The King of Controversy

I wasn't feeling four today.

Wow! That was hard. Barely finished 4 miles before the 6 mile runners.

5 Morning, 3 Afternoon. I'm dead tired. That afternoon run and weight lifting set was brutal. Now my ankles and lower legs are really sore.

I felt like I could run forever today and even though it was pretty flat terrain and I ran pretty slow I didn't have to take any breaks like I usually do. I hope I can keep running like that on the higher mileage days. 

I was able to run without breaks again and I finally feel like I am getting better. I'm not ready for any races yet but I can't wait to see the results of these summer runs.

4 am with striders and 3 pm. I've felt great this week. I have minimized my stops to almost none and even though I could speed it up a bit, I am feeling way more confident on these runs.

The run today was fun but my legs are getting so sore from all this running especially with these afternoon runs and weight lifting sets. It was a pretty easy run but my muscles weren't well rested from these past runs.

My family and I went down to the trail by the Riverside Maverik just before dark. I got a nice 4 mile run in with my brother. It wasn't too hard but all this running this week has worn me out. I'm so happy for the break tomorrow but even more excited for some more running next week.

Morning - 5 miles

The first part of the run was downhill and was really easy but on the way back the uphill killed me. Great run over all though.

Afternoon - 3 miles

Nice afternoon run because of the stormy day. Only around 90 degrees. The lift afterwards was 3 sets instead of 2 but not too bad. I watched Jason smash Hunter's plank record with a time of 7 minutes 3 seconds. Pretty awesome day.

Nice easy dirt mile (mud mile as Coach called it) run today. I still feel a little sore from yesterday but nice run overall.

A 5 mile run with a killer hill workout. One of the hardest morning runs of the summer. 

AM - 4 miles on grass with striders. Pretty easy run.

PM - 3 miles and a weight lifting set afterwards. It was still pretty cloudy and stormy so it wasn't too hot but still sweated like crazy. 

A 5 mile run at Bloomington Hills North Park with hills. We went up Web hill all the way to the towers. Very hard run. My legs were killing me the whole time but a nice stretch afterwards kept them from getting too sore. 

Easy run from the elementary past In n Out and under the freeway. 

AM - 7 Miles

My first 7 miler ever and even before my first 6 miler. We had to run up this hill and down another about the middle of the run and then run back up the one hill and down the other on the way back. They were right up there with the worst hills of the summer. I can't wait to see the results of all this hard work at the race next week.

PM - 3 Miles with Weights

Same Arctic Circle run as always. Legs still a little sore from AM run so my legs hurt most of the way. The weights after weren't terribly bad but Coach added a little drill type thing at the end. 

Wow I was so sore from yesterday that I could barely run today. Not a fun 4 miler.

This was my first 6 miler ever and it was after my firs 7 miler. Kinda weird. I was still really sore from the last two days but it felt better while I was running.

Nice Easy 3 miler today especially since I've been pretty sore the past couple of days.

A 6 miler with a hill and grass workout. As always the hill was a killer and the grass run a nice little run.

AM - 7 miles

Another long 7 miler but with fewer hills than last week.

PM - 3 miles

Arctic Circle run with weights. It was super hot today.

It was the dirt mile again today. I only stopped once thanks to Weston's motivation but ran slower than usual. Need to work on keeping a steady pace even with hills like that one on the way to the dirt mile.

AM - 3 miles with striders. Very easy grass run.

Race - 2 mile warm up. I felt like I was going to throw up during it but when the race rolled around I felt better. For my first race I felt like I did pretty good. Coach told me to always be passing people and I tried as hard as I could too. I passed a lot of people but for the first mile and half I couldn't shake off this one Hurricane kid. He finally slowed down and I took advantage and passed him for good. I started my sprint to the finish right as I hit the track but died out before the finish. I need to work on keeping a better pace and need to start my sprint closer to the finish. 1 mile cool down.

AM - 7 miles with hill workout. I did 5-1:00 and 7-0:30. Michael was giving us tips and pushing us the whole time and helped me get better each time we did it. I was a little sore from the race yesterday and with the hill workout today I could barely run on the way back. We stopped and got some water and that really helped me finish off my run.

PM - 3 miles at 6 pm instead of 3 pm because of the running center thing afterwards. It was a hot day but it cooled down a lot by the time we started running. We didn't do any weights after (I think because we couldn't get into the weight room) but we did as much of the plyos as we could outside before going and eating pizza and watching the Running Center's presentation. I really liked the presentation the guy gave because this is my first year running and it was really helpful and answered a lot of questions about racing.

We went running at the Dixie Center trail head and I ran 3 miles. It was easy at first until the guys I were running with decided to run in the sand next to the river. It was hard to run because our feet sank into the sand and slowed us down. We finally got out of the sand and ran our last mile and half or so on pavement. I ran pretty slow after that because I was tired from the sand. Coach Roberts's crew started to catch up to me at the end and told Jake and Preston to try to pass and beat me. I finally realized their plan as I heard their pace quicken and their steps getting closer and closer. I didn't want to get passed so I upped my pace as well and held them off the last little bit of the run. A nice easy three mile run before the weekend.

