A day in the life of New Milford runner Collin Walsh
NEW MILFORD, Conn. — My name is Collin Walsh. I am a student-athlete at New Milford High School currently in the course of my junior year cross country season. Along with cross country, I also run indoor and outdoor track. I wear the title of a three-sport athlete, even though my one sport is just to run, but I assure you, it is much more than just running as you will learn when I take you through a magnetized view of the life of a student-athlete.
September 21, 2022.
6:30am: I kick the sheets as my alarm goes off. This is the only way for me to commit to the day and not persistently hit snooze.
6:45am: Quick banana to get some food in my system before I head out the door. I am the epitome of a morning eater; my body is dependent on food the second I wake up.
7:00am: I pack my bag and head out the door for the gym. I must dwell over the decision concerning which of my many cars to show off today. I decide to pick the 2007 Honda Accord that is missing its bumper. The missing bumper emanates character, so the beat-up Honda it is.
7:20am: I arrive at the gym and have a quick chat with the owner, Eric Corson. I acknowledge the anticipated question about why I am not in school. I am fortunate enough to have a study hall as the first class of my day which enables me to utilize “late arrival” as the school calls it.
8:30am: I wrap up my leg day at the gym by tortuously walking down the stairs to the locker room. I treat myself to a protein bar and a chocolate milk, a snack high in protein which is essential for recovery.
9:00am: I arrive at school and head to the cafeteria to get some work done in my second study hall of the day. I ended up with two consecutive study halls coincidently on what has grown to be my favorite day of the week. I put my finishing touches on a United States History project that is due the following day.
10:18am: I climb up the stairs, still feeling my legs reminding me of my morning workout. I head to my hardest class of the day, AP Physics. Luckily, we have not started any excruciating work since it is only the third week of school.
11:42am: I return to the cafeteria, this time for lunch. I prefer to pack my own lunch as the school’s lunch options are not the greatest, and neither are the portions. I choose to eat a carb dominated lunch for the quick energy it will provide for my afternoon practice.
12:17pm: I sit through advisory which serves no purpose other than to balance the two lunch waves.
12:52pm: My final class of the day, Modern America, does not seem too modern as we are reviewing the end of World War Two.
2:15pm: I quickly change clothes before the start of practice. All my teammates meet in the hectic locker room that we also share with both the soccer and football teams.
2:35pm: Coach Bacich, the man, the myth…the legend, aka, our Cross-Country Coach, briefs us on the upcoming schedule and dismisses us to go warmup. The plan for today consists of an easy 60 minutes, half at recovery pace, half at training pace. The location of our school does not allow for the best running, so we head off campus today to run around the neighborhood where most of the team lives. Prior to leaving, we get in our core work and dynamic stretching.
3:30pm: We start out on our scenic run around the beautiful neighborhood, one of the many reasons we choose to run here all the time. Legs are still a little sore from the morning lift, but the pain is manageable at this slow pace. We conversed about the meet we had the past weekend in Amherst, Massachusetts where we went 1-3 and had two more finishers in the top ten. This performance was a true showing of the fitness we have accumulated over the summer by working together as a team. Another misconception of running, that it is not a team sport. Personally, I was ecstatic on the win, breaking 16 minutes for the first time in cross country with a time of 15:55, but it was the collective effort of the role of each of my teammates that secured our overall win. We have a deep understanding of what we need to do for the accomplished program we are privileged to be a part of.
4:30pm: We wrap up the run with static stretching and strides.
5:00pm: I unpack my school bag and take a shower before dinner.
5:30pm: Dinner tonight consists of a meal my mom prepped for me since she is on a work trip. The balanced plate includes salmon, sweet potatoes, and zucchini.
7:00pm: After relaxing for an hour, I decide to start some AP Psychology homework, since I have learned the hard way, cramming all of it the night before it is due is not the best option. Psychology has grown to be one of my favorite classes with the interesting discussion topics drawing me in.
9:00pm: Recovery is an underappreciated part of training. One of the key factors of building strength is how you recover. I roll out my legs and strap on the compression boots my parents got me for my birthday. These promote blood flow which plays a prominent role in recovery.
10:00pm: Lights out. I lay in my bed and ponder my thoughts until I can fall asleep. I strive for eight hours of sleep each night to prepare my body for the next day in my life as a student athlete.
Collin Walsh is a junior at New Milford High School. He is on pace to be one of the most decorated runners in NMHS history. As a sophomore he achieved the top time in the nation for sophomore boys in the 3000-meter steeplechase. He also ran 15:39 in the 5000 meters and won multiple SWC conference titles throughout cross country and track.
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