Dalton Hengst is one of the top returning cross country runners in the nation. And he has an interesting story! The rising senior at McDonogh (Maryland.) School actually resides in York, Pennsylvania, but during the school year in Maryland he boards on campus at McDonogh. Hengst, who finished the spring track and field season with national-caliber performances in the 1500m (3:54.90) and 3200m (8:56.96), has been ripping off superb performances in cross country since 2014 and a year ago placed 21st at Foot Locker Nationals. His season best 5K from 2016 was 15:11.20. This year, Hengst is looking to hit under 15. Check out his weekly training blog as he prepares for his final high school season before college.
Week 1 Training Blog (July 17-23)
Monday: 7.5 miles at 7:20 pace
I ran with some of the guys on my team, followed by four strides and five minutes of core work.
Tuesday: 4 miles at 7:20 pace
Wanted to get a nice easy run in before heading out to Nike Elite Camp in Portland, Oregon -- Ed. Note: Gabe Fendel was also there.
Wednesday: 6 miles at 6:45 pace
First day of Nike Elite Camp.
Thursday: (5xmile workout) -- 8.5 miles total
The first 3 were run around 5:16 pace and the last 2 cut down to 5:12 and 5:09. The rest was 90 seconds. This workout was done on a grass field at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
Friday: 1 hour and 5 minute run on the Pacific Crest Trail. Ran around 10 miles
Saturday: 3-mile race
I ran it in 15:08. It wasn't an all-out effort, but it was a little harder than what a typical tempo run would be for me right now. I like where my fitness is at this early in the year. In total, I ran 7 miles.
Sunday: Day off
Traveling back to Pennsylvania!
Total Mileage: 43
Overview: This week of training was great. It was an amazing experience to be able to run with nine other great runners at the Nike Elite Camp. Usually my long run will be on Sunday, but since the whole day was packed and I had to fly back on that day, I used Friday instead and did about 10 miles.
