Sock tans

So, today was some run. I don't really know where we went. All I know was that we started at the school, went up sunnyside, through the U campus, across legacy bridge, and up by red butte garden and back. I don't really know this run that well if u can't tell. I started up with the front group and stayed with them until like legacy bridge. then I crashed and I really wasn't feeling good. They were going faster than my race pace! Anyway, I got lost at the U campus, so I waited for Abigail to catch up and ran with her for a while. When we turned around to go back, She picked up the pace by A LOT and I was like dying (not really but it felt like it) and I was running way slow at the end. Tomy said that by the end they were going at 5:18 pace. That's probably why I couldn't keep up with them. 7.5 miles.

Today we did hurtles!!! I have been looking forward to this all week! haha it was pretty funny. Only Abigail really knew what we were doing. I don't know what the new coaches think of me. all of the low ones I could clear kind of, and all of the high ones (the coaches said that they were the lowest girls hurtles would go) I knocked at least 1 of them down (they were lined up so that we had to jump 1 right after the other.) At first they had us do some drills. I don't think I was doing them anywhere close to right. Then we jumped the hurtles. I think the new coaches got really annoyed by us because we kept talking and not really trying, but who knows? Anyway, so I go up to the coaches and asked if I was even jumping them right and they said my technique was off. Great. It was way funny to watch us all fail. My favorite falls were Tomy's and Natalie's!!! They were pretty funny! Anyway, so it was already getting late, and I didn't really feel like going on a run. But I  got a ride from Olivia, and she asked me if I would go on a 10 min. run with her and I said I would. well, we only had time for a 3 minute run, so we ran up Harrison and came back. Olivia's garmin said it was 0.6 miles. :)

So, today i thought i should probably run, especially since i only ran 4 times over the break. I went from my house down Browning to 15th E, and then over to sugarhouse. When I was at sugarhouse, I ran a lap around on the road part. There were so many sledders! Anyway, once I got done with that lap, I did a big grass lap around. I went back home the way I came, but went to Sherman Ave. and back and ran around my circle to make it about 6 miles (or so mapmyrun.com says. I hope it's reliable. hehe) :)

So today was the race at BYU. I love that track!!! I don't really know why. It doesn't feel as long as ours at East (well i know its not as long as ours at East it takes 4 times around our track to make a mile but at theirs it takes 5) but maybe it was just the change of scenery. I liked how you couldn't see what was going on at the other side, odd enough. I did a mile warm-up with Camille and Olivia. Then I raced. They put us in some order that obviously makes sense to them but no sense to me. I was in the back. Haha well, at least I was in lane 1. So my race was the first of the day, so I had no idea what to expect, this being my first time. All I knew was that Bill wanted me to get a 6:20, and that was the area I was shooting for, maybe a little faster. Bill was not there for the warming up part, so I doubted he was gonna be there for my race. It was the gun that completely frightened me. Not the incredibly fast time (I had thought at that moment) that Bill wanted me to get, not the spikes of other runners, the gun. It was so loud!!! I started off kind of in the back. Sarah Bischoff was in front of me, and so was Camille. But the gun got my adrenaline going. I ran pretty fast. I was passing tons of people, which made me happy, but I thought I was gonna crash at any moment, so I kept telling myself to slow down. But I only did that when I was boxed in by other people. Well, I thought I was third when Sarah was in front of me. Bill magically popped up out of nowhere and told me to get up to her. So I did. Other side: push away from her. Back to the other side: keep going don't slow down. Stuff like that. I thought I was 2nd when i passed Sarah. That's when I finished my 4th lap, with 1 lap to go, right as I crossed the line to start the last lap they blew the freaking gun again right next to my ear. Okay, not right next to it, but it certainly sounded like it. Scared the bejeebies out of me. Bill was yelling at me to push and I did. I ran as fast as I could. I was so confused because I hadn't caught up to the (imaginary) girl in first, and when I crossed the line I was so confused because I had passed a few of the last place people. I went and sat down on the blanket where our team was. I was happy I got 2nd (I had thought at the time) but worried I didn't get my time. That's when Patrick told me I had won and that I got 6:06. I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. Haha I am happy about that. Anyway, when I got home I did a 6 miler, (from my house to sugarhouse, 1 big lap around, 1 small lap around, and back.) 8 miles.

Today I ran with Natalie, Tomy, Bill, and Abigail. But mostly Abigail. Tomy Bill and Natalie did a longer run. I ran with the whole group for a little while, but then I got way tired and slowed down a bit. Abigail fell back with me. We were at the Jordan River Parkway at 53rd and 10th and just followed that trail for 40 minutes while the other 3 went off doing who knows how much maybe 12???? I don't know. Well, by the 4 mile mark I was tired and really did not want to run anymore. But Abigail made me. (thank you abigail!!! It helped me!!) I'm glad she did though. If she wasn't there I would've walked tons of it. I walked a little on the way back. I eventually fell back from Abigail and got a little lost. I'm never doing that again. There was a part where the path split off into 4 parts and I just chose the one with 1) lots of footprints marked into the snow 2) the biggest pavement part like the widest 3) went in the general direction of going back. I chose wisely. I saw Abigail running when it opened up a bit. I just followed the area I saw her running in (it split off yet again) and got back sooner than I expected. when the others got back we did a few drills we normally do, except they were soooo much harder to do and more painful. But i got through it. 8 miles.

I had an Orthodontist appointment today, so I had to miss the speed workout they did. Instead I went for my own run, and did a small fartlek thing. I did 3 minutes on with 3 minutes recovery 3 times. I started at my house, went to Harrison Ave. and went up to 19th, then went over to sunnyside. I went up to Foothill Dr. and along it until I got to the cemetery we always go in. I did a loop, went back along 13th to sunnyside and up until Le Grande St. I went along it to 9th south and went down to Military Ave. I followed it to 17th, then went back to Browning, and down to 16th and over to 17th South and to 15th East to 13th South and back over to my house and went around my circle a little ways to make it 8 miles.

Today was a pretty good run. We went from East, to sugarhouse, then did a run I have no way of describing because I kept focused on trying to keep up with the group. We went over a bridge and then it got all turn-y and stuff. We went to a cemetery and then over a bridge and followed the same way we came. Bill wanted me to stay with the group so I tried the best I could. I stayed up with them (and even was in the front all the way to sugarhouse) until I crashed like half of the way in sugarhouse. I fell back, but when we went on the bridge over the freeway, I started to pick up my pace because I don't know this run and I didn't want to get lost. I was trying as hard as I could to get up to them, that when I did I felt sooo worn out. I didn't want to finish, but I didn't even know how to get back. We had taken so many turns that I just decided to stay with the group. I eventually fell back again, and when I got to that super busy street next to the cemetery it took forever to cros because the cars kept coming. I just waited for them at the gate because I didn't want to get lost on the way back. I stretched while I waited. Then they came, and I tried yet again to keep up with them, but yet again failed. I was super tired and had a cramp the whole way back from sugarhouse, but I went what felt like pretty fast because I needed to get home. I did 10 miles, while the group did 11 (they did a lap in the cemetery that was a mile. good for them)

So I felt really tired today. I really did not want to run. we did drills at track that took lots of my energy. Then went for the run. We went to sugarhouse and did a fartlek. 5 min on, 3 min off, 4 minutes on, 3 minutes off, 3 minutes on, 3 minutes off, 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off, and 1 minute on, 1 minute off. I felt horrible. I was sore everywhere. It hurt to run, especially up the hills. Bill wanted me to stay with the group, but I was back behind Sarah B. at the end of all of those. Bill and Natalie came back to me on the offs and kept me going (thank you guys I would've stopped lots more than I did.) when we were done with the fartlek and were going back to East, I stayed with kevin for a bit. It was nice to talk to someone about the workout and how horrible it was for me. But then I got a huge cramp yet again and fell back from him. I ran back on my own, but I missed 2 of the 3 lights and had to wait. Thats why it took so long for me to get back. I was also going at a slow pace. 8 miles. 

So, today was easier because of the meet tomorrow. We ran up to the track, and then finished the warm up of a mile and then did 2 miles speed changes, and half mile on the track with running back to the school. 

Track meet was today. It was in Ogden at the Weber State University. I ran the 2 mile and got 13:45 on it i think. I Believe I was 21 overall, but im not certain. I got 2nd in the 2nd heat though! :) I like being in the slower group because then I can get close to winning! Its a great feeling. Anyway, I did a 3/4 mile warm up with Natalie, Olivia, Camille, and Tomy. Then we did a few drills, and I raced. then I went on a 1 mile run with a few people. It was raining and I was super cold and could not feel my legs so I was in the back. towards the end I couldn't feel my face either. Too cold for me, I don't like it. Then we cheered on everyone else. I was just gonna go home after that, but bill wanted me to stay for the 800. So i did. Bill, Dakota, Chris, and i went to Ihop with the Hursts. I had a yummy crepe!!! it was delicious! But I only ate 1 and saved the other 3 for later. Then we went back, and we had to wait about 2 more hours because they were so behind! ug. We did 3/4 mile while they were having a "lunch break"but then they kicked us off the track for more races. I did about a mile's worth of strides and did more drills before racing again. I Did the 800 and got a 2:55 on it. I am kinda in between liking that time and disliking it. I didn't know what to expect and I feel I could've done better. The beginning took me by surprise with the amount of pushing and elbows being used. I got hit a couple times. wow. But im happy because I usually do a 3:30 at the speed workouts. Then I did a mile cool down

Oval today. Bad day for me. 5 1000s. I was feeling okay on the warm-up, and also on the first 1000. I bet it was because I liked the song that was playing (Say you like me by we the kings!!!! I love it!!!) and it kept me distracted. 2nd one was okay. I totally crashed on the other ones. I hated every second of them. I just wanted to go home. But i wanted to finish at the same time. I just really wanted to beat Abigail, and it wasn't happening. ug. I guess that's just how good she is. (Good Job Abs) hehe anyway i was not feeling it so I only did a mile cool down with Sarah while the others were doing who knows what. good job guys for being overachievers. haha :)

Okay, I know, lame: I got lost on the run. I was not feeling it today, and i was still worked up about yesterday and Abigail beating me. Good job Abigail!!! this is a good thing! Anyway, I wasn't as worked up as I was yesterday, but still pretty angry and sad. I went up 900 S. and immediately fell back from the group. I didn't see them turn, and so I kept going. I went up about 3/4 mile when I realized they weren't there. So I turned around to see if the slower group was still at East. of course not. I did 7 laps around the school just to make Bill happy(ish) Sorry, but your directions just confuse me Bill. Maybe I'll understand better when I drive. 

Okay I'm sorry about yesterday. I lost all motivation to run. I have it back now though!!! :) To make up for it, I did 8 miles with the faster group instead of 6 with the slower. We went to sugarhouse, and did backwards of the cemetery run, and went over to 21st  and up to 19th, over to sunnyside, and back to the school. Or that was the plan. We were short. I fell back as I normally do, but I really tried to stick with them so I had no chance of getting lost. along 19th I was trying to catch up, but it seemed like they were speeding up, but I was probably getting tired. Then when I got to sunnyside, I literally sprinted to the group. I caught up to them at a stoplight. I was worn out and was thinking just back to the school and I'll be done but no, we had to be short. :( So we went along the street shriners is on I can't think of the name right now to the next street and back to East the tennis courts way. 

Today was the distance challenge thing at the oval. 3 mile warm up. Then I did the mile. I broke 6!!! Yay!!! I started towards the back, and then with each lap I got closer to the front. On the last lap I heard Bill yell race and I realized I could give more so I went as fast as I could. I was racing the lead girl for first. Then I slowed down. I got way tired and started to thing negative thoughts, and they won. I need to work on that. THe girl behind me outkicked me at the last minute, and it took me by surprise, and then I was so angry with her and mad at myself for thinking negative thoughts, but I think i did an okay job of covering that all up. I then realized that I broke 6... my goal!!!! yay!!! And I got 3rd. (in my heat at least) Then I did 2 miles on the inside part. I stretched and whatever, then did 1/2 mile with Patrick. Then I did a few drills with him because I was bored and had nothing else to do, and he needed to because his race was gonna start soon. Stretched some more. Then I did 1/2 mile with Sarah and Bill, when Sarah and I were both almost late for the 800. I went in the faster group. I ended up with a 2:46. Pretty good race. then I did a 3/4 mile cool down.

SO, we did the normal drills with track people. Then we did the flagpole to flagpole run. I went with Bill and Natalie and Chris and finished with the Shriners run part. We did a funky lap in the parking lot and field area. It was 6. I was able to keep up for most of it. 6 miles

So today was the 5k at Saltaire. It was waaay cold. I broke 22!!! Yay! anyway, we did the whole course as a warm up. I fell back a little on it. I put my flats on, and then ran over to the starting line, but they started before I got there. Great start. Anyway, it felt good to pass tons of people. I was like i need to get up front so I just kept going faster and faster. I wasn't hurting like I should and I said if ur not hurting somethings wrong so I went faster. at the turn around point I realized I was only a little bit behind Abigail and wanted to catch up. My legs got super tired. On the last stretch I out-kicked some guy. It was great. I did about a mile cool down with Sarah. Then Bill was like go to 45 so i did another cool down. the course again-3 miles. I'm tired. I get to massage my legs - joy.

today we went to the oval and did 200s and a mile. I was not feeling good, so I did not do so well. I was ahead of Abigail for most of them though, but she ended up being ahead of me on the last few. 8 miles

today we went to the track and did 300s. We went up to sunnyside and did a lap around and down to the track as a warm up and did speed changes there. Then the 300s began. Yet again, I was not feeling too good. I was usually behind the group. :( Maybe next week will be better. I don't think the races this weekend will go too well.

So the oval, and it was a race day. I did the mile. We did a 2 mile warm up outside, and then I did speed changes with Bill and Natalie. I wasn't feeling it. I did drills, and I ended up being in the 2nd fastest heat, and I just would like to say being in the front is so much better than being in the back. Ug. Well, it was okay. I just really don't like breaking the streak I had for setting a new PR every race. It's okay though. Maybe next time. 

Oval again, 800 and the 2 mile. I was in the fastest heat for the 2 mile and I was dead last. :( 800 I was in 2nd fastest heat, and I got a 2:47. I did a 3 mile warmup, raced, did lots of strides, and did a very long cool down to make it to 17 miles today.

Well, i thought that today was gonna be a good day. Well, It wasn't too bad, but not nearly as good as I thought it would. Maybe because it was speed. ?????.... Haha anyway, We did a 1000, 2 800s, and 4 400s. By the 2nd 800 or the 1st 400 I started feeling crappy. I had a really bad cramp. I think I should drink more water. I don't know why I struggle so much with that. I have to force myself to drink it. Is that weird? I did really bad on the 400s. But i'm just glad its over. I did a 2 mile cool down with Sarah. I was supposed to do 4 with the faster group, but man, my cramp was bad. So i did 2. 8 miles

Wow, I have never done a run over 10 miles before. This is a first. Well, saturday I went to 17, but that was different. It was all split up. Today it was all together. I was not feeling good during the warmup. I thought today was gonna be a bad day. We did track stuff before, and some circuits, which were HORRIBLE!!!! I don't like circuits. I know they're supposed to help you, but before a long run is a little much. My hopes were not up for this run. I was considering doing less. I was considering lots of stuff. I could've done 40 minutes out and 40 minutes back like Bill was expecting. I was also considering going with the front group until I fell far back an then just turn around. But then I surprised myself. I actually kept up with them until just before the cottonwood complex. I then realized that now that we were here, I couldn't just turn around. We were now around the halfway point. So, It would be counterproductive if I turned around. perfect. So I ended up pushing the whole way. Joy. Well, turns out they had sped up a bit, and it was when I was waaay tired, so I hung back. I had mixed feelings when they stopped and waited for me. Now that I'm looking back on it, I'm grateful. But at the time, I wasn't fond of it. But, at about the 2nd or 3rd time they stopped for me, they all made me go to the front. That way, I "wasn't going anywhere" as Tomy put it. Hehe. People were behind me, so I couldn't slow down. Tomy would push/pull me along when I started to fall back. :) Thanks Tomy. I had yet another cramp, so we stopped at store after store looking for a bathroom. Man, the stores need to step it up on bathrooms. "sorry, its getting cleaned" and "its out of order man" and "we don't have one" are very annoying. But we found a nifty little place. You don't even have to go in the store to get to it. :) I wasn't too happy when we had to run up the hill though. I didn't like it. But I'm glad I got it over with!!! Maybe I won't be so backed up on miles on Saturday.....:) 

At the beginning of the run, I was feeling great!!! Another long run. We didn't do the usual track drills, and I liked that and getting out of there somewhat on time. We ran along 13th and I was really happy for some odd reason!!! :) it was amazing!!! I ran with Bill, Tomy, Natalie, Chris, Abigail, and Kiley. There was an amazing smell at one of the restaurants!!! It made me super hungry!!! But then we went on some route I can't remember well. We went all the way to South temple and turned down until State St. and turned right and went to some road (this is where I wasn't paying as much attention to where we were going, so I can't remember lots of the street names after this point. Sorry) It was the street that the General Conference was on. We went down there some ways, and then I started to fall back. I got a really bad pain like right under my ribs that killed! I have never had a pain like that before. I really need to start drinking water and am trying to get into that habit now. Ug. By like the 6 mile mark it was hurting really bad. I slowed down a lot I could tell. Darn pain!!!! I wish pain never existed!!! Life would be so much better. Anyway, I got lost and hoped they would come back. there was a fork. Turned out they took the path I thought they would've gone down, and were waiting for me at the bottom. Well, they came back, and we all decided to go along a road (I think it was 400 West) to 900 South. That didn't happen. We zig-zagged up because we kept hitting all the "don't walk" signals. Then we zig-zagged back down, and I fell from the group. Bill stayed back with me. (Thanks Bill!!! It helped!!) I guess Tomy's pushing me along didn't work. It did for a bit :) Being in the front worked For a bit as well. But it eventually failed. I got another cramp when it was just me and Bill. ug. Bill made me do some speed changes to  prove that the speed didn't affect the cramp much. Not surprising, he was right. But it felt like when we stopped, it felt good, but then when we started again, it hurt worse. weird. anyway, when we got to 900 S. we ran up until 11th. I stopped there. I ran a bit after the hill. 10 miles.

Speed today. I felt really good for some reason!!! I don't really know why. We did 2 vertical laps, and did some new drills! They were really weird and confusing. We started in a different place and did mini high knees then high knees then jogged and on the way back did other stuff like walking quad stretch, step overs, and so on. Then distance ran up to the track. We did a warm-up outside of the track. It was up Sunnyside to Foothill and along foothill to guardsman I think and back to the track. I was up with the front group during all of this (or at least most) Then we did a mile speed changes. I was a little further back on these. We did 2 sets of 4 300s with 2 laps recovery in between the sets. I was feeling really good :) It was weird because I was in the mode for a lot longer distance when we did them. I think I was still in the 800 mood. So when we started really fast I thought I might crash at any minute, and that we were going too fast. But then on the last 100 meters I realized that we were going at just the right pace. we ran 100 meters to the starting line and started again once everyone was there. I always hit around 60-62 each time, except the last 2 on the 2nd set were 63 and 64. I felt like I did a pretty good job keeping consistent. Every time though I felt like we were going too fast when in reality we weren't. And in all of them it was the last 100 meters that I really had to push. I was normally just behind Abigail, but still a bit in front of Sarah. Abigail would go slow on the small recovery time, and not make it in time to start with the group. I can tell you, it really helped to have Abigail there with the group, because then I didn't feel too far behind from the group. I could also push with her and I had a little more competition. But when she wasn't there, I felt like I was too slow, and I had a harder time pushing myself. I did okay though. I went up Sunnyside with Bill, Natalie, Tomy and Chris to guardsman I think it was and followed that to the next street and came back to the track, and did a grass lap around when I fell from the group. I did a lap on the track, and then just went back to the school to make it 10 miles. The others did a bit more though. 

Oh man I loved the workout today!!!! It felt really nice after all of the 10 milers and 12 miler earlier this week. It was just super tiring for me because, well, there has only been 1 10 miler i have completed before this week, and that was a few weeks ago. 6 miles felt AWESOME!!!!! Anyway, we did our penny run! we flipped a penny every time we had to stop, and heads was one way tails the other, i can't remember which one was which. The only hard part of the run was really on the way back, and going up the STEEP hill. It was really warm outside!!! It has been a while since I have sweat that much!!! ;)

Today was the 10k out at Saltaire. on our way there, we saw what looked like a race at sugarhouse park, and why do we do most of our races so far away when there are a lot here? just a thought. Anyway, I did 3 miles warmup. I actually went over my miles for this week. I was thinking about only doing 1 mile, but I wanted to make sure I was warmed up. So we did some drills at the starting line, and then started. Guess what?!!! I actually started on time!!! :) (on the 5k 2 weeks ago I was in the parking lot when they started) So, I was feeling great the first and 2nd mile, but I didn't want to go too fast because I didn't want to crash. I just stayed at the same pace as Abigail, and just tried to keep up with her. At like the 3rd mile, I was getting tired. But that didn't stop me! I just worked to stay with Abigail, and pushed through it. By the 4th mile, I was starting to get a side ache, and I told myself, DON'T YOU DARE GET A SIDE ACHE and I did a technique thing bill taught me a while ago, and it worked and I didn't get one! :) But can I just tell you that drinking water while running is super difficult? Well, it is! Excuse me, drinking Gatorade. I think I splashed some people. :O I got gatorade on my leg the first time. second time I nearly choked. Ug. It is really hard. maybe I should just practice that and become a professional!!! ha! Anyway, fifth mile mark Abigail told me we were gonna do a speed change, and I was like NO! But I didn't want to fall behind, so I pushed really hard to keep up with her. At the very end, Either she sped up even more or I slowed down or both, but I still ended up right behind her!!! I am really glad she was there, or else my time would have been a lot worse. Thank you Abigail!!! I did a 1 1/4 mile cool down with Abigail. :)

Speed today. Much confusion on if we were going to the oval or not. Turns out we didn't. Yay!!! We did the usual drills with the sprinters. Then distance went up to the track. A few of the others dropped off their flats, and then we ran up to Sunnyside and did a lap in there. There was soooo much snow! It was unbelievable! It was so muddy, so instead of doing more at Sunnyside we went along guardsman to the crosswalk and crossed and went back to the track to make our warmup 2 miles. Then we did speed changes. I was able to keep up with the group (ish). I fell a bit behind. Then we did 6 400s and 200s. (400, 200, 400, 200....)

So, for the 400s I got them all 1:22 or under, except for the last one. the last one I had a mental crash, and then I got a 1:26. To "make up for it" Bill made me change the last 200 into a 400. He said that I needed to get it at a 1:20 or under, and if I didn't I had to do it again. He said that he would pace me. Well, on the first 200 I felt like Bill was going really fast, and I fell a little back, and then Bill yelled at me to catch up to him. The others dropped out t the 200 mark, and were cheering me on from there. I tried as hard as I could to catch up to Bill. I was getting closer, but it was too late. He had already crossed the line. When I crossed, I felt like my legs were gonna fall off. I was so tired. I really did not want to do another one. Then Bill and I ran the opposite way, and when the others caught up we turned around and went back to were their shoes were. Then I asked Bill what time I got, expecting a 1:22-1:24. He said I got exactly 1:20!!! Yay!!! He would've made me do another one if I had not made it, and he made that clear. Between the 400 and the 200, We did a lap recovery.

