Google Docs Indoor Meet Registration

I have been fighting with this online registration for this indoor meet for a little while now, and I think I have it figured out.  It is looking like I (the coach) will have to enter all the athletes.  No biggie, but I just gotta make sure I have all the information that we need as I need to enter you all individually into a roster.  So, I set up another google doc that you can fill out.

If you are interested in running on Saturday, please have this form filled out by WEDNESDAY AT NOON.  There are fees to run, five bucks an event, and I will need those fees from you by THURSDAY AT 9 AM PRACTICE.  It looks like I can pay for everyone with a credit card as a group, but I will still need those fees from you by Thursday.

Even if you already signed up, I don't think you are officially in, so please fill out the form below.  Just to be safe

Sorry this is so complicated, I thought it would be much much simpler, but I guess this is the way it is.  Any questions, please shoot me an email.  I will be at practice on Wednesday if you need to ask me in person.

Here is the google form.  Thanks for getting that filled out by Wednesday.  And here is a link to the meet schedule.  Rolling schedule, high schoolers start at noon.

SEP

P.S.  Hopefully this works, but if not, I might be needing more info/help from you.  Thanks in advance for your patience and tolerance.  We will get into this meet, even if we have to storm the doors!!

Quick Post: Indoor Track Meet Sign-Up

It seems that signing up for this indoor track meet that is this Saturday is trickier than I thought it would be. Long story short, even though we are a registered club, they do not have our official roster.

The solution for the athletes is simple. Get signed up for the meet by Wednesday at noon by registering as an "unattached athlete". (Ignore the Wolverine Track & Field option.)

After lunch on Wednesday, I can easily go back and upload each registered Gulo Gulo athlete with their USATF credentials that I have on file. That shouldn't be that hard, famous last words.

If you fail to sign up for the race by noon on Wednesday, then you will be racing "unattached", as I cannot take the time to keep going back and uploading individual athletes throughout the week. I plan on doing the full batch while Reid takes his afternoon nap on Wednesday.

I hope this works on the athletes end, and if it does not, please let me know as soon as you can.

SEP

Quick Post: First Week of 2013 Training

Since I am still up in the mountains skiing twice a day (rough life, I know), we will;only hold offical SEP practices on Wednesday and Thursday. These practices will be at 9 am, at the track, and will be really tough days. Hopefully y'all have been doing just some easy running all week, to recharge the batteries, and to accumulate some miles.

So, this upcoming week of workouts looks like this:
Sunday: Active Rest Day ( 20 min walk)
Monday: On Your Own Flying Sprints (12 x 20 m acc/40 m all-out, from a block stance)
Tuesday: Captains Practice Creative Run (60 m run, stopping every 10 min for calisthenics)
Wednesday: SEP Practice @ 9 am VO2 Max Intervals (4 x 4 x 400 Kenyan Style)
Thursday: SEP Practice @ 9 am Pursuit Running Drills w/Core strength
Friday: On Your Own EZ Aerobic Run
Saturday: Indoor Meet @ Boulder, sign up at ColoradoTrack.org
Sunday: Total Day Off

I assume the captains will contact people, either through this blogs comments section, through facebook, or through twitter, what specific time they will be holding the creative run practice on New Years Day. I must admit, my senior captains are really awesome this year, no sarcasm. They understand what it takes to reach your potential and they are always on top of things. Best group of captains I have in probably EVER!

And I will see you all Wednesday morning, have a happy and safe New Years Celebration!

SEP

P.S. Don't forget to fill out the goals form as well as send me an entry for the media guide. Very important.

Quick Post: Online Registration

At ColoradoTrack.org, the online registration for the Jan 5th meet is now open. Head on over there and sign up for some racin'!! Text me or email me if you need some advice on what to sign up and pay for.

SEP

P.S. Pretty excited to see all the distance kids dominate that 1500 and to see how much they have improved since November.

Quick Holiday Hits

I have received one media guide entry.  Please try to find the time in the next couple of days to get that in to me.  It gives you an excuse to sneak away from the family for a few minutes.

