Run Buffs Run!

Today was a great running day. I ran with the CU team, and we did "the tank", a course signified by a large water tank at five miles into the run. The whole team split up as the run progressed, based on ability and how good each particular runner was feeling. The few runners up front were hitting 5:40 mile clips, and did so for 20 miles. There were other runners, however, who only ran 11 miles and averaged closer to 6:30 miles. I ran 15.3 miles (a bit farther than what the average runner on the team ran) and did so in 1:34. This averages out pretty close to a 6:00 mile pace, so I was pretty happy with the effort. There is a lot of variation on this team. While some runners are very strong, I feel that I can hold my own with the majority of the team, possibly even beat some of the slower runners. It is kind of frusturating to recognize this and still not be on the team, but I'll get my chance. 

Just an easy day today. I wore a watch, but I paced myself purely off how I felt rather than time. I also did some stretching at the end.

Today was a V02max workout day. I began with a three mile warm up, then did 5x1200 meters with the following splits: 3:40, 3:34, 3:40, 3:47, 3:43. I had three minutes of rest between intervals (light jogging). My splits were kind of scattered, but I exceeded my coaches goal pace (3:48-3:52) on each interval, so I was not too dissapointed. I saw Jorge Torres and Steve Slattery out on the track, too. They were doing some speed stuff too, so that made the workout a bit more interesting. All in all, a good day!

An easy run today to recoup from yesterday and prepare for tommorrow. School is stressing me out waaay too much, so this run was kind of lacking in the whole energy thing. I did some strides at the end, and felt ok. Blah.

Today was the economy run. These workouts always seem the most painful to me, so I tried not to think of the workout too much before I went and did it. I went to the same track that I did on Tuesday, and did 6 intervals of speedwork. Each inteval consisted of 400 meters in 65-64 seconds with a 200 meter jog, then a 200 meter run in 32-31 seconds with a 400 meter jog. Not too terrible, but I could definitely feel it. This track is weird. Everytime I have gone there, I have seen some sort of famous runner. Today I saw Chris Lear (author of Running with the Buffaloes) and once again, Jorge Torres. Pretty cool. If I keep going to this track, maybe Paul Tergat might just decide to show up. That would be totally boss.

Today was a really good run. I just decided to run whatever my body felt like today, but to run negative five mile splits. The first mile was about 6:15 followed by a 6:10 mile. From here on out I just cruised at 6:05 pace, before letting myself go on the last mile, which I ran in 5:25. I completed the full ten in 60:11, but what really felt good was the lack of effort it took to run this. I really did not push at all, and this was pretty much what my body wanted to do, so I didn't fight it. I did 8x150 meter strides at the end in grass.

A nice and easy run to begin the week. My coach has this week assigned as a rest week, which makes me happy because I have a race on Sunday. With some rest, I am confident that I can run a solid race, so we'll see what happens.

Nice and easy (about 6:45 mile pace).

I did a V02max workout today consisting of 5x1000 meters. My coach set the goal pace at 3:12 per interval, but I exceeded that every time. I had three mins rest after each interval consisting of some slow jogging. This was not too bad, and I felt good after I finished. I am looking forward to my race this weekend.

I had to run late today because school is being way to hard and time consuming. Although I was a bit tired from the long day, I didn't feel too bad on the run. I ran about 6:30 pace, and threw in 8x150 meter strides at the end. Tommorrow is a threshold run (4x1mile repeats), and then I get some rest before the race on Sunday. If I rest up well, I think I will be able to push hard on Sunday.

Today was a threshold workout day, but toned down a bit due to my race this weekend. I ran 4x1 mile repeats with a target pace between 5:32-5:37 per mile. I wasn't really in the mood for the workout, but I figured I would just get it done. My splits are listed below.

Mile	Time	Comment
1	5:09	oops, way too fast
2	5:25	a bit slower
3	5:18	still too fast
4	5:23	I can't slow down...

