2017 Wrap Up, Welcome to 2018

2017 started out with high hopes for a great year, until real life rushed in and made any type of attempt at consistency in training take a back seat on the priorities bus.

2430 Total Miles run on Garmin averaging roughly 7:40 per mile....basically 63 minutes for each of the 297 days that I was able to get out and "sneak in a run". Didn't keep track of the "off Garmin" miles

Rather than bore you with my description of the year in general I'll just dive into the events in which I participated.

Feb 2017
Paczki 5K (19:20, 6:13 pace).... probably the second worst run of the year, definitely a sign of the lack of consistency when my legs had the speed, but the lungs just said one mile in "WE ARE DONE, pack it in bud".  Tammy was "sick" and won the race overall.  Melissa took second female, Scott was first male (2nd overall).   I think officially I wasn't even in the list of results until AFTER they gave away the awards.  They swapped me with someone else.  The prize was a hat, one that I had from the previous year.  Didn't care.  Free beer and some paczki of ALL the flavors.  A must do for those who like beer, and paczki.

March 2017
RockCF Half Marathon (1:23:28, 6:22 pace)... averaged 62 miles per week for the 4 weeks leading up to the race.  Didn't have any actual goal in mind.  Just wanted to run something solidly consistent in the neighborhood of 1:25, for Boston purposes.  Turns out Max was looking to go sub 1:26 and asked if I could work with him to keep him moving.  Easy enough, two guys working together to be in the same ballpark.  Max was sandbaggin it the whole time, dude had amazing lung capacity and conditioning.  Ran with a confident aggression that impressed me immensely.  Last 3-4 miles are always a challenge, if only based on the typical winds you can expect...we handled it with relative ease and kept pushing the pace to the very end, clipping quite a few people all the way up to 50 feet away from the finish line.  That's a good feeling when you can go faster and stay in control while clipping down the bibs up ahead.

April 2017
BOSTON (3:18:52, 7:35 pace).... Short version:  Hot race, collision, struggle to finish last 11 miles.
I already wrote the long version in a previous post so I won't go into the details too much.  Basically I tried to will my mind into believing that the predicted high temps wouldn't affect me as much as they should, and that I wouldn't need to adjust my attempt at a 2:50.  Before the race I knew it would probably be more like 2:52.  By Mile 3 I knew it would be more like 2:53.  By Mile 12 I knew MAYBE sub 3.  Just after the 25K marker I knew my "race" was over.  The collision took away my spirit, and turned all my emotions into anger and resentment for all things stupid.  That quickly changed to self-doubt and a defeatist attitude.  I was able to find some sort of balance between my stubbornness and the pain in my left leg to walk-limp-jog in the last 10.9 garmin miles.  I don't typically bruise, and I had a black/blue/green/purple area covering about 30% of my left quad for about two weeks after Boston.  I found a way to cut myself some slack mentally, after realizing that recovery from a 15.5 run wouldn't take all that long.  I decided that day that each of my three years the weather was getting progressively worse, so concluded that it would be best to take a year off.  With my luck the weather will be perfect, with cool temps and a tailwind of 30mph.

JUNE 4, 2017
Dexter to Ann Arbor (1:31:57, 7:01 pace)...watch refused to grab a signal in the beginning.  Ran decent effort-based splits without too much deviation.  Cadence was tuned in at 180, effort was definitely consistent.  Last mile request from Stephanie (basically invited myself to "pace") to drop down and make it interesting was granted.  Rounded the day out with 20 miles and some decent free beer.  Best part of the day was trying to get out of the parking lot.  200,000 people apparently waited for me to finish changing and then drove slowly past me as I sat waiting...and waiting...and waiting.   Would still do it a million times over again if given the chance!

July
No races.  Just really fun workouts.  Also Beer.

August 2017
Run Elevated (1:20:09, 6:07)....course is LONG.  You get an extra .25 if I remember correctly.  Not fun when your lungs are on fire and you can't think straight due to the lack of oxygen.  Race starts at 9,000+ and you drop over 3,400ft until about 9.3-ish  (averaged 5:38s simply by holding back and not face-planting at sub 4 pace in some of the steeper parts).  Quads took a major beating like they've never taken before.  Last 4 miles were sort of up and downhill, with a spot that basically everyone except the winner had to walk, if only for a few seconds.  Took 4th overall, second in my AG....only person in the top 10 (I think) that lived well below 5,000ft).   If I get to do this one again, I'm going out earlier and spending some QT at elevation.  Easily one of my favorite experiences in life, let alone running experiences.  The "Breakfast Walk" was probably the funniest thing in my life, ever.  Need so much more of that in my life.

