C Mantz Running

       Ran an 11 mile tempo run with 1.3 or 1.4 mile cool down.  I averaged a 6 minute mile pace up the canyon, but later after going back down brought that down to a 5:44 pace.  Not as fast as last week, but I didn't feel near as good as I did last week.  Now it's time to taper for the half.

      Ran really late...or at least late for me.   Didn't run as fast as I had planned.  It was a bit hot outside.  I didn't eat too well the last two days and now I paid the price.  I felt terrible during the last 4 miles.  I had stomach problems and was dehydrated.  At least now it's time to taper for the half.

       Yesterday I wanted to run, but I needed to start my taper, and today I was going to go slow, but I felt way too good because I didn't run yesterday.  So I decided to run 3 miles at faster than half-marathon pace and a mile at easy tempo pace.  My first mile was downhill, second was a bit uphill, and third was a bit downhill.  My splits were 5:06, 5:40, 5:08.  I averaged a 5:18 pace, which I'm really happy about, except for the part that it was almost all downhill. 

      Great day to run.  Or atleast that is how it seemed when I went outside where I was staying that morning.  It felt really warm for a morning.  About 60 degrees.  Then we got to the starting line and I changed my mind.  Then was a pretty bad head wind.  Did some stretches, warm ups, waited for the race to start with Claire.  I went to the start line, and saw that there were 2 guys in BYU jerseys.  I recognized one from the St. Georgre Marathon, he ran for BYU in the 90's I found later found out, and the other was also a graduated BYU runner.  So when the race starts, me and 5 other guys are in a lead pack.  I wouldn't regularly be running with these guys, but with the big headwind, I needed people that would push me and that I could draft off of.  For the first two miles I felt alright, and stayed with the lead 2 guys, the younger BYU guy and some other guy, with a tall guy behind me.  After the water station at mile 2, they left me.  Then the taller guy passed me at that same mile.  He was about 10 yards or so ahead of me for the next 2 or 3 miles.

      Those next few miles were terrible.  Running by myself was harder than ever.  At maybe mile 5 or something, the older BYU guy and another guy who looked really familiar (I later found out it was Braden Perry) passed me and I drafted off them for the rest of that mile, During which we caught to the tall guy.  We had averaged a 5:20 mile for these miles until about mile 9.  I  lost these guys at mile 9, where Braden hit the porta potties, and I felt like dying.  I never saw Braden again until the finish, but he said he hit them a few times after that.  By then we were out of where the wind was.  They were only about .05 miles away at mile 10, but kept gaining time on me.  During this time, I was on a pace to be in the 1:10s, and I wanted it sooo bad, but I didn't have all the energy in the tank to pull the right pace.  I tried sprinting, but couldn't at the end.  I finished, and stopped where the first chip time things were.  This was a big mistake, because I stopped my watch at a 1:11:00, and just tried to keep myself up, while the real finish was about 10 feet beyond where I stopped for those terrible time consuming moments.  I walked for it and thought I had a 1:10:59, due to chip timing, but later I found out I had a 1:11:24.  Bummer I guess, but that just means I know I can get a PR next time.  Later I saw a bunch more people I knew especially people from Fast Running Blog.  Later got a check for $75, but couldn't accept it for some high school rules about running or something like that.  Fun race though.  I saw the marathoners finish, and that was a harder race than usual.  Most times were 15-17 minutes slower due to the wind.  It was surprising to see the winning kenyans with times in the 2:30s

     Easy 5 miles with the XC team.  I would put in some more miles, but I still feel a bit sore from Saturday and want to make sure I don't get injured by doing anything too intense yet.  Maybe Wednesday I'll do a hard workout. 

      went the first mile hard, hit a good split for the regular tempo run, but then my leg started hurting and I didn't want to get injured, so I took the next 4 miles easy.  Going easy made me go slower which made me a bit late for drivers ed. 

         Went to XC ready for a hard workout.  It was an easy day.  Went to Drivers ed after, and then didn't have a ride back, I was in my running clothes, and so I ran home.  I had a friend take my stuff(he was riding his bike), and I tried to push it. 

      Pushed it for most of the run.  I just felt great, but then my calf felt that little pull again, and so I slowed way down. 

           I went and did Ragnar with some friends and my dad.  This is my first leg.  I had #10.  As soon as Alex gave me the wrist slap band. I started sprinting.  Just Addrenaline or something came over me.  I had a 1:10 quarter mile, which didn't hold for too long.  There weren't a lot of people to pass.  I passed 9 people in this run, and held a way too hard pace for my calf.  I averaged a 5:19 for the 3.85 miles or however far it was.  My first mile was a 4:55 and I wasn't that consistent after that.  There was a "mile to go" sign that was way off though.  I passed it was about a mile and a quarter. 

       AM-7.75 Woke up really grumpy due to the lack of sleep.  I wasn't going to go that fast in this run. It was really cold for my shorts.  I just didn't want to and didn't feel like it.  Until Alex gave me the slap band.  Then I shot off feeling amazing.  I saw someone who I knew, or atleast they knew me, who said, "Go Conner, Go Sky View."  My first mile was a 5:33, so yes it was slower then yesterday, but it felt good.  Since it was dark I could see people's lights on their hats and wanted to "kill" them.  I passed 71 on this run, a few of them were people walking.  I averaged a 5:54 pace, which I was pretty happy about.  I was really consistent, except for the first mile, all my other miles were around 5:57, 6:03, 5:48, 6:08 and another few.  I did a small cool down after.   Not as much stretching, and I later paid the price in the car.

