Tuesday, July 22, 2014

SPIRIT PACKS!

We are expediting (that means getting this going quick!) our Spirit Packs this year.  Coach Holt needs to know what you would like to order by Friday the July 25th.  Our order will take about a month (if we're lucky) to get here, so there will be no late orders…  The order does not need to be paid for now, but will have to be paid for in entirety before it is delivered - and a fine will be placed on those students who don't pay for the apparel they order.  Remember that your Run-a-Thon Fundraiser $ over $100 can be used toward your spirit pack.
To place an order, open the link (Spirit Pack Order Form), print your order form, and write out what you would like.  Remember this is due by the end of this week!  So spread the word to everyone that might want to get some PVXC gear (athletes and parents/family), or your teammates might miss out!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Athletes of the Week - Week 4, 5, 6, and 7!

Because of state moratoriums, camps, vacations and other stuff, we are a few weeks behind on our Athletes of the Week.  So here we go (in no particular order):

Skylar Abel, Junior, started running XC last season because his brother ran.  During this time, Skylar has not only become extremely fit and healthy (read into that what you will!), He has become a valuable asset to our team.  Skylar has developed into a leader of our Level 2 boys and sets the standard very high for hard work and commitment to pushing himself and others.

Cameron Brown, a Senior captain, has done a great job of leading the team this summer.  During our moratorium week (no coaches), Cam led each practice and kept in contact with Coach diligently with any questions and points of concern.  He has also started the season well with two strong races on the 4th of July and at Chelsi's Run.

Nick Hill, Junior, has had a great summer of running.  He has positioned himself to not only be one of the top runners on our team, but one of the top in the State.  He ended this past track season on a tear, posting a 1:57 in the 800m at State and looks to build on that as he looks to place very high in the State XC meet and lead the team to its goals of a State Title!

Jason Hall, another Junior, started the summer out of town.  But during his time away, he was able to start working on building his base and it is starting to show now.  Jason has shown that he is getting into pretty good shape with a solid race at Chelsi's Run finishing 2nd in the 5K.  He looks to be a strong scorer for the Varsity boys this XC season.

Macey Widdison, Junior, has had a very strong summer of XC.  She has often found herself up extra early to get workouts in before having to leave town for trips and activities.  Getting her runs in, though, has been very beneficial for Macey, as she has continually improved and will set many PR's this season.

Nicole Heinrich, Senior captain, is having her best summer of running yet.  Always a promising runner, Nicole has been working very hard at staying healthy and keeping up consistent minutes to push herself and her teammates to great things.  She is a very good captain, who despite many things, always finds encouraging and uplifting words for her teammates.

Ellie Bushar, Freshman, is setting a strong standard for her fellow freshmen and teammates.  Ellie has been one of the most consistent runners on our team this summer.  Not only does she get her runs in - working extremely hard in the process, Ellie keeps track of all her runs on her Week Report and does all of the other things necessary to keep improving.

Caroline Clements is another Freshman who is doing great things.  Like Ellie, Caroline has run with us through our middle school Youngster program and has continued to grow and improve.  She has a great attitude and loves to help her teammates grow and improve.  At the same time, Caroline has developed a lot and has a bright future in her own running.

Congrats to all of you.  Each of you symbolize what Panther XC is all about: dedication, hard work, caring about the team, and pushing yourself to fill your role on this team as best as possible.

Week 7 - Review

We are getting very close to the beginning of a new school year - I know, seriously?!.  Which means a few things: 1) we are missing a lot of practice.  2) it is time to get real serious.  3) camp is coming up.
This past week was our worst of the summer.  Much of the missing was legitimate - church, camps, vacations, etc...  No matter what the reason, we need to be getting our runs in.  Which leads us right to #2.
We have races coming up soon and we need to be in shape as we enter the next phases of our practice schedule (moving from Base to Pre-Competition).  Our first time trial will be held the first week of August.  Let's be ready.
And camp... We will be leaving next Weds. at 11:00am from PVHS.  Start getting the things you need ready, get yourself physical and mentally ready, and prepare yourself to have a great time.  Our captains have done a great job planning many activities and it is going to be a blast.
We had some awesome workouts this past week.  Workouts that really pulled our team together.  We want everyone of you to benefit from these workouts and bonding experiences... Be here!  And keep up the great work!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Week 6 - I am Ironman...

Another solid week for the team.  We our very proud of the hard work and consistent effort put in by so many of you; especially on a week that was so crazy.  The captains did a great job of hosting practice for those that were in town, many of the girls who were at camps still were able to run a bit, and others who were off on vacations got some runs in as well.
I wanted to talk a little bit about a health topic that affects many of us a runners - iron levels.  For a variety of reasons which I won't get into right now, iron levels in runners tend to be a bit lower than for others sometimes even to the point of anemia (there are many great articles about this topic online - do a little research).  This is a problem for runners because lower iron/ferritin levels will lead to fatigue.  One of the best things that each of us can do is try an incorporate more iron into our daily eating habits.  To boost the amount of iron in your diet, try these foods: red meat, eggs (particularly the yoke), spinach and other leafy greens, dried fruits (prunes, raisins), iron-enriched cereals, beans and liver.  In some cases an iron pill (or liquid form) is needed.  It is very important to know what to and not to take your iron with.  Vitamin C has been shown to help the absorption of iron, while Calcium blocks this absorption.
Those who have had lower levels of iron would tell you the significance of an iron-rich diet is to your body.  I would encourage each of you to make a diet high in iron a regular part of your meal plans, and anyone who seems to be abnormally low on energy for an extended amount of time might want to go get iron levels checked at the doctor.
Now, back to other running stuff…  Practice will be back to normal this week - 7:00 am at Washington Elementary (Mon-Thurs) with Friday at a location to-be-announced.  And Tuesday after practice we will have running club.  Unbelievably, we are less than a month out from school starting and our first meet will soon follow.  If you haven't been as consistent in your running as you should be, it is not too late to start - but you must get going everyday and get your minutes in or you will not be reaching your goals and neither will our team!

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Week 5 - Recovery Week Coming Up!

We had a great week - even with many people gone for the holiday and other events, we had a strong showing at practice, the girls nearly hit their goal of 40 at practice (it would have happened had it not been for the holiday), and good workouts and minutes all around.
So now we move into our first major recovery week of the season.  Usually we try to get a recovery week about every 4th week, but with our buildup we have been able to keep it going until now.  But now… let's enjoy it.  The purpose of a recovery week is obviously to recover.  Most of you have been working very hard and consistently building up your minutes and workouts for the first 5 weeks of the season.  So a recovery week will allow you body to adapt to this buildup you have had and rest the legs and mind a little as well.  It is important that you still run during the recovery week - and workouts are posted over on the workout blog (found on the right column of this blog), but you will notice that the intensity and volume are way down for the week (even taking out a few of the afternoon runs for you Level 3's).  Those that are going off to camp or vacations this week, follow the same guidelines we always have for those situations - do your very best to get the runs in, and if you can't just get some sort of run in.  Everyone have a great week, enjoy it, push yourselves and your team, and look for updates from your captains about locations of practice and whatnot for this upcoming week.  And be ready for some strong weeks coming up soon!