The Road to Berlin begins...

Chicago Marathon goes lottery, Nick Symmonds switches to Brooks, American Elites New Years resolutions, Shalane/Ritz headline US Boston squad, new Arizona elite running, Bekele to marathon debut in Paris, not so fast, Mo, we need more sleep, Galen Rupp runs 13:01 indoors, and the lovely Miss Kara Goucher.

Not surprised to see Chicago go lottery, but was happy to see they were giving guaranteed entry to men who had run 3:15 or faster, and women who had run 3:45 or faster.  You shouldn't penalize those faster runners - they should be rewarded for hitting those fast times.

Sad to see that the Bekele/Farah matchup in London fizzle, out, but I understand the economics and politics of racing.  But hoping we see good debuts by both, and somewhere down the line their paths will cross.

Thursday, January 2^nd – 6 miles

Friday, January 3^rd – 6 miles

Saturday, January 4^th – 0!  Travel day to Pasadena for the BCS National Title Game!  I had made it to the Rose Bowl in 2008 when Illinois made it, but we got slaughtered and wanted some redemption with Florida State (one of my favorite teams) in the championship game!  Early flight to LA, then off the golf course for the first round of the year, where I got in plenty of hill work walking up and down the heavily sloped fairways!

From hotel balcony

Pasadena

Sunday, January 5^th – 6 miles.  Ran to downtown Pasadena and back, then headed on some side streets towards the mountains.  Very cool to watch the city taking down all the stadium seating on the Rose Bowl parade route, and even more cooler to be running in sunny and 75 degrees while St. Louis was getting slammed with 15”+ of snow!  Enough of the bragging – was a cool area to run around, and anticipation was growing higher for the big title game on Monday night!  Got to go check out a Lakers game at night in downtown LA – very cool experience!  33 miles this week, 24 miles in January, 24 miles in 2014.

Monday, January 6^th – ~5 miles.  Ran out towards the mountains from our hotel, and looped around the area for as much as what 45 minutes could get me.  I know Pasadena isn’t at altitude, but it sure felt like it the way I was breathing!  Outside of the uphill going out, the terrain was relatively flat.  Awesome weather (70’s and sunny), and crazy nervous for the big game later on that night!  Fast forward to the end – one of the craziest games of all time, and definitely amazing to watch one of my favorite teams win a national title with a comeback for the ages and the game winning TD with 13 seconds left!!!  We partied like it was 1999! (coincidentally last time FSU won a National Title).

 

The Rose Bowl

FSU - National Champions!

Tuesday, January 7^th – 0!  Travel day back, and some much needed sleep from the crazy weekend!

Wednesday, January 8^th – 6 miles.  Ran Forest Park with Kyle and Mike.  Because of the awful trail conditions, we were forced to run the roads instead of the trails.  The roads were wet and had some slick spots, and we jumped on part of the trail on Skinker which was still lightly covered in snow/slush/ice.  Didn’t feel too hot starting out, but made it through ok.  49:17 is what I had on my watch total.

Thursday, January 9^th – ~5 miles.  Ran in Forest Park with Kyle, Hatcher (for one mile), and Matty D (for one mile).  Drills beforehand in front of the VC to loosen me up.  We kept running into people on our run, so was nice to have some company.  The trails were still covered, so we looped around the roads once again.  Nice and easy pace, and felt pretty comfortable the entire way.  42 minutes and some change.

Friday, January 10^th – 4 miles

Saturday, January 11^th – 4 miles.  Ran easy with Kyle who was in town.  Village Circle a couple times, and my legs felt like complete crap.  A little windy outside, and cold, but it got done.  30 minutes or so total. 

Sunday, January 12^th – 6 miles.  A sorry attempt at a long run turned into many Village Circle loops.  I won’t give the ghastly details, but it was ugly.  Lucky to finish under an hour.  30 miles this week, 54 miles in January, 54 miles in 2014.

Monday, January 13^th – 6 miles.  Ran Big River group run with Kyle and Tim.  We did an improvised route, since River Des Peres is still closed, and picked it up a little after Tim broke off.  49 minutes for a little over 6 miles, but felt pretty good in the process.

Tuesday, January 14^th – 6 miles.  Forest Park loop with Craig, Justin, Crystal, and Kyle.  What started out as an easy run got a little faster as we progressed forward.  Because of the high winds, I tried to tuck in, and started getting really tired as we made our way closer to the zoo.  Initial plans were to run Crystal in for her 4 miles, but she wanted to finish out the loop so we trudged onwards.  There was some separation in our group, and I picked it up to catch Kyle and Crystal and we flew in to finish the run.  Having the Skinker downhill and tail wind helped tremendously J  45:27 on my watch, low 13’s for the last 2 miles.

