Running Like A Girl And Proud Of It

I’ve once again waited too long between blog posts so I’ll give a quick recap since the last post and then describe Sunday’s Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. 

Overall the training has gone really well despite a few issues over the past month and a half.  I kept my mileage in the range of 90-105 pretty much the whole time and workouts were generally completed as fast as scheduled.  Right after my last post I began to experience some more issues with my breathing and general disposition while running.  I was still getting in the miles and finishing the workouts but it wasn’t easy.  I had to use my fitness to grind through workouts, even though I often was feeling terrible from the start and not believing I would finish until the last interval.  I was having these dry, bloody noses and congestion that were made worse by freshly cut grass and other allergens in the air.  I was so thankful to have teammates to pull me along through that time and a coach to motivate me and put up with all my whining about not feeling well.  I thought I had polyps in my sinuses even after my pulmonologist (Dr. Pollack) told me it was probably just a bad sinus infection presenting itself in a different form from the earlier ones.

Luckily, he was right and I started to improve once I began treating the infection.  Despite some stomach issues (that antibiotics usually give me), things started getting a lot better.  I ran well in workouts including mile repeats, 2mi repeats, and marathon-specific tempo workouts built into long runs.  I was able to close hard in those efforts and felt stronger while doing them.  I ran a nice 5:15 marathon pace workout during a Labor Day race in Avalon (Tim Kerr 7-mi Island Run) and also a 15-min 5K time trial on a random Thursday morning after intense storms washed out our plans to do it earlier.  Last week we did an 8x800m workout where I closed in 2:05.  I ran 58 seconds for the last lap and felt smooth and strong out there.  I recovered quickly and put my mind towards tuning up for Chicago with a good half-marathon in Philly.  Things were looking up.

The weekend started with my daughter Lily’s first birthday party.  It was fantastic.  Lily seemed to really enjoy it and I realized how lucky we are to have such great friends and family to support her as she grows.  My Aunt Andrea (aka Tante Ani) was there to celebrate Lily’s birthday and after the party she, Paul, and I headed back to her place in Philly as she was hosting us for the race.  After watching the Union pull out a big victory and then watching the Phils celebrate their 5th straight NL East title, I went to bed happy before the race. 

I was nervous (as always) for the race but I felt good as Paul and I warmed up together.  When the gun went off I knew I was going to run a controlled effort but I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do.  I quickly abandoned the plan to start running 5:15s as I was sucked out with the deep elite field in under 5 minutes and it felt good.  I closed a gap when I didn’t want to be out in front of a pack breaking the wind. I then found myself on the back of a pack running a trials-qualifying pace.  I had to make the decision if I wanted to go for it right then but I reminded myself that Chicago is the goal and I have been saying I only have one bullet left to get to the trials.  I dropped back (hopefully wisely) and searched for pack going the pace I knew I could comfortably maintain.  I found former teammate, MTC-runner Sean Swift to latch onto and to my surprise the two leading women were in his pack.  I latched on to the back of this pack and went for a ride, leading some stretches later in the race.  The rest of the half was pretty uneventful except for being amazed with how well these ladies were running and being stoked about how easy it felt to run 5:0Xs.  Sean and I pulled away ever-so slightly from the pack in the last couple miles and I went on to finish in 66:52 (only good for 36th in this deep field), technically a PR for the half.  At one point I was kicking myself for not going for the standard given how good I was feeling out there.  However, that thought was quickly replaced by being happy at how good that felt and confident about running sub-2:19 in Chicago.  That was fun.

It took the Eagles blowing Sunday night’s game to finally wipe the smile off my face.  I’m more sore than I thought I would be I guess I should have predicted that.  I’ll take a few lighter days to get my legs back under me before putting in a little more work to tune-up for the marathon.   

Progress...

It has been a productive few weeks since I’ve last updated my blog. I got in a solid week of training the week of Monday 8/18, despite the heat limiting my mileage and contributing to a failed attempt at a 4 x 2K workout. I did, however, decide to proceed with the Crystal City 5k, albeit as a tempo run. I ran 15:36 for 11th and it felt very controlled, perhaps too controlled as I slowed in the final mile without realizing it when I could have pushed to hold the intended 5 min mile pace. Sunday was an awesome goodbye run for Dirk going from Bethesda to Alexandria and I felt good. Easier days on Thursday and Friday let me recover from overdoing it slightly during the hot and humid Wednesday workout.

The next week was a scheduled down mileage week with a trip to OKC for work and a trip to SF for Garvie’s wedding. Training in OKC didn’t really happen due to 106 degree temperatures and a packed schedule. The Wednesday workout was a success as I got another chance at a 4 by 2K workout and did well with it. I forget what I split but I know I was well under the prescribed pace, especially on the last one when I closed hard in the last 600m. SF was awesome! It was great to see Garvie and Emily tie the knot and see a lot of the Columbia crew. I also got to do an amazing 2 hour run with Nash and Sundell in 65 degree weather including a trip over and back the Golden Gate bridge.