     PM-5.25 Ragnar hill.  Sounded pretty fun.  When Alex was running the first part of it all, we stopped and gave him water, and drove back up a bunch of times.  When we got close to the trade off though, there was a bunch of traffic, so I had to run atleast a quarter mile, if not more, with Alex until the exchange.  He gave it to me, and I could feel the hill.  I started at a 6:50 pace, but that didn't last long.  My first mile was a 8:44, double my mile PR.  After that it started to get easier, and the more I ran, the faster mile pace got.  My next three miles were in the high 7's, and I ended around an 8 min. mile pace.  At the end, when I went to exchange it, there was more traffic.  I started sprinting, and then had to wait for the next runner to get up there.  Later Alex, Trent, and me ran the last mile of the hill, and I ran a bit more to a restroom.  I felt great after.  Probably the best I've felt after a run in the last few days. 

     XC- went with Tyson Compton, kinda slower than usual.  Recovering from Ragnar.  Dang it, my calf still hurt. 

      I'm trying to take it easy as possible for my calf, and it sucks!  I want to run hard.

       Early morning run.  I tried to take it hard.  I didn't know what pace. I didn't want to push myself too hard if my calf hurt. 

      Was at my high adventure in Moab.  Went for a 32 minute run, pushing it, going everywhere, I'm guessing it was 5 miles. 

     Later we went on a 4.5 mile hike and a 4 mile "bike ride" which was more like pushing your bike through the sand of the trail for half and riding for the other half. 

       Went for another bike ride, but didn't want to bike (sadly because I thought it was too hard), so about a quarter mile out, I dropped my bike and ran the trail with everyone else.  It was more of a interval workout, sprinting on the uphill, and resting after.  (2.5 miles)

      Another trail I ran on, the leader told me to just go and run and follow the line of the trail.  I still stopped a few times due to fact that I got lost and I didn't know where to go.  (4 miles)

     Later we went on a hike for about 3 miles or so. 

     AM- Was going to have an easy day, so went two easy miles with Dante, one of my friends at the high adventure.

     PM(9:30)- Didn't feel like going to bed and I really wanted to break in my new running shoes, so I went for 5 miles at tempo pace.  My stomache felt terrible for the first 4 miles, and the last mile my calf hurt for the start of it.  Not my favorite run, but it still felt good to go running, even if my stomache hurt.

      XC-7, tempoish.  We ran at an alright pace, I have no idea what it was, but it wasn't fast, or slow.  We went up on Sunnyside, and we just kept speeding up.  Nick said at the top we should slow down.  When we got to the top and turned around that didn't happen.  I just kept running with Dylan, Nick, and Steve for the whole time, with Tyson and AJ for most of it.  At about 5 miles into it, Dylan, Nick, and I started speeding up a bunch.  Dylan and I ended up racing for this part of the run, where Nick said we were going to slow down at Mack Park for sure this time.  I ended up sprinting against Dylan, and bearly beating him.  I haven't sprinted like that since state in the 3200.  After that we did an easy pace back to SV, for our 7 mile run.  Tyson said he ran it in 42 minutes, and he was behind us, so I don't know what we ran it in, but we had a good.  Then I ran another 2 miles home. 

      Easier than usuall for 8 miles.  Went with my mom to her college class, and then ran from USU to first dam to where the First Dam Run started, and went back.  I went fast for some of it, where I wanted to, but slow when my legs hurt from running hard yesterday.  Easy Run tomorrow for sure.

        XC workout.  We did a mile warm up on the track, then we did 200m sprints with a 200m cool down between.  My splits were 27, 28, 28.5, 29, so I slowed down, but not a ton.  I always had a slower start than everyone else.  Tyler came and showed us all up.  He would start behind everyone, and then come around us in the first 100 or less, and then have a fast 2nd 100.  Then we went on a cool down run, and since I pushed it hard yesterday and the day before I took it easier. 

     Didn't know what type of workout I was going to do, but was thinking of a 5 mile tempo run.  I go outside and start stretching and then I feel my thighs sore from yesterday. (I was at get air jumping for two hours.  More of a workout then I thought.)  I then decided just to do it.  For the first half mile I felt good, but then the next half I got a side ache, and my thighs were hurting.  This is the easiest, fastest part of my run usually.  Next mile I didn't feel too good either, but then I saw Tyler and Nick, and remembered how I was going to go running with them, but I wanted to do some speedwork, so that made me a bit mad that I couldn't do either.  Then at mile2 my side ache was gone, and so I timed the next three miles.  My first mile was a 5:45, a bit slower than usual for the first.  The next was downhill, and so I ran a 5:30, and then the next was going to be slower, just to get me at 6 min pace.  I felt good and pushed this mile, running it in 5:35.  This is probably the fastest I've ran this mile, because of its hill and all.  I then did a mile cool down with my dog. 

      XC- Scavenger hunt.  My group won this time!  and then we did stair jumps.  It was easy beside the stair jumps.  Tomorrow I might do a half marathon that I just found out about.  I'll take it as a workout, unless the addrenaline overwhelms me and I work myself to run as fast as I can.  I didn't have a taper, so this'll be interesting.  I'll probably use my flats to, to see if I should use them for the 15k on Wednesday. 

     I wasn't planning on pushing this race.  Just doing it for a workout.  I started at a good pace.  First 6.55 miles were around a 5:33.  My dad was riding on a bike with me, which helped out for a bunch.  Then about mile 8 had a hill where I started to slow.  It was a 6:20 mile, which slowed me bunch.   After that I didn't go back up to my pce again.  I tried to speed up, but couldn't.   At two miles to go I found that if I hit to 5:56 miles I would end with a 5:45 pace.  I pushed it, and I felt better for those next two miles than I usually do for half marathons.  I ran a 5:50 for the first mile, then a 5:43.  Had a good sprint at the end.  It was a fun race.