Marathon

Well, two weeks ago my friend/college housemate/college teammate came to visit and to run the Honolulu marathon. We had a great time and I really enjoyed my first marathon. Our goal was 3:10 to qualify schabby for Boston. We were on pace through the half, but I think the warm weather started to catch up with my friend, so with his permission I set off on my own course. I dropped the pace down from about 6:45's to 6:00's and it was going well until I realized I still had 10k to go and I wasn't feeling so hot. You see this was suppose to just be a training run, so I backed off to 7 flat and brought it home in 2:58:13. So my second half was 1:25. Not bad.

The past two weeks have been filled with Christmas shopping and finishing school. My body has been acting funny and although I am not sick, I haven't been feeling so hot. Training wise I have just been doing easy runs. I will get back into training in January. I am trying to peak for a few races over the summer so it's back to doing base mileage and this time I am following Lydiard's training especially since I picked up at copy of Running with Lydiard.

Shitter Get Off The Pot

First, sorry. Second, sorry. Have been really busy and trying to get everything done at work, as well as spending time with Kristine. The Honolulu marathon is in a few days and one of my college roommates is in to run it with me. Actually, he is the one that made me sign up. So, I'm off to the expo tomorrow and then it's time to run.

I say run on purpose. I am trying to convince myself not to race it, but we'll see. I took this week easy after 4-5 weeks of buildup. I am using the marathon as a long run. I think the plan is to run through 13.1 miles at normal run pace then after the half way point I am going to pick it up a little.

New Training

Since I started training at the end of October I have been inspired to train according to Lydiard's model. To date, I have only followed it half heartedly. My main focus has been to just get time on my feet, which is a part of his theory. Basically, I am going to go into it full bore. The one adjustment that I am going to make is that I am going to do a 2 week cycle that I will do twice (that's 4 weeks) and then a week easier, which will be 5 weeks. I have noticed after many years that I need to give my body a week of easier runs to recover. It is always hard to cut back a bit because at the end of 4 weeks I always feel awesome and then I keep pushing it and get sick or injured. In the 70's the Fin's took an easy week after several weeks of training. I am just trying to be proactive rather than reactive. So the rest of my base training phase will take me to the Aloha Run on Feb 8th. After that I'll take an easy week and go into hill training. The search for a good hill to train on officially begins.

Training: (missing a few days, but I'll pick up from what I have)

Saturday: (Dec. 1, 2007)
Duration: 06hr 30min 58sec
Distance: 27.1 miles
Comments: Trail running with the H.U.R.T. guys and gals. Ran up at Peacock Flats in Wailua. I really enjoyed it however my right hamstring began to bother me with about 1 hour to go. Got in all the right food and did not feel that bad afterwards.

p.s. 6,900 ft. of ascent.

Sunday: (Dec. 2, 2007)
Duration: 00hr 46min 49sec
Distance: 5 miles
Comments: R. hamstring was bothering me. I had to stop and stretch it a few times. I am a bit worried.

Monday: (Dec. 3, 2007)
Off- I wanted to rest the hamstring, especially with the marathon coming up.

Tuesday: (Dec. 4, 2007)
Duration: 01hr 29min 31sec
Distance: 10 miles
Comments: Easy run with some of the guys at Runners HI. Took it very easy and the hamstring felt ok.

Wednesday: (Dec. 5, 2007)
Duration: 00hr 18min 22sec
Distance: ??
Comments: Trail run in Waimano. Ran to the falls. Did a lot of hiking and just kind of relaxed. A very enjoyable run/hike.

Thursday: (Dec. 6, 2007)
Duration: 01hr 16min 34sec
Distance: ??
Comments: Trail run with Schab. Found the connections from Royal Summit to the place where Matt and I ran a few times. Hamstring felt strong.

Friday: (Dec. 7, 2007)
Off- I have been having headaches lately, which I think are from eating too much sugar. I also went surfing from the first time today. I got whooped.

The Young College Mind

The Current Running Red Foxes
(photo courtesy of greg masto's facebook pictures)

College Running

I was your typical freshmen in college. I thought I knew it all, trained the bare minimum and lived for racing. I listened to my coach and got hyped up for every season only while I was finishing up whatever season preceded it. I was sick or injured at the end of almost every season and barely ran over the summer much like what Tim Broe talks about in this video. Actually, as I listen to it now, everything he is saying is basically how I was except I didn't go down to Australia to realize things. I realized everything while abroad in Alicante, Spain in September of 2005 at the end of a year long lower back injury. I came back telling myself that I didn't want to be a good runner, that I wanted to be the best I could be for now on.

Since that point I had to battle the College running scene. If you have experienced it then you will already know what I am going to say. For those of you who don't I will try to explain the scene the best I can. Basically it is a battle every day. Every day you have someone on your team who is feeling great that day and they want to push the run. After a brief name calling session (i.e. "Let's just pick it up, just a little." or "Don't puss out on me now!") you match the pace. Same thing goes for workouts. Recovery or easy days are far and few in between with an easy season completely out of the question, but college distance runners are expected to somehow. It has been proven impossible to run at top form for all three season. Something eventually gives and it is usually your body or your school work (and school work is a whole other dilemma).

However, upon returning from Spain after a year of serious thinking I knew what I had to do. I had to up my mileage (avg. 20-40 to 50-60) and take the easy days easy. Taking the easy days easy was very hard and I usually ran those days on my own or with a person who I could yell at to slow down (yeah, I know, bad. Sorry!). I watched my times come down to near respectable times (8:35 3k and 9:09 3k steeple) and I felt great. I trained over the summer and was dedicated. For my 5th year I had the goal of running well during cross country and outdoors. It was a hard concept for my team to understand and my coach, but god bless them, they went with it. I also had the luxury of living off campus and a busy schedule so I had a lot of time to run and train on my own and when I didn't I had Matt there who had similar goals and training philosophies. This rubbed many people the wrong way and others just said that it probably wouldn't work. My mom thought I was too skinny and that I was killing myself. My teammates did not like that I'd show up for a workout day after missing a few runs due to student teaching and I'd direct the workout and try to get them to do it my way. I understood everybody's' feelings but I knew what I had to do.

In the end, I went against the grain and I put 100% into it. It worked for the most part. I ran 14:42 in the 5k and got in some great base training for the first time in my life. Today, I still feel the effects of that training. But, the whole reason for this post is because I was talking to a former teammate about training and I felt as if I was preaching the Lydiard ways like it was an unknown concept or theory. I have only come across Lydiard's theory on training in the past few months, but since January 2006 I have more or less have trained this way (except for the higher mileage). I was trying to tell my ex-teammate to run based on feel and not by splits. That everyone needs to run off of feel or else they be over-trained or a poor racer that doesn't know what it feels like to run 4:45 back to back. I felt like some of the words were lost on him who is a good friend and was a great teammate. I know he was being as understanding as possible, but I know that it's hard to concider Lydiard when in the college ranks because every day there is some force to take you off of your plan. Kudos to all of those that have ever executed their plans to success. Actually, also to those who have failed, as long as you went at it 100%.

