Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Hey everyone! What a great first week we had last week! I love our numbers and our group (our numbers are higher than they've been in a while and I'm thrilled!!) There was a ton of good energy and I was so impressed by the newbies! We love having you! Photos I will take this summer will be added HERE. Feel free to add to this album!
We have some fun things planned this week! On Monday for the rest of the summer we will be running "Vita" (also known as East Mountain Wilderness Park). We've done this ever since I was in high school and who knows how long before. It's such a great workout, especially now that state is back at Sugarhouse. Be tough! It's a hard run, but you can do it! There are lots of people that can barely make it a few miles their first time and they end up crushing it by the end of the season. If you are new we will just go 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. It's ok to be uncomfortable and to do things that are hard. The first few minutes are the hardest. I bet you will all love vita by the time the summer ends. ♥️
The Man in the Arena
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
I love that. In cross country every day you are putting yourself "in the arena." You are risking a little bit of pain, physical discomfort, maybe even a little bit of social discomfort if you don't know many people yet. Sometimes in races you risk your pride. You risk not quite making a goal. But the risk is more than worth the reward. Putting yourself in the arena is the way to become someone great. Be bold. Allow yourself to do uncomfortable/hard things. Dare to put yourself in the arena.
For me, I've had a hard time sometimes since college, daring to put myself out there in races. Sometimes I have thoughts of, "I'm not as fast as I used to be." "What if it's embarrassing?" "What if someone thinks _____?" I've had to overcome those, just like you will. And I'm proud of myself for racing as I've gotten older because not racing would have been the easier thing for me to do. I like being able to experience what you guys are experiencing, so if anyone has race anxiety, COME TALK TO ME. I get it!
One more quote from Steve Magness (probably my favorite running writer and advice-giver):
"We don't avoid hard things because they're hard.
We avoid them because they matter.
Because failing would hurt.
So we play small, coast, rationalize.
But here's the truth: that "safety" is what's really holding us back.
This is the trap of survival mode.
It shows up as self-protection: "I could've done it...if I really tried."
Instead of going all in, we avoid, distract, downplay.
We try to protect the ego, but end up abandoning our potential.
The ultimate irony?
In trying to protect ourselves from failure, we often guarantee it.
Not because we fall short, but because we never try.
Let go of safety. Step into the arena.
That's the only way to find out what you're truly capable of."
This Week
Note:
The Theme for Vita is superhero! We'll take a picture of us all dressed like superheros!
Wednesday is Coach Catch! It's maybe the best practice of the season.
Thursday's destination run is for 9-12th graders who can run 5+ miles. (Talk to me if you think you're an exception-you might be ð).
Tuesdays and Saturdays are optional practices/captain-led. It is not optional to get a run/workout in though! Usually the captains will plan something and it would be great if you could be there! 7th-8th graders should probably take a day off or just cross-train on these days. I would prefer 7th-8th graders to run 4-5 days a week and cross-train or play another sport the other days.
If you are in 10th-12th grade you should try to work up to running every day. 9th graders should run 5-6 days a week (possibly cross-train one). Saturdays are important for everyone even though we're not meeting.
7
Week 2
8
7:00 @ Vita
Theme: Brown and Gold!!
Uphill Strides
9:00 Lifting @ Davis
9
Run or cross train on your own or in groups.
10
7:00 @ Davis
Coach Catch!
Strides
9:00 Lifting @ Davis
11
Destination Run (9th-12th grade)
7:00 @ Davis
Carpool to Kays Creek Trainhead
12
7:00 Breakfast Run @ Burbidges
(1776 West 75 South Kaysville)
13
Run or cross train on your own or in groups.
Weekly Running Structure/Long Runs
We haven't talked much about long runs yet. I believe the long run is the most important run of the week, especially in the summer. As you get more fit, your long runs will get longer. The girls will work up to about 7-9 miles and the boys will work up to 9-12 miles for their long runs. We have structured our weeks to have the boys and girls workouts line up. Most of you will usually get your long run in on Mondays on Vita (still run on Saturday though) however some of the varsity boys have mileage high enough that they do a medium long run (about as long as the girls' long run so it's perfect) on Monday and they're long run on Saturday. If you aren't running at least 50 miles a week, do your long run on Monday. ð
Periodization
I've been reading this really great book on periodization in running. This basically means that in order to run your very best, you go through training cycles. Pretty much everyone agrees on a base in the summer for fall cross country. This means building mileage and no real speed workouts for a couple of months (we will do tempos and hills and things like that though). We'll start adding speed at the end of July and start to get ready to race. We want to peak in October so I'm very deliberate about when and how much speed we add. Thanks for trusting the process. Parents, I love when you support the process. I have a lot of experience and this is the best way for us to get fast. ♥️ At the moment, I'm not overly concerned about paces on runs. Don't go too slow, don't go too fast. You should be able to carry on a conversation during your run.
