Friday, June 28, 2013

Quick Thoughts from a Qualifier: Matt Pelletier

As much as I know you are all dying to read about my training, I also see my blog as a chance to do more than just write about the weekly ups and downs of training.  I am hoping it can be a resource for other runners like me trying to make the most of their potential down the road.  To that end, I am going to start putting together interviews with past Olympic Trials qualifying runners.  It will be a great look into what they have gone through to reach that level that should help those of us trying to reach that level.  I also see it as a chance for these guys to get a little of the recognition they deserve, since so many people are unaware of the level of commitment and dedication it takes to be a 2:18 type of marathoner and balance the rest of your life.  After all, not many shoe companies are handing out contracts to 2:18 guys.

The first athlete I reached out to was Matt Pelletier, who I had the pleasure of racing against and meeting in Vermont this spring.  Matt is a two time Trials qualifier, but he wasn't always an elite runner.  Matt attended the University of Rhode Island, where he had very modest success as a runner.  In his own words, he ran times, "that an average high school kid would laugh at," but he stuck with it and kept grinding away.  Now, the runner who graduated college having broken 29 a few times for the 8k, has run 2:17:17 for the marathon and posted a top 20 finish at the 2008 US Olympic Trials.  Matt lives and trains in West Greenwich, RI.  He works as a teacher at Pilgrim High School in nearby Warwick, RI and lives with his fiancee Jill.  Thanks again Matt, and hope our paths cross out racing the roads sometime soon!

2008 Trials qualifier Matt Pelletier breaks the tape at the Vermont City Marathon.

Q: Not everyone who has success running 5k and 10k on the track is able to translate that ability to the marathon distance. When did you realize you had the ability to become an elite marathoner?

 A:
I was never very successful at the shorter distances. I always new I would run my best at the marathon. All of my PR's at the other distances have come during marathon training.  (Matt has lowered his 5k PR to 14:36 and has also run 49:05 for 10 miles and 1:05:42 for the half, so the wheels have certainly come around) I just don't have the form or leg turnover (or talent) to compete at the shorter faster distances. I like the marathon where you just grind along for two plus hours and try to maintain a consistent faster pace.

Q:  How many tries did it take you at running the marathon before you feel you really had a feel for the distance?

A:
My first marathon was 2:32:52 in Boston in 2003. I ran it for a friend of mine who was killed while out on a training run for Boston. I approached his wife after the funeral and told her I wanted to run Boston with his bib number on so we could say he completed what he was training for. That was only 2 weeks before the race so I really didn't have any marathon training at that point. I ran 13 miles the day before Boston helping a friend out with a tempo run. Six months after Boston I ran my "first" marathon with training involved and ran 2:24:18. My coach at the time and I decided to shoot for the trials standard of 2:22 and see what happened, so it was an all or nothing shot. Our main focus was qualifying for the 2008 trials, but decided to give one attempt at qualifying for 2004. I fell a little short, but knew it was possible.

Q:  Where did you run your first Olympic Trials qualifying time and how did you feel crossing the line knowing what you had accomplished?

A:
I first qualified for the trials in Chicago 2006. We had a huge pack on a perfect (but windy) day, all shooting for 2:20. We stayed together for the most part until the later miles. I really started to fall off around 23 but held it together and ran 2:20:26. It was the B standard but I was in. Seven months later, I ran 2:19:00 at KBVCM (Key Bank Vermont City Marathon) all alone and got the A standard. My goal since 2002 was to make the 2008 trials, and I was finally going to realize that dream. Crossing the line in Chicago wasn't exactly celebratory. There were so many people running times right around 2:20 that it was a mad sprint to the finish. There was $1500 on the line for being in the top 25 Americans, and I was sprinting trying to pass as many people as possible coming down that stretch. I finished 25th American. In the KBVCM, I had no plans of running the A standard, but it kind of just happened. I had no idea what pace I was on until I saw the clock coming down the finishing stretch. I probably would have been 2:18:58 but I was celebrating the entire way in. It felt great to run under 2:20, knowing I could have gone faster.

Q:  Could you describe your experience at the 2008 Trials where you finished in the top 20?

