You've got to want it to win it

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.