Here is the text of a letter Bobbie Hardbarger wrote to the new members of the cross country team:
Dear Newcomers to The University of Akron cross country and track program,
My name is Bobbie Hardbarger. I’ve just completed four years of college cross country and track and I am currently in the final stages of working on a degree in Dietetics. I want to welcome you, a future student-athlete, to The University of Akron. Also, I would like to share with you some of my experiences and things I have learned along the way in hopes that doing so will help you be as prepared as possible to be as successful as you dream to be in your college career.
To start, I would like to say, be excited about the new adventure you’re about to begin. Always find the positive and don’t allow yourself to be at all intimidated or scared of change, or anything else. I very much began college a little bit timid, but after four years I can honestly say it was one of the most meaningful and memorable times of my life. It won’t change you, it will only enhance the true you and allow it shine even more than it does. And no matter what adversities may come your way, you’ll make it through just fine. In fact, you’ll make it through with all kinds of learning experiences and memories that will be yours forever and which will only add to the wonderful and interesting person you already are. You’ll gain friendships and knowledge in the classroom, as well as on the cross country course and on the track. It will be an absolutely rewarding experience.
To focus on your college athletic career, work hard and set your goals high. Remember, no matter how it may seem right now, four years will go quickly. Get a positive attitude from the start. Don’t be afraid to fail, because it is often when you take the risk of failure that you achieve something you never thought you were capable of. Believe that you can accomplish anything whether you’re a freshman or a senior, and that at any grade level, you belong on the cross country course just as much as the next person, and no less. Remember to always challenge yourself and strive to give your best each and every day. In my four years of college running I learned that training can make all the difference in the world when it comes to getting more fit and therefore more capable of running fast. This doesn’t mean just running-type workouts, or during the season-type training either. In fact, summer is one of the most important times for training and setting a baseline. When I first began college I did a fair amount of running and felt I was pretty fit. As I grew and learned in college though, I began to realize that there was always a little more I could continually do in my training and this was something that became more and more intense as I worked to make my training more challenging. The fitter I got the more I could add the more I could add to my training routine. The summer before my senior year in college (my most successful running year) I did my best to train hard and do everything I could in order to become as fit as possible going into the cross country season. My training schedule usually included one long run a week of about 80-90 minutes in duration, usually on Sundays. On Monday and Wednesday I did recovery runs of 35-45 minutes with 10 minutes warm-up running and some sprint drills preceding the run. Following the run I did an upper body circuit of various exercises like crunches, push ups, and so forth, which worked up to being anywhere from 20-30 minutes in duration. On Tuesday and Thursday I did hard running workouts of 40-45 minutes of complete duration, which were often done on hilly terrain. One consisted of a pattern of 5 minutes hard run followed by 5 minutes steady, while another consisted of shorter, faster pickups varying from 30 seconds to 2 minutes in duration, with the steady running time generally double, or just less than double the duration of the pickup. Preceding these runs I did 10 minutes of warmup running and some general warmup drills. Following these running workouts I would do a simple weight workout, which worked my upper and lower body in a general fashion and consisted of maybe 5-6 free-weight exercises, including squat and bench press. I also incorporated some dips, pull-ups, and heel raises at least once per week. Also, I did some exercises with 5-pound dumbbells and I worked mostly my arms. The key here was to go quickly from one exercise to the next. Since the weight was light this workout became another type of circuit workout with some resistance incorporated. Friday I usually did a very short, quick upper body circuit that lasted 10 minutes at most and I took the day off from running. I felt it was beneficial to my body to give it a day per week for basically total recovery. On Saturday I ran 35-45 minutes. This workout was dependent on how I felt. If I was hurting from the week’s training, it became more of a recovery day, but if I was feeling pretty good it would become a medium to hard running workout which felt appropriate. I generally did nothing preceding or following this workout.
Another detail, which I believe helped me to become more fit, was that my summer job was fairly strenuous. It kept me active and surely was a factor in my running success because it helped increase my fitness level. In fact, I believe it is true that being as active as possible away from training, simply in your daily life can be more beneficial than most people realize and keeping this in mind can be helpful in elevating a person’s fitness level as well. It is along the same line of thinking as the saying, “Take the stairs instead of the elevator” if you want to increase your health and fitness.
As far as my training, I belive that ultimately what enabled me to have success in races was striving to challenge myself each day to improve upon the level of fitness that I held at any given time. As far as your training goes, it doesn’t have to be like mine. It should fit you. It should fit your personality, your likes, and most importantly it should be challenging for you. Therefore it will be helpful in making you more fit and more capable of running faster and faster. The main idea is to be able to look back on your day every night and know that you did everything you could have on that particular day to help make yourself better.
Remember, work hard, stay positive, and strive for your goals. You can achieve anything if you put your heart and soul into it. I wish you all of the luck in the world!
Sincerely,
Bobbie Hardbarger
Bobbie's Achievements
Personal Bests
800m - 2:10.42 (School Record)
1500m - 4:23.16 (School Record)
3000m SC - 10:45.77 (School Record)
5000m - 17:29.96
5000m XC - 17:25
All Ohio Championships
2001 - Cross Country
2002 - 800m, 1500m
MAC Championships
2002 - 1500m
All MAC Performances
1998 - Cross Country
2000 - Cross Country
2001 - Cross Country, 1500m
2002 - 800m, 1500m