This past week was great. I made up for missing Monday after not getting back until that morning (due to a flight delay) and then having to work late. I still ended up with 88 miles and a good 3 by 2mi (forget splits but last one was 9:37 with a last lap of 62). I also ran Riley’s Rumble half marathon as a workout on Sunday. Sam and I set out to run 6 min miles and actually ran 5:50s even though the weather was awful and it is the hilliest course I ever raced on. As a bonus, our pace was good enough to be up front and Sam let me get the W since it was my b-day. After a cool-down we headed out to Scott’s for a post-race pool party where Em and Lily surprised me with a cake. It was a great day and a strong week. I need more mileage and intensity to build fitness in a short period of time but I’m happy with the direction I’m heading.

Rebouding

The last couple weeks were productive in different ways. 2 weeks ago I was at the shore for a family vacation. The running was sparse but I got in some miles, played tennis, and swam. The main running highlight was a 4th of July race (Sister Blister 5K) where I won in ~15:10, beating a G-town ’09 grad and winning some cash. Overall, the training wasn’t great that week but I had some time to reset and really think about how bad I want this (a lot!). I loved spending time with my family and started to really look forward to the hard work ahead. I felt really confident about my chances going forward despite packing on a few pounds do to all the good food around there.

I started the real training the next week. It was a typical hot and humid DC summer week and I pushed through an 82 mile week in 8 runs. Wednesday was a 2 x 2mile done in 9:59 and 9:52 that was harder than it was on paper thanks to the heat. I was able to get in a nice rhythm and got it through it. Friday was a nice double and Saturday was a great 15 mile run from the Line, closing hard for the last 3 miles after running a solid pace for the whole run. Sunday, I got to run with Cote who was in town for a friend’s 30th. It was a great week. I gained some more confidence and took a step towards regaining my fitness. I lost some of the weight I put on, with a few more pounds to go (130lbs goal weight for Chicago!).

This week has gotten off to a good start. Monday was a 13 mile run on the CJ trails and Tuesday was a double totaling 17 miles. I’m looking at 90+ this week but have a race on Saturday night so I wanted to get a bit ahead on my miles. It should be a tough few days in high heat but hopefully it will make me stronger. The following week will be tough to get in high mileage due to two separate trips for work and then Garvie’s wedding, both with early AM flights and tight schedules. It might have to serve as a down week but I’ll do all I can to keep progressing.

The Dog Days Are Over

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming so you better run

Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers

Leave all your love and your longing behind you

Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
Cuz here they come

Sorry for the long period of time between posts; things have been a little crazy since Cherry Blossom. The big reason is that I got sick – a lot. I had a bad cold, the flu, a sinus infection, and another virus (Lily gave me something that was croup to her) that I had an allergic reaction to. It was ugly. I had complications from some of the meds I used to fight all this stuff too. I was just surviving, training when I could with some missed days, shorter days, incomplete workouts, and extreme soreness when I ignored the signs telling me to back-off. I skipped some races, ran 14:30-something and 67:50-something in a 5K and half where I wanted to run a lot faster. I had a couple good stretches squeezed in there including an NYC trip to Nash’s wedding and runs with the likes of Del and Cote. Unfortunately there were more bad days than good ones. I hate to make excuses but I never had a run of bad health like this before, and it was likely the result of being worn down from school stress / lack of sleep and a baby in daycare bringing home germs to me. It was frustrating to say the least but I was actually happy with how I battled in training and in the half.

The good news is that the dog days are over. The fam is great and I graduated B-school with a sweet job in marketing that I’m enjoying - and I’m healthy. I just need to work on the fitness now. I took a week of light running and active rest after the half in MN and now it’s time to build back up. I have my sights set on a half in Philly in September and the Chicago marathon as my only two remaining chances to grab a trials qualifier. I am hungry for this. I’ll update the blog more often with tales from the trails (+ track and roads).

Cherry Blossom 10 miler: 50:06, 16th place

This one falls easily into my general running philosophy to always be happy, never be satisfied.  I wanted to run faster, but I'm pleased with how I battled to salvage a decent performance.  I went out exactly how I wanted (4:56) but found myself without anyone around.  I'm too slow to go with the leaders and my ideal pace was a little ahead of the chase pack.  It was windy and sunny and I hated having nobody to help with the pacing / breaking the wind.  I slowed a great bit in the next couple of miles, having a few guys catch me and even surge ahead of me later on, as I was taxed from the early difficulties.  I was hoping to have some GRC guys to run with at this point but found out later there were just a few meters back.  I did have Bert to catch as he gapped me as I was struggling, having let a few negative thoughts in there as my pace slowed.  I was determined to salvage the race though and from 6 miles on I manned up, clicking off miles in the 4:53-4:57 range along Hains Point.  I caught Bert and was in battle mode as I reached the 9 mile point in 45:04.  I thought I had sub-50 in the bag at this point, and despite keeping my foot on the gas, the slight uphill in the last mile did me in, and I managed a 50:06.

