Training Plan for Week 7: 10/13-10/19

This week the pattern changes from what it's been the last two weeks. In fact it's similar to what we did in week 4, the last week of September. Hopefully, the amount of running you've been doing has been at its highest level of the season over the past two weeks. This week, the average amount of running you do on a daily basis will drop by about a third from what it's been the past week or two. Put in simple terms, if you've been averaging 60 minutes of running a day, this week you'll average 40. If you've been averaging 45 minutes, this week you'll average 30. This doesn't mean every day is the average; some days will be less and others will be more. The pattern of the runs will be B-A-B-A-A-B where A is shorter and B is longer; note that there are no C (longest) runs for the week. THe volume will go back up a bit next week, but not quite as high as the past two weeks. Also, thanks to the postponement of the dual meet with Newton South and Waltham two weeks ago, this week has two meets for many of you. 

Mon 10/13 - 30-45 minutes with 4-6x200 meter runs at the end. These runs will start at race pace for 100m and then get just a bit faster than that the second 100. Hill drills between the warmup and the rest of the run. This is also bring your pet to practice day.

Tue 10/14 - 20-40 minutes, with a gradual increase in the pace over the final 5-10 minutes of the run. Core circuit after the run. Today we'll be cleaning the area around the track and tennis courts, something each fall sports team has been tasked with doing at some point during the season. 

Wed 10/15 - Dual Meet #4 vs. Newton South and Waltham at Cold Spring Park. With warmup and cool down you should end up running 40-60 minutes. In fact this will end up being the longest run on the week for many of you. Those that are racing on Saturday will need to take special care not to overdo it today; the idea will be to take it out slower than your usual race pace by 10-20 seconds per mile and wait until the 2 mile mark to pick it up. Remember that the boys and girls race on different courses at Cold Spring Park. 

Thu 10/16 - 20-40 minutes, with a gradual increase in the pace over the final 5-10 minutes of the run. Hill drills between the warmup and the rest of the run. 

Fri 10/17 - 20-40 minutes, with 400-200-100 at race pace on the track near the end of the run. Core circuit after the run. Similar to what you did the day before last week's meet at Weston. Remember to get your things prepared for tomorrow's meet tonight if you're racing tomorrow. 

Sat 10/18 - McIntyre Twilight Invitational at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds. Bus at 2 PM. We'll talk more about how to approach this meet, which has become very popular within a few years of its founding. It's also worth noting though that there's a race in Wayland in the morning at the Claypit Hill School, Pam's Run. If you're interested in volunteering for that send me an e-mail. I've been in touch with the race director and she'd be happy to have volunteers from the WHS cross country teams.

Sun 10/19 - off.

Practice Monday - 9:30 AM "Bring Your Pet to Practice" day

This Monday we'll be having practice at the high school starting at 9 AM. The training plan for the week, including Monday, will be posted sometime tomorrow. If you like you can bring your pet to practice.

UPDATED Information for this Sunday's XC Challlenge and volunteer assignments

Below is a list of volunteer assignments, who's signed up for each one, and a brief description of the role as well as an expected timeframe for each job. If there are still slots left for a certain job the number of slots is shown in parentheses. The HFC Striders club will be providing some volunteers as well but I'm not sure how many. If there are any changes to what's listed below, I need to know at practice today.

Three races will be run: 

• 9:30 3k for 11-14 

• 10:00 3k 10 and under 

• 10:30 5k open

Registration - Jofe, Talukdar, Tully
Provide assistance at the registration table – helping people sign in, providing numbers, handing out race bags, etc. Need to arrive at 8 AM; done by 10:20

Parking - Bauerova, S. Butler, Moody, Provost
Provide assistance in the parking lot.  If the main lot fills you can park cars in the pool lot.  And if that lot fills you can park cars in the basketball court lot and in the grass along the road. Arrive by 8, done by 10.

