Phil Duncan is one of the top runners in the state this year. He followed up a great track season with a breakthrough year thus far in cross country, including a 15:25 PR at the flrunners.com Invitational. He has been through some highs and lows in his career including breaking his body with 80 mile weeks. But through his struggles he has learned patience and that each workout has a purpose. We'll take the journey with him through the remainder of this season with this weekly feature.
The third edition of the weekly journal by Boone distance star Phil Duncan on his journey through his senior cross country season.
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Hello flrunners.com,
Well, the past week has been pretty rough to say the least. The training went alright but suffered due to a lot of problems that came to light last week. I can’t really get into specifics, but to say that I am very frustrated is an understatement. However, adversity is something that one has to overcome in order to be successful. I’m sure if you talked to many of the state champions in the past few years, nearly all of them did not have an entirely “perfect” season. It is staying focused throughout the season and overcoming obstacles that make a person a stellar athlete. It has been very difficult for me to do this, but I am trying my best to keep my mind on my goals and not waste any opportunities to succeed.
Monday – 60 minute run with JL
Tuesday- 40 minutes with JL
Wednesday- Metro East Conference. Definitely one of my worst races. The 94 degree heat index and being sleep-deprived just made me feel like I did not want to race at all. Mentally, I definitely was not there and I was completely physically drained. Luckily, it was a small meet and I was able to scrape by on a sub-par performance.
Thursday- 65 minute run
Friday- 16x400m at Showalter Field with JL. We wanted to average 70 and maybe take it down to 68/69 if we could. We went: 70, 69, 68, 68, 68, 68, 68, 68, 67, 67, 67, 67, 65, 65, 66, and 65. It was definitely a good workout considering how bad the beginning of the week went. Also, there was a good amount of wind on the first curve and it was not a full-out effort. On every single one, I felt completely within myself and didn’t struggle at any point.
Saturday- 95 minute run with JL
Sunday- 60 minute run with JL and 64 miles for the week
I can’t say that I wasn’t glad for this week to end. Even though it went terribly, I feel like I take something from every week to help me prepare mentally for my final goal of states and Footlocker South. It’s been a roller coaster season thus far but I’m confident I’m putting myself in the best position possible to finish the season strong and I feel better every week, whereas the opposite is true for my previous seasons.
Now I have my sights set on districts. With 16 runners under 16:30 and 8 under 16:00 in 4A-D3 is one of the toughest districts in the state and is part of the Region of Death. For me, I like the heightened competition that this district offers. The racing for me is much more fun and I should be prepared for states after racing a handful of top-10 caliber guys two weekends leading up to it. Also, the weather is starting to look a lot better and it will be nice to run in the 50’s if the forecasts are right. It feels like forever ago that I started preparing for the season in late May. Now I’ve put in all the hard work I can and it’s time to let loose and see what I’m capable of.
Until next week,
Phil