Training:
Wednesday:
Duration: 00hr 31min 00sec
Distance: 4 miles
Comments: Early run. Felt ok.

Thursday:
Duration: 00hr 32min 12sec
Distance: 3.5 miles
Comments: Didn't eat enough today and felt light-headed. Had to turn back way early. Will try again tomorrow.

Upper Body And Leg-Speed (edited)

Upper Body

I recently purchased two books about Lydiard's training. While I am waiting for them I have been reading as much as I can find on his training. I found one article of his lecture in Japan. Here he said a lot of the same, but one thing that struck a chord with me. It was his comments about upper body strength. He said that you should'nt do anything to build muscle since muscle is heavy and you don't need the extra weight in your arms. He mentioned that Lasse Viernen had almost no upper body muscle. So, should you or shouldn't you do pushups? Answer that question in the poll to your right.

My personal opinion is that I notice I run stronger when my arms are stronger, but now that I look at it, I am not running effciently when I run with my arms. I am slightly forceful when I do it, pumping my arms to pick up the pace or kill it up a hill. Lydiard, I assume, would be against this. He calls for a smooth arm swing in which your fist graze the side of you hips while using the least amount of energy as possible. I have been trying this and it is forcing me to lower my hands and this feels a bit ackward now, but I will give it a try. I am going to lay off the push ups for now and stick to core excersises.

Leg-Speed

I have also been wondering about how or when to push the pace during this base phase. I know some runs need to be faster than others, but where do steady-state runs and progression runs fit in? I was reading some things from Mcmillanelite, which is Lydiard based, and he was saying that they (Brett Goucher-I ran against him in the 10k at Jr. Nationals. He lapped me 3 times. He's a good guy I met him when I was visiting Hakon at Stanford.) did steady-state runs and leg speed drills once a week during base, but in Lydiard's lectures he mentions that leg-speed is to be done in the cordination phase. So I am confused. Hopefully someone can clear this up with me, but I will re-read his lecture that I have.

Training:
Sunday:
Duration: 02hr 01min 11sec
Distance: 16-17 miles
Comments: Felt awesome. Gradually worked into my pace. Ran an hour out on the Honolulu Marathon course avg. about 7:30 pace (I am guessing). On the way back my last several miles were 6:23, 6:15, 6:19, 6:23, 6:31 (hill), 6:33 (hill), 6:21. I wasn't pushing the pace just running comfortably.

Monday:
Duration: 00hr 42min 56sec
Distance: 4.5 miles (Very hilly- Aeia Loop Trail)
Comments: Had stomach issues. I'll leave it at that.

Tuesday:
Duration: oohr 30min 44sec (am) 01hr 30min 02sec (pm)
Distance: 3.5 miles (am) 11-11.5 miles
Comments: Morning run was relaxed and slow. Afternoon it took me about 30-45min to feel ok. Ran on the bike path.

Getting Back In The Groove

5:30 am Turkey Trot Style

Sorry for the lapse in posting. We all know the story. Work gets crazy, holiday festivities come around, etc. Again sorry.

To make up for it I will just update you with my running and a link to an interesting opinion from someone.

Training:

Tuesday:
Duration: 01hr 18min 47sec
Distance: 11.5 miles
Comments: Did some fartlek for 25 min (around Ford Island). Felt recovered from the long run.

Wednesday:
Duration: 00hr 30min 31sec
Distance: 4 miles
Comments: Ran with Kristine. Felt good after first time pushing in a long time.

Thursday:
Duration: 01hr 30min 00sec ??
Distance: 13-13.5 miles
Comments: 10 mile Turkey Trot. Ran it as a steady state run. Felt great the first 6-7 miles. Had to be conscious not to dig deep the last 3-4 miles. Averaged sub 5:50 pace/ mile. Was really happy with my time.

Friday:
Duration: 00hr 45min 23sec
Distance: 6 miles
Comments: Felt awesome after the workout the previous day. Keep the run as a recovery run.

Saturday:
Duration: 00hr 15min 10sec
Distance: 2 miles
Comments: Slept in and ran before bed. Been eating like crap and I have a long run in the morning so I kept it short to get more sleep.

Motivation

(click on title above.)

Motivation

We can get motivated from the most unlikely sources, with the most unlikely mediums. For instance, Aerosmith's "Dream On" gets me going to the point where it gives me goosebumps (or chicken skin as it is called in Hawaii). Or, better yet, reading John L. Parker, Jr.'s Once a Runner (I am reading it for the first time now) or watching Without Limits. But, it is the unlikely sources that we don't even consider that sometimes are the ones that inspire us the most.

I recall a certain one of Kristine's comments prior to the beginning of my training. It was a harmless comment, but it cut through me clean like a hot knife through butter (or margarine, whichever you prefer). One morning we both were downstairs after a run and she observed, "Your calves don't look as defined as they usually do." Now, again, that might seem harmless, but, in my own opinion, long distance runners are defined, well, by the definition of their leg muscles. Just look at this picture above by clicking on the title. Yeah, that is what I thought. Anyways, my calves are shaping back into their old form and I am looking for other ways for motivation. Hopefully these observations remain at bay for now. I'll stick to books and music for now.

Updates

I am feeling my 20 miler a bit lately. I am not sore, but just fatigued. It also doesn't help that I consumed a large quantity of sugar this weekend. Anyways, I started my run out slow and was struggling so I took my own advice about starting off slow and increasing the speed steadily throughout the run. I continued at a comfortable pace for a little while and gradually picked it up. I probably started at 8:30/mile pace and struggling at first, but got it down to sub 7:30/mile and feeling very comfortable by the end of it. I tacked on an extra 20 minutes with my girlfriend, which was a great finish to a presumably worthless run. Is any run worthless? I guess that is another post.

Training:
Sunday:
Duration: ooh 31min 05 sec
Distance: 3.5 - 4 miles
Comments: Felt weak from all of the sugar I ate all day. I did my run in the evening so I could sleep in a bit.

Monday:
Duration: 01hr 18min 53sec
Distance: 9.5 miles
Comments: Read above.

If Mottram Can't Do It Than No One Can?

Click on the title to watch part 1 of 3 of Craig Mottram.)

I came across this video about a year ago and it is very inspiring to see a person who respects Africans as much as he does, but who's whole goal is to conquer them. To me, that is admirable. I also enjoy this since it gives an inside perspective of one of the top distance runners of our time. Part 1 focuses more on the 2005 World Championships and the 2006 Common Wealth Games. Basically, this guy has some balls to go after such fast runners and not to show any fear like many people do.


Ultras?
Yesterday I did my long run with some of the HURT guys. I stumbled across them a few months ago. This is a group of runners who do /train for trail ultras. They are training for the HURT 100, which is a 100-mile trail race here in Oahu at the end of January. On my Thursday group run I mentioned how I LOVE trail running and they suggested that I talk to a guy who runs with them sometimes. I spoke with him and he wrote me off and said that they are two serious into their training and that I should wait until February to run with them. Well, being as stubborn as I am, what do you think I did? Yup, I went out Saturday morning to see what exactly it was that "I didn't want to do".

The race course and all of the trails go straight up and straight down the mountains here. We started at 6:00 am and 5 hours and 20 miles later I officially finished my longest run ever. Actually, I found out that ultra guys do a lot of hiking/walking. I wasn't prepared for that at first, but saw the importance of it, especially if you are going further like one of the guys that I was running with (he was doing 40 miles that day, NUTS!). My legs do not feel that bad as of this post, but the bottoms of my feet are a bit sore. We'll see later how everything feels in 2-3 days. Also, it was very enjoyable, both the trails and the people. Actually, I found the people very interesting and very down-to-earth. I have a new profound respect for ultra runners in general and for the HURT guys/gals too. I probably will do this every other weekend for strength.

While running with them I did a lot of contemplating in my head whether or not I think I could finish a 100-mile race. After finishing the 20 mile loop in a fairly fast 5 hours I felt comfortably tired. I know this would only compound loop after loop and would be especially tough running through the night, but I think I can do it. I don't know, but I find it partly amusing to run an ultra before I did a marathon. Maybe I am just being a bit cocky (hey I'm only 23 and have tons to learn), but the gentlemen I was running with said that I definitely had the physical capabilities to complete it. Since they just had met me the issue that they are not sure with is the mental aspect. They changed their minds a bit when I explained to them about an adventure race that I once finished after suffering from a mild case of hypothermia from flipping my kayak and being in cold water for over 15 minutes. Hey, I was in college and paid $125 to do the race. I was going to freaking finish and that we did, second place baby. Let me know if you want a more detailed description.

Training:
Friday:
Duration: 00hr 33min 13sec (pm)
Distance: ??
Comments: Ran up in Aiea. Felt weak again, cut the run short.

Saturday:
Duration: 05hr 05min 00sec
Distance: 20 miles
Comments: Felt great the whole time and could have pushed it harder, but I didn't want to change the purpose of their run even though I did a little.

My Bud

I was searching around for articles on Flotrack and I stumbled upon this article on my high school teammate Hakon Devries. He and I trained together and still do when we are both at home. He's a stand up person and a great training partner. It's great to see other people think so too. Good luck at Nationals!

Slow Going: Good or Bad?

This applies to a few things in my life right now. Sometimes it is better to go slower, but man is it hard sometimes. It doesn't help when everyone else thinks the opposite and so does one half of your mind.

Training Slow(er)

Running slow is the hardest thing to do and so many people in the running world tell us to shorten your runs to get better quality, usually, since many of us have lives besides running. Let me ask you this; how many of you out there have felt awesome on a few consecutive days to follow those days up either with a week of sore legs or an injury? Probably many of you, myself included.

When we feel good we tell ourselves, "I feel good so I can push this run." We push the run and then when we get home we don't think to stretch, hydrate, or eat properly because we are just pumped that we felt good. Why doesn't it cross our minds to hold back a little, save that pushing of one run and carry it over into the next few runs? I guess it is the "need for speed". Corny, but true. If you read the article in the last post you will see that the Africans train hard, but always leave some in the "tank" to use for harder days or, better yet, for races.

How many of you know "Workout Heroes"? Workout Heroes are the athletes that kill you in the workout and the run, but finish about 2 minutes behind you in a 10k. We all have come across those runners and at time we have been that runner. This seems to be how the Americans train. Interval, speed work, and pushing 45min-1 hr runs.

Now, the reason why I am bringing this up is to get everyone thinking about trying to back of the pace a bit and go a bit further. For instance, I think many people would benefit from doing 1hr 30min at 7:30 pace instead of 1 hr at 6:30 pace. As Lydiard says, it's time on the feet.

Personally, I have trained this way the past few years and I notice an incredible difference in aerobic output. This doesn't mean I chill out on every run and don't push the pace, it just means that I back off a little (i.e. 7:15 pace/mile instead of 6:50 pace/mile) and extend my run. You still have to get quality runs in, bu going further will tax the aerobic systems the same if not more than if you go shorter and faster.

I think all runs should be a progression run of some sort. The Kenyans have been known to go many days consecutively with hard running. Some can do a 10 mile run starting at 8:00/mile pace and crank up their speed to be finishing their last 400m in sub 60 pace. They can repeat this daily. The thing is though that the smart ones, which is many of them (until they land a shoe contract, that's another story) will progress through their run until their form goes bad or they feel that they cannot hold that pace for the duration of the run. So they kept the pace that they are running or they back off a little and continue their run. Essentially, they listen to what their bodies are telling them and take the day easier if they have too.

I had an Ethiopian on my college team and the differences between the American system and the African system was presented to me on a daily basis. Everyday, our team would start our run and 3/4 of the team would be half a mile to one mile ahead (and usually me too) only after 10 min -20min of running. Now, this gentleman is a 14:35 5k guy and the rest are about 15:20-17:00min. He always started off slow and eased into his pace. By the end of the run he usually would be miles ahead or he'd be adding an extra 3-4 miles to his run.

Basically the moral of this post is to look at your running, assess whether you are pushing it too hard or not, and make adjustments. The human body is complex, but very efficient. If you are feeling tired all the time, sore, or getting injured/sick often you are doing something wrong!

Adapting to Training

Each week I keep feeling stronger and more efficient. Although my most recent run of 11.5 miles averaged 8:16 pace I feel a whole lot faster than that. I always start my runs slower than when I am finishing and I think Arthur would be proud. I am also going a lot longer than usual at this early into my training schedule. I think the single greatest thing I am doing is varying the type of terrain I run on. In Hawaii the terrain is either straight up and down or dead flat. I am fortunate to have the two extremes. I use this to force my body to continually adapt and never feel completely at comfort. I have been averaging 3-4 hilly runs and 3-4 flat runs.

Like I have said before, my body is adapting to all of the running of last week with Matt. I will finish off this weekend with a shorter long run and then get into more of Lydiard's training next week. I am going to supplement strides (John Kellogg) and plyometrics on the easier days. Also, I am looking to do some type of time trial, most likely a 2 mile time trial at 3/4 effort to get a baseline for training.

Training:
Thursday:
Duration: 01hr 35min 25sec
Distance: 11.5 miles
Comments: Ran with Runners HI on the bike path. Calves felt a lot better during and after.

Friday:
Duration: 00hr 25min 00sec (am)
Distance: 3 miles
Comments: Shake out run. Easy pace. Legs felt good.

Picking It Up

After Monday's "shaky" run I was curious to what Teusday would bring. First, I made sure I made one of my Super Shakes (raw cocoa powder, spirulina, maca, dairy-free yogurt, rice milk, organic bananas, hemp protein, goldenseal, coconut oil, and echinachea) Monday night. Well, I woke up to do an easy morning run and I noticed a surprising difference. I felt like super man. I made sure to keep my pace slow since I'd be joining the Runners HI group run later in the evening.

A typical Tuesday or Thursday I run with the Runners HI group that goes around Ford Island. I enjoy this run since there are plenty of people out exercising. I park about 1.5 miles away to add in extra mileage. Usually it takes me 40-45 minutes to make it around the island, but on Tuesday, still feel great from the morning I gradually cranked down the pace and held it. I'd say I was averaging around 6:45 pace. I know that is not fast, but most of my other runs, due to terrain, have been much slower.

Today I got out for a run this morning since I have to stay at work later on Wednesdays. My outside lower calves are bothering me. I think it's that my form wasn't up to par on Tuesdays up-tempo run.

Let It Start

I'm taking the rest of the week easier to get ready for the full on training to start next week. I have been reading a bunch on how the many of the African nations train and, at least to me, seem very similiar to Lydiard's methods. Lots of endurance based running near/just under Lactic Threshold. I think this is what many people get wrong about Lydiard's training. They think that it is suppose to be LSD (long slow distance), but if you read Lydiard's lectures you will see that this was not what he meant. I truly believe that a majority of your runs should be progression runs with a large portion (25-60 min) near your threshold. I think this is what Lydiard meant by "comfortably tired after each run." You don't see the African's killing themselves doing track work (some do when they move to Europe). Check out this Marius Bakken's website. He explains his experience with Kenyan's here. You can also click on the toolbar to the left to read more.

Training:
Tuesday:
Duration: oohr 26min 52 sec (am), 01hr 19min 39sec (pm)
Distance: 3.5 miles (am), 10.5 -11.0 miles
Comments:
Felt great, pushed a little, but had sore calves. Actually, it is in a wierd spot on the bone. Hope it's nothing much.

Wednesday:
Duration: 00hr 41min 08sec
Distance: 5 miles
Comments:
Took it easy with my left calf. Didn't really feel it until the end. Just trying to be careful. Can feel it while walking (maybe it's my sandals).

Shaky Feelings

Today I had off for Veteran's Day and I did not plan anything extravagant because I had some house cleaning to tend too. I started the day by driving Kristine into work and going grocery shopping. $193 later (that'll last us a week/week and a half) and I was home to take a nap. Today was one of those naps when you cannot lift your head off of the pillow. It felt like there was a magnet between my head and the pillow, but I had to get up to clean our bathroom and bedroom. It has been neglected for way too long and it had to be done. Afterwards I headed up to Pearl Ridge to run where Matt and I had run this past Wednesday and Saturday. I was going very slow since I didn't get a chance to run yesterday and I didn't eat enough today. Well, 18 minutes into the run I was feeling light headed and had shaky. If there is one thing that I learned as a vegetarian is that when you feel weak it's best to stop, throw the towel in, go eat, and get ready for the next day. I have been meat-free for over one year now and I still make mistakes. I replenished when I got home and I am ready for the group run for tomorrow.

Nutrition:

With todays "bonk" it made me think that I haven't really mentioned much about my diet. Well, it's not that I haven't thought about it, but it is just that I have been changing my diet and I wanted to give it some time before I posted on it.

To bring everyone up to speed Kristine and I attempted going vegan (dairy free vegetarians) prior to Halloween. It lasted about a week before we were over-loaded with candy and treats. Sweets are my nemesis since I can never turn them down. Anyways, even though I was vegan for a week I really noticed a very "refreshing" feeling. My runs were smoother and my legs recovered a bit faster. Along with candy, we also caved in for pizza when Matt was here and I noticed a significant feeling of lethargy the day after. All of this has lead me eat a more raw diet.

I have decided that the research on raw diets is too compelling for me personally. I mean, if you are going to eat vegetables why would you cook them and eliminate a large percentage of the very things that make them beneficial to humans (i.e. antioxidants, nutrients, minerals, etc. ). One study found that broccoli, when microwaved, losses 97% of it's antioxidants.

Can runners afford to waster time and energy? The answer is simple; no. So, when everything is so delicate why is it that so many Americans eat so poorly. I am not tooting my horn here. I was a meat-eater for almost 22 years and when presented with the facts I could not possibly continue to eat meat any longer.

This is probably a good spot to let everyone know how I became a vegetarian. I initiated a bet with Kristine on the premises that if I stopped eating meat that she would have to stop (insert bad habit) when she went out with her friends. Who ever lasted the longest would win and the loser would have to buy the winner dinner. Well, six months later I won the bet, but I had made the transition and noticed an improvement in my running and overall well being. I was the type of runner that always got sick right before the big races year after year, season after season. Not any longer. And when I say sick I mean dead on the couch not moving for 3-4 days. However, since May 2006, the day the bet began, I have been that sick only once! I have had a few colds, maybe 4-5, but nothing one or two days off of running couldn't fix.

I know I am starting to run on here about this, but look for a few more structured posts on my nutrition and diet. Later.

Training:
Sunday: OFF
Comments: Went to the beach all day for Matt's last day in Hawaii.

Monday:
Duration: oohr 18min 45 sec
Distance: 1.5 miles
Comments: Didn't eat enough during the day and felt like I was going to faint. Stopped run early and walked back.

P.S. Last week I had 7.5 hours of quality running.

Extended Weekend

Atop Wa'ahila Ridge Trail

I have a four day weekend this week. I took of Friday to show my friend around the island. We ended running/hiking up Wa'ahila Ridge in St. Louis Heights. I have done this hike before and I'm not sure of the elevation gain (forgot to check my watch before I shut it off), but it usually takes me 01hr 45min -02hr 00min to get up at a good pace. Matt and myself made it up in 43min and 42 min respectively. It was a great workout. We relaxed at the top and explored a bit until I got stung by a bee and they started to swarm.

Yesterday was more of the same; exploring. This time we ran up a ridge near Pearl City. We found this trail on Wednesday. We explored for a long time, found some great trails that ended with a very over-grown trail. We forged ahead for a little while, but turned around after an hour. All in all it was a 02hr 00min run with 2,500 ft of vertical gain while running.

I just wanted to update everyone on some of my training philosophies and thoughts. I have been doing a long run every other week at this early stage of training. With work and everything else I have noticed that doing this allows me to bounce back much quicker and to get more longer/better quality runs in. Also, I haven't been following Lydiard's training schedule verbatim. The reason is I was not in running shape. I am not a high mileage guy and I break down sometimes and I do not want that to happen. I think next week I will follow the short week schedule more closely and the week after I will get into it more. I am thinking I should do a time trail before I really start. What do you guys think? Do I do 3k or 5k or 10k? Later.

