GOING THE DISTANCE

3 pm -  XC practice was a Michigan today.  It was hard.  We started by 1 mile warm up. I was feeling good mentally and I was pretty excited and pumped to go for a PR (24:38). I started out good going behind Abel and Byron for the first 800m.  I kept feeling ok for the first 1.5 miles.  Then I don't know what was wrong today but my legs slowly started to burn insanely painfully.  I tried to stick it in and pick it up to see if it would go away but my legs just were jacked.  They've never felt like that bad.  It felt like i pushed it much harder and my legs were much more sore than last time.  I still was going tough mentally but it just wasn't a good physical day.  I got like 26:15.  O we'll I guess I'll just redeem myself in the race and go under 16 minutes.

3 pm -  good hard workout.  I really pushed it today.  We had lots of sprinting stuff.

3 pm -  today was a nice recovery day.  We went down to 2450 park and ran a mile on the grass then back.  After that we had 4 all out 200's.

3 pm -  race!  My favorite one too.  It was the Cedar Invite.  I was hoping to go under 16 minutes for this race.  That was gonna require a balls to the walls performance.  I had a good fast race, but I didn't go to my whole potential like Preston for example.  I really just need to keep working towards the point where it don't have any fear to go more.  I need to start caring more.  When someone would pass me I really didn't even care.  That's a bad mindset I need to change.  At least I finished pretty strong and passed a Dixie right at the end.

3 pm -  today was full of pain.  It was one of the hardest workout I can remember doing.  3200m, 11 minutes.  Not too hard of a pace usually but it was so hard, I wanted to give up so bad but my team was counting on me.  I had to lead the last lap and I couldn't just give up.  Walking the 400 recovery I was so dizzy.  After that we had a hard hard mile.  The first lap was good but my body was so dead.  I slowed a lot but it still hurt so bad.  My legs have never been more sore.

3 pm -  today we had another hard workout.  I strained my calf yesterday but it doesn't really bug we when I run.  Us varsity boys did a 2 mile tempo (I think) and then 4 hard 200's.  My legs really hurt after I was all done.  But it's good to know that I'm working hard to get that pain.

4pm -  Today us guys running varsity just kinda jogged around while watching the races at Snow Canyon.  We did 4*150m finishes which I attemped by my right quad had a wierd sharp overstretched feeling.  I don't know if I strained that too but any way I didn't do those. 

3pm -  Today was a pretty easy day with some speed added in the end.  We started out by doing a easy 4 miler, green springs route.  Back at the track we had to do 6 400's, starting at about your 1600 pr pace then increasing each one.  I went a little quicker to stay with everyone else.  I got 1:10, 1:10, 1:08, 1:08, 1:07, and on the last one I went pretty hard and even got 1:03 with a strong headwind on the final 100m.  My quad felt ok and didn't really mess my form up or anything.

5:45am -  Ran my first morning run in a while today, only cause we did our main workout in the morning.  We ran the arctic circle route first, warming up 1 mile. Then we (varsity) did a 2 mile tempo.  The JV boys did 1.5.  I really felt good and didn't have any problem falling behind. The pace felt really really fast but I dont know if it was any faster or not (than 11 minutes).  Back at the school we did 3 sets of Master Blasters, which is basically a 200's workout but with teamates and in a relay form.  Those got me really tired.

Later in the evening I went on a backpacking trip for scouts, and i was able to since we had practice in the morning.  2.5 miles into our camp spot.

Hiked 2.5 miles out from our camp in the morning.

3pm -  Me and my dad went out and ran the Barrel Roll trail.  It was so much fun.  If I had a choice to run on paved roads or single track trails, I would choose trails everyday.  The loop was 6 miles and we added 4 fartleks in, each about 50-60 seconds long.  Our dog ran with us she did good.  I can't wait till trail tuesdays starts again for XC practice.

3pm -  Nice, easy prerace run.  We ran three miles and we were supposed to do 4 200's after.  But it aggravated my quad so I say that out.  Tomorrow's region so I guess the season is almost over.  It's been really fun.

5:30 pm -  today was region at Bloomington Hills and if was pretty fun.  Our team got to the park at like 2:30 so I say around and cheered my siblings for a couple hours.  Then an hour before, us varsity boys went and ran around the park while we watched the JV boys win.  I was feeling good and confident I could help us win.