On the 200s I got around 36-38ish. I always just tried to keep up with Bill. It was hard, but easier than the 400s. Between them and the 400 was a half lap recovery. 

Then, for a cool down, we did a grass lap, but then realized it was muddy, and then did 3 laps on the track, and back to the school to make it 10.

My question for the day: Why do squirrels eat acorns? 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!!!

I had an orthodontist appointment, so I couldn't make it to practice. I did my own run around my neighborhood. I went up Harrison, down 19th to St. Mary's, up St. Mary's to 21st, and along 21st to foothill. from there I went to Sunniside Ave. and down to Le grande St. to 900 S. to Military Dr. and along 17th E. to 13th S. to 15th E. Then i went to Kensington and went up and then to Browning and back home. Enough description for ya? haha :) Anyhow, I felt like I was going at about a 7 minute pace. I tried to slow down, but ended up speeding up again. Maybe it was my music. I don't know. It was weird. And then afterward, I felt like I needed to do more than 4 miles. But Bill told me 4 miles, so I did. I went up a hill along Kensington, and it felt a bit uncomfortable, but other than that it was a really nice run. A lot nicer than a 12 miler. :)

I kept getting random text messages from lots of different people. Some were from Sarah, and they were acceptable, mostly because she's a good friend. The others were from people I don't even know. I got one that said "Driving." Lots of random ones like these. All from people I don't know. It got very annoying. Sarah had long stopped texting me, and my phone kept going bzz bzz bzz in my hand. Why is it that I never get text messages, and then I get a million while on a run? 

It felt really nice to be such a short run.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!! 

Haha yay!!!!! we're going light to get ready for Simplot!!! (It's tomorrow!) I am so excited but nervous, and I hope I do well!!!

 We ran up to the track, did a mile Warmup, mile speed-changes, mile cool down, and back down to the school. My legs felt great!!!! I got a bit tired on the speed changes, but I hope my legs will be alright tomorrow so I can do well!!!

Ice Bath!!!! Soooooooo cold! i got really paranoid, especially when water kept dripping on my arm from the faucet. It made me even colder!!! But listening to music made it go by a bit faster. Remember when we used to have ice baths at the track really often for Cross Country?

I'm excited for Simplot!!! 

 Simplot!!!! It was a very long drive. I sat around for most of the time. We took a great team picture at the green screen!!!! Abigail's body was gone!!! haha :P 2 miles warmup. Then Bill gave me a gu thing and it was DISGUSTING!!!!  Then I did strides and drills at the Bull Pen. Then more strides while waiting for my race to start, and im counting those for at least a 1/2 mile. I'm certain I did more than that. 

Race time! I was really nervous, and Bill told me to just not get lapped. He said to get a 5:40. Killed that! I got a 5:38, my new PR!!!! On the first lap I just didn't even pay much attention to running. I just went with it. Adrenaline going? I think so. On the 2nd lap, I was still not paying much attention. 3rd lap, started to get back to my senses, and I felt really good, which was weird, so I pushed a little more. 4th lap, I started to get tired, so I feel I went back to my pace before. I then felt like I was gonna crash, and I didn't want to, so I just made sure I kept up the pace. The last 300 I was told to go as hard as I could, but I was worn out, but I still tried to pick up the pace. It wasn't until the last 200 I really started to kick. Then, with 100 meters to go, I was so worn out, and tired, and my calves were hurting, and I was starting to think negatively, and then I let a girl go, WHICH I AM REALLY MAD ABOUT!!!!! I finished, but I feel I did well. Just really mad about those 100 meters. 

Well, I was really hoping to make finals, but unfortunately, I didn't. Why am I so mad about those 100 meters? Because if I had gone with that girl, then passed her at the end, I would've made finals. I was 40th, and they take top 36. Pathetic. I hope to do better next time.

1 Mile cool down 

So today was really light, But im still mad about yesterday. We went to the cemetery and did 2 laps, and came back and did 2 laps around the field and parking lot to make it to 4. My calves still hurt from yesterday.

Turns out I was 38th yesterday. 2 girls did not do all of the laps. That helps, but it still doesn't get me into finals, seeing as the take top 36. I might end up going tomorrow just to see if one or 2 of the girls don't race and the alternate ahead of me did not show up or something, or I don't know. I hope I can!!! I really would like to!!! (It was my motivation to run fast yesterday)

So, today I decided I would go up to see if there would be a place for me in finals. It was really weird warming up not knowing if I was gonna race. I ran around with abigail for about 2 1/2 miles and did drills. Then Bill gave us a gu thing to drink/swallow/eat I don't even know which one it was. It tasted disgusting!!! (hehe it was the same kind as thursday)

So it ended up being that the alt ahead of me did not show up. I bet she didn't think she'd make it in. Sucks for her. There was one girl who didn't show up, so I got to run!!!! yay!! It was the mile. I was so happy, but I wasn't fully prepared to race I don't think. I fully expected for me not to be able to race. I don't know why.

In the race, I felt great on the first 800. By that time, I crashed. Abigail passed me, and then lots of other girls, and then everyone else. I lost it mentally. I need to work on that. I started to think negative thoughts, and it ruined my race. I'm just glad I did race though!!!! I got a medal for being in the finals!!! :) It's only my 2nd medal!!! (well, okay I got two 1st place ribbons from the 5k and 10k, but those are ribbons so they don't count. Right?) I like it and am glad I got it!!! :) good day. 

Don't know my time, because I ran for someone else, and I don't know who it was I ran for. The last girl got a 6:04, So I'm gonna put myself down as that until I hear otherwise. 

6 miles cool down with Bill, Tomy, and Abigail.

Why is it that some days you feel really lucky, and others you feel super unlucky? 

Met Bill, Tomy, and Chris at the Jordan River Parkway thing, Susannah gave me and Susannah's friend a ride. We ran along that trail for 5 miles and came back. I wasn't feeling too good. I don't know why. I stayed up with them for 2 or 2 1/2 miles and then I completely crashed. What's up with me crashing? i don't like it. I ran by myself the rest of the time.

By the 4th mile I was really tired. My shoelace was untied, so I used that as an excuse to stop, and I tied it, stretched a bit, thought about just turning around there, but then I decided it was best if I kept going. So I did. 

Glad I did the whole thing. Well, sort of. The others did 12, but Bill really only expected me to do 10. So I count it as doing the whole thing. :)

The wind was blowing really hard throughout all of it, but it picked up on the way back, and we were going against it. Felt horrible. 10 miles. 

Long run. Nice and long. we did the cemetery run where you go through sugarhouse park and on tons of streets and do a lap in the cemetery and go back a different way. Like how i'm SUPER descriptive? haha yeah we were talking about this on the run. It's a hard one to memorize.

Well, I was feeling okayish today, but super tired. So I don't know how I pulled off this run. I was able to keep up with the group for the most part (very surprising! I suck at long runs) I started to crash at the 6 mile mark i think it was. Somewhere in the cemetery. Nice and muddy along one of those roads in there. I'm sad that it got my running tights all dirty. I just washed them. and i have only one pair. They are on my list for shopping. Along with a watch.

Well, once we got out of the cemetery, I started to fell a bit behind. Bill stayed back with me. I'm really glad he was there, or I would've let myself crash so much worse (Thank you Bill!!!!) He made me stay right next to him. I was able to do it all the way until 13th and a little bit along 13th. I was just worn out. Did I say that it was super long? Well, it was. I've never done an 11 miler before. I've done a few 10s (all within the past couple weeks, might i add), and a 12 (yes, within the past couple weeks), but never an 11. I fell back from Bill, and he and Abigail (who passed me along 13th) made a light that I didn't, and it was a lot harder without someone there to push me.

Why is it that some days you're ready for a shorter run, but it's actually a long run that day, and others you're ready for a long run, but it's actually 4 miles? This question popped up in my head along the run. 

2/22  today!!! lots of 2s!!! haha since there are so many 2s we should've done 2 miles to  make even more 2s!!! :)

Drills and stretching with track, then split off into groups. 

My legs were a little tired from yesterday, but not as much as I expected. :) 

Distance went down to liberty. Went the short way to the drinking fountain and then jogged over to the mile mark on the sidewalk. Then we did a fartlek. 8 sets of 3 minutes on 2 minutes off. The first one I felt great!!!! it was weird. 2nd one was straight into the wind, so I did not do well. I tried to stay with Bill. On the 3rd one I did really bad. Then Bill, Tomy, Natalie, and Chris turned around I was able to start a little ahead of them. I think that helped a bit. :)

So then I did okay on a few of them, and the last one I did horrible. I crashed really bad. I got cramps again. :( I hope I can do well tomorrow.

Cool down was long way back. I went really slow, and the cramps were really bad. The group got far ahead of me. I missed almost all of the lights, which did not help. Then ran up to 11th and stopped, walked up the hill, and a little bit before the top Bill made me run the rest of the way.  

Today track warmup. 2 vertical laps, then did step ups, wall sits, and circuits (3 sets of each.) then distance went for a run. 

We went along 13th to 21st, then up to 19th and along to sunnyside. then we went to guardsman and went from sunnyside to the next light and back. Then I lost the group and thought we were done and so I went down to east (tennis court way) and got back before them so I was confused. Then I did 5 big grass laps around the parking lot and field. made it to 8 for the day.

Then we went to KFC and got mashed potatoes and gravy!!!! Amazing!!! Dakota chugged a full thing of gravy and Natalie chugged probably half a thing of gravy. Abigail had her first taste of gravy. It was a party!!! Apparently Natalie and Dakota and Abigail are cool! :) (Of course they are!!!)

Today was a nice and easy run to rest up for the 15k tomorrow!!!! It felt really nice to only do 4 miles!!! :)

We ran up to the track, and then did 2 laps warmup and then did 2 miles speed changes. I ran with Chris, Natalie, and Tomy for a bit, and then I was pushing really hard to keep up with them so I fell back to Abigail and Kiley at a nice pace. Then Bill told me to come with him and Caden instead of staying back with them. Wasn't too hard. Nice pace. But a bit faster than Abigail and Kiley's. ;)

Then I ran 2 laps cool down with Caden. Pretty easy pace. I like 4 mile runs. we should do more of them. Then we ran back down to the school. 

This morning I was thinking about how in the summer when I saw people running way early in the morning, I thought they were crazy to get up so early just to RUN. Then I realized I'm now one of them. 

Today was the 15k. Well, the wind was out of control. Too much wind to race 9.3 miles. Or so I thought. Of course, my judgement doesn't matter when it comes to Bill. Haha. 

 We drove to the point where the water station was going to be. We did a mile warmup from there. It was hard to breathe when going out into the wind. I tried to draft off of other people, but it doesn't work for me for some reason. I guess im just not good at it. Ha.

Then we drove in Kiley's car back to the starting line, everyone crammed in. It was squishy. Then we did 2 strides, and I was tired already, so I did no more. Wind.

Guess what?!!! The guy actually had a siren to tell us to start! It wasn't like the other ones where they were like, "Okay, Ready? Okay 1, 2, 3, okay go!" they just did the siren. Although it was kinda quiet. 

I don't know why but i had a bunch of energy. I feel like I went really fast the first 3 miles. Ha i could've PRd. I started off at my own pace, but I felt like I was going a bit fast, but I didn't care. Not too far ahead was Bill and Kiley so I tried to get up to them. then I slowly fell back. I was on my own from there on. I was ahead of Abigail, so I thought something must be wrong. But I felt like I could've gone a really far ways at the pace I was at. I felt good.

At the water station I completely knocked the cup out of Dakota's hand and on the ground. Ha! Okay it was an accident. Then I just got another one from Kim. That gave me something to think about for the next 3/4 mile. :)

At the turn around point we were then running right into the wind. It had calmed a bit, but it still felt horrible. The 5th and 6th mile were the hardest for me. I had a mental battle. I wanted to stay positive, but it was really difficult. Then I saw the building, and I felt so much better and got really hyper. I was singing something like "We are almost there don't cut your hair...." random stuff and then got weird looks from other people.  I didn't care.

Then I decided if I was singing random songs I needed to go faster. So I did at around the 2 miles left mark. I kicked it at the mile mark. Speed change! :) Then with about a 1/2 mile I went even faster, and then Bill and Natalie and Tomy and Kiley were yelling at me to kick, so I sprinted to the finish line. I feel like this was a pretty good race. Well, for being my 1st 15k.

Cool down was .7 miles with Natalie, Tomy, and Kiley and then they went inside the building and I finished off my miles for the week. 

Bread and Hot chocolate after!!! Yummy! found a new yummy thing: the bread dipped in the hot chocolate. Delicious!

Panda after that!!! Yummy orange chicken!!! :) 

So, I didn't feel like going to the game, so I met Tomy, Bill, Natalie, Chris, and Abigail to go on a run. Long run. It was not one of my best days.

The others wanted to go on a 12 miler to get their miles up, but in my head I was thinking more of an 8-10 miler. But I knew a 12 miler wouldn't hurt. It would also help get my miles up higher, and then I wouldn't have to do so much at the end of the week. 

So we ended up doing our run to the Cottonwood Complex, with a small detour to Bill's old house or something I don't really know. To the Complex, out along kind of what we did a little while ago, then a huge detour back to the same house to pick up Bill's sweatshirt. Then we ran along 11th E. to 9th S. I was behind them, and Just caught them at 9th and was thinking YES I am done....but then I thought I must've taken a wrong turn or something. They had run a little down 9th and back up to make it even. I ran with Bill up the hill and did almost a full lap to make it even. The hill wasn't as bad as I thought.

 The first 2 or 3 miles I felt sick to my stomach. 3rd and 4th mile were just dandy. Then my legs decide to start hurting. They were so stiff!!! Natalie was complaining about her calves and mine were dying as well. We stopped at that green thing in the Complex and stretched. It felt good. But I wasn't all the way ready when we started. It was certainly nice to stop. 

2nd half was hard for me. My legs were just so tired and when I would try to keep up with them I felt like we were going really fast, when really we were going at 7:51 pace. I guess its about time that they start hurting, with all of the intense workouts I've been doing. Like long runs. I did my first 10 miler just a couple weeks ago. Maybe a month. And now I'm doing lots of them. At least 1 a week. Minimum. Ha.

I just felt dead. I was on my own all along 11th. And 11th went on forever. I thought it was never going to end. When I thought I was really close, it was actually more like a mile and a half farther. Very discouraging. 

Good smells and bad smells. Good: food!!!!!! and lots of them!!! Bad: Smokers, dirt, and so on.

Maybe tomorrow my legs will feel better. I hope. It's speed I believe. Yippee!! I get to look forward to that! ;) 

And lots of slugbugs, bingos, bingo houses, bingo fire hydrants, cars, and so forth. You can tell how bored we can get on long runs.

So today was speed. I did not do well. 5 1000s. 2 miles warmup, mile speed changes. Then we did a lap and started the 1000s. The first one was good. 3:41.5. 2nd one good as well. 3:41. Third is when I died mentally and it went downhill. I kinda just didn't wanna do it. I got a 4:13. 4th wasn't much better. 4:12. 5th I started too slow and then on the last lap picked it up a lot and STILL got 4:12. my calves were still really tight, but not as much as yesterday. I stretched them a lot during recovery time, and it helped. I got a side ache third one. I think having races on the weekend motivates me, and when there aren't any, i don't do well. I'll just have to act like there's a race i guess. 1 lap recovery, then stood for the rest of the time. 7 laps cool down.

It is officially outdoor season!!! 

Man, today the weather was just plain old crappy!!! The wind was blowing during the first part with everyone. We started at the track. We did 2 laps warmup, and then tons of drills. then we did our big lap drills where we go around the track to the other side, do a drill for 50 meters, then stride for 50 meters, then run up and down the bleachers until we get to the end, which brings us back to the starting place. We did that 6 times???? I don't really know. 

Then I went on a run with Natalie, Bill, Tomy, Abigail, and Chris. We went up sunnyside, to foothill, along foothill aways, then we went up by Red Butte Garden, and then some crazy way. I think we went through the U campus. I wasn't paying much attention at this part. I almost got lost several times. Then I was all alone because I fell back, and I did the shriners run back to the track, hoping that it was what I was supposed to do. The weather picked up a lot. It went from wind to hail. It was a blizzard. I got really mad at the wind and started yelling at it to stop. It didn't listen to me. I was bored. I think people thought I was crazy. 

 I thought I was done and I was covered in snow when I got back, but I had to do 2 laps and to the numbers and back to make it to 10. It was cold. Trying to text afterward was nearly impossible. 

I seriously hope it doesn't snow again. I'm done with it. Bill and Tomy called the hail something else. haha

I have been really tight lately. Walking was hard for me earlier, and then in my house I had a hard time walking, and going up the stairs made me super tired. My calves are really, really stiff and sore. Same with my hips. I think i did a bit better than yesterday, but I hope that tomorrow isn't gonna be as big of a struggle. 

I had a weird dream last night where the whole team was lined up and there were huge machines that had windows on them so you could see inside, and you would drop a coin into the first machine, and watch it go through the machine, and then if it came out on the other side then you'd move on to the next one. We all took turns doing this. I was in the middle of watching my coin go through machine 6 when I woke up. I think Bill's coin collection is getting to me. 

Amazing day today!!! I am so happy!!! I honestly have no idea where it came from. We did 1 vertical lap (i'm liking 1!) and then stretching circle, and drills along the hall. Then we did wall sits and step-ups. On the first step-up set i did my normal pace. Then Bill was like "get to 40" and I was like "okay" but I really didn't think I could. I got 28 on the first one, but I wasn't trying as hard as I could. I tried a bit harder the next one and got 39. I wasn't going at my fastest, so now I know I can do it. :)

Then Distance went on a run. I went with Abigail, Natalie, Tomy, Bill, and Chris. We did a mixture of the cemetery loop run and the shriners run. We went along 13th to the cemetery, and then did a lap in there, and went up to guardsman and did the shriners run from there. 

I got tired from the hill in the cemetery, but then Tomy told me to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth, and so I did, and it actually calmed my breathing down and I felt alright!!! Thanks Tomy!

Then when we got into that parking lot just by guardsman and that stoplight, Abigail and I were falling back a bit, and she said "lets catch up to Bill and Natalie." So I did. Then we went through the U campus, and I just tried to keep up with them. Then we went along that alley and it didn't feel so bad. So i kept up with them. Then came that awful hill...and I just focused on my breathing like Tomy had said to in the cemetery, and it worked for the first bit, but then it got harder to keep that pattern as it got steeper, and it was a freaking long hill. I had that sick feeling near the top where its like 'I'm gonna throw up' so I backed off a bit. Natalie and Bill were now ahead of me, so all the way along that one road way up there that the fire station is on I just tried to catch up to them. i could see them. Then they started to get farther away, and my motivation now was "catch up to them or you'll get lost." that got me to pick up my speed again. Then the fire station came, and it was finally downhill!!!! Of course we were gonna have to come back up it, but I was focused on being positive. 

Then we turned around at the 5 mile mark, and I still hadn't caught up to them, but now that I think of it, I don't think was even close. I bet i was still going a bit slower than them. But I was motivated on the run, and that's all that matters right? Then by the fire station I told myself "all downhill from here!" (except for the little uphill part :) haha I didn't tell myself that!) I pushed on all of the downhills, and opened up my stride a bit, and focused on my arms and fast turnover for the other parts. I pretended that the slightly uphill parts and straight parts were downhill and still pushed. I then remembered "oh! cemetery loop!" and turned and went to the cemetery and did a loop there. Bill and Natalie ended up doing 2 laps, and I finished my one before they finished 2, and so I went out before them, but waited at the light. Great excuse to stretch, until Bill came and said to turn. Ug.

I pushed to keep up with Bill and Natalie along 13th back to the school. I thought they were going pretty fast, but maybe I was just going slow. I don't know.

Then I did a lap around the field and parking lot with Bill to make it to 10. 

Food day thursday!!!! Wendy's crunchy crispy chicken wrap!!!! (I think that's what it's called.) :) Yummy!!! 

Speed. At the oval. We did a mile warmup, stretched, did another mile, and a mile speed changes. Then we did a mile and 2 sets of 4 400s. On the mile I felt like we were going too fast, but got like a 6:13. Same with the 400s. What is it about me that thinks we we are going too fast when in reality we are going too slow? That's been happening to me this past week. Am i just slow?

the 400s were just plain horrible. I did good on the first one, but then sucked on the 2nd and 3rd one, then got really mad that I was going so slow and did okay on the 4th one. 5th one I didn't do so well. 6th one I did okayish, and then 7th one didn't do well, and last one was okay. I can't remember some of my times, but it went something like 1:20, 1:34, 1:36, 1:25, ?, ?, 1:32, 1:28. I think. ???? We did 2 laps in between each set.

Then we did 7 laps cool down to get to 10. 

It was really annoying though because the speed skaters had races going on and they set up the mini bleachers in lanes 2 and 3, and then tons of people would stand in lane 1. We had to move around them. Then on the 400s people wouldn't move out of lane 4 when you yelled "lane 4!!!" a million times really loud, and then you had to move around them. Annoying.

On the 400s I would do good on the first 200, then slow down on the next 100, but then push on the last 100 because I didn't want to be THAT far behind. I really don't know why, but I feel REALLY slow. I just wish it could've been a good day like yesterday. BUT ONLY 8 MILES TOMORROW!!!! YAY!!!! 

I wasn't feeling too good today, mostly because I ate breakfast right before the run. We met at the Highland parking lot, and did a crazy run I don't remember at all. We just kinda went wherever Bill told us to go along the way.

When we got near the end of the cemetery was when I started to feel not so good, and I focused on trying to stay with the group. I slipped. I got caught trying to cross a street that they were able to with what seems like no difficulty, and stood there for 2 or 3 minutes. Such a waste. I REALLY lost the group at that point, and just went where I thought I was supposed to go. I thought wisely.

Then I saw them in sugarhouse park at the end, and my first thought was NO!!!! But then I realized that negative thoughts were not the answer. So I started to make those thoughts positive.

8 miles, felt really nice after all of those 10 milers and one 12 miler. 

Tomy said along the run, talking about dogs that were walking around, "Those dogs are in the middle of the street!" (This is when I was just falling off of the group) I looked at the group, and then the street, and, well, so were we. But I didn't say anything. 

I was having a bad day. I didn't want to run period. Although, the weather cheered me up a bit. It was sooo sunny and it was actually warm! It got me happy for a bit, and made me think that running might actually be pleasant today. WRONG!

We met up at the track, because of how wonderful the weather was. I was hoping that it wouldn't be too hard, considering my awful day at school. Okay, it wasn't completely bad, but it's gotten to the point where i wish it was summer and that school didn't exist. But then again, without school there would be no track and cross country....

We did 2 laps warmup and stretching circle, then drills. Lots of freshman and girls! Lets hope they stay. 

This is when I figured out some of what we were doing: tempo run. great. Distance went down to liberty park. We went short way to the drinking fountain. then we went to the start. Here's what I knew: tempo run on the sidewalk, and I was supposed to be going 6:35-6:45 pace. I didn't know the distance until right at the starting line. 6 miles. :(

Well, my thoughts were not very high at all in the beginning, which probably contributed to my crash and hard time running. I think I started too fast. That didn't help me at all. I backed off so that I was with Kiley and Patrick instead of Bill, Tomy, Chris, Natalie, and Emily. I tried to keep up with them.

