I know I sound like a broken
record when I say “back in Minnesota”, but truly the difference between
Minnesota and Vermont is astounding to someone who has only lived in one place
all their life. So, back in Minnesota, My high school program was considered
something of a joke within my conference. Our “long runs” were 40 minutes long
and they were not fast by any means. We did brutal intervals starting in June
and ending in November. Tapering? What’s that? We always were fast as lightning
bolts in August but in October we were struggling to not place in the back half
at any given meet. Our recovery days after races (Which we often had two a
week) consisted of 20 min with a short “flush out” sprint afterwards. That is
but a quick glimpse at a program that reduced runners to jelly by September. I
arrived out here for preseason, nervous because I knew that this would push my
body beyond its physical limits, ready and rarin’ to go. I was not
disappointed. Day one we tackled 4 miles running at 7:30 pace (a previously
unheard of practice pace for me), it was a refreshing experience for me to know
that I was surrounded by people who actually cared about running for more than
the six-pack it gave them. As for recovery days, it turns out those are our
longest runs of the week, averaging 10-12 miles at a crack. As we say back in
the North Country, “UFF DAA!!!”, this program was intense and rewarding. after
getting a personal best in the 5k in an 8k my times have continued to improve.
Good Work Coaches for having a killer program!!!
Ok,
so I primarily view myself as a skier. With that thought in mind I was a bit
hesitant to join the cross country team, thinking of horror stories in which
runners overtrained and fried their bodies out by the time ski season rolled
around. But with the cc coach being the nordic coach, I knew I was in good
hands. Seeing as how Nordic Skiing is the most cardiovasculary demanding sport,
any sport that worked the heart would be a good form of cross-training for
skiing. However, you can’t limit yourself to just cardiovascular strength.
Strength is also very important. If I had to bet on who could do more reps 225
lbs, between elite skier Petter Northug and Viking’s Running Back Adrian
Peterson, all my money would be on Peter.
-Sam H.
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| Sam super pumped for a roller ski a few Saturdays ago. |