Training:
Friday:
Duration 00hr 42min 45sec
Distance: ?
Comments: Hill climb. Felt good.

Saturday:
Duration: 02hr 00min 00sec
Distance: ?
Comments: 2,500ft of vertical gain. Felt good. Legs tired at the end.

Run With Someone Day: Feb. 18th, 2007

I mentioned in my last post that my friend and training partner during college, Matt, is in town visiting. His presence on the runs has been felt a great deal. I noticed that I have been keeping a better pace, going further, and getting out there on the tougher days. This renewed revelation of what it is like to have someone to run with has led me to start an unoffical "Run With Someone" Day. This will be on Febuary 18th, 2007 (President's Day). I hope that you readers can do one of two things (hopefully both). I ask you to spread the word any way you can and to actually participate on that day. Also, please fill out the survey on the right.

There are many reasons why I have come up with this idea and this date and here are a few:

1) Running with someone pass the time much better, whether it's debating politics, discussing training, or just having someone by your side can make all the difference in the world on some days.

2) I am originally from the northeast (NY) and Feburary is a very tough time to train especially for us long distance runners who have jobs and a life. March's weather is a bit up and down but everyone knows that spring is just around the corner. However, Feburary, as short as it is, can just plain suck. So what better time than to run with a friend to provide the much needed pick up in your training.

3) Feburary 18th, 2007 is President's Day so I figured that some people will actually have off and we all know that getting in a run on your day off would please many of us.

4) Take this day to push the pace, go further than normal, or go explore a new part of town. That's what running partners are great for; partners in crime!

5) I just think that way too many people train on their own, myself included. I think the survival rate of long distance runners increases when you have a good selection of training partners or group runs in your local area. If there isn't one now start one, even if it is unofficial and informal.

Training

Training has been going well but, sleep has been an issue. This weekend's adventures to Maui are catching up a bit. This is my third week of training and I am noticing that my breathing has been slightly more efficient even with the high humidity. Speaking of training in high humidity areas, I have heard that the affects are similar to training at altitude since the water vapor molecules replace some of the oxygen molecules. Who knows, but I certainly can see that since sometimes I have a tough time breathing even though I am relaxed and running at a comfortable pace. Check back on that topic. I will have to do some serious research.

Training:
Wednesday:
Duration: 01hr 00min 00sec
Distance: 7.5-8 miles
Comments: Ran late last night with Matt. It was very humid, but the pace was honest. Felt good.

Thursday:
Duration: 01hr 04min 15sec
Distance: 7-7.5 miles
Comments: Ran at 4:30am with Matt. Slower pace since both are legs were a little tired. It was super humid again (80%) so that did not help.

Catching Up

Kristine and I at the top.

Went to Maui this weekend with my girlfriend Kristine. We visited Hana and Haleakala. To get to Hana you have to drive 27 miles on a road that cuts through the mountains and forests of Maui. At some points the road goes from a two lane road to barely a one lane road. Haleakala is a 10,000 ft active volcano on Maui. The picture above is of Kristine and me at the top. We went hiking, but that didn't last long in the 40 degree rainy day that we had at the top of the mountain. All in all it was a great trip.

Running wise I took Saturday and Sunday off. We were traveling at strange hours and I didn't feel that great physically. I had a little trouble breathing and just felt a tad run down. However, I have a friend visiting who was my main training partner last year. His name is Matt and we have a jammed pack week of some great runs.

So far we explore some trails yesterday near Kristine's job. It was a steady climb up that took about 29 minutes and we did not even get to the top. We couldn't keep going up as far as we wanted to because I had to get back down the mountain to finish up our run with my girlfriend. I think we are heading up there either tomorrow or Friday.

Today we joined one of the local running shops, Runners HI, for their run around Ford Island. It's a mix range of people from walkers to serious marathoners with many casual runners in the middle. I try to make it when I am near the store. It looks like I will be doing this every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm.

I am in the works of making this blog a bit more dynamic with multimedia. My training partner who is visiting expressed interest about posting and so has my girlfriend. I think they will post once a week on different topics. My friend Matt will most likely post about things to supplement running such as lifting weights, stretching or plyometrics and Kristine will probably post on nutrition. Now, both of these people are experienced in these areas as well as pursuing higher degrees in similar fields (Matt-general surgeon; Kristine-Natropathic Doctor). The information will hopefully be research based and we'll try to present the facts in a non-judgmental manner. Then, at the end, we'll give you our opinions. Also, I'm hoping to add video footage and pictures daily, especially of what the plyo's or stretching looks like. Ultimately, what I am hoping for is to provide a multitude of resources for you readers to take and use on a daily basis. Well, that is my goal anyways!

Training:

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Off

Monday:
Duration: 01hr 20min 05sec
Distance: 8-9 miles
Comments: The run was straight up and straight down. No real flat spots. Felt good.

Tuesday:
Duration: 01hr 24min 00sec
Distance: 10-11 miles
Comments: Felt great. Ran 1.5 miles with Matt to the running shop, did 7-8 around Ford Island (felt smooth, uptempo pace), and 1.5 miles back to our car. Certainly noticing a difference with a training partner.

Looking Up and Confused

*Aiea Loop Trail elevation Profile courtesy of http://www.oahuhiking.com/

Looking Up-
After my post about how I was frustrated with my pace I had an excellent run yesterday. My legs felt a lot better after the 20+ minute morning run. I had time after work so I was able to get in a great run up on the Aiea Loop Trail. It measures 4.5 miles long with 1,000 ft (+,- 20ft) of vertical ascent per loop. It's no joke. The uphills are 15-20 minute grinds and the downhills are fun, fast, and muddy.

So far I have learned a lot from personal trial and error, but I am getting some thoughtful and helpful comments from you readers. I can't thank you all enough. I have learned that 8:00 minute pace is not ungodly slow at this stage of the base period, that my body can handle a lot of running with the proper amount of recovery, and my runs have to start out at a slow pace so I can last longer.

Confused-
There still remains one issue. Time management! It seems to be the biggest issue for all post-college runners. How do we balance running and training with jobs, recovery, spouses, children, bills, relationships and life. Currently I am struggling with the later. At what point does getting in that extra 30 minutes or getting to bed an extra hour early become not a necessity but selfish? The thing is that I think this is different for every individual and the more I think about it, it's all runners who suffer with this. High school athletes must balance sports, academics, and social life. College athletes deal with similar issue, but also with preparing for their future. I'm curious to hear how some of you successfully deal with time management. When I am training well something has to give. Either it's less sleep or less time with Kristine. It's either the proper amount of recovery or the proper amount of time to get things done for work.