A:
My coach (Matt is coached by Ray Nelson) and I always have a sit down meeting a few days before the race. We had gone out and checked out the course in August, so I knew that it was a very challenging course against the country's best runners. My goal was to not finish last. He wrote my time down in an envelope and sealed it. He would tell me what it was after the race. He did tell me not to be scared to run faster than I thought I could, and to leave it all out there. The time in the envelope was 2:17:xx. He knows me better than I know myself. The trials experience in itself is worth all the training and heartbreak. They make you feel like you are the best runner in the world. Walking around the hotel, and going to meetings with guys who I had only seen on tv made me completely starstruck. I rode in an elevator with Ryan and Sara hall. I sat on the bus across the isle from Alan Culpepper. I had a nice chat with Sage Canaday. It was amazing. Once the gun went off on race day, I blocked all that out and focused on running my own race and running by feel. With so many up and down portions in Central park, I focused on maintaining the same effort. Downhill miles were faster and uphill miles were slower, but I was running consistently by effort. I had no idea what place I was in at any point of the race, or what my time was going to be. Just trying to move up from group to group, run the tangents as best as possible, and not let anyone break away from me. Steve Sundell (15th place) and Chris Raabe (16th place) were the only guys from my pack who broke away from me. I wish I had gone with them. The only guy who passed me was Clint Verran (18th place) and he passed me at 26 miles like I was standing still. Everyone else that I had started with once we entered Central Park finished behind me.

Q:  What kept you motivated to keep training at a high level coming out of college and what drove you to return to running after dealing with your injuries? With work and the demands of the real world how have you been able to work running into a busy schedule?

A:
My coach and I are on the same page as far as training goes. We both like high mileage, long tough workouts, and not racing too often. We like to put all the eggs in one basket and focus on 2 marathons a year and race sparingly in between those marathons. He sends me a schedule at the beginning of the week and I give him feedback after every day's training. Having the schedule and a coach to answer to makes skipping runs tough. I figure it's not too hard to squeeze in two hours a day of training. Plus Jill is very understanding of my training. Not having kids helps too. I'm motivated to be the best I can be. I don't want to look back one day and say "I wonder what I could have run if..." When I finally give it up, I'm confident I'll be able to say I got the best out of myself that I could, and don't have to wonder "what if". Coming back after the injuries was tough. I had two knee surgeries over the course of three years, and retired about 100 times during those three years. I kept having setbacks that made me think I would never be able to train like I wanted to ever again. Really, it was the people around me (friends, family, PT's, chiro's,) that kept telling me that I wasn't done that got me to keep trying. By myself I think I would have been retired for five years now.

Q:  What do you consider to be the number one key to success for post collegiate runners looking to continue their development and transition to the marathon?

A:
The key to success for post collegiate runners is not to give up. Money will come later in life and so will family. The best training in your life has a very short shelf life, and that expiration date is coming up fast. Once the ability to run your best is over, then you can move on to normal people things. People have always asked me if my running keeps me from being "normal". We're not normal. Competing at our level isn't normal. If it was, everyone would do it. You have to be willing to make sacrifices to achieve great things. In 2000 there were only a handful of people willing to do this, and our distance running in this country showed that. Now more and more people are willing to chase the dream, and we have the results to prove that it is working. The other thing is to find a coach who knows the marathon well, and find a training group to suffer with. Leading up to the trials, I had a group of five guys and one girl who I ran with at least twice a week. We did our workouts and long runs together. Having other people on the track who know EXACTLY how bad the workout you are doing hurts helps you tough it out week in and week out. Now, I train mostly by myself. I can't find a group to meet up with with runners of similar ability. I feel like my training is missing that one essential piece.

Q:  Do you agree with the USATF's decision to tighten the qualifying standards for the 2016 Trials?  Note - The USATF standard has been set to 2:18 for 2016, a drop from 2:20 in 2012.

A:
I do agree with the tightening of the standards. 2:15 is the IAAF standard, so it should be the standard all the qualifiers are aiming for. What's the point of going to the trials if you can't even make the Olympic team? That being said, 2:15 is pretty friggin tough to run, and I really need to step my game up AND have the race of my life just to make the trials now.

Q:  Favorite race? Either favorite course or one individual race experience that stands out? 

A:
Favorite race? As for marathons I would have to say my favorite marathon is the KBVCM. From fans, to course, to coordinators, they just do an excellent job of putting together an excellent race. The Trials might be my favorite race ever though. Just an experience that I will never forget, and hope to experience one more time.

Q:  Favorite workout?

A:
My favorite workouts are the ones that are really tough, and I know will help me run a great race. 12 X 1 mile comes to mind as one that really sucks at the time, but in the long run is a great race. We've also done 10 miles at a comfortable pace, 10 miles at race pace, 5 miles at a comfortable pace, and the last mile all out. That's a tough one. We also do some dynamic surge (DS) workouts. Basically a workout like 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile on a track, but every 3rd lap is significantly faster than the others. For example, here's one from 10 days before this year's KBVCM:

3 miles w/ 400 m. DS every 3rd lap
78, 78, 72, 78 (5:09)
78, 72, 78, 78 (5:09)
72, 78, 78, 72 (5:00) = 15:18
800 rec.

2 miles w/ 400 m. DS every 3rd lap
78, 78, 70, 78 (5:04)
78, 70, 78, 78 (5:04) = 10:08
800 rec.

