Always check mvrunning.com for updates on the team!
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
— Jesse Owens
“What matters in the long run is sticking with things, and working daily to get better at them.”
— Angela Duckworth
The school year is ending…so some spicy summer running is about to start! Here is a summary of the MVXC summer running plans for 2023.
GROUP RUN SCHEDULE/Mornings: Monday through Saturday at 7am, meet on the track at Monta Vista High School. Morning runs will begin on Monday June 5 and continuing until our first practice together in August. Group runs that will meet on the Monta Vista track at 7am. We may add an alternative session in the afternoon or early evening if there is interest, but as of now, summer runs will start in the morning.
GROUP RUN SCHEDULE/Evenings: Evening runs are being scheduled. There will be an updated posted here with a schedule, or email Megan Nieh (see below).
CROSS TRAINING WITH MVXC COACHES/Evenings: Your coaches are working on how to provide you with options for cross training during the summer in some evenings, probably two evenings a week and/or Saturdays. These evening workouts could be runs, but could also be time on the stationary bicycles, core work, or weight room training. Coaches are still working on options for you. If you have specific interest, you can contact any of Coach Smith, Coach Tyler, Coach Samantha, or Coach Curtis directly. Cross training with the coaches can be standalone workouts, and overachievers could run in the morning with the athlete group and come back that evening for a session on the spin bikes or some extra core work with the coaches. Doubling up like this–running in the morning, cross training later in the day–is not crazy! Doubling is what overachievers with big goals might do! Check back here for updates on these sessions.
WHAT SUMMER RUNS ARE LIKE: There will be suggested workouts sent out from coach to athletes every two weeks. The runners can make some modifications to the suggested workouts. There are options for every level of runner–there will be runs that a brand-new-freshman runner can follow, and options for returning varsity athletes. Everyone can, and should, come join MVXC summer running–especially new runners!
INCOMING KENNEDY AND LAWSON STUDENT-ATHLETES AND TRANSFER STUDENTS: Welcome! We believe that summer running has benefits beyond the running itself–the athletic training you get can be the least of your advantages.
Coming to high school or a new school can be a little scary. After a summer of running, you will get to know a lot of kids–and not just kids in your own class, you will be friends that are sophomores, juniors and seniors. On your first day of school, seeing several friendly, older faces can be very calming! And having someone to ask how to find your next class, and tell you that your math teacher is going to be a good guy, can be a comfort.
Yes, the first day you come to summer running, you might feel shy. Don’t worry, this is a good group of student-athletes–introduce yourself to the other kids and get started making a great group of friends!
BEFORE YOU START SERIOUS RUNNING–SHOES: Please get new shoes! Here is a guide on how to shop for new shoes (and why). A great idea is to go in little groups–go to Running Revolution of Campbell with some friends, get new shoes, hop onto the Los Gatos Creek Trail and get five miles in your new kicks with your friends on a trail you never run on, then have a slice of pizza. Sounds like a sweet afternoon or evening to me! If you plan a group outing, let me know and I’ll give the Rev owners a call so they can expect you.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE RUNNING? For returning runners, a good goal is to increase your average weekly mileage by about five miles per week from what you were running during the track season–that’s about one mile per day increase, that should not be too hard on your body. For new runners who have been active but have not been a consistent runner before, if you start out running three to four days a week with 30 to 45 minute runs, that’s a great start!. If by the end of the summer you are running 25-30 miles per week and that volume feels comfortable, you are going to be a superhero when the Fall cross country season starts!
HOW FAST SHOULD YOU BE RUNNING? Almost all of your summer running should be a conversational pace; you should be able to maintain a comfortable conversation with your running partners. However…conversational pace means that you should be running as rapidly as you can will maintaining the conversation, not just shuffling along slowly and stopping every 500m while you are yakking!
Most of your running all year will be at a conversational pace. If that comfortable pace becomes a little faster, the increase in pace will be felt in many hours of training every week. Running so many miles every week at a faster pace will cause your body to work to adapt to this new stressor, and these adaptations will lead to an improved race pace.
If your goal is to drop a minute at Crystal next Fall, then your conversational pace should probably be 15-30 seconds per mile faster than last year. At first this might seem like you are pushing a little bit–but nowhere near like a tempo or LT pace. I think of this pace as a ‘focused conversational’ pace–I can still talk pretty easily but I’m thinking about my pace a bit. Having faster people to run with helps, you don’t have to think about your pace as much as you are simply carried along by faster runners–like a school of fish (another reason that training groups are so important). Summer running in a good time to push your conversational pace a bit–run with faster people!
WHY GROUP RUNS ARE IMPORTANT: Running is an individual sport, every athlete must run every step on his or her own; however we run stronger and further and faster when we are together. We want a strong group pushing together. When runners train alone, it can be easy to slack off–there are few immediate consequences from skipping a workout or slowing down during a run. A strong, cohesive group, can push together. A cohesive group is always stronger than an individual. We want to challenge ourselves, so that when we think we are running hard, we actually run harder, and the group can help us get to that next level. When we think we are going far we are encouraged to go a little farther. At some point we can have a revelation, that what used to be a challenge for our conversational runs is now easy.
I truly want for you to keep building your strong group spirit, and keep inviting and welcoming more kids into the group, all summer long.
REST AND CROSS TRAINING: You should take at one day per week off running. You can either rest completely, or cross train. Great forms of cross training include swimming, water running, bicycling or stationary biking, elliptical training, and hiking. You can swim or water run in the afternoon after a run–that adds to your aerobic base and swimming or water running can feel good and loosen you up, too!
SCHEDULE YOUR ANNUAL PHYSICAL NOW: Don’t wait until the last minute, appointments with your doctor will book up. Ask for a serum ferritin test, this is not standard for a physical but all runners should get this test every year. This is why you should get a serum ferritin test. Athletic clearance information is posted.
CONTACTS:
You can reach Coach Flatow with questions during the summer at coachflatow@gmail.com. Coach can also put you in contact with the athletes that are leading the summer running sessions.
Student-athlete contacts for 2023summer running and team information for the 2023 MVXC season include:
- Anika Bhandarkar anika.bhandarkar@gmail.com
- Megan Nieh megannieh15@gmail.com
- Tanay Parikh parikhtanay123@gmail.com
- Manasi Prasad mprasad754@student.fuhsd.org
- Ruhaan Shah ruhaans02@gmail.com
