Runners must be stupid and/or crazy. That is all I have to say after standing out in the bitter cold the last two weeks watching prep athletes suffer through workouts in sub zero temps. When you am doing it yourself self, one tends to rationalize things. But when you are a spectator, you think to yourself "What on earth are these fools thinking?".
Like it has been everywhere else on the eastern half of the country the last week, it has been utterly miserable here in Central Illinois. But I must be doing something right, because the kids keep showing up for practice. I believe that for the senior group, they are starting to understand the this is their last go at making a state meet. It is great to see a group of kids who have a united goal and are willing to suffer through some pretty rough workouts, and set a standard for the younger ones.
One of the most difficult things that I have found when working with young athletes is making them understand the importance of preparation. In that, I mean seeing the big picture and understanding that what we do today has a direct effect on what happens 6 months from now. Most young athletes (I being one of them until late in my college career) believe that they can perform to the best of their ability by jogging for a few weeks before the season and then coming out to the competitions and just racing hard. Yes, they will run ok if they race tough, but where is it getting them in terms of their goals? So I have been extremely proud of all the kids that have been out training in the "pre-season" with us, ecspecially the younger athletes who have not yet developed any real long-term goals druing their short athletic careers. Attatched are some pictures (that I hope I have done right) from last saturday during a long run of 70 minutes with three 10 minute pickups in the middle. The temp was hovering right at zero and the wind chill was at minus 15! I actually had a few parents call and tell me that their kid was not coming to practice, which was understandable.
Not a whole lot of reporting to do on my running, as it has just been easy theraputic runs of 30-60 minutes. My foot appears to be ok since the shock wave procedure that was done last month. Right now, my only frame of mind has been to run easy as possible and focus on proper biomechanics.
Aside from the running and coaching thing life has been pretting boring. This is the worst time of year for an outdoorsman, as hunting season has come to a close and fishing looks a long way off, unless you are a complete nutter and are out standing on 10 inches of ice trying to catch a few dinkers the size of your hand that are too frozen to even remotely fight. I am heading to Boston MA this weekend to watch and help out at the Boston Indoor Games. It will be a good chance to catch up with Mrs. Rowe and other friends who will be there, as well as watch a local Peoria girl run the h.s. mile, who is coached by a close friend of mine.
Sot that is it for this one. Stay warm and chat at you all in a few weeks as we prepare for our first indoor meet of the season! Take care.
tim