Wednesday, January 15^th – 8 miles.  Lovely track night at SLU with Crystal on a pretty cold evening.  20 degrees with a slight breeze, but much better after we warmed up.  Crystal had a 50 minute steady state run, and I volunteered to jump in for part of it before I did my first speed workout of the year (2 minute on, 1 minute off fartlek).  We started off at low 7 minute pace, but then the lights went off (much, much, much easier to do speedwork with light) and Crystal ran to text Coach Bradley to turn them back on so I finished up my warmup.  Did 2 miles with Crystal, before starting my workout, and aimed more for a hard effort feel for my mentality versus being so focused on time.  So did 8 repeats (didn’t want to push with the harder 2 miler, and being so early in this block), and felt relatively good in the process.  1 mile cooldown to finish it out.  2 mile splits were 6:48, 6:38, 400 meter splits on my fartlek were 92-96 seconds.

Thursday, January 16^th – ~6 miles.  Did a South City loop with Fenley after work.  We ran north (I think) on the roads and looped back, hitting a lot of areas I had run around before.  The roads in south city confuse the heck out of me, but I’m getting better at it.  Terrain was rolling hills, but was nice to do an easier pace as my legs were pretty tired.  Fenley had 6.25 miles in 53:40 or so (8:30ish pace).

Hill workout tonight, and some basic running over the weekend.  The long road back begins…

2013 in Review

Finishing up 2013...

Thursday, November 14^th – 7 miles

Friday, November 15^th – 4 miles

Saturday, November 16^th – 5 miles (GOTR 5K - 20:39).  Windy day to run a race.  Talked Craig into running with me, and we did a 2 mile warmup before jumping into the race.  Same course as the old St. Pat’s course, and we lined up on Market before taking off west towards SLU and turning on Compton and coming back towards downtown on Olive.  Wanted to treat this race as a tempo to get in some speed, since it’s been awhile since I’ve pushed myself period.  Well, started off pretty decent with the tailwind but once we hit that huge long ascent up Market, my legs started tiring pretty quickly.  0 strength whatsoever.  Turning onto Olive was even more of a rude awakening – the wind was just really strong, and was killer coming down that huge hill and feeling like you’re running with a parachute on your back.  On top of it all, I was running by myself and had no one to work with, so that portion of the race was pretty rough on the body.  Last half mile was cruise control with no one around  me and hamming it up and pumping up the crowd.  Fun times, and hung out a bit with the BRR crew and Craig before calling it a day.  2^nd in my age group, and won a ridiculous medal.

Me and the Old Man

Sunday, November 17^th – 6 miles.  76 miles in November, 2029 miles in 2013.

Monday, November 18^th – 4 miles.  Ran Big River group run with Kyle and Craig.  First time at group run in forever!  Ran the improvised 4 mile loop, and was cruising towards the end.  Felt nice and easy, and good to have Kyle out there.  31 minutes and some change.

Tuesday, November 19^th – 4 miles

Wednesday, November 20^th – 6 miles

Thursday, November 21^st – 6 miles

Friday, November 22^nd – 4 miles

Saturday, November 23^rd – 6 miles.  Ran pretty early with Mike before heading back to Peoria for Thanksgiving with the family.  It was 23 degrees and chilly as ****.  We ran Home Depot and back, and picked it up quite a bit heading back in once we got warmed up.  Most layers I have worn in a long time – maybe went a little too overboard, as I was sweating like a fat pig towards the end.  Great to have Mike back on the trails with me!  50:04 total.

Sunday, November 24^th – 0!  No excuses, just got home late from Peoria, then vegged out all day.  Cold, turkey hangover, football contributed to my running demise.  30 miles this week, 106 miles in November, 2059 miles in 2013.

Monday, November 25^th – ~4.5 miles.  Ran Big River group run with an out of town guest, Ben Rosario!  Very cool to catch up with him, as we did the Francis Park loop and headed back.  The original plan was to do drills in the dark at DuBourgh, but having good company helped sway that.  Weather was perfect, and I found myself leading the entire group through the park which is too fast for me.  Oh well, felt amazing though!  33:26 overall.

Tuesday, November 26^th – 4 miles.  Ran with Crystal after work on the trails.  20-25 mph winds and 20 degree weather = miserable.  We ran out towards Home Depot into the wind, and could barely breathe.  It was quite funny trying to talk, then have 20-30 second pauses so we could catch our breath!  Coming back, we dropped almost 20 seconds per mile with half the effort.  Always love it when we have to remind ourselves to slow down, even though it feels easy.  30:26 (15:27/14:57) overall.

