Running Blog

I ran with Kaylee and Coach Roberts and almost died. The pace wasn't super fast but it wasn't slow either.. I'm still trying to get used to running fast again.. and it was the dumb desert run. I hate that run. :P

Today we did the fire station/turtle creek run. I was supposed to run 4 but because I missed a few days last week and I felt terrible yesterday, I went 3. We kinda took it slow today.. I still felt really tired.. but I felt stronger on the hill than I expected to.

Ran 9.Stinking.Laps. on the grass with Roberts and Kaylee.. it felt fine.. and long.

Ran in the desert with Rachel..it felt really fast and kind of hard. But it wasn't too bad.

I ran shorter today because I had to leave.. It felt just fabulous. It was actually a really fun run. (:

Today was Parkway backwards.. which was fun. I like actually running on a road once in a while since all we ever do is trails and desert and dirt and grass. It felt good and was fun to do.

I think today was the day we did the 4 mile Green Springs run? I don't know. It's been too long. But I had a good time today. It was a fun run and I felt good.

Today we ran 6 in the dirt.. It was okay. I kinda hate the dirt. But it wasn't terrible.

Today we ran barefoot in the grass.. and it was fine. The 9 laps feels like it takes forever, but it's kinda fun to run barefoot. And then I ran with the kids.. and that was a blast. So today was a good day.

We did the Coral Canyon trail run today. I know everyone is going to yell at me for hating everything.. but I hate trail runs. And this one had a lovely hill that made me want to kill myself. Not a great day.

Today we ran another lovely desert run. It was actually okay. It felt longish but I felt okay. So.. yeah.

Today was the Green Springs run.. which was really quite lovely because it was supposed to be dirt! The weather was nice and it felt good.. even though near the end, Mia and I started to fall back a little. AND I did striders for the first time this summer! So today was just a wonderful day! (:

Okay. 12 laps in the grass is WAY too much. Most boring run of my life. It may be fun to run barefoot, but not for 12 laps. Today was NOT a good day.

So today was actually really fun. Rachel and Mia were being haters, but I loved it. Except for the humidity, but otherwise it was fine. I felt good and it was nice not running in dirt.. or grass.. or on a trail. So.. good day. (:

Today.. in a word.. sucked. It was fine until we passed the 4 mile turnaround. But when I don't know exactly how far we have left, it seems like it takes forever. And that's how it was with the 6 mile turnaround. It felt like it never came! And then the lovely hill, which I won't even speak about. Then Kaylee and Rachel decided it would be fun to catch up with the boys. And yell at me for coming with them. Because apparently I was the one elected to stay behind. Striders were okay.. except I couldn't breathe very well. So today was really not a great day.

Today was a run on the dirt. It was okay. The pace felt a little fast at first but by the end I was feeling good. And we took 10-15 seconds off each lap. It was a good day.

The afternoon run was quite hot and humid. It took us a while to catch up to the group, but once we did, it felt better. And then we got some clouds to block the sun. So it wasn't horrible.

Today was just marvelous. We were supposed to run 7 but then Coach Roberts told us it changed.. and we didn't actually believe him til we got to the turnaround. But the weather was lovely and the pace felt good.. and striders weren't even that bad! (:

Today was just lovely. We ran on the grass and it felt really good outside. Stoner, Mia, Nicole and I had a really good pace going and it went by really fast. Then kids club was fun.. the little girls are so cute!! (: 

The AM run today felt really good. I loved running out there. The way out felt like it took a little longer but on the way back I felt great.. Now I just have to make it past the after noon run..

The afternoon run was fine.. nothing special. The weather has been pretty good this week. (:

AM: 5 miler Parkway run. It felt really long and kinda fast.. I guess that's what I get for missing a week..

PM: Up at camp!! Felt longish but it was still really fun! (:

AM: 9 lovely miles in the lovely pouring rain. And yes, that was completely and totally sarcastic. I ran 2 of the miles with my poncho on.. (: On the way out I felt great.. then we went up the hill on the way back and I felt.. not so great. It wasn't so much the mileage as it was that the altitude really got to me.  It was still pretty fun though.. I ran with Roberts, Kaylee, Stoner and Zak (Zack? Zac?).. we slipped in the mud and saw crawling snakes.

PM: 3 miles that felt great. (: My legs were kinda feeling the 9 miles from the mornings run.. but it really wasn't that bad. The way back was mostly uphill, but it wasn't terrible.

AM: This run was the worst one of camp for me. The way out was completely uphill and I felt like I couldn't breathe at all. We had to stop twice (because of me) and I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it. Rachel pushed the hills (as usual) and I just felt like I couldn't do it. The way back was quite enjoyable though! Also, I kicked my own ankle and gave myself a large cut. I told my sister a bear scratched me though and she believed me (shh!).

PM: 3 miles out around the lake with Kaylee, Roberts and Stoner. It felt good and I was 2 for 3 on jumping the cattleguards. (:

Today's run felt kinda longish. The way back was mostly uphill (remind me again why we do that run??) and my legs were feeling really achy.. achey? Either way, it didn't feel good. Once we hit the last hill though, I was feeling okay. I knew we were getting close and so I kinda pushed it. Not as much as Rachel did though.. remind me never to run Foremaster with her!!

(Oh, and I just want everyone to know.. I had never actually visited the blog with the workouts on it until today.. so I had never actually seen the whole "Entitlement is the enemy" thing. So it's not particularly my fault our team took last in the relay. Just sayin'.)

So.. Stoner and I were lazy this morning and slept in til 9. Then we had protein shakes. Then she left and I went on my run. I did the only 6 mile run I know from my house.. which is down Green Springs Drive and turn at the Chevron. Then up to the fire station, back down to Quail Ridge, and home. By then it was quite warmish outside, but I felt okay.. for the first 3 miles. I had my mothers Garmin and I did the first 3 miles at like an 8:15ish pace, which felt fine. Then I hit the hill just before Quail Ridge and it went downhill from there. Well, it actually went uphill, but you know what I mean. And this run is actually only like 5 and a quarter so I have to run a few laps around my block at the end.. but I felt so blah that I skipped 2 of them and went inside and drank approximately 7 gallons of water. Also, I ate lots of ice. The end.

