Injuries

My knee is all better. I can fully bend it 3/4 of the way and am able to run on it now! However, my back is killing me. Why? I think it's because I was walking on my leg with stitches funny and so now the other side of my body is paying for it. The stitches are on my left knee and now the back of my right hip hurts. I went to the trainer yesterday and I told him what happened. I told him that my back/hip is hurting now and asked him if there was anything he could do to help me. He told me if I've been walking on my leg funny then if I start walking on it normal then it will probably heal itself. I really questioned that. It sure doesn't feel like it's going to heal on its own! He put a heat pack on it and sent me on my way. Today I decided to try to run. I made it through the warm up, drills, and even 5.5 miles with the team (the total was 6). But after a while I just couldn't take it anymore and I had to stop and walk. I went to the trainer again and he put me in the whirlpool for 20 minutes but it didn't do anything. I really feel like I can't even walk, by back hurts so bad. I don't know what to do. The trainer is no help, and I seriously doubt he knows what he's doing. The team has a chiropractor that does wonders apparently, but that's my last option. It hurts so bad, I feel like a grandma when I walk. I guess I'm going to have to take some time off... that's really the only thing I can do.

This is how I feel!

Progression Run/Brian Head Altitude Camp

I survived the progression run!! I was really nervous for it, but it really wasn't that bad. I also was the 12th fastest girl so I had the amazing opportunity to go to the altitude camp up at Brian Head. It was so fun. The first day we got to a really nice hotel and ran a little. Then we ate dinner and played minute to win it. That night we also watched a movie. The second day, we went about a mile in the morning and then planned on finishing our mileage that afternoon on the Navajo run. It was such a cool trail and I was so excited to run it. About a mile into our run I tripped-either on a rock or on my own foot and fell. I thought it was fine and I got up to continue running when the girls told me to stop and really look at my knee. I looked down, and there was about a 1/2 inch deep gash in my knee cap and I could see the bone. My coach came and picked me up in a van and about 3 hours later I was in the ER getting stitches. It was only three, but boy it was so stiff the next day! On the way down to Cedar I actually talked to one of the new coaches (Coach Willie) who was an Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400 relay. It was so cool talking to him about his Olympic experiences. That night I stayed at my aunts house and watched a little bit of a movie with my cousins. The next day I went back up and rode in the van while everyone else ran. It was so annoying not being able to run with them! We hung out and prepared our talents for the talent show that night. The talent show was hilarious and I love the team they are so funny! Then we played cards until really late. The next morning we got up early and came home. I was so glad I got to go to camp and get to know my teammates better. I hope I can recover and get faster!

First Day of Practice

Well today I got up at about 7:30 am and drove with my cousin to the SUU track. When I got there, most of the athletes were there. The coaches eventually came and they brought us over to a spot on the grass to talk to us. Coach Houle really gave it to us straight. He said if we didn't train during the summer then we basically screwed up our season. Luckily I did mostly everything he told me to do so I hope my season is not screwed up... Another thing I liked that he said was that we need to take care of ourselves as athletes and stop thinking about what we're doing. He told us to let the coaches do all the thinking for us, because if we start thinking then we start doubting, and if we start doubting then we begin to make excuses, and if we begin making excuses then we won't go anywhere. He also told us to dream. Anything is possible. Then we all introduced ourselves to the team and signed our lives away if anything happened to us (such as paralysis or death :0). After that we went on a 6 mile run in the dead heat of the day. The girls were so nice, and I am so happy because I know I've made the right school decision. However, the run was really really hard because I only ate a banana and a piece of bread for breakfast at around 7:30 am. By the time we started running it was lunch time and I had definitely burned my breakfast off! It was so HOT too. AND I totally biffed it when we started running. It was embarassing too because the boys team was right behind us! Ha well it happens... I hope tomorrow I am rested and my legs feel okay. My goal is to make the top girls, good enough to attend the altitude camp. I know I can do it if I am mentally strong. Wish me luck!

And so it begins...

Well, I'm here! I'm in Cedar now! I can't move into my apartment yet because the lady won't let us move in until a couple days before school starts, so I'm staying with my aunt for about 10 days. Though practice starts TOMORROW. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. I'm really nervous for Thursday! Apparently Thursday we have to do a progression run. I've seen this workout before and it's a killer, but I've never run it. My high school coach gave it to our boys team to run once and they seriously died during it. A teammate told me we start with a half a mile warmup and then run like a 7:00 mile, then progress to a 6:50, then 6:40, 6:20, then all out as fast as you can go. All the while if you don't hit the mile pace, then you drop out and watch the rest finish. It's basically a last man standing kind of workout, all on the track. Hopefully I can last until at least the last mile. I want to survive it, that's my goal! I'm so excited to meet new people and start new. Well, wish me luck! I will probably post about my first day of practice tomorrow, so until then!