High school or college can be intimidating, especially starting off at the bottom of your cross country team. What was your experience?
High school or college can be intimidating, especially starting off at the bottom of your cross country team. What was your experience?
New to school wrote:
High school or college can be intimidating, especially starting off at the bottom of your cross country team. What was your experience?
as a freshman i worked very hard over the summer and put in lots of 45 and 50 mile weeks, then showed up and ran my first 5k in 19:02, which put me as 4th on the team. Funny thing is, 3 weeks later I dropped from 45 mpw to 25 mpw just to test myself and ran 17:14 to become the fastest on my team. now, I know lots of freshman are faster than that now but i was pretty proud. (HS)
That's not funny, but rather just how training works.
johnny bean wrote:
as a freshman i worked very hard over the summer and put in lots of 45 and 50 mile weeks, then showed up and ran my first 5k in 19:02, which put me as 4th on the team. Funny thing is, 3 weeks later I dropped from 45 mpw to 25 mpw just to test myself and ran 17:14 to become the fastest on my team. now, I know lots of freshman are faster than that now but i was pretty proud. (HS)
That IS really good not matter what your mileage, as a freshman. Good times!! I ran 19-flat as a freshman and was really frustrated. 16:40 the next year and was much happier.
The ugly American wrote:
johnny bean wrote:as a freshman i worked very hard over the summer and put in lots of 45 and 50 mile weeks, then showed up and ran my first 5k in 19:02, which put me as 4th on the team. Funny thing is, 3 weeks later I dropped from 45 mpw to 25 mpw just to test myself and ran 17:14 to become the fastest on my team. now, I know lots of freshman are faster than that now but i was pretty proud. (HS)
That IS really good not matter what your mileage, as a freshman. Good times!! I ran 19-flat as a freshman and was really frustrated. 16:40 the next year and was much happier.
16:40 is a very good time and that shows you worked hard. what are your PRs now? I graduated HS with a 15:27 so I did alright. College I ran 14:43.
High School:
I was a 19 kid as a freshman, low-16s as a senior, did well at state slower than low 16 on a very windy day. I was then your standard just under 10, just under 430 kid in track. I don't think back in my day any courses were actually 5K, though. A lot of the courses were 2.6 miles or so in recent history, so usually some weird thing would be tacked on and I think everything was an estimate, or short. I had some high-14s I didn't believe. No matter. I was from a podunk state, so one of the top guys leaving high school, held records, etc.
Months later:
Got into college (D1) as that same low-16 kid, with a few 34 or 35 10k road races over the summer, and ran into something like five state champions and state record holders, and a few foreigners who had basically just missed out on their Olympic teams. Redshirting I ran 33 something my first time out in a club race, and got buried. The whole fall went like that. 80-90 mile weeks, harder than I'd ever worked, and I'd go out in high-15 en route to finishing near the back in some pickup race. Not a single 5K, though. No way to compare. One early morning tempo day we did a 1600 TT and I ran faster than any high school kid would the next spring, and hella faster than I'd run 5 months earlier.
Track went the same way. Lots of TT work, sort of unofficial workout schedules, club meets where I'd get buried running crazy personal records. The only good news was that the summer after my freshman year I could win any road race I wanted, as long as none of my teammates were there.
Former school runner wrote:
High School:
I was a 19 kid as a freshman, low-16s as a senior, did well at state slower than low 16 on a very windy day. I was then your standard just under 10, just under 430 kid in track. I don't think back in my day any courses were actually 5K, though. A lot of the courses were 2.6 miles or so in recent history, so usually some weird thing would be tacked on and I think everything was an estimate, or short. I had some high-14s I didn't believe. No matter. I was from a podunk state, so one of the top guys leaving high school, held records, etc.
Months later:
Got into college (D1) as that same low-16 kid, with a few 34 or 35 10k road races over the summer, and ran into something like five state champions and state record holders, and a few foreigners who had basically just missed out on their Olympic teams. Redshirting I ran 33 something my first time out in a club race, and got buried. The whole fall went like that. 80-90 mile weeks, harder than I'd ever worked, and I'd go out in high-15 en route to finishing near the back in some pickup race. Not a single 5K, though. No way to compare. One early morning tempo day we did a 1600 TT and I ran faster than any high school kid would the next spring, and hella faster than I'd run 5 months earlier.
Track went the same way. Lots of TT work, sort of unofficial workout schedules, club meets where I'd get buried running crazy personal records. The only good news was that the summer after my freshman year I could win any road race I wanted, as long as none of my teammates were there.
