The King of Controversy

AM - 8 miles easy. I was still sore today and even though I was feeling better, I decided not to do any tempo. It was just a nice slow run at like 8 min. pace. I wish we took all easy runs this slow.

AM - 3 miles. Good morning run with ploys after.

PM - 8.75 miles. 4x1600 at 85% (goal - 5:35) with 3 min. recovery and 2 mile warm/cool. I didn't too hot again. I have just really struggled with this workout. My times were 5:39, 5:36, 5:51, 6:08. Weights after.

AM - 3 miles. Everyone was super nice and we had practice at the normal time so that I didn't have to run alone even with the Juniors taking the ACT. More girls than guys this morning for the first time. Great yoga sesh.

PM - 6 miles. 5 miles trail with striders. We went and did Icehouse today which was super hard but pretty fun. The way up was super tough and even though I didn't go very fast at certain points, I didn't stop. The way down was much easier and we sort of got stuck behind the girls so we were walking down for a bit. Striders felt great and my form felt really smooth.

AM - 3 miles. Pretty fast today but good run. Plyos after.

PM - 8 miles. 12x400 at mile race pace (goal 1:11.5) with 1-2 min. recovery and 2 mile warm/cool. Pretty bad today. I was mostly in the 1:12 to 1:14 range. I picked it up a bit at the end but still wasn't great. Weights after.

AM - 3 miles. The run felt great this morning. Still a bit chilly but it was so fun.

PM - 6 miles. 5 miles with 4x200. Nice fun run to Sandbergs. Only me, Nick, Jake, and Dallin stopped to jump in the pond. It was super cold and I was in and out really fast but it was definitely worth it.

AM - 3 miles easy. Same old.

Race - 7 miles. I ran the 1600, 800, and the Medley today. The 1600 was up first and I got into the fast heat which was nice. It was super windy for the whole meet so times weren't great (except for maybe the 100 meter). I got out quick and tucked in behind some guys so I didn't have to take the wind. I didn't stay with them like I should have though and so I really struggled the last 2 laps. Not sure of exact time but I think it was about 5:10. Overall, it was a decent race. Definitely off of where I would like to be but a good place to start. The 800 was next and since the meet was going really slow they crammed everybody in one heat. I felt like I got out fairly quick but so did everybody else. I stayed relaxed and got around most of them on the second lap. Not sure of time but I felt like I gave a very good push. Right after the 800, our Medley team was missing their 400 guy so I hopped in and did it. Good push but not super fast. All I did was barely hold onto the lead for the team. Some fun races today. Not my best but I haven't put in any good workouts lately so I definitely need to work on that.

AM - 8 miles with 20 min. AT to LT progression (5:45 to 5:25). I wasn't exactly sure what to do on this but I did the best I could. I decided to hit my AT for the first 5 min, progress to my LT for the next 10 min, and finish the last 5 min. at LT. It ended up not working out as I planned. I wasn't quite able to get my AT at the beginning and I wasn't able to progress hardly at all. I almost gave up on myself until five minutes to go when I finally picked it up and hit my LT. So not exactly a progression run but it turned out okay. 

Goal for the week is to hit my workouts and get up where I should be. I'll probably do it by just chilling out and having some fun.

AM - 9 miles. 4x1600 at 85% (goal - 5:35) with 3 min. recovery and 2 mile warm/cool. I finally did this workout like I'm supposed to. My times ended up being 5:37, 5:34, 5:31, and 5:21. I really focused on keeping my breathing calm today so that I would be able to stay relaxed and hit my times and it really helped. A lot of guys were going pretty slow as well so I was able to use them to pull me. I think it also helped that Coach yelled at the guys that weren't where they were supposed to be and got me kick started on those last two. The last was a real confidence booster. I stuck in right behind Abel for the first lap and half before he started to gap me which really shows that I can run fast. I just need to kill fear.

PM - 3 miles. I just got a quick run in while I was up in Zion.

