DXC Summer Update #3

Darts - 

It was another fine week of running. Great work at Vita on Monday and the Lagoon tempo run on Tuesday. And thanks to all of you who came to the kick-off activity on Thursday (also thanks to all the parents who were able to help!). It was fun running the Elephant Rock Trail with so many of you, and we had a great time at Cherry Hill! I have to say I am very impressed with the first 3 weeks of summer. After two weeks of reporting mileage, both the boys and the girls are on record pace. The boys are at 6,889 miles and the girls are at 4,086 (both records for the first 2 weeks of summer). Keep up the great work! We are really just getting started. I have attached the training schedule for the next 4 weeks of summer. Continue to progress and build at a pace or rate that you can stay healthy with. Stay consistent and stay patient - you will see improvement!

I know it is early in the summer, but there is a group of you who have not been able to make it to any practices yet. And there are a few of you who have not had a chance to do any running yet. IT IS NOT TOO LATE! Don't give up on your dream of being a Davis Cross Country Runner  Start this week. Don't be afraid of coming to the TEAM practices. We will make sure you only do what you are capable of doing at this point.

Kick-off Activity - For those of you who were not able to make it, we talked about our core beliefs or philosophies that we want you all to buy into it. Here is a summary...

1. TEAM running - For a sport considered "individual", we put a ton of emphasis on the TEAM. It is a challenge to build unity with such a large team, but if we work together, we can do it. We want you to love your teammates and create strong friendships. If you love your teammates, you will train and race harder for them. We want you to work on feeling genuine excitement when your teammates are doing well, and also to encourage your teammates when they are struggling. And we feel that it is important to work together and push each other in practice (and races) rather than competing against each other.

2. Hard Work - Coach Anderson talked about how being your best is not going to come easy. It is not just going to happen - we have to work for it. You have to be willing to push through pain and put in the hard work in order to get stronger and faster. We feel it is important to focus on being YOUR best rather than THE best - stressing the importance of NOT comparing yourself to other runners.  

3. Healthy Living - There are a lot of little things you can do outside of running to get better. Coach Timothy talked about sleep, nutrition, hydration, strength training (core and weights), stretching, and massage. The stretching and massage can help to prevent injury or help to heal an injury; we want to focus on the prevention. We will be reviewing our stretching and strength routine with handouts at practice this Thursday (after the tempo run).

4. Run with passion and heart - Running is more fun and more rewarding when you give your full effort. Fall in love with running (the good and the bad, the hard and and the easy). Be passionate about being part of this team and give your whole heart into being your best.

Kaysville 4th of July 5k - A lot of people on the team (and their families) will be running the Kaysville 4th of July 5k (or another race on the 4th). It is a great time for a mid summer 5k race. I would encourage you all to do it, but it is not mandatory. You can register online for $35 (www.runnercard.com) or in person at Bowmans for $25 (Bowmans also gives a $5 gift card). Registration closes Friday, July 1st at 6:00pm. The race starts and finishes on our track. I will be racing this year 

Wednesday, July 6th - Jared Ward will be presenting at Wasatch Running Center in Centerville at 6:30pm. I hope we can get a ton of members of our TEAM and their families there to listen and support. For those who don't know, Jared is a former Davis and BYU runner and will be representing the USA at the Olympics in the Marathon on August 21st in Rio. It should be an awesome presentation.

This Week:

Monday - Vita Course @ 6:30am - Theme is Super Heroes.

Tuesday - On your own or in groups

Wednesday - On your own or in groups

Thursday - Meet at the school at 7:00am - Nichols Hollow Tempo Run + strides on the field

Friday - Girls run at Heritage Park (in Kaysville by the Library) - 7:00am

Friday - Boys run at Farmington Pond lower parking lot - 7:00am

Saturday - Long run on your own

Next Week (July 5-11)- We are not meeting as a team because of the UHSAA Moratorium (no practice throughout the state).

Don't forget to send me your weekly training log (we just finished week #3).

Happy Running!

