2016 2A Cross Country Finals runner-up and Foot Locker National Finalist Charles Hicks of Bolles is back for another weekly training blog. See what his workouts were like for the week of 8/7 - 8/12 and follow along as he takes us on a journey for his junior season.
Monday 8/7/17- Today I had an easy, short mileage run. It felt great to relax a little today and let my legs recover. Later that day my teammates and I left for Clermont in order to run the Florida famous ten mile clay loop. Knowing that we had to get up at the crack of dawn the next day, we got some sleep and prepared for early morning mileage.
Tuesday 8/8/17- It was dark, it was early, and I was excited. Only seeing the clay loop in other people's pictures, I couldn't wait to find out what drew runners from all across Florida to run that course. After an easy first mile the lead pack dropped the pace down hard and started working up and down the rolling hills. It's always such a phenomenal experience to be involved in a group of guys dedicated to enduring for each other. As we worked deeper into the run, our speed got gradually faster and faster with each mile and groups started to separate. Each runner was putting their all into the run and seeing what they could get out of the experience. For me, I got the opportunity to train on some good rolling hills with a nice clay surface and that was all I could ask for. As I finished the run I noticed I was covered in gnats, dirt, and sweat but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We left the loop right as the sun came up and after cleaning off at our hotel, we spent the rest of the day at Universal Studios. It was a great day for the team, and a great performance by everyone involved.
Wednesday 8/9/17- Slept in today, did an easy run and kept the pace slow.
Thursday 8/10/17- Woke up to the blaring noise of both of my alarm clocks at 5:00 at each side of my room. Had a great run this morning keeping the first few miles controlled and working into a strong, fast finish. Feeling very happy and very healthy physically and mentally.
Friday 8/11/17- Friday morning at the Jacksonville bridges means one thing, progression runs. I personally enjoy these because you start off at a slower pace and then each mile you get increasingly faster however it is left up to the athlete to decide how much they can handle and how much they should drop each mile. It's a fairly liberating run and it forces the runner to figure out how much pain they can take to keep dropping consistently. We always run the first mile as a pack to act as a warm up but today my watch didn't find the GPS quick enough so I got left to play catch up on my first mile. This meant I flew on my first mile and then had to fly on all the miles following that. The run was difficult but it allowed me to see what I could really do as it removed the first cushion mile and let me really test my limits. I felt great after this run but I still have some things to learn from it, my fitness is good but my self control is lacking as of right now.
Saturday 8/11/17- Long run! We headed out to the University of North Florida's trails for our long run today as per usual. There's a three mile loop there that we have been running for years now and if you're good at smacking horse flies, it'll grow on you. The loop is famous for it's sandy stretch and bog-like conditions after days of Florida rain. Regardless of what the trail throws at us, we run our longest mileage there and still enjoy it. With heavy, wet, and dirty shoes I worked through my long run with a controlled push feeling. I wasn't breathing hard but I wasn't holding back either finding a comfortable pushing pace that felt strong and consistent. After about eight miles I got my runners high and felt amazing, flying through the last few miles of my run. Finished with the run, I did some strides, went home, and slept for about three hours. I'm tired but satisfied.
Sunday 8/12/17- On Sunday, the Bolles Boys meet at Ft. Caroline where we get to run Jacksonville's one hill. One of our seniors, John Bowers had just got back from Brazil and after welcoming him back, we headed out down the trail. We run the same hill over and over regardless of mileage, we just repeat the same loop. The trail consists of one mile to get to the hill, a 1.3 mile loop that you run up and down the hill on and then 1 mile to get out of the hill. I personally love the run because the turns are sharp and the uphill and downhill is steep meaning you can go bounding up and down to your heart's content. After running the hill over and over, we head back to the parking lot. It was a great run and a lot of fun as always.
Weekly reflection- This week was a great week for training and for testing limits. I think this XC season is really shaping up to be the most exciting one in all of my career for myself and especially for the Bolles team. I can't wait.
Tuesday 8/8/17- It was dark, it was early, and I was excited. Only seeing the clay loop in other people's pictures, I couldn't wait to find out what drew runners from all across Florida to run that course. After an easy first mile the lead pack dropped the pace down hard and started working up and down the rolling hills. It's always such a phenomenal experience to be involved in a group of guys dedicated to enduring for each other. As we worked deeper into the run, our speed got gradually faster and faster with each mile and groups started to separate. Each runner was putting their all into the run and seeing what they could get out of the experience. For me, I got the opportunity to train on some good rolling hills with a nice clay surface and that was all I could ask for. As I finished the run I noticed I was covered in gnats, dirt, and sweat but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We left the loop right as the sun came up and after cleaning off at our hotel, we spent the rest of the day at Universal Studios. It was a great day for the team, and a great performance by everyone involved.
Wednesday 8/9/17- Slept in today, did an easy run and kept the pace slow.
Thursday 8/10/17- Woke up to the blaring noise of both of my alarm clocks at 5:00 at each side of my room. Had a great run this morning keeping the first few miles controlled and working into a strong, fast finish. Feeling very happy and very healthy physically and mentally.
Friday 8/11/17- Friday morning at the Jacksonville bridges means one thing, progression runs. I personally enjoy these because you start off at a slower pace and then each mile you get increasingly faster however it is left up to the athlete to decide how much they can handle and how much they should drop each mile. It's a fairly liberating run and it forces the runner to figure out how much pain they can take to keep dropping consistently. We always run the first mile as a pack to act as a warm up but today my watch didn't find the GPS quick enough so I got left to play catch up on my first mile. This meant I flew on my first mile and then had to fly on all the miles following that. The run was difficult but it allowed me to see what I could really do as it removed the first cushion mile and let me really test my limits. I felt great after this run but I still have some things to learn from it, my fitness is good but my self control is lacking as of right now.
Saturday 8/11/17- Long run! We headed out to the University of North Florida's trails for our long run today as per usual. There's a three mile loop there that we have been running for years now and if you're good at smacking horse flies, it'll grow on you. The loop is famous for it's sandy stretch and bog-like conditions after days of Florida rain. Regardless of what the trail throws at us, we run our longest mileage there and still enjoy it. With heavy, wet, and dirty shoes I worked through my long run with a controlled push feeling. I wasn't breathing hard but I wasn't holding back either finding a comfortable pushing pace that felt strong and consistent. After about eight miles I got my runners high and felt amazing, flying through the last few miles of my run. Finished with the run, I did some strides, went home, and slept for about three hours. I'm tired but satisfied.
Sunday 8/12/17- On Sunday, the Bolles Boys meet at Ft. Caroline where we get to run Jacksonville's one hill. One of our seniors, John Bowers had just got back from Brazil and after welcoming him back, we headed out down the trail. We run the same hill over and over regardless of mileage, we just repeat the same loop. The trail consists of one mile to get to the hill, a 1.3 mile loop that you run up and down the hill on and then 1 mile to get out of the hill. I personally love the run because the turns are sharp and the uphill and downhill is steep meaning you can go bounding up and down to your heart's content. After running the hill over and over, we head back to the parking lot. It was a great run and a lot of fun as always.
Weekly reflection- This week was a great week for training and for testing limits. I think this XC season is really shaping up to be the most exciting one in all of my career for myself and especially for the Bolles team. I can't wait.
