Run Buffs Run!

First 10k - Bolder Boulder, ran in 38.25, which is a good starting point ot improve from

Ran in 31.19, which was good for me b/c two large hills were included in the run

Ran in 18.05, want to get under 18 in next three weeks

Ran in 22.32, which reaches the goal of an under an 18 minute 5k

Ran about 5.1 miles today, and did so in a time of 31 minutes flat. Not bad considering that I did the same run a week ago in 32.19. The pace is almost exactly a six minute mile for 5.1 miles, a good starting point to improve.

Ran a 5K in 18.12, but under 90 degree weather, and completed a monster hill, which probably reduced my time. I need to get ready for a 5k on Sunday of this week, so three more short (5k) runs this week should help my time.

Ran a 5k today in 18:12, but under extreme heat and wind, and completed one big hill. Very grueling and painful run for such a short distance.

Ran 5.1 miles today in 32:20. This was one of the hardest runs I have ever ran due to the heat and wind. It was 95 degress farenheight, with upwards of 20 mph winds. All in all it was a bad day of running.

Just a light workout today to prepare myself for the 5k on Sunday. Tommorrow will be a day of rest before the race.

Ran my first official 5k in 16:24 today. It was a good race and served as a good starting point to improve on.

Good run today. I ran 6.7 miles on nice and flat land in decently cool weather (80 degrees) and felt good. In all, a decent run.

Ran 4 miles today, nothing too spectacular. I ran one big hill and did so in good time.

Ran 8 miles today at good pace and felt good doing so. I am sure that running longer (8+ miles) will improve my 10k and 5k times.

Ran 6.5 miles today at about 5:50 pace. Good conditions and a good overall run.

Ran 5.1 miles today. The weather was a little hot, and wind was a factor, but in all, a good run.

Bad run today. Not in the mood for running and the weather was hot and windy. Felt like my legs were concrete.

Ran 7.5 miles today in decent conditions. Felt pretty good while running, even on hills and inclines. Overall, a good run.

Ran 7.5 miles, nothing special. For the most part,a typical feeling run.

Ran a total of 5.5 miles today, but in a different fashion than I regularly do. I ran a total of 2.5 miles at high speeds (at random times throught the run) and 3 miles at an easy pace (6:35 pace). This form of workout seems to far exceed the difficulty of plainly running at a flat rate for 5.5 miles. In all, a good workout.

Only a short run today, but a decent workout. It was very hot and windy so conditions were not great, but I got a workout in anyway.

Ran only four miles today b/c we are going out to California tonight. Ran the distance at a good pace, thought, and overall it was a good workout.

Ran 8 miles today at sea level. This is my first real time running at this altitude and it feels good. It seems that my legs get tired far before I run out of breath, which is good when running. Overall, a good run.

Whew! Ran 10.5 miles today at sea level and felt great. What a good feeling it is to finally have air to breathe! In all, a great run!

Ran five, one kilometer runs at target 5k speed within ninety seconds of each other. This kept my heart rate fluctuating between working very hard and relaxing, making it very hard to run the fifth kilometer at a fast pace.

Just a maintenance run today. Nothing special nor bad, just a typical run.

Ran 10.5 miles today and the weather was good, although a bit hot. Overall, a good run. Last long run before the 5k on Tuesday.

Only ran three miles today (an easy run to allow myself to get ready for the 5k on Tuesday)

Ran a 5k today and did so in 16:49. I am dissapointed because I felt that I did not run my best, and that I could have improved my time by a factor of at least 45 seconds.

Ran 9.5 miles today at an elevation of 6,700 ft which was quite a task. It was good however that I had the opportuniy to run at this altitude to improve my stamina. Overall, a good run!

Ran 11 miles today. Long and grueling, but a good workout.

Ran 5.4 miles today, not a particularly long run, but a sufficient workout.

Ran 6.0 miles today in rainy/cold weather, which was opportune for a good workout. In all, a decent run.

Only ran 4.5 miles today mainly because I did not feel very good. It is hard to run when you are feeling under the weather.

Ran a total of 10 miles today with some very tough terrain. Ran up two very long hills and ran five miles at near max pace. In all, a great workout.

Frusturating day. Worked from 5am to 1:30pm, so I could not run in the morning, and by the time I got home the temp. was up to 95 degrees. I am hydrated, but don't want to risk running in such heat. I am disapointed because yesterday was my rest day, and I am being forced to take another day off.

In the end, I squeezed a workout in at night time. Nothing too long or extensive, but enough to get a coulple of miles in. A very large hill proved to be a difficult task, especially after a long day.

Ran 6.7 miles at a 6:10-6:15 mile pace. Began slower (7:00 min mile) and worked my way up to about a slightly sub 6 minute mile. In all, a decent workout.

Ran 6 miles today, but I was forced to run at night once again because of work schedule. Measured off a 5k and did it in 17:10, but I ate about an hour before, and worked about eight hours. I still ran ok, but I know that I could have ran better had I ran fresh in the morning.

Found a new running trail today that is perfect for a combination of long distance and speed workouts/hill running. Ran 10 miles total, five miles in, five miles out. Picked up the pace for the last five miles to finish in 57:56.

Ran 6.5 miles today in very hot conditions. Legs felt very heavy, and I couldn't get into any type of rythmn. Overall, a pretty bad feeling run.

Only ran 5.4 miles today because I have to work this morning, but I did so in 30 mins. flat. This averages to a 5:33 mile, with one half decently steep mile hill and a very steep quarter mile hill. In all, I am pleased with this mornings run.

Ran 6 miles total today. I ran the first 4 miles at easy pace and last two miles at about a 6:00 pace. In all, an easy run. Since my summer job ends sunday, I will begin a new workout routine (suggested by Sasha) next week.

Ran very little today due to heat and work schedule. Ran 2x400 meters at 5:15 pace after running 4.5 miles, 2.5 of which were at threshold pace. In all, a small workout.

Ran 8.0 miles at 6:00 min mile pace. In all, I felt good and got a good workout in.

Ran 8 miles at easy pace (6:45 pace) and felt good. A bit rainy, but good temp. to run in.

Ran 12x400 meters today for a speed workout. For the first 1600 meters I ran 4:34, 2nd I ran 4:37 and 3rd I also ran 4:37. My fastest 400 was 66 seconds, slowest was 70 seconds. This was probably one of the hardest workouts that I have ever done, mainly because running such fast 400 meters back to back makes your legs feel like spaghetti. You know that it is a good workout when your lungs feel like fire, your legs are shot and you are only halfway done. For some weird reason, I ran 69 seconds for almost every single 400 meter lap. I guess that must just be my max pace at this point in time. Although I only ran 3 miles at max pace today, it feels as if I ran 10 at sub 6:00 pace. I started and finished with an easy one mile jog.

Ran 6 miles in the morning at about 6:30 pace. In the afternoon I ran four miles with a endurance coach that I met at a previous race. We discussed training strategys and ways to improve running speed. She had much valuable advice (seeing as this is her profession), and was very helpful as far as providing tips and strategys.

Ran 4.5 miles today at 5:30 pace, but did so in 90 degree (F) heat. Took yesterday off because I feel as if I may be overtraining a bit. I think than this is true because I am having trouble sleeping at night (I have been told that this is oen of the sure signals). I think that I will take tommorrow off and repeat last weeks training regime, paying closer attention to what my body tells me. In all, however, todays run was good.

