8/28 update

Braves,

I can confidently say that this past week was our best yet. We worked hard on Monday and followed that up with some great performances at the pre-region meet on Tuesday. We have been very happy with the level of commitment at practice and at the race this week. We repeat this a lot, but being at practice every day ready and willing to work is crucial to what we are trying to accomplish. The results from the pre-region race were encouraging. They showed us that if we are able to put in the level of work that we did this week, each week, then both our teams have a chance to qualify for state. For that to happen we need to continue to train hard, be healthy, and get more racing experience.

One of the highlights from Tuesday’s race was seeing Kiwi sprint to catch up to Leslie (even if that was originally done because she didn’t realize where the finish line was…). The two of them pushed each other over the final 200m and finished better than they otherwise would have. It is effort similar to that, not just in meets but in practices as well, that will propel our team to its goal.  After the race, amidst exhaustion, there was a number of people who we heard say, “that was fun!” I completely agree; racing is fun when you give your all. Cross Country is fun when you give your full effort each day at practice or in a race. This season is a journey and I hope we remember to enjoy it all one day at a time.

Remember that if something is hurting, make sure to ice it every day. Make sure to communicate your aches and pains to us so we can monitor them. Sometimes it won’t be a big deal to run through it, but other times we will want you to cross train or rest.

We have two races this week. We race on Wednesday in Ogden and Friday at Utah State. For times and addresses please refer to our team website. On Wednesday you will be excused at 1:30 and Friday at 1:20. Those who will be racing varsity on Friday can go to Wednesday’s meet, but won’t be racing 100%, we’ll have you do a run before and maybe after to get a different type of workout in.

We have uploaded a bunch of pictures from the meets onto the website, and if any of you have pictures you have taken at meets feel free to upload them there as well. The website is www.bravesxc.blogspot.com and the pictures link is on the side of the page called “2016 pictures.”

We appreciate all you are doing. We know it can be challenging to balance school, xc, and other responsibilities, but it is worth it. Make sure you continue to eat right and get plenty of sleep each night (8 hours or more). Get some good rest this weekend and we look forward to getting back at it on Monday.

Coach Jacobson

Coach Caitlin