Green and White Meet

Last Wednesday's inter squad Green and White Meet kicked off our racing season. The team excitedly embraced the challenge of the hilly 2 mile course with many outstanding efforts on a beautiful august evening. In continuing the traditional style of our G&W meet, the race was handicapped with the fastest members of the team starting last. Coach Kern did an outstanding job with the predictions (we compared his prediction times to the results afterward) to level out the field for a competitive race amongst the entire team. Congrats to this years Green and White champion Riley A.
Thanks to parent photographers Mr. H and Ms. W you can see pictures of the meet here: http://2010pattonvillecrosscountry.shutterfly.com/

News for the week: August 30-Sept. 6

Practice Week of Aug. 30- Sept. 4
Daily Practice time is 2:30-5:25 mon-thurs and 2:30 -4:50 on *fridays (unless noted otherwise)- Always meet at the stadium * The activity bus only runs at 5:00pm on friday
Mon. 30th- High School - Workout /Race info/ uniforms to those still in need-practice over by 4:15 activity Bus
Tues. 31st - Fleet Feet Kickoff Meet - meet at stadium at 2:30 for Bus (meet details below)
Wed. 1st - carpool to Creve Coeur Upper area
Thurs. 2nd - carpool to Vago park.
Fri. 3rd - carpool to Creve Coeur (Falls) (return to PHS by 4:50)

Labor day weekend workouts: for those who wish to be the best they can be
Saturday:
Returning runners do a tempo run and core/strength exercises
New runners - conversation pace run 3 miles plus core/strength exercises
Sunday: Off- rest day
Monday (Labor Day): - a good day for some trail running!
Returning runners: long run, conversation pace.
New Runners - standard distance run (2-3 miles)

Fleet Feet XC Kickoff Information:
Check out the website at: http://www.fleetfeetstl.com/xckickoff.htm
See a short video of last years meet here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf6cKNrv0Vc
Location: Quail Ridge Park in St. Charles County
Date: Tuesday August 31
2:35 Bus leaves PHS
4:15 JV Girls
4:45 JV Boys
5:15 Varsity Girls
5:15 Varsity Boys
6:15 Pizza Party/Awards
7:00ish Bus leaves for PHS
7:30-7:45ish - arrive back at PHS (stadium lot)

Directions to Quail Ridge Park:
-I-70 west
-Exit onto 40/61 south
-At the first stop light Callahan Rd. turn right
-Then make an immediate right on to Quail Ridge Parkway
- The park entrance is approximately 3/4 mile on the left
- Stay straight after the entrance and drive to the back of the park.
Drive time approximately 30 minutes from 70&270

Upcoming Meets:
-Forest Park XC festival -Sept. 11
-Pattonville/Saint Charles West Fresh/Soph meet- Tues Sept. 14 (we put this one on)

Other News:
**Attention all team members: with the race coming up tuesday, Coach Kern has posted an excellent list of "Racing Principles" on his blog. Hit the "CK-ON COURSE" link on the side bar to check it out.... Consider it required reading...

Girls' Cross Country Team Dinner:
When: Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Where: Elise M's house (e-mail her for directions at elisemoser@yahoo.com)
What to bring:
Freshman: Fruit and veggies
Sophomores and Juniors: Drinks (non-carbonated juices, lemonade, tea, etc.)
Seniors: A loaf of your favorite bread and a dessert
If you have any questions, e-mail Elise!

Quote of the week:
Sit as little as possible. Give no credence to any thought not born outdoors while moving about freely. - Friedrich Nietzsche

A few more announcements..and dates to remember

In addition to the previous post with this weeks schedule, I have 3 more bits of news to share with the team. (and Parents)

We have added a new meet to our schedule that was left off the original list. On Tues. Sept. 14 we will host a Fresh/Soph meet with St. Charles West at 4:00pm in McNair Park. Hopefully, we will have a lot of schools attend and team members who are not racing are expected to help with running off the meet.

