Update: Track and running

So far my first year coaching distance with Owosso High School Track team has gone great. The distance runners have been giving me 100% every practice and after the first two meets everyone has improved or stayed pretty much the same. As a coach all I can ask for is everyone giving me their best, and so far it has been paying off already. I don't have to many girl distance runners but what I have is pretty good. I've had two individual wins and another one that should have been a win if she would have been placed in the right heat. I won't have to many at practice this next week due to Spring Break which sucks because the Tuesday we come back we have are first CAAC meet vs. Jackson Northwest. One of my top runners won't get back till wednesday so I hope the rest of the team is ready after spring break!!! My running has been up and down the last 3 weeks.... I was going really well building up my mileage for over 12 week then we got a bunch of snow and I sprain my ankle (rolling it on a piece of ice). Then the past week I was doing well again, building up my mileage back to 70 miles and I get sick/allergies and was forced to stay home and not run the Martian elite 10k. I was forced to back down again and only get 40 miles which sucks. Now I'm starting to feel back to normal and got a 10 miler in under 6 min pace. I hope this week goes well and get in 70-75 miles. Then the week after possibly find a good road race to test my fitness. Run Happy !!!!

Update Time

On my last post, I said I was going to run this Shillelagh 4 miler over in flushing like I did the year before...Well the Sunday before I rolled my ankle pretty bad during my run. The pain went away a few minutes after I rolled it so I finished the run and then monday I wasn't to sore just alittle bit but I wasn't to worried about it. Tuesday's run was a different story tho, my left lateral side of my foot was so sore I though I might have broke a bone. I could barely put any pressure so I decided to rest the rest of the week and hopefullly it would be better by Monday. So each day I pretty much did nothing but sat around and iced my foot. This past Monday (First day of High School Track practice) I decided I would test out my foot. It was still sore but a I would say around 90 %, so I warmed up a mile before the practice to see. I felt like I hadn't ran in months but, my foot felt pretty good running. I then ran some 800 meter repeats with the guys and called it good. Yesterday (Tuesday) I warmed up 2 miles to see if it felt any better and then did 4.5 miles nice and easy with the guys at practice. Today I wanted to see if I had lost any conditioning plus it was amazing out (50 degrees and sunny), so I warmed up a mile on the track and went right into my 4 mile tempo run. I started out pretty easy 5:20 pace then I had the wind at my back and I wanted to see what I had so I push the last 3 miles and I got done and looked at my watch and I saw (20:05). I've mapped this loop so I know its legit 4 miles, I am surprise I did it that fast and my foot felt pretty good for the most part... NEW PERSONAL RECORD... I just need to get my mileage back up to where it was before I hurt my foot. Hopefully I can get it back going tomorrow and I didn't over do it today...Crossing my fingers!!!

Run Happy!!!

2010 -2011

I want to start this off with GO BLUE!!! I just got done watching a great basketball game, Michigan vs. Michigan State. Usually Michigan state destroys Michigan in basketball but this year Michigan took the series 2-0.

One week till I start my 2011 season off for road races. I've got a few races in the next month with the Shillelagh 4 miler next Saturday and then a Elite race down by Ann Arbor "Martian 10k " the first week of April. I was looking back in my running log from last year and comparing paces and workouts to this year. Workouts have been about the same with a lot of fartleks and tempo at 5:45-550 pace and my average run is down to 6:10-6:15 pace. Compared to last year I was around 6 min pace for fartlek/tempos and my average run was 6:25-6:30. I feel like my runs have been easier at that faster pace compared to last year. The only big difference is the weekly total where I was training for half marathon and I was up to 80 miles last year but this year I have been at 70-75 miles. My long runs are the same as last year but 10 sec /mile faster and feels a lot easier. Next week I'll back it down a little bit for the race in flushing and I'm going to go for a big P. R. which would be 21:20.

Run Happy !!!

M.I.T.C.A. Track and Field Coach's Clinic

It's been a few days sense I've updated on what going on. I've been keepin busy with running, snowmobiling, Coach's clinic. Last week was my 10th week at 70 or more miles which is the most/longest I've done ever and I feel pretty good. The only thing is my average pace is to fast, atleast I think it is....6:10 pace average and when I try to slow it down for easy days, it feels like I'm going about 8 min pace but I guess its a good problem as long as I can stay healthy (knock on wood). My Long runs are starting to get up to 14 miles and I starting to feel pretty good the whole way. I've also been running with one of my XC/track girl runner 3 times a week for a slower second run trying to get her base up for track. Today we did a 4 miler at steady state pace (6:34 pace) which is good for having 30+ winds.
Last Friday all the track coaches went down to Lansing for MITCA Coaches clinic. I got to listen to Mike Parker from Iowa. He's won multiple state titles in XC and Track and won multiple coach of the year awards. He ran for Kansas and he was great to listen to. He talked about 1600/3200 training, Distance-Mental Training for Peak Performance and The art of Coaching-You can be Successful. The most I learned was from the Distance -Mental Training for Peak Performance, He talked about visualizing the race days in advance from how to get out the first 100 meter, to the smell of gun powder, what position/time you want to be at. I started to do this while I was in college I felt it helped me not be so nervous for the big meets like XC regionals and Nationals. I also listen to Jason Robiner about some Injury prevention and rehab for distance runners which was helpful because a lot of my runners get shin splints and knee/hip pains. Jason talked about how to help relieve some of these pains with simple foam roller.
Hope everyone is stayin healthy and Running Happy

