Running with Rocco: Winter Break Training

• We will be running over Winter Break
• If the weather is bad I'll try to get us in the weight room at the high school
• If you cannot make a session, be sure to keep up with your training
• Check the TEAM REACH app on the mornings we're supposed to meet, we'll see if there's enough interest to meet as a team

Here is the schedule for this week (we will be meeting at ALHS, by the caboose):

Wednesday	12-20	10 - 10:45 a.m.	10 - 20 minutes
Thursday	12-21	10 - 10:45 a.m.	12 - 22 minutes
Friday	12-22	10 - 10:45 a.m.	12 - 22 minutes
Saturday	12-23	10 - 10:45 a.m.	14 - 24 minutes
Wednesday	12-27	10 - 10:45 a.m.	16 - 26 minutes
Thursday	12-28	10 - 10:45 a.m.	16 - 26 minutes
Friday	12-29	10 - 10:45 a.m.	18 - 28 minutes

Running with Rocco: Week of December 11th

A few things to note going forward:

• We will be running this week and over Winter Break
• I'll send out our Winter Break schedule later in the week
• If you cannot make a session, be sure to keep up with your training
• We will be meeting after break, as a distance team, to go over possible INDOOR MEETS this January/February
• I will be following up with more information regarding indoor meets, but right now we are tentatively planning on going to these meets:

• Oberlin Indoor Meet #1 on Sunday, January 14th
• Oberlin Indoor Meet #3 on Saturday, February 3rd

• We may be adding 1 - 2 more meets as well
• Starting in mid-February, we will be adding hill work sessions on Saturday mornings on days we are NOT at indoor
• We will start our CONDITIONING WEEK on Monday, February 5th

Here is the schedule for this week: 

• Tuesday              12/12        3:15 - 4 p.m. Learwood               26 - 36 minutes
• Wednesday        12/13        3:15 - 4 p.m. Learwood              28 - 38 minutes
• Saturday             12/16        10 - 11 a.m. ALHS (caboose)      32 - 42 minutes

We will meet in Coach Peepers’ room each day after school on the days we're running at Learwood. Please dress in layers, bring a snack & water, and wear a hat and gloves (when necessary). Also make sure to arrange for transportation home at 4 p.m. during each Learwood session. If you have any further questions, please contact either Coach Rocco or Coach Peepers!

Running with Rocco: Week of December 4th

Here is the schedule for this week. Due to the weather, we'll be updating our schedules weekly. When we return from Winter Break we'll be going over indoor races, so make sure you're keeping up with your training!

• Wednesday        12/6          3:15 - 4 p.m. Learwood                               22 - 32 minutes
• Thursday            12/7          3:15 - 4 p.m. Learwood                               22 - 32 minutes
• Saturday             12/9         10 - 10:45 a.m. ALHS (caboose)                 24 - 34 minutes

We will meet in Coach Peepers’s room each day after school on the days we're running at Learwood. Please dress in layers, bring a snack & water, and wear a hat and gloves (when necessary). Also make sure to arrange for transportation home at 3:50-4 p.m. during each Learwood session. If you have any further questions, please contact either Coach Rocco or Coach Peepers!

Running with Rocco: Week of November 27th

 Attention all Cross Country & Track and Field Athletes:

Our off-season running club, Running with Rocco, will continue this week. Before we go over the schedule, here are a few things about our running club:

• Any athlete is able to join, it's not just for cross country runners.
• It's for distance runners and sprinters NOT involved in a winter sport...once your winter sports seasons are over you can join us.
• We're training to help transition to the upcoming Track & Field season. 
• You do not need to attend every session, but make sure to run 3-4 days a week, and make sure not to over-do it. We're just jogging, and not accruing a lot of miles.
• If you can't make a session, I'm including running times below. 
• If we can't make a session, we'll text that out to everyone.
• Running on your own, on a treadmill, or on an elliptical are acceptable ways to work out this off-season.

Here is the schedule for this week. I'll update the schedule for next week as well:

• Wednesday        11/29        3:15 - 4 p.m. Learwood                               18 - 28 minutes
• Thursday            11/30        3:15 - 4 p.m. Learwood                                20 - 30 minutes
• Run on your own another day this week, for 22 - 32 minutes

We will meet in Coach Peepers’s room each day after school on the days we're running at Learwood. Please dress in layers, bring a snack & water, and wear a hat and gloves (when necessary). Also make sure to arrange for transportation home at 3:50-4 p.m. during each Learwood session. If you have any further questions, please contact either Coach Rocco or Coach Peepers!

