10-16 Slightly West of the Baseball Fields 700s

Well, we ran 7 700s on the Varsity baseball fields. It went pretty well. I ran 2:31, 2:31, 2:33, 2:37, 2:45, 2:36, and 2:50. I died pretty hard core on the last one. I pushed with all I had on the sixth one. That was tough. I felt like I was pushing hard on all these, but they still seem like they are fairly slow. Last year I did 2:31, 2:29, 2:28, 2:29, and 2:40. I was quite a ways into falling apart, and I am still slower than that. Oh well. I felt like I tried my hardest. Besides the 2:45 and 2:50, they were pretty strong. I pushed for the 2:28's, but I was off a little.

Weekly mileage: 13.6

10-15 My best Tommy in a long time

Ran a Tommy Balcolm in 33:50. The other guys went out super fast, but I tried not to push at all. It was supposed to be an easier run. I ran with my soccer socks on. That was interesting. My legs felt soreish, but they felt okay. I hit the road at 18:50, which is way faster than ususual. The gate was at 26:00.

Weekly mileage: 8.6

10-14 First Sunday shakeout run

I ran 30 minutes, 3.6 miles, in the dark on this Sunday. My legs felt pretty sore after the race, and I road up and back to Seattle this weekend, so I really needed it. The dark deifnitely made it more interesting. It was about 7:30. I ran with a reflective orange hat and a flash light. Nothing dangerous, however. I scared them away. I'm glad I did this.

Weekly mileage: 3.6

10-13 A RETURN TO ADIDAS

I ran a 19:57 at the Adidas Classic. This race was difficult. I would have to say that it was the toughest race of the year. My legs felt like they were pretty taxed after 1 mile, quite a bit more than ususal. I ran the first mile in 6:07. I continued to run a 6:29 2nd mile, and about 6:30 for the third. I swear, though, this was the hardest I've run all year. I really had to push to get this time. I didn't get very good sleep, and it was a long bus ride. I have to say, that bus was fairly uncomfortable. Oh well. Sleep is much more important in this equation. I was hoping for 19:00, but oh well. 19:57 is decent. Henry did well. I tried to stay with him. My goal is 19:00 for District.

10-12 A mid morning minimum

We ran this 4 miler at 9:00, as there was no school. Ran it in about 28:00-28:30. Felt decent, although my legs were still not feeling great. Sub race pace 300.

10-11 eternal morning

Well, this was the last morning practice, unless I come in during track practice or end up having it for basketball. Although it was definitely an experience, it was one thing I did for the last time on this day that I was quite glad to be done of. We ran to Dairy Queen and back for our warm up, and it killed me. I kept up on the way to Dairy Queen, but I died big time on the way back. Maybe its because I don't eat anything in the morning. I ran about 15 minutes out and 17:30 back. It was a struggle. Lifting was easy, though. We just did arms.

Good bye, Ruby pools days

Well, this was likely my last pool practice unless there is a miracle and the jumpers get to go. It was a good practice. I practiced triple jumping. We did cycles of aqua jogging 3 times and kick boarding 1. I failed on the iceberg challenge. I feel ashamed. Not really. I should have thought out my plan better, though. I was just scrambling for nothing. I also gave everybody nicknames with their times. I wonder if anybody say that.

10-08 Still Reaching for Last Year

Well we ran a 1600, 2 800's and 4 200's. The 1600's and 800's went decently, although I believe I that I may have ran too hard the day before, because my legs were tired. I ran a 5:50, I beliieve, for the 1600. I ran 2:48 and 2:52 for the 800's. We then warmed down for about 10 minutes, and then we ran some swift 200's. I went 35, 31, 29, 27. I was feeling pretty fast. An okay workout. I was on my goal time, 5:48, for the mile, but was off 2:44 quite a ways for the 800. An okay workout. It was slower than last year. I seem to keep comparing myself to last year.

10-9 And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain

Actually, I liked the rain quite a bit today. We ran 50 minutes at Holman Vista, about 7 miles. Dalton and I ran fairly fast. We kept up with the head pack of guys on the way out to the boat launch. That took 23:08. Me and Dalton ran back by ourselves, and we actually went back a little faster, in 22:49. We then ran 4 minutes out on the road and back to make it 50 minutes. I felt pretty strong on this run. I felt like I could push myself more.

Weekly mileage= 12

10-8 Kingwood: Focused

Well, we ran some kingwood hills and 200 cutdowns. It was a solid workout for me. I felt strong. We did easy, medium, and mediumer. I think I did better than this workout last year. My series were 85-75-65, 85-72-63, and 84-77-63. After Kingwood, we cooled down/ warmed up for ten minutes to the track. We then ran 4 200's. I ran 38, 33, 32, and 29. Not bad. I was kind of shocked at how slow the 38 was. It did not feel that slow. Oh well. Good workout.

Weekly mileage= 5

By the way, the pre race team activity really helped me to get focused for the workout. Excellent idea. I think I've kind of lost my drive to work as hard as I can. I think I'm getting a little complacent. There's more I could put in. This is mainly in the sleep category. Speaking of sleep, that was the reason I was not at morning practice. I decided to not go because I was up till 11:45 doing homework. I know I should have been able to figure it out, and I have been trying. I just thought it would be more detrimental than anything to go. I could have done a better job of managing my time, for I got hooked on making spread sheets. I made two new ones, 2nd and 3rd place teams for boys 3a/4a. I still put in a solid six hours of homework last night. I could've gotten more of that done earlier in the week. I'm really working at managing my time. I thought I'd tell the truth, though. Sorry about missing it.

10-6 Swift run

I went for a quick 10 minute run out on Clear Lake road. I didn't necessarily feel sore, I just felt kind of bad because I sat around all day. I would've gone longer, but it was getting late and I had homework to do. It was quick and in the dark.

10-5 Altered Philomath

Well, I ran Philomath in 19:55.6. Not bad, but quite a bit slower than I was hoping. It seemed to be slower overall. It wasn't the usual pr heyday that it usually is. Oh well. I think Woahink was actually a faster course this year. I'm satisfied with 19:55. I was just hoping for more around 19:00. My first mile was 6:18, pretty far of my goal of 6:05. I staid pretty consistent, averaging about 6:24's. Not bad. That extra tight corner they added probably slowed it down some, and the tree's make it hard to push forward. Oh well. No excuses. 19:00 at Adidas!

weekly mileage = about 40

10-5 Hiya 20 minutes

Easy twenty minutes, about 3 miles. Me and Buddy Steve-o rabbit went with Jacob and Joe to the Airport and ran around the fence there and investigated what lied beyond the airport. It was a good run. An adventurous run.

weekly mileage = 36

10-5 Morning Bell, Morning Bell (Release Me)

Ran at the highly cold Woahink on this fresh morning. I got to sleep in until 6:15. It was quite exciting. I got behind everyone when everybody took off before I with their sweats on. I wanted mine off, so I tried in vain to do it quickly. To catch up, I tried to take the intercepting trail, but I had a hard time finding it. When I did find it, it was dark, and I nearly rolled my ankle on some root or something. It wasn't a good decision. I caught up, though. About 29:30, a minimum, 4 miles.

weekly miles =33

10-4 st. pool

We went to the pool once again. About 38 minutes of aqua jogging. I found out that aqua jogging with a belt is a different world than doing it with one. I was surprised. It was a good practice, as always. Is there only one more week of the pool? Dastardly. I shall always have a place for the pool in my heart.
equivalent of 5 miles
weekly mileage = 29

10-4 Morning

I was slightly late this morning. We ran, lifted, and ran. I think I didn't get very good sleep before this run. That's about all I can remember.


weekly mileage = 24

10-3 Viking Relays with a SURPRISE!!

Well, ran these viking relays at North Jetty. We ran to the creek and back, maybe 4.8-5 miles, in 34:33. It was kind of a sinisiter surpise, but not bad. I'm glad that the sand was not soft the entire way like it was at the beginning. This run was medium hard in difficulty. I thought we were doing it right, but the girls caught us. We were going fairly fast, but I might have been able to go a little faster. Medium-hard. I did not get great sleep last night. I got in bed at 10:45

Weekly mileage-20

10-2 Steady run in town

Well, ran 6-6.2 miles. 42:20. This was actually a pretty fast run. Me, Will, and Dalton ran this pace from the high school to kingwood to Dairy Queen to Bay Street to the old middle school to the complete length of the spruce trail to spruce street to 35th to kingwood and back to the high school. It felt like we were moving pretty quick. I say we were keep up 7 minute pace. Felt good, and fast. Medium difficulty.

Weekly mileage: 15

10-2 la la la la revolution (the future never happ- a- aned.)

Well, ran, lifted, and ran. 16 minutes to Cackleberries, bumped up my squats to 93 lbs. Felt okay. Was warmer than usual, as it was cloudy. Warmed down ten minutes. Felt fine.

Weekly mileage= 9

10-1 Solid 800's

Ran 800's with 2 minutes rest in between. This actually went well, a surprise since I only got 6 and half hours of sleeep last night. It was because I went to bed at 12:30 saturday. BAD!!! Anyway, my six 800's were 3:05, 3:07, 3:06?, 3:05, 3:05, and 2:55. These were quite steady. I was happy with these. Medium hard.


W mileage= 5

Woahink Done Right

Well, I ran Woahink in 19:44. This was an excellent run. First mile = 6:12. Second mile 6:24. My final mileage pace was 6:21. I paced it the best I have ever paced at Woahink. I finally broke 20!!! Gotta keep moving up. I can pr at Philomath. I should go for 19 flat.

