Sept. 21 - 26 (Week 17)

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed your Homecoming festivities or whatever else you did. We need to get planning our Post-Season meets. Each athlete and parent together please take a look at this Google Form and fill out a response (even if you aren't planning on going, so we can have all the numbers of who is/isn't planning on attending). We'd love to have everyone come be a part of our PVXC Club travel meets. They are a great way to continue to build the team and your own individual progress as we move into the winter and spring.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts. We'll be on a pretty usual schedule this week. Use the Weekly Minutes form to go enter the number of days you ran and your total minutes from this past week (Week 16).

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

Monday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) Maroon can decide if they want to come in the am 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) and Youngsters.

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)(for now, we are planning on doing the workout in the afternoon, but we may switch to am because of heat)

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

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) and Youngsters

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 Invite, info below

Upcoming Events:

• Race: Cedar Invite - September 26th (Sat) at Cedar HS; Youngsters 8:00a, JV Girls 8:30a, JV Boys 9:10a, Var Girls 9:50a, Var Boys 10:30a; bus leaves PVHS at 6:40a
• Race: Region 9 Championships - October 6th (Tues) at Bloomington Hills North Park; JV Girls 4:00p, JV Boys 4:40p, Var Girls 5:15p, Var Boys 5:45p; no bus
• Race: 4A Divisionals - October 14th (Weds) at Lake Side Park, Orem; time around noon, but TBA (depends on our placement at Region) Var Girls, Var Boys; travel info TBA (Varsity and a couple alternates only)
• Race: 4A State Championships - October 28th (Weds) at Sugar House Park, Salt Lake; Var Girls 2:30p, Var Boys 3:15p; Varsity races, but whole team is invited, travel info TBA
• Race: JV State Championships - October 31st (Sat) at Spanish Fork Sports Complex, Spanish Fork; JV Girls 11:00a, JV Boys 11:30a; Team has to sign you up (last day Oct. 29th), but athletes will plan your own travel/lodging plans *also open to Youngsters down to 5th grade*
• Race: Autumn Classic - November 5th (Thurs) (POSSIBLE DATE) at PVHS; Girls 7:00p, Boys 7:20p; 2 mile on the track
• PVXC Awards Night - date and info to be announced soon (athlete and families invited)
• Race: Nike Southwest Regionals - November 21st (Sat) at Toka Sticks Golf Course, Mesa; race times TBA; club travel trip to Az, leave Friday morning (20th), race 21st *also open to Youngsters*
• Race: Brooks West Regionals - December 5th (Sat) at Mt. SAC, LA area; race times TBA; club travel trip, but athletes plan own travel/lodging *also open to Youngsters*

PVXC Thought of the Week: "I thought about dropping out, but knew team USA had a chance at a medal, and I couldn't let them down. I told myself to keep pushing... At 15K I was encouraged for a bit... but then I began slowing again into the next windy patch... My motivation was low, and I didn't match their moves, even though they were about the same pace I was running. Looking back, I should've kicked it in for top 10 and sub 60 minutes. I was a little embarrassed and down... but in my next race I'll do better at that. It's a good spot to be in heading to the NYC marathon. I was proud of the men's team coming away with a bronze medal, and inspired by the women's team coming away with a silver medal."

-Conner Mantz

I actually had a different thought in mind for this week, but then I read Conner's thoughts on his race from today's World Half-Marathon Championships. Something about this just really stuck out to me as an idea we could all learn from. Here is the American record holder going through a bad day. He is coming back from a serious of long injuries that have kept him out of racing for a while and now he is finally back on the world stage. But it didn't go as well as he'd have wanted. In his commentary, you can see his humility, vulnerability, and willingness to grow, as well as his ability to find joy in his teammates success and his ability to help them do well. I also thought about how the best of the best have rough patches too - whether it's in training or a race, they are just like us. Remember, you aren't the only one that has tough days at practice and races (or in everyday life). It's how you respond to the challenges and move forward that matters most. Just like I know Conner will be in competition to bounce back and run great at the NYC Marathon in a month, I know each of you can work through tough times with humility, vulnerability, and a willingness to grow.

Alumni Report: Our alumni continue to do great things at the collegiate level. Trey had a great race for UVU in Indiana taking 3rd for the team and 54th overall with a 24:31 8K and helped UVU beat numerous top 25 ranked teams. Sariah and Avery raced at Riverside this past weekend. Snow raced the 5K, and Sariah ran an 18:53 while placing 5th for the team. While UNLV raced the 6K and Avery ran a 23:03 and also placed 5th for her team.

Our Middle School program: This week we will have practice on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday after school at PVHS. We also have a race on Saturday - race starts at 8:00a at Cedar High School. I need the names of any of our Youngsters that want to run so we can sign you up. This is a developmental camp hosted by our HS and is available for 6th-8th graders.  

Sept. 14 - 19 (Week 16)

Great job this past week at Bloomington Hills and up at Border Wars. No races this week, but we still have a busy one with Homecoming stuff. Please try and work your day dates so that you can get your Saturday run in. Stay healthy; get good sleep; stay up on your school work; and let's have a fun week.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts. We'll be on a pretty usual schedule this week. Some of our workouts, we will move into Goal Race Pace. So take a minute and think about a target goal for Cedar based upon your improvement in the past month. Use the Weekly Minutes form to go enter the number of days you ran and your total minutes from this past week (Week 15).

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

Monday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) Maroon can decide if they want to come in the am 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) and Youngsters.