Running with Rocco: Weeks of November 13th & 20th

Attention all Cross Country & Track and Field Athletes:

Our off-season running club, Running with Rocco, will start this week. Before we go over the schedule, here are a few things about our running club:

• Any athlete is able to join, it's not just for cross country runners.
• It's for distance runners and sprinters NOT involved in a winter sport...once your winter sports seasons are over you can join us.
• We're training to help transition to the upcoming Track & Field season. 
• You do not need to attend every session, but make sure to run 3-4 days a week, and make sure not to over-do it. We're just jogging, and not accruing a lot of miles.
• If you can't make a session, I'm including running times below. 
• If we can't make a session, we'll text that out to everyone.
• Running on your own, on a treadmill, or on an elliptical are acceptable ways to work out this off-season.

Here is the schedule for our first couple of weeks. I'll update the schedule every couple of weeks:

• Tuesday              11/14        3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Learwood                         10 - 20 minutes
• Wednesday        11/15        3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Learwood                         12 - 22 minutes

• Monday               11/20        3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Learwood                         12 - 22 minutes
• Wednesday         11/22        10 - 10:40 a.m.  ALHS Caboose                 14 - 24 minutes
• Friday                   11/24        10 - 10:40 a.m.  ALHS Caboose                 14 - 24 minutes
• Saturday              11/25        10 - 10:40 a.m.  ALHS Caboose                 16 - 26 minutes

We will meet in Coach Peepers’s room each day after school on the days we're running at Learwood. Please dress in layers, bring a snack & water, and wear a hat and gloves (when necessary). Also make sure to arrange for transportation home at 3:50-4 p.m. during each Learwood session. If you have any further questions, please contact either Coach Rocco or Coach Peepers!

End of Season Notes & OHSAA 7th & 8th Grade Invitational

END-OF-SEASON NOTES:

• Congrats on a great showing at SWCs! That was awesome, you really executed well! Thanks for your hard work this season, we appreciate it!
• Parents, thanks for all your help this season! Thanks for all the dinners, pictures, and flexibility this summer/fall! It's been a lot of fun.
• I'll be updating some end-of-season items:
• I'll be emailing athletes updates of season times
• Updated TEAM records and INDIVIDUAL records will be done soon
• I'll send a reminder text once completed
• Please turn in uniforms to Coach Peepers' classroom. Please wash you uniform and turn it into Coach Peepers. Please place everything in a bag and label it with your name. Don't forget to label it with your name!

OFF-SEASON TRAINING:

• Now that the season is over, our attention will transition to Track & Field season. If you're not running track this spring you can still train with us this winter. If you are running track this spring you absolutely should train with us this winter.
• We will take a break for these next three weeks! Unless you are training for a Turkey Trot 5K or another road race, take a break from running. Rest is important!
• We will begin off-season running the week of November 13th. This will be 3-4 days per week, but it will be much lighter than what we've done these last 3+ months. We will meet after school and will be done by 4 p.m. We'll text out a bi-weekly schedule throughout the fall/winter months...if you can't make a session we'll post manageable running times.
• We will be taking interested athletes to indoor meets this winter. We're going to offer opportunities for indoor meets this winter. We'll send out information regarding this, but initially we're thinking of going to a couple Oberlin indoor races in January/February.
• We will be starting conditioning for Track & Field the first week of February. Once the calendar switches to February, we'll be back for track season. We'll be meeting 5 days a week, with the idea that we'll build up our bases for time trials during track practice.

OHSAA 7th & 8th Grade Invitational:

• Bus leaves Troy at 6:30 a.m. Be there at 6:25 a.m. We're taking one bus, please use the restroom before we leave.
• We should return around 5:30-6 p.m.
• Pack a lunch! We'll let everyone know when to eat, but you'll need to eat breakfast and a light lunch before your race. Of course, bring water as well.
• Bring money for food afterward! We're planning on stopping somewhere for a later lunch on the way home.
• The meet will be held at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park
• Weather looks good! Right now it looks like it will partly cloudy, 54 degrees. Still, dress in layers.
• Information for this meet can be found here: MEET INFO
• Parents, if you're attending get there early! I talked with a parent from another team whose daughter attended this meet, and she said her advice to parents is to get there early. She also said the finish is a bit of a mess for spectators (the runners finish inside a stadium), so if you want to see the finish get into the stadium early and be aware of the crowds. 
• All Boys run at 11:10 a.m.
• All Girls run at 12:55 p.m.  

