2024 Summer Miles #13

2024 Summer Miles #13

 It is now time to switch over to the MURRAY XC BLOG for the season. The link is on the left side of this blog, Let the fun begin!!!

See Link on left side of the BLOG. Murray XC Season Blog  
 

2024 Summer Miles #12

 2024 Summer Miles #12

What a GREAT first RACE for ALL of you. Those that ran at the PREMIER XC Invite at the Cottonwood Complex. For some of you it was the race that you wanted to have, others it was ok, and yet for some it was not the start that they envisioned. No matter the result, remember this is only the start of the season. TRUST the work, we know that it’s hard.  All the hard work that you have put in, it is difficult to know for sure, will it pay off? will it make a difference?

NEXT RACE Friday August 16th. Entry Payment information Below. 

The answer? ABSOLUTELY YES!  The question for each one will be, when?  

In my running experiences and life, the effort I give and all the training I have pursued, didn't always SEEM to line up perfectly; it didn't always FEEL like it matched up with what I was aiming for. 

BUT I ALWAYS CAME AWAY FROM ALL MY EXPERIENCES BETTER!  I tell you this because after our FIRST races this weekend, I feel that overall, many of us are wondering how this season might play out...all those miles, will they pay off, will they get me to my destination?  

We were very pleased with the efforts you ALL gave this weekend.  When we have told you to TRUST the WORK, those are not just words to make you feel better! We pay attention, we keep track, we watch, we see, so that our TRAINING will pay off! 

You need to remember it's not exactly how you start that's most important, but it’s how we FINISH! You need to recognize the STEPS needed to get there!  You need to take advantage of every MOMENT you have to keep getting better.  Remember to enjoy the PROCESS...the chance to keep getting better...as an individual & especially TOGETHER!  

Every new day is the opportunity to do something better, to improve, to feel the excitement of recognizing that TODAY is the chance to get closer to the "FINISH".  

We can't explain in exact words how it FEELS to LOVE what you do...it is one of those things that must be lived...tried...experienced...sought after...wanted...hoped for...and if we will just continue to LOVE the pursuit of our dreams, goals, beliefs, and the CHANCE to do something GREAT...then something GREAT WILL HAPPEN! This whole running experience well…is it worth it? IT IS ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT...IT WILL PAY OFF...IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Don’t let your fears and insecurities stop you from becoming who you were meant to be. You are always stringer than you think you are.

Running is hard, every runner who has ever run a race or done a workout knows this. It is physical to push your body each step our minds tell us that it is too hard. Do not listen to the voice that tells you, you can't. As you take a step then take another step. Make goals each run such as I will go until I get to that tree or that rock, and then make another goal to reach the next marker. 

There have been Incredibles accomplishments these past few weeks from athletes on an Olympic level, we have all been inspired by their courage to keep moving forward. Runners will run in the snow, rain, wind, and the hot sun, the biggest competition is yourself. Keisha Caine Bishop offers great wisdom she says, "you can never judge the start, it's not the start it's the finish." 

Picture your run, workout, race, and envision what the finish will look like. You are all doing amazing work and watching where you have started and where you are now in your season, you are incredible. Think about where you want to go this season and believe you are capable of getting there. Don't STOP! keep reaching for the end, success, and belief that you are AMAZING!

It is in you to finish the race, that run, that last step, that mile! 

Coach Stewart

2024 Summer Miles #11

 2024 Summer Miles #11

PLEASE COMPLETE your Register my Athlete. We have 4

girls, and 9 boys registered so far, if you want to run Saturday then complete your registration on RMA

We will hand out uniforms Friday August 9th at Murray High

Room #117 at 10:00am. (NO BUS) 

First Race is Saturday August 10, 2024

PREMIER XC INVITE (We HOST)

ONLY those that have their RMA completed will RUN!!!

Cottonwood Complex

4400 S 1300 E, Millcreek, UT 84124 

Be there by 7:15am             

    Race 1 –JV Girls (6A,5A,4A,3A,2A,1A)                        8:15 am

    Race 2 –Boys Varsity (6A,5A,4A,3A,2A,1A)                 9:00 am

    Race 3 – Girl’s Varsity (6A,5A,4A,3A,2A,1A)                 9:45 am

    Race 4 – Section #1 JV Boys (6A,5A,4A,3A,2A,1A)     10:30 am

    Race 5 – Section #2 JV Boys(6A,5A,4A,3A,2A,1A)       11:15 am

   Section #2 JV Boys if needed will race at 10:30am. JV Girls will be at 11:15am.

    If NOT needed JV Girls will race at 10:30am

We all will feel excitement and dread for our first INVITE!!

