Blog Archives

Week 4

6/30/2013

Week 4 is highlighted by three boys breaking the 50 mile mark for the week, Alex Dianat 52, Leif Larsen 51, and Camron Roehl 50. The most impressive part is that Alex and Leif are training alone on opposite coasts of the USA. The boys team racked up an impressive 415 miles for the week.

The girls were lead by Karly Ackley and Rachel Cox (pictured left on their long run) each turning in 41 mile weeks. The girls piled up 366 miles as a team.

The teams have completed their first month of summer running and the boys have logged a total of 1377 miles and the girls are right behind at 1208 miles. The first month has shown which runners are willing to put in the miles to improve and be ready for the start of the season. The captains and I keep stressing to everyone that the seceret to a successfull season is how many QUALITY miles you can log during the summer.

Guest Blog - Nate Fiala - 4 mile build up

6/26/2013

KnightRunning.com Guest Entry Blog
Four-mile build-up
Nate Fiala

During my first summer running with the team, I imagine I probably had a
conversation that went something like this:

Me: “What workout are we doing today?”

Wade: “Four-mile build-up.”

Me: “Oh…what’s that?”

The four-mile build-up was always one of my favorite workouts. For those that
are unfamiliar with the workout, it is structured like this: The workout is
typically run on Chestnut St., starting on the West side of Phoenix elementary
(my first one was when Belmont School was still there!) and running south to
32nd Ave before turning around and finishing back at the starting line. The
first mile mark is right around 17th Ave. During the workout, each mile is
supposed to be run faster than the last, hence the term “build-up.” In racing
this is often referred to as running negative splits.

One of the most interesting and fun parts of the workout is that each runner
starts at a different time. A “pecking order” is determined before the run
starts, with the slowest runners going first and the fastest starting last. I
have done the workout with as much as 30 seconds between runners or as little as
15 seconds. The early starters have the added motivation of trying not to let
the later starters catch them, while the faster runners are trying to catch as
many of their teammates as possible. Because it is an out-and-back run, you get
to see and cheer on teammates throughout the workout, and as you near the
turn-around point, you can gauge how far behind or ahead you are compared with
your teammates.

I always loved the challenge of balancing between staying disciplined by
running negative splits on the miles, while at the same time trying to do those
miles as fast as possible in order to pass the runners who started before me and
not be passed by those who started behind. In my first build-up workout, I
remember coming down the final few blocks, rain pouring down, with none other
than Coach Allan coming up behind me (yes, believe it or not he used to do a lot
of the workouts with us!) Cheered on by my teammates who had already finished, I
was able to hold him off by a few seconds (at least I assume that’s what
happened, it’s possible he “let” me finish in front of him, which, if true, was
a savvy coaching move). It was absolutely exhilarating. Later in my career I was
the one starting last, trying to catch everyone in front of me.

For those reading this that are doing the 4-mile build-up this week, I truly
envy the pain and exhaustion and exhilaration you will feel during the workout.
It was always one of my favorites. Heck, I can hardly run down Chestnut St.
anymore without the pace increasing because of it.

Week 3

6/26/2013

Sooo, I'm a little late getting week 3 up. We had another good week of running, we weren't able to go to Turtle River because of storms, but they had fun doing Fox -n -Hound speed working on Friday. Also both teams raised their total mileage, the girls broke 300 for the first time with a total of 306 miles for the week and the boys tallied 367 miles. The boys have now run a total of 962 miles this summer and the girls 842 miles. We are handing out camping information this week. The camping dates are July 22nd thru the 26th and is a month away! This week we are doing 3 or 4 mile build up and pony express for speed workouts.

Why I Run

6/23/2013

Why do you run? Why run? These are questions people ask me all the time.  I think it's hard to explain to someone who doesn't run why you do it.  The real question should be "When do you move from jogger to runner?"

There is a difference from someone that is a "jogger" VS a "runner". A jogger is doing it to get in shape or lose weight. A runner has the underlying question "How fast and how far can I go?"

There is a "feeling" a runner is striving to achieve, and once you do, it's like a drug, something you want again and again. The "feeling" occurs when you can easly run your normal training run and the whole time you feel like are floating, moving effortlessly over the ground. You're relaxed, at ease with your body.  Afterward you know you could have run futher and you want to run futher to hold onto that feeling longer. That is the moment you have moved from jogger to RUNNER.
It is a great feeling and I can still remember when I hit that point, when I became a runner. I was in high school, running on the bypass road in Williston.  The hot blacktop road shimmered with heat as my teamates and I ran a steady pace, mile after mile, our legs in perfect cadence, floating over the pavement, the only sound was our breathing and feet hitting the pavement. It was so relaxing and felt like I could keep that pace up forever. I KNEW that I was experiencing something that many people would never feel and I wanted to feel it again as soon as it was done. That "feeling" is why I run, you don't get that feeling on every run, some days are struggles, but it only takes a one great run to erase several bad runs. That is why I run.

