Most of our new Athletes will be completing their 2 week trial at the end of this week.  I know I speak for coach Eric when I say we have been very impressed after our first week - of both our new athletes and our returning athletes.  We continue to build our base and from there, we will be building our strength.  For a strong cross country team we need to increase that weekly mileage and work on our Hill strength.  One of the ways we will manage this is through Strava.  Thank you to everyone who has started a Strava account and for updating it after every workout.


This weekend our returning athletes will be racing in Vacaville and maybe a few new Athletes we select that we feel area ready race.


Here's a look ahead at the week to come.


Monday - Marshall Hills

• 10min Warm Up & Cool Down
• Marshall Hill Loop Ladder, Tempo Pace.
  • Group 1 & 2: .5, 1, 1.5, 1, .5
  • Group 3: 1, 1.5, 2, 1.5, 1
  • Group 4: 1, 2, 3, 2, 1.
• 2min Rest in between.

Tuesday - Rest & Stretch
Wednesday - On your own.

• Group 1 & 2: Rest & Stretch
• Group 3 & 4: Easy Run, 3-4 miles

Thursday - Marshall Hills Tempo Run

• Group 1 & 2: 20 min run. 4min @ Tempo, 1min Easy, repeat.
• Group 3: 20min Tempo Run.
• Group 4: 25min Tempo Run.

Friday - Rest & Stretch
Saturday - Lagoon Valley XC race.  1.5 miles
Sunday - Easy Run

• Group 1: 2 miles
• Group 2: 3 miles
• Group 3: 4 miles
• Group 4: 5 miles
• All Groups - 6 Strides after your run.

Run Tough,
Coach Phil.

Let's Go Hawks!

What an amazing turn out, great first day of practice and so many new faces! We are excited to get this season started. 

Please be sure and keep up on this blog, as it will include information about each week's workouts as well as meets and helpful running recommendations.

Meanwhile, here are the rest of this week's workouts:

TUESDAY:  Rest, feel free to enjoy some stretching as well.

WEDNESDAY: BLACK and GRAY GROUP ONLY - 3 miles easy

THURSDAY: Hill work at Marshall Hills

• 10 min Warmup
• Drills
• Hill Repeats, Up/Over/Back Down
• Cool Down and Strength

FRIDAY: Rest

SATURDAY or SUNDAY: Long Run
Black Group: 5 miles
Gray Group: 4 miles
Everyone Else: 2-3 miles

​Any questions, please contact the coaches.  Thanks!

​Coach Eric

The long summer is coming to an end and the most wonderful time of the year is nearly upon us! Of course, I am referring to the fact that cross country practice begins next Monday, August 23rd. We will be meeting at the Boathouse from 5:30 to 7pm. Please note that we will be holding in-person practices on Mondays and Thursdays this season (as opposed to our previous schedule of Tuesdays and Fridays).  We also plan to work into our schedule some alternative locations for practices in the future, and will let you know through the team app when we get that worked out.

Also importantly, our first meet of the season, the Lagoon Valley Classic, is in a little over two weeks on Saturday, September 4th in Vacaville.  Most returning athletes will be eligible for this meet, but new athletes will be included on a case-by-case basis.

The coaches met last week and have agreed upon a few other changes we want to bring to your attention.  First, we will be handing out our team policies to every athlete, ensuring that everyone knows what we are agreeing to as we move forward. 

Second, the coaches will be evaluating and identifying athletes we believe have put in the work and belong in the gray or black groups and will let those athletes know in the first week of practice.  Those athletes will be asked to meet with the coaches after practice to discuss goals and expectations for the season in the first two weeks, so be prepared to potentially stay a little later one night. 

Finally, we have decided to allow 7-year-olds to try and join the team (we previously required athletes to be 8 and up). However, there will be a high expectation that these kids stay engaged in practices, and if coaches determine the youth is not ready for our team then he or she will be asked to leave and come back in a future season.

Coach Phil and I are incredibly excited about the coming season, as well as the direction our team is heading.  We believe we can become the elite youth racing team in the Sacramento region, and we have great faith in our athletes, but we also recognize that the community we build with all our families is our secret sauce and are planning to continue to focus on that community moving forward.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions.  Now let’s get out there and run strong!

Coach Eric