1st mile mark I missed my time range by 3 seconds, which really made my spirits go way down. I thought to myself "I had a 10 second time range and I still blew it" and stuff like that. Kiley and Patrick were in front of me now, and that didn't make my thoughts any happier. Looking back, I ask myself "Why didn't I try to stay positive?" It has worked for me so many times, and I think it would've helped me a lot. But I was not in too great of a mood.

I still tried to push the 2nd mile, but then the wind was blowing and made it hard, and it was on a slight uphill, so it made it worse, and one leg felt like it was being worked really hard and the other one was fine except for a slight pain in my shin. The being worked leg hurt like no other. My hip and calf and slightly under the knee were all hurting, sore, tight, and tired; not a good combination. 

at about the 2 1/2 or 3 mile mark is when I backed off. I wish I hadn't. It was just a bad day. I really just wish my legs would be okay and not hurt like those wonderful couple of weeks back. I feel now like I am super slow and can't do anything. I am really worried about the next race. I hope that my legs will be back under control by then. What can I do to get them to be not so tight and sore and tired?

We then went long way back and up the hill, and up to the track. Made it to 12 1/2 miles. Maybe tomorrow will be good. I hope. It's speed is what I am told. 

Speed at the oval. except today there weren't that many people and nobody stood in lane 1!!!!! That was nice. Mile warmup, stretched, another mile warmup, and mile speed changes. Another lap, then we changed shoes and ran to the 800 start.

1st 800 I felt good for the first little bit, and then I felt sick to my stomach. Bill said to match that (2:53), and I tried. But i'm not sure if I did. I couldn't find the watch that I brought, but I knew I had brought it! Annoying.

Then we did 2 sets of 5 300s. I really was not feeling that great, which really bothered me because my legs were fine, and I had iced a lot just so that I could feel okay today. But I guess my stomach doesn't agree. Ug. :(

I was always not hitting my times right and was really slow. Not having a watch doesn't help at all. I don't know like any of my times.

Then on the 2nd set I did much better. Bill made me lead one, and I either made it or got really close. I think I yelled something like "I don't feel good!" when I started to fall back and he told me to keep going and to catch up. I was frustrated at the time, but it helped me a lot. Thanks!

we did a lap recovery in between the sets. When we were done with the sets, we did a lap and then changed shoes and did 5 laps cool down to get 10 for the day. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Then, as I was putting on my sweats to go out to the car, I found the watch in my sweatshirt pocket. Annoying. 

So, today was supposed to be a recovery run, so I took it a bit easy. Maybe I shouldn't have.

Track warmup: 2 laps and then stretching and drills, then hurtle drills and strides. Man, my hips hurt after the hurtle drills!!!

Distance went on a run. We were aiming for 12. We went up Sunnyside, to the crosswalk thing just above 19th E, then down a bit to 19th and went along 19th to Harrison. We then went down Harrison to 17th E. and then to Browning to pick up Natalie. I considered going home, then decided it wasn't worth it. Then we went to Emerson and down to 16th E, along 16th to 17th South and down to 15th, and followed 15th to sugarhouse park. We went grass way around, and then my calf twitched randomly for a few seconds, and it freaked me out a little, so I started going slower. Then it stopped after just a little bit, but I still went slow. When I knew that it wasn't gonna happen again, I tried to catch the group again.

Then came the cemetery run, one of the runs that I don't have painted in my memory. I went down Hillcrest Ave. to Imperial Ave, then didn't know which way to go, so I went right and it took me down, and then I wasn't sure if this was the right way, so I turned around after a bit. Then I went back up to Imperial Ave, and went along it the opposite way for about a half mile, then really felt lost so I turned around and went back the same way I came (minus the circle and the little detour I took after Hillcrest.)

Then I ran 2 laps and called it good. Quite a day. A lost one. :)

     I'm loving this nice sunny weather!!! Track warmup. 2 laps and stretching. Then we did relays. We started with the 4x400m relay. My team was Natalie, Camille, and Dominique. I was first. I felt really good the first 100 meters, then we went right into the wind, and then it was so tough. I think I slowed down a bit. Then I just pushed the last 200 or 100 meters. I passed it to Dominique, who passed it to Camille, and then she passed it to Natalie.

      So then we did the 4x200. Same order. I felt pretty good on this one. But my hips started to hurt.

     Then came the 4x100, or so I thought. The order was messed up. I started like way too far back. I thought 100 meters was from the one set of numbers to the other. But no one agreed. But then again, I'm only a newish distance runner. So i guess I don't count. I just wasn't fond of running more than everyone else.

     So then I crossed the line, and thought I was done, but everyone was like "keep going!" and then everyone else kept going, so it was very confusing. Turns out we got to do a 200 instead of a 100. Wow. Great communication.

     Then distance went for a run. We went down to 13th and to Sugarhouse park then did the road way to one of the hills that the state course for Cross Country. We did 4 of those hills continuously. I just tried to push. It is weird - I've noticed that I recover a lot quicker than I used to. On the downhill I could usually get pretty close to Kiley, Bill, and Natalie. Then I'd go back a bit, then catch up again, and so forth. 

      Then again I thought we were done, but we ran over to a different hill, more curvy and steep, and felt longer, and did 4 of those continuously. I felt like I was only working my right leg. It was weird. Again, I recovered quicker than I used to. Then we ran another road lap. Then we went along 15th and then along 15th for a while. then we went up around some church and went someplace, to Sunnyside, and down to the track to get to 10 for the day (including track warmup)

So it was speed yet again. Met at the track and did 2 laps warmup, stretched, and did drills, then split into groups.

Distance: We split into newbies and more experienced, then more experienced split into groups based on levels of fitness. I was in the fastest group. You know, there are lots of ups and downs about being in the faster group. Ups: You get fitter, you get better, you get faster, etc. Downs: You get longer workouts, faster times to hit, and people who are lots faster than you who make you look like you're really wimpy and slow. :(

2 sets of ladders: 800, 600, 400, 300, 200. First set was okay. I felt okay. I got pretty close to my times. 2nd set I got cramps and felt horrible. I didn't want to go on, but yet I wanted to. By the 400 I was feeling miserable. I hated every bit of it. But I am told it will help me.

So then we went on a mile and a half cool down to get to 10.

This picture is for those of you who are super dedicated and have garmins:

Long run today. By myself. It certainly doesn't help to keep hearing the same songs over and over again over 10 and a half miles. It got to be quite a boring run.

I went from my house to Princeton Ave. and up and then over to laird park. I kept going up Princeton until I got to 21st E. and then followed it until I got to Sunnyside. Then I went down and by the tennis courts to East, then I decided to go to the cemetery. I went along 13th to 500 S. and into the Mt. Olivet cemetery and did a lap in there. Then I went up to Guardsman and to Sunnyside, to Deistel Rd. then to Military Dr. and to 1700 E. I followed 17th to Browning then went down to 15th and over to sugarhouse, then did a road lap, and came back along 15th and up browning. 10 1/2 miles

So I felt great the first part. Then my energy slowly went away and I got bored of the music. But i still listened to it. The last mile was where I had to force myself to keep running because I just wanted to stop and was so tired. But I did it!!!

:) I got up to 65 miles this week!!!! This is the first time I've ever done it!! last week was the first time I got as high as 60, and now that is history! ha. 

We started off with a meeting. Bill took roll (weird) and talked to kids without the forms and registration stuff done. (Ha! I'm complete!)

Me, Kiley, Abigail, Natalie, Tomy, and Dakota had the pleasure of going down to the school to get the jumping mats. Why the distance kids? Maybe because we were being lazy and sat on the one up there already. Ha. 

Because we were getting the mats, we missed the half mile warmup, but jumped into the stretching circle. Then we did drills, slightly different today. Then we split into groups. 

Distance went on a run, again. We were supposed to go to 10, but I didn't really know where we were going, and all bill said was "The adventure run backwards." Which adventure run? I thought there were lots of them? Guess not. 

  We went up with shriners run at first. Then I figured out afterward where i was supposed to go, and my first mistake was going left instead of right up by Shriners hospital. I saw Abigail and Kiley going by the cemetery and thought that was where we were supposed to go. Then I lost sight of them and ended up following that road until B street (the place where you have to turn) and turned around and went back the same way.

I hate getting lost. Now I have to make up 1 1/2 miles to catch up to everyone. 

My calves were hurting really bad. It wasn't just the sore hurting, it was the tight muscle type of hurting. It hurt like none other when going up all of those hills. I fell back because they were hurting so much, and also stopped a few times to stretch them because it felt like they were going to fall off or something, and i just couldn't stand running like that anymore. I really hope they will get better soon so that I can do the stuff I'd like to do. Just gotta last a little longer.

Then when I got back Bill told me to do 2 300s. Just to "open the stride." After the first one he told me to watch my arms and not cross. Man! I thought I was getting good at them. Guess not. 

What do butterflies do for fun? 

What's up with the wind lately? It's driving me crazy! I don't like the wind you see. Anyway, Track warmup of 2 laps and drills (and setting up the rail thing along the track). We did longer drills today. We were supposed to do time trials, but because of the wind we're doing them tomorrow (Yay!!!) So we did 3 sets of high knees, power skips, and sprinting up the huge hill with the K on it (or used to) by the soccer fields. Then we did these leg-over/under-hurtle drills. Then we did jumping-over-hurtles-and-on-top-of-big-red-boxes drills. And over-the-weird-type-of-hurtles drills. Then we did planks and wall-sits. And finally, split into groups. Some lucky individuals got to be done.

Distance went on a run. We went to 15th and then to Sugarhouse and did 2 big grass laps and went back along 15th and up Bonneview and then to the track that way, did 2 laps which got us to 10.

All along 15th I was able to keep up with the group. At about halfway through the first lap, I fell back, and behind Abigail and Kiley I felt like this was the end of my "going to be good" workout that I told myself I was gonna have before I started. Then I told myself to suck it up and just get the workout over with. 

I tried to catch back up to the group. I caught Abigail and Kiley, and then decided to try to catch Bill and Natalie. I was going downhill, and the wind was somewhat helping me, and then I turn and its like "WHOA!" because the wind is horrible. And then I slow down, my calves start hurting, uphills come my way, along with Abigail and Kiley, and then I feel horrible, and Negative thoughts pour into my mind. I lost the mental battle. 

Then I regained a bit of positiveness and tried to catch Abigail and Kiley, but they made a light that I just missed, and I was forced to stay back. There went my motivation to run fast. Along 15th I was miserable and just focused on running and not stopping.

I iced my calves and massaged them out a bit, so I hope tomorrow won't be too bad. 

Track warmup - 2 laps and drills. Then we finally did the time trials!!!! We had to delay them yesterday because of the wind. Mile warmup, mile speed changes, and then we did the mile at 2 mile pace. It was okay. I felt okay on the one side of the track, but then the wind, which was STILL blowing, was really hard to push through. I just focused on trying to keep my legs moving. 

Then came the 800m. We were doing it at mile pace. It was again okay. Not too impossible, considering how I've been feeling lately. My calves didn't hurt that much! Yay! I bet it's because I actually iced them...

Then we did 6 400s. They were goodish. I didn't do great on the first one, like a 1:30 I think, I'm not sure. I didn't get my time because I raced some guy for the last 50 to  100 meters. It was fun. I think we tied though. Ha.

2nd one I tried a bit harder, and did a little better. Then on the third one Bill told me to stick with Abigail and Kiley, and I got as close to them as I could, and then tried to stick with them, and got a 1:22.5. It was lots better. Ha.

3rd and 4th I just tried to do the same. 5th I didn't do quite so well, and my legs started to feel really shaky. 6th one I felt horrible, and instead of falling off Abigail and Kiley at the 250 meter like normal, It was at the 150 to 200 meter. Ug. 1:29. 

It made me really mad though because someone, I'm not going to say who, cut me off every time, except for the last one where I ran really hars at the beginning so they wouldn't. I think I did bad on the last one because I started way too fast. Maybe. But it certainly was annoying.

To catch up on mileage, I did 5 1/2 miles warmup while the others did less. That includes drills and track warmup. We went up Sunnyside to the shoreline trail and followed it to Red Butte Garden area and up some street, to the gate, turned around, and went through the U campus, across Legacy Bridge, and then I went through the construction area and just above the circle building to guardsman and went to Sunnyside and back to the track. 13.5 miles is what I'm guessing.

Every hill made my calves hurt more. I tried to stay flat footed. I don't think that went very well. It felt really weird and I felt like an old lady doing it. Ha.

I just hope that tomorrow will be okay. 

FIRST OFFICIAL OUTDOOR TRACK MEET!!! Okay it was a practice meet, but still! :) My calves felt wonderful!!! I felt really good today!

I did about 3 miles warmup including speed changes. Then I did the mile. I'm not sure what my time was. I find that when I'm sprinting down the last stretch I can't hear the times very well. I'm guessing like a 5:50 or 5:55. Eh. Not good, but not horrible considering I ran 13.5 miles yesterday. Or more. I'm not sure exactly. i can't wait to get a garmin so that I will actually know these things. I'm thinking that was a bit of a bad idea to do the day before a race. But it didn't kill me, so it mad me stronger right? Haha. Well, I felt okay. I started to not feel quite so good at the 800 mark. Ha. At least it's a practice meet.

Then came the 800. I did pretty good. I got a 2:46-2:47? somewhere around there. I feel pretty good about it. 

Well, I needed like 6 and a quarter miles for cool down, so I also did the 3200. I actually tried a bit and PRed. I hated the 3200 before, but now that I actually tried it and did pretty good, I'm reconsidering. I have only done it once before, and that one was at the oval, and got 13:45. I must've not been racing that hard. Today, I killed that. I got a 12:50 flat. It was weird though because I felt really good, but felt like I was going too slow in the 1st mile. I was up in front with the boys, and I thought that was unlike me so I must be going too fast, and I really didn't want to crash that 2nd mile. So I just ran it nice and relaxed. Then I started to get a bit tired, but I tried to stay relaxed. I then eventually fell off of the 2 boys in front, and Bill was yelling at me to catch up to them, so I thought I'd make an effort. I wasn't able to get in front of them, but I'm thinking that if I had pushed harder in the first mile then I might have beaten them. Oh well. I got 3rd overall and 1st of the girls. Not that there were many people to beat.

Ha. The 2 mile only had like 3 or 4 boys in it an 3 girls including me and Abigail. I guess we're the only brave ones. Ha. Then when there were like 3 laps to go I heard some soccer kid say "how many miles IS this?" I'm surprised the soccer people actually acknowledged us. Hehe.

Then Abigail and I really wanted to do the 4x400m relay. I'm not sure why. It just sounded fun at the time, and I needed mileage, so I was all for it. I'm not sure how, but we convinced Ellie and Grace to run it as well. At the starting line a girl from Brighton I think was like "You guys are crazy!!! You just ran the 2 mile, and now you're running the 4x400m relay!" It took all of my self control not to laugh. :) 

Then I did a cool down, and Bill ran part of it with me. Got to 11 1/2. 

Well, I slept in today, which was nice, but that meant I didn't get the text telling me that there was a group running at 9 and where to meet and whatnot. I woke up right at 9, so that was a bummer. Which meant my own run. Great.

Well, I did a run that I already kinda sorta knew, and that was where I went along 17th to Princeton, up Princeton to 21st I think, and followed it to sunnyside. Then I went the tennis court way to the school, then along 13th to the cemetery and did a lap in there, then went up 500 S to Guardsman and along it to Sunnyside, to Military Drive, and back home, where I dropped off my jacket (which I thought I would need because of the wind - but I was fine in a long sleeve shirt, and actually got hot in that, too. Maybe because it was black...) and then I went to sugarhouse and did a road loop and came back. I actually think I went over 10 miles, maybe like 10 1/2. But I wanted to hit 60 for the week, so I put it at 10.

My question is what is up with the wind lately? Along Guardsman I felt like I was going SOOOO slow because I was going against it. Yeah, you could say I was tired after that.

I massaged and iced my calves last night, and they were actually okay today. It was my hips that were sore. 

Ha I found another great picture.

YES!!!! We're going down in mileage!!!! (I think...) We only did 6 and a half today including warmup!!! Yes! It felt awesome to only do so little!!! :) I'm in love with this idea.

So we had a team meeting first, about the meet on friday. Okay, practice meet. I got the pointers that I slipped in the mile, but did good on the 2 mile. Got it. I will do well tomorrow to (sort of) make up for it. (I guess you can't really make up for a time that you already got.) At least it was only a practice meet. :0

Then team warmup. 2 laps, and drills. Because of the meet tomorrow, the girls got to do 6 miles!!! We did 2 miles warmup, 2 miles speed changes, 2 miles cool down. I was with the group for the first mile and a half, but then a weird place in my leg started to hurt like my calves did. It was like right between the inner side of my leg and the calf, and then just a little further down. Weird. I'll ice tonight.

The boys had to do more. Ha!!! sucks for them. On the 3rd lap of speed changes my legs started to hurt, so I slowed down. I seriously hope they won't be a problem tomorrow. It's a state qualifying meet, and I don't want to waste it. I'm hoping to do really well. :)

Well today must've just not been my day. I feel like my times should've been faster than they were. I feel I ran hard. But i guess the odds weren't in my favor. Maybe the wind. I just hope I qualify for state. I'm worried now.

So I warmed up with Abigail and Natalie and did some loop. Then we changed shoes, thought we were going to be late for our race, and ended up having plenty of time for strides and drills. The 1600 was first. I got kind of boxed in at the start. Maybe I should be more aggressive. 

I felt great the first 800, then started to feel crappy. I just told myself only 2 laps left. I pushed through it. Then I picked it up last 400, even more with 200 to go, and then Bill was yelling commands and telling me to move my arms faster and go full out so I did. I out-kicked a girl. That was awesome. But my time was crappy. 5:50something.

Then I did a little cool down, then warmed up for the 8. The 800 was short and I liked it. Bill told me that there were really fast girls in it and that I shouldn't feel like I need to keep up with them, so keeping that in mind I ran my best. I got like a 2:44 or something, which will be a PR. 

3200. I felt a little drained of energy. I started out pretty good. ish. The first mile felt great. Then I really started to struggle those last 3 laps. Maybe next time I'll do well. It's really discouraging when you get outkicked. Yeah, someone outkicked me within the last 5 steps. Someone who must've really been pushing because she came out of nowhere. Ug.

Cooled down with Abigail to get to 10. We sort of made the team wait for us. Sorry guys. If we had known that, we wouldn't have gone for that long. :0

Tri-meet at Woods Cross. I took an ice bath last night. I am so not used to taking them!!! It was so cold and all I wanted to do was hop out. But I think it helped a lot.

So when we arrived, we put our lovely stuff on the bleachers and claimed our team spot, and then we did a lap and stretching circle. That's the loudest we've counted!!! Ha. We did cheer, and then I found out that I was racing the 1600, and if my legs felt good, the 800. I did a mile wamup, did a lap to Natalie to ask her something, and then got my spikes ready, and did a mile speed changes.

Drills on the turf. I hate turf. I'm glad we don't have it at east. Sure, it makes the field look great, but it just feels weird and gets all over your clothes, and it must hurt if you fell on it. I really dislike it.

First was the 1600. I was going to be aiming for like a sub 5:30, I think. I ended up getting like a 5:46. Darn. I kept telling myself along the way that it was just like a speed workout. The first 400 I went out fast like i normally do, and then came the telling myself it was a speed workout part. I told myself to focus on the next 400, and to take it 1 400 at a time. It didn't seem so overwhelming that way. 

I passed the group ahead of me and took the lead. It felt great!! And I still had like another 2, 2 1/2 laps to go. My fear was that I was gonna lose it. But I just held on. It feels great to be in the lead. It helps mentally. Bill was telling me to really push the last 400, and i think I should've. I was just scared that I was gonna die with 100 meters to go if I did, so I did a speed change instead, not really kicking it too hard, and then at the 200 left I kicked a bit more, and REALLY kicked with 100 meters left. I think I'm starting to get a kick!!! I remember that all of the xc races I had ZERO kick whatsoever. :) It's a sign of improvement. I wish I would've PRed, but I am happy with winning the girls 1600. It feels great! Now I get a taste of what Natalie experiences most if not every meet. Ha. This is why we run. Then I did a cool down/warmup with Tomy. I felt okay and my legs were fine, so I decided I would do the 800. 

So, I was aiming for a 2:40 or below, and I told Bill I was gonna get a 2:38. I was supposed to get a 78 on the first lap and an 80 on the 2nd. I was right on for the first lap. I must've slowed down a lot, because I got a 2:40. slowed down 4 seconds. I have to work on that. But that is the pace for state, and it felt fast. I am gonna work hard these last couple months of the season so that I can make state. I really want to. I'm hoping that at Pineview I can get close. :)

Then I did a cool down with Olivia for a little bit, then did a mile and a quarter on my own to get to 8. 

I am in love with low-ish mileage!!! It feels so amazing!!!! And this lovely weather is spectacular!!! I like this so much more than snow. :)

Track warmup 2 laps and stretching circle. Then we did 3 sets of wall sits. I really dislike wall sits. Ha. Then the people racing tomorrow did 6 miles (Me, Natalie, Abigail, Tomy, and Chris) with 2 miles warmup, 2 miles speed changes, 2 miles cool down. I was able to keep up on the warmup and the first like half mile of speed changes, but then my throat got super dry and I got kinda worn out and tired. I'm gonna do what's right tonight so that tomorrow will be a good race. :)

I am so nervous for the race. I hope to get good results from it, and hopefully qualify for state or get super close, but definitely PR. I am worried that I won't qualify, and that I won't be able to at another meet.  The lower altitude should help. I think it's lower. I hope. I just really want to qualify for state. But in order to do that I'd have to run a 5:18 or faster. My PR is 5:38. Do you think I can do it? :0

Today was the impossibly long day that literally felt like a week. So, apparently we were supposed to go on a 2 mile shakeout run, but somehow both me and Abigail got the memo that we were going on a 2 mile shakeout with the group and then driving. Yeah, now I feel stupid.

Anyway, woke up at like 5:30 and got ready to go, then we went and met everyone at the Shopko parking lot, and enjoyed the long drive to St. George. I'm glad I got a window seat. I still remember the longish drive to Pocatello where I had middle seat in the back, and how uncomfortable I was when I tried to sleep. So this car ride was actually somewhat enjoyable.

When we got there, I was actually secretly wanting to still drive because I didn't feel like running. Ha. It was unbelievably hot!!! :) I liked it.

We got all ready, then Natalie, Kiley, Abigail, Bill and I went to the Bull pen and listened to what the lady had to say, and then went on a 1.5 mile warmup. Then we grabbed our spikes and water bottles and went to the field to do strides and drills. I got the privilege of watching Natalie, Abigail and Kiley race first. Nat was sad because she missed breaking 5 by just like 1-2 seconds, and Abigail was really sad because she didn't hit her time. Well, both of you did awesome!!! (much better than I ever have!) And Kiley seemed a bit disappointed, but she seemed okay. :) way to go!!!!!!

