Hey folks. Several of my high school bbs have been asking me for advice on how to go about becoming division 1 runners recently, so I figured I might as well just compile it all here. Sorry if you're not a high school distance runner between the ages of 14 and 18 so this post has no relevance to you.
First things first: If you can, decide early on whether or not you want to pursue collegiate running. The earlier you can get on the process of recruiting, meeting with coaches, and looking into different programs, the better your chances will be of a) Having the time to work down your times and figure out which events will be the best to focus on and give you the best shot and reaching the collegiate level and b) Getting into your ideal program. If you have a list of top-ten programs to consider by the beginning of your junior year, I'd say you're off to a good start. Junior year is around the time that colleges will really start considering your performances.
Don't be afraid to get in touch with coaches. At the beginning of my junior year, one of my coaches put me in touch with the coaching staff at Montana State, and another coach asked for my top 15-20 college choices so that he could email them my credentials and inform them I was interested. The sooner you make it clear to the coaches you are interested, the more likely it is that they will be able to set aside scholarship money for you. Don't be afraid to email back and forth with the coaches-Keep them updated on your performances, and find out if their type of training would be a good fit for you if you are seriously interested.
Another aspect to bear in mind if you want to run D1: Grades. Even though people always emphasize the student in student-athlete, many of the athletes I knew in high school who were looked into the next level didn't think grades would be all that important in the recruiting process. Although you don't need to have a perfect GPA, colleges don't exactly love to see a 2.0 GPA because it means that more of your financial aid will have to come from athletics, since you won't qualify for as much academic funding.
Going into your senior year, possibly the most important date for recruits to remember is July 1. This is the first day that coaches can call you or go on a home visit. Basically, you are going to feel like a secretary and you'll probably get a lot of calls from unfamiliar numbers until you sign your letter of intent. If a coach has expressed interest in coming on a home visit or giving you a call, I would definitely recommend going through with that before committing to anything bigger, like an official visit, because it allows you to get to know the coach a little better than you might over email. At this point, try to narrow down your choices to a top five, as you're only allowed to go on five official visits. (Narrow it down even more if you can, because visits can get a little exhausting and they take a lot of time away from school). Be realistic when considering schools and planning visits. If you want to run at a school that is lower altitude and is within driving distance of the ocean, don't schedule a visit with a school in the Mountain West region just because you heard they get a sick gear pack or you want to see the area. If you know you wouldn't actually want to spend the next 4-5 years of your life there, be considerate to the coach and don't schedule the visit. Also, plan your visits carefully. I took my final visit the day after my state meet, and I was exhausted the whole weekend. It was still a good visit, but I definitely didn't get out and do as much as I would have had I scheduled it for a different weekend.
When you take your visits, you are going to be doing essentially the same thing every time, so it may get a bit redundant after the third or fourth. Typically, the coaches will arrange for one of the members of the team to show you around campus, take you to meetings, and introduce you to the team. You will meet with the head of your academic department (or university studies, if you are undecided), and the academic director for student athletes, as well as take a tour of the athletic facilities. You will usually close the visit by meeting with the head coach, so be prepared with any questions you have about the program or university.
There are two signing periods for track athletes: One in November and one in April. If you have made your decision by November and don't need/want any additional financial aid, I would highly recommend signing in this period because it relieves a great deal of pressure and allows you to focus on competing for the remainder of your senior year. However, if you feel you can improve your times and gain more aid, it could be worth waiting, just be aware that it could also hold additional risk.
Either way, don't forget to enjoy the whole process!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Pre-Race Fire Mixtape/Cross 2k16
Am I updating my blog because I have thoughts that I feel I should share with the world (Or, you know, the portion of the world that actually has access to the internet and can read random running blogs), or because I'm trying to procrastinate doing my physics homework while still feeling like I accomplished something? The world may never know. (Just kidding, it's a little bit of both.)
Since we're back in competition season after what felt more like three centuries than three months without racing, I've come to the decision that it's time to let you all in on the true secret to any successes I might have: My fire mixtape. Along with that, since I'm still a deadbeat and don't update this nearly enough, I guess I could also fill you in on how summer training has been, what college is looking like for me this year, and how I think the season is going to go.
Because I'm often a very high-stress individual, especially going into meets, my fire mixtape may be uncomfortable and confusing for some people. It doesn't exactly follow any sort of pattern or style. Honestly, it's incredibly random and it jumps from high-key pump up music to chill tunes with little to no warning. The reasoning behind it is that I need some tunes to help me calm it down and keep from having a complete meltdown, but I also don't want to go into a race with the mindset of a sloth on Xanax, so I also have to include your standard hype music.
