All,
This post is the home base for our team as we stay connected during the summer of 2020. This will not be our usual summer running, so we are all going to have to work a little harder to stay motivated and connected. We are a family, and the extra effort will pay off by making all of us a little happier and stronger–not just with our running but with our lives.
Being active is important to your health, and your workouts are a safe way to stay active. Working together helps to be part of a team, connected, even if we don’t know when we can be together again for a practice or a competition. Posting these workouts and responding to questions and telling each other how we did all helps us to stay connected.
Athletes in other sports can also join these workouts. We might not be able to gather and throw or kick a ball, wrestle or swing a bat, but we all can strap on shoes and go for a run and stay active. I’ve heard doctors and epidemiologists say that it’s more likely to get run over by a car on a run than catch a disease, so long as you are social distancing. So, let’s all go out and run! Maybe next Fall you can try a season of cross for the first time.
For all the returning veteran XC runners…I hope that you step up. If a freshman reaches out to you and asks about cross on email or any other social media, take the time to respond in depth. Get on the phone or FaceTime or anything to make the contact more personal. If a soccer player or a basketball player reaches out to ask about cross, get back to them too. Make time to meet them in person (with correct social distancing!) and show the new people our runs and our drills and core work and our traditions. In the time of COVID, it helps if everyone steps up and acts like a team captain some times!
Team Runs
To help us stay connected, teammate Rohun Agrawal has created an on-line team workout tracking tool. Go to teamruns.com and sign up for team MVXC20, code FUS0. As of now, 21 of your teammates have signed up and nine have started logging miles. This is a great way for you to track your own miles, see what your teammates are doing, and stay connected and inspiring each other. Even if we were not quarantined, this would be a great tool to keep the team bonded anytime (and especially in the summer). So…please sign up! This is voluntary, but Coach does take a peak to see how the day is going for the team. (I loved seeing “Steep Thing” as the description of a run recently!)
Contacts
Incoming Freshmen and new runners looking to find someone to talk to about cross country, you may contact:
- Upasana Dilip upasyudi@gmail.com
- Rohun Agrawal agrawal.rohun@gmail.com
- Sylvana Northrop snorthrop675@student.fuhsd.org
- Nikhita Saldi nikhita.saldi@gmail.com
- Sydney Stevens captainsydney2@gmail.com
For zoom group core workout schedules, start with:
- Vivian Cheng viviancheng2003@gmail.com
- Vishal Kopporu vishalksai@gmail.com
- Vibha Iyengar vibs829@gmail.com
Week Beginning July 27
Target miles this week: New runner 28, typical runner 37, higher mileage 46.
Monday July 27: Longish
Up and Over/ or U&O+Garrods. Whichever one you pick, please try to run steadily without stopping from the time you leave the RR tracks until you reach the top. This may feel a little harder than conversational but should not be hands on your knees at the end. Not stopping is the challenge!
Target mileage low: 6.0; high: 9.0
Core: Student-lead (check with any of the captains for their schedule) or on your own.
Tuesday July 28: Maintenance.
Run to Linda Vista, drill. Then, I’d like you to run 6 hill repeats, either in LV or on outside on the road either direction coming up to LV, medium-hard, only about 20 seconds long each, walk back for recovery. Focus on PERFECT FORM, good arms, knees driving up. Then continue the run for mileage you need.
Target mileage low: 5.0; high: 5.0
Core: Student-lead (check with any of the captains for their schedule) or on your own.
Wednesday July 29: Maintenance.
Matadors. When you get out of the park/off the dirt and start to head down hill, pick up the pace to a faster than usual but still conversational pace. New runners head right back to school, others can head through McClellan Ranch Park and come back either on Byrne, Stevens Creek or Phar Lap. Pace should not be too fast, this is not tempo pace! It’s a faster conversational pace.
Target mileage low: 5.0; high: 9.0
Core: Student-lead (check with any of the captains for the schedule) or on your own. I’d also like to add some shin splint prevention this week.
Thursday July 30: Maintenance.
This can be a complete no-run day for new runners (but not a ‘rest’ day; how about some cross training in a pool or on a bike?). Everyone else, this can be a vanilla, flat run day—let’s say Homestead, or Will’s Loop.
Target mileage low: 0; high: 6.
Core: Student-lead (check with any of the captains for the schedule) or on your own.
Friday July 31: Maintenance.
Head out to McClellan, drill then come back past Linda Vista and back to school or down to either the RR tracks or Stelling. 6×60-80m strides on one of the little hills around LV park.
Target mileage low: 4; high: 6.
Core: Student-lead (check with any of the captains for the schedule) or on your own.
Saturday August 1: Endurance/Longish
First day of August. Pick your long run! I’m thinking that the base run is Matadors, and depending upon your mood and what you ran on Tuesday, you can run Horse, Horse-Garrods or REI. Or get in the car and head to Rancho.
Target mileage low: 8; high: 11.
Core: Student-lead (check with captains for their schedule) or on your own–but I would suggest some extra legs today. Body weight squats, single leg squats, warrior variants, runner’s touch!!!, lunges especially reverse lunges.
Sunday August 2: Take the day off! Or cross train.