Then I just ran around the field a bit while they raced and cheered them on. Some team was looking at Natalie and was like "People are so stupid they sprint the first lap and die." Ha. Natalie wasn't sprinting. She was going out hard. They obviously didn't know that she was actually going at a great pace :)

Did strides and went to the starting line. My teammates were sad and crying, and so I didn't have very good thoughts to begin with. I was seeded 2nd, so I was in lane 1. I was expecting waterfall start, but I guess they decided not to. Make up your mind people!!!

I felt like we were going fast on the first lap. I wasn't in the mode. I just tried to make my legs move. I got like a 1:18. 2nd lap I started to pass people, but I think we slowed down. 3rd lap felt horrible, just focused on moving. Then I tried to speed it up on the 4th lap. SPEED CHANGE!!! 200 left, Bill was yelling at me to kick, picked it up more, 100 left I tried to really kick, but I felt like I didn't have it like I did earlier this week. I focused on my arms. Man, got a 5:53 I think. Something like that. Not my race. 

Then I did a cool down with Sam, Dakota, Caden, Abigail, Kiley, and Kiley's dad. We went for an adventure run!!!! :) I wasn't fond of some of the smells, and some of the hills.

Then I went with Dakota, Sam and Caden to costco and slipped in and got samples. Went to the freezing cold section and it felt so good!! It was so hot!!!!! Then we got berry smoothies and went back, waited for the other group to come back, and then we went and got food at Cafe Rio, and got more berry smoothies and dropped off Abigail, and hit the road.

Ha we stopped at a gas station and got Milkshakes and there was a huge rocking chair and we were so hyper :)

We all got great sunburns!!! I think Chris got it the worst. Ha some guy at the gas station, Artic circle whatever it was was like: "Sunblock, its an amazing thing." to Chris and it was so funny!!! Haha 

The Running Of The Leopards was today. I got home super late last night and had a really hard time waking up. But I managed. Well I did about a half mile warmup with Camille and Olivia and then they hit a mile so they stopped. Then I found a group to go with, but it ended up being me, Tomy and Natalie because we were going faster than the others. We did about 2 miles including strides.

Then we raced!!! I started in the front. It seemed like they were going super fast. Caden, Sam, and Patrick were passing me, so I decided to try to keep up with them. Then came downhill and I felt great. there was like 1 uphill :) When we went on it, I was in front of them now, but I got tired, and so I slowed down. Sam caught up and I just tried to stick with him. I fell back a bit, and came some more heavenly downhill. Along Sunnyside I caught up to Sam again and just tried to stick with him. When on the track he kicked, and I really wasn't ready, but I tried to stay on him. Again, No kick from me. I just think my legs are tired. They were feeling kinda weird. :0

Well, It turns out I won my age division, and I got a little ribbon. I was happy.

Then they did the raffle for the laptop, and they called number after number, but tons of people had left, and so they just kept calling them. Who eventually won? My brother. 

Did a really small cool down, guessed about .4 so that I could get to 6.

It rained today and it was really dark and gloomy in the morning :( Then we had some fire drill okay make us freeze to death outside. I bet someone hit the button thing. Then they didn't turn the alarm off for a really long time and it got really annoying. People these days. I was secretly hoping though that the power would go out for ore than an hour so we could go home. Ha.

We met at the track. We did 2 laps warmup and then did drills. We did them for longer stalling and seeing when Bill was gonna notice. Hehe. Then we did 2 sets of the circuit that Bill always makes us do. burpies, stride, jumping jacks, stride, squats, stride, and mountain climbers. We did them each for 45 seconds. 

Then we split into groups. Distance went on a run. We did our hill run up in the avenues. Joy. We went along 13th to South temple and started our strides on U street I think it was. Stride up the hill, then turn left and recover to the next street, and stride, recovery street, and so on until we reached 11th Ave. The hills just got steeper and steeper. I focused on trying to keep with the group the entire time, but I fell off at like the 7th one maybe? I'm not sure.

Then we stopped and recovered a bit at 11th. I stretched my calves, which had been KILLING during all of those hills. But I couldn't just stop and stretch them. so I stretched them then and let me tell you it hurt like nothing else. I nearly cried right there because it hurt so bad. they were sooo tight it was unbelievable.

We followed 11th to the Shriners hospital. My calves were still hurting, and I felt really lightheaded and so I took it easy for a bit. Then I realized that I was falling behind. I focused on catching up to Abigail and Kiley and caught them at like the fire station maybe? Abigail was telling me about haunted places. interesting conversation.

Then the new Sam had fallen back, and he was just ahead of us, walking, and he didn't know the way back, and I felt like we were going slow, so I thought that I would go with him. I pointed out the way as we went. We did the shriner's run backwards. It was nice to run with someone, and have someone to push me when I wanted to stop. :) I did much better than I would have if I had stayed back with Abigail and Kiley.

Then I did a lap on the track to get to 7. Natalie, Bill, Tomy, and Chris went to 9 while Abigail and Kiley went to 8 1/2. Bill wanted me to rest my legs a bit so I only went to 7. Probably for the races this week. 

Apparently it's the new style to do a speed workout the day before a race. I was expecting just a long run or something easy. I didn't have that high of hopes. True, it was only a Tri-meet, and not one of the big ones. Whatever. I just hope it benefits me for saturday.

So we did normal team warmup and then distance did the normal warmup and speed changes for a speed workout. Joy. Then we did 3 1200s with a lap recovery between (actually, 2 laps on one one of them) and 1 set of 6 200s with 1 minute standing recovery.

On the 1200s, it was weird. I'm used to either doing 2 laps or 4 laps. but it was only 3 laps. huh. I just tried to stick with Abigail and Kiley and that group for as much as I could. I don't know my times, but I think I got slower on each one. :(

Then for the 200s, I knew that it was short, so I really pushed. My fastest one was a 36. I normally got from like 36-38 on all but the last 2. My legs started shaking, and honestly it didn't feel normal, even though I know it is. I slowed down a bit and got like a 41. Then on the last one I got like a 42. I wish my legs would get better already. I want to be doing what everyone else is doing and be up with Abigail, but my legs won't permit it. I wish they would feel alright. Maybe I'm just being a wimp. :0

Then we did a cool down. We got to 10. 

     Today was the meet with Highland and Cyprus. I did the 1600m. I'm not exactly sure of my time. I think it was like a 5:50. I really don't know though I'm just guessing. I wanted to do lots better than that, but at least it was only a Tri-meet and not an invitational. I hope I do good this weekend at Taylorsville.

     So we did the team warmup, but only 1 lap today. Then we stretched. Then I went with Natalie and Tomy and did 2 laps, then I got my spikes ready. They did 2 laps while I was getting them ready, but they stopped to stretch, so I did 2 laps while they did that. Then I stretched just for a minute, and we did a lap and then 3 laps speed changes. Then we went over, got our shoes, and went to the line. Then did some strides.

     Then Bill decided to put girls and boys together to move the meet along. So I was stuck in the back behind 2 rows of people. At least I was in lane 1. the guy in front of Natalie lost his balance, so he started late, which messed up Natalie, and so I didn't actually start until like 3 seconds after they shot the gun. Annoying.

     Well, I think I'm still in Cross Country mode. The first lap I got like a 1:21 1:22 ish. Of course I thought this was slow. But I for some reason thought that I needed to pace myself and I couldn't go full out. Bad mistake. Then on the 3rd lap I fell back from Abigail, but I had started passing boys that obviously didn't know not to sprint the first lap. That is what I thought I would've done, and why I didn't go fast. Well, now I've learned. Then on the 4th lap, I realized "hey, I only have one more lap and I'm done." But I was tired. So I didn't go as fast as I should've. Kind of a sucky race. But I'll try to make up for it this weekend. I'm gonna break 5:30 I've decided. :)

     Then Chris, Tomy, Natalie, Abigail and I went up to sunnyside to do a fartlek workout. We were discussing how when you first heard the word fartlek you thought it was funny, but now you groan when you hear it. Ha. So true. So we did a big lap around and then went to the white tree. We started off. We did 1 minute 30 seconds off/on 10 times. I got in the negative thinking zone. Not good. I feel like I should've pushed a bit more. :0

     Then we did a big lap around again, and did a lap on the track in lane 8 and then to the numbers and back to get to 10. Because the others got farther on the workout and lapped me 2 times, I did a grass lap around to make up for the mileage.

Well once again thought it would be somewhat easy today. Nope. We did the normal track warmup (2 laps and stretching and drills) and then distance went for the run. We went to Liberty Park and went short way to the drinking fountain. Then we ran over to the start.

I did 6 miles tempo with Bill, Natalie, Tomy, Chris, Abigail, and Kiley with the other group doing 4 miles tempo. I was told to run at about 7:30 pace I think. Maybe it was slower, maybe it was faster, I don't know. I tend to forget what we do for runs a lot. Ha.

I didn't really know how to pace myself very well, so I just tried to stick with the group for a while. I felt okay. I was way fast with my first mile being 6:48. Then I kept missing the marks on the sidewalk, so I didn't get many splits. My 3 mile mark was a 21:14. PRed in the 3 mile in a workout! But I'm not sure if it counts...Ha. Then I must've slowed down a lot because I finished with a 44:30. I just got tired, but I pushed and I feel I did well. Much better than the last time we did this workout. :)

Then we ran all the way back up to the track, no walking up the hill. We had to run it. But oh well. It was my 2nd time running up it, my first time not stopping at the top to walk for a bit. :)

Then when we got up to the track I did almost 2 laps around the track in lane 8, but not quite, to get to 11 for the day. 

So awesome day today, beautiful flowers everywhere and the blossoms are blooming on trees and its just so beautiful!!!! It was nice and warm too!!!! Anyway, team warmup of 2 laps and stretching and drills. Then we split and distance did 2 miles warmup, 2 miles speed changes, and 2 miles cool down.

I was with the group for all of the warmup, and 5 laps of speed changes. then I slowed down a bit. I probably should of kept up with them, but I got tired and my calves were getting to the point where they started to hurt. I didn't want them to be dead for the race tomorrow, excuse me, races, and so I took those last 3 a little easy. Then for the cool down I didn't actually slow down too much. I caught up with Caden and was able to run our last lap with him so that I wasn't doing it alone while everyone else finished (Yes, they lapped me. But only once!!!)

I am nervous for the race tomorrow, but I have put my mind to running under 5:30 in the mile, maybe even better than that, and for the 2 mile I am going to PR and get close to 12 minutes. Should be good. :) 

The impossibly long meet was today. Literally, all day. I am not a fan of all day meets.

I warmed up as soon as I could. The people in the bull pen didn't seem to realize that people like to have good warmups before they race, and it seemed to me that they thought they had all of the time in the world. The lady even said "You guys will have plenty of time to warmup." Yeah right. I did a mile warmup and then got to a half mile of speed changes when they were ready to start Natalie and Abigail's race. I was the 3rd heat, so I had a bit more time. I felt bad for them. I only had enough time for that and strides, and I would've liked to have made it to 2, but they had even less time than me. People these days.

So, I did the 1600m. Yeah, the wind sucked. I did HORRIBLE. I don't know what it is, but it feels like I'm backtracking. I feel like I am getting slower. I used to be up with Abigail, and now I'm in the 5:45-6 minute area while she's in the 5:20s. It's very discouraging. I know that I should be there too, and to qualify for state I have to be there. I hate it. Yeah, got 6:00.06. Just barely missed the 5 minute area. Very disappointing.

Anyway, I started out way too fast. My first lap was a 1:14-1:15. Well, I guess I PR'd in the 400. That's the one good thing that came out of today. Then I'm not sure about the 2nd lap, but 3rd lap I must've slowed down a lot because when I got to 300 left, some coach yelled at 2 people behind me saying "Pick it up now and you could break 5:30." I don't know what it was about it, maybe that I knew these girls were going to push, or that I wanted to do better, I don't know, that made me lose it mentally. I died and slowed down instead of sped up, and the whole group passed me. What I hate about it most was that if I had pushed during that last 200, then I would've been first in the heat, and possibly broken 5:30, which would've been a PR. :(

Then I cooled down with Natalie and Abigail. Then I had tons of time until I needed to start warming up for the 3200m. So I hung out, went to Harmon's and spent a long time, then came back and took a nap. It was weird, I fell asleep in the shade and with only a little bit of wind, then woke up in the sun and TONS of wind. It was crazy. 

Warmed up for the 32. Then did strides and blah. They decided to make it all together in 1 heat for the girls. Well, the wind was out of control. I hated this race much more than the 1600. Every time you were against the wind it just felt so hard to even move. I was supposed to try to get in the top 8, but I crashed mentally, and to add to that I was still pretty worked up about earlier. Bad race. So now I feel bad because if I had gotten in the top 8, then I would've scored for our team, and then we might've had a chance at winning. Did we win? I don't think we did.

So yeah, what I really wanted to be a good race day turned into a disappointing, horrible race day. It's going to be a lot more difficult to qualify for state than I thought. I hope next week will go better.

Cooled down to get to 10 and a half for the day 

AM:

Met the team at 9 at the track. I was expecting a long run, and so were a few others. Nearly no one had flats. Just Bill and Tomy I think. I felt really sluggish. I ate too much for breakfast. You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now. We did 2 miles warmup, and a mile speed changes. Then we did 2 sets of 400, 800, 400. We had tons of standing recovery in between each one, and a lap inbetween the sets. Before today I would have loved this much recovery, but it seemed like too much. on every one I felt really light-headed on the first part. It got very annoying and i'm almost certain it's because of the recovery time. I can't believe I'm saying this but I like less recovery time. Then we did the big loop up sunnyside to Foothill to guardsman and back to sunnyside and down to the track. I ended up running with Caden for most of it because I felt slow and his shins were hurting. Got to 8 miles.

PM:

Went around my neighborhood for 4 miles. I was amazed at how many runners there were. I swear like every street I ran on had a runner on it. It was weird. I guess we runners like to take advantage of the beautifulness of spring. :)

I met with the team down at Liberty Park. Well, part of the team. Okay, just me, Bill, Natalie, Tomy, Abigail, and Dakota. We went on the wood chip part and did 1 lap warmup (which is about 1 and a half miles) and then did 2 laps fireman (where you are in a single file line and the person in the back sprints/runs fast to the front, and so on.) Yeah, it's a totally different experience when you're doing it with fast people.

Okay, I remember fireman from the summer as being the easy workout where you just jog and run slightly faster on your turn, and was not expecting it to be quite as difficult as it was. Well, okay I did it twice in the summer the first one easy and the second one hard, but that was only because I was behind a person who loved to pick up the pace a bit when it was my turn, or so I thought until today.

The first lap was good. It wasn't super easy, but I could live with it. I was getting a bit tired when we started our second lap, but I was alright. Of course, we picked up the pace that lap. With like 3/4 of a mile left I started having a mental battle. I was considering doing what Dakota did and fall back from the group (the negative zone) or keep up with the group and suck it up (the positive zone). I tried for the second option. But I was falling back quite easily. I tried to focus on Abigail in front of me and stay up with it. And I was the one who had to finish it off. I had fallen back from the group like 8 to 10 meters maybe, and I had to get to the front. I really focused and then I almost had it, but then I mentally lost it again with maybe 50 meters to go if that. I have got to work on that.

Then we did a lap cool down. I wasn't in the mood to try to keep up with the group, and I think they got the message because they weren't telling me to keep up with them like they usually do. Maybe it was because I did so bad. But I pushed myself and so that's all that counts, right? Did a little extra to finish it off with 6 miles. At least I wasn't feeling as horrible as yesterday. I think just an energy bar before a morning workout is best for me. 

Yet another speed workout. You know, 2 in one week normally is horrible, but because of how crappy monday was, I felt like it was actually okay. Yes, I ate a huge breakfast before I came, which was not smart, but I was with my ward and...yeah, whatever. It doesn't matter. I'm just happy that it wasn't RIGHT before, or i'd be in trouble. But I definitely felt it on the warmup.

2 laps and stretching and drills. Oh how I hate drills. They were fine before but now I just don't like them. Maybe they feel nice for others but today I would've been just fine if we didn't do them and got the workout over with. Oh well.

Sprinters and Distance combined today (a bit of a surprise) and we did a workout I remember well from Cross Country season. I was really bad way back then. I think it was during one of the morning workouts. Ha. Anyway, we did 3 sets of a 400 and 200. We had partners and you were supposed to chase them. One would start the 400 and the other, lined up at the 200, had to wait for them to pass a cone a bit further than the 200 mark, and when they did, try to chase them. The 400 runner would try not to let them pass and the 200 runner would try to pass. It was practice for regions and getting in the top 4 and blah so we could qualify for state and all that jazz. My partner was Dominique. I was supposed to hit 1:22-1:25ish.

Yeah, the sprinters don't know how to pace. Sad but true. I started with a 400, and my group was me with sprinters. Great. We were in the groups based on what we were going to be trying to hit. They all started way fast and I was like "whoa guys we're going kinda fast" but they didn't pay any attention. I just tried to stick with them. we passed the 200 mark and I knew Dominique was coming so I tried to move. Yep, too fast. But I guess that's all right. I ended up out-kicking all but 1 girl in my group. And I think our group was the largest, too. :) got a 1:17.

Yeah, I didn't have a watch, so all of my 200s weren't timed. But I liked them because I could outkick Dom on all of them, which is good I guess. I like outkicking people :)

The next 400 was hard, but I still got it faster than I was supposed to. 1:21. 1 second fast. My legs had started shaking just after. I don't like it when they shake. 2nd 200 was good. It felt better than that 4. Last 400 was really hard and I could feel the lactic building up. got a 1:27. 200 was a bit better.

Then we did 4 grass laps around to get to 6 miles for the day. A few lucky individuals get to go to Arcadia tomorrow. Lucky ducks. 

I went for my own run today because the group I run with (the dedicated part of the East High track team) went to California for a meet called Arcadia. I went to sugarhouse park and did a big grass lap around and a road lap and then came back to my house and added a little bit on to get to 6.

Something weird happened to me. When I got home, I looked at the clock, and I had been thinking a lot about qualifying for state and that I had to get a 5:18 in the mile, and it was 5:18 PM...I thought it was weird. It startled me a bit. Then later I looked at the clock and it was 5:58 or something and then I started to panic because I was thinking about race times that I wanted to get on saturday, and for some reason I thought that I was  going to get THAT time. Did that make any sense? Probably not. I just think it's a bit weird that the clock is freaking me out.

My calves have been feeling great!!!! I have high hopes for Saturday!!! I feel like I'm going to do really well!!! This week is the first week that my calves haven't been a problem. They were pretty good last week, with a couple of days there being hard because they started to hurt. But they've been great this week!!! No pains!!! :) I have decided to break 5:30 and get as close to 5:18 as I can!! (5:30 would be the slowest I could run) and then for the 800 I'm hoping to break 2:40.

So I decided to wear different shoes today because there's something on the back of the foot of one of my shoes that's like part of the shoe that's poking me and it was bothering me yesterday. They actually felt like really good shoes, even though I'm pretty sure they're past their mileage.

I ran to the Highland track to meet Patrick, which was about a mile and a half, just a bit more. I mapped it. Then we did 2 miles of speed changes, and it was quite nice to have someone to talk to. Yesterday I got bored on the run and was about to go crazy. Ha. Then we ran part of the way back together and I ran home. I got to 5 miles for the day.

Tomorrow I'm going to PR and get below 5:30 in the 1600m, and as close to qualifying for state as I can, I've decided. No exceptions. :) 

          So today was the race at UVU. Well, the team didn't show much interest in it. Some went to the Arcadia Invitational in California, and I wonder if some of the sprinters thought that since most of the distance kids aren't going, then they don't have to either. It seems like they would do that. Anyway, so it ended up being just Patrick, Caden and I.

          We were signed up for both the 1600 and 800, but we decided not to stay for the 800 because it was so much later in the day. So I warmed up with a mile, and a half mile of speed changes. Then I did drills with Patrick and Caden, and then went to the Bull Pen. I was in the 3rd heat, so I had some time. Did a few more drills and ran around a lot. Counting drills and the running as a half mile.

           It was so unbelievably cold!!! The first lap was awful. Some girl cut me off right at the beginning, and I started late. That cost me 2 or 3 seconds. My actual time was probably like a 5:42 or 5:43, but whatever. I ran an 80 first lap, and realized I should probably pick it up a bit. Not sure about the 800 split. I just knew I needed to pick it up. I made my way to the front. I got to 2nd or 3rd. With 1 more lap I was at a 4:30something, so not too good. I kicked with 400 to go, got in first, then with 200 to go I could tell that girl was starting to kick, so I just tried to go faster. But she had a really strong kick and I felt like I had nothing. Pathetic. I need to work on that last 200.

           Then I did a 2 mile cool down when I got home.

I realized today that people think we're crazy. True fact. Well, I guess we run ALL the time, with no breaks. Except sundays. :)

So we did 2 laps warmup and stretching, and then Bill got my hopes up for not doing the drills we normally do. I thought that meant no drills, and I was all for it! But NO we did the really long drills where we run around the track to the numbers and do a drill for 50 meters, stride 50 meters, then jog to the bleachers and run up and down them all the way over to the start and do it over again with a new drill. We did butt kicks, high knees, power skips/bounds, lunges, and grapevine/karaoke both ways for a total of 6 times. As if that wasn't enough, we went over to the hill with the K on it and did 10 strides up it. On the drills the lunges just killed my legs and made them feel all tired and sore and blah. I hate lunges. So for the strides, my legs weren't good. The first couple I did good on, but my legs were all shaky and felt like jello. 

Then we went for a run. We went up Sunnyside/Emigration Canyon for 4 miles and came back. The way up felt horrible, and I was just trying to convince myself that it wasn't that bad and it was only 4 miles. Yeah, mental battle. I did pretty good i guess. Then on the way back it went by so much faster. Probably the downhill. Abigail and Kiley caught me with like a mile to go, and they were obviously picking up the pace. I probably should've tried to stay with them huh? but I was just so tired...

Anyway, I think I did pretty well today considering it was monday, and mondays are always horrible. I know I pushed myself, so I'm happy. 11 miles for the day. 

          Speed today. We did normal team warmup of 2 laps and stretching and drills. Then distance did a mile warmup and a mile speed changes. There were 2 groups, one group doing 1000s and another doing 800s. I was placed in the 1000s. So we ran over to the start, and then we were off!!!

           So my first one I hit the time right on: 3:40. Bill wanted me to stick with it, but it really felt just sooo fast!!!! I tried, but the 2nd one I did really bad, probably got like 10 seconds or so off. I'm not sure of my time. Then Bill told me and Kiley that if we were going to go that slow, then we might as well do 800s. Suggestion: don't tell me I can do less, because then I will do less. That's just me. So I did the rest 800s. I really wasn't feeling it. When I tried to move fast, I ended up thinking negative thoughts and slowing down. I know this whole thing was all mental. I just need to work on that. My times for the 800s were 3:40 and 3:41, really bad I know. I wish I could do it over again. But on top of all that, my calves were hurting. It's weird, they were fine last week, and I thought that maybe I was done with that problem, but yesterday they started killing again!!! I think it was the bleacher drills and strides up the hill, and then 4 miles of uphill. But yeah, they kill. They never hurt THIS bad. But when I run, luckily, they don't hurt quite as bad as walking up (or down, for that matter) the stairs.