Almost didn't do my Saturday run because I didn't get up early enough to do a cool morning run and I didn't want to run in the heat. Finally decided to run with my brother at about 8:15. Coach told us we needed to incorporate a hill into the run but I didn't know which hill to do. My mom told me about a run she had done that was about 5 miles and had a hill. The run was from our house out to Red Cliffs Drive past Arctic Circle and up the hill by Sunrise Tire and all the way across the hill to Foremaster Drive and down Foremaster Drive past Maverik and up Mall Drive and back to our house. I felt good the whole way besides running those two hills (but then again who doesn't get tired from running hills). I really liked this run especially since it so quiet and peaceful on that hill because there are so few people who drive up there. I hope to run up that hill again this season and be able to enjoy the peace and quiet up there. It was also my first run with my new shoes and they felt a little weird at first but glad to have a pair of shoes that fit properly.

AM - 7 miles. It was our first morning practice at the High School. We ran down 2450 to the river trail. I felt pretty good on my run this morning and was able to run most of the first half of my run but I had a little stomach ache into my second half. I stopped a couple of times and the stomach ache eventually disappeared. I stopped once after that because of the 2450 hill but was able to run the rest of the way. 

PM - 3 miles. It was a way hot afternoon today. I stayed up with the big group of boys today but as we were coming back I wanted to quit. It was the first time that I had stayed with them the whole time and I was dying. Okay I wasn't dying but this was almost as painful. As we were crossing 2450 on our way back I had two super painful side aches and after we crossed I stopped. Finch was right there with me and gave me a great pep talk and pushed me to keep running. Thanks to him I kept running and finished off my run strong. We finished it off with weights and plyos.

 Today we ran 1000's with the Harts warm and cool. My first 1000 took me 3:50 and my next three were slower. On my last one I tried harder especially at the end and my time was 3:41. I don't know if I'm allowed to say every run was the hardest but this one definitely was very hard. My legs didn't hurt as much as they usually do but I was breathing harder than normal. I really need to work on finishing off those 1000's because about halfway through I already wanted to quit and I couldn't hardly sprint the last little bit of it. I still loved the run because it was new unlike most of our runs this summer. I didn't feel like running today when I got up but after running the warm up and the Harts run I felt way better and I'm super excited for our first official after school run.

AM - 3 miles Me and my brother ran the Arctic Circle run today because we don't have any of those fancy gps watches. We didn't start at the high school because we live almost right on the Arctic Circle. We extended the run a little bit but I don't think our extention was long enough. It was a very easy run because it was nice and cool.

PM - 5.5 miles My longest afternoon run ever and it was one of the hotter runs too. We ran 400s and 2 minutes thingys. It was a very hard run and I didn't run so well on some of the things but it definately showed me that I need to work harder.

PM - 4 miles with striders and plyometrics afterwards. I didn't feel so good today probably because of the heat. I had multiple side aches and I could barely run. I stopped a couple of times and soon they were gone but after that I had no motivation to run and took multiple breaks after that. I found a quarter along the way though so not everything was bad. I ran only 3 striders afterwards because I didn't feel like doing all eight. I walked in late for the plyos but I did all the rest of the ones I was there for. I didn't do as well as I hoped today but I hope to do better tomorrow. 

AM-I didn't go the AM run today because I slept in.

 PM-3 miles with 4x200. I felt way better today than I did yesterday and was able to run almost the whole time. I ran the 200's slower than I would have liked but at least I did all of them. 

Race: It was my second race and I felt really good. I was way sore just before the race but as I started running the pain disappeared.  My start was pretty slow and I was towards the back of the pack but I didn't panic and just worked my way up. I didn't feel tired for the first lap but just into my second lap I could tell I was out of breath. I kept running though thanks to some awesome support from the sidelines and my teammates running the race. About halfway into the second lap most of my passing had ceased and there were three guys that I had problems shaking at the end but as I reached the end of the hill just before the finish I turned on my wheels. I passed all three guys just before the back stop and broke into in all out sprint right at the end.  I was really satisfied with my finish and just with my race overall because I beat my Cedar time by almost a minute.

AM - 3 miles. Nice and cool Arctic Circle run. My quad was bothering me and I was a little sore from last week but it was a great run although it was pretty humid. 

 PM - 6.75 miles. 5x3:00 with 3:00 minutes of jogging after each one. I also did the Harts warm and cool with weights and plyos afterwards. It was really hot today and it even still felt a little humid. I think this was honestly the hardest day of the whole season. I did everything I was supposed to and my legs by the end felt like jello. I took a lot more breaks than usual but I kept on going. I did most of my weights but as I started my plyos I could barely do them but once Abel caught up with me I was able to finish it out with him.

Time Trial today with 2.5 mile warm up and harts cool. It was pretty cool because it was a little bit later in the afternoon and there was cloud cover. The warm up was pretty easy and I was feeling great but just wasn't totally in the race. I was able to finish strong but I need to figure out how to run the whole race strong.

6 mile run with 3x 1/2 mile fartleks. We ran up the Sunrise hill and down Foremaster. I got left behind at the Arctic Circle stop light and never caught up again. I didn't really do the fartleks because I didn't know how long I was supposed to go. I tried to for a while but in the end I gave up. I was able to run the whole way (besides the one stoplight) and felt like I had a pretty good run even though I didn't do the fartleks but I guess that's what I get for getting behind.

3 miles and striders and weights afterwards. I didn't do plyos because almost everybody disappeared after lifting and I just ended up leaving too. I guess they came back from who knows where and ended up doing them but whatever. Easy run today with striders afterwards. I didn't get left behind today and was able to stay up with my group. Striders and weights weren't too hard.

