The end of 2011...

Watch more video of USA Olympic Marathon Trials 2012 Houston on flotrack.org

Brooks in the Olympic Trials, Masters runners in the Trials, Marathoners of the year, Jenny Simpson, 2011 recap.

Above video is my Big River teammate Adam MacDowell's workout - pretty amazing splits, and a very tough course that he ran! As for my running, took a bit of a break this week, but got in a couple good workout so here we go:

Monday, December 19th - 3 miles. Big River Christmas Lights run! Very rainy day, and pretty frustrating to run in the dark and rain with over 700 people. Ran around Francis Park, then hit up the neighborhoods and saw some pretty awesome Christmas Lights display, especially on "Candy Cane Lane". Almost bit the dust, when I got my foot stuck on some lawn ornaments, and Megan took a pretty nasty fall as well. Fun times, regardless of Mother Nature.

Tuesday, December 20th - 6 miles (2 up, 6x800 meters mile pace, 1 down). Note to self - never eat Thai food on the day of a tough workout. Crystal and I had been dreading this workout after the last week's toughy (400 meter repeats at mile pace), and the thoughts of 800 meters at the same pace was a little frightening. Anyways, quick warmup, decided to trade off the inner lane, and got started. Got through the first rep, but stomach was super upset so had to run to the Y to remedy the problem. Next few were tough, but was hanging on by a thread. Died on the 5th rep, but hung somewhat strong on the last rep to hit the workout, well as much as I could have. Really difficult, but did as much as I could have. Slow cooldown, felt like poop. Splits were: 2:35, 2:35, 2:36, 2:35, 2:52 (died after first mile), 2:40. Have honestly never hit a workout this fast before, so was very happy but it took a tremendous effort. Completely dead afterwards.

Wednesday, December 21st - 6 miles. I don't remember this run, but was scheduled 6.

Thursday, December 22nd - 10 miles (2 up, 5 mile tempo, 3 down). Crappy weather (spitting rain and windy), but decided to do on the track where we would be battling a tough wind, but running on a soft track and the ability to work together. And I needed all the help that I could get, with me struggling through another workout. Goal was to hit 6:20-6:25, which was a little more aggressive than scheduled, but thought with running on the track that we wanted to make it a little tougher. Felt ok starting out, but shoe became untied which really messed with my mind. Miles 3 and 4 were a struggle, but knew I was going to make it on the last mile. Crystal was a machine, and really helped pull me through by ceding the inner lane earlier on her laps on the last mile and a half. Hit great splits, better than planned, but worked harder than I would have liked. Splits were: 16:24 warmup (8:12, 8:12), 6:17, 6:17, 6:16, 6:18, 6:16 tempo, 8:48's for 3 mile cooldown.

Friday, December 23rd - 6 miles. Wanted to do long run, but wasted the day resting, and got out late. Perfect day to run - legs were a bit wrecked, but pace felt fine. Ran into Megan who was finishing up her long run, so ran her in. Wanted her to hit pace the last few miles, so worked with her to hit this. Crapped out on my desired mileage, but got something in. Really feeling fatigued - both mentally and physically

At night, went to this wonderful restaurant called "The Block" in Webster. Hands down one of the best meals I have had in 2011. They butcher their own meat on the spot, so the meats are as fresh as can be - something I appreciate greatly since I work in the food industry and consider myself a bit of a foodie. Cozy restaurant, with some basic but nice decore but not intimidating. Great atmosphere, which always helps (I can't stand places that are stuffy, or have a "dead" atmosphere - really ruins the experience). We split a salad, which came in 2 separate smaller bowls (very nice touch as opposed to sharing off one plate which tends to be sloppy), and the salad was full of components which were very tasty (plain salads suck). I ordered the pork chop, and Meg got the salmon which was one of the specials of the day. I tend to never order much seafood in the Midwest, since it never seems to be fresh enough, but her salmon was literally melting on my mouth - tremendous flavor (almost buttery), and cooked to perfection. Sherry and Steve both ordered the trout, which was also amazing - firm, yet delicate, and seasoned well but not too aggressive. Typically not a trout fan, but this was clearly different. They did enough to the fish to give it a great flavor profile, but not lose the integrity of the fish flavor itself. My pork chop was pretty amazing itself (seasoned well, and cooked perfectly), and the portion size was generous. Sweet potato hash on the side, and I was in a happy place. I don't think I have ever ordered dessert based soley on meal performance, but I HAD to find out how their desserts were, so ordered their bread pudding which was heavenly - served with what tasted like cinnamon ice cream, and literally had me eating like I was a starving Kenyan despite being stuffed from the main course. Beer and wine selection was decent, and we had a good bottle of pinot noir which I wish I remembered the name. Anyways, I never write much concerning the places we eat, but I have also never been this excited about a meal before and strongly urge you to try this out! Amazing place!

Saturday, December 24th - 0! - travel day home to Peoria. Had to run many last second errands, then had to get to late afternoon Christmas mass, then immediately to cooking steaks for dinner, so never had time to run. Not sweating it, as the day off was nice and needed a day to rest my dead legs. Seriously gained 2-3 lbs. from eating and drinking the night away.

Sunday, December 25th - 4 miles - Merry Christmas! Fun day of doing nothing but eating. Eventually made it out for a quick run solo (everyone else was being uber lazy), and forgot how damn hilly Peoria was. 29:32 was the time - picked it up coming back, so I would feel better about myself, but felt like a fat kid who had never exercised a day in his life. Seriously gained another 2-3 lbs. more from yet another gluttonous meal. 35 miles this week - ugh

Monday, December 26th - 0! Travel day home - slept terrible all weekend, so went to take a massive nap upon arrival in the afternoon thinking I would get in some mileage at night. Well when I woke up 3.5 hours later, it was raining, and literally didn't stop. Raining too hard to get out, so another day off it was.

Tuesday, December 27th - 0! Let the excuses continue. Marc and Trish in town, so met up with them after work. Went to Gian-Tony's on the Hill for dinner (tried Cunetto's, but an hour and a half wait - on a Tuesday night???). Alleged 15-20 minute wait, which was much longer, then took literally forever to get the food out. Meals were ok, but wasn't blown away. My chicken parmigian was tasty, but there was nothing that made it particularly special. Because dinner took so long, we didn't get out of there till 9:30, and I didn't get home till almost 10:30 which meant no run. Bah

Well, 2011 is almost up, and it's been pretty much a wasted year. I will review the very few highlights I had later this week. The most important thing is I'm back in better shape, and headed in the right direction in what I want to do. Houston in 2.5 weeks!!!

2000!

Terrence Mahan, Greg McMillan, another Trials article, Galen Rupp running?!, runner helps catch a bandit, and Desi.

Friday, December 16th - 4 miles. Ran with Crystal late at night after work. She had already run 3, so tacked on another mile after we were done but couldn't make myself run anymore. Time to start the weekend! Don't remember the time, but it was pretty easy effort.

Saturday, December 17th - 8 miles. Ran with Timmy around town on the trails. Ran the Home Depot route on a nice, sunny day - perfect for running! Felt pretty good - picked it up coming home, and got in a nice run. Tim looked really strong out there. 8:38 average pace, don't remember the total time.

