2009 Stats & Lessons Learned for 2010

Okay geeks, times for some 2009 stats:

*3,359 miles run in 2009 - a new personal record
Average of 9.2 miles per day
Average of 64 miles per week
*this should have been more, but the injuries this fall hindered my effort to get in solid weeks

(2008 - I ended the year with 3,180 miles ~ approximately 60.5 mpw or 8.7 mpd)

47 days off
Equals, on average, 1 day off every 8 days
14 days off in first half of the year
33 days off in second half of year (result of injuries and overseas work/travel)

SPREADSHEET

LESSONS LEARNED IN 2009 & THINGS TO EXECUTE IN 2010

1. Run as much as you’re body is able to handle. The key to success in running is mileage; the more you run, the better you’ll race. There is no better thing for your running body than miles. Stretching, yoga, foam rollers, ice baths, massages are all good for you, BUT mileage makes you great. HOWEVER, everyBODY is different and this should be taken into consideration when running mileage (ie - how much YOU can run).

2. A mileage build up must be slow and steady. This can takes YEARS, not months and certainly not weeks.

3. Don't go "all out" in workouts. Keep it at 90%. All out is what races are for.

4. Rest when your body needs to, not when your body wants to. Train as often as you can, everyday, twice a day, if able. But do rest before races (see below)

5. Go into races fresh. That is the f%&#ing point! If you want to race well in any given race, make sure you're rested. This can include a day off or more heading into your big race.

6. Don't worry about how you feel the week of the race. When you're on the starting line, trust your fitness. It's fine to be nervous (and good to be nervous), but don't second guess all the hard work you've done AND the fact your rested and ready. If you're not ready then go out hard and wish yourself luck.

7. It's okay to go out on pace or slower than goal pace in a race.

8. Do not train at the same pace every day. Run with slower people and run with faster people. Run with as many different people and paces as you can. Run with different people and get outside your element. Mix it up.

9. Take it easy on easy days. It is okay to go slow...very slow. Recover to fight another day.

10. Do not run the same couple of routes every day. Mix it up.

11. Make sure to run 1/2 to 2/3rds of your runs on natural terrain.

12. Run hills (both up and down) as often as you can, but not every day.

13. Injuries often get better with MORE running (this has worked in Achilles, shin and knee injuries). If you can’t run through the injury, you need to stand down and then attack.

Workout

3 x 1600m (400) - 5:00, 4:52. 4:38

4 x 200m strides - 29-31

More later...

End of the Year Report – 2009

I actually started writing my end of the year report in October while on a 6+ hour flight to London. I needed to kill time, but, in a sense, my running had essentially come to an end by the time October came around. This is kind of a lengthy report, so I apologize. But, someday in the distant future, as an old curmudgeonly codger, I will read this and smile. The headline is that 2009 was undoubtedly the most accomplished year of running in my life (2007 was my second best year). Success, at the end of the day, is measured in improvement and in 2009 I PR’d in every distance from 3,000m to half marathon. My worst races were still personal bests and “gains” over the previous year. To that end, I improved in ALL running fronts over the course of the year. If one were looking at a chart/graph, my best running occurred from mid-March through early May. The "bell curve" would begin in February and end in May...but then spike again in mid-late July before curving back down.

Success in 2009 came after a gradual build-up of miles starting as far back as October, 2008. Of course it started years before that, but the beginning of my up-tick started around this time. At first I raced sparingly (roughly one race per month+) but soon picked up the intensity as I got into spring. The plan was to get some miles under my legs and then train SPECIFICALLY for the 5k, and SPECIFICALLY to break 15:00 in that distance. My workouts were geared to that end and I ran consistent weeks between 70-80 miles, before building up to 100 in late March. I received my workouts from John Molvar (coach at Gordon College) who I often seek counsel from in all things racing and training.

SPRING
The first big race of the year was in February - the USATF XC Nationals just 10 miles away in Derwood, Md. I wasn’t really looking forward to the race, but felt as if I “had to” do it since it was literally in my backyard. Leading up to the 12k, I PR’d at 3,000m indoors with little speedwork. This gave me confidence heading into the race at Derwood. In the end, I was very glad I ran it. I out-ran a number of my peers over the hill and dales of agrarian Montgomery County who I normally would have lost to on the road and/or the track. It was a great boost, but my mind was set on March, April and, if I could get there in one piece, May.

Now, back to the 5ks...
The plan was to race three 5ks over the course of 6 weeks and assault the 15:00 barrier. If I didn’t break 15:00, at least this would at least get me in great shape for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler held in early April - the signature spring race in Washington DC. Breaking 15 would prove that I wasn’t past my prime and that I still had some speed in my legs (at the age of 28/29). The first chance came at a time trial at the University of Maryland. I was on pace to dip under my goal until about 2.25 miles, but after that the wheels came off. No worries. I had just finished a 100 mile week and I wasn't supposed to be in shape yet. I was still disappointed, but would try again. The next chance would come at the Shamrock 5k in Baltimore two weeks later. I towed the line in Charm City and blasted off like a rocket at the sound of the gun. I hit mile one (downhill) in 4:34 and never looked back. Less than 15 minutes later I was finished and had run the race of my life – a nice W as well as a broken barrier (14:58). With the 15:00 monkey off my back, I adjusted my goal at my next race to assault 14:50. However, it was not to be. The 3rd attempt to race the 5k came at the UMD Invite just one week before Cherry Blossom. Here I would hopefully roll...but instead I ran 15:07.

