They Wrote Me Off, Now We Rebuild — Week One of Summer Training as a D1 Runner

After a disappointing sophomore track season at LSU, I decided it was time to hit the reset button and take summer training seriously. Running can be an unforgiving sport, full of ups, downs, sudden stops, and new beginnings. But every season brings a fresh start, and this summer marks week one of building toward something bigger. I am starting from scratch with a new training block, new goals, and a completely different mindset heading into my junior year.

Starting Over After a Tough Season

Coming off my sophomore season, I knew things had to change. My results were not where I wanted them to be, and I spent a lot of the season dealing with frustration. But instead of dwelling on what went wrong, I chose to use the summer as the biggest training opportunity of the year. The plan was simple: wipe everything that happened last year and build back stronger. My teammate Emity and I kicked off the first week with easy mileage, running around the lakes near campus. On one of those first runs, we accidentally went too far because the road we normally cut through was closed, turning a planned six-mile run into nine. We were still in the early phase of building mileage back, aiming for around 45 miles that first week before ramping up to 70 and beyond.

Setting Goals for the Summer

I sat down and identified four specific goals for the summer, each one targeting a weakness from last season. The first goal is dropping my 5K time. Last season I ran around 14:20 for 5K on the track, and my goal is to get that under 14 minutes. The way I plan to get there is by running more mileage consistently, since historically my times have improved most when my weekly volume is high and steady.

The second goal is running a sub-four-minute mile. My current PR sits at 4:02, and while two seconds might not sound like much, it is a massive barrier in the middle-distance world. To chase that, I need to get stronger and work on my closing speed, especially the final 200 meters where races are won and lost.

My third goal is breaking eight minutes in the 3K. Right now I am at 8:02.8, and getting under eight flat means I need to improve my speed endurance. I plan to work on this through targeted interval sessions and tempo runs that push my lactate threshold higher.

The fourth goal, and probably the most important one, is fixing my race form. I tend to fall apart toward the end of races, with my hips locking up and my arms flailing everywhere. It looks like I am muscling my way through instead of flowing. To fix that, I need to learn how to move better, not just train harder. That means relaxing my arms, getting my knees up, and staying smooth when the fatigue sets in.

What Week One of Summer Training Actually Looked Like

The first week was about building a foundation. I was not running hard workouts yet. Instead, the focus was on consistent mileage, easy doubles, and getting my body used to running again after the end-of-season break. My morning runs with Emity were relaxed, usually around five miles, and I would come back in the afternoon for another easy three to four miles. We were running around the LSU lakes, which gave us a scenic but sometimes unpredictable route depending on construction and road closures. The weather in Baton Rouge was already hot and humid, which added another layer of difficulty to even the easy days.

I also started going to the track for some of my afternoon doubles, just to get familiar with the surface again and do some light strides. Nothing fast, nothing structured, just easy running with a few accelerations thrown in to keep my legs feeling responsive.

The Shift in Content and Mindset

This summer also marks a shift in the kind of content I want to create. Over the past couple of years, I have done fun challenge-style videos like letting AI control my day or trying to survive on ten dollars. But this summer is different. I want to document the real, unglamorous process of trying to become a better runner. That means showing the early morning runs, the tough doubles in the heat, the days where nothing feels good, and the small wins that add up over time.

I realized that being a college athlete and making content about racing at the collegiate level did not always resonate with the widest audience. People see college athletes and think they are superhuman. But the truth is, the grind of summer training is something anyone who has ever pursued a goal can relate to. I want this next chapter of content to feel more real and accessible, showing what it actually takes to rebuild after a setback.

Staying with Brock and Getting Back to Basics

During the first part of summer, I stayed with my friend Brock Kelly while I was getting settled. It was a low-key setup, just crashing on the couch and getting my runs in. Having someone around who understood the grind made the early mornings easier. We would get up, I would head out for my run, come back, eat, rest, and then go out again for the afternoon session. There were no fancy facilities or special recovery tools, just putting one foot in front of the other every day and trusting the process.

The recruiting guide I put together is also something I am proud of from this period. I emailed hundreds of college coaches during high school, keeping everything organized in a spreadsheet with names, emails, and notes on conversations. The biggest lesson I can share for anyone going through the recruiting process is to personalize every single email. Coaches can tell immediately when they receive a copy-and-paste message, and nothing loses their interest faster than a generic email that could have been sent to anyone.

If you want to see how summer training builds into race shape, check out how I built back for track season.

What Comes Next in Summer Training

Week one is in the books. The mileage is building, the goals are set, and the mindset is locked in. This summer is about attacking every single day with purpose and letting the results take care of themselves. I know the road to a sub-four mile, a sub-14 5K, and a sub-eight 3K is long, but every mountain has a peak. And I am not looking at the peak right now. I am just focused on the two feet under me, taking it one step at a time. Stay tuned for the rest of this summer training series as I document the entire journey back.