Week 9 Training

Weekly Mileage: 38km (Low, but I had a race, and rested as a result of knee injury)

Friday July 18th 2008

Race went okay. It is hard to interpret my race. On the positive side

• Got 4th place (~8 spots higher than last year & 1st in age category)
• Out kicked the 20th placer at OU's Cross from 2007 to beat him by 1 second
• Set a PB
• Had a good solid 400m kick at the end of the race to fend off 4th place.
• Complementary beer and massage after the race.
  

On the downside

• Only beat my last years time by 5 seconds, it is tough to compare though, as the the temperature was really hot and humid out.
• Didn't follow my race plan, went out in 2:55, then paid the price for it later in the race, I dropped 2 spots (almost 3) in the last 2km
• I think I had the chance/fitness to stick with the 3rd place guy (missed getting $100 check by 5 seconds) but wimped out and let him go by.

All and all, not too bad, although room for improvement, my knee is really bothering so I took Saturday and Sunday completely off (went rock climbing Sunday though, sended a 5.10a and climbed a 5.10b falling twice at this one section (no breaks))
Click on logo to see race results...

Thursday July 17th 2008

Just a real easy run to get the legs going before the race, a few strides along the course. My knee is definitely becoming an issue. We will see how things go. Total Distance: 6 km

Wednesday July 16 th 2008

Ran the course twice today, not super fast, but decently quick at the end. The first time I just dogged around memorizing each km marker and topography change through each section of the race. The second time around I went ~ 4:15, 3:50, 3:35, 3:35 and dogged the last one. Not sure how things will go Friday, but at least I know the course. Total Distance: 11km

Tuesday July 15th 2008

Took the day off today, just felt zonked and figured a little rest would not hurt leading up to Friday's race. I think I like 5 km and packed it in.

Monday July 14th 2008

Picked up some new shoes though. (See below) They feel close to my old ones, but it is always a little weird the first time out. Legs still a little soar from the 26 km run, and knee hurt a bit, but started to feel better. First time running in the cool evening air in a while, and it felt good. my legs don't feel fast yet as a result of the lack of speed work, but I do feel decently fit. Total distance: 11km