Friday, June 24, 2011

Summer Cross Country - Update #4

Darts -
It is hard to believe that the summer training is already 1/3 of the way done. Four weeks are in the books. For some of you, it has been a really solid start - you are building a base and gaining strength and endurance and fitness. For others, it might have been a rough start - but there is definitely still time to turn it around. I hope that all of you are still motivated and trying to find ways to make your training work. I think the middle part of the summer (now until the end of July) is the most challenging. The excitement of starting up has worn off, you might be a little tired from some hard training, this is the busy time of summer, and it is getting hotter and hotter. Now is the most important time to be committed and motivated to get the running in. We are still in the strength building phase - trying to get our hearts and lungs strong and used to the longer racing - trying to build mental toughness and get used to being uncomfortable for an extended period of time - basically turning ourselves into endurance machines. It is work - but it will pay off this fall.
I was very impressed with those of you who came and ran the tempo run on Thursday. I realize that many people were out of town - I hope that not too many of you were at home in your beds being comfortable rather than joining your TEAM for a tough run in the sun. We ran the same 3 mile loop we have run the 4th week of the summer for the past 2 summers. As I was looking back through the past 2 years' times and comparing them to this year, one thing that was very evident is that hard work and determination pay off. Isaac Clouse ran the same 3 mile tempo run 2 years ago in 31:17 - Thursday he finished the loop in 19:20 - and looked really strong through the 2nd half of the run. With some hard work, he has taken 12 minutes off of a 3 mile time. Isaac Clouse also has the TEAM's 3rd most miles after the first 3 weeks of the summer. He may not be the top guy on the TEAM, but he is training like a champion - and that helps him and it motivates his teammates to be better as well. Thank you Isaac Clouse for reminding me why we do this - to challenge ourselves and to become better at something. Don't be discouraged right now if you are not as fast as you would like to be someday. Set some goals, and realize that it is going to take time and consistency and work to become your best.
If we are going to accomplish our TEAM and individual goals this fall, it will take sacrifice for the next few weeks. Get yourselves excited about your training. I know it is a little hard to think about the season when it seems far away, but it will be here quicker than you think. Pretty soon we are going to be running the Dart Challenge 5k and the Grass Relays - and you are going to want to be as ready as you can be. Let's really try hard as a TEAM to have a good week 5 - even if you have not had a very good week 1-4. I expect to get emails from each of you about week 4 - and I want you to tell me how awesome you are going to do in week 5!

Assignment -
I would also like each of you to tell me something in your training logs this week about your own running that makes you proud - some type of accomplishment or personal victory that you have had in your first 4 weeks of the summer. I hope you realize that we are working together - that we are hurting together - and sacrificing together in order to be a stronger TEAM. I know that I don't "count" as far as my own fitness and my own racing goes (I won't be able to race with you) - but it still motivates me to know that I have a TEAM that is working hard right along with me - that I am not the only one who is sacrificing and pushing myself to become better.

High Altitude Camp - Next week I will begin to determine who is ready and has put in the miles to be invited to high altitude camp. The camp will be at Marsh Lake in the Uintahs from August 1-5. I will have more information for you next week. If there are any parents who are interested in coming up for all or part of the week - please let me know. We are looking for a few more chaperones. Also - if anyone has a large, enclosed trailer that they would be willing to let us borrow or rent, please let me know. Thanks.

Keep up the good work - and have fun doing it.
See you at the Vita Course on Monday at 7:00am.
Happy Running -
Coach Talley

Boys Mileage Total (after 3 weeks) - 3,995 miles
Girls Mileage Total (after 3 weeks) - 3,239 miles

ps. To help enhance recovery after a run - try to take in 8-12 grams of protein as well as some carbohydrates within 15-20 minutes of your run. A good source of both protein and carbs would be chocolate milk. Then make sure you are drinking a lot throughout the day in order to keep your body hydrated (it will make your running a lot more pleasant).

