I love running. Running is the single greatest thing that has happened to me other than my friends who I love a hell of a lot too. Right now I want to talk about running though, so this might be an unusually boring post, more so than reading about my life. Running... I have learned so much, its so complicated yet so simple. Peaking, racing, training through, mileage, workouts, easy days, double days, the season and the off season, there is a formula. No two people are effected the same way by the amount of miles they run, no two people progress at the same rate, no two people can handle the exact same mileage in the exact same way and maybe one can progress a lot more than the other. Its all very complicated and takes a lot of mental toughness to become any good at, sometimes people with a hell of a lot of mental toughness and are doing everything right just cant progress, making me wonder why they dont have the ability to go on. Some people can do very little and become extremely good. I dont know my own boundaries, but I will try to find out soon enough. I dont even think I work hard enough. What is 300 miles over a summer? Nothing, its shit . How could I have gotten injured on such low mileage? How does that happen? Its a mystery, maybe I was too new to try to get up to 60 mile weeks by mid summer. Then during xc, how did I get to be the second guy on the team even though I had hardly done anything and pooled the first month when I could have been on a run? Is there a certain mental toughness that gives me some edge, and then how can people running the same amount as me be so much better? During the winter after xc, I get injured again, thats weird. I go out for an 8 mile run at 8 minute pace, lol, I get injured. I try to run every other day until I realize that Im not getting better, so I come out of summer having averaged about 27 miles a week. WOW Im off to Piedmont after one month of training and a shitty base-4:30???? How does that even happen, Ive only been running a year? Now I train all spring hoping to get down to maybe 4:23 and do everything I can think of, but oh no I took too many easy days too easy and after 3 months training Im only at 4:27. Season ends. WHAT? Okay now confusion follows more than ever. I got over 9 hours of sleep every night before MOC for a week and a half, maybe more than that, I run 4:30 again. Hm strange. 3 seconds took a hell of a lot of work, is this worth it? YES. Dont worry going from 5:12 to 4:27 in the course of 16 months is a hell of an accomplishment, it doesnt end like that, not by a long shot. K so now I have a summer lying ahead of me, what do I do with it? I run, what else. Maybe 800 miles... no, more! Since my break was ending I did a 2.5, a 2.75, a 3, then I jumped. BOOM 5.5 alright 6.5! yes 8.5 sweet. Okay now I have built up pretty well. Heres where it gets complicated, I want to run under 15:40 at state next year without a doubt so what sort of mileage do I do? Vizci says begin with a 65. I totally am going to do it, dyestat people say no, Vizci says yes. Is his body meant to take higher mileage than the average mortal? Yes, but am I an average mortal? I dont know. No one can talk me out of doing what Chris told me to do, but will I get injured? Theres the question. Ill go do it no problem, if I get injured, reference me to this post and probably do an "I told you so" but Im doing it. The end. I will be in the 80s then 90s by mid/end of summer. Chris did 824 the end of his freshman year, after 10:10 and 4:38 so whats 850+ for 9:46 and 4:27? I dont know lets find out. The formula I have figured out now is subject to change, but its a base of 850+ miles, then longer runs on my easy days of xc than I would normally do, like 8-10 or so, but we'll see what Chuck has to say about that. By the way Chuck Woolridge is the new coach for Campo which is awesome, some people are a little worried because 3 of his girls had stress fractures this year, but Im looking forward to the extra push he'll give. I will miss coach Walsh a hell of a lot though, and Chuck is good. He has a reputation of being a hard ass, but Im cool with that, hes a great coach. Okay so after the first few weeks, Ill drop my mileage on easy days very slowly. I dont really know what Im talking about but its all good, I have the taper thing down better than before and I understand running so much better than I used to. I can see a road, it leads to 15:40 or better for xc 5k. Its not easy, but its there and I see no stop in my mind to follow through. Alright I just ran 2.75, 3, 2.5, 6.5, 5.5, 8.5 for the last 6 days. I will run like 8-10 tomorrow then my first real week I will do 65 or so and see if I can keep building. I would like to run an over 90 by the time summer ends. I love you if you care enough about my thoughts to have read this far. If you need anything, Im there for you, just let me know. I hope to God I dont get injured.

¶ 7:24 PM

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