Now that the legs were filled with miles and peppered with workouts and 5ks, I would taper and attack the 52 minute barrier at Cherry Blossom. This would be the culmination of all the hard work. Cherry Blossom couldn’t have gone more perfect for me. I took some days off and on race day was fortunate enough to get in a great pack which swept me through 5 miles a tick under 25:30. This was uncharted territory for me, but I told myself I could handle it. To some extent I did and I finished the day with a 51:29 (almost a 1 minute PR).

A couple weeks later, I PR'd in the 10k then set my eyes on the Broad Street Run; Philly's notoriously fast ten miler. By May, I had poured out all the water in my vase; I had raced a lot, tapered, raced some more and now was weary of more success. I went into BSR with a "whatever" like attitude. Secretly I wanted to hammer it, but I was already very happy with my season. By the end of the day I had run another PR (51:15) and, during the course of the race, had run personal bests in every distance from 5 miles until 10. I was on fire...but I was also tired. It was more mental than physical. I really have to get psyched up for these big races and I feel as if there is only so much you can get yourself fired up for. So, with that, I ended my long season and then proceeded to take some rest.

SUMMER
I was hoping to use the summer to add to the base I had accrued earlier in the year. I only ran 3 races, which were intended to be used as workouts, but in actuality they took more out of me than I intended. I flirted with my PR in the mile at a track meet in mid-July just a week before racing the Rockville Twilighter (5 miler). A sore stomach pre-race evolved into a crippling stomach post-race. The pain/discomfort was so severe that I sniffed out a specialist to diagnose the problem. I had had stomach issues in the past, but this time my HEART and shoulder area were also hurting. I can live with a wicked tummy, but the heart pain scared me greatly. The doctor assured me my heart was fine, but I had tweaked something – an air tube that connected my heart to my stomach (the diaphragm?). Inhaling and exhaling was painful and my running seemed to turn sour over the next few days. I had another race the coming weekend and I didn’t know how my “issue” would resolve itself during the race or after I crossed the finish line. The Crystal City 5k ended up being the “high tide mark” of 2009 for me. After surging away from a slew of good runners after an opening 4:34 mile, I hit 2 miles in 9:30 battling the likes of teammate Dirk and the Ethiopian Abiyot. After struggling in (thankfully without any stomach/heart pain) my legs felt a wreck. This seemed to be the nail in my coffin - I think I had raced one too many races. By July, I was overaced, battling some on/off again stomach issue and just plain tired…but I still had another race to go, the Falmouth Road Race.

And, Falmouth beat me...as it always does. The undulating roads under a warm Cape Cod sun in August torture my soul. I always have high expectations here, but never get anywhere close to my goal., but I still PR'd. I love the race and will run it next year too.

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have raced so much in the summer. Of course I hadn’t intended to be so beat from “only” 3 races, but the fact that they were back-to-back-to-back might have been a factor. Add in my stomach issue, a “heart attack” and the very long spring season, and I think it was simply too much.

FALL
The plan for the fall was to assault the half marathon at the Philly Distance Run. Like the spring, I’d race a couple 5ks leading up to the half in early September and then...ATTACK! The goal was to dovetail off my success at 10 milers and dip under 1:08 in 13.1. Instead, I found myself nixing race after race leading up to the half due to an ever-present issue with my lower left leg. First it was my Achilles, then it was my shin, then it was my Achilles (again?). I took some time off and then rallied to get in shape. I hadn't run any long runs nor hammered any workouts, but wanted to hit Philly hard. There would be no alternative race to run, as I was set to travel to Europe for a couple of weeks. Race when you're in shape; race when you can. I ran a solid race at Philly - 69:32. It was well off my goal, but my goal was unattainable on that day. The next month+ would be filled with more injury and travel. I decided to nix Army Ten Miler. Gone was my confidence and my fitness. My fall season was over. In a sense, I had no fall season, rather an extended, elongated summer season which began in July an ended 2 months later in late September. I was able to get myself in some assemblage of shape for a late season rally and went out on a good note by finishing 90th at the USATF XC Club Champs in Lexington, KY.

CONCLUSIONS
Hands down, 2009 was very successful. I do think I raced too often in 2009 (14 races), this both helped me (spring build-up) and destroyed me (summer melt down). But PRs don’t lie, so if I could do it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Putting the marathon on the backburner for a couple of years and focusing on the shorter distances (specifically the 5k in the spring) was the best thing I could have done. I did fail to stick with yoga stretching and my push-up/sit-up/foam roller routine...all of this went the way of the Dodo. Also, in 2009, I paid more attention to hitting good marks in workouts and actually recovering during recovery runs (run hard when you should...run easy when you should). Additionally, I ran more. My average miles per week increased over 2008, which was an increase over 2007, which was an increase over 2006 et cetera. Each day I am in better shape than the day before. This, above all, continues to motivate me. Though, I still need to run EVEN MORE to get better...I need to do this smartly. Most importantly, racing and running this year were fun. With the GRC I have a plethora of different training partners. I run with no fewer than half a dozen different people over the course of any given week. Our Wednesday workouts have grown in both attendance and intensity and our Sunday runs have been adventurous, eye-opening and, at times, stomach-wrenchingly quick. As a group we’re all improving and we won titles at the USATFXC Champs and Cherry Blossom (among others). I believe that if my training partner gets better, I, in turn, will also get better...then he will get even better. It's an upwards spiral of success. We just need to keep at it and we also need more bodies.

2010
I am going to do the exact same thing during the spring of 2010 that I did during the spring of 2009, simply because it worked. The summer will be spent running lots of mileage while gearing up for a fall marathon – Chicago. My marathon PR needs to come down, but the marathon is tricky. I’ve seen people in great shape humbled by the marathon while others excel. There is the taper, the weather factor and as Frank Shorter would say even a bit of luck. I hope luck will be on my side.

