You've got to want it to win it

Today was so nice outside, we got to do our whole workout including team warmups up at the track!  We started with 2 laps warmup and then a stretching circle.  Then for the distance workout we did 2 miles warmup followed by 1 mile of speedchanges with a lap recovery following.  Then we changed shoes, I wore my pink spikes!  We did the same workout as last year on the Monday before Simplot (Bill, Amanda, and I all checked what it was on my blog haha).  It was six sets of 400, 200 with equal distance recovery after each.  The times I were supposed to hit were between 1:11-1:13 for the 400s and sub :35 for the 200s.  My times for the 400s were 1:18, 1:16, 1:15, 1:13, 1:15, 1:16.  For the 200s I hit :36, :34, :34, :34, :35, :37.  After the recovery for the 200 in the last set we changed shoes back and then did 7 laps cooldown to bring us up to 10 for the day. 

Today Abigail and I had to hurry and get our workout done after school, so we did it on our own.  We started with a warmup of going to the track and doing 4 laps. Then we did 8 laps of speedchanges, and after those we did another 4 laps and ran back home.

Today for practice my sister and I were just pulling into the circle as the team was leaving for the run.  Taylor hadn't started yet so we got the route from him as we got out of the car.  We ran along 1500e to 2100s, down to 1300e, across the 800s and then up to the stadium and finishing with 3 laps.  I was running with Taylor and we caught up to Bill, Amanda, and Maggie just past 1300s when we were on 1300s.  Then when I got home I took a 10 minute ice bath, it felt nice.  

This morning I woke up early and went for an easy 2 miles with my iPod to 1700s and back twice.  

After driving up to Pocatello and arriving at the arena, I had a few minutes before I needed to start warming up.  Natalie, Amanda, and I warmed up together, though we were all in different heats.  Bill came with us.  We did a loop from the arena which was a mile and a half, then stopped for some drills, then a smaller loop around the parking lot, then more drills, and then Amanda and I did another smaller loop to get us 3 miles of warmup before going inside.  We each did strides on our own since we were in different heats so needed the timing of our warmups differently.  Natalie was third in her heat, and then my heat went out onto the track.  We had a false start, it was hard to get trraction on the wood and someone slipped.  Going out Summer who had been starting up higher took the lead after the 50 meters cut in point.  But I went ahead and took the lead and no one challenged it.  I knew I wouldn't have to remind myself to keep pushing to pick up the pace as in other races, but I knew I needed to watch the clock.  I figured that by being in the lead I could set the pace, and that's what happened.  The first mile was in the 5:50s and I knew I should try to pick up the pace for the second mile because I didn't want to be so close to 12.  With about 800 to go Summer and another girl went around Jamie and I but then around the other side of the track Jamie and I passed them back.  Now Jamie had the inside but I worked to get ahead of her again and get back on the inside.  I kicked the last 300 and none of the girls were right with me, I figure they probably didn't kick as hard since it is just prelims.  After Amanda had finished, winning her heat and setting a huge PR, her, Natalie, Ben (after he had finished his race), and I went for a cooldown.  We did a loop like we had in the warmup, then checked back in to see what heat of the guys mile they were on so that we could cheer for our guys.  Then we went back outside for another half mile.  After cheering on Ben from our team and Taylor we went back outside for the last mile before coming back in to cheer for RJ and Dakota.  Then later we cheered for Abigail and Sarah, and we did yoga!  After we got back to the hotel I took an ice bath for 10 minutes, though the water wasn't that cold so tomorrow when I ice I'm throwing in a few buckets of ice.  

This morning I went for a run with Ben from Weber.  We started at the Maverick and from there we went up the hill towards the Hampton and up into a neighborhood with big houses.  It was pretty much all uphill, but when we turned around at a mile it was nice having the downhill.  

This afternoon I left my hotel and went out a half mile and back which ended up being out of the parking lot the way the cars have to go and then up the road and turning so it was a loop around the hotel but higher up.  Then I turned around and when I got back I did strides in the parking lot.  Then I did some stretching.

In the evening we went over to the pool at the Clarion (there was a lot of cool stuff there!) and rubbed ice on my legs.

This afternoon about an hour before the race, Bill took Natalie and I on a mile and a half warmup.  We did the same loop as yesterday, then Natalie and I did drills and a few strides in the field out on the south side of the arena before going back in for POTTY break and to get our shoes ready for the bull pen.  I took a Gu but I misplaced my water bottle so just had to get a drink from a rusty drinking fountain :P  Then Natalie and I went and did a few more drills and strides down by the track.  Then we had to report to the bull pen so we got our shoes and went over.  We changed shoes and got our numbers and then they walked us out to the track.  We had time for a stride and then they put us on our spots at the start.  I was on the higher up spot with Kelsey, Emily, Jamie, and Summer.  We had a false start, but they got us ready to go again.  Going out Summer was a little bit ahead of me, but after the first 100 meters I passed her and kept going.  None of the girls came with me and a few laps in when I looked at the screen I could barely see a girl in red in second coming around the curve as I was getting closer to the line.  My first mile was a 5:16, which if I had been able to hold it would have matched the meet record.  By this point I could see the chase pack on the opposite stride of the track and the announcers were stating that I had a 100 meter lead.  I figured out that the girl in red must have fallen back because at one point I counted at the other 13 girls were on the other side of the track.  Bill told me that my splits for the 200s during the second mile were even, I was glad I wasn't slowing down at least.  I lapped a few girls, and in the last 300 I pushed a little harder as I got closer to the finish but was going fastest down the final straightaway.  I passed Natalie and another girl as I finished, and I was very pleased with my time which was well under 11 minutes :)  Afterwards I felt like I had to puke but Bill was telling me I wouldn't, so I tried to hold it in as long as I could.  I made it off the podium without having to run off to puke, and I made it through a video interview with Flotrack without puking while on camera, but then I was talking to a reporter and had to turn around and puke a few times, mostly it was water.  They didn't put a cone over it though, oh well :P  After I was able to make my way back up to my stuff after talking to a bunch of people, I put my shoes on and went for a 3.5 mile cooldown with Amanda, Natalie, and Bill.  We did a loop through the neighborhood by the arena.  Then we all went and enjoyed a nice dinner at Maddox :)

Here are links to the race and the Flotrack interview:

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238138-2011-adidas-Simplot-Games/video/464578-W-3200-F01

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238138-2011-adidas-Simplot-Games/video/464716-Susannah-Hurst-3200-champ-2011-Simplot-Games