Calculated workouts developed Ullrich
Accomplishments: Giving up junk food can be rewarding.
Feel free to ask Liberty Ranch’s Collin Ullrich, who did just that. Now the Hawk senior is hoping to soar to sweeter heights toward the end of next week.
At the Sac-Joaquin Section Cross-Country Championships on the Willow Hills course adjacent to Folsom High on Nov. 10, Ullrich won his second consecutive Division IV boys title. Running on the course that goes from tough terrain to flatlands, Ullrich finished with a time of 15 minutes, 58.4 seconds. Placer’s Jesus Reyes was second at 16:11.1, and St. Mary’s Karl Winter third at 16:21.8.
“I was just looking to maintain the lead,” said Ullrich after taking the lead in the first mile of the 3.1 miles race. “I was hoping that (Winter) would follow me and lead me out to a fast first mile. I felt that wasn’t happening. I wasn’t too worried about them catching up.”
Ullrich also had the course’s best time of the day. But he strongly feels he could’ve run faster if the competition stayed closer to him.
“I was not happy with my time by any means,” Ullrich said. “In my mind, I was aiming to go for the course record. I ran about a minute slow off the course record. I gone out fast enough to try to contend, but I just slipped back.”
Ullrich was less than a minute away from breaking the course’s alltime record set by Riverbank’s German Fernandez, at 15:03 that was set exactly 10 years ago.
The reasons for Ullrich’s success this season are the planning of his workouts that started before the season got under way in late August. Lot more running that came with a catch.
“Definitely a lot more miles,” Ullrich said. “More calculated rest days. More scientific approach. Doing the little things that separate you.”
The workouts Ullrich also included a calculated sessions when not running. That included the morning of last week’s race.
“I ate one piece of toast, and then I had another half of another piece of toast, and that was it prior to the race,” Ullrich said.
The scientific approach is training in cycles, explained Ullrich. That ranged from proper stretching to long distance running and speed workouts.
“I just learned about my body, and how it reacts to work outs, stuff like that,” Ullrich said.
One of the little things that’s very important for long distance runners like Ullrich is drinking plenty of water. Another factor is watch were meals and sleeping eight to 10 hours a day.
“I’m trying to cut out as much junk food as possible,” chuckled Ullrich. “Eating fruits and vegetables, consistent meals.”
Although winning the first section title last year, Ullrich has a different approach toward working out that seemed to work at that time.
“Last year I was just running every day, and had no knowledge about it,”
Ullrich said.
Now Ullrich turns his attention and workouts toward the CIF Cross-Country Championships that will be held at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday, Nov. 25 — two days after Thanksgiving. He competed in last year’s D-IV boys’ race in which Ullrich took 14th place at 15:59.7, also at Woodward Park.
“We’ve taken the last couple of days really easy,” said Ullrich of workouts earlier this week. “I just had a speed workout (Tuesday), and my legs are back. We took three easy days and one off day inside of those three easy days. We’ll have just a handful of medium workouts before the state meet.”
After competing at the state meet, plus the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships, which will begin with the West Regional on Dec. 2.
Then he plans to make his visits to five, fouryear colleges that Ullrich doesn’t want to disclose at this time, but plans to run for that college’s men cross-country and/or track and field teams, and hopefully on a scholarship. He plans make his decision by early next spring. Most importantly is that college’s accounting and economic programs that he plans to major.
“Anything that is heavily involved in math,” Ullrich said. “I think that’s the cool route to go.”