1. Gold-Imagine Dragons
2. Roses-The Chainsmokers
3. Polaroid-Imagine Dragons
4. Remix to Ignition-
5. Dancing Song-Little Comets
6. Everything About Me-Shrink the Giant
7. America-Imagine Dragons
8. Borderline (Vanic Remix)-Tove Stryke
9. Holding On To You-Twenty One Pilots
10. Fake You Out-Twenty One Pilots
11. Guns For Hands-Twenty One Pilots
12. The Run and Go-Twenty One Pilots
13. The Hills-The Weeknd
14. Victorious-Panic! At the Disco
15. Boogie Shoes-KC & The Sunshine Band
16. Come and Get Your Love-Redbone
17. Hooked on a Feeling-Blue Swede
18. Feralicious-Fergie (Singing this one word for word is a MAJOR key to success. If you don't hit the rap part, you might as well just quit running forever.)
19. Hallelujah-Panic! At the Disco
20. U + Ur Hand-Pink
21. Good To Be Alive-Andy Grammar
22. On Top of the World-Imagine Dragons (Tradition since my first year at Arcadia when my teammates Emily, Ali, and Annie played it on repeat all weekend)
23. Back in Black-AC/DC
24. Pumpin Blood-NONONO
25. Middle Distance Runner-Sea Wolf
26. Centuries-Fall Out Boy
27. Blame It On Me-George Ezra
28. Miracle Mile-Cold War Kids
29. Cats and Dogs-The Head and the Heart
30. All of You-Betty Who
31. Just Like Me-Betty Who
32. Shut Up and Dance-WALK THE MOON
33. Work This Body-WALK THE MOON
34. Favorite Record-Fall Out Boy
35. Toothbrush-DNCE
36. Love in the Middle of a Firefight-Dillon Francis, Brendon Urie
37. Hell No-Ingrid Michaelson
38. Cold Water-Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber
39. Heavy-Birdtalker
40. Chocolate-Landon Austin
41. The Ocean-Mike Perry
42. Make Out-Julia Nunes
43. I Want Crazy-Hunter Hayes
44. Girl-Jukebox the Ghost
45. I Wanna Dance with Somebody-Whitney Houston
For best results, play on shuffle starting anywhere from one to three hours before the beginning of competition. There is one other song that I listen to last before every race, but the individual who introduced me to it has sworn me to secrecy because it is a very well-kept secret on their team that has been handed down for centuries, give or take a few years.
Now that you've got that information, let's talk running and skewl for just a second. This year is going to be pretty darn great for the bobcats. We are going into the season tied for third in the coaches' poll for the conference meet, and you'd best believe we have big plans to move up. Since we have such a young team, I think we can really upset the rankings, since no one really knows what to expect from all of the new freshmen. We had our time trial this last Saturday, and four of our top seven based off of that are newcomers which makes me excited for not only this year, but the future of the program. The new girls are all absolutely fantastic-Not only do they work hard and support each other in the sport, but they are all also incredibly quirky and fun. This team is definitely not your typical division one team, but I mean that in a good way. We keep the competitive edge and drive to succeed, but we also throw in some very unique personalities and a whole lot of goofiness.
As for my individual plans/goals for this year, I think it's going to be a big one. As far as academics go, it's definitely going to be tough since this is my last year of prerequisite classes before I get to do the really fun exercise science classes like abnormal psych and anatomy. This semester, I'll be in physics, statistics, cellular/molecular biology, and American popular music (Arts credits, what can ya do?). It's been one week, and there is already a constant dialogue of a panicked pterodactyl shriek running through my mind anytime someone mentions the word "education". While I was doing my homework today, I seriously considered switching majors at least five times. On the running side of things, life is much less terrifying. This last summer was probably the best consistent training block I've ever had, and it's got me stoked as can be for the upcoming season. I hit my peak mileage at 65 miles a week the last three weeks of summer, and dropped back down to 55 the first week of school. I'll probably stay at 60 through most of the season. It was strange thinking back to last summer because when coach said to hit 55 miles a week anytime during the season, I thought I was actually going to die. Last week when I only got to do 55, I wanted to light myself on fire because I felt like I had way too much energy and time on my hands. And despite the fact that even just eight weeks ago, fifteen mile long runs sounded more like a distant nightmare than anything I could possibly enjoy, they actually feel totally normal now. I've got some lofty goals for this season, per the usual. I fully intend to win the Big Sky conference meet this year, as well as qualify for nationals and make the All-American standards. Hashtag go big or go home.
