You've got to want it to win it

This morning (or almost afternoon rather) it was 48 degrees outside so I was excited to go for a run!  I ran to the East track for warmup and then did 4 laps of speedchanges going clockwise.  Then I stretched for a few minutes before starting the workout.  Today it was four sets of two 200s and an 800.  I took 200 recovery after the 200s and 400 recovery after the 8s.  My times were 34, 37, 2:52 for the first set; 38, 40, 2:50 for the second; 40, 40, 2:53 for the third; and 40, 40, 2:52 for the final.  I ran back home for cooldown.

Today for my run I ran up to 1500e and then to Sugarhouse.  I did part of a counterclockwise lap in the park and exited at 1700e.  When I got back to 2100s I continued on the same route I ran on Saturday night.  The weather was nice today, I was able to go out in just a t-shirt and shorts!  

This morning after going to the temple with RJ and Amanda, I went to the track and did a workout.  I ran there are did 4 laps of speedchanges for warmup, and then I stretched and changed into my spikes.  I had in mind to do four 1200s.  On the first one I hit 4:22, then took 2 backwards recovery laps, and then on the second one I hit 4:30.  I decided that I didn't want to finish with 1200s so I changed the rest of the workout to two 800s and two 400s so that I could get some quicker turnover stuff in.  On the 800s I hit 2:54 and 2:52 (with a 4 second negative split on the second one, I was happy) with a lap recovery each.  Then on the 400s I hit 1:20 and 1:19 and had a lap recovery after each.  I felt better about the 800s and 400s even though the times are not up to speed.  But I'll get there.  Before I changed shoes and ran home for cooldown, I did countdown abs on the grass which was mostly dry.  Again it was a beautiful day!  I wouldn't mind if it were like this the rest of January :)

This morning I started my run by going north on 1300e to 900s and then down to 900e.  I went south next until I hit a red light at 1700s, where I went back east since I didn't want to stop.  At 1000e I went south again to 2100s, but when I hit 1100e I hit another red so I went back to 1700s on 1100e.  I ran up to 1300e and when I got there the light turned green for me so I kept going up :) I thought about turning left onto 1600e and then maybe cutting up to 1700e and then going down Harrison to get home, but I didn't think that would be long enough to get me to 6 miles so I went up to 1900e instead.  I went down Harrison and hit 6 about 2 blocks from my house so I just walked the rest of the way.  It was another great shorts and t-shirt day and I enjoyed it :)

This morning I did another workout.  I ran to the track and did 4 laps of speedchanges for warmup.  I ended up dropping the long-sleeved shirt I had brought because it felt warmer than what I had read on the thermometer right before leaving, it probably warmed up as I ran there too.  I stretched for a minute and then changed shoes.  I decided that I was going to do ten 400s with a lap recovery in the opposite direction for each.  My times were 1:19, 1:21, 1:17, 1:17, 1:16, 1:17, 1:16, 1:17, 1:18, and 1:18.  I felt very positive today and I was very happy when I got to a 1:17 for the third one and was able to keep my times down :)  Hopefully I can stay motivated when I return to team workouts next week...  For cooldown I ran home.

This morning I got to go running with Bill and Nat in the snow!  We started on Wasatch just north of 3300s and ran all the way along Wasatch into Holladay and finished at Bill's house with 10 and then got a ride back to the cars with Kim.  The last 5 miles there were several times where I started to fall back so I had to throw in some quick strides to catch back up; I guess that's good practice for not letting the pack slip away while racing.

Today was the first run back with the team :)  We ran up to 11th Ave. and down into City Creek.  They turned down Memory Grove but I kept going until I was at 4 and then turned and went back the same way since I don't like running downtown and didn't bring my Ucard with to take Trax back.  It felt great to be running today :)

This morning we returned to lifting and again I continued to do the alternate lifts.  I like these because they are a lot of core so I feel that they help a lot.  Today we also had our first workout out at the oval.  We warmed up outside which really threw me off since I'm used to warming up inside but it was pretty nice out :)  Then we did our drills and strides inside before changing shoes.  The longer distance girls workout was twelve 500s at about 1:45-1:46s with equal timed jogging recovery.  It ended up being me, AuraLea, Macee, and Lauren.  The first two weren't that great, we hit 1:49 and 1:53.  Fortunately we were able to pick it up for the third and hit a 1:44.  Then we hit 1:43, 1:43, 1:43, 1:42, 1:43, 1:42, 1:44, 1:42 and 1:42.  For the last 2 Kep said we could try picking it up so AuraLea and I did.  Afterwards I changed shoes and ran 4 laps cooldown with Macee and Lauren.

Today for the run we started out on Foothill with the intention of going towards the Albertson's loop.  I was with Bekah and AuraLea.  Bekah turned around before we got to 2100s but I kept going with AuraLea.  We had thought about doing a lap in Sugarhouse but decided it would go over the mileage we needed for the day so instead we ran down to 1300e to run back to campus because it would add extra and would be less of an uphill back to campus.  Bill saw us before we got to 17th!  We ran back up to Guardsman on 500s and finished going back up to Huntsman.  Then we did 6 strides and some drills.  My hamstrings, quads, and glutes are all sore from going back to weights yesterday so I made sure to do drills that stretched them, it felt very good.  

Today we had a mile repeat workout at Liberty.  Since Kep was at the oval with some of the other girls on the team, it was just me, Macee, Lauren, AuraLea, and Bekah.  Liz came on her bike to cheer us on which was nice :)  We got off Trax at 900e and ran to the park plus some in the park for warmup.  We met up with Brooke and did our strides and drills on the sidewalk that goes through the middle of the park.  Then we changed shoes and went to the starting line for our repeats.  We were doing 5 and going by the lines and dots system, which really needs to be repainted!  We were supposed to hit 6:20 pace, and on the first one hit 6:15 and felt really great.  The second one we missed the finish to but figure it was probably around 6:10 after running back to it during our recovery (which was 80 seconds).  On the third one we hit 6:02, on the 4th I hit 6:07, and on the last one we missed the 5 lines for they were faded so much and I'm not even quite sure where to estimate that one at, probably 6:10 though.  Then we did our strides on the way back to where we had started and ran to the Trolley Trax station for cooldown.  I felt great through the first 4 repeats, but the whole time I was sore from the lifting warmup we had to do this morning which is different from our usual.  It made the the inside of my legs hurt on my thighs (so I guess in the hamstring area but not quite) and I don't know how I was able to run the cooldown!  But we finished and felt great with our times :)

Today my hamstrings were way tight and sore from lifting yesterday so I decided to only run 6 miles instead of 8.  The other girls were doing 6 too because we have time trials tomorrow.  I was with Hilary and we ran along Foothill to Sunnyside and then through the golf course to get up to Wasatch Drive, where we turned around at 3 miles and went back the same way.

This morning we had time trials out at the oval.  It was hectic there with all the stands set up for speed skating time trials and also the general public using the track!  We warmed up outside for about 15 minutes and then did our strides and drills on the track, though we did them in a lap because we needed to go the same direction as everyone else.  Then we changed shoes and went over to the start for our 2000.  Kep moved the start forward a bit for us to make up for the difference we would have to do each lap going around the carts parked on the track coming out of the final turn and the timing equipment set up in lanes 1 and 2 at the finish line.  I went out with AuraLea and as we kept going she pulled away and finished 12 seconds ahead of me; I finished in 7:12.  Next we had planned to do a 1000 but Kep decided to have us just do 300s instead rather than try and run around all the people on the track.  We started at the 400 mark and ran to the 100 mark, and then finished the lap for recovery.  We did 6; on our first one we accidentally stopped at the wrong line, but our times were 56, 59, 57, 56, 57, 55.  Then I ran 7 laps inside for cooldown with Lauren and AuraLea.  

This morning I along with other girls on the team took advantage of not having classes and went running early.  I needed 10 miles and Hil needed 8, and Brooke, Lex, and Nikki R. ran part way with us.  We went up to 11th Ave. (Brooke and Nikki turned then) and then ran all the way down into City Creek and Memory Grove.  Lex split then and Hil and I kept going.  Stepping out into the street on North Temple I missed seeing the grate over the drain and wiped out for a second :P  But just got up and kept going, unhurt :)  We ran back up South Temple, Hilary split when we got to her apartment.  Because of the snow I decided to try and find a less steep way back onto campus than the way I usually go so I went up 1st South (still a bit steep) and made a loop through campus hitting South Campus drive.  Then I still needed a bit to get to 10 when I got back to HPER so I went up on the road by the track and turned just before North Campus and headed back to the locker room.  When I finished there was ice on my eyelashes from the snow!  

Today we were unable to go to the oval for workout, so Kep shoveled a lane clear on the track so we could workout there.  For warmup we ran up above the track and then on North Campus up to Federal Heights drive for a bit before turning and heading back to the track.  Then we did drills and strides, switching out drills to avoid going on the ground in the snow, and staggering ourselves on the strides so we could all be on the cleared part of the track.  Then we changed shoes.  The workout for longer distance was two 200s, a 600, two 800s, a 1000, then Kep would decide what else we needed based on how we were doing before the final 600.  I was with AuraLea but I wasn't able to keep up with her during the last part of the workout.  On the 200s we hit 37 and then 39 with 200 recovery each.  For the first 600 we hit 2:03, then another 200 recovery, and for the 800s I hit 2:45 for both and did 200 recovery for each.  On the 1000 I hit 3:31 which I was pretty happy with, then after another 200 recovery we did another 800 which I hit 2:47 and then finished the last 600 with 2:03.  Afterwards Andrea stayed at the track with me for 7 laps cooldown.

Today for the run we had a small group since a lot of people are injured and cross training or have class :P  AuraLea, Andrea, Lauren and I did the zoo loop.  We ran down to Foothill and over to Sunnyside and up to Wasatch Drive going behind the zoo.  They turned a little bit before half hour and went back through the golf course but I needed 8 miles so I went just a little further and then went back the same way we had come.  I did a few drills when I got back.  And I enjoyed that it hadn't started snowing yet for the opportunity to wear shorts :)

Today we had a workout at Liberty Park.  As usual, we rode Trax down to 900e and ran to the park for warmup.  We switched out some of the usual drills since the ground was wet.  The workout was threshold of 15 minutes on, 3 off, 10 on, 2 off, then 5 on.  I was with AuraLea and we hit 6:09 and 6:11 for our mile splits on the 15 minutes.  We hit 6:05 during the 10 minutes on, and had 3:01 for 800 during the last 5 minutes.  Then we did 5 strides and changed shoes and ran cooldown back to the Trolley Trax station.

Today we did a recovery run.  There were 5 of us today; me, Hilary, AuraLea, Lauren, and Andrea.  We ran up on 11th Avenue and down City Creek.  Lauren and Andrea had fallen back and I just turned around and went back the same way when Hilary and AuraLea turned down Memory Grove.  I threw in some speedchanges on the road above the track as I was finishing, then some drills when I got back.  It was really nice out today, so nice that I was able to run in just a t-shirt and shorts! :)

This morning we had another time trial, and since the Oval was closed we got to run in the pouring rain on our track!  We started with the usual warmup running up to Federal Heights Drive and then back to the track for drills and strides.  Then we changed shoes in the shed.  For the long distance group, we had two 200s with 200 recovery, then a 2400, and finally six 200s just for turnover.  On the first 200s we hit 36 and 38, then for the 2400 Kep told AuraLea and me to take turns leading each lap.  She led the first and third, and I led the third and fourth laps.  Then on the last 2 laps we could go with what we had left.  I didn't look for my splits the first 3 laps, and as I took the lead going into the 4th lap AuraLea couldn't stay with me and gradually began to fall back.  Finishing that lap I could hear someone coming up fast and panicked for a second that she was catching up and coming with a strong kick, but it was Nikki and Andrea finishing one of their reps.  My time through the mile was 5:40 (maybe 5:38 or 39, I looked at my watch late).  At 2000 I was at 7:02, and I finished in 8:23.  After everyone had finished, we did 2 laps recovery in the opposite direction but modifying the last 200 to finish at the 200 start on the south side.  I was with Bekah and AuraLea and we took turns leading.  We hit 34, 35, 36, 35, 35, and 35.  Then we changed shoes to cooldown; I stayed at the track and did 4 laps to get up to 7 for the day and finishing the week with 50 :)

Today for the run we ran along Foothill so that the girls doing a workout on Wasatch could warm up with us.  When we got to 1300s, we went up to Wasatch.  I wasn't doing the workout and neither were Hilary, Nikki R., AuraLea, or Lauren.  We just ran along Wasatch the rest of the way.  Nikki turned around while we were on Wasatch and Lauren and AuraLea turned around when we cut back down to Foothill just past Thunderbird.  Hilary and I were hoping to be able to run on the paved part of the Shoreline Trail but it was covered with snow so we made it to the drinking fountain (which of course was off) and then turned around and went back the same way.  We did our strides around Huntsman when we got back and then did a little extra to get to 9 for the day.

Today we had our final workout before Boise this weekend.  At the oval we started with a warmup outside along the usual warmup route we do.  Then when we got back in we did the usual strides and drills.  Then we changed shoes.  The workout was three 1200s with 4 minute recovery, then an 800 quickly followed by a 200, then a 600 followed quickly by a 400.  We were supposed to hit around 81-82 pace.  Also for the starts we switched up the order so we could practice getting out into position.  On the 1200s I hit 4:07, 4:07, and 4:04.  The first 400 split for each was 81 but in the first 2 I fell back in the second lap (2:47, 2:44, 2:44 800 splits) but on the third one I stayed right with AuraLea and Macee.  On the 800 we hit 2:44, then 38 for the 200.  On the 600 we hit 2:00 and for the last 400 1:17.  Then we went back and changed shoes and Lauren and Nikki stayed inside with me to do 7 laps cooldown.  (I figure 9 miles because counting the warmup as laps puts the lap total at 32 and it is an oversize track and I was on the outer lanes...)  I felt great with my times today.  I'm excited to race this weekend :)

Today we ran along 1500e to Sugarhouse and back.  Just before we got do Guardsman going down campus, we saw a bunch of deer under some trees!  They were still there when we got back.  Then I did strides with AuraLea around the Huntsman building and then a little extra to get to 7 miles, then we did our drills back to the lockerroom.

This morning we had a shortened lifting workout and when that was done while we were still at the Smith, a few of us went upstairs to use the treadmills.  It was hot up there, but fortunately we were only doing 3 miles.  

In the evening after arriving in Boise, we went to check out the arena and do a short shakeout run.  With Lauren and AuraLea, on the short track we did 4 laps and then 4 laps of Js.  Then we did drills.  We race tomorrow at 4 so we'll have a good day to get plenty of rest tomorrow. 

This morning and early afternoon I just relaxed at the hotel with AuraLea, Lauren, and Kate.  I decided to not do a shakeout run since my race was at 4 which isn't that late but also since we were able to do our pre-meet in the evening last night.  When it came time to warmup, Kate, Lauren, AuraLea, and I went outside for a few minutes, out and back until we were at about 15.  Then we got our spikes and got ready to go check in.  We had a half hour before our race at this point.  I decided to take a Gu, Amanda helped me make the decision by asking when the last time I had eating was (about 3 and a half hours) so I took it.  Then I got my spikes and water bottle and went down to the track.  On the track I did 2 laps just to get my heart rate back up and then in the middle I did a few light drills and some strides.  Then I changed into my spikes for a couple more strides.  I did some on the track too to get a feel for the banked curve.  Finally it was time to get to the line, so all 11 of us that were in the race got ready.  My goal going into it was to break 10 minutes, and I believed I could do it because of the pace we've been practicing the last few weeks.  I knew that the 3rd and 4th laps (short track, remember) would probably be the hardest for me because of the workout on Tuesday, so I was prepared to have to push to keep the pace up during this time and then I felt I would be set for the rest of the race.  Here is what happened.  I started in lane one and was easily able to push out into the lead.  One girl got in front of me coming out of the curve but she might have cut in a little too close since my feet hit hers and I went to the outside of the lane to run right by her.  I went with her for the first lap, and we came through at 35 which I knew was fast but it felt right.  Almost immediately I could tell that she was slowing down so I kept the pace up and pulled into the lead and took the inside back.  The first 400 was about 1:19 (if I remember correctly) and then I knew the next 2 laps were where I needed to run strong to keep the pace.  I hit pace, though I don't remember my 800 split (it might have bee 2:35?), but the splits Kep was telling me were in the 39-41 range.  I had separated on the pack by now and I could hear the announcer saying that AuraLea was in second.  Coming through the mile I was around 5:16, and I think I may have been losing speed a bit at this point but each lap I reminded myself that I needed to keep the pace up.  With 4 laps to go I knew it was going to be hard getting myself to kick because I knew that it was 800 meters but mentally knowing 4 laps of kick would be tough!  Coming around again this time with 600 to go I knew I needed to pick it up and knowing that I had let some of my laps slip, I would need to pick it up if I still wanted to break 10.  The last 2 laps I began to pass some girls and was pushing really hard, especially on the last lap when I started at 9:22 because I knew I only had 38 seconds to break 10!  Coming down the last stretch (only 50 meters...) I could see the clock in the 9:50s and knew I was so close, and I was so glad when I finished in 9:59!  I would have been pretty mad had it been a second slower!  After the other girls came in and we changed shoes, we went outside for a 20 minute cooldown, out and back.  

This morning after watching some of the high school events and other stuff going on at the meet, it was time to warmup for the mile.  I went with Lex and Andrea, outside 8 minutes and back the same as yesterday.  The schedule was just a couple of minutes behind so we planned for that, and Andrea and I were in the third heat so we knew we had a little extra time for that too.  Somehow I lost where Lex and Andrea went, so I went onto the track by myself to continue warming up since only the center was being used at the time for the 60 meters.  I ran a few laps to keep my heart rate up, and I did a few drills.  Then I did a few strides before having to move to the infield so that heat one could start.  Then I changed into my spikes to do some quicker strides.  I talked with Kep before and decided I needed to get faster strides in before since I hadn't practiced much of the fast paced stuff for this race.  My point of focus was different than yesterday because I wasn't going to work to keep the pace up the second lap but rather hold back until the third lap because that's when I would need to be able to bring it in strong.  Finally, it was time for Andrea, Nikki D., and I to race.  Since I had been added last minute to the race and ended up with sticker 14, I was on the far right for the start, but I got out well and didn't get blocked in.  I was with Andrea the first bit, but then as a pack everyone came by and I told myself to relax because I needed to wait to really work.  We came in at 37 on the 200, 2 seconds slower than yesterday, but it had to be done.  During the second lap there were 8 girls in front of me and there was a gap, but I just focused on keeping my pace and not panicking or going too early.  I came through the 400 at a 1:14 (if I remember correctly...) and just kept pushing to keep the pace the same.  At the 800 I was at 2:31, so I had stayed pretty even, and when it came down to the final 3 laps, or 600, I knew it was the time to go, so I closed the gap on the first girl and kept going, and then during the last 400 closed up on the next 2 girls and passed them and stayed ahead of them and finished in 5:02, and even split for the last 800!  I was really excited for Andrea too because she ran a 4:52!!!  Her PR before that had been a 5:15 so it was really amazing to get to see her do so well :)  Afterwards when we had changed our shoes and got back into our sweats, I went out for a cooldown with Andrea and Lex.  We just went out and back the same we had for our warmup.  Then they went back inside but I knew I should probably do more cooldown so I went out and back to the same spot again.  I am really pleased with both of my races this weekend, and had fun getting to watch other teammates do well in their events :)

Today I found out that I got moved down to middle distance.  This got me out of a workout :)  until tomorrow, but I'll be doing quicker stuff now.  Today I went for a run with Andrea and Both Nikkis.  We ran along 1500e to 2100s and back.  Then we did strides around Huntsman, and when they went in to do their steeple drills I ran a bit more until I was at 7 miles.  Afterwards I got in the ice bath for 10 minutes.

Today I worked out with the mid-distance group at the oval.  We went for the usual warmup out on the main road and back.  Then we did our strides and drills.  After we changed shoes, Megan and Nikki R. split to do their workout and I went with Nikki D., Andrea, and Amanda to the 200 start.  Our workout was four 200s at 36, two 400s at 73, a 600 at 1:47, two 400s at 69, and four 200s at 34.  We took about equal recovery after each one.  I ran just behind Nikki most of the time.  We hit 36, 38, 36, 36, 1:13, 1:16, 1:55, 1:13, 1:15, and 34 for all the last 200s.  Kep told me when we got to the 600 to just try and keep the pace even since I'm not used to the quicker stuff.  Then on the last 400s again I was just supposed to keep it even.  After we were finished, Kep seemed happy with the workout.  For cooldown the other girls ran outside but I stayed inside and did 6 laps going the other direction.  When we got back to campus, I decided to massage my legs with an ice cup rather than an ice bath.

Today I went for an easy run with Andrea and Nikki R.  We just ran along Foothill.  They turned around at 20 minutes but I kept going until almost 3 and a half miles; I decided to turn at Thunderbird since the road was turning into the freeway shortly after.  When I got back to campus I did my strides and drills by HPER and the pool.

Today I did a pre-meet with Andrea.  We ran out on Foothill just past the library and back.  Then we did a few strides and drills between HPER and the pool.  Then I did a few laps around HPER until I was at 4.  Then Andrea and I took an ice bath for 15 minutes!  BrrrRRr!!!!  But I feel ready for tomorrow :)  I still haven't decided what I'm racing Saturday though...

Today after arriving in Pocatello, we had some down time before heading to the arena.  I was on the distance medley relay team with Nikki D., Andrea, and Steph.  We got to the arena about 2 hours before our event, and with about an hour before I did a warmup with Andrea.  We did a big loop around the block the arena was on and then Andrea came with me part way on a second loop before turning around, and I just finished the second loop.  Then I went in and joined the other girls in drills and strides, and then practiced handoffs.  Nikki was starting us off with a 1200, then Steph had the 400, followed by Andrea in the 800, and I was the anchor with the 1600.  Finally the relay started, and Nikki held on to the pack and battled with the other 3 teams, bringing us the baton in a close 3rd if I remember correctly.  Steph took off with it and secured 3rd for us, really opening up on the 4th place team.  ISU had really gapped everyone but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weren't that far from each other.  When Andrea got the baton, she was able to bring us up to second and gain some distance on the 3rd team.  When I got the baton, ISU had been given about a 100 meter lead.  I started off way too fast, which is just how relays are, with a 33 for the first 200!  I could see that I was closing on the ISU girl though, but knew I needed to hold back and slowly creep up on her in order to overtake the lead.  Gradually I kept getting closer and I could definitely tell that I was gaining ground.  Finally with 200 to go I caught up to her and took off and broke away hard.  Our team won and when I finished I saw that I had gapped the ISU girl by quite a bit!  Kep said that my split was about a 5:04 with a 2:27 and a 2:37 for the 800 splits, so not too even but still not bad.  Our team won t-shirts for the event which was pretty cool :)  Afterwards I went outside for a cooldown of a lap around the block and then about half lap, a total of about 2 miles.  When I went back in I joined Nikki and Andrea watching Klaudia, our pole vaulter, finish up her event before we all went to dinner.

Today I decided that I was going to race the 3000, not the mile.  Kep said this was fine since I had run a fast mile last night.  AuraLea made it into the invitational so she was able to warm up with me :)  We stayed pretty flat, we went out on a flat street north of the arena and just followed it until AuraLea wanted to turn, then I just went back with her.  Then I did a lap around the building of the arena to get a few more minutes warmup in.  My lower back was hurting pretty bad during the warmup, I think because of the wooden track, so when I went inside I got some advil from Hanah.  Then I took my Gu and grabbed my shoes and water bottle before heading down to do strides and drills with AuraLea.  We still had about a half hour before our race so I just stretched for a bit between strides and then as the race got closer I threw in more strides.  I tried to keep them down to more of the pace I would be running in the actual race, especially I haven't really practiced the pace this week.  Also I cheered for Ben in his race which was right before mine because he had made it into the invitational as well.  I got to start up on the higher part of the track and cut in after the first 50 meters.  When the race started, I stuck with the girl who had the first seed because she only was listed at 3 seconds faster than my time last week.  It was a bit fast starting, coming through the first 200 in 36 and then 400 in 76, but I was determined to hang onto her as long as I could.  The second 400 was in 79, but I still was hanging onto the lead girl.  Then Laken from Weber (she beat me in the mile last week) caught up to us and then I lost contact with the first girl and was just trying to stick with Laken, though eventually she broke away.  with 1200 to go I told myself I was going to close the gap, and I could see that I was gaining on her.  Through the last 1000 I still worked to close on her but wasn't gaining very much.  I ended up finishing 3rd in 10:07 but it wasn't a bad race.  Afterwards I went for a cooldown with AuraLea.  We just stayed around the block so that I could be close if my back flared up again.  After a lap she went back in so she could say goodbye to her parents, and then I just did another partial loop like I had done yesterday.  When I got back inside I made 2 ice bags and had Hanah wrap them to my back and I kept them on for 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, after arriving home from the race my stomach was hurting really bad and I ended up in the ER.  I went through 3 IV bags; I must have been really dehydrated and not really realized it.  The doctor thinks that maybe after my race, the blood flow did not return to some of my organs as it should have.  Not sure what is going on but I've really got to work on drinking more water throughout the day!

After resting and drinking water all day yesterday, I still wasn't feeling fully recovered today.  So after talking to Hanah and Kep, I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I felt alright during, but pretty fatigued afterwards, though I'm thinking that maybe because I had a short cooldown Saturday that may have been why.  Depending on how I feel later tonight will determine if I go lifting or running tomorrow.

Last night I was feeling pretty good so I went to weights this morning!  After class I went to the gym and ran 5 miles on the treadmill so I could see how that was and be able to stop at any time if I needed to.  I started it slow and gradually worked up the pace.  I felt fine, just a little pain at first and then at about 2 miles I considered stopping, but I ran through it and then felt great the rest of the run.

Today I got to do a workout!  We were fortunate enough to have good enough weather that didn't force us to go to the oval which was nice!  We did the usual warmup above the track and back and then our strides and drills.  Then I found out I was doing my workout alone since I am doing the 5k this weekend but the other girls are in different events.  I had a choice of 800s or 1000s.  I decided to start with an 800 to see how I felt and then maybe move up to 1000, but after hitting a 2:39 for the first one (I started way too fast... still used to last week's stuff) I decided to stick with 800s.  The second one I hit 2:44, then 2:47, and finally 2:45.  I took a lap recovery after each.  The last 100 of each was hard too because it was straight into the wind, but I just decided to keep running them that way anyway.  After those, I did four 400s each with a lap recovery.  My times were 1:21, 1:19, 1:22, 1:23.  Then I stayed at the track and did 4 laps cooldown.  I felt great during the workout, mostly I just struggled with pace and having to do it by myself.  But still it wasn't a bad day, and I'm hoping the 5k goes well Friday!

Today I went for a run with Nikki R. and Lauren.  Lauren was doing a workout by herself so Nikki and I warmed up with her up to Wasatch where she'd be doing threshold.  We ran there on Foothill and then through the golf course.  I was doing short today since I'm racing tomorrow, and right when we got to Wasatch out of the golf course we were at 2 miles so I turned around and headed back the same way.  Then I did 8 strides plus some to get to 5 miles, then my drills.  Definitely feeling recovered from last Saturday, hopefully my race tomorrow goes well!

I got to race my first 5k indoor today!  And its my first time in Seattle!  I warmed up around the block where the Dempsey track was.  I got about 2 and a half miles.  As I was just on the other side of the building from where I would need to enter, it started pouring and I got drenched just running over to the door!  Fortunately I had my rain gear though so it wasn't bad.  I went inside for a minute to see where the meet was at, and then I went back out for some strides and drills.  I felt great during the strides so I hoped that I'd be able to run the pace I needed to in the race and feel relaxed.  After going back inside, I put on my spikes and then went to the outer lanes for a few more strides and drills.  Also I got to cheer for AuraLea in her heat, which was right before mine.  When hers ended, I went to the start with the other girls in my heat.  I was number 15, and I was on the outside right by the wall, but the official said if I wanted I could go behind into lane 1, so that's what I did.  When the race started I think that was a good choice because it made it impossible for me to go out too fast.  The first few laps everyone was in a big pack so I just stayed with them.  I was pretty far back but I wasn't worried about moving up yet, also I would have had to go out pretty wide to be able to move up.  When other girls moved out I moved up into their spots, but sometimes other girls would cut me off and it was very chaotic.  Still I didn't worry, and gradually some girls would begin to fall back.  We came through the mile at some time between 5:22-5:26 and I was feeling great.  More people began to fall back then.  There were 2 girls in green and a girl in brown and yellow with a horse on her uniform that I kept my eye on.  When the girl with the horse would pass people, I was right behind her.  We came through the second mile around the 10:50s I think, and around her I was in 8th and the pack was broken and there was just a long string of girls in front of me.  I kept picking them off, one by one, and then I passed the girl with the horse on her jersey and got into 3rd!  The girls in first and second were pretty spread out from each other and me, but there were times I definitely could tell I was gaining on 2nd.  Each of the last few laps I reminded myself how much I had left so when I could raise the effort level and catch them.  On the last lap I began kicking it in and just after the first curve I caught the second girl, and then going around and out of the second curve I caught the first girl and then I just pushed as hard as I could to stay ahead of her and I did!!!  And I got a PR!!!!!!! :) :) :)  I and the coaches were really happy with my race :)  And my aunt had come with some of her friends so it was nice having them there too :)  Afterwards I put on my rain gear and then went outside for 3 miles cooldown.  I did 2 laps around the sports areas like I had before and then a little extra to get to a full 3.  I am in the 3k tomorrow but I still don't know if I am going to race it.  For now I am going to treat the day like I am, and we'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Today I decided not to race and instead enjoy some of the trails by UW campus.  I left the track and went across the bridge, and then down the stairs right by the water.  I ran along some boardwalk and marshy trails, and after about 2 miles came to the Washington Park Arboretum.  I ran around some trails there, did a lot of loops, and just explored it.  Eventually I took a path that led me to a paved road, and I followed it out to the street and then turned around and ran the pavement to the other side and then realized I was back to where I had entered but just not on the trail I had come by on.  I knew I'd still need a few miles if I headed back to campus then so I went back into the park and explored a few more of the trails.  When I felt I had seen the same area quite a few times I decided to head back.  As I was getting back to the stairs, there was a loud horn and then the bridge closed temporarily so that a boat could go underneath it.  It was kind of neat getting to see it, though at first I panicked for a moment thinking that I wouldn't be able to cross back to campus!  I finished 10 with a large loop around some of the athletic buildings.  I'm glad I took the time today to go on a nice, long, easy effort run :)

Today for the run we actually had a big group!  We decided to do the zoo loop :)  We started out on Foothill and then went up Sunnyside.  Up on Wasatch after about 25 minutes, everyone turned around except for AuraLea and me.  We kept going until we were at 4.5 miles which was just a little bit before Thunderbird.  We headed back on Wasatch and then cut down to Foothill at 1300s.  Then we ran back on Foothill and did our strides around Huntsman until we were at 9 miles for the day, then finished with drills.  

