Judah Jog

Ladies,

It was a cool summer morning, a little humid but with a dead calm wind and clear skies, it promised to be a fine day for a 5k.

We were represented by four runners - Alli, Keeley, Chelsea, and Chelsey. For the first three, this race was supposed to be a non-race, that is, a steady effort, more like a tempo. I changed my plans slightly (okay, significantly) when Keeley didn't have a watch. Alli is a senior, wore a watch, and is an experienced runner. I knew she'd be okay to handle her own race (and would also very much like to do so). Keeley has been a mustang since she's run with us, so I decided my time would be best spent trying to drive a point home.

My buddy Jon was there, and he had a Garmin. His plan was to run in the 21-22 range, starting at 7:15 pace. While this pace is a lot faster than I would have had Keeley go on her own, let's face it... she would never have done that anyway. She would have jetted out with the front of the race. I wanted to set an aggressive pace, watch what happened in the middle, then try to pull her through it. It would be tough on her, but I knew she could handle it.

The plan was upset by Jon's inability to control himself. I knew in the first 200-400 yards we were going way too fast. When he finally did sneak a peak at his Garmin I asked, "Going faster than your pace, eh?". I could see the grin on his face as he twisted back. Turns out he was at 6:08! He hit the brakes to adjust his pace, and as we caught him, I could see he'd overadjusted. We had to leave him.

By the time we got to Old 37 the early pace was starting to take it's death grip on Keeley. When I couldn't get her to glide downhill anymore, I knew she was hurting. Still I pushed her. This situation will happen to every racer (if they race enough), Keeley more often than others because of the way she races... even when you're hurting like this, you have to maintain form. Keep the stride open. Get the arms away from your chest, move them. You don't push off your foot harder, but you keep the stride open. It takes a lot of discipline, but it can save your race.

After the turn, we could see Alli closing. She'd been far better at setting her pace, and Keeley's collapse was creating an opportunity. I was torn. On the one hand, my competitive spirit wanted her to try and catch, but the coach knew she needed to keep doing what she was doing. It was the 85% effort I told her to do. It was great discipline for her to stay on plan.

I had turned back to talk to Alli, though with no intention of staying with her. It's not that I wouldn't have - if it would have helped, I would - but Alli doesn't want or need me to run beside her talking her through a race. In fact, her time would have been hurt by her bending over to pick up rocks to throw at me. No, better to run back up to Keeley, who had dropped away from Jon, the man she was supposed to follow.

This last mile had quite a few rollers. They weren't big hills, but they came at just the wrong time. The effect was to spike the heart rate, which at a high effort level can be deadly. Try as I might, as hard as I cracked the whip, nothing was going to make Keeley run the downhills any harder. I've seen this look over and over in races. Things were hurting pretty bad.

After we crossed Old 37 the final time we were left with around 3/8's of a mile, mostly a slow downhill glide to the finish. With one 90 degree turn to a straightaway, it was time to go if we were going to catch Jon. I tried pulling, I tried running alongside, I tried everything short of kicking Keeley in the pants, but she was all-out already. So I kicked to get to Jon.

I pulled alongside him with around 50 yards to go. He looked at me and said, "You're not going to pass me NOW?!" A pang of guilt struck me. Sure, I would mess with him all the way in, but in the end, he was going to get the nod. I started bumping and pushing him, culminating in a windmill-slapping affair, then I stepped behind him.

Keeley came in behind, 23:29 was the time I had for her, 2nd female overall. Alli came in shortly behind, slightly over 24:00, a very solid effort for 4th female. Next came Chelsea, who out-dueled the next female finisher for 7th female overall, and 25:59. Finally, Chelsey was finishing side-by-side with a boy. The boy was getting the lean, but he kept looking at her, twisting his head to see her face. That told me all I needed to know.

"Kick him! He's finished! Kick him!", I yelled. It might not have been very nice, but it was true. She kicked, he tried to respond, and she wore him down, stepping through just ahead of him. Sweet. And good for 9th female.

