Saturday, September 29, 2018

Oct 1 - 6 (Week 18) & Cedar Recap

A very good week is in the books.  Let's go get another one - in racing and/or in workouts, sleep and recovery, school, and positive thoughts... good things are waiting there for those who go and get them.

Purpose of the week's workouts - In the Competition Phase of our season.we work to get into peak racing form for our final few regular season races.  Minutes will drop a little and speed will pick up.  We will have our last long run of the regular season on Monday.  The Varsities and a couple of the top JV will be hitting workouts on Weds. and Fri.  And most of the JV will be racing on Thursday at Snow Canyon.

PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: 5:30a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing our long run.  If Level 1's want to come and get their long run in for the week that is okay.  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Practice starts at 3:00p.  Required for everyone. 
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2. Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  RACE - Snow Canyon Invite at SCHS.  Bus schedule will be announced at Monday's team meeting.  There will be a Youngsters race as well.  Race schedule: MS at 4p, Elementary at 4:30p (cost for each is $2), HS girls at 5p followed by HS boys.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p for those not racing.  We will most likely sit about the top 8-9 or so runners.  The rest of the team will get an opportunity to get a good fast time on the SC course a few days before Region.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Level 4 and optional for Levels 2,3. Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Saturday: Run on your own or join our group run before we head up to the Marathon aid station.  Time TBA, location: the church at the top of Bluff St.

Region - We have the opportunity to host Region this year on Tuesday, October 9th from 4:00-7:00p.  We will be using the Sand Hollow GC Course that hosted the Hurricane Invite and Region last year.  We could really use some help from parents along the course and at the finish line.  Please let the coaches know if you're able to help.  Helping at this meet will still let you do some good yelling and cheering for our Panthers as we go for some Region titles!

Car Wash - The Car Wash was a big success.  Everyone helped at ton.  Bring your unsold tickets and money to practice Monday.  (Remember you are responsible for all unsold tickets, make sure they are accounted for.)

Phoenix - The $100 down payment for the Nike trip is due Monday (October 1st).  This money will guarantee your spot for the trip.  The total cost will be around $175-$200 depending on our bus cost and the number of athletes who come (the more athletes, the lower the cost).  Please remember that all payments will be made to the PVXC club through Coach Holt and MUST be made in cash (no checks accepted).

Marathon Aid Station - We will once again have the opportunity to be running an aid station at the St. George Marathon on October 6th.  It's a great way to give a little back to this great sport that means so much to us.  Check out the link posted by Jose on the Final Surge social wall to get registered.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  Make sure you are caught up.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.    There is a Youth race on Thursday at Snow Canyon HS, time TBA.
The Youth Region meet will very likely be held on Monday, Oct. 8th at the Dirt Mile near the Washington Parkway Maverick at 4:30 or 5:00p.  Finalized details will be shared through Coach Bethany.
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.

Week 15 Athletes of the Week - 
Tough at Practice - Kylee, Jr.  Kylee is always pushing herself and those around her.  She loves XC and is totally committed to doing what it takes to get our team and herself to improve.
Team Builder - Coach Decker, Super Sr.  Coach Decker is doing a great job at bringing the team together through his beautiful beard and desire to see everyone do his/her best.
Performance - Addi, Sr.  Addi ran a strong race up at Bob Firman.  She is a great example of pushing through the tough times and being persistent.  Good things will always come to those who work their hardest (even if it isn't happening right when we want it to).

Cedar Invite - Way to bring it together Panthers!  The JV Girls were lights out with a perfect sweep.  Jenna finished 1st, Allison 2nd, Jenessa 3rd, Addie T. 4th, and Kyanne 5th.  Kathya also finished in the top 10 with a 9th place finish.  Tavin ran well in the JV Boys race to medal and led the crew to a 2nd place finish.  The Varsity Girls ran quite a bit better and placed 2nd to DH by a score of 50-55 and were led by Jess (2nd), Alli (3rd), and Rylee (14th) medaling in the top 15.  The Varsity Boys then put together a strong team effort finishing with a 1-4 spread of 7 seconds and 1-5 of just 31 seconds.  Julien finished 4th, Nathan 9th, Scottie 10th, Cooper 12th, and Mikey 18th.  The Panthers 6 and 7 actually finished in front of all but one school's 5 (our 7 missed Cedar 5 by just 1 place) 

Thought of the Week: "The secret is to work less as individuals and more as a team.  As a coach, I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven."
-Knute Rockne
This quote by the legendary football coach of Notre Dame really epitomizes what us coaches think about when looking at our team, and hopefully what each of you think about when analyzing yourself and our program.  It isn't always the best runner or the fastest runner.  We look at who contributes the most to our team.  Are you striving to be the best for yourself or the best for our team?

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Sept 24 - 29 (Week 17) & Bob Firman Recap

Time for one more refocus!  Time for a big push for our final races!

Purpose of the week's workouts - We now move into the Competition Phase of our season.  The purpose of this phase is to get us into peak racing form for our final few regular season races.  Minutes will drop a little and speed will pick up.

PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: 5:30a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing our long run.  If Level 1's want to come and get their long run in for the week that is okay.  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Practice starts at 3:00p.  Required for everyone. 
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2. Afternoon practice at 3:00p. We will meet as usual, then carpool over to BHNP for our workout.  Which means practice will run a little longer than usual (probably back to the school around 5:15).  Required for everyone.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.  
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Level 4 and optional for Levels 2,3.  RACE - Cedar Invite at Cedar HS.  Bus leaves at 1:45 from the HS.  Race Schedule: Youngsters 3:30p, JV Girls 4:00, JV Boys 4:30, Var Girls 5:00, Var Boys 5:30
Saturday: We will have a group run before the car wash.  Time TBA.

Car Wash - The Car Wash fundraiser for our club trip to Nike Southwest Regionals in Phoenix will be on Sept 29th.  Please do your best to schedule your availability until the early afternoon that day.  Car Wash tickets and info for the club trip to Phoenix in Nov. our available in Coach Holt's room.

Phoenix - The $100 down payment for the Nike trip is due next Monday (October 1st).  This money will guarantee your spot for the trip.  The total cost will be around $175-$200 depending on our bus cost and the number of athletes who come (the more athletes, the lower the cost).  Please remember that all payments will be made to the PVXC club through Coach Holt and MUST be made in cash (no checks accepted).

Marathon Aid Station - We will once again have the opportunity to be running an aid station at the St. George Marathon on October 6th.  It's a great way to give a little back to this great sport that means so much to us.  Check out the link posted by Jose on the Final Surge social wall to get registered.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  Make sure you are caught up.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.    There is a Youth race at Cedar at 3:30 at Cedar HS.  The cost for this will be $2.  We MUST know who is running the race on Monday (for registration purposes).  Please let Coach Bethany know at practice on Monday.  If you tell us you are running, you will be registered, and required to pay the $2 (cash).  Please bring the money to Monday or Thursday practice.
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.

