You've got to want it to win it

This morning I went to practice with the team for the first time in a while :P  We met at Liberty and started with a lap warmup.  Then we stretched for a few minutes, I found that some stretches aggravated my hamstring so I didn't stretch for that long since it had felt fine while I was running.  Then we ran over to the painted start line of the line and 2 dots system.  We did 6 strides once we were over there and then lined up to begin the first 800.  We were doing two, with 800 recovery in between.  I hit 2:47 on both of them.  After the second one we finished the lap and went out almost to the silver box and back to get us to 5 for the day.  Then I did my secondary strength exercises except for the negatives since there wasn't anything to do those on.  

I didn't get to do my abs or the negatives later in the evening as I had planned because I got a fever :( 

Woke up and still had a fever :(  I guess I won't be running today :(

I was registered to run the Murray 5k but I had a fever again last night which finally broke around 2 am.  In the morning I still went to the race with my running stuff though not with high hopes of actually running.  I still would cheer though.  I ended up helping in the finish chute.

This morning I went to practice with the team at Sunnyside.  I started with the advanced group, everyone was going to Shriner's but we used 2 different routes.  We went up Sunnyside to Foothill and ran as the road curved and took us down to Guardsman.  Then we went through U campus the usual way and through the alley and then up Alta Street and to the drinking fountain.  Then we continued up to 11th Avenue and ran until we were at 4 miles before turning around, which took us just past the fire station.  Then we came back the same way.  On 11th Ave. I wasn't able to keep up as much but didn't want to push too hard since its my first day back from injury and illness.  I stopped to stretch my hamstrings for a few seconds which helped my legs feel better.  I stopped for a drink again (I think I have been dehydrated which led to me getting sick).  After going back through U campus and reaching 500s instead of going back up Foothill and down Sunnyside, I just went straight on Guardsman which cut it a mile shorter than the others but 7 is plenty for the first day and Coach Kepler advised me to stay off hills, especially down and I had done enough for the day.  Then I got a drink at the park and did hamstring curls on the swingset!  :)  Then I did 3 sets of the secondary strength core workout and 1 set of the abs.

This morning I met with the team for practice at Cottonwood Complex.  We started with the usual warmup of going around the baseball diamonds and then up to 1300e over to 3900s and down to 1100e, and then the advanced group going to 4500s and back up to 1300e and back into the park.  Then we stretched for a bit followed by 8 strides.  Bill and Emily introduced Bessie to the newcomers and I ran it with them when they were showing what they wanted them to do.  When they were actually doing the hillwork I didn't do it because Kep wants me off hills because of my hamstring.  So I just ran around the flat part of the park until I was at 4 and a half miles.  Then for cooldown we ran the region course.  I stopped at 2 miles though because my legs were really tired by that point.  When I got home I did 2 sets of abs.

This morning I went to practice with the team up at Pipeline.  We ran out to Rattlesnake and back.  I was with Bill and Natalie the whole way out, we were holding a pretty good pace.  I almost tripped right before the turnaround but luckily I caught myself before I scraped up my knees and I didn't scrape my hands either!  At the turnaround I wanted to stop and enjoy the view for a bit but the others left so I went with them.  I didn't feel I could go as fast on the way back so I lost sight of Nat and Bill.  I ran a bit with Scotty but ran the last part by myself.  When I got back I ran up the boardwalk and road a bit and back to get up to 10 for the day.  When I got home I did my secondary strength stuff and some abs I haven't done a while, like the stuff from yoga.  

This morning I wasn't able to go to practice because I would have been late for a job interview but on my own I ran from my house up to 1500e and over to 2100s then up to 1900e and over to 900s and back down to 1500e and to my house.  That was 5 miles.  When I got home I did a set of the abs exercises and then did the abwork Emily showed us last fall and then leg lifts and planks.

This morning I enjoyed sleeping in until when I actually woke up and it was hot when I went running :P  I did 6 and a half miles, I ran to Shriner's from my house and kept going until I was at 3 and a quarter which was just onto 11th Avenue for a bit.  Then I went back the same way I came.  When I got home I did my 3 sets of secondary strength exercises and then was going to go do medicine ball with my mom but got distracted by my hula hoop so did that for half and hour instead heehee :)

