Patrick's Blog

This morning I got up extra early before the last day of school when our teachers are taking role!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But otherwise I got up and left my house ran down to 21st south and then turned right to 18th east about and turned around and ran back. My legs were feeling really good this morning but my right shoulder on my arm was feeling really heavy and weak. Probably because my dad just bought a door pull up, arm curls, and other pulling up arm things; they are really fun.

Today for Cross Country practice we are still building up our base mileage so we all stayed as a group. We did the flag pole to flag pole run. We started in the East teachers parking lot ran up to 13th east, over to the street that the Pie Pizzeria is on and up that until we got to the flag pole. My legs were feeling really good until this point. So we went back the same way and ran past East and over to 17th south or Westminster college. There is a flag pole there and we stopped at the flag poles and stretched even if we weren't supposed to. So I was leading the group and going at a 9 minute pace then sped up to a 7 minute pace, then Bill told Dakota and Tomy to go and show me up. Tomy did but Dakota kept trying to pass me but I kept getting ahead of him and I finished ahead of him. We were racing the whole way back. Giovanni was staying with me the entire run, he is pushing hard and staying right up with me. Great jog Giovanni. Then I finished right behind Tomy. This run felt really good and my quads started to hurt a little bit on the final stretch before the final light before East and they made me want to slow down but I couldn't because I didn't know how far behind me Dakota was so I kept pushing through it. Overall it was a really good run for me. 

Today for Cross Country practice it was a horrible day for me! The work out was run to Sugar House Park and go in it a little bit until we got to 2.5 miles and then we turn back and go back the same way. Me, tomy, Bill, and the new boy ran a little bit past everyone else so they left us so my group had to catch up to them again.We stopped also to get water. So I started out the run fine at the front of the pack which is what I am trying to do to get faster but going back was painful. My quads hurt going up the hill and I felt like I was sprinting the entire way back trying to catch up to everyone. When we got to about 13th south Abigail broke off and so did Susannah and I stayed with them. I tried to stay with the other group but for some reason I just couldn't. I don't know why but it was a overall very painful run. So the run for me was probably necessary but it was supposed to be a short easy run but it wasn't. 

Today at Cross Country practice we met at Liberty Park and did a five miler. We waited for Bill for a little while then we found out he was having a ton of car troubles so we just did the workout on our own. Susannah, Abigail, Sarah, and I started with a mile going out a half mile then coming back the same way while waiting for Bill and he wasn't here yet. So we did 2 laps in the wood chips then the same mile thing going out a half mile then coming back the same way. I started the workout with Kevin, Natalie, Susannah, Abigail, and Amanda and I finished it with RJ because Natalie, Kevin and I just progressively kept getting faster. My goal was to finish it with RJ. Then I came home and did my core. I did pull ups, and 2 other things on the pull up machine that my dad bought, 3 sets of 1 minute planks, 3 sets of 20 crunches, and then 3 sets of 45 second leg lifts. My abs hurt really bad right now.!!!

Today for Cross Country we started at Sugarhouse Park. We did the cemetery loop. So we exited the park and ran up to 17th east and we took the first right after the freeway. Then we took the first right, followed that street until Atkin. Then we took that street all of the way up until it T's off. Then we took all of the T's going left right left right left until we got to 33rd. Then we turn on Melbourne until some street, maybe Alden or something. Then we turn onto 18th then back onto 17th and back around to Sugarhouse Park. We went about maybe a quarter around the park to make it 6 miles then we turned around and went to the drinking fountain. Once we got back to about Highland High School Gio started to really pick it up and start to really push. I decided to stay with him to try to push him and keep him at that pace. But he couldn't stay but he did do really good. Then Kevin replaced him and really picked up the pace at the end of the run, it was hard to try to stay with him. Kevin is really good. Then when we got back to the cars we started once again the 3 sets of 10 push ups and the 3 sets of 20 crunches. Then when I got home I did my 3 sets of 45 second leg lifts and my 3 sets of one minute planks. Overall todays run went really good for everybody. Everybody did it non stop which is good and they learned one of the most confusing runs ever. My toes did hurt throughout the run so I tried not to be on my toes as much as I possibly could but they did hurt through the entire thing. I don't know whats wrong with them, they have hurt all through track season then they stopped for a bit but now there hurting once more. But besides that my legs and everything was great. It was a good run.

At Cross Country we had a easy work out today because a lot of us are racing tomorrow. So we started with a lap around Liberty Park as a warm up. Then we stretched and got water. Then we did 10 strides that were about .07 each. Then we did another lap as a cool down then stretching to make sure we aren't sore tomorrow. But today I was really sore; my "Pockets" hurt, my calves were sore, and my quads were tight. It was just a sore day for me today. Then I came home and I did my push ups, crunches, planks, and leg lifts. Then I stretched for a final time. Tonight I am going to take a 15 minute ice bath before I go to bed.

This morning I had the Judgesrun 5k. I started with a three fourths of a mile warm up. Then I went to the starting line to get a good spot so I could have a good start. There I met up with Scott, Cloyde, and Kelsey and we stretched. So the gun went off and I had a decent start. My first mile was roughly 6:45ish but I wasn't sure. The 2 mile mark was 14 minutes flat. By the 2.5 mile mark I was in 7th place overall and the next group was not too far ahead of me. But at the third to last up hill 5 people, including Scotts dad came up and passed me. It made me furious but since they had longer legs they could go up the hill faster than I could. When I saw the finish line I really started to pick it up and I managed to pass one of the people who passed me but right  before the finish line he repassed me and it ticked me off a ton! But my goal for this race was to just medal, which I did. Its my first actual running medal that I have earned not including the ones I found in a tree or the complimentary ones you get for the longer races. Then after the awards and the complemantary breakfast they give you when you finish the race. I ran home which was about another three fourths of a mile to finish it out at roughly 4.6. I thought my time was pretty good taking into account that most of this race was up hill and it's the first race of the season. By the next few races I will be where I should be at this time in the year. Which is under 20 minutes always. But for today my time is good.