The King of Controversy

AM - 4 miles. Last run at camp and even though it was supposed to be easy it had some legit hills. I guess it was okay since I really need some work on hills.

PM - 3 miles. I decided to do my afternoon run today instead of tommorow. It was super hot especially after being up in the mountains for a few days. 

AM - 5 miles with 2 miles tempo (goal - 6:40 to 7:00 min. pace). No team practice today but me and my brother met up with Preston and Andrew at normal time and place. Josh Farish also showed because he thought we were having team practice. We ran out towards Arctic Circle and started our tempo at about 1.5 miles. Josh led us out but me, Andrew, and Preston were close behind with my brother not too far behind that. This was one of my best tempos (that's not saying much) but it felt a lot easier. We hit our pace and even a little faster at the end but I just felt so strong (probably because of the altitude training this week). My legs felt a little tired from earlier this week but it didn't really bother me until after the tempo. Great workout.

PM - 3 miles. Just a quick easy three with my brother at about 8 pm. It was nice, cool run and I didn't sweat too much. My legs felt good but my foot bothered me a bit. It has been bothering a lot recently which is why I've just been wearing my Pegasus 29 on these last few runs becuase it doesn't bother me as much. This has been a good week. I've learned a lot about running and more about myself. It was a hard week and some hard runs but it is helping me become a better runner so I don't care. I compared my mileage from this year to last year's mileage. My mileage in June and July this year is about 127 more miles than last year in June and July. I'm so excited to see all this work pay off this season.

AM - 7.5 miles. Back to the same old barefoot warm up and then 6x1000 at 85% (goal: 4:36) up at the dirt mile (or should we call it the dirt kilometer). The times were bumped up today but compared to track, these are still really slow. My times were something like 4:23, 4:38, 4:34, 4:30, 4:29, and 4:36. I wasn't as consistent today but it was still some pretty good times and I'll probably be wishing for this speed come the end of the season. 

PM - 3.5 miles. Arctic Circle run today with the team and then I ran home after weights and plyos. It was hot today but I was able to lead the pack no problem even with a slight sideache. I think I got that fuel (and sideache) from that Moose Tracks Shake eariler at Arctic Circle (where I work now bytheway). Weights were pretty good but plyos were tiring. 

AM - 6.5 miles. 1/1 today instead of a 30/30. My distance was 268 meters (134 meters on recovery). I felt like I did pretty good today. I got to 15 repeats (which is where Coach stopped us). I missed my distance on the 12 and just barely hit it on the 13 but I picked it up and was able to hit it on the next one and kill it on the last one. Last day of Kids Club was pretty fun. 

PM - 3.5 miles. I ran over to the high school today and ran the course for tommorow's time trial to get a feel for it. I saw that Coach Holt was also running it. It was fairly hot (like normal) but the course was pretty tough and it wore me out. I think the most critical part of the race is the grass section between the baseball fields and tennis courts. The grass is very bad on this section and there is a slight uphill towards the tennis courts and a slight downhill towards the baseball field. There probabaly won't be people cheering for you or even watching on this section as well and it will be an easy place to slow down because of this. 

AM - 6.5 miles. Today was our first time trial and I was just really happy with how I did. I beat my old PR on this course by 28 seconds and almost 2 min. faster than my first one last year. I got out fairly quick and me and Andrew stayed pretty close to the leaders for the first lap. On the second lap, I started to take the lead on Andrew and pushed it a little harder trying to catch some of the guys in front of me. I finally passed Krenshaw just before the big hill and was fairly close to Dave, Reed, and Nick coming into the final lap. I caught up with Nick at the top of the big hill on this lap and told him to come with me but he ended up leaving me in the dust so it was kind of embarrassing. I caught up with Reed around the final turn (Nick was gone but Dave was pretty close) and told him to come with me as well but he to started to take off just like Nick. The start/finish line had been moved so it was farther from that turn and I really had to get refocused right here. My body wanted to give up so bad but my heart wanted to beat those guys even badder (I don't think that is a word). I finally sprinted (or at least tried to sprint) at the very end and I barely beat Dave and Reed. I took 6th on the team in this race (basically 8th since neither Abel or Byron raced) which is still way good for me and makes my goal of making Varsity this year a lot closer than I originally thought. I really hope I can continue these results throughout the season and see what I can accomplish.

PM - 1.5 miles. I went out for my afternoon and I just wasn't feeling it so just decided to cut it short today.  

Runner - Coach told us at camp to research a runner and I chose to do Alberto Salazar. Alberto's birthday is actually today and being born back in 1958 in Cuba that makes him 55 years old. He was a great marathoner in the early 1980's, winning the New York Marathon 3 years in a row from 1980 to 1982. He also won the Boston Marathon in 1982 in an epic battle and one of the closet in Boston Marathon history with Dick Beardsley. Salazar was also succesful in high school (trained with the Greater Boston Track Club) and college (University of Oregon) where he was a state cross country champ in 1975, was on a NCAA championship team in 1977, and was an Individual NCAA champion in 1978. Alberto did not win many more big races after his Marthons in 1982 and now he contiunes his love for the sport as a coach. He currently works for Nike on the Nike Oregon Project, a program where he trains a group of some of the best long distance runners in the world. Some of these runners include: Mo Farah (the 2012 5k and 10k Olympic Gold Medalist), Galen Rupp (Silver Medalist in the 10k in 2012 Olympics), and a more recently added Cam Levins (2012 NCAA 10k and 5k champion). He also coaches Mary Cain but not as part of the Oregeon Project. That is just some basic info about Alberto Salazar.

AM - 8.5 miles. Half mile warm up and then 8 miles with 3 miles tempo (goal - 6:40 to 7:00 min. pace) at the river trail. All of us level 2's started out together but eventually our group narrowed down to me, Nick, Andrew, Preston, and Jake T. It was a really good tempo and we were actually going a lot faster than our intended pace. I forgot to put it on auto lap but our total tempo time was 19:22 which is like an average of 6:27 per mile. Very good tempo and it was so much easier with a big group. The run back up 2450 was tough because I was so worn out after but I mangaged to make it back.

PM - 3 miles. Normal three with the team and then weights and plyos afterwards. Sad turnout today for this run. 

AM - 7.5 miles. Barefoot warm up at Little Valley Park and then 3 miles barefoot on grass and 5x1 min. hills and 3x30 sec. hills. Pretty sad turn out today, just like any park day. I felt like I did pretty good today on my hills. The grass run was pretty good but the grass was terrible at that park. On the hills, I pushed as hard as I could and I was able to get farther up the hill than last year when we did this hill. I even led all the boys (we just had one big group today) on the last minute hill for me. The 30 sec. hills were kind of crappy because I was feeling a little crappy after those minute hills. I felt light headed and my legs were tired from the previous hills but I still pushed pretty hard up those hills. My right achilles has bugged me a little bit the last two days and I felt a little shin pain a few days ago but my foot pain is starting to get better so that is good. This week has been great and I've really noticed how much I've improved this summer this week. I've gone from being the back to middle pack on workouts and races and now I'm starting to push up with that front group a little more. 

AM - 4 miles. I went and did laps around the Pine View Middle/Pamorama Elementary track at about 8 this morning. It was a nice slow run. My achilles is a little buggy still and my foot pain isn't all the way gone but it was a good run.

AM - 8 miles. 6x1000 (goal - 4:15) with Harts Warm and Cool. My times were 4:17, 4:15, 4:13, 4:13, 4:12, and 4:07. Even though the times were faster after the time trial this workout was fairly easy. It got harder towards the last few but I had no problem running good times. I started to get a nasty side ache on the last few and my foot pain was bugging me a bit but I was able to push through it. My achilles is feeling a lot better today.

PM - 3 miles. Normal AC route with the usual hot temps. Trevor finally showed up today and on the last little bit me, him, and a few other guys pushed the pace quite a lot. It was a good run though and weights and plyos afer were good. The foot pain is still a little buggy. I'll ice it again tonight. 

