Olympic Trials: Days 2 and 3

Things have been pretty crazy here in Eugene and I just haven't a lot of spare time so I don't know how frequently I'll be updating this but I'll try to give you an idea of the atmosphere at least. Rupprecht finally showed up on Sunday at 3:30am as his flights were delayed, but he's here now and is rooming with me in the dorms for the remainder of the trials. The last two days have been some of the shorter track days and were both over pretty early in the evening. The races that did happen were certainly pretty exciting with a new 100m AR and the fastest time in the world by Tyson Gay, but for me, that was not nearly as exciting as the Day 4 races will be.

With the time spent at the track being shorter, the time off the track was properly utilized with quality runs on the trails, BBQs in the sun, and parties in the evenings. I spent a lot of my time at the Brooks house and with the Flotrack crew. To get the best idea of how cool these things have been and how much fun we've been having, you can go to Flotrack and follow the live feeds and many updates/recaps from the trials. However, if you do not have the time to browse through all that material, here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what's going on here in Eugene.

Morning runs...

Flotrack...

Nintendo Wii...

Fancy parties...

Cool people...

Olympic Trials: Day 1

Well, after driving 11 hours in 100+ degree heat, unpacking my car, repacking my stuff for the trials, waiting at the airport for 6 hours and taking two flights up to Eugene, I finally made it to the Olympic Trials at around 11am. I checked into the dorms and settled in a little.

The dorms set up is pretty sweet. For $49 a night, I have a place to sleep, a place to keep all my stuff, I'm about 200 feet from the track, about 50 feet from the cafeteria (3 meals a day included), and less than half a mile from the trails. I debated taking a nap when I got there, but instead I went down to the Brooks house/Flotrack HQ, which is just down the street. I hung out with them for most of the afternoon and met some really cool people. There were athletes coming in and out all day and we just spent most of our time laying out in the sun, grilling food, and helping out with the flotrack coverage.

It wasn't until around 5pm that we went into the stadium for the evening events. The weather was great and the races were awesome. We sold a few of our extra tickets to Chase, Fake Bob and Tristan that followed the White Pearl up from New Mexico. These guys were pretty cool and I ended up spending most of the day with them, as well as Brendan Carr, a current UMaine trackie. You can see a few of these guys in the picture below with Dathan Ritzenhein.

The races were phenomenal tonight as we saw the mens and womens 800 prelims, mens 5k prelims, and womens 10K final. Every event here is exciting to watch and the crowd gets so into it all, however, the womens 10k was by far the most exciting race of the night. The guys in our group were going nuts and I pretty much lost my voice yelling for Amy Yoder-Begley, who is my new hero! I have never been more involved with a womens 10k, but with so many studs to cheer for, there was never a moment when I wasn't cheering for someone or going nuts over something. Right after the race, we went down to the track to get a closer look at the Olympic team and in the process we saw Galen Rupp, and got a picture with him. It was a great conclusion of the meet and we were all filled with adrenaline for some after parties.

Just after that, I bumped into Mariko and Carrie who joined us in the festivities at McMenimans. We stayed out pretty late splitting quite a few pitchers of beer and having a grand ol' time. It was a very exciting first day and I am pumped to see what else is in store for us over the next week and a half.

Day 5: Park City to Chino Hills

Destination: Chino Hills, California
States I drove through today: Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California

Today was the last day of travel planned for the DSTNCE-Mobile and it was certainly a long one. The day started amazingly as I continued my visit in Park City with Katy. I went for an early shakeout run at 6am on the golf course, then started up one of those 9000 footers that I mentioned were in Katy's backyard. I started off feeling really good... it was a beautiful morning and the trail was a nice soft switchback. I could feel myself working a little harder on the incline but I enjoyed having that muscle screaming, gasping for air feeling without having to get the hard fast pounding on my legs. I continued up the gradual slope and took a few pictures along the way, but after about 20 minutes, I decided I was in enough oxygen debt and started the decent back to the golf course. Katy would have joined me, but she had a pretty nasty spill on her road bike a couple days ago and is still letting her wounds heal.

After the run, we went over to this great little breakfast place and I had one of the best bagel sandwiches ever, along with a very large coffee to prepare me for the rest of today's activities. From here, Katy, Bella, and I had a nice hike up to the top of PC enjoying all the wonderful scenery around us. It was a short hike, but enough to get the heart rate up a little and to get some great photos of this amazing city, like the one below.