Week 14 Athletes of the Week - 
Tough at Practice - Kathya, Jr.  Kathya is always one of our toughest runners.  She pushes herself and those around her on every run and race.
Team Builder - Tavin, Sr.  Tavin is always reaching out to everyone around him and helping the team come closer together.
Performance - Gabe, Fr.  Gabe had a strong race at the Canyon View Invite which moved him into a JV scoring position.

Bob Firman - This trip to Boise is always an exciting opportunity to race against some of the best teams in the nation.  This year was one of the best fields yet with numerous nationally ranked teams.  Evan, Luke, and Boston raced strong in the DI Varsity race and put up good efforts and times.  Alli mixed it up with some of the best runners in the nation on the first lap of the 2 lap course before finishing 28th.  Overall the girls placed 11th.  The boys had a much improved spread of 40 seconds and ended up placing 9th.  In the DII Varsity girls race, Addi ran well and placed 19th.  

Thought of the Week: "Failure is a much more faithful teacher than immediate success." - David Duchemin
Take a few minutes today and think of the times you grew most in life... I can pretty much guarantee you your growth and success was based upon many struggles and "failures".  Be prepared to share with someone tomorrow.  Also, an assignment for tomorrow's meeting: Please bring something (an object) that helps explain who you are - maybe something representing a favorite hobby, a present given to you by a meaningful person in your life, something that helped you through a tough time, etc...

Alumni Update - Mike Finch and Josie Bushar both ran up at the Idaho State Invite.  Mike led the TBirds to a 2nd place finish with his 2nd place overall finish.  A nice pic of Mike is on the SUU race write up.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Sept 17 - 22 (Week 16) & Hurricane and Canyon View Recaps

Can you believe we are coming up on the last month of our regular season?  Region is in 3 1/2 weeks and State just 4 1/2 weeks out!  Pretty exciting to be able to see all our hard work coming together as we move into a last big push before our final races.

Purpose of the week's workouts - This is our final week of the Pre-Competition phase before heading into our Competition training phase for the end of the regular season.  We will have our last longest run of the regular season and a big workout on Wednesday before the Varsity heads up to the Bob Firman Invite in Idaho over the weekend.

PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: 5:30a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing our long run.  If Level 1's want to come and get their long run in for the week that is okay.  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Practice starts at 3:00.  Required for everyone. 
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2. Afternoon practice at 3:00p. We will meet as usual, then carpool over to BHNP for our workout.  Which means practice will run a little longer than usual (probably back to the school around 5:15).  Required for everyone.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.  Although the Varsity will be gone, Thursday and Fri afternoon practice will be held as usual.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Level 4 and optional for Levels 2,3.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p.  Required for everyone.
Saturday: Run on your own or organize your own group run.  Varsity: Race - Bob Firman Invite  Race info and a link to race coverage (sometimes there is a live feed of the race) can be found here.

Car Wash - The Car Wash fundraiser for our club trip to Nike Southwest Regionals in Phoenix will be on Sept 29th.  Please do your best to schedule your availability until the early afternoon that day.  Car Wash tickets and info for the club trip to Phoenix in Nov. our available in Coach Holt's room.

Marathon Aid Station - We will once again have the opportunity to be running an aid station at the St. George Marathon on October 6th.  It's a great way to give a little back to this great sport that means so much to us.  Check out the link posted by Jose on the Final Surge social wall to get registered.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  Make sure you are caught up.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.    I think there is a race at Grandpa's Pond in Hurricane (near the Hurr. WalMart), more info will be posted here or through Coach Bethany.
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.

Week 14 Athletes of the Week - 
Tough at Practice - Jada, Jr.  Jada has really been pushing hard to accomplish her goals for the XC season.  Her commitment to practice and doing what it takes to reach the next level has helped her continually improve throughout the season.
Team Builder - Jason, So.  Although he may never be able to fully make up for the "Shrek Incident", Jason's happy attitude and inclusiveness really help bring the team together.
Performance - Sarah, So.  Sarah had a strong race up at Murray taking the title in the Soph girls race.

Hurricane Invite - We got a good preview of the Region course over at Sand Hollow on Wednesday.  Mikey ran a strong race to place 4th in the Varsity boys race and Jose continues his improvement as he took 10th.  Jada and Addi took 9th and 10th in the Varsity girls race.  In the JV races, Kathya placed 8th and Zach took 6th.  

Canyon View Invite - It was nice to be in the little cooler weather of Cedar on Saturday morning.  We saw strong races throughout as some upper JV's earned the opportunity to race Varsity and held their own with other Region Varsity teams.  Boston was 13th in the boys race and Sarah and Jenna leading the girls team.  We also had Gabe placing 9th in the JV boys race.

Thought of the Week: "Remember your why.  We don't get burned out because of what we do.  We get burned out because we forget why we do it." - Jon Gordon
We've often asked... "Why do you run?"  Hopefully every one of us has found our why.  Maybe it is health or fitness, possible the fun with the team, a desire to be your very best self, the joy of conquering things that no one thought possible, and the list could go on and on.  Once you have found your why, you need to hearken back to it on occasion (both when things are going well and not so well) to remember why you do this incredibly tough endeavor.  As we head into our final month of the regular season, take a few minutes today and think back on your why.  And if you haven't found your why yet, do some good soul-searching and figure it out.  

Alumni Update - A big weekend for our collegiate PVXC'ers.  Carson ran very well at the BYU Autumn Classic (held at USU).  He took 6th on Weber's team and improved a minute and a half over last week's 7K time.  For SUU, Josie had over a 30 second improvement from last year's 5K time at the UC Riverside Invite.  Mike was SUU's 4th finisher in the Open race.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Sept 10 - 15 (Week 15) & Dixie Invite and Murray Invite Race Recaps

PVXC had a great week with meets at Dixie and Murray.  Teams ran well, we had a great overnighter, enjoyed running on the State course, and got home safe.  So that's all good!

Purpose of the week's workouts - We continue our Pre-Competition Phase this week.  We hope you are noticing how much you are improving during this time.  Our big base of miles, long intervals, and introduction of hills is really making us a strong team.
PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: 5:30a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing our long run.  If Level 1's want to come and get their long run in for the week that is okay.  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Practice starts at 3:00.  Required for everyone. 
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2. Afternoon - RACE: Hurricane Invite - Held at Sand Hollow Golf Course.  Youth races start at 4:00, JV Girls at 5:00p, JV Boys at 5:30p, Var Girls at 6:00p, and Var Boys at 6:30p.  There will be a bus leaving from the HS at around 3:30 (the exact time isn't in front of me right now, sorry).  Some athletes will be doing a workout instead of racing (doing a workout: Nathan, Julien, Scottie, Cooper, Jessica, Alli, Rylee, Gracie, Pyper, and Sylvia - this group will need to provide their own ride to the course, time TBA)
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Level 4 and optional for Levels 2,3.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p.  Required for everyone.
Saturday: RACE: Canyon View Invite - Held at Canyon View HS.  Boys Var at 8:00a, Girls Var at 8:30a, JV Boys at 9:00a, and JV Girls at 9:30a.  MS race at 10:00a.  Bus will be leaving the HS probably around 6:30a (again, sorry for not having the exact times in front of me... this will get updated Monday).  The main Varsity crews won't be racing this race.

