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bombshellbois · 4 years

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The Hs Room Together

@harringroveweekoflove

Harringrove Week of Love Day 1: Bed Sharing

Rating: M (for very minor dick content and slurs)

Warnings/Triggers: Use of slurs

Words: 2182

Summary: Circumstances find Steve and Billy stuck sharing a bed during a school trip. As things usually go for Steve, it starts out kind of lame and then gets so much worse.

There’s an odd number of players on the basketball team. They’re down a man because their main shooting guard broke his stupid arm. So not only are they in a precarious position as far as getting to state, but it makes divvying up the motel rooms really awkward.

The public school system solution, of course, is to save money and cram 3 people into one room.

The coach who stuck Tommy H., Billy, and Steve all in one room either has zero awareness of his team, or possibly a really sick sense of humor, because ‘You three are all friends, right? It’ll be fine, there’s probably a couch in there.”

There is not a couch. There are two beds with ugly comforters, a nightstand, and a lamp. Television sets are too fancy for this dump.

“Well since none of us are fags, guess Harrington gets the floor,” Tommy has already announced before shutting himself in the bathroom, probably to use up all of the hot water. And honestly, Steve might just take the floor because it’s been 11 hours on a bus and he’s fucking tired. It’s not like he gets great sleep these days anyway, so the floor can’t really make it worse.

Billy tosses both their bags onto the empty bed. “I’ve got the shower next.”

“...yeah, fine. I shower in the morning anyway.” Easier to do his hair. Steve frowns and points at the bags. “Are we sharing?”

“Yeah, Harrington, we’re sharing.” Billy digs a pair of shorts out of the bag and tosses them onto the bed. “Problem?”

“No.” Steve has shared a bed with a guy before. Usually with Tommy, actually, since before Billy showed up they used to fall together in the alphabet. There was that one motel where one of the mattresses smelled like piss. And another that Tommy swore was haunted so he wouldn’t sleep alone. Steve vaguely wonders if Tommy still pulls that shit now that he’s usually rooming with Billy. “Just surprised that you’re gonna play the nice guy here.”

“Kinda wanna piss Tommy off, actually.” Billy slaps him on the back. “But it’s cute that you think we’re gonna snuggle.”

Steve ignores the sting in his back. “What’d Tommy do?” Whatever is it, Tommy sure seems unaware of it.

Billy shrugs. “Eh. It’s just hard to respect fag jokes from a guy who’d suck dick in a second to raise his social circle.”

Well. He wasn’t wrong there. And Steve isn’t necessarily against any plan to piss Tommy off. So he shrugs as well. “Alright, whatever,” he says, grabbing his toothbrush and heading for the sinks.

***

Steve is absolutely expecting the solid 8 minutes of heckling he gets from Tommy for being in the bed while Billy is in the shower. He’s facing the wall where the bathroom is to make it easier to ignore him, and seriously, if the guy would shut up for ten minutes he’d probably be able to fall asleep. Tommy acting like an irate ex-girlfriend lost its novelty and sting a long time ago.

“Really gonna test Billy’s patience over this, Harrington?”

“So desperate you need to cop feels from the team? Has it been that long since Nancy?”

“If Billy beats the shit out of you, then you won’t even look pretty on the bench.”

“If I beat the shit out of him, that would put you on the starting lineup, Hagar,” Billy snaps as he comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. “You think I just spent all goddamn day on a bus to tank our chances like that?”

“Hey, at least I know how to plant my feet!”

“Yeah. In the shower to use all the hot water.” Billy whips off his towel and starts using it to dry his hair. “And you used all the goddamn towels. Since when are you such a chick?”

Tommy whines out some reply that Steve doesn’t really hear because he’s trying really hard not to stare at Billy’s dick, even though it’s directly in his field of vision. It jostles lightly with the rest of his body as Billy scrubs at his hair. The blonde curls that start low on his stomach are so much darker than the ones on his head and… Steve finally forces himself to snap his eyes shut.

