The Running Blog

I had a meet today. Well, I supposed to have a meet today. It was an indoor meet, but I was still looking forward to it. I want to race a 3200m! This is the 3rd meet we’ve had cancelled, and it doesn’t look like I’ll have a break-in race before Mehock, unfortunately. I guess it will either a swim-or-sink race…

Today was another morning circuit lift. I haven’t really described what I’ve been doing, so I suppose I should tell you guys. It’s a 10 exercise circuit in which we do 2 reps of 45 second intervals w/ 15 second rest. Each exercise is a 2-part lift. Here’s a list of at least what I can remember…

1. Pushups to side planks
2. 85 squat to knee drive
3. Romanian deadlift on uneven surface to dumbbell press(idk the name)
4. Body weight squats to knee drive on toes
5. Deadlift to inverted row to shoulder press
6. Bridges on yoga ball
7. Side plank knee drives
8. Mountain climbers on yoga ball
9. Forward lunge with medicine ball ab twists
10. Back lunge with medicine ball across body

As for my run today, it was another 60 minute run. It was raining really hard today, but I love the rain so I didn’t really care. My shins and stomach were hurting for the first 20 minutes of the run, but after that… I felt great! My pants were soaked, so that was the only downfall. I got one more week of really killing it, and then it’s my first big meet- Mehock Relays. 

It was a really eventful week this week, but it was painful to say the least. 
I started of the week with a morning lift circuit. Later that day we had our first substantial track workout. I had mixed feelings about going into the workout since I was sick and the weather was quite cold and windy. It turned out to be a good day- I hit 4:58, 5:15, 4:59 on my workout 3, and on the optional 4, I died and hit a 5:30. Recovery in between each rep was 400m jog pace.

Tuesday and Wednesday  were slow, drawn out runs. I was sore and I had some shin pain. I got new shoes on Tuesday, though…

Thursday I had another morning lift circuit. It was accompanied by 200’s later that day. The workout was 12x200m with on pace 200m at 32-34 pace, and recovery 200’s at 50-52 pace. This day was extremely windy, and I was proud that I was on pace for all but one of my 200’s.

Friday was recovery and strides. Easy day, played a little basketball with the team. 

Today: Today was a race I was looking forward to for a while; it was a 5k in a collegiate track meet. I got less and less excited the more I realized that there wasn’t going to be much for competition there, but at least I’d get the experience of 5000m on the track. I went out at PR pace, which considering the extreme wind(35mph bursts) felt really easy and relaxed.  After that, I started to falter a little bit- my lead was big and I had no real motivation to hold pace. On the 6th lap, I was passed by someone and I used them for the next mile to block the wind, and on the last 2 laps, I kicked it in for the win. My time was a 15:50, so not all impressive, but considering the wind, the week of workouts, and the lack of competition, it was a pretty good day. 

The last couple of days have been recovery for the workout today; we were supposed to have it yesterday, but there was a general consensus that everyone felt like shit on Monday. Not to say that today I didn’t feel any better, but I couldn’t really do much about another recovery day. The last couple days I’ve just felt weak and sluggish, kinda like I’ve been sitting in a car for several hours. 

Today’s workout went as followed:
1600m
400m
400m

x3
100m walk recovery between each rep, 400m jog recovery in between each set. 

Since our track was covered in snow, we went to the FSU track. It was really windy, so I wasn’t particularly excited about it. My first 1600 was a 5:13(with goal time at 5:20), and my 400’s were 66 and 68. They were supposed to be all out, but frankly with that wind, sub 60’s weren’t going to happen(especially since the first set was with trainers). The second set was as follows: 5:08, 67, and 68 respectively. The third set is where half of the group dropped out(either because their 400’s sucked, or their 1600m sucked.) I hit 5:17, 71, and 70(needless to say, I sucked). My coach was pleased with the results, but none of the athletes have a sprint or kick yet. 