Wednesday, November 27^th – 5 miles

Thursday, November 28^th – 11 miles (2 up, KIRKWOOD TURKEY TROT 3 MILER (18:57), KIRKWOOD TURKEY TROT 6 MILER (45:00)).  Warm up with Colby and Crystal on the course, then headed back to shelter because it was bloody cold outside!  15-20 degrees, but not much wind so relatively tolerable.  First time in forever I have been home, so took the opportunity to run the popular Kirkwood Turkey Trot, as well as double up for the 6 miler to cool down.  Paired up with Fenley and we talked about tempoing the 3 mile.  I was targeting 6:25-6:30 pace, so was not overly pleased to see me take us out in 6:06 first mile (it felt ridiculously easy), so we slammed on the brakes and held back on the second mile.  Once we started coming back towards the finish, we finally got locked in and worked our way back towards downtown Kirkwood with a few inclines but relatively easy course.  Fenley picked it up the last mile and I let him go, but pushed enough to slide under 19 minutes.  Great confidence booster as the effort wasn’t too hard, and I felt very controlled despite the inconsistent splits (6:06, 6:37, 6:14).  Changed clothes for the 6 miler (cooldown), and started running with Colby and Crystal before Crystal dropped the pace and took off (yes Crystal, I know you are reading this and you did drop the pace whether you didn’t think so!).  Legs weren’t feeling the best, so didn’t make too much of an effort to catch up and ran with Fenley for awhile.  Made the mistake of wearing a hoodie, as I was getting super warm out there.  Basically jogged the last 2 miles, since they back end of the 6 mile course was pretty damn hilly and my legs were super tired.  Pleased to see a 7:30 average pace on a hilly course for my cooldown with me basically walking in the last half.

 

Colby and I

Wolfpack Representation

Friday, November 29^th – 4 miles

Saturday, November 30^th – 6 miles.  140.5 miles in November, 2093.5 miles in 2013.

Sunday, December 1^st – 10 miles.  44.5 miles this week, 10 miles in December, 2103.5 miles in 2013.

December 2^nd – 8^th – 42 miles.  Long run with Colby and Jon on a ridiculously cold morning was the only run that comes to mind.  Sh*tty road conditions with a recent snow fall, and an upset stomach made for an interesting run but still got it in!  52 miles in December, 2145.5 miles in 2013.

 

Guess the runners?

December 9^th – 13^th – 29 miles.  Lots of easy runs here.

Saturday, December 14^th – 7.5 miles.  Pere Marquette trail run on a snowy morning.  Took 2 hours to drive to the race site, and Grafton got a good 6-7 inches of snow, which was going to make this race very, very interesting.  Traded bibs with Colby to give him better positioning, and started back with Marc, Gibbs, and Craig.  It was pretty evident right from the beginning that this was going to be a slow race, as the paths were covered and packed down from all the runners in front of us.  Marc would later say that he could tell his kids about the time he ran in a luge track – pretty much summed up this year’s Pere Marquette race!.  After about 5 pretty nasty falls, a few snow balls from Craig, countless mountains to climb, snow falling everywhere from the trees, and a ridiculously fun time, we finished the race.  Pretty much the trail runner’s equivalent to an IM, and what a beastly race it was!  Even though we went slow, I felt like I had ran a pretty hard tempo afterwards.  Ran with Marc pretty much the entire way, and enjoyed the experience immensely!

 

Wolfpack Runs PM

Marc and I battling through the snowy wilderness

Crazy snow

Sunday, December 15^th – 0!  Crappy conditions, exhaustion, football, and sore legs = no run.  (excuses, excuses)  Legs and back were pretty beat up from Pere Marquette – it felt like I had been in a bad car accident.  But fun weekend, and we laid low all day.  36.5 miles this week, 88.5 miles in December, 2182 miles in 2013.

Monday, December 16^th – 3 miles.  Ran Big River U City group run, since they were doing a Ugly Xmas Sweater run.  Well, I forgot my sweater, but had a red top and a green undershirt so hopefully that counts.  Had planned on running longer, but the sidewalk and road conditions in the University City area were awful.  We ran up Delmar before turning on Hanley and running through that area.  After slipping numerous times, Tim and I decided to go slower and just run the 3 mile loop.  Probably not in our best interest to slip and crack our head on the sidewalks.  No watch, but it was pretty slow. 

Big River U City Sweater Run!

Tuesday, December 17^th – 6 miles.  Gibbs arranged an impromptu Forest Park run, so Pat, Crystal, and I joined to run the FOPA loop.  Started as a group, but Crystal, Huelsmann, and Brian Lyons (STL running royalty and stud) separated and got into cruise control by the third mile.  We did reverse loop, and it was tricky because there was a ton of black ice out there.  Because I have been running so infrequently this winter, going fast wasn’t an issue like it normally is.  Typically I’m so beat up that I can barely go sub 8 on easy runs, but it’s been nice to be able to push it when needed.  Anyways, effort felt harder, but very manageable and it was a fun group to run with.  44:51 total, and our last 4 miles were low 7’s.  Schlafly Bottleworks afterwards with the group!

Wednesday, December 18^th – 7 miles (2 up, 9x200, 2 down).  SLU Track workout with Crystal.  As this was my first track workout in months (well I did do a fartlek a little bit ago, but it’s been awhile otherwise), I was a little nervous going in and definitely need to build up slowly.  Lights were out at SLU, and we were the only ones out there which was kind of nice actually.  Some snow on the track, but lane 1 was clear which is pretty much all we needed.  Quick warmup, then some form drills and dynamic lunges (a new set of drills that recently got incorporated into Crystal’s workouts).  My God, after doing a couple sets, my legs bypassed the traditional rubbery feel after a workout right into instant sore.  That’s how I’ll always remember my first attempt at these – just pure pain.  Anyways, my plan was to do 200’s, and Crystal had 3 x (2x200, 1x600), so we decided to work together and I took a small break in between the second and third rep to help time/cheer before jumping in to help.  Desired pace was 37-38, and we were pretty much dead on the entire time.  More Satanic drills using the bleachers to finish out our work, then 2 mile cooldown to complete my successful track re-debut.  Happy 2000^th mile to Crystal!  Splits were: 36, 37, 38, 37, 37, 38, 37, 37, 38.

