PRE-SEASON TRAINING CAMP
CENTRAL CATHOLIC XC CAMP
AUGUST 13-19, 2007
RIVER MEADOWS, SUNRIVER, OREGON
After a one year hiatus to Pacific City the Central Catholic Cross Country Team returned to Central Oregon for our annual pre-season training camp. In previous years we’d been smack-dab in Sunriver; this year we’ve moved south to an area called River Meadows, although we used many of the same training areas at about 4500 feet of altitude.
The 2007 group consisted of 20 current runners and ’05 grad Ricky Chapman, along as a psuedo-assistant coach before he returns to Notre Dame for his junior year. With new assistant coach Jon Miller and I each driving a van-full and Taylor Morgan’s (class of 2008) mother taking the remainder, we made very good time until we needed a bathroom break in the aptly named town of Warm Springs. While using the facilities and grabbing some snacks we met a local who had competed for Florida State in the early 1980s and had been a high school teammate of Basil McGee in Largo, Florida – a program that won numerous state cross country titles in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
We rented two houses in River Meadows with Dan and Lynne Slauson’s home being used as the “nerve center” for the week’s activities. The Slausons are the parents of one of our top sophomore runners, Peter (’10), and have made the loss of Assistant Coach Mike Bergmann a bit more palatable. Mike did an incredible job for us in many areas, with the organization of this camp over the last few years one of his legacies. He has since moved over to St. Mary’s as his freshman daughter, Erin, will be running for the Blues this fall. His graciousness in passing along much of his experience to Lynne Slauson has made for an almost seamless transition for this year’s camp.
Arriving in the late afternoon on Monday, the group went for an easy 40 minute run on the area’s clay/gravel roads, an alphabetical series of roads named for (mostly) Southern California towns – Upland, Torrance, Sacramento (I said “mostly” Southern California), Rosemead, Quartz Hill, Pasadena, Oxnard, Norwalk, etc… Joining the group for the run – and subsequent runs – was a former Bainbridge teammate of Joel Turkheimer’s (’08), Nolan. Coincidentally, Joel didn’t participate in the run due to some painful inflammation on the top of his foot, but as of Wednesday he appears ready to resume training at the same level he’s shown much of the summer.
Following the run we adjourned to a small grassy area near the pool for an introduction to our auxiliary training (often referred to as “general strength”) – consisting of core work, plyometrics, balance work, dynamic and static flexibility, mobility, and more. This training has been a key component in the team’s successes over the last few years, and, although the returning runners have been doing this work all year long, a review for them never seems to hurt – while the new runners need all the help they can get in learning these drills.
After a great dinner Monday evening, the group was treated to the remnants of the weekend’s meteor showers, a show which was one of the highlights of the week.
Tuesday morning consisted of a light morning run and more auxiliary work, much of which was done on the small road in front of the Slauson house. We had planned to use the area near the pool, but, as we approached, the sprinklers miraculously came on. Some of the boys thought it was an amusing coincidence while others jumped on the conspiracy bandwagon. The boys were regarded with curious looks from passersby, particularly when performing their mini-band routine. Cars passing through were treated to a round of applause from the group, while a group of young bike riders responded with, “Central Catholic? Yeah!”
Tuesday afternoon we ventured to an area near Benham Falls for a reasonably short hill session. We had done a similar session in previous years and found the workout to be somewhat challenging but also enjoyable for the boys. As in previous years we underestimated the very abundant mosquito population near the river, and many of the boys emerged from the workout quite bumpy. Regardless, the workout was successful, culminating in a group “river ice-bath” before returning to base camp for dinner – a delicious paella prepared by sophomore Everett Stilley’s (’10) dad, Tom.
Wednesday morning we made the short 20 minute drive to LaPine State Park for a moderate 45-60 minute run. Despite the trails being very dusty, most felt good about the run.
Tuesday morning consisted of a light morning run and more auxiliary work, much of which was done on the small road in front of the Slauson house. We had planned to use the area near the pool, but, as we approached, the sprinklers miraculously came on. Some of the boys thought it was an amusing coincidence while others jumped on the conspiracy bandwagon. The boys were regarded with curious looks from passersby, particularly when performing their mini-band routine. Cars passing through were treated to a round of applause from the group, while a group of young bike riders responded with, “Central Catholic? Yeah!”