I choose to do xc only and I get a 10 miler as a reward? I'm going back to soccer. (: Just kidding.. (kind of! This doesn't give you permission to give us 10 milers often, Coach!) it actually felt really good. Even the monster hill felt fine.. well, we didn't actually have time to feel anything on that hill, what with Rachel stepping on our hills and yelling "Go go go!!" It was really humid out, but other than that, it was a great run.

AM- 4 miles. Shoulda been 5 but I turned around early to go to -sigh- soccer tryouts. Sorry about all the mess, everyone. Anyway, ran with the Level 2 girls.. they really pushed it on the way there! Rachel and Nicole set a good pace and Taylor and Mia pushed me from behind. I kinda hung out in the middle of them. They have a good thing going. The way back we stuck it together more. It was fun! (: Stoner and Kaylee.. I think on runs like this, we should run with all the girls. And when they yell at us to please slow down and run with them, don't ignore them! Yeah, I watched you guys.. you thought you could be sneaky.

PM- Hot and yucky. Blehh. Not excited for practicing after school this year.. (okay, so I won't be running. But that turf gets HOT!!) Weight lifting and plyo's (plio's?). We dumped water all over ourselves and I felt disgusting from then on. The run wasn't bad though.

Is it possible to have pulled every muscle in your body? Because that's about how I'm feeling right now. I'm sooo sore. Anywhay.. the hills weren't that bad today. They were actually kinda fun.. Except when Stoner tried to run me into the ditch. I did 3x1 minute and 3x30 seconds.. I figured that would get me back in time and be in between Level 3 and Level 2. Soccer will start at 3 next week though, so I won't have to leave early. Stoner and I actually had no idea what we were doing because we didn't hear Coach (not because we were looking at a book of palindromes or anything..) So when we turned into Hell's Hole, I wanted to go crawl under a rock. But it turned out okay. So, yes. That is all I wish to say at this time.

Top 10 reasons why running in Bountiful is a terrible idea:

10. The altitude.

9. My grandparents still have dial-up so updating this blog takes a day and a half.

8. Whoever designed this city didn't believe in straight roads (or yards, for that matter)- my striders were all over the place.

7. Apple trees. I stepped on mushy apples and almost broke my neck.

6. You have to take a shower afterward.. and the shower is never just right- always too hot or too cold.

5. Peope here enjoy trees. A lot. Especially the kind that hang down just low enough to whack unsuspecting runners in the face.

4. You have to get up early and you're on vacation.. which is no fun at all.

3. Hair dryers don't work in the bathroom unless the light is turned on.. took me 10 minutes to figure that out. (I know that had nothing to do with running, but it was really frustrating.)

2. Did I mention that my grandparents still have dial-up?

1. In addition to the town's lack of straight roads, there is no such thing as flat. The entire way out was uphill.

2 Reasons why it's all worth it:

1. People here are obsessed with watering their lawn (and the sidewalks and the street.) It's sprinkler heaven!!

2. It's gorgeous up here!! I ran up by the temple and saw it and the Great Salt Lake and the mountain all at once.. took my breath away (I'd just run a mile and a half uphill, so that may have had something to do with it too.) And then I saw a deer and her two little baby deer right across the street from me.. it was insane!! I LOVED today's run.

So, I show up at the elementary school and see only one car in the parking lot and think "Maybe it's not here." But then Stoner pulls up.. and I think "Oh well if Rachel's here, it must be here." Yeah.. don't ever listen to Rachel. Last week, she told me afternoon practice was at 3.. it wasn't. So anyway, after we all get to the high school, we find out we have 10 miles with 2 miles tempo. I regretted not going home when no one was at the elementary school. Blahh. It felt okay. The tempo felt.. tempoish. We stopped at my favorite place for water. And saw and discussed some interesting things. (: We also played musical chairs at Rachel's. So it was fun.. but by the end, my legs were very achy. Also, I've been having the hardest time breathing lately. It's like I can't get enough air to my lungs. Hope it doesn't affect my race..

Today was the Green Springs run.. twas fun. There were sprinklers galore. And Kaylee only complained a little bit. (: I felt a teensy bit tired on the way up.. and then the boys were like "Hey, run back with us!!" and you know Kaylee.. she jumped right in. They sped away though, so we didn't run with them. Then we caught up to the Level 2 girls at Chevron and Rachel was oh so proud that we beat them back. Then Mia and I went to Emerald City and had delicious smoothies, and the smoothie guy kept telling everyone we'd just gotten back from playing soccer. Then we watched Tangled. So, today was a fabulous day. Oh, and also we did striders, after Tyson and Trevor kept yelling at us. We were gonna do them anyway.. probably.

A.M: It was nice to have a short run today. We had a good pace going. We saw a dead cat and remembered morning practice times. (: I hope the race today goes okay. I want to help push the girls but I'm going to be kinda tired. And the last races I ran were up at state track and that didn't go well at all. I really really hope it all works out. And that is all I have to say at this time.

P.M: So I went to soccer practice and ran who knows how much.. then I hopped in the car and we sped up to Cedar and I got there like 15 minutes before the race. I was really nervous about burning out from having just been at soccer. Also, I had no idea how to pace. So when we started, we had a good group for about 200 meters. Then it started to spread out and Coach told us to push it harder. So we picked up the pace and Liz, Freida and Mia stuck around near us. I still had no idea what I was doing though. Then Coach told Kaylee and me just to finish the race with a strong last mile.. so we picked it up and it felt okay. I don't like playing catch-up. And Coach wanted me to make top 5 but I didn't start my kick early enough. I guess that's just something I'll have to learn from. But overall, it felt good and I was happy with it. I think my time was pretty good compared to my past ones there but I'll have to go back and check.

Today was fine.. we ran around and around and around again at the park. There were LOTS of sprinklers though and we ran through all of them. It was kinda weird without Kaylee or Megan or Liz or Stoner. But they're all too cool for Mia and I, apparently. I got blisters at the race yesterday so running barefoot was a good thing. I'm still trying to figure out what to do about them. I'm gonna try to get better socks so I stop getting blisters.

