DXC Summer Update #4

Darts - 

I am always amazed at how quickly the weeks fly by in the summer. With 4 weeks reported, we are already 1/3 of the way through our summer mileage. We are doing very well for the most part. We are on TEAM record pace for both the boys and the girls - and I can tell that many of you are working hard and taking your summer base training seriously. I also feel that some of you are struggling to get going (or to keep going), so the topic for the email this week is motivation . . . 

Mid Summer Motivation - As we hit the middle weeks of the summer, I know it gets hotter and it gets harder to stay motivated for a season that doesn't start until the end of August. I have always felt like these middle summer weeks really separate the weak from the strong. I hope that all of you are determined to stay strong and to fight through these weeks with our season in mind. We are going to have a tough TEAM this fall with a lot of depth, endurance, strength, guts, and speed - but it is going to take some uncomfortable work in the middle of the summer (these next 5 weeks). I hope all of you are on board with working together to get there. You athletes who are new to cross country are really in for a fun time. DXC is about running with heart and running with guts. It is a lot of work, but the rewards far exceed the effort. I think the following tips can help you to get out of bed and get after your training when it gets challenging:

1) Run in the morning. It is cooler and it is much easier to motivate yourselves than when it gets to be the afternoon. Plus then you won't stress about it all day. Running in the evening can also be really fun (especially with friends) - just be safe.

2) Set some goals - an overall summer mileage goal (if you don't already have one), weekly mileage goals, season racing goals - and write them down and keep them in a place where you can see them on a daily basis (by your bed, on your mirror, etc). Don't be afraid to dream big - and always try to make a plan about how you are going to get there. I think it is so important to have a purpose when you are training - not just going through the motions.

3) Be patient with your training. It may take some time to get to where you want to be. Don't get discouraged if you are not as fast as you want to be right away or if you run into some challenges on your way. One of the things I love about running is that you have to work for what you get. Also - avoid comparing yourself to other people. Work on being your own individual best. Realize that all the great runners (even the ones on our TEAM) had to work to get to where they are. It takes time and you will see ups and downs.

4) Find motivation online (videos, articles, quotes) - Share your favorites on the TEAM facebook page. One of my favorite cross country videos is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylYPm7V2qCU (you should all watch it). Or read articles on dyestat.com, letsrun.com, flotrack.org, runnerspace.com, runnersworld.com or other running websites. Become a student of the sport. It always makes me want to run harder and be a better runner when I read about other runners who have worked hard for their success. You can also find running quotes that help to motivate you. I like this one that the girls posted on their facebook page a few years ago - 

"Running isn't a sport for pretty boys . . . It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. It's the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It's about the throbbing calves and the cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It's about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion you need to live each and every day with. It's about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there's not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you've finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that's all you can ask for."

5) Switch things up. Have both hard and easy days, run different courses, run with music, run at night, run with different groups, and find ways to make running an adventure - unique and challenging. I know many of you struggle to run on vacation, but running in a new place can be one of the most exciting things about running (as long as it is safe and your parents are okay with it). Just don't let running be boring.

6) Run for your TEAM. One of the things that motivates me the most is the thought that my TEAM is working hard with me for a common goal (Region Champs, State Champs, NXN Qualifiers). There are other people out there willing to put in miles and work for me - and I am willing to put in the miles and the work for them as well (this still works for me as a coach too!). Be very positive with your TEAMmates - help them out and encourage them. Attend the TEAM practices every time you can. And help to bring your own unique personality and gifts to the TEAM.

7) Most of all - refuse to quit. Don't let yourself think about it. Don't let yourself down. I have said it many times about running - only the strong will survive. Be strong and you won't regret it.

Junior Achievement 5k - Great job to our athletes who raced at the Junior Achievement 5k on Saturday (Chocolate Milk Run). The boys team finished 1st and the girls A team was 1st and the B team was 2nd. We were led by strong individual victories from Colton Rimann and Miah Weaver. 

