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

AM: Went for an easy four on my own. Felt good. 6:11 avg

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/292130315

PM: We are finally on Spring break, and today we had our last hard workout before Arcadia. A lot of people were out of town and everyone was pretty busy anyway, so this workout was more of an individual one. I got there a little late and was behind Dakota and John, but caught up to them by mid-workout. We did a mile warm up and speed changes, then 1 mile at 2 mile pace with equal time recovery, then 4X400 at about 2 mile pace, then 3X(300,200, 100) with one lap recovery in between each set. I hit good, consistent splits on the mile (69, 71, 71, 70) for a 4:41, which was a bit faster than my actual two mile pace, but it certainly is my goal pace :) I did two laps recovery in the time I had, then did the 4X400 with John, handing off the baton with him. I did one while he recovered, and vice versa. I hit 66, 66, 65, 66. Then we started the ladder sets. We didn't have a goal pace for these, so we did them as quick strides. All of the 300's were 48's, all the 200's 32-33, and all the 100's about 12. Then we did two grass laps cool down and a little extra to get 8.5 for the day. I still felt good after this workout, which was surprising for the type of workout and the wind, which I have failed to mention prior to now, but nonetheless, sucked.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/292130311

AM: Went for an easy four on my own. Felt great. 6:11 avg

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/292560461

PM: Some people are already down in Cali, so today those of us still here ran on our own. My workout was 2 miles warm up, 4 miles @ 6:00 pace, then 1.5 cool down back to my house. I did this workout somewhat on my ten mile loop, so there was equal parts slight uphill and slight downhill. Plus there was shifty wind, so no matter which way I ran, it never quite seemed like the wind was to my back, but I was also never running against it. I felt really good after my warm up, and ended up hitting a 5:45 first mile, so I just decided to lock onto 5:45 pace. I finished the tempo almost exactly 1.5 miles from my house, so that was perfect cool down. I averaged 5:42 for the tempo, and coincidentally enough, 6:00 for the entire run :)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/292560435

PM: Didn't go on a morning run. I flew down to Long Beach today, and after some dinner, Chris and I did 4 on the treadmills at the hotel. Finally, beautiful, warm Cali :)

AM: We slept in a little bit, but finally we all got out of bed and got going with out run. We are all racing tomorrow so we kept it light. We ran along main road until we saw some stadium lights off in the distance, so we turned on a street that crossed over the highway and worked our way over to the lights. We lucked out and actually found a nice track. After circling it and finally finding a place by the fence loose enough on the bottom to crawl under, we did about a mile of fireman, then worked on some hand-offs, then I did some strides on the field, and we headed back to the hotel. After getting some food and picking up Sarah from the airport, we spent the rest of the day at Knott's. So much fun for just one day!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/295454526

AM: Went on a quick three miles shakeout on my own this morning.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/295454510

PM: We were at the Tiger meet first, where the guys and I practiced hand-offs in the field and I got about 1.25. Then we headed over to Arcadia. I warmed up some on my own and some with the guys and some with Bill. Pretty soon we were all in the bullpen getting ready to race. After some strides they marched us over to the starting area. They are very prompt and organized at this meet. Finally I got a baton and lined up since I was the first leg.

       I remember practically nothing from this race. Honestly, I have never had more fun racing than I did today. We started and like always the pack was tight. I kept good position and eventually moved up to the point where I took the lead at about 1000 meters. I held it until about 300 to go when a guy swung on me and I went with him pretty well. He didn't gap me by more than a stride or two. One of my contacts had ripped the day before so I couldn't wear them, and I wasn't going to race with my glasses, so it was a bit of a challenge finding where Chris was on the line with my eyesight, but I got it to him well enough. Afterwards, I wasn't the least bit tired. I believe I ran a 4:22, so a second PR, but I felt like I could have run another 4:22 right after. I felt like I held back a good amount in this mile, because I wanted to save my real energy for tomorrow. It was fun to get to race with the guys as one team. We all PR'ed and ran faster than we were seeded as, so all in all a great race. Afterwards I cooled down some between watching some race and a little more after.

