IndianaRunner

[Drake]

Here you can discuss Jason Crist's training.

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

Hopefully Jason will chime in and answer.

Here you can find his latest blog entry:
http://indianarunner.com/JasonCristTrainingBlog2011.aspx

[speedrunner16]

I am open to any and all questions, so don't hesitate to ask!

[runner1727]

How did you get to be such a beast at Ultimate?

[speedrunner16]

Lol, well I'm not THAT good, I just play a lot. The past 3 years, I have gone to Florida on spring break with RoboCop and his family. Every day, we would spend at least an hour throwing the frisbee back and forth, practicing different throws. That is mainly where I learned how to throw the frisbee well. Our team also play frisbee once a week over the summer/winter, as well as on the weekends sometimes during the early parts of the season.

[runner1727]

Haha ok. Well you were definitely tearing us apart when we played you guys.

[iwearperushortshorts]

Jason,
How hard is it for you to bounce back from what i assume is a bit of a disappointment with coming up just short of a title title 3 times now. (2nd in the 1600m 2010) (2nd in xc) (4th 1600m 2011). Do you get down on yourself for not being able to take the win in those or are you happy enough to realize that a top 5 finish is still really good? Its no secret how bad you want to win, so i was just wondering how you take finishes like that emotionally and how you bounce back from them.

[speedrunner16]

Great question.
When I got 2nd in the 1600 my sophomore year, it was kind of bittersweet. On one hand, I was thrilled to have gotten runner up and finally get a ring, but on the other hand I was disappointed in the fact that I was able to win the race coming out of the last turn, where I am usually at my strongest, and coming up short. However, it did give me a lot of motivation for the upcoming cross season and the next track season, epecially to come back and try to beat Walden. Runner up in XC was kind of the same deal. I have been racing Futsum since middle school (when I used to beat him), so losing to him again was frustrating. Coming into this past track season, I was sure that it was going to be my year to win the 1600 (this was before Austin Mudd turned into a God). I worked so much harder than I had the year before, but for some reason I just couldn't really run as fast as I wanted to in the 1600 (my goal going into the season was 4:07, our school record). In the state race, the entire race just did not fall into my favor tactically, and going out in 58 killed me. Had we gone out a little slower, I think I could have placed better, but that's a completely different issue. As for how this race will affect me, I guess we will see once we start racing again.

[C-ross25]

At the state meet, what was your race plan going in to the 3200 cuz it didn't turn out the way you wanted. was it cuz your were tired from the 1600? Did u freak out during the race at any point? take me through what went wrong with the race.

[speedrunner16]

Going into the 3200, my plan was to do what I do best: just hang on to the leaders for as long as possible, and if I'm still there at the end, finish with a kick. That's what I had done at two other big 1600-3200 doubles earlier in the year, one at Conference Indiana, and the other at regionals. Although my 1600 at the state meet was much faster than at those two meets, I still felt like I could do really well in the 3200. Obviously, I was pretty upset with my 1600, so I honestly felt like I could win the 3200 (the heat must have gotten to me). The race started out at a perfect pace for what I wanted, maybe like a 67 or 68 the first lap. I wasn't really with the leaders at that point, so I put in a lot of effort to move up slowly. Around lap 4, I finally got up to the leaders, but then I started to feel the 4:12 from earlier. At that point I just didn't have anything left. I didn't panic or freak out or anything, there just wasn't anything left in the tank.

[Drake]

How many miles do you plan on getting up to this year in comparison to last? I noticed youre already over 50 just in your 2nd and 3rd weeks back?

Also, how often do you (and the team) do doubles during the preseason and inseason?

[speedrunner16]

For this summer, I only plan to be up in the upper 50's at most, but later in the year I will probably be over 60 for at least a week. Last season, I was probably nowhere near the mileage I'm at right now (maybe 40 or a little more), but I did have sort of a late start on my training with an offseason surgery and other matters. However I still made it to 60 one week at about midseason.

Going over 50 miles on my 2nd week was kind of an accident. I didn't plan on being that high. I was thinking more along the lines of mid-40's, I just had an extra run one day that really put me over. I think RoboCop might have burst into tears if I didn't run with him.

Our team has done doubles in years past, but this year we have really done a lot more. During the summer of my first three years, we would only have about 1 or 2 weeks of doubles (2 days each week). We have also done some doubles during the season where we would come to the school before school and either run, bike, or swim, and then do our normal workout after school.

[steburg]

I'm not at all questioning your work ethic or anything like that, but it looks like you took it pretty easy on Sunday. Do you try to get in a recovery run like that once a week, or do you just do your runs based on how your body is feeling?

[WarriorXC09]

a few questions

first how, if at all, does your XC training differ from your track training, in terms of workouts, volume, etc? You seemed to be more a 1600 guy your sophmore year, however this past track season you seemed to really excel at that 3200. Do you think that in the fututre running more miles will make you a 3K/5K guy, or is the 1500/mile distance the one for you?

Next, I don't want to pressure you to answer this question, but I am very curious about how much of your college desicion you have given thought to already. Seeing that you are a relatively lower mileage guy still, yet were able to succeed quite well, I'd think alot of coaches would be very excited to get you on the team and have the chance to develop you further. So, have you thought at all about where you WANT to go, and have any colleges been recruiting you? I wish you the best with your selection either way, It can be a rough time for some people.

[speedrunner16]

I'm not at all questioning your work ethic or anything like that, but it looks like you took it pretty easy on Sunday. Do you try to get in a recovery run like that once a week, or do you just do your runs based on how your body is feeling?