Bob Firman Invite info - We will be having between 7-10 boys and girls traveling to Boise on Sept 20-22nd for the Bob Firman Invite.  A few of these spots are pretty secure, but because of the improvement of many of our athletes, a few are still up in the air.  As coaches, we've decided to include this week's Hurricane Invite (and maybe the CV Invite) to help influence our decision.  We are looking for positive attitude and influence on the team, dedication and hard work, and a desire to be your very best and make the team the very best it can be.  Although, it seems that choosing an XC varsity team would be easy (top 7 times), usually it isn't that clear.  A lot more goes into making the best team possible that just the fastest time.  So, if you're in the mix for a Varsity spot (or a travel spot to Bob Firman) keep this in mind as you approach this week's races and practices.

Spirit Pack - Here is the order pvxc2018.itemorder.com  This is all non-required gear.  Just PVXC stuff that athletes and families might want to order.  It is not through the school.  It is through our club.  So you pay online and then receive your order through The Locker Room in a couple weeks.  The order closes this FRIDAY.

Car Wash - The Car Wash fundraiser for our club trip to Nike Southwest Regionals in Phoenix will be on Sept 29th.  Please do your best to schedule your availability until the early afternoon that day.  Car Wash tickets and info for the club trip to Phoenix in Nov. will be passed out soon.

Marathon Aid Station - We will once again have the opportunity to be running an aid station at the St. George Marathon on October 6th.  It's a great way to give a little back to this great sport that means so much to us.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  Make sure you are caught up.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.    There is a race Wednesday at Sand Hollow Golf Course.  The MS'ers race 2 miles at 4:00p and Elem. race 1 mile at 4:20p.  There is a $2 entry fee.  
There is also a race at Canyon View HS on Saturday at 10:00a.  The cost is $1.
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.
Week 13 Athletes of the Week - 
Tough at Practice - Luke, Jr.  A first year runner, Luke has been an amazing example of hard work.  His commitment and toughness has really paid off as he is pushing into the Varsity ranks!
Team Builder - Allison, So.  Through her two years on the team, Allison's positive attitude and ability to include everyone has really created a strong bond - especially among our strong sophomore girls crew.
Performance - Jose, Sr. Jose ran a great race at Dixie Invite.  He kept right on the lead pack until the final 1/2 mile and was then able to break through and take the W!

Dixie Invite - On the tough BHNP Course, our JV's and a few Varsities had some great races.  Our Youngsters started us off very well with some really good racing on the 1 mile and 2 mile courses.  Then in the girls HS race, Sarah, Jada, Jenessa, Emma, Allison, and Addi all placed in the top 10.  Jose won the boys race, with Evan 2nd, and Luke, James, and Boston finishing in the top 10.

Murray Invite - This is our most important early season meet, and the largest meet we travel to as a full team with over 50 schools and thousands of athletes throughout the 8 races.  The Varsity boys placed 8th, less than 20 points out of 4th.  Nathan led us with a 16th place finish.  Cooper ran well placing as our 4th runner, and Luke looked strong in his Varsity debut as our 6th runner.  The Varsity girls saw strong racing through the whole group to place 2nd to national top 10 Lone Peak.  Alli and Jess placed in the top 10 (6th and 8th).  Then Rylee led the crew that included Gracie, Pyper, and Sylvia in a 17 second spread and places 28-37 to move us past Davis and Springville.  The Freshman boys saw Zach and Gabe run well and place in the top  25.  In the Freshman girls, Addie placed 6th, Kyanne 12th, and Kennis 22nd.  The Sophomore girls placed 4 in the top 8 (Sarah 1st, Allison, 4th, Emma 5th, and Jenna 8th) to win the division!  The Soph boys were led by Boston in 8th and Jason and Carter who finished in the top 25.  Jose and James ran solid times and placed in the top 50 in the Open race (mix of Var and JV).  And Jada placed 24th in the Open girls race.
Thought of the Week: "When I lost all of my excuses, I found all of my results." -author unkown
Sometimes its easiest and "safest" to blame others or push excuses to someone or something else.  We often do this so that we don't feel like failures when we don't quite reach our goals.  This idea really is a fixed mindset, however.  To truly be our best, we must set excuses aside and allow ourselves to grow.  Growth mindsets look at struggles as opportunities to improve and evaluate where we can be better.  Remember to find joy in what you are currently doing and where you are currently at.  Then use that joy to be a platform to continue to strive to do your best. 

Alumni Update - A quick update on our PVXC'ers running in college.  Carson is doing very well up at Weber St.  He had is first race this past weekend up at CSI.  He ran the 7K course in just under 25 minutes.  At SUU, Mike, Josie, and Jacey all competed well at the road race and time trial.  Mike and Josie both placed in the top 5 of their respective squads (missing a few of the top runners from their team) at the UVU Invite last weekend and look to be in position to earn a spot on the traveling squads.

Friday, August 31, 2018

Sept 3 - 8 (Week 14)

We survived the Run-a-Thon (this is actually being written before the event, but let's assume we've survived)!  Get some rest this weekend and be ready to roll into a few very busy weeks.

Purpose of the week's workouts - We continue our Pre-Competition Phase this week.  As you've noticed, the workouts are tougher and everything (including schoolwork) is becoming a little more demanding.  Remember what you committed to working on for 5 Minutes during this week and actually make a conscientious effort to do it. 
PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: We will be meeting for a team run at 7:00a at the Maverick roundabout on Washington Parkway.  We will then carpool over to Hurricane for a trail run.  This is practice for the day, so everyone who is in town needs to be there. If you're out of town, get your run in.
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  RACE: Dixie Invite - Held at Bloomington Hills North Park.  Youngsters races (for Elem and MS) start at 4:30p (no cost).  HS Girls at 6:00p, HS boys after (app. 6:40p).  Most Varsity runners will not be racing (not racing: Nathan, Julien, Scottie, Mikey, Cooper, Jessica, Alli, Rylee, Sylvia, Pyper, Gracie).  You will meet at BHNP at 4:00p for your workout.  There is no bus for this meet.  Everyone who is racing needs to be to the park by 5:00p for warmups.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 2,3,4.  RACE: Murray Invite - those invited to Murray will be leaving at 8:00a from the HS (no MS pickup).  An itinerary will be sent home to those who have met the qualifications to attend this meet.  Those not attending will have a workout to complete.  Race info (including schedule and location) can be found out murrayinvite.com
Saturday: Those with the team at Murray will have a practice on the State course and then travel home.  Those not with the team will have a workout assigned.
Next Week Races - Hurricane (at Sand Hollow GC) on Wednesday and Canyon View on Saturday.  Both of these are JV races (or a few Varsity who are working on some racing practice).  Most Varsity won't race, but will have a workout instead.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  If you haven't set up and account yet, go back to the post from earlier in the summer and get your account created and notify Coach of the email you used.  An invitation to join the team will be sent to you, and when you accept that, your workouts will be added to you and you can update everything you need.

