Summer of 2026 is underway!

 June Assessments Are In the Books. 

Hey team.  We've accomplished one of our main goals of the early summer: Get assessments for current running abiliites.  All the training we do should be based on trying to be a little better than our current levels.  So, knowing our current levels is pretty important.  We didn't get all of you tested, but we're pretty close.  Take a look at the results by clicking on This Link. Click the Summer Testing Tabs.  

Let me explain the purpose of each test

• 6 Minute Test - This test gives us a very good estimation of the running speed at which you reach your body's maximum ability to deliver oxygen to your muscles.  We can now use that speed to determine the paces for some of our workouts.  
• 400m Time Trial - This test gives us a couple of pieces of information: 1. It tells us how well you can tolerate high levels of lactic acid in your blood and 2. It is a decent measure of your max running speed. However.....
• 10m Fly Test.  Timing your fastest possible 10m sprint with a running start gives us your True Maximum Speed. Since all of the races you run are at a smaller percentage of your maximum speed, having a higher max speed allows you to run all of your races at a relatively lower percentate of your top speed, and therefore race pace should feel easier and you should be able to use less overall energy at any given race pace. If you want to see how fast you ran in miles per hour, check out this chart.  If you're not currently fast enough to register on this chart.....GET FASTER!......consider this summer a chance to improve enough to get an official speed in MPH

Athletes who competed late into track season will likely have better
tests than those who's season ended at the beginning of May

What do we expect from our August Tests? 

The simple (and overly optimistic) answer is: We want to get better at everything.  For our beginners, this outcome is very likely, however for our experienced athletes that just came off a good track season, that answer is a little less clear.

• 6 Minute Test - For our experienced group, improvements of 50-100m are pretty standard.  However, we are going to run less intensity this summer, so smaller improvements may occur.  Since we won't be doing any workouts that are anaerobic in nature, some of the anaerobic fitness that you carried forward from track will have disappeared by august.  This means that any improvements you do get will be from improved aerobic power and improved economy, which is the focus of our training this summer.
• 400m Time Trial - As strange as this may sound, I don't really expect much improvement in your 400m TT this summer.  In fact, the coaching staff will be happy if you simply don't LOSE any 400m speed this summer.  Your ability to run a good 400 is largely dependent on Anaerobic tolerance, which we will ignore this summer.  What we, as a staff, really want to know is if the strides and short sprints that you'll do this summer will be enough to maintain the gains you made in the 400 during track season. Also, we want a measurement of how much of your 6 minute test performance comes from anaerobic power and how much is aerobic.  Beginners, some of you may improve by 15 seconds by August, though! 
• 10m Fly Test - We would like to see improvements in your 10m fly test of at least 3%.  This means if you ran 1.5 seconds for 10m today, we would hope you can run 1.45 in August.  Beginners, once again, you guys may blow your June tests out of the water in August.

Summer Fundraiser  - Raise Money and go to the fair for FREE!

We need our athletes to sign up for the fundraiser.  We will need a few adults as well.  The following is the information that I received from the Fair.  If you have not signed up yet, here's the link

n exchange for the donation, volunteers from your organization would assist the Fair’s Admissions Department with the following duties:

• Scheduling: Your organization will coordinate and fill 30–35 volunteer shifts assigned by the Stanislaus County Fair.

• Guest Welcome & Ticket Scanning: Volunteers will warmly greet fair guests and scan admission tickets at designated entry gates and the arena gate.

• Shift Length: Volunteers will work 5-hour shifts and must remain at their assigned position for the duration of the shift.

• Shift Times: Shifts begin as early as 6:00 a.m. and run until closing at 11:00 p.m.

• Group Apparel: Volunteers must wear apparel representing their organization (team jerseys, group t-shirts, team hats, etc.).

• Gate Lead: Each gate must have one adult Lead present at each gate from your organization responsible for maintaining volunteer coordination and ensuring professional conduct consistent with the Stanislaus County Fair Employee Handbook. 

• Training: All volunteers must attend a mandatory training session during the first week of July. Date TBA. 

• Schedule Deadline: All shifts must be filled and confirmed with the Stanislaus County Fair's Admissions Manager no later than May 30th to ensure coverage before summer breaks/vacations. 

Volunteer Perks

In addition to the donation made to your organization:

1. Every volunteer will receive a Fair Volunteer Badge, granting FREE admission for the day of their shift and an additional entry on us.

2. The badge also provides FREE parking in the North and West lots.

3. All volunteer groups will be featured for free on our large public-facing LED sign. Logos will be collected when the schedule is confirmed.