Tuesday, January 31, 2012

January 29th to February 4th

Sunday
I completed the long run today which I originally intended for yesterday. It was unbelievably windy out and I definitely did not feel top notch. I was able to make it through it, but was glad to be done. The route was out South 3rd, Nash, Triple Tree, Canary, around the hospital plus a little add on. (16/16)

Monday
Did the workout with MSU in the morning. The workout was 1000s with 1 to 1 work to rest. Then 3 * 300 cut downs with 1 minute rest. I ran my 1Ks in 2:52, 2:54, 2:51, 2:50, 2:45, 2:43, 2:44. The 300s were about 48, 44, 44. I was definitively feeling sluggish today and I gave this workout about all I had today. If I wasn't still frustrated from the race, I don't think I would have run this workout so hard today. The last 1K was pretty tough, but the 300s were so brutal. Usually the 300s feel great to me, but I was absolutely out of gas. (9/25)

You know altitude impacts people differently. All of my PRs were set at sea level and are all significantly faster than my fastest times with the NCAA altitude adjustments. I have run 1Ks way faster at sea level, but today's workout felt way harder.

Here are my PRs at sea level compared to my best altitude adjusted times (I have run alot of races in the 1500, 3000, and steeple at altitude):
1500      3:42/3:45
3000      7:54/8:03 or 8:04
Steeple   8:33/8:37 or 8:38
5000      13:38/14:10 (Haven't run many fast 5Ks at altitude)

Tuesday
Did a quick workout on my own on the MSU outdoor track. There has not been a winter here yet! The workout was 2 sets of two * one mile at tempo and then 4 * 200 at mile pace with 1 minute rest between everything. I ran 5:07, 4:57, 31, 30, 30, 31, 4:52, 4:53, 31. The last three 200s I did as 30 second segments on the way home because I was running late. They would have been 30 or 31s on the track. Pretty good relatively light workout which included 4 miles of tempo and 1 mile at mile pace. In the evening, I ran an easy 4 miles. This three day stretch of long run, workout, workout definitely has taken my energy level down a bit. Was tired in the evening. (13/38)

Wednesday
Easy run in the morning of about 6.5 miles. Easy run 7.5 miles in the afternoon. Hurdle skill after run (14/52)

Thursday
Easy run 8.5 miles with a 3 strides at end. In the evening, I rode on the bus to Pocatello for the Mountain State Games with the MSU team. (8.5/60.5)

Friday
Shake out and strides in the morning at Holt Arena. In the evening, I ran in the 5K which also included MSU athletes Seth, Carl (pronounced kar), and Dan. Dan and I decided to switch off leading every 1K. I led the first and third K and Dan led the 2nd and 4th K. I was surprised even at 5K pace the turns felt tight on the track (it has longer straights and tighter turns than our home track). Anyway, I started out and felt pretty good with the first 1600 in 4:36. At about two miles, I was starting to feel it a bit and we came through 3200 in 9:14 about two seconds slower than we wanted to be. Dan really started to push the pace a bit and we started running low 68s. The last 1000 to 800 meters I started to struggle and Dan opened up a bit of a lead on me. With about 400 to go I started to pick up the pace a little bit, but with 200 meters to go I was still down as much as 3 seconds. With 200 to go I picked it up again and with 150 meters to go I really went hard and caught Dan on the last turn and ended up winning the race. Dan did a great job pushing the pace and made the race faster much faster. This was the fastest 5K I have ever run at altitude. Dan really went after it in this race and I was proud of him.Carl and Seth also ran solid 5Ks. Dan and I ended up running 14:18 and 14:19, I believe. Dan's time was a new school record breaking the old record set by Shannon Butler. It altitude adjusts to a 13:59 which ranks him 6th in the NCAA, at least for the time being. (10/70.5)

Saturday
I decided to try and double back so I ran the mile at the Mountain State Games. Before the race I felt pretty good, until I started to warm up where I was feeling sore and tired from last night's 5K. Even though I was a bit tired and sore, I intended to try and get out pretty fast. But, I got a really bad start and got stuck in the pack for the the first bit of the race. So, I just ran with the pack through the 800 and then picked it up. I ended up winning the race in 4:13. I went through halfway in 2:09, so I ran a negative split. I didn't get in another run today because of everything going on with the meet as well as the 4.5 hour trip home. (5.5/76)

Weekly Summary
76 miles in pretty much 9 runs. This was a pretty wild week. It started with an incredibly difficult workout for me on Monday which shook my confidence a bit, especially after the race last Friday. Tuesday's workout was ok, but it was difficult to gauge anything from it. The 5K race ended up being a pretty good race for me, not only because of the time, but also because it was a tough race where I had to stay relaxed and not panic like I seemed to last week.

