It's Region Week! It's exciting to finally be here. We've worked very long and hard through a hot summer and early mornings, through good races and bummas, and with some of our best friends to get to this point. And now, we deserve to do great. So get good rest, stay healthy, control the things you can control. And let's all have a great attitude and be ready to succeed.
A couple notes:
JV State and Foot Locker West - we've had many show interest in attending these meets. Attendance at both of these post-season meets will be organized by the athletes/parents. So don't wait. Start talking to your teammates and making plans for travel if you want to attend.
Nike Southwest - our PVXC Club will be taking a bus down to Phoenix for this meet for those who want to go. Info will be coming out soon.
Practice after Region - For JV that choose, the season officially ends with Region. It's been a long season and some might want to be done practicing; that is okay. For Varsity, and those JV that want to attend state to cheer (we will take app. 30 JV plus the Varsity), you are expected to keep coming to practice following our regular schedule (including during Fall Break, unless plans are made with coaches - Varsity needs to be at practices during break). As we move into the post-season, we would really like to encourage everyone (who isn't in a winter sport) to keep running. Distance running is different than almost every other sport. Because it is an aerobic-based activity, the body needs to continue building day after day, week after week, and season after season. A prolonged time off (like during winter, or even skipping all the way through spring and not doing track) will greatly hinder your development. Of course, we will need some downtime, so we do take a couple weeks off and then start a build again through December. But to really develop, the linking of seasons from summer and fall XC to winter and spring track and then back to XC is a must. So please think about your goals and how you want to develop and the commitment that this then requires and hopefully, you'll join us through the winter and track (even if you don't plan on traveling to post-season XC races).
Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for this week's workouts. We continue in our Competition Phase where we want to give everyone a chance to really have great races. Although we still need to keep our aerobic engines strong, we don't focus as much on the long run; instead, we continue the growth of race pace (and touch on sub-race pace) development.
Minutes: Update your minutes for
Week 17 Minutes (fill out the form for the week we just completed).
This Week's Schedule:
*Wear WHITE or BRIGHT to ALL AM PRACTICES*
Monday: AM - 6:15a PVHS (Black and Silver required; Maroon optional) / Afternoon - regular practice at 3:00p PVHS (everyone - Team Meeting in Lec. Hall)
Tuesday: AM - 6:45a short run PVHS (optional for everyone - no weights) / Afternoon - RACE see info below (no practice)
Wednesday: AM - 6:15a regeneration run PVHS (Black required; Silver optional; no Maroon; no Freshmen), Yoga at 6:45a everyone invited / Afternoon - regular practice at 3:00p PVHS (everyone) THEN WE WILL BE HELPING WITH THE YOUTH MEET AT PVMS from 4:30-6:00p
Thursday: AM - 6:15a Weights and short run PVHS (Black, Silver required; Maroon optional) / Afternoon - regular practice at 3:00p PVHS (everyone)
Friday: AM - 6:00a PVHS (everyone) / Afternoon - Black and upper-class Silver required; no Fresh/Sophs or Maroons)
Saturday: plan TBA - we will be helping with the St. George Marathon Aide Station at mile 22. We'll meet pretty early and get a run in then carpool up the course to help until mid-afternoon. If you haven't signed up yet, please do (and ultimately, everyone is invited - including family - even if you don't get signed up).
Upcoming Events:
- RACE: Region 9 Championships, Tuesday 10/3, Bicentennial Park in Cedar, times TBA, bus info HS out after 4th, MS out at 1:45p (bus will come grab you)
- YOUTH RACE: PV Youth Meet, Wednesday 10/4, PVMS after practice, everyone expected to be there to help
- RACE: 4A Divisionals, Tuesday 10/10, Lakeside Park in Orem, *Invited Athletes*, just Varsity will be racing and a few others going to cheer, Var Girls 11:00a or 11:40a, Var Boys 11:20a or 12:00p, bus info TBA (this will be an overnight meet leaving Monday after school and returning Tuesday)
- RACE: 4A State Championships, Tuesday 10/24, Regional Athletic Complex in SLC, *Invited Athletes*, just Varsity will be racing and we will fill the bus with Hype Squad to cheer, bus info TBA (this will be an overnight meet leaving Monday returning Tuesday)
Race Report:
Cedar Invite - 2023 results. We had another strong meet up in Cedar. Our Youngsters, once again, did a great job. Then from our JV squads to our Varsity squads, we saw a lot of improvement in times and place throughout the race and in comparison to our first race of the season in mid-August. Here's a look at how we
improved over the season from our first race in Cedar in August to now (and over the years for the Sophs-Seniors).
PVXC Record (2016-present)
Athletes of the Week -
Team Builder: Nate, Fr. He has a great attitude and work ethic. The future is very bright for Nate.
Tough at Practice: Cannon, So. He has really worked hard this year and pushed himself.
Performance of the Week: Sariah, So. She ran her first Varsity race up at TwiKnight and has shown great improvement throughout the season.
Youngsters Info:
Practice is held at PVHS at 3:00p on Mondays and Thursdays for 6th-8th graders. Youth race Wednesday at PVMS 5:00p. Be there 30mins early. Look for updates from Coach Martha about the last few practices of the year. After the Youngster season ends, you are invited to come run with the HS team if you'd like (don't be scared, we'll modify workouts for you!)
Alumni Updates:
Jessica and Carson went out to Notre Dame representing Weber State on Friday. Both ran very well and are right around 4-6 on their respective teams. It is great seeing Panthers continue to do great things in running (and life). We're very proud of these two. By the way, take a second and look at where both Jess and Carson rank on our Cedar Invite records (up above). These are two amazing people who trusted our program and the coaching and worked for years (even through the winter; notice we are pushing that a bit?!) to become the amazing contributors to our HS and their university programs.
PVXC Thought of the Week:
"Too often we hold on to the wrong ideas on competition... that we need some weird mix of fear, punishment, and to be pushed. When in reality all we need is to have the freedom to take risks, to see what is possible. That comes from joy, support, and security."
Steve Magness
This seems like a good thought as we approach the last regular season race for many and the championship season for others. Coaching for over 20 years (on top of my own 35 years of racing/running) I've seen (and experienced myself) the first thought all too often - that feeling of fear and worry about an important race and that someone will be mad if the best race isn't run. But those who I have seen reach their peak performance when it matters most are those who live by the second thought - that racing when extremely fit is an opportunity to take a risk, to experience the great joy of being brave and seeing what is possible from all your hard work, while knowing that everyone around you loves you, supports you, and is excited to see you give your very best and your growth in action. Please know that those final thoughts are how your coaches, your teammates, and your family feel right now. There is no need to be scared or timid as you approach this week (and the weeks to come). We all love you, trust you, and are excited for you to exemplify your best self out on the course!
