4 Weeks to Go!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to do something that I really love. Talk to other coaches about our TEAM! I was able to make a trip down to Albuquerque, New Mexico on Thursday to talk to the New Mexico High School Track and XC Coaches Association about running at Mountain Vista. Very cool for me, but these opportunities come about because we have such a great group of dedicated and selfless athletes at MVHS. The coaching staff feels very fortunate everyday to work with such a great group of kids and parents. 

There are 4 more weeks left in the off-season. In 5 weeks, we will be racing again. As a whole, we are preparing as a TEAM very well for the upcoming spring competition schedule. Keep it up Vista Nation! The work you are putting in now is going to pay off BIG TIME with some great performances this spring. 

Remember, stay consistent and keep having fun! These are the most important things to your spring track prep.

"Going the Extra Mile"
It seems that a lot of runners on the TEAM, both boys and girls, are running more mileage each week than they were during the XC season. This is great to see! However, I want you to stay accountable to how much you are running. I recommend that each of you keep a running log to make sure you are not over-doing-it. At the most, you should only be adding about 3-5 miles more a week from what you were doing in the fall. This should help to keep you healthy as the season moves on while also progressing your fitness.

A few of you are also working in an extra run 2 to 3 times a week right now. I'm okay with you doing this in the morning throughout the week, but please keep A.M. runs to 30-35 mins easy. These runs should never be fast, and the focus should always be on recovery.

Upcoming Indoor Meets
Congrats to Ashlee Johnson who started off her season by running 2:21 for 800 this weekend at the Tony Wells indoor meet at CU on Saturday! 

This weekend there is a small indoor meet up in Boulder again. However, I would like for many of you to seriously think about racing on Saturday, Febuary 8th down at the Air Force Academy. This will probably be the most competitive indoor meet in CO this season, and a great fitness indicator of where you are at right now. I plan on driving down for this meet, and will post info next weekend about carpooling to the Academy. Below is the link to the meet, but the 400, 800, Mile, and 2-Mile will all be contested. There will also be a 4x400 if you would like to put a TEAM or 2, or 3 together for this. 
http://co.milesplit.com/meets/155825-air-force-high-school-indoor-open

National Signing Day
Next Wednesday is the National Letter of Intent signing ceremony  for any athletes that have already committed to run at the collegiate level next year. These are the athletes that have told me that they are taking part in the ceremony that day:
Ashlee Johnson-U.S. Coast Guard Academy 
Connor Weaver-Brigham Young University
Michael Pons-Fort Lewis State

If anyone else has already committed please tell me. If you are not signing this day it does not mean that you can't still run collegially next year (I didn't sign until April of my Senior year). February 5th happens to be the day that Vista does their signing ceremony though. 

Schedule for January 27th to February 2nd
We are going to travel twice this week on both Thursday and Friday. Please make plans to arrange a ride if you need a lift on either day. If you can't find one, please talk to the coaches.
Monday-Vista 3:10 (aerobic run)
                      30 to 50 minute aerobic run + 6 x 100 +Weights
Tuesday-Vista 3:10 (medium long run)
                      40 to 60 minutes + 4x150 Fart-lek + Injury Prevention
Wednesday-Vista 3:10 (hills circuits) + Weights
Thursday-Vista 3:10  (Aerobic Run) 
                       30 to 50 minutes + 6x100 + Injury Prevention
Friday-Redstone Park Tennis Courts 3:20 (Progression/Negative Split Run)
                  + Power Hills  + Injury Prevention
Saturday-Long Run on your own, or w/ a teammate
                        55, 65, or 75 minutes 
                        If you have not yet run 55 mins since December 1st simply add 5 mins to the 
                          longest run you have done on Saturday this week.
Sunday-30 to 60 minutes easy, or REST

T-Shirts are In
If you ordered an end of the season XC T-Shirt and have not received it yet, please stop by and see Coach Selle. All shirts are now in. 

Hill and Tempo Workouts
Keep consistent and have fun! This is the message that I want everyone on the TEAM to remember as we continue to roll through the winter off-season. The work you are putting in now is going to have you much better prepared a month from now once we start racing on the track. Keep up the excellent work Vista! 

This week we are going to start working in 1 hill workout and 1 tempo workout. This is something we will do each week between now and March. The purpose of these types of early season workouts are to start developing your speed through hills and to build your aerobic strength through tempo runs and intervals.  The coaching staff's experience is that if athletes can consistently work in these kinds of quality efforts during the pre-season they will lead to bigger gains once we start racing. 

