Chris Walden at Footlocker Nationals
As told by Chris Walden, with some narration by Stephen Bain
Bain: Chris Walden has been a remarkable runner for me to watch the past month or so. A week before the state meet he explained his race plan to me, and told me he would get second place. I politely told him he had a shot at it; however, in my head there were at least 3 other runners I thought were going to hand it to him. Well, at the state meet I watched as he executed the exact race plan he had explained to me. He allowed Futsum Zeinasallassie to take the lead and draw the other front runners out fast with him. As soon as they started to die off, Chris made his move. He kept his focus on the eventual state champion to ensure that the chase pack would not come back up on him.
A few weeks after that, Chris snuck into the last spot to qualify for a wonderful trip to San Diego, California. He will meet some of the best athletes in the country on this trip and be spoiled with a stay on Cornado Island. Having coached a footlocker finalist, I know that this trip can change an athletes life. Chris has been kind enough to offer his time to share this life-changing experience with IndianaRunner.com
Answering Q&A
What's your favorite video game (non Pokémon)?
I don't have much time for video games, but I like Wii bowling, Jak II, and NBA Street Vol. 2
Is there a certain point in the season where you "turn it on"?
The coaches in our program really emphasize the State Tournament. I like to give my best effort at every meet though. My coach does not believe in holding your cards and you should run your best all the time. That being said, I have found I run well in bigger meets when there is a lot more on the line. In a smaller meet, when I get to that point in the race where my body is asking me to slow down, it’s a lot easier for me to give in because I know a smaller meet does not mean as much.
How have you been training for this meet?
After State Meet I have had my team mate Tom Ohlman and my assistant coach Tito Downer training with me. My work outs have not been all that different from what they were during the season. Since FLMW, Coach Tito runs with me on my hard workout days. I run around 50 miles with 2 hard workouts every week. A hard workout would be something like 5 x 1K running at 3:05 pace on 6 min goes.
Who is your favorite non-Indiana runner?
I am a fan of Lukas Verzbicas. He is so fast!
When did you start running?
The first time I ever did a running sport was track in the spring of my 7th grade year. The season was only 2 months long and I was not very good. 10 months later I decided to go out for track again in 8th grade. At the beginning of the season I didn’t think I would be on varsity that year. At the County meet that season, I finished 6th in the 1600 and 4th in the 2400. After the County meet, I spoke with Coach Koeppen for the first time and he asked me to try running cross country at the high school in my freshman year. It was that first season of freshman cross country that I consider my starting point for “running” because I actually enjoyed it and started to train more consistently.
What motivates you to run so well?
There are many things that motivate me. To name a few:
1) General recognition from peers
2) Coaches positive comments after a good performance
3) Pretty girls on the sidelines
4) Self-satisfaction of pushing my limits to a higher level.
5) Getting noticed by college coaches who might be able to help me with expenses for my college education.
6) Make my family proud
7) Fear of not giving my best effort and then having to face my teammates who are disappointed ove ra poor team result.
Training Journal for Chris Walden (week of Nov. 30, 2009)
Monday
An easy 50 min run at around minute pace.
Tuesday
An easy 20 min run in the morning during our school’s jogging class.
In the afternoon our assistant coach Tito ran a higher intensity work out with me. Our original work out plan was a 6 mile tempo run the roads. The course has every mile marked. Our goal mile splits were , , , , , and . Our actual splits ended up being , , , , , and . Then we did a mile cool down. This run felt very controlled and smooth.
Wednesday
An easy 50 min run at around minute pace.
Thursday
During jogging class on this day we did a circuit thing with alternating periods of 400m running, then some sort of body composition activity (push ups, crunches, jump rope, etc.) I do not really count these work outs as part of my weekly mileage or really factor it in to my training at all.
In the afternoon Tito worked out with me. First we did a 37:00 minute warm up. Then we went to the track and did 3k of speed work. The work out was descending ladder intervals. It went like this: 1k at 3:00, 800m at 2:24, and 600m at 1:45, 400m at 1:08, 200m at 0:32. The rest between each interval was just what it took to run each interval, (-k = min rest, -800 = rest, etc.) so total time on the track was about . Then we did a mile cool down. It was wet, cold and rainy today. It made me feel choppy and not the smoothest. It was definitely a confidence booster because I know some of the other footlocker finalists are not out doing a work out like that in the freezing wet winds.
Friday
For the past few days I have been battling a minor injury in my knee. I am not quite sure what it is. I went to see my school’s athletic trainer Dawn Robertson and she is the greatest. She said a bunch of big words and said she knew how to treat it. She first put a heat pack on it. Then she used the ultrasound machine which is like a deep heat into the muscle/tendon. Then she put a tape job on it. So after all that time in the training room, I struggled to find someone to run with. I ended up running with the middle school kids that meet at Carmel High School. I did not have a time on this run. I know it was about 5 miles though. It was just for fun and to enjoy running. I did not want to push it too hard because of my knee. It has been a very long season so far and I am anxious for a rest after Foot Locker.
Saturday
This run today was so cold!! I ran with my teammate Andy Cowen. This is my long run for the week. We ran for about 9 miles at minute pace.
Sunday
During the regular season, Sunday would normally be my long run. Since I am peaking right now, I took a day off today. The extra rest will prepare me for my final week of training. My long runs normally range anywhere from 9-13 miles during the season.