Sunday, December 18th - 13 miles (a.m. 2 up, 6 mile tempo, 3 down; p.m. 2 easy). A.M. - Met Crystal, Megan, and Cristina in Forest Park for the 6 mile tempo. Warmed up with Crystal to hit #2000 for the year, then back to stretch and change since it was getting hot outside. The idea was to hit a hilly venue for this half marathon pace run, as well as get some a good strength workout as well. Felt ok starting out, but hit Dinosaur Hill around the Science Center which took the wind out of my sails. Struggled going up Forest Park, and had to slow it down or risk complete death. Legs were pretty shot, and it was a rough day. Hit the long winding hill past Hampton headed up Skinker, and completely fell apart. Took a 4 minute walk break to get my legs back, then scampered back and finished the workout hard. Wanted to hit the last 2 under pace just so I felt like I had accomplished something, and managed to do that. Cooled down with Crystal, then caught Megan for a couple miles. Not a very good workout, but did the best I could. Went to Schlafly Taproom afterwards - beer tastes so much better after a hard workout! P.M. - ran recovery miles with Crystal in her neighborhood, to try to shake out as much of the workout as possible. Windy as heck, but the very slow pace felt fantastic! Tempo splits were: 6:20, 6:25, 6:28, 6:37, 6:17, 6:16.

44 miles this week - seemed like a whole lot more for some reason

Big River Running Christmas Lights Run tonight! Crazy trackwork tomorrow, which may be the hardest workout on our block, so stay tuned...

Closing in on 2000...

Desi, Ryan Bak, the Trials, Clint Verran, holiday wish lists, what will it takes to win the Trials, Shalane, the most expensive running shoes EVER, Trials qualifier, Bolt, way to cheat a marathon (don't get any ideas), Tim Nelson, Ryan Hall.

Monday, December 12th - 6 miles + drills. Ran with Crystal and Tim on a cold day in Francis Park. Felt like complete garbage, and the slower pace felt like tempo pace. Definitely not the best day, but it got done. 51:43 total...

Tuesday, December 13th - 5 miles (2.5 up, 10 x hills, 1.5 down). Ran with Crystal and Tim again. Repeats were on the same hill in Francis Park, only 75 meters this time at mile pace. Really concentrated on form, and struggled through the last reps. Hit them all in 19 seconds, felt like worse garbage than the night before. Highlight was singing New Kids on the Block on the cooldown, which I'm sure confused anyone within a 1 block radius that heard our ridiculousness.

Wednesday, December 14th - 0! Self-imposed day off. Needed a small refresher, and was just feeling completely worn down. Rain all night didn't help, nor Franklin who was super cuddly so I ended up laying on the couch all night.

Thursday, December 15th - 8 miles (2 up, 2 x 2 miles tempo, 2 down). The day off recharged me to 15% instead of 0, so felt better. Right knee was bothering me, but nothing to stop the workout tonight. Village Circle loop with Pat and Crystal on a cold, windy night. Was super congested, which didn't help much. Warmed up on the trail, then got right into it. Really had problems locking in pace, and fell into that bad habit of monitoring my watch nonstop which made it harder. 2nd rep, relied more on effort and checking not as much, so that wasn't nearly as bad. Last mile of the last rep was hard, but I found it because Crystal was laying the hammer down. Really didn't have much in the tank, so laid off of it but still gave it a hard effort and pleased with the workout, despite not feeling the best. Splits were: 12:28 (6:16, 6:12), 12:14 (6:09, 6:05).

Feeling like garbage again today, and my body feels beat up. Slow mileage tonight and tomorrow, then pace run on Sunday. Mile 2000 for 2011 approaches fast - I think on Saturday!

If you're surging and you know it, clap your hands!

Foot Locker XC Championships dramatic finish, USA Club Cross Championships, Berlin sold out :(, Paula raced in Monaco (course record!) as a tuneup, Honolulu Marathon, London Marathon, and Shalane wins in Miami.

Thursday, December 9th - 8 miles (2 up, 4 mile tempo (25:09) 2 down). Knee was killing me all day, so stretched it out thoroughly. Still was bugging me, but agreed to warm up with Crystal in her neighborhood in hopes that I could loosen up enough. Well, it worked and went at it. Made it through pretty easily (last mile was a little work), and felt very pleased with the workout. Her neighborhood is a mess of many turns, but we had perfect running weather (high 30's, but very still), and some Christmas lights to look at. 6:20, 6:12, 6:17, 6:16 were the splits.

Friday, December 10th - 5 miles. Out and back in the trail, didn't feel too hot. Took my Garmin into the shop to get the band fixed, and my Timex has been MIA for a week so no watch. Went by my Ipod time, which was 37-38 minutes if it was accurate. Grueling run for some reason.

Saturday, December 11th - 13 miles. Old Faithful after a long night out with Crystal and Megan. Just a terrible feeling run, and one of the few times where we were almost entirely silent. I think any distance would have been a struggle, quite honestly, and have been battling a minor cold which never helps. Could feel it every time we picked up the pace, so was singing this blog title to Crystal every single time which was a lot. 1:50:29 total. Sidney Street Cafe at night for dinner with Megan - delicious!

Sunday, December 12th - 6 miles. Waited till really late to get this one in, which was a mistake. Megan and I ran the first 3 miles together on the 270 loop, then looped around town to get in a few miles. Almost went further out, but encountered a pack of animals wandering out in a field, and decided not to chance it. Ran home, and almost pulled the trigger for a couple more, but just called it a night since it was well past 10 p.m. Quite honestly, it was a miracle that I even ran at all, so Megan gets all the props for running with me as I probably would have quit 10 minutes into it. 53:20 total. Wore my new Timex IM NYC Marathon watch - pretty cool, but a little bigger than I thought it would be. Bigger screen is nice though, but the indiglo sucks since I could barely see the time.

52 miles this week - not too shabby.

Christmas is next weekend - where has 2011 gone??? Big River group run tonight, then hill work tomorrow at Francis Park.

Trials!

Trials, trials, Kenya Olympic team, Paula seeks revenge, RNR Vegas issues, great article on GPS accuracy, Ryan Bak, and some super cool news about him.

Wednesday, December 8th - ~6 miles. Forest Park with Timmy after work. Felt ok, nothing too crazy to report. Ran for around 50 minutes.

Knees are killing me today. IT issues, I hope to work out tonight, otherwise I may have to flip flop days for tonight's workout with tomorrow.

37 more days till Houston...

Team Minnesota in Vegas, Paula makes the England Olympic Team, Clint Verran qualifies for the Trials, CIM Trials qualifier, one more, Simon Bairu tries to hit the standard, and the lovely Miss Kara Goucher.

Monday, December 6th - 7 miles. Big River group run. Got roped into the 7 mile run, so ran with Crystal and Craig. Didn't feel too hot, and my left knee was bugging me. Cold outside too. Did a little faster than I would have liked, but nice to have good company. 55:29 total, had a huge group at the Mack which is always fun.

Tuesday, Decemver 7th - 6 miles (2 up, 12x400 meters, 1 down). Probably the coldest night in a while (low 30's) with a breeze. Crystal and I made our way to the track and did a quick warmup. Workout was 12x400 at mile pace (5:05-5:10) with 3 minutes rest, so aimed at 1:17 for our quarters. First rep was a rude awakening but figured it was just rustiness + the cold since we hadn't done speedwork like this in a while. Well made it to the halfway point with a good attitude, when it all started to fall apart. Really struggled coming in, but made it. 16:18 for the warmup, 400 meter splits were: 1:18, 1:15, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17. Very pleased to hit good splits, but it was very hard.

Left knee is still hurting today despite some heavy stretching. Hoping tonight's run feels ok, then tempo tomorrow which is going to hurt.

First week of workouts complete!

California International Marathon (congrats Ryan Bak for 2nd male overall and Olympic Trials Qualifier!), RNR Vegas.

