Sunday, June 8, 2014

Summer XC Update - Week 1

Darts - 
It was a great first week of summer training. I have only begun to read through your first emails, and I am very impressed with what I am seeing. I am excited to see what we can do this summer. I think we are going to see a lot of improvement and a lot of surprises. We have a very young TEAM (both the boys and the girls), and with a lot of hard work, it will be an amazing TEAM this fall. 
I think it is important for you to know WHY you are doing what you are doing. At this point in the summer, we are trying to build up our mileage and strength. That is why nearly all of our runs are distance runs. We call it our "base" - and the stronger your base, the faster you are going to be when we get to September and October. Keep in mind that everyone is starting at a different place. Some of you are pretty experienced runners, some of you are brand new this week. ALL of you will benefit from getting in some consistent distance runs for the next 4-5 weeks. Then we will begin to add other elements as well. During the 'base' period, it is good to vary what you do for running. Run different routes, run on different terrains (road, dirt, grass), and run different distances (not the same amount each day). The key is to stay consistent. 

Training Logs: It will really help you to see the big picture if you keep track of your running in some type of training log (as well as sending your weekly mileage to me). It is very helpful to be able to refer back to your running log to see what you might have done in the past. It also helps you to see the work you accomplished throughout the summer in order to build a base for the XC Season. I have attached the Excel file that Coach Timothy uses for his training log. You are welcome to use it throughout the summer. It keeps your weekly total and your summer total. 

Running on Vacation: Most of you will be on vacation (camp, EFY, Youth Conference, Family vacations, etc) at some point this summer. I completely understand that there will be times when you are unable to run. I would recommend that you do your best on those days/weeks, but don't let it stress you out too much. If all you can do is an ab workout before you get in bed on those days - just do the best you can. Sometimes I think of the vacation weeks as "maintain weeks" - where I do what I can to maintain my work/fitness without necessarily worrying about improving that week. Again - just do your best. 

Kick-off Camp: We are meeting at the school at 2:00pm on Thursday for the DXC Kick-off Camp. We will be home Friday at about 11:00. I have attached the information/waiver. The cost is $15 - and you need to bring the money and the waiver with you on Thursday (checks made out to Davis County Running Club). We will be running Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The camp is at Anderson Cove (by Pineview Reservoir). 

Cross Country Camp: Will be from July 28-August 1. We will invite athletes based on the first 4-6 weeks of summer training. 

This Week:
Monday - Meet at Vita Course at 7:00am. 
Tuesday-Wednesday - on your own
Thursday-Friday - Kick off Camp
Saturday - on your own

As always, let me know if you have any questions. I will be working through the first week emails and answering any questions you might have had about your first week of training. I challenge each of you NOT to let laziness get in the way of your running this summer. Don't be typical summertime teenagers. 

Stay motivated. 
Happy Running, see you at Vita in the morning. 
Coach Talley

PS - Congrats to Josh Ward, Jordan Barnett, and Andrew Tyndall for their awesome performances at the Great Southwest Classic (track) in New Mexico this weekend. 

PPS - Congrats to our representatives at the Junior Achievement 5k yesterday. Our Davis boys and girls were both the TEAM champions. Good job Skylar, Kimball, Colton, Brandon, and Solomon. And good job to Miah, Aubrey, Ally, Josey, Tatum, and Sam. 

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