Sweep - Cocce, Last, J. McCarthy
Follow behind the last participant on the course for each race – make sure no one is left behind or gets lost. Arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time of the race you’re sweeping.

Course Marshal - Bartick, Brewton, Dutton, Greenwood, LaRochelle, Pachter, Porter, Schwartz
Stand at a certain spot along the course and direct the runners as they go past. Be encouraging! Must arrive by 9 AM, done at 11.

Water Stop (1 person) - DeRubeis, Galang, Henning, Kiefer
You will be stationed at the table behind the tennis courts. Have a lot of cups already filled before the runners start coming by. Spread out so runners can access water easily. Clean up cups and fill new water cups before runners return for 2nd pass. Arrive by 9 AM, done at 11.

Finish Chute (4 people)
We need to have four people helping people move through the finish chute; two people on each side of the chute.  Encourage the runners to keep moving through the chute. Arrive by 9:15 AM, done at 11:30

Finish Line (4 people) - Macklin, A. McCarthy
We need to have two sets of people recording the numbers of the runners as they finish.  Position yourselves at the end of the chute.  One person calls out the numbers of the runners and the other person records the numbers. Arrive by 9:15 AM, done at 11:30

Finish Line Water (1 person) - Chase, Estrada, Luo
Fill cups with water
Hand out juice boxes
Keep finish line area clean of debris.
Arrive by 9, done by 11:30.

Photographer - Jameson, Dowling
Take lots of pictures of the runners, especially during the races.
Also take pictures of the sponsors.
Need to bring a camera.
Arrive by 9, done by noon.

Field House Assistant (2 people) - Daley, Watkins
Direct athletes to the bathrooms
Notify race director if more toilet paper is needed or of any issues.
Arrive by 8:30, done by 11.

Course Cleanup (6 people) - Gold, Mayall
After the races are over, go around the course to pick up flags, signs and cones.  Also help with cleaning up the registration area. Arrive by 10, leave around noon. 

Dual Meet #3: at Weston with Concord Carlisle - 10/8/14

Meet Site: Weston High School, 444 Wellesley St. Weston MA

Bus Time: 2:30

Start Time: First race will be 4:00 at the earliest. Races will go off roughly every half hour. 

There will be separate JV races. Order of races is as follows:
• JV boys - Bartick, Brewton, Butler, Chase, Comettant, Daley, Dowling, Dutton, Estrada, Gold, Jacobs, LaRochelle, Nealley, Pachter, Pak, Porter, Talukdar, Watkins, Xu
• varsity girls - Butler, DeRubeis, Henning, Jofe, Kiefer, McCarthy, Provost, Schwartz, Sheffres, Tully
• varsity boys - Bucher, Cocce, Galang, Greenwood, Kay, Last, Luo, Macklin, McCarthy, Moody
• JV girls - Barrow, Bauerova, Burke, Comettant

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: temperatures in the high 60s, clear with winds out of west about 10 mph. The rain that's forecast for the morning on Wednesday should be long gone by the time the first race starts, and things will be drying out. 
• You'll need to wear your assigned DCL bib number for this race; afterward, please return it to one of the coaches for future use.
• This is a "double dual" meet in that there are three teams contesting three separate dual meets: Wayland vs. Weston, Wayland vs. Concord-Carlisle, and Weston vs. Concord-Carlisle.
• The Weston course is a 5k layout around the edges of their athletic fields, with the finish line on the track. Pay attention during the course tour to the areas of the course that were included to disrupt what is otherwise a rhythm course. 

What to bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• warmup clothes
• water bottle - BRING YOUR WATER BOTTLE, it does you no good sitting on a shelf at home!
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Challenge)
• folding chair if you want something to sit on while changing shoes

Information for Parents:

• The start and finish lines are within 100 meters of each other, with the finish line on the track. Standing near the starting line it's possible to watch the runners go by four times between the start and finish. 

