step by step, mile by mile

2.5 in the morning. No strides, I'm leaving for park city to buy a bed so I didn't have time for anything too major

9 miles on the trails that evening with aaron. I let him lead because it was an easier day for me but he sounded like he was going hard. Probably dehydrated from the desert heat. I blew ahead in the last mile because I wanted to get to my water bottle at the coral we were parked at.

Also shoutout to me for getting the 7th highest mileage on the blog this week with 83 miles!! Hard work pays.

3 easy miles w strides in the desert. Core after

2.5 shakeout in the morning with strides before I left with Aaron to go lift and buy supplies for camp. At camp we did a distance run. The farthest anyone went was about 6, but after I finished I ran back and cheered on the slower runners, which in turn won me a sick swag bag for being a team leader.

Mile warmup, followed by 5 mile repeats on a hilly course. It was pretty difficult, I wasn't on my A game for it. However, Christian and I still dominated Aaron, Mason, Austin, and all the rest as a team. Strides after.

Amazing Race that afternoon. It's a fun race where the team is divided in to 4 colors and has to complete various challenges. Christian, Aaron, Natalie and I were made the four captains(Blue team ftw). Each team was pretty even, but they all had a slow person and you had to run as a team, so I had to keep telling freshman hotshot boys to slow down for the girls. We took dead last, but managed to beat every team in Tug-of-War. Strides after.

2 miles with Mason, Kedric, Austin, Harley. Aaron, and Coach Henderson that night while the rest of the team watched McFarland USA.

Today was the Death Race. 600 foot elevation climb up a mountain. Mile warm-up. Feeling not too great. Cramping. I wanted the course record. The race starts, but most of us thought the start was faulty so we just stood there for a second or two before starting, adding time on. By a quarter of a mile in Mason, Aaron and I have a little over a 100m lead. We were flying. Mason had a bit of a lead so Aaron and I waited. Aaron picked up the pace halfway in and I stayed constant on the hills. Mason walked a few hills, but would pass me soon after. Suddenly, it's the last 300m of the race. Aaron has a bit of a lead on me, and I on Mason. Suddenly, Mason stops walking and goes in a dead sprint. My legs were lead in the home stretch and I couldn't go with him. He catches Aaron, and barely beats him. Mason ran a 15:25, Aaron a 15:27, and I a 15:52. Shoutout to the three of us for all breaking Conner's winning course record time of 16:29. The next runner was Christian, and he ran what I recall to be a 16:48. Overall, it was an alright race. I'm happy I broke 16, but I wish I had prepared my speed and hill work more than just distance training. Looks like I know what to work on for the next week leading up to time trials! Ran the course backwards to cheer for slower runners, then to the start of the course where I left my shirt, then back to camp. Strides after.

6 that afternoon with strides

6 miles with warm-upand strides in the morning with the team.

Time trials is next Wednesday, but those who will be absent have to run the course tomorrow instead. Christian is one of them, and since he's Varsity Coach Henderson asked me to pace him for the second half of the race tomorrow(Aaron paces the first half). I went out to the halfway point and ran the course at Christian's hypothetical race pace, which is 5:40. I jogged back and did it again. I was going 5:30 half a mile in, so I decided to pick up the pace to my hypothetical race pace. Shoutout to the guy who drove up next to me and told me I was going 15 mph .75 miles in, who also called me a pro. In 400m I dropped the pace from a high 5:30 to 5:08. There's a hill toward the end of the first mile, so I slowed down a bit, coming in at a 5:13. I averaged a 5:25 pace for my second tempo run, because I got mad cramps after the first mile. Strides, stretches, and core after.

I paced Christian's second half of his time trial race, and it went pretty well. I set a high 5:30 and he followed it for about a mile, then slowed down a bit. I still yelled encouraging things at him, and he finished hard, running a 17:20. He seemed a lit unhappy about the time, worriedit wasn't fast enough for top 7, but I'm sure it will be. In my opinion the pace I set felt nice, I definetely could keep it up for three miles. Jogged a bit and did strides after. I wanted to get more mileage in, but my body was telling me I need rest, so I'll oblige for today.

2.5 miles that evening just to warm up for the lifting, core, strides, and stretches I did after 

2.5 in the morning w strides

11.5 in the desert with aaron. Easy pace, we were talking the entire run. Hiked up a mountain and went to Aaron's house after.

