' + 4' + 3' + 2' + 1' @ ~85% w/ equal time recovery @ ~65%

        OR 75% Easy Tempo run
Fri: 10-12 x 1' @ either 6k or 8k goal pace with 3' easy recovery

*make sure you are taking the full recovery and running EASY during the recovery; you can follow the structure of the above workouts, OR you can free fartlek them by just running up to one minute efforts at goal race pace followed by sufficient easy recoveries for forty minutes or more, OR you can run a hill fartlek if you have a hilly route, just run strong up the hill and again make sure you have plenty of easy recovery between.

It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks our incoming freshmen will be on campus and in about two and a half weeks, we'll all be back!  Again, upperclassmen should make plans to return to campus on Thursday, August 13th.  More info will be sent regarding our first team meeting, compliance meeting, and physicals...stay tuned and make sure you are checking your email!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

annual iron post

About this time of year is a good time to touch base on the importance of iron!  Below is a link to a really good article, for those of you who want to read up on this very important topic...

http://www.runningwritings.com/2017/04/low-ferritin-and-iron-deficiency-anemia.html

For those who don't want to read, because it's summer and all, here are some important bullet points:

*one study showed by the end of a cross country season (i.e. the point in the season where you want to be your best), iron deficiency had increased to 17% of boys and 45% of girls.  And in those who were not classified as iron deficient, the majority had a decrease in their serum ferritin levels.

*the above numbers were found in using the conservative standards for iron deficient serum ferritin levels used in the general population of less than 12 ng/mL.  A case can be made that for endurance athletes, serum ferritin levels less than 40 ng/mL should be consider iron deficient.

*ferrous sulfate, taken with vitamin C, is the weapon of choice to raise serum ferritin levels; while tea, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and antacids should be avoided as they inhibit the absorption of iron.  One study showed that simply putting a slice of cheese on a hamburger reduced the amount of iron absorbed by 50-60%!

*because of the above, the iron in a multivitamin is almost useless.

Additionally, a new article just released in Outside magazine (link below), demonstrates not only the importance of iron supplementation, but that supplementing every other day was just as effective as supplementing every day.  Either way, though, you have to be intentional about taking iron and not forgetting!

https://www.outsideonline.com/2415334/iron-increase-methods-athletes

Suffice to say, your serum ferritin levels are very important to your aerobic performance.  If you are not managing your iron intake and absorption, you are putting your performance at serious risk.

Now, on to training, this week's workouts:

Tue: 8-10 x 1' @  6k or 8k goal pace with 3' easy recovery
Fri:  5 x 3' @ Threshold (~85%) with 1' easy (~65%) recovery
       OR 75% Easy Tempo run

*make sure you are taking the full recovery and running EASY during the recovery.

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

new phase

Time to switch gears a little and enter a new phase of training...aerobic short specificity.

Aerobic, because we want to stay aerobic, not anaerobic
Short, because the repetitions will not be long
Specificity, because generally repetitions are at 6k/8k goal pace

We're just trying to get used to running a faster pace again and you will need complete recovery between repetitions, so do not start another rep until fully recovered from the previous one.  The short repetitions combined with the long recoveries will prevent the build-up of any oxygen debt.

Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday stay the same as previous weeks.  The only exception would be Thursday where you could substitute 6-8 short (~10") hill sprints with a walk-down recovery for the 6-8 x 80m fast strides, if you want to.  Tuesday and Friday now become, for the most part, fartlek type workouts, though you have the option on Friday of continuing with the 75% Easy Tempo effort.

For this week:

Tue: 8-10 x 1' @ either 6k or 8k goal pace with 3' easy recovery

Fri: 5' + 4' + 3' + 2' + 1' @ ~85% effort w/ equal time recovery @ ~65%
       OR 75% Easy Tempo run

For the women to determine their 6k pace, figure out your 5k pace in terms of minutes per mile, then add about 3 seconds.  For the men to determine their 8k pace, figure out your 5k pace in terms of minutes per mile, then add about 10 seconds.  These are off your XC 5k GOAL pace, not your current race pace.

For the 85% and 65% efforts, choose a CURRENT 5k time from the pace chart that you are confidant you could run right now, then look at the 85% and 65% columns for that 5k time.  You should adjust your times slower if your are running in hot and/or humid conditions.

Lastly, read the Tolstoy quote at the top of the blog...patience and time are always important, but certainly so at the beginning of a new phase.  Do not work too hard too soon!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

pre-exercise salt

Hopefully the first week of full volume for many of you went well!  Some are still in varying stages of building up, so keep moving forward smartly.  And for all, just a reminder that we encourage you to share your mileage and how your weeks are going with the team through the comments on the blog post.  We had just over 50% participation, way lower than previous summers!

Several weeks ago we mentioned how important it is to maintain sodium levels by salting your food to taste and even by adding it to a sports drink.  We lose a lot of sodium as we exercise through sweat.  During the summer time with heat and humidity the sodium loss is even more pronounced.  Often we hear to make sure we are staying hydrated by drinking water.  You can regulate proper hydration by simply drinking according to thirst.  You don't need to force yourself to drink more and more water.  Rather, you can be proactive in maintaining your sodium levels by pre-salting PRIOR to exercise.  Probably the best way to do that is by adding 1/2 teaspoon to about 12 oz  of Powerade/Gatorade and drinking it about 30-45 minutes before running.  If you are a "heavy-sweater", you may need to add 3/4 to 1 full teaspoon.  You could do this before heading out to the mountain for a long run or to the river for an Easy Tempo run.  Several team members have already tried it and have felt that it helped quite a bit.

Last week of the ascending to full volume phase...aerobic short specificity on deck!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

the summer training assembly line

It's hard to believe we're already on week seven of the training schedule - first full volume week of the new training year!  As we stack week upon week, make sure you are dialing in your training, your recovery, your nutrition, and your sleep.  Everything has to be on point!  Consider these two quotes from former San Francisco 49ers head coach, Bill Walsh, in the book The Score Takes Care Of Itself...

"The culture precedes positive results.  It doesn't get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand.  Champions behave like champions before they're champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners."

"In a way, (the summer training) is like an automobile assembly line; it must be first class or the cars that come off it will be second rate.  The exceptional assembly line comes first, before the quality car."

What is the quality of your summer training?  Make it first class!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel