Coach Mikes Blog

in Practice by coach mike on 30 Sep 2008

Thats how i feel today. Some days you wonder why even bother? Why keep trying? It would be better to as some one said ” to just throw in the towel” quit-no mas-sell out-thats how I feel right now. My problem is I care too much. I care how people treat people-when one of my kids (runners) is hurting and i don’t mean physically- then I hurt. Right now I have a senior that things are just not working. His legs won’t go-his mind says do it-run faster but the legs won’t go. I don’t have all the answers-most of the time I have very few answers. The only answer I have for him is keep trying-don’t give up-you have worked hard and things will get better-the legs will start to obey! But its hard for me to say that when my mind says I have had enough-Some days, you feel no one cares. Right now I wonder who cares? Does anyone appreciates  what you  do?  The  extra hours  you put  in, the worries,  the sleepless nights.  If I could just coach and not have to be bothered with the extra behind the scene things that are going on!  But I guess that goes with the territory, thats why I’m paid the big dollars!  So I’ll keep showing up-I’ll keep caring-I’ll get my senior through his problems-I’ll get the girls healthy and make sure to field the best team we can at conference-the other outside forces will take care of them self because I don’t have time for that stuff now I have two teams to get ready and young people to get ready to race-to race on the course and off the course!!!

in Practice by coach mike on 24 Sep 2008

Changed up today-the girls are struggling with health problems, with colds, sore muscles, broken toes, grade problems, and other such problems. So I gave them a day off. I’m not sure we will have enough bodies left for the conference meet. To be honest I don’t know what to do. I believe they are working harder, trying to throw some tougher workouts at them, ran some hard 300′ s on the track on Tuesday after a good 4 mile run. Coach Jones has been running with them or riding a bike. But Courtney, Kaity, Mollie, and Tiffaney are all sick or hurt. Paige has a broken toe and a lower leg problem. Alyssa and Chelseay are the only healthy ones. So a day off might do them some good, we’ll see on Thursday.

The boys and I met out in the Selmaville area, getting back to the basics, getting back to the roots of some very good runners. We have a nice, hilly section of road they we have ran in the past. Only problem was the heat, very warm and muggy. After 4 miles of hills, I decided that was enough. Good work out for the middle of the week. The conference meet is getting closer, lets make sure we are taking care of ourself, and try to stay healthy. This is the tough part of the season, still lots of time before the big meets and yet tire legs, sore muscles, a general feeling of being worn out is very common. We still need to stay tough both in practice and in the meets, tough mentally, tough physically. Good teams start good and get better!!!!!!

in Practice by coach mike on 15 Sep 2008

How important are shoes? How are important are your feet? How important are your legs? We have had three straight races on mostly pavement. Legs are tired, legs are sore. Some are wearing old shoes. Courtney is wearing worn out shoes, and her legs hurt. You have to take care of yourself, for two reasons. First for your team, second for your self. Right now the girls team is in trouble, not with me. I’m talking about with numbers. We didn’t have many to start with, today Paige came to practice with a broken little toe, hurt it at home. Ellie went home sick, Tanya didn’t show up. So that left us with Courtney, Mollie, Alyssa, Kaity, and Tiffany. Good news still enough for a team score, hope we don’t tie! We still have Chelsey the cheerleader, the girls are going to try to find some more bodies but its getting late in the season to get in shape in time for conference. The boys aren’t in much better shape. At least 3 keys runners hurt right now, then a couple with very sore legs. Going to have to do some high level specialize training with some of these guys. Thomas is going to have to stay real light this week and not sure about Clark. Right now only Jordan, Jacob, Cory and little Jacob are healthy for the most part. Hoping to get Hopkins back soon and maybe Hargis, but its getting late.I guess if it was easy everyone would be coaching! Sometimes you just have to be tough and get through it and sometimes you have to be tough and smart! The coach has to be smart and not over work some of the younger kids and still keeping hammering the older more mature runners. Check the shoes! By the way is 15- 400 meters all around 72 seconds very good? I couldn’t believe it, almost everyone was right at 72 seconds, I final made them quit. Great job by Jacob and Jordan. Nix had very good work out also, hit 8×400 all around 72 and that was after 4 plus miles. Jordan and Jacob did probably 5 plus miles  with an am run. The girls did a very good 4 mile run and then ran 2×400 around 80 seconds. Hang in there troops!

in Practice by coach mike on 02 Sep 2008

It starts-Wednesday at 4 pm at Murphy. Are we ready? Doesn’t matter, its time to lace them up and get to racing. Stay turn. Answers later on Wednesday.

in Practice by coach mike on 29 Aug 2008

I’m setting here at work waiting for 7 am to get here. We had a decent week of practice. Two am runs, a good day of hills on Wednesday. Monday was a good day of 400 repeats and some good base miles for the whole week. Yesterday I’m not sure if the miles were that good for girls, or most of the girls, might of been junk miles. Its time to race, we have practiced enough without a race. The time has come to see where we are at and where we need to go from here. The season is long and the important meets are several weeks away. We need to keep moving toward getting better, we need to stick together. Right now I don’t feel we are team, a group banded together for a common cause, I just don’t have that feel of chemistry.  Maybe some long bus trips  will  bring us together, oh boy can’t wait for those. What we need is a battle, to see what we are made of.  Are we tough?  Are we  willing to  push  our self to the pain and then pass the pain? When the big dogs go, will we go with them?  My gut tells me, we are one short, we are missing that one runner from being better than good, that one missing leak, that one piece of the puzzle, just one person!

in Practice by coach mike on 25 Aug 2008

Started the week with an AM run-had a good turn out, all the girls that were to be there and most of the boys. Found out later that Jacob was sick and also missed the afternoon practice. The girls did the Roddy Road Run, running with reckless abandon and relentless grace. The boys add several miles to start the week off. The afternoon consisted of a warm up and then several 400M on the nature trail. The girls worked in 8 and boys put 12 on the board. Mr. Jones and Mr. Goff put in some good times. You wonder how good you are, you aren’t sure and you wouldn’t know until you race. I have notice good teams start out good and get better, sometimes teams that start out good falter, but most of the time teams that start bad never get any better.

Went to Chicago this weekend to see my daughter and son-in law. Ryan was competing in a triathlon. 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. He did very well, I was proud of him. There were over 8000 folks in this triathlon all types, all sizes. My wife and I had a very nice weekend, the weather was great and we had a great time visiting with Audrey and Ryan. Then off they flew back to New Jersey and we headed down I57 back to southern Illinois.

in Practice by coach mike on 19 Aug 2008

Another nice practice. Boys did about a 2 mile warm up-then 8×800 all around 2:30 to 2:40 for the top group. We seem to be working very well, but racing is a different animal. How will we race?  The first race is getting closer.  The Girls I’m worried about-not because they aren’t working but because there is only 7  and tonight Katie was having some problems with her stomach. There is no room for error. Girls did a mile warm up and then 6×800 all around 3:25 to 3:30. Wednesday is hill day and the first full day of school.

in Practice by coach mike on 18 Aug 2008

Practice today went well-Jones 10 to 11 miles-10 stride outs

Kubicki, Goff, Nix and Clark went 40 minutes with some fartlicks throw in, all 4 looked strong for 30 minutes then Kubicki and Clark took off. The whole team finished with 10 stride outs 5 jogs 5 hard.

Girls went 4 miles- pace looked better, this was after their ab workout. Finished with 8 stride outs-4 hard 4 jog. Nice practice-Tuesday they have a half of day of school and we will still practice at 9, then on Wednesday we start after school, thats when things get tougher for me.

