XC Season on the Horizon!

This is the awkward time of year for professional track athletes. Some are preparing for the World Championships in Daegu, Some are taking down time after a long track season, and some are still trucking away into the late fall at road races. The blueprint is much different for each individual in contrast to early spring where everyone is on their way out to Palo Alto to run fast times. It’s also strange to think that if I were still competing in the NCAA, I would be gearing up to go to pre-season cross-country camp up in northern Michigan - The beginning of three long competitive collegiate seasons before another break in the summer.

Interesting enough is that we are meeting today to discuss fall cross-country plans - but not for us – for the Middle School programs in Lebanon and Canaan. Ben and I are teaming up to coach the group in Canaan and I’m really looking forward to getting started. It will be really fun having freedom of control and trying to help the kids improve throughout the season. But more important than that, I think it will be rewarding to see each kid grow an appreciation for and love of distance running. Can’t wait.

As Ben mentioned in his last blog, he raced Falmouth last weekend. I was there too and (to say the least) it did not go so well! Bad races are a tough pill to swallow, especially when they come in the middle of a season. The difficult thing is that you have to find a way to keep yourself motivated and not throw in the towel on the rest of your year because of one bad race. I know that my performance was not an indicator of my ability or current fitness, but the difficult part to get past is that it still happened. You do everything you can to prepare, and for some reason the results you achieve fall short (sometimes very short) of what you expect. That being said, the plan of attack for training towards my next race may change a little bit, but the manner in which I attack it will not. If anything, I am more motivated now to make sure I am doing everything I need to so it doesn’t happen again!

-Lex