Ran 12 miles today, my longest run to date. It took me 1:15, but I sped up on the second half, running it in 36 mins. I feel that I need to run longer distances, mainly because I need get in better aerobic shape. How fast I run in 5k and 10k races is solely dependent on my heart and lungs, not my leg power. I think that if I get in better aerobic shape, I can greatly reduce my times.

Ran 8.0 miles today in in great weather (about 70 degrees F). The course I ran was a fairly abrupt series of dirt hills, meaning that I went up one side and down the other, up another hill and again, down the backside. This was tough, especially since some of the hills were very steep. Although half of the run was downhill, it seems that the long uphills completely eliminate any stamina I had going. I ran the 8 miles in 47 minutes, but am very happy with my time due to the extensive twisting, turning and ups/downs of the hills. I am also practicing a new type of strategy for racing. At the beginning I run fast, but not at threshold. As the run proceeds, I slowly pull down on the trigger, attempting to run the last mile in under 5:30 pace. I think that this can help build up stamina and aerobic threshold.

Ran 8 miles total today. I ran 7 miles at 6:45/7:00 pace and finished with one mile at 5:15 pace. In all, legs felt heavy and the run felt very forced.

Ran 8.5 miles today at 6:45/7:00 pace. Felt grueling at first, but after two miles or so I felt ok.

Ran 3x1600 meters today with a 400 meter jog between intervals. I forgot my watch (of course you forget it when you need it), but my body clock told me that I was running in the neighborhood of a 5:15 mile. Although the workout did not last a particularly long time, it sucked all the strength out of me by the last 800 meters. I believe this occurs because of the rest time (slow jog between intervals). My heart rate slows down and body becomes more relaxed, so when I take off again, my body needs to work hard to get back up to high "rpm's". I ran a one mile warm up and a one mile cool down.

Ran the Evergreen 10k today, which was quite a race. THe race took place at an elevation of 7,700 feet, but much of the couse was downhill.

I tried to retain myself from exploding off of the starting line, which I partially did, but it seems that some instincts can not be fully removed. I had to put the pedal to the floor. I clocked the first two miles in 10:06, a blistering pace of a 5:03 per mile. My 5k split was exactly 16:00, which is a personal best so far in my running "career". At this point I was currently in fifth, but at mile four, this grueling pace caught up with me. I let one runner pass, but remained confident that no one else was going to overtake me. In the last mile, a runner of my similar age was gaining. With 800 meters left he made his move. Sensing that he would soon pass me, I turned forward, eyed the finish, and turned on the afterburners. I don't know quite how fast I ran the last 800 meters, but rest assured it was sub 4:45 pace. I had held him off, finishing with a personal record time of 33:40. Only later did he tell me that he, being my same age, was top ten in the state in the 10,000 meter his senior year of high school. Knowing this, I figured that I did well, especially since I have only been training (at a decently high level) for the last two months. I beat my personal best for the 10k by almost by 5:00 and my personal best for the 5k by 24 seconds, not bad for a single days work. I knew that my training was increasing my speed, but only now do I realize the extent to which it has helped me grow as a runner. At this rate, I would like to break 30:00 in the next six months. If I could do that, there is no way that the CU varsity squad could turn me down.

Ran 8 miles today at slow pace. Legs are very sore and feel tired. Not a bad run, but it felt very forced.

Ran 8.0 miles today at 6:30/6:45 pace. In all, felt good, but legs are still a bit slow to respond. Not a bad run, though.

Ran 11.5 total miles today in the mountains (Rockies) at 7:00 am. I am currently on a fly fishing trip with friends, and the area we are staying in has excellent trails for running. The trails consist mostly of dirt/gravel that have been packed down by cars. They weave through nice scenery, bridging three or four small streams while remaining relatively flat. In the morning, the air is cool and the trees are damp from the previous nights mist. It seems as though you almost forget that you are even running while winding through this serene setting. Unfortunately, a small shin-splint seemed to slow me down towards the end of the run. For being so small, those things can hurt like hell. Besides that, however, this mornings run was great!

Did 3 miles of speed workouts today (12x400). Unfortunately, since I am in the mountains I have no access to a track, so I sprinted one minute, jogged for two minutes, and repeated this 12 times. I am guessing that it is about 6500 ft. up here, so today was a very challenging workout. Unfortunately, I was unable to run yesterday because of a shin splint. I still felt it today, but I could put up with it. Yesterday, I was ready to run, but when I began the pain was too sharp to persevere through it. It seems more of a nuisance than anything else. It really did not hurt that bad, but it was just enough to prohibit me from running. In a way, it was almost good, though, because today I felt like I could give the speed workout my full potential. I felt like I gave the sprints all that I had, leaving me feeling very tired at the end. In all, a good workout!

Ran nine miles total today. It was cool because I met a girl that is the sister of a previous CU varsity runner. Severy (the runners last name), is in the book called Running with the Buffaloes, which I am currently reading. It is cool to meet someone that has had hands on experience with the CU running team. From the sounds of it, the program is very intense, but Mark Wetmore (CU coach) will turn you into an all- american in no time, if you don't get injured. In all, a good day of running.

Ran 8 miles total today, 6.5 of which at 6:45 pace and 1.5 miles at 6:00 pace. I ran the fastest at the end to try and build up my aerobic capacity, since I feel that it is my limiting factor.

Ran 5 miles at 5:30 pace today, which was decently difficult becasause I was running on loose gravel/dirt. Ran a one mile warm up.

Only ran 4.5 miles today at easy pace because I did not have much spare time. I will make up for the short run tommorrow, though. I plan on running 11+ miles.

My longest run yet! I ran 15 miles on a dirt/gravel trail along the highline canal. The canal has mile markers, so I went up to 7.5 and back. I completed the full run in 1:38 flat, which averages out to a 6:32 mile. By about mile 13, I was ready to fall over and die, but I managed to squeeze every ounce of energy out of myself to finish the run. I think that runs such as this will help build my aerobic capacity to where it should be. What a workout!

Ran 6.5 miles today in 37:44, which averages out to about a 5:50 average mile. I felt bad, however, during the run. Since I ran 15 miles on Friday, my stamina seems to be shot. I tried to hold on to a faster paced mile but it was unsuccessfull. It felt as if I were pushing against a stone wall every time that I took a new step. I guess my time was not bad, but I know that if I had full strength then I would be able to push harder. I ran a .5 mile cool down.

Ran 8.0 miles today at easy pace (7:00 min mile). Of course, I forgot about the temp. at mid-day and ran at 3:00 pm. It was nearly 90 degrees (F) and I ate lunch about an hour before, so the run did not feel so good. I don't know what comes over me sometimes, but I make some poor decisions when choosing a time to run. In hot weather, after eating lunch is definitely one such example. I completed the run on pace, but it felt much more forced than it should have.

