Training Weeks of 2/5-2/18:
Monday February 5, 2018
Due to many inches of snowfall, our coach called off team practice for today. So, I decided to make the trip to the local YMCA after the weather calmed down to put in a workout of my own. I ran an easy 4.11 miles @ 7:18 average pace, followed by the usual run of agility drills for some speed work. I also did a mini weight room session with 20 lunges with weight and balance and 3 sets of 10 curls/10 push-ups circuit. I made a recovery smoothie and did extra core work tonight.
Senior Journal #5: Busy as a Bee
The last couple of weeks have been nothing short of crazy busy. To put it in perspective, I discovered that I had made the IHSA All-State Academic Team, had my first track meet of the season, had multiple cancelled practices due to snowfall, competed in a home swim meet at the end of the week, paid a visit to my older
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 4.11 miles
Wednesday February 7, 2018
Met with the speed trainer today, who had lined up an intense workout for us to do:
· 1 mile warm-up @ 7:30 pace
· 8x1 minute sprints: first 4 at 90% of "race pace", second 4 at 95% of "race pace" or faster (2 minute recovery job between each one)
· 6x15 curls
· 615 inclined sit-ups
· Bench press @ 85lbs.- 1 set, as many as possible
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 4.21 miles
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Thursday February 8, 2018
Nothing too crazy today, but some pretty good distance training for me. 45-minute treadmill run with an average pace of 7:09 (final mile: 6:49). This put 6.3 miles on the day for me, and a very comfortable 6.3 miles at that. Lately I have noticed that my "comfy" paces have been dropping lower and lower, which is a very good sign as far as my aerobic development goes. We finished practice with some handoff work for our meet next Wednesday and some core work.
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 6.3 miles
Saturday February 10, 2018
Swim meet Saturday!! This particular meet went very well for me, as I set a new personal best or season best in every event I swam. I set a new PR in my primary event this season, the 200 freestyle, and in the mile swim by 2 seconds. I set season PRs in the 100 freestyle and the 50 freestyle. However, I managed to miss state cuts in every single event I swam by mere fractions of a second. Overall though, I am very content with where my fitness is in the pool as we inch ever closer to the championship races in early March.
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 3,200 yards
Wednesday February 14, 2018
While it may have simply been Valentine's Day to most, it was also meet day for the LaSalle-Peru Cavaliers, and our first meet of the year at that! Our coaches were pleased to see many athletes ahead of where they were at this meet last season, and that overall we performed better as a team unit. At this Plainfield North indoor meet, my personal lineup consisted of the 4x800m relay, open 800m, and the 4x400m relay. This meet is always very awkward because the track is only 180m rather than 200m. The distances are slightly off, as an 800m is rather an 810m, and a 400m, similarly, is 405m. I ran very comfortably here, not doing anything more than I needed to. I split a 2:23 in our 4x800m relay, which is showing great promise this early in the season. I ran the exact same time in my open 800m run, again very comfortably. Finally, I topped off my meet with a 1:03 split in the 4x400m relay. My hips felt slightly out of whack due to the tight turns on the track, so I rolled out significantly before heading home. I cannot be disappointed with the results, as I have yet to get in some really competitive races this season. I will be racing at Batavia Distance Madness on March 9, where I expect to see great competition out of the suburbs.
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 4-ish miles with warmups and cooldowns
Thursday February 15, 2018
Coach gave distance another solid workout following our meet. Since we were able to run outside, we did everyone's favorite: Stadium Loops (cue scary music). The 1.3 mile hill loops are certainly nothing to shake your head at, but they actually are one of my favorite workouts to do. I ran comfortably, having a conversation with my coach throughout the entire 5.12 mile run (7:29 pace). However, shortly following the run I managed to put a decent dent in my shin trying to be a hurdler (I discovered the hard way that I am, in fact, NOT a hurdler). After the swelling went down, though, the injury was nothing to be overly concerned with. I was instructed to take the long weekend rather easy and stick to strictly biking and swimming until Monday for precautionary purposes. Worst case scenario, I will be left with a slight depression in the front of my leg for life, but only a nasty bruise for a couple of weeks currently.
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 5.12 miles
Sunday February 18, 2018
After three straight days of nothing but swimming and light biking, I cranked it up a notch on this "Sunday Funday". I biked 11.13 miles at 2:51 pace (31:50 for entire workout) and I followed that up with another 1,700 yards in the pool. I felt virtually no pain in my shin as I completed my workouts, which had honestly been the case the last few days as well. I did a short at-home free weight workout with my daily core work before throwing in the towel on the day. Definitely feel as though I will be able to run tomorrow and that my shin will no longer be an issue for me moving forward. However, I will NOT be attempting any more hurdling this season, that is for sure.
Daily Mileage/Yardage: 11.13 mile bike + 1,700 yard swim
