ALL INCOMING COLLEGE FRESHMAN RUNNERS...

Gushiken Part 1 :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQZpyiXXtgg

Gushiken Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc8070icmvU

Play your cards close to your chest for at least 3 weeks. Most frosh will hammer themselves silly those first couple weeks and then fall apart and maybe never get back (I know a lot of those), or may realize the mistake and level back out. After you've learned the ropes you can really start working your tail off in the ways you need to.

You can only train hard if you train smart!

The biggest adjustment in college running is (often) going from a big fish in a small pond (high school)'to just being a mid packer

If you ran 15-16min for 5k in HS maybe you won HS dual meets but in college you might run 27mins for 8k as a freshman and be far back and want to quit

And you were being generous.

-2/10

Don't kiss anybody and be careful what you drink from (stay healthy Harriet).

Da truths my nig wrote:

The biggest adjustment in college running is (often) going from a big fish in a small pond (high school)'to just being a mid packer

If you ran 15-16min for 5k in HS maybe you won HS dual meets but in college you might run 27mins for 8k as a freshman and be far back and want to quit

Some folks seem to pine for the Glory Days of HS, but honestly it can be a big relief. You aren't the #1 runner, you aren't expect to score high, etc.. Enjoy the anonymity and few expectations, it will change soon enough.

if you smoke weed don't do it in your dorm room

you are asking to get caught.

some might think this to be common sense but you wouldn't believe how many freshman try it for the first time and think they can get away with it in their dorm room with their cool new Bob Marley poster

EZ 10miler had some good information. I have been around the college scene for about 13 years now, and I have seen a lot of different things. I have seen state champions lose motivation and walk-ons be conference champions. You are going to get back what you put in.

I think the biggest thing to remember is that your coach is getting paid to do his/her job. He/she is not there to be your best friend and wipe your butt. This is their job, so it should be your job too.

Take care of yourself! Make sure to take advantage of all of the little things that you did not have in high school and recover as much as possible after your workouts. Recovery is a never ending process. Besides having a great deal of natural ability, one of the best things that professional runners do is recover. This helps them be able to work harder and faster for the next hard session.

A lot of freshman come in with iron deficiency issues. Get your Serum Ferritin checked 3-4 times a year. You may not like the red meat in the cafeteria, but eat it anyway. When you are 17-19 years old, your body is still growing and maturing. You are running almost everyday and losing lots of iron, so replace it. Take a iron supplement daily.

Don't get down on yourself. Unless you raced at a very high level in high school, every meet is harder than your state meet. I was a state champion myself and it took me three years to win a race and I ran under 3:50 in the 1500 by my second year. No one is going to hand you anything. You have to take it.

college running ain't all it cracked up to be. yeah the free nike gear is cool, but for most it means moving from "big fish in a small pond" to "small fish in a big pond". especially applies if you are at a D1 school in a big conference (as was i).

unless you're on scholly, don't expect jack attention from the coach. my HS coach was way better than my college one, btw. be prepared to hang on for dear life in some workouts. some of the other vets are very fast.

just offering a counterpoint. personally i enjoyed HS running more than college and wish I had partied more at the uni. two things i don't regret one bit: excelling at my studies and pigging out at the awesome dining hall.

Just be warned coaches can still be crazy at the college level. The stress of school and pressure to perform can combine to make a miserable experience. if you don't get too stressed out it Will be as amazing as you dream it Will be though. train hard but remember to enjoy your training and don't worry about it.

I'm going to quote this just to make sure everyone reads it. Agree with everything said.

My advise:

1) show off

2) party all night, sleep all day

3) Do only what is required to pass your classes, do not go above and beyond because no one likes a show off.

4) Take the lead and push the pace on the easy days, let the haters hate.

5) It's your job to annoy the upperclassmen.

to any real incoming college freshman, I'd recommend that you work on getting your mileage up this summer because that will make the transition to college xc much easier. they are going to work you hard, but you can help by getting enough sleep and not trying to be a workout king your first season.

damn straight wrote:

My advise:

1) show off

2) party all night, sleep all day

3) Do only what is required to pass your classes, do not go above and beyond because no one likes a show off.

4) Take the lead and push the pace on the easy days, let the haters hate.

5) It's your job to annoy the upperclassmen.

I think I ran with you? How was your one semester of college?

whatwhat wrote:

damn straight wrote:

My advise:

1) show off

2) party all night, sleep all day

3) Do only what is required to pass your classes, do not go above and beyond because no one likes a show off.

4) Take the lead and push the pace on the easy days, let the haters hate.

5) It's your job to annoy the upperclassmen.

I think I ran with you? How was your one semester of college?

I'm sure I got laid more times in one semester than you did over the course of four years.

And by the way we didn't have semesters at UC Santa Barbara, we were in the quarter system. And I lasted all four years.

All joking aside, don't follow my advise. (for the most part)

What year did you graduate? The fact that you mention the school you ran at makes your advice more funny, because in season partying is not supposed to be tolerated...

lol.......... wrote:

What year did you graduate? The fact that you mention the school you ran at makes your advice more funny, because in season partying is not supposed to be tolerated...

obviously you guys don't understand a troll.

that's why I mentioned "Don't take my advise"

These things may seem like common sense but you will probably find yourselves dealing with these once you get settled in to school.

1. Study - In high school I got a 3.6 GPA in honors curriculum not doing sh*t. I occasionally skipped class, didn't do homework unless it was necessary, and didn't spend a single minute studying. A lot of you probably did this as well. In college classes are harder, but if you manage your time well it won't be too bad (unless you are a pre-med or something). Set aside a block of time each day to study/get your sh*t done, and strictly adhere to this block of time. This way, you won't find yourself procrastinating (dig yourself in a hole) and will have free time to do other stuff when not running.

2. Read- When a teacher assigns you a reading assignment for homework in high school to most kids this basically means no homework. In college the curriculum and tests is largely reading based, you paid a bunch of money for those books, so suck it up and read in your allotted study time/free time.

3. Go to class - no-brainer here. "good notes" from a classmate is no substitute for actually going to class and interacting with a professor who is (hopefully) an expert in their field.

4. Running is important but there are other things to do that make college a great experience. You shouldn't go out and party the night before meets, but if you were a "good kid" in HS dont be afraid to meet people, go out, and get sh*tfaced every now and then. You will have fun and make memories to last a lifetime. Just because you "party" does not make you a horrible kid and if you are smart about it you can do just fine with your academics & running. Its all about moderation and time management in college, master this and you will prosper.

Tips

*make friends with any sprinters/football players on your track team - you can go with them to the good parties (hot girls)

*girls - college girls are different than HS girls, they are away from mommy and daddy and want to have fun(sex). Be confident, hygienic, and learn to embrace rejection. Follow these rules and you will get some poon.

*don't be that dumb freshmen who tries to be a workout stud, go with the pack - you will tire yourself out long term and probably die a few intervals in anyways, listen to the coaches and embrace the training plan

*Unless you were a top 10 nationally ranked stud in your event in HS its probably ok to be average/midpack. If you are in D1 especially you will get smoked by plenty of runners who are way better than you. You will learn and get better with time and hard work.

*A good rule of thumb when partying is to "keep it to the weekends". The week is for work, the weekend is for play (given there are no meets). If you are at a big college you will most likely be able to party ANY day of the week, Thirsty Thursdays, Wasted Wednesdays, etc... stay away from this.

Take your advice from gwbush; "If wanted to read a book, I woulda had my grandpa buy my way into Princeton."