Evergreen Town Race

Evergreen has got to be one of my favorite places in Colorado. It's so beautiful and a fun place to be. This past weekend they hosted the USATF Colorado State Championship for the 10k. Typically I (and most others) race the 5k since the course is quite a bit downhill and fast. This year the Colorado State Championship designation attracted many of us from the BRC team (Jay, Wendy, Robby, Paul, Christy-Marie) and other elite athletes. The 10k was a bit less organized than the 5k, but I don't think they usually get as many runners as they did this year. There was limited parking and the bus was quite late. Luckily we had a great bus driver who understood the importance of getting to the top quickly; she must have made record time.
With 35 minutes to warm up I was a bit nervous if I was loosened up enough. Luckily the 10k is long enough where a short warm up can work as good as a long one.
The first mile was quick with a steep downhill and adrenaline pumping. I stayed relaxed on miles 2 and 3, then picked it up to get out of no-mans-land to catch up to the guys ahead of me to keep focused. Thanks to those wonderful guys for being tough and dragging me to the bottom of the hill. I was dead with 1/2 mile to go, but finished the best I could. I finished first in a time of 34:40!! Close in 2nd was Wendy Thomas, then Candice Chavez, and for fourth, Kristin Johansen. It was a good day!
The awards ceremony was excellent and their were some great sponsors (Thanks runcolo, Honey Milk, USATF, and whoever donated the beautiful painting of Evergreen Lake). I was excited to see my family, many running friends, and other friends from the past that showed up to the race.
Now I'm extremely sore and tired from the pounding of the downhill. Yesterday I was a turtle, hopefully today I will feel better.

Comeback A Success So Far

It's great to be back to full training after 9 months of not being able. As I've said many times here, I was out for 5 months with a foot injury and then while coming back I was dealing with bad tendinitis in the same area and was stuck at relatively low mileage for the first 4 months back. Since then I've been hitting the PT's prescribed drills very hard and all issues are nearly resolved. In fact my foot has hurt just a few times in the last 3 weeks. I've been able to get some really solid mileage averaging just over 100 a week for the past 6 weeks. It feels great to be getting back into shape again but my fitness has come along very slowly. I still don't feel like I'm in great shape but I think a few more weeks and I'll be ready to go.

My next big race is The Great Cow Harbor 10k out in Long Island, New York in mid September. I'm excited to go back after missing last years race. They put on an excellent event and treat all of the 'elite' runners very well. I don't really consider myself elite but I guess I'm fast enough to make the cut to be one of a group that gets help with a portion of the cost to fly out and they even put us up with a great family while out there.

Most importantly though is that the year is about to get started for the Mountaineers down at Western and I'm very excited to get back to coaching after the summer break. We are going to have a great team again this year on both the mens and womens sides with an excellent chance to challenge for the win. As always though, there will be some very stiff competition and I know those boys and girls down south will be doin work.

On a final note I wanted to welcome Sean Brown and Loren Ahonen to the team. Both of them are recent Western State grads who I had the pleasure of being teammates with and coaching for several years. They both boast some pretty good PRs so watch out.

Bix 7 Diaper money

I’m sitting at DIA with some extra time on my hands (partly thanks to United Airlines who feel they should be compensated $75 if I am going to fill a vacant seat trying to get home on an earlier connecting flight), so I figured this would be a good time to update the blog. I’m returning home after competing in my third straight Bix 7 mile this morning in Davenport, Iowa. Bix is probably the toughest road race I have run. (see course at http://www.bix7.com/2011/bix.php) The course is extremely hilly, but it’s the heat and humidity that really put it over the top. I’m not exactly sure what the temp and humidity levels were – all I can really say was that it was hot as hell out there. Despite the conditions, I was pleased with the result today. I went out fairly conservative just off the second pack for the first 2.5 miles. Familiarity with the course definitely helps, and I knew the predominantly downhill first third of the race turns into grinding uphills real quick. It was around the second big uphill (mile 2.5-3) that I surged into 6^th place and tried to make a move to catch a couple Kenyans falling off the lead pack. I was slowly closing the gap through miles 3 and 4, but then started hitting the wall myself. The last 2 miles turned into a death march that I’m sure we’re all familiar with. I was hanging on to the 1^st American position as best I could, but when Abdi passed me around mile 5.5, I couldn’t muster any response. I ended up 7^th overall and 2^nd American. I felt it was a pretty solid effort but not a great race.