How many times do we feel these conflicting emotions in our running lives. Whether ramping up our training for a big race or simply settling into a hard training block, often our excitement for the process goes hand and hand with a fair amount of dread at the prospect of putting out such a hard effort.

HAVE you ever felt any of these feelings? lost feeling in her arms, had the taste of blood in your mouth, and was about two seconds away from puking after each repeat. Certainly, for any of us who’ve trained hard and stretched our bodies’ limits, we know those feelings.

And yet we also know the excitement that comes from that very same experience. We know the inherent value of putting in the work as well as the potential for great reward at the end of a seemingly debilitating training block. It also reminds me of the extension of this paradox to our daily lives. I can think of countless times in my job, as a dad, and as a runner when this duality has stared me smack dab in the face. I think, in the end, the most important thing we can do in running and in life is to embrace and accept the paradox and allow it to make us better and more complete. In that acceptance comes contentment.

Life is often filled with challenges we don’t expect and don’t care to repeat. Therefore, it is my feeling that in preparing for those challenges it makes sense to set the stage for them by controlling what we can control and digging into those dark places when we can. In that process, we can often summon the strength and courage to exceed expectations in all aspects of life. And, if doing that brings us to the edge of collapse and utter exhaustion, then so be it!

2024 Summer Miles #10

2024 Summer Miles #10 

Important information. 

#1 Complete your Register my athlete ASAP.

#2 First race August 12, Complete RMA ASAP!

#3 WE will issue out uniforms to those that have completed their RMA! If not, no uniform will be issued until it is completed. 

No Excuses Get It Done!

 

And you’re going g to fail, and you’re going g to fail, and you’re going g to fail, and you’re going to fail, and then you are going to WIN! And that’s Life. Life without those challenges it’s just existence. Don’t Just exist! GO LIVE!!

Eventually inaction will cost you. But your default setting should be I’m going to do something. Just get up, move toward that challenge and go attack it. Go do something that’s hard. Struggles are difficult! Well, it depends on how you frame it. If you want freedom in your life you have to have discipline. Move toward that challenge, whatever that challenge is, and you may be successful, and you may not be successful, but you will be better.

And the next challenge, you’re going to be better prepared for.  Because we are going to have wins/Success, we are going to have losses/failures, we are going to have good night and we are going to have some bad nights, we are going to have great performances and we are going to have horrible performances, we are going tom have great relationships and we are going to have some bad relationships, we are going to have positive/good ideas and negative/bad ideas, all these things are going to happen.  

And if you oscillate emotionally up and down drastically it is going to be problematic. Embrace those emotions, but don’t let those emotions embrace you. Keep pushing through things that are difficult. This is not an easy thing to do because it hurts.

I’m going to go forward, I’m not going to quit, so, bring it on!

Many in life quit because it’s not fun, it’s boring, it’s too hard, which is what happens to many people. Our excuses will be our downfall and they will take everything that we have ever wanted from us if we let them. When excuses make us feel a little better about the fact that we didn’t accomplish what we needed to accomplish, then they can make you feel better, but they are not helping you, they are not helping you at all. This went wrong, this failed, didn’t accomplish this, and it’s not the fault of parents, it’s not the fault of my teachers, it’s not the fault of my coaches, it’s not the fault of the weather, it’s my fault, and I’m going to take ownership of it and I’m going to fix it. That is what extreme ownership is!  

Because when we look around at your life, and you look around at your job/school, and your relationships, and at you work ethic and attitude, and when you look at all those things and all the problems that you may have with those things, and you say the reason I have all those problems is because of me? That can hurt and that can sting and a lot of times our EGO rejects that and makes excuses and lies and then we don’t have to change anything and then nothing changes.

When the excuses all go away, and people can actually confront the fact that this is all because of me it hurts but it is also unbelievably empowering. Because the more discipline you have it your life, the more freedom you will end up with, so if you lack discipline to exercise and eat healthy, come to practice, attend your classes, you will end up being indentured to your choices. If you lack the discipline to work hard and manage your time correctly, or you will end up no free time.

If you have self-discipline, if you have the discipline to work hard and manage your time correctly, and not waste a bunch of time, , if you have the discipline to exercise and eat healthy, you will end up with freedom. And you’re going to start to progress in every aspect of your life and you’ll see that if you have that kind of discipline right now, you’re going to end up with freedom.

If you have discipline, you will attain freedom. Go and try accomplishing something that’s hard, you may win you may lose, you may succeed you may fail, I’ll tell you what you’ll be better. And if you don’ t have that kind of discipline and you don’t work hard and you don’t exercise and you don’t apply yourself you’ll end up not where you want to be.

Where do want to go? Which direction do you want to go?