I know I have read a few posts from Mike, the author of Champions Everywhere, and how he balances running, family (a wife and two kids), and work. I think he does it well, but I will leave that up to him and only him to ultimately judge. I also have seen it, especially recently, with Coach Pete. Often when I call he is watching his three children as he is talking to me about the team (Marist) or my training. Most of the time he has to get off the phone to tend to the things that are the most important to him; family. Me, I have a tougher time currently with making those distinctions of what is most important to me. Ahh, it's tough sometimes.

On to better things. Kristine and I are off to Maui tomorrow morning. We're both excited to check out Hana and Haleakala (10,000 ft. dormant volcano). I'll try to post, but look for something on Monday

Person Records Clarification

Today I read a comment from a reader that said based on my 10k pr that my half-marathon should be faster and I agree. Let me explain some of my pr's because some of them aren't at full effort. So here it goes.

400m- 56.2-Ran this for a workout after a 3,200m in high school (graduated 2002).

800m-1:57.9-Ran this as the lead-off leg of the 4x800m IC4A indoor championships sophomore year of college (2004). I ran all out.

1,500m- 4:03-Ran this after a higher mileage week as a tune-up for a steeple chase during my 5th year (2007). I ran all out.

1,600m-4:35- Ran this going out for a 3k outdoor sophomore year (2004). I died pretty bad and ran 8:53

3,000m-8:35- Ran this at the end of a season that I started with a 9:26 3k and a 16:22 5k (I was injured for a year and was just getting back to it.). This was senior year (2006).

3,000m Steeple- 9:09- Ran this at Penn Relays (2006). It was a continuation of an excellent season after being injured for a year. I ended up winning my conference a few days later in this event. First time in school history.

5,000m-14:42-This was my last collegiate race (2007). I didn't run so hot the day prior (3k steeple) so this was my farewell race. I was struggling with breathing issues for a month prior and in my 3k steeple so I took a Claritin and ran. I finally could breath. I missed our 8 year school record by a 1/2 second. This was a 16 second pr from my 14:58 during the indoor season and a vindication for all of my hard training that I put in over the winter.

10,000m-32:17- I ran 32:22? freshman year to qualify for Jr. nationals, but hadn't really run the event since that race. So I decided to run this one as a workout at an outdoor meet this past season (2007). I did the first 5k as tempo (16:28) and then tried a progression run for the last 5k. I ended up coming back in 15:48 for my last 5k. I felt awesome the whole time and didn't have to go into the reserve to much at all!

10miler- 55:3x?- I ran this after not running two weeks since my last race (the 14:42 5k). It was the last week of school before graduation and all the seniors go out to the bars and party it up. My coach has put together and made jerseys for our alumni team and he proudly gave me my jersey. I ran in it the day after graduation. Honestly, I was just out there to win some money. I went out in 5:03 and then it was a death march for 7-8 miles, but I hung tough. I ended up getting 3rd place and winning $50. I was pleased but sore for weeks.

Half-Marathon- 1:18- When I was studying abroad in Spain, the director of my program was an avid runner at the age of 53. He knew I was a runner and called me up one Saturday evening telling me he entered me and himself in a half-marathon in a small town about 45 minutes from where we lived. I said sure, but then immediately question my fitness. You see, the reason why I went to Spain was because I had a year long lower back injured that prevented me from running. Coach Pete and I decided that I would red-shirt and stay a 5th year. In the year I didn't run I cycled a ton (avg. aprox. 30 miles a day). I started to run a bit in Spain before I did this 100 mile pilgrimage called El Camino de Santiago for a class. We completed this task that Europeans have been during since the 9th century in four days (the whole pilgrimage is aprox. 350 miles). Anyways, I was sick for a week afterwards, then healthy for a week and then I had this half-marathon.

My initial plan was to jog it with the director of the program Armando, so he and I lined up behind the 400 people . Well, as soon as the gun went off it took me about 30 seconds to realize that I was going to race it. I dashed through the crowds of people and it took about 4 miles before I caught up to the gentlemen that I eventually would finish with. I sat in their group made a few moves and kicked at 19k instead of 21k. Ha ha, that hurt so bad. I was so sore for weeks I couldn't even walk down stairs.

Anyways, even though times seem eternal and non-judgemental, I firmly believe that their is a profound story behind every time, every race, and every experience for that matter. So I will leave the ultimate judgement up to my readers and let you debate my talent or lack there of in some of your minds.

I Wish Arthur Was Around

I've been frustrated the past couple of days beginning with this weekends "Whoops!" long run. My average pace has been a bit pathetic. I've been doing most of my runs around 8-9min pace and I'm really sore after yesterday's hilly run. I knew things where going to be slow, but come on!

I guess there are a couple of factors:

1)The long run took more out of me than I though it would.

2) This is my second week of training since May 2007.

3) I have a job.

4) I run at strange hours of the day.

I really would like to hear from some of you bloggers out there. Lydiardites, was the beginning slow and tough for you guys? I'm going to go read the online speech of Lydiard that I downloaded and watch a scary movie with my girlfriend before bed. Happy Halloween!

Training:
Wednesday:
Duration: 00hr 30min 53 sec
Distance: ?
Comments: Had a bunch of stuff to do after work and only had 30 minutes before it was time to drive Kristine home from work. Got home and cooked dinner. Legs were super sore and the pace was slow to match. Looking forward to the easy run tomorrow morning and looking to get a longer run in tomorrow afternoon.

Free-Time

Today was my first day back to school after cross country had ended on Saturday. We had a few potentials that could have went to States in Maui, but nobody qualified. I realized today that my free-time is something that I cherish and I haven't had a lot of it lately. So today I left work and drove up to this trail on top of a mountain in Hawaii and ran the loop about 1.5 times. It's called Aeia Loop Trail and it's 4.5 miles long. I only saw one other person on the trail and I saw a wild pig (they're very common here). The weather was nice and cool and I just enjoyed my run in the mud. I say mud because no matter what day you go it is muddy because it rains at least once every other day up there.

At one point towards the end I was running along a portion of trail that drops off several hundred feet to my left and it's straight up on my right and I am running through what looks to me a rain forest (I think it is technically). I just let out a nice loud roar. The whole experience felt very animalistic, that is, running, covered in sweat and mud, and being in the wilderness. If you haven't already noticed I prefer trails over anything. My old teammates can attest to that. I have taken them on some prickly runs, if you know what I mean. You will be hearing more about this trail since I will be leaving straight from work and heading that direction to pick up my girlfriend up at work at 6pm. I have also decided to do my shorter morning runs in the morning and my main runs in the afternoon/evening since I do not have to coach. This all equates to more sleep and I'm always down for that.

Training:
Monday:
Off- I still felt weird even after taking the day off from work. Better safe than sorry.

