Summer Training = Summer Ski Sweat

Summer Training = Summer Ski Sweat:

Weekly Training: We encourage all runners to modify & adapt your training schedule, based on your family schedule. Everyone must 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.

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 with15 minute slow runs for a few weeks.

Then, gradually increase the numbers of minutes your run each week.

Morning Training: To avoid training in the heat of the day, train early in the mornings when the weather is cool. 

Wake up early; drink lots of water; eat a light breakfast; drink more water; go for a 15 minute walk.

Then, drink more water and start your training.

Water-Water-Water: Proper hydration is super critical in the hot summer 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 water after training.

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.

Breakfast is the Key Meal of Champions!

Steel Cut Oats or Long Cooking Large Flake Oatmeal or Dorset Cereal: Go to your local grocery store to buy Steel Cut Oats or Long Cooking Large Flake Oats or 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 day = complete amino acids to help meet your protein needs.

Sleep-Sleep-Sleep: Be sure to discipline yourself to go to bed early every night, and wake up early every morning.

Everyone needs about 8 hours of sleep minimum...young growing athletes need 10 hours.

Parents...encourage your kids to take personal responsibility to develop their athlete schedule of personal organization & time management.

New athletes/families are welcome to join us any time. Please invite other youth to join us, whom you know who are interested in running.

Summer Screens or Summer 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!"

Information & Communication: All of the information about our team can be found at: http://www.coachles.blogspot.com 

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.

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.

SAFETY FIRST is always our #1 concern:

Roller skiing is our most high risk activity. Parents MUST approve of roller ski routes on roads that are safe for roller skiing, with low traffic. The reality of distracted drivers on phones makes roller skiing even more risky. Wearing an extremely bright white shirt is mandatory, for optimal visibility for vehicle traffic. Never ski into the sun, when drivers have poor visibility of sun shining through their windshields into their eyes. Helmets are mandatory. 

"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. 

Parents are encouraged to take part with our team, and/or walk 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.

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.

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.

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.