There’s a rustle of cloth that Steve hopes is Billy pulling those shorts on. The mattress dips behind him, and then there’s a lot of warmth at his back.

“Go the fuck to sleep,” Billy says, snapping off the lamp. Steve isn’t sure if that was meant for Tommy or him... probably Tommy since Steve stayed out of their little tiff. But it’s a good idea anyway, and he drops off to sleep without listening for Tommy’s reply.

***

Steve is still facing the wall by the bathroom when he wakes up. There is no clock in that direction. But Steve’s brain is fuzzy like he’s had a few hours of sleep, and it feels very early. The kind of early that comes well before any sunlight. Going back to sleep would be really nice, but something is wrong. Off.

Is there any pain? No?

Noise? Just Tommy snoring. The rumble of the air conditioner.

Movement? No.

Too hot? There it is.

The room is sweltering and he can barely move. After a moment, he realizes he’s under both the sheet and the comforter. And there’s a heavy arm on top of him. Steve wracks his brain trying to remember if he did that but... no. Who the hell sleeps under a motel comforter? It’s filthy. He shifts and tries to shove the blankets off, but he’s pinned. Not just by Billy’s arm, but the blankets. They’re wound all the way around him.

“Billy,” he mumbles, the word clumsy from sleep. “Get off.”

“Go the fuck to sleep, Princess,” Billy mumbles, half the syllables lost into the pillow.

“Too hot.”

Billy groans. “Oh fuck you. Go to sleep.”

“Hot.”

“Is this some weird thing, Harrington? Are you just a slut for body heat?”

Steve furrows his brow. Goddammit he’s going to have to wake up for this. “What the hell are you talking about?” He feels around until his fingers close around the top of the headboard and he hauls himself out from under Billy’s arm. Cool air hits his face and he pulls in a deep breath of it. His hair is damp, sticking to the sweat on the back of his neck. The icy air pouring out of the unit mounted in the window turns the sweat cold, and it’s gross that it’s so refreshing.

It’s dark in the room and Steve can only barely make out the vague shape of Billy laying starfish on the bed, one arm across Steve’s back. “Did you wrap me in this shit?”

“Uh, yeah. I did. Because you kept huddling up to me like were freezing.”

That doesn’t sound accurate. Steve has standards, and Billy meets none of them. Except maybe a few really shallow ones about hair and eyes and general physique. And he’s absolutely not comforting. “Pretty sure I wasn’t.”

“Pretty sure I wasn’t laying here pining to tuck your ass in.” Billy grabs the back of Steve’s shirt and hauls him back down. Steve is too surprised to remember to keep his grip on the headboard, and gets dragged back into the cocoon of blankets. Billy drops his arm back across his shoulders, and this time Steve feels a knee on his back. “Now fuck off back to sleep.”

“I’m sweating my ass off in here,” Steve protests, flailing for the headboard again. Billy slaps his hand away.

“You survived in there for…” A pause, a creak of bedsprings as Billy turns to see the red, glowing numbers on the clock on the nightstand. “Over 3 hours. You can handle a few more.”

“I might pass out from overheating.”

“All I’m hearing is that you’ll shut up again.”

Steve huffs and shifts his shoulders, testing his range of motion to see if maybe he can unwrap something, but it seems to go all the way around and-

Billy suddenly leans his weight on the arm he has over Steve, and his hand plunges into the mass of blankets. His fingers grope through Steve’s hair and at the back of his neck in a way that makes goosebumps break out on Steve’s arms. Before he can protest (he’s absolutely getting ready to protest), Billy’s fingers close around the back of Steve’s shirt and pull. Steve makes an indignant squawking sound he hopes Tommy didn’t wake up for as his t-shirt is peeled off him.

“What the hell, Hargrove??”

“Now you’re down one layer. Should cool you off just fine.” Billy tosses the shirt aside and Steve hears it hit the tiles by the sinks.

“Did you hear how that landed?” Steve protests. To his ears, anyone could hear that it was clearly a gross, drenched splattering sound. “How it was loaded with sweat from me roasting in here?”