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)(for now, we are planning on doing the workout in the afternoon, but we may switch to am because of heat)

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

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) and Youngsters

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: We will discuss if we meet as a team or one own (if we meet as a team it would probably be around 7:00a)(PLEASE get your run in)

Upcoming Events:

• Homecoming Parade - September 16th (Weds), meet at approx 100 W 200 N in Washington for our parade line up; 6:30p (time and location may be updated) 
• Race: Cedar Invite - September 26th (Sat) at Cedar HS; Youngsters 8:00a, JV Girls 8:30a, JV Boys 9:10a, Var Girls 9:50a, Var Boys 10:30a; bus TBA

PVXC Thought of the Week: "You're never out until you're out."

-Brad Stulberg

On the bus ride home, I was kinda following some of the college football action for the day, and I noticed that #1 Ohio State was pretty much dominating #4 Texas. So when I got home, I flipped on the game to just decompress a little. However, as I watched, Texas started coming back and it actually turned into a game. In the end, Texas scored with just 30 seconds left to end up winning by 1 after trailing by 20 with 10 minutes left (apparently its first time ever that the #1 team has lost after having that big of a lead that late in the game). Now I'm not a Texas (or Ohio State) fan, but that game has a great lesson. Stulberg tells us, "You've got to keep playing the game in front of you. Not the game you wanted, hope for, or wished for - but the game that is happening right now." This made me think of Benji a little for his race on Saturday. Before the race, I noticed that he didn't look great (but I didn't want to say anything and freak him out... just go race Bungus and get it done!). He didn't start great, but it wasn't horrible either. He was doing what he could. No doubt, though, Benji could tell it wasn't his best race - he should have been further toward the front and mixing with the lead pack. Instead of hanging his head and giving up because this day he didn't feel his best, in the second lap, Benji began passing people and moving up. Ultimately, he salvaged a decent race out of a day where he didn't feel amazing. And supported by teammates that were doing their part, the Varsity boys improved from their 9th place finish last year to 5th this year. Run the race in front of you. Not the race you wanted, hoped for, or wished for - but the race that is happening right now!

Race Report:

Dixie All-Comers - Usually it's a bit warm out at BHNP for this race, and this year was no different. We are very proud of those that didn't let this get in their heads and were still able to control their effort and give a positive push. The girls were led by Ole who finished 5th overall. The boys finished 2nd as a team and were paced by Sebastian's win and Finn's 5th place finish. Results.

Border Wars - Our team travel trip up to Salt Lake was a great success. A lot of good results, positive team vibes, and some more warm temps. The team focus was on keeping a positive attitude and passing people in the 2nd half of the race to help us keep a positive mindset. It was great to see so many Panthers really pushing and working to move past our competitors at the end. Our Varsity girls took 2nd with Tevye leading the team with a 2nd place result and Vanessa with a 5th place finish. The Varsity boys ran in the Championship division and placed 5th overall. Our 31 second spread was one of the best in the meet and highlights the importance of team racing in XC. (Here's a little hidden gem... we've been encouraging everyone to read the blog. Anyone who reads this and shoots a message to me on Binderly will be entered to win some free PVXC swag Monday at practice. Don't tell anyone, let's see if they read it themselves). Continuing... We also had some strong results from our other divisions: Lydia placed top 10 in the Sophomore girls, same with Andi in the Junior girls, and Sebastian was just outside the top 10 in the Sophomore boys.  Results. 

Alumni Report: Bridger raced at the same course he did the previous week for UVU and saw a efw seconds improvement on his time. Keep up the great work Bridge!

Our Middle School program: This week we will have practice on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday after school at PVHS. We also have a race on Saturday - race starts at 8:00a at Cedar Middle School. I don't have much info on it, so we'll try to get more out for those interested. This is a developmental camp hosted by our HS and is available for 6th-8th graders.  

Sept. 7 - 12 (Week 15)

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

Are we ready for our travel meet? Make sure we are at practice this week; also turn in your printed grades to Coach Decker and pay your $35 hotel fee (must be paid before the trip) and give Holt your receipt.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts. Monday we'll practice at 8:00a at Highland Park. Those who didn't race this past weekend will be doing PreRace to get ready for Tuesday's meet. Those who raced at Timp will be doing a long run (if you raced, but would like to also race at Dixie, let Coach know and that may be a possibility). Besides Monday, we'll be on our normal school schedule (see the workout spreadsheet), including a Regen Run for some on Wednesday morning and Yoga. For our Varsity, this will be the last long run of this stage of the season as we get ready to head toward Region, Divisionals, and State (coming sooner than you think). And JV is working toward being ready to roll at Region. Use the Weekly Minutes form to go enter the number of days you ran and your total minutes from this past week (Week 14).

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

Monday: AM - 8:00a at Highland Park (Everyone) / NO PM 

Tuesday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS Regen run and weights (White, Black, Silver: expected; Maroon: optional; Beginners: no) / PM Race at Dixie All-Comers - see info below (Varsity practice at 4:00p at the park, JV show up at 5:00p for warm ups for race) / Youngsters race info in you section

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

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) and Youngsters

Friday: AM - 6:00a at PVHS (Everyone, this is our main practice) / PM State Course shake out (all who travel)

Saturday: Race at Border Wars - see info below

Upcoming Events:

• Race: Dixie All-Comers - September 8th (Tues) at Bloomington Hills North Park; JV Only; Youngsters 5:00p 1 or 2 mile, HS Girls 6:00p, HS Boys 6:40p; no bus; Youngsters be there by 4:30, HS be there by 5:00p. 
• Race: Border Wars - September 12th (Sat) at Valley Regional Park (Taylorsville); schedule see Sporttrax; travel itinerary (we will take approx. 44 athletes on this overnight trip - attendance at practice is a requirement to be considered for trip - no unexcused absences; we will also have a grade check for this meet in the middle of next week). (Those invited to race at Timp must: tell Coach your travel plans by Monday, turn in grades for grade check by Monday, pay $35 to PVHS finance office for hotel fee)

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Rather than focusing on your race time, focus on passing the person in front of you and helping your team score. Be a teammate that lowers your team's score... and when you keep passing people in front of you, the chance that you'll like your finish time goes up."

