You've got to want it to win it

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.