Weekly mileage= 36

PreWoahink run

Good 7:50 pace run, 3.1 miles, 24:00 about. Need to get to bed.

9-27 The pool sanctuary

We're finally in the great cycle of going to the pool every week. We aqua jogged, freestyled, and kickboarded for 20 minutes. We then played om epretty intense water polo. I'd have to say I was pretty unstoppable. I think I scored three goals. We then climbed the floating ice thing. That was pretty cool, although it seemed somewhat dangerous. It worked out.
Equivalent of about 5 miles
Weekly mileage= 28

9/26 uncharted territory- Cummins AT

Well, I ran this 4 mile AT run in a total of 28:08. My first mile was 7:03, 2nd was 7:35, third was 7:36, and the downhill fourth was 5:53. I think I ran this pretty well. I pushed, but I didn't kill myself. I tried to stay a consistent pace, and I think I did pretty well at that. I felt good for this run. I'll give it a medium difficulty.


Weekly mileage=23

9/25 Birthday Marathonage

Well, ran 69:45 at Holman vista. 9 miles This officially counts as the longest run of my life, and it was on my birthday! Figures. It actually was a easy run. We were probably running about 7:40 mile pace, fairly slow. I like Holman Vista. I could run there a long time. My knees felt somewhat sore after the run, but that was just temporary. A good run.

Weekly mileage = 18

9-25 Birthday Early Morning

Ran 16 minutes, lifted, and warmed down 12 minutes. Went well. I tried to go easier for the first run and the second. I think it was more like what I was supposed to do. I think I've gone too hard in the past, because, I have died before on the first run. A good morning.


weekly mileage= 9

9/24 Straight 1000's, no chaser

Ran 6 1000's near date pace. I ran 3:58, 4:01, 3:59, 3:52, 3:52, and 3:55. My target time was 3:54, so I was going a little slow at the beginning. I think I paced myself pretty well, though. This workout went pretty well. It felt better than the 800 workout. 5 3:54's would give me a 19:30, which is a good time to shoot for. This workout felt good overall, medium difficulty.

weekly mileage= 5

9-22 Oh LCC, why can't we be friends?

Well, I ran 20:45 at the Northwest Classic at LCC. I did not feel good during this race. I died after the last hill, which also happened last year on this course. This was not a step forward. My first two miles where right on pace for what I wanted to do, 6:20 and 6:27, but then I lost it and ran about a 7:12 mile, if I calculated that right. I was slightly sick for this race, though. I'll call it a partial fluke. It was the slowest I've done it in the last 3 years, though. I'm very resistant to say I run bad here. I'll just say I had a bad race. I had a good race here two years ago. Woahink will be better.

Weekly mileage final: 38

9-21 Morning Run only

Ran in the morning, was easy, ran a minimum at Woahink in 30:15. Enough said, I guess. I got a ferratin poke on this day.

9-20 Good ol Tommy

Ran a Tommy Balcolm in 35:18. This was probably the easiest run of the year. I dunno why, but it felt really good. It almost felt like warming up for 35 minutes. It was good. My split was 19:56 when we hit the road, and 27:05 when we hit the gate.

Weekly mileage: 29

9/20 Lower Key Morning

Ran 16 minutes, dealt with some heavy metal, and warmed down for 15 minutes. This morning was pretty good. I did not try and keep up with the other guys in the first run. I just tried to run an easy-medium pace. That worked, because it took 16 minutes total. I was a little late, however. I tried to bump up some of my weights. Guess what! 7th to last morning practice ever!! I'm excited. It'll be the end of an era. It kind of makes it more comforting to know that this is what I've been doing over the last three years.

800's

Ran 5 800's at miller. 3:13, 3:05, 3:05, 3:08, 3:13. Strong wind on back stretch, hit it twice per 800. Felt okay. Legs were soreish. Felt Medium Hard.

9-18 abridged run

Well, I ran 40 minutes. I basically ran from the high school to kingwood to Bay Street to the Spruce Trails and back. It took just about exactly 40 minutes. About 5.5 miles? This run felt okay, although my legs felt sore. I had to keep focused. Sam and Dalton were able to keep up with me most of the way. This felt okay, but I felt kind of tired. My breathing felt easier than usual, and my saliva was really watery. Just a side note. I ate something after sixth period, and it did not seem to bother me at all during the run.