-Jay Johnson

XC is 100% about racing! Race the competitors around you. Don't worry about times; courses vary so much in distance and conditions that the only thing you should be worried about is helping the team out by racing those around you. This week, in the last mile of the race, go get some people! Those who raced at Timp, take a few minutes and study your graphs... evaluate what the graphs show about your race and the team's race (especially in comparison of individuals/team we are looking to compete with), and use this info to help you set goals as we move into this week.

Race Report:

Timpanogos Invite - This is a great meet to gauge our early season and get the Varsity runners on the Divisional course that is used for State qualifying. We had a strong weekend and probably one of our best meets overall at Timp. The Varsity boys were led by Benji who placed 22nd and the TEAM took 10th overall (top 4A team). Tevye led the Varsity girls, but we didn't run a full scoring squad, so no team placement. Brennan and Nathan earned top 10s in their Sr. Boys race. And Brooklyn and Alyeska earned top 10s in the Fresh/Soph Girls race and led the ladies to a 1st place TEAM finish! Results.

Athletes of the Week: Shout-outs to Samantha, Ole, and Colby for earning Athlete of the Week. Your teammates love your example and commitment.  

Alumni Report: A few of our Panthers lined up this weekend for their college teams. Trey and Bridger hit their home course for UVU and ran very well. Trey was the 3rd runner for UVU and 9th overall. He ran the 3 mile course in 14:21! Bridger started his season well with a 15:11. Sariah also ran at the UVU meet for her first collegiate race with Snow College. She took 4th for Snow and ran an 18:53. In California, Avery ran her first collegiate race, as well, for UNLV. She was 6th for the Rebels in a time of 23:26 on the 6K course. So awesome to follow our PVXC alumni as they move to the next level of running. They are a great example that so many of our TEAM could become like them through GROWTH, CONSISTENCY, and DEDICATION!

Our Middle School program: This week we will have practice on Weds and Thursday. We also have a race on Tuesday - race starts at 5:00p at Bloomington Hills North Park, registration at 4:30p. 1 mile and 2 mile options. We still would love to have more athletes come on out, so bring some friends. This is a developmental camp hosted by our HS and is available for 6th-8th graders.  

Oct. 20 - 25 (Week 21)

***UPDATE WITH STATE INFO***

Tickets - family and friends going to the meet MUST prepurchase a ticket to get in. The "ticket" is per car.

State Hoodie - want a State hoodie, preorder it here. Definitely a better option than waiting in line.

State! State! State! Congrats on qualifying for State Panthers. Every single one of you has played a role in this - whether it's from running at Divisionals, cheering the Varsity on, pushing the Varsity in workouts, or being a part of this program. So to reward everyone, we are taking the full team up to State. We need to know on Monday who is wanting to go, because we will make our Hype Squads and get everything lined out at our team meeting. 

We have spots for about 4-5 more of our team to join us to Nike. Talk to Coach if you are interested. We also need to get registration for JV State. The meet will be held on Nov. 1, at the Spanish Fork Sports Park. Remember, that athletes/families must arrange their own transportation/accommodations for this meet. We will register you for the meet when you pay $8 to the PVXC Club (use Coach's Venmo above and label - JV State "athlete name"). We'd love to have a big representation from the deepest and best JV team in the state, but we also understand that it might be difficult to arrange to get there... if you can and want to run, that would be awesome.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 21). Goal: get the Varsity ready to Rip It at State. Update your minutes from Week 20 here: Weekly Minutes. 

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

Monday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS (Varsity Expected, JV Black and Silver optional) run and yoga / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Tuesday: AM - 6:30a at PVHS weights (Varsity Expected, JV optional)/ afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Wednesday: AM - 6:30a at PVHS short run (Varsity Expected, JV optional)/ afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (Everyone)

Thursday: AM - 6:30a at PVHS weights (Varsity Expected, JV 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: 8:00a at PVHS (Everyone)

Upcoming Events:

• RACE - State: Tuesday, October 28th at Sugar House Park (SLC); Var Boys 2:30p, Var Girls 3:15p; bus noon at PVHS and 12:10 at PVMS, itinerary (we will leave Monday afternoon and race Tuesday, taking app. 45 athletes... must continue attending practice to travel)
• get the full schedule here

Race Report - 

Divisionals: Our goal - qualify for State. We did it. Both groups were working on some packing to help us be stronger going into State. The girls took 4th in their race. The boys won their race. Results. News.

Alumni Report - Trey raced for UVU out to Princeton. He said he was happy with his effort.

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Miles didn't hear it as a mistake. He heard it as something that happened - just an event - part of the reality of what was happening at the moment, and he dealt with it." 

