Keep Calm and Run On

AM- Nikki ran 4 with me

PM- 8 mile Carterville with Carrie. I felt a little sore from yesterday but mostly tired.

6 AM run before class and leaving for Notre Dame!

Today we ran the course. It's on a golf course, nice and flat. I slept a lot and feeling ready to race!

AM- mile shake out before breakfast

RACE DAY! It was a nice hot and HUMID day to run. (disgusting how wet with sweat we were by the end) I ran 2 miles warm up, did strides and got in our box to start. We had 9 girls on our team racing. The start is on a wide open field but bottlenecks so fast. After it narrows, it turns between trees. A recipe for disaster for the start of a cross race. I got out in the middle of the pack and as soon as it narrowed, about 5 girls fell. We hurdled them and for another 200 meters it was push and shove, stop and go. Finally it opened a little more and I saw my teammates. I realized I felt pretty dang good and started moving. I could see Andrea further up and decided to catch her. I started weaving and passing girls, never settling. Nicole was with me and Sarah and McKenna following as well. I didn't get my first mile split but finally caught Andrea after the mile. I was around 35th and decided I wanted to finish top 20. I still felt amazing and decided to keep moving and find Lindsey. I hit mile 2 around 11:16 and realized Lindsey was NOT ahead of me. (find out after the race, she was one of the girls who fell at the start) I still felt good and kept trying to catch girls. It hit me about the last 1K that I was tired and dead. I was on the verge of 20th and I had come this far, I was going to be there. I was so tired coming in the finish but was able to pass a few girls. It hit me after how incredible I had felt for most of that race. I had not felt that good, that focused, that driven in a long time. I usually settle and sit somewhere but today I was able to continually move up and pass people. And best of all, our team was 4th! We were so happy about that! I ran 8 miles cool down around the lakes and through Narnia.

AM- 10 mile run in Chicago. We ran from our hotel to this awesome trail in the woods. It was really pretty just so humid! After getting home, I finished 4 more. My legs are so tired. I couldn't sleep last night. That's how I know it was a good race.

Today we ran a 30 minute tempo. I am so happy we didn't have a workout. I am not recovered from Saturday and still tired.

AM- Ran 4 with Nikki.

PM- Ran 5 mile Mexi hat with Carrie and Danica and added 4 miles on dirt trail.

AM- Ran 4 before class.

PM- Today, I got to do the legendary BYU workout of 25x400! I didn't get to do it in track (because I was racing) but it was my goal to finish the whole thing when I did do it. 2 mile warm up, then we began. Our first group was our usual 8; we lined up 2 by 2 and rotated leaders and inside/outside. We ran the 400's at 83 with 30 seconds rest. The last 400 was all out. The first few were just getting into the pace and anxious during the rest time but once we got going, the 83's just kept coming. I started getting tired 4 miles in.  I just stared at the back of Nikki's head to try and zone out and run. The recovery felt like nothing and it felt like we started right away every time. The last one was my worst.  We were all spread out and I ran a 69. I was so happy to be done and happy to say I finally did this workout! And the best part, I only needed 1.5 miles cool down. Score.

AM- 6 mile Carterville with Carrie, Danica and Nikki. I am not sore, just dead legs.

PM- 4 mile campus loop with Sarah and McKenna. My quads and calves were tight so I stretched and rolled out.

Did the running study and got in 3 miles before practice. We ran at Kiwanis Park today. And it was not my day. It has been a super long, stressful week and I let it get in the way of my workout mentally. We ran 800's; the uphill short loop with a short jog recovery, then a downhill loop (this one was .55 long) with a little longer rest. We ran the first 6 in spikes. The first 2 were 2:50 and 3:12. The next 4 were about 5 seconds faster (around 2:45 and 3:07) Right from the get go my quads were dead weights and my body tired. I forced myself to just stick with the group and make it through. We thought we were done after 6, but nope. We put on our trainers and ran 2 more. At this point, we were told to stop when we needed to. The next one we ran barefoot and I knew I was done. I finished with 9 (a few girls did 10) but did not feel good. I am so tired after Wednesday's workout and just want this week to be OVER. Ran Seven Peaks- Center Street to finish miles.

