West Texas A&M Running

Summer Training - Destination 100 miles

2008-06-09T21:59:00.002-05:00

Our guys and gals have started their summer base training and I hear it is going well so far...since we cannot have much contact with them over the summer. It is frustrating as a coach, because the preparation that is done in the summer can ultimately determine how well we do throughout the season and we are limited on how much involvement we can have in that preparation.

At this point in the summer, most of the veteran guys should be around 70-80mpw, while the veteran girls should be around 50-60mpw. I really try to emphasize running on soft surfaces like dirt or granite trails while getting your body used to the volume. Here is an example of what one of the weeks may look like during this early phase of summer for our guys (this is from my personal log, I am following a similar program):

May 26th
M 9 easy w 4X30sec strides 5-10k pace, felt a little tired from the day before
T 7 easy AM, 4 easy PM felt pretty good both runs
W 8.5easy, legs felt light, stomach hurt after
T 6 easy AM, felt ok breezy, 5.5 PM Hot Windy, took it easy, stopped for water in the middle
F 2 Shakeout AM, 6 Fartlek PM 1/2/3/4/5/4/3/2/1min w/1min recovery extremely hot 95+, ran controlled, legs felt good
S 5.5 easy AM, 5.5 PM felt great
S 14.5 Canyon, hot picked it up towards the end felt good
Total 73.5 miles

It is only a matter of time before we are up to 100mpw...this week should be anywhere from 80-90mpw.

Article About the 2008 Signees

2008-05-31T17:38:00.005-05:00

Here is the latest article talking about a few of the new guys that will be joining the cross country team next year.

Strength Program for Distance Running

2008-05-19T17:06:00.003-05:00

This is an instructional video covering some of the drills and exercises we use to help our athletes become stronger and stay healthy throughout the season.

Music by:

Beats Antique
The Vitamin String Quartet
The Greatest Beats on Earth

UTA Results

2008-05-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

We drove, registered, warmed up, ran, cooled down and drove home (12hr round trip)
University of Texas at Arlington
1500m
13. Jose Huerta 4:11.57
16. Aaron Hibbitts 4:16.63
18. Darren Flowers 4:22.08
22. Isai Saucedo 4.30.98

We are going to take a couple of weeks really easy, finish up our finals and then on to summer training. We will putting a ton of miles in this summer and will be racing periodically throughout the summer as well...keep you posted.

Something in the air at Lubbock

2008-04-15T10:41:00.006-05:00

I don't know what it was about the air, but there were people coughing all throughout the meet. After we finished running the 1500m, my lungs were on fire and I didn't stop coughing the rest of the night. Jose and Hibbitts had the same reaction. I would say it was a somewhat successful day, with some doing better than others. The wind was kicking up when the track meet started, but calmed down towards the evening time.

The 1500m had an extremely talented field of 2 or 3 guys who had broken 4:00 in the mile. Jose hit a PR for the season of 4:16.08 and I wasn't far behind at 4:24.13.

New freshman transfer Aaron Hibbitts made his debut at 3000 steeplechase. When this kid gets in shape, he could do some damage.

Pijo had a great night with a PR of 16:03.84 in an extremely fast 5000m.

We are going to spend the next week and a half training hard and then taper before we hit our last meet of this season at OBU May 2nd and 3rd.

Texas Tech Results
3000m Steeple
12. Aaron Hibbitts 11:13.55
1500m
17. Jose Huerta 4:16.08
19. Darren Flowers 4:24.13
24. Isai Saucedo 4:34.49
5000m
12. Jose Velazquez 16:03.84
19. Thomas Harris 17.22.66
20. Erik Huerta 17:29.05

Running and Training in Canyon, TX

2008-04-04T09:06:00.003-05:00

Being hired to coach at West Texas A&M has been a great experience this year. Canyon has proven to be a great spot to train and the runners that I have worked with have shown great interest and enthusiasm for their sport. We basically started from scratch this year with a new staff and a new squad on the men's side. We only had four runners during the fall which made it impossible to score in any cross country meets. We will not declare track and field as an official sport until next year so we can only compete as an off-season activity during the spring. Things are looking up for next season though. We have a really great group of kids coming in next year (some still yet to be determined). The current runners' mileage is anywhere from 50-80 miles a week, we are hitting the track anywhere from 2 to 3 times a week, and usually lifting 2 times a week. We only have 4 more weeks remaining in our off-season so we are cutting back on volume some and running fast. I am anxious to see how everyone runs at Texas Tech next week. If everyone stays healthy, I see no reason why we can't continue to improve. We will run out at Palo Duro Canyon this Sunday anywhere from 14-16 miles...hopefully I can get some video of what it is like out there and post it next week.