I have received about six goal entires.  Knowing these helps me cater the training to your specific set of talents and help you reach those specific goals.

This upcoming week, it is all on-your-own easy running.  No organized practices  just get out there every day and run for 30-60 minutes nice and easy.  This is really the last chance to build up some easy miles before the spring.

Yesterday I got 6 miles under my belt, in 51 minutes, today was about 4 miles, with the third mile being at 6:00 pace.  Felt pretty good, gonna really try and run or ski every day this winter break, even if that means getting it in before everyone wakes up!

The Michigan Miles today were a smashing success.  Huge props to the 13 kids who came out, they all ran so well and I am so proud of all of them.  It was a super tough workout, and everyone just gave it their all and really *crushed* it.  Excellent work, guys and girls, excellent work.

SEP

Media Guide

CHS T&F Media Guide Cover

I am going to be working on putting together a media guide for the track & field team over winter break.  Media guides serves as a historical records, as well as promotional material for our program. This electronic document that will be sent out to the various TV and print media outlets around the state in the spring, as well as to all the parents and friends of Chaparral Track & Field.  

Working with the yearbook teacher down here at Sierra, I have been able to create some templates to streamline the process.  The only thing I need now is the athletes help.

Your second piece of homework (after filling out your goals) is to please email me at:
bseppala[at]gmail[dot]com a few things.  One would be a headshot of yourself.  If could be a senior pic, it could be a nice close-up, but I want to see your smiling face.  No cheesy mirror self shots, as this is something that will be officially representing our program.  Please label your picture with your name.

I will also need the following information:

• Your current grade (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior)
• Your birthdate
• Your neighborhood (Ponderosa Hills, Challenger Park, etc)
• Two to four sentences talking about your track experiences such as personal bests, races won, letters earned, clubs on, prior experience, etc.

This short biography needs to be emailed to me at the same address.

The final thing I need is any candid pictures of you doing stuff away from the track.  Pictures that show what you do for fun outside of track & field.

This is what you are going to be sending me:

To: bseppala[at]gmail[dot]com

From: Chloe and Reid

Subject: Media Guide Info

• Chloe Seppala, pre-school
• 5-14-2009
• Walnut Hills
• 2010 Seppala House 10 m dash champion (12.2)
• Personal Best of 18:30 in the mile
• Competed for Gulo Gulo T.C. as a toddler

I have no candid pics right now coach, but I will send you one of me opening presents on the 26th.

The higher quality pictures I get, the higher quality media guide I can create.  So, if you are going to do track & field this spring, and you want to be in the media guide, please email me all this stuff as as soon as you can.

Thanks!

SEP

Indoor Track Meet

Our first indoor track meet is going to be Jan. 5th, up at the CU Fieldhouse in Boulder.  If you go to ColoradoTrack.org, you can see a listing of all the indoor track meets around the State.

Here is the schedule for the meet on the 5th.  It is a rolling schedule for high school kids, starting at noon.  You may run as many events as you like, and I will be there for a good portion of the meet.

AFTERNOON SESSION - BALCH FIELDHOUSE

TRACK 12:00PM 

60 HURDLES 

60 M 

1500 M 

300 M 

600 M

1000 M

4X200 M

FIELD 12:00PM

 LONG JUMP

TRIPLE JUMP

HIGH JUMP

SHOT PUT (ALL)

(Sorry Nolan, no pole vault, all the pole vaulters are up in Ft. Collins at a meet that weekend)

I would expect all distance kids to run the 1500 M race at the minimum.  This is because I want to see how much faster you have gotten since our mile time trial earlier in the fall.  I am eager to see how much faster you have gotten.

The sign-up is online, and can be accessed at ColoradoTrack.org.  There is a five dollar per race entrance fee, and you must be a valid member of USATF to sign up. The online entry is not up and running yet, but I am sure it will be soon.

This is he first big competition of 2013 for everyone, I am eager to see how we stack up!

