Calling you out

I would like to dedicate most of this post to a couple of jabronis...

There are two runners who have consistently ducked me since, well since forever. The first is Ben Massam who agreed to an electoral college race in each state to see who the champion of America would be. He hasn't toed the line against me since high school. That's right Massam, I am calling you out.

The second is Craig Segal. Well I'll tell you what, Segal, you can't hide no more. You got lucky in the 5k in Marlboro, everyone gets one. But, my man, your luck has run out. I'm tired of all your hot dogging and grand standing. I am coming for you at Spring Lake, brother. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Moving on to last week's wrap up. I hit 51 miles this week, short of my 55 target, in around 5.5 hours. I didn't do a workout and my long run was quick, but wasn't a punisher (i wanted to insert a matt keally picture here but we are already picture heavy this week) like last week. My achilles was pretty damn tight and I was going to force a workout in but then I realized, that's ridiculous. I have to remember that the goal this year is to just train, do mileage, and be healthy. The long run was out at River Road this morning with Roles and Poles and was solid, all things considered. I headed over to the factory where I pimped the race (ROAD MILE, DO IT!) and moved some shoes.

Next week I am going to do some mile repeats or mile 8s at the Millburn track on Wednesday with off days on Tuesday (GSTC meeting down in New Brunswick) and Thursday. I am hoping to hit 55, finally, and take down the jabroni to my right. While he may run a successful business and has a girlfriend, me and my boy Bolt know what's up. It's called the 3 spheres and one of yours is about to come crashing down around you, brother.

Newport 10k

Race Recap: Newport 10k
First things first, great effort by everyone at the GSTC to get the W on both the Men's and Women's side. I'm not going to get into all the details because Chuck already took care of all o' that. Everyone pulled together to get this last one done on the Men's side and the Women's team is growing and getting faster every week. It is fantastic to see. Run the Road Mile!

Saturday morning marked my second race of the calendar year, the Newport 10k up in Jersey City. It promised to be really fast up front. Much too fast for the likes of me, unfortunately. The winners were likely to run well under 30 minutes and though that is a goal of mine at some point in my life, it was not happening on that day. My training has been more consistent in years past but I haven't done any speed work and do not plan on doing anything below 5 minute pace this year. My training is focused on consistency and the marathon in the fall. I just want to run and continue to run all year long.

Anyway, the lead pack of 7 runners distanced themselves within the first mile which I ran at around 4:55. I settled into a 5:00 pace over the next mile with Papa Roles falling off by about 100 meters. I considered holding up for him but am glad that I didn't in light of his poor race preparations. Again, details I would liked to have known ahead of time. Yes, I will hold it against him for a little while. Anyway, the guy who was elbowing me and being a general pain in the 5k I ran offered to take turns leading each mile. I said sure and he took the next mile at 5:02 and I returned the favor the following mile. Now, I thought this guy was a jerk but I cannot fault him for he wasn't all over me because of a bad attitude. I feel like he just doesn't understand racing/running etiquette. When it was my turn to lead he was all over me again, trying to half step me even though it was my turn to lead and continued to bump into me. I let him lead the next mile and we fell off the pace running about 5:07. Every time I tried to pass him to keep the pace quick, he would surge until I backed off and then he would drop the pace again. Yes, this was incredibly frustrating.

Mile 6 of the race I ran in about 5:07/8 again. It is a very scenic as we winded along the waterfront but it was also poorly managed. I had to dodge a few dog walkers and wasn't sure when the turn was as there was nobody along the water. Over the course of this mile I had made a big surge, despite what the pace might indicate. I ran down a guy from Maine who was up about 60 or 70 meters on me the entire race and was slowly bringing in an African who was up about 100 meters. The guy from Maine kept closing on me as I stuttered stepped at each possible turn and I was getting very frustrated. The African guy held about a 20 meter lead on me which I only erased over the final 300 meters. I didn't think I was going to be able to kick anyone down since I haven't done any kind of turnover work which was made apparent by Craig Segal putting me away over 5k a few weeks back. Alas, I got him and only distanced him over the closing meters.

