Relentless

AM - Parkway/Dirt Mile. Back to the usual, which is good- I do better with routine. Ran about 6.5 before practice and then we did some tempo on the Dirt Mile. First ran 15 with the youngsters at a nice clip. Then jumped in for 13 with the top girls and got them going to where they should be. Then finished with a mile with the top guys. Still a lot of room for improvement, so hopefully we will get there. (Barefoot '14 42.75)(Lyte33 71.5)

afternoon - 6.25 DI/Starbucks. Hot afternoon run and then easy weights for the first time back in them in awhile. (Kinvara 985.9)

AM - 15.5 Tempo Loop. So hot and humid. And I really didn't feel like being there. But did it anyway. Started off better than the last few times and tried to just hang in there. I never felt to bad, just a lack of confidence added in with the tremendous loss of water had the times just slip throughout the 7 miles of tempo. Hit a little more warming and cooling with the team. (Hyper Speed 2 517)

Chelsi's Run 16:24

PM - 6 St. James. Got over to the race just a touch later than planned, but still bumped into the guys from the team that were running and did a 1 lap warm up (the course is two laps around a neighborhood). Although I actually really like this course (other than being short) and it is kind of fun to race later in the night (even though it makes it tough next morning), I really didn't feel like running. On the way over, I had to convince myself to not go home. Even while warming (interesting to say when it is 95 degrees), I wanted to just stop. Since there wasn't any competition, I decided to use it as an opportunity to run with some of my middle/lower Varsity-upper JV guys who were there and try and teach them to race a little better. So I didn't go out nearly as hard as in the past and went though the lap in 8:13. Then the guys had kind of fallen off, so I pushed a little more. Instead of fighting the crowds, I just stayed to the outside and didn't hit any tangents (which made for the extra .05, since the lap is 1.5). Ran decent and hit a 8:11 2nd lap even with kind of chilling in to the finish. Okay race for how I was feeling about running and life. I really wish they would treat this run more like a race and then maybe some competition would show and I could run a fast time. It was basically a 3 mile tempo - never left a comfort zone and didn't strain at all, which is bad because I need to start daring to go more, but good because I have been struggling so much lately on tempos. (Rocket 2 93.75)

AM - 13.25 Hell's Hole/Grass. So tired and worn down this morning. Not only did I get to sleep way late because of the race, my ankle hurt so bad that I couldn't sleep well. But dragged myself for a little before practice and then a bunch on the grass nice and easy (but with shoes on because of the achilles pain).

afternoon - 6 ND. Easy 6 into the desert after a day at the lake. I need a nap, but won't get one. (F50 692.5)

AM - 15.75 DogTown/Grass. Still pretty haggard in the morning, but better than yesterday. Ran around Washington and extended up the Parkway. Then over to practice and 4x6:00 cruisers. Sometimes things surprise. Started practice. Little bummed because so many kids are gone, but then it turned out to be the best workout of the year - too bad more members of the team weren't there to benefit from it. Ave paces for the sets were 5:57, :45(?), :39, :36. (Kinvara3 732)

afternoon - 6 DI/GS. Got in a little before practice and then up into GReen Springs. A little slow (but needed) despite the timely cloud cover that kept it around 104. Weights after and, of course, icing up the achilles and ankle. (Oregon 795.25)

morning - 16 Fields. Met out at Pine View Park for practice and we ran a nice loop out into Little Valley and around Stone Cliff and back. Then I finished by running home. Nice easy recovery pace. Actually felt decent this morning. I'm not a big pill taker, but I took some ibuprofen to take the edge off my achilles and take down some of the inflammation (probably should have been doing this awhile ago), and it helped a bit. Probably take the afternoon off - I think I've earned it this week. (Kinvara Green 81.25)

AM - 21 MTL. Good end of the week run with nothing crazy, just some decent running with Clyde and James. Felt pretty decent for the end of a long week. Probably couldn't have killed anything today, so after getting to Clyde's (about 7'ish) we picked it up to around maybe 6:30. (Kinvara White 287.25)

At times this week I wasn't too sure I would make it through in one piece, but ended up surviving. Most miles in a couple years.

Goals for next week: mileage around 110'ish, feel pretty decent on the tempo and get it going a little more, and push a bit more on the 10k (try and find that higher gear, it is there somewhere).