#WolverineWay

AM- I was supposed to go to LA freeway with the team today but it got rained out so we decided to not do it. We ended up meeting at Monarch with the rest of the team and doing our own run. We ran up to the Reservoir then down to the Cove then to Main Street and back on 13400 and we added another .25 to make it 10. 

AM- Easy run with the team today. I felt like crap the whole time so I was not going to push the pace or try and stay with whoever was going to. My stomach hurt bad the whole time and I could barely talk without stopping in mid-sentence to catch my breath. But when I got home and ate some food I felt so much better.

PM-8. Warmed up 1.5 miles with the team with 4 striders. Our workout was 5x1000 repeats at 3:10 pace with 200m recovery. We hit like 3:09 on the first one and like 3:07 on the second. Our third repeat was 3:03 and it did not feel that hard until the last 200. Our last three were 3:07's but they felt a lot harder than that. After we went and did 2.5 cool down.

PM-6. Drove down to Arcadia today with Jaydn. We hung out the whole day pretty much. We went to this park near Arcadia High and decided to run to the track. There was signs on the track that said closed but we went in anyway and talked to a coach who said it was cool if we came and ran on the track. We ran 3 miles with striders on the track and talked about our race and just about everything else. We ran back and I stretched and did some idiot drills.

PM-4.5. Hung out at the mall and the beach then went to Arcadia to watch the races. Some kid ran a 9:16 in the slow heats so me and Jaydn figure that we should be able to go 9:06 easily. After we went on a pre-meet run and I stretched afterwards.

AM-2.5 Easy run with Jaydn around the area of our hotel. We watched some races then hung out and saw a movie.

PM-5.5 Got to the race and saw Shea win the 800 and 1600 within 50 minutes of each other. She is quite attractive and a great runner. Seeing her compete so high at this meet boosted my confidence in the Utah athletes and I seriously thought 9:06 was not out of reach. Warmed up with Jaydn for a mile and a half and did striders and stayed warm for my race. Got my seed, I was seeded last in the heat which was 37 and put my shoes on and did some more striders.

RACE: I got up front quickly so that no one would mess up my stride and I could control the pace. I led the race for the first lap and got passed when they got tired of following me. A lot of people passed me and I must have been near last place but I just hung on and tried to stay in the race mentally. I hung behind Jaydn for the next several laps then with 400 left I made my move and passed about 5 people in the last lap finishing 22nd. I hoped my time was fast but it was not. I ran a 9:25 which is not even as fast as I ran at altitude last year. I was the sixth fastest runner from Utah. 

After I was done, I watched Ben race the Invited section of the 3200m. He ran an unbelievable race, He hung in like 7th the whole race and with 400 left he made his move and then Bernie tried to go with him. Bernie caught him with 200 left but Ben was too fast and began to pull away faster than Bernie could catch him. Ben won with a 8:45 setting the fastest time ever at that meet and by a Utahn. Jake was 16th in the heat with a 8:59 and Connor was a 9:04 even though he lead for 4 laps.

After seeing that, I took Tomy and Jaydn to go cool down and talked about college. We tried to recruit him and I'm hoping he joins the program. We ran 2 miles for the cooldown total I think. 

AM- 4 Easy run by myself.

PM- 6.5 Warmed up a mile up to the base of Lil' Grinder the workout was 11 sets of 200m then 100m. It was 2 miles total for speed plus 2 miles cool down in between. I felt okay for the first 5 or 6 sets but after that, everything went down hill. My 3 hours of sleep caught up to me and I got the wickedest headache and could barely even think or talk straight. I barely finished the workout. 

AM- 2 miles by myself around the neighborhood because I couldn't sleep anymore when my dad came downstairs to fix the furnace at 5am. 

PM- Easy run with the team but ran the whole way with Lucy. I want to start taking the easy days a lot easier so I can recover and do the workouts a lot more efficiently. After, I went to the gym and did a lot of stretching and rolling out to get rid of soreness. I am going to start taking ice baths more frequently to start getting faster and stronger. 

AM- 4. Morning run with the team at a pretty easy pace.

PM- 8. Speed workout today with the team. Our workout was 12x400m repeats at 67 per lap. We warmed up a mile and a half and then did a half mile of striders. I made the suggestion that we should switch leaders every repeat because it was windy and they need to learn how to pace.  I was the only person on the team who could pace these, everyone else went out too fast and tried to slow down the last 200 but I kept pace and hit 66 or 65 on all of them and I won just about all of them. After we did 4x150 run downs as fast as we could go. I came in fourth on all of them because I can not accelerate worth crap.

Then we went on a mile and a half cool down and then to the gym for stretching and some myrtles. 

PM-7.5 Easy recovery run today with Connor, Rory, Lucy and Barnes.

PM- Easy run around West Jordan with a couple striders during the pictures.

