IndianaRunner

[Drake]

Here you can discuss Chris Walden's training.

Feel free to ask questions, make comments, critique or just read!

Chris will likely chime in and answer.

Here you can find his latest blog entry:
http://indianarunner.com/ChrisWaldenTraningBlog2011.aspx

[Logic_Runner]

logic_runner = walden

just so you guys i was the first one with a "Logic" screen name. Everyone else is a poser.

I am not sure how much I will read IR or have the time to update this blog. I want to, its just with unknown ahead I just don't know how much I can keep up with this. I will try my best though you know I will.

A few good ways to keep up with me are:

I log all my training im pretty sure in a public profile on Flotrack.
Follow me on twitter @ waldenism
I am on a facebook hiatus right now, but I'm sure i will re activate my account sometime soon. So message me there.
or just email me at cwwalden@indy.rr.com

Cheers.

[The_Phenomenon]

Hey Chris, first off, congrats on an unbelievable high school career. you've really motivated people like me to get better in the sport. I had a question about your junior year. You were always at the top of your class, but it seemed you really broke through at state when you took runner-up to Futsum when not many people, like myself, were expecting. Then after you qualified for footlocker and really made a name for yourself across the nation. I Was just curious what you changed in your training in that period if any. Thanks.

[Logic_Runner]

excellent question.

I think the big thing here is just many months in a row of consistent training with out injury, and just doing everything your supposed to.

I forget where i have heard this before but "over-night success takes two years"

where i think a lot of young runners get into trouble is they but in one season of really hard work but they do not see much improvement right away. It's a process, I started running freshmen year. I was working hard, but as you stated above i really started making break throughs that Jr. xc season.

This is especially frustrating as a coach cause some kids dont really start working hard until that junior or senior year when they think they might have a shot at varsity. Until then they just go through the motions. Thats why i think its really important to try and keep the freshmen/sophomores that are on that 2nd tier involved and interested. They need to be putting in those months of consistent training and then when you least expect it they are breakin into your top 5. I think feeder programs are very helpful to, having kids in middle school just getting used to enjoying going out for a run for fun, not as punishment.

[1bob11]

Shoot, I asked this on the wrong thread earlier, but here goes:

What kind of workouts were you doing in preparation for indoor state? Was the crazy fast mile split by accident or did training indicate that you could run that fast?

[Logic_Runner]

bob: that is a tough question. Indoor has never really been a forte of mine. I enjoy outdoor, and cross country much more. The tight turns and dry air are just not for me. Indiana sort of combines indoor and outdoor, instead of two separate seasons its hard to put focus on early march when your training to peak for june.

Generally my winter training goes something like this: last xc race in the second week of december. Then take time off until about christmas. The whole month of january i am just getting my legs back and building up my milage. Starting in February i start doing 5-7 mile tempos once a week. March Start throwing in track work.

This year was a tad different. I did like one or two work outs on the track before the Brooks Pr meet in seattle(Feb 28th). Going into that I knew i was just not ready my cross country season was prolly longer and more intense than anyone elses in the country. 17 meets in 17 weeks, and almost every meet there was a runner ranked in the top 25 in the country (8 of those races were against futsum)

Then there was like another two before Indoor state a week or two later. I was feeling a lot fitter now than i was at brooks pr. There was a lot of dynamics at work here. My very first really huge break out race was two years earlier was at indoor state in the DMR, where i split 416 (14 second pr) as a sophomore and beat NC in a dead heat anchoring against futsum wire to wire (newly 7th at footlocker as a frosh).

This as evidence, I do a lot of my best running when its for the team. My biggest fear is going back to the team camp and looking at my team mates faces if we lost and i could have given more. So when it comes to that point in a race when i want to give up, I not only keep pushing for myself but my best friends and brothers. MIC is a good example of this too.

Also another factor of the top of my head is that we had a pretty good chance to break the indoor state record in the DMR. So if my team mates put me into position to potentially break it i wanted to be ready to bring it home if i had to.

Lastly i got pretty jacked up to run fast after i saw mascari and lowry crank out 858 and 900.

So to answer you original question. I guess training was indicating i could run that fast but it would definitely be a herculean effort.

fyi we did break the indoor record, it just so happened Westfield had broken it 6 seconds earlier. 1011-1017

[Ashar118]

MIC is a good example of this too.

I went to MIC this year with a couple teammates. We were wondering, during your 1600, what exactly you were thinking the whole way through. I'm not sure if I remember 100%, but didn't you go through the 400 in like :59 and then the 800 in 2:01 or something? I remember it being a really fast start. And we thought maybe you were trying to avoid a finish like the one at the miracle mile, by taking Mudd's kick out of him halfway through the race. Then in the 3200 you seemed to do the same thing, because Futsum is also a big-kicker. Is there any truth to that, or were we just making things up in our heads?

