Grant Illini and Ferguson Twilight 5K Recap

Leo hoping to improve, crazy ending at the Fargo Half Marathon, this idiot woman got caught in her workman's comp claim when she was actually running the Boston Marathon, another weird runner news story, Mo Farah is a stud, don't count Haile out, Bak and the lovely Miss Kara Goucher triumph in Portland,  Shalane (sha-love), and Abel Kurui wants to follow in Sammy Wanjiru's path.

Friday, May 18th - 5 miles easy.  Did after work on the trail.  Don't remember the splits, but it was slow.

Saturday, May 19th - 13 miles (A.M.: 2 up, GRANT ILLINI 5K (19:15) - 1st Place!, 2 down.  P.M. 1.5 up, FERGUSON TWILIGHT 5K (24:15) - ? place, 1.5 down).  Pretty crazy day of running, and decided to double up for fun and hoping that I could get good morning weather for a potentially fast day since it was going to be hot that evening.  Got to the first race pretty early and warmed up with Tim before running the race.  Already sweating bullets, and uber-sunny.  Not good.  Not much competition, and literally led wire to wire.  We started at the school, and looped around a neighborhood before coming back in (out and back).  Anyways, went through the first mile in 5:50 and felt ok but the sun was brutal.  Neighborhood was fine, but the volunteers were not quick on the uptake of directing me, so wasted some energy shifting directions and having the guess on where to go.  Towards the turnaround point, went down the steepest hill I have ever raced on, and there was loose gravel everywhere so eased up substantially to avoid wiping out.  Well, thought I was going to keep going on the same road to loop around (since it was curving back towards where we came from), but then was yelled at by the volunteers to turn around (seriously, tell me before I get past you!!!), so had to climb up that mountain.  Just brutal, and it effectively ended a great time for the day because I had to slow down so much.  2nd Mile split was 6:45, if that's any indication.  Last mile, had a huge lead and literally soaked it in.  Thanked all the volunteers, put it on cruise control, posed for the cameras, and coasted in for the win.  Cooled down with Timmy (he finished 2nd and won the age group - congrats!), and enjoyed the spoils of war.  Quick meal, engagement party, then off to Ferguson for round 2.  Was pretty hot at this point - warmed up with Pat, Crystal, Matty D, and John Fenley.  Legs were just dead - earlier race, being on my feet all day, and the feat just zapped me.  Started out with Crystal, but half a mile into the race, I knew I was pretty much done (legs were noodles), so fell back and ran Pat in for a good PR.  Tough course, and it did cool down during the race but was still a little warm.  Cooled down with Crystal, Matty, and Joe Lyons and celebrated into the night.  6 Row Brewery for dinner, then guy's night out in STL!  Congrats to Crystal on her HUGE P.R. and win in the morning (17:09), and doubling back for the win at night!  3 wins for Team Sullentrup in 1 day - I consider that a big success :)

Sunday, May 19th - 0!  Late night plus early impromtu golf tournament in Lake St. Louis equals 0 miles.  The round took almost 6 hours, then we had a huge crawfish boil and hung out.  Didn't get home till almost 10 p.m.  Was completely dead by then.  42 miles this week, 115 miles for May, 817.5 miles in 2012.

Monday, May 20th - 6 miles.  Didn't feel very well and worked from home so missed group run.  Ran in the evening - just perfect outside and a lot of people on the trails.  Ran the first 1.5 miles with Megan, then finished out my workout.  Was flying coming in (not intentional), but always nice every now and then to let go.  47:28 total (25:57, 21:31 (7:40, 7:32, 6:19)).

Tuesday, May 21st - 7 miles (2 up, Reverse Ladder (1600, 1200, 800, 400), 2 down).  Megan and I did on the track after work.  Felt really sluggish, but wanted to get in some good work.  Reverse ladder is my favorite track workout - start with a mile, then keep working down in distance as you speed up.  My intention was to hit 5:50-6 on the mile, but went a little too fast.  1200 was fine, 800 was fast but felt pretty easy, and I let it loose on the 400 when I realized I was waaay ahead of pace on the 200 meter split (34 seconds).  Fun times, cooled down afterwards and did some mega-stretching.  Splits were: 1600 - 5:44; 12:00 - 4:16; 800 - 2:39; 400 - 1:09.