1 mile
73, 73, 67, 73 = 4:46

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

USA Half Marathon Champs Recap

Well, I certainly learned the hard way that the body only has so many good long distance races in it in a short time period.  I have been training and racing hard for over four months now without a break, and it all finally caught up to me this weekend in Duluth, MN at the USA Half Marathon Championships.  I did set a new personal best time of 1:08:04, but it was not the type of time I was looking for given the type of times I have come to expect of myself.  Despite the poor showing in the race, it was a valuable experience, and I am still happy with the decision to run the race.

My journey to Duluth began very early (4:45 a.m.) last Thursday morning with a quick flight out of Harrisburg into Newark to catch a connecting flight to Minneapolis.  From Minneapolis I boarded a shuttle bus to make the final leg of my journey, a three hour drive, to Duluth.  This is where things got a little interesting.  Glenn Randall (another runner headed to the race) and I made a beeline to the back of the bus to try and capitalize on the little extra leg room the long back seat would present.  This turned out to be a huge mistake on our part, as the final passenger to board the bus was an extremely large (we're talking 4 bills large) gentleman.  My supposed comfortable back seat was now reduced by half its size as he ballooned across the boundary of his seat and squeezed me into the window with his considerable girth.  Needless to say, it was not a pleasant ride to Duluth, but the bus finally pulled into Duluth around 4:30 p.m. Central time.  After that long day of travel, it felt good to finally lace up my shoes and get out for a short shakeout run through downtown Duluth.

Everyone I had talked to leading up to the race told me to try and soak in as much of the race experience as possible.  Not just the race itself, but the entire elite athlete experience and the chance to learn from some of the country's truly elite runners.  When I woke up on Friday I did a short run with some strides and then headed down to the elite athlete headquarters to hang out in the hospitality room and get a pre-race massage.  It was hard not to be intimidated walking into the elite room as everyone in there looked older and faster than me, so I tried not to stay in there too long lest I psych myself out.  One of the funnier things I have seen was in the elite room though.  Since Michelob Ultra is a big sponsor of the race, there were tubs and tubs of untouched beer in our room on ice.  After a massage, I headed over to a press conference for the top male runners.  I already blogged about sitting in on the press conference, but it was a really great experience listening to them describe their mindset heading into a big race like this.  A luncheon followed, and I sat and hung out with some guys who had run for Cincinnati.  It was weird when I realized one of the guys, Eric Finan, was a 13:40's runner whose log I always read on running2win.  They were fun guys to eat with and I got to catch up with them a little after the race on Saturday too.

After all that and a little bit of rest in the hotel, I headed back downtown to watch a good friend of mine, Matt Grey, who had moved to Minnesota, dominate in the 5k held on Friday night.  He led wire-to-wire and ran 15:25.  It was really great to see him run so well and then catch up for a while.  Then, it was early to bed since the buses left for the start line at 4:45 on Saturday morning.

I woke at 3:45 on Saturday morning to eat and hydrate before the race, and man it felt early.  I don't know the last time I was awake and functioning at this time.  I woke up well enough though, but my legs did not feel good.  I began having second thoughts about my goal time of 1:06, especially after feeling lousy on my pre-race strides.  I pushed these thoughts aside, and decided to go for it.

The race was drawn out quickly as Mo Trafeh sprinted out to a 4:20 first mile and I came through the first mile in 4:52.  Definitely a little quicker than I had hoped for and I began having a feeling that it definitely would not be my day, but I was tucked into the back of the Brooks-Hansons pack and just tried to roll with it.  I hit 5k in 15:28, still hanging onto sub 5:00 pace and the back of the Hansons pack, but I was quickly dropped between miles 4 and 5.  My 10k split was 31:31, still on pace for 1:06, but with the way my mile splits were trending upward, it was at this point where I really knew that 1:06 was not happening and that the second half of the race would be rough.  Mile 10 was hit in 51:39 - between 10k and 10 miles was where it really got ugly as I averaged 5:19.  From there, I could not really get the pace back down to a respectable level and finished in 1:08:04.  Not at all the race I had hoped for, but still a sizable PR.

Am I happy with the final time? No, not really.  It's not really a time to be happy about when you have such high expectations for yourself, but it is not really surprising to me looking back on how I felt leading into the race that it would not go as well as I had hoped.  The ten days prior to the race, the hard workouts I had been trying to put in very close to a marathon began catching up to me, and I was feeling very fatigued for a few days beyond my workout.  After each workout, that fatigue period seemed to last longer.  I did a tough workout the Tuesday before the race, and in hindsight, I was still recovering from my last workout the week before.  Working out tired kept me tired going into the race.  I had never really felt what it was like to push my body past its breaking point like I finally did here, and it's not something I will look to replicate down the road.  It is not a pretty thing when it takes your body almost a whole week to bounce back from a workout.