Weekly mileage: 15.5

9-18 swift manana

Well, ran, lifted, and ran. Our warm up ran was insanely fast. We got to the Cackleberries bush in 7:30. Travis, Brad, Jacob, and Daniel kept that pace, but I could not keep up. I ran that in 15:30, still. Lifting was fine. We did shoulder flies and back squats. I went slower for the warm down. That was about 15 minutes. 4 miles total.

weekly: 10

9-17 Tahkenitch: Leg burner

Well, I ran six miles at Tahkenitch in 46:06. It was a tougher run. This run was okay, but not as fast as I would have hoped. It felt harder than last time. The hill on the way back was a struggle. I reached the mid point in about 22:50, so it was about 23:16 on the way back. Not bad, considering my legs were feeling kind of dead. Maybe I should eat something closer to the run, like Dad has been telling me. I may have been running out of gas. I usually don't eat after lunch. We'll see. I'm going to try eating something after sixth period tomorrow.

I felt like maybe I could have focused more on pushing with my calves on the way back. Maybe I was giving in to the tiredness feeling. I need to fight it! I continue to work on it. I was shooting to run at least a 45, but oh well. Not every run works out. It seems that my actual times are ususally one minute off my goal, but that is likely just a coincidence. I don't want to make that something I automatically do, run 1 minute slower than my goal.

That's pretty amazing to be pretty sure of having a varsity spot. I've been working for it for three years. It's been a long road back to being in shape, and I'm still getting back. I won't get complacent. I'll keep pushing to work hard, to finally pr. I'll get out what I put into it.
I'll use Fiat. I'll try and will it to happen. It will happen. I'll improve. I'm on the steady climb, and I just need to keep working.
Fiat is something that needs to be added the the cross country commandments.

weekly mileage: 6

9-15 MOLALLA: HERE WE ARE

I ran a 19:57 for the 5k at Molalla. I feel pretty good about this run. My first mile was in 6:16. My average pace was 6:25/mile, so I slowed down a little bit. My strategy for the race was pretty good until a point about two miles in on the thin trail. There, I tried sprinted past 4 people because they were running pretty slow. That used up more energy than it was worth, though. A guy that was behind me when I passed those 4 ended up getting 19:30. I need to be smarter. Otherwise, it was good. I think I passed about 30 people and got passed by 5. I felt like I was going pretty hard, but after the last hill when we got back on the main trail, I felt like I could breath pretty well and wasn't going too hard. I was trying to go hard, but maybe I can go harder. People did go out insanely fast. The course was not nearly as streamlined as North Bend, so I think I ran better today.
I kind of experimented with what I ate before the race, and I ate more. This seemed to work pretty well. My stomach felt fine. I think I was able to be fairly strong throughout the whole race. Dad is trying to tell me to eat more, such as something high energy, before the race to keep me from fading. It's a good idea, I'm just hesitant to make my stomach feel like crap. I think it can work, though.
Our team performance was insanely good, about as good as it could have gone. We can't be ignored now. We beat Scappose by quite a bit. We also beat our team from last year by quite a bit. I couldn't have seen that coming before the year started, especially without having Chris. However, it is just one small step. Brookings is good. We have to keep working hard. Bring on Tahkenitch.

9-14 and the candy floss you had, and your mother and your dad

Well, ran the minimum in the morning in 30:15. Relatively slow. Not bad. I got 7 hours, 10 minutes of sleep last night. Need to improve.

Weekly mileage= 25

9-12 Long, Long Leroy Brown

Ran 58:30 from Darlingtonia to Holman Vista taking the trails including the long trail and back. Maybe 7-7.5 miles. I felt tired for this run. I think I was still tired from the morning. I got 7 hours of sleep last night. It needs to be better. I really had to go to the bathroom after about 45 minutes, so I stopped at the bathroom for about 2 minutes in the middle.

I'll write my goals soon. I have them, just not on the internet yet.

Weekly miles: 21

9-12 In the Morning

Well, ran and lifted. The lifting made me feel sore right afterwards, which was unusual. The soreness was mainly on the sides of my quads. 4 miles total.

9-11 TUGMAN: THE RIGHT DIRECTION

I ran this 5k in 19:45. I feel pretty good about this run. I went out a little slow, about 6:25 for the first mile, but I was able to keep a really consistent pace. I was actually able to pick up my pace a little bit. 19:45 is about a 6:21 pace. I printed out a pace chart. It helps a lot. I feel good about this race, though. I went strong through out, I pushed with my caves more. My caves actually felt soreish afterwards. Unusual. Definitely a move in the right direction. I got sixth, also for our team. That makes me feel quite good, although not complacent. I'll keep working hard, improving. I'm still improving, still getting back to were I was and to where I never was. This was just one step. I need to keep pushing the intensity up a little bit each time I run. I get what I put in. Let's bring it on. This was definitely a move in the right direction. I think I can shoot for 6:05's at Molalla. I picked up my pace quite a bit at the mile when you were talking to me, Mr. Johnson. It was good. I tried to run smart at the beginning, but it was a little too slow. It felt conversational. This was a good run.
The funny thing is, the only difference between this exact same meet between this year and last year was my first mile. Last year, I ran my first mile in 5:45 and got 19:02. This year, I ran my first mile in 6:25 and got 19:45. That was about all it was.

