Getting Going

Since I am back in NY and have a consistent group to train with I will keep better track of my workouts and run and so forth. I will try to put some pictures up and all that stuff cause apparently all my other peeps who are doing the blogs are doing a much better job than me. I will get on the ball here.

Also, tonight I will be attending the first ever game at the new Yankee Stadium...Pretty dang excited to go there. They are playing the Cubs and hopefully does not get rained out because it crappy right now.

March 30th - April 5

Mon - 10 miles with Stephen from Van Cortlandt to the Railroad bed trail - easy pace

Tues - 7 miles at Vanny. Avg 6 min pace for the run

Wed - Vanny workout, 20 min warmup, 2 laps (1.44 miles per loop...so, 2.88 miles) on the flats with Abraham N'Getich, Joseph Ekuom, Barnabas and German guy
> 15:35 (7:53, 7:42) (5:24 pace)
3 min recovery
> 1 half lap, faster pace (3:30 hard)
> 4 x 30 sec hard 30 sec easy
This was a good tempo workout for me, felt pretty easy running that pace, so I feel that I am getting back into better shape.

Thurs - 1 hour at Vanny (4th day in a row here) supposed to be at an easy pace. Joseph, Elijah, Barnabas and I started out very easy and then gradually got into a quicker pace. Twice we had to tell Joseph to slow it down, but sometimes that doesn't always work. The last few miles were at a pretty fast pace...maybe 5:40's? With the last half mile - mile probably at 5 min pace or faster. Wasn't terrible but I was not really in the mood to be doing that. It was ok though, and gave a good laugh at the end.

Fri - Easy 1 hour run...I felt terrible. I wanted to cut it short after about 30 min, but I kept trudging. Also I went to the first ever Yankee game at the new stadium, it was quite awesome.

Sat - 20 min warmup, 18 min cooldown
> 2 x 2 min uphill
> 5 x 80 sec uphill
> 4 x 20 sec uphill (form work)
I am still building up the workload, but the workout was pretty good quality. I was working at a fairly good intensity.

Sun 15 miles at Rockies with Beau, Conor, John Cunningham and Mike Owens. We ran a pretty good pace for most of the run, I would say the average was around 6:20 pace or so. I did have to stop about 4 friggin times in the run for bathroom breaks...not the best thing cause I got cut up nicely by thorns. Also found a tick on me later in the morning when I got home.

I thought this was a good week, 70 miles on the dot. I wanted to do a little bit more but I thought back on how I had been sick and figured it was better to not kill myself this week. Next week I plan to be in the mid 70's, probably with a day off too.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results ~ Ben Franklin

Back in NYC

I recently arrived back here in Yonkers about 5 days ago and so far so good. It is still taking me a little bit to get over that crap that I went through for the past like 5 weeks. The flu, knee pains, calf pains, fevers and finally I am getting over a sinus infection and ear infection which was caused by the fever. The past couple of days have been good training, fairly consistent with one or 2 harder days in there, but nothing really intense enough to consider a hard workout. My second day back I went with Stephen Chemlany, Richard Kiplagat and Beau Bettinger on a 10 mile run up at the Rockies which started real easy and finished the last 3-4 miles at about 5:45 pace...Stephen and Richard estimated. I didn't feel bad, but not great either. It is just getting used to running faster again. I felt as though I was in strong form when I was in Maine early in the winter, but then lately just feel sluggish and slow getting used to workouts again. Workouts were spread out and inconsistent during the last 5-6 weeks but I do not feel as though I am in bad shape, just not good shape. I think it will only take a few weeks before I am fairly good shape again. Running with this group can always get you into good shape quickly.

The next day after that run was a hill workout at the Rockies. The workout didn't go that well for me, but it was still a good start. 3x2 min hills and then a couple 75 second hills. My legs were just tired and not used to the hills, but like I said, it will take a few weeks. Then ran 14 miles with Beau the next evening and felt fairly solid, so I need to take the good with the bad. I did a good amount of mileage this winter and I know that once workouts start clicking, I will have a good outdoor season.

I am also working on finishing my beer brewing equipment collection....Only a few more things to go and then I will be ready to make the first batch. So friggin pumped.