-Herbie Hancock (quoted by Steve Magness)

In this post, Magness is talking about how Herbie Hancock, the pianist for famed jazz musician Miles Davis, told a story of a time he (Hancock) hit a wrong note in the middle of a song. The big take-away from this for Hancock, and hopefully for us, is that Davis didn't freak out, demand to stop and start again, or even get mad at Hancock. Rather, he went with the flow. The mistake had happened and now what was important was how he helped all the musicians move through it and keep the smooth jazz rolling! Remember, we are going to have mistakes in our races and workouts. How are we going to handle them? Are we going to freak out? Shut down? Want to retreat and quit? Or are we going to work through it as just 'something that happened' and keep the smooth jazz rolling as we push with our teammates and competitors to produce some beautiful running?!

Oct. 13 - 18 (Week 20)

Great job at Region Panthers! That was the culmination of a lot of hard work, dedication, and commitment to your team. Remember, we invite everyone to keep coming out and running with the team. Go back to last week's blog for a little rundown of post-season stuff and Nike info below.

**This MUST be taken care of by Sunday night** We are getting our trip to Nike Southwest set... the bus, hotels, and registration are the big costs. The total is going to be around $200 (but don't pay that all until the cost is set). But we do need a downpayment from everyone who is planning on going to be paid. We will be paying this through our club account - NOT THE HS -, so please pay $100 to Coach Holt by Sunday through Venmo @Dave-Holt77. We had 40 who said they would like to go to NXR. If we can get the bus to 45 that will help keep our cost down a little more, so if you weren't sure (or changed your mind), there is still space for you. 

*Also, we need to start registration for JV State. The meet will be held on Nov. 1, at the Spanish Fork Sports Park. Remember, that athletes/families must arrange their own transportation/accommodations for this meet. We will register you for the meet when you pay $8 to the PVXC Club (use Coach's Venmo above and label - JV State "athlete name"). We'd love to have a big representation from the deepest and best JV team in the state, but we also understand that it might be difficult to arrange to get there... if you can and want to run, that would be awesome.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 20). Our goal is to get the Varsity all ready to rip it at State and to get JV back into the groove. Update your minutes from Week 19 here: Weekly Minutes. 

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

Monday: AM - 8:00a at PVHS (Everyone) / afternoon - on own (those that usually do a Monday afternoon double)

Tuesday: AM - on own for those who usually get a short run in (no weights) (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - 3:00p at PVHS (all JV) / RACE: Divisionals (for Varsity) see info below

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: time and location TBA

Upcoming Events:

• RACE - Divisionals: Tuesday, October 14th at Lakeside Park (Orem); Var Girls 11:00a, Var Boys 12:00p; suburbans leaving Monday at noon, itinerary (we will leave Monday at noon and race Tuesday, taking 12 boys and 7 girls - check list on itinerary)
• RACE - State: Tuesday, October 28th at Sugar House Park (SLC); Var Boys 2:30p, Var Girls 3:15p; bus TBA, itinerary TBA (we will leave Monday afternoon and race Tuesday, taking app. 45 athletes... must continue attending practice to travel)
• get the full schedule here

Race Report - 

Region 9 Championships: One of PV's best Region Championship performances in history! Congrats to our 4 individual champions: Laura in the JV Girls, Benji for the JV Boys, Emmalee in the Varsity Girls, and Trevor with the Varsity Boys. It's the first time in recent memory that one team swept the individual titles. Although it was a difficult full 5K course, we got out there and pushed and ran with confidence. The JV Girls took 4th. JV Boys went full sweep mode with a perfect score of 15 and taking the top 9 spots in the meet. The Varsity Girls ran our best team race since Cedar All-Comers and took 2nd - a result we are very proud of. And the Varsity Boys put on a clinic with a huge win, scoring just 21 points, and taking 6 medalists and all 7 guys in the top 12. We are so excited to see the continued growth of our program and each of you individually. Results. News.

Alumni Report - Jessica raced her final XC meet for Weber up at the Steve Reeder Memorial held by Utah State. She says she's looking forward to using the winter to get ready for her final track season. 

PVXC Thought of the Week: "No one relates to a story that's only about winning." "Running has taught me that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is keep showing up." "Doubts and fears will always come up. The goal isn't to erase them - it's to move with them." "Healing doesn't mean the struggle disappears. It means you learn to face it differently." "The only way to truly perform your best is to free yourself from the weight of your own mind." "Thriving means being art of something bigger than yourself." 

-Emily Venters, "From Pressure to Possibility: A Strive to Thrive Story"

Since we won't have a full team meeting Monday (hey there's no school!), I'd like you to pick your favorite quote from above and be ready to share with some teammates why it stood out to you and what you can learn from it. We will share these thoughts on Monday morning, so be ready! And maybe while you're at it, go learn who Emily is and her story a little. Then root for her to crush it at Chicago - and of course, my main man Conner Mantz, too!

Oct. 6 - 11 (Week 19)

Thanks for all the help at the marathon the other day. We had a great time and you guys make such a huge difference to the runners. Thanks for being there and showing that being on our team is more than just running a lot, it is being part of a group that cares, supports and helps others, and gives back to the awesome community that we are a part of.

And now... It's Region week! So excited for each of you to have the opportunity to show your growth and development over the year(s). Let's have some fun and go do great things.