The 5 miles is just an estimate.. today was not good. You see, last night during the soccer game, Mark wrapped my feet because of my blisters. And they felt fine.. but apparently they got more horrible overnight. Because they are terrible. So today, I put my shoes on and it hurt. Bad. So I took them off after stretching and all us girls went into Mark's room so he could wrap them again.. but this activity took like 45 minutes. Because when the wrap was on, my feet were so fat they couldn't fit in my shoe so the padding moved out of place. It was still kinda sore, but not as bad. Mark told me it was because of pressure, but I had to be careful or that pressure would turn into rubbing, which would make them worse. He said he wasn't sure I should do hills because of the way my foot would be positioned. So we ran and going up the hill did not feel good on them. So I ended up only doing 3x30 seconds and 2x1 minute. And by the end I was feeling very lightheaded so I went to my mom to see if she had some food and she gave me expired yogurt. Yum. And Mia and I sat at the drinking fountain and drank and drank and drank. Then I didn't feel so dizzy and stuff. So today was kinda the worst. But Mark said that if I keep my blisters from rubbing this weekend, they'll clear up a lot. So.. yes. That's pretty much it.

Okay.. so this just made my day. I didn't get my time after the time trial. I know it ended in 37 though. So I tried to just put 37 seconds. But it gave me this message:

According to your data, you ran faster than Usain Bolt in his 200 meter world record. This is highly unlikely. Double check your time and distance. If you really did run faster than Usain Bolt, please use the Feedback Forum to report your success.

I was tempted to use the Feedback Forum, so they would think I was really cool. But I decided honesty is the best policy, and made up my time instead. So please note that the time listed above may or may not be real.

Anyway.. this was really supposed to be about the time trial. It was very quite hot outside and I was very quite tired from having just come from soccer practice. I kept expecting Stoner to catch me on the hill. My mouth was severely dry and tasted like Tricuits. And whenever I went through the sprinkler, I had a moment of temporary panic where I couldn't breathe. And the grass out past the softball field is bumpy and squishy and terrible for running. So.. it didn't feel amazing, but I guess I did okay for having just been playing soccer. And the heat and terrible running conditions. So.. yes.

5 miles with Roberts, Frida, Kaylee, Mia, and Stoner. We had a pretty good pace going, I thought anyway. We ran past the smelly dead cat. And that's pretty much it. We don't do much talking in the mornings.

So.. after a VERY long night, I get a text from Rachel that says I have to come run in the morning. So I drag myself out of bed at 7 am and get over to the school (I was one of the first people there, I'll have you know!!). When the bus dropped us off, I almost cried. It was sooo far away from the meet! But, I sucked it up and we ran. And ran. And ran. Up. And up. And up. The hill was HUGE. But, at the worst part the guys ended up running with us and they were messing around with whatever they found on the road and it kinda distracted me from the uphilliness. So that was okay. Then we went down the hill and a very nice lady at the gas station gave us some water. Then we finished up the run and watched the meet (everyone did GREAT, by the way!)

The mileage is probably not right.. I did some sloppy mental math to figure it out.. my brain is fried right now. So.. I missed morning practice today and had to run on my own in the evening.. not a good idea. It was terrible. And that's pretty much all I have to say.

We were supposed to do 5 this morning but Kaylee's dad got pulled over because Kaylee was hanging her drugs out the window of the car. So it ended up being 3. Which was fine by me, because I had a soccer game. (which probably would add to the mileage, but I'm not gonna to try and figure it out.)

Once again.. the mileage is probably wrong. Today we did 1200's and 200's. The 1200's really weren't that bad. It was a fast pace, but not too fast and Stoner and I killed the hill every time.. (: And the 200's.. were fine. I murdered everyone on the last one and Kaylee was grumpy about it and said it was because I have fresh legs. Whatever.

3 miles. Artic Circle. There's not much else to say.

AM: Easy 3 in the morning.. nothing much to report.

PM: 5 in the yucky humidity. Overall it felt okay, my stomach hurt pretty bad in the middle but it stopped by the time we turned around.

So.. the race today was.. okay. Throughout most of it, I felt really strong, especially when Stoner came up and ran with me. Near the end though, I started feeling my blisters really bad. And I told Rachel and Kaylee that if I got blisters this time, I was quitting so I guess this is it for me.. Just kidding.. but seriously.. I need to figure out why this is happening. I tried running socks today with these little blue tab thingys.. but apparently that's not the problem. Also, I hate hate HATE our new running shorts. With a burning passion. They rubbed on my legs all weird and I cannot STAND having clothes rub. So they bug me during the race and that's all I can focus on, and I'm constantly pulling them down. So.. yeah. That's pretty much all I have to say about that.

I never know the mileage for speed workouts.. so I kinda just make it up. Today was okay. For the first two I ran with Rachel. The next 2 right behind Kaylee. The next one kinda in the middle of the two. And the last one was stinkish and I didn't go as fast as I wanted to. My breathing goes all funky sometimes and I can't control it. Especially when I run through sprinklers. When I do that, I feel like I can't breathe at all and I start to wheeze and it throws off my whole rhythm. Wow.. rhythm is a weird word! It has like no vowels.. except y but y is just a wannabe. I have this whole theory about the alphabet and unnecessary letters. Like "C".. It makes the s sound and the k sound. If we already have s and k, why do we need c? Think about it. Also, x and q are entirely unnecessary. Anyway, now that I've wasted your time with that, I'll get back to the point. Overall, the workout felt okay today. And.. that's it.

Kaylee wasn't here today because she thinks she's like, super cool or something and needs to be on royalty. So I felt it my duty to fill her spot and push the pace. And Rachel and.. the other Rachel kept telling me to slow down. For some reason, today I was just really happy. The run felt really good. So.. yep.