CRIM (1:07:15, 6:43 pace)...was planning on running solo around 7:10-7:30 pace, just get in the run and go have some beer.   Clint asked me to run with him (rehabbing his legs) to click the miles off.  We basically chatted the whole way through, progressively hitting 7:09 down to 6:09.... "damn you Merlin!" may have been uttered at each split, but secretly, we all know Clint was in total control of the pace and was actually getting in better shape as each mile clicked off.

Grand Blanc Beer 5K (19:26, 6:17 pace)...turns out I can run faster than all the other people who want to stop and drink beer 4 or 5 times on a super soggy golf course.  Made a wrong turn at one point, but only lost about 30 seconds of time.  First win of the year.

September 2017
Woodstock 50K (4:21:45, 8:25 pace)Surprise work trip almost had me flying in at the last second for my first 50K.  Arrived with just enough time to set up "camp" and relax for a few hours before doing something I had no idea how to do.  Figured I know how to run a marathon, so why not just warm up a few miles, run a marathon, and cool down a few miles....???? LOL  Ran with Mike Anderson and about 6 other guys for 2+ miles in the pitch black on single track until we hit rails to trail, 50K guys took our chance (3 of us) and went after the two or three that had darted off into the distance at the very beginning.  Made sure to stop at all the stations for fluids.  Got to the marathon in around 3:33 after having figured out a decent pace to ward off a toe cramp between miles 18-27.  Stopped at 26 (??) for a slice of watermelon.  No food or gels throughout the race...just good convo and an even efforts whenever the trail was clear to run.  Those 100s runners scare me....the looks of ghosts make me not understand the WHY....maybe someday.  Before that, maybe drop 10-15 minutes by actually running the entire time :)

October 2017
Run THRU the Leaves 50K Relay (4:15 ish??)
Beautiful Country takes home first place!  One person takes off on a 10K super technical single track loop, the other person waits until they hear "runner coming!" and hope it's THEIR runner.  You see your teammate all of a collective 30 seconds throughout the event...a quick hi-five and good luck shout....and back into the woods.   I had 3x of the racing loops (3x 10K, all sub 50, all that felt like sub 40s), Stephanie had 2 x10K plus some extra mileage to round out her day.  Nothing like 5-6 days out saying "hey, you want to try something different instead of just running 18 miles?".... definitely a fun race that I'd do again if given the chance.

November 2017
NEW YORK CITY (3:09:18, 7:13 pace).  I didn't race this one, I was there to enjoy NYC.  I trained to be able to keep up with my friend Stephanie.  She didn't need anyone to pace her, she had total control over her own pace and abilities.  She's fiercely independent and a super strong distance runner.  I was basically along for the ride, maybe crack a few one liners here and there to ease the mood, kinda sorta keep an eye on pace in order to respect the course.  NYCM is a tough course, and the second half...ESPECIALLY the mile leading up to your entry into Central Park and all the way to the finish.....well, that second half will kick your ass if you "go for it" too early.  My self appointed job was just to be a level set, keep things in perspective, push where pushing needed, keep things clicking off, and if necessary crack the whip.  So proud to say I didn't actually "do" anything for her.... she cranked out an amazing time on a course much tougher than Boston, and did so with only a few moments of seriousness.  I was honored to see her finish while giving it everything she had and then some.  I'd "do" that for her a million times over.  I gained so much from that experience that I kind of what to do that again at other world majors!

THE LEFTOVERS TRAIL HALF (1:33:48, 7:09 pace)
Wanted to run this one a little harder, and was hoping that the two dudes I used to run with were warming up for the race...so after about 5 miles I just kind of shut it down, but kept a respectable uptempo pace going.  Some of the course is really difficult, some of it forces you to go really slow, and some you can barn burner downhill if you're legs and lungs aren't trashed from the uphill climbs.  Took home the win (2018 MetroPark pass).  Love trail races, looking to do a lot more of that in 2018.

