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Coach Rick Karboviak
Fitness & Sports Performance Coach Rick Karboviak is based out of Finley, ND. He is a running coach at the high school & junior high levels, as well as the experience of training both athletes & fitness clients since 2000. He currently coaches Track, and does consulting & training through his sites, http://ASAPWorkouts.com, and http://1MileNation.com. Coach Rick is also a 2-time age-group champion in the 1600m & 800m races in the ND Prairie Rose State Games.Syndicate
1MILENATION.COM
Mr. Red Ribbon
Greetings,
I must say it has been a pretty cool running season for local 5K's this summer for me. I raced in my 6th one today, and got my 5th consecutive 2nd place finish!
When I started the season, I thought I at least had a shot at one of the 5K's I planned to race, and that was my hometown one. I finished a close 3rd in it last year, and if I ran well enough, I'd have a shot for the win. Well, I did get the win in that first race of the year, and the following races came up with amazing finishes: finishes I didn't expect, especially with some of them being the first ones ever I raced at!
Hillsboro 5K on June 17th, just 5 days after the Finley 5K on June 12th. This was a combined 5K/10K course, so I thought I was in 3rd up until the end, when the top 10K guy came back around for the 2nd loop, and I ended up with 2nd.
Page 5K on June 19th: I wasn't sure what to expect with another race so soon, but it was a solid race with a fast guy in first for the race, then myself and my top track boy runner fighting for 2nd & 3rd. Coach won that battle. This time.
Mayville's 5K was on June 26th, and this one had a much larger turnout than last year. I finished 3rd in last year's, which was the 2nd of the only 2 5K's I ran last year. I led the first loop and then had a nice battle for 2nd in the final half mile. This made #3 for 2nd place finishes.
Along comes the Prairie Rose State Games, which I covered in a previous blog post pretty in-depth. That was held on July 10th. This was probably the hardest race day of them all, because of the intense nature of the shorter races. Came out with 1st in the 800 & 1600, 2nd in 200, and 3rd in 400.
Last weekend was the Arthur 5K, their 4th annual and my first attempt at it. This one ended up being a much faster guy in 1st after the first mile, and me hanging on comfortably in 2nd for the rest of the race. 2nd Place finish, #4.
Then, I had today's 5K race in Casselton. Very big turnout on this one as well, I was expecting a fair amount of runners to come not only from Casselton but from the Fargo area. It was a really, really nice cool morning for it, which made it that much more pleasant.
This was an interesting one to be in. On the first mile, I was in 3rd pretty smoothly. Then, the top guy tanks out, starts walking, then picks it up and passes me again. So, I go from 2nd to 3rd....then to 2nd as he tanks out and walks again and says to me, "I should have trained for this race." Looked like a younger kid to me, so this was a 'lesson learning' race for him. Pace...Chase...Race, kiddo.
So, now I'm in 2nd, and before the end of the 2nd mile, I get someone chasing on me and passing me. Back to 3rd. I stayed within close distance, not really on the guy's back but within 1/8 to 1/4 of a block's length. I kept on target with my GPS and at the 2.50 mark, I decided to just pick up and go with it, really cranking it hard on the last 1/4 mile to go. This strategy went well for me, as I didn't tank out and actually hit my max speed of 12.6mph in the final push at the finish. Time was 20:39, about right on pace with all my other races, and good for another "Red Ribbon" finish.
I got a nice 2nd Place trophy for the effort, plus another 1st in age division title. I'm pretty happy that in all 6 races, I was 1st in my age category.
This racing season now has come to a close locally. There is one more race that I think is in late August, back in a town I once lived in. Not sure on that date yet or the details, other than I just heard there was one planned for that time.
So, for now, I am going to enter a new phase of training on Monday: the P90X Phase! I recently became a Team Beachbody Coach, at http://teambeachbody.com/asaptrainer, and ordered up the P90X program they offer. Since I won't have any major races interfering with this training, its a great time to get going on this. You can see more details about some of Beachbody's programs by clicking on their banners at my site, http://ASAPWorkouts.com.
In other news...
I have now made the membership forms and details for membership benefits for the Steele County Road Runners Club, at http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com. This isn't just for Steele County residents alone to join, its for anyone in & around the borders of Steele County, and BEYOND! There is a fancy-dancy SCRR Club T-shirt, newsletters, updates through this blog, and access to the training clinics I will be putting on. Even if you're far away, I will still send the clinic information to you for your benefit!
Membership is only $15, so check out the site and download your form today, and join the SCRR Club!
That's it for now. May your racing seasons continue to go well!
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com
http://TeamBeachbody.com/ASAPTrainer
I must say it has been a pretty cool running season for local 5K's this summer for me. I raced in my 6th one today, and got my 5th consecutive 2nd place finish!
When I started the season, I thought I at least had a shot at one of the 5K's I planned to race, and that was my hometown one. I finished a close 3rd in it last year, and if I ran well enough, I'd have a shot for the win. Well, I did get the win in that first race of the year, and the following races came up with amazing finishes: finishes I didn't expect, especially with some of them being the first ones ever I raced at!
Hillsboro 5K on June 17th, just 5 days after the Finley 5K on June 12th. This was a combined 5K/10K course, so I thought I was in 3rd up until the end, when the top 10K guy came back around for the 2nd loop, and I ended up with 2nd.
Page 5K on June 19th: I wasn't sure what to expect with another race so soon, but it was a solid race with a fast guy in first for the race, then myself and my top track boy runner fighting for 2nd & 3rd. Coach won that battle. This time.
Mayville's 5K was on June 26th, and this one had a much larger turnout than last year. I finished 3rd in last year's, which was the 2nd of the only 2 5K's I ran last year. I led the first loop and then had a nice battle for 2nd in the final half mile. This made #3 for 2nd place finishes.
Along comes the Prairie Rose State Games, which I covered in a previous blog post pretty in-depth. That was held on July 10th. This was probably the hardest race day of them all, because of the intense nature of the shorter races. Came out with 1st in the 800 & 1600, 2nd in 200, and 3rd in 400.
Last weekend was the Arthur 5K, their 4th annual and my first attempt at it. This one ended up being a much faster guy in 1st after the first mile, and me hanging on comfortably in 2nd for the rest of the race. 2nd Place finish, #4.
Then, I had today's 5K race in Casselton. Very big turnout on this one as well, I was expecting a fair amount of runners to come not only from Casselton but from the Fargo area. It was a really, really nice cool morning for it, which made it that much more pleasant.
This was an interesting one to be in. On the first mile, I was in 3rd pretty smoothly. Then, the top guy tanks out, starts walking, then picks it up and passes me again. So, I go from 2nd to 3rd....then to 2nd as he tanks out and walks again and says to me, "I should have trained for this race." Looked like a younger kid to me, so this was a 'lesson learning' race for him. Pace...Chase...Race, kiddo.
So, now I'm in 2nd, and before the end of the 2nd mile, I get someone chasing on me and passing me. Back to 3rd. I stayed within close distance, not really on the guy's back but within 1/8 to 1/4 of a block's length. I kept on target with my GPS and at the 2.50 mark, I decided to just pick up and go with it, really cranking it hard on the last 1/4 mile to go. This strategy went well for me, as I didn't tank out and actually hit my max speed of 12.6mph in the final push at the finish. Time was 20:39, about right on pace with all my other races, and good for another "Red Ribbon" finish.
I got a nice 2nd Place trophy for the effort, plus another 1st in age division title. I'm pretty happy that in all 6 races, I was 1st in my age category.
This racing season now has come to a close locally. There is one more race that I think is in late August, back in a town I once lived in. Not sure on that date yet or the details, other than I just heard there was one planned for that time.
So, for now, I am going to enter a new phase of training on Monday: the P90X Phase! I recently became a Team Beachbody Coach, at http://teambeachbody.com/asaptrainer, and ordered up the P90X program they offer. Since I won't have any major races interfering with this training, its a great time to get going on this. You can see more details about some of Beachbody's programs by clicking on their banners at my site, http://ASAPWorkouts.com.
