May Newsletter

Pre-Summer Athlete Questionnaire 

A questionnaire was sent to all current and new athletes on Google Classroom.  In it are questions about recent activity and/or health issues.  This is helpful in creating initial training plans for the start of summer. Currently the following athletes have already completed the questionnaire:
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Tristin A
Kiera B
Neva B
Adeline C
Caden H
Alaina H
Carter H
Reese L
Aubrey M
Adam R
Adele R
Luke R
Lexi S
Annie S
Jackson S
Collin T
Charlotte T
Anna W

Any athlete who is planning to attend summer training but hasn't already completed the questionnaire are encouraged to do so in the next week or two.  It is still available on Google Classroom but can also be accessed here.  

What to Do Before Training Starts

As spring sports seasons wrap up, questions arise as to how athletes should spend the weeks leading up to the start of summer training.  For new runners, other than making sure they have everything they'll need for summer training--shoes, watch, water bottle, appropriate clothing--they should simply just try to be active and shouldn't worry about any structured running.

For returning runners, guidance was already shared on Google Classroom but is reproduced below.  

The first week after their season ends,  athletes shouldn't do any running.  They can still be active in other ways but should try to take it easy and do/enjoy the things they had less time for during the season.

The second week, athletes could do an easy run every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).  They should keep it to half the duration of their longest run from their last week of track training or shorter (i.e. if their longest run was 30 minutes, they shouldn't do more than 15).  If they want to throw in two to three 15-second bursts at 5K effort into the second half of that, they can.  The other days should just be active recovery that doesn't involve running.  If they weren't doing running regularly during the spring, they should keep the runs to 10 minutes or less.

The third week they could resume regular training.  For those who made it to state for track, this would be the first week of our summer training, so they'll be right on target.    

Pre-Participation Paperwork

MSHSAA requires that all athletes have a sports physical on file.  The form was updated in 2023.  Most doctors offices have the correct form on site, but that isn't guaranteed.  It 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. 

Our school requires a physical every year, but MSHSAA only requires one every two years.  To fill their void, MSHSAA requires a second form that they refer to as pre-participation documentation.  This form does not require a physician and is completed by the athlete and a parent/guardian.  That form can be found here.  

Hard copies of both forms will also be available when summer training begins.  Both forms must be completed and submitted to the school prior to the first official practice on 8/10.   They can either be turned in to Mr. McLain or the school office.

Iron Testing

In conjunction with the physical examination is a good time to talk with an athlete's doctor about iron testing.  There are well-respected coaches with national titles who ask all athletes to get tested.  For sure, returning female athletes and any male athletes exhibiting symptoms of low iron levels (persistent fatigue/weakness, shortness of breath during light activity, chronic brain fog) should strongly consider getting tested.  

Early summer before training ramps up is the best time to be tested.  You can find a full explanation of the importance of ferritin for endurance athletes here.  But as a rule of thumb, testing in the morning at least 48 hours removed from a hard workout and while free of any infection/illness is the ideal time.  For a cross country runner to be successful the goal is a ferritin level over 40, with 30 being the absolute minimum tolerable level.  Levels lower than that might be fine for the general population, but they won't end well for a runner.  If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Summer Meeting

As a reminder, we will be holding a meeting on Monday, June 1 at 6:00 PM in the high school library.  This offers a chance for parents to meet coaches and have any questions answered before summer training gets underway.   The meeting will begin with a presentation by Maddie Riley, a certified sports dietitian, on nutrition for high school runners.  After Maddie's presentation and some time for Q&A with her, coaches will stick around to answer any questions about summer training or the team in general.  Parents and athletes are both welcome to attend.

Team Google Calendar

As in previous years, all team events can be found listed on our team calendar, which can be found on our website here.  Clicking on an individual event will open any additional information about the event.  This includes things like location addresses, duration, and--especially for meets--attached course maps and other important details.  Be sure to check this for any information.

This is an example of the sort of event details you can find on the Google Calendar.