AM-3 miles. I was a little sore from the other runs but it was nice and cool, so I shouldn't complain.

PM-4 miles. A 3 mile run plus 4x200 after. It was hot and I was tired but pushed through (barely). 

I was pretty tired this morning from a lack of sleep because I stayed up and watched the Hunger Games. I wasn't that sore so it wasn't all bad. I ran a three mile warm-up and felt pretty good. I felt like I had a good race and tried to close the gap on Logan. I was able to stay up with him for the first lap but for the rest of the time I was behind him. I felt like I had a pretty good race considering all of the grass but finish wasn't as good as at Hurricane. I didn't sprint like I did last race and wasn't able to pass anybody in the last leg of the race. In fact, a couple of people passed me and left me in the dust. The only thing I need to improve more than my finish is just my overall motivation and visualization. I may have not beat my Hurricane time but I think I ran a little bit faster overall this race than last race.

AM-3 miles. It felt good to run again especially after taking a break on Sunday. My muscles my not have been totally healed but about as good as I am going to get for the next week. It was another nice cool run.

PM-8 mile. 7 miles plus striders. We ran to Vernon Worthen park today and did striders there and then ran back. I was able to keep up with everybody for the first two miles but after that I took a break and soon was left in the dust. I was able to make it to the park just in time to start striders. I wasn't feeling so great today so my striders weren't very fast but on the way back I started to feel better. I got behind again but at the Brick Oven I was able to catch up with Jake Taylor and after stopping to get water at Starbucks ran the rest of the way with him. Weights and plyos afterwards were tiring but it felt good to be out of the heat.  

Ran 5x1000's with Heart's warm and cool. It wasn't has hot as yesterday but I was still dying. My times were 3:38, 3:42, 3:45, 4:10, and 3:32 respectively. I felt pretty good on the first three but on the 4th one I was already burned out (or so I thought). Coach gave a really inspirational pep talk about fear and pain and I was able to push myself on the last one. It also helped that I knew I only had one more but I think it still helped me out. I drank too much water before my cool down and I felt like crap on it but I felt like I had a pretty good run considering yesterday and compared to my last 1000's workout.

AM-3 miles. Another cool morning run. Enough said.

PM-5.5 miles. Harts warm and cool. 4x2 min. with 1 min recovery. 5x400 with 30 sec recovery. I actually only did 4x400 because I thought that was how many I was supposed to do. Today overall I felt really good. My legs were a little stiff and sore on the warm up but by the workout I was fine. My 2 min. weren't the best but I thought I was where I usually am, need to work on pushing myself a little bit harder on those. My 400's were really good today and I was able to pack it in a little closer than usually. I wasn't able to pack it in very well in the beginning but I tried to push myself hard at the end and was able to catch up a good distance. Need to work on pushing it through the whole thing. 

PM- A nice easy run into Green Springs. A little hot but a nice short 3 mile run with striders and weights and plyos afterwords.

PM- Did 7 miles with 30 minute 7:30 tempo. I ran with Jake but I don't think we quite ran a 7:30. I was really tired especially after doing about 4 miles at the run-a-thon. I ran the 3:00pm shift and then we went on our tempo. After the tempo, I chilled in the locker room and then went to watch the football game. I went home and ate for part of the football game but made it back just before the end. The run-a-thon was tiring but I kept going (with a little nap in between). It was really fun to just hang out and run all through the night. I'm not sure how many total miles I got throughout the night but I got enough for my Friday run and then my tempo was my Saturday run.  

AM-Ran 5 miles out into the fields and then back through Sandberg's pond. I didn't have a lot of energy today and my legs were dead by the end. We had to do 4x200's afterwards followed by plyos. I am way tired now but at least it wasn't hot because I would have probably collapsed. 

I woke up this morning feeling sick as in cough, sore throat, and chest congestion. I felt like I ran pretty well though. When we first started doing the warm up, I realized that the grass was really thick. I knew it was a grass race but nobody even bothered to cut it or anything and this worried me. However, once I was racing I didn't even notice it that much. I started the race out as I usually do (at the back of the pack) and worked my way up. My legs felt great but my throat bothered me throughout the race. I felt like I ran pretty hard still and was able to pass Josh up in the last lap. My finish much like last race was pretty weak but I still was able to pass a couple of guys in the last 150 meters and didn't let them pass me again. My time was no where close to my Hurricane time but I still beat my Cedar Time.

I only ran 3 miles today because I was still sick which is a pretty lame excuse. I felt pretty good today and luckily my throat didn't bother me too much. I ran striders by myself after the run and did weights and plyos once everybody else got back. 

I ran with the Varsity boys for the first part of the run but after falling behind, I turned back and only ran about 3 miles. I didn't have a lot of motivation to run today and took many long breaks. I took so long that I got back after the 5 milers. Hope to run better tommorow. 

Still Sick but still ran the workout, unwillingly, but I still ran it and hey sometimes that is all that you can do. It rained randomly during the warm-up and I was soaked so I ran without a shirt for most of the workout and that was a lot of fun. It wasn't too hot today and the run wasn't too hard but I just don't want to be sick anymore.

