End of Season and Transition to Track

End of XC: What a great season! We really just can't say anymore. It was of the best seasons in PVXC history. Not only the races and championships, but the team building and the continuation of the traditions and history. Great job everyone.
As we come to the end of the season, a few things:

• Everyone needs to come to Coach Holt (or MS'ers to Coach Decker) and get a binder with some readings and info to help us continue our progression. (Coach Decker will have them for the MS'ers sometime on Wednesday.)
• If you haven't had your exit interview with the coaches, please talk to one of them and get it set up (Coach Holt if you are at the HS and Coach Decker if you are at the MS).
• Remember to be ACTIVE during your two week break. You can X-train or run a little or do whatever, just be doing something. If you've already had some time off, it would be a great idea to use this time to slowly build your minute foundation back up.
• (This will be mentioned below) Please start up your running over Christmas Break.
• Track Kick Off Party: Thursday Dec 12th at 6-8pm (get info paper from Holt or Decker), across from Riggatti's (43 N. 300 W. Suite A in Washington) - Pizza, Prizes, Track gear (buy 1 give 1 free to a friend!)

Race Report:  A little bit about Foot Locker West. We had a great trip. And despite the rain and changed up course, things went real well. Coach Beitler and Little B had strong races in the Open Race. Keaton and Trey medaled in the Fresh boys race and Adri and Brooklyn medaled in the Fresh girls race. We've got a great foundation growing there (You'll find Keaton, Trey, Kenny, Adri, and Brook all over the top of rankings for top Utah Freshmen boys and girls). Other medalists were Pyper and Jenna in the Junior girls, JD in the Senior boys, Jenessa and Kylee in the Senior girls, and Jessica in the Championship girls. Jessica 22nd place was our highest ever at FLW. We had many other great races as well. Thanks to the parents that came and helped so much and to Duke for the safe drive through the traffic and rain. Hopefully next year, we can add a bunch more of you to our trip.

Track Info: For track info, head to pvtrack.blogspot.com. There you will find info about the beginning of track season as well as workouts for distance runners. During this two week break, you should be doing some X-Training, or light running (if you would like). It is very important that you stay active. In fact, it is better to refer to these two weeks as a Transition rather than "off weeks", so that you are keeping the idea that you should be doing something rather than sitting around doing nothing for two weeks. Our mileage build-up for track starts on Dec. 23rd (the first week of the break and the week of Christmas). Please make sure you are running during the two weeks off of school. When we get back to school, we will be taking a measurement of your fitness that we will base a lot of our workouts on. If you haven't been running, you will be setting yourself in a deep hole.

Have a great few weeks - enjoy the time to yourself, be physically active, start running when it is time, and read through the articles and do the activities in the workbook that you were given. And see you January 6th, after school down on the track!

Week of Dec. 2-7 (Week 27)

27 weeks ago, we met on a Monday morning at Washington Elementary and began the journey that would be the 2019 PVXC season! And what a great journey it has been. For many of you, this journey began long before that; and for all of you, hopefully, your journey has many, many more years of healthy enjoyable running.
For me, this journey has been happening for a very long time, and when one season comes to an end, it causes pause to think about why I do what I do (coach and run), and how I do it, and what I can do better, and so on. And inevitably, the answer to all these questions comes back to a love of running - if you'll let me, I want to just describe a scene that reminded me why I love running so much: this past weekend, I was able to take my dog up onto some of my favorite trails in northern Utah. It was a cool morning and the sun was just starting to cast light over the towering mountains to the east. As Twix and I ran through the deep powder, our breath cutting through the crisp air, we labored up a steep slope. In the solitude of the early dawn, I took a second to think about how I was perfectly content with everything in my life at that very moment. Although my speed isn't what it used to be, I was happy with my effort, I enjoyed the challenge of the terrain and the weather, and with my dog pulling by my side, I was truly at peace with myself and running.
I definitely don't feel like this everyday - whether it be in running or life, there are ups and downs - but I hope that somewhere along the way, each of you can find a moment like the one I had the other day and let that be a center of whatever journey you are on.

