McMillanElite :: Trent Briney
Entry #173 Hi all, Just arrived back to Flagstaff a day or two ago after a nice racing weekend in Sacramento, California. California International Marathon. I went into the race a little on the sick side, not 100% confident in victory, and questioning things a bit. Well, I was pleased that as soon as I left for the race things started to go my way.... Friday, I flew out of the Flagstaff, Arizona airport for the first time in my life. The airport only opens security 30 minutes before the flight leaves so I figured I would arrive at about that time. Well, as things go, I was a little behind and walked into the airport about 17 minutes before takeoff. Sounds bad, but, at flagstaff there is only usually one flight every couple hours so there isn't really any delays if you have your boarding pass already printed and only carry-on. I walked in the front doors and saw security still open so I hit the restroom. I was thinking that there wasn't a bathroom on our small plane and I better make sure my hydration state could make it the short flight to Phoenix. Anyway, I walk out of the bathroom and the steel gates are closing at security. I let them know I'm supposed to be on that flight and they proceeded to continue to close up the gates. My fault... I know. Well, I crashed a couple hours upstairs in the sunshine at the airport and then US Airways re-booked me onto a later flight. And the rest of the travel day went well. I arrived in Sacramento and caught my shuttle to the Sheraton Grand in downtown. After saying hello to my roommate for the weekend, Nate Pennington, I headed out for a little 5-6 mile shakeout run. I found my way to the wrong side of the tracks as they say and it started to turn dark but all worked out well. Ended the run with a couple strides and headed back to meet the roommate and his teammates and their coach Lisa Rainsberger (Boston and Chicago champion) for dinner at PF Changs restaurant. After enjoying some tastyness the roommate and I headed to the elite hospitality suite to get some gatorade and snacks to stay fueled up. We met some of the race hosts and were able to check out an elite entry list and find out who our competition might be for the weekend. It is always interesting because when you look at an elite entry list everyone has their best times. But, the thing is that not everyone runs that time on race-day and the personal records on the sheet might be from years ago. However, it is nice to get a feel for how the race might go and things to consider while racing on race day. The next morning I went for a 4-5 miler with my roommate and his teammates and did some strides. Then headed back to the room for some stretching and up to the elite suite for a bagel or other snacks. Next up was the course tour so that I knew in my head what terrain and surroundings would look like the next day. It was a point to point course and we took about 2 hours to drive out to the start line (1/2 mile from the famous Folsom Prison-Johnny Cash) and drive the entire route finishing at the California state capitol steps in downtown Sacramento. Rolling hills for 13-15 miles and then mostly flat after that. Wide road mostly and only a few turns. Mostly I learned that I didn't want to hammer myself through the hill the first 13 and be done with my race at that point. So, the course tour taught me to be aware of the work needed in those early miles and that too much speed/effort might destroy my legs (quads/hams) for later in the race. I met a couple other elites on the van ride and stayed hydrated up. Next up, was picking up the number at the expo which was right across the street from the hotel. Had some lunch at Wolfgang Pucks on the way over there. Then I headed up to the elite suite to pick up some more fuel and got hit up for an interview by the local news station. After that I headed back to the room and chilled out a while before heading to the restaurant downstairs for pre-race pasta. Back to the room, watched a little of a Tom Cruise movie that just happened to be on. Lights out a little after 8p.m., as we were getting up at 4a.m. the next morning (3 hours before race start). RACE DAY... Up at 4:20 for coffee, oatmeal and shower and packing the bags to catch a race shuttle to the start leaving at 5:00a.m. 45 minute bus ride out to the start and then hanging out in the pre-race elite area with warming tents and a spot for our bags. It was about 28 or so degrees so it was nice to have this amenity. Got to say hello to a number of old friends from the racing scene who were racing as well. Out for a warm-up about 35 minutes before the start for an easy 10-15 minutes of loosening up. And, deciding finally which shoes to wear. I had to choose between a super light weight pair I wanted to wear and the Adizero Mana I had worn in my last two races. In one of those my feet had hurt so I wasn't sure what to do. Eventually, I decided that if it was going to hurt it really didn't matter which shoe I wore, I would just have to tough it out. I went with the ADIZERO PRO with a little Japanese/Chinese symbol on the back. And, was it a good choice. I am a minimalist as for shoes while racing. The lighter the better because they feel more responsive to me. The lower heal of the shoe did cause my calves to be a little sore 6-7 miles into the race