This has been a great summer. Many of you are getting the most minutes (and the most consistent running) you've ever had over a summer. This is really going to pay off for you and our team once racing starts. If you've been struggling with consistency, the only thing to do is get a little better at it this week. And then keep growing from there.
Just a heads up - it is best to read the blog on the "web version" so you see all the info. If you're on your phone, scroll down and click "web version" and you'll notice a lot more info available to you like: workouts, pre-post run, pictures, videos, and things like our schedule (we have had a couple changes: adding the HOKA Mile on 8/10, change of Renegade Camp to 8/6-7, so please look at the updated schedule).
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). Each workout is like a piece of a puzzle. The final complete puzzle represents every workout, recovery, etc. that you have put into this summer. The more complete that puzzle is, the better season you and our team are going to have. There might be a couple pieces missing here and there, and you can still have a pretty good idea what the puzzle is; however, if a lot of pieces are missing, one might wonder what the final picture was ever supposed to be.
Click here and track your minutes from Week 4: Weekly Minutes.
This Week's Schedule: bring water and a towel (for stretches and drills on grass)
Monday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Confluence Park (this is by the Dixie Center in St. George) (Everyone)
Tuesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone) - NO Youth Summer Running Club this week / PM: easy run on own (or form own group) (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional)
Wednesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone)
Thursday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone) / PM: easy run on own (or form own group) (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional)
Friday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Sullivan Park (Everyone)
Saturday: Form your own groups and get your run in
Book Club Reading:We are going to do our Book Club discussion of both Weeks 4 and 5 next Monday (so if you're a little behind, go back the last few weeks and catch up). Please read the assigned sections: Week 5-6 Reading pdf.
Upcoming Events:
Waffle Wednesdays - Wednesday morning after practice, location TBA
High Altitude Camp - July 15th-18th at Jacob Lake.
PVXC Thought of the Week: "9:30"
-Quincy Wilson when asked at the Olympic Trials about what time he goes to bed each night.
Obviously, this is not in our book, but the reason he goes to bed at 9:30 is the idea of the book. Elaborating, Quincy said that to reach his goals and to be the best he can be, he's got to take care of his body. And the best thing he can do to take care of himself is to let it recover from all the hard work he puts in. The best recovery? Sleep. Are you willing to do something that easy? Get in the Boat!
If you are looking for info on Youth Summer Running Club or if this is your first week of XC, scroll down to last week's post and get the info.
Hopefully, everyone had a great end to the week. We really missed the big crew that was gone. A couple important things that you'll see come up again in a second:
1) Camp stuff is due this week - see info below
2) Summer is almost half over - it really is time to be at practice and to get your runs in
3) We are starting up "doubles" this week - Whites, Blacks, and Silvers are expected to do 2 doubles this week, it is optional for Maroons (although, Maroons and beginners who don't do the double should get out in the afternoon and do a 15min walk). What does "expected" mean? Simply, it means you should be doing it. Remember, we let everyone choose their own level of commitment to the team, and the upper levels have chosen this commitment. Our program is designed around these runs being part of what you chose to do. If because of trips or activities or whatever, you need to move the days, do... but get two afternoon doubles in.
We do doubles for a couple of reasons. One is to start building up our heat acclimation. We've got to start getting out in the hot afternoons. So starting small a couple of times a week is much safer. Secondly, to build up our minutes. Doubles are an easy way to get more running in without being as hard on the body. There are many other reasons as well that deal with team camaraderie, commitment, self-discipline, and all that kind of stuff, too. The bottom line is this though, the more you buy in and do the work, the better you'll be.
Please take a look at this article about running in the heat for tips and safety.
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). Still building... You must be getting your runs in (and hopefully at practice). The summer goes fast, and although it might not feel like it, we will be racing soon. To have a successful year, the work really has to be done now.
Click here and track your minutes from Week 3: Weekly Minutes.
