Well I didn't think I'd make it this far....

AM: Since it was so cloudy and mildly chilly outside, I slept in! When I started it was sprinkling, then it stopped for a little, but then it picked up again for the majrotiy of the run. I almost didn't even notice it. I just did an easy and enjoyable 7 miles in the rain!

AM: Went on an easy four miles at home before heading back home to Provo. 

Later AM: I finally got moved in to my apartment!

PM: After that I went over to the locker room for practice. We had a tough workout today. We warmed up from the locker room to Kiwanis Park and dropped our shoes at the start tree, then continued warming up along the mile repeat route. We did two laps and some strides before the workout, which put me at 3.5 miles warm up. The we started the workout. It was 4Xmile for the slower group, and 5Xmile for the faster group. Right as we were splitting, Coach told me to go with the faster group. I knew I was going to have to really push just to stay with the group. 

     We did the first one a little slower, to ease into them. Coach said no faster than 5:00 on that one. I focused on just staying in the middle, and working on the uphills, then relaxing and going on the downhills. They are decievingly uphill the first half, and then mostly downhill the second half, so we were negative splitting by a ton. We hit the first half in 2:40, then the mile in 5:02. We had about 4.5 minutes rest in between. I mainly just lightly jogged during those. After that one Coach said to bring them down to the 4:50's, and I definitely felt them get harder. The next one was 4:57 and I finished towards the back of the pack. Recovery, then the next one was 4:58. Defintely felt that one. I was pushing to stay with them, but the pack broke away by maybe two seconds, although I was still ahead of some other guys in the fast group. Recovery, then Coach said I was just doing 4 repeats like the second group, but still with the fast group. Since I knew that was my last, I pushed to stay with the group, then gave it whatever I had left in the last 200 meters. I finished right next to Tommy in 4:56. 

    I was glad that I was done and that I survived my first workout with the fast group! I didn't think I would be able to hold them under 5, especially on grass and with the hills. I'm also happy that I didn't ever totally fall off the pack, but glad I only did 4. On the last one, the pack picked it up and most of them came in under 4:50. I cooled down after around the park cheering guys on during their last one, then did some more cool down with guys as they finished. I hit 10.5 right when we got back to the locker room.

    After practice we went to weights and did another bunch of tests. They took forever but at least we got them done. Some of the girls on the team can leg press more than me....

    After weights we showered, changed, and went to the student kick off party. Hooray for free food! 

BYU is amazing.

AM: I was going to go for a run this morning, but I have 8 am class and I was really tired from moving in yesterday and the tough workout, so I slept in and cut my morning running.

PM: We had another Track meeting for compliance and such at 3:30 today, so I ran with the bunch of guys getting in their run before. We started a little later than we planned, so we finished like right at 3:30 and were late to the meeting a bit, but oh well. We just did 5 out and back on the Provo River Trail from the locker room. We picked it up as the run went along. I forgot my Garmin, but I would think our pace was about 6:20. I'm pretty achy from yesterday, mainly from the lifting, so I'll ice bath after my morning run tomorrow since I didn't get a chance to ice bath yesterday. Hard workout again tomorrow!

AM: Went for an easy five miles this morning. I just went out 2.5 on Carterville, then back. Still sore in some spots from lifting. 

PM: I'm still getting used to my eating schedule, and some days it's hard to time it so that I'm good by practice. I had a big lunch at around 12:30, and thought I'd be good by 3. Well, nope. I mainly felt it affect my on the second half of our workout. We warmed up to the intramural field, then did another four laps on the fields to get 3 warm up. Then our workout was 6X1000. We changed shoes, did some strides, and got started. The first one we all ran together, and it was a bit slower to ease into the workout. I hit 3:07 and was right in the pack. We had 60 sec recovery in between. Next one was a bit faster, and I stayed towards the front, behind the leaders. We ran together again, mainly to string out the two groups. I hit 3:01. After that we divided into the two groups. I was in the faster group, and I felt pretty good on this one, so I pushed it thinking I could hold them all at around that pace. Finished with the leaders in 2:58. From here, they got harder. Partially because the leaders picked it up, but mainly because I went too hard in the first half of the workout. Also, I could feel that Turkey and Ham footlong from Subway protesting in my stomach. Next one I had to push to stay with the back of the group, and in the second half I managed to move towards the middle of the pack and hit 3:06. Recovery, then the next one hurt even more. I was working hard just to stay on the guys. I knew that I'd gone too hard in the beginning. I finished at the back of the group, in 3:11. On the next one, I just gave it all I had since that was the last one, but I still only managed to finish at the back of the pack, in 3:11 again. 

     I have equally strong positive and negative feelings of this workout. First the bad. I didn't run this workout as smart as I should have. I got excited when I felt good at the beginning of the reps, and ran too fast, then consequently wasn't as consistent with my times as I could have been. That's a rookie mistake to make, and I'm mad at myself for being stupid in the workout. I guess what's cool about being a freshman again, is that the other guys almost expect that from me, so it was no big deal to them or Coach even. 

