Dustin Horter is a rising sophomore from Ohio. He finished 43rd and Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regionals as a Freshman last year and took 14th at the Ohio state Cross Country championships. Last track season, he finished 5th in the 3200 as the Ohio state meet. He has a bright future a head of him. He is putting in the work this summer and is looking good coming into the cross season.
Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4
Intro: I am a sophomore from West Chester, Ohio and attend Lakota East High School. I run track and cross country there and I have a bunch of really great teammates, coaches, and family who all support me on my path in my running career. I like to run because it makes God and me smile. When I run, I give all the glory to God, I pray and point to the sky before my races. I thank Him for the talent he has blessed me with and the success He has brought my way. I couldn’t be anymore blessed and fortunate to be able to run to give His name glory. I am very grateful for the opportunities running has given me and I plan to continue to put my best efforts into every race. Thank you for this opportunity Milesplit!
Monday- 9 Miles in 1:01:18 (6:52 pace). I warmed up a half mile. I ran with a few graduates: Ryan Burrows and Matt Rice, as well as my current teammate Vincent Galioto. My team ran at the local park that is a tad hilly in parts but we were blessed with good weather given the fact that it was around 8 in the morning. Started off feeling really well so we took out the first mile fairly quick and then started to float in between 6:40-6:50. All the guys I ran with took detours to reach the mileage they needed, so I was alone for the last 3 or more miles. The times when I run alone both benefit and kill me. I love to run with a group of people but running alone is good for me because I tend to speed up. I finished and stretched really well and also joined the team for a few ab workouts.
Tuesday- I warmed up a mile and a half. This is a daily routine on summer workout days. The team met up again at a local park to run on a half mile loop field. We did our normal stretches and included drills. Then we got to what the team calls a hard/easy. What we do is run a portion at a decently hard pace and then run a portion fairly easy but always staying in constant motion. So the workout consisted of a 5 minute hard, 3 minutes easy two times, and 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy four times. I ran with Vincent Galioto, Blake Dodson, Max Sellers, Eddie Biehle, and my brother, Dillon Horter. I started with this group of guys on the 5 hard and then broke apart from them, other than Vincent. Vince and I ran together for a while until a broke away in front of him on the first 2 hard, 1 easy. Actually felt really good after this workout running 4.5 miles throughout the entire run. It was a really nice day outside but the field was muddy from rain the night before. Cooled down a mile and a half with Vince and stretched well. Total: 7.5 miles.
Wednesday- My coach and I wanted to give my legs one day of rest a week leading up to my run at the AAU Outdoor National Championships in Virginia Beach. So he told me I could take the day off and stretch to loosen my legs for tomorrow’s run.
Thursday- I accomplished about 6 miles in total. It was a pretty nice day out, not too hot at all, no wind. It was another team practice so we started off with a half mile warm up, stretching, and drills. My coach, Adam Thomas, told the team today would be a 4 mile tempo day. So we began the run and I started with Vince Galioto, Eddie Biehle, Dan Leonard, Blake Dodson, and Max Sellers. I broke away at about three quarters of a mile so I could feel this was going to be a rather lonely run. The terrain we were running on had small hills but was otherwise flat for the most part. I came through the first mile in 5:18 and then rolled at about 5:25 pace for the rest of the run. I managed to come through the 5k at about 16:55, which was kind of uplifting for me, being in trainers and not on the course. My total time was 21:37 which is about 5:25 pace. Ended the day with a mile and a half cool down, stretching, and some push-ups and sit-ups the team does together.
Friday- 6 Miles in 42:04 (7:01 pace). I ran with David Jaeger who is a graduate from our school, Lakota East. We went at about 7 in the morning so the weather felt fantastic. We kept our mile paces pretty consistent at around 7 minutes. The location was a neighborhood I have never really been in before so I let David lead the way and just enjoyed the run. David decided to go 8 miles, so I put in 6x100 meter strides, stretched well, and called it a day.
