Cailie Logue, is a home grown girl she arguably is Kansas best female distance runner and continues to add to her resume. While in high school Cailie was a 9X Kansas state champion on the track (4x 3200m, 3x 1600m, 2x 800m) and a 4X Kansas state cross country champion.. Now at Iowa State she has earned All American honors and like the rest of us is coming to terms and learning to deal with the "new normal" that we now face. Cailie has graciously decided to help us out in this year with out a season and take a dive into the writing world. We thank Cailie from the bottom of our heart for taking the time from her training and studies to fit this into her busy schedule and do this for us.
Blog 1: Know the Plan, Work the Plan, but Don't Fall in Love with the Plan
"Know the plan, work the plan, but don't fall in love with the plan" was something my high school coach told me often. Even as a high school athlete I became very focused on the number of miles on the paper at the end of the week and if I was properly carrying out my training plan. It didn't take me long to figure out injuries, weather, or simply change could easily alter my plans. I am a person who generally likes a plan. It makes me feel more comfortable to try to prepare for what lies ahead, but the COVID19 quarantine reinforced one of life's most important lessons. I'm not really all that in control, and things don't always work according to plan.
Shortly after our team at Iowa State learned that our season would be cancelled we gathered together in our coach's living room. A few tears were shed, especially for our seniors, and we all sat sharing our thoughts over coffee and tea with solemn thoughts and faces. Coach Amy told us all (I may be paraphrasing), "Sometimes as your Coach I get to teach you about how to be a better athlete, and sometimes it's my job to help teach you about life. This is one of those times where I get to help you learn about life." We departed not knowing when we would see each other again, maybe next week, maybe next month. We now know that we will not be allowed to meet as a team again until May 31st, and even this date is tentative.
Not being able to study on the Iowa State campus this spring and not being able to race and train alongside teammates was not in the plan, yet in the midst of all the change, there are still lots of good things happening. I still like a plan, so my daily schedule now comes from my training log, my google calendar, and the online Canvas due dates, but I have found joy in this new normal. I have a new level of appreciation for everyday life. I'm also learning to find joy in being less regimented and using this time to take a nap if I'm tired or simply enjoy being less busy. Being able to go out for a run each day and enjoy the weather, clear my mind, and get away from my computer screen for a while is really nice, and I am getting more time with my family, who I really miss spending time with during the busy schedule of being in season as a student-athlete.
My training during this time has gone back to strength training and base building. Though my team and I may do some time trials later in the spring to mimic what a track season would have been like. We now train with hopes to be racing cross country again together in the fall.
Last week my training looked like this:
Before each run I perform a glute and hip activation routine to help avoid injury. I also always encourage myself to stretch after, and some days I'm better at this than others. Still working on it though.
Monday: 12 miles
AM-8 miles
Post run: Core
PM-4 miles
Post run: Strides, in-home gym routine, and stretching.
Tuesday: 10 miles
Warm up: 2 miles
12 x 2 min on, 1 min off- Fartlek
Cool down: 2 miles
Post run: Stretching, lower lumbar stabilization drills
Wednesday: 10 miles
MW long run, nice and easy
Post run: 10 min. core, stretching
Thursday: 12 miles
AM-8 miles
Post run: Core
PM-4 miles
Post run: Strides, in-home gym, and stretching.
Friday: 9 miles
Warm up: 2 miles
Tempo: 5 miles
Cool down: 2 miles
Post run: stretching, lower lumbar stabilization drills
Saturday: 12
12-mile long run
Post run: stretching, lower lumbar stabilization drills
Sunday: Optional Off Day
Easy 5-mile run by feel, stretching.
Just so you understand, I have been gradually progressing to this point in my training. I didn't start here. I hope to be transparent with you about my thoughts and my training during this time. If you're like me, you like to see what kind of ideas are out there or are simply entertained by hearing about what other runners are up to.
However, as I realize many of you may be in high school, I also wanted to share with you what I would have been doing during my summer build up to cross country before my senior year of high school.
As I continue to post my training schedule, I hope to share some of my reoccurring thoughts. In the comments, let me know if you have any thoughts to give other Kansas runners encouragement, or if you find these thoughts relatable. If you're reading this, I hope to hear from you! I want to use this time of social distancing to connect. We can support one another virtually. Also, ask questions, if you have them! I want to write about what you want to know!
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