Saturday, July 24, 2010

Cross Country Update - Week 8

Darts -
It will be a very short update this weekend. There is still a lot to do to get ready for camp and my typing muscles are tired from running the marathon this morning.
1 - Send in your miles! - those going to camp - try to send them in before Sunday night (or send both weeks in when we get back).
2 - There will be no organized practice this next week. High Altitude Camp is next week. I have sent information to those of you who are going. Look for one final email this evening with important information. For those of you not going to camp, I hope that at some point in the future you will have an opportunity to go. I feel like we are bringing as many as we can this year and like those going are definitely prepared for the week because of their hard work and commitment. It is a great opportunity and a great experience, but it is only one part of your overall cross country experience. If you have not been as committed as you would like to up to this point, set some goals and work hard so that you don't miss out on some of the other cool things we will do this season.
3 - Excellent job at the Deseret News 10k this morning by those who ran. The results are not up, but when they are posted, I will put them on the blog ( www.davisxc.blogspot.com ). I am pretty sure that both our boys and our girls finished 2nd behind the Utah all-star teams (beating out the U.S. all-stars that came in on both sides). I am also pretty sure that our 'B' Teams finished in the top 5. Everyone did a great job and it was fun to be a part of. One result I do know is that Austin Neuner tore it up running 31:14. He finished 3rd overall for the high school boys. Hard work paying off for sure. I will make sure to put the other results up on the web site. I did decide to run the marathon and was happy with my 2:38 finishing time.
4 - The next organized practice will be on Monday August 2 at the vita course - 7:00am. Those not going to camp are welcome and encouraged to go up to the vita course at 7:00am this next Monday.
Keep up the great running
Coach Talley

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Summer Update - Week 7

Darts -
First of all - send in your miles if you have not already. If I am missing weeks from you - I would really like to have them (even if they were "pathetic" weeks). We are getting close to when our training becomes more intense, and it really helps me to help you if I know what you have been doing. Plus - we are on record shattering pace. After last week (half way through the summer) the girls had 6,576 miles - on pace for 13,000. The record right now is just over 10,000. I like that we are not just going to set the record, but demolish it. The boys were at 8,869 after last week - on pace for 17,500 miles. Last year we set the record at 15,900. Individually I would like to see many of you either maintain what you have been running over the second half or increase your mileage. There are a lot of boys and girls just below 200 miles at this point. With some hard work over the 2nd half of the summer, you can reach 400 miles.
Which brings me to the question: Why are we doing this? Why are we getting up early or going out in the heat or sometimes sacrificing doing other things in order to log mileage? What is the point? The point is. . . You are going to be stronger. You are going to be ready to work your bodies hard in order to get fast. You are going to be monsters when it comes to racing up hills in the fall. You are working the weakness out of your legs, arms, heart, lungs, and mind so that you will be animals when the time to race comes. You are building a base to decrease the risk of injury and increase your individual potential. You are doing this to be fit and tough and ripped and ready. So that when you toe the starting line, you can tell yourself "I've worked for this moment - I am ready for this race - I own this race". Summer running is all about gaining confidence in your body and your mind. It is all about giving yourself the advantage over your competition. So next time you want to give in to the lazy thoughts, remind yourself why you are doing this - to be your very best for yourself and for your TEAM.
Stay consistent in your training. When you have busy days - try to work in a run, even if it is something shorter. Get your butt out of bed and RUN IN THE MORNING WHEN IT IS COOLER - you will be so much happier that you have the rest of the day to do whatever you need (even if it is to take a nap). When you miss workouts with the TEAM for whatever reason - still do those workouts on your own. Many of you missed the mile repeats on Thursday - I hope it was because you had a good reason. I also hope that you tried to do that workout on your own somehow. It was great to see Kayla and Jackson at the Lagoon trails early on Thursday getting their workout in before they had to go wherever they were going. And lastly - take care of your bodies. A healthy body leads to a happy mind and a happy runner. Eat right and eat enough. Be drinking a lot throughout the day. Get the rest you need (aiming for 8 hours a night). Nutrition and sleep will help you recover from your workouts and will help you to feel better and run better (then comes the happiness).