Kick-off Camp - I hope that all of you will consider coming to the kick off camp on Tuesday and Wednesday. The running will be manageable for everyone, and I promise we will have fun. It is going to be HOT, so hydrate well on Monday and Tuesday - and bring your swimsuit so you can cool off in Pineview. I have attached the information again this week. You will need to fill out the attached waiver and bring it with you to the camp along with $15. We are meeting at the school at 2:00pm. We are still looking for a few parents to drive up and back (on Wednesday). Please let me know if you can. Thanks!

High Altitude Camp - I will send out the High Altitude Invites later this week (probably on Thursday). The camp will be on August 3-7 at Marsh Lake in the Uintahs.

Season Race Schedule (subject to change) - http://davisxc.blogspot.com/p/2014-schedule.html 

This Week:

Monday - Vita Course - 7:00am. Theme is Neon or Bright Colors!

Tuesday/Wednesday - Kick off Camp - meet at the school at 2:00pm.

Thursday/Friday - On your own.

Saturday - Kaysville 4th of July 5k for those of you who can. The cost is $35 and the registration page is https://www.raceentry.com/race-reviews/kaysville-rotary-4th-of-july-5k - there is not a 10k this year. This is not mandatory, but if you are looking for a fun race on the 4th, you should do it!

Send in your miles.

Make week 5 great week! Have fun. Run with Purpose. 

Coach Talley

DXC Summer Update #3

Darts -
Just a quick email this week. I am enjoying my family vacation in California - ready for a full day of happiness at Disneyland. I hope you had a great week and that your training is continuing to progress. We are 25% of the way through our summer base training. I know it can be hard, but a lot of things worth doing are not easy. The challenge it offers is one of the reasons I love running. Cross country is one of those things - and if you are going to do it, you might as well put your whole heart into it. I don't feel that it is something you can enjoy or succeed at without some true commitment and love for it.
I have attached the running schedule for the next 4 weeks of summer. Please print it out and use it to help you plan your weeks and know when the team is meeting together. Do your best to come to the team workouts - they will definitely help you improve.


Wasatch Back Relay - Many of you competed in the relay this past weekend. Our boys team ran incredibly strong for a 2nd place finish behind the BYU team. It was our fastest per mile average in the 10 years we have run the relay. The boys finished the 200+ mile relay in 20:38 (American Fork was the 2nd fastest high school team in 21:09). Our girls also killed it with an overall 1st place finish in the women's division. The girls finished the relay in 25:55 - to get the victory for the 2nd year in a row and the 3rd time ever. The girls were the 15th fastest team out of nearly 1000 teams to compete in the relay. Our mixed team finished as the 5th fastest in the mixed division with a time of 25:59. And so far, the sophomore boys team ("Fiber Wizards", I believe), have not shown up in the results, but I am sure they ran strong. Great job to all who ran. Wasatch Back is truly a mental and physical battle. It takes toughness, guts, courage, and love for your teammates. We are fortunate to have a bunch of runners who are deep in those qualities. Thank you so much to all parents who helped as drivers or volunteers - you realize pretty quickly how special and unique our group is when you spend time like that around them.


Logan MacKay ran this past weekend at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. He finished 2nd place in the rising stars mile with a time of 4:13.39 - it converts to a 4:11.92 1600m and is the #3 all-time for Davis High. That wraps up Logan's track season and we are looking forward to him joining us for our cross country workouts (after some much deserved rest). Way to represent Davis Track & Field, Logan!


Kick off Camp - I have attached the waiver for kick off camp. You will need to bring the waiver and the money on the day of the camp - EVERYONE is invited. The date is June 30th-July 1st. We will meet at the school at 2:00pm. I am looking for some parents to help us drive up, and a few parents who would like to camp overnight with us as chaperones. The cost is actually $15 which will cover 2 meals and the campsite fees. We are going back to Anderson Cove by Pineview.


