I can do it. I will do it NINE times!

Ouch! Today's workout easily won a #1 or 2 spot on my "Top Ten Toughest Workouts" list. I almost cried. Still really sore and exhausted from the race and run last Saturday plus travel all day Sunday, I was tired 10 minutes into our 30-minute warmup. Then the fun part: 3x1600's at 5:44 GP w/4:00 rest, 10 minutes break, 8x400's at 1:12 GP w/full rest, 5 minutes break, then 2x600's at 1:51 GP w/2:00 rest. 

The 1600's went pretty well, we actually were under pace for all of them: 5:41, 5:43 and 5:43. All of the reps felt pretty tough, just feeling tired out. On to the 400's:  1:13, 1:11, 1:13, 1:13, 1:13, 1:13, 1:14 and 1:14. Aaargh! I was pushing so dang hard on all of these and those last two still slipped. Only halfway through them, my legs were completely jelly. By the time the 600's started, I was almost in tears, just because I was so spent! The 600's were questionable: 1:58 and 1:59. I'd say they should've been faster, but I had nothing left and even getting those times was an accomplishment. Heck, just finishing this @#&* workout was an accomplishment!

After, I ran home. Super slow. Then I drank away my sorrows... with Sprite!  (DS 74.8) (M spike 45)

An hour on the treadmill this morning (6 degrees is a bit too cold for me first thing in the morning). With a book, so I didn't get quite so bored. In the afternoon, I ran to weights, lifted, and walked home. Legs are way sore. And I'm exhausted. (K 385.5)

The usual warmup, then we did yet another speed workout: a 2000 @ GP 7:10, 4 minutes rest, then a 1600 @ GP 5:44. Then 10 minutes break, after which we did 2x800's at GP 2:36 w/3:00 rest. Then 5 minutes break and 2x300 untimed accelerations with ample rest. My times were: 7:09, 5:43, 2:38 and 2:37. A bit tough with my tired-out legs, but nowhere near as tough as Monday! Cooled down in the Laub. (DS 80.5) (M spike 48.7)

60 minutes around town, a bit tired but nothing terrible. Easy and relaxed. Weights after. (K 393.5)

Great run between classes this morning/afternoon. A bit cloudy out, but warmer than it's been in a while. Plus the rain last night cleaned up the air a lot, so it was really clear and beautiful out. Did 60 minutes with 3x5:00 pushes at about 6:30 pace, nice and easy. Guts gave me some trouble, but mostly, I'm feeling good. So far I've had an awesome birthday! (DS 88.3)

Just did the big Providence loop again for my long run this afternoon. The weather was so amazing and my music made me so happy and running just felt so GOOD! I was grinning almost the entire time. So great. I love days like this. (K 407.7)

Good workout today! Started off a bit funny with warmups being all jumbled... I missed the memo that our workouts are now a half-hour earlier than before. But we ran 20 minutes with some recruits. So I ended up getting in about 35 minutes of warmup before. Then we did 5x1000s GP 3:35 w/4:00 recovery, 10 minute break, 3x800 GP 2:44 w/3:00 recovery, 5 minutes break, then a 600 GP 1:51.  

My times were 3:34, 3:35, 3:34, 3:35, 3:34, 2:45, 2:45, 2:44 and 1:52. Nice! A bit tired on the last few and definitely worn out as I cooled down, but a quality workout today. Almost makes up for the freaking blizzard outside. Almost. (DS 94.8) (M spike 53.7)

Read a book and ran on the treadmill. Then I ran to weights. (K 415.4)

Warmed up to the Laub and a half hour on the TT road before our speed workout. We did one 2000 @ GP 7:10, 10 minute break, 2x1200 @ GP 4:18 w/4:00 recovery, 5 minute break, then 2x300m untimed accelerations. Times were 7:06, 4:17 and 4:16. Nice workout and not too hard either! Yay! I'm so excited for the meet this weekend. Seattle! Cooled down back home 2 miles. (DS 101.4) (M spike 56.8)