I went waaay to fast. I don't really know why, though. I didn't feel like I was exerting myself too hard, but apparently I was moving quicker than I thought. Oh well, not a big deal. I ran 4x200 meters at the end at (31,32,31,32) and did some easy miles. Pretty good workout.

Seven easy miles today with some strides at the end. I feel pretty good, so I'll just see how the race goes tommorrow.

Alright, not too bad a race, but I still did not feel full throttle. I decided to actually use strategy this time, unlike past races which I would run like a madman and slow down as the race progressed. There was a very good field of runners (probably around 20-25 solid runners) who were all running some good pace. I decided to go out and find a place mid-pack, and go more for placement rather than time. After mile one I was in 10th-11th place, crossing the mile mark in 5:05 (not too fast). Between mile one and two I passed one runner to go into 10th place. Between mile two and the finish was my strongest time (unlike any other race I have ran). I passed two runners, and hit the last mile in 4:55, ultimately finishing in 15:42 (my watch said 15:37, but I guess I must have been a bit off). Although this was no "huge" time, I was still happy with my finish placement. Everyone who beat me was 24+ yrs. old, so I was not too dissapointed. This strategy of racing seems far more effective. If you properly pace yourself to finish at starting speed (or even a bit faster), you can really edge some of those "just hanging on" runners at the end. This tends to give me a confidence boost, which in turn, can help you really push the pace. Overall, a decent race! 

Today was supposed to be shorter, but I felt pretty good (probably too good for the day after a 5k), so I decided to go a bit longer. I ran some good hills, which really broke up rythmn, but definitely gave me a good workout. Overall pace was about 6:30/mile.

Today was a threshold workout consisting of four consecutive miles. Goal pace was between 5:32/ mile and 5:37/mile. I ran 21:51 in total, averaging out to 5:28/mile, so I went a bit fast. I felt a bit tired, but nothing that would prevent me from hittin the miles. I finished with 2x400 meter strides, both at 66 seconds. A couple of easy miles were also thrown in the mix, serving for a pretty good workout!

An easy couple of miles today that felt pretty good. Nothing terribly exciting today, just a typical run. I did 8x150 meter strides at the end.

Today was an economy run and it was very windy (of course). I seem to really choose the opportune days for fast stuff. Anyhow, I ran 6x400 meters in 64, 66, 65, 65, 66, 65 which felt pretty painful. I then ran 8x200 meters, which I don't quite remember all of my splits, but the lowest was 30 (when wind was minimal) and the highest was 33. I think my coach is attempting to increase my pain threshold. Granted, I did choose the day in which to do the workout, but as far as pain is concerned id doesn't get much worse than a good economy run in the wind. whew...

Just an easy run today with 8x150 meter strides at the end. I felt a bit sluggish and slow (maybe because I didn't run yesterday? who knows). I am excited to see what will happen in the London marathon tommorrow. It looks like all the real marathon heavyweights are going to battle it out. I want to see Ryan Hall pull through with something big. On top of being a fantastic runner, he seems to really have his priorities right. We'll just see what happens!

A decent run to begin the week. I found a new trail to test out (mesa trail) and it really killed me. Every other turn I found myself scaling what felt like a forty five degree incline. No matter, I guess it will make me stronger in the long haul!

Today was an easy run that turned out to be not so easy. Within minutes of heading out, I reveived a nice showering of marble sized hail, only to get soaked by the rain that followed. I did feel decent, though. After mile seven I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to give it a little juice. I hit the last two miles at 5:30 pace, which was not bad considering I was wearing  five pound water logged shoes.

It was very rainy and cold this morning. I felt like sleeping forever. Today was a workout, though, so I built up the willpower to get up. I ran to the Fairview high school track, then did three mile repeats (5:10, 5:08, 5:12). I didn't feel so great, and the combination of being soaking wet on a windy day translated to some tough miles. At least they are done! I have a five mile race this weekend at Boulder reservoir that I am pretty excited for. I don't know what the competition will be like, so I will probably set a pace and stick to it not matter what is happening around me. Hopefully I can run well!