This Week:
Monday - Vita Course @7:00am. If you ran Wasatch Back, you can definitely take it easy on Vita this week. Run how you feel. If you only go 4 slow miles, that is okay. A few of you might even need an extra day off - or a couple days of cross training. Get healed up and then get back to the mileage.
Thursday - We are meeting at Layton Park at 7:00am. We will meet at the pavilion across the street from Layton High School.
Friday - Girls Run/Boys Run @ 7:00am - details TBA.


Send in your week 3 mileage.
Thanks! Happy Running!
Coach Talley

DXC Summer Update #2

Darts -

This will be one of my longer emails. Please read through all of it. The summer is heating up, we are going into our 3rd week of summer base training, and there are a few things that could help you to train hard and stay healthy and happy while you are training and increasing your mileage. The miles you are doing right now are crucial to our success this fall, but only if you can take care of your body (and your mind) as you train. I promise that the work you put in during the first 6-8 weeks of summer is going to make you faster, stronger, and more mentally prepared for the cross country season. Here are a few tips: 

1) Be patient and consistent - Remember that all of you are starting and progressing at different places - stay patient with yourself as you build. Our new runners may be starting around 15-20 miles per week (I hope we can build to 35-40), and our experienced runners are all different as well and might not handle mileage the same way. I said at the start of the summer that it is good to increase your mileage by somewhere between 3-7 miles per week. It is also important to increase in cycles. If you have had 3-4 straight weeks of increase, then try a "recovery" week that is a little lower before you begin to increase again. A lot of times this might happen on a girls camp, youth conference, family vacation, or EFY week. A good progression for a new runner who is trying to build up to 40 miles per week would be: 22, 25, 28, 32, 26, 32, 36, 40, 34, 40, 42, 44 (finishing the summer with 403 miles). Remember that everyone is different, and this may be too high or too low for you. If you started around 35 miles - an increase might be: 35, 38, 42, 44, 38, 43, 47, 50, 45, 50, 52, 55 (giving you 539 miles). Some of our top boys are shooting for even higher and have started around 50 miles. Although most of them will end around 70 miles as a high week for the summer. A good increase for them would be: 50, 54, 58, 60, 52, 60, 65, 68, 64, 68, 70, 70 (giving them a total of 739 miles).
You also need to be consistent. You can't build corretly with running every other week. The kind of summers I don't like to see: 25, 6, 28, 28, 3, 30, 22, 15, 0, 6, 35, etc (you are just asking for injury). Occasionally you will have a low week because of a family vacation or another commitment, that is fine - just do what you can and be careful with your increase when you come back the next week (don't try to run double because you missed). 

2) Take care of your bodies - with the strain that we are putting on our bodies, we have to take care of them or they will break down: a) Stretch - before and after you run (especially after). b) Hydrate - you should be drinking a lot all summer long - water (80+ ounces), gatorade, juice. c) Eat Right - make sure that you are eating good foods - a lot of carbohydrates, protein, fruits, iron rich foods (red meat), and vegetables. Drink your milk or take a supplement for the calcium. It is okay to have some fats and sugars as well, but they should not be the main part of your diet. For a lot of you this means eating enough calories (2500-3000 per day). If you are running a lot of miles, you have to have enough calories to fuel yourself. If you are not getting enough calories, that is the number one risk factor for injury and fatigue (especially in girls). Eating is also essential for recovery - do your best to eat something with protein and carbohydrates after you run. Chocolate milk is a good recovery drink - or I like to make an egg sandwich and drink a bunch of gatorade. d) Sleep - Eight hours is recommended for a normal person; I have found that runners need more like 8-10 hours - especially when you are hitting 40+ miles in a week. I know that it is a challenge in the summer to stay disciplined with your sleep - but it will pay off in the way you feel, the quickness of your recovery, and in how strong you are running. e) Listen to your body - if something is nagging you, take the time to ice that area, stretch, and maybe visit the physical therapist (I recommend Wasatch Peak in Farmington, Mountainland in West Kaysville, or Mike Smith at Fit Quest in Kaysville). Sometimes you might need to back off. 