So I finally figured out that you can find mileage on the PVHS blog.. ya learn something new every day!! Today was a speed workout with 800s and 400s and 200s.. blah. It was actually okay though. The 8s and 4s weren't that bad. The 2s got quite tedious though. Like, really boring. I still kicked butt on the last one though. (: But I wish we didn't get speed workouts on Wednesdays. Because then we barely have any time to get ready and we miss waffles. So.. I'm thinking we just eliminate Wednesday speed workouts altogether. Think about it. (: Also Coach, consider moving my seat in class. Because it is the most awkwardly placed seat in the entire room. Just sayin'.

Arctic Circle today.. It's nice to have 3 milers once in a while.. since the deal was 1, maybe 2, speed workouts a week and this week we're doing 3, with a 5 miler thrown in there.

I'm just kidding.. I just enjoy annoying Coach with my complaining. (:

AM: Arctic circle run

PM: Cruiser thingys at Bloomington Hills park.. 1.5 warmup, 1x1mile, 2x1200, striders and 1.5 mile cool down. Twas not fun. This course is definitely not one of my favorites. But when we were done it felt like it hadn't been that bad.. but that's pretty much how it always goes.

Bonus mileage: Run-a-thon! It was fun.. but everyone was being lazy and didn't show up when it was their time to run. So Matt and I had to pick up some of the slack. It was FREEZING though.. so running wasn't that bad because it warmed me up. By morning, I was falling asleep standing up.. so I sat down and fell asleep there. Overall, it was fun.. but it probably could have been better.

Well.. this week has been stinkish and for some reason I can't wake up in the mornings! I set my alarm clock across the room so I wouldn't just hit the button and fall back asleep. And somehow I've managed to sleepwalk to my dresser and turn off the alarm twice in one week. Tuesday I was sick so I ended up staying home anyway.. but I'm trying! Anyway.. today's workout was okay. It wasn't that bad, except we have to run on the grass across the top, and that grass is all bumpy and squishy and I'm afraid I'm gonna pull a Tyson and end up with a broken ankle or something. But the 1000's felt fine and the 800's felt better than that. So.. yeah.

AM: Arctic Circle. Whatevs.

PM: Race! I kinda forgot about it and ate pretty much whatever I wanted (a donut, fudge, you get the idea.) and after I remembered, I remembered everything I ate and kinda made myself feel sick. But then we got out there and I felt fine. We ran a pretty good warm up.. and then the wind started to pick up. And then I found out we were supposed to pace the first mile of the race. So I was feeling good, even up to the starting line. We started out a little fast, which apparently ruined the entire race for some girls, but by the bottom of the course we were right on pace. Then we hit the mile mark and Kaylee disappeared in a cloud of dust. Just kidding.. (: I actually could see her for most of the race.. which is a big deal.. for me. (name that movie!) But for the rest of the race, we were catching up to the other girls. And I didn't actually know when the finish line was and so I didn't start my kick as early as I wanted to. So basically, to sum it all up:

Good: Our team stuck in there and showed them what we've got! Frida and Mia were right up in there and did really well. Also, it was nice and cool. And.. I admit it.. I actually love the course. It's so chill and the grass isn't that bad. Also, I figured out how to keep the shorts from rubbing (don't get me wrong, I still hate them.. but not as badly.) and my heel hurt the entire race.. but no blisters!!!

Bad: Whoever thought up the sprinkler idea needs to be kicked in the shins. I can't breathe when I run through water! Plus, Kelsey whats-her-bucket came up and gave me a hug and she was all wet and nasty from them and I almost puked on her.

AM: Michigans.. not too bad! They felt okay until the last lap-ish. Then it felt not so great. But it was still okay

PM: 3. The weather was AMAZING. (:

A lovely 4 in the morning with the varsity girls.. we were mucho more chatty than usual. Well, me and Stoner were anyway. Even if we were just arguing about our dead cat named Puds.. it was a lot of fun!

This speed workout felt really good!! We did the 4x30 sec, 2x800, 2x1000 thing. It was really chill because the pace got easier as it went. For some reason, girls kept disappearing in between so we had pretty long recoveries. Also, someone needs to speak to someone else about the whole sprinkler issue. It's gonna get colder soon.. and if they don't stop sporadically watering the lawn, I'm quitting speed workout days. Just sayin'. We all get all nasty from the wetness and my shoes are damp allll day. Anywho. I need to go, because I might actually get some sleep tonight.. after I finish studying for a certain test that I'm pretty much gonna fail anyway.

Arctic Circle.

So today was kinda amazing. Too bad I didn't really understand the course and I thought I was on my last lap when I was NOT. Oh well.. it turned out to be a really good race anyway. I'll admit.. I was kinda hoping for it to be cancelled.. but now I'm super glad it wasn't. Twas rainy and cold.. but it was way fun anyway. (:

Frida, Mia, Rachel and I slept over at Frida's so we could run together today.. and it was really fun. It was really nice weather and it went by way fast. The tempo was fine too, even though we almost ran over a lady holding a garbage can. Then we had pancakes. (:

Well, a certain someone forgot to update the PVHS blog and so I just made up a number for the mileage. We did the 4x30 second thing again.. except with shorter recovery and an extra 800.. yeah. Guess who hates this workout now? That would be me. By the 1000's I was doing my weird breathe/squeal thing. And Roberts beat Kaylee and I on the finish. So.. pretty much.. today was kinda terrible.

What is this?! A Tuesday morning 3 miler?? I almost cried for joy when I heard that. Of course, we had 6 200's after.. but still! It was kinda magical. And.. I heard a rumor that we don't have a speed workout tomorrow morning.. could this be true??? I guess I'll go check the PVHS blog. Anyway.. it was a fantabulous run. (:

A lovely 3 in the morning.. I guess we were not supposed to do 200's yesterday.. Oh well! I killed Stoner and Kaylee again anyway. I guess it's just still fresh legs, huh? (:

I'm liking this whole 3 mile every morning thing.

AM: Arctic Circle.. whatever.