This is a decisive time for me. I've now been running competitively for more than half my life...and I don't feel as if I am done yet. Thus far (with some exceptions), I've been able to juggle an increase in mileage without compromising my career. Though, I don't feel as if I am advancing much in my career either. This is likely a casualty of focusing on running too much. Once I begin to move backwards in races shorter than 13.1, I will get the sense that my best days are behind me. But not yet! I will continue to fight it out, continue to surge forward and assault my PRs...I will ruthlessly attack the clock and achieve my own personal glory. Attack…until the clock wins. The clock is the enemy. And the clock can be beat. That is what makes this sport so great.

My rough race calendar and goals are below. Some of these are a bit lofty:

Spring: 2-3 x 5k (14:45), Cherry Blossom (50:59 & be top local finisher), Pikes Peek (30:59), Broad Street (50:30)
Summer: train, race sparingly, no goal races
Fall: 5k, Philly Distance Run (1:07:59), Chicago Marathon (2:28)

Race Results from 2009
1/17 - UMD 3k - 8:47*
2/7 - USATF XC - 42nd
2/28 - UMD Time Trial 5k - 15:12*
3/15 - Shamrock 5k - 14:58*
3/28 - UMD 5K - 15:07
4/5 - Cherry Blossom 10 - 51:29*
4/26 - Pike's Peek 10k - 31:22*
5/3 - Broad Street Run 10 - 51:15*
7/10 - MCRRC Mile - 4:22.06
7/18 - Rockville Twilighter - 25:16
7/25 - Crystal City 5k - 15:07
8/9 - Falmouth Road Race - 36:21
9/20 - Philly Distance Run - 69:32
12/12 - USATF Club XC - 90th (31:57)

Thoughts, feedback and comments are welcome.

God bless you if you are still reading...

Slow Going

By 7:30am I had an extra large coffee in hand and was in the process of bombing my way back to Maryland. I made great time until I hit exit 11 on the NJTP. It was here that life began to suck. I finally crawled home around 6:30pm. My belly was filled with the worst types of food: egg McMuffins from McDonalds, double cheeseburgers from Burger King, pizza from Sbarro and lots and lots of coffee. I burped and then slipped on my running shoes. I kept the pace very easy and tried not to hurl. A few times I felt acid reflux but thankfully I didn't lose my lunch...or was it dinner? Other than that I felt surprisingly good...

However, that was not the case on Monday morning. I hit the roads at 7:30 but never felt good. I was breathing hard and my legs didn't want to move forward. Once I slipped on the ice and nearly dove into a tree. A minute later I stubbed my toe and went flying into what was left of the snow. I shook off and continued on my way. The body was telling me to relax, so I did just that. I slowly made my way back home and called it a day. By my calculations, this is my worst run in weeks, but I am certainly due a bad day after feeling so good, so often.

Coming Soon

2009 Year in Review...

What went wrong, right and what is next

Developing...

Christmas and Saturday

My Christmas runs are usually painful. I run a little bit later in the morning than normal (which messes with my system) and, when I finally do get going, my belly is filled with a quart of coffee and 3 pounds of my mother's delicious homemade cranberry coffee cake. My stomach usually does cartwheels, but this year all was good. I ran on asphalt for the first time in a week and passed families strolling and merrily wished all those I saw a Merry Christmas. I got in a solid 9. I timed the first mile (6:50) and the last mile (6:12). I felt pretty good and contemplated a second run, but I instead drowned myself in bourbon, gravy and other terrible, yet excellent, things. I must have gained 10 lbs.

I awoke on Saturday and joined Matt Clark for a long run starting from our old high school. Temps hovered in the high 30s enabling some snow melt. We ran along the coast and talked about what was wrong with high school running. We laughed about stupidness and time went by rather quickly. 18 in 2 hours.

I am bombing back to Maryland at first light tomorrow (Sunday).

11 Miles in the Snow During Snow

Since the sidewalks were non-existent and shoulders were dangerous, I drove to my old childhood neighborhood and ran monotonous miles up and down snowy streets. I ran every single street (sometimes more than once) in the neighborhood. I found roads I never knew existed. Of course it snowed during the run. Last-minute shopper gawked at me as they drove by. I snarled and dip my hat into the weather. It was another one of those "tough runs"...the fifth day in a row. This stuff will make me stronger, I just know it...but it is now Christmas.

Hyannis Port Hills

Today dawned cold. The mercury read 15 degrees, but the "feels like" temperature was 3. The chill was wicked. I drove down to Hyannis Port and met former Barnstable High School star Matt Clark for a repeat hill circuit on some of the plowed roads. Clark graduated 5 years after me but we know each other by reputation and try to get together during the holidays for runs. Clark was a 4:30 miler as a schoolboy junior, but was thrown off the cross country team his senior year for hazing. Instead of giving up, he went out training on his own. He would run 18 holes of a golf course hammering each "pin to hole". It was old school. He then returned to the track that spring and turned heads across Massachusetts by running a 4:16 mile. He went to Clemson and got super good. He posted a 3:47 for 1500 and a 28:49 for the 10k. With that type of range, he was recruited to run professionally for McMillan Elite in Flagstaff, AZ. Now a bona fide pro, Clark is hoping to lower his bests from 10k on down next year.

