I’ve finally arrived in Virginia. It was a really long drive that I don’t think I want to make too many times. Now, that I’ve driven all this way, I get to spend the next day or two unpacking and moving everything in. Oh what fun that will be… Just a quick update. Running is…

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Sorry for the lack of updates. It’s been a pretty hectic time. So, here’s a very quick run down of everything that is going on. My running: I reaggrevated my hamstring on a thanksgiving day race. It sucks, but I stopped early enough that I don’t think it will take that long to come back…

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Neuromuscular and “Speed” work: Having covered both specific work and aerobic work during the competition period, I’ll now move on to probably the most controversial and perhaps confusing part of training for cross country. Depending on the coach you listen to or the program that you follow there could be a very heavy emphasis on…

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Slowly but surely, I’m getting back into the swing of things. Every day, I’m able to go a little bit faster in workouts. I’m down to being able to go a little bit faster than mile pace without noticing the hamstring. Still not great, but I’ll take it for now. Training update:Last week I hit…

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High-End Aerobic Running: At the end of the summer we left off with some longer LT runs and a 7.5miler at about marathon pace. Having a developed aerobic system is the name of the game for cross country so we do not want to neglect high end aerobic running the season. Doing that is a…

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Just wanted to post a quick link to an audio interview with John Cook, coach of Shalane Flanagan, Erin Donohue, and Shannon Rowburry. It’s a great interview with some insight into what was going on in Beijing. http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/?pid=1&spid=81

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So, that didn’t go too well. I ended up re-straining (if that’s a word) my hamstring coming down hill during the race. I think I let myself go a little too much and felt it grab. I stubbornly tried to keep going hoping things would loosen up, but after about 800m of trying that and…

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As you have hopefully realized by now, I believe in progression throughout the training cycle. There are no abrupt changes. Even when adding in or increasing the emphasis on a particular aspect, there is a gradual transition. This same principle applies when transitioning from the summer base phase into the in season competition phase of…

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Planning the season: Start backwards. Work the extremes. Bring it together. That pretty much sums up my training philosophy for HS kids. You aren’t trying to get every sap of talent and performance out of them. You want them to run well and be set up to continue running well in the future and become…

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Cross Country Training: How to develop a training plan: Part 1-Individualization Part 2- Base/Summer Training Part 3- Developing Specific Endurance Part 4- High End Aerobic Training Part 5- Neuromuscular/Speed Training CC training: A couple of people have asked about High School Cross Country training. At the end of their season, I’ll post the entire training…

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