No Free Lunch

Hello world.

I am currently training for the Utah Summer Games track 800, 15 & 4x4 relay. My goals are to set age group records in the 8 & 15, and to break 2:10 and 4:30.

Today I went to the college for some simulated 800 race work.  The track plan was to run a 400 in 64, jog 400, 300 in 47, jog 300, 200 in 30.  Nothing too sharp, I am planning either a 400 TT or 600 (at 800 race pace) - followed by 1-2 all-out 200's - for Sunday.  I ran between 12 and 2pm, when the sun would be intense.  The 800 in Cedar is scheduled for ~2pm.

The first 3 miles went 6:20, 6:20, 6:18, which were comfortable, followed by 2 laps of speed changes.  Then laced into my flats, another 2 laps of accelerations, and ran the 400 in 62, 300 in 47, and 200 in 30.  I stopped to walk 100m after the 200, the heat was definitely getting to me.  Changed into light trainers, and finished with 6+ miles at ~7:15 pace, though I felt a bit knocked out.  This week I am governing myself to less than 55 miles.  Tomorrow easy/strides, Sunday TT.

Easy 6.5 miles on the track.  3pm, Hot!  Right shin no real issues past several days.  I need a haircut, else pretty soon I might as well be sporting a mullet.

Today was a good day.  Pending a few bloopers.  I was able to visit with the Schramms which was a lot of fun.  The workout was fine, though my choice of 'when' was poor.  I was unable to decide whether to run early morning or late morning, so out the door I went at 11:15 and sensed that I had made an error.  By the end of the workout the heat was approaching 100, and by the time I was back in the house I was pretty sick.  It seems that I must relearn this lesson every year.

Anyway, the workout was a 400 time trial and 3x200, all with adequate jog recovery.  Warmed-up 2 miles in 7:06 (turf), 6:15 (track), changed into flats, 3 laps of speed changes, then ran the 400 in 60 sec (29, 31).  The 2-3 sec positive split is about right for me in the 400m. 

This was my first time trial of the season, and I was quite nervous, which is a good sign.  Last year at this stage I had run 4 TT's (400/600's), so overall I was pleased today.  I have only been training for the sprints for 2.5 weeks now because I was initially planning to do the track 5000.

Anyway, so jogged 6 min., then 28 for my first 200.  However, I experienced a sudden sharp pain in my 2nd little toe (I have no idea what to call it) as I was entering the straightaway.  It worsened as I finished the interval.  I took off my shoe and sock, massaged it a bit, and it seemed fine.  I decided to test it with another 200.  The exact same pattern followed, except more intense pain, so I stopped immediately.  I believe my toe was being pinched in some amazingly painful manner, perhaps from the increased heat/friction.(?)  Gosh it was probably a Godsend though, considering the onset of heat sickness later.  I changed into my light trainers and put in another 5 miles.  Toe was ok.  Tomorrow I will attempt a few strides in my new flats (same model), with several toes taped.  Little Toe what's going on??

Right shin no pain today.  All other connective tissues feeling very healthy.  Weight dropped to 158 (I'm 6'3") which raised a flag, anything below 156 is red zone.  Ate a good dinner despite feeling sick.

5 miles easy (~7:05 min pace) after dark, on the track.  Still feeling out of sorts.  Tomorrow one final interval workout.  The daily highs for Fri/Sat in Cedar are now 92/91.  Stop climbing!

Track workout, at dusk. I taped the 2 smaller toes on each foot and they were never a problem. I also broke-in my new flats. I couldn't believe the difference in feeling compared to my old flats, which were the same shoe. After only 55 miles in them, the rubber on the balls and toes of the feet had about cooked off! That's $1.25 per mile! Jeez Brooks!

Anyway I wasn't sure how I'd feel for this workout, but from the start I could tell that I had rebounded well. The warm-up miles were in 6:16 and 6:11, followed by 3 laps with a few form drills. Changed into the flats, and 2 laps of speed changes. At this point in the workout, with races on Friday & Sat, I was kinda going by feel. I didn't want to leave my best on the track today. Initial plan was 1x400 (63), 300 jog, 1x300 (47), then sufficient jog recovery for 1 or 2 fast 200s.

Nearing the end of the 400, I was feeling comfortable, so next thing I knew I was still running for a 600. At about 500m I began to feel the oxygen debt, and with visions of Friday I eased up just slightly, for a 1:36 (63 at 400). I walked a moment and then continued jogging. It felt good. I believe if I had powered through the 2nd 400 I might of had a shot at sub-2:10. I needed to be conservative though.

3 lap jog, then 2x200 fast but not quite 100%. I was focusing on form here, head/shoulders relaxed, arm movement, knees driving forward, high turnover - things actually felt light and powerful - but I was only hitting 29's! Ahh well. I was a little spent after the 2nd 200 but actually pretty happy. The legs are feeling really good right now. I wanted to warm-down 4 miles but only had time for 1 mile and stretching.

7 easy miles (2 morning, 5 early evening), with some strides and lots of stretching. Legs were fairly sore but they're ok. I've been making good use of www.weather.com.

Kind of a rough one in Cedar this weekend. 3 golds (including relay), but I didn't run near as well as hoped, partly due to my track-specific training not being at the level it was in past years, and partly due to Cedar's wondrous altitude/mid-day heat combo. In the shorter sprints though I can usually find my form up there, so next year I may just run the 200, 400 & relays and have fun with it. We'll see. The most significant result of the meet this year is that I met a fellow on my 4x4 relay team who also lives in St. G, a mid-dist runner pretty fresh off the boat from U of Michigan. Apparently during the past month we were training on the track at different hours! So after 4 years in St. G, I may have someone to run with on the track.

15 miles in the evening, mostly dirt trails. Legs were a bit fatigued, but I felt progressively stronger through much of the run. ~7 min ave (106 min).