Aug. 17 - 22 (Week 12)

*It is best to view this in the Web Version - so scroll to the bottom of your phone and click "Web Version"*

This week we will be headed into the first full week of our school schedule. We've explained it all below, so follow a schedule that works for you - helping you be healthy, run well, and live a balanced life. Let's stay on top of our school work right from the beginning (remember your Commitment Contracts).

Spirit Pack can be found here. Spirit Pack orders close Sunday evening (8/16). None of this gear is required; it is available for athletes, family, friends, supporters... 

Any new athletes need to complete your registration - registermyathlete/activate. 

And we would love to have anyone new join our team. Think about a few people you could personally invite from your classes or neighborhood.

Parents, if you missed our special note for you last week, please go back and check out that info from Week 11.

Our Middle School program is still getting put together. Please check back for more info. We are looking for any parents that would like to help coach. If you would like to be register for any of the races noted below (that have MS races) please reach out to Coach Holt at david.holt@washk12.org.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts. We'll be on our normal school schedule and be getting ready to race on Saturday (hopefully!). Use the Weekly Minutes form to go enter the number of days you ran and your total minutes from this past week (Week 11) - thanks for everyone that entered their minutes throughout the summer. We'll be going through that info to get award gear ordered.

This Week's Schedule: **wear White or Bright to every am practice**

Monday: AM - 6:00a at PVHS (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) - we will get a nice 30/90 workout in starting at 6:00a (be on time). Maroon can decide if they want to do this workout or not (those that do will do our drills and wickets in the pm, those that don't will get a run in the pm) / PM after school at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice)

Tuesday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS Regen run and weights (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) / PM after school at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice)

Wednesday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS Regen run and yoga (White, Black: expected; Silver optional; Maroon, Beginners: no / all invited to yoga at 6:45a) / PM after school at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice)

Thursday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS Regen run and weights (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) / PM after school at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice)

Friday: AM - 6:00a at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice) / PM after school at PVHS (White: expected; Black & Silver: optional; Maroon, Beginners: no)

Saturday: Race - Cedar City Invite; see info below

Upcoming Events:

• Race: Cedar City Invite (previously SUU) - August 22nd (Sat) at Cedar HS (*this is a change*); 7:30a MS 2 mile, 8:00a Girls, 8:40a Boys; bus leaving from PVHS at 6:15a.
• Race: Hurricane All-Comers - August 26th (Wed) at Washington County Legacy Park; 5:00p MS 2 mile, 5:30p Girls, 6:10p Boys; no bus
• Car Wash - August 29th (Sat) at Sandstone Elem., 9:00a-12:00p. This is our fundraiser to help you pay for trips, buy shoes, whatever XC stuff you need. Please plan on attending (we will do a team practice before the car wash). More info coming.
• Race: Timpanogos Invite - September 4th (Fri) at Lake Side Park (Orem); Varsity Only, 10:00a Girls, 10:30a Boys; travel itinerary tba
• Race: Dixie All-Comers - September 8th (Tues) at Bloomington Hills North Park; JV Only, 5:00p MS 1 or 2 mile, 6:00p Girls, 6:40p Boys; no bus
• Race: Border Wars - September 12th (Sat) at Valley Regional Park (Taylorsville); schedule tba; travel itinerary tba (we will take approx. 44 athletes on this overnight trip)

PVXC Thought of the Week: "5 Qualities I look for (in) a Captain: They run through the line, They serve before they lead, they have uncomfortable conversations, they hold the standard when no one is watching, they respond when things don't go their way."

-@always_allin (insta post)

Why put this up here? We already have captains; the season is already going... Because in great programs, everyone can be a captain. EVERYONE CAN BE A LEADER. We want every person associated with PVXC to be a great leader. What does it mean to "run through the line"? It means finish everything completely and correctly. Do you serve your teammates by helping them improve and supporting them in their journey? Do you talk with those who need correction in a positive and uplifting way? Do you keep your standards high ALL THE TIME? When things don't go the way you want, are you able to bounce back and keep moving toward your and your teams goals in a positive way?