So our breakdown:

• Keeley - 7:33 pace
• Alli - 7:50 pace
• Chelsea Scott - 8:22 pace
• Chelsey Schofield - 8:29 pace

In comparing these paces, let's remember some key points:

• Keeley was racing all-out. I know for a fact Keeley was. If that girl could have kicked with me at the end, she would have. She was at the limit. She wanted to beat me. So. Bad. 
• Alli and Chelsea ran a time comparable to our tempos on the track, which were of course flatter than the course we ran today. Alli told me from the start she was planning on a 7:45-8:00 pace. Looks like she stuck to it. Chelsea was set up for 8:15. Smart races, both of you.
• I don't know how much running Chelsey has been doing this summer - we've missed her! However, she had nice finish at the end, meaning she wasn't all-out. 

If you do summer races, don't expect October times. We aren't there yet! Expect a solid effort, a "harder-than-daily-run" effort. Tempo level. Hard, but not all-out. You get the point. The great times will come later in the cycle. We're setting the stage with our running over the summer. Patience, it will come. 

Foote's Tomb and Fartleks

Ladies,

Today we made it. Though there is no truly safe way to get there, we successfully made our way through the east side of town and arrived at our destination - Foote's Tomb. The grave site itself was not really the goal, just an interesting sideshow for what we'll later be doing. That's right, an abandoned railroad bed passes right past Foote's Tomb, and it's a good trail run when conditions are right.

Here would be a short list of my pre-conditions for running the trails in this area:

• Never run alone or even in small groups. Fair or unfair, you young ladies are easy targets for predators. Don't kid yourselves; none of you are a match for any adult male. Do not put yourselves in dangerous situations.
• We can't have nearly 5 inches of rain in the week leading up to running the trail. Like this week. Unless of course you wish to come back to your car bathed in a luxurious coat of railroad bed creosote and mud. Your call.
• Only run the bed in daylight hours. People aren't the only predators on the bed. I've been chased by coyotes back there. Yes, Lawrence County has a healthy coyote population. A single coyote is not really dangerous, but if a small pack gathers... especially if you happen upon a den... think of them as wild dogs and you get the picture. If you do see one, never, EVER attempt to approach it.

With the Stellar grant going through, we'll soon have additional running opportunities in and around town. There are rumors of Rails to Trails lines extending west from Bedford to Crane. I'll believe it when I see it, but here's hoping. 

As Danielle has astutely noticed, Thursdays are becoming a secondary quality day. I'm not trying to hide this; it's something we need to establish as a regular aspect to our week. Here's the rationale - your running form will change to reflect the type of running you do most of the time. If we are always running easy pace, then our form will be adapted to do just that. It's one of the miracles of the human body that we can adapt to our surroundings and circumstances, but it can at times work against us. In this case, we want to be racers. That means we have to practice being racers by, well, racing, so to speak. Our fartleks allow us to stretch our strides out in bursts, let's us accelerate, alter our heart rates... all these changes can be uncomfortable at the time, but isn't racing uncomfortable?

There is another quality to it as well. We have to hone our mental states, gear our minds to be racers. For guys, this is easy - we're wired to beat everyone at everything at all times. We can't help it, just like you gals couldn't help picking out those pretty pink shirts when you were younger (or now!). Okay, if you haven't thrown your cell phone at the computer yet, bear with me... I believe girls are competitive, just not always the same way guys are. Our priorities aren't your priorities, and you tend to be far more sophisticated about what you compete about than we are. However, our activity is as simple as it is elemental - we are looking for ways to mentally break down our opponents as runners. In short, we want to suck the life out of them, prevent them from challenging us.

We want to project strength at all times. We want confidence, control, and stamina to flow from us, if not for real, then at least to all outward appearances. If we carry ourselves like quality racers it will tend to quell many challenges that would otherwise come. 

Making little breaks in a race, short little accelerations, can be probing tactics that search for an opponent's weakness. Do they follow when you break? Do they hesitate? Do they fall back and regain? How hard are they breathing when they return? Were you able to open a gap? If you are in a big pack, surges will definitely break some of the runners, thinning down your competition. It will also help you identify who your real threat is in your group. People that match you step-for-step are likely to be there at the end. Additionally, people that can instantly respond to your moves but won't pass are almost always sprinters. This means you don't want them around by the end. 

Scenario: you're halfway through a rolling 5k course. You're in the front pack, feeling strong, but there are a lot of girls around. You know you have a legitimate shot to win, but you have to turn this race to your strengths. Though you have decent finishing kick speed, you often get outkicked. You have a great base, so you are confident in your ability to finish strong.