Saturday- I warmed up a mile and a half. On this day it was just my brother, Dillon Horter, and I at the track putting in an interval workout to train for the AAU Outdoor National Championships. The workout consisted of a 400 at 1:04 pace, an 800 at 2:10 pace, 2x400 at 1:05 pace, 4x200 at 29-30 pace, and a 400 at all out speed. After I stretched really well, I just got right into the workout. It was about 7:45 so the sun was hardly out and the temperature was cool. The first 400 was a 1:04 on the dot. The 800 was also right on the dot at 2:10. The next two 400s were a little faster than pace at 1:03, 1:04. At this point I had covered the bulk of the workout so I decided to take the 200s a little harder and ran them in 29, 28, 28, and 27. The last 400 was a 1:02. Overall I felt really good during this workout and my legs felt flawless. I cooled down a mile and a half, stretched well.
Sunday- 9 Miles in 1:02:07 (6:54 pace). The weather was really nice but it was really humid outside, felt like 92. Also, I ran in my neighborhood which is all hills, so that will help me in the long run. I ran alone which made the run boring; nothing really exciting happened. I tried to keep my pace consistent and I did pretty well. I took out the first mile in about 6:45 and then floated back to anywhere in between 6:50-7 minute pace. I didn’t seem to have any problems in my legs or side cramps, which was a plus. I got back and did 6x100 meter strides and stretched well.
Total Miles for the week: 42.5
Monday- 6 Miles in 42:04 (6:55 pace). The team warmed up a half mile. Once again, the team and I were blessed with good weather. It was about 8 o’clock when Ryan Burrows, Max Sellers, Dan Leonard, Blake Dodson, Eddie Biehle, Dillon Horter, and I started the run. We ran at a local park that we always practice at, so we were used to the slightly hilly terrain. Today was just a day to chill after my distance run, so I took it a little slower than normal to get a great, full workout in the next day. Ended the day off with 6x100m strides and a sit-up and push-up routine with the team.
Tuesday- Today I ran a total of 7 miles. The team warmed up a mile and a half, stretched, did drills, a few 100m sprints, and got to the main event. The workout was a 400m run hard, then a 400m run easy. I was assigned to run 8x400 hard and 8x400 easy. Although I did not wear a watch, I tried to run the hard 400’s as hard as possible and keep the easy 400’s at a decent pace. I managed to push my limits hard. The team ran in a field that is about a half a mile once around, and because of the rain the night before, it was difficult to run through the mud and with heavy shoes. Despite all that, I felt like I handled the workout well. I cooled down a mile and a half. Then I stretched well.
Wednesday- 5 Miles in 34:07 (6:49 pace). The team warmed up a half mile. The day was really hot, already about 85 at 8 o’clock in the morning. I decided that it would probably be beneficial if I ran out in front of the pack today so that I could get used to running alone for a long period of time. My runs seem to be faster as a result and I also find myself running alone a lot so getting used to that never hurts. The team and I ran at the same place we ran at Monday, so the terrain was hilly but certainly manageable. Topped off my run with 6x100m strides and our sit-up and push-up routine.
Thursday- I ran a total of 8 miles. The team warmed up a mile and a half, stretched, did some drills, 4x100m strides, and got to our hard/easy run. We had a 1 minute easy, 5 minute hard, 4 easy, 4 hard, 3 easy, 3 hard, 2 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy, 3 hard. This added up to 18 total minutes of hard running and 30 minutes total. This run was actually relatively easy in my mind. The way I have been trained over the past few years is to be able to run workouts like this and feel good but also feel a sense that I am pushing myself to the limit. This was one of those days I was really feeling it. We were running around a loop that was a little over a half mile around a flat field. It was a great place for this workout to take place. I managed to get about 5 miles of total running in during the time given. I cooled down a mile and a half and then stretched well.
Friday- I arrived in Washington DC on Thursday, so my brother Dillon and I ran around the National Mall and Lincoln Memorial. We warmed up a half mile. It was a little chaotic running around in the big crowds but we managed to get the job done. I ran 5 miles in 34:56 (6:59 pace). The weather was pretty cool because we got up around 7:30 to run and the National Mall is shaded. The terrain was obviously very good. Dillon only went 4 so I had a little time to run on my own, and managed to run a 6:30 mile to really speed things up. In DC, Dillon and I also managed to cover another 7-8 miles of ground just walking around the city, so we definitely got a good amount of distance on the day.
Saturday- Still in DC, I ran a workout alone that consisted of 6 miles. The warm up was a mile and a half. I stretched and did a few drills, then got right to it. The workout was 12x200m with 45 second rest. I ran my 200’s in these times: 31 (sec), 31, 31, 31, 30, 30, 29, 30, 28, 28, 29, and 27. This workout wasn’t devastating because I was once again at the National Mall and I had measured out a solid 200 for myself to run on. I kept it pretty consistent based on what my coach, Adam Thomas, wanted me to do. I felt good during the workout, but the 3 mile cool down wasn’t extremely pleasant. Even though I was tired, I still managed to complete the cool down in good fashion. This was a night run, so I walked around DC a lot and racked in about 7-8 miles before this workout, but it was all good.
Sunday- My family traveled from DC to Virginia Beach. I ran a total of 3 Miles in 20:48 (6:57 pace). I cut my run short, from 5 miles to 3 miles because my legs were very tired from walking around DC and running at the same time. Also, I compete in the AAU National Championships tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure my legs felt very good competing in those championships. I made sure I stretched well to also loosen my legs. It should be fun running the 800 qualifier with some great competition.
Total Mileage for the Week: 41.5 Miles
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Intro: This week of my training was insane because of the AAU Junior Olympics. Luckily, I ran well in the competition and also in training for Cross Country. The competition was certainly worth the time and effort put in to make it all work. The support from back home was outstanding and I was blessed to have run so well. In this blog you will see how I was able to balance a competition while also getting the best training in possible to run and resume my progress from Cross Country last year.
Monday- Competition day. I ran a total of 5 miles. Today was 800m run prelims. I warmed up two miles, stretched, did drills, strides, and then it was time to check in. The weather was extremely hot, very sunny with a temperature over 100 degrees. The meet was set up like this: if you won your heat, you automatically moved on to the finals and then the top 5 times after the winners also moved on. So, when it was my turn to run and the gun went off, all I could think of was to win my heat. I had an early challenger, and for the first 300 meters he led the race. I slowly crept up on him and snagged the lead, from there all I had to do was maintain. I managed to do that pretty well and won my heat in a 1:58. This race was in fact only a prelim, and I had it easy. Wednesday’s finals would be a lot more of a challenge. I cooled down around two and a half miles.
Tuesday - Probably the biggest day of competition all week long. I ran a total of 5 miles. Today was the day of the 1500m run finals at Nationals. I was seeded first but had a solid challenger, a well-known runner on Milesplit, Cameron Cooper. I warmed up two miles, stretched, did drills, strides, and then it was time to check in. I talked to Cameron before the race and he was a really nice guy. When we got to the start, we shook hands and wished each other luck, now it was time to battle. The gun went off and Cameron and I instantly separated ourselves from the other competitors. I led a full three laps of the race comfortably, with Cameron on my hip. When we got to the 300m mark, Cameron sped up and the challenge began. Cameron has a notoriously good kick, given the fact that he is a well accomplished 800m run star. 200 to go and he is still with me, and we are side by side going into the last 150. Cameron has a burst of speed, and at the moment he started to pass, I remember my coach telling me to hold my competitors off on the curb, and see if they had the power to work me on the straight away. That little tidbit of info powered me to win this race. At the very moment I had feared the most dawned on me, I sped up to my fullest and held Cameron off on the curb. The straight away at that point was icing on the cake. I managed to run a 4:01, only two plus seconds away from the national record. I walked to the track to congratulate Cameron on a very well ran race. We then started to get to know each other better. Always helps to make a little friendly competition. He has great sportsmanship and is top notch runner. I received my medal and cooled down 2 miles. Was my first major victory..jpg)
Wednesday- Another competition day. The last of my track season this year. The 800m run isn’t exactly my forte, and the competition was loaded with star 800 runners, so today was just a day of giving it my best efforts. I warmed up 2 miles, stretched, did drills, strides, and then checked in. We were quick to get onto the track which was a definite plus. It was another blazing hot day, easily 100 degrees again and hotter on the track. We got to the line and the gun went off. I was up near the front for around the first 200m and slowly began to drop back. Coming into the bell lap, I was down to about fourth. The next 200m was pretty smooth, and then the last 200m was chaos. I was getting passed and then passing others and it was tough to tell even what position you were in. Three runners separated from the pack, and I was isolated with 3 other runners battling for the fourth, fifth, and sixth spot. My kick is good, but these guy’s kicks were a tad stronger. I ended up on the bottom end of that pack, finishing sixth. I was satisfied with sixth but I wish I was higher up obviously. It was a good race though. I cooled down two and a half miles and then rode in the car for 10 hours home (thanks Dad). Great trip.