PM: Race!! My legs were very squished up from riding the bus for a million years and my stomach hurt and my long spikes wouldn't come out so we ended up chopping them shorter with pliers and I had a pretty short warm up. So, before the race was quite hectic. Then we started and there were a kajillion people and I ended up right smack in the middle of them. So for the first lap, I was focusing on passing girls. Then as we started the 2nd lap, I heard them call out the top ten or whatever and I was in there.. and that's when I realized I was close to the front. So I tried to just stick it in there and pick them off one by one. Then as we started the 3rd lap, Coach yelled that I could take 2nd if I didn't settle. So I passed this girl.. and a few yards later, she passed me. Then as we turned off the track, I passed her again. Then she passed me a few seconds later. Then I passed her AGAIN.. and finally she stayed where she was supposed to and I didn't see her again. So I was in 3rd. Then Coach told me we needed me to pass the Lehi girl in between me and Kaylee. So I tried to pick it up, but by the time we got to the track, I was still 20 yards behind her. And I thought "Shoot. I'm not gonna get her." then I heard my dad yelling at me to go.. so I did. And I passed her! And I took 2nd! And all the people handing out water and medals were telling me how great my kick was. And I was in a great mood.. and then I took off my shoes and found out I had, in Tim's words, an "alien egg sack" on my heel. So I couldn't walk with my shoes very well. And this entry is getting super long. So I guess I'm done.

Well, as mentioned before, I have a blister the size of Nebraska on my heel. So I wasn't sure I could put on my running shoes. So instead of the speed workout, I was supposed to walk the course.. but I was kinda dumb and didn't bring a jacket. So I started to jog out of the need to survive. And I realized that as long as I didn't push my feet off too fast, and I limped up the hills, my feet felt fine. So I jogged the course like 1 and a half times and then we cooled down to the park to watch the JV race. Which was way fun. Then we all squished back onto the bus and headed home. And now the trip I was looking forward to all season is over. (Not that it was all it was cracked up to be anyway, what with the football players and my blisters and having to go to bed early because of rooming with people who had to race in the morning.) Anyway. Yeah. Well.. bye.

Sigh. This morning was NOT good. For some reason, when we ran our warm-up, this pain started in the arch of my right foot and traveled upward to my knee. But it wasn't terrible so I kept going and went ahead with the Michigan.. but I did really terrible and by the end of the 2nd 800, Coach asked me if I needed to stop. So I sat and Liz stretched my arches and I watched Rachel and Kaylee own at it. And I just felt really frustrated because that's the 2nd speed workout I've had to miss out on. And I just want to go out and do well and improve. But during soccer today we had to do sprints and my leg felt fine.. so I guess that's good. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

To Starbucks.. twas fun. My legs were kinda hurting but it wasn't bad.. I think. I don't actually remember. It was two whole days ago. I'm pretty sure they hurt. We found PudS. Emphasis on the S. Because with a Z it just looks dumb.

My leg really hurt on the Arctic Circle part. But during the 200's, it felt fine. And since we are probably the only people on planet Earth that don't own paper or plastic cups, and if I freeze my sister's cream soda I'll get my head bitten off, I'm just gonna use a bag of ice the night before the race and see how it goes. dksjahiifhjawifIJIFJASDIOJ. <-- Jumble of Frustration. I just wanna run!!!

Easy 3.. Blah. My leg was feeling better, kinda. I don't know. At this point, I really don't know much of anything. Oh! But I did ditch Seminary yesterday to buy new racing flats!! And special sock things. So if I get blisters tomorrow, so help me, I will quit cross country! I know no one actually believes me.. but I'm serious! They hurt SO bad! But today we had a lovely soccer practice of kickball and Cranium.. so hopefully my legs will kinda be a little rested up. But I don't know how much sleep I'll get because Michael told me we have a math test tomorrow and I'm freakin' out! And if I stay up to study and it turns out we don't have a test.. don't be surprised if he can't race because I took an ax to his legs. Just sayin.

AM: Arctic Circle. I iced my arch last night and this morning it hurt worse than it ever has. Blehhhhh.

PM: Race. Definitely did NOT go as well as I wanted it to. My arch hurt before, but not in the same way its been hurting the rest of the week. Before today, it was like an achy hurt. At the race it was like I pulled a muscle in my foot, if that's even possible. Rachel taped it, but it didn't do much good. And I started out way too fast. And then died. And got a sideache. And pretty much gave up on life. I tried to stay with Stoner when she caught up, but that didn't happen, so my main goal was to not let Frida pass me, because I could hear people cheering for her behind me. Then three other girls passed me and all I could think was "This. Sucks." Then on the last lap, Coach told me the plan was for me to stay on the other girls' shoulder, then outkick them. So I stuck it in there and passed the 3 girls.. and I came THIS CLOSE to getting Stoner.. but my breathing sounds like I'm suffocating and she heard me and kicked it in and beat me by half a second. And so I wasn't happy. And all I wanted was to talk my mom, but she was too busy being Super Team Counselor Who Knows Everything About Anything to pay any attention to me, so I didn't get to talk to her til she was done making herself a part of everyone elses problems. The only really good part of this race was that I got new spikes and socks, so no blisters. But I think I'm going to rest my arch more this weekend and maybe not run Monday, and we're gonna try some stretching and rolling stuff on it.

Arctic Circle.. blah. My arch was taped, so it felt fine. But my calf was on fire on the way out there. But then I stretched it and it felt okay.. I think. I don't really remember. So that probably means it was okay. PS.. I'm just wondering.. what happens to me when the varsity girls stop doing morning practices?

Well.. we did these weird 200 things.. like, we did a relay thinng and then for the last 2 we had to catch the person in front of us. My relay team owned, bythe way.. Then we did the catching up things and.. that wasn't great. I didn't catch whoever was infront of mer either time.. and I was feeling pretty cruddy. Ahh! My computter is turning all the letters pink and when I backspace, it writes the new letters on top of the ones already there!  So I can't read anything I'm writeng. So don't judgeif the speeling is terriblwe.

Arctic Circle.. fun fun fun! (:

I missed morning practice this morning because I had been up late studying for a test and I was kinda sick. But then I went to afternoon practice.. and I was VERY miffed about the ice cream run. The whole point of that run is to run to Arctic Circle, eat and run back. NOT to do a speed workout then drive there! The workout wasn't that bad.. but still.