This is the perfect scenario for laying down some fartleks. You want them to be short at first, maybe 100 yards, just so you can break the group up. You'll be amazed at how quickly this happens - most people in a group are just barely hanging on, like water on a dog's fur. One or two hard shakes and they'll be gone. 

With about a mile left, look around. At this point you have to deal with the kicker. Now you start a long, steady acceleration. The kicker will expect this one to end quickly, as before. What a surprise when it doesn't! Now you're crawling into her head... what does this girl have? What's going on? Can I hold this? Stick that doubt in there, and before long she'll give up on it. Pure kickers tend to want to run as slowly as possible, waiting for the sprint. They aren't used to pushing all the way.

The goal is to open enough daylight so no one sees a point in challenging you. It's the string, that imaginary line that connects you to other runners. Break the string, and the girl is beaten. When push comes to shove, the mind is the most important aspect of racing. Once the mind stops believing something is possible, it's impossible. It doesn't matter how well trained the body is, the body cannot overcome the mind.

We are a varied group of girls with varied talents. We have sprinters, we have sloggers, and we have everything in between. Discovering the kind of runner and racer you are will help you become a better racer. It doesn't matter what kind of racer you are, you can win! You have to learn how to get everyone else to fight the way you fight best. 

Odds and Ends

Ladies,

In light of today's events, let me reiterate a couple of things...

• Physicals need to be completed ASAP. These must be filed on the official IHSAA forms available online. No exceptions! Give them to me as soon as you have them. 
• I need to be made aware of any specific health concerns - allergies, diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease... anything and everything. Our sport, while not overtly dangerous, does impose some risks. 
• I want to be made aware of any lingering pain. We all hurt from training - that's not specifically worrisome. Knife-like pain or pain around the knees and hips needs attention.

Your safety is the most important thing to me. After that your grades, then and only then your athletic performance. Those are my priorities, in order. 

Speaking of priorities, the coaches and I were speaking after practice. Coach Jo raised another good point (and she's quickly becoming a genius in my book) about our focus. We need to always have in mind our goals for the upcoming season. Sure, it's early yet, I know, but you know what? When I train for an event I allow 6 months and my focus is always on where I want to be during that peak race. Always. I analyze my training throughout the cycle to figure out what is going right and wrong, and deciphering the proper adjustments to make along the way. I'm methodical about it really. I forget sometimes that other people aren't that way. 

Here's a goal I have for this team - get to Semi-State. This is a challenging though completely doable goal for you ladies.

Here's another goal - place in the top 3 at Conference, Sectional, and of course top 5 at Regional. Once again, very doable goals. 

Here's another goal - I want as many girls under 22 minutes as possible. If we get 5 girls in the 22's, we'll likely cruise to Semi-State. If we get 5 in the 20's, we'll go to State. That's my ultimate goal. 

You should be thinking about those goals. You should also add some personal goals. I like to set mine at three levels - the immediate, the mid-range, and then ultimate goals. Example:

This week: build my mileage up, run on the front of the group.

Mid-range: by summer's end be running 8 miles per day.

Ultimate: drop my time from last year 30-45 seconds. 

Yours may vary, but this template allows enough flexibility to fit in your specific goals. 

A bridge too far

Ladies,

I apologize. I pushed too hard, and the thing is, it wasn't a hard thing to see coming. Coach Jo told me I was asking too much. I know I am upping your mileage every week. It was hot and muggy. I was asking for trouble, and found it. I own that, and I apologize.

Don't let it bother you. We're in our 4th week - this is the first workout that was a bust. They will happen. We're on track, we have no real problems at the moment, but sometimes the only way to know where the boundaries are is to cross them. Today we did. In retrospect it would have been wiser to stick to 2 or 2.5 miles, or do a completely different moderate-effort workout for an equivalent length.

The one thing I noticed though, and we do have to work on this, is how it fell apart. Once the first person broke, it was as if the dam burst. Part of this was because you were running right on the edge, but without trying to sound harsh, it revealed something else - how important it is to have your head in the right place, and how we need to make mental adjustments when things go wrong.

