Lancers,
There's not a lot of news this week. We had another fantastic week of training with some really good efforts. We really appreciate the work that you are putting in this summer.
Summer T-Shirts
We will be placing an order this week for our summer running T-Shirts. They usually end up being between $10 and $15. We'll let you know the details once we have them.
200 mile club
We've had one Lancer hit the 200 mile mark this summer. Congrats to Trenton Behunin for his hard work. Let me know your mileage totals so we can celebrate all along the way. We will be putting up posters in the weight room on Wednesday with the names of the athletes that have reached 100 and 200 miles this summer. We're really hoping to get adding names to those lists.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is especially important for distance runners. We are asking a lot of our bodies and we need to make sure we getting the nutrients we need. Focus on eating healthy foods most of the time, focusing on fruit and vegetables, lean meats and protein sources. It is important to take in healthy carbohydrates to fuel your workouts as well. My favorite carbohydrates for runners are found in:
Make sure that you eat something before you run each morning. You need to experiment with what works for you and sits well throughout the workout. Bananas are a great choice and seem to work for a lot of our runners.
After workouts you need to make sure that you replace some of the calories burned within a half hour of the workout. My favorite recovery drink is chocolate milk. Make yourself a glass when you get home from your run.
We also recommend that you have a meal including red meat at least once a week. The amino acids, protein and iron are helpful in healing our bodies after long workouts. Runners tend to be iron deficient and it's even more common in female runners.
Treat your body well and you'll feel the difference!
Post workout routine
Three things need to follow any distance workout.
1.Cool down
2.Perform your static stretches
3.Elevate your legs and let the blood drain for about a minute
Doing these three things help your body recover from hard workouts and prevent injuries.
Footwear
Another really important part of cross country training is to make sure that you are in the right pair of shoes. I strongly recommend a professional gait analysis to make sure that the shoes that you are wearing match your stride, foot strike and style of running. Striders does a free foot analysis and you don't even need to buy your shoes there. But if you do decide to buy there they offer a 10% discount to Layton athletes.
You can also do a gait analysis at home. Here are instructions.
Also, make sure that you keep track of how many miles you have put on your shoes. Most shoes will last 300-500 miles of running and less if you wear them for other activities. Many injuries and aches and pains can be avoided if you are wearing high quality footwear.
Running Times Article
There was a fantastic article in the June issue of running times that highlighted the importance of summer training for the fall cross country season. Utah's very own American Fork team was highlighted. I'd encourage each of you to read the article, which can be found here.
We have loved watching our athletes preform this summer. You are learning important life lessons as you work hard and commit to excellence. Let's keep up the good work and remember-- run wherever you are this summer!
Coach Bell and Coach Fredin
There's not a lot of news this week. We had another fantastic week of training with some really good efforts. We really appreciate the work that you are putting in this summer.
Summer T-Shirts
We will be placing an order this week for our summer running T-Shirts. They usually end up being between $10 and $15. We'll let you know the details once we have them.
200 mile club
We've had one Lancer hit the 200 mile mark this summer. Congrats to Trenton Behunin for his hard work. Let me know your mileage totals so we can celebrate all along the way. We will be putting up posters in the weight room on Wednesday with the names of the athletes that have reached 100 and 200 miles this summer. We're really hoping to get adding names to those lists.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is especially important for distance runners. We are asking a lot of our bodies and we need to make sure we getting the nutrients we need. Focus on eating healthy foods most of the time, focusing on fruit and vegetables, lean meats and protein sources. It is important to take in healthy carbohydrates to fuel your workouts as well. My favorite carbohydrates for runners are found in:
- Berries
- Brown Rice
- Energy Bars
- Yogurt (low sugar without artificial sweeteners)
- Old-Fashioned Oatmeal
- Sports Drinks
- Tomato Sauce
- Whole-Grain Bread
- Whole-Grain Pasta
Make sure that you eat something before you run each morning. You need to experiment with what works for you and sits well throughout the workout. Bananas are a great choice and seem to work for a lot of our runners.
After workouts you need to make sure that you replace some of the calories burned within a half hour of the workout. My favorite recovery drink is chocolate milk. Make yourself a glass when you get home from your run.
We also recommend that you have a meal including red meat at least once a week. The amino acids, protein and iron are helpful in healing our bodies after long workouts. Runners tend to be iron deficient and it's even more common in female runners.
Treat your body well and you'll feel the difference!
Post workout routine
Three things need to follow any distance workout.
1.Cool down
2.Perform your static stretches
3.Elevate your legs and let the blood drain for about a minute
Doing these three things help your body recover from hard workouts and prevent injuries.
Footwear
Another really important part of cross country training is to make sure that you are in the right pair of shoes. I strongly recommend a professional gait analysis to make sure that the shoes that you are wearing match your stride, foot strike and style of running. Striders does a free foot analysis and you don't even need to buy your shoes there. But if you do decide to buy there they offer a 10% discount to Layton athletes.
You can also do a gait analysis at home. Here are instructions.
Also, make sure that you keep track of how many miles you have put on your shoes. Most shoes will last 300-500 miles of running and less if you wear them for other activities. Many injuries and aches and pains can be avoided if you are wearing high quality footwear.
Running Times Article
There was a fantastic article in the June issue of running times that highlighted the importance of summer training for the fall cross country season. Utah's very own American Fork team was highlighted. I'd encourage each of you to read the article, which can be found here.
We have loved watching our athletes preform this summer. You are learning important life lessons as you work hard and commit to excellence. Let's keep up the good work and remember-- run wherever you are this summer!
Coach Bell and Coach Fredin