Ran 3 miles of speed workouts consisting of 6x800 meters with a 400 meter jog at 7:30 mile pace in between intervals. I don't know what it is, but this workout killed me. I pushed as hard as I could, and still did not achieve any extraordinary times. My splits were as follows: 2:22, 2:30, 2:32, 2:34, 2:37, 2:37. This was dissapointing because I would have liked to break 5:00 min mile pace, but thats the way running is sometimes. I think that the lack of a good recovery before the following interval is what really did it. Previously, when I did speed workouts, I would only run 12x400 with a half lap walk, which gave me plenty of time to recover. Today, I felt tired even before beginning the next interval. Even though my times were dissapointing, I still felt like I got a good workout.

Ran 8.0 miles today. For the first four I ran about a 6:30 mile, and I picked it up for the last four, completing them at an average of a 6:10 mile. I am trying to pick up pace as the run goes on to build up more stamina. A little windy, but overall a good run. I am happy because I am starting to get back into the groove of things. After I outdid myself with the 15 miler last week, I felt bad the next couple of runs. I feel like I have powered through the "slump" that I have been in since that run, so I can tell that my body is becoming more familiar with working hard.

Ran 6.7 miles total today. The first 3.5 I ran at a 6:30 pace, when I found a good field to do some sprints. I was unsure of exact distance, so I decided to do five, ten second sprints (maybe a little less than 100 meters). I ran these at about the fastest that I possibly can. It felt good to really take mey legs to their maximum potential. Between intervals, I ran 50 seconds at about 8:00 min mile pace. After these, I continued the run for about 3 miles at 7:00 pace. In all, a good workout.

I moved back into the dorms in Boulder, CO today to begin the next school year. It feels great tobe back up in such an athletic town, filled with talented runners. I ran ten miles today, starting with three easy miles (at about 7:00 pace to get warmed up), followed by seven miles at six minute pace. I felt good throught the whole run, especially at the end. After eight miles, I began to feel that I had a good rhythmn going and cruised through the finish in 1:03:29. What felt particularly good was that I had the ability to really push at the end of the run. I don't really know why this occured. I like to think that it is "all my hard work and training paying off", but I think that it has to do more with the fact that I did not run yesterday and my legs were itching to be used. My tryout for the CU team is a week from tommorrow. I feel anxious, nervous and excited all at the same time. Most of all, I feel like I have the determination and desire, but now I have to prove that my abilities are up to par. I feel like I have a good pair of legs backing me up, and good heart and lung capacity to keep me going, but now I have to prove to the coaches that I am worthy of making their team, which is no easy task. On Monday, I am going to the coaches office to pick up a map of the trial race. I intend on running the course before next Saturday to get a good feel for it, and to know how hard to push. All I can do now is channel my anxiety into hard training and see where it might take me...

Ran 8.0 miles today in the morning. It was cool and overcast, which made it very good weather for running. I ran all eight miles at approx. 6:15 pace and felt good. I did not feel like I had to over-strain myself to keep up a good pace. In all, a good run.

Only ran 3.5 miles today. I ran two miles of speed workouts (8x400m) to keep my legs sharp. My splits were as follows: 68,67,69,70,70,70,70,68. I did not feel like I ran particularly fast today, but somedays that just happens. I am not going to run anything extraordinary this week, or push myself to the max because I want to be prepared for next Saturdays time trial. As the week goes on, I am going to taper my workouts.

Ran 9 miles total today at an average of a 5:50 mile. I began at a slower pace 6:30 and eased my way into a faster pace, clocking miles 6-8 at a blistering 5:35 pace. It felt good to work give my legs a good workout, though. I also met a friend that I knew last year in engineering while running. He only runs twice or three times a week recreationally, but ran with the cross country team for a day last year. He said that the training is very intense, and he ran with them on one of their "easy days". In all, my run today was a very good workout. It especially helps when you have someone else to talk to and keep your mind off of the pain.

Ran the CU time trial course today, but did so at very slow pace (7:00 min mile) to get a good feel for Saturday. The course is kind of bumpy, and has a good amount and ups and downs. It seems tough to get a good time, but I am sure that when that adrenalin starts pumping it will seem far more achievable. I ran with another prospective team member, who is also trying out for the first time. He was an 800 meter runner in high school and seemed like he was decent. In all, an easy workout. I am beginning to taper my workouts so that I can perform my best on Saturday.

Ran 8 miles total today at about 6:45 pace. Nothing special, but a good leg-stretching run. Felt very good and I was never short of breath, which is good because when I first started running, I felt winded after two miles at this pace. I finished with an 800 meter sprint.

It was very difficult to pay attention during class today with such an important run awaiting me tommorrow (differential equations can wait!). I feel nervous knowing that this run can determine such a great deal about my running future here at CU. I ran yesterday for three miles at very easy pace, just to keep my body in rythmn, and took today off. I know that I worked very hard to get into the shape that I am in, so I guess that I need to trust in my training, and let that take me where it may.

I ran the CU time trial this morning. It was a cold and wet morning, perfect for running. Saying that I was stressed would be an understatement, so when the gun went off, I immediately jumped to the top with the CU runners. I was surprised, because I expected them to be going quite a bit faster. One other runner attempted to take an early lead, but it was to no avail. I stuck with the CU runners with ease for the first two miles, and then it happened. I felt as if my vision were narrowing, and my legs truned to spaghetti. This feeling progressed until I had to almost hold my head up with my hands so that I could look forward. My pace slowly dwindled from a 5:20 mile something much slower. At that point, however, I was becoming delirious and lost any real thought process. It was more of catching myself when I was about to fall rather than really running. I probably gave up a good 20 positions after the ordeal began. With about 3/4 of a mile to go I approached a steep hill. It was not particularly long, but it was intense. People on the side must have been laughing at me because it took me a solid mintue to scale it. The main problem was that my balance was very messed up, so I swayed from side to side, trying desperately not to fall. I finally came across the finish line, not knowing what time I had received (I looked at my watch but I was far too delirious to comprehend what my time really was). Luckily, my parent were there, and seeing that I was in terrible shape, drove me to the hospital. On the way, I puked three or four times and felt terrible. At the hospital they hooked me up to an IV and layed me down. They monitored my heart rate and blood oxygen level. They also took blood samples to test for a lack of electrolytes and low blood sugar. Slowly but surely, I regained "consciousness" and began to feel a bit better. After an hour and a half, they released me. The blood tests showed that I was not lacking electrlytes, but my blood sugar level was high (265), suprisingly. They told me that the stress is probably what did me in, and that this is a fairly common occurence for serious runners. I felt like I ate a lot of carbohydrates and comsumed plenty of electrolytes the day before, so it seemed weird that something like this would happen. I know that the tempo is not what got to me either because I am used to running this fast with no previous problems. What especially agitated me was that the winning time was 26:55, which I know I could have beat, had my body not "shut down". I am going to talk to the CU coach and see if I can prove myself another time, because today was obviously not the "true" me. What feels the worst is knowing that my time was a false representation of my ability. I am happy, however, to be ok and well. I feel a bit tired, but I plan on resting for the rest of the day to regain strength.

I know that I went to the hospital yesterday, but the temptation to run was too great. I began conservatively for the first 3/4 of a mile and eased my way into about a 6:20 mile. I was cautious to not overextend myself, and closely watched for any signs similar to yesterday. I felt a bit tired, but besides that, the run went great. Why is it that your body "falls apart" when you really need it to perform, and perform when you don't really need it? Just a question to ponder...