Tuesday:
Duration: 01hr 09min 04sec
Distance: 6.75 miles
Comments: Felt good. Started a bit fast, but that was because I was excited to be running in Aeia at this time of day on a school day. Pace evened out and felt great.

From coach Pete at Marist College

This is Pete Colaizzo, the men's track and cross country coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. I was Justin Harris' coach at Marist for five years, and it was a pleasure to work with Jut during that time and help him develop. I believe he has a lot more development ahead of him as well as a post-graduate.

Jut was one of my fiercest competitors and one of my best captains in the 17 years I have been coach at Marist. He is missed in many ways, but the impact and standards he set during his time here have carried over to the current team in a positive manner.

Anyway, I wanted to share some thoughts on post-collegiate running from this college coach's perspective ...

First of all, as a college coach and a lifetime runner, I try to instill a love of the sport in my guys. Equally as important, I try to keep them fresh and injury-free so that upon graduation -- should they so choose -- they can continue to flourish in this great sport. This is not an easy task. As a college coach, my mandate is to field competitive teams for three continuous seasons -- cross country, indoor track, outdoor track. This means a distance runner, in theory, will compete in 12 consecutive seasons of training, racing, conference meets, etc. It's a relentless grind.

I'm proud of the fact that many of my former runners continue to improve and stay motivated, and even move up to the marathon distance. As a result of this, several years ago I formed the Marist Alumni Racing Team so that they can continue to represent their old school with pride on the roads and trails of our country. Of course, I strongly encourage my guys to hook up with an established, serious racing/training team as well.

The biggest challenge facing a post-collegiate runner is the fact that -- unless you hook up with a team or club -- you no longer have the benefit of built-in training partners. At Marist, we have a big team, so training partners are never an issue. We routinely have 20-25 guys going out for a Sunday morning long run. After college, that's not often an option.

The other challenge is something a friend of mind refers to as "life intervention." In college, the stressors placed on your training may seem like a big deal (studies, social outlets, etc.). But compared to paying off loans, paying bills, advancing a career, continuing education, getting married, having kids (and on and on, often overlapping each other), college life in how it relates to running is a piece of cake.

Having said all that ... many of my former runners find success on the roads simply because of the freedom post-college running affords. No longer are they bound to our three-season grind of a schedule. If they feel lousy, they don't have to push through a track workout. Many guys have commented how they train slower but race faster. That's a function of not being dragged out on a hilly, hard 10-miler with the boys on a day you feel like crap. The peer-pressure factor is gone, so if you slog through a recovery day at 8:00 pace, no one will notice nor care, and you'll probably be the better for it.

If you have made it this far through this long-winded post, here are some quick recommendations for post-collegiate success:

1. Keep building base and doing miles. That process should never end. If it does, it is much more difficult to rebuild without a team network. Our sport is primarily aerobic. Run as much as you can, as often as you can. Don't worry about pace. Just run. A lot.
2. Regular long runs. A staple of our program, it should continue more so after college, especially if you move up to the marathon distance.
3. Plan your racing schedule in advance, and be picky. Don't jump at every opportunity to race. Spread them out, choose them wisely and go for it.
4. Once you plan a racing schedule, come up with a sensible training plan. Consult a coach or other runners with similar abilities/goals. If you are a Marist grad and you are reading this, you boys know I'm a phone call/email away. Always!
5. If you can hook up with a club or team, by all means do it! It will keep you motivated and fit, and give you your best chance to continue improving.

Lastly, stick with it and make running and racing a lifetime sport. I'm much slower and older, but I'm still doing it and still loving it. I hope you can do that as well.

Thanks for reading, and if you would like to contact me, my email address is runhed246@hotmail.com

Whoops!

Yesterday was a long run day and I have been eying up this big loop around my house. I just moved to Hawaii in July and I do not know all the distances around my house. That is why you usually see "Distance: ?" in the training section. At this stage I am more concerned about time on my feet. So, with my girlfriend Kristine riding her bike to keep me company we headed out for what would be a day for of mistakes.

Mistake #1: I left the house at 10:30am. Usually it is pretty hot out even though it has been cooling off a bit. It was 83 degrees out. I knew it was going to be hot so I took two water bottles with Gatorade in them, a banana, and an extra bottle of water to drink/dump on my head.

Mistake #2: My pace was slow, but my effort was pretty high. I'd say I ran the first 3/4's at 1/2 effort. I just wanted to stay in a rhythm. Also, I must admit, anything over 8 minute pace is just too slow for me. So, effort was another mistake. Lydiard would have been upset with me.

Mistake #3: I went the wrong direction. I live in the hot flats of Ewa Beach on Oahu. It's more similar to Arizona than Hawaii. It is also always windy; thank you trade winds! Well, I chose the direction with the most amount of of head wind. At one point about halfway through Kristine was drafting me instead of me drafting her. She underestimated what she was getting herself into. Sorry, but I always forget to explain ALL of the details!

Mistake#4: When I was finished I drank a good amount of water, ate, stretched, massaged my legs, and took a nap. Oh did I not drink enough water. Several hours later my mild headache turned into a migraine that left me numb. I thought I was going to puke and my head was going to explode all at the same time.

I had to call in sick today. Not something I wanted to do, but with everyone around me getting sick or is sick, I don't want to catch a cold. As I write this I still feel a bit funny. Thanks dehydration! Not sure if I will go for an easy run later or not.

Training:
Sunday:
Duration: 01hr 45min 00sec
Distance: 15miles
Comment: Just read above. I averaged 9:36 pace if I did the math correct (sorry, but I'm still a bit fuzzy). Nothing spectacular. Actually, it's a bit embarrassing to tell you the truth. There is still next weeks long run to redeem myself.

Hansons-Brooks

Click on the title for a good article that looks into the Hansons-Brooks team.

I found this article a bit reassuring that there are actually others out there that have similar feelings about life after college. I think many runners feel the stress of bills and repayment of student loans once graduated. This makes it even easier for these people to put the shoes down for two or three years to get settled in. I know several of my teammates have done that. Some have hung them up for good, but many realize that running is a part of their identity and they cannot stop. I guess I feel that need, but I also think that I have room for some drastic improvement. That is all up in the air though.

All of these articles about Hansons-Brooks make it sound like any decent runner can join the team if they are willing to work hard, but this is not true. First, the team has standards ("29:00/33:45 for the 10k, 14:00/16:15 for the 5k, and 2:20/2:42 for the marathon."-www.hansons-running.com). Those are not easy times to hit. I guess though that it makes sense since they are trying to get the second tier of elite guys and have them improve like Brian Sell has. Second, the coaches get in so many requests for runners who want to be on the team. Yes, I have inquired to see what I would have to run to be even considered and I haven't heard back for months. I guess I could just look back to the standards. Let me just get one thing straight. I am not trying to complain that Hansons-Brooks aren't being fair, I just think that the articles written about them often leave runners thinking they could hang with the Hansons' guys. Well, maybe that is the point though.

