Youth Runner Magazine September-October 2020

FINDING A XC MEET - IS VIRTUAL HERE TO STAY? SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2020 $5.95

GAVIN CLEWLEY T R A I L

R U N N E R

PRO TIPS FROM ELITE ATHLETE BRANDON POLLARD

ABOUT THE 2020 YOUTH RUNNER CAMP IN NORTHERN IDAHO

GET THE LATEST @ YOUTHRUNNER.COM

YOUTH RUNNING™ | YOUTH TRACK & FIELD™ | YOUTH XC™

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2 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

YR MOMENTS BATTLING THE HEAT AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE DAY SADIE ENGELHARDT SHOWN HERE AT THE AAU WEST COAST CHAMPS TAKES THE 14-YEAR OLD GIRLS 1500 & 3000. IN FLORIDA SHE WINS THE 1500 IN 4:34.18 AND THE 3000-10:05.34

SMOTHERMAN IMAGES

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XC 2020 Flyer.pdf

1

8/24/20

8:29 AM

AAU cross country NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS December 5, 2020 - Tallahassee, fl apalachee regional park more info & registration

www.aautrackandfield.org Meet director: Chad culver - c2culver@gmail.com Sports Manager: madision evans - mevans@aausports.org

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YR CONTENTS: SEPT-OCT 2020

READY.SET.GO

Vol. 25 Issue 3

8 GAVIN CLEWLEY TRAIL RUNNER

8

SHEA ELMORE KYLE PETERS FEATURE

12 CAILIN KINAS 20 KEEPING UP WITH YOUTH

RUNNER ATHLETES

CHECK IT OUT

TRAINING

16-17 INSTAGRAM FAN SHOTS YOUTH 18-19 2020 RUNNER CAMP

24-25 WAY TO GO 26-27

ASK A YOUTH RUNNER COACH

MORE 2-3 YRMOMENTS

GUEST 5 CONTENTS 6 THE EDITOR

LETTER FROM

7 YR BLOGGER

14-15 POSTER

28 COMING UP

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 5

YR

EDITOR VOLUME 25 ISSUE 3 | SEPT/OCT 2020 PUBLISHER/EDITOR Dan Kesterson EDITOR AT LARGE Ian Kesterson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS, BLOGGERS, AND REPORTERS Cailin Kinas, Morgan Boonshaft, Hunter Hurl, Jordan West, Chelea Ochoa, Evan Gonzales, Will Benitez, Pat Tyson, Bob Williams, Matt Walsh ART DIRECTOR Sean Kesterson

Cailin Kinas, Youth Runner Editor

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Rachel Heckerman

LETTER FROM THE

EDITOR

Hello fellow Youth Runners!

My name is Cailin Kinas and I will be a senior this year at Kaukauna High School in Wisconsin. It sure has been a wild year so far, and with so much craziness it can be hard to stay positive and keep moving forward. But, making the best of our situations is what us runners do best! One thing that I find helps me stay focused and excited is setting goals for myself. My goal this year is to get under 19 minutes in the 5k and make it to the Wisconsin State Championship. I encourage you to write your own goals, share them with others, and try all you can to make them happen!

Although the status of having or not having a fall cross country season is changing by the day, I can definitely say that I am super thankful to currently be training with my teammates. Practice for cross country just recently started up for

EDITOR’S NOTES

ON THE COVER Gavin Clewely

us and it sure is good to be back to training and getting better together as a team.

Hopefully we can still have some meets to run at and a championship season to end the season off strong.

One thing I loved helping with this summer was the Youth Runner Virtual camp which was in early August. Many expert coaches and professional runners joined us at camp to help us learn more about our sport, how to stay healthy, and how to grow our love of running. I was also super excited to interview our feature athlete this month, Gavin Clewley, who shared his running experiences and answered some questions for us all!

Whatever the rest of this year looks like for you, just remember to smile and keep working hard.

You got this!

Cailin

HEY TEAM, WHETHER YOU’VE GOT A XC SEASON OR NOT THIS FALL DON’T FORGET YOUR GOALS!