Typically, Sundays are another day to get in a longer run for us. I have been building up on the length of these in the past few weeks, starting at 30, 40, and now 50 minutes. After this week, I will try to get in at least 60 minutes every sunday throughout the season, unless I feel like taking a day off is necessary.

[speedrunner16]

a few questions

first how, if at all, does your XC training differ from your track training, in terms of workouts, volume, etc? You seemed to be more a 1600 guy your sophmore year, however this past track season you seemed to really excel at that 3200. Do you think that in the fututre running more miles will make you a 3K/5K guy, or is the 1500/mile distance the one for you?

Next, I don't want to pressure you to answer this question, but I am very curious about how much of your college desicion you have given thought to already. Seeing that you are a relatively lower mileage guy still, yet were able to succeed quite well, I'd think alot of coaches would be very excited to get you on the team and have the chance to develop you further. So, have you thought at all about where you WANT to go, and have any colleges been recruiting you? I wish you the best with your selection either way, It can be a rough time for some people.

Our XC and track training is very similar over here at FC. I'd say the only difference is the amount of speedwork we do at the end of the season (more in track season because of the shorter racing distances).
I probably seemed like more of a 1600 guy my sophomore year mostly because I wasn't really strong enough to be successful in the 3200. This past year, I had worked a lot harder in both the XC and track seasons, so I had a lot more strength to work with. I noticed a clear difference when I would race the 3200, with the sub-9 and two 9:11's after a 1600 (much of that credit goes to Kelsey and Sublette of CN). However, with the success I had in the 3200, I also kind of realized that I may not have the leg speed to be competitive in the 1500 at the next level. I just feel more comfortable with the 3k/5k distance, which is most likely going to be my main events.

I've already given quite a bit of thought about colleges this summer. I've had a lot of calls, and an in-home visit with more in the planning. It really is a tough and stressful time, but I think I'm handling it well. I have sort of a system to help me choose which college is best for me. I put all of the colleges that I have interest in into a list, and divided them into groups. The first group has the greatest likelihood of me going there, and the third group has the lowest (for multiple reasons). I think it's only fair to give you my list, so here it is:

(Schools in each group are in no particular order)
Group 1
Ohio State
Indiana
Butler
Georgetown

Group 2
Syracuse
Portland
Notre Dame
NC State

Group 3
Northern Arizona
Arizona State
Iowa State
Columbia

I plan to move schools to different groups where I feel necessary, and then eliminate groups 2 and 3 by certain dates so that I have 5 colleges reamining, where I will use my official visits.

[steburg]

Typically, Sundays are another day to get in a longer run for us. I have been building up on the length of these in the past few weeks, starting at 30, 40, and now 50 minutes. After this week, I will try to get in at least 60 minutes every sunday throughout the season, unless I feel like taking a day off is necessary.

Ok that makes sense, I was just curious. Good luck with your training and your college search!

[speedrunner16]

Thank you! I'm glad I could answer your question.

[runner1727]

I saw that FC is going to McCormick's Creek this year for team camp. What trail did you think was the most challenging? My vote is for Trail 2 because it has a hill that seems like it goes up for almost a mile.

[MetaphoricalMark]

I saw that FC is going to McCormick's Creek this year for team camp. What trail did you think was the most challenging? My vote is for Trail 2 because it has a hill that seems like it goes up for almost a mile.

That hill is NASTY! Definitely the best hill in the park.

[runner1727]

I saw that FC is going to McCormick's Creek this year for team camp. What trail did you think was the most challenging? My vote is for Trail 2 because it has a hill that seems like it goes up for almost a mile.

That hill is NASTY! Definitely the best hill in the park.

Without a doubt!

[speedrunner16]

Yes, trail 2 is very tough. When I went up that hill the first time this week I almost threw up at the top. One of our runs (which we did several times during the week) finishes up that hill. Trail 7 is also pretty challenging with a series of 3 hills in a period of about 1 minute. Honestly, all trails at McCormick's Creek are not easy. It seems like you're always running up or down a hill at some point!

[Xcfactor]

Hey Jason, I see that you've been consistently hitting about 50 miles a week. I always assumed that you ran higher mileage but I guess I was wrong. My question is, do you ever come close to 60 mile weeks during the season, or do you just continue running 50 mile weeks with more quality?

[runner1727]

Yes, trail 2 is very tough. When I went up that hill the first time this week I almost threw up at the top. One of our runs (which we did several times during the week) finishes up that hill. Trail 7 is also pretty challenging with a series of 3 hills in a period of about 1 minute. Honestly, all trails at McCormick's Creek are not easy. It seems like you're always running up or down a hill at some point!

I know exactly what you mean. I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest after Trail 2 this year.

[IR_BrettFavre]

After reading your five weeks of training I have decided you are going to be amazing once you get to college.

[speedrunner16]

Hey Jason, I see that you've been consistently hitting about 50 miles a week. I always assumed that you ran higher mileage but I guess I was wrong. My question is, do you ever come close to 60 mile weeks during the season, or do you just continue running 50 mile weeks with more quality?

Coach Kellison has told me that his philosophy is to string together weeks of at least 50 miles with increasing intensity for very long periods of time in order to build strength. Last year, my highest weekly mileage was like right at 60, but that was only for one week, and then we cut back on our mileage a little bit. As you will see when the past week of my training blog is posted, I hit 73 miles while at our team camp. Now, I have no idea what kind of mileage I will be running from this point on, but I assume it will be just over 50 until tournament time.