2024 Summer Miles #9

 2024 Summer Miles #9

HARC24

HARC information. 

As of right now we have 4 people going to HARC. Anyone else interested. PLEASE let me know. WE would love to have more. Message me on the BAND APP I need sizes.

For those going be up at the campground by 1-1:15PM on Monday the 22nd 

Make sure that you have ALL your gear! HARC Packing List. Link on the left side of the blog under the FYI section as an example. PLEASE make your payment as soon as you can link is on left side of the BLOG See HARC payment link.

       PLEASE GET YOUR PHYSICAL COMPLETED. 

1. Complete your (RMA) Register my athlete. 

2.Link to download a physical form left side of BLOG

3.How to complete (RMA) link on left side of the BLOG.

4. Any Questions please reach out to any of the coaches

Coach Quarez, Stewart, Durrant PLEASE use the BAND APP to communicate. 

I will keep this short and sweet for this week (getting ready for HARC can be wonderful. Before I go on, it is important FOR ALL OF YOU TO KNOW that whether you are going to HARC this time or not, it does not diminish what you have done so far, or what you are still aiming for this year!  Hopefully, as time goes on, you will see how much more capable you are than you thought and make it a goal to get to HARC next time (both those who have gone and those who haven't).

 Please know that we truly understand "most" things that you are going through or dealing with, in your running.  It's not that we have all the answers or been through it all, but we really care about how YOU handle your ups and downs in running and your life (we believe they can be very connected to help you become better and stronger).  We understand that not every day is going to go as planned, and that you must be able to adjust, but what usually happens is that when things get tough or feel "off" from what we think it should be, we back off more than we should and then we get upset that we did, and then we shut down and sometimes it takes days to bounce back. 

 It definitely is a process to continually work on.  First thing is we need to be ok with "off days."  Learn to deal with them and then go get it the next day or next time (it could even be off in a race and the first mile is off and we can turn it around by sticking with it and next thing you know; the 2nd mile is better).  

Continue to work hard and push through those tough times. Good things WILL happen. When things GET HARD!!Don't GIVE UP!!!!

2024 Summer Miles #8

 2024 Summer Miles #8

HARC 2024

 

HARC Theme

HARC information. 

As of right now we have 4 people going to HARC. Anyone else interested. PLEASE let me know. WE would love to have more. Message me on the BAND APP I need sizes.

For those going be up at the campground by 1-1:15PM on Monday the 22nd 

Make sure that you have ALL your gear! HARC Packing List. Link on the left side of the blog under the FYI section as an example. PLEASE make your payment as soon as you can link is on left side of the BLOG See HARC payment link.

Learning to run with passion is one of the most important lessons we can learn as an athlete and a human being. Running with passion will keep you running longer and performing better. The passion you bring to your runs will spill over into the rest of your life as well, creating a more fulfilling, thrilling existence. 

A life without passion, one where we follow the same routines, go through the motions and quietly slink under the radar, goes by quickly and sadly. In fact, studies show that new experiences increase our happiness levels, as well as make time feel slower. So, let's learn how to run passionately and live more fully, appreciating all of the beautiful, painful, complex and miraculous journey we call life.

You can learn to appreciate and love running. And when you do, you'll be much more likely to stick to running for a lifetime of better health, more happiness and adventure, ongoing inspiration and more connection to yourself and others.

2024 Summer Miles #7

 2024 Summer Miles #7

HARC

Meeting: Wheeler Farm

Time: 6:00pm

When: Tuesday July 9,2024

Who: Runners & Parents

This is for those that have qualified

unsure contact coaches 

Do you ever find yourself thinking out on a run, “why am I doing this?” Why do we put our body through pain, wake up ridiculously early, sometimes when we don’t want to, and still hit the pavement or trails? 

“I run because it's so symbolic of life. You must drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought.”

Motivation: The general desire or willingness of someone to do something or the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.

This often changes, different to the role of running. Often races are our motivation, but with no racing, that has had to change. My motivations each day change from a desire to explore a new trail, to feel like I have achieved something first thing in the morning, to catch up with teammates, to maintain fitness for when races do roll back around, or what will be waiting for me on the other side of a long run… 

Motivation to run has major health benefits for our life. For example, if I am highly stressed, and looking for some outside time, to make myself a little tired and get a hit of endorphins, I am running for mental health and stress relief. 

When running becomes a coping mechanism to deal with stress, adverse life situations, trauma, and other mental health challenges, it can honestly be a savior. It is great we have a tool like running to help us through these tough times. 

Remember, we are all just trying to do our best as people. Running is a reflection of life in this sense – hurdles, barriers, obstacles, tough days, great days, proud moments. You feel through them all, one step at a time.

Why RUN?