2018 you MIGHT see me at:
Paczki 5K
ROCKCF HALF
TRAIL HALF
TRAIL 50K
RUN THRU HELL 10 MILER
CRIM
CRYSTAL LAKE
GRAND ISLAND
J/J
CIM
Run Elevated
Milford 30K
Bastille 15K
Glen Arbor HALF
Heroes on Hines
WinterLaufe
LEFTOVERS
THRU THE LEAVES
VINES HALF
etc etc etc etc

2017 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

Early November of 2015, I decided after running the NYC Marathon that I had to come back and run the course again.  While I hadn't quite finished in the time I had hoped to run, I loved the struggle, the course, the whole experience.  The energy of the crowds, the challenging course, the sights and sounds of the Big Apple, everything was just better for me to enjoy personally, NYC far exceeded the enjoyment of any other marathon weekend. I knew right away I wanted to come back again. 

Shortly after NYC 2015 I decided to run a marathon whilst raising funds for a worthwhile charity.  I found the event, now I just needed to find the right charity!  I do my homework/research and pick a cause where I can immediately find a sense of attachment, either through a parallel empathetic memory, or sometimes something as "selfish" as a lean towards personal gain... for example work with Habitat For Humanity to learn how to build houses...win win in my book!

As we were wrapping up the year at work, and looking at challenges for the firm and how we could improve our own personal contributions in more meaningful and tangibly significant endeavors, I thought why not combine my love of running with my self-assigned obligatory sense of responsibility towards the improvement of the lives of veterans after their service to our country? I just needed to find the right veteran charity organization and sign up.  Fast forward to 2017 and I had picked Team Tillman as my charity, and NYC 2017 was going to happen!  Didn't know if I was going to be going with a group of friends, a coworker, alone...didn't care.  I knew I was going back to run a great course and I was determined to enjoy all of it.

Training 

Training officially started 18 weeks before that first Sunday in November. I needed to raise the minimum of $3,500 before the race.  I waited until about 8 days before the race itself to actually hit the threshold.  Because I wasn't exactly sure of the logistics of being a charity runner, I had assumed that I would be assigned to a corral "way in the back" and that I'd be running hoping to finish before it was dark, after all daylight savings time "falls back" that same morning.  Because I was going to be way in the back I consigned myself to enjoying the course, hi-fiving all the little kids with their arms out, looking around at everything, not falling into my usual pattern (after about mile 20) of tunnel vision survival mode if things started heading south.  This time would be different.  I was going to be "THAT GUY"...the one who looks like he doesn't care about any of the OCD details.  The guy that looks like he's having a great time and doesn't have a worry about place, pace, splits, food, water, etc etc etc.   And then they release the corral assignments and I find out I'm in the first wave, Blue, B.  Or so I'm told.  I assumed that's where the charity runners will be at...typically worrying about the placement of where I will be or who's going to be near me is the least of my concerns.  Whatever happens happens, and there's no sense in stressing about things we can't control.  Accept, acknowledge, move on!  I was ready for anything, and knew that with decent training all coming together at just the right time I'd be ready for anything from 2:55 if I felt like racing, and completely willing to accept 3:59 if that's all I felt like giving that particular morning.  There was zero pressure to perform and I was loving it.

Expectations

Cut to the conversations you have with your friends about who's running what pace, and the different levels of expectations that people place upon themselves I felt like I could contribute in some small way to a friend of mine who was taking on NYC for the first time, and had no idea how difficult the course was in comparison to other courses they had run.  During CRIM Clint Verran and I were talking about "adjustments" for certain races, and NYC came up.  Without flinching he said "look, for me I know that I can be in my best shape and I'm still going to run a few minutes slow...that's just the nature of that course....extrapolate out for people running slower than a goal of sub 2:18 and cut yourself some slack...that course will wear you down".  We both agreed that NYC was one of those courses that really doesn't seem like it's that hard, but just kinda keeps you honest and a little slower than you think you're traveling along.  When you finish you feel like you gave it your best, and the time on the piece of paper doesn't reflect how you feel....something very hard to reconcile mentally when you "feel" a 3:04, but SEE a 3:09 in front of you.

Race day
Get to the village and go through the layers of security, keep that bib out for the 10-500 law enforcement / security personnel making sure you stay safe.  Bring some cardboard if you can, you'll need to find some ground to sit on and if it's cold or wet, you'll be able to stay warm and dry. Find your Wave and Corral and keep on ear out for the announcements as to when they officially open.  More important is to know when they officially close!  You miss the close for your wave, you get to run in the next one!

In 2015 myself and the two guys I was with stayed tucked up against a large van that was blocking some of the wind and some of the rain that was coming down.  It was just outside the corral opening.  It wasn't actually IN the village.  Having so much less stress this time around and wanting to go see more things, I had more time to explore the actual village including the free bagels/water/hot chocolate/coffee/DD hat area.  Sitting in the actual village and hearing the same 7 sentences in 4 different languages for over 2 hours you quickly find out that therapy dogs would be present.  In the midst of all this chaos, I was able to take about 15 minutes and just hang out with four dogs that were super chill.  If I was panicking or stressed out, that would have helped me find my center and calm down.  Whomever came up with that idea, thank you very much.

In the actual corral for my wave, was delighted to have it pointed out to me that Dean Karnazes was in the same corral!  Kinda cool to be lining up with someone like that.  He officially went 3:45, but I'm sure he was doing something spectacular like running it twice, backwards.  As it turns out, also ran into Dean later in the day.  I didn't notice him at all, but in fairness to myself, I don't have eyes in the back of my head.   Good catch to those that did notice him.  Yes we bothered him for a fan foto, and he most graciously posed for it.

The race itself was mostly amazing.  I would however recommend to the Race Director of NYCM that you get together with your crew and figure out how to have people who go "faster" be in front of the people who do not.  This is the second time I've run this event and the same exact thing has happened.  People who either aren't capable of going a certain speed, or choose not to go that speed, create road blocks for those that wish to start out at a steady pace without compromising their race plan too much.  Much could be improved simply through a reduction in the "free for all" opportunity once you get up onto the bridge.   Everything is very well controlled and organized until you get on that bridge.  At that point, whatever the motivations may be, every Tom, Dick, and Harry is pushing their way up to the front of the first available corral.  If you want people to be in Corral A/B/C/D.....keep them in corral order under the same type of control you demonstrate during the rest of the process.

My race would have been perfect had I not had too much to drink and eat before the race.  Not sure why I did things a little bit different.  Life lesson I suppose.  Somewhere between my 10K and 15K splits I had to do something I've never had to do in any other marathon.  Apparently I drank nearly a minute's worth of hot chocolate.  Catching back up to my pace group/friend made for an interesting interval.  The second half of the race is much more challenging than the first half.  I find that Central Park itself, and the mile leading up to entering it is probably the toughest part of the course physically.  How a person performs here, how well they conquer the road is a true measure of their mental toughness, and a demonstration of the depths of their passion for overcoming adversity.  I would highly recommend to anyone considering NYCM to come do a shake out run in Central Park.  Be able to visualize yourself finishing the run because you literally just did it the day before!  Know where those last few steps will be taken so that when you get into tunnel vision mode you can worry about one fewer thing.

Felt entirely in control of my pace and never like I was suffering from over exertion.  Didn't have any phantom hamstring issues.  Drank fluids at every water station and took in salt tabs from about the halfway point in to the finish.  Even if I don't think I need them, I feel as if I'm benefiting during the recovery phase.

As it turns out, I didn't need to "help" anyone crush their own goal.  From the very beginning I basically said three words and ran my own race.  I saw the sights and sounds of NYC and felt the energy much stronger than I had in 2015.  I will be back again. I might race it, I might not.  It's NYC and I love it regardless.

I ran for Team Tillman and I hope I did them proud.  If I get invited to run for them again I would gladly do so in a heartbeat.  Team Tillman NYCM 2017 raised over $70,000 to better the lives of veterans who proudly served our country.

2017 Boston Wrap Up

First and foremost, thank you to everyone that reached out to wish me good luck and/or offer me congratulations for completing the 2017 Boston Marathon.  

While it did not go exactly as I had planned, I walk away from this past marathon with more motivation to return to another marathon stronger, better prepared, and hopefully in better overall conditions ready to achieve my goal.  I had planned on going for a strong PR, and everything looked on paper as if that was going to happen.  Sometimes life gets in the way and makes you choose a different goal.  April 17, 2017 I went from "definite PR" to "I WILL FINISH NO MATTER WHAT". 

Race Details (3:18:52 for 26.6 miles)

• Warm day, apparently it was the SECOND hottest marathon for Boston in over a decade.  The Black Bulb Index reading must have been off the charts.  Wait, I don't think Boston factors that in, or at least they don't share that information.  
• Slight cross breeze occasionally, but for the most part, there was little to no wind pushing me forward or more importantly COOLING me off. (Side note:  After leaving the Finish chute area, a cold front came through and made it cold, that completely figures)
• Miles 1-3 were very easy, had to hold back.  But inside I knew something was going to be way off today.  
• After Mile 4 I adjusted, slowing down around 10-15 seconds per mile.
• Miles 5-12 were progressively slower, although consistent.  Sub 3 was still obtainable
• Little did I know that after crossing the half in a "slow" 1:28:38 according to my watch that nearly 2.4 miles later I would reach the end of my race day.  

THE GUY IN THE GREEN PLAID SHIRT

Anyone who has run Boston knows that right before the 25K mark, you start FLYING downhill. You fly whether you want to or not.  It's a very steep decline.  There's really no good way to hold back, other than to just let yourself drift down.  Even then, you'll overclock and drop your fastest mile of the marathon without much effort.  Well, at just about the 25.1K mark, someone decided that they would try to cross the street frogger style.  My thoughts in that moment went something like this:

There's no good gap, what's this idiot thinking?  Oh wait, he's slowing down to hi-five someone in a jogger, that's cool, hope he knows them,  OH WAIT!  That was a VERY QUICK hi-five!  WHY are you turning AWAY from all the runners and heading back towards the curb?  Why are you in front of me when I'm at near top speed?  Why are you stopping?  BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!!  THIS IS GOING TO HURT

It was at this very moment that his right knee made swift and solid contact with my right leg, effectively sending one of the worst charlie-horse spasms through my quad I've ever had,  Then we collide and he goes down like a tractor trailer tipped over the Mighty Mac,  His face makes first contact with the asphalt.  I bounce off him and something of his, perhaps his heel catches my right hamstring.  Yet another spasm.  One second later you can see blood on his face.  One more second three runners from behind pick me up and yell at me to stay positive as they push me to worry about myself, to leave him be and worry about the race.  

My watch tells me that I ended up with 11 more miles after that incident.  I won't cry about it for long.  It was a long battle of walk/run/walk/shuffle jog the rest of the way through.  I didn't care anymore.  The pain in the quad never left (hasn't left two days later) and I did all that I could to finish the race.  While I completed the course, and I know that I "finished" Boston in 2017, I can't necessarily hold my head up high saying that I raced all the way through.

I find myself more determined to train harder, and to get back out there and crush another marathon.  I know I was ready.  I know I will be ready.  There will be another time.  

Thank you all for your support and well wishes.

80s Running MOTIVATION - LINKS

Who wasn't a fan of the music montage genre?  You felt obligated to accomplish something from pretty much every movie (and some songs) that employed this tactic.  You didn't?  Well, then you probably hated America.

Chariots of Fire deserves a mention for some.  Doesn't really push me to my limits.
Manfred Mann's RUNNER  is a prime example of What the Hell is going on here, and WHY am I motivated to go running?

Speaking of America, I would be remiss to not mention John Cafferty's ability to motivate Balboa with his HEARTS ON FIRE.   A little known fact, Rocky can be heard at about 3:56 into the clip shouting the name of the mountain.  You might think he yells DRAGO...ney ney....  he's yelling "MT. PETTIBONE!"

Gonna Fly Now and of course the all-time best EYE OF THE TIGER have to be brought up if you're going to mention Rocky Balboa.

There's a specific scene in Over The Top, gives me goosebumps every time.

What are your 80's movies motivational music montages? 

On the road AGAIN

Before I left for my first week at Wharton, I was able to get in a nice relaxing 5 mile run at home. That was Saturday the 13th. I had a long drive ahead of me and I needed to get moving.