In other news...
I have now made the membership forms and details for membership benefits for the Steele County Road Runners Club, at http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com. This isn't just for Steele County residents alone to join, its for anyone in & around the borders of Steele County, and BEYOND! There is a fancy-dancy SCRR Club T-shirt, newsletters, updates through this blog, and access to the training clinics I will be putting on. Even if you're far away, I will still send the clinic information to you for your benefit!
Membership is only $15, so check out the site and download your form today, and join the SCRR Club!
That's it for now. May your racing seasons continue to go well!
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com
http://TeamBeachbody.com/ASAPTrainer
Another Race, Another 2nd Place!
Greetings,
The latest town I arrived in for a small town 5K was in Arthur, ND, about an hour away from where I live. It's a pretty small town, so you had quite the scenic view through town and on the outskirts of it. The longest stretch was about a 1.5 mile total run on an out & back stretch on a gravel road.
The race started at 9am, which is about an hour later than most 5K's start in the area. Temps were okay but the humidity was high. I think it affected everybody in their own way. I got hit with it at about a little into the 2nd mile of the course. My GPS told me I basically went down to just above 'recovery pace' that I go at during my interval runs, about 7:30/mile. My first mile was at about 6:30, then the 2nd mile was pretty much around 7:30. I finished it strong with a good final 1/3 of a mile push at the end. I had 2nd secured pretty well, since the guy in first was a good minute or 2 ahead of me by the end, and there was about a 2-3 block distance between me and the guy in 3rd. My time for this one was 21:08. And I'll be honest with you, I didn't get out for my runs as much as I wanted to this past week. I only went out once on Wednesday. I did some kettlebell workouts as replacement workouts in a pinch, since I did start up some new training sessions this week with athletes. The kettlebell stuff was better than doing nothing.
Next week is another 5K on Saturday, down in Casselton, ND for their summertime festival days. That one should be a good turnout I think, since they are so close to Fargo, ND, which is seeing a big boom in running due to the popularity of the Fargo Marathon over the past few years.
After next week, I'm winding down this racing season and starting on a new focus: doing the popular P90X program. I just became a Team Beachbody Coach this past week, and if I'm going to sell the popular programs put out by Beachbody, I feel I better try it out. I have sat on the fence with trying out P90X over the past year. Our little fitness center in town has some of the P90X video's upstairs for people to use if they'd like to, so I have had a preview of sorts with this system, and I like what I see.
As a new Team Beachbody Coach, I plan to put on some presentations and 'fitness parties' for people in their homes as a way to showcase what Beachbody has to fully offer. It is just one more avenue to help people out in improving their health.
My Coach site is at http://teambeachbody.com/asaptrainer . Please visit the site, I invite you to read my personal story on why I think being a Beachbody Coach is a great addition to my training & coaching I do, and see how their programs can improve your lives!
I'm still doing my personal fitness & sports performance training with http://ASAPWorkouts.com as the main site for those services I offer in-person. Currently I'm running a special where athletes can get a free ASAP Workouts T-shirt when they start up a program. It's the coolest shirt around...
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
http://TeamBeachbody.com/ASAPTrainer
The latest town I arrived in for a small town 5K was in Arthur, ND, about an hour away from where I live. It's a pretty small town, so you had quite the scenic view through town and on the outskirts of it. The longest stretch was about a 1.5 mile total run on an out & back stretch on a gravel road.
The race started at 9am, which is about an hour later than most 5K's start in the area. Temps were okay but the humidity was high. I think it affected everybody in their own way. I got hit with it at about a little into the 2nd mile of the course. My GPS told me I basically went down to just above 'recovery pace' that I go at during my interval runs, about 7:30/mile. My first mile was at about 6:30, then the 2nd mile was pretty much around 7:30. I finished it strong with a good final 1/3 of a mile push at the end. I had 2nd secured pretty well, since the guy in first was a good minute or 2 ahead of me by the end, and there was about a 2-3 block distance between me and the guy in 3rd. My time for this one was 21:08. And I'll be honest with you, I didn't get out for my runs as much as I wanted to this past week. I only went out once on Wednesday. I did some kettlebell workouts as replacement workouts in a pinch, since I did start up some new training sessions this week with athletes. The kettlebell stuff was better than doing nothing.
Next week is another 5K on Saturday, down in Casselton, ND for their summertime festival days. That one should be a good turnout I think, since they are so close to Fargo, ND, which is seeing a big boom in running due to the popularity of the Fargo Marathon over the past few years.
After next week, I'm winding down this racing season and starting on a new focus: doing the popular P90X program. I just became a Team Beachbody Coach this past week, and if I'm going to sell the popular programs put out by Beachbody, I feel I better try it out. I have sat on the fence with trying out P90X over the past year. Our little fitness center in town has some of the P90X video's upstairs for people to use if they'd like to, so I have had a preview of sorts with this system, and I like what I see.
As a new Team Beachbody Coach, I plan to put on some presentations and 'fitness parties' for people in their homes as a way to showcase what Beachbody has to fully offer. It is just one more avenue to help people out in improving their health.
My Coach site is at http://teambeachbody.com/asaptrainer . Please visit the site, I invite you to read my personal story on why I think being a Beachbody Coach is a great addition to my training & coaching I do, and see how their programs can improve your lives!
I'm still doing my personal fitness & sports performance training with http://ASAPWorkouts.com as the main site for those services I offer in-person. Currently I'm running a special where athletes can get a free ASAP Workouts T-shirt when they start up a program. It's the coolest shirt around...
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
http://TeamBeachbody.com/ASAPTrainer
State Games Results
Greetings,
Yesterday was the 24th annual Prairie Rose State Games out in Bismarck, ND, and it was an all-around great day for the state amateur track meet. The meet was held at arguably the best track complex in our state...this track has been the host for the HS state track meet for many years now since it was built. I think its the best all-around as a participant and as a spectator. The place is call the Bismarck Community Bowl, and its a place where I got to defend my age-group state titles in the 400, 800, and 1600.
New to my racing agenda this year was the 200m Dash. I thought about doing the 2-mile, but I thought racing a 1600, a 400, a 3200, and an 800 would be pretty hard to maintain quality speed, considering the training I've done. So, I went with the 200m instead.
The first race was the 1600, and it started out well with an 80 on the first lap, and I was feeling good. Then on the 2nd lap, my shoe becomes untied and I get distracted just a bit by that, and now I'm hitting another 80 second lap as I come at the 800m point with a 2:40. I try to keep my speed up but the 3rd lap is known to be one that can just hit you, and right about the 3-minute mark was where I started to slow down. I think I came across the 1200m mark at 4:15, and finished with a 5:40 time. Not quite what I expected or wanted to finish with, but oh well...dealing with a shoe loosely on my foot and with a little heat as well, I can't complain too badly. I also ended up being the only guy in my 30-34 age group who raced in my heat, so that meant I had at least earned my 2nd consecutive state title in the 1600 for that age group.
My legs were pretty shot afterwards for a while with that race, and thankfully there were hoards of children setup for the 50m and 100m dashes, which meant plenty of heats to go through before the 400m race started. When it came time for that race, I thought I'd at least get a silver because there appeared to be only 2 of us in the 30-34 age group when that was being marshalled. However, after the race, we discovered another guy in our bracket was the one who finished first in our heat with a 57 time. The other guy got a 60, and I got a 63 to earn a bronze. I'll take that time, since I got a 66 time at last year's meet. It sort of reminds me of something one of my athletes said this spring: she would rather get 3rd or 4th in a big race and get a PR, then be the top person in a smaller race and get a slower than expected time. This pretty much happened to me with my 3rd place finish but with a personal best to boot.
There was an ample amount of time after the 400 to get some Powerade, rest the legs for a while, and try to cool down in the shade, as it was getting up close to 90+ on the track. I took the time to update my Facebook status with the results thus far. Now I just had to wait for the 200m.
