I hope the girls have had good things to say about their first two days of school. I believe that MOST girls enjoyed going home today at 2:00 but I will wait and get their opinions tomorrow at practice. (Not that ANY high school girls have opinions….Ha. Ha.)
Practice continues to go well and the nicer weather has definitely made it more enjoyable for all of us. As the girls continue to run more and grow stronger, they might also start to feel aches and pains. Some really great tools for therapy are ice, foam rollers and stretching. The best way to ice (especially for pain in shins) is with Dixie cups filled with water and frozen. After they freeze, you can then tear off half of the cup and hold onto the paper while icing the shin. Foam rollers (sold at specialty running stores and Dick’s Sporting goods) can also help rub out tight spots (especially hard to reach tight areas like Achilles, IT bands – which can cause pain along the outer part of the leg and the bootie.) The ice is free but the foam rollers run about $25. I have a few foam rollers but can’t really send them home with the girls since they are difficult to ‘track’. Other great tools are self massage and additional stretching at home. Other FREE tools (and the best ones) are REST and PROPER EATING! I am sure you have heard that lunch has been a bit hectic these first few days of school and time seems short but some of the best things for lunch are simple. Sandwiches provide TONS of nutrition if filled with lean meats, cheese, some veggies and whole grain/rye or wheat bread. Yogurt and dry cereal can also pack some protein and carbs and of course watery fruits are fabulous for hydration and nutrition. It is best for the girls to get meals balanced with carbs and protein with vegetables and fruits as major sides and snacks in the day. It is also best for athletes to have some kind of nutritious snack or dinner 30-45 minutes AFTER a workout to help replenish muscles. Sleep and rest are quite possibly the best tools for any athlete. Elite runners take 2-3 hour naps EVERY DAY to help replenish their very hard worked bodies. Now, most of us are not elite runners but we can take a page from their book and rest when the time is right and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Rest and sleep also help our tired legs recover and rebuild when we challenge them with hard workouts.
Time trials are Tuesday at English Landing Park. We will run at 4:00 if any of you would like to come watch. It is not required but you are more than welcomed to come and see the show! This time trial will determine our teams for our first meet at Liberty. After Liberty, teams are made depending on the previous meet’s times and times throughout the season. The girls will receive their uniforms on Monday at practice. DO NOT dry the uniforms – it will break down the material and crack the lettering. Any uniform checked out must be returned at the end of the season or the athlete will be placed on the fine list.
Our first meet is at Liberty on September 4th. I realize this is Labor Day weekend so many of you may have plans. The girls will not know their race until Wednesday of next week but for a heads up: The 9th grade race is at 8:00 am, 10th grade race 8:55, JV race – 9:50 and Varsity at 10:45. Again, we enter teams based off of time. If a 9th graders finishes in the top 7 at our time trials SHE will get to choose if she wants to run the varsity race or the 9th grade race. Only 9th graders get this choice (and I would hope she would chose to run Varsity). Only 7 runners run in the varsity race. All 11th graders not on varsity will run in the JV race at 9:50 and depending on their times, 10th graders will either run in the JV race or the 10th grade race. We have a pretty large group of 11th graders so my thought is that 11th grade non-varsity girls will run JV, 10th grade non varsity girls will run the 10th grade race and 9th grade non varsity girls will run the 9th grade race. I will post directions here next week.
Until then,
Happy running! Happy 1st week of school!
Coach Jurgensmeyer
jurgensmeyerp@parkhill.k12.mo.us
