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.