When I was prepping for the 200m, I talked to the guy who got a 60 in the 400m in my age group, and found out he used to run the 400 & 800 for a small college here in ND. We ended up being the only 2 in that race for our age, which meant another guaranteed medal. I got a Silver with a 28.6 time.
The 800m was shortly after the 200m, and I felt good enough actually to shoot for a decent time. My time last year was 2:32, and I hung on in the heat of the afternoon for a 2:40 time and 2nd overall in my heat. I once again ended up as the only guy in my age group who ran this race, meaning I now have 2 state 800m titles for this age range.
I still find it funny that I was the only guy who was 30-34 in the entire state who ran in the 1600 & 800 races for 2 years in a row. I can understand track meets aren't held that often and this IS North Dakota, but I know there are plenty of guys in their 30's & 40's who run 5K's, and you'd think they'd at least give this a shot for only $15 to run 3 events, and up to 5 events for only $5 per event more. I find it as a great chance to see where I'm at physically and as a way to continually challenge myself. I run all the time now with my track kids in practices, but never get the chance to race until one lone day in July on a track. Sure, there are 5K's to run, but there's something special about attacking it on the track with all you have.
In the near future, I have 2 more 5K's in the next 2 weekends, and perhaps 1-2 in August. I have done four 5K's and 4 track races all within the past 4 weeks, so you can say I probably need a break after these next 2 races.
In the meantime, I'm setting up my next Steele County Road Runners Club Run for this Wednesday in Hope, ND at 7pm. I hope I can get a good turnout this time and we can have a good quality run that evening.
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
Yesterday was the 24th annual Prairie Rose State Games out in Bismarck, ND, and it was an all-around great day for the state amateur track meet. The meet was held at arguably the best track complex in our state...this track has been the host for the HS state track meet for many years now since it was built. I think its the best all-around as a participant and as a spectator. The place is call the Bismarck Community Bowl, and its a place where I got to defend my age-group state titles in the 400, 800, and 1600.
New to my racing agenda this year was the 200m Dash. I thought about doing the 2-mile, but I thought racing a 1600, a 400, a 3200, and an 800 would be pretty hard to maintain quality speed, considering the training I've done. So, I went with the 200m instead.
The first race was the 1600, and it started out well with an 80 on the first lap, and I was feeling good. Then on the 2nd lap, my shoe becomes untied and I get distracted just a bit by that, and now I'm hitting another 80 second lap as I come at the 800m point with a 2:40. I try to keep my speed up but the 3rd lap is known to be one that can just hit you, and right about the 3-minute mark was where I started to slow down. I think I came across the 1200m mark at 4:15, and finished with a 5:40 time. Not quite what I expected or wanted to finish with, but oh well...dealing with a shoe loosely on my foot and with a little heat as well, I can't complain too badly. I also ended up being the only guy in my 30-34 age group who raced in my heat, so that meant I had at least earned my 2nd consecutive state title in the 1600 for that age group.
My legs were pretty shot afterwards for a while with that race, and thankfully there were hoards of children setup for the 50m and 100m dashes, which meant plenty of heats to go through before the 400m race started. When it came time for that race, I thought I'd at least get a silver because there appeared to be only 2 of us in the 30-34 age group when that was being marshalled. However, after the race, we discovered another guy in our bracket was the one who finished first in our heat with a 57 time. The other guy got a 60, and I got a 63 to earn a bronze. I'll take that time, since I got a 66 time at last year's meet. It sort of reminds me of something one of my athletes said this spring: she would rather get 3rd or 4th in a big race and get a PR, then be the top person in a smaller race and get a slower than expected time. This pretty much happened to me with my 3rd place finish but with a personal best to boot.
There was an ample amount of time after the 400 to get some Powerade, rest the legs for a while, and try to cool down in the shade, as it was getting up close to 90+ on the track. I took the time to update my Facebook status with the results thus far. Now I just had to wait for the 200m.
When I was prepping for the 200m, I talked to the guy who got a 60 in the 400m in my age group, and found out he used to run the 400 & 800 for a small college here in ND. We ended up being the only 2 in that race for our age, which meant another guaranteed medal.
I got a Silver with a 28.6 time. The 800m was shortly after the 200m, and I felt good enough actually to shoot for a decent time. My time last year was 2:32, and I hung on in the heat of the afternoon for a 2:40 time and 2nd overall in my heat. I once again ended up as the only guy in my age group who ran this race, meaning I now have 2 state 800m titles for this age range.
I still find it funny that I was the only guy who was 30-34 in the entire state who ran in the 1600 & 800 races for 2 years in a row. I can understand track meets aren't held that often and this IS North Dakota, but I know there are plenty of guys in their 30's & 40's who run 5K's, and you'd think they'd at least give this a shot for only $15 to run 3 events, and up to 5 events for only $5 per event more. I find it as a great chance to see where I'm at physically and as a way to continually challenge myself. I run all the time now with my track kids in practices, but never get the chance to race until one lone day in July on a track. Sure, there are 5K's to run, but there's something special about attacking it on the track with all you have.
In the near future, I have 2 more 5K's in the next 2 weekends, and perhaps 1-2 in August. I have done four 5K's and 4 track races all within the past 4 weeks, so you can say I probably need a break after these next 2 races.
In the meantime, I'm setting up my next Steele County Road Runners Club Run for this Wednesday in Hope, ND at 7pm. I hope I can get a good turnout this time and we can have a good quality run that evening.
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
The Countdown Is On...
Greetings,
After a nice break over the 4th of July, it is really time to hunker down and get tuned up for the big race event I've been training the most for: the Prairie Rose State Games amateur state track meet. The big race I'm looking at is the 1600m, with the 800, 400, & 200 as extra's to do. I only did the 400, 800, and 1600 at last year's meet. For only $5 an event (really!), I might as well add the 200 in there this year.
My main goal is to get 4:59 in the 1600m. Time-wise, I think I'm on the cusp of it, if I have a near-perfect race day. Even with a wind to contend with, I think I can do it. I was putting in low 70's for 400m repeats back in May during my team's track season. So, I know the speed is there. I did some 200's last week and those felt really good. In the past few weeks though, I have been saving most of my speed efforts for 5K race days. Those are run at a slightly slower speed, but I know they have been helpful with giving me a "Racer's Edge" when it comes to more race experience.
Part of the "Racer's Edge", which has really become more aware to me this running season, is getting some race experience under your belt and using every race as a learning experience, training session, and mental training workout all in one.
Prior to my coaching career, my race experience was very, very little. I raced in 100m & 200m races only during my senior year for Track, and I joined with about half of the season left to go. During college, I never really knew about 5K's. After college, I raced in a 10K after training myself for one in about 8 weeks worth of running workouts. I later was asked to coach a XC team, bringing my training experience to the table and not knowing much about 'How to REALLY Race'.
I learned more about racing by just watching the kids I was coaching during their races, and by running with them every day in practices, speed workouts included. Those first 2 years with the GCC-FS XC team were very formative in my coaching style and philosophy.
I didn't learn everything I needed to learn, but I tried to pass along more insight and advice to my next XC team and Track crews up in TRF. One example I give quite often is with my top runner on the boys team up there, who was quite young but also our fastest overall talent on the team. He was mainly running junior high races, and fighting for the top spot in many of them. He asked me if he could run all the JH races for his last year of JH running, just so he could see how many races he could win. I told him that he had a skill and talent that is hard to coach, and that is fighting for the lead and trying to keep it throughout a race. The more races he could get under his belt practicing that skill, the better off he was going to be as a runner.
I know other coaches might have bumped him up to the varsity level with his talent, but my instincts were to let him harness that skill of developing his Racer's Edge for trying to win every race he could. He took home a few meet titles that season. Last year, he was a junior, and also took home a few meet titles throughout the season, as well as placing 15th at the state meet.
