Closing out 2015 with a Win!

My original plan after the EWEB half was to finish up 2015 with Club Cross Nationals in San Francisco. I, however, got some food poisoning and only made it about halfway through the race before, ahem, let's just say nothing good. It was a little disappointing because my fitness has been getting better and better since October. I decided to hop into a local 10k this past Saturday to try and capitalize.

The race on Saturday was part of the Eugene Holiday Half Marathon. That race started at 9 and then the 5k/10k started at 9:15. Due to construction on the bike path the course was on, the half marathon course had to change 24 hours before the event to a double loop of the 10k course. While it was impressive of the race to be able to make this change, it made for a more difficult run for me. Within the first two miles of my run, I was weaving in and out of runners all the way back to the finish line. It is really too bad because the course was a nice, flat, out and back on the Fern Ridge Bike Path. It cost some energy having to move around runners in other events.

When my race went out, one runner shot to the front. Another runner and I sat back 5-10 seconds or so. I did not know how fast I was running but my goal for the day was somewhere around 35:00, or 5:38 pace. I would have been satisfied with something in the 35:30 range, or 5:43 pace. The runner I was side by side with said that the runner in front of us was in the 5k. We were leading the 10k and by the first mile we were well clear of everyone else and not far behind the 5k runner. I hit the first mile in 5:34. This is 34:35 tempo for 10k. I just went out hard enough for this to have an adverse effect on my run. It would have been better to start 5:40-45 and then work down. By two miles I had a big gap on second but I had slowed with a 5:46 mile. 5:40 pace is where I wanted to be but I was already heading in the wrong direction. My third mile was a 5:51 and I went through 5k in 17:50. I was on pace for 35:40 which would have been a satisfying effort but after the turnaround I was pretty spent. I went out a little too quick and paid for it. It was the way that I got to 17:50 at 5k. Had I run even to that point, I believe that I could have run a little quicker on the way back and ended up closer to 35:30. I, however, ran a little slower the second half after miles of 5:53, 6:01 and 5:58. For a 10k, I would like my fastest (not slowest) mile to be from 4-5. That is a good point in a 10k to make a big move and then you only have one mile left to the finish. It was my slowest mile of the day. I split 68 in the last .22 of the race to cross the line in 1st place overall in 36:11.

I was happy to come in first but the gap to second was about a minute and should have been more. I did not run a smart race and it was difficult in the second half to keep up the pace without anyone to run with. I also had to move by a lot of people on the bike path during the second half of the race. I'm happy to get the win but I know that if some other fast folks in town had shown up I could have finished 10th. I was hoping to be comfortably under my PR- a 35:58 training run from back in spring of 2014. I ran 36:13 this summer for 12th place at Scandia. I ran 36:11 for 1st this past weekend, Place is a big motivator but I would rather have finished 5th on Saturday and have run 35-whatever. It was still, however, a solid run to close out the year, especially running for the win solo. I'm happy to close out 2015 with a win. 2015 was a strange year. I overcame the dizziness that had plagued me in 2014 and the beginning of 2015. I ended up with PRs in the 1500 and half marathon. I didn't quite get there in the 5k and 10k but I am very close. I am excited for 2016 and I am hopefully going to start with it off with a bang chasing a fast indoor 3k on January 2nd!

Happy Holidays!

Eugene EWEB Race Report

I titled a blog post from July as, "Back on Track." I think that would have been more fitting for this posting. In the summer, I worked myself into good shape from the 1500 through the 10k. These are distances that I still need to work on but I was happy this summer to be running at full health and seeing steady improvement. I was excited about building up for a fall half marathon. I decided to only focus on the half marathon this fall before making any plans to attempt a full. My goal race for the fall was the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon in mid-October. After two mediocre cross country 5k races in the buildup- 17:57 & 17:44- I went down to Humboldt.

