7/16 Newsletter

Runnin' and Funnin'

We've definitely built some momentum in the nearly two weeks since the dead period.  Athletes are hitting some big milestones in terms of volume, while also having plenty of fun at team breakfasts, neural days, and our team camp along the way!

The Week Ahead

Below is the schedule for the coming week.
Monday 7/20 (7:00-9:00AM):  Neural Day at School.  This will be very similar to the last few Mondays, but some runners will see an increase in their volume of work.

​Tuesday 7/21 (7:00-9:00AM):  Aerobic Workout at Back Loop of Course.  We'll be back at the course, where some athletes will do another fartlek while others will progress to its more advanced cousin called aerobic repeats.

Wednesday 7/22 (7:00-8:00AM):  Color War at School.  This is most athletes' favorite fun day of the summer.  The paint is allegedly washable, but we recommend wearing clothes/shoes you don't mind ending up with some extra color.  Some runners also like goggles for this, and consider bringing a towel and/or change of clothes.
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Thursday 7/23 (On Own):  Easy Run On Own.  Due to limitations on the number of contact days coaches can have with athletes, this day there will be no training session with coaches.  Athletes are welcomed and encouraged to run on their own or in a group.

Friday 7/24 (7:00-9:00AM):  Levee Long Run in the Bottoms.  This is a typical long run, but once each summer we run the levee down near McBride.  We will meet down closer to K&K Fireworks for our warmup and post-run work.  An optional team breakfast will follow down the block at Al's Place until roughly 10:15AM.  Please note that to our knowledge they are still cash-only, so please make sure athletes have money for food.  

Pre-Participation Documents

Just a reminder that sports physicals and pre-participation forms are due on or before August 10.  Athletes won't be able to practice after that point without these submitted, and athletes have to complete 14 practices before races.  No forms means no practice which could mean no races, so please get these turned in to Mr. McLain or the office.

The sports physical form can be found here.   The form consists of five pages.  The first two pages are completed by the student/parent prior to the physical examination.  The third and fifth pages are completed by the physician during the examination. The physician should keep copies of all of these pages in their records.  Due to health privacy concerns, only the last page should be returned to the school. 

The pre-participation form can be found here.

Mower Signups

At this point we have volunteers to mow the rest of the summer.  A huge shout-out goes to the Welkers and the Haertlings for keeping the back loop in great condition all summer!  

We will begin mowing the full course at our first course build day on August 15.  After our home meet we mostly use the front loop of the course.  A separate signup will go out for that next month.

Summer Races

Below are some guidelines if athletes choose to participate in races this summer, including this weekend's race at the Veterans Memorial.  Note that all of this applies specifically to summer months.  Athletes should not sign up for any non-school races that take place after official season starts in August. 

1)  Communication is Key:  Please let coaches know if you are planning to run in a race.  If we have enough advance notice, we can adjust an athlete's training so that the race fits in better and doesn't overdo training.  

2)  If Possible, Run Don't Race:  Rather than doing these races all-out, the safer option is simply to substitute it for another workout.  For experienced athletes who have built up their volume, that could mean completing it as an easy run.  Maybe run with a slower or less experienced friend or family member and help them.  For less experienced runners, it might be able to replace the weekly aerobic workout as a progression run or a long run.   

3)  Be Mindful of Restrictions:  Under no circumstances can athletes accept prizes from races with direct monetary value.  That means cash, checks, or even gift cards.  Medals and trophies are fine.  So are merchandise prize items (shirts, caps, etc.), as long as their cumulative suggested retail value in a given month does not exceed $250.  Designating awards and prizes to other individuals is also not allowed (i.e. an athlete wins a $100 gift card to a running store for winning their age division in a race but gives it to their younger sister instead).  Athletes must simply refuse these sorts of awards.

Spikes

It's far enough into the summer to start talking about spikes.  While daily trainers--as the name suggests--are great for everyday practices, racing spikes are designed for race day to help an athlete perform at their best.  You can find a full breakdown of the difference between the two here.  .  

This is a typical trainer shoe. Note the full rubber outsole and the thicker foam midsole.

This is a typical racing spike. Note the presence of spike pins in the forefoot and the thinner midsole.

Most athletes already have their pair of training shoes, but as official season and races approach, it might be good to start exploring buying spikes.  That's true for two reasons.  First, spikes are tough on athletes' feet.  To avoid discomfort and injury risk during races, athletes need to prepare their feet to run 5000 meters in spikes.  That happens by starting with small doses and building up to race distances.  Athletes don't want to buy a pair of spikes for a race the next day.  They want them weeks in advance to start acclimating before it matters most.  If an athlete already has their spikes, they can be worn during neural days, for strides after runs, and eventually for entire segments of workouts.  

The second thing is that many retailers have major sales and discounts on spikes around the end of July or the start of August.  Taking advantage of these can save families some serious cash.  

The good news about spikes is that since they have so little material, they're not really as varied as training shoes.  Most shoe companies have at most two lines of spikes (one entry model and one luxury model), and even the differences from one brand to another are much less significant than with training shoes.  That means shopping for spikes is much simpler than training shoes.  Other than sizing (The goal is a snug fit), cost, and appearance, there isn't much to consider.  With their training shoes, athletes should prioritize how the shoe feels and not buy something just because it looks cool and comes in their favorite color.  But with spikes, this is a lot more tolerable. 

