Olympia X-C summer training 2015
“Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win.” -- Unknown
Note: if you read nothing else, know that there are runs leaving from the OHS
track @ 9:00 AM every weekday during the summer.
Being an American is great for many reasons. In terms of running it is one of the biggest obstacles that we have to overcome. In our
society of excess we have access to innumerable modern conveniences. Imagine a society without being able to readily access
automobiles, TV’s, computers, and where there is no bus or car to take you to school. Imagine the amount of physical activity that would
take the place of these conveniences that make life “easier.” In order to run at the level of high school athletes in less developed countries
you are going to have to overcome 14-18 years of a radically different society. Some running physiologists have stated that from 1st grade
it is advisable to run about 20 miles every week in addition to other activities. The advantage for us non-world-class runners is that we are
primarily competing against athletes from our own culture.
There is nothing we can do about the past. From this moment on you can make a decision about what you want to accomplish next
cross-country season. You can let the summer go by without running and then have a mediocre 2015 x-c season (in comparison to your
potential), or you can make sacrifices and work incredibly hard to achieve success. With the talent and dedication that I have seen on this
team I am confident that with accountability, hard work, sacrifices, summer mileage, and desire this 2015 team can attain a top 10 finish
at the State Championships in November.
Why run during the summer?
Without summer training there is no possible way for you to achieve your potential as a runner during the cross-country season – the
season is simply too short.
Technically, what will I gain from all this mileage before the season starts?
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You will improve your body’s ability to transport blood and oxygen – The average person’s left ventricle blood output is 40 ml, but with cardiovascular aerobic running
you can potentially increase this seven times!
You will generate drastically more mitochondria inside your cells, thus producing more ATP which goes to power all activities inside cells in your body.
You will increase the ability of specific muscle groups to effectively use available oxygen by creating more capillaries.
You can put yourself in a position for when you start speed workouts to increase your blood lactate threshold – If you run in the presence of lactate it will teach your cells
to covert glycogen into energy rather than first having to transport it to the liver.
Increase aerobic capacity – you can actually train your body to make oxygen more accessible to the mitochondria in your cells.
Improve running economy.
Prevents a myriad of debilitating injuries during the season
Experience more joy in running!
What should be my main focus during summer running?
When I say to those runners who are hoping to be running varsity or JV on Monday, August 24th “we’re going on a 14 mile run
tomorrow” you will have a smile on your face and want to throw in some fartleks as well.
Start setting goals for the x-c season, both as an individual and as a team. Set a goal of running a certain 5k time, being a JV runner
(top 14), being a varsity team member (top 7), running at Districts, winning Districts as a team, placing in the top 10 at state individually,
placing in the top 4 at state as a team, earning a trip to Border Clash, or earning a trip to Nike Cross Nationals (and consequentially
garnering a veritable heap of free Nike gear). Talk with more experienced runners at team runs to get an idea of reasonable goals if you
don’t have any ideas, but make sure to have something that you desire to achieve --- if you don’t know what you want to achieve it
doesn’t much matter what you do. As a note, school record holder Nate Brennand ran a 10:10 3200 meters his sophomore year and now
holds the school record at 9:02 – big improvement comes with consistent training and physical maturation. 2013 senior Nate Van
Haitsma ran an 11:16 3200m for his freshman PR, and last year with consistent training over four years ran a 9:28 to qualify for the state
meet.
Running Progression Calendar
On the next page is a running calendar. It shows a suggested training progression leading up to the first formal x-c practice on August 24th. If
you would like to be a varsity or JV contender in the fall, your running progression is in terms of miles that you should be running (In August
there is an AM which indicates a morning run and a PM which indicates an afternoon run). By the end of the summer, in order to run the
mileage which will put you in the place to compete against the best in the state you will most likely need to run in the morning and afternoon.
