by Larry EderThe summer is coming to an end as we relax over the Labor Day weekend. Soon, high school cross country will be in full bloom and the majority of the 500,000 high school boys and girls will come into the season, out of shape, gasping for air and in old shoes.
But you, the thoughtful cross country runner, have been following your daily Saucony RunBlogRun Summer Mileage progam for nine weeks now. You get your updates, daily, via Facebook, via twitter, off RunBlogRun or perhaps american-trackandfield.com. Or, perhaps you even read the copy of Athletes Only (don’t tell anyone you are reading print, as the media says its dead-it will be our little secret).
You and your friends have been training. You have two new pairs of training shoes, you wear clean socks, and you have been doing your long runs. And while you think the tempo runs I suggest are: a) daft, b) dumb, c) stupid or, d) all of the above, you have done them.
You kind of like the hill workouts, and you find my sometimes references to modern social phenomenon mildly amusing for a man of my age bracket.
Have no fear, cross country budding star! You will be able to read and see the workouts for the next eight weeks, thanks once again to the far-sighted folks at Saucony running, who remember cross country and love cross country (they make the Shay XC and the Carrera XC, which RunningNetwork gave its best XC shoe for Fall 2013).
Enjoy the weekend, cross country runners, and remember, run with a friend. And, if you read my notes each day, the folks at RunBlogRun may continue to pay for my morning coffee in London! If you have questions about cross country, live, social media, music, or just want to chat, email me at runblogrun@gmail.com or send me a note on Facebook: RunBlogRun!
Cheers!
P.S. If you get tired of a) stealing, b) absconding, c) liberating, or d) just borrowing your coaches copies of American Track & Field, just go to the site, www.american-trackandfield.com and sign up for free digital subs of said magazine (and also Athletes Only). Tell your friends. Then, we can charge more money for advertising and the staff won’t have to eat cat food any more(well, those little anchovies I put on the eggs do look like cat food).
Saucony Carrera XC, photo by Saucony Running
Saucony RBR Summer Mileage Program, Week Nine, Day five
Friday: Warm up, run 45-50 minutes on varying terrain, then, on flat surfaces, yes, even a track, run 8 x 150 meter strideouts at near current 800m or 1,500 meter speed, then, gently cooldown, change your wet clothes, hydrate, and do something relaxing: watch Netflix, play computer game, or, I don’t know, text.
