Just a couple of days now . . .

Ready?  I am.  Thursday morning at 8:00 AM on the Track.  Please pass the word.  I know many will be at Foss, but I am hoping for a good turnout.  Plan on two hours anyway.  The weather for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, our practice days, should be sunny with temperatures in the high 60's or low 70's at 8:00 AM.  Great weather for running!

Check your e-mails and have your parents check theirs as well.  Notes went out to those without a current physical and you'll need those to participate.  If there are any questions or concerns regarding physical exams please let me know immediately!

A quick follow up to my most recent blog . . . Many have also asked about the Invitationals in which we will participate this year.  At this point they include the following:

Martha's Vineyard - September 9th (limited entries)
Twilight Meet - October 21st (limited entries)
Coaches Invitational - November 4th

We are considering the Catholic Memorial Invitational which takes place on the same day as the Twilight Meet as an alternative to give our team the opportunity to run at Franklin Park.  A final decision will be made on this soon

And finally, how much mileage is enough?  My very specific response is that improvement in running performance and efficiency can be seen in almost any runner who (intelligently) increases his/her mileage to 60 miles per week.  Few improve beyond that.  In other words, most runners who run 80 miles per week would accomplish the same results with 60.  Not all however, some runners continue to improve with an increase in weekly mileage.  There is though a point, documented and proven, at which the risk of injury may outweigh any improvement in running efficiency.  That number is 70.  Timothy Noakes, MD, author of Lore of Running says "going farther is only of value if you are racing for longer than three or four hours.  If your athletes are among the lucky ones who are blessed with great genes, they may improve by running more."

Don't let that last paragraph turn you off entirely to running . . . most of you will top off at 30 miles per week and you will get to that level . . . intelligently!  See you Thursday . . .