C Mantz Running

    AM- 3 easy.  My legs felt a lot better than Saturday, but these miles weren't too hard.

    PM- warm up, then 2X1000m with 2 min. easy jog in between, then 4X800m with same jog in between.  My first one was right on, then my legs started getting really heavy feeling.  My next was a bit slow, and then my first 3 800m were 5 sec. slow, then my last one was 9 seconds slow.  I really felt last weeks races and workouts in my legs.  Cool down afterward.   Now time to start working on speed and lowering my mileage. 

      4 miles tempo, 3 cool down.  Tempo average was about 5:12, but there was a net loss in elevation.  Not a big amount, but it was still a net loss.  I felt good, except for my throat felt like there was something in it that wouldn't let me breathe too well.  Next time I'll try not to eat too much breakfast.

    So I thought today was going to be really easy, and I was going to have to go home and do a few hill repeats to get in a bit speed, but coach came and talked to the guys that are going to the Davis Invite and said that we were going to do a bit of speed.  I was a bit mad about this at first, but it went really well, and I'm happy that happened.  We did 4X200m and I ran these by myself.  I hit 29s for all of them, and that felt pretty good.  After I did an 800m, that was supposed to be at 2:08, but that went over like a pregnant high jumper, and was 2:14.  I was going to go around a 2:10, but I ran into someone during the last 100m.  After we did a 300m that was supposed to be at 800m race pace, but since I haven't ran a great 800m, I decided just to run it with Tyson.  We went out at a good pace, and it felt like a race, but Tyson has me in the short distances, so he beat me, but not by a full second.  We were both 42, and it felt great. 

   Davis Invite is coming up, and I decided to drop the 1600m race because it was only a hour and a half before the 3200, and that isn't enough time to recover.  Also, my goal for this race is to get in the low 9:1Xs, and possibly 9:10 flat if I can.  Tomy, Mike, Chuk, and a bunch of other guys who can hold a good pace are in the race, so it looks like it'll be a good race.

     A mile and half with Tyson, then two miles with Kyler, then a little over two miles alone.  I wasn't looking forward to my striders until I saw a speed limit sign that told you how fast you're going.  It wasn't working for the first stride, but I got up to 18 mph on the second, so that was alright.  Hopefully I have a 9:10 in me on Saturday. 

   Pre-meet + Strides.  Really easy today.  I'm hoping to go fast tomorrow, and I know there's going to be a good amount of competition, and I just have to make sure I run the right splits.  

      1 mile shake out with Nick and Kyler when we got there.  My race didn't start until 5:10, and we got there at about 8, so I had a lot of time.  I watched races, and a lot of my team PRed, so I knew it was a fast track, and the conditions were great.  I went on a few warm up runs, making sure I didn't go too far I came back to see how much time I had until the race.  During this time my stomache wasn't feeling good.  I felt like I was going to puke before the race started, but this was probably just from how nervous I was.  I had 8 hours to get me more and more nervous. I knew there was good competition here. Most of the guys here could have a great race today and throw down some great times, so I just needed to make sure I stayed in a pack if they went with me for my first 800, and if they didn't, push on. Before the race I did my strides and stretching this time, and kept my legs ready. 

    The gun went off, and I tried to go out hard, but the guys around me had better starts, so I got boxed in, and the pace didn't feel hard, so I knew we were going slow.  I looked around for a way out, and saw Zan from Mountain Crest in lane 2 or 3.  I asked him if I could get in front of him and get around the guys leading it.  He just said GO, and that helped me a bunch.  I ran around a few guys, and took the lead at about 250m.  I came across the 400m at 66, which was a second slower than I wanted.  I pushed hard the next lap to get a 69, but ended up pushing a bit harder than I thought, and I got a 66 (2:12 800m).  I pushed hard the next laps and just tried to keep the pace up.  Both of them were 70s(3:22 and 4:32).  I was feeling good here, but I know I was going to start slowing.  A lot of people were cheering me on, and that helped a lot.  My next lap was a 70 again, I'm pretty sure.(5:42) I think I slowed the next two laps, but I'm not sure exactly how much.  I think I ran a 71(6:53) and then a 72(8:05).  During my last lap I was pretty sure I had the meet record, and I think that slowed me down.  I remember that the last lap hurt like no other, but I feel it wasn't as fast as it could've been.  I looked up at the clock with 100m to go, and I was just bearly on pace for a 9:15.  I sprinted with all I had and finished in a 9:13.  I felt dead afterward, but then I looked back saw Chuk finish, then Mike, then Tomy(who also ran a killer mile less than an hour and a half before), so it was a great day for the blog.

    Afterward I hurt more than ever.  I don't know how long I was walking around, but it hurt to drink water, and I felt something in my throat that felt like Arcadia.  I thought I was going to throw up.  I drank 3 cups of water, which was just about as hard as the race.  I went and changed my shoes, went for a cool down with Chuk.  During this time I finally started feeling a bit better.  I got a watch for winning, which I thought was sweet, and a trophy for the performance of the meet, which was also pretty great.  After I went to my cousins, and then went on a run because my legs still had some energy in them.