Sleep...

Monday I ran 5 miles in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. It was rather cool and windy, and I actually wore long sleeves for the first time since last year. Tuesday was a bit rough. We did the triple bluff warmup followed by 5x100, 2x800, and 1x400 on the meadow. I was not even close to hitting my times. It was a nightmare. The workout was wrapped up by 3 bluff hills at "race pace effort." For me this effort was a jog. Essentially I was just trying to get to the top of the thing as I felt different muscle groups shutting down one at a time. The cool down was kind of a daze.

This morning I had to run 5 miles again, putting me at 26 so far this week. After practice this afternoon I should be around 30 or so, depending how far we go. For some reason I slept like crap last night despite being dead tired, so today I'm...well, still dead tired. A nap would be nice but there isn't enough time before class. I really want to go to bed.

Sunday

Worst 12 miles of my life.

Monster Fail

I just got home from Minnesota. Griak was good fun. The race was a disaster.

Despite rain on Friday, by Saturday morning the weather had turned much more friendly and we ended up getting a very nice day. The course was only slightly muddy. I still ran horrible. Pfeuffer and I tried to push each other through the entire race, but it wasn't enough and the two of us seemed to fade away as we went along. The first mile was fine. The adrenaline rush of hundreds of screaming and chanting fans carried everyone along and I managed to get to the mile 1 marker in 5:50, right where Russ wanted me to be. About half a mile later I started getting tired. Halfway through the race I tanked. Pfeuffer and I continued to struggle through the remainder of the course but it was an entirely futile battle. We passed Moman (who was also having a terrible race) but he caught us both again before the end. Pfeuffer finally started to pull away in the last mile but I beat him (and two unsuspecting MSOE guys) at the finish. I let the monser out about 3 times just to keep myself from quitting. My final time was about 30:34, more than a minute and a half slower than last week. Some others had trouble as well. Besides myself and Pfeuffer (and Moman), pretty much everybody ran a little slow just because of the course. Lindsay fainted on the last straightaway, which really sucks because she was having a great race. I kind of admire her though. Sometimes I wish I could say that I've passed out trying to beat my body into going faster.

I don't know what happened out there this morning. The course is not hard. I don't care what anyone says about it. There's not a single real hill on that entire 5 mile path. Russ told us the night before that it's a "Kindergarten Course" compared to some real climbs out there. He's right, too. Last year I ran fine at this meet, despite getting only 3 hours of sleep the night before and being dehydrated. This year I crashed and burned.

Oh well, I guess I just have to forget about it and move on. Like the backs of our yellow t-shirts say, "Ain't nothing gonna break my stride, nobody's gonna slow me down. I've got to keep on movin!" The bright side is that, as a team, we defeated MSOE and St. Norbert, and came very close to catching Ripon. The women did just as well. Considering that several people ran poorly and one of our top 5 wasn't even here, we might be able to compete for the State Private School championship in a few weeks.

9/24/09

2 mile warm up, 4x800 around the north path, 4x100 strides, 2 mile cool down
about 7 miles total
30 miles this week

I got out of class a few minutes early today and managed to get outside just as the rest of the team was doing their warmup. By the time I got to the actual workout they were only about 1 or 2 intervals ahead of me. It went by pretty fast too since we only did half the normal load. The path wasn't too wet despite recent rain, except for a single mud puddle at the start of the small hill that leads to the lake. Afterwards we crammed 4 guys into the ice bath (we are all quite secure in our sexual orientation) and then I went home. Leaving for Griak at 7:30 tomorrow morning. It's monster time again.

9/23/09

4 miles yesterday in the afternoon
Felt horrible
Very tired
23 miles so far this week

Swimming?