AM - 6.5 miles. Half mile warm and then 5 miles with 4x200. I was just feeling pretty tired on this run today. I was able to stay with the boys the whole time but I really struggled to do so. My 200's weren't very fast either. Hopefully I have more energy tonight at the race.

Race - 5.5 miles. Got in 1.5 warm just after the girls race started then did some agilities and got to the start line. The race took forever to start but finally the gun was fired and I got out pretty well. The first mile was really good and I was right where I wanted to be but as I hit mile two, I started to really struggle. I was able to still give a good push and I was still where I wanted to be but I wasn't passing very many people. When the third mile came around, I just couldn't get myself to move and Josh, Andrew, and Logan all passed me on this mile. My finish was really bad and I don't think I passed anyone. It was still a good race for me, nonetheless, and I was able to get a PR but I'm still kind of disappointed. I ran pretty much the same pace that I ran on the time trial but I wasn't able to beat or even come close to beating some of the people I beat at the time trial. New PR by about 7 seconds and a new course PR for myself by about 1 min. 30 sec. and almost a 3 min. PR from my first race on this course last year. So even though I will need to work on pushing that last half of the race, I still had a great race and great time and I've got a lot to look forward to this year. 

AM - First day of school so Coach let us have the day off.

 PM - 4.5 miles. Normal half mile warm up and then a 3 mile run with barefoot striders after. A run out into Washington which us level 2's turned into the Sandbergs 3 mile run. So happy we did that because that is my favorite run. Striders felt great.

AM - 3 miles. First morning run of the year. It was nice and cool and just a really good run. Plyos afterwards. 

PM - 7 miles. 5x1 min. and 7x30 sec. hills at  the Sunrise Tire Hill. This was a fairly good workout for me. I didn't drink nearly enough water today so my mouth and throat were pretty dry for this but Coach brought the cooler out for us so I was able to eat a bunch of ice during the workout. My minutes were kind of slow but I really picked it up on the 30 sec. and pushed myself pretty hard. The hardest things about these workouts in my opinion is the run back to the school after you killed the workout. Weights afterwards.

AM - 3 miles. Normal AC run. 

PM - 7 miles. 1/1 workout today. I was able to max out at 15 again but only just barely. I was able to easily reach 11 when I was pushing with Andrew and Logan but I made a quick stop after 11 to grab some ice from the cooler and I fell behind. I really had to focus on those last few and even though I really struggled, I was able to do it. Super excited for the race tomorrow.  

Race - 1.5 mile warm up and then some agilites and strides until the race started. I ran with my watch today and my watch had it short at about 2.9 miles so you really can't compare this to other races or count it as your PR. You can count it as your 2.9 mile PR though. I got out pretty fast today which may have been too fast but that is where I wanted to be. My legs were just feeling really tired today and after about mile 1 I started to really slow down and I started to get passed by a few people. I was able to still keep a good pace and I was still running up there with those top guys. I finished 10th in the end, winning my first medal which I was really happy about. Pine View ended up with a perfect score (we took the top 5 spots) and we had 7 guys in the top 10 so that was also cool. This week has been somewhat of an off week for me. I have felt pretty worn out and tired all week, not too much, but enough that I've been struggling this week. Hopefully I can feel better next week.

AM - 3 miles. Normal 3 miles. My foot pain was on fire today. Plyos after.

PM -  7.75 miles. 6x1000 (goal- 4:15). My times were 4:00, 4:12, 4:10, 4:10, 4:17, and 4:08. Pretty hard workout today. It was super hot and my legs weren't feeling great. I felt tired and my foot hurt pretty bad. I just haven't been taking care of my body like I should. Weights after. 

AM - 3 miles. Normal 3. My foot was feeling better today but it still hurt so I iced it.

PM - 7.5 miles. Super hot today. I was able to stay with the boys for most of it but just fell off at the end. I just haven't been as hydrated as I need to be. My foot is kind of weird. It barely hurts when I run but hurts quite a bit when I'm not. So I don't know if should be happy because I can run with no problems or sad because it still hurts.

