The Transition to College Running, Continued.

Hey everyone!


     Last time I wrote about the transition to college running, focusing on dorm life. In this entry, I would like to continue writing about the transition period, but focus on other aspects.


        First of all, differences in training may be the most significant change you will encounter. Chances are, you will be training much harder in college than you ever did in high school. Before college, I had never consistently ran doubles before. (A double means running twice a day) During cross country, we would practice at 4 o'clock every afternoon, plus two or three 6:30 a.m. practices each week. When running extra miles, it is important to make sure that you are eating enough and taking care of any aches and pains you may have. Also, make sure you wake up for practice! Set two alarm clocks if you have to. Doubles can help, but only if done properly. When running on a lack of sleep, I found that it was much more beneficial to gain another hour of sleep than to wake up to run a half hour. The best solution is to get to bed at a decent hour so that a lack of energy is not a problem in the morning. 


      I went from running around 35 miles a week as a high school runner, to 55 or more as a college freshman. During my first collegiate cross country season, the extra mileage left me feeling worn out. I would often get frustrated because I was not feeling great on my runs. However, I always tried to keep in mind that the hard work I was doing that was making me worn out would eventually pay off. At the same time, it is important to remember that freshmen should not be doing the same amount of mileage as the older girls on the team. It has taken them three or four years to build up to where they are, so freshman shouldn't rush into it! Building up mileage too quickly can lead to injuries and burnout.


     Another big adjustment was eating all my meals in the school cafeteria. For the first month or so, I could hardly ever get through a run without my stomach being in pain. I attributed this to change in cooking styles and ingredients. If cafeteria food is upsetting your stomach, try to stick to more plain foods and avoid greasy entrees. Also, remember that just because the cafeteria has endless options, it doesn't mean that you should load up your plate with everything available. Runners should never become obsessed with nutrition, but eating ice cream at every meal is probably not the best way to improve and perform at your best ability.


      Adjusting to a new coach and team was definitely not easy for me. I had a good relationship with my high school coach, as he helped me improve a ton, and I trusted his training techniques. Coaches are always going to vary in their training and coaching techniques. 


     In high school, my coach spent a lot of time talking to us about our goals, and always explained the purpose behind every workout. My college coach definitely did not. It is important to remember that all coaches are different, and you cannot constantly compare your new coach to your old coach.  
     The team atmosphere is very different in college. Everyone is very committed to what they are doing, because they are competing at such a high level of competition. During high school, most of the girls on my team were doing it just to socialize and stay in shape. Besides me, there were probably only three or four girls who took their running very seriously. I was used to leading each workout and run in high school, because I was among the best on the team. Suddenly once I arrived at college, I was not the top dog anymore. I was no longer leading every workout, and a lot of the time I was struggling just to keep up with the girls. This was very frustrating for me, because I am a huge perfectionist and always want to be the absolute best at everything I do. However, I just had to keep in mind that in the long run, having people around me who would push me to run harder would help me to become a better runner.


      There are certainly a lot of changes that occur between high school and collegiate running. At times, the adjustment period can be very intimidating and frustrating. You can complain about the changes and day dream about returning to your high school days, or you can handle the changes in stride and use them to your advantage. Just remember that the transition is rarely easy for anybody, and that the challenges along the way are just road blocks to be overcome on the path to success!
By the way, here is an awesome article on this same topic by the most respected magazine in all of running: http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=25233. 


Happy running,
Kylie