Today was good, minus the hurricane in my stomach. I think that something I ate earlier in the day really did me in at about six or seven miles. No strides at the end, just glad to finish in one piece.

Today was an "easy" economy run (if the two terms easy and economy can even be used in the same sentence). I was assigned only 10x200 meter strides with 200 meter rest between intervals, so I didn't hurt too bad. My slowest was 31 seconds and my fastest was 28 seconds. If I could only build my aerobic endurace to handle my speed, I think I could really hit some serious times. As of now, my speed is still far greater than my aerobic ability. Once my aerobic ability and speed are on a level playing field, I think I will be able to run well. I guess only time and running will fix this, though. I think this explains a bit of my racing dilemma. In a race (5k/10K), I have no problem running the first mile in 4:35-4:40, but after about 1.5-2 miles of this, I am spent. Once my aerobic ability increases to the point of withstanding these times for the full 5,000 or 10,000 meters, I will be able to run well. Until then, all I can do is train hard to build my endurance.

Easy run before my race tommorrow. I ran about 6:30 pace for the run and finished with 4x150 meter strides. Hopefully tommorrow will go well!

I ran the Boulder Distance Carnival 5 mile race today. Today was a very good day for racing ,about 55-60 degrees and sunny (later it reached a blistering 80). The starting line looked pretty decent, but not unmanageable (if theres one thing I have learned from seeing all these huge runners up here, its to not be afraid to hold your hands in the fire). There was the typical one-two mile sprinter that flew off the starting line thinking that winning in the first mile would win him the race, only to die at a mile and a half. This was hard for me; I used to be this person, so it was hard for me not to follow. I hung back with the bigger pack and relaxed. When I passed him at mile two, I felt a sense of accomplishment, it was like passing myself four or five months ago. Now it was me and one other runner. He kept up for another half mile before dropping and I was alone in the lead. This kind of scares me now, mainly because I don't want to go too far ahead, fall apart and get passed. I just kept on cruising and finished strong. This turned out to be more of a glorified tempo run than a real race. I ran 5:24 pace, which is really not my race pace. I think that the lack of people the last 2.5 miles let me get a bit too comfy and forget that I was really racing (the course was also on gravel and a bit hilly) Oh well, If nothing else I learned a good lesson in composure, and how going out too fast is suicide. This was my last race before Bolder Boulder. Now my coach has me doing some easier running with a bit of fast stuff to keep me sharp. Doing big workouts are useless now, they will not contribute to my fitness until after the race. I am beginning to see the real beauty in my coaches strategy. He wants me to run well in a specific race, and to be in peak condition at that point in time. We discussed training strategy, and how important the "cycle" effect operates. More fitness can be gained by training hard, then resting to let your body recoup. When you restart a hard training interval, you will begin at a level higher than the previous interval. This "step" method is more efficient than continually pounding your body into the ground because it allows your body to recoup and gain fitness after each tough training period. Continually running a lot of miles and workouts can also eliminate the fun or excitement out of running, and without enthusiasm or excitement racing (as well as running in gereral) is useless. I am slowly realizing the large amounts of strategy that is involved with training. Getting out and continually doing mileage will definitely help you, but by using strategy and carfully placing miles at specific times, you can position yourself to run very well at a given time. That being said, the next few weeks before BB 10k will not be too strenuous to allow my body to strengthen from the training I have done. Whew, my longest entry yet.

My coach told me to go very easy today, so I didn't stray from his plan. I felt fine, but my left foot has a bit of a problem. Apparently a muscle in the top middle section of my foot was getting aggravated by the tightness of my shoe lacing. My coach told me to redo the lacing at this part of my shoe, so that not as much pressure is put on this section of my foot. Hopefully it works, because this hurts pretty bad (I'm sure the racing flats on Sunday did not help the situation, either).