"Attitude is Everything" Kelly Watt
08/03
Running Log #9: Ninaad Kundu
by Ninaad Kundu
I'm super excited for this log. Ninaad is a rising senior on our team and he has been working hard since practice abruptly ended last March. I think it's safe to say that he is fitter than he has ever been. One of the big things Ninaad has been focusing on is chronic shin splints and he discusses this in his log below.
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Super pumped for Ninaad to stay healthy and push his fitness to new levels!
Training Log: 7/27 - 8/2
Total Mileage: 28.3
Monday (5 miles):
Today I met up with Brian for my long run. As I am still working to fully get rid of my shin splints (which seems to always be happening), I went out only 5 miles. While it was pretty hot, as it should be for someone who waits until the evening to run, the shade really worked in our favor. The only thing that didn’t go very good was the hills that Forest Lakes is essentially known for. I had been taking it easy on the hills the last week so my quads were really feeling the elevation. Overall good day and my shins were feeling pretty good. Mileage: 5
Tuesday (4 miles):
Today I waited until the evening to run because there would be a short storm that would make the temperature not 95 degrees. Although it was humid, the run felt pretty good and I made sure not to push it too much so I could be good for the workout. Mileage: 4
Wednesday (5 miles):
After icing a crap ton the night before, I drove out to Sutherland at around 7:45 before it got too hot. Unfortunately, it had been raining all night, making Sutherland’s mediocre track (it’s not even a track but that’s what they call it), well even more mediocre. What plagued each rep the most was this one puddle that was in between two buildings where I essentially had to stop to contort myself to go around the puddle. Other than that very annoying thing, I kept my 800 times from 3:00–3:05 which was what I was going for. I then ran a 2 mile cool down to finish off my mileage. Mileage: 5
Thursday (3 miles):
Woke a bit later than I wanted at 8 am but it was still a bit early so I was fine. Actually, I wasn’t. It got up to 84 by the time I was out there and the 80% humidity certainly didn’t help. Thankfully it was a recovery run and I was able to get it done without being too tired. The shins were feeling a bit tired after the workout the day before as well, so it’s back to icing a lot before the hills tomorrow. Mileage: 3
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Friday (6 miles):
Saw that the weather wasn’t really gonna heat up, so I slept in and started my run at around 11. It was about 80 with clouds so it felt great out there right up until it started pouring rain. But honestly that wasn’t the worst thing in the world after have been running in such hot weather for the past few weeks. The 6 miles I ran felt great due to the good weather. After the run, I had 4x30s hill sprints, which I had not done since outdoor training. The hills were nice and fast and I finished up with fire afterwards. I was very soaked. Total Mileage: 6
Saturday (5 miles):
Today I had a recovery-ish run that I was planning on getting done in the morning. I quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen when I woke up at 10 am realizing I forgot to set my alarm. Happens. But I started my run at around 7:15 pm as it was getting dark. It started to rain too so it was pretty relaxing right up to the point where I realized Strava hadn’t recorded the first 3 miles.
Sunday: Off day
Overall: It was a solid week of training including the highest weekly mileage I’ve had since COVID outdoor training. Even with the mileage, my shins are feeling better and better with the amount of icing I’ve been doing. I’ve also gotten more in the habit of waking up early for my runs which I know will help me make the rest of my days more productive.
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07/27
Running Log #8: Matthew Baxter - Back to Back: A Season with the NAU Men's Cross Country Team
Baxter (left) and teammate, Tyler Day, putting unrelenting pressure on the entire NCAA field.
This weeks' log is a much different format than the previous installments. It's a 49 page pdf. A diary of the entire 2017 season of NAU's top man and #2 runner in the NCAA, Matthew Baxter. It's unique to get this much insight into a top runner's cross country season, but what isn't unique is the ups and downs that Matthew details in these 49 pages. If you run cross country, you can relate to the feelings Matt has.
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It's funny, as I read this, I think about the season of our top guys last season as they were trying to dominate the 5A classification like NAU was trying to dominate the NCAA. They seem so similar, especially in how Matthew gained strength from his teammates.
I had planned on sharing this today but had second thoughts after VHSL's announcement to postpone the season. I was worried it would hit too close to home. But the more I think about it, the more I realized how important it is to read about the process of one of the top runners in our sport. Though Matthew's journey, and last year's Albemarle team's journey, is much different than the journey we are about to go through, we are still commencing on a journey where we will be continually challenging ourselves. It will have its ups and downs, but I can tell you one thing. We will come out of it changed and better for it. And that's what it's all about. Let's keep having fun!
07/20
Running Log #7: Harris Naseh
by Harris Naseh
Harris, a 2020 graduate of Albemarle, is one of the all time leaders in our storied team's history. As someone who raced for our varsity team every single race during his 4 years at Albemarle, he was unique that he had a chance to make a strong impact his entire 4 years. And man, did he take advantage of this.
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More than anything, Harris brought joy to the team and the sport. This was joy in every aspect of being a cross country runner. From competing in races to long runs to workouts to easy runs to drills to core, Harris was always having a blast. And this attitude was infectious and felt by everyone.
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Right now, Harris is training with hopes of walking on to the Virginia Tech team this fall. It makes me so happy that he is still training, but what really makes me happy is how much fun he is still having!
Harris finished 1st for the team at the 2017 Albemarle Inviational. One of our best team performances in school history. (See all 5 Albemarle runners in view!)
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Training Log: 7/13 - 7/19
Total Mileage: 60 miles
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Monday (Mileage: 10)
Ran 7 miles in the morning and 3 in the evening. In the morning I did a 1.5 mile warmup and then 4 miles at 6:05-5:55 pace and then a 1.5 cooldown. I felt great physically and hit 5:54, 6:02, 5:58, and 5:47. In the afternoon I did drills, leg swings, and 6 strides. Really struggled mentally today. It was hard to find the motivation to run. Woke up tired and only went running because Will was waiting for me. Same problem in the afternoon but I just forced myself to run because it was only 3 miles. I have had some tough days over the last couple of months because with no races it can feel like I’m not training for anything. I got over today by just telling myself to get through it because I might feel better tomorrow.
Tuesday (Mileage: 9)
Split the day by doing 4.5 miles in the morning and 4.5 in the afternoon. Did hip exercise and hurdle walks before the morning run and walking drills after the run. For the afternoon run I just ran and did rope stretches after the run. Averaged 7:37 pace for the morning run and 6:53 for the afternoon run. Felt so much better today. Didn’t wake up tired and I was ready to run without having to drag myself out of bed.
Wednesday (Mileage: 10)
This is a one-run kinda day so look forward to it a little. It is supposed to be a medium-long run day. We went to Keene to run and I always liking going there because it not just an out and back. We did 5 minutes of walking then active warm-ups and then the run. Averaged 6:45 pace but poor Will had some problems so we did slow down a bit towards the end. Finished the day with some walking drills and a walk to get to an hour and forty minutes of moving for the day. I have been feeling great these last couple of days and I’m excited for the rest of the week.
Thursday (Mileage: 8)
Another double today and I split the runs evenly. Did hips before the AM run and walking drills after. Afternoon run was just the run and rope stretch after. Thursday I like to go slower so we did 7:40 pace for the AM run and 7:19 pace for the PM run. Really excited for tomorrow because we have our first tempo. Got my blood test results back and yo boy back to normal ferritin levels. Explains why I’ve been feeling so good.
Friday (Mileage: 9)
Went to the Albemarle track to do this workout. It was a 3-mile tempo. We did 6 miles in the morning and 3 in the afternoon with the workout being in the morning. Active warmups before the run. 1.5 mile warmup and then the 3 miles. We started conservatively because this was our first workout in a while and we split 5:34, 5:27, and 5:00. Felt smooth and under control for most of it. Last 2 laps were a little tough but got through it fine. 1.5 mile cooldown and then hurdle drills and rope stretch to finish the morning. For the afternoon we did drills and hurdle kicks before the run and 3 strides during the run. Averaged 7:23 for the 3 miles.
Saturday (Mileage: 14)
I always like long run days because you can go a little quicker and it’s just one run. We went to the famous Dick Woods cause there no way Will and I can do 14 at flakes. Did a 5-minute walk and active warmups before we started running. The first 15 minutes was at 7:20ish pace and then we brought it down to about 6:40 pace for the rest of the run. Legs were a little tired from the tempo yesterday but were fine after the turnaround point. Averaged 6:48 pace for the whole thing. This was only our second time doing 14 miles and it was great. Grabbed my protein shake and went a 15 minutes walk to get 1:50 minutes of moving for the day. Then finished with walking drills and rope stretch. Went to the pool in the PM and stretched out there too. Saw the reebok guys and got passed by Justyn Knight which would have been embarrassing if it was anyone else. Always love the feeling after a long run because I feel so accomplished before the rest of the day.
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Week reflection:
A very good week for me overall. I’ve been feeling great over the last couple of weeks. There are days where I don’t feel like running but overall I am excited to get it done each day. Got about a month before I head down to VT so right now is all about getting fit. Not sure if I’ll get to race this fall but regardless nothing beats being fit. I have also been really forced on eating right and as much as I can. I like eating all this food and not feeling guilty after.
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07/13
Running Log #6: Simrat Saini
by Simrat Saini
Super pumped to share this week's running log. It comes from senior, Simrat Saini. Simrat joined track as a freshman but didn't come out for cross country until his junior year. We are so lucky he did! Simrat is a great leader who always sets the perfect example for his teammates. And he couldn't be a nicer guy!​
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Simrat had a huge breakthrough this past indoor season. We called him the time trial champion as he was either winning or up front in our time trials
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Simrat was ready for a huge outdoor season but I'm excited because he has not skipped a beat with training and is ready for a great senior year!
Simrat leading Aidan and Jesse at the 2019 Albemarle Invitational
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Training Log: 7/6 - 7/12
Total Mileage: 38 miles
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Monday (8 miles): Ran this one at around 8:00/mile pace on what was an admittedly cool day. The sun was behind the clouds for the most part, which allowed me to run anywhere in my neighborhood without being boiled alive. The first four miles felt extremely good, but then my legs started to slow down a little bit and I had to put in extra effort to breathe. By the time that I hit the end of my run, I was definitely ready to get some water and sit down for a while. Overall, not my best day of running ever, but a good effort which I feel was a great starting point for the week.
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Tuesday (5 miles): What can I say? It was a run-of-the-mill recovery run on the trails near my house and I ran at 8:00 once again. I felt good for most of the run and my legs were relaxed. I was slightly winded by the end because of the humidity in the morning, but it was nothing unbearable (especially compared to a couple of days later in the week).
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Wednesday (7 miles): Man, this once kicked me in the behind. I ran my one-mile warm-up and felt all amped-up for the workout, only to basically fall over onto the grass in my front yard after the first 1K. To make matters worse, my watch had an issue during my workout, and I didn’t record any of the times for all three reps of the day. I’m not sure if it was a mental thing or if I had just psyched myself out, but it was a real struggle to get through the workout and I was mentally exhausted by the end of the third one. After a longer-than-usual water break and some deep breaths, I ran the remainder of my mileage (4 miles) as my cool-down. I also started this workout around sunset, so I spent the last mile of my recovery stumbling around the woods in the dark trying to find the turnoff to the trail that leads up to my street (spoiler alert: I missed it and had to turn back around to find it).
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Thursday (5 miles): This 8:00/mile thing is actually pretty good! Once again, I took that pace on my recovery run and it paid off. It was kind of humid (forcing me to stop once to catch my breath), but the lack of direct sunlight on my skin (I was stumbling about the woods, this time in the day) prevented me from overheating. My legs were still kind of sore from last night’s mad dashes and caused me to sort of “lumber” along the trail. Nevertheless, a good recovery coming off a tough effort and one that did not take too long to complete.
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Friday (7 miles): It was sooooooooooo humid today. In fact, I had to stop several times during my run to catch my breath. This time, there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky, and I was brutalized by the hot sunshine of the morning (it was, like, 9 AM when I was out in the open). Despite sweat pouring out of me, my legs felt quite refreshed throughout the entire run and I did not feel them start to ache until the very end of my run. My Fitbit recorded me running at a (very dubious) 7:34/mile pace, something which I feel like would be downright Herculean given the combination of heat and humidity which existed on this morning. On the bright side (haha), I turned down a side trail and explored a new extension of a neighborhood. There are still houses being built on the periphery of the neighborhood and I ran by several construction crews hard at work (and presumably sweating just as hard as I was). Reaching the entrance back to the trail was a boon for me, as I was able to get some shade and cool off a little. Once I finished my run for the day, I ran my 6x10sec hills for the day on a… hill(!). I was kind of winded by this point, and the last couple of sprints were admittedly difficult. Still, this experience allowed me to count drinking a glass of water as the highlight of my day.
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Saturday (6 miles): The last day of running for my week was an uneventful one, as I ran at a 7:54 pace for the 6 miles that I had today. I decided to run a little earlier than usual (I had to be at work at 10:00 AM), and so I left the house around 7:00 AM. I stayed on the trails in the woods today and it felt a lot better than yesterday not being in the direct sun. My legs felt strong throughout the run and my breathing was on point until the very end, when I started to tire a bit.
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Sunday: Off day (insert partyparrot.gif)!
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Overall? Pretty good week for running! My mileage has been consistently creeping up over the past month and this is the first “full” week of running (including workouts) that I have indulged myself in for a couple of months. My first week over 35 miles was a success, but this humidity is gonna kill me if it keeps going like this. My legs are starting to return to pre-COVID form (not that I ever had the coronavirus, don’t worry), and the long runs are starting to get more and more tolerable as time goes on. My breathing is also slowly getting there, but I still find myself somewhat winded by the end of my runs.
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Finally, I miss all of you and I look forward to seeing you all sometime soon (in-person)! Have a great week and I’ll see you guys at this Wednesday’s Zoom Meeting!
07/06
Running Log #5: Austin McPhillips
by Austin McPhillips
This week is a fun one for me. Austin McPhillips graduated from Albemarle in 2011. I never got to coach Austin in high school but I remember my brother saying that Austin was one of the best captains he's every been around. Austin is a true cross country runner. He loves high mileage and the grinding long runs and never really loved the short stuff on the track.
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I'm lucky to have been able to coach Austin over the past 2 years. He is my first marathoner and I have had so much fun experimenting with him. He is up for anything! Once Covid hit this March and the Boston Marathon was cancelled, he even got his mileage up to 100 miles a week!
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Austin has a special place in Albemarle XC history because he is the reason the candy canes exist. He was the first one to wear them at practice and he got them for his peers. Buz finally agreed to them being the team shorts after the '10 team won the Albemarle Invitational.
Austin racing the 2010 Commonwealth District Championship. This was the first time the canes were ever worn!
Background: After tearing my ACL skiing in 2016, it took me more than two years to get back to a point where I could comfortably run five days a week again. When that finally happened in the Summer of 2018, I reached out and asked Adrian to start coaching me. It's been a long, consistent grind since then. Despite unravelling, I cracked my first sub-3 hour marathon in Seattle in June of 2019, then followed it with 2:46:30 in Richmond last fall. Continuing the climb, I was definitely in the best shape of my life heading for Boston this Spring, when the country shut down and everything got canceled. With no actual races in the near future, I'll be doing some time trials this Summer - hopefully including a 5k PR. Oh! Maybe I should mention that I live in Las Vegas. I mostly train alone and at very early hours before the heat hits out there, though I do have one co-worker who I try to convince to join me as often as possible.
Training Log: 6/30-7/5
Total Mileage: 74
Monday: I moved over the weekend, so this was my first run in a new part of town. Easy exploration day, found a nice ~four mile loop that looks good for the hard work tomorrow. 10mi, 7:18 avg.
Tuesday: Progressions can be my favorite workouts, but that first mile down under 6:30 pace always hurts. Because the first mile was downhill, this 30 min progression started with an easy 6:30 mile, with the punishment starting in the 6:10 second mile. Normally I'll settle in after about a mile of pain, but that wasn't the case today, because we turned and climbed for the next two miles. Thankfully, my buddy McFall joined me, and was feeling better than I. He pulled me up the second uphill mile in 5:52, then we hammered a 5:23 downhill mile to finish the hard work. 12mi, 6:44 avg.
Wednesday: Recovery day. Joined McFall for a run around the office and showered there before work. Lots of climbing in the first half, plenty of descent in the back. 9mi, 7:15 avg.
Thursday: Rearranging the schedule to make my life easier as I fly east for the weekend - moved my 11 mile day up to Thursday. Ran from my new place up to my old place and back, making an almost perfectly 11 mile loop. Tons of climb in the first half took its toll, which probably saved me from going too fast on the way down. 11mi, 7:11 avg.
Friday: Oof. Delta moved my connection later by five hours, so I got them to move me off of the Thursday red eye and onto the 7am Friday flight. Which meant a brutal 3am run (I'm a slave to the schedule). This one felt absolutely terrible. 82 degrees and weirdly humid. I had to stop for a few minutes in the middle because I felt so brutal. 8mi, 7:34 avg.
Saturday: Did you guys know it's really humid here? Met up with the legend Bryan Lewis in Free Union for some 1200s on Wesley Chapel Rd. Supposed to start them at 4:00 and work down, but hills make even pacing hard. 4:04, 4:07, 3:54, 3:57 - all with 3min rest in between. Absolutely dripping after this one. 10mi, 6:53 avg.
Sunday: Long run around Hollymead. Tyler joined me for the first 6+ from our parents' house. Ditched him back at the house and crossed 29 for some bigger climbing in the back half. Legs feel good. 14mi, 7:22 avg.
Reflection: After having two days that felt miserable this week, I'm really happy to end the week feeling good again. Despite the humidity, it's good to be back in VA for the week.
06/29
Running Log #4: Adrian Grubbs
by Adrian Grubbs
This week I am so pumped as we have another athlete sharing their log. For this week, it's Adrian Grubbs, a junior on the team! Adrian has had quite the journey with his own running over the past year as he has had to deal with injuries. Slowly, but surely, Adrian has worked his way back and is now at a place where he has never been before as his mileage is above 40 miles a week!
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I have been so impressed with Adrian's discipline over this time and I can't wait to see it pay off. Adrian will be the first to tell you that he has fallen in love with running by himself. I love it!
Adrian racing last year's Oatlands Invitational
Training Log: 06/22-06/28
Total Mileage: 44 miles
Monday: Usually, when I have longer runs I like to drive out to somewhere, but today, I had to run from home (Mine is very close to AHS). I went down Whitewood road, and ended up running down a hill past Guadalajara. Then I crossed over route 29, catching the Rivanna trail. After crossing two streams and some train tracks, I eventually came out at Catec and ran a straight 3 miles back home. I’m pretty sure I took that run a bit slower than usual, because it was over 70 minutes. 9 miles
Tuesday: I think I may have paced this one wrong too. Since it's Summer and I could feel my shins a bit last week, I’ve been trying to run a bit more relaxedly, and I hope to pick it up next week. I meant to go faster, but this was about 38 mins for 5 miles.
Wednesday: I tried to make a conscious effort to run over 8 mins per mile for once and that's exactly what I did: 66 minutes for 8 miles. I think I’ll run hard on Thursday and Saturday and maybe add in some strides, because so far, this log is looking kinda lame compared to others (Peer Pressure!). Anyways today was just an easy out-and-back from my house to O-Hill.
Thursday: I ran from my house to the school, did the channel, then did the channel in reverse to get back home. I had to force myself to go faster than normal, which was doubly hard because I actually got up at 7 today! It was 6 miles in 42:23. Afterwards I did a set of strides and did some weights.
Friday: I ran from home down past Whole Foods, and up through this really nice neighborhood that led me to CHS. I focused on hitting 8 minute miles and went out and back in 56 minutes. It felt amazing to go easy.
Saturday: FINALLY, a cool run! I went to Ridge Road and went roughly 9 miles in 68 minutes. That was definitely the longest run I’d taken on that road. I’m also remembering I have to play soprano for y'all on the next zoom, and I think I finally settled on a piece so hopefully that goes well. I know this is a running log, but I’m finally getting music breakthroughs- just the other day I forced myself to make up a lick and transpose it into each of the 8 keys, and it made a really dope pattern. Anyways, that was my week!
06/22
Running Log #3: Coach Lorenzoni
by Coach Lorenzoni
Over the next couple of weeks, I hope you guys begin to start writing these and sharing your own training. Until we get submissions from some of you, you're going to have to keep reading about your coaches' training...​
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I know you've heard me say it a thousand times, but one of the big positives of the past 3 months is that I've been able to focus on my own running. I love running and I love pushing myself, but it has always been the first thing to go in my life when I'm coaching and teaching. If I begin to feel like it is taking too much out of me physically and mentally then I immediately take a step back. I always say that I'd much rather make other people really fast than myself really fast. That being said, I have always really wanted to make both work and that is the goal moving forward. I just need to get used to the early morning routine during the school year!
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The covered bridge on Fox Mountain Road where I did my Friday workout. One of my favorite roads to run!
This past 3 months has been my most consistent training block since the fall of 2014, which was my last year as assistant coach. We left school 101 days ago and I have run 98 of the days since then. So, you might think I'm in really good shape but the reality is I had reached an all time low in terms of fitness before all of this. Five and half years of very inconsistent running is not good for the body. Below is a plot from Strava showing my fitness since June 2017. Don't think it's very accurate but it's kind of funny to see how low my fitness had gotten.
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Sadly, when I do run I have always been my own worst enemy. For someone who likes to think of himself as a pretty good coach, I am the worst coach for myself. I always get way too excited and run too far and too hard and end up getting myself hurt. It was no different this time as I went from 0 miles a week to 50 in the first five weeks. That would get anybody hurt and it definitely hurt me. Luckily I only missed two days and just had to reduce my mileage over the next two weeks. Since then I have been much more cautious in my increase in mileage and really taken my recovery days seriously.
I’ve always been the type of runner who refuses to run slower than 7:45 pace. As terrible as it sounds, I have felt it’s just too slow for me, which is ironic because I tell my top guys to do some of their recovery runs slower than that and they are so much faster than I have ever been in my life. Well since my injury, I have run with my watch on heart rate mode instead of showing my pace. And I try my hardest to keep my heart rate down for all my distance and recovery runs. This has meant that I have run a lot of my runs between 8:30 and 9:00 pace and it has been amazing. It has allowed my body to recover and increase mileage in a healthy way.
Now, you might wonder what I am training for. First, I just want to get fitter with each week. I am so far away from where I was in 2013-14 when I was running with the top boys everyday and I hope to work my way back there. A big goal in the back of my head is to run a marathon whenever they start happening again. I’ve always had the opinion that the longer the race, the better! In high school, the 3200m was by far my favorite track event. It wasn’t even close. My favorite race to run is the Charlottesville 10 Miler. Also, my mom won the Marine Corps Marathon twice and had a PR of 2:38, which is 6:01 pace, so I feel like the genes have to be in there somewhere. So for now, I just want to keep getting fitter and keep progressing my weekly mileage so I have the chance of being ready for a marathon come late Fall/Winter. More importantly, I want to keep having fun.
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Training Log: 06/15-06/21
Total Mileage: 51.5 miles
Monday: Easy run around town/UVA @ 8:59 pace. I had a long, hill long run around White Hall on Sunday where I allowed myself to try to bring the pace down. That was a hard effort so I needed an easy day. 4 miles.
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Tuesday: I drove out to Green Springs in Louisa to do a workout. Sadly, I got a late start to the morning and felt dehydrated and depleted by the time I drove out there and started running. I was planning on doing 3x6 mins hard w/ 3 mins rest + 4x20s hard w/ 2mins rest. I got 5 minutes into the first rep and knew it was off. I called it off, which was hard to do but I know my mileage has been high and I was still feeling Sunday’s long run. I still finished my mileage for the day. I need to fuel myself better and stay more on top of that. 8.42 miles
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Wednesday: I ran around town and UVA. I had planned on not working out till Friday but I felt good 3 miles into this run. My favorite run in the world is a natural progression run where you slowly bring the pace down and ride that threshold line. You are trying to figure out how far you can push yourself physically and mentally without going backwards. Last 4 miles were 6:32 pace, which felt good, and the whole run was 7:05 pace. 8.2 miles
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Thursday: Recovery run around town. 8:39 pace. I actually felt fine and took it easy. 5.77 miles.
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Friday: I actually did a planned workout. I ran this out at Free Union. I did 12x30s hard w/ 2 mins rest. I wanted it to all be mostly up hill so ran to the bottom of a hill on Ballards Mill. Ran up Ballards Mill, Wesley Chapel, and Fox Mountain. I love doing this workout! It’s completely by feel and I just want to get my legs moving a little bit. The 2 mins rest makes it so it does not become a hard aerobic workout and allows me to focus on running faster while relaxed. My grade adjusted pace is getting below 5 minutes which is good, but these legs are still feeling old! 9.1 miles.
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Saturday: Really easy recovery run on hilly Clark Road. 8:52 pace. 5 miles.
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Sunday: My foot started hurting last night and I till felt it in the morning. I was super worried and frustrated as the weekly long run has become my favorite run of the week. I was going to run it from my sister’s house in town. I felt my foot the first 3 miles and I was making my way back to my sisters to call it a day when it started feeling better. It was completely gone by mile 5 and I had fun progressing my pace the rest of the run. Last 7 miles were at a 6:53 pace which felt awesome. 11 miles.
Week Reflection: This was the highest mileage week of the training block and the most draining. It’s the cumulative miles at a faster pace taking a toll. I need to keep the recoveries really slow. For some reason, this week I drifted away from the core and lifting. I still used my theragun everyday and did roll most days but I need to be more on top of it. I think my foot started hurting because I was wearing my old Pegasus Turbos at work. I need to wear more supportive shoes when I’m on my feet all day!
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#PFP
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06/15
Running Log #2: Coach Alba-Cantone
by Coach Alba-Cantone
The coaching staff has dubbed this season #SummerOfAMillionPRs because, well, we intend to run personal bests roughly a million times. Give or take. It’s been awesome to see Coach Lorenzoni and Coach Rez building up their mileage and crushing some workouts. We’re getting there!
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This was officially RACE WEEK for me, which is an unfamiliar experience. My greatest joy as a coach is rabbiting all of you beasts in workouts and time trials, so prepping for a race where I would be soloing around the track was a serious mindset shift. What was I going to do on lap 4 without the man, the myth, the legend Brian Teweles breathing down my neck?
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My personal theme for these past 3 months has been discipline with all aspects of training. While a love of running runs deep in my veins, a love of stretching, drills, mobility work (aka everything not specifically running) does NOT. Sunday was a great example of my renewed focus. I woke up and my knee was feeling pretty brutal. Normally, I would just tough it out; instead, I took the next 2-3 days to really rest, ice, roll, stretch, and run under control. Thankfully, I got it under control by Wednesday, and by race day, I was pain free!
The coaching staff has dubbed this season #SummerOfAMillionPRs because, well, we intend to run personal bests roughly a million times. Give or take. It’s been awesome to see Coach Lorenzoni and Coach Rez building up their mileage and crushing some workouts. We’re getting there!
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This was officially RACE WEEK for me, which is an unfamiliar experience. My greatest joy as a coach is rabbiting all of you beasts in workouts and time trials, so prepping for a race where I would be soloing around the track was a serious mindset shift. What was I going to do on lap 4 without the man, the myth, the legend Brian Teweles breathing down my neck?
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My personal theme for these past 3 months has been discipline with all aspects of training. While a love of running runs deep in my veins, a love of stretching, drills, mobility work (aka everything not specifically running) does NOT. Sunday was a great example of my renewed focus. I woke up and my knee was feeling pretty brutal. Normally, I would just tough it out; instead, I took the next 2-3 days to really rest, ice, roll, stretch, and run under control. Thankfully, I got it under control by Wednesday, and by race day, I was pain free!
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Training Log: 6/07-6/13
Total Mileage: 32 miles
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Sunday - Off. Stretch, roll, ice. Repeat.
Monday - Distance run @ 7:30 pace. Stretch, ice, roll. Repeat. 5
Tuesday - Workout: (3x1000 w/ 200 rest), 3 minutes rest (400 400 300 w/ 200 rest). Times: (3:19 3:19 3:19), (70 68 50) 7
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This was a nice tune up workout for race week. I got to the CHS track forgetting that fractions over a lap are hard to measure out (thanks Lane 8), leading me to do some very shoddy math. However, I think my Ks were relatively close to the real deal.
Wednesday - Recovery run at 8:03 pace. Saw Sam! 5
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Like Coach Lorenzoni, I’ve been trying to really keep my recovery runs under control. I love dropping the pace on tired legs, but sometimes you have to run slow to run fast.
Thursday - Workout: 2x(3x25s on, 1 min off) 7
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This normally is a 150s workout, but I like running these based on feel, not pace. It allows me to get into a good rhythm. Also, to be honest, I always forget to switch my watch over to meters, and that makes .1875 miles very difficult to measure...
Friday - Pre-race run. Drills and strides after. 4
Saturday - RACE DAY. 6
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Gun time was 7:30, so I woke up very early (around 4:30) to make sure my body was properly warmed up. I went through my normal routine of eating a Nutrigrain bar and walking our dog around the block, which got my legs moving some. My wife and I got to the AHS track around 6:45, and I got going on my pre-race jog and drills. Coach Vibes, Coach Lorenzoni, Coach Rez and his wife and truly adorable baby came to cheer me on, which was the difference maker. The goal was sub-4:40, which was lofty considering A) I haven’t properly raced in a loooooooong time and B) I was doing this completely solo.
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The Race:
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I was pretty squirrelly to start, mainly because I was wearing spikes for the first time in 3 years. My tattered Nike Victory’s from 2010 still fit, so I went with those. I rolled through the first 200 in 32 high, which was a biiiiiiiig mistake. Young legs can giddy up early; old legs cannot. I went through the first 400 in 68high and knew I was in for a tough 3 and a half minutes. The second lap was torture. My body was hell-bent on punishing me for my fast start. I hit 800 in 2:21, which meant that I slogged through that lap in 72 mid: not a good sign. However, Coach Lorenzoni’s advice was echoing in my head: “The third lap is where it counts.”
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So, I put my head down, quit throwing myself an anaerobic pity party, and got to work. I spent the third lap really focusing on keeping my form relaxed; I went through 1200 in 3:31, which meant that sub 4:40 was definitely still on the table! I thought back to the workout I did on Tuesday. “Come on man; if you can run a 68 at the end of a workout, you can tough out a 68 right now.” I pumped my arms and charged down the back stretch. Rez was yelling, my wife was yelling, Vibes was yelling. To be honest, I think everyone was yelling.
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The official time said 4:40.3.
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SO CLOSE. My 2nd 800 was 2:19low, and my last 400 was 69. This is the fastest 1600 I’ve run since high school, but I’ve got some work to do to live up to this summer’s mantra. Next time trial is in 3 weeks. Need to keep it rolling if I’m going to be able to help our top guys in the fall!
#PFP
-Coach AC
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06/08
Running Log #1: Stephen Smith (Rising Senior)
Below is Stephen Smith's log for the week of May 31st through June 6th. Stephen, or Stevo as we like to call him, is a rising senior on this year's squad. He and Joe Yung have a chance to be one of the best 1-2 punches in school and 5A history. Last fall, Stevo finished 7th at the 5A State XC Meet and is the #2 returner from the meet. Stevo has not missed a single day of training since covid hit and he has run every single day on his own. He has brought his 1600m PR down to 4:33. There was even at least a week period in between when the outdoor plan ended and last week, when Stevo was coming up with his own training!
by Stephen Smith
Stevo at the halfway point of the state meet. Stevo moved up from 23rd place at teh mile to 7th at the finish.
Stevo in the finishing stretch cementing his 7th place finish.
As I will be taking a break from running in about two weeks, this week I continued to back off on the mileage slightly. This week the temperature and humidity were higher than I am used to, so my body had to adjust slightly. My two workouts focused on C.V. pace for longer distances followed by progressively decreasing the distance and increasing the pace. The workouts on the track were done in lane 3, which made it harder to know splits.
Sunday - Off
Monday - Long run at 6:58 pace. Drills, strides, core after. 8
Tuesday - Workout: (800, 800, 600, 600 w/ 200 rest) 3 minutes rest (600, 600, 400 w/ 200 rest) 3 minutes rest (400, 400, 300). Times: (2:29, 2:29, 1:49, 1:51), (1:46, 1:48, 68), (67, 67, 49). 8
Wednesday - Easy recovery run at 8:10 pace. 4x15s fast w/ 40s easy in the middle. 6
Thursday - Distance run at 6:58 pace. About 2 miles in I did 2 sets of 4x150m starting at 23-24 and working down to 22-23. 7
Friday - Distance run at 7:11 pace. Drills, strides, core after. 7
Saturday - Workout: (5x1000 w/ 200 rest) 3 minutes rest (600, 400, 400 w/ 200 rest) 3 minutes rest (3x150 w/ 2 minutes rest). Times: (3:13, 3:10, 3:11. 3:11, 3:10), (1:46, 68, 67), (22, 22, 22). 9
Weekly Total: 45.1 miles
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