Today we had a workout at the oval.  Even though it wasn't that cold, I'm glad we went out because it was a bit windy today.  When we got there we started with the usual warmup out and back on the road and then our strides and drills on the track.  Then we changed shoes and headed over to the start line for 300s.  The workout was 4 sets of three 300s with 100 recovery, and 400 recovery between each set.  We were supposed to hit under a minute for each of them.  I was with AuraLea, Kate, and Lauren.  AuraLea and I took turns leading.  We hit 58, 61, 60, 61, 59, 58, 58, 58, 57, 59, 58, 58 (if I remember correctly... the times for the first half I know are right).  The pace felt good so the workout went by quick which was nice.  Afterwards I did 8 laps cooldown going the opposite direction to be nice to my hips.  

Today I went running with Hilary, AuraLea, Nikki R., and Andrea.  We wanted to get away from our usual run locations so we took our Trax passes so we could use them to come back.  We started down Guardsman and then went along 1500e.  Then we took Harvard down to 1300e, which we took to Browning.  It is really steep there just coming off of 13th, so we walked backwards down the worst of it.  Then on 1100e we ran to 1700s, which we took to 700e and then over to Liberty.  We started a backwards lap, then Nikki and Andrea split, but I kept going with AuraLea and Hil back towards the drinking fountain and then we ran through the middle of the park to exit, and we hit 7 miles just before we got to the Trax station at Trolley.  

Today we had a larger group for the run again!  We started out on Foothill, and were together up until 2300e where Lauren and I turned.  We ran out to 2100s and down, then at 2100e Lauren headed back to campus but I kept going down until 1300e.  Then I ran back to 500s and up campus back to HPER.  My goal was to do 9 miles today but I needed a quarter mile to get to 8 so I just stopped at 8.  I saw Cassie before I went inside so I stopped and talked to her for a bit before going in.

Today we had a speed workout at the track.  We started with the usual warmup up on the road above the track and then across North Campus Drive to Federal Heights Drive, and then back down and to the track.  We did our drills and strides, and then changed shoes.  The workout was three 1000s at threshold pace with 45 seconds recovery, then five 200s with 200 recovery, followed by a progressive 2000 where we were supposed to drop 4 seconds for each 400.  I was with AuraLea, and we took turns leading each of the sets.  On the 1000s we hit 3:56, 3:55, 3:55, then 38, 38, 39, 39, 39 for the 200s.  The 2000 wasn't bad, the splits at each lap were 1:33, 3:05, 4:32, 5:59, and 7:18 so for the most part we hit our splits, or else we compensated for not making them.  After that I took a lap recovery and then changed shoes and cooled down at the track doing backwards laps with Nikki R. and then Hilary.

This morning I took my iPod and went for a run.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did 3 laps on the outside and one on the inside, and ran back home.  There was some event going on because when I got to 1500e there were a lot of people running on the other side of the street, I was glad I had my iPod since it was kind of awkward running past everyone... And at the park too, there were a lot of people.  My average pace was 7:40.

I started the week off with a nice 10 miler out on the Jordan River Parkway Trail.  I picked up Nikki R. and Sarah S. and drove out to meet Tomy, Bill, and Chris.  We went out 5 and back, the wind was going north so we had to run into it the whole way back but at least we were warmed up by that point.  It was nice and muddy in several spots along the trail :)

Today for workout we all got ready to go to the oval, and then were waiting outside for a few minutes to find out which vans we would be taking, but then found out we were actually staying on campus at the track for workout.  So we had to go back in to change and drop off out stuff that wasn't shoes, and then we got going on our usual warmup.  After strides and drills I changed shoes and then we got excited for the workout that actually was different from the one that was originally posted on the calendar which had some fast paces up!  We started with two 200s with 200 jog, we hit 38 and 37, then one 1000 which we did in 3:32, followed by five 400s and three more 200s.  200 recovery after everything.  The times for the 400s were 1:16, 1:19, 1:20, 1:19, 1:21.  Then 39, 40, 39 for the 200s.  Then we did 6 laps in the opposite direction on the track for cooldown.

Today was t-shirt and shorts weather!  For the run we ran out on 1500e to 2100s and back, then went up to the track to do 7 strides.  Then AuraLea ran around Huntsman with me to get to a full 7.  Travelling to Seattle tomorrow!

This afternoon in Seattle, I went for a short run with Andrea, Amanda, Alyssa, and Lucy.  We went out on some trails by the Dempsey indoor, and then followed a path that took us to a street with some houses that we admired as we ran by.  Then we ran back to the stadium and did out strides and other fun stuff to prep for the meet.  I'm racing the 5k tomorrow night and most likely the 3k as well Saturday afternoon.  

This afternoon about an hour before my race, Andrea did my warmup with me for her premeet since she is racing tomorrow.  We went out on the trail we were on yesterday and then turned around at a mile and a half and went back to the arena.  Then I went and got my spikes and dropped off my sweats and went over to the track to put them on and do a few strides.  I was seed 7 from my time last week, so I had a decent spot on the starting line.  When the gun went off, I elbowed myself into position ahead of the 2 girls next to me and settled into the pack.  Andrea was getting the splits for each lap; Kep had told me that if I could hold 62-63s then I could get a PR.  The first lap was a 68, and at 400 we were at 84.  So many coaches were yelling "too slow" but the pack already knew that, and at the 800 we overcompensated and were at 2:41.  After that I think we were pretty consistent though.  By 1200 Kep told me I needed to stay with the pack I was with, so I did.  I recognized Julia from Footlocker who runs for Stanford now so I decided to stick with her since I had raced against her a few times last year.  The next few laps I was passing the girls in the pack back and forth.  When there was a mile left in the race I was finally able to catch up to and pass some of the girls that were strung out ahead who must have fallen off the lead pack which took off at the beginning.  With a few laps left I think Kep was telling me that I was in 8th and I was surprised I was that much up but it helped me push to keep catching people.  Looking at my splits afterwards I was surprised to see that this was my slowest 1000 split, but I guess I was just able to hold on better than the girls who I caught.  The last lap I kicked it hard and was running in fear because UW had a large cheering section and I had just passed one of their girls before the last lap.  No one came into contact and I ended up finishing 6th and getting a new PR :)  I was really happy after my race :)  Afterwards I changed shoes and grabbed my iPod and went outside for a 3 mile cooldown around campus.  Towards the end my legs were feeling great and it got me excited to race tomorrow :)  Later back at the hotel I took a 15 minute ice bath.

This afternoon I wasn't sure when to warmup for my race which was at 1:45 because the meet was about 15 minutes behind schedule.  I had been planning on going at 12:45 but I waited about 10 minutes and then went.  I did 3 miles around campus before heading back into the arena.  It looked like the meet was back on schedule at that point so I didn't really have time to do strides and drills before my race other than right before lining up... But I wasn't going to let that keep me from having a bad race, I was just going to run.  I was 9th seed between some Colorado girls, and when the race went out I elbowed my way in front of the one on the right but just had to tuck in behind the one on the left.  A little after 100 meters into the race a girl just in front of me to the left fell and the girl to my left swore when she realized the girl was falling and that she'd have to move around her somehow...  The first 400 was 78, right on the pace that Kep told me would get me a PR.  The second and third laps I was about to hit 78 and 78 again, though I was at the back of the pack and I was pretty sure I was dead last but then I could hear someone behind me!  Still I just waited patiently for the pack to break up as girls would fall off the pace.  I came through the mile at 5:18 and then I just kept picking off girls the rest of the race.  Finally with I think 2 laps to go I knew I was gaining, and Kep yelled to me that I was going faster than them which gave me extra motivation.  When I came to the point where I was sure it was about 400 to go I told myself I needed to kick all out then and that it would be ok, but I couldn't get myself to move yet.  Even coming up on a lap to go I still wasn't ready to make my body go.  On the far straightaway I caught up to and passed half of the pack which had broken up and strung out, and coming out of the final turn I swung wide to try and get around more, I think I caught one, and I finished 6th in the heat and had a new PR!  I wasn't too excited about my race afterwards, but I wasn't disappointed either.  I'm glad I got a new PR, but I know I could have kicked harder and should have but just couldn't make my body respond even though mentally I was ready.  Kep told me that my last 600 was a 1:50 so I know I was going quick anyway.  He said at workouts I'll be able to do a little bit quicker stuff since yesterday and today I proved I can handle what I've been doing.  For cooldown I went out a mile and a half on the trail I did Thursday for premeet.  My legs feel great even after both races, I made sure to stretch well after I finished my cooldown.  I just need to get rehydrated and get some food in me, and the next few weeks I'm looking forward to some great training time in preparation for outdoor.  Later tonight I plan to do another ice bath and as usual I'm taking Sunday off.  

Today I went for a run with the team.  We started out on Foothill since the people who are coming back from injury needed somewhere flat.  At 1300s I took my long sleeve off since it was too warm and tied it like a cape, that caught a lot of attention the rest of my run!  Lauren, Nikki, Hilary, Andrea and I went out to 2100s and down, they stayed with me until 1900e where they turned to go back but since I needed 10 I kept going.  I went to Sugarhouse and did a lap going counterclockwise, then I left the park at 1700e and went back up to 1900e which I took all the way back to Sunnyside.  Then I did a lap and a half at Sunnyside Park since I knew I'd be short some mileage if I went straight back to campus, and I hit 10 miles just coming into the parking lot by EHPER.  My calves are sore from racing but I only notice going down stairs or up hills.  My hamstrings are also a little sore, so I'll just take care of my legs these next few days and do what I need to let them recover.

Today I went running with Andrea while the other girls did a hill workout.  We ran to the hills with them though.  We took Trax down to Trolley, and then headed north into the snow and wind towards the Avenues!  After leaving the other girls at 2nd Ave. and J Street, Andrea weaved our way through the Avenues a little more just staying where it was flat.  While we were running here, a miracle happened and it stopped snowing!  Actually its just Utah weather but still it made the run a whole lot nicer!  Eventually we got to South Temple and then went south on 1000e.  We had a scenic route of some creepy looking houses... When we got to 400s we cut down to 900e and then went over to 900s and down to Liberty.  Andrea headed back to the Trax station when we got to 600e, but I stayed and did 2 laps around the wood chips before heading back to Trax.  The run today took me 74 minutes; yesterday I did 76 minutes and another mile haha but today Andrea and I were both still very sore so just took it at a very comfortable pace.

Today we went for a run out into the wind on Foothill.  Bekah and I did the Albertson's loop but the other girls kept going on Foothill.  When I got down to 2100e and headed back towards campus I had to shed a layer since now I had the wind to my back and it wasn't so cold anymore!  After I finished I went to the training room and stretched and rolled out for a while since I'm still a bit sore from last weekend.  Also I tried the foam roller between my shoulder blades because they kill after yesterday's lifting workout!  The rolling didn't last for more than 2 seconds because the pain was so bad!  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...

Today the other girls had a workout so I ended up running by myself.  I went out on Foothill to 1300s, then ran down to 1300e and back to campus returning on 500s.  When I got back to the locker room I needed about 3/4 of a mile so I went out and back by the track.  I am still very sore, mostly in my left calf which every day when I'm running decides to be very tight and not want to stretch very much :P  When I got home I took an ice bath for 15 minutes.

This morning my hamstrings were really sore and I wanted to do yoga so I took advantage of the free on demand fitness channels and found some yoga shows!  There was even one specifically for runners!  At noon I went running with Lauren, Nikki, and Andrea.  We all needed 6 miles so we went out on 11th Avenue with the intent of running down to Trax.  We were running right into the wind and decided to just turn around at 3, which was right before we went into City Creek Canyon where the wind might have been worse, and ran back so that the wind would be to our backs.  

This morning I went for a run at Liberty Park.  I grabbed my iPod and had decided I'd just do laps.  Rather than stay on the wood chips the whole time, I ran the outer perimeter of the park so that each lap would be a bit longer.  I didn't keep tracks but I think it took 5 plus part of a 6th to reach 9.  On my 3rd lap when I was almost to 900s my left calf starting getting tight again (surprisingly it didn't get tight yesterday) so I stopped to stretch for a minute, and got my hamstrings too.  After that the run felt great and I finished with a 7:30 average :)

Our first workout of the week got moved to today since its nice and sunny, and its supposed to get windy tomorrow.  We started with the usual warmup past the track and across North Campus and back.  We did our strides and drills on the turf since its dry now!  Then we changed shoes.  The workout was fartlek, we did three sets of 3 minute, 2 minute, 1 minute, each with 2 minutes recovery (even between the sets).  I set my Garmin to beep every minute on this one (kind of annoying but for ladder type workouts you can't enter the times for all of them... but still its better than having to keep looking down at my watch!).  I was with AuraLea, and we hit a little over 800 for the 3 minutes, just under 600 for the 2 minutes, and about 300 for the minute.  I'm glad I had the Garmin to measure distance since there is no way I would have been able to count laps during all of this!  Afterwards for cooldown I went out and back with AuraLea like we had on the warmup and then I added some on the track to bring my miles up to 9 for the day.  My legs hurt everywhere afterwards, so I took a 15 minute ice bath with Nikki.  Fortunately because of the warm weather, it didn't take so long to warm back up afterwards!  Unfortunately, I got sunburned on my collar and shoulders... time to bring sunscreen to keep in my locker :P

Today I went running with Nikki, Andrea, Lauren, and AuraLea.  We ran up to 11th Avenue and down into City Creek.  We turned down Memory Grove but Lauren kept going since she needed a little more mileage.  About halfway down, AuraLea and Nikki took a trail that I think goes on the other side of the river (I've never run it) but I kept going with Andrea.  At South Temple I turned and ran back to campus, going back to the locker room via the road up above the track, then I needed about another quarter mile to hit 9 before going inside.  Before we decided where we were going to run I was thinking of just doing 6 or 7 because of how bad my legs hurt yesterday, but I'm glad I did more because my legs feel great afterwards.

We did our second workout this week today.  After waiting forever for trax to take us down to 900e, we were able to get going on our usual warmup (there had been an accident so trains were delayed).  After our strides and drills I changed into my flats.  The workout was 4 mile threshold which I thought wasn't even going to be that bad since sometimes I think its more difficult to do multiple repeats and have to hit the same pace.  I was with AuraLea and Andrea, and we were supposed to hit around 6:20 pace.  The first mile we hit in about 6:18-19, and the second mile was 6:23.  Andrea was doing a different workout so was only with us through mile 2, but AuraLea and I finished the last 2 miles with a 6:23 and a 6:18.  I remember during the first 2 miles my left calf was being dumb again and decided to be sore like it was all last week.  I was finally able to get it to relax and it didn't bother me much for the rest of the time.  After we finished, we ran backwards of the way we had been going to join Nikki and Andrea for the four 30 second strides back to change shoes.  My legs just felt dead at this point, Monday and today got to my quads :P  Afterwards we ran back to the trax station for cooldown, but we saw it go by from about 2 blocks away so I ran up to the 900e station since I knew I had time and I felt I should do a little bit more cooldown...  When I got to the station I stretched until the train came, and as it stopped I was right by the window where my teammates were sitting so I got on and sat with them :)

Today I went running with Macee and Nikki.  We went out on Foothill.  Macee turned around at 12 minutes, and Nikki and I kept going and went up to Wasatch.  She turned around at 2 and a half, and I turned around at Thunderbird.  I took off my longsleeve since it was a little too warm for it, but because of the wind it was a little chilly for short sleeves.  I put my long sleeve back on as I got closer to campus because I think the wind was stronger there.  I finished my mileage (I had to end with .75 because I miscalculated my miles yesterday...) around Huntsman and then went to the training room and foam rolled for a few minutes.

Today I took advantage of the good weather and the instruction to do hills to go run on Shoreline Trail :)  I ran up to the trail by Red Butte with Nikki and Andrea, and we headed south.  It was the first time I've been on it since the museum has been finished, so we didn't have to take the detour down the road at Red Butte and back up a separate trail!  We ran all the way to Sunnyside, and then they decided to run back on Foothill but I wanted to stick with trails so I went back the same way.  Then to add mileage, when I got back to where we got on the trail I kept heading north towards DryCreek.  I turned when I had a little under 6.5 on my Garmin, hoping to finish the day with 8, which I hit at Legacy Bridge.  Not wanting to walk back to the locker room (even though its not that far) I decided to just do 9 miles, so I went out on the road above the track about to the new molecular biology building and then ran back to the lockerroom and finished at 9.  I enjoyed getting to run on the trails again and to see the valley in the sunshine :)  Hopefully the weather keeps getting better during spring break :)

This morning I woke up 1 minute before my alarm went off, which I guess made getting up easier since I knew I'd be awake anyway rather than be interrupted by my alarm.  I got out of bed and got going on my last 7 miles I needed this week to finish at 50.  I ran to Sugarhouse, then did part of a counterclockwise lap until I reached 1700e, then left and ran out to 2700s, then cut down to Imperial Street.  I kept going until I was at 3.5 which was a little bit before 33rd, and then I turned around and went back the same way.  

This morning I met with the other distance girls for a workout.  It was very nice out, I didn't even need long sleeves!  We did the usual warmup out onto Federal Heights Drive and back to the track, followed by drills and strides.  I put on my spikes and then Kep told us what splits we were to hit for this workout.  The workout was three 1200s with 4 minutes rest, then three 800s with 2 minutes rest.  He told me to hit low 80s pace, and Bekah was able to workout with us today so she did the first and 3rd laps of each with me :)  Before we started we did two 200s with equal recovery just as strides, also to feel the pace; we hit 36 and 39.  Then we started the 1200s.  The first one was 4:12, but with all lap splits at 84.  The second one I hit 82, 84, 84 to finish with 4:10, and on the third I got 82, 83, 83 for a 4:08.  I did a lap recovery after each, plus an extra 200 meters for the first 1200 and an extra 100 meters for the other 2.  Bekah did the first 800 with me, and we hit 2:46 with even splits.  I did 200 meters recovery and then did the others by myself.  The second one I ran even splits for a nice 2:40, then the last one I ran a 77 first lap and finished in 2:39 (the wind was bad on the second lap...) and was happy to be done!  Kep said I might get to do the 1500 at ASU just for turnover, and then I'll have some other good turnover workouts for the 5k at Stanford.  After we changed shoes we cooled down by running to the turnaround point for warmup and then back to the track.  I did a half lap to help set up the metal liner around the track (I thought having to set it up each season in high school was enough :P) and then when we had finished putting the bars around the whole track, I did another lap cooldown (to bring my total mileage on the track to 9600 meters) and back to the lockerroom.  

This morning we had our last lift as a team for the week before being turned loose to enjoy spring break.  A few hours after lifting, I went for my run.  I started by going north on 1300e to 900s, then down to 900e and back south.  At 1700s I hit a red light so I went up to 1000e and over to 2100s.  Then when I got to Sugarhouse Park I did part of a counter-clockwise lap and then went up to 1900e, which I took all the way to Sunnyside.  Realizing I'd be short of my intended mileage if I went home then, I ran down to Guardsman along Sunnyside and did a lap around the fields up to the road that goes in the middle of the park and then I headed back out and went home along 1500e.  It was a bit windy today but not too bad, it was enough to keep me from getting too hot.  Hopefully the weather stays warm the rest of the week!

This morning I went for a nice mile run up Emigration Canyon.  I ran up 1300s then across Wasatch Drive to get there, and then needed 2 more miles to get to 4.5 so I could turn and go back the same way.  I made it just past Ruth's Diner when I hit 4.5, and I was surprised when I turned around that it was windy!  I'm glad I was facing it on the downhill rather than coming up!  I ran home the same way.  My hamstrings are really sore, probably from RDLs in the circuit yesterday :P  I stretched when I got home.

This morning I did a workout at Liberty.  I started with a lap warmup around the park, and then did some drills and strides.  Then I changed to my red flats and had fun playing with my Garmin to set it for distance and rest distance intervals, I've only ever set it for times.  The workout was three 1.5 mile repeats, and I was supposed to give myself 2 minutes rest but I decided to do half mile to get mileage and because I was running by myself so I just went by the rule of do what I want...  The first one I ran a 9:33, the first mile split being 6:18, then a 9:23 for the second one with a 6:13 at the mile, and finishing with 9:32 and a 6:21 first mile on that one.  I think the times fluctuated because of the parts of the park I was running on, though I guess it really didn't matter since I did about a full lap for each of them anyway.  After finishing the recovery for the third one I changed shoes for my cooldown around the perimeter of the park, then I had to add some and back to get my miles to a full 10 for the day.  As I was finishing that I saw Amanda from my team just finishing her workout, we must have been there at the same time but never saw each other since we were running in the same direction!  When I was finished I went and stretched by the drinking fountain until my ride came.

This morning I ran up to 1500e and then over to Sugarhouse.  I was supposed to do strides on hills, so I went over to the hill by the pond that I've run with East before and did 8 loops on that for the strides I was supposed to do.  When I was finished with those I ran to the outer perimeter of the park and did 2 laps going counterclockwise until I was on 1700e on the second lap and left the park.  Then I ran up to 2100e and over to 1300s and then home.  

Finished my weekly mileage today with a nice run going north only!  I went to drop Abigail off at practice with Bill and Tomy but then turns out they were planning to drive to Holladay and run back so the wind would be to their backs, so I joined them.  I ran the first 2 miles with them and then had to do my Kenyan run (drop 20 seconds a mile for 4 miles).  The first mile was 6:44, the second wasn't so great with a 6:49 (I hit the split button late since I missed the exact mile mark but still it was not what it was supposed to be...)  then I hit the third in 6:35, and finished with a 6:09.  Not the paces I was supposed to hit but at least I did it... sort of :P  The last mile I had a nice downhill on Keller Lane so that helped my time, and then I just ran 2 mile cooldown back to Highland and stretched until the others finished their run.  Feels so great to be done!  And I'm glad I didn't hit any red lights until after I was done with the Kenyan part.

Today we had a group of 9 for the run!  We started out on Foothill and did the Albertson's loop.  Hilary, Macee, and Kate turned around before we got there but still the rest of us stayed in a group (well sort of, Lauren and I fell behind the others when they ran a light when there was a car that Lauren and I thought was too close!).  We caught the other girls after they had to stop at some lights though.  On the way back it started to snow a little bit, and when Lauren and I left the group to add mileage at Sunnyside Park it was hard to see when running north!  She ran a lap with me before going back, and then when I finished another lap it was sunny again!  So I decided to stay and do my strides there while the weather was good and where I could be on the grass.  After I finished those I did another lap and ran back to the lockerrooms.  I did my drills in the halls of HPER as I walked to the training room to roll out and stretch.  My right hip and hamstring and quads all hurt today :P  But they felt better after stretching.  I left the training room with a bag of ice wrapped to my hamstring.

We had yesterday's workout today because of the better weather :)  We started with the usual warmup up on the road above the track and then up North Campus to the road up there and back to the stadium.  Then we did our strides and drills.  The workout was three sets of four 400s at 10, 5k, then 1500 pace.  I was with Bekah and Nikki, and AuraLea was going to join us for her last 2 sets so we waited and did strides while she did her first set.  When all of us started we were supposed to hit 84s, we hit 87, 87, 86, 85 so slightly off what we were supposed to :P  After each in the first set we had 30 seconds recovery, then 3 minutes (a lap) between sets.  The second set was supposed to be 79, and I hit 78, 78, 79, 78 and this time we got 1 minute rest after each.  The third set I did by myself and was supposed to hit 75 for all of them.  Since I was by myself it was hard gauging how much I needed to pick it up so the first one was too fast in a 72.  Then I hit 76, 74, 73.  After taking a recovery lap I changed shoes and then ran 3 laps at the track with Nikki, and then went out on the road for cooldown same route as the warmup.  Afterwards I went to the training room and rolled out for a few minutes.  My right hamstring has a knot in it, I couldn't feel it during the workout but towards the end of the cooldown I could.  I'll just keep taking care of it and hopefully it will mellow out.

Today we had another workout at Liberty.  Good thing it was only threshold or it would have been a lot harder on our legs following yesterday's workout!  We started with the usual warmup from the 900e Trax station then part of a lap around the park.  Then we did our drills and strides and changed shoes.  The workout was 25 minutes threshold.  I started with AuraLea and we were supposed to hit about 6:20 pace and Bekah had gone ahead to the other side of the park to join us when we got to 5 minutes.  Then about halfway through, if Bekah and were feeling good we could pick it up a little bit.  I didn't really catch the mile splits but I think we had a 6:13 in there somewhere, and when Bekah and I picked it up we got down to 6:10 pace but I think we finished at 6:20 pace.  For the whole thing I probably got about 2 3/4 laps in, or just barely short of 4 miles said my Garmin.  Then I did the four 35 second strides with Bekah and changed shoes and ran back to Trax for cooldown.  When we got to Trolley I still needed a mile so I ran up to the 900e station and back.

Today we had a well deserved recovery run :)  We ran up on 11th Avenue all the way down into City Creek Canyon :)  The other girls took Trax back but I just turned around at 3.5 and ran back to campus the same way.  I did 2 strides on the way back as speed changes but they felt way too difficult so I just ran and enjoyed it much better :)  Traveling to Arizona tomorrow to race the 1500 on Saturday night!

I took a 10 minute ice bath before going to bed. 

This afternoon after arriving in Phoenix and going through the slow process of getting our rental cars and getting checked into the hotel, we finally got to go to the track for our premeet!  I went running with AuraLea, Amanda, and Andrea.  We went out to a path that runs alongside the river and it was really nice.  We crossed a bridge to run on the other side of the river, and about halfway through there were these 2 little boys probably 4 and 5 years old and they raced us to the end of the bridge and they won!  They were so cute :)  AuraLea and Andrea turned around then and the boys wanted to race them back haha :)  Amanda and I kept going until we were at 15 minutes and then turned around and went back the same way.  On the track I did 6 strides and a couple of drills.  Then I did another lap to get to 4.5 for the day.  After we left the track I went to dinner with Amanda, AuraLea, and Kep, where we waited almost an hour for our food :P  It was delicious though.  Back at the hotel I took a 10 minute ice bath, though it wasn't very cold since the tap water is a lot warmer here.  Still I had goosebumps on my legs so I figure it still counts!  Hoping for a great race tomorrow night!

This afternoon it was really weird warming up by myself... I ran out on the trail by the river that we did yesterday, I did 3 miles.  I still had a bit of time when I got back to the stadium so I decided to go for another half mile before starting strides and drills.  I went over to the far straightaway and just did strides and drills on the grass there.  When I saw the other girls in the 1500 walking out onto the track on the opposite side I hurried and changed into my spikes (I made the mistake of sitting on the grass... when I stood up there were sticker things stuck to my spandex! :P) and then got onto the track for strides.  I was in the second heat so I had time to do strides while the other race was going on.  It was really weird being the only Utah girl in the heat and being in it with schools that had 4 or 5 girls in it!  I was seed 4, and probably didn't get out as well as I could have but was with the pack the whole time.  The first 400 split was 74, then I had a 76, and 76.  With about 500 to go in the race I could tell the pack was picking it up and then I was dead last but right on the heels of another girl who had fallen off.  Probably not the most exciting race for my aunt and uncle who happened to be in Tempe to be there for... But I'm glad they were able to come :)  I pushed hard the last lap and especially the last 300.  I got ahead of the other girl who had fallen back and she never got into contact with me to worry me, but I was still running in fear of getting outkicked!  The last 300 was a 55, and looking at the splits for the race and what little training I actually did specifically for this event, I did a pretty good job!  After walking off the track, I went and changed back into my trainers and did 6 strides on the grass.  They felt really good after pushing so hard in that 1500!  For cooldown I ran with Andrea and Amanda for their warmup, then I added just a little bit to get to 7 for the day.  Then I enjoyed getting to cheer on my teammates in the 800 and the 5k :)  Utah swept the top 4 places in the 800 and AuraLea got a new PR in the 5k :)

Today we just had a run since the weather was bad; the workout is postponed until tomorrow!  When we went outside to start our run it was snowing!  We went out on Foothill with the intention of doing the Albertson's loop.  When we got to the light at Sunnyside, the snow had stopped, but it was still cloudy and windy.  Today was basically a replay of last Monday... By the time we got to 2100s it was just me, Macee, and Nikki.  It was also sunny by then!  They went back the normal way but I wanted to get more miles today so I ran to Sugarhouse Park, did a lap, then came back up to 1900e.  I got hot with the wind to my back and with the sun out so I took off the headband and gloves but was kinda trapped in my long sleeve because I can't pull it off over my Garmin :P  But since I ran to Sunnyside Park to do strides I was glad to have it for when I jogged back facing the wind after each one.  After finishing all 8 strides I only needed .8 of a mile so I ran back to campus along Guardsman and finished at 10 in the HPER W parking lot so just walked back the rest of the way.  I did my drills as I walked down the hall to the training room, and then I stretched out for a bit.