Thursday, December 19^th – 5 miles.  Legs were destroyed and attempted to run.  270 loop, then to the trails and back.  It was difficult to walk, let alone run.  Crystal had challenged me earlier with her “swift” 8:37 average, but after a 9:45 first mile I knew her time was safe.  Contemplated walking so many times, but I just wanted to get it over with.  Almost 60 degrees at night which was nice, but very strange for December weather.  ~45 minutes or so.

Friday, December 20^th – 6 miles.

Saturday, December 21^st – 3 miles.  Forest Park run with Kyle.  Was going to do my long run, but it was raining pretty heavy all morning so got in what we could.  Nice and easy, low 8 minute pace, and looped around the Muny and Zoo area.

Sunday, December 20^th – 0!  Travel day to Mexico with the family.  Pretty tired and stressed out, and the all-inclusive resort we were staying at was pretty much screaming at me to drink a few Coronas so who was I to deny?  30 miles this week, 118.5 miles in December, 2282 miles in 2013.

Monday, December 23^rd – 4 miles.  2 miles outside the resort with Anne, then 2 miles solo in the resort.  Went from 10-20 degree weather to 80-90 degrees!  Would have liked to explore more in the area, but we were advised by the staff to stay closeby because it could be dangerous.  The “beware of crocodiles” sign was also a great deterrent to stay nearby.  Nice and slow, and enjoyed a shirtless run although not sure everyone else enjoyed the ghastly sight of my out of shape body.

Tuesday, December 24^th – 6 miles.  Dreadmill time.  Wanted to take advantage of the nice gym, but treadmills are in high demand on vacation apparently.  Gonna have to start getting up earlier, methinks.  So got on and started adjusting speeds, and noticed that what I thought was 8 mph didn’t seem too difficult.  I kept speeding up until locking into what I thought was 12.5 mph., before my idiotic self realized I was running in KM/hr.  Oh well, one can dream, yes?  

Wednesday, December 25^th – 8 miles.  ~3 miles on the beach, then the rest on the dreadmill.  Fun to run on the coast line, but was running barefoot and got all busted up from the shells/rocks on the beach.  Not to mention, I was running on a diagonal surface so cut it off before I sustained a terrible injury.  Reluctantly went to the dreadmill to finish out my mileage.  Fortunately, no one was there, so could suffer in peace.  Slow, slow, slow...

Thursday, December 26^th – 0!  Travel day home, and considered running late at night but was just too exhausted when we got home.  Gonna miss my morning omelettes and reading in the hammock all day!

Friday, December 27^th – 5 miles.  Out and back solo on the trails.  Time to catch up on some podcasts and readjust to a colder running environment!  Very sluggish, but expected after a long travel day.

Saturday, December 28^th – 5 miles.  Early afternoon 4 miler out and back on the trail, then 1 mile to Pat and Crystal’s house in the PM to watch the UFC fights and the very gruesome ending of the Silva-Weidman title fight.  Not pretty to watch a guy snap his shin in half.  Easy pace for both runs – prob in the high 8’s, low 9’s range.

Sunday, December 29^th -~11 miles.  Did Arch loop with Joe from Forest Park.  Very cold and windy outside, and as we were looping through the Central West End I started thinking of the impending doom of a head wind coming in.  Felt like poop, and the hills were really getting to me by the halfway point.  We turned on Olive and Tucker, right at the base of a long downhill, and immediately got face-blasted by a stiff wind.  Made a decision to run through SLU and on Laclede coming back, which offered a little more shelter from the wind.  At this point, my legs were pretty toast and our pace had slowed down roughly 20 seconds/mile.  Not sure why I felt like crap, but every run since Mexico has felt a lot more challenging than it should have been.  ~8:25-8:30 average pace.  39 miles this week, 157.5 miles in December, 2321 miles in 2013.

Monday, December 30^th – ~4 miles.  Ran with Joe and Justin at Monday group run.  Chilly outside, and we looped around Francis Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Pretty cool that the Xmas lights are still up, as the houses near Francis Park decorate like no other.  Nice and easy pace for the 36 minutes we ran.

Tuesday, December 31^st – 5 miles.  I don’t remember this run very well for some reason, but I do remember the last couple miles and being in cruise control.  Last mile was sub 7, which is cool to see when it feels like you’re cruising.  7:20-7:30 average pace, overall.  166.5 miles in December, 2330 miles in 2013!!!