I actually wasn’t planning on running Bix this year. My wife is 8.5 months pregnant with our first child, and it took some lawyer-like arguing to convince her that it was a good idea to run. I ended up spending about 18 hours total in Davenport and was calling every hour to make sure Courtney wasn’t going into labor. Looks like I’ll catch the birth of my first child after all.

"Positivity" and Boulder Rocks My Face Off

Ever been asked, "if you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?" Einstein? The President? Elvis? Nastrodamus? God? Paul Michel? All good answers, but I'll tell you who you answer should be: Jason Hartmann. Why? Because he's a swell guy. And as it turned out, I did in fact have dinner with him while hanging out with some friends a couple of weeks ago. We got into some kind of lengthy and highly philosophical conversation about priorities in life, figuring out what you're doing, and more importantly why you're doing it. Sometimes someone tells you precisely what you needed to hear without even knowing that you really needed to hear it. I was interested to hear about his approach to his running given that technically it is his job, and as such it could easily become a chore and merely a means to an end. The bottom line of his subsequent impassioned (and unrehearsed) rant that followed was that life is all about finding a dream to chase, and chasing it for the right reasons. Do something because you love it and because you want to see what you can make of it. Live simply, cut out the distractions, stay away from people and situations that bring you down, the hinderances, and things that take the joy from it and complicate things that should be simple. Don't do it to make a name for yourself or to prove anything. His brilliant analogy was that of chef that starts out with a great recipe and starts trying to make it "better" by adding more and more, till eventually it's not as good anymore. "Positivity!" Was how he summed it up. While not all exactly his words, you get the gist. Positivity!

Long run near Boulder Res.

Moving on. At the risk of jinxing myself, I will say that training and racing is going GREAT! I've finally been able to get my mileage back up to a greater volume than I have in nearly four years, and I feel awesome. Seriously, there have been a few Sundays when I have been sorely tempted to sneak in another run in the evening after a long run. It's like, "What?! Where did all of this energy come from? Where has this been all this time??!!" It's like I'm high on whatever it is that they smoke here except I'm not smoking it! I have even come to enjoy track sessions. Astonishing I know. Boulder is AMAZING!!! Soooo many trails, soooo many good training partners, and Boulder Creek is the best ice tub you could ask for. I could not ask for a better place to train, and a better environment to be part of.

Last Saturday was the Classic 10k in Springs, which went pretty well! It was actually my first 10k race not on a track, and first one at altitude, so it was an altitude PR (by default, but who's keeping track?). While perhaps I could have raced more intelligently (that first 5k has you thinking you'll feel like a champ the whole way) I was still pleased with the result and felt pretty strong. It was good to see the BRC out there repping and HUGE congrats to Tera who is on a comeback of epic proportions! Great job to Adrian, Steph, Sara, Aucencio, Matt, Tommy, Adam and Robby. Lots of green in the field that day. Keep the good races coming! Out.

July Training

Wow

Again WOW is pretty much how my training has been going. Well I'm back to fitness from 2 years ago and it's just the right time to have a good build up for this fall and going into the Olympic Trials in January.

Last couple of weeks...

20 x 400m avg. 66 seconds.

10k tempo/race ran 31.02

next day/sunday 16mile progressive long run- total 1.31- last 3 miles 5.30, 5.38, 5.18

tuesday- 6x mile with Cody Hill and David "Greenhorn" Marino help. avg. 4.43 per mile

friday/today- 6 mile progressive tempo- fast first mile 4.59, 5.08, 5.04, 5.03, 4.58, 4.46

feeling very good today after the workout and ready for more! my next races looks like sept. 5th Park to Park 10miler Denver, CO, sept 17th The Great Cow Harbor 10k Northport, NY, Oct. 3rd USATF 10 Mile Championships in Minneapolis, MN.

I know for a fact that i'm going to be extremely ready them and it will be a lot of fun seeing what I can do in them.

Oh yeah, it's nice to hear Paul Michaels is back in colorado and i know that Banana Hands Hayfer is back running and Aucencio is back racing this past weekend at the classic 10k! Plus, American Distance Project is starting to really form now with Scott Simmons being in town for a couple of weeks. We now have Chris Barnicle, Renee and Austin Baillie that are moved into town for the group. More to come about the group the closer we get to Oct....

Tommy

Foot healed and running underway!