AM - 10 miles with 20 min. AT to LT Progression. We headed out into the fields today and had a nice tempo. When we started I immediately grouped up with Paul, Nick, and Matt and I went withh them. They started to gap me a few minutes later and I knew I was slowing down instead of speeding up. Luckily, Dallin came up next to me pretty soon and we really got moving together. I would give a little surge and then Dallin would give a little one and we really got moving that way. At the end, Josh came up next to us and helped give us that last little push to finish off. Not much of a progression but I felt like it was still a very solid push and one of my better tempos lately. I probably could have started off slower and worked more on the progressing but I know I need to start pushing with Paul and those guys a lot more.

PM - 4 miles. 3 miles and striders. I didn't know we had striders yesterday so I did them today. It was pretty windy on my run today which made it a lot cooler and nice.

AM - 5 miles. 4 miles easy with 4x200. Legs feeling a little tired and tight so it was nice to have an easy run today. The 200s weren't very fast but still a nice little pick up. Weights after.

PM - 3 miles easy. Good run. I still feel a bit tired so I will try to get some good sleep tonight.

AM - 6.25 miles. 6x400 at 800 race pace (goal - 1:05) with 1-2 min. (120 heart rate) recovery and 2 mile warm/cool. This was our first workout this season where we split between 800 guys and 1600 guys. I'm an 800 guy so we did 400s at 800 race pace so since I didn't have an 800 time we just converted our 1600 times to 800. I was supposed to hit 1:05 with the conversion which was extremely tough. I was always solid the first 200 but the second 200 I started to tighten up like I have lately and I really struggled. My times were 1:05, 1:07, 1:08, 1:08, 1:11, 1:06. The last one was a bit surprising because I finished right with Abel and Nick so I guess I really should stick right with them as much as I can so that I can hit my time. We did the full set of Plyos after which was super long and tiring but I know it's going to make me better.

PM - 3 miles. My family went and hiked Chuckwalla so I just did my run there. Super fun, quiet run.

AM - 9.25 miles. Old Man Hills: 3 sets of 800, 400, 200. I ran like a grandma up those hills today. I just couldn't get myself to push up those hills. I need to stop being so afraid to hurt and just run.

PM - 3 miles. Just another quiet and lonely but good run.

AM - 5 miles easy. Just a slow easy run. I felt pretty good and was a great way to end the week. It has been a pretty good week. I final hit my mile repeats and my only poor workout was Old Man Hills. Let's hope I can make next week better.

AM - 3 miles. It was a good run but Plyos after were tough.

PM - 8 miles. 4x1600 at 87% (goal - 5:27) with 400 meter recovery and 1.5 mile warm/cool. Pretty sad workout today. Last week was my best mile repeats ever and this week they were my worst. I was a bit tired and dehydrated but it was just a mental thing mostly. My times were 5:32, 5:56, 6:18, 5:37. Coach yelled at us after the third one and that really helped me on the last one and ultimately showed that it was just mental today. Weights after.

AM - 3 miles. A little bit colder today but it was a good quick run. Yoga after was good too.

PM - 5 miles. 4 miles and striders. It was a really great run today. It was one of the first times in a while that the level 2s had a big split between the level 3s. I felt pretty good but I've noticed that my knees are starting to hurt a bit. I don't feel any pain while I run but I do when I stand up and sit down. I kinda feel like an old guy. 

AM - 3 miles. Nice slower run this morning. Plyos after were good.

PM - 5.75 miles. 6x400 at 800 race pace (goal - 1:05) with 400 meter (120 heart rate) recovery and 1.5 mile warm/cool. Very good workout today. My times were 1:04, 1:04, 1:04, 1:02, 1:05, and 1:04. So I was able to hit my time on every one which was great and an improvement on last week. I felt pretty dehydrated so I gotta work on that and my legs were dead after so I definitely know I pushed really hard. I tried hard to focus on each individual repeat and not hold back like I normally would and it really helped. Next time I really need to work on my form because it wasn't too great. Weights after were good. I've got a good schedule lined up for the weekend with the 400, Medley, and 800 so it should be super fun.

AM - 3 miles. Nice quick run. Good book discussion after.

PM - 5 miles. 4 miles and 4x200. It was a nice four miler up into Green Springs. I was feeling pretty sore from yesterday. On the 4x200, me and Nick practiced our Medley handoff which shouldn't be too hard to do but we didn't do very well. I screwed up on the last one and Nick ended up diving for me which gave him road rash. I also practiced blocks for my 400 and it also shouldn't be too hard either. 