Workout Day. I was supposed to run 8 miles but I only did about half of the 1000's so I only did about 7 miles. Unfortunately, I was still sick but I also wasn't feeling the workout today. It is so hard to run when I'm sick, I hope to be better soon.

The Level 2 Boys ran the DI Loop for warm up. I felt like I raced really well considering my goal coming into it. I really wanted to beat Jake Taylor because I'm always just a little bit behind him so I tried to stay up with him the whole time. I was behind him for a lot of the first lap but in the second lap I was pretty much running with him. Sometimes I would get ahead and sometimes he would get ahead but we were right next to each other for the whole second lap. We were pretty close for most of the third lap until the end where I put on my wheels and left him in the dust. On the last 50 meters I felt so tired so my finish was not fast and I ended up laying down at the end of the race. After the race we did a cool down around the course picking up cones and then did a hill workout. We only did five hills so it wasn't that bad. 

We ran roller coasters today. I felt pretty good the whole way to the roller coasters considering how I've felt the past week but I died on the roller coasters. At first I was pretty much walking them but I slowly found my rhythm and started running most of the time. After the roller coasters, I felt horrible and could barely run. No it wasn't my legs, it was my stomach. I had to go the bathroom really bad. I ran and walked off and on till the park where I finally was able to relive myself and I felt way better the rest of the run. My legs hurt the rest of the way because I had rested too much and I still found myself taking frequent stops. I didn't run the striders or do the plyos but I did the weights. I was still sick today but I'm feeling way better and should be alright by next week.

Today's Run Was So AWESOME!!! We ran the 5 mile Sandberg's run and took a swim while we were there. I was still a little sick today but so much better than the past couple of days. I felt great and only stopped once at the top of that one hill. I ran the rest of the way and what made this run even better was the swim. It smelt bad towards the end but it felt so good. I ran the 200's afterwards and I felt like I was back to my old self again. There is only one word to describe my run today and that is: AWESOME!!!

Another workout day with Harts warm and cool, 8x200, and 2x5 minutes. I didn't feel as good as I did yesterday but at least the workout wasn't as hard. I ran pretty hard on the 200's and on my first 5 minute but on my last 5 minute, I didn't run very hard and almost got lapped by the other boys but it was still a pretty strong workout for me. 

AM-3 miles. Same old Arctic Circle run.

PM-6 miles. I didn't feel so good today. I ran to Starbucks and back (4 miles) and then ran a 1 mile Indian Run, 4 Stadium Hill Sprints, and 4x100. 

Today I woke up and I was super sore because I didn't stretch very well. The warm up wasn't bad but I felt it on the Michigan and on the cool down. I didn't get anywhere near those A or B standards which didn't surprise me because I'm never close to any of those guys that actually made the standard on our workouts.

We were supposed to run 6 but we didn't know so we only ended up running four and then doing 2x400. I was still a little sore from Monday when I didn't stretch but it wasn't a terrible run for me. 

Today, we ran my favorite run: Sandbergs with 4x200 afterwards. I didn't feel the best for the first two miles but I pushed through and by the time we reached Sandbergs, I felt great. The Swim was great as always but it made my legs go cold and I had to warm-up again to get going. The 200's afterwards felt weird to me and I didn't feel like I was running them as well. I hope my legs feel better tommorow. 

We did 4 miles and then striders before the varsity race at Salem Hills High School. It was a really easy run and I felt great. Nice run before race.

I really liked this race. It had a lot of hills but it showed me that those hill workouts are very important. I felt great especially after my legs had been sore most of the week. I got a new PR even though this race was a little bit shorter. I really need to work on the mental part of my racing because that is the only thing holding me back from being a great runner. I felt like I ran pretty well but I really need to work on my hills just I little bit harder and use the downhills to my advantage. My finish was poor again and instead of passing anybody, I ended up getting out sprinted at the end. Our JV boys were outstanding with 5 runners in the top 10 and 7 in the top 15. 

AM-3 miles. Arctic Circle. I didn't know we had some hill sprints and 100's afterwards so like normal I went home before reaching the high school. 

PM-It wasn't the hardest workout I've ever done but I definitely worked harder than I ever have before. We had Pizza Hut warm and cool and then 4x30 seconds with 1 minute recovery. I felt really strong on my 30 seconds and felt like I ran them really well. We then ran 3x800 and I felt really good with my first two with times of 3:05 and 2:55 respectively but my third one I died off and got 3:12. We then ran 2x1000's indian run style. I ran the first one okay but fell off from the group after the first 200 meters on the second one. I kept running at a slow pace and Coach pushed me with about 300 meters to go and I was able to pass Jake up and finish my run strong. I can honestly say that I worked harder today then I have on almost any other workout. We did weights and plyos after but I couldn't do all the plyos because I felt like I was going to collapse.

As weird as this sounds, I actually enjoyed this workout today. I may not have hit B standard but I sure improved my time from last week. I felt really strong running today even with my legs being a little sore from yesterday. I missed B standard by about 1:30 and even though I slowed down on those last few laps (okay maybe 5 or 6), I am really happy with my time and how much I improved from last week. I felt really good on my striders too and I'm so ready for the race on Friday because I already feel like I'm going to kill it.

AM-3 miles. Same old run but we decided to cut it short and see the people doing their Michigan finish and then finish off the rest of the run. 

PM-6 miles. 5 miles and then 4x200's. Then weights and plyos.

