First Week of Practice
Official practice begins this week. Because of the weather we will most likely not be able to warm-up on the track. Please meet inside the front hallway each day at 3:10 to begin practice. Practice will be everyday, even if the weather is bad. The only exception is if the school district cancels after school activities, which is rare. Please come prepared for the weather with appropriate clothing. 

Communication
Throughout the season Coach Kunz and I will be using the Track & Field/Cross Country website to communicate with athletes and parents. We will also be sending out text messages, and emails to keep everyone up-to-date on all things MVHS track and field. If for any reason you wish to be taken off the email/text list you will need to log back into the registration site, and remove your contact info. 

Gear Orders
If you would like to purchase gear for the 2015 track and field season, orders will need to be placed online through Denver Athletic by Sunday, March 1st. We would like for every member of the team to purchase at least a team T-Shirt. 
https://mvtf15-2.itemorder.com/sale

Athlete-Parent Meeting, Wednesday
The coaching staff would like all  athletes and at least 1 parent from each family to attend our pre-season meeting on Wednesday evening. We will be meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the MVHS Commons. The following items will be discussed. 

• Meet the Coaches
• Parent Help Needs 
• Team Policies
• 2015 Schedule 
• University of Kansas Relays Trip 

Run Colorado Spike Night
On Thursday night after practice Run Colorado will be hosting our team for a spike night. All shoes and apparel in the store will be 20% off for Mt. Vista track and field athletes. Run CO will also be providing pizza and drinks for our athletes and families that attend. This is a great chance to purchase your training and competition shoes for the season. 

• Vista Spike Night Flyer

Practice and Meet Schedule for the Season
A full practice and meet schedule/calendar can be found here on our website.

• 2015 Mountain Vista Track and Field Calendar and Meet Schedule 

Team Handbook
We will be reviewing the team handbook on Wednesday at the parent-athlete meeting. Below is a link to the handbook where you will find the following information. 

• 2015 Mt. Vista Track and Field Team Handbook (pdf)
• Team Policies
• Varsity and Lettering Standards
• Team Selection Process
• Communication with Athletes and Parents
• Uniforms
• Transportation to Meets
• Gear and Appropriate Competition/Training Shoes

Kansas Relays Trip
This April we will be taking up to 30 athletes to the University of Kansas Relays in Lawrence, KS. We currently have plane tickets to Kansas City reserved for the trip. Any athlete that qualifies for the KU Relays will have to pay their own way. The cost of the trip will be approximately $350-$400. 

• University of Kansas Relays Website
• Trip Information (pdf)

Schedule for February 23rd-March 1st
Mon-MVHS 3:10 (meet in the front hallway)
Tue-MVHS 3:10
Wed-MVHS 3:10 
          -Athlete/Parent Meeting 6:30 p.m. in the 
           MHVS Commons
Thur-MVHS 3:10
          -Run Colorado Spike Night 5:00 p.m. (or when practice ends)
Fri- MHVS 3:10
Sat-Distance Runners 8:00 a.m. @ Aspen Grove
       -Panera Bread after run, bring $$$ for breakfast
Sun-Distance runners, optional run on your 
          own. 30 to 50 minutes. 

Registration Due by Friday
The official start to the 2015 season is now 1 week away. In 3 weeks, we will begin racing. Please make sure that you have registered before Friday, February 20th. On the 20th, registration will close. Athletes who have not fully completed their registration, including physicals and payment of fees, by the 20th will not be allowed to participate at practice on the 23rd. If this causes any issues for your family please email me. Here is the link to registration:
http://track.mountainvistaonline.org/reg/info.php?sid=2700

All-Time 800, 1600 and 3200 Lists Updated
I have updated all of the all-time 800, 1600 and 3200 lists this weekend. A couple of quick items about the all-time best lists.