          For the 1000s we had a 200 jog recovery and a bit of standing recovery, while the 800s were just standing recovery (for me.) So naturally, the others were a half mile ahead of me when it came time for cool down. I was in a bad mood and didn't want to do ANY cool down, but I did a half mile at the track with the group, and then we went to the cemetery and did 2 laps and came back, and then did a grass lap. That got the others at 10, which meant another half mile for me. Awesome. So I did 2 laps on the track.

          I just hope that tomorrow racing won't be a problem and that my calves will grow into cows, as Bill might say. :P (Am I racing? I'm not sure...Lots of people say they aren't.)

Today was the race at cyprus. The first thing that came to mind when we got there was "Their track is tiny!!!!" It only had 4 lanes, where the whole team is used to 8. Ha. So I was supposed to run the 800, the 800 in the medley relay, the 3200, and the 400. So I started to warmup when the boys 1600 was going on. I did 2 miles warmup, and had time for a mile speed changes. Then I did like a full half mile's worth of drills and strides and handoffs, no joke. I did so many!!! I'm counting it as a half mile. :P

Then they called the 800 girls to the starting line, and then Tomy said "win it" and Olivia said "you can win this thing!" and Bill said "Be prepared to match the first lap, and then out-kick the girl in the last lap. You can win." and that got me a bit nervous. Everyone was planning on me winning. Just a bit of pressure. 

I went out quick and got in position for first, which I hadn't really been planning on. I was hoping to have the girl from Woods Cross there with me to block a bit of the CRAZY wind, but no. Then Bill yelled at me "Okay you're committed now, don't lose it!" Yeah, remember that race where I had the lead the first 3 1/2 laps and lost it in the last 200? Wasn't gonna let that happen again. So I pushed the entire time. My first lap was a 1:15. The time thing says I have a 2:41, but I swear it was faster than that. I don't think I slowed down 11 seconds. But whatever, I have to go by what they say I got. At least I was 10 seconds or more ahead of the Woods Cross girl (who got 2nd.) :) I'm sure if I had Abigail and Natalie to push me, I would've been faster.

Then was the medley relay. I was the 800 runner. Great thing to have just run the open 800 literally right before. Not. That's alright though. Some girl called me crazy. Ha. That's me. We were in 2nd when I got the baton, and I was catching up to first place, kicking of course, when she starts kicking really hard in the last 100 meters. I wish I would've pushed harder with 300 to go so that we might've had a chance at winning, but oh well. We got 2nd. Which is good. I think.

Then I did a mile. They called for the 3200. I went over there, ready to do it, but not really wanting to because of the hard wind and the rain. Then Bill scratched us from it. :) The other teams followed. No 3200!!! Yay!!

Then Bill didn't make us run the 4x400m relay. He said we could arrange teams if we wanted to, but he wasn't going to make us. Well, the girls were trying to make a team, and they only needed one person, so I said I would. I went last. We were in last place when I got the baton, but this was for fun, right? So I just focused on my arms and moving my legs and tried to move fast. We finished 3rd though!!! (Also last...Ha.) 

I hate the rain. Unless it's sunny. Then I like it. I like it after it rains!! Then we can go puddle jumping and take pictures of pretty rainbows (maybe...). Yep, it was raining. We met in the commons and did 2 vertical laps and stretching and drills down the hallway. Then we did high knee ladders down the hall and back. Then wall sits and step-ups. THEN we went for our run.

We went down to Liberty, the short way to the drinking fountain. Then we decided to go on the wood-chip trail thing. We did a fartlek of 2 minutes on, 1 minute off, 1 minute on, 1 minute off 5 times. So it wasn't too bad. We started on. I kept up with Natalie, Bill and Chris for the first lap. Then either they sped up or I slowed down or both. But I fell off. And then pretty soon I could no longer hear bill yelling the ons and offs, so I just guessed. Yep, no watch. I need one. I would really try to listen for it, and a couple times I heard a faint aaaww sound. When you get far away, that's what you hear. They both sound the same. I got really mad at the cars at one point because they kept adding on noise. But I knew that it was no use. ha. i guess that's what happens when you get frustrated. Kiley never caught me, and neither did Patrick or Caden, so I think I did pretty good. :)

Then we ran back up to the parking lot, and we had 3/4 of a mile to go, so we did a lap-ish around the field and parking lot then did a lap around the school to get to 9. 

I am not a fan of my shoes. Yep, got some blisters today. I am getting new shoes as soon as possible. Anyway, today I really didn't want to go for a run, but then I remembered Bill saying that 1 day you don't run is 2 or 3 days that it'll take you to get you back to where you were before. That got me up. I just did a 4.5 mile loop around my neighborhood, so that I have 10 for tomorrow...:0

So I thought for some reason that we were going to be getting together to either do a long run or speed today, but I guess not. So I ran 3 miles with Olivia (which sucked because I ate like 30 minutes before), and then she had Violin so she stopped and I took a break, did some chores, and then I looked at my phone at 1:05, and I had gotten a text from Bill saying that he was going to be at East at 1 to run. Great. Well, then I combined a 3 mile loop and a 4 mile loop so that I could get 7, which put me at 10. My blisters hurt the whole way. Definitely getting new shoes.

I hate mondays. They are the worse thing in the world. You just go back to school after your too short weekend that was amazing and you just really want it to be extended, and then to make it worse you have to run again. On top of all of that, it's normally speed. GREAT.

I had an orthodontist appointment. Just keep on adding to the horrible monday. So I thought that it was just going to be a long run when I made the appointment what 4 or 5 weeks ago? NOPE. Found out last night that it was speed. oh joy, get to miss the one speed workout of the week.

I was able to go early and get done at the time I was supposed to start, which helped lots. When I got home I immediately got ready and ran over to the track. it's about 1.5 miles over there. Probably a bit more. When I got there, everyone was just finishing their 2nd set, moving on to their last one. So I got in 3 laps of speed changes when they were ready to start.

The workout was 3 sets of an 800, 600, 400. Did the first set with the group. It was really weird because one leg got super sore, and the other was just a little sore. and then I got a gigantic side ache, and it KILLED!!! Lap in between the sets and standing recovery. on the 600s jogged 200 and stood for the rest of the time. 

Next set I was alone. It was hard to have no one there to push me, and not have a feel to where I am. I went too slow on like all of them. I was getting super slow times, but I guess that happens every monday. My legs were hurting really bad, and they felt dead. Bill left it up to me to stop or do another set. I chose another set.

3rd set, not much better than the 2nd. But I pushed myself, and it feels kind of weird to be doing the type of speed where I am actually pushing hard. Yeah, I admit, I've been taking it kinda easy on the speed the last couple weeks, but I realize my times are not fast, and so I'm going to push again.

I'm just glad I got it over with. Did a mile cool down with the team and then ran home to get 9 miles. 

Today we did warmup of 2 laps and drills, and then we went over to the hill with the asphalt on it and ran up a little up that and along the cement a-ways. We were placed in groups of 3, and I was with Natalie and Chris. Those fast people!!! We did 8 sets. I just tried to stick with them and pushed.

Then we went for a run. Bill said 30 minutes out 30 minutes back. We did shriners run. I tried to keep up with Bill, Tomy, Natalie, Chris and Caden, and by the round-a-bout Caden and I decided to back off a bit because they were going sooo fast!!!! Haha we changed subjects so easy...ha. Thought this was a recovery run? Not apparently to them. 

Got to a bit farther than the fire station, got about 6.5 in there. add the warmup, drills, and hills (1.5 miles) to get to 8. 

Meet at Woods Cross. I was scheduled for the 1600, 800, and 400, but we all scratched from the 1600, so in place of that I ran the 4x400m relay. Team warmup of 1 lap and stretching, then I did 3 laps with Dominique. I ran 2 laps with Grace after, and then it was time for the 800.

I tried to get into good position, and got out kinda fast. I think I was 4th for the whole first lap. 77 I believe. Then for the 2nd lap I tried to focus on getting on my toes and working my arms a bit. Apparently I don't have good arms. Will be working more with my arm swings. Bill told me to start moving with 300 to go, and I tried to. 150 to go I really tried to kick, but didn't actually happen until like 100 to go. My kick is kinda weak, and others have super strong ones, and some girl behind me had a super strong one. I just wish I would have gone with her....oh well.

Then I raced the 400 next. Not my race... definitely. I was in the 2nd heat, lane 3. I don't like lanes. I got out hard, and I just tried to maintain the pace. I think I slowed down a bit. But the last 100 I really pushed and used my arms, and I think I did pretty well.

Then I ran 2 miles in between the 4x4 and the 4. I'm counting drills and strides as a quarter mile. Oh, and handoffs.

Then came 4x400. I went last in my group. We did pretty good I think, considering. We were B team. Ha we had like 4 teams. Well, I just tried to finish strong. there was a girl from another school, I think WX, who cut me off with 200 to go, when I was trying not to let her get in front of me. Nearly fell, made me a little mad. I don't think it looked like she cut me off, but she did, enough for me to slow down a bit and then start up again. That's really angering. Whatever.

Then I did more cool down to get to 5 1/2. Looks like high mileage the next couple days. :( 

            Normal warmup of 2 laps and drills and stretching. Then we did a mile warmup, 2 miles speed changes, and mile cool down. We started out with what seemed to me to be a fast pace. I kept up with the group for the warmup and like 3 laps of speed changes, when I realized I was like sprinting the straights. I slowed down a bit. I was watching my knee to make sure that nothing was wrong and such. It had been hurting when I did certain movements, and it was like a sharp pain, but when I run it doesn't seem to hurt too much. Just watching it now. Hope it's not going to be too bad.

           Track meet. 2 miles total warmup with Olivia and Camille. Mile first.

           So I was placed in the fastest heat with Natalie, so naturally everyone was going to go out really fast. I tried to hit my times, but I was crashing mentally. Got to work on that. Got a 5:54. I was really disappointed. It's frustrating when all you want is to PR and you're getting times that are 10-15 seconds off of your PR.

           800 was next. I was put in probably the slowest heat, but I didn't care. I was already disappointed with today. I decided I was going to make myself happy. first lap I went out with the front girls, but I wasn't expecting to be in the front so immediately, so i thought I was going too fast. But when I went around the curve by our team spot, Bill yelled to take control, so I did. I ran scared the last lap, and got 2:42. Wish I would've PR'd, but that's alright. I got close. I'm just glad I did alright.

           Did 2 1/2 miles of cool down. Then got shakes!!!! They were huge....ha

Today we did the warmup of 2 laps and drills and stretching. Then we split into groups. Distance went over to the asphalt hill and did from the bottom of the hill to the pole 12 times. We were supposed to do 15, but he let us do 12. :) I was placed with Logan and Abigail. I won all of them, except for one time when Abigail tied me and when Gavin and Caden dropped back into our group.

Then we went for a run. I was supposed to go for 60 minutes, but Bill let me do 40 minutes instead. Went with Abigail, Gavin, Patrick, and Caden. Went at a really slow pace. It was nice :) Yummy popsicles when we got back, and also donuts!!! :) Yum! 

Speed today. 2 laps warmup, stretching, and drills. Then we did 3 more laps warmup and a mile speed changes (tried to stay up with Natalie, Gavin and Tomy the entire time.) then we changed into our flats.

We were only told our times to hit for the first set. I thought we were doing 4 sets, so I was thinking it was a lot. four 400s in each set with 2 minutes standing recovery in between each one and a lap/5 minutes in between the sets.

My first set I was supposed to hit 85, 84, 83, 82. I hit 84.5, 83.5, 83, 82. I felt pretty good and tried to stay mentally tough. I thought positively the entire set, and so I'm happy. I also hit my times, which never happens!!! I always am super slow!! So I was happy and didn't want to ruin it.

2^nd set was going to go 88, 86, 84, 82 I think it was. I hit them all right on or just a second off. I was happy. I noticed that everyone seemed to be crashing mentally, so I tried to keep the positive attitude up. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. It did for me!!!

3^rd set I don't remember the times, maybe I mixed them up with the 2^nd set. I don't know. But I worked hard, and it was definitely harder with both Gavin and Patrick not there to push me. So I was chasing Natalie, who is the queen of smoking people (ha) :) Anyway, I guess it was cool to actually be third in a workout. Ha. That doesn't always happen (actually, it like NEVER happens!!) I found out right before we started the set that we were only doing 3 sets, so mentally it got easier for me!!! I liked it. But I could feel my legs getting tired the third one, and the last one I pushed, but crashed mentally (But I'm still glad it was alright up to this point!!) and got somewhere between 80 and 90, Bill didn't read me my time. I'm kind of happy he didn't though because I would've probably had a fit. Oh well, probably got like an 86 maybe??

Then I did a cool down to get to 7.5. Was going to go to 8, but my legs got tired and my knee was bothering me so I iced it instead. 

           So today was the meet at highland. Did about a mile and a half of warmup, then drills and strides and handoff stuff with relay teammates I am counting as a half mile because we did a lot :)

          So then we did the 800. Because Natalie was running, no chance of me winning (ha) so I just tried to focus on staying close to her. I did alright the first lap. 75. Then came the 2nd lap, where I slipped. I fell back from Nat and I'm just glad I had enough of a lead on the next girl that I didn't lose my place. I luckily got 2nd. I am a little upset because if I would've stayed with her for a little longer, then I would've PR'd. But oh well, maybe another time.

         Did a little bit of cool down, and more drills and strides and handoffs.

         Then I was placed in the 4x400m relay. Let me tell you, 400 is NOT my race. I'm a distance runner, not a sprinter. Anyway, I'm way disappointed with this race as well. We were in first, and then I got the baton, and was the last person (I don't like being last too much) and I remembered a couple of the last races where I went out way too fast and died at the end, didn't want to do that, so I went a little slower at the beginning. Then all of a sudden some highland girl passes me and obviously she's sprinting. I tried to keep up with her, but I'm not a sprinter, so it was hard. I fell off of her with like 150 meters to go, and now I feel really horrible about that. I hate losing the lead. I've done it too much now.

         Cooled down to get to 5.5 miles for the day when I got home.

         Still upset about yesterday. We warmed up 2 laps and stretching. No drills today!!! JUST KIDDING!!! We did the 6 laps of lap & bleachers drills. We went around the curve, did a drill for 50 meters, then stride 50 meters, around the other curve, up the stairs, across, down the stairs, over, up the stairs, across, down the stairs....and so on.

         Luckily, it wasn't a hard day. The drills were actually part of our workout!!! Then, to practice handoffs a bit and do some workout, we did 200s. We were put in pairs. My partner was Natalie. One person started (Natalie) and the other person recieved and finished the lap (me, which by the way was right into the wind) and then rested and switched. We did that 4 times.

         Then I went on a 3 mile-ish cool down with Natalie and Tomy to get to 6. We went to the gully thing and did 2 laps and came back. We decided that Cross Country is so much better than track. I can't wait for XC!!!

          Normal warmup of 2 laps, stretching and drills. Then distance did mile warmup, mile speed changes, and a mile cool down because of Davis tomorrow. Hoping to do well!!!

          So today was the meet at Davis. It was my last state qualifier of the season before region because I did UVU (which I wish I hadn't done so that I could do BYU, but oh well. To run at BYU I will just qualify for state at region...ha) Anyway, I did a mile warmup half mile speed changes with Abigail. Then got my spikes on and did strides and drills. Then was the 1600.

          I was in the first heat, so I was first to race the 16. I tried not to get out too fast so that I would have energy at the end and not crash like all of the other times. I was right in the middle of the pack. My first lap was an 81 or 82. Then I tried to stay consistent 2nd. 3rd lap I tried to focus, and not crash too much. Then I ended up being 2nd and passed that Davis girl that I think is Abigail's cousin??? IDK. Anyway, was in 2nd and last lap just tried to catch up to first girl. I PR'd by 2 seconds. I haven't PR'd for a REALLY long time, so this was a good race. In fact, not since Simplot in Indoor Track. Huh. Well now that I think I know what's been the problem, I hope that Region will go well and that I can get in the top 4.

          Then I cooled down a half mile. I had a little bit of time before the 3200. Warmed up a half mile, then got spikes back on, and then a few drills and strides. I was hoping to do well on this race, but I didn't do so hot. Got like a 12:40ish. I really hate the 3200 now. It sucks.

          Then was the 4x800. It was a change having it be a 4x800 rather than a 4x400. It's a lot different and more chaotic. Did a half mile warmup, then realized that they were lining up already, grabbed my spikes and ran to the line and realized that I had the wrong top!!! AAA!!! Oh well, I just am glad I raced. I ate a lot before, which probably wasn't smart. I was the first person, so I didn't have to worry about grabbing the baton, which was nice. Too bad it was in the invited session, and they are all super fast, and I was in dead last. But then I caught a girl in purple on the last 100 meters!!! :)

          8 miles for the day.

           Speed today. Since I'm not racing at BYU, I'm going to be working really hard this week. 2 laps, stretching, drills. 3 laps warmup, 3 laps speed changes. Then changed shoes, and some people had to take a potty break so we ran a lap so we didn't lose our warmup. Then we did a 200, jog 200, an 800, a 400, and 3 200s. we did 2 sets, with a lap and a half in between. All of my 200s were within 36-38. I was supposed to hit 41s. whoops. my first 800 was a 2:48 I think, and that first 400 was an 85ish. The 2nd 800 I went out kinda fast and got like a 2:58-3:00 maybe? Then that 2nd 400 I crashed and got a 91.

           Then did 8 Barefoot strides on the football field.

          I was being slow with my shoes, so the others left me. Tried to catch up, caught up to Abigail and Kiley. They were going at a nice and easy pace, and I was tired, so I stayed with them. 3 miles cool down, but we went really slow. :)

Normal warmup of 2 laps and stretching and drills. Then we split into our groups. I was expecting hills, and then Bill said "We're going to go for a run..." and I was like NO HILLS!!!! (Bill) "...in the Avenues." Great. Just great. The hill run.

So we went down to 13th and took that all the way to South Temple, and this time we started at U St. We stride up the hill, and then turn left downhill for recovery until the next road, T st. stride up, recover on the downhill, turn and stride up S st...and so on until we hit 11th Ave. I think that made it 10 hill strides. The hills started out not too bad, and they gradually got steeper. The last one was the steepest. Make sense?

Yeah, it was super hard. I tried to stick with the group along 13th, and succeeded. Then On the strides I tried to stick with the group again. I was up with Natalie for most of it. Then the hills  got super steep, and I got more tired, and then I fell back. I just tried to finish, but even that was a challenge. My legs felt like they were going to fall off. They didn't hurt, they just felt so unstable and shaky. When I got to 11th, they all had waited for me, and I got a bit of recovery time.

Then we did the shriners run back to the track. Then when we got back we did 2 300s. I was dead. I couldn't get my legs to move very fast, but I guess that's a sign that I was working!!!!

Today was the tri-meet at east. We did a lap warmup, then stretched. I did like a half mile of warmup, and then I had to go over to the line so that I wouldn't miss my race. How's that for a crappy warmup?

Put my spikes on and ran to the line. First lap I took the lead, and then just tried to keep it. I was like an 80-81, where I wanted it. Then I slowed down a lot 2nd lap. 3rd lap I tried to push hard because I knew that it was the hardest lap. Then on the last lap I got to 200 left, and the girl was right on my shoulder (like she was the entire race) and I could tell she was kicking, and I tried to go with her, but then she passed me with 100 left, and I lost it mentally. Then it was a mental battle to start kicking, but eventually I did, but finished 4 seconds behind her. I hope that doesn't happen at region. But then again, I had a crappy warmup, and felt crappy the entire day, and I am getting sick and my throat was killing me withmy mouth all dry. Hopefully i will be better by then, but I WILL qualify for state no matter what.

Then I did another 1/2 mile warmup/cool down, when i had to go over to the line. AGAIN. This time for the 800. Well, at least I have learned my lesson. The first lap I was in 3rd. I really felt crappy, and it was like I couldn't get myself to move. like yesterday. But I just tried to push through it. 2nd lap a cyprus girl passed me with like 200 left. I got really angry and wasn't going to lose it like in the 1600. I started kicking with 100 left, really swung my arms, and passed her!!! Got 3rd. Ha then we were talking afterward and she found out that I was a freshman and started frreaking out. haha.

Then I just tried to keep moving because I had to do the 800 in the medley...we were the only girls team so they combined us. Great. We got dead last by far. But first for the girls!!! Ha. I really felt the lactic settling in. I tried to push through it, but it was really hard with no one there to push me. I really wanted to quit that first lap, but I kept going.

I was supposed to do the 3200, but I really wasn't feeling good. I am definitely getting sick, and I'm not too happy about it. I just hope it clears up for region.

Did a 3 mile loop when I got home for cool down.

Crazy Track Day!!! We did all sorts of fun stuff!!!! We did 3 legged races, 4x100m scooter races, sprints to get shoes on first, hurdles/high jump/hurdles/tire step throughs/jump over the barrier relay, and a 4x400m scooter race. WHITE TEAM WON!!! Haha :)

So then afterward we did mile warmup, mile speed changes, mile cool down. Good luck all you who are competing at BYU this weekend!!! :)

I did 6.75 miles around my neighborhood, and went to sugarhouse park for a lot of it. Congradulations to Natalie who ran at BYU today in the 3200m and broke the state record with a 10:22!!!! Awesome job!!!

I did a 7 mile loop around my neighborhood. Went to sugarhouse for a bit of it. It was a little bit chilly but otherwise pretty nice.

Light speed today. 2 laps warmup, stretching and drills. Then we did a mile warmup, mile speed changes. We did 3 400s, 2 groups of people so that we could push Natalie while she did 800s (because she's just that amazing) and then 3 200s. All at mile pace. Each had a lap of recovery in between. Lots of recovery!!! :)

400s: 80, 78, 78.

200s: 36, 37, 36

Then I did 4 grass laps to get me to 7 miles I think it was.

Since region is tomorrow, we did our short workout. 2 laps warmup, stretching, and drills. Mile warmup, mile speed changes, mile cool down. Easy peasy lemon squeasy!!! :) Thanks for that birthday present!!!! ;)

Regions!!!

Total of 2 miles warmup (including speed changes.) Then I grabbed my spikes and ran over to the line and did some drills and strides. Counting those as a half mile because I did so many.

Then I ran the 1600. Unfortunately, this was my last chance to qualify for state. I had to get in the top 4 to do so, or run a 5:18. The first 2 laps were good, I was in fourth. Then on my third lap, I crashed, and let people go in front of me. I feel that if I would have kept up, then I would've been there. I got 8th. So at least I scored a point for our team. Ha I was also seeded 8th.

Then I did 2 miles cool down. Just did grass laps. Really disappointed, but maybe next year.

2 miles warmup, then a lap of speed changes when they called us for the 3200. I didn't have too high of hopes for the 32. Went over and did strides and drills.

Then they did the 3200. My plan was to go at 6 minute pace first mile then speed up 2nd mile. That didn't happen. I don't know my splits, but I know that I slowed down 2nd mile. I just wasn't in the racing mood. Got a 12:47.07. Then did a half mile cool down.

