Monday, July 18, 2011

Summer Update - Week 7

Darts -
The email this week is pretty simple. Great job at the vita course this morning. I could tell that most of you ran hard and gave good efforts like we had asked you to. A big part of being a good runner is having self-discipline and self-motivation. I don't think too many of your parents are forcing you to get out of bed early in the morning for TEAM runs or for running on your own--it is mostly up to you to get yourselves going and to make sure that you run when you need to run. It takes personal commitment and discipline. So many of you are doing an outstanding job this summer of working hard and being committed to improving. I have really enjoyed your reading your training logs and watching you push yourselves at practice, and I am giving the TEAM one huge GREAT JOB! The work is going to pay off this season. Keep running hard and having fun and don't get too discouraged if you have set backs (which you will). Stay positive and never give up.

Thank you very much to all of those who helped with the Legacy Midnight Run - including 4-5 parents. Some of the volunteers were there til after 1:30am on Saturday. I appreciate you giving the time and helping the TEAM out.

I have attached the new training schedule. This will take us through the final 5 weeks of the summer (how sad is that?). The key here is that you start running faster and faster - keep recovery days in your schedule, but work hard on the hard days. This is where we start to get back into cross country racing shape. Let me know if you have any questions.

I have also attached a Deseret News 10k registration form. If you would like to do the 10k, please get the form filled out and bring it to me at Thursday's practice with $20. If you can't get it to me on Thursday, send me an email or a text, and we will figure something out. We will be entering the high school TEAM divisions for both the boys and the girls. The race begins at 6:00am up near the University of Utah. On Thursday after practice, we will have a quick meeting and make some plans about how we will get down to the race.

Thursday, July 21 - Meet at Layton Park at 7:00am - we will be doing a tempo run. I am giving a special invite to any of you who have not made it to a practice yet (or haven't been in a while). This would be a good one to start with. I will bring popsicles.

Saturday, August 20th - Dart Challenge 5k. All of you should be planning on racing the 5k and try to get family and friends to come as well (it is a fundraiser for the TEAM).

Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Send in your week 7 mileage if you haven't already.
Thanks
Coach Talley

"Distance runners are experts at pain, discomfort, and fear. You're not coming away feeling good. It's a matter of how much pain you can deal with on those days. it's not a strategy. It's just a callusing of the mind and body to deal with discomfort... That's the nature of their game. Taking pain." - Running with the Buffaloes (Taken from Dan Wybrow's facebook page)

Monday, July 11, 2011

Summer Update #6

Darts -
It is hard to believe that we are 6 weeks into the summer training - and that the weeks that count for summer mileage are already half way over. I think it has been a decent first half of summer. Many of you have worked hard and increased your mileage and trained consistently through these first weeks. But we have to be even stronger over the 2nd half of the summer. I know that it can be tough to stay focused over 12 weeks of the summer. It is much easier to be lazy and to just look for "fun" things to do through the summer. But I promise you that you will be happier if you put in some work with your play. You will come out of the summer with a higher fitness level, and you will be satisfied that you accomplished something as an individual and as a TEAM.
As a TEAM, the girls are at 6,324 combined miles. Last year we were at 6,630 after the first 6 weeks, and we ended the summer with 12,821 (a TEAM record). I really think we can break the TEAM record and finish over 13,000 miles, but it is going to take a TEAM effort. Many of you have dropped off a little over the past few weeks, and Janae and I are challenging you to re-focus and to set some goals and to help the TEAM get over 13,000 miles. I have attached the summer miles up to this point. Let me know if you see any errors or if I am missing a week that you have reported. If you have any blank weeks, let me know and I will fill them in and we will go from there. If you haven't sent in a single week, but would like to help the TEAM over the second half of the summer, start sending me your weekly training log and I will add you to the list. We have been successful over the years because we are willing to work hard and run more than most other teams do over the summer. I want to commend those of you who have been working hard for your TEAM, and I want to challenge all of you to work even harder over the second half of the summer so that we are tougher than ever when the season arrives.
The boys are sitting at 7,863 combined miles. Some of the boys have really caught fire and are consistently reporting solid weeks, but many of the boys have fallen off or leveled off. I think we can get 9,000 miles over the second half of the summer and end close to 17,000. It won't quite be a record (18,098 from 2010), but it will be a huge TEAM accomplishment. The same challenge goes to the boys as I gave to the girls. Get involved, increase your mileage, make a commitment to work harder and run more - and as a TEAM, let's see if we can break 17,000 miles. Even if you have not sent in a single week, you can still start to contribute and help us reach our goal.
Look at what you did for the first half of the summer, and set a goal for the second half. Then try to make a general plan on how you are going to reach that overall mileage goal over the final 6 weeks of the summer. I would look at it in two 3 week building cycles. For example - you might go 35-40-35, then 40-45-50 to total 245 miles over the final 6 weeks of the summer. Not only will it make you a stronger, more committed runner, but it will help our TEAM complete one of our best summers ever.