If you would like to run well during the season but are newer to running, there is a suggested running progression in terms of minutes for each
run. Note: the minutes and miles are not intended to be equivalent distances; rather, these are two separate progressions based on your running
experience and your expected goals in the fall. At the beginning of the summer you should start with about 50% of the mileage that you want to
be running by the end of the summer – Do not train like a banshee the first day out; you need to progress into training like a banshee, which
should start the first day of practice. During races over the summer you are permitted to run as if you were a banshee.
These progressions are suggestions, and each individual is different in terms of their training. The important thing about summer running is
consistency – it is ok to take a couple days off if you are feeling beaten up or are on vacation with extenuating circumstances, but it is not really
ok to take a couple weeks off because you forgot to train. If you don’t train over the summer your potential for injury will be much higher and
you will not be in a place to race to your potential. The bottom line is that if you run over the summer your cross country season will be much
more enjoyable, you will run better as an individual, the team will be more successful, and you will have a much richer team experience.
Cross training
There are some days on the attached calendar that indicate that you should cross train. This can mean doing any number of activities,
essentially where you are engaging in a cardiovascular strengthening activity such as basketball, swimming, biking, etc. Although it is
difficult to quantitatively put a value on cross training, in terms of your mileage log you may write down 1 mile for every 20 minutes of
cross training (indicate the type of activity in which you are engaging). For example, if you choose to ride your bike to your friend’s
house who lives 2.5 miles away (instead of driving), you would be biking for about 20 minutes to get there and back – you may count this
as 1 mile of running to reach your 500 or 100 mile club goal.
In addition to fitness and faster running, what will I gain from summer running?
People who run and log 100 or more miles from July 27th until the start of x-c on August 24th will receive a free t-shirt that will
indicate their feat (also, if you can log 1000 minutes of running during these dates you will earn a 100 mile club shirt).
To log your miles write them down on either the attached training log or in your own running log. If you do not do so already, it is very
helpful to write down the workouts and mileage you are running. This practice is useful in terms of keeping yourself accountable for
training and allowing you to look back on your training to see what workouts allowed you to race your best. If you follow the running
progression in minutes, write the minutes down that you run instead of miles.
If you follow the attached training progression from June 1st until the start of x-c practice on August 24th you will be progressing from
about 20 miles a week up to about 50 miles a week. Over the course of the summer you will have run about 440 miles, and this is
expected from runners who plan on being members of a state placing varsity team. For those of you who have been consistently running
for several years without being prone to injury it will be beneficial for you to run up to 500 miles over the summer. Top high school
upperclassmen in the nation sometimes run up to 100 miles per week in the month leading up to the cross-country season. If you log 500
or more miles from June 1st until the start of practice on August 24th you will have earned a 500 mile club sweatshirt. In order to receive
a shirt for your mileage you must bring your recorded mileage in on the first day of practice, either on the attached form or in your own
training log.
Incoming Freshmen, unless you have been running consistently for several years it is probably not a good idea to run more than 30
miles in a week. If you can progress to 30 miles a week in June and July and then run consistently at 30 miles per week in August
(logging your mileage), you will earn some tangible reward in addition to your increased fitness. If anyone feels that they are beginning
to become injured as a result of running miles during the summer, back off running for a while and cross-train, if possible, so that you can
enter the season healthy.
Movies to watch for running motivation
Chariots of Fire, The Four Minute Mile, Gattica, Rocky (I-VI), Prefontaine, Without Limits, Running Brave, Breaking Away,
The Miracle, Remember the Titans, Cinderella Man, Rudy, Touching the Void, 300, Endurance, McFarland USA.
Books to read for running motivation
Running with the Legends, Running Lore, Run to Overcome, Unbroken, Once a Runner, Running with the Buffaloes,
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Born to Run, The Four Minute Mile (there are many more, but this is a good start).
Important dates to know:
The ASB and Athletic offices will conduct clearance for student-athletes wishing to participate in a fall sport during the following times and dates:
Monday, August 17 thru Friday, August 21 (9am - 12pm and 1pm-4pm)
1st day of practice: Monday, August 24th @ 8:30 AM at the OHS track
Time trials -- Tuesday, September 1st @ LBA Park (guys race at 5:00 PM, girls at 5:30 PM).
