Endurance Boost

Morning practice at Sunnyside.

Nice race. Flat, but again, I was mentally awful today. The girl in first lead us about fifty extra meters, so I took the liberty to shave a couple seconds of my time =}

I did three easy little runs. I did about a mile in the morning (I was running around watching my dad and Susannah race) and another 4.5 with Susannah later. Then in the evening I did another 3.5 with RJ. It all felt nice and easy, especially after yesterday's race.

This race was just kind of a spontaneous thing I decided on last night. I had to register there, and you had to go to the booth about forty five minutes early. Amanda, Rj and I got up not-so-bright and early at 4:20 to get to Payson by 6:00. Right before we left, I figured out I left my trainers in Natalies car on Saturday, so I had to warm up in my racing flats =} They are nice, supportive flats, so it was ok. My quads did take a long time to warm up, though.

The first two miles I was behind this old guy with really REALLY short shorts(as in, the shortest I have ever seen). Yeah, really gross. I was NOT going to run behind that the whole race, so I sped up the last four.

First mile, 6:50. I didn't really keep track of my miles, but my pace was about 7:30. I decided that wasn't too bad for a 10K.

Anyway, I finished two seconds in front of Amanda. But yeah, turns out we weren't in the same age group. I was third in mine and Amanda STILL got first in hers. But that's all right. I still medaled.

Fun race today.

Morning: One mile warmup, one mile speed changes. Four 200s, all at around 38 to 40. Four 400s, mostly at 1:24. Mile cooldown. 5 miles.

Afternoon: Ran around This is the Place park trying to figure out the course for tomorrow. Bill tore his MCL, so he had us run around for him. Ended up being about 6 1/2.

This was a super tough course, but no harder than State will be. This makes me a little bit nervous. That's a disappointing time, and mentally I was not there. I'm kind of clueless about how to get mentally "in shape."

Morning workout. Didn't feel great in the afternoon, so I didn't go.

Nice little recovery today. Ran up to Sunnyside and did barefoot strides. Felt so I good I ran back to the track barefoot. Might have to do that more often!

Great Race today. Bill Ran me in the Frosh/Soph race today, and I hung in second for most of it. I got out kicked at the end, but I'm still happy with my time. I got a medal and first pic on the t-shirts! (Top 30 get shirts, and last year I was 28th. Ended up with a dress instead of a shirt.) My form held pretty nicely through the race, and Natalie helped by telling me to stop crossing over whenever she yelled at me. For the past couple races, I feel like I've been slouching and running ineffeciently, but today everything felt smooth and tall. It felt awesome.

But anyway, after the race I started seeing little yellow and blue squiggles. That's always a bad sign; it means I'm going to get a migrane headache, which I did. So I didn't get a chance to cool down. I'll probably run tonight.

Today was the hardest workout I have ever done, including the dreaded Boot Camp. We did eight 800s. After the first three I couldn't feel my legs, and that was fine, but it still hurt everything else... I feel like this workout is going to do me good, particularly mentally, but it sure hurt like the dickens.

I was grouped with Voung, Kevin, Patrick, and Abigail. We were all aiming for 3:00s, but I usually ended up around 3:05 to 3:08. We would spread out a little, with Voung and Patrick and Kevin usually in front of me. I would stick with the boys, but the last one we all spread out and I stuck to Patrick. Abigail was behind me. Mentally I really felt I did good holding it together; I didn't break down or let negative thoughts get to me.   

The cool down actually hurt as much as the 800s, but I was going about half as fast. Not very fun.  

This morning we ran to Sugarhouse. My legs felt about as light as lead, so I only did four.

This afternoon we ran up to Shoreline trail, I think it was. That was about two miles, and then we did about a mile's worth of hills (they were long) and ran back. I felt pretty good. Going down the hills hurt more than going up them.

We ran to Liberty today and did a tempo run, despite many protests. But it was pretty easy; we went the long way to the start and got three miles in, and then Bill grouped us up. There was under 20 minutes at the last 5K, 20-25, and over 25. I felt like I was cheating because I ran a 20:08, and probably should have just slid in with the under 20s. But anyway, the tempo we had to hit was15:40, which actually felt really nice. I ran it in 14:20 instead...which was actually my fastest race pace last year. And it felt nice and easy....I've really come a long way.

An easy four this morning. We did the loop that goes around the cemetary and goes back to the track along 13th East. We saw a dead deer along the way, and it freaked me out so badly.

This afternoon we stayed at the track. 1 mile warmup, 1 mile speed changes, 1 mile cooldown.

This race felt amazing to me. My legs felt light and springy and I could breathe amazingly. The problem was the start. There were about 300 people in my race, and I got boxed in behind some people who were slower than me. I was weaving in and out of people the whole race, and sometimes would have to slow down to not flatten people. There was a complete bottleneck about half a mile in, where about 100 people where trying to squeeze through six feet of space. I didn't want to slow down, so I jumped up on a wall to get past. It was sheer craziness.

Anyway, apart from that it felt awesome. I just wish I had gotten a better start, because I know if I hadn't gotten boxed in today would've been the day I finally broke the 20 minute barrier.