If you aren't getting team texts, text @a24b37 to 81010

If you haven't checked out the new plyos yet, please do.  We will be adding a short plyometric routine to our Wednesday morning runs.  Check out the 6 exercises here.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.  No practice this Monday as it is Labor Day.  But we will see you at the race on Tuesday (see info above).
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.

Week 12 Athletes of the Week - 
Tough at Practice - Syvlia, Sr.  Sylvia is about the toughest runner on the team.  Everyday and every run, she is pushing herself and those around her.  Everyone should take a look at her determination... it is contagious.
Team Builder - Scottie, So.  Even as a Sophie, Scottie is developing into a team leader.  He sets a high standard for the team and pushes everyone around him to work up to it.
Performance - Kyanne, Fr.  Kyanne had a great race at SUU.  She broke out of her comfort zone and pushed many girls who had been way in front of her.  It was a breakout race, and we expect to continue to see great improvement from her.

Take a look at the videos of the workout from last Wednesday.  As you watch, evaluate form.  Look at those that seem to have good for and notice what they are doing.  Take note of some of the weaknesses in form you see.  And then critique your own form and note what you can do better.  Then, do it!

Thought of the Week: "All life demands struggle.  Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life.  The very hard work and striving that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today."
-Pope Paul VI
Is there anyone of us who hasn't struggled?  In life, in running, in school, in relationships?  I highly doubt it.  Remember our mission to "LIVE AND RUN GREATLY".  Sometimes, I notice that we forget that struggle is actually good - maybe you had a bad stretch of workouts or are struggling to get to practice; maybe home life isn't so good; school is tough and math is a crappy class; whatever... all life is made of tough things.  And like the Pope says, these struggles are what make us who we are.  How do you respond to challenges?  Do you give up?  Do you get mad and blame others? Or... do you accept the challenge and work even harder?  Do you realize it might be a long road, but every day and every moment you give your best you are improving and becoming a better person?

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Aug 27 - Sept 1 (Week 13) & SUU Recap

Let's keep digging Panthers!  Great things are out there for those that push out of their comfort zones.  You were challenged by Coach Robs to evaluate where you're at on the Pyramid of Success... Where are you after a week?

Purpose of the week's workouts - We move into our Pre-Competition Phase for the next 4 weeks.  During this time, we will be bringing in more Hill Circuits and race pace intervals.  Workouts are tough during this phase a demand that you take care of your body to be prepped (drink water, eating enough and healthy, rolling and massage, SLEEP, and letting easy and recovery days be just that).

PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: 5:30a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing our long run.  If Level 1's want to come and get their long run in for the week that is okay.  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Practice starts at 3:00 (even with the short day).  Required for everyone.  
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.  We will carpool over to the Bloomington Hills North Park (BHNP) for this workout.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:00a.  Required for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing a Hill Circuit workout.  We won't have afternoon practice because of the run-a-thon which will start in the evening (time TBA - probably 6:00 or 7:00p).
Saturday: finishing the run-a-thon.
Next Monday: we will be having team practice for everyone in town.  More info coming.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  If you haven't set up and account yet, go back to the post from earlier in the summer and get your account created and notify Coach of the email you used.  An invitation to join the team will be sent to you, and when you accept that, your workouts will be added to you and you can update everything you need.

If you aren't getting team texts, text @a24b37 to 81010

We will be adding a short plyometric routine to our Wednesday morning runs.  Check out the 6 exercises here.

Overnighter to Murray - In a couple weeks we are headed to Salt Lake for the Murray Invite.  We will be taking around 45 athletes.  The #1 determining factor in who will be invited is attendance at required practices.  Those who miss practice (including mornings and weights if they are required for your level) will run the risk of not making the trip.  So... be to practice.  IF you are sick or need to be absent for some reason, text/talk to coach before.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.
There is also a race this Tuesday at 4:00p (MS) and 4:20p (Elem) at Grandpa's Pond in Hurricane.  I'm not sure if there is a cost - if so it would be a dollar or two.  Hurricane will also host another meet on the 19th of Sept with the same location and time.  There will be a race at the Bloomington Hills North Park on Sept. 4th at 4:30p for Elem. and MS - no cost.

Run-a-Thon and Fundraiser - The Run-a-Thon is this Friday -Saturday for those that can attend.  We will start at 7:00p and go through 7:00a (that time hasn't been solidified, yet).  The biggest purpose of this event is team unity/bonding.  We have a lot of fun, eat, play games, run, act stupid...  There will be pizza throughout the evening and breakfast early in the morning.  Remember your $5 for food to Alli Baker.

Week 11 Athletes of the Week - 
Tough at Practice - Madeline, So. Madeline has been working extremely hard to close the gap up toward the top girls.  She often will push herself, and those around her, to be with the top girls as we head out on runs.
Team Builder - Carter, So. His enthusiasm and commitment are contagious.  Even through injuries and setbacks, Carter is always there for the team and bringing a great attitude.  And in his own running, this optimism is paying off as he is having some huge improvements of his own.
Performance - Cooper, Sr.  Cooper ran very strong at Cedar to earn the 5th spot on the boys team and help us earn the win!  He will tell you that there have been times that he questioned if his hard work and effort would pay off after a tough track season.  But perseverance always pays off, even if it takes a little longer than we would like.

SUU Invite Recap - A week with some strong improvements... Many of us really worked to KILL BIG GAP and saw big gains from that.  Both Varsity teams ended up with solid 2nd place finishes.  Jess (4th), Rylee (9th), and Alli (10th) earned top 10 t-shirts.  While Sylvia (12th) and Pyper (16th) rounded out our scoring.  The boys were led by Nathan in 3rd, then Scottie (11th), Mikey (13th), Julien (15th), and Cooper (21st).  Our JV's ran strong as well.  The girls finished 3rd and were led by Allison (5th), Jada (9th), and Jenna (10th) in the top 10.  And the JV boys placed 2nd with Luke (6th) and James (7th) earning a shirt.  Some other strong races were run by Tyler (finishing as our 4th man in the JV race), Carter (who had probably his best race ever), Pyper (previously mentioned scoring finish in her first Var race), Addie T. and Emma (in their first races), and Kyanne and Rayne (with big improvements from previous races).

Thought of the Week: "A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it.  It just blooms." -Zen Shin
Often we get caught in the vicious cycle of "competition" (however, we should remember the true meaning of competition - that taught to us by Coach Roberts - that were are working with those around us to become our best).  In this cycle, we only measure our progress or success by beating others.  Reflecting on this quote, I realize every flower can be beautiful and contribute to a breath-taking mountain meadow or spring garden.  No flower is pushing to be the most vibrant and dominate the scene and quitting and dying if it doesn't reach that standard.  If we all strive to be our own individual best self and our own best team self at that given moment, it won't matter what others (individuals or teams) do; we will be able to bloom.

