A few months too late...

With two big races that weekend, I went back and forth between running the Country Music Marathon or the Derby miniMarathon in Louisville. The Country Music Marathon is always a gamble with the weather and it's not a very fast course. In the back of mind, I debated running it as a steady long run and hopefully picking up some money.  But after weighing all of the pros-and-cons, I decided to go with the Derby miniMarathon because the course was fast, which could result in some more travel money for the USA Half-Marathon Championships, and the competition would be a bit better.  Not to mention, I can recover more quickly from an all-out half-marathon compared to a moderate marathon.


Because this was my first "key" race of the season, I wanted to be a little more fresh.  I only ran once the day before the race and tried to get a litlte bit more sleep the week of the race.  As usual, I got moving a little slower than expected and with Louisville being an hour ahead of us, I got there a little bit late.  I'm terrible with directions and ended up going to the wrong place before Chris Herren's brother saved the day and told me how to get to the right location.

After finding a parking space nine blocks away, I was finally on my way to the packet pick-up.  I'm not much of a running expo guy, so I got my stuff and got out of there as quickly as I could.  Chris Herren's grandparents live in Louisville, so I was crashing at their place, along with Chris, his wife and brother.

I woke up at 5am and saw that race time temperatures were going to be nearly ideal despite a 10mph wind: low 50s and overcast.  After a quick breakfast, we were on our way.  I wasn't sure how quickly the starting line would fill up and because I didn't get an elite bib, I didn't want to be stuck behind too many people.  I shortened my pre-race warm-up by a few minutes so I could snag a good spot.  While on the line, I ran into the two guys who beat me at the Knoxville Half-Marathon last month, and saw there were about a dozen Africans in attendance. Even though I was hoping to make a little bit of prize money, I was happy so many good guys were there because my main goal was to run fast and it appeared the conditions and competition were going to give me the oppurtunity to do so.

When the gun went off, a lot of guys went to the front and I stuck to the back of the pack.  I knew I wouldn't be able to fight for the win, but I was hoping they would drag me too a fast time. I was hoping to run between 5:00-5:05 a mile and we went through the mile in 5:00.  Shortly after that, the leaders picked up the pace for a few minutes before backing off again.  I stayed at the tail end of the pack and we knocked out the next two miles in 4:57 and 4:52.  I wasn't expecting to run this fast, and I debated asking a guy beside me if he wanted to work together and shoot for sub 66:00 but I decided to just go with the field.

We continued to roll and every once in a while, the pack would surge and leave me and shortly afterward, I'd catch back up.  I was surprised how smooth and relaxed I felt, despite running much faster than my goal pace.  After training almost entirely alone, I welcomed the oppurtunity to have a pack to try and stick with and instead of completely focusing on my individual race, was just going along for the ride.

In the sixth mile, they surged again, this time, leaving me for good.  I went through the 10k alone in 30:25, which was a new PR and I gave a little chuckle because it felt so easy.  At this point, I knew I had sub 66:00 sealed and I was thinking I could make a run at breaking 65:30.  In the 7th mile, the guys ahead of me REALLY started rolling and they put 10 more seconds on me even though I ran a 4:42 mile.

At this point, I was totally alone and the effects showed with a 5:08 next mile. In the distance, a guy was falling off the main pack, so I was able to run him down and then catch another guy shortly after.  Once we got to the race track, I caught up to Joseph Maina, who appeared to have gone the wrong way and probably lost 10 seconds or so.  In that area there were no course guides or anything pointing us the right in the right directcion, which was stressful, but fortunately, I didn't take any wrong turns.  Once we got back into the streets, we hung together.  I had another slower mile, with a 5:07 split, and did want to start to stringing more of those together.  I was feeling pretty strong, so I decided to try and push a little bit harder.

Joseph and I hung together a little bit longer before he started to fade. WAY in the distance, I could see Daniel and the other guy who beat me in Knoxville. It appeared they had well over a minute on me, so I did my best to focus on seeing how much I could close the gap.  I was running under 5:00 pace again and at 10 miles, I did some rough math in my head because I didn't want to look at my overall time and be intimidated by how fast I had to run if I wanted to break 65. The 4:42 banked me 15 seconds and with several miles under 4:55, I figured if I could keep on running sub 5:00 pace, I'd break 65 minutes.  That time would have qualified me for the Olympic Marathon Trials, held this past January. Qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials consumed last winter, so "qualifying" today would be some bittersweet redemption.

I was slowly reeling in Daniel and with a mile to go, he was probably less than thirty seconds ahead of me.  I had to fight a headwind the entire last mile and I did not want to run a 65:00 or 65:01, so I kept on pressing down and tried to stay focused minute-by-minute.  After making the final turn, I could see a low 64 on the clock, and almost got a little bit emotional. I worked so hard this past fall to prepare myself for a shot at the Olympic Trials and I didn't get to even toe the line.  I wasn't any more fit at this race than I was this past fall, so I knew I could have run that time.

I crossed the line smiling in 64:39 to finish in 7th place. I was really pumped after the finish because I have not been training like a sub 65 guy.  I'm not expecting to be in my peak fitness for nearly two more months and outside races, have only done a couple of hard workouts.  I feel like this time takes me from a good regional type runner to a more competitive one. Some guys who run that fast are working 20-30 hours a week, training with good runners, have access to good facilities and can get as much sleep as they need.  They aren't sleeping 6.5 hours a night, without a coach, training mainly by themselves and working two jobs while cramming in runs when they can.  Then you have the wife and baby factor! With some more focus and some changes in my life schedule, I feel like I can knock off a good bit more time and take it to the next level in the next 1-2 years.

The journey continues and with over about a month until my next bigger race, I'm going to step it up in training so I can be ready to roll for the National Championships.


Mile Splits: 5:00, 4:57, 4:53, 4:53, 4:53, 4:52, 4:42, 5:08, 5:07, 4:58, 4:58, 4:58, 5:19 (1.1)

April 30th-May 6th Training

Monday: 8 miles (6:47); 6 miles with six strides (7:06)

Tuesday: 10 miles. The goal was a 10 mile medium-progression run, broken into 4 miles (6:10), 3 miles (5:45) and 3 miles (5:20). I could have had slightly faster goals but it was over 85 degrees and since I just ran a half-marathon, I had to adjust the pace.  Ran (6:07, 6:00, 6:13, 6:08), (5:41, 5:44, 5:47), and (5:17, 5:24). I cut it a mile short because my legs were getting pretty tired and with two more hard workouts this week, I didn't want to make this harder than it needed to be; 8.2 miles (7:24). Drained.

Wednesday: 4.6 miles (6:27); 9.4 miles (7:19)

Thursday: 4 miles (7:19); 12.1 miles with 6x1600m with 400m jog rest. Since it was about 75, I decided to shoot for 4:50s and work down.  I ran 27:57 for the whole thing with times of: 4:48, 4:45, 4:40, 4:38, 4:37, 4:29.  I felt really smooth for the first few and while I was tired at the conclusion of it, felt pretty strong during the 4:29. Motivating workout.

Friday: 5.5 miles (7:11); 7.6 miles (7:04)

Saturday: 8.6 miles (7:00ish); 5.5 miles (7:07).  Ran 4xhill blasts and I'm insanely slow, without any power right now.

Sunday: 20.2 miles (6:11). Goal was 14.5 miles under 6:30, five miles under 5:20 and then jog the rest as a cool-down. It was 75 during the run and I could feel the humidity after only a couple of miles. Stopped for a fast water break after 9.5 and started to get a little tired around 12. I really struggled finding my pace for the first 1.5 miles of the "fast" portion but finally got in the swing of things and ran 26:13 for the five miles with splits of  5:17, 5:16, 5:16, 5:15, 5:09. My shoe came completely untied with 3/4 of a mile to go and then started flopping around with a 1/2 mile to go, so that took some focus.  I was happy with the pacing here and this is much faster than the last time I ran this on easy.

Week Total= 109.6 miles. Pretty solid week overall. I was happy I bounced back so quickly after the half-marathon and was able to close out the training week with two very solid workouts. Next week is another really tough week, so hopefully the hot streak continues.

April 23rd-29th Training

Monday: 8 miles (6:44); 6.1 miles with a few pick-ups (7:05)
 
Tuesday: 10.5 miles with 4 mile fast progression on the ghetto White House track in 20:19 (5:15,5:08,5:03,4:53)and then 2x400m in 64,63.  I felt a little big sluggish in the beginning for felt much better the second half. The fourth mile didn't feel much harder than the first.  I struggled a bit on the 400s, but the track has super tight turns, which made things a bit more difficult.; 7.4 miles very easy
 
Wednesday: 8 miles (6:55); 6.1 miles very easy
 
Thursday: 8 miles with 8x30s strides a little faster than 5k pace; 6 miles very easy
 
Friday: 6.1 miles (7:12)

Saturday: 15.6 miles with Derby Louisville HM in 64:39, to finish in seventh. I was really pumped with this race. My goal was 66:00 and 65:30, best case scenario. I got out with a pack of about a dozen guys and we stayed together for the first couple of miles. The pack would randomly speed up and then I'd catch them a short time later. Shortly before six, they left me for good. I ran the next couple of miles alone, caught a couple of guys and in the 10th mile, I could see another couple of guys over a minute ahead. At 10 miles, I knew I had a shot at sub 65:00, so I tried to stay focused and slowly chase the guy ahead of me. I was slowly catching him but ran out of room and finished 17s behind. I was really happy because this would have been an Oly Trial qualifier in the fall, but it was also bittersweet because I was in better shape then. I actually felt really good at the end and was scared of running 5:00 early on, so I held back a little. I haven't gotten in any really hard workouts yet and ran 68:34 on a flat course six weeks ago, so I feel I still have a lot of room to improve. Splits: 5:00, 4:57, 4:53, 4:53, 4:53, 4:52, 4:42, 5:08, 5:07, 4:58, 4:58, 4:58, 5:19 (1.1)
Sun: 4.4 miles (7:17); 8.4 miles (7:15)

Sunday: 4.5 miles (7:16); 8.4 miles (7:15)

Week Total= 94.6 miles.  This week was a little bit lower because I decided to back off a bit because the half-marathon was my "key" race before the National Championships in June. My time also earned me an extra $200 travel money, so that will help out for sure. I'll probably have to use the first half of the week to get my legs back and with no big races for the next month, I can start going into hardcore training mode.

"Runners Knee"

After my Rocket City Marathon fail, I planned on running the Mississippi Blues Marathon. I was really fit and wanted to take advantage of my fitness. Unfortunately, I got a bum knee and had to miss a few weeks of training, which further rained on my winter marathoning parade. 

I'm a really analytical person and like trying to find the cause behind things. I wasn't sure what caused my knee problems. Overpronation? Weak quads? Tight rectus femoris? However, I found the most help from a poster on letsrun.com that gave me a ton of detailed, in-depth information about my injury.  She felt it could potentially be a secondary issue as a result of something else.  Having a kink somewhere in your kinetic chain can have a rippling effect and cause pain in a totally different area. 

While you can't diagnose someone or something over a computer (unless you're on Skype with your favorite medical professional), she thought an anterior tilt of my pelvis could have been playing a role.  That rung a bell because I've always felt like I lean too far forward when I run.  As a result, my hip flexors and glutes don't do their fair share of the work, which wreaks havoc on my illiotibial band and hamstrings, both of which were chronically tight.

After starting some core type work, some psoas and hip flexor stretches and focusing on running more "tall", with a more aligned pelvis, my injury slowly disappeared.  My hamstring and illitiobial tightness also went away and now when I run, my glutes actually get tired.  Those first few weeks of regular training, they were constantly tired and run-down because they were finally being activated.  Whether it was a neuromuscular or muscle strength issue, I don't know...But at least it went away. 