Dangit

So the past 3 - 4 weeks have been a nice up and down for me with sickness and injuries. First, I started with the flu and was unable to run for about 5-6 days...it was one of those knock you on your ass flu. Then after that, it took a few days or so to get back into running cause I felt terrible. Then once I got rolling again, I decided to get a new pair of Saucony Guide's...Ran in them for about 3 days and everyday my toes or feet would kind of go numb. Then on the 3rd day I went for an easy 9 miles with Riley and my left foot went numb then I felt a click in my knee and that hurts (mentioned this is the previous post). Then I went out to California with the Maine team for a week of training and a meet at Cal State Northridge. On Thursday I did workout with Riley where I used spikes for the first time in about 4-6 months. Then we did some fast 200's and 100's...and I strained both my calves and have been having a REAL hard time running this past week. Then today after trying to take it easy by cross training, I come home after the teams practice and I start feeling like poop again...yep, Definitely have a 102 degree fever....My awesome past month just continues...so this hopefully will be kicked shortly....Big cup of NYquil can always help too

Still up at Maine...but with a twist

So today my coach at Maine called me and told me that I will be helping escort the Maine team to a meet out at Cal State Northridge next week. SWEEEEEEET! So this weekend we go down to Boston for ECAC's and IC4A's and then we fly out on Monday and come back on Sunday from Cali. Not a bad deal. I may even get a race in out of this whole deal, but we'll see.

So for the past couple weeks my training has been struggling quite a bit. I believe that it is still due to the flu that I had about 2 weeks ago. I could not tell you the last time that I had the flu and I really don't know how long it takes my body to get over it completely. I took 5 days off from everything because I could barely even function with the flu. Then I slowly got back into running the next week maybe getting like 45-50 miles. I think I should have waited a few extra days, but what runner waits the whole time...ridiculous. So now I have just been playing catch-up with my body and it has been tough some days. Even normal everyday runs are sometimes difficult and workouts are quite rough as well. To add to the whole illness and lack of recovering, I believe there could be another small tear in my left meniscus. Same pain that I have had a number of times in the past and in the exact same spot....But I am just saying screw it and I am gonna soldier on cause there is either goin to the doctor and chance of surgery or run through/lift alot and hopefully it recovers on its own. I did the 2nd option my 5th year and it worked in the other knee, so lets see how it works. Since I have been soldiering on, I am back to my normal mileage and trying to get back to full workouts again. I think I am roughly back to 70-80 miles a week...roughly

Last Saturday I ran with Jeff a couple of times...1 hour on Friday and then a workout on Saturday morning...which sucked (if you didn't read the previous paragraph). We did 6 x 4min on 1 min off. My body just did not feel that great. No runner always feels great, so I just suck it up and am thankful I am still running. Jeff and I always have great convo's about running and normal life crap and how we are sick of it all and want to end it...just kidding about the normal convo's.

What I know is that I am getting excited for outdoor track and have some good thoughts about what I am gonna do.

A New Hope

Thought I would start the blog with a Star Wars title. Things have been moving right along up here in Orono, but soon it will be over. Only about 3 more weeks up here in the Atlantic Northeast and then its back to NY to plan what my move will be. Training has been pretty consistent up here for the past few months. Mileage has been roughly between 65-85 miles a week with 2-3 workouts a week. I have only had a few minor hiccups in the mix; one was the flu last week which caused me to take 5 days off from running because I could barely function. I am back to the grind now though, but I am taking these first few days fairly easy just so I don't get sick again within the first 2 weeks.

Recap:
- Weather up here sucks...I have know that for a few years
- -30 degrees = Frost burn (see picture)

- Running alone is annoying and makes me want to train with people every step I am running.
- Flu sucks
- I appreciate my friends more...except Lansing...actually Lansing too
- When you have nothing to do in the Northeast its normal to play ton of Halo.

That's most of the things i think about whilst I do nothing.

I have 2 more meets with the Maine team and then I am out of here, even though I do really like working with them, I have to do my thing and if I plan on continuing my running, need to get on with it and get serious. Not that what I have been doing isn't serious but I want to make my plan for the next couple of years and need to make sure my coach is going to be on the same page as me, if not, we shall see what happens.

Also, a very sad note. Just got a heads up today that my former teammate Carly, who survived brain cancer her Sophomore year here at Maine, has had the cancer return and her health has taken a serious turn. So if people could keep her in their prayers, this girl is awesome and it sucks to see this happen, so lots of prayers.

Alumni Track Gathering

This past weekend there was a gathering unlike any other in Umaine Track history. With the creative thinking of some of the Alumni, a new Alumni group has finally been started. The goal of the group is to keep relations with new and old alumni and in the process have get-togethers and raise money to benefit the team. Pretty sweet idea. I will soon post a picture of the first gathering, which was a bowlathon. I will also say that I had the high score of the day, 193. Now if I had my boy Ryan's ball which is back in NY, the score could have been quite a bit higher. There were probably about 25 people that showed up, which on short notice, is a great success. Afterwards, we all went out and partied throughout Portland.


We started at The Great Lost Bear, and apparently this place is ranked as one of the top 10 bars in the country. They did not have pitchers of beer, but they did have TOWERS of beer which stood around 3-4 feet high. Pretty sweet. Towards the end of the first bar experience, Lansing and Guerette decided that they were gonna drive back to Worcester, MA, and we were none too happy. So a deal was struck where I would drink the last 1 liter and something of a TOWER right out of the spigget without stopping. I kicked the towers ass, but did not take into consideration of how I would feel 2 minutes after finishing that much beer. Long story short, I sucked it up and soldiered on.