Training plan for Week 6: 10/6-10/12

This week follows a very similar pattern to last week. It's the second week in a row at the highest average training volume of the season; next week we'll pull back by a third again in advance of the Twilight Meet in Falmouth. Once again the training pattern is C-A-B-A-B-C with A being the shortest run (30-45 minutes) and C being the longest (50-90 minutes). What I wrote on last week's plan about avoiding illness still applies; staying healthy through this stretch of the season is an important part of having the best possible conclusion to your season in late October and/or early November. 

IMPORTANT: Stay tuned for more information (including a sign-up protocol) for the Wayland XC Challenge on Sunday. It will be posted on this website and discussed at the start of practice. Keep in mind that as a member of this team, it's expected that you'll be there to help out unless you have a compelling reason otherwise! The proceeds from past editions of this meet have paid for the team wristwatches, the water bottles you were given at the beginning of the season to keep, and the chocolate milk you enjoy after races. In addition, the meet on Sunday is a good time and you get snacks. 

• Mon 10/6 - 45-75 minutes easy, out and back along the Weston aqueduct. We'll all be running along the aqueduct today, some of you well into Framingham before turning around and heading back. If you feel up to it, pick up the pace the last 10-15 minutes or so. Core circuit after the run.

• Tue 10/7 - 30-45 minutes incl. 400-300-200-100 at race pace at the end of the run. 300-200-100 meter jog recoveries between the race pace runs. We'll do this on the track. Hill drills after the warmup. 

• Wed 10/8 - Dual Meet #3 vs. Weston and Concord-Carlisle. This meet will be held at Weston; more information will be posted Tuesday on this website. The overall amount of running you do today, including warmup and cool down, should be in the 40-60 minute range. 

• Thu 10/9 - 30-45 minutes easy, with a modest increase in pace the last 5-10 minutes. Core circuit after the run. 

• Fri 10/10 - 10 minute warmup, 4-6x1200 meter repeats with 2-2.5 minute recovery jogs between them, 10 minute cool down. Hill drills after the warmup. You'll be running the repeats on a loop that includes most of the loop that was used in practice last Wednesday, as well as the part of the home course that goes around the practice football field, behind the outfield fence of the baseball field, and up and over the ridge. near the start/finish line. The first 400 meters of each repeat will be run at a pace 30-40 seconds per mile (7-10 seconds per 400) slower than race pace. The next 400 will be run at 20 seconds per mile (5 seconds per 400) slower than race pace. The final 400 of each repeat will be run at race pace. 

• Sat 10/11 - 60-90 minute easy long run. Today's optional practice will be back at the Lincoln trails. The time is the same, 9 AM. The address for this is 145 Lincoln Road in Lincoln, in the commuter rail parking lot just off the parking lot for the Lincoln shopping center and AKA Bistro. I'll be heading to the Devil's Staircase.

• Sun 10/12 - Off. Remember that unless you have a compelling reason, the expectation is that you'll be at the school for the Wayland XC Challenge which is the chief fundraiser for the program. More information forthcoming tomorrow in a separate post on this blog; there are plenty of volunteer roles to go around and they're assigned on a first-come first-served basis.

Saturday 10/4 optional practice - at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge

This Saturday's optional 9 AM practice will be held at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge instead of the trails in Lincoln. The address is 680 Hudson Road in Sudbury. This address is the main entrance, we'll meet at the visitor center which is about half a mile down the road from the entrance gate along Winterberry Way. The refuge is an area that straddles Sudbury, Maynard and Stow and includes about 15 miles of trails, dirt roads, and paved roads. Motorized vehicles are prohibited from all parts of the refuge except for Winterberry Way, the road that accesses the visitor center. Many of the trails are former rail beds left over from the days when the area was a military storage area (without the snow of course!):

Dual Meet #3 at Cold Spring Park Postponed until October 15th; practice today instead at 2:45

Today's meet has been postponed due to weather and will be made up on October 15th. We'll be having practice instead, meeting in the field house at 2:45. See you there!