Summer information for Grimsley 2017 Cross Country

Greetings.  Welcome or welcome back to Grimsley Cross Country.  Both teams have a lot of talent and we want to try to capitalize upon it.  However, don’t forget that teams that contend for championships are the teams that start running in June instead of August.  Our goal for this summer is to set up a series of times that coaches and/or parents will be available to have semi-organized team runs.

Summer running on your own –

1.  Run 5-6 days per week if you can.  Don’t run 7.  You don’t need that right now.
2. Run at a pace that is comfortable for you.  We’re just trying to build strength in the offseason.  There is no need to run as fast as you can.
3. We are implementing a mandatory time trial in August.  See ‘Final Note’ for details.

It is important that you build up your mileage slowly.  Trying to increase too quickly leads to injury and/or discouragement and neither are conducive to improving your running.  I usually recommend starting at what you can handle (which even for high school skinny beginners is 30 minutes, veterans 40-45) and increasing your running time by 5-8 minutes every 1.5 to 2 weeks.  Just make sure you can handle the 50-65 minutes or more of running when we start! 

Summer running with the coaches – Coaches and/or parents ARE allowed to have summer practices with their athletes.  There are some conditions to this that we must and will strictly follow: 

1. Any student who wants to run with us must have an updated physical.  I don’t care where you say it is…if you don’t put it in my hands I will send you home on the spot, probably with an unkind word about not following clear instructions.  Saying the school has it will not work.  It is a new school year and we start from scratch.
2. A coach or adult must be present at all runs.
3. Practice CANNOT (and won’t be) mandatory. 
4. Students must be academically eligible with the same eligibility rules that apply during the regular school year.  This means passing five classes and attending 85% of school days during the 2^nd semester.
5. And for parents:  Students are NOT covered by the school’s catastrophic insurance policy that covers them during the regular school year.

On the reverse side you will find the current schedule that we will hold to for the summer.  This is just informing you of where coaches are going to be to run.  Again, it is not mandatory; it is just letting you know who will be there and when.  The email list we make can be used to add any new information to this:

June 13^th – June 16^th Country Park 6:00 pm (Come in off Pisgah Church Rd. and pass Lewis Center.  Park near the Spencer Love Tennis Courts)

June 19th – June 23^rd   Bur-Mil Park 8:30 am (Parking lot near science center on Owls Roost Rd.)

June 26^th – June 30^th  Country Park 8:30 am

July 10^th – July 14^th   Hamilton Lakes Park 8:30 am.  (Parking lot on Starmount Rd. at intersection of Starmount and Kemp E. Drive).

July 24^th – July 28^th  Hamilton Lakes Park 8:30 am. 

Good luck and happy running this summer. Please note that the first official day of Grimsley practice will be on Monday, July 31st. 

Coach Peoples – 336-545-8901  peoples@gcsnc.com

Coach W. Zahorodny – 301-717-8474  zahorow@gcsnc.com

Safety – There are some things to keep in mind for summer running.  Bring plenty of water with you whenever you go run, and try to find shady places to run if you can.  Most important of all, keep your safety in mind.  Running alone is not recommended.  Bringing sunblock, hats, sunglasses and anything to protect you from sun and heat is also a good idea.

Equipment – Make sure that your shoes are in good shape. Do not wear them to practice but rather bring them separately in an extra bag. Put them on minutes before we begin practice. Wear flip-flops before and after practice to air out your feet. Bring an extra, dry shirt and a towel to every practice.

Final Note:  We will have a time trial to determine if you have done enough during the summer to stay on the team.  Effort and your conditioning will play just as large, if not larger, factor in determining our final squad.  The likely dates for this will be August 9 – 11^th. 

**Pre-school schedule:  (Please note: THIS MAY CHANGE.  IT’S HARD TO MAKE FINAL DECISIONS IN MAY!!!!!!!!!!  WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED.)

July  31st  – Grimsley Track at 8:30 am.

                                    August 1^st  – 4^th —Hamilton Lakes Park at 8:30 am

                                    August 7^th – 11^th – Bur-Mil Park at 8:30 am or 6 pm.

                                    August 14^th- 15^th– Hamilton LakesPark at 8:30 am or 6 pm

                                    August 16^th – The hill at Battleground Park at 8:30 am or 6 pm.

August 17^th and 18^th  – Hamilton Lakes Park at 6:00 pm

                                    August 21^st – 25^th  – Hamilton Lakes Park at 6 pm.

When school begins, practice will be every day. We will meet at the track.

**You have to make a minimum of 15 of these after the first official practice date except for extenuating circumstances.  Every two voluntary practice that you attend will count as one official.  If you have an actual issue with the dates then you need to let us know sooner rather than later.