“It landed like a fucking t-shirt. If you don’t shut up and go to sleep, I’m coming for your sweat pants next,” Billy says, giving a warning press with his knee.

Steve pauses and tries to consider if Billy can make good on that threat. He’s going to have a lot harder time reaching Steve’s waistband than he did his collar. He’s probably just bluffing. But… if he tries it, the noises they’re going to make in the battle are definitely going to wake Tommy up. And that’s gonna be hard to explain.

“Next time you’re pissed at Tommy, share the bed with him. That’d be way more of a punishment,” Steve grumbles, and makes himself close his eyes, figuring he’ll just have to rest them while he waits out the rest of the sweltering, miserable night.

***

Or not.

When Steve wakes up again, there’s light creeping into the room. Not a lot of it. Just thin, gray light that makes it possible to see Tommy in the next bed, snoring with each breath. Steve’s head is groggy and he has to remember all over again why he’s wrapped in a cocoon of blankets and sheets.

He’s not quite as sweltering as he seems to remember, though. Earlier Billy was definitely trying to kill him via suffocation or something, but… everything seems okay now. Comfortable. He shifts a little and pauses. Something is wrong. Different wrong than before.

“…Where are my pants?” he finally manages through the cotton in his brain. He went to bed with pants on, didn’t he?

“Same place they’ve been since you last started wriggling.” Billy’s voice rumbles right beside Steve’s ear, making him sit up abruptly, as much as his wrappings will allow. This does nothing except confirm his fears that yes, he’s curled up against Billy Hargrove’s side. Shit.

“You took my pants?” Steve asks, trying to wake up enough to sound indignant. He doesn’t even remember it happening, he couldn’t have been putting up that much of a fight, right? That seems like the more important thing here, not whether or not Steve was trying to snuggle up to Billy.

“I took a lot more than that, Princess.”

Uh oh. Steve immediately grasps in vain at his waist for material that isn’t there. Billy smirks and picks up his cigarettes from the side table, slipping one into the corner of his mouth as Steve drops his head and groans. There’s a click of a Zippo somewhere over his head.

“I get the feeling that pretty face of yours has made things way too easy on you.” Billy pauses to exhale. The smoke wafts down and tickles Steve’s nose through the opening in the top of the blankets. “No one ever handled you like the brat you are.”

“You stripped me naked!” Steve hisses, now suddenly very aware of Tommy sleeping in the next bed. Not that Tommy was a light sleeper, but being quiet seemed super important now.

“Not for fun, obviously. You’re not in a position for me to enjoy it.” A vague pat to Steve’s side to emphasize his covered state also alerts him to the knowledge that Billy’s arm is around him. “So here’s the deal. It’s just past 5. You sleep another hour and let me have some fucking peace, and I’ll wake you up to get in the shower before Tommy over there hauls his ass up and sees your clothes scattered around.”

Steve raises his head to glare at Billy, but all he gets for that is a smirk. Billy takes the cigarette from his mouth and holds the filter side to Steve’s mouth in offering.

“Do we have a deal?”

Steve finds himself straining forward and taking a drag off the cigarette. He holds the smoke in before sighing it out in a long, white breath.

“Good,” Billy says, not waiting for Steve to use his words. He puts the cigarette back in his mouth, and it bobs lightly with his words. “Go back to sleep, Princess.”

#my writing #Harringrove #billy/steve #harringroveweekoflove #someone tell me if I'm doing this right #can we be both trashy and sweet in the same fic?#I feel like that's essential to Harringrove

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turtlepated · 5 years

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Tagged by @imtherain forever ago and totally forgot. TBH I don’t even remember what this one was called, but here you go anyway!