12 miles at red cloud loop @ 7:47 pace, a full minute faster per mile than when I did it two weeks ago. It was super muddy which made it way more difficult than last time. Strides after

Mile warmup- followed by a 6.5 mile tempo run.

Splits - 

6:41

6:41

6:00

6:02

6:31

6:27

Average pace 6:23. It could have been faster, but my legs were tired from the past two days, and I REALLY had to go to the bathroom after mile 4. Next fastest pace was a 6:47 from Mason. Strides after

Shakeout and strides that afternoon that added up to 3. Went out 6:56 for the first mile then dropped down to 6:16.

Mile warmup, followed by core. Afterwards we did a few sets of 30 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard around the park. The first few I ran alone, trying to get into the swing of pacing myself for when I hopefully snatch the win in tomorrow's race. The last easy 30 seconds I went with Mason, and we both went all out during the hard 30 seconds. I got about a 5m lead on him and kept it up, but the pace certainly wasn't an enjoyable one(sub 4:00). Mason told me afterwards he started to lose me at the end, and that I was hauling. S/O to him for the flattery. A bit of ultimate frisbee after. I walked the most part, not wanting to risk anything. I did go harder for a few seconds, and in those moments I denied a sophomore hard core for the frisbee, and I jammed my finger as we tumbled down. Afterwards Aaron, Austin, Jordan, and Kyrie were playing volleyball and invited Mason and I, but we said we'd rather save our energy for tomorrow and I went to do my strides. Added up to 3.

2.5 shakeout that afternoon. First mile pace 7:06, second mile 6:14. Felt pretty good. Strides after.

It was an alright race. Yesterday I was on my A game, today not too much. I actually think the course was closer to a 5k than 3 miles. Aaron almost didn't race due to not having his physical, but showed at the last possible second. The start was a little quick. Mason went out with the lead, and I caught up to him by the second turn. We came in at the 800 at 2:29, so a little quick. After that we slowed down a bit, until Aaron caught and passed us, which made us speed up. Aaron had the lead for about 5 seconds until we ran together again. Ahead of us the path narrowed, leaving room for 2 runners. I sped up a bit and Mason and I took the front, Aaron trailing behind. There was a sharp turn, so I took the lead for about a mile. After the next turn Mason surged ahead a bit, so I settled the pace a bit slower. Aaron caught me, but as the second mile ended I surged ahead of Aaron and trailed behind Mason, who sped up again. I was trailing Mason with about 1000m left, with Aaron about a second behind, when we got to a sharp turn at the post office. Mason swung out wide and I took it sharply, hoping to gain a lead, when I rolled my ankle on the curb. It sort of threw me off pace, and Mason sped up. With an 800 left Mason had maybe 5m on me, and me on Aaron. My finish wasn't as strong as it should have been, and Aaron got me at the end, with Mason creating a large gap. Top times were;

Mason-16:27

Aaron-16:37

Me-16:47

Austin-17:52

Jordan-18:02

Kedric-18:18

Christian technically got 4th with his 17:23, but besides him there was a huge gap between the top 3 and number 4, just like death hill. All three of us broke Keaton's course record of 16:57. Overall it was an alright time, I should have made it hurt and pushed harder though. I'll try to aim for top 2 on the team at Pre-region next thursday. Strides after.

I technically did this race last night, but I can't put two races in one day. I met up with Austin, Aaron, Mason, Kyrie, and Jacia at Austin's and we played air hockey and relaxed for about three hours before the race, so shoutout to Austin for that. We were all still hurting from time trials that morning, so it was a pretty painful race. I was having bad stomach cramps since time trials, so the run was painful. I didn't even realize the race started where it did, so I started about 10 seconds late at the very back. I pushed ahead and got away from the big pack of people, where a whole bunch of inexperienced runners were going ham. Rather than hurt myself by surging ahead I stuck at a high 5:30 pace and let the others die out trying to keep a lead. By 800m in there was only one runner ahead who was falling back, so I dropped the pace to gain the lead. By the first U turn about a mile in I saw there was another runner about 30 seconds behind me, and besides that the road was all but deserted. I saw Aaron, Austin, Mason, Kyrie, and Jacia coming back and they cheered for me, so I sped up again. At this point my chest was starting to hurt pretty bad. at 1.75 miles in the course turned on to a road with no lighting(we were supposed to wear glowsticks, but mine fell off. It was sketchy racing alone in the dark, but I liked it. When I was hitting the second U I saw the 2nd place runner was a little over a minute behind me, so I sped up even more, hoping my chest pains would fade away. They didn't, but I kept going quick. The XC squad cheered for me again as we passed each other. I finished pretty well. I won by over three minutes. Really glad I've been doing two runs a day, because it finally payed off. Shoutout to Kyrie for winning the girls division, and Jacia for getting 2nd! The three of us got out pictures taken and some sweet empty moonshine bottles for our victory. Feels good to finally win an XC race, my debut senior year 5k no less! Now I need to win an invitational and life will be perf.