If you have been consistent with your training so far this winter (running 6 to 7 days a week) you will want to be at your peak mileage right now. This is something you will try to hold on to all the way until April in order to develop aerobically. Keep consistent each week with your long runs and medium-long runs and remember to have fun in the process! 

800 Meter Group
If you are in Coach Cooke's 800 meter training group and are interested in getting on the track one extra time this week please talk with him at practice before the weekend. If anyone else is interested in specializing as more of a 400/800 athlete please come talk to us. 

Schedule for the Week
Mon-No school, 
            Medium long run on your own
Tue-Vista 3:10
            Hill Workout
            Weights
Wed-Rocky Heights MS Parking Lot @ 3:20. 
             40-60 min Aerobic Run w/4x150 meter strides
Thur-Vista 3:10 
              40-60 min Aerobic Run
              Weights
Fri-Vista 3:10
         Tempo Fartlek 
Sat-Long Run, on your own or w/ a teammate
          Up to 70 mins, 80 mins, or 90 mins for the long run
Sun- O.Y.O
            30 to 60 mins easy, or rest

Clinic Notes
Later this week I am going to travel to Albuquerque to speak at the New Mexico Track/XC Coaches Association clinic.  I've posted my presentation notes about middle and long distance training for high school athletes for those of you that enjoy being "students of the sport."
Middle and Long Distance Training for HS Athletes

Tony Wells Memorial, CU-Boulder
This weeks indoor meet is at CU-Boulder on Saturday. Online registration for this meet needs to be in by Thursday night at 7:00  if you are interested in participating. The link to the meet info is below. Distance events being contested on Saturday are the 800 and 1500 meter runs.
http://www.colorado.usatf.org/Youth/Youth-Upcoming-Events.aspx

Be Consistent and Have Fun
So far we are off to a great start with official winter conditioning! We had between 50 and 60 athletes out running with us last week in the wind and cold. This is potentially a great sign of things to come. I want to keep emphasizing with everyone the 2 key ingredients to our success this season, being consistent and having fun! The best way to achieve your goals is to have fun training with your teammates everyday and being consistent with your running. Run everyday that you can, 6 to 7 days a week. Being successful in distance running, or anything else in life, requires consistent hard work. Set a goal for yourself this season, work consistently towards it, and have fun with your teammates in the process.

Goal Setting
If you would like to sit down and talk goals for the upcoming season please tell me or Coach Cooke sometime soon. We would love to hear about your goals for the season and help to guide you down a path that will give you your best chance to achieve them.

Martin Luther King Jr Mile-High Classic
There is an indoor meet at the Air Force Academy this Sunday. There is not a lot of info up right now, but check the Colorado Milesplit page for details. I do know that the meet starts at 9 a.m. and that the following events will be contested on Sunday in this order:
60 meter hurdles/Mile run/400 meter dash/60 meter dash/800 run/200 dash/4x1 lap relay

If you decide to go down and race keep things low key. Times are not important right now. Relax and have fun at the meet. You can worry about times later on in the season.

T-Shirt Orders
If you ordered an end of the season XC shirt most of them are in. Stop by Selle's room to pick them up. If you ordered a shirt without print on the back your shirts will be in next week. I will email everyone when those shirts come in.

Schedule for January 13th-19th
Whichever training plan you decide to go with this winter stay consistent with it. We would like to see athletes sticking with one plan and not bouncing back and forth between different training plans. This will help you to stay healthy and reach your potential come spring. I have listed all of the potential runs for the week below. 
Mon: Aerobic run
            40, 50, or 60 mins + 6x100 strides 
Tue: Aerobic run
           35, 45 or 50 mins + weights
Wed: Medium Long Run
            40- 50, 60, or 70 mins + 6 power hills
Thur: Aerobic Run
            35, 45, or 50 mins + weights
Fri: Aerobic Run (No School, run on your own)
           40, 50 or 60 mins + strides 
Sat: Long Run 
         on your own or w/ a teammate
         up to 60 mins, 70-75, 85 mins
Sun: Optional Run
           30 to 60 mins easy
Mon: Medium Long Run (No School, run on your own)
           40-50 mins, 60 mins, or 70 min run + Strides