Coach Talley

www.davisxc.blogspot.com 

Instagram & Twitter - @davistrackandxc

Facebook - Davis High Cross Country Team

DXC Summer Update #2

Darts - 

I am sending my weekend update early because I will be in Seattle this weekend watching Logan race the 800m at the Brooks PR meet. We have another great cross country week going. I was very impressed with your efforts on the Vita Course. We had a record number of boys under 47:00 (7 in one run), and 13 total boys joined the sub 50 club this for this year. We also had a near record number of boys finish the entire run. The girls looked tough as well with 9 girls making it into the sub 63 club. And we had another great TEAM run this morning - I hope you had fun with "Coach Catch" (I can't believe how many times I got caught) and I am really hoping that no one went through any poison ivy or poison oak (but if you did, please report it to me). 

As I am sure you are learning, running can be challenging at times. It is not a sport for the weak minded. I really feel that we live in a very entitled society. Many people want things to come easy and expect rewards that they didn't earn. Don't let yourself be a typical teenager (don't be spoiled). Don't look for the easy way out. Don't complain and don't make excuses. Instead, make this something you work really hard for and something you can be proud of at the end of the season. If you are going to do Davis XC, you might as well put your whole heart into it. Give it the best you have and become the best runner you can be. I promise that it is more fun that way.

Cross Country Kick-off Activity - Thursday, June 23 at 6:30am - We are going to meet at the school and drive to Mueller Park in Bountiful. We will do a trail run at Mueller Park (and bikers will hate us). After the run we will have breakfast, and then we will have 60-90 minutes of instruction time with the coaches. And then we will head back to the school. 

Then we are having a TEAM day at Cherry Hill (1pm-9pm). You don't have to join the group at Cherry Hill, but I would encourage you to because it will help you get to know your new teammates better and hopefully it will be a lot of fun. You will have to pay for your own park entry fee. We are working out a deal with Cherry Hill for the "King of the Hill" passes. I will let you know how much they will cost next week. It will be somewhere around $20. That will include all activities at Cherry Hill.

We will also need everyone to pay $10 that morning to help cover the Mueller Park rental, breakfast, and dinner (ordering pizza at Cherry Hill). If you are just coming in the morning for the run and breakfast, you can just give $5. (Checks made out to 'Davis County Running Club'). 

We will need some parents to help drive to and from Mueller Park and to help with breakfast. If any parents have an open morning and would like to help, please let me know (you are welcome to run with us too).

I have attached a flier with the information. Let me know if you have other questions.

Brooks PR - Logan's race will be streamed live at http://www.flotrack.org/event/253024-2016-brooks-pr-invitational - Logan races at about 3:45 Utah Time.

Eagle Projects - 

Karson Hugie - Meet at the Nichols Park Pavilion this Saturday (June 18) at 7:00am - to help with a Nichols Hollow clean up - great for our TEAM because we use the hollow so much. Bring work gloves and wear pants.

Connor Finlinson - 5k at Nichols Park - Next week Saturday (June 25). The flier is attached to this email. If you don't want to race a 5k yet, but still want to help out, you can drop off canned food to help Connor's cause.

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday - Meet at the Vita Course at 6:30am - The theme is NEON or BRIGHT COLORS.

Tuesday - Meet at the school at 7:00am - we are driving to the Lagoon Trails for our run. We will need some drivers to help if any parents are available.

Wednesday - Run on your own or in small groups

Thursday - Cross Country Kick-off Activity - Meet at the school at 6:30am.

Friday - Run on your own or in small groups

Saturday - Connor's Eagle Project 5k (plus a long cool down) - or run on your own or in groups.

Show up to tomorrow's girls and boys runs if you can - Girls are meeting at Barnes Park in West Kaysville at 7:00am and the boys are meeting at Ponds Park at 7:00am.

Don't forget to email your mileage for the week on Saturday or Sunday.

Happy Running!

Coach Talley

Twitter & Instagram - @davistrackandxc

DXC Summer Update #1

Darts -

This turned into one of my notoriously long summer emails. Grab a water bottle and read the entire email (even if you are a 4th year senior). I promise next week will be a short one...

I hope that most of you enjoyed your first week of training. I would like ALL of you (especially new runners) to think about the potential runner you are. As coaches, when we look at each of you, we try to see the runner you could be more than the runner you currently are. If the first week wasn't hard, it will get hard at some point. It is going to take some mental toughness and some grit to stick with it through the summer. I love running because at some point it challenges each individual to dig deep and see what you are really made of. I think a lot of times you realize that you have more toughness and character than you thought you did. Fight the self-doubt, face the fears, and keep working to be the best you can be.

