"I think I can...I think I can...I think I can..."

If you are a runner and participated in a race, you have by now discovered the importance of pacing. Usually it's learned the hard way. You start out too fast and end up wheezing, staggering and praying for the finish line. Sound familiar?
So you learn and hold back in the beginning making it to the finish line without vomiting. WOW! I have arrived! So you become a good conservative runner finishing barely breathing hard. Now what do I do?
Perfecting your pace can be a tricky, but important art. A clock is important to most of us as runners, but inevitably we run more by "feel". We decide to speed up, slow down, or hold steady based on how much 'discomfort' we can manage. Your brain reads whats going on in your cells and tissues and uses that information to get you into a rhythm as you settle into a pace. Learning how these internal sensors work is the key to developing a better pace.
Feelings of fatigue are often just in our head. Our bodies have much more in reserve than our head is telling us. We have to train our mind! Our bodies naturally protect us by anticipating the finish in order to keep us from reaching a failure point before we finish. Our brain receives signals from the body and checks in with all the necessary systems asking, "do we have what we need to perform at this level"? Then your mind adjusts the body accordingly. So how can we prevent the brain from hitting the brakes prematurely?
Experience, experience, experience!!! The more your experience fatigue, the more your body becomes in tune with its limits. This is best done by training at race pace periodically. Negative-split training is a good simulation of this conditioning. Running the second half of your workout faster than the first half will train you to override your mind when it tries to slow you down. This will enable you to say "no" to what your mind is trying to tell you from the signals your body is sending.
Learn to read these signals and override them by pushing through to the finish. So when you hear the coach yelling "push", set your mind on the finish line and you can slow down when you finish :)

Dress Rehearsal

"Simulator runs" train your body and mind for race success! When you step up to the start line, do you know what you're getting into? If you have put in the time in critical workouts that mimic the pace, terrain, and conditions of the upcoming race, you DO! Here are some suggestions.
1-Try to schedule your simulator runs two to four weeks before your actual race. 2-Do the run on a surface that is as close to possible to the actual race course. 3-Start your run at the same time that the actual race will be run. 4-Visualize the parts of the course in your mind as you run; forming strategies for each section. 5-Keep on your race pace during this run. This may seem tough to do, but don't let that worry you. On race day it will pay off dividends in that you will feel even stronger.

Back In The Day

It seems that coaching ‘now’ and ‘back in the day’ has undergone some changes over the last 50 years for coaches as well as athletes; particularly in track [XC]. I have noticed the good and bad coaching changes have gotten a lot clearer after I became a parent. Consequently, I believe that an old coach from Texas put it best, “that the three best qualifications for any coach are children of their own, a sense of humor, and a spiritual side”.

“Back in the day” many coaches had a ‘pick’em up and lay’em down attitude; like a “drill sergeant” approach. The belief was that an athlete had a “God-given” talent and little could be done to improve it. Sadly, along with that belief came the idea that injuries were just “part of the game”. As a result, what you found was that ‘bored’ athletes just “acted up”.

“Acting up” is seldom a problem when coaches are disappointed FOR athletes instead of IN them when goals are not reached. Does this mean coaches should not maintain discipline, eliminate bad habits and improve attitudes? Certainly NOT! Humor, rest, imagination, encouragement and rewards can all bring about desired results. The “key” is to get athletes to enjoy what they are doing; to compete with themselves as well as others.

Unfortunately, many coaches today do not take time to really understand the “why” of their coaching. Coaching any sport is not “a one size fits all” responsibility. Training reaches a point of diminishing returns if coaches don’t know where athletes are before they start and when they get there [conditioned]. “Coaching is teaching and if it is done right will gain immortality.” Some of the best coaches I have learned from are dead, but live on through the lives they touched. Most everything I know about coaching I learned from someone who was willing to invest in me what they knew; not just fill a position.

