Uniforms and such

Ladies,

I took the liberty of looking up a website to test some color combinations. The website is GTM Sportswear, and it has a way to build your custom team uniforms. I really wanted to find a way to show you what I was talking about earlier.

As you see, the tones of the blue and red are so closely matched it becomes almost disruptive. A thin white line separating the two panels would have gone a long way to make it look far more polished, but I don't see a way to make it happen. This is your call, but I ask you to test a few combinations out before you make your decision. Click on the image on the left for a larger view. You'll see what I mean.

Two of the places recommended by the Athletic Office were GTM and Dick Pond Athletics. They both have websites, though only GTM allowed you to build your order. I would recommend going to a place that allows custom graphics, because we might be able to whip up something that would work nicely. It would be an option anyway.

If you guys have some time after practice tomorrow, we could meet in my lab at BMS. I could log you all onto your own computers, and you could sit in the room and hash it out. It may get contentious, but at least the decision could be made in short order. I still want this to be your decision ultimately. I apologize for interjecting, but I also have to live with the decision you make for the next few years.

We will do some quality work tomorrow girls. I'll pull the covers off that workout when the time is right - say about 7:05 AM tomorrow.

What I see

Ladies,

It's interesting to watch you run from all perspectives. I enjoy running with you, but it's also useful to watch you run from a stationary position once in a while. This allows me to analyze your fitness and form and evaluate progress throughout the summer.

What I saw today...

You are all definitely stronger. Much stronger. At the beginning of summer you all looked ragged when we were climbing, or at least more so. Now there is power and authority in your motion. You are able to hold that speed over time, whereas before you would have fallen apart halfway through the workout. You have focus, evidenced by your faces as you climb. You have motivation, which you proved by challenging yourselves to finish the last one stronger than the first.

Yes, I was very impressed the last two weeks.

Now we have some health issues starting to creep in. Remember - ice is your friend. No one likes to do it, but precautionary icing can stave off a lot of problems before they get too serious. Do it. Change your shoes out if you have any sudden pains in the knees or hips. Stay on your stretching. This will help prepare you to run the workout. Run the workout as it is intended. If I say rest day, it's a rest day. Racing your rest day backfires, because I will be asking you to run hard on hard days. And you will run hard.

I am still trying to contact Mr. Callahan. I am assuming uniforms are a go until I hear differently. Seniors, you are in charge. Be inclusive, but steer this. 

I know, I know, it's getting old

Ladies,

I know you are sick of Washington Avenue. I know. Really. I know. I. Know.

Think of it this way though... after this week, some of you will never have to run on it again. Let that sink in. Ever. Again. And you'll miss it.

When the season starts, our options are limited. We have to run on or near the course at all times. The course is pretty hilly, really a bit too hilly to run every single day. We'll need to find some flatter runs to give your legs proper rest. We're stretched pretty thin on flatter options out there. And that's when you'll miss Washington Avenue.

Hang in there one more week!

Tomorrow we are working hard again, probably hills. I like to leave myself out in case I get an epiphany, but don't count on it. We are still in transitions phase as of now.

I'd like to remind everyone to get those physicals in! This would also be a good time to mention shoes... if you've been in the same pair for a while, it might be a good time to get a new pair for the season. Food for thought: I only put 300 miles on a pair of shoes. At my weight, I wear out the cushioning that fast. You won't get much more than that either. Remember, it's cheaper to buy shoes than visit the doctor.

I picked up a couple of catalogs from the Athletic Dept. today. I suggest the seniors head up the selection committee, unless you'd like me to pick the uniform. Don't worry, if you don't want to do it, I have my eye on some red plaid shorts and green polka dotted tops. I think they'd be excellent. I'll even get a set for myself if you want.

Ponder this

Ladies,

Ponder this...

• Eight weeks of your summer are gone
• For you seniors, this is your final summer
• Season officially starts a week from Monday
• Your first meet is four weeks from Monday
• Everyone runs Varsity in the first meet - no limit to team size
• I have no idea who the top-7 is right now, much less the top-3

It's crazy for me to think how quickly the summer has passed, and painful to think how quickly the season will go (and with it a truly terrific group of girls). I want to freeze this moment and keep it forever. And you haven't even raced yet.

You have something truly special - protect it jealously. Coach Jo hit on it yesterday in her comment section... the importance of understanding the worth and value of every member of this team, and more importantly, the absolute necessity of supporting every single girl as if they were your most valuable runner.

I've coached a lot of teams, both boys and girls. In some respects it's great when your numbers swell, because the odds of finding a successful combination of athletes goes up as the participation level rises, but there is also a risk. The more girls you put in a room, the more likely it is you will have drama. It's a fact, no getting around it.

This is where I have to call on your maturity, appeal to your ability to give of yourselves for the common good. See, THAT'S where girls usually shine above boys - you understand that others have feelings and want to be wanted. You also have a much better communal understanding and are usually far more willing to cooperate than are boys. Boys will follow leaders because they are regimented (mainly); girls follow leaders because they want to be part of something (mainly). 

That oversimplifies the issue I know, but as a rule of thumb you can follow that logic. So... if you are a leader (or hope to become one) how does this help you? Easy. Be the person you would follow. Do you like it when people are negative to you all the time? Do you like it when people yell at you? Do you like it when people exclude you?