Pre-race run today. We cut the Sandbergs run short so it was only about four miles instead of five. As always, we swam and had a great time. 

2 mile warm and 1 mile cool. I got a new PR in this race but it didn't feel to me like that great of a race. I felt like I ran well but nothing big or different from most of the rest of my races. My legs still a little sore from the Michigan and the Monday workout this week but as always most of that soreness disappeared as I ran. I haven't been able to figure out my kick since my awesome finish at Hurricane so I need to work on that. I didn't prepare mentally like I should have and need to work on that for region. My form could use some tweaks especially when I start to get tired. Overall, a great race for me and a new PR.

3 miles and then 4 stadium hill sprints and 4x100's. Easy run with the 2450 loop. Then a little workout afterwards. I can't believe that Sergio was running with us the whole way and beating most of us. The future looks bright for our team with young runners like him coming up especially with the current strong freshman class.

My favorite run and our normal pre-race run: Sandbergs. We ran only 4 miles again with 4x200's so it was a really easy run. It was scary though as the freshman almost died but luckily Matt was there to save the day and sacrifice part of his shirt to the monster that came out of Sandbergs.

Same old warm and cool (2 mile warm, 1 mile cool). 2 seconds slower than my time from last week but then again it was a little bit longer than the Cedar course. Legs a little sore, didn't have my head in the game (or race, I guess), and my form was really crappy but other than that (oh wait, that pretty much covers everything). Just kidding. I was satisfied with my time but I just wish I had finished better. I'm still trying to figure out how to kick because I haven't hardly kicked on any of my races except Hurricane. I know I could cut off a couple of seconds and could of cracked my PR again if I had kicked so I'll try to figure that out for region.

5 miles with 4x200.

2 miles T + 1x1000 I + 1x400 R + 4x200 R w/ Pizza warm/cool. The workout was all on the track. My legs were a little sore but I felt like I was able to do it okay. 

PM - Only 3 miles to hot nails and back. Not the normal pre-race run this time sadly.

I felt really good with my race today. It was a new PR for me on this course but sadly 2 seconds short of my normal 3 mile PR and 13 seconds off of my goal for this race. My legs felt really good today but I started to feel the burn in my legs about halfway through the big lap and was going to slow down. Luckily Coach's quotes that he gave to us hit me hard and I told myself that I could give a little bit more. It really helped me push through the pain and played a big part in how I raced today. I was a little disappointed that Jake was sick though because one of my goals for me this season was to beat him (in a official race with other teams because I have beat him at the time trial). Our JV boys finished off our season with an awesome race and won easily with Matt's number 1 finish and many other top 10 finishes but sadly they don't give trophys or medals to the JV teams. Our JV girls were good but sorry to say did not win. Both our Varsity teams took second with great races from Mike and Stoner who finished 1st and 2nd respectively in their races. Can't wait to race again in California in a couple of months.

PM-Green Springs run. I really hated this run coming into it but I really loved that we flew down the hill on the way back and were running a 6:30 pace which made me laugh because that is faster than my race pace. 

PM-Workout on the track today after team pictures on the PV. We ran an 800, 600, 400, 200, 400, and then another 200 in that order. We were supposed to get faster every time and I was doing really well but died off on about the last 400 and was really disappointed with that. Pizza warm and cool.

PM-Ran to the middle school and did wave hills which are just hills in guess what?...a wave shape. I didn't run as good as I should have but still felt a little tired by the end.

I almost didn't do this run because I was being lazy today but at about 7 pm decided to run towards Arctic Circle and was going to turn back there but I felt good so I pushed all the way to Target and back to my house which is about four miles. I had a lot of fun with this run because I was alone and it was cool and the downhill from Sunrise Tire to Target was so nice and I felt like I was just flying. Super fun run.

PM-A workout called Master Blasters which is just a relay of 200 meters with teams of three. We were supposed to have a team with a level 3, 2, and 1 but my team was Andrew, Logan, and me. We didn't finish last but didn't finish first either. My legs were dead even before we started and by the end I wasn't even running my normal run pace. Harts warm and cool.

After getting to our hotel, we ran around a high school and got some mean words from some very cool soccer players. I felt pretty good even though it was freezing and was really satisfied with my striders afterwards even though the grass basically froze off my toes. I went with the Freshman Five (only four because Preston wasn't and isn't ever with us) to TGI Fridays later that night and I paid over half the tip which was more than we were supposed to pay anyways. We gave Coach a hot wheels car with our signatures and a poorly spelled Happy Christmas note on the box (praise Nick for that spelling).

Today we did a hill workout up and down the Foremaster hill by Sunrise Tire. It was my first time ever doing it and boy it was a killer. I ran over there with all the Varsity guys but I got left in the dust when we started running the hill. We were supposed to do the hill 5 times and I was dead after the first one. I felt really weak when some of the Varsity girls started passing me despite starting after me. Luckily it only happened once but they got really close on the last one. On the way back, I almost got passed by them again because I was running so slow but I got back to my usual pace and they didn't get close again.