So is online shopping.  Spikes in general cost less than training shoes.  All of the same stores we recommend for running shoes also sell spikes, but especially online one can find some very steep discounts on previous years' models.  Because they are worn much less frequently, spikes also tend to last longer for an athlete.  Most runners can get two cross country seasons out of a pair of spikes before needing to replace them.

One other important thing is to make sure the spikes are specifically cross country spikes and not distance or sprint spikes for track.  If you're at a running store and tell them you need cross country spikes, they will make sure you get the right ones.  If you are online, the key is to look for "XC" somewhere in the name of the spike, rather than "D", "LD", "MD", or "S".   

Notice that with the cross country spike, the upper (fabric on the top, is a more durable, water repellent material meant for running through grass and mud.

Notice in the cross country spike that the outsole is rubber across the entire bottom, with the thicker ridges (called lugs) for enhanced traction in mud and wet grass. There are also more holes for pins, allowing for additional grip.

Notice that with the track spike, the upper is a lighter and more breathable material mean to shave weight.

Notice that in the track spike only the back half of the outsole is rubber and lacks the deeper lugs. The front half is a firm plastic meant for greater push off but is less flexible and resistant to rocks and roots. Sprinter spikes will actually have more pinholes than most cross spikes to provide grip during the intense acceleration, but long distance spikes like this one actually have fewer pinholes to shed some weight over the lengthy races.

Shoe Sales

This segment of the newsletter will be a recurring depot for sales on spikes and shoes.  It's a little early for the sales at brick and mortar shoe stores in the region, but online there are already a few options.  As physical stores do announce sales and I learn of other options, I will continue to add them here weekly:

Online:
--First to the Finish has some pretty steep discounts on a number of models of spikes.   Do make sure they say cross country or XC.  Track spikes (even distance ones) are not the same thing. 
--TC Running Company has some spike models on sale for men as well as for women.

In-Person:
Nothing right now.  Expect that to change within the next week or so.

Seminary Picnic Carousel

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to work the carousel at the picnic.  Almost every slot is filled, which puts the carousel far ahead of most other picnic stands.

Currently we do still have a few slots remaining, including some that were added due to parishioners not being able to work their shifts.   Any athletes who haven't already signed up for a shift are encouraged to do so.  Additionally, if any athlete who already signed up for a shift would like to work a second one, they will receive a service hour for the extra commitment.  Signups are still available using this form.  If none of the available slots work for you, please reach out to Mr. McLain about other ways to help out.  

Team Warmup Shirts

Our athletes will once again have warmup shirts.  These are what athletes typically wear over their uniforms on meet days prior to the start of races.  Athletes are also allowed to wear these to school on Fridays during cross country season.  While we did 1/4 zip pullovers last year, this year athletes expressed a desire to return to long sleeve shirts.  The design is below.  Cost for these is $30. 

We would like to have these in time for the first Friday of school when students can wear them, as this is also often the day of the fall sports pep rally.  To make that happen, we need to get the order in early.  If you would like to order a shirt for an athlete, please do so using this order form by Wednesday, July 29 at 9AM.

Payment can be made by the following means:

• Cash:  In an envelope with athlete name and "team warmup".  Please have exact change unless you want to make a team donation.
• Check to Mr. McLain with "team warmup" either on the memo line or on an envelope it's in
• Venmo to mistahmclain with "team warmup" in the description.

Home Meet Shirts

In addition to these warmup shirts, most meets offer t-shirts as a sort of memento.  That includes our meet, and we do have that ready to roll.  These are intended for athletes, but a lot of parents/siblings/other fans also tend to like them.  Shirts will be available to purchase on site at our meet, but quantities will be limited, and cost will be $15 to minimize change.  If you would like to guarantee a shirt and save some money, they are available for pre-order for $12.  This year our screen printer with these was able to make us a custom online store front where shirts can be purchased.  They will ship with the bulk order for the meet and should be available at our team potluck on September 1.  If you would like to pre-order shirts, you may do so using this link.  The deadline to place pre-orders is Wednesday, July 29. 

Dates to Keep in Mind

​Here is a list of important dates to keep in mind.  All of them are already in the Google Calendar, but we thought it would be good to point them out here.  This will likely grow as more dates are confirmed.

August 3-9:   Fall Sports Dead Period--No team training, athletes are still welcomed/encouraged to run on their own without coaches.

August 9, 6PM:   Fall Sports Parent Meeting--at least one parent is asked to attend.  Administration will cover school-wide policies for all athletes in the gym before we break off for individual sport meetings.  
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August 10, 7AM:  First Day of Official Practice--Practice will still be in the morning this day because of Back to School Night happening in the evening.  After this practice will typically start at 3:30PM.  All athletes must have turned in their physical and pre-participation paperwork before they will be allowed to practice.

August 15, 9AM:  Media Day--All athletes are required to attend in order to get team and individual pictures.  Athletes should meet out on the football practice field no later than 8:55.

August 15, 3-5PM:  Course Build Day #1--It takes a lot of work to get our course ready to host a meet, and so parents and athletes are asked to attend.  More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

August 15: 8PM-12AM:  Midnight Marathon:  This is our first race-pace workout of the season, done at night with some glow and festivities for some extra fun.

Parent Info Document

Our parent meeting is August 9 at 6pm.  Rather than dumping all of the information for the season on parents then, we prefer to put it out in a document well in advance.  This gives parents the opportunity at their leisure to read through the information, process the information, and come to the meeting ready with questions and/or concerns.  The document for this year is available here.  Because some information is sensitive, it is password protected.  The password was shared in the parent GroupMe.