Team 101: June 2nd-8th

Our second installment of the weekly team updates has a bunch of information, so please read carefully!

Weekly Training/Racing Schedule (All Dates, Locations and Times Subject to Change):

Note: Bad weather may not cancel practice, it may be move

June 2nd- June 8th (Summer evening training schedule in effect: 5:00 PM for sprinters and young runners, 5:50 for girls and junior high boys, 6:15 for high school boys)

Monday- Jefferson Playground  
Tuesday- John Curtis 
Wednesday- Jefferson Playground* Changed from NOTC 2 Miler 
Thursday- Jefferson Playground
Friday- Jefferson Playground 
Saturday- Governors Games (Tad Gormley)
Sunday- Governors Games (Tad Gormley)

Governors Games Entries:

Girls

F 15-16 year old Abbey Richardson
800m run NM
1500m run NM
3000m run NM
discus throw NM

F 12 year old Brooke Boyd
400m dash NM
800m run NM
long jump NM

F 11 year old Carissa Wagner
800m run NM
1500m run NM
shot put NM

F 7 & Under Caroline Boyd
50m dash NM
100m dash NM
200m dash NM

F 17-18 year old Dionysia Love
400m dash NM
800m run 2:40.00
1500m run 5:20.00
3000m run 12:00.00

F 9 year old Juliet Boyd
400m dash NM
800m run NM
long jump NM

F 14 year old Marian Boyd
200m dash 30.00
100m hurdles 18.00
200m hurdles 36.00
long jump 13-00.00

F 15-16 year old Victoria Interiano
1500m run NM
long jump 14-00.00
discus throw NM
javelin throw NM

==============================

Boys

M 13 year old Alex Keller
800m run 2:50.00
1500m run 5:40.00
3000m run 12:30.00
4x800m relay A

M 15-16 year old Brady Mitchell
800m run 2:35.00
1500m run 5:30.00
3000m run 11:50.00
4x800m relay A

M 13 year old Cade Windstein
800m run 3:00.00
1500m run 6:10.00
3000m run 13:50.00
4x800m relay A

M 14 year old Chris Matise
800m run 2:20.00
1500m run 5:00.00
3000m run 10:50.00
long jump 16-00.00

M 14 year old Christopher Wagner
800m run 2:50.00
1500m run 5:30.00
3000m run 11:50.00
4x800m relay A

M 17-18 year old Devyn Keith
400m dash 51.00
800m run 1:55.00
1500m run 4:00.00
4x800m relay A

M 11 year old Diego Keith
800m run 3:00.00
1500m run 6:20.00
3000m run 13:00.00

M 15-16 year old Elijah Rosiere
800m run 2:30.00
1500m run 5:00.00
3000m run 11:00.00
4x800m relay A

M 14 year old Ethan Weaver
800m run 2:30.00
1500m run 5:10.00
3000m run 11:00.00
4x800m relay A

M 12 year old Jadon Lewis
100m dash 13.50
200m dash 27.90
long jump NM

M 17-18 year old Joel Smith
400m dash 51.00
800m run 1:58.00
1500m run NM
4x800m relay A

M 12 year old Justin Unger
800m run 2:45.00
1500m run 5:20.00
3000m run 11:45.00

M 15-16 year old Kaleb Jordan
discus throw 100-00.00
javelin throw 80-00.00
shot put 45-00.00

M 17-18 year old Keith Mendoza
800m run 2:02.00
1500m run 4:30.00
3000m run 10:00.00
4x800m relay A

M 17-18 year old Kyle Soulant
800m run 2:01.00
1500m run 4:15.00
3000m run 10:00.00
4x800m relay A

M 11 year old Lyric Lee
800m run 3:30.00
1500m run 6:50.00
3000m run 14:00.00

M 15-16 year old Matthew Bonner
800m run 2:50.00
1500m run 6:00.00
3000m run 12:40.00
4x800m relay A

M 15-16 year old Peyton Adam
800m run 2:35.00
1500m run 5:45.00
3000m run 12:00.00
4x800m relay A

M 15-16 year old Rick McClendon
discus throw 130-00.00
javelin throw 100-00.00
shot put 46-00.00

M 12 year old Timothy Baudier
800m run NM
1500m run NM
shot put NM

M 17-18 year old Trey Stewart
800m run 2:05.00
1500m run 4:15.00
3000m run 9:45.00
4x800m relay A

M 13 year old Wesley Graci
800m run 3:10.00
1500m run 6:10.00
3000m run 13:30.00
4x800m relay A

M 14 year old Zachary Barthel
800m run 2:15.00
1500m run 4:30.00
3000m run 9:55.00
4x800m relay A

M 13 year old Zechariah Blake
discus throw 100-00.00
javelin throw 80-00.00
shot put 45-00.00