Your Race

Things are different for distance runners. Among their various eccentricities, they refuse to measure life in months or years. Rather, a runner's existence is noted in mile runs, weekend races, and bouts of tendinitis. There is only the simply process of wearing down the treads of countless pairs of shoes with hour after hour of perennial motion. They see life differently on foot without the ens of a car window.
Like life, racing itself is almost totally unpredictable and rarely follows a script, no matter how well you plan. Does going out too fast in the first mile(s) because you're over excited and hyped up, sound familiar? What about feeling fatigued early in a race? How about having to decide whether to stick with a competitor or let them go and hope they come back later in the race? How do you react to these race situations? Do you react with calm, calculated reactions, or panic and fear?
Your reactions to the ever changing environment of running, both before and during races, can have a huge impact on your race performance. When you react to any situation with panic or fear, your stress response kicks in. While runners need this response in optimal levels, an over heightened response can mean wasted energy and a compromised ability to make logical decisions.
When things don't go as planned, both before and during a race, you need to be able to control your thinking in order to control your reaction to the situation. When something doesn't go as planned in your running try to simply look for alternative ways to deal with the challenge.
If you get to a race later than expected getting angry and stressed is not going to give you more time to warm-up. Just tell yourself to be calm and plan your warm-up around the time you do have left. If you feel fatigued early in the race, don't panic with lots of negative thinking. Just remind yourself to relax, stay positive, and remember the sound preparation you have behind you.
When you develop any running plan whether it be training, racing, diet or mental training, be sure to include many possible scenarios in the plan.
A very important point to keep in mind for reducing anxiety and stress is to focus your attention only on things you can control. You can't control weather, other runners, or the number of hills on the course. You can control YOUR RACE! So, run it!

Who's Example Are You?

I'm currently a work in progress and like anyone else I face struggles every day. My goal is to be more Christ-like each and every day and that is not an easy take.

In the season of my life that I am in now, I feel so blessed that God has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. I'm thankful that I have been given this platform so that I can share my faith with the world!

Good example for each of you as athletes....remember, you are blessed with a gift (a talent) from God (running). When we use our gift to bring glory to Him, He will exalt us through our BEST effort in our times and places (WINNING!)

Not bad for an 18 year old who now is a world champion and double Olympic silver medalist...."Allyson Felix".

Remember, who's example are you and are you using your gift to its fullest ability?

"Hey Coach, What About Me?"

To slightly paraphrase something I once read, "Your body is not like everybody else's body". That's a question ever runner should ask whenever they hear the workout for the day. Here are four things to focus on each day as you run through the woods.
Arm Carriage
Some athletes tend to carry their arms too wide (110 degrees or higher) and others too narrow (75 degrees or smaller) and tuck their elbows in like a marsupial. The ideal for those running distance is somewhere in the middle. Arms usually act as a counterbalance when running easily. As tempo increases, so should the action of your arms. Think about keeping your arms at about hip level with the hands crossing about the waist in the follow through. In addition, arms should never cross the body's centerline.
Toe-off (Power)
One of the most common seen flaws in runners is the lack of "toe-off". This usually is a result of weak Achilles or calf muscles or too stiff running shoes. Good old fashioned stadiums (yes, the ones you did as punishment in P.E.) can achieve great results. Shoes with greater flexibility allow a runner's feet to function more naturally with far greater power in the "toe-off".
Knee-lift & Rear Leg Extension
Greater knee-lift should not be emphasized in performance based distance running, but the amount of drive fired through the hamstrings and into the Gluteus-all fired to the rear, not the front. The "butt-kick-drill" is an excellent training for this. And should I say, yes-HILLS!
Sitting In The Bucket
Note-the gluteus, hamstrings, calves, and even the lower back muscles are both invaluable and interconnected as they relate to forward movement. All of these muscles are forced to work HARDER when an athlete runs while "sitting in the bucket". In other words, when your arms are below your - _ _ _ _! Moreover, tightness in the shoulders can force a runner to hunch and will exacerbate the 'booty'. Keep your oblique strong and be sure to stretch your lower back regularly. Make sure your hamstring muscles are strong and flexible.

All runners have different forms. And yes, running "properly" is indeed a subjective assessment. BUT, there are a number of form maladies that can inhibit you from moving forward powerfully and efficiently. Next time you go for a run think, "What About ME?"

Coach's Notes 8/14/08

I hope everyone is having a great summer and looking forward to the Fall seasons if you are participating in a Fall sport. For all of you that are planning on running XC with the track club this Fall; and are participating in a Fall sport, continue to use your sport practices as your necessary preparation for the JO XC progression meets after your seasons are over. For those of you that are not in a Fall sport program at your school; and are planning on running XC with NWTC, the following conditoning program is a suggested plan for you to follow.

Bantam - Midget: M-1 mi, T-1.5 mi, W-1.75-2 mi, Th-rest, F-1.5, S-1 mi, Sun-rest
Youth - Intermediate: M-2 mi, T-2.5 mi, W-3-4 mi, Th-2.5, F-2, S-2-3 mi tempo or fartlek, Sun-rest
Young Men/Women: M-2 mi, T-3 mi, W-4-5mi, Th-3, F-2, S-2-3 mi tempo or fartlek, Sun-rest

In the next week I will be placing meet dates on the "google calendar". Our XC practice should begin September 5th.

Get ready for Mechanicsville!!