And then he faded into the distance..

There I was, 2 minutes to the race start, and no Bruno to be found. Finally, as they have everybody lining up, I see the soft arm movement and his technical white t-shirt in the distance. I frantically wave and he comes running over. Before we even get to talk, the gun goes off, and we're off.

Finding a bathroom is sometimes one of the hardest parts about being at a race. I waited on the line for at least 12 minutes before I decided to search elsewhere. After frantically running through the streets of Patchogue for a few minutes, I found a local deli. I went inside, but there was a line even to that bathroom! This time, I waited. After I became closer to my inner bear, I ran off to the starting line with 3 minutes to spare! Bruno eventually found me, and the gun went off a few moments later. We started towards the front of the race and rightly so. For the first quarter mile, we ran hard to establish our position. We came through at 6:51 for the first mile and I felt that was a good effort. Sometimes though when I go out fast, my hamstrings begin to feel tight. This was definitely one of those times. We began to settle in, but nobody was talking. The silence made it clear that this would indeed be a race. After we went through 5k in 21:45, the pace began to take it's toll. Each mile after the third, I began to take the race one mile at a time. If I could make it just one more mile..one more mile..one more mile. Before I knew it, we were passing the 7 mile mark in 47:28. Just then though, for the first time in a race, I saw something in Bruno. Even though I had seen him race, I had never been in a race with him since spring. There was something different about him. As he began to pull away, I realized that he wasn't just physically stronger than he was in spring, he was also mentally tougher. There's a certain ambition and aggressiveness in him now that I didn't know was there. For the first time in my life, I can say I was proud about something outside of myself. I kept up my steady pace, as he ran away from me. The next 3 miles were quiet and I took them one mile at a time. I crossed the line in 68 minutes and there he was. John Bruno had run 9 minutes faster than he did last year with a 66 minute 10 mile.

The post race ceremony was amongst the best I've been to. There was full catering, unlimited beer, bagels, and best of all a band. Immediately after our race we went over the food tent and they were playing Kids by MGMT! Probably one of the best mornings I've had in a while.

Splits:


1 - 6:42
2 - 6:52
3 - 6:50
4 - 6:48
5 - 6:47
6 - 6:43
7 - 6:45
8 - 6:46
9 - 6:58 The "maybe I should just walk" mile
10 - 6:51 The "I don't care enough anymore to kick" milk

A Different Light

We were all just standing there, my watch beeping as nothing happened. For a moment, we stood and stared off in the distance, but nothing changed. The sun must rise very slowly I thought to myself. As we made out way back up the shore, someone looked back and there it was. The sun, glistening with more crimson than I had ever seen, was rising and piercing the distant clouds. We all watch admiring it. It was incredible. The sun was rising so quickly and changing color from red to the yellow tint we're used to faster than I could have imagined. We could actually notice the sun moving and changing colors. I couldn't believe it.

Last night after a rough Gears of War session, Connor, Joe, Emily and myself went to Applebees for our typical college outing. After some honey bbq boneless wings, we decided to go play some throwback video games at Emily's place. We setup Emily's dreamcast and played Soul Caliber. Something about retro games is just awesome. They were so simply yet so good. Before we knew it, 3 am came around. Then, we decided we wanted to see the sun rise. Not so typical, eh? After the 4 of us lay in Emilys bed until 6 am, we set out for Smith's Point Beach. The spring weather of yesterday had finally subsided and winter came back into full swing. It was 29 degrees and windy. In Emily's car I had to put on her extra sweatshirt underneath my already thick coat. After exploring my iPod on the 25 minute drive, we arrived at the beach. The sky was still deep indigo with a fade to grapefruit-red near the sun's rising point. The sun rose, and it was more beautiful than one could imagine. As we get older, the natural word begins to feel mundane but it never should. The world is so beautiful and people shouldn't lose touch with it. Before everything, there was earth and all that exists came from it. It's so simple and beautiful and that is why we must love it. Even things so simple as the sunrise are so elegant. All we have to do is really look. Instead of just seeing, we must look and love the world around us. Good morning earth.