3) Have a good pair of training shoes - if you are starting to have knee pain or shin splints, it is most likely that you are running too many miles or even more likely that you are in the wrong shoes. I recommend Striders in Layton because they are going to do their best to put you in the shoes that are right for the way your foot strikes the ground. Although the shoes are slightly more expensive - they will last longer before they break down. (Make sure you mention that you run for Davis for a discount).

4) Strength Training and Cross Training - It is very important to strengthen your muscles. Your core is a very important area (that is why we spend so much time doing ab work). It is also recommended that you try to get in the weight room 2 times per week. The main lifting that I would like to see: legs - squats, lunges, calf raises; arms - bench, pullups, dumbell work, push ups. If you are feeling worn down, it might be smart to cross train a few days, and I will still give you mileage credit. Recommended cross training for running would be biking (3-4 miles biking = 1 mile running), elliptical (10-12 minutes on the elliptical = 1 mile running), and swimming (1 mile swimming = 3-4 miles running).

5) Keep your purpose in mind - as the summer goes on, your motivation will be tested. We are running these miles in order to build a base that will support you and allow you to be faster in cross country, and indoor and outdoor track. Think of a pyramid - the wider and stronger the base, the higher the peak can be. We are hoping for a HIGH peak in October and November - and we need a strong base. There is a purpose to our hard work this summer. Set some goals for the summer and on a weekly basis - remind yourself of those goals - and that will help to keep you motivated to keep your mileage increasing. 

When it comes down to it - only the strong (and the smart) will survive.
Be strong and be smart! We want tough, intelligent athletes on the TEAM.

I have had a few questions about the cross country camps this summer:

Kick off Camp - June 30-July 1 (Tuesday-Wednesday). Just one night at Anderson Cove Campground by Pineview Reservoir. It is for everyone who is able to come. The cost will be $10 and we will leave on Tuesday afternoon, have an afternoon trail run, have dinner and a campfire meeting, sleep, wake up and go on another trail run, have breakfast, clean up, and come home. We will need some parent involvement (drivers, chaperones). I will send out more information this week.  This is just an opportunity to get in a few good trail runs and get to know the TEAM and the program a little better.

High Altitude Camp - August 3-7 at Marsh Lake in the Uintahs. This will be by invitation. We are going to try to take 70-80 team members based on mileage from the first 4-5 weeks and what kind of running you are ready to handle. It is a pretty intense week of running. The cost will be $125. I will be sending out more information in a few weeks.

This Week - 

Monday - Vita Course @ 7:00am - theme is SUPERHEROES. The goal of the run will be to go as far as you have on Vita so far (not necessarily going for a time - just for distance). 

Tuesday - Meet at the school @ 7:00am - we are heading over to the Lagoon trails for a short tempo run and some hill repeats.

Thursday - Meet at the school at 7:00am - we will be going for a distance run, followed by core work and lifting

Friday-Saturday - Quite a few of our team members will be competing in the Wasatch Back Relay (from Logan to Heber City). Best of luck to all of you competing with the TEAM or with your families/friends.

*There will be no girls or boys runs this week.

Weight Training - We will open the weight room for those interested on Mondays after the Vita Course and Thursdays after the team run (roughly 9-10am). I will have a weight circuit handout for you this week. Those of you who would like to lift on those days should bring something to eat after you run/before you lift. You are all definitely encouraged to be doing some sort of weight training through the summer. Stronger arms, legs, and core will make you faster, increase endurance, and prevent injury.

XC Season Schedule - Our tentative schedule has been posted at http://www.davisxc.blogspot.com/p/2014-schedule.html Please try very hard to schedule things this August-November around the race schedule. 

Logan MacKay in Cuba at the Caribbean Scholastic Championships - Logan had the opportunity to represent the U.S. in Cuba this past weekend. He won the 1500m in a solid time of 3:58, and he finished a close 2nd in the 800m with a new PR of 1:53.05. Congrats, Logan!