• Relay splits do not count on the all-time list. In the 800, you had to hit a time in the open not the 4x800.
• Sea level marks in track were not added to the all-time lists, only altitude marks in track.
• JV results from the past few years were hard to come by, but I can probably track them down. If you notice a mistake that I made please let me know.
• I did the best I could trying to add 10 performance marks in each event for each grade classification, however this was not always possible. I also had certain minimum marks in mind when adding names to the list.
• All-Time 800, 1600, 3200 Lists:

           http://www.vistanationxc.com/middle-and-long-distance-records.html

Distance Runners Schedule for February 16th-22nd
Mon-No School, Run O.Y.O.
Tue-MVHS 3:10
       -Hills and Weight Room
Wed-MVHS 3:10
        -Aerobic run + Hurdles + Injury Prevention
Thur-Redstone Park 3:20
         -Tempo Workout + Core
Fri-No practice, run O.Y.O. or w/ a teammate
     -A Group 35 mins, B Group 45 mins, C group 50 mins
Sat-Long Run O.Y.O or with a teammate
      -A Group 60 mins, B Group 70 mins, C Group 80 mins
Sun-Run O.Y.O or w/ a teammate
       -30 to 50 minutes

Air Force and US XC Results
We had a great week of both training and competition over the past 7 days! The sprinters and jumpers competed well down in Colorado Springs on Saturday at the Air Force High School Open.  10 Mountain Vista athletes competed in preparation for the upcoming outdoor season. Here are Vista Nation's results from Saturday at AF along with pictures, video and meet coverage.  
http://co.milesplit.com/teams/MTVS/results/181690
Air Force High School Open Meet Coverage 

9 of the distance athletes also competed over the weekend in Bolder at the HS 4K Challenge as part of the USA XC Championships. We had some great runs including a top 3 finish from both Delaney Fitzsimmons and Paxton Smith. Here are results, photos, video, and articles from the meet.
USA Cross Country Championships Meet Coverage

2015 Track & Field Registration
The official start to the 2015 season is now 2 weeks away. In 4 weeks, we will begin racing. Please make sure that you have registered before Friday, February 20th. On the 20th, registration will close. Athletes who have not fully completed their registration, including physicals and payment of fees, by the 20th will not be allowed to participate at practice on the 23rd. If this causes any issues for your family please email me. Here is the link to registration:
http://track.mountainvistaonline.org/reg/info.php?sid=2700

Distance Runners Schedule for February 9th-16th: Recovery Week
This is a recovery week for us. Your mileage should drop some from the past few weeks if you have been consistent in training. If you have been keeping up with running 20 of 21 days, this Sunday is the time to take a day off. 

Please remember that there is no practice on Monday, February 16th. Go out and run on your own that day. 

Mon-MVHS 3:10
         -Aerobic Run in the Playground (35-50 minutes) + 8 Power Hills + Weights
Tue-DeKoevend Park 3:20
       -Negative Split Run 5 to 8 miles + Core
Wed-MVHS 3:10 
        -Aerobic Run on the East/West Trail (40-60 minutes) + 6 Strides + Weights
Thur-MVHS 3:10
         -Track Workout (cut-downs) + strength circuit on the football field
Fri-No Practice
     -Aerobic run on your own
     -A group 35 mins, B group 40 mins, C group 45 mins
Sat-Long Run on your own + one set of Big 8's
      -A group 50 mins, B group 60 mins, C group 70 mins
Sun-Aerobic run on your own, or rest
       -If you have run 20 of the last 21 days take the day off
       -If running today do an easy 30 to 50 minutes
Mon- President's Day, No School
        -Run on your own 
        -A group 35 mins, B group 45 mins, C group 50 mins

USA Cross Country Championships
This 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. 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

2015 Track and Field Gear Orders
Gear for the upcoming track season will be available to order online from February 1st to February 8th. The early order this year should ensure that most things come in before the first meet of the season. You can order online through Denver Athletic at the following site.
Website: https://denver.itemorder.com
Sale Code: MVTF15

Schedule for February 2nd-8th
Mon-MVHS 3:10
         -Medium LR + Strides + Weighs
Tue-MVHS 3:10
       -Tempo Intervals on track + Core/Hurdles
Wed-MVHS 3:10
       -Aerobic run + strides + Weights
Thur-MVHS 3:10
        -Long Hills, 4-5 x 50 seconds + Core/Hurdles
Fri- Redstone Park 3:10
     -Long Run (if racing Saturday you can do the LR on Sunday)
Sat-USA XC Championships, Boulder
       -4K High School Race
        -If not racing run for 45 minutes
Sun-Aerobic Run On Your Own
       -35 to 50 minutes