Cross Country Racing Flats - The best place to buy cross country racing flats (as far as cost goes) is online at eastbay.com. They have some great deals right now with many shoes for sale for $20-$40. There are not a lot of size selections on the $20 shoes, but I am finding that most of the $30 and $40 specials have a lot of the sizes. Buying cross country flats is not necessary for racing, but it will make a noticeable difference over racing in your normal training shoes. Here is the link to the site -
http://www.eastbay.com/searchresults/?Nrt=Men%27s+Shoes&Nr=AND(Product+Type%3aShoes)&Rpp=60&N=0&Ntt=track&cm_REFX=Men%27s (hopefully that works)
Some of the shoes I like best on there are:
Nike Zoom Waffle XC VII ($20-30) - boys
Nike Jana Star Waffle III ($30 - a lot of sizes) - girls
Nike Jana Star Waffle IV ($45 - a lot of sizes) - girls
Asics Gel Dirt Dog 2 ($20 - a lot of sizes) - boys
Saucony Grid Kilkenny XC3 Spike ($20 - a lot of sizes) - boys and girls
Saucony Shay XC Spike ($30 - a lot of sizes) - boys and girls
Let me know if you have any questions on what shoes to get. I like a pair of cross country racers that you can also use on the track for the distance races. The shoes that are made for cross country will have a rubber sole across the entire bottom of the shoe. A lot of the track specific racing shoes will have some hard plastic on the bottom.

New Workouts - The final set of workouts is attached to this email. I will also try to have some copies of the workouts at the Vita Course tomorrow. We are down to 5 weeks left of the summer - if you have been committed up to this point - great job! If you could do better - commit yourselves to do better. Thanks for the work you have been doing - our TEAM is going to be amazing because of it.

Coming Up:
Monday, 7-19: Vita Course 7:00am - we will be running/speed hiking up to Adam's Canyon Waterfall. I will have the new workout schedule to hand out.
Wednesday, 7-21: Varsity Run - everyone who feels like they can handle something a little more challenging is invited to come this week. We will be meeting at the school at 7:00am and driving to Meuller Park Canyon for a 7-9 mile run. We will need drivers. We will not be back to the school until about 9:45.
Thursday, 7-22: Meet at the SCHOOL at 7:00am for a 3 mile tempo run and some 400s.
Saturday, 7-24: Deseret News 10k - Some of your teammates will be representing Davis XC at the Deseret News 10k. There is a high school competition which we do pretty well in every year. Those running will be Logan Petty, Joe White, Austin Neuner, Preston Williams, Brayden Cromar, Alex Hedquist, Adam Mathias, Matt Munns, Hayden Hansen, and Colton Cottrell for the boys, and Meghan Hedquist, Jessie Wilding, Emily Hansen, Shea Martinez, Abby Frodsham, Anni Andersen, Anna Ward, Hannah Haws, and Tessa Brown for the girls. My wife and I are also running; I will let you know how we all do.
Monday-Friday (July 26-30) - High Altitude Camp - Those of you attending camp should have received an email this past week with a lot of important information. We are still looking for quite a few parents who can drive up on Monday or pick us up on Friday.

Go Darts!

Coach Talley

Friday, July 16, 2010

2010 logo

2010 Davis Cross Country Schedule

July 26-30: High Altitude Camp Marsh Lake, Uintahs
Saturday, August 21: Dart Challenge 5k @ Barnes Park
Saturday, August 28: Grass Relays (2 mile) @ American Fork High School
Wednesday, September 1: Pre-Region (2 mile) @ Layton Park
Saturday, September 4: BYU Invitational @ BYU
Friday, September 10: Murray Invitational @ Murray Park
Wednesday, September 15: Davis County Championships @ Layton Park
Wednesday, September 22: Region Quad Meet @ Clearfield
Saturday, September 25: Bob Firman Invitational @ Boise, ID
Wednesday, September 29: Region Quad Meet @ Davis (Barnes Park)
Saturday, October 2: Orem Invitational @ UVU Campus
Wednesday, October 6: Region Quad Meet @ Syracuse
Wednesday, October 13: Region Championships @ Layton Park
Wednesday, October 20: State Championships @ Sugarhouse Park
Saturday, November 20: Nike Southwest Regional @ Tempe, AZ
Saturday, December 4: Nike Cross Nationals @ Portland, OR

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Darts -
I have a bit of sad news for you. I am not sure if you have figured it out on your own or not, but of our 12 week summer training program, 6 of them are already gone. That means we have just 6 more weeks of summer. 6 more weeks until you are back in school. 6 more weeks of focusing on the summer mileage. The good news is that in just 6 short weeks we will be beginning our cross country season. The important thing for the final 6 weeks is to make each week count as much as you can. I cannot think of a first half of a summer that has gone as well as this summer has. Our mileage is looking strong, and the TEAM is doing a lot to stay fit and stay focused. I am still enjoying your emails and your accounts of your summer training. I hope that you are learning a lot about running and a lot about yourselves. Keep up the good work - let's finish this summer as strong as we started it and let's be ready for the xc season.