I did put in some solid workouts so I was feeling optimistic that a 1:16-17 time would be doable. My final time: 1:24:05. That's where I was in the summer of 2012. My plan for the race was to open in 6:00 or so and then try to bring it down. I went 6:05, 5:55, and then got progressively slower throughout the race. I have no idea why my body did not respond that day. I did a 10 mile tempo in 60:00 during the buildup and felt comfortable that whole time. It comes to raceday and I can only hold that same pace for two. It was definitely a discouraging result after clawing my way back to full health. I was left with a choice: end my season with some easy running or build to another half marathon. If folks know me, there was really only one option.

I had five weeks in between races and picked training right back up where I left it prior to Humboldt. In five weeks, I crushed workouts that gave me more and more confidence that I could put together a good race. My progression included:

2 miles 11:18, 4 x 800m in 2:45, 2 x 400m in 74, 72

10 x 1k averaging 3:37 with short rest on bark (slower surface)

4 mile XC race- 24:10, 8k XC race 29:51- not quick average paces but very good considering the terrain

14 mile long run- 6:30 pace, last mile 5:45; 12.3 mile progression run- 6:23 pace, last mile 5:45

2 x 4 miles in 23:45, 23:32 (5 mile run in between sets)

2 x (2k, 1k, 1k) in 7:14, 3:25, 3:26, 7:11, 3:24, 3:21, 4 x 400m in 77, 75, 75, 72

4 mile tempo 23:20

I jammed in a lot of quality efforts over five weeks and signed up for the Eugene EWEB Half Marathon. The morning of the race was a little chilly but ideal for racing- low 30s and no wind. The course mainly ran on flat bike paths. In the opening quarter mile of the race I found myself behind an elite woman from Team Run Eugene. A male pacer stepped in with her and they told me they were looking to average 6:00 pace or so and then try to work things down. The field in front of us was just moving a little too quick for me so if I did not run with them I would have been by myself which would have made for a tougher day. Ideally, I would have wanted 5:50-55 pace for a shot at a 1:16 half. I chose to stay with that group and by 4-5 miles we had a pack of 6. We were clipping off miles in 5:55-6:00. I was feeling strong and tucked myself in behind the pacer. By 8 miles, our pack was down to 4, with two falling off the pace. I started to get a little side stitch but fought it off over the next two miles. I took a gel a little after 9 and by 10 I had a little more pop in me. We went through 10 miles in 59:35. This is a solid mark. I wanted to be a little quicker because this comes out to a 1:18 half but I was happy to be racing. After a mile closer to 5:50 from 10-11 I broke up our pack of four and separated with another male runner. I kept pressing and gapped him by 12. At 12.5 he moved in front of me and had me by a couple of steps until 13. At 13 I made a decisive move to kick past him for the finish line. I finished four seconds up on him and 14 on the elite woman runner who ran a great race to win! My final time was 1:17:50 (5:56 pace)- good for 6th overall and 3rd in my age group. I ran my last 5k in 18:15 which is 5:52 pace and would come out to 1:17:00 for a half marathon. It is encouraging that my last 5k was my fastest. It was also encouraging to race in a pack of six and come across the finish line as the first runner.

1:17:50 stands as my new PR. If I could somehow double that, it would be 2:35 marathon pace. 1:17 is a time I thought was attainable in the fall of 2013. It took two years, some injuries, and battle with feeling lightheaded in training, to finally put together a good race. Everything clicked for me last Sunday. I finally broke through and ran a half marathon that would indicate something comparable to a 2:40 marathon. It is encouraging that I felt the way I did at the end of the race. That gives me confidence moving forward. My fall season is now coming to a close (one 10k XC race left) but there is plenty to be excited about looking ahead to 2016. I ran a qualifier for the NYC half marathon. That will be the goal spring half before tackling a full marathon. I think I can run 1:15/2:37 this spring. I'm going to leave it at that. It doesn't always make sense for someone like me to keep training the way I do. I'm nowhere near elites who drop sub-1:05 half marathons. I would say sub-elites might range from 72 and down. The goal is to get there and see how far I can take it. I'm not a runner who started with a lot of natural talent. My first 5k was in over 24:00. My first half marathon was in 1:45. I'm just trying to get better every day and keep moving away from where I started. 1:17 gives me the motivation to keep going. It validates years of hard work. It showed me what can be possible. I'm ready for what 2016 has to throw at me.