Races followed by Pizza-luck (each family brings a pizza to share) and parent informational meeting.
FULL MEET SCHEDULE UP ON OHS X-C WEBPAGE and at athletic.net
Check the school cross country web page for updates on summer running, the 2015 x-c meet schedule, and information on
sports clearance. There will be team runs meeting at the OHS track every week day at 9:00 AM. Also, if you have
questions over the summer about what you can be doing to prepare for the season or just general questions feel
free to call Jesse Stevick before he leaves with his family driving across the country on June 26th (He will be
arriving back around August 20th). There is a facebook group for Olympia X-C updated by the athletes. As a note,
when school is not in session Jesse infrequently check’s his email so calling is probably a better way to contact
him, but during the school year email works well. Following are phone numbers of leaders on the team great guys
to call with questions.
Noah Murry
Ben Riley
Jake Palazzi
742-0422
870-8837
789-4069
Jesse Stevick (OHS men’s x-c coach)
455-5282
jstevick@osd.wednet.edu
Week
Tue
Wed
4 miles
Rest
4 miles
10 minutes
4 miles
15 minutes
4 miles
15 minutes
4 miles
10 minutes
4 miles
15 minutes
Cross-training
Cross-training
2
28 miles
1:45
4 miles
10 min.
4 miles
20 min.
5 miles
15 min.
5 miles
20 min
5 miles
15 minutes
5 miles
25 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
3
30 miles
1:55
4 miles
20 min.
3 miles
25 min
4 man/3 bike
6 miles
20 minutes
7 miles
20 minutes
4 miles
Rest
6 miles
30 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
4
32 miles
2:20
4 miles
20 min
5 X TumH2O
hills
.
5 miles
25 min.
3 x Queen
Tum
3 miles
15 min.
5 miles
25 minutes
7 miles
25 minutes
2 mile tempo
5 miles
25 minutes
8 miles
30 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
5 miles
20 min.
4 miles
20 minutes
8-9 miles
30 min.
6 x 2 min.
Fartleks
2 miles
10 minutes
8-9 miles
35 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
5 miles
25 min.
Tour de Hills
6 miles
20 min.
7 miles
25 min.
5 miles
25 min.
8-10 miles
40 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
4 miles
35 min.
10 x Holliday
Hills
6 miles
30 min.
6 miles
30 min.
6 miles
20 min.
10 min.
out/back on
Woodland Tr.
7 miles
25 min.
5 mile tempo
White
Elephant Run
5 miles
25 min.
8-11miles
20 minutes
Cross-training
Cross-training
8
41 miles
2:55
7 miles
35 min.
8 x Old
Oregon Trail
hills
6 miles
15 minutes
7 miles
25 min.
6 miles
45 min.
5 x 2 min.
Fartleks
5 miles
30 minutes
8-10 miles
25 minutes
Cross-training
Cross-training
9
44 miles
3:15
3 miles AM
4 miles PM
45 min.
12 x Holliday
Hills
5 mile
20 min.
4 miles AM
3 miles PM
30 min.
5 miles
50 min.
3 mile tempo
3 miles AM
5 miles PM
25 min.
10-12 miles
25 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
10
36 miles
3:25
5 miles AM
3 miles PM
40 min.
Hilly run of
choice
5 miles
20 min.
3 miles AM
4 miles PM
30 min.
6 miles
50 min.
1.5 mile tempo
around
Capitol Lake
Cross-train
AM
3 miles PM
30 min.
9-12 miles
35 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
5 miles AM
5 miles PM
35 min.
4 x Queen
Tum
3 miles AM
7 miles PM
35 min.
12 X Holliday
Hills
5 mile
30 min.
3 miles AM
3 miles PM
35 min.
3 miles AM
5 miles PM
20 min.
10-13 miles
40 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
5 miles
35 min.
3 miles AM
4 miles PM
35 min.
7 miles
60 min.
5 mile White
Elephant Run
Tempo
7 miles
65 min.
3 mile LBA
course Tempo
3 miles AM
4 miles PM
30 min.