Easy running the rest of this week, then headed to Chitown for the weekend.  Running the Soldier Field 10 Miler on Saturday - effort depends on weather, which looks hot so far.  Looking forward to getting up there, and enjoying a fun Memorial Day weekend on my favorite trail, Lakeshore!

Timmy and I leading the charge

Victory Stroll

Post race

Franklin with his new toy

Ferguson Start

The Killer P's - Pat and I

Ferguson Eve

US Male Olympic Marathon Team, Ethiopian Team announced, Mutai wins 10K, and the lovely Miss Kara Goucher races in RNR Portland!

Thought the Ethiopian Marathon selection was a little bit of a joke.  I understand their process of rewarding the most recent best times, but to exclude Geb Gebremariam and Tsegay Kebede, both recent majors champions and possibly both the best marathoner alive for a certain amount of time, was a little shocking.  Both have competed in some ridiculous fields and have some great majors experience and have competed with the best.  I think it makes it tough for countries like Ethiopia and Kenya to not tell their athletes the selection process, so that they can properly prepare for it.  As little as I favor the U.S. selection process, at least it gives the athletes an opportunity to prepare for something.

Went to the doctor this week.  I am a mess - high blood pressure, need to get some blood work done, and now getting a sleep study done as well next month.  I may have sleep apnea, which may explain why I never have any energy, so we shall see how this all turns out.

Wednesday, May 16th - 5 miles.  Ran the Ferguson Twilight 5K with Matty D after work.  Nice night to run, but a little warm in the sun.  There was a huge running group out touring the course as well, so ended up catching up with them later on.  Course is fair, but there are a few tricky parts - first mile and a half is a climb with some rolling hills before levelling off, but then you hit one more nasty hill with about half a mile to go or so. After that, it's a nice decline and a long, flat straightaway to finish.  Should be fun, if the weather holds up!

Thursday, May 17th - 6 miles.  Out and back solo towards Troy on the trails.  Was on a time crunch, and also trying to acclimate myself a little better in the heat.  Felt really sluggish the entire time, but ended up running faster than it felt which was nice.  I'm trying to incorporate stretching and corework post run these days.  Back was a little sore, but can still move around fine.  45:01 total (23:10, 21:51).

Easy run today, then races on Saturday!  Doubling up with an early morning 5K in Fairview, then Ferguson. Weather does not look to be cooperating with some massive sun and heat headed our way, but what can you do?

Tour de Grove Recap

Janji article by Ben Rosario (turn to page 13-14), grandma collegiate athlete, Sammy Wanjiru, more Wanjiru, Geoffrey Mutai let down by Olympic selection team, and Shalane.

Friday, May 11th - 4 miles.  I vaguely remember this, but I know it was easy.

Saturday, May 12th - 7 miles (2 up, TOUR DE GROVE 5K 19:47*** (14 overall/~200, 4th age group), 2 down).  Drove down to the Grove, which is an area not too far from the city, for the Tour de Grove 5K.  I signed up impromptu - mainly for the speedwork since I missed this week, and I was already going to be down there spectating Crystal (she was shooting for a PR (sub 18)).  2 loop course around a pretty flat course with a few turns, and a somewhat decent temperature day (60's but pretty sunny).  No mile markers which was strange, but tried to make a few mental notes.  Warmed up with Crystal, Brian and Margaret, and Matt before doing some dynamic stretching and strides before we got started.  A pretty good showing by some good local runners (as well as a couple Kenyans), since the prize money was good.  The lead pack went out pretty blazing, and I went out pretty hard myself before settling down.  Was working with one guy and a Mich Ultra team girl, and went through the first mile at 5:47.  Crystal and the pack of girls she was running with were so far in front (they had to go through the first mile in the 5:20's), so was worried she went out too hard.  Anyways, got settled in, hit the first loop feeling good and moving.  Worked with the same guy for awhile (dropped the Mich Ultra girl) and we caught a few more people coming in before I dropped back a little bit.  Hit the third mile split according to Garmin in 17:59, but realized I was nowhere near the finish which meant the course was off.  Was stuck in between a couple guys, so ran it in easy and was pretty frustrated when I confirmed with a couple others that we were all almost a quarter mile long.  Later on, we found out that we weren't started at the correct spot, which lead to even more frustration since our times were all wrong, not to mention a perfectly good race day and some potentially awesome times were all erased.  Estimating I would have been right around 18:30, on a correctly marked course.