All that being said, I would not change my decision to run this race.  I feel like the college kid who has a dream season and somehow manages to make it to NCAA's after a big breakthrough.  It probably took everything to get to NCAA's, but there is no way you would ever turn down a chance to run at a national championship.  I do realize, there is still a need to think smart about your body, and I now have a better understanding of what I can and cannot handle in training and racing.  Luckily this training did not lead to any overuse injuries, just fatigue and flatness.  This race also gave me a chance to compete on the national stage for the first time in my life.  I was not a college All-American or even NCAA qualifier like many of the runners I lined up against, and I feel that finally competing at this level was a big eye-opener in terms of what it will take for me to continue climbing the ranks of US long distance running.  I need to get over being starstruck around other elite runners and think of myself as one of them.  I was definitely intimidated racing in the Hansons pack.

Finally, it was just flat out fun being in town for such a high quality race and getting so many perks.  They know how to treat a runner right in Duluth.  From the free massages to the various banquets they really make you feel special and I definitely hope to return for another race at Grandma's race weekend, be it the full or half marathon.  Of course, I can't forget the great post race parties they threw for us too.  The great people of Duluth like to race hard and then celebrate hard too.  It's always great seeing other elite runners out letting loose a little to remind you that you need to let yourself have a little fun every once in a while after a race.

Now, I will take a full week off from running followed by a week of very light running as I recover from all the hard training and racing I have done this spring.

The pain face on display.
Chilling with Abdi at the awards banquet.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Opportunity

My college coach often told us before a race - "Be excited about the opportunity" (or Have Freaking Fun).  To be honest, I never really got all the excited when he said that.  I always took it as just one of another in a long line of coaching platitudes uttered in premeet strategy sessions for years on end.  I was always nervous and obsessing about how the race would go.  Now, as I sit in my hotel room in Duluth, Minnesota preparing to race in a national championship race tomorrow, I am finally starting to understand his message.

As this is a national championship race, there was a press conference for the top runners in the field.  I sat in on the press conference to glean whatever small insight I could into how highly successful athletes like Meb and Abdi prepare for a race.  As I sat there, I couldn't help but think of Coach Piazza speaking about opportunity.  This race really is a huge opportunity for me to gain valuable experience racing at the national level, and on a more personal level, it is just a chance for me to travel across the country to a beautiful city I otherwise never would have visited all to do something I love.  Then the press conference began, and one word peppered the sentences of the elites - opportunity.  To them, races are an opportunity to do their job and get paid to compete, but even though they are competing for a living and I am competing for enjoyment, the message is all the same.

Races really are opportunities for us as runners and I am glad that I am finally starting to understand that.  They are opportunities for us to measure out progress after months of training and set tangible goals moving forward.  When you see a race as an opportunity to test yourself and prove to yourself that you are capable of great things rather than an chance to fail, it gives you a sense of confidence and anticipation.  I have trained hard for months and there is nothing I can do about my fitness at this point.  I know what I am capable of, and I can't wait for the opportunity tomorrow morning to let it all hang out for 13.1 miles!
Here we go!

Meb is excited about the opportunity to race for $12,000.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Finishing Touches

Tonight I wrapped up my spring training cycle with a final good track workout leading into this weekend's USA Half Marathon championships in Duluth.  It was a pretty simple workout - 4 miles at half marathon goal pace with short rest followed by a hard 800 to simulate closing hard at the end of the race.  I nailed the miles very comfortably in 4:58 with 75 seconds rest.  I then took a 4 minute rest to spike up for the 800.  I got out hard on the 800 and came through the 400 in 64 seconds, right where I wanted to be.  I was working hard on the second lap, but brought it home in 65 to finish in 2:09.

I am really pumped about this final workout.  Earlier this winter when I was beginning my buildup, I had hoped to reach the point where I was running close to 5:00 pace or better with this short amount of rest and I am right where I hoped to be!  Following it up with a very quick 800 all by myself is just icing on the cake.  I honestly never really thought I would get to the point where I could drop a sub 2:10 in a workout, but this just goes to further backup my strength=speed philosophy.

I will be running very easy the next three days as I conclude my season.  Nothing more than a half hour per day just to keep my legs loose.  Thursday and Friday I will throw in a few strides at the end of my run to keep the legs used to turning over.

It really still hasn't hit me that I will be competing in a national championship race this weekend.  It is a level I never thought I would reach.  This is what I love about running.  It is a pure work sport, and if you want it bad enough, you can accomplish things you never thought possible.  It might take a few years and thousands of long lonely miles, but when it all comes together for you like it has for me this spring, it is so worth it.

Now, back to business.  At the USA Half, my race plan is to go out no faster than 4:55 and then settle into 5:00-5:05 pace and grind all the way to the finish.  I believe I am fit enough to run 1:06 flat or a little faster.  The key will be not getting sucked out by the true elites who are capable of running 1:02 or better.  If I am able to stay under control for the first half of the race, I believe I will be able to rely on my strength to carry me to the finish in a huge PR!  This is certainly the biggest race I have ever been in, and I want to make the most of this opportunity.  I'm fit, confident, and ready to race!  I can't wait to see how I stack up against some of the USA's best and represent Keystone Elite on the national stage!