11-14 miles
40 min.
Cross-training
Cross-training
1
24 miles
1:05
5
34 miles
2:20
6
39 miles
2:35
7
39 miles
2:45
11
48 miles
3:40
12
50 miles
4:00
445 miles
Mon
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun
2015 summer
running log
Monday
1
Tuesday
2
Wednesday
Thursday
3
4
Friday
5-- All-comers
Saturday
Sunday
6 – Long Run
7
12
13– Long Run
14
19 –Group
Run/Fun day
20 -- BROOKS
PR MEET
– Long Run
21
26–Group
Run/Fun day
27– Long Run
28
Track Meet @
TumH2O 6:00
PM
June 1-7
8
9
10
11 -- All-comers
Track Meet @
TumH2O 6:00
PM
June 8-14
15
June 15-21
22 -- Workout
16-- 4 man/3
bike relay
9:00AM
17
23
24
18 -- All-comers
Track Meet @
TumH2O 6:00 PM
25 -- All-comers
Track Meet @
TumH2O 6:00
PM
June 22-28
29-- Workout
30
1
2 -- Tempo
3–Group
Run/Fun day
4– Long Run
5
6-- Workout
7
8
9-- Tempo
10–Group
Run/Fun day
11– Long Run
12
13-- Workout
14
15
16-- Tempo
17–Group
Run/Fun day
19
20-- Workout
21
22
23-- Tempo
24–Group
Run/Fun day
18 -- Lakefair
3k, 8k, 1/2
Marathon –
plan on
running or
helping
25– Long Run
27-- Workout
28
29
30-- Tempo
31–Group
Run/Fun day
1– Long Run
2
3-- Workout
4
5
6-- Tempo
7–Group
Run/Fun day
8– Long Run
9
10-- Workout
11
12
13-- Tempo
14
15– Long Run
16
17-- Workout
18
19
20-- Tempo
21–Group
Run/Fun day
22 – Long Run
23
24 -- 1st day of
official
practice -8:30 AM
25
26
27
28 -- PTC
29-- PTC
30
June 29-July 5
July 6-12
July 13-19
July 20-26
26
July 27 - August 2
August 3-9
August 10-16
August 17-23
1st official x-c
practice August
25th @ 8:30 AM
WEEK
TOTAL
Ten Prohibited Utterances
For a state placing OHS X-C team
1)
“I didn’t have time…” –Take responsibility and state what is actually true, if you indeed
did not allocate time according to your actual or perceived priorities. This is really a character trait
that applies to nearly every facet of life, and at its essence it is an issue of entitlement (you think
you deserve what others have despite not earning it) and it will benefit you to practice it now.
People will often complain, saying “I can’t afford…” while they are paying $60 for a haircut, $100
for cable TV, $10 for lunch every day, etc. – what it really comes down to, though, is they have not
prioritized that expense; the concepts of necessity and priority lie at the heart of these kinds of
remarks. So, in order to gain the privilege of making the aforementioned variety of statements on
this team you will first need to delineate your current priorities and allocation of time/resources.
2) “Do we have to…” – you are not forced to be a part of this team – it is your decision, and so any
time you feel this utterance breaching your vocal chords substitute “to fully maximize my potential
as a runner, is that all I get to…” The reason why you are coached to do something is because
according to Jesse’s knowledge and ability it is the best thing for you to accomplish the goals set
forth by yourself and/or the team.
3) “It isn’t fair…” -- Of course it’s not fair. Lighten up and deal with it, because you only have one
life and two choices: make the best of the life/situation you have been given, or wallow in bitterness
about how someone else has it better… the better choice seems pretty clear. A good method for
accomplishing this: don’t compare yourself to the rich, beautiful, celebrities and elite athletes
portrayed in the media; instead, dwell on the billions of people who don’t have enough to eat each
day but rejoice in something as simple as clean water, the quadriplegics who simply love being
alive and contributing to society in huge ways despite their lack of functional appendages, those
who have overcome impoverished circumstances through work ethic and tenacity, and the runner
who gives 110% all the time with no excuses but is just not genetically gifted or suffers from a
potentially unsolvable chronic issue. All of us on this team live in excess by comparison to at least
98% of the world, so if we are complaining that something isn’t fair it should be that we have far
too much or are not made to work hard enough by comparison to the majority of people on this
earth.