Thanks a ton to the Frodshams for letting us have a barbecue and party at their house last night. It was a lot of fun playing games, eating good food, and watching the movie. I am sure that it took a lot of work - you should all thank Abby and her parents if you get the chance and definitely bring her the $3 if you didn't get the chance to last night. For those of you who weren't able to make it, we will do some more things like this as the summer and the season goes on. It was a great opportunity to get to know some of your teammates without running being the focus.

Coming Up:
Monday (12th) - Vita Course at 7:00am.
Tuesday (13th) - The practice that was organized (hill repeats at Nichols Park) has been cancelled - although we will be getting plenty of hills in the next few weeks. There will still be an unofficial practice and we will be meeting at the school at 7:00am for a 5-6 mile easy training run. Come if you want someone to run with.
Thursday (15th) - Meet at the school at 7:00am - we will be going to the Lagoon Trails for some mile repeats. Should be fun.
Monday (19th) - Vita Course at 7:00am - I will hand out the new workout schedule.

High Altitude Camp - For the most part I have the commitments from those of you who have been invited to camp. There are still a few of you that I have not heard from. I need to know by tomorrow (Monday) if you are or are not planning on going. There are a few people I would like to invite early this week if any of you who I have invited are going to be unable to go. I also still need the permission slip and the first $50 from many of you (it was due last Thursday). You will need to turn in the rest of your money ($100 total), a physical form (A or B attached to this email) and the waiver (also attached to this email) by Thursday, July 22nd. On the physical forms - if cross country this coming year will be your first sport at Davis High you will need to have a physical with a doctor and fill out an A form - I would like those prior to camp if at all possible. If you have done any sport at Davis in the past, you just need to fill out a B form with the help of your parents (you do not need to see a doctor). I will also have the forms with me at the Vita Course tomorrow and at the later workouts.
This is also the last chance for any of you who would really like to go and feel like you can handle it, but haven't been invited to let me know - if a spot comes open, I will do my best to get you to camp - but I need to know you want to go.
One last thing - if you have committed to come to camp, it is also a commitment to continue to run these next 2 weeks and continue to send me your mileage. It really upsets me when I invite someone and then they slack off for the weeks before camp - when I could have invited someone in their place who would have shown better commitment and would have kept working hard.

Let me know if you have any questions about camp or about any of the training in general.
The final attachment to this email is a tentative schedule for the cross country season. This will also be posted on www.davisxc.blogspot.com If you have missed any of the prior emails or information, most of it can be found at that web site as well.
Happy Running -
Coach Talley

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Darts -
Happy 4th of July. Congratulations to those of you who competed in an Independence Day race yesterday - either in Kaysville or somewhere else. From what I could find, this is how we did (I included some of our alumni in the results sorry if I missed some people):

Kaysville 5k (boys) -

Jared Ward (alum) - 15:44 (1st)
Jace Nye (alum) - 16:42 (2nd)
Brayden Cromar - 16:51 (4th)
Brad Nye - 16:52 (5th)
Patrick Hall (alum) - 17:26 (6th)
Blake Jensen (alum) - 18:30 (7th)
Adam Seelos - 18:34 (8th)
Jake Price (alum) - 18:53
Trae Durtschi (alum) - 19:09
Cade Cloward (alum) - 19:28
Cameron Harvey (alum) - 20:29
Isaac Preston - 20:46

Kaysville 5k (girls) -

Anna Ward - 21:33 (3rd)
Janice Hartvigsen - 22:11 (7th)
Lisa Frischknecht (alum) - 22:40 (9th)
Julia Anderson - 22:47
Christine Van Brocklin - 23:25
Elise Anderson - 23:52
Adrienne Luddington - 25:33
Mikell Wood - 26:11
Brooke Jensen (alum) - 26:45
Courtney Mortensen - 27:48
Sammy Fitch - 29:16
Nekel Knowlton - 29:38
Kiley Despain - 31:29

Kaysville 10k (boys) -

Austin Neuner - 35:10 (1st)
Jeff Taylor (alum) - 35:40 (3rd)
Bryson Snow (alum) - 37:40 (4th)
Brad Phippen (alum) - 38:00 (5th)
Alex Hedquist - 38:14 (6th)
Kaden Gilchrist - 39:51 (8th)
Logan Wood - 41:39 - got lost
Josh Ward - 42:29
Ethan Stuart - 44:29

Kaysville 10k (girls) -

Candace Eddy (alum) - 41:39 (1st)
Abby Frodsham - 42:34 (2nd)
Talya Kussee (alum) - 42:41 (3rd)
Meghan Hedquist - 44:13 (5th)
Danna Stuart - 47:56 (10th)
Madie McCleary - 48:09
Joanna Boyd - 48:16
Brooke Gutzwiller - 50:36 - great job pacing her mom

Freedom 1/2 marathon (in Salt Lake City)

Skylar Williams - 1:23 - 4th place overall
Whitney Williams - 1:57

There were some great performances by our current Darts and also by some of our recent alumni. Running summer road races is a great way to get a fast workout and to keep yourself motivated through the summer.

