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Summing up the cross season

November 1, 2008 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
I wanted to make a log kind of generalizing my cross season and thinking about track.

Summer: I averaged slightly over 50 miles a week, got a long run in every 8 or 9 days, and did a tempo about every ten days. Given that the best I had averaged for a continued period of time before is 35, it was allright. In retrospect, it was definitely not enough. I've found out I race pretty much how I train, meaning that if I want to race better next year, I need a lot bigger summer.
Preseason went well and was a lot of fun in general, I tried doubling for a week, but the knees were just not down with it. Wooster was a bad race, I just wasn't used to racing. NKU went well and was fun. Parkside was my best race of the season. It was my first 8k, on a hilly course, in the heat. I think 28:03 on that day is better than a 26:40 on a pancake flat course in perfect conditions. The workouts on the bowl we were doing around that time at 5:15-5:30 pace gave me a lot confidence and strength. The next couple of weeks with my knees being screwy just plain sucked, and I think I really lost my focus then. All-Ohio was an embarrassment, but to be fair I was running off 2-3 weeks of poor training then. The Tri-Regional was good, and I was happy to break 27:00, but I did not race nearly as hard as I did at Parkside that day. The past two weeks I just didn't feel very good during workouts, and even though I raced pretty tough yesterday, the legs just weren't there. I talked to Jim after the race on the bus, and he mentioned that I was able to help the team on a lot of different days, and I guess hadn't really thought of it that way before. We had a lot of good placings at NKU, Parkside, Oberlin, and I am glad i could chip in. For being an 800/1500 guy, it was a good venture in different waters.

I will do whatever Gomez needs me to the next couple weeks. I feel like I am pretty spent right now and need a week or so off, but another two weeks aren't going to change anything. It will be a good time to try to make a clear plan for Track. This summer, numbers like 3:59 and 1:56 were what I thought about, not 8k times. I need a short break, but the next big thing is starting to take shape in my head.