The Renegade

Today we had one of the toughest workouts we have had just based on plain difficulty not skewed by different outside variables. (Sorry, we're studying stats in math right now.) For me it was 12x400m w/ 400m jog in 3 min rest. So a huge workout, six miles on the track, three of them being hard running. First here's my splits: 

75, 79, 78, 75, 75, 75, 79, 73, 81, 76, 73, 65

So my suggested avg from Coach Strand was 77, and my final average was 75 (mile pace), so I'd say this was a good day for me. I really feel like I maintained good form for the vast majority of the workout. It was relatively hot today (high 60s) so that added to the pressure going into this. On my warmup my left shin was hurting but it was okay the rest of the time. The first half didn't really hurt at all but I was just thinking about how it was going to hurt later. After #6  I think that was the point where it started to hurt more. I took that 81 slow on purpose because I was bracing for some quick last ones. I skipped the recovery jog after #5 so I could change into my racers, and I felt a lot faster on the next one yet I was going at the same effort. The last rep I ran with Strand (like a few earlier ones) and I pretty much tried to hammer it out but stay controlled. So I was really surprised that it was a 65 with how controlled I felt. It hurt, but even at the end when I sort of kicked I wasn't muscling through it.

Two mile cooldown after (felt relaxing) and then strides with some weights but I was too tired to do much in there. A little bit after I got home the same shin started throbbing like heck but then I iced it and it was all good.

So today the weather wasn't nearly as good as yesterday. It was really windy and there was dust in the air so we couldn't even see the mountains. We went 5 miles on the river trail loop and coming back there was a strong headwind making it miserable so we averaged 7:58 pace. Strides after, diagonally across the field because that's was direction the wind was blowing. Then we did hurdle drills and core.

Tempo run today. It was snowing very heavily. We ran out to the dump road and stretched and then started. I ran with Vickie the whole time. I wore my glasses thinking it would block out some snow but they just got fogged up by the end. First mile was 6:32, the next one was around 6:40 something. We ran 19:51, avg. pace 6:36. So that's almost as fast as the second time I did this but it hurt a lot less. So we ran back and I felt okay, then I did some 200s, the last two were 31 and 32. They were not fun. Then we did hip drills and lifted.

Recovery run to the U and back. It kinda sucked. My shoes were hurting me I it back and did some 200s and 100s

I really slacked off today with my miles, but it's okay, I wanna be fresh for tomorrow. I warmed up a mile, did a 400 and two 200s, then cooled down a mile.

So today wasn't bad at all. It was better than the grizzly, that's for. In the mile I was seeded first in my heat, so that was kind of exciting. I got out pretty dang good in the first 150, leading the pack, and then I got passed up by some dudes as always. I spent most of the race in about fifth or sixth place. First lap was 60-61, so not super ideal, but it really just felt relaxed. I don't know what the next one was but the one after that, where I actually made an effort to push was 77, so I've really gotta work on that. And I don't know what I closed in but im guessing it was decent. I saw that I could PR if I pushed going through 1200m so that was motivating. The time was running on the score board so that's how I saw it so easily. Then on the final straightaway I saw that I was going to PR so I didn't really push it as hard as I could have, kinda just cruised it in, so I really regret that. 

I did some cooling down and warming up and then it was time for the 800m. I got myself pretty pumped for this one. I started in lane 3 this time, but I still managed to get out explosively and in front (I almost false started) and I led for the first 200 feeling pretty good. Then a pack of guys cut me off, so that kind of made me upset. My first quarter was a 63 or 64, so that was pretty good, but then I slowed off/got cut off in the next 200. My kick wasn't that bad, I wish I had known what the split was. Final time was 2:10, so not a PR, but I know that if I had pushed it harder and was fresh than I would have PRd by at least a second, so that was comforting.

Then I ran the medley. I got the baton with our team in 4th place with Mt. Crest in front and Preston behind me. I held that position until the 500m mark where Preston passed me and Spencer Nelson from Mtn Crest. I gained on Spencer and then outkicked him in the straightaway. I felt pretty good about that because I usually perform poorly in the medley but today I did okay, I just wish I went with Preston kid to put us in third, but we still scored 5 points. I just calculated my split and I think it was 2:06!

Two mile cooldown after on the back trail.