Just an easy nine today. Amanda and RJ and Bill were running their marathon, so while we were waiting for them at mile 14 about I ran three just to look around. Beautiful canyon that the Top of Utah marathoners ran down. It was nice, even with a couple marathoners teasing me that I was going the wrong way up the canyon. =} It was very rainy, so my clothes and shoes got drenched.

Did another six tonight. My trainers were soaked through, so I (stupidly) ran in my flats. My shins and calves sure didn't like me much after. I guess I should've been a man and ran in my squeaky shoes.

Today we ran to T Street to do some hills. We did something that I called a 'ladder': we strided up the street in front of us until we got to the corner, and then turned left to jog to the next corner. We did ten of these 'ladders' until we got to 11th Ave. I was in front of everyone in my group apart from Abigail, until the last one when everyone pushed because Bill was watching. It sounds snarky, but I can't see how pushing on only the last hill would be beneficial.

But to each their own, I suppose.

Morning: We got up at 5:30 to do a freaking speed work out. It really hurt, actually, with or without the ice bath yesterday. We did a ladder: 200, 200, 400, 600, 800, then back down again, all with equal recovery. I didn't want to look at my splits after the 400, because they were pretty darn slow. 200- 0:45 200- 0:48 400 1:friggin30...and then I just didn't want to know. It's in the effort, right? Right?

Afternoon: Started pretty early and was back before 4! Pretty impressive considering we were actually doing more than three miles. We did a breezy six this afternoon, but if my thighs were given voices they would've been screaming by the end. Ran to Sugarhouse, did half a large loop around there (I had to stop and use the potty, and rather than run back up the death hill I added extra later) and back.

This might be the highest mileage day I've ever done, I think.

Today was technically a race, but we ran it as a tempo run. We were against Bountiful and Woods Cross. Both of those teams seemed to be racing it, though. The entire girls group had to hit 7:30s, which felt AMAZING. Everyone stuck on for the first mile, but by the end everyone fell back apart from Abigail, Natalie, and me. It was a party of a "race"-we were singing and chatting the whole time (except up the hills). and the funny thing was that even at that slow pace we still ended up top ten. About a mile warmup, two miles cooldown.   

Bill also told me I've got top three in Regions, but I'm going to have to push myself hard.

Challenge accepted.

I actually should've hit nine miles for today...not just six. Dangit.

But anyway, this morning I woke up and felt fine but as soon as I stepped out of the car to go to morning practice, my nose quit its job. My sinuses clogged and I was shivering like crazy even though it wasn't that cold, so I asked Bill what I should do. He told me to do a mile easy and light stretching. It felt...well, easy. But my throat was on fire by the end.

This afternoon I felt better. We did a fartlek workout. We did about a mile warmup which took me a very long time (I had to stop and use the potty at the park, I've been doing that a lot this week!) Then 10X1min on/1min off. I tried to stay with Abigail for it, but I eventually fell behind her. And...I only got lapped by Tomy once. Not bad in a very sad way. I should not be getting lapped this late in the season, but then again it is  Tomy, and he's pretty dang fast. Anyway, I didn't quite hit what I wanted to, but Emily said I had a very good workout this afternoon. So maybe I'm being a bit hard on myself, or Emily's being a bit nice.

Easy workout today. Half mile warmup, mile speed changes, half mile cooldown. Felt fine, but my calves were super tight at the end. Gonna turn in early tonight. And break twenty tomorrow.

Drove up to Idaho today for the Invitational.

Didn't break twenty. =( But on the other hand, it was hot, and I was still recovering from my cold, and I didn't get much sleep the night before. But that doesn't get me a 19:50 time.

Anyway, mile and a half warmup, three mile race, four and a half cooldown. The cooldown felt like a breeze, and I'm glad I got it in before it got too raging hot.

Today was the last day our team could train at Cottonwood Complex without being DQed. I'm starting to get excited for Regions (and keeping my fingers crossed for hail and snow again this year).

Anyway, we jogged the course as a warmup. I took the warmup very slow.

After that, six strides. I accidently stepped on my foot wrong and my knee got a bit of a tweeking, but it didn't affect my workout.

Six Bessies after that.

First 2:00

Second 1:56

Third 1:57

Fourth 2:00

Fifth 2:00

Sixth 1:56

Those felt good. It's fun to look back at what I was doing on Bessie a few months ago and what I'm doing now. (Oh my gosh! There IS progress!) Anyway, two miles cooldown. It felt nice to train on grass today; my achilles didn't hurt which was a bonus. If I train for too long on a hard surface, it starts to hurt.

Morning: Only morning workout this week! YES! Anyway, we did two laps warmup, three laps speed changes. Then a timed mile. 6:41 was my time on that, with 800 recovery. Then six 400s. 1:27, 1:27, 1:26, 1:24, 1:28, 1:27, 1:24, standing recovery. Then an 800 cooldown. I was kind a jerk to Bill this morning about being late, which I feel bad about. Added up to five.

Afternoon: 3.5; around the gully, then three 300s on the track. Felt nice.

Today was encouraging, because I felt awful. My legs hurt like crazy. But I still got third, which is what I should get for Regions. And I'll be feeling a lot better on Regions, because I'll get to bed early the night before and eat what I should that day and ice.

Didn't run today. Why? I was running around trying to turn my stupid German project in that REFUSES TO WORK ON ANY COMPUTER.

GAHH!

Race went fine.

Got to cool down barefoot. Felt awesome.