That's right.. I ran on a Saturday. You shhould be praoud, Coach. oh boy,.. mty computer is doing that pink word thing again.. so this should be interesting, considering how disfunctional Wednesday.s entry was. Kay. well. I swent to the SUU thing.. it was fun to see Trevor and CAssidy and everytone. Then we cane home and Mia jsut c ame to my house so we could run together.. we waited outsinde Coach's house for FOREVER though.. (ps.. did you like our note Coach???) Thenw e ran through the ghetto of Green Sprinks and talkecd the ENTIRE time. Twas fun. (: We saw a log cabin and a pueblo. And a pink hyouse and an annyoing little yip yap dog.

Well.. we ran with Breanne, but she was only going 3 so Roberts and Stoner decided to take the part between Arctic Circle and Starbucks at a 3 minute mile pace to see if we could catch up with her. They didn't, but the rest of us didn't see them for the rest of the run. Then we got to the locker rooms.. yeah. Canyon View's football team was in there on Friday.. it was DISGUSTING. Turf, grass, and tape everywhere. The toilet seats were left up and they left underwear (that's right, UNDERWEAR) in the shower. We were extremely grossed out. Oh yeah, and region's tomorrow.. kinda excited, kinda terrified.. we'll see how it goes. My legs have been feeling better lately, so it's looking positive. I just want us to do well.

We didn't get a great warm-up in.. but that's the way I like it. I know it's bad.. but warm-ups psych me out and I get all freaked. But Mia and Stoner love warm ups and I get snippy with them sometimes about it. (: Anyway.. well. We raced. We won. And that's pretty much all I have to say... okay just kidding. I actually have A LOT to say. As usual. So.. I was all wigged out at the starting line.. and it turns out Coach fails as a gun shooter person. I was no where near ready. So I got a kinda bad start.. but it worked out and I got up there.. then some dumb Snow Canyon girl cut me off majorly and I in turn cut Stoner off and we got a bit of a pile up in there. THEN some moron was spraying us with a hose and I couldn't breathe and I got all clammy. And then I got cut off again and tripped. And finally things thinned out and I was doing fine.. I made a move to pass Darian and whats-her-bucket Bryson.. and I never saw Darian again.. but the Cedar girl came back and passed me. And the only only ONLY thing that kept me from giving up was Stoner breathing down my back. I was SO afraid she was going to pass me. And some girl ran into me from behind.. however that works. And I tripped again. But anyway.. the last lap, I seriously thought Stoner had me. So I started pushing.. but I wasn't even thinking about the Cedar girl. I just wanted to stay ahead of Rachel. By the time Coach yelled at me to get her, I thought she was too far away. Then I got mad at myself, and tried to get her, but by then she really was too far away. And I was mad about that because I took third again.. I am sick of white medals! That's all I ever get. My only consolation is when I kicked Kaylee's butt in the 800 last year and finally got a blue medal. (: Anyway.. the meet was good. We won. And that is the end of my tale.

I was debating whether or not to show up today.. I've been feeling pretty yucky and I couldn't sleep last night because I kept coughing and waking myself up. But my mom said we were going to be doing a lot of cleaning today, so I made my mind up pretty quick. We ran the shoe run all together, and it was way fun. There were several instances where I came super close to dying, but Rachel Heinrich was there to protect us. (: But for reals.. we need to be more careful crossing roads.. and watch out for sticks in the desert. They'll try to take you down.

Well.. someone fails at updating the PVHS blog.. so who knows how far I actually ran. (I'm sorry, but I had to find something to complain about. It would have ruined my reputation if I just filled this entry with happy positiveness.) Anyway.. I was NOT excited for the workout today. But it was actually pretty fun! Catching the JV people gave me something to think about other than the running. And the distances were short and quick.. so it wasn't that bad! And the weather was amazing.. and we ate chocolate chip pancakes afterward.. and it's Friday.. so it's just kinda been a great day. (:

Easy 4 out in the fields.. twas nice. We saw Rachel's uncle.. and did two strider thingys. It felt good.

Well.. Coach STILL hasn't updated the PVHS blog.. soo.. yeah. Today I was SOSUPEREXCITED to come to practice. Like, WAY excited. And it twas fun. We had 4 easy schmeasy 200's and warm up and cool down. Except running on that grass is suicide. But I survived. And the weather was amazingly lovely. And we got a paper thingy with the state course.. which shall be helpful, probably.

3 miles at that dumb old park.

State!! I was SOO super nervous and pretty much bit the head off of anyone who talked to me before the race. I really don't even remember standing at the starting line. I remember the start.. it was pretty stinkish. I tried to pass people as Rachel passed them.. but we hit the downhill and she was gone. I really started to fall apart as we came up the hill just after the pond. There were 3 Park City girls ahead of me the whole time and I knew I was supposed to pass them.. but I couldn't get myself up to them. Coming around the corner by the river, I heard my dad yell at me "You have enough left! It's there!" And I knew I had to go. We came around the pond the second time and I passed a Uintah girl and then she passed me again like 5 seconds later. I remembered what Coach said after the Nebo race: That when they do that, they're dying and you just have to give a strong push. So I did.. and coming down the last straightaway, everyone was yelling at me that I had to get those Park City girls. Someone yelled "You can get one of them, maybe even two!" And I thought "Screw that, I'm getting all three!" So I went and caught them. But it turned out not making a difference, because they beat us anyway. But I did get top 10, which I would have been TICKED if I didn't, so it was a good thing I passed them anyway. And we BEAT OGDEN!.. who was missing a girl, but we'll overlook that minor detail.. (: Anyway. I'm super happy with the race, and I'm so glad to be a part of this AWESOME team. I know we're gonna continue doing awesome things in the next few races. 

So.. we went from a 4 day break to immediately running nine miles in a day.. great idea. :P Anyway.. morning run was fine.. nothing special. Afternoon run was long and kinda tiring.. I'm stoked for Regionals and Footlocker.. like for reals, this is gonna be thee best.

AM: Arctic Circle.. whatever.