This morning it was the annual slurpee run again because of 7-11 free slurpees day!  Fortunately since I was already ceremoniously kicked off the team I didn't have to actually consume any slurpees though :)  I still ran to all of the 7-11s and at most of them I waited with whoever was stopped to get slurpees and then I would leave with some of the first people that left.  At most of them that ended up being Tomy and Scott.  And I ran a lot with Emily, she wasn't having any slurpees either.  And Nelson was with us on his bike.  We did all the same ones as last year but instead of having the last one be the one by East we hit up the one on 500e and 1300s and met up at the drinking fountain.  Then I decided to head back up to Sunnyside Park early with Scotty and Emily.  When I got back to the park I went to the drinking fountain which got me 9 and a half miles and then I did part of a lap up by the river and behind the tennis courts back to the cars to get me up to a full 10.  Then I did 3 sets of the secondary strength exercises while I waited for the team to get back.  They still weren't back by the time I finished so I drove down to Liberty to see what they were up to and found that they had done laps in the park and they were just about to run back up to Sunnyside.  I think 10 is plenty for the day though.  I don't know how many miles I'll be able to hit this week because of girls camp and having to be at orientation early tomorrow but I'll do my best.  But maybe its a good thing its a busy week so I don't end up doing too many mileage.  My hamstring didn't hurt at all and I feel like that is taken care of now, I just have to take good care of it for the future.

This evening when I got home from a long day of presentations at orientation, my legs were killing me!  I took a 13 minute ice bath, which turned out to not even be that cold, and then I did 3 sets of abs with the medicine ball.  While my legs were still cold they didn't hurt but now that they've warmed up they still hurt a lot!!  And I don't know why! :P 

This morning I got up and ran on my own since I wouldn't have had time to go to the workout at Wheeler Farm and made it to orientation on time.  I ran from my house to Sugarhouse, did 2 grass laps, and came back.  Then I did my abs exercises with the swiss ball and my supermans.  I did the medicine ball exercises in the evening.  I did 3 sets of everything.

This morning I got up early and drove with Abigail to Jessie's house to run together before girls camp.  We ran down to 1600e then across to 1700s and cut down to 1500e and took that over to 2100s.  Then we ran up to 2100e and over to where it turns into Foothill and then down Sunnyside and back to Jessie's house along 1700e.  That was a little over 5 miles so I did a loop around some of the blocks in the neighborhood to get up to 6.  

In the evening after a rainy day at girls camp I did my secondary strength and abs workouts 3 times each before going to bed.

This morning Natalie, Abigail, and I did not want to get out of our comfortable, warm sleeping bags to go run in the 45 degree weather.  But we did it anyway, we needed to wake up some of the girls in the other tents to come run too, though only Sarah came because the other girls decided to go later since they didn't have to do as many miles.  The leader Sarah came too so there were 5 of us.  We left camp and ran down the road to the highway and ran the opposite way of  the cars.  Because there isn't really anywhere to go we just had to do out halfway and back for our miles.  I was with Natalie on the way out until going up a hill I got distracted and then when I looked up she was way far ahead of me, but she waited for me at the turnaround where we made a landmark that spelled "FAT" in some rocks for Sarah B. since she had wanted to do 8.  On the way back we stayed together, and were able to go a lot faster since now we had the wind to our backs.  For funsies we were playing with our shadows :)  We hit 8 miles at the gate to enter the camp and walked back up the hill to the campsite, we strategically planned the turnaround so that we would be done before having to finish by running up the hill :)  

This morning Natalie and I seriously asked ourselves why we run as we slowly got out of our sleeping bags and got ready to run.  Abigail didn't run and later when she finally got up she looked really tired so I don't really blame her.  Today it was just Nat, Sarah, and me.  We ran the same as yesterday but turned around sooner since we only were doing 6 today.  On the way back we saw a raccoon sleeping in the road with its bone sticking out of its leg.  We also so a chipmunk sleeping in the road.  Our shadows looked cool because we all had put rag curlers in our hair the day before so we all looked like Shirley Temple!  And since Nat and I had started the run in our pajama pants we used them as capes on the way back since we had warmed up by then and now had the wind to our backs.

This afternoon when I got home I did 3 sets of the secondary strength exercises and then 1 set of abs.

