* We have an "official" roster of 60 student-athletes at this point. We are aware of at least another dozen that intend to join but still need to obtain their athletic clearance plus we expect some more new joiners next week after school begins.
* A great turnout by the freshman class - looks like we have about 25 freshman so far! WELCOME to MCHS!
* Workouts - we've introduced the full variety of workouts this week - on Monday we did a fartlek / interval session at Rincon Valley Park, on Tuesday we did an easy 40-60 minute run; on Wednesday we did a 20 or 25 minute long cut-down tempo session on the track plus cross training session, and on Thursday another 40-70 minute long run at Annadel (thanks to all the parent volunteers that helped with transportation!).
* Calibrating Workouts for Individuals: A major part of what the coaches are doing this week is getting familiar with our new members and assessing the current fitness of all of our runners. It's very important for us to put each person in a situation where they can succeed and improve at their fastest rate. The best way for us to do this is to tailor and adjust each workout to best match their current level of fitness. We then create smaller training groups for runners at similar levels.
There are two primary ways we will assess fitness. The primary way is to have runners execute a "test effort." This may entail running 2 miles on the track for time. We can use this result as a baseline from which to establish their training targets for other workouts. A secondary way is to have the runner measure their heart rate during and after different types of efforts. We can use this information to confirm that the relative intensity of a practice element is optimized to reach our training goals - not too easy or too hard.
As a result, it is imperative that each runner wears a standard athletic wristwatch (with stopwatch function) to practice. They will often be lost (figuratively!) without one. We strongly encourage kids that have GPS watches with heart monitors (which are an excellent training tool) to bring them to practice and use them. We will teach them how to get full benefit from these gizmos.
*Time Management - this year we are stressing using our time effiiciently -starting with beginning on time and moving through the workouts quickly. Additionally, we are continuing to implement workout "modules" - these are building blocks that we will re-use in practices over the season. This will reduce the amount of time required repeating and clarifying instructions. So far we see it working. Workouts are finishing on time and almost everyone has done a great job of being on time and listening carefully in our first few days!
*Newcomers - as hoped for, we continue to get a healthy number of "new runners" turning out for cross country. The first three weeks are a challenging time for them: running for much longer than they are accustomed, getting to know new teammates, and learning a new "training language." The coaches are paying careful attention to these "newbies" in order to encourage them and to bring them along at the appropriate rate. We promise them that the soreness and misery they are experiencing will get much better after three weeks - if they stick with it! Week number four is like walking out of gloomy fog and into glorious sunshine!