I am nearing the end of my first official week of training. I start my weeks on Sunday so I have logged 5 hours of training in this week. A few one hour runs and two half hour runs. I know this isn't technically Lydiard training, but, as I have learned from several years of running and coming back from injuried, I need to take the first few weeks easy so I don't blow it all now. Additionally, this has been a tough week for me. I recently starting giving vegan-ism (No meat, No Diary) a try, I train at 4am on weekdays, and work has been tough since I have been covering for my regular education teacher for Algebra II. Lots of changes and I just need time to adjust.

My team has OIA's (state qualifiers for Oahu) later today. If they qualify then we are heading to Maui. Wish us luck.

Training:
Friday:
Duration: 01hr 00min 07sec
Distance: ?
Comments: Felt pretty good.

Saturday:
Duration: 00hr 30min 16sec
Distance: ?
Comments: Had a long day on Friday and it had it's effects today. Went shorter so I could go longer tomorrow.

Club Teams

Click on the title above to see a good read. It has some really great insight to what the American distance running scene was like when we actually were winning international competitions. Well, that was until the major shoe companies had their say in it. The one thing I disagree about is the comment made about Title IX. Sure, it may have hurt American men's distance running, but it greatly improved American women's distance running. Sorry, but that decision has bettered American running as a whole. If you want to go on about how other sports cut into running (::cough cough:: football, baseball, basketball) that is another story.

All of this talk about club teams brings me to a point about the betterment of runners. I know many runners, especially young runners like myself, look at these elite training groups (i.e. Hansons, Team USA, McMillanelite) and think, "Man, I'd kill to be on that team!" And, truth be told, you probably would. In my eyes though, it seems to be "the rich get richer" mentality. The already good guys just get better. Now, in a sense that is what we need short-term, but long-term it's depth that we need. Yeah, yeah. I know. Many argue that this is the deepest field for the Olympic trials marathon than there ever has been. But, I wonder how stacked the other countries are. I saw a video the other day of when one of our Olympic qualifiers said that the 2:20 guys push the 2:15 guys, the 2:15 guys push the 2:10 guys and so on and so forth (note to self: find that video). That's what I think we need is that consistent depth, year after year.

I'm wondering about the ratio of track clubs (or running clubs) that are around versus when Bill Rogers and all of them were around. The article from above mentions that all of the great track clubs based out of Eugene, OR and many other places simply died out. Obviously, we as a country need these training groups so that our huge base of post-collegiate runners have somewhere and someone to keep pushing them to the top. To me there seems not to be enough, but I am going to research if that is true. I know there are a couple of pretty solid ones in New York. I actually contacted a few of them to see which group to join since I see myself going that direction in order to really improve. We all know how hard it is to get out there and do that extra 30 minutes of running when you are solo.

I'd like to hear from some people to see what your thoughts are on the topic of track clubs.

Training:
Thursday:
Duration: 00hr 33min 44sec
Distance: 4.5 miles
Comments: Easy run with the team to Pizza Hut (coaches treat for a good season). Over slept so I missed my run in the morning, but this was better since I needed an easy day. Felt good though.

The Basics

Within the past few months I have become a huge letsrun.com and flotrack.com fan. Honestly, with all of their hype about the Olympic Trials Marathon, it makes me check them daily. These sites have provided me with some of the motivation to get out of the rut that I am.

You see, like I said in the last post, I have just graduated college where I ran for 5 years. Before that, I competed on a pretty good high school team (7 all-Americans in track, 2 state titles, 2x national champions for relays indoors,etc all in one year) for 4 years and I did one year of modified track. Thats 10 years of racing every weekend. It starts to take its toll on you but, it was this past year that broke the camel's back.

This past year I was named captain of the men's cross county and track team for the second year in a row. I take great pride in this position and did my best to see the continuing improvement of my team, just like any good captain would. I also balanced 15 credits of 300-400 level college courses in the fall semester and student-taught in the spring. During this time I also had the pleasure of moving into my first apartment off-campus with my girlfriend and a teammate. This was a pleasure, but at times it was stress when it became that time of the month; BILLS (stop thinking about that other thing). On top of everything I just decided to become a vegetarian and train the hardest I have ever in my life. When race time came sometimes it wasn't easy to let go of everything.

The two things that I really had going for me were my newly acquired eating and training habits. My training had always been inconsistent and, cove your ears, with relatively low mileage. Yup, that's right anywhere from 20-55 miles a week. That barely cuts it on the high school level these days. So this past winter I put in a great base and peaked at 80 with most of my 5-6 weeks at 60-75 miles in 6 days (one day off).

This base did huge thing for me. I was able to do my workouts much better because I was much more aerobically fit and my race times dropped big time. I ran a 19:58 for 4 miles in a stiff, cold wind. I dropped my 5k time from a 15:22 (indoors freshman year) to a 14:59 (indoors) and 14:42 (outdoors).

So, I believe in building your base with really large quantities of aerobic based work. I actually have been doing plenty of research on Arthur Lydiard's training philosophy and I am going to give it a go. I figure that if I can survive (good choice of words, huh) this higher mileage than I may have something going for me. It's sort of an experiment and this blog will highlight most of that journey, as well as, what is out there for us middle guys.

Most of my inspiration comes from my inner drive to keep improving. However, the whole blog idea came from doing my research on Lydiard. I came across this gentlemen named Mike who as document his experiment of following Lydiard's training along with working, being a husband, and being a father. You should all check out his blog at Running With Lydiard.

Training:
Wednesday:
Duration: 01hr 00min 04sec
Distance: ?
Comments: Was a bit sore from the first two days running. Had to ice my right hip and left hamstring. Second half of the run I felt awesome.

It Begins

Today the journey starts. Who knows how long this will last or if it will have any type of following, but I'm convinced that there are others out there like myself. Have you ever thought about taking the leap to be elite (lame, yes)?

You are probably wondering, "Who is this guy?" Well, I am a recent graduate of a small, private college in New York called Marist College. It is a Division I school and we competed against some of the best runners in the country (Iona was in our league). It took me 5 years to complete my B.A. in Psychology/ Special Education. Often I realize that I do miss the freedom of college life a lot. The void that I have with college being done for now has led me to creating this blog.

The basics of what you will see is the thoughts and opinion of myself and maybe some posts by some like-minded people on topics mainly dealing with maintaining a running lifestyle after college. It will be common to see posts on topics such as my daily training, training philosophies, nutrition, race, sports psychology, and many other things.

If you wondering about the details you are not alone. Check back in a few days to find out who I am and the specifics of why I am doing this.


Training:
Monday:
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 01hr 00min 51sec
Comments: none

Tuesday:
Distance: ?
Duration: 01hr 00min 04sec
Comments: slower pace,right hip sore