Michael Fout:
Try To Catch Your Shadow
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #1)
Posted March 14th, 2008 at 2:20 PM by Michael Fout
Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Michael Fout, High School
Welcome to the official blog of 2007 Footlocker Cross Country National Champion Michael Fout! Make sure to bookmark the link http://michaelfout.thefinalsprint.com and check back every other Thursday for Mike’s latest entries as he completes his senior year of high school running and begins his NCAA career at Florida State!
Distance running, I have found, is a very frustrating sport. It seems that there will always be somebody better than you are. But when you race that person, you should give it your all. Put forth every ounce of energy that you have. Fall across the finish line. Do not ever realize that somebody may be better than you, and give up.
A couple of weeks back, I was running and it was getting dark outside. The street lights came on and the porch lights near everybody’s doors did the same. The temperature began to drop as the sun went down, and no dogs could be heard barking at that hour. While approaching the street lights, I noticed that my shadow could be seen. Every time I reached the golden glow cast by the street light, my shadow was always just ahead of me. It was like it was teasing me. I could not catch the shadow no matter what happened.
Obviously, though, I did not stop. To me, this is how every runner should train. If there is somebody better than you are, do not give up and give in. Keep training, harder if need be, and go after your goals and dreams.
I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to live my dream of winning the 2007 Footlocker Cross Country National Championships in December of this past year. The road to get there was by no means easy. I began running the summer of my 7th grade year. I was new to the area of La Porte, Indiana and wanted to get involved in a sport. I was cut from the 6th grade basketball team, and I don’t think many people get cut from the 6th grade basketball team. So, instead of giving up on sports completely, running was the thing for me to try.
My interest in running was sparked also by my uncle, Jim Fout. It turned out that I was pretty good at this sport that people called cross country. I was winning races and feeling great. In the beginning, it was all about winning. However, I have grown as a runner over the years and now I fully appreciate the sport for all that it is worth. I have had my fair share of injuries, making my running career to date an up and down one. Three stress fractures and a case of severe runner’s knee had kept me down for a while, but I refused to give up. I find that many athletes in our sport do the same. Running takes complete dedication and discipline.
With this year’s outdoor track season approaching quickly, I hope to stay clear of any major injuries. My training has been set up very well for the past few seasons and that is a tribute to my coach, Tim Beres. He has done a great job for me. I have some high goals and hope to continue my running success at Florida State University next fall.
For now though, I have an indoor race at Purdue University on March 15. It will be my first race in about a month and a half, and I am amped up and ready to go. I will run the 1600 leg of a distance medley relay team we are putting together. It is not a national caliber meet, but I hope to run well. Training has been going very well for a number of months now, and I feel very strong. I look forward to what the future has in store for myself and my teammates. To all who have read, happy training and best of luck in all that you do.
- Michael
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Tags: college running, college track & field, cross country, florida state, fsu, high school, high school running, high school track & field, high school XC, michael fout, mike fout, ncaa, ncaa track, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field
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The Final Sprint
Hey Mike. You dont know me but your a big inspiration to me.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:13 pmAs a freshman i was running 20 min. 5k races. Then my sophomore summer i was hearing talk about this kid named Fout.and at that time Jaurice dye was the runner i was looking up to. and then one day at new prarie…i got a picture with 3 runners in a row from left it was De’ Shaun turner then Jaurice dye. then this kid from laporte named Mike fout. until that day i never saw Jaurice lose a race, but u did it. then i started trying to be “like mike”. The sophomore campaign i made me PR a 17:17. we made it to state because of my PR. Now im a junior and at new Prarie i watched u break a record and u motivated me alot. We had regionals on my b-day Oct. 13 and there was a part in the race where i started doubting myself and felt as if i should slow down. and then i remembered the picture i synced onto my MP3 player. it was a picture of u. the entire junior cross season i was running low 17’s my pr was 17:01 and it seemed i couldnt break 17:01 i ran it 4 races in a row. then at 4k during regionals i took off. the entire time thinking i AM Mike Fout. i envisioned no one around me and at 4k i was in 32nd place. by the end of the race i had a new PR a 16:35, and i had finished 12th place. advancing to semi-state as an individual. because of u i like to think. from a 20;01 to a 16:35 i did it becuase of ur motivation. Thanks for being so good man. Good luck with the rest of ur running career and life
Mike,I have watched you run for about 2years now. You are truly an amazing young man.Hopefully I get to see you break Chapa’s record! Keep up the good work and good luck at FSU.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:22 pmMike, You said you have had a severe case of runners knee. I am dealing with the same thing and was curious what you did to get over it and what kind of training you did during the time you had it. Thanks for your reply and good luck with the upcoming season.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:06 amyour such an inspiration, i was wondering what kind of summer training did you do leading up to that brilliant cross country season you had, are you more of a high mileage person or do you believe in short high quality work outs?
May 26th, 2008 at 9:59 pmFSU!!!Ima be there this summer at xc team camp, cant wait!
anywayy your blog is really inspiring!
June 8th, 2008 at 7:06 pm