Several people have reached out asking about the future of track given the state of our country with the COVID-19 pandemic, so I thought I would try to provide some answers over the next few weeks, and also some training suggestions moving forward. If you have any questions or would like to hear about certain topics, be sure to let me know and I’ll do my best to respond to them.
Regarding the 2020 spring track season, at this point, it’s really too early to say if the seasons are over, or if the season is simply on an extended hiatus. The WIAA director came out this week and said the state of Washington will try to salvage a spring season by offering an abbreviated season and post-season if school resumes on April 27. However, the Washington state Superintendent has suggested that school may not resume until fall, meaning no spring sports at all.
This is all I have to go off of. The powers of the season are well beyond my capacity, as I am merely here to help get you prepared for your season, which is governed by factors beyond my control. However, the optimist in me says we could very well have a club track season in May, as we are over six weeks away from what would be our third meet of the season. Remember, our first meet came in early March at the Teddy Twilight, where we came away with some spectacular results. Our second meet of the season on April 25 is likely out, but as we near May, I wouldn’t be surprised if citizens began seeking a heightened sense of normalcy. We can only sit still for so long, and then we have to get busy living.
So what should your training plan look like? If you know me, then you know I am a fan of speed. The hardest system to train in your body, when it comes to performance based activities, is the neurological system. Teaching your legs to turn over at a fast rate to make racing feel easy is what I’m all about. Mileage is important, but quality trumps quantity in my world. Another rule of thumb is that if you’re training slow and too comfortable, then you’ll likely race slow and comfortable. Stressing the body a couple of times each week to work beyond what you though was possible is am important trait in training, and, the heightened intensities will give you something to focus before and throughout the workout, and something to feel proud about when you’re finished.
Track and cross-country are truly different sports. Cross is more about stamina, endurance, and mental fortitude, where as track is about speed, rhythm, and efficiency. The two sports complement one another and truly emphasis the importance of taking a balanced training approach. Working on speed in the shorter events (100m—800m) and speed endurance in the longer events (400m-2 mile), provides a season of speed training that will pay off six months down the road during the cross-country season. Similarly, the endurance of the 3k or 5k in cross-country will pay off in the middle distance and distance events in track. These sports complement one another, and it’s important to continue track training through the spring, no matter if there is an actual performance season or not.
On a similarly related note, one fear of deciding to fold the tent on track and begin training for cross-country is the fear of burnout in the latter fall months. Sure, putting in 30, 40, 50 miles a week or more sounds exciting, but to do that from March through mid-November, and for some into December, can make for an exceptionally long season. Older athletes might be able to handle the longevity, but younger ones might struggle with this a bit, hence another reason to continue track training.
There’s a lot here, so if you have any questions, please send me a quick message on my cell phone if you have any questions. Perhaps your questions will make for a great topic on the Whisper Blog!
Thanks for reading!
Dave
360-989-0935
Need guidance for training over the coming weeks? Click here for the Corona Training Calendar and you’ll see two weeks worth of training that will take you to the end of March. Additional training suggestions will be provided in the coming days. Please text or email Coach Dave if you have any questions. Thanks!