I drove until the sun was setting, and then attempted to find a place to stay along PA/MD/W. VA Route 219. Drove back and forth over state lines trying to find a hotel or motel open for the night. Who would have guessed that every single hotel would be either booked or closed for the night? Luckily for me, I planned ahead and brought a few blankets along with me. Part of the luck was also getting triple upgraded at the car rental place from a full size to a Minivan. At first I hated the idea, but when I had to go to sleep, the sto-N-go backseats became a nice flat area I could lay out a blanket and fall asleep on. So I found a Walgreen's parking lot not too far from where I needed to be in the morning, and made my "camp" for the night.

While I looking for a place to stay, I did cross over into West Virginia, and in Silver Lake there's the Smallest Church in 48 States. It was open at 10:40PM. I stopped in for a quick visit, signed the guestbook, made my peace with the world, and left it how I found it. Check out this LINK for a quick video someone else has posted.

Along the way to Philadelphia from Detroit there are approximately THREE (3) "Highpoints". I calculated that I enough time to visit the State Highpoint in PA, and in Maryland. I saved West Virginia for another trip. They are all relatively close together, and can definitely be accomplished in one day's time. Waking up in Oakland Maryland I made my way back down Route 219 crossing over into W. VA (Silver Lake, half a mile up the road from the church) to the trail head. The trailhead isn't well-marked, so for those of you looking to earn your 50 States "Highpoints", look for a small semi-driveable path about .6 miles from the Smallest Church road. It's maybe a 100 yard drive on that path until you hit the actual trail head. Park and head to your left. You start on the West Virginia side of the mountain, and when you reach the summit, you're actually on the Maryland border. 10-15 minutes of brisk hiking up a moderate slope and your on the summit of Backbone Mountain. Unfortunately for me, about 10 minutes into the climb a rain cloud drifted into the side of the mountain. Visibility was about 50ft or so, luckily for me I had an emergency rain poncho.

Driving back the way I originally came, up route 219, I turned off into Amish country to find Mt. Davis in Pennsylvania. About 1 hour north of Backbone Mountain. I parked in the picnic area, and headed out for an easy 3 mile run. Strangely, I had a strong GPS signal and an even better signal on my cell phone. Proved to be a savior later on that day. Now on to the highpoint story.

To keep it short and simple, watch out for mountain lions on the way to the Mt. Davis path. I startled one, it jumped up and rain away about 50-70ft from me, turned, gave me a warning growl, and stared at me waiting for my reaction. I didn't know what to do, other than remain motionless. I decided to stare back, showing no fear. I have no idea if that was the right thing to do. If the cat had decided to attack me, the only thing that might have saved me was the shovel handle-sized stick about two feet away from me. The news would either have said "Crazy guy hikes to highpoint, stops to kill a mountain lion" or "another stupid guy got eaten by mountain lion". It turned and walked away, growling as if to say "damn you for waking me up...I keeeeel you". After that experience, and after my heart rate came back down, I continued along the path looking for the highpoint. Being my first time there, I assumed the "Mt. Davis Path" would take you to Mt. Davis. I was wrong. THAT path quickly proved to be overgrown and a little more technical. After being stubborn for about 1.5 miles, I realized that path wasn't taking me UP any mountain. In fact, I had lost about 400ft of elevation. I turned back, only to find that had I stayed on the other path, I was maybe 400 yards from the highpoint. Due to the lack of prominence from the surrounding areas, there's a tower built so you can have a view of the area. I'll come back and edit with a photo when I have time. Not too much to see on my day. It was kind of hazy, but towns in the distance were visible to the eye.

Tuesday there was a nice run through part of the UPenn campus and down Walnut onto the river path. Ran well past the rowing club houses. Very nice path. Surprised to see hundreds of people out at 6:30AM running/biking/rowing.

Thursday there was a gorgeous sunrise. My running partner said he wasn't going to go if it was raining. I thought he was nuts given what I could see out my window. Turns out that from his window he saw a very different weather pattern. I left on my own, and right around 25 minutes OUT, somewhere in Olde City (very narrow streets) the skies went from pink/peach/orange to near black/grey/purple with lightning everywhere, and a wall of rain bearing down on me. You could see it coming. I knew it was going to be bad, but was not prepared for THAT much rain. WOW! I rain as fast as I could, through the torrential downpour. Visibility was 4-5 feet max. The streets were flooding instantly. I made it back to campus and was received by our security with towels. They knew I was out there and waited for me. Personally I think they were trying to keep the lobby dry, but I'll go with excellent customer service at this point. A great run. Those are the experiences I love. Unfortunately, I later found out that someone was swept up in the flooding from that storm not too far from where I was, and they did not make it.

No run on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday was spent with family, catching up on lost time. Sunday was a travel day. Didn't have a place to stop and run AND SHOWER.

TODAY I rocked a 100-200-300-400 (x4) track workout with a 5.25 mile cooldown run afterwards. Ran a total of 9.3 miles and feel great.

My mileage for this month has been less than stellar. I think I was at 23 miles for the first week, 30 for the next, 15 last week, and maybe I'll get to 35 this week if I do it right. The summer in general hasn't exactly gone the way it was supposed to either. Between having some health issues that slowed me down mileage-wise, and having an excellent training partner out of the picture has presented a challenge to me that has me losing the motivation to compete or even care for that matter. Right now it all feels like I'm going through the motions, not really putting any passion into what once was a passionate event for me. Maybe it will all change tomorrow. But right now, I'm just living for today.

So I took that second week off, and put in a helluva bike ride on a super hot day. I fooled myself into thinking that there was a cool breeze. Thank god I found numerous locations to refill my water bottles. 95.9 miles later I was back home and feeling great...Felt fine later in the day. Knew I'd be ready to go for the Group Run on Thursday (8/5/11) and as time would tell, I was ready for it, running 6:50 pace for 6....and having it feel like 7:50 pace. 1 Mile Warm Up, 2 Mile cool down.
Two days later though... my quads were sore. I don't get sore from running. What was this "new" feeling? I guess that feeling either came from the ride five days back, or the 6 mile run at what used to be "race pace" for the HALF.

Friday the 6th I stood on my feet for about 10 hours or longer, wearing the wrong shoes (thin sandals)...worked the Expo for the Heart of Detroit 5K/10K/1MI races.

Saturday the 7th I ran about 2 miles, nice leisurely pace at first, then had to double back and get ready quickly. 15:00 overall I believe

Sunday was a nice 12 mile run at 8Min pace. Hydration was the key factor.

Down Time

In my last post, I talked about my next possible race, most likely being Detroit Free Press HALF. I'm seriously considering NOT running in that one now, as the original plan was to run with a friend, and we'd push each other to our limits and feed off of each other's positive energy. That friend took a different path, and won't be running the race.

Then my left leg's minor problems started to feel like they were becoming MAJOR problems. I ran some great workouts with those minor problems. Whether one day the pain was a dull numbness in the Tibialis Anterior, or extreme tightness the next in my Gastrocnemius/Soleus. It was definitely muscular in nature at first. I made a visit to Ormsbee and he tuned me up. He ripped through muscles that were just way too tight, loosening them up with deep massage until they were fatigued and shaking. The very next day I'm hitting 200 meter repeats at 32 seconds like it was a walk in the park. Tiring afterwards, but still nice to know my legs can open up.
The very next day I hit roughly 18:15 for a 5K at the end of a hard 8 (sandwiched inside of 10). Then cap that off with 16 miles on a super hot and humid morning on the Paint Creek Trail...at 6:48 pace. 6:36 pace on the way back in.

Those were the last good runs. Then walking started to be a problem. The muscles in the left leg on both sides were sore, cramping, and giving me issues. No relaxing, and spontaneous cramps would pop up out of no place. Heat generated from the leg seems to melt ice-packs in 20 minutes...and I don't even feel the ice. After a few crappy slow runs, I decided it's probably time to take a bit of time OFF.

I'm through one full week of no running, and the muscle still cramps up from time to time, but it's NOT constantly generating enough heat to keep Bob Cratchit's family warm at Christmas...so that's a good thing. During this week off I've felt what seems like a general soreness in the leg bone. That sounds a hell of a lot like two words runners never want to hear: "Stress Fracture".

So now the idea is take another week off and get in at some point to see Kyle. If that shows further improvements I'll take it slow on the return back, and not worry so much about small races here and there. Maybe Detroit takes a backseat and prep solely for Houston.

Lots of Biking in my near future..and maybe swimming as well.