Ran 6.0 miles today in the morning. I was very sore (I don't quite know why), which prohibited me from running very fast. I ran an average of a 6:30 mile, and finished with a 400 meter sprint. In all, a good run.

Ran 1.8 miles at 6:30 pace straight into 6x800 meter repeats. Had 400 meter rest between intervals at 7:45 pace. My splits were as follows: 2:17,2:26, 2:32, 2:36, 2:36, 2:34. After I finished the repeats, I jogged the 1.8 miles back to my dorm at 7:05 pace. I did not run yesterday because I was very sore, so I decided to make today intense to compensate. In all, a very tough but productive workout.

Ran approximately ten miles this morning, but did so on a very tough trail. I began running from my dorm and ran up Flagstaff mtn. road, which begins in the foothills of Boulder, and ascends nearly 2,200 ft. in five miles. The climb was tough, but definitely worth it once the top is reached. ALthough I was running at a slow pace on the ascent, it felt as if I were running a sub six minute mile on flat ground. Coming back down the mountain was bad. I hate pounding my legs against the pavement when the road is a steep downhill. I finished with a 600 meter sprint at the end, and felt good. In all, a good workout.

Ran 10 miles today at 5:00 pm. It was cool and rainy, perfect for a good run. I started out fairly slow, about 7:00 mile, and sped up. I presumed that I was running in the neighborhood of a 6:25 mile, but suprisingly clocked off 4 miles at 5:50 pace. It was suprising that I could achieve this type of mile time without really pushing hard. It felt decently comfortable, and I cruised through the remainder of my run, finishing with a steep hill.

Ran 9.3 miles today at easy pace (6:45 mile). I felt good throught the duration of the run, but think that I might need to step up the length of my easy runs to get a good workout. I feel that today may have been too easy, which is good in a way (it allows me to recover from intense workouts), but I also feel that I can improve more if I lengthen these runs. In all, however, a good run. Oh, first 50+ mile week!

Ran 5.0 miles at easy pace today, but did so after a soccer game. I was already tired when I began the run, but made it through. I did not run very fast, but still felt like I got a decent workout.

Ran 11 miles total today. I ran a half mile warm up, a 10.2 mile run, and a half mile cool down. For the first half of the run, I tried to restrict myself from pushing too hard and running out of energy. On the second half, I let myself "free" and cruised at good pace. For the first half, my time was 31:15. I ran 30:11 for the second half, finishing with a total time of 1:01.26. The run felt pretty good. I did not need to force my body to move on, and I felt like I definitely had the ability to sprint at the end.

Ran a total of 8.2 miles today. I felt kind of tired for some of the run because of a long schoolday. None the less, I was kind of agitated from a mathcad lab, so I decided to go out hard. I ran the first half mile at 6:30 pace, then sped it up to a 5:20 mile for the next two miles. I felt generally tired, so I slowed to a 6:15 mile and cruised through the end of the run. Felt tired and "blah", but some runs are just like that.

Ran a total of 7 miles today. I ran a 1 mile speed workout (1X800 in 2:21 and 2X400 in 69,72), but felt sluggish. I felt as if I were a robot with constricted movements and my legs were machine-gunned. I think that this has something to do with some fast paced running yesterday. When I was finishing up my easy miles, I saw a runner behind me and slowed to talk to him. When I said "hey" he didn't respond and picked up the pace, trying to drop me. That was it, he needed to see who was in charge. Although I felt a bit tired, I put the pedal to the metal. He kept up with me for a good 500/600 meters, until he slowly faded and eased back into slower pace. I kept the pace going for about 3/4 of a mile and, knowing that he was done, eased back into slower pace to finish out the run. I will begin to lighten the worouts to taper for a 10k on Sunday of this week.

Ran five miles today (day two of my taper for Sunday). I plan to run 3-4 miles tommorrow with a few 100 meter strides to keep sharp. I figure that this way I will keep my running rythmn going, but also rest fully before the race.

Ran a total of five easy miles today to prepare for the 10k tommorrow. I ran slow pace 6:45/7:00 mile and completed five 100 meter strides. It was hard to stop running because it felt like I just got the engine started up, and then it was time to turn it off. My body wanted to do some faster stuff, but I mentally prohibited myself from increasing the pace. I think that the taper I used worked well because I feel sharp and rested. Not too many miles this week because I wanted to feel good for this 10k.

I ran a 10k this morning at the Boulder Reservoir. I finished with a time of 34:23 (fourth place), which I am decently pleased with for two reasons. First, this course was completely flat (rolling hills), unlike the course that I set my PR on (it dropped approx. 400 ft). This course was also almost all dirt and gravel, which for me, seems much harder to run on than asphalt. So, considering these factors, I think that my performance today was better than that a month ago (my last 10k). At the 5k mark my time was 16:20. I know that I could have set a new 5k PR if I were running that distance, but because I had to pace myself I let it go. At the end of the race, a finisher in front of me, which works at Boulder Running Co., told me that my stride was not matching my shoes at all, causing me to be inefficient and lose energy. He thinks that if I get some shoes that cause my step to line up the right way, that I can greaty improve efficiency and reduce time. I won a $50.00 gift card to the store from this race, so I may go talk to him and test out some different shoes. I had to bike to the reservoir which is 8 miles away because I did not have any other mode of transportation. After biking the eight miles back, I played a soccer game, which was pretty hard. In all, I am satisfied with my effort today. My time might not be stellar, but I can see that I am definitely improving as time goes on.

Ran a total of 12 miles today at fairly easy pace. I ran the first eight at 6:45 pace, followed by four miles at 6:25 pace. I am surprised because I am not sore from yesterday, so I decided to go ahead a get a decent run in. In all, I felt like I held up well considerig I ran a 10k yesterday.

Ran a total of 8.75 miles today, but ran 5 of which at 5:30 mile pace. I ran 1x3 miles, an easy mile at 7:15 pace, followed by two more miles at 5:30 pace and finished with 2.75 miles at easy pace. I think I may have isolated my problem. This workout seemed to just kill me. I had no trouble for the first two miles at 5:30 pace, but the third began to get tough. The last set of 2 miles at 5:30 pace was increasingly difficult, leaving me to believe that this may be the factor that is holding me back. Once I get this under control, I think that I could definitely decrease my 10k time. In all, a good workout. Oh, the next CU race is a week from Saturday. I am not feeling particularly nervous this time, but I definitely want to show the coach that my previous effort was a fluke. I feel more determined than scared this time around. I have quietly waited and put my money in the bank, now it is time to show the coach that I have what it takes to be part of the team. I am going to shoot, once again, for 26:30, or top twenty out of the 100 people that run it. If I can pull that off, I will most likely beat five or six of the existing cross country team members.

Ran nine and a half miles total today. I ran two intervals of three miles at 5:30 pace to get some good tempo running in. For the first three I ran 16:32 (slight uphill the whole way), then ran two easy miles in between, and ran the last three in 16:00 flat (slightly downhill).This is definitely my weakness as of now. I can do the workout, but find myself very short of breath at the end. I think the only way to correct this is to do more of it, so that is exactly what I am going to do. I got new shoes, too. I won $50 gift certificate to Boulder Runnign Co. for winning my age division in my last race, so I went and checked it out. When they watched me run on a treadmill, it was obvious that I over-pronate (meaning that my foot rools in too far), which can cause knee problems if not corrected. They set me up with the Saucony Omni 5, which corrects this problem. I ran with them for the first time this morning, and I have to say that I can feel a substancial difference. They seem to force my ankle to align perpendicularly to the ground, which feels better when running. In all, however, a good run this morning.