AM: Got over to the race and I started to warm up. I was the only one racing today, so I warmed up by myself, just getting into racing mode. I did some strides and drills by the basketball courts and got my spikes and headed over to the bullpen when the called my race. I was in the fasted Rated Mile, so I thought I was in an appropriate race. Like yesterday, they were very prompt with the races and we were taken over to the starting line right on time. 

      The race went out decently fast and I got a mediocre position. Unlike yesterday where there were three aisles of starts for the 4X1600 to accommodate 30+ runners, there were only 11 of us on the one curved line, and I had hip #1, so I had tons of room on the line in lane 1. Anyway, I just stayed on the inside for the first lap, and I hit a 64. I was about sixth or so at this point. There was a lot of movement going on for the lead and for the inside, but I just sat as far inside as I could and went with the group. The last lap rolled around (I was about 7-8th) and a spot opened up and I scooted out to lane 2 and swung around some guys with 300 to go and slid into sixth. I started to close on the two guys in front of me, and swung off the final curve and kicked hard past them finishing fourth in 4:20.17.My splits were pretty consistent, 64, 65.5, 66, 64.5. (Those are approximate)

     I definitely did not feel as good after this race as I did after yesterday's mile. I also didn't feel quite as fresh for today. More than anything that scared me for the two mile later. I'm indifferent about this race, really. I did PR and that's good and all, but I feel like I could have run so much faster. I kind of feel like I never got mentally 'in' to this race. I really wanted to break 4:20, but this was a full mile, so for a 1600 I guess I did. Anyway. I cooled down to get to 6 for the morning, and then we went and got some food and then spent some time at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, before returning to the hotel where I took an ice bath and relaxed some more for my race later.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/295454472

      I would like to note that this will be the longest entry I have ever written....

      We finally got back over to the race and I immediately started to warm up. It was darkening fast and I was excited to race under the lights. On my warm up I mentally prepared and told myself that I wasn't going to mentally skate by this race like I did the mile earlier. I made sure to do everything I could to get myself mentally 'in' to this race. In the back of my mind I had the fact that I have already raced twice looming, but I just told myself that I am well tapered and am just as fresh for this race as the first. After some strides and drills, I grabbed my spikes for the last time and headed into the bull pen. I was seeded 11th this time, and they promptly worked us over to the starting line. There were more of us in this race, so they divided us into the three aisles. I was the first one on the second aisle.

      The gun went off and I got out in front of my aisle. When the three merged, I settled into the front of the pack and eventually worked my way inside. There was a lot of pushing and the bottom of my foot got kicked/scraped several time by guys running to close behind me, so it was a really tight pack. There was guys running in front by a couple meters, but the entire race the announcer kept saying "so and so is in the lead, but right on his heels is that pack of 20 boys," so I knew that there could potentially be some falls. It seemed like after every curve, guys would try and move around one another to get a better position, and every time that happened, lane one in front of me would open up nice and clear, and I would just scoot up and continue running on the inside. I did that literally after every curve, so I had a good position for the majority of the race. We hit the mile in 4:36-37, and the pack was still really tight. After this point, I totally forgot about times and just focused on not tripping with all the guys around and behind me. I never realized that the pace was getting faster, just that I had to keep running in lane one. With about 900 to go I swung around a huge pack of guys and settled into outer lane one running right on the heels of the two leaders. Two guys, I think, surged at some point in lap 7 and one took the lead and the other crammed himself between me and the two previous leaders. With 500 to go I swung around more guys and got into 3rd. I ran right behind him and with 300 to go swung on him and just gave it what I had. The leader had broken away and was 20 or so meters ahead of me, and with 100 to go I kicked hard and closed that gap to exactly 1 second. I finished and felt strong while doing so. I have never really felt like that before. I don't really know any splits, but a 4:37 first mile means a 4:30 second mile, which makes me happy:) Plus, my last lap was a 62, which also made me happy :) (I know I mentally skated the mile because my last 400 was two seconds faster in the 3200 than the mile) I was happy with second and as I was crossing the line, looked for the first time since the mile at the clock and saw 9:07.94. 

