January 11th-17th: MLK 4 Day Weekend

Should you be Running Doubles, or on Sunday?
If you are wondering if you should be running doubles during the week, or running on Sunday, here are a few things to consider:

• If your schedule has you running a double or 2 during the week it will typically involve a 30 min easy run in the a.m. This is a great way to break up your mileage during the week. 
• Doubles can help with recovery and the constant feelings of fatigue. For example, it is typically easier to handle a 30 min a.m. run and a 45 min p.m. run vs. doing a 75 min run after school only. Your body tends to recover easier as well. 
• Freshman and runners new to the sport will not have doubles on their schedule. Focus on being consistent by running 6 days a week. 
• Sophomores will have 1 double a week, upperclassman that have been running for 3 or 4 years will have 2-3 doubles depending on the week and ability of the athlete. 
• If you miss a double, you can run make it up on Sunday, but my I think Sunday is better to take the day off for recovery purposes. The exception would be if you were sick during the week and needed to run that day.
• If you follow your training schedule as it's written you will have A LOT of recovery over the weekend. By doing the long run Saturday morning, and not running again until Monday afternoon, you can lock down over 48 hours of recovery time. That's 2 full days for the body to be ready for the week ahead! 
• If you feel sluggish on Monday's from not running on Sunday, then it is okay to run that day, but keep it to 20-30 mins easy. 

Iron/Ferritin Check-up
It is that time of year again to be getting your iron levels checked. My recommendation is to have your ferritin levels checked at a minimum of twice a year. If the last time you had your levels checked was before XC, it is time to get them looked at again.

Here is my post from the summer about the importance of iron/ferritin for distance runners. Please review, and have your iron levels checked sometime during the month of January if you have not had them looked at since the start of the XC season. This goes for both boys and girls. Rule of thumb, get your ferritin levels checked at least twice a year by your doctor. A ferritin level of 30 is the minimum number acceptable for adequate performance as a distance runner. 
http://www.vistanationxc.com/blog/august-3rd-9th-upping-your-iron-intake

Schedule for the week/4 Day Weekend
Mon-MVHS 3:10
Tue- MVHS 3:10
Wed-Rocky Heights 3:20
Thur-MVHS 6:30 for a.m. run
           -MVHS 3:10
Fri-No School
        MVHS 8 a.m. 
Sat-Run on Your Own or w/ a teammate (long run on dirt if possible)
Sun-Optional Run on your own, or w/ a teammate
Mon 18th-Run on Your Own or w/ a teammate (on dirt if possible)