Since we're back in competition season after what felt more like three centuries than three months without racing, I've come to the decision that it's time to let you all in on the true secret to any successes I might have: My fire mixtape. Along with that, since I'm still a deadbeat and don't update this nearly enough, I guess I could also fill you in on how summer training has been, what college is looking like for me this year, and how I think the season is going to go.
Because I'm often a very high-stress individual, especially going into meets, my fire mixtape may be uncomfortable and confusing for some people. It doesn't exactly follow any sort of pattern or style. Honestly, it's incredibly random and it jumps from high-key pump up music to chill tunes with little to no warning. The reasoning behind it is that I need some tunes to help me calm it down and keep from having a complete meltdown, but I also don't want to go into a race with the mindset of a sloth on Xanax, so I also have to include your standard hype music.
1. Gold-Imagine Dragons
2. Roses-The Chainsmokers
3. Polaroid-Imagine Dragons
4. Remix to Ignition-
5. Dancing Song-Little Comets
6. Everything About Me-Shrink the Giant
7. America-Imagine Dragons
8. Borderline (Vanic Remix)-Tove Stryke
9. Holding On To You-Twenty One Pilots
10. Fake You Out-Twenty One Pilots
11. Guns For Hands-Twenty One Pilots
12. The Run and Go-Twenty One Pilots
13. The Hills-The Weeknd
14. Victorious-Panic! At the Disco
15. Boogie Shoes-KC & The Sunshine Band
16. Come and Get Your Love-Redbone
17. Hooked on a Feeling-Blue Swede
18. Feralicious-Fergie (Singing this one word for word is a MAJOR key to success. If you don't hit the rap part, you might as well just quit running forever.)
19. Hallelujah-Panic! At the Disco
20. U + Ur Hand-Pink
21. Good To Be Alive-Andy Grammar
22. On Top of the World-Imagine Dragons (Tradition since my first year at Arcadia when my teammates Emily, Ali, and Annie played it on repeat all weekend)
23. Back in Black-AC/DC
24. Pumpin Blood-NONONO
25. Middle Distance Runner-Sea Wolf
26. Centuries-Fall Out Boy
27. Blame It On Me-George Ezra
28. Miracle Mile-Cold War Kids
29. Cats and Dogs-The Head and the Heart
30. All of You-Betty Who
31. Just Like Me-Betty Who
32. Shut Up and Dance-WALK THE MOON
33. Work This Body-WALK THE MOON
34. Favorite Record-Fall Out Boy
35. Toothbrush-DNCE
36. Love in the Middle of a Firefight-Dillon Francis, Brendon Urie
37. Hell No-Ingrid Michaelson
38. Cold Water-Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber
39. Heavy-Birdtalker
40. Chocolate-Landon Austin
41. The Ocean-Mike Perry
42. Make Out-Julia Nunes
43. I Want Crazy-Hunter Hayes
44. Girl-Jukebox the Ghost
45. I Wanna Dance with Somebody-Whitney Houston
For best results, play on shuffle starting anywhere from one to three hours before the beginning of competition. There is one other song that I listen to last before every race, but the individual who introduced me to it has sworn me to secrecy because it is a very well-kept secret on their team that has been handed down for centuries, give or take a few years.
 |
| Team bonding trip up Hyalite |
As for my individual plans/goals for this year, I think it's going to be a big one. As far as academics go, it's definitely going to be tough since this is my last year of prerequisite classes before I get to do the really fun exercise science classes like abnormal psych and anatomy. This semester, I'll be in physics, statistics, cellular/molecular biology, and American popular music (Arts credits, what can ya do?). It's been one week, and there is already a constant dialogue of a panicked pterodactyl shriek running through my mind anytime someone mentions the word "education". While I was doing my homework today, I seriously considered switching majors at least five times. On the running side of things, life is much less terrifying. This last summer was probably the best consistent training block I've ever had, and it's got me stoked as can be for the upcoming season. I hit my peak mileage at 65 miles a week the last three weeks of summer, and dropped back down to 55 the first week of school. I'll probably stay at 60 through most of the season. It was strange thinking back to last summer because when coach said to hit 55 miles a week anytime during the season, I thought I was actually going to die. Last week when I only got to do 55, I wanted to light myself on fire because I felt like I had way too much energy and time on my hands. And despite the fact that even just eight weeks ago, fifteen mile long runs sounded more like a distant nightmare than anything I could possibly enjoy, they actually feel totally normal now. I've got some lofty goals for this season, per the usual. I fully intend to win the Big Sky conference meet this year, as well as qualify for nationals and make the All-American standards. Hashtag go big or go home.
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