sizzlin' summer

Wow, it's hot! This weather certainly makes running a challenge. Hopefully you are able to run early in the morning or early in the evening. Keep in mind, though, how high heat and humidity are going to affect how you feel. Make sure you are consistently hydrating well. But the heat and humidity are going to elevate your heart rate and because of this, your 80-85% efforts will need to be a little slower so that you don't push into the anaerobic zone. As we have mentioned many times, pay attention to EFFORT, not pace. Run the right effort.

Also, expect a little more fatigue than you would generally associate with the mileage level you are running, again due to the heat and humidity. And this type of weather can wreck havoc on your iron levels.

Everyone seems to be doing very well with the summer schedule. We're only missing weekly reports from a very small number of individuals. As each week goes by, you are laying the foundation for some exciting things to come. Take it one week at a time and make each week count!

Now, post your weekly running to the comments, and go take your daily iron supplement :)

seven weeks down

...and seven to go. This week marks the seventh week of the twelve-week summer plan. And it is now seven weeks to go until our first meet, which will be the UGA Invitational in Athens.

Take some time to think about how your summer has been going. Can you feel improving aerobic fitness? Your runs should be at the right effort and your focus should be on that effort, not on any particular pace per mile. How do your easy aerobic runs feel? your long runs? your 80% runs? and your aerobic fartlek efforts?

Also, look at all the little things. Your sleep and recovery, your iron supplementation, your core strength, and your general strength - are you doing well in these areas?

You don't need to post your own self-evaluation or report it to your coaches, but you should go through the process with yourself.

Then decide how the next five weeks of your summer will go.

in full swing

With the completion of last week, we're now in full swing with the aerobic conditioning phase: one good long run, one aerobic fartlek, and one 80% strong aerobic run, plus 3-4 aerobic recovery days. Add in two days of the general strength program outlined a few posts back, a constant emphasis on core strength development, a daily iron supplement, some stretching, and a consistent dose of sleep and you have the makings of the kind of summer that will prepare you well for a successful year.

The only variations from the above schedule are as follows: everyone has the option on Wednesday of doing an aerobic run and following it with 10 x 100 fast striding with a 100 walk-back recovery or a 300 jogging recovery instead of the aerobic fartlek; and upperclassmen who have been consistently healthy have the OPTION of running another 80% run on Mondays IF they feel they can recovery enough from the long run. If a Monday 80% run is added, it should be slightly shorter than the Friday 80% run.

Easy enough?

Now, post your week and keep things going in a positive direction!

cruisin' the caribbean

During a great week on a cruise ship (11 laps to a mile track!), I was able to finally finish the book 'Highest Duty', the story of Captain Sully who successfully landed his disabled jetliner in the Hudson River in NYC, thus miraculously saving the lives of all those aboard. At one point in the book, Captain Sully referenced a Hopi Indian poem:

There is a river flowing now very fast,
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid,
They will try to hold onto the shore.
They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river,
Keep our eyes open, and our heads above water.

I read the poem and thought what a great philosophy on life. Life at its best is found out in the fast-moving rapids at the middle of the river. And we can't be afraid to let go of the secure shoreline. Just let go, ride the rapids, keep your head up, and keep moving forward - the river, and life, will take you where you need to go.

Then I realized something else. And I wanted to say congratulations to every one of you. For you have already let go of the shore and put yourself out into the deep, swift water at the middle of the river ... academically, you did that the minute you decided to attend Georgia Tech!

Take that same courage, that same heart, and that same 'give me your best shot' attitude and employ it in all facets of your life. Particulary, bring all that to your running, to your athletic efforts.

I hope the first aerobic fartlek effort went well last week, that the right effort was found. Along with the long run and the aerobic fartlek, this week brings the addition of your first 80% run on Friday. Again, use the pace chart to determine a ballpark pace, then learn what the effort feels like and manage it well throughout the run. Don't forget to warm-up with an easy mile and cool-down with an easy mile.

And don't forget to spend some time stretching, along with your core and general strength development.

first week of xc aerobic conditioning

After four weeks of transition and re-adaptation, it's now time to turn our attention to aerobic conditioning. For those of you focused on the fall cross country season, the next ten weeks are huge. While we spent last winter in a very similar phase at school, all of these ten weeks are on your own! And as important as this phase is, paradoxically, maybe the most important concept is PATIENCE. This ten weeks requires methodical patience and consistently running the correct efforts. All efforts are still aerobic, but over the next ten weeks we need to push into high-end aerobic running at 80-88% effort. Refer to the 'summer'10 notes' tab of your spreadsheet for the weekly pattern. Sundays are long runs, Wednesdays are aerobic fartlek running, and Fridays are 80% aerobic runs. Mondays will vary depending on your status - upperclassmen, freshmen, and recently injured. See the summer'10 notes!