This morning when I got to the race I ran on the trail out a mile and half and back for my warmup to get me 3 miles.  Then I changed shoes and took my Gu and did a few strides before getting on the start line.  I started next to Emily and stayed close to her through the first mile.  There was another girl with long blonde hair that was with us and I didn't know who she was (I later found out she is going to be a freshman at Alta next year) but she was able to stay with us for a while.  I was slightly behind Emily at the mile and she got 5:39 for her split (they weren't calling them and I wasn't wearing a watch) so I was probably just over 5:40.  The next mile had some downhill so Emily and the pack of guys she was with separated on me there and I was battling with the girl with the long blonde hair.  Eventually I was able to pull away but Emily was still far ahead of me.  During the 3rd mile I caught a few of the guys who had been with Emily and was able to close the gap on her a little bit at some points though not by much and only by really focusing on staying pushing.  When we got to the turn which took us east heading back to the park it was slightly uphill so I thought I should be able to catch up a little bit then, which I did, but then there was another slight downhill going down to the final stretch of the race.  I was kicking by then and closing a bit on Emily and Taylor, though it would have been a miracle if I had caught them, but I could tell when they started to kick that there was no way.  Still I pushed hard to get to the finish, I was close to breaking 18 but didn't quite make it, still I am happy with my time considering I haven't been getting a lot of mileage, I haven't done speed in about 2 weeks, I didn't eat pasta last night, and it was one of my best times anyway :)  Afterwards I cooled down the same as I had warmed up, I started it with Jamal and Teren and Nathan but then I slowed down after a while because their cooldown pace is about my regular running pace.  When I got home from the race I did 3 sets of the abs exercises.

This morning I went and did the East workout at Sugarhouse.  We did the cemetery loop today.  At the start of the run I was up at the front with the guys but then as we turned onto Imperial Street and down Parkview I couldn't keep up and then they all got way ahead of me and then Amanda and Mike and some other members of the team passed me and I couldn't stay with them.  But I was at about 8 minute pace which wasn't bad.  At the cemetery I did 1 lap and I caught up to some of the people who had passed me early.  I caught up to Amanda during the cemetery but eventually passed her.  Coming back along Melbourne I was able to hit 7:20s pace but when I had to slow down to cross 2700s to get over to 1800e I slowed back down to 8 minute pace.  When I got back into the park I went out an extra half mile on the road and back so that I would be at 8.  My average pace was 7:55 so I stayed pretty even.  Afterwards I did 3 sets of my secondary strength and ab exercises.

This morning for workout we met at Sunnyside Park.  For the run we ran up Sunnyside to the zoo and then above it onto Wasatch Drive.  Took that all the way to Thunderbird and then cut down to Foothill and went up to the drinking fountain by the flagpole.  Then we ran back along Foothill and turned down 1300s and then north on 1900e back to Sunnyside and back to the park.  Then we did a lap in the soccer fields to get us up to 8 for the day.  When I got home I did 3 sets of the abs exercises.

This morning I couldn't make it to the team workout since I was babysitting but after I was done I went down to Liberty for some speed work.  I started with a lap warmup and then I changed into my red flats.  Then I ran over to the painted start line.  On my workout schedule I was supposed to do 3 1mile repeats but since I haven't done speed in a while I didn't want to.  And last night I had accidentally read the previous week's workout and thought I would be doing 6 800s.  So I planned on doing 1 mile, two 800s, and then 1 mile.  I did half mile recovery after each to the next line or line with two dots.  My times were 5:58, 2:57, 2:56, 6:06.  Then I finished the lap I was on and changed shoes and then cooled down for 1.75 miles going the opposite way of what I had been going before.  When I got home I did 3 sets of secondary strength and abs exercises.

This morning the team had practice up on Pipeline Trail.  They ran out 22 minutes and back but I went out 3 miles before turning since I don't need to taper for Monday since I can't race and I didn't want them to have to wait for me to to the whole thing.  When I got home I did a bunch of abs exercises, including the stuff Em showed us last year and stuff I learned in yoga and the medicine ball stuff.

This morning I wasn't planning on running until later since I was going babysitting but then I was awake at 6 and decided I would go run since I had time.  I ran up to 1500e and over to 2100s and then went on 1700e and took the street by the Highland seminary up to 2000e and went under the freeway and then over to 3300s.  Then I went down to Melbourne and took that and 1800e back towards Sugarhouse and back home along 1500e.  When I was babysitting I got my secondary strength exercises done while the kids were still asleep and then I did my abs when I got home.

This morning Abigail and I went running with Taylor.  We met at Sunnyside Park and ran up to Foothill and then down to 500s like the VA loop and then we went through campus on the Shriner's route.  We got up to 11th Avenue when we reached 3 and a half, that's where we turned around.  We ran back the same way we had come and when we got back to the park I let Taylor take my garmin for another mile since he needed 8.  It felt nice not having to do core today!

