WEEK 6: RACE WEEK
Sunday (9/2)-- Today I was supposed to get my long run in, but I was feeling really tight in the legs and just tired in general so I decided to take the day off. It's always super important to listen to your body especially when things are really tough right now and pushing it too much could cause an injury.
Monday (9/3)-- Since I skipped it yesterday, I got my long run in this morning since I had no school. I went to Agri Park and did 11 miles there with my assistant coach KT. We hit a 6:44 pace for the run and after it was said and done my legs didn't feel too bad.
Tuesday (9/4)-- Today was just another regular run. I got in 7.5 miles at a 6:50 pace. I probably should've gone longer since I have to get 55 miles in for the week but I also have race day to help make things back up!
Wednesday (9/5)-- Today was another fartlek run where the varsity guys did 1 mile hard and then a half mile easy. I decided to have the paces for each mile get progressively faster. So, I started with a 5:35 mile for the first one, then a 5:25 for the second, and then I ended with a 5:15 mile to finish the hard part of the workout. I then went straight into a mile and a half of just 6:30 pace running to keep the legs rolling somewhat but also to help flush things out a little. I ended up getting 8 for the day including the warmup and cooldown.
Thursday (9/6)-- I realized that my mileage was falling behind a little for the week so I did my first two-a-day of the season to try and get things caught up. I woke up this morning before school and got 4 miles in at a 7:15 pace, then later during practice I got in 6 miles at a 6:40 pace. I got 10 for the day which got me closer to where I needed to be.
Friday (9/7)-- This morning my team and I left for Southlake, TX for the Southlake Invitational this weekend. After a 6-hour bus ride there, we went straight to the course to go jog it and get a look at how it was. For today I only got in 3 miles and some strides which really set me back in my mileage.
Saturday (9/8)-- RACE DAY BABY:
This morning we woke up to a downpour outside. We knew the forecast called for rain, but not quite this much. But, everybody had to race in it so we prepared the same as always. I went for a 2 mile warm up 40 minutes before the race started. By the time I finished, I was already drenched, so I just threw my spikes on and went to the start line. There I did my dynamic warm-ups and then some strides followed by stretching. By the time that was all said and done it was time to line up. Once the gun went off I knew I had to get out quick so I wouldn't get into any trouble with the crown and mud. I learned that those two are a deadly combo last year at NXN when I started the race in the middle of the pack. Throughout the rest of the race it was just Carter, Michael, and I going back and forth trying to keep the pace honest. It was tough though because everything was so slick and there were mud puddles throughout the course. I began to push things some with roughly 600 left and I ended up keeping that pace to win the race. Overall the race was a really good test of my toughness and is a promising sign for the season since I haven't really put any quality work in so far. After the race, Carter Cheeseman and I got a 2.5-mile cooldown in together to catch up on things and talk about our next race together, the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival here in my hometown Fayetteville. I ended up getting 7.5 miles for the day.
