Six days a week during Cross Country season, you'll find local high school coaches at school before 6:00 a.m. Whether for a practice or to leave for a meet, they are there. Dedicated to their team and the improvements they have been working on all season. In only my 4th year now as a Cross Country coach, I have tried to piece together what I feel every one of my athletes should know. Here are my top 8: 1. You are better that you think. Most athletes come into the program unsure of themselves. I understand. It's high school. You may be the incoming freshman surrounded by pure athletes. You may be thinking you could never achieve what these guys and girls are doing. I have news for you. That 6' 1" professional (you're thinking) athlete was 5'2" when I first saw him show up for summer camp. He struggled to fit in, could not do a running drill and regularly got beat at meets. He worked hard, believed in himself, had others believe in him (see #4), and trusted that he could do it. You have it in you to be GREAT. Just believe in yourself. 2. Talk to me about anything (almost anytime). Feel free to talk to me about anything. If it is about something unrelated to the current workout or practice, save it for later. We have only x amount of time to get things handled, and any interruption affects the entire team. I am available almost anytime (it seems like a 24/7 job sometimes). I want to know about your personal lives. How's your family? Did your little brother get honor roll? How's you dog/cat/turtle/goat/steer/chickens? Did you make an "A" in Ms. Robinson's class? Just not necessarily during practice. Hang out afterwards, or better yet, get there early. We'll talk then. See me in between classes. After school. After a meet. Before school. On all the social media sites. Just save the practice times for working out, improving yourself and improving the team. 3. You are not as good as you think sometimes. Wait a second. #1 says the complete opposite. What gives? Yes, most athletes come into the program unsure of themselves. Some athletes come in feeling bulletproof though. "I cannot get hurt." "I don't have to do the cool down." "I don't need to lift." All thoughts that keep you from getting better. Can you be good without doing all the workouts as prescribed to the letter? Sure. If you want to be good at something doing the minimum or cutting corners, that is fine. You will never be GREAT doing that. If you are okay with just being good, our JV team will always have a spot for you. If you want to be GREAT, be prepared to be pushed beyond your preconceived barriers. You can ALWAYS improve. Don't get stuck in a mindset that being good at something is good enough. Come in with a mindset that you can improve yourself. 4. I believe in you. I believe every a student athlete can be great. Will it take hard work and dedication? Absolutely. I believe you have "it" in you. Show up to practice. Everyday. Put 100% into everything. Hydration, fuel, recovery. Running, lifting, core work. Be patient and trust in the process. I believe in you, even when you are having doubts. I have witnessed first hand the turn around an athlete can have by having someone believe in them when they aren't sure of themselves. You CAN do it. 5. Expect to be coached. I will tell you what you don't want to hear sometimes. I will do it in a way that is constructive and hopefully taken well. When I do this, don't take it as me coming down on you or not believing in you. It is all part of the process of improvement. If there was no area you could improve on, you would remain exactly where you are. I will always try to get the absolute best out of you. Remember, I believe in you (see above). 6. I am here for you. If you ever need me, I will be there for you. Even after you leave the program. I want to be there for your awards ceremonies, high school graduation, military graduations, college graduations, and your wedding (I better get an invite). That means letters of recommendation for college, being a reference for a job, helping you with college applications and scholarships. Don't be afraid to ask. It is something I would do proudly. 7. You are loved. Simple and to the point. You have people in your lives that truly care for you. I am one of them. I want you to succeed. In Cross Country. No really. I want you to succeed in Cross Country. Have I mentioned success? In Cross Country? I will love you if you succeed in Cross Country. I will also love you if you succeed in something else. For real. Even if you aren't initially successful, I will love you. Just keep trying and give 100% of yourself to something. You have people in your life who are there for you, believe in you, and love you. Count on them to help you along the way.
