9/25 update

Braves,

This was an awesome week of work. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were different workouts than we have done to this point in the season, and we were able to accomplish a few things. We have less than two weeks until our region race, which would be the last race of the season unless we make it to state. This is our last week of true hard work. Similar to last week, we want to put in some speed work, while continuing to taper. Tuesday and Thursday last week were intended to be easier days, while still getting in some cardio work.

Speaking of Thursday, I cannot believe the weird things that these kids found on their run. We issued an “obscure item” challenge and some of the things they found were flat out bizarre. I still am laughing about the entertainment center. The Kerrs had some creepy mask, Ryan and Brandon came back with some antique action figures or something. And a chicken?? I took a couple of pictures and put them on our website. You probably have to scroll to the bottom to see them, but maybe while you are there you can upload a few of your own. You can get to the photos page by clicking on “2016 photos” on the right side of the website or by following this link.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMe1CwlaYOXlM0N_6R_pxkaGBvT63EAG8Z31wgCcjSEDZEM6CTNDhT8gnmJM6E59g?key=SkNkQjU2eWE3V1JyU2FjY2NqUllhTDVtd2NiRm1B

We have put it great work all season long, now is the time to take advantage of it. Don’t waste these last few weeks, take advantage of them. On Friday in the rain I was a bit upset at the beginning of practice, but to your credit, to those of you there, your work ethic really changed by attitude. We were impressed how well you worked in the rain. You are going to have plenty of races in the rain, including the state track meet it seems every year, so we have to be able to excel in rough weather. You did that on Friday so thank you for changing my mood through your work ethic.

At the end of the workout on Friday I told the group to have some fun on these last few 400s. Anna Sophia jokingly said to me that I might have a different idea of fun than they do. After I laughed I realized that I don’t, at least in this case. The workouts or races when you go as hard as you can, that is when you have fun. Part of that is the endorphins that are released, but the other part is exceling through challenges. That is a rewarding feeling and what makes running, training, and racing fun. I never see our team more happy than right after they finish a race. After Kiwi finished her race at pre region, where she also had an outstanding race, she said to Leslie, “that was fun!” (Coach and I were in earshot, not eaves dropping ;) ). The point I’m making is, let’s have fun, and the true way to having fun is working hard.

We have one race this week, and it is our home meet up at Mueller Park. The race begins at 3:30 with the girls followed by the boy’s race. You will be excused from school slightly early so you can get dressed and up to the meet. Because we are hosting, we will need help from each athlete, and any parent that is available to help at the finish line, or standing at a few spots in the race to direct traffic. I’m putting another link to our course map so you can review it. It is mildly confusing, which is why we need help to make sure the kids don’t take any wrong turns. Let me know if you will be available. Mostly you would stand at some of the intersections and direct the kids along. Nothing too complex. http://bravesxc.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_12.html

There is no varsity or JV this week. This race and the workouts the next two weeks will be used to determined who will be racing varsity at region, so now is the time to show what you have. Let’s have some fun this week.

Coach Jacobson

9/18 update

Braves,

The results from the meet we had on Wednesday our on our website. We were impressed with the effort during those races. It is crazy to think that we only have one race to go before our region meet. Parents, in case you hadn’t heard from your son or daughter, we are not going to race on Friday the 23^rd at Roy. That was on our schedule but we decided to not race that day so we can use the time to prepare for our final races. That means that we have our home meet on the 28^th, region the week after, and state after that. With the final few weeks of the season we have some exciting things ahead of us.

The final few members of the varsity teams are not set in stone, given the improvements that people have been making, and that is a good thing for our team. Over the next two and a half weeks that will be decided as we go into region. We were extremely impressed over the last two days with a few kids stepping it up in practice as they make their final push to make the varsity team. We will need that kind of tenacity if we are going to have a shot to reach our goals.

We set a goal at the beginning of the year to qualify both teams for state. As the season has unfolded and we have deal with ups and downs, injuries and improvements, our goal is within reach, but not a guarantee.  It is going to take a collective effort to have chance at qualifying for state. As the season has developed, on paper, the boys team finds themselves neck and neck with Box Elder for the final qualifying spot. It looks to be very close. The girls teams in the region have been slightly more unpredictable, but it is clear that we will have to really improve in order to have a shot. Not surprisingly, our girls have been improving (as have our boys) as a result of their hard work, which is why we believe there still is a chance. Anything can happen on race day, we just need to prepare ourselves so we can make things go our way. This is an exciting time. Ultimately, what we hope each of you understands, and whether you have been on jv or varsity doesn’t matter, is that we need each other, all of us, in this process working hard as a TEAM in order to reach our goals. Those of you who were with us last year for track will remember that our boys team fell 4 points short earning a state team trophy for the first time since 1991. Though that team dominated in region, they came up just short at state. That team had a lot of athletes who had bought in to the team concept and were working hard every day, but there were many who weren’t committed enough, and it cost us in the end. I do not want that to be our story. We cannot afford to be missing practice over the last stretch of our season. The region is just too close. I know you have other things in your life so schedule things in such a way that allows you to accomplish everything you need to.

