Keep Calm and Run On

First day of XC camp! We met early Monday morning to do physicals etc. I ran 6 miles on the trail with a group of other freshmen. After arriving in Park City, we did another group run on a trail by where we were staying and I ran another 6. I felt pretty good. It is a big change running with a group of 30 instead of like 5....

Today was a hard workout- threshold run- and I didn't really know what to expect so I was pretty nervous. We ran 2 miles easy warm up then ran the threshold along the rail trail. Starting out, we were all in a big group and I felt really crowded in. But I reminded myself to be patient and push the whole time, not just do what the group does. My first mile was 6:09 and I decided to push and match the second mile. My second mile was 6:09 and I was feeling pretty good. I was moving up as the group started spreading out. My third mile was 6:00 and we finished at 3.7 miles (supposedly it was only 2.5.....) My final time was 22:30 and I finished the workout close behind the lead girls. I didn't feel too bad and felt good that I knew I pushed my best. I ran a cool down to get to 8 and iced my legs for 10 minutes. Later I ran another 5 miles with another group.

Recovery day- I ran 8 in the morning. I finally got a stick which is great to use after runs. I have decided to get better at stretching, icing and rolling right after runs so my legs will feel better and I won't get injured. Later I ran another 4.

Another recovery day. We ran on a rail trail by Coalsville. I ran 8 in the morning and another 4 later. My hamstrings have been sore and tight all week and today they finally felt a bit better.

Tempo run for the week. We ran it along Jeremy Ranch road which I know pretty well. We ran a warm up of almost 2 miles. There were SO many cows wandering around and running with us, and in front of us. Kinda scary... Then we started the tempo. The team stayed in a tight group for the first 2.5 miles. It is a different experience running tempo with a big group instead of one or two other people. I stuck with the big group and about mile 4.5 on the road I seperated the big group and went with the lead group. The big hills after mile 5 were really brutal but it helped to chase girls down and push with them. The tempo was 5.37 long and I averaged 6:27. I felt pretty good again. I know that I pushed myself the best that I could and I was glad I knew the road and what was coming. I ran 3 miles cool down to get to 10. XC camp was not as scary as I thought it would be and was so fun!

Easy run on my own today. I just moved into my new dorm so I ran around campus measuring how far places are from my dorm. (the locker rooms .81 and 90 stairs across campus) Next week we start practice and I am pretty excited!