Penn Relays and Philadelphia

It's been a great trip so far.  My first race of the weekend - Penn Relays 10k on Thursday night - went well.  I ran a new 10k PR (29:49) and finished 6th overall.  Storms earlier in the day resulted in about a 90 weather delay, so our race didn't technically start until Friday, with a 12:30 a.m. start time;  I wouldn't be too upset if I never finished another race at 1 a.m.

Other than the start time, it was a good night to race.  The storms earlier in the day gave way to a calm night inside Franklin Field.  Temps were a little warm, which is why I think everyone was a little conservative at the beginning of the race.  We went through the 5k around 14:58 and it wasn't until the 4 mile mark that things began to pick up and spread out.  My last 1k could have been better, but I was happy with the finishing time.

Tomorrow morning I'll be back on the starting line for the Broad Street Blue Cross 10 miler.  It's the largest 10 mile race in the US, with 30,000 runners signed up to run.  I'm feeling surprisingly well after Thursday's (or Friday's, depending on how you look at it) race.  I went for a little shake out run on Friday with former OU teammate of mine - Pat Harvey.  He took me on a little tour of the city, which including a run up the stairs of the Philly Art Museum - made famous by its scenes in Rocky movie.

Last night, Pat and I, went with Shamus - another OU teammate who is in town for the Penn Relays - to the Phillies game.  It was nice to kick back, relax and catch up.  Ryan Howard had 2 homers, 1 of which was a grand slam.  

I'm heading back to Franklin Field for the rest of the Penn Relays this afternoon.  They've got some good races on tap.  The USA vs. the World relay races should be fun to watch.  The Penn Relays is without a doubt the most unique, and most chaotic, track meet I've ever seen!!

Penn Relays 10,000 - 29:49

Franklin Field - 2011 Penn Relays

Penn Relays week!

Today, I ran my last workout before Thursday night's Penn Relays 10k race.  The weather in Athens was warm and humid, but I didn't mind since the workout was short and sweet.  I've always been a fan of the final pre-race workout because it's almost always over before the normal workout pain arrives.

My free training advice of the day is this: if you're looking to gauge where your fitness level stands during your final pre-race workout, you're looking in the wrong place.  At this point in a runner's training the proverbial hay is in the barn.  Basically, nothing that I've done in the past week will have a major impact on my race - it's all more or less maintenance work.  If you're not ready for a race 10 days prior to the actual race, there is nothing in those last 10 days you can do to get yourself ready.  To put a spin on both the former Arizona Cardinal's head coach, Dennis Green, and the Zac Brown Band, you are who you are and you will get what you gave (in terms of the work you put into your training).

As for the race itself, the 10k field will be both competitive and large, with 65 guys on the track at once.  If I learned one thing from running in a big 10k race earlier this year at Stanford, it's that I've got to be a little more aggressive at the start to get myself in a more manageable position.  The race has a host of elite runners, including 12 guys who have run faster than 14:15 in the 5k (2 with PR's under 13:50), as well as the 7th place finisher at the 2008 US Marathon Olympic Trials, Nate Jenkins.  It will be a fast race, so we'll see how long I can hang on!

The race is Thursday night at 10:55 p.m. and you'll be able to watch it on the website (FloTrack) below:

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238230-2011-Penn-Relays

The next until you hear from me, I'll be in the city of brotherly love...until then, godspeed!

Holy Boston Marathon! Plus a look ahead...

It's been 3 days since the Boston marathon and I'm still trying to comprehend everything that transpired!  We saw 2 men run under 2:03:10 (the world's record is 2:03:58).  An American man (Ryan Hall) ran under 2:05.  And then there was the women's race, where 2 American women finished in the top 5.

The story of the race belonged to American Desiree Davila, who made runners and non-runners stop in their tracks around noon Monday morning, as everyone collectively found themselves yelling at their tv's and computers for one last push.  Davila ran courageously over the last 10k, surging to the lead on several occasions (including in the final 600 meters), but ultimately would finish second, just 2 seconds behind the eventual winner.

Monday was truly a transformational day in the sport of distance running; there were so many amazing story lines.  For me though, I was most inspired and impressed by the incredibly gutsy performance by Davila.  The next time I get in a tough spot during a race, I'll probably think back to this race and her determination to keep pressing.  Check out a recap of the race below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrvIRe0zTc&feature=player_embedded#at=33

I also have exciting news to report regarding my upcoming race schedule.  I had previously made plans to race at the Hillsdale Relays next weekend, but will now head to Philadelphia for not 1 race, but 2!!  A week from tonight (Thursday), I'll be racing the 10k at the Penn Relays.  After a couple of recovery days, I'll be lacing up the race shoes again on Sunday morning for the Blue Cross Broad Street 10-miler in downtown Philadelphia.  It's an ambitious race schedule, both physically and mentally, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of the double race weekend and feel like it will make me a better runner in the future.  It's very difficult to simulate what your body goes through at the end of a marathon, but I feel like Sunday's race will take my mind and body to that place, without destroying my body like a full marathon.