Ran approximately 10 miles today. I ran with a friend who likes to trail run, so we headed up to red rock canyon. Man, was the climb intense. We gained nearly 1,100 ft in two miles. It was really more of rock climbing than running. when we reached the summit, we decided to attempt to reach a road we saw far out in the distance, which turned out to be a bad idea. We "bushwacked" (meaning that we did not take any trail) all the out to the road, nearly falling with every step taken. After the ordeal, it was smooth sailing back to the dorm with the exception of my stomach. Some days it seems to just never comply with running, and hassles you with every step you take. Slowly but surely throughout the run a storm brewed up, causing me to really hurt the last couple miles. In all, a very eventful, but interesting run.

Ran 12.1 miles today at decently easy pace today. I felt good and got into a groove about 1/2 of the way through, allowing me to just coast through the finish. I ran two miles at a little faster than comfortable pace to from getting too relaxed. T-minus one week for the next CU race. I also ran my first 60 mile week, and I feel great!

Ran 6.5 miles total today with 6X800 meter speed workouts. My times were as follows: 2:25, 2:28, 2:29, 2:33, 2:33, 2:32. I am happy that I managed to keep my times relatively close together, but I was "unhappy" with the pace that I ran them. Usually I manage to get one of the 800 meter sprints in under 2:20. There was some slight wind, however, which felt like it may have slowed me down a bit. This would account for me not breaking the 2:20 mark. I ran 400 meter recoveries between each interval at 8:00 min pace. I was not looking forward to this workout, mainly because speed stuff is so boring and painful, but at least now I am done for a while!

Ran nine easy miles today, much of which on trails and steep mountain terrain. The hills that I ran were very tough, but I took them a fairly leisurely pace, taking my time to enjoy the mountian surroundings. As far as I am concerned, there is no better place to run than Boulder, CO. No matter where you go, no matter what kind of running you want to do, you have access to all types of terrain and unlimited places to run. Although I was only four to five miles outside downtown, I was nearly 900 ft. higher, and in a prestine mountain setting, alone. For me (especially on my easy runs), this gives me an opportunity to think, relieve stress, and contemplate life. Running, what a sport!

Easy 8.5 miles today, but definitely an interesting run. I started out attempting to do a tempo run, but felt very tired and slow, and knowing that my race is a couple of days away, I knew that now is not my time to really deplete myself. I met up with one of the CU team runners, and we talked while we jogged. He told me about the program, the coaching and the type of miles they put in. The more I hear, the more I want in!!! Well, I have put a good amount of work and training in, so I feel confident that I can be part of the team.

Ran seven easy miles today at easy pace. I am tapering for the race on Saturday, so I don't want to overextend myself right now. I felt a bit sluggish today, but this typically happens to me after taking a day off, so tommorrow/Saturday should be better. I am planning on running 4 miles tommorrow, with a couple 100 meter strides.

Ran 4.2 miles today at easy pace with 4X100 meter strides. I feel good and ready to roll tommorrow.

Ran the Rocky Mountain Shootout 8k today. Fortunately, this time I didn't find myself in the ER like last time. I was, however, still dissapointed with my performance. I ran 28:40 for the full race, which is not bad, but I know that I could have run much better. I was shooting for 26:30, which shows how much I fell behind my target pace. I don't know what my problem is, but I seem to never get any rythmn going on this course. The whole time the race felt like pulling teeth. Every step I took felt painful, and about two miles through I lost most of my steam. I didn't feel like I did last time, but I definitely did not feel like I performed well. I guess my time was not horrible (I would have finished mid-pack in the collegiate pace), but I am dissapointed that I did not demonstrate my full potential. Had I would have run "well", I guarantee that I could have hit 26:30 for the course. Feeling frusturated, I ran 12 miles to burn off some steam, making 18 miles for the full day. I am going to talk to the coaches tommorrow, and probably begin training with the team. I guess that I can't be too annoyed, though, because I have only been running for 3 to 4 months, while most of the CU team has been running since 6th/7th grade. I just hope that the coaches can see this too.

Only ran six miles today after my long day tommorrow. I am feeling good (a little sore/tired today), but prepared to talk to the CU coaches tommorrow. I feel confident that if I get a chance to train with the team, then I can definitely make it on. I guess I will just see what happens.

Ran 8.5 miles total today consisting of 2X3 mile tempo runs and 3 easy miles. For the first three mile tempo I got 16:15 (slightly uphill) and then ran 2 easy miles. On the way coming back I saw the CU team. I would have turned around to run with them, but I needed to complete my tempo workout. Feeling dissapointed with my 8k time, and that the CU coach didn't give me much of a chance to prove myself, I decided to really go at the second tempo run. I hit 2.75 miles in 14:14, which averages out to a 5:10 mile pace. I don't know what got over me, but I needed to release some anxiety. It hurt, but not as bad as I would have expected. Too bad I was not in an official 5k when I ran this. I may have set a new PR without even attempting to.

Rna 12 easy miles today. I am feeling a bit sick, so I ran fairly slow and relaxed. I felt ok, but a bit tired at the end. In all, though, a decent run.

Ran 8.5 miles total today, with a 4.5 mile tempo run. It was an interesting experience because I met a marathoner from South Africa that just moved to Boulder yesterday. His PR for the marathon was 2:13, which is absolute madness. He ran my tempo run with me for 25 minutes, and seemed to be just "flying" along while I was expending energy with every step I took (mind you we were running sub 5:25 pace). I managed to keep up with him the whole tempo run, though, which made me feel good. I have a small shin splint, so I backed off the miles a bit today, and I am hoping that it will get better soon. In all, though, a very solid workout today.

Ran 10.5 miles today, but it might as well have been 13-14. I decided to run on some trails today to allow my shin splint to heal. The problem was, however, that I ended up running a hill that kept between 7% and 9% incline (reaching as high as 11% in some areas) for just over 45 minutes. This was a huge quadburner, making me work for every step that I took. I felt very good today though, so I was able to really push hard and keep on moving at a steady rate. When I reached level ground again, I felt my body "take off" and really plow down a couple of miles. In all, I felt very good today.

Good luck to everyone who is running SG tommorrow!!!

Ran a four mile tempo run today. It felt very forced and difficult for some weird reason (I don't quite know why), and I hurt the whole time. Luckily, I managed to maintain a 5:30 mile clip even when I felt bad. I also ran 4.5 easy miles, totaling 8.5 miles for the day.

Today was an easy day for me. I only ran 8.5 miles at easy pace and really tried to relax. I feel a bit tired and sore, but in all, ok. I might take another easy day tommorrow to fully recoup before I hit the grindstone again.