This workout was the first time there was absolutely no energy in the warm-up or even before. There was a pall hanging over all of you. There were a lot of reasons to feel that way, I agree, but even at that you can never be afraid to try. Some of your best workouts will come at the least likely times. Who knows why? But they do, and you have to give yourself a chance to experience it. You do that by trying as hard as you can to put your head in the place it can do you the most good.

Stay in the positive. What can you control at that moment? How does your body feel? Are you holding it together? How is your breathing? How is your foot plant? These are things you control, and the things you should focus on most. Don't worry about how much is left. There is right here and right now, and that is enough to worry about. If you are in control, you are far more likely to stay positive. If you stay positive, you are far more likely to extend yourself for greater periods of time and distance.

Again, this workout didn't work because I didn't design it well, and I didn't listen to good counsel. You tried to do what I ask, all of you. No, I need to go farther than that - a couple of you knocked it out of the park. Bret continues to look reborn, and she was plowing through the miles as if nothing was awry. Claudia also did a fantastic job in that this was the first time she felt confident enough to take a leadership role in a run. For a raw beginner, that's a pretty big deal. The rest of you put in great efforts until it all fell apart.

Tomorrow we will run a mystery course - that is, you don't know where I'm taking you until you show up. Hey, it's Bedford, it can't be that obscure. But it will be different.

Optimist

Ladies-

That course we did today? That's called the "Optimist 10k" course. If you climb into your wayback machine and set the year to 1985, you would find there used to be a 10k race in town called the Optimist 10k. I think you can put the rest together for yourselves!

It was a milestone run today. This was the first time as a team in the time I've been coaching where we as a unified team have run 6 miles or more (in summer training). Yes, we had individuals go beyond 5 miles last year, even some that went to 8, but it didn't happen that often. We were too hurt to get there.

Are miles important? YES! Miles give you strength, and strength lets you hold onto speed longer. You are all naturally fast enough to run a great 5k - after all, a 6:30 pace will put you right at 20:00. The bigger question is are you strong enough to hold that pace? With the help of a good summer of training, hopefully the answer will be an emphatic "YES!"

Not everyone will be vying for a 20-minute 5k this year. Some will be nowhere close. It doesn't matter. Sure, I would love it if everyone broke 20, but the reality is we are all at different stages of running, different abilities, and different health. Instead of asking for the impossible, I'll go for something far more attainable - improvement. In short, I want everyone to improve this year from beginning to end.

Those that are near the front will necessarily improve less than those near the back. It should be obvious why - there is a theoretical end to speed possible for a girls' 5k. The closer you get to that maximum, the less time you have left to drop. When you first start running, you drop minutes; after a couple of years, you drop seconds.

Remember, 10 points kept us out of Semi-State last year, right? That's 10 places. In certain areas of the running pack, 10 places could be 5 seconds. So I ask, is a 5-second drop important? YES! I will take absolutely any improvement. Always.

You are all getting better. You are all working hard. Know that I must push you harder, even in the summer. Know that the pain you suffer now is no worse than the pain your opponents around the state are facing. This is the price runners must pay to be great.

Tomorrow we will tempo again, and I am extending the distance again. Don't be afraid of it - face it. Embrace it. Accept the challenge.

The Mill is a Thrill

Well... how did you all like that? I had a good time, but I always have a good time when I'm around. One of the benefits of being me, I guess.

Seriously... it seemed as if everyone enjoyed our little run through the park. I'm sorry we can't do that every day, but then, I think even the park would get stale after a while. And let's face it... you guys wouldn't want to run those hills EVERY day!

On the way home from the park I was contacted by Wal-Mart. Your bake sale is a "GO"! July 6th, 8-3, no more than 15 people at a time, and stay in the designated zones. We'll talk more about it Monday, but make your plans. Remember, this is moratorium week, so I can't - eh, what? Wait a sec, someone just handed me a note...

...mm-hmmm... yes...

Okay, one of my readers, a "Dani" sent a note asking that I stop using the word "moratorium" and instead refer to this time period as "dead week". That's a little morbid for my taste, but hey, gotta keep the fan base happy. Your generation does seem to have an unnatural infatuation with zombies...

