Monte Vista Cross Country
Monte Vista cross country is about change. Through the process of working hard and sacrifice with teammates, we are trying to change ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally to be stronger and more resilient human beings. We do that by committing to building stronger habits day in and day out, week in, week out, year in, year out. Little by little, a little becomes a lot. And that's where our change comes from.
What we're building
Improvement is not linear. Some athletes improve immediately. Others do not. On this team, the difference between success and failure is almost never talent and almost never luck. It's whether an athlete shows up to learn.
In school, you can chase grades instead of learning the material, and most people can get away with it. School is designed to do everything it can to ensure success, and good grades often feel like proof that you have learned something. Most people would be perfectly happy to get a great grade without having to put the work in.
Cross country doesn't offer you that opportunity. You can't achieve a great grade here without learning the material. It's impossible. This sport is built so that achieving at a high level is difficult for almost everyone. Some athletes will spend four years looking for shortcuts and be frustrated the whole time. Others slowly learn what it takes to better themselves year in and year out.
So what we ask of a Monte Vista cross country athlete is very simple, but it isn't easy. Show up to learn with an open mind and be willing to change. And above all, understand that caring is action. What you do demonstrates your beliefs, not what you say. When an athlete leaves practice early, that demonstrates a lack of commitment, even if they never say it out loud.
We do care about results. We just don't believe chasing them is what produces them. Changing yourself is what produces them, and over time your results become the honest record of whether you did that work.
Show up, learn, change, be a Mustang.
Built to peak in November
How we train
The plan is individual
Mileage and workouts vary dramatically from athlete to athlete. Nobody is trained like everybody.
We build in phases
Habits and skills first. Then fitness and mental strength. Then execution, when it counts.
Strength is daily
Strength and mobility work happens every day. It isn't optional and it isn't extra.
Recovery is training
The easy days are part of the plan, not a break from it. Peak fitness comes in November, not September.
Why Monte Vista
Girls
Depth, not one star
Boys
Building depth
What we ask
Of athletes
Show up to learn. Do the work when nobody is checking. Ask when you're confused — that's always welcome.
Of families
When you travel, help your athlete get their runs in. It doesn't have to take over the trip, but weeks off add up faster than almost anyone realizes, and a family trip shouldn't become the exit.