Tuesday afternoon we ventured to an area near Benham Falls for a reasonably short hill session. We had done a similar session in previous years and found the workout to be somewhat challenging but also enjoyable for the boys. As in previous years we underestimated the very abundant mosquito population near the river, and many of the boys emerged from the workout quite bumpy. Regardless, the workout was successful, culminating in a group “river ice-bath” before returning to base camp for dinner – a delicious paella prepared by sophomore Everett Stilley’s (’10) dad, Tom.
Wednesday morning we made the short 20 minute drive to LaPine State Park for a moderate 45-60 minute run. Despite the trails being very dusty, most felt good about the run.
Unfortunately two of our newest runners missed a turn on the return trip and were missing for a few minutes. Ultimately they returned in good shape and, again, the group convened in the river for a post-workout soak. Samot Turina (’09) appeared ready to make a bid for the US Synchronized Swimming Team with his moves in the water.
Following the afternoon’s general strength session we made our way to LaPine’s Ponderosa Pizza for a tasty and filling meal. From there we walked to the LaPine Bowling Center where none of our group was mistaken for Earl Anthony, but there certainly was a great amount of levity on the lanes. Highlights included Musa Ahmed’s (’10) “super spinner” technique, Gabe Lathrop’s (’10) no fingers style, and Greg Cruz’ (’11) sixty pin improvement from game one to game two. For the record, Taylor Morgan was high scorer in game one (147) while I rolled 170 in the second game.
Thursday morning dawned a bit cooler than previous days as the group went for a very short run in preparation for the afternoon’s workout – scheduled to be the toughest workout of the week. As usual there was general strength work and then free time for much of the early afternoon. As many of the group napped before the workout, grads David Laney (’07) and Nick Turner (’07) arrived with Nolan Jones (’10) in tow. Nolan had been participating in Central’s soccer conditioning program for the week but plans to compete this fall in both endeavors. Upon their arrival, Nolan produced a fish he claimed he’d caught when the trio stopped at a rest area along the way; when asked about his lack of fishing gear, he claimed – quite convincingly – that he had waded into the water and simply grabbed the fish with his hands. We were all quite impressed until his co-conspirators could no longer keep a straight face; they had stopped at a local supermarket as they left Portland, purchased a frozen fish, and let it thaw on the drive to Sunriver. We had been duped.
The afternoon had us returning to the Benham Falls area for our traditional 1000m repeat workout. A bit more prepared than on Tuesday, the houses and vans reeked of Deep Woods Off in preparation for the onslaught of mosquitoes.
Given that many of the group wasn’t quite prepared for the full workout, the plan was to put markers every 200m so that individuals could adapt the workout to their current fitness level. Of course we forgot to bring our cones; as we searched Nick Turner’s car for appropriate markers – water bottles, towels, etc… - he pulled out a stack of cones and asked, “Will these work?”
As the group warmed up the coaches set out marking each 200m interval. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry; a fairly large tree had fallen across the path since our Tuesday visit, and it was immoveable. Nick didn’t have a chainsaw in his car so Coach Miller and Mr. Slauson set out to “de-branch” the tree in order to make it passable. Of course, Taylor Morgan – the steepler – would be at a decided advantage with this large obstacle in our path.
The workout called for 8-10 x 1000m, beginning at a pace a touch faster than tempo, graduating to a very brisk race-pace effort towards the end. Typically there is a rationale behind every workout and a desired outcome; despite our best efforts, rarely does the finished product mirror the plan precisely. On this day, we came very, very close. With six strong and proven runners from earlier in the summer and another three or four not far behind, the goal was to get as many as possible through eight reps at or near the front group, with many of the top six aiming for ten repeats.
Two athletes, Curran Carlile (’10) and Conor Chicvara (’09) – two of the “three or four not far behind” – ran eight (with their 7th effort an 800m), with the front group almost the entire way. Carlile had a great fall a year ago but had struggled throughout the winter and spring with injury. His summer has been steady if unspectacular, but this effort was a clear indication that he will be battling for a spot in the top seven.