AM-5

Because of prom and my cousins baptism on Saturday I was unable to run all day. I ran an easy five Sunday morning because I figured I will make Sunday the end of my week;)

AM- Easy early morning run with the team

PM- Workout at the track today. We warmed up to the light and back and did some striders. The workout was 15x300 with 300 cool down. We stayed at 45 for all except 3 which were the first one, fifth one (Connor led), and the last one. On the last one I gave it all I had and ran a 41. I was feeling pretty good for the first 10 then the last 5 I could barely walk. We cooled down to light and back to make 9.5 for the run. 

PM- Easy run with Rory, Connor and Barnes. Stretched a lot after.

(AM- 4) miles easy with the team.

(PM- 5.5)  We warmed up a mile around the school plus striders. Because the meet was cancelled we all had our racing stuff so we were given an easier workout. it was 12x200 against the wind on the first 6 and with the wind the last 6. We hit 31's on the first six then 29-30's on the last 5 and I ran a 27 on my last one. I was proud of myself because I dug deep and pushed my hardest. Mile cool down inside the school and then stretched at the gym.

PM-4.5 Easy run with Connor, Rory, and Lucy with some striders. I still have some soreness from the workout yesterday so I took an ice bath, which was my first one in a while. 

PM- Got some girls long legged spandex and then got on the bus. I listened to music the whole way up to Woods Cross and got in the zone. I wasn't too worried about the race because I knew no one expected me to run fast. I warmed 2 miles by myself to get mentally prepared and I was feeling really sore from Wednesday still and had some tightness in my legs. As I warmed up my legs began to feel a bit better but not much. I did some striders and idiot drills and headed to the line.

Race: Went out in last place for the first 100m and then I moved up to 5th or 6th. I noticed how much more competitive kids are in the 1600 because whenever I tried to pass some one they would elbow me. I came through the first lap in 1:04 and it felt great. I fought for position and got into third behind Connor and Rory after Jesse tried to cut me off a couple times and Brain Jasper elbowed me and boxed me out but I got past them. Our second lap was 1:07 which means I was 4 seconds off of my fastest 800 ever which was like a 2:07 in a medley and I felt like I could have run way faster. Our third lap was 1:09 and the weird thing was Connor, Rory, and I pulled away from the rest of the pack.

On the last lap I was a little too timid as I didn't want to lead so I just hung on Connors shoulder but I didn't feel like we were going too fast. In the last 100 Rory sprinted by us because Connor let him have the inside lane. I gave it everything I had to keep Connor off but he started to pull away with 50 left and I kept pushing and caught him at the line. Me and Connor's last lap was like a 1:05 but mine was just a bit faster. I was so proud of myself for not giving up in the last 100 and that I qualified for state in my first 1600m race as a senior. I cooled down a mile with Rory and then just hung out until the 3200m.

I ran the 3200 later in the day but I was really only focusing on the 1600 today and ended up running a 9:45. I warmed up like 2 miles for that race plus my 1 mile cool down making 9 miles for today.

AM- Easy run to the gym and back with some good stretching. Still feeling some soreness from the past few days so I only went 8 minute pace.

AM- Morning run with the team.

PM- Warmed up 2 miles with striders and then went and got our workout. It was 8x500's at goal 1600m pace so my goal was 4:20 so we had to hit like 1:22 for each interval. We stayed on that pace until the last one where I sprinted past the team on the last one and came in for a 1:20. I tried to stay tough on all of them and threw in a couple speed changes to throw the guys off pace because they would beat me if I stayed the same pace the whole time. After that we did 4x150 run downs and I won all of them which felt good because I usually lose in the sprints.

After we did a mile and a half cool down then I went and stretched and took an ice bath. 

PM- Ran 8 miles at a 7 flat pace. I was feeling pretty good and we were only supposed to go seven but I took them on a detour to run extra.

AM- Morning run with the team at a pretty quick pace but it felt comfortable when we turned around.

PM- Warmed up 4 miles for my 400 and did a lot of striders. I wanted to make sure I was really well prepared for this race and warmed up because I wanted to go really fast. I was in the 6th heat of 7 which was the second fastest and I was number one seed. I knew I would need a  3 second PR to win because Barnes put my time in as a 55 and I have only ran a 57 this year. I didn't want to wear my Endorphins today because they don't have much support so I wore my Victory XCs. 

400m- I took off at as fast as I could go and held it until the back stretch where I lengthened out my stride and cooled it a bit. I was sitting in like 3rd or fourth with the stagger and Jesse was kind of pulling away. At 200 to go I kicked it back into gear and passed the other sprinters. When I passed Jake Jutkins (one of our sprinters who is really short and black) I yelled "J-J-J!!!" because I told I would when I passed him. I was in third with 100 to go so I dug as deep as I could and passed Jesse Jorgensen and the Hillcrest kid and sprinted to the finish winning my heat

My time was a 54.46 which was a lot faster than what I ran a few weeks ago (57.83). I beat Rory by .14 seconds and was fourth to Connor by .25 and Jesse was .23 behind me. Connor and Rory where in the next heat which was the fast heat. My 4x400 team was with Connor, Rory and Jesse and we figured if we add up all of our times and take into account that we get a running start we could break the school record in the 4x400 with only distance kids. I cooled down/warmed up a mile in between my races.