Only ran approximately 8 miles today due to terrible weather. It rained drops the size of golf balls all day. I guess this would not be so bad if it was warm, but I was unlucky in this department too. It was just under 40 degrees (F) when I left to go, which might not seem cold, but when you are drenched and wearing those mini running shorts that provide no sort of insulation, it is frigid. Knowing that I would not be able to go too far or too long, I decided to make my time count. I ran with some good pace (6:10 min mile for 5 miles, ran a very steady but long uphill (one mile) at 7:00 min pace and then cranked through a downhill at 5:30 pace for just over two miles). In all, a bit dissapointed that I didn't have the ability to go for something a bit longer, but sometimes you do what you got to do.

Ran 12 easy miles today at about 6:40 pace. I felt very sluggish and never got into any real rythmn, which seemed to prolong the pain. In all, though, I am glad to have gotten a decent amount of miles in.

Ran two tempo runs today, one for 2.75 miles and one for 3.5 miles. I ran the first tempo run (2.75 miles) in 15:19 (the slightly uphill direction), which is a new record for me for that uphill route by nearly 40 seconds. I then ran 2.25 miles at easy pace, mentally preparing for the pain of the next tempo run to come. I ran the 3.5 tempo miles in 18:43, which averages to a 5:20 mile. I felt decent considering the pace I was averaging, but towards the end, I really had to pull from deep inside of me to keep on moving. This workout really hit my trouble area, fast tempo for a sustained amount of time. More of this and I think I will be able to fly through the 10k. In all, I feel very good about this workout.

Ran 10.5 miles today at easy pace. I felt comfortable at about 7:00 min/mile pace, so I knew that if I went any faster or slower, than I would break the "comfort barrier". In all, however, a decent run.

Ran 6.25 threshold miles again today (the same workout as on Thursday). My times for both the 2.75 mile and 3.5 mile were ten seconds off of my previous pace. I think that this has to do with my recovery. I really went all out on Thursday, and I think my body still needed recovery time, so when I ran today I was fighting an uphill battle. This run hurt terribly. I don't know what it was, but man did I struggle. I think that runs such as this (really pushing it when my body tells me enough) will really help out my times.

Only nine miles total for today. I feel tired and my body feels a bit sluggish, but in general, I feel fine. I also played a soccer game after I ran, so I am definitely going to relax for the rest of the day.

Yes!!! I ran with the CU team today! I happened to run into them on my usual long run route, and joined their group. I introduced myself and the team captain said he recognized me from the time trial (In the leaders group before I konked out and slowed down). They all seemed really cool and invited me to run again with them on Thursday. This may just be the break I need to make it on the team. I think that once I train a bit with them, they will recognize my ability. Hopefully, this may be a back-door method of getting onto the team!

Ran 2.5 miles of speedwork today, but had to do so on an indoor track because of snow outside. Ran 10X400 meters. My slowest time was 70 seconds, my fastest was 64. The workout felt very hard, but I also had a hard week of running, so I figured that my times were ok for my present situation. I am going to take tommorrow off, and run with the CU team on Thursday.

Ran 11 miles today at easy pace. I took yesterday off, and tommorrow I am going to hit the grindstone again.

Ran 6.25 miles of tempo workouts today. One tempo for 2.75 miles, one for 3.5 miles. I was forced to take a bit longer path today due to muddy conditions, but surprisingly my times were very close to my records for the run. With this in mind, I think these may have been my best tempo runs yet. Right when I finished, I ran into the CU team and ran with a couple of their runners for a while. It is nice because they seem to recognize me now, and freely allow me to run along with them.

Ran 10 easy miles today. It snowed a bit last night, so I was forced to run on pathways and streets, not the usual trails I like to run on. Felt a bit tired (possibly from staying up unitl 3:30 am the night before), but such is the life in college.

Only 5.5 total miles today, two of which were hill running. I had very limited time today, so I decided to make the workout short and hard. I ran to the base of Chataqua park (a park near my dorm), and found a very good hill to do some hill repeats. The hill was approximately 300 meters long, and although I am not quite sure what the exact grade was, it was quite steep. I ran 10X300, pushing it as hard as I could. After five, I wanted to die. After ten, the pain was unbearable. My legs were "quivering" and I was in severe oxygen debt. In all, though, this workout seemed to be very efficient.

An easy 11 miles today at an average of 6:40 pace. I felt good (a bit sore from yesterday, but good in general) and managed to keep some decent pace going. I ran with a CU team member a bit of the time and talked about the team and school. In all, today was a good run.

Ran 11 easy miles again today at decently easy pace (about 6:40). I am still sore from Saturdays workout, and did not feel much like any tempo running. I definitely feel drained, and am goiong to take a day of rest tommorrow to try and recoup. In all, though, today was a good run.

Ran two tempo runs today, each 2.8 miles long (I would have run a bit longer for them, but the snow from last night restricted me from doing so). I was also forced to run a bit further than the usual 2.75 mile tempo due to the mud on the usual dirt trail I run on. I ran the uphill section in 15:17, two seconds faster than my pr time when I was only running 2.75 miles, and I had to fight through slush leaving my shoes filled with water. It was like running with bricks on my feet. I ran a mile in between this run and the second tempo run, and did so in about 7:00. On the second tempo run, I decided to really crank down a good time and ran the 2.8 mile in 13:49, averaging out to a 4:56 mile pace. It was sort of funny because I really didn't care how wet or cold my legs got, so I ran straight through slush and snow with disregard. I think that these obstacles slowed my time down a bit, though. I am definitely pleased with the run, though. I really want to try running a 5k now, mainly because I am curious as to what time I could run it in. I think that around Thanksgiving time-frame I will enter a race and check out where I stand.

Me and a friend ran flagstaff mountain today. The mountain ascends nearly 2200 ft. in total, and you definitely feel every foot of that. When we ran back downhill, it was almost harder than running up, mainly because my legs were constantly pounding down on the cement (I am sure this is not good for your knees). In total though, a good run.

An easy eight miles today at relaxing pace. It felt good to really just relax on a run (something I typically don't do). In all, a good day.

Ran two more tempo runs today (the usual routes). I ran the first tempo (uphill portion) in a new best time of 14:59 for 2.75 miles, and ran the second tempo in 18:06 (for 3.5 miles). In both tempo runs I beat my previous best. I beat my time on the first run by 18 seconds, and beat my time on the second tempo run by 37 seconds. I really didn't feel like I ran any faster that the previous times, but somehow I managed to really turn down the throttle today. After seeing these types of improvements in my times, I know that my main problem with the 5k and 10k was my ability to hold a specific tempo for an extended period of time. Hopefully my consistent work to correct this will help out my times!

An easy 8 miles today at slow pace. I feel good and refreshed, though, so I think that tommorrow should be a good workout day. This felt like a good distance and pace to run between hard days, mainly because I get my legs moving but rest up at the same time. In all, a good run (cold though).

Only 6.5 miles today, but did 1.5 miles of hill sprints. Although I did not go very far, I definitely made my running time count. This worked out well, seeing as how I have a differential equation lab due Friday.

10 easy miles today at about 6:30 pace. I felt very good throughut the whole run It was cold, but after a little while, I was definitely warm. This was probably one of the best runs I have ever gone on. It was dusk and I was up in the flatirons on a secluded mountain trail. It felt like one of the pictures you would see in a fitness magazine motivating you to go running. I couldn't have pictured a better time and place to run!

13.5 miles today at fairly easy pace (around 6:30 pace ), but did so on a route full of hills. I felt good, and I didn't feel like I overstrained myself at all. I plan on doing some tempo running tommorrow.