I hear every day in my classes some students saying they stayed up and did homework for a large number of hours the night before for some class they had. Typically when I ask more questions about it they regretfully reveal that they had procrastinated for several days. What’s worse, when I ask how many text messages they sent, or snap chats they received throughout the duration of their “study time” they realize where the conversation is leading them so they plead the fifth (something Stratty likes to do when asked about if he iced is foot J). My point is, use your time wisely. Do not procrastinate, especially not in the middle of the term, because the end is usually worse in terms of workload. If you have a cell phone or an ipad or whatever, put it away while you study. In college I learned very quickly and gratefully how much more I could get done in the hour before practice when I kept my phone in my bag and stayed of social media. There is a little #lifehack for you as you move forward.

We are lucky to have a team full of great kids. For the most part you are responsible and want to do what is best for you and the team. Stay true to that and you will be able to balance all you have while still helping our team be successful.

This upcoming week we have a few things to accomplish. We have two things we want to accomplish in training over the next two and a half weeks in order to reach our goal. First, we want to continue to develop our speed, and take it up a notch. Our base has been established, and now we get to reap the rewards. As former long-time Weber State Coach, and BYU athlete Coach Blaisdell used to say, “the hay is in the barn” meaning we have put in the work, now we get to enjoy it. Second, we will begin to taper. Our workload won’t be as strenuous as your bodies begin to recover. As a training schedule for this week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be speed days, either on the track or at Lewis Park, and Tuesday and Thursday will be distance runs, but more in the casual (NOT lazy) category. On Tuesday we will meet at Mueller Park Junior High and run our course a few times so you can get the hang of it, but it won’t be a strenuous run. We will give you further details at practice on Monday.

On Tuesday we will be taking our team picture for the year book. Make sure to bring your Uniform top (don’t worry about the shorts, but wear dark shorts or spandex if possible). That picture will be taken at 2:40, so if you are late, you will not be in the photo.

Again, there is no race on Friday, but we will be practicing.

We have an exciting few weeks ahead. Enjoy it, embrace it, be determined, and let’s reach our goals.

Coach Jacobson

9/11 update

Braves,

It has been a busy weekend so I am late getting this out to you. This one will be pretty short.

We will be racing on Wednesday at Layton City Park. It is the district championships so we will see all the schools in Davis County. There will be a JV and Varsity race, JV Girls first followed by the boys. The races begin at 3:30. The course is a bit shorter than what we have been racing, it is only 2.75 miles. We are looking forward to this meet and racing against some schools that we don’t often see.

We are doing a second clothing order. I will place the order on Wednesday after lunch, so if you want to order something please pay in the office and bring me the form and the receipt before or during lunch on Wednesday. You are also welcome to leave it in my box in the office if that is easier. Again, if you choose not to order something that is no problem at all. If you ordered a t shirt before, and are thinking of getting a couple more, the discount can still be applied. Let me know if you have questions.

The final month of the season is here and we are going to start transitioning into faster workouts (pace wise, not necessarily duration). Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep, eating right, and staying hydrated so that you can stay healthy over the last month. We are very excited for the last few weeks, this is when the season gets really fun.

Thanks for all you do, keep up the hard work.

Coach Jacobson

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

8/21 update

Braves,

Recap>preparation>team expectations>Tuesday race information>season vision

This final week of no school was an interesting one with our first race on Thursday. Those of you who went and competed showed a ton of effort. As Coach and I stood near the finish line to see each of you finish we saw your expressions as you rounded the turn. Everyone looked exhausted from the effort you had been putting in. Even with the evident fatigue, somehow you still managed to finish strong over the last few hundred meters. It is that kind of effort that you put in on race day that needs to be shown in practice day after day which will carry us to our goals at the end of the season. Use that effort in everything you do and you will find success.

As classes begin on Wednesday make sure you start strong and prepared. A lot of you are new to Cross Country so balancing your classes will be different from what you have done in the past. Make sure to manage your time wisely so that you stay on top of your school work while still being at practice every day, fulfilling your other responsibilities, AND getting enough sleep each night. Sometimes it can seem like a lot, but when you break it down one day at a time and one week at a time I know you can do it.

