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Summer Training Blog: McDonogh School's Dalton Hengst


Dalton Hengst is one of the top returning cross country runners in the nation. And he has an interesting story! The rising senior at McDonogh (Maryland) School actually resides in York, Pennsylvania, but during the school year in Maryland he boards on campus at McDonogh. Hengst, who finished the spring track and field season with national-caliber performances in the 1500m (3:54.90) and 3200m (8:56.96), has been ripping off superb performances in cross country since 2014 and a year ago placed 21st at Foot Locker Nationals. His season best 5K from 2016 was 15:11.20. This year, Hengst is looking to hit under 15. Check out his weekly training blog as he prepares for his final high school season before college. 
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WEEK 4 (August 7-13)

I was excited for this week of training as I planned to hit 60 miles. I was also able to do a 5-mile race where I put down a good effort, and planned a 13-mile long run.

Monday: 9 miles at 7:30 pace
This was a good recovery run to freshen the legs up a bit. 

Tuesday: 9 miles
This was a tempo/workout. I did a 2-mile warmup, with the workout being 2x2-mile repeats. I did this workout on my junior high cross country course, where there are plenty of hills to make it a tough run. The first 2-mile rep was done in 11:00 and the second I cutdown to 10:48. The rest was a mile jog in between. Then we had a 2-mile cool down.

Wednesday: 8 miles
I ran pretty easy with some of the guys on my team through some nice trails in Maryland. 



Thursday: 7 miles
I ran 7 miles. During the middle 3, I did a fartlek workout of 6x2 minutes on, 1-minute off. In the evening, I went to the weight room for an hour. 

Friday: 5.5 miles
This was an easy run.

Saturday: 5 mile race in 26:01
This race fit the training schedule well, as I could get in a tempo run with solid effort over 5 miles. I wanted to run hard, but stay controlled and not overdo it. 

Sunday: 13 miles at 6:10 pace
This was my long run of the week. 

Total Mileage: 61.5 miles

Overview:  I'm very happy with this week of training. I felt great at 60 miles for the week and during the 5-mile run. Preseason starts next week for my team, and going into preseason, I like where my fitness is at currently.