State Meet PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Here's the practice schedule for this week. We may end practice a little earlier than the posted times, but the times listed should be fairly accurate:

• Monday 10/16          Learwood     3:15 - 4:45 p.m. (may end a little earlier)
• Tuesday 10/17          Learwood     3:15 - 4:15 p.m. 
• Wednesday 10/18   Learwood     3:15 - 4:45 p.m.
• Thursday 10/19        Learwood     3:15 - 4:15 p.m.    
• Friday 10/20             Learwood     3:15 - 4:15 p.m.  
• Saturday 10/21         Kopf              10 - 10:45 a.m.

SWC WEEK

SWC WEEK:

• Please check Coach Peepers’s room for any missing items! At the end of our season we’re going to place all missing items in Learwood’s Lost & Found. Anything not claimed at year’s end will be donated to charity.
• Parents, while this final race is centrally located, make sure to remind kids to stick together!
• Time to get some rest! Eat healthy, drink a lot of water, stock up on sleep (9 hours, 15 minutes a night), and STRETCH before bed! Avoid soda, junk food, and limit sweets to one dessert a day! Remember, it’s not what you do Friday night, it’s what you do this whole week.
• Parents: we've been very accommodating with the athletes' sports schedules this season...we are going to ask that those other sports be accommodating with us this week. We are tapering this week, and we need the kids to REST! We've been pushing them these last few weeks, and I know a lot of them are participating in multiple sports. We want them to peak at the right time, and that means they've got to rest this whole week. If you could adjust their sports' schedules this week, we would really appreciate it! 
• Coach Walters is organizing our end-of-season pizza party, she sent out a text via TEAM REACH.

Southwestern Conference Championship

• Bus leaves Troy at 7:35 a.m. 
• We would like ALL athletes to ride the bus TO and FROM this meet! We would like the entire team to be present for the awards ceremony at SWCs! GO AVON LAKE!
• SWC Awards Ceremony is typically held to recognize the top 7 runners (All-SWC), then Top 8-14 runners (2^nd Team All-SWC), then the SWC teams will be recognized.
• We should be back in Avon Lake around 11:15 a.m.

RACE SCHEDULE:

• 9:00 a.m. ALL GIRLS
• 9:30 a.m. ALL BOYS
• 10:15 a.m. SWC AWARDS CEREMONY

SWC WEEK Practice Schedule

Here's the practice schedule for this week. We may end practice a little earlier than the posted times, but the times listed should be fairly accurate:

• Monday 10/9            Learwood     3:15 - 4:45 p.m.
• Tuesday 10/10          Learwood     3:15 - 4:45 p.m. 
• We'll have our SWC Team Meeting before practice
• Wednesday 10/11   No Practice Due to Conferences
• We'll send out a workout for everyone to complete
• Thursday 10/12        Kopf Reservation     4:15 - 5:15 p.m.    
• Friday 10/13             ALHS     10 - 11 a.m.
• Last practice of the season
• We may be done earlier for OPEN runners
• We will have a meeting afterward for TEAM runners
• EVERYONE competes at SWCs

NEW LONDON

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here's our weekly update:

• Continue to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and stock up on rest! Our hard workouts will end this week. It’s time to rest, we are beginning to taper. For this last week, avoid all soda, eat very healthy foods, drink plenty of water, get a LOT of sleep (middle schoolers need to average 9 hours 15 minutes of sleep a night), and STRETCH after practice, on Sunday, and before you go to bed each night. It’s not what you do the day before a race, it matters what you do the WEEK before a race!
• If you are dealing with an ailing issue (Achilles, quads, hips, IT-band) let us know. We can help facilitate proper stretching to help you get healthy!

New London Information:

• Normal breakfast still applies, with a light snack both before & after the race. Bring water for both before and after the race, and don't forget your sports drink!
• Be at Troy at 8:20 a.m. We should return to Avon Lake around 1:30 p.m.
• Results will be posted on baumspage.com.
• This race will be held at New London High School (1 Wildcat Drive, New London, OH).
• Meet information can be found here: NEW LONDON MEET INFORMATION
• Top two teams earn trophies, top fifteen athletes earn medals
• Spectators will be charged $5 for parking...sorry about this
• T-shirts & concessions will be available.
• Here's the schedule:
• 11 a.m.       ALL BOYS
• 11:30 a.m.  ALL GIRLS

END OF SEASON PIZZA PARTY

We will hold our End of Season Pizza Party the Monday after the SWC Championship. Details to follow!

