Cupertino
High School Cross Country 2007
Home of the Pioneers
6/18/07, 9/2/07
Hi Potential Tino Runner,
You (or your parent) are receiving
this message because you indicated an interest in cross
country. You will have many more
activities as well as sports to choose from in high school.
It may be difficult for some of you
to decide what to participate in. You will spend
significant time
participating in whatever you choose, so the only advice that I can
offer
is to choose activities or
sports that you have a passion for. High school can be a bit
daunting, but if you stay
organized and apply yourself you should be OK.
The official cross country season
begins on August 13th at 8:00AM (we meet at the track).
We always start our practices at
CHS with a short warm-up jog, stretching, then whatever the
workout is. We start off slowly, but by the end of the season, you'll be able to
run at least
6 miles non-stop in the hills without struggling. One of the keys to success
is to come to
the first day with a degree
of fitness. You can not sit around all summer and then expect to
keep up with those who have
been running. The high school cross country season is much longer
than middle school and more varied, so your fitness level needs to be
higher.
During the summer, I hold optional
conditioning sessions for cross country and track. The workout
schedule for each week is posted on the web site on Sunday or
Monday. During the summer I
determine the actual workout
based upon who is there. If you are working out on your own, you
should be working towards a minimum of 20 miles per week. If you are
involved in another sport,
run when you can. During the summer, we start at 20 miles per
week and go up from
there. The
basic schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:00PM, and
Saturday morning at 7AM
at Rancho San Antonio. This will change somewhat as my competition and
training requires.
All Athletes must submit all
completed forms to their coach prior to participating in their first
official practice as a CHS athlete.
Physical forms:
- Parent
Waiver (Doctor signature required)
- Pre-participation
Screening Exam (Doctor signature required)
- Emergency
Card
- Code
of Conduct
- Steroids
*If
you unable to download these forms, let me know.
You will not be able to practice
from August 13 on without your physical forms completed.
When schools starts, practice will be from 3:15PM to 5:30PM
(sometimes we may go until
6:00PM),
Monday through Friday, and Saturdays generally in the early morning (6:30-7:00AM unless there
is a meet). Most of our Saturday morning runs are at Rancho San Antonio. Sundays is
our
mandatory rest day. Two weeks before(August 13) schools starts we will
have double practice
days, Monday through Friday: 8:00AM
and 6:00PM. You are not allowed to practice or race in any
meets outside of our cross
country schedule (8/13-11/24, unless your season finishes early).
A few words about running/racing
shoes: Depending on how much you want to spend, you can get by
for as little as $50 on sale or as much as $160. The best values are in the $70-85 range. The
most important goal is to get a good pair of training shoes with good impact absorption and arch
support. I strongly recommend that you buy your shoes at a reputable running store, such as
Ryan's Sport Shop (Homestead & Lafayette
near SC University), Athletic Performance in Los Gatos,
Runners's Factory also in
Los Gatos, and UP &
Running Shoe Store in Cupertino, especially if you
do not have much experience
with running shoes. These stores have
knowledgeable staff that will
help you find
the right shoe for you and most will let
you try it out before you buy. The shoe
may also double as a racing flat but will be heavier
than if you were to buy a separate racing
shoe. A good training flat will cost $70 or
more but all of these stores offer a 10-20%
-depending upon if you buy trainers or racing flats- discount if you
tell them you run for
Cupertino High School. Make sure the fit is comfy with toe room. A
racing flat will be many ounces
lighter and make you feel like you're flying when
you put them on, but it's also another expense.
Your choice. I prefer to race
in shoes that I do not train in. I strongly recommend that you
obtain a new pair shoes every year
or running season, because the shoes will breakdown over time
and continued use will lead to injuries. Also, Spenco inner sole inserts are recommended to help
with shin splint type problems, especially if you have them now.
A little about me, I am Paul
Armstrong, the head coach for cross country and track and field.
I have a lot of running experience that
includes cross country (2 years high school, 4 years
college), many road races,
and ten marathons (2:42 best), as well as track (1 year high school,
4 years college, and many years of
open and corporate competition). I still run and race
competitively and I will run with
you all some of the time this summer and fall.
Coach Armstrong