1 Week to the USA Outdoor Track and Field Champs: Last week's training

Even though I was racing during the Portland Track Festival this past weekend, I was still fortunate enough to watch some incredible performances from the infield on both Saturday and Sunday. What a meet! We were all treated to amazing races in everything from the 600 meters (a rare outdoor distance) all the way to the 10,000 meters. Portland Track Festival put itself on the map this year as one of the best distance meets in the country. While there were many performances to get excited about, for me the most impressive had to be the men's 1500 with Evan Jager and Garrett Heath gutting out lightning fast times. Jager ran the fastest time for an American on US soil and Garrett Heath run very close to his PR at 3:34 in tough efforts for both. For those that missed it, I highly encourage you to check out the results and watch the race footage.

As for my race, I'm satisfied with the effort. I was about a second and a half off my PR in the 1500, but I cost myself that time by trying to race it like a 10km. I decided I would try to be a little aggressive and fight for position in the middle of the race, moving up and out and back, up and out and back. I raced it like an amateur, but to be fair, I still am quite amateur at that distance. My goal going in was to knock the rust off the legs, and I certainly accomplished that without digging too deep less than two weeks out from the USA Track and Field Championships. I came back and paced the men's 5000 meter race for 2km in order to add a little volume to my workout day. Coming off 10km training to these shorter distances, I feel that I'm unable to completely max my body out, and I recovered quickly, coming back for one more 10km based workout on Wednesday.

Below I've listed out the last 10 days of training, as well as the rest of the week's planned training. The volume will be cut down significantly over the next week in preparation for the 10km in Eugene on the 25th of June. While my one 10km of the year at Payton Jordan did not go as planned, all of my training before and after has been as good as it has ever been, so I can easily call that day a fluke and get ready to defend my 3rd place position next week in an attempt to qualify for the US IAAF World Track and Field team. This year's US Championships has more talent than last year, but I feel that I am under-raced and I'm confident in my training. I expect and hope the pace to be fast, and I'm willing to help make that happen if need be. There are several very fast athletes who do not have the IAAF 'A' standard heading in, which will undoubtedly lead to an honest race. That will suit me well. For those who can't make it to Eugene, you can tune in on NBC Sports and NBC. Thanks again for reading, and follow me here on Twitter for more updates.

Week 28	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	11.5	5.5	40 minutes	17
Tuesday	5	15 x 200 @ 28-29 w/200 meter jog recovery		15
Wednesday	12.5	off	40 minutes	12.5
Thursday	5	Fartlek: 3 x (3 min, 1 min) w/equal recovery jog		15
Friday	9	5		14
Saturday	7 + drills and strides	off		7.5
Sunday	2 mi shakeout	race PTF, 1500 + pace 2km of the 5km race		9.5
TOTAL				90.5
Week 29	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	9	5	40 minutes	14
Tuesday	5	12		17
Wednesday	off	2 mile tempo (9:27), 2 mile interval (8:54), 1 mile (4:20), 800 meters (2:05), 2 x 200 (29)		12
Thursday	9	5	30 minutes	14
Friday	13-14 + drills and strides	off		14
Saturday	off	off		0
Sunday	5 x 1km @ 2:55-3:00 w/1 minute rest + 6 x 200 @ 28-30	off		10
TOTAL				81

Less than 3 weeks to the US Outdoor Champs: Last week's training

The US Outdoor Track and Field Championships are approaching quickly with less than 3 weeks to go, and the higher intensity track workouts are coming around just in time. Last week started off light with a 4-mile tempo on the track with some 200 meter repeats, and this was followed up by 11k of work on Saturday. The weather has been unusually warm the last few days in Portland, so Saturday was a grinder. The goal heading into the workout was 64-65 seconds per quarter on the 1k repeats, followed by 67 seconds on the 2km repeats, and I was able to hit the low end of this range for all of them in spite of the heat. This was the confidence booster I needed before sharpening up and tapering the volume over the next two weeks.

