Wednesday, 12/29 and Thursday, 12/30

Winds picked up around 6:30 AM and started buffeting the house. Team practice cancelled for Wednesday, originally meeting in Skydome parking lot, however, due to the gloom-and-doom weather forecast, I call Andrew at 7:45, ask all to run on own (how many did that? Andrew got out for 55 minutes).

After canceling I thought about the boys bball team up in Tusayan. I called Coach and told him to bring them home immediately. Coach calls back later and explains he's not comfortable driving in such conditions. A parent and I go up with the parent transporting 6 of the students back and me driving the van back. Conditions were hairy, to say the least. Return to NPA at ~4 PM safe and sound.

DPS closes I-17 Northbound and eventually 180 and I-40. We arrive back at NPA safe and sound.

Today we awake to 15 inches of snow in town and only 4.5 inches here in Doney. I spend perhaps three hours snowblowing the driveway and shoveling walkways. Now at 9 PM its 9 degrees out, but the wind howls, so factor in wind chill.

Not the greatest training weather.

Practices over Break

Last week (the first week of break), we had a good turn-out, with Monday's run taking off from the Woodlands Village Walmart, down the Urban Trail and into Ft. Tuthill. Interesting to see all the elites that were out that day (O'Neill, etc. and someone who I think was Phil Wharton) and then later getting blown off the trail by Rochelle Kanuho, who came flying by. It was disappointing that when I asked some of our runners if they knew any of these people, and they said they didn't (Phil Wharton is the person who wrote the book on the Isolated-Dynamic stretching we use!).

Then on Wednesday, the run took off from the "Y" (and why?) and then ran along Ft. Valley Rd and then up Quintana. 

No organized practice on Friday (Christmas Eve), however, I was over on Continental Golf Course to check out conditions.

I sent out a bulk email to most who I thought would be interested in practicing tomorrow...

We'll meet at NPA at 9 AM, and if it doesn't snow too much tonight, run on the golf course. As a group we'll discuss where we'd like to run Wednesday and Friday.

Looking ahead. There's a ten miler that we (Andrew, along with Jon and Jordan) ran last year... It's held next Sunday on 1/2. The course goes out and back on one of the canals and is pancake flat. Not certain that many of you will be ready to run 10 miles...

Another race to look at is at the Skydome on Saturday, February 12th. Something to think about and plan on...

See you tomorrow... 

Final Week of Practice

Monday

Track Workout

Pace 400s

12x400 at a "tick" faster than race pace

4 sets of 3, w/ 100 meter jog between each interval and a 400 meter jog between each set.

Pick-up @ 5:15 PM

Tuesday

AM Workout

20 minutes medium run

strides

Kenyans & Stanfords

Wednesday

Off

Thursday

Same as Tuesday

Friday

AM Workout

Big Warm-up w/ Standfords

Depart School for PHX @ ~11:45 (after 4th hour). More details about the complete Fri-Sat itinerary will follow soon (I'd like to confirm everything first with Mr. and Mrs. Pinaire as they will assist in driving and chaperoning).

We have reservations at:

Embassy Suites Phoenix North

2577 W. Greenway Rd.

Phoenix, AZ

602-375-1777

http://embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/PHXNOES-Embassy-Suites-Phoenix-North-Arizona/index.do

The plan is to take EVERYONE!

Our motto for this state meet weekend is: ""TEAM!" And we mean ALL!!

On Saturday:

9:00 AM -- Boys Race

9:30 AM -- Girls Race

Ahead to think about is the post-season... although I would really like to focus more on the state meet. However, any serious runner is thinking about running at Toka Sticks in the Nike SW Region Cross Championship on Saturday, Nov. 20th?

If you're healthy and still want to race, go to:

http://www.runnerspace.com/nxnsw

Practice Schedule for October 25th - 31st

All pick-ups at 5:15...

Monday, 10/25
A medium/hard run (a "comfortably/hard run?")
What we are looking for is a pace that none of you is really "jogging" nor "running hard." However, this will depend on how you are coming off the weekend (sleep, etc...).

Course:
Men -- Wakonda -- down Butler to the end, left and around...
Back to Falcon.

Ladies -- Butler to Skyview, to Edgewood, to Country Club (Left) to Continental back to Falcon.
At Falcon you'll do a "progressive" hill workout.

After hill workout, all will jog over to the turf and do the cool down Kenyans.

Tuesday
Needhammer
8x200's just a little quicker than "race pace."
rest interval/jog across infield... as we did last time.
Purpose of these 200's is looking for a little quicker turnover...
Cool-down
STANFORDS

Wednesday
OFF

Thursday
Big Warm-up.
Pre-Race Dinner? My house if... and all invited.

Friday
Sectionals

 AIA Section II

Cross Country Championships 

Friday, October 29, 2010 

Flagstaff, AZ

Location: 

Buffalo Park in Flagstaff.  