Special Tanks to Tony Polite for making this guy interview me

So that counted for an 31:12 10k (I'm going with the Chip time), 8th place overall, 3rd American, and  1st NJ, a total of $750 in earnings that I won't see until the fall. I am stoked by the winnings because it just paid for my car repairs from last month and coupled with the earnings from the 5k, should come close to covering the marathon entry fee. Hurrah! Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Rolek who came out to support Mike and me.

Weekly Recap:
51 miles over about 5.5 hours. 15 mile long run at 6:00 pace for 14 and 6:30 for the final mile shake out. Aerobic fartlek on Tuesday where I just hammered away up in Watchung. Here are the notes from log on this one:

Up in Watchung. Pretty hilly. 20 minute warmup and a 15 minute cool down. 11 minutes (3 minutes) 3min(2min)2(2)3(2)2(2)3(2)2(1)1. It was tough to tell what the pace was since I was on the roads and hills were rolling and downright serious at some points. The target was 5:20s but I was down in the 4:40s for a few and as slow as 5:30s depending on terrain. Overall, the effort was there and I felt smooth even though I was working it.

The long run was another fantastic effort out at River Road. It was an all star cast as Rolek, Poland, Segal, Goglas, Grote, DelMon, Timmy Morgan, and a surprise appearance by Charlie Murphy topped the whole thing off. We started off and quickly got down to around 6:00s. We dipped down in the 5:50s for quite a bit and just kept rolling. It was a far cry from the easy long run I was hoping for and expected but I was able to hold on for the full 14 mile loop. I wanted one more mile so I did an easy grass loop with DelMon who is headed out to Colorado to train and pursue running full time. I was pretty dehydrated from this effort being that it was the first true warm day that I have trained through. My stomach was completely destroyed as I drank too much too soon and spent the rest of the day at the Sneaker Factory watching the store get painted and running to the bathroom. I did get to watch the Red Bulls squeak out a win against the Union, so that gave me some respite from my intestinal woes.

Upcoming Week:
Provided that I get into the Spring Lake 5, that will be my next race over Memorial Day Weekend. This week I will be shooting for 55 miles, 16-17 for the long run, and will be pacing Rolek through his last big workout before his marathon attempt up in Buffalo. The amount of work and pace is perfect for what I have been pursuing (sub maximal aerobic work) and the least I can do is help him out. I may do some light hill work today or Wednesday, depending on how I am feeling this week, as well. So 6.5 miles of work this week should be perfect for me as I continue to do a half mile more of work each week.

Focused on health and making sure I am getting my sleep. Go Red Bulls and go Devils! I cannot wait to shave my playoff beard so let's sweep the Rangers.

Craig Segal, I am coming for you, brotha.

Congrats Sabrina and I'm healthy?

Sabrina Moran

Before I launch into a recap of a rarely positive week of training, I gots to give some love to Sabrina Moran. She recently broke an American Record. Yeah, no biggie. She is an ultra marathoner and while I was recovering from numerous stress fractures and whining down at William and Mary, she was battling asthma, gluten allergies, and numerous stress fractures, but you know, stayed positive and kept running. Her trippling and incredibly impressive ability to time manage has paid off as she set the American Record for miles covered in a 24 hour period at the recent USATF 24 Hour Championships. Her always entertaining blog recounts her race and it is definitely worth reading for runners, non-runners, as well as those interested in the technical/nutritional side of training and competition. In other words, you have to read it. And if she reads this, making her the second recorded visitor after Kevin Brown, congrats on the wedding!

Weekly wrap up
Training has gone fantastically this week. I tried out a Tom Poland-esque hill workout early last week. I went into it with my calves still pretty tight from the week before. My calves have been chronically tight since coming back to running and I have attributed that to the lower heel drop in the Sauconies in which I have been running. The Cortana and Guide are big adjustments from the traditional lasted shoes I was wearing last cycle. Anyway, more about the TPHill workout. It is an interesting take on work that I hate passionately. Easy up, medium down, hard up, easy down, medium up, hard down, repeat. I believe I did about 10 ups but my memory is not that great. The workout was much more digestible and I felt the quality was a lot better than my usual hill workouts. I had about a 10 second difference between the paces and I felt smooth all the way through. It's also worth noting I did some uphill strides as I climbed my way into the Watchung Reservation and I think that just helped my body get ready for it. It's absolutely worth mentioning that after this workout my calves felt great. They haven't felt the slightest bit tight, my foot has felt fantastic, and everything has been clicking since then. Thank you, Tom Poland.