Before heading to Eugene for the US Champs, I'll be knocking off the rest of the rust at the Portland Track Festival over 1500 meters on Sunday evening. This distance is below my range, but I have consistently run around 3:42 here in years past. I'm hoping for a small PR this year, but in the end the goal is to simply get a hard, anaerobic effort 11-12 days out of the 10km that I'll be competing in at the Championships. I will be following the 1500 by pacing part of the 5,000 meters the same night in order to turn the day into a high quality workout. The Portland Track Festival has been getting deeper every year, and this year is no exception. Fans, including myself, will be treated to some of the nation's best athletes from 800 meters up to the 10,000. For those in the area, be sure to head out to Lewis and Clark on Saturday and Sunday for all the action.

I can't put out a blog this week and completely ignore the obvious news making headlines. Last week the BBC and  ProPublica released articles and a documentary with doping allegations directed at the Nike Oregon Project. Several athletes and associates with a great deal to lose, especially Steve Magness and the Gouchers, courageously spoke out against actions that they believe crossed the line in terms of legality and the spirit of the sport. While it may be too soon to jump to firm conclusions, the testimony is more than troubling. It has been a sad week for track and field. As an athlete who has been competing against Galen Rupp since high school in 2000, I, like many others, am awaiting further investigation by USADA and any other authorities that may be involved. Regardless of the outcome, I hope the credibility of the sport has not been tarnished beyond repair.

Thanks again for reading. Feel free to check out last week's training below, and follow me here on Twitter for more updates.

Week 27	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	11 + drills and strides		40 minutes	11.5
Tuesday	5	4 mi tempo @ 18:45, 6 x 200 @ 28-29		17
Wednesday	11	5	1 hour	16
Thursday	11	5		16
Friday	11 + drills and strides	5		16
Saturday	Off	(1k, 1k, 2k)(1k, 1k, 2k)(1k, 2k) - (2:42, 2:41, 5:34)(2:40, 2:40, 5:34)(2:39, 5:33), rest = 2 min after 1k, 3 min after 2k		14
Sunday	16.5	off	1 hour	16.5
TOTAL				107

Less than 4 weeks to the US Outdoor Track Champs: Last week's training.

We're a week closer to the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, and I'm getting a little antsy looking forward at my last few weeks of training. My coach, Dave Smith, has continued to lean a bit toward strength at this point, and while I would like to get more workouts in at 10km pace, I know that I am only one or two workouts from where I want to be. Dave has always erred on the side of caution, and it's this attitude that has kept me running consistently for 10+ years. This has been the most beneficial aspect to our relationship; I want to push, Dave reigns me in. I completely trust his judgement, so as long as I am told to hold back, I am comfortable doing so. If I were coaching myself, I am sure I would be constantly surrounded by doubt and guilt over not training hard enough. There are no elite athletes with enough experience, patience, or talent that would be better off without coach, even if it is simply to prevent their competitve drive from ruining their season.

Last week consisted of a long mile repeat workout with short rest back on the grass. It ended up being an unusually warm day, so I was glad to go based on effort as opposed to trying to dial in times on the track. The 2 minute rest kept the reps under control, and I recovered quickly. We changed gears completely on Saturday and went with a workout to sharpen up and become a little more comfortable at 1500 pace as well as work on pace changes. The workout started with 3 x 200 meters at 1500 meter pace, which served more as warmup strides than anything else. I came off that in a 1km rep at 2:29 before moving on to 3 x 600 meter cutdown reps. The goal was to start the first 200 in 33-34 and progress to 30-31 and 28-29 on the final 200. The rest was 3 minutes between reps, so while the quick pace and speed changes didn't feel perfectly smooth, the workout overall did not put me into a hole.

Next up, I'll be looking at a light tempo followed by longer track repeats focused on the 10km distance. I can then start to focus on a 1500 meter tune-up race at the Portland Track Festival in just under 2 weeks from now. I may also come back and rabbit the 5km and turn the evening into a solid workout. More on the Portland Track Festival next week. Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out last week's training below. Follow me here on Twitter for more updates.

Week 26	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	19	off	30 minutes	19
Tuesday	9	off		9
Wednesday	5	8 x mile on XC loop starting @ 4:46 down to 4:27 w/2 min rest		18
Thursday	11	5	40 minutes	16
Friday	11 + drills and strides	5		16
Saturday	3 x 200 @ 29-30, 1km @ 2:29, 3x600 cutdowns (34, 31, 29 200 splits)	6	40 minutes	15.5
Sunday	16.5	off		16.5
TOTAL				110