       I am really happy with this race. A PR by 28 seconds, and another medal :) I was aggressive and focused on just racing, and in the end the time came with my place. The only thing I could have done better in hindsight was not let the leader break away and have him beat me, but overall I am still pretty pleased with the race. The best feeling in the world comes when you have a great race under high pressure, so the rest of the day I was on cloud nine :)

       After my race I watched Ben pull out an insane kick and win the 3200 over Montoya with an incredible 8:45.74. That race was an absolute pleasure to watch and I am so happy for him. He is now US #1. After that race I cooled down with Chuk and Jaydn for like 20 minutes. They talked to me about UVU and the program there, and we talked about other things as well. After that I cooled down a bit more with Bill until I got 6.5 for the afternoon and then we went to dinner. Just overall a great racing day and I am so happy we came out here to Arcadia.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/295454463

AM: Today we slept in quite a bit and finally Chris, Bill, and I went for a long run on the beach boardwalk. We parked about a half mile from the beach, and ran down to the boardwalk. After stretching some sore calves we headed south on the same trail for about 6.5 miles. We just ran along the coast the whole time. I know it sounds like a beautiful, relaxing run, but a number of factors kind of made the run unpleasant. First of all, there were soo many people. We were weaving and dodging every third step. It was incredibly annoying and the biggest upset about this run, but also the humid, salty sea air mixed with some hot sun makes for some uncomfortable sweating. Still, it was great scenery of the ocean and beach..... ehem. We went out a half mile from our starting point and back, then back to the car for 15. We held a good pace for the run, 7:06 avg.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/295454456

AM: I flew back to Salt Lake bright and early this morning. I went from sunshine and palm trees, to clouds and rain :( After getting back from the airport I spent a few hours at the doctor with my mom, and didn't get to do my morning run. I decided to not go to school.

PM: I got back from the doctors really late and couldn't make practice, so I went for my usual ten mile loop. It was raining the whole time, which sucked. Plus I was just down right tired and the run was not enjoyable. I was so happy to just get back and lounge around in my sweats the rest of the day. On a good note, I later found out that practice was canceled, so at least I didn't miss practice! .... but still overall a dreary, sucky day.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/295454446

AM: Went on an easy four on my own.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/296281566

PM: After our track warm up, we skipped straight to dynamic stretches and drills because it was way to cold and windy for static stretches. The wind was absolutely horrible. It was a strong, icy wind that made running in any direction a chore. Those of us that could meet at the Oval later did only a mile warm up and and speed changes, then planned on meeting at the Oval later.

Later PM: Once we finally got going at the Oval, we did 8 laps warm up, 4 laps speed changes, then I did a lap recovery. After putting on our flats we started our speed workout. 6X800 with one lap recovery in between. What sucks about PR'ing by as much as I did on Saturday, is that two mile pace is now considerably faster for these types of workouts. Now my goal pace was 2:17. I knew I would have to push myself, but I was confident that I could hit them. I wanted the first one to be right on, so I took it out a little bit slower, but then heard my split at 71 and realized I slowed way too much, so took off at 400 and hit 2:14. After this one I found my pace and went 2:16, 2:15, 2:15, 2:14. The fourth is when they started to hurt. I was on my recovery lap when I got the first speed workout 'surprise' of the season! Yay!! :) My goal for the last one was to go out in 62, then work on closing the last lap and moving when I should. I took off and hit a 62 first lap. I felt the pace by the 200, and thought I had slowed, but was right on at 400. I pushed hard the last lap and focused on bringing it in at 200. I gave it what I had and was surprised to see 2:05 on my watch.

       Overall a solid speed workout. I hit the times I needed and surprised myself with what I had left for the last rep. Then we did 11 laps cool down to be at 11.5 for the evening.My legs are SORE.     

AM: Slept in way too late, but finally went for an easy four on my own.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/296281553

PM: Today we had a trimeet out at Cyprus. We got out there and the usual group was given a workout. We did an 8 mile run and threw in 10X(30sec on/30sec off). The fartlek was at about a stride speed, mainly to loosen up and get a little faster turn over. We went out to 8400 W and then did the Magna Run with a detour on the dirt road I usually take. Once we hit , we turned and started the fartlek. Then we just run back to Cyprus. I felt good on the "on's" but after those I felt how sore I really was. I can't remember the last time I was this sore. And I usually don't get sore in the quad/thigh area, just the calves, but my entire thigh is quite sore.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/296281547

AM: Went on an easy 3 mile shakeout.