PM: Sunrise tire hills! I was doing round-offs outside Arctic Circle before we got to the hill and I think I may have pulled a bone in my ankle or something.. but it healed miraculously within a few minutes. Then we went up the hill the first time and I thought "Shoot. This is gonna be bad." Because my legs started burning. But from then on, it was pretty good. We smelled fire, but it turned out just to be Stoner smokin us. For reals though, we smelled fire. And we ate burritos at the bottom of every hill. And.. that's pretty much it. The hose water at the top of the hill smells like blood and makes me dizzy. Other than that.. I think I'm done here.

AM: Another Arctic Circle..

PM: Neon Spider (Claudia's idea!). It was okay.. until we got to the actual tunnel part. Then everyone randomly started screaming and someone whacked me on the shoulder. Then the varsity boys showed up and pushed us in the water because we were "already wet". (Which we were NOT) Now my shoes are all muddy and wet.

AM: Got hypothermia from being forced to run in wet shoes.. pretty sure that qualifies as some type of abuse. Okay, it wasn't actually that bad.. but I'm still miffed about it.

PM: Old man hills.. super sore from Tuesday still. The workout really was okay though. Only 1 800.. which was good. And I like it when we start with the longest ones and work our way down. Some construction men whistled at Roberts cause they liked his outfit. We were gonna do grass rolls but I was afraid to cross the road. Aaand.. we went into Gold's Gym to use the restroom.. took us a million years to find the entrance.. and they treated us like we were criminals. Anyway.. a good run. (:

So.. I didn't make it to morning practice because I fell asleep while packing everything for the next day.. but. Afternoon practice was a blast! I'm so glad we went (not that we were contemplating ditching or anything..) just kidding, but we were really late and got a disappointed look from Coach.. whoops. Anyway. 2 1200 indian run things.. they were so fun! We were supposed to run like a 7:30 pace but we all ran like a 6:30 and stuck together really well. This is officially my new favorite speed workout.

AM: Blahh.. it's getting harder and harder to wake up in the mornings. And we didn't even get nap time in the locker room because Stoner locked her keys in her car so I had to drive her home to get the spares.

PM: A wonderful wonderful run!! The weather was fantabulous! We ate sugar cookies and talked about getting kidnapped and poked by cactuses. It didn't even feel like 7. We went up into Green Springs and my sister creeped on us on her bike.

AM: The Boyer's were slackers today and didn't show up.. so it was just Frida, Mia, Stoner and I. Stoner tried to tempt us into skipping.. but we realized Coach would know if they didn't pass us on their way back. Anyway.. got nap time today and was MUCH happier about life.

PM: Blah. It was just one of those days. We were all feeling kinda yucky and it was cold outside. The downhill 800 was almost fun.. and the last two 200's we chased Nicole up the hill and beat her with a stick. Anyway.. it was okay. Not a great workout.

AM: Arctic Circle.. it's getting cold. I might die of pnemonia before we even get to American Fork.

PM:So today we left early so I could be back on time for soccer pictures. Except we didn't end up leaving that early-ahem MIA-. But we had a wonderful run anyway. We talked about Santa and wild turkeys. We passed Ray-Ray and the spot dedicated to Fronklin. The weather was lovely and we practiced hurdling and went shadow jumping. Twas just fabulous.

AM: Freezing. I wanted to die.

PM: We skipped our full pre-workout thingamabob because some people had to leave early.. but then we spent forever waiting for those same people.. so it really didn't matter. We did pyramid interval thingys. 800, 1000, 1200, 1000, 800, 400, 400, 400. The first 800 felt fast, but after that I felt fine. I expected the 400's to be really hard but they weren't that bad. It was actually a good workout.

4 in the dark, rainy night in Provo.. or somewhere like that. We had fartlek things on the way back.. blah. It was okay.

American Fork- 3 mile race with warm up and cool down.

7 out to hospital and up the hill of death. Stoner killed it, as usual, and I felt like puke. Then 4 200's that Rachel and Kaylee started before everyone.. so Stoner and I did it together and Liz and Frida did it together.

Then.. Stoner and I ran 2 miles with mi hermana to help her train for Footlocker.. which is why I wasn't at morning practice. We were going to run 3, but Alli whined and we got outside and it was CHILLY. So we shortened it.

AM: Arctic Circle. Pretty quiet, until Frida asked us what we were thinking about. Stoner was thinking about the smell of my house, and I was thinking about Canada. So then we started talking.. about fireplaces and bloody noses. And dead birds. It was.. an interesting run. (:

PM: Pyramid thingys again.. except we cut out an 800. So it was 800, 1000, 1200, 1000, 400, 400, 400. Pretty lopsided pyramid, if you ask me. It was fine.. the pace and everything, until the last 400. Then all of a sudden, my legs and arms got all tingly and weird. So my last 400 was suckish.. but I did finish the workout. But then on our cool down, if we stopped for even a little bit, it was like someone was squeezing my calves.. really hard. So we got back and I stretched them for FOREVER.. and then they were okay.. but they still felt kinda weird. Tingly, kind of. I don't know. Maybe I need to roll out or something.

AM: Arctic Circle.. we all tried to scare Liz and Megan.. but Stoner's not very good at "boo"ing.

PM: 4 barefoot on the grass. By the end.. I was FREEZING. No more striders in the winter.. PLEASE?!

AM: I think you know what goes here.

PM: Time trial.. bleh. It actually wasn't that bad. Stoner and Shakes pushed me so much. Skipped out on the 400's to go make lasagna.. sorry Coach. :/

AM: The last *sniff sniff* morning practice til February! We had a bit of a depression party last night and the effects still hadn't quite worn off this morning.. I'm still kinda sad.. I'm gonna miss the seniors!

PM: 4 miles out to Green Springs. We played the sounds game and saw our good friend Sigfried. We tried to do hurdles, reverse Indian runs, and leap frog, but at least one of us fails at each of these activities.. namely me, Kaylee and Mia. We looked everywhere for Ray-Ray.. but he wasn't out today. Stoner and Kaylee left their sweatshirts on the run, so we had to go back for them after.

Went 4 out in the fields with Stoner.. got creeped on by a man in a silver car. It was a good run.. lovely weather and such.