Improving

It's been a long time since I could title something, "Improving." It has been a rough two years of running and I am still basically right around where I was in Spring of 2013. I opened my summer racing season two weeks ago with a 4:39 1500m and then followed it up with a 2:19 800m. I was not overly aggressive in the 1500m because I did not want to go out too fast. The result was that I went out too slow but was happy to kick for my last 400m in 68-high. With better tactics, I felt that I could be closer to 4:30 than 4:40. My next race came this past Thursday.

(beautiful evening at the track)

I wanted to make sure to get out a little quicker and did so. I went through the opening 400m in 72-73. This is what I wanted to do! The only problem was that I was running in the middle of the lead pack and the back pack by myself. I had nobody to help out with the pace. I slowed, running by myself to go through 800 in 2:28 or so and 1100 in 3:25. Two weeks ago I went through 800 in 2:30 and 1100 in 3:30. I worked hard to run my last lap in 70 seconds. I kicked well over the final 200. My finish pace was 4:55 which is a little quicker than the 4:57 I ran two years ago, albeit for a shorter distance. The weather was good but not great for the 7:05 start. It was windy and 80 degrees. One positive of this race was that I was not passed during this race except during the opening 200 when we were settling into the race. The downside is that my pace lagged over the middle laps where I had nobody to help with the pace or push me. I do not think I will have another opportunity to run 1500m this summer but feel that I could go sub-4:30 in the right race. Next week I want to run the 2 mile because I feel comfortable at my 1500m pace and do not feel that I will lose a lot with four more laps added. The weather is supposed to be very warm this coming Thursday so I might make a decision not to run. I do have a road 10k and 5k coming up in August to help test my fitness. I am hoping for some PRs. The training will then turn to more strength work with a goal fall half marathon and some XC races! I have not run XC since high school but think it will suit me well.

After the race last Thursday I hit the practice track by Hayward Field for 4 x 800m. My splits were 2:43, 2:42, 2:38, 2:36. It is a very Oregon thing to go for a workout after a race. Hopefully this helps give me some strength. It made for a tough but rewarding day.

Back on Track

It's been a while since I'v written down any running related thoughts. I had that nasty incident where I passed out a year and a half ago and I have not been myself since. I had been making steady progress with running and enjoying every second of it. The past year and a half has caused me much pain and doubt. I have always considered myself a marathoner and wanted to keep improving on my PR from Chicago, 2013 where I ran 2:47 but had been on target for a 2:41 and still on 2:43-45 pace through 20+ miles. I dropped out of Boston in 2014. I was still experiencing major dizziness and never should have started. I thought I was getting over my head issues and planned on the Mohawk Hudson Marathon in fall, 2014. My build-up went great. I was ready for something in the 2:30s. I did a 15.5 mile tempo at 6:00 pace and nailed several other key workouts running in the 5:30s and 5:40s for 1, 2 and 3 mile repeats. I was ready. My regret is that I did not race a half marathon last fall when my head was feeling better. The week before that race, I suffered a hamstring strain. I could not bend my left leg without feeling pain. I was angry and I still went to the start line only to feel too much pain by halfway still out in 1:23 grimacing the whole way. From there I had an incredibly tough winter where I was registered for Boston, 2015 but my head issues never went away. I made a smart decision not to run and have been focusing on shorter distances ever since. 

(whattup Hayward Field)

I feel more like myself now than at any time since I went down in the winter of 2014. It took much longer than I would have liked through the spring months for my speed to come back but I think it's finally where I once was and now I can try to improve. I am now living out in Tracktown USA (Eugene, OR)! I happened to move out here for work and have found a home in the running community here. There is an amazing group of guys with a lot of masters runners who are cranking out sub-4:30 miles, sub-16:00 5ks, 1:09-15 half marathons and 2:30s for the full. It's great training with a group who are just in front of where I want to be in the short term. I have always had problems on the local level finding training partners. It's either people are too fast or too slow. Now I am running with folks around my level in an environment where I can be pushed any day of the week.