Continuing to improve at OBU

2008-03-31T21:17:00.004-05:00

The Men of West Texas A&M traveled to Shawnee, OK Saturday, March 29th to compete in the Bison Invitational. Everyone improved and had solid performances despite the wind.

1500m
13. Jose Huerta 4:16.25
15. Jose Velazquez 4:22.23
17. Isai Saucedo 4:28.57

5000m
4. Darren Flowers 16:55.43
6. Erik Huerta 17:09.11

Historic Day at Tarleton St.

2008-03-15T22:50:00.005-05:00

The Men of West Texas A&M stepped on the track for the first time in many years Thursday, March 13th in Stephenville, TX. Everyone came out and showed great effort. Buffalo So. Jose Huerta finished 6th overall in the 1500m with a time of 4:17.91. Isai Saucedo finished in a time of 4:32.35.

Thomas Harris fought a field of 43 competitors in the 5000m and finished with a time of 17:22.58.

These guys are training hard and continuing to improve. Next stop, OBU!

WT Men and Women Tune Up in Valentine's 5k

2008-03-15T22:43:00.002-05:00

The Men and Women of WT went out and had their first training race of the spring season...everyone made it through injury free. Jose Huerta won it for the men and Kristie Hartsfield won it for the women.

Hartsfield Sets School Record at Regionals

2007-11-04T13:35:00.000-06:00

With many WT personal best performances Saturday in the NCAAII South Central Regional Meet, Kristie Hartsfield set a school record in the 6k events with a time of 22:45 and a 30th place finish. Various Men and Women ran their best times of the season against a very fast regional field. The Women finished in 11th place overall as a team.

Women 6k
30. Kristie Hartsfield 22:45
45. Jisel Bailon 23:27
56. Mariana Chavira 23:41
62. Belinda Castanon 23:50
73. Becca Rapstine 24:00
81. Delinda Hill 24:21
82. Sharen Diggs 24:24

Men 10k
77. Jose Velazquez 34:24
90. Thomas Harris 34:43
98. Jose Huerta 35:11
112. Isai Saucedo 37:33

WT Runners have solid performances at the LSC Championship

2007-11-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

10/20 Once again the women of WT have an impressive day, finishing 3rd as a team in the Lone Star Conference Cross Country championships. Kristie Hartsfield who has led the Lady Buffs all season was impressive again taking 12th place overall in the 6k event with Mariana Chavira and Jisel Bailon finishing 13th and 15th.

The men of WT were led by freshman Thomas Harris who clocked a personal best of 27:41 for 8k and a 27th place finish.

Men 8k
27. Thomas Harris 27:41
33. Jose Velazquez 28.22
36. Jose Huerta 28.38
50. Isai Saucedo 29.50

Women 6k
12. Kristie Hartsfield 23:52
13. Mariana Chavira 24:07
15. Jisel Bailon 24:13
21. Becca Rapstine 24:47
25. Belinda Castanon 24:59
36. Delinda Hill 25:30
37. Chelsi Ruiz 25:31
62. Dorane Young 27:19

ASU Pictures 2007

2007-10-25T11:25:00.001-05:00

Men and Women Run Well at ASU Blue and Gold Classic

2007-10-17T08:33:00.000-05:00

The Women of WT finished 2nd as a team and had some great individual performances at the Angelo State Blue and Gold Classic.

5. Jisel Bailon 20:27
9. Mariana Chavira 20:53
12. Becca Rapstine 21:00
17. Delinda Hill 21:35
18. Sharen Diggs 21:38
21. Chelsi Ruiz 22:05

The Men of WT had an impressive day with the three competitors that participated in the event finishing in the top 25.

17. Thomas Harris 29:04
19. Jose Huerta 29:18
23. Isai Saucedo 29:43

Next Stop...LSC Championship

Pictures from the Jamboree 07

2007-10-08T22:19:00.001-05:00

WT Women finish 7th overall at Cowboy Jamboree

2007-09-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

The women of WT had an impressive day on what is considered one of the toughest cross country courses in the nation. With some of the best competition in the nation, Kristie Hartsfield cracked the top 20 finishing 18th in a time of 19:40 in the 5k event. Senior Mariana Chavira finished close behind with a time of 19:55. Rounding out WT's top five were Belinda Castanon (20:03), Jisel Bailon (20:27), and Delinda Hill (20:55).