After the beach, we picked up blueberries from the local super market and made blueberry and chocolate pancakes. We feasted! At this point, the weight of my eyes really settled in. We moved up to Emily's room and passed out in her bed around 9 am. When I woke up, it was 4:30 pm! I had slept the entire day away! But hey, what can you expect after being up all night? We all talked for a while, and I dropped Connor and Joe off at their homes as I made my way back to my home. What was the first thing I did when I got home? Brushed my teeth and got my running gear on. I had a great night with great friends, but it was time to hop back on the pony and hit the streets. With my Sayville Run the the Brewery shirt on, I trotted through Farmingville in the night for an easy 4 miles in 28:52. Resting up because tomorrow is going to be a long day.   This past week has been absolutely awesome. Good friends, good running, good eating, good adventure, and good sleep. What else can a man ask for? After my run, stretched, did my typical core and pushups, and showered. Mom picked up chinese food tonight so I ate spare ribs and rice. Now, in 20 minuets or so, I'll be going out again to Ringo's for Starwars with the guys. Life is good.

So...the weather?

Yesterday morning I decided not to treat the Hecksher 5k as a race. Before I start racing, I want to get my mileage up as well as get some quality workouts in. Instead, I cut 20 seconds every mile just to start feeling good running faster than I have been this past week. I felt really fresh afterwards which I was pretty please. It was an absolutely beautiful day. The air was crisp, the skies were clear, and it was 48 degrees with little wind.  I ran in my red puma shorts, my standard blue hat, and my black yin-yang long-sleeve shirt.

Today was another good running day. After coming home from a late night out, I slept in until 11 today. Some people can sleep an entire day away, but I always feel so useless doing that. Instead of wasting my time sleeping, I did my laundry and started reading The Hobbit. So far it's a pretty good book! At around 2 pm, I set out for the daily run. Again, the weather was lovely. Clear skies, low wind, and warm. I wore my blue Nike shorts, t-shirt with a SWR Turkey Trot long-sleeve layered, navy Nike hat, Brooks' Ghost 4s, and my favorite Pearl Izumi gloves. Before I set out, I left the gloves near my driveway. Jack Frost told me I wouldn't be needing them. So, I set out for an easy 8 miles. Today, I would be exploring and trying to create a new route. There's two street routes I usually take. One of them is an 8 mile out and back from my house to Patchogue-Holbrook road. The other is another out and back from my house to Regal Cinemas. Today, I almost took the Patchogue-Holbrook route. As I passed the Holtsville Fire Department the sign read 38 degrees. I thought to myself "warmest 38 degrees I've ever felt". Then, on a whim, I took a right on Long Island Avenue. About a mile or so down, I found myself at Patchogue-Holbrook road and eventually it took me out near my other out and back route on Portion! I just made a loop! No more out and backs! Smooth, downhill sailing all the way back home. It ended up being 8.31m+/-.1 in 57:31. Feeling pleased with feeling good, I strided, stretched, and did easy core and pushups. I decided to add these after every run. After showering I sat down for some mama's own cooking. Tonight, she used a new chicken recipe, string beans, and mashed potatoes. Yum yums indeed.

On another note, a documentary should be coming out pretty soon called  Iten - The Town of Red Dust about a Kenyan town of 4,000 which has put out more professional distance runners than any other place in the world by an enormous margin. Props to Ryan Duffy for finding it. I'm pretty excited to see it. Hopefully it'll be finished in the near future.

Two weeks until I start spring semester, but for now I'm kicking back and living the life. Time to relax, do some reading, and hope a social life calls for me. If not, I'll be getting lost in The Hobbit. Bon Voyage!

Pre-Race

Well, I missed blogging yesterday so here's a brief recap on yesterday.

Yesterday Gavin and I were supposed to do another 7 miler but I was dead again. I struggled to complete an easy 4 ending at Gavin's house while he finished up his next 3 miles. Morale was pretty low at this point, but you have to remind yourself that you just have to hop back on the horse the next day. Afterwards, Gavin and I met up with Mike, Zak, and Courtney for some grub at Panera. This really helped lift my spirits and get my mind off the really poor successive running days. I played the role of a vulture and ate everybody's leftovers. You'd be surprised how good I actually ate. Afterwards, I dropped Gavin off, went home, showered, and was off to Jordyns with Joe. We played Mario Kart and feasted with the Skwerskys. They made some awesome home fries, steak, and broccoli. Yum. Joe and I polished off all the leftovers. We were writing on Jordyn's wall when Emily surprised us! We all played trough Mario Kart Double Dash to unlock the Special Cup because obviously Jordyn didn't unlock it. What a noob. Joe left, Emily drove me home later, I played Gears of War until 2, and passed out. January 6th, 2012 complete.