I was planning on splitting my miles, but didn't have time. After helping at the homecoming race, a group of us did our run. Luckily, McKenna was with me and also needed 13. We ran Carterville but added our extra few miles up Provo Canyon (which is gorgeous right now!) I was tired but it helped so much to have McKenna to talk to and just get it done.

Workout at Kiwanis. We ran the same loop for 3x1 mile repeats. We ran the first 400 at 83-84 then settled back a little for the rest. We ran 6:14, 6:13 and 6:09. I felt better than Friday but I am still really tired and need to recover before this weekend.

AM- 4 miles with Nicole

PM- ran 6 mile dirt trail with Carrie and Danica and added another 3 for 9 miles.

2 mile warm up then 4x400 at 80 pace on the track with a lap recovery between each. We ran in trainers which felt way weird but the workout felt good.

AM easy 6 before leaving for Wisconsin!

We ran the course today and it was freezing! It felt cold enough to be snowing. Maybe not, but it was cold. I love the Wisconsin course- it is hard but a perfect cross country course.

It's taken me a while to finally blog about Wisconsin. It did not go as well as I wanted, and as our team wanted and I have tried to figure out what I need to fix. First, the race. We started out all together- about 7 of us. Our first mile was 5:40, slower than mine last year. I saw Andrea start to move and I decided to match everything she did. I followed her weaving through people for the next mile. After the 2 mile, I started falling back a little and felt like puking right there. At the 4K I could still see her and focused on getting to her. By the 5K I was with her and we were able to push together the last 1K. My time was much slower than last year which is always frustrating. Our top 5 were 17 seconds apart but way too far back from where we wanted to be. This race is so big you really need to get out hard to get sucked into the faster group otherwise it is too hard to catch up. I got out too slow and wasn't able to make up lost ground. I just hope we can work on that the next few weeks. Ran cool down miles some on the treadmill and around the hotel for 15.

We had a LONG day yesterday traveling home with very little sleep so today was recovery. Ran Carterville.

AM- Ran 4 with Nicole

PM- ran another 8

I got to go watch the high school state meet in Salt Lake today! After cheering and running around the course, I started at my house and ran to the cemetery north of the East track. I ran fartlek of 5-3-2-1 on with equal time off. It was hard by myself but a good workout.

AM- ran 7 miles before class.

PM- Ran from my house along state street out towards Springville and back. I really like only one hard workout a week- My legs felt great.

Today was frustrating. We worked out at a different time so not everyone was together. We ran 3x 1600 on the intramural fields. We ran the first 400 at 75 then settled into 85 pace. We got 8 minutes rest and we changed out of our spikes to trainers, ran a lap, and then put spikes back on. I hit 75 for the first 400 every time but could not get to where I needed. I was behind the main group of 5 and just couldn't close the gap and get with them. The first one was 5:38, second 5:34 (despite BOTH spikes coming untied.... Yes Bill, I need to loop them like you taught me) and the last 5:38. It was the first workout I couldn't be with the girls I usually am and I felt really frustrated and tired.

We got to meet and run with some of the alum who were on the national championship teams today! That was pretty cool. We ran usual Carterville. I added on by running off Provo River along 500 North to 900 East and back along 800 North. Luckily Devra wanted to run more so I had someone to run the whole time. That really helped and I felt pretty good today.

Kiwanis workout. We ran the same thing as when we ran 10x800. We wore spikes the whole time and only did 6. I felt better than on Friday and could run with the group.

AM- 4 miles with Nicole.

PM- 9 more miles with Rachel.

Today we did our Halloween run for workout! We ran 6x400 on the track.. in our costumes of course! The first 3 were at 80 pace, the last 3 at 75.

Ran 6 mile Carterville with Danica and added on 2 more before class.