Wednesday, January 1^st – HAPPY NEW YEAR!  6 miles with the elites – best way to start off a new year of running!  My buddy Stephen was in town, and he, his wife, Crystal, and I hit up the soft trails of Glen Carbon in the morning.  Started out very sluggish, and things didn’t improve much as the pace got faster and faster as we headed back in.  We finished the last few miles in low 7 minute pace, and not completely sure of the average but was low to mid 40 minutes total.  Not the easiest run, but the company was great and had a blast!

Selfie with the fast people

2013 in Review:

Favorite Workout:

Ugh, had some good ones, but a lot of not so good ones.  This is technically a race, but was the one workout that immediately comes to mind – St. Pat’s 5 miler.  Confidence was at an all time low, and I had just started working with Kyle so he had me do a cut down tempo on a tough course.  It look a lot of discipline not to come roaring out of the gates, but stayed controlled and worked with Fenley through the first few miles before I took off at the end.  It’s always nice to perfectly execute a workout, and still feel good at the end.  Honorable mention goes to marathon pace long run solo on the trails towards Troy in May.  Nothing crazy time wise (1:09), but got locked in and hammered it out. 

Favorite Race:

There weren’t too many great ones this year, but I’ll have to go with the Macklind Mile.  Shamrock was a good PR, but disappointing because I didn’t hit my time goals.  Macklind got my mile PR closer to what I think it should be, and the 4-5 weeks of hard work really paid off.  Started out feeling kind of rough, but channeled in the pain and just drove it home the last half mile.  Had a blast, and the post race celebration was a lot of fun as well!  Honorable mention goes to Champaign Marathon Relay – didn’t have the best day, but we finished 2^nd overall and just awesome to finish with our entire team in Memorial Stadium!

Favorite Long Run:

This one is a tie, for nostalgic purposes and just overall fun in both.  First long run would be my Denver trek with Marc and Megan and running through the mountains.  Just AMAZING scenary and while altitude kicked my butt, I was fortunate to run with some good company during our mini vacation out west.  Second long run was the marathon pace run I did with Crystal.  Earlier that morning, I had paced Crystal through her tempo on my bike, and she found it in her lovely heart to do the same with me for my marathon pace run.  Just got locked in immediately, and it was a good feeling for her to tell me to slow down when I was just running effortlessly. 

2013 PR’s:

1 mile: 5:05 (Macklind Mile)

8K: 31:15 (Shamrock Shuffle)

Goals in 2014: Sub 5 minute mile, sub 31 minute 8K (if I can get fit by then), decent marathon block and training, and get back to a good race weight!

Trying to catch up November, believe it or not...

Catchup Part 2...

Saturday, November 2^nd – 6 miles.  Jogged 2 up with Megan to the 5K start over on 1^st and 47^th, right outside the United Nations Building.  Because of my utter stupidity, I wrote down “18:30” as my desired pace, thinking it was desired finishing time.  Thus, I received a race number that was probably the highest one available, and a good tongue lashing from Kyle on how stupid I was (very accurate and well deserved).  Anyways, I had the pleasure of trying to sneak into the Red Corral (1^st corral), which was blocked off by security who were pretty much checking every single bib that walked through.  Eventually made my way in (assist to Kyle to distracting one of the security guards so I could sneak in quickly), and we all walked our way up to the actual start.  Kyle and I decided we were going pretty easy, so just went out trying to establish position and enjoy the privilege of running in NYC.  And what a fun time it was – just bullsh*t the entire time, and got locked into a comfortable pace and had so much fun running through downtown New York City – I mean how often do they shut the streets down in one of the busiest cities in the world?  Ran down First Avenue and passed some scenic points like 30 Rock, and Radio City Music Hall.  We made our way into Central Park, and it was kind of a mess because there were so many walkers/joggers that weren’t running so I can only imagine the congestion later.  The turn towards Tavern on Green triggered a lot of fun memories from 2007.  We crossed the finish line together, and waited for Megan and Trisha to finish, then hung out before heading back to the hotel.  Met up with my aunt for dinner in Korea town at this very posh loungy Korean restaurant with unreal views of the city from multiple angles.  Fun, fun day!  21:30 was my 5K time.

Kyle and I post race

The masses lining up in their corrals

From Corral A

Walking up the start right outside the United Nations Building

Right before the start!

Running down First Avenue

Selfie

Motoring on

Ahhh - Central Park!

Last mile

Headed towards the finish

2nd race in NYC complete!

Group photo post race

Sunday, November 3^rd – 6 miles walking (probably more).  This isn’t going to count for my miles, but the craziness of the New York Marathon made for quite a bit of walking around the city.  Met with Katie (Shane’s wife) and Trisha over on 1^st and 87^th, then walked a good portion to try to get some space on the fence/side of the road so we could watch the runners.  Finally squeezed in, and managed to see Shane, Tim, and Marc all pass by before we walked over to Central Park about 5 blocks away.  I had forgotten how insane the crowds got in NYC, and the heavy wind and spitting rain on a cold day didn’t help.  Watched the runners go through before attempting to meet up with Tim on the other side of the park.  2 hours later (a train ride, cab ride, an hour of walking, and I'm sure I'm missing something else), we finally accomplished our task, and the celebration officially began!  After showering and cleaning up, headed out to dinner at Craftbar in Union Square (very, very good restaurant with reasonable prices) and hit the town for some celebratory drinks.  I’m glad my buddies have joined me as NYC Marathon alumni, and congratulations to all the runners for finishing what I strongly feel is the greatest marathon in the world!  Pretty special for me to spectate those guys, as they were all out to support me when I ran NYC in 2007 – pretty cool circular effect.