1. Are you named after anyone? To my knowledge, I wasn't named after anyone, but it turns out that I share a name with a great-aunt on my Dad's side. And when she found out about me she sent me a few pieces of Wedgewood tea things (which I'm told can be very valuable). 2. When was the last time you cried? I got teary just last night watching that video of the little boy being reunited with his missing pet cat. *sniffles* So sweet... 3. Do you have any kids? Nope! 4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Not as much as I used to. My disdain is more nonverbal facial cues nowadays. 5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Their smiles or their eyes, usually. 6. What’s your eye color? Hazel, or something like it. In HS we did one of those "getting to know me" things on the first day of English class and eye color was one question. One of my friends stared at my eyes verrrry intently and informed me "you have yellow in your eyes! you could be an anime character!" 7. Scary movie or happy ending? I don't typically go for "scary" per se. Suspense? Paranormal shenanigans? Sign me up! But I'm also a hopeless romantic, so if I had to pick one I'd pick the happy ending. 8. Any special talents? I can convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. 9. Where were you born? South Carolina 10. What are your hobbies? I love drawing, writing (what little of it I do...), I like to make origiami cranes and collect Funko figures, I haven't done it in awhile but I make kitchy jewelries. 11. Do you have any pets? I have a feline housemate who doesn't pay rent but she greets me with meeps and chirps when I come home from work so that's payment enough. 12. What sports do you/have you played? When I was about 6 my parents signed me up for soccer. First day of practice I went out onto the field, tripped while running, got a faceful of turf and decided "Yep, that's enough of that." 13. How tall are you? 5'7" ish 14. Favorite subject in school? I loved pretty much everything but Algebra. I rather liked Geometry and Prob & Stat, but my favorites were English and Art. 15. Dream job? Living in a decommisioned lighthouse in the San Juan islands and writing books.

#everything you never wanted to know about Pate!

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betterlving · 5 years

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stupid mind dump i guess

hmm i think today was a good day. i found out abt this league of women voters forum a while ago and i was like cool... id like to be involved but wont be because im stupid. and for some reason i went to the meeting for it (which took All of my strength) and it wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful and they signed me up to be a part of it and it was.. today! candidates from the senate district and the commonwealth attorney did a panel and i was a timekeeper nd i got a shirt and they took my picture and stufffff

i think today and last week kind of idk it was like a BREAKTHROUGH. like on friday there was a field trip and people could sign up to give these little speeches for service credit and for some godawful reason i signed up for it and i felt like i was gonna puke but i did the speech! and it was fine!

these past few weeks have been hardcore stressful but i got through them and i think that’s what matters. this week im just working a lot of shifts at work which im finally getting the hang of (im a hostess at a restaurant) and tbh i think things are shaping up. im feeling good.

next week is spring break and i’m literally SO EXCITED i could die. for some background, my dad is from LA and i’ve been visiting there since i was a little kid and it’s been my happy place since forever. i’m going to LA to meet up with my dad (who lives in pakistan, last time i saw him was december and he’s my favorite family member :( ) and look at colleges and hang out all week.

the possibility of going to school in LA / san diego / california in general is becoming very real (im a junior in hs btw) and it just gets me so so so SO excited about the future. even more than i already am.

im gonna be in LA and im gonna see the maine, hit the beach, see PALM TREES again, go to a baseball game, and im gonna be SO HAPPYY. guys life is so good im so excited about what’s happening and i just thought i’d do like a... mind dump. idk. catch yall later

#shut up lily #apr 7

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solitaryenigma · 6 years

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Tag Game

Tagged by @astraxh thank you btw I feel honored. I’ll do both tag games bc I was tagged in it

1-20 Questions

Answer 20 and tag 20 people you want to know better

Name: Nate

Nicknames: Umm Nate

Gender: Male

Orientation: Straight

Nationality: Italian/Irish

Faith/Religion: meh

Hobbies: Anime, Video Games, Comics, Dirty Things

Pets: My family has pets, I don’t personally have any

Favorite Color(s): Gray, Blue, Green

Favorite Holiday: Halloween

Books: Scott Pilgrim!!, various Manga

Movies: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Animated Batman Movies, Anime Movies like Ghost in The Shell, Akira, Summer Wars, and Your Name, also the Rocky movies they’re awesome