but the calves held up the rest of the way. As for the race itself, I went out with intent to run 5:10-15ish for the early miles. I wanted to set myself up to feel good later in the race and hopefully run about 2:15 for the finish time. First mile 5:17 and pretty much relaxing... couple more in the 5:10 or so range. Then a mile or two at 5:04 feeling pretty comfortable. During the 5:04 mile, the racing had started. Mike Morgan was out in front with Josh Cox 100 meters or so back. Then a pack with 3 foreign born athletes and my roommate Nate Pennington who had ran a 4:50 something to separate from my pack of 3 which included me and 2 foreign born athletes. So, I was in about 10th place and trying to stay relaxed as we were averaging 5:09 pace. Right on pace! And, I was feeling like I could have gone with the move but thought I was running with the top guy and we were just being smart. I thought later in the race we would catch back up to the front runners. By mile 7 or so I started to get a little anxious to catch up my pack to the next pack of 3, but just stayed relaxed as we were still running 5:10 pace and the leaders were not gaining much/if any ground on us. By 10 miles I couldn't be patient anymore. These guys in front were just dangling out there.... I felt good.... and I wanted to put myself in position to win. I started working to catch up to the next pack and 1 of the 2 guys I was running with jumped in behind me. We mentioned to each other "We must catch", "We trade off" and such. It was a bit windy and working together might give us enough to catch up. Well, I felt pretty good and led the next 2 miles as we were catching up, and I was getting excited that the race was going to come back together. The next pack was catching Josh Cox as my pack of 2 was catching them. And with only one guy off the front, Mike Morgan, we might be able to work together as a pack and catch Mike. That meant that I would be running with the leaders and have a chance to win. We caught up at 13, and I went right by to see if anyone would respond. They all jumped in behind me and so I relaxed a bit and tried to take my turn drafting in the back of the pack and resting up for when the move was made to go for the win. After a couple miles, we dropped Josh, or so I thought. A mile later or so, Josh comes blowing by in a strong move to the front. I guess he stopped for a pit stop, I later found out. This was at about 20 miles and Josh's move stung us all out. I found myself in 6th place still running right at 5:10 or faster and a gap to the 5th place guy. I started just trying to run 5:10's the rest of the way and hoping that they might come back, as I didn't have it to go with the move. Next mile, check still a good pace. Keep it going. Next mile, 5:29! Oh, crap! I'm starting to slow. I have a good time going. C'mon, Trent! One mile at a time.... C'mon... Keep it going. 5:23, 5:25, 5:20 something the rest of the way. Finish time of 2:16:30. I held it together. I just hadn't had the mojo when the move came or enough to close the last 6 miles on the day. After the race, I hobbled around with tight legs and thankfully had some refueling breakfast food and massage from the race organizers in the post-race VIP and elite athlete area. And, the rest of the day hung out with running friends from across the country and new friends who were in Sacramento for the same reason as I... to take part in the CIM! I was happy with the race as I went in not confident in winning and not sure about 5:10 pace. But, during the race, I actually felt very happy at 5:10 pace and truly felt confident in my abilities. I mean I was leading the pack and talking at the same time. It was a feeling I needed to truly tell me about my abilities as a marathon runner. My Personal Best was 5 years ago and bested my 2nd fastest time ever, 2:19:57, so this race made me feel like I ran another solid performance and felt good doing it. I've been training so well this last year and it's nice to race near to my fitness level, which doesn't always happen in the marathon. I'm excited to start training again when the body heals up from this marathon and I get to see the training effect of running a marathon at 5:12 pace. Flight home was interesting as well, as I had to stay in Phoenix near the airport on Monday night. Flagstaff had received 24+ inches of snow, closing the airport and the roads were closed with accidents. I actually got on a shuttle van ride in Phoenix that turned around and came back to the airport after driving 40 miles north towards Flagstaff before we got the word about the road closures. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story of my racing weekend. This weekend look to follow the McMillan Elite ladies as they race at club cross country nationals in Kentucky! Entry #159 Well, hello again everyone! Current training updates and plans... I had to stop in my marathon a couple weeks ago with some ball of the foot soreness and a little slowing just before/after half-marathon. It was a bummer. Usually foot soreness in the marathon for me doesn’t happen at all or if it does it is after 20 miles when it is normal. Anyway, rather than injure myself trying to gut out a performance I made the decision to stop. I’m anxious to have another opportunity to show my fitness that has been really getting in top form all year. I’m in PR shape at about any distance and running workouts that I couldn’t touch/dream of last year. I have been reaching some of my training goals like doing longer workouts at 7000ft. at or faster than 5:00 pace. At altitude it’s a little extra effort to hit that speed. Anyway, I made that jump this last segment and I’m ready to get the race results from it. So, after a week of being down about not finishing or having my day in the Twin Cities Marathon I’ve found my next goals and another opportunity. I’m running in Raleigh, NC in two weeks at the City of Oaks ½ marathon. My mother lives there and my uncle is flying in to run the marathon. The ½ marathon will be good for me to get out there and get the racing going again as I build towards a marathon in December/January. Most likely I’ll head out to Cal International Marathon but we’ll see. Regardless, I’m happy to have set my sights on something else that gives me a chance to capitalize on the gains in fitness this year and the overall healthy state of my body. Weather in Flagstaff has been great. It hasn’t been snowy yet, unlike many other parts of the country. The elk are back in force like they are every fall. The trees are thinning and changing colors. Fall marathon season is here with exciting results almost every weekend. And, the Denver Broncos are having a good season. 6-0 if we can tackle the Chargers tomorrow night on MNF. Last week’s mileage was 40-50 as a down week after running 15-17 hard miles during the marathon in Twin Cities and needing a small mental break too. This week’s mileage was 95 as I needed to get back into the swing of things enough so that I can put in 110+ for the next 6-8 weeks in preparation for a marathon. Ran an easy/medium 18 miler this weekend in 1:56 on A1 mountain road and did an moderate effort 8 by 2min. fartlek last Monday to get the legs moving a bit. This week’s agenda is hills on Monday morning and probably a steady state or some other longer workout on Wednesday. Saturday will be back into the 18-20 mile range up on most people’s favorite run in Flagstaff. “Waterline Road”. It follows a working pipeline that brings water down to the city from the higher elevations on the San Francisco Peaks that form the backdrop of our training site (FLAGSTAFF, AZ). Thanks for following our team! Trent Entry #145 Well, its that time of the late summer/early fall where the race season begins for most of us on the McMillanElite crew. Some are starting off their fall racing season next weekend with ½ marathons or 20k’s and most of these people have had great summer training so it will be fun to break out of training mode and start racing. I am maybe just a couple weeks away from starting my fall racing season as well. I am pretty fit from some solid summer training during the last 2 months. The two months have blown by in the blink of an eye as the consistent mileage between 105-125 keeps being put in the books. My marathon based endurance is doing real well as I have put in weekend long runs the last 5 weeks of 20 miles, 22, 22, 22 and 22 again last weekend. My workouts (i.e. tempo runs, steady states and fartleks) have been solid and better than what I have previously ever done at altitude, so I feel ready to start pushing it a bit as we enter into the racing section of the fall. We haven’t yet fully decided which marathon and lead up races we are going to tackle but I’m excited to compete with others and myself in pushing my body. I’ve had some fun during the last 2 months as we had a visiting runner from Scotland, Martin Graham, living in the house. He leaves to go home tomorrow but his fitness and spirits I’m sure have benefited greatly from his training stint here. He’s been my training partner since day 1 of arriving in town when he could barely keep up due to the altitude, hills and catching up on fitness. Now, after he has spent 2 months dedicated to working hard and smart with his running, taking naps and staying rested he is making great steps forward. His long runs have become week by week stronger and longer. His speed sessions have finally adapted to the altitude and training with faster training partners like Andrew Lemoncello and Brett Gotcher among others. And, his tempos and steady states just continue to build upon each other each week. I want to applaud his dedication to running and send him off with good tidings as he heads home to Scotland to race in the next couple of weeks and start back up his studies at his university. Many a days after I returned from work he would join me for Old Farts Loop (4 miles), The usual Ft. Valley Loop (6 miles), and sometimes as he got excited he would do afternoon 10 milers so he could set his mileage personal best of 130 miles. Exciting to share our running journey and aspirations with others... Although, we all have different ability levels and different goals, sharing in that journey is so fun and so rewarding. So, thanks Martin! And, oh yeah, he likes to play Texas Hold-Em Poker so we played a good bit during our downtime from running... It was good to have a buddy for one of the things I like to do when I want to be competitive or chill out away from running. Congrats to our McMillanElite teammate Paige Higgins in her first World Championship finishing in 30th place in the marathon. More to come from her for sure!