Don't forget to send me your miles!
I have about 110 kids on my summer list (which I am absolutely thrilled about). I have seen about 20 emails. Please send those miles in! The earlier the better. There will be a small prize for those who send them in before I go to bed tonight (send before 10:00pm). This is the best way for me to help you individually. Please only send via email. It's the easiest way for me to organize.
Also don't forget to venmo $100 to @davisrunningclub!
About 45 of you have already paid! Thank you!
Coach Meetings:
Please sign up here
So grateful for you all and this opportunity I get to be your coach! We're going to have a very successful season because of the work we're diligently putting in right now.
For Parents:
Years ago, Corbin Talley hosted a Track Tuesday night for adults to go to the Davis track and do speed workouts together. I attended for years and decided it's high time I start that back up again! Please come and join! Open for anyone over 18. ðĪŠ
Varsity Camp - July 14th
We will be doing a Varsity Day Camp for about 12 boys and 12 girls. Riverton invited us to join their varsity team for the morning. I would love some parent help to coordinate with the Riverton parents. We'll put that on the parent sign-up genius. I will let you know soon who is invited.
Relay Event with Viewmont - June 20th
Viewmont has invited us to participate in a Ragnar style relay event. It will be so fun. We will have teams of 6 athletes. We'll start at 7:00am and probably finish around 7pm. Each person will run two legs of 4-6 miles each. Please sign up if you are interested and if you can run two legs of at least 5 miles right now. Kids from several schools will participate. We'll have a good time! We will probably be limited on teams, but I'll try to get as many in as are interested!
Size Chart
Please fill this out if you are planning on running cross country in the fall (hopefully all of you that are in 9th-12th grade).
Dates and Tentative XC Schedule
I am still working out some details so please be patient if any of these race dates change.
June 20th - Relay Activity with Viewmont
July 14th - Varsity Day Camp
June 29th-July 4th - Moratorium (shorter than originally posted)
July 27th-30th - Cross Country High Altitude Camp at Marsh Lake
August 7th - Brown and Gold Game at Davis
August 15th - Dart Challenge 5K Fundraiser @ Barnes Park
September 4th - Timp Invite @ Lakeside Park in Orem
September 12th - Border Wars @ Valley Regional Park in Taylorsville
September 16th - District @ Layton City Park
September 25th - TwiKnight @ Art Dye Park in American Fork
October 13th - Region (Region is still debating this date so it may change ðĪŠ) @ Layton City Park
October 24th - JV State @ Centerville
October 28th/29th - State XC @ Sugarhouse Park
November 7th - Pre-Nike 5K @ Davis High
November 19-21 - NXR @ Mesa, AZ
Whew! That was a lot! Please remember to join our GroupMe (info below)!
I'm so sorry these are so long! ðĪŠ
See you tomorrow!
Coach Jami
Previous week's emails (to ensure everyone got all info):
Darts-
Buckle up! I have a lot of info coming your way today.
Wednesday is the first day of practice! (As a reminder this is the first week that we will be tracking summer miles). I care more about bonding as a TEAM this week than the actual workouts and running we'll be doing (although I care about both)! Everyone, come to practice ready to meet people and learn some new things. Veterans, please do all you can to make newbies and younger kids feel awesome and excited. I got a message from one of my former athletes this week. She said, "you were right, running changed my life and I made the best friends." There is something really cool about doing something hard and fun with friends. You won't regret it! I've said it before and I'll say it a million times again: I think a big TEAM is a better TEAM. Keep inviting your friends. I'm thrilled about how many kids have already signed up for our email list. Let's go! ðŠ Here is the email signup link for anyone that hasn't filled it out!
Mileage
This week you'll begin tracking your mileage. For those that took a two week break, this week you should probably be at about 75% of your pre-break mileage. By Week 2, you should be at about 85% and by Week 3, you'll be close to your pre-break mileage. Talk to me if you have questions. Next Sunday will be your first day to email me your mileage!
