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

Tempo run out on the TT route, out 25 minute at 8 minute pace, then back at 7:00 pace until the firestation, where we picked it up to 6-6:15 pace. In actuality, we did 6:50, 7:10 and 5:45 for the miles back. Oh well, it didn't feel too horrible. After, we ran 2 laps of strides and cooled down for 10 minutes. Easy peasy.

Drills in the Laub, then an easy 40 minutes with the team. Comfy and good, minus the snow.

Ick. Today my body hated me and the workout wasn't even hard! Just 1,2,3,3,2,1 minute pushes @50 with equal jog recovery between, then 2 laps of strides. My body hates tapering and I hate it.

Ok run today, just did the temple-canal loop. First 30 minutes I felt tired and icky, but the last 10 minutes I started feeling better. Travel today!

Ran on the course this afternoon, it is so cool! It's super muddy and twisty and in the woods and it is going to be an awesome adventure. I am wearing half inchers in my spikes!!! So hardcore.

Goals for tomorrow: Top 3 Individual, Win as a team, sub 18;00, Stay positive, Keep consistent on the first big lap, Push the last kilometer, Kick from the crest of the last hill.

Overall, today was a good day, I guess. We beat out NM and took 2nd as a team and I did pretty well individually. I was hoping to do a bit better, but still, the race went a lot better than it could've. First off, it was really cold and gusty and wet. I raced in long sleeves for the first time ever, and so did some northern Utah natives on the team - it was THAT cold. Ick. Ended up using 3/8" spikes since the ground froze a bit overnight. For background - the course was 4 laps, two times on a small 500m loop by the start/finish, then 2 bigger 2k loops that were hillier and out in the woods. Anyway, here's the race rundown:

Started off pretty badly. The starter was a little ADD and shot the gun out of nowhere, so I started a half second after everyone else, which took a lot of elbows and crowd weaving to get even close to the position I had planned on starting in. Our team was set up pretty well by the end of the first little loop, so I started trying to make up more ground on the leaders. That didn't work so well, so I decided to settle into a good fast rhythm and catch them later on. As we crested the first uphill of the long loop, I was pretty demoralized. The hill took a lot more out of me than I'd expected and I hadn't caught anyone. Finishing the first of the 2k loops, I finally got mentally stronger, started to pick up speed and pick off some competitors. The hills still ruined my rhythm to a large extent, but on the downhill after the 4k mark, I started picking it up and passed a few more girls. On the final uphills, I stayed in position and made up a tiny bit of ground on the two Idaho girls ahead of me. As I kicked for the finish, so did the Idahoans and I was about ready to not go for them. But I got a surge or adrenaline and managed to catch one of them at the line! Yay!

 So, after the ramblings, I guess the race had good parts and crappy parts, but I ran a pretty smart race considering my horrible start and pathetic 2nd mile. Next year though.... I will seriously kick some NM twins' butts. Also, I still have Regionals to surprise them with the awesome.