Crystal finished 3rd in a great PR of 18:01, and battled for the win - see pic below, all 3 girls were within a second of each other!  Guessing she was, at worst, low 17's and quite possibly below.  Disappointed for her  that she was robbed of a career day, but a hell of a PR nonetheless and proof that sub 18 is a moot point now and it's just a matter of how low she dips below the mark.

Sunday, May 13th - 9 miles.  Ran with Pat, Crystal, and Kyle.  Legs were pretty shredded, and was pretty beat from a long night with some friends.  Beautiful day outside, but the sun was pretty intense.  Did out and back on Old Faithful, hit 1:15:32 total, I believe.  35 miles this week, 73 miles for May, 775.5 miles for 2012.

Monday, May 14th - 7 miles.  Ran group run, and Justin talked me into doing the 7 mile loop with him.  Nice day to be outside, but pretty warm.  Legs were pretty dead, but made it through the loop ok.  55:30 total.

Tuesday, May 15th - 6 miles (1 up, 2x1000 tempo, 1x1200 5K pace, 4x200 mile pace, 1 down).  Track work with Megan, Pat, and Crystal at middle school track.  Coach Crystal got this fun track workout from Coach Tim, so through it in there since I was racing again this weekend.  Warmed up, then hit the first rep before having to make a pit stop for some major stomach issues.  Finished the workout without much problems, and really liked it.  Had to work, but not too hard, and got some good turnover work as well.  Cooled down with Megan afterwards - splits were: 2x1000 - 3:48, 3:44; 1x1200 - 4:15; 4x200 - 36, 36, 35, 35.

Tonight, running the Ferguson 5K course for a preview.  Easy running the rest of the week, then racing over the weekend!

                                    

Chilling with Crystal prerace                                                                                   

                                   

Lining up at the start

Going through the first loop

Dramatic female finish

Podium - congrats Crystal!!!

Stupid back

New type of workout?, Shalane, Kenyan Marathon team, Makau versus Geb, book on Sammy Wanjiru, US Olympic Marathon team running the Healthy Kidney 10K this weekend, Bekele is doubling up, and Lopez Lomong.

Monday, May 7th - 4.5 miles + drills.  Ran with Crystal at the Big River group run. Decided to try a different route around Francis Park instead of looping around like usual.  Back was really bothering me, but eventually loosened up.  No idea the pace, but probably 8:15-8:30 average, overall.

Tuesday, May 8th - 0!  Back was in agonizing pain.  Here we go again.  Wanted to go to speedwork, but went home instead of stretched for awhile and rested.  Not ideal

Wednesday, May 9th - 6.5 miles.  Ran with Matty D in Forest Park.  Back was a little better, but not much.  Really stretched hard in the Visitor's Center before he arrived.  The STL Track Club series had started, so was a packed house.  Nice day to be outside, but the sun was making it warm.  Averaged 7:30 pace all around - fun times.  Congrats to Matty for successfully defending his thesis earlier that day and graduating with his Masters degree from SLU!!!

Thursday, May 10th - 4 miles.  Bright and early with Crystal.  Out and back towards Home Depot on a cool morning.  Back was stiff, but a little better.  34:57 total.

Signed up for the Tour de Grove 5K impromptu on Saturday, so we'll see how it goes.  Just trying to get in a nice workout - nothing more than that.  Weather should be ok, so if I feel good I'll go for it!

Janji Product Release/Triad 5K Race Recap

This last week seemed to be the longest running week ever.  My plate was pretty full all week, so that probably didn't help things.  One of the cool events I had the privilege to attend was the Janji Launch Party on Thursday night.  Janji is a new apparel line which is aiming to fight global water/food issues through the sales of their products (approximately $4 from each sale will help provide clean water/food in selected impoverished countries).  The initial countries they are looking to assist are Kenya and Haiti - all of the apparel has some sort of that country's theme in the design.  For instance, the shorts that I purchased are in the Kenyan national colors, and has some of the flag design printed on the shorts.  One of the owners, Dave Spandorfer, is a buddy and fellow Big River runner, and did a fantastic job to help create this wonderful concept.  Big River Running carries the new Janji products, so stop in today to pick up a pair of shorts or a shirt, and help out the cause!

