7/31 update

Braves,

There is a lot to cover in this email because Monday marks August 1^st, and only 17 days until our first race. Several things need to be done by 8/1 or a few days after. I will break it down by date so it is easy to follow.

Before I get to all of the points I need to thank this team and each of you. This past week a family member asked us if we enjoy coaching, and if there are a lot of kids who are disrespectful or think they are above the team. We responded quickly and surely that we love coaching, I said that basically we are getting paid to do a hobby (even if it only adds up to a few dollars an hour).  We were more surprised by the second question, and almost annoyed that such a question could be asked – they obviously do not know what kind of individuals we have on this team. We told them how coachable and determined you are and how working with you is as easy and smooth as it gets. So thank you for being who you are and representing Bountiful Cross Country with such class to the point that we can unhesitatingly and emphatically state that this group of kids is as good as it gets when it comes to character. Being coachable, humble, and determined are qualities that are not found everywhere, but are in abundance on our team thanks to each of you.

Now on to the business portion of this week’s email.

Register my athlete: I have talked about this over the last several weeks, and the time is finally here that it must be DONE. By Monday, August 1^st, everything needs to be done on www.registermyathlete.com EXCEPT for the physical, that can wait to be uploaded to the site until 8/4 – which is when the free physical day is (see last week’s email for more info on that). By the 4^th it has to all be completed. I have a list of who has done what and will share that with you so you can know who you are. You’ll notice that the website for register my athlete is a link, simply click on it to begin or continue the process J Those who have it finished already, or just need the physical, thank you so much! You make my life easier.

Next week’s practice will be our last week of normal practices. We will meet Monday and Wednesday at 7:30, and Friday we will do a trail run. On Monday 8/8 we will do our minicamp. This year the camp will be held here in Bountiful and won’t cost anything, but in future years we are hoping to head out of town for a few nights. We will have practice every morning (Monday through Friday) at 7:30 AM, then on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday we will ALSO practice in the afternoon at 2:30 PM, to get used to running in the heat. I understand some of you will be out of town, but if you are around this is going to be a huge opportunity to get better and be prepared for the season. If you know anyone who is still interested in joining the team for this fall, now would be a great time to join.

The week of Monday the 15^th to Friday the 19^th we will hold practices at 7:30 AM – except for Thursday the 18^th, that will be our first race. For details on when and where, please refer to our schedule www.bravesxc.blogspot.com and click on the link at the top. We will be taking a bus to that meet, and every away race. Everyone who is eligible and able can be entered into the meet. Ineligible athletes are those who have more than one F from last term, have any U’s that need to be made up, have not completed register my athlete, or have not paid the fee for xc.

On Monday the 15^th we will be issuing uniforms after practice in my classroom. We will only be able to give uniforms out to those who are eligible and have paid the fee for cross country which can be done online on your mydsd account, or in the office. I just finished entering the fees so each of you should be able to pay them with ease. You incoming 9^th graders however will need to call or go into the office to pay because I do not have access to enter it online for students at other schools.

I know there is a lot to keep track of here, particularly in this busy time of year. Please contact me with any questions, I’m happy to help where I can. Below I’ve made a list of register my athlete so you know where you stand.

Keep up the hard work that we have been putting in all summer. You all are awesome and have been doing great. Both the boys and girls teams has a legitimate shot at making it to state this year but we need to work in order to reach that goal. It is not often that both teams make it, where we can take a whole bus load down to state to compete, so let’s keep up the hard work and make it happen.