6 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Smotherman Images, Kyle Peters, Klotz Images, Logan Hannigan-Downs, Sam Gehrke, Eric Ward, Dusty Smith, Tim Healy, AAU, Petra Schindler-Carter, Dean Carter, Eric Trice, Photo Run, Dave Watt, Dingo Images, Fans.

COVER PHOTO Courtesy Derek Clewley WEBSITE-DIGITAL-VIDEO Sean Kesterson THANKS TO Kriste Rietze, Steve Cervi-Skinner, Idaho Parents Booster Club, Lina Corrales, Hunter Storm, Ben Balazs, Lake Coeur d’Alene, Camp Lutherhaven, Anita McCormick, Ice Cream, the town of Harrison.

ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP dank@youthrunner.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES US One Year: Print $19.95 Digital $12.95 Subscribe at www.youthrunner.com PUBLISHED BY: Youth Runner Magazine is a registered trademark of GoSportz Media LLC. Published 5 times a year by GoSportz Media, LLC Copyright 2020 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. Editorial contributions are welcome, submit queries to editor@Youthrunner.com. Gosportz Media LLC and it’s publisher assumes no liability for the content or opinion of it’s writers or advertisers and reserves the right to reject any advertising at it’s own discretion.

Youth Runner recommends that you consult with your coach and your physician on any changes with your training, fitness and health issues.

YOUTH RUNNER

BLOGGERS JADEN’S FAVORITES

XC Nationals

Book

Jaden Merrick 12

My name is Jaden Merrick. I am a 3-time national champion and 5-time AAU Northern Indoor National Champion. I hold one national record, and I have two standing World Records. Some of my best running experiences have been getting amazing opportunities through my running, such as getting to go to Portland Track Festival in 2018 to compete in the middle school mile as a 5th grader and attending Youth Runner Elite Middle School Camp. My next running journey is a 3200-meter time trial coming up in a couple of weeks. My advice to young runners is to stay motivated, (especially now) to train smart and to stay consistent and injury-free. You also have to love the training because even as a distance runner, races are a lot shorter than the training.

WHAT ARE JADEN’S

Pre-race Dinner

FAVORITES?

My favorite running event would probably be Cross Country Nationals, My favorite book is Think Like a Warrior By Darrin Donnely.

My favorite Pre-race meal is probably Ribeye with a baked potato, My favorite road racecourse would be Capital Pursuit 10 Miler where I have set two world records, My favorite distance is 3k and up. My favorite race day shoes are probably Nike Victory 2s for spikes, Hoka Carbon X for roads, my favorite training shoe is probably Zoom Fly Flyknits or Altra Torin 4.5 Plush. My favorite school subject is math.

Now you know a little bit about me.

Surfing

Shoes

School Subject

TAG PHOTOS #YOUTHRUNNER YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 7

T R A I L

R U N N E R

GAVIN CLEWLEY 8 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

Gavin Clewley, a 9-year-old from Hillsborough, North Carolina, loves anything related to long distance running, enjoys Mexican food and ice cream, and will be attending the Youth Runner Olympic Trials Camp next June. Gavin’s has already become a world record holder and is one of the top runners in his age group nationwide! This past year Gavin was the winner for the 9-year-old boys 3k at the AAU Cross Country National Championships, but his major strength lies in even further distances. Recently Gavin ran at the Gate River 15k in Jacksonville, Florida along with more than 15,000 other runners. He got a time of 63 minutes, allowing him to finish in the top 300! We decided to interview Gavin to learn more about his recent training and running.

Q & A WITH GAVIN Gavin, how would you describe the trails near your home and in your town...do you live in a great area for long-distance runners?

Hillsborough, North Carolina. There are some flat and easy trails in the area. There are also some really hilly ones. Trails are dirt and have a nice surface. Sometimes I run around the neighborhood which is hilly and paved. I live in an area that is great for long distance runners. There are a lot of trails. There are also a lot of college crosscountry teams and other teams in the area that always seem to be on many of the trails.

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How did you first discover your love of distance running?

I did a lot of stretching and drills.

Otherwise, not a lot different.

