We are who we choose to be.

Today was the easiest workout we've ever had. I did 3x1000 repeats. I was supposed to go 5:16 pace. First was 4:40, Second was 5:09, and Third was 5:01. I swear the warmup and cooldown were faster than the workout! (half a mile barefoot warmup).

Today felt pretty good! I can feel myself getting better each day. I kept up with everyone the whole time. Even during the striders (I don't usually keep up with the striders) and still had energy to spare. Every day lately has been easier than the last. Even if it's more mileage or faster. I think the next step is to keep up on at least one parkway loop. (half a mile barefoot warmup). I added half a mile because of running club. I was dead after that. It's amazing how fast some of these girls are! Holt ran 7:11, Hill ran 7:13, and there were many other good times like this. And they are only in 5th and 6th grade! I see Pine View having a very good girls team in the future

Today was so hard. We did the 30/30 workout today with a mile warm/cool. I was supposed to hit 127 meters in 30 seconds as many times as I can up to 40. I made it the second (to Brianna) most times with 36 times. Last week I made it 38, but today was more strict with the jog the cool down. I kept telling myself "this is gonna be the last one", "I can't make it anymore, I'll give up after this one", and "Brianna! Why don't you give up and give me my glory?!" Haha! Okay not the last one... But it was really tough and I tried my very best. I'm pretty proud of today's performance from me.  (half mile barefoot warmup)

Today we held an unofficial practice and did a hilly run down into Hell's Hole. We told everybody that we were doing one, but only about 15 people (if that) showed up. My legs were dying the whole time. Jake, Andrew, and I were the only level 2 guys there today amd we took it a little slower on the way back. I hope tomorrow we take it a little easier. Not that today was hard. It was just a little painful. (half a mile barefoot warmup).

Went on a 7 miler with the guys today. Not very many people showed up. I think on the way there, it was me, Andrew, Jake, Jake, Byron, Abel, Krenshaw, Matt. Me, Andrew, Jake, and Jake went 7 and we took it a good pace on the way back. It was pretty tough to go this far for me, but I'm just glad I could keep up! (half a mile barefoot warmup)

Ran on my own today for a total of 4 miles. My legs were really hurting the whole time and I just wasn't really enjoying it. Overall, it was a pretty easy-paced, painful run.

AM-Today we did our 4x1000 (or 4x1600) at our personal VO2 max 15 minute times at an 80%. I was supposed to hit a 5:16, but I hit a 4:49, 5:01, 5:08, and 5:08. Coach Roberts is one funny guy! I did most of the workout with him, Liz, Jason, Jake, and Farmer J. It felt really good and easy. It was way fun.

PM- Our first PM run (and first of many, many Artic Circle runs) of the year! I felt surprisingly good on the way there, but I got a massive sideache on the way back. Other than that, it was pretty good. I ran with some water, but doubt I'll do it again. During weights afterwards, during the squats, I think I pulled something in my groin. It hurts to walk more than 30 feet at once and to bend down or squat now. Any suggestions of what to do? Stretches?

...And what the heck? Did Scott Sandberg join our team or something? Because he did the same stuff as us... The exact same stuff.

AM-Today we ran the 4 miles barefoot with striders. It felt really good. Probably the best I've felt in a few weeks! It was pretty fun and I kept up the whole time. (half a mile barefoot warmup).

Kid's Club- Best kids club ever! My group and the younger group of girls did a relay race of 4 teams (our team was Team Tryhard (we won, by the way)). It was WAY fun! If your groups haven't done relays, do them next week. It was legit.

AM- 1 mile warmup. Today we did the 30/30 workout. I did not do nearly as good as last week. I hit it 21 times. I hit my overall mileage, but I was hoping to do a little better on the test. I guess today was just an off-day for me. I tried my hardest and hopefully next week is a little bit better. 1 mile cool down. (half mile barefoot warmup).

AM-Today we ran into Hell's Hole for our hill workout. I don't remember hills being as fun as they were today. We did 5x10 second bounders (is that what they're called?) and then 5x10 second hill sprints. It wasn't all that crappy. The worst part was coming up by the library and cemetary. Haha. Pretty easy day today. Hopefully I feel the same tomorrow for our 7 miler. (half a mile barefoot warmup). I signed up for Chelsi's Run today. I'm getting pumped. I'm not sure what to expect. Hopefully I do alright.

PM-Went the 3 mile artic circle route from PVHS. I was kind of hoping it would rain on our run, but it stopped right before it. I got this terrible sideache right at the beginning of our run and it didn't end until after the run. I managed to stay up with the group though. Weights went really good afterwards.

