You've got to want it to win it

Today at track practice we started with the usual team warmup of 2 laps and then stretching and drills.  Then we did more warmup stuff in our groups with our coaches but we were doing the workout together.  For the distance warmup we did a mile and then a mile of speedchanges.  I didn't change to my flats because I remember Demetrio told me one time not to change shoes when I was sick because it could increase chance of getting injured or something like that.  The workout was 2 sets of an 800 and six 200s, the sprinters did the last 500 of the 800s with us and four of the 200s with us.  For the first set I hit 2:35, :34, :34, :34, :34, :34, :36; I wasn't feeling too great during those so I took a potty break while the others were doing the recovery lap to see if it would help.  It didn't but I still finished the workout, my time on the second 800 wasn't that great, a 2:48, but for the 200s I was able to pull off :34, :35, :34, :35, :35, :35.  Then we all stretched as a group afterwards, that felt nice.  For cooldown we did 5 stadium laps.  When I got home I did my crunches (I switched to some of the core Em showed us for the last 2 sets), pushups (my hand is better!), arm swings, lunges, squats, and calf raises.

Today at practice we started with the usual warmup of 2 laps and then stretching.  While we were stretching though, all hail broke loose!  I was in the center leading stretches so while we were in the middle of stretching our calves and the hail was starting to hurt as it pelted our legs I just stood up and told everyone to move to the shed.  So we finished our stretches in there.  The weather settled enough for us to do our drills outside on the track and then we split into our groups.  For the distance workout we ran down to Liberty and did a lap of fireman.  We did 2 groups again, but this time it wasn't boys and girls :P  Natalie and I weren't too happy about that because as we were finishing the lap the guys started to pick up the pace which was dumb since its just a workout!  But there's just proof that boys are dumb :P  When we were done we finished by running back up to the stadium.  When I got home I did my crunches, pushups, arm swings, lunges, squats, and calf raises.   

Some of the distance girls went up to the North Summit Invite today.  It was supposed to be yesterday but got postponed due to weather.  I was the only girl in the 2 mile so I did 6 laps warmup on the track by myself, and then I got my spikes and headed to the line for my race.  There were 3 other girls in the race, but they were doing the 3200 and I was doing the 2 mile, so my starting line was further back than theirs.  There were some people who wanted to run the guys and the girls together but they couldn't because I was doing the full 2 miles and going for the record.  But I wouldn't have wanted to run it with the boys anyway since it was an invite.  I did my drills and strides by the line, they weren't sure what they were doing so it took them a while to get organized.  Finally they were able to get us some stickers that they wrote numbers on (which they didn't collect anyway :P)  but then they lined us up.  I was on my line and the other 3 girls were up at the regular start.  The officials weren't very loud so I really had to pay attention to know when to line up.  In the first 100 meters I caught right up to the other 3 girls and passed them right away.  The far side straight of the track had a bit of wind but it wasn't too bad.  All around the track people were cheering for me, which was awesome.  All of Park City's team was cheering for me too haha, I heard someone singing 'Oh Susannah'...  I tried to listen to my times at the regular starting line because I figured that might be easier, so when I got there after my first lap I was at 1:17.  After the second lap I was at 2:36.  After 4 laps I got my split at the mile (not the finish line) and that was a 5:33.  I knew I was really going to have to hold on so that my splits wouldn't be too slow for me to break the previous 4A state record of 11:29.  My stomach was not feeling too great but I was still on pace to go for the record and I wasn't going to give up, this was my only chance.  On the curve going into the final straight I could hear Natalie yelling "Every second counts!" to me which really helped.  My goal for the finish was to push the last 600 so I tried to pick it up there.  Hearing Natalie yell the same thing at me again as I was on my last lap coming down the final stretch helped me to go to my toes to kick it in.  And I got the record by 3 seconds!  And at a higher altitude too, also still being a little bit sick but improving each day.  Afterwards I did a mile and a half cooldown on the road.  

