Intern Lydia Roller Opens With Her First Journal Entry

Week 1-


Monday (12/3)- This was my fourth day back from my break after Footlocker Regionals. It felt good to take some time off, but I was itching to come back. I was sore from the day before as I incorporated hills into the run. Staunton is extremely flat, so if I want to get in some hills, I have to go find them. I was lucky and found them at the Staunton Country Club. The run felt a lot harder than it should have due to those hills. I finished up core later in the day.
Mileage: 6 miles
Pace: 7:22

Tuesday (12/4)- I decided to make it the first hard run of my track training. I ran two miles at a steady pace to warm up. Then I went to two miles of tempo pace followed by two miles to cool down. I was happy with how I felt during the tempo portion. My first mile was 6:29 and the second was 6:22. Negative splits are always great to see :). I followed that run up by going to the gym later for some lifting and core work.
Mileage: 6 miles
Pace: 7:09

Wednesday(12/5)- I was tired today and had very little motivation to run. I got in a little less than three miles after school. After some rest and food, I got a lot of my energy back, so later in the evening, I ran another three miles on the treadmill. It was not fast by any means, but I got some miles in and I felt much better after doing so. I did my core and leg day workout as well.
Mileage: 5.85
Pace: 8:15

Thursday (12/6)- I felt much better on today, so I was ready for a "hillier" run rather than the completely flat runs I had been on the days before. I went back to the same Staunton Country Club from a week ago as that is my main spot for hill workouts. The hills there are tough as it is a true mental challenge as in order for me to reach six miles, I have to run the course three times. Each time I run past my car, I always think how easy it would be to just drive on home, but withstand the temptation as I have a state title on my mind. I finished with six strides to get a little work on speed. Then at night, I did core and more basic lifting
Mileage: 6.66
Pace: 7:23

Friday (12/7)- We had a 12:30 dismal on Friday which always throws off my training because I just go home after school instead of going to the track. I was a little sore from the day before as I always am after a hill workout, but it wasn't anything terrible. I just ran my route by the school and my house which is very flat. I finished up with six strides. I felt strong on this run as it was a confidence booster type of run.
Mileage: 6.6
Pace: 6:55

Saturday (12/8)- I planned for this to be my other hard day as I ran up to the track, went through my warmup then went right into the workout. I just did a basic fartlek on the track with 200 meters hard and 200 meters easy. Last year at this time I would only do it eight times. This year, with the help and advice from our volunteer track coach, Jarid Schulte, I upped it to sixteen. I didn't time each 200, but according to my watch, most were in the 40-second range. Once I was done, I ran the mile back to my house as a cooldown. I did core and 25 minutes of lifting
Mileage: 6.11
Pace: 6:57

Sunday (12/9)- I took the day off today. In the past, I think taking time off has been a big problem in my training as I would go weeks without taking a day off and would be forced to take one because of injury or fatigue. I did, however, complete my core workout on Sunday.
Mileage: None
Pace: None

Weekly Mileage: 37.59