SEP

Goals

I have a little bit of homework for y'all over winter break.  The first thing I want you to is to think and then put down on "paper", your goals for the spring track season.  I have embedded the survey right here on the blog, so you can just fill it in electronically when you have thought about them.  Please have this taken care of in the next few days.  You can look up your old results on milesplit.com, or you can come up with goals that are based on your present fitness.  If you are not sure as to what you should be shooting for, I can help you out over email/text/twitter no problem.  

And finally, this is anonymous, only you and I are privy to the results, so be honest and be thoughtful and be bold!

SEP

2013 CHS T&F Goals

Pre-Season Rankings

Check out milesplit.com for some bulletin board material!

I love Coach Versaw of The Classical Academy.  He is one of the best coaches I have had the fortune of  learning from.  His teams always compete, and compete with the best of them.  And I understand he writes these milesplit previews based purely off of cold hard numbers.  There really is no other way for him to write them, in all honesty.

So, it is with a very small grain of salt that I take some umbrage to the CHAP boys ranking of 29th, below teams such as Regis, Denver East and (tied with) Legend.  I actually take it as motivation.  Motivation to not just win some races at JeffCo stadium in May, but to crack that overall top five again for the third straight year.  Motivation to hammer that extra interval in practice, even in the dark days of winter.  Motivation to hydrate and eat right and go to bed early, knowing that this will all pay off in the late spring. Motivation to turn my running into a lifestyle, not just something I do for two hours a day.

I truly believe there is no way we are going to come in 29th in the state, just no way.  But, we still have to go out and prove it, every day, until May 19th.

SEP

Disney Meeting Paperwork

If you can/could not make it to the meeting tonight, or you forgot to grab some of the paperwork, here is all is, via Google links.  You can just print it out yourself and get it all to me by Jan 9th.

Here is the link for the Parent Meeting Agenda that we went over this evening.

Here is the link to the Athlete Behavior Contract that needs to be signed and returned to me.

Here is the link to the Field Trip Release Form that needs to be signed and returned to me.

Here is the link to the Medical Forms that need to be notarized and have a copy of photo ID and health insurance cards attached to it.

Here is the link to the General Student Etiquette that all of our athletes are expected to follow.

Here is the link to Parent/Student Release Form that needs to be signed and returned to me.

I still need the check for 200 dollars as a deposit in hand tonight however, this blog post is just to give you another option of accessing the paperwork.

SEP

Disney Meet Brochure

Just a reminder, Disney Athlete/Parent meeting is Monday the 17th, after practice, in Coach Bowman's room.  It will be a short meeting, but packed with information!  Trip deposits are due at the end of the meeting as well. Hope to see you all there.

Coach Sep

Quick Post: Saturday Workout

This Saturday is On Your Own for practice. (Although I know there is a group of people meeting at the track at 11 am to execute this workout)

Short Flying Sprints
20 m zone for acceleration to top speed
40 m of all out, as fast as you can possibly go, overspend running

Walk back for rest. Do 10-12 of these.

Start these sprints from a three point stance, or mimic your block stance. Focus on exploding out of the start and getting to top speed as quickly as you can. Then, just finish the interval as fast as you can go. Make sure you do a good warm up, with sprinter form drills and stretching to get loose. Afterwards, do a lunge routine (5 each leg) for your cool down.

Even though this is on your own, make every effort to get this workout in and to complete it to the best of your abilities. Text me afterwards, let me know how it went, how you felt, how you ran, etc.
SEP

Quick Post: Able Elite Team (AET)

Coach Able runs a team up at CU that is bases on elite training for 400/800 meter athletes. Here is what she says about it.

" the kids start actually practice at 6:30 pm but to properly warm up we want the kids to arrive at 6 pm
• practice will be held every Monday and Wednesday till Feb. 20th
• I am meeting in the parking lot at 5 pm (at Chap) every Monday/Wednesday. I will take the toll if anyone wants to follow me.
• practice is held in Balch Fieldhouse (CU campus)
• practice will start at 6:30 and end approximately 7:15
• have the kids bring water and sweats
• bring running shoes and spikes
• the workouts involved are high intensity on the indoor track
• each practice costs $5"

Now, everyone knows how I feel about Coach Able, I think she is awesome and we are super lucky to have her on our coaching staff. I think this program, while costing a little more money in field house usage and gasoline, is truly an awesome opportunity. To train solely for the 4/8 in the winter is something I cannot provide. To train in a collegiate setting is something I can not provide. To train under Coach Ables perspective is something I cannot provide.