Weezytales
My junior year of college I had a breakthrough race in the 3000. It ended up being the 6th fastest time by an American (college or pro) that indoor season. At the end of the indoor season, Coach Kennedy told me I would be on a full scholarship the next year. I told him I would prefer for the additional scholarship to go toward getting additional high quality distance runners onto our team. The next fall a couple new additions contributed to our cross country team's Big Sky Conference Championship and 11th place finish at NCAAs. This wasn't just my attitude, but just about everyone's on the team which is why we accomplished so much together. This team is getting inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame this coming fall.



Tuesday, January 24, 2012

January 22nd to 28th

Sunday
Easy run of 9 miles. Sat around, watched football, and hung out with the fam the rest of the day. (9/9)

Monday
Workout in the Fieldhouse with Dan & Carl (pronounced Karrr). The workout was 1200s with equal rest. Dan led the first one and then I led the next four. I woke up in the morning with a stomach ache. I thought for a while I wasn't going to be able to do much of anything, even on the warmup. However, once the workout started, I didn't feel too bad. I should have done a 6th 1200, but was happy to get anything in after how I felt beforehand. Also, I intend on coming back with another workout tomorrow and then take two easy days before the race on Friday. I ran the 1200s in 3:25, 3:25, 3:24, 3:21, 3:21. 1200s are a really challenging workout. They seem so much harder than 800s and even 1000s. (8/17)

Tuesday
Went with a mix workout like was on the schedule, but changed it up a bit. It snowed overnight, so it was pretty slippery out. I did two tempo miles outside with 1 minute rest. Then I headed in the Fieldhouse and did 1 more tempo mile. Then I changed into my spikes and did 8 * 400 with 1 minute rest. Obviously, the 400s were the most difficult part of this workout. Actually, they were brutally difficult. The two outdoor tempo miles were at about 5:15 pace because of the footing, the indoor tempo mile was 5 flat, and the 400s were all at 61 except one I hit in 62. Going two days hard in a row and with the tempo miles beforehand, the 400s were really tough. In the afternoon, I ran an easy 4 miles. (13/30)

Wednesday
In the morning, I ran a really slow 9 miles. I was definitely tired and my calves were barking or I guess mooing at me. In the afternoon, I ran 5 miles easy. (14/44)

Thursday
Easy runs of 8 miles in the morning and 6 miles in the afternoon. (14/58)

Friday
Easy run in the morning of about 3 miles. In the evening, I ran the 3000 meters at the MSU Open and ended up running 8:20 (the NCAA would convert this to 8:09 or something for altitude, whatever that is worth). It was a pretty disappointing race. I led from the gun and attempted to run 66 second 400s on the indoor 200 meter banked track. It was difficult to hear the splits and I often didn't know exactly where I was time wise. I ended up coming through the mile at 4:28. After the mile, I tried to start running 64s which I did for a while. I led until the last 600 meters of the race or so when Dan Jackson who had shadowed me the entire race passed me. To be honest, I was a little surprised Dan was still there based on his workouts up to this point and he kind of caught me off guard. The discomfort in the last bit of the race was also a bit shocking. It had been a while since I really tried to run a race fast. So now looking into the future, I believe it is going to take me a couple of races in order to really race well again. It was a pretty frustrating experience for me, but it ended up helping Dan to a great time. Dan really ran a great race, works hard, and continues to improve. (10/68)

Saturday
I didn't sleep well at all the night after the race and was not feeling well at all. So, I took my first day off in quite a while I believe.

Weekly Summary
68 miles in 10 runs. This week looks a lot lower volume wise than it really was because I took off the long run on Saturday and instead did the long run on Sunday the next day. If the long run were counted in this 7 day period, this would have been an 84 mile week. It was nice to get in a race to get a benchmark. Looking back on the race it might have been better to be more conservative in this first race and then try to run faster at a later date.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

January 15th to 21st

Sunday
Easy Run 9 miles (9/9)

Monday
Workout by myself in Fieldhouse. Ended up doing 5*1200 and 5*300. The rest was 3 minutes between 1200s and 1 min between 300s. My average pace was 3:27 or 3:28 for the 1200s and 45 for the 300s. The 1200s obviously could have been better. Was really running late so the warm up and cool down were both super short. (8/17)

Tuesday
Easy runs of 9.5 miles in the morning and 4.5 in the afternoon. In the afternoon, I also did hurdle skill and plyos. (14/31)

Wednesday
4 mile tempo run in the morning. My legs felt beat up and the tempo did not go real well. I cut this tempo short because my legs were sore and just didn't feel right. I think the soreness was from wearing spikes for basically the first time on Monday for the 5 300s and a big plyo circuit and hurdle skill session. In the afternoon, I ran 5 miles easy. (13/44)

Thursday
Easy run in the morning of 8 miles. In the afternoon, I ran 6 miles with the MSU team. My legs were feeling a little better and the soreness is mostly gone. (14/58)