So we lined up and coach started the race.  A big pack maybe 20 guys formed a lead pack and I was right there for the first mile and a half.  Then it started spreading out.  Dallin Reber past me and I fought him off for a while but eventually he got away so that was one mistake I made.  Me and Colton were running good together but eventually split up so that was another mistake.  One thing I did good was the last mile, I was really battling hard against a cedar and snow canyon guy.   They kept passing me and I would pass back.  My the big hill on the last lap we finally dropped the snow canyon guy.  Me and the cedar were side by side and he got ahead a big.  Then on the final stretch I gave it one last push and beat him, getting 13th I think.  I though it was gonna be top 10 like coach said but no.  I tried really hard this race and it was a positive experience.  Our team didn't win but we are right there even closer.  Based on pace I had a nice PR on a hard course.  I really wanna help us do really great at state.

3pm -  6 miles foremaster loop.  I felt good, we ran an easy pace.  It was really fun.

7:30 am -  Today we did a timed mile.  It was kinda hard to switch mentally from racing XC to racing on the track but I still did good.  4:58.  2 mile warm up before and 2 miles cool down after.

7:30 am -  Today we did a workout that was hard.  I was feeling really sluggish at first and it was hard to go fast.  But towards the end I warmed up a little bit and was a little more lively.

1pm -  After hunting in the morning me and my dad ran at 1.  My bro shot his first deer in the morning so that was cool.  We ran around Koosheram, the little teeny town were we stay when we hunt.  The circumference was like 2.5 miles so its really small.  we did 3 fartleks.  Now tonight I still have a tag so I gotta go get myself a buck.

3 pm -  Had a workout of 400's today.  We did 4 of them.  They were fairly faster than last week. I got 1:06, 1:07, 1:05, 1:02.  We also did a warmup and cool down of 1.5 miles to harts and back.  I think this was the last hard workout till state so I've done all I can and now it's time to show the results of hard work.

4pm -  5 miles around the mall in sandy and also striders.

7:30am -  Got up and ran a fun 3 miler.

2:30pm -  Well today was the state championships.  It was my first time racing there and it was a pretty fun experience.  We got warmed up and all ready to go and we got our spot at the start line.  The gun shot off and we were gone.  I got a quick start and got in a good position.  It was pretty agressive at the first and I had to push some people to make them move.  I got a real hard smash to my elbow from somebodys elbow.  The first part was good and we ran along the top then down into the center of the park. Ben Powell passed me going up the big hill, which turned out ok cause I got my picture in the newspaper.  I tried to keep with my teamates but they just kind of slipped away.  My mental mind was not to strong today which was a bit of a bummer.  At the 2 mile mark I was just trying to keep positive.  I totally forgot to make short little goals along the way which probably would have helped me a lot.  I ran through the crowd by the creek then around the pond and coach yelled at me and I knew I had to give a hard push.  So I got going a little bit.  At like 400 meters I started really going hard and by the end passed about 6 people.  good race, not great.  I would have liked to win so now I gotta look towards next year.  Its weird to think I will be a leader on the team next year so I gotta take it to another level of extreme.

3pm -  Probably ran about a mile playing ultimate frisbee.  My favorite practice of the year so far for sure.

3pm -  Probably ran about 3 miles doing a scavenger hunt.  Me and paul won, we make a legit team.

7:30 pm -  Me and Jake and Paul and Andrew and Preston and Alex ran neon spiders.  It was my first time and it was pretty legit.

6am -  My first morning run in forever!  I'm gonna start with 2 this week then build up.

3pm -  In the afternoon we did 4 mile repeats.  They were very hard and I struggled.  I was feeling so exhauseted from getting up and running in the morning.  I got about 5:50 on each one and Trevor really helped me a lot on some of them.  The weather was insane towards the end, it was raining and it was winding way way way way way way way hard.

3pm -  Today was an easy day but still moderate mileage.  I guess the goal was 7 miles but my watch had it as 6.66, which after people told me that was the devil number or something but i dunno.  We ran up into green springs pretty much all the way up.  Then we looped around and came down past my house.  My tendonitis bugged me a bit but I'm alive so all is well.

3pm -  Today was another michigan.  I did good I felt.  I got 24:47.  I feel like last week my mind has kind of gone on vacation.  The whole time during the workout I was battleing so hard to not give up.  I think I kind of won the mental battle today because I didn't quit.  I real want to lay it all out there on the next few workouts so I can race at pre footlocker.  My patellar tendonitis and tendonitis in my ankle/foot was hurting pretty good on the cool down.

6am -  Nice morning run.  Bit painful but I know my tendonitis is gonna be fine it just flared up last week cuz i didn't wear my superfeet insoles.  

3pm -  We did our costume ice cream run.  There was some great costumes. I really liked coaches version of Timo.