AM- Today was probably the best run ever! I felt really good the whole time. We met at Vernin Worthen park in Dixie and ran from there. I kept up with the elite guys for 3.5 miles (along with Jake) and then we turned around and waited for Nate until we really started going again. It felt really good to be at the front of the level 2 boys pack. I think that our whole JV team has really great potential this year. The 3.5 miles back was the best part. We didn't slow down at all, but it felt like heaven. It was me, Nate, and Jake pretty much the whole time and then the other guys were pretty close behind at the very end. I'm getting pretty excited for the Chelsi's Run on Monday. Hopefully I feel as good then as I did today. (half a mile barefoot warmup).

Warbeast out.

Late Night Run(with Krenshaw, Byron, Matt, Abel, and Hunter)- 5.5: I was only planning on running 3 miles, but I was the only person there who was and I didn't want to run back on my own. Tonight I felt really good, but I fell off the pack close to the end. We were going really fast! I'm not sure what our pace was, but the beginning was definately sub-7 and the end was probably sub-7:30. I don't feel like 5.5 miles was much of a push today. I stepped on my foot weird close to the end of the run and it bugged me the rest of the time, but it's not bugging me now.

AM-Today we ran 5x1000 (3 minute recovery) with 1 mile warm and cool. I hit around 4:55 on all of them. They're super slow, but I still hit a little faster than my time. I felt really tired today and I think I'll take a nap before I lift this afternoon. I want to be at my best at the 5k tonight. The only guys who I run with that are going to Chelsi's is Cam and Jake B. I wish our whole group would go and help push each other, but I'm just gonna have to try to keep up and help push Cam. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm hoping I get a big PR from last year.

Chelsi's- This was a pretty tough race. I tried my hardest, but I don't think I went hard enough. I'm pretty sure I could do much better if I keep at it and keep trying. The first lap, I hit around a 9:10 and then I slowed way down the second lap to a 10:33 (1.5 miles). I photofinished with Jason. I seriously have no clue who won it was that close. Overall, it was fun, but I didn't meet up with my expectations from me.

AM- I woke up so tired from last night's race and was tempted to just go back to sleep, but I came to practice. We did 4 miles on the grass loops and then 8 striders. It was really tough today and I fell way behind everyone else. I swear I almost died on the striders. I think I'll be back to normal and ready tomorrow hopefully. I added a half a mile for kids club. (half a mile barefoot warmup)

AM-Today we did the 30-30 workout. I did not do good at all. I made it to 14 and then couldn't go anymore. I'm still super tired and sore from the 5k. I think I am dehydrated also so I'm going to try to fix that today. We did a mile warmup and then me and Jason went on about a 2 mile cool down to get our mileage.

PM-Ran 3 miles on my own. Went up to the dirt mile from my house and did 2 laps and that didn't quite make three so I ran a little more on my street. And about halfway through my run I ran into coach! Haha. He was running up at the dirt mile for a little bit too. I decided to do this run a little bit easy. I ran an average of 7:24 per mile. And I ended up with a time of 22:14 (which by the way was faster than my first race last year). I'm starting to feel a little better from my soreness and I've been rehydrating a lot today. So I have decided to do a little experiment with the heart rates. I was wondering what my normal heart rate is in contrast with my resting heart rate when I wake up in the morning. So every day for the next little while, I will take my heart rate right when I wake up (6:30am) and at 3:00pm (before my afternoon runs). Today kind of surprised me. In the morning my RHR was 60bpm and at 3:00pm my HR was 60bpm. Isn't our RHR supposed to be lower?

AM- Today I felt really good. I did 6 miles with a 2 mile tempo on the 4-5 miles. I ran the whole run with Andrew. It was pretty nice and probably the best I've felt in a "tempo" before. Our tempo pace was around 6:50-7:00 pace. I wanted to run in a bigger group but the other guys were going a little slower than I wanted to go on a tempo. Surprisingly, Me, Andrew, and Logan were the first level 2 guys back from the run. I felt good overall and I really enjoyed this run.

