3 Week 20 of 21 Day Challenge
Over the next 3 weeks I am going to throw a challenge out to every member of the TEAM. The challenge is simple, run 20 runs over the next 21 days (Jan 26th to Feb 15th). It doesn't matter if you are running on Sunday's, or doing a double once a week, your challenge is still the same. Try to run 20 times, in 20 days.  

The goal here is consistency, how often are you training? The athletes that are the most consistent in their training this winter will be the ones that have the best spring seasons. Stick with the appropriate training plan (A,B, or C), but go out and get in your miles. They will make a huge difference when it's time to start racing! 

Western State High School Indoor Open 
This Saturday is the Western State HS Indoor Open. All entries are due Wednesday before noon. Athletes that plan on participating must register themselves. Please remember that due to the CHSCA Track & Field Coaching clinic Coach Dalby will not be able to attend the meet. Athletes will need to make their own travel arrangements if you plan on competing at Western. 
Online Entry Site: http://www.directathletics.com/meets/track/36399.html
Official Meet Information: http://co.milesplit.com/articles/142099-do-you-have-gunnison-plans-for-this-winter#.VMVbFxY75UQ

USA Cross Country Championships
Saturday, February 7th is the USA XC Championships, being held in Boulder, CO. This will be a very unique event, and will give our athletes a chance to see the sport of cross country being contested by professional athletes at the highest level possible. We plan to travel together as a team to Boulder on the 7th. Please make transportation arrangements with your teammates, or parents to meet in the MVHS parking lot at 7:00 a.m. that morning.
Meet Information: http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2015/USATF-Cross-Country-Championships.aspx

We do plan on participating in the HS 4K race before the elite races. This is open to all HS athletes that want to take part. The race is only 4K and will be very low pressure. Afterwards, we will stick around to watch the professionals race at a chance to qualify for the World XC Championships. 
HS 4K Registration: http://raceroster.com/events/2015/3704/2015-usa-cross-country-championships

Kansas University Relays Trip
As you have heard, due to the high cost of travel to Arizona during spring break we have decided to change our out-of-town trip for this season. Instead of the Chandler Rotary Invitational in March, we will now be competing with our varsity athletes at the University of Kansas Relays on April 17th-18th. We will be taking approximately 30 athletes on this trip, and the cost to each athlete will be just over $300. Plane tickets on Southwest airlines have already been reserved for the trip. Attached is our tentative itinerary for the meet.
KU Relays Trip Itinerary

This is a qualifying meet. In each event, including relays, athletes must be one of the top entrants in that event. Most events take up to 36 entries, but a few allow for 45. Here are last years results, which should give you an idea of the level of competitiveness of each event.
2014 KU Relays Results 

Athletes will have until April 11th to post event marks in-order to qualify for the KU Relays.

Updated Spring Schedule
Due to the change in the spring break trip the 2015 meet schedule has been slightly altered. Here is the updated schedule. 
2015 MVHS Track & Field Schedule (pdf)

Schedule for January 26th-February 1st
Mon-MVHS 3:10
           45-65 minute aerobic run + Strides + Weights
Tue-MVHS 3:10
           Tempo Intervals + Core
Wed-Rocky Heights MS 3:20
           35-55 minute aerobic run + strides
Thur-MVHS 3:10
            The Oregon Workout + Weights
Fri-Vista vs Ranch B-Ball Game
       No Practice
       Run O.Y.O 35-45 mins
Sat-Long Run. On a soft hilly surface if possible.
        -60,70 or 80 mins 
        -If competing in Gunnision do the long run on Sunday
Sun-35-45 min run O.Y.O, or Rest
         -Long run if you raced on Saturday

This week we will take a step back in our mileage, and give you a little bit of a break from the normal volume we have been running the past 2 weeks. But lets not mistake less for easy. There is still a lot of work to do, but so far this winter we have done a nice job getting in what we need to. 

I want to continue to push everyone to meet the goal of running 20 of 21 days every three weeks. This week is the end of our first 20 of 21 day cycle. If you haven't had a day off in a few weeks this weekend is the time to take it. In addition, if you have been running a double once a week, and taking Sunday off instead, this week is the week to only run 6 times.

