Dear girls, I wanted to touch base with you regarding your summer training and the upcoming cross country season. Our season will begin on Monday,

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Beatrice Blair
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1 Dear girls, I wanted to touch base with you regarding your summer training and the upcoming cross country season. Our season will begin on Monday, August 1. We will practice from7:30-9:30am the first week, Monday through Saturday. All runners must be at practice the first week, no exceptions! Before athletes are allowed to practice, they must have a physical completed. The MSHSAA pre-participation medical forms must be submitted online this year (link is below), using a process called PRIVIT. This will allow parents to keep a hard copy of the forms and submit forms electronically. If you have any questions or to confirm the physical forms have been received, contact Lisa Gross atlgross@stteresasacadmy.org etics_welcome_letter.pdf Please take the forms with you to your appointment. It would be a good idea to have the appointment on your calendar, even if you will not be seen until June or July. Doctors offices are very busy during the summer months, and if you wait until the last minute you may have a difficult time getting an appointment. One thing I would highly encourage you to do is to ask your doctor to test your ferritin levels when doing annual bloodwork. The past few years, more and more distance runners (especially females) have experienced low ferritin levels, which can lead to fatigue and an inability to run to the best of your ability. Several runners on our team have experienced this and it takes many weeks, usually longer than the duration of a sports season, to get these levels back up. Please click on this link from Milesplit with a doctor s note from Dr. Kim Colter of Washington, MO and a better explanation of what low ferritin levels mean to distance runners. Even if the numbers come back good (30 or over), it is good to have this initial test as a baseline if problems occur in later years. The season begins in a little over two months and you are responsible for coming in to the season in shape. You will not be able to reach your full potential if you are out of shape when the season begins; in fact, you may not even make the team if you do not put in the mileage in the next two months. So get to work! Attached is your summer training schedule. Please note there is one schedule for returning runners and a separate one for first-year runners. The STA Running Club will meet beginning May 31 st and I hope you run with them as often as you can. This is a great way to put in your miles while meeting up with friends. Make the commitment to meet them every morning. Make a goal for yourself to meet with running club several times a week and commit to running a certain amount of miles per week. Don t make excuses. You need to make running a priority if you are going to be part of this team. Get your run in first thing in the morning and beat the heat. Most of our post-season team from last year will be returning but we also have varsity spots to fill. We have tremendous potential with our returning runners and I am sure several of our first-year runners will continue the tradition of excellence in cross country at STA. Who will be the ones to step up to one of those available varsity spots? They will be available to those who work hard and make the effort to train this summer. Best of luck to you this summer and I am looking forward to seeing you on August 1. Coach Moran St. Teresa s Academy Cross Country 2016

2 Tryout/practice begins Monday, August 1 st at STA. The first week, practice will be held Monday through Saturday from 7:30-9:30AM. Runners must attend all practices the first week. A three mile time trial will be done the first week of practice. Runners must complete the time trial in 28 minutes or less the first week of practice in order to make the team. The student will be given more than one opportunity, if necessary, but the standard must be achieved no later than Saturday, August 6. Please keep in mind that although the time trial is three miles, a total of 6 miles will be run the first day-a 2 mile run to the starting line at 73 rd and Wornall on the Brookside trail, the time trial on the Brookside trail to the Plaza, and then a one-mile cooldown back to school. Runners are expected to attend running club on a regular basis and follow the provided summer training schedule. Please note there is one training schedule for first year runners and a separate one for returning runners. Contact Coach Moran at karenm262@gmail.com with any questions. We will have morning practice until school begins. Morning practices will be7:30-9:30am August 1-6 and August Monday, August 12 th is orientation for all students, and practice will be from 3:00-5:30 that day. Practice will be7:30-9:30am on Saturday, August 13. Once the school year begins, we will practice every Monday through Friday at 3:00. You will have practice on Saturday mornings in August and our first meet will be August 27. We will have meets every Saturday in September and the first two weeks of October. The varsity season ends November 5. All practices and meets are mandatory. Camp for girls entering grades 6-9 will be June 13-16, from 7:30-9:30AM. All incoming freshmen are encouraged to attend. I could use the help of a few returning cross country runners during this week. You can get service hours for helping as well! Let me know if you are interested in volunteering. Summer camps for returning runners-i would like all returning runners to attend at least one camp this summer. Look at the handout I sent out and see which dates work with your summer schedule. STA Running Club-This is an informal group of STA runners (new and returning) who meet behind the gym in the off-season to run. They will follow the summer running schedule and run the beautiful and scenic routes we use during the season. They will meet at 7:00AM Monday through Friday beginning Tuesday, May 31. It is free and open to any STA student. Please contact Emma Kate Callahan at ekc523@gmail.com or Katie Donnellan at kdonnellan16@gmail.comfor more information. This summer is an excellent opportunity to build a strong base mileage for the upcoming season. I strongly encourage you to participate in Running Club. Summer training is the first important step to building a strong team. If you begin the season in shape it will prevent injuries during the season from doing too much mileage too quickly. The majority of injuries we see in cross country could have been prevented if