Friday, August 17, 2018

Aug 20-25 (Week 12) & Cedar All-Comers Recap

The season and school year are in full swing now.  We had a good first week of school getting used to the new schedule, hotter temps, and a little racing.  This week we will see an increase in minutes and some big pushes to get us moving in the right direction.

Purpose of the week's workouts - We continue with the SWEP phase this week.  Our focus is long runs with some tempo, easy runs with some steady state and strong finishes, and 3K pace intervals.

PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL MORNING RUNS... 
YOU MUST BE WEARING A WHITE OR BRIGHT SHIRT!
Here's our schedule for the week - 
Monday: 5:30a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing our long run.  If Level 1's want to come and get their long run in for the week that is okay.  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Required for everyone.  We will be registering for SUU - you must know if you are attending the race Saturday or not.
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.  We will carpool over to the Dirt Mile for this workout.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Level 4 and optional for Levels 2,3.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Saturday: RACE - SUU Invite:  Bus is LEAVING the HS at 6:30a.  Race schedule: Var. Girls 8:00a, Var. Boys 8:30, JV Girls 9:15, JV Boys 10:00, awards 10:45.  You must ride the bus with the team to race. Athletes may ride home with their parent AFTER ALL OUR TEAM IS DONE RACING and checking out with the Coaches.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Remember, Final Surge is a requirement for racing.  If you haven't set up and account yet, go back to the post from earlier in the summer and get your account created and notify Coach of the email you used.  An invitation to join the team will be sent to you, and when you accept that, your workouts will be added to you and you can update everything you need.

YOUNGSTERS - Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.
Info and Risk Statement can be found here.  This must be complete to participate.
Run-a-Thon and Fundraiser - The Run-a-Thon will be Aug 31-Sept 1 for those that can attend.  Any sponsors that want a sign, must be turned in by Monday!  About the SPONSORS: please remember that no personal checks are accepted, when you turn money into the finance office at the HS just tell them your name and that the money is your XC sponsor.  Then bring the receipt to Coach Holt and tell him where you want to use the money.

Week 10 Athletes of the Week -
Tough at Practice - Emma Ward, So.  All summer, Emma has displayed the physical and mental toughness that PVXC is built upon.  Awesome example Emma!
Team Builder - Yrene Heinze, Sr.  Nay Nay has one of the most positive and influential attitudes on the team.  Whenever you need to be uplifted, take a minute and talk to her!
Performance - Nathan Beitler, Sr.  Nate has had two strong runs to start the season.  At the time trial, Nathan set a school record.  Then at the Desert Relays, he won the Leg 1 bowling pin.  Very strong start to the race season, great job Nathan!

Cedar All-Comers Recap - Cedar All-Comers is a good judge of early season fitness as well as a benchmark for comparison to overall improvement throughout the race season since we race it again toward the end of the regular season.  We had a few Youngsters that came up and race, and they all did a great job.  In the girls' race, PV got out very strong through the first lap and was looking very good.  In the 2nd and 3rd miles, an excellent DH team closed those gaps and moved up a lot to take the victory.  Jessica and Alli took 3rd and 4th after leading much of the race.  Rylee also placed in the top 10.  Sylvia and Gracie rounded out our scoring in 14th and 15th.  On the boys' side, Nathan and Julien also placed 3rd and 4th.  From there the scoring may have gotten a little mixed up at the finish line, but our finishers of Scottie, Mikey, and Cooper were able to secure a team win in close fashion or very close fashion depending what was the correct placement.  The JV boys also saw a lot of great racing.  It was a good start to the regular season.  We challenge everyone to remember the purpose of early season racing: to learn and grow.  And then each of you need to be able to identify some areas of strength to continue and some areas of weakness that you can work on.

Thought of the Week: "If you no longer go for a gap which exists, you are no longer a racing driver." - Ayrton Senna
This is a quote by a famous F1 race car driver.  And although we aren't racing cars, the idea is very pertinent to us as runners.  After the race, Coach Roberts talked about The Gap and how he has been our biggest competition and enemy.  So we found this quote that fits really well with what is going to become our biggest goal.  So as we practice this week, as we race, remember if you aren't closing the gap and gaining/catching people, you really aren't racing - you are just out for a run.  This week... KILL THE GAP!

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Aug 13-18 (Week 11), Desert Relays Recap and Youngsters (6th-8th Grade) Info

Are we ready for this?  It's always a little bummer for the end of summer, but many of us are actually pretty excited!  The end of summer means consistent team practice, a set schedule to get your body used to, a lot of team activities, and racing!
As we move into the school year, our schedule will change a little (see below).  Make sure you are prepared by drinking enough water throughout the day - 100+ oz -, be getting enough sleep - at least 8 hours a night -, and you are ready to keep up on your school work.

Purpose of the week's workouts - This is an important week and a difficult week.  Our biggest concern this week is helping everyone adjust to the new schedule: school, sleep, heat, and school work.  Because of this, we are toning down the week a little.  Our minutes will drop a little and we will see fewer workouts.  Because of this, it is very important that everyone get every run in that they are supposed to and to do them well.

Here's our schedule for the week -
Monday: 6:00a at the HS for Levels 2,3,4.  We will be doing a long interval workout (check Final Surge or the google doc for specifics - the google doc lists paces for you, so take a minute and find yours).  Afternoon practice on Mondays will always be a team meeting in the lecture hall at the HS followed by a short run.  Required for everyone.
Tuesday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for our run.  Required for everyone.
Wednesday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Levels 3,4 and optional for Level 2.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Thursday: Morning practice: 6:15a weights and short recovery run. Required for Levels 2,3,4 and optional for Level 1.  There is no afternoon because of the race.  RACE - Cedar All-Comers:  Meet at the HS at 4:00p for the bus.  Race schedule: Youngsters (MS race) 5:30, Girls 6:00, Boys 6:30 (app.)  You must ride the bus with the team to race (not Youngsters, of course; you travel with your parents).  Athletes may ride home with their parent AFTER ALL OUR TEAM IS DONE RACING and checking out with the Coaches.
Friday: Morning practice: 6:15a.  Required for Level 4 and optional for Levels 2,3.  Afternoon practice at 3:00p. Required for everyone.
Saturday: We will meet as a team for practice time in the morning.  Time and place to be determined. (Var. girls will probably be at Renegade Camp.)

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Please get them caught up.

YOUNGSTERS - Practice will begin on Thursday at PVHS at 3:00p (we know some of you may be heading up to the race on Thursday and that is great! But we will still hold practice for those who aren't).  Regular practice schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00p at the HS.
We are still looking for a few people who would be willing to work with our Youngsters program.  We have an experienced coach who will lead the team, so no experience necessary; just a passion for helping kids love being active.  Contact Coach Holt by email at pineviewxc@gmail.com

A few calendaring items: 
Run-a-Thon and Fundraiser - It looks like we will pencil in Aug 31-Sept 1 for the run-a-thon.  You may want to start working on your sponsors, though.  If you don't have sponsor paperwork, it will be available at Monday's team meeting.  About the SPONSORS: please remember that no personal checks are accepted, when you turn money into the finance office at the HS just tell them your name and that the money is your XC sponsor.  Then bring the receipt to Coach Holt and tell him where you want to use the money (some people have missed this step in the past and then been fined because no coach knew that they had paid by sponsors).
Girls Varsity Renegade Camp - we are looking at the Friday-Sat of the first week of the school year.  Usually around the top 10'ish are invited to attend.