9-10 Pale Blue Eyes (MAPLETON POOL!)

Rejoice, it was a return to Mapleton pool. About 35 minutes. About .5 miles in the pool. I did 30 lengths. We did a sub race pace 300 in the pool. No highly fun though strenuous activities such as races or water polo. I think that was a good idea.
Weekly mileage: 4.5 miles

9-10 Morning

Ran about 4 miles and lifted. I tried to lift more this time, and it felt fine. I should try to keep this up in the future. I got about 7 hours of sleep last night, dissapointing for a Sunday.

9-8 ROAD, LAKE, AND DUNE

Well, I ran 22:48 at road lake and dune. It was another reminder of how this year is similar to my sophomore year, as I ran the same exact time back then. It wasn't a bad race. I tried to shorten my stride. I think maybe I should have gone a little harder on the trail, because I could not go fast on the sand. I just don't know how. I was pushing to go hard, but I couldn't go very fast and it didn't feel strenuous. It was really frustrating. Similar to last year. The sand seemed to sink a lot more than it did last year. I want to be way faster than sophmore year. I'm going to keep working. Will beat me. It shouldn't bother me, but it does somewhat. I really want to be varsity, and feel like I've put in the time to make it. I know varsity is completely based on time. I guess I was fired up when he passed me, but I couldn't catch him. I shouldn't get mad at him, though. That'd be stupid. Whoever is better is better. I just really want to be varsity, at least one year. I'll just keep working hard and end up where I end up. I didn't exactly feel tired at the end of the run. The sand screws me up. Oh well. Onward. I felt okay for the race. Maybe I could have started moving a little faster midway.

9-7 que 20 minutes

Ran 20 minutes, 2.7 miles. Felt tired from the morning. Didn't keep up with other guys. They were going quite swiftly. Probably 6:45 pace. Too fast. I went my own easy.

Weekly mileage= 41.2 miles

9-7 Minimum This

I ran a minimum. 4 miles, 29:05. Felt good. I kept up with the other guys the whole time. Felt easy-medium.

9-6 Steady Run at Sutton

Ran 6 miles at Sutton Boat Launch in 43:08. About 7:11 mile pace. Kind of funny, since that is faster than my AT run pace. Oh well. I felt better today. I was feeling kind of tired from the morning, but not bad. Daniel stayed with me, and I think that made me push a little bit more. I feel good about this run. I got better sleep last night. I seem to be consistently running 1 minute slower than last year.

Weekly mileage = 34.5 miles

FORM TIPS
I really need to focus on my form. Daniel was telling me to do some things, like keep my breathing in control, and run quietly. I think by running on the pads of my feet, I should be able to do this. For some reason, keeping my breathing under control is hard. It almost makes me feel somewhat panicky, like I'm not getting enough breath. I just need to get over it, I think, because I am getting plenty deep breaths.
Form tips to beat into my brain:
1. Run on the pads of my feet
2. Push with my calves from the beginning
3. Breath controlably, take deep breathes
4. keep head up
5. keep arms at 90 degree angle, with hands going to back pocket.
6. Keep arms, body relaxed (this is especially at the end)
7. don't take too long of stride? (something Daniel said, not sure if this is something I should try)
8. Hill Running
a. eat bannanas
b. accelerate over top of hill
c. lean slightly forward at hips
d. shorter steps
e. high knee type stride?
f. push hard with calves

9-6 Good Morning, Good Morning

16 minutes, lifting, and 11 minutes. 3.5 miles? Ran to about 50 feet before the Cackleberry Bushes and back. I kept pretty close with the other guys the whole way. They were going fairly fast. Lifting was good. I still need to get better form for cleans. I could probably go for heavier weights on the bench. I still only did 66. Warm down was good. Didn't go too hard, since to keep up with the other guys I would have had to run my max speed just to keep with them. I didn't want to push it on the warm down. Better morning than last.

9-5 AT RUN

Well, this was the AT run. 4 miles, 28:49. Yup. It didn't go too well. I ran my first mile in 6:35, my second mile in 7:20, my third mile in 7, and my last mile in 7:49 or so. I didn't feel too strong on the track. I didn't feel very good afterwards. I also got really crappy sleep last night. I couldn't feel asleep till after 12, and I got up at 6:45. That was pretty frustrating. My stomach felt kind of upset afterwards. Not a great run for me.

9-4 Tahkenitch: The Binary Run

Well, ran to the end camping spot at Tahkenitch (6 miles?) in 45:50. This run felt good. Medium hard, but good. I felt stronger going up the hills. I tried to keep up with the other guys without killing myself. I was able to make it almost all the way to the midpoint with the other guys, but not quite. I ran a minute slower than last year. Not bad, since this is about 3 minutes faster than about a month ago. I feel like I need to take a stronger leadership approach. The guys don't seem to be very focused when we do pups and sups. We need to focus if we have any chance of beating Brookings.

