LONG TIME

Long time no update. So busy with school. But running is great, my times have been all over the place so far this year, but I am consistently around 5:45ish pace for a 5k, except that one time I did a 5:28 pace which was awesome. But I'm doing great and the team is doing great. Let's do work!

4 and a half and hit 30

I hit 30 miles this week, not very happy with it, but it will do...

Did 4 and a half today.

7 and a half.

Did 7 and a half today, I am in great shape to hit 40 this week! Can't wait!

2 days off + 4 Miler

Took 2 days off and today I did a 4 miler. Nothing hard, keeping it simple, this weeks plan is to hit 40 miles in the week. 6 days to knock off 36. Not bad!

6 and a half.

Did 6 and a half with my friend yesterday and killed it. My intention was like 8 minute miles, we ended going sub 7s! Job well done though.

Speed!

Today was a racing day and I did a few relays. Did a 1200 and a 800 mainly. The 8 was pretty bad, but the 12 was great. It was really fun and I got some speed in :)

7 Miles

Did around 7 miles today, I feel pretty accomplished. Starting to get back into shape. :)

Felt Like Puking.

So today I biked to practice, and we started running, about a mile and a half in I feel like I'm going to puke. I was running on 6 hours of sleep and didn't have breakfast. Having it being 85 degrees out doesn't help either. So I decide to just turn back and run back and then bike home. Still got my goal in though. Monday's plan was 3 miles so I'm in good shape. 7 miles of biking never hurt either.

Planks: Abs and Back Workout

Planks are tough, I will admit that. But with training and practice, you can build up the amount of reps and time for each plank. My goal is a 4 minute plank. The most I have done is 3 and a half minutes back when I was in great shape. Now I can barely manage to pull off a 1 minute plank. But planks are a great workout and will help any runner. These mainly affect your lower back, but do affect your core. Here is what a good plank looks like. I also do side planks as well.

Conditioning

I really need to keep up on the conditioning. I used to do abs every night and occasionally throw in some push up workouts. But Starting tonight, I am going to do abs and push ups every other day. Man I hate conditioning.

Cross Training 1

I have been cross training a little bit, not really like straight cross training, but more of biking to a friend's house to go swimming. But it's not just swimming and hanging around, I do laps and crazy workouts in there that push my muscles and involve a lot of strength and mental strength at that. I want to do this at least twice a week but I would like to get some more running in there as well.

1972 Olympic 800 meter final Dave Wottle

Here is the 1972 Olympic 800 meter final of Dave Wottle and his amazing kick to win the gold!

This strategy is amazing and he really proved it in this race.

6.23 miles

Just did 6.23 miles in 55 minutes. Not too bad for starting to get back into shape! It wasn't that bad except for the fact that it was 90 degrees out and 4 o'clock in the afternoon haha. But not too bad for my first day!

WEEK 1 of training

Here's the plans for next week. June 31st to July 6th.

SUNDAY: 4 miles
MONDAY: 3 miles
TUESDAY: 4 miles
WEDNESDAY: 6 miles
THURSDAY: 4 miles
FRIDAY: 6 miles
SATURDAY: 3 miles

Total mileage for week 1 - 30 miles.

New XC Spikes

Change of plans! Instead of getting the XC4 I am getting the Saucony Shay XC2. My friend had the green and blue pair and he loved them. I decided I'd save 30 dollars and get the last year running shoe brand and get similar results!

Breathing Tips While Running or Racing

According to Runaddicts, here are some tips for breathing while you are running or racing.

• Diaphragm Breathing
  Focus on breathing with your diaphragm. Commonly known as Belly breathing. This will allow you to continue with deep breathing to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide freely.
• Relaxing your Upper Body
  Keep your shoulders and neck relaxed to allow the accessory muscles of breathing to optimally function.
• Posit Posture
  Focus on your posture. Keep your shoulders back and your chest open. This will also aid your breathing and reduce muscle fatigue. Maintaining good posture will come naturally by preserving a strong core. This includes the musculature of the abdomen and back.
• Monitor Breathing
  Try to monitor your breathing, once you are well established in your run, take note of your breathing pattern. Is it steady and rhythmic? Breath in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth can help manage your breathing patterns.

Personal Records

I have listed all my PR's on the right. I consider myself a miler. It's the best event I seem to do best in. But then again, I haven't really run a fresh 3200...But hopefully that 5k time will go down this season. I will update constantly as long as I beat them of course. Can you beat me in a race? ;)

Current Trainers

Here are my current trainers. They are the New Balance 740 running shoe. I currently love them. They are 11 ounces so they are fairly heavy, but I like decently heavy trainers.

Runners world stated "The 740 is hard to categorize. It has enough stability features to correct mild overpronation and plenty of cushioning without a lot of extra weight. But it's also a little higher off the ground and has a looser-fitting forefoot than most shoes. For our wear-testers, this meant they liked the fit and feel of the heel and midfoot, but some complained that the toebox was way too open. Recommended for runners looking for a fast-feeling stability shoe with lots of space to spread their toes."

Now I am mainly a mid foot striker and these shoes do indeed strike heel first, but after using them for a while the shoe sort of adjusted to my foot and I have a nice natural strike now.

New Spikes

Here are my new spikes I am getting for this current cross country season. They are the Saucony Kilkenny XC4.

Running Tip Series

Every once in a while I will post a running tip. I plan on doing this for as ever long as I have my blog. Hopefully these tips will help. Most of them will be basic and obvious, but I will go into detail and hopefully they will be helpful to you.

First Post

Hello guys, welcome to my blog. I am here to basically talk about running! I love running and racing! I am a distance runner and I have lots to share with you guys!So welcome and I hope you enjoy the blog!