The Coach - Checking In

Since school is out, I don't have regular access to the internet (at least not at times when I'm not doing on-line classes), but i I sit in my living room, close to the opened front door, and angle my computer just right, I can pick up some neighbor's wireless signal.

Since I last checked in: three runs while I was at the USATF Level 1 Coaching school in Hutchinson Kansas (3.3 miles on Friday in 8:30's, 6.0 miles on Saturday in 7:45's, 4.0 miles on Sunday in 7:45, two 7:15's, and a 6:45 last mile). Altitude helps.

Since I've been back, I ran 3 on Monday (10's average through the hills of Fox Run with the single jogger and 25-pound kid), 4.4 in 8:40's on Tuesday on sidewalks with the double jogger and 40+ pounds of kids, 4.1 on Wednesday with the single jogger on roads near Fox Run (downhill for 2 miles, uphill for 2), and then Thursday off. Friday I ran 3 with the double jogger in high winds on sidewalks, and then came the Saturday long run.

I met kids from my high school team for an 70-minute long run. The plan is that everyone runs 35 minutes north and turns around so that, regardless of pace, everyone will finish at the same time and the same place. This theoretical finishing together only works if everyone actually runs their proper pace. This never happens, but what did happen saturday was even worse.

Three kids plus me started at 8:10 at the North Gate trailhead of the Santa Fe Trail. It's about .2 to the actual trail up a little winding side trail and already by that time, we had already separated. Sophomore "Fast McQuick" was well ahead followed by Big C, then me, then Big' C's brother - a dedicated but not fast yet freshman we'll call Little C.

I ran the first three miles (net uphill) in about 8:30's each, and caught Big C there. He was having blister and dead-leg issues. So we ran the next mile in 9-something and turned around at 4 miles (around 36 minutes). When we turned around, there was Little C still heading north instead of turning around like he should have. So we passed him and kept going south. At about 1.75 to go, Big C dropped off and told me to continue (I had slowed to 9:30's to keep my heart rate under 75%) and even though I was faster than him, I was still slow. I had to actually walk 3 times to get my heart rate down.

Anyway, McQuick passes me with a mile to go and finishes in about 72' for 10 miles. I finish in about 74' for the 8, and Big C comes in around 78'. I'm dissapointed, hot, and tired, but we drink some water, and eat some fake newtons (same energy content as a powerbar and much tastier and cheaper). We wait for Little C, and then I head up the side trail to meet him and encourage him (he looked beat when I saw him last at 3 miles to go), but instead of him, I meet an old lady walking south whom I had passed ages ago as she was walking north. I asked if she had seen a boy in a blue shirt, and she says she saw him on her way north but hasn't seen him since. This means that he missed the turn to get off the trail and headed south through the AFA!

I run down to the parking lot, send Big C in his car to a cutoff trail 2 miles down the road, send McQuick north a mile and back to make sure he wasn't dead on the trail up there, and I head south on the trail to find Little C and take him to the cutoff.

So, I ran the next 2 miles in 8:20's (already dead) and caught Little C 200 yards before the cutoff trail at Oracle/Anthem/Blue Shield. It sucked. My hip hurts today, and I hope I'll get in a little run.

I'll also try to post more often so the posts are shorter.