Weekly Mileage = 20.5 miles

9-4 Behold, the morning workouts officially begin

Ran 16 minutes, lifted somewhat lightly, and warmed down about 15 minutes. The first run was pretty good. I started tiring out a little bit for the last 5 minutes, but I kept up with the other guys. Lifting was good, I went lighter in some lifts than I could, but it's good to ease into it. I missed doing squats and leg presses because we were ousted by the footballers. Not bad, somewhat tough. The warm down run was probably the toughest part. I couldn't keep up.

9-3 Clear Lake Minutes

I did a 5-3-2-2 minutes workout on Clear Lake road. It was pretty interesting. I think I may actually like it better on Clear Lake, because there are less roads on it, so it feels like the minutes go by more quickly. I warmed up with Dad to Earhart, and then I turned around a ran my 5 minute interval. It took me to about just before Manzanita. I then ran on Manzanita and back out to the opposite hill on Clear Lake. There, after 5 minutes of 65% rest, I turned around and did my three minute. I turned onto the end of Manzanita and turned back and got about half way down it. I then did my 65% rest so that I could start my 2 minute interval at Woodland Lane. From there, I did my two minute interval out towards Salal. I made it to about 50 meters before Salal. I took my rest up the hill from there, and just before the top of the hill I started my last two minute. That got me just beyond that new housing development. I felt like I went pretty hard. I also did my own modified Clear Lake hills. I started at a telephone pole a little down the big Clear Lake hill that ends at Earhart near the polled herefords place. From there I ran as far as I could for 70 seconds up the hill. That got me about 30 feet before the sign where the hill starts going down the first two times. The third time I was about 30 feet behind that. The fourth time, I ran all the way through the sign. It took me 80 seconds. I don't know how it compares to Kingwood. It's probably a little less step. It worked, though. It was a pretty good workout for being by myself. I felt surprisingly good for riding in a car all day from Fort Bragg. It was quite good to see Jeff and see Charlie in San Francisco.

9-2 Fort Braggin it

Well, ran a run at a variety of paces. I ran 44ish minutes minutes, about 5.5-6 miles. The first 30 minutes were fairly slow. They were at about 8:30 minute mile pace. I ran with Dad and Jeff on the coast in Fort Bragg. It was a pretty cool run. We ran on the outside edge of the ocean. There isn't much beach. There's fields and beach. It was good. The last 15 minutes, I picked up my pace and ran maybe 6:45-7 minute pace. Jeff said I was probably running faster than my time trial pace. That'd be good. I started running pretty fast on my own, though. It was kind of surprising. I had no reason to run very fast necessarily. It felt good.

8-31 Holman Vista: Long, but Good

Ran 47:41 for 6.5 miles or so at Holman Vista. 23:15 on the way out, 24:26 I ran on the long trail to sutton boat launch and back on the long trail. I felt pretty strong for this run, although I was a little sore and my legs were feeling powerless at points, such as after the last two large hills. Overall, it was good. I had to run by myself because I was foolish and forgot to turn on my alarm, even though I set it. It was a little more difficult. I had to encourage myself to stay strong on the last half. It was the longest run I've done this year, but it felt good.

TIME TRIAL

Well, I ran the time trial 5k in 20:45 on the old rhody run course. It was 1 minute exactly off my goal, but I'm actually satisfied. I'm not too far off my time from last year. I felt pretty good the whole time, as well. I may have been able to have a larger sense of urgency. My first mile was 6:24. It shows that I've been able to work back into respectable shape. That's good to know. I think I can continue to improve and get back to where I was last year. I think at this rate, with good sleep and with taking ferrous sulfate, I'll be able to run in the 18's this year. Definitely. I'll make my goals soon. If time, I will make them tomorrow. THat's pretty unfortunate Will ran into that glass. That was a pretty wierd occurance. Travis, Joe, Jacob, and Brad all did really well. We're going to have a good team. Brookings is going to have to watch out for us, and North Bend better not forget about us as well.

TIME TRIAL GOAL

=19:45
I know I ran 20:22 last year, but I feel my form is better this year, and I am stronger. Stay relaxed, take big breathes, push with my calves, keep my head up, stay consistently paced....if I can do these, I'll be good. Stay tough.

8-29 EASY minimum

Well, ran this minimum, 4 miles, in about 28:25. Those 25 seconds are roughly accounted for in waiting to cross 101, so we were right on 7 minute pace. The girls were right on our tails at the beginning, and they said we were going slow. They were smoking. That's good. My left ear was plugged the whole run and in fact still is now. It kind of makes me feel disconnected. No me gusta. The other guys were talking about Halo while we were running. I should play that some time in my life.

