Bonnyville Schools Cross Country Running Training Program
Howdy Cross Country Running Coaches & Athletes!
Students & Coaches from all our Bonnyville Schools are invited to meet together to train for cross country running:
Every Wednesday at 3:40pm after school = Rain or Shine! Arrive between 3:30pm-3:39pm to lock school bags in my car. Practice starts at 3:40pm, with water bottle in hand, and finishes at 4:40pm. We will gather across the road from Notre Dame beside the Slawuta Pond Parking Lot. We will run on the grass field beside Jessie Lake. "IF" students arrive late, they can jog southeast along Jessie Lake for about 5 minutes to find us running on the hill at Pontiac Park = Lakeshore Drive & 43rd Avenue.
Coaches & Athletes & Parents! We will now be using this blog: http://www.coachles.blogspot.com to communicate all information about our cross country running program. We will no longer be sending emails. Please share my blog to invite student-athletes from other sports to run with us. Along with competitive school athletes, beginner runners new to sport are welcome to join us!
To contact me, please email lesparsonsgreen@yahoo.ca If your communication is urgent, text me: 780-691-6912 I'll phone you back as soon as I am able.
Coaches/Parents...please share this information with your athletes, giving them the responsibility to develop their athlete schedule of personal organization & time management.
Weekly Training: Our training program below is simply a "Base" schedule for your reference.
We encourage all runners to modify & adapt your training schedule, based on your family schedule, summer jobs, other sports, transportation (consider car pooling with others from your community).
We encourage everyone to take one day off each week as a rest & recovery day.
Slow biking or hiking or swimming is an excellent alternative for rest & recovery days.
Self-Training: We only meet for team training once or twice per week. Athletes are responsible for your most important training...your "Self-Training" by yourself or with a teammate friend. The training you do 5 or 6 days per week on your own, will make a greater improvement on your fitness, compared to the training we do as a team, 1 or 2 days per week.
Not able to attend Team Practices? No problem, if you are not able to join us for team practices, run them on your own, close to home, ideally on grass on a sports field or in a park.
Mon Sept 18th: trail run; jog slowly on a grass sports field or park trail in the forest; 8-10 years x 15 minutes; 11-12 years x 20 min; 13-14 years x 25 min; 15-16 x 30 min; 17-18 x 35 min
Tue Sep 19th: bike slowly; 8-10 x 20 min; 11-12 x 30 min; 13-14 x 40 min; 15-16 x 50 min; 17-18 x 60 min + Strength Circuit
Wed Sep 20th: 3:40pm-4:40pm, Team Practice at Slawuta Pond beside Notre Dame School, or Self Train at a school track near your home.
Our primary focus is coaching running technique, so please bring along any school friends or teammates from your cross country running team, who want to learn how to run with proper technique.
We will also coach runners how to run at different speeds, at different % efforts, but still maintain proper technique.
We will also introduce runners to how to run intensity intervals;
after coaching everyone how to warm up, including barefoot figure eight exercises and Kenyan warm up routine range-of-motion exercises;
Intensity Intervals, running 1 minute fast & jogging-recovery 2 minutes very slowly,
ages 8-10 = repeat six intervals
11-12 = repeat seven intervals
13-14 = repeat eight intervals
15-16 = repeat nine intervals
17-18 = repeat ten intervals
Athletes who train at home at a park/sports field or on their school track:
barefoot figure eight exercises;
Kenyan warm up routine range-of-motion exercises;
jog slowly for 800 meters = two times around the 400 meter lap;
Intensity Intervals: run 400 meter intervals at 10% increasing efforts of race pace and jog very slowly for 300 meters to recover;
ages 8-10 = repeat four intervals at 60-70-80-80% efforts
11-12 = repeat five intervals at 60-70-80-80-80% efforts
13-14 = repeat six intervals at 60-70-80-80-80-80% efforts
15-16 = repeat seven intervals at 60-70-80-80-80-80-80% efforts
17-18 = repeat eight intervals at 60-70-80-80-80-80-80-80% efforts
cool down for all ages, jog slowly for 800 meters
Thu Sep 21st: trail run; jog slowly on a grass sports field or park trail in the forest; 8-10 x 15 min; 11-12 x 15 min; 13-14 x 20 min; 15-16 x 20 min; 17-18 x 25 min
Fri Sep 22nd: bike slowly; 8-10 x 25 min; 11-12 x 30 min; 13-14 x 35 min; 15-16 x 40 min; 17-18 x 45 min
Sat Sep 23rd or Sun Sep24th: Option #1 = New Runners trail hike/jog adventure with your family & friends; discover a new trail at a park in your region; jog/run slowly while exploring new trails in the forest or by a lake; carry Bear Spray; 8-10 x 45 min; 11-12 x 60 min; 13-14 x 70 min; 15-16 x 80 min; 17-18 x 90 min
Option #2 = Experienced Athletes: Muriel Lake MD Park Campground, a 20 minute drive southeast of Bonnyville Muriel Lake Campground - Google Maps and park by the main entrance to the park. Develop your own 1/2/3/4/5 km cross country running trail course on the grass trails at Muriel Lake OR at a park close to your home. Ask your parents to record your xc running time trial, and email/text me your results.
