Happy Independence Day, MVXC! Celebrate America’s beginnings in some way today. Whatever you do to mark the holiday, start off with a morning run, before it gets hot and before you indulge in holiday food! Maybe you signed up for a 4th of July run? Or you have a run with your teammates at the MV track as usual–and maybe a breakfast potluck after to make the day memorable? Whatever you do on the 4th…enjoy!
July 4 is also the start of Week 5 of summer running, and yes, there is a plan attached to this post. I hope this is helpful and that you are motivated to be out on the trails…because believe it or not, in five weeks we have our first official practice as a team, and in 7 and a half weeks we toe the line for the Watermelon run! Gulp. With that in mind, here are a few things for your check list for July…
- You will need to be cleared to join the team and practice with the team…so if you have not had your annual sports physical yet, make sure you have this physical scheduled in the next few weeks. All the information on how to join a team at Monta Vista is posted. Here is the form you need your doctor to complete and sign. Let’s all get this completed in July! (Remind your teammates and let them know that you have completed everything!)
- If you have not purchased new shoes…plan on heading to the shoe store! I like Running Revolution a lot–you can plan a run on the Los Gatos Creek Trail as part of a shoe-shopping trip. A Runner’s Mind and Athletic Performance are also good options. I stay away from the big sports stores–if they are selling a canoe, don’t buy your running shoes there! You want to get a good general purpose training shoe that fits you–and you might want to buy some racing flats, flats are optional, but are really really fun! Wherever you go, ask them if they offer a discount for Monta Vista High School cross country runners!
- Maybe we want to step up our core training! Here is an advanced lunge series–the Tick Tock lunge–I really like. And you could follow along with this 20 minute core program that does not use any special equipment.
And…you could always plan an adventure run with some teammates. Look at this group of happy runners at the beach after a beach run! What can be better than a run with some friends and a ocean ice bath after? You could plan a run like this with your teammates!