[Logic_Runner]

MIC is a good example of this too.

I went to MIC this year with a couple teammates. We were wondering, during your 1600, what exactly you were thinking the whole way through. I'm not sure if I remember 100%, but didn't you go through the 400 in like :59 and then the 800 in 2:01 or something? I remember it being a really fast start. And we thought maybe you were trying to avoid a finish like the one at the miracle mile, by taking Mudd's kick out of him halfway through the race. Then in the 3200 you seemed to do the same thing, because Futsum is also a big-kicker. Is there any truth to that, or were we just making things up in our heads?

You are correct for the 1600. That was the plan for the state meet as well, but as evidence of Mudd in the month of June there is very little that could take that kick away.

In the 3200 though. Futsum is a very good closer, and i think his kick has always been under rated just because he rarely is in a postion to ever showcase it. That being said though I still think my finish was better. So the plan in the 3200 was to just sit behind him/mascari and make my final move when i thought i could hold the lead all the way into the finish. Again that was my state meet plan. It kind of hurt me i think that i showed all my cards at MIC that way futsum and mudd knew how to beat me. At the end of the day though tactics account for about 5% of the race. They both won state by 5+ seconds. They were just better.

[Ashar118]

Thanks for the insight, it's really interesting to see various tactics and how they play out on the track when it's go time. I must say I was impressed with that MIC performance, one of the best meets I saw all year. I usually don't like guys who sit and kick, so I'm glad you ran with the lead.

...and I also thought that fist pump at the end of the 32 was entertaining, haha

[Logic_Runner]

...and I also thought that fist pump at the end of the 32 was entertaining, haha

yep that sealed the deal on the team title it didnt matter what happened in the mile relay at that point

[Poochy]

Do you think that you could have beaten Futsum if you were fresh at state in the 3200? You only lost by 6 seconds but ran a 4:08 mile earlier while he was completely fresh coming in

[Logic_Runner]

Its real hard to say. Futsum is a blue chipper. He always gets it done in the big races. Yeah I might have been able to run faster but, Futsum would have run faster probably too. He only runs fast enough to win. I wish i could have seen what happened my fresh best against his.

[Logic_Runner]

yo guys did a quick write up on my first of three weeks here in tahoe training.

[WarriorXC09]

IF you feel comfortable answering this, I am very interested in how Cal's team as a whole will perform this XC season. Can you give us any idea of just how good your team will be? Im sure you know as well as anyone that the Pac-12 is probaly the most competitive region for XC in the nation, with powerhouses such as Stanford and Oregon, along with alot of other talented teams. How well do you think you guys can stack up against the rest of the Pac-12? Do you think that going to a school in the Pac-12 is going to benifit you a lot from the competition standpoint?, because I'm sure now and down the road you'll be racing against a lot of the nations other top recruits from the 2011 class such as Lukas Verzbicas and the Rosa twins.

Also....how is the weather?

[Logic_Runner]

OK first off the PAC12 is the best running conference ever. As far as a team and what not. I feel like such a freshmen. I am just so out of my element. We haven't talked about team goals too much at this point. Our main one we keep talking about is just makin sure we get our business done and make it to NCAA's. As far as far as beating teams like stanford and oregon, I think we can beat them, but a lot will depend on if Luke Puskedra (oregon) and Chris Derrick (Stanford) redshirt this year or not. Then the one team this year out west I don't think we can touch is Arizona. As far as running in this conference, it is definitely gonna make me better. Just training with my team mates I can already feel I'm gonna make some good jumps in fitness.

[Scar]

Hey Chris, I hope college is going well for you. You had a great XC season and i am looking formward to seeing you in track. Can you tell me what your winter training has been like? What kind of mileage have you gotten up to and would you recommend University of Cal in the future?

[Logic_Runner]

Hey its been awhile since I have looked at IR.

My winter training was pretty rough. Coming back from Cross Country I was training pretty good here in Berkeley mostly on soft surfaces. When I went home though back to Carmel to more hard surfaces and colder temperatures. I had a bit of patellar tendonitis in my knee. I've been able to train through most of it. Even now though it has still been buggin me. Its almost better its just takes time sometimes. Injuries are just part of the game if you want to push your limits you are going to have some injuries along the way.

My milage is around 70 miles a week.

As far as recommending Berkeley for me this is the greatest place on the planet for me. I urge anyone looking into college to check it out. It is the top public university, great location, and top notch athletics.

[lukebr]

i just watched your impressive win in the Fentons Creamery 5k. Do you have any tactics you would like to share with us back in indiana? Also, was there anything that was left out of the video that should be noted??