June 28-29

Another good Monday run with Mike Smith. We met at Difficult Run and ran the opposite direction we usually run and went up past the falls and explored some new trails. It was very humid out and we both said we were feeling tired when we began. We ended up having a good one anyway, getting in 14 pretty comfortably. I’m glad we ran the way we did because the big afternoon storm would have made for really muddy sections on the Cross County Trail. Mike convinced me to get some Arby’s afterwards. I didn’t love the sandwich I got but eating a solid meal right after that run made me feel way better than driving home depleted.

Tuesday was another AM run with Jake in RCP. I didn’t sleep well and my legs were achy but I was happy to get in 10 before work. I wouldn’t be able to get up for these morning runs if I didn’t have plans to meet with Jake. I am very fortunate I ended up moving down the road from such a fast and dedicated runner.

June 26-27

Saturday GRC headed out to Duel Ferries for a 20mi run. We met at 8 to try to avoid some of the heat. I felt amazing early on. We came through the first 10mi loop in 66 minutes and change. We got some water, gatorade, sports beans, and/or endurox and charged on. I felt ready to hammer it at this point and moved well on the 10-15 stretch although I think I ate / drank a weird mix of things at the break and had some stomach cramping. At the 15 mi mark some guys started to fly and I was dropped. This was frustrating because I went from feeling like this was going to be the best of the year to having one of my worst runs pretty quickly. It was hot and sunny on the last stretch and the last few miles seemed to take forever. I guess I’m just not quite as fit as I hoped at this point in the training. I remain confident I will come around soon and there were some good signs of fitness early in the run. Bain was kind enough to run with me to the finish and we still finished 20 miles in 2:06 plus, which isn’t too bad. I ran it the wrong way though.

The rest of Saturday was eventful. We went to Dunkin after the run but didn’t have huge appetites because a few of us felt pretty fried. I still hadn’t eaten much by the time of the US soccer game, which I was extremely nervous for. They fought hard and dominated play the majority of the game but again had problems with giving up early goals on defensive lapses, losing to Ghana 2-1 in extra time. Painful loss. I hate we have to wait 4 years for another chance too. Expect to see the US make some strategic changes in the next few years to improve defensively.

I got to take my mind off the game because my friend Bill was in town and he, Pat (my bro-in-law), and I went to a Phish concert. It was my first Phish show and we had a great time. It was a unique experience and different from the other concerts I’ve been too. After a late night, Bill and I were still able to meet GRC for an easy 10-11 mile run. It was good to start Sunday off with a nice run even though I was tired. All in all, it was a solid week. 85.5 miles with a couple nice efforts.

June 25th

10.5 mi AM run with Jake and Jordan. It was slightly cooler than the previous few days and I felt pretty good out there. Ran nice and easy from Grosvenor through RCP and got in a couple miles on the trails by the Mormon Temple. The trails were great, but unfortunately I turned my ankle twice, about a minute apart. The second time hurt pretty bad and it was a few minutes before the pain subsided. I don’t think it would have happened at all if not for it already being weak from earlier in the week. I hope it holds up tomorrow as we have a hard 20-miler planned for the morning.

June 23-24

I was still buzzing from the US victory as I pulled up to Difficult Run for a 13mi progression with Mike Smith. Mike was punctual and positive like always and we took off in good spirits despite the heat. We made the smart decision to loop back to the car for water and accelerade before we started to crank it down. I had turned my ankle hard 20 minutes into the run but eventually the pain settled leaving the heat, humidity, and bugs as the only things bothering me. Getting back to the car was great though. Toweling off and having a drink got me ready for the hard part of this run. The next 3+ miles were strong as we picked up the pace and rolled through the trails. The last 3+ miles were great. We really attacked the trails and kept a fast pace through the woods. I was happy with both the effort and the speed. Mike was a beast too. I led (as was my preference after the ankle turn) and despite going as hard as I could at times, Mike never let a gap form. That guy is fit right now. His 100+ mile weeks are evident in his strength right now. Mike’s school situation prevents him from getting to a lot of GRC runs, but I have to get him out to a few more things.