8-29 Morning: EASY shadow

We ran 20 minutes this morning, close to 3 miles. We were running pretty fast seemingly, probably a little under 7 minute pace. I felt somewhat tired at the beginning, but I felt fine once we turned around. Again, I need to get a new watch. We're in the easy shadow of the time trial Right now, I'm thinking my goal for the time trial is 20 minutes. I ran 20:22 last year, and I think I can do better. I'm not sure if that is too conservative or optimistic to think I can run faster. I think I can.

8-28 Tuesday's Identity Crisis Run

Well, ran a Sunday run on this Tuesday. It felt quite good. I ran it probably in 40-43 minutes, I'm guessing. I'm not sure because I accidentally pressed the stop button on my watch while I was running. I think I just need to get a new watch. The stop button must be wearing out. This run went well. I kind of slowed down some until we reached the meadow on the way back to stay with Henry, because we were doing a buddy run. Will was also one of my buddies, but he fell behind mysteriously in the first ten minutes. After we reached the meadow on the way back, I went the pace I thought was a more honest effort. I think I was able to go a good speed.

I need to remember some things you said, Mr. Johnson, because there was some good stuff. Although showing up everyday is quite important, just being there isn't enough to improve. You have to put an honest effort into it. Honesty is critical. Also, he brought up a good example of how Jennifer Young transformed over the course of her career. That was a good example to show how things are happening that'll make you improve every time you are out working, even though it may seem like you aren't improving and you are just wiping yourself out. This is good to keep one on a long term focus. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHY YOU ARE OUT THERE. key. He also talked about how it is pointless to care about losing to teammates, and I definitely do not have a problem with that. I only have a problem with that if that shows I am not running to my potential. Whatever works best for the team is best.
so, 1. don't be drapes (honest effort), 2. know why you are out there, 3. love thy team.
I can't quite remember if he said everything else. That is what I remember. They were good words. OH YES! I remember one that has motivated me before. It is, bring something positive to practice everyday. Whatever your mood is, it ultimately affects the team. So, I shall rewrite the now 5 cross country commandments as follows:
THOU SHALT
1. ATTEND EVERY PRACTICE
2. NOT BE DRAPES
3. KNOW WHY YOU ARE OUT THERE
4. LOVE THY TEAM
5. BRING SOMETHING POSITIVE TO PRACTICE EVERYDAY
to extend these, I could say the following
6. SLEEP MUCH
7. EAT HEARTILY AND HEALTHILY
8. DRINK 1/2 THY BODY WEIGHT IN OUNCES EVERY DAY
I shall expand on these later.

8-28 Good Morning, Mr. Kingwood

Well, we ran our first kingwood hill workout. We did drills and a mile warm up to the base of the hill. Our first hill was extremely slow, about 1:45. Mr. Johnson had us start over at that point. From there, in the pattern of easy, medium, mediumER, I ran a 85, 71, 66ish, 81 69, 65. So, they were pretty similar. I actually felt good after the last one. I probably could have run another set. I'll try and speak up next time if I feel that way. I felt pretty strong, though, overall. I guess I just looked at my splits from this workout last year, and we ran it quite a bit faster then. It was 71, 67, 67, 65, 62, and 67 or something like that.

REMINDER: I NEED TO MAKE GOALS SOON!

8-27 Afternoon: Solo Home Run

Well, I ran from my house on my own because of my physical therapy appointment for my elbow. I ran 4 miles in 28:40, so about 7:10 miles. I ran from my house to the bridge and back. I took about 14:08 on the way there and 14:32 on the way back. I was going to go to do a minimum at Woahink, but I ended up wanting to save time. This run felt pretty good. My legs were feeling sore on the way up the long hill. I figure it has to be at least 1 kilometer. Anyway, it was a good run overall. I wasn't wasted afterwards. I had some energy left.

8-27 Morning: A Return to the Familiar Wrestling Mats

Ah, I guess wrestling mats always make me think of diseases like wring worm. Anyway, we ran a nice easy 24 minute run. About 3.2 miles, I'd say. We ran towards Fred Meyer, around it, out a short distance on 101, and came back. This run felt pretty good. I was cruising the whole time.

8-26 The Keck Fun Run

I ran ran about 38:40 minutes with my Dad on this Sunday. I went 5 miles. The first half I ran with my Dad, and it took me 21 minutes. It took me about 17:40 on the way back. Almost 7 minute pace. I actually ran pretty late, at about 7:15 p.m. I ran the usual route, down the road. My Dad never tires of it. As long as he's there, it's not bad. It is starting to feel somewhat repetitive, though. It's essential to have someone to talk to on this type of run.