Today we had a speed workout.  We started with the usual warmup from outside the lockerroom to the street across North Campus and back to the track.  Then our drills and strides.  The workout was three 1200s at 10k pace and three 1000s at 5k pace, 3 minutes rest on everything.  Bekah ran the 1200s with me.  First we did two 200s in 36, then 40 to get a feel closer to what pace we'd be going.  For the 1200s we were supposed to hit 84s.  On the first one we ran a 4:18 (1:24, 2:51), the second 4:18 (1:25, 2:53), and for the third we hit 4:19 (1:27, 1:27).  I did 400 recovery during the 3 minutes between each.  For the 1000s I was supposed to go around 79-80 pace if I could.  After the first one Bekah switched to 600s.  On the first one I hit 3:27 (1:23, 1:23), then the second one I hit 3:22 (1:19, 2:41), and finished with 3:20 (1:18, 2:39), right on pace!  It was hard but I'm so glad I was able to do it!  :)  I took 200 recovery between the 1000s to get back to the same starting point on each.  After I changed out of my spikes I just cooled down on the track to get some backwards laps.  Macee ran 4 with me and then I did 2 more.   

Today for the run we got to go as a big group!  We ran down from the lockerroom to Guardsman, then across to 1500e all the way to Sugarhouse.  The rest of the girls turned down to go to 700e and run to trax, so I felt kinda bad breaking off to run at Sugarhouse because it was the first time a while we had so many people!  I did a lap around Sugarhouse and then ran back to campus the same way I had come.  When I got to Sunnyside some guy in a durango gave me jelly beans from Australia... Strangers have the best candy! :)  Then I finished to the locker room with 8 miles total.  Then I got to go test out my photography skills on my sister's team before their track meet. 

Today I got to do a hills workout with Amanda and Andrea since none of us are racing tomorrow.  We started with a warmup up Legacy bridge and past the dorms to Red Butte, then got on the trail heading north to add some.  I said we should go that way since it is more flat than the other way, but some parts of it hurt really bad and Andrea's and my calves were both really sore.  It seems every time I run up there with teammates it is steeper than I remember... After we got back to the road we did a few drills and strides.  And there was a really cute dog that loved Andrea and Amanda and when the owners couldn't get it in their car we had to help them!  Finally we got going on our hills.  We were doing between 6 and 8 sets of 90 seconds up then walking and jogging down.  We got just over a quarter mile for each of them.  Most of them I switched lead back and forth with Andrea and they didn't feel too bad.  Kep came to watch us do the last 3 of them.  On the last 2 my quads were starting to feel pretty fatigued so I was good to be done.  When we were finished, Kep told us that we'd probably have more days like this for workouts between races.  And that I'd probably do between 12 and 14 at some point :P  For cooldown we ran down to the road above the dorms and then over to the road that the Orthopaedic Center is on down to Foothill and finishing at the locker room.

This morning I got up and took my iPod for a run.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did part of a counterclockwise lap to 1700e, then south.  When I got to 2700s I cut down to Imperial Street, then took that to 3300s and turned left.  When I got to Melbourne I turned again and headed back to Sugarhouse.  I did a full lap and then part of a lap back to 1500e since I needed to add some, then ran home.  I felt kinda sick when I got back to Sugarhouse, probably because I didn't eat breakfast before, and then as I was leaving the park I realized my stomach probably hurt so bad because of the abs on the couch workout I made up with McKensie, Abigail, and Celeste last night!

This morning at 6:15 I finally decided to get up after being awake for about half an hour already and with only 15 minutes left until my alarm would go off anyway.  I started my run out on 1500e to 2100s, then up to 1900e and north.  The instructions for today's run were to start a Kenyan run after the first 25 minutes and drop 15 or 20 seconds each mile off of the current pace I was at.  I hit 25 minutes between 1300s and 900s and hit the split button on my watch, then about 30 seconds later I realized I had forgotten to check the mile point so I would know when I was at each mile split... so I just started from 3 miles which is what it was at when I looked.  I ran to Sunnyside and down into the park, messed up the split even more by having to take a potty break with about a tenth of a mile to go in the first one, then splitting it at 7:58 (I checked my Garmin later and it said 7:32 pace for the mile, I'm glad I was able to go back and look that up!).  I continued doing a big loop, the one that goes behind the one field that I think is mostly used for lacrosse, then out by the baseball diamond and onto the sidewalk on Guardsman and then up around the corner of Sunnyside, keeping the lap going as I had before.  The second mile was a 7:06.  During the third I had the loop in the field again and when I got to the sidewalk this time I decided to cross Sunnyside to go along 1500e for the rest of it (and to use those downhills to my advantage :) also because I didn't want to stay at the park :P).  The third mile split was 6:44, and then I finished the 4th in 6:25 just a few blocks short of 2100s.  Then for the rest of my run I ran to 2100e, back up to 1900e, over to 1300s, and home.  And I was finished before 8:00 :)  

Today we did the zoo loop.  Once up on Wasatch, people turned around as they needed to hit their miles for the day.  I turned around at 4 and wasn't looking forward to the run back by myself but Lauren hadn't turned yet so when I got to her she turned and came with me :)  At 1300s she went down to Foothill because she was going shorter, but I went back the same way up above the zoo and down Sunnyside.  When I got back I did some strides next to HPER and then my drills.  

Today we started with the usual warmup on the road above the track across North Campus and out a little more and then back to the track.  Then we did our strides and drills, and changed shoes.  Kep then started explaining the workout.  I thought I was doing twenty 200s with everyone else, but right after he finished explaining that part he pulled Andrea, Nikki, and me aside and told us what our workout was.  We were doing three 1000s at threshold with a jog across the field back to the start.  We started at where is usually the 100 meter mark because of the wind.  Our first one was a little slow in 4:09, but after that we hit 3:59 and then 4:01.  Then I did five 500s with 300 recovery and Andrea and Nikki did five 300s with 500 recovery.  Since I was going for 5k pace my goal was 1:40.  My times were 1:37, 1:40, 1:38, 1:37, 1:38 and they all felt great and I felt that the pace wasn't that hard, even after the slower threshold stuff right before!  Hopefully I can feel as good during the 5k at Stanford on Friday :)  We finished the 500s/300s around the same time and then finished with some 150s together (well not quite together since Andrea and Nikki had different paces but we were together for the recoveries at least).  We jogged back to the start for recovery on each.  My times were 28, 29, 28, 27, 27.  Then we changed shoes and Andrea did a 6 laps minus 100 meters cooldown to get to 9 miles with me for the day.

Today the skies were so blue and the weather was so nice that we couldn't resist running on 11th Avenue! :)  I went out 3 and a half and back which is almost to the fork down into Memory Grove.  The trainer texted me earlier today telling me there was an opening for if I wanted to get a massage tonight but I'm not sore and didn't feel sore even on the run so I declined :)  Traveling to Stanford tomorrow morning!

Today after arriving at the track with Andrea and Amanda, we met up with Lucy and went for our premeet together.  First we stayed on a little trail near the track, then Amanda and Andrea and I went and explored the campus a little bit.  Then we went back to the track and did some strides from their start line, since they're doing the 1500, and then from mine, the 5k.  Then we jogged a lap and finished at 4 miles.  Then we stretched for a bit before going to dinner.  Tomorrow is going to be great!!

This evening about an hour before my race I started my warmup.  I went out on the trail we ran yesterday for our premeet.  I did 3 miles and then I checked in for my race.  I did a few strides and drills and they felt really good.  I was confident that I was going to have a great race and maybe get a PR.  Finally when it was time for me to get to the bull pen to get my hip numbers, I grabbed my spikes and headed over to sit down and change them.  When they walked us out onto the track I did more strides and was feeling confident through all of them.  At the start I was on the second waterfall line since I had hip 29.  Going out I had plenty of room and was still running a pretty easy feeling pace like I had in my strides.  Coming out of the first curve I ended up at the front of the pack and going into the second curve I was in lane two with two girls to the left of me, and the announcer announced me as the leader.  I had not expected this so I think this put me into panic mode because I had hoped to be able to just follow a pack and let them help me go for PR pace.  The first lap was right at 80 I think, and here I moved to the inside.  This was a mistake, I concluded after the race when I was thinking about it.  From here, the next several laps were a series of getting boxed in and then having to work back to the outside and get back up to the front.  At one point I got back up to the front with a BYU and a SUU girl.  The first mile split was around a 5:24 I think, so a bit slower than I had hoped.  At one point there was a girl stepping on my heels quite a bit so to defend my ground I threw my elbows a bit wider (never actually making contact though) and then she fell!  And took out the rest of the pack behind me as I could tell when there was a sudden silence after the incident (not really, they just fell back and someone stepped on her is what Amanda and Andrea told me).  Here I started to fall back and was struggling to keep up to where I needed to be with the group.  I came through 3k at 10:01 and knew that I could still PR if I could keep the pace up the last few laps.  The last few laps ended up just trying to not let the girls in front of me gap me too much and to fight back when someone was trying to pass me.  The last 600 I told myself to start kicking, and I did a little bit, and then a little more at 500 (those 500s Tuesday helped) and then what I had left at 300.  I caught probably 1 or 2 girls, and I finished just .2 behind my PR.  I have to admit I was disappointed after my race even though I knew I had tied my PR.  I guess I didn't strategize enough to consider that I might end up leading.  Also I haven't been in a race this big.  Now I know to not go to the inside of lane 1, big mistake!  And because the heats will be different every time I won't ever really know where to expect to be in the pack.  I have to just tell myself it was a good race and a great learning experience, and prepare myself for a better race at Mt. SAC in 2 weeks.  After I was done talking to my cousin (she debates at Stanford) I changed shoes and grabbed my iPod for a little less than 3 mile cooldown (compensating for the extra mileage from the strides).  

This morning I went for a long run with Kep and Lucy.  We just went towards Stanford on the road that the hotel is on.  Lucy turned at about 3 miles but Kep and I kept going until 5.  We went to the road past the one where we would turn to get to the track and then went up by some of the buildings on campus.  Their campus is amazing!  I stretched my calves a bit before we turned around and went back the same way.  My left calf always seems to tighten up after races and hard workouts, but my right one is usually good.

Today for the run we ran along 1500e to Sugarhouse.  Some girls were going to come with me to do a lap, but when we found out we had to do our strides at the track that changed.  So when we got to 2100s I continued alone to do a lap around the perimeter of the park before going back.  When I got back to 900s on the way back I saw Nikki walking because of her calf.  She ran with me from Guardsman and then went to the training room to take care of it.  I continued on up to the track and got there at the same time as AuraLea and Bekah as they had gone to get their flats.  We did 8 strides on one of the straight-aways on the track and ran the other 300 as recovery.  I finished at 10 miles just after finishing the 8th stride.  Then I did my drills.  My calves felt tight during the run and my hamstrings sore, so when I finished I went to the training room and stretched for a few minutes before hopping in the ice bath for 15 minutes.  An added bonus of the warm weather is quicker warmup time after icing!  

We had a mystery workout today!  And by that I mean none of us knew what it was until we were at the track warmed up and changing our shoes.  It was a set of four 500s with 75 seconds rest (100 jog), then 1000 with 3 minutes rest (400 jog), then another four 500s again with 75 seconds rest.  My times were 1:37, 1:38, then Kep told me to relax just a bit more so I hit 1:42, 1:42.  Then 3:26 on the 1000, but 200 meters into that AuraLea and Macee started theirs just a little bit in from of me so it was difficult to control my pace and not try to pass them too quickly and not get stuck doing their pace.  I finished the last 500s in 1:43, 1:42, 1:42, 1:42.  Bekah ran the last 200 of each with me, and each time when I got to that point I was at 1:01.  Talk about consistency!  I cooled down at the track with Macee, she did 3 laps with me and then I decided to stay at the track and do another 6 and a half laps.  When I finished I went to the training room and stretched and then hopped in the ice bath with Bekah and Amanda for 11 minutes.  Now I am noticing that my back is hurting, we did cattle bell swings (I think that's what they're called?) at weights this morning with 35 lbs.  I mentioned to the coach that it hurt my back but I thought maybe I was doing it incorrectly but he said I was doing it right, next time I'll just use a dumbell and do less weight.  I'm surprised it still hurts this afternoon, hopefully the pain goes away soon...

Today I went running on 11th Ave. with AuraLea, Lauren, Andrea, and Nikki D.  I was with them to the turnoff down to Memory Grove; I was hoping for 10 miles today.  I kept going on the road all the way to the Capitol, then I turned around even though I wasn't at 5 yet.  When I got to the fork I ran up to the drinking fountain and bathrooms hoping to get a sip of water, but the fountain was off.  So I just ran back down and got back on the road towards 11th Ave. again.  When I got back to Shriner's I stopped again hoping to get a drink, but that fountain was off too (which I thought was a bit weird seeing as the sprinklers were going on the other side of the fence...)  so I just kept running back to campus.  When I got to Federal Heights Drive I didn't feel like running anymore because the hill felt really hard, but I kept going anyway even though I felt like I was going slow (but my Garmin had 7:50 pace, which was my average anyway).  I told myself I would keep going and stop at 9, but by that point I was barely across North Campus and it felt like a long walk back to the lockerroom, so I decided to go for 9 and a half.  And I did.  I am really sore.  Hopefully I recover more for tomorrow's workout.  

I did a threshold workout by myself today since I am not racing until Saturday.  I left the locker room at 12:00 and did my warmup over to Wasatch Drive.  I did my strides and drills by the church, then stretched and did a few more drills and strides until Kep got there.  By then it was beginning to sprinkle just a bit.  The workout was two sets of 10 minutes on 3 minutes off.  I decided to start south.  At first it was hard to gauge my efforts to make sure I was going fast enough for it to be threshold but relaxed enough that I wasn't going too fast.  Quickly I found a rhythm and the first set went by fast.  I finished just past Thunderbird, I crossed into the parking lot behind a building right there since I just had a couple of seconds left.  When I checked my Garmin later I found I had run 1.55 miles and the average pace was 6:28.  After lightly running for 3 minutes, I started the second set heading back north.  Now it was pouring and I hadn't considered that even if the wind wasn't too bad, the water would be drowning my eyes!  It would have been a great day to wear goggles! I feel like I probably struggled more in this set but Kep would drive ahead a bit and then get out and yell words of encouragement to me and make sure there were no cars at the intersections (2100s especially!).  I finished just past 1300s about to the first speed bump.  This time I got 1.61 miles and my pace was 6:18.  I took a few minutes recovery still up on Wasatch and then for cooldown I ran back down to Foothill and back to the lockerroom finishing with 8 and a half.  By then I was drenched and my hair looked lovely, but I felt great about the workout.  I still had time to take a shower before the team meeting, so I did.  As an added bonus, the showers were already warmed up since the other girls had already showered :)  I'm excited to watch everyone race at the home meet tomorrow :)

Today I went up to the locker room to see if anyone could run with me, but everyone is either in the meet or injured, so I ended up going by myself.  I ran down to Guardsman then over to Sunnyside Park.  I did 7 strides there, and then part of a loop before going across Sunnyside and up to 1900e.  I ran that all the way to 2100s and then went down to 1500e and home, then added what I needed to get to 7.  The only stops I made were right before and after strides, I'd say it was a pretty good run :) Tonight I'm going to go cheer on my teammates at the first ever home track meet on our new track!  Throwing events start at 4:30, running events at 5 for anyone who wants to come!

About an hour before my race, I started on my warmup.  I went out and back short, dropped off some layers and ditched my gloves, and then went out longer on the trails right by the stadium.  I came back to the stadium and then joined Kate for strides and drills.  Because discus was going on in the field that cut the length of our strides since we had to stay clear of that.  We went and got our spikes and then changed into them for more strides.  We had plenty of extra time, somehow even though we were the second event they were already running behind!  Finally we went and got our stickers.  They had split us into 2 heats which seemed kinda silly since there were about 9 people in each :P  when Kep told me that I was in the "fast" heat I knew it couldn't be that competitive, knowing my time going into it...  He also told me that there was a girl who ran 2:11 in the 800 yesterday, she would probably be the toughest competition.  When the race started the ISU girl (I'm assuming the one that ran the 800 yesterday) immediately went out into the lead.  I was in second with an unattached girl, but she fell off after the first lap.  The first split was a 74, and then I was pretty much on my own since the orange girl had created a gap.  I came through the 800 at about 2:30.  With 600 to go I knew I should start to kick but I didn't want to enough to make myself actually go.  Also my teammates kept reminding me to drop my arms- since it was cold it was hard to pump them fast to get my legs moving!  Going into the final 400 another orange girl caught up to me but with 300 to go I picked it up and kicked it in.  Probably not the fastest I could go, but at least I beat that girl that came up on me.  After I finished, I changed shoes and then did five 150s in the outer lanes with 100 jog recovery and walk the rest.  I didn't time them but they were in the high 20s.  Then I grabbed my iPod and cooled down about 2 and 3/4 miles until I was at 8 for the day.

Today I went out and back on 11th Avenue with Hilary, Nikki R., and Andrea.  Andrea was with me up to mile 3 when she turned, then I kept going to just past the drinking fountain/restrooms up City Creek (which still aren't on in case anyone was wondering :P) .  Then I ran back the same way.  Yesterday I drained a blister on my left foot and it hurt pretty bad, I was worried about running with it today but it wasn't that bad until I was on the way back.  When I got back I went to the training room I rolled out and stretched for a few minutes, my quads and calves are sore from Saturday.

Today Amanda, Andrea, and I started our workout with the usual warmup up on the road above the track and onto the road across North Campus and back to the track.  Then we did our strides and drills and changed shoes.  We were lucky that the rain had stopped from this morning!  The track was still wet, but the steam rising up off of it looked neat!!  The actual workout part I did by myself since I am the only one doing the 5k at Mt. SAC.  I did two 200s with 200 jog, and I hit 38 and 39, then eight 400s with 90 seconds rest (200 jog, I did half laps so I would start at the opposite side each time and make the workout feel like it was going by quicker).  My times were 1:23, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:22, 1:22, 1:23, 1:20.  Then I finished with another two 200s in 39 and 40.  The last 4 400s were tough I think because my quads are still sore from Saturday.  But I am getting a massage tomorrow so that should be taken care of.  Hopefully it doesn't hurt anymore by the time I race Friday.  For cooldown I ran the same as the warmup with Amanda and Andrea, then another lap at the track before running back to the locker room.  When I got home I drained my blister again (its getting better!)  Then I took a 12 minute ice bath.

Today I went for a run with Nikki and Hilary.  We started out on Foothill towards the Albertson's loop.  Nikki and Hilary were going less so they turned around about when we got to Foothill Village.  So I was on my own the rest of the way :P  But at least it was only 6 miles today!  When I was on  2100e heading back towards campus, when I was almost to Anderson library I heard honking but ignored it and then the honking continued so I looked at there was a truck and a guy yelled out the window "You look good!" and I am pretty sure he was talking about my form so I gave him the thumbs up back and kept running.  It wasn't creepy at all.  I finished with 6 miles just back to the lockerroom.

Late this afternoon after arriving at Mt. SAC and checking into the hotel I was finally able to get my shakeout run in.  I ran down to University Drive and did a big loop around the campus, coming back to the hotel from the other direction.  Then I did strides in the form of speedchanges on some grass by the parking lot.  Then I cooled down about a quarter mile in the parking lot to get to 4.

This morning before early breakfast (the hotel stops serving it at 8:30!) I grabbed my iPod and went for a mile shakeout run out and back on University Drive.

Tonight at 9:30 (California time, so 10:30 Utah time!) Amanda joined me for my warmup.  I showed her part of the Footlocker course, the first loop around the corral.  It was super dark but we made it out alive!  And then we just decided to stay on the field where there was some stadium lights keeping it visible.  Then I went for final check in to get my stickers, and I changed into my spikes.  They let us onto the track to continue warming up once the race before us started.  I was feeling fabulous and very fresh during my strides and drills.  I was sticker 23 and ended up being the last person to start on the first waterfall line which gave me a bit of extra room on the side.  The plan was to stay with the group and be patient the first mile.  And in memory of Stanford, not to make myself get boxed in by going to the inside.  The first 3 laps I hit even 80s and it was going good.  Except for the girls that would cut me off as they went to the outside to try to move up.  Then I would cut off other girls moving into the open inner spot... It was not like Stanford here, now we were only about 3 wide and there wasn't too much moving around.  I don't remember what I came through the mile at, but here I started to slip.  I knew that I would need to be pushing really hard to keep up the even splits and that I could make it easier by working with the pack.  Then the pack broke away and I was running with just 2 other girls.  I didn't think we were last so I just told myself to keep pushing with them so that maybe I could get back into it.  Eventually both of them broke away from me and then I was running by myself :(  And I couldn't make myself push like I knew I needed :(  Still I didn't give up.  I told myself that I wasn't last!  I was trying really hard at that point just to stay positive and to pull myself back together for a strong finish.  Kep stopped calling out my splits after a while so I knew that wasn't a good sign.  Then, assuming that my back was causing me trouble he told me to step off rather than overdo it.  That, however, was not the problem at all.  I felt very bloated.  In my efforts to stay hydrated in the 100 degree weather, I drank more water than my kidneys could get rid of.  I guess I didn't even really need to drink so much seeing as the sun had gone down hours before my race and it had cooled down significantly.  With 1000 to go I was able to pick it up a little bit (or at least that's what I felt, maybe I was just pushing to stay the same pace...) but also at that point I was determined that I was not going to be lapped!  That goal in mind kept me going with 800 to go, then 600, and when I reached the final 400 and still had not been passed I was satisfied.  Then I tried to pick it up the last lap, but wasn't quite able to get all the way out (again because of my stomach) and by the time I finished the clock wasn't even running anymore.  And then I turned around to find that I actually was last.  I got a lot of pity claps.  But I was glad that I finished despite Kep misreading my slowness and warning me to back off.  Before I was even off the track to change shoes, Kep was at the fence waiting for me.  We talked for a few minutes about all the things that went wrong.  I first told him that my back was not causing me any troubles, but that I had been overhydrating.  Next, I mentioned that I had tapered a bit for this race and for Stanford, and I think that is a problem.  He said that for some reason, women don't function as well with cutting mileage down more than 20%.  Lesson learned.  While my legs were very fresh, this is not the type of race that benefits most from it.  Fresh legs work better for quicker races where you are going to need an explosive kick, like the mile and shorter events.  Finally I was able to exit the track to change shoes.  Then Kep talked to me about how the pack was different.  He says he thinks I would do a lot better if the girls races went more like the guys races and turned into a long line of people!  Thinking back on it, if I had made myself take the inside at some point I think that would have been better for me because I would have to follow the person in front of me closely and also keep the pace up so that the person behind me won't trample me.  Once I had changed shoes I grabbed my iPod and cooled down for 2 miles in the field by the track.  My legs felt way too fresh and energetic during that, it was a weird feeling!  I am definitely going to be more careful about tapering in the future!    

This morning I went on the worst run ever! :'(  After getting back to the hotel at midnight (1 AM Utah time) I didn't even get to bed until around 1.  Then, I had to get up at 7:20 so I could be ready to run at 7:40 with Kep, Amanda, and Andrea.  I am so glad Angie had a banana in the room, she was so kind and gave it to me since I had nothing else to eat for breakfast.  For the run we drove down to Mt. SAC and chose a parking lot that there weren't people who were going to make us pay $5.   We ran over to the track, we had to go through the stadium to get to the trails.  We went on the same ones I remember warming up and cooling down on after Footlocker my senior year :)  We ran until we got to some roads, then did a loop that was gradually uphill and I could not keep up with the others!  Then they decided to turn and we just ran on the road.  There were some cool street names, like Rodeo Way and Lasso Lane.  We ended up back at the same spot where we had turned go uphill on the trails earlier, and then we decided to cross the road.  Here I fell way back, and with each hill I fell farther and farther back!  I also was feeling sick and like I needed to throw up several times.  Also I came close to hyperventilating a few times, my lungs were not liking the humidity too much I don't think.  I was very close to tears.  But then Andrea turned around so I turned around and ran back with her.  We skipped the loop up on the road like we had done earlier and just took the trails back to the dirt loop and then back through the stadium and over to the parking lot where the car was.  I. was. so. happy. to. be finished.!  The End.  That was the only good part of the run.  When Kep and Amanda got back we only have 20 minutes to get back to the hotel and eat breakfast, even on weekends they aren't open very long!  After breakfast I went back to my room and took a nap until I had to get up and pack to switch hotels.

Today I had a workout with AuraLea.  We started with the usual warmup across North Campus Drive and back, and then strides and drills on the track.  Since we both were still sore from Mt. SAC, the workout wasn't too bad.  It was a 9 minute threshold followed by six 300s, and then some 150s.  On the threshold I started a bit slower than we needed to, the first lap being a 1:38.  AuraLea helped me pick it up and we came through at 3:12 for the 800 so we were right on.  Then during the third lap I don't know what happened but I couldn't keep up and so I just fell back and it was a repeat of Saturday's run.  The 4th lap wasn't getting any better so as I was finishing that Kep told me to stop.  By then I was at 6:30.  When I stopped I was breathing a lot harder than I should have been and just like Saturday I was trying not to hyperventilate.  I took a lap while AuraLea finished the 9 minutes, and then tried the 300s with her.  For these we were doing a set of 3, then a lap, a set of 2 then a lap, and then 1 with a lap recovery.  We got 100 recovery after each to get back to the start.  We were supposed to go just under a minute.  I don't remember the times for each of them but they were all 59 and 60.  It was easier to breathe during these because it required faster breathing.  The recoveries were hard though, I'm so glad AuraLea was there to pull me along!  Once we finished the last one Kep had decided we weren't going to do the 150s.  So we changed shoes and then we did 6 laps on the track for cooldown.  Kep and I decided that I am not going to go to Drake this week.  After last week's race and some not so great runs following, I don't feel ready and instead could use the week off.  Also he thinks that enough people in the 5k at regionals might drop so my time might get me in.  Afterwards I went to the training room and Hanah set up a doctor's appointment for me tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.  

Today at the doctor I was given a prescription for an inhaler and a spacer chamber to go with it.  I hate inhalers because I don't think they work and often just make the problem worse, but I got the prescription filled anyway.  Because of the time of the appointment, I missed getting to run with the team and then decided I'd just go home and do homework and run later.  This allowed me to run when it wasn't so hot out too!  When I finally decided to go running, I started up on 1500e over to Sugarhouse.  Then I did a clockwise lap at Sugarhouse, then went up to 1900e and all the way over to Sunnyside.  I really needed water by then, and was delighted that the drinking fountains were on!  After getting water, I did a lap and a half up around the tennis courts and down around the soccer fields before heading out onto 1500e and home.  I was happy that I didn't have trouble breathing on this run, but I averaged 8:20 pace, 10 seconds slower than Saturday's run (though that may be just from coming back to altitude is what I had to tell myself...).  Also I had a flashback to sophomore year cross country training when Bre and I would make it our goal to hit around 8 minute pace.  Today's run by that standard wasn't that bad...

Today I went for another 8 mile run at snail pace.  I started with the team, but gradually watched them get further ahead into the distance... We went along Foothill to 1300s, then up to Wasatch.  That hill killed me, and then I was losing ground probably double of what I had been before.  I saw the other girls when they turned around, but since I needed more I went all the way to Thunderbird.  I cut down to Foothill and then went to the drinking fountain by the flagpole.  Then because I knew it would be shorter on the way back (there was no way I was going to run back up Thunderbird to get to Wasatch) I went out just a bit farther on the paved Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  I went just past some cement barricades and then turned.  I threw in a few pickups on the way back along Foothill but crashed each time.  When I got back to campus I was so happy to be done!

This morning I decided to try and get my turnover back in effort to get out of snail mode.  I started with a warmup to the track at East and then a mile of  speedchanges.  I felt great during the fast parts of those so I decided to try some 400s.  I decided to do 10, each with a lap recovery.  My times were 1:18, 1:21, 1:19, 1:21, 1:18, 1:20, 1:22, 1:21, 1:22, 1:18.  The times gave me confidence that I will be back up to speed soon.  I cooled down a mile on the track and then home to get to 9 miles.

This morning I went down to Liberty Park with my iPod for my run.  I started with a lap around the wood chips and then a lap around the perimeter.  Then I turned around and started a lap in the other direction to switch things up a bit.  Not too far into that lap I saw Hilary from my team!  So I turned around and ran with her :)  I did about a lap and a half with her before she left the park, and then I finished the lap I was on before turning around and running a perimeter lap plus out and back what I needed to get to 9 for the day.  And I am happy to say today I was back up to speed! :)

This morning after watching the mile at the Davis Invite, I went for a run with Ben biking beside me :)  We left Davis up 200e and then turned east when the road discontinued.  We followed this road all the way up to Highway 89 (the whole time telling myself it would feel a lot nicer when I would get to run down it on the way back!)  We crossed the highway and then went left, but that just led to a bunch of dead ends so we turned around and explored the road going south.  This went on for a while and it was pretty flat so I really enjoyed it.  We went all the way to a freeway overpass for pedestrians, we just crossed it and then turned around and went back up the road and down the road we had taken up to highway 89.  Since we didn't repeat the first road we had taken, I had to add a little when I got back to get to the full 9 miles.  

