June 2 - 7 (Week 1)

(Those who are looking for info about our Youth Summer Running Club for grades K-8, click here and you'll find the info you need)

So, for those that are new around here, each week we try and post some things for ATHLETES and PARENTS. Please read all the way through all the stuff and do whatever needs to be done, note important dates, and whatever else. Here's a few things to check out this weekend as we prep for practice on Monday, 7:00a at Washington Elementary:

• read through the Parent/Athlete Meeting slides (if you weren't at the meeting... or even if you were and you want a little more detailed explanation of PVXC) - IF YOU AREN'T GETTING OUR TEAM TEXTS (parents and/or athletes) SEE THE INFO IN THE SLIDES
• get your physical if you haven't yet (make sure you upload pictures of your physical to registermyathlete and then turn in your physical to the HS)
• get familiar with the Pre-Run Warm-Up stuff (vid below) and Post-Run (SAM vids on the side tab) stuff we do. Also, check out all the docs on the right labeled under "XC Training System Info" and request access to those with your school google account.
• start running a little - if you run a few times this week 5, 10, 20-25mins it will make a big difference in how you feel next week
• GO GET SOME FRIENDS TO JOIN YOU! Running is a social activity and having friends out there with you is one of the very best things about XC. Call up some friends and invite them to come out with you
• Take a look at the slides for Panther Distance Crew Weight Program - each has a video linked to it to help you learn the correct form. Watch these and get a sense of what you would like to do for our first days in the weight room during our 2nd week of practice.
• HOKA Summer Miles Program - if you want to win some free swag just for doing what you're already doing over the summer, check it out.
• We would also like to recommend those who are running with a smart watch to connect to Strava, so as coaches (and you as athletes) can view the data from your runs. Here's a quick video for Garmin; Here's a vid for Coros; Here's a vid for Apple Watch; Here's one for FitBit (this one is worth it just for the voice!)
• Check out "Intro" tab on the workouts (found below) and start thinking about what Level you should be running as we start up the season - we'll help you with this for sure

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (you have to request access on your school account to see the workouts, so get that done sometime soon). The goal right now is to build... a big foundation, a big engine... whatever you want to call it, we build! The summer is the most important time in XC. Without building a large base, you won't have anything to go from later. We will also be doing "something fast every day". This is a philosophy we have held for many years at PVXC. Cross Country runners aren't slow - we aren't out getting ready for marathons, we race 3 miles, not jog 26.2 - we push ourselves to run fast right from the start. To help emphasize the importance of summer, we will be instituting the Summer 60 Club... we have 76 days from the beginning of summer XC on June 2 to the end of the first week of school on August 16th. The goal of the Summer 60 Club is to encourage each of you (no matter your level or where you're starting from) to get in at least 60 days of running throughout the summer. We'll track this as we track our Weekly Minutes (do this at the end of the week). Our reward will be a cool running shirt.

This Week's Schedule:

Monday: First Day of XC! Monday 7:00a at Washington Elementary - bring water and a towel (for stretches and drills on grass). (Everyone) - Youth Summer Running Club 8:30-9:45 (everyone plan on staying and helping out)

Tuesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elem. (Everyone)

Wednesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elem. (Everyone) 

Thursday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elem. (Everyone)

Friday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Sullivan Park (Everyone)

Saturday: Form your own groups and get your run in

Book Club Reading: Each summer, we do some reading and talk about it as a team. This summer, we will be reading an article a week about some topic chosen by our captain and coaches. We really encourage everyone (including parents) to read our article and grow from the ideas that are in it. Here is our first article (a chapter from a book titled "10-Minute Toughness" by Jason Selk). Please read through this chapter; take notes on ideas that seem useful and important; and on Wednesday of next week, we will be talking about it.

Shoes... Shoes... and more Shoes: We don't have a lot of equipment for running, but what we do have is very important... shoes. Parents and athletes, take a look at this short guide to running shoes and when to replace them. There are a lot of places you can get new shoes (specialty stores, online, etc.); however, the key is to get the right fit for your particular foot, not necessarily just the cheapest or cutest. A specialty store will help fit you in the correct shoe. You can also get some help from coaches who have some experience in identifying various foot types and getting you in the correct type of shoe (neutral, cushion, support, stability).

Upcoming Events:

• OPENING SOCIAL! BRING A FRIEND... Time and date TBA
• High Altitude Camp - July 28th-31st at Jacob Lake. Cost is $90. We will need to get this planned and figured out who is going, parents driving (staying for all or part). This is a VERY worthwhile event to be a part of... everyone on the team should make it a priority to join us. Those who are new, talk to your teammates about camp and see why you should plan on being there too. Please take a minute and fill out the following form for participation. Registration and Payment are due June 16th.

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Consistency over intensity... Good results take consistency, not heroic efforts... success is not determined by a great day. It comes from stacking month after month of solid days. Consistency compounds."

-Steve Magness

One of the biggest ideas that we preach at PVXC is CONSISTENCY. It is actually pretty easy to say you want to do something amazing. And any people can go "get it" for one or two days. But to really become the great person (in everything, not only running) it takes a long time of consistent effort. So as we get ready for a long summer and a long season, let's think about consistency. Some people wonder why we start running in June when we don't race for awhile - after all, it's your summer; let the kids chill out and have some time off Coach! But we know that to reach what you want to become, you have to start now, and you have to put the time and effort in for a long time. How can you strive for consistency this summer even as you have vacations and camps and all sorts of other stuff? That's a great question for you to ponder. Those who really make some progress this year will find an answer to it early this summer.