Thursday AM I ran a slow 8 miles with Joe and Jake. I was feeling better than expected given the effort from the night before. I was content to take the run nice and easy, especially considering it was already nasty hot out by 8. My ankle and lower leg were still tender and sore so I have to be careful for a few days and take care of it.

Link to a great video for the world cup anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy6MgI_HTWU&feature=related

NRR: Fairytale Finish for US Soccer in Group Play

England took an early lead on Slovenia in the other simultaneous match, meaning the US appeared to need a win against Algeria to advance from Group C in the 2010 World Cup. Once again, the officials (a linesman this time) played a negative part to this game. Clint Dempsey volleyed in a goal in the 20th minute that was called back incorrectly for being offside when he was not. I was irate. For the second game in a row, a terrible call was made that disallowed a US goal and potentially cost us points. For the next 70 minutes, the US battled to make that non-goal irrelevant and win the game. Time after time, the US marched down the field and appeared ready to score only to see the ball hit the post, sail wide, or gobbled up by the Algerian keeper. They also had to survive a few Algerian chances on the counterattack.

It appeared as though time would run out on the US and they would end up with another tie. I was extremely nervous as watched and I began to get angry at the referee and linesman that were responsible for the US having to go home. I know there were other things that happened that caused us to be in this position, but that is where my brain was focused. I was ready to flip out. And then I did. But it wasn’t out of anger, it was out of joy. We scored! We finally scored! A beautiful outlet pass by Howard got the attack started and it ended with Landon Donovan putting in a rebound that put the US up 1 in the 91st minute. Joyous celebration commenced. We held on for the rest of stoppage time and took a 1-0 victory and a trip to the Round of 16 as Group C winners!

What a finish to an incredibly hard fought game. The bad calls didn’t end up being a factor since we advanced and ended up group champions. It was huge to win the group too. Finishing second would have caused us to play Germany in the next round followed by the winner of Argentina – Mexico if we were to somehow advance. Now we have to play Ghana (chance for revenge!) and the winner of Uruguay – S. Korea if we win the next game. (Note: The only other time we won our group was the first World Cup in 1930 where we finished third)

This was an amazing win by our team. Once again they were the comeback kids (or the cardiac kids if you prefer). They certainly made it exciting. They never gave up. Not when two good goals were taken away from us in consecutive games. Not when chance after chance was narrowly missed. Not when the tie look inevitable. Donovan scored one of the most important goals in US history (probably second to 1950 WC goal by Joe Gaetjens to beat England 1-0). This is what makes soccer so great. I hope that game brings in more US fans to this sport. Next game is Saturday at 2:30 Eastern. Watch it and get your friends to watch it. GO USA!!!

June 21-22

I met Mike Smith at Difficult Run for weekly Monday evening run. It was still hot but less humid so we decided to run 15. Mike is doing high mileage (100+) right now so he is always up for a few extra miles. Despite an early turn of my ankle, we moved along at a nice pace and ran further than we ever had on the trail. The run flew by and I’m thinking whatever was bothering me last week is gone for good.

On Tuesday AM, I ran with Jordan and Jake in RCP. We took it pretty easy and I got in about 8.5 miles. I was really tired afterwards. The heat and humidity was already a factor in the early AM and that always seems to wear me out a bit.

NRR: Great comeback by the US, but victory stolen by terrible ref

The US team came back from a 2-0 deficit at the half to tie Slovenia on Friday morning in an important Group C match-up. The bad start was overcome by amazing goals by Donovan and Bradley. Donovan really stepped up as the leader of this team organizing the attack and rocketing a ball into the upper portion of the goal. In the 85th minute, an apparent game-winning goal by Edu was called back by a horrendous call. Replays showed Slovenia blatantly grabbing several US players but somehow the ref managed to call a foul on against the US team. On which player, we’ll never know. We had been getting the short end of the stick on calls all game, but this one was unbelievable. The comeback to tie was great and saved the US chances to get through to the next round, but that call was egregious and cost us a win that would have taken control of the group. I want to be proud of the comeback but honestly I feel more angry than anything else.