Ran a four mile tempo run today at 5:30 pace today. It felt terrible (I have feeling that my miles yesterday killed me today). I also think that I was tired because this was the last day of my running week (I usually feel a bit tired towards the end of the week). Thats the way it goes, though. In all, a good week of running, though.

8.5 total miles today. I began with the usual 2.75 mile uphill tempo, but felt really bad. I ran it in 15:25 (26 seconds off my pr for this route), but there was a fairly large headwind. I am sure this slowed me down, but I just did not feel up for any tempo running today. I think that a portion of running lies in picking your battles to fight, and today was one that was not worth fighting, so I ran another 5.75 miles at easy pace. I am going to run some easy miles tommorrow, and try again on Wednesday. Hopefully, I will have my act together by then.

11 miles today at easy pace. I felt bad at the beginning, but as the run went on I began to find somewhat of a groove. This is the first time in a couple of days that I felt "ok" while running. I am hoping that this little episode is behind me so that I can continue with some hard workouts.

Ran a total of 8.5 miles today with a 2.75 mile tempo run and a one mile speed workout. I ran the 2.75 mile tempo (uphill) in 15:22 with a strong headwind. I felt a bit better than yesterday, but still feel a bit beat. I then ran a one mile speed worout in 4:52 to keep sharp, and surprisingly, this mile was not very hard. I think that my legs are what is holding me back. After a 14 miler last week (ran at about 6:30 pace) this phase seemed to hit. I think that the combination of the long run at decently fast pace and the amount of hill running I completed last week is responsible for all of this. I had this problem earlier this summer after a 15 miler at 6:30 pace. It took me at least a week to feel to completely better afterwards, so I think that this may be the case once again (at least I hope!). In all, a decent workout.

I planned on an easy run today, but I ended up running with a few other people who decided it was a good idea to do some hill tempo runs. I couldn't back out, so I decided to join them. I felt ok today (a bit better than yesterday), but still a bit under the weather. I ended up running 9.5 miles total, and I felt decently tired at the end. No matter what opportunity comes up tommorrow, I am going to run easy. I feel like I need some recouping time, which keeps getting delayed by strenuous workouts.

I ran ten easy miles today, and it felt good. I am definitely beginning to feel better than before (I think my body need a bit of time to recoup). I had a some "issues" with the good old stomach today (doesn't this always hit when you're on a good run?). I'll hold the brutal details, but it had to be a creative stop because there was only about fifteen to twenty feet on each side of the path. Bushes (thorn bushes at that), definitely lent out a helping hand today. In all, a good run.

I decided to take it easy again today so that I can hit training hard next week. Feeling a bit jittery, I decided to run a mile speed workout, and did so in 4:43. I don't quite know how I hit this fast of a mile, mainly because the amount of effort I put in did not feel like a 4:43 mile, more like a 5:00 to 5:10. In all, I feel recovered and I am going to get another good week of training in before my 5k on Thanksgiving.

I ran 8.5 miles total today, 6.75 miles of which were tempo miles. It was horribly windy today, so the first uphill tempo took way too much effort. I ran the 2.75 mile in 15:38 (a slow time for this route). I ran 1.75 miles at about 7:00 pace between this and my next tempo run. I then ran the 3.5 mile tempo in 17:46, averaging to a 5:05 mile pace. I was happy with this effort, especially since I did not feel like I overstrained myself to hit this pace. As for the wind, I hate it!!! On the first tempo run, it felt like I were really hammering and I was barely moving. Being as light as I am does not help either. If I were to have jumped, I might have just taken off like a kite. If this Thanksgiving 5k is windy, I might just stop and walk.

I ran 10 miles today at easy pace. I felt very good and fluid throughout the whole distance. I kept it easy, though, so that tommorrow I can do some hard work.

I only ran 6.5 miles total today, but did 1.5 miles of hill sprints. These hurt horribly. About halfway up the hill, I was ready to collapse, and when I finally finished, my legs were shaking. I don't know if that is such a good thing, so I might need to take it a bit easier next time. This was definitely a good speed style workout.

I ran ten miles today at easy pace and felt very good. It felt very natural and fluid, and I definitely felt like I had to apply very little effort to keep on cruising. Overall, a good run.

I ran ten easy miles today and felt very good. Nothing special happened, and I think that I may do a harder workout tommorrow. In total, a good run.

I ran 10.5 miles total today, three of which were "marathon" pace. I felt good,a bit tired from the last week but in general, fine. I ran along the path that I used to run in the summer, and achieved the same pace I used to call "threshold miles" with severely less effort. This made me feel good, mainly showing that all of my hard work has definitely made a difference. In all, a good week of running!

I ran just over eight miles total today, 2.5 of which were at tempo pace. The rest was at fairly easy pace (ocassionally some fast stuff was mixed in). I ran 4X100 meter strides on grass to keep sharp for the 5k on Thursday. I will probably do some easy miles tommorrow.

I ran ten easy miles today, finishing in 1:04:54 (averaging a 6:30 mile). I ran the last mile in 5:50 to average this pace, and surprisingly, had little trouble doing so. I felt good and I plan on doing a very short run tommorrow with a couple of strides.

I ran only three miles today so that would feel rested for tommorrow. I did a couple of short strides and I felt good. I feel ready to rock & roll.

I ran a Thanksgiving 5k today (2,000 total people ran the race), and did so in 16:20. This time was slow for a couple of reasons. First, there was wind and lots of it. At times, I was pushed so hard that it felt like I was staying in the same place when I was really kicking. Second, I decided to "hang with the pack" at the beginning to scout out how to approach the last two miles. Since the rest of the pack was going slow, I was stuck with them. After a mile, I saw that my mile spit was slow (5:30) and decided to pull down the trigger. Me and one other runner (a 2:30 runner in the Denver marathon) branched out from the rest of the field. I could hear him breathing heavily, so I decided to turn it up another notch. Within two or three minutes, he had enough and dropped back. I picked up the pace as the race went on (finishing around a 5:10 clip), but the wind killed any kind of real momentum I had. Although this time is "slow" for me, I would presume that without wind I could have achieved sub 15:30. This sounds like a large time difference, but the wind really did me in, especially since I had no one to draft behind. I was happy, however to win the race, especially since I saw some strong runners at the starting line. My miles really helped me today. I had the mental and physical power to increase the speed when it really counted. Without that, who knows if I would have won.

I ran 6.5 miles today. I was planning on running around twelve, but my right knee was hurting a bit. I decided to not push my luck and take it easy. I may run short again tommorrow before hitting some miles next week.

I only ran five easy miles today, mainly because my right knee hurt. I don't know what caused this whole episode, but I am hoping that it will go away soon so that I can resume a regular training schedule.

I ran 11 easy miles today, but my right knee really hurt. I think that it is my IT band that is causing some trouble. I am doing some special stretches so hopefully it will die down soon.

12 miles of crosstraining (stationary biking for 35 mins.) to allow my IT band to heal up. I went to the sports therapist here at school, and they showed me some recommended excercises and stretches to help heal and prevent this injury from occuring again. As for my workout, I tried to keep my heartrate as close to 180 bpm as I could for 30 mins, which turned out to be quite a task. I had to put the resistance on high had to pedal like a madman, but I think that I got a decent cardiovascular workout. After a few more days of this, I think I will be ready to and run again!