Later in the week I did a 5 mile tempo in Millburn. That workout went terribly. I felt choppy all the way through and couldn't find a rhythm. I went up and down Wyoming and from where I started it worked out to a perfect 2.5 up and 2.5 down. My overall pace was 5:25, well below the 5:15-5:20 target I set. I would have liked to do it with someone and get paid for it, but unfortunately I had work over at the Sneaker Factory on Sunday and couldn't make the 5 miler in Summit. What can you do?

What was the coup de grace of my week's training was my long run out at River Road. I met Tom Poland, the apparent star of this week's blog entry, on Sunday and we went out for a steady few miles. I was planning on 14, Poland was shooting for 18. I ended up going 16 and we started out around the 6:40s. The time steadily came down because I am a jerk, probably, and the final 2 miles were under 6:00 pace. My last quarter mile I ran alone while Tom added on a bigger loop and I was running down around 5:30. It felt easy, I felt smooth, and afterward I didn't feel beat up at all. This is incredibly rare for someone like myself who usually eats it after long runs. This run, alone, has put me in a very positive mood about my training and I feel much more confident than I have in a long, long time. So yay for positive training.

Other things of note
Driving home from workout today I saw Mike Anis, of Mike Anis fame, canvassing my town for Environment New Jersey. ENJ was an organization I applied for but didn't get hired by last fall. Needless to say, my tendency to hold grudges far outweighs my dedication to preserving the Earth for future generations. I mean, I don't even know hundreds of humans of future generations. Why should I care? Say what you will about men checking people out when they drive, but I always stop for a beard, male or female. Good for you, Mike Anis. I will not drag your name through the mud... this week.

I guess David Beckham was too busy being British than playing SOCCER as he got stuffed by the young, inexperienced, and sexier Red Bull defense. RYAN MEARA - clap clap clapclapclap!

Don't run in the Pine Barrens

This is a quick review of my week in training, plans for next week, and a recap of my Sunday - not necessarily in that order - SAVE BRODEUR!

Training went really well this week. I hit 45 miles on the week, got the paces I needed, and currently I feel healthy. That is more than I have been able to say after the weekend and my long runs. The 14+ was a little bit easier this week as I hit the trails and just wanted to get the mileage. I was looking for a challenge, so I did a couple of pickups around 5:20-5:30 pace at the end of the run but it wasn't enough to beat me up - Brodeur is keeping that net tidy. So with that and the workout I wrote about in the previous post, I'd say this was a really successful 7 days - that net is so clean he should consider opening up a maid service, Marty's Maids.

Also of note, the Red Bulls won despite the fact that 7 of our starting 11 were out because of injury or suspension and Thierry Henry pulled his hammy in the first half. New England did us a big favor by being terrible, but I will take whatever I can get. Went to a moving out gathering after the game, slept a few hours, then drove down to Tuckerton to pace EDubs in a 5k. It was a very poorly run race and even though it was the 5k of a Half Marathon event, the race started almost a half hour late, there were no mile markers or clocks for either race, and there were cars in the middle of the race and no sign for the turn around for the 5k - HUGE GOAL ZAJAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111 We ran somewhere between 4 and 4.5 miles which is whatever but for the person I was running with, it was a big deal. She was using the race as a sort of anniversary for the collapse of her lung and wanted to run under 24 minutes for the 5k. I am bummed for her because there is no way we can no the exact distance or the pace we were running. Sorry, Erin.

