Week #3: June 25 - July 1
Sunday
Last week was "pre-camp." Today was the first day of main camp, and many elite guys are now here, with close to 9:00 3200m PRs and 4:15 mile PRs. They definitely will push the pace, and I probably won't be able to stick with them unless I'm feeling really good. For the first day we just ran from the Western State Colorado University campus.
Morning Shakeout: 2.1 miles at 6:52 pace. Then we worked on flexibility. The afternoon run was 4 miles at 7:06 pace.
I took this run easy and didn't try to hang with the new elite guys who are feeling fresh. Still feeling sore, but not as bad as the past few days.
Monday
Morning Shakeout: 2.1 miles at 6:46 pace. Flexibility after the shakeout. For the afternoon, we ran Gothic, which is a famous run near Crested Butte. This is the highest altitude we have gone so far at around 10,000 ft. 6.3 miles at 7:19 pace.
The run was mainly flat and downhill with a giant hill with 1.5 miles to go. I still feel extremely sore from the past week (53+ miles at altitude), especially in my quads. I was alone on this run and felt pretty bad, but eventually I will be comfortable with all the training and get my filler days back into the 6 minute range.
Tuesday
Morning Shakeout: 2.3 miles at 6:44 pace. We then did pretty intense core work. In the afternoon, we went on a run near the town of Crested Butte which included a massive hill at the end, and I finished with 4.9 miles at 7:11 pace.
The first half of the run was mainly flat and downhill, and I kept a consistent pace without sprinting down the hill because of my quad pains. On the way back, I powered the hill and felt fantastic. I still felt hindered by the soreness/change of altitude, but I felt like today was my first step to get my legs back under me.
Wednesday
Morning Shakeout: 2.3 miles at 6:44 pace, followed by flexibility training. Later, we ran a flat, out and back course after running so many hills in the last week. 5.23 miles at 6:42 pace.
I felt good today and ran faster than my previous filler days. The flat terrain definitely helped me recover from the past week's hills.
Thursday
Morning Shakeout: 2.1 miles at 6:58 pace and more core work. Our second run today was just outside Crested Butte, and it was an out and back run. The way out was very hilly and slow while coming back was nice and fast. 5.1 miles at 6:52 pace.
I took it easy on the way up and didn't push the hills because of our long run tomorrow, but I felt smooth on the way back, finishing in a 6:18 mile.
Friday
Today was our second long run. We did it on a trail named Vulcan, an out and back trail which is very hilly on the way out, 9.1 miles at 7:21 pace.
I felt better than last week, but still not very happy with my long run. My first two miles were just under 7 minutes, but the third and fourth miles were extremely hilly and I struggled. On the way back down I was back under 7:00 pace but my overall pace was still slow. If we do the difficult course of Vulcan again, I definitely want to change my strategy of the long run to get a pace under 7:00.
Afternoon Shakeout: 1.8 miles at 8:37 pace. Super relaxed run just to shake out my legs. Talked with other runners and had a fun time. Then did lots of flexibility work.
We then went to a waterpark and had a relaxing end to a very strenuous day.
Also, Brie Oakley showed up today, who is obviously one of the greatest distance runners in high school history. I continue to be impressed with the level of talent of these runners here.
Saturday
Morning Shakeout: 2.0 miles at 7:29 pace, followed by more core work. For the afternoon, we ran on a flat easy trail today for an easy short run to recover from yesterday's long run and to also prepare for tomorrow's tempo workout. 4.2 miles at 7:05 pace.
I felt fine, but definitely sore from the hilly long run. Looking forward to testing my speed during tomorrow's tempo workout.
- After every run, we did strides and stretches and would ice for 15 minutes. My legs didn't feel as sore this week. I have had a great time at camp so far, as I have met many new people and there are so many runners to push me every day.
Total Mileage: 53.5