Summer Team Breakfasts

Once again our hope is to bring back team breakfasts in the summer following our Friday long runs.  We can certainly do these at local restaurants, but athletes have shared that they enjoy them better when they are at athlete homes, as this gives a more laid back atmosphere and provides opportunities for games, swimming, etc.  Typically these last from roughly 9:00 or 9:30 to 11:00 AM.  This year the dates for those breakfasts are the following:

June 12
June 19
July 10
July 31

If you would be interested in hosting and/or helping with food for any of the breakfasts, you can sign up using this form.

Summer Mowing

As mentioned in last month's newsletter, we are need of help mowing the back loop of our course this summer.  We will run there on June 9 and 16, and then again on July 7, 14, 21, and 28.   These are all Tuesdays, and so ideally the course could be mowed the weekend before.  With a riding mower with a wider deck, it can be mowed in 2-3 passes around the loop and doesn't take too much time.   Anyone interested and able to help for any of the weeks may sign up using this form.

Summer Team Camp

Spots are still available to attend our team camp this summer from July 15-17.  More information about the trip is available here.  If there is interest in attending, please reach out to Mr. McLain to save a spot.  Spots are limited, and sign-ups will close on June 12.  ​

Electrolyte Survey Results

For nearly the last two months, our returning runners have been sampling various brands and flavors of electrolytes during lunch to determine their favorites.  All together nearly 30 different products were tried and rated.  Last year the main drink available to our athletes at meets besides water was bottled Body Armor.  Despite its great taste and other perks (no artificial colors, corn syrup, etc.), it is lacking one of the primary ingredients for rehydration:  sodium.  

The body uses multiple electrolytes for proper function during exercise, but one of the most significant ones --and the one lost most through sweat--is sodium.  Amounts can vary widely by athlete, but in hot conditions under extreme effort, the saltiest sweating athletes can lose as much as 2000 mg of sodium per hour.  The 20 oz bottles of Body Armor we had available last year contain just 35 mg of sodium.    For comparison, the same size bottle of A&W Root Beer contains 135 mg, while Gatorade contains 270 mg.  

The electrolytes athletes sampled were all single-serve powdered packets that can be added to a standard bottle of water.  None of them contain artificial colors, and all of them contain far more sodium than Body Armor.  For lower amounts of sodium, brands like Drip Drop and Skratch Energy are two option.  Our athletes generally thought the Skratch flavors were a bit watered down, but the peach and lemon lime flavors from Drip Drop each got decent reviews.  However, the top performer in this range was the citrus berry flavor of Gatorade's Hydration Booster.   

For slightly more sodium, Liquid IV is a great option with many flavors that got strong ratings from our athletes.  Arctic Raspberry was the favorite, but Cotton Candy, Orange Vanilla Dream (Creamsicle), and Firecracker (Bomb Pop) were all popular.  Walmart's Great Value brand does also make a comparable electrolyte, and surprisingly the Strawberry and Fruit Punch flavors were among the top performers.  And ironically enough, Body Armor does make an alternative Flash IV formula that is available as a single-serve powder.  It also contains around the same amount of sodium as these two.  The Tropical Punch flavor was the top overall scorer among all brands, with Strawberry Kiwi also popular.  

For the highest sodium needs, LMNT packs a whopping 1000 mg, basically double that last group.  That certainly isn't necessary for most runners in most conditions, especially for an easy run.  But for saltier sweaters on hot days or for harder workouts, long runs, or races, it has its place.  LMNT offers a number of flavors, but Orange was the top choice, followed by Raspberry and their Lemonade and newly released Pink Lemonade flavors.

Interestingly enough, each of the top five highest rated electrolytes came from a different brand.

The plan for meets this fall is to stock the cooler exclusively with bottled water but then to have many of these top electrolyte performers available to athletes.  They can simply pick the one that suits their needs and taste buds and add it to a water so it ready when they need it before, during, or after their race.  We hope this will do a better job of keeping our athletes hydrated and performing at their best.  ​

Our brand new electrolyte organizers!