I want you all to work on your TOUGHNESS. You don't have to run "all-out" every time - but practice pushing your limits. Get your lungs used to the burning, and your legs used to the aching, and your heart used to the pounding. And then get your mind ready to overcome any doubts and fears. You have to make yourselves used to the uncomfortable pace and push your way through it physically and mentally. All of us can run harder than our minds currently think. All of us can increase our pain tolerance - and become tougher mentally. One thing that will give you mental toughness and confidence is completing hard workouts where you really give your all. It does not matter how fast you are - but it does matter that you learn to run your best and challenge yourself. Our workouts will start to get harder and harder from this week on.

Janae is going to write up an email on nutrition. You should see that email in the next week or so. Nutrition is another area where you can help yourselves have more energy and recover more quickly.

This week's schedule -
Wednesday - Varsity Run - meet at the school at 7:00am
Thursday - Everyone meet at the school at 7:00am - we are driving over to the Lagoon Trails for mile repeats
Monday (the 18th) - Vita Course @ 7:00am

High Altitude Camp - I have given out the invitations and the information for the high altitude camp (August 1-5). Please let me know if you have any questions or if any of you who are on the list I sent out last week will be unable to go. I have a few alternates in mind, and I will invite the alternates if any of the original list is unable to go. Also, let me know if you would like to be considered for the alternate list.

Legacy Midnight Run - Thanks to those who have volunteered to help with the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon, 10k, and 5k. We will meet at the Farmington Frontrunner Station (by the new Harmon's) at 8:30pm on Friday. We should be done around 12:30am. This will earn $1000 for the program. Let me know if you have any questions. I am still looking for about 10 volunteers to add to the following list of people who have emailed me that they would be able to help. Let me know if I somehow missed you.
Jackson Rayl
Jackson?s mom (Angi)
Whitney Williams
Michaela Uresk
Carissa Uresk
Sierra Haslam
Shaylee Argyle
Julia Anderson
Elise Anderson
Scott Taylor
Sara Munns
Sara?s Mom
Trevor Fry
Jed Brough
Devin Farnsworth
Anni Andersen
Liz Ashby
Tina Ashby
Caleb Gipson

Deseret News 10k - If any of you are interested in running the Deseret News 10k as a member of the Davis TEAM, please let me know. ANYONE can run it - the cost is $20 if you register with a high school team. We will NOT be staying down in Salt Lake like we have in past years. Instead, we will need to coordinate rides early in the morning on Monday, July 25th to get down to the race. If you would like to run, just let me know and I will get you a registration form.