***REGION UPDATE AGAIN!*** Bus will be leaving the HS at 12:00p on Tuesday, then grabbing the 9th graders at the MS (excused at noon). Race schedule: JV Girls 3:15p, JV Boys 4:00p, Varsity Girls 4:30p, Varsity Boys 5:15p, awards after. Course Map:

5K, spike course (almost all grass, 3 areas of gravel/dirt)

RULES for everyone (including spectators): STAY OFF PUTTING GREENS!, do not run through desert/rough areas as you go from place to place, stay out of sand traps, the Rock Bowl is off limits. Athletes, parents, and families, let's really work to respect the golf course so that they will invite us back in the future.

A little info for everyone as we are nearing the end of our season: We are right toward the end of our season for our JV crew. After we hit Region this week, we would love to have everyone keep running and being part of the team. Those who are planning on traveling with our club to post-season meets need to stay around. And we also plan on taking a full bus up to State for HYPE SQUADS (it's such a great thing to be part of the State travel team - we'll plan on taking about 45 athletes, our 14 competing Varsity and 30'ish others), so you have to be at practice after Region to be part of that. Also, unless you are participating in another sport/activity over the winter, we highly encourage you to keep running with us. We definitely will take some time off in December, but a huge part of growing in running is the consistency of running over the winter, track in the spring, and then linking it all to next year. Also, in early November, we'll be doing both a 1 and 2 mile time trial - it's always pretty cool to see how fast and in-shape we are at the end of a great XC season.

We are getting our trip to Nike Southwest set... the bus, hotels, and registration are the big costs. The total is going to be around $200 (but don't pay that all until the cost is set). But we do need a downpayment from everyone who is planning on going to be paid by Wednesday. We will be paying this through our club account - NOT THE HS -, so please pay $100 to Coach Holt by Wednesday through Venmo @Dave_Holt77. We had 40 who said they would like to go to NXR. If we can get the bus to 45 that will help keep our cost down a little more, so if you weren't sure (or changed your mind), there is still space for you.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 19). Our goal is to really have you ready for Region. We'll bounce back over the weekend with some solid work to help the Varsity prep for State and our JV be ready to run well at our post-season meets. If you are going to be out of town (not Varsity PLEASE!) try and get the full workouts in. Update your minutes from Week 18 here: Weekly Minutes. 

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 - 6:45a at PVHS short run (no weights) (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - RACE: Region, see info below

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 - 8:00a at PVHS workout and weights (Everyone) / afternoon - on own

Friday: AM - 8:00a at Sullivan (Everyone) / afternoon - afternoon - on own

Saturday: AM - 8:00a at Bloomington Hills North Park (Everyone) 

Upcoming Events:

• RACE - Region: Tuesday, October 7th at Sand Hollow Golf Course; JV Girls 3:15p, JV Boys 4:00p, Var Girls 4:30p, Var Boys 5:15p; bus 12:00 at the HS and then pick up at the MS
• RACE - Divisionals: Tuesday, October 14th at Lakeside Park (Orem); (time depends on our placement at Region) Var Girls 11:00/11:40a, Var Boys 11:20a/12:00p; bus TBA, itinerary TBA (we will leave Monday afternoon and race Tuesday, taking 9 boys and 9 girls)
• RACE - State: Tuesday, October 28th at Sugar House Park (SLC); Var Boys 2:30p, Var Girls 3:15p; bus TBA, itinerary TBA (we will leave Monday afternoon and race Tuesday, taking app. 45 athletes... must continue attending practice to travel)
• get the full schedule here

Alumni Report - It was great to hear the Jessica is back racing for Weber. She's worked so hard to get back after many injuries. Even though the race wasn't (by her own admission) her best, her perseverance and commitment are a great example. Trey and Bridger raced for UVU up in Cedar at the SUU collegiate invite.

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Practice getting unhooked from all your self-judgements, both the negative and the positive. Let them float by like leaves on a stream."

-Russ Harris in "The Confidence Gap"

We practiced this the other day and wanted to bring it up in hopes that you've practiced it (or will practice it) a little on your own. Helping at the marathon I saw the importance of this so much (and was reminded of how much I had to work on this personally in my own running days) - some of the runners were really in a difficult place because they let the self-judgement take control of them, and others were just getting ready to totally go for it even though they were having just as many negative thoughts and physical pains. As we prep for Region and as we hit workouts, it is important to remember that it is okay to have negative, tough thoughts (and even positive thoughts). How we deal with these thoughts is the important thing. Clear back at camp, we talked about this idea (man it's almost like all this stuff is coming together like pieces of a puzzle... hmmm) of just being with our thoughts and emotions and not letting them take control of us. When we recognize that a race is hard and we hurt, we then can acknowledge the thoughts and then devalue them (like we did with the "Happy Birthday" song thing). The goal of all this is to help you realize that our thoughts are not us, they don't control us. We deserve great things, and we've earned great things. Now we can respond to the emotions that often block us from getting great things and go get what we've worked for.

Sept. 29 - Oct. 4 (Week 18)

***REGION UPDATE AGAIN!*** Bus will be leaving the HS at 12:00p on Tuesday, then grabbing the 9th graders at the MS. Race schedule: JV Girls 3:15p, JV Boys 4:00p, Varsity Girls 4:30p, Varsity Boys 5:15p, awards after. Course Map:

5K, spike course (almost all grass, 3 areas of gravel/dirt)

RULES for everyone (including spectators): STAY OFF PUTTING GREENS!, do not run through desert/rough areas as you go from place to place, stay out of sand traps, the Rock Bowl is off limits

Please sign up for helping at the Marathon aide station. 