3 athletes had begun the season in better shape. If you want to improve from last year, YOU need to put in the time and effort over the summer to make that happen. A 14-week season does not give you enough time to meet your potential if you have done little to no summer training. Here is the guideline of what I would like returning runners to do in the summer. Make sure you build your mileage slowly. Here is a sample of what you should be doing each week. If you are running from home, you can mark out your own routes near your home free on If you have a smartphone, you can download the Map My Run app on your phone and it will calculate the speed and distance you are running. Several other apps can do this as well. Keep in mind this schedule is flexible and can be modified according to work schedules and summer vacations. Other notes According to the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), runners are not allowed to participate in any road races during the cross country season; however you can participate during the off-season. You can enter off-season road races as long as you do not accept any prizes or prize money. Accepting prize money or running races during the season can forfeit your high school eligibility. You may accept medals and trophies but nothing of monetary value. I encourage you to participate in several of the area road races this summer. Many races are 5Ks so it could give you a good idea of where you are with your training. Race forms are available at the Garry Gribble s stores or online at Running shoes are your most important piece of equipment. Make sure you have one or two good pairs of running shoes. They should not be more than 6 months old. If you have any questions or need any help, see Coach Moran. An excellent running specialty store is Garry Gribble s Running Sports, located in Ward Parkway Mall, 119 th and Quivira and Independence Center. All salespeople are trained to watch you walk, measure your feet, determine your biomechanical needs and place you in the right type of shoe for your feet. Also remember to bring in your existing shoes so the salespeople can analyze your wear pattern and see if you are in the right type of shoe. I have worked at Garry s since college and it is the best place in Kansas City to get running shoes. You will receive a high school discount. Just let the salesperson know you run for STA. I do not recommend purchasing running shoes from places like Kohl s, DSW and other discount shoe stores. Although they do sell the well-known brands of running shoes, the models they carry often have significantly less cushioning than the running shoes sold at running specialty stores. There is a huge difference in quality between a $60 pair or running shoes and a $100 pair of running shoes. Many injuries, such as shin splints, can occur due to a lack of cushioning in running shoes. Runners should have several pairs of quality running socks. Do not run in cotton socks because you will likely get blisters. Get socks that have CoolMax or Drifit in them, a material that wicks sweat away from your feet. With the summer heat, it is also a good idea to get clothing that has the CoolMax or Drifit in it. The technical fabrics in the clothing help to keep you cool in the summer, versus cotton t-shirts, which absorb the sweat and get uncomfortable and

4 lead to chafing. Wear a visor to keep the sun and sweat out of your eyes. Also, do not forget to wear sunscreen. Every runner should purchase a running watch that has the chrono (stopwatch) and lap features on it. A watch like this can be purchased at Garry s, Target or Wal- Mart. You can map out your runs on and then time yourself. As the summer progresses, you can compare your time on these routes from what you were running earlier in the summer. This can help you see your progress and it is something I do when I am running on my own. We will require all runners to have a running watch when the season begins so get in to the habit of wearing one. It is an excellent idea to eat a snack within 30 minutes to an hour after a workout. Something like half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after a run would work well. In addition to a balanced diet that includes lots of carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and protein, I recommend that runners take a daily vitamin that has iron in it. A common problem with female distance runners is anemia, or iron deficiency. This leads to extreme fatigue and poor athletic performance. This is a condition that will not go away unless it is addressed by eating better and, if necessary, by taking supplements. It is normal for runners to experience occasional soreness in legs and tight muscles, especially in the first two weeks of training. If the soreness does not go away after a few days, please let me know. There is a difference between soreness and pain, and we need to address any pain that runners may experience. Ask if you are not sure. It is my belief that high school athletes need at least one day off from running every week. The runners must have a break for their legs, since it is important to the recovery process. In addition, runners need a mental break from running. Some tips for running: Try to run with a buddy if possible. If you must run on your own, make sure you tell somebody the route you will be taking and how long you plan to be out. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Make sure you drink lots of water, all day and every day, not just before a run. Keep a water bottle nearby and get into the good habit of drinking at least ounces of water a day. The summer heat can dehydrate you very easily. Drinking things like pop and coffee will dehydrate you so stick with water instead. Do not run with headphones. Listening to music while running does not allow you to hear what is going on around you. You need to be able to hear cars, people and dogs around you. You will not be allowed to listen to music while running during the season so do not get into this habit. ID-I highly recommend each runner to have some type of identification when running. I have a Road ID, which you can get online for as little as $20. I have the shoe ID, which has a Velcro strap that attaches to your laces. It is good to have in case of emergency.

5 Try to run as early in the morning as possible. I know that on your summer vacation, the idea of getting up at 6:30 to run is not the most appealing idea, but it is better than waiting to run in the heat of the day. If you run first thing in the morning, you do not have to worry about the heat being too bad. Running during the middle of the day is dangerous and not something I recommend doing. Make plans to meet up with teammates to run at Running Club; that way you are more likely to follow through with your training. Try to enter at least two or three 5K races this summer. See my notes above on eligibility and how to find out about the local races. Road races are a fun way to see how your fitness is improving over the summer. I encourage you to keep a log of the mileage and workouts you are doing this summer. You can use a calendar or Map My Run. After each run or workout, write down how many miles you ran or how many minutes you were out running. Write down the route, how you felt and anything else you might want to remember. Use the training schedule above as a guide for what to do each day. The training schedule is only a sample that can be adjusted according to your schedule. If you have done no training whatsoever or are recovering from an injury, make sure you scale back the mileage in the first few weeks to avoid getting injured. Start with 10 miles a week if you haven t done any training yet this summer. If you have any questions, please me and we can figure out a training schedule for you. Enjoy your summer and please me or call if you have any questions about your training or anything else. I m looking forward to seeing all of you on August 1. Coach Moran

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