My second announcement concerns two other special events this season that are optional, but should be lots of fun:
Saturday Sept. 25 – Katy Trail Community Service work day. 8:00am – 12:00pm We will meet at the high school and car pool to the Katy trail to help the St. Charles Parks Dept. clear honeysuckle from the area around the trail.
Friday, October 8 – “Apple Run” We will meet in the morning at the high school and car pool over to Pere Marquette state park for a trail run. Afterwards we will go to Eckert’s Orchard to pick apples. We will returnto the high school in the late afternoon. Watch the blog for details this October.

Finally, I would like to share some information on the Pattonville Athlectic & Activiites Foundation (P2AF) Their "purpose and mission is to create more and enhanced opportunities for our students in the areas of athlectics and activities." Check out their website for more information http://www.p2af.com/

That does it ...thanks for reading.
Coach F

News for the week: August 23-28

Practice Week of Aug. 23-27
Daily Practice time is 2:30-5:25 mon-thurs and 2:30 -4:50 on *fridays(unless noted otherwise)- Always meet at the stadium * The activity bus only runs at 5:00pm on friday

Mon. 23th - Bus to Busch Wildlife
Do you still need to buy a team shirt? You will need it for team pictures on tuesday.
Picture forms will be sent home at practice and should be returned with your payment tomorrow for anyone wanting to purchase individual or team pictures.

Tues. 24th - Team Picture before practice- practice on campus
Wear - your team T-shirt and black shorts
Bring - photo order form and $ if buying photos
Also, if you do not yet have a uniform, make sure to ask coach for one today.

Wed. 25th - Green and White Meet. Meet at the Stadium at 4:30. Details below.

Thurs. 26 - Bus to Quail Ridge park to tour course for our first meet.

Fri. 27 - Carpool to Creve Coeur park- Practice finished by 4:50 to catch 5:00 Activity Bus


Green and White Meet Details
Place: PHS campus 2 mile course- meet at the Track
Wear: uniform, but bring sweats to get in the habit and just in case.
Time: meet at the stadium at 4:30pm
Race Time: 5:30pm with a picnic following post-race stretching

Food to bring for picnic:
Freshman: Fruits or Vegetables
Sophomores: lunch meat/ cheese etc. for sandwiches
Juniors: Breads for sandwiches/ chips
Seniors: Desserts
Coaches: We will provide plates, forks, spoon, napkins etc. as well as drink and cups

Remember to bring your camera and invite your friends and family!

Important Upcoming Dates:
- Our first official meet will be the Fleet Feet XC Kickoff at Quail Ridge park next tuesday, Aug.31 (you must have at least 14 practices to compete in this race)

- No School on Sept. 6 (Labor Day) - No Practice

Other News:
- Attention: Parents, siblings, alumni and all others (who are not participating in MSHSAA school sanctioned sports this season) You have the chance to get a taste or refresh those old memories of Cross Country at our second meet. The Forest Park XC festival is offering a 4K Open Race at 7:30 am using the same course we will be utilizing later that morning. Wouldn't it be cool to have a group of Pattonville family members and Alumni together in the race..Hmmm. maybe something to discuss at the Green and White this week. For more information or an entry form check out Big River Running's website about the race here: http://www.bigriverrunning.com/fpxc.php#openrace

- For those of you that listen to podcasts - Running Times magazine offers free podcasts on running topics that are extremely informative and often include video. You can download them through the i-tunes store or watch them on your computer here: http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/performancepodcasts/

Quote of the week:
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy cow! What a ride!'"

