Practice Schedule for Aug 17th - 8/23

Note: I'm attending the annual AZ Cross Country Coaches Association clinic on Saturday...

Also -- please note pick-up times.

Monday, 8/17

~5 miles Little America/strides/stanfords

Pick-up 5:15

Tuesday, 8/18

Van out to Sam's Club for the Sam's Club loop -- a tempo for most

Pick-up at 5:30

Wednesday

Rest

Thursday, 8/20

Green Mtn. loop followed by 6x flying 60's/stanfords

Pick-up at 5:15

Friday, 8/21

Liberterianville Lp -- another tempo for most

Pick-up at 5:15

Saturday & Sunday

Consult "master schedule"

Official Cross Country Practices Begins!

Monday, August 10

2:00 PM

Meet at Buffalo Park (Pickup at 3:30)

2 mile time trial/tempo run

Report: A hot day (at least for Flag). Top 4 looked good, with the two top runners looking very, very good.

Results (and in no particular order):

g: 22:22, Yes: 14:26 (7.02), D: 22:21, M: 14:43 (7:02), A: 13:03 (6:20), A: 15:08 (7:06), K: 22:21, AA: 26:27... D: 11:24 (5:23), J: 13:15 (6.20), Jd: 14:10 (6.20), A: 13:29 (6.20).

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS---

First, To the frosh runners... please make sure you have good shoes to run in. They should not be shoes that you've used to play other sports in at camp this summer, or that you've used to hike around in. What you want are running shoes (road or trail) and then a second pair, if your parents can afford them, to alternate... A good watch (one that allows you to record split times), a rope, and a water bottle.

Second, What do you think about consequences for missing practices? In the past it has always been, scorn from Mr. Elder. I'm tired of "scorn." I would like to suggest, that we all get to miss one practice w/ no consequences. The second practice missed results in the consequence of not running in the next meet. However, let us be very specific of how a "missed practice" is defined:

1) Going on a vacation... right now vacation is over! It's cross country season. For example, Labor Day weekend is right around the corner. Although the biggest meet in Northern AZ is scheduled for that weekend (Peaks) I refuse to run it... however, we do still need to PRACTICE.

2) A doctor's appointment (other than a physical... since you've known all along that you had to have a physical for participating in a sport all summer!) is understood. Make-up tests and tutoring is understood... detention is NOT! Clubs? NOT! You're in high school, and I'm making you choose! You cannot DO IT ALL! So people, please get serious about something...

3) What else should we "excuse?" I'm open to this, since all I want to do now is smile when people tell me they'll be missing practice, rather than getting upset.

Can't wait to discuss this with you all...

Tue, 8/11

2:00 PM

Meet at the "Y" (the intersection of Elden Lookout & Schultz Pass roads)

Pickup at 3:30

Wed, 8/12

Off

Thurs, 8/13

Meet on the stage at 3:20 (pickup at 5:00)

Fri, 8/14

Same as Thursday

Sat, 8/15

Meet at school at 8:30 AM

Pickup at ~11:00 AM

Sun, 8/16

"long run" on-your-own

Practice Week of July 13 - 18th

All practices are "on your own."

Practices July 6th to the 10th

Monday 7/6

Sunset 

Meet at school at 9:00 AM, Pick-up at 11:00 (11:30 might be more accurate!)

(Unless we can have Mr. Jacobs drive one of the vans, some of you who drive are going have to follow me in one the other van up the mountain).

Wednesday 7/8

Dear Hill

Meet at school at 9 AM unless you're Andi, John or Cullen, then meet at Silver Saddle at 9:20

Pick up back at school around the same time as Monday (~11:30).

Friday 7/10

Track workout

Meet at school --  pick up at 10:30.

Saturday... on your own, just as Tuesday and Thursday were...

Practice Schedule for June 29th - July 4th

Monday, June 29th
Well, practice already happened. Good turnout with TomTom (dom), Claire (Grace), Gram (Ana), and Chase (Megan) in attendance... Still looking for Kev (Keven), and Coyote (Wiley).

I thought there was way too much negativity associated with what went on today. Let me very clear here... IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE THERE, THEN don't!!!

Tuesday
Run on your own

Wednesday, July 1st
Meet at the duck ponds on Walnut Canyon Rd.

Thursday, July 2nd
Run on your own

Friday, July 3rd
Ft. Tuthill

Saturday, July 4th
We'll meet the "Historic Flagstaff flagpole" at 6:45 AM for a 7AM "informal" 4-mile "race" that our good friend, Randy Wilson, is promoting. We can talk more about this at practice...

Cross Practice -- Week of June 24th through the 26th

All practice times will begin at 9:00 AM, unless otherwise noted. Practices run approximately 90 minutes.

Wednesday
Babbitt Rd (down past Sam's Club at the end of the cul-de-sac).
Present:
Yes, Claire, JR, Skinny and Skinnier, Maria


Thursday
Campbell Mesa

Friday
Ft. Tuthill

June 15th through to the 22nd

Nike Outdoor Nationals

This is the weekend (or the week for me) when I'm in North Carolina working at the NON. I arrived Sunday evening and got together with old colleagues (I taught in at a school in Raleigh for 12 years prior to coming to Flag), then on Monday loaded a large truck with equipment and drove to Greensboro (named after the great Revolutionary war hero, Nathaniel Greene). Today we loaded into the truck 454 boxes filled with backpacks that will given to every athlete who runs at NON.

To the point...
Therefore, I'm not in town and cannot schedule practices for this week until I return. As I mention at one of our practices, you need to keep running, practicing on your own! Every day you don't practice, you lose two. So keep running.

On to tomorrow...
I'll try to update this and keep you abreast of what goes on at NON. The best runners in the nation are here, and I wish you too were here. I've taken only runner one runner to this meet -- Tolan Thorton -- and he pr'ed by less than 30 seconds in the 2 mile (yea, they run a mile and two mile, instead of the crappy 1600 and 3200!). Tolan ran 9:09, running 4:35 and then running the next mile in 4:34 (we call that "negative splits), and winning the "slow heat."

See you tomorrow!