Entry #130 We had some of the younger runners from the adidas McMillanElite competing at the US Championships this week including Jordan Horn, Matt Clark and Lindsay Allen. They all stuck their noses in the action and got some great experience for their future running careers. Next week we are sending some runners off to the July 4th Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. The weather there in summer is usually hot and the competition for Ian Burrell and Andrew Carlson should be hot as well with the race serving as the US Mens 10k Road Championships. Ian is having a homecoming of sorts as he spent his college years attending the University of Georgia. As for my running, I am coming off an early summer break and I am beginning the buildup to fall marathon season. I am not sure yet which marathon to go after with New York being the US Championships and many of the top Americans headed there. I’d like to mix it up with that kind of competition this fall. Other possibilities are Toronto (fast course), Detroit, Vegas, California International, and Houston. Regardless I am looking forward to putting in some higher mileage weeks and getting the marathon body ready. Yesterday’s run was awesome as visiting runner Tim Jeffries and I headed up to the backside of the peaks here in Flagstaff. This area is known as the inner basin and mountains on 3 sides surround you. It was an easy recovery day so we just went to take in the scenery and get in some miles. Just 6-8 miles being the plan, we decided to head up the inner basin trail which starts at 8500 feet and 3.9 or 4 miles later you arrive at 11000 feet and not quite tree line. The trail basically goes up what would be a glacial field at higher elevation except that it has some trees. It is a wider trail most of the way and a good bit rocky but that made it feel like a stair climber with a great view. The last 5 minutes we got into some single track trails, my personal favorite and basically ran straight up the side of the mountain for a couple minutes. Since I grew up in the front range of the Rocky Mountains I was perty in tune with what pace I needed to ascend. However, Tim was going in and out of pushing with determination and saying things in his head like “Are you kidding me!”. He’s from sea level and really did incredible on this run. We carried no water but at our turnaround one of the hikers we passed offered us some Gatorade and we gladly accepted. We took in the view and stopped my watch at 53 minutes before turning back down the steep trail for what surely would be a quicker descent. Sure enough, 30 minutes later we were back at the bottom of one of my most scenic Flagstaff runs to date. Sometimes people think this type of running serves no purpose but it comes highly valued in my book. It isn’t something that I do everyday but every once in a while a dose of high altitude scenic running at an easier pace just refills my passion for being healthy, fit and fast. I can’t do this type of running as I near a race and need to be more specifically trained but during base building it keeps my motivation high and gets in some enjoyable mileage at the same time. On another side note, I just want to encourage people out there to look outside of yourself and find something good, admirable or incredible about someone you spend time with. Borrow that good, admire it and help it to fuel your motivation to rise to your own individual success in your life. I have teammates and friends that I look up to for their abilities and mindsets about certain things. It invigorates me knowing that I too can be as strong, persistent and passionate. One passion that continues to come up in my athletic endeavors is the pureness of being the best athlete that we can be. Can I do more? Can I eat better? Can I train smarter? Can I recover and rest better? Can I do what I must? Can I be a better athlete than I am right now? If so, then train and go get it! This is why McMillanElite is a great asset. We surround ourselves with these types of people. And, as a bonus we live in Flagstaff where we continue to have visiting runners with equal ambition. We have that always important support crew of family, Coach Greg McMillan and family, Coach Trina Painter and family, and the adidas family as well. Best of luck out there, Trent
Entry #119 Hello from Grand Rapids Michigan! Tomorrow, May 9th, Alvina Begay, Cele Rodriguez and myself as well as some off and on training mates from Flagstaff are running the US Men’s and Women’s 25k Championships. I’m here chilling out the day before the race and writing a blog. Here in about an hour we are catching a van that will give us a course tour of tomorrows course. This is important for 2 reasons: Those of us who have ran the course before (not me) need to know the course changes and those of us who are rookies to the Grand Rapids course will get to take a look at what the 15.5 or so miles will have in store for us. Elite coordinator, Greg Meyer (The 1983 Boston Marathon champion), has informed us that due to lots of rain major changes are in store this year and a whole new course map has been given to us. The race is called the Fifth Third River Bank run as it is typically run out on one side and back up the other bank of the river running through town. Well, the river is up 4-8 feet and there is mud on some of the streets that us runners would use. The river looks awesome and powerful right now, but the scenery this year will be a bit different due to the extra water. We hear that the course will be a bit tougher, and the rolling hills that start usually at 10 miles into the race should start about 3 miles. I’m excited with the change as it makes everyone rookies to most of the course and I think the hills will help given that I train amidst the mountains of Flagstaff with my Adidas teammates. Training for me has been great all spring and I’ve been running a lot of workouts with teammates who are running very quality times. I’ve had some good races, but not quite up to where my training has been so I have another chance to get a great performance tomorrow. On other notes, Flagstaff has hit the beginning of summer and I wasn’t quite ready yet. It caught me by surprise, but it is a welcome time because so much happens in the summer. All the out of town college kids come up to Flagstaff for some quality summer altitude training and join us for our long runs and the weekly bagel run. This keeps things fresh feeling and fun. In addition, it’s always nice to strike up a new friendship with some of these like-minded athletes that share in our collective efforts to run as fast a possible. The tourists arrive and even though it means busier streets, it is entertaining to watch and helps bring money into the local economy. And, of course, the change brings summer weather. Time to get a tan, run without a shirt, enjoy the monsoon season rains of July/august, go to the higher elevation mountain trails and start running longer in preparation for a marathon. I need to say keep your eyes out for the Denver Nuggets who are rockin’ the playoffs so far. It has been quite a postseason for all the teams so far and I have to say a bit physical. What if I just decided to through an elbow during the race tomorrow or make a hard block out of the shortest way around a corner of the racecourse…. I know, I know, different sports but same thrill of competition. Anyway... Thanks to all those who cheer on running, support runners and share their enthusiasm for the sport.