AM - 3 miles. Just the usual and I felt normal.

PM - 6 miles. Open 400 and then 200 in the Medley. First time ever doing an open 400 so it was pretty fun. Weather was very nice and just great conditions to race in. My first 200 was pretty solid but the last 200 was pretty bad. My form wasn't great and I started to tighten up so my finish was junk. It was my PR so even though I wasn't totally satisfied with my race, at least something good came from it. Next, I did the Medley with Nick, Paul, and Andrew. I did the second 200 and I was kinda worried because I wasn't too good with the handoff but it turned out very nicely. I ran very well and Coach had me at like a high 25. We were in the slow heat and after a nice 800 from Paul, we almost won that heat. They gave Parowan the win by .01 and we finished 7th overall with a 4:02.09 and so we scored 2 points for the team. 

8 miles. 800 and then a 10 min AT to LT Progression. The 800 didn't go too well. I felt okay with my first lap even though I was at the back of the pack. I was hoping to pick it up on the second lap but I fell back with 300 to go. I finished last in my heat which was disappointing. I just have never figured out how to run the 800 very well. When I got back home, I did my progression which turned out much nicer. I gave a good effort and progressed a lot better than I have before. I couldn't quite get to LT though.

AM - 3 miles. Normal easy with a good set of plyos after.

PM - 8.5 miles. 4x1600 at 87% (goal - 5:29) with 400 recovery and 2x300 (whatever you got) with full recovery and 1.5 mile warm/cool. Another crap workout. I have just been a huge wimp lately. I just need to get refocused and get back on track. My times today were 5:31, 5:41, 5:54, 6:09. Then the 300s were 47 and 44.

AM - 3 miles. Nice slow run for the first time in a while. Yoga after was golden.

PM - 5 miles. 4 miles easy and striders. It was another nice slow run to the top of Foremaster. I felt good and was a fun run but it was so hot. We did striders on some wet grass instead of the hot turf. We also played some Ultimate Frisbee after which was fun.

AM - 5.25 miles. 6x400 at 800 race pace (goal - 1:05) with 400 recovery and 1 mile warm/cool.A few of us did our workout this morning because we had a choir performance after school. I was the only guy running the 400s so that made it kinda hard. It was a warm morning but there was a headwind on the homestretch witch also made the workout pretty tough. I did pretty well though. My times ended up being 1:05, 1:05, 1:08, 1:06, 1:05, 1:05 so pretty solid workout.

PM - 3 miles. After I got back from the choir thing, I went out for a quick run. It rained a lot at the beginning which made it kinda fun. My foot hurt a bit which was discouraging because I thought it was almost better.

AM - 3 miles. Just the usual. Foot still hurt.

PM - 5 miles. 4 miles and 4x200. Good run today. Foot still hurt a bit but other than that I felt great. The 200s were nice and fast just how I like them.

AM - 3 miles. The usual and I felt good.

PM - 5 miles. I ran the 400 meter and the 4x800 today. I did a lot better than last week but still not as good as I know I can be. I didn't push very hard on the backstretch during the 400 and the only reason I was faster than last week was because of my last 200.  I know I can run a lot faster than a 57, I just have not raced as hard as I can. The 4x800 was also a fairly good race. I had the first leg and I ended up running a 2:15. My first lap was good and I started picking it up really nicely at the beginning of the second lap but I slowed down again at the 200 mark. The handoff was really bad because there were 20 teams in the race which made it really crazy. I definitely have a lot to work on.

PM - 6 miles with 3 fartleks. I was at the meet all day, helping and what not so I didn't run until about 7 pm. Coach said to get some fartleks in and I did my best. I felt pretty good but there was little soreness and some pain in the knee and my foot but nothing very serious, yet.

AM - 3 miles easy. Plyos after. 

PM - 5.25 miles. 4 laps of jogging the curves and sprinting the straights and then 5 hill sprints on our time trial hill that is now covered in rocks with 2 mile warm/cool. Since some of us are racing tomorrow at Snow Canyon, we did this workout instead of mile repeats. I felt really good with how it went. It wasn't as nearly as hard as mile repeats but it was still a good push. I'm running the 1600 and 4x400 at the meet tommorrow which should be fun and then probably the 800 and 400 at DH this weekend.