A word from Coach Chris Forti on the upcoming XC Club Nationals in Bethlehem, PA, this coming December 13th.  While DWRT is fielding teams in the Open and Masters divisions, we are still looking for runners who want to come and run a championship race on a great (and fast) course.   All are welcome and encouraged (especially women masters competitors).  Look, I know Ted Corbitt is on the same day (and is a perfectly lovely points race), but how often do you have the chance to go up against some of the best runners in America, in a true National Championship?  So get off your butt and join us!  

Information can be obtained by contacting Chris, Matt Wong, or by going to the registration site.  If you still need to join as a member of USATF, you may register here.  It’s cheap and easy!

Help DWRT continue its strong showing in yet another discipline.  And as always, Enjoy!

Ah, [November].  Temperatures turn cooler, humidity begins to lighten up and fall training is in full swing.  By now, you have likely determined your race schedule for the fall so I’m looking to find out who is on board for running XC Nationals on December 13.

Our main goal is to have complete teams in as many categories as possible – Women’s and Men’s, Open and Masters.  A complete team consists of FIVE people in each race but Master’s and Open races are separate so a fast Master cannot score for the Open team (unless they want to come back an hour later to run a second race).  With the depth in this club, we should make every effort to field a team in each of the four categories.

With this event, many factors have to be taken into account so we need to work on the specific details.  Based on your answers to these questions, I can provide an approximate cost for the trip:

• Race registration – registering for the event itself and becoming a member of USATF (must be to score for a team).  If you are not a USATF member, don’t worry – it’s easy to sign up.  Also, there is a date where, if you sign up after it, membership is good for 2014 and all 2015 so you will want to wait until then.
• Accommodations – Do you want to stay overnight?  If so, do you want to stay over Friday, Saturday, both?  Three hotel rooms have already been reserved for both Friday and Saturday night.  If we need more, we can get them or people can shuttle in an out of rooms
• Transportation – Do we need to rent a van or do we have enough drivers?  If people do not want to stay overnight, we may be able to arrange different departure times with different drivers.  For example, I will be staying over both Friday and Saturday and can fit 4 people in my car.  Another attendee mentioned driving out and back on the same day.

As for your training plan, training for a 10K XC race is a lot like training for a 15K-to-half marathon.  The quick pace of the opening mile and the terrain require you to have endurance; not speed.  With that said, my training suggestion is to follow along with the Ted Corbitt training plan.  The only suggested deviation would be to switch one of the Tue/ Thu workouts for a weekend workout.  With lack of after-work daylight, it will be tough/ impossible to get on alternate surfaces on a weeknight but a couple workouts on grass or bridle path will be very helpful come race day.

If you want to go, please reply back with the following:  Are you a USATF member – yes or no?  How many nights do you want to stay over?  Will you need a ride or do you have a ride you would be willing to use for carpool purposes?

Thanks and happy running!
Chris 40

This post is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Dashing Whippets Running Team, its board, or its captains.