Thanks

Coach Jacobson

Here is the list of Register my athlete (RMA) needs- in the event the formatting gets messed up on the device on which you read this email, feel free to contact me to ask your status. Thanks

Boys who have completed RMA	Girls who have completed RMA	Boys who have started but still need a physical	Girls who have started but still need a physical	Boys who have not started (._.)	Girls who have not started (._.)
Dallin Ben Blake Ryan G Luke Marcus Justin	Abby Kamora Elizabeth Amelia Victoria	Tyson Brandon Scott Andrew H Daniel Jared Aaron	Sadee Laurie Anna Sophia Belle Olivia Hannah	David Brade McKade Andrew W Austin Ben Ryan R John Ethan Anthony Gabe George Stratton	Mary Rachel Emmie Julia Leslie Kiwi Kaitlyn Kaela

7/24 update

Braves,

We had a pretty tough week at Lewis Park and on Mill Street. Great job taking advantage of those workouts, which were designed to be tough. The workouts over the next month are going to be challenging as we move into the final weeks of our preseason. In order to get ready for the season there are a few things that each of you needs to do.

First, you need to go to http://www.registermyathlete.com/ and register for cross country. Some of you have begun the process and not finished, and only a couple of you have completed it. This has to be done by August 1^st, which is a week from Monday, otherwise you may not be able to compete. It is not a difficult process, you can do it in only a few minutes. Please do not procrastinate it further. I’ve attached a form that should answer some of the questions you have. To finish the process you need to have a physical, and I address that below.

Second, you need to get a physical, Mountain West Orthopedics and SportsMed Physical Therapy are again offering free physicals to our student athletes for the fall sports season.  They will be held at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 4^th at the Mountain West Orthopedics Office: 1551 Renaissance Towne Dr. Suite 400 Bountiful, UT 84010  (The big building behind Maverick off of the 1500 south Round-About) 4^th floor.  The student/athletes must bring in their Physical Form to the appointment and the Questionnaire and Health Report must be filled out by the parents and they (the Student and the Parent) MUST SIGN AND DATE IT before a physical can take place.  (See Attached for the form – it’s called “forma”). Once you have finished the physical you can then complete the rest of register my athlete. If you wait to have your physical done on the 4^th, simply do all you can before you have the physical, then finish it on the 4^th. Obviously, you are welcome to go elsewhere to complete the physical, this is just one option.

Third, you need to pay the athletic fees for cross country. The fees are $90 I believe and cover drug testing, transportation, and fees sent down from the district. You can pay these online at mydsd if I have put your name into the system (I’m hoping to have that done by Monday afternoon). If not, you can always pay in the office.

Monday’s practice will be shorter than most given that some are celebrating pioneer day that day. We will begin promptly at 7:30, so arrive on time, and we should be done around 8:30. We will be at the track for the entire time so you can plan rides accordingly. 

Thanks for all you do and we look forward to a great week. Feel free to contact me with any questions, thanks.

Coach Jacobson

Coach Caitlin

7/17 update

Braves,

You did awesome this week. Between the mile repeats Monday and the two mile repeats on Tuesday you threw down a lot of mileage. Not to mention the 7 miles we ran on Friday. Another reminder: doing the repeats on Monday and Wednesday is not going to properly help you if you are not putting in miles on your own during the other days. We only have a few weeks left of summer before our season begins. We have a month until our first race. It is crazy how fast it is going, and it has been great to see how much better each of you is becoming.

At the end of a very long workout on Wednesday we were impressed with how many of you stepped to the line to do one more. It would have been easy to think you were finished because of how late it was. Many had to leave because of obligations but you still lined up and did a fourth set. That is the kind of attitude that is required to be successful. As a group we have massively improved in that area, but we are far from perfect. This week come to practice ready to do an extra set even when you think that you are spent.

It is the time of season where minor aches and pains begin to add up and can become more serious. This is something that we will need to address throughout the remainder of the year, and frankly throughout your running career. When you have pains that are impeding your training, let us know what those are so we can plan accordingly. In some cases we will tell you to hold back and take time off, in other cases you can do something extra at home to alleviate the pain. I know being told by a coach to stop running is horrible; nobody wants to sit out while their team is working. However, we have to be smart about some of these injuries, so use that time to increase your mental strength, because it takes mental toughness to sit out through an injury.