Did the 25th north loop this afternoon. My eye got cold for a while and it hurt! Talk about a weird sensation. Why can't it be spring already? Fun run, maybe a bit quick for a recovery day, but I was happy... so it was more of funning. No watch. (K 422.9)

Easy shakeout in Seattle with the team. We ran on the greatest trail - with bridges and through marshes and in an arboretum - it was so pretty and the weather was really nice! It was amazing. At the track after, I did a few laps of acceleration in my spikes. My left shin has been hurting a bit from all the pounding lately and today it was pretty sore, especially on the laps. (DS 106.4) (M spike 57.3)

Goals for tomorrow's race (3000m): PR, be happy and make it hurt lots!

PRed by 18 seconds and broke 10:00!!! YAY! And still I think I can do better. So awesome! Only 25 seconds off provisional qualifying time for nationals... ok so that's a lot, but still! The race was a kind of weird mentally since the track was 307m instead of 200 like I'm used to. Nice to only have to run a bit less than 10 laps (instead of 15), but different to try thinking in 400s after thinking in 200s for so long. 

The first couple laps of the race, I felt really tired and stiff, not really in "race mode." Still, I tried to stick on Kim and keep hitting my splits right on. I lost her a little on some of the middle laps, but kept contact enough that (once I got my head and body together) I caught up on the last couple laps. Went all out on the last lap, just trying to make it under 10:00 and barely got it! Truly, I love running at sea level. My lungs didn't even feel like they were bleeding when I finished! Yay! 7th in my heat, 1st from USU. My 400 splits: 1:20, 1:20, 1:21, 1:20, 1:21, 1:21 and 1:19, with the last 200m at 37. (DS 116) (M spike 59.2)

For the first five miles of my two hour run, I ran with Sam on the Canyon Loop. Then I took a little break and talked more with him for a while since he was done running. He had to do some homework, so I took off and did the rest of my run. Just went out and back on the time trial course plus some on 4th east (in North Logan, I think). I got all the way to 44th north! I think that's a record for me. A bit worn out today, running in Seattle spoiled me. Avg. 7:58/mi. (K 437.9)

Left class early to hurry and get my run in before weights. Treadmilled it for the first 54 minutes (6.75 miles) then ran (as fast as the snow would permit) the .9 miles to the weight room. Was barely late, but luckily was spared the punishment for tardiness. Whew. (K 445.5)

Survived yet another freakishly painful workout! And broke my record on number of 400 repeats done in one workout. Now that number is 20.

We warmed up for 20 minutes on the usual route, then we started on our 45 minutes of 400s. Coach told us to run as many 400's at GP 1:18 that we could within the allotted time. I did nineteen of them: 1:17, 1:16, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18, 1:19, 1:18, 1:18 and 1:18. Then we got 10 minutes rest, then did 800 at 2:40 GP (2:42 actual time). After that we got 5 minutes rest and then did one more 400, this time GP was 60-65 seconds! My PR is 63! Needless to say, after all that, my time wasn't quite on pace. 1:08 for that last one. Ran home to cool down. Hard hard workout, my legs are dead. Dead dead dead. (DS 120.2) (M spike 64.7)

25th north loop again. Not backwards. I like it better that way, I think. Then ran part of the way to weights, and lifted. Legs pretty tired out from yesterday. (K 453)

Speed again today. Warmed up to the Laub and 20 minutes with Kim, Vanessa and Amber on the tt course. Then we did 2x1600s @ GP 5:28 w/4:00 recovery, a 10 minute break, 3x45 second sprints w/4:00 recovery, a 5:00 break and then 2x300 accelerations w/full recovery. The 1600s were pretty tough, my lungs were raw by the end of each and legs feeling tired out. Times were right on - 5:28 for both. Then the 45 second sprints killed me! I don't use those muscles ever, so they were burning after 200m... pretty pathetic. By the time I got to the 300s, I was just happy to be almost done and just pushed through them as well as I could. Cooled down running home the long way. Hard today, but not nearly as exhausting as Wednesday. Thank goodness. (DS 125.5) (M spike 67.6)

Got up way early to run with Paul and Joe this morning. Kinda cold out and pretty tired legs. Good company made for a good run though. The hill up 10th north killed me dead. Sorry for slowing you down Joe. Fun but tiring.