Together we shuffled out of his house and began our warm-up. We looped around the (in)famous Kennedy Compound and ran along the beaches of Hyannis Port. The wind and cold froze our mouths and, at times, we struggled to speak. After 35 minutes we jumped into our workout without pealing off any layers. The workout had us coasting 100m, shuffling for 15 seconds and then attacking a long (45 sec?) hill. We would shuffle at the top of the hill for another 15 seconds and then coast 100 more meters. We'd then turn and do the exact same thing but this time push the downhill ~ something I definitely need to work on. We did 8 of these .70 mile out-and-backs. The workout wasn't too tough, but the rest was minimal, so by rep # 7 and 8 I started to feel a little worked. It felt good to move fast on such a cold day. After the workout we cooled down for 30+ minutes.

14 for the day.

The Route

http://www.mcmillanelite.com/mattclark.htm

PHOTO - the frozen pier at the Hyannis Port Yacht Club

Black Ice & White Snow

The roads today were again treacherous. This time I got the guts to escape my road and ventured to a neighboring street which splintered off to a few other streets. There was no shoulder so I moved as fast as I could as to not upset everyone on the road. Again, there wasn't much to work with in terms of a good run, but I sort of zenned out and made back-and-forths on every single dead end/side street I could find. The snow for the most part was packed down but there was the occasional ice patch. The wind again was biting. The sun was bright as hell and it kept me warm and toasty. After the run I shoveled snow for the good part of an hour. running on the snow has been great for the cardio and great on the legs. Aside from the rare slip or twist, my legs have had less of an impact and I feel like I am finishing all my runs with plenty of reserve power. I clocked my last mile today in the snow and found out it was a 6:30. It doesn't sound all that fast, but it was all over powdery snow and around patches of black ice. Regardless, I am feeling good. 10 miles.

PHOTO - looking north from Cummaquid into Cape Cod Bay/Atlantic Ocean.

A Cold White Night on Cape Cod

I left DC and the record snow storm for Massachusetts before 7 on Monday morning. I made fine time and ran into little traffic along the way. When I arrived on Cape Cod at 3 that afternoon, it was clear that the storm had just left. Snow still blanketed the trees and roads were in need of a secondary plow. I was essentially following the storm’s wake up the I-95 corridor. At 3:30, I shoved a piece of roast beef sub down my throat and drank some water, then waited. By the time I shuffled out of the house at 5, the neighborhood was dark and empty. I live at the end of a mile long road that basically ends at a quiet, desolate beach. Even in the summer, it is very quiet. Most of the small cottages that surround us are deserted this time of year. I clicked on my headlamp and ran past dimly lit homes. Black ice stretched evil-like in the dark road beyond the reaches of street lights. The going was rough, but I found patches of powder that proved great footing. I proceeded towards the beach. It was cold - lower 20s. The wind was howling and the waves were frozen in place. It is amazing what cold weather does to the water’s edge; that point where ocean meets land. There was no sound. Even the ocean appeared asleep. The snow made it possible to see so I followed the edge of the frozen beach down back to our house, about a half mile away. Ahead of me was a saltwater stream that emptied water from the marsh to my right into the ocean on my left. I stepped on what I thought was ankle deep snow, but quickly found myself waist deep in a drift. My right foot splashed into the frozen ocean. I immediately crawled out and threw myself over the stream, huffing and puffing as I went. My foot was soaked to the bone so I did my best to keep the pace hot while running the last stretch of awkward beach. After a couple of minutes, I found my way back to the cut in the snow fence which snaked its way through sand dunes back to the road and eventually my house. Only the path was nowhere to be seen and the wind had made its own snow-dune drifts. Once I got to my house, I glanced at the watch – 12:30. Sigh. I wasn’t getting anywhere quick.

I ran the mile up to the main road and contemplated making a dash either via sidewalk or street to get to one of the neighborhood roads. I had basically run all I could on my road. The sidewalks were covered with 3-4 feet of plowed snow. There was no way I was going to get 10’ let alone the ¼ mile needed until I reached a parallel road. I looked down the main drag and saw sporadic cars snaking their way home from work and/or shopping. I looked at my all-black attire and the single light on my head. I knew that venturing out on that main drag would be suicide. I’d have a better chance going over the top at the Somme than I would trying to run along a non-existent shoulder, in the dark, wearing dark on the day after a record snow storm. So, I turned and went back home…then turned again and ran back to the road. I ran back to the beach, shook my head “no, not this time”, and backtracked again. Back and forth, forth and back.

I got in 7. A new record for miles run on my one mile road. As it turns out this is as far as I usually run on Monday evenings.

Ross Drive Almost Broke My Heart

Christiam, Bain and I negotiated our way to THE LINE the day after Washington's worst blizzard in recent memory. Beach Drive is basically the ONLY place to run when it snows out. Though, when we got to THE LINE, we saw an non-plowed Beach Drive. We sighed and then began to trudge down the road hoping (praying) that the road would be clear just a mile ahead. We trudged through 20 inches of powder for 3/4 of a mile and were exuberant when we saw black pavement beaming in the early morning sunlight. Shortly thereafter we ran into Max Lockwood, running down from Adams Morgan. We planned to meet somewhere on Beach Drive, but I didn't expect it to be this easy. Together, we marvelled at the snow-soaked trees and nodded approvingly at other hearty souls braving the elements. Up ahead we spied Jake Marren and he too joined our pack. Once we got to Ross Drive, Christiam, Bain and I decided to loop around and head back to our car. Our other two friends continued south. Our plan was to attack the Ross Drive hills instead of sticking to the pancake flat Beach Drive. Unfortunately for us, Ross was not plowed. Our trio soldiered on anyway. We climbed and climbed and our lungs burned. I mopped my sweaty brow with my mitten and inched closer and closer back to main road. After 20(!) minutes of heartache we finally got back to pavement. My entire body was exhausted. It was the toughest section of running I've ever done during a training run. My entire body ached. If the snow were any deeper, I think it would have been impossible for us move onward. I only got in 10, but it was another epic run.