Monday, April 30th - 0!  Legs were shot, and ended up going to the Blues playoff game instead.  Awful game, as it would end up being the last STL home game of the season.  Pretty mad at myself for not getting in that one more mile to hit 200 for April, but oh well.  199 miles for April, 702.5 miles in 2012.

Tuesday, May 1st - 6 miles.  Timmy came into town at night, so we ran out and back towards Troy on the trail.  Legs felt like garbage, but eventually loosened up.  Hot and humid outside, and I felt like poop.  53:04 total.

Wednesday, May 2nd - 6 miles.  Ran this solo and home - trail run out and back towards Troy.  I remember splitting low 37's through 5 miles, and needing to slow down which I did.  Low 45's overall for the run.

Thursday, May 3rd - 6 miles.  Treadmilled it at my buddy's apartment gym complex.  I forgot how much I truly despise the "dreadmill".  I kept looking at the LED screen to see where I was at and would get infuriated when it was only 0.06 miles further (even thought it seemed like it should have been a mile further), and it seemingly took forever to go through the workout.  Not to mention, air circulation was awful inside the complex.  48 something overall.  Afterwards, went to the Janji launch party at the Big River's West County store, and officially bought the first pair of Janji apparel!

Friday, May 4th - 4 miles.  Ran solo and kept the effort very easy.  Out and back on the trail sans watch, so guessing 35-40 minutes.  Legs were a little bit beat still, so hopefully not too bad tomorrow.  At night, went to the symphony which was amazing as usual - the main feature was Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which I had the privilege of performing with the SIUE Symphony Orchestra back in the day.  Amazing to hear in person though!  Dinner at Triumph Grill, not very far from Powell Symphony Hall and pretty much on SLU's campus.  Very cool place to eat at, and great food!

Saturday, May 5th - 4 miles (1 up, TRIAD 5K (19:10, 3rd place overall/?).  Woke up bright and early and drove down to the race with Tim.  It was already getting warm and very sunny, and figured this might be a nasty day because of the humidity (80-90%).  Warmed up with Mike and Tim, and just felt like crap.  Very sluggish, and not with it.  Got off to a good start, but immediately fell behind 4 people on the first mile.  Some  guy was working off me and literally on my @ss, so kept weaving until he finally got the picture and got off me.  Split the first mile at 5:54 (perfect), and tried to get locked in.  Made a few turns through some neighborhoods before turning around in a cul-de-sac and headed back towards the finish.  At this point, didn't feel very good and the weather was starting to get to me, especially with 0 shade.  Split 12:10 through 2 miles (ugh), but just didn't have it nor any legs for that matter.  Passed a guy to get into 4th place, and started reeling in the 3rd place guy (annoying drafter). Pulled up to him at about the 2.5 mile mark, then summoned what little strength I had left and made a move.  Before we turned towards the finish, looked over my shoulder and saw that the coast was clear, and fell into cruise control and finished the race.  Mike and Tim finished shortly after, and we hung out for a bit with Crystal, who came to spectate.  Mike and Tim both won their age groups (Tim PRed!), so reasons to celebrate!  0 cooldown afterwards - just felt like poop, and didn't want to move.  My time was pretty much garbage, splits were all over the map, but got the most out of what I could get that day.  Podium finish and some bling made me feel a little better though.

Sunday, May 6th - 12 miles.  Ran with Crystal and Mike bright and early.  6:30 a.m. start, and it was already in the 70's with 80-90% humidity.  Legs were just dead, and knew this was going to be a rough long run.  Fortunately, Crystal was merciful, and tucked in behind Mike and I and let us dictate the pace.  Out and back on Old Faithful - started to really get tired around mile 5 as we climbed up Meridian, but felt better coming back.  The sun was getting to me in the unshaded spots, and my legs weren't responding very well.  Last mile was a war of attrition, but we survived.  1:41 and some change overall (~8:26 average pace), and about 10 lbs. of water weight which was sweated away.  This is going to be a rough summer.  In the afternoon, made it to the Civil Life Brewery in south STL for their "Pigs and Pints" festival.  Very cool festival with some great food and beer.  They roasted a couple pigs (the pork was mouthwatering!), and had a lot of local produce brought in for some delicious side salads, and we sampled quite a few of their beers (Dunkel was my favorite).  A great time to end a fun weekend!  38 miles this week, 38 miles for May, 740.5 miles for 2012.

