CrossFit Athletic Group

Recently a kid from Ann Arbor broke the national high school indoor mile record. There was a cool writeup about him in Track and Field News.

Hobbs Kessler - The Making of a Miler

I try to keep up with the high school track scene enough where won't be left daydreaming about Pokemon during the spring while other track coaches are talking current track events. There are a few points in this article that I think are relevant for this site.

First, it talks about how a lot of runners specialize in running and it sometimes leads to them peaking early. This kid considered rock climbing his main sport all the way up until last year and even chose his college based on the outdoor climbing opportunities.

Second, I think it's important to note how much of a late-bloomer Kessler was. He was not really on the radar as a sophomore, and his junior season was cancelled after like two practices last spring. During the lockdown he really put in a lot of work with nobody around to watch. Now things are paying off.

Lastly, a quote from his coach:

"We changed his form. We’ve been working on his racing form for a year, getting him off his heels and not overstriding and not pumping his arms up too high.”