Hill Sprints and a Long Run is on My To-Do

Question of the Day: do you guys like hill sprints?

POSISTIVE ATTITUDE TIME but YES I love hills! I live in hill country and I just got to suck it up! That was part of my workout today. 1/2 mile (maybe a little more) warm-up to the hill and we ran up it 5 times. Then we did a surge run (where one person leads and go whatever pace but the behind person must follow the best they can) for 2 miles. You know, the total distance of our run was only about 3.75 miles, but it was such a QUALITY run and I love QUALITY runs...especially when I'm done:)

As I'm typing this, I'm hearing a weird noise and I should go check it out but it's pretty sad when you're too sore to go move to check it. Eh, I will once I get done blogging and getting on and off facebook 5 times and stalking Pinterest 3 times.

Tomorrow's workout I will be trying to get 7 miles in, which will be 4 inside and 3 out. I have to break it up. Running outside by yourself for 7 miles is too boring for me. I have a million and other things I want to (like always!) so I need to make my to-do list pronto. I am obbessed with keeping to-do lists and I always leave them stashed in my purse and they just build up and never end. But they make me feel productive and ready for my next day and that's all that matters.

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Do you like running by yourself? How do you keep yourself ENTERTAINED during long runs if you do run by yourself?!?!
  
Are you a QUALITY runner or more of mileage focused runner? (I guess it depends what you're training for)

Favorite type of run? (intervals, tempo, long run, sprints, etc.)

Anything that is just bugging you lately? 

Do you do To-Do lists for the next day? :)

Top Olympic Distance Running Moments

This post was written by Megan on Thursday @ 8:06 PM. She schedules posts at 8AM for the next morning.

Let me say, there is something about watching the Olympics that gets me every time. Watching the athletes that have put in so much work over the last four years for this one moment makes me almost gives me goosebumps. What these athletes have committed to for those years is amazing and I think sometimes we overlook that! My favorite ultimate thing to watch (no surprise) is the marathon, track & field, and swimming. In that order too. Plus, did any of you watch the Women's Olympic Marathon? I didn't get to see it this year and I'd love to get a link somewhere so I can watch the FULL two hours of it.

In honor of the Olympics and my love for running, I looked up on Runner's World the top most remembered moments of Olympic history in distance running and I found the AMAZING story of this guy:

His name is Emil Zatopek and he is a guy who came up with Interval Training. When asked by reporters on how he trains, he replied that he did many sprints and "Interval Training". 

Zatopek's punishing workouts-sprint after sprint with little rest-made the Czechoslovakian army captain the pre-eminent runner of his era and arguably of all time. By the autumn of 1948, he'd broken every Czech distance record, and at that year's Games in London, he took gold in the 10,000 and silver in the 5000. At this point in his career, he'd already gained a Jekyll and Hyde reputation: humble, self-effacing, engaging off the track; fierce, uncompromising competitor on it. SOURCE

And READ this:

While at the Helsinki Olympics, the 29-year-old Zatopek did not taper his training. Several times before the 10,000, he did workouts of 5 x 100 meters, 20 x 400, then 5 x 100-twice a day-followed by six miles of easy recovery running. Two days after the 10,000, Zatopek ran a heat of the 5000, and two days after that he raced the 5000 final against several top contenders, including Mimoun.

Three days later, Zatopek entered the marathon, an event he'd never tried, nor had he trained for it. Well, not formally anyway. In the military, he'd done 20-milers in army boots. Zatopek's only strategy going in was to follow the favorite, Jim Peters of Great Britain, who'd set the world record of 2:20:43 six weeks before. So he introduced himself to Peters at the start. SOURCE

And you know what? He WON that marathon after running the 10,000 and the 5,000 meters. He is the only runner to achieve this- running the 10,000 (which he recieved gold in), 5,000 (which he got silver in), and the marathon (which was also gold). Freaking wow.

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Do you have a favorite Olympic moment? (from this year or other years)

Being able to watching Micheal Phelps win and make history as being the most decorated Olympian and seeing the women's 10,000 meters this year.

Who was your favorite Olympic athlete (of any sport) THIS year?

I'm going to say Micheal Phelps for swimming and Shalane Flanagan in the marathon.

What did you think of the opening ceremony of London this year?