Hoping this week of running is better.  Last week was definitely forgettable, as there wasn't much to get excited about.  The weather looks like it's going to cooperate though (low 70's all week), and hopefully the humidity simmers down as well.  Group run and drills tonight!

                     Timmy, me, and Crystal

                      Rafa pose after the race with Mike and Tim

                     Franklin examining his new "toy"

Illinois Marathon 10K Recap

Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite Recap for Men, for Women, and Lopez Lomong gets away with one.

Wednesday, April 25th - 6 miles.  Ran solo on the trails and looped around town.  Legs were complete garbage, and could barely function.  9:20 min/mile average pace.

Thursday, April 26th - 4 miles.  Joined Crystal after her drills and strides, and ran around town.  Don't remember time, but kept it low-mid 8's.  Felt better, but legs were still putty.

Friday, April 27th - 2.5 miles.  Ran easy before we took off for Champaign.  Spent some quality time with the foam roller, as well.  Drove up to Champaign, hit up the expo and a quick dinner at Applebees, then got settled into the hotel nice and early.  A lot colder in central Illinois than home, and praying for no rain on Sat. (per weather reports).

Saturday, April 28th - 22 miles (yes, you read that correctly): 2 up, ILLINOIS MARATHON 10K (39:35 PR; 8/2221 overall, 2/104 age group), 14 down).  Woke up bright and early to some nasty rain, and headed to the course.  Relatively light traffic to the race, but took a little bit to get to the parking lot (Assembly Hall).
Walked over to Assembly Hall and met up with Colby (running his debut marathon), and Gibbs (running the 1/2 marathon, paced by Crystal).  The 10K started roughly 45 minutes after the marathon start, so I was going to take my time to change and get warmed up since we were parked close by.  Weather was starting to get a little better since the rain was letting up, but it was a bit windy and cool (40's).

Walked everyone to the start, before heading off to the parking lot of find the car so I could change and get ready (no gear check for 10Kers).  Only I couldn't find the car, and frantically searched for a good 25 minutes, running up and down the aisles!  So obviously panic had settled in, and thoughts of not being able to run the race because of all the crap I was carrying seeped into my head.  So at 7:15 (15 minutes before start of the race), decided to attempt to check in my bag and pray that the organizers/volunteers would hear my pleas.  I summoned up all the charm I had, and thankfully the crew took my bag and I rushed off to get a quick 10 minute warmup.  Lined up in the corral, did some dynamic stretching before starting off.  Went out with a group of 10 or so, and went out fast the first mile before settling into pace and falling off the lead pack.  Literally was running by myself for the last 5 miles, and into this nuisance of a wind which was swirling.  Between miles 2 and 3, caught a younger kid who had gone out hard with the lead group.  Felt kind of bad, since he was looking over his shoulder every 10 seconds as I was rapidly closing in on him, and tried to encourage him to keep up but he was literally out of my sight by the 3rd mile.  Got locked in, picked off a couple more people down the stretch, then coasted towards the finish.  Last mile, you work back into campus and towards Memorial Stadium.  There is this annoying U-Turn towards the end, before heading onto the field and towards the 50 yard line, where the finish is.  Super cool finish, and definitely one of my more favorites I have ever done.  Very pleased about the race - executed the plan perfectly, technically PRed, and felt pretty good the entire way without expending too much energy.  Stretched out on the field, ran into Mike Kettler who had finished the half marathon (1:19 despite multiple walk breaks), then hung around to watch Gibbs and Crystal finish before heading back to the car and changing so I could get ready to run Megan in.

