7/2 Newsletter

Back At It

Hopefully everyone has had a restful and enjoyable Dead Period!  July is upon us, and we'll be back to training in a few days.  Some athletes might have done every single item in their training plan.  Others might have done none of it.  Most are probably somewhere in the middle.  Wherever an athlete is, that's where we start. The important thing is that we do get started back up and find/sustain some momentum. 

It might be easy for an athlete to feel ashamed or behind if they haven't run in a while.  But the truth is that there are still 8 weeks until our first meet.  That's exactly in the middle of the range of time most studies show is necessary to see significant progress.  If athletes commit now and follow through the rest of July and August, they can stilll be set up for a strong season.  Let's make sure that happens!

ChicknLegs Challenge

As a reminder, athletes have the chance to earn a pair of ChicknLegs running shorts.  To do so they must complete three requirements:
-Update their training logs consistently
-Attend a set number of summer training days (10 for new runners, 15 for returners)
-Complete a set number of runs during the Dead Period (2 for new runners, 3 for returners)

The runs during the Dead Period can be anything: a simple run around the neighborhood, a jog along the beach while on vacation.  To document these runs, athletes can simply take a picture of themselves before the run and email it to Mr. McLain at [email protected].  Bonus points if they're running with someone else!

Athletes should also try to make sure their training plan is up to date by the end of the week, as this will influence training assignments next week.

The Week Ahead

Below is the schedule for the coming week.
Monday 7/6 (7:00-9:00AM):  Neural Day at School.  This will be our first neural day of the season, where the focus is on building speed and central nervous system efficiency.
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Tuesday 7/7 (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 7/8 (7:00-8:00AM):  Slip n' Slide at School.  Wear clothes you don't mind getting wet, and consider bringing a towel and/or change of clothes.
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Thursday 7/10 (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 7/11 (7:00-9:00AM):  Long run at Apple Creek.  This will be our last long run at St. Joseph during the summer.  An optional team breakfast will follow at Caden Hadler's house (4406 Hwy N).  

Increased Training = Increased Fueling

As summer progresses, the volume of work athletes are doing will progress.  An athlete whose long run started at 15 minutes could reach 45 before our first meet.  That's three times the volume, but it's also three times the energy expense.  If someone took a new better paying job that had them driving to St. Louis every day instead of across town, they should wisely budget for additional fuel costs and make sure they have gas in the tank and money in the bank for this.  In the same way, athletes running more and doing more strength and mobility work need to budget for the cost of this and make sure their body has banked the energy it needs by upping their food intake.  Most athletes are running more than they ever have before, which means they need to be fueling more than they ever have before--bigger meals, more snacks, etc.

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 this point without these submitted, and athletes have to complete 14 practics 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.

Athlete Checklist

Juggling everything for cross country along with all the other school-related stuff and the rest of life can be a lot.  To help keep track of what needs to be done, I've created an athlete checklist.  Currently it has a counter for days of training attended (important for the summer shorts incentive!) as well as physicals and pre-participation paperwork.  More things will be added once the official season begins.   The checklist can be accessed here. ​

Mower Signups

​Thank you to all those who have signed up to help mow!  We currently have mowers signed up to cover all dates other than the week of July 14, but help could always be used for the other weeks.  If you would be able to cover that week or help with the other ones, please sign up using this form.

Team Breakfast Signups

We are still looking for families to help contribute to our Friday team breakfasts the rest of the summer.  Typically these last from roughly 9:30 to 10:30 or 11:00 AM.  The Hadlers (July 10) and Welkers (July 31) have generously agreed to host breakfasts, but they would appreciate help providing food or drink to the athletes.  We currently have 23 athletes who have made it to summer training, and so any assistance keeping them well fed and refueled would be a big help!  That could even mean sending something if you aren't able to be there for the actual breakfast.  

If you would be interested in helping with any of these breakfasts, please sign up using this form!

Summer Races

Below are some guidelines if athletes choose to participate in races this summer, including next weekend's Mid America 5K.  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.  

Racing Spikes vs. Training Shoes

Speaking of races, 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.

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.  

It's a little area 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:
I did hear that Missouri Running Company is running some sales on old inventory on Friday 7/3.  I'm not sure if that includes any spikes or just trainers.
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Expect more sales and specials to start showing up toward the end of the month.

Seminary Picnic

As you may know, sports teams have typically helped work the Seminary Picnic.  After years working the soda stand with other teams, last year we made a shift over to the carousel.  The carousel has been a long-standing pillar of the picnic grounds.  Our team has only existed for a small fraction of that time, but we would like for cross country to one day be identified with the picnic grounds in a similar way. 

Helping at the Picnic is an especially big deal for our team.  The picnic committee has generously allowed us to not only hold our home meet on the grounds since 2012 but to practice there regularly the last two seasons, all free of charge.  Our team benefits from the Picnic more than any other. Any assistance we can offer the Picnic is a small token of our gratitude.  We hope all of our athletes can pitch in.

This year's picnic runs from July 31-August 2.  We would ask if at all possible that all athletes sign up for a shift at the carousel using this form.  All shifts are one hour.  Most athlete workers will be collecting tickets, helping children find a horse, and supervising children before/during their ride. If none of the available slots work for you, please reach out to Mr. McLain about other ways to help out.  

Changes to the State's Championship Factor

As many know, our school is subject to the state's championship factor, which requires teams at private schools to move up classifications in the event of varying degrees of success over the previous six years.  Given the success of our girls team in 2021 and last year, they were e slated to move up a class.  However, the state recently voted to alter the structure of the championship factor.  You can read a full explanation of how it all works here, but the TL;DR is that success now has less impact the less recent it becomes.  That eliminates the impact of the 2021 finish and seems to mean our girls will be staying in Class 1 with the boys this year.  

Just like when the Championship Factor first debuted back in 2020, we should expect there to be a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation spread about through social media and bleacher gossip.  Please be diligent about avoiding this as much as possible.  Read the article linked above before spreading information, and if you still have questions feel free to contact Mr. McLain.

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.