Vista,
I have a very short blog post this week. I plan on updating some things in  a few days, however, for you to take a look at. This includes an updated top 10 lists for boys and girls. This will include the all-time top 10 rankings and the top 10 rankings by class.

Because of the numbers on the team this summer we won't be able to do the IHop breakfast this week. However, on Wednesday I think we need to do the ultimate frisbee workout! Yes, that means we are going to play ultimate frisbee that day at practice. Come out and have some fun!

Schedule for the week
Mon-MVHS 7 a.m.
Tue-Rocky Heights Middle School
Wed-MVHS 7 a.m. (Ultimate Frisbee Workout)
Thur-MVHS 7 a.m.
Fri- East/West Trail Lot off Grigs/Daniels Park Rd
Sat-Run on your own or w/ a teammate
Sun-Optional run 

Mile World Record Videos
I  posted a couple links below to some races  that I think you will enjoy watching. Nothing like a little inspiration to get you through the week. Check these videos out, they are pretty cool!
Men's World Record in the Mile (2 men break the world record in the same race)
Women't World Record in the Mile 

Registration for Fall XC
High school runners, please get registered for the fall season at the link below before August 12th. You will have to be registered in order to participate in the fall XC season:
http://crosscountry.mountainvistaonline.org/reg/info.php?sid=1213

Thank you to all of the parents and alumni that helped out this weekend on the camping trip to Gunnison. With nearly 50 athletes on the trip this year we couldn't have done it without your help. I also want to thank all of the kids who came and made the trip such a special one. This was the most fun I've had on a trip yet and that's a tribute to the people that came along. I'm very proud of the things you accomplished this weekend on some very tough runs above 8,000 ft. Thanks again for a great trip and some great memories!

The Toughest Time of Summer
The next few weeks are one of the toughest times of the year to run. It comes at a time when the summer is almost over, but there is still 6 weeks to go until our first race. It's at a time where you may be wondering if all the running is worth it, or if you have what it takes to reach your full potential.  This is really a time when the great TEAMS can separate themselves from the average. Look ahead at what's coming up and believe that the effort you are putting in is going to pay off. 

As the season gets closer I challenge everyone by continuing to get your runs in each day. You are doing an amazing job right now and we are on track to accomplish our goals for the season (Blog Post: Goals for the 2013 XC Season). The end result isn't nearly as important as the process we follow as a TEAM to get there. Right now this TEAM is following the process and on track for a great season!

Workouts Adjustments for July 22nd-28th
This week should have us approaching our peak milage for the season. If you have been consistent and committed to your summer running then you are ready. Take a look at your summer workout plan so that you know what's ahead (Summer Workouts). I've added a few notes below about this weeks schedule depending on which plan you are following. 

General Running Plan:
Those following this training plan are doing an AWESOME job right now! Getting up and running every morning is challenging, and certainly isn't easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But we like to have athletes on the TEAM that enjoy challenges and reaching their full potential.  I want you to continue concentrating on being consistent.   Building up to 5-6 runs a week and being part of a TEAM right now is where I would like you to focus. The real fun starts when we begin racing and the work you put in during the summer starts to pay off. That time fun is just around the corner! You are doing a great job this summer. 

Intermediate and Experienced Plans
I am going to make one adjustment to the workout schedule this week if you are following either the Intermediate or Experienced Plans. Instead of doing both a progression run and a tempo run this week, I'm only going to have us put in one really good effort. That effort will be on Wednesday when we meet at MVHS. I am going to send everyone to the 1200 meter loop (Poston and Griggs) to run some intervals at tempo pace just like we did last week on the track. I feel very strongly that this type of work will help us continue and build our aerobic base. 

Going the Extra Mile
For the athletes following the intermediate and experienced plans that are "Going the Extra Mile" right now things will increase in your mileage a little starting this week. Here are ways this can be done:

• Get in 2 extra runs a week of 30-35 minutes (this can be done on Sunday if you want)
• Meet for the P.M. runs the upperclassmen are organizing. Here is the Facebook page for info on those runs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/483079378445260/
• Continue to get in your Saturday runs. Call a teammate and get them out to. 
• Add 1 or 2 miles to the runs I suggest you do each day a few times a week
  

Registration for Fall XC
High school runners, please get registered for the fall season at the link below before August 12th. You will have to be registered in order to participate in the fall XC season:
http://crosscountry.mountainvistaonline.org/reg/info.php?sid=1213