The good news is England played poorly and tied Algeria 0-0 allowing the US to control their own destiny in the last match: a win and they’re in. The team has a history of playing well when they have a cause and they certainly do now. We have an advantage in goals scored (by 2) against England that could help in tiebreaker situations if both teams tie or win by the same differential, but they really need a straight win against Algeria. If not getting credit for the additional 2 points they earned against Slovenia comes back to cost them, I will be extremely angry. The last game will also have the additional drama of seeing who from this group will have to face Germany in the next round. That became unclear when Germany (playing with 10 men) was upset by Serbia. I am excited to watch the US win a game to advance and I love the drama of the simultaneous last games of group play. GO USA!!!

June 18-20

Ran 10.5 on Friday AM at a nice, slow pace with Jake. We felt terrible but pushed through. I am very happy to be able to run in the AM with Jake, especially when I’m hurting. The US soccer game (see next post) followed the run, and after the game some of the stomach pain and generally illness I had been experiencing earlier in the week came back strong. It’s too bad I had to travel to NJ for a wedding at that time. I still didn’t feel well enough to fight the heat to race or run Saturday AM. I missed a day of running and hanging out at the beach, taking it easy in the hotel until it was time for the wedding. It really upset me to miss a day (and the beach!) when things have been going well, but the discomfort was significant and warranted a day off. I described the pain to Emily as the Domino Noid punching and kicking me in gut.

Sunday I woke up and ran a very easy 6 with Jay and Aileen. The conditions for the run were miserable – hot and along a busy road. The pace was light and my stomach felt OK though so that was good. I wanted to do our team race in the evening as a workout still but those plans were scrapped as waves of feeling ill (although not as bad) returned on the ride back to MD. I still got in 8 miles of additional running, warming up and cooling down with Joe as well as running out to my water stop. The race was a success and Joe was dominant in the victory, looking strong and representing the GRC well! It was good to hang out with the GRC team and friends while putting on a fun race near Georgetown.

I got in 14 for the day and 67.5 for the week (with only one workout) which was a step back for sure. I thinking I’m feeling better now so hopefully that holds up. I have over 80 miles planned for next week while adding in some workouts and strength training.

June 16-17: Momma said there’d be days like these…

Rough start to Wednesday. I woke up feeling generally ill and nauseous. I struggled throughout the work day and almost left. I toughed it out because I’m already taking Friday off and trying to make a good impression. I didn’t have my normal appetite but plain pizza sounded good to me so I grabbed some for lunch. That seemed to do the trick and I started to feel better, leading me to believe the workout was possible. I grabbed a Cliff bar and heading out for the workout at 5:10. Unfortunately, traffic was terrible on 495 (I mean just not moving), making me frustrated and late for the workout. Fortunately, the guys waited for me and I didn’t have to do this one on my own. The plan was to do 3mi-2mi-1mi with a half mile rest, getting faster on each interval. The 3mi went well, going downhill on the CCT and coming through in 15:48. I knew I was in trouble when I stopped though. It was so muggy I could barely breathe and I forgot my inhaler which didn’t help matters. I felt awful on the rest but was trying to prepare myself to turn around and run this uphill 2mi at a faster pace. That did not happen. My legs felt heavy and I labored through the beginning of the interval before completely bombing. Ouch. It was just disgusting out too; it was like running through soup. I had to stop for water during the 2mi and tried to pull myself together. I thought I was done at that point but Jake convinced me to give the 1mi a go. I did but it wasn’t pretty; Bain and I pressed as best we could but it was slower than we would have liked. I was happy with the effort though and happy to have good teammates to help me through days like this. I can’t wait to crush this workout later on in the training and look back on this day and laugh. 11 total miles for the day.

Thursday was another AM run with Klim. We were both tired and shuffled along for 10 miles in RCP. I needed the slow recovery run but I can’t say this one felt good. I am excited to regain fitness soon.

