The Renegade

So today I didn't know if we would be on the track or the treadmill because the weather was super sporatic, but it ended up being nice for the time slot of practice. We have a dual meet and an invitational this week and varsity is running at both, so we had an easier workout. After .5 warmup ad stretches (I don't like that coach only has us warmup half a mile) we did 2 x Mile @ Tempo with mile jog in between. So pretty easy, but it felt harder than it should have (the track psychs you out). Ran in a pack with Paul, Davis, and Isaac the whole time. Our goal was just to hit 6 minute miles, and we went 5:58 and 5:58. It was kinda cold too so that prolly had something to do with it. Stayed relaxed. Went to the restroom, changed into my spikes, and then did 4x200 w 200 jogs, continuous. Wore my vics for these, and it felt really weird running in them again after over a month. Don't know the exact splits but I ran em all in 29-30s. On the jogs I kept feeling a shooting pain in the arch of my right foot, and I had to stop and rub it. Only happened with those spikes. It happened at USU also during races, but it would fade away after the first lap. I didn't feel it when I was running fast and on my toes today, so racing I should be okay. Did a mile cooldown, hip drills, and lifts. I wanted to get 8 today but it's probably for the best that I kept it low. 

Today the weather was just awful for our run, way worse than yesterday. Me, Paul, Jack, and Dallin did an easy run on the river trail, five miles. On our way out going south we had the cold wind and the snow blowing in our faces and it was terrible. Then it stopped after we turned around, and I was wearing a very warm fleece jacket so I got pretty toasty. We did strides on the track (4x100) and then Paul and I finished to 6 on the tread. This was all a premeet for the lowkey four team meet tomorrow in Draper, then we have an easy day, then we head down to Hurricane, so this week basically consists of strictly racing and recovering. 

Today was sort of a long day. We took the hour and a half bus ride down to Draper and it was actually nice weather and sunny down there. I basically waited around for my race which was near the end of the meet and jogged a little here and there. When it was time for the boys 800 it was already like 7:30, it took them way longer than they needed to to run the meet, because they were only putting eight to a heat in the distance races, and they usually only used half the lanes in each sprint event. It just didn't make sense. To add to it they randomized the heats, they didn't even have us like self seed or anything. I hadn't done my warmup yet when they called for us to check in, and after we did, I thought I had enough time to, so I ran about a mile. When I got back to the track heat 1 was already on the line, but luckily they let me be in the next heat, which was great because Christian McClellan from Morgan was in it. I didn't have time to do drills.

When the gun went off, Christian bolted from the line faster than I did, which was surprising. He took the lead and I kind of hung back, but I felt anything but comfortable. Came through 400 in 63 so slow. I started to reel him in from the 500m mark and I got up to him at the start of home stretch, and we were neck and neck for about 50m and then I pulled away in the last 50. Identical to my finish at Region last year in the 4x800.  I think my whole team was screaming and cheering for me so it was awesome. After the race Christian told me he was trying to break 2. lol.  I've never won a race before but now I can say I did (I know it was just a small meet) I wasn't too happy with my time, but this was just kind of an ice breaker for this weekend, and the track was terrible, and my warmup was sub-par. Did a mile and a half cooldown with Paul. 

Easy recovery/pre-meet. It was very cold and gloomy. I jogged a mile before practice started, than we went on a short 3 mile run out by the island market and merlin olsen. Got back and I did 4x100 and practiced some starts in my spikes, then jogged another mile barefoot backwards on the turf.

Felt really good, one race yesterday obviously didn't take much out of me. I'm seeded with a 4:40.63 for the 1600 tomorrow, it's a little bold, but I ran my pr almost two months ago. I know I can at least get in the 4:40s, matching that time will just depend on how much I push myself. And hopefully a 6 hour bus ride will be okay on me. 

So we left for the 6 hour drive down to Hurricane at about 7:30, stopped at our hotel in Cedar at around 1:30, and headed down to the meet and got there at like 2:10. I was sooo hot, but I was expecting it. We did our team warmup and then chilled till Jack thought it was time to warmup. We ended up having plenty of time to do everything, thankfully. We waited on the football field for the race and did some strides and warmups, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible. Jack and I were both in the fourth and fastest heat.

