So I found out the good news that I will be going to Ogden, UT for our conference championship meet this weekend. I never had any real doubt that I wouldn't be taken, but when more people have qualified than can go, that possibility is always there. This means now that I am preparing myself for probably one of the most epic doubles in all of track and field, the 3k steeple followed a couple hours later by the 10k. Thats 8 miles of pretty damn fast racing crammed into one night at 5,000 ft above the sea. Talk about ending my season with a bang. Right now I am honestly not worried about the 10k because I'm working on focusing all of my energy on yet another pr in the steeplechase.
Our conference is pretty stacked when it comes to this odd event. We have 5 of the west regions top 50 steeplers and two other guys who have ran 9:07. So what that means is that barring one or two of those guys have a bad day, I'm essentially in a race for 8th place, which is the last scoring position at our conference meet. Now that doesn't mean I'm not going to run my ass off, which you can count on me doing, but it means that realistically I have a different race plan than those other 7 guys who are or are almost regional qualifiers. Now in order for me to probably score, I am still going to need to run at pr or at least an altitude converted one for me to do what I need to do, but I feel that with me finally consolidating all of my fitness, another break through is almost certain, SO LONG AS I keep my head mentally in it, especially that second to last lap, which has been the bane of my existence thus far.
So for this upcoming race on friday I have come up with some goals for my last meet of the year, which I feel are obtainable, especially with how fit I am, as long as I apply myself. If I don't hit these goals, is my season a failure? No way, but I think that having an awesome last meet could put this season over the edge in terms of being a pretty solid one to being a true breakthrough.
*Score in the 3k Steeplechase (Top 8)
*Run sub 9:31 (sub 9:20 with the altitude conversion of 11.xx seconds)
*Finish the 10k
Now I know that last one is pretty weak, but I think trying to do anything but that right off the gun would be a set up for a LONG 25 laps. If I have some kick left, then hey, I might just go out there and surprise some people. The one thing I am going to make sure of is that my trainer has a stretcher ready for me after its all said and done. And I'm actually kind of serious.
On a less serious note. My teammate and I had a bet at the beginning of the year that who ever had the slower 1500 season pr had to get their ears pierced for conference. Now kyle is a pure 10k runner, although at 29:34 and 14:19, the bet is pretty damn fair. Now I did technically beat him by about 1.5 seconds with my solo 1500 time a couple weeks ago, but because of my good nature and love of all things ridiculous, we are both getting our ears pierced tomorrow for conference. I'll try to post some pictures on here when I post next, but it's going to be pretty awesome. So because of how stupid I'm going to look while racing, I'll most definitely have to put up or shut up this friday.
The immensity of my task is just starting to sink in. That's what I'm talking about! Going for broke baby! This is what running is all about! Hope everyone has a great week of racing, I know that crunch time is now for most of you, so race fast and run hard. Do Work!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Breaking Barriers
Hope everyone enjoys the title I came up with for this particular post, I thought it was extremely witty/cheesy when it was formulated. If you read last week, you knew that this weeks run was pretty huge in terms of what the rest of my season had in-store. If I had a good race, I extended my season two more weeks, but if I failed I'd be taking my recovery period for summer training a little earlier than most people. For those of you who are dying with suspense, I'll spill the beans. Ran 9:28.58, big pr, easily got under that standard of 9:41.
For those of you who don't live on the west coast or haven't been lucky enough to travel to Eugene to run at Hayward field you are missing out. I have watched the Pre Classic there when I was in High School and the atmosphere was amazing. That energy is magnified by 10 when your on that track. I ran in the Friday night distance carnival portion of the meet. And even though it was a small meet by Hayward standards, the crowd was still quite large and LOUD. I mean really REALLY loud. In my short college career, I will always have a special place in my heart for that meet/stadium.
Now this is a blog about how it is to be a walk-on at a small D1 university and the ups and downs that come with it. Being a small school, we aren't exactly sitting on a gold mine of resources, especially if you run around the football field and don't actually play on it. The one thing I am thankful about is that our coaches have been able to do a lot with a little. Yes that does mean we have to leave at 3pm from Spokane and arrive at Eugene at around 1am to save money or stay 3 to a room, but when your a guy who is the athletic equivalent to an intern, you take what you get. One thing about a travel situation like this is that you can either just roll with the punches and stay focused on what you came to do or you can use the less than ideal conditions as a crutch to a poor performance. Now me personally, if I'm crammed on a bus for half a day I'm doing it because I'm going to throw down a sick time. And that's exactly what I did.