Thursday, December 1st - 7 miles (2 up, 3x1 mile tempo, 2 down). Nice cool evening for a workout, and had in a weird way been looking forward to this one since it had been awhile since we had a workout. Ran with Crystal to Ebbets, and did some quick dynamic stretching before doing the workout. Usually I start to crap out after the first rep, but felt pretty strong the entire way through. Last quarter of the last rep, worked on sprint form which sped it up a bit. Great workout, very pleased. 16:20 up, 6:14, 6:13, 6:02 mile splits, 16:08 down.

Friday, December 2nd - 6 miles. Solo in Forest Park after work. Didn't feel too hot starting out, but went at it and ran at a decent clip. Wanted to get this done as soon as possible so I could go home and start the weekend. 44:59 total.

Saturday, December 3rd - 8 miles. Ran with Pat, Crystal, and Mike. Wasn't feeling very good (too much fun playing Kinect Sports 2 the night before), and was dragging like no other. Pretty sure any pace would have been torture, quite honestly. Glad to get this one over with. 1:14:52 total.

Sunday, December 4th - 12 miles. Last 2 at Half Marathon pace, the workout that I had been dreading ever since I saw the schedule. Old faithful/Home Depot route, which eliminated any out and back and kept the last 2 miles fairly flat. Raining lightly, but decided to bite the bullet and get at it. Amazing how a good night's rest makes a difference, as we were moving pretty good starting out. Mother Nature decided to have fun with us, and kept raining harder and harder as we got further and further out. I was pretty soaked 6 miles out, and my shirt felt like a heavy towel at that point. Saw Megan about 9 miles out, sped up instinctively to catch her, and worked the pace up to half marathon pace. My Garmin was playing some evil games with me (showed 7:00 min/mile pace when it was actually 6:40's), so was about to have a meltdown thinking I had to drop another 35 seconds/mile when I was already struggling. Crystal got me through though, and we hit her neighborhood for the last mile. Her Garmin strap broke, which we stopped to pick up and cost us a few seconds, but still pretty happy all in all with the workout, despite the hard effort. 1:31 something total time: 6:45, 6:22, 6:23 were the last 3 miles. Pretty sure we almost negative split every mile. Watched/followed online the RNR Vegas Marathon at night. Had a lot of fun following Ben race the marathon. He was 2nd at mile 16 and catching the leader, but unfortunately had some awful stomach cramps which ended his race. Hell of an effort, nonetheless!!!!

49 miles this week ( almost went out to hit one more for 50 but was pretty dead all day afterwards). Very pleased with the first week of workouts.

Big River Monday run tonight - nice and easy is the plan, as my legs feel like I raced hard yesterday. The cold weather moves in, so need to break out all my winter running apparel!

Happy December!

Fall marathon insights, Bolt, Vegas, more Vegas, cool gift ideas for runners, and Mo.

Monday, November 28th - 5 miles + drills. Big River group run with Crystal. Was running late, so Megan and I ran up to the park and met everyone else. Did a few loops, then headed to DuBurgh to do drills on the track. Nasty drizzle, cold, and windy, so not the best conditions. Felt ok - ran hugh 7's, low 8's the entire way.

Tuesday, November 29th - ~5 miles (2.5 up, 10x50 meter hills, 1.5 down). Crystal and I met at Francis Park for this run. Hill repeats in the park at mile pace - worked on form. Quick drills before hand, then jumped into the workout. Glutes definitely felt the workout. Hopefully this work helps on turnover and my kick...

Wednesday, November 30th - 6 miles + drills. Did at home at the middle school track with Crystal. Broke in a new pair of shoes tonight (Brooks Adrenaline), and it felt pretty good. Cold and breezy, but made it through ok. Definitely picked it up a little on the way back, but what's new? 49:59 total.

176 miles for November, 1883 for 2011

Good month for me with some good races and good mileage. On track to hit 2000 in mid December, so need to keep up the efforts. Mile repeats with Crystal tonight - first workout of this block, so will need to be on top of my game this evening at Ebbets Field!

Trot for Tots Race Recap

Turkey Trot participation up this year, Rock N Roll Vegas growth, that's it.

Wednesday, November 23rd - 4 miles. Crystal and I did a late run. Pitch black outside, and Crystal wanted to try out her new head lamp, which made her look like coal miner. As she was adjusting it, I kept making mechanical sounds and calling her a Transformer which I'm sure didn't please her. Anyways, to avoid any traffic, suggested going on the trail since it would be open and we could truly utilize the light. Got onto Old Faithful and wanted to work our way towards Home Depot route, since that trail is paved and pretty flat. So we're running on the trail, and I was commenting on how cool that headlamp was (since it was like a damn spotlight and we could see everything), when the light went out and I heard a huge thump! Crystal tripped over some uneven pavement, and just bit the dust. Fortunately, she wasn't seriously hurt, and we laughed for the rest of the run. But when we got back and took off her gloves and coat, she was a bloody and bruised mess! Regardless, it was truly a "Warrior Princess" moment, and Crystal earned her stripes that night. 32:31 outside, which includes a good minute of non running from her fall and checking on her.

Thursday, November 24th - 5 miles. Happy Thanksgiving! Did my parent's neighborhood loop, then tacked on some more in a closeby neighborhood. Long, rolling hills - not the most fun, but nice to get in especially with dinner coming up. Felt ok, but hills definitely make you work harder. 37:59 total.

Friday, November 25th - 7 miles (1 up, TROT FOR TOTS 2 MILER (10:52 - 5th place (out of ~350)), 1 down, 3 p.m.). Drove over to the Peoria Riverplex with Anne and picked up my number and warmed up around downtown. Windy and cool, and legs felt very tight so spent a good amount of time stretching. Waited inside for a while before we all shuttled out to the start line. I've run downtown before, so had an idea of the course which proved to be correct (uphill first mile, downhill second mile). Found out that the Santa Claus parade took place immediately after this race, so we had spectators galore which is always a nice touch. Talked with a few college runners who were home for the holidays, before lining up and taking off! Those 3 college runners were immediately gone, so came out hard. Got immediately passed by an overzealous runner, so just waited and caught him within a half mile. Another guy zoomed by, and I lost him immediately so was running solo most of the way. First mile, we ran through most of downtown (uphill) and made a few turns before it flattened out. Hit a good first mile split, before making a turn down a pretty big hill. Almost crashed into an idiot woman and her children, who decided to cross the street without looking, so exchanged some unpleasantries with her before taking off. Caught up to one of the parade cars, and got a ton of encouragement from the many spectators and high-fived as many of the children as I could. Turned onto Hamilton St. (same enormous downhill as Steamboat), then shot down that hill hard before turning onto the river trail which is a slow downhill. Could sort of see the finish, so kicked hard and blasted through the finish with no one else in sight behind me. Great time/PR, and was on cloud nine! Jogged back to cooldown, then ran Anne in who ran a huge PR herself (17:10!). Garmin had 1.96, so might have been slightly short but I'm taking it nonetheless. 3 miles solo in the p.m. - legs were tired, but kept it slow for 25 minutes.

Saturday, November 26th - 4 miles. Travel day home, crappy weather, made it out for 4 slow miles. Out and back on the trail, poop. ~36 minutes, I think? Our friends Mick and Anne were in town, so had a long night celebrating Pat's birthday.

Sunday, November 27th - 12 miles. Long run with Crystal on Old Faithful. Cold, breezy, and overcast. Felt tired and wanted to keep it slow, but immediately started out pretty fast and never slowed down. First long run in a long time that felt pretty easy, and the night before certainly didn't help but oh well. 1:37 something - all our miles except one mile coming in was sub 8 minute pace.