I first started to love running when I would join my dad for runs. I first realized I really enjoyed longer distance running after doing my first 5K.

Do you have any specific songs that you listen to before a race that help you get in the zone?

What made you choose distance running over middle distance or sprinting?

Sprinting is too short. Middle distance is around tracks and I like to run on trails and have more of an adventure which is longer distance running.

I hear you are planning on going to the Olympic Trials Camp in June of 2021. What are you most looking forward to about it?

Running around Hayward Field. I am also looking forward to running with fast and older kids. I am also looking forward to learning more about how to run. I’ve never been to Eugene and I can’t wait to get there. Also, Oregon weather is probably better in the summer.

Who (what track competitors) do you hope to meet while attending the Olympic Trials Camp? Anyone in particular that you are excited to cheer on?

Craig Engels – he has cool hair and he is fast.

What is the most memorable race/meet that you can remember racing? What made it so special?

AAU Cross Country Nationals in 2018 in Knoxville, TN. It was really muddy and a lot of fun.

When thinking back to that amazing race/ meet, what did you do beforehand to prepare? Did you do anything different or just your normal race-day routine?

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Songs I like are Metallica Enter Sandman, Cascada Everytime we Touch, and We Ready (Archie Eversole with Bubba Sparxxx), ACDC Back in Black

When you have a big or competitive race, what do you think about or do that helps you calm down beforehand? What do you think about while racing?

Before racing I don’t think about a whole lot to help me relax. I do get really nervous, but I think I just use the nervousness. While I am racing I think about trying to pass each person ahead of me. If there is no one ahead of me or I can’t see anyone, I try to think that someone is ahead of me to chase.

Running is usually only half of a runner’s full exercise routine. What else do you do for your training besides running, whether it be cross training, strength, or other types of exercises?

I swim and I am on a local swim team. I sometimes do box jumps and hurdles. I also like med ball training.

I also enjoy mountain biking.

What is the most difficult part about running in your opinion?

I don’t know if there is anything that I find difficult about running. I just love to run. The only difficult part is when I have to take a break from running.

What does your summer training look like right now?

I run between 15-25 or more miles a week right now. I just went to a cross country camp and have another one in a couple of weeks. I love hill sprints and strides. I also enjoy mile repeats. Quarter and half mile repeats for speed. I like a long tempo run and really love fartleks. I don’t really have a daily routine, though Tues and Thurs I often run with my cross country team right now. If not, these are days I do speed work. I do a long run on the weekend, and then try to fit in other runs during the week as time allows.

Also our neighborhood is doing some fun running that I’ve been enjoying.

What do you hope to do in your future?

Anything you want to do or be when you grow up?

I want to go to the Olympics and run track or marathon (long distance). I want to be a track and cross country coach. Or be a college professor.

What are two things, besides running, that you love?

Swimming and mountain biking

Describe yourself in four words.

Fast, kind, goal-oriented, smart

Many runners have certain cravings or foods they really like eating while training. What is your favorite food or craving?

Tacos – anything Mexican food. I also like spaghetti and pasta. Of course ice-cream or milkshakes.

What is your favorite part about running?

Being able to be outdoors and enjoy beautiful scenery. I also really enjoy how I feel after running.

FAVORITES RUNNING BOOK - RUNNING WITH SHERMAN RUNNING MOVIE - WITHOUT LIMITS NON-RUNNING BOOK - WRINKLE IN TIME NON-RUNNING MOVIE - AVENGERS END GAME

BEST TIMES 1 MILE

AGE 8 = 5:47 AGE 9 = 5:34

3K - XC

AGE 9 = 11:15

5K

AGE 8 = 18:59 AGE 9 = 19:07 (VIRTUAL TRAINING 5K RUN )

10K

AGE 8 = 42:22 AGE 9 = 40:49

15K

AGE 8 = 62:21 AGE 9 = 63:18

10 MILE

AGE 9 = 69:27 (VIRGINIA 10-MILER)

Do you have any big running dreams or goals for this upcoming year?

Winning AAU and USATF cross-country national championships

What advice do you have for other distance runners?

Run for fun and because you love it and embrace the challenge. But also spend time doing speed work and running long distances.