USA Cross Country Championships February 7th
If you have not registered yet for the high school race at the US XC Championships on February 7th that information is below. This is open for everyone to register. We plan on taking the entire team up to be a part of a really special event. The race is only 4K and will be very low pressure. Afterwards, we will stick around to watch the professionals race for a chance to qualify for the World XC Championships. 
http://raceroster.com/events/2015/3704/2015-usa-cross-country-championships

Schedule for January 19th-25th
Mon-No  School, run no your own
           40 to 60 mins
Tue-Redstone Park 3:20
           Progression Run 40 to 60 mins
Wed-MVHS 3:10
           Aerobic run 30-45 mins + Strides + Weights
Thur-MVHS 3:10
           Short Hills (2 sets of 6x100 w/ 100 jog recovery. 100 meter walk between sets)
           Warm-up 2 to 3 miles. Cool-down 1-2 miles.
Fri-MVHS 3:10
        Long run, 50, 60, or 70 minutes on the E/W trail, or the trails behind school.
Sat-Run on your own 
         30 to 50 minutes -or-
        CU Indoor Meet
Sun-Run on your own if you need 20/21 days
          -or- rest

Despite the weather last week we still had a great week of training! It is always hard to stay consistent in the off-season when it's cold and snowy outside, but we did an excellent job last week getting in the needed work in preparation for the season. Keep it up! The work that you are putting in now will pay off big time once we start racing again in March.

Schedule for January 12th-18th: 4 Day Weekend
We will not have practice over the 4 day weekend. Get out and run on your own these days, or call a teammate. 
Mon-MVHS 3:10 
             40-60 min aerobic run + 6x100 Strides
Tue-MVHS 3:10 
          -Long Hills, 4-5 x 45 seconds + weights
Wed-MVHS 3:10
            -35-50 min aerobic run + core
Thur-Redstone Park 3:20
           -Tempo workout, 3-4 x 5 mins on 1 min off
Fri-No School, run on your own
      -35-50 mins aerobic
Sat-Long Run on your own 
        -60, 75 , or 90 mins
Sun-Run on your own, or rest
         -35 to 50 mins
Monday-Martain Luther King Jr Day/No School
                -Run on your own
                -40 t0 60 min aerobic run
Tuesday (January 20th)
-Meet at Redstone Park 3:20 for a progression run

Going the Extra Mile: Doubles vs. Sunday Runs  and 20/21 Days
I am going to start encouraging more of our athletes to begin running on Sunday's. Running on Sunday is a great way to increase your weekly mileage without having to run doubles during the week. Just make sure that your Sunday runs are always under control and at a comfortable aerobic pace. I suggest 30-50 mins (4 to 7 miles) for your Sunday runs. Take a day off when you need it. At the minimum, make sure you take at least one day off every 3 weeks. This would be running 20 of 21 days in a 3 week cycle. 

For athletes that would prefer to take Sunday off, but still want to get 7 runs in a week, you can always run a double if you choose to. For athletes that choose to double instead of run on Sunday  I suggest doing a second run of 30-50 mins (4 to 7 miles) one day a week before school. 

If you are unsure which option is best for you please come speak with me so that we can workout an appropriate plan for your training. 

This week we resume regular off-season practices in preparation for the upcoming track season as a TEAM. The work we put in now will be the most important factor in the success we have on the track this spring. We will also be beginning some light workouts this week. Hill workouts will be relatively short at this point in order to start improving our speed. The negative split run will be just that, a run where you go out-and-back running faster the second half of the run. I am not concerned with a fast pace at this point. Only that we begin to get into the mindset of telling our bodies how to start running at different paces again. 

