What's The Purpose of This?

Every now and then -- not often -- a kid will ask me "what's this for?" in regards to a training run or workout. It's a good question, I love 'em, because they beat the statement some make which goes, "you runners, all you guys do is just go out an' jog, right???" Uh, wrong.

What we do has purpose. What we do is part of a bigger plan to produce prodigious performances. (I didn't have to say it that way, but it looked cool on the screen so I went with it.)

Like today. We did a funky, kind of odd workout, one that would seem, well, like, "what's the purpose of this?" Hill sprints. 3 of them. Uh, why?

Read this to get the answer!

Spoiled ... How Sweet it Is

I have to admit,I'm a bit spoiled. No, not in the traditional sort of way, where I get whatever I want, whenever I want it. I don't throw fits when my way isn't the way, but yea, I'm spoiled.

It dawned on me about dawn this morning. There I was, on the lonely Highway 111 headed toward Palm Springs at 0-dark-100. The eastern horizon went from a low glow to an orange slice, cut only by the dark desert that stretched out before me. My headlights cut an amber v-section out on the pavement. Ahead of me, beyond the high beams, awaited the Palm Springs Half Marathon and assembled there were some 15 teenagers, awaiting the start of the race. To get there on time, most had rolled out of bed before 5:00 am. On a Sunday.

Distance running is not the easiest of sports. I watch some other activities at school where most of those involved seem to do a lot of standing around watching the talented ones actually practice. Our's is a sport that doesn't naturally attract teenagers. Here in SoCal, we're known for chillin' at the mall or hangin' in front of our Xboxes. But get up before the crack of dawn and drive an hour to Palm Springs to run a race? Are you kiddin' me?

But there they were. No kidding. Ready to go, smiles on their morning faces, eager to push themselves. They had formed a number of relay teams, each dividing the 13.1 mile race into thirds. They all raced well. They took home medals and memories.

I took home a sense of spoiledness. How many coaches are as blessed am I? Maybe a bunch, I don't know, but I do know this: I'm enjoying every crack of daylight. Those routine rays shine brightly on what are increasingly good days, filled with uncommon kids, doing uncommon things.

If that ain't spoiled, I don't know what is.

Pacing is Everything!

Pacing is everything! We've preached this for 10 seasons now, but every now and then we get an example of exactly how it's done.

Below are the splits from Galen Rupp's recent INDOOR 5K national record. The laps are short, usually about 200 meters. But look closely at the numbers in parentheses(33.11, etc.) Thos are his lap splits on the way to a national record.

Notice they don't start fast, slow down, then speed up. They are all within 1.5 seconds of his first lap, until he starts kicking with 600 meters to go.

Impressive!

What's it mean to you? We'll be starting track training -- meaning on the track -- in a couple of weeks. Will you train to race like Rupp? You think he managed that consistency on race day by being all over the place in practice? Make a goal, make a goal.
2 RUPP
Galen Oregon Lane: 11 13:18.12
33.11 (33.11) ,1:06.17 (33.07) ,1:38.51 (32.34) ,2:11.46 (32.96)
,2:43.93 (32.47) ,3:16.30 (32.37) ,3:47.92 (31.62) ,4:19.77 (31.85)
,4:52.54 (32.78) ,5:23.80 (31.26) ,5:54.64 (30.85) ,6:26.95 (32.32)
,6:59.57 (32.62) ,7:31.63 (32.07) ,8:02.99 (31.36) ,8:35.32 (32.33)
,9:08.48 (33.16) ,9:40.78 (32.30) ,10:13.48 (32.71) ,10:46.12 (32.64)
,11:18.34 (32.22) ,11:49.92 (31.59) ,12:21.13 (31.21) ,12:50.85 (29.73)
,13:18.12 (27.27)

An Olympic Evening

Ruth Wysocki, the 1984 1500 meter and 800 meter Olympian paid us a visit the other night and serenaded us with stories of her running career. What a privilege it was! Ruth started running, kind of "by accident" and quickly discovered she liked winning the ribbons and medals that came with top placing at age-group meets. From there she ran on the boys team at her high school (girls didn't run much in those days and had few opportunities to race) and ultimately ended up running for Vince O'Boyle at UC Irvine. O'Boyle has been the coach of King alums Megan Fairley and Brian Brierly as well.

Her stories culminated with her upset victory in the 1500 meter Olympic Trials in '84. She beat the presumed favorite, Mary Decker, who held 17 national records and hadn't been beaten in 5 years! She was the reigning World Champion at the distance. None of that fazed Wysocki however, and with 300 to go, she punched it and raced Decker side-by-side for the last lap, edging into the lead with only 10 meters to go. It was an upset of upsets and catapulted her into the Olympic Games in Los Angeles where she would finish in the top 8 of both the 800 and 1500 meter races.

Funny, engaging and informative, the night was one to remember!