Tv shows: Naruto, FLCL, Soul Eater, My Hero Academia, and way too many others so besides anime, Teen Titans (just Teen Titans not that GO nonsense) Avatar the Last Air Bender, Steven Universe, Freaks and Geeks, Archer, Rick and Morty

Music: A large verity mostly angsty stuff like MCR and AFI, but specifically Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, Linkin Park, Green Day, Queen, and Simple Plan

Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate: Hot Chocolate but only in the winter obviously

Favorite meme: Why the fuck you lyin’, the Y Tho memes, the bad renaissance art with captions, it’s over 9000, and fucking Skyrim memes especially ones with cats as khajiit hahaha

I want to live long enough to: Be influential even if it’s just in the lives of my friends or my future children, I want to make a mark on the world and be remembered

Weird Obsessions: Taking really long showers idk if that’s weird but its something I love, Japanese Onsens (public baths) I went to a few during my study abroad to Japan and they are magical, making others feel good I think that’s becoming weird and less common in today's world

Random Fact: I never poop with a shirt on

Goals for 2018: GET MY SHIT TOGETHER!!

Get to know me tag

Rules: Answer 30 questions then tag 20 blogs you’d like to know better

Nickname: Nate

Gender: Male

Zodiac: Sun Sign: Cancer Moon Sign: Leo

Height: like 5′2

Age: 23 I know I’m old

Time: as in like rn its 10:43 pm

Favorite Bands/Solo Artists: See above

Song stuck in my head: Okay it’s either Only by nicki minaj or Basket Case by Green Day nothing else

Last movie I saw: Solo

Last thing I googled: How to spell nicki minaj hahaha

Other blogs: just this one for my own enjoyment

Do I get asks: No I wish I guess I’m not cool enough haha

Why I chose my username: Oooh so Solitary Enigma is the username I use for everything not just bc I think it’s cool but bc in HS I saw that as who I was. I guess today I still kinda do but its the idea that I am a v complex contradictory and unique human being I was mostly alone and I enjoyed my solidarity, but you can also have solidarity in a group so it could be a group of unique and perplexing individuals. So yeah there’s a lot of overthinking that went into that name hahaha

Following: Any random person’s blog that tickles my fancy one way or another, some friends I actually know but not many of the people I know use tumblr

Average amount of sleep: When I was in school like almost none, but now that it’s summer waaaay too much

Lucky number: 4 not sure why maybe bc its nice and rounded

What am I wearing: What is this phone sex!!? (that’s a Scott Pilgrim reference) but umm I wish I could say something hot but I’m in my pajamas pants with a white T-shirt on.. my boxer briefs are red is that sexy?

Dream job: I’ve come to realize that I want to create things and entertain people, what that actually means idk, maybe I’ll learn to draw or animate, or write stories, maybe act or do film making I’m not sure yet??

Dream trip: Ohh man lots of places I HAVE to go back to Japan, but also, Vegas, California, Toronto, Italy, Rome, just everywhere

Favorite food: uhh Pizza, Japanese Crepes

Play an instrument: I played cello when I was in middle school I sucked and my teacher hated me hahaha, I’d love to learn Bass Guitar and the Ocarina

Favorite song: Oh man I love Everlong by the Foo Fighters, no clue why it’s just soo mystical

Play(ed) any sport: I tried out for a bunch of track and field stuff in HS and blew at all of it so I just worked out a lot and got pretty ripped but then I went to college and had no time to work out so that’s gone, I like Basketball and Football but as I said above I’m like 5′2 so that wasn’t going anywhere

Hair color: Just dark brown, I never dyed it or anything I know I’m boring sorry

Eye color: Brown again sorry boring hahaha

Describe yourself as an aesthetic: Oh gosh ummm idk how about that feeling of a cool fan on a hot summer day when you’ve been working hard and you just get that amazing breeze. Is that an aesthetic hahaha I have no idea

Random fact: I have no clue how this website works my friend made me make one like a million years ago and I got into it bc of boobs and anime so she unfollowed me bc I posted too many boobs and anime hahaha that jerk

