Last Couple Weeks of XC and into the break

 A few notes to finish the season:

Thanks for the great trip to Nike. It was a fun culmination of our season. Even the extra time with Martin was eventful. Speaking for all the coaches, thank you for letting us be part of your lives. Each of you definitely make the time and effort worth it.

Should I still be running?: Obviously, those headed to Brooks need to keep on running for the next two weeks. Everyone else, it's up to you. If you want to keep coming out and run to just be with your teammates and friends, do it. If you feel you are ready to get into your break, do it. If you are battling some injuries, maybe it is best to get into your break now and let things heal up. The Turkey Trot down at PV Intermediate is on the 25th at noon. They'd love to have any and everyone come down and join them. It's a great time to promote our program and get the younger crew stoked about running. Even if you are going to jump into your break, going and jogging a few minutes with some 6-7th graders isn't going to mess you up too much. So if you can make it work with your schedule, plan on going down there. We'll get those who want to go school excused.

When do I start running again?: Basically we are looking at a two-week break. The first week we want you completely off of running (excluding the Turkey Trot, or even if you do some kind of fun run or something this weekend... those aren't a big deal). Then the second week, we want you to start back into some activity. Maybe two-three easy runs of 15-20mins during the week and the other days maybe some cross training if you want. If you feel you need a little more time than this, take it. We want everyone ready to head into track season mentally and physically ready. The tricky part is finding the balance of getting started again - if you wait too long, you start to distance yourself from the team, program, and the consistency of training; then it becomes difficult to get back. 

Track Info: (not updated yet, but will be within the week) Start going to the track blog at pvtrack.blogspot to get info for when practice will start and all that kind of stuff. It would also be good to get onto the track Binderly. As you join, it would be very helpful for athletes to label yourself as "Distance" under the description and for parents to label yourself as "Parent - 'athlete name'".

Practice these last couple weeks for those that are doing it (check the workout spreadsheet for info):

Monday (11/24) - AM 6:40 / PM 3:00

Tuesday (11/25) - AM 6:40 / PM 3:00

Wednesday - Saturday (11/26-29) on your own

Monday - Thursday (12/1 - 12/4) - PM 3:00

Friday (12/5) - in Cali for Brooks racers

Saturday (12/6) - Brooks West Championships

Nov. 17 - 22 (Week 25)

Thanks for all the help with the great banquet. We enjoyed having everyone there (and missed those who weren't) and loved honoring everyone and our awesome team.

Also great job at the Dream Mile! It is fun to see everyone's progress from the beginning of the summer. And getting onto the track brings a lot of excitement for the upcoming Spring season.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 25). Goal: Be ready to run fast and have fun down in Phoenix.

This Week's Schedule: *wear white or bright in the am*

Monday: AM - 6:40a at PVHS (White, Black, Silver expected; no Maroon) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Tuesday: AM - 6:30a at PVHS weights (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Wednesday: AM - 6:30a at PVHS short run and yoga (White, Black, expected; Silver optional; Maroon can join for yoga at 6:45a) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Thursday: AM - 6:30a at PVHS weights (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Friday: prerace in Phoenix

Saturday: RACE - NXR

Upcoming Events:

• Race: Nike Southwest Regional, Saturday 11/22 at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa. Itinerary.
• Race: Brooks West Regional, Saturday 12/6 at Mt. SAC in Walnut, Ca. Those who want to attend will need to do their own registration and plan out their own transportation and sleeping arrangements.

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Just compete." 

-our PVXC advise whenever we race

It has been a true joy watching many of you grow and improve at this over the year (or years, if the case may be). Many of us start as young freshmen worried and scared about how to run; maybe not fully pushing ourselves because of fear or lack of experience. However, as we learn to compete, so much of that goes away. Compete doesn't mean win or even always set a PR. Compete means to push yourself as best you can on a given day. Compete means to work with others (teammates or competitors) to give it just that little bit more than you thought you could. Compete means to allow yourself to have the satisfaction that you gave it your all and leave with no regrets. Compete means to represent your team and the program well. Compete is how should approach everything in life. Give it your best and get after it, have pride in what you are doing and who you are. So this week as we head down to Phoenix to race some of the best teams and individuals in the country, let's go compete and leave it all out there on the course.

Nov. 3 - 8 and 10 - 15 (Week 23 - 24)

Catching up after falling a week behind... So proud of this team and your growth and accomplishments this year. State was great. The support from family, friends, and our Hype Squads was unmatched! Pine View really is the Best in the World! We had a small crew head up to JV State and ran well. Then we hit the track this week and had a tremendous showing at the Autumn Classic.

Final call for anyone to join us to Nike. Talk to Coach if you are interested. An itinerary will be coming out shortly. If you are planning on going to Brooks West, you need to get registered soon (for Brooks you will be in charge of making your own plans, so talk with the team and see if people are going, and arrange your travel, sleep, and race plans).

XC Banquet (Recognition Night) - 5:30p on Monday, Nov. 10th. We'd love to have everyone there. Families invited. Sign-ups for food help below.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 24). Goal: We are going to try a couple weeks of our 1600m training (including a 1600 time trial on Thursday) to get us ready to be quick down in Phoenix.

This Week's Schedule: *wear white or bright in the am*

Monday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Tuesday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS short run and weights (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Wednesday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS short run and yoga (White, Black, expected; Silver optional; Maroon can join for yoga at 6:45a) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Thursday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS short run and weights (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Friday: AM - 6:00a at PVHS (Everyone - our main practice on Fridays will usually be in the am, and everyone should be there) / afternoon - 12:30p at PVHS (White expected, Black and Silver optional - no Fresh or Sophs or JV) 

Saturday: form own group

Upcoming Events:

• XC Banquet - 5:30p at PVHS; families invited; please have food there at 5:15p - sign ups
• PVXC Dream Mile - Nov. 13th at afternoon practice.
• get the full schedule here

PVXC Thought of the Week: "People love gadgets and optimization, but the truth is that the way you improve in anything is by eliminating distractions, prioritizing the fundamentals, and executing them with ruthless consistency." 

-Brad Stulberg

You might remember the Turkish pistol shooter who went viral during the Olympics last year for forgoing the fancy equipment and winning silver with his hand in his pocket. He is a great example of keeping it simple. People are always shooting for a short-cut, the "secret", and the next best thing that is going to give them the edge. The real edge of champions... "ruthless consistency" (as stated by Stulberg). He says, "Simplicity is different. You can't hide behind simplicity. You have to show up - day in, day out - and do the work." "If your approach lets you be consistent, balances stress with rest, and leaves room for adjustments, you're in a good spot. Do the work. Rest. Make it a little harder over time. Adjust when necessary. Repeat. It's not fancy. But it's effective." Such great stuff to remember about growth. It's about the fundamentals; doing them well; and just doing them over and over again.