PM- It is so hot outside! I couldn't make it to team practice because I went to see Turbo (actually wasn't too bad. It inspired me and I almost cried once). So, I went on my own run when I got home. I did a loop that was roughly about 3.5, but I put 3 just in case. In my run, I ran into the cemetary and it gave me a wonderful idea for a race or marathon or something... The Death Race. It's not called that because of how hard it is, but because you run to all the cemetaries in the area... Starting at the Washington Cemetary. It would be so legit. And everytime you run to a grave of your close friend or family member, it will make you want to run faster for them. Before I die, I want to see The Death Race happen. RHR: 65 HR:72

AM- It was so tough this morning. First, we ran the region course for this year out in Bloomington which added up to 3 miles. It kind of gets me excited for region this year, but it gives me a reality of how tough running on the grass is compared to the asphalt. That wasn't too bad. The hard part was doing meat grinders (x2). If there are hills in hell, they would all be the Meat Grinder Hill (I don't know what it's called). It was so crappy. On the way down the first one, I was thinking,"Coach! Here's the part where you say 'Just kidding. We're only doing 1'". and then we all start cheering, but that didn't happen. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. I feel so accomplished to be able to do that though. So those added up to about 5 miles. (half a mile barefoot warmup). I have decided that Turbo is exactly the same as Ratatoullie. If you ever go see it, try to find the comparisons. There are tons. It might as well just be the same movie. RHR: 73 HR:56

Today I went on a late night run with some others. I showed up way early and decided to do a mile for the heck of it. I hit that one at about 7 minutes. Then when others showed up, we went on a 4 miler. We went pretty slow except for the very end we were all sprinting pretty much. It was fun. RHR:54 HR:55

WOOHOO! 200 recorded miles in my Kinvara 3s! AM- Did 6x1000m with mile warm and mile cool. It was pretty easy. It's fun to talk with Nate, Jake, Andrew, and Jason on these runs. I felt good overall. Getting pretty excited for camp next week! It'll be a blast! RHR:54 HR: ?

PM- Did the arctic circle 3 miler run with the team. Felt pretty easy, but boy it's hot out there. I had a sideache the whole time, which sucks. How can I prevent those before they happen?! Skylar says he's not gonna join XC even though he's a natural at it! He'd rather join football I guess. Now it's time to eat some bacon.

AM- Today marks the 100th mile in my Kinvara 4s! WOOHOO! 30/30s at 126 meters in 30 seconds. Today was pretty tough, but I was determined to hit more than I did last week (14) and I did! I got 20. I woke up this morning feeling really tired and dehydrated. I really need to work on staying hydrated. I was tempted to not even go to practice today. That would've been a big mistake. 1 mile warmup, 1 mile cool down. (half a mile barefoot warmup).

Running Club- I added on 2 miles because I paced the 5th and 6th grade girls race and boys race. Those kids are very talented and determined. Today 2 kids in particular have gained my respect. Gracie Clements and Scotty Bushar. Those are some determined kids. Both of them would not fall behind me. They both tried their very best to stay up with me and because of their determination, it gave them some personal bests. I did not pace them in particular, but they both dared to keep up with me. I love running club!

PM- This was supposed to be a nice easy 3 miler. If anyone ever tells you that was what it was, punch them in the face. It all started off all fine and dandy, but about a mile into it, I started to have the worst sideache ever. It was seriously the most pain I have felt running. It felt like satan literally put his hand in my side and took his sharp, pointy claws and started to squeeze my insides. If I ever have a sideache as bad as this, I will personally walk up to the pope and say every swear word 20 times. I ran up to the grapevine trail and I decided to rest and see if the sideache would just go away. So I sat there and watch the lightning (which was super kewl) for about 5 minutes. It felt like satan pulled his arm out finally, so I started running again. And then it felt like I got shot in the side. I literally got down in the fetal position for a minute or 2. I decided that I was going to finish or die trying. I ended up finishing, but not without casualties. I lost my manhood and every shred of respect and dignity I had.

PM- Went and did a 3 miler from coache's house at 3pm. It was so hot! We ran on the grapevine trail. I just about died, but we swam afterwards and made nerd swords so that makes up for it. It was pretty easy overall.

PPM- Did my morning run at night. I ran to the Sullivan Soccer Park place and hung out with Skylark and some others. Then I ran back. It was a pretty easy run overall and I was probably going like 7:15 pace on the way there.

AM- 6.75 miles. This morning was super tough! We ran to Hell's Hole and did some super crappy hills there. The people from the city told us we couldn't run on the part we were going to go on, so we went to the huge giant hill. First, we did 4x1minute hard. This was the toughest part. I would always start out too fast and be dying by the end... Or I would be stuck behind people. After that we did 4x30seconds hard. These were awesome! I was in the front with Reed on all of them. Cam was really impressive on the last one. He just sprinted past all of us. I decided that whenever we're having a hard time in a workout, we all should just C.A.M. (conquer all mankind) it. Then we ran back to the school plus a block. Pretty tough day today.

PM- 3 miles. It was super hot today. We did the Artic Circle route. We went pretty slow the whole time (which was actually pretty nice). I had a teeny sideache almost the whole time, but that didn't bug me much. I've been working on being more hydrated and it's working. I'm getting really tired of how much I sweat though!

