A Fresh Start: My First Summer of Training

Summer training D1 runner is where the real foundation gets built. A fresh start can mean everything for a runner. After wrapping up my freshman track season at LSU, I headed home to Kansas City for my first real summer of training. No team practices, no coaching staff watching every rep. Just me, the road, and a plan to build the kind of base I had never built before.

This vlog captures what that looked like day to day. From an easy 9-miler in the morning to grocery shopping with a sports nutrition book in hand, this was the grassroots start of a new training cycle.

Summer Training D1 Runner: Build the Base With Easy Miles

My second week back into training started simple. I ran 33 miles the week before, all easy. This week I bumped it up to the low 40s. The following week would be high 40s, and from there I would start adding workouts. The goal for the summer was to sit around 55 miles a week, the most I had ever run.

On this particular day, I ran 9 miles at 6:45 to 7:15 pace. Nothing fancy. Three miles in, I was averaging low 7s and feeling good. By 6.5 miles I had slowed a little but kept the average in the low 7s. I also had an 11-miler scheduled for Saturday, which would be my longest run to date.

After the run I hit a couple of strides to get the legs turning over. That was it. The whole point of this phase was just accumulating easy mileage and letting the body adapt. No workouts yet, no tempo runs. Just getting the aerobic engine going.

Keep Lifting Simple and Purposeful

One of my goals for the summer was actually to lose a little upper body mass. That might sound counterintuitive, but carrying unnecessary muscle as a distance runner works against you. At the same time, lifting is still critical for staying injury-free.

I kept the session under 30 minutes. I supersetted single-leg RDLs with reverse Nordic curls to fire the hamstrings and quads. Then I did a round of light squats at 135 pounds and finished with calf raises and tib raises. Simple, targeted, and done.

I am lucky to have a small gym at home that we built out during COVID. It has been a huge asset throughout my athletic career. As the summer went on, I planned to structure two specific lifting days per week with a real program that I would share with viewers.

Fuel the Training With Smarter Nutrition

I was also trying to cut weight over the summer, so I followed a nutrition guide from The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition. That book completely changed the way I approached grocery shopping. Every item I picked up had to serve a purpose.

Carbs came first. I targeted whole wheat, whole meal, and whole grain options. Foods with a low glycemic index release energy slowly throughout the day, which is exactly what a distance runner needs. High-GI foods like white bread or honey wheat hit you fast and burn out just as quickly.

The same logic applied to pasta. Whole grain options are more nutrient-dense and higher in fiber. I also grabbed low-calorie dressings and dips because those are sneaky places where extra calories pile up. For snacks, I checked labels for saturated fat and made sure there was zero trans fat.

One thing I specifically looked for was kombucha and other fermented drinks. Research has shown that elite endurance athletes tend to have higher levels of Akkermansia and Prevotella bacteria in their gut. Supplementing with fermented drinks may support that kind of microbiome. I also grabbed an isotonic sports drink, which has 40 to 80 grams of carbs per liter, instead of the low-calorie lite options that do not deliver the same performance benefit.

Fill the Rest of the Day

After training and the grocery run, I picked up my friend Merritt and we went to see Dune 2. I went in with low expectations after not loving the first one. Walked out saying it was actually pretty good. Merritt, on the other hand, called it one of the greatest movies of all time. I would not go that far, but Dune 2 was definitely better than 1.

That kind of day is what most of my summer looked like. Mornings for running and lifting. Afternoons for my internship once it picked up. Evenings for hanging out with friends, editing videos, and working weekends at my old restaurant.

Train Alone and Stay Consistent

Training alone over the summer is a different challenge than running with a D1 team. There is no one pushing the pace in practice. No coaches structuring every workout. You have to hold yourself accountable for every mile and every lift.

But that is also what makes it valuable. Building a base on your own teaches discipline. You learn what your body needs, how to fuel it, and how to structure a training week without relying on anyone else. This was my first time doing any of that, and it set the stage for everything that came next.