Feb. 28 - 5k time trial

AM: 5k time trial, 15:19 (PR) plus bonus 3k PR, 12 miles

I met Klim, Bert, Nate, and Diego at Maryland's track for a controlled 5k time trial this morning. Patrick and Chris kindly took splits (and photos...see below). We had chilly but manageable temperatures in the high 30s. 

This was strictly a fitness test for me. Bert and Jake were chasing the 15:00 barrier. Both guys were definitely close to hitting that mark. On the other hand, my 3k PR from college was something along the lines of 9:10 from my one and only indoor track season. My plan was to at least get in a 3k PR today, and then if I wasn't too wrecked, keep going to try and muscle out a 5k PR. 

We took the 1600 out in 4:46, and I felt fine. I tucked in behind Jake and Bert, running consistent 72-second laps. Before we got going, I asked Patrick to get my 3k split, and I'm glad I did, because I hit 9:01 at 3k, which is a PR for me (also with 9:39 at 3200). I felt strong, but I still had 5 laps left. 

At this point, Jake, Bert, and I started breaking up. I fell off slightly, and in my only real mistake today, completely fell asleep for the next 1k. By the time I snapped myself out of it, I had 1k to go and started picking up the pace and tried to close the gap between me and Jake. My first 3k was strong, my next 1k poor, and my last 1k was just OK: plenty of room to improve.

Since this was technically "just a workout" (I'm still counting this as a real PR...this is not up for debate in my mind), I considered doing strides afterward but nixed that idea.  Despite two PRs, I finished with springy legs and more in the tank. Jake finished short of his goal, but still nailed a PR in 15:12. Bert was heartbreakingly close in what must have been 15:00.000001.

I'll have another shot to lower my 5k PR in two weeks in Baltimore on what is said to be a fast course. I've never felt this fresh running the kind of volume I've been running lately. Given where I started this 8+ years ago (and my 10:38 3200 and 17:30 5k high school PRs), the sub-15:00 barrier was just sort of a "lifetime goal" for me.

Hmmmm...

(rubbing my non-existent beard because I can't grow facial hair)

As you can probably discern, optimism is high. I am officially pumped to get out there and race over the next three months. After today, I have a better idea of what kind of shape I'm in.

Now, I just have to improve upon my disproportionate mile PR (I've never broken 4:40 on a track). I suspect that's going to fall in the coming months.

Feb. 27

AM: 10 miles easy/moderate, strides

Despite staying up a little later than normal hammering out a project for work, I still woke up feeling fresh and strong...or fresher and stronger than I should in the middle of 100-mile week. Running an abbreviated version of yesterday's loop, I had a bounce in my stride. The mild weather (~50 degrees) probably helped. I ran in shorts, and that felt fantastic.

This is the time of year where I emerge from the winter in PR shape, year in and year out, and the last month or so of running makes me believe it will be more of the same. A time trial tomorrow at my ol' stomping grounds at the UMD track should give me a decent fitness barometer.

Feb. 26

AM: 11 miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy

Rock Creek Park in the morning. Easy with Valerie on Connecticut Ave after a long day of work.

Feb. 25

AM: 5 miles easy

PM: 3 x 2k @ 10k pace, 1k @ 5k pace w/ 400 jog recovery (3:00) 12 miles

Easy shake-out run in Rock Creek Park in the morning.

For the track workout, I could definitely feel the accumulated fatigue in my legs. We had a small group at B-CC this evening, with Nate and Patrick joining me for the workout while Jake and Melissa did their own thing.

Given that I was pretty tired going into it, I'm pleased with the results. I hit the paces right on. I ran totally evenly on the 2k's, even splitting through halfway on all of them, though the 1k's were a little more jumbled. I'd generally run my first lap too fast, my second lap too slow, and then would finally hit pace on the last 200. The last 1k required some focus, but I was still able to accelerate a good deal in the last 400.

This workout has become a staple for me and is a good measuring stick for my fitness. This may be the fastest I've ever done it, on average. In the middle of a stretch of 100-mile weeks, I'm not exactly as fresh as a daisy, so this makes me more hopeful and excited for spring racing. Saturday will be a tune-up toward that.

Splits: 6:20, 3:04, 6:20, 3:02, 6:16, 3:00

Feb. 24

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 8 miles easy

Rock Creek Park in the morning. Still feeling a little stiff. 

I met P. Murphy for a run after work through the Chevy Chase neighborhoods before Obama's speech before Congress. I am obviously feeling pretty exhausted right now, noted both during the run and because I fell asleep during the speech, which I was definitely looking forward to all week. 

It felt like an afternoon class in college when the professor dimmed the lights during a class I genuinely wanted to listen to. Eyes...can't...stay...open...