5 miles that morning. Did the first three with the Varsity boys, then I ran a little extra to join Kyrie and Jacia after. Strides after that.

3 more with strides that afternoon

Mile warm-up, then we ran the flume trail. It's a pretty narrow trail for about 2 miles, then you turn back on a dirt road and finish. A few freshman took the lead early, Aaron and I pushed them back as they started to die about a minute into the run. Tragic. Aaron and I knew I'd set the pace too quickly, so I let Aaron take the lead. Austin, Kedric, and Jordan were trailing a few seconds behing the two of us as well. We got lost and missed the turn off, going an extra mile too far. Once we hit the main road the pace sped up a bit and Kedric and Jordan fell behind. I decided I felt comfortable enough to take the lead, so I started striding out. Austin was going ham so Aaron and I had to keep speeding up(sidenote- Aaron was wearing LT's, Austin wearing Zoom Elites. I was wearing 12 dollar trail shoes I got on clearance). Eventually Austin started to fall off, so Aaron and I fought each other for the last two miles. I think we were going 5:30 at least. Aaron would surge, I would stride to keep my lead, and that kept going on until he passed me with a half mile to go. I might have been able to fight him for it, but two races in the past 48 hours started to take a toll. After that I decided just to keep my lead on Austin, which I did. If I had had speed shoes the run may have gone differently, ut I don't care all too much. In other news Kyrie told me that I ran the moonshine 5k in 15 minutes according to her cousin who timed the race, but I'll believe it when I see it. Strides after

3 mile shakeout with strides that evening. 7:03 pace.

3 easier miles in the morning. Splits were 7:16, 6:29, and 6:10. I wanted to do speed training but football was too busy practicing how they'll lose every game this season for me to run on the track. strides after.

Went to do speed training at the track at 4, expecting the football players not to be there. Was incorrect. I think there's a middle school tournament going on or something, because the players were too small and too good to be my team. These kids can actually catch the ball #fightin'words. I drove to the park instead. 5x600m, 4x400m, 3x200m, followed by 8x100m strides, with a minute of active jogging in between each repeat. I ran the 600's with the mentality of running the first half working on form, and kicking the second half. First repeat pace was 5:10. Second and third were both 5:25, fourth was 5:15, then took a short bathroom break, then 4:51. 400 time's were 68, 72, 75, took a water break, and finished in 67. I was pretty dead tired for the 200's, I believe it was over 100 degrees out, and that combined with the flames coming from my shoes just made it difficult. I was also wearing a heavier shirt, I was planning on running shirtless but it seemed like every pre-schooler in Utah was there. Ran 34, 35, and 32. Strides after. I think I did something to screw up my throat because it causes me immense pain to swallow, it's like having a barbed wire cotton ball around my uvula #APEnglishanalogies I'd call it 6. I went over my mark of dropping to 61 miles this week. Dang shakeouts.

12.5 @ Red Cloud Loop with Aaron. Pace 8:14. Pretty easy. Ate wayy too much after church though, so my stomach was killing me.

Mile warm-up, followed by easy 6.5 mile run. Aaron had a dentist appointment that morning so he did the workout while we warmed up, coaches told him we were doing a 50 minute tempo run. For everyone else the coaches changed their minds and decided to go easy pace. For the first 1.5 miles Christian, Jordan, Austin and I were in the front. Christian slowed down and they sped up, I following. Eventually I realized they kept trying to pick up the pace so they could beat me or something, so I slowed down, telling myself I'd speed up at the last 2 miles. When we hit the 4.5 I started striding out and doing low 6's, blowing past the other two who were slowing down from surging. It wasn't too hard, my legs felt heavy though. I finished with about 3 minutes on the other guys. Splits;

6:59

7:19

7:14

7:07

6;25

6:04

With the last half mile being a 6:05 pace. Overall felt pretty easy. Strides and cooldown after added up to a little over 8. Averaged a 6:48 pace. Aaron said he averaged 6:50 on his tempo run, so I felt pretty solid.

