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.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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)
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)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, September 7, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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.
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.
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