The race was split into two heats, and with my 9:42 from last week, I was placed in the slower heat. I was pretty lucky to get into the meet as I was the second to last person accepted. The pace went out pretty standard, around 72-73ish and I allowed my self to settle in at the back of the pack and make sure not to do anything stupid. I came in with a pacing goal of 9:30 which is 76 second laps. A group of 5 or 6 of us cruised around the track, coming through the mile within the range of 4:53 at the front of the group to 4:56 at the back of it which was still where I was trenched in at. Chad Meis of Seattle Pacific then stretched out his lead, gapping us by about 30 or 40 meters. At this point in the race I felt pretty damn good and started moving up on Meis from the back of the pack. Unfortunately I did way way to quickly and started tying up from oxygen debt after running a pretty quick 200 meters, way to quick for the middle of a steeplechase. That forced me to struggle to regroup as the field gobbled me up again and spit me out the back. At this point in the race I knew two things, one being that I had a little under 3min to run 800 meters to get my qualifying time. The other was that I was hurting. The one thing that inhibited me that race was that I never really got into a rhythm when going over the barriers. They weren't as difficult as last week but I started stepping really early into the race because I just couldn't get my timing down to completely jump over with out stuttering. I closed really well, and despite almost eating track on that last hurdle came up with a 9:28 which is another break through for me, although I know I have even better than that in my legs.
Results: http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/376460.htm?ATCLID=204939345&SPSID=4364&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500
As a distance squad, all of our guys who were on the chopping block in terms of making that conference team or not made some convincing cases for themselves. Our freshman Simon Sorrenson ran 3:54 in the 1500, a pr and Bowe Ebding, a junior who played baseball in high school ran 14:45 to win the B heat of the 5k, a 14 second pr. Also had freshman Jordan Curnutt run 1:51 for the 800, a second pr from his high school time despite missing all of winter training with a bum knee. So this weekend was a great one to be an Eagle. Now we go back to the grindstone and sharpen our racing axes for one last big meet. I'm still not officially for sure going to Utah in two weeks just because of the nature of having 28 deserving individuals who have qualified and 25 spots, but I feel really confident none the less about where I am sitting. Hope everyone has a great week and good luck your conference/district/league meets that are coming up soon. Do Work!
For those of you who don't live on the west coast or haven't been lucky enough to travel to Eugene to run at Hayward field you are missing out. I have watched the Pre Classic there when I was in High School and the atmosphere was amazing. That energy is magnified by 10 when your on that track. I ran in the Friday night distance carnival portion of the meet. And even though it was a small meet by Hayward standards, the crowd was still quite large and LOUD. I mean really REALLY loud. In my short college career, I will always have a special place in my heart for that meet/stadium.
Now this is a blog about how it is to be a walk-on at a small D1 university and the ups and downs that come with it. Being a small school, we aren't exactly sitting on a gold mine of resources, especially if you run around the football field and don't actually play on it. The one thing I am thankful about is that our coaches have been able to do a lot with a little. Yes that does mean we have to leave at 3pm from Spokane and arrive at Eugene at around 1am to save money or stay 3 to a room, but when your a guy who is the athletic equivalent to an intern, you take what you get. One thing about a travel situation like this is that you can either just roll with the punches and stay focused on what you came to do or you can use the less than ideal conditions as a crutch to a poor performance. Now me personally, if I'm crammed on a bus for half a day I'm doing it because I'm going to throw down a sick time. And that's exactly what I did.
The race was split into two heats, and with my 9:42 from last week, I was placed in the slower heat. I was pretty lucky to get into the meet as I was the second to last person accepted. The pace went out pretty standard, around 72-73ish and I allowed my self to settle in at the back of the pack and make sure not to do anything stupid. I came in with a pacing goal of 9:30 which is 76 second laps. A group of 5 or 6 of us cruised around the track, coming through the mile within the range of 4:53 at the front of the group to 4:56 at the back of it which was still where I was trenched in at. Chad Meis of Seattle Pacific then stretched out his lead, gapping us by about 30 or 40 meters. At this point in the race I felt pretty damn good and started moving up on Meis from the back of the pack. Unfortunately I did way way to quickly and started tying up from oxygen debt after running a pretty quick 200 meters, way to quick for the middle of a steeplechase. That forced me to struggle to regroup as the field gobbled me up again and spit me out the back. At this point in the race I knew two things, one being that I had a little under 3min to run 800 meters to get my qualifying time. The other was that I was hurting. The one thing that inhibited me that race was that I never really got into a rhythm when going over the barriers. They weren't as difficult as last week but I started stepping really early into the race because I just couldn't get my timing down to completely jump over with out stuttering. I closed really well, and despite almost eating track on that last hurdle came up with a 9:28 which is another break through for me, although I know I have even better than that in my legs.