Even if you have the physical talent, you have to work on harnessing the skills as well, such as tactical racing.
This past month, I've had the opportunity to work on those tactical racing skills with the 5K's I was in. I've talked about my strategies and experiences over those past races in my recent blog posts on here. I've had to battle for and even switch leads in some races. I even had a setback of running the wrong return loop on a farmstead's driveway, basically giving back 30-40 seconds to the runner behind me and ending up in a battle for 2nd & 3rd instead of having a solid 2nd with a chance to maybe catch up to the lead runner. Granted that those types of situations hardly hit someone on the track, but the experience still pushes you to become a better runner when you face some adversity along the way.
I think that is what I enjoy greatly about running & racing: you have so many things to prepare for on race day, and a setback could hit you out of nowhere, leaving you to either fight it or flee from it. It's simple stress management skills, being developed while engaged in an activity that is beneficial for your body. You not only train your body, but you train your mind as you prepare for racing and as you endure the trials of it.
I know people may think a 5K isn't as great of a challenge as running a marathon, but the everyday runner, from the trackster to the ultramarathoner, faces these challenges. Wherever you are in relation to your favorite running distance, we all share the common thread of developing our own Racer's Edge for our needs.
I like to stick to the 5K & the track, mainly for time management reasons in my life (its quick and simpler to train for versus a 1/2 or full marathon distance), but also because its what I have & currently coach athletes in. I can share my personal experiences with my athletes. I, too, have goals and ambitions with those distances. Last winter I became inspired by a man in his 40's who was running a 4:07 1500m time. And this was years after a stellar HS & college career that was cut short due to injuries. The man returned to the track and just ATTACKED IT. I'm currently on the journey to a 5 minute mile, something I once thought of as 'unreal' for me to attain when I first started as a running coach just 10 years ago at the age of 23. Back then, I was lucky to crack 6 minutes in a mile trial during XC practice. Now, in some 5K's, I've ran a 6 minute pace for the first portion of them and it felt so much easier. Who knows what I can do if I keep on getting after it.
I'm willing to put in the time to find out.
What about you?
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
PS: I've just started up a local running club in my area, check out
http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com to see what its all about!
After a nice break over the 4th of July, it is really time to hunker down and get tuned up for the big race event I've been training the most for: the Prairie Rose State Games amateur state track meet. The big race I'm looking at is the 1600m, with the 800, 400, & 200 as extra's to do. I only did the 400, 800, and 1600 at last year's meet. For only $5 an event (really!), I might as well add the 200 in there this year.
My main goal is to get 4:59 in the 1600m. Time-wise, I think I'm on the cusp of it, if I have a near-perfect race day. Even with a wind to contend with, I think I can do it. I was putting in low 70's for 400m repeats back in May during my team's track season. So, I know the speed is there. I did some 200's last week and those felt really good. In the past few weeks though, I have been saving most of my speed efforts for 5K race days. Those are run at a slightly slower speed, but I know they have been helpful with giving me a "Racer's Edge" when it comes to more race experience.
Part of the "Racer's Edge", which has really become more aware to me this running season, is getting some race experience under your belt and using every race as a learning experience, training session, and mental training workout all in one.
Prior to my coaching career, my race experience was very, very little. I raced in 100m & 200m races only during my senior year for Track, and I joined with about half of the season left to go. During college, I never really knew about 5K's. After college, I raced in a 10K after training myself for one in about 8 weeks worth of running workouts. I later was asked to coach a XC team, bringing my training experience to the table and not knowing much about 'How to REALLY Race'.
I learned more about racing by just watching the kids I was coaching during their races, and by running with them every day in practices, speed workouts included. Those first 2 years with the GCC-FS XC team were very formative in my coaching style and philosophy.
I didn't learn everything I needed to learn, but I tried to pass along more insight and advice to my next XC team and Track crews up in TRF. One example I give quite often is with my top runner on the boys team up there, who was quite young but also our fastest overall talent on the team. He was mainly running junior high races, and fighting for the top spot in many of them. He asked me if he could run all the JH races for his last year of JH running, just so he could see how many races he could win. I told him that he had a skill and talent that is hard to coach, and that is fighting for the lead and trying to keep it throughout a race. The more races he could get under his belt practicing that skill, the better off he was going to be as a runner.
I know other coaches might have bumped him up to the varsity level with his talent, but my instincts were to let him harness that skill of developing his Racer's Edge for trying to win every race he could. He took home a few meet titles that season. Last year, he was a junior, and also took home a few meet titles throughout the season, as well as placing 15th at the state meet.
Even if you have the physical talent, you have to work on harnessing the skills as well, such as tactical racing.
This past month, I've had the opportunity to work on those tactical racing skills with the 5K's I was in. I've talked about my strategies and experiences over those past races in my recent blog posts on here. I've had to battle for and even switch leads in some races. I even had a setback of running the wrong return loop on a farmstead's driveway, basically giving back 30-40 seconds to the runner behind me and ending up in a battle for 2nd & 3rd instead of having a solid 2nd with a chance to maybe catch up to the lead runner. Granted that those types of situations hardly hit someone on the track, but the experience still pushes you to become a better runner when you face some adversity along the way.
I think that is what I enjoy greatly about running & racing: you have so many things to prepare for on race day, and a setback could hit you out of nowhere, leaving you to either fight it or flee from it. It's simple stress management skills, being developed while engaged in an activity that is beneficial for your body. You not only train your body, but you train your mind as you prepare for racing and as you endure the trials of it.
I know people may think a 5K isn't as great of a challenge as running a marathon, but the everyday runner, from the trackster to the ultramarathoner, faces these challenges. Wherever you are in relation to your favorite running distance, we all share the common thread of developing our own Racer's Edge for our needs.
I like to stick to the 5K & the track, mainly for time management reasons in my life (its quick and simpler to train for versus a 1/2 or full marathon distance), but also because its what I have & currently coach athletes in. I can share my personal experiences with my athletes. I, too, have goals and ambitions with those distances. Last winter I became inspired by a man in his 40's who was running a 4:07 1500m time. And this was years after a stellar HS & college career that was cut short due to injuries. The man returned to the track and just ATTACKED IT. I'm currently on the journey to a 5 minute mile, something I once thought of as 'unreal' for me to attain when I first started as a running coach just 10 years ago at the age of 23. Back then, I was lucky to crack 6 minutes in a mile trial during XC practice. Now, in some 5K's, I've ran a 6 minute pace for the first portion of them and it felt so much easier. Who knows what I can do if I keep on getting after it.
I'm willing to put in the time to find out.
What about you?
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
PS: I've just started up a local running club in my area, check out
http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com to see what its all about!
Four 5K's + 15 Days = A Lotta Racin' Fun!
Greetings,
Over the past 15 days, I've had the chance to do 4 area 5K races on the calendar. First was my hometown's 5K, in which I took the crown after finishing 3rd in last year's race. Just 5 days later, I signed up on a whim for another 5K that I found out about, and finished 2nd in that one. 2 days later, another 5K I had planned came up, and that produced another 2nd place finish for me. Then, today, my old college's town that's nearby had their 5K race.
Today's race went pretty well. I took the lead early and held on for the first loop of the race (a 2 loop course). After about 1.6 miles, I had 2 guys come up and pass me. I held onto the chase for 2nd, and decided to kick it in with about .5 miles to go to the finish. I was able to hold strong and finish strong, getting about a 20:15 time in the end.
The weather was pretty humid, as there was fog all-around on my way to the race, for the entire 25 mile trip across the prairie. It did feel a bit cool though with a slight breeze here and there. I just find it harder to breathe with high humidity. As we waited for the door prizes and awards to be handed out, it started to rain on us and thankfully, it was at a hospital that had an overhang driveway, which was able to keep most of us dry.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with my performances over such a stretch of time. With 3 races under my belt over the past 2 weeks before this race today, I felt I held a pretty good pace for the beginning and middle portions. Didn't feel like I was going to die at any point. Part of me wishes I should have chased down the leader once he passed me, just to see where my limits are really at. His time was in the 19:40's and I think if I chased him, I could have perhaps clipped in under 20:00. Oh well, I'm still happy with how I felt afterwards and how the race went.
