Okay, I admit I'm a bit of an old-school curmudgeon when it comes to some aspects of training and racing. I have a few routines that are accepted as best practices, and while others might not agree with all of them, they work for me.

Here are just a few: I like to keep my weekly mileage at 40 per week. I find now that I'm older I can't do any more without breaking down, but I seldom have a week with less. I do a lot of core and flexibility work because I find it keeps me from getting injured. I do a good warm-up before a race, 2-3 miles for a short race, and cool down well after it, sometimes running the course over again.

I can't imagine arriving at a race less than an hour before the gun, so I can go through all of my routines. I never carry water at a race that offers it, as there is no need to carry extra weight. I have other "rules" but this gives you an idea of some of them.

So I'm naturally respectful of other runners who prepare well and do all the little things right, which brings me to talking today about the Lake Cities Cross-Country Club (www.lakecitiesxc.org) headed by coach Brad Lutz.

Lake Cities is arguably the best developmental running club in the southern U.S. for boys and girls grades 3 through 8. I bump into this club wherever I go and I'm always impressed with their preparedness and attitude toward training and racing.

When I was a younger runner the norm was for the host cross-country team to jog the course with the visitors to acquaint them with it and point out any obstacles. Today I see a lot of teams walk the course with their competitors. Not Lake Cities. They warm up the proper way, beginning with a lot of plyometric work to warm and loosen the muscles. And after the race, they cool down the right way, with a good easy jog.

If you saw my last post about the Four Seasons race on Saturday, you may have noticed the picture of the start. Go back and look at it again. Those kids at the right of the photo, all in blue, are the Lake Cities runners. You should have seen how enthusiastic they were, from their warm-up drills, to the strong start, to running in packs and cheering each other on.

If you're an avid runner and have a son or daughter who loves to run or would like to improve, consider Lake Cities as an enhancement to their existing program. Their summer program would be an ideal way to ensure that kids work through the summer, a difficult effort to do alone. With Lake Cities, it's more than just the running. These kids have spirit and know how to prepare. Just sayin'.

The Dallas Running Club Half -- Quick, go sign up!

I just picked up my packet at RunOn and I have to say that of all the race shirts I own, this year's is a classic. Men's shirts are a cool krypton yellow/green and the women's shirts are a snazzy pink. The race is not yet sold out. Go to www.dallasrunningclub.org and join us on Sunday. You'll love the course and the organization.

See you at the races. Spareribs