Abbey Santoro Summer Training Blog

This morning I woke up and finished packing for my flight to Madison, Wisconsin. When I got to campus everyone checked in and got situated in their dorms. My roommate informed me that "water fountains" are actually called "bubblers." We loaded up a couple of buses and headed out to the UW cross country course for a two-mile evaluation run that would be used to split everyone into their training groups. Everyone warmed up and then headed to the starting line. The run went well and while everyone was complaining about the "heat" I was amazed that we were even able to run a two-mile evaluation run that would be used to split everyone into their training groups. The run went well and while everyone was complaining about the "heat" I was amazed that we were even able to run at 4:30 PM without anyone having a heatstroke! After the run I cooled down for a mile and then we all stretched. After we got back to campus we showered and ate dinner and then split into our training groups. My group walked down to the student union where some of us got ice cream. Then we walked back and got ready for bed!

Total miles: 3.5

Today I woke up at 6:25 AM in order to meet with my training group at 6:50. We ran six miles and averaged 7:24 average pace. After running we ate breakfast and then headed to the outdoor track to do some drills and yoga. When got back to the dorms we ate lunch and then had a seminar with the UW sports nutritionist all about nutrition. My group then went on our second run of the day which was just two miles and then headed to the dining hall for dinner. After dinner, we met with our ultimate frisbee groups and walked over to the fields to play our first game of the tournament. Unfortunately, my team received a crushing blow of 18-4...hopefully the rest of our games aren't as big of a blowout as this one. Some groups went swimming after walking back to the dorms, but my group decided to play "Nuke'em" on the sand volleyball courts. After we finished playing everyone rushed to the showers and then headed to sleep.

Total miles: 6

Wednesday 7/19/17

Today my group had a track workout so we warmed up two miles to the track and then did some drills and strides before we started. We did 2x800, 2x400, and 4x200 at 70-80 percent effort. Overall it felt pretty good to get in a little speed session. My group then ran two miles back as a cool down and then headed off to eat breakfast! After breakfast we walked to the indoor track to do a core workout and learned how to rope stretch. Then we got a tour of Camp Randall -- Wisconsin's football stadium -- and all of the facilities inside of it. When we got back it was time for lunch and then a seminar about "how to make this cross country season more fun" from a former Badger who is now a local high school cross country coach. We then watched the 2014 men's and women's NCAA cross country championships which was really cool to see. My training group then went for our second run which was three miles and then we ate dinner. Later that night my frisbee team took another "L" but you know what they say "two L's make a W" so we are feeling pretty good about ourselves despite the back-to-back losses. Once we got back from frisbee everyone took showers and then we ran through the rain to get to the dining hall where we watched the movie "Independence Day."

Total miles: 9

This morning we ate breakfast before we ran because we went out to the UW cross country course for our run. I ran eight miles with three of the counselors which was a really cool opportunity to learn some more about the school and the program. After driving back to campus we all went to the dining hall to eat breakfast and then headed to a seminar all about injury prevention. Later that afternoon we walked around State Street and visited the university bookstore, the capital building, and explored downtown Madison.  Once we got back it was time for dinner and then another frisbee game in which my team lost our third game in a row... now that takes skill. After frisbee my group went to the natatorium to swim for a little bit and then came back, showered, and went to bed.

Total miles: 8

Friday 7/21/17

This morning my training group did an easy four-mile shakeout run so that we would all be ready to race tomorrow. When we finished running everyone headed over to the dining hall to eat breakfast and then went to a seminar where we learned all about the fundamentals of distance running. You won't believe what happened next. We actually won our last frisbee game, making us the winners of the "toilet bowl". What an accomplishment. After our victory we ate lunch and then had a Q&A session with the counselors and a seminar about the recruiting process with head coaches, Jill Miller and Mike Byrne. We finished off the night with dinner and watching the championship frisbee game, walking back to the dorms in the pouring rain, and then a dance party in the basement.

Total miles: Four

Today is last day of camp, which means it is race day! We got up this morning to eat breakfast and then walked to the race course with our frisbee groups. Once we got there everyone warmed up and got ready to run. Due to the large amount of rain in Madison that had fallen over the past couple of days the fields were soaked which meant everyone's spikes were filled with water before the race even began. Nevertheless, the race was super fun with all the puddles and mud we had to go through and was a great way to end camp. I made sure to represent Texas by wearing my Texas flag shorts and taking home the win. After the race I had to get my stuff together and then run back to campus to quickly shower and finish jamming everything into my tiny suitcase so that I wouldn't miss my flight. Overall I am so glad I got to spend a week in Wisconsin at the Camp of Champions. It was an awesome experience!

Total miles: 5

Sunday 7/23/17
Rest day!
Total miles: Zero