Results: http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/376460.htm?ATCLID=204939345&SPSID=4364&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500
As a distance squad, all of our guys who were on the chopping block in terms of making that conference team or not made some convincing cases for themselves. Our freshman Simon Sorrenson ran 3:54 in the 1500, a pr and Bowe Ebding, a junior who played baseball in high school ran 14:45 to win the B heat of the 5k, a 14 second pr. Also had freshman Jordan Curnutt run 1:51 for the 800, a second pr from his high school time despite missing all of winter training with a bum knee. So this weekend was a great one to be an Eagle. Now we go back to the grindstone and sharpen our racing axes for one last big meet. I'm still not officially for sure going to Utah in two weeks just because of the nature of having 28 deserving individuals who have qualified and 25 spots, but I feel really confident none the less about where I am sitting. Hope everyone has a great week and good luck your conference/district/league meets that are coming up soon. Do Work!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Crunch Time
I talked about how in my earlier post that every race, especially for a walk-on is EXTREMELY important. In the college season you get a limited number of attempts to race as it is, but when your trying to show that your worthy of being on that conference championship team, you can't have a day full of "almost" and "so close". Unfortunately for me, that is exactly what happened. Ran the steeple for the second time this season at the WSU Team Invite in Pullman.
Now me and the steeple my one other attempt this season did not get along. I hit 75's the first 3 laps and then hit my trailing knee into a barrier, which started a downward spiral to a 10:07 (10:00 altitude converted). So this was a shot at redemption and to chase a qualifying mark that should have been obtainable. The race started out pretty damn quick, and even though I was relaxed at the back, I heard a split of 71. The next laps of 73, 76, 76 brought me through about 5 meters off the back of the chase pack, who were trying to run down steeple regional qualifier Lynn Reynolds of Montana in 4:56.
A funny thing happens when your doing the steeplechase. Even though your in great aerobic shape and a 4:56 mile is nothing but a slight inconvenience, the pounding of the barriers, mainly, in my opinion, the water pit, make your legs like lead weights. Your calves ache, your mind zones out and your stride struggles to stay full and crisp. So for those who haven't practiced hurdles while they are tired (guilty) or went out too fast (guilty again), you experience a sense of helplessness that can only be experienced when your on a track that has wood barriers blocking any sense of progress.
Prime example, a good friend of mine, Justin Englund, who runs for Washington St. and is a hell of a runner (8:17 3k, 14:29 5k) was about 5-10 meters in front of me the entire race, but when I passed him the last lap, I somehow put 8 seconds on him in 300 meters. So the steeple really is more than just a 3k with hurdles. Its almost a different sport altogether. That being said, I finished off the race with a pr of 9:42. Now, you might say, "wow 25 second pr? what is so bad about that?" Well its not a 9:41, which is the qualifying time for Big Sky in the steeplechase. A second off.
Due to either poor timing or not being mentally alert, I missed the mark by 1.29 ticks of the clock. I can't really change that time, or re-run that race today as much as I would like to. So what does this all mean? Well, the Big Sky like most conferences has a roster limit of 25 athletes who can run. Usually for Eastern, getting a qualifying mark, like I already have in the 10k would automatically mean that you got yourself a ticket to the conference meet. However, this season we already have 25+ guys who have qualified, probably one or two more that haven't yet but will and then relay members who are all going to be fighting to be on that plane to Ogden, UT in two weeks. Unfortunately for me, a 10k qualifying time from a guy who isn't really a 10k runner is not quite as appealing as a jumper or thrower. So now I have to weigh my options.
