2019 Fall Cross Country Training & Racing Daily Program, Week 17, Day 6, a day to race...

The need to race, the desire to race, for a distance runner, is like breathing. At first, I was terrified of racing. Later, I embraced the queezy feeling as a good sign.

I remember that my best friend won the first race he ever ran. I won my first race as a senior in college, so after about 300 races. In the 1970s and 1980s, we raced 35-40 times a year. Sometimes, twice on a weekend.

Elizabeth Leachman and Tamrat Gavenas Capture First-Place Titles at the 45th Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals Presented by HOKA®

2024 Fall Cross Country Training & Racing Program, December 15, 2024, Week 13, Day 7, the FINAL long run of the cross country season

2024 Fall Cross Country Training & Racing Program, December 14, 2024, Week 13, Day 6, the FINAL race of year, Footlocker, presented by HOKA!

Adrian Royle battles Alberto Salazar, November 1981, Burbank, CA, photo by Joe Volk

There were also races where my best times were achieved, and I was near the very back of the pack. Running teaches humility. I recall the 1981 USA XC Champs, watching the lead pack of Steve Scott, Herb Lindsay, Adrian Royle, and Alberto Salazar churning up the sod in the Burbank Golf Course, as they ran sub 4:30 miles. I was 250 meters back, and had the perfect view, as this long, quickly moving, breathing mass of humanity responded to the dwindling leaders pack. Finally, Adrian Royle and Alberto Salazar, four weeks after a NYC win, were together, and Royle took the upset win. (To read about this race, go here: https://germanroadraces.de/?post_eng=the-halcyon-day-of-adrian-royle-shooting-star-butchers-blog)

Have a big race, Make your dreams a reality.

Saturday, October 26, 2019: warm up, 5k race, similar to league or conference race, jog ten minutes, then 8 x 150m strideouts, cooldown

Week 17, Summer mileage, Training week 16, time to focus on the racing

Monday: 55 – 60 minute park run

Tuesday: 20 minute warm up run, 20 minute tempo run, run this 20 minutes on a track or flat road, at 30 seconds per mile above last weeks 5k race pace, 10 minute jog, then, 8 x 150m, strideouts, 20 minute cooldown

Wednesday: 30-45 minute run, relaxed

Thursday: 20 minute warm up, 6 times 100m hill, jog down, 10 minute jog, 30 minute fartlek, 10 times 2 minute, 5k pace, 1 minute easy, 20 minute cooldown

Friday: 30-45 minute minute park run, relaxed

Saturday: warm up, 5k race, similar to league or conference race, jog ten minutes, then 8 x 150m strideouts, cooldown

Sunday: 85-90 minute long run

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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