The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate cross-country team will be back in action this weekend as they host the McGinn Memorial XCountry Challenge atop Reservoir Hill.
The harriers took last week off from racing, with coach Josh Kurz indicating the break was built into the team’s philosophy.
“The bye week off fits into the philosophy of periodization,” he explains in an email to The SUN. “Periodization is a method used in endurance training to increase the load gradually over time, then pull back a bit and allow for recovery before you begin increasing the training load to new heights. Racing every week can be demanding physically and mentally, and we hope the weekend reenergized our runners and made them hungry for the upcoming race. Unfortunately, we still have some minor aches and pains hampering a few of our athletes.”
Kurz indicates this week will also mark the end of a phase for the Pirates.
“This week marks the end of our base-building phase,” he wrote. “Base miles are supposed to provide a foundation and prevent injury as we transition to more threshold and speed work. We have a few athletes with nagging injuries, so we’re cutting back their mileage in hopes of getting them healthier for the race on Saturday.”
Saturday’s race will again take place atop Reservoir Hill, with the Lady Pirates racing at 10 and the Pirate boys’ squad racing at 10:45 a.m.
“Our race is a great strength-building course since it has 350 feet of elevation gain,” Kurz wrote. “Our times will be slower, but we should reap the benefits later in the season since our remaining meets will be fairly flat and fast.”
Beyond that, Kurz indicates the hope is for the second through seventh Pirates will decrease their pack time and run as a group, noting six or seven boys have similar fitness.
On the girls’ side, Kurz notes the team is looking forward to having Lucy Rivera back.
He explains, “She was our fifth-place runner at the Joe Vigil Meet and was greatly missed at Bayfield.”
randi@pagosasun.com
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