Number pickup

The pastrami on rye lived up to the hype!

Times Square

Rockafellar Center

Weird things happen the night before the marathon

First Ave spectating (right between Miles 17-18)

Central Park between Miles 23-24

Timmy!

Hair to the Victors!

Monday, November 4^th – 0!  Travel day back, and just didn’t get out.  Back was sore but still holding up ok. 

Tuesday, November 5^th – 4 miles.  And the comeback trail begins!  Slow 4 mile solo at home – 270 loop and some change.  Back was very stiff, but managed to move just fine.  The important thing was I didn’t feel any pain shooting down my legs, and eventually loosened up and got in a good groove.  By the way, I absolutely love fall running – it’s great to be able to run outside with either a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt, and not feel like I’m suffocating from sweat/heat.  The daylight’s saving time kind of sucks, as it’s completely dark by the time I get home from work.

Wednesday, November 6^th – 8 miles.  Couldn’t find anyone initially to run with, but eventually got Yoch to run with me.  Hit the mean streets of Collinsville and Maryville, and ran pretty late around the cities on a rolling hills loop out and back.  Felt a little tired starting out, but felt great coming back in with a tailwind coming back (15 mph winds and 45 degrees) so consequently pushed the pace a little.  I feel very tentative on hills, and there’s some strength I need to build up this winter.  First longer run in awhile, and was pleased with how I felt overall.  1:03:12 overall (32:26/30:46)

Thursday, November 7^th – 6 miles.  Ran Forest Park loop with Justin and Craig after work.  Wow was it dark out there!  Fortunately, both those guys brought head lamps, so we cruised around the loop for my first FOPA run in God knows how long?  Back held up ok, and was difficult to see running through the woods but we made it through fine.  Stopped by Heavy Riff in Dogtown on the way back – cool, clean place with some good taps on their menu.  52:54 for 10K loop

Friday, November 8^th – 6 miles.  Ran Forest Park loop with Orrico and Gibbs during lunch.  Nice, sunny day but windy.  We did some an improvised loop that is generally the same as the typical loop, but with some different turns.  Legs are definitely feeling the 4 days in a row of running and everyone was tired, so we kept it nice and slow.  Feels good to have this one over with.  52:48 for 10K.  Had dinner at this steakhouse in St. Rose, IL (north of Highland) called Popeye’s Chophouse.  Pretty damn amazing, and we will be back!

Saturday, November 9^th – 6 miles (4 miles a.m., 2 miles p.m.).  The original plan was to hit 8 for the day with Colby and Crystal (he was scheduled to hit 3000 miles at the same point of my 2000^th), but then Erin went into labor so Colby was out.  Crystal and I met up, and did 4 easy on the trails towards Home Depot and back.  A lot warmer than I thought, and I was sleepwalking through the first part before we started moving.  30:02 total and felt like garbage, but more self-induced from the evening before.  Went out to help celebrate Crystal’s birthday, and had a fun night out in STL – Happy Birthday Crystal!!!  And congratulations to Colby and Erin on their healthy son, Grayson David Garman!!!

Me and the future Boston qualifier

Sunday, November 10^th – 0!  Opted for day off during this comeback period, and will save the ceremonial 2000^th mile for Monday!  

Monday, November 11^th – 6 miles.  Ran with Crystal after work on a nasty evening with 15-20 mph winds and spitting rain.  We decided to run on the trails to try to block out some of the wind, but didn’t help too much because it was strong as hell regardless.  Eventually found our turnaround, and it was pure bliss flying back with a massive tailwind.  Felt pretty awesome, and could feel myself naturally pushing the pace so had to hold back.  We hit a couple sub 7’s to close out the run – don’t remember the last time I did that on a non workout run.  Happy 2000^th mile to me!  43:13 total (22:15/20:58).

Tuesday, November 12^th – 0!  Had to run to a wake after work for Mike’s dad, and got home pretty late so ended up missing this run.  No excuses I know, but was feeling a little sore from pushing it yesterday and the rest day was nice.

Wednesday, November 13^th – 6 miles.  Ran with Craig and TVR at Forest Park.  I’ve been used to running with Crystal and her ridiculous paces the last couple days, so felt like we were literally jogging.  I can definitely feel myself getting stronger, which is a very positive thought.  The loop flew by, and we were pretty much on cruise control the entire time.  Had to hold myself back quite a few times, which is a different feeling than I pretty much experienced most of this year.  49:06 for 6 miles.

Catch up...

