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