May 22nd-28th: Awards Banquet

State Meet Recap
Congratulations Vista on a great state meet! This past weekend our boys finished 7th (only 7 points away from 3rd) and the girls finished 3rd in the meet. This was our best TEAM performance in school history. Some of our highlights from this years championship were:

• 4 State Individual/Relay Championships
  • Rachel Bair in the 100 meter dash and 400 meter dash. Rachel is the first individual champion from Vista in both of these events. 
  • Boys 4x800 w/ a NEW ALL ClASSIFICATION STATE RECORD. Benji Anderson, Tyler Downs, Jack Simmons, and Daniel Romalia broke Smoky Hills 2001 record by 3 seconds. 
  • Girls 4x800 #4 ALL TIME IN COLORADO. Peyton Adams, Annie Romalia, Jessica Derickson, and Keira Gamily broke our school recored in the process by 8 seconds!!!
• 3 State Runner-up Finishes
  • Rachel Bair in the 200 meter dash
  • Girls 4x400 w/ a NEW SCHOOL RECORD!!!
  • Benji Anderson in the boys 3200
• 2 Third Place Finishes
  • Tyler Downs in the boys 1600 and 3200
• 6 More All-State Athletes
  • Brennen Betts in the boys 110 hurdles (7th place)
  • Rachel Bair in the girls long jump (5th)
  • Tyler Downs and Daniel Romalia in the boys 800 (8th and 9th)
  • Peyton Adams in the girls 3200 (6th)
  • Ashley Hollingshead in the girls 400 (9th)

Additional state meet results and recap can be found at the links below:

• MVHS State Meet Results
• Final Individual and Team State Meet Results
• State Meet Articles, Photos, and Videos 

End of the Season Awards Banquet
When: Monday, May 22nd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: MVHS Commons  
Who: All Mountain Vista Track and Field athletes and their families. 
​Dress: Look nice.

Uniform Turn-In

• Uniforms can be turned in to Coach Dalby in L503 starting this week. 
• Uniforms must be turned in by the last day of school to avoid an athletic fine. 
• Athletes that do not turn in uniforms will be fined $100 ($50 for top/$50 for shorts). 
• You will be unable to check-in for school in August (including receiving a parking pass) until your uniform/fine has been cleared. 
• State Participants: Please bring your uniform to the banquet, or to Coach Dalby after the state meet in L503. 

Pre-Season XC Meeting
When: Wednesday, May 24th @ 12:45 p.m.
Where: Dalby's Room (L503)
What: To talk about summer running, fall XC, summer goal setting, NXRSW trip eligibility to Arizona: November 18-20, potential spring 2024 travel meets for track, time off from running, new aerobic monster shirts, and other important Vista Nation XC agenda items. 

Kickin' With Katie: Girls Mental Skills Camp
When: June 6th
Where: Boulder, Colorado
Website and Registration: www.katiefollett.com/camp
Flyer w/ Detailed Information (doc)

Summer Cross Country Camp
Online Registration Link:

• https://vistagoldeneagles.sportngin.com/register/form/815546763

Who: All middle school and high school cross country/distance athletes wanting to prepare for the upcoming fall cross country season. Incoming 6th graders are also welcome to join our middle school camp. 

What: A 9 week summer training program for dedicated cross country runners looking to get ready for the 2023 fall season. 

When: Mondays through Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. starting June 5th to August 5th. High school athletes will also have the option to meet on Saturday mornings as a team throughout the summer.

Where: We meet at a variety of locations throughout the Highlands Ranch area to run. Practice locations will be posted each week at www.vistanationxc.com

Additional Information: For more detailed information about our summer XC program please visit the following link on our website. 

• http://www.vistanationxc.com/summer-xc-camps.html 

Time Off From Running: Distance Runners
After your last race of the season it is time for a much needed break from running.  Everyone should plan on taking at least 2 weeks off/easy.  A few things to consider:

• Take 1 full week off from running. Let your body recuperate after a long season of track training and racing. 
• During week 2 of your down time you have 2 options:
  • Option 1: Jog easy 20-30 minutes every other day three times during the week (M/W/F or Tue/Thur/Sat. Take Sunday off no mater what.)
  • Option 2: Do not run this week at all.
• No organized training at this time. If you want to go for a walk, hike, play basketball, or anything else non-structured, do it! Keep things simple and fun. 
• Athletes should wait to return to training in June once they are feeling refreshed, mentally ready, and motivated to do so.
• No intense workouts in June. Just easy running and enjoying running with your teammates. We will return to faster workouts after the 4th of July. 

For some of you taking time off is a HUGE challenge, but trust us that your body will thank you for it when you are running fast in November/December.

Iron/Ferritin Check-up: Distance Runners
If you have not had your ferritin levels checked since the end of XC please do so before the start of summer running. The Coaches recommendation is to have your ferritin levels checked at a minimum of twice a year: Once after the track season, and once after XC season. If the last time you had your levels checked was after XC it is time to get them looked at again.

Below is information about the importance of iron/ferritin for distance runners. Please review as needed, and have your iron levels checked if you have not recently done so. 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. We also recommend that every athlete on the team be taking an iron supplement that works for them. Please come talk to the coaches if you have questions. 

• The Importance of Iron in Distance Runners (Blog Post)
• Why You Should Get Your Ferritin Levels Checked (Blog Post)
• A letter from a doctor, with references, about ferritin levels for endurance athletes that you can take with you to your medical provider when you get tested. (Doc)
• Are Your Ferritin Levels Up to Speed? Top Coaches Take Tests for Iron Seriously (article)
• Ironing Out the Details: Know the facts about ferritin and iron before deciding to supplement (article)
• Iron Level Upkeep For Runners (article)