Running is a means and never merely an end

1.4 mile warm up, 3 miles of track work, .6 cool down. My track work was 4x800m at 2 mile race pace, then 4x400 at mile race pace with 90 seconds between reps and 3 minutes between the two sets. Splits: 3:01/3:03/3:06/3:03 - 1:26/1:26/1:26/1:23. I was up pretty late last night on my recruiting visit at Western and didn't get to sleep in very much either, so I was really tired going into this workout and during my warm up. But as soon as I started my intervals, I felt like I found a new flash of energy and ended up really enjoying the workout. Weather permitting, I have a meet Wednesday, so I will taper down these next two days.

Terrible "workout" today. Planned on going 6 miles but I had to cut it super short to make it back to my school for this thing where they honored winter athletes. Poor planning on my part. I'm really upset I didn't get in any mileage today.

Full-body general strength ciruit at home before I went to bed.

Yet another unsuccessful workout. I planned on 1 mile-2 miles-1 mile at 10k at tempo pace with a mile warm up & cool down. We got let out of school at 10 because of snow, but it had just started to come down. So I hurried over to the Rec center to do the workout on the treadmill and then get home before the snow got too bad, but it started coming down so heavily that I only got in a mile warm-up and then had to cut to the 2 miler and then call it a day. I did up the speed from about 6:55 tempo pace to 6:25, so I still got decently tired, but I think mileage is more important than speed right now in preparation for outdoor (not in-season outdoor) so I am still disappointed about all of the mileage I've cut out the past 2 days.

We had another snow day today but I wasn't about to let that make this the 3rd day with a cruddy workout! I did a little distance/speed mix today on the treadmill. 5 miles at 7:50 pace, full recovery, 2x1600 at 6:35, 800 at 3:07. The 5 miles felt suprisingly good, I wasn't as bored as I thought I would be because I decided to listen to a Louie Giglio sermon for the distance half of the workout, so I ended up enjoying it! Half mile cool down afterwards. I will say I feel completely exhausted mentally and physically after that workout. But I feel like I got better today, which is always a great feeling.

45-50 minute run (ended up around 48:30) and 10x100m striders. I felt so good today! I felt like I never really got tired. Perhaps my body needed the few easy days I had earlier this week. Saturday is race day so tomorrow will be nice and easy!

Race day is tomorrow!! 30 minute jog and some striders for the day, just before loads of stretching of course. Haven't decided whether I'll run just the 1600 or both the 1 & 2 tomorrow, we decided I'd play it by ear. Regardless, a PR would be magnificent!! All in God's hands though!

Set a new mile PR by 3 seconds today at Polk with a 5:42!! This meet was my first "polar bear" meet, but luckily it was absolutely perfect running weather (55ish and cloudy). Honestly I do not even remember much about this race, it all went by very quickly. I've been doing so much more mileage these past few months that a 1600 finally is starting to feel like such an incredibly short race. I did slightly over a mile for warm up and then an easy lap for a cool down before my 3200.

I still haven't figured out how to make two race entries for 1 day, so I'll just write about my 3200 here! I really, really did not want to run this. I'd already qualified for states for it, and my mom had told me in the car we could decide after my mile whether I wanted to or not. Which I really didn't. But my dad sort of ending up making me anyways. I was not mentally "right," if you will, at all for this race because I felt like I was being forced to run it and therefore didn't even care if I did my best, but God totally gave me strength and motivation once the gun went off. He pulled me through to a race and time I ended up pretty satisfied with, actually! I finished 3rd with a 12:23.80. It didn't beat my PR (12:17) from JDL last weekend, but it was still faster than every 3200 I ran last spring, so it is my 2nd-best time. And to be honest, I know I could have done a solid 10 seconds better physically if I was right mentally going into it, which makes me excited tosee what I can do in the 3200 at state next weekend!

Easy 3 mile jog afterwards, about a mile of which was with Lily Anderson (who won the 1 and 2 mile today!).