Today I took Trax down to 900e with Bekah, AuraLea, and Andrea and ran to Liberty park for warmup.  We did our drills and strides and changed shoes.  The workout was 1 lap thresholds, and ideally 3 of them if we felt good.  The first one we hit in 9:16, there were times when I was slipping but I was able to make it by pushing to keep with the other girls.  After about 2 minutes rest, we went again.  This time I fell back a bit but ended just a few seconds behind the other girls with a 9:26.  For the third one Kep told us we could break it into two halves if we wanted but when we started I felt really good so I decided I was just going to do the whole lap.  I ended up pushing this one mostly by myself and finished in 9:24, at least it was better than the second one.  Then we did four 35 second strides, and changed shoes back.  For cooldown I ran to the drinking fountain with AuraLea and then back to the 900e Trax station.  I was going to run around the parking lot until I was at 10 for the day but the train was right there so I got on and finished when we got off Trax back at the stadium.

Today after my final which was 33 multiple choice questions (took less than 15 minutes!) long, I met up with Andrea to go for a run.  AuraLea was going to join us but wasn't feeling too great so just cross trained today.  Andrea and I ran the direction of the Albertson's loop.  Because she went shorter, she turned at 2100e but I kept going down 2100s to Sugarhouse Park.  At 1700e I started a clockwise lap, and made it to the light at the 3-way intersection by the shopping center when I hit 5 and decided to turn and go back the same way.  My knee was hurting this morning, I must have slept weird on it last night or something, but before the run I was hoping it would warm up during.  It hurt more at first, but I could still feel it the whole time.  I ice cupped afterwards and then biked home (all downhill of course :)).  I hope my knee feels better tomorrow.  I also wonder if maybe wearing my flats yesterday for 5 miles had something to do with it?  Or if the anti-pronation features on my shoes are causing the pain?  Lots of factors here, I'll just pay attention to it the next few days.

This morning I decided to drive up to Pipeline for my run.  Once I got up there and got started, my knee was hurting again.  I had taken ibuprofen before so at that point I was hoping it would kick in at some point.  I'm sure I was probably limping but I kept going, and I told myself that if it was still hurting 2 miles in I would turn around, I wanted to give it the chance to warmup.  It finally did around mile 1 and a half so I was able to do the full 8 miles I had been planning on.  

Today I did a workout with AuraLea.  We started with the usual warmup up above the track then across North Campus Drive, and back to the track for strides and drills.  The workout was twenty 200s (for AuraLea, Kep said less for me) with a diagonal jog across the field for 55 seconds of recovery.  I was supposed to hit around 40-41s.  The first few were 38, 43, then a bunch of 41s with an occasional 42.  On 12 and 13 after hitting two 42s in a row Kep told me to sit the next one out and then join AuraLea for another 5.  She had 6 left so I just did all of them with her.  For those ones I got 39, 39, 40, 40, 41, 41.  For cooldown we did 6 laps at the track cheering on Bekah during her workout and then went out a mile and back to finish with 8 for the day.

This morning after lifting I took my iPod for a run :)  I ran down 1500e to Sugarhouse, did a counterclockwise lap until I hit 1700e, and then did the cemetery loop route going down Parkway Avenue to Alden and then that maze of streets.  I hit 4 and a half at about 3000s when I was on Imperial Street, and then I attempted to go back the same way but I think I turned early off one of the streets because I ended up by Carden... But it reminded me of the time I ran it with Bre and Clayton when I was a sophomore and we tried to do it backwards, I think I took the same route we did then.  I went back through Sugarhouse and then along 1500e, but I turned down to 1400e at Blaine because I didn't want the final downhill to bother my knee.  It has been feeling better but I'm still going to be careful and ice it the next few days.

Today I went to the BYU meet to watch Natalie go for another state record.  She didn't race until golden hour though, so after I watched Abigail and Kiley in the mile I ran over to Provo High with them to see if they would make it in time to race the mile there.  They had just missed it but signed up for the 800.  I ran a lap around the block with them as part of their staying warmed up, and then closer to their race did a few strides with them.  After watching them and everyone else that signed up for the 800, I ran back to BYU with Tomy, Bill, and Natalie.  By then I had 3 and a half miles and was really not wanting to finish the rest of my miles right then.  I just wanted to eat lunch and run later.  But then I thought about my knee and thought that I should just get my run done now while it was still warmed up so that I could ice it afterwards rather than just let it cool off.  I actually was able to straighten my leg all the way this morning when I got up, that's the best luck I've had all week!  I ran out from the stadium and past the indoor track and past Brick Oven to 200e which I took all the way to 300s, then I went up to 900e and went more south until I hit 6.75 (so when I got back I'd be at 10) where it just so happened that there was a sidewalk closed sign to mark the turnaround point for my run!  I ran back the same way, and then after getting ice wrapped around my knee went with Natalie on a quest to find food, which ended up being sitting and waiting for her parents to arrive with her bagel :)  The golden hour mile was amazing, the lead group was made up of 5 girls that had all broken 5 this season :)  and three of them broke the state record!!!  It was an exciting race to watch and I am eager to see them race again at state :)

This morning I did a workout with AuraLea and Bekah before lifting.  We started with the usual warmup from the lockerroom up past the track and across North Campus drive and back to the track.  Then we did our strides and drills.  Then we changed shoes and started on the workout.  First we did strides over to the other side of the track to start our 1000s.  We had 3 at threshold pace so we were supposed to hit between 3:45 and 3:50.  First we hit 3:52, then 3:47, then 3:49.  We had a minute recovery after each of those so we did about 100 jog during that time.  Then we did five 200s which were supposed to be around 35-36.  We hit 33, 36, 35, 35, 35.  200 jog recovery for each of those.  We finished with a progressive 2000 on which we were supposed to drop 4 seconds a lap, starting at 96.  We came through right at 96, still on pace with 3:08 at 800, then 4:36, 6:01, 7:23.  Not bad, just the last one felt really hard, but I'm glad we hit the pace for the first 4 laps at least :) I jogged a lap for recovery and then changed shoes for cooldown.  I stayed at the track for 5 laps in the opposite direction, then ran out to North Campus drive and decided to change it up by going down to the road that goes by the engineering building and towards the union and took that over to the bailiff and then back over to HPER to finish with 2.5 mile cooldown and 10 miles for the day.  Then I hopped on my bike and pedaled over to the Smith to get the lift done.  My knee was hurting a bit this morning before I started but I took some ibuprofen and after it warmed up while I was running it felt fine.  Still I substituted hamstring curls at weights with curls on the physioball to play it safe.  

Today I did my same 9 mile run as last week.  This time I made it back the same way I came after turning around at 4.5 when I was on Imperial Street!  Again I took Blaine down to 1400e to avoid the final downhill at the end to protect my knee.  I only had to stop twice, once in Sugarhouse on the way back when I got a bug in my, and then again at 1700s when I was waiting for an opportunity to cross.  Ironically, I forgot to take the inhaler today even though I went running right after my Dr. appointment!  Also now I am supposed to start using a peak flow meter before and 5 and 10 minutes after I run.  I should probably buy one soon so I can get started on that...

I started off the morning with a nice 8 mile run.  The hardest part was deciding where to go, but once I got that figured out it was nice.  I ran along 1500e to 2100s, then went up to 1700e and across to the road that leads up to the freeway underpass at 2000e.  I stayed on 2000e all the way until about 3600s when I hit 4 miles.  On the way back when I got to the light at 3300s, after I pushed the button for the light to change I realized there was a spider on the light pole!  Then when I got to the light at 2100s and 1700e there was a black fuzzy spider :(  I might have a fear of those pedestrian buttons now...  Again when I got to Blaine I took that down to 1400e.  I think that will probably become routine now whenever I'm coming home along 15th.

Today I did my final workout before conference this Sunday!!  I did the usual warmup and then strides and drills at the track.  As I changed into my spikes Kep told me the workout.  I started with two sets of two 200s and a 400, equal recovery jog for everything.  I hit 37, 39, 1:21, 40, 40, 1:25.  I think on the 400 in the second set I relaxed too much because I had felt the rhythm of the pace for the 200s but couldn't quite get it up to 400.  Then I did a set of 200 400 400 and hit 39, 1:20, 1:21, and finished with one more 200 and one more 400 in 40 and 1:20.  I stayed at the track and did 8 laps cooldown in the opposite direction.  I think tomorrow and Saturday I might run 8 miles each day; my legs felt great today after 8 miles yesterday so I think it will be alright before my race Sunday.  After I finished cooling down I took a 10 minute ice bath.

This afternoon after arriving at our motel in Eugene and resting for a bit, I went for a run with Amanda, Andrea, and AuraLea.  We went out on one of the trails off campus.  I turned around with them at 15 minutes because it is their premeet today, and stretched with them when we got back to the motel.  Then while they went to the track to do their strides I just ran out and back again about to the same spot as before to get to 8 miles.  Just my calves were tight but stretching fixed that for the rest of the run.  When I was all done I stretched for a few more minutes before going inside.  On the peak flow meter I got 350 before the run and 375 then 400 5 and 10 minutes after.

This morning I went for a run with Kep as part of my premeet.  We did a loop out on the trail, this time entering at a point more west (I think, I'm bad with navigation without the mountains!) than yesterday.  We got about 4 miles in out on the trails and back to the motel, then I went and grabbed my spikes and ran over to Hayward Field to do strides and drills.  I changed into my spikes at our teeny team tent (ours is only 10' by 10' the other teams got 20' by 20' tents...) and then did a few strides and drills in the little field where all the tents were set up.  Then I went up to the little practice track and did some strides up there.  Then I changed my shoes back to my trainers and did a few more laps at the practice track before going back to the motel.  My legs felt great during the strides and really fresh as I was finishing my 7 miles, hopefully they feel just as great tomorrow!  On the peak flow today I hit about 400 before the run, and 5 and 10 minutes after.  

This morning I went to church with a few of my teammates before some of us competed this afternoon.  We were an interesting group with half of us in jeans or sweats but the ward members wished us luck in our events today.  Later after returning to my hotel room I watched a movie to pass the time until I would need to begin my walk over to Hayward field.  I just had enough time before beginning my warmup to watch Rose compete in the 800 final.  For my warmup I ran laps in the cemetery just behind the practice fields where all of the team tents were set up.  It was nice there because there were soft paths to run on and it was shaded from the heat of the day.  After 2 and a quarter miles I ended up back at the tent and then took a final potty break before checking in and then doing strides and drills.  When they called us to the bull pen I grabbed my spikes and headed over.  I changed my shoes there and then they had us take everything with as we walked to the room under the west bleachers.  After giving all of us our numbers I quickly decided to splash myself with cold water, as some of the other girls were doing, before they lined us up to walk us out.  It reminded me of state last year when Bill poured a whole bottle of water over me before the 3200.  Once we were over at the start we had time for just a couple strides before getting on the line.  I was on the first waterfall about in the middle, and got a pretty decent start.  Quickly I was able to get to the inside and held my position there in the middle of the pack.  Here I told myself I just needed to be patient.  As I learned from my last 2 races, moving to the outside you have nowhere else to go.  The first lap I think was around an 81 or 82 so not bad.  The second lap the front of the group turned into a line but at the back we were still bunched up in a pack, so I waited for it to thin our a bit more.  Second lap we came through at about 2:40 so still at a good pace (though for this race I wasn't focusing so much on pace as keeping a good position and running better than my last 2 races).  On the third lap (or maybe the 4th, I can't really remember...) coming around the curve onto the back stretch the pack in front of the pack I was in started to break away so I left my pack and chased the other one.  This gave me what I needed to keep passing throughout the rest of the race.  I think the mile was around 5:30 but at this point I really didn't care so much about pace.  Halfway through I was at 8:37 so I knew I'd have to pull off a big negative split to go sub 17, but I was happy because I was catching and passing people the whole time :)  at 3200 I was at around 11 minutes so still even :)  I felt really strong the last mile and was really excited the last 2 laps to be so close to finishing and still gaining on people!  On the last lap I didn't kick too hard or I might have caught another girl or two, but after I finished I was in a self battle to not puke.  Even though I didn't come close to a PR and I didn't score, I am still really happy with how I raced and was able to make the situation work for me :)  Also there were people cheering for me on the home stretch in the stands and I couldn't tell who they were so I just pretended that it was different people every time, that really helped too :)  And on the back stretch I knew my teammates were there and also even though that stretch was into the wind I battled it like I did at the regional meet for cross country and was able to pass people.  A few minutes after sitting back at the team tent concentrating on getting my stomach to settle, I grabbed my iPod and went for a cooldown.  I ran out towards the Pre Trails.  I walked some of it because I felt like crap but most of the way I ran.  I went halfway across the bridge toward the trails and then turned around, finishing the cooldown to get to a full 8 miles.  As I was leaving the stadium after the meet was over I passed by a tent that had a bunch of Oregon shirts as they were cleaning up.  I thought about getting a Pre shirt but then decided maybe I'd get one another time... But as I walked away I changed my mind and went back and got a yellow "Go PRE" shirt :)  and I got $3 off since the sign that was up earlier said $20 but the guy who pulled the shirt out of the box looked at the price on the tag that was $17 instead :)  Then as I left the stadium again Amanda, Andrea, and AuraLea found me with the car so we went straight to dinner and for frozen yogurt (3 days in a row for Amanda and me!) and then to Pre's rock.  

After hanging out with the other 3 distance girls for a bit, Amanda and Andrea convinced AuraLea and I to go for an hour run with them.  We went out on Pre's trails behind the river that goes behind people's backyards, this time out for half an hour.  We went so far that the trail ended and we ended up at some different park, and then some bird watch place.  At half an hour we turned around and went back the same way.  We went a lot faster on the way back, we had averaged 8 minute pace on the way out and I was getting about 7:40 pace for the way back, the other girls totally lost me and I'm guessing they were 7:20-30 pace!  I was just short of 7.5 when we got back to the hotel so I added just a bit more until I reached it and then I was done.  It felt great to be done and I'm glad I went, but I think I will probably take tomorrow off since I don't usually run Sunday and I got a lot of miles in!  It has been a really fun weekend and I've really loved it here in Eugene :)  I hope that I will have other opportunities to come back and run at Hayward Field :) 

Took the day off after getting so many miles yesterday!  And I ate real ice cream today since it is my brother's birthday :)

After laying in my room for a while drifting in and out of sleep, I finally decided to get up and go for a run.  I started out on 1500e towards Sugarhouse, and that turned out to be painful.  As soon as I got to the park I stopped to stretch for several minutes.  My calves are still sore, and my quads too, also my left hamstring is really tight!  Stretching helped because when I resumed running it didn't hurt anymore.  Still I decided I was going to cut a few miles off of my run to play it safe and recover more before workout tomorrow.  I don't know yet if I am going to regionals, Kep doesn't think so but we will know tomorrow night when everyone has to declare and we will see how many people scratch from the 5k.  I turned around at 2.5 miles and ran back the same way.  Again I had to stop and take a stretch break for my calves, but they always feel better afterwards.  I completely forgot peak flow or inhaler today, and I was even looking right at them right before I picked up my iPod and Garmin to head out for my run... 

This morning I went to campus to get my workout done at the same time as Amanda and Andrea.  Due to a miscommunication, I missed them on the warmup but ended up doing it on the track while they were doing their drills and strides.  Once I finished my warmup Kep told me my workout.  I did a fartlek, and decided not to change shoes, so after he finished explaining the workout I ran to the lockerroom to drop off my spikes and then ran up Legacy Bridge to the road in front of the dorms to start my workout.  It was three sets of 2 minutes on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 4 on, 2 off  (but really 3 off because that was the in between of the sets).  What I ended up doing was making a loop over to Wakara and I'd get there just as I was finishing the 3 minutes on, then I'd head back on the opposite side of the street as before and finished just before the HC, then took the 3 minutes recovery back towards where I started each set on the road in front of Chapel Glen.  When I finished the third set I cooled down a mile so that I hit 10 for the day.

This morning after I dropped my sister off at school, I grabbed my iPod and went for my run so I could be done in time for lifting.  I ran up 1300e to Wasatch Drive, then over to Thunderbird and down to Foothill and up just past the drinking fountain, .10 mile on the trail to get to 3.5 where I turned around.  I ran back the same way.  Other than the first light at Foothill and a quick stop at the drinking fountain on the way down, I didn't have to stop :)  

This morning I went to Liberty Park for workout.  I warmed up running from the light at the south east corner with a lap around the park and then over to the painted start line.  I did a few strides and then got on the line.  I did 3 1 mile repeats with half mile recovery.  The first mile was 6:16, then the other 2 were both 5:57.  I think the first was so slow just because I haven't done a workout like this in a while :P  I hope by the end of the summer to be able to get a workout like this with some 5:40s.  I had thought about doing some half mile repeats afterwards but decided against it because of my high miles already this week and it was getting pretty windy and I could tell it was going to rain soon.  I cooled down around the park to the drinking fountain and then a little extra to get to 7.5.

This morning after watching Natalie win state I went for a run in Provo.  I went out on 200e like I did last time, and went to the same street as last time where I turned and went east.  This time when I got to 900e I turned left instead of right.  I made it to a second church when I reached 3 miles and then just went back the same way.

This morning I met Andrea and Amanda at the track for workout.  We warmed up to the same spot across North Campus and back that we usually do, then added a lap at the track since we didn't start from the locker room.  We did our strides and drills and then Kep came and told us our workouts.  I forgot to grab my flats as I left my house, even though I did remember to go grab my summer lifting manual and had to run back in to grab it!  So i just did the workout in my trainers, but I was fine with that because then I wouldn't get too sore.  My workout was four sets of 800 then 600, with 2 minutes (200 jog) recovery for each.  I was supposed to try and run about 2:40 pace for the 8s and a little faster pace for the 600s.  I hit 2:45, 2:02, 2:44, 2:03, 2:46, 2:05, 2:50, and then instead of the last 600 I did two 200s both in 41.  Then I cooled down to North Campus and back with Amanda and Andrea and then ran down to the weight room to finish my cooldown.

This morning I took my iPod for a run at Sugarhouse.  I did 3 grass laps there, two counterclockwise and one clockwise, because I wanted to stay on soft surface.  I was worried about my right gastrocnemius because I woke up in the night with a charlie horse! It hurt so bad!  And the muscle was flexed all the way!  Fortunately it didn't hurt while I was running.  It better behave this weekend too because yesterday Kep called me while I was at work to tell me that someone scratched the 5k so I'M GOING TO REGIONALS!!!!!!!! :)  I race Saturday night in Texas and I am so happy that I have another chance :)

This morning I did a workout at Liberty.  For warmup I ran over to 1700s and then down to 900e, over to 1300s and down to 700e into the park.  I didn't feel like doing strides since I just wanted to get going on my workout, but I made myself do one before starting.  I did a mile at threshold, hitting 6:17, and then after a half mile recovery started a fartlek.  On the outer perimeter I did a ladder of 30 seconds on (double recovery for everything), 60, 90, 90, 60, 30.  I did a lap and a half, reaching the entrance/exit at 900s as I was finishing the last set of 30 seconds.  For cooldown I turned around and stayed on the perimeter of the park over to the drinking fountain.  Then, because I needed a shorter cooldown, I ran home up 13th.  The hill wasn't too bad though, I think it might be an easier hill than 900s, haven't done that one in a while...  Tomorrow I will probably run when I get to Texas.  

This evening I went for a run in downtown Austin.  Kep told me how to get to the river trail, which involved going across the freeway overpass at MLK and going down Congress until I reached the Texas state capitol building, then going around until I was back on Congress, and followed it all the way to the river.  I was crossing the bridge when I realized it was going over the river I wanted to be running by, so I turned around and went back to some stairs that go down to the trail.  There were a lot of people on the trail, running or walking or biking, which was kind of neat and also made the run better since I knew I wasn't just the weird one for being a runner...  I turned around at 3.5 and ran back about the same way I came, but instead of going back to the hotel I went to the track so I could watch the 800s.

This morning I went for a run with Amanda and Kep.  We drove down to the river trail, this time on the other side of the river.  I was with them for the first half hour but then they were finished, so I finished my 5 miles on the trail and then did strides and drills for my premeet.  I think I will do a shakeout run tomorrow morning so that there isn't such a gap between this run and my race tomorrow night.  I hope the humidity doesn't keep me from being able to run a good time, but at least we're all running under the same conditions!

This morning I went for a mile and a half shakeout run.  I stretched my calves when I turned around at halfway since they were tight, but as usual they felt better after stretching.  Excited to race tonight!!!

Just under an hour before my race I started my warmup.  I did laps around the football stadium and then went in onto the field to do my strides and drills.  Then I went and changed into my uniform (my warmup clothes were drenched because of the humidity!) and grabbed my spikes and went over to the checkin spot.  I took a Gu, which my sister and I finally restocked up on this week, and then put on my spikes.  The officials then walked us over to the track where we had to wait under some tents until a few more laps of the guys 5k happened.  When they finished we were allowed to do strides.  We had a good few minutes for this since because it is regionals they have to stay on the same schedule as the other region.  I was in the second alley, and had sticker 23.  Someone else must have scratched since there was someone with a higher number than me!  Going out I quickly moved to the inside of the alley behind the other girls.  It went out fast!  The first 200 was 35, and at the 400 I was at 74 (also at the back of the pack) but I knew that soon girls would fall off so I wasn't going to panic!  I was right, and as we entered the third lap (splitting 800 at about 2:33) I passed some of the girls back and forth for a bit.  The first mile was about 5:14 so not bad.  Finally I was able to break some of the girls I had been passing back and forth, and one that fell off of a pack, but then pretty much the rest of the race I was running in no man's land behind a pack of 7.  My best chance to catch them probably would have been right then, but because they were so far up I told myself to be patient.  This has worked for me before, but in this situation I think it might have been better to throw in a speed change to get them while I was breaking away from the girls behind me.  I could still hear Kep yelling out 81 for my splits so that was good.  But gradually I would slip and then realize I needed to be pushing, so from there my splits fell.  With 4 laps to go I was at 11:40 so knew I would really need to work to get a 5:20 and go under 17!  But that didn't happen.  I wasn't gaining or losing on the pack in front of me, and when I had 2 laps to go I got lapped by some of the girls on their final lap.  I think I was going faster than them, but that doesn't do any good when you are a whole 400 meters back!  And then I wasn't sure if I was supposed to move over to lane 2 so they could pass?  Anyway at that point there were just 2 of them, but then a girl was coming up on me when I had 500 to go, and I let her go thinking that she was finishing, but then when I realized she still had a lap to go it hit me how dumb that was.  I didn't even kick that hard on my last lap, and I think it might have been as slow as 85.  Definitely didn't break 17, but I was happy for not getting dead last!  Afterwards I cooled down 2 and a quarter miles on the little practice track by the lacrosse field.  My right quad hurt during that so when I finished, Tim worked on that and my hamstring.  I iced it when I got back to the hotel.  Also I talked to Kep a little bit after the race, and brought up the idea of doing 400s at faster pace and just have race pace be for longer stuff like 1200s.  Obviously I didn't die after the first lap being a 74, but since my times have been going downhill all season I think I need to get in some faster 400s... so that the race pace feels easier in comparison.  So we'll see what workouts he comes up with the next few weeks.  After getting back to the hotel I went out with the team to get fro yo and we had a great time :) 

Late this morning I finally was able to get going on my run after spending the morning in the car driving to cemeteries.  I ran up 1300s to Wasatch Drive, and over to Thunderbird.  I had to stop and stretch my calves because they were way tight!  They still hurt but I kept running anyway.  I went down to Foothill and then ran up past the flagpole and the drinking fountain onto the paved part of Shoreline Trail.  I forgot how long this trail really is, I haven't run it in a while!  And how uphill!  Finally I made it over the second overpass and to a downhill portion.  I guess this part of the trail is called Parley's bike trail.  I ran down to 2700e and crossed, then went over to 2700s and down to 2100e and then over to Stratford down to 1700e to 2100s and home along 1500e and 1400e.  It was a nice loop, I'll have to do it again soon.

This morning after getting up at 6 to run with my sister, I couldn't get back to sleep when my sister refused to get up :(  So I just took advantage of being up to get my run done early and then to get to lifting early too.  I ran along 1500e to Sugarhouse, then did a clockwise lap, went up to 1900e all the way over to Sunnyside.  I threw in a lap at the park since I knew I would be short if I went home, then I made the way home longer by going up to the crosswalk and then along the street that comes down by the gully and then home along 1500e.  I barely missed the bus to lifting but then was spared waiting half hour for the next one because my mom forgot her cell phone and had to come home and get it, so she dropped me off at lifting :)  I started the summer lifts over since I skipped my second lift last week.  Then I barely caught the bus home!

In the evening I went for an easy run to get a few more miles in.  I am going to try and start doing 2 runs a day on my days off work so I can bring my mileage up but still have the option limited to only a few days a week so I don't go crazy.  I ran up 1300s to Wasatch Drive, saw Scotty drive by, ran all the way to the zoo, then down Sunnyside to Military Drive where Natalie drove by me, and then I finished at RJ's house where my sister was doing homework.  It was a nice 5 miles, and I have no clue what my time or pace was but that is how it should be I decided :)   

This morning I warmed up with Amanda for our workouts.  We ran up to the usual spot and back, adding a lap on the track since we started from the parking lot.  We did our strides and drills, and as we were getting close to finishing those we were wondering where Kep was...  We changed our shoes and he still wasn't there, so we thought about maybe doing some 200s beforehand, but I kinda just wanted to get started so I made up my own workout, or at least the start of one because I hoped I could jinx the situation to make him come by starting on a workout.  I did a 1000 in 3:31, then took a lap recovery, then started a second one.  With about 300 meters to go Kep showed up and I wasn't sure whether or not to finish, but I just went for it and hit 3:25, and took a lap recovery before going to talk to Kep.  I told him what I had done so far and I lucked out on this one because he would have had me doing 1200s!  Also since I hit even splits (about 83-84 for the first and about 82 for the second 1000) at a bit slower than 80s that's what Kep had wanted on the 1200s so it worked out.  Next he had me do a 400 and then another 1000.  I hit 1:18 and 3:29.  200 recovery on the 4 and a lap for the 1000.  Then he had me finish with another 1000, a 400, and a 1000.  My times were 3:28, 1:21, 3:34 (43s for all the 200s so at least it was even!).  Then Amanda and I changed shoes and did a 2 mile cooldown, followed by a 15 minute ice bath in the training room.

In the evening I finally decided to bring my new shoes out of their box that they've been sitting in for a week in my room.  I ran along 1300e to 900s, down to 900e, over to 2100s, back up to 13th and then home.  My feet hurt from breaking in the shoes (I know it probably would have been a good idea to walk around in them first for a bit) but they'll get used to it quick. 

This morning I decided to get my lift done first, so after eating breakfast I went and got that done.  I did squats with the bar for the first time since October, but my back doesn't hurt so I think I'm finally ready to slowly ease back into it.  Also I had to learn barbell abs today, I struggled at first but towards the end I got the hang of it!  Coach Madelone had to help me with the bus drivers every time since the bar is too heavy for me to do alone, but hopefully I'll get better as I keep doing them throughout the summer.  For my run I started at my house and ran up 1300s to 1700e, then over to 900s and up to 1900e.  Then I ran all the way to 2100s and cut down to 1700e to do 2 clockwise laps at the park before going home.  My new shoes were a lot better (I wore them to lifting too) and I'm glad I was able to wear them on the grass so I could break them in on some good terrain rather than just flat pavement.

This morning I went down to Liberty Park for a workout.  I started with a lap warmup, then out a quarter and back to get to 2 miles so I could be by my shoes and the drinking fountain.  I incorporated strides into the extra half and then did my drills.  I changed to my flats and then got started.  It was a tempo run, and rather than do 10 12 10 with recoveries, I just did 30 minutes solid.  I averaged about 6:25 pace, not quite as fast as I wanted but at least I was consistent.  And for working alone I feel pretty good about it.  At the end of 30 minutes I was at about 4 and had just started a third lap.  I recovered back to the drinking fountain, and then I did strides and changed back to my trainers for cooldown.  I did a lap on the outer perimeter and then a little more to get to 9 for the day.  Also, today Bill pointed out to me that this is my 4th anniversary on the blog!!  And I'm happy to say that the whole 4 years I have blogged my every workout and run and even my cross training injury days!  :)

This morning I took my iPod for a long run.  I think that when I'm by myself, I run faster when I have my iPod.  I started down 1300e over to South Temple, then I did zig zag hills through the Avenues up until I reached 11th.  I was thinking about possibly taking the same way back, but then someone asked me for directions to a yard sale and I told them which way I thought it was, but then a block later realized I had told them the wrong way... So I decided I would think up a different route back :P  Once I made it to 11th, I enjoyed the nice downhill into City Creek.  I made it to the locked gate and was very happy to find that the drinking fountain was finally on!  Then I needed almost a mile to get to 6 so I could turn, so I kept running up the canyon.  It was so nice up there, and the trees made great shade from the heat!  It was not the best day to wear a white sports bra... but I figured out a way to stay cool by tying the bottom corners of the shirt together.  At 6 miles I turned around, and was happy to pass by the drinking fountain again on the way down the canyon.  For the amount of water I drank, I am surprised it didn't hurt.  I guess I must have been really thirsty and close to dehydration?  I dunno but at least there was water when I needed it :)  I decided to head back home on 11th Avenue, and to hit the drinking fountain across from the cemetery on the way.  I turned down Virginia Street and stayed on it all the way to 500s, then cut down to 1300e and home.  My average pace at the turnaround was 8, and when I finished I had brought it down to 7:50.  I liked this run and I think I will do it again sometime soon.

This morning I joined Amanda for warmup for our workouts.  It was her final workout before nationals this week so it'll be exciting to see how she does!  After our usual warmup and strides and drills, we changed shoes and then stretched for a few minutes while we waited for Kep...  He wasn't too long though, and the workout was actually ok I thought :)  He told me I was doing sets of three 400s with 90 seconds rest and a 400 between sets.  I was supposed to try and hit between 75-78.  My times were 73, 75, 75, (I took 200 recovery during the 90 seconds), then 76, 76, 76 for the second set, and then I was surprised to find out I only had one more set and was glad when I hit 76, 75, 77 and was feeling really tired towards the end.  Afterwards I changed shoes back and cooled down with Amanda and then added 3 laps at the track to get to 8 for the day.  Then I went to the training room and did a 10 minute ice bath.

