the final countdown

The last week of summer is finally here, academically speaking of course. I'm sure for most of you it comes with mixed feelings - excited about the season starting but maybe not so much the beginning of classes for the semester. For the coaches, there are no mixed feelings - we can't wait to see everyone, catch up with the returnees, and welcome a new group into the program.

Everyone should have received an email last week with an attachment of important dates. Along with the mandatory meetings and functions, we'll gather informally for optional practices at the track on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 AM. For Saturday, we'll possibly arrange a carpool effort to get to the River or Kennesaw. Again, these are optional practices and attendance is not mandatory - though we certainly would love to see all!

Also of note, after our cross country team meeting on Friday, we'll have a team dinner, so don't make any other plans!

Post your running to the comments. Have a good last week on your own. The weather forecast here in the ATL calls for slightly lower temps and good chances of rain almost every day.

See you all by week's end!

no relief in sight

Less than two weeks to go before everyone returns to campus and all across the country the extreme summer conditions are unrelenting. Congrats to all on the job you've done in getting your running in and working around the heat and humidity. Eventually you will feel the hint of fall in the air, but not yet. Press on!

I apologize for no email being sent with important dates. Maybe early next week. Just know that freshmen can move in at no extra charge on Thursday, August 19th...and should plan to do so. Upperclassmen should move in as early as possible on Friday, August 20th and everyone should be at the Cross Country Compliance Meeting on Friday, August 20th at 4:00PM. Upperclassmen living in campus housing will incur a $65 charge for moving in a day early, and I will arrange for a $65 credit to hit your bursar's account.

We will then have a Cross Country team meeting either Friday or Saturday and physicals will be on Sunday. Freshmen physicals will be early Sunday, and upperclassmen will be late morning. Of course, classes begin on Monday, August 23rd and we will have our first official practice that day.

Post your running to the comments, a few of you need to catch up a couple of weeks.

See you soon!

rest for the weary

With the last few weeks being a solid block of training, this week is a well-earned period of recovery and consolidation. Plan a day off somewhere in the week on one of the aerobic recovery days by shifting that day's mileage to other days. And make a point to get as much rest and sleep as you can. Hopefully, an email will be sent to you this week with information detailing move-in, meetings, and physicals. So be looking for that. Our schedule will be finalized very soon and it is listed below. A couple of the dates are still tentative and are noted with an asterisk:

Saturday, Sep 4 / UGA Invitational / Athens, GA
Thursday, Sep 16 / GT v UGA Dual Meet / Athens, GA
*Saturday, Oct 1 / Louisville XC Classic / Louisville, KY
*Friday, Oct 15 / Blue Ridge Open / Boone, NC
Saturday, Oct 30 / ACC Championships / Boston, MA
Saturday, Nov 13 / NCAA South Region / Birmingham, AL
Monday, Nov 22 / NCAA National Championships / Terre Haute, IN

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.