Sock tans

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.