The next step...

Merry Christmas Everyone (ARe you happy Charlie!!!!????!!!!)

2011-12-24T14:47:00.002-05:00

Just pay the guy already.

Just pay the guy already!

2011-07-27T13:36:00.002-04:00

Unless I am running/training or working, I have been glued to the tube as the NFL is finally back in business. It has been very stir-crazy with all the quick moves and surprises that haven taken place. There are many more about to happen with more trade talk and free-agent players continuing to seek new homes around the league. I for one am very happy to see that there will be a football season. I really don't know how I would survive without it.
Now, one problem I am having with my beloved Iggles is the fact that Star Wide-out DeSean Jackson is up for a new contract after this season. D-Jack is slated to make $565,000 this year which makes him well within the middle of Philly's Salary rankings (from last season):

1.Jason Peters OT $11,456,000 $11,456,000

2.Asante Samuel CB $8,895,000 $5,900,000

3.Michael Vick QB $5,200,000 $0

4.Trent Cole DE $2,900,000 $2,900,000

5.Ellis Hobbs CB $2,799,000 $0

6.Reggie Wells OG $2,400,000 $0

7.Juqua Parker DE $2,300,000 $3,500,000

8.Marlin Jackson CB $2,000,000 $4,000,000

9.Nick Cole C $1,759,000 $0

10.Jerome Harrison RB $1,759,000 $0

11.Akeem Jordan LB $1,684,000 $0

12.David Akers K $1,650,000 $0

13.Todd Herremans OG $1,500,000 $1,900,000

14.Bobby McCray DE $1,500,000 $0

15.Omar Gaither LB $1,176,000 $0

16.Max Jean-Gillis OG $1,176,000 $0

17.Darryl Tapp DE $1,176,000 $0

18.Sav Rocca P $1,101,000 $0

19.Mike Patterson DT $1,100,000 $1,400,000

20.Quintin Mikell S $1,050,000 $0

21.Jamaal Jackson C $825,000 $925,000

22.Jon Dorenbos LS $795,000 $800,000

23.Brodrick Bunkley DT $625,000 $635,000

24.Victor Abiamiri DE $550,000 $0

25.Stewart Bradley LB $550,000 $0

26.Brent Celek TE $550,000 $0

27.Kevin Kolb QB $550,000 $1,550,000

28.Gerard Lawson CB $475,000 $0

29.Jamar Adams S $470,000 $0

30.Jeremy Clark DT $470,000 $0

31.DeSean Jackson WR $470,000 $555,000

32.Trevor Laws DT $470,000 $555,000

Is he worth more???
http://youtu.be/1sNHgJTxWR4

The answer is...YES

The guy put the team on his own 5'11 - 160lbs back on numerous occassions in his four years in the league. To discredit the man and not give him the salary he deserves and on top of it, pay more money for some of the names that are above Jackson on the team salary rankings is ridiculous. Two consecutive Pro-Bowl appearances says enough. This is not at all to belittle the players being paid higher than Jackson (Lineman/Running Backs/Full backs etc) tend to have shorter careers on average than a dynamic wideout of D-jack's caliber... But 565k a year??? Really?

Now that I got that out of the way, this week has been going well with training (week 2). I am getting in some good miles early on this week:

I am still keeping the miles around 80 for the week. Amped for big things this Fall. Getting stronger and injury free is my number 1 priority in life this fall.

I "ALWAYS" welcome heat and humidity...

2011-07-24T18:22:00.001-04:00

Until this friday came along...

I have always (for what ever reason) have been able to handle the heat and more importantly humidity quite well. I don't know what the reasoning behind that is but it seems that the faster (or harder) I run in it, the better I seem to feel.   This was until the tail end of this week. I was surprised how good i felt through much of the week (especially with the raise in miles off a 3 week hiatus-rest and light running). The week went as follows (all easy effort runs-base phase for the next 3-4 weeks):

     Mon: 11.5 miles
     Tues: 11.5 miles
     Wed: 10 miles (am) / 5 miles (pm)
    Thurs: 10 miles
     Friday: 10 miles
     Sat: 9.0 miles
    Sunday: 13.5 miles

   I ended up with an 80 miles week and overall I feel very good. I struggled a lot on saturday's 9 mile run at Cabin John due to not being hydrated enough and waking up just prior to the run with Ryan and Sam. However, after hydrating all day saturday, I was able to rebound a finish week 1 feeling very good. I will stay at the 75-80 range for week 2 and then will uptick to around about 85 for week 3 and continue this progression. I am not placing a ceiling I must hit in miles because for me the mileage is not the key ingredient for the recipe for my success this fall. It is the quality. Coach and I have discussed and have come to the common conclusion that I must raise the volume to have the gas tank I need for the 26.2 distance. Overall, it is not going to be the "End all, Say all" for my training. I will not be a mileage hound and get myself caught up in it.
   I am excited to run again, which is exciting. It is not a chore like it has been in the past. If it gets that way again, I will not hesitate to take a step back as this is a key indicator of burn out. I am adding in 2 days/week of 1 hour + of cycling on the trainer that will take place of an hour morning run. This will eliminate the excessive pounding on the legs that have hurt me. I also feel i get more out of cycling on the trainer than I do in the pool aqua jogging.

The next step...

2011-07-04T15:59:00.001-04:00

I had the last week to rest and reflect on my life as a whole. Obviously, running is a big part of my life. My teammates, competitors and all the passionate runners out there can all agree that the drive for success that runners have is what gives a runner the added edge/competitiveness in all walks of life. I am so thankful for my family, friends and job that God has blessed me with. I also am thankful for the gift of running. I feel that i have never totally appreciated my ability to be able to run. I feel i have gone through the motions. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have trained very hard over my career as a runner, however I feel I have been running aimlessly for many of those years. I am 29 years old and I know I won't be able to run forever. My only goal i have now is to enjoy the journey as a working runner. I will still have time goals to work towards but more importantly I am out this time around to enjoy the feeling of being competitive, thrive on the feeling of running fast, Smiling to start a race and definitely after the race and above all, to throw down the best performance i possibly can, each time I am on the road, course or track.

Cherry Blossom looms in the AM

2011-04-02T20:09:00.000-04:00

2011 Cherry Blossom 10miler is tomorrow am. The Gun goes off at 7:40am. Race updates will be coming in at http://www.georgetownrunningcompany.blogspot.com/

Getting there

2011-03-27T22:09:00.001-04:00

So, it has been 4 weeks since I came down with the flu and 2 weeks since i was sidelined for a few days with an aggravated adductor. I have been doing a good job of rehabbing and am now running pain free again. It has taken a lot longer than usual for my fitness to come back from an injury/illness set back. I have had many and bounce back relatively quickly... However i think due to my mileage already being low from USA XC champs, the residual strength i had was not as much as it would have been without the taper. I do feel my legs are under me, i just am simply lacking strength/turnover right now. This has been the first week I feel that I am "getting back". I ran my first full workout in weeks. I ran 2 previous workouts post illness and could not finish them due to the effects of the flu. The adductor tweak was a result of these efforts. I was happy to run 6 x mile this week and got under each interval goal. I felt really good finishing, though I wanted to go with a few of the guys that finished strong on the final interval. I knew I had to keep it in check to avoid any re-injury.
Yesterday, I ran a 13 mile day with a 5 mile progression run on the track, 2:30 rest and then went into a 2 mile slightly faster. I ran solo at my h.s track in PA. It was really windy and lonely. I hit 5:24, 5:21, 5:20, 5:15, 5:15. After the rest, I ran a 10:07 two mile (5:05/5:02). The two mile felt much more relaxed as I quickly changed from trainers to flats for the 2 mile. Today, I hit a 16 miler (easy). I was having some stomach issues this morning but after it subsided, all was fine. I ran 79 miles this week which is 15 miles more than last week. I will continue upping the mileage throughout the next few weeks of racing. I am looking forward to racing Cherry Blossom, especially that there is a team competition. This brings a whole new element of motivation to the race.

I don't even know what to say

2011-03-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

I am sick again. I had a 101 degree fever yesterday and i am at home today in bed. I had to take off yesterday and will be forced to take off again today (missing a workout tonight) The trend is getting old... I work hard, i do the right things, i have been eating very healthy and getting the sleep i need. My doctor sent me for a blood test for my TSH and metabolic rate (not sure what those have to do with my off and on sickness) but that is why he is a doctor i guess... 3 weeks to Shamrock!

87.5 mile week on singles + two key workouts

2011-02-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

Monday started off my week with a 20miler. Due to presidents day, Outlaw and I decided to run our long run on our off day from school.
Tuesday was an easy 9 miles.
Wednesday was the second key workout of this half marathon training plan. 4 x 1.5 miles. He hit all our paces right on (4:56 pace, 4:52 pace, 4:48 pace and 4:44 pace). Our last interval got rolling at the tail end. I have been keeping all of my intervals consistent to the coach jerry's plan. However, i got caught in the moment when i saw karl go after it in the final 600. I was able to close in a 2:14 final 800 (4:34 last mile of the workout). With the intensity and miles that i have been putting in the last few weeks, i am really pleased with how i felt.
Thursday: I ran a semi-easy 10 miles. I ran a bit quick at the end due to the rain and wanting to get done my 10 mile loop in time to go to a happy hour i was planning on going to...
Friday: I hit an easy 10 miles with Hanson on the CCT
Saturday: The third key workout was a long run progression. 5 miles easy, 5 miles at 5:50 pace and 5 miles at 5:10 pace. I woke up not feeling great and once again was coughing some junk out of my chest... shocker, i know... I was persuaded by Hanson to get out and give it a go which i am glad i did. Once i got through the easy 1/3 of the run, i felt my burning lungs subsided. I was in a nice comfortable rhythm through the 5:50's but knew that the 5:10 effort would not feel the same. We ran up to the CCT from the tressel and began the harder final 1/3 of the progression. In 2008, i was able to run 13.1 at about this pace (5:11pace = 1:08 for half marathon). I got down to 5:08 average with 1.5 miles to go and was feeling in the zone. I was on the brink of hurt but just on comfort side of the redline. The trick to running a good half is to get your body to that line and just tippy-toe along it, not crossing it for a second but not taking another inch back from the line either. Once i turned and came back up the cct on the uphill grade was when i began to slow some. I was hitting about 5:12 pace at this point. However in my final 1/2 mile when i turned back down the cct, i was able to make up some ground again and finish strong. I ran 25:52 for my final 5 miles and with an easy 1.5 mile cooldown included ran a 6:13 average for 16.5 miles. I was thinking about when i ran 25:54 as a freshman in college at the CAA conference championships while running for JMU. I remember being so excited to break 26 for 8k. Now i find myself breaking 26 for a full 5 miles after already running 10 miles prior.
Sunday: I ran an easy 10 miles from "the line" with Klim and Hanson. I woke up not feeling good at all but pushed myself out of bed. I got through the run ok and felt that it kicked out the crappy feeling. However after coming home, showering and chilling of the couch, i began to not feel too good. I napped and relaxed the remainder of the day. I decided not to attend the red carpet party at P.Murphs tonight (which i was upset to place my amazing get-up back in the closet).
87.5 miles in 7 runs. The most miles I have ever done on singles.

Still Climbing and even more Hungry

2011-02-23T10:32:00.001-05:00

Flash: Tucker Wiegner to enter the great dachshund race this summer...developing
http://www.keystonedachshundraces.com/

I hit a 20 miler on monday to start off the week. During this 6 week final lead up phase to Shamrock, I have switched to monday to sunday weeks. I prefer sunday to saturday but the plan just ended up being this way. I actually have liked it thus far, so i may switch back to this more popular layout. I finally felt my legs come back under me at the end of the 2 hour and 16 minute run. On monday, I ran 9 miles easy in the am (due to a two-hour delay, i was able to sleep in a bit more prior to my run). I felt good besides having to navigate through some snow/ice.
I have noticed a big increase in my appetite. I have been losing some weight too but at the same time, i have been eating like a champ. Tonight is another scheduled key-workout. This will be the toughest thus far and leads into 2 more that in my opinion will be even tougher. However, just like the half-marathon game plan (one mile at a time), I am looking at this as one workout at a time. Better yet, one interval at a time. The workout for tonight is 4 x 1.5 miles w/ 4 min rest between reps at 4:56, 4:52, 4:48, 4:44 pace. We will have a nice group getting after it. I will gain a lot of info on my progress and fitness from this workout tonight.

85 miles for the week and boy do i feel it!

2011-02-20T19:34:00.001-05:00

So, i finished off the week with 85 miles. This ties the second highest week I have had in 10 years. My highest during this span took place in mid summer with a 92 mile week... i jumped from 82 to 92 that week then back down to 80. I was able to get 4 workouts in the previous 8 days. Last saturday's 18 mile progression run (6 easy, 6 at 5:54, 5 at 5:15, 1 easy), Tuesday's 6 x 2000 (6:15, 6:15, 6:10, 6:10, 6:05, 6:02), Thursdays 10 miler with 6 x 250 at 90% in the middle of the run and the By George 10k: 32:46 (in high winds... definitely went from feeling good to flat in the final 1.5 miles). It was great to see the team perform well considering the terrible windy conditions. My hat is esp off to one of my best friends and teammate Karl Dusen. He ran a nice time in the terrible wind and with just making a big jump closer to his race form. It was great having him racing again and i am excited for the next time we get a group out in a race together. Karl, Jerry, Sam and I worked together for much of the race. I gave it a go to keep pace with Karl and Jerry with about 1.5 miles to go but could not turn over any faster, my legs were cooked.
I will be moving it up to 90 miles this week (this will be my highest week in this lead up to shamrock). However, i have two very tough workouts this week (not including an easy 18 miler tomorrow), one being a key workout in this training cycle. I am excited to keep focused for the next 4 weeks leading into shamrock and pushing through these grueling intervals, tempos and progressions to come. Thus far, i have knocked all of these workouts out of the water and have felt very good doing so... However, it is early in the preparation still... the next 3 weeks include 5 difficult workouts. This is where the men are separated from the boys. I need to step up to the plate and welcome the discomfort of running fast. One thing is for certain, no matter how shamrock goes on March 20th, a lack of effort, determination and desire will not be an issue.

Giddy Up!

Working to become a true distance runner

2011-02-16T10:53:00.000-05:00

In the past, I have always hesitated when telling a non-runner that I am a "Distance Runner". Through my high school and college days, i always referred to myself as a middle-distance runner when chatting with a knowledgable runner. However, if you start going around telling a person who knows nothing about the sport that you run middle-distance, that opens a whole new explanation. However, looking over my upcoming mileage/workouts as well as the gradual increase in volume over the last 5 months, I can feel at ease calling myself a true distance runner.
    Last night, i ran the longest workout I have ever done on the track. Coach Jerry had me hit 6 x 2000 with 2 and half minute rest.  He had the reps broken up into 3 sets of 2. Starting at 6:15(75's), going to 6:10(74's) and the final 2 reps at 6:05(73's). I took the long metro out to Braddock Road in Northern VA and got a ride from Samantha Kirby to the Wakefield h.s track. Just a few miles up the road stands TC. Williams high school. Home of the Titans. I have always loved that movie and was always inspired by the story. I thought to myself that it is pretty cool that I am going to workout on the oval that surrounds the field that the titans played on en route to their championship run in the playoffs years prior. With not being able to workout tomorrow night again, It works out real well coming out here with lots of people present on the track + under the lights. Jerry Outlaw and Dave Burnham were kind enough to come out (it is practically in their backyard) to jump in with me.
    After a 3 mile warm up, we laced up the flats and jumped out on the track. We hit our first 2 reps in 6:15 and 6:14. I did not feel dialed in at the start... I have noticed when i start around that 75 or slower, it feels awkward... I don't even think it is the fact that it is a slower pace, i just feel wobbly. However, the next two intervals felt more comfortable. We hit 6:05's dead on. the three of us would take turns leading by switching at 1k. It was a very good team effort and it is always motivating to have guys to run with, esp. when you are turning a total of 30 laps! the final set we got out after. I led their first 1200 of the final two reps. We were coming out hitting 72 points and all feeling strong. We hit 6:04 and the last rep we came through in 6:02. We ended the night with another 3 miles and 14.5 miles total.
   I am going to run a low-key 10k on haines point with the team. I am excited to get into a race effort with the team again, especially with some of our guys who are coming back into form. Watch out for the GRC in months to come!!!

Going the Distance

2011-02-13T20:26:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the first "Long" workout of my half marathon regiment. It was a workout which was incorporated into an 18 mile long run. The 18 miles was broken into 3 pieces: 6 easy, 6 at 6flat pace, 5 at 5:15 pace and 1 mile easy cooldown pace.
I began the long haul with Greenlaw in tow. We ran 6 miles on TR island then headed back over the key bridge and onto the towpath. I did not feel good at all on the easy miles. I was cranky, did not feel like running, tired, etc. I got through it though and looked ahead to hopefully feeling better and more motivated in the next segment of the run. From there, i parted ways with jerry, and i was on to the 6flat segment of the workout. I felt very controlled, in fact was almost having to hold back at times. I would see the avg pace on the gps watch (which i hate wearing by the way), go down to 5:40's on several occassions. I completed the second segment with a 5:54 average. From there I jumped on the Capital crescent and headed back down towards the whitehurst freeway. I cranked down immediately to 5:12-5:16 pace. This was a ridiculous change in pace to start but i soon got into the rhythm. Once i got down to the start of the whitehurst overpass, i turned around and went back up the capital crescent trail. The gradual uphill i began to feel but i kept the pace right on. with 1 mile to go, I put my head down and pushed through the final mile to hold a 5:14-5:15 average for the 3rd segment of the workout (26:13 for 5miles). I ran the final mile to make an even 18 miles. My breathing felt great throughout, which was a plus. I really enjoy getting going on those longer runs. I feel i get into that rhythm and sometimes forget i am running, which is weird. At the same time, i like it. 18 miles with easy miles, quality miles and cooldown mile = 6:13/mile average.

Sham-Rock ON!

2011-02-11T10:28:00.000-05:00

So, it is official that Shamrock Half Marathon is ON for March 20th. I was debating pros and cons on whether to race the half in march or wait until june in seattle. The Pros outweighed the Cons for sure in favor of VA Beach's March Shamrock Half Marathon. I just got notification that I am entered into the race and now it is time to get some quality work in the next 4 weeks prior to bringing it down for a taper. I feel very good on my runs and feel i have bounced back well from the Bronchitis a few weeks ago and the intestinal issues from over the weekend. I just need to stay healthy... That is all i am focused on!!!! Keep healthy for 6 weeks!!!! If I can do that, who knows what can happen on March 20th.

USATF XC Championships Recap

2011-02-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

    I have had the USA XC Championships on my race schedule since the day after USATF Club XC championships in mid December. I got that passion for xc again from that race and was not satisfied with my performance in Charlotte... I knew that with more consistent training, i could build on that race and pop a nice one a few months later in San Diego. Obviously, a huge motivator was the fact that 60 degree weather is MUCH more ideal than 25 degree weather. My cousin Blake and his fiance Jamie also live only 2 miles from Mission Bay (in Ocean Beach), so I was definitely making the trip upon the offer to stay with them.
   Coach Jerry decided a few weeks prior that he would make the trip as well. I very much welcomed this as it would be a big advantage having coach there to guide me, motivate me and to simply have someone in my corner for the entire 12k event. We arrived in San Diego around 11:30am pacific time. We were welcomed by a gorgeous sunny day and 65 degrees. Palm trees hung above us, people walked around in Hawaiian t-shirts, it was great. We checked into Jerry's hotel at the Hilton on Mission Bay Park (400 meters from the starting line). I quickly got dressed into summer running garb (shorts and my Maryland Track and Field t-shirt- Thank you Danielle!).  The course was a very interesting setup. I knew going into the race that the course would be a 2000meter loop run 6 times for the 12k race. However, i did not expect the course to be in such a tight area. At first i thought it was ridiculous... but once i began running, i knew this course was my type of course. You opened up with a 350 meter straightaway followed by a 90 degree turn. From there you made a gradual right turn running along the Hilton swimming pool.  After that, you made a sharp left turn and ran along mission bay.  I smiled during this stretch as to the right of me (about 60 feet from the course was the beautiful, sparkling bay). The course ran about another 400 meters which included the 1000meter checkpoint.  This is where it got fun, you made a long gradual left turn that wrapped up up a semi steep hill. You then went down a gradual hill for 50 meters before making a sharp right turn up a short steep hill. After the 30 meter hill, you made a quick left turn down a very very short and steep hill.  You ran a round the playground, in which the turn was like an indoor track turn on a 200meter flat track.  From there you hit a quick uphill followed by a quick downhill... you went back up a short steep hill and ran along the stands. 100meters later you were making the sharp turn which dumped u into the 2000meter mark.  That x's 6 was the 2011 championship course.
    After 4 easy laps, I strapped on the spikes and went to the starting line, only to find elite athletes: Jason Hartman, Jorge Torres, Brett Vaughn, Sean Quigley and Brooks runner Andrew Carlson. I had some small talk and began to hit 4 striders.  I left the course feeling very good!
    That night i hit a nice Italian dinner with Blake and Jamie. We talked about their upcoming wedding, the fun things we would do post-race... and how they had a crew and a half of rowdy hippies coming out to cheer me on for the race. Due to jet-lag, i was out like a light at 9:30pm.
    Race day morning came and I woke at 7:30am. I rolled out of bed, put on some running garb and headed out for a shake out run of 2 miles. I ran out to the pier at Ocean Beach. I watched surfers pulling off some crazy stuff on 8ft waves. There were SOOO many people out exercising which was really neat to see. I came back to the house, showered and walked down to a highly recommended diner for a nice big breakfast... I ordered two pancakes, 2 eggs and 2 slices of wheat toast (thinking that this would not be enough food to hold me over till 2pm). My food took some time to get to my table but i was content talking to the locals at the breakfast bar while i waited. When my food finally arrived, i was shocked to see two GIANT pancakes on one plate and my eggs and toast on another. These were THE BIGGEST pancakes i have ever had in my life. I was nervous to see this but only for a second... Before i knew it, i dug in... I ate the entire meal and i felt great after. I felt at the time that this was great because my race was 5 hours away and i now did not have to eat anything prior to the race...
    Alas, the 1pm beep sounded on my watch and i had a dull but noticeable stomach ache. I had yet to be able to take care of the usual pre-race duties (literally) i am accustomed to. I warmed up 3 miles about 50 minutes before the race. I came back and felt i had a brick in my stomach. I took a tums, shrugged it off and knew it would all dissipate when the gun sounded. I laced up the shoes and after some nice words from Coach, I toed the line. I was positioned between some top tier runners, which was nerve-racking for sure. I look to my left to see Brooks runners Andrew Carlson and Ryan Vail. Ok, to the right I have Abdi Abdirahman. The gun was up and we blasted off... I took a deep exhale and thought... 12k here we go. I positioned myself in the back end of the lead back which was scorching from the start. by the first turn, people were already racing competitively... I noticed this and backed off and dropped into a second back. New york native Jon Phillips was one of the runners i was positioned with and our pack keyed off of the top pack just a few seconds back of the lead back through 1k... We were OUT for sure... We settled and the top 25 or so continued pressing like a runaway herd. We entered the roller coaster inter loop of the course and our pack continued to fly but we were controlled. 6:05 through 2k... i was fast... I was shooting for 6:10's... i guess this is expected. We settled some more and had a few others join with us. One in particular was Navy's Will Christian. He came up on my shoulder and about 200 meters into lap two made a strong charge up towards to leaders... he came and went. We got to 3k and slowed to 9:16. The pack began to move quick and as we re-entered the roller coaster section, off the first downhill... my stomach dropped and i felt i needed a bathroom break... "Crap!", i said to myself. I let the pack go knowing that i had to slow through the Rolly section of this course and see if my stomach would settle... It began to, but i lost ground... about 50 meters from the chase pack of 8-10 runners. I knew this could be a long day on the course at this point but was optimistic it would all go away. It started subsiding but my next 2k was much slower... 6:18. this is still in reach for a great race and we still have 8k to go! I had a 3rd pack catch me and I went with them. This is when the struggle came however, i began to press with these fresh runners and felt my stomach again... I slowed... gathered myself and tried pushing again... This basically continued through the race. 8k came and i was a mess. I hit a 6:48 for that 2k, and my stomach at this point was a pure wreck. I got through the lap but got passed by at least 12 runners. I came into the 10k point in 33flat still however, which was almost 2 minutes off goal through 10k but still not bad considering what was going down... I did not however get much faster... I closed in a 6:25 at 12k plus the extra point for the finishing stretch that they added to the course. 39:48 was well off my goal... However, in hindsight i never quit and felt after 3k, my hands were tied behind my back... there was nothing i could do. I wish i would have just ate what i always have eaten before a race in the AM... and then did that again but only half the dose 2.5 hours before the race, like i always have done... You cannot assume anything and definitely not try new things in a big time race like that. "Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda", I can say that all I want, but in all honesty, I will take that effort as a sure positive. On an off day to run 5:18's over a tough course in temperatures over 50 degrees over my norm, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
    After getting out of the chute and running over to the bathroom, I was approached by Abdi. He asked me, "Did you have a tough one out there today." "Ohhhh yeah, i told him." Abdi said he had a tough one out there and what he said to me i will take to my next race, "He man, it is only one race, you have another one coming up right?, get it then!" It is the truth, there is always other races. It is not the end of the world, it is a lesson to take into the next one and go for it then.
    the remainder of my weekend was a lot of fun, minus my continued issues with my stomach. My stomach finally began feeling better last night (tuesday night), I don't know if it was solely the food i ate and the race that irritated it, or if i had some sort of stomach-bug. Blake, Jamie and their San Diego/Penn State buddies and I all watched the Superbowl together. Watching the game at 3pm was different but really cool at the same time. At one point, there were 5 dogs in the living room due to the high abundance of dogs in the neighborhood that nobody keeps on a leash. the dogs literally just walked in the house and chilled... I thought this was weird until this one dog kept coming up and chilling near me. His name was He-Man, which i thought was hilarious. he was a little jack russell/chihuahua mix. the next morning was an early one. My flight left at 7am. On the flight i thought about a lot of things. Running, missing football, teaching, relationships, how josh cox never got back to me about the sunday long-run, etc. Awesome trip, would do it again this year, though the race is in St. Louis... ahhhh i mean, St. Louis (in a waynes world voice)....

50th place: 39:48.

2011-02-05T21:08:00.000-05:00

So,the race didnt start out great... i was having some intestinal issues in the hour leading up to the race. I definitely think my breakfast had something to do with it...
either way, i fought it out and am happy with my effort. race report to come soon....

Race Day

2011-02-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

It is saturday morning at 815am. After completing the course preview yesterday, my cousin picked me up in his saab surf cruiser and we proceeded to his place in ocean beach. he drove me around the scene and told me the cool places we would check out post race. After a nice italian dinner ,i stopped at a local grocery store, watched a bit of tv and crashed at 930pm. I went for a short and easy shake out along the beach this morning. I am heading to a highly recommeneded diner for a big breakfast and will veg out until 11. I feel good, and ready to go after a good race!

course report etc.

2011-02-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

The mission bay xc course is a set up like i have never seen before. The 2k loop that will be run 6 times, is in a very small area of the park. the best way to describe it is like a roller coaster. you are pretty much either turning right, left, or going up or down small hills. the start stretch runs about 350meters which is a nice however i like the flow of this technical course... the final wrap around turn on the bell lap should be crazy.
i am at my cousins place in ocean beach just chillin. it is getting cool out here at 5pm.

Hello warm weather!!!

2011-02-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

I dont think i want to come back after walking outside of the san diego airport to b
beautiful sunny weather. we are heading to the course from the airport in mission beach. course preview update to come...and check out our rideaaaaa

Wiggy Heading to Sunny San Diego in the am.

2011-02-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

I ran in tights and 3 layers on top this evening... Post run, i threw the winter gear in the hamper and pulled out the summer garb. I will be giving update posts throughout my trip leading up to the USA Cross Country Championships on saturday at 2pm (pst). The race will be in live webcast form at http://www.runnerspace.com/USACrossCountryChampionship .

The sun is breaking through the clouds

2011-01-25T21:36:00.000-05:00

I attempted a run yesterday (monday) after 4 days consecutively off. I actually only consider it three days because i was yearning for a day off anyway. I only went 2 miles yesterday and it was nothing but a struggle. I was light-headed, my lungs were on fire and i continued to cough up discusting junk from my chest through the 15 minute run. Today however, I woke up and felt my lungs were to the point i could barely feel any congestion. The antibiotics i feel must really be kicking in. I still have the sinus infection that went along with this flu but I can deal with that. Today after a nice day at work i was antsy to run again. Though reflecting on yesterdays run, i was not having any high expectations. I started out seeing how i felt 2 miles out and if i was dieing, i would just turn around. I got two miles out and felt really good. I then said ok, lets go one more... I did and continued to feel solid. Besides my nose and chest continuing to clear itself on the run, i had no issues. I certainly felt a big wobbley out there in the legs from being in bed for 3 days but that will pass fast. I ended up going 8 miles today and besides being more tired than a usual healthy 8 miler, i feel like i have almost climbed out of the sick hole. Now on to the next step. Getting race ready and fine tuning all that work i put in over the last 2 months for a week from saturday in san diego. I feel if i can be 100% cleared up in the next 10 days, I have a good shot at a big race. Top 30 at the USA championships has been my goal and continues to be my goal.

Check out the video from the 2008 USA championships at the link below. They were held on the same course in Mission Bay. I already have some plans made for the weekend. Arriving friday at 11:30am PST with Coach Jerry. Chilling out around Mission Bay with Jerry until my cousin and his fiance come pick me up (my cousin lives 6 blocks from the course and 1 block from the Beach). Saturday morning shake out run on the beach (race is not until 2pm!) Hopefully by this time i will be somewhat adjusted to the time change. Race 12 kilometers, cool down, grab a bite and a nap. Then head out for some nightlife fun with Jerry, his buddy and all the other runners. Sunday i plan to do some sightseeing for the entire day with my cousin and his fiance. Monday i have a flight leaving at 7am.

http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/USAXCChampionships/video/

California Dreaming

2011-01-22T19:20:00.001-05:00

Well, I have not posted since the first run of the new year. I have had a great start to the new year with my training. I have posted 3 weeks in a row at 80-84 miles. My intervals have been right on and none had felt too difficult. I ran my first tempo in sometime two weeks ago and knocked it out of the water (5:13 pace over rolly grass for 6.7 miles). That was completely haulted however by a bout of bronchitis along with flu-like symptoms. I worked out on wednesday night and "got through" the workout. I hit all of my splits but it did not feel smooth like it should have. I had a constant burning in my chest and it hurt to breath in the cool air. I woke up on thursday and felt terrible. I forced myself to go to work and got through the day. I went to bed early thursday night (did not run). I woke at 3am on friday morning and felt like death. I knew then that this was going to be a battle similar to the one i encountered over spring break last year. I took off work to sleep all of friday. I woke up saturday morning at 9:00am after a 12 hour slumber. I literally have been borderline hibernated for the last two days. I took another nap from noon until 4pm. I have a big appetite and have been drinking so much water I am peeing every 30 minutes. I do the right things when i get these bronchial bouts... I just want to find out one helpful tip: How do i avoid them all together and what causes them??? I am seeing a new allergist for one because my current one sucks something awful... I am also going to see a respiratory doctor as well as a nutritionist. There is a link between frequent bronchial infections and acid reflux (which runs in my family). If I can pin point that as a problem and get that fixed, who knows!
Bottomline, I don't have time for these unwanted barriers in my training. I am out to get something that takes time out on the roads, trails and track. Not in bed.
My next race is February 5th in Mission Bay Park, San Diego California. The USA Cross Country Championships/World team trials has been the race I have been focusing on since Christmas. Throughout my long naps, i have been dreaming of california. Racing through the bright green grass, sharp turns around palm trees, the distant noise of waves breaking and 70 degree sunny weather. A top 30 finish would be nice and doable, however i have a small mountain to climb to get healthy from this without relapse.

Happy New Year!!! first post of the New Year!

2011-01-02T12:31:00.000-05:00

Sunday January 2, 2011:
     16 miles at Rileys Lock

   I met a group of GRCers at Rileys this morning for a long run. The temperatures were unusually mild for a sunday morning in january. Many wore shorts which made me feel like winter came through and left immediately. I certainly was not complaining after having to navigate snowy, icy streets in the philadelphia area over christmas break last week. The run started out with not feeling great... I felt out of it. However, as the run progressed, i felt better and better. The final few miles felt real nice.
   I am coming off my highest week since mid summer (80 miles in singles last week). I will keep things consistent around the 80 mark for the next few weeks before dipping down some for the USA Cross Country Championships on February 5th in San Diego, CA. This is not a huge focus for me but a race I want to run well at.
Heres to hard work = success in 2011 !

The week in a nutshell

2010-12-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

70 mile week after tomorrow

Workout Wednesday consisted of 5 x mile w/ 400 jog rest
   4:55
   4:50
   4:45
   4:40
   4:36
     The workout felt very smooth... We had a HUGE group at the track including our GRC ethiopians who made it to a workout.   I was very happy to see some guys starting to make some nice progressions in their training as well and going into next weekends club nationals, we are looking strong.

The Eagles played a nice game to defeat the Texans on National tv thursday night. Vick continued to show his strength as both a runner and now as a pocket passer, Lesean McCoy is making his bid for a Pro Bowl spot in the backfield... We will have Asante Samuel back in the lineup next week against Dallas. I despise the cowboys!

Tomorrow we are meeting at cell phone tower field for a follow-the-leader workout in the spikes!

Rock n' Run 10k Race Report

2010-11-27T15:56:00.006-05:00

I ran the rock n' run 10k this morning. The competition was not there at all this year compared to recent years when someone will show up (mike Syrnick PSU alum and sub 9 steepler showed up last year) but not this year. I held the previous course record from last year at 32:14 and was simply just trying to get under 32 minutes (which i felt would be a tough task considering the terrain). I however went out like a bat out of hell and purposely banked some time in the fast steep first mile. 4:40 i heard as i came through mile 1 and onto the dirt trail that sent me flying down to the sharp 90 degree turn where Agony hill greeted me. I poured a lot of sweat and blood on repeat hill miles on Agony over the years so we know eachother well. I tempo'd the first portion and after I hit the steep section and got the the final gradual 400 meters of the climb, i worked it back in. 9:52 was mile 2 (a 5:12) expected... I knew i had a flat mile for the 3rd mile to start clicking... and i did... I hit another sub 5. Then hit a short but very steep climb for about 100 meters... the climb continued for the next 500 meters or so but was gradual for most of it. I then bombed down a 600 meter steep steep downhill where i knew i had to go balls to the wall to bank some more time. I leaned forward like a crazy out of control kid in his first trip down the steep neighborhood hill on his Big Wheel (god i wish i still had my Big Wheel)... After my short lived fantasy it was back to business, i hit the base of the descent and began to work and short rolling section of hills. I hit mile four in 19:59. I was where I wanted to be but knew the last 4 miles were the hardest... I tempod the next section of steep hills and once i got to the top i knew i had to put everything in the rolly (predominately downhill section) that came up next... i did this... it hurt but i knew i needed to get as many seconds in the bank as possible for the final 1.2 miles. I hit mile 5 in 24:57 and was feeling it... I hit the trail that began the start of the long and steep climb that would exit me from the park and back towards the start finish area... I got off the trail and into the open for the final 400 meters of the hill before I was able to hit the flat final 600 meters of the course... I was hurting bad as my legs were numb but my form never buckled... my breathing felt good... I got into the school parking area and made the final turn for the final 500 meter straightaway. The wind was furiously whipping and i kicked as hard as I possibly could. I hit mile 6 in 30:20. I was getting stood up in this wind... I ran through the line and saw the clock at 31:30. 31:33 was my official and gave me much satisfaction as I got a great workout in and in hindsight, i was only 18 seconds off my PR set only two weeks ago on pancake flat (beautiful weather) Veterans Day. This was a good sign that fitness is coming back.
Next: USATF Club XC Championships (Charlotte, NC) in two weeks.

The map above was the elevation profile (The white is the elevation and the blue is the outlining). for the Rock n' Run 10k 2010. It was one of the toughest course I have run for that distance. I was running the time trial of my life (being that no one was within 6 minutes) up until just past the 5 mile mark. I came through in 24:57 and was feeling strong but the long, steep uphill trail that began just past 5 miles was looming and i knew this would be tough. With the gusting wind, the steep climb and the fatigue hitting my legs, I knew it would be a fight to keep close to the 4 sub or right at 5minute miles I have posted out of the previous 5 miles. 4:40(steep downhill), 5:12(uphill), 4:59(flat), 5:04(up and down), 5:02(uphill), 6:36(steep uphill-reverse of opening mile for final 1.2)
I feel I am ready to help the GRC get a top ten finish at Club Nats. Lets get it boys!!!
16 miles in for the day (4 pre race/ 6.2 race/ 6 post race)

Thanksgiving week!!!

2010-11-24T09:18:00.001-05:00

This week has been a good week for running. i am projected to be at about 65 miles this week with a day off.
Sunday: 10.5 miles. I met a handful of GRCers at Old Anglers Inn for a nice, relaxing run through carderrock along the towpath. Beautiful weather and a beautiful meal followed at Chicken Out.
       Sunday Night Football was awesome with the Birds downing the Giants and therefore are the sole leaders of the NFC East!!! That topped my weekend.

Monday: 10 miles (Workout!!!)
                 2.5 mile warm up
                 4 x 1mile w/ 400 jog recovery
                       4:55
                       4:50
                       4:46
                       4:38
                2.5 mile cool down
       * The workout felt really good. It is funny how I begin the workout feeling sluggish on the slower intervals but by the middle to second half arrives and the tempo has been picked up, I feel really good.
Tuesday: OFF Day! 0 miles
Wednesday: 10 miles

Last week and on to the next

2010-11-21T17:11:00.000-05:00

Last sunday: 16miles
                           1 mile shake out/2 mile warm up/10k race/7 mile easy post race run.

   The Veterans Day 10k did not go exactly as planned but it still was somehow a PR. My 8k and 10k personal bests are two of my weaker records, so bettering those times isn't something i jump for joy about. At the same time, the way I raced, my training lead up being in the early stages and the time I ran, i was satisfied on the day. 31:15 for 10k. Ran through 15:37 at 5k and duplicated that exact for the second half. In hindsight (which Jerry agreed with), I should have latched onto the pack a few seconds up on Paul and I at the mile mark... from there they continued that pace, where we gave them room (which i felt was smart at the time) and go for them when they begin dieing off... I never slowed but at the same time never got much faster due to running solo for the last 3.5 miles. It is easier racing in a group then running by yourself...

Monday: 10 miles (easy/med) with Hanson on the CCT
Tuesday: 10 miles (easy) with sloane on the Trolley Trail
Wednesday: 11 miles: Workout wednesday:
            6x1200: 74's/72's/70's
                   We hit them pretty much dead on... a few a bit faster but overall very consistent. The workout felt good.
Thursday: 6 miles
Friday: 6 miles + 30 minute PM swim
Saturday: 15.5 mile long run (from my house down rock creek trail towards D.C line and back)
74.5 for the week

GRC @ Veteran's Day 10k in morning

2010-11-13T16:43:00.002-05:00

The air will be cool and crisp, the competition will be fierce.

This video says it all....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkBOI4lNfYs

developing...

This could get good

2010-11-11T10:51:00.002-05:00

"My training partners surround me with talent, enthusiasm and a hard work ethic; they are an amazingly inspiring group." Deena Kastor.

This week has been consistent with the last two. I will top off the week at about 65-68 miles (which is about where i was last week). Sunday is Veterans Day. I am going in with no expectations other than trying to take down the Ethiopian tandem who I just haven't been able to finish the job on in our last two meetings. They are clearly better than me in talent, accolades, etc... but when one has the passion and determination to go after the opposition, where ones opponent feels no threat, that is when an upset can happen. This is just a small little motivator i have. The main focus of this weekend is to not only get in a good race that will build motivation but to help my GRC team win the team title at Veterans Day. We have a solid team that could win it all but we will have to work to get the job done against our friendly? rivals from the south (pacers).

This week has been off to a nice start in regards to training:
sunday: 15.5 (zoo loop +)
monday: 9 (CCT/Bethesda loop from Chevy Chase store)
Tuesday: 10 (PM run with Karl on Tilden loop)
Wednesday: 12 miles WORKOUT WEDNESDAY.
                    10 X 800 w/ 400 jog recovery
                          2:24
                          2:22
                          2:22
                          2:21
                          2:20
                          2:20
                          2:18
                          2:15
                          2:16
                          2:15
        ***Workout felt sluggish for the first 2 intervals... I felt I didn't warm up enough with strides, as we had to quickly jump in with Outlaw who was doing the workout we completed last weekend (2xmile + 4 x 800). After the first 2 intervals i felt in sync and the remainder of the workout was solid.  Texas Paul, Hanson, Sam, Karl, Outlaw and myself worked really well together. It truly is awesome to run in a group on longer workouts.

Week in review

2010-11-06T13:27:00.000-04:00

I did not attend to my blog much this week with it being a crazy week.   I hit 69.5 miles for this week feeling pretty good. I need to get a bit more sleep as Wed and thurs nights especially I did not get more than 5.5-6 hours.

Sunday: Gobbin Gallop 5k: 15:22 (2nd place).
              2mile warm up
              5k race
              3mile cool down
                20minutes of crying due to Eagles performance
                  8 miles for day

Monday: 10 miles around North Bethesda (where I live)...
                Ran in the evening with Sam and Chris... We stayed moderate for much of the run but near
                the end we picked it up some. Afterwards we went to Buffalo wild wings for MNF.

Tuesday: 11 miles in AM.
               Due to election day, i was able to meet up with my N. Bethesda Distance Project buddies for
               a run through rock creek park. We got on the trails some half way through and meandered
               back to Grosvenor. Nice run

Wednesday: Workout Wednesday!!! (10 miles total)
               2.5 warm up
                2 x 1600
                4 x 800
                   all with 2 min rest (400 jog)
                4:58
                4:55
                2:23
                2:21
                2:19
                2:14
                   all with 2min rest (400 jog)
                          * felt good throughout workout. Literally went for a ride thanks to great training partners Karl, Ryan, Paul and Sam.

Thursday: 10 miles in evening on Cap. Crescent from BCC
                       Met up with sam for an easy to 10 miler. The run was nice and relaxed. It was a light drizzle which after warming up felt great.

Friday: Unexpected double run... AM: 3mile (shakeout...)/ PM: 7 miles
                   I had to drop my car off at the dealer during my lunch break but realized I had no way to get back to my school... I put my running gear on and ran an easy 3 mile shake out back to my school... After school, i got home and ran from my place over to Georgetown Prep and ran their 5k XC course and then came back to get in a nice PM run.

Saturday: 10.5 miles from GRC.
                  After a 1 hour drive to get to GRC... Ryan and I were surprised and very happy to see that Jerry and Charlie were still at the store. We ran out to Haines Point to run the Vet's day course. we added on a bit on the towpath to get in 10.5 for the day.

Gobblin Gallop Recap

2010-10-30T19:59:00.001-04:00

15:22 for 5k at Gobblin Gallop this morning. Alot of up and downs on the course. The time broke previous course record by 8 seconds however I was beat in the last 800 by Demesse Tefera... I don't know what it is but I make foolish decisions in the last part of my race against him and Megressa. I made a strong move with about 1000 to go and I did not have enough in the tank to finish the job. Coach said my finish form looked really good and it is simply what it is... A rust-buster race. Time went out the window and was not something to look at on this course.

Splits:
      5:02 (downhill mile... Tefera, myself and McDougal).. no one wanted the lead
      4:48 (uphill for 1200/400 down)... Tefera and I broke away (9:50 through 2miles)
      Final mile was uphill until the final 300 meters or so. I grinded up it trying to get away... In hindsight, I should have sat on Tefera and waited for him to move. I made the same mistake against Megressa... I ususally have a good kick and i have not been smart with utilizing my strengths. Either way, i will take this performance as a motivator... Very happy with the race. 100bucks for 2nd.

10/30/10: A nice group run.

2010-10-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

I met about 10 GRCers for the usual saturday run from the Georgetown store. We headed out towards Fletchers and just before the right for Ernest loop, we turned around at about 31 minutes. We picked up the pace slightly on the way back. I am racing tomorrow and usually the day prior to a race I do not exceed 40 minutes. I ran a bit further today but tomorrows race is simply a rust-buster/fitness indicator. Feeling out the waters again and see where I am at. The competition I am sure will be there (Pacers, GRC Ethiopia and company) and I will try to run with them as long as I can. The trek to fairfax is going to suck, as I have avoided racing in VA like the plague (haha just kidding... i seriously though have never run a race in Northern VA!).
On another note. The GRC team is getting wicked crazy with some new young talent that keep rolling in and joining the team. I am very excited to train with these guys on a regular basis. Recent aquisitions to the team include:
    Jerry Greenlaw(cortland state)- 30:36 10k
    Ryan Hanson(Allegheny college)- 3:53 1500, 14:40 5k
    Sam Luff (Cornell)    30:37 road 10k

10/30/10: 6.5 mile run.

2010-10-30T12:27:00.000-04:00

After a really long work day (7:00-6:00pm); I got home, ate a snack and headed out for a quick shake out run. I wanted to go around 9 tonight but felt I did not need to make myself do that.. Which, if i had done a full 9, that would be exactly the thing I was doing. After the run, I met up with Karl and Sam to throw the pigskin around at Tilden Middle. My right arm hurts.

10/29/10: 9 mile run from Chevy chase Store.

2010-10-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

I met up at the Chevy Chase store last night for a run plus the Brooks night event. We ran in the dark from the store down the dark CCT. Thank you to Cotterell who had his head lamp, we were able to navigate down the CCT to the D.C line and back. Once we got back, Sam and I added on a bit more to get an even 9 for the evening. I felt good but my left calf was tight near the end of the run. This is the same leg that I have had issues with my achilles. I need to make sure I am stretching and massaging the area consistently to eliminate any issues.
Tonight I will get in around 9-10 miles, tomorrow will be an easy 8 miles and sunday I will race the Gobblin Gallop as my fitness indicator race. No expectations, just get out and race.

10/27/10: Workout Wednesday... 6 x 1200 w/ 2:30 rest cut downs

2010-10-27T22:36:00.001-04:00

Met a big group of GRCers at BCC tonight for a workout. Coach Jerry assigned 6 x 1200 w/ 2 1/2 min rest. It was a cut down set up (like last weeks workout)... This was not intended to be a tough workout... but another easing back into the swing of things type of workout. After a 3 mile warm up. The splits to hit were 3:48 (for the first 2), 3:42 (for the second 2), 3:36 (for the third 2).
   Ryan and I ran our splits in:
          3:45
          3:47
          3:42
          3:41
          3:34
          3:30
We got a bit quick near the end but the workout felt very nice and easy. Near the tail-end of the workout, I felt the way Jerry said I should last week, in the similar 8x800 cut down. "Feel like you want to do more at the end of the workout but leave feeling hungry." Ryan began to punch the pace in the last 250 and even though i was going ahead of pace, had that instinct to simply just go. I need to become more disciplined with sticking to the pace... Ryan is a great addition to our team and i can't wait until all of us are back in full swing and pushing one another!
2.5 mile cool down

11 for the day

A recovery day and Repeat 12's tonight!

2010-10-27T12:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my recovery day for the week. I am staying lower mileage still for the next few weeks before ramping up after Vets Day 10k. Basically I am going into each week running mileage that would put me around 70 but taking 1 days off. I have been feeling good with this and it is helping me through the tough allergies/sinus issues I deal with during this time of the year. Having that one day of no running is huge. However, next week I will be running my first full week. Every other week I will be taking a day off but the day will include some nice pool running. Pool running will be my way of getting my body in high aerobic shape for my Spring races. Instead of tacking on another 20-30 miles to get me to be a 110-115 mile/week guy.... I simply aqua run the remaining minutes I need to get the same result (minus the pounding).
Tonight I will meet a large (and mostly new) group of GRCers at BCC. Coach Jerry is putting myself, Outlaw and Hanson through repeat 12's. We will run these like the repeat 8's i ran last week... gradually getting quicker each interval... It will be about a 12 mile evening.

developing....

10/25/10: What is with these warm temperatures!!! 8 miles

2010-10-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

These warm temperatures after the cool, crisp weather we had this weekend was not welcoming for my monday evening run. Whenever the temperatures change dramatically like they have, my allergies and sinus are effected by it. After the first 20 minutes of the run being a bit of a struggle due to breathing, I was able to adapt and ended with a nice run.

10/24/10: 15 mile Run and a Terrible day of Eagles Football....

2010-10-24T19:44:00.000-04:00

I woke up very tired at 8:00am... I met up with the Outlaw, Hanson (not the teenie bop band), Scotty Koonce and Jimmy Daly. We headed out on the trails from the line... We meandered around trails we have never been on that ran parallel with Beach Drive. At times we would get lost (which we welcomed considering we were running for 1 hour and 45 minutes...) but we always would regain our bearings. We talked about a lot of stuff on the run... You know, the everyday things... Work, social life, Charlie Ban, training, and food. 15 for the day.
The Eagles offense was not able to back up the fact that the last two games were not just wins over terrible defenses... Tennessee Titans are known for a lethal Defense that will shut the best offenses in the NFL down whenever they are on the field... The Eagles offense showed signs early that they were ready to shut down the critics... The Defensive line shut down the always dangerous Chris Johnson...However, thanks to Ellis Hobbs lack of defending Wide receiver Kenny Britt, the Eagles suffered a run by the Titans in the second half (which included 27 unanswered points)... 37-19 final score... a terrible lose for philly...
   Wiggy's Priority list for Andy Reid this week...:
            1. Bench Ellis Hobbs and make him chase chickens around in a pen on the sideline... he will probably catch a cold before some pre-cooked tenders...
            2. Vick is Healthy, put the kid back in... He has played well against tougher opponents than Kolb has and he has that extra edge to his game with his legs... Please teach the guy how to QB slide though... No more being a hero!

10/23/10: 11 miles w/ GRC. + Team Meeting

2010-10-23T12:35:00.003-04:00

Photo above: Ban flipping off random donkey at family campground...

I met up with several of my GRC teammates for a run from Chevy Chase, prior to our Fall Team Meeting. We headed down the CCT to Fletchers, ran up some road I had no idea what it was... Then all the sudden found that I was the navigator, as Ernst, Ban and Dusen were running behind us. As myself, Jerry Greenlaw (aka Outlaw), newcomer Sam Luff (former standout at Cornell, recently won the Great Race in 30:30 for 10k), Alabama/Texas/St. Paul/ Paul Guevara made a wrong turn thanks to my great navigation skills, we ended up heading down towards the chain bridge,... Charlie Ban saved the day when he ran us down to yell "you idiots are going the wrong way!" We turned around, only going a little over a mile out of the way and headed back to wisconsin, got back on route and finished up a solid 11 miler in perfect temps. I ran with gloves and a headband today... Fall is officially here!!!
After the run, we met at Panera for our team meeeting. We got a lot of topics covered and the moral is high. Our team has really grown in recent months. We have got several key additions that add to our competitive front as well, which is really exciting! We also have the making of a solid women's team forming which is nice to see. I am looking forward to training with my teammates both new and old! Here's to a successful Fall, Winter and Spring campaign!!!

10/21 and 10/22: A recovery day and an early morning run

2010-10-22T06:27:00.000-04:00

On thursday I took the entire day off of no running. I had a busy day and my track record is not too great when i am trying to squeeze a run in on a hectic day, when i am getting back into another racing season.

Today, I woke at 5:00am and was out the door by 5:20. I ran a nice and relaxed 8 miles around my neighborhood. After tomorrow's 10 miles from the store I will be looking at a week of about 58 miles that includes a day off.

10/20/10: The rust buster workout... 11 miles for the day.

2010-10-21T10:11:00.000-04:00

Last night I met up with Chicken Tender, Scott Koonce, Ryan Hanson and Chris Sloane for my first track workout of the fall. Due to a soccer game at BCC, we worked out at Georgetown Preps beautiful facilities. They have a carolina blue track, turf field and a really nice cross country course to warm up on. Coach Jerry met me for the workout and had me start out the fall season with nothing too taxing... more just a workout to get my legs turning over again but still get some much needed strength in as well. The workout was 8x800 cut downs: starting at 2:30 and working down with 2 and 1/2 minute rest. Chicken Tender and Ryan ran a workout that Klim proposed for Chicken Tender (5 x mile and 1x 800 cut down). Though I was working out solo, it was a phenomenal feeling to get back out and get some quality in... My splits were as follows:
       2:30
       2:25
       2:26
       2:24
       2:25
       2:22
       2:19
       2:20
      The workout felt really controlled and relaxed... I felt like I was a bit all over the place with my quarter splits... Jerrry had to tell me frequently to relax, as I would come through in 68-70 near the end... Where I was not trying to run faster than 2:20 for this first workout back. His plan is to simply ease back in, especially after just getting over a bronchial infection 2 weeks ago. I got in some nice miles as well. a 3 mile warm up/ workout was 6 miles total (w/ recovery) and a 2 mile cooldown. it was nice to see Andy Chicken Tender run a great workout. The boy is ready for sub 33 at Vets day!!! Ryan Hanson is a great addition to our team and I greatly look forward to him being a top notch training partner this year.  Scott looked really good on his intervals considering he is just getting back into things after running chicago! It was also nice but frustrating to see Red Fox at the track. Nice because his presence is very welcoming as he is the leader of this team... but frustrating that he is not in his running garb throwing it down with us. Soon enough (before he knows it), he will be back to his old form hungry as ever!

10/19/10: Late night run after a looong day. 6 miles

2010-10-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

I rose from bed at 5am today to get to work by 6:15am. I had some work I needed to get done prior to school today. After school I had my usual middle school cross country practice until 4:15 then headed over to my graduate class that I am currently taking from 4:30-7:00pm. After getting home and getting a bite to eat, I headed out and got in 6 miles tonight (left for the run at 8:30. I was exhausted... I felt fine running but at the same time I felt that i was falling asleep while I was running... I got in my 6 mile run, showered, ate some more food and passed out until my alarm went off at 6:00am this morning.

10/18/10: Cabin John Trails

2010-10-19T07:14:00.000-04:00

I met up with Jordan Snyder and Karl Dusen for a nice trail run around Cabin John. The weather was overcast and the air was crisp... which is my favorite fall running weather. We ran our usual route and looped up at Seven Locks road and back into the trails at the nature center. 8.5 for the day.

10/17/10: Zoo Loop + (15 miles)

2010-10-17T20:23:00.000-04:00

This morning I met up with Karl Dusen, Chris Bain and new GRC runner, Ryan Hanson for my first long run of the fall season. The weather (like yesterday) was beautiful. The wind was not as bad, therefore the temps were not as cool... However we took in the fact that we were no longer running in 100 degree heat waves like the oven summer we had this year. We headed first on the trails and an easy clip and headed up the Hill that takes you out of rock creek and into Cleveland Park... We meandered around the zoo looking at some of the different animals (Pandas, Elephants and Flamengos...ohhh my!) After our safari tour, we headed back onto beach and took the road back to The Line. I quickly got in the car with Karl... grabbed some Einsteins, dropped KD off and got home to watch my Eagles lay the smack down on the Falcons. Great day of football.... why??? EAGLES WIN!!!! I am a bit worried about D-Jack's status after the horrible hit he withstood going for a high pass. I have never seen a hit as bad as that... He is lucky he was not hurt worse.

Time to get back to work

2010-10-15T10:27:00.000-04:00

This week was another very light week of just easy/short distance running. My legs are feeling a bit wobbly but this is normal.
all easy runs... very relaxed:
Sunday: 8 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: _____
Total: 46 for the week.

Next week begins Week I:

Get at it GRC!!! + 2010-2011 plan to be annouced...

2010-10-07T22:47:00.001-04:00

I love this song... it pumps me up no matter what I am doing when i hear it (esp. before i race)...! GRC is nothing but HEADSTRONG!!! REPPPP it in the Windy city GRC!
In other news, the 2010-11 race plan will be set soon. Coach Jerry has given me some solid options. In a nutshell: two races prior to USATF club xc champs. A low-key tune up race in the next 3 weeks followed by Veterans Day 10k to see where the fitness is. From there get ready to run a nice race at club xc champs in North Carolina. After that the plan is to get the training volume up and get ready for the late winter/early spring half marathon (Shamrock looks to be the one however not sure what is happening with Houston). After Shamrock, Cherry Blossom or Parkway 10miler are options and seeing how the winter training goes, a debut marathon is also in discussion late spring.

more to come

Committed to nip this in the bud!

2010-10-03T21:14:00.003-04:00

   3rd bout of Bronchitis within 9 months. My doctors tell me that this is not normal... No??? you don't say! "It is just your allergies that cause this and due to allergens that you breath in at a higher rate as a runner, you get the infection in your lungs." My allergist is getting a visit again this week... This has been a struggle for years when the seasons change... Summer to fall; fall to winter; winter to spring; spring to summer. It is tough to run when you can't breath... I could get through and perform half decently in the shorter races 800/1500 depending on severity. But when you are training for "Aerobic" events such as the half and marathon, oxygen is a necessity. My doctor said when it is shoulders and above, extra rest/ run as much as you can handle.... When it is below shoulders, stop running until clear.    This was full blown when i woke up on thursday morning.  I have not run since wednesday. I will have 4 days off going into next week. If I have to take a 5th day off, so be it.  I have been on antibiotics including a Z-pack and Codeine syrup since thurs evening. It has been clearing me up its not about getting the current symptoms to go away, It is never having them reoccur again.
   I am going to try for a short shakeout run tomorrow (4 miles)-if I feel my lungs have cleared...tuesday if all is feeling better I will go a bit more. On wednesday, I am meeting at BCC not to do much working out but to get a run in with the chicago boys and meet up with my new coach. I am motivated to get back to healthy training again. but I need to get my body checked and cleared to go to war. We figured out the rough race plan for the winter and spring. The key races are still being confirmed. I am still waiting to see if I can get into Houston, but I don't think that is happening due to not having a qualifying time since 2008. Shamrock Half Marathon in march is looking to be the half focus if houston can't happen.
   Before I continue ranting about key races, I need to first get myself healthy for good!

Home Run 5k/10k: This sunday in Rockville

2010-09-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

There is a somewhat competitive race in rockville on sunday, The Home Run 5k/10k. Both races have prize money and are competitive up front. The start is next to my place in the panera parking lot at Federal Plaza. Both courses are rolly out and back courses. Some expressed interest so I wanted to get this out.

race info at: http://www.hebrew-home.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_homerun_race

The mountains

2010-09-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

The mountains of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. I ran saturday and sunday morning in the mountains with nothing around but me and nature. I knew this weekend was what I needed... A weekend to get away, spend time with some good people and cleanse my mind. Last weekend is gone but not forgotten. A day I will continue to reflect on but by no means will I let it get me down. I don't know what could have been... but I know I was set up for something nice. With a rough day, there is not much explanation. Dehydration and cramping are something that you don't expect... Especially if you never have had problems with these things before. Was it my nerves, not being able to stomach much before the race (water and food)? These questions cycled through my mind all week. I got up to Lock Haven friday night. Prior to saturday's run, my college coach told me to just get out there and clear your mind. Enjoy "hilly 9" and you will bounce back with your motivation. This did the trick. I have not run this famous Lock Haven XC run in many years. It lives up to its name... You climb for about 3-4 miles and points that are steep enough to touch the ground in front of you while in stride. The back side is a nice gravel road that neanders down through nothing but the mountains. I saw only 2 cars the entire hour of the 9 mile hilly section. I added on another 1.5 miles around campus and felt very clear and ready for the next step.

I enjoyed the Penn State/Temple game saturday afternoon with coach. I have never been to a PSU game before and it was awesome!!! Def want to get up there again for one soon!

Sunday I ran a nice enjoyable run but this time staying more in the valley. I was able to run on some more backroads I use to love running while a collegian. I am ready for the next step. I am back on my feet... What to do now?

The calm before the storm

2010-09-17T11:55:00.000-04:00

So taper week is coming to a close as race day is less than 2 days away. This week has been a bit of a rollercoaster due to the taper. I felt crappy early on this week and am finally beginning to feel my legs under me again. The tune up workout went as planned, my sleep has not been too great this week but with a taper and the nerves beginning to jump as the race gets closer, this is expected. The work has been done. I am hoping for my strength, will, desire, competitors, teammates, friends and family to pull me through to a breakthrough performance.

The tune up!

2010-09-15T17:44:00.000-04:00

I have cut my miles down quite a bit this week to go into philly as fresh as possible. To be honest, the opposite effect has been taking place... I have felt sluggish and tired on my runs. I hope this is just due to the taper.
The tune up workout:
     1mile (half goal pace)
       4x400 (5k pace)
     1mile (half goal pace)
400 rest between everything... A true "feel good" tune up is the goal tonight.

Less than 1 week!

2010-09-13T11:40:00.007-04:00

It is hard to believe that this time next week I will have already gone through much of the reflection process on how the half marathon went down in philly. Did I run smart, did i do all that i could do, What positives did I come out of the race with for the next one, what aspects of the race can i work on... ???? I have been staying consistent with the miles which is something I have never done before in my running career. Even last week I hit a 70 mile week. This week is very light. I ran 13 on saturday as my long run for this past weekend and got in 8 on sunday and 9 with some race pace effort smacked in the middle of the run.
I would be a liar if i were to say i wasn't afraid. I am. Attempting to run at a level that you have never been to scares the crap out of any long distance runner. The anticipated pain and agony you know you will see. Will I be able to push through it? I know I will have that push from above to help me but I must be able to get myself through 10 miles first. The one thing i know i need to do is not get ahead of myself and simply run off "FEEL". Meaning get out comfortable and don't think about time for the first 5k. After that, its time to see what 20 weeks of the most consistent training I have ever done in my life can do. No matter what the outcome of sunday turns out to be. I have PR'd in 2 events that were a big monkey on my back, including a 14 second PR in the 5k just last weekend.
I refuse to even talk about training or how I am feeling this week because, IT DON'T MATTER!!! THE HAY IS IN THE BARN (high-five to my GRC teammates for the best training partners this summer I have ever had). No brotherly love come Sunday!

The taper

2010-09-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

This week I have been still keeping my volume consistent to the last 2 weeks. I will be in the 70's again this week but next week will be a very easy week leading into philly. I had a nice relaxing 15 miler on sunday with monday and tuesday easy/med with a 10 and 8 mile run respectively.
Wednesday Workout: I hit the track for a short but sweet workout to test out the wheels a bit off of pure strength training for the last 8 weeks.
    5 x 1000 cut downs (400 jog recovery)
        3:03
        2:58
        2:53
        2:47
        2:39
                Workout felt ok. My legs felt good but my lungs hurt due to the dry air. My GRC teammates all seemed to be dealing with the same symptoms dry throat and burning lungs (indoor track lung) as we call it. It was nice to open up the last 1000. It felt better than the 3rd and 4th intervals which i guess is a good sign.

"Take a shot... you may only get one so make it count." ~Gordon Bombay
"Go BIG or Go home" ~Grind

Kentlands 5k Race Report

2010-09-05T13:52:00.004-04:00

I arrived to the Kentlands shopping center at 6:45 for the Kentlands/Lakelands 5k race beginning at 8am. Upon arriving, i met up with fellow GRCer Scott Koonce and walked over towards the starting area to use the facilities. As we walked over, we both were questioning why in the world nobody was at the race yet and the fact that the finish/start areas were just being assembled. After doing business, we realized walking back to our cars that the race was not starting until 8:30... My fault... but better early than late. We took off for our warm up at 7:50am. We ran the last 2 miles backwards on the course and then got back to our car, changed to our flats and put on our GRC garb. We headed to the facilities one last time and then to the start. I picked my way through the crowd to the front row. The usual suspects were up there, as I knew they would be there. Where there is $$$, they are always there... especially 300buckaroos for a 5k race winner.

The gun went off and we took off. The first half mile was a bit of a game. No one really certain to lead. Until Tefera and Megressa took off. The race was now "ON". I ran just off of Megressa's shoulder, with Demesse Tefera on the opposite side. We came through 1 mile at 4:47. A surge immediately came from Megressa as Tefera and I both covered it. I actually at this point felt the pace slow significantly (just 20 seconds after the initial failed surge by Megressa). I got up next to Megressa and looked at him, "Is that it?" I thought that of course in my head, I obviously would not say that to him. I was simply looking for a fast race today and not these games to feel one another out and kick for the prize. I wanted a time that will give me motivation going into philly in 2 weeks. I took the lead and led through the 2 mile mark. Just before reaching 2 miles, Tefera dropped out of the race. There were now two of us. We came through 2 in 9:30. a 4:43 for the second mile. We were now hitting the meat of the hills on this course. We made the turn for the grinding hill that would take us all the way to 800 meters to go. Megressa made a strong move. He got a couple strides on me but i was able to reel him back in. He slowed but I did not. I kept pushing up the hill. At one point I no longer saw his shadow on the pavement. Was I breaking the Ethiopian? He regained ground with 1000meters to go. We crested the hill and were ready for the down hill that would plunge us onto the main street for the 400 meter straight to the finish. I was confident making the turn i was going to win. I felt good. Really good. I was sure I felt better than Megressa and was confident I could out kick him. Right off the turn for the down hill Megressa made a move I definitely did not expect. He immediately went to a full kick speed leaning into the downhill balls out. I panicked and went after him but lost about 10 meters immediately. We turned for home. 400 to go... "Lets go Wiggy" I told myself!!! This is your chance... I went into my drive and the kick was there. 200 to go I was up on his heels it was there. But then Megressa peeked over his right shoulder and his knees came up and he had one last gear. DAMNIT! I still was able to match it but i was running out of real estate. Then it happened... I see Megressas hands going up about 20 yards before the finish... I tried one last all out through the line attempt to get even with him but none such luck. I ran into him in the corral almost going down. We congratulated each other and Megressa stated to me, "great race, you pushed me well." I did not know my time until I got out of the corral and Brian Miller told me that I was around 14:45. Official Time: 14:44 (4:44 pace). That made me feel good, especially coming from a superstar like him. I gathered with Scott, Andy Chicken Tender, Michelle Miller and my substitute teacher and former olympic trials marathon qualifier Dan Lawson (Masters Winner) for a 5 mile cooldown. We got back for the awards. The payout was nice for a 5k. 1st-300, 2nd-200, 3rd-100.

2 weeks until Philly.

Kentlands/Lakelands 5k

2010-09-03T21:24:00.001-04:00

Developing....

Final Key Workout Complete...

2010-09-02T10:23:00.000-04:00

Well the final key workout is in the books! I am finishing up a week at 72-75 miles this week (with no long run built in and off singles). I am feeling fit and the achilles has been holding up. I feel it but it subsides after 5 minutes of running/loosing up. My final key workout (prior to going into tune-up mode) has a revist to the on/off 6 miler that I completed 3 weeks ago.
Overall 6 mile time (31:46). 26 seconds slower than the first session however 2 of my slow miles were slower than expected (8 seconds slow and 10 seconds slow) and I did not punch the final mile and kept it controlled. here are my splits:
     5:50 (5:42goal)
     4:50 (4:47goal)
     5:52 (5:42goal)
     4:43 (4:47goal)
     5:40 (5:43goal)
     4:41 (4:47goal)
                31:46 total time.

It is now time to get ready for a fast 5k this saturday at Kentlands and see where I am at. I am strong, fit and ready to make the jump to a new level. 2 weeks from sunday is the showdown on the streets of philly... "Stay the course, get there and let yourself be rewarded."
2008 ING Philadelphia Distance Run
     http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp#hot_links

Back on Track

2010-08-27T21:51:00.000-04:00

The last week I have been playing it a bit cautiously with some pain in my left achilles. I have been seeing a PT for Active Release Therapy, Graston Tech Massage and guidance for my progression with this minor injury. Dr. Beck told me that it is a nagging situation but not one that will hold you out for battle come 3 weeks from now. I had to make some modifications in my regiment and have learned what works to keep the pain away and what does not.
Sunday: 2 miles shake out.
Monday: 6.5 miles (felt good on the trails)
Tuesday: 10 miles (felt solid on the roads... little to no pain)
Wed: 3.5 am (a bit of pain starting out that subsided)
         10 pm: Workout
                       2 up
                       2 mile (9:49)
                          400rec
                       800 (2:26)
                       800 (2:25)
                       800 (2:24)
                       800 (2:23)
                                                                                                       all with 400 rest.
     *** I felt zero pain on the 2 mile. I started "feeling it" on the 3rd 800 especially and the fourth 800 was painful throughout the duration. I called the workout at that point and cooled down where the pain subsided after 5 minutes of running... I didn't feel any pain in last weeks workout because the run was continuous... The stop and go irritated my achilles. As long as I don't stop for nature breaks or for small conversation with philly folk, I should be fine on race day.
   Thurs: Meeting, PT appointment and got home late. Took the day off (which with the achilles is probably smart).
   Fri: 10.5 miles from Lake Needwood on Rock Creek Trail with Sloane. Felt good throughout... A few of the steep ups in Lake needwood cause a bit of discomfort but nothing that broke stride. However, my quads were unusually tight...
   Sat: 16 miles...

Precaution is not a bad thing...

2010-08-20T10:33:00.001-04:00

I am fit... and I am ready to race. However, the only way to get to the line on 9/23/10 to give my best performance is to get there in one piece. Just over the weekend, my achilles began to get tender. It wasn't a sharp pain like my injury in the fall but a noticable soreness. It would be there at the start of a run then taper off to the point there was no pain at all (common muscle problem most likely). I ran 20 miles on it on sunday and i could feel it a bit but it wasn't bad. I iced after the run in an icebath and it felt good after i warmed my legs back up. On monday I took off from any long running and opted for a 45 minute aqua run and a 3 mile easy shake out run in the late evening. Tuesday, I put in 12 miles in the evening and the tightness was there a bit more at the start of the run but again, it tapered off and I was rolling good to go 15 minutes into the run. I ran my first key workout of the summer 6 mile alternating pace workout and it was sore on the warm up and during the workout I did not feel one bit of strain. However, the cooldown was much different. It was really sore once I started running again. I iced after dinner wed night. Thursday came through and after an am golf game, i came home and iced up, rolled my calf muscles and then 2 hours later went out for a run (looked at getting 10 miles and only got out 2.5 miles.... It started hurting to the point that it was not loosening up on the run so I turned it around and ran easy. Its no where near what i felt in the fall but at the same time it could go that way if i don't nip this in the butt. I have decided to do long pool runs for the next 3 days.

This AM i met Jake Klim for a 60minute pool run. This felt great and was a good workout... again, when we pool run we do not use the belts so the workout is intense... Tomorrow I will go 80-90 minutes in the pool (shoot me please) and sunday I will get in another 60 minutes. My goal is to be able to ice once every 2 hours this weekend and get my calves massaged tomorrow in Arlington by this recommended Physical Therapists named Barb. My doctor from PA that I have 110% faith in told me this morning that you just need to pool run and ice.
I am taking my ice pack off my achilles right now and will do some core strengthening today to supplement not running.

Key workout # 1 is done.

2010-08-19T06:44:00.003-04:00

"WILD IN THE STREETS" of philadelphia 4 weeks from sunday! Ready or not the chase willl be on!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN1ko6wo4wM (minus the skateboards, this is what it is gonna be like)

I ran the on and off half marathon/marathon workout last night on the CCT with a small group of GRCers as well as Paul Zwama (dirk's friend from Netherlands visiting). We warmed up extended 3.5 miles. Once we were at the 2 mile mark of the trail we began the workout. This workout has been used by Ritz, Jay Hartman, the Torres bros and several other elite us athletes. Brad Hudson is the master mind behind this workout and says that does a better job than trying to run your goal race pace for half and marathon because you can make your body get the race pace down while running at a nice effort for a longer duration (therefore making you more race ready and confident). We did 6 miles of the on and off miles gradual uphill miles for me and Paul were at 5:40-5:44 and once we turned around we were to hit 4:47... then repeat this 2 more times. Mile 45 sec slower than goal pace the go right into a mile 10 sec faster than goal pace... that is it in a nutshell. I ran this workout 2 years ago 4 weeks before philly gearing towards a 5:10-12 pace goal for the half and came out with a 5:11 average. So, i have confidence in this tough workout.
    It was great having Paul to run with. He kept right with me and even gave me some nice encouragement en route. I can't beleive this was his first workout of the summer! He hung in there really nicely!!! Im calling a sub 29:20 this year! Charlie had a breakthrough workout today! He stayed tough and got faster each of his miles! awesome job. Mike and Dirk worked real well together. Mike is a rhythm runner and is looking really fit right now. He is going to surprise people, especially himself at Chicago! Dirk is easing back into his running and I cannot wait until he is back in form along with the rest of our GRCers that are not in peak shape right now.

   Workout went great. I felt controlled the entire time and punched the last mile a bit. I will do this workout again next week and this will be my final "key" workout of the summer... but i will do 8 miles of this next time.

   5:40
   4:46
   5:38
   4:45
   5:44
   4:34
   31:10 for 6 miles.
       We cooled down 1.5 miles after and called it at an 11 mile day. Ban, myself and Mike Cotterell hit up Burger Joint for some red meat and shakes. good times.

ahhh I could get use to this....

2010-08-17T17:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterdays Recovery day was a success. I aqua jogged 45 minutes with Jake in the AM, vegged out the remainder of the day and then went out for an easy 3 mile shake out run just to make sure my legs didn't feel weird for todays 12 miler. This morning I woke up at 5:45am and was out the door by 6:10 with my golf bag to meet up with my buddy Sammy for a round of golf up in Mt. Airy, MD. The weather was beautiful and my game started off the way I needed it to. I had this bet going for the summer with a co-worker that I would break the 100 barrier by the start of school... This was only the second time I went out this summer to play but on a hard course I was able to come through the half way point at 51. I was on track and just needed a few puts to go my way on the back 9. This unfortunately wasn't the case... I shanked the first two drives on holes 10 and 11 (this included a temper tantrum at hole 11 where I threw a club in anger). After cooling off I was able to get something together for the next 4 holes... but I was still in "the hole" due to the terrible performances on hole 10 and 11. I got to the 17th and knew I needed a par and a birdie(I have never hit a birdie in my life in golf). I got a bogey and then a triple bogey on the 18th to finish out the day with a 111. Not what I looked for but a tough course.
Playing golf today made me really think about the half marathon I have coming up... My game started out just as planned.. I was arrogant because everything was going my way. At points I was not even worried about breaking 100, instead looking to maybe close in on 90... and then suddenly, it crashed and was really not able to be mended back in order. It simply just continued to get worse. This race on the 19th cannot be run with the same mindset. I cannot go out "on pace" I need to stay back and trust my strengths (the second half of the race). I need to stay in contact with what I want to do but know that if i get carried away and too ambitious before the 8 mile mark, I am going to not come out of the race with anything positive. The trials simply need to be secondary... The goal: To hit 5's as long as possible and if I have a pack to do this with, that will only help make it a slight bit easier. No matter how you look at it... It is going to be the most pain I have ever endured and the grass outside the finish corral will be where I will lay down knowing I did my very best.

A cool long run and a recovery day

2010-08-16T13:07:00.000-04:00

Sunday: 20 miles from "The Line".
I met up with a small group of GRCers at "The Line" for a long run heading south into D.C towards the zoo. After about 25 minutes of easy running on Beach Drive, we decided to jump up on the trails that run parallel to Beach. I was nervous about getting on the trails with the carnage in the forest that I observed while taking a nature break prior to the run. I had a hard time finding cover due to all the big trees that were knocked down. This was also the case on the trails today. The first half of the run was much stop and go. Not the best way to run a 20miler... but at the same time i was not planning on pushing this weekends long run. I simply sought out to get the miles and minutes on my feet. After coming back and parting ways with Karl (who was running a bit shorter today), I ran with Texas Paul and Dutch Paul up towards Dirk's house where Dutch Paul has been staying for the last few weeks. I was surrounded by fast and accomplished runners. Texas Paul ran varsity for Alabama (but is from Texas...hence Texas Paul) and has some fast times to his resume. Dutch Paul is still in school and is a sub 30 10k runner for Fresno State. After dropping Dutch Paul off, Texas Paul and I ran back to RCP and jumped back on Beach Drive. The last 2 miles with Dutch Paul were around 6:20's and when we turned back to go to Beach Drive, Texas Paul and I pushed the pace faster. This was not something I planned to do but with the cool rain coming down and running with a fit and fast texas paul, these things just happen. We figured we were running sub 6's for a few miles near the tail end of our run. We ran an easy last mile and stopped the clock at 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Overall, these long runs feel good. They didn't weeks ago... I was out of commission many afternoons... Now I feel the same as I do after a 10 miler. So, i guess that is a good thing. My only goal for the next 5 weeks is to simply get my butt to the starting line in philly on the 19th. This is my NUMBER 1 PRIORITY. The philadelphia distance run!... It sounds selfish but it is what I have been working towards for months... I want this more than anything.

Monday: I met the Red Fox for a 7:45am pool run. We jumped in the cold pool and cursed a bit for 5 minutes but then acclimated to the h20 temps. We aqua jogged 45 minutes and even added some short but hard effort intervals. I forgot how much of a workout you get in the pool. My arms feel it more than my legs :) I have planned to take today off from running... but I may bet out for a shake out this evening.

Pennsylvania

2010-08-12T11:00:00.002-04:00

I am returning to Maryland today after being in PA since sunday afternoon. It was great to see family and friends. The trip was a busy one. I woke up at 6am on monday and headed out to the Eagles training camp at Lehigh University. We had a great time watching the team as well as mingling with the crowd. Philly gets such a bad reputation for being terrible fans... If you are one of us, you would see that we are just loyal fans... We are a family in a sense. Everyone talked with everyone on the side lines of training camp and even in the stands. I would talk to people about which players were going to break out, which ones shouldn't even be on our team and of course how we want to absolutely punish McNabb and the skins. It was a great day overall.
Monday evening I got out and ran 12 miles with Sean Keefe and Dan Beck (two former runners I had the opportunity to coach in my one season as head coach at CR south h.s). Sean will be a sophomore at Syracuse U where he is looking to get in that top 9 spots to run at Big East champs in the post-season. Dan will be a frosh at DeSales University and I expect to see some big things from this guy (especially on an 8k XC course). The run was nice and relaxed.
Tuesday i had yet another busy day. I had a scare today as I woke up at 2am with my hip in a lot of pain. I couldn't go back to bed after getting up to try and stretch.... It felt my hip was out of place a bit... like i slept wrong or something... I almost didn't go on the planned golf trip with my dad... but I decided to give it a go. I played a round + of golf with my Dad. I have a bet going with a math teacher at my middle school (who is also a pro golfer) that I can break 100 for 18 holes this summer. Well, I was closing in on a 98-99 score going into the final hole... I needed a double bogey on the final par 4 to hit 99 and I managed to blow it on a 4 foot put and scored an even 100... oh well.. While on the golf course i could feel my hip and that was a lot on my mind... I got into Dr. Derek (who along with Dr. Johnny work on Catherine "the great" Ndereba (one of kenya's most successful female marathoner). He popped my hip back in as it was out of alignment and massaged and got my back in order... I felt ready to go... These guys are absolute miracle workers... if i have any problems down the road... i will drive 3 hours to go to them... rather than try someone in the d.c/metro area!!!
I met with Sean and Dan once again for a 10.5 mile run in tyler park. Felt relaxed but a bit sore from the hip massage.
Wednesday:
I set out to run a workout (plus incorporate the alumni XC 5k at CR south). I warmed up 1.5 miles (it was 98 degrees... therefore you don't need to warm up much). I jumped on the track and paced a 9:59 2 mile... I grabbed some water, jogged a lap and jumped in a mile at the same pace... I hit 4:58 and even with the heat felt relaxed. There was 5 minutes to spare before the race started... I grabbed a water and ran across the field to the XC start. the horn went off and i ran relaxed for 1 mile with the team and alum. We went out nice and easy at 5:39. The first mile is the fastest mile on this course... after that you hit very rough footing plus snake turns practially every 150 meters... It is up and down and never lets up from 1-3. A footlocker finalist has the course record in 16:24... just to let you know how slow this course is... he ran sub 15 3 weeks later on a fast lehigh course. At the mile i decided i was going to start ticking the pace down and progress to a hard but controlled effort in the final 1/2 mile. I ran a surprisingly fast 5:03 second mile through the turny and hilly second mile. I closed the final mile in 5:16 and with the final .1 i came in at 16:40. I felt good and felt like I combined the track pace work and the race really well to get a nice workout in. mileage was low today (9 miles)
Thursday: (double) 10/6.
AM: 10 miles
Ran in tyler and with a spitting rain and low humidity it felt great out. I got to say bye to some of the rock runners both boys and girls teams that were training in tyler this morning. It is always a running reunion in Tyler... If you are a runner in the area, you train in tyler... its that simple.

Two more high weeks to go!

2010-08-09T14:32:00.002-04:00

Sunday: 18 miles
first 13 miles easy followed by 4 miles progressing to half marathon pace.
I met Jake Klim, Max, the rep from Accelerade who was in town and Paul Zwama (Dirks buddy from Holland) for a long run starting at "the line". We ran an easy effort for much of the run. Jake was out just for about 6 miles to see how his leg was holding up. He is down a bit right now but will be back and running before he knows it... he is doing everything right (going to therapy, now pool running) I miss not consistently training with the Fox. After we dropped Paul off at Dirks place, we continued back to Beach drive and ran up to the water fountain. Once we got there I took a quick swig and went into my progression. I started out faster than planned but it felt nice. 2 miles into the progression I got back to the parking lot and jumped on the rock creek trail where I could get my mile splits. I ran a 5:04 for mile 3 and ran 4:55 for my last mile of the progression and it felt controlled (considering I was now in 17 miles). I ran an easy 1 mile to make it an even 18 for the day.

Uncharted Territory + a Dance Party = Sore legs

2010-08-02T11:33:00.010-04:00

Saturday: (22 miles) w/ progression from miles 10 to 20.
I met 15+ GRCers as well as a few visiting harriers for a long run from the store onto the towpath. The plan was to go out 5 miles, turn around and come back... then repeat one more time. It sounds boring but it was very nice to be able to stay on the natural terrain as well as have water in the opening miles at a frequent rate. I felt very hungry just 20 minutes in (which is not usually a good sign). I luckily brought two gels and took one 30 minutes in. I got some odd looks as to why I was already trying to replenish glycogen this early in the run... After all i still have about 1 hour and 50 minutes of running still to go. I took the gel and within 5 minutes I felt replenished and good to go. We hit ten miles in 1:08.30. I grabbed my water bottle with my GU electrolyte mix and headed out for round 2. almost immediately the pace picked up substantially... A little too fast to be honest. We were hitting between 5:20 and 5:30 right off the bat. About 4 miles in we decided to tone it down a bit... as we did not want to ruin this nice run we had going. Dickson and I worked together throughout the remainder of the run. We still came in for our second 10 mile out and back in 56:45. It felt good. Dickson decided to tack on two more miles... I knew this would be a nice addition to my week so i tagged along and got my longest run ever in my running career.

After vegging out for the remainder of saturday and going to one of the best BBQ restaurants I have ever been to in my entire life with Jessica, I trekked out to South Arlington for "One More Time part trois" or commonly known as "1MT3". I was told an Air Conditioner was to be repaired... I apparently look like an AC technician so I was called upon for the job... After arriving, I was notified that the AC was already repaired... so instead I helped install black lights in various light fixtures as well as going out with Red fox to pick up Ice for the party and Chicken out for myself, Fox and DJ Snizzow. The party started out slow but just before 11 the fireworks came with a bang and the dance party was officially ON. Without a care in the world I danced and had a blast! After an inverted hydration session (for 4 seconds...), I officially called it a night.
PM cross training: (1 hour of dancing = 4 miles of running)

Sunday: (12miles). I went with Jessica to her sunday morning run with the Ladies in Red at Fletchers boathouse. I was amazed to find the rumors true that it is not just ladies on this team. I had a good time running an easier effort in the opening miles. I went out with the group onto the rock creek trail and turned around at the water fountain at the Zoo. From there I came back and extended my run down under the Whitehurst freeway and onto the capital crescent trail. I felt a lot better in the second half of this run for sure. After the run I went out to lunch with Jessica, two of her CAR teammates (erica and cheryl) as well as capital area runners founder and coach George Buckheit. I have been talking to George in recent weeks about possibly coaching me in the future. He has a very nice coaching resume and has experienced much success in his own running. He knows how to get a runners to reach their potential. I am hoping that some of my teammates at GRC would like to jump on this and see if we can make this work... George has offered to meet up with any GRCers interested in talking training and he would even come out to BCC for wednesday workouts.

Monday: 10 miles.
I ran a very easy and relaxed 10 miles this morning. I felt good until about 55 minutes into the run. My left plantar was starting to become sore. I am not crazy over the Brooks Ghosts 3... they seem wide for my foot and I put in 54 miles in 4 days on them... So i am going to continue massaging and icing it... It does not hurt at all at work right now (esp after massaging w/ golf ball). If it continues to bother me, I will be discontinuing my use of the Brooks Ghosts 3.

Tuesday: 10.5 miles
I ran an easy/med 10+ with Chris Sloane on the Cabin John Trails. My plantar felt much better which was a good sign... I seriously think I may have tweaked it on my 22 miler on saturday and sundays 12 miler may have not gave it enough time to rest. I ran early yesterday and late today... plus with much icing and massage, it seems to be better.

Wednesday: WORKOUT WEDNESDAY! 11 miles total
5 mile at marathon pace.
I joined several GRCers for a tempo on the CCT. We warmed up from BCC over to the Capital Crescent Trail. After about 3 miles of warm up, we were ready to jump into the workout. It was BLAZING HOT and the humidity was super thick. We started out conservative (Karl and I) and worked together through the entire workout. We finished in 27:11 for the 5mile tempo which was a nice pace considering the terrible conditions.

Thursday: Recovery day (5 miles easy)
Took a camp field trip to Six Flags America today so i decided today would be my recovery day. I ran an easy 5 this am before the trip.

Friday: 9 miles
Ran an easy/med 9 around Tilden park and up old georgetown and turned it back around... I felt good today.

Saturday: 12 miles
Ran from the GRC in chevy chase with a crew of GRCers. We ran a relaxed run through Rock creek and finished up on the CCT.

A little break from the heat! How long will it last?

2010-07-30T17:16:00.003-04:00

On wednesday evening I met a large crew of GRCers at BCC for workout wednesday. We settled on a 3 x 2mile workout on the track with 400 jog recovery. after 2.5 miles of warm up we laced up the flats and hit the line. I decided I wanted to run as close to half marathon goal pace as possible... I figured I would just stay at that pace for the duration of the workout... as it got very humid compared to the morning hours. I started slightly ahead of the rest of the pack accidently (i thought they started with me and here there were a few not ready)... I hit 10flat on the first one and felt good besides the uncomfortable heat. Legs and breathing were normal... i just felt like I could not cool my body temp down. The second interval felt much better and I even got faster (9:50). Going into the third one I was feeling really over heated... to the point it felt a bit dangerous... the odd thing was my breathing was still fine and legs felt good... i just felt like i was in an oven. I sloshed my sweat soaked self to the line after an extended water break going into the third. I hit 4:53 and came back in 4:49 (9:42) without much extra effort. I definitely felt I held myself back on the last one... as I knew I would possibly be in trouble after the workout if i were to drop the pace.
I need things to continue the way the are... my lead up has been going well. I just hope I can keep the ball rolling for the next 7 weeks!

Thursday: 10 miles (easy/med)
I ran the Tilden extended loop and added on 1.5 miles around the surrounding neighborhoods... it was still humid... but i felt ok.
Friday: 10 miles (easy)
I ran the exact same run i did last night but felt much better thanks to the cooler temperatures... I actually got outside and felt a small chill... I loved it... Its hilarious to feel cold when it is still in the high 70's... Just shows the oven that the d.c/metro area has been for the last few weeks.
Saturday: Tomorrow I will attempt a 20 miler from the GRC on the towpath. We will go out and back on a 5 mile stretch twice (2 water stops enroute). This works out to be a 90 mile week which is crazy (have not done that since my freshman year of college)... but i have two long runs in one week... so i guess that will happen.

7/25-7/31

2010-07-28T07:36:00.008-04:00

Sunday: 18 miles (13 of which were covered during Riley's Rumble Half Marathon).
Set out with several GRCer's to run the Riley's Rumble Half Marathon at 7am on sunday morning. The temperatures were still predicted to be terribly hot and humid as were the days prior (102, 110, and today was said to be 105). It was already in the high 80's at 7am and the temperature did nothing but continue to rise as the minutes went by. Karl, Pat Huge and myself decided to run together for the run. Due to the heat, the race officials decided to make it a non-timed event... It made no difference for us... we were simply using this low-key event as a workout (glorified long-run). We started out slower than obviously a race or workout but I still felt like junk in the first 2 miles... combo of the heat and the fact that I never start a run at 5:50-6:00 pace from the get-go without a warm up did not feel great. I have found that I can run really well off of a gradual onset to a faster pace... My legs adjust well and I can continue to hammer the pace down after an easier lead up in the opening miles. After 2 miles I was settled and good to go... I felt really good for the run. We had a lot of fun out there too for as hot as the temps were... The course was fantastic as far as support (the hills were a great workout). I kept thinking the entire time... "imagine having to race this course hard" what a bear that would be! I am excited for 7 weeks from now to run on the pancake flat philly course. After our 1:20.19 13.1 portion of our "long run", we got some juice, water melon and then headed back out on course for an additional 5 miles to make it an even 18 miles for the day. After the hot run, we headed over to Koonce's house for a post-race party... lets just say that a slip n' slide, pool and cold ones before 10:30am never has a happy ending. Later in the afternoon a terible storm came through... Tornado? not really sure if I buy it but definitely a terrible storm nontheless.
Monday: 12 miles. Hit the spot with KD in the evening for a somewhat of an adventure run... we ran down to the Tilden Trail and decided to take it to Tuckerman road. We took tuckerman about a mile down and then got on the Cabin John Trail (aka "our office") We took it out just short of Seven locks road and turned it back around... A fantastic run with Karl.
Tuesday: 10 miles. Tilden 8 (extended) plus Tilden Trails. I felt a bit fatigued in the beginning of the run due to the 12 hour work day and the drama that took place today at camp that wore me down. However hafter 3 miles I got in the groove and it ended up being a nice recovery run. I feel very comfortable running consistent double digit runs. I just have to keep the brakes on a bit and not listen to my urges of continuing to rise the miles higher. I will get 85 this week... I will get 90 next week and that will be the highest I will reach in my remaining 7 weeks.
Wednesday: WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!!! ....developing

Only way to go from here is UP!!!

2010-07-23T16:34:00.006-04:00

This will be my first week over the 80 mark since 2003! I will be in this 80 zone for 2 more weeks... with the third teetering 90! That will in fact be my highest week in this lead up to the Philly Distance Run on 9/19
Sunday: 18 miles w/ Karl on the Cabin John Trails. Felt surprisingly good off a late night.
Monday: 10 miles w/ Karl around Tilden woods and surrounding neighborhoods... I felt flat and like crap... The kinda crap you know will not be there the next day after a nice meal and rest.
Tuesday: 5 miles. I had a tough day at work and could only fit in 5 tonight. I am ok with this as I am using this as a recovery day as well.
Wednesday: 14 miles total: WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!
5 miles out down capital crescent from BCC at Easy/Med (6:30pace)
5 miles back averaging 5:20's on the uphill stretch.
8 x 150 striders with 150 recovery
2 mile barefoot cool down.
***Workout did not start out good at all as I was very dizzy and in need of energy. i was at an orioles game with my camp all day and did not eat enough. As I got into the tempo portion i started feeling better... funny how that happens. The 150s were VERY controlled and felt nice. The barefoot cooldown on the cool wet grass felt like heaven.
Thursday: DOUBLE!
AM: 10 miles w/ the North Bethesda Distance Project...
PM: 6 miles
***Both runs felt good. Nice and relaxed on both runs as well.
Friday: 9 miles again with the North Bethesda Distance Project (Jake, Karl, Jordan and Scott). Nice and relaxed in Rock Creek Park...

Rockville Twilighter 8k Race Report

2010-07-19T17:00:00.006-04:00

I arrived to the Rockville Towncenter at 7:30pm with Karl Dusen and Matt Ernst. We got our bib numbers and chilled and mingled with teammates as well as friendly rivals in the invited runner room. This race puts on a great event and is very accommodating for the invited runners and friends with a nice air conditioned room to stretch and veg out in. A little after 8pm our GRC contingent went out for a 2 mile warm up on the first two miles of the course. I felt terrible on the warm up... I was dizzy... really dizzy... and very hungry! I was doubting that I properly prepared for the evening race. I knew i was hydrated... but i did not eat anything for some time... We got back from the warm up... I proceeded to have two gels... and it did not put a dent in the way I felt! I then approached Benedict Tender who had a personal pizza box in his right hand. I asked him if I could take a bite of his pizza... he allowed me to and within 5 minutes after the delicious consumption of pizza, I felt good to go... I can now call Benedict Tender - CHICKEN TENDER once again!
I approached the line at 8:35 and proceeded to do strides. I shared some laughs with some rivals and teammates... talked about post race festivities, the hellish heat and who was already sweating more than the other. We toed the line and just before the race was about to start, they announced the timing system was having problems... We got out for one more strider... Wilson and I laughed about how nice it would be when we got out of the start area (as it was extra hot in the crowd). The "G" word was yelled and we were off... I got out really bad in the first 100 meters... and was behind eventual womens champion: Salome Kosgei (almost taking her down as I bumped her...unintentionally of course). I was able to break out and get to the front of the chase pack... I knew the inevidable was about to happen... I was pulling away from the chase pack to form my own pack leading to the 1 mile marker... I came through in 4:51 and could barely see the lead pack of about 12 runners. 9 africans were in the pack really putting the hammer down as well as Rod Koborsi, Mark Stallings and Ricky Flynn. I stuck to my plan and did not let them deter me of that. The leaders hit mile 1 in a sick 4:32. I had a lot of real estate to make up but was feeling good. I came through 2 miles in 9:52 (5:02)... slower but I amazingly was making up ground on the leaders. As I rounded the sharp turn, the crowd was loud and that was a motivator... I hit the turn hard and went way outside... I now was looking at my prey ahead. I caught Mark Stallings (runner up in the 10k at NCAA Division II Championships a few years back) as well as a few of the africans that fell off the lead pack. I approached the coned turn around just past the 3 mile mark and saw the leaders coming towards me... I was not far back at all... Abiyot Endale was clear of the field but I was not more than 1 minute back of Demesse Tefera. As the lead runners came towards me on the opposite side of the road... I counted 5... I was 6th! 1 more to go and I am in the $$$! I made the turn at the "turn around" cone... and suddenly heard... "HEY YOU CUT THE TURN, YOU ARE GOING TO BE DISQUALIFIED!!! COME BACK!" The air evaporated from my lungs as I stopped, stated a word I cannot repeat on here and went back 10 yards or so and turned around the actual turn around cone and continued.... The way the cones were spaced and the fact I was in a bit of no-mans-land i guess caused this but I have never done this before. I am real proud how I handled the situation... I never panicked... I got back to my pace gradually and then began to look up... As we came through the grinder of a hill out of Montgomery College, I spotted Flynn up ahead. I saw him make the turn for the final mile along 355 and saw the time on my watch... I got to the turn... he had 20 seconds on me... I had a heck of a task ahead to reel him in! I made the turn, put my head down and began my long drive. I was closing the gap... slowly but he was coming back... I approached about 600 to go and felt there was a chance I could take him down... I didn't hold back for the kick... I was confident that no matter what... it would be there if I could get shoulder to shoulder with Ricky. 400 to go and I was all-in... The kick was there and I was closing ground quickly... Klim and others were out on the road yelling at me... "All-In Wiggy... You have to go hard... the finish is ahead... Get him Wiggy!" Just past my group of loyal supporters, Flynn had his own... one guy yelled... "Ricky hes coming... you gotta go". Just after this was stated, ricky turned his head back and had an extra gear... 100 to go and I continued to press but ran out of real estate. 25:04 was the time (2 seconds off 5th place)... Not the time I wanted but time went out the window today. Goal was top 10 and I achieved that!
After the cooldown, we headed back to my place for a nice post-race party. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the team, friends and some that I haven't seen in awhile.
I am now at the point in my training where I am getting the miles up for the next 3 weeks. I am going to exceed the 80mile mark these next 3 weeks and even get over 85 on the 3rd week. I am feeling good about this. I will add in some double days (something I never do).

This one is for you Pop Pop!

2010-07-17T16:58:00.003-04:00

Tonight is the Rockville Twilighter 8k in Rockville Towncenter. I am dedicating tonights race to my Pop Pop Joseph J. Wiegner Sr. My Pop Pop passed away last tuesday (july 7th). Pop Pop was always a huge supporter of my running and until his last day in our lives, had newspaper articles, pictures and even my all-american certificate displayed in my grandparents home.
The competition will be fierce tonight and the heat is scorching. Gun goes off at 8:45pm. This one is for your Pop Pop!!!

A down week leading into the Twilighter

2010-07-15T07:34:00.002-04:00

Last week I ran my highest week this year (77 miles). I was very pleased with how I felt, as this took place during our first major heat wave (not that it hasn't been hot in prior weeks... this was code red hot).
The Rockville Twilighter kicks off at 8:45 in the Rockville Towncenter on saturday night. I have been looking forward to this race for a few weeks. It is crazy competitive... which means it will be fast. The projected high is 98 for saturday... lets hope it is not near that at 8:45pm. Best of luck to all who are racing.

Saturday(7/10): 17 miles (5 miles in the middle at 5:30 pace). It rained and rained and it felt great great.
Sunday(7/11): 8 miles easy in the am.
Monday(7/12): OFF. I needed a day off this week... as I haven't taken one in two weeks.
Tues: (7/13): 13 miles in hilly tyler park prior to driving back to D.C
Wed: (7/14:) WORKOUT(11miles):
3mile warm up
5 x 1k @ 10k pace w/ 400 jog.
3:05,3:04,3:04,3:02,2:58
4 x 200: 31,31,31,30 w/ 200 jog recovery
***I did not sleep well at all on tuesday night... I felt flat during the workout but got through it relaxed for the most part... I just felt like a zombie out there with only 4 hours of sleep under me and a long work day prior to the workout.

Live your life to the fullest!

2010-07-13T07:17:00.003-04:00

Make the best out of life... Go "all in" everyday in your life... Throw it down like there is no tomorrow... All of these approaches to one's life all sum up my Grandfather Joseph J. Wiegner Sr. Pop Pop Wiegner passed away on Tuesday July 6th at the age of 88. He was the husband of Agnes Wiegner(Grandma)as well as 4 boys and 5 daughters. Calling Pop Pop a hard worker serves no justice to his commitment and dedication to his family, career and life in general. He was never a complainer, always looked at the glass as half-full. The kind of man I want to mirror my life off of. I truly will miss my Pop Pop but I know he is in a better place. He is now with his mother, father, brother as well as my late Uncle Bruce. They are now at peace with one another in heaven. As sad as it was at times, the funeral services were beautiful. It really showed now many lives Pop Pop touched with how many people made it out for his viewing and funeral. It was really amazing hearing some of the stories of my Pop Pop from people who knew him in a different light than I did... He really was a great man and a man that if I can be half of, I would be much satisfied. Rest easy Pop Pop Wiegner. I love and miss you so much!

Didn't feel good yesterday... but today was solid

2010-07-07T21:41:00.003-04:00

Sunday 11 miles, I ran solo... heat of the day 12:30pm... I did not have a long run this weekend... but because I follow a sunday-saturday schedule, a 10-11 fit in nicely today... I simply got through the hot, humid and hilly run.

Monday 11 miles, I ran with some PA buddies Mike Gross and Sean Keefe. WE got in 11 at 6:45am... It was nice and easy... it was warm but not terrible...

Tuesday 7 miles: I got in 7 miles and felt like crap... I got out at 5:30am and it was already really muggy and humid... the sun was not even out... I got up at 5:15... took a quick drink and went out... so i think that had a big part... as i was asleep for the entire run.

Wednesday 10miles: i was able to sleep in a bit more (5:45am) and got out for the run at 6:30... I felt great for the entire 10 mile run. It was hot... but I got out there... expecting to not feel good... and I felt great!!!

A hilly tempo... but a good one

2010-07-03T10:53:00.002-04:00

I began today with the plan of running a 5-6 mile tempo on the track... at 9am... Yeah, that was short lived... I actually began the tempo on the track... ran 1 mile and stopped. I hit 5:10 through the mile and it wasn't the pace... it was the fact that I had to run another 16-20 laps more on a hot sunny track... I ran a 5 mile workout on the track wed... so i stopped, ran to my car, got a drink and ran 1 mile down to tyler park and began the 5.3 mile "south loop". It is hilly, very hilly... but shaded and it is 1 lap!!! I figure the 5:10 i ran on the track previously would be good as an extended warm up. I started out strong but conservative at the same time... I began with a 1/2 mile down hill which helped ease into it but keep a good clip... I then hit the notorious Horse shoe mile (a 1 mile switch back that doesn't let up)... at the top of horse shoe I got a short 100 meter downhill then went up to white pines hill that dumps you to the base of college hill (so basically this 5.3 mile loop has a 2mile uphill included in it) At the summit of college, i was greated with a swift but steep down hill that goes about 1000 meters. It levels off and is a bit rolly before heading down the 1 mile Agony hill... It is known as agony when you run up this hill... the 5.3 loop (which has a race during the winter) goes in the direction I followed today.. I finished at the base of Agony in 27:17 for 5.3 miles (5:08)... I basically figured I was running about 5:25's on the up sections but sub 5's on the downs... I felt really strong when I finished... so strong that I went directly into my cool down without stopping. I am running a very easy 16 miler tomorrow... Monday and tuesday will both be easy runs (monday 10 miles), tuesday AM 8 miles. Wednesday will be a workout.

I am in love with Mother Nature... for now...

2010-07-02T21:21:00.003-04:00

Thursday: I ran 10 miles (Tilden/Gtown rd loop +). I was tired as i ran in the morning before camp not long after my evening track workout the night prior.

Friday: I ran 8 miles prior to driving back to PA. I felt good and relaxed. I have been taking my easy runs easy... which is something i tended to not do in the past.

Saturday: 6 mile tempo run. Goal is to be at 5:05-5:10. developing...

***In other news, my brother and his band Victory In Numbers www.myspace.com/victoryinnumbers has began their tour with the VANS WARPED TOUR 2010! This has been my brothers dream since he was 7. He is doing it... thanks to hard work and dedication! He opened up in San Antonio Texas on thursday, they played in houston today... and the next few weeks will be traveling all over the country!!!
***Additional news... Get your party hats on!!! It is time for 2010 Le Tour de France!!!! Contador??? Andy Schleck??? Frank Schleck??? Alexander Vinokorov??? or could it be mr tour de Lance Armstrong??? Le tour 2010 kicks off tomorrow at 11am with the Prologue: an 8.9k prologue from Rotterdam > Rotterdam. So excited!

A nice team workout

2010-06-30T22:19:00.003-04:00

I joined 8 GRCers at BCC for a wednesday evening track workout. The proposed workout was a pyramid consisting of 800,1600,3200,1600,800. The idea was to run 5k pace for the 800's, 10k pace for the 16's, half marathon goal pace for the 3200 and the same on the way down. Karl and I worked together for the entire workout with Jake Klim and Dickson following close behind for much of the workout.
800meter (2:20)... right on
1600meter (4:46)... a few seconds fast of 4:50 but we were getting excited when Jake Marren past us on his mile TT.
3200meter (9:52)... a few seconds fast... Karl and I alternated every 2 laps for pace duties.
1600meter (4:48).. again a few seconds fast but felt solid and excited about the last interval.
800meter (2:04.5)..I was paced out by Karl and I took the lead with 450 to go... I up'd the pace every 50 meters until I was at top end with 150 to go... I closed in 56. (1:08/:56)

I was very happy with this workout... not because of the splits... but how I felt... I felt strong... really strong. I am in shape for sure... I just need to now focus on getting the consistent mileage i need... I have another 5 weeks until I will begin coming down... This means I am rising in the mileage... not too much more but definitely going to get up some more in volume (complimented by some longer tempos and half marathon pace work. I am working on doing the little things from here on out that i tend to neglect with a busy lifestyle... sleep, nutrition (which has been tough but I am improving), stretch, core work.

***IN OTHER NEWS... THE 2010 TOUR DE FRANCE BEGINS SATURDAY AT 11AM WITH THE PROLOGUE. Lance Armstrong will be back in 2010 as the assumed leader of Team Radioshack. It will be interesting how things pan out on this tour with former teammate but not on good terms Alberto Contador leads Team Astana. I love this time of the year!!!

Getting strong

2010-06-29T12:43:00.002-04:00

Sunday: (10.5 mi easy)I ran with a group of GRCers at "the line" We got in 10.5 miles on the nice trails of rock creek park... I felt solid during the run... it was very easy which I needed after the 20 mile progression the day prior. It was still hot and muggy... I was zapped during the remainder of the day however due to running close to 3 1/2 hours in the heat this weekend.
Monday: (8.5 miles easy/med) I ran solo on the capital crescent trail starting at BCC and going out and back. I felt ok... not great but not too bad either... it was really humid after the rain came down... so that had a lot to do with it.
Tuesday: (8.5 miles medium) I ran in the AM solo and did my trolley trail/tilden rd 8 mile loop and then added on an additional 1/2 mile around my complex... I felt really good this morning. I am very happy with how i am responding from my first 20 miler... especially at the clip we were running. Tomorrow it is time to hit the track again... (mean face)!

Duel Ferries 20 miler... hot but a motivator

2010-06-26T20:43:00.004-04:00

14 gentlemen (including myself...minus the gentleman) treked out to Edwards Ferry for the infamous Duel Ferries run. Some of the team ran slightly shorter than 20, but about half were at the point of their training reg that it was time for a 20miler. This was my first 20 miler in 7 years... I didn't realize until today that 2003 was 7 years ago... It just hit me that time has really flown by! We got out on the run and had a pack of 14 through the entire first half of the run together in 1:06-1:07 for 10miles. I was at 1:06.48 through the first 10miles. I felt very good and relaxed... I knew in the back of my mind things would feel different after mile 15... and they did. Karl, Dickson, myself and a fellow named Annish (visiting from the lone star state) broke away a bit at the half way point after we got water and fuel. We cranked sub 6's for miles 11-14.... We stopped quickly for water at the old water pump... and then began together. At this point, Jake Klim, Chris Sloane and Chris Bain caught up to our group. I got to the gravel at mile 15 and began to feel a bit woozy. I was nervous about being able to drop the pace to marathon pace or quicker like i planned... but when jake gave the signal that he was still going to have at it, i decided to go... I went around mile 16 with a nice jump in pace and felt really good doing so... much better than I thought i would. I continued to up the pace at mile 17... mainly due to eagerly trying to catch a biker... who i got onto his back wheel just at the crest of a hill he was slow to get up... He looked back at me and started cranking down the backside of the hill until he was far in the distance. I continued to push into the final mile before the "easy mile" at 19 that would take us back to the start/finish of the run. My total time was 2:02.10. 1:06.48/55:22 I stopped and shuffled a bit and as the guys came through, finished the final mile.
besides being a bit dehydrated, I felt really good. To much surprise for my first 20 miler in some time. Though, these longer runs are funny in that you may kick the crap out of one like i did today... but the next one can be a totally different story... I like adversity... so bring on the next one!

A lighter week... but that is all over come tomorrow morning

2010-06-25T21:57:00.002-04:00

After my last race for a couple weeks (sunday's GRC fathers day 8k), I decided to take a lighter load this week (including a day off on monday). I feel good but kind of bland... I did not do a workout on wednesday. I felt I needed a bit of a lighter week... Although, that will all be in the past come tomorrows Duel Ferries 20 miler. it is going to be hot... the plan is to push to marathon pace at the tail end of the run... I am interested to see how this feels... as my 18 miler two sundays ago was the longest run I hit in about a year.

This one is for my dad tonight

2010-06-20T11:00:00.002-04:00

My dad has always been in my corner no matter what I have done over the years. As a kid and now as a young adult (28 is still in that category... :) ), I look up to my dad (Joe jr) as a big inspiration in my life. My parents taught me about what it means to be a good person and I try to follow the ways in which they live their lives as best as possible. My dad was the type of dad that wanted to be involved in everything i wanted to do. Whether it was coaching my youth soccer teams, baseball teams, coaching me during my BMX racing days... everything I did, he was right there to help me/teach me to do my best. When i began to run, my dad was always right there giving me encouragment. He always told me to never settle for second. To this day, he still tells myself and my brother bruce (who is experiencing MUCH success in the music industry) www.myspace.com/victoryinnumbers "Reach for the stars and don't let anything or anyone get in the way of your goals" I have taken that to heart in the last year and I would love nothing more than to reach my goal and dedicate it to my Dad.
Tonight is the GRC Fathers Day 8k. I have my work cut out for me... but i like my chances for a good performance. It will be hot which is a good thing... it levels the playing field a bit. Time does not matter, place is what I am after... This is the last race tonight for me until mid July.
Notables in tonights race:
Michael Wardian (USA/Arlington,VA) 2008 oly trials marathon qualifier
Dawit Assefa (ETH) 2:17 marathon PR
Berhanu Wukaw (ETH) 2:20 marathon PR
Haile Gelelcha (ETH) 13:50 5k PR
Gurmessa Megerssa(ETH) 28:45 10k PR
"To have a break out performance, one must go to a place they never have been before."

a simple follow up dr's appointment.... + good running

2010-06-17T23:22:00.002-04:00

Wednesday AM( 9 miles)(5:15am) i hit the roads prior to my last day of school!!! I got in 9 miles... I finally ran down randolph road and connected with the Rockcreek trail. Nice stretch there for the portion i ran on.

Thursday:( 10 miles) After checking out of my school for the summer this morning, I had a follow up appointment with my allergy immunologist. He began by just asking me the questions I was asssuming he would ask... how are you feeling on your meds, any better... etc etc... Then he says I want you to come into the other room... well the "other room" was where I got the countless prick testing done for the allergens i am exposed to... So, i was annoyed but i figured... whatever... no biggy... Well, he did not bring out the little prick needle... Instead he had 18 Syringes. He tells me... I need to inject you with these last 18 allergens we did not check for... and they require injection in the upper arm and the bicep (9 on each arm)... I was like... "Whatcha talking bout Willis"... but obviously had no choice... The outside of my arm injections were not bad but the bicep shots were rough... After small lines of blood that streamed down my forearm were cleaned off I got the hell outa dodge. I proceeded to head over to cabin john to get my 10miler done prior to my 5-9 camp meeting tonight. Well, I did not go to the Bathroom like I ususally do prior to running and i got 3 miles into the run and i was in trouble... i luckily did not get across Tuckerman lane to the opposite side of the main trail. I got in my car 3 and 1/4 miles into the run and drove to the nearest facilities... By this time, i did not have time to complete my run prior to the meeting... so, at 945, i headed out and ran an additional 7 miles... It was tough to do my second late night run of the week.. as I am very tired but I felt good out of the roads in the cooler temps... 10 for the day

Week 1: Late night run and a solid workout

2010-06-16T08:23:00.000-04:00

Monday was one of those days when there are not enough hours in the day... I had to get to work a bit early, had to work through my prep periods to prepare for a camp presentation and that also overflowed past dismissal where I was unable to get out for my run... I had a meeting from 4pm-9:15pm... The word exhausted does not even fit in this situation... i was dead. But, i still got out at 9:55 and got in an easy 45 minutes (6 miles I called it).

Tuesday was the day I had to schedule my workout for, as the above schedule will be repeated tomorrow(wed). I went with the proposed workout from Karl and Jake... It is a pure strength workout... Although I continued doing what I have been doing for the last 3 weeks and added some hard effort at the tail end... The workout was as follows:
On the track and BCC (mentally tough by myself but thats what i need)
3 mile warmup
3 miles at goal marathon pace(16:00): I ran 15:48(quick in the last 1/2mile)
w/two water cup grabs
-3min jog recovery
2 miles at goal half marathon(9:55): 9:50 (a bit fast)
-3min jog recovery
1 mile at 10k goal pace(4:50): 4:42 (came through 3/4 in 3:40 and closed 62(32/30)

2.5 mile cool down for a total of 12 miles (6 quality).
*I felt very good and controlled

Here We Go!!! Week 1.

2010-06-13T13:41:00.004-04:00

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.

Lawyers have Heart 10k in the morning

2010-06-11T21:44:00.005-04:00

My final race of the spring season is here. The Lawyers Have Heart 10k. A large fielded race... Tends to bring out some fast runners up front. Last years winner was Aaron Church of PR running. He ran 31 mid for the out and back road race through the georgetown area of DC. I am feeling good... I am really not sure what I can run with a nice push in competition... What I learned from the Teal Ribbon 5k a few weeks ago in philly: Time is secondary when you have competition... you go for the win... If you win, thats all you can ask for... If people want to sit around and play games in the latter part of the race, Let them! If you lose but are pushed to a good time KUDOS! and if you are pushed to the very end and can out kick your competition for the victory... You own the day!

Developing...........

Teal Ribbon 5k tomorrow morning

2010-05-29T13:58:00.002-04:00

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...

2010-05-22T12:40:00.004-04:00

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

2010-05-17T21:24:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-05-16T13:37:00.004-04:00

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

2010-05-15T15:07:00.006-04:00

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!

2010-05-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-09T22:18:00.004-04:00

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

2010-05-03T20:03:00.004-04:00

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

2010-05-01T09:43:00.002-04:00

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!

4/25-5/2: Broad Street is next!

2010-04-25T21:06:00.004-04:00

Sunday: 12.5miles (1.5 am shakeout, 2 mile race warm up, 6.2 mile race, 3 mile cooldown)
Pikes Peek 10k:
Raced my first 10k in a long while. I told myself I would run conservative for the first 3 miles and the last 5k go for it all (feeling good at this point). My entire pre-race plan was neglected as I went out harder than planned... From 1.5 in, I felt winded and my legs were getting hammered. Even going out hard, i felt that the shape level I was in would still get me through 4 before feeling these effects... I was able to hold on little by little each mile up to 4 miles... I hit a bad mile between 4 and 5 (5:16 mile). I was able to get down to 5:05 for the last mile and was able to kick hard for the last .2 to slip under 32 minutes. It is a PR... which does not say much but still is a Personal Record. I am forcing myself to race conservatively at Broad Street.... No matter how good I feel at the early stages of the race. I want to come out of it feeling like I have more in me... 5:08's is the goal.
Monday: 11.5 miles on the Cabin John Trails. I felt great on the run... but have some congestion in my chest again... It did not seem to hinder the run... just annoying. Muddy run but fun.
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 5 miles

31:55. A 7 second Personal Best

2010-04-25T06:17:00.002-04:00

4/18-4/26: Time to go racing!

2010-04-23T18:00:00.002-04:00

Sunday: 13+ miles. I ran from "the line" with Jake, Dickson, Chuck, Towpath, Max and Frank. We ran up the rock creek trail, took some of the dirt trails to get off the pounding pavement and rounded up and around the zoo loop and came back. Relaxed pace throughout the run, which i needed today. My body is asking me what the hell is going on. I was nearing mid/high level of fitness prior to sickness two weeks ago (I had one week at 35-the week i got sick and the next week i totaled 9 miles). Last week was my first full week back again and I hit 60. I will hit 65 this week.... I will not taper for Pikes peek even though it is my first scheduled peak peek race (i had to say that)... my training calendar is going out the window for the next two weeks... I am going to do a slight taper going into Broad street... but any taper I do this week... will just make me flat.... I need to get stronger and the only way to do that is to keep the running volume consistent. 1 easy tune up workout this week (4 x 800 at 2:27-28ish... faster than goal 10k pace.)
Monday: 10 miles on Cabin John Trails.
Karl accompanied me on the trails and we had a nice run. Weather was beautiful and the trails felt great on the legs.
Tuesday: 8 miles around North Bethesda.
Neandered around the area and explored some of the back neighborhoods off of Old Georgetown Road. I found some hilly loops back in there that I am going to run more often. Right calf soreness but nothing major.
Wednesday: BCC workout (5 x 800 faster than 10k goal pace w/ 300 jog recovery).
Ran with a group of GRCers at BCC. Splits were as follows:
2:25
2:25
2:24
2:27
2:17 (30 last 200-felt smooth!)
Thursday: 8 miles late in the evening with Karl.
I felt good but very tired from a VERY long day.
Friday: 8 miles. Ran at 5:00am before school Combined my newly found neighborhood loop and extended it to the trolley trail and came back the same way at 30 minutes. Kept the run super relaxed.
Saturday: 5 miles. Ran from the GRC (Chevy Chase Store) in the AM with several GRCers, as well as Puma Rep Max Smith (a 3:56 miler). Pace was a nice pre-race easy pace. After the run, Jake, PMurph, Charlie, Dylan and I went over the summer training leading up to the Chicago marathon/ fall half marathons training regiment.

PIKES PEEK IS SUNDAY! My PR is 32:02...this was en route at the 08 philly distance run and is my least impressive PR I have. This will be my 5th 10k ever on the roads and first competitive race at this distance in 6 years. I am ready to race to my potential in the next few weeks. It all starts here.

60 miles for the week. and glad to be back to normal

2010-04-17T19:43:00.003-04:00

Sunday: 8 miles. Ran 4 miles out on the Trolley Trail and back. Heat of day... felt ok.

Monday: 10 miles. Met up at "the spot" with Karl and ran up the Trolley Trail and back down. I added on a bit on the way back to my place. Felt ok.

Tuesday: 6 miles at 5:15am before school. I felt tired and my lungs (with the residual effects of being sick) were struggling that early in the morning.... but I got the run in. I was planning on 8 miles but i had a bathroom issue... what a shocker

Wednesday: 8 miles. Firebirds mile @ Gaithersburg h.s.
Warm up: 3 miles.
1 mile race: controlled effort with Karl Dusen as the pace-setter through in 2:09-2:10. Myself, Jake Klim and Chuck Kacsur followed. Came through around 3:17 for 1200 and finished off with a 4:23. Jake and I came back 8-10 mins later to go after a 2 mile at 10 minutes... needless to say, it wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. Next year... I want to run a workout prior... example... 3 mile tempo... and then time it so we have 5 minutes and we jump on the track and try attacking a hard mile.

Thursday: 10 miles. Cabin John regional park trails with Karl.
I think i have found Bethesda's form of heaven! I love these trails and plan to run them minimum twice a week... hopefully 3-4 times/week.

Friday: 8 miles. Cabin John regional park trails.
I apparently did not get enough from the 10 miles yesterday.... I went out and back on the trail. I felt good minus the dusty conditions on the trail and the pollen that was blinding my vision.

Saturday: 10 miles. Georgetown RC run (workout from the store on towpath)
5 x 1mile w/ 2 minute jog recovery.
5:00
5:01
4:57
5:09 (had a lapse)
4:49
Klim, Karl, Dave Burnham, and Dylan "Dwayne" Keith all partaked in the workout. Klim, Karl and I stayed together for the first 3. Karl ran a nice first workout back closing off after 3 intervals. on the fourth interval, Jake dropped my bad in the last 500 meters or so. I was able to rebound (going to the well to do so) on the fifth and final interval to close the workout off in 4:49. It didn't feel good at the time.... but I am really happy i stuck it out.

Next race: Pikes Peek 10k: Next Sunday!

First race post illness tomorrow night at the Firebirds Mile.

2010-04-13T22:12:00.003-04:00

So, i decided to do the mile race after all. With a lot of bouncing back and forth... wondering if it was really worth doing instead of a pure strength workout (which I am doing this week), I decided to race tomorrow night. I will run the mile with Klim, Chuck and Karl will be the pace setter for the first 800 or so. I plan to run a hard effort for this mile... I am not worried about time. But I will definitely run a 2 mile up- tempo(10 mile race pace effort) to complete this race/workout session. I lost a total of 7 of 8 days of running between most of last week and part of the week prior. It doesn't phase me and I can't wait for Pikes Peek.

Current mood: Dislikes female antics

I get knocked down.... and I get back up again!

2010-04-08T23:04:00.002-04:00

The Flu is in the past... the residual effects are still with me congestion in the chest, throat and nose... along with the lovely green pollen coating every outdoor exposed surface. I lost 6 days of no running, no exercise.... that hurts after where I have progressed to (especially last weeks workout). But I got out and ran 3 miles during my break at school today... I know 3 miles is a warm up before a workout or race... but it was an indicator to see how my legs and more importantly my breathing would hold up from coming off one of the worst flu bouts I have ever had. I felt ok... not great as it was in the heat of the day... and it was tough to breath for me. But i took it easy and came out feeling like I will be back in full stride by next monday. I am going to go for 5 tomorrow and hit a 10 miler on sunday.... I was getting ready to hit 16 this sunday for the first time (as I hit two 15's in the last two weeks)... but no rushing it is what I learned. I may get more in on sunday as my long run will be a bit inconsistent while out on course running and cheering on my GRC buddies during the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 miler.
I was bitter to see i was ranked 25th in the invitational 5000 at Bucknell for tomorrow night. I submitted a much faster time than I have run for 5k... I felt that my workouts showed me I could have a shattering break through performance for this distance in the right race... I am using this as motivation. I am excited for pikes peek on sunday april 25th!

Sick again....

2010-04-04T08:48:00.002-04:00

So, I am officially sick again.... Only 3 weeks ago I got a 48 hour bug that lingered with chest congestion for about 8 days.... I was able to bounce back from that... have a solid race at MD on the track and a very premature but very strong 3 x deuce workout on tuesday. I got home on wednesday (late night)... I had a great 8 mile run on thursday. But on friday, after playing a round of golf with my dad, I began to feel chills... and noticed that while I was cold... i was sweating... Could I be getting sick again??? the answer that I was hoping not to deal with was YES. I woke up yesterday morning (saturday) in a pool of sweat... I clocked a 101.6 fever... the fever went down with IB. but the chills, the chest/throat congestion and dizziness due to head congestion continued. Last night, I felt the worse yet... my symptoms are now at flu-like symptoms... I am still in PA (which is good and bad)... Good being that I get taken care of like a little boy again by mommy. but bad as in... I have to go back to work in two days... and if i had to go back tomorrow... I would laugh at the person that tried demanding that...
Overall, late friday morning i just thought i was having allergy symptoms (as my eyes have been itchy all week, throat scratchy, etc)... standard for me at this time of year... Obviously this is no allergy reaction. Sickness has always put a hault on my training when it begins to get really good... It is very frustrating...

3/28-4/3: 62 miles last week... 60 miles with 1 sick day off is the goal

2010-04-02T17:35:00.000-04:00

Sunday: 15 plus on Capitol Crescent Trail. I felt great up to about 8.5 and started feeling out of it. I ate about 3 hours prior to run and did not drink as much water as I should have before my first real long run. plus the out terrain was a gradual downhill and i had to come up that nice looong gradual downhill to finish the run up. Overall, I was happy how the run felt (cardio wise I felt great but my legs were aching).

Monday: 8 miles plus on Trolley Trail with Karl. It is great to be getting in some runs with my pal KD again. We kept a nice pace.

Tuesday: 11.5 miles 3 x 2miles (w/ 400rest).
Interval 1: 9:53
Interval 2: 9:45
Interval 3: 9:35
I went at this workout planning on being a bit more aggressive than I have been. I actually ended up surprising myself. I know that my fitness is coming back... However, tonights workout really showed that I am a lot more fit than i realized. I don't know if the respiratory cold finally is out of my system combining with my fitness.... who knows... but i felt really good tonight.
After the 2.5 warm up, Dirk, Charlie, Dave and Karl and I set out on a 3 x 2 mile workout w/ 400 jog rest. There were some different versions of this workout... but all followed the same concept. I set out to hit 10flat for the first interval... where Dirk wanted to ease into it due to a sore achilles, so he proposed 10:20... We both hit 9:53 for the first interval (so much for that idea of meeting in the middle). The second interval felt much more smooth... i hit an even 9:45 for interval 2. The third interval I felt was going to be a bear. I felt good going into it but knew that it would not be the same feeling 4 laps into the final interval. Dirk paced me out in an even 4:50-51. I continued that pace until about 600 to go. I started to press but waited until 250 to go. I feel I didn't put it all on the track at the end, I just kept it quick but smooth (good form and in control). I pumped my fist as I finished my last interval in 9:35 (66 final 400). I felt better than I have in a workout thus far since my return. Just this weekend,I only came through 2 miles in 9:50 thanks to the easy lap/hard lap rotation of the race dynamic. The 9:35 at the end felt much smoother and relaxed than I felt in the 5k race on saturday in general.
After this workout, I decided for sure that I will make a trip to Bucknell for the Distance classic next friday April 9th and try to post a solid 5k on the track. This environment I hope will be that of a consistent pace, a nice pack to roll along with and then hang on for dear life in the final 1200 meters. This will be the last 5k on the track this spring. I want revenge on this distance! Time to bring out the spikes!!!

Wednesday: 8 miles. Ran out to Tilden Woods and neandered up and down the small loop of trails to get off the asphalt for a bit. I took today nice and easy. Beautiful day to run!

Thursday: 8 miles. Ran in Tyler Park (PA)... half trails, half paved path. Very hilly run (as there are no flats in Tyler). I took it moderately easy... I laced up the new spikes that just came in and hit some straights and turns on the track post run. Feeling good.

Friday: 0 miles. After playing a morning round of golf with my dad, I was not feeling well at all. I had chills and began to sweat when I was not hot. I took my temperature and was reading a 101.3. I decided to bag the run today (it was only a scheduled 6 miler and hit some zzz's for a few hours. I woke up in sweat... My pants and t-shirt were soaked... so, I broke the fever... feeling about 60% better. I will attack the workout as planned tomorrow morning. I have been going nonstop with averaging 6 hours/night of sleep... when you are running your highest week in a phase, you cannot do that... on top of other things outside of running that needed being taken care of this week.

Saturday: (10 miles) 5 x 1000m (at 5k goal pace) (200rest). (4 x 200 hard).

University of MD Invitational 5000m

2010-03-27T13:57:00.002-04:00

I woke up at 6am. I was out the door for a 1 and 1/2 mile shake out run at 6:20. I came back, got showered, brewed some coffee, ate a bagel w/ peanut butter and took a banana for the road. I treked over to Terrapin beach (I didn't want to say Terrapin Country because the Terrapin is a sea reptile-if i correctly recall). Anyway, I warmed up at 8:40 w/ Chicken Tender Andy and Billy Askey. We toed the line at 9:20. Nerves were there as this was the first time I got to go at a 5k on the track since 2003. The gun was off and I immediately tucked in. First 400... very very slow (77). I was angry that a guy who is seeded at 14:50 would take it out that slow. I came up to the mile at 4:55 (as we picked it up on lap 2...) I stormed to the lead and dropped a 69-70. Again... the UMD guy came up... took the lead... and slowed it down again... I should have just put in that effort for a full 800 to see what he had... but I am in no business in the shape/strength level to be fooling around with a heroic effort. I ran through 2 miles in 9:50 14 seconds slower that goal pace. I knew that i could not make that up... as with the fartlek type race we were having, my legs did not have the juice i thought they would have w/ 1 mile to go (esp at the overall leisure pace up front). Adam Condit from Potomac River Running stated his intentions for the lead and stormed up... He broke a way w/ 12oo to go but myself and the UMD guy were able to pull him back in w/ 2 to go.... That is when I made a move... I went for it... new i didn't have the fresh legs for a lethal kick that I was hoping... so, i went for it for 200... I figured if i die, i have only 600 to go. It apparently was not much of a move as it was countered by a big surge by the UMD guy. I was racing for second (even though in my mind I was itching to catch the UMD guy). He was too strong on this day (and for the race that he totally dictated..)
Finished 2nd place with a 15:16.5 (official). I am happy to get out and race a 5k on the track... I will leave it at that...
Next Race TBA (originally scheduled to be Firebirds Mile Track race) but I may squeeze something in before hand. NO PENN RELAYS 5K! after today, i have no business being there.