9 miles today (mile repeats on the road)
19 miles this week

It was extremely humid today. So humid, in fact, that I sweat a fairly significant amount just walking to school this morning (yes, I walked) despite the fact that it was only 65 degrees. We were supposed to do 1000 meter intervals on the north path by the woods. I got real excited around 11 o'clock or so when it started pouring. I figured we'd get all muddy out on that path, especially since the east corner at the top of the hill is nothing but dirt. Having to run most of the workout solo would have been so much more fun in the mud.

My hopes were dashed when Russ instructed the team to do mile repeats on the road instead. Apparently the path was too wet. I almost went over there anyway, but Kevin bumped into me as he was getting back from the bike (should've asked what's wrong with him-hopefully nothing serious) and informed me of the change in plans. It worked out ok in the end though. I decided to just run home. Since I'd walked to class that morning I didn't have a car on campus, and with the late start I figured I might not get a chance to hitch a ride home with somebody else. The workout itself was...eh, ok I suppose. It stopped raining around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and I was out running by 4. I felt fine but just couldn't seem to go any faster than 6 minutes per mile. Makes me feel pathetic considering that I used to do those in about 5:35 back in high school. Granted, we usually had more rest between sets back then, but I should be in so much better shape now than I was 4 years ago. It seems like my body just can't go as fast in practice, but when we line up for a race I magically gain a few levels of athletic ability. I'll call it adrenaline.

I was also soaked when I finally got home (remember, it wasn't raining when I was actually out there). So humid it felt like aqua jogging. Really fast aqua jogging.

And while stretching in the driveway I discovered that my cat looks both ways before crossing the street. He was soaked when he got home too.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

But seriously, it was really humid.

Monster Dash

5 miles this morning
5 miles this afternoon
10 miles so far this week

Twietmeyer, Braun, Sam, Jon, and myself had a discussion about sprinting today. We were doing strides and someone mentioned something about the 100 meter dash being a crazy race. Of course, nobody really knew for sure because I don't think any of us had run one before. I said that the 200 was the really intense event (I actually used to run that one all the time in high school) because it was a full sprint but was just long enough that you'd die before you reached the finish. We then went on to the topic of which track and field event was the most difficult. Most of the guys were saying 400 meter dash. Jon said "It's all guts." I said "It's all monster." Then somebody said something about the 800 and Sam made a painful face. He didn't like the idea of running that fast for two laps on the track.

Of course, we're all wrong anyway. The 400 hurdles is the hardest track and field event. At least that's what I've heard. Steeplechase is probably second.

The Falcon Invite this morning was...ok I suppose. Many of the guys felt horrible. Some ran as much as a minute slower than last week. The only two I know of who did well were Danny and Ash. The girls all looked pretty happy after their race, however, so apparently they did pretty well. Guppy was second place I believe. I didn't like the course all that much but I guess it's not terrible (it's a lot better than Aurora's aweful course). The first open field wasn't as bad as I expected since most of the fans were over there. Russ had us run about 10-15 seconds faster per mile than we did last week, and I personally was unable to do it. I managed to hold the pace for about 1 mile, then started shutting down. I tried to let out the monster but it wasn't there until the last 100 meters. After the race some of the other teams ran down to the beach while me, Ash, Braun, and Dave rolled up the turf by the service hill. Nearby a hawk was floating in the wind, just hovering in place over the bluff. Every once in a while it would dive down to the ground to catch a mouse or something. Or maybe it was just having fun. Who knows.

I wish I could fly.

No Killer Dogs This Time

Another solo run today, but it didn't feel all that bad. Actually I did the first 2 miles with Tyler and Richard, then went out on the road for 5 more. I was cruising along pretty well; I don't think a single mile was over 7 minutes. On my way out on the road I passed Ben and Danny as they were returning. Danny held up a leaf he'd caught, signifying his 2-to-1 lead in the leaf-catching scoreboard. I'm going to have to step up my game if I want to compete this season.

Also, did I mention that yesterday we were nearly eaten by a couple of fluffy white dogs while trying to dash 2 miles back to campus? Man-eating animals are good motivation to run faster in the middle of a workout.