    But, on the bright side, I ran another hard workout with the fast group and survived! It's so great to be able to run with those guys, and being in that group makes it so easy to work really hard. Plus, my average for this workout was about 3:04, and looking back at the 8X1000 workout we did the first day of camp, just 2.5 weeks ago, I averaged about 3:20. So, camparatively, I have improved a ton. If I had run this workout smarter, my average may have been even lower than 3:04. I think it was good for me to get in a less-than-stellar workout in before Saturday, it gave me a reality check, and now I know that going out too hard in that race will be my demise. I'm going to rely more on my endurance, go out a conservatively hard, then work the second half and move up as much as I can. 

    After the workout, we did 4X100 meter strides in our spikes, focusing on arms and shoulders. Then we changed shoes, and I cooled down with a group that did three laps in the fields, then headed back to the locker room where I hit 10. 

    After we showered, changed, and went to lifting. We finished the last of our tests, and finally started doing some actually lifting. We did bar squats, box jumps, back extensions, then some yoga ball-hamstring curl things, then lunge presses, and finally some lateral pulls. Ugh, am I going to be sore. I hopped in the ice bath for 15 minutes after lifting. And so ends another workout day!

AM: I was going to do a short run this morning after my last class, but then I remembered I had to do the Bodpod, Bosco, and flexibility tests in the weight room, so I had to scrap my run. But, I'm counting a half mile from the Bosco test because of all that jumping. That test was pretty exhausting. 

PM: I met up with Haven and Briggs at 1 to get our run in. We did Carterville at a nice, easy pace. I sore from yesterday, plus I want to take it easy today and tomorrow. We started really easy, then gradually worked into a comfortable pace. We finished 10 miles in 6:54 avg. Felt good to get a super easy run in.

AM: I love Friday mornings! I don't have class until 10, so I slept in and got a great nights sleep, then once I got over to campus, I went for an easy 4 mile run. Just out 2 and back on Carterville. I got back to the locker room and still had plenty of time, so I went over to the snack shack for some breakfast.

PM: The team was meeting at 3:15, but there was a group of guys ready to go by 3, so we just ran over to the track anyway. We ran the course, and as more groups of guys showed up, they joined in. We ran the course a few times, and right as we were about to head back, it started raining and thundering. So, we waited under the shed for a while, and it had stopped thundering but it had started pouring, so we ran back to SFH to do some strides on the track. We were soaked once we got back, and I hit 5 right as we got to SFH. I put on my spikes and did 3X70 meter strides with Cade, then we went back to the locker room and rolled and ice bathed. My legs actually felt pretty good after the strides. Super stoked to race tomorrow!

AM: Woke up, realized I didn't have anything to eat, so I went over to the vending machine and bought some mini graham crackers, a rice crispy treat, and some fruit snacks. Not an ideal pre race food, but my stomach held up. Once we were all togther and we left our stuff, we headed out for warm up. We did a two mile loop around the Carterville block, then came back to the track, and I did another mile of warm up, and then some strides and drills. Soon they let us on the line and I did a few more good strides. 

The gun went off and I got out as well as I could have hoped for. I was in the front, ahead of most of the pack, and I didn't have to fight to get a good position to go up the hill. I settled in to the pack and tried to find a good rhythm. I wanted to go out conservative in this race, and I thought I did, but I should have held back even more. We went around the baseball field, and then around the fields and on the track, and I was fine. But once we headed out of the track and back up towards the baseball field, I slipped back. I should have fought to keep contact, because once I lost it, more guys caught me. Heading out of the baseball fields Jake caught me, and soon after Cade and Jon. I managed to stick on Jon after he passed me, and stayed behind him until the middle of the next lap. I moved past him and closed on Cade some, by this time we were coming down from the baseball field for the last time and I used the downhill as best as I could. I closed more on Cade, and once we made that 180 turn back to the track, I really made a push to close on him. He also started to push for the finish, and once we got on the track, we were both kicking pretty hard and we he finished that distance ahead of me. Right at the line, some Idaho kid caught me, which sucked. I need to make sure and run through the line.

After the race, a group went out for a three mile cool down, and then I ran around a ton more during the girls race cheering on the girls. Both the BYU men and women pulled off wins! After that, I cooled down another mile, and then some more during the boths varsity race. After that, I went out for another 1.2 miles to get 14 for the day. 

I'm disappionted with this race. I wasn't focused going into this race, and I didn't plan ahead to do all the pre race stuff. I should have had a more balanced breakfast ready in the morning, rather than a bunch of snack foods. I went out too hard still, and didn't fight hard enough to keep contact. I knew that I could break 21 on this course, and I was way off. I would consider the Utah XC Invite a better race than this. At least this won't be my last race.