JUNE 10, 2015 - Heptathlon/Decathlon in the future? Soft running surfaces.

I spent the past two days at the Girls Heptathlon Meet at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham.  My team had six girls (2 teams of 3) entered in the event which requires each athlete to participate in the 100 Meter Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, and 200 on Day 1; the Long Jump, Javelin and 800 on Day 2.  Approximately 70 girls completed the event with Plymouth South taking home the team title.  The Heptathlon (as well as the Boys Decathlon) requires diverse athletic talent and the overall winner is, in my opinion, generally an extraordinary athlete.  I think there are a number of ladies on the WH T&F team who would excel in the Heptathlon (and Boys who would perform well in the Decathlon.)  You should consider petitioning the coaching staff to enter a team or two next year!

Following the Meet, I took the opportunity to run one of the old training routes we used while I was coaching at NDA. The route passes through the George Washington Town Forest which is about one mile from the school.  I was reminded of how lucky it is to have nice trails and a soft surface nearby.  Many years ago, the XC trails at WH passed through the woods now occupied by our school.  Part of the course was run on the Track, which at the time was soft as well with its fine, stone dust surface.  (As evidenced by the 50 year old picture which follows below of some 14 year old Freshman runner!) Over the summer, as you run your miles (and make entries to your training logs,) make an effort to run as many of those miles on soft surfaces as possible.  We do enough hard surface miles during the season.  We can find soft surfaces for our weekly long run which will help, but your daily run (as well as your career) can be extended if you take to the trails at every opportunity.  That said, I am seeking out locations for our long runs, keeping in mind I'd prefer the trails to the asphalt.  Recently I posted a picture in a blog entry from Borderland State Park in Easton.  There are miles of trails and I only scratched the surface with a 6 mile run.  We will certainly consider heading there in the Fall.  If you have a suggestion for a comparable location please let me know.  In the meantime I will keep you informed regarding my search.  By the way, that picture is the site used for the Lake Scene in the movie Shutter Island and identified as the " Lodge" on the Borderland State Park Trail Map:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/parks/borderland/borderlndtrailmap.pdf

See you on the road!