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Training and Racing at the Commons When Dorothy and I created the Commons trails, it was in the hope that people would get some exercise in a beautiful, natural setting. A bonus turned out to be the benefit for dogs, who get the chance to run around off leash in the prairie and woods, chasing what dogs love to chase. Personally, I was hoping to see local cross country teams use the course for training. We've sponsored the Sunflower Games cross country race for many years, and lots of local runners of all ages join us every day. Once upon a time Kansas produced some of the best runners in the world, including Billy Mills, Jim Ryun, Glenn Cunningham, and Wes Santee. But it’s been a long time. There's no reason that couldn't happen again. We'd love to see Topeka (Kansas, too) become a hotbed of distance running. I’m a doctor, not a coach, but I’m going to share my experience anyway. The junctions on the Commons trails are named for my teammates at Shawnee Mission East, which won the state championship in cross country in 1966 (and 1967, when I was a freshman at KU). I never ran a varsity race, and never ranked higher than ninth on the depth chart. When I returned to running in middle age, I discovered that I wasn’t exactly a schlepper— winning a 5K in LA, winning the age group 1500 meters and the 10K in the State Games, and just failing to hit three hours in the Boston Marathon twice. My teammates were really good. One advantage we had in high school was training on a hilly course with an elevation gain of 66 feet per mile. When I see kids in Topeka running on sidewalks, mostly flat, and stopping at intersections waiting for the lights to change, I realize the advantage we had at East. (The course doesn’t appear to exist any more; a baseball/softball/soccer complex and Prairie Village offices and pools have consumed it. Cross country has always been the handmaiden of other activities). The Commons 5K course is extraordinarily difficult, with an altitude gain of 110 feet per mile. The only flat areas are between dips and rises. For that reason, it should be extraordinarily useful for training. Intervals are marked every 400 meters (see pictures below) making it perfect for interval/hill sessions. And it is a history lesson, too. Besides a replica of the first cabin in Topeka, which sheltered a future governor and the founder of the Santa Fe railroad, there are pictures and stories of six Kansas superstar runners. If anyone wants to organize a series of summer races for city kids, we’ll be there to support you and offer a jump in our pool to cool off afterword. Contact me at douglasiliff@cox.net.
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