Desert Relays Recap - The Desert Relays is a fun early season duel meet with DH that has a very unique format.  Of course we want to run well, but the most important thing about this race is to see where we are doing well so we can keep growing and to identify areas where we might need to change a few things.  In the girls' race, we saw some great individual running: Alli set a new meet record for the 1st Leg, and we saw some great pushes from others like Kyanne, Allison, and Madeline who had strong races.  We weren't quite able to overcome a very good DHells squad and they beat us 25-30.  On the boys' side Nathan took home the bowling pin for his win in Leg 1.  It was a very tight race with DH and we were able to nab a 28-28 win with a 6th place tie breaker.  Strong runs by teams Silver (Cooper, Tavin, and James) and Grey (Boston, Luke, and Tyler - whose huge kick to the finish barely edged out a DH team) got us the tie.  Then the 6th squad (the White team of Caleb, Josh, and Dakota) stepped up big for the tie-breaker win.  It was definitely a total team victory.

Thought of the Week: "Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
First, no one failed at all at the Relays - some ran well, others maybe not very well.  But, the quote includes a very important idea, so we still wanted to use it.  In our meetings after the race, we talked about how winning or losing the Relays isn't the biggest deal in the world.  Really, the only thing that makes it important at all is what you learn from your race last week.  If you are able to take the good things you did and build on them, and if you are able to identify an area or two of struggles and implement ways to fix those, then you have truly grasped the purpose of an early season meet like this.  Change and Growth... that is what it is all about!

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Time Trial and Rankings

Monday we had our preseason time trial at Bloomington Hills North Park.  With decent temps and humidity down a little, even very wet and long grass was bearable and some good performances were recorded.  For a full list of results check out athletic.net.  The boys started us off well with solid running from some of our top guys and a lot of good JV times.  (The following records and comparisons are based upon the preseason time trials only, not time trials run later in the season.) Nathan set a new record with a 10:30 and looked very strong throughout.  Scottie hit our 3rd fastest time on the 2 mile course with Mikey not far behind.  Comparative to 2015 and '16 (years where we placed 2nd at State) the team times were just 9 and 11 seconds slower, but we had a little larger spread that needs to be brought down with our 4 and 5, as well our 6 and 7 and our top JV guys.  The girls saw similar results as Jessica set a new school record (also by a second) and Rylee H. recorded our 3rd fastest time.  Alli pushed strong to make this the first time we recorded 3 girls under 13:00 on this course.  Again comparing to '15 and '16 years where we took 2nd (really?) and 1st in State we were around 20 seconds slower and 20 seconds faster, respectively.  Again a little larger spread held us back, but we saw great things from that 4-10'ish crew that leaves us very hopefully.  One of the best things is that our JV crews all put in times near or quicker than many of those same spots on the team from the past few years.  This progress shows what a hard summer of running will do.
Check out all the pics from CAMP and the TIME TRIAL

Rankings: Today Utah Milesplit Ranked our girls the #5 team in the state of Utah
and a couple weeks ago, they ranked Alli the #15 individual in the state

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Aug 6-11 (Week 10)

A strong summer of running culminated with an awesome XC camp.  Thanks again to the captains and camp committee that did so much to pull it off and also to the parents who drove and those who helped cook.
Now we head into the final week of the summer and also start up some racing!

Purpose of the week's workouts - Last week we moved into our SWEP phase and we explained it a little in the week's post.  You can also find more info about it in the Big Book of PVXC.  This week we continue SWEP and bring in a bit of racing.  The goals of the races this week are to test where we are after a long summer of miles.  There is no need to stress about racing.  In fact, tonight would be a great time to think about all the progress you have made over the summer - the long runs, the Sand Hills, pushing through the heat and waking up early - and realize that the races are just an opportunity for you to show the great fitness you have already earned from this hard work.

Here's our schedule for the week -
Monday: RACE - PV Time Trial: Meet at Bloomington Hills North Park at 7:00a.  We will do our regular warm ups and then race at approx. 7:45a (parents/friends welcome to come watch; and Youngsters and even alumni are welcome to come run with us).  Afternoon run (for those who are doing it) is on your own.
Tuesday: Morning practice will be on your own!  Try and make it a grass run with striders.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for weights and our afternoon run.
Wednesday: Morning practice at 7:00a at PVHS.  Afternoon practice on your own.
Thursday: Morning practice at 7:00a at PVHS.  Afternoon we will meet as a team at PVHS at 3:00p for weights and our afternoon run.
Friday: Morning practice at 7:00a at PVHS.  RACE - Desert Relays:  Meet at Bloomington Hills North Park at 5:15p (don't be late... we have to make the relay teams based on everyone who is there).  Youngsters are invited to run.  Race schedule - girls (and youngsters) 6:00p, Boys approx. 6:30p
Saturday: On own or organize your own group run.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Please get them caught up.

We are still looking for a few people who would be willing to work with our Youngsters program.  We usually meet 2-3 times per week through the season (days can be determined by the coaches).  No experience necessary; just a passion for helping kids love being active.  Contact Coach Holt by email at pineviewxc@gmail.com

A few calendaring items: 
Run-a-Thon is usually after the Desert Relays.  However, since the relays are moved up a week this year, we will be delaying the run-a-thon to a later date.  You may want to start working on your sponsors, though.  Paperwork for sponsor will be passed out later in the week.
Girls Varsity Renegade Camp - we are looking at the Friday-Sat of the first week of the school year.   Usually around the top 10'ish are invited to attend.

Thought of the Week: "Running taught me valuable lessons.  In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline.  I applied this in everything I did." - Nelson Mandela 
I picked this quote for a number of reasons. 1) Some of you know I greatly admire Nelson Mandela for all that he accomplished and how he transformed his life for the betterment of all.  And to learn that he ran cross and applied its principles to his everyday life is SO RENEGADE! and 2) The idea of the quote fits real well with our race season starting up.  What you have done in training is determines what you do on the course.  Hard work in practice, pushing past your perceived limits, strengthening teammates, and all the other things you do in practice, all have the opportunity to shine in races.  Races are nothing to be scared of... they are opportunities to show your great self and all that you have earned!

Saturday, July 28, 2018

July 30-Aug 4 (Week 9)

A huge thanks to everyone for all the help with Summer Club.  It went great.  Kids had fun.  And it's over!  This week we will be heading to high altitude camp on Monday morning after practice.  We will be meeting at 10:30a at the Wash. Rec. Center.  See the post below for packing list and for drivers info.  Those who aren't going to camp will need to get their runs in on their own.  Also, we have updated our XC schedule to include the change to our time trial date (Aug 6) and a couple other dates  (there will probably be a few more changes, but we'll let you know).