June 14 -15

Monday’s run was at Difficult Run with Mike Smith after work. We ran 13+ and got stormed on a little bit as we attacked the trails. The run went from muggy to wet and back to muggy again. It was actually pretty fun for the few minutes when the rain came down hard. The woods at the end of the run before we turned around were pretty cool too. We kept the run to a comfortable pace but I was tired anyway. After the run I was exhausted and hungry. I was very happy to get another good start to my week.

Tuesday morning I headed out with Jake and Jordan, getting in 9 miles in Rock Creek Park and Garrett Park. I was still pretty tired out there but not in a bad way. I am looking forward to resting up and then working out tomorrow night. Hopefully I’ll keep progressing this week and it will feel good to turn the legs over.

NRR: World Cup Fever!

Saturday’s USA –England ended with a 1-1 tie which was a favorable result. I am greedy though so even though we got fortunate to score the goal we did, I keep thinking about Altidore’s shot that was blocked off the inside of the post. Also, after Slovenia’s win the next day, Friday’s match-up with them is huge. The other groups have showed us some great games and a few squads look strong. Our group and our team failed to show us any spectacular but that is alright at this point of the tournament. The USA showed up, fought hard, got some great goalkeeping and got out with a point. We still have work to do to prove ourselves as a soccer nation. A win Friday can go a long way towards doing that. I can’t wait!

Solid Weekend

The weekend capped off a solid week of training and marked the start of my comeback. On Friday night after the Orioles game (around 10PM) I decided to hop in a 10K the next morning just to get a tempo in before it got hot. It turned out to be an expensive workout ($45 entry but at least it went to a good cause) but a good move nonetheless. I ran 32:49 and felt pretty good the whole way despite a stomach full of ballpark food and the sun baking me in the last couple of miles. Got in 10 for the day and watched Joe W. continue to run strong and Scott K. hitting his goal time as well.
Sunday’s run was at Greenbelt Park at 8AM. We had a nice crew of GRC runners going 13-18 miles. It was already hot and humid in the woods which prevented really hammering the run but I was happy to grind it out, get in 18miles, and finish a good week. Usually at Greenbelt we run three 6-mi loops and I enjoy progressive getting faster as we go. Today was more about pushing through than pushing faster mainly because the version of me that hammers at Greenbelt is in a coma right now. This was a good start in waking me up though. 77.5 miles for the week for two decent workouts. I’ll take it!
I’m looking forward to making further progress towards my goals. I need to start adding in my strength training back into the routine and losing a few pounds.

June 11

AM run with Klim (8.5 mi)in Rock Creek. That area on my leg felt much better. I iced it twice yesterday at home and massaged and stretched (by flexing my foot) when I was sitting at my desk. I barely felt it on the run. I was still a little sore but a nice, easy recovery run felt good. The small trails we run are getting a bit overgrown though; they soon may become unrunable until the Fall.

NRR: The World Cup starts today and the USA plays England tomorrow! I'm so excited for this. The USA needs to advance from group play to avoid being considered failures this time around. England is tough but we are favored against Algeria and Slovenia, although winning those games will be no easy task. Germany most likely awaits in the second round if we can get through. GO USA!!!

June 9 -10

I was sore Tuesday after the morning run all the way until it was time to work out the next day. It was mostly a good sore though as it was the result of a couple good days of training. Wednesday workout (9.5 mi total) was 5-4-3-2-1 minutes on with equal rest. We had a great crew of GRC guys there for the workout. It actually went really well considering how bad I was feeling in previous weeks. I was able to put forth a good effort and followed good friend Joe Wiegner, allowing for some decent running on the longer intervals. It was nice to just sit on his shoulder and get pulled along by a guy who is way more fit than me right now. I was spent for the 2 and 1 min on but happy I held on that long. I was having some pain on the inside of my lower calf / upper ankle though. Something in there is strained or something which was bothering me. I am a little nervous about it but it’s most likely something small. On the upside my allergies/ asthma seem to be moving in the right direction, still limiting me somewhat but getting better with the treatment. I was wiped out from the hard effort of the workout and eagerly headed to Rock Bottom for some food and Flyers watching with the guys (although the game didn’t end too well!).