PM: We left the school late and I was worried I wouldn't have enough time to warm up since the 3200 was the first event of the day. I ended up having plenty of time. We got there and I got a quick two mile warm up before going over to the bullpen. They did three heats so I still had over twenty minutes for my race. I stayed hydrated, jogged around some more, and put on spikes when they took us over to the waiting area. Once they let us on the track I got in a few good strides and we lined up. I was second on the line next to Jake.

       The race went out and Jake sprang into the lead. I was a bit boxed in right off the line, and then they fired the gun and called us back. They would have timing problems the rest of the meet. On the second start Jake again sprang into the lead, but this time I was right on him. I was a bit disappointed when he told me he was pacing his team mate to qualify today, but either way there was a good field. He lead the first 200ish meters and I got right next to him on the straight. By 400 meters I took the lead and started to push the pace. I could hear that he hadn't come with me, but I thought that I would hear the chase pack trying to reel me in. Nope. Today was basically a repeat of UVU, except I was tired before the race even started. Tuesday was a brutal workout, and my legs still haven't totally recovered. Certainly not enough to race well, I thought. I raced on my own and hit the mile in 4:41, right where I wanted. I was feeling pretty tired when I hit that, and knew the next mile would suck. I continued to push the pace on my own, and then with 300 to go I moved as I best I could, which looking back at my split, wasn't very good. With about 150 to go I brought it in with what I had and finished about 5 seconds ahead of Jake. Apparently, he sat with the chase pack and then started to chase me with about 600 to go.

       This race was a PR at elevation, so I couldn't be disappointed with it, but I felt so crappy running it. Again, racing this by myself is what made it feel especially difficult. I know that I can run a lot faster than this, but on my legs today and with this field, 9:29 was as best I could. There was a lot of pro's and con's with this race. I was totally exhausted after this race, and more than anything am now nervous for the mile tomorrow.

      I cooled down to get to 8 for the afternoon.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/297408248

AM: Went for another 3 mile shakeout on my own.

PM: Day two of the Alpha Invite. After arriving I did the same routine for the mile as for my race yesterday. I was feeling about the same for this race as I was for yesterday. I could tell my legs were tired, but I did seem to have a bit more energy today. I got 2.5 miles warm up before going over to the bullpen and then while waiting there I jogged around a bit more and stayed hydrated. Once we were over in the waiting area, I spiked up and got in a few good strides before they lined us up. Jake wasn't racing the mile, but even without him, the field was still really tough. Talem, Kramer, and Andrew were all racing. I had hip two again next to Talem. 

      The gun went off and Talem took it out really hard. Like, really hard. I thought he would be 61-62 but he was 58-59. I was trailing him and came through at just under 61. I worked on closing on him for the next lap and we came through in 2:09, so I knew he felt the first lap. At this point, I couldn't hear any footsteps behind me, so I knew Talem and I broke away, but by how much I couldn't know. During the third lap I closed on Talem, and passed him a little before the gun lap. I surged away from him on the first curve and was trying to finish with a strong last lap, but I was feeling my legs at this point. I still couldn't hear anyone behind me, but knew that all three of those guys are strong kickers. I picked it up as best I could with 200 to go, and could hear the Alta team cheering on Kramer to catch me, so I knew he was coming. On the final stretch I gave it everything I had in the tank to finish. With 50 meters left, I heard Kramer's footsteps and then with 30 to go he was a half stride behind me. I sprinted that last little bit and we were pretty much dead even until the last 5 or so meters where he just barely got the edge on me and then also leaned. He finished like .15 ahead of me. It was so close, that everyone was unsure who really won until they announced us for medals.

      This race was a little better than yesterday, I think. I didn't feel as crappy, mainly because I didn't have time to feel crappy. I had people to run against and it actually felt like a race. I ran a PR at elevation, and nearly at sea level, and I was tired to begin with. It would have been cool to get the 3200/1600 double, but oh well. Kramer raced hard and pushed me as well. I know that I am going to shatter 4:20 at the next big invite. 

