Thatcher's Running Blog

I went about 9.75 miles today. I didn't have my garmin, so it is an approximation.

I went out on the trail by University Parkway and saw a guy who tried out for the xc team named Jeremy and his friend running. I ran with them for a while, and eventually hooked up with the provo river trail heading north. I went out for a little bit longer and turned back.

I had a sideache for part of the run, but I felt really strong today. It was also really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt with gloves. I saw a sign that said 50 degrees!

I did a track workout with Neal and Pete today. Neal and I are running the mile at ISU on Saturday, so we wanted to get ready for that.

We did 800, 400, 400, 400, 400, 200, 200, 200, 200. We wanted to hit at or around our goal race pace. The eight hundred was at 2:11. I'm not sure on the splits, but I was at either 64 or 65 on the first four hundred and 66-67 on the second four hundred. I got a little anxious and took it out too fast.

The four hundreds were at 64, 64, 64, 65. They were a little harder because I went out so fast in the 800, but they weren't too bad. I then did four 200's at 30.

So my splits were:

800-2:11 (64-67)

400- 64

        64

        64

        65

200- 30

        30

        30

        30

This was a pretty good workout, and I think I'm ready to pr in the mile, and maybe even do something in the low 4:20's. I cooled down 4.5 miles after.

I did seven miles with Neal and Pete this morning. It was a little bit faster, but not too fast. 

I was feeling tired today and wanted to be fresh for my race, so I only did five miles pretty easy.

I ran easy with Pete in the morning. I felt good.

This weekend I went to Pocatello, Idaho for a track meet. I went with my dad and Neal. We were both running the mile and were shooting for low 4:20's. We got there Friday at 5:30 and got to the track in time to watch the 5000. It was pretty impressive to see Nate Jewkes run a 14:42 (I think) and finish with a 30 second last lap.

We got plenty of sleep Friday night and headed over to the track after picking up some spikes that worked better with the wooden track. We got there at 10 and learned our race had been moved up, so I went out on my warm-up. Neal didn't want to go as far, so I went a little earlier. I got in a good warmup, and was ready.

We got down to the track and got ready. Neal was seeded second, and I was seeded fourth. The gun went off, and they called us back after shooting it again. (I heard them say someone was slipping or something.) We went again, and I got in a pretty good position, sixth or seventh place. I stayed there and went through the first two hundred in 33. It felt smooth, and not nearly as fast as I expected. I stayed in fifth for the next lap and came through in 66. I was still suprised at the slower pace. The next two laps I stayed in fifth, and came through the 800 in 2:13. At this point, I should have moved up into at least second. This was my slowest lap, and looking back, I felt far too comfortable. It didn't hurt as much as it should have, and I know I should have taken a few seconds off those two laps.

At the 1200 mark, I made a move and passed the fourth place guy. This was a good place to make a move, and I was feeling pretty good. I stayed here until the last lap on the backstretch, where I made another move. I really pushed it on the last lap, and I moved up into second, right behind Neal. At this point into the race, the floodgates opened. Two or three guys flew by us, and I pulled right alongside Neal. Another guy passed us, and Ben Felix pulled right alonside. Neal, Ben and I kicked it to the finish, and they both beat me. I finished at 4:30.99, with me last lap in 32. The winner did a 4:27, and the next six guys were 4:29-4:30. It was a really close race.

I'm not thrilled about this race, but it's a good opener. I haven't raced in nearly two months, and I think I had a faster race in me, I just was a bit rusty. This is a pr, because it's the first full mile I've run. I figure I was about a second off my 1600 outdoor pr (when converted), which is pretty good. I realized how much I missed racing, and It was really fun.