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

Ok, I've been slacking off on blogging lately. I have been running, but it has been lame mostly and I just don't feel like writing about it. So I probably won't go back and fill in, I'll just go from here on out. Finally, after a lot of crappy running, I feel like I might be more where I was two years ago instead of four years ago! I've been supplementing my weekly running mileage with a four or five hours of biking and rejoicing in the refreshing lack of snow on the ground.

Anyway. Today we were going to do a hurdle workout, but Mike (Mike Spence, our new steeple coach - a professional steepler turned marathoner/coach) decided to give us a break on hurdles since we have a race at UCLA on Friday. So, after a 2 mile warmup, 20 minute hurdle ritual and two laps of jogged curves and strided straights, we did 8x400s at our sea-level mile race pace (75-76) with 80 second recovery. 

Times were 75, 76, 75, 75, 75, 75, 74, 73. Super awesome! Felt a little tired after the first 4, but just kept on crusing on the next few, pushed on the last two. Champion! Overall, the workout felt exceedingly great. Cooled down for 31 minutes, then did a few dry water barrier practice jumps on the grass. First couple weren't too great, then I fixed some stuff and Mike said they were good. :) Planning on a bike ride after FHE tonight. (K2 ~650) Wow I should get some new shoes. (L Spike 3)

Went out on a nice hour long run around on the short version of the Providence loop... with some timely additions and subtractions. Felt  alright, calves are freakishly sore though! (K2 657.5)

Should've run more, but after warming up and doing the 3000m at 3x(300@1:30, 300@1:06, 200@1:00, 200@44), my calves were killing me so much that I just did a lap cooldown and headed over to the training room to get them rubbed out. (K2 660) (L spike 5) 

Just an easy half hour in LA for our premeet. Calves still unfortunate feeling, so I didn't do any strides. Did some hurdle stretches and relaxed. Aiming for a 11:00 steeple tomorrow. (K2 664)

Not bad, not great on the race today. Obviously, compared to last year - definitely not good at all. Frustrating in that way, but for my first steeple back from injury and all that crap I guess it's not too awful. I guess. I felt like I could've gone faster though, so that's a good sign. I'll be running it next week at our home meet, and although that's at altitude, I'm hoping to run a similar time there. We'll see! Maybe someday I'll be fast again. (K2 668) (L spike 7)

Got up freakishly early in LA to get my run done before heading back to Logan at 6:30 am. Armed with my pepper spray, I ran out from our hotel in Marina del Rey to the beach and ran along it for a ways, then back to the hotel and a couple more miles on the treadmill. 90 minutes total. (K2 679)

Ouch, what a long and painful workout! Warmed up with the usual 2 mile out-and-back, then did two laps of strides before starting 5x1600m repeats. GP was 5:55 and 5:00 recovery.

1- 5:52 - we'd started off with 5:50 being or original GP, so this one was technically a litte slow, ran it in trainers so it was pretty tiring.

2- 5:59 - GP adjusted to 5:55 on this one, but relaxed a bit too much, wind was horrid on the back stretch and still in trainers.

3- 5:56 - put on the spikes, felt lots easier, drafted off Marissa for the middle laps, then led the last one to break that nasty wind.

4- 5:54 - Marissa and I decided to take turns breaking wind again, so I led the first and last lap, while she led 2 and 3. Not bad.

5- 5:52 - actually felt good on this last one, just let it cruise with alternating wind breaking laps to finish off the set.

So, the repeats started off pretty crappy, but ended up feeling pretty great. Kinda strange, but I'll take it. After our miles, coach had us do 4x200m fast-not-hard strides. Felt pretty dead after those. Then cooled down on the same warmup course and got a call from Coldstone - I'm getting interviewed on Wednesday, hopefully I'll get the job!!! (K2 686) (L spike 10)

What a great, cold, crazy, great run! Headed out right before the storm rolled in, but fortunately had dressed warmer than I thought I'd need. Ran up to the Bonneville trail and out to the Green Canyon entrance, then on the way back I took a little single track trail along the BST, which was super awesome. I liked it lots. Got totally drenched but it was pretty fun. Felt surprisingly good! (K2 694)

Weights and stretching later.

Warmed up on the usual, then did our steeple workout of the week. Two laps of strides, then we did 600, 800, 1000, 800, 1000, 600, partially over hurdles and the water barrier. GP was 87 per lap, I was pretty close on all of them I think... over on a few middle reps and under on the first and last couple. About half my water jumps were pretty awesome, so that was great. Legs were feeling freakishly sore from Bulgarian split squats at weights yesterday, but the workout was ok in general. Cooled down with Hazel after. (K2 698) (L spike 13)

Mother of all sideaches!!! Started this morning and got gradually worse until my run where I wanted to die from my painful aching, stabbing painful torso! Still hates me at 10 pm. Coby told me to take drugs and they aren't working all that well. Hopefully it starts feeling better by Saturday for my race! (K2 705.5)

At weights we just did abs and stretching/foam roller. 

Ran a lap and felt like death so I went to the doctor and he thinks I have a kidney infection. Woo! So I got an antibiotic prescription and some pain killers and hopefully I'll feel ok to race tomorrow. 