I did the same thing I did for the 400 but added in some baton drills and running starts. We were facing a Herriman sprinting team, hurdling team and a fast Hillcrest team

4x400-

1st leg: Rory- Rory was starting our team out as before today we was considered a faster 400 runner than me. He tightened up at 150 left and gave it to Jesse Jorgenson in second. 56.7 second split

2nd leg: Jesse J.- He took off after getting the baton really fast and faded really hard and got passed by the hurdlers team but got him in the last 50 giving it to me in second again. 56.2 second split

3rd leg: Chuk- I took off at a balls out sprint trying to catch the Hillcrest team and tried to move away from the hurdlers. I ran it just like I did my open 400 and moved away from the hurdlers with 100 to go and gave it to Connor in 2nd with around a 15-20 meter lead. 54.4 second split

4th leg: Connor took it out as fast as he could trying to catch the Hillcrest team but he never gained or lost anything on them. He stayed strong the whole run and came in 2nd. 54.3 second split.

Our team was 4 seconds off the school record which sucked but we can get it next time though. I ran a mile and a half cool down with Connor and Rory after. 

PM- Long run at a 7 flat pace. I was feeling pretty good for the first couple miles so I picked it up the last few and ran a 6:20 last mile with little effort. I am feeling so strong the past few days and I feel like no time is unbeatable. I have my confidence back up and I am excited to race rather than fear it.

PM-Easy run with Lucy and Jesse, we went 3.5 and then did a mile and a half of striders on the grass. I stretched really good and then took an ice bath. I visualized my whole race and where I would make my move. I said I would run 70's my first mile coming across at a 4:40. I would relax a bit the sixth lap and start to make my way up to the front of the pack at the end of the sixth. Put myself in position by the end and with 600 to go start rolling. Come across the line and when they shot the slowly pick it up and get faster at every 100m spot culminating in a balls out sprint at the end.

I think if I do this, I will definitely get my benchmark and hopefully win. 

Woke up and went to a leadership conference at like 8 in the morning we had some pancakes and sausage and then I led some activities. I left at like 12 to go hang out at my house and snacked on some stuff like bagels and protein shakes. I was feeling really strong but I wanted to get a run in before I left for Davis. I got in the car after putting my junk on and left for the race.

I got to the race right in time for Rory's 1600, he ran such an even race I was surprised he was able to keep that pace. He ran 64, 64, 65, 64 finishing in a 4:19 setting the new school record in the 1600m run. Connor was in the seeded heat of the 800 and he ran 58.7 then 58.3 finishing in 1:57 flat. I was proud of Connor because he did not tighten up the whole race and was looking good from start to finish. I went on a mile and a half warmup then headed to the field just as they were starting the girls 3200. I did some striders, got my spikes on, and dumped a lot of water on my head and ran to the line.

RACE: I took off and was sitting in near last place and at the 300 I got out of behind all the guys and sprinted to the front and got in 4th. Conner Mantz did his Prefontaine'ing and I thought he would come back to us later in the race. I did exactly what I had planned my first mile, I came across in 4:42 (I wanted a 4:40 but oh well) with 1:10's every lap with the milliseconds and was just chilling behind Tomy and Mike Finch. We slowed down a bit but I didn't want to take over so I stayed in behind them (I probably should have taken off here).

The fifth lap I came across at 1:11-1:12 and I knew we were going to start fading so I got mentally ready to kick as hard as I could. Our next lap was 1:14 and I was done letting those guys control so I began to press hard the next 200m and with 600m to go I passed Tomy and it was me and Mike fighting for 2nd and 3rd because Conner had a massive lead on the rest of us. I tucked in behind him and with 300 to go I passed him pretty quickly and tried to move away as quick as I could. I knew if I was next to him with 100 to go he would catch me so I fought hard and with 100 to go I was digging so deep. I was looking at the clock the whole way down the last straight and I thought the time was going by way too quickly. I finished in 9:25 and I did my last lap in 65 seconds which is not bad for me.

After getting our medals and taking some pictures me and Conner Mantz went on a cool down for about a mile and a half. I felt really good about that race even though I know I can go a lot faster. Good job to all my fellow bloggers today Tomy, Mike and Conner all had stout performances.

AM-4: Easy run with the guys early in the morning.

PM-8: Got my stuff on pretty early and then found out we were doing runoffs for the 4x400 relay team and I was in the running for it. I talked to Connor and Rory about it and we thought it was dumb that we had no spikes and the sprinters did and none of us wanted to be on the team anyway. I got some spikes from a sprinter who didn't run it and I placed 4th in my heat which I think puts me as an alternate. Our workout was 6x600m repeats and I felt like crap for the first two.

I felt okay on all of them and on the last one I dropped a 64 second last 400m to win by over 6 seconds to Rory. We went on a cool down and then I went and stretched then took an ice bath. 

PM- Long run with the around Herriman. I felt pretty good and we finished in a 7:13 pace on average.