I did get a nice surprise: my Mom, Dad, & niece were on their way to my cousin's wedding party this morning, and stopped by the town to cheer me on. I saw them on my first time back through the first loop, and it certainly brought a smile to my face! It's nice to have your own family fan club!
Today's race basically concludes my June races, so now its gearing-up time for the really big race of the season, my "#1" goal race, the Prairie Rose State Games Track Meet on July 10th.
I plan to stick to the basics that are working for me: good quality speed workouts, done in my speed zones for distance-based intervals. I had a good solid training week this past week, which was 8, 200m speed intervals, with 200m jogs, going every 3 minutes for the first 4 intervals, and then every 2.5 minutes for the next 2 intervals, then every 2 minutes for the last 2 intervals. This was a hard one, but my recovery periods helped me keep my speeds up there. This was a good workout that helped out my track team, and time-wise, its short, to the point, and very effective for keeping up at race-pace speeds or faster.
Thursday's run was a basic Jog 100, Race-Pace 100 x 12, then walk 100, RP 200, walk 100, RP 200 to finish it out. The walk breaks at the end were helpful, as the track felt like I was running through a sauna. Not much of a cool wind that day, and we ended up getting some more rain that night. You could tell something was in the air for bad weather. I don't know what it is about the humidity up here, but it sure is nasty some days.
This Wednesday, I'm trying to start up a new running club for my area, called Steele County Road Runners. There is a big running boom lately in my region, and many more people are starting to enjoy the sport, across all ages. I credit most of this boom to the big popularity of the Fargo Marathon that's held in May. Fargo, ND's marathon is fast becoming a 'destination marathon' and was recently rated the Best Value by Runner's World this spring in their marathon ratings. There are a host of races from the 5K to the Half, which peaks the interest of many who want to set a goal and try it out. I hope I have a fair turnout for our first meeting. You can see the basics of it on my Facebook group page under Steele County Road Runners. There's also a site at http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com.
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
http://1MileNation.com
Over the past 15 days, I've had the chance to do 4 area 5K races on the calendar. First was my hometown's 5K, in which I took the crown after finishing 3rd in last year's race. Just 5 days later, I signed up on a whim for another 5K that I found out about, and finished 2nd in that one. 2 days later, another 5K I had planned came up, and that produced another 2nd place finish for me. Then, today, my old college's town that's nearby had their 5K race.
Today's race went pretty well. I took the lead early and held on for the first loop of the race (a 2 loop course). After about 1.6 miles, I had 2 guys come up and pass me. I held onto the chase for 2nd, and decided to kick it in with about .5 miles to go to the finish. I was able to hold strong and finish strong, getting about a 20:15 time in the end.
The weather was pretty humid, as there was fog all-around on my way to the race, for the entire 25 mile trip across the prairie. It did feel a bit cool though with a slight breeze here and there. I just find it harder to breathe with high humidity. As we waited for the door prizes and awards to be handed out, it started to rain on us and thankfully, it was at a hospital that had an overhang driveway, which was able to keep most of us dry.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with my performances over such a stretch of time. With 3 races under my belt over the past 2 weeks before this race today, I felt I held a pretty good pace for the beginning and middle portions. Didn't feel like I was going to die at any point. Part of me wishes I should have chased down the leader once he passed me, just to see where my limits are really at. His time was in the 19:40's and I think if I chased him, I could have perhaps clipped in under 20:00. Oh well, I'm still happy with how I felt afterwards and how the race went.
I did get a nice surprise: my Mom, Dad, & niece were on their way to my cousin's wedding party this morning, and stopped by the town to cheer me on. I saw them on my first time back through the first loop, and it certainly brought a smile to my face! It's nice to have your own family fan club!
Today's race basically concludes my June races, so now its gearing-up time for the really big race of the season, my "#1" goal race, the Prairie Rose State Games Track Meet on July 10th.
I plan to stick to the basics that are working for me: good quality speed workouts, done in my speed zones for distance-based intervals. I had a good solid training week this past week, which was 8, 200m speed intervals, with 200m jogs, going every 3 minutes for the first 4 intervals, and then every 2.5 minutes for the next 2 intervals, then every 2 minutes for the last 2 intervals. This was a hard one, but my recovery periods helped me keep my speeds up there. This was a good workout that helped out my track team, and time-wise, its short, to the point, and very effective for keeping up at race-pace speeds or faster.
Thursday's run was a basic Jog 100, Race-Pace 100 x 12, then walk 100, RP 200, walk 100, RP 200 to finish it out. The walk breaks at the end were helpful, as the track felt like I was running through a sauna. Not much of a cool wind that day, and we ended up getting some more rain that night. You could tell something was in the air for bad weather. I don't know what it is about the humidity up here, but it sure is nasty some days.
This Wednesday, I'm trying to start up a new running club for my area, called Steele County Road Runners. There is a big running boom lately in my region, and many more people are starting to enjoy the sport, across all ages. I credit most of this boom to the big popularity of the Fargo Marathon that's held in May. Fargo, ND's marathon is fast becoming a 'destination marathon' and was recently rated the Best Value by Runner's World this spring in their marathon ratings. There are a host of races from the 5K to the Half, which peaks the interest of many who want to set a goal and try it out. I hope I have a fair turnout for our first meeting. You can see the basics of it on my Facebook group page under Steele County Road Runners. There's also a site at http://SteeleCountyRoadRunners.com.
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
http://1MileNation.com
Two 5K's, Two 2nd Place Finishes!
Greetings,
The past three days have been a first for me: I raced two 5K's within 3 days for the first time ever. Most of my 5K's in the past have been weeks apart, but this year, my first 3 5K's were all within 8 days.
I had a race in Hillsboro, ND, about 45 minutes away from me, on Thursday night. Was really nervous, not sure what to really expect at that one. The bigger cities of Grand Forks & Fargo are chock-full of avid runners, and two D-I colleges, so you aren't really sure if a current college runner will show up to these small races or what. Or, some past college runners who still have some speed in them. They had a 5K & 10K start at the same time, with the 10K being a two loop course of the 5K's. I noticed 2 guys take off right away, so I tried to keep them in view for most of the race. I held 3rd place for most of the race, but found out with about 200m to go that one of the guys in the lead was a 10K runner, already making his return loop back to the course. That meant I had 2nd place overall. A pretty fast 20 year old female wasn't too far behind me either. I felt strong enough to dig it out and get 2nd place secured, with a 20:47 time. There was quite a battle with a strong, south wind for parts of the race, but for the last 3/4's of a mile for the 5K, you at least had it to your back to assist you.
I thought my legs would be dead on Friday, but surprisingly they didn't feel too bad. I was on my feet for most of Friday at work, doing some wax coating on some classroom floors at the school, and I think the light activity with that was helpful. I pretty much took a day of rest to try and get refreshed for Saturday's race in Page, ND.
Page's 5K was their 7th annual, and I had yet to take part in it, even though it's about 30 minutes away from Finley. The school is in our sports co-op, so I had a lot of my track kids from Finley-Sharon & Hope-Page schools at this race. It almost felt like a distance crew practice again...
I ran into a past competitor from last year's Prairie Rose State Games state track meet, who was from West Fargo, and came up for the 5K. We chatted beforehand about our races we both did last year, and about the ones we are planning out all-around for this year. He ended up winning the race, and I once again finished 2nd with a 21:00 time. I did get messed up on a return loop at someone's farmstead driveway. There was a short driveway, and a longer one. I took the longer route, so by GPS measurements, my 21:00 time was actually over 3.18 miles. Next year, I'll know where to go!
