Training Tips

As a college counselor, I talk to countless high school students. Mostly, we chat about their educational goals, where they would like to go to school, and what they have to do to get there. Sometimes, we veer off topic. We'll chat about movies, music, books, Barack Obama, burritos.

Today, a student came in to my office, sat in the chair for students at the edge of my desk, and just started chatting with me. I helped him sign up for his SAT just a few days ago, and I thought he wanted to ask me more questions about the test, but he didn't. Instead, we talked about track. He saw the pennant of Fresno State University pinned to my office wall and said that's where he wants to go because they have a great track team. In 2012, he wants to be in London, competing in the Olympics.

After chatting about Usain Bolt, his mom being a track star in the Philippines, and how he's one of the fastest sprinters at school, he asked me what I did, as in what I do to workout. This was the first time anyone asked me what I do to workout, and I was a little surprised. "I run," I said. And, when I said it, it felt good and true. I do run. I am a runner.

I told him that I'm not a sprinter though, and that I want to run the half marathon next August. He looked at me as if I was crazy. He said he could never run that far, and that his body was built to be fast. Since I had him, someone with Olympic aspirations and the possible skill to get there, in my office, I asked him about his training routine and how I could build stronger leg muscles, hoping that I could incorporate some of his exercises into my workout routine.

Soon, he was standing up in the middle of my office demonstrating lunges, kicks, squats, and proper arm swing. He derided all the people who believe that running is a sport just for your legs and stressed the importance of a strong core and arm muscles (I agreed with him and tried showing off my knowledge by saying how I've started doing yoga and do free weights). He also told me that I should eat bananas because of their potassium and that I should drink plenty of water (he started to sound like my mom).