The Snow Run

I met Christiam and Jordan Snyder for an epic Hoth-like run from Grosvenor Place. Our goal was to get as close to Lake Needwood as we could. When we started the run, the snow was deeper than I thought. Instead of running down the bike path we opted for Beach Drive. No one was on the recently plowed road. Today we owned the road. After 20 minutes we ventured into some trails. I told Chris Bain we'd meet him at a bridge in 25:00. We arrived at the bridge in 24:47 and we soon saw Bain emerge from the white wilderness. Together, our quartet hammered north. By the time we hit Baltimore Road somewhere up in Rockville, we had been running for an hour. Our ragtag team of half frozen harriers then turned and started back in the direction that we came. The snow was now 7" deep. I ate part of a Cliff Bar and picked up some fresh snow with my glove and washed it down. I followed in Christiam's footsteps. Bain ran through the powdered snow to my right. Jordan tucked in behind. Snow balled up under the tongues of our shoes and itched our naked ankles. We huffed and puffed our way along the Rock Creek Trail for miles. We pushed cars out from snow banks like snowy superheroes and then we dreamed of eggs and scotch. When I arrived home my cheeks were as red as Saint Nick's. 14 in the snow...I love the snow.

...And More I Shall Have

I had to be at work early so, instead of running even earlier, I did what I had to do at work and hit the roads at 9am for a 10 mile jaunt through Glover Archibald and the surrounding paths and walkways.

When I got home from work I ran 4.5 with CC around the golf course at Gtown Prep. I feel peppy.

A giant snow storm is coming. I have no idea what to expect in terms of training in the coming days. I love snow running so unless it's deadly out, I will be an arctic fox this weekend.

Wanting More

I've only been running 60 mins a day this week due to my cold, but I think the cold is dead. The last few days have left me wanting (to run) more. My Achilles/shin has been fairly cooperative so I am thinking of up-ticking the volume a little on each run or maybe throwing in a double or two over the next couple of weeks. I seem to run out of time in the morning and really don't want to run earlier in the day than I've already been. In an effort to get 8-9 hours of sleep, I typically turn out the lights around 10 or 10:30 and wake at 6:30. I usually get home from work around 8pm, so this doesn't leave me much time to eat dinner and chill...I am always looking for more time.

My next race will be the University of Maryland 3k on January 16th just down the road at their indoor track in Landover, Md. I might hop in one 3k-specific workout before that race, but for the most part, this race will serve as a workout. I'd like to run 8:39...we will see.

Post Race Report and the Days That Follow

Post Race

I went out much too hard. That much is certain. If I were in better shape (like later this spring) I feel like I could buried the first mile into legs and hammered ahead. To some extent I did that, but it only got me to mile 5. Miles 2-5 were between 5:05 and 5:10…mile 6 was 5:30. I like the idea of getting out hard and tough in a race like this, but this was too hard and simply stupid; a freshman mistake. If there were mud, this strategy might have worked better, but with semi-dry ground enabling the runner to move up and pass others throughout the race, going out so hard wasn’t necessary.

On the other hand, I have to remember I am racing against the best runners in the country. The guys who passed by me were likely better runners than me on paper. They SHOULD be ahead of me. It wasn’t as if the steady stream of runners were slow guys having a good day. I was able to pull the reins in after the mile and keep myself from going further into oxygen debt. My 5 mile split (25:20) is basically where I was in July and it’s also about 20 seconds faster than where I was a year ago at the Jingle All the Way 10k. I’d like to know how I would have faired at the JAW this year. Maybe 31:30? The bottom line is that I am in better shape than previously thought and I got in shape quickly (i.e. – 2 workouts and a Turkey Trot 5k). And MOST importantly, I got back the passion to fight and race again. This has been strangely absent this fall and uncharacteristic of me. Etching out my spring training schedule last week also got my fire burning. I’ve got some tough, but I think doable, race goals. I will lay these out in a future post.

The plan now is to continue the base training and workout on Wednesdays with the team. Come January, my workouts will be more specific and will focus primarily on the 5k. A weekend workout or long run should keep my endurance-speed fine-tuned. I hope to hover between 70-80 miles a week and up my Sunday run to 18 miles.

The Days That Follow

I ran around the XC course in Lexington on Sunday. I wanted to get in 15, but my legs felt like hamburger and I stopped short at 11. A pathetic long run, but I feel as if forcing the distance on a Sunday after a race puts me in the well.

I met Marren for an easy 8 miles on Monday night and CC for an easy 8 on Tuesday morning. On Monday morning I came down with the beginnings of a cold, but I am fighting back with an overdose of Vitamin C and trying to get in some good rest. The cold lingered on Wednesday during a 9 mile run with Karl, but it’s nothing that is stopping me from getting in the runs. A few easy days are probably in order anyway.

RACE REPORT - USATF XC CLUB CHAMPS

I ventured to Lexington, Kentucky with 8 others guys from the Georgetown Running Company to compete in the USATF Cross Country Club Nationals at Masterson State Park. After a long, but pleasant, 9-hour drive, we arrived at our hotel on Friday evening. Lexington was filled with the country’s best cross country athletes and tomorrow we would do battle with all of them.

We stripped off our jackets then stripped off our pants. We slapped our naked legs with our hands and threw our arms in the air. We jumped up and down while some of us prayed to God. We high-fived and wished each other good luck. Then we paid attention to the man with the gun.

“On your marks”, the starter barked into a microphone.