8. Expect success. I want you to succeed in anything you are passionate about. Find your passion and pursue it perfectly. Lexus probably has a trademark on the Passionate Pursuit of Perfection, but it does apply to everything you do. If you are passionate about something, pursue it and perfect it. Success will come if you do that. Set your goals, make a plan, and expect to succeed. Develop your self-confidence and hold yourself to a high standard by expecting to succeed. You will work even harder and inspire others around you. Success is also contagious. Once a person is successful, it opens the doors for others to believe, and proves it is possible. Listen to these words. Reflect on them. Come back to them when you are feeling unsure of yourself. Come back to the post when you are having doubts. When you have a bad day. When you have a tough workout. Ant questions? See me before or after practice...just not during :-) Watching the World Cup recently (my first child will now be named John Brooks!), it became very apparent that the international game is truly universal. Soccer (or football to my non-U.S. brethren) is a wildly popular sport, enjoyed by millions of fans worldwide. Here in the U.S., it continues to grow. There is however another sport that is universal, with solidified rules and standards. The international sport of track has fixed distances and each person/team can be measured with the same standards. Why the lack of (perceived on my part) support in running vs. soccer? Track needs more excitement. A Nike sponsored athlete (the great Phoebe Wright) did a blog post on how baseball could teach track a little something, and so I s̶ᴛ̶ᴏ̶ʟ̶ᴇ̶ took that idea and ran with it for Soccer. Here is what I have come up with to help out our sport: 1. Face Paint. Show up to a track meet, with your face painted with your team logo and you get to sit in the VIP section (by the start/finish line). Yes, track has teams other than national teams (Oregon Project, Brooks Beasts, Bowerman Athletic Club, Mammoth Track Club, NJNY, Furman, etc). 2. Vuvuzelas. Fans are encouraged to bring noisemakers (vuvuzelas, hand clappers, bang sticks, trash can lids, fog horns, etc) to cheer on their squads. Only requirement (request) would be not to use them before the start gun goes off. False start due to early noisemaking? Fan gets lifetime ban or auto entry into the 5,000m race that day. If they walk, they get the lifetime ban. That's right, we're tougher than the USADA. 3. Flopping. Get off to a bad start in the first 20 meters? Flop. Get boxed in? Flop. Have dead legs in the last 200m of your race? Flop. If you're a fan favorite, the race will get paused and you will get an immediate trainer out to you with the magic spray (If you know what that spray is, I'll take a case of it). Everyone gets positioned according to where they were when the flop happened, and the race resumes (Flotrack is on hand at every major meet to video, right?). The flopper gets moved forward or out, (their choice) by 2 meters. 4. Yellow/Red Cards. Infractions could be handed out for veering too wide on a straight away, elbowing someone, looking back over your shoulder too many times (I see you Edward Cheserek), really tripping someone (not like Gabriele Grunewald), or spiking an opponent (on purpose) 5. Goal/Finish line keeper. A teammate will be at the finish line to block your opponents from crossing first. Contact is encouraged. A different element to your training will now be necessary. For longer distance races, the Finish line keeper could make contact every 800 meters. I am sure others will come up with more ideas. Feel free to add your own and discuss in the comments below. One of the key aspects of being a successful, competitive runner is consistency. You have to be comfortable getting into a routine. Once running has become a part of your lifestyle you can feel free to change it up. Until then, run at the same time every single workout you run. Many successful athletes eat at the same times daily, hydrate on a regular basis and do not fluctuate their sleep schedules. Ever. Am I saying you need to go to these extremes as a high school athlete? Not necessarily, but you can definitely learn and incorporate many of these practices into your training and benefit immensely. There are 3 things to consider to get the most from your training program. Start with the basics. Prepare your body for the rigors of training. 1. Hydration. Every morning wake up and drink a 12 ounce glass of water. This is especially true if you will be running in the morning. 30 minutes prior to your workout make sure your have at least an additional 12 ounces of water. During your workout make sure you are staying properly hydrated throughout. Make sure you have a refillable water bottle as it will be your best friend...handy whenever you need to have fresh water available. Be mindful of routinely drinking water to replenish whatever you lost through sweat. 2. Fuel up. Your body cannot perform without the proper macronutrients. Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats are the building blocks our bodies need. None of these can be singled out as bad...The proportions of each should be balanced to the athletes individual needs though. The timing of this fuel is also vital. Plan on having a recovery snack or small meal immediately after a hard workout. This should definitely include some carbohydrate and protein for the replenishment of glucose and aid in the rebuilding of stressed muscle tissue. A good example might simply be a plain bagel with peanut butter (along with a tall glass of water). 3. Recovery. The adaptation of our bodies to the stress of the workout takes rest. In order for our bodies to rebuild itself, it cannot be under a constant state of stress. Recovery will vary per athlete, but I want to focus on sleep. During sleep, an athlete's body is slowly rebuilding itself, regenerating energy stores (glycogen, red blood cells, etc), as well as rebuilding micro-tears in muscle fibers. If you are getting enough restful sleep, you are depriving you body of that rebuilding time, and will never reach your full potential. How much sleep is enough? For a high school athlete, I would recommend 8 hours of sleep per night. What does that mean if you have to wake up at 6am to make it to 7am practice? Lights out at 10pm. Have to take out the trash or feed the dog before going to bed? Do it at 9pm. Plan ahead and make sleep a priority. Do these 3 things consistently, and your body will be better prepared when you start to increase the volume and intensity required to have a successful XC season. I consider these 3 basics to be a solid foundation to grow stronger and faster. Hydrate. Fuel. Recovery. These basics are the wax on/wax off, sand the floor, and paint the fence of the XC world. Without these, you cannot move onto the more intense work which will be required of your body later. You don't even realize at the time that they are so important, but these lessons all come together and help you reach your goal. If you have made it this far into the post, here is your reward: The Summer of 2014 is upon us and as you know, that means 100+ degree weather. Summer pool parties. Summer snow cones. Summer sleep ins. Summer naps. Summer Volleyball. Summer fishing. Summer jobs. Summer trips. Summer school (for some). Summer BBQ's. Summer Soccer. Summer SAC camps. Summer babysitting. Believe it or not, your summer can be all of that, plus more. Imagine coming back to school from an awesome summer of the above activities, plus one more: Summer wickedly-hard core-certified-XC-bad (shut your mouth)! For me and our team, it means training, training, and more training. Six days a week. Summer is when champions are made or held back. As the great Yoda once said: "Do. Or do not. There is no try." Many of you know about my belief that the Karate Kid movie holds all, and I do mean ALL of life's lessons in a 126 minute synopsis. If you did not know that, just spend a day with me. Here is a snippet of knowledge from Mr. Myagi as an example: I am a firm believer in this philosophy for excellence in Cross Country running. "Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side safe. Walk middle, sooner or later [squish]. Get squish just like grape. Here, XC same thing. Either you do XC "yes" or XC do "no." You do XC "guess so," [squish]. Just like grape. Understand?" The reason why I believe so is two-fold. First, if you do not buy in 100%, you will NEVER reach your potential, and you will let yourself and your team down. Second, if you do XC "guess so," and skip some steps such as summer training, you will get injured by pushing too hard.
Your Summer of 2014 should become the Summer of Commitment. Commit 100% to the program and to your teammates. Hold each other accountable. Become responsible for your training as well as others. To reach our goals, we must have EVERYONE on board. I know it is easy to slack off from the training, but that is why you have awesome teammates that will motivate you and encourage you along the way. Our training program takes 4-5% of your day, so there should be no excuses. Get up early to knock it out and enjoy the day knowing you did your part to improve yourself and your team. Reach out to others via text, email, Twitter, FB, IG, snail mail, smoke signals, whatever. If you see them at church, HEB, Jalisco's, the mall, keep encouraging them. Go for runs together when we aren't meeting at the school. I want to see and hear from you this summer. Feel free to comment on the blog. I am hoping to write here regularly, but you know how that goes sometimes. If there is good feedback and dialogue, it will make it much easier to continue this blog and make it worth the effort. I am also available via several channels. You and/or your parents can reach out to me at: 512-784-7774 [email protected] Twitter: Cedar_Creek_XC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/228788513813698/ |
Coach Stephen MoralesHead Coach for the Cedar Creek High School Cross Country Team. The personal opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. Archives
October 2014
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