I didn’t want to tie up a lot of time at the banquet last week however, I wanted to pass along my gratitude to all of you runners.

First off, I want to thank you for posing the challenge to the school administration so you could get an Assistant Coach. You stepped up and completed that challenge. I can tell you are dedicated runners. Actually I knew that a long time ago, but it really showed this season. I was skeptical all summer and honestly thought I wouldn’t be a part of the ‘09 CC season. It was awesome to see you all realize what it takes to be successful in running. Coach Ochap has molded you into amazing hill runners. Take pride in knowing you can tear up groups of runners on the hills, both up and down.

Second, I thank you for the gift card to Elite. I don’t know how many of you heard my “Thank you.” and/or saw my thumbs-up; again many thanks. I only expect you to run, have fun, and go home happy with your performances.

I was able to get a couple items to test out & will let you know how they are (one is a sugar alternative sports drink and the other is a protein-based workout recovery mix). Once I’ve had enough time to test them I’ll post a basic review.

During the winter months, if you aren’t involved in a sport, keep your mileage and overall conditioning going. I suggest

Rest is important – it gives your muscles, bones, and mind time to relax. You deserve that much.

See you in Track.

RunnersWorld never fails when you need some information.

I’m posting a link for the RunnersWorld “Smart Coach” program. Here you can create a “personalized” training program for whatever long-distance race you are planning to run.

Smart Coach Training Tool

Got an e-mail from the guys at Elite today which had some listings for Cross Country camps. Here they are.

CALU’s Cross Country Camp
August 2- 7, 2009 – California University of PA
Director Dan Caulfield Head XC coach at CAL U
website: www.calvulcans.com – then click on the camps tab.
Stop in the shop to pick up a form.

Slippery Rock XC Camp
July 26-30, 2009 – Slippery Rock University
Director: John Papa – HeadCoach SRU Track & XC
website: www.rockathletics.com Click on camps & Conferences to find the online form.

University of Virginia XC Camp
July 26-30, 2009 – Univ. Of Virginia – Charlottelsville
Director:Brad Hunt – Assistant Coach Univ. of Virginia
Website: www.victoryxc.com

Clarion University Cross Country Camp
July 26 – 30, 2009 – Clarion University
Director: Jayson Resch, head coach Women XC
Website: Clarion XC Camp

I attended a Stretch/Flex/Conditioning session at Brooke on May 30th with other coaches. I would like to let you guys know that if you have a flex band (giant rubber band) you can get your body conditioned before the season starts. YOU CAN DO IT!

The activities we were shown take some time to learn. However, what I want you to know is this:

Our instructor said the difference between track teams in the region is pre-season conditioning.

I am going to scan the documents he gave us and share them with all of you so you can practice.

If you hit up YouTube and type in “Flex Conditioning” or something similar you can learn some of the techniques we learned.

Those with the goal of a visit to the State Meet as a competitor should pay careful attention & get on the ball. I can’t hold your hand on this and very few people have the time. You have the time and the ability. Any questions, please leave a comment & I’ll respond.

We’ve had some issues with our Achilles tendons. I’d like to address those problems briefly:

Pain in the ankle region arises from several sources. The irritation could be from improper stretching of the calf, ankle, or hamstring. The problem may be from increasing the physical demands on the body too quickly. Specifically we’re talking about running too fast too soon, doing hill work, and not cooling down after workouts. Pronation can also cause ankle tendonitis.

Knowing this, how can it be cured or even prevented? Ease into workouts with proper stretching and warmups of the calf, hamstring, and ankle. If the workouts are too intense, back down the intensity, gradually increasing the workload while correctly cooling down. Adding ice and anti-inflammatory medications to the mix should speed recovery.

Summary: It is ESSENTIAL we warm-up, stretch thoroughly, and cool down accordingly in order to remain healthy. I’m going to reassess our workouts to see if they are too intense.
Achilles Tendonitis and Running

Ok, this is totally cool! I learned about these shoes from the guys/gals at Elite today. They’re the ultimate for people who want to run/walk/climb/hike/etc. and not worry about shoes. KG would benefit from these shoes greatly since he can jump 19 ft. barefoot; freakin’ nut.

Word of advice: Go to a store that sells them. Use store locator on the FiveFingers website. (Vibram FiveFingers) Elite Runners is the closest you can get from our location. Next closest would probably be Morgantown, WV.

I’ve added a new page to the blog. It’s titled “405 Route Images”. I’ll be adding more as time goes so you guys can find some different locations to run & more accurately log your times/distances. Plus you’ll see my training & get on me if I’m slacking.

I’d like to thank the entire team for their gift to me at the banquet. I wasn’t expecting anything more than a heartfelt “Thank You”. I appreciate all you have done.

Freshmen, I want this directed at you in particular: Read up on training for T&F/CC. The little tidbits you pick up will come in handy. That’s the way I learned to run & have attempted to put that into your heads this season. Stay conditioned year round. I know several of you play other sports. Please take time off to recover. Don’t feel like you MUST play every game. REST is VERY important. It allows the body time to heal. If you pencil REST into your other sports, especially those this summer, you’ll see you have plenty more than you thought.

OVTC & the Pegasus summer track leagues are options for the die-hard T&F people. Spread the word about these groups.

Veteran runners: Stay conditioned in the off-seasons. CC training should follow whatever program your coach has given you. If nothing has been set in stone I suggest ladies work for a weekly mileage of 40-50 miles. One-two days should include either speed (400m repeats all the way up to 1600m repeats and including a couple workouts of 3×3200m repeats at various paces) or hill repeats. The BHS CC course hill by the baseball fields and the Tennis court hill as well as the Band practice field hill are excellent locations if you can’t find any near your home. Men should do the same speed/hill workouts and have a mileage of at least 50-60.

Long run days should NOT exceed 10 miles for either group once every two weeks. Eight (8) miles is probably a good long day for the weeks you aren’t doing the 10 miler. Race a few 5k runs & make sure you KEEP A LOG of your training & race times so you can show your CC coach what you’ve been doing. THIS IS A MUST FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO REACH THE STATE CC MEET!!!!!

People whose focus is the T&F state meet should consult the workouts we did in 2008 & 2009, which you can download from the blog. I would recommend 3-4 long days of a duration of 45-80 minutes for each long day. I can help you plan a schedule if you’d like the assistance.

DEFINITELY KEEP A LOG, otherwise your coaches will not know how to plan workouts to suit your pre-season conditioning level. VERY IMPORTANT!!!!! I have provided links to online running logs on this blog. However a simple spiral notebook will do the job well.

ALL DISTANCE RUNNERS SHOULD CONTINUE DOING CRUNCHES & PUSH-UPS. These will improve your upper body & allow you to run faster & more comfortable.

Stay focused on your goals & tell the upcoming runners to follow your lead. I don’t want to see another runner get injured simply because they were “too lazy” to get motivated and TRY! Running is just like any other sport. It requires focus, discipline, respect (for coaches, other athletes/teams, yourself, and desire to be better at life & running). Battle the COUGAR!

Thank you!

Region I AAA Results from PrestonAthletics.com

Region I AAA Results from RunWV.com

I’ve completed the 2009 season workouts & have them posted here for download. They are in PDF form. Make sure you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view the document. It is eleven (11) pages in length covering from March 2 until May 17.

Print a copy for yourself & put away for future use.

Here are the OVAC Class 4A results.