    I jogged around a little bit, about a mile, before I had to do the 800. I gave what I had for today in the mile, so I didn't have high hopes for this race. I would like to run an 800 on fresh legs and see what I can do, but this one just sucked. I got a terrible start since I had no energy left to sprint right off the line, and just hung on the back of the pack and passed like 3-4 guys on the second lap. Like a high 2:03 or something. Just absolutely exhausted. Still technically a PR though....

     Then I cooled down some, but not too much because, yep, I still had another race. I had one of the legs in the 4X400. Our team was Rich, Vuong, John, and I, so on fresher legs, we could do pretty well, but we were all exhausted. I was dreading it since I was so tired, but it actually ended up being pretty fun. I ran like a 55.2 or something like that. Then I cooled down more until I got 8 for the afternoon.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/297408227

AM: Today I met Bill and Chris for a medium long run earlier in the morning. We did the second half of the Salt Lake Marathon. Bill wanted to average somewhere close to 7 minute pace, but we ended up hitting about 7:20 pace. I don't know for sure because my Garmin dies at like 8 miles. This is getting really annoying. The time for a new garmin is approaching.....

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/297408213

AM: Went for my usual ten mile loop. My average was about 6:30, but again, my garmin dies at ~8 miles, so I don't know for sure. Solid run though.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/298234687

PM: Dang it! I got off work a little late, then got home and my mom had already fixed dinner for me, so I scarfed that down and just totally spaced running. >:(

AM: Went for a wet, snowy, slushy 6 miles after first period. Spring is bipolar.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/298681213

PM: We did a lot of different stuff at practice today. After the usual warm up and stretches, we skipped drills and went over to the asphalt hill and the whole team did that 6 times. Then we did 3X45 sec wall sits and then arm swings. Then distance did our bleacher workout. We did high knees, then butt kicks, then grapevines both ways, then power skips, then lunges followed by toes and heels for a total of 6 laps. Then we did four laps of 'X' strides on the field . After that we did a ladder on the track. 1,2,3,4,4,3,2,1 with a 1,1,2,3,3,2,1 minute recovery. Doing those on the track sucked. My garmin died shortly after starting those. This is getting really annoying. Then we did two grass laps after that for a total of 9 for the afternoon.

AM: Went on an easy four on my own

PM: The weather is really starting to bug me. It is mid April and still snowing :/ It was cold to begin with, but the wind made running outside miserable. After the usual two laps warm up, then stretches and drills, distance and sprinters splits. Those racing tomorrow did just the usual day before race workout, and the rest of us met at the Oval for a speed workout. 

Later PM: Once we got to the Oval, we started the workout. It was a small group today. Just John, Sarah, and I. After 8 laps warm up and 4 laps speed changes, we changed shoes. The workout was 1600, 1200, 800, 400, and 4X200. The mile was at two mile pace, and then the next rep was 1 second slower per lap. So a 4:40 mile, then 3:27 1200, then 2:14 800, and the 400 was at 62. I went out in a 69 for the mile, then hit even 70's for a 4:40. Then we did two laps recovery and started the 1200. I hit almost perfect splits for a 3:28. Then we did a lap recovery and did the 800. I hit that evenly as well in 2:14. At this point, each rep hurt just as much as the last. The distance was shorter, but the pace faster. It wasn't as intense as the speed workout last week, but I definitely was still working. After the 800, I knew the rest of the workout was cake. I hit a 61 400. I'm getting used to more of this fast type stuff at the end of a speed workout. Then we jogged back to the stuff because the people at the Oval got mad at me for not having a shirt on... I don't think that my running without a shirt is worse than the ice skaters who change right on the benches. Mind you, wearing tighty whiteys. After I endured the laborious task of putting on a shirt, we went over to the 200's and got those done with. The goal was 30ish, and I hit them all in 29. Afterwards we did 4 laps cool down to get to 36 laps, or 10 miles.

       Good workout. I hit my times and feel good, despite still being a little sore and tired. My energy was fine during the workout, it was my legs which needed to be pushed. I rolled and stretched after the cool down, which helped a great deal.

AM: Went on an easy four on my own.