Well. My kidney still hates me, so I just warmed up and did some drills and found out that hurdling didn't feel super great. I decided to start off the race and see how I felt, so it started off alright neglecting the pain in my kidney. After a few laps of painful hurdling and water jumping (which were like death), I decided I should probably stop. Coach ok-ed it at the end of my 4th lap, so I dropped out. We talked and we decided it would be better to do well at Cal Berkeley next week than at the home meet today. Then I just went home and took more drugs and chilled with with John and my roommates. (K2 707) (L spike 14)

Warmed up for the workout today - two miles with Aimee - but my kidney still hates me to some extent. So, after the hurdle ritual, when everyone else started their 8x400s at 1500 race pace, coach had me go in and do 8x1:15 hard pushes on the bike. Almost puked after that. Then I biked for about 15 minutes to cool down. Today I didn't take any painkillers and I felt ok-ish, so I think that by this weekend I should be doing ok to race at Cal Berkeley! (K2 709)

Easy 30 minute run up on the only flat part of Logan. 'Twas alright, the last half of it my side was uncomfortable but not nearly as bad as last week. I'll probably try to do the workout tomorrow!! (K2 713)  

Warmed up a couple miles, then we did two laps of strides, then a 3000 of 300 on/300 off, 200 on/200 off. On pace was a little under steeple race pace, so it was a pretty easy workout. Then we did some water barrier practice, then I cooled down two more miles. Didn't hurt too much - yay! (K2 717) (L spike 16.5)

Ran a mile on campus before we left for Berkeley. 

Once we got to our hotel, the track was closed, so we just ran for a half hour around the hotel on a super pretty trail along the edge of the San Francisco bay. So nice out and so beautiful! Stretched out after. (K2 721)

Goals for tomorrow's race: Break 11:00. Good hurdles and water barriers. Feel awesome again!

Easy mile shakeout on the track in the morning. Race tonight is at 8:25 PM. Woo! 

Felt super great in the race! Warmed up and did the hurdle ritual and such, then got on the line and bang! Race go! First lap I got a little scared because we went out at a 84 and I was aiming for 87-88, so then I backed off. Probably shouldn't have at that point, since I had tons left at the end of the race. Anyway, with 2 laps to go I realized that I had a lot left so I started pushing but by then it was too late to make up the ground I'd lost in the middle laps. Lame! But still, my water barriers were great, my hurdles were great and I got a seasons best by a few seconds. So, even though I didn't push as hard as I should have, I was still super excited that I felt really great for the first time in for-freaking-ever and that I know I can do better! (K2 726) (L spike 18.5)

Such a great run around San Francisco! We rode the BART into town, then walked to Pier 1 of the port, then we ran from there to Pier 39 where we dropped our bags off at the Holiday Inn. From there, we ran along the piers and beach until we got to the Golden Gate bridge and ran all the way across it and then ran back to Pier 39. So pretty and so fun to run around the city and see the sights and run past the Armenian protesters on the bridge and take some great photos and have a great time in some awesome weather in a super awesome place! And we got free sandwiches from the March of Dimes on the way back. WIN! Oh what a great day. I feel like the champion of the world. Tired beyond belief after walking back to the track from the BART station, but with the free yarn and the best lemonade in the world, still pretty champion-esque. (K2 738)

Another great day of running! Warmed up for 2 miles, then we did 2 laps of strides w/hurdles and then a hurdle workout w/o water barriers. Then we did 800, 1200, 1000, 800, 1000, 600 of various combinations of flat and over hurdles laps. But we did a total of 7 laps over hurdles. Pretty awesome workout, felt dead to start off but got into a nice groove about halfway in and just kept cruising on in. Since my watch is still MIA, I don't really have times, but they were all near, on, or under GP of 88s/400. Then I cooled down for a half hour. Felt great for the whole cooldown too! So great! Excellent day. (K2 744) (L spike 22)

Started off feeling really great, ran up to the BST and ran on there until the time was up and then ran back to meet up with John for a few before he had to go to class. Then ran home. The second half of the run was no fun, my IT band and shins were hating me and I just lost my groove. Meh. Still, not a bad run overall (even though I did see coach on the BST O_o) and now I get to go eat free lunch at the Whitesides scholar-athlete luncheon! (K2 752)

Easy speed workout today, just a 3000 of 300 on/off, 200 on/off with on at steeple effort and off at a recovery jog. The weather wasn't super friendly, but the workout was pretty short so we got out of the pellet snow and rain and hail soon. Warmed up and cooled down for two miles each. Just chillin'. (K2 759)

Coach said I'm signed up for the open 3000 and the steeple this Saturday and that if I'm feeling good to go for the double just to get the feel of it for the WAC in a couple of weeks.

Intermittent run - did 20 minutes after starting load one of laundry, then did 5 waiting for it to finish, 5 more still waiting for it to finish, then moved load one over and started load two and did my last 30 minutes of my run. Kinda chilly and windy but not a bad run overall. (K2 766)

Easy half hour run from Boise's track, found a sweet trail, it was super pretty and nice. Again, cold-ish and windy but a nice run. (K2 770)