Entry #105 Blog of Appreciation Sometimes I look around in life…. And see people creating great things.
Entry #89 For my blog, here is my last week of training and a note of hello to Colorado Springs, Detroit and my friends in the many states across the US who have been nice enough to help be a great support crew for me over the years of training. I am a 30 year old professional runner who is enjoying going after my goals with the support of you all and the McMillanElite team. This week some friends of mine are in town, Danielle Hunt and Ryan Mulcahy from Geneseo State University in New York. We also have my roommate’s brother Yosef Ghebray who runs at Cal in town and giving us some good company on the runs. We’ve been enjoying running with Magdalena Lewy Boulet, a US Marathon Olympian, the last couple weeks as she has been here doing some altitude training. And, its great because this week marks the first week everyone is back from their winter trips to see family and we’re ready to get back into the routine. So, as always in Flagstaff we are entertained by the stream of runners that flow through town and share the enjoyment for the sport in which we partake. Training Log 1-5-09 to 1-12-09 Monday - AM Workout: Sedona HS Track. 3+w/u, 40 min. warm down, 5+, 5 by 1k with 200 meter jog at Houston half marathon goal pace. Ran 3:00 or 2:59 or 3:01 for the first 4 then went up with Brett G. for number 5 and ran 2:49 high going through at 2:12-13 and 66-67. Ran workout with McCahey and Rob Krar. 11.5-12 miles. Felt good. PM - 35:00 or so running down to Wharton’s by myself. 5 miles. Moderately solid pace and felt decent with a little fatigue from am. MASSAGE then and CORE at MCM. Later. Tuesday AM - Ran from Mountain house down to Trina’s for meeting everyone then ran down to the dog park and up the Kilani dorms hill up to the dirt road area at the top and out to the end and back. Ran with Jordan and kinda chilled after 20 minutes into the run. Good restful run. 12 miles or just shy. 86 minutes. PM - 4+ easy with Gil, Yosef up Elden rd. Wednesday AM Workout: Sedona Jacks Canyon Rd. Tempo Run. 3.75 miles-17:14 total.. 4:33, 4:31, (about 4:35) and 6:56 for next 1.5 miles, 72 last quarter up slight hill. Course is definite downhill but who knows how much that affects the time. Solid run for sure. Ran with the guys for 2 to 2.5 miles and then just behind Brett. 7-8 of us rolling today. 5k PR for the roads because road PR was 14:21. 12 miles. PM - 28:00 w/Mulcahy from Wharton clinic...moderate pace in the neighborhood. Right calf a little sore down low and on the side wrapping into the foot...4 Miles Thursday AM Bagel Run from Biff’s: Worried about right calf prior to run but after 15 minutes things were great. Did a good warm-up stretch with some of the calf exercises from the Whartons. Ran out through college and dome area then down to the left and up the road to Cocinino CC and out to the right to Lake Mary rd. Turned left and headed down the side of Lake Mary. Ran easy most of the way today. Resting after yesterday’s workout and sore calf last night. 73minutes - 10 miles. PM - Ran from Wharton clinic at 5:30pm with Mulcahy and Danielle from Geneseo. Easy jogging out towards Fort Tuthill neighborhood. Legs felt much better after getting worked on from Austin. Gotta keep on the stretching and foam roller and exercises while the winter weather is causing the extra work and we are pushing to be fast. 40 minutes - 5 miles. Did some exercises before getting the massage from Austin. Calf/peronials, etc. Friday AM - 9 to 9.5 miles, 67 minutes...good stretch before for the sore right calf/Achilles area. Started off at a good pace compared to normal. Headed around Cheshire and then up Mt. Elden Rd for 25 minutes. Back down to mountain house. Ran mostly with Brett until 25 min. then slowed and ran with Paigemo. Nice easier pace today. PM - 4 to 4.5 miles, 31 minutes. Ran from mountain house with Danielle up to Schultz pass Rd. and past the gate on the packed snow from walkers and skiers. Easier running and felt real good late in the run. 78 miles so far for the week. Saturday AM - 14 miles in Sedona. South start of FS 525. Uphill with some short downs going out 6 miles and then back 3, then last 3 at faster/goal pace for next weeks race. Conservative first 6-9 miles. Then, ran 4:55, 4:42, 4:55 downhill on the dirt. Solid fast running by myself as others were doing different types of workouts/long runs. Then finished up with a 2 mile warm-down easy jogging. 