Feb. 23

AM: 4 miles easy

PM: 9 miles easy

Slow recovery day: I'm pretty sure that T. Boone Pickens, a Jack Russell Tarrier with amputated legs, a glacier, and plate tectonics all ran past me on my morning run. It was definitely a bleary-eyed shuffle. I had a long weekend of running, so I suppose this makes sense.

My evening run was also less-than glamorous. Because it was dark, cold and blustery, the Chevy Chase neighborhoods seemed totally vacant. In fact, it was a little creepy. No medals are awarded on nights like tonight, when running seems even more thankless and all you want is to be home and done with your loved one and/or inside your Snuggie. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and get it in.

Feb. 22 (103 miles/week)

AM: 20 miles easy/moderate

Met up at the GRC group run, spending most of it with Klim, Murphy, and Matias. I felt strong today and am coming off a decent week of training. Things are definitely on the upswing right now. I am getting so antsy to start racing that I want to chase down passing cars on my runs. Also, Klim apparently swears he saw Tim Robbins today during the run while we wear tearing down Tilden, but that may have been fatigue setting in. 

Feb. 21

AM: 3 x (2 miles on/ 1 mile off), 13+ miles

This was similar to a workout I ran last year with the GRC before Boston with the goal to run the pace you want to run for Cherry Blossom in April We warmed up at Riley's Lock and ran point-to-point to Old Angler's Inn. The workout went OK except for the last mile of the last interval when the G.I. pain I'd been fighting became too much. I still hit my times, however, including on the last one. 

10 miles is hands-down one of my favorite distances to race, so I'm pumped to race it. I'm going to be incorporating more strength work in the weeks to come, going with the theory that one should gradually move toward specificity as the race gets closer[insert runner-nerd noise HERE].

The distances are slightly off and require some recalculation for the splits...

Splits: 10:31 (1.97 miles/10:39 pace), 10:24 (1.99 miles/10:27 pace), 10:35 (2.01 miles/10:32 pace).

Feb. 20

AM: 9 miles moderate, 7 x :10 hill sprints

PM: 5 miles easy

Rock Creek Park in the morning and Connecticut Ave in the evening. Still feeling quite chipper all around.

Feb. 19

AM: 12 miles easy

I just ran easy on the Rock Creek Park trails, heading south and coming through the back stables loop; I found plenty of hills.

I woke up early this week with my nose running like a faucet and my eyes feeling like they were burrowing into a peat-filled bog. I thought it was a cold, but I'm thinking it may have been allergies of some kind. Whatever the case, I seem to be kicking already, which is a good sign my body's holding up well.

I ditched an evening workout to see Slumdog Millionaire, which was a far better film than I was expecting. The hype is legitimate. The odds of it winning Best Picture on Sunday are 1:7; I haven't seen the other movies, but those are close to Tiger Woods-like odds, though this isn't really anything I've paid much attention to in years past.

On that note, Tiger himself announced today that he's coming back next week. This excites me. The guy is hands-down my favorite athlete in any sport, including running and baseball.

Feb. 18

AM: 5 miles easy

PM: 1600m hard, 400 jog (4:00), 5 x 800m @ goal 5k pace w/ 300 jog (2:00), 4 x 200m strides, 11 miles

After a slow morning run through snow flurries, I met a smaller group of the GRC team for a track workout at B-CC; we ran the mile as a group, and then P. Murphy and I ran the 800s while a few others ran varied efforts. For a speed workout, this is probably the best I've felt in a while. The mile felt totally relaxed, and I definitely finished with plenty in the tank on the 800s, which is good because I'll probably need it for the workout we're planning on Saturday. Very encouraging...I'm itching to start racing again. 

Splits: 4:45, 2:25, 2:25, 2:26, 2:26, 2:24

Feb. 17

AM: 11 miles

PM: 7 miles

Uneventful day...

Feb. 16

AM: 10 miles moderate, 6 x 10" hill sprints

I ran some on Beach Drive this morning, which was closed for President's Day. On days like today, when commuters in their cars rev their engines past me on the road, only to find them turning around at gates blocking off the road a few yards away, I catch myself chuckling with schadenfreude.

Annnnnnd that's pretty wrong.

I had a second run planned, but a late meeting at work pretty much killed that idea.

Feb. 15 (94 miles/week)

AM: 18 miles easy/moderate

PM: yoga

Got home from Orlando last night. Valerie and I met a dozen or so from the GRC for a long run in Greenbelt Park. Given that my legs felt like junk yesterday, I felt back to normal today, though we didn't push too much. Ryan Shon and Drew joined us for a lap in the middle after we crossed paths...strange days have found my alma mater, apparently. I also talked to Richie and K-Gahr as we were leaving after the run.

We adjourned Bagel Place afterward: one of the few things I miss about College Park.