I strongly urge all athletes who are focusing on winning those 400 and 800 races this spring to at least make the commitment one day a week to get up to Boulder to train with the AET. Carpool up, take turns driving, manage your time, so you can make it happen.

SEP

Quick Post: Friday Morning 500's

It was downright balmy this morning for our 3x500 m practice. I was happy to see so many kids there, and everyone ran really well. The goal of these 500s is to teach us how to react when us bodies to start locking up. To do that, we need to hit that 400 mark like it is a race, and then in the last 100, try to fight through the lock and finish strong. It is not easy, for sure, and it is quite painful, which is why I give so much credit to the tough athletes that were out there this morning. Go home and take a nap this afternoon, guys, you deserve it!

SEP

Quick Post: Florida/Disney Meeting

Just a reminder, the parents and athletes who want to go to Florida in February need to be at the meeting Monday after practice (5:15-ish). We will talk schedule, events, chaperones, and answer any and all questions. The deposit I need Monday if you decide to go will be 200 bucks.

SEP

Quick Post: Staff v Students Soccer Game

This morning was the staff v students soccer game, and my streak of ten years with a goal was broken! But, that's OK, the final score was 10-3 staff, so I can't complain about that. We got some good staff players this year, so hopefully we can pull out a few more victories in years to come.

SEP

Pace Changers = VO2 Max Repeats?

On Monday we did Pace Changers, a staple workout that incorporates tempo running and building a kick.  Today we are doing VO2 Max Intervals, which raise your oxygen efficiency threshold.  I think it would be cool if each athlete could do the same number of VO2 Max Intervals today as they did Pace Changers on Monday.

Nikki = 3
Ellen = 3
Emily = 3
Jessica = 3
Ryan = 4
Kelly = 3
Travis = 4
Gavin = 4
Hebe = 4
Jack = 4
Patrick = 4
Ciara = 4
Matt = 3
Molly = 4
Mackenzie = 4
Caleb = 4
John = 5
Dan = 6
Ross = 4
Darin = 5
Whitney = 5
Landon = 6
Austin = 6
Jill = 5
Erika = 5
Josh = 5
Devin = 5
James = 7
Steven = 7


Seven VO2 Max Intervals?  I think we can do it!

SEP

Random Track Thoughts

Just some bulletpointized ideas that I want to get out onto the Internet.  (Isn't that what Twitter is for?)

I mis-spoke in the previous Disney post.  With two nights of hotel, I estimate the overall cost to be closer to $580, not $560.  Thanks to my detail-oriented wife for catching this.

8th gradeer Noah & the tights

The running tights are in, and I think they are awesome! If you ordered a pair, bring your $30 to me so you can wear them at all the cold practices that are about to start!

Chloe and her new headband

It is looking like we will not be having a 6 am practice on Friday morning.  If the sun does not come out and start melting the snow and ice from the track, we will have to figure out alternative plans.  The decision has not been made yet, but don't be surprised is that early morning practice is cancelled.  (Yes, I know all of you are really distraught over this news.)

On St. Nicholas day, Chloe got a sweet new purple headband that she wears every day along with all of her necklaces and bracelets..  Her favorite colors are purple and pink and she like to be a princess.  She is such a girly-girl. :)

We have a Continental League coaches meeting tonight, after this meeting, the spring meet schedule will be in much clearer focus.  Coach Harris is coming along to this one, if he ever wants to be promoted to head coach, he needs this valuable experience.

Reid itching to get in the backpack

I am so happy there is significant snow in the mountains.  Cross country skiing with my family really is one of the most enjoyable activities in my life.  This year, little Reid will be on my back, I am psyched to see how much fun he has flying along through the woods!

Our first real competition of 2013 is going to be Jan. 5th, up in Boulder, at the All-Comer Indoor Meet.  Yep, it's in Boulder and it's an All-Comers meet, so it could make for a long day, but I think it is important to get some race experience in, so we can really see how the training is going.  The meet website is not up yet, but as soon as it is, I will update all of you with more details.