Dart Challenge 5k - Will be on August 20th. I will send out the entry forms soon. Try to get family and friends excited to run with us. It is a fundraiser for the TEAM.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Summer Cross Country - Update #5

Darts -
I was very impressed with your efforts and performances this week at the vita course and at the Layton Park mile repeats. This was probably our hardest week of the summer so far, and you responded well. Nearly everyone who made it to the practices was running hard and learning from the practice. Congrats to both Preston Johnson and Brad Nye for running faster than the previous record on the Vita Course. For those of you who have not been coming to TEAM practices and maybe have not been running this summer, I hope you know that it is still okay to start now. It is not too late by any means to still get some solid base out of your summer training. I think you will find the workouts fun and challenging and you will find that it is nice to be running with people who will push you to be better. If you are afraid that you are too slow or not ready, don't let that keep you from experiencing DXC. We have runners at all levels - and no one there is as ready as they want to be - we are working together to get faster and stronger and more ready. You will meet some good people at the practices, and I might even bring popsicles.
Keep doing the little things that are going to make you better and keep you healthy - get enough sleep, eat right, do your abs and pushups and weights, make sure you are stretching regularly, and ice if you need to ice. In addition to all of the things you can do to train physically, don't neglect the mental side of preparation. Practice pushing through the times that you want to slow down or run more comfortably. When you get to the point in a run where you are having doubts about how fast you can go - fight those doubts with positive self talk. Believe in yourselves and believe that you will get stronger from the work you are putting in. Set goals and make plans for what you are going to do each week to get the mileage you want. And try to develop a love for running and how it makes you feel.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
I hope you had a great week 5 - send me your miles!!
Enjoy your 4th of July weekend.
Coach Talley

Next Week's Schedule -
Monday, July 4th - no TEAM practice. I know that many of you are running the Kaysville 5k or 10k - good luck!
Tuesday, July 5th - Vita Course at 7:00am
Wednesday, July 6th - you are on your own (no varsity run)
Thursday, July 7th - meet at the school at 7:00am.
Friday and Saturday - you are on your own.

Legacy Midnight Run - I am looking for volunteers to help at the aid stations and the finish line of the Legacy Midnight Run on Friday, July 15th. We will be meeting at the Farmington Frontrunner station at 8:30pm and we will be done around 12:30am. You do not need to be on the team to volunteer (family and friends are welcome). I need 25 volunteers - and the race has agreed to donate $1,000 to the program. It should be fun - and they will give each of the volunteers a t-shirt and glow sticks. It is a great way for us to earn some money (which is much needed at this point).

High Altitude Camp - On Tuesday next week, I will have a list of those invited to high altitude camp (August 1-5 at Marsh Lake in the Uintahs). I will also email out the list and the waiver with more information about the camp. I will be inviting you based on summer mileage through the first 5 weeks, attendance at practice, communication with me, and on your ability to handle the intense week of training at a high altitude. I will be able to bring about 50 of you.

Dart Challenge 5k - will be on August 20th at 8:00 am at Barnes Park. Keep the day open if possible - it is a fundraiser for the program and our first TEAM race of the season.

Shin Splints - many of you have had questions about shin splints - Janae has the following answers. . .
Hello all,
I've noticed as I've been reading through your mileage report emails that several of you are complaining of shin splints. Some of the aches and pains that many of you are feeling are a part of your body getting used to the running. However, it is important that we take care of these aches and pains before they turn into more serious issues. Here is an article that my husband Ken wrote that provides some great tips to help you overcome shin splints. http://blog.utahrunning.com/shin-splints-secrets/
--Janae

Tentative 2011 Schedule -
August 1-5 High Altitude Camp
August 20 Dart Challenge 5k
August 27 Grass Relays, American Fork
August 31 Pre-Region, Layton Park
September 10 BYU Invite, BYU
September 14 Davis County Championships, Layton Park
September 16 Murray Invitational, Murray Park
September 21 Open Meet @ Fremont
September 24 Bob Firman Invite, Boise, ID
September 28 Open Meet @ Syracuse
September 30 Orem Invitational, UVU Campus
October 5 Open Meet @ Davis (Barnes Park)
October 12 Region Championships, Layton Park
October 19 State Championships, Sugarhouse Park
November 19 Nike Southwest Regional, AZ
December 3 Nike Cross Nationals, Portland, OR