Three hundred runners crept up to the yellow starting line and crunched into position. There was a long silence. During those few moments, runners from both coasts and America’s heartland collectively waited for the report of a starter’s pistol.

We waited.

CRACK!





Runners from Atlanta, Boston, California and everywhere in between, stormed forward like angry hornets molested from their hive. Six hundred spikes began to chew the bluegrass to shreds. I blasted off the starting line and bee-lined for the USATF flag whipping in the Mid-Western wind about a quarter mile away. I was out hard. It was probably too hard, but pacing wasn’t on my mind at the moment. I decided I had to relax my cadence, but soon I was swallowed up by a tide of runners whose spikes chomped at my calves. “No”, I told myself, “press forward and get above that ridgeline”. I stormed to the top of the incline and found myself in 7th place. Madness. I settled into a groove and let a dozen runners pass me as I tried to regain a normal 10k cross country race pace. Soon another dozen runners charged ahead. Then another dozen. “It was okay”, I assured my psyche, “let them go, find your groove and then get racing”. Hoofs of fellow harriers cracked the frozen ground all around me and slapped the occasional patch of grassy muck. Nervous bodies threw elbows and hips as we rounded tight corners and began to circle the course. The race was just getting started.



As I crested the first of many hills I saw the clock at the mile mark. 4:46. Shit. This was suicide. If I had the energy, I would have laughed, but I knew now I would need as much energy as possible to get through the race in one piece. More runners surged ahead. I looked around helplessly. I knew I couldn’t go with them. I was already in over my head, but it pained me to see so many bodies rolling by me when the object of this game was to beat as many runners as possible. I had to put my finger in the dike and stop the leak…but it was far too soon. If I pressed ahead, I would be in a hell of a lot of trouble. I hit 2 miles in 9:56. Okay, a 5:10 last mile. I can work with this pace. No longer were runners passing me by the bushel, now I was at least starting to race.

Up and down. Down and up. There wasn’t a flat piece of ground anywhere on the course. That being said, the hills weren’t killer, but they were there. Up and down. Down and up. Hold on.

I hit mile 3 a few seconds over 15:00 and 5k in 15:40. I had actually run my last mile faster than my second. Maybe I had found a new groove? Was I in better shape than I thought? Either way, the negative split gave me a little bit of much needed confidence. I was halfway done, but the worst was yet to come.

As I looped into my third, and last, (two mile) lap around the rolling horse park, I began to feel the effects of my stupidity. I shook my head and, with it, thoughts of defeat. If there was ever a time to make a move, it was now. I hit mile 4 in 20:10 and then settled into a good rhythm while coasting down a long downhill….and, once again, we all streamed back up the hill on our way to mile 5 (25:20). I thought for a moment. 25:20 would be a good 5-mile road time given my present fitness and here I had just hit that mark in the midst of a cross country 10k. Perhaps I wasn’t running that badly after all? Though, soon thereafter, the wheels fell off. My body was revolting. I had pushed it too hard and now the legs, stomach and everything else were turning against me. My right side stitched up. I turned to spit and felt like I wanted to vomit. I was running on my red line. “Hold it together”, I told myself, “just get up this last hill easy and then turn it on and finish strong”.




I leaned like a sideways “L” into the hill and threw my body forward. I looked around (without turning my head – since I had no energy to turn my head) and realized everyone else was beat too. I FINALLY began to pass some runners, but surging up that hill had been the nail in my coffin. As I made the turn towards the finish line my objective was to hang on to the guys I was with and then try to out kick them in the final straight-away. I was exhausted. My back was still bent from the hill as I drove past the 6 mile mark (a pathetic 5:30 last mile). I rounded the turn and then opened up whatever I had left in my tank. I caught one of the foes I had been battling with for the last 2 miles before throwing myself over the finish line. 31:57. I was breathing like a nicotine addict out for his first jog. The cool windy air had ravaged my throat. I ripped off my spike and took off my timing chip and then curved my back into its normal position over the hood of a race official’s minivan. I saw fellow GRCer Matt Ernst in the finish area. He watched me wither in discomfort then smartly asked “how was that?” I rolled my eyes and turned over on the van. I caught my breath and waited for my teammates to finish. A few minutes later I was stumbling back over to our tent to put on warm clothes. Then I cooled down and felt good again.

Spent

Race Report Coming...

FLASH - USATF XC Results

90th place, 31:57 for 10k.

Went out balls hard...too hard...way too hard. 7th place after the start and it was downhill from there. Top 40 at 2 miles, but was still passed by dozens of harriers. I was running very well up until 4 miles, but things got ugly after that. I am not in shape to go out so fast and expect to not pay for it in the end. Still, I was quite pleased with my time/effort and "got it done".

Splits: 4:46, 9:56, 15:06, 20:10, 25:20

GRC finishes 19th out of 42

RESULTS - http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USATFClubXCChampionships/results/men.asp

Check the GRC Blog for pictures and more updates...

D-Day

The shakeout before the race...conveniently run on a horse track. We are, after all, in Kentucky.

Kentucky Looms

USATFXC in Lexington tomorrow...

Race Starts at 1:30pm EST

All systems go.

Developing...

The Strassburg Sock

I slept with a Strassburg Sock once again last night. No, the Strassburg Sock isn’t a French Whore nor a contraceptive device or some fashion statement you wear when visiting Bavarian Beer Halls…

NO, the Strassburg Sock is a instrument used to combat plantar fascia, but is also helps to prevent shin/Achilles pain as well. Last night I loosened the sock and it was much easier to wear. It seems to be helping a bit, so I’ll continue to wear it every other night or until this thing gets kicked. I’ve had no pain whatsoever since last Tuesday.

