Time Trial Results

Today was a very good day. The first time trial sheds much light on what is possible for most of the runners. Many looked good. Not too many surprises, other than the times were fast for this early in the season. I think several were surprised at how well they did, and felt. That's a good attitude heading into next week's tough practice schedule.

Day 5

Fartleks went well today. Bursts of speed are great for the body and the mind when it comes time to race. And tomorrow's time trial will reveal a little bit about where we are in regards to that.

I'm expecting some good things, and some will see they are not where they want to be. That's the beauty of the first Saturday.

Day 4

I could not attend practice this morning, but Coach Houck said that the sixty-minute long run was good. We still got our mileage--12 to 13, and many looked comfortable achieving that number. This was a recovery day compared to the intense regimen of the previous two days.

I anticipate a good fun run tomorrow, as we are doing fartleks. Google this word if you don't know what we're up to. Hint: It is in the sentence!

Day 3

A very good day, again. The top runners ran around 12 to 13 miles at a very high level. We did 15x400m with 1:30 rest between for the varsity boys, and less from there on down. I have to say that they are getting accustomed to the mileage and the expectations. And as always, they blend very well together--a solid testament to the program and the leadership from the seniors.

Tomorrow will be a long recovery run to rest up for the time trial on Saturday. I have very high hopes that we'll see some surprises. We always do.

Day 2

You have to be impressed with the numbers. All sorts of numbers. Some of our runners put up 13 miles today when combining all running we did. Some a little less, but not much. It is easy to see who put in the miles over the off season to prepare for the in season. The effort was there today.

Quote of the Day

Here it is:

Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.

Amby Burfoot, The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life

First Day Done

Okay team, here's your chance. I'm still thinking about a team motto. We've had "Never, never, never quit" and "Just Believe" the last two seasons. What are your ideas for this season?

Also, our first day of practice was adequate. I'm not thrilled with the little mileage we ran today, but that is my fault. We will increase as appropriate the rest of this week. I hope to see improvement.

We need runners. All levels other than varsity boys need numbers. Help.