Monday

10 minute jog

Tempo WU

2x500 (10 to 15 min. rest) 1:04 , 1:02

20 minute cool down

Abs

Today I went out south of Manhattan to run my two 500's. It was a little cold but not to bad. I had a decent wind at my back so that makes the speed come a little easier. In the first rep. I went out what I felt was pretty conservative; I wanted to make sure I could make it through two solid runs 500's. When I finished I felt like I was really ready to hammer the second 500. Coach Smith told me not to blow it out that much and to keep it around 1:04 . When I started I knew I was going faster but it didn't feel that hard. I was really happy to see the times I ran today. After cooling down I still felt really strong like I could run another rep. This workout really boosted my confidence going into the Big XII meet.

Tuesday

AM Weights

PM 5 miles

Balance Drills

Abs

Wednesday

10 minute jog

Maximum Velocity WU

Multiple Throws

4x80 sprints in flats

5 miles

Abs

I had a massage tonight, which I really needed, on my calves. My lower calf has been bothering me but I think the massage helped.

Thursday

20 minute run

Mobility and stretching

Technical runs on track

Today on the track I did two technical runs and my calf kept bothering me so I am going to get another massage to work out the kinks before my race. Tonight a few of us went and ate dinner at Perkins, right next to our motel. It was great, but an hour or two later we had a craving for some more pancakes. So we went back over and ate our second dinner of the night. I feel ready for my race tomorrow.

Friday

AM Neuromuscular

PM Prelims of Big XII 1000m (2:22.75)

Cool down 15 minutes

Today I can't believe how nervous I got before prelims. The fear of something going wrong in the race and not making finals terrified me. I haven't been this nervous going into a race in a long time. When the race finally started I relaxed and just ran. Aaron Nasers, from Nebraska went out extremely fast especially for prelims. So I decided to just let him go. He had about a 5 to 10 yard gap for most of the race. I planned on just letting him take it but with a little over 200 left I looked behind me to find a large pack right on my heels. At that point I didn't want to mess with getting caught in a sprint. So I went hard for the last 200 and caught Nasers and won the heat. The time beat my teammate Erik Sproll's Big XII and school records. It was a huge relief to be into finals.

Saturday

AM Neuromuscular

PM Finals 1000m (2:20.24)

Cool down 15 minutes

Going into the race I expected everyone to make me take the pace. As the race started, I was surprised to see that Aaron Nasers again went right to the lead, just like in the prelim race. This time I tucked right on his shoulders while he pushed the pace. I felt Nasers push hard with 400 meters to go, but I stayed right on his shoulder. I couldn't believe how easy the race felt. For some reason I felt much better in the finals than I did in the prelims, I think it had to do with how nervous I was before prelims. With 200 left I looked at the clock and saw 1:51 , at that point I still felt great and began to think I could get the collegiate record of 2:19.64. I passed Nasers with 150 meters to go and felt strong the rest of the way. I didn't quite get the record, but wasn't too disappointed with the time. My splits were 27.05, 54.28, 1:23.07, 1:51.81, 2:20.24.

Sunday

Aqua jog 45 minutes

Our team finished in second place, our highest finish ever. We got third last year and I think each year we will improve our team. I now have two weeks to get prepared for the National Championships. Hopefully my training for the NCAA meet will go well.

Peace,

Chris