Wisconsin in 48 Hours!

Today I have some sprint/hurdle drills and core and then tomorrow we leave around 6:30 AM for our bus ride to Wisconsin. We are taking 12 men and 12 women and will be competing against some very good Division 1 schools including six nationally ranked teams:Florida (7th), Syracuse (11th), Michigan (22nd), Michigan State (20th) and North Carolina (29th).

Daily Update

Wisconsin has been changed to a 6k course, so 6k #2 on Saturday.
6 x 1k repeats today, they went well.
(avg two weeks ago, 4:08; avg today: 3:42)
:)

Water girls

Today the women volunteered at the Omaha Marathon. We were at mile 21 and had a water station where we handed out water, gatorade, and cheered for all of the marathoners. It was really a neat experience to help out our fellow running community and get to cheer them on as they reached what is said to be the hardest part of the marathon. There were a lot of runners in the 50 States club, each had run or was in the process of running 50 marathons in 50 states. We also met a woman who had run 109 marathons from 2004-2010, and encountered two barefoot marathoners. It was a great day and now it's time for bed as the week starts tomorrow in preparation for Wisconsin on Saturday!

"Thirsty Thursday" for an XC runner means..

DAIRY QUEEN BLIZZARDS with some of my teammates. We had an easy run today followed by pouring rain and some hurdle drills. Then dinner and it was DQ-time :) The Husker Homecoming game is this Saturday and on Sunday the team is volunteering at a water station at the Omaha Marathon.
!Viva Corriendo!

The Midwest doesn't like to listen to its Weather Forecasts.

The other day there was an "80% chance of rain" and not a single drop, a few days later only a 30% chance and it poured randomly throughout the day. This past weekend was overcast and around 60 degrees and Monday was around 90. Yesterday the wind was really strong and we ran against it for the first half of our run, which of course killed your legs, and then when you turned around and the wind was to your back it was still challenging because it felt about 10 degrees hotter. My legs are definitely a bit fatigued but its been raining on and off today and is overcast so my run should be better! I spent most of my day typing up homework in the computer lab in the Hewit (athletic area) and then headed over to the Landing for my daily trail mix :) Almost every other day there is some sort of tour going on throughout the facilities, it is really neat to see all of the people here so interested in Husker athletics, the other day there were some people from an old folks' home, and today there were a lot of international people as well as a younger football team. Basically, you feel like a celebrity sometimes when everyone turns and looks as you walk away with your cup of gatorade. I'm not sure if I've described this before in previous blogs but it still amazes me all of the "school-spirit" (although its Statewide..) that Nebraska has. It's definitely an amazing feeling to be part of such a big school with so many people who are loyal fans. There is so much history in Nebraska's athletic department, from all of the chants and cheers everyone knows at the games to the Lucky Horseshoe hanging by the locker room (which I am unsure of the story behind... and the football team takes all that luck from all the other sports when they travel ;)

It really is an honor and a  privilege to be a Husker.
600 Student Athletes, 23 NCAA Teams,
"ONE Nation"
GO BIG RED!

P.S: my foot has been feeling a lot better, I don't wear the orthotic-pad I was given anymore and am pain free :) Thank you STEM and Ice

An average day

Goodmorning, drug test! D1 NCAA mandates drug tests randomly, today I had one. Then it was time for English, Bio, Theatre and off to practice soon for an 8 miler

When you relax, good things happen.

So after my mom's very helpful pep-talk, I went to practice and did the workout. We had 4 x 1 mile repeats out on this dirt road about 10 minutes out of town. We did the warm up and after 2 miles I was already super sweaty because of the humidity. Our workout was 1 repeat out then a 4 minute break and then 1 mile back and then out and then back. The way out was usually faster because it starts uphill for about 200m but then goes down until you get to the last 400m which is a gradual up. It was humid and there were bugs that bit you and sometimes you'd kill them and there'd be blood, gross I know lol but it was crazy. For my reps, I was 5:43, 6:11, 6:00, and 6:05 which was really exciting because I ran a lot slower the last time we did this workout and we did it on a flat road. After the run we cooled down back to where we were dropped off and then headed back to the track office. Then it was to the Landing where I got some gatorade and to the Training Table for my yummy dinner! Time to study, thanks for reading. I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes. :)

Hello readers

So I kind of feel like I'm writing to nobody, but my mom told me a lot of you check this often, so I'll start blogging more. I have practice soon, today we have 2 mile warm up, 4 x 1 mile repeats on a dirt road, and a 2 mile cool down (and I did a morning run today, 4 miles). So this transition has definitely been a struggle, the team is incredible though, it is just extremely different being on the lower end of things. It can be discouraging and it's probably me just being hard on myself, like always. But hopefully today is better, I'm trying to focus on my progress and not what is going on around me or who is doing once. As my dad would say, "run your race" but I'm sure all of you know how challenging it can be to ignore what surrounds you. Our next race is the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational (5k), this is a big one with a lot of nationally ranked D1 schools in it (Wisconsin, Duke, etc.) That is in two weeks, so from now to then I'm hoping to find myself again and RELAX and just go for it. Well I'm off to practice, hope all is well in CA and I'll get back to blogging more :)

Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational (6k)

The start of the race

 The morning was overcast and perfect running weather, we started our race at 10am and the men followed at 10:45. We stood on the line with the other 200 runners and the starter counted down from 30 seconds to 10 and then the gun sounded and we were off. I got out maybe too fast haha but got in a good spot and tried to hold on the best I could. I was 3:26 for my 1k and 7:32 through the 2k. I felt a little hesitant and tired through the 3k-4k but ran a minute faster than my previous race through the 5k with 1k left to go. I probably should have picked it up sooner but had a good last 100m and passed some girls to finish in 23:55 for 45th on our hilly home course.  The Huskers were 1st with 20 points. 

   

Ups and Downs

Today I woke up and my foot was painfully sore. It hurt yesterday to walk but when I ran I was okay, until I stopped.. I went to the trainer and was 'diagnosed' with Morton's Neuroma. It feels like a pinched nerve and basically, theres a dome in your foot, and when the dome flattens the nerve is revealed and pressure is put on it. It feels like when you poke on a bruise but every time I step on that foot I feel that between and throughout my 2nd and 3rd toe. In the training room I was able to ice for 20 minutes and use the STEM machine on my foot, it should be okay in a few days :) I was relieved it isn't too serious, but will be repeating that routine each morning for the next couple of days. Lesson learned: listen to your body!!

The Truth about Transitioning

It's a process that takes more than the summer training, first week, or two.. D1 doesn't care about what you did in high school, this is the real test. It's tough, no doubt about it, but even though I'm struggling and all, I still am so happy I chose my team and D1. It is these times that challenge our spirit, how do you react to the situation you've been given? It doesn't matter how fast you have ran, it matters that you can adapt to new training and the reality that you are in the back of the workout instead of leading it. Being in the back and pushing through without hanging your head is the real challenge. But as I've been told and am sure will be able to testify to later this season, it all gets better. So my advice, realize the caliber of D1, is it something you want? Something you'll be able to handle? You have to realize that you no longer are the star of the team, you have to build up again regardless of what you did in high school. It is mentally challenging and there have been some off days for sure, but each day it gets a little bit better, sometimes it only seems like the slightest bit, but patience is the key to success.

Believe in the run :)

First Race

It went, decent. The course had a lot of grass and was a bunch of back and forth running and had a lot of turns. My time wasn't the greatest, but it was a small meet and the point was to get experience, which I can come away saying I've gained :) I was 23rd in 20:41. We won on both sides and scored 1-5 for the woman. The course was wet and I ran in spikes. We have this week off from racing and are back in action for our own meet which is a 6k on September 18th. I'm looking forward to racing again and improving hopefully!