Week 11, Day 7, August 22

Today I ran with Jarred and Caleb in the morning before church. We put in an easy 6 and called it a week. I didn't feel great but things will be better tomorrow.

Week 11, DAy 6, August 21

Today I ran with Josh for about 8 miles. It went pretty well and I felt pretty comfortable as we ran along the trails on campus.

Week 11, Day 5, August 20

Today we did a farchlet workout. We went 5,4,3 for 2 sets. The first set I felt great but I really dropped off for second set. I think it was in part because I'm not used to walking around campus so much. We also didn't really get much sleep because of our hall meeting. O, well. Things will get better and I will have some better workouts as the season progresses.

Week 11, Day 4, August 19

Today I ran 8 miles in the morning with some of the guys and then went for another 4 miles at night. It was a good 12 and I should be ready for the farchtlet workout tomorrow. I hope it goes well and I can gain some confidence going into the season.

Week 11, Day 3, August 18

Today I ran with Jarred in the afternoon but it was very hot so we only got about 7 in. I then went back out again at night and got another 4 miles in so it was a good 11 miles for the day.

Week 11, Day 2, August 17

Today I arrived on campus. When we got there, Jarred, Jones ran on campus for about 10 miles. It went pretty well and it was a good first run on campus

Week 11, Day 1, August 16

Today I only did a mile on the treadmill. It was too hard to run when I was traveling down to Liberty and the only time I got was at 9 o'clock at the hotel. I'll be running tomorrow.

Week 10 Totals

Miles:45.5

It was a fun last week in Berks County and I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends this past week.

Week 10, Day 7, August 15

Today I ran with James for the last time in Berks County. We ran up to the beast and sat up there and talked for awhile. It was really fun and I enjoyed our conversation. It was a great idea for a last run and I would like to do that again over break. After we talked, we ran back down to my house and hung out there for a little bit. It was a fun day. 6 miles.

Week 10, Day 6, August 14

I took today off because I was exhausted from not sleeping all night. I'll get some miles in tomorrow night though.

Week 10, Day 5, August 13

Today I didn't really feel like running too much so I decided to go on a bike ride with Tim and Thomas. We biked 20 miles over to the Yoder's house and it was a lot of fun although it was very tiring for me. I calculated it to be like 10 miles of running for me. We then camped out at the Yoder's and stayed up all night while we were there.

Week 10, Day 4, August 12

Today I biked 11 miles and ran in the chip for 6.5 miles. It was a fun day with some cross trianing and a little bit of running. I really enjoyed the bike ride and I would like to try riding for a longer distance sometime. Overall I figured that I went about 11.5 miles.

Week 10, Day 3, August 11

Today I took the day off and just hung out with Katie. It was going to be one of the last times I saw her before school so I wanted to relax and have a fun day to just hangout and be with my girlfriend. It was a good day off but I am looking forward to putting in more training.

Week 10, Day 2, August 10

Today I tried doing a tempo run. I felt great for 25 minutes but then I absolutely died after 20 minutes. I just could not go any longer. I even actually walked. I think it may have been in part because I didn't eat well that day, I didn't sleep well, and it was blazing hot. I'll have to deal with it though and make it up later this week. Overall I did like 8 miles.

Week 10, Day 1, August 9

Today I ran with Clint for 10 miles. It was one of those runs where you are just talking the whole time and you don't even realize you are running. It felt like the run ended before it even started. I felt great and loved the late night run we did today.

Week 9 Totals

Miles: 65
Pushups: 400
Situps: 40 minutes

Week 9, Day 6, August 6

Today I ran up the mountain and then back down the mountain. It was one of those runs where you felt great. I ran the entire 12 mile run at about a 6:30 pace. I felt great and loved the feeling of having a great day. When I got back to Katie's house, I did 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, and 5 minutes of planks.

Week 9, Day 4, August 5

Today I ran by myself to the chip, did a 3 mile loop and then back home. Overall I did about 14 miles and had a better run than yesterday. I had moments during the run where I'd get really tired, and moments where I would feel really great. It was a pretty successful day and I'm happy to have finished my long run for the week. I didn't do any pushups or situps tonight. I really should continue doing these however.

Week 9, Day 3, August 4

Today I ran with Mnm and James. Or I could say I barely ran with those two. We were going to do about 10 miles today in the chip but we were all so tired we only did 5. My legs felt really heavy and I had trouble even walking. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and I won't have to just stop like I did today. I didn't do any pushups or situps tonight because I was just that tired.

Week 9, Day 2, August 3

Today I ran with McClaff again and did a tempo run. I did about a 2 mile warm up and then I did 40 minutes of tempo. I'm guessing I did close to 7 miles in this time so I thought it was overall a pretty good run. Afterwards I did a 2 mile cool down and got a total of 11 miles for the day. Late at night when I got back to Katie's house I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 9, Day 1, August 2

Today I ran with McClafferty up at Pete's house. We did a longer run than I expected and I ended up getting 12 miles in for today. It didn't go so bad and Nate and I were moving pretty quickly up and down the hills. After the run I came back to Katie's house because I am house sitting and I did some pushups, situps, and planks. I did 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, and 5 minutes of planks.

Week 9 Goals

This week I really need to start getting to work again and focusing on the running ruah idea I created earlier this summer.



I also need to make sure I do all of the pushups and situps I need to do this week. I have really been slacking with that aspect of my training.




Monday: 10.5, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, 5 minute planks
Tuesday: 12, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs
Wednesday: 11, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, 5 minute planks
Thursday: 14, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs
Friday: 10, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, 5 minute planks
Saturday: 7.5, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs
Sunday: Day off

Week 8 Totals/ Review

Miles: 53
Pushups: 100
Situps: 10 minutes

This week went ok but not great. I really should have been more devoted to this week by making sure I ran on thursday and friday and by doing more pushups and situps. This coming week I really need to get back into the swing of things

Week 8, Day 7, August 1

Today I ran 7 miles near my house. I was going to do some more but I didn't want to kill myself for the coming week. I'm supposed to do 65 miles this week so I thought I'd give myself a little rest before I start my longest week so far this summer. Before I went to bed I also decided to 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs. I really need to get back into doing pushups and situps on a regular basis.

Week 8, Day 6, July 31

Today I ran 15 miles. I ran up the mountain, around Ryan's house, and down the mountain and home. I felt really good today although my legs were starting to get tired by the end of the run. It was also the first day I got to run in my new Liberty running stuff which I was really excited about.

Week 8, Day 4 + 5, July 29 and 30

These 2 days I was at orientation at Liberty and just struggled to find time to run. I'll try to catch up with it in the next two days but I was busy at Liberty. I found that I'm really going to enjoy living there and I had a lot of fun at orientation.

Week 8, DAy 3, July 28

Today I ran with James in the chip and at the high school. It was a good relaxing way to end my day which was filled with problems and issues around my house. My phone died, my car died and I was just having a frustrating day. We ran 10 miles and had a great time. Afterwards we went over to Apple Bee's to get some half priced apetizers.

Week 8, Day 2, July 27

Today I tried to do a tempo run. I ran over to the high school and was going to do a 45 minute tempo run. I got to the school and started and felt ok but not great. After 25 minutes I was struggling very badly. I was trying to push through it but eventually got to the point where it wasn't even beneficial anymore. I eventually stopped and ran a couple of extra miles just so I could get the miles in. When I got home, I was completely exhaused and just came home and laid in bed.

Week 8, Day 1, July 26

Today I ran with the boys at the high school. We ran bunker hill run which is a 9 mile run. I ran it with Clint and we both felt really good and added half a perimeter onto the run afterwards. Overall I did 10 miles and was happy with how the day went.

Week 8 Goals

Monday: 10
Tuesday: 12
Wednesday: 10
Thursday: 9
Friday: 10
Saturday: 8
Sunday: Day off

Week Totals/ Review

Miles: 59
Pushups: 500
Situps: 50 minutes

Overall I think this was a very good week. I was worried about how I'd feel because of being really sick a week or two before. I did feel great though and felt like this was an excellent week of workouts. I'm excited about my college training and I'm looking forward to racing my first race for Liberty University.

Week 7, Day 7, July 25

Today I came home and ran 9 miles in the chip. It was a very fun run and I really enjoyed running through the woods. I moved pretty quickly although I was slowed down a bit by all of the turns. I really enjoyed sprinting down the trail and through the wet trees because it had just rained.

Week 7, Day off

I decided to take Saturday off instead of Sunday. It is my last day at the beach and we were busy all day so I figured I'd just sit around and relax and enjoy my last day of vacation. It was a fun day but I know I have to finish out my week tomorrow.

Week 7, Day 5, July 23

I ran tonight a little along the beach and a little along the road. I didn't feel incredible so I took it at a little bit of a slower pace. I still did 9.5 miles however and got a good run in. At the beach house I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 7, Day 4, July 22

Today I ran down the road again but the opposite way. I went 4 and a half miles out and 4.5 back. I felt really great for the first 3 miles and then I had a lull for the middle miles. With a mile and half left, I didn't feel so great. This kid who was riding his bike passed me with a mile and a half left. With a mile left, I started to feel great and I really started moving. I was going fast enough that I caught the kid on his bike and ran next to him for awhile. He gave me a double take and then sped ahead because he was confused. It was very entertaining for me and I finished the entire last mile at that pace. Back at the beach house, I did 50 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, and 50 more pushups. Then I did 5 minutes of planks

Week 7, Day 3, July 21

I ran for the first time this week at night. I had to do 10 miles tonight so I did the same thing that I did yesterday. I ran 5 miles out on the road and 5 miles back. I felt pretty good tonight and was moving pretty quickly even though I expected to be a little bit tired.

When I got back to the beach house I did pushups and situps again. I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of situps and yet again, I couldn't go into the hot tub because it was storming.

Week 7, Day 2, July 20

Today I woke up at 6 o' clock again to run at the beach. Instead of running in the sand today I ran along the road and found mile markers all the way down the road. I had to do 12 today so I ran 6 miles out and 6 miles back. When I got back to the beach house, I did 50 pushups, 10 minutes of situps, and 50 more pushups. After all of that I did 5 minutes of planks as well. I didn't get to go in the hot tub tonight because it was storming.

Week 7, Day 1, July 19

Today was my first run while on Vacation. I woke up at 6 a.m. and headed over to the beach to do a beach run. I started off pretty well and went about 32 minutes North along the beach and ended by coming back 32 minutes again. I got my 9.5 miles and it was a good start for the day.

When I got back to the beach house I did my pushups and everything. I did 50 pushups and then 10 minutes of situps. After that, I did 50 more pushups. I wanted to go in the hot tub tonight but couldn't because it started storming.

Week 7, Day by Day Plan

Monday: 9.5 miles, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs
Tuesday: 12 miles, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, 5 minutes of planks
Wednesday: 10 miles, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs
Thursday: 9 miles, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, 5 minutes of planks
Friday: 9.5 miles, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs,
Saturday: 9.5 miles, 100 pushups, 10 minutes of abs, 5 minutes of planks
Sunday: Day Off

Week 7 and Rest of Summer Goals

I'm midway through my summer training and am ready to start getting a little more serious. I know being on vacation at the beach is a hard place to start that but I'm going to try. I'm going to start by doing 59 miles for week 7. I'm going to set out a plan for each day of the week for this week and I will do that for the following weeks to come as well. Also, I need to do more pushups and situps. My goal will be to do 100 pushups and 10 minutes of situps every single day. I will also do the 5 minute plank routine that coach sent me on tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays. I also need to make sure I start stretching out before and after each run. Lastly, while I'm at the beach this week, I'm going to use the hot tub every night. When I get back home, I'm going to start using a hot tub atleast once a week, preferably every Sunday.

Week 6 Totals

Miles: 52
Pushups: 200
Situps: 20 minutes

Week 6, Day 6, July 18

I ran today after we arrived at the Outer Banks. I felt horrible because of the car ride and the heat. I ended up cutting it short and did about 3 miles. I came back to our beach house and just went in the hottub for awhile. I'm going to start week 7 tomorrow so I'm going to get up early in the morning and try to run again. Hopefully that will go a little better.

Week 6, Day 5, July 17

I took yesterday because it was way too hot. I ran tonight at 8 0'clock and ended up finishing my run in the dark. I ran for an hour and 16 minutes and did about 11 miles. I felt pretty good and really enjoyed my run. I ran to the high school, did a perimeter, ran home and then did a loop around my neighborhood. We are leaving for the beach tomorrow, the Outer Banks. I'm going to try and finish my mileage for the week there but I realize I'll probably be pretty tired from the car ride.

Week 6, Day 4, July 15

I ran to Jon's house today. When I got there, I looped around for a couple more minutes so I could get to 9 miles. This was probably one of the faster runs I've done all summer. My legs seemed to just keep moving as I ran all the way to his house and I couldn't stop. Jon then took me home after my run.

Week 6, Day 3, July 14

Today I ran 9 miles with Clint. We ran at Grings Mill in the rain and it was a pretty good run. I didn't feel that great at first but then I finished really well. Clint and I had a lot of fun picking up the pace for the last 2 miles and we both felt great when we finished.

Week 6, Day 2, July 13

Today I did my long run for the week. I did 12 miles at around 10 and started around 10 o'clock this morning. I felt pretty bad about half an hour into the run and felt like that all the way til an hour was up. Then I took a breather and splashed my face off by a creek and when I finished I started running again. Before I knew it, I found myself sprinting and not feeling tired. I ended up backing off until I got home so I didn't feel horrible by the end but it was a really great feeling. At home I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 6, Day 1, July 12

I went on a rain run late at night today with James. We ran for about an hour and went around 8 miles. It was a great run, probably the best I've ever had. We started at my house and ran through the mental hospital and then looped around my neighborhood a couple of times. While we were running I started telling him about Harvey Cedars and everything I experienced there. Then while we were running through the mental hospital we both got this feeling that God was actually with us. We were stomping through the puddles, the rain was falling on us, steam was coming off the mountains to our right, and to our left the sky was orange even though everything else was dark. It was an amazing thing to run in and it really felt like God was with us while we ran. When we got home, James and I talked for awhile longer and then I did some pushups and situps. I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of situps.

Week 6

I just got back from Harvey Cedars a couple of days ago and I'm really starting to feel better. I think I'm up to running again and now it is time to really get serious about college training. I know I got sick and couldn't help it but now I'm going to start doing extra pushups and situps and everything. I have to stop all forms of slacking and get ready for the upcoming season. This week I'm supposed to do atleast 59 miles so I will do my best to hit that and maybe do a little bit extra because I missed a whole week.

Week 5

Week 5 is kind of going down the drain. I got really sick after the Firecracker and had to go to the doctor on Sunday. They said I should probably take a couple of days off so I decided to take the week off until I get better. I will be at Harvey Cedars and it will be a nice time to relax, get better, and reconnect with God.

Week 4 Totals

Miles: 34
I know I didn't do as much as I should've this week but I couldn't really help it. I got sick and am still sick. I will try to keep up with it but I have to adjust to what my body says.

Week 4, Day 6, July 3

Today I did the firecracker 4 miler with Clint. Clint got 2nd and i got 3rd. I was ok with how I did considering I felt really sick all this week but I know I could've done better. I'm still glad I raced it though. I think I did 8 miles total today.

Week 4, Day 5, July 2

Today I ran with Clint for a little bit. We only did 4 miles so I could get back into it and we are going to try to do the Firecracker tomorrow. Hopefully that goes pretty well.

Week 4, Day 4, July 1

Today I felt terrible again so I didn't even try running. I didn't think it would even be worth it. I'll try it again tomorrow.

Week 4, Day 3, June 30

Today I started running and ran for about 15 minutes but then I felt sick and turned around and came home. I've been sick all week so far but I haven't felt terrible running until today. I hope this doesn't last. I did 4 miles.

Week 4, Day 2, June 29

Today I ran with the high school guys at the school. We did their new cross country course 3 times and then i added on a little bit so I could get to 10 miles. The course was really boring and I don't ever suggest doing that course for fun.

Week 4, Day 1, June 28

Today I ran with Ryan by his house. We left at 9 0'clock at night and did about 6 miles. It is kind of creepy running around his house at night but we still had fun with it. Afterwards we ate some pizza and italian ice.

Week 4 goals

This week I need to do 46 miles. I'm going to try and do my long run on Tuesday again and then average out the rest of the miles to about 7 a day. I also want to make sure I do all of my pushups and situps everyday this week except for Sunday, my rest day. Next week I will be at Harvey Cedars so I need to plan out how I'm going to work that out. It should be interesting. I also want to figure out a way to start video logging and taking pictures of everything I do.

Sunday + Week Totals

Sunday was my day to rest. I also couldn't do anything anyways because I was sick all day. I wanted to use David's hot tub but I had to stay home all day and relax.

Miles: 52
Pushups: 240
Situps: 20 minutes

Week 3, Day 6, June 26

I ran pretty early this morning. I went back over to Wyo and ran trails over there. I ran for 50 minutes and did 7 miles. After the run I quickly stretched and ran to work quick so I could get home and get ready for my grad party.

Week 3, Day 5, June 25

Today I ran with James around his house at 8 o' clock at night. We ran for an hour and it was a pretty good run. I'd say we did about 8 miles and although we were moving pretty quickly it felt nice and relaxing. When I got home, I did 150 pushups and 10 minutes of situps.

Week 3, Day 4, June 24

Today I went back over to Wyommissing to run. I ran from their track to my church and back and then finished the run with some trails. I ran for an hour. I think I did about 9 miles today. It was one of those runs where you just couldn't stop going fast which I was really excited about because it was my first run like that this summer. I hope I keep having days like this and I continue to get stronger and stronger as I train.

Week 3, Day 3, June 23

Today I ran with James at Wyomissing. He showed me some trails over there that I've never seen and it was a great run. We ran pretty late at night so the temperature felt perfect. We ran for about 57 minutes and I estimated we went about 8 miles. I'm really excited about all the places I found to run over there and I think I will be running over there a lot more now.

Week 3, Day 2, June 22

Today was my long run. I ran from my house to the school which is about 3 miles. Then I ran with the high school guys and did the Bunker Hill run which is about 9 miles. So I felt a 12 mile day was pretty good. When I got home I did 90 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 3, Day 1, June 21

Today I did an 8 mile run. I did it around 10 o' clock but it was still really hot out. I ran a giant loop around my house. I felt pretty good for the first 6 miles and then I died by the last 2. I think I'm going to start runningat better times of the day because of the heat now. Tomorrow I will be doing my long run. I'm going to try and hit 11 or 12 miles.

Week Goals

This week is the start of week 3. I have to do 52 miles this week. It should be pretty tough but I think that I am ready for it. I think I'm going to try and get my long run done on Tuesday and then the rest of the week I'm going to try and average about 8 miles a day.

Hot Tub + Week 2 Totals

I finished this week and my legs are really tired. I went up to David's hottub this Sunday night and it felt really good on my muscles. I'm hoping it will rejuvinate me for this week's runs. I'm thinking about going up there every Sunday Night.

Miles: 46
Pushups: 350
Situps: 40 minutes

Week 2, Day 6, June 19

Today I had 6 miles left to do for the week so I just ran around my house. I however thought it would be a great idea to start the run in the middle of the day. Well lets just say that it wasn't a great idea and by the end of the run the heat zapped me and I felt dead. O well though, I will have tomorrow to rest and then I can start Week 3.

Week 2, Day 5, June 18

Clint, Jones, and I decided to go over to Mifflin today to run. We ran around their cross country course and on some roads around the school. We did 8 miles and we were going to do hurdles but the gates were locked up. Then we drove over to Wyo's track to see if their hurdles were still out and to our luck, they weren't. At home I did 90 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 2, Day 4, June 17

I ran in the chip once again today. I got another nice relaxing trail run on my legs. While I was in the chip I heard a bunch of cop cars on the roads near the chip. It kind of scared me. I thought somebody might have been hiding in the chip so I hightailed it out of there. Haha. Anyways, I went to the otherside of the road where those trails are and ran up there then. At home I did another 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 2, Day 3, June 16

I ran in the chip for 7 miles today. It was a pretty tiring run but the trails also took some stress off of my legs. I ran by myself so it got pretty boring after awhile. When I got home I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 2, Day 2, June 15

Today I decided to go for my long run. I ran about 10 miles and it was actually a fairly hilly run. I ran up Furnace Road and then towards Texter Mountain, down past Egan's house and back to the High School. I felt pretty good during the run even after a tiring day of working. The entire run took about an hour and 15 minutes. Maybe a little bit less because I had to stand at a traffic light in the beginnning of the run. I got my 100 grams of carbohydrates right away and then drove home and did some pushups and situps. I was incredibly tired for these and it took me forever to get started but when I finally did, I did 60 pushups and 10 minutes of abs. I'm thinking I should make an excel spreadsheet tomorrow also so I can start logging all of these miles, pushups, and situps that I have done so far.

Week 2, Day 1, June 14

Today I ran from home. I started off feeling pretty well and then about halfway into the run I started to feel sick. I ran back home and decided to take a bathroom break and then went back out to running. I felt better on the second half of the run. I ran about 7.5 miles and it took around 53 minutes. I didn't get to do any pushups or situps tonight. I wanted to go watch the baseball team play at the Reading Phillies stadium. They were playing Twin Valley in the state semi-finals. By the way, this was the most exciting game I ever saw. Aaron Price hit a walk off homerun in extra innings and it was so awesome. Now they are playing in the State Championship Friday in Altoona.

Week 1 Totals

Miles: 33
Pushups: 300
Situps: 40 minutes

Week 1, Day 6, June 13

I had 3 miles left on my schedule for this week so I quick finished them today. I didn't do any pushups and situps because I went to Arnaud's going away party. It was a good end to my first week and I am ready to start hitting higher amounts of miles in the coming weeks.

12 Week Summer Schedule

Coach sent me my mileage goals for the summer. It doesn't seem like too much but I'm sure the pace will still make it tough.

Week 1: 33
Week 2: 46
Week 3: 52
Week 4: 46
Week 5: 52
Week 6: 59
Week 7: 52
Week 8: 59
Week 9: 65
Week 10: 59
Week 11: 65
Week 12: 65

Saturday June 12, Rest Day

Today I didn't run because of the all night graduation party and then a lot of my friends graduation parties today. I do however think it would be a good idea to post up my 2 goals for this XC season. My first goal is a 26:00 in the 8k and to be top 12 on the team.

Week 1, Day 5, June 11

Today I was tired again. I have to graduate tonight, I worked already today. It was a long day. But I went to the chip and ran with James anyways. We did about 5 miles in the trails. It was a nice and relaxing run. We ran for about 35 or 36 minutes. Then I went home to do pushups and situps. I did 50 pushups and 10 minutes of situps.

Week 1, Day 4, June 10

We had a two hour delay today so I ran a little bit after school ended. I ran around the neighborhood and then up to Nate's house and back home. I didn't feel so great because I didn't sleep much last night. I had a huge project due for AP Government so I didn't get to sleep until late. I did the entire run in 49 minutes and it was about a 6.5 mile run. When I got home I stretched, ate, and did some workouts. I jumproped 150 times and then did a minute of the chair sit exercise. Then I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs.

Week 1, Day 3, June 9

Today I just ran a little bit. It was raining a lot and I only did a couple miles. I did like 4 just around my house and it took 28 minutes. I didn't do any pushups or situps. I really wanted to but I had to leave quickly to go into church. I'll probably make sure I do a lot tomorrow.

Week 1, Day 2, June 8

Today I ran 6.5 miles at Blue Marsh with Clint. When I started, my legs felt pretty tight from yesterday. Once I got into it though, everything seemed fine. I had a headache a little bit through the run, but my legs and lungs felt great. The run took us 44 minutes. This put our pace at slighlty under 6 minute miles. After our run, I stretched and got my 100 grams of carbohydrates right away. At home, I did 100 jumps of the jumprope to build up calf muscles, and I did the chair sit against the wall for a minute to build up my thighs. Then I did a little bit more stretching and some pushups and situps. I did 100 pushups and 10 minutes of abs. Tonight, I did the leg against the wall thing again to drain the lactic acid out of my legs. I'm thinking I will do this every night before bed. Today was another good running day but I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow morning.

Week 1, Day 1, June 7

Today was a great start to my training. Nate Jones and I ran the Sportsman run. Sportsman is about 8 miles. The first half is uphill and the rest is either level or downhill. I felt pretty good. Nate and I went at about a 7:30 minute mile pace. That is a pretty quick pace for our first day back but it felt pretty good overall. When we got back to the school I stretched my legs out and got my 100 grams of carbohydrates right away. When I got home from practice, I stretched a little bit more, rolled out my legs on my new roller, and then did pushups and situps. I did 50 pushups and 10 minutes of situps. I wanted to do more but I had to get ready for a senior sports banquet. After the banquet, I sat with my legs against the wall so I could drain all of the lactic acid out of them. I might do this every night before bed. I think it would be helpful. I also talked to David and he is going to let me come over to his house once a week over the summer to go in the hot tub. Overall, it was a great first day and I'm excited to lace up the shoes again tomorrow!

Tomorrow

It starts tomorrow! Here I come college training!

RunningRuah

So my two week break is almost over and I'm getting geared up to start running again. One of my goals over my two week break was to establish why I run. I have decided that God should be the focus of my running and i want him to be. I was reading 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 in the message version of the bible. It says, "You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs, one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." God is calling me to train for him and race for a gold medal that will never tarnish or fade. I need to take that seriously and honor him with what I do. The best way I know how I could honor God is with my running so that is precisely what I'm going to try to do. I'm going to train for cross country at Liberty not for a gold medal in running, but for a gold medal God gives me for eternity. If I give my best into my running and do it to honor God, he will give me his gold medal, which will totally outweigh any gold medal I get for running.
To keep myself motivated, I've come up with my own little running method, theme, or whatever you want to call it. I've created something I'm going to call "RunningRuah." In the Hebrew language, the word ruah is the word for spirt and the word for breathe. Running Ruah is a way to keep me motivated and remind me of 3 things; Run, Spirit and breathe. I'm going to run, I'm going to let the spirit fill me, and I'm going to breathe out the spirit as I run. Every breathe I take is important and while I am a runner, I should be using the situation I am in to minister to others and show God's love. So simply put, I'm going to Breathe the Spirit out of me as I run so others can see God's works.
I'm ready to go and start training. Hopefully my plans will work and I can honor God with my running this summer. All I know is that I am excited with what's to come and I can't wait to see what God throws my way.

Start of My College Career

I ended my high school career on a not so great note. I'm not going to let that affect me though and it is time to start getting ready for college. I have two weeks left of break and during these two weeks I'm going to get down to the root of my love for running. I want to discover why I started running, regain my love for it, and find out how I can use running to honor Christ. I'm excited for the start of the next step in my running career and I think I will be ready to go in 2 weeks. I have to email Coach Tolsma to get my running schedule worked out for this summer. Once I get this though, it's all down to business. I'm going to start training and practicing and I will try to become the best runner I can be. Throughout my year, I'm going to document everything I do on this blog and I will also take frequent videos to keep everybody updated on my training. I'm really excited for what Liberty has to offer for me and I'm hoping I can get back to the root of why I run. I started off my year today by getting my new pair of training shoes for the summer. I was really excited to get them and they are actually the most comfortable training shoes I've ever gotten. I'm anxious to get out and use them.



For now though, I'm going to stay relaxed, take my break, and discover my reasons for running.