On a side note, let me talk a little bit about Katy. We first met in high school and as I recall, we became pretty good friends almost immediately. She is an amazing little lady and one of the nicest people I know. At about the same time we became friends, I also gained two new and amazing fans in Ed and Jeanne (Katy's parents). All throughout high school and college, the Jacksons were like my second set of parents. If my mom was not able to attend a meet (which was rare), the Jackson's had no problem stepping in and taking on the role as my #1 fans. I consider myself very lucky to have had these people in my life and I am so glad I managed to squeeze this visit into my journey.

On top of that, in the short time that I spent in Park City, I came to the conclusion that it is probably the coolest place I have ever been in my life. There are over 300 miles of dirt trails ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 ft, you see gorgeous backdrops in every direction you look, temperatures rarely get below 20 and rarely above 80, you can ski until May in shorts, and you have a really cool town that completely revolves around the athletic enthusiasts in all of us! I promised Katy that I would be back as soon as possible for another visit and would spend a much longer time there to enable more of the adventures that I've heard so much about.

Finally, I brought myself to actually say goodbye to Katy and Bella and left Park City to head out on the final leg of this journey. It started off pretty nice going through the mountain ranges of northern and central Utah. Then it all turned really boring once I got into the canyons and deserts of southern Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. This boringness was soon followed by lots and lots of heat. Let me remind you that the "Blue Beast" does not have AC. I would not recommend driving 6 hours through the desert with no AC in 115 degree temperatures. I had 5 liters of water and 2 gatorades, yet I never once had to go to the bathroom until I finally arrived in Cali. It was not a pleasant drive and I would not wish it on anyone.

At long last, I arrived in the great state of California. I made it to Chino Hills by 8:30 PM, I did not pass out from heat exhaustion, and the "Blue Beast" dominated those 3200 miles like a champ!

Stats:

• Trip Duration: 5 Days
• Driving Hours: about 50
• Miles Driven: 3181
• States Driven Through: 13 (+1 Province)
• Miles Ran: 18
• Gallons of Gas: 81.95
• Average Miles per Gallon: 38.82
• Total Cost of Gas: $341.94
• Highest price per Gallon: 4.69 (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Lowest price per Gallon: 3.75 (Brooklyn, Iowa)

Now, after being in Chino Hills for 2 hours (enough time to get a sandwich, unload the car, and take a shower), I am currently sitting in the Los Angeles airport waiting for my 6am flight to Eugene, Oregon. This will open up a whole slew of discussion topics that I do not have the energy for right now. I'm actually rather surprised at how much I've put on this post already.

Speaking of which, I just want to say how much I appreciate any of you that have been following this blog series. I will be the first to point out that these posts have not been the most coherent pieces of literature and have been more of a regurgitation of thoughts. I don't edit them and I have rarely hit the spellcheck button before I press the publish button and pass out next to the computer. My days have been filled with all sorts of craziness and excitement, so it has been nice to share at least a little bit of that with my friends and family through this medium.

On that note, I'm logging off for now and will start fresh from Eugene with some recaps of my experiences at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials!

Day 4: Boulder to Park City

Destination: Park City, Utah
States I drove through today: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah

First of all, I am very sad to report that some how, all the pictures from my camera were deleted off the memory card. I have no idea how or when this happened but I was not a happy camper when I found out. Anyway, that does not change the fact that I had a really great day, it just means you won't see the picture of Matt and I before our run this morning.

I also wanted to mention that Matt and I went to this really cool Ethiopian restaurant last night that had some awesome food. Everything we ordered came on a single plate and there was no eating utensil in sight other than our ten appendages to dine on this one of a kind feast. It was a really cool experience and one that I would strongly recommend.

As for today, we started around 6:30am and ran a solid 6 miles from Wonderland Lake along the foothills. It was a good run and not too aggressive in the incline area which was good for this comeback kid. Even though I lost all the pictures from my main camera, I did get a few shots with the "runner-cam" so here's a shot of the trail we were on.

And here is a shot of Matt and I (kinda)


After the run, we had a quick breakfast and Matt went off to work. Since I didn't have a really long drive ahead of me, I went into town and walked around all the familiar places for a while. I went down Pearl Street, walked along the Boulder Creek, and went over to The Hill to get the long awaited burrito at Illegal Pete's. I did take a lot of pictures of these places, but as mentioned, they are nowhere to be found, so I apologize for not having better documentation available.

I left Boulder around 11:30am and made the trek across Wyoming to meet up with Katy in Park City. Now, I knew Park City was beautiful, but this area is absolutely amazing! Katy showed me her gorgeous house at the base of some 8-9000 ft peaks, she took me around town a bit, where we had an excellent dinner, and finally, the three of us (now with her dog Bella) went on a nice evening walk along the golf course and trails in her back yard. I'm looking forward to wandering off a little more in the morning and hopefully be able to keep a few of the pictures I take along the way.