This morning I met CC for a run through the rain. I layered up a bit more than usual donning my yellow windbreaker. I sweat profusely throughout the run. We headed down to the Cabin John Trails and made a brazen crossing of the swollen Cabin John Creek. Luckily a felled tree had created a dam and we used that make our crossing. We hammered a 10-minute hill before heading home. I got in 9.

Mileage might be a little bit down this week per the race on Saturday, but I won’t be tapering. Tomorrow I am heading back to Cell Phone Field to run some 200m strides and Friday will be an easy day – 5 miles.

My contact on the ground in Lexington reports lots of rain. This morning in a dispatch he noted how “the ground is slop”. Temperatures are expected to dip into the teens and then rise to mid 30s on race day.

I pray for mud.

When the Sun Comes Up

Another good run this morning. Perhaps I've turned the tide? It comes at a good time. I've been starting my runs slow and finishing strong. Limited to no shin pain as well. Nothing much to report from the run...I met CC and Dusen and ran to Tilden Woods and back. 9+ today.

The Monday Run

Last night I slept with a strassburg sock and I woke up screaming. It felt like a giant had pulled out my toenails. I can't really explain why this was, but trust me on it. Sometime in the middle of the night, I ripped off the piece of fabric strangling my foot and chucked it towards the corner. Then I cursed Towpath's name since he was the one who forced me to borrow it from him. I ruffled my sheets and went back to bed. When I woke up in the morning my Achilles/shin felt pretty good. Hmmm, I said to myself.

My legs felt tired at work and I wandered the halls a bit slower than usual. I thought my Monday (recovery) run would suck, but I was pleasantly surprised...

Lots going on around the Mall tonight; a brown rat sniffing at the sidewalk, a government motorcade screaming down Pennsylvania Ave, throngs of people milling around the National Christmas Tree and plenty of other people exercising up and down the wide limestone roads and sidewalks that borders the 300+ acres known as the National Mall. I glided down the road with playground ease and felt damn good for a Monday run...almost too good. I finished the day with 8 giving me just shy of 80 over the last 7 days.

Book Review: BORN TO RUN

"Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone"
- Ken Chlouber, Creator of the Leadville Trail 100

BORN TO RUN is filled with great quotes and fine writing. The following is just such a snippet. "Scott" is Scott Jurek, one of the greatest ultra runners of all time. Wikipedia him. In this section, Scott had just crushed the course record at the Western States 100 and now is attempting his first Badwater; "the world's toughest footrace" which, travels 135 miles across Death Valley during the summer. Temperatures typically hover around 120 degrees...in the shade...if you can find shade....but you can't.

By mile 60 Scott was vomiting and shaky. His hands dropped to his knees, then his knees dropped to the pavement. He collapsed by the side of the road, lying in his own sweat and spittle. Leah (his wife) and his friends didn't bother trying to help him up: they knew there was no voice in the world more persuasive than the one inside Scott's own mind. Scott lay there, thinking about how hopeless it all was. He wasn't even halfway done, and the others were already too far ahead for him to see. And the wind! It was like running into the blast of a jet engine. A couple of miles back, Scott had tried to cool off by sinking his entire head and torso into a giant cooler full of ice and holding himself underwater until his lungs were screaming. As soon as he got out, he was roasting again. There's no way, Scott told himself. You're done. You'd have to do something totally sick to win this thing now. Sick like what? Like starting all over again. Like pretending you just woke up from a great night's sleep and the race hasn't even started yet. You'd have to run the next 80 miles as fast as you've ever run eighty miles in your life. No chance ...Yeah, I know ...

For the next ten minutes, Scott lay like a corpse.

Then he got up and did it, shattering the Badwater record with a time of 24:36.

I was skeptical of this book. The book flaps talked about barefoot running and Mexican Indians who could run "for hundreds of miles without getting tired". I rolled my eyes; I had heard these tales before. Yawn. My dad insisted I read it. My mom said it was great. Okay, fine. A bad running book is still a good book. I had just finished a 600 page epic on Operation TORCH (the allied invasion of North Africa in '43) and was in the midst of a sequel documenting the allied invasion of Italy. After 1000 pages of World War Two, I was ready for some running reading.

I don't want to give too much of the book away or rant into a full scale collegiate book report (because that would make blogging not fun), but I strongly encourage all those who read this blog to read this book. By highlighting the heroic performances of ultra-nut jobs, discussing anthropology, relaying the history of races like Leadville and others, BORN TO RUN explains how human beings were born to run long distances. We run marathons now "for fun", but in reality our ancestors ran "marathons" for survival (one example illustrates how bushmen in Africa ran down a deer over the course of a day). We, humans, can outrun almost any other animal...outrun it, in order to exhaust it...in order to kill it. We can out-run all these creatures, and we can do it BAREFOOT. The author argues that shoes CAUSE most of our injuries. He backs it up with facts and evidence. Believe it or not. It makes we want to go to the prairies of Nebraska and, over the course of a day, walk down a whitetail. I'll at least wear spikes though.

"Running unites our two primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time"
- Christopher McDougall, author of BORN TO RUN

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I met the GRC at THE LINE on Sunday morning for a run through what was left of the snow storm. Thankfully there was a little left. We trekked down the trails and ran down the roads and eventually found our way to the National Zoo. The polar bears smiled, but I frowned as our pack made our way down the concrete hill. My legs felt like hamburger after yesterday's workout and I just wanted to get back to THE LINE in one piece. I limped home, limped to the coffee shop and then limped to the ice bath on my balcony. The mercury read 30 degrees. I nuked my coffee cup in the microwave and got it piping hot, then I stripped off my running pants, grabbed an extra jacket, swore like a wounded Marine then stepped into a cold hell. After 10 minutes I frog hopped my way back into my apartment and danced around like Pitbull as I tried to regain the feeling in my toes. Eventually all was good. The ice bath did the trick.