Next stop Duluth!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Sharpening the Steel

Coming off the Vermont City Marathon, I was a little unsure of how my body would bounce back and how training would go leading into the USA Half Marathon.  I knew I would need a few days completely off from running just to recover before thinking at all about preparing to race again.  It took about a week to really feel good running again as the toll of running 26.2 miles all out was gradually paid out.  Everything gradually worked itself, and I took this as a sign that I had properly trained for the marathon since the race hadn't completely destroyed my body.  With the fitness I had built up over months and months of aerobic buildup, I knew it was just a matter of staying sharp for two weeks and then chasing a big half marathon PR in Minnesota.

From my own personal experience, I have found that there are very little fitness gains that can be made in two weeks.  Since I had only two weeks to really train before winding down for Minnesota, I did not try to do too much in training.  No big long runs or long tempo workouts which would only serve to tire me out.  I just worked on getting comfortable running at half marathon pace.  I will be shooting to run between 5:00 and 5:05 per mile which is a little faster than the 5:15 I trained for in marathon training.  I also worked on fine tuning my speed by doing some quick 400 meter repeats.

I strongly believe that speedwork must be done regardless of the distance you are training for, especially at the end of a training cycle.  This is something we really did not do a lot of in college, but I wanted to get back to running all out at the end of my workouts as I put the final sharpening touches on my training.

The past two weeks, I have incorporated fast 400 meters repeats onto the end of my workouts after a few miles running at half marathon pace, running 59-64 seconds per rep with short rest.  This serves two purposes.  First, it helps my body feel smoother and more efficient running at half marathon pace.  Secondly, it forces my body to become used to recruiting fast twitch muscle fibers when I am already tired.  While I will never call on my body to sustain 59 second quarters in a half marathon, my fast twitch muscle fibers will be called upon to support my slow twitch muscles in the late stages of the race as I begin to fatigue.  If they are sharp and ready to go, I will have a much better chance to finish strongly in the end of the race as I tire.

I really did not know what to expect for the 400 meter repeats the last two weeks.  After all, in college, the workout that always gave me the most trouble was 2 sets of 10 400's run at roughly 66-68 seconds.  I decided I would try to run these 400's based on effort alone.  I would try to run my intervals hard, but not all out.

What I discovered blew me away.  Now, 64 second intervals felt extremely easy.  I would get out through 200 in 30-31 seconds feeling totally relaxed and then cruise to the finish.  When I really wanted to turn it on, 61 and 62 seconds did not feel extremely difficult either.  I was even able to run under 60 seconds for the first time in a long time - all after running a few miles at 5:00 pace.  What I realize now is that strength truly does equal speed.  This was one of my college coach's core principles.  With the months and months of the highest mileage I have ever done, I am faster than I have ever been.  I believe this will translate into a very fast half marathon as I have never had this balance of strength and speed in my running career.  I am very excited about the chance to toe the line with some of the country's best runners!  Less than a week now.

Week of 6/10 Training Summary

Monday: 8.5 miles easy - got in my first run in a long time with my good friend Joe Beveridge.  Hopefully there will be many more to come this summer!

Tuesday: 8 miles interval workout - 2 mile warmup, 4x400 (64.4, 66.4, 64.5, 64.9), 1x2 mile (9:58), 4x400 (61.2, 62.4, 61.9, 59.3), 2 mile cooldown. 

This was a very good workout.  Started with controlled 400's to put some lactic in my legs before 2 miles at half marathon pace.  The 400's felt very smooth and I was pleased that 64's felt this easy.  The 2 miles also felt easy but I did not hammer it and kept it at half marathon pace.  Then I spiked up to really get after it on the final set of 400's.  The last set felt very similar to the first set but man there really is a lot of effort involved to get from 61 to 59.  Two seconds might not seem like a lot, but try telling that to my legs.

Wednesday: 10 miles easy

Thursday: 8 miles easy

Friday: 9 miles interval workout - 2 mile warmup, 2x2 mile at half marathon effort (10:02, 10:04), 1xmile (4:42)

Didn't try to kill the 2 mile repeats.  Just tried to stay smooth and relaxed at half marathon goal pace.  I didn't even check my watch on the second one.  I was locked into the pace and it felt good.  Then did a hard mile to blast the system.  The last mile felt pretty good as I closed it around 68 after keeping it under control the first 3 laps.

Saturday: 7 miles easy.  Ran along Lake Erie in Cleveland as my dad and I are in town to watch the Nationals play the Indians.  The stadium here is awesome!

Sunday: 10 miles progressive - out easy (32:30) back hard (28:00).  Ran in a different part of Cleveland today and it was much nicer.  Made it to the nice, non-industrial part of the lake and it was beautiful.  Really got after it the last 10-15 minutes.  I was working, but felt very good.  Seeing Strasburg pitch today finally!

Total: 60.5 miles

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Why I Sucked in College

If you are reading this blog, I assume you are, like me, somewhat of a running nerd and spend at least 15 minutes a day (or your entire lunch break) perusing LetsRun, the self-purported home of distance running and track and field.  One of the best articles ever posted on the site was written by one of the founders himself, Weldon Johnson, aka WeJo.  The title of the post, Why I Sucked in College.  In it, Wejo, who would ultimately go on to run 28:06 for 10k and finish fourth in the Olympic Trials, bluntly breaks down why he never ran as well as he could have in college.

While I have yet to accomplish anything close to what WeJo did as a post collegiate runner, I also sucked in college.  I left college with 14:47 and 30:48 PR's for 5k and 10k, and was solidly mediocre in the grand scheme of things, never once scoring in a Patriot League championship meet.  How then, did I reach the point where I can think of myself as a sub 2:20 marathoner and say with a straight face that my goal is to qualify for the Olympic Trials?

The answer is simple really.

In college it was way too easy for me to become completely engrossed in my training and races.  If you have been around me long enough, you know that I can have an obsessive personality and a perfectionist streak.  Those two traits were my downfall when it came to running.  When you obsess over running, you refuse to let yourself take days off or easy days, constantly seeking to hammer yourself into shape.  You try to lose weight you don't need to lose, and you become a generally miserable person whose last bad race or workout must certainly be a sight that the end of the world is near. 

Of course, you need to be somewhat obsessive and hard on yourself to succeed in anything in life, but when running takes too prominent a place in your life, it actually becomes harder to succeed as your mental clutter blocks you from performing at the level you expect to.  Yes, after all these years, I realize sports psychologists aren't all kooks.

I love to run.  I love the sport and the competition, but in college there were times when I was not having fun with it and more than once, I thought about quitting the sport entirely.  I was pouring my heart and soul into the sport without any noticeable improvement.  That is a hard thing to keep doing day in and day out with no results, but in the end, I never could end this crazy love affair I have with the sport.

One of my biggest problems was confidence.  Although I trained at a high level, I never was able to think of myself as a very good runner.  Not until I ran 8:32 for 3k indoors my senior year did I really consider any of my times very good.  That race gave me a little swagger the rest of the season and I finally started going into races expecting to win, or at least to contend.  Running became fun again, because winning is fun.

Having fun is the key to all of my success this spring.  Running has to be fun or enjoyable.  So, how did I finally come back to enjoying running for what it really is?  Entering the real world certainly has helped.  Now, there is no coach holding a clipboard, waiting for you to trudge down to practice at 4:20 every day.  You must find motivation within yourself if you are going to lace up your shoes and strip down to your running shorts at 6:30 and run in the pitch black, 30 degree February nights.  I realized this winter, that if I didn't find a way to make running fun, I simply wouldn't do it.

Running is still a big part of who I am, and I do take it very seriously, but it is no longer the biggest part.  Running has become what I do for fun to unwind after a day at the office.  The balance brought on by having an adult job has also forced me to think less about my daily run or workout (for the first 7.5 hours of the workday anyway).  I take it one day at a time and try not to think about the next day's workout.  I take a day off every once in a while and only feel slightly guilty.  I eat what I feel like and don't worry about reaching the magical 2 lbs. per inch and I no longer see it as a mortal sin to have a dozen wings and a few beers the night before a long run.

So, if you were like me in college, and have similar PR's, my biggest advice to you is to lighten up, have a few beers every once in a while, and enjoy running for what it is - a daily 1-2 hour reprieve from the stresses and schedule of work and the world we live in, and see where the sport can take you.  You might even pick up some prize money in the process.

Week of 6/3 Training Summary

Monday - 8 miles, moderate effort @ 6:06 pace.  I was up early and out the door for a longer run as it was my fiancee's birthday and we had dinner plans at night.

Tuesday - AM run - 9.5 miles, easy effort @ 6:25 pace.  I woke up early and decided to get in my longer run in the morning since the USA Half is an early start.
Tuesday - PM run - 4 miles, shakeout and strides

Wednesday - AM run - 4 miles, shakeout
Wednesday - PM run- 7 miles, interval workout, 3 x mile (4:53, 4:54, 4:51) w/ 2 min recovery.  Ran the first three laps of each interval @ 5:00 pace and kicked in 67-68 the last lap of each interval.  Would have liked to do a fourth, but still felt a little tired and did not sleep well the night before.  Decided not to push too hard today as any fitness gains would be outweighed by the fatigue.

Thursday - 10 miles, easy on the railbed from Colebrook.  6:30-6:45 pace.  Ran with Ed Schrom (4:07 miler from UVA) and Sean Manning (one of the better HS runners in the area).  Two good guys to run with.  Really pumped Ed is back in the area for the summer and healthy.  We work well together and had some excellent workouts last summer.  The kid is a big time talent.

Friday - 10 miles, moderate effort on the riverfront and did some strides.  Ran for the last time in those FAAS 900's that Henry gave me.  Those things are like bricks and I always feel like I can't lift my feet wearing these.

Saturday - 9 miles, interval workout with Ed, 3 mile tempo in 15:32 (5:14, 5:12, 5:06) followed by 5 x 400 in 64.3, 64.6, 62.8, 63.1 and 59.4.  5 min rest after the tempo and 1 min rest between the quarters.  Great workout!  Accomplished exactly what I wanted to - get in a relaxed tempo for two miles, squeeze it a little in the last mile to put some extra crap in my legs and then blast some 400's to sharpen up.  First time running under 60 for a quarter since high school haha.  Strength = speed.

Sunday - 12 miles, longish run at Stony Valley in Dauphin.  Great run on the dirt roads.

Total - 74

Overall a very good week of training.  Ramped it back up slightly as I get ready for the USA Half.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Spring 2013 Race Photos

The 2013 spring season has been an extremely successful one for me.  I kicked things off with a third place finish in 14:54 at the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5k - unfortunately there were no photos from that race.  Next up was the Valley Forge Revolutionary 5 Miler which I won in 26:32.  I followed that with a 10th place finish at Broad Street in 50:28.  I was also the 4th American.  Finally, I finished 3rd in the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon in a huge PR of 2:22:28.  I'm not done yet as I will be competing in the USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota on June 22nd!

Here are a few photos from my races so far this spring.

Crossing the finish line for the win at Valley Forge

Battling down the finishing straight at Broad Street with Wade Miller and Birhanu Tadesse.  I knew there was a top ten spot on the line and there was no way I was losing to either of these two!
4th American at Broad Street
Top 5 Americans at Broad Street
About the only time this would be dry for the next couple of hours.

VCM Start - I like how I am dead center in the frame
Here I climb the only significant hill on the course.  For the next couple of minutes after climbing this hill, which is located at about 15.5 miles, life was miserable.
I love this picture taken at the finish of the race.  At this point I was thinking of nothing but holding off the charging relay runner.
Got to compete against and chill with some pretty chill guys in Vermont including two previous Trials qualifiers in Matt Pelletier and Mike Wardian.
It was a good day for the Keystone Elite, as Lauren also finished third in the women's race!

These are all the photos I was tagged in (or willing to pay for from photo services online).  It was a great spring so far and I'm hoping I can still accomplish one more big PR in the half marathon out in Minnesota and get some valuable championship race experience in the process.







Sunday, June 2, 2013

Ascension

It's not something most human beings would give a moment of consideration to, that it is actually possible to be living for years in a state of constant betterment.  To consider that you are better today than you were yesterday or a year ago, and that you will be better still tomorrow or next week.  When you're a competitive runner in training you are constantly in a process of ascending.

Captured quite eloquently by John L. Parker, this passage is the core of long distance running and what fuels my internal drive.  As a runner, the open road or the eight lane Tartan oval is not simply a surface, it is an invitation to improve yourself.  Meticulously kept workout logs give us a window into our past, and if all has gone well, what it will show us is that we would beat the hell out of our past self.

It is not an easy process, this ascension.  It requires almost unwavering focus and drive.  How easy it is to skip the morning runs required to push your weekly mileage into the 110-115 range when temperatures hover in the 30's and the sun is still a speck on the horizon.  You must have blinders to an extent.

This winter and spring, I really did put my blinders on.  I woke up one week, and decided I was going to run 100 miles a week.  One week turned into two, turned into nine as I prepared for the Vermont City Marathon.  Through this training process, I gained an entirely new understanding of what Parker was getting at when he described the ascension process.  I had run 100 mile weeks before, but never consecutively.  I began to find paces that had once felt like a max effort easy.  I think it finally clicked that I was onto something when I found myself averaging 5:15 miles for the last halves of 21 and 22 mile long runs or repping repeat miles at 4:36.  I had simply ascended to the next level of fitness.

As I look back now on my first year as a post collegiate runner I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished this year.  Leaving college with modest PR's of 14:47 and 30:48, who would have thought I would now hold top finishes at the Broad Street Run and the Vermont City Marathon and sit on the cusp of being one of the region's best long distance runners.  When I think about all my improvements so far this year, I am always drawn back to one night last spring before graduation.  It was a graduation party for my friend and teammate at Lafayette, Matt Piazza.  As we sat around the table drinking and reminiscing about all the good times had at college, another friend began talking about how my goal should be to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon.  With the bravado that comes with having consumed several adult beverages, of course I agreed right away, but it still felt like a stretch.  I was pretty mediocre in college after all.  Now looking back one year later, I feel completely different.  Why shouldn't I qualify for the 2016 Trials?  It is exciting to think about this as a real possibility and not some pie in the sky goal.

As a runner, you must have goals to fuel your ascension, and the 2016 Trials are my fuel.  I refuse to become one of those big talkers with big goals who never accomplishes much.  I know what it takes to ascend to the elite level of US marathoning, and I am ready to keep lacing up the trainers and heading out the door every day, sometimes twice, until I reach that level.

TRAINING SUMMARY WEEK OF 6/27

Monday: 3 miles very easy after the marathon.  Got a massage before hitting the highway back to PA.

Tuesday: OFF.  No way was I running today after being trapped in a car for 10 hours yesterday.  Seemed as if the entirety of New York/North Jersey was returning home from plundering the beautiful New England mountains.

Wednesday: OFF again.  Body still needs some rest.  Beginning to feel better.

Thursday: 3 miles.  Again very easy.  Felt a lot loosening up going on.

Friday: 4 miles.  Got out before work this morning to get my miles in before the heat and humidity kicked in.

Saturday: 7 miles.  Legs are beginning to feel almost back to normal.

Sunday: 9 miles @ 5:50 per mile.  Closed the last 3 miles @ 5:30 per just to give myself a little bit of a workout this week.  Overall I felt very strong today.  Stride had that nice loping feel to it.

Total: 26 miles (almost as many as I ran last Sunday!)

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Key Bank Vermont City Marathon Recap

I would consider last weekend's Key Bank Vermont City Marathon my debut marathon.  Yes, I finished the Philadelphia Marathon this fall, but to be honest, I had no business being in that race.  This training cycle, which started in February, marked the first time I had successfully trained for and prepared to really race, not just complete a marathon.

Things did not go perfectly in Vermont, thanks to Mother Nature who dumped rain, wind, and frigid temperatures on the beautiful city of Burlington.  From the time I left Harrisburg on Friday morning, right up until the awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon, it rained, torrentially at times.  I tried not to let the weather get in my head, as I knew I was fitter than I have ever been in my life, but with winds forecast to be in the 20 mph range and rain on Sunday morning, I knew life would be tough for the next 26.2 miles.

The race itself played out exactly how I had figured it would.  A pack of 5 runners got out straight to the front.  Matt Pelletier, a 5 time VCM champ and Olympic Trials qualifier, and Chris Zablocki, with his 2:17 PR, were the class of the field, and after running as a pack through 10k in just over 33 minutes, they began surging slightly between miles 7 and 9.  The two leaders took off for good after mile 9, and I was left running with another young up and coming marathoner, Kyle Stanton.  We ran together through mile 12, hitting 5:15's comfortably, but unfortunately it was not Kyle's day, and he ended up dropping out of the race.  That left me alone for the last 14 miles of the race.  I faced very strong winds from miles 13-20, and after coming through the half in 1:09:35, I struggled to battle the wind on my own and ended up running in the 5:25-5:35 range the rest of the race.  It was very difficult battling the wind, and by the time I hit the tailwind for the last 4 miles of the race, I was spent and could not benefit from it.  I finished in 2:22:28 in third place and kicked strongly the last quarter mile to hold off the first relay team.  No way after running 26.2 miles was I going to lose to a relay team!

Overall, I must say I am very pleased with my final time, a PR by over 9 minutes from the fall.  This winter and spring, I learned so much about training for the marathon by working with Mike McKeeman, a true expert on the sport.  For the first time in my running career, I put together the consistent 100 mile weeks required to be truly successful as a distance runner.  The winter months certainly were difficult, as it seemed the only time I ran in daylight was on the weekends, but all those cold dark miles are worth it now. 

Mike and I believed I would be ready to run under 2:20, and this result, given the weather conditions, supports that belief.  For what it is worth, Pelletier thought he was in 2:16 shape and ended up running 2:19 due to the weather, so I certainly feel my final time was worth a 2:20 given the conditions.  I walk away from this race confident that with continued development and hard work, I will be a 2016 US Olympic Trials qualifier for the marathon!

Also have to give a shoutout to my fiancee and parents who made the trip up to Burlington to watch me and cheer me on like crazy!  Their support on the course really helped me fight through some rough patches and finish as strongly as I did.  Another shoutout goes to Keystone Elite teammate Lauren Kelly who finished third in the women's race in her debut marathon in 2:52.  There are big things in store for the two of us Lafayette alums!

Now, I will turn my focus to recovering and getting ready to race at the USATF National Half Marathon championships in Duluth, Minnesota, where I have been accepted as a part of the USATF's athlete development program.  I can't wait to represent Keystone Elite on this big stage!

Happy Miles!