Later, Sam and I went to the fieldhouse and I did elliptical for 25 minutes, then we did a few strides, then a whole bunch of abs and some more barefoot strides. Again, it was fun, but exhausting! (K 463.6)

Only one more speed day before the WAC Championships! Today, we did 2x1200's @ 4:00 w/4:00 recovery, 10 minute break, a 600 @ 1:57, 5 minutes break, then a 400 @ 1:16. The 1200's were pretty tough, but times were on: 4:01 and 4:00. Then the 600 was right on as well: 1:57. We were so excited to be done and a 400 is just so dang short, that it ended up way fast: 1:13. Hehehe. Good workout though. Cooled down long way home. 

Coach told me that I'm doing the 5000m and the 3000m at Conference this weekend! Crazy stuff! I'm way excited for the 3k, but the 5k will be an adventure... kinda scared for that one. 25 laps!? Eeek. (DS 130.8) (M spike 69.7)

I've been feeling kinda worn out lately, so I decided to just do the 45 minute option today, especially with the big races this weekend. Ran into Vanessa on the last 15 minutes or so, it was fun to run with her for a bit. Then weights. (DS 136.4) 

Yay! Easy workout! Warmed up a bit, then we did a 1200 @ 4:12, a 8:00 @ 43 seconds per lap until the last 200m sprint, then a 300 acceleration from 5k pace to mile pace! So nice. Times were 4:10 and 2:44 for the 1200 and 800. Then I ran home. Shin is pretty sore. Excited/nervous for this weekend's races! (DS 140.6) (M spike 71.1)

Easy half-hour with the team. Tomorrow the WAC Champs start! Goals? Score lots of points for my team so we can win! PR in the 5k and place in the 3k. Run my best and be happy! (DS 134.4)

I'm so dead! The 5k is such a hard race, but I think I did reasonably well - I PRed by a lot and got 3rd place too. More details later, I'm exhausted and need to go to bed. 

So the coaches told me that the 5k is actually really nice because it starts off so slow. But the Nevada girls started it off way fast and I want to kill them. Overall, the race hurt a whole lot and killed me. The first 10 laps or so, there was a pack of 5 or 6 girls sticking on the stupid Nevada girls. I had to run in the outer lanes a bit in attempts to not get boxed in. For the most part, I tried to not look a the laps-to-go sign just so I wouldn't get depressed. It didn't work so well though. With 10 laps to go, I almost cried - realizing I'd only run 3k and I was already exhausted. For a couple laps, one Nevada girl kept stepping on my feet and kicking me and I got so sick of it that after one really hard kick, I yelled "Aarrgh, JERK!" at her and pushed to pass the next girl so I wouldn't have to put up with it anymore. I think she laughed at me... I probably would've if I hadn't been so mad at her. The last few laps were death. The Idaho girl in first was 15 seconds up on us by then, so it was a race for second with a NM girl. I gained a few seconds on her in the last two laps, but didn't quite catch her. Almost puked at the finish. Eew. So so so hard. Hopefully I have enough guts to do some damage in the 3k tomorrow! (DS 137.9) (M spike 74.2)

Well.... today sucked! My legs were totally thrashed from the 5k and I didn't really know exactly how dead they were until I tried to run fast in the 3k. The first half of the race went perfectly - I felt good, Kim and I were at the head of the lead pack and kept the pace down pretty well. Then people started making their moves with about 6 laps to go and I tried to do the same and found that my legs wouldn't go any faster. The pack just passed me up and I tried to hold on but didn't do so great at that. Ended up scoring one measly point and running a really slow time and being really really really frustrated and disappointed. And my legs hurt a whole lot. (DS 140) (M spike 76)