Chicvara had a solid camp a year ago, but spent most all of his sophomore year (both xc and track) battling injury and illness; with a work schedule this summer that conflicted greatly with our summer training, we hadn’t seen much of him and honestly didn’t know how fit he was. He showed on this day that he, too, will be a force – and there was absolute satisfaction on his face as he finished this workout.
The other six runners in that group had the workout we envisioned. Six confident athletes working together, helping each other, pushing each other to an effort that few might have accomplished running solo. The early pace was relaxed and helped all of the athletes find their rhythm and become confident in navigating the entire workout. After the fourth rep, the pace quickened and none appeared worse for wear. On #7 Taylor Morgan ran significantly faster than expected – none of the half dozen were dropped. On numbers 9 and 10, Joel Turkheimer – who has shown a mature patience he lacked a year ago – forged to the front, and the group – as one – tore down the path fifteen seconds faster than the previous rep. After a slightly longer recovery (3:15), they made the return trip just as fast – an indication that the previous run had, despite the significantly faster pace, not been too much for them.
While Turkheimer, Morgan, and Turina were expected to handle the entire workout, the efforts of Ahmed, Slauson, and Austin Jones (’08) were nothing short of spectacular. Morgan and Turina return as the champ and 4th place finisher from last fall’s state xc meet while Turkheimer has looked fantastic all summer. Ahmed has been virtually injury free since late last fall and had a fine spring, as did Slauson. Jones ran well a year ago but had a rough winter and spring; all three have high hopes for the fall, both individually and teamwise, but today was a very clear notice that they will be factors on this team – and on the state level! It was a great day to be a Ram.
As usual the workout ended with a river bath, and the mosquitoes finally were able to penetrate the boys’ chemical armor – hastening our departure for home and a great spaghetti dinner prepared by the family of Lucas Weisensee (’09). The evening ended with a camp tradition – a very large game of “Stupid”, a card game which requires great patience and skill.
Given the great effort on Thursday – by more than just the aforementioned eight athletes – Friday was a true recovery day. Most ran lightly in the morning with a few putting in an easy afternoon run as well. Many swam for their pm workout while others simply had the afternoon off. Of course, the day wouldn’t have been complete without some general strength work so we did a long set after the morning run and another set before dinner.
Between those sets of strength work, the group was treated to the arrival of the NIKE truck, driven this year by Grant Alum Alec Wall. The previous day he had been in Pacific City visiting the Saint Mary’s and Central Catholic girls. Alec graduated from Grant in 2003 where he was 3rd at the State XC Meet in ’02 and 2nd in the 3000m in ’03 at the State Track Meet. His indoor 8:14/3000m is one of the top times in Oregon history. While he competed for Grant, he spent a great deal of time during the off seasons training with Alberto Salazar’s cadre of elite high schoolers in the Portland area, including his brother Scott, Galen Rupp, Joaquin Chapa, Mike McGrath, Stuart Eagon, and Ryan Vail. Alec ran for Oregon for two years before transferring to Dartmouth for his final two years.
After lunch, the group – en masse – made a pilgrimage to a small bridge on S. Century drive to continue a camp tradition: jumping off the bridge into the somewhat chilly Deschutes River. Virtually every member of the group made at least one jump – and all came away unscathed. I did come dangerously close to losing my wedding ring, but mastered the one arm crawl and safely reached shore.
Taylor Morgan’s dad put out a fine barbecued chicken dinner while Mrs. Slauson made a batch of brownies that disappeared within minutes as the boys continued to eat very well. After dinner Alec Wall gave a great presentation on the Nike Team Nationals which concluded with some trivia for Nike gear: 1) Who was Nike’s first employee? 2) What was Alan Webb’s official time in his recent American Record mile run? 3) Which Nike athlete broke the American record for the two mile this summer? 4) Who was the first Nike athlete to win an Olympic gold medal?
Answers: 1) Jeff Johnson, 2) 3:46.91, 3) Matt Tegenkamp, 4) Steve Ovett, 1980 Moscow Games, 800m.