Snowy wonderland

The past few days has been really tiring not just with running but having to shovel the 6+ inches of snow. Recently, I've just been getting in the miles and when the road is clear pick up the pace like a fartlek type of workout but it hasn't been that easy. The past few days after the big snow storm has been pretty nice considering how crappy it was. I was able to get 70 miles in even tho taking last Wednesday off and most of the runs were under 6:20 pace, which made me happy.
Today I was able to get out for a long run although I was lazy and didn't get out till a little later and it had already started to snow. Mentally the snow made it tougher but I did a two loop course today, which was lyons loop (6 miles) then my 8 mile North st. medical loop in town. My legs felt pretty good but this is the longest I've ran in a while so I wanted to take the first loop pretty easy with it being mostly rolling hills. It turned out to be around 36:45 then the second loop was 48:54 but that was .2 short so I added on at the end to make it 14 miles. The total time was 1:27:35 (6:15 pace), which is 3 min 49 sec faster then 2 years ago where I ran the exact same loop, and 2 min and 25 sec faster then last years 14 miler. I can't wait to do a race in the next few weeks and test my fitness. Hope everyone is staying healthy and RUNNING HAPPY!!!

SNOW IS COMING

Finally starting to feel better after my food poisoning episode last week and now we're suppose to get over a foot of snow tonight/tomorrow. I used to love the snow but now if we get anything over 3 inches I have the hardest time running. It never used to be like that, just the last few years. Maybe it's because I run alone everyday and I just want the run to be over with?!?! Who knows!!!

Update on my Training the last 2 days: Yesterday I just ran a easy 7.5 in the morning at 6:07/mile then later one of my high school athletes (Chloe) wanted to run. I meet her up at the high school and did a 3.5 miles at her pace, she hasn't been running sense the end of XC season. I let her go any pace she felt good at and even tho she was tired (out of shape tired) she ran 6:56/ mile. I wish I had that kind of talent and not really run and just come back and go sub 7/min on icy sidewalks. TODAY: I ran my 8 miler at easy 6:31/mile it was pretty windy and chilly so I just took it easy. My second run was alone, Chloe had a school thing that was out of town so she suppose to run on her own. I ran a 4 miler at 6:11/mile; It was a out and back into the wind at 6:15ish pace then Steady state coming back, wind at my back but it was hillier going home. Felt good going 6:05 average on the coming back part. TOMORROW: It's going to be hard getting out and running but I'm sure I'll be out there twice, Maybe if we get all that snow people will get out and shovel the sidewalks and the city will plow/salt the roads...I'll keep my fingers crossed!!! Hope everyone stays safe and RUNS HAPPY!!!

Long Run

Sundays usually = Long run for me and seems like most other people. The reason I get the longer run done on Sunday because I run alone and I want to get the run done early in the week. The second reason has to be most people are either sleeping in or in church so I don't have to worry to much about crazy drivers who don't like runners.
I'm trying to get my long runs back up to 15-16 miles by late feb/early march so last week I did a 12 miler and this week I wanted to get in 13 miles. I didn't want to do the normal loop out in the country which is pretty hilly, so I kinda made up a loop where I don't normally run which usually makes the run go by a lot faster with different things to look at. I started the run out wanting to go around 6:30 pace but the first 1/2 mile I was at 6:15 pace and it felt like I was jogging, so the 6:30 pace idea was out the window. I decided to just keep going at the nice pace because usually I slow down towards the end of the run. I got over by Meijers and I was feeling awesome (last week I felt terrible on the long run), so I continued at the pace I was going and figured I was going to be a little short so I had to figure out where I was going add on. I got over by the Honda store and I added on around a mile on and continued back over by down town and back home plus a couple min to make sure it was a total of 13 miles. My time was 1:20: 07 which is 6:09 pace, a little faster then what I wanted to do but I think it helped because it was a different area to run at which made the time go back faster.
The rest of the week I want to get back up to 75-80 mile range and try to get in some longer tempo/fartlek workouts. Were suppose to get 6+ inches of snow Wednesday so that might not happen. Wish I had a treadmill sometimes so I could get a good workout in with out having to worry about ice/snow. Hope everyone winter training going well...

Run Happy