Facilities: There will be porta potties available, but no locker room or showers.

Parking:

You may drop off the team and equipment at the park entrance, but busses must park off site at Coconino H.S. or Flagstaff H.S. There is limited parking is on site in a dirt lot when you first enter on Gemini.  Vans and spectators will be directed to park in that lot. 

Athletic Trainers will be on site.

Entry Fee:  AIA is potentially charging a $5 entry fee.

PLEASE inform your parents so they are not shocked when they get to the park.

  

Time Schedule: 

2:30 D III Section II  boys

3:00 D III Section II girls

3:30 D IV Section II boys

4:00 D IV Section II girls

Awards: 

Medals will be awarded to the top fourteen (14) in each section. 

Division III presented at 3:45 pm by the Ramada

Division IV presented at 4:45 pm by the Ramada

Games Committee:  In the rare instance that a games committee is needed for a decision, the following will be represented: 

Trina Painter Flagstaff HS

Mike Elder NPA

Jim Bostwick Mingus HS

Rick Baker Hopi HS

Mike O’Callahan Camp Verde

Preston  Johnson   Coconino HS AD

Course: 

The course is the same course used at the 4 Corners Invitational.  The length is 3 miles on the hard packed dirt trail with one significant hill in the first 800m at Buffalo Park.   A copy of the map is attached. 

Course walk through- 9:00am-1:00pm on Friday, October 29^th.

Rules: Rules are those of the current edition of the National Federation Track and Field/ Cross Country Rules and Records, AIA Constitution and Bylaws and these tournament instructions.

Remember: Section 6 competitor’s uniform Art.7 page 71 …Contestants shall not wear

jewelry. Penalty: (All articles) for illegal uniform, the competitor is disqualified from the event. 

Saturday
A "pick-up" practice... we'll discuss...

Sunday
Long Run

Monday
TBContinued

Practices for Thursday, 10/21... and beyond

Thursday, 10/21
The theme is, "Focus, focus, and focus more!"

We must focus on the fact that no matter what meet we run, where that meet is held, it is all for the purpose of doing of producing our best effort at the end of the year... which is our state meet. "Everything is practice for the state meet." However, for one of our teams, we didn't get to the state meet last year! This year that has got to be our goal.

With that said, we begin to once again focus....

Hills, hills and more hills.
Urban Trail.
Pick up at 5:15.

Friday, 10/22
Green Mtn. run...
Strides, Stanfords..

Saturday
Times for meet and pickup will be announced at later date.
Mile Time trial

Sunday
Long run

Monday...

Mt. Sac Invite Details

The Team will utilize two NPA vans (a 12 passenger and a 7 passenger, driven by myself and the other by the Pinaire's).

Here is our tentative trip schedule:

Thursday, October 21st:

6:15 -- Report to school for our workout (we'll need to organize breakfast ).

11:11 -- Dismissed at lunch -- pack vans, etc.

~Noon -- vans depart from NPA for California.

~8 PM Arrive at hotel

Friday

Race times:

3:23 -- Boys

3:46 -- Girls

Saturday

After an easy workout, we'll eat breakfast and depart from the hotel at late morning and approximately hope to arrive at 8PM back in Flagstaff.

Hotel Accommodations:

Holiday Inn Diamond Bar

21725 E. Gateway Center Drive

Diamond Bar, CA 

909-860-5440

Hotel Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,18167,23628,23670,25567,25834,26328,26613,26644,26746,26761,26849,27006,27015,27056&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&cp=15&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=holiday+inn+diamond+bar&fb=1&gl=us&hq=holiday+inn&hnear=Diamond+Bar,+CA&cid=17184148290024047892

I'll send an email out tomorrow (10/11) on hotel costs...

Mt. Sac Invite Link:
http://events.mtsac.edu/ccinvite/index.html

Practice Schedule for October 11th-16th

Note: The City Meet this week's focus... then next week's is Mt. Sac, which I have created a separate post on this blog.


Monday, 10/11
A "vigorous and intense" Big Warm-UP and then "some" between-the-triangles" sprints.
Standfords/Kenyan cool-down.


Tuesday
Some jogging, striding and stretching.

Wednesday, 10/13
City Meet


Last year's schedule went  (so far, all I've received is, "High school race will begin around 1:00."):

12:25 -- High School Girls Race

1:15: -- High School Boys Race

3:00 -- Middle School Girls Race

3:10 -- Middle School Boys Race

Here's what I'd like to see unfold:

Team arrives at school as normal, and attends their first through third period classes, then is dismissed (10:32). Exactly what specifics takes place after dismissal will be discussed on Monday (tomorrow, 10/11).


Thursday
Switzer Run...

Friday
I'm off campus attending a meeting at the AIA office. Coach Hall will supervise practice (although I have not confirmed this with her).

Saturday
A run on the mountain... Sunset?

Sunday
LROYO (long-run-on-your-own)

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday... Leave for Mt. Sac