CVNP INVITATIONAL

Here's what's going on this week:

• If you can't make Wednesday's practice because of the early dismissal, we'll send a workout to everyone
• Parents, if you could follow up with athlete absences via an email, that would be great (it can be after the fact)...we just want to make sure the kids are accounted for, and we are aware of their other commitments. Thank you!

Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Woodridge) Invitational
Parents:

• The race will be held at Virginia Hills at the Pine Hollow entrance: 5465 Quick Road, Peninsula, OH 44264
• Meet information can be found here: MEET INFORMATION
• There is NO parking alongside the road of this race.
• Woodridge will run several shuttle buses from their high school to the meet, so you might want to get there early so you are not rushed.
• This race will have chip timing, so we will help runners with their chips at camp. Runners will return their chips to the coaches back at camp.
• There are concessions and apparel at this meet

Athletes:

• The buses will leave TROY at 9:30 a.m. (be at Troy at 9:20 a.m.)
• GIRLS run at 12:05 p.m.
• BOYS run at 1:05 p.m.
• We should return between 3 - 3:30 p.m.

Race Information:

• This race will run as ONE GIRLS' RACE
• There will also be ONE BOYS' RACE
• If you look at the race schedule on the website, Avon Lake will run in the WHITE DIVISION (the larger division)

Optional Apparel

Athletes & Parents:

Ms. Ford (Payton & Maddie's mom) is offering optional apparel for anyone interested. See information below!

CLOVERLEAF INVITATIONAL

Cloverleaf Week:

• We will meet at Troy at 8:50 a.m.
• We should return around 3:00 p.m.
• Normal breakfast still applies, with a snack before the race and lunch after. Bring water for both before and after the race, and don't forget your sports drink!
• Results will be on CLOVERLEAF RESULTS
• Parents, there is a $5 parking fee. 
• Spectator parking will be at Jarrett Fleet Services, 8860 Wooster Pike, Seville, OH 44273.
• Cloverleaf will provide shuttle buses from this location to the race, which will be at Cy Hewit Park.
• Please allow for extra travel time to the race to account for the shuttle bus.
• Do NOT bring dogs to this race, they are not allowed on the shuttle bus.

Cloverleaf Schedule:

11:30 a.m. GIRLS TEAM

• Claire D., Luna, Kaitlyn, Claire M., Kimi, Sadie, Bianca, Rylee, Amira, and Isla

12:00 p.m. BOYS TEAM

• Holden, Asher, Liam, Ben, Luke, Conall, Clayton, Dylan, Jack, and Camden

12:30 p.m.

GIRLS OPEN

1:00 p.m.         

BOYS OPEN                

AMHERST-AVON LAKE CANDY RUN

We will be holding the 9th Annual Avon Lake-Amherst Fun Run at ALHS/Kopf Reservation. Here's important information regarding the race:

• Athletes are to bring their uniforms, normal running shoes (no spikes), two bottles of water, and normal apparel to wear pre- and post-race.
• Runners will change after school, eat their snacks, and then will be bussed to the high school. Bring everything with you! We will not be returning to Learwood.
• We will bus athletes on a rotational basis. One bus will shuttle athletes starting at 3:30 p.m.
• You do NOT have to ride the bus, however. If you want to go home first, then ride your bike or get a ride to the high school, that's fine!
  
• If you're not riding the bus please be there by 4:15 p.m. to help out and to cheer the athletes in the first race.
• Since we're in town, athletes are allowed to carpool and we do NOT have to sign athletes out afterward. 
• We will meet between AL Memorial Stadium & the baseball field--the same place we practiced this summer. Parents, the start and finish are the same place!
• It's not a 'fan-friendly' course...so we apologize in advance. It's a fun route for the kids, and usually both teams like the course, but we'll be hanging out at the start/finish.
• The race will be an informal 1.8-mile loop through Kopf Reservation. Parents, we may need helpers at a couple of spots to help guide runners. Our runners should know where they're going, but the Amherst kids will need help.
• This race does NOT affect who is running TEAM & OPEN at Cloverleaf Saturday
• We will be yelling out times but you will have to listen for them
• Top finishers will be getting candy!   
• Here's the schedule:
• 4:40 p.m.    8th Grade Girls
• 5:00 p.m.    8th Grade Boys
• 5:20 p.m.    7th Grade Girls
• 5:45 p.m.    7th Grade Boys

See everyone Wednesday!