Relays
M 14 year old 4x800m relay
A : Alex Keller, Cade Windstein, Christopher Wagner, Ethan Weaver, Wesley Graci, Zachary Barthel
M 15-16 year old 4x800m relay
A : Brady Mitchell, Elijah Rosiere, Matthew Bonner, Peyton Adam
M 17-18 year old 4x800m relay
A : Devyn Keith, Joel Smith, Keith Mendoza, Kyle Soulant, Trey Stewart
Weather Outlook:

Harahan 10-Day Forecast.  The major rain of last week looks to be gone, but we may still get a decent bit this week.  If it is raining around workout time, I will be updating changes in practice schedule on twitter which will automatically load onto the right side of this page.  You can check for updates there.  Please do not call or text several hours before practice even begins.  The weather around here changes swiftly and there is no way to tell what it will look like around practice time.  Between 30-40 minutes before practice I will tweet if practice is changing locations, but I will not tweet if it remains the same.  If practice location changes, 99% of the time it will change to John Curtis High School which is located on Jefferson Highway in River Ridge.

Meet Information:

This weekends meet is the Governors Games and will take place at City Park in New Orleans at Tad Gormley Stadium. We will meet there.  Please note the schedule I have linked in order to determine what time you will compete! Also, for those running both Saturday and Sunday, please do not discard your number.  You will have to repurchase a bib number if you do so.  More information on this meet and others later in the year can be found at the Southern AAU regional page.  Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the beginning of your event.  For parents that are new to track and field, our sport is unique in that the schedule follows a flowing format.  As soon as one event ends, the next begins.  There are no official start times for any running event other than the first one.  Field events may all have specific start times, but this is not true for every meet. Therefore, be advised against leaving track meets or trying to plan the time between events.  It is not an exact science!  Also, if ever there is a meet that an athlete will not be attending, please alert coach Chaz beforehand, preferably as soon as you know.

Weekly Notes:

There is still some clothing items available for purchase.  Just speak to coach Chaz about it at practice.

I want to remind parents and athletes that the NOTC 2 Mile race originally scheduled for Wednesday has been rescheduled to a normal practice at Jefferson playground.  Coach Chaz has jury duty and is unsure what time he will be available to meet for practice, but practice will still go on.  Another coach or a parent will give out the team workout should he not be back yet.

Also, looking towards next week, our schedule will be a bit crazy.  Wednesday afternoon Coach Preston and Coach Chaz will be taking several John Curtis athletes to compete at the New Balance National Championship in North Carolina and won't be back till early Sunday morning.  Therefore, practice on next Wednesday will be in the morning.  Monday and Tuesday practice will go on as normal.  Next Thursday practice will be a short practice with coach Howie and coach Fernando.  Beginning next Friday is the AAU National Qualifier at Covington High School.

Recent Events:

This weekends meet in Covington was unfortunately disturbed by much rain, wind and lightning, but several athletes still were able to compete in the 3000 meter run, several clocking personal records.  Zachary Barthel and Trey Stewart competed in Lafayette also fared well, both winning their events and one coming away with a new PR in the 800.

Upcoming Events (Subject to Change):

June 10th-11th: AAU Multi Event National Qualifier (St. Scholastica Track)

June 13th-15th:  New Balance Outdoor Nationals (Greensboro, NC) *Qualifiers Only

June 13th-15th:  AAU National Qualifier (Covington HS)

June 14th: ACT Date

June 18th: NOTC 2 Miler

June 19th-22nd:  USATF Association Championship (McComb, MS)

June 21st: Distance Time Trial

June 27th: NOTC Track Meet

July 4th-7th: Summer Break #2

July 6th-13th:  AAU Club Championship (Disneyworld Wide World of Sports)

July 19th:  Rollette Invitational (Covington HS)

July 21st-27th:  USATF Junior Olympics (Houston, Texas)

July 25th:  Southern Athletics Distance Relay Race

July 25th- August 3rd:  AAU Junior Olympics (Des Moines, Iowa)

July 31st- August 3rd:  Summer Break #3

August 9th:  End of Summer BBQ

Team 101: May 26th-June 1st

Hello to all my parents, athletes, and coaches!  As you know I like to be organized (to the extent of my ability) so I am bringing you guys a new weekly post which will update you on all the weeks events, a recap of the previous week, and any important things that you need to know.  Hopefully, since our team is growing at a great rate, this will help keep everyone on the same page.  I will try to update you with all the most important information, but please ask questions if need be.  I realize the week has already begun this week, but I wanted to start this as soon as I could.

Weekly Training/Racing Schedule (All Dates, Locations and Times Subject to Change):

Note: Bad weather does not cancel practice, it may be moved to another area.

