I'm a guy who just graduated from high school and will be a college freshman at USC this fall. I know that they have a good sprint team, but does anyone know how their mid-distance guys train? They don't have a guys XC team, so it's hard to get concrete info on how they train.
Anyway, my 800PR is 1:58. Not terribly fast, but enough to get on the team as a walk-on. Also, this is the university of southern california, not south carolina.
What distance program?
Ron Alice is a nice guy and will no doubt welcome you aboard. Work hard and I'll bet you can get down to 1:51-1:52 before you graduate and score some points for them in the UCLA dual! Enjoy your college experience, it will go fast!
Listen carefully to his sound advice and do as he instructs and you will soon notice improvements in you fitness and times. Work with your training partners and they will keep you focused and motivated.
It will be tough but stick in there and work hard to reap the benefits.
Good luck and never give in!
Bagger wrote:
What distance program?
The middle distance program (800/1500), not the nonexistent XC program or the crappy 3K/5K track program.
as a very expensive, private university, USC does not have the money to fill out all of the events and teams and obviously spend alot of money on football, basketball, baseball, water polo, etc...track gets some money and they concentrate it on multi point type sprinters and jumpers and some 400-800m types.
USC has one of the strongest 800 programs in the country. Their top guy (a junior) will be on the US team in Osaka (as will their top 400 guy). To my knowledge, the 800 program is sprint/interval based, so if you are a mediocre 400 guy moving up, you will fit in better than if you were a high mileage 1500 guy moving down.
I once tried to talk to USC's track program. I was coming out of high school with a 1:58/51/4:27. Never got a call back, not like I deserved one but...yeah.
Yes good 800 runners in the past.. but because of Coach Allice? Nope...
mediocre sprinter wrote:
I'm a guy who just graduated from high school and will be a college freshman at USC this fall. I know that they have a good sprint team, but does anyone know how their mid-distance guys train?
No surprise they have no real distance or XC. Where would they train without getting shot?
I hope the 800 works out for you!
I got injured the 1st week of X-C workouts my soph year in college. I was out for 8 weeks. During that 2 months I too, got used to not having to workout twice a day. I went to eat when I wanted, stayed out later and had more social time with my girlfriend and seriously thought about not coming back when my stress fracture healed. I got used to 'not running' like you said. I did return and am very glad that I did. I went on to run a 3:49 1500m and 14:18 5k that track season. I kept with it, through other injuries and downtime and completed 4 years of college running and am SO GLAD that I did. Good times, memories and life experiences that I could never have had, being just a 'regular college student.'
Coach D wrote:
USC has one of the strongest 800 programs in the country. Their top guy (a junior) will be on the US team in Osaka (as will their top 400 guy). To my knowledge, the 800 program is sprint/interval based, so if you are a mediocre 400 guy moving up, you will fit in better than if you were a high mileage 1500 guy moving down.
Problem is that successful 400/800m runners these days are exceedingly rare.
tyrus deminter is the distance coach, deminter can still run sub 16 for a 5k in his mid to late forties, little known fact usc is where toshiheko seko a former boston marathon winner who ran sub 210 for the marathon got his start in running.
tyrus stopped coaching at sc in 2002..
Hey there:
I just graduated from USC and was part of their distance program for my first two years. You can definitely run there. While they don't have ncaa xc for men, the track team has an integrated club xc team that trains even the 800 guys. Coach Alice personally coaches the male 800 guys along with Lazlo Tabori, an old throwback who was the 3rd miler under 4 back in 1957. While some of his methods seemed a little archaic to me, he definitely trains guys well for speed. He will have you do lots of quality intervals.
Between school and work, I ran out of time and energy keep up competitive running by my junior year, but I am quite glad that I was able to be part of the program. As a walk on distance runner, you'll be treated as somewhat of a second class citizen compared to the rest of the team. However, perks like registering for classes first, having access to awesome training table meals at the galen center (not the b-ball stadium) and top of the line training personnel more than make up for this.
Regardless of whether you end up coming out for track, you're in for a college experience like none other. There's an atmosphere of enthusiastic ambition there that's unlike anything I've ever come across. Also, the combination of being in downtown LA and having the largest international student population of any US university, the USC campus is one of the most the most diverse places in the world. And between you and me, we're going to annihilate everyone in the country this year on the turf. My email is linked to my user name. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding the track program or anything else.
Fight On!
-Peter
been there DO NOT do it wrote:
I got used to 'not running' like you said. I did return and am very glad that I did.
Then why is your name "been there DO NOT do it"?