So, on "Dead Week" (air quotes) I cannot contact you guys at all. At. All. However, I am the official contact for Wal-Mart in this matter, so... I would be in emergency mode only. I want to be very clear about that, it's beyond my control. You guys did everything last year and I'm sure you can handle it. I was able to check in on you guys last year, and that made me feel better. I guess I'm a nervous Nelly on this.

So, three weeks into our 9-week summer, and you guys are looking GREAT! I'm really, REALLY happy with almost everything right now. I say "almost" because we are beginning to see some minor health issues crop up. Stay on the ice. Stay healthy. If we learned nothing else from last year we know ignoring these things does not make them go away.

One more week until the break. Let's make it a great one!

Motivation

First, let me start off with a shout-out to my #1 fan - Chloe. She texted me today concerned I hadn't posted here in a few days. Fact is I've been pretty busy, but in the interest of feeding my fan base, let me throw some thoughts out here.

I've been doing endurance athletics since I was 14 years-old, a mere freshman in high school. I joined the swim team more because my P.E. teacher asked me to than any desire to be good at it. Frankly, it was the first time any adult in my life had taken any interest in my athletic ability. I was good at it, but I never got as good as I could have been, mainly because I didn't want it, or at least, badly enough. Hind sight is 20/20 as they say, and I've often wondered what might have been had I committed myself to the sport the way I have everything ever since. Of course that's the lament of all people my age - coulda/shoulda/woulda - and it isn't all that germane to this post.

What I've wondered more often is why I did it at all. What was it that made me go through all the workouts? I can honestly tell you I hated every single lap of every single practice I did for 4 years. No exceptions. I knew I was good at it, and apparently that was enough to keep me at it.

Time passed and I came into my running career, into which I threw myself 100%. It was a completely different story, as I believe I wrung everything I had out of myself. I have absolutely no regrets with that part of my athletic history.

Here's the question though - what made it different? Was swimming harder? No, not at all. In fact, I would say it was easier for me because heat made no difference in swimming. Was I just better at running? No, I was good enough to swim college, but never good enough to run in college. What was it then?

To this day I cannot tell you.

Fast forward to now. I am now a coach (again), and part of my job is to help motivate other people to do something above and beyond what they themselves can accomplish. Imagine that... I'm supposed to understand what makes each of you tick, and I can't even for sure tell you what makes me tick. I'd be insane to assume I can nail this every time, if ever.

Sometimes people assume there is a one-size-fits-all approach to coaching teams. If there is anything I have learned as a coach, it's that there is no panacea for athletes. We all come into this for different reasons and different intensity levels. Sometimes it's a search for self-worth, sometimes it's a need to belong to something bigger than one's self, and sometimes it's just plain old vanity. Sometimes it's a bit of everything.

I think it's easier to believe we're all on our own individual paths, and as often happens in life, our paths intersect every so often. For this brief period of time you call high school, all your paths intersect. For whatever individual reasons you have, you share a purpose. Your motivations may be different, but you all want the same thing. That's special, and it won't happen very often in your life.

You see, having that shared purpose creates that unspoken yet poignant bond amongst one another. This is something so special that there is a high price to share in it - hard work, suffering, pain - but the reward lasts a lifetime. These people with whom you share your time right here, right now will forever occupy a special place in your hearts, and no matter where you go and what you do, will remain forever young and forever in this place and time.

There are some things in life that cannot be understood merely by reading a description. Words are inadequate at such times, only experiencing these things on a personal level provides true understanding. Your sisters-in-arms understand you in a way no one else in your life ever will.

I don't know if these existential ponderings have accomplished anything more than making some of you scratch your head and say, "Whaaaaat?" I suppose one of the side effects of endurance training is it gives your mind plenty of time to wander, and sometimes I turn philosophical.

What I do know is this - endurance athletics changed my life, and very much for the better. They taught me I had value, that I was good at something, that with hard work I could accomplish many things. They taught me to think beyond myself, to think of others first. They taught me to be humble, and to persevere when things didn't go my way. They gave me the very best friends of my life, my second family. All of these things by themselves would have been good enough reason to be involved, but when I started, I wouldn't have listed a single item on this list as a reason why I was doing it. I was too young and didn't yet see the whole picture.

If you sometimes find yourself asking why you do it, relax - everyone does that. Just let me assure you that there are plenty of great reasons to stick it out and do your best - and you probably don't see even a fraction of them yet.