Later when it was getting to closer to time for the mile (not the 1600, I was going to go for a state record again) I really was not feeling good.  I called Bill and he said that I should do it to see if I could help Natalie qualify for state.  I warmed up on my own, out a mile and back on the road, and was just trying to make sure that I wasn't feeling bad enough that I wouldn't even be able to run the mile.  There were a lot more girls in the 1600, and there was a North Summit girl who was going to run the mile with me which was awesome :)  We barely heard the official as he was telling the other runners to step to the line.  As we were almost to about 100 meters in the race there was a false start, though we couldn't hear a gun so it was just people yelling at us to stop and there was a lot of confusion.  The clock apparently had not started :P  They lined us up again and sent us off but then at about the 50 meter mark they called us back again.  Third times the charm because that time it worked.  Erica, the North Summit girl, had a quicker start than I did.  We both had to work around the pack in the first 100 meters since we had started behind everyone.  I was not feeling for the right speed so I wasn't able to move up like she was but she held an amazing lead, and Natalie was in second, and she was able to get a gap on the pack.  I just steadily moved up throughout the race, my 2 lap split was in the 2:40s and then I kicked down the final stretch when I saw a girl's shadow moving up closer to me but after I kicked she didn't stay with me.  I finished in 5:37.02 and was just glad to be done.  Erica got the state record for her division though which was awesome :)  Afterwards I did a mile cooldown on the road again.  Then we were on the car ride home and that's when we found out we were supposed to do the 800 as well... Oops, oh well.  I doubt I would have been able to pull off a good 800 anyway.   

Today at track we started with the usual warmup of 2 laps and then stretching.  Then we were doing our drills and one of the lines didn't do one of the drills on the way back so Bill made all of us run a lap :P  Then we separated into our groups.  For distance Bill talked to us first before we began our workout.  We were doing all core stuff today.  We started with 3 sets of step ups on the bleachers, and then we moved to stairs.  We did a set of 5 where we stepped on every step and then a set of 5 where we did every other step and we did that twice.  We were supposed to be getting fast turnover on those.  Then we stretched our calves and after that we did the macarena while we did 3 sets of wall sits.  Then we ran over to the soccer field and did hills, originally we were going to do 10 but we ended up just doing 8.  We ran up the hill, touched the fence, walked down the hill backwards and then jogged back for each one.  Then we did 300s.  Bill put us into groups of 3 and started us at the same time and the goal was that we were each supposed to try to outkick each other.  On the first one I was with Dakota and Natalie, I was last :(  Then we did a set of the Flannagan circuit before doing another 300.  This time I was in a group with Natalie, Caden, Taylor, and Jared.  I was last again but I held on longer and wasn't as far behind.  Then we did ten 100 meter strides on the track.  Since the wind was going north we only did strides to the north and then we jogged back after each one.  When we finished those Bill said it was all we had to do and then we talked about Davis this Saturday.  While he was talking to some of the others I started my  core.  I was able to get in my abs, pushups, arm swings, lunges, squats, and calf raises before we left so I didn't have to do them at home :)

Today after school I went pool running with Natalie, Abigail, and RJ.  We ended up in the shallow end because of water polo practice but we made the most of what we had.  We did 10 minutes warmup, then did 5 sets of 1 minute on 1 minute off, then finished with a 10 minute cooldown.  Then while we were still in the water we stretched a little bit since we hadn't been able to straighten our legs fully without touching the bottom of the pool :P  After we left we went down to the track to pick up our awesome track sweats!  And then when I got home I did my abs, pushups, arm swings, lunges, squats, and calf raises.

Even though my races were in the afternoon I went to the meet in the morning to cheer for Abigail and Ben and other teammates.  Bill told me that I should do a shakeout sometime in the morning so after Abigail and Ben had both finished with the 1600 I ran about a mile with them in the halls of the school since it was snowing outside.  