Of course, Pat finds the car immediately, so change and head out towards 1st and Green St, which was right at the halfway point of the race.  Met up with Megan shortly after we got there, and weaved through downtown Champaign before heading out to the other side of town.  Glad I made it out there earlier than later, because the crowd was pretty sparse on the back half and the runners were so spread out that it would have been mentally brutal to run by yourself.  Megan's legs were tired, so worked on settling her into an easier pace.  Picked off quite a few runners over the next 6 miles or so, which is always a great confidence boost.  Once we got to mile 20, we started focusing a mile at a time.  Had a hill around the mile 24 mark which caused a small walk break, but Megan snapped out of it when she was passed by a runner who had passed her earlier on (Megan passed her around mile 10), so she focused all her anger/competitive drive on beating her.  Passed her shortly after, then worked on gapping her the rest of the way.  Last mile was cool, because I had literally run the same last mile in my race, so could really talk her through it.  We dipped under a bridge onto Stadium Dr. before making the turn onto First St., which was the last quarter mile or so.  Saw Pat and Crystal right before we turned into the ramp towards Memorial Stadium, and Megan started to get choked up.  I told her to enjoy every step because this is what she had worked for, and let her finish in a blaze of glory.  Welcome to the club, Megan!

An awesome part of the race is that the officials will let anyone with a bib onto the field, so was able to get back in and meet up so we could get to the car.  Got a quick brunch downtown, before heading back to the hotel for a much deserved nap.  Had dinner reservations at Destihl's, (micro-brew pub with AWESOME food) which was absolutely amazing, then headed to Old Chicago to meet up with Gibbs and Colby.  Gibbs ran very well (1:36), and Colby killed it in his debut marathon (2:57), so we had a few victory brews to celebrate!

Sunday, April 29th - 4 miles.  Drove back from Champaign in the morning, and literally crashed out all afternoon.  Legs were pretty shredded, and didn't feel good.  Did late at night, and wasn't moving too fast.  270 loop plus some change.  No watch, but guessing closer to 40 minutes total.  52 miles this week, 199 miles in April, 702.5 miles in 2012.

Successful weekend of running, and happy to be home.  Easy running all week, some track work in between, and the Triad 5K this weekend.

Champaign Eve

Abdi, Kenyan Olympic Team announced!, Jenny Simpson, and Jackie Pirtle-Hall.

So the Kenyan Olympic Team was announced.  Not overly surprised to see Kipsang (London Marathon champion last weekend) and Kurui (2 time reigning World Champion) make the team, but Moses Mosop over Geoffrey Mutai?  Mosop did finish Rotterdam in 2:05:02 on a crappy day, so a great addition to the team but I still think Kenya is making a huge mistake by not inviting Geoffrey Mutai, who I believe is the best marathoner alive.  Regardless, a stacked team, so we'll see how things pan out this summer.

Monday, April 23th - 4.5 miles + drills and strides.  Group run with Crystal, and partial drills and strides at DuBourgh afterwards.  Kind of a pain, since there was a youth track practice going on, and they weren't too good about sharing lanes.  Legs were a bit beat, so laid off the lunges and concentrated more on the form drills and strides.  36:02 for the run portion.

Tuesday, April 24th - 9 miles (3 up, 2x2 miles tempo, 2 down).  Ran with Crystal and Sunny after work at Forest Park.  Hadn't run this nasty 2 mile loop in a while, so was definitely not looking forward to this workout.  Wanted to hit around 10K pace in a controlled workout, and not tax myself too much with the 10K coming up this weekend, so decided on 6:20-6:30 pace, depending on the conditions.  80 degrees and slightly breezy, but definitely a hot day!  Warmed up around FP, then ran an extra mile while the girls did their first rep (opted for 2x2 vs 3x2 because of race week), then jumped in.  Felt amazing on the first rep, and was definitely moving around very well but too fast.  Tucked in behind Sunny and kept clipping her feet - oops!  Intentionally scaled back the last rep, and felt ok but the 2nd mile (hiller) was tiring and had to push at the end to keep up the pace.  Slow cooldown, then hard stretching afterwards.  All in all, very pleased with this workout.  Felt controlled, and pretty strong.  2 mile splits were: 12:19 (6:10, 6:09), 12:34 (6:15, 6:19).

Lots of easy running this week, and stretching.  Making it a point to watch nutrition and get more sleep.  Leaving for Champaign on Friday morning, so more to come...