Tomorrow will be another easy practice, and Saturday morning is the Falcon Invite. Our first home meet of the season brings in many of the conference schools for a mid-September showdown on the new course. This is the perfect opportunity for us to flex our running muscles and show what we can do. I have complete confidence in our team's ability to win conference this year, and this weekend could be the first indication of whether I'm correct.

I'm Tired

Another Tuesday, another...easy practice? For once I didn't have to do a workout by myself due to Tuesday/Thursday classes. Nonetheless it still sucked. 8 miles seemed like such a chore today for some reason. I had to head out and catch the other guys as they were returning, shouting to ask how far I was supposed to run. The rest of the trip (6.5 miles) felt so much harder than it should've been because my legs are super tired. That's ok though.

After my solo practice I had to stretch, dash home, shower, scarf down leftover lasagna, and rush back for another meeting. This one was for track. Russ is the head women's coach this year (we miss you Amanda!) and we are getting a couple of new assistants. From the way things went last year we should have an incredible team. I won't say the unthinkable, but...

We'll see what happens.

Don't stop believing.

What to do when you're supposed to be writing an essay but can't come up with any ideas for a topic? Blog, of course.

Practice today consisted of 1x1200 and 3x800 on the Meadow, then 3 bluff hills. I added a bathroom break in between the Meadow and the hills. Most of my fellow warriors appeared to dominate the workout in grand fashion. I had some trouble keeping up with my wingmen Danny and Pfeuffer and had to do most of the hills solo.

After stretching, abs and a quick ice bath I had to rush home to shower and then return for a pointless athletic meeting in the field house. Actually, the information given at the meeting was pretty important, but it was stuff we'd all heard at another meeting a couple of weeks ago.

"Easy" practice tomorrow. This is an unload week, which (I fear) could mean that I'll be running about 3 or 4 miles tomorrow. Lame.

Here Be Monsters

Yesterday was the first real race of the season, and in a way it was glorious. After a boring bus ride to Aurora in Illinois, we piled out and explored a (terrible) course that consisted of repeated concrete, hard-packed dirt roads and rutty woods with no hills. The start line was possibly the worst I've ever seen. It was angled AWAY from the actual course so that anyone who ran straight would enter a large pond. There wasn't any real straightaway at the start, just an immediate left turn. Despite all the nightmarish course conditions it turned out to be a fun event. Russ led us all through a sort of meditative ritual before we unloaded the bus and also calculated pace times for everyone to shoot at. During the actual race most of us managed to stick to our mile paces and a lot of both men and women were able to bust out negative splits. My monster came out for the final 2 miles and I believe many of my teammates felt the same. Sam and Ash ended up winning medals and several of the new recruits did pretty well for their first races. A couple people did not have good days but they have nothing to worry about since this first race counts for little if anything.


This morning we ran at Pike Lake again. I didn't roll my ankle this time, but holy crap am I sore from last night. It's a great feeling. It means I'm getting stronger.

New Turf

5 miles this morning felt like hell. That's all I will say about that.

8 miles this afternoon went much better. We ran the new course. I'm not sure if I like it yet. It starts on the large open field across the road to the south of campus, loops around there a couple of times, then crosses the road and goes past the lake to the meadow. Everything is repeated in the opposite direction, finishing on the same field where it starts. The men's and women's courses are exactly the same except that the men run around that south field a bit more.

Speaking of that south field, we ought to come up with a name for it. Ash referred to it as the "desert" while we were running today because it's so exposed, with no shelter from the sun. I've been thinking of it as a sort of "Goose Territory" because of the two disgusting retention ponds and the fowl that inhabit them. A certain past incident involving geese also took place near this field. Overall it's definitely a more bare and brutal field. The ground is lumpy and not yet broken in, the grass is patchy, and there is little to look at except for the freeway, not that anyone would bother to check out the scenery with so much bird crap to dodge. In contrast the meadow is an almost peaceful square of (sometimes) taller grasses bordered on two sides by woods. Deer, Turkeys, hawks and sometimes even coyotes can be seen wandering through while you run its perimeter. You also get to dash through the forest upon entering and exiting.