results for the meet are here: http://www.wsucougars.com/sports/c-track/stats/042410aab.html
This next weekend holds a couple things in store for me. A) its my last legitimate shot at racing before our conference meet B)I need to qualify in something other than what I already have qualified for to up my stock a little bit and C)even if I run sub 9:41 for the steeple or sub 14:51 for the 5k, it is in no way a guarantee that I get to go to conference. So my options this weekend are this
A) Run the 5k at Oregon Relays, have to run sub 1451
B) Run the 3k Steeple at Oregon Relays, have to run sub 9:41
or
C)Run at Spokane Falls, doing the 5k Friday night and the Steeple saturday
Obviously I'm leaning towards B. But I think when I sit down with my coach tomorrow, I'll know for sure what the game plan is. We talked a little bit after my race and we both feel that I can run sub 1445ish so my fitness is at the level it needs to be for both races, it's just a matter of which one will make me more valuable to the team. Now hitting these marks in no way secures me a spot, but it keeps my name in the hat. I had a similar situation this indoor season, which, when my back was against the wall, forced me to run my 3k pr of 8:25. So I know I can preform under pressure. Would life have been a little bit easier if I had run a little faster this weekend? No doubt. But I am actually really excited. This next race I run will be the most important race of my career to date. It will be emotionally driven, which I feel is rare now a days. I want to capitalize on that emotion. My back is against the wall and how I decide to react to this kind of situation will determine if my season ends with a ticket to Utah (who the hell would want to fly to Utah anyways?) or if it ends abruptly.
I'll be sure to keep my handful of readers updated on what we decide this week. Hope your racing and training is going smoothly. Do WORK!!!
Now me and the steeple my one other attempt this season did not get along. I hit 75's the first 3 laps and then hit my trailing knee into a barrier, which started a downward spiral to a 10:07 (10:00 altitude converted). So this was a shot at redemption and to chase a qualifying mark that should have been obtainable. The race started out pretty damn quick, and even though I was relaxed at the back, I heard a split of 71. The next laps of 73, 76, 76 brought me through about 5 meters off the back of the chase pack, who were trying to run down steeple regional qualifier Lynn Reynolds of Montana in 4:56.
A funny thing happens when your doing the steeplechase. Even though your in great aerobic shape and a 4:56 mile is nothing but a slight inconvenience, the pounding of the barriers, mainly, in my opinion, the water pit, make your legs like lead weights. Your calves ache, your mind zones out and your stride struggles to stay full and crisp. So for those who haven't practiced hurdles while they are tired (guilty) or went out too fast (guilty again), you experience a sense of helplessness that can only be experienced when your on a track that has wood barriers blocking any sense of progress.
Prime example, a good friend of mine, Justin Englund, who runs for Washington St. and is a hell of a runner (8:17 3k, 14:29 5k) was about 5-10 meters in front of me the entire race, but when I passed him the last lap, I somehow put 8 seconds on him in 300 meters. So the steeple really is more than just a 3k with hurdles. Its almost a different sport altogether. That being said, I finished off the race with a pr of 9:42. Now, you might say, "wow 25 second pr? what is so bad about that?" Well its not a 9:41, which is the qualifying time for Big Sky in the steeplechase. A second off.
Due to either poor timing or not being mentally alert, I missed the mark by 1.29 ticks of the clock. I can't really change that time, or re-run that race today as much as I would like to. So what does this all mean? Well, the Big Sky like most conferences has a roster limit of 25 athletes who can run. Usually for Eastern, getting a qualifying mark, like I already have in the 10k would automatically mean that you got yourself a ticket to the conference meet. However, this season we already have 25+ guys who have qualified, probably one or two more that haven't yet but will and then relay members who are all going to be fighting to be on that plane to Ogden, UT in two weeks. Unfortunately for me, a 10k qualifying time from a guy who isn't really a 10k runner is not quite as appealing as a jumper or thrower. So now I have to weigh my options.