Healthy Running

A very important part of summer training is staying healthy. We are putting a lot of strain on our bodies, and it takes work and time to keep them running well. In this week's email I would like to focus on 8 important factors that will keep your body strong and healthy through our summer mileage:

1. Nutrition - 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 good 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 (at least 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 (within 30 minutes when possible). Chocolate milk is a good recovery drink - or I like to make an egg sandwich and drink a bunch of gatorade. 

2. Hydration - you should be drinking a lot all summer long - water (80+ ounces), gatorade, juice. With hydration, it is important to get electrolytes in addition to straight water.

3. Proper 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 Wasatch Running Center in Centerville for beginners 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). Once you know what kind of shoes you should be in, you might be able to find good deals online. Good running shoes are your best investment as a runner.

4. Sleep - Eight hours is recommended for a normal person; I have found that most 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. 

5. Stretching - before and after you run (especially after). We will be creating a more regimented stretching routine this year. Flexibility can increase your speed and definitely helps to reduce injury. I recommend 10-15 minutes of solid stretching after running. 

6. Strength & Core Work - It is very important to strengthen your muscles. Your core is possibly the most 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, wall sits; arms - bench press, pullups, dumbell work, push ups. 

7. 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, take a few days off, or cross train (bike/swim/elliptical). I will still give you some mileage credit for cross training. Recommended cross training for running would be biking (3-4 miles biking = 1 mile running), elliptical (12-15 minutes on the elliptical = 1 mile running), and swimming (1 mile swimming = 3-4 miles running).

8. Consistent, Smart Building - 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 correctly 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). 

Training Logs: I have started to read your emails, and you are doing a very good job. I would encourage each of you to keep a training log all year long (not just in the summer). You will only email me through the 12 summer weeks, but keeping a training log could be a very beneficial tool for your running. Use a notebook or just create a Word or Excel file on your computer. Make notes about how far you ran, what your time was, how you felt, how hard the effort was, who you ran with, and any other things you find important. For your weekly emails, I am really just looking for a few basics - your daily mileage and any running related questions you might have. You can also share running stories if you want. Here is a sample email:

Monday - 8 miles; ran with the team at vita. Time = 54:30

Tuesday - 6 miles; West Kaysville loop on my own. About 7:15 pace.

Wednesday - 7 miles; Mountain Road with Josh and Nate.

Thursday - 6 miles; Coach Catch plus a long cool down

Friday - 6 miles; boys run from Ponds Park.

Saturday - 8 miles; ran in Provo (staying with my Grandma); Time = 55:15

Week Total = 41 miles (Summer Total = 78 miles)

High Altitude Camp - August 1-5 at Marsh Lake in the Uintahs. This will be by invitation. We are going to try to take 80 team members based on mileage from the first 4-5 weeks and what kind of running you are ready to handle. A lot of this will be determined by attendance at summer practices. It is a pretty intense week of running. The cost will be $135. I will be sending out more information in a few weeks.

Other News:

Congrats to former Dart and current BYU Cougar, Shea Martinez on her 3rd place finish in the 800m at the NCAA Championships yesterday. Her time of 2:02.83 is a PR and qualifies her for the Olympic Trials (in 2 weeks).

Best of luck to Logan MacKay on his final race as a Dart. Logan is running in the Brooks PR meet in Seattle this next Saturday. He will race against many of the best 800m runners in the country. If there is a live feed, we will Tweet the link and post it on the Davis Cross Country Facebook page.

This Week:

Monday - Vita Course at 6:30am. The theme is "Cats or Animals of any kind". I am not sure how you can capture that theme the best, but nevertheless, it is the theme for the week.

Tuesday/Wednesday - On Your Own (or in groups)

Thursday - Meet at the school at 7:00am. We will be playing "Coach Catch" at Nichols Park and Hollow.

Friday - Girls Run at 7:00am at Barnes Park in West Kaysville (by the volleyball pavilion); Boys run at 7:00am at Ponds Park. 

Saturday - Long run on your own (or in groups)

*If you didn't make it to any of  our runs in week 1, don't be afraid to come this week :)

Nice job on week 1. Best of luck with week 2. Keep your motivation and focus. 

Happy Running!

Coach Talley

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