Darts -
Happy 4th of July. Congratulations to those of you who competed in an Independence Day race yesterday - either in Kaysville or somewhere else. From what I could find, this is how we did (I included some of our alumni in the results sorry if I missed some people):

Kaysville 5k (boys) -
Jared Ward (alum) - 15:44 (1st)
Jace Nye (alum) - 16:42 (2nd)
Brayden Cromar - 16:51 (4th)
Brad Nye - 16:52 (5th)
Patrick Hall (alum) - 17:26 (6th)
Blake Jensen (alum) - 18:30 (7th)
Adam Seelos - 18:34 (8th)
Jake Price (alum) - 18:53
Trae Durtschi (alum) - 19:09
Cade Cloward (alum) - 19:28
Cameron Harvey (alum) - 20:29
Isaac Preston - 20:46

Kaysville 5k (girls) -
Anna Ward - 21:33 (3rd)
Janice Hartvigsen - 22:11 (7th)
Lisa Frischknecht (alum) - 22:40 (9th)
Julia Anderson - 22:47
Christine Van Brocklin - 23:25
Elise Anderson - 23:52
Adrienne Luddington - 25:33
Mikell Wood - 26:11
Brooke Jensen (alum) - 26:45
Courtney Mortensen - 27:48
Sammy Fitch - 29:16
Nekel Knowlton - 29:38
Kiley Despain - 31:29

Kaysville 10k (boys) -
Austin Neuner - 35:10 (1st)
Jeff Taylor (alum) - 35:40 (3rd)
Bryson Snow (alum) - 37:40 (4th)
Brad Phippen (alum) - 38:00 (5th)
Alex Hedquist - 38:14 (6th)
Kaden Gilchrist - 39:51 (8th)
Logan Wood - 41:39 - got lost
Josh Ward - 42:29
Ethan Stuart - 44:29

Kaysville 10k (girls) -
Candace Eddy (alum) - 41:39 (1st)
Abby Frodsham - 42:34 (2nd)
Talya Kussee (alum) - 42:41 (3rd)
Meghan Hedquist - 44:13 (5th)
Danna Stuart - 47:56 (10th)
Madie McCleary - 48:09
Joanna Boyd - 48:16
Brooke Gutzwiller - 50:36 - great job pacing her mom

Freedom 1/2 marathon (in Salt Lake City)
Skylar Williams - 1:23 - 4th place overall
Whitney Williams - 1:57

There were some great performances by our current Darts and also by some of our recent alumni. Running summer road races is a great way to get a fast workout and to keep yourself motivated through the summer.

Speaking of motivation. . . A few of you have expressed the concern - "I just didn't feel motivated this week" or "I am having a difficult time being motivated". If you haven't expressed the concern, you have probably thought it. Just this last week on Friday morning the alarm went off at 6:30am, I pushed the snooze and thought, "ugh. . . I don't want to get up this morning." When the alarm went off again I pushed the snooze again and started making justifications "I have a race tomorrow; one day won't hurt; my legs are tired; I was up late; etc." By the time 6:50 rolled around, I just about gave in to the negative thoughts, but somehow dragged myself out of bed for a nice 6 miler. By the end, I was so glad I got it done. I felt pretty good on and after the run. It was hot all day long and I knew it would be harder to get out and go if I missed the run in the morning.
I am sure a lot of you have experienced the same thing. Sometimes you might give in and just get the '0' for the day, sometimes you get out and run but still feel lousy, and sometimes you get out and have a great run. The point is, it is common to have days where you don't feel motivated. The problem is, once the season comes around "I didn't feel motivated to run" is not going to cut it. It will be too late to go back and put the mileage in. Those who sacrificed their comfort and learned to run through any circumstance will be the ones who are successful. The champions will be those who conquered their doubts, didn't make excuses, and simply got the job done. This point of the summer (the middle weeks) are the toughest to keep your motivation high.
When you have those days (or weeks) where your motivation is low, you have to try your best to keep running through those times. Some things that might help:
1 - Goals. Make a list of your goals and put them in a place where you can see them. I suggest up on your bedroom door so that each time you leave your room you are reminded of a purpose (they don't even have to all be running goals). Think of the goals when you are laying in bed being tempted not to run. If you really want your goals, this will help get your butt out of bed. Also keep your TEAM in mind when those doubts creep in. We have TEAM goals to be region and state champions. Don't let your teammates down by giving in to laziness.
2 - Mix things up. Find new places to run. Enter yourself in a Saturday race. Listen to music while you run. Take a day of cross training when you feel tired (biking/hiking/swimming). Come to practices and run with your TEAM. You have to find ways to keep running fresh and exciting.
3 - Make up your mind that you are going to do it no matter what. "Just do it", the Nike slogan, was meant for runners. Make the commitment that you are going to be a runner. There is something awesome about that commitment - it changes who you are. You will understand what I mean once you have made that commitment. There are going to be days when you don't get a run in, or times when you need a day off, but if you are a runner, you will stay committed through those days and find ways to continually get it done.

The truth is, running is not always fun. It is definitely not always easy. You have to figure out why you are doing it and you have to make it enjoyable. One of the reasons I run is because it is not easy. After the half-marathon I ran on Saturday, a woman said, "That looked so easy for you. Was that as easy as it looked?" I flexed and said "Oh yeah - a walk in the park." But what I was thinking was "You are crazy, lady. That was so tough - I felt like I was going to die on some of the uphills around mile 9. I'm surprised I finished; my body was getting close to its limits. My muscles were screaming. My lungs were burning. No way that was easy." (even though I was glad it looked that way). I like that running challenges me. I love when I beat the challenge. I love the feeling that comes when I have run hard and am satisfied with my efforts.

Coming Up:
Monday, July 5 - 7:00am - Vita Course. Be there.
Thursday, July 8 - 7:00am - Layton Park - Tempo Run. Be there. No fear.
Monday, July 12 - 7:00am - Vita Course. Be there.
Tuesday, July 13 - 7:00am - Nichols Park - Hill Repeats. Be there.
Thursday, July 15 - 7:00am - Davis High - driving to Lagoon trails for mile repeats. Be there. Be ready for 4.

Camp - July 26-30. I sent out an email with the names of those invited to camp. I really need to hear back from you letting me know if you are going or not. Please bring your permission slip and $50 deposit to practice this week. I also really need to hear from you if you were not invited but if you are interested in being an alternate. It looks as though I might be able to take a few more people.

Make sure to send in your miles from last week. Week 5 was our lowest week of the summer last year. I am hoping we don't have the same thing this year.
Keep being patient, keep being positive, keep being animals - you guys and girls are doing an outstanding job,
Coach Talley