XC Run Time Trial for one reason; to learn "pacing" and how to pace oneself for a running race;
record your personal best base time for these race distances;
8-10 x 1km; 11-12 x 2km; 13-14 x 3km; 15-16 x 4km; 17-18 x 5km;
so that you can compare yourself against yourself;
when we repeat the same track time trial distance in October & November.
Motivation? Measuring improvement of personal best performance is a real motivator.
Mon Sep 25th: trail run; jog slowly on a grass sports field or park trail in the forest; 8-10 x 15 min; 11-12 x 15 min; 13-14 x 20 min; 15-16 x 20 min; 17-18 x 25 min
Tue Sep 26th: bike slowly; 8-10 x 20 min; 11-12 x 30 min; 13-14 x 40 min; 15-16 x 50 min; 17-18 x 60 min + Strength Circuit
Wed Sep 27th: 3:40pm-4:40pm, Team Practice at Slawuta Pond beside Notre Dame School, or Self Train at a school track near your home.
Our primary focus is coaching running technique, so please bring along any school friends or teammates from your cross country running team, who want to learn how to run with proper technique.
We will also coach runners how to run at different speeds, at different % efforts, but still maintain proper technique.
We will also introduce runners to how to run intensity intervals;
after coaching everyone how to warm up, including barefoot figure eight exercises and Kenyan warm up routine range-of-motion exercises;
Intensity Intervals, running 1 minute fast & jogging-recovery 2 minutes very slowly,
ages 8-10 = repeat six intervals
11-12 = repeat seven intervals
13-14 = repeat eight intervals
15-16 = repeat nine intervals
17-18 = repeat ten intervals
Athletes who train at home at a park/sports field or on their school track:
barefoot figure eight exercises;
Kenyan warm up routine range-of-motion exercises;
jog slowly for 800 meters = two times around the 400 meter lap;
Intensity Intervals: run 400 meter intervals at 10% increasing efforts of race pace and jog very slowly for 300 meters to recover;
ages 8-10 = repeat four intervals at 60-70-80-80% efforts
11-12 = repeat five intervals at 60-70-80-80-80% efforts
13-14 = repeat six intervals at 60-70-80-80-80-80% efforts
15-16 = repeat seven intervals at 60-70-80-80-80-80-80% efforts
17-18 = repeat eight intervals at 60-70-80-80-80-80-80-80% efforts
cool down for all ages, jog slowly for 800 meters
Thu Sep 28th: trail run; jog slowly on a grass sports field or park trail in the forest; 8-10 x 15 min; 11-12 x 15 min; 13-14 x 20 min; 15-16 x 20 min; 17-18 x 25 min
Coaches/Parents are encouraged to take part with our team, and/or walk/bike along to observe practices. Or, parents are encouraged to walk or jog with other parents during practices, or play with the rest of your family play at nearby playgrounds while our team is practicing.
Screens or Sports? As your coaches, we are extremely concerned about screen technology impacting our society, especially the reality of screen addictions on our youth. Screen dependency damages developing brains, lives & relationships. We encourage you to "Swap Screens for Sports!"
I will be updating my blog next week, with the following information: Training Journal Scribblers, Kenyan Warm-Up & Cool-Down Routine; Strength Training Circuit, Running Technique Key Words.
September practices include: welcome & introduction to team; team talk; safety talk; warm-up routine; running & jogging technique; training principles; training programs; preparation for races/practices; athlete lifestyle; questions & answers. Dress to be active. Wear your running shoes, bring: full water bottle, snacks, pen & paper note book, clothing for hot sun or cold rain. For after practice, bring a healthy protein-carbohydrate snack and an extra dry shirt for travel home.
Progression: Prevention of injuries is a key priority for all of us. To prevent impact injuries from running, slowly & gradually increase the number of minutes you run each week. We coach new runners to start with 5 & 10 &15 minute runs for a few weeks. Then, gradually increase the numbers of minutes your run each week.