So.. basically someone REALLY needs to update the PV blog.. I guessed 7 for the workout today. We did these lovely little hill things at the middle school that were quite enjoyable.. but first I broke a tree and fell off the curb and we found squishies! We named them Peter and Henrietta Jr. Then we found millions of them on the way back.. that we threw on the JV girls. So we fell kinda far behind because we spent a lot of time picking up squishies. Then we did 3 200's and 3 100's.. which was okay. Then a cool-down, during which we saw shaven/Asian logs and our buddy Sigfried! So.. a lovely run.

But wait.. there's more!! I ran 2 with my sister after because my mom was waiting for her blood to clot, so she couldn't do it. So.. yeah.

Easy 4 out at Panorama.. brought back so many memories. We observed the rope that I was the first person in the entire school to climb and the shed I had to sit behind at recess because my friends hated me. I also related my psycho story of haunted deodorant to Kaylee and Roberts. Twas a lovely run. Oh, and striders after.

I gave up trying to calculate mileage in my head. So forgive me if I'm wrong. Today we did a randomish workout. We did 600, 100, 100, 100. Three sets. The pace felt really good.. I couldn't help remembering the last time I did 600's.. twas forever and a day ago. I think it was sometime before state sophomore year. I don't remember the full workout. But what I remember was staying up with Kaylee for the first time during a workout. And it was the coolest thing to me. And now, Stoner, Kaylee and I are all together.. and it's so fun! (: Anyway.. today was just fabulous. I actually really really enjoyed the workout. And despite almost getting smushed by a dump truck, it twas a wonderful day! (:

Easy 4 to Starbucks in the morning.

AM: 3 in Flagstaff.. it felt really long and no fun. It was kinda hard to breathe too.. that may have been because of the cold.

PM: 3 on the course.

Basically.. I have no idea what's wrong with me. For some reason.. I've never been able to run well after region, any of my three years, in either track or xc. But today.. today was thee worst race I've run since.. who knows. And I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm disappointed.. but I don't feel like I could have done much better than I did. After the race, I was really sad. And, of course, every time I started to be almost okay, someone would come over and hug me and I'd start crying. I probably would have been grumpy about it all day, except that someone put nasty poisoned Starburst in my bag and it was probably the greatest thing that happened to me the whole trip. But it wasn't like American Fork, where I was scared to push myself. I felt like I was pushing today, I really did. My legs ached really bad.. and the start was so fast I felt exhausted before we even got halfway through the first mile. But I felt like I was pushing. I just don't know why I can't run. People were passing me the entire race.. and I just couldn't stay up with them. I do feel really bad about letting the team down in the last race we'll ever run together.. that was the part that sucked the most.

Blehh. We ran Mall run today, then wave hills at the middle school. My legs were NOT in it. They're just soo achy. We did have some interesting conversation though.. Roberts gave us advice on guys.. but I think we all agree they're stupid. (: Anyway.. definitely not my favorite run.. I'm trying to be positive though so.. I guess it wasn't exactly terrible. After the hills, I felt much better. Just before and during was lame. Then Kaylee and I discovered that the vending machine hates me.. so, all in all, not a fabulous day.

Michigans. Basically.. I'm super frustrated with myself right now. I don't know what's going on. When I was only running half of the time, and doing soccer the other half, I was fine, and now that I'm actually working hard to get better and stay up with Stoner and Kaylee.. I'm doing terribly. I was worried about my arch today because it was really hurting during the warm up. But once we started the Michigan, it was fine. I was up there and I was fine and Frida was even sticking with us. I was even doing fine mentally. Then we hit the second 800 on the track and all of a sudden it felt like they took off and I tried to stick with them.. I really did. But it felt like I couldn't go. And that's when I started to be negative mentally. On the last grass 800 I really tried to catch up. It took everything I had to kick on the 400. And of course, the second I stopped running, my arch exploded in pain again. I really wanna try and stay positive.. but every time we do a workout or race anymore.. I end up just feeling frustrated and mad at myself.

Went 5 out in the fields with Mia, Stoner, Frida, and Isabel.. yeah. I think today was Isabel's first and last time running with us.. She and Frida were dragging each other all over the place. And when we passed people, she'd start chasing them. When we finally started our tempo, she just sat down in the road. Stoner, Mia and I were very entertained though. (:

Another 5 in the fields. We kinda changed directions a little.. it was a good run. My ankle was kinda hurting but not too bad.. Liz Lunt and Casey were both out running as well.. we creeped. (: On Liz anyway. I don't know if she saw us..

Out to Green Springs.. with 5 fartleks. They got faster and faster as we went.. by the end, I was pretty tired. But it was a good run.

3 miles?! What is this??? It was lovely. The weather was fantabulous, Stoner and I rapped and recited poems for Roberts, and we were actually on time, which was a small miracle. Then 3 200's, which were just grand. It was a fabulous day. (:

3 miles down some road in California w/ Desert Hills and our team.. Coach got snippy with us about always being behind so we caught up on the way back.

3 on the course.. it made me super excited for the race.

So.. I was barely even nervous today. Susan dragged us all out of bed at 6 so we could eat.. by the time we were done eating, we had 10 minutes to pack and get down to the bus. I want everyone to know that I was the only one in our room done and ready by the end of that 10 minutes. So ha.

We got to the race and warmed up.. it was kinda hard with all the people and races going on and such.. then we had to wait in line FOREVER at the porta potties because Stoner and Kelsi had to go. We got to the starting line and I was feeling really good. They shot the gun and I got cut off, but I was okay. I could still see Stoner and for the first mile, I was right behind her. Then we started the switchbacks and I was passing people left and right. It was insane. Then I got to the top of them, and my legs exploded in pain. And all of a sudden, people were sprinting by me downhill. It was like that for the rest of the race. Going uphill, I was great. Downhill, I'd get passed. I guess I just don't know how to run downhill or something. On the airstrip and track, I passed 4 or 5 girls, including this girl in zebra pants who, for some reason, I really wanted to beat. I felt fine about my race and thought I was where I was supposed to be.. and then I found out Stoner got 4th. And I was way happy for her.. but I realized I was way behind where I was supposed to be. So.. hopefully the 2 week break will help my legs recover and be ready for track season.