Thursday’s morning run (9 mi) was pretty good. The whole North Bethesda crew (minus Joe) was out there for a nice, easy run. I felt fine except for that area on the inside of my lower calf/ upper ankle. It is really annoying but I still think it is just a strain. I wonder if this is driving related. I have been driving a ton recently with commuting to and from Herndon in heavy traffic in addition to some weekend trips. I feel the strain while I’m driving and can’t help but wonder if this is responsible. Has anyone had any experience with something similar? Please let me know.

NRR: Thank you 2010 Flyers!

It was tough to stomach the 4-3 overtime loss of the Philadelphia Flyers in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals but I really enjoyed the Playoff run of this team. This team needed a shootout victory against the hated Rangers in the last game of the regular season just to get into the playoffs and they made the most of the opportunity. They were essentially playing with house money and all they did was knock out a huge rival and #2 seed (Devils), had an unbelievable comeback from being down 3-0 in the series and in Game 7 against the Bruins, and beat a hot Montreal team to make it to the Finals. They fought hard the whole time and did it all with backup goalies, both of whom were dealing with injuries. They will go down with the 1993 Phillies as teams I will remember favorably my whole life despite them not winning it all. I hope they can bring the Cup back to Philly sometime soon. Mike Richards is a tremendous captain and we have a talented team, we just need a franchise goalie and we will be unstoppable.
Thanks Flyers but now it is time to turn my attention to the US Soccer Team and the World Cup! We also have another strong Phillies team this year that will make for a fun summer of baseball watching.

June 8th - AM run with Jake Klim

I ran out of my door at 6:45 this morning, getting me to the Fox Den a little late. I was up in plenty of time not to be late but I zoned out on the couch and lost track of time. We headed into Rock Creek and I ran about 10.5 miles. Although I felt tired, the weather and conversation were nice and that helped me thorough it. I got really excited about this summer and fall when talking about the team with Jake. GRC could have a very strong showing at the Chicago Marathon and USATF XC Club Nationals this fall.

June 7th

Ran 12+ miles today on new shoes at Difficult Run after work. The new Brooks Ghost shoes felt great and the weather wasn't as hot and humid as last week. I actually felt really tired and hungry about 25mins in but was able to stop at my car and have 3/4 of a Cliff bar and some water. I was a new man after that and I rolled the last hour. It was the first time in a while where I finished the run feeling good. I am aiming at 70 miles this week after a terrible few weeks of running. I also saw a doctor this morning and got some treatment for my allergies and asthma that have been destroying me lately. Here's to a new season, a great summer of training, and some new PRs coming this fall.

Run Our Race

Introduction

I moved to Maryland with my wife Emily last July after 8 years in NYC. I grew up outside of Philadelphia in Doylestown, PA where I made the not untypical switch from playing soccer to distance running. My incredible family was always extemely supportive with my athletics and they are a big reason I am who I am today. I was also fortunate enough to have a great coach (Paul Wilson) and a good team at CB East High School. I continued running in college while I studied economics at Columbia University. I again received great coaching and had the best teammates anyone could imagine. My senior year our cross team won the first Ivy championship in 25 years. Roar Lions Roar! I continued running in NYC for the Manhattan Track Club where I was fortunate enough to qualify for and run in the US Olympic Marathon Trials.

Emily and I made the decision to move to Maryland where I could study Marketing at the Robert H. Smith of Business. It's been great to be here near her family especially considering we are expecting our first child, a girl, at the end of September. We are both members of the Georgetown Running Company Racing Team. Lately I've been struggling a bit with allergies and injuries but I'm ready to make a big push this summer and attempt to get into great shape and re-qualify for the Olympic Trials. This team is great and they will be the key to my comeback. I was able to get into good shape this winter but had a micro-tear in my achilles before I did any racing. That stinks but it is all part of being a runner. Plus, just getting in shape let's me know that I can train well in this area and during school. I am ready to train like an animal and run well this summer and fall. I have a long way to go but I'm ready for the journey.