I tag: @alexjj1522 @majessticc @sugjesstive @eternal-adventure @radiomaru @h8rsbrunch @harrietsugarcookie @danaswanswan @suffragettequeen @mobpsycho100 @kurousagi744 @tampax-pearl

Don’t feel obligated or that I called you out I’m just following the game rules, then again that’s not 40 people so I guess I’m also breaking the game rules.. welp have fun!! and thanks for reading if you got this far you are truly a treasure

#tag game #thanks for tagging

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highschoolharrier · 7 years

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Mark Popp is the the head coach of the boys team at Wayzata High School, and NXN qualifying team from a year ago. Wayzata has been one of the most consistent teams in the country during the NXN era, qualifying 8 times.

High School Harrier: Entering the season we have your boys ranked #5 in the nation in the pre-season rankings. Do you think your boys are well poised to reach that height this year?

Mark Popp: With last year’s squad, we had a great chance to be top 6 or 7 at NXN, but did not quite put together the race we needed and ended up 10th. Even though we lost 3 of 7, this year’s team is probably more talented and definitely more experienced. If we can stay healthy and focused, I would not rule anything out.

HSH: Last year was your second as head coach at Wayzata after many years under the amazing Bill Miles. What was it like taking over the program and what early coaching lessons did you learn?

MP: The transition over the last two years has been really smooth. We have had good crops of seniors coming through; I have extremely competent and helpful assistant coaches; and Bill has done his best to help out as needed. I also have my dad (Jerry Popp, Willmar) to give me guidance if needed. I grew up running in his program and saw first-hand for many years how he kept his teams motivated and focused. And I also coached with Bill for 7 years, where I learned a lot of lessons about how to deal with athletes and parents. Through all of that, I felt pretty prepared going into my first few years as the head coach.

HSH: Despite being a second year coach last year, you still coached your squad to an NXN qualifying berth. What do you think about Wayzata allows for the consistency of 8 NXN qualifications in program history?

MP: We have a number (around 100 at the HS) of hardworking kids, a supportive system in place at Wayzata High School, and parents who are willing to do whatever they can to support their kids. That, coupled with strong assistants, volunteers, and a great feeder program mean that we are going to be pretty good year in and year out. The conference and section that we compete in are also extremely tough—they have Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, and Minneapolis Washburn, which have all had national caliber teams at least once in the last seven years. Because the Minnesota High School League makes no effort at creating competitive balance with its Sectional alignment, we need to be at the top of our game every year to even make it to the State Meet.

HSH: Does your team have any traditions or events that they look forward to each season?

MP: St. John’s games: we break our large team into mini-teams and have different games and contests over the course of the year.

Marshfield: This is an overnight trip into Wisconsin for our top group—we always take a team photo on an out-of-service tank on the way home.

Alumni Meet: We usually have 60 alumni return at the end of our first practice. We run a 2-mile course on some of our soccer fields and through the woods where our team built and maintains woodchip trails.

HSH: What regular season meet is your team looking forward to the most?

MP: The Roy Griak is a huge invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota. It regularly attracts the best teams in MN and a number of quality out-of-state teams. Last year, Claremont (CA) gave us a really good run there. The Gold race has 450-500 kids in it, so it mimics the close quarters of NXR and NXN—that gives our kids some experience running in a crowded and talented field. Because our high school league does not allow us to travel beyond bordering states, this is our best chance to go up against top-flight competition from the Midwest and sometimes the country.

HSH: Do you have any athletes you think are ready to have a breakout season?

MP: Khalid Hussein is healthy again, and should be ready to make some noise on the national scene. If we can get him 10-12 quality weeks of training, he is going to be as good as anyone we have ever had. Our 2-7 runners are all pretty close right now—but I could really see any or all of them making a leap this year at the state level—one of our team goals is to put 7 in the top 25 at the state meet. Our fourth returner comes back ranked in the 10th in the state.

HSH: What does a typical training week look like for your top upperclassmen?

