Here We Go!!! Week 1.

Ok... I got some racing out of my system in a short stint of racing this spring after a long lay off during the winter with a micro tear in the left achilles... I feel ready to plunge into this journey of trials and miles... I want to finally put a stop to the talk about talent... "Joe, you have the talent to..........." I am running more strength specific running than I have ever have even been close to in my 14 years of running. I have always been more speed specific... but that only takes you so far... Let the journey begin... at the end of this 2 year push... I have one goal and one goal in mind... "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." An overused quote... but one that fits perfect in my journey to come.

Saturday: 6/13/10. Lawyers have heart 10k:
I was picked up early by Scott Koonce outside my condo and we barreled down Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Ave (and a quick excursion to pick up sir Dusen) and arrived about 1 hour + prior to the race. We quickly registered, stopped for some business and proceeded on for our warm up... I was out of wack this morning and did not eat much at all... just a single banana and a half cup of diluted coffee (that was terrible). As we warmed up... I felt dizzy, sick to the stomach... and not real into being out here on this warm morning. I stopped on the warm up and ate a half of a bagel just to get something in my stomach... We stopped at the car and got the racing gear on... We headed down to the line after another 5-6 minutes of cool down to make an even 1.5 miles (broken up).
The race was typical for a featured D.C race. Lots of numbers 3500 was the number they announced for registration prior to the race... a nice showing... only a handful of elite runners were up front... but enough for a nice race to be had... I spotted Michael Wardian (2008 olympic trials qualifier and one of the poster boy athletes for ultra running in the country), Birhanu Zeleke and my good friend and teammate Karl Dusen (who like myself, had a season ending achilles injury just prior to his focus race at NYC half this spring...).
The gun went off and the pace was a leisure at first... Just like i stated previously.. When I know there are guys that can run fast in a race, I let them do the work in the beginning... As we came up to the first 180 turn off the up ramp of the highway (only 400 into the race!!!), a guy smaller than me pushed up to the front... I ignored him as he looked like he was just a joker taking out a 80+ degree road race in little shade and who would wish he hadn't come the 5k turn around... First mile I spent keying off Wardian and Zeleke. I felt they were the guys I needed to worry about in this race... Smaller runner guy with cool shades was about 10 seconds up at the mile... We came through in 5:12... I saw this as being a bit ridiculous... As I was hoping for sub 31:30 on this course... I made a small surge and Zeleke came right to my shoulder (elbowing me accidently every 5 strides for the entire next mile)... I came to mile 2 in 10:10... a 4:58 second mile... Ok.. now we are going to hit 5's the remainder and get us a nice race... eventually i was confident i would catch the leader... I was rarely looking straight up ahead of me... but a bit cock-eyed as Zeleke moved to my shoulder... Did he think he was going to sit and surge on me... I got angry and pushed a surge.... he countered it... So I did it again and it was just as we hit the second water stop... I quickly grabbed water as i made my move and drank it efficiently (thank you for the tip Karl)... and kept surging... I never saw or heard Zeleke again for the remainder of the race... I approached the turn around and now saw little guy with cool shades 100 meters or so ahead... I felt good so i still wasn't worried... until he made his turn around and came by me on the opposite side of the road... In an Aussy accent... He stated, "Nice Job Buddy!!!" with a tremendously pep to his step... I then new I had to go now... Ernst was at the turn around... yelled Go wiggy go get him! I nodded the head and leaned forward and went for a hard 5k on the way back... I passed Karl... he stated, "nothing to lose joey...go get it." Which told me that Zeleke and Wardian were back and 2nd was a lock... I needed to go for the leader... I made a push and came through 5k in 15:51... I wanted 15:45 and then go... but time didn't matter on a day like today... I wanted to push to a zone i never have been at before... I did that. The only problem was short guy with cool shades was getting further and further away... I had a tough mile from 4-5 (5:07) but rebounded with a nice run from 5-6... This stranger ahead of me put the hammer down and I could not see him any longer... just the flashing of the lead police car that broke the wind for the unknown harrier... I approached the 180 turn that would shoot me down under the overpass to the echoing crowd... One of the coolest finishes to a race I have ever been a part of... finishing down a highway ramp under the highway.. Great crowd support at this race... it echoed like I was running into a stadium of cheers... I went all in for the final 400... and I ran a 54 second final .2 of the 6.2 mile (10k) race... I heard Joe Wiegner Rockville Maryland 2nd place in 31:38. I pumped my fist as I crossed the final chip pad as I negative split on a very hot day... and came out with a 10k pr by 17 seconds... I know I can run a lot faster but I am thrilled considering where I have come from the debacles I have had this year. I congratulated short guy with nice shades after the race... he was with the race reporters (second place is truely the first loser... no press for me)...lol As Karl finished and then scott, we went on a cool down and then passed out flyers for the GRC fathers day 8k race next weekend. As we were standing around... we finally heard that this short guy with nice shades stranger was actually the very talented and successful aussie Andrew Letherby (who currently resides and trains in Boulder, Co). Letherby is a past olympian and stud in the international distance running world.... I was completely at ease after I heard this was him laying the smack down!!! (10 for the day)

1 1/587 3 Andrew Letherby 36 Boulder CO 30:26 30:26 4:54 15:29
2 1/446 4102 Joe Wiegner 28 Rockville MD 31:38 31:38 5:06 15:51
3 2/446 19 Birhanu Zeleke 27 Washington DC 32:43 32:43 5:16 16:12
4 3/446 4060 Karl Dusen 27 Rockville MD 32:49 32:49 5:17 16:30
5 2/587 7 Michael Wardian 36 Arlington VA 33:13 33:13 5:21 16:15

Today (sunday 6/13): 18 miles (Greenbelt park- trails)
I met Jake and Karl and we drove out to Greenbelt this morning to meet 4 other GRCers for the long run. Some did 18 some did a bit shorter but either way... the word of the day throughout this run was "grind"... and that it was... the heat was hot and the muggy air was thick (haha after re-reading what I just typed, i am leaving that statement... as it is a ridiculous one haha). We did 2 full 6 mile loops including an extra 1.5 mile exploration on uncharted territory (which luckily shot us right back on the main trail..) then we added an additional 4.5 miles in out and back fashion. We went to Platos diner in college park afterwards and ate our faces off.