We ran a 6 mile long hill workout into Green Springs but we ran down like we were going to Sandbergs or running the 2450 loop backwards. We turned around just after the curve at the bottom of the hill and ran hard but not quite tempo (although it was about my tempo pace) up the hill. I was able to stay up with the Varsity guys until just after we went under the freeway. I didn't fall too far behind and ran with Andrew the rest of the way to our turn around. Casey had helped a little bit in me getting to the top because after stopping for a little bit came up from behind and pushed, literally pushed, me into the ground. Okay, he didn't push me but that faster pace that he pushed me to was pretty much as bad. I even stopped shortly afterwards and at my turn around because Casey's push was so bad. The rest of the run flew by as I left Josh and Andrew in the dust because they hit every single stop at the cross walks while I only hit two on the way back.

AM-Normal Arctic Circle run. Missed yesterday's morning run but got there today. Super excited for these to be back even though it was pretty cold. 

PM- Today we did the 5 mile mall loop run thing. It wasn't too bad at first and I felt really good but just after we passed Slickrock park, my stomach killed and my pace was really slow the rest of the way. We had striders after and I felt really good again. I was able to run them at a fairly strong pace and my stomach did not hurt.

AM-3 miles. Same old Arctic Circle run. I ran in shorts and a t-shirt and it was really cold. I should probably wear at least a long sleeve shirt next time.

PM-Somewhere around 7 miles. We had a workout today that was supposed to be kinda like a Michigan because it was a speed change workout. We started and ended as always with Harts warm and cool then we did the workout in a pyramid style with the minutes (1,2,3,4,3,2,1) going at a hard pace for each time followed by a recovery of the same time. I was feeling really good for the first half and was able to catch up with Josh and run with him (or pretty dang close to him) for a lot of the middle minutes. I died off though on my last 2 minute (just like every other workout or race) and wasn't able to catch back up. I was really satisfied with how hard I pushed today, I just need to work on finishing workouts and races. 

I ran on my own today at about 4 pm. I was going to run with the Freshman Five but didn't know when they were going exactly. I had my mom drop me off up in the desert in Green Springs because it seemed like a good alternative to roller coasters. I really tried to work on my form today especially on the hill running. I worked really hard on getting my knees up and keeping my breathing calm because it always seems as if I'm dragging my feet and I get breathing so hard even when I'm not even running hard up a hill. It really helped me keep a steady pace up and after the hill and kept me from slowing down afterwards. I ran back down to my house and on the way saw some of the runners that ditched us for the play. They seemed surprised to see me as if they were the only ones who ran towards the end of the day (sheez those actors).

Today we did a 2000 time trial, 2x1000, 3 min rec, with Harts warm and cool. I was really happy with my workout today. Coach really wanted us to focus on running our average 1000 time (which I didn't know because we haven't done 1000's on the grass in a while) and then matching it or beating it on the other ones. All I could remember was some of my times from early in the season which were around 3:40. I crushed those times though with times of 3:20, 3:21 (a time of 6:41 on 2000), 3:21, and 3:19 sequentially. I was so happy with those times and was really surprised when some of the youngsters were keeping up with me and Sergio, I think even beat me. It's really cool though because it means we are still going to have some tough JV runners (if they don't make Varsity first).

AM - 3 miles. Nice and easy Arctic Circle run. A little cold but not too bad.

AM - 6.25 miles. We did the Michigan this morning because of scheduling conflicts. My time was somewhere around 29 minutes flat so not quite B standard but a lot better than last time where I got about 29:40. I was feeling pretty good at first and was able to stay about 100 meters behind Hunter. I lost him sadly about halfway through. My legs weren't super tired like some of our workouts but my arms sure were. I was really mad at myself for not being mentally strong and letting my form to go all wacky that last of the workout. I was still satisfied with my run though. I definitely want to get B standard next time.

PM - 3 mile grass run at 2450 park. We ran through the dreaded desert where everyone hurts themselves. I think we are in the clear though this year as no injuries have been reported yet from this run. I really liked this run because it was fairly easy and a lot more comfortable than wearing shoes. But it is more dangerous because of the dog poo that some people stepped in (ha Coach).

PM - 4 miles with 4x200's. We ran the Dog Pound run today with a hard pace all the way from the top of telegraph down to the Dog Pound. I was feeling really good and actually led the boys pretty much the whole time and even at the end which is where I usually fall off. I wasn't hardly ever out of breath either which is great for me even though our hard push was down hill. My200's weren't bad either but I still got burned by all those people who can sprint like crazy.

PM - 4 mile run to Starbucks and back. It was a great easy run with my shirt off where me and Jason pushed the pace to ditch the rest of the guys who were doing some dumb synchronized running and kept saying, "Left, left, left..." and so on. I was really happy that we got done so early because it was nice to get the weekend started early.

PM - Today was an 8 mile distance run. I don't know what was wrong today but I had this horrible side ache and the bottom of my foot hurt. I was running with all the guys clear to Hells Hole but dropped off after that. 

PM - Workout today. I did 2x(1200, 1000, 800, 600) and Harts warm and cool. About 7.5 miles total. My foot was still bothering me and I don't know why I still have a side ache in the same spot. My first set was great and was able to stick with the rest of the lower level 2 boys but soon dropped. I ran most of my remaining set with the Varsity boys because I had made a pit stop at the bathroom and was able to stick right behind Kyler most of the way.

PM - 4 mile easy run. My foot still was bothering me and I still had the side ache but couldn't feel it all that much because of the slow pace. I led the boys out but I was the only lower level 2 boy to turn around at Starbucks. I met Jake along the way back and since he wasn't feeling good ran with me but he soon dropped off as well.

