Weekend Race Updates

For the next two weekends, we will be doing some good old fashioned racing! This weekend is the Metro Mile, at Infinity Park in Glendale. Race registration opens at 7:00 am, if you are pre-registered, I suggest showing up around 7:15 or so. Plenty of time to find the place, get your number, and get a good solid warm-up in. Since the race is only a mile, a good warm-up is very important. The bestway to get there is to head North on Colorado Blvd. from I-25, and hang a right on Kentucky. It is right behind the Home Depot on the right, you can't miss the neighborhood. Chloe and Beth and I will be there bright and early, can't wait to see everyone!

Nect weekend, on Sunday the 11th, the next race we will do is the Coal Creek Cross Country Challenge. I have done this race in the past, and it is a ton of fun. It is the truest cross country race I have run here in CO, with running through fields, down trails, under barbed wire fences. When I did it, it was no T-shirts, no prizes, just going out for a fast run. This race is only ten dollars to join, and if you are a member of Active.com they will probably give you a discount. Only 150 racers are allowed, so sign up early! Chloe Beth and I will be there as well, should make for a great day!

Here is a course map for the Coal Creek Challenge, with a link to the homepage for more information.



Enjoy!

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Weekly Schedule for Sept. 28

Hey everyone,

With the race coming up on Saturday, along with two very intense weeks of training, the coaching staff has decided to change some things up for this week. We want everyone to race very well on Saturday, even if it is only a mile, and we think this schedule will accomplish that, as well as allow us to spring forward in upcoming weeks.

Monday AM: Nothing
Monday PM: Intervals @ Sierra

Tuesday AM: Whitenack Weights
Tuesday PM: Recovery Run (20 min)

Wednesday AM: Nothing
Wednesday PM: Intervals @ CHS (Bring the shoes you will race in on Saturday!)

Thursday AM: Whitenack Weights
Thursday PM: Medium Distance Run (60 min)

Friday AM: Nothing
Friday PM: 20 min Recovery Run (20 min)

Saturday: Metro Mile

Sunday: Medium Distacne Run (40 min)

Let's make this a great week of training, see everyone Monday afternoon at Sierra!

Food Drive

Today, for our Saturday practice, the Walnut Hills Track Club delivered empty food drive bags to the neighborhood of Walnut Hills. The food drive is sponsored by the Denver Urban Ministries, and one of the ministers, Brad Laurvick, is our neighbor. He asked me if the club could help with distribution, and of course we decided it was a great idea. Even though I am not the most religious guy in the world, being a positive member of the community is a strong belief of the WHTC. This was a great opportunity for us to "give back", and there was no way we would pass it up.

Friday night, Brad came over with 500 brown paper shopping bags with a note stapled to each one explaining the food drive. Saturday morning, Kateyln, Tyler, Otis and I canvassed the neighborhood, stuffing 500 mailboxes with the donation bags. The workout was a lot harder than one would think. Even though the pace was kept very slow, running up and down front steps, 500 times, makes for a killer quad workout. The kids started out staying on the walkways and sidewalks, but by the end of the 2 hr, 15 min run, they were going "Hardcore Parcour" (h/t "The Office") jumping over fences, and cutting across lawns to cut down the distance between mailboxes. There might not be walnuts in my neighborhood, but there certainly are hills.

However, by the end of the morning, we distributed over 500 bags to local residents, and hopefully, by next Saturday, there will be tons and tons of food for the needy people of Denver. Last year, over 60,000 lbs of food was donated, maybe our little contribution can help bump that number up a bit. Stay tuned for more updates!

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P.S. By the middle of the afternoon, Brad told me he already had bags of food dropped off at his house, that's fantastic!

Fall Weight Lifting

A couple of the athletes have been lifting some serious weight this fall with Coach Whitenack. Olympic style lifts, pylometrics, and lots of other fun stuff occurs at the ungodly hour of 6 in the morning two days a week. But, if you click on the link below, you will see the athletes have made some tremendous gains. Check out the percentage of body weight increases, amazing!

Weight Lifting Stats

Excellent job, keep up the great work!

Tulsa rep-re-sent!

Check out the newest member of the collegiate varisity alums, Mr. Derek Eidt!