1:31 total. No PM run as today is Long Run day with a race 1 week away. Sunday AM - 10 miles in 75 minutes on Woody Mtn. Rd. with a good collection of the Flagstaff runners including Jared Scott, Anthony Gallo, Vince Sherry, Wharton, a shoe rep from San Diego, McMillan elite guys, and visiting holiday college kids. Prettty icy running but its an easy day so just getting in some miles. Nice to run with some interesting story tellers...hmmm Gallo. Ha, Legs a bit tired at end of run. PM - 6 miles in 36-39 minutes or so. Up Mt. Elden Rd for 3 miles+ and then back down. Legs and rhythm felt real good. Weekly Mileage: 108. Things have been going pretty well the last two weeks and I’m having a good start to the year and the spring speed season. My first race of the year is next weekend in Houston in the US Half-Marathon Championships, Jan. 18th. Anyway, happy new year everyone and best of luck in your goals this year. A note in closing...As Ricky Bobby from the movie Talladega Nights would say...“Its time to go fast.”
Entry #67 Hi all,
All this and my mind hasn't settled down from the good step forward my training has been taking over the last 6 months. Piece by piece I have shed some unfit weight, toned up my core section, and rebuilt the necessary components of my mileage and intensity of running to start to test my body out again.
Anyway, here is an example of some of the McMillan marathon training that I did this last week with my marathon teammates Andrew Middleton (Middle) and Celedonio Rodriguez (Cele). Cele just arrived in the last week or two and has been an energetic joke teller during some of the longer runs, in addition to being a fit and talented newcomer to the team. One of his jokes involved us listening to a really long joke where the point was that 2 out of 3 people like cheerios over pancakes. They must not have been the pancakes from Café Espress in Flagstaff. The other point was that we were ridiculous enough to listen to the whole joke. The joke was on us! Needless to say, 20 minutes of a run were completed during the telling of the joke. The training… 130 miles (Highest for me in quite a while…1-2 years or so) Monday AM - We’ve been meeting as a team at the track on NAU’s campus. Everyone has different workouts, but we start together. I was to do 1 min on 1min off fartleks, but I asked Greg if 400 meters on, with equivalent time rest(70-75 seconds) off would be okay. I ran for 45 minutes before getting back to the track and switched to flats and started my workout. Cele and Middle were doing different things because I have an upcoming race on the 17th and they don’t have one for a couple weeks. I started in 72’s and sped up to 68’s by the end. I mentally struggled a good bit today but toughed out 14 repeats before going for a warmdown and totaling 14-15 miles on the morning. Monday PM - CORE workout at Greg’s house at 5:00pm. and then I ran home 5-6 miles. The body and mind were toast, so I jogged. Cele ran with me, but then sped up. Mileage: 20 Tuesday AM - Cooper 2 to Cooper 1 to Bri’s and up Shultz to Ft. Valley Trails to FS Rd. up 5 min and back the same way. Ran by myself after starting with the others. Very easy, but legs feel tired/beatup. MUST SLEEP MORE and BE MORE MONKLIKE. J 12+ miles. Tuesday PM - After Work - easy cheesy on Shultz Pass from 2nd parking lot-by myself. 