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Thursday- Was back home with the team for the first time in a while. Getting called National Champ was flattering, but I was ready to turn the page and get to work on cross country after the first few acknowledgements. I warmed up only a half mile. It was a cool day, overcast, and the feel was just right. Coach decided he was going to rest me a tad and send me on a seven mile run, while the rest of the team was doing a tempo run. We stretched and did drills. When the team started the tempo, I started with them and paced a few of my fellow sophomores, such as Ben Riemer and Adam Johantges. We started off at about 6 minute pace, then 6:15, and kept it pretty consistent from there. This pace isn’t excruciating, so I let Ben Riemer in on some good tips to running a few seconds faster on the course. He was a good guy to run with, and when he left I was lonely. I kept the pace consistent at about 6:20-6:30 and averaged a 6:25 in total. Not too bad for a day on my own. Stretched when I got back, 7.5 miles total.
Friday- Today was picture day for the team. With that being said, we practiced a little earlier than usual. I ran 5.5 miles total. The weather was hot and sticky. This run consisted of Vince, Coach Adam Thomas, and myself running at a good pace talking and enjoying a run. We had a surprise tempo run sprung on us for tomorrow because of schedule difficulties, so it seemed as if everyone else was resting for the big race to determine who was on varsity. Anyway, Vincent Galioto and I ran with our coach for a while, then ran on our own. We managed a simple pace of 6:35 over the run. We ended off practice with 6x100m strides and at this point it was blazing hot outside which made those tough, but for the better.
Saturday- Today was the big day for most runners on the team. We warmed up a mile and a half on our home course, the VOA trails. It was a fairly hot morning and the conditions of our course were lacking. Despite this, we stretched, did drills, and got straight too it. Coach told Vince and I to treat this as a workout because we were front runners and were on the varsity team last year. We started the run and I came out a little speedy at a 5:15. I got lonely and not very motivated so I unfortunately dropped my second mile to a 5:40. I wasn’t too happy so I managed to speed up to around a 5:30, which still wasn’t very flattering but it was just practice. I managed to run around a 17:01, could be faster or slower, according to my watch when I hit the 5k. Overall, I wasn’t extremely happy but I had to take into account multiple setbacks and a hard week's work. The team cooled down a mile and a half. Our varsity team was finally in line. Time to push each other. 6 miles total.
Sunday- Took Sunday off, but thought it would be fine to add in my distance run for the week. A few team alum came to practice for their final practice today and it was sad, but great to see them again. We ran 8.5 miles total for the last time for a long time. I ran with David Jaegger, Vince Galioto, and Ryan Burrows, four of our last season’s seven that made state and finished fifth. It was a horrid run. It was hot and sticky outside and I felt really winded the entire run. We still managed a 6:50 pace. Putting all that aside, it was still pleasant to run with these great guys again. Having guys on the team like David and Ryan was so much fun and I’m really going to miss their presents on and around the team. They really made East proud and truly made me a better runner, far better than I would be without them pushing me through every grueling practice of my first year with the cross country team. We did six strides afterword and caught the back end of stretching and the sit-up and push-up routine with the rest of the team.