Purpose of the week's workouts - We are moving into our SWEP phase of our training plan this week.  SWEP mean Speed With Endurance Process.  In our training philosophy - which is heavily influenced by NZ coaching legend Arthur Lydiard, Bill Squires, and "Tinman" Tom Schwartz - this phase brings in longer intervals at controlled paces varying from current 3K-8K pace.  We continue long runs and also bring in a little more hill work in the form of our Hill Circuits.  As with each phase, SWEP is extremely important.  One of the biggest goals from SWEP is to develop strength and a feel for certain paces which will help as we get to more important races later in the season.

Here's our schedule for the week -
Monday: Meet at Wash. Elem. at 7:00a.  High Altitude Camp - meet at 10:30a at Rec Centewr
Tuesday-Thurs: High Altitude Camp.  If not attending camp, practice on your own.
Friday: No team practice.  On own or organize your own group run
Saturday: On own or organize your own group run.

Weekly minutes can be found here.  Please get them caught up.

Double check your Final Surge to see if our next set of workouts for most of August is posted on your calendar.  Let Coach know if it isn't.

Thought of the Week: "The little details add up until they represent significant differences.  Let nothing slip through the cracks." - Bill Belichick
This is a pretty good thought.  Everyone and every team that has aspirations to do well will get all the big stuff in: the long runs, the workouts, whatever; however, what separates those that accomplish those big goals and targets will be doing all the small things.  Take a few minutes and think about all that you do.  And when you identify a few areas of weakness, set an expectation that you will do those small things to help us be the ones to achieve our goals and targets.  

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

6th-8th grade PVXC Club

We will be hosting our PVXC Youngsters Running Club for grades 6-8 this school year.  Info about practice days and times will be posted in the next couple weeks.
We are looking for some people who would are interested in helping coach our club this year.  Contact Coach Holt at pineviewxc@gmail.com for details.

High Altitude Camp

Check out the packing list and drivers info for camp.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Week of July 23-28 (Week 8)

It was hot.  It was humid.  It's been a long summer.  But it was our best week yet.  A lot of good things are happening on our team right now.  Just a few weeks of summer left; let's finish it up strong!

July 24th - Please do your best to plan on running a race on the 24th.  In our area, we have 2 good options. 1) Enterprise 5/10K.  Good race and you can get a tasty pancake breakfast after. 2) Hurricane   Pioneer 5K. Also a very good race and the cost is just a few cans of food!  Starts at 6:00a at the park in the center of town.  If you're in town and not doing Enterprise, please run this race (and bring your family along to participate as well).

Purpose of the week's workouts - Last week, we had some great thoughts on why the aerobic base is so important.  We continue to focus on our base this week before we go into our SWEP over the next few weeks.  On Wednesday, we add a 3rd afternoon double for Levels 2, 3, and 4.

Here's our schedule for the week -
Monday: Meet at Wash. Elem. at 7:00a
Tuesday: No team practice in the AM.  Again, please race today if at all possible.  If you can't, your workout will be a tempo session.  Add a few minutes to wherever you are at on your tempo progression and get a good workout in.  We WILL have afternoon weights and run at 3:00p at the HS.
Wednesday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a with our final Kid's Club after (those who have treats, please remember).  Wednesday afternoon run is on your own or with your own group.
Thursday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a.  Weights and short afternoon run at PVHS at 3:00p.
Friday: Meet at the double churches in Washington Fields at 6:30a.
Saturday: On own or organize your own group run.

High Altitude Camp will be July 30-Aug 2 at Pine Lake near Bryce Canyon.  Those who haven't turned in your physical and/or haven't done registermyathlete (and are going to camp) this must be done by Monday!

If you haven't signed up for Final Surge to record your runs, please do (see the posts below).  Also check below for info on registermyathlete registration info and physicals.  You MUST have your registermyathlete done and your physical complete to go to camp.

Weekly minutes can be found here.

Sand Hill - Last Monday we had our 3rd Sand Hill run of the summer.  The conditions were perfect, and everyone is starting to figure it out a bit.  We are super proud of the great efforts so many of you put in.  Times and records have been updated.

Thought of the Week: "Young runners take notice. We have 2 alums running in the NCAA Track and Field Championship.  These girls weren't superstars in grade school, but they worked hard and preserved for 7-8 years thru much adversity to chase their dreams. Be patient, believe in yourself and work hard." - Barry Hepworth, a coach sharing the importance of a long-term approach of hard work and commitment.
So often, we want the results now and when they are slow to come, we quit before realizing what we could really achieve.  It takes months and years to reach goals that are truly worth it.  When you find yourself struggling to wake up or to stay focused, when it feels like your progress has stalled and you aren't getting where you want, remember, to keep pushing - find something that will help you pull through the lull: a teammate, a positive affirmation, a happy thought of a a goal previously achieved; and use it to help you push through.  Because in the end, when you keep at it, it will be worth it!

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Summer Running Club Updates

We've got one week left of our Summer Running Club.  Because the 24th falls on our regular Tuesday club day, we will hold our final day on Wednesday the 25th at our regular time and place (8:30a - Washington Elementary).
We will be getting our shirts and our Summer Marathon Certificates - let's do one final push to get our marathon in.  Many of you are close to your 26 miles; finish it up this week!
We also had a great time showing off our State Championship trophy and hopefully getting the kids stoked to earn one of those too.  Here's a link to the pics.  Download and print off yours if you'd like.  You can also see some of them on our Insta @pvxctrack

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Week of July 16-21 (Week 7)

Just a few weeks left of summer leaves us with good news and bad news... the bad: (I guess, I kinda like it though) school is going to start in just 4 weeks; the good: races are just around the corner - that in itself means we better get to business!  Let's get it focused; LET'S GET TO PRACTICE; let's get pushing ourselves and each other.

July 24th - Please do your best to plan on running a race on the 24th.  In our area, we have 2 good options. 1) Enterprise 5/10K.  Good race and you can get a tasty pancake breakfast after. 2) Hurricane   Pioneer 5K. Also a very good race and the cost is just a few cans of food!  If you're in town and not doing Enterprise, please run this race (and bring your family along to participate as well).

Recruiting - it's always a great time to get a friend to come run.
"When I invite a young man to join our team, I often hear, 'I am not a very good runner.' My reply is, 'I don't care. I care you put forth effort to get better, and have some fun doing it.'" - Paul Vandersteen (Mountain Vista HS, Co)

Purpose of the week's workouts - We had a pretty big jump in our minutes last week, this week will either be the same amount as last week or just a small increase.  But we continue to work our aerobic base.  It is so important to be doing all your runs (hopefully with the team; but if you're out of town, then on your own).  You've got to be getting all the benefit you can from consistent aerobic development at this time of the season.  A good week here and then a bad week there, or a couple good days followed by some missed runs will really inhibit your development as the season progresses.  What we are doing now is the base for everything we do over the next few months!  In fact, let's do a competition to get you thinking about the importance of our current phase of running.  The first 3 athletes and the two other "best" comparisons posted below in the comments will win a gallon of gatorade concentrate at practice Monday.  Comparison: write a statement comparing our event (the importance of the aerobic base phase) to a known object/person/place/thing and a couple reasons why.  Such as Preston Warby's famous comparison: The Aerobic Base Phase of running is like A Shoelace because they both... (and say a couple reasons why they are similar).