PM: Today we had a Tri meet against Clearfield and Bountiful at Bountiful. I wasn't racing at all, and neither were Chris or John, so we got our workout done with shortly after arriving at the meet. I am so completely done with the weather lately. It is Spring, yet it still feels like winter. I hate it. It was windy and snowing/raining on and off the entire. We ran from Bountiful High to Davis Blvd, where we turned and ran u p1800 S to the trail head in the canyon. We got on Mueller Trail and ran until we hit 5, then came back the same way. My garmin died before I hit 7, so there is no point in even putting in links until I get a new one.

     This was one of those runs that you just have to get over with to get on with your day. In this case, get on with the meet.

AM: Went an easy four on my own.

PM: Today we had a tempo workout down at Liberty. I was expecting to have to somewhat push today, but I ended up having to really work. We ran down to the drinking fountain the long way, then regrouped and ran to the start line. There we did four strides on the field before starting. We were doing a four mile tempo at a pace which was double our 800 PR + 12 seconds to get what should be our mile pace, then adding a minute. So my pace was to be around 5:20. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this workout was going to hurt. We were just doing sidewalk laps, so I would have to be mentally focused with the slight uphill/downhills. We started and I held back a bit to not go crazy on the first mile (5:28). Then I picked it up on the downhill as we passed the start, and held the pace as best I could along the stretch towards the fountain. I don't remember any other of my mile splits, except my finishing. I mentally broke this down as just 2 3/4 laps of the sidewalk, which seems a lot better than 4 miles. I got through the first two laps and then just pushed and gave it what I had for the rest, which was an uphill finish to the four mile mark, a little bit from the north east corner of the park. I finished in 20:48, or 5:13 pace. I hit close to 5 minute pace for miles 2 and 3, and was hovering in the 5:10-5:15 range for the last mile. Overall a solid tempo, although I had to work. After we ran back to the fountain, then ran the same way we came back to the school for 10.

AM: Went for an easy six on my own. Today is the Crazy Track Meet, so I will have less time for a run.

PM: Another successful Crazy Track Meet! Lots of fun and a good team bonding opportunity. We had cake and cookies afterwards, so we all just decided to run on our own later. Once home I had some dinner and waited for a bit until that settled then went for 8 miles as two loops around my four mile loop.

AM: Today was the Salt Lake Marathon. Bill was running it, so Chris, John, and I jumped in around mile 8 and ran with him. We shielded him from the wind whenever we could, and we ran until right around mile 19 where John and I peeled off. Chris needed some more miles so he kept going. It was a cold, windy, rainy morning. I was soaked by the end. After Bill finished and we got some free food, I went home and took a nice long, hot shower.

AM: Went on my usual Sunday morning run. My Garmin is moody and decided to shut off three times in the first half mile, then stay on the rest of the run. A good run in 6:28 avg

PM: Before work I went out for another small run. Did my normal four mile loop. The day had become increasingly pretty, so I was actually hot by the end of my run, which I am totally fine with :)

AM: Went on an easy four.

PM: Got the usual track stuff done and then we did a speed workout with some of the 400 sprinters. It was 1000, 5X500, 1000, 4X200. This speed wasn't just at a set pace, it was to practice a kick. For the 1000, we were to go out like an 800 for the 200, then for 600 coast at about two mile pace, then hit the last 200 in 800 speed again. The 500's were the same idea. We did 400 at mile pace, then went hard the last 100. I hit the first 1000 right on and finished in 2:51.  The first 500 was too fast since some of the sprinters jumped in and threw me off pace. I hit the 400 in 61, then finished in 75. The rest were all right on. I would hit the 400 in 65, then finish in 1:19. Towards the end they were getting really hard. Finally the last 1000. I did my best to go out and finish hard like I should, but was really tired by this point. I believe I hit it in 2:55, so I lost 4 seconds from the first, but still in goal range. I thought I was done afterwards, but I got a nice surprise and got to do 4X200. I hit all of those in 29-30. By the end of this workout I was exhausted and my legs were tired, so I knew I worked. John, Chris, and I did 3.5 miles cool down and hit 12 for the day.

AM: Went on an easy four this morning.