Tuesday, September 5th WORK-OUT

Athletes:

Here's today's workout. While we can't meet as a team you are allowed to meet up with your teammates on your own and complete this...be ready for Tiffin:

• 5 minute light jog warm-up
• 18 minutes at 80-85% HR max
• This is 166 - 177 bpm = 42 - 44 beats per 15 seconds
• Stop at the 10 minute mark to get your heart rate
• Stretch 

See you all tomorrow!

TIFFIN

Tiffin Carnival Information (ATHLETES):

• We will meet at Troy at 7 a.m. Saturday, and we should return between 2:30 – 3 p.m.
• Eat a good breakfast for this one! You don’t have to wake up super early. Parents, the athletes should pack a good, healthy lunch and a snack to eat when they get to Tiffin. Food high in carbohydrates are preferred. Remember that food helps build up the necessary glycogen, which produces the energy needed in races.
• Bring water AND sports drink. You can also bring money and buy some unhealthy food after your race (do NOT eat hot dogs or pizza before you run).
• Again, we’ll be stressing healthy eating/drinking this season. But it’s good to have one ‘cheat’ meal a week…maybe make the pizza you eat after the race that reward for a week of healthy eating. We have been talking to the team about eating an ‘unhealthy’ meal after their race on Saturday, but keeping it healthy Sunday – Friday.
• Right now the weather Saturday looks awesome. Hopefully that doesn't change.
• Results will be posted on baumspage.com.

Tiffin Carnival Information (PARENTS):

• Information can be found here (including a link to the course map): TIFFIN INFORMATION
• We will meet at Troy at 7 a.m. Saturday, and we should return between 2:30 - 3 p.m.
• Make sure kids get a healthy breakfast and that they pack a healthy lunch (plus more food than normal…it’s going to be a long day).
• There will be food and t-shirts available.
• Watch the time…it is very hectic parking at this meet, since it’s so large. We try to get there a little early so kids can eat, and so we have enough time to find a place to set up camp. Plus, the buses have to wait to get into the park, so it takes time. Two years ago we set up camp right behind the start line, which was very convenient. We will text you where we are at so you can find us!
• The race is held at Hedges-Boyer Park (491 Coe Street, Tiffin, OH).
• The meet managers encourage spectators to enter the park using the rear entrance off Summit Street and to park at the bottom of the park. You have to walk to the start/finish (pretty much the same place), but it’s worth it as you’ll end up sitting in your car if you try entering the front of the park (they stop traffic during races). This is better anyway because Coe Street will be PACKED!
• The start is naturally a good place to watch the race, then turn left, as the kids will run out, turn left, and come back. Then, if you can jog (or walk fast) to the softball field and/or woods, that’s another good place to be. Then find a good spot at the finish! There are a lot of people there so maybe get a little away from the finish…lining up along the last turn to the finish isn’t bad…the kids will be able to see and hear you there.

SCHEDULE:

• Boys Team – 10:35 a.m.
• Holden, Clayton, Conall, Luke, Liam, Jack, and Dylan

• Girls Team – 11 a.m. 
• Anna, Claire D., Luna, Sadie, Claire M., Kimi, and Kaitlyn

• Boys Open – 11:25 a.m.

• Girls Open – 11:50 a.m.

Coach K's Message on Ownership

Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) of Duke University discusses OWNERSHIP in this clip. Your homework is to watch this and to be prepared to discuss at practice tomorrow:

PARENTS WE NEED HELP WITH RUNNERS' CHIPS

Runners will be competing with chips on their shoes this Saturday. The chips need to be placed in the middle of the tongue of the shoe (so the chip doesn't dig into runners' feet during the race). It should look like this:

The challenge will be getting all these chips on all these shoes, and the kids will be nervous and their minds will be focused on racing. Here's what we're thinking:

We found a YOUTUBE video that shows the chips being put on using twist-ties. The alternative would be to untie every kid's shoelaces, putting the chip in, then re-lacing the shoes. This will be time-consuming for everyone, and we don't want to add any undue stress on race day.

So, we were hoping to recruit as many parent volunteers as possible. You can take a kid's shoe, place the twist ties through the laces of the shoe, then loop the twist ties through the chip and then twist them together. This is a lot faster and if we all work together we can get the kids off to the start line and ready to race.

Here's a video of what we want to do...we want to try the FIRST way, which lasts until the 40-second mark:

Putting On Runners' Chips