Originally we had planned our long run for Saturday morning, but given that many were still feeling the effects of Thursday’s hard effort, we opted instead for a single moderate run of 35-50 minutes, with a few strides afterwards to remind us of our turnover. The group appeared quite happy when it was announced that there would be no organized general strength session; some, of course, opted for their own session, but most of the day would be free.
In the late afternoon the fellas put on their Sunday best, and we headed to Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Sunriver for 5:30 mass. The group behaved impeccably with Samot, Nolan Jones, and my boy Jackson asked to present the gifts. Disappointingly we learned that we had just missed former Central Catholic math teacher David Guasco, as he was scheduled to be the lecter for Sunday morning’s mass. He has been a strong supporter of our program it certainly would have been nice to have seen him. Another CC connection came to light as the husband of the older couple sitting behind us was a member of the CC class of ’54 – and played on both the ’52 and ’53 State Football Champs.
Returning from mass, we were treated to another barbecue, this time courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Jones, parents of Austin and Nolan. The parental support on this trip has been incredible, but, truth be told, it’s simply a continuation of the support we’ve enjoyed for a number of years. The level of success we’ve enjoyed has clearly been a result of the dedication and hard work of our athletes, but without the support of our parents over the years it would have been nearly impossible.
Sunday morning came a little early as we planned to be on the road by 9am, stopping just past Sisters for our long run on one of the myriad logging roads in the area. Of course we didn’t quite make the 9am departure, and the logging road (Green Ridge Road) turned out to be recently paved. Regardless, we left the houses in pretty good shape, and intrepid Dan Slauson scouted out an alternate logging road at the Cold Springs Cutoff. While this long run wasn’t quite as successful as Thursday’s workout, many of our young men felt pretty good about their effort with Ahmed, Chicvara, and Carlile particularly pleased. Joel Turkheimer put in a very solid 18 ½ miles; the extra half mile was directly attributable to my poor sense of direction as we lost our way on some of the side trails less than a mile from the finish.
As we piled in the vans for the final three hour journey of our trip, most of the boys were reasonably tired. Many slept – after devouring the bags of trail mix and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they’d prepared the previous night – until we stopped near Salem to stretch and use the facilities. As we arrived at Central Catholic all were happy to see their parents and head home to sleep in their own beds.
Despite their weariness – many had run more miles this week than anytime previously in their lives – there could be no doubt about the excitement they had for the upcoming season. Many boys had key breakthroughs this week and have developed great belief in themselves; while we’ll certainly miss last year’s crew, there is a genuine excitement emanating from this group about what they might accomplish – and the legacy which they’ll leave behind.
Looking forward to a great season…
Following the afternoon’s general strength session we made our way to LaPine’s Ponderosa Pizza for a tasty and filling meal. From there we walked to the LaPine Bowling Center where none of our group was mistaken for Earl Anthony, but there certainly was a great amount of levity on the lanes. Highlights included Musa Ahmed’s (’10) “super spinner” technique, Gabe Lathrop’s (’10) no fingers style, and Greg Cruz’ (’11) sixty pin improvement from game one to game two. For the record, Taylor Morgan was high scorer in game one (147) while I rolled 170 in the second game.
Thursday morning dawned a bit cooler than previous days as the group went for a very short run in preparation for the afternoon’s workout – scheduled to be the toughest workout of the week. As usual there was general strength work and then free time for much of the early afternoon. As many of the group napped before the workout, grads David Laney (’07) and Nick Turner (’07) arrived with Nolan Jones (’10) in tow. Nolan had been participating in Central’s soccer conditioning program for the week but plans to compete this fall in both endeavors. Upon their arrival, Nolan produced a fish he claimed he’d caught when the trio stopped at a rest area along the way; when asked about his lack of fishing gear, he claimed – quite convincingly – that he had waded into the water and simply grabbed the fish with his hands. We were all quite impressed until his co-conspirators could no longer keep a straight face; they had stopped at a local supermarket as they left Portland, purchased a frozen fish, and let it thaw on the drive to Sunriver. We had been duped.
The afternoon had us returning to the Benham Falls area for our traditional 1000m repeat workout. A bit more prepared than on Tuesday, the houses and vans reeked of Deep Woods Off in preparation for the onslaught of mosquitoes.