A common problem that we are beginning to have is shin splints – which is an aching or throbbing pain in your shins, particularly when you run. Often the pain will subside after you start running for a bit, but sometimes it gets worse. It is slightly different for each person. We do the “funny walks” in the warm up each day and we spend most of our training time on the grass in an effort to avoid shin splints. Other treatments include icing your shins each day and wearing compression sleeves on them during workouts. Another big thing for shins is the shoes you wear. If you have worn out or old shoes, it may be time to get a new pair. Old shoes lose the cushioning and really hammer your legs. There are a few other things which are difficult to explain over email that we are happy to share with you if you ask us at practice.

By August 1st each athlete needs to register for cross country via http://registermyathlete.com/schools/ You simply need to select the state, then the school, create an account and register for Cross Country. If you already have an account then simply log in and register for XC as well. Each athlete needs a physical . Physicals last for one year, so if you haven’t had one since last August, you will need to get a new one. The physical form can be downloaded from the register my athlete site, and can be uploaded there or brought to me. And lastly, there is a school fee for XC that needs to be paid in the office before you can compete. Our season begins before school starts so make your way to the office one day after practice to pay that. I believe it is $90. That fee covers transportation, drug testing, and district fees. If you have further questions regarding registration please let me know.

As we have said before, we are incredibly proud of this group, and we are poised to have a great season so long as we continue what we have started and step up our training. We really need to take advantage of this month so we can be ready for the season. You have put in excellent work thus far, let’s continue to build on it.

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

7/10 update

Braves,

I hope you enjoyed your moratorium week. We missed you all and are excited to get back at it this week. Our first race is a little over a month away so now is really the time to buckle down and get to work.

The first month of our summer practices went extremely well. As a group you stayed committed and worked hard each day at practice. We are proud of you for that and hope you continue what you’ve started- and take it to the next level. This month of practices is going to be fun, starting tomorrow we will be back on our usual schedule with practice M/W @ 7:30 and a Friday trail run time and place tbd.

We have been harping on it all season long, but it cannot be overstated: make sure you are running on your own each day. For each individual and our team to reach our full potential, this is something you have to be doing. As the great coach Herb Brooks said, “you think you can make it on talent alone? We don’t have enough talent to make it on talent alone.” Herb Brooks was the 1980 USA Olympic hockey coach. (I took that quote from the movie “Miracle” with Kurt Russell. If you haven’t seen that movie or it’s been a while, I’d recommend going and watching it because it is awesome, and really shows what hard work means, and accomplishes.) His statement applies to us all- we have to be about hard work because natural talent is not enough. Former Utah Jazz player and current Toronto Raptor Demarre Carroll makes a living in the NBA by his mantra “Hard work is a talent.” He would say he does not have the natural talents that many of his colleagues have, but he has made a name for himself, and a successful career based on the concept of hard work. My friend and high school teammate, and now 2016 Olympian in the marathon headed to Rio, Jared Ward, constantly talks about trusting your training when you step to the line and are in the race. If you have put in the work then you can race with confidence and no regrets. If you haven’t been training enough, how can you trust it? Now is the time to put in that training so in August, September, and October as a team we can step to the line with confidence knowing that we have put in the work.

If you have been putting in the work on your own, keep it rolling, step it up a level, and challenge yourself. If you haven’t, then start this week. Be at practice tomorrow then Tuesday get up and run on your own. You can do this, let’s keep getting better. Let’s have fun each day while we work hard. Don’t let excuses keep you from pushing yourself. Don’t let fear of temporary pain stop you from improving. We talk about hard work being a stepping stone to success, and it is, but in reality hard work is what makes this whole journey worth it. Hard work is not limited to XC but in everything you do. Hard work doesn’t just make you a better athlete, it refines who you are and makes you a better teammate, a better friend, and a better person.