I long to explore... and document

My harrowing drive from Hoboken to Tuckerton and Tuckerton to Westfield included 2 or 3 times of me dosing behind the wheel and hitting the rumble strips. While I like to live a reckless, rock 'n' roll lifestyle, it was a little scary for me. I tried taking it slow on the way back, changed up the music, and finally decided just to bomb it back so I could get off the road and take a nap. People, get your sleep.

Plans for this week include a 14 miler on Sunday morning back up at River Road, I believe, and a 5 mile tempo on either Wednesday or Thursday. I want to get back into the gym this week as I am feeling a bit jiggly having not lifted or done any core this week - Brodeur, stop playing with the puck! Until the next time I remember to post, keep on keepin' on.

Mile Repeats with Dessert

Before I start, don't correct my interpretation of idiomatic phrases and colloquialisms and don't do it via text. We do it differently in NJ, stay in your faux Manhattan, Elizabeth. Say hello to all your bros drinking car bombs and wearing boat shoes in Hoboken.

Anyway, I had a great workout on Thursday night. I started off from the Sneaker Factory and headed down to the Millburn track. I caught the tail end of a girls lacrosse game which mean the stadium men's room was open which also meant that I would have a comfortable and relaxed workout instead of a Freudian metaphor. My calves were a bit tight as they seem to chronically be. It wasn't anything terrible, though, and the plush ride of the Saucony Cortana cradled my every step in luxury. In other words, I felt as if I was Derek Jeter in a Ford Edge. I had yo-yoed back and forth between my original plan of straight mile repeats and new thoughts of ladders, thousands, and all sorts of wacky things. I wanted to vary it from the boring old stuff I usually do and since it would be my first time with true, distance measured intervals I was a tad bit giddy. I resolved to do 4 x 1 mile with a 200 rest followed by a quick 200 and then a 400 rest. I had initially intended on doing it at 5:30 pace and doing the 200s at the same uptempo pace. Eventually, I decided that instead of babying myself and doing the light aerobic work that I would spice it up and put some sting into it while maintaining the aerobic nature of the workout.

Based off the 5k I ran, I knew I could do 5 minute pace as an all out race effort. With the Newport 10k approaching, I wanted to be able to do something that would be of some kind of benefit for that effort. So, I set out for 5:20 pace and then 38 for the 200s but ended up bettering that without going anaerobic. The break down looks like this:

4x[1mi(200)200(400)].

splits: 5:16 (48) 35 (1:41)

5:18 (49) 35 (1:38) 

5:14 (49) 33 (1:38) 

5:09 (48) 33 (1:38) 

 I started feeling it during the 3rd mile repeat but never red lined even on the faster stuff. I liked changing gears and preparing myself for those necessary gear shifts you need to make mid race, whether it's for competition or just hanging onto a pace or pack. I don't see myself dipping under 5 minute pace during workouts just because the goal pace for the NYC Marathon, which I'm assured I will be accepted to but I won't believe it until I see it in writing, is around 5:20. I want to run some shorter stuff beforehand and I want to run respectable times in those things, but my big goal is just to be consistent and healthy this year. So expect to see the workouts as cautious as my mileage has been.

So that's the overly long and short of it. Nothing got tighter or more sore during the workout. My calves and my right foot did get pretty painful during the cool down, but my mileage is still such that it was just barely 2 miles worth of discomfort. I will live.

Ode to Pat Jacobs

In usual fashion, I am way behind on my posts. I just finished updating my log and it appears that I missed my mileage by a measly 4 miles. However, I did it on the advice of my agent, Pat Jacobs, whose decrepit body and sensible mind reminded me not to be a slave to the mileage. Honestly, why should I be? My next big, big race isn't until the fall, NYC Marathon if I get in, so there is no reason to force things now or for the next 3 years. I have to stay healthy and run consistently and if that means building my mileage in the slowest and most frustrating manner, then so be it. Anyway, the target is 45 miles this week, again, in 5 days, I am planning a 14 mile long run, again, on Saturday and a 4x1 mile workout at 5:20-5:30 pace on either Wednesday or Thursday depending on how my calves feel. They are still pretty tight from the race.