Given that many of the group wasn’t quite prepared for the full workout, the plan was to put markers every 200m so that individuals could adapt the workout to their current fitness level. Of course we forgot to bring our cones; as we searched Nick Turner’s car for appropriate markers – water bottles, towels, etc… - he pulled out a stack of cones and asked, “Will these work?”
As the group warmed up the coaches set out marking each 200m interval. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry; a fairly large tree had fallen across the path since our Tuesday visit, and it was immoveable. Nick didn’t have a chainsaw in his car so Coach Miller and Mr. Slauson set out to “de-branch” the tree in order to make it passable. Of course, Taylor Morgan – the steepler – would be at a decided advantage with this large obstacle in our path.
The workout called for 8-10 x 1000m, beginning at a pace a touch faster than tempo, graduating to a very brisk race-pace effort towards the end. Typically there is a rationale behind every workout and a desired outcome; despite our best efforts, rarely does the finished product mirror the plan precisely. On this day, we came very, very close. With six strong and proven runners from earlier in the summer and another three or four not far behind, the goal was to get as many as possible through eight reps at or near the front group, with many of the top six aiming for ten repeats.
Two athletes, Curran Carlile (’10) and Conor Chicvara (’09) – two of the “three or four not far behind” – ran eight (with their 7th effort an 800m), with the front group almost the entire way. Carlile had a great fall a year ago but had struggled throughout the winter and spring with injury. His summer has been steady if unspectacular, but this effort was a clear indication that he will be battling for a spot in the top seven.
Chicvara had a solid camp a year ago, but spent most all of his sophomore year (both xc and track) battling injury and illness; with a work schedule this summer that conflicted greatly with our summer training, we hadn’t seen much of him and honestly didn’t know how fit he was. He showed on this day that he, too, will be a force – and there was absolute satisfaction on his face as he finished this workout.
The other six runners in that group had the workout we envisioned. Six confident athletes working together, helping each other, pushing each other to an effort that few might have accomplished running solo. The early pace was relaxed and helped all of the athletes find their rhythm and become confident in navigating the entire workout. After the fourth rep, the pace quickened and none appeared worse for wear. On #7 Taylor Morgan ran significantly faster than expected – none of the half dozen were dropped. On numbers 9 and 10, Joel Turkheimer – who has shown a mature patience he lacked a year ago – forged to the front, and the group – as one – tore down the path fifteen seconds faster than the previous rep. After a slightly longer recovery (3:15), they made the return trip just as fast – an indication that the previous run had, despite the significantly faster pace, not been too much for them.
While Turkheimer, Morgan, and Turina were expected to handle the entire workout, the efforts of Ahmed, Slauson, and Austin Jones (’08) were nothing short of spectacular. Morgan and Turina return as the champ and 4th place finisher from last fall’s state xc meet while Turkheimer has looked fantastic all summer. Ahmed has been virtually injury free since late last fall and had a fine spring, as did Slauson. Jones ran well a year ago but had a rough winter and spring; all three have high hopes for the fall, both individually and teamwise, but today was a very clear notice that they will be factors on this team – and on the state level! It was a great day to be a Ram.
As usual the workout ended with a river bath, and the mosquitoes finally were able to penetrate the boys’ chemical armor – hastening our departure for home and a great spaghetti dinner prepared by the family of Lucas Weisensee (’09). The evening ended with a camp tradition – a very large game of “Stupid”, a card game which requires great patience and skill.
Given the great effort on Thursday – by more than just the aforementioned eight athletes – Friday was a true recovery day. Most ran lightly in the morning with a few putting in an easy afternoon run as well. Many swam for their pm workout while others simply had the afternoon off. Of course, the day wouldn’t have been complete without some general strength work so we did a long set after the morning run and another set before dinner.
