End of the first phase....

  Well, it looks as if I won't be racing the Eagle Island race next weekend.  My coach and I have chatted and decided that it would be more beneficial for me to run a 6k race effort on my own Saturday morning instead of competing in the Nike Cross Country 5k.  He said with as much as I have accomplished this season (running faster and competing stronger than he predicted), the 5k next weekend wouldn't be beneficial in my training at this point.  It would be smarter to run a 6k race test effort on my own.  SO, that is what I will be doing.

  I had a workout with my coach on Wednesday evening and he shared with me some encouraging news.  The times that I was running for my intervals were close to the times that one of his female athletes, Cynthia (she retired this spring), had been running last year at this time.  This is encouraging because she ran in the Olympic trials. :O)  He said my workouts were right there where hers had been at this time last year and she had been his athlete for a number of years at that point...WHICH bodes well for me as I have only been his athlete for about 9 weeks.  His training is all about time and compounding, so it usually takes a year or two before seeing significant increases in successes. 

  After next weekend, we will start a de-training phase for a couple of weeks, and then begin a new one.  The de-training phase is just a time to give our bodies a chance to repair more completely and give it a rest after all the hard interval training and racing we have been doing.  I will only be running 5 or 6 miles a day and take a day or two off.  I haven't taken a day off in the 9 weeks I have been with him...I think my first day off will be after I have been under his training for 11 weeks.  After this phase (beginning of December) we will start a strength and endurance phase.  We will begin doing drills (to improve speed and form), running more hilly runs(to develop more power), and longer minutes work-outs instead of intervals (to develop endurance).  I have always liked the strength and endurance phases of training, so I am excited :o).  It is tough, but very rewarding.  I have always been able to see a huge difference in my training when we complete this phase.  This phase will probably go until the beginning of March...when we will start running more races again.  

  The weather has been warmer again...70's and sunny. :o)  I think we may have some snow next week so it will get significantly cooler again!  I officially start my job at the YMCA on Monday, so that will be good for me.  Looking to find another part time job...keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that something comes up soon.

  Hope you are all doing well! :o) 

Corvallis 5k.....

Just got back this evening from Oregon.  I went to Corvallis to run the Corvallis 5k Sunday morning.  It was a good race. I ran a 25 second PR and placed 21st out of 231 overall and second female overall with a time of 17:19.  My last race for a little while will be in two weeks at the Nike Cross Country Championships here at Eagle Island (Eagle, ID).  It is a 5k on November 13th.  It's a pretty tough course, but it will be fun.  I ran on it twice when I was at NNU.

I finally was able to land a job at the YMCA here.  I am working at an elementary school leading an after school sports enrichment program.  Basically I teach soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then basketball on Mondays and Wednesdays.  It is less than 10 hours a week, but at least it is a start!  I have an interview tomorrow morning for a fitness trainer position at the Nampa Rec center.

That's about it for now!  I am off to bed!  I have a busy day tomorrow :o).

Here is the link to all the Corvallis 5k info like results, pictures, and live video I think:
              http://www.corvallis5k.com/
  My bib# was 130 if you need it for the pictures. :O)

Hope you are all doing well!