The yoga class also went well. I still have a lot to work on there.

Feb. 14

AM: 4k @ 10M pace, 400 recovery, 1.5 miles @ 10M pace, 400 recovery, 6x200m strides, 10 miles

I felt just absolutely trashed this morning. All day on my feet at Disney yesterday and surprisingly high February humidity made this a pretty brutal. I had planned just a basic tempo run at an asphalt track near Eric's house in Orlando, but I amended the workout when I started falling off pace a couple of miles into it. I was just completely gassed. Oh well...not great but better than nothing, I suppose. My calf felt better, but it is still really tight.

When I got back, we had papusas courtesy of Eric's mother-in-law, which I had never had before and were absolutely fantastic. Becuase Eric's wife, Soledad and her entire family all hail from El Salvador, I have had a chance in the last few days to brush up on my rusty Spanish (plus my neice and nephew are bilingual). I am a little rusty, but not terrible. They have all been so hospitable...this was definitely a long overdue visit.

Feb. 13

AM: 6 miles easy

Easy recovery run from my brother Eric's place before spending all day at Disneyworld with his family and my sister's family. Loads of fun. I never tire of Disney trips.

Feb. 12

AM: 13 miles easy

Ran over hills in Rock Creek Park in the mid-morning. Headed south on the trails, up and down Tilden, before coming back by Ross Drive and the south stables.

I hopped on a plane in the afternoon for a few days to visit my brother Eric, sister Diana, and their families for a few days in Orlando. I hadn't seen any of them in about a year, so we were long overdue.

Feb. 11

AM: 6 miles easy

PM: 3 x mile w/ 400 jog recovery, 2x200 strides, 9 miles

Easy shake-out run in Rock Creek Park in the morning. I'm in shorts for the third straight day. I could definitely get used to this.

After work, I met the GRC group at B-CC for a track workout. The guys who ran on Saturday (almost all of us) were notably beat up. I definitely had the pop I wanted, but my laps were absurdly inconsistent. My left calf in particular was killing me throughout. Still, I averaged 4:55, which is the pace I'm shooting for next month in a couple of 5ks. If I can add another rep to this workout in a few weeks, I'll feel ready to roll. It's coming along.

Splits: 4:52, 4:56, 4:57

Feb. 10

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 6 miles easy

Ridiculously tired in the morning over muddy trails in Rock Creek Park. The evening jaunt was down Connecticut Ave and through the neighborhoods.

Feb. 9

AM: 11 miles easy

PM: 6 miles easy, core

I felt sore but strong today. I took an ice bath after yesterday's run, which was definitely a good call. I have been shirking those for too long now and need to make them a regular part of training again. Rock Creek Park in the morning; after work, I ran a few miles with Valerie before adding on a little at the end. This weekend left me feeling very motivated and engaged with my running, so I hope I can carry the momentum into the next couple of months.

Also, this is a pretty epic video Pete put together (as posted on the GRC blog) of the USATF XC Championships last Saturday:

GRC Races at the 2009 USATF XC Championship from Tow Path on Vimeo.

Feb. 8 (88 miles/week)

AM: 19 miles easy

PM: yoga

Met a group of GRCers and a few out-of-towners for a long run in Rock Creek Park. We mixed up the route by running past Tilden and up Calvert Road, coming back up Connecticut and back on Beach Drive. The trails were a sloppy mess, so we largely avoided them. I added on an extra 15 minutes with Dickson before heading home to make it 2:10 total. I felt a little tight at the end of the run after the race yesterday, but yoga was just downright uncomfortable with my sore quads and hamstrings. The left calf was still a little tight but cleared up after a mile or two. 

Feb. 7 - USATF Cross Country National Championships

AM: 12k cross country race, 41:54, 75th place, 13 miles

After spending all week traveling, I felt cautiously optimistic coming into the race today. As a few of the guys I run with have aptly noted, it's tough to gear up for a race where 1.) you know you're going to be whipped and 2.) you have no chance at running a personal best.

However, funny little surprises can happen by just jumping in a race and going all-out. It can be hard for a runner to game-up seriously for a race like this given that the results just aren't as quantifiable...

...unless your team pulls a rabbit out of its hat and wins the damn race. Then I'd say the day becomes pretty quantifiable. 

As for my race individually, I went out way too fast, close to 3:00 for the first 1k. It was fast enough that if I'd simply held that pace, I would have had a good chance to win! This obviously wasn't in the cards today, so at about 1200m, I relaxed, and let some people go. By about 5k, I finally settled into a groove and stopped the bleeding of runners passing me. after the 6k mark, I starting roping people back in. This was actually my strategy all along, but said roping was limited by my stupid starting tactics. 