4) “But I…” excuses – There are usually reasons why races or practices don’t go well, and usually
when you make an excuse (“ but I didn’t get enough sleep” or “ but I ate five pieces of pizza at
lunch” or “ but I didn’t drink any water today” or “ but I don’t have my shoes”) it represents some
area of deficiency that can be tied directly or indirectly to your running goals. If attaining a state
championship is actually high on your priority list, then these factors that are brought up as to why
performance suffered are a crucial part of the formula that are as (or more) important than the
workout itself – if you can’t be in a place to perform a worthwhile workout (because of eating,
sleeping, stretching, doing the exercises prescribed by PT, etc.) the net result is that you are not
deriving the benefits from that workout… it doesn’t really matter why. So, don’t make excuses; but
more importantly live your life in such a way as to not need (or desire) to make excuses for your
performance or lack thereof. When you make an excuse you are admitting to the fact that you know
these factors are important and they are within your control.
5) “My teammate is such a lame individual” and other disparaging words towards or about
teammates – derogating gossip has been likened by the ancients to the spread of gangrene, so
(unless we want a metaphorically gangrenous team) these types of interactions need to be quashed.
We will keep our speech flavored with positive, encouraging, uplifting, and praiseworthy words.
6) “My teammate doesn’t deserve to be on varsity and I do” – The great thing about crosscountry is the purity and objectivity of the sport. It is true that some people work harder than
others and are not as fast because of genetic reasons (see “it’s not fair…”), but this is a sport where
you have to compete with and against each other; in the end it is very objective as to who crosses
the line first in a head-to-head race. The seven guys who finish ahead of the other guys in that race
are the varsity squad.
7) “I am so excited about my alternate status” – This attitude is poisonous and does not help
the team achieve its goal. Someone will end up in an alternate role for state most likely, but in the
most positive sense possible I would hope that the alternates would love the opportunity to compete
and contribute to the team scoring. Displacers should not be satisfied with parenthesis around
their names in the final results. When there is positive intrasquad competition that will make
everyone better. Do alternates and JV team members who have truly been pushing the varsity
members to excel deserve a place on the state podium? ABSOLUTELY! They hopefully can be
content with the fact that they have done everything they could for the team to accomplish its
goals, but not complacent in remaining there. When a JV or C-team athlete is giving their all, it is
causing everyone to push that much more.
8) “I wish misfortune upon the opponent” – We want to beat teams on their best day. There is
something (or there should be something) hollow about winning when catastrophe strikes your
opponent or you win by cheating the system. This is not a “win at all costs” program but a “win
because we are more awesome, more hard-working, and more chivalrous than everyone else” kind
of program.
9) “#$%!” – When you encounter something that even mainstream media has deemed
inappropriate for the public to hear or see, it is a good indication that this is something that you do
not want coming out of your mouth or a part of your life. In the same vein, there are things that
people rationalize because “everyone is doing it.” There are reasons that teachers get fired for
looking at pornography on their school computer, and it the same reason why it is detrimental for
anyone to be viewing pornography. There is a reason that the athletic code prohibits the
consumption of alcohol or participation in parties where the consumption of alcohol is present.
Chances are that if you have to justify or rationalize your behavior/actions, it is something that you
should not be doing.
10) “What a waste of time…” – Looking forward to things is healthy, but not if it is at the
expense of missing the present. The present is a gift, and we should treat it as such. Yes, we will
train with a state championship goal in mind, but we need to constantly realize that the journey is
truly the reward. Our goal is giving us motivation, a reason to perpetually punish our bodies to
maximize our running potential, and something to unify our efforts; however, if a state
championship is not attained in the end it should not demoralize us when we look back and know
that we did everything within the bounds of reason/priorities to work towards it.