Last week I raced at the OTC All Comers meet at Hayward Field. Yes, I got a chance to run on this prestigious track and it was incredible! OTC does All Comers meets all through July in Eugene. I decided on the 1500m last Thursday (July 9th) just to get back in the swing of things. I did hard workouts the Saturday and Tuesday before so it was safe to say I was training through this race (classic). I did not want to go out too hard with some of my new training partners. Their plan was 68 or so for the 1st 400 and I wanted to be more like 72-73. Right after the gun I let myself slip into the back of the pack so I could be conservative. This is not the best way to run a 1500. I found myself behind a group of 5 mixed between high schoolers and people about my age. We hit the first lap in 74-75. This was alright but now there was a wall of runners in front of me and the group slowed to 77 on the 2nd lap. I heard 2:30-31 for us through 800. We hit 1100 in 3:30 and I had finally had it. 3:30 is 5:07 mile pace and I had hoped to average something in the 4:50 range. I moved to the front of the group and shook things up running the next 200 in 34-35. Only one person went with me and they passed me on the final curve but I stuck right on to them and crossed the line in 4:39. I had me at a 68-high for the last lap which was great but I just would have liked to have spread the effort out. I had too much left at the end. I would have been fine with a 72 last lap if the previous 1100 had been at that pace and I would have run 9 seconds faster. The final time puts me right below 5:00 mile pace which is decent. My fastest mile ever run is 4:57 back in the spring of 2013 so I was pretty close to that effort Thursday night. Shortly after that 4:57 I ran my 5k PR of 16:37 which is the kind of shape I hope to be in (or a little better) a month from now. After the 1500 I came back 30 minutes later for an 800m. I have never run an 800 meters all out, albeit I had a hard 1500 in my legs. I ran 2:19 for 4th in my heat of 8 and I was right on 2nd and 3rd. I ran even splits which is not usually how 800s are run. I feel, when I am fresh for a 1500m, 2:19 is what I should be capable of going out in with my current fitness and try to hang on. I am going to go after another 1500 in two weeks and hope to be closer to 4:30 than 4:40. The last week of July, I will test myself with a 2 mile. I am optimistic that I can continue to make progress this summer and have a road 10k and 5k in August which will be my goal races.

For now I am going to continue to train and push myself to new limits. I'm ready to get back to racing and chasing new times. In the fall, I will not be doing a full marathon but might run some cross country (have not done since high school) and target a goal half. I am feeling a lot more positive about running. It is hard not to be with all of the opportunities available to me in Eugene!

Cheers,

David

2015: New Year, New Goals

Goal Setting:

2014 was a year that I definitely wish I could have had back. I finished 2013 with new PRs in the 5k (16:37), half marathon (1:19) and marathon (2:47). My marathon progression was going very well, going from 2:54 in 2012 to 2:47 in 2013. I was optimistic that there was still a lot of room for improvement with the way training had gone leading up to my 2013 fall marathon. I thought I was much closer to 2:40-low shape and I attacked that race aggressively. I went out in 1:20:48 and faded hard. At the very least, more even pacing could have probably netted something in the 2:43-45 range. I was ready to hop into training again and work hard to set a PR at Boston, 2014. A hamstring injury sidelined me for the rest of 2013 and in the winter of 2014. I finally started to string some training together in January. Towards the end of the month I did a 10k tempo in 35:58 (5:47 pace). I felt at ease after hitting this workout with a few more months to get race ready for Boston. In February, however, my body had other plans for me. I was doing some 200m repeats on the indoor track at my college just to get my legs turning over after an easy run and during my third repeat, my vision started to get blurred. I stumbled down the homestretch of the indoor track and collapsed. The world was spinning all around me. I sat for 10 minutes until the dizziness subsided and called a couple of friends to help me get home. I had my blood pressure checked by the on campus EMTs and everything was fine. I took a day off from running and then the next day I could not make it more than a couple of minutes without feeling lightheaded and dizzy; I had to walk home. I kept trying to train all winter but each attempt was met with the same symptoms. I saw every doctor imaginable and crossed off a wide array of what the problem might have been. In spite of my frustrations with not knowing what was wrong with me, I decided to give Boston, 2014 a go. This was a clear mistake, I had gotten in a little bit of training but not enough to feel confident to go after a good time. Moreover, I still felt lightheaded every now and then from running! After about 10 miles or so I called it a day during the marathon. I was both lightheaded and dizzy. Another few steps and I would have went down. After this, I took some time off and then started running shorter distances. I focused on 1 mile to 5k training during May and June. I was running the fastest training intervals of my life and my head issues seemed to be going away. I only got an opportunity to race once and it was a 17:15 5k to place third in some lovely 80 degree weather- it had been in the 50s and 60s in training before the weekend of that race. I started training in July with Ryan Vail, who is one of the top marathoners in the US. We chose a fall marathon and put in a great block of training. I nailed some key workouts: 8 x 1 mile, 4 x 2 miles, 3 x 3 miles and a 25 km marathon simulator averaging 6:00 pace. I was ready to run under 2:40 and salvage something from 2014. The week of the race, I developed a sharp, shooting pain in my left hamstring while simultaneously feeling pain in both achilles. Of course. I train through most aches and pains but it was too much to put in my easy runs that week. I felt cheated. I put in some hard work to be ready for a sub-2:40 time so I toed the start line for the 2014 Mohawk Hudson River Marathon anyways. It was a perfect day, in the mid-40s with a nice point to point downhill course awaiting me. I never should have started this race. The pain was too much and I pulled out after the halfway mark. I started going to PT and have recently been able to build my mileage back up to the 50s per week in 2015. My hamstring injury has still not gone away but is much more tolerable and has not affected training. So what are my goals in 2015 after a year that resulted in one completed race?

2015 Goals:

1. Stay healthy- obviously (time to do the little things).

2. No DNFs- no excuses if I am not ready to compete I will not be on a start line.

3. Race MORE- shouldn't be tough (gotta beat 1!).

4, Build mileage- my best training has been done with my mileage up over 80, 90 and 100 miles a week. 

5. PR

2015 will be a year of PRs. I have serious goals for every major distance and I am ready to set out to take them down.

Marathon- PR- sub 2:47:18, sub 2:40, sub 2:35

Half- PR- sub 1:19:56, sub 1:17, sub 1:15 working down to or better than 1:12

10k- PR- sub 35:58, sub 35:00, sub 34:00

5k- PR- sub 16:37, sub 16:00, sub 15:50 working down to 15:32

mile- PR- sub 4:57, sub 4:50, sub 4:40

I honestly believe that, in the past couple of years, I have been within some of these ranges for goal race times. With that being said, 2015 is a year of doing. No excuses. The mantra for 2015 is still Never Going Back. It is time to think hard about what this means and what I can do to find success in the New Year. For me, that is found in getting the best out of myself in competition. In order to do this, I need to be cognizant of my health and make sure I am in a position to succeed. Running is a sport in which you pretty much know where you are at based on training. There is no cheating yourself. You either put in the work or do not. I am going to train hard but train smart in 2015. The lessons that I hope I can share with others is to always maintain self care in something you care so much about. I go pretty hard on myself and put a lot of blame on myself for dropping out of marathons in 2014. It would have been better to not put so much pressure on myself in the moment and take some time to ensure that I am in a good position to race when I am on a starting line. 2015 will be different. I know what I have to do to get to where I want to be. I know I have to take care of myself in order to do this. I have some long term goals with running and 2015 is going to be a turning point for me. I am ready to put everything together and really test myself. I put it all out there in what I hope 2015 brings. Now it is time to stop saying that I want to get better and go out there and do it.

Cheers,

David