Speaking of motivation. . . A few of you have expressed the concern - "I just didn't feel motivated this week" or "I am having a difficult time being motivated". If you haven't expressed the concern, you have probably thought it. Just this last week on Friday morning the alarm went off at 6:30am, I pushed the snooze and thought, "ugh. . . I don't want to get up this morning." When the alarm went off again I pushed the snooze again and started making justifications "I have a race tomorrow; one day won't hurt; my legs are tired; I was up late; etc." By the time 6:50 rolled around, I just about gave in to the negative thoughts, but somehow dragged myself out of bed for a nice 6 miler. By the end, I was so glad I got it done. I felt pretty good on and after the run. It was hot all day long and I knew it would be harder to get out and go if I missed the run in the morning.
I am sure a lot of you have experienced the same thing. Sometimes you might give in and just get the '0' for the day, sometimes you get out and run but still feel lousy, and sometimes you get out and have a great run. The point is, it is common to have days where you don't feel motivated. The problem is, once the season comes around "I didn't feel motivated to run" is not going to cut it. It will be too late to go back and put the mileage in. Those who sacrificed their comfort and learned to run through any circumstance will be the ones who are successful. The champions will be those who conquered their doubts, didn't make excuses, and simply got the job done. This point of the summer (the middle weeks) are the toughest to keep your motivation high.
When you have those days (or weeks) where your motivation is low, you have to try your best to keep running through those times. Some things that might help:
1 - Goals. Make a list of your goals and put them in a place where you can see them. I suggest up on your bedroom door so that each time you leave your room you are reminded of a purpose (they don't even have to all be running goals). Think of the goals when you are laying in bed being tempted not to run. If you really want your goals, this will help get your butt out of bed. Also keep your TEAM in mind when those doubts creep in. We have TEAM goals to be region and state champions. Don't let your teammates down by giving in to laziness.
2 - Mix things up. Find new places to run. Enter yourself in a Saturday race. Listen to music while you run. Take a day of cross training when you feel tired (biking/hiking/swimming). Come to practices and run with your TEAM. You have to find ways to keep running fresh and exciting.
3 - Make up your mind that you are going to do it no matter what. "Just do it", the Nike slogan, was meant for runners. Make the commitment that you are going to be a runner. There is something awesome about that commitment - it changes who you are. You will understand what I mean once you have made that commitment. There are going to be days when you don't get a run in, or times when you need a day off, but if you are a runner, you will stay committed through those days and find ways to continually get it done.

The truth is, running is not always fun. It is definitely not always easy. You have to figure out why you are doing it and you have to make it enjoyable. One of the reasons I run is because it is not easy. After the half-marathon I ran on Saturday, a woman said, "That looked so easy for you. Was that as easy as it looked?" I flexed and said "Oh yeah - a walk in the park." But what I was thinking was "You are crazy, lady. That was so tough - I felt like I was going to die on some of the uphills around mile 9. I'm surprised I finished; my body was getting close to its limits. My muscles were screaming. My lungs were burning. No way that was easy." (even though I was glad it looked that way). I like that running challenges me. I love when I beat the challenge. I love the feeling that comes when I have run hard and am satisfied with my efforts.

Coming Up:
Monday, July 5 - 7:00am - Vita Course. Be there.
Thursday, July 8 - 7:00am - Layton Park - Tempo Run. Be there. No fear.
Monday, July 12 - 7:00am - Vita Course. Be there.
Tuesday, July 13 - 7:00am - Nichols Park - Hill Repeats. Be there.
Thursday, July 15 - 7:00am - Davis High - driving to Lagoon trails for mile repeats. Be there. Be ready for 4.

Camp - July 26-30. I sent out an email with the names of those invited to camp. I really need to hear back from you letting me know if you are going or not. Please bring your permission slip and $50 deposit to practice this week. I also really need to hear from you if you were not invited but if you are interested in being an alternate. It looks as though I might be able to take a few more people.

Make sure to send in your miles from last week. Week 5 was our lowest week of the summer last year. I am hoping we don't have the same thing this year.
Keep being patient, keep being positive, keep being animals - you guys and girls are doing an outstanding job,
Coach Talley