News for the week: August 16-21

Practice Week of Aug. 16-20
Daily Practice time is 2:30-5:25 (unless noted otherwise)- Always meet at the stadium -(change in upstairs stadium restrooms or school locker rooms)
Mon. 16th - 1st day of School - Meet at stadium- to Creve Coeur for practice. (If we do not have everyone's driving/riding permission form we will be staying on campus for practice)
Tues. 17th - PHS campus
Wed. 18th - Forest Park (bus)- "Photo Run" (let the coaches know if you have an inexpensive camera you can bring)
Thurs. 19th- Katy Trail Mile (bus)- 1st time trial of the season
Fri. 20th - No School, but we will have practice. We will meet at Creve Coeur Park (parking lot by the "Falls") from 2:45-4:30pm.

Saturday 21st - (Optional) Practice- 7:30am-9:00 Creve Coeur Park- Upper level, gravel lot by the tennis courts.

Reminders:
- Don't forget to buy your team T-shirt before team pictures next week.
-Check out Coach Kern's Blog for thoughts, suggestions and general wisdom on running. See the side bar of this blog for the link "On Course"

Important upcoming dates:
- Team pictures will be on Tuesday Aug. 24th before practice -photo order forms will be given out late this week.
- Mark your calendars for the Green and White meet on August 25th. This is a 2 mile race (our team only) on the high school course. It's a handicapped race, meaning everyone has a chance to win. We will have a picnic afterward. Details to come.

Running tip:
Water is your bodies coolant. Thirst is not a good indicator of fluid needs. Make sure you are staying hydrated during the day by keeping a bottle of water with you.

2010 Pirate Mileage Club Awards

The Pirate Mileage Club was established last year to reward team members for training through the summer, which is a necessity for anyone wanting to get the most of their cross country season. The club has two levels with different awards for total mileage accomplished in the 10 week period of summer break.

Congratulations to the following team members for their summer mileage accomplishments:

300 milers receive a handmade ceramic cereal bowl by a local artist/coach.
Austin S. - 303 miles
Sofia G. - 312 miles

400 milers (and above) receive an exclusive Pirate Mileage Club T-shirt.
Geri F. - 403 miles
Kevin L. - 644 miles
Sean Z. - 671 miles

Congrats to this years winners and remember the greatest reward for your work is how it will payoff during the XC season.

Dog Days and changes in practice for August 11th-14th

Unfortunately, the heat appears to have made itself at home this week. As a result, I've had to make a few changes to practice times and locations for the remainder of the week. Please make note of the following NEW schedule for practice this week. (which was also announced at practice tuesday)

Wed. Aug. 11: Practice 7:30am- 11:00am Meet at stadium- take a bus to Chubb trail
Freshman have orientation and are excused from the morning practice. The freshman practice originally scheduled for the afternoon is cancelled...meaning.. NO freshman practice wednesday.

Thurs. Aug. 12: New Practice Time 7:30am-9:15am at Creve Coeur Park. Meet on the upper level gravel lot by the Tennis Courts. Directions: from Dorsett road turn into the park on Streetcar drive and follow it back to the gravel lot on your right.

Fri. Aug. 13: Practice 2:45pm -5pm Meet at the stadium as usual. We may have a short run if weather allows, but regardless of a run or not we will then move inside the high school to take care of some other team business (uniforms, sweats etc.).

Saturday Aug. 14: (Optional Practice) 7:30am-9:30am Meet at O'connor Park
Directions to O'connor park from PHS: Take Creve Coeur Mill Rd. (which becomes McKelvey) North. Cross St. Charles Rock road and continue straight on McKelvey to Natural Bridge. Stay Straight, crossing Natural Bridge at which point McKelvey changes names to Bonfils. You will pass teh bowling alley on the left. At the first stop sign make a left.(you will now be in the airport buy-out area) Follow the road through the buyout area up the hill and across the 270 overpass. Stay straight through the first stop sign after the overpass. Then watch on your left for a small green sign that says "O'connor Park". Turn left at the sign and follow that road downhill and into the park.

Sorry for the late changes, but as always we want what is best for our athletes well-being and the team. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the new practice schedule this week. Hopefully, next week it will cool off a bit. Watch for next weeks schedule to be posted this weekend.