On a more current note, I'm running a 5k at Hecksher State Park tomorrow morning at 11 am. I'm not sure how hard I'm going to run it yet but I'll figure it out in the morning. I've treated these upcoming days as more of base training so as of now and I'm thinking of treating the race as a tempo workout. Tempos have always been the toughest workout for me. It does however make sense when you consider how I run in Cross Country. Because of the nature of cross country in terms of hills, terrain, and length, I tend to lag far behind what you would expect of me. This I relate to my poor performance in tempo workouts. I'll save details for another day, but tempos essentially increase the effort it takes to reach anaerobic activity. According to this, mine is fairly low.

Before any race, I always like to do an easy 4 miler just to get my legs feeling fresh and do active isolated stretches. So, this evening I did just that. I'm feeling good, and eating right. Tonight, I'll get some goodnight sleep at my dad's house. I can't wait.

Allergies or Break Down part II?

Today, I woke up and texted Gavin right away. He said he was going to take a day off instead of going to Connetquot. He needed it because he's had a tough couple of days. I texted Chubz and Alex hoping to commandeer their runs. Chubz was just about to go so I drove on up to good ol' Sachem East and parked next to him. It was much colder on top of Town Hall hill and within minutes of starting our run my hands were immobilized. I wasn't feeling to great again. My legs felt fine, but my lungs and back felt really tight and breathing was rough. My lungs had felt congested after I got to Ringo's last night. My allergies always act up at his house yet I don't know why. After about 2 difficult miles in the trails, I called it a day and walked back to my car. I waited for Chubz to finish because I've never been one to leave someone behind. He got back, we talked for a few minutes, and went home. At home, I was feeling pretty low. I didn't feel like eating, showering, or anything for that matter. For the rest of the day, I just sat on my bed playing Skyrim. Then, I thought to myself that the only thing I can do is be better for tomorrow.

After thinking for a while, I left my room, ate, and showered. I did some laundry and made myself a quality turkey sandwich. Chubz asked around 4:15 if I wanted to do his workout with him. The workout was 18x200 at 35-38 with 30 seconds rest. As much as I love 200s, I really needed to rest up. On the other hand, I know how hard it is to workout alone at night, so I tagged along to take splits. Back in mid-November, Jimmy came along to take my splits through (600-400-300-200)x2 at 1:50, 73, 48, 30. Friends and training partners make all the difference. More often than not I find running on my own can be more of a responsibility than a pleasure. When you're with friends it's hanging out. There's nothing better than a hard, long run with good friends. Chubz closed the workout looking and I made sure to keep him to his rest.

Tonight, the High School guys have a track meet and Tommy is running the 3200. I'm really interested to see what he'll run. Tommy has a lot of talent and I expect to see great things from him over his next 2 years left of high school. For now though, I'm sitting in his kitchen waiting for Chubz to get out of the shower. We're getting Five Guys before the meet with Alex...prepare to feast!

Breaking Down

This morning I woke up around 8 am and stayed on Gavin's couch for an hour or so. While laying there I felt a little dehydrated but was too lazy to get up. Sometimes a warm blanket is just to cozy to throw aside.

We started our warm up just before 11 am in my new Brooks Ghost 4s. It was another absolutely frigid day with 22 degree air and a gust of 13 mph. Despite the cold, there was high pressure and clear skies. After we finished our one mile warmup in 7:15, we rope stretched inside and grabbed some last minute hydration. Then, we were on our way. After beginning to go up the hill near his street, I commented that I felt weird. I wasn't exactly sure what it was until about 1.5 miles in. I ended up running a broken 6 miles with too many breaks. I was really taking to the past two days poorly. I felt exhausted on what would normally be an easy effort. This is what I call breaking down. Occasionally, I'll have a poor run but they usually aren't this bad. When you go from low mileage to high mileage quickly, you can often find that on individual sessions, you can perform very well. However, I've always said that to be a distance runner doesn't mean that you can go out and run 9 miles, it means you can go out and run 9 miles everyday. Consistency and volume work are really what define a runner. By developing your base volume, you are able to get in more quality work. Like anything in life, you don't develop a base volume over a week. For me, it takes roughly 6 weeks to get to 60 mile weeks. And even then, they may not be fast miles. So how can you go about getting more consistent and avoid breaking down? Breaking down is pretty difficult to avoid but by obtaining a high mileage base, you can help minimize the affects of breaking down. But how do you develop a high base? Well there's a few things I like to keep in mind during base building phases.

• Consistency
• Nutrition
• Sleep

Between sessions, it is important that you rest. When you enter deep sleep, or REM sleep, your muscles become extremely relaxed. While they are relaxed they become much more heavily oxygenated which in turn helps buffer junk out and synthesize muscle fiber repair. Additionally, eating right really does make a difference. Eating the appropriate foods is going to allow recovery time to be cut and have you feeling fresher for the next session. The importance of protein often overshadows the need for carbs. Once your body runs out of glycogen, you start burning fat which is far less available to burn due the chemical nature of the stored energy in fat. One of my favorite meals after any session is a tall glass of skim milk along with toasted whole grain bread topped with organic peanut butter and honey. You'd be surprised how well peanut butter and honey mix.  Finally, stay consistent. If you're thinking of taking a day off, go out and get a short, easy run in. Short easy runs go a long way in base building and actually help you recover.

Now, we're sitting on the couch watching tv. I hope my mom is making dinner tonight. I could really go for some chicken parmesan right about now.

Jack Frost

So, here goes my first post.

Today has been a slow day, just how I like it. Gavin stayed at my house where we cuddled hardcore(but not really). We finally got out of bed somewhere a little after 10 am. When we decided on eggs, we also agreed that Gavin would cook them. I really should start doing my own cooking. I wouldn't even know how to make scrambled eggs if I was on my own. I guess that's what you get for being spoiled by mommy. Between Gavin's own scrambled eggs, toast, yogurt, and quality OJ, it was a solid breakfast. Good eating.

After almost losing my soul to Skyrim, we set out for Connetquot State Park to get our miles in. Upon walking out my door the cold hit our legs hard. It was clearly frigid even relative to yesterday. We would surely be keeping our tights on in the 22 degree morning air. On the way, we got to test out my new car deck with my brothers iPod. It was a nice change of pace to listen to something other than Dance Gavin Dance, August Burns Red, or Moneen. We parked on the Vets Highway entrance and I put my car key in my tights' back pocket. I tend to check on the run that my key is still closely hugging my cheeks. My posterior cheeks, that is. We walked through the gate, and set off at the tree. As the temperature drops, the ground hardens. It's nice to have some firm trails as it really helps get into the rhythm. As the run went on, yesterday's double began to set in. My quads really didn't have as much lift as I would have expect and the good ol' hammys were a little sore. It was obvious yesterday's 11 mile double(7 am @ 6:59 trails, 4 pm @ 7:10 streets) had taken a toll. Today we were more quiet probably due to our heightened fatigue. Even though we were quieter, "Jack Frost is nippin' at me ears!". Today we both had hats luckily, but I forgot my gloves. At any rate, both Gavin and I were definitely feeling yesterdays double. Our splits were much slower than yesterday by 20 seconds. We really needed a recovery day though. 7 miles at 7:20 in the books. We decided since we needed recovery, today we wouldn't double.

Recovery is really important to be done right. In my high school track career, I always ran pretty quick on my recovery days. In spring of my senior year most "recovery" days or distance run days between harder sessions were at an average of sub 7. Many running magazines often emphasize recovery as a slow, conversational pace. However, contrary to what these experts say, I disagree to some extent. As a good friend, Kevin, said some time ago, "Maintenance(Recovery) miles should still be miles. You shouldn't be feeling as fresh as you were when you started. If you feel fresh, you just got some garbage miles". When I first started running in 10th grade with my blazing fast 6:45 1600, Kevin was a mentor to me. I ran almost everyday with him that whole summer and I attribute much of not only my approach to running, but my approach to life to him. However I digress, recovery miles shouldn't be garbage miles. You should be giving a slight effort yet focus on feeling good. It's not a jog; it's an easy run. My faster distance runs tend to be from 6:20 to 7:00 average depending on terrain, weather, temperature, and company. However, today we averaged 7:20 on the same loop we did yesterday. Getting these numerical stats from your runs can be very helpful, but there's nothing more important than how you feel. Your body is the ultimate training feedback. If you need to take it slower, do so. You shouldn't be jogging though. Simply put, you should still be gaining some fitness from recovery miles.

After driving back to Gavin's house I finally began to feel my hands again. I really should just keep gloves in my car. After rope stretching, some quality Frosted Mini Wheats, and a warm shower I began settle down and relax. It wasn't our best run, but it felt right and it's nice to be back in the warmth of a pellet stove.

Yesterday, we talked about Bruce's(Gavin's dad) Swedish meatballs. Bruce left them on the crock-pot since this morning. After we got back from Sayville Running Company and Starbucks, we chowed down. By combining the meatballs, pasta, and peas into one bowl, we had created the ultimate conglomeration of hunger satisfaction. I haven't eaten so much for quite some time. I'm still stuffed 3 hours later and let me tell you, this boy can eat. Good eating, good running, and good friends makes for a good day.