Team Manual

A few things from the first week of practice worth repeating:

• Run on soft surfaces as much as you can, especially if you are a new runner. This will help you get used to the pounding and mileage of cross country.
• Gear for cross country is simple:
  • Shoes: running specific, and even better to have a knowledgeable store employee fit you! We will have a gear night at Run N Fun in Burnsville in 2 weeks
  • A watch with a timing function. You can get one with GPS functionality as well, but not necessary
  • Water bottle
• Always run with at least one buddy! If someone needs to get back to school early (injury, other commitment), find someone to run back with you. Never come back early or run a route alone. We just want to be safe.
• We cross the street at the crosswalks. Again, safety.
• If we aren't running on the sidewalk/path/grass and we have to run on the road, we run on the LEFT side of the road
• Tell a coach if you're feeling an injury come on, are overly sore, etc. We want to catch things early! We have a fabulous athletic trainer that we can go in to see before/after practice
• Coach Nichole needs to know if you'll be missing practice ahead of time.
• We ask that you don't wear headphones during practice. It just isn't as inclusive - and doesn't allow for as much chatter/catching up among teammates!
• There are three training groups: Meb, Gabe, and Billy Mills. Talk to a coach if you aren't sure which group to train with. We trust you to choose the training group that's right for you in terms of mileage and challenge. We also encourage floating up a group when you feel ready - and floating down if you need lower mileage/more of a recovery day!
• Keeping track of your mileage is a great idea, especially if you want to review your training with a coach mid-season or at the end of the year. You can make your own in a journal, keep track of it via an Excel spreadsheet, or Strava is a great online app. Runningtowin.com is also a great online log.