I ended up getting 1st in my age divisions in both races, and another cool thing was that the 4 of us from Finley were in the top 13 overall at the Page 5K. If they scored it by towns like a cross-country meet, we would have taken the 'town title' of the race. Of the 4 of us, 2 of them were tracksters of mine, and the other one was another athlete I've trained (and I used to babysit years ago when I was his age! Man, I'm getting old!).
I have Mayville's 5K coming up next Saturday, then I plan to take off 2 weeks from racing to really hone my speed for the PRSG state track meet on July 10th. I just registered for the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m races online on Friday.
There are also 2 more 5K's in the area for July 17th and 24th, so I plan to take those in as well. Overall it looks like six to seven 5K's for my season, plus the track meet on my plate. This season is really starting out on a good note!
In about ten days, I plan to help start up a new local running club, called Steele County Road Runners. I already made the site and started up a Facebook group page to help generate interest first to see where it can go. I see us having some fun-run nights for get-together's, and a running clinic here & there. I have a sample T-shirt ordered already and can't wait to get that in to see what the club thinks. I have never seen such an increase in running lately in this area over the last 5 years. I think most of the running boom is associated with a keen interest in the Fargo Marathon's activities with their big race in May. It sort of serves as the 'jumpstart' race to the running season up here, and it has really sprung up a lot of area 5K's in our region. A lot more towns are starting to put them on, and most importantly, there is a love for running that is starting in the area kids, too.
Until next time...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://TrainerForce.net/asaptrainer - Online Running Plans
The past three days have been a first for me: I raced two 5K's within 3 days for the first time ever. Most of my 5K's in the past have been weeks apart, but this year, my first 3 5K's were all within 8 days.
I had a race in Hillsboro, ND, about 45 minutes away from me, on Thursday night. Was really nervous, not sure what to really expect at that one. The bigger cities of Grand Forks & Fargo are chock-full of avid runners, and two D-I colleges, so you aren't really sure if a current college runner will show up to these small races or what. Or, some past college runners who still have some speed in them. They had a 5K & 10K start at the same time, with the 10K being a two loop course of the 5K's. I noticed 2 guys take off right away, so I tried to keep them in view for most of the race. I held 3rd place for most of the race, but found out with about 200m to go that one of the guys in the lead was a 10K runner, already making his return loop back to the course. That meant I had 2nd place overall. A pretty fast 20 year old female wasn't too far behind me either. I felt strong enough to dig it out and get 2nd place secured, with a 20:47 time. There was quite a battle with a strong, south wind for parts of the race, but for the last 3/4's of a mile for the 5K, you at least had it to your back to assist you.
I thought my legs would be dead on Friday, but surprisingly they didn't feel too bad. I was on my feet for most of Friday at work, doing some wax coating on some classroom floors at the school, and I think the light activity with that was helpful. I pretty much took a day of rest to try and get refreshed for Saturday's race in Page, ND.
Page's 5K was their 7th annual, and I had yet to take part in it, even though it's about 30 minutes away from Finley. The school is in our sports co-op, so I had a lot of my track kids from Finley-Sharon & Hope-Page schools at this race. It almost felt like a distance crew practice again...
I ran into a past competitor from last year's Prairie Rose State Games state track meet, who was from West Fargo, and came up for the 5K. We chatted beforehand about our races we both did last year, and about the ones we are planning out all-around for this year. He ended up winning the race, and I once again finished 2nd with a 21:00 time. I did get messed up on a return loop at someone's farmstead driveway. There was a short driveway, and a longer one. I took the longer route, so by GPS measurements, my 21:00 time was actually over 3.18 miles.
Next year, I'll know where to go! I ended up getting 1st in my age divisions in both races, and another cool thing was that the 4 of us from Finley were in the top 13 overall at the Page 5K. If they scored it by towns like a cross-country meet, we would have taken the 'town title' of the race. Of the 4 of us, 2 of them were tracksters of mine, and the other one was another athlete I've trained (and I used to babysit years ago when I was his age! Man, I'm getting old!).
I have Mayville's 5K coming up next Saturday, then I plan to take off 2 weeks from racing to really hone my speed for the PRSG state track meet on July 10th. I just registered for the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m races online on Friday.
There are also 2 more 5K's in the area for July 17th and 24th, so I plan to take those in as well. Overall it looks like six to seven 5K's for my season, plus the track meet on my plate. This season is really starting out on a good note!
In about ten days, I plan to help start up a new local running club, called Steele County Road Runners. I already made the site and started up a Facebook group page to help generate interest first to see where it can go. I see us having some fun-run nights for get-together's, and a running clinic here & there. I have a sample T-shirt ordered already and can't wait to get that in to see what the club thinks. I have never seen such an increase in running lately in this area over the last 5 years. I think most of the running boom is associated with a keen interest in the Fargo Marathon's activities with their big race in May. It sort of serves as the 'jumpstart' race to the running season up here, and it has really sprung up a lot of area 5K's in our region. A lot more towns are starting to put them on, and most importantly, there is a love for running that is starting in the area kids, too.
Until next time...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://TrainerForce.net/asaptrainer - Online Running Plans
5K Season starts...with a win!
Greetings,
Well, last Saturday my local 5K season started up, with my town's 2nd annual 5K race. I placed 3rd in it last year, and this year, I not only had a better time (19:27), but a nice placing: First!
It was a pretty neat race the way it went. I had a few of my current track kids, plus a former one who is now in college, who were running with me. My current top boy runner on the track team was with me for the first 2.25 miles of the race, as I had the lead for roughly the first mile, and he took it for the 2nd mile. After about the 2.25 mark on my GPS, a guy passed us and I decided to try to hang with him all the way. I ended up having my former athlete start thinking the same thing, and he began his surge to the front. The final 800m-ish of the race was going down a hill to the track, doing almost a full lap on the track, and then finishing the last 300m uphill. From the track to the road is a good steep one, of about 75-80m I think. It can be tackled with an all-out sprint in about 15 seconds. So, after that hill, you then have another slight climb for 100m to the highway. Once you crossed the highway, you had a mostly flat section of 200m to hit the finish.
It was a good, hard finish for me, as I felt tired but had enough energy in me to finish strong. My mid-portion of the race had about my only sluggish point to battle through. My GPS analysis ended up with a 6:25/mile pace average.
The race ended up showing to be 3.03 miles on my watch, so it's a little over 100m short I'd say. The race course had a section of going out & back on it. I took a snapshot of the course with my GPS software after linking up the points to Google Earth.
We started the race in-between 3rd St and 4th St, just to the west of Hwy 200 on the map. All in all, you can see how uniquely shaped my town is, with part of the town parallel with the railroad and the rest with the major Hwy 200.
My race schedule keeps filling up now. I just signed up for a race on Thursday, with another one on Saturday I had scheduled, and the next Saturday after that. I'm trying to find one in/around St. Cloud, MN for the 4th of July weekend. I have my State Track Meet the weekend after that. Then, my former town of Thief River Falls has a 5K for the weekend after that, and then another area town has one the following weekend. I'm either crazy or I really enjoy these things.
Until next time...
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
Well, last Saturday my local 5K season started up, with my town's 2nd annual 5K race. I placed 3rd in it last year, and this year, I not only had a better time (19:27), but a nice placing: First!
It was a pretty neat race the way it went. I had a few of my current track kids, plus a former one who is now in college, who were running with me. My current top boy runner on the track team was with me for the first 2.25 miles of the race, as I had the lead for roughly the first mile, and he took it for the 2nd mile. After about the 2.25 mark on my GPS, a guy passed us and I decided to try to hang with him all the way. I ended up having my former athlete start thinking the same thing, and he began his surge to the front. The final 800m-ish of the race was going down a hill to the track, doing almost a full lap on the track, and then finishing the last 300m uphill. From the track to the road is a good steep one, of about 75-80m I think. It can be tackled with an all-out sprint in about 15 seconds. So, after that hill, you then have another slight climb for 100m to the highway. Once you crossed the highway, you had a mostly flat section of 200m to hit the finish.