On & Offs

I glanced out the window and saw a steady rain coming down. Great, more rain during a workout. By the time I got to my car the rain had slowed and the drops appeared bigger. Snow? No, it couldn't be. By the time I turned on my engine and pulled out of my parking lot the sky turned white. I met Murphy, Huge, Towpath, Marren, Charlie and Karl for a cross country workout at a 1.2 mile grass loop just a couple miles from my place. By now, the snow had turned the green ocean before us into a white wonderland. After warming up for 2 loops, we ditched trainers and pants and donned spikes and shorts. At first the going was tough; it was cold and wet and my spikes were weighted down by caked muck and snow. I got into a groove. My front two spikes (3/8") dug into the soft earth like Saber Tooth Tiger fangs on flesh. I felt totally at ease gliding over the slushy mix of snow and mud. I stalked my prey (the "on" leader) during each interval and I tried to push the inclines and tested my sharpness on the slick turns. The workout was such: one runner would lead the other 6 and run "on" for 1-4 minutes (only the one leading knew how long he would run). We'd rest for a minute or so...then start again. We got in about 22-23 minutes of "on" before heading into a cooldown. It was one of the best workouts I've had in awhile and I felt great doing it. It'd be nice to get one more of these in before heading to Kan-tuck-ee, but time is short. 10 today...I think.

Later on, just as it got dark, I headed out for a 27 minute shake out run. It felt good to run on hard surface and ease out the calf pain.

Toughening Up

I zipped out the door at 6:59am and met Christiam and MCRRCer Scott Koonce for another recovery run. We headed up to the Walter Reid trails and then came back. I added on 2 miles when we returned and got in just shy of 11. My legs feel excellent. No longer do they feel like mash potatoes and look like marshmallow, now they’re hardened tree limbs. I also noticed that I am back to my “training weight” (ie – 160lbs). No shin pain to speak of. I’ll take that.

I need to begin filling my evenings with something besides happy hours, couch surfing and staring at cockatiels. Running in the mornings enables me to have more time at the end of my day, but that time needs to be spent being more productive. I am toying with doing some light lifting (taking advantage of the gym in my building) and/or core work. I really hate this stuff and frankly suck at doing it and suck even more at keeping up with it, but I suppose I have to try. One or two days a week (30 minutes each) would be an appropriate start.

Coming soon…a book review of BORN TO RUN. It is certainly a Red Fox Recommended Read (RFRR) for all those who run.

Recovery

I feel that the morning run after the workout completes the workout. Running easy on tired legs seems to strengthen the body and harden it for future punishment. My shin this morning felt fine and my legs felt strong, albeit tired. I met Karl, who thankfully seemed equally as tired, at the usual spot at the usual time for the usual run. When we're both too tired to think we end up running north along Rock Creek Park until we hit Randolph Road. Once we get there, we shrug our shoulders, turn and stumble back home. Today was no different. The run sort of takes care of itself.

I am slowly creeping the miles up and have hit 75 in the past 7 days. On Saturday I'll hit another workout and will probably do something light next week before USATFXC Natls. Unlike workouts on the track, I am excited for Saturday's tussle on the grass. The track has always scared me whereas the grass and ground welcome by legs and nerves.

Thousands

"At least it isn't cold" we joked as a steady rain fell well after the sun had set. It was already wet and dark and doing a workout in these conditions generally sucks. The track had puddles and the rain at times came down in sheets. Sucky weather. Misery loves company so I was joined by Wiggy, Murphy, Marren, Dusen, Charlie and Towpath for an 8x1000m workout (200 rest). Emily ran 400s and shouted encouragements as we swamped our way by. We started conservatively and I hit rep #1 in 3:09. Wiggy and Karl did most of the pace-setting duties, but Towpath held firm just behind the top tier. After rep #4 (halfway) I felt exhausted. I took the lead on number 5 and cruised home in 3:07. After #5 it only got worse. My stomach felt as if it were going to spill out of my chest, but miraculously it stayed put. Rep # 7 was just a tick faster and rep # 8 (which was supposed to be at 90%) felt brutal. I limped home in a 3:01 and immediately felt exhausted. Wiggy had run an impressive 2:40 and had beaten me by a straight-away. This was my first workout in weeks and I can't recall a workout that was more humbling. God, this is a tough business.

Splits: 3:09, 3:07, 3:09, 3:13, 3:07, 3:09, 3:06, 3:01

Ahead of Me There is Something

I awoke before 4am on Monday and, after getting a ride to the airport from a racist Irish cop, flew from Boston back to Baltimore. That night I ran with the Lululemon group from Logan Circle down to the Mall. We ran a loop around Lincoln before I split off and ran the other half of the Mall. There is plenty of light and the surface (limestone?) is ideal, especially after the rain has softened it up. I ran 7 and was disturbed to find that my left shin hurt – again!

I ran with Karl on Tuesday morning and found my shin hurting once again. Damn you shin. I pretty much ignored it and continued on with my run and ended the morning with 9. I’m doing my best to avoid asphalt when possible and certainly avoid concrete. I feel as if I am past the point of no return. No more time off. Instead, we push on through until Nationals unless I REALLY need to take some time off. Often times for me, these things melt away after you keep the pressure (i.e. – miles) on.

I did an easy 5 on Wednesday morning with CC and Karl before heading off to the track for my first workout in weeks. I’ll take it easy as I have another workout lined up for Saturday.

Press forward…