Michelle Beadle (ESPN), USA XC in Boulder, record setting day in Chi, Kim Smith, Marine Corps Marathon in jeopardy, NYRR 5K, Geoffrey Mutai, Ryan Hall pulls out of NYC, advice for Hall, 26 miles with Meb, 200 sub 3 hour marathons, and Nick Symmonds.

Tuesday, October 8th - ~6.5 miles.  Ran the GO! Halloween 10K course with Crystal and Tim.  Nice evening to run, and was really hobbling starting out.  We met downtown at 14th and Market (close to Union Station), then headed on Market on the old St. Pat's course up that nasty hill.  Looped back on Olive and headed towards the Riverfront, where we ran down a huge hill and turned onto a pretty flat road for a couple miles.  Scenary on the Riverfront was nice, and finally felt loose and comfortable, and could open up a little more.  Headed south, then turned back into downtown to finish out.  Very fast course but has some tricky parts - Crystal should kill it on Sunday.  Ended up pretty quick overall after a slow start (16 min first 2 miles) - 7:37 pace overall.

Wednesday, October 9th - 7 miles.  Ran after work with Megan, tacked on some extra at the end.  Nice that the weather is starting to turn very cool in the evenings, but sad it get dark so early now.

Thursday, October 10th - 6 miles (1 up, 4 x 1 mile, 1 down) - track work with Tim and Devin.  Back was still bothering me, and decided to help pace Tim through his mile repeats at desired 6:30 pace.  Loosened up on my warmup (at the middle school track), and took pacing duties and had fun with it.  Tim was struggling but hung on tight and finished strong, and I was blasting out the splits like it was nobody's business.  I wish all speedwork would feel this good.  6:28, 6:27, 6:25, 6:23 were our splits.

Friday, October 11th - 0!  Travel day to Chicago.  Got up late afternoon and missed my small window to get onto Lakeshore.  Blah.  Ate one of the top 5 dinners I have ever had in Chicago at a Mexican Restaurant called Mexique in west town.  Mexican cuisine is not my favorite, but the flavors on the food were absolutely amazing!  Ordered multiple desserts, something we have never done before!

Saturday, October 12th - 10 miles.  Met Colby and Gabe for a couple miles out on Lakeshore.  It was pretty warm outside in the morning, and felt some concern for tomorrow (late cold front washed that all away).  Met up with those guys off Lakeshore and Monroe, not too far away from Grant's Park and the start of the marathon.  We ran back north on Lakeshore before they turned around, but both looked to be excited and ready for the big race.  Caught up with Megan and hung out on the beach for a little bit before heading back.

Sunday, October 13th - 0!  Felt like complete garbage in the morning after a late night out, but stumbled outside to watch the Chicago Marathon!  What a thrill to watch one of my favorite races up close and personal!  Elites passed by quickly, then started the lookout for Colby who was dressed up in Illini orange.  Spotted him and he looked great, before catching Gabe and Larry and a few other runners I knew that were running.  Ran inside to watch the elites finish on tv (Chicago Marathon coverage is SUPERB on tv in Chi, go figure) and track all of my friends.  Watched Dennis Kimetto set a new Chicago course record, and narrowly miss out on a world record, then saw Colby finish in a mind blowing 2:48:47 PR time!  Larry finished sub 3, then everyone else I was tracking eventually finished out.  What a great day for running, and very inspirational for myself as well!  Congrats to everybody on a great race!

Lakeshore pitstop

Go Colby and Gabe!

Ritz battling

Fenley and I cheering

Colby at the 15K mark

Post race celebration

Monday, October 14th - ~5.5 miles.  Ran with Colby after work.  Yes, the Colby who had just ran 2:48 at Chicago a day earlier.  I stopped by his house to watch the baseball game, and intended on easy mileage solo around his neighborhood but he got the itch to run an easy cooldown with me instead of just sitting around waiting for me to get done.  So we ran around his area and ended up in downtown Collinsville before heading back.  A lot hillier than I thought, and we picked it up towards the end.  Very stiff starting out, but eventually loosened up and felt pretty solid at the end.  5.3 miles in 40 minutes - 7:32 pace.

Tuesday, October 15th - 4 miles

Wednesday, October 16th - 4 miles

Thursday, October 17th - ~7.5 miles.  Track work with Crystal and Tim at SLU.  She had just flown back from a week in Dallas, and recruited/forced me to join in her fartlek circuit workout.  So the fartlek was jog around the track, then run into the grass and up the hill (~100-150 meters) at 5K effort or faster and jog around the perimeter and back on the track to complete the lap, then one lap with the 2nd straightaway at hard effort.  And we did this 6 times.  Fun, challenging, different type of workout with all sorts of things to keep your mind occupied.  This was definitely different for me, and the turnover workout was very nice albeit 2 up/2 down.  Splits were: 4:27, 4:28, 4:25, 4:14, 4:08, 3:56 (25:41 total)

Friday, October 18th - 9 miles.  Ran with Jon and Crystal after work.  We intended on doing out and back on the trails, but it was so dark that we decided to hop on the roads over off 157 close to SIUE and took the roads back.  The roads might have been a mistake at that time, since it was pretty dark and traffic was heavy on a small shoulder.  So we kept picking up the pace, and my "recovery run" turned into a rather quick run instead.  Lost my cool a little since we were running so hard, and inadvertantly picked it up.  Running angry is easier than running tired.  I don't have splits, but we started at 7:50's and got down to 7:03 last mile so was moving towards the end.  High 7:20's average pace.  My legs were poo starting out (very sore from Thursday's workout), and poo finishing up.