results for the meet are here: http://www.wsucougars.com/sports/c-track/stats/042410aab.html
This next weekend holds a couple things in store for me. A) its my last legitimate shot at racing before our conference meet B)I need to qualify in something other than what I already have qualified for to up my stock a little bit and C)even if I run sub 9:41 for the steeple or sub 14:51 for the 5k, it is in no way a guarantee that I get to go to conference. So my options this weekend are this
A) Run the 5k at Oregon Relays, have to run sub 1451
B) Run the 3k Steeple at Oregon Relays, have to run sub 9:41
or
C)Run at Spokane Falls, doing the 5k Friday night and the Steeple saturday
Obviously I'm leaning towards B. But I think when I sit down with my coach tomorrow, I'll know for sure what the game plan is. We talked a little bit after my race and we both feel that I can run sub 1445ish so my fitness is at the level it needs to be for both races, it's just a matter of which one will make me more valuable to the team. Now hitting these marks in no way secures me a spot, but it keeps my name in the hat. I had a similar situation this indoor season, which, when my back was against the wall, forced me to run my 3k pr of 8:25. So I know I can preform under pressure. Would life have been a little bit easier if I had run a little faster this weekend? No doubt. But I am actually really excited. This next race I run will be the most important race of my career to date. It will be emotionally driven, which I feel is rare now a days. I want to capitalize on that emotion. My back is against the wall and how I decide to react to this kind of situation will determine if my season ends with a ticket to Utah (who the hell would want to fly to Utah anyways?) or if it ends abruptly.
I'll be sure to keep my handful of readers updated on what we decide this week. Hope your racing and training is going smoothly. Do WORK!!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
First Post
Well I got myself a blog. I never really thought I would do this but after rolling the idea around in my head for a week or two it seems like a good idea. First of, I want to say that I will try to make this be a tool for runners. That is a broad topic for sure, but I feel that my unique experiences in my "Miles of Trials, Trials of Miles" (Only Once a Runner reference, I swear) can be useful to some and maybe inspirational to many.
A little bit about myself. My name is Cody Barton and as of right now, I am a sophomore at Eastern Washington University. EWU is a small D1 school in the Big Sky conference located in the town of Cheney, which with college kids has a population of like 7000. When I was in HS I started running because, well I had always been good at it. But good is a relative term. I never broke 2 for the 800, barely broke 430 for the 1600 and never broke 10 minutes for the 3200. I was a mediocre runner at best, so much so, that I was the 96th fastest SENIOR at the WA state XC meet. 96th!!!!! I was barely recruited and probably wouldn't have been recruited at all if I didnt email coaches every other day. I was given the chance to walk on at EWU and have so far made the best of it. I somehow pulled a sub 26 8k out of no where my first XC race, earning me a varsity spot. Not bad for a kid whose 5k high school pr was 1644. I've (tried to) not looked back ever since.
I want to just say that I love being a part of EWU's team. It's a once in a life time experience. As of right now, I am part of a turn around in the schools distance program. 5 of the top 10 all-time 3k runners are on the same team, including yours truly at #10. I think that this blog is going to be a good substitute for a journal and a great supplement for my training log.
So lets get to the nuts and bolts. Because I wasn't selected to run at Mt. SAC this weekend, I was forced to go over to Ellensburg, WA, home of Central Washington University and run my first 1500 of the season. Here is my race recap I posted on tracktalk.tk. I think I want to make this blog more about important stuff then the minute details of my training(although I will include that occasionally).
Ran the 1500 at the Spike Arlt Invite in Ellensburg today. Took first in 4:00.26.
Going into this race I wanted to really try to get as close to 355 as I possibly could. i saw in the heat sheet that Chad Meis (3:50, sub 14 5k) was signed up so I thought that I would have someone to chase and go after a fast time. Unfortunately he is out with the flu or something like that so I pretty much knew it was up to me to make it fast. And fast I made it. too fast. I took the lead 50m in and never looked back, splitting 29, 60 and then 203 for 800. by about this point I could feel the couple people who had gone out with me fall off rather quickly and I tried to keep pushing. Dont get me wrong it was a beautiful day in ellensburg, almost perfect conditions when our race started. but going fast by your self is never easy. i hit 309 at the 1200 mark which was about what I wanted, although splits of 62 and 205 would have made me a lot fresher going into that last 300. So I pushed and pulled that last 51 sec till I hit the finish line. I think second was 405.low if my memory serves me right. Basically what it came down to was a time trial type deal for me. Led the whole thing and it actually felt pretty damn good until I tried to find another gear the last 400.