Total Mileage: 42.5 Miles
Week 4
Monday: Ran 8.5 miles in 54:40 (6:50 Pace). Half mile warm up and stretch. This was a pretty solid run. Vincent Galioto and I were going on our weekly long run. Nothing really interesting happened. The terrain was a tad bit hilly and challenging but Vince and I powered through it well. The weather was in the 90’s but there was a cool breeze so that didn’t really phase us much. We had 6x100m strides at the end, then our teams sit up and push up routine which is always a blast.
Tuesday: Ran a total of 8 miles today. The team was at the local park which always means it’s a speed day. We warmed up 1.5 miles, stretched, did drills, 4x100m strides, and then got to the main workout. The workout was 2x400 at 1:10 pace, 4x800 at 2:25 pace, and 4x400 at 1:12-1:14 pace. I hit the first set of 400’s spot on 1:10 pace. Then I hit the 800’s at 2:25, 2:26, 2:25, and 2:28. So fairly close if not right on target on those as well. The 400’s at the end were the toughest part. I ran those in 1:12, 1:14, 1:12, and 1:10. Overall it was a really good day for me with lots of good, hard miles run. 1.5 mile cool down and stretched.
Wednesday: Ran 5.5 miles in 33:36 (6:43 pace). Half mile warm up and stretch. Once again it was Vince and I just on another light run, which is always a fun time for us. We wanted to pick the pace up a bit but not too much on this day because we had a race coming up on Saturday. God blessed us with a great day, about 75 degrees. The trails we ran on were really muddy from rain though, so running on them was a disaster, but despite this we ran hard through them. We were on the same hilly terrain as Monday, so we got a little bit of hill work in. We had 8x100m strides when we got back, and did the new and improved sit up and push up routine as well.
Thursday: This day was a workout day and I managed to run about 8.5 miles. The team warmed up a 1.5 mile run, stretching, drills, 4x100m strides, and then got to the workout. The workout was 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy x3, 2 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy x3, and 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy x3. This was a great 33 minute continuous run for me. The 3 hards were definitely the toughest part but I fought through them. This was to simulate the start of the race so I had to make sure my legs were tired and I was acting like it was a race on the hards. The rest of the workout was just pure guts. This run went by pretty fast, and we ran it on grass so that was fun to do. The team together did a 1.5 mile cool down and stretched.
Friday: 5 miles in 35:08 (7:02 pace). Again Vince and I ran together on one of our favorite loops, the Tylersville loop. It was a nice day with a cool breeze, so it just made the run very pleasant. We decided to take it down a notch from our normal distance runs because we had tired legs and tomorrow is race day. When we got back from that and did 6x100m strides and stretched. Tomorrow is a big day.
Saturday: Race day. The team warmed up 1.5 miles, stretched, did drills, strides, and then got on the
line for the first race of the year. The gun went off and I immediately bolted running a 4:50 first mile. This was a little too keep this early in the season so I toned it down a little bit. Brad Davis came up on me and passed me, and I just didn’t have the strength at the time to pass him back, so I figured I would kind of sit and kick. The problem was, he was getting an increasingly big lead on me. So I tried to stick in the best I could with him. I came in through the 2 mile at 10:06 which wasn’t great. I tried to speed it up alittle and managed to run a 16:02 on the overall 5k, coming in fourth overall to three seniors. I wasn’t too happy because the plan was to go sub 16, but after talking to multiple people, I realized I’m in a good spot for now. I am not quite there yet but it’s only the beginning of the season and I have plenty of time to work hard and lower that time. A 16:02 also is 40 seconds faster than what I ran that course last year in the beginning of the season, so that shows progression. 1.5 mile cool down and stretch. 6 Miles total.
Read the full Race Day Blog on OH MileSplit!
Sunday: Run day part 2 with Vince. The long runs aren’t evenly split out, sometimes I do two in a week’s span because of the way my coach and I designed my schedule. I ran 9 miles with Vince in 1:02:29 (6:55 pace). We ran in the morning so the conditions were ideal for a distance run. I felt really strong the entire time, even after a race day. The terrain was really hilly so our overall time is proof of that, but it was once again just fine after race day. When we got back from our very uneventful long run, we got some donuts from coach, who was feeling generous! ☺