8-24 A Woahink Morning

Well, ran 5 miles at Woahink. It took about 38 minutes. I actually run this one to easily. I was kind of in charge of making sure Dalton went the right way, so I slowed down so that he would be able to be in sight the entire time. I could have gone faster, but I felt like I shouldn't lose him. It was a enjoyable run because of that, though.

8-23 Siltcoos Lake Trail: The Devil had Nothing On Me ( I had sleep)

Ran at the Siltcoos Lake Trail. 1 loop, 4 miles, about 30:45, similar to my uphill 5k time. This run felt surprisingly good. I felt strong the entire way. Strong proof that sleep is a huge factor in performance. Before when I've ran at Siltcoos, I've kind of imagined that the hill was an obstacle placed before me by the devil. It kind of motivated me to overcome it, I guess. Anyway, I defeated the devil with sleep. I also probably could have run this faster, but Travis, Joe, and Jacob ran fairly slow on the down hill section. I like to zoom down the hill.

8-23 Steady Morning

Ran about 4 miles in 29:30. Ran from the track to miller park, around miller park, out the trail to kingwood, and back following the same route from the other kingwood hill. I went a little easier this run than the day before, because I was kind of driving my self crazy. I let it get to me to much that I didn't do as well as I wanted to. I ran this run steadily, but I didn't kill myself to stay up with the other guys. I kept with them till about 15 minutes. I felt better after this run. I believe I got between 8 1/2 and 9 hours of sleep last night. It noticably helped for this run.

8-22 Tommy low

Well, ran 5 miles in 36:38. I felt pretty tired. I made it to the road in about 20:15, but I kind of lost it. I didn't get enough sleep last night, and daily doubles must be getting to me a little bit. Wasn't the greatest of runs. I hoped I could average 7 minute miles like I did last time. Oh well.

8-22 Two faced North Jetty

Well, ran at North Jetty. Ran 30 minutes, probably 3.8 miles. I died after 20 minutes, although not for lack of trying. I'm not a good morning runner. Mr. Johnson gave a good speech about commitment to always showing up. He also mentioned running with the top seven if you want to be varsity. I felt that this was at least somewhat directed at me, as I'm right on the fringe and turned back early yesterday. I tried hard to stay with the other guys, but I really did die. This was a tough run. North Jetty is either easy or rather hard for me. It's somewhat puzzling. Of the 4 times I can remember practicing on it, it's been hard-easy-hard-hard. Oh well. Moving on. Ready for Tommy. I didn't get enough sleep tonight. I wanted to play a little bit of Resident Evil 4 before I went to bed, but it woke me up. I couldn't go to sleep for a long time. I should have learned this stuff by now! crap. oh well. Next time I'll remind myself the right thing to do. Also, I took ferrous sulfate last night for the first time. No more repeats of last year's collapse. It was 49.1 at the beginning of the summer, but it couldn't have gone anywhere but down. I need to get it up to the 60's.

8-21 Minimum Deux

Ran the minimum again, although this time it was not planned. 4 miles, 28:11 (with two short stops on 101) I planned on running 5 miles (and should have) but decided and the minimum turn that I was feeling like I was fairly tired, so I turned back. I was able to be pretty strong all the way back. AVeraged 7 minute miles, at least. Not a bad run. I kept up with the other guys till I turned back.

8-21 the Morning of the Magicians

Excellent little run, ran 22 minutes, about 2.5 miles. We ran follow the leader style, so everyone on the boys team, all eleven of us, got to lead for 2 minutes. We took some pretty wild routes. WE were just supposed to run on soft surfaces, so we ran all around the field by the track and in the bushes all around. I just kind of went crazy and started running through the bushes. It was fun. I ended up trying to run into the bushes, but I couldn't make it through. I had to turn back. It was fun, though. People got scrapped up. We went through the tire, wentover the fence to the track by the high school, did Allen's creek run, run in countless circles, and other stuff. It was good.

8-20 Bare Minimum

Ran the minimum at that Woahink Lake. 4 miles, about 30 minutes. About 2 minutes had to have been waiting for the traffic. The traffic took forever. It was a good run. I felt good. I actually felt like I had a minor break through with my legs. I felt like I was pushing more with my calf, and I felt stronger. I also was able to keep up the whole way. It was good. Another good thing was that Brad the Bard showed up. He is key. Dynamite to our Demolition Derby. We also discussed the state of 4a state. North Bend is going to be an unstoppable powerhouse barring any injury to their top 5. Marist returns everyone, but isn't appearing to be able to compete with North Bend. Hidden Valley had someone get into a biking accident and break his leg, Brookings will definitely be our focus. We can get in there. We'll be right in there. We have to believe.

8-20 Inaugural Morning

First team practice. 20 minutes, 2.8 miles. Felt pretty tough, actually. I was starting to die a little bit. Oh well. It's the first practice. Maybe could've gone slower, but it wasn't a big deal.