Aug. 10 - 15 (Week 11)

*It is best to view this in the Web Version - so scroll to the bottom of your phone and click "Web Version"*

As coaches, we just want to thank you and congratulate each of you on your hard work during the summer. Being an XC runner isn't easy; being an XC runner is Southern Utah is definitely not easy; and being an XC runner committed to your team is absolutely not easy. Hopefully that's a part of what makes each of you so awesome. As we go into school later this week, we'll try and work on developing a structure between school, running, sleep, and other commitments that helps you be successful and accomplish all you want to and helps our team reach our goals as well.

Some other stuff: Tuesday we will get our lockers (hopefully); also Tuesday, we will have an old gear sale in my classroom; Spirit Pack can be found here. None of this gear is required; it is available for athletes, family, friends, supporters... (it is only open THIS WEEK).

If you haven't completed your registration on registermyathlete/activate, you must get that fully complete (paperwork, physical, and fee) and be marked as "Complete". If it isn't marked "Complete" now,  you won't be participating with the team until it is (races and practice). (Here is a list of those who are "Complete" as of Sunday: Joseph, Miles, Calin, Aiden, Sebastian, Mikiah, Nathan, Nate, Finn, Kody, Hudson, Tyler, Dustin, Braxton, Bennett, Elin, Ole, Jovi, Rylee, Suzy, Elsa, Aly, Brooklyn, Claire, Ada, Jada, Jenevieve, Emberlynn - everyone else has a least 1 thing to do... so please do it!)

Our Middle School program is still getting put together. Please check back for more info. We are looking for any parents that would like to help coach. If you would like to be register for any of the races noted below (that have MS races) please reach out to Coach Holt at david.holt@washk12.org.

*An Important Note to Parents (and athletes, too)* - as we start up the race season, we'd like to go over some things that will really help your athlete be more successful.

    - Please DON'T BE A COACH: your runner doesn't need another coach, they need a parent that is proud of them and loves to see their growth and bravery every day and every race. Leave the coaching to the highly paid professionals (!). Let us give them suggestions for race strategy, pacing, and all that stuff. You're role, give lots of encouraging words and unconditional love and excitement. If, as a parent, you have worries or whatever, shoot the coaches a message and we'll talk with you about them. A short, but pertinent example... years ago we had a tremendous runner named Nick. Nick and the coaches had discussed his goals (and most definitely he had talked with his parents about them) and we created a plan that would help him achieve his goals and help the team as much as possible. For much of the season, we slowed Nick up a little in his races to help his team (because if we were going to have any chance to catch a nationally ranked DH team, we needed our Varsity to go with Nick as long as they could). Over the season, we closed the gap on DH, but Nick hadn't won any races. So a parent came to me with concern that maybe something was wrong with Nick or maybe the coaching style. We were able to go over the plan and the parent gave us full support. At State, Nick won his only race of the season, becoming a State Champion! And the team almost pulled off a huge upset and took 2nd by just 3 points. No doubt Nick's unbelievable work ethic played a role in this, but his parents' trust of our team and coaching (especially when things didn't seem to be going well) allowed Nick to perform without pressure of parents putting seeds of doubt into his mind. 

    - Stay in the stands (so to speak): XC is different than many sports because you have a lot of access to the athletes. At races, get out and go crazy (but don't every run along side any athlete or provide any aid, please). But before the race, leave your athlete alone so they can do all their warm up stuff and be with the team and get all prepped. And after the race, same thing. In our program, the cool is very important for the body, mind, and team aspect. We all want to come down to the team tent and give lots of hugs and congratulations (love it...) but make it a quick wave and, "I'm proud of you!" and then let your athlete get with their team to do all they need to do.

    - Busing / Transportation: athletes must ride the bus to races that are out of town. Coming home any race athletes may ride ONLY with their own parent (no trusted family friends, grandparents, or even siblings). And athletes are expected to stay throughout all our teams races to support our team. We will always have a bus for out-of-town meets, so parents can leave and athletes can stay and support the team. Any modifications of these expectations takes written notes and approvals from school administration, so it needs to be discussed well-before the needed modifications.