Hope everyone had fun with all the Homecoming activities. We appreciate the efforts to be at the events and represent our team and our school. We are right toward the end of our season for our JV crew. When we hit Region in a week and a half, we would love to have everyone keep running and being part of the team. Those who are planning on traveling with our club to post-season meets need to stay around. And we also plan on taking a full bus up to State for HYPE SQUADS (it's such a great thing to be part of the State travel team - we'll plan on taking about 45 athletes, our 14 competing Varsity and 30'ish others), so you have to be at practice after Region to be part of that. Also, unless you are participating in another sport/activity over the winter, we highly encourage you to keep running with us. We definitely will take some time off in December, but a huge part of growing in running is the consistency of running over the winter, track in the spring, and then linking it all to next year. Also, in early November, we'll be doing both a 1 and 2 mile time trial - it's always pretty cool to see how fast and in-shape we are at the end of a great XC season.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 18). Notice we have a little different minutes and even workouts for our JV and Varsity crews even at the same level. This is to get our JV crews really ready to crush it with a bit of "tapering" for Region while the Varsity will keep higher minutes as they prep for State. Update your minutes from Week 17 here: Weekly Minutes. 

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: Race - Cedar Invite, see info below

Upcoming Events:

• St. George Marathon Volunteer - Saturday, October 4th. Starting early going through about 2:00p. Meeting at PHVS to carpool up at 5:10a, then we'll run and set up.
• RACE - Region: Tuesday, October 7th at Sand Hollow Golf Course; JV Girls 3:15p, JV Boys 4:00p, Var Girls 4:30p, Var Boys 5:15p, ; bus 12:00 at the HS and then pick up at the MS
• RACE - Divisionals: Tuesday, October 14th at Lakeside Park (Orem); (time depends on our placement at Region) Var Girls 11:00/11:40a, Var Boys 11:20a/12:00p; bus TBA, itinerary TBA (we will leave Monday afternoon and race Tuesday, taking 9 boys and 9 girls)
• RACE - State: Tuesday, October 28th at Sugar House Park (SLC); (time TBA) Var Girls , Var Boys ; bus TBA, itinerary TBA (we will leave Monday afternoon and race Tuesday, taking app. 45 athletes... must continue attending practice to travel)
• get the full schedule here

Youngsters - next Race ?:  ***Join Velocity Kids running club***

Race Report - 

TwiKnight: The Varsity teams headed up to Utah County to race some of the best teams in the state and nation on Friday. The girls finished 12th and the boys 7th. Both teams continue to see growth and look to solidify the Varsity squads as we get ready for Region and State.

Cedar Invite: Congrats to Sydney on the dominant win in the JV Girls division. We had a lot of other great performances with season's bests and big improvements over our first race at Cedar this year. The JV boys took the win led by a 3,4,5 finish from Buns, Tayson, and Nathan. The Varsity guys came up just off the win, finishing 1 point behind DH. Pretty awesome though that our JV squad barely missed beating every other Varsity squad in our region. Our team is amazing! We are so excited to see our continued growth. Check out the huge improvements we had this year from the first race at Cedar to now.

Alumni Report - Trey had a very strong race for UVU out at the Gans Creek Classic (Missouri). He placed 4th for UVU and is really have a great season for the Wolverines.

PVXC Thought of the Week: "You can't ride a (Panther) by grabbing its tail. Sit in the back for too long, and you'll get jostled around, cut off, and spit out the back in a vicious cycle. When the decisive move comes, you need to be close enough to respond."

-post from "the running effect"

We've focused a lot of different things this year and really worked to get our bodies and minds ready to grow and do our best. Think of all the things we've done. Everyone of them is a piece of the puzzle. Now we hit "Championship Season". This is the best time of the year! We don't need to worry about times, PRs, struggles of the past, or anything else... We've put all those pieces into the puzzle. Now there is just one last piece - and that is racing like a beast! The key to this is COMPETING. The whole goal of our last (few) race(s) is to just beat the person in front of you. Compete, compete, compete. Get out there and get after it. Ride the Panther From the Front! A final piece of the puzzle. PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!

Sept. 1 - 6 (Week 14)

We are entering a super busy time of our schedule - 4 races in just 2 weeks for some of you! So make sure you are on top of everything you need to be. Thanks for all the help at the car wash. It went very well, and we hope each of you raised some money for your XC expenses. 

If you haven't got the Binderly App (parents and athletes) PLEASE DO. (You can get rid of your track and XC Remind). Create your account (parents and athletes) and connect to Pine View HS and join Cross Country.

Purpose of the Week's Workouts: Click here for a link to this week's workouts (Week 14). Workouts will be kind of all over for the next two weeks as various teammates are getting ready for different races. So, make sure you note where you are at on the workout schedule and get everything in you're supposed to. As we get ready to head on our team overnighter next week, we will really be focusing on our standard of being at practice. We will also be looking for grades to be solid - we will have a grade check this week; each athlete needs to bring a printed copy of your current grades to Coach Decker by Friday (or you won't be eligible to travel next week). Update your minutes from Week 13 here: Weekly Minutes. 

This Week's Schedule:

Monday: AM - 8:00a at Sunrise Valley Park (Everyone) 

Tuesday: AM - 6:15a at PVHS short run and weights (White, Black, Silver expected; Maroon optional) / afternoon - RACE - DIXIE ALL-COMERS: Bloomington Hills North Park (St. George); 6:00p; info below.

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 - 12:25p at PVHS (White expected; Black and Silver optional - no sophs/fresh; no Maroon)

Saturday: RACE - LAS VEGAS INVITE: Sunset Park (Las Vegas); 10:00a; bus leaving PVHS at 5:00a; info below. We will need to know by Wednesday if you are able to race or not.