What a great story, bud. Thanks for sharing.
Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
trained my face off the summer before entering college to run at a mid-major D1 school. first race of the year (part of the B squad at this point) i ran out of my mind and beat several big names from other colleges. coach got excited about my potential, and told me to lose 10 lbs. i dont think he meant any harm but it REALLY messed up my fragile freshman mind and i developed a cycle of disordered eating and overtraining that, although led to a stellar freshman XC season where I ended up as the #1, led to about 2.5 years of injuries, disappointment, and heartbreak before i finally pulled it somewhat together for my senior year (albeit not even back to the level i was at as a fresh).
advice to freshmen: dont get caught up in the numbers of how many miles you or your teammates are running. listen to YOUR body first and foremost. your coach is probably knowledgeable but is also tracking everyone else on the team. if you need to skip a morning run that they put on your schedule because youre feeling toasted, then skip it for God's sake. dont make the same mistakes that i and many others have.
cough cough cough wrote:
Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
So name the college! You no longer have any attachment.
Penn State? Arkansas, Texas a&m?
CapnPerv wrote:
cough cough cough wrote:Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
So name the college! You no longer have any attachment.
Penn State? Arkansas, Texas a&m?
Uh...Penn States not a big running powerhouse.
I remember the work load in College was so much heavier that I needed naps every day to help recover. 2 a day workouts gave me Achilles tendonitis so my feet were in a bucket of ice every day for 6mo. This was D3. Then I transferred to D1 where the mileage was higher and the workouts were longer. Fortunately, the D1 school kept the rest short so it was hard to get out of control with the speed. I was TIRED. I would fall asleep in class sometimes. I enjoyed it overall, but it was tough. My 1mi time from HS became my 5k race pace, 2mi became 10k pace. It was a great experience and I would not change it. But it was very tiring and affected my grades.
RunningZombie wrote:
I remember the work load in College was so much heavier that I needed naps every day to help recover. 2 a day workouts gave me Achilles tendonitis so my feet were in a bucket of ice every day for 6mo. This was D3. Then I transferred to D1 where the mileage was higher and the workouts were longer. Fortunately, the D1 school kept the rest short so it was hard to get out of control with the speed. I was TIRED. I would fall asleep in class sometimes. I enjoyed it overall, but it was tough. My 1mi time from HS became my 5k race pace, 2mi became 10k pace. It was a great experience and I would not change it. But it was very tiring and affected my grades.
Unless you're on an academic scholarship college is C's to pass
We had a runner go in for the Iron levels test. The nurse took some blood and the runner passed out. Took some time off, never was the same. Truth.
The good thing about freshman? I get older, they stay the same age.
GIGGITY!!!!
cough cough cough wrote:
Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
Gill St. Bernards grad?
Gill St. B wrote:
cough cough cough wrote:Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
Gill St. Bernards grad?
Gotta be Washington. Where good runners go to die.
Giggity!!!
interdasting wrote:
trained my face off the summer before entering college
I hope it grew back.
CapnPerv wrote:
cough cough cough wrote:Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
So name the college! You no longer have any attachment.
Penn State? Arkansas, Texas a&m?
This sounds literally like every story I've been told about Americans who get recruited to run at fsu.
Only thing else I can think is Oregon 15 years ago or maybe uva when the coach was having relations with the female runners
cough cough cough wrote:
Arrived at the university (now a big running powerhouse you are all familiar with) and realized the coach and recruiter were entirely different people from what I had been lead to believe and that they lied to recruits to get them to come there. Was cussed out (along with the rest of the team) almost daily and run into the ground so hard I have to believe the coach got off more on seeing people suffer than getting anyone to run well. Quickly realized the coach was mentally unstable and started making exit plans. Developed chronic fatigue syndrome from my time there being run into the ground and transferred at the end of the school year. Going to that school was the biggest mistake of my life. It ruined my running career, and we've all witnessed other big name runners fade into oblivion after attending that slaughterhouse of a program.
Note to youth: be sure to get runners alone and off to one side on your visits and ask them how things really are there. If things are bad, at least one will usually give you some pretty strong hints. Pay attention to those.
We want names. If the program is so bad, why don't you have the guts to post it's name, preferably under your name?
RIP: D3 All-American Frank Csorba - who ran 13:56 in March - dead
RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
Running for Bowerman Track Club used to be cool now its embarrassing
Hats off to my dad. He just ran a 1:42 Half Marathon and turns 75 in 2 months!
Great interview with Steve Cram - says Jakob has no chance of WRs this year