Obviously, I'm excited about the opportunity to run at the Penn Relays and getting back on the roads should be a great way to end a what will hopefully be a fun and fast weekend in the city of Brotherly Love!

Godspeed.

Major Marathon Excitement!

It's mid-April.  Spring is in the air and no longer is it necessary to wear multiple layers of clothing on runs.  This also means we are growing ever-nearer to the highly anticipated "short" shorts season - an often overlooked time of the year that women all over these United States eagerly (and certainly secretly) await.  It won't be long before a skinny runner will don the short shorts in a neighborhood near you!

Now, back to the topic at hand.  What mid-April really means is that we are just days away from 2 major marathons - the Boston marathon and the London marathon.  London will take center stage first, as what has become the most competitive marathon in the world, will be contested on Sunday.  The following day, thousands will make the 26.2 mile trek east from Hopkinton to Boston in the most historic foot-race of them all.  In running terms, it's like have the Super Bowl on back-to-back days!

Having reverted my focus back to the track this Spring, I'm finding myself missing the roads, especially when I watch events like the ones taking place this weekend.  There is something special about a big-city race.  You can feel the excitement in the city the moment you put a foot on the ground.

Three years ago I went to Boston to cheer on a few friends and see what it was all about.  There are only a few experiences during my running career that I can point to as "moment-changing" events.  The weekend I spent in Boston in 2008 is definitely one of them.  Coming home from Boston that weekend, I realized that I wanted more out of my running.  I felt this incredible drive to train harder than ever before.  It took me a while to get back in shape - at the time, I wasn't in the best shape - but since then, I can happily look back on that weekend and say that it played a huge role in where I am today.  Luckily for me, my process of getting back in shape went more smoothly than our trip back to Ohio, as my friend and I spent the night sleeping on the cold, hard (and wet) LaGuardia airport floor!

I told myself back in '08, that when I went back to Boston, I would go back in the best shape of my life and be one of the people running that race, not watching.  I can't wait for that April to come!

Godspeed.

Making the most out of setbacks

Throughout my running career, I feel like I've had my fair share of good fortune.  I've never missed time with a serious injury and, generally speaking, I've found myself on the right side of the outcome ledger.  However, no matter how lucky you might be, not everything is going to work according to plan.

Since my last post, I've had 2 races.  One was chaotic and did not end the way I would have hoped.  The other was comfortable and went better than expected.

While accompanying three OU girls to the Stanford Invitational, I had an opportunity to run the 10k myself.  I felt like this was a great opportunity, since the high level of competition in the distance races is hard to find on the East coast.  After watching all three OU girls run well in their races earlier in the night, I hopped on the starting line with 53 guys, all hoping to run a fast 10k.  Unfortunately, I got spiked in the shin pretty badly by another runner with 8 laps to go and had to drop out.

I knew things would be crowded on the track, especially early on; after all, there is only so much space for people to run - think of it as the Daytona 500 of track races if you will.  From the start there was a lot of pushing, shoving, and jostling, as everyone was fighting for position.  During that time, I managed to get spiked a handful of times, but it wasn't anything too serious.  I found myself on a solid pace (and a likely PR) as the race progressed, but the blow to my leg with 2 miles to go left me unable to finish, and a little frustrated at how physical the race was.  In hindsight, I probably made a few tactical errors that led to some poor positioning and made getting spiked more likely.

Having only run a little over 4 miles in my race out at Stanford, I didn't need the usual post-race recovery period.  Back in Athens, I hopped right back into the training this week and, as previously planned, raced in today's Athens half marathon.

The weather in Athens this morning, although a little cold at daybreak, was ideal for the annual marathon/half marathon.  Today's race was also a chance to run with a friend, former Bobcat, and training partner, Steve Ragg (I credit Steve with helping keep me sane in Athens).  As we planned before the race, Steve and I ran together for the first 7 miles, averaging around 5:04 per mile.  I finished up with a time of 1:07:02, my 2nd fastest half marathon to date.  Steve ended up with a big PR as well, running just over 68-minutes; I was happy for him, as he's worked really hard over the past year and deserves to see that work rewarded with some fast times.

I'm pleased with how things went today.  Being able to run close to 67-flat in the midst of a heavy training week gives me confidence for my upcoming races.  I want to also say thanks to everyone who makes the Athens marathon/half marathon possible.  As long as I can fit it into my schedule, I'll continue making it a priority to run this race.

All in all, it feels good to be back racing again.  Although things didn't go according to plans at Stanford, I was happy with my effort up until I had to drop out.  Because of that, I didn't get too worked up about not being able to finish.  I figured out a while back that it's good to learn from the past, not dwell on it.

Godspeed!

Can you find me?  Stanford 10k.