2.5 mile Shakeout that evening. 6:06 pace. Nothing too awful. Core, strides, stretches, and lifting after

Mile repeats. Aaron partnered up with me(sorry Christian. You'll always be #1 to me), and made me start off. The other faster people starting were Christian, Austin, and Kenny. I ran pretty quickly and came in at a 5:12, which was sweet. Austin and Christian ran like a 5:30. Mason(Austin's partner) got a bit closer to Aaron but Aaron prevailed, running like a 5:29, Mason a 5:27, which caused me to take this repeat easier, coming in at 5:25, gaining a little more of a lead on the team in second. The next one Aaron ran a 5:33 and Mason ran a 5:19, so Austin got a few seconds of a start on me. I let him tire himself out for a bit, and passed him at about the half-way point. I picked up after that, running a 5:21. Aaron held Mason off in the end. For the last repeat the Varsity crew and anyone else who fancied to hurt had the option of a fourth repeat. It started, and by a minute Mason and I had probably a 10m lead on everyone. The two of us kept pushing each other, and when we had a quarter mile left either I surged or Mason slowed, either way I came in with the win. I ran a 5:12 again, Mason a 5:18, Aaron like a 5:25, and Austin and Christian got 5:30's. Cooldown and stirdes after added up to 6. Overall felt good! I was going quick, but I wasn't pushing super hard or anything like last time, and I could only do 5:23 then. Crazy thinking that I beat my sophomore 1600 PR 3 times on the non-linear repeat course, without the use of spikes or major competition! Coaches seemed impressed. On a side note I payed my footlocker fee today, so looks like I'm coming back for round 3!(Nationals will be round 4 ;))

2 mile shakeout that evening. 6:14 pace. Last half mile was 5:20 pace. 8x30 second hill repeats and strides after.

3 easy miles with the team w/ core. Strides after. Preregion is tomorrow. Coaches want Aaron Mason and I to pace varsity for a high 5:50 the first two miles then kick it in gear. Hopefully I can pull out one of the 5:12's I was throwing out in repeats on Tuesday.

2 mile shakeout. 6:14 pace. Strides after.

2 mile shakeout that morning.

Wasn't the race I wanted. Rather than packing, we decided Mason Aaron and I should go out 5:40 pace. That's fine, but Aaron didn't tell me until we were on the starting line, so my mental was screwed over. First 100m went well, then tight curve. Mason went sharp and got in the front, and Aaron took it too quick and stumbled and cursed a bit. about 50m later Aaron trips and falls. Christian passes me. Can't swallow, feels like I'm dying. I work with Christian to pass people. I pass him a little over a mile in, but he passes back. Halfway point. I can hear Aaron's breathing behind me. I know he'll make a move soon. I pass Christian, and Aaron passes me. finish kick = nonexistent. Barely managed to beat Christian, I let Aaron blow ahead. Varsity Times-

Mason - 17:11

Aaron- 17:25

Me- 17:38

Christian- 17:39

Kenny - 18:37

Austin - 18:52

Kedric - 19:06.

Overall not a great race. I'm glad I got it out of the way. Time to get some speed. Also top 5 made relay for American fork! #KennytheSlayer

Did a mile warmup with the team. Coach told us 20 minute easy run, about 15 seconds into it my knee started killing me, a problem that arose during the meet yesterday. Walked back to the high school, biked for the 20 instead, and did core with the team. Drove out to salt lake that night. 10 miles on the bike in intervals of 5 and 15 resistance in 37:30. Ran on the treadmill for 3 minutes. Lifted and did a little plyometrics after.

AM- 3 easy miles on the treadmill at 7:19 pace, 4 miles on the bike. Bit of core after.

PM- Was aiming for 3 miles under 16 on the treadmill. Was strong at the beginning, but a heavy lunch made the run 2.25 at 5:18 pace. 1.75 at 7:13 after. Strides after that.

Another mile that evening at a steep gain, 3 miles on the bike, then lifted and did core

Went to lagoon in the morning and walked like a 5k throughout the day

The car ride back hurt my legs, so I did a distance shakeout. About 10 easy miles at 7:04 pace. Around a 300 ft elevation gain. Strides after. Calves hurt from the three hours in the car. Overall not too bad.

Woke up, did some core, and left for a 2 mile shakeout at 6:48 pace with strides. After that took a quick ice bath and headed to school. Typing this in AP History(rebel)

Mile warmup and 7.5 run with varsity after. Had some major bathroom cramps and had to take a few restroom breaks in between. Still passed Kedric, and averaged a 7:53 pace which isn't awful considering all the breaks I had to take. Core later tonight 

5 miles with strides. Lone wolfed it at 7:11 pace in the evening.