May 26th- June 1st (Summer evening training schedule in effect)

Monday- Jefferson Playground 12:00-2:00 (Varsity Curtis Athletes) 
Tuesday- John Curtis 11:30-1:15 (Varsity Curtis Athletes) *No Evening Practice
Wednesday- Jefferson Playground 11:30-1:15 (Varsity Curtis Athletes)
Thursday- Jefferson Playground
Friday- Jefferson Playground 
Saturday- SELRR Meet (Covington High School)
Sunday- On Your Own

Weather Outlook:

Expect much rain over the next few days.  If it is raining around workout time, I will be updating changes in practice schedule on twitter which will automatically load onto the right side of this page.  You can check for updates there.  Please do not call or text several hours before practice even begins.  The weather around here changes swiftly and there is no way to tell what it will look like around practice time.  Between 30-40 minutes before practice I will tweet if practice is changing locations, but I will not tweet if it remains the same.  If practice location changes, 99% of the time it will change to John Curtis High School which is located on Jefferson Highway in River Ridge.

Meet Information:

This weekends meet is the SELRR Season Opener and is located at Covington High School (73030 Lion Dr, Covington, LA 70433) so please Google directions since we do not caravan to meets during the summer.  The running events start at 8:30, and field events for 9:00.  More information on this meet and others later in the year can be found at the Southern AAU regional page.  Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the beginning of your event.  For parents that are new to track and field, our sport is unique in that the schedule follows a flowing format.  As soon as one event ends, the next begins.  There are no official start times for any running event other than the first one.  Therefore, be advised against leaving track meets or trying to plan the time between events.  It is not an exact science!  Also, if ever there is a meet that an athlete will not be attending, please alert coach Chaz beforehand, preferably as soon as you know.

Weekly Notes:

For athletes and parents who missed out on buying team clothing or want to buy some more, I have some items left.  I have a few pair of medium sized running shorts left, a small blue singlet, small and medium white singlets, grey team tees in sizes small, medium, and extra large, and finally the red performance tees in sizes youth extra large, small, medium, large, and extra large.  There are also some red team wristbands still available.

A peek ahead to next week, please note that we are no longer attending the NOTC 2 miler due to me being on jury duty, coach Preston being on vacation, and coach Paz not being able to attend practice.  I will update you next week on our plans for that day.

Also, thanks to all the new athletes and parents giving Southern Athletics a try.  I believe you will have a great summer and progress well as an athlete.

Recent Events:

We had an awesome time this weekend at our first team BBQ of the summer.  Our location was in a smaller pavillion than usual, and with more people, but we did just fine!  Thanks to everyone for coming out.  

I want to point out that we have two new coaches to our Southern Athletics coaching staff.  Howie Inman is a graduate of Covington High School and currently lives on the Northshore, and recent Mississippi College grad Fernando Paz has joined the staff as well.

And just two weeks ago John Curtis boys won our 9th track state title in a row, the longest winning streak for track and field in the state!

Upcoming Events (Subject to Change):

June 7th-8th: Governors Games (Tad Gormley)
June 10th-11th: AAU Multi Event National Qualifier (St. Scholastica Track)

June 13th-15th:  New Balance Outdoor Nationals (Greensboro, NC) *Qualifiers Only

June 13th-15th:  AAU National Qualifier (Covington HS)

June 14th: ACT Date

June 18th: NOTC 2 Miler

June 19th-22nd:  USATF Association Championship (McComb, MS)

June 21st: Distance Time Trial

June 27th: NOTC Track Meet

July 4th-7th: Summer Break #2

July 6th-13th:  AAU Club Championship (Disneyworld Wide World of Sports)

July 19th:  Rollette Invitational (Covington HS)

July 21st-27th:  USATF Junior Olympics (Houston, Texas)

July 25th:  Southern Athletics Distance Relay Race

July 25th- August 3rd:  AAU Junior Olympics (Des Moines, Iowa)

July 31st- August 3rd:  Summer Break #3

August 9th:  End of Summer BBQ

May Update of All Thing Good

Busy, busy, busy.  That's how things have been.  We finished up a great outdoor track season which was quite blessed.  The girls squad placed 10th at the state meet with several qualifiers but mainly featuring Monet Lewis winning the 100 and 300 hurdles.  8th grader Troianna Gause qualified for her second state meet 1600 and ran 5:50 or better a half dozen times this year.  The Curtis boys won their 9th straight track title by narrowly beating Jewel Sumner in the last stretch of the 4x400.  It was an exciting race!

Individually for the boys, Trey Stewart placed third in the 1600, splitting 2:09 for his last 800 to run a 4:40.  Austin Brown was second in the 800 with a time of 1:56.  Also 8th grader Zachary Barthel placed 4th in the 3200 with a 10:25 after a long rain delay.  The show of the meet was Devyn Keith winning the 1600, 800, and 3200 for John Curtis with times of 4:34, 1:55, and 9:59.  All distance runners from the state meet for Curtis return for next year which should mean some fast times in the future.

