XC Enthusiast and Blogging State Medalist etrain11 has provided us with an update on his Paul Short preparation with a look into his final few days of pre-meet training. He will be attempting the rare triple of competing in the open race, covering the college races and covering the high school races.
With 10 days left to go until Paul Short, I am starting to get pretty excited for the big day. Obviously there is a lot of pressure with history on the line and my training has to be perfect if I'm going to execute successfully. At times like these I really just try to trust in the training and listen to my coaches. I've been starting to taper mileage wise and statistic wise so hopefully that will keep my legs and fingers fresh for typing, tweeting and video taping. Let me take you through my routine Today, September 21st, 2015.
6:25 AM
My alarm goes off for the second time. I complain to my girlfriend (who is having none of it). I pour myself a solid bowl of honey-nut cheerios while I watch SportsCenter. When I realize there will once again be no coverage of the weekend's cross country meets, I focus my attentions back on getting a good breakfast. Ultimately, I decide on three bowls this morning.
7:10 AM
I almost miss my train, but fortunately, I'm in great power walking shape. That's a good sign considering I'll likely be doing some power walking in between markers while watching the various cross country races at Lehigh. It's clear the altitude training is paying off.
The train is a great opportunity to catch up on weekend action I may have missed. So naturally, I plan to sleep for the entirety of the ride. I put on my Spotify playlist. There is still some fine tuning to do for this playlist if I'm going to truly get pumped on October 1st before covering the meet. I start the train ride with the Pitch Perfect Soundtrack.
8:30 AM
I'm at the office now so it's business time. Naturally my mind does some wondering to the Top 50 rankings I will have to produce. It's coming along well, but I'm not sure it's right just yet. These are the kind of workouts I really need to nail if I'm going to be successful at Paul Short. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. As Drake says, that's the Motto. And I YOLO.
I read Garrett Zatlin's latest Top 50 Rankings on the Blog. I'm relying on his expertise to really help in my college training. I've got the speed for HS, but not the endurance for college. I'll need both to really excel on race day. The article is, of course, amazing. Everyone should check it out. This is definitely not a shameless plug.
During lunch, I manage to squeeze in some updating to the district rankings. It's a good thing I did because my District 9 list got a big boost from the extra training. I'm satisfied by everyone knows it's not what you do in practice that matters. Nobody wants to be a workout hero.
12:30 PM
Core. Bodyweight drills. Hip flexibility stretches.
5:01 PM
It's time to get in a bit more power walking training: this time with obstacles on the streets of New York City. It's a variable you have to be prepared for, you never know exactly what tactics will be on display from fans at any given meet. The best coaches prepare for these moments and I'm glad I have a great coach.
Once on the train, I type up my Top 50 rankings in the notes section of my phone. It's a bit sloppy and slow, far from the efficiency I will need on race day. It's just not good enough. Sometimes you have off days, the key is having a short memory. Tomorrow will be another chance to redeem myself.
Not posting the Top 50 rankings until Tuesday. I need to continue to try to build the hype for #Top50Tuesdays. It's not gaining any momentum right now, but sometimes it takes time before your training shows itself in your results. Patience and trusting in the coaching staff is key here.
6:25 PM
It's time for a run. I suppose, technically, I have to train for my own race. I go for a solid 9 mile run. The half marathon that I did last week makes me feel pretty good about where I'm at, but really this is just a solid hour that I can dedicate to reviewing recent Paul Short Results.
Colin Abert's 14:55. Ben Furcht's sub 15:20. Doug Smith. Max Kaulbach. Who won in 2009? Perozze? I'm going to have to review my notes when I get back on solid ground. Can't make mistakes like that in the previews. Let alone the race analysis. That's a rookie mistake and I'm no rookie. There's a reason why I stress experience and maturity as indicators of potential breakthrough performance in championship racing.
7:45 PM
It's time for leftover taco dinner. I plan out a workout for later this week. Three x Pre-State Predictions with two minutes rest. I might throw in some strides at the end just to try and feel smooth and work on form.
9:00 PM
I can't help but notice lots of Chesmont discussion going on in the comment section of the blog. I feel this is a good chance to expand my abilities. I look up the top performances in the Chesmonts, the recent performances from a variety of the runners, the types of dogs of the top athletes and, of course, each runner's astrological sign. Astrological signs are perhaps the most important part of work here on the site.
10:30 PM
I don't know it's only 10:21
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