Michael Fout:
Not Just A Runner
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 6)
Posted May 29th, 2008 at 6:30 PM by Michael Fout
Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Michael Fout
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!
Talk about the excitement in the air. The post season is finally here in Indiana and in many states across the country. Collegiate regionals will even be run soon. Yeah, yeah, it kills me to watch, but I am a huge fan of the sport in general, so being that it is time for people to start rolling, I am excited. And, as time has gone on and my injuries are beginning to heal up, I have learned even more and appreciated even more than I thought possible.
My name is Mike Fout. I am a senior in high school, will be going to Florida State University in the fall, and I have amazing family, awesome friends, and a wonderful girlfriend. Oh, and I love and am truly passionate for the sport of running. I have found that through this batch of injuries, more so than any other injury riddled season, that I am under more stress and pressure. I won nationals in cross, set course records in my state and beyond, and will hopefully be remembered for those feats. However, I am more than just a runner. I am not just “Mike Fout the Runner”, I like to be at times just Mike Fout.
Just because I like to just be the person I am instead of my other alias does not mean that I am not fighting this injury as much as I can. It does not mean that I am slacking on the cross training that I am able to do. Most people who know me well know that I have a great work ethic. I find that to be true for any accomplished runner. Whether it be hammering a speed workout on the track or cranking out some intervals on the interval, hard work must not be shied away from by anybody no matter what the circumstances.
My time here in Indiana is running out fast. And as cheesy as it may sound, I am reminded of that each time I get to hang out with my girlfriend, Amanda. There is not one ounce of focus being taken away from my training as a result of hanging out with her or any of my friends. After being 100% sure that my season could not be salvaged, I took a little bit of time to enjoy the cross training I was doing. I was still working out daily; but, instead of it being me cooped up in the YMCA for a workout, it was me saying that I could just enjoy the workout. Instead of really hammering away at it daily, I took a few days to notice a few things in the place that I hadn’t noticed before as a result of me backing off a bit. I was enjoying just being another kid in there getting a workout in for the day. I was simply enjoying being a kid with one name. Believe me, I am working hard at getting back. I am doing what the doc says. In fact, I busted a hard workout a few days ago because this “taking it easy” stuff just didn’t seem to be for me. I know my goals for the future and I am still in the right frame of mind to reach those. My head is in the right place.
My plans now are to get back to training fairly soon (1-2 more weeks) in hopes of putting together a strong freshman season for the Seminoles. There have been many people who have helped me get through this including friends and family. Not to step on anyone’s toes for not calling them out, or to embarrass the heck out of her, but thanks to Mrs. Deb Gifford;) Thanks to you all. Best of luck in the home stretch!
-Michael
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Tags: college running, college track & field, cross country, dealing with injuries, 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
I was wondering if you you would post a typical week’s training while you were in grade 12. Perhaps something in the early competition phase.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pmThanks.
hey, Michael, I’m a senior in high school, and I’ve been going through the exact same crap as you all season. Second week into the season my shins started hurting and pretty soon I wasn’t running at all. I spent the whole season practicing in the pool doing water workouts. BLAA…
June 1st, 2008 at 2:23 pmI still raced, and that was probably a bad idea. And now I’m “taking it easy” trying to get better to get ready for my freshman season at MSUB here in MT. Anyway, its been a big inspiration to be able to read about you going through the same problems as me!
thanks.