Hi Potential Tino Runner,
You 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 a significant amount of
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 at first, but if you stay organized and apply yourself you should be
OK.
The
official (when tryouts begin) cross country season begins on Friday,
August 6th at 9:00AM (we will meet at the track). We always start our
practices at CHS with a short warm-up jog, stretching, and then we do
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 (too much). 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 working out.
The high school cross country season is much longer than middle
school, more varied, and more rigorous so your fitness level needs
to be higher. The shortest race is 2.1 miles and the longest is 3.1
miles with hills.
During
the summer, I hold optional conditioning sessions for cross
country. The workout schedule for each week is posted on the web
site on Sunday. During the summer I determine the actual workout based
upon who is there. If you are working out on your own or with a group,
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,
there will be some variation, is Monday through Friday at 8AM or 6PM at
CHS, and Saturday mornings at 7AM at Fremont Older. We start early
so you can have more of each day for other activities and it will be
cooler. Sometimes we will workout at 6PM. This will change
somewhat as my other activities
requires. Physical forms are not required for the optional summer
conditioning, however, if you have an issue like asthma, please let me
know beforehand. I am requiring an emergency
card from any new runners to the program.
All
athletes must submit all completed physical forms to their coach
and fully register on athletic clearance.com prior to participating in
their first official practice as a CHS athlete.
Schedule your physicals now if you
have not already done so.
Physical forms are at:
https://chs.fuhsd.org/student-life/athleticsScroll
down the page to Athletic Forms.
Physical Exam Form Part 1
Physical Exam Form Part 2
*If you unable to download these forms, let
me know.
Note:
the Athletic Clearance system has the above physical forms to download..
You
will not be able to tryout or practice without your completed and
correct physical forms, concussion test, and cleared on on the Athletic
Clearance system.
When schools starts, practice will
be from 3:45PM to 6:45PM (sometimes we may end earlier), Monday through Friday,
and Saturdays generally in the early morning (6:30-7:00AM start unless there is
a meet). Most of our Saturday morning runs are at Fremont Older. Sundays is our
mandatory rest day. You are not allowed to practice or race in any meets or runs outside of
our cross country schedule (8/9 - 11/30, unless your season is
finished).
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 $70-90 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. The stores that I recommend are Athletic Performance in
Los Gatos (larger selection) and Willow Glen, and Ryan's Sports in
Santa Clara, 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 the above stores will give you 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 than trainers
and make you feel like you're flying when you put them on, but it's
also another expense. I prefer to race in shoes that I do not train in.
I strongly recommend that you obtain a new pair shoes every 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.
The following
link contains the agenda for the pre-season cross country meeting I held along
with the current meet schedule.
2021 Cross Country
Pre-Season Mtg A
little about me, I am Paul Armstrong, the head coach for cross country
and track and field. I have been at Cupertino High School since
2002. This will be my twentieth cross country season.. 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, masters, and corporate competition). Occasionally, I may run with you all some of the
time this summer and fall.
Coach
Paul Armstrong
TinoRunners.
org