High School vs. Collegiate Running

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.

Sam super pumped for a roller ski a few Saturdays ago.