Congratulations to Christian Paz of both Southern Athletics and John Curtis who signed with Mississippi College to run next year.  Christian was 6th place at the state meet in cross country and 3rd place at the indoor state meet in the 3200.  He finished the year with bests of 4:45 and 10:14.

Now that outdoor track is over, summer track is just beginning!  The Southern Athletics crew is preparing to start their training and racing this coming week.  Expect some fun this summer.  If you are interested in running or racing with us, it isn't too late to sign up!  Just click on the Southern Athletics tab for more information.

And lastly, I have compiled the years worth of Training To Be Your Best and amended some weeks and will be posting both the cross country and track training program very soon for you guys to follow at home and pass along to friends and coaches.

Summer track action is about to begin!

Training To Be Your Best: April 28th-May 11th

So here we are two weeks away from the end of the track season for the school year.  Some of you will go on to compete at several post season meets and I hope you got there following this training guide!  As this year comes to a close, I hope you learned a lot about training and racing from the training guide I have been posting from the beginning of cross country.  For those interested in following the training guide for summer track/summer cross country base, just email me at vpprotraining@gmail.com to get in on the emails for the summer.  If you would like to ask questions or share success stories about your training, feel free to email me as well.

This week I am posting the training for the final two weeks of the year leading into the state meet.  Remember, if your state meet is at a later date just adjust the training backwards from the state meet listed with this guide for May 10th.  The last two weeks you should focus on feeling crisp in races and workouts and plan a good strategy for the state meet.  Get plenty of rest and eat healthy and now that it is getting warmer, hydrate!

Monday- 8x400 @ 1600 race pace with 200m jogging recovery.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides.
Wednesday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides
Thursday- Regional Championship
Friday- Full warmup. 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Saturday- 3x1200 @ 3200 race pace with 400 meter jog.
Sunday- Off

Devyn Keith of John Curtis (4:16/9:17 Soph. year) receives a medal at the state championship his freshman year.

Monday- 2x1000 @ 1600 race pace with 20 minutes standing recovery.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides
Wednesday- 4x300 @ 800 pace with 8 minutes standing recovery.
Thursday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides
Friday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides
Saturday- State Championship
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan

Training To Be Your Best: April 21st-27th

We now enter the stretch of post season meets leading up to the state championship in three weeks.  First the district meet, then the regional meet, then the state championship.  This has been a long year and now it's time to cap it off!

In addition to post season races, the Penn Relays will take place this week.

Monday- 12x200 @ 1600 race pace with 60 seconds standing recovery.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides.
Wednesday- District Championship
Thursday- 40 minutes easy
Friday- 4x800 @ 3200 race pace with 400 meter jog.  Full warmup.
Saturday- 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan

Training To Be Your Best: April 14th-20th

This week will be a shorter week for physical and mental rest in preparation for the District Championships next week.  This is the week to have small injuries heal and maybe catch up on some school work.  Hopefully this is a good week of weather for you to enjoy!

This Arcadia Invitational in early April is known for its fast 3200s.

Monday- 4x4 minutes on and 4 minutes off at 3200 effort.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides. Strength Workout A.
Wednesday- 600 meter time trial.  Full Warmup.
Thursday- 45 minutes easy. Strength Workout B.
Friday- 8x200 @ 1600 race pace with 400 meter jog.  Full warmup.
Saturday- 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan

Training To Be Your Best: April 7th-13th

Time is flying.  We are almost in the middle of April and for us down in Louisiana we only have one more week after this before the District Championships!  With five weeks left, we know that peaking needs to be a concern, but don't over think it!  With the past week we've already began the gradual slide down to the faster workouts with a little less volume and that theme will carry the rest of the season.  For those athletes whose seasons don't end until the end of May or even in June, this guide is tailored to peak at a May 10th state meet.  You can figure out your state meet date and work backwards from there using this training guide as well.  Let me know how you do!

The LSU Outdoor Track is the goal destination for runner in Louisiana in May.

Monday- 8x400 @ 1600 race effort with descending recovery starting at 90 seconds and shortening by 10 seconds each rep.  Example: 90 seconds after first rep, 80 after second, etc.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides. Strength Workout A.
Wednesday- 3x800 @ 1600 race effort,  12 minute standing recovery.  Full Warmup.
Thursday- 6x200 every 1 minute at 800 effort. Example: 2:08 runner runs in 32 seconds, has 28 second recovery.  Full warmup.  Strength Workout B.
Friday- 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Saturday- Invitational Meet
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan