Tuesday, October 23, 2007

No lights necessary

11:10 AM - 4 miles, 30:00 - Lake Park.
Pre-workout shake by the lake. Three big loops on the dirt, then a mile on the track in 5:57 (3:12/2:45) to finish up right at the magical 30-minute mark.

6:15 PM - 13 miles - Heartbreak Hill.
27:45 warmup including an abbreviated drill set, 10 x Bottom-to-Top (1:50, 1:52, 1:50, 1:51, 1:50, 1:50, 1:50, 1:47, 1:45, 1:41), 15:55 cooldown.

Hit the hill hard tonight with Fabian, Ryan, Nieskens and Jeff. It's always an adventure when going full throttle on a grass incline in the dark but we're certified experts in this stuff so we managed just fine. Luckily the rain held off for us but the humidity and wind were unusually nasty for an October night. Still, we had another solid workout as we head toward the start of the cross country racing season on Sunday.

Yep, the crazy three-meet post-collegiate fall cross country season starts this Sunday at Franklin Park with 18th annual running of the much ballyhooed Mayor's Cup. This will be my first off-road race in two years and if you guessed I'm excited, well, you obviously know me pretty well then. This weekend's 8K will primarily serve as a cross country rust buster of sorts, so I'm not gonna put much pressure on myself to hit certain splits or outkick a certain dude. I'll just race hard from gun to tape and let the cards fall where they may. Come to think of it, that's how a cross country race should be run anyway. Forgive me, it's been a while.

Quote of the Day

"I think you've got to have the genetic potential first...then you have to have a great spirit...lastly, you need mental toughness."
- Mickey Hall on what it takes to be a great runner. His son Ryan seems to have all three going for him.

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