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 11

SMOTHERMAN IMAGES

I FACED A LARGE BARRIER MYSELF NOT TOO LONG AGO, and I would love to share my experience and advice with you to help you feel motivated and able to push through your own hurdles when they come your way.

CAILIN KINAS:

OVERCOMING THE IMPOSSIBLE -

PERSEVERING THROUGH SETBACKS WRITTEN BY: CAILIN KINAS

As runners, all of us are faced with problems everyday, whether it be something smaller, like bad running weather on a speed workout day, or something much bigger, like getting injured or hurt part way through a sports season. The one thing that is much bigger than these problems though is how we react to them.

12 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

Going into my Freshman year at Kaukauna high school, I was so excited to run cross country and track. I began my season as one of the top runner’s at my school, in the area, and even within the state of Wisconsin! But, I noticed as the season continued that I was feeling weaker and more tired on my runs than usual. When I was competing in the Sectional cross country race that year, I started the race strong with the lead pack of girls, but my body became super weak part way through. Although I continued the race at the fastest pace I could manage, I was forced to crawl across the finish line at the end and miss qualification for state. This was a huge disappointment for me since running is such a huge part of my life.

I was admitted to the hospital for a week after that race and it was discovered months later that I had

SMA Syndrome and Gastroparesis. These two things together made it super hard for my body to digest food and turn food into energy, which is why I was feeling so weak. I went through most of my freshman year with an NJ tube (which I got my “food” through) and I did not eat solid food for at least three months, which was definitely very hard. During this time I still competed in track even though I did not feel as great as I wanted to. I can still remember plugging in to my tube before races to get energy and stepping up to the starting line while getting strange looks from others.

The main thing I learned about competing while being sick is that you need to believe in yourself. Other people may not have as much faith in you as they should, but you need to remain positive and set expectations and goals for yourself to keep you on track and motivated. On days where you may not feel the greatest, just listen to what your body needs. Although it may sound simple, knowing your body’s signs that it is giving you is one of the greatest skills you can have as an athlete!

When I finally got my tube out, I decided to commit myself to eating healthy foods and living a healthy lifestyle to help my body recover faster and stay healthy. I discovered

that what you put in your body can help you be faster and stronger in the long run, and today I am still sticking to a whole foods and natural diet. I am even sharing my health journey with others @the.hungry.runner on Instagram! My favorite healthy cookbooks for runners are Run Fast Eat Slow and Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow and I highly recommend it for other youth athletes who want to learn how to cook nourishing foods!

As a rising Senior this fall, I am so excited for another season where I can finally compete at the high level I have wanted to for the past few years! Here is my advice for anyone out there who is going through a tough time, injury, or illness: you are strong, capable, and amazing! Know that even though you may not be considered the fastest person out there right now, if you keep at it, eventually you will be. You will get through your troubles as long as you keep following your dreams and goals, listen to your body, and work through it.

I hope my story has motivated you to be thankful for your health, body, and the ability to run. Stay brave out there!

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THE BIG FRIENDLY

DONAVAN BRAZIER AND CRAIG ENGELS UP FRONT YOU CAN’T KEEP AN ATHLETE SITTING AT HOME FOREVER. THESE ELITE ATHLETES FROM THE OREGON TRACK CLUB AND THE SQUAD OF COACH PETE JULIAN CAME OUT FOR AN EVENING DUAL IN AN ISOLATED TRACK WITHOUT A FAN TO BE SEEN. THEY CALLED THIS MEET “THE BIG FRIENDLY.”

TIM HEALY 14 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

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INSTAGRAM

FANPAGE

KIDS RULE THE WORLD! WE JUST SHOWCASE THEM! HERE ARE SOME OF YOUR BEST SHOTS THIS SEASON! WANNA SEE YOUR OWN PHOTOS IN THESE PAGES? IT'S EASY! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HASHTAG #YOUTHRUNNER WHEN YOU POST TO INSTAGRAM!

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2020 YOUTH RUNNER

ELITE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 19

LAST YEAR WE DIDN’T THINK THE CAMP COULD GET

ANY BETTER

This year we didn’t know if we could even host a camp.

