Doing Work at 7,000 Feet

Summer is always over too soon. I leave behind a summer of great opportunity (internship at ITT Aerospace Controls), my first Olympic distance triathlon, training with friends and great memories from my brother’s wedding.

I have made my way back up to Flagstaff, Arizona for another year of school and running. Tina and I made the ~7 hour drive on Tuesday. Let the acclimating begin.

Upon arriving Tuesday, I got an easy 5 mile run in with Kam, Darius, Joe and even a few minutes with Tina. I averaged slower than 7:30 pace so natuarally I felt great. That evening, my new roommate Myles Kloer cooked a delicious dinner for his Mom, sisters and his roommates. He’ll be a great fit.

Wednesday I got an 11 mile run in on Soldier’s Loop then headed over to my physical at NAU’s Skydome. Later in the evening I got to meet most of my teammates for the year at our compliance meeting.

Thursday I helped move freshmen into Reilly Hall from 8-noon. I was exhausted all day (part of the acclimation process I think), but my legs perked up in the afternoon for a 12 mile run with some strides.

Yesterday we had our first workout as a team at Buffalo Park: 4×2  mile repeats. We were supposed to be going 80%, but I admit I definitely was running harder than that. I was happy to see that I was 15 seconds faster on the same workout a year ago. I am feeling fit and I think I still have lots of room for improvement in the near future. A few short months will confirm or deny this.

In the evening Tina and I drove down to Munds Park to meet some UCLA cross country runners for dinner. They are staying in a cabin there for a few weeks of altitude training. Tina and I were amazed to see so many large, beautiful homes down there as we have passed through Munds Park many times on our way to and from Phoenix. From the highway, all you can see is a mobile home park, a couple gas stations and a church. Nevertheless, we had great food and enjoyed a game of the Royal favorite Go Home. Of course, my team won. (Thanks for the clutch rolling Tina. Sorry Kelcie… you really have Alex to blame.)

Today was a recovery run. 11.5 miles to the base of Fisher Point with Andrew Belus, Ben Ashkettle and Simon Gilna. We stopped briefly on the run just to look at the beautiful setting. If I ever get a mountain bike out there I will take pictures.

Tomorrow we will be doing a long run, hopefully ~18 miles for me to put me at 100 miles for the third consecutive week. My miles of trials is only just beginning.

Time Trial and Brick Action

These last few days I have done some tough workouts that should be good indicators of where my fitness is at. Monday I decided to go for a 1650 yard time trial in the pool (~1500m which is my race distance). The goal pace was 26:00 and I was happy to see that it wasn’t too bad to hold this pace. I finished at 25:55 with some energy to spare.

Tuesday I decided it was time to see where my run fitness is at with a 10k tempo. I ran 32:53 (5:18 pace) and felt decent at the end. I am hoping that I can run at least 34 minutes with an all out effort at the end of the race.

Today I did a modified workout that we do at NAU a couple times of year. It consists of 4×400, 10 minute LT (a bit easier than tempo), 4×400, 10min LT, 4×400. The idea is that both systems, aerobic and anarobic get worked. In the triathlon spirit, I modified this workout to make it a brick. After a 2 mile warm up, I went for a 10 mile bike. Once back at the track, I ran 3×800, headed out for about 12-13 minutes on the bike, 3×800, 12-13 minutes on the bike, and 3 more 800s. It was hot, but I was really happy with how my legs felt coming off the bike. 800s were 2:27-2:29 with a 2:18 last one.

I am going for a long run with teammate Myles Kloer tomorrow off Mulholland drive near UCLA. I have never been there, but I have heard it is a nice place to run. Other than that, next week should look pretty easy. A couple bike rides with some “race pace” riding, maybe some strides or shorter reps for running, and in the pool a few times.