Yesterday’s race was met with mediocrity. I ran an OK race in the 1600m- 4:28, but I finished fourth and I was seeded first. My splits were consistent- every 400 was within a second. This is good and bad- I have a good feeling for my pace, but I have absolutely no sprint or kick right now. I do feel like I can hold that pace longer, but as for any faster, I’m not too sure. The 800 was a different story. While I didn’t race an amazing time, I was very proud of my tactical approach. I went through the 400m in dead last for my heat, then made a surge up to 3rd. I was holding the position for a while, but with 100m to go, again, I had no kick and I dropped to sixth. 2:05 for that race. I’m pretty happy with the day I suppose, I know where I’m weak at- SPEED.

Today was a workout, go figure. Hill sprints. We have this hill called “Holiday Hill” that is notorious for breaking people. It’s a long stretch, about 250-300m, with increase in grade every block. We had 6 sprints up the hill, jog down recovery, with 2 minutes recovery in between each rep. The first 3 I went all out, but the 3rd one really hurt my lungs and my stomach. The next 3 weren’t slow in particular, but I don’t feel very proud of them. After the 6 reps we had “desert”, which was 4 sprints up a hill with the highest grade, no recovery in between. These were about 70m at best, and didn’t take very long. 


OK, guys, there’s a strawberry I posted… THAT LOOKS LIKE THE BATSIGN. SERIOUSLY. 

This morning I had a lift with my coach. It ended up being a 20 minute circuit with a lot of form stuff, and body weight stuff. It was actually really hard on my body, and I felt pretty good once it was done. For practice I had a 10.5 mile loop that my coach made up for hills. I wasn’t feeling particularly good, but I finished the loop in 64:22-6:07 pace. I’m quite impressed with my own ability to run that pace for that long, and not even be terribly pushed or winded by it. I feel good things for this season, I just need to work on the sleep, the diet, and the stretching. 

Today was a hill workout, but not a typical lactic threshold/strength workout. Today’s workout was 25 minutes of this set: Bounding, A Skips, Sprint. After each set, we’d take a 2 minute jog break and go right into the next set. This was not particularly hard, but after the 3rd set, my quads and calves really started to hurt. I feel pretty good about it, though. 


Things I need to do to improve:
Eat less pasta and balence my diet,
Get my sleep on schedule
and stretch more. 

I’ve been busy almost all week; I haven’t been on the computer a whole lot. Even today I don’t plan on being home for much longer. 

We started training Monday with a 6 mile run. While I didn’t feel particularly good, I was hitting around 6:20 pace(or faster). This wasn’t consistent; I went out really fast on the first mile, and then I slowed down because of shin splints. After the 2nd mile, I picked it back up. 

Tuesday I had a hill workout with an (ex) professional runner! I won’t say his name for fear of infringing their privacy, but it was a fun experience. Long hills, 25 minutes. I was feeling sore because of the lift I had to do Monday for my lifting class, but it was no real hindrance.

Wednesday was a sloooow 45 minute run. Took it easy. 

Today was an 7.7 mile loop that I finished in 49:45. I was APPARENTLY going out sub 5/low 6 for the first 2 mile, but I don’t believe this because I was talking as if the pace was nothing. Though, I do admit, my coach was dying(I should mention that he based my pace off his Nike watch that does pace stuff or w/e). I slowed down when I hit the wind, but I kept a good pace when I was on the hills. My pace ended up being 6:27 for the whole run. 
 

Friday: This was a 35 minute run. I wasn’t feeling particularly good because I had shin splints. The snow is melting here, and I’m now running on pavement for the entire run. 

Saturday: 45 minute run. The same problem; shin splints. I was supposed to feel good today, but I really couldn’t get into it. Today was my last day to indulge with food; I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Didn’t get a lot of sleep due to day lights savings time. 

Today: 98 minute run(whoops). I felt amazing today. My stomach kinda hurt in the beginning, but after a while I felt really amazing. I don’t know why, but my shins stopped hurting and everything felt really strong. 

