Vestavia Hills senior Ethan Strand has a big season ahead of him. The No. 22 ranked runner in the preseason MileSplit50 rankings is a two-time AHSAA Class 7A Cross Country Championship whose career has been continually ascending upward. A 2019 Foot Locker Nationals finisher and school record holder in the 5K, Strand is hoping to continue his tradition of success this fall. We've asked the Alabama native to give us some insight into his training, and this is the first of four parts heading into the season.
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Week 1 (August 17th - August 23rd)
Monday, August 17: 6 miles
Felt super tired coming into this week, so the workout got pushed until tomorrow. Some of the guys and I did an easy six miles around 7:00 pace with six strides. Good to get the legs moving after yesterday's long run.
Tuesday, August 18: 2 mile warmup + 6x1,000m w/ 200m rest + 1.5 mile cool down
We had one of the first workouts of the season today. The whole team looked super smooth and we all felt awesome. Our warm up was two miles followed by a few strides. I averaged 3:07 for 6x1000m on a crushed gravel loop with a 200m jog rest. Knocked out a 1.5 mile cool down to finish 8 miles on the day.
Wednesday, August 19: 8 miles
Today we had team practice at Veterans park, which is where a few cross country meets are held each year. I got in 8 miles at 7:10 pace. Legs were a little tired from yesterday's workout, but besides that it was a good day.
Thursday, August 20: 5 miles
Today was an easy day, I only did 5 miles at 6:50 pace. School started today, but I won't have to go in until next Tuesday. The next few days I'm going to running at some new locations I never have before.
Friday, August 21: 6.2 miles w/ 6 strides
I got in 6.2 miles at 6:35 pace today. I got to run at a new place I had never been to before. It was a big grass loop that did twice. I ended the run with 6 strides. I felt pretty solid today, so I picked up the pace a little more than normal.
Saturday, August 22: 11.5 miles
Long run day! Today I was hoping to feel a little better than I actually did. I hit 11.5 miles at an average of 6:26 pace. I kind of hit a wall around mile 7 but I still got it done. Some of the guys on the team had a really really good long run this morning, they are looking strong.
Sunday, August 23: Off Day
Today when I woke up I just felt super beat down physically, so I decided to take today off instead. I only hit 45 for the week but the next few weeks I'll bounce back up to around 50-55.
Total Mileage: 45 miles
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