    - School: students MUST attend the full day of school on meet days. Any need to miss (like doc appointments) must be pre-approved by school administration. 

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts. We'll introduce a new workout (30/90) early in the week and then get prepped to race well on Wednesday. Then when school starts, we'll work on getting into our new schedule. Use the Weekly Minutes form to go enter the number of days you ran and your total minutes from this past week (Week 10) - keep entering your minutes!

This Week's Schedule: bring water and a towel each day (for stretches and drills on grass)

Monday: 7:00a at Sullivan (Everyone) / PM on own (White, Black: expected; Silver: optional; Maroon, Beginners: no)

Tuesday: 7:00a at PVHS (Everyone) / Weights and plyos right after practice / PM on own (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon, Beginners: optional)

Wednesday: 7:00a at PVHS and Waffle Wednesday! (Everyone and bring a friend!) / PM on own (White, Black: expected; Silver: optional; Maroon, Beginners: no)

Thursday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS E run and weights (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) / PM after school at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice)

Friday: AM - 6:00a at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice) / PM after school at PVHS (White: expected; Black & Silver: optional; Maroon, Beginners: no)

Saturday: on own or form own groups

Upcoming Events:

• Waffle Wednesdays - ongoing after each Wednesday am practice. 
• Race: Cedar All-Comers - August 12th (Wed) at Cedar HS, 6:00p, bus time 4:00p from PVHS.
• Race: Cedar City Invite (previously SUU) - August 22nd (Sat) at Bicentennial Park in Cedar; 7:30a MS 2 mile, 8:00a Var. Girls, 8:40a Var. Boys, 9:10a JV Girls, 10:00a JV Boys; bus time TBA.
• Car Wash - August 29th (Sat) at Sandstone Elem., 9:00a-1:00p. This is our fundraiser to help you pay for trips, buy shoes, whatever XC stuff you need. Please plan on attending (we will do a team practice before the car wash). More info coming.

Uniform Info: See previous post for info (get shorts ordered ASAP) 

PVXC Thought of the Week: "When the winds of change blow, some people build walls others build windmills."

-Chinese proverb

These next two weeks we enter a time that as coaches we call the "Danger Zone" because of the changes that are coming for everyone. You will have new sleep schedules, eating habits, school work and homework, more running in the heat, and all sort of other changes. During these times of change, you have two choices: struggle to adjust and close up, or take advantage of the opportunities that the beginning of school builds and use these opportunities to improve yourself. Improve your sleep schedule, eat more consistently, drink more, focus time to get school work done. And improving your running can fit right into all of this - focus your time and effort and "build a windmill".

Athletes of the Week: 

Will D., Senior - Will has had a strong summer and is really running well. He brings a great attitude of joy and inclusiveness to the team.

Nathan, Senior - Nathan has really stepped up as a leader for the team. As a captain, he sets a great example and as a runner he pushes himself and teammates every day.

Addilyn, Sophomore - Addi has been a great example of continuing to push and show up. She brings great stories and togetherness to the team.

Race Reports: 

Desert Relays - We had a great first meet of the season at the Desert Relays. It was very warm, but we didn't hear anyone complain. Control the controllables and keep the attitudes positive! We had two individual leg winners: both Tevye and Elliot won Leg 3, with Elliot setting a new course record! The girls really showed a great team effort and won 25 to 30, with our teams taking 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th. The boys race was very close (tightest race in meet history). In the end, DH got us 27 to 28. Nonetheless, we had a lot of great efforts and big pushes for our team. Results.

Aug. 3 - 8 (Week 10)

*It is best to view this in the Web Version - so scroll to the bottom of your phone and click "Web Version"*

Here we go! Although it is always a bit of a bummer to have summer coming to a close, that also means it's time to get racing. We start our official XC season with the Desert Relays on Monday (there has been a little adjustment with time, so check that out below) and then the community HOKA Relays on Saturday. 