This morning after getting up to drop my sister off at school I decided I might as well get my run done so I wouldn't have to do it when it got hotter and since I thought it might be a good idea to put on something other than pajamas.  I ran down 1300e to 900s, then down to 900e and over to 2100s.  From there I ran up to 1900e, back over to 900s, and then home along 1500e.  I only had to stop at the light at 11th east on 21st south, I was pretty happy about that :)  avg pace was about 7:40 so quicker than its been the past week :)  Afterwards I went and got my lift done.  Just 2 more lifts and 3 more workouts and then it time for Junior Nationals!  Right after I changed my goals to include winning, I discovered that the girl who took 2nd at Footlocker this year is signed up... So I've used that as incentive to work harder and do my best, so that no matter what happens in the race I know I tried my hardest and worked out as best I could to prepare.

This morning after I gave my sister a ride to practice, I decided to stick around and get my workout done too ;)  We warmed up to Sunnyside for a lap and then back to the track.  Then some stretching before a mile of speedchanges.  Then I braced myself for what I expected to be a very challenging workout, even contemplating going back to my instructed threshold...  But I was at the track and ready.  Also the 400s on Monday gave me confidence I could get some decent work in.  We started with two 1000s.  We were supposed to hit 75 pace, thinking about Monday I was not sure how well that would go, so I just held on as long as I could.  I amazed myself with how long I was able to go, and got myself through the workout.  I hit 3:15, then 3:11.  We took about 5 minutes standing recovery between each.  Then we did four 500s and were supposed to hit 88.  The ones where we started on the curve were hardest for me since there wasn't much room left to swing wide on the final curve, but I made the best of it.  I hit 1:37, caught up on the second with 1:30, fell back on the third with a 1:36, then even led part of the last one with a 1:28 :)  At that point my legs were just dead and I was so happy to finish!  Until we were told two more 1000s :'(  Again I just did my best to hold on.  I hit 3:25 for the first one (crazy how that was my fastest one when I did 1000s last week and today it was my slowest!), but then was able to bring it down to 3:18 for the final one.  I was so glad to be really done, as were the others.  I changed out of my spikes and then cooled down 7 backwards laps to get to 8.

This evening after getting my nutrition screening assignment done (finally!) I went for a relaxing run.  The TA who did the nutrition lab with me definitely could tell I was an athlete when my pulse came up as 40!  And BP 94/55.  For my run I started along 1400e over to Blaine, to 15th and to 2100s.  From there I went up to 2100e and ran all the way over to Foothill and then ran down as it turned to 500s.  I hit 1300e and then ran home.  My legs felt great considering how hard I ran this morning.  I made sure to stretch out really well afterwards. 

This morning I went for a run on Pipeline.  I went the switchback way and wiped out just over a quarter mile into the run.  Like all the other times I fall on trails, it was slow motion and I was trying to catch myself but was just caught and then hit the ground.  At this point I have mastered turning so I hit my hip instead of my knees though, the scrapes weren't too bad.  I just got up and kept going.  The switchback parts weren't as bad as I remembered, but I forgot about the hills that follow.  After reaching the road at the end of the trail at 3 miles, I went out another mile on the road before turning and going back the same way.  Took the switchbacks down extra carefully because it would have hurt a lot more falling on the way down.  

After getting off work at 10 I went for a run.  Out at Cottonwood Complex.  Where the sprinklers were on.  Did laps around the baseball diamonds where the lights were on until we hit 4 miles.  The end. 

This morning I decided that if I were going to put a track in my backyard, I'd pick the one at Granite high.  4 lanes so it feels smaller, also some trees placed perfectly to cast shade on a lot of it :)  after 4 laps warmup and 4 laps of speedchanges, I put on my spikes.  Started with a fast 200 to get the turnover going, and hit 32.  Walked and then jogged back to the start for two sets of 800 and three 400s.  For the 800 I hit 2:30 (73 first lap), then 69, 72, 72 for the 400s.  I took a lap after that, and then a few more minutes.  I was mentally preparing to push through the 800 because I knew it would be hard, but if I got through that then I'd just have the 400s left, but then I found out the second set was inverted so the 400s were first.  I hit those in 74, 73, 74, and then on the final 800 went 2:42 (78, 84).  I was so happy to have finished without collapsing!  My legs just felt so dead and like they weren't even there!  After another recovery lap, I changed back to my trainers for cooldown.  It was a tough decision, but I decided to get the rest of my miles done in the cooldown so I wouldn't have to run after work again.  It was a long cooldown, but it was worth it.  From Granite we went along 500e all the way to 1300s, then up to the drinking fountain at Liberty and then back to 3300s on 700e and through the Granite parking lot until we had 6.75 cooldown, bringing the total to 12, and the grand total of the week to 70!  The most I have ever done before is 65 :)  So this is a new record for me :)

This morning I had an easy workout back up at the U since coach is back.  I did a mile and a half warmup and then a mile of speedchanges at the track before he got there, then did a few drills and stretched before changing shoes.  The workout was really easy after last week, but it was fine since I ran hard Saturday.  I started with three 1000s, hitting 3:53 for all of them and with 1 minute rest.  Then I did four 250s with 150 (2 minutes) recovery.  On those I hit 46, 47, 47, 47.  Then I stayed in lane 9 to the far side of the track and went right into a progressive 2000, starting at 96.  I think I came through that first lap at 1:35, then my other times coming through were 3:10, 4:41, 6:08, and 7:30 (if I remember correctly... the point is that I got faster each lap).  Kep was really happy with the workout and says I did a great job for that especially for a freshman.  I'm basically a sophomore now, and I've done that workout a few times... Anyway, then I grabbed my iPod and cooled down 3 miles before heading to the training room for a 15 minute ice bath.

This morning at Sunnyside I did 1/10th of a mile on the swing set before starting my run... I felt kinda sick after that :P  I did a lap at Sunnyside and then ran down to the track at East for a mile of speedchanges.  Then  I did a bunch of backwards laps (I wasn't counting, I had my Garmin) until I was at about 6 miles.  Then I did a 300 in 51, followed by a 200 in 33 and then another 300 in 49.  Then I ran back up to Sunnyside and ran home on the road that goes to the gully down to 15th and home from there.  Then I went and got my final lift before nationals done!  Now I just have to make it through work today, and my final workout tomorrow, and then I'll be ready to go for a great race on Saturday :)

This morning I was a bit late getting started on my warmup, but Kep saw me as he was walking from the trax station so he knew I was late, but also I knew he'd be on time today.  I did 2 miles warmup and then strides and drills at the track.  Then I changed into my spikes while Kep told me the workout.  Two 200s, six 400s, and two more 200s.  200 recovery for everything.  Also he wanted me to go race pace and then pick it up just a few seconds at the end.  My times were 38, 39, 1:20, 1:18, 1:20, 1:19, 1:21, 1:20, 38, 38.  Then I changed shoes and ran 2.75 cooldown around campus and then around the institute parking lot so I could finish by the car.  Fun fact, it's just over a half mile from the institute parking up to the track parking lot.

After a long day of travel we finally made it to Indiana!  Right after checking into the hotel I went and put on my running clothes to go for a run.  I asked the people at the front desk if there was a high school nearby so I could run to there and if I still had enough miles left maybe use the track.  I followed their directions on the road parallel to the highway, crossing at Ohio Street, and on to the next traffic signal.  I turned right like they told me, and was on the road for a while but then reached one and a half so decided to turn and just throw in speed changes on the way back.  I did these until I reached 2 and a half, and then ran the rest of the way back to the hotel for cooldown.  I stretched out afterwards, looking forward to relaxing the rest of the evening and finally getting sleep!  (I had to wake up at 4:45 to get to the airport).  

This morning after waking up for breakfast and going back to sleep for a few hours and then getting woken up by housekeeping I decided to get up and get my run done.  This ended up being a time crunch since there was about an hour before we were leaving to the meet for Kait to do javelin, but we made it work.  Burke dropped me off at the Martinsville High School parking lot and from there I ran over to the track.  The stadium was closed but I found a spot under the fence that had a large enough gap for me to get through.  Once inside the stadium I had to hop a fence to get onto the actual track.  After I had warmed up a mile, I took off my shoes and did strides in my socks on the field.  I did drills in between the first few, but before I got to 1o I ran out of ideas for more drills so the last few were just strides.  After I finished the strides I put my shoes back on and then hopped one fence and went under another and out to the parking lot back towards the hotel for cooldown.  Burke was already there so he guessed where the distance would be that I would need to get to three.  He was about a quarter mile off with his first guess but really close on the second.  Back at the hotel I had just a minute to run in and out so we could head to the track for Kait's event.  A few hours later after returning to the hotel, I used up all the ice in the ice machine on my floor while filling up for the ice bath.  Did that for 15 minutes and then relaxed the rest of the day.

After a long day of relaxing at the hotel it was finally time to face the heat and prepare to run.  I got to the track in plenty of time to get situated and watch a few events.  After picking up my bib I was told to come back 15 minutes prior to my race.  About 30 minutes prior to that, I started my warmup because as Burke reminded me, I wouldn't need as long to warmup because of the heat.  I went up to the practice track which is currently just a bunch of dirt and did laps there.  After 4 laps I did 4 laps of speedchanges to get my strides in.  When I finished those I went and stretched for a few minutes before taking my Gu and grabbing my spikes to head into the bull pen.  In there I did some drills before changing shoes, and then did a few more while they handed out our stickers.  Finally it was time for our race so they walked us over to the start.  While we were walking they told us that on the other straightaway they would have someone with a hose making a mist for us to swerve into if we were too hot.  Someone said what the rest of us were thinking, they should just spray it on us anyway because we don't have to swerve to get cooled off!  They didn't let us stride on the line but they got us started pretty quick.  For the first lap I was on the outside of lane one with another girl, coming through the 400 at 1:21.  Then, as I suspected might happen knowing that Erin and Allison were in the race, they came up to the front along with a few other girls.  The girl on the inside fell off but I was determined to hold onto the pack and go with them if I could.  The second lap we came in at about 2:40 so still on PR pace for me.  But I didn't want to think about pace, I knew if I did that then I would lose the racing mentality and just watch the clock and be doing math the whole time.  It was getting tough but I still was trying to hold on.  A group of 4 broke away, and then there was a gap followed by a girl in gray, and then another gap before me.  I knew top 5 would medal so I shifted goals towards closing on the girl in gray.  I came through 1200 at around 4 minutes.  I tried to stop looking at the clock after that and to just run.  I kept my eyes up on the gray girl and could tell that I was closing on her, but then on the other side of the track I would notice she had pulled away a little bit so I would refocus and try and get her.  I had no idea how far back the next girls behind me were so that also kept me running in fear.  A few laps later the gray girl dropped out!  By then I was about 200 meters behind 4th place and knew I'd really have to push the rest of the race to keep running it by myself and not falling back to the next group of girls.  With 800 to go the announcer was saying that Allison was coming up on her final lap.  I was determined not to get lapped!  I had 700 to go when I heard the gun for her final lap.  I picked it up and then again with 500 to go I picked it up a little more.  I did not get lapped, and then at 300 I tried to kick.  My kick wasn't very fast, but it was enough to make sure the girls behind me wouldn't catch up.  I felt very sick when I finished, but walked around for a bit before leaving the track.  They had cold towels waiting for us as we finished, it was awesome!  When I took off my spikes (the Nikes, which I have only worn for shorter distances before) I found the tops of my feet rubbed raw and a lovely blood blister under one of my toes.  That was painful, but at least I can plan on getting a pedicure soon now that the season is officially done for me!  I put on my trainers and then went back up to the practice track for cooldown.  I got in a mile and a quarter, then as I was doing another lap my stomach hurt really bad and I had to stop and walk for a bit.  I felt really nauseous but after walking a bit decided to try and run a bit more.  That didn't last long, and then I decided I was done with my cooldown.  

This morning Ben drove down so we could do a recovery run together since he did Wasatch Back over the weekend and I didn't cool down very long after my race.  We went to Cottonwood Complex.  We did a lap around the softball diamonds, and then went out on 1300e to 3900s, down to 1100e and over to 4500s before going back up to 1300e and then back to the park.  We did another lap around the baseball diamonds, and then went over to the bathrooms for a drink.  Then I showed Ben the region 6 course, though we didn't do all of it.  He finished with 5 and a half miles total and I went to 6.  I made it to the downhill before the turn to head over to Bessie.  My calves were pretty sore but they were fine as I kept going.  Also I was about to go at about 8 minute pace which was awesome because I felt like we were going a lot slower!  

Today I just had time for a run to Sugarhouse, a grass lap, and then home since I had to get to campus to take a test.  My right hip was hurting pretty bad at work yesterday so I asked Hana if I could get it looked at sometime.  This morning it feels fine, I hope it can hold up for another 8 hour shift tonight!

This morning Abigail and I got our runs done early at Sugarhouse.  We missed the group by 5 minutes but decided we'd just do laps on the grass.  After the first lap we stopped to stretch for a few minutes, then we did 2 laps in the opposite direction.  Being done by 7:30 I have to admit was a little weird since usually that'd be when we're waking up to go run!

This morning I took my iPod for a run to Fairmont.  I stayed on 14th east until it ended and then cut down to 13th.  I had a thought that this week and next week are like a long game of fugitive since I am limited for places to run trying to avoid the direction of campus and runs that we do from there.  At 2100s I cut through the shopping center and then across Highland Drive and past the old DI to Fairmont park.  I did a lap and then a little more until I reached 2.75, and then turned and did a lap the opposite way and then ran back home the same way I came.  I did countdown abs when I got home.  As for my hip, it didn't hurt that bad today.  The doctor wasn't that helpful yesterday, he told me to take advil.  And he used an xray from 2009 to make the diagnosis.  I'm getting a second opinion.

This morning Abigail wanted me to do a long run with her.  Since I couldn't think of any loop I wanted to do, we got dropped off at 6200s and 2300e.  We would have started from the road we ran to Sugarhouse from when it was a really windy day, but we didn't know the way but we figured 6200 would be fine since we would be running to our house.  The first mile we felt great but I think both of us kinda crashed after that.  Potty break at Great Harvest and then continued on our way.  When I got to Keller Lane I waited for Abigail to see if she was doing alright, and then I kept going.  From there I was able to bring the pace down the rest of the run.  When I got to 1400e I disliked the trees dropping all the yellow floaters.  Finished at 8.5 and walked the rest of the way home.  The car odometer said 8 to where we started but since Abigail wanted 10 anyway I guess extra was fine.  

This morning Ben came over and we decided to go run Pipeline since we haven't done that in a while :)  the idea even pulled Abigail out of bed to come along.  We ran all the way out to Rattlesnake and then stopped to enjoy the view before going back.  There were a lot of people on the trail today and on the way out I was kind of annoyed at a large group of runners who made us step aside for each of them rather than each of them moving just a little bit to let 2 of us by.  Fortunately we did not see them on the way back.  Just before we got back to the bridge I tripped and ripped my hand open :(  but since the river was right there I went ahead and rinsed the dirt out of my hand and tore the skin off while it was numbed.  It stung the rest of the way back.  Once we got off the trail we added just a little extra to get to 9.5.  And I didn't realize before but that rounded off my weekly mileage nicely at 40 :)

This morning I went for a nice run up Emigration Canyon.  I originally intended to turn at 3.5 and end with 7 for the day, but right as I got there I finally got hit with a cool canyon breeze so I had to stay and enjoy it a little longer.  So I went to 4 miles before turning.  On the way back down there was a dead snake (I think maybe a rattlesnake, I didn't want to look closer) that I don't think was there on the way up... It's head was squished, I think a biker got it.  As I got back to Wasatch Drive I saw Lauren from me team and she slowed down to run with me for a bit, until 13th when I turned and went home.  Afterwards I enjoyed a nice cold shower.  I really should start getting up earlier so I can run before it gets hot.

This morning I gave Abigail a ride out to Wheeler Farm and stuck around for a workout.  Warmed up with a big loop around the farm and then a lap around the field before collecting out water bottles from the cars and meeting in the field to stretch.  We did that for a few minutes and then did 8 strides.  Then we jogged over to the loop we do workouts around for fartlek.  We did a ladder of 1 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off, 3 on 2 off, 4 on 3 off, and the same back down, two 4s at the top.  It isn't as sandy by the river as in previous years so we were able to get good turnover there, unlike previous years.  After the last one we gathered our water bottles and went back to the cars and then did another loop around the farm for cooldown to get to 10.

This morning I went up to Drycreek for an early run before it got hot.  I grabbed some larger rocks than I usually do to take up to the pile.  It was a relief when I finally made it to the top and dropped them off!  The pile seems to be shrinking, I guess we should run there more.  I went out to 4 miles and then turned.  After I finished I was in somewhat of a hurry to get to the doctor for a second opinion about my hip.  I was a lot more impressed with the flexibility and range of motion tests he did.  He diagnosed sacroiliac joint dysfunction, as well as gluteus tendinitis.  He figures that because it is my right hip and the outside leg for doing laps on a track, that is why.  I'm probably going to be starting physical therapy on it soon since I don't really want to wait for my trainer to get back.

This morning I decided I'd head over to the East track for some turnover work.  I ran there for warmup, and then did a mile of speedchanges.  I did them with right turns to give my hip a break.  I stretched for a few minutes and then got on the line for a 400, also opposite direction.  I hit a 1:20 and was a little disappointed, so while I ran my recovery lap I decided instead of doing 10 400s like I had thought of, I was going to break it up.  Next I did two 200s both in 37, equal jogs recovery.  For the second 200 of every set I decided I'd do it with a left turn so I don't cause problems on the other side.  I ended up doing 5 sets of 400, 200, 200.  My times on the other sets were 1:17, 37, 38, 1:17, 36, 37, 1:16, 37, 37, and 1:15, 36, 37.  I felt a lot better about the workout at the end and I was glad I decided to break the work up so I could get some good 400s in.  Afterwards I ran home and then went to physical therapy.  I did some glute exercises and bought a yellow band so I can do them at home.  The goal is going to be working on strengthening my glutes and especially avoid arching my back!  Hopefully I'll get strong soon :) and I'm not sure if I want to go back to lifting next week or not, I'll just go by how I feel.

This morning I took my iPod for a run since it's been a few days :)  I started out along 14th and then cut down to 13th and continued to 2100s.  I ran down to 900e and then turned, and did a lap around Fairmont park when I got there.  After that, I continued on 900e to 3300s.  It was the same intersection my dad and I had dropped Abigail off so she could run home from the movies last week, so I knew it was about 4 miles from there and decided to not go up all the way to Melbourne St. as I had planned but instead decided to go up to Imperial Street.  The lights on 3300s were the only times I had to stop on the whole run!  I ran back on Imperial Street and then 1700e, then 15th and finally 14th to get home.  Then I stretched for a few minutes while I watched some of the Olympic Trials on demand, since I missed a lot because of work.  Sadly, demand only shows about 5 minutes of the longer races so it cuts out at random places :( but better than nothing I suppose.  After stretching I did core and my PT exercises.

This morning I decided to do a bit of tempo as a last workout before the Murray race on the 4th.  I ran to Sugarhouse and went to a mile and half for warmup, and then stretched for a few minutes.  I thought about strides but didn't really want to do them, so I just went straight into tempo.  I did 4 miles so I figured it'd be a little over 2 laps in the park.  I started at the bottom across from the Wendy's so knew the first mile would probably be a bit slow with all the uphill but then was counting on the next mile to be quicker because of the downhill.  The first mile was 6:55, followed by 6:30, then 6:49, and finally 6:29.  I was happy to see my times consistent for each of the laps :)  After finishing the last mile I walked for a bit and then ran 1.5 home for cooldown.  While I was on my cooldown I realized that my hip had stopped hurting after the first mile of tempo!  I had been thinking about it when it was hurting but hadn't realized when I had stopped.  I guess it warmed up, but this also tells me I should do longer warmup beforehand.  Good to know for Murray next week.  When I got home I did my PT exercises.  

I decided to start my week off with a nice long run.  I didn't want to get up early enough to go with my sister, and felt lucky that it was only 75 degrees when I started my run.  I decided that I was going to do a bit of fartlek in the run after 3 miles to see how my hip felt so I would know if 3 miles will be enough warmup on Wednesday.  I allowed myself to take my iPod, but turned it off during the 10 sets of 1 minute on 1 minute off.  I ran the cemetery loop route from my house, and started fartlek when I was just past 2700s so I wouldn't be stopped by traffic during my first minute on.  I felt great during all 10, finishing on 1800e right before the road Ts and I go down to 1700e (I don't do the loop in the cemetery when I'm by myself usually, so I skipped it today).  I stopped to stretch for a few minutes before running another 4 miles up along 1900e to Sunnyside and home.  Then I did my PT, countdown abs, and I even decided to do a few pushups.  I decided as long as I'm going to be skipping out on lifting, I should at least maintain my own routines for core like I've done in previous years.  

This morning after I couldn't get to sleep past 6, I got up and went for my run.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did 2 laps, and came home.  It was already 75 degrees and the sun wasn't even up yet!  So I'm glad I got it done early.  Then I went to physical therapy to find out that my next appointment actually is next Tuesday.  So I went home and took a nap.  Then woke up and did my PT exercises.  Last day of work before I finally have some days off!  5 days in a row is tough :P  Hoping to not stay up too late after I get home so I can get some good rest before Murray.

This morning after Abigail, my dad, and I picked up our bibs, I went for a 2 mile warmup with Abigail.  We ran around the Indian head and then along the pavement by the river like the Murray Invite cross country course.  We thought about how that part of the park had been flooded last year, and now how crazy it is that this year there are fires everywhere!  No happy medium there.  After finishing 2 miles, we took our Gus and changed shoes and headed over to the start line.  We did some strides and a few drills, and then stood by for several minutes while they waited to start the race.  It was hot standing in the pack of runners, and I'm sure if we had to stand that close after the race it would have been really smelly.  Finally the race started and we had to wait for the people in front of us to move before we could get out.  Right at the start I was able to catch up to Stefanie who had taken the lead.  I was with her for a few strides but gradually broke away.  Rather than settle and fight it out later, I decided I'd have to go with some of the guys in the race if I wanted to try and pull away.  That is one thing I really love about road races is having guys to work off of and to compete with when the lead is taken.  I felt like I was pushing pretty evenly and running well.  I definitely didn't start out too fast like I have in previous years at this race.  I didn't wear my watch so I have no clue what my splits were, I thought there'd be people calling them out at each mile mark.  Guess not but I didn't really mind.  This was a good mental toughness race.  Coming to the turnaround I was surprised to see that Stefanie was still pretty  close and so were a few other women.  Abigail was in 6th so I was happy for her :)  The rest of the race I was running in fear that the women behind me would close the gap.  I was also focused on trying to get up to the guys in front of me, but they weren't getting any closer.  But I also wasn't getting any farther away so that was okay too.  Going around the corner onto Vine Street I tried to sneak a glance behind me but there were too many people there for the parade that would be coming so I couldn't see anything.  I focused on keeping my form good and running tall.  Coming to the final turn into the park I knew I should be picking it up.  I did a little bit, but I know I definitely have a lot more kick in me than I used...  I'll have to work on that in workouts coming up.  After I finished I walked back from the finish to watch for my dad to come in.  Then I went back to the flagpole where I had stashed my shoes and changed back to my trainers while eating a strawberry popsicle.  I have learned the hard way at this race that if you don't get to the popsicles fast, you won't get the good kind.  Then I grabbed my iPod and went for a cooldown.  Abigail came with me for the first bit but didn't stay with me long since she wasn't going as far.  I was running around the baseball diamonds when I heard clapping and then I turned and then Jamal was there on his cooldown too!  So I took out my iPod and ran the rest of my cooldown with Jamal.  We ran backwards the course along the parade route, so we caught some of the parade as it came by.  We turned down one of the streets along the route after a while and then headed back towards the park.  I finished with 3.75 cooldown to get to 9 for the day.  Did my PT when I got home.

This morning I was so glad for the rain because I was able to sleep in and not worry about having to run in the heat!  When I finally got up I grabbed my iPod and went for a run.  I don't worry about it getting ruined by the water because I have completely submerged it in the ice bath before... I ran up 1300s to Wasatch Drive, then stretched for a moment before continuing over to the paved Shoreline Trail that goes by the freeway.  The climb up to the bridges wasn't as bad as I remember it being from last time I did this run, which was awesome.  The park on the other side of the freeway looked neat in the rain.  Coming out of there was a bit more hilly than I remembered, but it was worth it.  After leaving the park I took 2700s to 2000e and then cut down to 1700e before the freeway underpass, and then went over to Sugarhouse.  I did part of a clockwise lap before going home since I remember this run being just short of 10 last time.  It felt great to be finished!  I did my PT exercises, and then went puddle jumping with Nat after she finished her run :)  The track at East has some great puddles :)

This morning I got up and joined the group going up to Pipeline.  I went out to Rattlesnake and back.  I was with Kiley's friend Ryan just about the whole run.  On the way back my left knee started hurting pretty bad and felt really tight, but Ryan said I wasn't limping or favoring it or anything so I just kept going.  It did stop hurting a couple of miles later, but after I finished it was popping when I would bend or straighten it.  When I got home I did my PT exercises, though I cut the last one, side planks, because yesterday when I was doing that one it felt like there was a pinching in my back to the left of my spine.  The fact that I still have pain when I don't even go to lifting makes me feel even better about not going!  In August when I am done working I think I will go back.  But it also depends on what the physical therapist says.  

This morning I decided I'd do some mile repeats down at Liberty.  Part of me wanted to change my mind because it was a bit windy, but then I told myself what I always told Abigail and Natalie this season at windy track meets.  I warmed up out on 1400e to 17th s and down to 700s, and then to the park.  Once I got to the park I stretched for a bit because my left knee was hurting again!  It was popping when I would bend and straighten it, but when I would touch it as I bent or straightened it then it wouldn't pop.  It wouldn't pop when my mom touched it yesterday so I could show her how it was popping.  I decided I might not be able to to the mile repeats so I started to run towards 900s so I could run up and go home.  But, to my surprise, my knee stopped hurting on the way over so I decided I'd try to do some speed while it was feeling good and that I'd stop if it hurt too bad.  The first mile I ran in 6:21 and I was kinda disappointed, so I was determined to do better on a second mile.  I took half mile recovery, then hit 6:08.  Not quite up to speed as much as I would love, but better than the first.  I did one more in 6:10 and my knee was hurting as I finished so I was done after that.  Most I would have done was 4.  I finished that lap around the park, got water, and then ran home back to 1700s and up to 13th e and home.  Did my PT, crunches, and pushups.  And picked a lot of apricots.

After work I decided I would go ahead and run another 5 miles to get to 60 for the week.  Ran to 17th and back 5 times.  On the last 2 times, as I almost was to 17th there was a car that followed me... Good thing the second time was when I was going to finish the last mile, I wouldn't have gone back after that.

This morning when I woke up and it was already 82 degrees outside I knew my run was going to be hot.  After eating breakfast, I hurried and got ready to go.  I grabbed my iPod and then was out the door.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did part of a counter clockwise lap to 1700e, and then did the cemetery loop route.  When I got to 3300s I went up to Melbourne to head back north.  I did the same partial lap at Sugarhouse on the way back, and finished back at my house with 9 for the day.  Then I did my PT, countdown abs, and I decided to do some yoga as well :)  I am thinking of adding a yoga class to my fall schedule since I only have 3 classes...

This morning I didn't feel like getting up early enough to run before going to physical therapy.  I got a few new exercises to add to my daily routine.  I didn't run later and just decided to wait for the group meeting at Sugarhouse this evening.  When I got to the park I didn't see anyone so I went ahead and did a backwards lap around the perimeter.  My lungs hurt really bad, did I mention I have a cold?  I think I picked up something from work.  I was ready to just drive home after that first lap but when I got back to the car I saw there were actually a few people and Michelle convinced me to run with them.  I ran another lap warmup with her and to my surprise, my lungs didn't hurt so bad.  Then I was convinced to do fartlek.  I kept up with 2 of the Bingham boys on the first one but after that they caught up to the other 2 and Jamal so I was on my own after that.  I ended up just doing 10 sets, I wasn't feeling like going for 15.  I finished the lap I was on and then went to the cars and stretched for a bit and talked until everyone had finished.  It was nice to be able to run with a group after being solo most of the summer!  :)  When I got home I took some codeine to help with the cough.  This week I'm going to try not to focus on miles and just try to get healthy.

This morning I slept past my alarm because I thought my sister had told me I couldn't come to the slurpee run... I guess that was just a dream haha, but I needed the extra sleep.  3 hours later I finally woke up and I was definitely feeling a lot better than yesterday!  And lucky me, it was cloudy so it was 83 when I ate breakfast and still 83 when I went running!  I ran up 1300s to Wasatch Drive, then over to the drinking fountain by the paved Shoreline Trail, and back along Foothill all the way over to 500s and 1300e, then home.  Finished with a short 2 blocks out and back to get to a full 9.  Then I went inside and did my PT exercises.  My hips are sore.

After I got home from babysitting I was able to get Abigail to come for a run with me.  The deal was we had to do her route though, and I actually liked it better than the one I had in mind.  We went out on 1400e to 17ths, up to 1500e to 900s, then up to 1700e over to Emerson.  I thought it was going to be one of her creepy stalker runs but it wasn't.  The best part was, on the way back we didn't have to do the whole thing since it was 3 miles out and we only wanted 5 miles :) Also I bought a foam roller today!  So now that is going to be part of my post-run routine.