We have an awesome group of kids on this team, and you are a part of that. We appreciate all you do and understand the sacrifices that it takes and commend you for making them for the good of the team and yourself. We are proud of you as coaches, and we are having so much fun being around this group and watching you improve. We have a fun week planned and an awesome month ahead. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Let’s keep it rolling.

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

7/3 update

Braves,

Thanks for a great week. Monday we had an awesome tempo run and it was great to see how hard each of you was working to push the pace. Wednesday we saw impressive commitment to doing each of the four sets of mile then 800. That kind of effort and commitment will help you be successful. There was a good turn out on Friday for our trail run, and I hope that inspires you to do your distance runs on your own every day. It can be difficult to get up for early practice, but a lot of you have been doing it consistently all summer long. You’re doing a fantastic job at being dedicated and we commend you for that. It is difficult enough to get up that early, and it is a whole other difficulty to prepare yourself to work hard once you get to practice. For the most part everyone is giving their all day in and day out. As mentioned before, that it was creates success. Let’s keep it rolling.

We are halfway through summer. It is unbelievable how quickly it is going, and in a very short time you will either be regretting not running on the days that we haven’t met, or you will be extremely glad that you did. Building a base is fundamental (no pun intended) to success is XC and track. What we do when we meet is absolutely not enough to build a proper base. If you are running on your own as well then what we do will help you be successful. Now is the time to commit yourself to running on your own if you haven’t been, and to increase your weekly mileage if you have been. Our job as coaches is not to criticize you when you haven’t been putting in the proper work, but to encourage you to do so, to be better, and to commit yourself to excellence.

With that in mind, send me your running logs from this past week. Very few of you have been sending them to us and that is disappointing. Even if you have not been running on your own, please send it to me. I am not looking for an opportunity to criticize or call you out for not putting in enough miles, because you already know what you should be doing. We just want to know what you are doing so you can be accountable. So send those to me as soon as you can.

This coming week is Moratorium so there is NO PRACTICE all week. We will resume practices on Monday, 7/11 at the usual time and place. Just because there is no team practice today does not mean you should not run, because you definitely need to be running. Feel free to meet up with your teammates and go for a run. I would discourage doing any intervals this week. Don’t go do mile repeats on your own at the track, even though that sounds like a blast. Use this week to get in a lot of miles on the roads or the trails. Vary your routes, paces, and times. Enjoy your week off, though, we will miss you guys. It has been a blast so far coaching this group because of the positivity and hard work you have been putting in. Thank you for that.

So many of you deserve to be highlighted in these emails but I can’t get to everyone. Laurie has been working hard all year, and this week she stood out. She was there each day ready to put her full effort in. Even when it was obvious that she was tired or hurting she still was going full effort. Often we feel tired during one part of a run, race, or workout and we let that defeat us for the rest of the way. Laurie bounced back well from some difficult stretches to finish the rest of the workout hard. That kind of mental toughness is key to improving as an athlete and a person. On the boys side Braden came and worked hard and stepped up. I’ve been impressed with the effort he has put in the last month. Honestly, from two months ago during track season to now, he looks like a completely different runner. Our hope is that each of you can feel that as the days and weeks pass, that you have become a different athlete. As you work hard each day and overcome the difficult stretches you will get there.

Our season pictures will be posted to the link below. The link can also be found on our website. If you take any pictures you can just drag and drop them onto this page so we have pictures of the season. It will be easier to take pictures once we start getting into racing season. I have uploaded a few from our practices if you want to take a look. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMe1CwlaYOXlM0N_6R_pxkaGBvT63EAG8Z31wgCcjSEDZEM6CTNDhT8gnmJM6E59g?key=SkNkQjU2eWE3V1JyU2FjY2NqUllhTDVtd2NiRm1B

Thank you for all that you do. We are proud of this group and are excited to hit the next half of our summer training. We hope you all enjoy your independence day. We are going camping with our two month old so wish us luck. If we look like zombies next week at practice you’ll know how it went.

Coach Caitlin &

Coach Jacobson