Good news last week, the bone in my foot has healed nicely, and I was given the ok to gradually start running again. The very first run went surprisingly well, not only with the foot but also my fitness and just the awesome feeling of running that I've missed. Since then, I ran two days, took a day off, ran two more days, and am swimming today. The runs themselves have been 20 - 40 min, plus the Incline yesterday. The legs and foot are a bit sore, but that will keep me from doing too much too fast. It's a good kind of sore that should keep getting better. I can't wait to get back to running my favorite trails with friends again.

There were some awesome performances by those who raced the Classic 10k this weekend, especially considering how competitive it was! Nice job Tera, Shannon, Adrian, Adam, Robby, Tommy, and Matt. Sorry if I missed anyone.

The High and Mighty

So I have been meaning to post about this subject for some time now but could never really convince myself to put it out there on the internet where I can never take it back. However, after my most recent experience my mind has changed. I think it is time we adjusted the rules of trail etiquette when it comes to horses. As it stands right now all shall immediately yield to the high and mighty horse should one encounter one on a trail. Now I recognize that this is a safety thing for the rider as startling a hours could be potentially dangerous. I do not refute this fact but the part that rubs me wrong is the attitude that the riders have during these unfortunate encounters. Just about every time I have been forced to yield to the almighty horsemen, the horsemen has hardly been gracious and has more frequently spoken to me in an annoyed manner suggesting that my very presence has ruined the whole day's ride or more often than not they have scolded me for doing something improperly. I have been chided for failing to not announce my presence on the trail soon enough then in the next instance was scolded for alerting the riders too loudly. Now I ponder, how should one announce one's presence quietly from a significant distance? I have also had the unfortunate occurrence of crossing paths with the "noble" beasts while in the midst of tempo runs where maintaining a certain effort is kind of the point. On two separate occasions I have been forced to stop and follow the horse slowly until the rider could find ground suitable enough for him to allow the horses delicate feet to leave the trail. I felt like asking the rider if perhaps it would help if I were to lay down a bed of rose petals for the horse to trample. Please note that both of these instances occurred in areas of the trail where the sides were merely flat tall grass.
This brings me to my next issue with horses, the condition of the trail. Running down a trail that has seen any significant horse traffic is a miserable experience. Not only is there concern about having to actually encounter a horse and deal with the riders and their attitudes but the trail itself is pretty useless. Just about every time the footing on the trail is absolutely terrible because of all of the hoof-prints. Now I conceded the is little or nothing that can be done about this but the other, more offensive, ways in which horses ruin the trail do have solutions. I am of course referring to horse urination and defecation. Running down a trail where horses have recently passed is always an adventure in bounding over puddles that could qualify as small lakes of urine and tip-toeing past mounds of feces large enough as to worthy of being given names like so many mountains. These factors combine to make certain trails virtually impassable via any other mode of transport than the horse and this is why I take exception.
Are there solutions to these problems? Yes, there are. Perhaps a runner should just learn where the horses are and avoid those parks. This is the de facto solution that now exists but it is a shame because it limits access to great areas to train such as the Garden of the Gods, Bear Creek, and Greenland here in the springs and I'm sure countless others throughout the state. Perhaps we should just ban the horses. While this solution suits me alright it is however rather unfair to those who prefer to recreate on horseback. No, the solutions I propose are this: 1. we can keep the same rules about yielding the right of way on the trail but we need to establish a set etiquette about how to alert the rider you are approaching and how quickly that rider must clear the way if need be. Also, if the rider refuses to deal with the runner in a respectful manner he or she can expect to receive no respect back and this is to include a cease to waiting for the horse to move. 2. While little can be done about the ruined footing or lakes of urine, horse owners should have to pick up thier horses feces, immediately. We expect dog owners to immediately scoop and carry away their dog's "business" and those piles are at most 1/8 the size of a good horse deuce. While not all dog owners follow this (that's a whole another blog itself) it is the proper etiquette and without it our trails would be riddled with old crusty dog turds, which coincidentally is what the trails of the Garden are like with horse deuce. Now horse owners may not fancy hopping of their steeds to letdown there to fill up a plastic bag (or two!) mid-ride but it wouldn't be long before someone invented a receptacle that attaches to the horse or saddle to catch such things in action thus eliminating the need to dismount. Heck, there may already be such a thing I don't know I'm not a horse person. That's it, two little changes to the accepted trail etiquette and I feel that we would have much better trail interactions and for that matter trails themselves.