Saturday, October 19th - 6.5 miles + strides.  Ran with Crystal and Colby early in the morning.  Ran to the track, then did some strides before heading back.  We hit the trail, then ran on Goshen before looping around Ebbets Field before the track.  Not surprisingly, my recovery day wasn't really recovery, but didn't feel bad either.  Was a good 2-3 steps behind Crystal and Colby on the strides - ridic.  ~7:30 avg. pace

Sunday, October 20th - 12 miles.  Ran with Timmy in the late morning on a windy, coolish day.  Sunny as hell, and we hit Troy loop on the trail out and back.  IT bands were really tight, and my stride was very much a shuffle.  Hence, ended up running pretty flat footed and my back was throbbing by the end.  Started out at low 8's, ended up slowing down a little but finished out.  One cool observation on this run - Runwell, a local running store that just opened up, had laid out a water station on the trail.  Very nice touch

Monday, October 21st - 5 miles.  Back was in agony, and stubbornly attempted to do some easy mileage because it was so nice outside.  Went out 2.5 miles towards Glen Carbon at low 8 minute pace, but on the way back had to take a few walk breaks because pain was shooting down my legs.  Not pretty at all.

Tuesday, October 22nd - 0!  Rain, and couldn't physically run let alone walk.  Finally sucked it up, and went to Dr. Frye's office to check it out.  My right pelvic bone was rotated inward, and a few of my lower vertebrate were off kilter so he realigned me and applied from kinesio tape.  Good news - immediate pain was gone - was really sore, but that was about it.  Bad news - no running for a few days.  Weekend golf trip + recovery = no running.

Wednesday, October 23rd - I heard no running, but didn't hear anything about biking.  So headed out to the trails to meet up with Crystal and Colby, who had their workout which I helped paced.  10 minutes at half marathon pace (5:58-5:59), 10 minutes tempo.  Both of them killed it on the trails (~5:53 average pace total), and after warmup and cooldown got in roughly 8 miles on the bike.  It was pretty chilly towards the end and started to rain.  My back was stiff as hell and a little sore, but manageable.

Well, there isn't much to say at this point.  Back became a HUGE problem the last few weeks, and suffered through some bad weeks of running.  More catchup to come on part 2, which details the last couple crazy weekends!

Mo Cowbell Recap

Cool paceband idea, great finish line images of Twin Cities Marathon, 11 year old girl wins 5K, Paula's marathon record longetivity, Geoffrey Mutai gunning for NYC record, and how long can you keep up with the Wilson Kipsang?

Friday, October 4th - 6 miles.  Recovery run.  I don't remember this at all.

Saturday, October 5th - 4 miles.  Nice and easy in the morning before the parents came into visit for the day.  Legs were a little tired but feeling relaxed.  Played golf with the parents at Gateway National and beat the rain to get in a fun round, then a nice dinner at Andria's Steakhouse in town.  Great to have family in town!

Sunday, October 6th - 15 miles.  Well, there isn't much to say other than look at the picture.  Drove to downtown St. Charles and got situated down at the course.  Was a pretty cool morning, as the temps dropped to low 50's from the 80's it was in.  Met up with Colby and Jon, and warmed up before stretching and getting loosened up.  We started, and I ran with Jon and Silker who were both doing the marathon at my half marathon pace.  Felt pretty comfortable working with them for the first couple miles, but could feel my body start to tighten and my stride start to shorten.  Well, they gapped me a little at the 2.25 mile water stop, and I tried to get comfortable but was really tightening up.  Split 20:30 for the 5K, and was getting progressively further off my splits and progressively uncomfortable as the miles picked up.  Contemplated a DNF around mile 5, but we were so far away from the start/finish area that I would have had to run 5 miles back so kept going.  So kept at it and tried to adjust, and split 42:40 for the 10K and maybe salvage something.  But it became pretty evident that it wasn't going to happen today, and consequently the last 8 miles of this race was one of the most painful death marches I've had in quite a while.  My back was spasming the last 5K, and my quads/hammies were destroyed from running flat footed to compensate.  Not my day, but congrats to Silker and Jon for their 1-2 finish in the marathon!!!  47 miles this week, 43 miles in October, 1879.5 miles in 2013.

Monday, October 7th - 0!  Back was killing me, and was hobbling around like an old man.  Kyle and I went to the Bulls game at Scottrade Center - first time I have ever seen a professional basketball game live!

Tonight, jogging the Go! Halloween 10K course with Crystal.  Easy running until I physically feel better.  Chicago this weekend for the marathon - looking forward to some Lakeshore miles and cheering Colby and Gabe on to some great PR's!