Summer is over... sorta

Ladies,

Congratulations! You have concluded our first summer together in training, and I am proud to say you have done an excellent job of participating. Most of you have come on a very regular basis, and thus have acquired a good start to a successful cross season this fall. I'm proud of you!

Now the real work begins... season starts now! The immediate changes you will see - Saturday practices! Yup, we'll need to practice six days a week from now on. Now, now, no tears. It'll be okay. ;)

Next is we'll probably go a bit longer on practice. This won't be a great increase - our running time will go up slightly, though not too much more. What will take more time is completing workouts, because some workouts are not continuous running. Take intervals, for instance. You might run 8 miles total, but there are breaks between the harder segments. These breaks make the run take longer. All of you are quite capable of handling the load, so don't sweat it. The IHSAA allows 2 1/2 hours a day for practice. We'll never use anywhere near that amount. Of course this depends on you! Show up on time, we get started on time, you leave on time. Simple formula.

We'll also see our multi-sport athletes occasionally miss a workout. Coach Roberts and I will discuss the schedule and we'll see how we can work it out. Rest assured, we will work it out. Everything will be fine.

Bake sale is Saturday, August 11th, 10-4 PM at Walmart. If you can be there, be there. We can do shifts, too. You girls work it out.

A little farther

Ladies,

I don't know if you realize it, but today was a milestone.

This is the first time I didn't split the distance up much for the group on an individual basis. Of course the exception was the girl gone on a mission trip, but the rest of you were tasked with going the same distance. Today's run was on a course we call the Long 10k, because it's, well, a long 10k. You went 6.4 miles, which is one of the longest runs of the summer. It was the first time some of you went that distance. Judging by the way things went, we've made some great progress.

That doesn't mean it was easy - I know some of you suffered more than others. I took a couple of you off the front and pushed a bit. That needs to happen. You won't always be able to train completely together. Plainly put, some of you are faster than others. That's normal.

Something to remember about running cross - usually, the best way to help your team is to be the best runner you can be. Both on an individual and team basis, the better you run, the better you/the team scores. So to some extent, training has to be a selfish pursuit.

This doesn't mean you ignore the needs of your team. A very good question was asked of me today. Here it is, as best as I can paraphrase it:

"If we're running together, and someone falls off the back, should we wait on her?"

It's not a black-and-white answer, but I'll do my best. There's a great big "It depends" I'll apply here. Is this a hard workout? If so, continue on with your own run. Do you think the person is hurt? If so, go back and check. If the person is okay, usually it will be best to push on. For that reason the responsibility to check on fallen runners should fall to the better runners, as they have the best chance to rejoin the group if they fall behind. Can you encourage the person to run beyond what they believe to be possible if you stay? If so, and if the workout isn't critical to you, stay with them. Would it be unsafe to leave the person alone? If so, stay with them.

The thing we can't encourage is slower running on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes there is a struggle to bridge from one's current position to the pack. Everyone goes through it, it's part of running. This is unavoidable. However, for the most part, this is also short lived. We are wired with a pack mentality, and we find a way, one way or another, to get back to the group.

Bake Sale
I have contacted Walmart, and the application (yes, there is an application process) is being processed. I have set us down for this Saturday or next Saturday, the open weekends we have left. I don't know if this is going to happen or not, nor do I know when I'll know one way or another. You'll know when I know.

Practice this week at Parkview, 8 AM. 

It's here!

Well ladies, season officially starts on Wednesday. We've spent a good summer together, not it's time to get busy for real.

Physicals - they have to be in by Wednesday. They have to be - it's an IHSAA rule. You cannot even practice without one. There are no exceptions to this rule.

We will practice this week at Parkview. Wendy will not be around until the end of the week, so supervision elsewhere is unavailable.

We had a very successful car wash last Friday. I will be checking with Walmart management tomorrow regarding a bake sale.

School starts in two weeks! Let me take this opportunity to remind you all I expect the best of you not only in your athletic pursuits, but in your academic lives as well. You are student-athletes, not athlete-students. Grades will always come first.

Wednesday is official "Bring a Friend to Practice Day". If we're going to have new girls, the sooner the better. 

Car wash

Ladies,

Tomorrow is the car wash. Signs, hoses, sponges, soap, etc... hope you have them. I will pick up what I need to get after you folks arrive. I think that's probably the easiest way. I'll buy pizza for lunch as well. We'll run 3 miles at 8 AM from Parkview, you go to breakfast, then we meet back at the club at 10 AM.

Runs have been good this week, by the way. Training is starting to come around!

Hills are hard, aren't they?

Ladies,

As I promised last week, we did hills. Maybe we ran in town, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll run easily. We are progressing to the point where we have to pick up intensity. Today certainly did that.

We ran a series of 8 hills near the water company. This hill doesn't look like much, but it's the perfect mix of pitch, length, and safety. Ask anyone who did them. It was tough.

Tomorrow we'll probably tempo. We need to get this in starting this week, and it's only going to get hotter. Better to do it now. I would also advise anyone who can carry water on a run to do so. You won't be able to stop during the hard segment for water.

Car Wash!
The Boys Club is booked for Saturdays from now on. We can do it this Friday, which is not a terrible idea, all things considered. I'll need an answer tomorrow. 

Great Week!

Ladies,

This is more like it. It's been a struggle to get folks healthy, but we are definitely making inroads. A few of you are really beginning to progress in big ways; the others are making steady progress. No, it wasn't an optimal start to the off season, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Pushing an injury is never a good idea.

We've survived the first week of hills, and I must say, I've begun to look at some of you in a completely different way. We have some climbers! That's fortunate, since our course is so hilly.