I shouldn't fully judge this new course until I've raced on it. Then we'll see how it truly feels.
At least it's "spectator friendly."

(we all know that real spectators are more a part of the race than simple fans standing by and watching)

Problems

Today was a typical Tuesday. The majority of the team went to Mee-Kwon park again to do hills and 1200's, while I stayed behind due to class. I ended up doing a triple bluff warmup followed by 2 loops on the meadow. Mike showed up just before I started the second loop (he'd been left behind as well) and proceeded to blow me away. I then left him to use the facilities and ran the bluff a couple more times. The entire thing ended up being around 8 miles. 16 miles for the week so far.

After the rest of the team had returned we headed for the ice baths, and while in the training room I saw Nicole walk by with a large black boot covering her foot. Turns out she has a stress fracture. That's bad news. It means one more of our teammates is out with an injury. Twiet seems to be getting around on his crutches pretty well, and he claims the ankle's not too bad.

There also seems to be some growing tension between a few of the team members, and apparently I missed a bit of the flames today. Without going into details, I'll just say that this is the kind of thing that needs to stop. I'm not sure what I can do about it but somehow it needs to end. Internal conflict is the death of any good team.

Twietmeyer sprained his ankle today. Most of us were running the bluff but apparently he was just out on the road or somewhere flat. It's the same ankle he busted during the summer. Poor guy will probably have to sit out from training for awhile again. Fortunately his manager duties should still be doable for the most part.

Several people have also been getting sick lately. I've got a cold as I type this, and I know Tyler and Ben have had it too recently. Ash was complaining today that he'd woken up sick during the night and seemed to be feeling crappy while we were running. Hopefully everybody gets better quickly, because things are already starting to pick up and pretty soon it'll be monster time.

Yesterday's time trial was a blast. For the most part I think everybody did well, which is absolutely great. Ash was first in 16:05 I believe, or somewhere around there. Next was Ben, followed by Mike. Apparently some of the girls failed to finish, but I'm pretty sure they'll be ok. The high school meet that followed went smoothly as well, so overall the day was a success. I can't wait to see the whole team in action this friday at our first real competition.

This morning I ran 12 miles with Ash, Jon, Ben, and Pfeuffer. The others were all complaining about being tired, and I was still pretty sore from hills on Thursday, but once we got going I actually felt quite amazing. I would have run an extra 2 miles with Ben and Andy if my quads weren't falling apart in the absence of endorphins.

Climbing

Hills today with Danny and Ben, while the rest of the team was at Mee-Kwon park. We stayed behind due to late classes. It wasn't anything too strenuous, just 5 times up the service road and then 2 zig-zags by the stairs. I had a bit more energy today and nothing hurt at all. I figure if my body can withstand the bluff then I must be good to go for anything Russ can throw at me. The daily ice bath is becoming very routine as well.

Teamwork

I ran the past two days without any problems! Well, I should say without any injury-related problems. My peroneal tendon is fine. It's the rest of me that feels horrible. Amazing how one week of cross training can make me feel "out of shape" when I try to run again. Today I could barely keep up with Ash, Ben, Richard, and Pfeuffer for 8 miles. I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for the fact that they refused to let me go. They kept slowing down and backtracking to "pick me up" and bring me back to the rest of the group. I wanted to tell them not to wait for me, to leave me and go on by themselves, but they beat me to the argument by saying that no one gets left behind.

Overall the current situation is good: I am healthy again and able to continue training, and Russ didn't even drop me down in the team standings as I'd feared. I'm still in group B, meaning I can keep running 60 miles a week. Meaning I can still get back to where I was a year ago. I even get to do hills again, despite the recent injury. My hopes of being able to contribute to the team this season are still alive.