So cross-country is all done and dusted! Not the best finish for the boys in blue but after a week off we are back on our feet and are looking ahead to the indoor season.

I don't really know what to make of indoor season. It seems like a huge inconvience in the sense that its pretty much two track seasons back to back but then again we do get to race the mile! The indoor mile is really going to be the main focus for me this season. Our first race is going to be the "Dual Meet" which is a traditional clash between The University of Michigan and Ohio State University. This meet is mid Jan and is the first crack at the mile so right now the goal is to be in good shape for that but also not be in too good of shape as its a long time untill nationals (which requires a sub 4min to qualify). This is going to be the hardest part of the indoor season for me. As pumped as i am to go out and train hard and race fast i know that there is only so much the body can handle. So while we are doing 3 workouts a week and going head to head with other great runners, at the same time i have to remain conservative and show my hand when the time counts. Not an easy task at all. It's becoming clearer every week how much of a thinking game this sport is and how only the smartest make it on the podium. Talent is becoming less important whereas composure is becoming vital. In saying that i think as a team we have a really good understanding of what we need to get done this season and also what we need to be cautious of.

For a while i believed the whole "Michigan winter" had been talked up. That is untill around 3 days ago. Running outdoors is not enjoyable in the snow. With tights, shorts, trackpants, 2 long sleeve tops, a jacket, gloves and beanie its still cold. Even on the 5mile tempo i hardly worked up a sweat because it was so cold. At the same time i secretly love it! There is something about being so miserable and battling the winds that gives you an adrenaline rush. So as miserable as it is i still can't deny that it is an addictive misery. It is certainly something you can't experience back home. I enjoy waking up in the morning for training and putting on my Michigan jacket, scarf and gloves and crunching my way through ice and snow to the indoor track. Its the small differences that makes this place so exciting. On a run the other day i jokingly asked "so when do the Yetis come out?", Brendon replied, " when softball practice is over". Definately one of the best one liners i have heard in a while, although i thought that comment was a bit rich after seeing the state of one of the water polo girls he has recently "befriended".

Hopefully the build up continues to go well. Last week i ran a 6.19 2400m indoor with Nick pacing so that was a good sign of the strength that ive accuired over the cross-country season. Between now and the Dual Meet i'll be doing a 3km in chch on the 9th of jan but other than that it is all about gettting fit and staying healthy! GO BLUE!

Hey everyone,

Well after being home for a bit I finally feel pretty confident about making some comments about the race on Friday. I was 31^st in 24:27 in what was our first big-meet of the season. I actually think I was 32^nd overall but some random unattached cat was running.

As I had made pretty clear my goal was top 20 so I went into the race prepared to run the race to be in that spot. That pretty much meant after the around 3km settling into that second pack and that is exactly what I did. Unfortunately, this year that pack meant being in the thirties, not teens/twenties. I basically finished pretty close to around where I was at that early/mid stage of the race.

The mistake I made was not being there when things started separating. What is frustrating about that is in all honesty, I felt great for a really long time. I had been so concerned pre-race about staying focussed in the tough parts that I let the simple aspect of positioning in the race slip-away. I never felt this good in a cross race last year as I did on Friday, so I guess I can change my strategies a bit now knowing that I am very strong and can run the middle part of the race well. I just have to put myself in it. I thought I was where I should be, and that guys would fade up front. They did, just not fast enough for me.

Berryhill told me I ran a complete race, as in I didn’t shit myself in the middle like I did all last year. But a pretty ‘average’ complete race I guess.

I was running with Alabama’s 5^th guy pretty much the whole way, as well as Oregon’s 5-7 who came back to us after around mid-way. On that third lap macca and some other Nova ginge-cat went by me. At that stage I was actually kind of on my own for a bit so tried to latch on but it didn’t last. It’s one of the parts I’m annoyed I didn’t run to the best of my ability. C-mac ran awesome though – it actually really helped me relax to see him and the giraffe from Madagascar in the race after training with them this summer. Beamish wasn’t in sight for too long though – the three of them ran fucking tops. Great chunder by mac-daddy post race as well. Yum.

In hindsight I am not gutted, but not pumped either. I’m actually pretty happy with the time: the course is flat but it is by no means the race-course that Notre Dame is. (I’m not sure how the weather was there, though). It’s always soft and of course it had to rain the night before as well… Standard shit Oregon/Auckland weather. Looking back I think I had another 10secs or so in me, which would have had me Top 25 I think. That really shows the depth though. That whole top-30 was top quality, and the difference between each guy (aside from the top 10) is not that much, pretty close to a second a spot again or close to it. It’s hard to make a mistake because there are so many guys ready to take your position. Aside from a few hiccups though, I feel I held my weight and threw it down in parts pretty bloody well. Knowing that makes me realise that if I had put myself in it a bit more, things could have been a little different.

It’s funny though, sometimes I feel like here it is so hard to finish a race completely happy that you did everything you could. “Never satisfied, are they?” to quote John Mildenhall, there in support with his lovely wife Janne. It is just really deep in these top races but if you want to run well at Regional’s and Nat’s, you need to be able to race really well. Its for that reason that you often see guys who are really ‘fast’ on the track who can’t race for shit over cross here because all they know how to do is time-trial at Washington or Stanford. i.e all the Brit’s at New Mexico.

In terms of fitness, the strength is definitely there. We certainly didn’t ‘peak’ for this race, but it was important. I know with the training we have been doing that come Conference and running 10km at Regional’s we will really be ready to go. I actually ran over 40secs faster in the race this year than I did last year. Granted conditions were better, but not that much better. So with better tactics for big-meet racing I think things are going to be great this season. It would be great to have a few guys to run with but our team is certainly not what we expected it to be a few months ago. Knowing how I ended the season last year and entered track, I am genuinely excited about my training and fitness. Getting tough over cross will pay off huge come track.

The hard training is still on us though, today (Sunday) we did a 90min run of 1hr moderate then 30-mins fast. Not tempo, but quick. Tuesday is scheduled for 10x1km again and Friday is 3-mile – 2-mile – 2-mile. After that it will likely be some slightly easier-stuff be fore we head to Pre-Nat’s. That is a race where I really need to put to work what I learned at Oregon: get in it early. The fields there are huge, it is a real shit-fest that first couple of miles. If you don’t get out well you are done for. I’m sure the kiwis who were there last year would agree. 

Over and out.

d-wal