AM - Same old 3 mile Arctic Circle run. My foot didn't hurt so bad this morning and I had a good run. It wasn't too cold either.

PM - 7.5 miles. Today we had our 3rd Time Trial. We started with our normal warm up (Harts). I was super happy with my race today. I got a time of 12:32 which is a 23 seconds better than my last time. I started out as usual, toward the back right with Andrew and Dallin. After getting up by the tennis courts, I finally decided to try to catch up with Josh and Hunter. I was able to catch up with them by the baseball field and was able to stick with them until the 800 when I pushed it and left them in the dust. I tried to catch Danny on that last lap but sadly he went faster too. Still a great race though. We didn't have a normal cool down though. Instead, we had a short run (3 miles) and then 4x200's. It wasn't too hard but I wasn't feeling the greatest so towards the end of the 3 miles and throughout the 200's and didn't run as good as should have.

PM - 5 miles with striders. Today we ran down 2450 and were going to go to the river trail but the street was really busy so we went up the industrial road. We ran past the high school and went partway on the Arctic Circle run and came back. I wasn't feeling the greatest once we started coming up industrial and I fell behind. I caught back up just past the high school and finished off my run strong. I really liked striders and realized they were my favorite cool down.

8 miles. My first Saturday run in about a month. It was a little cold and my foot was bothering me a lot today probably because I was lazy yesterday and didn't stretch very well. I ran down to the river trail today to make up for not doing it yesterday and because we haven't run it since the beginning of the season. It was a pretty uneventful run until about halfway through when I saw Megan, Aubrey, and Erin out on their run. Then it was another boring and cold 4 miles. A long run but not too difficult.

PM - 7 miles. We did 5x1000 today with Harts warm and cool. I was feeling good but ran poorly. Not the greatest workout for me. 

AM - 3 miles. Same old.

PM - 5 mile run and then striders. I felt great and led the pack for a lot of the run. Striders, my favorite cool down, were a blast. My foot is feeling way better but still hurt towards the end of the run. 

AM - 3 miles. Arctic Circle. Super Cold. Not much fun.

PM - 5 miles easy and then 4x200. Coach was really happy with how I almost always lead out the pack and I did just that for the first half of the run but started feeling like crap on the second half. I fell off extremely at the end and was kind of embarrassed after getting congratulated for sticking with the big pack.

PM - 6 mile killer Sunrise Hill workout. I led the pack again with Jason (again) over to the hill. We had a pretty small group even with the Varsity being gone. I guess some people thought they could ditch without Coach knowing but they thought wrong (Josh, Jake T, other Jason). Okay, I'm sure they had a good excuse. Anyways, the workout was actually really good today. Yes it was hard but I had a lot of fun with it (sounds weird, I know). I did 5 hills and on the first one my lungs were on fire and my legs were burning and I thought "Oh great, another crappy workout". But it only got better from there, I didn't get much faster but felt better as it went on and I felt like I was running pretty consistently. On the run back, I led the pack again and surprisingly didn't feel very tired. Way better than last time we did this workout.

PM - 5 miles. Nice easy run to Target and back. We left really early but overall still had lame attendance (that's including those we left behind). I'm sure they have a good reason but still. Anyways I got left behind too but once I caught up, I led the group again. It was actually a really fun run even with our really small numbers.

5 miles. I ran to Target again (yes the same way 3 days in a row). I went about 5 pm and even though the weather was really nice, I wore a jacket. Nice slow pace. Nice short run.

PM - 7 miles. Roller coasters. I led the pack over there and was feeling really good. I started running the roller coasters and my legs started burning and I wanted to quit. But I just kept taking it step by step and telling myself to push myself up and down each hill and that it was almost over. I was able to stay up front throughout the whole thing and I am so happy. It is a huge improvement from the last time I ran roller coasters where I started walking on some of those hills. I felt great on the way back too so overall great run.

PM - 4x1000 with Harts warm and cool. It was around 6.5 miles I think. Coach had the lower level 2 boys hang back today with the girls so Rachel and Mia (well just all of those top girls) would have somebody to kinda pace them. My first one was really strong and me Andrew led the pack along with Rachel and we came in about 3:15. My next times were about the same with my last one being 3:17. So it was a pretty consistent workout for me. I really loved leading the pack too because  it really gave me a reason to keep pushing and learn how to set the pace a little bit.

5 miles and then striders at the end. I ran at about noon with my brother and we took my sister out a little ways with us. My mom was taking my younger siblings to the park so we decided to run from there. It was at Cox park in Dixie boundaries kinda by the post office. At first it was a really slow pace because we had to stay with our sister but it was really fun to give my sister some tips on her form and kinda helped me think about my form too. Pretty much an uneventful run otherwise though. The grass that we did striders on was crappy and mostly dead but whatever. At least I got my run in and got my brother to run with me. 

5 miles. I ran over foremaster today before going to a turkey bowl. I started out with my mom but since her pace was a little slow and I didn't have a lot of time before the turkey bowl, I left her. It wasn't a difficult run and I was feeling good until the last part of my run. I don't know what it was. My legs were feeling good but I just had no desire to run which hasn't happened to me for a long time. It was a nice quiet run which was nice but I still wish I could have gotten my brother to come.

