Colin Abert Journal #1

Colin Abert

Journal #1- Summer Training: Prep for XC

Colin Abert is one of the top juniors in PA who runs for Easton High School (AAA) out of D11. He has PR’s of 4:20 for 1600 along with a 12^th place finish at last year’s state meet. He has been kind enough to write journals about his XC and Track experiences for us this season.

1. Talk a little bit about your outdoor track season. Did you feel it was successful? And what did you take out of it?

Last track season was probably one of the hardest seasons that I have had. Starting off the season running a mile with a 4:25 I thought that things were going pretty well until I found out I got shin splints, which limited my training. I did manage to bring my mile time down to a 4:20, but my goal time was a little lower than that. That season really helped me understand what type of training my body can withstand. 

2. How has your summer been going in terms of running? Has training been steady? What was the most memorable or fun run you had this summer?

This summer has been going pretty well. I have managed to bump up my pace and mileage from the previous summer. I feel as though my body is getting stronger with every workout that I complete. I would have to say my favorite run this summer would have to be a 5k that I raced at Lehigh Parkways course. This was the first time I ran under 17 minutes in a 5k this summer, which I never did last summer. I also got to run against someone that I used to race freshman year.

 

 3. What XC races did you learn the most from last season? And how have they impacted your training or racing?  

Some very big races that I learned a lot from would include the Paul Short Invitational, the State Meet, and the Northeast Regional Footlocker race. These races taught me just how much competition there is from other states as well as Pennsylvania. I learned that most of the big races have hills in them so that is something I focused on this year for summer training. Each of those races I competed in helped me to select the types of trails that I chose to run on.

4. You placed 12th last season at States, the top sophomore in your class, where do you go from there? What goals do you have? And what races are you looking forward to most this season?

 Being the top sophomore to finish last year at States was one of my favorite memories from my sophomore year. I am definitely going to try to be in the first team all-state, since last year I was second team. Some races I'm really looking forward to this year would include the Kutztown Invitational because there will be a lot of competition there early in the season. I also look forward to Paul Short, States, and the Northeast Regional Footlocker race. These races are big ones with lots of competition, so it’s nice to have to really run fast if you want to do well.

 5. What are the expectations for your team this upcoming season?  

Easton's team this year is going be pretty strong. We did not really graduate any of the top seven so we will do pretty well at districts. I think we have a good chance of winning districts as a team, so we could all go to states. Also we got additions to our team with a good freshman stepping up. We also have some good seniors coming back this year for their final season in high school and they have really put in good work over the summer. You also can't forget the guys on our team that are going be sophomores either, because some of them are the better runners in the district.

 6. After breaking out on the PA scene last XC season how has your mindset changed?

Well I liked being an underdog last year. It is nice coming out of nowhere, since freshman year I came in 125th. I don't think anyone expected me to drop all the way down to 12th in just one year. It is also nice though because you get to meet the top runners in the state, which is always a plus.