Now that school is starting our team should finally be at full strength as people get back from vacations or summer jobs. It will be nice having everyone there each day. With all the races we have coming up we only have a few days to prepare each week. We have planned our schedule so that we have enough days to work and improve while still getting the race experiences needed; the races and workouts will work together to help you be as fast as you can be by the end of the season. If all we did was race we would plateau very quickly.

In an effort to avoid that problem while rewarding those who are at practice each day, we won’t be able to enter those into races who are missing practices. We cannot skip practice then expect to race the next time. We decided this as a coaching staff after last track season when kids wouldn’t practice but would suddenly be on the bus when we were going to a meet. This is not being said because of any of you; you have been great. A few kids missed most of last week but still raced and that was just fine because we knew people would be out of town with summer, so that is not a problem. Now that school is beginning we simply cannot be missing practices and then expect to race. Frankly it would be unfair to this team, especially your teammates who are counting on you to allow anyone to skip practices then show up to race.

That being said, we understand that many of you are involved in other activities so we know you may miss from time to time. If you let me know via email or text (through the reminder app) before practice, we can work it out for you to still race. Please don’t just tell me at practice that you won’t be there a certain day though, because my brain gets too distracted at practice to convert that information into long term memory. I need to read it through email or text to fully process it. We also understand that injuries are a fact of the sport and some of you have a few ailments. Still come to practice even if you are hurt so that we can monitor how you are feeling. We will either have you not workout or we will have you cross train so you still get some cardio work in. Having battled through injuries we understand that it is extremely frustrating and delicate, so we aren’t going to just make you run through something that requires rest.

As a member of the team we need you there at practice each day. Cross Country is obviously a unique sport where the team counts on each individual member. Practice is where we improve as a team, and working with the group motivates us to be better, not just for ourselves but for the people around us who are also sacrificing for our team. Each of you contributes to our team, and when you miss a practice the dynamic changes. The team needs each member, and each member needs the team. We are lucky to have a team that is great to be around and who works hard. Let’s get to work each day, enjoy the moments running together, and when we have a full bus coming home from state we can look back proudly at what we accomplished as a TEAM.

I neglected to share in the email last week who are team captains are. The team chose Amelia, Blake, Braden, Dallin, Emmie, and Laurie as captains. Though any number of you could have done an outstanding job as a team captain, these six are excellent examples of hard work, drive, dedication, and determination. Look to them as examples of how we want our team to be in this season, and in the years to come.

As you know we are next racing on Tuesday. The bus will be leaving at 1:50 (assuming it arrives on time). If the bus is on time, we will be leaving from the fieldhouse at 1:50. A few of you would have missed the bus had it done been late last week. We will leave without you if you are late simply because we need to allow for plenty of time to get to the meet (drivers have gotten lost before) and get warmed up before the races.

This race is pre region, so we will only be competing against the other schools from our region. It is going to seem like a really small meet compared to Thursday. This is going to be a fun meet because it will show how we match up against the other schools. Our team goal is to qualify both our boys and girls teams for State – something that hasn’t been done in a number of years at BHS, and not since our region changed, which added a few powerful teams. As the season progresses we will talk with our captains and try and set few more specific goals for our team. In order to qualify for state we need to place in 4^th or better as a team at region on October 7^th. The region race will be at the course we run on Tuesday. No matter what our team results are on Tuesday we will understand that we have a ton of work to do to get ready for region. It’s going to be fun to see how we match up early in the season with the other teams.

As we said before, our philosophy is to peak around Region and State. We are not trying to peak by Tuesday. With that in mind, we are going to practice reasonably hard on Monday. In the short term (on Tuesday, for instance) this may cause you to not feel as fresh as you might like, but that is by design. We work hard early in the season, taper at the end, and then we’ll be ready to roll in October. With so many races, if we don’t run hard before meets early in the season then the tapering at the end of the season will be much less effective.

This week is going to be great. Practice on Monday is at 2:30. Bus Tuesday is at 1:50. After school practices will begin at 2:40, (Junior high kids will begin at 3:15).

If you haven’t clicked on this link to see the schedule for the season I encourage you to do so and bookmark it. On the right side of the page it says 2016 pictures, I have uploaded the pictures from the meet on Thursday that I took, so go take a look at those. Any of you, parents or athletes, who take pictures at a meet feel free to add them to that page. It’s a very simple drag and drop process.

Have a great weekend, the Olympic men’s Marathon is Sunday morning at 6:30 and my friend Jared Ward is racing so tune in if you can. See you Monday!

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson