Teal Ribbon 5k tomorrow morning

I am in philly this weekend and was hunting around for some good races... I was having no such luck until I came across the Teal Ribbon 5k. Prize money is 5 deep and in years past the times have been what they usually are at a prize money race. I am not concerned about $$$ My pay day is a big PR. I feel fit and I am ready to display how fit you can get living in D.C to the philly crew!

Showdown in Columbia...

The challenging 10k leg of the Columbia Triathlon looms tomorrow... Run a controlled effort for 2, punch it down a bit off the first set of hills and keep pressing to the top of the notorious "Gatorade Wall" and haul A double-snakes to the finish! Seems simple when typing this... I want to win this for my team... our competition has both an elite swimmer and the number 1 masters age-group duathlete in the world on the first two legs of their team... I have my work cut out for me... BRING IT ON...!

Coming down some 5/16-5/22

Sunday: (12 miles)
With a 5k race win in the middle of the training day, I Ran a hard hilly run in the afternoon (post race). I ran sub 6:00's with a hard effort up each big climb on the hilly 6 miler. I felt spent but it was a good day.
Monday: (15 miles)
I ran out to the Mormon Temple with Karl in a nice fair temperature, rainy day. We enjoyed getting out into Rock creek park and running through the cool rain. With my first focus race this coming sunday, i wanted to load much of my weeks mileage into the first 3 days of the week and have a nice light few days leading up. My workout tomorrow will consist of an easy (pace emphasis tune up workout) I was planning on running the BCC workout at 6:30pm but the Flyers will be playing at 7:00pm... so that won't work... I will go directly to Tilden after my soccer game is over and squeeze the workout in... It is a tune up.. I was planning on doing some 2k's... but now I am looking at some repeat miles at 10k pace with 400 rest (most likely 3-4).
Tuesday: (9 miles) Track workout (3 x mile cut down session w/ 400 jog recovery)
2.5 mile warm up
Interval 1: 4:56
Interval 2: 4:44
Interval 3: 4:32 (2:19-2:13/64 last 400)
3 mile cool down
*** Felt really good. Karl helped me through the first 800 of the last interval and then I was able to drop it down but still kept it controlled.
Wednesday: (8 miles) Hill emphasis run
Ran around Rockville in the back neighborhoods off Tildenwood. I ran an out and back that had the middle miles covering some steep climbs and steep decents. I went controlled but quick on the ups and let myself open up on the downhills. I did this to tune up for the hilly course I will face in columbia on sunday. I am going easy for the remainder of the week.

a win but still in a lull...

i won the Sesame place 5k this morning for the second year in a row. In years past this event use to be the premier 5k event in the philly area... unfortunately the last two years have been very sparse up front. I bolted out from the gun to the lead and within 600 meters could not hear a soul behind me. I came through mile 1 in 4:42... a little quick as I wanted to be around 4:48... but i was where i needed to be. I came through the turn-around cone at 7:24 and felt like I had the gas in me to go sub 15. about 50 meters after the turnaround... i realized i had a nice tailwind that helped me the first half of the race... and unfortunately i was now going straight into it for 1.5 + miles to the finish... SOLO. i dug in deep and hit two miles... i looked at my watch and was very disapointed to see 9:44. This means I hit a 5:02... I knew that I had to finish fast but there was not much in these legs today... I pushed as hard as I could all the way to the line... Did a little bit of brooks promo by pointed to my brooks singlet as I crossed the line in front of the camera (as this race is always on the front head line of the bucks county courier times)... I came in at 15:31. I was not happy with the time as I shook my head walking through the chute. Lesson learned (again)... It is more difficult than most realize to run a fast time with no competition... also, the course matters more than i would like to think... It was primarily flat but had an 800 meter gradual uphill directly after the 180 degree turn around the cone... which TOTALLY threw off my rhythm. I don't mind doing this race as it is a nice homecoming race for me, my parents rarely get to see me race so they enjoy watching me... and it is a race i have done since my 9th grade year of high school... I just don't plan to come into it with high expectations for a fast time like i did this year...

Putting it all out there tomorrow

Racing the Courier/Kiwanis Sesame Place Classic tomorrow morning in Langhorne, PA. I am not worried about competition... I just want to put myself out fast and bite down like a pitbull and hold on for dear life. 14:51 is the fastest 5k that has been run on the roads in bucks county on record (that at least has been able to be researchable). This time happens to be by Georgetown RC teammate and one of my best friends Karl Dusen. He ran this basically solo on a not easy course... I am going after that tomorrow... I am putting myself out there!

ITS TIME TO WIN!!! saw these guys play after my brothers set in philly... i wanted to get out and race right there and then!

5/9-5/15... Going up!

Sunday: 15 miles at Difficult Run.
Ran with Jake, Karl, Dave, and Jordan. I felt relaxed in the beautiful cool morning weather on the trails.

Monday: 10 miles at Cabin John Trails
Ran with Karl in the evening. We took it out 5 miles and came back. We picked it up through the middle section of ups and downs. Weather was great again... and felt solid.

Tuesday: 4 miles... Had a rough day and was drained... i jumped out the door to go for the run and just felt terrible... i turned around at 2 miles... i am ok with this though... I will still get my 70 mile week in.

Wednesday: 14 miles AM 4 miles(easy) PM 10 miles: WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!!!
2.5 mile warm up
3 mile tempo (5:02, 4:58, 4:54) = 14:54 for 3 mile tempo
3 minute rest (easy 1 lap jog)
4 x 400 up 5k pace:
1. 67
2. 67
3. 66
4. 59
2.5 mile cool down.


Thursday: AM: 4 miles(easy)
PM: 9 miles

Friday: 8 miles

Saturday: 6 miles

70 miles for the week

Broad Street didn't go as planned... That is all I have to say about that

5/2-5/8: GoSunday: 12 milesing up! (2 mile warm up- 10 mile "race?")
Monday: 9 miles: Cabin John Regional Trails (Felt below average)
I ran with a nice crew tonight over at Cabin John. The group consisted of Karl Dusen, Andy Sovonick, Jordan Snyder and Scott Koonce. We ran a nice 9 mile loop that took us on trail as well as some neighborhood roads off of Seven Locks. I was very congested today (worse than even yesterday.. I don't know if its the humidity or the fact that I have to be off antihistamines for the next 3 days (prior to my allergy testing at the immunologist). Side note: I got peer-pressured into attending an outing with Chicken Tender Runner to Famous Daves tomorrow night.
Tuesday: 5 miles: Today sucked for accomplishing a solid run. I had a lot of errands to run after soccer practice this afternoon...
Wednesday: 10.5 miles 2.5 up 4 x 1 mile w/ 400 jog recover 2.5 + down.
Ran repeat miles on capital crescent trail (between mile marker 2 and 3). I could not get on track with a lacrosse game going on so Mike and I decided to go to the C.C.T We decided on doing the repeats up and down between mile markers 2 and 3... it is gravel which is nice... but from 3 to 2, it is down hill... which means from 2 to 3 is a lovely gradual uphill.
Interval 1: 4:46 (yikes!)
Interval 2(up) 5:10 (ouch!)...
Interval 3: 4:56 (felt really smooth and relaxed)
Interval 4(up) 4:56
Overall, i felt like crap during the workout... I can't breath out of my nose... My head feels like it is going to explode... I am just glad to get a solid effort in... I have my immunologist appoint tomorrow... I cannot wait to get some valid answers finally...

Thursday: 8 miles... Felt heavy... but got through an easy run.
Friday: 7 miles.. ran at 5am to get it over with... felt surprisingly good.
Saturday: 11 miles
Ran an 11 mile run with miles 7 to 10 at progression.
mile 7: 5:18
Mile 8: 5:05
Mile 9: 5:11
Mile 10 and 11: easy
I felt ok... not great but felt somewhat comfortable and controlled at my hardest effort.
WEEK TOTAL: 62.5 MILES

King of Adversity! Broad Street ready or not! here i come

Adversity is something that we all face in life... Some more than others. When it comes to running, I experience my fair share... between illness and injury... as of late it has been the illness that has brought me down. I am experiencing my third respiratory infection in the last 5 weeks. The first took place the day before Shamrock 8k, the second took place over spring break that combined forces with the Flu... and as of tuesday, I got yet another. I went to a doctor yesterday who I found out is very aggressive with giving good powerful meds to his patients (plus he is a triathlete...so he knows what its like to want to get back out there quick). They took a blood test and a chest x ray. the xray was negative of Pneumonia (which is great!) however the blood test is still pending... His initial diagnosis states that I have acute allergic reactions to outdoor spores and pollen (which i knew effected me).. but i get a full blown sinus infection and the effects that one feels with bronchitis...
Anyway, I got put on Advair (steroid inhaler)and a prescription nasal spray (another steroid. I ran 5 miles this morning (after taking 2 days off this week in a row due to this setback). I felt ok... not great but not terrible. I feel like the inhaler and nasal spray have already helped my breathing... but I have to still cough up discusting junk from my chest as I run. I got the green light to race!
No high expectations... I want to run under 53:00 (which is frustrating to make that a goal)... But I am excited that once these medications are in me, I was told that I will be an entirely different person... as well as a runner. It will be scary when some consistent training can finally occur!
I want to reach my goal to make the trials more than anything! It is loafty... But I want it more than anything in this world!