Answer is obvious - no! You follow people because you respect them. You respect them because they imbue qualities you wish you had, and hope to develop. Leaders inspire you, make you feel necessary and more importantly wanted. Leaders can be fun to be around, are forgiving of human nature when possible, understand we are all limited in our own ways, and forgive. Leaders lead by setting a good example, by seeking the best in themselves, never taking the easy way out. 

Think of anyone you really admire and respect, anyone at all in your life that fits the bill. Could be an older relative, a friend, a sibling, but have you ever thought about what makes you want to listen to them? Those can be the qualities of leadership. 

This sport has an individual component, true enough, but the truth is nobody on this team is going anywhere without the team. No one can do it on their own. Day-by-day, each and every one of you benefits by being surrounded by all these girls. 

You absolutely can and should compete with one another to be the best on the team, but even if you reach the goal, the very next thing you should reach for is the hand of the girl behind you, so that you may help lift her up to a higher place. A true leader wants each and every girl on the team to be their very best, even if it means that girl may knock the leader out of the top spot. Only in this way can the team progress as far as possible by season's end. A leader is a servant, always looking for ways to make things better for the team. 

I mean this sincerely when I say developing your potential as a leader is of far greater importance to me than developing your running. Sports are the great metaphor of life, and believe it or not, the original purpose of sports was just that - to develop team-building, leadership, cooperation... skills that are necessary for life. We sometimes forget that in pursuit of the win. Don't lose focus of what's truly important here - your development as a productive adult, someone to be admired and respected, and someone who has a great deal to contribute to our society.

I'm so proud of you ladies, I truly am. You all have good souls, and I think you do care about one another. Every now and then, I think it's worth reminding you that we need to make the effort to show one another.

Great workout!

Ladies,

Taking the blessing of fine weather, we were able to complete a quality workout today that was extremely encouraging. We are in a transitional phase of our training now, moving from the base period onto strength and ultimately speed. Yes, there has been a plan all along.

I touched on this during the run, but probably all you heard was, "Wah wah wah WAH, wah wuh-wuh WAH!" Let me put it into words that you can re-read (if necessary). ;)

Base phase is exactly what is suggests - you are building up endurance and time on your feet. This will take weeks to accomplish if done properly, and I think we've done a pretty good job of it. We didn't quite hit the numbers I wanted - we never do, I never do - but I think we got what we could. Moreover, I think we arrived to this point relatively healthy (definitely more so than last year).

Next phase is strength. This is a transitional phase, and absolutely necessary as a means of getting to the speed phase. Running is a repetitive motion activity, and your body learns to be very efficient at things it does repetitively. You've become optimized to run efficiently at a slower pace. While we needed the slower pace until your strength and endurance built, it's not optimal for racing. So we now find ourselves in the place of fulfilling step one and moving to step two.

Today's workout would be more accurately described as a form workout. We haven't spent much time talking about running form, but expect that to change. There will be a lot more focus in the coming weeks on proper techniques all around. But to the point... your running form will change as we run faster. It will be uncomfortable at first, not because you aren't strong enough to do it, rather because you're not used to it. Don't worry, it will zero in quickly, especially if you've been faster before.

I know you ladies want to swim or do something fun tomorrow, but the truth is we need to run some miles. We are in the midst of a very rare opportunity, that is to build some mileage without a high level of suffering. I don't think we need a bunch of miles, but we definitely don't need a swim. A five or six mile run will be fine, practice will end quickly, and you should all feel pretty good about it.

Another reason to run - we need to pump some toxins out. While today wasn't a super stressful day, you're going to feel it. It will manifest as muscle soreness in areas you're not used to feeling sore. We need an easy run to begin flushing the toxins that will be causing that pain. We won't go as far, we want it to be active rest, but we need to run.

You ladies have built a summer to be proud of. Let's make sure we finish it the right way.

Wasn't it great?

Ladies,

Ahh... the sweet respite of a cool summer morning. It was cold enough to force me to don a jacket while waiting for you to arrive. Perfect.

The run itself went very well. It was good to see all of you out there, and it was also good to see the miles getting done. Hey, and we even got off Washington Avenue!

Tomorrow we'll run again of course, some up-tempo stuff, though not as hard as Tuesday. I'll tell you when you get there. Don't freak, and don't worry about it. It'll be another cool morning, so it will feel fine no matter what.

I did stop by the Athletic Office today, and they gave me the schedule as it stands. Now this may change, but for now, this is what we have:

Aug. 26 - BNL Fall Invite
Sept. 5 - North Harrision Invite
Sept. 14 - Brown County Invite
Sept. 21 - Crawford County Invite
Sept. 28 - BNL "Ted Fox" Invite
Oct. 3 - Middle School Invite
Oct. 5 - HHC
Oct. 8 - N.E. Dubois Invite
Oct. 15 - Sectional
Oct. 19 - Regional
Oct. 26 - Semi-State
Nov. 2 - State

Get the physicals in!

Hills were ablaze

Ladies,

That was a really nice hill workout this morning. No kidding. I was impressed with how you handled yourselves on it. It's one of those workouts that everyone hates, but you have to try your best to do. They make you stronger, no doubt about it.

It's going to be really important as we move through the remaining time in summer that we hit as many practices as possible. Missing days early in the training cycle aren't that important - they are now. Consistency is what makes runners great. Try your best to drag yourselves out of bed, no matter how tired you are. You'll be thankful later you did.

Physicals must come in. I will be getting loads of hate mail very soon on the topic, so don't wait.

Easier day tomorrow!