Upcoming Events:

• RACE - Dixie All-Comers: Tuesday, September 2nd at Bloomington Hills North Park; Youngsters 5:30p, Girls 6:00p, Boys 6:40'ish. No Bus; be at the park by 5:00p for warm ups. Everyone who didn't race at Timp will race here.
• RACE - Las Vegas Invite: Saturday, September 6th at Sunset Park (Las Vegas); schedule (race times are Pacific Time): Var A Boys 7:00a, Var A Girls 7:30a, Fresh/Soph Boys 8:00a, Fresh/Soph Girls 8:35a, Var B Boys 9:10a, Var B Girls 9:45a. Bus will leave PVHS at 5:00a (be there on time). TOP JV BOYS WILL RACE IN VAR A RACE. (Varsity will not be racing)
• RACE - Hurricane All-Comers: Wednesday, September 10th at Washington County Legacy Park; Youngsters 5:00p, Girls 5:45p, Boys 6:30'ish. No Bus; be at the park by 4:45p for warm ups. JV will race here.
• RACE - Border Wars: Saturday, September 13th at Valley Regional Park (Taylorsville); Sr Girls 9:00a, Sr Boys 9:20a, Jr Girls 9:40a, Jr Boys 10:00a, Var Girls 10:20a, Var Boys 10:40a, Championship Girls 11:00a, Championship Boys 11:20a, Soph Girls 11:40a, Soph Boys 12:00p, Fresh Girls 12:40p, Fresh Girls 1:00p. We will be leaving on Friday- Itinerary (updated soon). We will be taking about 48 athletes (that will be between 16-20 girls and 28-32 boys), you will have to be here for all your expected practices to be in consideration for traveling with the team.
• get the full schedule here

Uniform Info & Spirit Pack - Go back to last week's post (spirit pack orders are still open)

Youngsters - ***We are encouraging our Youngsters to join the Velocity Kids running club***. Both this week's Dixie All-Comers and next week's Hurrican All-Comers have youth races. We'd love to see some future Panthers out there. 

Race Report - 

Timpanogos Invite: This was our first big challenge of the year for our Varsity teams and things went okay. And, honestly, okay is better than usual. The Varsity girls took 10th without Avery, so we were pretty pleased to see that result. Emmalee was 21st overall and the 5th 4A girl. Tev had a strong 2nd half to move up to 42nd. Sariah continues to be brave and push herself up the rankings; it was great to have Elin back from injury and running with the team again; and Andi and Sydney continue to make steady and important improvements to help the team. The Varsity boys took 12th. Maybe a little lower than we expected, but we still saw some good things. Trevor finish with a top 20 finish (4th 4A). Bender and Jake went 40th and 45th. Benji hanged in on a tough day and Nate is working back from his injuries, and they took 96th and 99th. And Liam was just back in 102nd. The JV guys took 3rd and were led by a strong race from Mason who took 2nd. Then Kyle (11th), Elliot (16th), Brennan (26th), and Tyler (27th) rounded out our scoring. Results. News.

Alumni Report - 

Trey and Bridger both ran this past weekend's UVU Invite in Orem. Trey is looking very strong for a Varsity spot for the Wolverines this year as he took 4th for the team. Bridger had a great first collegiate race and says he's loving running in college and that it is tough!

PVXC Thought of the Week: "All you can do is stay focused and stay on your game."

-Brad Stulberg

So maybe a little longer discussion here because we won't have team meeting on Monday (so stay with my train of thought and stay focused). This info is taken from a Stulberg post about an event that took place at the US Open (tennis) the other day. So apparently, in a tough match, Taylor Townshend (who was a big underdog) won a pretty lucky point that hit the net and then dropped in against Jelena Ostapenko. Ostapenko thought Townshend should have acknowledged the lucky shot and apologized (tennis etiquette, I guess). But Townshend didn't. Townshend went on to win the match, and after Ostapenko confronted her about the lucky point thing and was pretty upset. The teachable moment for us comes from Townshend's response which included her focusing on what she could control - her game and composure - and not getting caught up in all the distractions, name calling, and extra stuff that was happening around the incident. In fact, Townshend went on to beat her next heavily favored opponent as well! The lesson (from Stulberg's post)... "RESPOND NOT REACT. When things don't go to plan... You can react and lose your cool, as Ostapenko did. Or you can respond and stay locked in, as Townshend did. Reacting is rash. You go on tilt. Responding is deliberate. You stay focused." This is so huge in running (practices, workouts, races) because rarely will everything go right. Ask Jake about getting spiked last week. Ask Mason about having to run JV races while you're a top Varsity guy. Ask our crew that is working through injuries right now. Ask those who get a cold, have a bad day at school, have an unexpected tragedy, forgot their uniform, had the weather go crazy hot, or whatever... No matter the case, when you react, you've let something out of your control take over. When you respond, you stay in control, you refocus, and you do what you're able to do. And usually, things end up being pretty okay (or even better than okay).

So here's the challenge part - go back to the last time you reacted to something and think about how you could have responded instead. Even go to the next step and run through some visualization of bad things happening (maybe in a race or something) and plan out how you are going to respond and keep things under control rather than react and lose the control.