Monday the 17th, Parent Meeting for Florida, 5:15-ish or so, in Coach Bowman's room.  It is there will figure out who is going, and what events we can run.  If enough boys and girls go, we will certainly put together some relays, it all depends on the numbers.

I think we do a great job dressing for the weather, but here is a great blog post from a runner back East on what to wear at specific temperatures.

Next week starts up with Coach Able's "Elite" team.  These are kids who want to focus on the 400/800 in the spring, who are physically and mentally able to train with collegians, and who can get to Boulder for training twice a week.  Coach Able will be around next Monday to explain more, but I think this is a great opportunity for more experienced kids to step up their training even more!

US Women's Nordic Team

If you have not been following the exploits of the U.S. women's nordic ski team, you really need to.  What they are accomplishing is truly historic.

Remember, the theme for the next few weeks is "grind".  Even though it gets dark so early, and it's cold, and you are tired, you gotta stick to the training.  Take it one day at a time, and grind it out.  Don't give up, don't let down, keep working as hard as you have been every day.


SEP

Disney/Florida Update

Read the original Disney/Florida blog post here, then read below for some breaking news.

I have been online, on the phone, and on top of monitoring all flights from Denver to Orlando for that weekend.  I am adamant about flying as a group, so we can cut down on the ground transportation to and from the airport.  And the best deal I have found, that fits our training schedule the closest, costs 540 bucks round trip.  It is on SouthWest, it leaves on Friday morning, early, and gets us to Orlando right after lunch.  This would give us plenty of time to get some running in at the DisneyWorld track, pick up our registration packets from Mickey & Minnie, and check in at the hotel.  We get back to Denver around lunchtime on Sunday, with another early morning departure.  Leaving on a Thursday is not a significant price drop, and having to pay for that extra hotel night, the extra food, as well as miss an additional day of school, I do not believe it is worth it.  I was hoping to find something under $500, but with it being Florida, and March being a popular spring break month, I think this is as good as we are gonna get.

The hotel situation is significantly cheaper.  Through a great alum connection, we can get rooms at a Fairfield Inn & Suites very close to Disney.  The price of these would be about 80 bucks a room, with taxes and everything.  Four athletes of the same gender to a room, that makes each individual share 20 bucks a night, which is *super cheap*!  I am pretty excited about that one.

That makes the grand total around 560 bucks, give or take a few taxes here and there.  At the parent meeting on Monday the 17th, which will be held right after practice (5:00-ish), I will be asking for a deposit of (at least) 200 bucks. The remainder of the payment will be due on March 8th, which is the day before our first spring track meet.  That deposit, plus the capital we have in our track account already, will be enough for me to buy a block of plane tickets before the New Year.  It will also allow me to book the hotel rooms before all the spring break kids snatch them up.  If this deposit is an issue, please email me or talk to me, and we can try and figure something out.  As I am sure you all understand, there are no "coaching fees" tacked on here, we are trying to charge the bare minimum that we can in order to make this a reality.

Any questions, email me. And see you all at hill practice tomorrow!

SEP

Recovery Week

We are entering into a week of easy work.  A little tempo running tomorrow, (unless you have not completed your mile time trial), then a week of easy recovery running.  Saturday we will meet at my house in the morning to run some hill repeats in a DTC park I live near.  I will give out my home address via text message, as I am not so keen on putting it on the blog.  Next week starts up another period of hard training, so we must take advantage of this recovery week.

While running hard is very important, recovering is just as important.   Now, recovery does not mean skipping practice, or not putting any effort into your recovery.  Recovery is easy relaxed running, lots of dynamic stretching, excellent hydration, and making sure you get plenty of sleep.  All of the hard work we have done the past two weeks won't mean a thing if you don't recover well and soak it all in.  Recovery might be easier  but it is just as importnat as any other phase of training we do.  You must take it seriously and be as dedicated to it as you would be to an interval workout.

See you all Monday,

SEP