This morning I got up at 2:45 to get ready to go to the marathon.  Bill came and picked me up and Kim took us to the stadium to catch the shuttle up to the starting line.  I relaxed for the ride up and then when we got to the start we got off the bus for a few minutes and figured out what to do for Devra's chip for her shoe which she had forgotten and then we decided to get back on the bus to stay warm.  Then the bus had to leave so we got off and waited outside.  A little after 5 I took my Gu and then I ran down the road a little bit with Bill and Devra and ran back to get warmed up enough to take off my jacket and long pants and put them in the drop bag truck.  Then we did a few strides before getting on the line.  When the race went out I stuck with Bill and Devra but I was a few meters behind them but I wasn't too worried about falling back but I was trying to stick with Bill since that was why I went.  The first mile was a 5:30 and at mile 2 I was at 11:19.  Then Bill and Devra were further ahead of me but finally since it wasn't as steep I was able to work up to them and run with them.  Devra went a little ahead when we got to the uphills but I stayed with Bill for those.  The end of the second hill was at about mile 8 and when it started to go down again Bill took off on the downhill and I didn't ever catch back up but he was able to work with Devra for some of the rest of the race.  I saw them both coming back from the turnaround and then I didn't see them again until the finish line.  The last few miles I was not feeling so great but I wasn't going to let myself stop until I was halfway.  I was the second girl until right before I stopped, a girl in black passed me around then.  After I stopped I walked down the road a little bit and there my dad was waiting at the water station so I took off my bib number and walked to the car and we drove down to the park so I could turn in my chip and then I waited around to cheer on the marathoners as they finished.  I was really sore afterwards but I made sure to eat some good protein when I got home.  I admire everyone who was able to finish, I really struggled just getting to the halfway point!  But it will be probably several years before I finish my first marathon so I will have better training when that time comes. 

This morning I woke up as my sister was leaving to go to cross country and she told me I should come because it was going to be easy so that convinced me.  I got up and got ready to go and we headed to Fairmont Park.  We did 2 laps around the park up by the swimming pool and then the pond and back down to the skate park and soccer field.  Then we stretched in a circle for a while and all talked about our races.  Then we did 2 more laps and then some to get us up to 4.  My calves weren't that sore but my quads were extremely sore and my shins were too a little bit.  When I got home I did a set of secondary strength exercises.

Tonight I ran 2 miles with my cousin Michael.  We ran to 1700s and back twice. 

This morning I joined the team for workout at Sunnyside Park.  We started with a warmup of going to the gully, doing 2 and a half laps, and then coming back up to the park.  Then we did drills which really killed because my quads are so sore but I did them all, they included butt kicks, high knees, power skips, karaoke, and worst of all lunges :P  Then we were put into teams for some drill relays.  For those we did karaoke, duck walks, and then strides to the fence and back.  Then we did a lap around the park for cooldown bringing us to 4 and then ate otter pops because its my birthday! =D

This morning we ran on Drycreek by the JCC.  As usual we took a rock in each hand for the first mile and a half to add to our pile.  Then we ran past that, we could do 6 miles or if we felt that our legs were ready then do 8.  I decided to do 8 so I ran out to the 4 mile mark and back.  I almost tripped a few times but fortunately I always caught myself.  My legs feel even more recovered now, its great :) When I got home I took a 15 minute ice bath and did a set of seondary strength exercises and abs.

This morning we met at the drinking fountain at Liberty Park for workout.  We did a lap warmup and then changed shoes and ran to the start line painted on the sidewalk.  Over there we did 4 strides before starting on 800s.  My hamstrings felt really tight during those so I stretched between strides, I guess I've been neglecting to continue doing the hamstring strength stuff since they haven't been bugging me recently.  I kinda got boxed in on the first 800 but I finished in 2:46.  Then after a half mile recovery I hit 2:45 for the second one and then 2:55 and 2:52 for the last two.  During the recoveries my left hip was really hurting, I think yesterday the impact of catching myself on that leg from almost falling so many times is what is making it hurt.  Afterwards I finished the lap I was on and went to 6 miles before changing shoes back to my trainers.  Then I did a mile cooldown.  When I got home I took an ice bath for 15 minutes and this time I made sure it was plenty cold because I dumped the whole ice box in the tub right before I got in.  I also took some ibuprofen.  After getting out of the tub I did 3 sets of abs.  My hip felt a lot better after the ice bath and ibuprofen.

This morning we got up bright and early to go out to Magna for those of us who needed long runs.  After taking a long detour to get there we finally met at the old Chevron and departed on our run.  We ran out on 8400w half of what we needed and back to get how many miles we needed for the day.  The first few were uphill and then they start to roll.  The roadkill got bigger and bigger as we kept going.  I ran out 5.75 and then turned.  On the way back I ended up having to stop at a light for a few seconds but the car that had the green light was waiting for me to go for some reason but I waited until they had gone.  While waiting for everyone to get back I got started on my core and finished when I got home but I ended up doing 3 sets of secondary strength and abs, that's the most I've done all week but I'm glad I got it done :)  When I got home I iced my legs for 15 minutes.  My hip had only hurt when starting but it warmed up and I didn't feel it the rest of the run.