pps. A lot of you have asked me about side aches when you are running. 1 - make sure you are hydrated; 2- make sure you are getting enough electrolytes (potassium, sodium, etc) gatorade and bananas are good sources; 3 - try to run more relaxed - relax your breathing or learn to run while breathing in rhythm (2 steps in - 2 steps out or 1 step in - 1 step out). 4 - Do more core work to strengthen your stomach muscles (abs, pushups, pillars, etc) Hannah Haws likes to do an "Insanity" workout to strengthen her core - she recommends it to everyone. 5 - make sure you are not eating too close to when you run.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Summer Cross Country - Update #3

Darts -
It was a good week for Davis XC. I really enjoyed the "kick-off" camp. It was fun to get to know some of you better. The running was hard, and we had a lot of fun. I really liked what Janae said about doing the little things to make yourself better (abs, stretching, diet, sleep, your own training log, etc.). Thanks to those of you who were able to come and for the parents who were able to help us get you there and back - a special thanks to the Woods for making dinner for us.

Wasatch Back:
Later in the week, the TEAM competed in the Wasatch Back Relay. It is a 193 mile relay from Logan to Park City along the back of the Wasatch Mountains. Most teams consist of 12 people who each run 3 different times - totaling anywhere from 13 to 20 miles for each person. We had a boys team and a girls team entered in the relay. For the 6th straight year, both the boys and the girls finished 1st in the high school division. The boys ran the entire race in 20 hours and 29 minutes - which is equivalent to about 6:22 per mile - over some fairly difficult terrain. Only 2 teams were able to do the relay faster - the team of BYU runners and the team of UVU runners. I have to give our boys special props for beating the team I run with every year which consists of a group of Weber State Alumni. We are getting older, but we are still pretty strong runners - however, not strong enough to hold off the Davis boys - they ended up beating us by 8 minutes, and I was really proud of the guts and the toughness our boys showed. Good job to Preston, Skylar, Alex, Hayden, Neuner, Brayden, Austin, Brad, Logan, Matt, Adam, and Joe.
The girls also finished as the 3rd best women's team in the entire relay. They finished the course in 26 hours and 10 minutes (about 8:05 pace). Every time I saw them, they inspired me with their positive attitudes and their energy. I know that the running was challenging for them (it is tough for everyone), but they focused on doing their best and helping each other along the way. They demonstrated what it takes to be a TEAM, and I was super proud of their efforts and toughness as well. Excellent work by Jessica, Janice, Becca, Julia, Whitney, Ashley, Hannah, Anni, Brooke, Shea, Anna, and Madi.
Thanks to the parents who helped us with the driving and provided a lot of inspiration - Brad, April, Venice, Charla and Brett, Sydney, and Caleb and Spence (even though i know you are not parents - you still helped out a bunch).

Important:
We are NOT meeting on Tuesday (tomorrow) as the original workout paper said. We will be meeting as a TEAM on Thursday at the school for a tempo run and a few 400s. See you there at 7:00 am. I will bring the popsicles.
We will also begin meeting for varsity runs on Wednesday - I will be inviting you if you qualify for these runs - we will be meeting at the school at 7:00am. Let me know if you have questions about this.
I have attached the 2nd workout schedule for the summer. I will also have these with me to hand out on Thursday.

If you are getting these emails, but have not really been running on your own or with us, I encourage you to make a decision about what you are going to do with your summer (at least the running part of it). It is not too late to start working toward the cross country season. It is not too late to start running with us and building a foundation that will really help you in the fall. I hope that you will decide to give a better effort and really put something into this - if you do - I think you will get a lot out of it. Mostly I just want to see each of you doing your best.

Learn to push yourself, have confidence in your ability to improve, get to know your teammates, and keep working hard.
Thanks
Coach Talley

Cross Country Camp - August 1-5 (more information to come)
Dart Challenge 5k - August 20 (more information to come)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Cross Country Summer Update #1

Darts -
I enjoyed reading about your running adventures for the first week of summer. Some of you need to be a little more detailed - I am not looking for novels, but I like when you are detailed about how you felt and where you went and how much time it took, etc. It looks like many of you were busy and didn't get quite the start you would have liked for your summer training. I hope that you don't let this get you down. Just re-focus and do better in these next few weeks. We had a great turn-out at the Vita Course on Monday - but I would like to see even more of you there this next Monday. If you didn't come and you are having 2nd thoughts about cross country - give it an honest try for a few weeks and see if it is something you would like to do before you give up on it completely.