To make a long story short, here is a great post about runner's knee, which debunks a lot of myths about the issue and looks at the real causes:

http://runningwritings.blogspot.com/2012/03/injury-series-uncovering-role-of-hip.html

April 16-22 Training

Monday: 8 miles (7:01); 4.2 miles very easy

Tuesday: 10 miles medium progression with 4-3-3 mile segments in 24:40 (6:10), 17:15 (5:45) and 16:00 (5:20).  Times were: 24:38 (6:09, 6:05, 6:12, 6:12), 17:09 (5:47, 5:40, 5:42) and 15:41 (5:12, 5:17, 5:12). Happy with this workout because about a month ago, I was struggling to run this workout 10s a mile slower but this time, it was really easy; 6.8 miles (7:16)

Wednesday: 5.1 miles (6:24); 8.9 miles. I was at a track meet, so I had to run this in three different runs. It's not ideal, but it's reality.

Thursday: 8 miles (6:53); 3.4 miles (7:33). I will never run with the baby jogger again!

Friday: 3 miles (7:16); 8.6 miles with 5k track race in 14:26.  This was my first track race in over seven years and my first 5k in quite some time. I've only done a couple "fast" workouts, so I knew I wouldn't be very sharp, but still felt I would at least break 14:40. My plan was to keep all my 1600m splits under 4:40 and I ran: 4:35, 4:36, 4:41. I led from the gun and felt good through 3k, but struggled that last 1k and just wanted to be finished. I think going from feeling strong to feeling like crap so quickly shows that I'm not very fit yet, so hopefully I have a good bit of room to improve. Maybe if the weather would have been 10 degrees cooler and if I would have had a pack to run with, I could have run 14:10-14:15, but who knows. I do know I won't eat fried chicken and several pieces of pie the day of a race because you will feel like throwing up that entire last 1600m. Lesson learned.

Saturday: 9 miles (7:13); 4.5 miles (7:40)

Sunday: 10.4 miles (6:24). The plan was a 20 mile run with a moderate fartlek the second half, but I was feeling a little bit off and could tell that workout would have been too much for today.  Maybe I'm still a little worn out from the 5k and with a big race next weekend, I didn't want to take any chances.

Week Total=89.9 miles.  The volume was a little bit lower than I would have liked but you can't always chase numbers.  I'm pleased with how the 5k went and hopefully the weather will be good next weekend so I can make a run at sub 66:00 at the Derby Half in Louisville.

Vanderbilt Invitational

After hiding from the track for over seven years, it was time to return to my roots.  I used to love the feedback the track gave me.  I knew how far I ran, how much further I had to go and the exact speed I was running.  For some, it's sensory overload, but as an analytical junkie, it was made for me.

These past couple of years, I've focused on the roads.  My schedule doesn't really allow time for heading to a track for a hard workout, so I've been a slave to the roads. While I don't get to run with them as much as I want, there's a solid group of guys who train together in Nashville.  The club's elder, Ted Towse proposed a youngans' vs. seasoned veterans grudge match over 5000 meters at the Vanderbilt Invitational.  I've always loved a good bet, so I was definitely in.  The youngans' team was comprised of Connor Kamm (the 2010 D3 National 5000m champion), Ken Sullivan (3:45 1500m guy, who is getting back into it after starting law school) and Ryan Chastain (has run 14:34 and 3:48 1500m).  All three of those guys weren't in great shape yet but if they were, the race just wouldn't be fair. They were going against myself, Ted Towse (one of the fastest old guys I know) and Jeff Edmonds (chasing PR's, despite graduating college 13 years ago.)  I figured the race would be very close and would come down to the wire.

I was just coming off my base training phase and only got in one or two solid "speed" workouts.  But endurance usually reigns supreme, so I felt I could run under 14:40.  My race plan was to try and run each 1600m segment under 4:40 and finish up the last 200m the best I could.  While I felt I would be able to break 14:40, I secretly was hoping to break my eight year old personal record of 14:29.