I fell short of my goal but was happy to run a decent pace after that looked like it might fade away from me in the middle of the race.  My prep for the race was good but I know I can go a great deal faster, and I'm still very confident I can hit the trials qualifier in the half when I attempt a sub-1:05 at Grandma's Half in mid-June.  I am ready to put in some more work, with high mileage / solid intensity weeks coming up.  The guys did so well at CB that it would take too long to mention everyone that ran well.  I'm very happy to be a part of this team and I know I have a great crew (and coach!) to work with to reach my goals. 

I ran 81 miles in 8 runs last week.

2 days until Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom is a big race for me and I’m excited / nervous for it. Although it doesn’t qualify me for anything, it’s a big race for a couple of reasons. This is a team race and I really owe GRC a big performance for all the great things this club has done for me. This race also represents an opportunity for me to show I’m on the right track to make it back to the Olympic Marathon Trials. If the conditions are favorable I’d like run 49:30 and would be happy with anything sub-50. 49:30 is the pace I’d need to run to hit the qualifying mark in the half marathon and running that pace now would give me some confidence that I could hit the time when I run the Grandma’s Half in June. I have never run that fast for that long, but my volume and quality have been solid and I’m ready for a jump.

Besides the camaraderie of being on a team like this, getting back to the Trials is what keeps me going right now. I haven’t talked about this much, but before the trials in November 2007, I had to choke back tears. To those that know how emotional I can be (e.g. wedding and HEPS), that may not come as that big of a surprise, but I was overwhelmed as I stepped out from the staging area onto Rockefeller Center. The bright lights shone down as I found Em and my family and just kinda lost it. I was so thankful for their support. There is a quote I heard from (I believe) Prefontaine that says, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” I think that quote applies here but not a gift of talent but of support and opportunity from my loved ones. I want to make the most of what my parents, wife, extended family, teammates, and coaches have given me from day 1 in this sport. For every competitive runner, their individual goals vary based on ability, but they just as important to the individual as long as he / she works as hard for it. I want to feel good about what I have done with this opportunity that was so generously given to me. The fun starts two days from now!

Training has gone well. Last week I ran 92 in singles including a 6 x mile workout where I closed the last lap in 58 for a 4:29 (BTW, Sam looked great out there!). This week I continued the run up to CB with a lighter week and nice tune up workout of 2x1K and 4x500m. Can’t wait!



103 miles and a 24:03 5-mile

Tuesday was another long double going 7 and 13 on the CJ trails.  It was so nice to run on those trails.  I was still tired and a bit sore from less sleep though. 

Wednesday was a track workout.  I did a long warm-up and then did a 2K-1600-1200-800-400 workout with Sam and Burnham in 75s, 74s, 73s, 71s, and 68.  We were a couple seconds fast on most stuff and it felt extremely easy. Closed in 64 and it felt like we were jogging.  Nice and easy tune-up workout for the race that weekend.

Thursday was a short double totaling 12.  Felt tired but relaxed.  Had a great St. Patrick's Day dinner afterwards at the Irish Inn in Glen Echo with Lily, Em, and Em's parents.  Ate corned beef and cabbage and had a couple Guinness at the place where we had our rehearsal dinner!

Friday was a longer double getting in around 15 or 16 for the day including some real nice miles around Old Angler's Inn in Potomac.  Amazing trails and the best part of the towpath!

Saturday was the Van Metre 5-miler.  Despite feeling a little tired, I ran pretty well.  It was windy out and I ran behind the leaders for the most part.  I tried to lead my share but the others found my lead a bit too slow.  I lost contact at points but ran tough to get back in it.  I ran 4:37 for the last mile to finish in 24:03 for second place behind Nightingale (http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?rsID=106019&orgID=234639&pubID=2), ending my undefeated 2011.  I was really happy with the time as this was the best race I've had yet for GRC, but bigger and better things to come soon I hope.

Sunday was a point-to-point 18-miler on the towpath.  Great team run and we got moving well at times.  It was fun and my legs felt good besides feeling tired from not enough sleep.  I was a little sore afterwards but nothing too bad.  This gave me 103 for the week on 10 runs with a decent race in there.  I'm pleased with the work but need to try to get better sleep.  I usually do a down week now but I have Cherry Blossom in two weeks so I'll adjust the mileage a bit to run well there.  I'm really excited about racing soon.  (BTW, Emily ran an "easy and fun" 1:33 half in NYC, running with her sister Beth, very impressive for both).