If you haven't completed your registration on registermyathlete/activate, you must get that fully complete (paperwork, physical, and fee) and be marked as "Complete" by the end of this week so you are eligible to race at Cedar next week. (Here is a list of those who are "Complete" as of Sunday: Joseph, Sebastian, Nathan, Nate, Kody, Hudson, Tyler, Braxton, Suzy, Ada, Jada, Jenevieve, Emberlynn - everyone else has a least 1 thing to do... so please do it!)

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts. This week we will use our races as some of our workouts. We will also get a long run in on Wednesday. Use the Weekly Minutes form to go enter the number of days you ran and your total minutes from this past week (Week 9) - keep entering your minutes!

This Week's Schedule: bring water and a towel each day (for stretches and drills on grass)

Monday: 7:00a at Washington Elementary (Everyone) / PM Desert Relays (see info below)

Tuesday: 7:00a at PVHS (Everyone) / Weights and plyos right after practice / PM on own (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon, Beginners: optional)

Wednesday: 6:30a at PVHS, Book Club, and Waffle Wednesday! (Everyone and bring a friend!) / PM on own (White, Black: expected; Silver: optional; Maroon, Beginners: no)

Thursday: 7:00a at PVHS (Everyone) / Weights and plyos at PVHS right after practice / PM on own (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon, Beginners: optional)

Friday: 7:00a at PVHS (Everyone) / PM on own (White: expected; Black, Silver: optional but no Soph or Fresh; Maroon, Beginners: no)

Saturday: HOKA Relays (see info below)

Book Club Reading: Will be updated as soon as we get the article

Upcoming Events:

• Waffle Wednesdays - ongoing after each Wednesday am practice. 
• Race: Desert Relays - August 3rd (Mon) at Bloomington Hills North Park, (because of the extreme heat, we have moved the races back) 7:45p Girls, 8:15p Boys. This is our first official race of the season (please plan on attending). It is a fun, low-stress meet against Desert Hills. We'll meet for warm ups at 6:45p. Please make sure you don't park in front of people's driveways (good parking is at the Larkspur Park or at the LDS church off of Ft. Pierce Dr. and Larkspur Rd.
• Race: HOKA Relays - August 8th (Sat) at PVHS, 7:00a (team will meet at 6:10a for warm ups). Super fun community event (family, friends, others are invited) where everyone runs a mile on the track.
• Race: Cedar All-Comers - August 12th (Wed) at Cedar HS, 6:00p, bus time TBA.

Uniform Info: See previous post for info (get shorts ordered ASAP) 

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Before every race, the last half an hour I used to say to myself, what am I doing here? I felt so awful, so tired, I just wanted to lie down and sleep... I just didn't want to be there.'"

-Murray Halberg

Who is this guy? Why put this quote on here? Because Murray Halberg isn't just some dude who's stressing about a race, he was an Olympic 5000m champion. And as we get ready to move into some races, it's important to recognize that even the best run through the same emotions that the rest of us do - doubt, fear, nerves and anxiety, wanting to be basically anywhere but the arena. Steve Magness tells us that these feelings are not weakness. He says, "The moments before you begin often feel like chaos. Your brain screams to escape, find a hole to step in... do anything to get you out of this moment." He goes on to explain that this something our brains have been trained to do over thousands of years of survival. Our brain is protective and wants us to remove things that are hard (and racing is hard). It is important for each of us to remember that the thoughts of wanting to quit before you start (or during) is so normal. Negative thoughts of quitting are not a sign of weakness; it is your mind trying to protect you. They aren't a sign that you aren't going to do well; rather it's a sign that you care. That's why starting is the hardest part. The trick is to work through these emotions with things you can control: your warm up, connections with teammates who are going through the same thing, connecting back to times you have overcome these feeling before, recognizing the emotions instead of trying to bury them. Each of these steps creates a bridge through these emotions and gets you going. 

Athletes of the Week: 

Claire, Sophomore - She continues to bring an attitude of hard work and the importance of TEAM every day. 

Vanessa, Senior - She has had a tremendous summer showing another level of commitment and hard work. 

Mikiah, Junior - He has really been pushing himself and finished up his first 10 mile run this past week.