PM: After the usual track stuff, we did three laps warm up and three laps speed changes, then went over to the paved hill and did that 12 times. We just worked on form and driving up the whole hill. After that we went back over to the stuff and Sarah was doing 400's, so I jumped in to help pace her. She was hitting between 76-80, so they were more of easy tempo laps for me. I remember not too long ago when this was my pace for 400's :P I pushed Sarah (I mean that quite literally) on her reps, and helped her hit her times. I paced 6 of them for her. Then we went for 4 miles cool down to be at 10 for the day.

Let's just say my garmin suffered some damage at practice today, so it is no longer functional at all. Oh well, 2.5 years with it was a good run.

AM: Slept in way too late and only had time for 2.5 miles. 

PM: Today was a trimeet, and I was running the 400 and 800 more for conditioning. I warmed up about two miles and then did some strides for the 400. I got on my spikes and jumped in the first heat. I have no idea what my time was since I didn't wear a watch or hear any splits, but I'm hoping that it was under 55. Then I jogged another mile and did some strides, and ran the open 800. I didn't really have a goal for this and didn't expect much since there was no competition, so I just planned on going out hard and seeing how long I could hold it. I took off and hit a :30 200, and a high 60 400. That was a little slower than I expected, but oh well. I pushed the next lap and came through at a ~1:32 600, then crossed the line in a high 2:01/low 2:02. Overall a decent 800 I'd say. For it just being tired and not having anyone to push with I think it was a solid effort. Then I jogged about another mile or so, and once John, Chris, and Sarah finished the events they were doing, we did our workout. I remember when I did this workout with Natalie last year after we had both raced on exhausted legs, it was painful. We did 10X (1 min on/1 min off) on the road in SHP. We finished in the Northeast corner of the park, so we just ran back to the track for 8.5.

Although it is slightly annoying not having my garmin, it is also kinda nice in a way. I hesitate to say the miles go by a little quicker. I still prefer actually having one though.

AM: Went for an easy four miles on my own. 

PM: After the usual track stuff, distance started our lighter workout. We did 6X stadium laps with the usual drills, then we did four barefoot 'X' stride laps on the field, followed by two progressive 300's. I hit 42 and 41 for those. I felt good on the barefoot 'X' strides and just focused on my arms and turnover. Then we did 4 grass laps and an outside track lap cool down to be at 5 for the day.

It's weird doing so little for practice two days before a race. Davis will be my first race at elevation, really this outdoor track season, that I am not going to be already tired for. It's gonna be intense! The blog will be well represented at the meet!

AM: Easy four on my own.

PM: After the usual track stuff, distance did our usual premeet workout. One mile warm up, two miles speed changes, one mile cool down. Natalie is in SL for a few days, so we got to talking after the workout. It's always nice to talk with her about running and stuff because I seem to be following the same path she did last year. Let's just hope that I can finish the way she did too :)

AM: Easy three mile shakeout. A little bit quicker pace. Feeling good!

PM: Race! After my shakeout, I took an ice bath, then had a good lunch, and just relaxed at home until I had to leave. I had the race on my mind all day, but I didn't let it overwhelm me. Got to Davis High with about an hour to my race. I set down my stuff, then went on a two mile shakeout. I came back, drank some water, and then did a mile of speed changes (20 sec on/40 sec off). I was feeling good by this point, but felt like I needed to do some good strides before my race. I then took my stuff into the field, put on my spikes, and did some strides. I did maybe 8-10 good strides and hydrated one last time before going over to the line. 

     The gun went off and I got a pretty crappy start. I was in the back of the guys in my waterfall, and at 400, which was a 62-63?, I think I might have been last, or close to it. Marcus moved past me and surged along the curve to the front pack, and I waited until I could swing around guys coming off the curve. I moved past a ton of guys, the majority of the guys in the race, and ran next to Marcus. We were on the heels of Ricky and Austin. From here I can't quite remember what happened. There was a lot of movement, and I had to fight to keep my spot. We were 2:07-:08 at 800, then 3:12ish at 1200. In this time I was ranging in the top  4 or 5. Kramer passed me with about 250 to go, and with 200 to go I surged past him on the inside, throwing a friendly elbow his way :D That gave me some adrenaline, and I moved past Marcus and Austin into 2nd. Coming off the curve I starting to kick as hard as I could, but someone came up on me and I didn't know who it was. It was Andrew from Bingham. He just barely pulled away from me, and I could hear Kramer right on my heels. That last 100 was a hell of a kick, and I could tell we were all going as hard as we could. Ricky stayed ahead of us, but we closed on him a ton in the last 300. We finished less than half a second behind him. Bill told me 4:15, but I am very pleased now that I saw my time on Runnercard as 4:14.61!