Mary had her teacher-of-the-year luncheon that day.  When it comes to food, I can eat pretty healthy if "bad" food isn't there.  But if it is...oh boy.  Before it was all said and done, I downed a few pieces of fried chicken and had to sample the pecan pie, apple pie and the fudge pie (twice).  I spent the rest of the afternoon with a full belly and was hoping it would disappear by race time.

I warmed up with Connor and Ryan and put on my first new pair of track spikes in about 10 years.   I was seeded first, with a couple of other guys seeded under 14:50 but unfortunately, those guys didn't show up. I was hoping some college kid who just read "Once a Runner" or recently got a sweet new running tat would be pumped up and take the early pace.  When the gun went off, I kept it relaxed and waited to see what would happen.  We covered the first 200m in 34-35, which was the pace I wanted but I was hoping someone else would be setting it.  I then accepted the lead, crossed the first lap in 69 seconds and then got focused on my quest.

My legs felt like they were turning over insanely fast but I felt in control.  I continued to click off the 68-69 second laps and ran the first 1600m in 4:35.  The second 1600m was much of the same but after about seven laps, I started to feel the beginning of the wobbly legs and lung-searing burn that the 5000m requires. I went through 3200m in 9:11, which gave me a 4:36 second 1600m.  I then knew sub 14:40 was in the cards and made my assault on 14:30.

Over the next two laps, things went from primarily in control to misery.  While training for the long events, I try to train myself to stay relaxed and press through things but in the 5k, things are forced and you must make them ugly.  They say lack of conditioning will make a coward of us all, and that statement became true.  I quit worrying about my time and just wanted to be finished.  Instead of making a run at a potential sub 14:20, my goal was now just to set a new PR.  My legs hurt, my breathing was going down hill and I felt every bite of fried chicken and pie in my stomach,.

I crossed the line in 14:26, giving me a three second PR.  I was a little bit lukewarm about it at first, but after reflecting, it was a decent performance.  I think going from feeling good to being in pain so quickly shows I'm not in great 5k shape.  When you are fit for an event, you don't go from white to black like that.  You're able to hang in strongly and stay in the gray portion for quite some time.  And if the weather was 10 degrees cooler, along with having some company the entire race, I felt like that 14:26 would have been a 14:10-14:15. 

Ted and Jeff also had strong races but we ended up losing the bet to the youngans' by a mere four seconds.  Before the race, I pegged Ken at around 15:30 but he showed me up with his 15:16 to spoil our parade.  Overall, it was a fun race.  I felt a little bit like a lab rat in a cruel experiment and much prefer the openess and freeness of the roads, but I'll return to the track again at the Music City Distance Carnival on June 2nd.   Maybe I'll be able to get another 5000m PR this year.

April 9th-15th Training

Monday: 6.9 miles (7:19); 6.2 miles (7:08)

Tuesday: 10.2 miles with 20x60s fast/easy. Started out somewhat controlled and gradually worked into it. Averaged about 4:25 pace on the fast portions and upper-mid 5:30s for the entire 40 minutes. I'm happy with the session because this was my first extended speed workout in quite some time. It was also quite a bit faster than when I ran this workout in September; 5.8 miles (7:09)

Wednesday: 4.5 miles (6:31); 9.5 miles (7:03)

Thursday: 10.1 miles medium. Nice and smooth. (5:48); 5 miles (7:20)

Friday: 8 miles (6:53); 4 miles (7:27)

Saturday: 11 miles with 10k race in 30:50. I ran one of my favorite races, the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash. My plan was to run it as a tempo run around 5:00 pace, so. First few miles were really easy and I feel like I'm in sub 30 10k shape. Splits were 4:52, 4:59, 5:01, 5:02, 5:03, 4:52. ; 3 miles (7:22)

Sunday: 20.1 miles (6:18). Legs felt great and never got my "end of the long run" fatigue that I normally get.

Week Total= 104.3 miles. Great week or workouts. I'm still a couple of weeks away from being really fit but I'm getting really close. Most likely will race a 5k this week.