Schedule for July 22nd-28th
Mon-MVHS 7 a.m.
Tue-Redstone Park 7 a.m. 
Wed-MVHS 7 a.m. (tempo workout)
Thur-Waterton Canyon 7 a.m.
Fri- Aspen Grove 7 a.m.(Meet at Panera Bread)
          Bring $$$ for breakfast after the run
Sat-Run on your own or w/ a teammate
Sun-Optional run 

Last week was the best week of practice we have had all summer! I thought we did an exceptional job handling our first quality sessions (the progression run and the tempo intervals) while continuing to build our miles. This is the kind of work ethic we need to continue to have as a TEAM if we are going to be ready for the fall. I don't expect us to start hammering race pace efforts yet, but building your aerobic base by increasing your miles and adding a few tempo efforts will pay off big time once the races start rolling around. The official season starts in only 4 short weeks, lets make sure we are ready!

Gunnison Camping Trip Information
This week we are leaving for the Gunnison camping trip. If you didn't look at the trip info that I posted last week please do so before we take off on Thursday:
http://www.vistanationxc.com/1/post/2013/07/gunnison-camping-trip-update.html


We are leaving at noon on Thursday. A few of you are going to have to go down early with me around 10 a.m. to help set up and scout out runs.  Please take a look at the trip itinerary and car assignments to see if you are riding down early or not:
Camping Trip Itinerary and Car Assignments (click)

There is one other tentative change to the trip we are making. After talking to several Western State XC alumni they suggested we go to Crested Butte instead of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison as there is more to do. This includes being able to hang out in town and take the chair lift to the top of the ski resort. Make sure you bring money for lunch on Saturday (and Sunday). If we end up in Crested Butte and you want to take the chair lift up the cost is $17. We will make the final decision between Crested Butte and the Black Canyon on Thursday night once everyone gets to Gunnison. Bottom line, we have options!

Schedule for July 15th-21st
There is one change to the schedule this week. Coach's Sprafke and Selle said that they wanted to meet everyone for a run on Friday if you can't make the camping trip. This includes both the high school and middle school runners. We are meeting at Redstone Park to Run the Highline Canal and then going to Einstein Bagels (Town Center) after. Parents, please come out for the run on Friday and join us for breakfast if you can make it!


Mon-MVHS 7 a.m.
Tue-The Bluffs 7 a.m.
Wed-MVHS 7 a.m. 
Thur- MVHS 7 a.m. (Tempo)
               Leave for Gunnison Camping Trip 12 p.m.
Fri- Redstone Park 7 a.m. if not camping
         Einstein Bagels next to Town Center after the run (bring $$$ to eat)
Sat-Run on your own or w/ a teammate
Sun-Optional run

There is a great article in this months addition of Running Times Magazine about 6 of America's top HS XC programs and how they train in the summer. It's worth taking a few minutes to read.....especially the parts about running hills!

Endless Summer: How America's Top HS XC Programs Train in the Off Season (Click)

The teams profiled include:

What: 5th Anual Vista Nation XC Camping Trip

Consistency is Key
Now that we are in July our training is going to become a little more challenging. We have done a nice job building up our miles in the month of June and will continue doing so throughout July. This week should be our most challenging so far. I want to touch base on a few things for this week before we get started. Parents, I feel it's very important that coaches, kids and parents all be on the same page. One way to make sure this is happening is to talk with your kids about what's going on with the TEAM, including the things that are posted on the blog.  