This morning I decided to do a workout.  I ran to the track at East for warmup, followed by a mile of speechanges.  I wanted to do 12 400s with a lap recovery each.  I decided to break it up into 3 sets, just switching directions between sets.  I did the first and third sets clockwise, the second counter-clockwise.  My times were 1:18, 1:19, 1:19, 1:19, 1:19, 1:21, 1:20, 1:19, and then I only did 2 in the last set but hit 1:19, 1:20.  It is really hard not to be negative about these times.  They were consistent and ok for being alone.  But I know I am capable of better.  But I also have to remind myself I've been sick... and hope that that is the reason they weren't very fast.  Afterwards I changed back to my trainers and did a mile cooldown on the track and home to finish with 9 miles for now.  Then I did my PT exercises.

This evening I went for a run in North Ogden after a wonderful ladies day with Emilie :)  After we got to the pool I put on my running clothes and went for a run.  I ran up Washington Boulevard as far as I could and then followed the detour route where the road was closed.  I made it to 1050e on what I'm pretty sure is the road that goes up the Divide.  I turned at 2.5 and then went back the same way to get to 5.  Then I went swimming with Emilie and Star :) 

This morning I grabbed my iPod and went for a run.  I though 8 miles would be nice, so I started a loop.  I ran to 2100s and then down to 900e.  I came back north and then cut down to Liberty Park at 1300s.  I did a full lap around the perimeter, and then left the park at 900s.  I went back up to 900e and then ran to 600s where I decided to go up.  I knew just about any street would give me a large uphill, but this one was steep right at the bottom.  But I'm glad it was because then it was less steep at the top and felt easier.  At 1300e I crossed and then went to 500s.  Then I ran up to Guardsman, ran home, and finished with 9.  Just 11 miles left for tomorrow :)  did my PT when I got inside.

This morning I ran an 11 miler to finish off the week at 65.  I ran up 1300s to Wasatch, then over to Sunnyside and down to Foothill.  I ran on Foothill over to the light at Guardsman and then ran through campus to the Avenues like the old Shriner's route.  I ran to the drinking fountain, which of course wasn't on, and then decided I wanted to head home and see how many miles I'd still need.  I ran down Virginia Street all the way to 500s, then cut down to 1300e.  To extend the route, once I got to 1300s I ran up to 1500e and ran to Sunnyside and back.  When I finished my right hip was hurting a bit but stretching out helped.  Then I did my PT, and I decided to do countdown abs today starting with leg lifts,  then jack-knives, and finally V-ups.  

This morning I joined my sister at practice for my run.  They did the cemetery loop.  I was with the group for the first bit but before we hit Alden Street I felt cramps coming on and had to drop the pace a bit.  By the time we got back up to Imperial Street the feeling was gone so I tried to pick up the pace a bit.  I broke a lot of walls on this run because as I kept feeling better I was able to get the pace back up.  I did 2 laps in the cemetery, and then was cruising at 7:20 pace on the way back to Sugarhouse.  Or maybe that was because I was mad that the rest home on 33rd wouldn't let me use a restroom and I really had to go.  After finally getting to the park I was able to take a potty break, and then I caught up to Bill and Natalie and joined them for a lap on the road, and then I did another lap on the road to get to 11.  When I got home I did my PT exercises.  

This morning I joined the group going up to Pipeline.  Those of us that needed more mileage went up on the road to the trail head that is the end of the switchback trail route.  Then we got on the trail and ran to where the trails connect, then I kept going all the way to Rattlesnake.  The Davis team was there which was kinda cool, good thing they run in groups so it was easy to step aside once to let them pass.  After running back to the cars I had to add .2 to get to the full 14.  I think this ties my longest run ever, which was also on trails up at Drycreek.  When I got home I didn't do my PT before going to work... so ended up just doing 2 exercises later when I got home.

This morning we went out to Cottonwood Complex.  We did a lap around the softball diamonds and then out on the road for warmup of 3 miles.  Then we did strides and stretches.  We did 3 different hills, 4 times each.  Bessie first, then rollercoaster, and finally Miranda.  It was nice that we got the hard ones out of the way first!  Then we did 2 laps around the baseball diamonds and then the same warmup route, and then another lap for cooldown to finish at 10.  I did my PT when I got home.

This morning at Sunnyside we started with a warmup over to the gully with 3 and a half laps and back to the park.  Then we stretched for a few minutes before doing 2 sets of Flannagan circuits.  Then we did step-ups.  Following that, we ran up Sunnyside to Emigration Canyon.  I was with Natalie and Tomy most of the way, and Sarah S., Bill, and Chris for parts of it.  We ran 5 miles up, which got us to the firestation, and then stretched for a minute before running back down to Sunnyside.  Then I had 17 minutes to hurry over to Foothill Village for the sidewalk sale to start.  At Salt Lake Running I found 2 pairs of Mizunos in my size for $65 each :)  I was very happy, especially since I am pretty sure I have the most common foot size for runners since last year my size was gone at the sidewalk sale.  That is why I made sure to get there right when they started :)  When I got home I did my PT.

Later in the evening I decided to go for another run.  I was doing the 5 mile route I did with Abigail a few weeks ago, but when I made it to Emerson on 17th I felt really sick and didn't want to run anymore.  Abigail was at a friend's house nearby so I went over and she gave me a ride home.  3 miles is better than nothing I suppose.  And I won't regret not running last night because I really needed sleep. 

This morning I went with the group at Liberty.  We did a lap warmup, and then stretching before running over to the painted start line.  Since Abigail and I are racing tomorrow and not at Des, we didn't do the workout but we did backwards laps to cheer everyone else on.  Kiley only did one set so when she finished we all did strides together.  Sarah B. even joined us for a few.  She is doing her first half marathon tomorrow! :)  Then we did a lap cooldown to get to 6 for the day.  When I got home I foam rolled and did my PT.

This morning after arriving at the park and taking a quick potty break I ran out a mile and back on the Porter Rockwell trail.  Abigail and Clayton joined me on the way back.  We stopped to look at a zebra that some people own who live near one of the crossings of the trail.  Then I did another half mile out and back.  Then I had about 12 minutes to race time so I hurried and changed shoes and headed over to do a few strides.  I did probably about 3.  The start area was different this year so it was packed just walking back to the start, not to mention having to narrow down to go under the red arch and by the finish.  Fortunately, I was able to get out with a great start.  Kiley was with me for the first bit, but then I passed her and didn't have contact with any other women in the race.  For a few seconds.  Then Stefanie was right by my side and soon Allie was there too.  I went with them when they would pass guys, and then I was thinking to myself deciding what I should do.  I could stay with them and just match their moves, but I also told myself that I had broken away at Murray so why shouldn't I be able to break away here?  I went with the second option and surged ahead, focusing on the pack of guys in front of me.  I caught up to Ryan, and at that point we were sort of the lead of what had become the second pack as the larger pack of leaders was breaking away.  Working with Ryan really helped me, I did my best to hang on up to the first mile mark.  There wasn't anyone calling splits and I don't race with a watch, but I'm sure I ran a decent time for that mile.  Around the corner I glanced back (not a great angle to do so in this race but better than just turning to look) and saw neon yellow close by so I knew this was not going to be easy.  Also I read my blog entry for this race last year and was reminded that on this slight downhill portion of the race last year was where Emily broke away from me, and I didn't want that to happen again.  A guy in red caught up to me so I decided to push to stay with him.  Going around the second corner I was pretty sure I could hear female breathing behind me so for that side of the race I was running in fear of getting caught and passed.  I passed the guy in red back and forth a few times which helped, and I kept my eyes up on Ryan in his blue because that was an easy focus point.  I threw in a lot of surges and fought a really hard mental battle to be strong during this stretch.  My back was hurting and my pockets were sore but I pushed through the pain because I wanted to win.  Coming around the corner going east again I think was the last time I could hear breathing behind me.  I had closed a bit on Ryan but when we got down the driveway and to the final few hundred meters he kicked it in hard.  So did the guy in red, I tried to stay with him but his kick was too strong.  I finished just over 18, and am not disappointed to not have broken it.  The next girl finished 6 seconds behind me; if I hadn't made all the surges I did I think she would have beat me.  After Kiley and Abigail finished, we went with Ryan and then found Ethan to join us for cooldown.  We did a 5 mile loop that goes backwards over part of the course and then up on a road that took us back onto the Porter Rockwell trail.  I did another mile when we got back to the park to finish at 70 for the week :)  It was awesome :)  Next week I think I will go to 75, and the week after that are my last 2 days of work so I think I will be able to use my free time to try to make it to 80 :) and get some good workouts in.

This morning my sister and I went to Liberty with the group.  We did the warmup lap with them, but then we were on our own when they did firemen because we raced Saturday and aren't racing tomorrow.  We went for 10 miles.  I did another lap, this time on the perimeter of the park, and then decided I would go out on 500e to 3300s, up to 7th e and back to the park.  I did that and then needed just under a mile and a half, so I did that on the sidewalk in the park.  I was walking back to the drinking fountain when I finished and then decided I'd be productive and do some drills.  I was really sore, some of them hurt.  When I got back to the car I stretched for several minutes while I waited for Abigail to finish.  Then we went to the store and bought 2 gatorades for $3!  When we got home I did my PT and then foam rolled.

This morning my sister and I enjoyed getting to sleep in for a day since we weren't doing Des and there wasn't practice.  Except then it started raining for a bit and since we camped out in the yard it was time to go inside.  I put on running clothes and grabbed my iPod and Garmin.  I started out on 1500e to 2100s, then up to 1900e and over to Sunnyside.  Then I ran down to the track and did eight 200s with equal recovery.  I didn't time them, but I'd like to think there were some good ones in there.  They probably were actually around 40 though, something I can work on.  But I just wanted to get some turnover in but not a real workout.  Afterwards I stretched for a few minutes before continuing on my run.  I ran down to 1300e and then over to 500s.  I saw some of the marathoners going down the hill as I went up.  I turned at Guardsman and then went over to 900s.  From there I went up to 2100e and then to 1700s down to 1400e and home.  The rain clouds went away during the middle of my run so the last half got very hot.  I had to go buy myself some more 2 for $3 gatorades.

This morning I went with my sister to Sugarhouse.  We ran a warmup lap around the perimeter of the park and then made a stretching circle.  After that we did a a few drills and core exercises.  Then we stopped back at the cars for water before going for a run.  We went up to 2100e, over to 2700s, down to Alden Street, to Parkway Avenue and back to the park.  I then added 2 laps around the outside of the park to get to 11 for the day.  When I got home I did my PT and foam rolled.

This morning I ran on my own since I had to be back in time for PT.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did part of an outer loop up to 1700e, then ran backwards the last bit of the cemetery loop.  When I got to 3300s, I decided to be spontaneous and keep going on the road that goes about the cemetery.  It is called Honeycut Road.  I took that over to 3900s where it ended, and then I turned down.  I ran to 900e and then turned back north.  I decided I'd go to 1700s and then back up to 1400e and home.  It was 10.5 miles, I had hoped for 12 but I needed to get ready for PT.  I got a few new exercises to add to my daily routine and I am probably going to go back to lifting next week.  

This morning we left early to spend the day in Lava Hot Springs!  :)  When we got there around 8 Bill drew a map in the dirt of the 6 mile loop we'd be doing.  He said it would be flat, but the first part had rolly hills.  Still it wasn't bad.  We went down Main Street and then just stayed on it as it curved, making one turn but still onto a road that was easy to follow.  At one point this little dog started running with Ethan, and when I caught up to him it stayed with both of us.  After the first lap I ran into Tomy because he had gone up to get water from the cars, and I decided to stay with him.  We named the dog Taylor RJ OuiBell because it would hang back and play and then sprint up ahead of us.  We could tell it was getting tired but it still came with us.  We hoped it would go home when we passed its' house...  and it did.  I was glad to be running with Tomy on the second lap, and Chris and Ethan when they were with us, because it made it a lot easier!  And Ben even decided to drop back in with us and finish.  Once we were finished we went and rented some tubes to enjoy the river :)  We went down a few times, stopping a couple times at the hot pots right by the river.  It made I think the best birthday ever!!! :)  After returning home mid afternoon, Ben got me out of the house so Abigail could sneakily invite a ton of people over to roast s'mores and starbursts :)  And then to wrap it all up, I got to watch a rerun of the London Olympic opening ceremony :)

This morning I got up and went for an easy run that felt great.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did a clockwise lap, then went up to 1900e over to Sunnyside for a lap there.  Then I ran up Sunnyside Avenue to Wasatch Drive and then ran that over to 1300s and down back to home.  I'm glad I decided to just hit 65 this week instead of 75, my legs hurt really bad yesterday... maybe next week I'll go back up to 70, we'll see.  I did PT afterwards.  I was too sore to do them yesterday :P  

Happy hills week!  We started the week off at Drycreek by JCC.  We all knew what to expect, carrying rocks the first mile and a half and then doing the worst hill ten times on the way back.  I went out 4 miles before turning back to go do the hills.  They were a lot easier than the first time as part of the run, thankfully the trail after that part is flat and provides a nice break from the inclines of the first 2 and a half miles.  I was getting thirsty on the run back to the cars, but I've had harder times on that trail.  

For day 2 of hills week we went up to Pipeline to run the switchbacks.  They weren't as bad as I remember from last time, or maybe they just felt easy compared to yesterday.  That wasn't the hard part though.  I caught up to Tomy while still on the trail and we decided we'd go up 2 miles on the road before turning.  He got way ahead of me and when I reached 5 he hadn't turned.  Bill and Nat were close behind so I kept going and they did too.  Finally I reached 6 and was ready to turn but Bill said it was really close to the top so Nat and I just went the rest of the way.  At the parking lot we were at 6.12 so I wanted to hit 6.25 before going back down.  We went just a little way out on the trail there and then turned and began our descent down the mountain.  Right before we got back on the trail I got a stabbing pain in my back so I had to stop for a few seconds and stretch before I could continue.  I  didn't see the others until the finish but the way back once hitting the trail again was quick.  When I got home I did my PT.

Today we ran just about the most brutal trail I know!  That is actually runnable of course, we have hiked some pretty tough ones as a team before.  6 miles up and back on Guardsman Pass.  Fortunately, my memory has always had me think that the initial hill that climbs 700 feet in elevation was 2 miles, then this time I was thinking 1.5-1.75, but was glad to realize it was just 1.18 :)  Then beautiful scenery to enjoy for the rest of the way.  When we got to 6 we were really close to an overlook into the Park City area so we ran over there to stop and admire the pretty site before turning back.  Although I knew the worst was over, the way back was exhausting.  I almost tripped and barely caught myself, but it was rough and knocked some wind out of me!  By the time I reached the final descent I was by myself and excitedly counting down the quarter miles to go.  With .25 to go I thought how lucky it was that I had almost fallen twice but saved myself.  Then with .15 to go I wiped out.  I sat there and cried for a few seconds before I could make myself get up and finish.  As soon as I reached 12 I stopped and walked the rest of the way back to the cars.  A happy thought about this run; if nationals were a course on this mountain, Natalie and I would win :)

This morning we completed hills week at Cottonwood Complex.  We did an extended warmup out to 4500s and across over to a trail that goes in a big circle and has a lot of plants.  After doing a loop there we went around these baseball diamonds to get out of the park on the other side and cross another street over to a disc golf course.  We saw some bunnies there and they were so cute!  After doing follow the leader for about 2 loops we went over to a pavilion at the top of the hill.  It is like a miniature of the one at Cottonwood.  After stretching for 5 minutes (not 30!) we went to the bottom of the hill and did 10 loops similar to what we do at Sugarhouse, only these are smaller loops.  Then we ran back to the first park we were at, did a lap through some cantaloupe and watermelon crops, and then went back out to 4500s and to the Complex.  Then we got water before going over to run Bessie.  We ran up to the fence, took a minute, and ran back 4 times.  Then we were finished!  Did a 3.5 mile cooldown to get to 12 for the day.

This morning I slept in for a bit before getting up to go on a short run. I signed up for a half marathon last night that starts at 10pm tonight, so this morning was just a shakeout. I ran to the gully for 3 laps and then back home. On the first lap I was disappointed to find that the hole in the fence at the top of the hill was closed off. So I ran back down the hill, across the bridge, and then crossed back over at the next bridge.

Finally come race time, Ben put me on the first bus to the start line.  Its probably a good thing this driver left first, we ended up at the airport and arriving later than some of the buses that left after us.  On the bus I sat next to a guy who ran this race last year so he told me a little about it.  He said it wasn't very competitive since some people kinda get silly with the glow sticks, but I had decided that as long as I paid a high price to get in I was going to at least go for time.  When we got there I warmed up about a mile and then did a lot of strides and drills.  I took 4 of the LED bracelets that they provided, relieved to find out that if you pushed the button 3 times it would just be on and not flashing!  I'm not epileptic, but these bracelets were annoying.  I also had three of my own glow bracelets, and I set my Garmin to be lit the whole time too.  When the race started I was standing next to a guy who also looked like a serious runner with a Garmin and few glow items.  I was right, when the race went out we took the lead.  We were together the first 2 miles of the race, which was good because if I wasn't with him I would have gone straight instead of making a left to go under a bridge.  I had even asked the race director if he had a course map I could look at, but he just said it was straight.  Straight my @$$#^.  Maybe for someone who runs this trail a lot it would be easy to know the way, but not me.  At around mile two the guy I was with picked up the pace (we were going between 6:30-45ish and he seemed comfortable with it, and I knew it was PR pace so I was ok with it to start and conserve).  I knew I could probably stick with him if I pushed, but since there were 11 miles left in the race I didn't want to try to go with him and then be out of gas for the duration of the race.  I told myself I would just try to keep the pace I was at and not get thrown off by him picking up speed.  Eventually he became just a silhouette in the distance and then I couldn't see him anymore.  At one part on the trail there were some people with a horse, the shape of the horse in the dark was a little frightening.  Eventually I came to another bridge that I had to go under, and I was really hoping that it was the right way because there was also the option of continuing straight.  I confirmed that it was the right way when I came to the next water station.  They really should light those up more because you can't see them from more than 100 meters away.  And if they aren't calling out water versus powerade you can't tell what you are grabbing.  Eventually I came to a part of the trail that crosses a road and was surprised that no race people were there to stop traffic (though there wasn't any so I guess it didn't matter) but on the other side of the street when I continued straight I ended up on a path that was not paved.  It went into some trees and then the bushes got thicker and thicker, and then I was really scared and was not going to keep going that way alone.  I burst into tears at that point and ran back the other way.  When I got back to the road I realized that the path continued to the right (now left) of before but I missed it because it was so dark.  The next water stop was just a little bit more ahead.  I wish they could have moved at least one person down to that corner so that 19 year old girls running by themselves wouldn't get lost and scared.  I kept going and maintained my pace pretty well.  It was a bit of a relief to get to the 10 mile mark where the 10k turnaround is, I was able to catch some of the walkers on that course.  At one point I looked to my left and saw cows!  That was a little scary, but they weren't as close as the cows get at Jeremy Ranch.  Getting to the 5k turnaround was another relief, and I was happy that I was so close and still feeling so strong.  Finally I got to the guy with the batons pointing to the "only turn" on the course.  Then it was back to the fairgrounds to the finish where my parents, brother, and Ben were there to cheer me on.  I was so happy to be finished but still burst into tears again because I had been so frightened being alone out on that trail most of the way and being in darkness.  I finally cheered up when they did awards and I got a sparkly tiara.  Which I accidentally broke when I was trying to get it unstuck from my hair later.  Also when I was up on the awards stand, the girl who got third turned out to be the aide for my physical therapist, that was cool.   

This morning after sleeping in as much as I could (my sister called at 8:30, too early for all of us after getting home at 1 in the morning!) I ate breakfast and then got ready to go run at Pipeline.  I hoped it would be cooler up there, which it wasn't much but at least there were cool breezes.  I ran out to rattlesnake and back.  I wasn't that sore, but kept the pace relaxed and easy.  My lack of soreness tells me that I am a lot stronger than the last times I ran halfs, and I am capable of putting out a lot more effort.  Last night wasn't the time to try to go crazy though, next time I do a half I want to find one that has competition to pull me along and make me work harder.  After I finished I stretched for a good several minutes before heading back down the canyon and to find the top-it in Holladay which I have never been to.  I found it pretty easily, I must have fro-yo radar or something.  It was delicious.  And as I was leaving I saw a lot of princesses going there for a birthday party!  So cute :)  

This morning I got up and went for a run by myself.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did a clockwise lap, and then as I was coming around to complete the lap Tomy was going the other way so asked me to join him.  I did another lap with him and then when I got to the corner at 2100s and 17th I turned and continued on the route I had chosen.  I ran up to 1900e over to 1300s, and then up to Wasatch Drive.  From there I ran over up above the zoo and then down Sunnyside.  At Foothill I turned and ran down the curve to 500s.  At Guardsman I turned and ran home.  Then I stretched for a long time before doing my PT followed by some foam rolling.  Such a nice feeling being able to do this now without having to worry about what I need t o do before work since I quit :)  

This morning I went for a lone 13 miler.  I ran to Sugarhouse and did a lap on the road, and then did 10 loops on the small hill going down to the pond.  I saw Maple Mountain's team there, a few of them said hi to me since I guest spoke for them last year when they came up to Sugarhouse for a run like they did today.  After I finished my hills I did the cemetery loop with one loop in the cemetery, and then finished at home with 13.  Afterwards I did countdown abs.

Today my sister and I went out to Cottonwood Complex.  For warmup we did the usual lap around the baseball field and then the loop around the hospital and then to 45th.  Then we did some strides before a 3 mile tempo on the region course.  I finished in about 21:40.  At that point I needed 5.4 miles to get to 12 so we ran to the park by the cantaloupe crops and disc golf course for cooldown.

For the evening I ended up joining Natalie for a run when my sister and I texted about hanging out.  We didn't really know where we wanted to go so we grabbed a penny and did a coin toss to determine turns.  We ended up going to Sugarhouse, doing a lap around the perimeter, and then going back to Natalie's house.  As we were finishing, Bill turned the corner in search of bikes to take up to Jeremy Ranch tomorrow.  Too bad I have physical therapy and can't make it :( 

This morning I got up early to get my run done before going to physical therapy.  Last night I realized school starts a week earlier than I thought it did, so I allowed myself to take my iPod since next week is team camp and I will have to run without it then anyway.  From my house I ran down 1300e to South Temple and then cut up to Virginia Street to 11th Avenue.  I stopped to stretch at the top of the hill before continuing.  I ran up City Creek to 5.5 and then ran back home the way I came.  Good thing I started as early as I did because with my stretching break and stops at lights I had 15 minutes to get to PT.  I got a few new exercises to do and  level ups on some others. 

This morning I went to Liberty with the group since my days are numbered to when I return to camp :(  We started with a lap warmup and then stretched for a few minutes while we regrouped.  Then we ran on 500e out to 3300s, did a mile of speedchanges on Granite's track, and ran back to Liberty on 500e.  Back to the drinking fountain was about 5 and a quarter so Kiley and I ran out some and back to finish at 10 for the morning.  Did PT when I got home, really worn out.

At night we played golf!  But running!  After a mile out and back on Wasatch for warmup, we shook dice to determine where we would start; yellow, white, blue, or black.  Only girls were allowed to get yellow, except for me :P  But I didn't ever roll one, we rolled for 6 but weren't sure how much time we had.  I got blue, white, blue, blue, black, black.  Before each one we set up a cone to mark the finish and the green so we wouldn't run on it.  We scored like cross country, in order of finish at the cone, and low score at the end wins.  I got 7, 7, 8, tie for 6 (5.5), and 9... (if I remember correctly, but I took 8th out of the 10 of us there).  It was a lot of fun, except when we got to the last hole I looked down to see worms everywhere! Then they all disappeared back into the earth faster than I've ever seen any worm move before :P  it was so disgusting and I did not like standing on them :P  Next time I think we can skip this area with all the worms :(  For cooldown we ran back to the cars, I finished at 6.5. 

This morning I grabbed my iPod and went for the run that gives me a new record for my highest mileage week of 80!!! :)  Not that I'll be running this much again for a while, but it has been years in getting to this point :)  I ran up 1300s to Wasatch Drive, over to the drinking fountain on Foothill, down to Guardsman, over to Sunnyside for 2 laps, and then home along 1700e and back down 1300s.  I think I might need to take a break from PT today... or maybe I'll do some later.  Yesterday was pretty painful.

This morning I went on my final run of the summer before reporting for cross country cap tomorrow.  For warmup with the group we did a lap around Sunnyside and then continued down to the track at East.  There we did a mile and a mile of speedchanges, bringing total warmup to 3 and a half.  Then we did 12 400s.  I was able to hang with Natalie for most of them so it was nice to work together.  The first one was 1:25, we struggled getting out well with there being so many of us.  The next ones I hit 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:21, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20.  Talk about consistency.  Definitely achievable, and great for not having done something like this for a while.  I hope during cross country I don't get held back during workouts like last year.  When we finished we cooled down back up to Sunnyside for water and then did the VA loop.  With Bill, Chris, and Tomy I did a lap in the cemetery and then went down to 1300e and over to Sunnyside to go back up to the park, where we finished with a lap around the tennis courts to get to a full 12 for the day.  

This morning we had to wait half hour after our compliance meeting before meeting for our run.  I did most of my PT during that time, so it wasn't a complete waste of time, but I didn't get to do all my miles like I had hoped.  With the group we ran out on Foothill and then over to the Bonneville gully to do laps.  The creek is all dried up at the bottom.  After doing 2 laps there, the other girls returned and Hilary and I kept going for our mileage.  We ran to Sunnyside Park next and did a lap there, and then went over to the cemetery for a loop there before running back up to HPER.  When we got there we did 8 strides up the hill by the Huntsman Center, and then finished to 8.  And I just remembered that I forgot to add on at the end what my Garmin missed at the beginning, so I guess I can take that part off of my second run tonight...  In Eden. :) 

In the evening we went up to the campgrounds by North Fork for a short run.  We ran the loops that go around a lot of the campgrounds.  By the end I was with Hilary so we finished when we reached 13 for the day. 

This morning we went for a run on the trail by Pineview Reservoir.  We started out on the trail and then half mile in ran into nowhere after running through some tall grasses and drenching our socks, and then we had to run back through it to find where the trail went.  We were supposed to turn on a bridge, but our photographer was there the first time so I didn't really think and just ran straight.  Back on the trail though it was a great run.  I was with Hilary and Kep until a little bit past 3 miles, and then Hilary and I turned around.  We added some at the end to get to the full 6.  Then we did a lot of strides for our camera man.  Did PT back at the condo.  We have a tempo run this afternoon.

This afternoon we did our workout starting from Eden Park.  We warmed up out a mile and back on the road, and then did our strides and drills and changed shoes.  We had 2 groups, one for 800s and one on 1200s.  I went with the 1200 group.  Hilary and I decided we'd tell ourselves we were doing 5.  The first one I stayed with Bekah and we ran 4:41 (1:33, 3:09), then on the second I hit 4:28 (1:29, 2:59, also most uphill out of all of them), and then I finished back with 4:36 (1:31, 3:04) and 4:34 (1:29, 3:03) for the last 2.  I was really tired during the last one so decided to be done.  I'm glad I broke out and went the pace I felt was better for me at this time.  I also liked that we ran the first two out and the last 2 back, it made it seem to go by quicker.  Then we changed shoes back and Hilary and I went on a 4.75 mile cooldown.  We ran down the road that the park is on first, but after that turned out to be a dead end we turned on the way back and ended up out on the road we had been doing the 1200s on.  We almost made it to the turn towards Huntsville before turning around.  On the way back when we were almost to the Valley Elementary we were really hot and there was an irrigation ditch (thanks Ben for the vocabulary) right there on the side of the road so we had to splash ourselves to cool off.  That made the rest of the cooldown go by much quicker :)   

This morning we slept in for a little bit before leaving at 9 to drive to Snow Basin to run.  Heading out on the trail a biker told us there was a black bear sighted there yesterday so we were alert of that.  I went out right behind Amanda and Kep, and couldn't keep up with them very long before I was by myself.  We went on the trail that goes towards green pond first, and then turned at about 2 miles where it goes steep down and then steep up so we could run on the trail that goes the other way.  It is actually a loop, but after Amanda and I were both startled by the sudden appearance of a lot of cattle on the trail (we both panicked that they were bears at first!) we were glad we were able to just turn around there and head back to the cars.  Then I needed another mile and a quarter to get to 6 so I ran up the road to a gate and then back.  Afterwards we enjoyed a nice swim in the lake over by Huntsville :)

We did a hill workout this afternoon.  We warmed up on the road at the North Fork campsites and then turned and ran on a trail.  It was pretty flat for a bit, and then went down and connected with one of the loops we had run on Tuesday.  We took the road back to the cars and then did modified drills with our strides.  The workout was sets of hills, first a 100 with walk back, then a 100 and back with a 200, and so on building up to a set ending with a 400.  My hips feel sore from the PT stuff I do only on hills, so I lagged behind the group most of the time.  Towards the end we sort of split up and Kep changed some of ours.  For the last set on mine he didn't want me to do the 400 after I finished the 200 of that set so we compromised and I did a 300 followed by a 100.  It felt so great to be done!  For cooldown we did backwards what we did for warmup, then Hilary, Amanda, and I decided we'd run down and meet the others at the gate so we wouldn't have to run back uphill for our cooldown.  It was only a half mile and we still needed another mile and a half, so we decided we would just run it all down the road and hope that they would have enough sense to drive down and find us after a while.  We finished, and then we waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally we started walking back up to see if we might see them coming.  They did, and it turns out they thought we'd have enough sense to finish at the gate like we said.  I guess we were all senseless today, but at least they were relieved to have finally found us and to finally be on the way back for dinner.   