Between those sets of strength work, the group was treated to the arrival of the NIKE truck, driven this year by Grant Alum Alec Wall. The previous day he had been in Pacific City visiting the Saint Mary’s and Central Catholic girls. Alec graduated from Grant in 2003 where he was 3rd at the State XC Meet in ’02 and 2nd in the 3000m in ’03 at the State Track Meet. His indoor 8:14/3000m is one of the top times in Oregon history. While he competed for Grant, he spent a great deal of time during the off seasons training with Alberto Salazar’s cadre of elite high schoolers in the Portland area, including his brother Scott, Galen Rupp, Joaquin Chapa, Mike McGrath, Stuart Eagon, and Ryan Vail. Alec ran for Oregon for two years before transferring to Dartmouth for his final two years.
After lunch, the group – en masse – made a pilgrimage to a small bridge on S. Century drive to continue a camp tradition: jumping off the bridge into the somewhat chilly Deschutes River. Virtually every member of the group made at least one jump – and all came away unscathed. I did come dangerously close to losing my wedding ring, but mastered the one arm crawl and safely reached shore.
Taylor Morgan’s dad put out a fine barbecued chicken dinner while Mrs. Slauson made a batch of brownies that disappeared within minutes as the boys continued to eat very well. After dinner Alec Wall gave a great presentation on the Nike Team Nationals which concluded with some trivia for Nike gear: 1) Who was Nike’s first employee? 2) What was Alan Webb’s official time in his recent American Record mile run? 3) Which Nike athlete broke the American record for the two mile this summer? 4) Who was the first Nike athlete to win an Olympic gold medal?
Answers: 1) Jeff Johnson, 2) 3:46.91, 3) Matt Tegenkamp, 4) Steve Ovett, 1980 Moscow Games, 800m.
Originally we had planned our long run for Saturday morning, but given that many were still feeling the effects of Thursday’s hard effort, we opted instead for a single moderate run of 35-50 minutes, with a few strides afterwards to remind us of our turnover. The group appeared quite happy when it was announced that there would be no organized general strength session; some, of course, opted for their own session, but most of the day would be free.
In the late afternoon the fellas put on their Sunday best, and we headed to Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Sunriver for 5:30 mass. The group behaved impeccably with Samot, Nolan Jones, and my boy Jackson asked to present the gifts. Disappointingly we learned that we had just missed former Central Catholic math teacher David Guasco, as he was scheduled to be the lecter for Sunday morning’s mass. He has been a strong supporter of our program it certainly would have been nice to have seen him. Another CC connection came to light as the husband of the older couple sitting behind us was a member of the CC class of ’54 – and played on both the ’52 and ’53 State Football Champs.
Returning from mass, we were treated to another barbecue, this time courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Jones, parents of Austin and Nolan. The parental support on this trip has been incredible, but, truth be told, it’s simply a continuation of the support we’ve enjoyed for a number of years. The level of success we’ve enjoyed has clearly been a result of the dedication and hard work of our athletes, but without the support of our parents over the years it would have been nearly impossible.
Sunday morning came a little early as we planned to be on the road by 9am, stopping just past Sisters for our long run on one of the myriad logging roads in the area. Of course we didn’t quite make the 9am departure, and the logging road (Green Ridge Road) turned out to be recently paved. Regardless, we left the houses in pretty good shape, and intrepid Dan Slauson scouted out an alternate logging road at the Cold Springs Cutoff. While this long run wasn’t quite as successful as Thursday’s workout, many of our young men felt pretty good about their effort with Ahmed, Chicvara, and Carlile particularly pleased. Joel Turkheimer put in a very solid 18 ½ miles; the extra half mile was directly attributable to my poor sense of direction as we lost our way on some of the side trails less than a mile from the finish.
As we piled in the vans for the final three hour journey of our trip, most of the boys were reasonably tired. Many slept – after devouring the bags of trail mix and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they’d prepared the previous night – until we stopped near Salem to stretch and use the facilities. As we arrived at Central Catholic all were happy to see their parents and head home to sleep in their own beds.
Despite their weariness – many had run more miles this week than anytime previously in their lives – there could be no doubt about the excitement they had for the upcoming season. Many boys had key breakthroughs this week and have developed great belief in themselves; while we’ll certainly miss last year’s crew, there is a genuine excitement emanating from this group about what they might accomplish – and the legacy which they’ll leave behind.
Looking forward to a great season…
posted by Dave Frank @ 9:21 AM
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