7/5 Newsletter

Course Updates

The back loop of our course has continued to need some tender love and care in recent weeks.  The northeast corner had some serious drainage issues, and the southeast end had some major tractor ruts.

A big thank you goes to Terry Nations for smoothing out the ruts and putting some crushed gravel down over the muddiest spots.  We have grass starting to grow in some of the bald spots, and the Bo and Tim Burgin were able to give the whole loop another fresh cut so that it is ready for its first action next week.

If you would be interested in helping to mow the course this year, please reach out to Mr. McLain.

​Next Week's Schedule

Below is the schedule for the coming week.
Monday 7/7 (7:00-8:30AM):  Neural Day at School
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Tuesday 7/8 (7:00-9:00AM):  Progression Run at Back Loop of Course (see below for dropoff/parking location)

Wednesday 7/9 (7:00-8:00AM):  Fun Day (water balloon hide and seek tag) 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 (7:00-8:30AM):  Easy run at City Park (PYF parking lot).

Friday 7/11 (7:00-9:00AM):  Long run at St. Rose of Lima.  An optional team breakfast will follow at Noah Winschel's house (302 Dowling Drive).  The pool will be open there, so bring a swim suit and towel if interested.

Weather

With the forecast next week including a chance of thunderstorms pretty much every day, it might be a good time for a few reminders.  We will still have practice in the rain, though maybe at a more mud-resistant location.  Only in the event of lightning would practice be canceled.  If practice is going to be cancelled or the location changed, I will try to make that decision by 6AM that day and make an announcement to athletes (Google Classroom) and parents (GroupMe).  If you don't see an announcement, that means practice is still on as scheduled.

Increased Training = Increased Fueling

As summer training continues and training volume and intensities ramp up, it's important to keep in mind that the additional work requires additional energy from athletes.  That energy comes from food, and so it is important that athletes increase their fueling as well.  An athlete could easily burn through 1000 calories in one practice, especially on a harder workout day.  That's on top of the additional energy demands their growing teenage bodies require compared to an adult.  

So while their level of food intake would be excessive for a mostly sedentary adult, teenage athletes need to eat the legs off the kitchen table to avoid a deficiency and the host of performance and health problems that poses.  Mainstream diet culture might demonize carbohydrates, but for high school runners they are rocket fuel that will propel them to success.  

Below are some excellent handouts from Stanford University's Female Athlete Science and Translational Research Program (FASTR) on nutrition.  While the program focuses on female athletes, this information is relevant for all runners.

Team Camps

 Final information for all those attending our team camps will be sent out to athletes and parents this coming Monday (7/7).  For those not attending camps, training will still be available that week.  More details on that will be shared in the next newsletter.

Carousel Shifts Still Available

As mentioned previously, our team will be working the carousel at the Seminary Picnic this year.  This is the primary way for our team to repay the picnic grounds for allowing us to race and practice there, so the expectation is that all athletes help.  There are still a number of shifts available.  Athletes may sign up to work one of them using the link below.

Claim a Shift

Sports Physicals

Just a reminder that a completed physical form as well as the pre-participation form must be submitted by the first day of official season (8/11) in order for an athlete to be allowed to practice.

Forms may be either be submitted to the school office or to Mr. McLain.  The current physical form can be found here (please only submit the final page).   The pre-participation form can be found here.  

Hard copies of both forms will also be available at practice this week.  Athletes can ask Mr. McLain for a copy.

Shoe/Spike Sales

We're getting to the time of year when many running stores (online and brick and mortar) run sales on shoes.  If you need a new pair of trainers and/or spikes (or will in the foreseeable future), now is often a great time to save some money.

For those who don't know what spikes are, you can find a full explanation in this post.

For the next five or six weeks I'll be including a section in the newsletter with details I find about any sales online or at local stores:

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 yet, but expect sales and specials to start showing up toward the end of the month.