Our entire purpose of the first 6 weeks of summer is to build a solid base. This comes from running miles and strengthening your heart and lungs. The better your base is, the harder you will be able to train in the later months and when the season gets here. I think these early weeks of summer training can really improve your mental toughness as well. Keep working on being positive and building confidence in yourself. Believe that you can overcome your challenges and that you can be the best runner you can be. That is what this is all about - giving your best efforts.

One of the challenges to summer running - or running in general - is the fight against LAZINESS. It would be so much easier to sleep in or to spend the day in front of the T.V. playing video games, eating cheese puffs, and getting out of shape. Choosing to run and to be on the Davis XC TEAM is the harder way - especially during the summer. You should be proud of the fact that you are working hard for something and that you are sacrificing the easy life to get out of bed early in the morning and push your body, rather than just having a typical high school lazy summer. Here are a few things that might help you as you win the battle against laziness. . .
1 - Get your run in early in the day. As it begins to get hot - it feels so good to get out of bed before 8 and get a solid run in. Make it a habit that you begin your days with a run. However, if you miss the chance in the morning, night runs can also feel great - just make sure to be safe.
2 - Mix things up. Try to run on different terrains and different routes. Sometimes you might want to meet at a friend's house in order to experience a different run. Going running with a friend (or with your ipod) is another great way to mix things up and make the run more enjoyable. You can also break your run into 2 segments throughout the day. If one long 8 mile run seems completely impossible for the day - try a 5 mile run in the morning and 3 in the evening.
3 - Set GOALS. As you go into each week, it is good to have a plan for how many miles you would like to run each day to get your overall goal for the week. You might need to make adjustments as the week goes on, but it is good to have a plan to begin with. It is also good to set long term goals - like running sub 18:00 or sub 20:00 for a 5k race this fall, making it to cross country camp, running 400 miles for the summer, making the varsity team this fall, getting all-state in cross country, or something else that will help you to be motivated. Having a purpose to your training makes it so much easier to make it a priority. Always look for purpose in your training! And make it YOUR training. Own it. Be proud of your accomplishments and work on your weaknesses.
4 - Get out the door. Even when you are feeling a lack of motivation, it is important to give it a try. This morning I procrastinated my run for as long as I could. I just didn't feel like going. The first 20 minutes of the run were tough, but the farther I went, the better I felt. By the end of the run, I felt like it was one of my best runs of the summer. I can't tell you how many times in my 20 years of running that I have started a run thinking I didn't really feel like it - but finished the run so glad that I got out the door.

Kick-off Camp
- I have attached the waiver for the kick-off camp at Cutler Flats. I have also attached the map to the camp. We will be meeting at the school at 1:30 on Tuesday (I had originally said 1:00). The itinerary and other information is posted on the waiver. You will need to bring the waiver and $10 with you to the school when we meet on Tuesday. We will also need quite a few parents who can drive - please let me know if your parents would like to drive and/or camp up there with us as chaperones (they are also welcome to run with us while up there). If there are any parents with a small or big trailer that they could send to the camp, could you let me know. I will also be looking for 2-3 camp stoves if any of you have one we could borrow.
Everyone can come to the camp - even if you have missed our first few practices. It will be a great time to get to know your teammates, and the trail runs we do there are challenging, but nice. I hope you can all make it. Let me know if you have any questions.

Gerald Anderson Memorial 5k - Saturday at 8:00am in Morgan. It is not too late to run the race. I sent an email with an attached flier - or you can email Brad at aamba3@gmail.com if you have any other questions.

Make sure to send in your training log on Saturday or Sunday. I will see you at the Vita Course on Monday morning at 7:00am.
Thanks - and Happy Running -
Coach Talley

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Welcome to DXC

Darts and Parents -
Welcome to Davis Cross Country. It was great to see so many of you at the introduction meeting this week. There were quite a few new faces - which is always good, and we are bringing back a strong TEAM for both the boys and the girls. We have an exciting summer of training in front of us, and I think it will be another incredible XC season this fall.