Purpose of the week's workouts - Be focused and mindful of how we want this race season to end... then go and do it!

IF YOU HAVE PINE VIEW GEAR, WEAR IT TO PRACTICE!
and remember bright or white in the mornings is required 

Here's our schedule for the week. All practices at PVHS unless noted, am practices we will meet by the glass room/weight room, afternoon practices we will meet under the marquee at the front of the school). Afternoon practices will generally run from 3:00p - 5:00p. Also, if any Youngsters want to join us, feel free to do so with whatever fits your schedule (since the HS season is over, you are legally allowed to run with us - just make sure your parents are cool with it).

Monday: am - 6:45a Easy run (Levels 2 and 3, no Level 1) / afternoon - 3:00p (everyone) 

Tuesday: am - 6:45a recovery run (Levels 2 and 3, no Level 1) / afternoon - 3:00p (everyone)

Wednesday: am - 6:45a recovery run (Level 3, 2 optional, no Level 1 or Freshman/Sophomore) / afternoon - 3:00p (everyone)

Thursday: am - 6:45a  recovery run (Levels 2 and 3, no Level 1) / afternoon - down in Cali (everyone on the Foot Locker trip)

Friday: am - course preview at Mt. SAC (everyone on the Foot Locker trip)

Saturday: Race - Foot Locker West

A few things to be looking forward to - please note these events and plan on attending:

Upcoming Schedule -

*Foot Locker West Regional - Sat. 12/7, Mt. SAC, Cali. (itinerary will be sent home Monday)
*Two Week Break - Dec. 8-22 (discussed below)
*Winter Conditioning Begins - Dec. 23 (discussed below)

Winter Schedule - As we come to the end of the season, some thoughts -
Two Week Break: We will take a two week break from organized practice. We are going to do this a little different this year. In the past, we have taken two weeks off running completely. If you would still like to do that/need to do that for a little mental or physical refresher, do it. However, if you would like to go out on your own and get a little run in during this time, do it. Maybe once or twice a week, or maybe everyday. Whatever is up to you. We will ask that you take any runs you do easy and put a cap on the time to 30 mins. It is highly suggested that you do participate in some physical activity over the two weeks (don't just go hibernate, you need to keep moving and be active).
Winter Conditioning: Our official start date for Winter Conditioning will be Monday, Dec. 23 (which puts our first two weeks back to scheduled running during the Holiday break). A schedule will be posted, and it is a pretty big deal that you get back to running during that time. We are revising our track conditioning program, and you will have a 6 min test (basically a running test to see what shape you are in) the first week we are back to school. Your workouts for much of the track season will be based upon this test, so you'll want to be getting back in shape over the break. 

One more thing - if you aren't headed to Foot Locker, please make time (even Freshmen and athletes in winter sports) to come talk to Coach Holt about your season. Bring your End of Season Evaluation if you still have it. Come schedule a time that works for you and we'll talk for just a few minutes. Those headed to FL, you'll have your talk on the bus down to Cali.

Quote of the Week -
"If you want to be the best don't worry about beating the best but *being with* the best. Surround yourself with people you admire. Performance is contagious. So are core values."
-Brad Stulberg
We challenged you to take time to talk to a Senior (of if you are a Sr. to take the time to talk to underclassmen) last week. Hopefully you did that; but if not, it is not too late. So this week's quote follows the same type of idea in that it is helping you think about with whom you hang out and are around. Bering around this business of running and school for many years, I can with an almost absolute certainty predict who will achieve great things (whether in the classroom or on the run). And I base this on who the person surrounds him/herself with. When you surround yourself with people that have strong core values and are determined to go do awesome things in life, you very likely will do the same. And, conversely, when you surround yourself with people who are lax and don't strive to reach high and do difficult things, you will most likely fall into the same category as them. Think about it... then go and talk to some of those people that you think are the best and start to surround yourself with like individuals and groups.

GET THOSE GRADES UP... END OF THE QUARTER IS COMING SOON!