Rolling back into action...soon!

Time for an update. It's been a fun summer so far with some time off work and cross-training in the form of swimming, biking, and hiking the Incline. Also, some friends are visiting from Baylor and Harvard so it's literally a houseful of runners and there's always something going on!

Last week, I saw the doctor for another x-ray. It was a 4-week check-in (total of 10 weeks). The bone is healing beautifully and looked great. But just to be conservative, he's giving it two more weeks. Most likely, I'll start running then! In the meantime, I can keep doing what I've been doing. My foot is a bit sore in that area, so I'll use the time to stretch and strengthen my feet and ankles and cut back on the extra support in my shoes. I'm grateful it has healed so well since it could have taken much longer or not healed at all. I'm a little anxious about change on the horizon, even if I'm looking forward to it, but there's really no need to worry or rush. Just enjoy the journey.

What lightning?

I have had quite that last few months, having officially graduated from PA school, passed my boards and now have the sole daily task of finding a job :( finalizing wedding plans and training :) As newly graduated and currently unemployed, I realize now what it would be like to have running as my full time job and it is pretty sweet. Although, it is a testament to everyone who works and runs because I have lived both and it takes a truly dedicated runner to run after a long day at work, or get up before the sun rises to get your run in. So hats off to all my employed friends!

I ran my first 5k since Club Cross a few weekends ago and it was bittersweet. David and I went into the race with a plan based on current fitness and I ran right on pace. While I was happy I ran to plan, it was hard to see my final time and realize how far I am from my 2008 year. I know that I have to start somewhere and now I know where that is. Thanks to Andy Rinne and his garmin for pacing me throughout the race, it was greatly appreciated!

Wanting to work on some speed I planned on running the Boulder Track series 800m last night. I left from the Springs and it took about 3 hours to get to Boulder due to pouring rain, flooding and rush hour traffic. I stressed the entire way up to the track and became increasing disappointed as I realized I was going miss my race. On the drive up I heard from Jay that they had postponed and were waiting till 6:45 to call the meet due to lightning strikes in the area. I had a glimmer of hope that I could still race after driving for so long. However, as I pulled up, the track officials were packing up and my heart sank. As Jay and I stood discussing the situation in the drizzle, we met a gentleman who had also driven up from the Springs who was hoping to run the 800 in preparation for the Master's World Championships next week. I told him I was considering jumping on the track anyway, I didn't see any lightning and we were here weren't we? Upon discussing my racing goal, he offered to pace me, as did Jay and his coworker. The track official then walked up and started to lock up the track and for the second time that day, I was crushed. However, our new friend talked with the official and convinced him to leave one gate open which we promised to lock up as soon as we were done. We left for a warm-up and on the way, met another rain soaked runner and invited him to our little race, he agreed and we proceeded with our warm-up.

Before toeing the line, the guys and I discussed my paces and who would be in front, next to and behind me. We started off with a plan. I haven't run an 800 competitively since high school but it was like I had never left it. The 800 is beautiful because it's tactical and fast and it brings out the competitive runner inside. We raced around the track, ran pouring down, spikes slipping on the flooded track but surrounded by 3 wonderful strangers and my fiance. This is what I run for, for these moments that seem surreal. As I hit the last backstretch, I went, and it felt so great that by the homestretch I picked it up, arms swinging, water flying, guys urging me on and came in under goal! I called David (my coach) and told him that I wanted to integrate quicker races into my schedule. I realized tonight that I was built for this, and while 5K's are fun, they are nothing like the thrill I get from the 800 and 1500. Thank you to Mike Wolfe, the Runner's Roost guy, Jay's co-worker Ryan and to Jay, who is always there for me when I need him. We'll see what future training brings, hopefully some new speed, continued health and maybe some PR's. Happy running!

Long time

I don't think many people would be super excited about running a marathon in 97 degrees. But I absolutely can't wait! In just over 7 weeks ill be toeing the line at the World Championships in South Korea for my first major race since January.
yep, January. For someone who would race every weekend if possible its been a tough year. Coming back from multiple foot surgeries hasn't been the easiest thing I have ever done. But I do think im a LOT stronger physically and mentally from the experience. I literally worked my butt off in the gym (its WAY too small right now!) in my time off and its paying off big time as I get into the full swing of marathon training. I didn't lose nearly as much fitness as I expected.
I know a lot of people don't think cross training does much but I'm a believer. I guess we will find out come August 27th.