Then did a mile warmup including strides and drills. Then came the 800

I was talking to some Bountiful girl who was the only person seeded behind me, and I think we'd be great friends. Too bad she's on a different team. Then I made a decision that I wasn't going to let her beat me. haha probably not the nicest thing, but she seemed okay with it afterward. She's nice. :)

So the first lap bountiful girl was right on my heels. We were last and 2nd to last. But in the fastest heat. I tried to stay positive and work on pushing away from her. I focused on trying to catch other people, and finally in the the last 100 meters caught a clearfield girl!!! But got a 2:45. Oh well. I'm just happy I outkicked clearfield girl.

1/2 mile cool down. Then a little later, half mile warmup.

Last minute Bill switched me from the 4x800m relay into the 4x400m relay because the 4x800 wasn't scoring and didn't qualify, so he wanted our 4x400 team to go to state. I told him I could probably run a 75. So he switched me and Hanna places. Logan started first, and when I got the baton we were in last. only 5 teams though, so we just needed to beat 1. Well, I maintained our position. but ran a 73!! (my fastest 400 time) and then Sara got it, still in last, and Ellie got it, and pulled us through!!! We qualified!! :)

Then I did a mile cool down.

Today we just went for a run, which was really nice. Bill put me with the 30 minute group, which was weird because I was going for 40. I was supposed to go with them for their run and add 10 minutes. 

Well, that didn't exactly happen. I started with Sarah B. and Sam. They were going quite slow. I was used to a faster pace. We did a loop where we went along guardsman and down 500 S. and then back along 1300 E. 2 mile loop instead of 3. Haha. I broke off of them along 500 S. So when I got back I did 3 grass laps, then a mile and a half run that Abigail told me about. Then 1 more grass lap.

Got to 5 1/2 for the day. 

AM:

I'm glad to not have a meet on the weekend!! I met some people at the track. We did 2 miles warmup, mile speed changes, then changed shoes. We did 3 sets of a 500, jog a 100, and then a 200. During the whole warmup, I was falling asleep. Don't know why. the first set woke me up, but I didn't do so hot. Then the 2nd set, I thought that I should pick it up and do better, and I did lots better. Then the last set I crashed. then did 2 300s. I just focused on that last little bit because that was where I was slipping. Then ran home and added a half mile to get to 7.

PM:

Ran 3 miles with Abigail. 

I had an orthodontist appointment today, so I came late to do the speed. I did a mile and a half warmup to the track, then a mile of speed changes. Then everyone else finished their workout, so I was on my own. 12 200s. Split them up into 3 sets of 4.

I was in kind of a bad mood to begin with. Maybe not so great to have while doing speed. The first set was alright, hit 35, 34, 38, 37. Towards the end there I started to crash mentally, and it went downhill from there.

2nd set was the worst. I don't know what I hit because Bill never read me my times, but I am grateful because if he did I would have just crashed mentally even more. I had a hard time staying positive. My legs were killing me, and I couldn't breathe or catch my breath like I normally do. But I think I know what the problem was now.

3rd set Bill told me I didn't have to do, but then I felt guilty not doing the full workout, so I did it. I think the first one was a 35-36ish, then from there on I don't know them. except for the last one. Bill told me I had to hit 37 or I would have to do it again, so I hit 36-37ish. But yeah, very tough workout mentally. It doesn't seem like a hard workout, but I was dying with no one there to push me, and in the heat. For a minute there I had really wished I hadn't come and had just done a long run or even a little bit of fartlek, but now looking back at it, I am glad I did it.

Then I did 2 grass laps cool down.

I made state in track as a freshman!!! :) (okay, well not in the event I wanted, but I still made it!!)

Today was the JV regions meet. Since I made state, I couldn't race. So I cheered people on, then left with Nat and Tomy for a run.

Might I say that they go really fast? their slow recovery pace is actually like my fast pace for a long run, not recovery. We did grasslaps around sugahouse. I kept up with them for like 3/4 of a lap. Then I slowed down and decided to go at an easier pace. I did another lap, and because I knew some of the others only went for 30 minutes, I stopped at 2 laps thinking that I did more than I was supposed to. But then I realized I finished Before Nat and Tomy, and I knew that I didn't do something right. turns out we were supposed to do 3 laps and barefoot strides. Oh well.

4 miles for the day. I like tapering!!!

Tapering down for state, so no running today!! picked up stuff like the rail and hurdles since track is nearly over (YAY!!! I really dislike track and can't wait for Cross Country season!!!)

Once again, no running. Feels so weird!!!  like I'm missing something!!!

So FINALLY I ran. :) My right side was KILLING me though. The first part of the day was miserable. It got to the point where I didn't think I could race. I really wanted to though, and Dominique looked like she didn't want to race, but if i didn't then she would have had to. Tricky situation.

Started to feel a little bit better as time went on. I warmed up with Dominique for a mile and a half, and it felt alright. Just hurt when I twisted a little bit, so when I focused on my arms it didn't hurt. I told Bill I would race.

So then we all did strides and drills, and then handoffs (counting them as .25). Dominique's/my leg was going to be the third.

We went to the Bull pen when they called us, and then we went to the line. Our team was last from the beginning, but I expected that. When I got it, we were last by like 100 meters. I started of kinda slow then realized that I was supposed to sprint the entire thing, because it was only a 400. So I did. I felt like I was catching up the first 200, then my arms started to hurt. My side was fine!! Got to do those arm swings at night. Starting now. :)

Then I did about a half mile cool down before we had to clean up and get to the bus. I ran at state as a freshman!!!

Went to watch Nat and Tomy race, then my mom needed help at home with the twins so I left with the hursts. I helped with the babies, then my side was KILLING me again. So I tried to do what I did yesterday, which was rest for a couple hours. Fell asleep until 10:15, then my mom wouldn't let me run in the dark so late at night. So no running, again. I hope my side isn't too bad.

My side was killing me today, even got out of school because it hurt so bad. Went to the doctor and they took some tests. Should find those out in a few days tops. they took x-rays and its not a cracked bone or stress fracture (thank goodness!!!) but there definitely is something going on. No running today because of the pain, but hopefully by the end of the week, if it's nothing too bad, I can start up again.

So the test results came back today saying that everything they tested on was normal, so my doctor believes it's inflammation of the lining of my lungs. They apparently can't diagnose it, or make it stop, but time should help. Just gotta let it fix itself. :(

So I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to try to run. I felt bad for not running on saturday or yesterday, so I wanted to say that at least I had tried. I was origionally supposed to do 30-45 minutes a day this week, but that didn't happen yesterday or today. I started running and it killed but I thought that maybe it would warmup, so I kept going. I luckily knew the mile mark in this run, and when I hit a hill just before it I knew that there was no way I was finishing out. So I ran until the mile mark, and stopped and walked home. I really just hope it heals fast so that I can get back to running.

Later, I felt pretty good, much better than earlier. I decided to try to run again because 1 mile just didn't cut it for me. I tried the same exact loop, this time making it the whole way. by the mile mark, where I stopped last time, I felt great!!! I just kept going, and found it to be such a great accomplishment to make it to Sugarhouse Park. I did a lap in there and came back home. 4 1/2 miles there, which puts me at 5 1/2 for the day.

Just looks like I need to choose the right time to run!

So I've been at my cabin this past weekend, and it was super muddy, wet and cold, so my mom wouldn't let me run. I also thought that I would let my lungs rest for a while and see if it would feel better soon. It did stop hurting after a while!!! occasionally it will hurt, but not nearly as bad and as long. I went for a run (because I thought it might be time to start running again, and because I felt bad not running for so long) to sugarhouse bark and back to my house. I ran into Amanda Bischoff and ran with her a little ways back home. It was nice to have someone to talk to. :)

Yep, it was a lot harder this time than the last time I did it, which was less than a week ago. It's amazing how fast you lose it. 

i was just coming back from not running for a while. I know i ran yesterday, but still. I feel way out of shape. I did a mile warmup and couldn't keep up with the group even then, so I gave up and sat with Dominique. Then Bill made me do 4 400s to pace Abigail on her 800s. The first one I hit like a 78-80 because Abigail didn't quite hit it i don't think...maybe she did IDK. 2nd one I hit like a 77-78 because she was right on 80. 3rd one I was crashing and hit maybe an 80-82. 4th one I have no clue because I started too soon then had to wait for Abigail to catch up a bit before I went hard again. Then I did 200s with Dominique and Abigail. I was crashing way bad by then, but luckily they weren't timed. I normally do pretty good on the 200s and get 36-37ish, but honestly I don't think I got any of them. I know one split was 40. One time we did go pretty fast, maybe got 35.

Then I did a 1/2 mile cool down to get to 3.

So today for some reason I felt pretty good about my workout. Maybe because it was a little bit higher of mileage. I don't know. Went to liberty, 1.75 mile warmup. I wasn't told that I had to do the tempo, but I did anyway. I did 2 miles, which was the minnimum that Bill told me to do with a maximum of 4. I kinda wish I had done 3 at least, but oh well. I think I hit my mile pretty close to 7 minutes, but then started to crash 2nd mile. I finished with 14:50 when I was aiming more for a 14. oh well, my out-of-shape-ness is getting to me. hope I can come back quickly. 1/2 mile to the drinking fountain thing, then 1.75 miles cool down back to the track to get to 6 for the day.

So today we just went 3 miles out and 3 miles back. We did the shriners run. got to just before the fire station. I tried to keep up with Bill and them, and succeeded until the hill. then I crashed and died mentally. the last 3.5 miles was hard, but I'm kindof happy they waited for me at the 3 mile mark. :P

I went on a run around my neighborhood to get to 4.5 for the day.

So Bill told me just to go an hour, so I did. I went online and made a new route, but I didn't realize how many hills there were, including that HUGE one on Browning. I knew about that one, but thought it wouldn't be too bad. I was originally going for 7.5, but in the hour I only got 6.5. It was really, really hot too, so that might've been part of it. Oh well, it was a pretty good workout. Plus, I am still trying to come back. So I'm okay with it.

We just went for a run today. We went up to shoreline, then followed it to the drinking fountain. Bill said this run was only 5 miles, but Abigail's garmin proved that wrong :) Anyway, the hills on shoreline were pretty steep, and it was SO HOT!!! I had cotton mouth and was so dehydrated, so on a lot of the hills I stopped for a bit. When I got to the drinking fountain it was such a relief, and I took forever there. Dakota and Olivia caught up while I was there. And even then I took a long time. We all finally ran back the legacy bridge way, and I was so happy to be done. 

I went early in the morning with Natalie, Bill and Chris to the Bike and Run spot that we did last summer. It was a bit chilly, and at first I was glad to have a jacket, but it warmed up pretty quick. Bill and I started first while Natalie was getting satellite, and we had a pretty good lead on them, like a half mile. But that didn't matter they passed us eventually. When they did I expected Bill to go with them, but he stayed with me. :) I just focused on staying with Bill when I started crashing, and it helped. I fell off him, and then he yelled back to go another half mile, and so I did. Yeah, I was expecting to get 8 miles. I didn't realize how far I was ACTUALLY going until I hit the 5 mile mark. I had felt pretty slow, but then Bill had said that Natalie and Chris were going way fast, because we weren't going slow. On the way back it was just a mental battle of whether or not to stop. It was very, very hilly, but it was nice because with almost every steep uphill there was a steep downhill. So I focused on the uphills and told myself that there would be a downhill right after it, and it worked! I never stopped. I eventually tried to catch up to Bill again, but I never did. I always stayed somewhat within earshot of him though. It was a very nice morning! Although, Bill's car was having a bit of trouble...

Ug. I thought we were DONE with speed. We went up to sunnyside and did a lap and came back to the track, then did a mile speed changes. 

1^st set:

-400: 76.5

-800: 2:55

2^nd set: (400s)

-82

-82

-83

-85?

3^rd set:

-800: 3:20?

-400: 82?

Okay, so I started out fine, then crashed mentally. The first set I was feeling good, but then the 800 I didn't do so well on. I tried not to let it affect me that much. Then the 2nd set I did pretty well on, but I started to crash mentally again. I wasn't in that great of a mood, and then Bill revealed that the next set was an 800 and a 400. I started thinking negatively even before I started running, so not too good. The first lap I completely gave up, then Bill started telling stuff to me, probably something like "don't give up! Push!" But I got really mad, not at anyone in particular, just mad. I started to sprint that last lap, and died the last 100 meters. Oh well. Then Bill talked to me and told me to win the next 400, and I did. So, just got to work on the mental part. 

Then did a mile cool down to get to 6 miles. 

Today we met at sugarhouse and did the cemetery run. I focused on trying to keep up with the group the whole way there, and then Bill told us to do a 10x1 minute on 1 minute off fartlek in the cemetery. At first I was a little frustrated that we weren't told from the beginning, but then I warmed up to it. I think it actually helped me to not know what was coming so I could focus a little bit at a time. I tried to stay with  Bill the whole time, and I succeeded! I feel good about it and I know that I pushed myself. Then on the way back to sugarhouse my little lung problem started up again, so I just tried to focus on running through it. Ug, thought I  was done with the whole thing, but guess not. I hope it goes away soon.

Me and pipeline are not good friends. Yep, today we went to pipeline. So I had a choice of going with Bill, Natalie, and Susannah up the switchbacks or go with everyone else the normal way. Yeah, chose the switchbacks, not really knowing what I was in for. Bill said the first 10 minutes sucked, and then it was fine, so I thought I could handle it. I was able to stay with Bill on the switchback part, but then 2 more hills came and i lost it mentally, thinking that this was how the whole run would be. I almost stepped on a snake, fell off of Bill, and to make it worse, I got lost. Kind of. I stayed on the trail, then it got tons easier, so I tried to pick it up a bit to try to catch up to Bill. Yep that failed. As soon as I hit the road I jumped to conclusions. I thought that I must've missed a turn or something, so I headed back. Then I saw a trail that I hadn't seen before, went up it, and soon gave up on it because it was all uphill, and came back and decided to go back. Probably got about .25 out of that. Then I got lost where the switchbacks met the normal trail, and went the wrong way for about .25 and then realized my mistake and went back. Oh yeah, forgot to mention why pipeline and I are not friends. Because every single time I've been there I've gotten hurt, including today, where I fell and scraped my knee. But it wasn't that bad. And because I get lost almost every time.

I went on a run around my neighborhood. It was pretty good, except strangely I kept getting really frustrated at the most random things. For example: Hair in my face. The wind. And so on.

So today we met at sugarhouse, and we did the cemetery run with a lap in the cemetery, to get to 6.75. Yeah, I tried to keep up with Natalie, doesn't really work when she's going super fast, even though she considers it slow :) I kept up with her for about 1 1/2 miles maybe, then completely crashed, and ended up running with Sam at a much easier pace. We both weren't feeling too good, so it worked out perfectly! 

Speed today. It sucked. Okay, well I just wasn't feeling good and wasn't in the mood for speed. So it made it 10 times worse. We did a lap at sunnyside, then ran down to the track and did a mile speed changes. Then we did a fast 200, then jogged a 100, then a fast 300. I did that 5 times, while the others did it 6. I just wasn't feeling good. I know I should've done all of them. Oh well, can't change the past. then we went back up to sunnyside and did strides, where when Bill yelled go we'd give all we had for the rest of the stride. I felt super slow. But at least there's NO MORE SPEED WORKOUTS!!! (well, except for maybe 800s at parks and such, but no more workouts on tracks!) 

AM:

Met at Liberty. We did a lap and then stretched. Then we did 2 laps of fireman. About halfway through the 2nd lap I got tired and started thinking negatively, and then didn't want to do it anymore. But I made myself finish. Then we did strides and core. 5 miles there.

PM: 5.5 mile run around my neighborhood. 

AM: 

So Bill is now with Natalie in North Carolina, so no practice today. I ran to sunnyside and met Abigail there. We did a backwards lap around, then went to the Bonneville glen/gully thing and did a lap and a half in there, then cut it short. I ran back home, then continued on to do a mile and a half loop around my neighborhood. 6.5

PM:

3 miler around my neighborhood. 

AM:

I did my own run today. I went for 6 miles up to Foothill drinking fountain and back home, and a little more so that it would be an even 6, not like 5.89 or whatever it was :)

PM:

Yet another 3 miler to get the mileage up. 

AM:

Abigail and I got together and did a run along Wasatch to the drinking fountain, a little beyond, and back to the car to get to  5.5 miles.

PM:

Went on a 3 miler around my neighborhood. 

As confusing as Bill might be when giving directions, I wish he was there so I would have known at least some of the run we were doing. Tomy wouldn't tell us. We just left. Great.

Anyway, I followed the group for a little bit, and kept up until like the 2 mile mark (funny, that's kinda where I always fell off in indoor track...huh. Gotta work on that.) Then I started crashing, and right under my calves I was super tight, and glad for an excuse to stop, I stretched. Then up came Abigail and Kiley, and I tried to stay with them, but by now my calves were killing, and so I stopped again. THen I had no idea where the others had gone, but I saw where Abigail and Kiley went, so I followed them. Then my calves were killing again, but I did NOT want to lose sight them, so I ran through it. I hate the bushes and stuff that go over the sidewalk, because that's where I lost sight. I guessed where they went and went down to 2000 E, but found construction, so turned around and went on 2100 and found a really weird street that didn't go through to where I wanted it to, then turned around and went back to the construction. But along that street I saw a girl pushing a dog in a baby stroller. That was a crazy sight!!! I had to run in the street because they blocked the sidewalk, and it was by a light so it was scary :0 Anyway, then I went along there for a really long time, then found where I was and went back to sugarhouse. 

I really hate getting lost. 

AM:

So we met at sunnyside today. We ran to the gully thing and did 3 laps I think I don't really know I just know I did all of them :) Well I was like dying on it as we sped up. the combination of speed and hills really made me tired and I was ready to puke. But Bill made me keep running, so I finished. :) thanks Bill! Anyway then we did core when we got back, and then the more experienced went for a run while the others just did a lap around sunnyside.

We did the shriners run, except we went up to foothill and along there to guardsman, and then we went the normal way from there. Except we went to the drinking fountain farther than the one we normally go to. Bill was there to push me, again thanks. Then on the way back I started with Abigail and Kiley, but I felt like it was a little slow, and so I decided to go faster. Bill was going to catch up. Ended up being a total of 10.58, but I'm making it an even 10.5 because I can't stand the not even stuff :)

So it was pipeline today. Guess what??? It was the first time that I actually made it to the turn-around point!!! :) I started running with Tomy, Chris, Clayton, Kiley, and Dakota, but then Kiley and Dakota fell off, making me want to fall off, but I decided I would push today. I tried to keep up with them, but it felt like a really fast pace. So after about a mile or mile and a half I fell off and went to an easier pace, but I was still pushing somewhat. I don't really know why. Good day I guess. Then I noticed the beautiful view of the Salt Lake Valley, and my thoughts were immediately positive, and I was so happy during the rest of the run!! When I got to the turn-around point, I waited for Kiley and Dakota for a minute, then I ran back. I guess i was going kinda fast because Dakota and Kiley both were gone when I looked back :0 haha it's weird being in the front. I just tried to stay positive the rest of the run.  When I knew I was getting close, I sped up because I wanted to be done. But then when I thought I was done it turned out that I wasn't because we were at 9.2 or something not 10. Ug. Oh well, glad I got it over with. I felt like it was a good run. :)

AM:

We went to wheeler farm today. We did a warmup, and then stretched, and then did strides and 2 sets of the circuits we usually do, and then we went for a cool down to get us to 8, mixing it up and taking new roads or trails all around the farm. I realized that I was up with Tomy after a while and that everyone else had fallen back. But I felt alright so I kept up with him. with like 1.5 miles left I started to get tired, but tried to keep up, and I did!!! I started to fall off with like .5 left, but I was able to catch back up! :) 

It's been a long time since I've blogged, and that's the problem. I can't remember what I did...I just know that I hit 55 this week, so I'm putting in what I think I must have done. :0

Left for my cabin today, and no, I didn't run, but that's because I was stuck in a car all day and my mom wouldn't let me run in the dark when we got there....

WOW. It sucks to run up here. The higher elevation makes it just that much harder to run on your own. I had to run a loop several million times to get the mileage I need, and I HAD to have someone follow me on a four-wheeler, which made it that much more tempting to stop running and hop on. But  I forced myself to run. I made it 1 lap, just a bit over 2 miles, when I felt like I couldn't breathe. I stopped for a bit, then continued. 9 miles that day. Then went wakeboarding!!!

AM:

the same loop. 11 miles, again with the 4 wheeler.

PM:

the loop again. 6 miles. yep, the 4 wheeler was right by me the whole way. I had to force myself to keep running. 

4.5 miles on that same loop, adding just a bit more when i got back to make it even.  Now I'm worried that when I get back home I'm going to be in the back of the pack because I've been having such a hard time up here.

Went a little bit later because I was feeling lazy. Same deal as before. 4 wheeler and same loop

Went later at night because the 4th of july parade was today!!! (Even though it's not the 4th of july, but they had to do it earlier because the boat regatta was on the 4th and so were the fireworks!! seemed like a forever long run. I hate running up here. No music today either because I couldn't find my headphones...ug

Yeah, you guessed it, that loop again and the 4 wheeler was following me the entire time!!! My charger went missing, so yet again no music. It sucks. But we went tubing and swimming afterward and it made up for it!!!

Yes the usual situation, no music, and only went 5 today. probably should've gone farther. But I water-skied and I was sore!

Yeah only 1 lap today.

I found my charger last night!!! So I had music to listen to. But the 4 wheeler still followed me and i still couldn't seem to get my music to drown out the noise it made. It's very annoying.

I've just about had it. Running up here sucks and I just wish I could run with the team. there's no one that will run with me so the pathetic four wheeler has to follow me and I am always so tempted to hop on and just ride around instead of run. My cousins make fun of me when I get tired and stop. Hypocrites. I want to run and do more mileage, but i just can't breathe and always crash. I want to say I hit my mileage but it's impossible for me to hit it now. If I did say I hit it I'd be lying. I  am going to have such a hard time when I get back home with the team.

My mom told me to quit the team if I didn't want to run anymore. It's not that I don't want to run, I just don't want to run up here. Luckily I'm going home tomorrow. But I'm going to have such a hard time. Yes I want to be on the team, but no I don't want to run on my own everyday. It was fun up here, but I'm quite glad I'm going home so that I don't dig this hole any bigger.

It's amazing how fast you can lose it all. I was gone for 2 weeks, and now I'm at the back of the pack. Finally when I was doing well, doing what I wanted to, I go on vacation and go back to zero. We met at sugarhouse and did the cemetery run. Bill had told me to do a lap in the cemetery. So I did. But the others, I could tell, were going faster than they normally do, and for me who was struggling to even keep up with the normal pace, this did not help me one bit. I crashed earlier, and the rest of the run sucked. I just felt like I should at least try to keep up for as long as I could. Thanks guys. Really didn't help. I'm upset that I went from the front (ish) of the pack to the back of the pack.

Met the team in a parking lot, I think it was off of 33rd or something like that. I don't know directions very well...ha. Anyway, we went a half mile on the road and aturned around, then went on a trail thing and followed it to the foothill drinking fountain and then went along foothill to thunderbird and went up thunderbird to Wasatch Dr.??? IDK. Then went along that to the hill by the zoo, then turned around and came back the same way, and then finishing with another half mile on the road and came back to the parking lot.