AM- Today we started at Pine View Park in Washington Fields. We ran 7 miles with 2.5 miles AT tempo. I'm not sure what our pace was, but it was fairly hard. I fell off the main group quite a bit about halfway through the tempo and then I gained some ground by the end and ended up maybe 75-100 meters away from them. My legs felt a little sore from yesterday's hills. I feel like I'm giving crazy amounts of effort towards running for such disappointing results. I don't know. I'm just glad we don't have a double run today. And may the record show that when I wrote this I was on the first page of the mileage board! Woohoo!

YES! I finally hit a 50 mile week! I felt amazing on this run. Byron invited me to go with him and Dave on their run tonight and I invited Jason to go with us. We ran a 5 miler up the Coral Canyon hill. I was expecting it to be super hard because I've never ran up it before, but it was surprisingly easy. What's more is that we finished this 5 miler in 31-35 minutes! That's sub-7 pace! By far my fastest 5 miler ever! It wasn't even that hard for me. It was for sure a 5 miler because we had a Garmin with us. Afterwards, Jason and I ran an extra .55 miles to get in 50 miles. This got me thinking of my first 5 miler about a year ago. It was quite possibly the worst run of my life and took me about an hour to do. I've improved so much and I can't believe it took me this run to realize it. My hard work is paying off. I'm good and I'm just gonna get better from here.

AM- Just ran up to the dirt mile and did 6x1000 repeats. They were pretty easy. I hit 4:51, 4:51, 4:51, 4:46, 4:43, and 4:50. These are really fun to do when you have a bunch of guys to talk to the whole time. It's not too hard, it just takes a while to finish. Then we ran back to the school to make 6.5. (half a mile barefoot warmup). I'm not gonna be able to blog the whole rest of the week because I'll be up at camp, but I'll update it when I get back.

High Altitude Camp- Today we got to our campsite and set up camp. We had a bit of relax time and lunch before we headed out on our 4 mile run. It was pretty tough, but really easy compared to all the other runs we did at camp. Our captains talked to us about the camp theme. It's about the attitude not the altitude and about the smileage not the mileage. Pretty good day but I didn't sleep good this night.

High Altitude Camp- Woke up this morning feeling really tired and cold. We went on our 8 mile run which was really hard! Me, Andrew, Cam, and Jake kept up with the longer milers for the first 4 miles and then we slowed down a little on the way back. I feel that we went really well on this run even though it was tough! I think this is the first time I've ran 8 miles at once so far this summer. Our second run today was just an easy 3 miler and was the easiest run we did at camp. We took it pretty slow and went to the lake at the end of it. Today we got our booklets and we took some classes from our coaches. Coach Holt talked to us about goals and daring to go. An example he shared with us was when Nik Wallenda tightroped across the Grand Canyon. Then we talked about some quotes having to do with bravery and courage. One that really stuck out to me was "Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver 5 minutes longer." I think 5 minutes longer is my new motto now! Then coach challenged us to make goals (both for running personally and for the whole team), draw them out, and then share them. For my personal goal, I decided to get a PR of sub-18 minutes by the end of this XC season. My team goal was for us to win region this year. After talking with Holt, we went and had a class with Coach Roberts. He talked to us about The Biologic Law of Training and The Training Unit. In his class we learned a lot about how to train and what the components of training are.

High Altitude Camp- This morning we ran a super hard 5 mile hilly run. I tried my hardest to stay up with the big boys, but I ended falling off quite a bit by the time I was supposed to turn around. I didn't do too shabby though. I was the first level 2 guy to finish the uphill behind Andrew and Nick, then I just stuck with Andrew for the rest of the time. For our afternoon, we ran a 3 miler down this super sick trail, but then we had to run back up which was like heck on earth. I was seriously the hardest 1.5 miles I've ever done. Just constant uphill. I tried to stick with Reed for the uphill part and ended up passing him and then he caught up by the end. In our classes with coaches, Coach Holt had us talk about motivation, confidence, having a mind for success, relaxation, the zone, focus, visualization, talking to yourself, and setting routines. This was probably the most informative class of them all. I learned so much that I didn't know before and has inspired me to try all of the things he has suggested. In Coach Bert's class, we learned about having consistency to build mental toughness. In this, he challenged us to work on being more consistent on a certain attribute when it comes to running. I chose to be more self-confident of myself on my runs. Most of the time, I feel like the pain that I had on my run was all in my head and I need to change that. We also talked about commitments. Paul talked to us about knowing our sport and shared with us some websites and challenged us to learn about a runner we didn't know before. I'm definately going to do that.