The schedule took a hit today, we lost the Springfield meet and we need to find a replacement for it-hoping on the Hancock Invite at Jefferson Barracks maybe.

in Practice by coach mike on 17 Aug 2008

Another LG  in the books. Weather was very good. We stayed at the same place as past years but in a different building. We took 18 runners, 4 new to LG. Three freshmen and a new junior. The Makanda run was first event for the weekend. The kids handled it very well. Jordan and Jacob ran very well. I had the top group of boys run an extra 1.5 miles. Clark looked very good again, Goff and Nix are running together, which is ok, they both know what it takes. So we have JK and JJ in the front and then the freshman Jacob Hesser has been hanging around in the front. The girls are all over the place, Courtney and Alyssa are looking strong,  Tif the new freshman has ran very well. The rest were pacing their self for the long weekend. Team meetings went well Friday night, the girls had some ideas and we as coaches will try to adjust to them. After the meetings the girls and I went to town for shopping and ice cream, (don’t tell the boys!) I went to bed early not sure about the rest of the crew. Want to say welcome to our newest assistance coach Doug Douger Jones, He will be a big help to me and I’m glad to have him on board. Doug is a former Wildcat runner, 800M being his best event.

Saturday morning we were up at 6:30 am and running by 7 am. 30 minute run. The girls started with their ab workout they ask for. Break for breakfast, then the first run the Red Cedar Trail. Years ago the thought was this was anywhere from 14 to 16 miles, the trail was reworked a couple years back and distance was found to be 12 miles. So we try to half it off and run 6 first go around. The problems begin with people getting lost and going off the trail, first 3 boys came through and then no one! We waited until we got a phone call from Mol and Geff (volunteer long time coach), everybody was lost. So what was around six miles ended up being over 7 miles and took over an hour and fifty minutes to over 2 hours! Every year someone gets lost but never over 90% of the team! You would of thought Travis Fredrick was leading the way!!!!! Final Geff got them all in and off we went to grill hot dogs! Can’t say much about the run as far as who did well besides JJ, JK and JH, everyone else was lost! But I told Mollie her new nick name was Mose! Because she lead the young ones out of the wilderness and it almost took 40 years!!!!! She showed great leadership!

The kids enjoyed the hot dogs and water mellow. Some went hiking and watching the repealers do their thing. The coaches decided to offer the girls the out option for the afternoon run on the trail. Reasons: lots of blisters, too much time on the first trail, and only two showers at the cabin and we had supper reservations at 5:30!!!!! Two did decide to run the 2nd half-Weed and Shet-and they ran it very well, as good as any had in the last several years. Not all the guys made the whole run, I held back 3 of the guys. Cameron Davis has continued to surprise me with his endurance, we just need to find some speed for him! (and a case of good toilet paper) Little Jake had another good run, of course Jordan was tough again. JK worked it hard as did Kolon.

The meal was great, I was very hunger and everything tasted great. I’m not sure if the kids always enjoy what is going on, maybe some day! I’m tired, didn’t get much sleep Saturday night and was up early Sunday for the trip home. Practice Monday will be a challenge! What do you do as a coach after a week end of almost 20 miles for some of runners on very difficult terrain! Back off a little????? I DON’T THINK SO! I THINK I’LL START THE DAY WITH A QUESTION-” HOW GOOD DO WE WANT TO BE?”

in Practice by coach mike on 14 Aug 2008

Good news-everybody came back, bad news no new faces. The girls stand at 7, hope no one gets hurt. The boys numbers are better. We hurried practice along tonight. Looked like bad weather coming in, all it did was cool things down. This is like late fall weather, its nice but we need some heat, so we are use to it when the meets start, because it will be a lot warmer.

Most of the team ran about 4.5 miles-Jacob and Jordan ran mile repeats-3 with a solid rest between, ran them pretty good. I have no idea where we are as far as strength, but I believe we can be good and maybe better than good.  Only time and times will tell! This weekend we head to our camp at Little Grassy for a fun weekend of running and silliness.