Christmas Break Training

Hey All!

I just wanted to send a message to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and to help people get started on their 2026 training! I know this time of year is busy, so most of the training after the mandatory SDHSAA Moratorium will be OYO. We'll pick back up as a group on January 5th and then have two months of solid training before practice begins in March.

If you're new to running- or high school running- the off-season (summer/winter) is THE KEY to success. The winter off-season is the place where we make the biggest jumps in performance compared to other teams. If you make a fitness gain in the winter, no one ever catches up to you. On the same token, if you don't train well in the winter, you're simply starting over at the same spot (or worse) that you were last March when track starts and it's a long, frustrating season trying to get back to where you were.

You really just have to make that little decision each day to get out the door and meet up with your teammates to get in the work.

Urgent Stuff

We have to migrate to SportsYou for communication. Get the app (or use online) and sign up now. Here are the instructions.

SportsYou SIgn Up.pdf

Download PDF • 59KB

If you're not on Final Surge, this is how we'll track mileage, training and everything else. We (coaches) will be on there all of the time looking at training. There is a ton of good data on there if you have a GPS (Garmin, COROS, Apple Watch, etc.) but you can also add it manually.

Send me an email (coachjessecoy@gmail.com) and I can send you the Final Surge Invite.

Old Stuff

I have some awards, shirts, etc. to give to several of you which I will get to you in January. Some of the letters/pins were locked in the 9th Grade Cafeteria, so I have those too.

I will be collecting uniforms for those that still have them. They are expecting an inventory from me, so I have to get those in. If you have uniforms, get them to me when we meet back up again.

New Stuff

It's time to get to work! We have traditionally used December to build back up to consistent running and start dabbling in some workouts. I have seen a few of you already and I can tell fitness is already coming back.

I want to stress that every single day is important. Each workout we do connects to other workouts in at least three different ways in order to bring about our best performances in May. The work you are doing TODAY will positively affect your performance in May because it's connected to. The work your aren't doing...well it does the opposite. It's not magic, we have to work hard and it has to follow and intelligent progression. (Want to really learn about what we do, click HERE)

Here is a snapshot of what training looks like/will look like in December and January. Some items we'll get to in January as December is very much a "getting back into it" month.

On Final Surge, I'll have two training groups: one for Varsity and one for JV. It's up to YOU to decide which group you will run & train with.

The Varsity group's training intensities are designed to:

• Make it to state (slower end of pace range)

• Place at state (faster end of the pace range)

The JV group's intensities are designed to PR and then move into the Varsity group.

• Boys Varsity Intensities target:

  • 400m: ~50 - 53s

  • 800m: 2:01 - 1:54

  • 1600m: 4:30 - 4:15

  • 3200m: 9:43 - 9:11

  • 5km XC: 16:32 - 15:37

• Girls Varsity Intensities Target

  • 400m: ~59 - 63s

  • 800m: 2:21 - 2:15

  • 1600m: 5:15 - 5:00

  • 3200m: 11:21 - 10:48

  • 5k XC: 19:18 - 18:22

• Boys JV Intensities target

  • 400m: ~ 63 - 56s

  • 800m: 2:21 - 2:08

  • 1600m: 5:15 - 4:45

  • 3200m: 11:21 - 10:16

  • 5k XC: 19:18 - 17:27

• Girls JV intensities target

  • ~400m: 1:15 - 1:10

  • 800m: 2:48 - 2:35

  • 1600m: 6:15 - 5:45

  • 3200m: 13:30 - 12:25

  • 5k XC: 23:00 - 21:08

Even now, we're building the performance we want in May. Be as close to the training as possible; there will be weather issues, etc. but the objective is to get the job done well.

A weakness of ours in the past has been having 8 million different training groups, particularly on the daily endurance runs (Easy, Medium and Long). It would be a dream come true to see a single huge boys group and a single huge girls group running together on a daily basis. We'd be unstoppable, really. Even on workout days, I am going to move some people "up" groups in order to have bigger groups; a rising tide raises all ships.

So...get in the work. We'll meet again as a group (aka GET FIT) on January 5th and then daily when schools starts again.

Last season we had some huge breakthrough performances due to great off-season training and I am certain this year will be the same. Here is a totally incomplete list, but I wanted to share some highlights.

• Miles Brekhus went from a good high school miler as a junior to one of the best ever in South Dakota History (Top 10 All-Time) running 4:12 which was the #2 time in Stevens History.

• Boys 4x800m (Miles, Torin, Tate and Josh) just missed the Stevens School Record (7:52) by TWO HUNDREDTHS of a second.

• Kadance Holso and Brinna Sheldon made huge improvements and both cracked the Stevens HS Top 10 list in the 3200m. Avery Dormann also made a huge 3200m improvement and sits just outside the Top 10 at #11. These three all broke 2:20 in the 800m along with running sub 5:15 in the 1600m.

• Additionally, we had some freshmen last year that chopped off massive amounts of time, highlighted by Weston Adams (a freshman last year) who went from 6:24 in 1600m to 4:51 by the end of the year. These types of improvements are possible from middle schoolers coming into our program...but you have to show up!

I think we have a chance to rewrite the record books again this spring as we have a handful of boys and girls that have shown that type of ability. My goal is ALWAYS 100% PR's....

If you want to take a look at how your Cross Country fitness can mesh with track, look at the Event Equivalency Chart. All of these performances are equal. Running 17:09 in Cross Country indicates 4:40 fitness for the 1600m, for example. This is a good way to set goals for the season. If you take the 17:09 person, they would want to train their butts off and try to "move down" a level or more....everything is connected.

Also keep in mind we were able to run ZERO fast Cross Country races. Not that times matter in XC, but you get the point. I would subtract ONE MINUTE from what you ran at Nike Regionals for a fair idea of what your 5k XC PR would be.

Lastly, Athlete Health.

Check this over again, as these are the things you can do outside of practice that make a difference. Nutrition, hydration and sleep are huge. Iron in the diet is essential and nothing else really matters if you are hemoglobin or ferritin is low. Check out the resources!

Get in the daily training runs and be ready to roll in 2026!

Coach Coy