Summer Training – June 23 to Aug 12, 2025

Quick Check List to Start Summer Training, Required Forms & Deadlines

Last updated on June 7, 2025 @ 8:15 am  

  1. Register on REMIND ASAP: Athletes text @etcross to 81010 & parents text @etxcparent to 81010
  2. Register for Summer Conditioning by June 22, 2025
  3. Complete Athlete Clearance Online by the first day of summer practice
  4. Complete a Sports Screening Form by the first day of summer practice
  5. Register for XC Stats ASAP using registration code @etxctf
  6. Get fitted for running shoes at a running specialty store like A Snail’s Pace Running Store.  To prevent injuries, make sure you have your stride/gait checked by a running specialty store.  This year, thanks to Mr. Follman, all frosh athletes who sign up for summer will receive a free pair of custom-fitted running shoes from A Snail’s Pace along with insoles, a pair of running socks, a running watch, 2 ETXC T-shirts, a personalized team bag and a team towel during our team night on June 24th.  A $300+ value!

Is there a Try-Out?

No, not for an incoming freshman.  Please check our website at www.eltorocc.com under CC Team Policy for additional info. For all returners, you must participate in at least 75% of the summer training (32 out of 42 practice days) or make the team at our Try Out.  For anyone who is not Frosh (all returners), you must try out and meet these marks if you missed more than 10 days of practice.

Minimum standards for returning/non-Frosh athletes (2-mile course)
Sophomore Boys/Girls: 12:30/15:00
Junior Boys/Girls: 12:00/14:30
Senior Boys/Girls: 11:30/14:00

Schedule and location: We will meet in front of ET Gym at 7:00 am (Mon to Fri), 7:30 am (Sat). Practice locations will change as we get further into our training.  The schedule will be sent out each week.  

SUMMER TRAINING IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL SEASON

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Cross Country 101

What is Cross Country? The Sport of Cross Country is a competitive team sport offered in the fall. Training and optional group runs starts in late spring to early summer. Teams consist of five or more runners who all race together at the same time with other teams. The top five finishers from each team are scored and their finishing places are added up for the team score. The lowest score wins. High school races are 2.93 to 3.1 miles long.

The courses are mostly run across grassy fields, wooded paths, and have a mixture of hills. A great thing about cross country (abbreviated XC) is that everyone competes! Everyone runs the same course, and although the first 7 runners to finish are considered the scoring team, at every meet ALL (long as they make the racing team) athletes get to participate. There are no cuts, and no bench to sit on and watch while others play! (more…)

Iron Deficiency

Low ferritin and iron deficiency anemia in distance runners: A scientific guide for athletes and coaches.

When I see a runner getting fatigued early on in workouts or struggling mightily in races for no good reason, there’s one potential cause I always consider first: low iron. Iron deficiency is a significantly underdiagnosed problem in distance runners. Low levels of hemoglobin in the blood, or low levels of the iron storage protein ferritin, can have a profoundly negative impact on your ability to have successful workouts and races.

Hemoglobin is the main building block for red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to your muscles. If you don’t have enough hemoglobin, you can’t make enough red blood cells, and as a result, your distance running performance will suffer. Furthermore, research and practical coaching experience suggests that low ferritin levels can cause poor performance, even when hemoglobin levels are normal.

We’ll take a close look at the science behind low iron and distance running performance, then analyze the best ways to treat and prevent iron deficiency in runners. (more…)

Iron Deficiency

You head out the door for an eight-mile run. Right from the start, your energy level is down, and your legs feel heavy.  After 2 miles of uncharacteristic drudgery, you stop-then jog and walk home.

What’s the problem?

Could be low iron. Iron is vital to running and performance.
Despite this importance, many runners do not monitor their body’s iron levels. Even many physicians do not understand the complete role of iron for endurance athletes. (more…)