As a result, I really don't think I ran to my potential today, but I at least had the sense of mind to take a deep breath and basically start my race over again. I don't think anyone passed me in the second half of the race that I didn't repass, so that's a moral victory. One of those runners was Scott "Slicko" Anderson both of the rival Pacers and old-school letsrun.com fame. Seeing him lit a fire under my butt when we passed me in the second half in the race because the guy has run a sub-4:00 mile. I wanted to be no where near this guy at the finish because his kick is certainly better than mine. Consequently, I started cranking the hills with a greater sense of urgency, making some moves, and trying vainly to catch teammate Kyle.

My strongest parts of the race were actually the uphills, which is where I seemed to gain the most ground on people and make my moves. The downhills, which are typically a strength for me, were not today because the biggest downhill on the course (also my favorite part of the course, today aside) was a mud-slick by the end of the race were apparently a ton of people fell. I almost fell twice, and on the last lap, I actually ended up in the bushes, but fortunately avoided crashing or falling too far into them.

I love running muddy races. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at them and tend to lose my patience. I am definitely a rhythm-type runner, and when the footing gets dicey, I don't run as well (partially because of my lack of legspeed, I think). The photos also reveal that I spent a lot of the race with my head down; I can partially attribute this to the loose footing, but personal history shows that I unconsciously look down when I'm not feeling well in a race (it's a lazy "tell" I have). Despite struggling at points, I think I made out OK, and it's something I look forward to improving, and today was better than similar races in the past.

Overall, I'd give the day a C+ for me on account of a dumb start and falling asleep for a couple of laps early on. I am glad to be racing again, however, and this race was a fine place to jump back into competing. Also, GRC is freakin' national champions. That feels cool, even if the team field was weaker than previous years. Here are the full results, as well as a detailed photo gallery from teammate Robert Jarrin, who took some excellent shots of the field this morning:

Feb. 6

PM: 5 miles easy

Just an easy shake-out run in the early evening after I spent all day flying back from the west coast.

Feb. 4

AM: 11 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy, treadmill

Ran from the hotel to Shelter Island and back, catching a good sunrise. Got in a quick shake out run before some long-awaited In-N-Out with Will.

Feb. 5

AM: 15 x1'on/1'off, 10 miles

PM: 6 miles easy

The morning workout was pretty light. I felt dog-tired and had trouble hitting my stride. I didn't get a great night of sleep last night.

I changed my flight from this evening to Friday morning. I had a red eye scheduled, but I didn't want to miss a night's sleep two nights before the most competitive cross country race I've ever run. This will probably mean that I won't get to do my prerace jog until Friday night, but so be it.

Instead, I crashed with my longtime friend, Will, who lives in Ocean Beach. We got in an easy run before feasting on burgers at a place in his neighborhood.

Will and I ran two seasons a year and wrestled together in high school, so we go back a little ways. We took a couple of epic trips together before college, including 3+ weeks through Europe and a cross-country road trip with three other XC high school teammates in his dad's old Suburban right after we graduated from Westminster. I saw him a couple of times over the last few days, but it felt good to chill out for a little while and catch up for a little longer.

Feb. 3

AM: 50:00 progression run plus cooldown, 11 miles

Not sure exactly what pace I was running this morning. I started out running from my hotel to Harbor Island, ran a loop there, and then came back, stopping around the U.S.S Midway, gradually picking up the pace to the point where I was definitely hammering halfway through. I then ran a cooldown near the Gaslamp Quarter and into Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres (who my friend Jared, home of Columbia, MD, considers his favorite baseball team...I can't explain that one). This surprised me, since most ballparks are locked up tight during the offseason. Instead, Petco has a public park with a little league diamond, statue of Tony Gwynn, and some old-school stone bleachers that lead right down to the outfield grass. Though I'd get a better feel if I saw a game there, Petco is aesthetically one of the nicest ballparks I've ever seen.

Feb. 2

AM: 9 miles easy/moderate, treadmill

A damn shame to run on the treadmill in this beautiful city, but I had a lot of work today, starting very early, so I just knocked it out of the way in the morning. Last mile was ~5:50 on a faster treadmill. I'm trying to stay on East Coast time this trip, at least for the first few days, which makes going to bed and getting up early pretty easy.

Feb. 1 (101 miles/week)

AM: 4 miles easy

PM: 10 miles easy


I woke before 5:00 AM to get in a shuffled shake-out before getting on a plane to San Diego, where I'll be the next few days for work (and where my coworkers will surely tire of my Anchorman references).

By the time I embarked on an afternoon run in sunny Southern California, my body nearly went into shock jumping from a 19-degree windchill this morning to the pleasant 65-degree warmth of San Diego. I ran north along the harbor from my hotel to a loop around Harbor Island. The legs felt a little weird from the flight, but I'm otherwise feeling in top form after my highest week of mileage since September.