This Week's Schedule: bring water and a towel (for stretches and drills on grass)
Monday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Highland Park (up on top of the bluff of the way to Coral Canyon) (Everyone)
Tuesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone) - Youth Summer Running Club 8:30-9:45 (everyone plan on staying and helping out) *those who signed up for treats, please remember them*. Weights after practice at PVHS / PM: easy run on own (or form own group) (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional)
Wednesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone)
Thursday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone). Weights after practice at PVHS / PM: easy run on own (or form own group) (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional)
Friday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Sullivan Park (Everyone)
Saturday: Form your own groups and get your run in
Book Club Reading:We are going to do our Book Club discussion on Monday after our run (it will only add 10mins to practice). So please read the assigned sections - Week 3 - (Should maybe take only 20mins to read the assigned pages). Get a hard copy at practice, or you can download a pdf version of our reading sections here (You've got to request permission to have it shared with you): Week 3-4 Reading pdf .
Upcoming Events:
Waffle Wednesdays - Wednesday morning after practice, location TBA
High Altitude Camp - July 15th-18th 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 by June 24th(That is now! Probably about 15 have paid. We really want everyone to come. Camp is just an awesome team building experience and really brings everyone together. Do your best to get your payment in so we can get everything arranged.)
PVXC Thought of the Week: "All-out war promptly broke out in the shell house. The sullen rivalries that had arisen during the fall season now turned into outright battles..."
-Daniel Brown, Boys in the Boat
Take a minute and think about this quote in the context of what is going on in the book (if you haven't read it yet, I guess you better READ!). And now think about the importance of teamwork and attitude toward teamwork and competition. Let's talk about it tomorrow. Get in the Boat!
We've really been pushing the idea of CONSISTENCY these first few weeks. A few shout-outs to those who are really living up to this: We've had a handful of teammates who haven't missed a practice this summer! We've also had some great examples of teammates getting runs in while they were on vacation or at activities! And, we've also had teammates getting runs in at odd hours (super early) so they could go to various other things! Each of these is an example of how we can all be consistent in our running even if we have other things going on. Great job to everyone doing their best. And if maybe you've slacked and missed a little, now's a great time to get back rolling.
Keep in touch and up-to-date with important info by following us on Instagram @pvxctrack
Receive our texts:
Athletes use the class code @xcchamps at remind.com or text the code to 81010
Parents use the class code @pvxcparent at remind.com or text the code to 81010
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). The goal right now is to build... a big foundation, a big engine... whatever you want to call it, we build! Back to consistency, you have to be consistent to build this big engine. Missing runs will affect how much you can build. Click here and track your minutes from Week 2: Weekly Minutes. We will be going into Orange Post-Run, so you may want to get familiar with it.
This Week's Schedule: bring water and a towel (for stretches and drills on grass)
Monday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone)
Tuesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone) - Youth Summer Running Club 8:30-9:45 (everyone plan on staying and helping out) *those who signed up for treats, please remember them*. Weights after practice at PVHS.
Wednesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone)
Thursday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone). Weights after practice at PVHS.
Friday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Confluence Park (by the Dixie Center) (Everyone)
Saturday: Form your own groups and get your run in
Book Club Reading:We are going to do our Book Club discussion on Monday after our run (it will only add 10mins to practice). So please read the assigned sections - Week 2 - (Should maybe take only 20mins to read the assigned pages); go back to last week to access Weeks 1 and 2. Get a hard copy at practice, or you can download a pdf version of our reading sections here (You've got to request permission to have it shared with you): Week 3-4 Reading pdf .
Upcoming Events:
Waffle Wednesdays - Wednesday morning after practice, location TBA
OPENING SOCIAL AT QUAIL LAKE! BRING A FRIEND... Time and date TBA
High Altitude Camp - July 15th-18th 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 by June 24th.
PVXC Thought of the Week: "Rowing a race is an art, not a frantic scramble. It must be rowed with head power as well as hand power. From the first stroke, all thoughts of the other crew must be blocked out. Your thoughts must be directed to you and your boat, always positive, never negative."
-George Pocock, Boys in the Boat
There are a lot of great quotes and ideas from Week 2's reading - we once again highly encourage you to read and have some thoughts to share for Monday's discussion. Hopefully, you can see many parallels between this quote with rowing and what we do with running. Take a few minutes; think about the connections; come ready to discuss on Monday. Get in the Boat!
INFO FOR NEW RUNNERS and PARENTS (or those who haven't done it yet!)
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 (turn in 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.