The meet was running late because of weather earlier but by the afternoon it wasn't as far behind.  I was signed up for the invited 1600, medley, and 3200 which were all about an hour and a half apart but I was only planning on doing the medley and the 3200.  I did about a mile warmup for the medley and then I did strides and drills in the field.  Bill and Tolbert really wanted us to win this so before the race started they talked to Victoria, Janie, Jasmine, and I and told us we had to all push our hardest and do our best.  Jasmine was in the 200 right after the medley and I was in the 3200 right after those so we had to be in it for the team since we were using some of what could have gone to our upcoming events.  When Jasmine got the baton for the 400 I think we were in third and the girls were in a pack throughout the first 200 meters of that.  Then coming around the final turn Jasmine was able to pull into the lead and along the final straightaway she kept it so I got the baton first but the other teams were not far behind.  I took off and thought about staying on my toes and running tall and I was scared that the other teams were catching up.  After the first curve Tolbert told me that I had 15 on the next girl but since there were still 700 meters left in the race I was worried about them catching up to me.  I stayed on my toes all throughout the first 300 meters of it but coming down the straightaway finishing the first lap I relaxed a little bit but then picked it up again when Bill said I had 12.  On the last lap I really worked to stay on my toes and to keep pushing and go hard at the 300 and even harder as I got closer to the finish.  Through the last few meters I was really scared that the other girls were right behind me which got me to stay pushing all the way through.  I crossed the line in 4:16.50 which is a new team best and also means I probably ran a 2:14-2:18 for that 800 which would be a new PR in that for me :)  After I finished that race I was really cold since it was a little bit windy on the final stretch and all I could think about was that I did not want to do the 3200 but Bill told me I still could.  It felt like it took forever to recover, my heart rate was way high after pushing so hard in that 800.  Bill had Natalie and I do drills and strides.  The strides helped because they were a more active recovery which helped my heart rate.  I got to go up on the podium with Victoria and Janie and we all got t-shirts and watches, but Jasmine had to be on the line for her 200.  Finally it was time for Natalie and I to drop our sweats and head to the line.  We did some strides on the track while we were waiting.  I was in the third starting position next to Kelsey and Alex.  Going out I got boxed in which was not fun but I was able to break out of that after 100 meters and move up to Natalie and another girl who were ahead of everyone.  I figured that I would have a hard time setting the right pace for the 3200 after having been in the 800 but the pace felt good and from looking at pictures it looked like Natalie and I led with a bit of a gap for the first 2 laps.  The first lap was a 77 and at the 800 I was at 2:42.  Then Kelsey came up and was running with me through the next few laps, she kept hitting my elbow and at one point in the race on the straightaway on the far side she stepped on me a little bit and I almost fell.  I think I lost focus after that point, I was still leading barely but then at the mile, which we hit in 5:29, she moved and cut in front of me and then I tried to stick with her but I just was not very happy.  She was able to gap me and I wasn't working as hard as I should have to be able to catch her.  With 1000 meters to go I made myself pick up the pace but she was way far ahead.  Then going into the last lap a girl named Kaylee was catching up to me and I heard someone telling her to go at the 300 so I tried to pick it up from where we were but I picked it up more at the 300.  We passed each other back and forth until 100 meters left but then she picked it up and I finished third.  Afterwards I went and sat down and Ben and Abigail came and sat with me as I slowly changed my shoes and put my sweats back on.  I missed standing on the podium as I was cooling down with Ben but Abigail went on the podium for me and one of the photographers said to her "Wow you look a lot like Abigail".  Haha I wonder why...  I did about a mile cooldown and then had to pack up my stuff and get on the bus.  

In the evening after I got back I still needed miles so I went for a run with Bill and Emily.  We met at the capital and ran up City Creek and then along 11th Avenue and then cut down on Virginia street and cut up on the next one and then over on the next one and so on.  We passed by Ben's house from our team and noticed that there were 3 bottles of Gatorade sitting in the gutter since Bill had been on the phone with him before we left and jokingly told him to set out some Gatorade for us haha.  We kept going until we had passed the Utes track and under Legacy Bridge, and we turned around at the intersection after it.  We picked up the Gatorade on the way back, we went back to the capital the same way we had come and finished when the Garmin said we were at 10.