Thanks to some great people in North Idaho we did have the camp and it was an incredible week. Some of our main team members such as Bree and Coach Bob ran the Virtual Camp and we all came together twice a day.

It was held at Camp Lutherhaven which is right on Lake Coeur d’Alene. The day’s schedule started with a morning shake out run, core, breakfast, and then our first coach talk. Virtual Campers joined us at that time. After lunch we all met again for another talk, afternoon workout, free time and dinner.

Evenings we had a big bonfire next to the lake, wrote in our running journals, and called home.

There were a ton of activities like Ga Ga Ball, swimming, stand up paddle boards, canoes, miniature golf, games.

On Wednesday local parents took all of us on their boats down the lake to the town of Harrison where a nine-mile run was planned and a trip to an old fashioned ice cream store.

On the last day there was a 4000k+ cross country race over a three loop challenging course of steep hills and trails.

Next year there will be a session in June around the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. And, if we can get the dates we may be back in Idaho for a week and at Mt. Hood for a week.

For more info, go to youthrunnercamp.com

PETRA SCHINDLER-CARTER

20 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 21

MEET HIGHLIGHTS AAU WEST COAST JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD IN LAS VEGAS, NV ATHLETES BRAVED SOME EXTREME HEAT TO COMPETE IN ONE OF THE ONLY MEETS OF THE SEASON. SMOTHERMAN IMAGES

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AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES THE MEET THIS YEAR WAS MOVED TO THE SPACE COAST IN FLORIDA AND COMBINED WITH THE SUNSHINE STATE GAMES. COURTESY AAU

USUALLY THERE ARE DOZENS OF MEETS EVERY WEEKEND TO CHOOSE FROM BUT THIS SUMMER WAS DIFFERENT. THE AAU MANAGED TO HOST THE WEST COAST GAMES AND A SLIMMED DOWN VERSION OF THE JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES IN FLORIDA. THERE WERE HOWEVER, MANY IMAGINATIVE VIRTUAL MEETS FOR ALL LEVELS.

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 23

WAY TO

GO

lYNDIA BEY

lYNDIA BEY, ALSO KNOWN AS FLOJO, A NICKNAME SHE GOT BECAUSE OF THE WAY SHE RUNS, IS A 12-YEAR-OLD CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK ATHLETE WITH OVER 15 ALL-AMERICAN FINISHES AND 2 NATIONAL TITLES. lYNDIA FIRST BEGAN HER RUNNING JOURNEY AT AGE 5 WHEN HER PARENTS SIGNED HER UP TO RUN TO GET HER UP AND ACTIVE. SINCE THEN, SHE HAS HAD A LOVE FOR THE SPORT

SMOTHERMAN IMAGES Living in Chester, Virginia, Iyndia will be going into 7th grade this year at Carver Middle School and is part of the Legion of Zoom Track Club competing in the 800, 1500, 4x800 and cross country. She has also been given many awards such as the 2019 CMS Cross Country Most Valuable Runner award and the 2019 AAU Mid Seasonal Invitational trophy. Iyndia’s personal bests include a 2:28 for the 800m, 4:56 for the 1500, and 15:27 for XC (2.5 miles But, similar to many top performing athletes, Iyndia has had to face many ups-and-downs on her journey to be24 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

coming National Champion. Her challenge began at the end of cross country in 2019 and lasted up until June 2020. During this time, puberty took a huge toll on her body and prevented her from performing at the level she wanted to. Iyndia says that “For almost a year it slowed me down and took my energy. I kept pushing to get through these challenges and I received words of encouragement. My advice for girls going through similar experiences would be to not give up because it will get better.”

Even though she is a distance runner, there were days that she could barely run 200m due to extreme fatigue.

This past January Iyndia was able to once again have a taste of success at the 2020 AAU Mid Seasonal Invitational where she earned gold in both the Mile and the 800. Afterward she started shorter distance speed training again and she happily noticed some improvement in both her times and how she felt.