Friday
The banked track was up for the meet today and I was able to get a workout in on it. I decided not to do the workout on the schedule because I didn't have time and I wasn't certain it would go well and I might have ended up frustrated. So, for a workout I still came up with a pretty challenging 20 * 200 with 30 seconds rest. It went pretty well. All of the first 18 200 were in 30 point and the last two were faster with the last in 27. This was the first time I have ever done this workout. Afterward, I thought I maybe could have gone for 29s instead of 30s. Maybe just the last 10 at 29 might have been good. (7.5/65.5)

Saturday
Long run with MSU team 16.5 miles. (16.5/82)

Weekly Summary
82 miles in 10 runs. A little lower mileage this week which was probably a good thing. A couple of pretty good workouts and a tempo that didn't go very well. Looking forward to the race coming up this week (3k here in Bozeman).

No Weezytale this week :(

Monday, January 9, 2012

January 8th to 14th

Sunday
Long run a lit over 17 miles in about 2 hours. Did a 10 minute loop running with the dogs, then ran Nash to Triple Tree to Canary around the hospital and home. Felt ok, but did feel a little tired climbing the Triple Tree hills. Did 4 to 5 strides in the last mile. (17/17)

Monday
Easy run with the MSU team. (8.5/25.5)
*Here is a link to a little interview I did thanks to the efforts of Kirk and Daniel. http://kkeller.posterous.com/one-fast-coach

Tuesday
It has been a difficult couple of days here. It is too bad decisions are often made on false premises. I believe Patrick Casey would have won national titles here at MSU. It would have meant more to him to do it here at MSU, at least in the long run. That is all I have to say about that. The good news is we have a great group of athletes who are going to perform well and have a good time. As far as the workout goes, I ran it with the MSU team today. The MSU workout was 400s with 2:30 rest. I had planned beforehand of doing a 600 and then 400 while starting each rep with the MSU team. So I would have done a 600 and had a little less than 2 min rest then 400 and then 2:30 rest. I was so drained that I just went ahead with the 400s with no 600s. This workout seemed way more difficult than it ordinarily would have been. I was putting in a good effort and only running maybe 61s average overall. Not a great workout, but at least I got some work in at mile pace. During the warm up we did hurdle mobility, speed skill, and 8 times 100 meter strides. (7/32.5)

Wednesday
Easy 7 miles in the morning. In the afternoon, I ran with the MSU team and put in another 9 miles or so. General mobility after run. Dan and I also went through the rudiment circuit after the run. Great group of guys. (16/48.5)

Thursday
Easy morning run 5 miles. I did a tempo workout in the afternoon. The workout was 4 mile, 3 mile, 2 mile. My times were 20:02, 15:01, and 10:02. The rest was 4 minutes and 3 minutes. It was kind of cold out so it was hard starting the next tempo cause I got cold fast. When I got home, I nourished myself with two bowls of Lucky Charms before dinner. (17/65.5)

Friday
Easy run in the morning. Was feeling yesterday's tempo a bit, but felt ok. (11.5/77)

Saturday
My morning was spent waiting on pins and needles for updates on Danny Tapia's race at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Danny did great and finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Danny is an inspiration. I haven't ever met anyone quite like Danny. After hearing updates of Danny's race, I headed out for a long run. Was pretty tired, bit ran reverse Syphes Canyon plus a little add on for a total of about 18 miles. (18/95)

Weekly Summary
This week I ran a total of 95 miles, but there were two long runs in this 7 days so it inflated the mileage a little bit. It would have been about 90 miles if there had only been one long run. The 95 miles were done in 9 runs.

Weezytales
This week's Weezytale is about one of the few times I have ridden in a limo. I was in Indianapolis for the 2006 USA Track Championships. The meet was over and I needed to find a ride to the airport in the morning. Someone told me to call a limo company because they ran shuttles of people to the airport in limos and was much cheaper than taking a cab. So, I called the limo company the night before and it was all set. So, very early the next morning I waited for the limo and it arrived. I hopped in the limo and who was the only person sitting across from me, but Marion Jones. This was 2006 after the BALCO scandal. Everyone knew she was a drug cheat, but she had served her suspension and I think she had won the US championship in the 100 the day before. She went on to test positive again that summer I believe. Anyway, there I was sitting right across from her. I did not like anything about her and I am sure she didn't give a crap about me. So, we just sat there the entire time all the way to the airport. Neither of us said a word and there was no music, just dead silence. It was maybe the most ackward 20 to 30 minutes of my life. Looking back, it is really funny now.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

January 1st to 7th

Here is what I have on the schedule for training for the month of January:

January
SundayMondayTuesdayWdnsdyThursdayFridaySaturday
1234567
ECR6 * 1200 at (i) pace - 3 minutes rest & 6 * 300 with 1 min restECRTempo 3, 2, 1 mile with 3, 2 min restECR6 sets of 200, 200, 400 at rep with 1 and 2 min restLong Run
891011121314
ECR3 * mile at 3k pace with 5 minutes restECRTempo 6 * mile with 60 sec restECR10 times 400 at rep with 60 seconds restLong Run
15161718192021
ECR6 * 1200 at (i) pace - 3 minutes rest & 6 * 300 with 1 min restECRTempo 3, 3 mile with 3 min restECR1600, 1200, 800, 600, 400, 400 at rep with 2 to 1 rest work ratio (1600 time trial basically)Long Run
22232425262728
ECR9 x 800 at (i) with 110 sec rest & 2 sets of 3 x 300 with 1 min rest, 5 min set break5 mile tempoECRECRMSU Open - 3k or Mile & 800Long Run
293031
ECR3 * mile at 3k pace with 5 minutes restECR



Sunday
Easy run in Missoula. It was cold, windy, and overcast. The run was about 8 miles. I ran in the Rattlesnake area and was running while the Resolution Run was happening there. (8/8)

Monday
Drove back to Bozeman from Missoula in the morning. In the afternoon, I went over to the Fieldhouse to try and do the workout on the schedule above. However, the stands were still out on the track oval. I just didn't feel like doing another fartlek workout outside by myself, so I decided to do the workout tomorrow with the MSU team. I went out for an easy run of about 12 miles and felt pretty good. (12/20)

Tuesday
Ran with the MSU team and did sets of 200, 200, 400 with 1 minute rest after the 200s and 2 minutes rest after the 400s. During the warm up we did hurdle mobility and 8 by 100 meter strides. I felt pretty good during this workout. It was great running inside with warm temperatures and it was especially nice to do a workout with someone for the first time in a long time. I was able to hang with Pat, Dan, and Grant on this quicker workout, so I was encouraged. I ended up running 5 sets and probably average low 31s for the 200s and low 60s for the 400s. It was good not to over do it on the first workout in the indoor track with the tight turns. I will probably run the workouts with the MSU team for the rest of the week. In the afternoon, I went for a 7 mile easy run and felt pretty good. (14/34)

Wednesday
In the morning, I ran a bit under 7 miles with the MSU team. After the run, I did general mobility, hurdle skill, and rudiment (plyos). In the evening, I ran 6 miles. (13/47)

Thursday
Ran 8 times 1K with the MSU team. Started at 2:55 and worked down to as low as 2:45, but we were taking a big rest of 3 minutes. Felt pretty good during the workout. Am a little surprised how good I have felt in these past two workouts. For a warmup, we did hurdle mobility, speed skill, and 8 times 100 meter strides. In the evening, I ran an easy 5 miles. (15/62)

Friday
Easy Run 8 miles. Was planning on going for another run this evening, but something came up which stressed me out. Instead of running again, Sierra, Rowan, and I did some serious hanging out. (8/70)

Saturday
Tempo work with the MSU team - 2 times 3 mile with 3 minutes rest. Was kind of fired up today so I ran this pretty hard. The two 3 mile tempos were both about 14:45. I was out front of the team by a ways, but it was still nice having them there running at the same time. It is a real nice group of people. After the tempos, we ran 8 times 100 yard strides in the football stadium. Ten days ago, I was so frustrated and now I am feeling great. It is amazing how fast thing can turn around. Ran an easy 4 miles in the evening. (15/85)

Weekly Summary
85 miles in 11 runs. The way this week worked out, there was no long run in this 7 day period. This would have been about a 90 mile week with a long run in there. This was the best week of training I have had in quite a while. All three workouts were solid.


I was thinking today of a meet in 2009 at San Francisco State. It was a really fun meet and the awesome Hartnell team was there! I ran the 1500 and the 5K in the meet. I wasn't really prepared to race. I had done one track workout of 5*1200 or something two days before the meet. Everything else had just been out on the trails of Ft. Ord. I did end up winning the 1500 and ran 3:50, but it was all I had. In the 5K, some hours afterward, I managed to fall way behind, but made a late charge over the last little bit. Ended up running 14:10. It was a pretty good double and I was feeling confident afterward. However, my knee ended up swelling up after the race which really messed up the rest of the season. Probably shouldn't have run two races without track work or anything nearly that intense. It was a shock to the system I guess. Regardless, I had so much fun running in these races and cheering on the Hartnell runners. In the same 5K as me, Hartnell Panther Danny Tapia, set a new pr of 14:40. It is amazing Danny has now done 4 times 5K in 14:15  in preparation to shock people in the US Olympic Marathon Trials one week away! Go Danny!

Here is the link to the 1500:  http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/234832-San-Francisco-State-Distance-Carnival/video/165798-M-1500-H02

Here is the link to the 5K:  http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/234832-San-Francisco-State-Distance-Carnival/video/165797-M-5k-H03