       Overall, a solid 1600. I actually had a bit of a taper for this race, and I knew that I'd crush 4:20. I focused on racing and fought well, now that I think of it. The only thing I would have done better was get a much better start, and kick just a little harder to hold off guys on my heels. I'm excited to race when I'm not at high miles!

      I jogged around some more after my race and then elevated my legs while Bill iced them. After getting my medal, I cool down some with Bill, Sarah, and Chris, then stayed loose and hung out for a little before my 3200. I knew I wouldn't be feeling too great for this race, but I ran it primarily to see what I could do after a hard mile, and to sort of get used to racing hard back to back.

      After a mile warm up, I did some strides and then they called us to the line. The gun went off and I got a much better start than my mile. I was first in my waterfall, then like third once the two alleys merged. Honestly, I don't even remember what happened from here. Conner broke away and eventually Mike passed me. I sat on Mike for a long time, and then tried to surge past him, but he just passed me back when I did that. At that point I knew I didn't have much fight left in my legs. Somewhere in lap 7 he surged and I couldn't go with him. Chuk was sitting right on me and went with Mike. They slowly broke away from me and I just couldn't get myself to go. I finished in 9:36.09, which was meh.

      The 3200 didn't go as spectacularly as it could have, but I'm not really disappointed. I went hard in the mile and I was able to hang on at least in the 3200. I'm really happy with the outcome in the mile, so overall I'm still content with this meet. More than anything, this meet gave me a confidence boost for next week. I'm going to get to race the two mile first, then have a day recovery before I have to race the mile! Which is a luxury compared to today. I got my medal, then went on a mile cool down before leaving.

      One more thing that this race made me realize, is how unbelievable Natalie was here last year. She won and set records in the mile and two, both of which went completely untouched this year by girls who didn't double in events. Wow.

AM: I dragged myself out of bed way to early for a Sunday, around 8, and went for a run. I wasn't able to go my usual ten since I was going quading with my family and I slept in too long. I did half of my ten mile loop in just under 32 minutes. Felt kind of stiff at first, but I loosened up.

PM: After I got back I went on my usual ten miler. It was hot during my run, but I loved every second of it. Such a wonderful change from the depressing winter that seemed to drag on. I was lost in my thoughts during this whole run, and didn't ever think about my pace. I ended up running it in 62 minutes, so 6:12 avg. I felt good for just having raced, other than sore calves.

AM: Easy four on my own after first period.

PM: After the usual track stuff, distance did a mile warm up and mile speed changes, then we changed shoes for speed. I forgot my spike less spikes, so I wore my Matumbo's. Our workout was 2 sets of (300, 1000, 600, 300, 300, 300), and I was supposed to hit (47, 2:48-2:50, 1:42-1:45, 50, 49, 48). This workout didn't hurt to the level of some of our other speed workouts, so it felt weird, but good. I hit everything right on or a bit fast. The 1000's were the hardest, and even then I never had to push myself the usual large amount. We had standing, equal recovery for them all, and then two laps recovery between sets. Afterwards John, Sarah, and I went on a half hour cool down, where we brought our miles to 10 for the afternoon. Overall, a solid speed workout. I am definitely going to be fresh for BYU this weekend.

Records are going to fall.

AM: Went an easy four on my own.

PM: After the track stuff, distance went over and did 6X asphalt hill with jogging recovery back, then we did four laps of barefoot 'X' strides on the field. After that Chris, John, Garek, Sarah, and I went for the avenues hill run. We made a slight modification and did Shriner run until Alta street, were we kept going straight instead of turning and started the hill on the first street past the cemetery. We only cut out three, and they are the easiest ones. After we got to 11th ave, we headed back to East the usual way. Once we got back we did two progressive 300's in which I hit 44, 43. Then we did .75 cool down to be at 11 for the day.