Hey Boys!

First and foremost, today was simply an all-around great practice. This was illustrated in the many different possible blog titles that were discussed during the run. The chosen title was a quote from Liz who shouted it from the new Traughber car as she passed us on Ballas. It beat out the competition because it encompassed the overall awesomeness of today’s practice. How cool is it get a friendly shout out from a completely unexpected person on the run? Ridiculously cool!

Today’s long run (some about 5 miles, others about 11.5) turned out to filled top to bottom with blog content. First of all it was a little different run with a couple things mixed together. Boyle and I ran a nice figure 8 around Creve Coeur. With seven guys upfront there was lots of stuff going on. While on Chasselle we formed a perfect Flying V. Some of us ran most of the run with a dandelion behind our ear. It’s actually way cooler than you would think. It was Potter’s first day away from DeSmet pretty much all season; he gives some insight on what it was like below. We saw like 6 Slug Bugs and got like 5 honks. Today was just lots of fun, running and hanging out.

As my alarm went off, I woke up with a smile on my face. What was so special about today? It was going to be the best practice of the year. Today was the first time in years, that I got to run. Sure I have done tempos and cool downs, but today I got to run. The weather was cool with a breeze and sunny. Nothing was going to keep me inside today.

After a long wait after class, we warmed up and stretched. Coach soon came out. It was not "Potter to the elliptical" today. It was "long run" day. Of course I did not know where I was supposed to go since I had not done a long run since the great Blake Bender stepped away from the team.

There was a big pack in the group today. We formed every formation from the stream line to the flying V. I could not put into words how it felt to be free. Fresh air and dandelions are much better then the muggy sweat feel of the weight room. No buttons. No timer. Just picking one leg up after the other.
It was a day to remember, the day I became free. At least until tomorrow, when I am right back on for 45 on the elliptical.

At the end of the day, after 88 minutes of running and just before getting chocolate milk, Coach told Boyle and me a story about his younger days when he was running for DeSmet. It was really cool.

Quote of the Day: “I actually want to keep running today; it’s so much fun. Everything is just much more exciting with you guys.”- Matt OC referencing running with the top group. I know there were some other good quotes today, so just put them in the comments if you remember.

Joke of the Day: While explaining the workout Coach made a reference to the blog and said he “laughed out loud” when reading yesterday. To this, multiple guys responded, “You LOLed?!?” Coach just said that he didn’t get it, and to stop because it’s stupid.

Alley-Oop Joke of the Day: While on Chasselle, the seven of us had to deal with some traffic, so we went into an intense streamline. Potter never could never quite make it all the way in to the streamline. Boyle said, “Sorry, Potter, there’s no button for that.” Seiler followed up by saying, “Haha, cause you’re not on the elliptical.” Boyle shouts, “Alley-oop! I tossed it up then Seiler slammed it in. Oh yeah!”

Best Dressed: Seiler & Husmann. I’m proud to say that this was easily the most competitive day this Best Dressed contest has ever seen. It took a crazy tiebreaker to decide it. Because of the competiveness of today, there will be honorable mentions. The first goes to Matt B & Nick H. They unknowingly followed the matching theme of the day by wearing their El Camino shirts. The second goes to Glen, who looked really sharp today in some brand new running shorts, and he would have won were it not for our couples. The final honorable mention goes to Boyle & OC. They were quite the couple both wearing the white summer training shirts and black shorts. What could possibly top all this? Well, Seiler & Husmann also had a flawless match today making it a day with three couples. They both wore the Nike Kickoff shirt with maroon shorts. As for the epic tiebreaker to decide this close battle, we had to bring in the big guns. I called upon Coach Russo to help pick. After surveying the pairs, he un-tucked his collared shirt and revealed the Nike Kickoff shirt underneath. The team went crazy as the winner was clear.