For the upcoming week, only the aerobic fartlek on Wednesday should be added. The following week you will add the Friday 80% run. The week after that, some of you will begin to add the Monday 80% run if you feel up to it. Again, all is explained in the summer'10 notes and if you are still not sure, email or text one of your coaches.

Use the pace chart tab on your spreadsheet and a conservative estimate of your current fitness to determine approximate paces for the high-end aerobic efforts. While the pace chart provides an excellent starting point, it is very important that you begin to understand what the different aerobic efforts FEEL like. For the aerobic fartlek effort, you can determine the structure or you can use an old stand-by - 5', 4', 3', 2', 1' w/ equal time recovery. The 5' and the 4' should be around 80-85% effort, and the 3', 2', 1' can at 85-88%.

Lastly, continue working on general strength as well as core strength! Make sure you can perform 3 x 45" for the front plank and the side plank.

POST WEEKLY MILEAGE ON THE BLOG!

gettin' fit, gettin' strong

After an up week of mileage, take advantage of this upcoming consolidation (i.e. recovery and adaptation) week. Once we get past this week, the mileage will jump up pretty good and soon we will start adding high-end aerobic efforts with the fartlek and the 80% runs.

Don't forget to post weekly mileage to the blog. Most of you are doing a great job, but we're still missing some; incoming freshmen - this includes you :)

Upcoming blogs will discuss iron supplementation (mainly the why) and sleep. Exciting stuff, I know. And very, very important stuff if you are to make the progress each of you desires.

For this week, let's look at a general strength bodyweigth circuit. We've done it at school several times, here it is in written form. For new people, you can complete the circuit twice a week. For returners, you can opt for this circuit if you don't have access to a weight-training facility, or if you are struggling to find time and/or energy to complete the strength & conditioning program. Go through the exercises in order, completing anywhere from 10-25 reps depending on the exercise, and move from exercise to exercise at a moderate pace. Go through the circuit once; if it becomes extraordinarily easy, you can go through it twice.

1. bodyweight squats
2. v - sit-ups
3. push-ups
4. back hypers or superman
5. squat jumps
6. leg raise (tighten abs, focus on lowering legs slowly)
7. push-ups or push-ups w/ a clap if capable
8. hip extension or glute bridge (or whatever we call them!)
9. slow crunch
10. push-ups
11. clams
12. front plank w/ single-leg raises

Enjoy!

Lastly, good luck to shawn, who runs the USA Jr. 800m next week in Des Moines, Iowa! Training has gone well, running a solo 1:19.9 for 600 today.

track town usa

Sitting on a plane leaving the NCAA's in Eugene, Oregon. My wish would be for everyone of you to experience a national meet in Track Town, USA. Whether as a competitor or as a spectator, if you love our sport, it is an experience that should be on your bucket-list.

The stands are packed, literally, and the crowd knows track & field. The people stay for the whole meet and are excited about the 5k or 10k at the end of each evening. And they clap in unison as the runners go down the backstretch or up the homestretch. EVERY backstretch and EVERY homestretch. They ROAR for those clad in the green and yellow with the "O" on their chest, but they also cheer for EVERYBODY.

The weather is interesting and if you don't like it, that's ok, because it will change completely within the next 30 minutes. In one 5 mile run on the wood chips of Pre's Trail, we experienced the cold wind and rain of a southern December day AND the bright sunny warmth of an early April afternoon. It rained almost every day at the meet, usually multiple times each day. But not one lightening delay. And you stay dry in the grandstands as they both have rooftops. How ballin' is that?

The competition was magnificent. Event after event, you felt as though you were witnessing something special. The performances so spectacular that you felt not that you were watching it, but indeed you were part of it. And as the athletes performed at their best, you felt as though you were at your best. There were names written into the record books here, legends even born, and names shouted from the packed stands. And as one who loves the sport, you recognize those names being added to the fabled ones who have graced this track before.

There will be time to talk about training, core strengthening, and even iron stores. But today, be inspired. Think about what it is you love about our sport and rejoice in it. What can you endeavor to accomplish that not only moves you but moves those around you.

And go ahead and dream about coming off the Bowerman Curve, the rhythmic clapping of the grandstand pulling you down the homestretch, and hearing your name shouted by the packed house!

Post your weekly mileage to the comments section please. And check back, later I hope to add some pictures.

Still waiting for some pictures from cameras that our coaches had but wanted to post a couple taken with my phone. The picture of darts to the right is from a cricket game we were playing with some fellow coaches. As you can see, COACH closed out the 15's in grand fashion!