WHO: All four schools = Ecole des Beaux-Lacs & Bonnyville Centralized High School & Ecole Notre Dame High School & Bonnyville Outreach School are interested in practicing together for cross country running.
WHAT: I am volunteering to coach xc running practices which will include: warm up, technique training, intensity intervals, cool down, race strategy, race preparation, mental sport psych training, elite athlete lifestyle, trail running shoe selection from A-OK Shoe Store, and weekly training programs for teams of coaches & students to follow on their own each week. These training programs can be shared with students who are unavailable to attend Wednesday practices.
+ plus I will try to make myself available to provide coaching support to your school's coaches & athletes at our regional xc run races including: LSAA - Wed Oct 4th; NEASAA Zones - Thu Oct 5th in Cold Lake; ASAA Provincials - Sat Oct 21st in Trochu.
WHY: Most importantly, we will instill in your students a love for the joy of running, as a lifelong sport.
All students & staff are welcome to join us, regardless of athletic ability or fitness. Students with zero sports experience who are new to jogging & new to sports are welcome to join us, alongside your fastest athletes.
And, I am willing to invest extra time to develop coaches with any school staff or parents of students who want to co-coach or shadow coach with me, including those who have never run or coached before.
WHERE: We will gather on the grass field beside the Slawuta Pond Parking Lot, across the road from Notre Dame. Students can put daypacks, screen devices and gym bags in my locked car which will be parked on the street across the road from the Notre Dame parking lot. I have a first aid kit in my car. Students must pre-hydrate prior to practice and bring along a full water bottle.
SAFETY FIRST is always our #1 concern:
Cycling is our most high risk activity. Parents MUST approve of bike routes on roads that are safe for cycling, with low traffic. The reality of distracted drivers on phones makes cycling even more risky. Wearing an extremely bright white shirt is mandatory, for optimal visibility for vehicle traffic. Never cycle into the sun, when drivers have poor visibility of sun shining through their windshields into their eyes. Helmets are mandatory. Adjust bike seats, by raising the seat so that your knee is almost straight when your feet are at the bottom of your pedal rotation.
Bears/cougars are a concern. Run or mountain bike with a friend on wilderness trails.
Dehydration causes physiological damage, especially in hot weather. Pre-hydrate before training, by drinking 2 or 3 glasses of water 15 minutes before exercise. And, always bringing extra water with you when traveling to & from practices.
Water-Water-Water: Proper hydration is super critical in the hot months.
Drink lots of water all day long. Avoid sport drinks & energy drinks. Drink plain water.
Drink a full water bottle the hour before training. Take two water bottles to every training.
Drink a half water bottle on the drive to practice. Drink a full water after training.
Progression: Prevention of injuries is a key priority for all of us.
To prevent impact injuries from running, slowly & gradually increase the number of minutes you run each week.
We coach new runners to start with 5 & 10 &15 minute runs for a few weeks.
Then, gradually increase the numbers of minutes your run each week.
"Track Running" is around a school track or grass sports field, training us to run at a fast pace speed over shorter distances. We can challenge ourselves to improve our running technique and tempo.
"Trail Running" is on a grass trail in a park or forest, training us to run up & down hills, over longer distances. We can discover nature trails around our Lakeland wilderness, making running a fun adventure.
Car-Pool to travel to practices. Arrange car-pooling with other team parents from your community, to share transportation to practices, and to make travel more FUN for youth to socialize.
Rain or Shine: Try to schedule your running in dry weather. If that is not possible, running in the rain once in a while is FUN! But, rain & water do deteriorate your running shoes, so try to keep your feet as dry as possible.
Cross-Training: It is good to do a variety of exercise & sports, for cross-training. Ask your family & neighbours to give you the chores that require the most physical exercise, around the house, yard & farm.
Bottom Line about Training: IF you are very busy with family commitments or summer jobs, simply plan to exercise every day, alternating between running and riding a bike.
Bottom Line about Attitude: Stay Positive! Do not compare yourself to other athletes. We only compare ourselves to ourselves. We encourage you to be fair and kind to yourself, by starting where you are at with your current fitness level today, and progressively build up your fitness over the next few months & years.
Breakfast is the Key Meal of Champions!
Dorset Cereal: Go to your local grocery store to buy Dorset Cereal, in the breakfast cereal isle or organic food shelves.
It is THE healthiest breakfast cereal, with no sugar, and full of delicious nuts & fruits & grains.
Plus Dorset is a tasty & healthy substitute for sugary granola bars, and is low cost to help with family budgets.
Eggs: Eat a couple of eggs every morning = complete amino acids to help meet your protein needs.
