Recovery

Today we met at the track for workout. We started with 2 laps warm up and stretching, and drills, lots and lots of drills. After drills we did circuits before breaking into groups. Distance was doing our Avenue hill stride workout. We all ran over to U Street on South Temple and strode up a street, recover down the next, stride up the next, all the way to 11th Avenue and whatever letter street we were on. We regrouped at 11th and ran along 11th ave to Shriners and down through the neighborhood and U campus. Kiley and I fell behind and when we got back Bill said to add up to 8 or 9, whatever we were feeling. We did 8.5 total today, we added on by running around the soccer field a bunch. Then Bill instructed us to start doing 3 sets of 10 weighted lunges and squats, 25 crunches, 10 pushups (I can maybe do 5 man ones, 15 girl ones...)and arms 1 min on 1 min off. Gee, I wonder whose blog he read that one off of *cough cough Susannah cough cough* Susannah and I had the following conversation:

"Bill's making us do these sets every night from now on."

"Weird, that's what we do! I'm sorry I blogged about it."

"If you do harder stuff don't blog about it."

"Oh don't worry I'm too lazy to blog about that."

I love my sister.

I got kidnapped at 5:45 this morning because I made ensemble! Oh right, this is a running blog, not a normal blog. Anyway, today for practice we did the usual 2 laps warm up, stretching, and drills. Then we were doing a speed workout with the sprinters, but not really. Distance did a mile of speed changes, which was weird without our mile warm up first. We did 3 1200s with a lap recovery after each one. I hit a 4:30, 4:27, and 4:28. We actually did 2 laps after the third one, then did 6 200s with a minute of standing recovery. We did a grass lap before going on a 4.5 mile cool down, up Sunnyside to Foothill, down 5th south to 13th east, over to 8th south, back to the track and adding on. I stayed with Natalie, Tomy, Chris, and Bill all the way up Sunnyside, which was a new push for me. I stayed with them part of the way going down 5th south, but lost them just before the light at Guardsman. When I got back to the track, I was instructed to do a grass lap and a track lap to be at 10 miles for the day. Nat drove me back down to the school for my APHUG studysesh...

I did half a mile with Sam at the start, then another half mile after team stretches. I massaged out my sore muscles then picked up my garmin. I did another mile before the mile, then some drills and strides before the start. They combined boys and girls, and I started on the back line behind Tomy and in between 2 Highland boys. The only thing I don't like about starting with the boys is that they all think that just because they're boys that they can beat you, so they think they can cut in front of you. WRONG! I chicked more boys today than were ahead of me. I ran my 2nd and 3rd lap with a Highland guy who was trying to stay with me, but I picked up my 4th lap and lost him so I went on my way, chicking them all. I kicked hard and I'm happy with my race, not to bad for a practice meet, considering it was only 6 seconds off my PR. I ran up to Sunnyside park with Tomy, Natalie, Chris, and Sarah (the furious five) and ran a lap in the park, then we did fartlek, 90 seconds on and 90 seconds off, ten sets. I felt like I pushed myself, especially because every time I ran into the wind it was during an on, and every time I ran with the wind to my back it was an off. We finished a big lap around the park before heading back down to the stadium. I did a grass loop to get my garmin to 9 (because I did a mile around the track without it) and then we helped put hurdles away and went home.

Today I was late to practice because of Ensemble practice, but when I got there I changed and did 2 laps as everyone else did drills. Distance ran down to Liberty Park, where we did a tempo run. Natalie, Tomy, Chris, Bill, Kiley, Sarah and I all had to do a 6 mile tempo at 7 minute pace. We all started together, and eventually I was running with Tomy, Natalie, and Bill. I had to keep mentally telling myself that I could do it, that I was doing so good, that if I had made it this far I could finish strong. Tomy and Natalie broke off at mile 3 to go run with Chris, so I stuck to Bill, determined not to fall off. I drafted off of him into the wind, and a couple of times I fell back but always told myself to catch up to him and make it easier. When we finished, we were about 40 minutes and 30 seconds, a minute and a half faster than what we were planning. Turns out it was a 6:45 average pace. I feel quite accomplished. We ran back up to the track and added on until we were at 11 miles for the day, then we all went home. I want some ice cream...

Today at workout we did the usual 2 laps of warm up with stretching and drills. Distance did 2 miles warm up, 2 miles speed changes, and 2 miles cool down. I ran with Tomy, Natalie, Chris, Sarah, Kiley, Patrick, Sam, and Caden for the warm up and we got a little split towards the end of speed changes. I was dead by cool down. Ready for the invitational tomorrow? Nope.

Today was the UHSTCA Outdoor Championships at Taylorsville High School. When we got there, they were already calling for the girls 1600, so Natalie, Sarah, and I went and checked in. I was hip 8 in the 1st heat. After check in, Nat and I put on our spikes, then warmed up. It was the weirdest thing ever, warming up in my spikes. I did half mile warm up and half mile speed changes plus strides. At the start, I got cut off immediately, and I worked with the group for the first lap or so. Near the end of the 2nd lap and beginning of the 3rd lap, I wasn't able to push myself, I don't really know why, I didn't hurt, but I did. I was dead last in my heat with a final time of 5:50, which is really bad for me considering how well I've been doing. I did a 2 mile cool down with Natalie and Sarah, and we took pictures by the Taylorsville sign to send to Taylor and Taylor. I pitched my tent back at the spot and napped pretty much all day, having a hamburger for lunch. I kept napping until it was time to go warm up. I did a mile and a half with Natalie, then we did strides and such until the start. There was 1 heat of 28 girls, which was a little crowded, but I'm glad I was seed 3 and on the front line, which motivated me to get out fast. At the gunfire, hip 4 grabbed my arm but I elbowed her. Then a Davis girl shoved me, but I shoved back and passed her to get out hard with Nat. Yeah, I'm vicious. After a little bit, Alyssa passed me and went up with Nat. I worked with 2 other girls, and we randomly traded off who got to draft. The same girl who grabbed my arm at the start kept trying to trip me, so I abandoned her and had to fight the 21mph wind by myself. Alyssa fell off Nat, and in the last 300 is where I passed her. She passed me back in the last 200, and the last 100 was a neck and neck battle. I didn't even know who won our battle, I still don't know my time (Because whoever posts the times is really slow!) but the official at the finish said I got it, so I walked away with silver, Nat gold :) I did a mile and a half cool down while cheering on Tomy and Chris in their 3200, and cheering on our 4x4 teams. I was actually pretty happy I didn't do so well in the 1600, I believe it helped me save it for the 3200.