PM - 5 miles. Today we did a timed mile with the DI warm and cool. I got 5:33 but I just felt really choppy today. I never have run this fast on mile (even though I haven't really been timed that much) and I was happy with the time. I was just really mad about how sloppy my form was and mad at my self for not running on Friday and Saturday because I was felt really rusty today on the run. Evidence that not only missing Saturday runs but any runs can really affect your running even if it is only one run.

PM - 4 miles with striders. I led the pack for the first little bit but still was feeling rusty so decided to drop back a bit. I didn't fall off completely like I've done so many times when I'm hurting but I still fell off a little (like barely any, though). Striders were awesome as always since it is my favorite cool down. I almost beat Paul on that last strider but got cut off. (Ha, Ha. Just kidding, I probably never would be able to beat Paul)

PM - ICE CREAM RUN!!! 4 miles and 4x200. I was feeling rusty again at first but after eating my cone, I felt so great. My stomach didn't hurt and my legs were just feeling awesome. We almost killed Andrew on the run too! The 200's felt great even though I wasn't killer fast but I just felt great.

3 miles.We drove down to California for the Foot Locker Race. We got there after dark and went for little run from the hotel. There were a lot of poles, signs, and fire hydrants in the way. It was pretty fun and we just relaxed in our rooms until bed.

3 miles...I think. Maybe 4 but I'm not sure. We picked up our race packets and stuff. The people sort of lost my registration and tried to rip me off and make me pay the money again. They found my registration got me my bib but I found out later I got signed up for the wrong race. We then ran part of the course and did like 4 striders with our shoes on. It had been raining all day and I think night so the course was muddy and our shoes got caked with mud and eventually grass when we did striders. Kinda bumbed about it raining because we didn't go to the beach. Observatory was okay though. 

So I got into the wrong race. I kinda ended up in the F/S All West Boys. Better known as the Freshman/Sophomore All Star Race (for those who aren't running the seeded race). Luckily, there were some other people in the race my speed and under so it wasn't too bad. From our team in this race it was only me and Paul (who actually was supposed to be in this race). It felt weird to warm up with only Paul and be at the starting line with just him and especially weird when I didn't see any of my teammates running for the last two miles or more. Anyways as the race got started, I was right behind Paul for the first fifty meters before deciding that was too fast. I was kinda mad at myself for slowing down too much though. I felt pretty good on the 2 loops and felt like I was in a good position and passing people but then came the switchbacks. I did pretty bad all day at the hill running and on a course full of hills my racing suffered. I got passed by quite a few people on the hills towards the end and tried to use the downhills to make up for it but even that was poor. At the very end on the track, a black guy with dreads who I'd been by pretty much the whole race passed me and built a good lead on me but I sprinted in and finished just barely behind him though the times don't say I really did. It was cool to race in that race but I just wish I had done better.

3 miles (kinda). Well, the two weeks of no running is up. Today we were looking for donations for our Eggnog Run on Thursday. I went with Casey, Colton, Andrew, Jake, Krenshaw, and Devin (for the first part of it). We failed on donations at McDonalds, Kohls, Office Max, and IHOP before finally having a success at Red Robin with a free dessert coupon and a 3 year old Ferrari (okay, actually just a little toy Ferrari). Pretty weird run and we were barely ever running.

PM - 4 miles. Little run to Starbucks. Didn't lead the pack but stayed with them pretty well.

PM - 5 miles. Coach and some of the boys went to get the egg nog for tommorow. So the rest of us sat around and talked until they got back. Coach let Tyson choose where we were going and luckily for me it was Green Springs. I fell back a little on the way up but on the way back stuck in there pretty well. I'm still feeling a little awkward after taking a break from running.

PM - 3 miles. 1 mile egg nog run was not as pukey as I thought and I only felt bad after running. I did my last two miles with Coach and Mike on the DI loop. 

PM - 4 miles. We ran down Telegraph today. It was a pretty easy run. I felt great and it was a very short run. So excited for Christmas Break.

5 miles. Byron told the boys to meet at the school this morning at 8, so me and my brother went over there. Byron didn't end up showing up, so it was just me, my brother, Matt, David, Abel, Paul, and Krenshaw. We ran to Target and boy it was cold. Some people were dumb enough to water there lawns and there was ice on the sidewalks. I ended up sliping and sliding on my butt on the way back past Carl's Jr. Luckily, I only hurt my elbow so I was able to run the rest of the way back without any problems. It was nice to actually run with some other people on my Saturday run for once.

4 miles.  Me and my brother went down 2450 to the river trail at about 9 this morning. We ran 4 miles today so that we would only have to do 3 tommorow. On the way down, the weather was nice and it was easy but as we started running the river trail a little bit, it started raining. I was cold but at least my legs were feeling great. My breathing was terrible, though. Need to work on that.

3 miles. Me and my brother went at about noon. Nice enough weather to go short sleeve but it got pretty cold in the shade. We went towards Arctic Circle and turned around just before Starbucks. About halfway through I got a nasty side ache probably from the candy I ate. My legs were feeling great. Nice, quick run.

Me and my brother again went around noon. We ran to the high school and did the dog pound run and then ran home. I had another nasty side ache about halfway through and I slowed down maybe a little too much. My  legs felt great again but I think I'm starting to get sick because I had a little bit of a sore throat.

3 miles. Was feeling even more sick than yesterday. My throat was sore and I couldn't breathe the best but still ran. Went with my brother towards Arctic Circle again.