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 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
That really was a great first week of practice. It is exciting to see (and get to know a little) our new teammates coming out. And it is always fun to feel the energy of our returning athletes as they are suddenly a year older. We brought this idea up a little at practice, and we want to re-emphasize it here: the key to running (and pretty much anything) is CONSISTENCY. Most of your runs will probably be pretty normal and uneventful, but stacking a whole lot of those together is what really makes the difference. Huge shout-out to those who hit their runs while off on vacations and camps this last week; awesome example to the rest of the team. (I've kept a whole bunch of stuff from last week on this post and just moved it to the bottom. So if you haven't checked it out and done the stuff, keep scrolling and take a look.)
Keep in touch and up-to-date with important info by following us on Instagram @pvxctrack
Receive our texts
Athletes use the class code @xcchamps at remind.com or text the code to 81010
Parents use the class code @pvxcparent at remind.com or text the code to 81010
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). The goal right now is to build... a big foundation, a big engine... whatever you want to call it, we build! We practice a bunch in the summer to race fast in the fall. Click here and track your minutes from Week 1: Weekly Minutes.
This Week's Schedule: bring water and a towel (for stretches and drills on grass)
Monday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone)
Tuesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone) - Youth Summer Running Club 8:30-9:45 (everyone plan on staying and helping out) *those who signed up for treats, please remember them*. Weights after practice at PVHS.
Wednesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone)
Thursday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Elementary (Everyone). Weights after practice at PVHS.
Friday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Sullivan Park (Everyone)
Saturday: Form your own groups and get your run in
Book Club Reading:*This is a change of schedule* We are going to do our Book Club discussion on Monday after our run (it will only add 10mins to practice). So please read the assigned sections (Should maybe take only 20mins to read the assigned pages). Get a hard copy at practice, or you can download a pdf version of our reading sections here (You've got to request permission to have it shared with you): Week 1 Reading pdf . Then we will read Week 2 (found on the same copy/pdf) for next week.
Upcoming Events:
Waffle Wednesdays - Wednesday morning after practice, location TBA
OPENING SOCIAL AT QUAIL LAKE! BRING A FRIEND... Time and date TBA
High Altitude Camp - July 15th-18th 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 by June 24th.
PVXC Thought of the Week: "None of the freshmen, in fact, found it easy to master it."
-Daniel Brown, Boys in the Boat
A pretty simple phrase in a sea of many important ones. But maybe just using it as a shout-out to our new teammates. There really isn't anything we do on this team that is just easy. Running is hard, our pre-run drills are hard (and maybe weird), our post-run might be difficult to do when you're hot and tired, we read, we host summer clubs, we do team activities, now we add weights, we do a summer camp, and so on and so on. There's a lot of stuff and a lot of new stuff. And none of it is really "easy to master". But in time, you will see (and parents, you will also see through the growth of your child), that this is well worth it! But it does take time and consistent effort. Get in the Boat!
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 (turn in 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 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
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 (turn in 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 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 3 to the end of the first week of school on August 17th. 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)
Tuesday: Regular practice at 7:00a at Washington Elem. (Everyone) - Youth Summer Running Club 8:30-9:45 (everyone plan on staying and helping out)
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 read a book and talk about it as a team. This summer we are reading (sections of) Boys in the Boat (a little more info in the quote below). You are totally invited to buy the book or find an online version to read or listen to. You can also download a pdf or google doc version of our reading sections here (You've got to request permission to have it shared with you): Week 1 Reading pdf
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 AT QUAIL LAKE! BRING A FRIEND... Time and date TBA
High Altitude Camp - July 15th-18th 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 by June 24th.
PVXC Thought of the Week: "Having rowed myself since the tender age of twelve and having around rowing ever since, I believe I can speak authoritatively on what we may call the unseen value of rowing - the social, moral, and spiritual values of this oldest of chronicled sports in the world. No didactic teaching will place these values in a young man's soul. He has to get them by his own observation and lessons."
-George Yeoman Pocock
This is from our book Boys in the Boat. We're pretty excited to delve into this book. It is an amazing story and really hits on what we want our program and our team to be about. We implore you to read (ahh... reading over the summer) each week and come to practice ready to discuss your thoughts. You may take a look at this and say, "Well that's great that rowing is so wonderful. What does it have to do with running?" And that is a great question. Our answer would be that rowing and running are very similar - and so are many of our various other pursuits. And as we each Get In The Boat, we will each learn the connection and values that come from these great pursuits. So are you ready to Get In The Boat?!