18. Kristie Hartsfield 19:40
28. Mariana Chavira 19:55
33. Belinda Castanon 20:03
51. Jisel Bailon 20:27
67. Delinda Hill 20:55
81. Chelsi Ruiz 21:11
93. Sharen Diggs 21:25
105. Dorane Young 21:38

The Men's team fielded four runners and had standout performances by Jose "Pijo" Velazquez and Freshman Thomas Harris. Pijo improved on his personal best time at this course by almost 30 seconds finishing in 27:41, while Harris finished in 28:36

52. Jose Velazquez 27:41
83. Thomas Harris 28:36
105. Jose Huerta 29:05
152. Isai Saucedo 30:18

The men and women of WT will have a week off before competing at Angelo State on Oct. 9th.

Buffs and Lady Buffs set for Stillwater

2007-09-23T10:13:00.000-05:00

The Men and Women of WT have had a great week of preparation leading up to one of the largest non-championship races in the country, the 71st OSU Cowboy Jamboree. The many hills of Canyon, TX provide for the ideal training surface to prepare for the course.

Course Description: The start is wide enough to accommodate 32 teams and begins up a 300-meter hill. The first gradual turn is 450 meters from the start. The course is 98% grass and is a minimum of 15 feet wide the entire route. There are seven hills on the course. Six of the seven hills are between 50 and 80 meters with the remaining hill mentioned above. The finish is approximately a 200-meter flat straight away.

DATE: Saturday, September 29, 2007
PLACE: OSU Cross Country, Stillwater, Oklahoma
RACE TIMES:

College/Jr. College Women 5,000m 8:05 a.m.
College/Jr. College Men 8,000m 8:30 a.m.
University Women 5,000m 9:10 a.m.
University Men 8,000m 9:40 a.m.

WT Men and Women Set Personal Records at Jackrabbit Open

2007-09-15T13:50:00.000-05:00

The Men and Women of WT enjoyed success Friday, in the second meet of the year the Jackrabbit Open held at Texas Tech University. The men fielded four runners once again and were unable to qualify for a team score, but had some great individual efforts. Junior Jose Velazquez set a Personal Record of 27:14 in the 8k event and placed 35th among 93 competitors. Junior Jose Huerta finished just behind in 40th place with a time of 27:29. The winner was John Kasgei from South Plains College with a time of 23:17.

Jose Velazquez

WT Men
35. Jose Velazquez 27:14
40. Jose Huerta 27:29
52. Thomas Harris 28:01
63. Isai Saucedo 29:15
64. Erik Huerta 29:29

The women had another outstanding team performance and finished 5th overall. The Lady Buff runners were led by Sophomore Kristie Hartsfield who finished 15th overall and set a personal record of 18:40 in the 3 mile event. Senior Mariana Chavira and Junior Belinda Castanon were not far behind and finished 23rd and 24th respectively. The winner was 2006 NCAA champion Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech with a time of 15:46.

Women's 3 Mile Start

WT Women
15. Kristie Hartsfield 18:40
23. Mariana Chavira 19:03
24. Belinda Castanon 19:13
28. Becca Rapstine 19:25
35. Delinda Hill 20:07
42. Sharen Diggs 20:25
45. Chelsi Ruiz 20:39
49. Dorane Young 21:02

Women's Results from Buffalo Stampede 8.31.07

2007-09-12T21:43:00.001-05:00

The Women of WT started the '07 season off strong finishing 4th overall in the team standings. Wayland Baptist took home first place team honors with a total time of 1:40:49 followed by El Paso Community College and Texas Tech. WBU's Carolina's Karunde earned first place individual honors with a time 18:07.

6. Kristie Hartsfield 20:28
14. Mariana Chavira 21:11
15. Becca Rapstine 21:15
20. Delinda Hill 22:00
21. Belinda Castanon 22:14
27. Chelsi Ruiz 22:30
33. Sharen Diggs 22:59
37. Dorane Young 23:40

Team Time
4th 1:47:08

Men's Results from Buffalo Stampede 8.31.07

2007-09-12T21:25:00.000-05:00

The Men of WT opened the season up at home. Texas Tech won the 4 mile event with a team time of 1:48:09. El Paso CC's Robert Menjo was the field's top individual with a pace of 20:31. Because the Men only fielded four runners they were unable to receive a team score, but the effort was a positive starting point to the '07 season.

WT Men's Results

17. Jose Velazquez 22:38
28. Thomas Harris 23:14
31. Jose Huerta 23:21
49. Isai Saucedo 25:14

Final Results
http://gobuffsgo.cstv.com/sports/m-xc/stats/2007-2008/menstampede07.html

2007 XC Schedule

2007-09-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

8.31.07 WTAMU Invitational Canyon, TX
9.14.07 Texas Tech Invitational Lubbock, TX
9.29.07 OSU Cowboy Jamboree Stillwater, OK
10.9.07 Angelo State Invitational San Angelo, TX
10.20.07 LSC Championships Commerce, TX
11.3.07 NCAA II Regional Meet Joplin, MO