Other than that, it is business as normal here in Maine. Its snowing now, and I have a feeling that the snow is not going anywhere anytime soon. It does look cool though I do have to say, hopefully the temperature stays above 0 degrees this Winter though....not looking foward to that.

Sun Dec. 7 - 1 hour 45 min. Around Orono/Old Town....snowing all day....easy run
Sat Dec 6 - 3 mile warmup, 1 mile tempo, 800 in 2:10, hard 400 and 4xhills, 3 mile cooldown. (5:20, 2:10, 55) It was a pretty easy workout.
Fri Dec 5 - 1 hour 8 min around town, strides and drills
Thurs Dec 4 - 6 miles then 21 minutes of Diagonals then 2 miles back to the apt.
Wed Dec 3 - 3 miles in the AM, 7 miles in PM
Tues Dec 2 - 3 mile warmup, 4 x 800, 4 x 400, 3 mile cooldown
(2:15,2:18,2:17,2:17)(62,64,64,63)

BACK IN MAINE

I decided that leaving NY on Monday morning would be best at around 5:15 am. I was thinking to myself, yeah there will be no one on the roads, I will flyyyyy up to Maine. I also forgot that I live in NY and there are always a ton of people on the roads. I also hit a ton of traffic in Mass. The drive, which consisted of 2 pieces of Chapati (Kenyan Bread) and 3 pretty big cups of tea, took about 7 hours with 3 stops (to get rid of the tea). I also stopped at Whole Foods in Portland, ME and grabbed some good veggies and 2 Growlers of Beer that had the type of beer written on the cap in permanent marker....so thats how I know its gonna be good. Once I got back up here I took a sweet 3 hour nap, and woke up to the final fight scene of Karate Kid II. The one bad thing about the nap was that I woke up when it was dark out and had to run in the dark, which is what I was trying to avoid the whole time. Then ate dinner with Brenna and Steph and watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall....which by the way was friggin hysterical.

In the previous couple of days I worked a ton at the Bronxville Running Company and did my training. Nothing crazy really happened. I think that I started getting a handle on my gambling issues, and started cutting out all the sweets. I am trying to make a good start to the indoor training.

I ran a race the Saturday after Thanksgiving in Bronxville. It was the Katie Welling Memorial race and I won the 2.5 mile race, which was pretty hilly in the beginning, in 12:17. I really couldn't get into a groove the first mile but after that I was all set. I did get a sweet Silver Plate for winning.


Also while I was home, I was playing manager for the Kenyans. They would ask me to book their plane tickets to their meets on my credit card, which gives me bonus miles, and they pay me in cash. No big deal right? Well, when there is a mistake and you book the flight one week early and you don't know if it was your mistake or theirs, thats where it gets fun. I had to pick one of the guys up at 5:45am and he was like ummmmmm the race is next week. I went home and had to make sure that i cancelled the flight and rebooked for the next week. This was very stressful because I had to change the flight before the actual fight took off. Then I had to pay a $150 fee to change the flight. Let's just say I had a rough morning. I guess everything worked out in the end.

Mon. Dec 01 - 8 miles easy, after traveling to Orono and napping.
Sun. Nov 30 - 13 miles with Joseph, Elijah and Beau. Relaxed first half and balls out second half
Sat. Nov 29 - 3 mile warmup, Bronxville's Katie Welling Memorial Run 2.5 miles, 3 mile cooldown (12:17, 1st place)
Fri. Nov 28 - 1 hour around Bronxville and on the BXR path
Thurs Nov 27 - 3 mile warmup, 15x1 min on 1 min off at Vanny, 3 mile cooldown....The second half felt like balls and I had to convince myself to keep working.
Wed. Nov 26 - 6 miles easy
Tues. Nov 25 - Off - not feeling too good
Mon. Nov 24 - Off - not feeling too good
Sun. Nov 23 - 11 miles with Abiyot, Stephen, Stanley and Elijah. I was dying after 45 min, and don't know if it was because I hadn't eaten anything or just because I wasn't feeling too good. We were going at a nice comfortable pace for a while too, and when they picked it up, I felt terrible so I ran by myself for the last 30 minutes and actually had to walk once or twice. I think alot of it was because I didn't eat in the morning.
Sat. Nov 22 - 3 mile warmup, 4x1200-1300, 3 mile cooldown. I ran this with Elijah and Stephen. We ran a pretty consistent workout at the Rockies and the intervals were somewhere between 1200 and 1300 meters. I led the first 3 and then Stephen pushed a little bit on the 4th which wasn't really anything that I worried about. Afterwards I did 4 x 150 meter hill strides.