The Gators will feast today.
Paul Spangler is more focused on not starving come November.
The Western Carolina Invitational at 6:25 p.m. will be Spangler’s first test at the helm of Florida cross country. But with the men returning their top five runners and the women missing just Genevieve LaCaze, Spangler said he doesn’t expect much competition in Cullowhee, N.C.
Instead, he is more concerned with taking over a program that hasn’t won a men’s Southeastern Conference title since he was in grade school and also taking over a women’s team that lost one of its all-time best runners in LaCaze.
“The training is a little different than what they’ve done in the past,” Spangler said. “The way I train them is a bit different than some other coaches do. The great thing about distance running is there [are] different ways you can train them.”
Spangler, who spent the last 10 years as the Virginia Military Institute’s coach, replaced Todd Morgan after he left for Virginia in January 2012. The former Alabama cross country runner jumped right in on the new job and helped lead Florida’s track team in the spring with his new workout plan.
“With our type of training, I would say it’s more speed-based,” Spangler said.
Not only are the runners experiencing more speed workouts but they also spend more time in the weight room. He said this will help reduce injury and fatigue as the season progresses.
Perhaps more meaningful than the training sessions and practices, the team has adopted Spangler’s new philosophy: run with purpose.
“Every mile we run has a meaning to it,” Jimmy Clark said. “In the past we had some runs where we’re just getting out there and running and I feel this year, every run we do has a meaning to it.”
Clark said it was this change of attitude that will help bring the Gators more success than last year, when the men finished second in the SEC and the women took third.
In 2011, both UF teams opened the year with wins at the WCU Invitational, but each managed to finish first only once more later in the season. Clark and the rest of the Gators hope to make more of an impact in the later and larger meets under Spangler’s direction.
“Everyone on our team hopped on board and really rallied around (Spangler),” Clark said. “He pushes us and gets us to do the best we can.”