I felt goodish on the first half of it. I started up with the whole group, then it soon split into the different levels. It was: Tomy, Chris, and Ethan I think in the front, Kiley and her friend a little farther back, and then Bill, Abigail and I a little farther back. Then as the run went on it changed a bit. I tried to stay with Bill for as long as I could. Abigail soon fell off, and then I was dying soon after that. But I forced myself to try to stay with him. I felt like we were going fast, but that was probably just me because I haven't that intense of a workout for over 2 weeks now...:0 A little before the turn around point I fell off of Bill, but they had waited for me. Thanks guys! I felt like I was going to puke but I got some rest, but then we had to start up again. I really just wanted to be done at this point, but of course we had to go back. Amazing how fast the groups formed again. I tried to hang on Bill. He was telling me a story about having to accept the pain, but I asked myself if I could accept it, and at the time I didn't want to. Then What Hurts the Most by rascal flats got stuck in my head, I fell off Bill, and then I decided that I WOULD accept the pain but he was already so far ahead I never caught him. But when I got back to the parking lot, I thought I was done, but no I had to go a half mile out half mile back to get to 10. But Bill came with me. Thanks!! It made it so much easier!

AM:

July 11th. What does that mean? our annual slurpee run!!! We met at sunnyside. Rules: go to all of the 7/11s listed on the paper (they were all addresses). You can go any way you'd like. It doesn't matter what order they're in, as long as you go to all of them. There were 8 listed. You have to go inside the stores and get one of the free cups and fill it to the top with a slurpee flavor and eat it all gone, whether you chug it or take your time it's up to you. It's sort of a race, just a very different one at that. If you puke, you're disqualified. If you don't go to all of them or eat all of the slurpee you're also disqualified. We end back at the Liberty Park drinking fountain.  

So my plan was to follow everyone because I had honestly no idea where we were going. If I really thought about it I could figure out where they all where, but that wasted tons of time. So I followed the pack. but then it split 2 different ways on guardsman, and I decided to follow Bill since he knew where to go. We got to the first one just a bit before that other group :) that one though didn't have the cups out or anything and they wouldn't let us get any, so we moved on. Apparently they're not supposed to give them out "until 11". people. next one gave them to us though! It was weird though because after I ate that one, after a little while I felt better than before it. I guess eating on an empty stomach isn't that good after all. then we proceeded to the next. By now Bill was way far ahead, and I was losing sight of everyone. I tried to be fast enough to see where everyone went. Then when we got to one we all finished our slurpees  at around the same time, so we all went in a group. I just followed once again. Then Caden pointed out to me that we were going the wrong way, and so both of us turned around and went the RIGHT way. :) We, of course, got there first. Well of course Tomy and Bill and them got the before us, but before our little group I mean. Right as Caden and I were finishing our slurpees they all got there and were like "we went the wrong way!!" hehe. We went to the next. and the next. and so on. Then we finally got to the one by Liberty park, and Tomy came over. then we realized we had to go to the drinking fountain to finish.

We don't know who got 2nd and 3rd (me or Caden) because we weren't really paying attention. We beat Bill and them because they went a different way and probably hit tons of lights. So I got 2nd or 3rd!!! Oh and I was the first girl! :) It was fun!

PM:

4 miles around my neighborhood. 

Left for trek today, so I didn't run with the team. When we got there, we walked 8 miles pulling handcarts, then I went and ran 6 with Abigail, a couple out and backs because of some scary cows that were about to charge at us, or so it looked. A bit scary. :0

So we were on trek still. We walked 11 miles today, and so it was quite tiring. Abigail and I went running in our moment of opportunity, after the devotional, when it was pitch black outside. There was a hill by our camp, so we ran up and down that 24 times to get to 2 miles. I'm counting all of the walking miles of trek (26 to be exact) as 5 miles of running.

Finished the 26 mile loop for trek today, so we did 7 miles I think. Later that evening I realized I hadn't run yet, and Bill had told me to do at least 7, so I just did 8 to get to 50 miles this week. 5 miles over!!!! :)

So we did the cemetery run. I did 1 lap. Apparently you were supposed to do 2 laps if you need higher mileage. Bill said 1 lap, so I did 1 lap. I fell off of them right as we were entering the cemetery. I was really confused when Chris and Tomy passed me on the way back. Then I figured they did 2 laps. But I was tired and it was a really off day. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Went to pipeline this morning. I had assumed the normal 10 miler, so I was ready to go and all for pipeline. Just kidding. Bill said we would do the .7 on the road first and then go the normal way. So I was like "okay, just gotta hang on them for a little longer then it'll be downhill." Nope. When I heard someone's garmin beep, saying we'd gone a mile, I knew Bill had changed his mind. Me: "how far are we going?" Bill: "'till we turn around." Hahaha. so funny. So I had thought he must've changed his mind to going up the road 5 miles and back 5 miles. I wasn't feeling good, so I dropped off. Then, maybe it was my imagination, the hill seemed to keep getting steeper, and I was to the point where I had enough of it. I turned around, and then after what seemed like a mile, I came to Elbow's fork. That rang a bell. Then I remembered Bill saying, "To Elbow" or something as I fell off. the answer to my question. Although, I was so confused. At the time, I registered it as him talking to Natalie about elbows, odd enough. It all made sense, except for the fact that they never passed me on the way back, which meant they either went farther up, or they turned and went along another trail. Then I spotted a sign that said "pipe line trail" and a trail that went beside it. Yep I followed it, just hoping it was the right way. I soon recognized it as the trail we went on for the switchbacks a while ago. I knew it would take me back to the cars. So I wasn't worried anymore. Yeah, I was the first one back to the cars. Turns out I went the right way, but then they went the NORMAL way for however many miles and came back, then did a half mile to get to 13. I feel like such a loser. Everyone expects me to be in the top 3 at regions, and there is someone my age on another team that has me worried, who is a heck of a lot faster than me, so I'm questioning if I can do it. And then there's the people on MY team. And I've never been in the top 3 of any regular school race. We'll see how it goes.

AM:

Today we went to the cottonwood complex. We did the 3 mile loop for warmup, then we stretched and did strides. Then we did Bessie 4 times, Roller-coaster 4 times, and Miranda 4 times. On Bessie, I thought it was our normal go up the hill hard, recover on the way back. Nope, it was hard the entire time. So after completely dying on the first one, I thought maybe I could do the same thing, except this time when Natalie came up on me I would go with her. That was a fail, so on the 3rd one I thought I'd go slower at the beginning then pick it up at the end. Didn't work either. I couldn't get myself to start kicking. Then on the 4th I was so tired, it might've seemed like I was just jogging it, but I was pushing myself. Then we ran to roller-coaster. 1st one was okay, I tried to keep it up. On the downhill I actually had the most trouble. I was trying not to over-stride. 2nd, I just tried to keep up with the people near me. 3rd and 4th I just tried not to stop too soon. Then we ran Miranda. up and around the trees, then down. The easiest one!!! 1st one I was so tired, I didn't push myself like I should've. But then I realized how easy it was, and then I pushed on the 2nd. I did really good on that one! Then on the 3rd, I think Abigail noticed I was pushing, and the 3rd seemed like a race between us two. It was kinda fun! Same with the 4th. I won the 3rd, she won the 4th. :) Then we did 2 times around the baseball field thing this time, then our normal 3 mile loop, and 1 more time around the thing. Then to the drinking fountain to get to 10.

PM:

4.5 miles around my neighborhood, originally going for 5.5, but it was getting dark and my dad needed me home, so I cut it a mile short. 

Today felt really... long. We did a warmup to the gully thing and I was supposed to do 2 1/2 laps, but then I was right in front of Bill, up in the front, so he told me to do another lap. I had a hard time on the hill area that last lap, but Bill kept me going. then we ran back to sunnyside.

We did circuits and step-ups. Then we went for our run. The 3 groups were:

1) 2.5 out, 2.5 back

2) 3 out, 3 back

3) 5 out, 5 back

Which one to do? Well I needed more mileage than 6, so I was stuck with #3. We went up sunnyside, up Emigration Canyon, until we hit 5, then came back. I stuck with the group for a ways up the canyon, but then I fell off and I crashed. I just tried to keep going. Then on the way back, it was sooooo long!!! It felt nice to go downhill, but whenever i thought i was almost out, there would be another curve. It got very annoying. Finally I got out, and I was just ready to be done. I really just wished I could just catch a ride from someone to sunnyside. That of course wasn't going to happen. I just told myself, "2 miles, accept the pain."It worked, I was able to finish. I'm glad that's over. 

Met at Liberty park today. Usually that means tempo or 800s or fartlek type stuff, so I wasn't too excited to come. But I knew it was an important workout. We did a lap warmup, then we went to the start. We did a 2 mile tempo. I was, at first, supposed to hit 6:45 pace, but then not even a quarter mile into it Bill yelled back to me to do 6:30 pace with Caden, Dakota and Kiley. Great. So the first mile felt great! I thought I was doing pretty well. But we were a few seconds slow, so we sped it up on the 2nd mile. Kiley fell back, and so it was just me, Caden and Dakota. I was on the very edge, so going slightly faster than both of them, which didn't help me one bit. I started to fall of with a little over a half mile left, but I tried to keep up with them. I finished 6 seconds behind them, but my time was 12:47, 13 seconds faster than 6:30 pace, more like 6:24 pace. Now that I think about it that was pretty good considering that some of my races for the 3200 were right around there. :) Then we ran over to the start again, this time doing that same thing but a bit faster. Or a lot. 20 seconds faster. Half mile into it I quit on myself and fell off of Dakota and Caden. I was really considering stopping at the mile mark, but I figured if I had worked this hard, I could finish another mile. So I kept going, picking it up. I started passing Ethan, who fell off of that front group, but I told him to come with me because it would be easier on both of us. He came with, and it helped me keep going, but then of course he outkicked me at the very end. Oh well. I got 13:05ish. So still right around 6:30 pace. I feel like today was a good workout. Then we did 2 laps to get to 10. It felt so short, but maybe that's because we broke the 10 miles up into small parts, and 4 of it was tempo, and we hadn't done 4 right before it, like yesterday. :)

I did 7 miles around my neighborhood. I bought a GPS watch at salt lake running, which was on sale!!!! It was a good deal. Now I just have to figure out how to use it... still got confused on the run.

met at liberty, thinking it was going to be an easy workout because of the race tomorrow, and it sort of was. I ran to the potty with Grace, and then we joined the team as they were just starting the warmup. We already had a half mile done, actually more because I couldn't figure out how to start my watch again until about halfway to the potty. Then we did a lap, felt fast, but I wasn't completely dying. Then we did a lap of fireman. I looked at my watch and I thought it said we were going 7:30 pace, so I crashed mentally because I thought this was so slow for how much I was hurting. I fell off of the group about 3/4 of the way, and stopped for a minute because I was close to puking. I guess eating before running isn't a good idea. Then I ran to the drinking fountain and stopped for a minute, then looked at my watch and realized that 7:30 wasn't the pace, it was the time!!! I switched the screen hoping that it would show my pace, but I forgot it only shows you the current pace. Wow this has some getting used to. Then did another lap for cool down. and a little extra to get to 5. Then Bill told me that it was 6:30 pace. That makes so much more sense! I just have to work on the mental part. :)

So today was the 10k. I woke up really early to get there. We got our bib numbers and chips from Bill at a post office on sunnyside, and then we ran up sunnyside a bit and back to the post office, then we did strides while we waited for Natalie to get her East top. Then we ran over to the starting line, and we did more strides.

The race started out way fast. I looked at my watch and it said I was going 5:15-5:30 pace. That was a shocker, so I tried to slow down, but I felt like I should go fast on the downhill. The first mile was really fast of course, but I can't figure out how to go back and look at my splits on this watch. The 2nd mile wasn't quite as fast, but still faster than 6 minute pace, which I was supposed to hit. The 3rd mile I started crashing, and pretty soon tons of people were passing me. I completely lost it then and yes, gave up. The people passing me, not just a couple, but a ton, got to my mind and I completely crashed. Then I just had to finish the 3 miles left. At the 4th or 5th mile I thought I should start pushing again, so I tried to go with people. Although the 2 different ways had me really confused,  and some guy said something into his walkie-talkie about the last of "them" coming was on whatever street and whatever street (I didn't care), but looked back and there was only one other guy behind me. That confused me so much more because I knew for a fact that Olivia and Annie and Jesse and Grace had all not passed me. So then I worried that I was now in the wrong race, and my mind went a million miles an hour. It made it somewhat easier thought. And then there were all the people. The last part seemed so long, but at the same time it felt so short. At least I passed the point of stopping, and I'm happy to say that this is the first time in a while that when I have been that negative and that tempted to stop, I kept going :)

Then came the cool down. We did it part of the way backwards, the way we were supposed to go. I got a huge side ache and really felt the lactic. I didn't want to go as far as the others because my side was just killing me, so I took a shorter way to finish the day with 12.

As for my time, I saw the clock as I ran in, and I just remember 46:08, so I added 2 seconds to it. I don't know what the time was that they had for me, but it has got to be really close to that. 

I forgot to set my alarm back to the correct time to go off last night, so it went off at 4:45. Great. I least I was able to sleep in 2 more hours. That was a good feeling. But in the meantime, I forgot to set it again, so it didn't go off when I needed it to. What woke me up? Natalie calling me saying that she was waiting for me outside my house. So I was in such a hurry I forgot my watch and my water bottle. Great.

We met at sugarhouse park and we did a grass lap around. Then Abigail and I ran to the bathroom ( .5 ), and came out to find that the team had moved to a different spot. So we ran over there and we did core and stretches. Then we went for our run.

At first I was really negative about it, and I really didn't want to run. Then before we left the park I told myself to suck it up and catch up to the front group. That I did. then I just tried to keep up. I did a good job of that up until we turned onto alden. Then it was a mental struggle, and I was able to keep going. Then when we turned back onto imperial, I started to think negatively, but then Tomy told me to catch up. So I did. I made myself do it. Thanks Tomy! Then we got back to our spot, but we had to go to 8, or in my case 8.5, so we kept going. Then we turned around and came back.

Today we went along the shoreline trail by the zoo. We actually started out by doing a mile up Emigration Canyon, and turned around and came back. But not before Tomy and Natalie scared me... ;) Then we went along the trail to the drinking fountain. I fell off of them on a few of the steep hills, and then Bill and Dakota came up on me and Bill told me to try to catch up to Abigail so I tried to, then I noticed my shoe was untied and all I wanted to do was tie that thing, but as if Bill had read my mind, he said "My shoe's untied too but we won't stop!" Or something like that. I eventually caught Abigail. Then we got to the drinking fountain and Bill told everyone he untied his shoe to prove the point that you shouldn't stop when your shoe is untied. Haha. Then we got a drink and tied shoes and went up the road thing to the gate and back to the drinking fountain where we got a drink and Bill and I left a bit before the rest of them so that they had to catch us. It wasn't long. But then came the hills, and I fell off again. Then downhill finally came so I decided I would try to catch them. I leaned forward and I felt really fast :) but then I rolled my ankle and thought my season was over! Luckily it isn't, it's not hurt. Then came a really steep downhill and I nearly tripped and face-planted it with still quite a ways to go down the hill. WOW. I need to be more careful. Then I got back to the cars and just caught a glimpse of them running along the street right above the zoo and immediately knew that they were adding on to get higher mileage. So I went too. I stopped at that drinking fountain at the golf course for a bit, then kept going, and finally got to the turn around point. It felt amazing coming back! I felt good because I was going 7:40 pace by myself! probably not much of an accomplishment to most, but I was happy about it. Boy I feel good today! Maybe I'll do more tonight...???

PM:

I did 6 miles around my neighborhood. I was originally going for only 4 or 5, but I ran into Abigail down in the gully, so I ran with her for a while longer :) 

We drove to Lava Hot Springs today!!! It was fun! The first thing we did was run, this part sucked. Haha. The loop was super hilly. And I thought sugarhouse was bad. I didn't really know it was a loop, I assumed it was an out and back thing. I started out good, and for the first 2 or 3 miles I was doing great! But then I crashed on one of the hills. I turned around at 5 and went back. About a half mile later I found Abigail and a few others and Abigail came with me. We were going at a slow pace, but it was so hilly that I didn't even care. The only thing that kept me going was all the fun stuff that was waiting for us when we got back :)

Then, after the run, on my first time down the river I got off my tube at a calm-ish spot but got sucked into the rapids right after and banged my leg right into a rock and bruised it up pretty good. It didn't look too bad but it killed to bend it or touch it. It still kills. But I'm glad it's just scrapes and bruises.

It was an overall fun day!!! 

So, today I had to go for my own run, not with the team, because it was a saturday. I slept in way late by accident, and when I woke up it was super hot outside, so I decided I would go later that night. I went for my run, and it was the longest run I have ever done on my own, all at once!!!

Hill week. Change that I to an E and you get a glimpse of what it really is. We went to JCC and did that trail. It was my first time doing that and I have got to say it SUCKS. So we go up a huge hill right at the first, and what do we do after that? We pick up baseball size rocks and run with them for at least a mile and a half. You know what I thought? Screw this. I ran a mile with them and completely died, and I fell off of Bill, Dakota, and Caden. Then I tried to run again, and about a quarter mile later I gave up and chucked the rocks at the ground. After that, I felt so much better. it was so much easier. Then when I am finally feeling good, I get to the 3 mile mark, and everyone around me turns around and goes back, and I still had to do another mile out and back. It was really hard to keep going when everyone around me goes back and do less. It was so tempting to go back with them. Then I keep going and finally I get to turn around and then it's uphill again, when the only thing that kept me going was thinking that it would be all downhill from there. So that was hard as well. But I hadn't even gotten to the bad part. We did a huge, terribly long, steep hill that was nearly the death of me 10 FREAKING TIMES and when I got there everyone was already almost halfway done with theirs. So yeah, at the end i ended up doing 2 of them ALL BY MYSELF and you know how hard it is to get yourself to keep going when no one is there to keep you distracted and encourage you? VERY HARD. Then I ended up running by myself the rest of the way back, which was downhill thank goodness, but was forever long, way too long and it felt like it would never end. This year is the first time I will actually do all of hill week. And it was my first time on JCC. We're not friends. JCC makes pipeline look like my best friend. And those who actually read this blog might know how much I dislike pipeline, depending on what we do. I'm soooooo not excited for the rest of this week.

So today we went to pipeline. It actually wasn't too bad. We did the switchbacks. I tried to keep up with Tomy, and I was able to for the first few, but then I fell of him, and soon Bill was right behind me, right when I tried to walk a tiny bit. So I couldn't. He was saying "1 more minute and it's easy" and so that's what kept me going. Then there was another hill and he was like "it's only a bump and then it's easy, there are 2 parts to it: 60 meters of uphill, 20 meters of flat, then 20 meters of uphill again." I made it up the first part okay, but then I got to the 2nd and my mind got the best of me. I looked at that hill, and my first thought was "this is too much" and I slowed way down. Then about halfway I realized if I could make it up all of those switchbacks and the first part of that hill then this part should be easy, so I snapped back into it and continued on. And Bill was right. It was easier after that hill. Too bad I had let him pass me and get away, so I was running by myself. When I recovered I started to go a little faster in hopes of catching up again, but I never did. I got to the road, and I remember Bill saying go up a mile and then turn around and go back, so I did. Then I felt so much better coming back, so I picked it up a bit more. Then I got to the downhills and I felt like I was flying! Although I was slightly nervous that I would fall flat on my face :0 But then when I got to the normal trail I went 1.5 miles out and came back to get to 11.

AM:

We did the puke hill run up in the big cottonwood canyon. I started out with Dakota and Caden. We went up the hill to the switchbacks, and already my calves were absolutely killing me. The tightness type of pain in them is back. :( They haven't hurt that bad since indoor track season. The switchbacks were not pleasant. Then came that horrible uphill, and it was soooooooo steep. I couldn't believe it! My calves were hurting so bad at this point that I had to stop and stretch them, which I found nearly impossible on that hill, so I just stuck with the long stride lunge type things up the hill for a bit :0 Then I ran to the top after stretching them for a bit.

It was better after that. I really enjoyed the flats and downhills. They were great! our group formed once we reached a certain point. It went on a trail after that rocky road. We had a great, long single file line! The bikers were probably really annoyed ;) Then we reached yet another hill and I was about to collapse at the sight of it, I really did NOT want to run up any more hills. But by that point Bill had caught our little group and would not let me quit. I was irritated at the time but now I look back and i'm really glad he made me run the entire hill. Thanks Bill! Then came more and more uphills and my calves started killing again, and so I stopped to stretch them, but in the meantime lost the group. I had a rough time on the hill all by myself though. Luckily it was about a half mile to the turn around point, where the group was waiting!!! yay they waited!!

That was a really pretty view! Bill at one point said "make sure shoes are tied" so I untied my shoes and retied them very slowly to waste more time. Eventually Bill realized what I was doing and told me to hurry up :)

Then we started back the way we came. There was so much uphill I couldn't believe it! When you're going downhill sometimes you don't notice how much of it there is, but wow, I was amazed. I fell off the group, then went really slow the rest of the run. At one point I caught up with Dakota, but he was walking, so I walked a bit with him, but then continued on. I tried to finish. Finally got to the now downhill part and finally finished!!!

12 miles

PM:

I met Patrick and went for a run with him. I ran a mile over, then Patrick joined me and we just did a run around our neighborhood. After about 3 miles I was sweating so bad in the heat and I was so worn out from earlier, and my calves had started hurting again, just not quite as bad as earlier, so we stopped and stretched. Then we finished our run, I got to 5. 

AM:

Today was at the cottonwood complex. We went to some park thing from there and ran around there for while for warmup, then we did a hill loop thing 10 times. Then we ran a ways and then I got lost...I decided to wander around the park for a bit, but then I still couldn't find them, and I knew that eventually they were going to go back, so I did. THere I found everyone waiting for me...:0

Then we did Bessie. We went up to the fence, then 1 minute of rest, then back down, 1 minute of rest. We did that 4 times. By now I really felt crappy. I just tried to finish. Then on the last one I gave it all I could, and I did okay on that one...

Then I did 1.5 miles cool down with Kiley, Caden, and Sarah. I then realized after everyone was done how much I'm gonna have to do the rest of this week, and it's girl's camp too so... it'll suck. I'll probably do a bit before I leave today...

PM:

I went for another run right before I left. I still felt way crappy, but I didn't want too much to do the rest of the week so I did 4.5. Bill said at least 20 or 25 minutes. Yeah it took me longer than that. 

Girls camp! So we were supposed to go on a "hike" in the morning at like 9ish (it wasn't even a hike it was a walk down the mountain about a quarter mile and back up), so we were still stuck with the get up early to go for a run thing. People were complaining that waking up at 9 was horrible, but it really isn't. It's more like a luxury. Wake up around 6:30-7ish and RUN for a few hours: who does that? Oh yeah, me. 