At the meeting I discussed I discussed the philosophy of DXC (Davis Cross Country). . .
1 - I expect you to work hard. Distance running is all about challenging yourself and learning to get out of your comfort zone. It is not always easy - but it is definitely rewarding. We are going to work hard in order to get into our best shape and in order to prepare for the season. You have to be willing to put forth the effort in order to get the rewards.
2 - I expect you to have fun. We are going to be doing a lot of things together as a TEAM. I want you to always bring a positive attitude and always be looking for ways to make the runs more fun (without sacrificing the benefits of the running). Come to practice with a sense of humor, and really look for opportunities to get to know your TEAMmates and build unity.
3 - I expect you to find a love for running. Even if you don't love it right at the start, I want you to find a love for running. If you stick with it, running will make you feel great. It has so many benefits for the body, the mind, and the soul. Look for things that you love about running, and look for your own personal reasons to run.
4 - I expect you to be patient and consistent with your running. It might not come very easily to most of you, but if you stick with it, you will see improvements and you will begin to feel better and better. Basically - don't give up just because the first few runs or the first few weeks aren't as easy as you thought. If you can stay tough and conquer running (no matter how fast or slow you are), you can conquer just about anything. Getting better in running only comes from getting out and running - consistently.

I also talked about our summer mileage plans. This week is week #1 of 12 for the summer training program. Over these 12 weeks, I am challenging the boys to reach 500 miles and the girls to reach 400 miles. This might be a little high for some of the newer runners, so I explained how you might set a more reasonable goal (300 miles).
You are all required to send me an email at the end of each week letting me know how the training is going. I would like to know what you did each day - not just an overall total miles. I will track your mileage throughout the summer - allowing us to see the improvements in your fitness. If you would like to go to high altitude camp in August, you will need to show me that you can handle the work load. And that you have been willing to work hard to get the opportunity to attend cross country camp.
I will be looking for your emails on Saturday or Sunday letting me know how this first week went. I realize it might have been a busy week - don't let a rough first week discourage you - just get after it better during the 2nd week if it didn't go so well.

Just to let you know, I am extremely excited about this upcoming season. I am excited about the number of 9th and 10th grade girls who showed up to the meeting - we lost 5 of our top 7 from last year - so it will be interesting to see who steps up to fill those spots. Our girls TEAM looks to be young, but talented. We are the returning state champions - and I hope we can work to repeat as state champs. I am also excited about what the boys might be able to accomplish. Last year we finished 11th in the U.S. We have a very strong TEAM coming back - can we make it back to NXN (Nike Cross Nationals)? It is going to take some work (starting now), but it is within our reach. And I am excited to watch as each of you work towards improving yourselves and the TEAM. I can feel that it is going to be a memorable season full of surprises and challenges that I look forward to facing with this TEAM.

Here are some things we have coming up in the next 2 weeks -
Friday (tomorrow) @ 7:00am - at Davis High we will be going for a distance run. It is totally understandable if you can't make it - this is just for those who would like to join us for a morning run. (You'll find in the heat of the summer that it is easiest to get your running done early in the morning while it is still cool).
Monday (June 6th) - Vita Course at 7:00am. This is our first official practice - remember that the vita course is at the top of 200 N. in Kaysville above Highway 89 by the animal shelter. We will be meeting here on Mondays all through the summer.
Wednesday (June 8th) - Davis High at 7:00am - we will probably be doing a run and a game.
Monday (June 13th) - Vita Course @ 7:00am
Tuesday-Wednesday (June 14-15) - Cross Country Kick-off Camp - I will send out an email soon with more information. We will be meeting at the school at 1:00pm and we will get back to the school before noon the next day. Just some camping, 2 runs, and some games to get to know each other better.

I have attached the information that I handed out at the meeting. Please let me know if you have any questions. And please try to recruit your friends or people you know who might be interested in running with us.

Get some good shoes and start your engines. I will see you at the trails on Monday. . .
Coach Talley
www.davisxc.blogspot.com

p.s. If you would like to watch the slideshow from the 2010 season that we were showing at the start of the meeting, it is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05cS0-TjcDs