It was a good, hard finish for me, as I felt tired but had enough energy in me to finish strong. My mid-portion of the race had about my only sluggish point to battle through. My GPS analysis ended up with a 6:25/mile pace average.
The race ended up showing to be 3.03 miles on my watch, so it's a little over 100m short I'd say. The race course had a section of going out & back on it. I took a snapshot of the course with my GPS software after linking up the points to Google Earth.
We started the race in-between 3rd St and 4th St, just to the west of Hwy 200 on the map. All in all, you can see how uniquely shaped my town is, with part of the town parallel with the railroad and the rest with the major Hwy 200.
My race schedule keeps filling up now. I just signed up for a race on Thursday, with another one on Saturday I had scheduled, and the next Saturday after that. I'm trying to find one in/around St. Cloud, MN for the 4th of July weekend. I have my State Track Meet the weekend after that. Then, my former town of Thief River Falls has a 5K for the weekend after that, and then another area town has one the following weekend. I'm either crazy or I really enjoy these things.
Until next time...
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
New Phase, New Online Training!
Greetings,
Since my team's track season ended last week, it is now time to focus exclusively on my own training for the upcoming Prairie Rose State Games in July out in Bismarck, ND. I have 3 5K's and possibly a 4th one, in 3-4 consecutive weeks leading up to the big event. I have signed up for at least 3 straight in the month of June for 3 straight Saturday's.
I went out Monday morning for a spin around the track, doing 200m jogs with 200m race-pace intervals for 8 times. I tried out my new spikes I bought at a sporting goods store while out at State Track, but was less than impressed with them. My track here is a hard, hard asphalt, and there wasn't much give with the shoes, leaving my feet pretty darn beat up in the end. My current pair of Nike Free's are out of commission and relegated to 'old shoe' status, so I feel a pair of Nike Free's are on my list to buy ASAP. I thought these spikes would be an okay alternative, and they might be fine on a cushy track with the recycled rubber overlay. They just aren't a great fit for this old worn-out track.
I ended up doing a strength workout on both Tuesday & Wednesday nights, only to add in a brief track workout right after my Wednesday lifting routine. The night was perfectly still and temps were right around the mid to late 60's...I couldn't pass that kind of situation up. I aimed for 6 laps of jog 300m, race-pace 100m, but felt good enough to get 8 laps in by the end. My body is SORE today not only from the workouts, but from a week of continuous painting in the school where I work. Overall though, its a good soreness and nothing too limiting. Just can't overdo things here. Saving my hard efforts for my races coming up, and keeping the interval training on a lighter, more manageable note. I am mainly trying to maintain my improved fitness after running with my tracksters all season, as I feel I'm somewhere in the 5:15-20 range for a mile time. I know I feel much, much faster right now than I ever did last year.
In other news, I recently started up a new Online Training service through a company called TrainerForce.com. I'm still learning as I go here on how to setup the workouts and create training plans, however, I feel things are really good to go with what I have setup so far.
I am starting out by offering 3 training options:
1. Online Training - 1 Month Only - this is ideal for someone looking for a program to jumpstart their fitness goals. It is a well-rounded game plan, including strength training programs and cardio plans, plus a nutrition format lined up for you by TrainerForce's online training system, with sample menu's to follow with your calorie guidelines from the USDA. Cost for this is a one-time fee of $49 and you get continual consultation for that 1 month period.
2. Online Training - Continuous - For $49/month, you can get continuous support with your fitness goals. This is just an extension of #1 with continual support, week after week, for however long you wish to go for.
3. The "7 Weeks to 7 Minutes" Running Only plan: For a 2-month period of only $19/month, you can get my "7 Weeks to 7 Minutes" running plan, outlined for you, with complete consultation as you go through it, week after week. I will send the guide to you as well when you sign up. There is no strength training plan with this option, as it is just the running workouts only in the step by step, weekly process. If you want the full program with the strength training, just request to do the "7 Weeks" plan with the #2 package.
I feel many people may want to take advantage of the "7 Weeks" plan as a stand-alone training plan, because you not only get the program's e-book, but the personal online coaching by the author himself, yours truly! These are the same winning strategies I have used to help get HS runners in tip-top shape by season's end for track & cross-country, with minimal weekly mileages to get there.
You can see all the options and more information at:
http://trainerforce.net/asaptrainer
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
Since my team's track season ended last week, it is now time to focus exclusively on my own training for the upcoming Prairie Rose State Games in July out in Bismarck, ND. I have 3 5K's and possibly a 4th one, in 3-4 consecutive weeks leading up to the big event. I have signed up for at least 3 straight in the month of June for 3 straight Saturday's.
I went out Monday morning for a spin around the track, doing 200m jogs with 200m race-pace intervals for 8 times. I tried out my new spikes I bought at a sporting goods store while out at State Track, but was less than impressed with them. My track here is a hard, hard asphalt, and there wasn't much give with the shoes, leaving my feet pretty darn beat up in the end. My current pair of Nike Free's are out of commission and relegated to 'old shoe' status, so I feel a pair of Nike Free's are on my list to buy ASAP. I thought these spikes would be an okay alternative, and they might be fine on a cushy track with the recycled rubber overlay. They just aren't a great fit for this old worn-out track.
I ended up doing a strength workout on both Tuesday & Wednesday nights, only to add in a brief track workout right after my Wednesday lifting routine. The night was perfectly still and temps were right around the mid to late 60's...I couldn't pass that kind of situation up. I aimed for 6 laps of jog 300m, race-pace 100m, but felt good enough to get 8 laps in by the end. My body is SORE today not only from the workouts, but from a week of continuous painting in the school where I work. Overall though, its a good soreness and nothing too limiting. Just can't overdo things here. Saving my hard efforts for my races coming up, and keeping the interval training on a lighter, more manageable note. I am mainly trying to maintain my improved fitness after running with my tracksters all season, as I feel I'm somewhere in the 5:15-20 range for a mile time. I know I feel much, much faster right now than I ever did last year.
In other news, I recently started up a new Online Training service through a company called TrainerForce.com. I'm still learning as I go here on how to setup the workouts and create training plans, however, I feel things are really good to go with what I have setup so far.
I am starting out by offering 3 training options:
1. Online Training - 1 Month Only - this is ideal for someone looking for a program to jumpstart their fitness goals. It is a well-rounded game plan, including strength training programs and cardio plans, plus a nutrition format lined up for you by TrainerForce's online training system, with sample menu's to follow with your calorie guidelines from the USDA. Cost for this is a one-time fee of $49 and you get continual consultation for that 1 month period.
2. Online Training - Continuous - For $49/month, you can get continuous support with your fitness goals. This is just an extension of #1 with continual support, week after week, for however long you wish to go for.
3. The "7 Weeks to 7 Minutes" Running Only plan: For a 2-month period of only $19/month, you can get my "7 Weeks to 7 Minutes" running plan, outlined for you, with complete consultation as you go through it, week after week. I will send the guide to you as well when you sign up. There is no strength training plan with this option, as it is just the running workouts only in the step by step, weekly process. If you want the full program with the strength training, just request to do the "7 Weeks" plan with the #2 package.
I feel many people may want to take advantage of the "7 Weeks" plan as a stand-alone training plan, because you not only get the program's e-book, but the personal online coaching by the author himself, yours truly! These are the same winning strategies I have used to help get HS runners in tip-top shape by season's end for track & cross-country, with minimal weekly mileages to get there.
You can see all the options and more information at:
http://trainerforce.net/asaptrainer
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
A Season Ends, Another Begins
Greetings,
Well, we had an exciting time at the ND State Track Meet over the past 2 days. I had runners from my distance crew competing in the 1600, 3200, and 4x800 races. Our 2 runners in the 1600 placed 15th and 22nd overall, while the lone one in the 3200 placed 8th and got to finally go up on the awards stand, after 2 straight years of getting 9th at state. Our 4x800m relay team ran in some pretty warm conditions, but had a decent time considering that. We also had an individual sprinter get 4th in the 100, and 6th in the 200, as well as our lone pole vaulter attaining a 3rd place finish.