Anyway, Natalie dragged me out of bed at 7 and we went for our run. We went down the pathway thing, then when we were by the lodge thing we went up the canyon for like 4 miles maybe. I don't know I just followed Natalie. My watch didn't charge properly so I had no idea how far up we went. It was so much steeper than either of us thought it would be. For us, hill week was 5 days. I started to fall off of Natalie, but she was nice enough to wait for me around guardsman pass I think it was. Then we decided to go up the canyon a bit farther to avoid the super steep hill on the way back. But of course she still goes so fast and I fall off of her yet again. But what can I say? I was chasing a state champ. She was nice enough to wait for me again at silver lake. We decided to go around it, and it was so pretty!!! Finally it was downhill, except it was steep so I was still having a hard time keeping up with Natalie, in fact an even harder time. At first I could, then 1 of 3 things happened:

1) I slowed down

2) she sped up

3) both of those things

Either way I was running by myself. :/ But that's okay I found it entertaining to see all of the cars swerving when they came by me :) 

So today I was lazy, so I waited all day to go running so I didn't have to run in the heat. I got home from girls camp at like 11:30, so I guess I could've gone then but I wasn't in the mood. So I wasted a bunch of time watching TV, then I realized that I had to go somewhere tonight! So I was on a time frame, and immediately went for a run. It was so hot!! I was going pretty fast too because I needed to reach my mileage. I'd say this was a good run. 9 miles

AM:

Met at sugarhouse, did the cemetery loop. I kept up with the group all the way until we started the fartlek stuff. I fell off and was alone that first lap. Then Dakota came into the cemetery right as I was starting my 2nd lap. I only did 2 laps because that's what I heard we were doing. I knew when to go on and off only because of the faint AAAAWWs Bill would yell, really on/off but they both sound the exact same from far away. So I could only guess when it was on or off. I did a pretty good job of it though. I gotta work on that mental part.

I stopped at 8, but saw Bill and Natalie keep going, (they had just passed me, obviously they had done 3 laps instead of 2) but I had assumed they were just finishing off the mile they were on. I should've kept going. I'll go on a run later today. 

PM:

I met Patrick and ran with him again. We went along 19th and then up sunnyside then followed foothill to guardsman then to sunnyside park and then back on 19th and home. 6 miles 

AM: 

We met at Liberty and did 2 laps warmup. Then we ran over to the hill and we did hill strides race things. Then we ran back to the bench and we made our bingo cards by choosing out pieces of paper 1 at a time and gluing them to your bingo grid in the order you drew them. They were the most random things! For example: "person on laptop" "woman with dreads" "person texting" "veggie garden" "guy on rollerblades" and so on. We were put in groups of four. My group was Natalie, Sam and Kiley. We had to take a "camera phone" and take pictures of the items on the paper. You had to get a bingo 2 ways. We stayed in the park for a bit and got a few boxes, I think they were "person with earbuds" "baby in stroller" "guy on rollerblades" and "person drinking coffee." Then we went to the seven eleven to get the "person with name-tag" and on the way got a "traffic flag." The lady there told us there was a woman with dreads at smiths at the pharmacy I think it was so we headed there. It was pretty great!  On the way we got a "kid on swing" and "person reading" We felt like such stalkers!!! It was a fun run! Turns out that lady wasn't there so we wandered around smiths for a bit then set off for a few more. Then we were going pretty fast coming back!!! Then I did a lap on the wood chips cool down to get to 8.

PM:

I ran to sugarhouse and did a grass lap then a lap on the road, and then it was getting dark and sketchy so I ran home. I went pretty fast actually. Or at least it was fast to me. I was expecting 7:40s, but I was actually going around 6:15-6:20 pace at some of it. On some of the steep hills I got up to 8:20ish, but then would drop to 7:20s or lower on the flat that followed. 6 miles, I thought it was a good run.

AM:

So today we met at the Cottonwood Complex. We did our normal warmup (around the baseball field, then up the hill where you enter, then to the hospital, down to the next road, follow to next road, and basically go around the block) and then we went over kinda by where the start to the regions course was, and we did some strides. Then we got water and then went to the start line of the regions course, and then we did a tempo run of the entire regions course, the long one so that it would be exactly 3. I was supposed to hit 22. I hit 22:10. I PR'd in a workout!!!!

So I was thinking "7:20, hit 7:20" that whole first mile. I was feeling good. at the half mile mark, I realized how fast I was going. I was up with Bill and Ryan and Ethan I think it was, who were hitting a time faster than me. Bill said "you've committed to this pace now. No crashing" or something like that. So I tried to keep up, and I think I was thinking too much about it. I was thinking "No crashing no crashing no crashing" I tried to think positively and it worked!!! But then literally as soon as I thought one bad thought I crashed. It was "not Bessie, I don't want to run up it right now." I fell off of them right then, and then about halfway across the flat part of roller-coaster I thought "I worked this hard already only to crash? No!" So then I tried to pick it up again, but there was that other hill, and I got the negative thoughts again, and I was so close to walking. But I remembered arms, so I focused on them and got past that part. Then when I recovered, Susannah passed me, making me think even more negatively. Then at the top of Miranda I decided I wasn't gonna let myself completely die. I picked it up, trying my best to think positively. I counted down how far I had to go. Just around the triple trunk tree, along the fence, up Bessie, then back down and I'm done! I kept that in mind the rest of the run. So close to being done!! Then came Bessie... my new enemy. I was struggling to keep it positive, but then I heard Bill yelling something like "finish strong!" and I got motivated again and DID finish strong! Thanks Bill!

Then we went for our cool down. I had a choice between doing 3.5 to get to 10 or 5.5 to get to 12. I chose to do the 12, because I need the mileage, though I really wanted to do the 3.5 miles. We went over to that gravel area again and to the frisbee area. I started to fall off around the frisbee area. On the way back I tried to catch them, but I never did. I got to 12 farther away from the cars than I liked. But oh well!

I think I've finally started to realize what has been making me crash, even though Bill has been telling me all along. I guess I never really got it in my head that being positive is the key factor of running. I never truly registered it, it was just some sort of idea that would most likely help me. Now I know how to get myself to stay positive! Now I'm excited for this season!!! :)

PM:

I went 3 miles around my neighborhood. It was HOT!! 

AM: 

Bike and Run!!! It was way fun! I started on the bike. My partner was Tomy. The seat was so high up! We had to lower it for me :0. Even as low as it could go I had trouble starting on it. I started out pretty badly. It took me a while to get on the bike and going good. But then once I got the hang of it I started catching up to everyone! It was weird transitioning from biking to running. Biking made my quads hurt, but I wasn't gonna let that stop me! Let's see my splits:

Mile #

1) 4' 22"07 bike

2) 6' 15"00 run

3) 4' 08"00 bike

4) 6' 47"00 run

5) 6' 20"00 bike

6) 7' 22"00 run

7) 7' 28"00 bike

8) 7' 36"00 run

9) 6' 19"00 bike

10) 6' 45"67 run

So as you can see there was a part of it where I slowed down. It got so hilly!! On a bike it's so hard to go uphill! These times are a little bit slow because I kept my watch going when I was trying to get on and off of the bike. I felt kinda bad because I would make Tomy wait for the bike... I tried not to let my thoughts turn negative though. It was a fun run! It was awesome to have Olivia there on the bike the entire way too because she's just having a grand time on that thing and is so happy, and it rubs off you know? Thanks Liv!

Anyway, a little ways into it, the only person ahead of me was Chris, and I didn't care about that because he's just so freaking fast! So I had great  thoughts! It's such a great feeling to be in the front! I'm so used to being towards the back of the pack! Eventually some other guy from brighton came up on me as we were running and I tried to go with him. But Tomy was in front and THE ONLY bike that was there was the one I used! So he was forced to wait for his partner to get his bike to him, and that was the first/last of any of the brighton people to come up on me :)

Really the only competition I had was Natalie and Chris. At the beginning I was ahead of Natalie, and it was great being the first girl!! I felt fast! Eventually Natalie had caught up to about where I was, and she would get the bike to Chris just as I would pick up the bike from the side of the road. And usually Tomy would be waiting for me to give him the bike. Sorry about that!

The last 2 miles seemed to be the hardest for me because it struck me that I was racing Natalie and Chris, and I felt like I needed to at least feel like I did good. On the bike the last time there was absolutely no downhill, just flat and uphill so there was no going super fast. :( But running that last mile was fun because I had known where the half mile mark was so I knew when I was getting close. Also, that last mile it was so scary because there was this huge group of cows and they were all staring at me, 2 of them were in the road, and I had to run so close to them!!!

When I finished I went out 1.5 and back to get 3. Bill said we could count 2 of the biking miles as running. So I got to 10. 

PM:

I went on a run with Natalie and Abigail!!! It was fun! 4 miles 

AM:

So we met at Liberty today, and we started by doing a lap on the wood chips. Then we went to the Granite track and did a mile of speed changes and came back. It took me a while to warmup, but then I did and I didn't have too much of a problem with staying with the group. But soon I started to fall off. When we got to the track, everyone had waited, and we started speed changes. They started a few seconds before me, and then I gave up and didn't wanna try to catch them. I wish I did. But after the mile, they waited again, and we also waited for the group farther back who were now not too far away. Then we started going again, this time headed back to Liberty, and Bill said to keep with the group, and that this was the part that makes you stronger, so keeping that in mind I tried to keep up with them. I was super sore from yesterday! I started to fall back but Bill was there to push me. Thanks for that! :) Then it hit me that the only girls in front of me were:

1) Olivia on a bike

2) in or entering college

That took my mind off of things for a while, thinking of how weird it's going to be when they all leave for college and when Olivia starts running again. 

When we got to Liberty, Bill had suggested we go to the tennis court drinking fountain so it wouldn't be uphill and a shorter distance. My mouth was so dry, I was all for it! Then we finished the outer loop back to the drinking fountain. I wanted to stop at 10.5, but Bill was like "Come on, it's only 10 minutes!" So he made me do another 1.5 miles to get to 12. We just did the wood chip lap again. Chris came with us too. We went pretty slow, so it wasn't too bad. I had just wanted to stop because I was tired, sore, and running another mile and a half just didn't seem that great. But Bill made me. And I'm glad he did! Thanks Bill!! 

PM:

We went to the Bonneville golf course I think it was. We did different "holes" for each one. We did 2 miles warmup, then we rolled the dice to see where we would start. We went over to the first one, set up the cone, then ran to the starts, and we would race! It was way fun!!! We did that for every singe one. I think we did 5. They were long too! Overall I was 7th! It doesn't really tell you much though because you start in different places. I ran back to the cars and a little bit more to get to 6.

I went for my own run today. I went 20 minutes, then I decided to keep going because I only had to go about 2.5 more miles. I had a side ache, but I tried my best to run through it. I really didn't start to warmup until about mile 3 or 4. But it would've bothered me if I had stopped at 77.5 for the week. So I kept going :)

This is the highest I have ever gone mileage wise, and, oddly, I feel great!!!

AM:

Today was a really bad day. We did a lap around sunnyside then went to the track. We did a mile warmup mile speed changes when we got there. Then we did 12 400s. The first couple felt really easy, then on like the 3rd or 4th one I couldn't breathe easily. By the end of each 400 it got worse. It was like having asthma all over again. On the last half I admit I was just taking it easy. I lost it mentally on #5. I got those negative thoughts. I realized how far back in the pack I was, and then I thought "how can I be working harder than people and then have those people beat me on the important days?" This is what made me lose it. The combination of not being able to breathe easily and crashing mentally is not a good one. I didn't do one of them and walked over to the drinking fountain because I felt like I had enough of this, and the rebellious me showed itself. Then I came back, and realized that I shouldn't be sitting out, not now, not when I've finally started to be up there. So I finished the last 2. I still couldn't breathe, but I at least did those last 2. You would not believe how many thoughts of "quit now, walk across the field and be done with this" ran through my mind, and honestly I don't know what drove me to finish each of the ones I had started. But I'm glad I did even if I was going super slow. I feel bad, I wish I could have done better. I wish I HAD done better. 90s aren't that hard. I wish I could do it over again. In fact, maybe I will.

PM:

I went to the track again, and did the speed over again. I had decided that I was going to do it right this time, or it was a waste. I ran to the track, then did a mile warmup, mile speed changes, and then started. I did 8, before it got dark and I had to go home. I wish I could've done the rest, I really do! i was supposed to hit 90 on each one. splits:

1) 93

2) 91

3) 87

4) 87

5) 88

6) 90

7) 92

8) 91 

 took 2 minutes of recovery in between each. Then I ran home.  

Today I went to Bill's house early to go for a run with a few others, and it actually went by pretty fast! The first half seemed long, but the 2nd half was almost all downhill so it went by way fast! except for the very end where there was the hill... that part sucked. But I fell off of the group at about the 4 mile mark, kept going and decided to turn around at the 4.25 mile mark. I didn't feel too good so that part sucked. But then I made a wrong turn, and so that added on another good quarter mile. When I got back I added on to get to 9. Dakota wasn't kidding when he said that it got really steep up the way I went. I just did an out and back sort of thing to finish it off.

Then we went on our hike!!! Man, my legs have been through a lot today! Ice bath tonight? It might be a good idea. 

AM:

Today we met at Liberty. We did strides and then a fartlek. We did the laps around the pond, 10 minutes on 10 minutes off, every other minute. I then started a cool down with Sarah and Caden, then kept going and turned around when Bill, Tomy, Natalie and Chris got to me and ran 1 more lap with them, then Bill came with me and we did a big grass lap around. That got me to 10.5.

I felt actually pretty good today. I was chasing Natalie for the first bit. Then I fell off of  her and tried to focus on each lap or my arms or whatever to keep me going. The last 2 were the hardest for me. 

PM:

I went for 5 miles around my neighborhood. 

AM:

Today we met at sunnyside, and we started with a lap warmup, then we went over and did flannigan/circuit things. Then we did 10 strides, and then 2 800s at the same pace as the 400s we did earlier this week. So that meant 3:00 for me. 1st one I hit 2:50 and the 2nd I hit 2:48. Then we did shriners run. I went with the higher mileage group, and we went up to foothill and along that way. went out about 4 and then came back the same way to get to 12.

PM:

I went 6.5 miles. I was getting tired of the same old runs I've been doing lately, going to sugarhouse or sunnyside or foothill, so I decided to change things and I went to Liberty. It was just over 1.5 miles there the way I went, so I did 2 laps on the wood chips and then came back home. I ended up coming back a different way because of traffic and the lights and stuff. I went up 13th and had to go up that hill. When I decided to do this run I thought I would just walk up that REALLY steep part but I'm proud to say I didn't!!! The eggs I ate right before I ran weren't settling very well. By the time i started to feel good, around mile 4 or 5, it was uphill time :(

We met at Liberty today. We did a lap of warmup. Then we did 2 laps fireman. I was put in the fastest group. On the 2nd lap I was starting to crash, but I made myself finish. Then I did a cool down to get to 7.5, to get rid of the half mile. I'm excited to race tomorrow!!!! First XC race!!!!

AM: 

Today was the race at settlement canyon!!! I was hoping to be in the top 3 at least, but I got 4th. But i'm not too sad about it because I PR'd by at least 1 1/2 minutes! It's the hardest I have ever run before!

So I kinda just warmed up with everyone, except my race wasn't until almost 2 hours after theirs...:0 We went up the road for a bit then came back, and then Tomy, Chris, Dakota and Bill kept going so I went with them. We went to cheer the others on in their races and ran while we did so. I think everyone did a pretty good job overall, and people stepped up to help out our team!! That was a pleasant surprise!! Then Sarah B showed up, and Bill told her to go for a warmup, and I would stretch in the meantime, then we'd stretch, and then go for a little shakeout run of about a half mile. When we got back I realized there were only 12 minutes left to our race, and so I hurried and had my GU and then went to the car to get my flats only to find that the car was locked, so I spent the next 8 minutes running everywhere trying to find Rhonda, panicking a bit :) Olivia helped me out! Thanks for that!

As soon as Olivia came back with the keys I grabbed my flats and put them on as fast as I could, then ran to the line. I made it in time, but no strides or drills for me. Just the cheer, which actually got my heart rate going pretty good :)

As soon as I heard that gun go off I got tons of adrenaline pumping through me and Bills words going through my mind over and over again, "get out good, where you are when you get to that trail is right around where you will end up at the finish." Keeping that in mind, I got out pretty fast, I think it might've been a little too fast but I was trying to stay towards the front. I took the lead for a bit, but then some girl in the green came up on me about a half mile into it. Bills talk again played through my mind about "breaking them" so I went with her. Then I crashed mentally a little before the trail, I think this is where I should've done a bit better, but I let the girl go along with 4 others right behind us, then I remembered how I REALLY wanted a medal and I wasn't gonna let anyone take it from me. I was 6th then, so 2 more pass me and it's gone. I got motivated again right there, and tried to catch the group.

By the trail I had closed a bit of the gap. As soon as I was on the trail I felt sooo much better. I definitely felt the transition from uphill to downhill and it was amazing! I then focused on the girl in front of me, and eventually passed her, about in the middle of the trail. Then a little later towards the end of the trail I passed another one with a quick surge of energy, a bit sketchy passing that time, nearly tripped, but I caught myself. I could tell that girl was NOT happy I passed her and knew she might've been a problem, so I focused on my arms and worked my way up. I'm pretty sure I gapped her, judging by the spots of cheering. They'd cheer for the top 4, me included, the 3 in front I could see by now, and then they'd stop and cheer a bit later. :) I tried to focus on getting to that 4th place girl.

When I hit the gravel she was only a little ways in front of me, maybe 10 strides. As soon as I hit that I tried to start kicking, but it was so difficult!! My quads were burning and I was breathing hard, the negativity came back, but when I reached that river/ditch I pushed it all away and gave it all I had. I was so close!! Or so it seemed. But I knew I had tried so I was happy. I wasn't able to catch her, maybe if I had kicked earlier I would've. But I got a medal and a shirt and so I'm happy!! And I PR'd by over a minute and a half which was pretty impressive considering. :)

Then I went for a cool down to get to 10. And had some nice junk food after. :) 

PM:

went for 4 miles 

Today we met at sugarhouse. We did a warmup loop, then we did some hills. I only did 6 of them because my leg and hip area was hurting so much! Even on the warmup. It was so tight/sore/just killing! Then we did some strides, I was starting to feel better. Then did a cool down. I can't figure out what it was that hurt it so much! maybe it was from running on the road slant? I don't know. I'm gonna ice it and roll it out to see if it will feel better tomorrow. 

So I either slept through my alarm, didn't turn it on, or turned it off and went back to sleep. Either way, I missed my ride to practice, and my parents couldn't take me. So what did I do? I ran to Liberty. It actually wasn't as far as I thought, 1.75 miles. And it was downhill, so it wasn't that bad. When I got there, everyone was stretching, so I stretched with them. Then we ran to the start line and did a mile tempo followed by an 800. On the mile I was supposed to hit 5:35-5:40. I didn't hit it, I got a 6:11. I felt like I was going fast though! When Abigail came up on me I lost it mentally and she had said "we're off" and that's not exactly the thing I wanted to hear. I slowed down a ton, then right at the end picked it up a bit. I felt horrible, all thoughts turned negative. Then we ran to the start again and I was cut off A TON at the beginning by multiple people, which slowed me down a ton and then had trouble speeding up, got a 3:06. So I stayed consistent at least. I don't know, trying to think of anything good that came out of it. My foot was giving me pain on all of the slow parts, so Bill took a look at it, and I just have to ice it and get new shoes. Glad to hear it's nothing too bad. I hope it will feel better soon :) On the cool down I ran with Bill the first lap then Abigail joined and I fell off of them, once again negative thoughts running through my head. I guess I was just frustrated that I have been working hard all summer, and now she's doing better than me again.

First day of school today...:/ We met up at the track after school and went for a run in the gully thingy. I decided I would try to work hard today, even if I was sore or whatever. So I was chasing Tomy for the first lap and a half, then I fell back and ran the rest of the lap with Patrick, just a tiny bit slower. Then Patrick left, so I was alone for the 3rd lap. I had a lot of trouble getting myself to keep going all alone, but I managed. Then on the hill on the way back my foot started to hurt, but I didn't pay much attention to it because of how yesterday I ran and it wouldn't hurt too much. By the time I got back to the track and was running to where the team was, my arch, not the same place as yesterday, started to hurt even more. Then when I stopped it just KILLED!!! Whenever I put weight on it, it would shoot pain. We did team core stuff, I only did a bit. Then we did a bit of strides, I couldn't do those either. So then we went for a cool down, I made it to the hill and it just killed it so I stopped. Only 4 for today, I iced it and I hope it feels better tomorrow. It's weird though... change shoes from bad ones to broken down ones, and the pain switches to a different spot...hmmm

First time pool running....what fun it was. Not really. I kept getting really weird looks. Anyway, I did 5 minutes warmup, then 2 minutes on 1 minute off 5 times. Or more. I lost count and so I might've done 1 or 2 extra. I don't really know. I got really annoyed though because some guy kept splashing me time and time again as he did laps because he kept kicking so hard, but I guess that's what you get for running in a pool. Then I did 5 minutes cool down. I also biked 3 miles coming to and from the pool!!!

I went to the barbeque thing for the team, and it was really hard to watch people run and have to walk no matter what. But I was made a captain!!! So it was worth coming, and the food was amazing! :) 

Another day of pool running...

I went to cheer people on at the meet today and walked quite a bit. After I went to steiner's and did 5 minutes warmup, then a ladder of 1 min on 1 min off, 2 min on 1 min off, 3 min 2 min off, 4 min on  min off, 3 min on 2 min off, 2 min on 1 min off, 1 min on 1 min off. Then I did a cool down of 5 minutes. Then I talked to the janitor lady for a few minutes while waiting for my dad to pick me up... that was an interesting conversation. Oh and the lifeguards? I watched them put up a dummy on the chair thing they sit on , dress it up like a lifeguard, and position it with sunglasses and a floaty thingy they use. Now that was fun to watch!!! The weird thing was it looked real too...:) 

Today I met Sarah and did another pool workout. It was just a longer one. We did 45 minutes of medium speed. I've gotta say I hate pool running. :(

I tried running today...fail. :(

I did 2 grass laps with the girls, and it felt great to be running again!!! Towards the end of the 2nd one though, I could start to feel the pain. But I didn't pay much attention to it and assumed it was just my mind getting the best of me. Then we took a break, and did speed changes. I felt great, I was in front, right where I was supposed to be. Then I felt my foot hurting again, and thought "oh no" and laid off a bit. Abigail passed me, I tried to speed up and go with her, but it was too much. I also felt so out of shape after that!

The workout was a 1000, 2 800s, and 4(?) 400s. I told Bill before we started that it was hurting, so he gave me a slower time. I wasn't happy that I couldn't do what I wanted, but I knew it was the right thing to do. So I was placed in a group with Sarah. So I just knew that I needed to stick with her. I started out great, I was right behind abigail the whole first lap, then on the 2nd my foot started to hurt again. With about 200 left, the pain in my foot and my out-of-shape-ness combined to be too much. I slowed down, and Sarah passed me, making me lose it mentally, and practically jogged the last 100. We were supposed to jog 1 1/2 laps, I got 1/2 of one done when Emily asked if my foot hurt, and I said yes, so she said to stop. So I did. 

Bill said to judge if it was mental stuff or if my foot really was hurting. I put weight on it, and yes, it hurt. Not as bad as the day I stopped running, but it was still hurting me pretty bad. It hurts in both places now, top and bottom. I told Bill it DID hurt, and the thing he told me was the thing I did not want to hear, to stop running. 

You know, I'm really upset about this. I thought I would finally be able to run, but no. Every time I watched the girls all come around the track, I was reminded that I was once there, and that if I weren't injured I would STILL be there. I'm not gonna be able to race at Pre-Regions. Back to the stupid pool.