Thanks for understanding,
Coach F

The CROSS COUNTRY SEASON begins..

WoooHooo! Time to get the season officially underway...although savvy xc runners know that the season really began in June, kicking off a full summer of base building.
If you haven't been running... well you will be soon and that is reason enough to be excited.
So here we go..from now on, usually on Sunday nights, I will post a schedule of practices, meets and any other pertinent info for the following week.

Here is this weeks News:

Monday, August 9, 2010: First day of Cross Country Practice - Be there!
Time: 8-9:30 am at the High School Stadium. Meet by the Track.
You need to have the following:
- Physical
- Emergency Card (I'll have one for those that need it)
- training log book (if you have one) **you must have a log book to qualify for summer mileage awards. Other accurate and well kept records of summer mileage will be considered.
- Water bottle and watch
- pledge collections from the 6 hour run (for those that collected)
- dressed to run

**While you will not be able to participate until you have turned in a Physical, please attend the first practice regardless to obtain a packet full of forms and important information concerning the cross country season.

ATTENTION PARENTS: please make sure your athlete shares the first day packet with you after practice Monday.

Aug. 10: Practice 7:30-11 am, Meet at PHS stadium (Tentatively we will be taking a bus to some local trails for our runs on Aug. 10-11)

Aug. 11 : Practice 7:30-11 am, Meet at PHS stadium
Freshman will be excused from the morning practice due to Freshman orientation.

Freshman practice: 1:45- 3:00 meet at the stadium/track dressed out and ready to run. (Upstairs stadium bathroom doors will be open to change clothes if needed) If the heat index is above 105 degrees then we will cancel practice. I'll be at the stadium at 1:30 to notify anyone if this happens.

Aug. 12: Practice 3- 5 pm Meet at Creve Coeur Park, Upper Level gravel lot by tennis courts

Aug. 13: Practice 3-5 pm Meet at Creve Coeur Park , West side (near soccer fields off Maryland Heights Expressway) Bike-n-Run practice..Bring a bike (and helmet) if you have one. Only half the team actually needs to bring a bike and any bike will do.

Upcoming dates of importance:
Aug. 16: 1st day of school - Regular practice times are from 2:30 -5:30 on school days.
Aug.20: No School, Practice at 2:45-5:00 meet at Creve Coeur Park (Lower level by the Falls)
Aug.24: Team pictures
Aug.25: Green and White meet (5:30 PHS campus)

6 Hour Runathon Results

What do dedicated cross country runners do for fun on a friday night? RUN in the rain for 6 hours of course...Geez.. that should be obvious. Truth is.. It really was fun. The rain kept us cool and made things a little more interesting. Runners could choose between running a 1 mile "cross country" loop or the track to complete their miles. The pace of the evening was steady and relaxed and it was really nice to see both new and existing team members joining up for laps together. We also had a hard core support crew of family members that braved the elements, cheering our team members to complete their goals. Heck, we even had a couple parent runners out there. Both had already been to Busch Stadium for a band event that evening, but couldn't get enough of the rain and chose to come out and run with us. Nice Job Mr. S and Mrs. J!

Congratulations to the following team members for achieving their goal mileage: Sean Z, Geri F, Melissa F, Kirby M, Lily V., Will C., Hannah J., Megan W.,and Connor C. For most of this group their runs were also personal records for their longest run recorded in a day. Outstanding! The coaches were also very impressed by the incoming freshman that took on the 6 hour challenge. Thumbs up to freshman Kirby, Lily, and Will for a geat start to their cross country experience.

As our only real fundraiser, all team members owe a special thanks to those who collected donations for the runathon. Donations should be turned in on the first day of practice. Checks can be made out to Pattonville High School. Finally, thank you to all who have supported the team through contributions or effort in raising team funds.

Great work Pirates! Congrats to all participants on an excellent running experience! ..and as I said before..good fun for a friday night.

..next post..The Season Begins!