Nov. 4-9 (Week 23)

Congrats to everyone on a very good State meet (recap below) and a very fun season. We'll be continuing to train for our post-season races through early December and then taking our two week break before we gear up for track season, and we'd really like to encourage everyone to join us. A few do a winter sport, and that is awesome, keep doing it. Otherwise, we really encourage everyone to keep running with us (even if you aren't planning on doing a post-season trip to Az or California). Real breakthroughs in running come not from one or two really hard days or weeks, rather they come from many months (and even years) of the regular, often mundane, work of run after run after run.

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). This is our final week of tracking our minutes for the season totals. Click here and track your minutes from Week 22: Weekly Minutes. 

*Wear WHITE or BRIGHT to ALL AM PRACTICES*

All practices at PVHS unless noted

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

Monday - AM - 6:15a PVHS (White and Black expected; Silver optional; no Maroon) / Afternoon - regular practice at 3:00p PVHS (everyone), no team meeting

Tuesday - AM - 6:15a Weights and short run PVHS (White, Black, Silver required; Maroon optional) / Afternoon - regular practice at 3:00p PVHS (everyone)

Wednesday - AM - 6:15a regeneration run PVHS (White and Black required; Silver optional; no Maroon, no Freshmen), Yoga at 6:45a everyone invited / Afternoon - regular practice at 3:00p PVHS (everyone)

Thursday - AM - 6:15a Weights and short run PVHS (White, Black, Silver required; Maroon optional) / Afternoon - RACE: Autumn Classic, see info below

Friday - AM - 6:00a PVHS (everyone) / Afternoon - White required, Black and Silver optional; no Fresh/Sophs or Maroons) 

Saturday - Long run time and place TBA

Upcoming Events:

• RACE: Autumn Classic - Thursday, 11/7; 6:00p; Pine View HS - this is a 3200m we race on the track with DH: tons of fun, we run fast times; please plan on being there is at all possible; meet at 5:15p for warm ups
• PVXC Awards Banquet - Thursday, 11/14; 5:30-8:00p; PVHS lunch room. An awesome evening of recognition of our athletes with family. Look for food and decoration sign ups to come around soon.

Race Report:

State - It was a very cold and wet day as we returned to Sugarhouse Park for the first time since 2019. The boys started us well with a 4th place finish. Bridger claimed a runner-up individual finish with a strong effort and a time of 15:39. Trevor also earned 1st Team All-State honors with his 7th place finish. Bender ran a gutsy race to earn 3rd Team All-State. Jake moved up well throughout the race to take 30th. Brennan rounded out our scoring with a very solid sub 17 effort in 40th. Elliot and Benji weren't far off placing 59th and 64th. The girls took 5th overall.  Emmalee was our first finisher in 15th. Tevye had a very strong debut at State taking 24th. She was followed by Vanessa and Elin in 31st and 36th place. Avery finished up our scoring with a 67th place finish. She was followed closely by Andi in 77th and Katie in 83rd. We are super proud of our team. We were running among some of the best racers and teams in the nation and we did very well.  We are also proud of our Hype Squads for all the energy and passion you brought to the course. #1 Hype Squads for sure! Results

2
BridgerJaggi
12
[Pine View]
15:39.34
7
TrevorPrior
11
[Pine View]
16:02.34
21
JaxonBender
11
[Pine View]
16:23.75
30
JakeSaari
11
[Pine View]
16:39.85
40
BrennanHeaps
10
[Pine View]
16:50.79
59
ElliotHaendiges
10
[Pine View]
17:06.49
64
BenjaminWilliams
9
[Pine View]
17:12.12

15
EmmaleeWilliams
11
[Pine View]
19:16.47
24
TevyeGeddes
9
[Pine View]
19:39.89
31
VanessaRuiz
10
[Pine View]
19:47.00
36
ElinHolt
9
[Pine View]
19:54.53
67
AverySmith
11
[Pine View]
20:57.78
77
AndiBaker
9
[Pine View]
21:17.81
83
KatieKrupp
10
[Pine View]
21:28.42

JV State - Big shout-out to our crew who went up to JV State on Saturday. Samantha was our lone girl representative; she placed 68th in the 1-4A race. On the guys side, Nate took 12th with a very strong race. He was followed by Dustin who was the top freshman in the race, then Miles and Nathan. Results

Alumni Report:

A few Panthers represented their colleges at their conferences races this past weekend. Trey ran for UVU and Jessica for Weber.

Youngsters (our 6th-8th grade club):

Any Youngster who wants to come run with the HS club can now do it since our high school season is over.

PVXC Thought of the Week: "Pro tip: A Big misconception is that you need to be motivated to get rolling. You don't. Research shows that motivation follows action, not the other way around. You don't always need to feel good to get going, sometimes you need to get going to give yourself a chance at feeling good."

-Brad Stulberg

Far too often we focus on how we feel before we get started and let the sometimes negative feelings get in the way of our starting. Think of this: how many times have you been feeling blah and didn't want to do something, and then it ended up pretty great? We all feel that way. How often do you want to get out of bed (especially now that it is getting colder) to go for a run? But once you get yourself out and get going, rarely do we regret it. The run was great. Being with my team was great. This same thing happened to me a few weeks ago during fall break. After a long day of working at school, I didn't really feel like running. I just wanted to go home and crash. But I figured I would go up Turkey Farm and at least get a few minutes in. Once I got going, it was a great run. I saw a tortoise, got up into the dirt, felt pretty good coming back down... and as I finished, I turned a blah feeling into a really enjoyable 8 mile run. It happens to all of us. So next time you feel like hitting that snooze or sneaking home instead of going out to practice, just remember that the motivation will very likely show up once you go out and get started. Get in the Boat!