Step by step, mile by mile

AM - to the rec and back, did core. It rained all night so the grass was muddy, but it was 50's out which felt so so so nice. Did two 30 second "pickups" at 5:09 and 4:36 pace. Felt good for not eating anything beforehand, I just woke up and ran. Also felt good because a week ago I did 3 miles in the AM and I got maybe ten minutes before I had to stop because I was just so winded and weak. Peg's were good as always @Cason

PM - 3 mile shakeout w/ 4x30s strides around 4:20 pace. Felt good. Was raining and still cold but coming back I was going sub 6 pace whenever I checked my watch. First workout back tomorrow!

10x(1 min on, 2 min off). On the grass for the first five where I went quick(4:34 avg pace), then I switched to the turf because I thought the turns would slow me down, so a little more recovery after 5. 4:49 avg pace for those. #5 was 4:20 pace but the other nine felt fairly easy! When I was doing 100 miles a week in September I tried this and could barely manage 5:0x pace, and it felt like sprinting. Super pumped that all my work last season carried over. Good stuff. I was hoping to manage 5 flat pace if I felt good so this was great. Felt fantastic altogether, despite running in the heat and wind!

8 miles with a half mile trying to feel out a tempo pace. Ran on the speed sapping grass to keep it honest. Ran 5:30 pace but I still think it was a little quick. 9 days until I'm a college sophomore, wow. 80's and sunny out so I got to work on my summer tan too. 

2.5 to the rec, core, 2.5 back around 3. Hot out. My fitness has increased exponentially these past couple weeks. I'm able to do 30 reps of core exercises I couldn't have done one of a week ago. Two weeks ago running to the rec felt like an eternity but these 5 flew by. I'm hitting paces I didn't think I'd hit for another 4 or 6 weeks.

3 mile shakeout w 2 strides that night. cut short because of reasons.

I like running, and I think I have a certain aptitude for it(being able to go from 30 miles a week junior year to 70-80 senior year, and 110 last summer w no injuries), I most definitely have a larger aptitude for academics. People debate whether being smart is a talent or the result of hard work, and who am I to say. However, I am one to say that my legs will fail before my brain. Einstein wasn't able to play piano or violin because his body failed him in his later years, but his brain certainly didn't, or at least not at the same rate. I know I'm pretty smart, I got a 33 two years ago on the ACT and I feel that I'm leaps and bounds ahead of where I was then, but in both cases, I think I spend more time running, or stretching, or recovering idly, then I do on getting more intelligent. I've always been curious where I could be if I actually devoted time to research, field and case studies, etc.

This sounds like a resignation from the blog. It isn't, it's far from it. I'm going ALL OUT these next 12 months or so. Not doing 150 miles a week or anything crazy like that, but just every workout is run to the best of my ability, cleaning up my diet, etc. I have certain goals I want to try to get this next year(that I'll keep disclosed for now), and if I get them, or at least know that I was good enough to get them, then I'll stick another 4 years out. If not, then it's a sure sign that I was born to strive for a Nobel prize(I can settle for a Pulitzer). Even still, I doubt I'll stop running, or at least until my legs feel a lot worse going 6 minute pace. Going fast, hitting 2 hour long runs, logging 700 miles on a single pair of shoes... I love it. Plus it has great physical and mental benefits too. Having a nice body and 32 BPM heart rate is sweet. But I also would like a chunk of time to learn the violin...

I'm cool w/ no one reading this. I've just lost a bit of sleep lately pondering these types of things and voicing them(albeit online) is soothing for me. The way I see it, this way, I have nothing to lose! 2018, I'm out for blood. Time to put in some work.

5 miles. My left calf was feeling tight, so I played it safe. Did a stride to loosen it. Gonna stretch a lot now. It already feels better.

7 miles with 4 strides in the butler field. I did them where I'd start at the 50yd mark, run at around 5 flat pace and do a wide turn and change gears the last 100 yards. Only timed the last two 100 yard parts of those, 13.1 and 12.5. Glad I took yesterday off because my calf feels much better. All I ate was junk because it's all the dining hall had though, so I could have felt better. It was mid 80's and windy out too, and I started my run at 9PM so that was strange.