The starter pulled the trigger a couple times in a row and the gun didn't go off and I think everyone was ready to stand up but it was a delayed reaction and the gun went off. I had a pretty good start, and immediatley found myself up next to Joe Benson and Will Handley for the first fifty meters, and I was like oh crap, better drop back, so I did a little bit and settled in. The air was so dry, my throat was super scratchy for the entire race. Don't remember the first 400 split but I came through the 800 in around 2:23, and new I just had to keep it up to PR. This was when coaches started shouting to push it as always, so I made sure to do that too. I was hurtin pretty bad and just tried to push it even more on the last lap. I think I passed one or two guys in the last 200. Fun race, but it definitely hurt. There was one 3A state qualifier in this race with a 4:31, and I think he is the only one qualified in the mile as of now. Jack ran 4:36, so three seconds. I think everyone could have run a few seconds faster if not for the heat, especially the northern utah people.

I thought was done so I did close to a two mile cooldown, part of it barefoot on a church field and came back. Later my coach told me that I was running the 400 leg of the medley. Luckily the medley didn't come until hours later partly because of some camera problems. When it was time to warm up, the sky was already pitch black and the lights were shining brightly. I was actually really pumped. We were in the slower heat. Our sprinters (really 400 runners) put us in about 3rd place out of 4, and I had kind of a bad handoff with Isaac. I ran the first 200 (into a strong headwind) kinda drafting behind Wasatch and a 2A school. We hit halfway and Millard passed us all, and then those two slowed down a ton and I easily passed them. I felt great. Split a 56 matching my official PR. Gave the baton to Jack in second and he opened in a 55, and ran a 2:03 800. Overall time 3:47, three seconds off of state qual. In the next heat Timpanogos won with a 3:45. We all wished we had been in their heat because we probably could have won. It's exciting that we almost qualified for state, because the 3A standard is actually faster than 4A.

Jogged a bit on the infield, grabbed a something to eat, and we headed back to the hotel. 

I got about 7 hours of sleep, so not bad. Got up at 6:30, ate breakfast and we left and got to the meet at 8. The 32 was the first event but we had longer to wait because of some more technical difficulties. I guess I felt okay, just a bit tired, but when I jogged a bit I felt better. Did the whole prerace thang and we ran at about 10, so it wasn't too hot. I was in the middle heat for this, seeded fourth behind two Timp guys and Copeland Anderson from Delta.

The gun went off and I immediately found a spot next to Copeland. This time there was a bit of a headwind on the homestretch, so I would tuck in behind him on this part for the first half of the race. But when I did that the pace felt really slow. I guess I figured that I was saving energy for the rest of the race. For the entire race it just felt like it was me and Copeland running, nobody else. We stayed together for the entire race. Came through the mile in like 5:24, so I was bummed when I heard that, but at least knew I had to push it. We pushed eachother for the rest of the race, and then I outkicked him the last 200. It still wasn't enough, because I was 4 seconds off my two mile PR, which would be 8 seconds behind my hypothetical 3200 PR. BUT it was technically an official PR of 47 seconds (postal don't count). I think what I should have done was gone out a bit faster and set a rhytham at a quicker pace. So I think I will definitely race this again once before BYU, probably at Orem, and go after a time that would be good enough to get into the Friday morning BYU race. 

Jogged a mile and a half on the infield barefoot watching Jack's race. He ran 9:56, state qualified. Then me Paul and Kalin went to subway and got footlongs. We got back to the track and the 800 was coming up quick. Uh oh. I ate a fiber one bar and I think that helped get the sandwich out of my system quick. It was blazing hot when it was time to warm up and race and stuff. I decided to go sockless in my Victories, I actually felt a bit faster. I was once again in the fast heat, seeded 8th next to a Delta kid and Gabe Prettypaint from Timp.

When the gun fired we all shoved eachother a bit, and the Delta guy got pushed infront of me. Nasty start. On the backstretch I made a push to pass a guy and I was already exhausted by the 200 mark. Conner Cox from Millard had forgotten to change shoes, which made for a good laugh at the starting line, but when I saw him pass me at the 300 mark in his heavy trainers it was a little discouraging. I thought about dropping out because of how bad I felt coming into the second lap, but I stayed with it. Held my position until 200 to go where I mad a move and passed about 4 or 5 guys within 110 meters on the curve, including Isaac my teammate. Shoulda told him to come with. And yes I passed Connor Cox thank goodness. Held position in the homestretch and felt like I had a good finish, my form didn't fall apart. My coach told me after that I ran a 2:06, which made me happy, but when I checked runnercard that night it said 2:09. Think I got like 10th. 

Afterwards I tried to find this canal trail that a Hurricane kid told me about with Paul but we couldn't find it, so our cooldown was just on the streets. It was sooo hot and dry. It was nice to relax for the rest of the time.