Being a collegiate student-athlete can mean having a jam-packed daily schedule. Jacob Herr, member of the men’s track and field team, takes us through what a day in his life looks like.
Herr is a junior marketing and finance major and a sprinter on Washburn’s track and field team.
It was 6 a.m. when Herr woke up to his alarm on Tuesday morning. From there he starts his morning routine which consists of splashing cold water on his face, eating oatmeal for breakfast and making a pre-workout drink. Once he is done with that, Herr heads to campus for weights at 6:30 a.m.
“Although I don’t like waking up early, it’s a good start to my day,” Herr said. “I feel much more productive the days I go to weights.”
Despite the early wake-up call, going to weights is his favorite part of the day.
Following weights, Herr heads straight to his first class of the day which is money and banking. He has an hour break in between classes so he heads to the library to get some work done before his 10 a.m. business finance class.
After class, Herr eats lunch either at home or in the dining hall. Tuesday’s lunch was at the dining hall where he had chicken, pasta and an apple. Once he is done with lunch, he starts preparing for practice.
Herr arrived at the indoor facility prior to 1 p.m. for track practice. His practice started off with a 45-minute warm-up and then he ran five reps of 40-second repeats. The 1 p.m. practice group is much smaller than the 3 p.m. group, but Herr says he enjoys the smaller crowd.
Concluding practice, Herr heads back home to shower and work on homework. Some days he has an evening class to attend, but not on Tuesdays. Next, he makes dinner, either at his house or at the dining hall.
The rest of the night is when Herr likes to spend time with his roommates. Roommate Gunnar Krull, a junior finance major.
“The game we play the most is NBA 2K,” Krull said. “We usually play at least twice a week.”
Herr is dedicated to his classwork and makes sure he keeps up with his courses, however, he tries to limit the amount of free time he spends on homework if possible to have time to wind down.
“Having too much of something at once can be overwhelming,” Herr said. “I think the key is to prioritize life balance.”
A piece of advice that he would give to new student-athletes is to make the most of your time as a collegiate athlete.
“Enjoy your time,” Herr said. “I know that there are times when your sport or school in general isn’t the most fun, but you’re only here for a few years and it’s important to make the most of it.”
Herr ends his night at 10:30 p.m. where he goes to sleep to prepare to do it all again the next day.
You can watch Herr compete starting in December during the Track and field Indoor season.
Edited by Cheyenne Hittle
