Sock tans

50% today on hospital then I added on the 2 mile loop to make it 8. 7:19 average. Good run, felt great

HR 52

Awesome day today! Our women’s team was ranked nationally for the first time in SUU history, we’re ranked 23rd. The men are ranked 25th. We’re also ranked 4th in the Mountain region (really competitive) after Colorado (No.1), New Mexico (No.3) and BYU (No.9). The next teams nationally ranked in our region are Utah State (No.27) and NAU (No.28). I know I’m not on the scoring team, but it’s still pretty cool. (I’m our 12th runner).

Mile warmup, then strides and started. Workout was 16x400s, split into sets of 4. The first 12 were supposed to be at 84-88 (5k pace), last 4 at 80-84 (3k pace). First 4 had 2:30 recovery after each, next 4 had 2:00, next 90 seconds, and last 4 also had 90 seconds.

Times went:

1) 85, 84, 84, 83

2) 82, 83, 83, 83

3) 82, 82, 82, 82

4) 80, 78, 79, 80

Comes out at exactly 82 average.

Cooled down 2 miles.

Feel really good about it! I’d decided to go for 85s beforehand but felt good and relaxed so that’s what happened. Also helped to have Brighton there to pull me along. The faster group’s pace was 80-84 for the first 12 and 78-82 for the last 4 so I was in their range! Yeah! Legs got heavy after 8 but I stayed positive and worked through and stayed relaxed, then pushed the last 4. It was so nice to have someone faster than me there (Brighton had class and they’d start the workout too late so she did it with us instead). Kept me focused and I was only a second or two behind her on almost all of them. The other girls were just a little behind me, Danielle and Bino caught me on the last one. Everyone killed it! What a great day. 

50% with Bino and strides after

HR 51

I’m getting sick... nooo

Today’s workout was 3x2k with 1 minute recovery between each. Goal pace was 7:20-7:45 (5:55-6:15/mile). Bino said Paul told her the goal pace for us was 7:40. Idk, I had the attitude of no, I’m going to go for the faster pace. I want to try to keep up with the other group, since that is our groups end goal anyway. She and Jacey weren’t so down, they wanted to go their own pace, which is fine. I think I’m just frustrated at being in no mans land, not really fitting in either group. I didn’t feel awesome but I didn’t feel like dying either, except for on the third one, that one was rough.

First one was good, was right with Josie and Brighton through the mile (5:54). Fell back a little on the last lap, came through 2k at 7:23. Was able to start the next one with the group but fell off after like a lap. Came through the mile in 6:12 and finished at 7:53. The last one was on my own since they’d started already. Btw one minute recovery isn’t much haha. Anyways, last one I struggled and just told myself to finish. Came through the mile in 6:34 and finished at 8:13.

Mostly I’m just frustrated because I want to be in the faster group so bad, I want to be able to stay with them for the whole workout. I’m just not strong enough to hold their pace yet. Which I guess isn’t surprising, this is only my second week at 50 miles since injury and I’m only just starting to have successful workouts. It’s great and all to be the fastest of the second group, but also, I kind of miss the higher expectations, the groove of running with our top girls.

But I’ve got to think back to this summer when I was just wanting to be back to where 8 miles a day felt like normal. Now it is normal. It’s a process. I just have to be grateful for what I do have, work hard, and with time I’ll be where I want to be. Today was a good workout for me, I’ve always struggled to keep longer interval workouts consistent. And it seems like everyone gradually got slower each one, so it was still a decent workout. I worked hard and that’s all that matters.

HR 58

Easy 9 in Salt Lake. Foothill + VA loop. 7:56 average

Wrote an article summary for an epidemiology of overuse injuries in college and high school athletes done by several PhDs for athletic training. Findings were that college athletes had higher rates of overuse injury than high school athletes, females had higher rates than males, and non-contact running sports (cross country and track and field) had the highest rates of overuse injury as compared with other sports. Repetitive muscle/tendon strains were the most common injury, followed by stress fractures.

So basically, all you runners out there, give your body time to heal and you’ll be fine. Overuse injuries occur when the body endures microtrauma and not enough time is given for the body to repair itself before more damage is done. All these tough workouts will do no good unless there is time for recovery.

Easy 10 on Shriners, went past the fire station on 11th Avenue to the end and a little towards memory grove, then turned at 5. 7:52 average