Knit Hat

When I was in college, if you were lucky enough to get a knit wool cap handmade for you, you wore it EVERY DAY in the winter. This was for a variety of reasons; to keep your hair out of your eyes, to keep your head warm because you didn't pay for heat, to show allegiance to the person who made it for you, and because it was the simply the cool think to do.

Disclaimer: Mostly dirty, unkempt males did this. The females at UNH were much more refined and elegant.

That leads me to yesterday, where Beth and I got a package int he mail. It was from my collegiate ski coach Cory, and his wife Julie. And what was in it? Quite possibly the best gift ever!


Thanks Cory, thanks Julie, we love it!

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XC Banquet

Tonight was the middle school XC banquet, and is was a smashing success. My favorite part was when the place erupted for Coach Wojan. Like I mentioned in my little speech to the parents, she truly is an inspiring person. She inspired not only our athletes, but the other schools runners, our coaching staff, the SMS staff and everyone involved with SMS running as well. Coach Wojan has a wonderful gift, and that is a blessing for all of us.

Here is my favorite picture of the night, she looks pretty psyched!

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The Most Important Training Article

Click on the half-naked guy below right now.

Then read the whole article, read it right now.

Trust me, this is what I have been preaching for YEARS!


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The Metro Mile

Our first real race of the fall is going to be The Metro Mile, which will be held in Glendale on October 3. Pre-registration is 20 dollars, seemingly expensive for a race that is only a mile long, but not so bad when you think of all the other stuff you gt with registration. (T-shirt, goodie bag, party afterward) Plus, the money goes to the Denver hospice and the Denver YMCA. Good charities, for sure. This will also give us a great indication of your present fitness. The last test of fitness was over three weeks ago, so this will be an important data point.

You can register by clicking on the logo below, and you all better watch out, cause I am going to go super fast in this race! :) Even if I am pushing Chloe in the stroller! :) :)


Great practice yesterday, and Coach Whitenack says everyone is going a great job lifting weights. Enjoy your "day off" today, and get in a good long run tomorrow.

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P.S. Tommy Brady, what a performance last night!

Ramblings

Big Patriots game tonight, the return of Tommy Boy!

Chloe is sick with a head cold, so she will be watching with me down the Tasting Room instead of going out with all her friends. :)

Need to get some Samual Adams for this evening as well.

Met with the CHS Track coaching staff yesterday, got lots of things hammered out for the rest of the fall. In short, Mondays will be brutal.

Sierra XC finished up on Saturday. I was very proud of all the runners, especially the four or five runners from Team Owl who ran exceptionally well.

Brewed a rye beer Saturday afternoon, it looked pretty funky for about 36 hours. But, I checked it this morning, and it was bubbling away perfectly. Whew!

And the raspberry pale ale is not getting raspberryfied. That will take a couple weeks, then a couple more weeks to clear up. Should be delicious and nutritious.

My fantasy football team got annihilated this weekend. Good thing I was on a bye week.

But, they did not look as bad as Jay Cutler did. :)

For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of me and my great friend Willie sampling some beers at the Great Divide Brewery.



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Labor Day Weekend

I hope everyone reading this has a great long weekend. Get lots of miles in, the more running this weekend you can get the better you will race in the future! See you all Tuesday....

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Sierra vs. Cimmaron Results

In our second meet of the week, we ran into some tough competition with the cross-town rival Cimmaron Colts. For only the seond time in Sierra history, we lost a dual meet, with yesterday being a final score of CMMS-104, SMS-128. The 8th grade boys won thier division, but all the other divisons went to Cimmaron.

Hopefully next week, at the district meet, we can get them back. The district meet is going to be Saturday the 12th, at the new Parker stadium. (It is off of Newlin Gulch Road, south of Mainstreet.) Hoepfully we will see lot of people there, should be a great distrcit meet this week!

8B: CMMS - 38 to SMS 26


8G: CMMS - 24 to SMS 31


7G: CMMS-23 to SMS 34


7b: CMMS - 19 to SMS - 37

Sneak Peek

Below is the brochure for the fall WHTC training program for the high school kids.

A little sneak peek before we actually start distributing them!

More Middle School XC Results!

Yesterday we ventured to our first away meet of the season, at Ranchview Middle School. It was a fast flat course, and our athletes fared very well. The 8th grade boys got a perfect score, and that propelled us to a team victory of 116-134! We race again today at Cimmaron MS, hopefully we can duplicate the winning result!

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