Running is a means and never merely an end

4 miles pre-race on the treadmill at the hotel! I'm in Concord for the annual conference of the Association of Southeastern Biologists. So official ;) having an absolute blast with my research team!

Sucky race. Don't know what happened, my head just wasn't in it. I went out fine, right where I wanted to be at 6:13 or so. After that it all went downhill and I just checked out. It didn't even hurt that bad, I was just so mentally ready for it to be over. Every 100m or so I literally almost stopped and walked off the track. I'm genuinely suprised I was able to finish, I just kept telling myself it was for my teammates (even though they were all ahead of me) because I remember how let down I felt when one of my older teammates dropped out of a race once because she wasn't feeling it. I thought I was about to run a 21:30 or so, so I was honestly pleasantly suprised with my time, but definitely still upset in the scheme of things. I've gotta get my head back in it.

SPRING BREAK WEEEEK! I'm in Florida with the sophomore girls on my team!

AM- 7 mile progressive tempo. Didn't progress quite the way I wanted but I averaged out with a 7:14 so I felt solid about it. Just went out a little to fast to keep cutting down. The plan was to start at 7:40 and cut down 10 seconds per mile until 6:40 for the last one. Splits were 7:18, 7:33, 7:11, 7:02, 7:08, 7:11, 7:10.

PM- 4 miles shakeout. 7:52 average.

2 sets of 4x800 (so 8x800 total). That sounded daunting but it was actually a shockingly easy workout. Part of that was probably that it was 6am and I was still half asleep the whole time, but the other part was that the pace was supposed to be between 5k and 10k, so it wasn't too quick. 1:20 between reps, 2:20 between sets. Shooting for 3:16-3:20. I mostly hit 3:17-3:18's. Except the last one, Alexandra and I picked it up and finished with a 3:03, still felt pretty easy. Good little workout. 2 mile cool down.

Recovery run at a national park down here in Florida! Such a fun run. We definitely took it easy, and trail times are always slow anyways, so it was like an 8:55 average (lol). But my ankles are legitimately sore from all the roots and sketchy footing that I'm not used to these days from all of our concrete running! A good kind of sore though. 

1 mile warm up, then a ladder fartlek of 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2 minutes on with half of the rep easy for recovery. 4.63 miles total, averaging 7:21. 1 mile cool down. I felt solid. We did this on the beach and got pretty far seperated...I don't know why we can't stay together in workouts to save our lives when our race times are usually pretty close!

It is sooo nice to be getting so much sleep and mental rest from homework. I am loving this week.

AM- 5 mile tempo! 6:58 average. Splits: 6:49, 6:57, 6:57, 7:03, 7:06. First 3 miles with Anya, then she left and I started dropping off a little. Definitely could have gone faster on the last mile if I didn't have to go to the bathroom so bad... Still, bummed I got progressively slower, getting stronger as I go is something I'm really trying to work on right now. But I'm still pretty satisfied with a sub-7 tempo for 5!

Led the gals through a full-body circuit afterwards.

PM- 3 miles shake out. We just jogged around the neighborhoods.

Long run at the University of North Florida! They have this super nice track there, so we showed that some love for the first 2 miles or so. Then hit the trails, then got off and explored (and got lost...a few times) a bit for the bulk. I felt good, like I could have done 13 or 14 just as easily!

1.55 warm up to rail trail. I did the workout on rail trail, then around Duncan park, on to the end of rail trail, then back up through the start.

7 mile progressive tempo and I felt fantastic! Aiming for a progression from 7:40 to 6:40 in 10 second increments per mile. Last week, I went out at like 7:20 and bottomed out at mile 4 with a 7:02, getting slower after that and averaging 7:14. This week my average was 7:07, and my splits got faster every single mile! 7:30, 7:19, 7:14, 7:08, 6:59, 6:46, 6:42. So so so psyched about this run!

1.55 cool down back to campus. Weights afterwards.

2 mile warm up

2 x (800, 400, 800, 400, 800) with 60 sec rest and 2:30 between sets. The 800's were 5k race pace (3:10) and the 400's were 3k race pace (90). Hit 3:08-3:09 for all of my 800's, except the last one which I kicked, to a 2:58. My 400's were usually 89. I felt great during this workout! I was in the front of the pack - not the front-front of course because Anya was up there, then Rebecca a bit after her, but the front of the big pack. Felt very smooth and paced evenly. 

Only had enough time before our 1:00 classes for a half mile cool down.

8 miles recovery on my own. Ran around VCOM, then Cleveland Park. 7:58 averge.

Abs afterwards, then weights later.

1 mile warm up, hurdle drills, agilities.

3 x (4x300m) at mile race pace (5:30 mile is a 62.5 300m) with 1:30 between each rep and 2:30 between each set. This was a toughie for sure. First fast workout of the season really, and my legs were definitely feeling it. I hit 61's for the first set, then 60's for the 2nd and 3rd sets. I'm consistent if nothing else, I'll give myself that. I kicked the last rep as always and hit 56. Feeling it hurt pretty bad for holding 5:30 pace for only 300m makes me a little nervous for running the 1500m on Saturday, but I am also so so excited to run it because I know it is going to get some good snap in my legs and help my 5k a bunch, plus the pressure is off since it's not really my event. Either way, I'm gonna feel the burn and I am pumped!