This morning we got up early and ran on the trail by the reservoir again.  I started out quick, hoping to keep Amanda company for a little bit but that didn't last long.  At around 3 miles Hilary caught up to me so we kept going once the trail ended and crossed the highway to run up on Skyline.  We stopped at 4 to stretch for a minute before heading back the same way we had come.  On the way back I was really tired, I think I haven't been getting enough calories at camp.  Fruits and veggies are great, but I definitely miss fro-yo and ice cream...

In the evening I did my PT before going for a 4 mile run with Natalie.  We ran out on 1700e to 900s, up to Foothill until it turned to 2100e over to 2100s and back along 19th east.  It was kind of weird when we finished and realized it will be our last time running together for a while.  It has been wonderful having her as a training partner the past few years and I'm going to miss her when she goes down to the Y but I am excited to see how she does in college and hope to be able to keep up with her afterwards :) 15 minute ice bath when I got home. 

This morning we had a long run up on Pipeline.  I ran with Hilary the whole time, Giselle was with us on the way out and Nikki was with us on the way back.  We played 20 questions with Disney characters to make the time fly.  After getting back to the cars, Hil and I grabbed water and then ran up the road to get back on the trail and head back down the switchbacks.  We were at 14 right when we got to the bottom of the last one, then ran the rest of the way to not make our teammates wait any longer, then I just had to add that .1 to get to 4.25.  When we got back to campus I did a 1o minute ice bath with Kate and Giselle.  So glad this is my only run today!

First day of school!  Having just 2 classes that are each less than an hour was a great way to start the day :)  when I came back to campus later for practice, I did my PT and then when I got back to the locker room saw my name on the board to go talk to Hanah... the results of the blood testing came back and my ferittin is 22 so guess who is going to be getting tested every 4 weeks until it gets back up :(  I started on my run with Megan and Giselle.  We ran up Legacy Bridge and through upper campus up to Shoreline Trail over to Drycreek.  Megan and I decided to go up a bit, but then she turned so I was by myself.  Not wanting to run the rest of the way on the trail for lack of water, I turned before getting very far.  On the way back a bee flew up my nose, it was gross!  Next I ran down the road that connects to 11th Ave. and ran to the drinking fountain by the fire station.  I wasn't feeling like 11th today so I ran back and then down Virginia Street.  When I got to 100s I ran up and then through campus, over along Guardsman, threw in a lap at Sunnyside to get water, then down to 1300e, over to 500s, a lap in the cemetery, and back to the locker room.  

We had our first lift this morning with our new coach.  We did some glute stuff there so I didn't worry about doing my PT today.  I like this guy so far since he isn't going to push us into the Olympic lifts unless he knows we are absolutely ready.  This afternoon for workout we did hills at Red Butte.  We did our usual warmup up on the trails with our substitute drills for not wanting to lay down on the dirt.  We did a similar workout to last week's hill day at camp.  We did a 200, then a 200 and a 300, followed by 200, 300, 400, and finally 200, 300, 400, 500.  Recovery was walk half and then jog half.  I was in a group with Hilary, Lauren, Nikki D., and the two girls that are trying out.  The workout was hardest at the first for me, but we adjusted to different paces for the different lengths of the hills which really helped.  It was also nice to be broken into groups so we could run at a comfortable level for us an not have to worry about the other girls breaking away and having that shatter our confidence.  When we finished, I cooled down with Hilary a little bit up the road to pick up the cones and then we went north on Drycreek until it was too windy to continue, then we just turned around and ran back to Red Butte and then looped around upper campus until we were at 10.  Towards the end I started to notice that my right calf was hurting really bad on the outside, more above my ankle, and it hurt worst every time I would start and stop.  I think it is from one of the drills this morning so if we do that one again I will be careful.

I graduated from physical therapy today!  I will just continue to do the exercises a few times a week because my hip hasn't hurt in a while.  So great to have positive news after being put on the iron protocol.  For practice it turns out most of the girls ran earlier so at 2 I ran with Alyssa and Charlotte.  Fortunately the clouds kept it from being too hot.  We did the zoo loop, and then I showed them where the bailiff was so they could do strides.  I wasn't feeling up to it since I was cramping pretty bad, but I was planning on a second run tonight anyway so I think I will do them then.  

This evening I grabbed my iPod and went for a nice 7.5 mile loop.  I started out on 1300e over to 500s, up to Guardsman to Sunnyside, then on 19th east over to 2100s, clockwise lap at Sugarhouse and then home.  Amazingly, the only time I had to stop was at the light at Sugarhouse on the way home.  It was a very nice night out, and I even saw my dad and brother out for a bike ride when I was coming home from Sugarhouse.  I had such a nice time, I forgot to do my strides... oh well :)  I did have a nice stretch afterwards though. 

This morning we had our second lift of the season.  It was a bit tougher than the first time, but I definitely feel like we got some good work in :)  For workout this afternoon we did threshold at Liberty.  We warmed up from Trax on 9th to Liberty, then I added about to the corner and back before joining the team for our drills and strides.  Then we changed shoes and Kep grouped us up for the workout.  It was 4-6 1 mile repeats with 80 second recovery, five 200s afterwards.  He told me to try and hit 6:05-6:10 so I decided I'd go with it since I think the most repeats for miles I've ever done was 3... The other girls in my group had a target about 10 seconds behind me so though I wasn't exactly able to work with them I could still hear them which helped.  The first one I hit 6:04, then 6:05, followed by 5:59, and then 6:09 after which everyone else was done but I decided I'd go for one more and hit a 6:02.  That was the hardest one but Amanda rode her bike on the sidewalk and was calling out words of encouragement which really helped.  She told me that towards the end my form was starting to go crazy so I knew it was time to be done, but I'm glad I went the extra mile (no pun intended) and was able to work hard even when I was tired.  Afterwards I did my strides back to the cars, changed shoes, and then rather than go back to Trax I decided I'd run home for cooldown, so I ran to 1700s and up to 14th and then home, finishing at 10.5.

Today for our run we had a larger group than the usual which was great :)  Together we ran down Guardsman and 1500e to Sugarhouse, then everyone went their separate ways depending on what their need for the day was.  I did 2 laps around the perimeter of the park and then went up to 1900e and took that all the way over to Sunnyside.  I did my strides there because it is a lot easier to decide not to do them on campus than in the middle of a run.  When I finished those I ran up Sunnyside Avenue to Foothill and went back to campus that way, and I was able to avoid the hill up South Campus Drive. :)

This morning the team went for a long run up in Park City.  It was a bit chilly when we started but fortunately it is still early enough in the season that at least we warm up.  We stayed as a group pretty much the whole time, people would just turn around as they needed to get their miles.  Kate was with me up to 5 and a quarter mile, then I just had to run out one more mile on my own before heading back the same way.  The way back is always faster though so I enjoyed it.

This morning after class I went ahead and went for my run because the rest of the day is reserved for Ben since today is the last day I get to see him before he goes to the MTC on Wednesday :'(  I ran to Sugarhouse, did a clockwise lap, left the park at 1700e and started on the cemetery loop.  After doing the normal route right before I hit Imperial Street I decided I didn't want to run anymore so turned left and ran home.  When I got back to Sugarhouse I couldn't resist so I turned into the park for part of another clockwise lap.  Then I didn't feel like running back up to 1500e so I ran home along 13th and then added an extra half mile at the end to get to 9.  Then Ben surprised me with red roses :)

This afternoon we did 400s at the park on 13th East and South Temple.  We warmed up there weaving through campus to add distance but also to avoid going straight downhill to get there.  We did our drills and strides in the shade, and then changed shoes.  Since our strides were a bit short Kep made us do some longer ones before starting the workout.  He wanted us to do between 12 and 16 400s.  We started on the lower field, cut diagonally across it, up the hill to the upper field, around, and then back down and finishing back on the lower field.  If we were doing these on the track I would have been supposed to hit 77s, so he told me to try to go just above 80.  I led the first one and finished in 1:26, and after that I think everyone realized we needed to pick it up because the next 2 were 1:24 and 1:22.  We all stayed together which helped because we could work with each other but also had to do the work as crowded as we might be in a race.  The next one I hit in 1:24, then I don't remember the rest accurately but they went something like 1:25, 1:26, 1:26, 1:27, 1:30, 1:31, the 12th one being 1:33.  Kep could tell I wasn't having a good day and I told him that Ben leaves tomorrow :'(  The team waited for me to change shoes before cooling down back up to the locker room.  Hilary and I ran through the institute parking to give us the extra bit to get to 10 for the day.  When I got home I took a 13 minute ice bath and then grabbed a bowl of ice cream and fro-yo... I emptied out the fro-yo container with one scoop so had to do with ice cream, oh well. ;P

This afternoon when I got to the locker room I found that just about everyone had written messages on the board about running earlier.  So it ended up just being me and Charlotte, but it was nice.  We ran out on Foothill, all the way to 2300e and then to 2100s.  She ran with me down to 1500e but I told her I was running to Cottonwood Complex so wouldn't be going back to campus.  Fortunately we ran 15th last week so when we got there she recognized it.  I kept going and went down to 900e and took that all the way out to 3900s.  Then I cut up to 11th, stopped in the park to get water, and then did the last mile and a quarter out and back on 1300e.  Then I watched Abigail and the other East runners kick pockets at pre-regions :)

This afternoon we had a workout at Liberty.  Unfortunately, right after we got on Trax to go down to Trolley, we realized we had left our girl that is trying out as she had went to her car to get her ucard and we didn't see her on our way out... We warmed up running on the median in 600e over to the park, and then Hilary and I ran to the drinking fountain and back.  Then we were all relieved to see the girl we had accidentally left pull up, we were so glad she made it!  She jumped in our strides and drills with us, then warmed up a few more minutes while we waited for Kep to be done pacing Amanda for her workout.  Our workout was a mile, a mile and a half, a mile, and two 800s.  I was supposed to go with Andrea and we were trying to hit about 6:10 pace.  We relaxed too much the first mile and hit 6:27.  We picked it up on the second one, I finished in 9:14 and Andrea and Giselle were just a bit ahead of me.  For  the next mile I got 6:11, and then we did the 800s in 3:00 and 2:59.  Mentally it was a much better workout than Tuesday; I think Kep had me go slower than last week today partially because of my workout Tuesday.  For cooldown I ran to the drinking fountain again with Hilary and then we ran to the Trolley Trax station to finish our cooldown at 9 for the day.

This afternoon for practice it was me, Hilary, Andrea, and Lauren.  Since we were doing a premeet and it was a shorter run anyway, we went on Foothill.  Lauren is having ankle issues so she wasn't able to come very far, and Andrea turned at 12 minutes, but Hilary was with me over to 1700s and 2300e.  Then I cut down to 2100e and ran that back to campus.  My calves hurt during this part because it is such a gradual climb, but I guess it's good to run this soreness out before tomorrow.  Back at campus I went to the bailiff to do my strides and decided to do them barefoot :)  I did 6 strides and felt awesome, then finished with some drills.  I topped it all off with a 15 minute ice bath.

This morning when I woke up and heard the pouring rain outside, my first thought was "I love cross country!".  I got to wear my rainboots for the ride up to Utah State for the season opener :)  When we got there it was chilly and the grass was a bit wet, but at least it had stopped raining.  The course looked nicer than last year, but there were only 4 port-a-pottys for bathroom.  I wasn't thinking when I took my potty break and when I was done threw the whole roll of TP in the hole... Oops, that was a sign I needed to wake up and get ready for my race.  With about 45 minutes before race time we started on our team warmup.  The first and second loops were alright, but coming out of the second (which is actually the end of the first loop too, and the 4th) there is a slight uphill, so I knew that might be difficult.  The 3rd loop was shorter than I expected it to be, so when I did part of the 4th loop for the last bit of my warmup I was sure the course would be short... and decided to race with my Garmin :)  After doing strides and drills with the team, I changed to my flats.  After a few more strides on the line, and having to wait a few minutes for the timers to be ready, the race began!  Because the start is sloped downhill (opposite of all the other loops) I was able to get out well and not push too hard.  I ended up at the front, and going into the first loop Amber and Taylor from Weber were running on each side of me.  I just stuck with them and the pace felt pretty relaxed.  I hung with them the second loop and I think I was annoying them because I kept stepping on their ankles, but that was because Amber was running into me a little bit and forced me to run half step behind them.  I didn't feel bad for stepping on them because of that :P  Coming out of the second loop my hips felt really tired from the hill, and then they were able to break away while I was recovering.  I really need to rebuild my quad strength!  The third loop was different than what I ran in my warmup so it did end up being full distance, but either way I was prepared.  During part of the third loop the Weber guys cheered for me which was nice of them, because they know Ben would have if he were there :)  Coming out of the 3rd loop and into the 4th, Jamie caught up to me and passed me and I wasn't able to hold on very well.  I think she also must have been kicking at this point because there was only about 1000 to go.  Coming around the final turn to the slope up to the finish line I was worried that someone else might catch me but I was able to make myself push up the hill and even pull out enough of a kick that I almost had to puke when I finished.  Once the rest of the team had finished and changed shoes, we went out on the road for cooldown.  Surprisingly my legs didn't feel tired from the race, so I was able to run up with Hilary and Charlotte.  We did one big loop that was about 2 and a half miles around the blocks that the park was at, and then Hilary and I did another one so that I could get to 5.5 cooldown and 11 for the day.  

This morning I enjoyed sleeping in for a bit because of no class and then going for a run while it was still cool.  I even took my iPod along.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did a clockwise lap around, then ran out to 3300s.  I had thought about running to Granite for speedchanges but didn't want to run back uphill the rest of the way back so instead I went up to Melbourne and took that and 1800e back to 2100s.  Then to make the run longer, I ran up to 1900e and over to 900s.  I had hoped for 12 miles and could see I would need to add if I went home then, so I ran along Guardsman to 500s and then down to 1300e and home.  The only light I had to stop at was the one at 800s on 13th.  My average pace was 7:33.  It was a pretty good day :)

This afternoon we had a hills workout up on Shoreline Trail just north of Red Butte.  We did the usual warmup out and back on the trail and then strides and drills at Red Butte, then ran over to the hill we would be doing.  There were 3 different hills, and we were doing each of them 4 times for a set.  They were 300 meters each.  I was in a group with Hilary, Nikki D., and Alyssa.  The first ones I hit in 1:16, 1:15, 1:14, 1:14, then the next set was 1:28, 1:29, 1:28, 1:26, then for the final set 1:29, 1:28, 1:27, 1:25.  This workout felt better than hills 2 weeks ago but I still feel like I am lacking in my hill strength this season.  For cooldown I ran with Hilary up Red Butte to the fence and back, and then out on the road above campus and then back down Legacy Bridge to the locker rooms.  I walked from the top of the bridge because that is where we hit 9.  Afterwards I took a 10 minute ice bath, the water was way colder than usual!!!  Also we have another workout tomorrow.  Yippee.

This afternoon we had another workout, this time threshold at Liberty.  We started with the usual warmup from the 900e Trax station and then a little out and back once we got to the car.  We did our strides and drills and then changed shoes.  The Kep told us our paces.  We were going by feel.  Which meant... No watches!!! =O He held out is hand and we all had to hand over our watches :'(  No Garmin for this one :(  I felt naked.  We started with two 800s, then we did two miles.  I was able to work with Andrea and we kept the pace feeling pretty easy during the 8s.  During the miles it felt harder, but Kep said we were getting right on pace for our splits so that helped us to keep going.  After we finished the last mile he asked Dre and I if we were up for another half mile, so we went for it.  He said it was our fastest one, though he missed us at the finish.  Afterwards we did 5x30 second strides, then I cooled down 3.5 miles with Hilary.  On the second lap we even caught some of my sister's race so I got to cheer for her before going back to the Trolley Trax station.  I took a 15 minute ice bath when I got back to the training room.

This afternoon we left for our run at 2:15.  I went out on Foothill with Kate and we did the zoo loop.  Hilary and Nikki ran 11th.  We don't know where Charlotte went so just ended up running without her...  We had a team meeting at 3:30 so that meant my run had to end at 8 miles and there wasn't time for strides.  Oh well...

Later tonight I grabbed my iPod and reflective vest and went for a run.  Crazy how going for an 8:00 run is getting darker and darker!  I ran to Sugarhouse, did part of a clockwise lap until I was at 2.5, and then I ran home.   

Today I went for a run with Kate, Lauren, and Charlotte.  I started out on Foothill with them, but they are all racing tomorrow so they were only with me for 15 minutes.  When we were at the light at Sunnyside, Abigail yelled to me from the bus and then the whole team was yelling and waving... awkward...  then when the light changed we went and they passed us again on Foothill!  It was actually kinda cool.  Kate and Charlotte were with me to Foothill Village and then I continued on my own to 2100s.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did 2 laps around the perimeter, then went to Wasatch Hollow to do strides.  On one of them these people's dog ran with me and then ran right in front of me so I ran into it... it had just been playing in the river and got me all wet.  Gross!  Jk, I was fine with it, but then the owner didn't even apologize :P  Whatever... I finished my run by running up to 1900e and then over to 1300s and then home, then back and forth in front of the house until I was at 11. 

This morning I picked up Alex, Andrea, Alyssa, and Giselle on campus so that we could drive to Pipeline for our long run.  We all were together on the way out for 25 minutes, then Alex and Giselle turned.  Alyssa was going out 35 and was with Andrea and I when she fell, twice.  When she turned I gave her the car key so she could get to the first aid kit, her palms were shredded :P  Andrea and I went all the way to the end of the trail and then ran back to the car.  After we got off the trail she came up to the boardwalk with me, but then turned early, so I finished the last mile up the road a bit further and then back down on the boardwalk.  It was a really nice morning, parts of the trail were a bit chilly but some parts were warmer and it varies when you will get warmth or the fall chill.  It definitely feels like cross country season :)

Today my motto was it's what athletes do when the coach isn't watching that makes them champions.  We had probably my least favorite workout at Sugarhouse today.  If you can even call it a workout.  It was 8-12 sets of 50 meter skips up a hill, 100 jog, 200 threshold downhill, 100 jog, 100 sprint, and then recovery back to the bottom of the hill for the skips.  What I did was warmed up to Sugarhouse to meet the group there, but I went early enough to do some mile repeats on Highland's track.  I had to run up through the driving range to get to the track, then I did one lap of speedchanges before changing to my flats.  I had hoped to get in three miles but was limited on time so I just did what I could.  The first mile I went out in 1:22, then 2:45, 4:08, and 5:30.  I haven't gone that fast in a while!  It felt great!  :)  I took a lap recovery and then started on a second one.  The first lap I came through in 1:22, it felt easier than the first lap of the first mile, then I came through in 2:46, 4:10, and finished in 5:35.  I took another lap recovery and then changed back to my trainers before running back up through the driving range and then down to the parking lot where I arrived just as the rest of the team pulled in.  I joined them for a warmup lap around the perimeter of the park and then our strides and drills.  Then we started the "workout".  My knee popped during the first set of skips and it really hurt but I sucked it up and just kept going.  By the end of the 8th set it had also kinda started to hurt on the downhill 200 so I decided to stop there.  I changed back to my trainers and then had to hurry back home for cooldown to make it on time to my lab.

Today I went for my run early with Hilary so we could be done before our team meeting.  We ran down 11th Avenue and up City Creek to the drinking fountain where we conveniently hit the 4 mile mark.  We ran back the same way but finished at the bailiff so we could do our strides.  We did them barefoot and just did 5 to finish at 8.5 for the day.  Afterwards I hurried to the training room to grab a bag of ice for my foot, it has been hurting and I think it is because of my shoes.  They look like they are getting worn out more on the outsides than the middle so I think I don't overpronate anymore and with the compensation that my shoes give for that I am actually rolling my feet outward.

We had our second and final workout of the week today at Liberty.  We did the usual warmup from Trax on 900e down to the park, then once we got to the car Hilary and I kept going to the corner and back.  I finally got new shoes yesterday, the lady at the running store confirmed that I no longer overpronate as I used to (well only slightly on my left foot, but that is the one that was hurting with the old shoes) so I am in a neutral shoe.  I didn't bring my flats today, and neither did Hilary.  It was nice not to have to carry them!  After the strides and drills we had to wait for Kep and Amanda to pass by on their second lap of the 4 mile Kenyan run so they could catch us at the finish of the first mile.  I started with Andrea and Giselle, we were supposed to hit 6:45, 6:25, 6:05, 5:45.  We hit 6:44, 6:32, 6:07, 6:08.  They broke away during the last mile but I was struggling.  Still I pushed as hard as I could and at least managed to stay even.  For cooldown Hilary and I ran a clockwise lap to get to the drinking fountain and then finished around up to 700e and up 900s where I may have flipped some kids off who said really inappropriate things and who Hilary also yelled at...  We were about a block away from the Trax station up on 900e when the train passed, so we finished at the station with 9 and realized that train had come early to make up for one that hadn't come earlier... and we realized the next one wasn't coming for 20 minutes to we ran down to 700e and back and then out on 900e and back to get the extra mile to make 10 for the day.

Today Hilary and I went out on 11th Avenue with Alyssa and Andrea.  They were with us until 25 minutes, then Hilary and I continued on until the drinking fountain at City Creek just like we had done on Tuesday.  On our way back we saw Nikki R. running down the canyon, it's her birthday today!!!  When we got back to campus we went to the bailiff to do strides, we did them barefoot and made it take up a mile so we could be at 9 for the day.  Traveling to Montana by bus tomorrow!

Today after arriving in Bozeman we enjoyed a nice shakeout run on some trails near the hotel.  The course didn't open until 6 or we would have gone there, but we drove there as soon as we finished our run.  We did our strides along the second mile of the course.  It looks like a nice course other than some wiggly turns and being a narrow course with some areas that are slightly on a hill.  Other than that I am really excited for the race tomorrow and hope that I can do well!  My goal is to race smarter than at USU by not being the one to set the pace but rather see who goes out and then go with them and then try to match them when they break or else break them with a mile to go.  And a surprise Kep didn't tell us was that Weber didn't bring their girls team because they wanted to beat BYU on their home course for recruiting purposes... I was kind of hoping to redeem myself after USU but I can still do that here with a smarter race.  And now it is time to go to bed, we have to eat breakfast at 6 in the morning... 

This morning after arriving at the course we walked the first mile to take a look at the part of the course we didn't run yesterday.  After that we still had a few minutes before it was time to warmup so we just relaxed and got mentally prepared for this race.  For warmup we ran along the 3rd mile of the course to see how it goes back to the finish; it is almost backwards of the 2nd mile but not on the same path.  Back at the starting field we had plenty of room to do our strides and drills since the guys race was going on.  After we did those we still had about 15 minutes so I ran around a little more before changing to my spikes and then heading to the line to do strides.  The officials kept saying 5 minutes, 5 minutes, 5 minutes until the race would start... Since I didn't wear my watch this time I don't actually know how long it was but we were glad when they finally blew the whistle and shot the gun for us to begin.  My plan was to not go out hard up the hill or be the one to set the pace for the lead group if I ended up in position.  What I ended up doing was waiting until the top of the hill and then trying to catch up to the lead group, though for then it was just a large strung out group.  I finally caught them but then we had the downhill part and they broke away, and coming to the flat at the bottom of the hill which is just before the mile they had broken away and then there was a girl by herself and then me by myself.  My first mile was 5:50.  I kept my eyes up and focused on the girl in front of me and worked on closing the gap.  In the other pack I counted 6 girls so I figured I was in an ok position and after I caught the other girl I would have them to focus on.  At about a mile and a half I passed the other girl and then a girl in purple had started to fall off the lead pack.  I tried the rest of the race to close the gap and pass her.  Coming to the turnaround where we run back through woods and there is a mile to go, a girl came up to me and I really didn't want to get passed so I pushed really hard to stay ahead of her.  Then I realized it was Giselle when she said my name and then I stuck with her for a few strides but wasn't able to make myself go with her but I was glad to see that she was doing so well.  She caught the girl in purple and then I told myself I could do it too.  Then another girl came up to me and it was Andrea, again I tried to stay with her but then she passed me and went up to purple girl.  She passed the purple girl back and forth, and I actually came pretty close to both of them with 800 to go but then the purple girl broke away and Andrea and I pushed hard to finish strong.  I hated the rolling hills once you come out of the woods towards the finish and really wish they could just make that pat of the course curve to the side of them where there is plenty of flat ground :P  but there still is a good portion of flat after that where you can still get a decent kick in.  I finished 9th, Andrea 8th, and Giselle 5th.  :)  The way the meet was scored was weird because rather than just doing overall they made it complicated by doing dual scores between all of the teams.  But we beat everybody and calculated the scores for if they had scored it the regular way and we won by 2 points anyway :)  For cooldown we ran along the last 2 miles of the course and then up near the start while we waited for them to start the awards.  They announced top 10 in each race and we got little duffle bags :)  The girls ones are pink :)  I then cooled down a little more to be at 2.25 so I could at least finish with an even mile for the day.  I had hoped for 10 but we had to hurry back to the hotel :P  After I finished my cooldown Heather wrapped two packs of ice to my back.  No more plates with planks at lifting, I could definitely feel it today :P  The bus ride back was fun, and then it was sweet to watch the football team also claim a victory today :)

Today I went running with Kate, Hilary, Charlotte, and Lauren.  Hilary saw one of her favorite basketball players in the hall before we started and then when we got outside we were laughing at her reaction so hard that it took us a few minutes to decide where to run.  We decided to run down Guardsman and 15th to Sugarhouse.  When we had barely made it to Guardsman we had another laughing attack at Hilary incorrectly hearing Kate and Lauren's conversation.  After a quick stop at Steiner to clarify what Kate and Lauren were talking about we were on our way again.  When we got to about 1700s we fell into another laugh attack and had to stop several times between there and 2100s because we couldn't breathe!  In the park we did a lap on the inside, then Charlotte, Kate, and Lauren went back while Hilary and I did an outside loop before going back to campus.  Then we did hill strides when we got back until we were at a total of 10 for the day.

This afternoon we had a workout at Sunnyside.  We ran there for warmup, then Hilary and I did a little more to get to 2 miles.  Then we did our usual strides and drills.  Kep had marked a 600 meter loop with cones at every 100.  The workout was four 500s, four 300s, and four 500s.  3 minutes recovery for the 5s and 2 for the 3s.  I started in a group with Giselle and Andrea and we were supposed to be hitting around 1:35s.  The first one we came in at 1:46.  The next one we had Charlotte, Nikki R., and Amanda with us so I think that helped us push and we were able to hit 1:42.  On the next one I hit 1:40, and the final one in that set I got 1:42.  For the 300s we started up at the top by the picnic table and then ran down  to the 3rd cone from that one which was just around the corner from the green box.  For recovery for each of those we jogged back up to the start.  On these my times were 57, 58, 58, 59.  Then we took 4 minutes recovery before starting the last set of 500s.  We hit 1:43, 1:43, 1:51, then for the last one Kep told Nikki and I to just do a 400 so we did and hit 1:23.  I felt pretty good about this workout since we had to push the whole time to try and hit our splits.  Although I never hit my splits exactly I know the hill probably affected my time but also the fact that we never do stuff this fast...  So its been a while and I've lost some speed, so I really hope we do more workouts like this!  For cooldown Hilary and I went out on 1900e with Amanda and Megan.  They went further than us, we turned and went back up to Foothill to go back to campus and finish at 10.

This morning after class I went for a run.  I ran to Sugarhouse, did 3 loops around the perimeter, and ran home.  As I was getting close to 8.00 on my Garmin I realized I was at 1:00 (my Garmin doesn't show seconds after 1 hour) so I really hoped to hit 8 before it changed.  Right as I did and I stopped my Garmin, it changed to 1:01.  So I almost made it.  Either way, it was a good pace for a solo run.

This afternoon I went to the locker room at practice time to see if anyone was going running then.  Charlotte and Lauren were there, so we ran the Albertson's loop.  Back at the training room I stretched and rolled for a few minutes, and then decided to stem on my hips before getting in the ice bath.  It has been a while so I forgot that Hanah puts ice on while the stem is going, so I did that for 20 minutes and called it good.  I also did anatomy homework the whole time too!  Even though I am no where near being done reviewing for the first exam tomorrow... 

Today for workout we drove to Park City hoping that the air might be better up there.  It wasn't, but we were glad to not be doing workout at Liberty!  We started with a warmup out and back on the trail we do long runs on, then our strides and drills.  On the field Kep had marked an 800 loop, and going out from the field he had made a loop out and around to make a 1000 meter loop.  We started with three 800s that were supposed to be at race pace (about 2:52 for my group).  I was with Andrea, Giselle, and Nikki.  I hit 2:58, 2:57, 3:00.  For the 1000s we were supposed to hit threshold pace, the first one I hit in 4:00 but then I pushed harder to stay with Andrea the next few and then we hit 3:54, 3:53, 3:57.  For cooldown I went out and back on the trail to finish at 9.

Today for the run it was me, Kate, Hilary, and Alyssa.  Drivers were terrible today, as we almost got hit by some lady cruising down Mario Capecchi Drive who didn't look in the crosswalk before starting her turn!  Then again by some old guy at the light at Sunnyside and Foothill when we were trying to go up!  They had their green arrow, but afterwards it was our turn and the pedestrian walking man was on by they totally cut us off!  Jerks!  I am so glad I am at least aware of all these dumb things drivers do and I hope I never am that bad to pedestrians when I drive!  Anyway, now that I am done venting about bad drivers on to the run.  We ran through the golf course and then onto Wasatch.  The other girls were with me for about 3 miles, then they all turned and went back.  At that point the pace was 8:30 so I decided to pick it up a little bit.  I ran to Thunderbird and then cut down to Foothill and kept going along the paved bike trail.  I turned around at 5 miles and ran back the same way, then did strides on the bailiff until I was at 11.  I brought my average pace for the run down to 7:48.