Guest writers?

6/21/2013

Is there anyone out there, past runners, current runners, or parents that would like to write something for the blog? It can be about when you were on the team, races, fun times, or the challenges of running.

Please email me your blog at [email protected]

Week 2

6/17/2013

Week 2 of summer running went well, we had our first speed workout on Tuesday. The new runners and more experienced got a chance to get a feel of where they are with their training by doing Elmo runs around University Park. We also went out to Turtle River State Park for the first time this summer on Thursday. We had our biggest group ever going out there, we had to have 6 vehicles to transport everyone! About 34 runners hit the trails to fight the mosquitos. Currently the majority of the boys and girls showing up are 10th grade and younger. The boys out ran the girls this week by running 321 miles, while the group of very young girls ran 280 miles. Several of our older runners are on family vactions but are still running and texting me their weekly mileage, so great job to Leif, Alex, and Jordyn.

This coming week we are going to do Hoof-n-Pedal workout with bikes and the new favorite speed workout Fox-n- Hound.

Why Coach?

6/12/2013

I'm often asked why do you coach? The number one reason will always be having the chance to hopefully be a positive influence on a young person's life. If I can make just a little difference, a positive difference, in the high school years of someone growing up, then I feel that I was successful. Don't get me wrong, I love competition and winning. I'm always striving to make the most competitive teams we can each year. But I want to do in the right way, by showing young people that they can be successful by working hard and still having fun doing it. I look foward to every race, because its a chance to see our runners improve and let themselves see, no matter what level of runner they are, their hard work has paid off.

Cross Country is special because we have young people of all ablitity levels out for a different reasons. The first group are those that are out to be competitive, their main goal to race, and the second group are those who join to be part of a team. It often is that second group that becomes the heart and soul of the team. They are the ones that make the team turn into a family. And that is what makes Cross Country special, it's a team that turns into a family!

My favorite memory from coaching is not winning a state team title or individual state champions but the relationships that have been formed, between myself and the young people and between the teams. Many years ago we had a young man, Chris, who was not very athletically gifted, he was part of that "second" group. Chris came to practice everyday and worked hard, always postive. He knew he was important to the team, not because of where he would place in races but that he cheered, worked hard, and believed in our family. He never placed in any meets until his Senior year. His parents never came to any meets, the team was his family, and when Chris finally got to step up and recieve his first ribbon, his family cheered and yelled for him, met him with hugs afterward because they knew how special that moment was for him, and they wanted him to know that they were there for him! I use that moment, that feeling, to drive me forward and hopefully give that same type of moment to future young people who are members of our FAMILY.

Week 1 Summer Running

6/9/2013

The first week of summer running has gone great! This summer we have the largest group of 7th grade Boys and Girls we have had with us during the summer. All of the new comers started with the standard 10 mins for their runs and are doing great. The more experienced runners started with anywhere with 4 to 5 miles. Everyone has been positive and having fun!

The girls group ran a total of 255 miles and the boys ran 273 miles. This summer we are going to map how far the teams run. The goal is to have each team run from Hayward Field in Eugene, OR to Disneyland in Flordia, which is 3064 miles.

Wall of Champions

6/7/2013

I'm always looking for ways to inspire my runners. So with the help of Meghan and Betty we made a "Wall of Champions" in our garage for the summer runners to look at and hopefully inspire them to want to add their name to it. The "Wall of Champions" lists names of runners who have achieved either All -Conference or All-State honors and the years they reached those accomplishments. Already I have observed several runners looking and mentioning that they would like to see their names on it. I told them that everyone on that wall started in the same spot they are currently in; with10 mins a day for mileage, and running during the summer to improve. Hopefully the wall will keep growing and growing.

Big start to summer running

6/5/2013

Summer running is underway!! It is always exciting and also nerve racking as coach during the beginning of summer running. Who show ups? Who doesn't? How can I get more kids out?

The number of girls during the last few years has really exploded!! The ups and downs always suprise me. A few years ago we barely had 5 or 6 girls showing up to run during the summer. On Monday we had 22, and that is not counting a couple from East Grand Forks. There are another 6 girls I know that are coming, but are out of town this week. It will be a lot of fun to watch this group over the next few years! There is a lot of talent in this young group of girls (only one senior on the team). The girls team has the talent to be a top 5 team in state, it will come down to if some of the younger girls are ready to be varsity runners.

We had 18 boys show up the first day, which is great! The biggest concern for me is always how many freshman boys will we have. They are our future, currently there are 5 of them but 4 of them are between cross country and another fall sport. So what we have when the season actually starts will be the factor. The boys team is really going to surprise people this year. We have four proven runners for our top 5, how success full this team will be will comes down to how well the team trains this summer and if a few boys step up to be give us 6 to 8 quality runners.