4 miles. Monday eve. and Tuesday I was worried about Wednesday morning workout and how I needed to run faster than my 400’s on Monday. Mentally challenging 2 days. Mileage: 16 Wednesday AM - NAU track 3w/u, 4w/d, 10 by 800 meters. YASSO 800’s Supposed to be equivalent rest at sea level but we took 3 min. rest because of the altitude. This workout is sometimes a good predictor of what you can run in the marathon. I was worried that my 71 avg. on Monday would not fare well today. But, sometime Tuesday I decided that I was going to compete with my teammates on number 1 and see what happens from there. Our first repeat was 2:20 and I felt okay so it helped me to relax into the workout from there. Middle, Cele and I took turns leading. Cele was up and ran 2:17, then me 2:19, 2:19, 2:19, 2:17, 2:17, 2:15, 2:13, 2:11. So, average was about 2:16 for the workout predicting a 2:16 marathon. Again, it’s a prediction workout and just gives an estimate. But, I was relieved that my Monday workout was just an off day after running a hard long run on the previous Saturday. I was overworried when I should have realized I was just fatigued still on Monday. So, I had more rest by Wednesday and I had 2 teammates to run with. Both had helped me feel better about todays efforts than Mondays. 15+ miles Wednesday PM - Did some leg exercises at the Wharton Health Experience, www.whartonperformance.com and then ran home for my second run. 5.5 miles After the run the team headed to Greg’s house for our weekly Mon/Wed. core workout. Mileage: 20.5 Thursday AM - Bagel Run w/ Niko(Suny-Cortland) and Harlen(NAU runner). Ran very easy-legs quite tired. Ft. Tuthill up the FS Rd. and back. The bagel run starts at Biff’s Bagels every week at 8:00a.m. It’s a community run where many of the locals and elites come to do a little bit of a social run. 12 miles Thursday PM - Baderville, just toward the Grand Canyon on the way out of Flagstaff. I went elk hunting….well sorta. I hit the trails in search of elk, who frequent the area but as dusk fell I decided I no longer wanted to be running through the woods just in case a band of coyotes or a startled elk wanted to make me their play toy. I headed back to the roads and a coyote poked his head out of a culvert(those metal things the water goes through under the road). Very nice temperature tonight, peaceful run. 5+ miles Mileage: 17 Friday AM - Moderate first 43 minutes, easy second 43 minutes. Cool trail area from Campbell Mesa out to Fisher Point. Ran mostly with Cele and Middle as the others had less mileage today. Body fatigue a bit after 75 minutes of running. One of my favorite places to run in Flagstaff as 20 minutes in there is a canyon descent and ascent of 5 minutes with good scenery. Once you are past that you run along the Walnut Canyon rim. Walnut canyon is a state historic park with Indian heritage and preserved cave dwellings. Friday PM - 6.5 Miles exploring the forest trails below Snowbowl, elevation 9000 feet. We ran down from 9000 to 7000 with the last bit turning into a hike after we had run for 45-50 minutes. With Cele, Rob Krar, and Ben (from Edinboro, DII school). Mileage: 19 Saturday AM - LONG RUN. Supposed to be 12 miles then 6-8 race effort, which up here is 5:20-5:40 pace on a loop near Greg’s house. Felt good until we hit the race effort stuff. Cele and Middle were doing really good and I had to make a stop for the bathroom. I ran a couple miles at 6:00 pace or so and then shut it down. I marked it up as a bad day and figured I would get in a solid effort next weekend at the Americas Finest City Half Marathon while Cele and Middle were here in Flagstaff going for a long slow run. Plus, my last couple long runs had been real solid. Just switch the workout one week. 19.5 miles Saturday PM - not really supposed to run but wanted to get the mileage above 130 so I went for an easy 4.5 miles with 2 of the Pennsylvania 12, as the Flagstaff locals refer to them. 12 college runner kids in a house near Greg’s that came to Flagstaff for some summer training for July and August. Mileage: 24 Sunday AM - Home to MOUNTAIN Rd. guys house to Ft. Valley trails and up rd. 11 minutes or so then back down to 180 and back to my house. Kept it easy to moderate with Cele. 75 minutes or so. Sunday PM - with Ryan Mulcahy from Suny-Geneseo in the Cheshire neighborhood. Felt perty decent. Temperature was cool again from the rain. Mileage:13.5 As summer is getting ready to end, and fall is coming we are polishing off the marathon training with a couple more high mileage weeks and starting to work on marathon race pace training and getting fast. I’ve been working on base and mileage for a good number of months as well as getting my core and past injury areas sured up. So, now it is time for the fun stuff, racing.