XC Records and Team History Updated
We had 42 new additions to our all-time XC best list this year! The updated class and all-time XC records have been updated on the records page. The team history documents have also been updated. I am currently working on our track records for the 800, 1600, 3200 and 4x800. They will hopefully be completed by the end of January. 
All-Time XC 5,000 Records by Grade
Girls Team History: 2002-2014
Boys Team History: 202-2014

Going the Extra Mile: Doubles vs. Sunday Runs  and 20/21 Days
I am going to start encouraging more of our athletes to begin running on Sunday's. Running on Sunday is a great way to increase your weekly mileage without having to run doubles during the week. Just make sure that your Sunday runs are always under control and at a comfortable aerobic pace. I suggest 30-50 mins (4 to 7 miles) for your Sunday runs. Take a day off when you need it. At the minimum, make sure you take at least one day off every 3 weeks. This would be running 20 of 21 days in a 3 week cycle. 

For athletes that would prefer to take Sunday off, but still want to get 7 runs in a week, you can always run a double if you choose to. For athletes that choose to double instead of run on Sunday  I suggest doing a second run of 30-50 mins (4 to 7 miles) one day a week before school. 

If you are unsure which option is best for you please come speak with me so that we can workout an appropriate plan for your training. 

Upcoming Winter Races for January
There will be several opportunities this month for athletes to race if you are looking to break up the monotony of winter training. The purpose of racing in the off-season is purley to test your fitness, break up some of boredom of training, and most importantly to HAVE FUN!!!!! These should be low key events without any pressure being put on yourself. 

Unfortunately our plans to go to the Western State meet on the 30th as a team have changed. That same weekend I have to be at our state coaches track/XC clinic and will not be able to attend. However, several athletes on the team have already made plans to go to the meet in Gunnison. We will talk more about Gunnison this week at practice. For now, here is a list of racing opportunities this month. 

• January 10th: Fort Collins Track Club Invitational @ CU Boulder
• January 17th: Frosty Frozen 5 Miler at Hudson Garden's Littleton
• January 24th: Tony Wells Indoor Invitational @ CU Boulder
• January 30th: Western State HS Shootout @ Western State University in Gunnison

Spring Break Trip to Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational in Arizona
Our plans for the upcoming spring break trip to the Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational are currently being finalized. I will begin touching base with athletes this week about intentions to come on the trip. Here are the preliminary details.

• Trip Dates: Leaving the evening of Thursday, March 19th. Returning the morning of Sunday, March 22nd. 
• Meet Website for the Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational
• Cost: $500-$600 for hotel, flights, rental cars, meals, and spending money
• Both a distance medley relay and 4x800 will be contested at the meet, which will potentially allow us to take a few additional athletes. 
• Boys Qualifying Marks for entry into Chandler Rotary 
  

             800-2:02.5
             1600-4:43.0
             3200-10:35.0

• Girls Qualifying Marks for entry into Chandler Rotary

             800-2:30.0
             1600- 5:40.0
             3200-12:30.0

• Athletes that do not have qualifying marks, but show the potential to do so may make a relay team for the meet. However, training in the off-season must be consistent. 

Workouts/Schedule for January 5th-11th
Monday-MVHS 3:10 
   Aerobic Run: 45-65 mins w/3 laps Fart-lek + core
Tuesday-MVHS 3:10
   Negative Split Run: 4 to 6 miles + Weight Room
Wednsday-MVHS 3:10
   Aerobic Run: 40-60 mins + 4 x 150 and core
Thursday-MVHS 3:10
   Speed Workout/Short Hills (100 meter Repeats) + Weight Room
Friday-East/West Trail Head on Daniel's Park Rd
   Long Run: 60-80 minutes
Saturday-Aerobic run on your own, or w/ a teammate
   A Group-40 mins
   B Group-50 mins
   C Group-60 mins
Sunday-Run on your own, or w/ a teammate 
    Aerobic Run 30-50 mins

Middle School Winter Running
Middle school athletes running with Coach Sprafke this winter will meet at the same times and locations as the high school athletes, but will be on a different training schedule that is age/grade appropriate. The focus of the middle school winter program is to continue to provide opportunities for our younger athletes to run in a safe, and fun environment. Middle school runners are welcome to come out and run with Coach Sprakfe as much, or as little, as they choose each day. There is no cost to join the winter middle school running club. 

Middle schoolers are welcome to participate in any of the races mentioned above, with the exception of the Western State HS meet. Both CU meets have middle school divisions.