• Consistency is the Key: The most important part of your training as a distance runners is staying consistent. It's amazing what starts to happen to you once you begin running everyday. You begin to rack up week after week of challenging training and your fitness level improves along the way. Running everyday will greatly improve your fitness and help you to reach your full potential. If you are serious about becoming your best then follow the workout plans we have provided for you everyday and watch how you will contribute to the TEAM come fall! You can't get back missed days of training, and every run we do is important. Think of each run as making a deposit in a bank account. You keep building and building your fitness until it's time to cash in on it. Pay day is when we race and your overall fitness is above and beyond where it has ever been. And we want that pay day to be a BIG ONE!
• Should I run on weekends or not?: Yes, run on weekends! Running 5 days a week will get you fit, but 6 or 7 will help to reach your full potential. I think everyone should go out on Saturday and run. Follow your workout schedule and get in the miles/minutes. If this is hard for you to do, call a teammate and run together. Sunday's are optional. If you have done all of the suggested runs in your workout schedule for the week and still want to "Go the Extra Mile" then add a run on Sunday. Keep it fun and don't get carried away, but Sunday is a great opportunity to build on your aerobic conditioning. 
• Days Off: Right now we are running between 6 to 8 times a week. Some of you more if you are running on Sundays. However, taking days off is not a bad thing. They help you recover and can give you a mental break from training when you need it. The coaching staffs suggestion for days off is to make sure you take a least 1 day off (no exercise of any kind) every 3 weeks. If you feel like you need at least one day off every week, then take it. The choice is up to you. 
• Recovery vs. Quality: Now that we are in July our intensity is going to start to increase as well. I don't plan on doing anything at race pace effort until September, so the focus of our quality days will be to improve your aerobic fitness. This will involve things like tempo runs, negative split runs, progression runs, etc. On the days we get after it I want you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. But make sure you are not hammering everyday. Pushing on the quality days will help take your fitness to a new level, but not getting carried away the day after will help you recover from the hard days. The recovery runs will also help to build your aerobic fitness.
• Which runs/workouts are the most important?: All of them! The biggest determining factor in our success this season will be our consistency. This means getting out and doing all of your scheduled runs. There will be days when we go easy and days we go hard. Days we run long and days we finish quickly. For some of you there will even be days where you go out for a second run. They are all important workouts to your overall success. No one workout or run is anymore important than another. It's when you start to consistently piece them all together day-in and day-out that your fitness and ability really starts to improve. Remember, you can't get back missed days. 
• You won't always feel good: One thing I know about running is that you are going to be tired. When following a challenging training program you should and if it were easy everyone would do it. But we are trying to be exceptional and do things that others can't or won't. The days you are tired and not feeling your best are the days where you can really challenge yourself mentally. You learn to run when your not feeling your best and push through adversity. The easy way out is to cut the run short, or blow the workout off. The way that's going to make us a better TEAM is to go out and get the job done.
• The Hardest TEAM to make: Last summer I wrote this BLOG POST (click) about the Hardest TEAM to Make. Since then it has been an expression that has really been a reflection of our TEAM. It's not easy to make our varsity or our JV. It's not even easy to make our top 7 open TEAM. We are very deep, because we have a lot of athletes that are out working hard and trying to improve everyday. In the process, that hard work is impacting other people who also want to work hard. Do your part and keep getting in the work. Every single member of our TEAM plays an important role no matter what races you end up in during the fall.

Einstein Bagel's After Run on Thursday
After Thursday's DeKoevend Park run we will be going to Einstein Bagels off of University and Arapahoe. Bring money for breakfast. Parents welcome!

New Uniforms
Above is a picture of our new TEAM uniform for this season. Our new uniform will be for everyone; JV, Open and varsity. The coaches decided that it is important that we all look alike when we race and used the remaining $2500 left from last years fundraising to help buy our new uniforms. We will need to raise additional funds during the fall to cover the remaining cost and plan on doing the elementary school race and letter campaign as we did last year. 

I am currently working on a document for parents that explains where our fundraising dollars go. I will have that information available for everyone by our pre-season meeting in August. 

Camping Trip Update:
On Monday I will post an update on the camping trip for those that are going.

Car Stickers and Mileage T-Shirts
If you are a new runner and trying to earn a Mountain Vista HS Car Sticker these are the requirements: Run 5 times Monday-Friday for at least 30 minutes without walking and then go out and do at least one run on the weekend. Once you have done this let me know and I will give you your car sticker.

If you are trying to earn a mileage T-Shirt (200, 300, 400, 500, 600, or 700 mile summer shirts) you have to continue to log your miles on your workout schedule throughout the summer. After the last week show me your log and I will give you your T-Shirt. Here is the link to the workout schedules if you need them:
2013 Summer Workouts (click to view)

Schedule for July 8th-15th:
Mon-MVHS 7 a.m.
Tue-Waterton Canyon (Progression Run) 7 a.m.
Wed-MVHS 7 a.m. 
Thur- DeKoevend Park (tempo run) 7 a.m 
               Meet in lot off of University just past Arapahoe Rd.
               Einstein Bagels after run. Bring money for breakfast. (Parents welcome!)
Fri- East/West Trail Lot (long run) 7 a.m .
          Meet in lot at the top of Griggs/Daniel's Park Rd
Sat-Run on your own or w/ a teammate
Sun-Optional run 

If you are in need of a little motivation check this out! This is a very inspirational story about elementary school teachers Matt Elliot who finished 4th in last weeks USA Track and Field Championships. This guys 2 mile PR was only 10:50 in high school, now he might make this summers World Championship Team. The post race interview will make you cry. 

Article: School Teacher Might Make World Championship Team
Post-race Interview from Flotrack: Matt Elliot Full Time Teacher Gets 4th at USA s