Former Dart Update - Natalie Haws (class of 2008) won the Utah Valley Marathon in 2:48 - it was her first time racing a marathon - and is about 6:25 per mile pace. Shea Martinez (class of 2013) competed for BYU this past weekend in the NCAA Track & Field Championships where she finished 17th, earning 2nd Team All-American status. 

Some of you have had a great start, others could be a little tougher, and some of you need to get going (it's still early, so stay positive and be brave). 

Have a great week #3. Send in your miles if you haven't already. See you at Vita in the morning. 

Smile and Run Happy!

- Coach Talley

DXC Summer - Week 1

​Darts - 

I hope you had a strong first week of summer training. We had a great turn out at the first boys and girls runs on Friday. I am as excited for this summer and cross country season as I have ever been for any season we've had. We are going to work hard, have fun, and eventually race like animals. But it all starts with the commitment to put in some work this summer. In the next 2 days, I am expecting to see an email from each of you with your first week of training. A good thing to include in your first email to me would be your summer mileage total goal. Remember that you have 12 weeks to reach the goal. I want you each to set a goal that you can handle depending on your running experience, and then try to stay close to the miles per week that you will need for the goal - you might find in the later weeks that you are able to do more. 250 miles (21 miles/week); 300 miles (25/week); 400 miles (33.3/week); 500 miles (41.6/week); 600 miles (50/week); 700 miles (58/week). If you would like to see last year's totals, I will email those out next week. 

With each email this summer, I will choose 1-2 topics and go in depth about those topics (I've been known to write some long ones). For this week, I wanted to address a few general summer mileage questions. . . 

Running on Vacation: Everyone spends time during the summer on family vacations, youth conference, EFY, scout camps, girls camps, etc. It is sometimes hard to get your miles in for the week. I will always ask you to do your best. You might have to get creative on vacation (loops around your hotel or campground), but do the best you can. If you absolutely can't run, don't stress it too much - just do your best (Don't fight with your parents or youth leaders over it but let them know it's important to you). You can usually fit in 10-15 minutes of core work before you go to bed no matter where you are. If that is all you get, I will let you count it as a mile for the day. Sometimes running on vacation can give you a great adventure :) 

Listen to your Body: Don't get too caught up in your numbers. It is still extremely important to listen to your body when it is telling you to back off or to take a few days easy. Be smart about your training. You may need to cross train a little at times. If you are ever feeling run down or really tired from your running, focus on your rest and your eating. You have to fuel your body with enough calories and good nutrition. Most fatigue and injury issues can be prevented or fixed with proper rest and fuel (nutrition). Eating and sleeping and stretching become just as important as your actual running. Live HEALTHY = Run HEALTHY. 

Cross Training: Use cross training for additional cardio strength or if you are injured or need a few days off running to prevent injury. You can count cross training for summer miles. For biking you can count 9-12 minutes = 1 mile (depending on effort) - or about 3 miles biking = 1 mile running. With Swimming you can count 9-12 minutes = 1 mile (depending on effort) - or about 1 swimming mile = 3 running miles. If you play soccer and do a bunch of running in a practice, you can count some miles - but you will have to estimate the worth of a practice (I would think 3-4 miles for a game or one hour practice with a lot of conditioning - unless you play goalie). 

Goals/Purpose of Summer Training: Build a base of strength and endurance to help us prepare for the cross country season. A huge part of this is staying healthy. I want you to end the summer in good health and a good base, ready to go mentally and physically, NOT burnt out from too much work through the summer. 

Upcoming Week:

Monday, 6/8 - Vita Course at 7:00am. We will be going for a beginning time for those who are ready for the full run. 

Wednesday, 6/10 - Boys Run/Girls Run 7:00am - details TBA (changed from Friday to Wednesday). 

Thursday, 6/11 - Meet at Davis at 7:00am for a TEAM run. 

I will say it many times this summer. Stay patient with yourself. If it gets hard, DON'T GIVE UP! Be positive and build with consistency.

Have a great weekend. See you on Monday!

Coach Talley