Unfortunately, her hemoglobin dropped down to 6.3 later on in May, forcing her to take one month off of running from May to June. Iyndia was unable to do much of anything during her break since her body was not working like it normally should have. She says that, “I questioned if I was ever going to run track again. I was started on medication and I rested to get my hemoglobin level back to normal.”

After a hard month of waiting, her hemoglobin levels finally got back to normal and she was cleared to start running again! Iyndia found that she was back to her old self and she was ready to compete again. And win! To her pleasant surprise, Iyndia left the West Coast Junior Olympic Games as a National Champion in both the 1500m and 800m races.

Iyndia aspires to one day become a general surgeon and a professional runner in the 1500. She wants to leave all you fellow Youth Runners with this thought: “Don’t be afraid to be great.

It takes hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude to improve!”

MEKIYAH EARNEST Mekiyah describes race walking as so: “Race walking is different from running since it requires the competitor to maintain contact with the ground at all times and requires the leading leg to be straightened as the foot makes contact with the ground. There are judges who evaluate the technique of race walkers and report fouls which may lead to disqualification.”

Although many people say that race walking is silly and easy, Mekiyah believes that it is just as hard as any other running event. Her advice for anyone wanting to try race walking is to be patient. It took her a lot of time and effort, but as time went on, she became better. As her times slowly started dropping, she noticed that working on the race walk also helped her become faster and stronger when it came to running.

MEKIYAH is fourteen years old and runs with her club team Delaware Elite. Having started track at the age of nine she has been able to experiment with races such as the 400, 800, 1500, and 1500 race walk, but she has found that the 400 and 800 are her favorites. Unlike most track athletes, she also has competed in the racewalk; and she is really good at it too.

Having competed at the AAU National Junior Olympics, AAU Club Championships, and some USATF events all over the United States for the race walk, you could definitely say that Mekiyah is pretty experienced in this event.

Her favorite meet was in Florida for the race walk. Having battled back and forth with another competitor at a few different meets, Mekiyah was determined to win her next race against her. Coming up with a strategy to stay right on her heels the entire race, Mekiyah was able to wear out her competitor and cruise to the finish line to take home the gold!

Mekiyah also enjoys creating art and building things from scratch in her free time. Her favorite meal before race day is pasta with meat and a fruit salad, but before a race she enjoys snacking on Lay’s chips, seaweed, fruit, or other light snacks so she doesn’t catch a cramp. This fall Mekiyah will be a Freshman at Padua Academy in Wilmington, Delaware

YOUTH RUNNER TOP DOG OF THE MONTH NATIONAL RECORD

Victor

Jaimez-Solorio, 9 Apple Valley, CA

National title and a new record in the 9-year old 1500 meter run at AAU Nationals in Florida with a time of 4:42.97.

Keep a watch out for Victor!

2X WINNER

WEST COAST CHAMP

Max

Jason Parra, 14 Long Beach Flyers

Cervi-Skinner, 14 North Idaho Youth XC

Max is the first 2x winner at the Youth Runner Middle School Camp XC Race.

Great race Max!

At the AAU West Coast Championships Jason took home two titles.

In the 1500 he ran a 4:28.66 and 9:56.52 in the 300.

Way to Go Jason!

GET RECOGNIZED Go to youthrunner. com Hit the SUBMIT button Fill out the athletes form. youthrunner. com/events/ athlete/submit

READ MORE ABOUT THESE ATHLETES AT YOUTHRUNNER.COM YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 25

ASK A

COACH

COACH BRANDON POLLARD

TIPS AND ADVICE FOR YOUR TRAINING BRANDON WAS PART OF THE YOUTH RUNNER CAMP TEAM THIS YEAR. GREW UP IN SISTERS, OREGON AND WENT ON TO GONZAGA UNIVERSITY WITH PAT TYSON AS HIS COACH. BRANDON SHARED SOME GREAT RUNNING ADVICE WITH THE YR CAMPERS AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SHARE SOME GREAT ADVICE OF THEIR OWN IN THE BRAINSTORMING AND BREAKOUT SESSIONS.