Here's our schedule for the week -
Monday: Meet at Wash. Elem. at 6:30a. PLEASE WEAR A WATCH if you have one!
Tuesday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a with Kid's Club after (those who have treats, please remember).  For the afternoon run (on Tuesday and Thursday) we now meet at the PVHS at 3:00p to do weights and our run. 
Wednesday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a (Those who are running with the Varsity Boys crew will most likely be doing their workout today instead of the scheduled Thursday - everyone else with stick with the planned schedule)
Thursday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a.  EXCITING NEWS: milesplit (the hs track/xc website) will be at practice interviewing and recording our workout.  We highly encourage everyone to wear some Pine View gear if you have any.  Weights and short afternoon run at PVHS at 3:00p.
Friday: Meet at Vernon Worthen Park in the center of St. George at 7:00a
Saturday: On own or organize your own group run.

High Altitude Camp will be July 30-Aug 2 at Pine Lake near Bryce Canyon.  Practice Monday will be the final decision on who is qualified to go to camp.  All those wanting to go to camp, will need to run the Sand Hill - coaches will determine who qualifies for camp by effort on the run. You will also have to have been keeping your Final Surge updated and your registermyathlete completed (at least the paperwork part) and your physical complete and turned in to the school (it may not show as turned in on registermyathlete, however).

If you haven't signed up for Final Surge to record your runs, please do (see the posts below).  Also check below for info on registermyathlete registration info and physicals.  You MUST have your registermyathlete done and your physical complete to go to camp.

Weekly minutes can be found here. Make sure Weeks 4 and 5 have been updated - they will not be reviewed after this week.

Sand Hill - Last Monday we had our 2nd Sand Hill run of the summer.  It was very hot and dry and this probably affected times quite a bit, but there were still some very good efforts.  Times and records have been updated.

Thought of the Week: "Help create a GREAT TEAM by being a GREAT TEAMMATE." - unknown


Sunday, July 8, 2018

Week of July 9-14 (Week 6)

Hopefully everyone has had a good week. It is going to be great to be back together as a team on Monday!  Great job to all of you who got your runs in over the past week.  And thanks to all those who helped organize any group runs you may have done.  Just a reminder to get your Final Surge updated so minutes can be added up.  This is the last week that Coach will be going back through Weeks 1-3 and adding them to the totals.  Also, a huge thanks to those parents who have volunteered to drive to/from camp.  There will be a few steps that the district is requiring this year to be a volunteer driver (including a background check done at the district office, a volunteer form, and a drivers' safety video done online).  Coach will be getting this organized ASAP.

Recruiting - remember Coach Roberts is getting mini tacos to the Support Squad who recruits the most runners this week! Make some calls; send some texts; PICK SOME PEOPLE UP; let's get some people to join us!

Purpose of the week's workouts - So far, we have been increasing our base throughout the summer (you should be able to see this by how you have been getting more minutes each week on your Final Surge workout report).  Last week, the minutes were dropped slightly to allow for a little recovery.  This week, the minutes move up again quite a bit as we continue to work our aerobic base.  This is why summer running is so important... before you can run fast, you need to optimize your aerobic capacity, and this is done through a lot of long hot running!

Here's our schedule for the week -
Monday: Meet at Wash. Elem. at 6:30a. PLEASE WEAR A WATCH if you have one!
Tuesday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a with Kid's Club after (those who have treats, please remember).  For the afternoon run (on Tuesday and Thursday) we now meet at the PVHS at 3:00p to do weights and our run.   (For tips on running in the heat and the reasons for doubles check out the post from a couple weeks ago.)
Wednesday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a
Thursday: Wash. Elem. at 7:00a.  Weights and short afternoon run at PVHS at 3:00p.
Friday: Meet at Bloomington Hills North Park at 7:00a
Saturday: On own or organize your own group run.

High Altitude Camp will be July 30-Aug 2 at Pine Lake near Bryce Canyon.

If you haven't signed up for Final Surge to record your runs, please do (see the posts below).  Also check below for info on registermyathlete registration info and physicals.  You MUST have your registermyathlete done and your physical complete to go to camp.

Weekly minutes can be found here. 

Thought of the Week: "Run every day during the summer even when you don't have practice. Try and keep up with teammates who are faster than you. If you are one of the fastest on your team, encourage other runners to keep up with you." - Haley Herberg (A graduating California Sr. when asked to give advice to hs xc runners)

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Week of July 2-7 (Week 5)

I have finally recovered enough to get this week's blog up! A group of the boys went to Renegade Camp this past weekend up to the Tushar Mountains above Beaver and ran (hiked/climbed/survived) Mt. Baldy.  It was an amazing experience and gave these potential Varsity boys a great bonding and growth opportunity.
This week, the biggest news is that it is the Utah Moratorium Week - which means no coach led activities. This could be the most important week of the summer... why? Because without coaches, what are you and the team going to do? Are you going to step up and do all of your runs? Are you going to keep working together as a team? PLEASE make sure you are updating your Final Surge each day so the coaches can be giving some encouraging words and advice. Take a look at the quote below... it is what this week is all about.

Here's our schedule for the week - because of the moratorium, I can't post a schedule.  You know the runs (from your Final Surge or from here). But rumor has it that the captains will be hosting practice at the regular scheduled times.

There is no Youth Running Club this week.  We will meet again on July 10th.

High Altitude Camp will be July 30-Aug 2.  Last call.  Here's who has signed up (if you're name isn't here and you are planning to go, please contact Coach Holt ASAP - the shirt order is going in Monday):Pyper H., Rylee H., Scottie B., Bentley B., Josh H., Cooper D., Rayne K., Jose U., Alli B., Allison B., Yrene H., Evan B., Jenna B., Nathan B., James H., Gabs H., Landon W., Carson B., Elijah W., Jessica H., Jason L., Rylee D., Gracie C., Anna G., Addi B., Korbin D., Tavin B., Mikey A., Sylvia B., Caleb A., Julien C., Boston H., Luke H., Zack D., Kylee B., Kathy G.
Again a call for drivers - we will be looking for parents who can drive up and/or back from camp (and anyone who might want to stay with us any/all days).  Please contact Coach Holt if you are available.

If you haven't signed up for Final Surge to record your runs, please do (see the posts below).  Also check below for info on registermyathlete registration info and physicals.  You MUST have your registermyathlete done and your physical complete to go to camp.

Weekly minutes can be found here. 

Thought of the Week: "What you do when no one is watching is what separates a champion from everyone else." - unknown