43 miles this week - decent mileage, and a great race so I'll take it!

So a month of running with no workouts have passed, and feel pretty good. Had a few good races, and have generally felt decent on a lot of my runs. The Houston workouts start this week, so hoping we didn't lose too much half marathon fitness during this time. But it begins today, so time to get to work!

Thanksgiving Eve

Tera Moody, Haile, NCAA Championships, Brett Gotcher, Jordan Hasay, and Desi.

Monday, November 21st - 7 miles. Big River Monday group run with Matty D, Ryan, and Brad. Didn't feel too particularly good, and struggled when the group picked it up with a couple miles to go to try to catch one of the other runners. Caught up to him at the end, but felt like crap. 51:25 for the total time, definitely negative split this one.

Tuesday, November 22nd - 6 miles. Ran in Forest Park after work on a dark, windy day. Not too many people out there, except the crazies like me. Went pretty slow and felt better. Out there for 50-60 minutes, not sure exactly.

So Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I successfully found a race in Peoria that my sister and I will run on Friday. There are a billion turkey race options in STL, but almost none in Peoria - so frustrating. So hopefully I don't gain 8 lbs. on Thursday night, and hopefully I can put together a nice performance assuming a flat course. Will run at 5K pace as a workout is the plan. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Turkey Day Week

Geb wins! Racing world is pretty quiet, so I got nothing else other than Miss Goucher :)

Monday, November 14th - 7 miles. Big River Monday run with Gabe, Matt, Kyle, and Pat. Nice showing out there for the 7 mile loop, and a chase pack formed behind the others that went out blazing. Eventually, we caught them and picked it up coming in. Legs felt like garbage, and wasn't feeling the best in general but made it through ok. Total time was 50:40.

Tuesday, November 15th - 6 miles. Looped around town late at night solo, and did my Glen Carbon covered bridge route. Lots of traffic, so definitely was running faster to get back home. Felt ok for the most part - weather was ideal fall weather, so helped a lot. Ran for 43:01 (23:01, 22:29 were my splits).

Wednesday, November 16th - 5 miles. Ran around town late at night. Parents were in town, so had dinner with my mom, then ran late. Another nice evening to run - 37:57 total.

Thursday, November 17th - 5 miles. Ran with Pat after work around Boeing. Nice and hilly, and windy outside as well. Found a nice monster hill, that will be a good candidate for future hill workouts. Ran for around 40 minutes.

Friday, November 18th - 0! Travel day to Rockford, then late night trivia. Blah

Saturday, November 19th - 10 miles. This will be named the Survival Run. Big River group run at Forest Park. 20-25 mph winds made this run very difficult. Started with a big group, but whittled down to Crystal and I. Tried to keep it slower, but failed miserably. Last couple miles, we looped back up Dinosaur Hill by the Science Center - running uphill into the wind was just crazy. Negative split hard, but a great workout nonetheless. 1:20:32 overall.

Sunday, November 20th - 10 miles (5 miles a.m., 5 miles p.m.). Trail out and back in the morning - overcast and cool, felt ok going out but kept it slow. At night, wanted to make up for previous mileage I missed, so did the 270 loop and ran to the trail and back. Was flying for the first few miles (sub 21 first 3 miles), but basically jogged the last 2 coming in.

43 miles this week, will take it.

Looking for a Turkey Trot in Peoria for Thanksgiving, but can't find much. Alton 10 Miler is a possibility (pace run), so need to think about what I am going to do since I have some itchy legs and want to bust one out before the hard training begins...

Girls on the Run 5K Recap

Shalane wins!, Kim Smith, prize money issues in San Antonio, Verzbicas and his triathlon calling, funny story about a guy losing his car after the NYC Marathon.

Friday, November 11th - 0! Tried to get a run in the morning with Crystal, but failed miserably. My sister was in town over the weekend, so had to pick her up after work so that added with the morning race = unscheduled rest day. Went to a great restaurant called Farmhaus - highly recommended. Congrats to Crystal for her 2000th mile of 2011!

Saturday, November 12th - 6 miles (1.5 up, GIRLS ON THE RUN 5K (19:20, 8/~4000, 6th male, 1st age group 30-39), 1.5 down). Nice day to run in Forest Park. Got there early to warm up around the course, and stretch. There were a crapload of people participating in the event, so lined up front thinking we had to get ahead of this angry mob. Nice to have a course tour the night before, so great to know the lay of the land (not too bad 1st mile, uber hilly 2nd mile, downhill finish). Game plan was to run a hard first mile, then drop back to tempo pace the rest of the way since the course sucked and just wasn't feeling it. Got out of the blocks ok, and blazed through the first mile. First time in a while that it was feeling easy. Had a girl who was shadowing Crystal's and I's every move, so "tactically" got her off our butts because it was getting pretty annoying. Dropped pace a bit on the 2nd mile - a little too much, as I missed the desired split badly. Crystal was moving ahead, chasing the first female, and I was in my own world with the next runner a good 20 seconds behind me. Last mile, just cruised in - completely thought there was one more major hill but there wasn't so next thing I knew, I was cruising towards the finish. Totally hammed up to the crowd, and finished the race. Fun times, and felt great! Cooled down, picked up our awards (C and I won our age groups, 7th and 8th overall (C was 2nd female)), then headed home. Mile splits were: 6:01, 6:31 (jesus), 6:00. Ate at Bailey's Range at night, located downtown. Great burgers, but the wait time was a little ridiculous. Would still go back though!

Sunday, November 13th - 10 miles. Long run with Crystal and Mike on Old Faithful. 75 and windy, not the best combination. Shirt came off 20 seconds into the run, and the sun was definitely making it warm. Was pretty tired from not much sleep, and not very focused. Took awhile to get into rhythm, but eventually did. Last few miles, was dragging a lot, and we (meaning Crystal - we got strung along for the ride) definitely picked it up trying to catch Megan and Cristina on the trail, who were running ahead of us. Soooo hot, legs felt like poop and glad to get that over with. 1:20:44 overall (41:38, 39:06 were our 5 mile splits). 41 miles this week - not bad.

That might have been my last race of the year, but a lot of fun nonetheless and some pretty cool bling. Another week of basic mileage, but may throw in an impromptu workout in there if my legs are feeling good.

Happy Friday!

Verzbicas leaving Oregon to train for the triathlon!, Lisa Koll, Kebede finished 3rd in NYC with minor training, and some awesome NYC blogs.

Thursday, November 10th - 6 miles. Ran in Forest Park with Pat, Crystal, and Megan, and looped around for the course tour for tomorrow's race. Cold weather, but perfect for running. The course is pretty hilly, and there will be no time goals tomorrow other than survival. The second mile has a few steep hills, but has a fast finish coming in to the end, so the game plan is to save a little bit of energy, then unleash whatever kick I have left. Sub 19 would be awesome, but really no pressure other than get in a good workout.

Crapped out this morning on the early run - supposed to run mile 2000 with Crystal (Congrats to her!), but just couldn't get out of bed and slept through my alarm. Need to get in a few miles tonight, race tomorrow, then long run Sunday. Happy Weekend, everybody!

History Stands

History Stands, Olympic trials to be telecast (super cool!), rumor that Verzbicas is leaving Oregon, Shalane, and Lauren Fleshman part 2.

Obviously, the Paula Radcliffe marathon record is a very important milestone in running. Pacers or not, she still had to hit the time. London 2003 was one of the greatest performances ever in the sport - one that should be celebrated, not scrutinized. Bravo to the IAAF for reversing their decision!

Wednesday, November 9th - 7 miles. Forest Park run with the Big River Group. Started out with Crystal, Tim, Gibbs, Craig, Ryan, and Hillary. Ran the FP Loop starting at the Visitor's Center. Kind of chilly at first, which got us out fast, but we settled into pace. Fun with the group, and Gibbs took us on a detour which added a little extra length. Ran a little more to even out the mileage (you're welcome, Crystal), but felt pretty good all in all. Long stretching afterwards, then Timmy and I hit up Cicero's for dinner and a bucket of 312! 57:49 total, felt really good.

My new stretching program has me feeling pretty good and fresh, and I no longer feel like a crippled old man every morning. Although we haven't had too many killer workouts lately as well, so enjoying the easier mileage and perfect weather. Group run in Forest Park again tonight, and the weather looks perfect again!

More NYC

Evolution of a fast marathon, how did the celebrities fare in NYC?, Marathon Majors winners, Mutai the best?, Patrick Makau, Lauren Fleshman, and the lovely Miss Kara Goucher and her marathon tips.

Monday, November 7th - 6 miles. Francis Park loop with Timmy. Started from his house, and ran to the park and did loops. Tim was having some stomach issues, so dropped out a couple miles into it so I finished solo. Ran with a group of people for a little bit, but took off and kept a decent pace. Felt pretty tired, but more from a hard weekend of running. Ran for 50 minutes.

Tuesday, November 8th - 6 miles. Forest Park loop with Cristina. With the time change, not as many runners out there anymore. Ran pretty conservative, and reversed the usual route which seemed to make it go by faster. Felt ok, long stretching afterwards to loosen up. Abs are still screaming with soreness from Sunday's workout, so deferring corework to Wednesday night. 57:51 total.

Tonight, going to do FP with Crystal. Enjoying the fall running, as the weather is absolutely perfect outside :)

NYC, Lung Cancer Connection 5K Race Recap

Geoffrey Mutai - NYC Marathon Champ, Meb PR's, Americans from NYC talk, Sara Hall wins, Lauren Fleshman, Shalane to Rock and Roll in San Antonio, and James Kwambai wins in Seoul.

What an amazing NYC Marathon this year! Women's race was pretty crazy with Mary Keitany going for broke, but ultimately fading at the end. The men's race was not too surprising, but showed that Mutai's performance in Boston was legit. NYC's course is a beast, and he took it to a level that was not ever dreamt of. Very strange that NYC's course record is now faster than the much flatter Chicago's, but I foresee that changing in the next few years as the assault towards a sub 2 hour marathon seems a lot more feasible now more than ever. Geoffrey Mutai has established himself as the man to beat (assuming Kenya picks him for their Olympic team), and will be a force to be reckoned with for many more marathons to come.

Friday, November 5th - ~3 miles. Ran after work - was stuck in traffic forever due to a major accident on I-270, but was anxious to shake out the legs a little since I hadn't felt all that great lately. Definitely did the trick and felt pretty relaxed afterwards. Ran for 20 or so minutes easy.

Saturday, November 6th - 7 miles (1 up, LUNG CANCER CONNECTION 5K (1st place!), 1 down, 2 miles). Saw this race via a flier hung up at work, so decided to run since one of my colleagues has lung cancer and it was definitely for a great cause. Crazy morning, and crazy race. Woke up early and drove to Creve Couer Park to get my race number and warm up. Only there wasn't anyone there except for a clueless volunteer who had no idea where anything was, what direction we were running, and most likely he wouldn't have known his own name had I asked. Right before I was about to start warming up, he comes running towards me and tells me the race is on the other side of the park. Crap. So I hightail it to the location, where there were several hundred people already there engaging in the festivities. Make it in time to get my race shirt and number, run back to my car to change (parked a good half mile away since I had gotten there late), ran back and met up with some friends for a few minutes. The race was not organized very well, so when I saw the cluster of runners walking towards the start (not marked), I ran over really quick to line up front. Asked the starter where our turn around was - he said just follow the signs, then immediately started the race. Thanks buddy. One other guy came shooting from the blocks, and was seriously sprinting like it was nobody's business. I thought he was gone, but a half mile out I was already reeling him in (he was turning around every 10 seconds to check on me, so figured he was already tiring), so just waited and tried to settle into pace without losing him. At the halfway point, he blazed through the turn around cone, and I shouted for him to turn around (should have just let him go lol), and me being a good sportsman, waited for him to catch up and ran with him for awhile. Felt ok at this point, then started to strategize where I would lay the hammer down. At the 2nd mile marker, picked it up and never looked back. Definitely gapped a bit, then was settling in for victory when suddenly I noticed the upcoming trail had about 20 ft. of water that was a good 6 inches deep coming up. So I was going to wrong way, and didn't know what to do! Ran through the water, ran into some muddy field and came to a stop trying to figure out where the hell I was. Saw the parking lot, so started running through there, then saw the trail a bit ahead and started running for that. Seriously stared to panic, because I thought I was going to lose because of the idiot race director who didn't mark the turns correctly. Eventually made it back despite my long detour around the course, and crossed the finish line amazingly still in first place. Had a "nice chat" with the race director about not marking the course (seriously????), went to cool down and change, then went to hang out with friends and coworkers afterwards. Cool for my coworkers to see me win, and poignant to win for Chuck (see picture above) who is my coworker/friend that is battling lung cancer. Definitely the strangest win I have ever had, but a win nonetheless. Got home, ran 20 minutes more, but stopped because my right foot was killing me (probably from running through the "adventure course" trying to get back onto the actual course, which was uneven as it gets). 5K official time is unknown, but definitely wrong since I ran a good extra quarter mile, but I am going by my Garmin splits which were pretty accurate on the course (hit all the mile markers dead on) - 18:44 (5:50, 6:10, 6:08). Lots of R&R on Saturday, but had a mini celebration at night with dinner at a nice restaurant in Central West End called Salt, then a few cocktails at various places in the area.

Sunday, November 7th - 10 miles. Glad for the extra hour of sleep with the time change, and wasn't feeling too hot from the night before. Crystal dragged me out nice and early for our scheduled long run. Not the best weather - windy, overcast, and cool, but warmed up during the run. I overdressed, so was a bit uncomfortable later in the run. Felt like garbage and my foot was still hurting, but eventually snapped out of it and my foot felt better on the second half. Out and back on Old Faithful, but hit a pretty nasty headwind by Casey's which made Crystal and I laugh at how ridiculous it was outside. Pretty exhausted by the time we finished, but we kept it nice and slow thankfully. Ran into Pat on the way in - so squeezed in a mile or so before finishing. Ran for 1:27:27, laid on the couch the rest of the day, then did a good 20-30 minutes of stretching and corework at night which has caused some unwelcome soreness all over my body today. NYC Marathon afterwards - awesome race, and so happy to watch. Really want to run there again someday. Big congrats to my buddy Gabe who ran 3:02!!!

40 miles this week, I'll take it.

So trying to make a concerted effort to work on flexibility and corework for this block, and nutrition and rest as well. Happy about the race for the most part, but still don't have very good strength which is something to work on. Nothing crazy this week, but did sign up for the Girls on the Run 5K in Forest Park this Saturday, which will make for a good speed work session.

Happy Birthday Crystal!

NYC favorite Mary Keitany, Ritz, Deena, NYC preview, great story about a runner and some divine intervention, and Kenya will pick their Olympic marathoners after Sunday.

Thursday, November 3rd - 4 miles. Got home from work on a nasty, rainy, windy evening and busted out a quick 4. Out and back on the trails - legs felt ok, but needed to get this in because of dinner plans with Pat and Crystal. Afterwards, went to Global Brew and Tap to celebrate Crystal's birthday. Happy Birthday Crystal!!!

Racing tomorrow. I have a small run I want to get in after work, then relax for tomorrow's race. Would like to run something strong, as this will probably be my best attempt at a 2011 best 5K time so we shall see. I know the course pretty well, and it's flat so I'll give it a go. At the very worst, a good opportunity for speedwork. NYC is this Sunday - best of luck to the runners, and a special shoutout to my buddy Gabe who is shooting for an aggressive time. GOOD LUCK RUNNERS!!!!!!!

3 more days!

Kim Smith, NYC nostalgia, Mary Wittenberg, Sam Chelanga joining OT Elite, NYC Marathon over 2 days?, Jen Rhines, Bobby Curtis, dropping pacers hasn't hurt the NYC Marathon, more Kim Smith, and the evolution of the marathon.

Tuesday, November 1st - 6 miles. Nice and easy in Forest Park with Timmy and Cristina. Lots of people out on a nice, fall day. Sadly, probably our last run with much daylight with the time change this weekend. 58:22 total.

Wednesday, November 2nd - 6 miles + drills. Team Sullentrup reunion, as Mike joined us again. Finally had a run that felt ok, and I got yelled at a few times for pushing the pace. Part of it on the trail, the rest in the neighborhood as we did 4-5 loops around. Drove to the track to do drills afterwards. Total time: 50:35 (negative split every mile, I believe).

Running a 5K this weekend in Creve Couer park with some coworkers. Not much time expectations, but would like to run well as I know the park and it's pretty flat.

NYC this weekend!

Meb's preparation, NYC elites, where to watch the marathon this weekend, Deena wins in LA, 2:03:42 for Wilson Kipsang, Kenyan Olympic debacle, bad weather in NYC.

Tuesday, October 25th - 6 miles. Ran Forest Park loop very slow. Amazing how dark it is getting after 6 p.m. Legs felt like poop - ran for 56-57 minutes.

Wednesday, October 26th - 0! Rain + couch's strong gravitational pull = no run.

Thursday, October 27th - 4 miles. Ran with Pat and Crystal on the trail, then around the neighborhood. Definitely tired, ugh. I think we ran for 33:21.

Friday, October 28th - 1 mile. 1/2 day at work, then slept for a while. Went to Game 7 with Timmy, which killed my evening and any hopes of running. But I left my bag at Papa Johns, and had to run back there which was a good mile so I'm counting that.

Saturday, October 29th - 0! Slept forever, then Halloween party at night.

Sunday, October 30th - 0! Rams game bright and early, then got home in the late afternoon. Was too exhausted to do anything. Very sad.

15 glorious miles this week, and at least 5 lbs. gained. God bless the off-week!

Monday, October 31st - ~4 miles. Big River Halloween costume group run. Fun times, but tough trying to run around Francis Park in my Batman mask. Awesome to be running with the devil, Mario (from Super Mario Brothers), Joe Dirt, the Riddler, Mr. and Mrs. Kara Goucher, and the pregnant Chi Marathon runner. Nice day to run, drills at DuBourgh afterwards, which were painful. Ran 4.2 miles in 35:16. Congrats to Pat for winning the Big River Costume Contest - he was dressed up as a gigantic beer bottle lol

139.5 miles for October. 1707 for 2011. Can't screw around too much, or I'll miss 2000 this year.

Back to a new block. Trying really hard to work on corework, good nutrition, and a lot of rest. Hoping I can pull through this time around, and give it a good go for Houston in a couple months.

STL Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon Recap

Kara changes coaches/groups, STL RNR, results, Michael Wardian, Matthew Kisorio makes his marathon debut in NYC (he won Philly RNR 1/2 in a blazing 58:46), Geoffrey Mutai, and Haile wins again.

Saturday, October 22nd - 2 miles easy. Out and back with Pat and Crystal for a shakeout run. Felt ok for the most part, Home Depot trail route.

Sunday, October 23rd - 15 miles (STL ROCK N ROLL 1/2 MARATHON - 1:28:10, 85/~14,500, 19th in age group). Ugh, not what I hoped, and pretty much a disaster of a race. Got downtown bright and early, and warmed up for 20 minutes or so with Crystal. Got to line up front which was awesome, so the 22,000 runners weren't too much of an issue. Started out with Crystal, and ran the first couple miles with her. Gabe jumped in to pace for a while, but I fell off a little and was trying to get settled in - very difficult with the hills and many, many turns. Had already fallen off pace slightly on the 5K (20:23 I think), and was further off at the 10K split (41:02), and basically lost complete focus and mentally shut down. Legs weren't responding, and I was getting passed left and right and was getting very demoralized, so was a very long run back in at this point. Tried to rally towards the end, but just didn't have it in me, and was very disappointed all around. Amazingly, still finished in the top 100 overall, so I guess there was one goal I hit (try to get in the top 100). Crystal smoked it with a huge PR (1:25:09), and 5th woman (48th overall), so really proud of her - she put in some great work, and ran a great race. Congrats to Megan, Stacy, Pat, Tim, and Jeff who all gave great efforts on a tough day. Demolished some PI pizza to finish out the day, which was delicious as usual.

40 miles this week. Really surprised I got this much, didn't feel like 40.

Monday, October 24th - 4 miles. Big River Monday group run with Crystal, Megan, and Tim. Legs felt a little sore, but gorgeous afternoon and did 2 loops around Francis Park. A little over 4 miles in 41:07, I believe. Afterwards, went to the Mack to watch the World Series game. I got whupped in power putt golf, and so did the Cardinals.

Easy week this week. Had a long talk with Crystal after dinner to try to work out the kinks of what went right/wrong in this block. Ready to put in some good work, and try to get to the next level again.

Rock and Roll Eve

More on marathon cheat Rob Stone, more on the 100 year old marathon runner, how quickly is water absorbed after you drink it?, Patrick Rizzo, Haile prepares for a half marathon this weekend, NYC's elite marathon field, Paula will continue on past London 2012, and Ritz prepares for the trials with a 5K tuneup.

Thursday, October 20th - ~4.5 miles. Got talked into running with Tim in Francis Park. Nice and slow. Pretty windy outside, but kept the pace pretty honest. Legs still a little tired. 41:27 overall.

Friday, October 21st - ~3.5 miles. Treadmill for 30 minutes. For some reason, just didn't want to run, and it was about the longest run ever in my mind. Pace felt ok, but just mentally not there. 8:34 pace, ugh.

Easy 20 minutes tomorrow, then the 1/2 on Sunday. Looking forward to getting this race over with, and hopefully a small break. I can feel a slight mental burnout right now...

Wrapping up this Training Block...

Run with your cat, Ryan Hall and his mind, 5 new shoes coming out in the fall to look out for, Bobby Curtis NYC blog, Caroline Rotich, Khalid Khannouchi going to India, long run double by Running Times, what does stretching really do?, Ed Whitlock is ridiculous - 3:15 marathon?!?!, NYC+Olympic Trials too much?, predicted record breaking in London 2012, fat to fit to fat.

Monday, October 17th - ~4 miles. Ran Big River group run with Tim and Megan. Kept it slow, but legs felt like crap. Chilly outside, but felt good. Got in roughly 4.25 in 41:25.

Tuesday, October 18th - 5 miles. Ran with Timmy after work in Forest Park. Freezing at first, but warmed up a mile into the run. Amazing how early it gets dark now, which is sad. Once again, legs felt sub par, but made it through ok. I think our total time was 44:25.

Wednesday, October 19th - 6 miles (2 up, 2x1 mile 1/2 marathon pace, 2 down). Early a.m. run with Crystal. Dark, drizzly, cold, and windy - not the most optimal conditions. Busted out the tights for the first time since last winter, and we ran to Ebbets in a nice whirlwind. Miles felt ok, but definitely a little more harder than it should have been. 1 minute rest in between reps, workout went by very quickly and got home pretty fast. Not sure of the warmup and cooldown splits, but I know they were fast because of the cold weather (Crystal had us at 7:38 pace coming in). Mile splits were: 6:29, 6:25.

Nothing but easy runs going in from this point. Good nutrition, good rest, and hopefully we are all feeling good for Sunday's big race!

GO! Halloween 10K Race Recap

2 hour marathon?, Paula and Nike, streaking at the Olympics could be costly, Ed Moran makes his NYC debut in a few weeks, 100 year old man runs a marathon, and Kim Smith kills it in Hartford.

Friday, October 14th - 4 miles. Ran with Pat and Crystal after work. Gorgeous day outside, and we did the G.C. loop. Felt better than in days past, but still lethargic. 33:33 total time (16:55/16:38 splits).

Saturday, October 15th - 4 miles. Early golf tournament in Eureka, and was definitely a bit pooped afterwards. Nice fall day, did out and back on the trails very slow. Ran for roughly 40 minutes.

Sunday, October 16th - 11 miles - GO! STL HALLOWEEN 10K (40:08 PR; 40/~3900 overall, 7th in age group) - Woke up bright and early to head down for the race. Plan was to run at half marathon pace and to get in a nice workout. Course has changed a bit from the first year we spectated - start on Market, head south and loop through Soulard and the brewery before heading back downtown to Soldier's Memorial. Hilly the first half, but levels out a bit going in. Weather was ok - very sunny and a little warm, and very windy. Lined up front, quick chat with my teammates, then took off. Started out way too fast, and leveled it out early. Fell into a small group, and worked with them as I tried to get locked into pace. Hills through Soulard were definitely a pain, and my splits were all over the place. Ran through the Brewery and finally caught a long downhill, and started to feel better. Last couple miles felt good, and I felt completely in control. Worked with a couple girls going in - one was struggling pretty bad and trying to catch the other, so helped her reel the other in for my good deed of the day. Went back to watch Tim finish, met up with Pat and Crystal to see Stacy, then jogged out to run Megan and Cristina in. Brunch at Hammerstones, lots of football/sleep in the afternoon, then a late run at night. Got in 4 miles (~40 minutes), legs were definitely a little tired. Very pleased overall - I split 20:23, 19:45 for the 2-5K's, so a great workout/race. 42 miles this week - I'll take it.

Race week is this week. Easy running, with the exception of Wednesday's small workout with Crystal, and trying to eat healthy and get some good rest. Easy run at group run tonight to shake out my tired, old legs.

Dragging

Next for Liliya, Olympic Trials qualifier in Denver, Paula trying to keep her record, chat with stud U.S. runner Ben True, Haile racing in the UK, Haile aims for Tokyo, Brett Gotcher, Kim Smith working hard, Japan's finest, NYC raises its standards, a disgrace of a runner, and finally the lovely Miss Kara Goucher.

Monday, October 10th - 7 miles. Got home late from work, and Monday Night Football was rapidly approaching so decided to get this one in as fast as possible. Meaning not blazing fast, but pick up the pace and finish a 6 mile run below 50 minutes. Well, 41:06 later, I was done and really tired. Had to jog an extra mile as a cooldown, since it became almost an impromptu tempo. Tried to slow down in the middle, but my body wouldn't listen. Really tired afterwards, still felt like poop. Splits were: 6:59, 6:48, 7:19, 7:00, 6:42, 6:16.

Tuesday, October 11th - 6 miles. Felt like garbage still. Slow 6 miler around Forest Park, and it didn't feel very good. 57 and some change for the time.

Wednesday, October 12th - 6 miles. Got home late again, had nothing in the tank and felt like crap and laid down when I got home. Managed to force myself out the door for an easy run. I still feel like my body got hit by a freight train - ugh. Didn't have a watch, but it was slow. Thanks to KMOX and the Cardinals playoff feed for getting my through that run. Skipped workout tonight - not the end of the world, as the 10K is this weekend and will use that as a workout.

Thursday, October 13th - 4 miles. No energy, starting to wonder if I'm sick. 36 minutes felt like 360 minutes, and just was dragging.

Still exhausted, run tonight is questionable. Sleep is a high priority right now.

Congrats Adam!!!

Moses Mosop sets Chicago course record, Paula training in Kenya, more Moses, Shobukhova three-peats, Hall finishes 5th, tragedy, crazy story of one of the Chi runners, great article on combo workouts, and last but certainly not least, Big River runner Adam MacDowell qualifies for the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials!!!

Thursday, October 6th - 7 miles (1 up, 4 mile tempo, 4x200, 1.5 down). Dreading this workout for days, and kept pushing it back. Met Crystal at the track on a kind of thick-aired night. Goal was to hit tempo at 6:15 pace, but I was thinking more 6:20ish. Made it through 1.5 miles or so with Crystal before falling off a little to conserve some energy. Felt really tired through 3, but found my second wind and pushed through. Legs were a bit trashed for the 200's, but made it through ok. No turnover whatsoever, and the left part of my groin was hurting bad at the end. Tempo splits were: 6:04, 6:02, 6:14, 6:02. 200 meter splits were: 37, 34, 36, 34 (can you tell which ones Crystal led?). Posted my workout on Garmin Connect, which I recently started using - pretty cool.

Friday, October 7th - 0! Travel day to Chicago for the marathon, and needed a day off anyways to recover. Legs felt like poo, even just walking around.

Saturday, October 8th - 10.5 miles. Lakeshore long run with Pat, Crystal, and Tim. Pat wanted to get in a pace run, so we ran with him on Lakeshore past Navy Pier and back. Ran ~3 more miles with Crystal to finish it out. Weather was 80's, and just uber-sunny - not good conditions whatsoever, and didn't help that my legs felt like complete crap. But still fun nonetheless, and got in a 90 minutes at roughly 8:40 min/mile pace.

Sunday, October 9th - 4 miles. Chicago Marathon day! Woke up to watch the start of the marathon on tv, then headed outside to set camp at the 15K mark. Watched the elites zoom by, saw Ben and Adam trucking along, then Gabe, Gibbs, Carter (who was pacing his friend), and my buddy Andy. Warm and very sunny morning, was intentionally standing in the shade since I was burning up. Watched most of the sub 4 hour marathoners go by, before retiring back inside to watch the elites finish and track everyone. Got to watch Adam on t.v. for a while running with Shobukhova (eventual female winner), and sat for an agonizing few minutes to see if he hit the trials qualifier, which he did!!!!!!!! Tracked everyone else's finish, then jumped out to Lakeshore for a quick run. Legs were still garbage, so opted for 4 miles with Pat and Tim instead of 6 with Crystal. Headed out at a pretty easy pace, then turned around. Saw a runner that really looked like Desiree Davila, so we all went after her to see if she was. Dropped it to high 5/low 6 pace for a couple minutes and realized we weren't making any ground, but luckily she turned around and granted us some reprieve. Confirmed it was indeed her, and all of us were pretty geeked to see arguably the top American runner out there on the trails with us. Dropped a few surges coming in for fun, then long stretching before calling it a day. Football, then a long late night train home. Exhausted. Total time of run was 35:24.