2 mile cool down. Finally a full cool down!

AM- 3 miles on my own...just cause I felt like it! Beautiful day.

PM- pre-race shakeout with the team. 

Ran the 1500 today, then a workout afterwards! I felt solid during the 15, it's so so quick, I didn't have time to really get too mentally tired (even though my legs were burning of course). That is 2 seconds off my PR, which was set last year just before my 5k PR! So hopefully good things are in store for my next 5k.

The workout afterwards was tough. Real tough. Not in general necessarily, but just since it was immediately after a race. We jogged right over to the dirt track and then did 2x(1000, 400, 200, 200) + 1x(400, 200, 200). So basically 3 of that first set but without the 1000 on the third. The 1000 was at 90% (tempo), the 400/200's were at mile goal pace. Every rep I could just feel all the lactic acid in my legs, it was rough. But at the same time I was loving it,  feeling myself improving today. I haven't had that burn in a while, it's usually all cardiovascular. I'm definitely going to be sore tomorrow. 1 mile cool down after.

6 mile bike ride with Breck! A little fun, active recovery. Probably total effort level of about a mile jog, haha.

2 mile warm up to rail trail with Shannon.

6 mile tempo on Duncan park & rail trail. This one was rough today, real rough. I tried to do a progressive tempo again, I'm still trying to work on getting faster. I planned to start at 7:30 and cut down by 10 seconds per mile to 6:40... ended up bottoming out at about 7 flat. 7:16 average. The effort was there, but I think the preformance was a combination of the heat (it was 85 today! feeling like summer) and my still-sore legs from the meet/workout this past weekend. I suppose effort is what is really important in tempos though.

2 mile cool down.

Weights with the team before dinner.

Sucky workout. Just feeling tired and really, really feeling the weight of the heat and humidity that just hit. 

2 mile warm up

We were supposed to do 2 sets of 1200/600/1000/400 with the 12 & 1000 at 5k and 600/400 at mile pace. 2 minutes between reps, which I thought soudned pretty generous, and 3 minutes between sets. The first set was solid, then it went downhill so fast. After the 1200 of the 2nd set I thought I was gonna like pass out. I sucked it up and did the next 600 but ended up essentially jogging the last 200 of it. Then layed on the ground and I think I was hyperventilating, for a few minutes. Breck was in the same boat at me. No one came and checked on us... I mean I am fine now, but what if I hadn't been fine?? Anyways, we agreed to skip the next 1000 and just put all we had left into the final 400. Felt rough, but we finished it. Stuck my head under the hose for a while and drank lots of water.

Only had time for a half mile cool down. 

8 miles nice & easy with Shannon. Went up to the graveyard in Converse, up to the highschool, around the trail loop, then back down through Converse heights to campus. 8:34 average.

2 mile warm up on the trails.

10x400m at a little faster than 5k pace! Nice, relaxed workout to get the blood flowing again before the meet this weekend. I hit 91-92 for the first 5, then 89-90 for the next 4, and 85 for the final one.

A little over a mile cool down on the bridge loop of the trails.

Happy Earth Day!!!!!! Plant a tree, skip out on meat for a day a week, fill up a bottle instead of buying bottled water, unsubscribe from mailing lists you throw away! Just look around and see the beauty of the work of our sovereign creator....then treat it accordingly. Get pumped, woohoo!

Ran the 3k....tried to stay with Shannon since she is always right around the pace I want to be at. I was with her for the first mile, 6:03, but we were shooting for 6 flat so I started moving up a little after that and passed her. Probably should have just stayed with her. A lap or two later I started dying a little bit apparently, and she passed me again and moved on. I used to be so good at finishing races, I don't know why I have gotten so bad about slowing down as the race goes on this year. I really thought I was going to PR today....instead ran 15 seconds slower. :(

Did the 4x4 immediately after, didn't even switch back into trainers. That was just for kicks. I've never ran a 400 before, I was pretty sure I couldn't even break 80 after just finishing the 3k haha. I ran a 74! Woohoo.

10 miles easy with Shannon at Milliken park! I needed that. 8:15 average. 

2 mile warm up

4 x (1000, 400) with the 1000's at 5k race pace and the 400's at 3k. It was soooo hot and I just had a feeling it would be a rough day for me but I did suprisingly well, even when others started to fall off towards the last set or two. Hit 3:58 for all of the 1000's actually, and 89, 89, 91, 91 for the 400's. Not great but solid! I'll take it considering the heat especially.

.75 cool down.

8:29 average. Nice and easy recovery with Shannon. Toning down the mileage here towards the end of the season!

Pre meet

I didn't break 20, so that was my final race I guess. Lost the front pack right from the get-go, but they were going really fast and my splits were already faster than what I'd planned on, so I just did my own thing. Probably not the best idea because I slowed down either way, so maybe a faster start would have cancelled that out and I would have actually dropped time. Not sure.

Really disappointed over the sucky times I've had this year, but honestly I feel like I did the best I could have. This was just a really hard and exhausting year in all other spheres of my life, and I definitely think that took some life out of my running. It is definitely mental, because I've been doing great in practice. Excited to take some time off and get running out of my head for a little while. Going to meet with Bomar early next week and maybe consolidate a little and figure out what my problem is.