First day of practice is tomorrow. Lets do this. 

Today was a 25 minute run. And considering that the past 3 days I logged in just under 35 miles, it’s safe to assume it was a rather sluggish 25 minutes. I didn’t feel bad, though. I just took it easy… I felt surprisingly good. I don’t feel sore or anything, just felt… good. 


My senior year is coming to a close; it’s the week before finals and then it’s my last trimester(sort of like semester, but shorter with longer class periods). I haven’t had time, or maybe I never took the time, to just look at the rooms I’m sitting in, the hallways I walk through, and just think… I won’t be a student here anymore. This place will no longer be a cradle- a place of growing and social exploration. I’m almost an adult(actually most of my friends are adults) and while I do feel older than I did in August, I don’t know if I consider myself a grown man. Maybe it’s because I know I have a long way to go, but regardless, I’ve outgrown this so-called nest( our mascot is a bird). I’m not necessarily worried about failing to strive in an entirely new environment, but it is a littler scary be separated from the people I’ve known since infancy. I know I’ll meet new people, and that’s probably what excites me most, but it’s the bridges I’ve already built that I think I will miss. Not so much the intimate, close friends I speak with and hang out with almost every day of the week, but rather that girl that I speak to during my free period that I’ve known since I was 5, or that guy who gives me car advice that used to annoy me in the 2nd grade. It’ll all be gone. It’ll all be new. I think this is perhaps the most bitter sweet cross roads I’ve ever had in my life; I’ve never moved schools, I’ve left this school system. Everything I know is here. So I’m scared, I’m excited, I’m anxious. Sorry about the grammar, I just wrote. 

He said that the second repetition of 60-75-90 was going to easier, despite the fact I wouldn’t be going into it fresh. Last time during the 90, I was EXTREMELY sore going into it, and for about 15 minutes I felt super awesome, and then I slowly died. About 60 minutes in, I was down to a quick jog. Today, I just kept going and going… I didn’t feel good at any point, but I was extremely consistent the entire time. I didn’t feel fatigued, just kept moving.

Tomorrow is recovery, but I honestly don’t even think I need it. 

Yesterday was a 60 minute run that was sluggish for the 1st half. My knees really hurt, but no longer was it the hyper-extended sort of pain, and the bruise on my quad was gone. I probably didn’t quite get 9.5, but it’s really about the cardio anyway. 

Today I have mixed feelings about. I made it farther than I did last time, but I didn’t feel particularly good doing it. Oh, 75 minutes btw. I don’t feel nearly as exhausted as last time either… so I guess today was a good day. 

I don’t really have much else to say…

Last night there was a massive power outage, spanning over 60 miles north to south. Yesterday was a 25 minute run anyway, so it’s not like you missed much as far as training goes. I was sore, and I took it REAL easy. My knee felt like I hyper-extended it, so I made sure not to stay on my feet for too long. I’m going to start tallying up my mileage for the week so we can see how much I ran. 

Sunday: Off
Monday: 60 minutes, 9.5 miles
Tuesday: 75 minutes, 11.5 miles
Wednesday: 90 minutes, 13 miles
Thursday: 45 minutes, 6.4 miles
Friday: 25 minutes, 3.3 miles
Saturday(today): 45 minutes, 6.6 miles

Total: 50.3 miles

So not a bad week considering it was 6 days long. Throw in the futsal game and strength-training workouts, I was probably in the mid-50’s. This upcoming week should be upwards of 60ish. 

I would have scanned the photo, but my scanner just decided not to work. Just in case you fools didn’t believe me!

Today was it, 90 minutes of running. I was hoping to get 13.5 in, but I don’t even know if I really got 13 in… My quad before the run was extremely tight- stretching yielding more pain than relief. The first 5 minutes of the run was slow as expected, but around 5-15 minutes in, I felt AMAZING. And then fizzled and died. About 1 hour into the run, I was running on fumes. I hurt.