Summer means running, relaxation for Hoosier distance runners

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of a series about how student-athletes spend their summers, be it on the field, in the classroom or relaxing back at home. This week, the IDS spoke with two members of the men’s cross-country team.

During the off-season, it is up to each individual athlete to get ready for the upcoming season. And while that might mean lots of hours spent training, it doesn’t mean there’s no room for fun.

Despite having to meet his weekly mileage goals, sophomore cross-country runner Andy Bayer said his summer is very similar to that of any other student staying in Bloomington.

“A lot of us have jobs down here,” Bayer said. “I work for Gatorade, some guys paint and do various things. We hang out and play video games, really whatever a normal student would do down here.”

Once the runners get their weekly mileage goals from coach Ron Helmer, it is up to them to achieve those goals. With only five or six team members staying in Bloomington during the summer, it is important that the others are holding themselves accountable for their workouts.

“We take it upon ourselves, because if we came in out of shape in the fall, it wouldn’t be very good,” Bayer said.

A significant aspect of cross-country is regulating a healthy diet in order to replenish all of the nutrients lost during training. Although the team does not directly regulate the runner’s diets, there are meetings during the season that set guidelines for what team members should eat.

“Some guys follow better diets than other guys on the team,” Bayer said. “They don’t really modify it unless you have a problem. Some guys have seen dietitians because they have had a lot of stress fractures or other injuries and want to see if it may be related to their diet.”

The off-season for Bayer and the rest of the team is about getting prepared for whatever might come in the fall. That means taking measures to prevent injuries and ensuring they are in shape when the season begins. Confidence is often higher during offseason workouts once the athletes are accustomed to the team experience.

“It’s a lot easier to go in knowing what to expect going into workouts with the team,” Bayer said. “Coming in as a freshman, you are scared whether or not you’re going to be able to stay with these guys. It’s definitely a lot easier going in having a season of experience and knowing how racing is going to go.”

Many of the main contributors for the coming season will be juniors or sophomores. There is no designated captain within this group of runners. Junior Andrew Poore believes that’s what makes the training in the off-season go so smoothly.

“Most of the guys that will contribute this year are my age or a year younger, and so I try to hold people accountable as much as I can without trying to make people feel like we’re stepping on each others’ toes,” Poore said.

The summer gives student-athletes such as Poore a chance to take a break from the stresses of class and focus on getting in shape. The time off also gives athletes a taste of what it is like to compete as a career.

“Once school ends, you have the end of track season and then summer training,” Poore said. “You get to kind of experience what it would be like to have this as a profession. It’s refreshing to do just nothing but do what you like to do.”