Allan Blogs 1-6

[Allan]

I am reading “running with the buffaloes” by Chris Lear. A quote from these chapters is “This was the beginning, The runners had no idea the journey they were about to embark upon.” In these beginning chapters we are introduced to the Cross Country Team. They range from Colorado to new jersey in home state, some are serious people and others are playful, but in the end all have the same goal: At the end of the Season become a better runner and Win NCAA nationals for cross country. The quote I gave is near the beginning of the chapter when the freshmen are meeting their coach Wetmore for the first time. They are being given their first hard workouts and some complain while others rise to the challenge. This brings a theme of completion and proving ones self into the book. Each Runner is trying to separate themselves from the pack. Each wants to be a the best, they want to prove they have what it takes. This relates to my life b/c I have experienced the exact same thing. Whether it is school or athletics I feel like I strive to be the best at what I do. It is simply a part of who I am.

[Allan]

In My choice book Running with the buffaloes, the next pages specifically focus on an internal fight and drive for success and at the same trust and Faith in a mentor. The Cross Country Coach, Coach Wetmore Proves his allegiance and care for his runners when he says “When I go to sleep at night, my mind is churning thinking of ways to make you guys faster.” It this was my coach I would follow him wherever he took me and do whatever he told me to do. This is exactly what Wetmore’s runners did. They follow his rigorous training regime, Run all his workouts, and don’t go to parties and drink just like he asks. He inspires them and his runners trust him through this. He not only inspires them to get better, he makes them set there goals higher when they come to him asking for lower mileage. This relates to me in so many ways. First off if I have a coach who expresses to me I am of value to him this will make me follow him just like Wetmore. Also having a coach like this makes you not only a better runner, but a better person

[Allan]

In these pages of Running with the Buffaloes the main theme is perseverance. “Talent, Durability, determination and Courage” Wetmore claims are the four most important attributes a runner can have. He asserts that to be a good runner, you don’t need to have all but simply a combination of a few of them. In these Chapters the runners begin school and some get overwhelmed by homework, social life and running. I found relation to this for myself immediately because I have been in this very predicament. Keeping the three of these things straight seems nearly impossible. But in the end it really does come down to the four qualities wetmore listed: Talent, durability, determination, and courage. It is these that aid in the perseverance needed to succeed in all three categories. Wetmore also starts introducing much harder workouts and expects a lot of the runners. There is no doubt each runner is sore and fatigued but each of them challenges each other and this helps them get through these grueling workout days. I can relate o this further because I know from personal experience that if you are persuing a difficult task it is so much easier if you have a friend, someone that will push you and that you can trust, by your side.

[Allan]

In these pages of Running with the Buffaloes the book tend to stray away from the plot of the buffaloes season and begins to tell random stories of the runners.
“Everything is going smoothly yet Wetmore is concerned” the author ears claims when the team is headed into their third week of training. In this section Lears educates the audience season affective disorder. This is essentially just “winter blues.” The season is changing from fall to spring and with that comes the knowledge that harder runs and greater expectations lie ahead. Further more Wetmore begins to worry if star Runner Goucher is doing “too much” (Goucher is running 100 plus miles a week at remarkable pace). I appreciated this because it shows Wetmore actually cares about his runners and it gave me a little admiration for him. I always will have respect for coaches that don’t simply treat there players as work horses and actually care for their health. Furthermore in a workout some runners are doing better than others who are normally equal in their workouts. Lear notes that Wetmore takes into account that the slower runners had run more miles that week. For me that is encouraging because it shows me coaches wont just you on your performance they will take it into context.

[Allan]

In my 5th reading of Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear I Personally learned you can push yourself way more than you think you can. At Colorado University “usually it’s the recruits that set the standard but [there] it’s the walk ons.” In this chapter a time trial is held for any runner who wants to participate however it is mainly for walk ons who want to join the team. One runner the night before gets ina motorcycle accident, goes to the hospital, gets back at 2:00 Am and wakes up the next day for the time trial. What is impressive about him is he says if he has a bad race it wont be because of the crash but because, “[His] legs will of fallen off.” This shows the brutal, intense drive these walk ons have. It impressive that they are the least expected to succeed and yet they set the standard for the rest of the team. In my opinion this is the way to live. They set their goals high and didn’t stop until they reached them. Furthermore two more runners on there daily runs PR by 2 and 10 minutes. This not only proves that wetmores training regiment works, but that hard work pays off. This reading really proved to me if you put in the work, you will reap the benefits later down the trail.

[Spencer]

Allan wrote: "In my 5th reading of Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear I Personally learned you can push yourself way more than you think you can. At Colorado University “usually it’s the recruits that set ..."

Wow Allan your commentary is very intellectual, I liked how you talked about [his] legs.

[Allan]

This final reading in Running with the Buffaloes taught me about goals and internal drive. This reading focused on Goucher’s high school drive to become one of the best runners in the country. Goucher originally was football player but was convinced by his family and cross country coaches to switch to cross country because he ran 4:42 in the mile freshman year. Normally I think you shouldn’t necessarily do something simply because you are good at it, I think you should do something you love, but in this case cross country was the right choice for Goucher. He ending up loving how grueling and difficult the sport is. Following his story was actually so interesting for me. As a sophomore Goucher was competing with the top senior and as a junior Goucher won state. Above his bed he wrote his goals in large black letters. This is really cool for me to see first of all because his competitive spirit made him fight to be first even as a sophomore when he had no respect, and furthermore I think it imperturbable that he wrote his goals above his bed so he could see them before he goes to bed and when he wakes up. I want to have this drive and competitive spirit and this book shows me that even as a highschooler this is possible.