Mile warmup, 3xmile repeats and 4x800s(more like 650-ish) first mile straight murdered in 5:02, then 5:16, then 5:18. I think I could have broken 5 if Mason and I had ran together, instead I lead a solemn lead. Didn't feel too hard. Aaron ran some high 'teens, mason went 5:27, 5:16, and 5:21. 800's mason and I blew ahead of everyone. First one mason went ham with 1:46, me 1:49, next Mason 1:52, me 1:55, repeated, then I ran barefoot for the last one. Mason started a couple seconds ahead so we'd both go hard. I caught up to him, ran even with him for a 100, then passed. Kept that up for maybe a second, before he crushed the finish. I died. 1:46, 1:48. Not sure if anyone else broke 2:00¿ Christian went pretty ham#newbalancenationals4x800prospect Cool down and strides added to 7. Core after

Warmup, then a bit of speed. 6x400s on the garbage sidewalk/highway/rocks and grass. First one I went out ham. It felt like my legs were dead weights before we even began. Just kind of felt like I was falling forward. By 100m in I couldn't even hear footsteps behind me #Leadgameenormous almost ate it on the bend at 250m though, and Mason got closer. I came in at 60, Mason 61, and the next time was like a 65. Next one Mason 61, Me 63. Wasn't feelin super hot. besides the heat, of course. Mason and I repeated our times for the third repeat, and Austin swears he beat me. Not true. Next one I gave up on. Ran a 68, Mason, Austin, Aaron, Christian, and Robert all beat me. S/O to them. I went to the restroom quickly before the next one, and started about 3-5 seconds behind everyone else. Managed to catch everyone except the people who beat me before, and Stockton, Last repeat Mason and I fight for the first 100m for it, and I get it. I don't slow down this time. I can hear Mason on my back so I keep it quick. Finished with a low 61 for the final repeat, with what I understand to be the two fastest times of the day. 15 minute jog w/ Aaron, Jacia, Kyrie, and Austin afterwards. Left premature and ran alone because they started walking to get water. Afterwards coaches had a long talk with Mason and I. They want one of to start the American Fork relay. I told coach I wanted to do 10:20's, so he said I'd probs start. Strides after. It hailed during them. 

3 easier miles from the hotel to UVU and back. My hamstrings were hurting mad from repeats. Did over an hour of stretches that night to no avail

Once we arrived to american fork Mason and I ran the two mile course for a shakeout, then a few hours of rest. I was pretty tired and it was Supa hot. Did about a 1.5 mile warmup, ran with dez hills for a couple minutes and then headed back. talked to Garek, Kennedy Powell, and American Fork for a minute or two, then did my stretches and headed to the starting line. The girls took forever, so I sweated on the starting line for like an hour. Flash forward to starting the relay. I went out alright, but 200m in the course bottlenecked, and I got pushed back to the back. For the next 800 a few people passed me, then I just kind of coasted into a weak pace. I don't know, I just couldn't. Lame. The second mile I caught an orange guy and almost another, but Mason got him after I handed off. I don't actually know my time but for now I'll call it 11:00. Mason and I ran like a mile after cheering for the other relay members. Shoutout to Talon Hull for hauling, and Garek for being 2 seconds away from the record with like a 9:45! And for Mason for making a blog #cherokeenation

2 miles when I got back home, and 6 more that night. Was supposed to run with Jacia but she bailed last minute, so I went a bit quicker. First few miles were in the 6:30's. strides after

17 miles. 7:50 pace. Didn't hurt really too much beside the occasional cramp, but man my calves are sore now that it's done. Ran from my house, across the entire city, to masons house, where I there punched his trash can, and ran back home. Longest run ever by almost three miles. Was dark for the last 5 miles. Currently considering dropping his whole Uintah XC thing to become a Nike sponsored ultra runner. Hit the half marathon mark at 1:41. Strides after. What a time to be alive.

1.5 Mile warmup, followed by 8 mile distance run. Aaron and I averaged 6:35 pace the first four miles, the second mile being under 5:40. After four I got bathroom cramps, and ran alone to the bathroom at 7:00 pace. Avg pace 6:58. Strides after, and core, where @CherokeeKenny and I hit a 4 minute plank. Didn't feel too bad.