Another day of crosstraining. I rode the stationary bike for 20 mins, and the elliptical for 30 mins. My knee seems to be feeling much better, so within a day or two I can resume running. In all, though, I got a decent workout.

I rode a stationary bike today for 35 minutes and covered 22 miles. In all, I got a decent workout. My IT bands are feeling pretty good.

I decided to give the knees a test run today to see if they were doing ok. This test run slowly progressed into something substancially more, ultimately resulting in ten miles. My knees felt fairly good, though, despite the unexpected addition in mileage. I think the stretching and rest allowed them to heal pretty well. I still could feel them today, but nothing near Mondays run. I think that I might get another long run in tommorrow.

I ran 11 miles today at easy pace. My knees are feeling very good, which enabled me to run this distance. I ran through some sections of fairly deep snow, and battled the cold the whole time (15 degrees), but I guess that is just winter running. I feel good, mainly since I still got over 30 running miles in this week despite all of the knee trouble (three days of cross training).

I ran 10.5 miles today with a few random pick ups, but in total, ran at an average pace of around 6:40 per mile. There was nothing too special about todays run, just an ordinary workout.

Starting today, I am beginning a new training plan. After going into Boulder Running Co. I lucked into a college coach who is taking time off to pursue his running career. I was asking some general questions, and seeing how new a runner I am, he decided that he would help coach me. I am very grateful, since he is taking time away from his own running to help me. He plans on creating a multi-peak season for me. One peak will take place at the Bolder Boulder in late May and one will take place at next years cross country tryouts. As of now, my mileage will drop to 45 miles/week, but will steadily increase as time progresses (we still have 26 weeks before Bolder Boulder). I have faith in his coaching strategys, mainly because he (himself) has run a sub 14:30 5k using this type of training plan. What luck!!!

I ran 7.5 miles today at fairly easy pace (6:40/mile) and felt good. Since I now have a set schedule of workouts, it takes away the questioning that I usually ask myself after runs. Basically, since someone is "formulating" workouts for me, the whole thinking aspect is removed. I like this, mainly since I am stressed enough going through engineering. All I need to do is follow the workouts he lays out. My IT bands are feeling very good now.

I ran 9.5 miles today at easy pace. I felt very good, but the weather ended up being a bit colder than I expected. As usual, I wore a t-shirt and shorts, which turned out to be the wrong combo for today. My core was fine, but extremities such as hands and legs were freezing. I should have guessed judging by the amount of snow on the ground. In all, though, I felt very good.

I ran seven easy miles today. Nothing too special happened, but it did feel good to get out and run.

I ran 9.5 miles today at easy pace. I felt good doing so, and amgoing to run short tommorrow.

I ran six easy miles today. I had to cut it short to keep my mileage quota, which I still exceeded by a bit. Next week I will run another 45 mile week.

I ran 12 easy miles today and felt very good. There were a lot of hills mixed in, so this definitely served as a decent workout. At the end, I spotted another runner. The situation was too tempting to resist, so I sped up to about a 5:50 mile and caught him with about a half mile left. I don't quite know why I do this, but man does it help you push a bit at the end of a run. In total, though, a very good run!

I ran an easy 5.5 miles today at easy pace. My workout schedule calls for an easy, short run after the run that is 25% of my weekly volume (yesterday). I believe that this is meant to allow me to fully recover before returning to training. As of now, I am only doing easy miles, but within the next couple of weeks, strides will be thrown in with short fartlek workouts to prepare me for faster speeds. I know that my coach will pick the right workouts for the right time, so I don't want to over-analyse my workouts. I figure that if I do what he says (seeing as he has coached for a college team), I will be properly prepared for Bolder Bolder and next years CU tryouts.

I ran 7.5 easy miles today. Tommorrow will be the weeks 2nd longest run, comprising 75%-80% of the weeks long run (12 miles). My IT bands seem to be doing very well, so I should be good to go.

I ran 9.5 easy miles today, nothing too special. I felt good, although my legs did feel a bit heavy. Besides that, a decent workout.

I only ran 7.5 miles today at easy pace. It was a bit cold, and I soon found out that I was underdressed for the occasion. Once I got a little ways into the run, however, I warmed up a bit. In all, a good run.

Only a short run today, which is good because I did not feel much like running today. I had a statics final today at 7:30 am, after studying until 2:00 am the night before. After the test, I crashed for a couple of hours. When I woke up, running was not on the top of my "want to do" list but I knew that all I had was a short run, which was manageable. I accidently wrote each entry a day early this week, so it may look like I will skip two days, when I am only taking one day off this weekend.

I ran 12 easy miles today, finishing in 1:19. I felt good, but my IT band hurt a bit today. Hopefully it will go away soon, seeing as I am going to attack it with a "barrage" of exercises. In all, though a good run. I am beginning some 150 meter strides this week at mile pace (5:00 or below) and will be doing so for the next four weeks.

I ran 5 easy miles today, with 10x150 meter strides at mile pace. Felt very good, but a bit cold.

I ran an easy 7.5 miles today in the snow and it was freezing. Even with full winter apparel in the middle of my run, I was still cold. Well, I guess sometimes you just run and ask questions (like why?) later.

An "easy" nine miles today in three feet of snow proved to be tougher than I would have ever expected. I don't even know what I was thinking. It was about 25 degrees (F) and very wet. Most normal people see three feet of snow and stay in their nicely heated house, while some of us feel the "need" to go and run. This whole running thing has corrupted me. I am forever branded!

I ran seven miles today at easy pace. The snow was still very deep, so running was kind of a pain, but I managed to get a decent workout in.

Since I came home yesterday from college, there are no more accessable running trails available to me. There was no effort to plow walkpaths and sideroads, so unless I wanted to run on a main street (which would be way too risky), I had to crosstrain. I spent 35 minutes on the elliptical and managed ot get my heart rate to 185 bpm, showing that the blood definitely got flowing. In all, a decent workout.

An easy run today. I ran 1:25, so I am not sure about exactly how far I went, but I am guessing that with the snow factored in, I got about 12 miles in. It was kind of hard to gather the willpower to run today, but I figure that if I ran today (Christmas Day) in deep snow, there is not much that can stop me! Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

I ran 5 easy miles today, with 10x150 meter sprints at just below mile pace (4:50). This was a short run to recover from yesterday, but I felt very good, and definitely feel energized.

I ran 7.5 easy miles today. It was very icy, so falling was a big concern. Since I usually run with reckless abandon (paying little attention to what I am running on or running the correct speed for various terrain), snow does not mix very well with my running style. None the less, I managed not to take a spill. In all, a good run.

It began to snow like a madman again today, so I had to get up decently early and pound some miles down before the weather destroys any ability to run. I felt good, but I was a bit glad to finish the run and escape the miserable cold.

I was hoping all of the paths would be open today, but apparently the weather though differently. It snowed another 14 inches last night, making it increasingly difficult to run. I still ran my scheduled amount, though. It was tough, especially since I was running through a foot of snow at times.

I ran decently short today, and did 11x150 meter strides. I felt very good, mainly since I was forced to take yesterday off.