Speaking of the race, it was a good experience. The team ran really well, 1-2-4 ain't so shabby for a young club spread thin by other races around the state and... region. There was at least one personal best, a couple surprise finishes, and... other stuff. I have to thank the guys who came out and made my life organizing the teams pretty painless. Also, the blog title does sound like how I introduce every class of mine, but whatever, good things are good things. I met up with Craig Segal who stole the win away from me - what a rodent. Craig took the race out and pretty much lead it through 2 miles. I hit the first mile at about 5:00, about 5 seconds behind the leader. Adin Mickle came charging by me and I more or less rode him up to the front pack after a half mile or 3/4 of a mile. At the 2 mile mark I put in as hard a surge as I could muster to try and shake up our 5 person pack. I held the surge probably for a minute before I got really tired and slowed down. And then there was 4. All of a sudden this guy in an orange jersey started elbowing me and cutting me off on the turns. It was really weird given the fact that it was a crappy USATFNJ 5k in Marlboro, NJ, but to this guy it was the Olympic Trials. I put in another 30 second surge and the guy kept elbowing me. Of course, I started giving it back to this guy who, for all intensive purposes, is an ignoramus - I have been wanting to use that word all day and I am glad I found a use for it. Finally I just got fed up with this guy and put in a final surge with about a half mile and this one I forced for at least a quarter mile. Segal got a couple of steps on me, I tried to kick past him but just ran out of juice. He held me off and despite he was waiting for my fabled kick, it remained just that, a fable. So no snakey win for me and all the glitz and glammer for Segal. Shop at his store and say someone sent you who asked to be referred to only as "shh". Oh yeah, ask to try on a minimum of 6 shoes or else call him lazy and that you want a thorough salesman.

Other than that, you should keep listening to The Band. I have been toying with the idea of buying a drum kit. My roommates aren't too keen but you can't please all the people all the time.

If anyone owns an Ampeg Bass, give it to me. Also, Pat Jacobs feel better. Send him your well wishes because the man got his arm, thumb, hip, and shoulders torn up in a real nasty way. He crashed in his last 2 races, snapped his carbon fiber frame, and is in a world of hurt right now. Ladies, send him some love. Buy him drinks for once.

Unwanted Servant

There are certain things which may be sad, but are certainly worth noting.

The first is by far the saddest. I have been meaning to include this in the past couple posts but couldn't find a spot for it. Recently, a soccer play passed away in Italy. His name is Piermario Morosini. Only a few years older than me, his life has been wrought with severe misfortune. He remained positive, continued his career, but did so in such a positive way that it is heart warming to read his story. However, the ultimate sadness is his passing but at least his legacy is one we can think about when we feel times are tough for us. Here is the article.

The second item, the one that compelled me to post this, is a little note left by one of our 3rd graders at school. We are doing a penny drive for children with Leukemia and one scholar happened to include a note. This is an excerpt from that note edited for anonymity in keeping with laws:

“I had a little cooperation from my three year old sister S, and I would like to thank her as well.  I know someone with a sickness that isn’t found.  Her name is JM... and I hope that her disease is not Leukemia.  This goes to the patient, who I wish, hope, love, and care for.  If you feel like your life is going go come to an end, just make sure that you don’t give up on yourself.  The power of Leukemia and cancer may be strong, but giving up only makes things worse.  Wish love to you and your family, A."

It is a small yet beautiful outpouring of care and compassion that I felt was worth shouting out. I think that I found this particularly affective due to the recent news about Levon Helm. He got his fame drumming and singing for The Band and despite being diagnosed with cancer in the 90's recovered enough that by 2004 he was able to put out an acclaimed album and begin doing live, free jam sessions from his house. His love of music compelled him and though he could make more money playing tours, opening his house to strangers for free was his preferred method of sharing his gift. Not more than a few days ago, things took a turn for the worse and he had to cancel is April performances. His family posted a message stating that he was in his final stage with his battle with cancer and for all of his fans to send him messages to aid him on his final journey. Check out the man and his music over at his website and leave a message on his facebook wall if you like.

Levon Helm

.