I think Im going to run the 1500 again at wsu this next weekend and try to get a solid mark. if I hadnt gone out like a freshman in hs, I would have run probably 358ish or maybe even 357 today solo, but for the first 1500 of the year I cant complain. Also pr'd by 10sec from last year so there you go.
results for the meet are here: http://www.wildcatsports.com/custompages/statistics/track/2010/cwu041710.htm
Part of being a walk-on runner, especially at Eastern is sometimes you have to go find your own meets and chances to run. You pay for your own transportation, food and even entry fee, just to get the chance to try to race. Usually all it takes is one. This winter when I hadn't quiet broken out yet, I was left at home when the team traveled to UW to run their first big meet of the season. The next weekend I ran the 5k indoors at Idaho, running 1517, qualifying me for conference. If I hadn't run sub 1520, I would have been left home the following weekend and not ever been given a chance to run my 825 3k. So being a walk-on is all about taking advantage of the opportunities given to you. You don't always get to live and fight another day. You can't afford to have an off race. Or else you stay home. And are never given the chance to fight at all.
Even though I have no followers as of yet, Hope everyone has a great week of training and racing!!!!!
A little bit about myself. My name is Cody Barton and as of right now, I am a sophomore at Eastern Washington University. EWU is a small D1 school in the Big Sky conference located in the town of Cheney, which with college kids has a population of like 7000. When I was in HS I started running because, well I had always been good at it. But good is a relative term. I never broke 2 for the 800, barely broke 430 for the 1600 and never broke 10 minutes for the 3200. I was a mediocre runner at best, so much so, that I was the 96th fastest SENIOR at the WA state XC meet. 96th!!!!! I was barely recruited and probably wouldn't have been recruited at all if I didnt email coaches every other day. I was given the chance to walk on at EWU and have so far made the best of it. I somehow pulled a sub 26 8k out of no where my first XC race, earning me a varsity spot. Not bad for a kid whose 5k high school pr was 1644. I've (tried to) not looked back ever since.
I want to just say that I love being a part of EWU's team. It's a once in a life time experience. As of right now, I am part of a turn around in the schools distance program. 5 of the top 10 all-time 3k runners are on the same team, including yours truly at #10. I think that this blog is going to be a good substitute for a journal and a great supplement for my training log.
So lets get to the nuts and bolts. Because I wasn't selected to run at Mt. SAC this weekend, I was forced to go over to Ellensburg, WA, home of Central Washington University and run my first 1500 of the season. Here is my race recap I posted on tracktalk.tk. I think I want to make this blog more about important stuff then the minute details of my training(although I will include that occasionally).
Ran the 1500 at the Spike Arlt Invite in Ellensburg today. Took first in 4:00.26.
Going into this race I wanted to really try to get as close to 355 as I possibly could. i saw in the heat sheet that Chad Meis (3:50, sub 14 5k) was signed up so I thought that I would have someone to chase and go after a fast time. Unfortunately he is out with the flu or something like that so I pretty much knew it was up to me to make it fast. And fast I made it. too fast. I took the lead 50m in and never looked back, splitting 29, 60 and then 203 for 800. by about this point I could feel the couple people who had gone out with me fall off rather quickly and I tried to keep pushing. Dont get me wrong it was a beautiful day in ellensburg, almost perfect conditions when our race started. but going fast by your self is never easy. i hit 309 at the 1200 mark which was about what I wanted, although splits of 62 and 205 would have made me a lot fresher going into that last 300. So I pushed and pulled that last 51 sec till I hit the finish line. I think second was 405.low if my memory serves me right. Basically what it came down to was a time trial type deal for me. Led the whole thing and it actually felt pretty damn good until I tried to find another gear the last 400.
I think Im going to run the 1500 again at wsu this next weekend and try to get a solid mark. if I hadnt gone out like a freshman in hs, I would have run probably 358ish or maybe even 357 today solo, but for the first 1500 of the year I cant complain. Also pr'd by 10sec from last year so there you go.
results for the meet are here: http://www.wildcatsports.com/custompages/statistics/track/2010/cwu041710.htm
Part of being a walk-on runner, especially at Eastern is sometimes you have to go find your own meets and chances to run. You pay for your own transportation, food and even entry fee, just to get the chance to try to race. Usually all it takes is one. This winter when I hadn't quiet broken out yet, I was left at home when the team traveled to UW to run their first big meet of the season. The next weekend I ran the 5k indoors at Idaho, running 1517, qualifying me for conference. If I hadn't run sub 1520, I would have been left home the following weekend and not ever been given a chance to run my 825 3k. So being a walk-on is all about taking advantage of the opportunities given to you. You don't always get to live and fight another day. You can't afford to have an off race. Or else you stay home. And are never given the chance to fight at all.
Even though I have no followers as of yet, Hope everyone has a great week of training and racing!!!!!
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