Tomorrow we're going to swim. We'll have some company - a few of my tri friends will be there. Once again, I like to have responsible adult role models around you guys. This isn't just sport, it's a lifestyle, and hopefully in us you can see how this can turn into a life-long pursuit. These are some of the best people I've ever known.

Next week we're going back to the city running, but we're still going to do hills. I'm going to mix up the routes so you start climbing a LOT more. So... tomorrow, BNL pool. Monday, Parkview.

Very, very humid

Ladies,

Hello, Summer! The real July heat and humidity was with us today, and even though the run was supposed to be easy, it wasn't. There isn't much to say for it - it was miserable out there. The "just-stand-and-sweat-your-shirt-out" kind of day. These days will happen, but remember this; in the end, if you can endure it, it will make you much tougher when the cooler weather finally does arrive.

Our distances and hills are increasing. Stick with it, things will get better. Then they'll get harder again. Then they'll get better. See a pattern yet? It's true of all sports, not just this one. Understand the process, and it will make getting through it much easier.

Wendy will be with us tomorrow, so we're going to run the railroad bed. I'm going to bring water (and a bow saw to clear the fallen branch on the trail). We're starting from BNL, running to the trail, running to the end of the trail, then running back. That works out to almost a perfect 5-mile run. I will send a few of you out for a bit more when you get back.

Physicals - get them in! I have one (1) turned in so far. 

First day on the course

Ladies,

Today marked the first time this season we ran on the course. As expected, the drought has dried the course to the bone, making it resemble Utah more than southern Indiana. The hard pack makes for sure footing, so I don't think there was any trouble with tripping or such.

We also started hills. This is a key portion of the strength training we'll do. We've spent the summer so far getting healthy and slowly building miles; now we are adding hills. We'll still build miles, but we have to increase the load. To some, it will feel like we've started training all over again. To those that know, it's just another notch up on the stress level.

The focus today was on hill running technique. To run hills, you must follow some key rules:

• Keep your eyes on the top of the climb
• Exaggerate your arm motion, thrusting upward forcefully
• Shorten your stride
• Raise the knees higher
• Maintain effort, not pace

You will slow down on a hill, there's no getting around it. By being efficient, you can minimize the loss of pace, thereby gaining an advantage over runners who are less efficient.

Our course is beautiful but hilly. We will run on it at least four times this season (in meets), so it behooves us to learn how to run it effectively.

Practice at BNL all week - meet by the pool entrance! And... be on time!

Limestone 5k and more

Ladies,

We had a pretty good week of training, and it capped with the Limestone 5k. This was not a race I wanted to see 100% effort applied, to the point the finishing times are not that important. What I really wanted to see was how the race panned out for you, what you were thinking about throughout, and what you learned. If you got a great finish, fantastic; if not, you still learned from it.

That said, the top finisher was Danielle. She was the 3rd person in the age group, which is actually a strong finish, considering 1 and 2 were the Crane sisters. They've been training all summer, I know, I've seen them out there regularly. It was a strong showing, even if it didn't feel like it.

Shelby and Zoe ran in together, and they looked controlled when they passed me on the course (around 1.5 miles in). I know it was easier than you wanted to do, but you followed directions.

Morgan and Chloe came in together a bit later, and since this is the first 5k for both, I can't find fault with anything at all.

I will be asking you girls about your races tomorrow. Be ready!

All this week we'll be at BNL. We need to do this to facilitate athletes we are sharing with soccer. That's okay; we need to start running hills now anyway. It's going to get harder ladies, starting tomorrow!

Hatchery

Ladies,

Does this look familiar? Yup, that dog we saw at the Hatchery? I was mistakenly calling it a Corgi, but in actuality it was a Basenji. It's an African breed, notable for its unique yodeling bark and the ability to climb wire fences with ease. It is also listed as the second least trainable dog.

Today we ran the Hatchery, distances were 6, 5, and 4 miles. In the second mile we threw in a one-mile Indian run, and I had to chuckle when I heard Danielle's war whoop every time she wanted someone else to take the lead. Very, very cute.

Zoe was given a large task - I wanted her to catch up to Danielle and Shelby, who'd opened a pretty big gap. She did, and did it in a most excellent fashion. I was really impressed.

The truth is I'm seeing a lot of improvement all around. We're not completely healthy, but we are getting better. Season starts soon, and I'm hoping we're really ready to turn it on at that point.

Tomorrow we swim at BNL, 8 AM.

Railroad Bed

Ladies,

For the second time this summer, we tried out the railroad bed. It was a great run this morning! We ran the full trip to Foote's Tomb together, then split into groups. Everyone got a good look at the area, and other than the tree limb dropped by the storm, the course was very pleasant.

Wendy took a group through the trails to the side, and I was pleased to see so many accept the challenge. Not everyone is healthy enough to do so yet, but hopefully before long we'll all be well enough to run everywhere.

Tomorrow we do the Hatchery. Friday - swimming at BNL!

We're back!

Today's Garmin wearer was Chloe. Check out her run data!

A few things we discussed today:

• Our state series has been redistricted, meaning our Sectional will include both Bloomington schools. 
• We have only a few weeks to prepare for the start of the season, so our mileage will increase where possible.
• We have to be very careful about injuries! We are running out of time to rehabilitate.
• Limestone 5k is this weekend. 
• Alli brought up the issue of a car wash fundraiser. Details are being worked out.
• Tomorrow will be at Parkview, Wednesday will be East Lawrence Water, Thursday the Hatchery, Friday undecided.

Running distances today were 6, 5, 4, 3 miles. Most girls appear to have run during moratorium week, which is good. Consistency is what makes a great endurance athlete. 

We will run some speed tomorrow. Be ready!