How does one solve a slump? Last fall after racing the Olympic Marathon Trials in New York city I was considering moving into the business world and beginning my post-running life. I didn’t want to continue to perform at a non-satisfactory level and try to do it with a body that had some lingering hamstring and achilles issues. I was starting to think that a normal life of working, playing golf and hanging out with friends and family was close. Anyway, I visited the Flagstaff community in December and returned back to Detroit still considering hanging up the professional runner shoes. In January, I was invited to view the movie “The Spirit of the Marathon” with a group of people who I knew from working with some of them the previous year while coordinating youth activities for the Detroit Marathon. So, my girlfriend and I headed to Ann Arbor because the movie was only showing in select theatres. The movie was based on 6 different levels of runners training for the Chicago marathon, from elite to first-timer and from young to old. It was an exciting watch, in that, I was nearly as elite as the elites in the movie and I had worked with first-timers when I lived in Detroit. I worked in a running store and did some coaching of youth and adult runners/athletes on the side. So I had a lot of contact with all levels of runners. It was fun to work with people who had very different goals from me because they share the same excitement for achievement but just come from a different place. Anyway, the movie introduced me to some novice runners and mid-range runners and 2 elite runners. Deena Kastor (who I know a bit)- (she is the top American woman marathoner) and a top level Kenyan elite athlete whose name escapes me at the moment. It brought their stories to life. It brought the excitement, triumph and commitment of running a marathon into the big screen movie theatre with great music and videography. During the movie it showed some of the things elites do at the marathon and the places we go. I remember back to my two times to Chicago and how exciting it is to be in the press room, on the front line and running the downtown streets of a huge city with the adrenaline flowing and the body primed and ready to compete. So in the midst of thinking about hanging up my competitive running shoes this movie brought me back to the talent I have and how much fun it is to use it on some of the biggest stages in running. The Boston’s, Chicago’s and New York’s among other great big city marathons. If you’ve run a marathon or are thinking about running one I would definitely see “The Spirit of the Marathon.” I walked out of the theatre knowing I had to do that again, and decided then to go ahead and move to FLAG. I believed a change might reinvigorate my running. I trained with a training group in Michigan for six years and prior to that lived in Colorado Springs, altitude-6000 feet, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I believed getting back to the mountains where I loved to run would help. I believed the altitude wouldn’t hurt and that it has its physiological benefits. I believed the core workouts and circuit training with the adidas guys would help. I believed the outdoor and welcoming culture of Flagstaff would help keep me in the right frame of mind. I knew I needed some of these positives to help get me back into the shape I wanted to be in and provide an enjoyable atmosphere while working to achieve that fitness level. I enjoyed Detroit, the culture there, the hard-working people, the community support and being in a different part of the country other than the west but it was definitely time for a change back to the mountains of the American west. What is it like in Flag? Getting to work with people like Phil Wharton who specializes in active isolated movement exercises to help stretch out the body and balance the muscles, getting to see runners and train with Team Germany and Canada training at Northern Arizona University’s High Altitude Center, Jack Daniels the famed distance coach working at the high altitude center at NAU’s track, going on a Wednesday morning community bagel run with 57 high-level runners training to be their best, seeing the achievements of the many people like Renee Metvier, Martin Fagan, Fasil Bizunah, Lopez Lomong, Alicia Shay, Peter Gilmore and many other elites training in Flag, the social gatherings like Easter Sundays’ brunch at one of the elite’s house where 50 adult runners had an easter egg hunt in the local park with prizes like massages and meals and candy of course organized by the running Mayor of Flagstaff Mike Smith who knows almost everyone in town runner or not, the visit of teams like Team Indian Elite who has been in town for a month training in the altitude here and will be missed as they left town today, the good job all the elites here do cheering each other on and trying to link up for run. The trails and views while running around town are perty sweet. I haven’t seen many of the great trails yet as Flag had one of there biggest years of snow in recent memory but the main trails around town have “opened” as the runners say and piece by piece the sunshine is melting the trails farther and farther into the mountains. I took my first mountain journey on Sunday and really enjoyed it running through a creek made by the snowmelt at the higher elevations. That’s probably a long enough blog. But, I did my first race in months and my first track race in quite a while on Saturday at Arizona State University in Phoenix. I ran a 3k as a test run for some pacing duties coming up at some of the track meets where Mr. Hanlon, Mr. Horn and Mr. Gotcher are going to go for “A” qualifiers for the Olympic Trials over the next month and a half. It was a good outing and I hit my goal of 8:30 by running 8:25. It is a good start after 3 months of very light mileage in November/December/January. It means that I can give it a good go of pacing for these guys as we go through the upcoming track seasons excitement. With Coach Greg I have been working on just trying to get the body in balance and have positive days. It has been nice. I’m not really trying to be in my best possible race shape by next week, I’m just trying to build or rebuild week by week the fitness and body. Forward progress… Have a nice Spring everyone! :-) |
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