MP: 45-60 miles; 2-3 harder workouts hitting different systems; 2 lifting sessions; 1 yoga session. Depending on the week / mileage, guys might take Sunday off.

HSH: I am an incoming freshman. What does my training and racing schedule look like for the fall?

MP: Unless you are really talented, you will be in our JV training group (usually 70-90 guys). Your mileage will likely peak somewhere between 35-45, and you will race most weekends. If you are in the top 45 guys on the team, there is a good chance you can earn a place on the NXR bus in early November, which is a trip organized by our club coach.

HSH: What do you think is the most important aspect of training for the high school athlete?

MP: Keeping things in perspective. Ideally, these young men are going to be training and racing for years to come. We want to make sure that their body can do that. Most decisions we make involving our athlete hinges on what is best for them long term. That can relate to their weekly mileage, individual workouts, and especially injury scares. The biggest failure I can have is a coach is to make a mistake related to their training or racing that leads to injury. Obviously, injuries and setbacks are always going to be a part of distance running, but we try to avoid those at all costs. I often explain to our highly motivated athletes that taking a day or two now is better than a week or two (or longer) later.

HSH: How much does the presence of NXN affect your training plan and/or your racing schedule?

MP: Our State Meet has to be our focus as a program, so our training builds toward having a great race in early November. NXR is the following weekend, and the boys have 3-4 weeks left until NXN if they are fortunate enough to qualify. That means they have 6-7 weeks (Sections, State, NXR, NXN) where they need to be sharp. Our club coach, Kraig Lungstrom, does well to try to make sure that happens. It is doable, but hard to hold that edge from late October and on. I would prefer having a schedule like California or even the Southwest, where the high-stakes meets are all lumped together, but it is what it is.

Racing schedule: our philosophy is to not be overworked and over raced at the end of the year. If our boys make NXN, they will only race 9 5ks on the season. Two years ago, when Jaret Carpenter finished 4th for us, he raced four or five fewer times than some of his competitors.

HSH: What is one of your go-to workouts and why do you do it?

MP: We try to hit multiple training systems throughout the year; and while doing so, we try to switch up the format of the workouts to keep them fresh. We do a lot of cruise intervals in various formats (8x1k, 5x5’, 2x10’ + 200s) with as little as 5:1 recovery.

HSH: How many athletes are on your team and how do you choose who makes the squad?

MP: We typically have around 100 HS athletes and 60-70 middle school athletes. In the last five years, we have started doing a 2-mile time trial as a “tryout” at the start of the year. As long as 11th and 12th grade athletes can show improvement over the previous year (given that they had no significant injuries or illnesses over the summer), they are on the team. That has definitely cut into our overall numbers, but it has also helped us avoid some potential headaches. We will take all 9th and 10th graders, regardless of ability and experience.

HSH: For those of us who aren't from MN, what is the state qualifying process?

MP: We have Section Meets (Regionals) about 10 days out from State. A team needs to finish in the top two to advance to State (8 Sections – 16 teams). Individuals can also advance.

HSH: How do you help build the community/camaraderie part of your program?

MP: With a large team, it is a focus of mine to make sure that everyone feels like part of the same team. A core principle our team has is that our success or failure from Varsity to the Junior High, from the top kid to the last kid, is everyone’s success and failure. The kids need to buy into that, but it takes more than just saying it. So we incorporate workouts where we might have 110 guys doing 400s on the track; we have inter-team contests like home run hitting, XC trivia, and Frisbee toss; we have full-team carb-ups organized by some of our Booster reps; and we have added a meet or two that everyone on the team goes to. All of these things make them invested not just in themselves, but in each other. A highlight from the last few years has been seeing our top Varsity kids sprint around the Willmar Invite course to cheer on the JV and JH runners later in the day.

HSH: What advice would you have for an aspiring national class coach?

MP: My advice is probably more from what I have observed, as I inherited a national-class program. Recruit. Be excited / passionate. Hold kids to a high standard.

Photo Courtesy of Dyestat.Com

#nxn #wayzata #minnesota #crosscountry #running

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