We will meet on the west side of the school near the 1400 hall for our run on Wednesday. After the run, we'll do a little get to know you game and possibly play some spikeball and crossnet. Between 8:30 and 9:00ish we will go inside the weight room to lift. Recovery equipment is now all in room 1401, I can give you all a little tour tomorrow. :) Plan on being done around 9:30-10:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays.
I've spent the last two weeks preparing all I can to make this season the best/most successful it possibly can be. I'm excited about some traditions that we'll keep up and some fun new things we're going to try!
Lifting
We are going to be VERY intentional about our lifting program this summer and cross country season. I really believe that this is an area where we can separate ourselves from other TEAMS. I bought a program (your summer fees at work) from one of the BYU strength coaches for 5k runners (YOU)! We will lift every Monday and Wednesday during the summer after we run. During the school year we'll continue to lift twice a week.
***abs are not a part of this program-do them EVERY day***
Coach Meetings:
I would like to meet with EVERYONE over the next few weeks. Be prepared to answer the following questions if you ran last year, if not, we'll just get to know you! (Also, my schedule is crazy just like all of yours and from time to time, I'll need to reschedule. Please be patient with that. ð I'll do my best to get through everyone by the end of June).
***Please come with most recent ferritin results (if you have them) and your last several weeks/months of mileage (if you have that)**
*What worked really well for me this season? What was my best race?
*What didn't work as well? Was anything missing?
*When did I feel like I was my fittest and most confident? Did I peak at the right time?
*Did you like our lifting program (if you ran at Davis)?
*How am I/can I contribute positively to our TEAM culture?
*What are my goals for the future (summer, this season, next year, etc) and evaluate last years goals
*What is my favorite part of running for Davis High?
*What do I think we can accomplish as a TEAM this year?
Please sign up here.
Reminder to Pay!
Please remember to send in your summer fees! Thank you! The cost of the 12 weeks of summer training is $100. Thanks to those who have already paid . The easiest way to pay is venmo @davisrunningclub. Also, checks made out to "Davis Running Club" or cash will work. This helps cover chocolate milk, mileage prizes, lifting program, Final Surge app, coaches etc. As a reminder the Davis Running Club is a non-profit that was created to support and put on activities for the Davis High Cross Country Team. :)
This week
May 31
Week 1
June 1
Run or cross train on your own or in groups.
2
Run or cross train on your own or in groups.
4:30 PM Steeple Night at Weber
3 First Day of Practice
7:00 @ Davis
Get to know you practice!
Strides
9:00 Lifting
4
Destination Run
7:00 @ Farmington Pond Dirt Parking Lot (every year people park in the wrong lot so this year I included a link to where we'll meet)!!
5
7:00 Captain Run @ Davis
Strides
6
Run or cross train on your own or in groups.
Steeple Night at Weber
I would love to see some of our athletes participating in this! I will be up there that evening helping out. You will need to sign yourselves up HERE. This is for athletes in 8th through 12th grade.
4:30 Mini Clinic
5:45 Girls Steeplechase 2K
6:00 Boys Steeplechase 2K
XC Class
Please join the XC class if you are able to! It will be 5th period and taught by Coach Sweat. We will use this class to cross train, roll out, do double runs, etc.
Dates and Tentative XC Schedule
I am still working out some details so please be patient if any of these race dates change.
June 20th - Relay Activity with Viewmont
June 29th-July 4th - Moratorium (shorter than originally posted)
July 27th-30th - Cross Country High Altitude Camp at Marsh Lake
August 7th - Brown and Gold Game at Davis
August 15th - Dart Challenge 5K Fundraiser @ Barnes Park
September 4th - Timp Invite @ Lakeside Park in Orem
September 12th - Border Wars @ Valley Regional Park in Taylorsville
September 16th - District @ Layton City Park
September 25th - TwiKnight @ Art Dye Park in American Fork
October 13th - Region (Region is still debating this date so it may change ðĪŠ) @ Layton City Park
October 24th - JV State @ Centerville
October 28th/29th - State XC @ Sugarhouse Park
November 7th - Pre-Nike 5K @ Davis High
November 19-21 - NXR @ Mesa, AZ
For Parents:
Years ago, Corbin Talley hosted a Track Tuesday night for adults to go to the Davis track and do speed workouts together. I attended for years and decided it's high time I start that back up again! Please come and join! Open for anyone over 18. ðĪŠ I won't start this next week because of a steeple event at Weber, so I'll start June 9th!
Please don't hesitate to reach out! I know this is a lot of information and can feel overwhelming. I'm happy to help! See you all bright and early tomorrow!
Coach Jami