26 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

• Listen to your body • Keep a running journal/log so you can find what does and does not work for you while training and competing • Train smarter not harder • Train to recover. When given rest breaks, take them and really recover so you can train even better after your rest • Train for yourself, not pride or arrogance

TIPS FOR FINDING JOY WHILE RUNNING •Let go of the fact that you have to be number 1 • Stop thinking about competition, rankings, and placement in races • Stop thinking about winning to start winning more • Run for the sake of running and because you love it • Remember your purpose for running each week • Run because you love to not because you have to • Running is simple...keep it that way!

VIRTUAL CAMPERS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE POST-RUNNING SNACKS • Bananas • Chocolate • Milk • Meat • Cheese • Smoothies

TIPS FOR SMART RUNNING

• Understand the everyone is different and you need to do what is best for you and your body when it comes to proper training • Do Trial and Error to find your “sweet spot” for training • Goal setting. Remember what you want to accomplish and find out the steps you need to take to get there • Get rid of your ego. Do not follow what other people do, rather do what you think is right for YOU while training. If that means running less miles than another teammate so you don’t get injured, do it! Everyone’s bodies are different and you need to do what is best for you training and health wise

• Oranges • Peanut Butter • Powerballs • Protein Shakes • Granola Bars (like Clif Bars)

• Raisins • Yogurt • Cold Spaghetti

FAVORITE WAYS TO RECOVER – FROM CAMPERS • Epsom Salt Baths • Normatec Leg Boots • Ice Baths • Rolling Out

• Long Stretching Session • Legs Up The Wall • Napping • Sidekick Tool

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 27

COMING UP! FOR UPDATES ON CANCELATIONS CHECK YOUTHRUNNER.COM.

XC - LIVESTREAMS - PRO RACES - VIRTUAL

SMOTHERMAN IMAGES

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

5

4

FLORIDA HORSE PARK INVITATIONAL LAS VEGAS, NV.

HEALTHY KIDS RUNNING SERIES

LONDON MARATHONWATCH THE BIG DOGS

College 5k, High School 5k, High School Club 5k, Middle & Elementary school 2k & 3K. b3rsports.com

HKRS is now in 38 states for kids in Pre-K to 8th grade. Check out their calendar to see if they have a xc program in your town. healthykidsrunningseries.org

In the men’s field there will be a showdown between Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele, these two will be battling for the win and a possible new World Record. Watch at virginmoneylondonmarathon.com

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It is free to enter, and you can download an app that will play sounds from previous races, it is a half marathon, and you can do it anywhere. www.greatrun.org

Pros will be racing on the roads once again to compete for the 2020 USATF 25k championship, and a $10,000 first place prize for top male and female.

Watch at runnerspace.com

GREAT NORTH RUN VIRTUAL

28 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

USATF 25K ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVESTREAM

FLORIDA YOUTH X-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS The big meet if you live in Florida happening in Lake City. b3rsports.com

DECEMBER

5

2021 CAMPS

AAU CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP APALACHEE REGIONAL PARK TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA www.aautrackandfield.org

JOIN US IN EUGENE, OR DURING THE OLYMPIC TRIALS JUNE 25-27TH. OPEN TO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES.

SMOTHERMAN IMAGES

THERE ARE VIRTUAL RACES POPPING UP “VIRTUALLY” EVERYWHERE. CHECK OUT THE ATHLETIC APP FOR A LIST OF THEIR MEETS OR TO CREATE YOUR OWN VIRTUAL MEETS. OTHER SITES TO SEARCH FOR VIRTUAL EVENTS IN YOUR AREA: ACTIVE.COM ATHLETIC.NET RUNNINGUSA.ORG

YOUTH RUNNER WILL BE POSTING SOME “VIRTUAL CHALLENGES” SO KEEP A WATCH.

FOR MORE TRACK & FIELD, 5K RUNS, TRIATHLONS AND XC EVENTS COME ON OVER TO YOUTHRUNNER.COM AND DISCOVER THE ONE THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.

RUN PRE’S TRAIL, VISIT PRE’S ROCK, MEET ELITE ATHLETES, AND GO TO THE TRACK MEET AT HAYWARD FIELD.

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30 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020