Now that one season has ended, another begins for me. My summer racing season starts up in a little less than 2 weeks now.
I have 5K's lined up for 3 straight Saturdays, then a 2 week break before my state amateur track meet in July. I'm trying to find some more 5K's to round out the months of July & August, and perhaps September, too.
In the midst of all that, I'm also going to be playing in a softball league for some good old fun. I haven't played on a team in about 7 seasons, so I'm looking ahead to that.
All in all, I'm happy with the season we had for track, I am pretty lucky to have some hard working athletes on the team that performed well at the state meet. I was happy that I had my first medal place winner at state as a coach, with our 3200m runner attaining her 8th place finish.
On a side note, I got to see one of the fastest 400m races in the country at this state meet. The winner ran the 3rd fastest time in the nation, while the runner-up got 'thisclose' to her and ran the 4th fastest time in the nation. You don't see that kind of history that often, especially when the winner of that 400m race finished out her HS career with 20 individual state titles total. It was a truly memorable meet to watch such history being made.
Until next time...
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
Well, we had an exciting time at the ND State Track Meet over the past 2 days. I had runners from my distance crew competing in the 1600, 3200, and 4x800 races. Our 2 runners in the 1600 placed 15th and 22nd overall, while the lone one in the 3200 placed 8th and got to finally go up on the awards stand, after 2 straight years of getting 9th at state. Our 4x800m relay team ran in some pretty warm conditions, but had a decent time considering that. We also had an individual sprinter get 4th in the 100, and 6th in the 200, as well as our lone pole vaulter attaining a 3rd place finish.
Now that one season has ended, another begins for me. My summer racing season starts up in a little less than 2 weeks now.
I have 5K's lined up for 3 straight Saturdays, then a 2 week break before my state amateur track meet in July. I'm trying to find some more 5K's to round out the months of July & August, and perhaps September, too.
In the midst of all that, I'm also going to be playing in a softball league for some good old fun. I haven't played on a team in about 7 seasons, so I'm looking ahead to that.
All in all, I'm happy with the season we had for track, I am pretty lucky to have some hard working athletes on the team that performed well at the state meet. I was happy that I had my first medal place winner at state as a coach, with our 3200m runner attaining her 8th place finish.
On a side note, I got to see one of the fastest 400m races in the country at this state meet. The winner ran the 3rd fastest time in the nation, while the runner-up got 'thisclose' to her and ran the 4th fastest time in the nation. You don't see that kind of history that often, especially when the winner of that 400m race finished out her HS career with 20 individual state titles total. It was a truly memorable meet to watch such history being made.
Until next time...
Run Fast, Run Strong...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
Region Champs & State-Bound!
Greetings,
Well, our Region track meet got off to a crazy start on Saturday. Early morning rains got things nice & wet before we got there. Plus, before the meet started, the wind picked up and made things surprisingly cool. Not quite like the forecast we were expecting, but on any track meet, you don't know what to expect from the weather.
We knew going into this meet that our girls team would have a great shot at bringing home the Region 4 title. Our talent was there and it really needed to step up to the challenge. Our school co-op has had a string of 8 straight regional championships on one side, and 7 on the other. (Our school in Finley had 4 titles with another school, while the other school had 3 straight before they co-op'ed with us, and now its 4 consecutive titles as a co-op, I believe.) So, on both sides, we had a tradition to uphold and keep going.
Things started off great with the 4x800 race, as our 4x8 ladies tucked into 2nd place right away and held onto it for the rest of the race, getting about a 100m lead over the 3rd place team on the third leg of the relay. Since the first 2 places in each race can move onto the State meet, this was a key moment for us: We now had all 5 of the girls on our distance crew going onto State! We weren't done yet though...we had girls with goals of qualifying in the 1600 and 3200 races. This was accomplished with the 1600m girl getting 2nd, as well as the 3200m girl getting 2nd in her race. So, after that, I had 2 girls of my 5 qualified in the 1600m, and then one of them also can run the 3200m. All the distance events will be represented! I am really lucky to have such a talented group of ladies on this squad.
Our girls throwers really had a solid day, with 2 individuals taking all 3 throwing events: 1 taking shot & discus, the other with javelin. A few others also placed, giving our girls team a nice amount of points as we were getting them in all the other events of the day.
Our boys, although small in number, were big in heart. We did have an individual break the school record and take the long jump title in the process, earning his berth to state and missing a berth in the 400m race by a second. Our top 800m runner ended up placing 8th, and had a solid time considering the wind he had to face. All in all, they did pretty well. Not quite a day to set personal bests because of the weather, but a great effort all around.
Now, its off to state with 12 athletes on our squad (11 girls 1 boy), with many participating in multiple events out there. Our 4x100, 4x200, and 4x800 relays are all going, plus representation in the 1600 and 3200. Two throwers are representing in all 3, plus a pole vaulter and a high jumper. Since the state meet is so spread-out with so many teams and few individuals, who knows what will happen. We have representation in 12 events from those 11 girls alone, so its going to be great to watch.
Events begin on Friday, so this next week is basically tuning things up and keeping our legs fresh & fast for the biggest meet of the year.
Until next time,
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://RocketSpeedTraining.com
Well, our Region track meet got off to a crazy start on Saturday. Early morning rains got things nice & wet before we got there. Plus, before the meet started, the wind picked up and made things surprisingly cool. Not quite like the forecast we were expecting, but on any track meet, you don't know what to expect from the weather.
We knew going into this meet that our girls team would have a great shot at bringing home the Region 4 title. Our talent was there and it really needed to step up to the challenge. Our school co-op has had a string of 8 straight regional championships on one side, and 7 on the other. (Our school in Finley had 4 titles with another school, while the other school had 3 straight before they co-op'ed with us, and now its 4 consecutive titles as a co-op, I believe.) So, on both sides, we had a tradition to uphold and keep going.
Things started off great with the 4x800 race, as our 4x8 ladies tucked into 2nd place right away and held onto it for the rest of the race, getting about a 100m lead over the 3rd place team on the third leg of the relay. Since the first 2 places in each race can move onto the State meet, this was a key moment for us: We now had all 5 of the girls on our distance crew going onto State! We weren't done yet though...we had girls with goals of qualifying in the 1600 and 3200 races. This was accomplished with the 1600m girl getting 2nd, as well as the 3200m girl getting 2nd in her race. So, after that, I had 2 girls of my 5 qualified in the 1600m, and then one of them also can run the 3200m. All the distance events will be represented! I am really lucky to have such a talented group of ladies on this squad.
Our girls throwers really had a solid day, with 2 individuals taking all 3 throwing events: 1 taking shot & discus, the other with javelin. A few others also placed, giving our girls team a nice amount of points as we were getting them in all the other events of the day.
Our boys, although small in number, were big in heart. We did have an individual break the school record and take the long jump title in the process, earning his berth to state and missing a berth in the 400m race by a second. Our top 800m runner ended up placing 8th, and had a solid time considering the wind he had to face. All in all, they did pretty well. Not quite a day to set personal bests because of the weather, but a great effort all around.
Now, its off to state with 12 athletes on our squad (11 girls 1 boy), with many participating in multiple events out there. Our 4x100, 4x200, and 4x800 relays are all going, plus representation in the 1600 and 3200. Two throwers are representing in all 3, plus a pole vaulter and a high jumper. Since the state meet is so spread-out with so many teams and few individuals, who knows what will happen. We have representation in 12 events from those 11 girls alone, so its going to be great to watch.
Events begin on Friday, so this next week is basically tuning things up and keeping our legs fresh & fast for the biggest meet of the year.
Until next time,
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://RocketSpeedTraining.com