39.5 miles this week, bah

Great weekend up north! Congrats to all the runners that ran this weekend, and a big congrats to Adam for his qualifier (see you in Houston!). Awesome to see the Big River jersey so prominently displayed around Chicago :) Exhausted from too much fun over the weekend, and will opt for much sleep and slow running, other than my scheduled workouts. Running the GO! STL Halloween 10K for a workout this Sunday - this will be a good indicator for the 1/2 next weekend, so we will see how the pace feels.

Chi this weekend!

Mosop shooting for world record this weekend in Chi, Korir wants a Chicago win, Ritz working on nutrition, Kipligat out of NYC, Ryan Hall, Mo Farah is European athlete of the year, ESPN's Body Issue (with Ryan Hall), and how long to recover after hard workouts/races.

Monday, October 3rd - 6 miles + drills. Big River Monday group run - started out 3 miles with Megan, then met up with Crystal and ran to the track for drills. Felt ok, but definitely tired. No idea on time, forgot to start my watch, but 8-9 minute pace overall.

Tuesday, October 4th - 6 miles in Forest Park. Nice evening to run - felt ok, but still tired. Obama was in town for a private fundraiser, so had to wait awhile to cross over the Highway 40 overpass between Hampton and Skinker, so that was a huge pain in the butt. Less than 2 minutes from the car = 30 minute delay. Somewhere between 54-60 minutes overall.

Wednesday, October 5th - 6 miles easy with Pat and Crystal. Pat ran most of the run with us as his tempo, and looked strong. Nice evening to run, and felt a little better but still fatigued. Total time was 50:54.

Tonight - tempo run with Crystal. Headed to Chicago tomorrow morning to watch the marathon. Temps look a little nasty (70-80's), so hoping it cools down soon and fast!

Race for Lymphoma 5K Recap

Meb and Deena win RNR San Jose, Kipligat aims at the women's marathon record, Kim Smith and her NYC Marathon tactics, bio on Bernard Lagat, Haile warns British media about too much pressure, USA 10 Mile Championship results, and a Runners World Brief Chat with Chicago Marathon director Carey Pinkowski.

Forgot this last week ; 168.5 miles for September (awful), 1557.5 miles for 2011.

Saturday, October 1st - 5 miles (1 up, RACE FOR LYMPHOMA 5K (18:52 - 4th overall, 3rd male, 1st in age group), 1 down). Woke up a little tired from going to Big River's Brooks Pure Launch party the night before, but ate a quick breakfast, picked up Pat and Crystal, and headed to STL for the 5K. Chilly in the morning, but perfect for a race. Quick warmup with Crystal and Tim, Tim and I got impromptu recruited for the Team Competition, drills and strides, then lined up. Strategy was to go out in 5:50's, then run 6's in for a good time. Course was flat with a lot of turns, and basically went around the perimeter of the St. Louis Mills Mall, which is sort of scenic but basically a mall. Went out a little fast with Crystal, but slowed down to even it out. Pack had separated to the first 2 runners (way out front), Crystal, me, then a runner who was working off me. Crystal had worked a good gap about halfway through, so it was just me and the straggler who was hanging on. This race turned tactical for me, since I wasn't going to catch Crystal, so relaxed a bit and geared up for some surges on the last mile. Threw in a couple surges to open up a bigger gap, then cruised in. Lost track of time, and kicked too late and ended up with an ok time but sub 19 nonetheless. Crystal won the women's (18:11 PR, 3rd overall), then we watched Tim finish (21:04 PR), then went to catch Megan finish (27:05 PR) and caught Pat finishing (he ran the 10K - 50:12 PR). Tim and I ended up using our times in the team competition, and won that which was pretty cool. All in all, a very fun day with a lot of success for our team!!! 5K mile splits were: 5:55, 6:10 (relaxed a little too much), 6:03.

Sunday, October 2nd - 8 miles (4 miles a.m., 4 miles p.m.). Exhausted from just a long 2 weeks, so slept in and missed Crystal for the Big River group run in St. Charles. Gorgeous afternoon, got in 4 easy in the a.m. (started late because football was about to start!), and felt like complete garbage. Out and back towards Troy, slow and poopy. Evening, got out on the same route and felt 150% better. Had some stomach issues, so pushed it slightly coming in, but felt very relaxed and smooth. Crazy how much different earlier vs. later felt. A.M. run time was 36:58, P.M. 30:18. 42 miles this week - not too bad for race week.

Lots of congratulations to go around - congrats to Ben for winning the inaugural Mo Cowbell 1/2 Marathon (1:08:42 I believe), congrats to PR's for Brian and Margaret Lyons at the Twin Cities Marathon (2:19:22 - B, 2:49:58 - M). And finally, congrats to Stephen for a 14th place finish in the USA 10 Mile Championships (48:04)! Great races for all!!!

Big Racing Weekend!

New York Marathon field starting to shape up, some good runners doing ESPN's Body Issue, Makau aims for Olympic title, Chicago Marathon's elite field, Geb wants an earlier start to the Olympic marathon, higher temps suck, Sally Kipyego, Kenyan Olympic team needs to pick 1 more male (very controversial - many deserving runners that will be left out), Geb is motivated for more, German Fernandez on the comeback circuit, and the USA 10 Mile Championships this weekend.

Wednesday, September 28 - 9 miles (1 up, 7 mile tempo (45:50), 1 down). Important run for me, as I missed last week's tempo and needed to get in a good long tempo to see where I was at. Big River Wild Wednesday workout with Crystal and Tim on Grant's Trail. Nice weather, but the air was noticeably heavy. Kind of felt like poop, but made it out there and hoped to get in 6-8 miles at 1/2 marathon pace. Quick warmup with the group, then got under way. Felt great the first couple miles and ran with Crystal, but hit a few traffic lights which disrupted my rhythm. Fell off a little bit, and made the turn around feeling ok. Hit both stop lights again, which were killer, and was working hard to hit pace coming in. Last mile, felt a little better, but had some stomach pains which sucked. Made it in, thought about killing myself for 1 more mile, but called it a day. 1 mile cooldown with Crystal and Tim, and called it a day. Tempo splits were: 6:25, 6:26, 6:32, 6:41 (eek! Turn around, lost a few seconds from being lazy), 6:38 (stoplight), 6:35, 6:27. Feel ok about this workout, but was beating myself up a little bit for falling off pace (final avg was 6:32 min/mile). Big kudos to Crystal for hitting her 10 miler right at 6:25 min/mile avg pace, and Tim for hitting his 3x2 mile at 7:45-8 min/mile average pace.

Thursday, September 29 - 5 miles (44:53). Out and back on Old Faithful on a brisk fall evening. Ran with Pat and Crystal. Legs were heavy and left knee was bothering me a little. Negative split this every mile, albeit we started with a first mile of 9:12. Went 2 out and 2 back, but looped around the neighborhood for an extra mile. Original plan was 6 total, but both of us have some collective fatigue so cut back slightly.

Friday, September 30 - 4 miles (36:28). Early morning run with Crystal. Kept it at recovery pace to have fresh legs for tomorrow's 5K. Amazing how dark it is at 6 a.m., and this morning was cold and windy. Legs felt exactly the same as yesterday, which isn't the best sign, but glad to have the run out of the way. Skipped drills to conserve some energy.

Had a dream last night that Crystal and I finished 1-2 in tomorrow's 5K (Race for Lymphoma 5K). Would be awesome if that came true. Big weekend of races with my teammates Brian and Margaret Lyons running the Twin Cities Marathon for an Olympic Trials berth. Both have been killing their workouts, and have a great chance to do so. The USA 10 Mile Championships is also this weekend - Stephen Pifer is competing, so hoping he can finish high there. Good luck to all!