AM - 3 miles. Normal AC run. Foot is feeling pretty good. It still mostly hurts when I'm not running.

PM - 7 miles. 1/1 workout today. I was able to max out to 15. It wasn't too hot today and we had the sprinkler out so that made it feel better but I was also pretty hydrated today. I felt really strong today but I didn't much sleep last nights so I need to work on that. Foot felt okay. 

AM - 7 miles. Old Man Hills - 3x800. I did my workout this morning (with my brother) because I have a Dentist Appointment this afternoon. I had a pretty good workout today. It was kind of hard because I had no one to push with but I still felt like I did good. My times respectively were 3:07, 3:05, and 2:52. My foot is still about the same (it doesn't really bother me when I run). 

PM - 2.5 miles. I ran with the boys for 1.5 miles then flipped it but I was already running late for my Dentist Appointment so my mom came and picked me up before I could finish. So I didn't get the full 3 miles in. My foot was about the same as this morning but my shin hurt a little at the beginning. I just haven't been taking care of my body like I should. 

AM - 3 miles. We did barefoot this morning around the baseball field. It was a pretty good run. 

PM - 6.5 miles. 5 miles with 4x200 after. It was a nice run to Sandbergs today. My foot still hurts but didn't really bother me today.

Race - Warmed up 1.5 miles and then waited forever for them to shoot the gun. I got out a little slower than I did at Hurricane and I ended up being like middle pack because everybody thought that we were actually running the 200 meter not the 3 mile. I worked my way up eventually (with a few little shoves, pushes, and elbows). I ran okay for the first half but I just did not stay mentally tough and I fell back. I know I can run faster than this, I've done it so many times before. I know I can run with Andrew, Jake, Preston, Jason, and Josh. I also know that I can beat all of them (I've beat all of them). I know that physically I can run fast times and run great races but what really holds me back is my mental toughness. I'll just have to get refocused next week and go kill the time trial.

AM - 3 miles. Normal AC run with a little rain.

PM - 4.5 miles. 6 min. vVO2 test again. I just told myself to go with Andrew (and beat him if I could). I got out right with Andrew but I soon took the lead and he never quite passed me again. I got 2 laps and 179 meters which is much better than the last time that we did this so at least I know I'm improving.

AM - 3 miles. Normal route. It stopped raining right as we started running so that was kind of bummer.

PM - 5.5 miles. Dog Pound Tempo today with striders after. We were going super fast today on the tempo. Even though it was down hill, we were still flying. For like the first time ever Coach had us to slow down instead of pick it up (that's how fast we were going). My foot is still hurting but it seems to be getting a little better. 

AM - 3 miles. Same old morning. Race - Had team pics at 5 pm and then ran a warm up of 1.5 miles. I put on my spikes and then did some strides before the race started. I didn't get out very fast at the beginning because I got trapped behind a bunch of guys. I weaved my way through some guys and I got right where I wanted to be with Andrew. I stuck with Andrew for most of the first lap before I started to push ahead just a little. I tried to push up with Reed on the second lap but I was just too tired to do it. I stayed right where I was for pretty much the rest of the race. I was too tired to push up to Reed on the last lap and I didn't have much of a kick but I still was able to keep my lead on Andrew for the rest of the race. Super happy with the results. I was pretty much in the same place I was at the last time trial and I was able to get a 14 second PR on this course. I really need to learn to carry these time trial results over to real races.

AM - 3 miles barefoot on baseball field. My foot is starting to feel a lot better but still not 100%.

AM - 4 miles. 3 miles and then 4x200. We did our 200s on the grass with hay bales to help the guys racing at AF get some practice. It was super fun.

PM -4.5 miles. Trevor had the ingenious idea of going on an ice cream run today. It proved to be  one of the best ideas ever since it was boiling hot today. There are perks to being a JV guy.

AM - 5 miles. I got my run in around 10ish but it was still pretty cool. Sadly it was humid and that made it terrible. My foot is still getting better which is good. My goal for this next week is to try and get it back to 100%.