Today we did a long run up in Park City.  Fortunately, the air was much better today than when we came up on Thursday!  I must have warmed up faster than the others or felt really good at the start because From right before we go on the bridge underpass for about the rest of the run I was by myself.  I turned around at 5.5 and could see the other girls when they turned.  Kep ran with me for a bit when I got to where he was standing but when we caught up to the rest of the girls he stayed with them.  I finished in 1:21 which was about 7:23 pace if I remember correctly... It's been a long time since I've done a long run in as quick a pace but it felt great :)  And running 11 miles yesterday didn't seem to make a difference really.  I think I might keep this run in mind when it comes to tapering for races.  Stanford is in one week and I am really excited :)

Today we had another workout at Sunnyside.  We warmed up there, and then I did a little extra with Hilary and Amanda before starting on the strides and drills.  After than we changed shoes and then did more strides after Kep explained the workout.  I was with Andrea and Giselle and it really helped to be able to work together.  First we had three sets of 3 minutes hard in which he expected us to get about 850 meters.  We did, 2 minutes rest between each.  Then we had three sets of a 600 with 1 minute rest and then a fast 400.  We hit 2:11, 1:24, 2:09, 1:26, 2:10 and then he had us do two 300s instead of the last 400 and for those we hit 55 and 56.  I'm not quite up to speed where I used to be but I am getting there.  And the paces we ran today are decent paces for Stanford this weekend!  For cool down I ran out on 1900e for a bit with Amanda and Megan and then cut up to Foothill to go back to the locker room.  Then I took a 15 minute ice bath with Nikki and Giselle.

Today I went for a run with Hilary and Kate.  We did the zoo loop and ran along Wasatch.  They turned before I did, but I went to 5.25 which was a little bit past the drinking fountain on the paved Shoreline Trail.  Before I ran back I had to stop and admire the beautiful mountains which are visible again :)  And which now have splashes of red from the changing leaves :)  When I got back to campus I added another half mile running over to the bailiff and changing my mind about strides since there was an event going on there... so I finished with 11 for the day.

This morning after getting home from class I took my iPod and went for a run.  I ran to Fairmont Park and was hoping to do a lap but everything was fenced off... there was one small grass patch in the middle of the park so I did a lap around there and then ran back home through Sugarhouse and then on 1500e...

This afternoon we had our final workout of the week at Liberty.  We took trax down to 900e and warmed up to the park as usual.  Hilary and I stayed on the perimeter on the park to make our warmup a little longer.  Then we did our strides and drills with the team.  I didn't feel like bringing my flats today so I stretched while everyone else changed their shoes.  After Kep explained the workout I did a few more strides before starting.  I was with Andrea and Giselle.  The workout was two sets of 11 minute threshold with 2:10 recovery, and then six 200s afterwards.  Kep told us to try and go 3:05s for the halves.  For the first one I was with Andrea and Giselle for the first half and then part of the second until they broke away.  My splits were 3:05, 3:01, 3:01 so at least I knew I wasn't dying completely trying to hit the pace.  For the second one it was just Andrea and me because we didn't know where Giselle went...  Our splits were 3:04, 3:02, 3:07.  Turns our Giselle was changing her shoes and ended up starting with Kep and Amanda.  After we all finished we ran back over to the car and did our strides.  Then for cooldown I ran to the 900e station with Hilary and Alyssa.  We barely missed the train as it pulled away after we ran onto the platform and were hoping to make it to the doors before it was too late.  But we guessed that everyone else had missed that one too because they were taking longer to get ready to run their cooldown... Hilary decided to run down to the Trolley station and Alyssa and I decided to hop on the train going down just for funsies to meet up with everyone.  After we got back to campus I did 15 minutes of stem on my back because the ice baths looked gross... 

Today I went for a run with Alyssa.  We ran down 11th Avenue and then Memory Grove.  I saw a snake on the ground and even though I am not scared of snakes this one terrified me for some reason!  I ran back up South Temple and then weaved my way around campus to add distance and then finished with strides on the bailiff to get to 10 for the day.  Then I did a 15 minute ice bath in the training room.

This afternoon after arriving in Palo Alto, Hilary and I started our run about 20 minutes before the others so we could get our extra time done sooner.  We did a loop over to the track and around the stadium, and then circled back to meet up with the team.  Then we did a longer loop around campus ending at the stadium so that we could do our strides there.  Hilary and I went until we hit 7 for the day.  We are all really excited to race tomorrow!!!

This morning we arrived at the race course to find very overcast conditions which brought the temperature down.  When we started our warmup an hour later, it was starting to get hot.  We did the usual strides and drills and then I ran a little more warmup since I still had time before changing my shoes.  After all of us had laced up our spikes with the chip and tied them tightly, we went over to the starting line to do our strides.  I forgot how narrow of a start this was; only two up front.  I felt honored to be the one getting to be next to Amanda up on the front!  Because they assign the boxes alphabetically, we were on the very end which turned out to be a great box!  We had plenty of room going out, and I was glad that the curse words and impacting the ground sounds weren't from my team.  The plan was for me, Andrea, and Giselle to go out together and try to stick together through the 2k, and then I was planning to go hard the last 4 and see how many people I could pass.  This definitely helped me relax the first k and not try to go out fast.  At some point in that first small loop I noticed that we were right behind a pack of 4 Stanford girls so I was determined that all three of us had to beat them.  Our first k was 3:20, which was fast because of the downhill.  The second k I think I got anxious because I didn't really see Giselle much.  The split at 2k was 6:54 but I figured that was because of the hill.  Finally when I knew I was past the 2k mark I was able to go and easily go past packs of girls and keep moving on.  I had several strong surges from conserving at the start and this really helped me to move past packs and have confidence that no one was trying to follow me and that I could do the same to the next pack.  At around k 3 or 4 I passed a pack and then found myself in no man's land as the next group was quite a way up ahead.  In the group right in front of me I counted 7 girls, but that didn't tell me anything about my position since I didn't know how many were in front of them.  On the last big loop I counted and was pretty sure I was 11th, then I heard Hanah tell me I was 10th.  Mentally I think I relaxed a little when I heard this but then I caught myself and had to think that I was in 11th so I would push with intent to move up a place.  I felt really strong the last k and I think I was even closing on the other girls during the last 400 meters, and I finished with a new PR by 7 seconds!!!  And it turns out I was 10th overall afterall :)  9th collegiate :)  Amanda was 3rd and Giselle was 18th :)  I was really happy because I didn't picture myself finishing up this far in the race!  I thought top 30 would have been nice, looks like I could have set the bar higher!  But this will give me hope and confidence for the remaining races this season :)  Our team took 4th overall again like last year, just shy of our top 3 goal but still good enough to defend.  Afterwards I did a 2 mile cooldown with Hilary to get to 8.5 for the day.  Then I enjoyed a tour of Stanford's campus with my cousin :)  Followed by a wonderful evening in San Fran with the team :)  It has been a wonderful day :)

Today after a long team meeting (actually it was only half an hour) we went for a nice trail run.  The team meeting concluded with the announcement that Alyssa officially made the team!!! :) :) :)  We were all very happy for her, and this energy showed when we started the climb up to the trails at a fast pace for going uphill!  I was with Kate, Hilary, Charlotte, Giselle, and Alyssa.  We ran up to Red Butte and then got on the trails towards DryCreek.  We stayed on the upper trails which were a bit hilly in places, but it is always nicer coming back.  We took the way that is barely on the side of the mountain down to where DryCreek goes way back into the mountain (I was leading... hehe) and then the other girls decided to turn.  It took us 20 minutes to get to that point anyway so at least I know I didn't scare them by going on the narrow trail... I hope.  Hilary and I continued up the canyon, and it was so beautiful!!!  We lucked out with shade and a cool breeze too.  Running through the red and orange leaves was just another reason to love fall so much :)  We ran all the way to the bottom of the big hill, where I told Hilary I would turn since I didn't want to run up that hill.  The way back felt great and it was well worth the climb for the views we got to enjoy.  And I am pretty sure this was my first time up there not on a summer morning.  I am just so in love with trails!!!  Going back we took a lower path and ended up running through some of the parking lots by the hospitals.  We got water at Red Butte and then ran up to the fence and back down to Legacy Bridge to head back to the locker room.   

Today we had a workout at Sugarhouse Park.  I had suspected that there might be a lot of high schoolers since state isn't too far away, but I was wrong.  Instead, there was a Jr. High meet so a lot of people were there for that.  We warmed up around the perimeter of the park and then did strides and drills in the shade to the north east of the pond.  Then we changed shoes.  Kep had marked a 1600 meter loop with cones and white flags alternating every 100 meters.  This was good since we had to make adjustments so that we wouldn't be running into the meet going on during our repeats.  We were doing 200, 200 300, 2 3 4, 500 500, then 3, 3 4, 3 4 5.  On the first one we messed up though because there was no cone for 100 meters so we didn't stop at the 200 flag and instead kept going up the hill to 300.  That took 1:07.  We had double or double and a half recoveries depending on what the distance was.  If I remember correctly, here were all my splits:  42, 59, 34, 1:00, 1:25, 1:43, 1:48, 55 (?), 59 (?), 1:33 (?), 1:06 (?), 1:17, 1:46.  As you can tell, I forgot some of the ones in the middle... But they were pretty consistent when calculating which ones had hills or not and which ones we ran the exact same for.  Most of the time I was with Andrea, Nikki, and Charlotte but on the last one we joined Giselle and Amanda which helped all of us finish the workout strong.  Afterwards I changed shoes and did another perimeter of the park with Hilary and Alyssa to get to 10 for the day.

I just can't get enough of the beautiful fall weather :)  I ran on my own this morning because I am going to watch my sister race at regions this afternoon :)  I took my iPod and ran up Emigration Canyon.  I wasn't sure if I wanted 9 or 10, but when I got to 4.5 I decided to keep going for which I was glad because when I got to the 5 mile mark the view was even more beautiful than before!  I turned off my iPod and stretched for a minute while taking in the colorful leaves on the mountains :)  Then I ran back down with the iPod off and enjoyed the surroundings.  It was a great run :)

This afternoon I went to watch my sister race at regions!  And watching an exciting race always involves running around to as many different parts of the course as you can, so of course I got a little mileage here.  I am counting it as .5.  Abigail had an amazing race!!!  She finished as hard as she could which was obvious by how much ground she gained and then by her immediate puking once across the line.  I am so proud of her :)

Later in the evening I went and ran another 4.5.  I just made a loop over to 2100s, up to 1900e, over to 900s, down to 15th and home.  I walked the last little bit.  Sometimes just walking after being done with a run feels fantastic. 

Today we had a workout at Liberty.  We started with the usual warmup from the Trax station on 900e over to 900s and down into the park.  Again Hilary and I added extra to our warmup by running around the perimeter, then we joined everyone for strides and drills.  The workout was a 4 mile Kenyan run, I was with Andrea and Giselle and we were supposed to start at 6:50 and drop 20 seconds each mile.  Giselle dropped in the first half mile because her shin was bugging her, so Andrea and I were on our own.  The first mile split was 6:54 so a little slow but we think we started too fast and then relaxed too much to make up for it.  The next mile we were at 6:35 which I was really happy we hit because it didn't feel like we picked it up that much but I guess we were just able to keep the pace change very gradual and under control.  The next mile was 6:21 so not quite on target but still a 14 second drop, and then we dropped another 14 seconds to finish the last mile in 6:07.  We cooled down back to the vans and then Hilary convinced me to finish at 10 instead of 9 so we did a lap and then back to the drinking fountain in the park before running back to the 900e Trax station.  Then we even had a little extra distance to walk back to the train :)  Afterwards I did stem for 15 minutes in the training room.

Today we had recruits so of course we had to go on a beautiful run.  Which meant City Creek :)  Hilary, Andrea, Nikki, and I took Paige for out Trax run.  Before going down Memory Grove we ran up to get water at the gate first.  We had to see the sign that Hilary had seen a few days ago warning women about some fit looking guy that chases ladies up there...  We then continued our run down Memory Grove, and for the first time (for me at least) we went on the trails on the other side of the river.  When we got to South Temple the rest of the girls ran to the train but I ran back up to campus and finished at 9.  Then I ice cupped my shins (I hit one of them on a machine in the weight room the other day, still hurts) and then did stem for 15 minutes.

This morning the team went for a run in Park City.  We pushed the departure time to 8 so it wouldn't be so cold, but it was only a few degrees difference... But a little sleep was nice!  Still I had to wear long sleeves, tights, gloves, and a headband.  I went out with Amanda and stayed with her the whole time.  We turned at 5.5 and then when we got to where Megan was she turned around and finished with us.  As we got closer to the shopping area there were a lot of people and it was warming up by then so we were glad we had started when we did.  Then because it was warm it wasn't bad waiting at the cars for everyone to finish.  The fall is so beautiful in Park City :)

This morning after enjoying getting to sleep in for fall break, we had a workout at 10 at Sunnyside.  We warmed up there from the locker room and then did our usual strides and drills warmup.  Then we changed shoes and Kep gave us our paces for the workout.  We had two 200s, two 500s, two 900s, two 1000s, and two more 500s.  I was with Andrea and Giselle and we were trying to hit around 1:43-1:40, 3:13-3:08, and 3:37-3:32.  On the 200s we all started together to practice getting out fast with a lot of people.  My times were 36 and 38.  Then fore the 500s I hit 1:43, 1:44.  We started most of the workout with Amanda but on some she would start after us and work up to catch us and keep going.  Giselle was a few strides ahead of Andrea and I most of the time, and Andrea and I would switch off leading depending on the distance.  On the 900s we hit 3:19, 3:17.  Then 3:40, 3:42 for the 1000s, and finally 1:49 and 1:43 for the final 500s.  I think we all feel great about this workout, it really helps having more solid groups this year too rather than last year where we would just go with a random group each time it seemed.  This helps us in races too and we saw this work for us at Stanford so hopefully pre-nats this weekend will go well for us too!  For cool down we picked up the flags and cones marking the course and then with Alyssa and Hilary I went out on 1900e to Yale Avenue and then we cut up to Foothill and ran back to campus to finish at 10.  Afterwards I rolled out and wrapped an ice bag around my hips because I didn't feel like taking an ice bath...

This morning I got up early to go for a run before weights at 8.  It's been a while since I've been on a run this early so I forgot how cold it can be sometimes!  I noticed it got colder as I got closer to Sugarhouse Park!  Fortunately I wasn't planning on running there and just continued along 1700e and then on Imperial Street over to 3300s.  Then I went up to Melbourne and then 1800e back to 2100s.  From there I went up to 1900e and over to 900s then down to 15th and home.  I didn't feel so good during this run, I think it was probably because I had half of a banana for a quick breakfast right before starting.  Good thing this was just a run and not a race though!  Afterwards when I was at weights I noticed that my right quad is super tight and sore!  And I don't even know what from :P  I made sure to take my time rolling out afterwards and I think I will get it massaged tomorrow.

This morning we had our final workout of the week at Liberty.  I could get used to workouts at 10 in the morning rather than 2 in the afternoon!  We started with a warmup of a lap around the park, then I added some to get to about 2 miles.  We did our usual strides and drills and then broke into our groups for the workout which was three sets of 7:30 on with 90 second rest, followed by five 30 second strides.  Giselle, Andrea, and I started just before Kep and Amanda, and each of the groups started about 30 seconds apart.  We were hoping for around 6:05-6:10 pace.  I didn't track our splits but Giselle said they were 6:10, 6:08, and 6:00.  After the third one we were at the opposite side of the park from where we had started so we did our strides back.  Then we changed shoes and did a lap cooldown on the inner sidewalk of the park, then I did another lap on the outside perimeter to get to 10 for the day.  We travel to Kentucky tomorrow!

This morning I got up early to go for a run on my own before lifting at 8 again.  I started along 15th over to Sunnyside, then ran on 2100e all the way over to 2100s where I cut down to 17th east to keep going south.  After passing the freeway I turned up the first street which took me up to 20th east.  Then I went out to about 2900 south before turning around and heading home along 18th east and then 17th east.  Just after I had left the park I saw a large group of runners going the opposite way as me on 15th east.  I thought it might be a high school team but had no clue which one since I knew my sister didn't have practice today!  Then I realized it was my team :) (They started at 7 but I didn't go with them because I knew I would be running longer than an hour).  Turns out they also saw Hilary when they got to Sugarhouse.  She had run along 13th east, so if I had gone home that way I would have seen her instead.  We had an easy lift today and we are all excited to travel to Kentucky!  And to get to use the new roller bags we got yesterday! :)

This morning after an early breakfast (at least it felt early because of the time change, it was only 8 here in Kentucky!) we departed for the course.  It was a bit chilly when we got there, but not so much that I wanted to wear my jacket for the run since I knew I'd warm up fast.  We ran the whole course.  I really like it!  And I am excited to race tomorrow :)  After we finished on the course I ran a bit more with Amanda and Hilary, and then did strides with Hilary on the first part of the course.  

This morning after arriving at the course we had about an hour before we were going to warmup so I walked part of the course with Giselle and Hilary.  With 55 minutes to go we started our warmup as a team.  We warmed up around the course, avoiding the guys race that was going on, and then did our strides and drills in front of the tents.  We then changed into our spikes and headed over to the line for more good strides and then our cheer and prayer.  We were nervous about how to get out since the course narrows really quickly and there were 39 teams in the race.  I started behind Amanda, and Giselle and Andrea were on the front line with her.  This made it a little difficult for me to stay with them when the race started but surprisingly I had a lot of room where I was.  The first k I was focused on catching up to Giselle so we would be able to work together for a little bit.  There wasn't really time to relax but I was with her through the mile mark and 2k.  The mile split was 5:32, definitely PR pace and I knew I had a shot at breaking 21 if I could hold on for the rest of the race.  2k-4k was the hardest part of the race because that was when we decided we were going to pick it up but it was really hard because there were so many people and they were still running strong.  Giselle did well though and was able to get ahead, and it helped me to be able to see her in front of me because at least I knew I was gaining because she would pass people and then I would pass them.  The 2 mile split was about 11:07 so a little bit slower but close enough to even splitting...  As we kept going, the race seemed to get more strung out and at one point between k 3 and 4 I was in the gap behind the large group that was Giselle was with.  I was not going to run this by myself so I focused on catching as many people in that group as I could.  We just kept pulling people in because at one point Kep told us we were at about 90-100th place, and I could hear that number getting smaller as other coaches would yell at their athletes.  My split at 3 miles was about 17:15, and then I was excited because I knew we had just 1200 meters left and I felt like I could have a good kick.  I pushed hard on the downhill to keep catching people and to evade getting caught by the girls behind me who's coaches were yelling at them to move forward.  Coming around the corner I think a lot more people were picking it up because it became harder to close ground on people.  Passing Kep the last time he told me I was 68, so from there I was determined to pass as many people as I could down the final stretch.  I had a good kick down the straightaway which is deceitfully long, but it helped because it made me want to go all out sooner than I might have otherwise.  I passed a few people and there were still a long line of girls.  Something I really liked about this race was that there were so many people so you are never alone and you always have to keep pushing to hold your spot or not get passed.  I could see the clock going up in the low 21s... 21:02, 21:03, 21:04... so I didn't break 21, but I knew I had PRd again :)  I was really excited for Giselle because I was sure she had broken 21, but on the results her time was 21:00.1... Next time!  As I took my spikes off I found a dead spider that had been squished beneath the tongue of my shoe on my foot!  Good thing I didn't know about it while I was racing :P  After I put my trainers back on I cooled down with Nikki, Charlotte, and Giselle around the course, and then more with Nikki as we went around and cheered for our girls in the unseeded race.  After they finished I waited for Hilary to be ready so I could cool down the last part I needed to get to 5 for cooldown.

Tonight after dinner (and dessert :)) Charlotte and I went running on the hotel treadmills for 3 miles. 

This afternoon for practice we ran up Emigration Canyon :)  We are all still sore from the race, but it didn't feel too bad of a climb up the mountain.  Hilary and I went to 5 miles before turning around and heading back.

I had a rough morning at drug testing (I was there for 4 hours!) and during that time I took a 15 minute ice bath.  This helped my calves for the workout later, as well as it being an easier day of threshold at Liberty.  We warmed up from the 9th east Trax station and then our usual strides and drills in the park.  The workout was three laps with 1:45 recovery.  I started with Giselle but she had to tie her shoe during the first one... I hit 3:06, 6:09, 9:07 for the first set.  On the second we hit 3:01, 6:02, 8:59, and on the final one I was with Andrea and we hit 3:06, don't remember, and 9:08.  Then we did six 30 second strides, and then I ran back to the 900e Trax station with Hilary, Alyssa, and Charlotte to finish at 10 for the day.

This picture from pinterest basically describes my morning.

This morning I went for a run right after class since we didn't have practice today so that we could watch the state meet :)  I ran down 1300e to 900s, and then was on my way down to Liberty at about 1000e when I got bit by a dog :'(  I have never owned a dog before but I and the owner did stop for a moment (I yelled a very loud ouch when the dog jumped at me :( ) but I didn't want to lift up my shorts to see where because it was on my hip and a bit high to be lifting my shorts in public... But I did observe that my shorts were not torn though there was dog saliva on it.  I told the lady I was fine and then kept running.  Even though my hip hurt.  A lot.  And I wanted to cry.  I thought that maybe the dog had hit my iPod which had been tucked into my waistband and that maybe that was what had hurt so much.  The pain went away as I kept running down to 500e on the outer perimeter of Liberty Park.  I ran south out to 3300s, and then up to 900e, over to 2700e, to 1300e and home for 9.5 for the morning.  Turns out the dog broke a little skin and it is bruised :(  Then I felt dumb the rest of the day when my mom freaked out because I didn't ask for information from the dog owner, and when my trainer and the doctors made it seem like the most obvious thing in the world that I should have asked if it was vaccinated >:'(  I think that I can assume that the dog owner is a good caretaker of the dog because she was out walking it and it was on a leash.  And because my shorts did not get torn, and I highly doubt the dog slobber could have soaked through my nike shorts I think I will be fine.  

I am counting a half mile from the afternoon while running around the course at the state meet cheering on Abigail and the other East runners :)  Also I got to see Natalie!!! :)  And Abigail had an AMAZING race!!!  She kept passing people the whole time, beat the girl who beat her at regions, and finished 13th overall :)  Not to mention running a minute faster than her time on the course last year! :) After her race I also ran around a bit with Gavin while cheering on Tomy who also had an exciting race :)  I am so happy for them and their efforts all season and seeing it all pay off today :)

This evening I ran 4 miles on the treadmill because it was cold (and dark) outside, and I am still a little shaken from the dog incident.  The treadmill is loud. 

This afternoon we had our first workout on the track this season!  We warmed up past the track and past South Campus Drive to our usual spot, and then back to the track.  Then Hilary did an extra lap with me.  After that we did our usual strides and drills, and then changed shoes.  The workout was three 1000s at threshold pace with 45 seconds recovery, then five fast 200s with 200 jog recovery, right into a progressive 2400 starting at 1:44 400 and dropping 4 seconds each lap.  I was with Giselle and Andrea was a step behind us, we hit the 1000s in 3:46, 3:43, 3:46 with pretty even splits during.  Giselle had to do strides on the grass instead of the 200s but Andrea and I hit 38, 38, 37, 38, 38.  Giselle rejoined us and we hit our paces pretty well.  The times at each lap were 1:42, 3:23, 4:59, 6:32, 8:00, 9:23.  I was a little confused  after the last one because I was wondering why Giselle was stopping; I had thought there was another lap... But Kep wasn't mad.  Then we realized that we actually had done 2400 when we counted our splits, so it was all good.  Afterwards we changed shoes back and then Hilary and I did 3 laps backwards on the track with the other girls, and then went out and back on the warmup route and then a lap plus back to the lockerroom to get to 10 for the day.

This afternoon for practice I went running with Andrea, Lauren, and Hilary.  We read each other's minds and ran our Trax route :)  The 2 hills up to 11th Avenue killed us!  But we had a good laugh about that and enjoyed the rest of the run.  We got water at the gate up City Creek Canyon and had to laugh at a note someone had posted on a 3" by 5" card about a found book of matches with a phone number for someone to call with a description of the book.  Heeheehee.  Then we ran down Memory Grove, and then we split at South Temple and I ran back to campus by myself.  I did strides on the bailiff to get to 10 for the day.  Good thing I didn't need very much mileage at that point because my knee hurt during the last one.  Running on the track started the pain I think.  

This morning we went up to Park City for our long run and we enjoyed how warm it was!!! 45 degrees :)  Somehow I ended up at the back of the group when starting but after we made it past the bridge under the roads I tried to get up to Amanda to keep her company.  I moved up but when I was with her I realized Charlotte had joined me when I passed their group... so I backed off a bit, but I felt kinda bad the whole time because Charlotte was breathing really heavy and sounding like she was struggling... Finally at a little after 4 miles Kate caught up to us, and then at about 5 Charlotte decided to turn and Kate went with her.  Amanda was out of sight.  I turned around at 5.5 and had 7:40 pace up to that point, then I ran sub 7s on the way back, finishing at 6:50 pace.  Afterwards we had to stop at McD's for water and powerade since we forgot to grab those out of the training room this morning... Then we had a pumpkin pancake party at Megan's house and had some quality team time :)  

This afternoon we had a workout at Sunnyside.  We warmed up to the park and then I added a little extra with Hilary.  We did our usual strides and drills.  My knee hurt on the first stride but after that it was fine.  We changed shoes and then Kep told us the workout.  It was another no watches day :'(  so I had to part with my garmin again :(  He had marked a loop, didn't know how far it was, that he wanted us to do twice at what we felt threshold pace was.  On the first one I started with Giselle, Amanda, and Andrea, but we all got spread out.  The second one I was supposed to stick with Andrea so we could work together.  On the last part of the second loop I fell back because it was a downhill portion and my knee was hurting again.  After we all finished the threshold we paired up for a 300-150 chase.  I was with Lauren and I started with the 150.  We were supposed to do 4 sets.  There was a flag 15 meters behind where we started and when our partner got to the flag we were supposed to start and they would try to catch us and we would try not to get caught.  It is like the one we did in high school with 200s and 400s, but Kep got the starting part backwards.  What some of the girls ended up doing was sitting until the flag and then kicking hard to try and catch their person.  Kep liked the strategizing that was going on though.  I didn't get caught or catch Lauren any of the times.  After the third 150 I had to stop because the 300s were irritating my knee and now it was starting to hurt further up into the medial side of my quad.  I changed shoes and then Giselle and Alex joined me for part of a cool down loop on the course we had run the threshold.  I rounded that part up to half mile so I could count that whole part as 2.  Then I ran back up Sunnyside and along Foothill to campus so I would have time to talk to Hanah before going to my lab.  She thinks I might have a torn meniscus, but we will see what the doctor says tomorrow.  

This morning at the dr. I scheduled an MRI for tomorrow so I should have results then too.  This afternoon I went running with Hilary, Lauren, Kate, and Andrea.  We ran Foothill for the first time this season I believe.  The others turned around as they needed so about by the time we got to 2300e it was just Hilary and me as usual.  We ran over to 2100s, down to 1500e, and then back to campus.  Then we added a little out and back on the road above the track to get to 8 for the day.  My knee was fine most of the time except for on the part on 2100s.  

I had my MRI today.  They were running behind so I ended up being a few minutes late to practice and ended up having to warm up on my own.  I did my strides and drills on the track and then Kep explained the workout. He knew that the track had given me knee pain last week so he measured out a 408 meter loop down on the bailiff.  Giselle came down there with me so it was nice to have someone to run with :)  We started with two 200s to get a feel for the pace we would be running.  I think the time for the first was 41, we missed the flag at first though because there were some people getting ready to play flag football that moved our flags :P  The second one we hit in 42.  Then we had a 1000 at race pace, but my knee hurt too much to keep up with Giselle and I ended up running a 3:47 but considering my first 400 was 1:28 it was sorta evenish splits.  After that we were supposed to do between 5 and 7 400s.  These felt a little better, Giselle and I both did 5.  My times were 1:22, 1:23, 1:23, 1:23, 1:23 :)  Then we finished with two more 200s and I think I hit 40 for both, but my knee was starting to hurt again.  For cooldown Giselle showed me the grass loop she does when she has to stay on the grass for recovery days.  It was almost a mile, so then I just had to add another smaller loop to get to 8 for the day.  Back at the training room Hanah hadn't heard back about the MRI yet, but while I was waiting for a massage she got the call.  It isnt' meniscus problems, but something patellar.  Hanah said to make sure I got my quads massaged and that we will probably try taping it to see if it helps.  Tim said the medial side of my quad is really tight so he thinks that might be part of the reason my knee hurts so bad.  We'll just have to experiment the next few days and I'm going to have to push through this and finish the season before resting it.  Conference is going to be awesome!  

This afternoon before going running Hanah taped my knee up.  Just walking around after having the tape on I could already tell it would help, but I still had to go through the real test of running.  I started with Hilary, Charlotte, Nikki, and Alyssa.  We ran down Guardsman and 15ooe to Sugarhouse.  They all turned around there because they just needed 6 miles.  I kept going up to 1900e, and then I decided to test how my knee could handle faster stuff with the tape.  I did three sets of 1 minute on 1 minute off, and it didn't hurt!  Just my hamstring a little bit, but my knee held up fine :)  I ran back to Sunnyside, then up to Foothill to go back to campus.  I was thinking about hitting 8, but would have had to add on more than a mile when I got back.  During the last part from crossing Foothill by the VA my knee did start to hurt a little bit though, so I stopped at 7.  But the tape was amazing for how much pain I did not feel today!  Afterwards I made sure to foam roll my quads and IT band because Tim said that might be part of the problem.  Tomorrow we travel to sunny California for the Pac-12 Championships!!!  So excited!!! :)