One more day left on this trip and tomorrow night, I'll be moving into my new home!

Day 3: Lincoln to Boulder

Destination: Boulder, Colorado
States I drove through today: Nebraska, Colorado

I was actually able to sleep in a little later today as I didn't need to be on the road right away. Ann and I ran a nice 28 minute shakeout on the bike trail at 9am and then met Ari and Joslyn for a nice breakfast downtown. After they went back to work, Ann took me over to the local running store in Lincoln and we had a chance to talk with owner, Ann Ringlein for a while. She is a true track enthusiast and very knowledgeable, so I enjoyed our conversation immensely. This concluded another great visit with another great friend and put me at just about the half way point on the map.

Be sure to look for Ann at the Olympic Trials next week as she competes in the steeplechase semi-final on Monday and Final on Thursday! It's gonna be awesome! (In case you didn't didn't know, she did pretty well here 4 years ago).


After about 8 hours on the road today, I arrived in Boulder around 7pm. As I continued to near the great mountain range, I was reminded more and more of that great summer out here in 2004. Entering Boulder was a very cool feeling. I was remembering streets and landmarks along the way and piecing together so many things that I had experienced here four years ago. I am very glad to be back in this great town and look forward to a quality visit. I only wish I had time to stay longer!

Day 2: Ann Arbor to Lincoln

Destination: Lincoln, Nebraska
States I drove through today: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa

After a long first day on the road, I visited a little with Mark and Katie, but it didn't take long before it was lights out on the Driscoll/Gwyther futon. This morning started with an early 5:30am rise and a 32 min shakeout run with Mark on the "rehab loop" (named so because of it's very forgiving wood-chipped surface). And though I thought I had been to every fine cuisine in the Ann Arbor area, I was pleasantly surprised when Mark and Katie brought me to a nice 24-hr diner for breakfast. This little "hole in the wall" had some amazing "hippie-hash" (a combination of hash browns, ham, veggies, and feta cheese) and some quality java to prepare me for another long drive ahead.

(Left my camera in Medford so this was taken with the "runner-cam")

The drive went pretty smooth and I arrived at Ann's house in Lincoln around 7pm. We had a great meal at Bison, saw the new athletic facility (Alter-G and all ...amazing!) and then zonked out in front of the TV for a while with her roommates Joslyn and Ari. Now for some sleep on this incredibly comfortable (and huge!) couch as I get ready for Day 3 of "JC's move to Cali".

Day 1: Medford to Ann Arbor

Destination: Ann Arbor, Michigan
States I drove through today: Massachusetts, New York, Michigan
Provinces: Ontario

A few short hours after the completion of our much anticipated "Thriller Party" and after all the P.Y.T.'s had either gone home or passed out, I jumped into the blue beast with my life packed up in the back seat and started heading west. My first stop was with good buddy and NBBoston-ite Mario Fraioli. We met up for an epic breakfast at The Coffee Mug to ease my rumbling stomach and fuel me up for the next 12 hours on the road.

After many miles logged, and many cups of coffee consumed, I reached my destination as planned, a little later than I had hoped but in one piece! ...crossing the Canadian border (twice) made the short cut through Ontario not quite as short and was not a very exciting drive. Nonetheless, I was warmly welcomed by Mark and Katie and a plate full of food! This was only a short visit, but a good one just the same!

California, here we come!

Day 1 - Sunday, June 22

Medford, MA to Ann Arbor, MI
767 Miles, about 12 hours

The first day might be the toughest. It's the longest driving day that I'll have, I'll be crossing into Canada, and I'll be recovering from tonight's "Thriller" Party. Fortunately, I'll be greeted by former Quinnipiac All Stars, Mark Driscoll and Katie Gwyther to revitalize me with a few laughs and possibly a nice little BBQ before I head to the Midwest.

Day 2 - Monday, June 23

Ann Arbor, MI to Lincoln, NE
744 Miles, about 11 hours

As you can see, I'm trying to get the long days out of the way early. This one shouldn't be too bad, as long as the roaring Mississippi doesn't cause any road blocks. I'll be greeted by former Nebraska stud, Ann Gaffigan and will get a tour of the only populated area in Nebraska.

Day 3 - Tuesday, June 24

Lincoln, NE to Boulder, CO
502 Miles, about 7 hours








This drive will be much shorter compared to the two previous days, but I've made this drive before and I have to tell you, Nebraska is one long ass state! Although, it will be great to return to Boulder where I'll be staying with former UNH steepler, Matt Russell.

Day 4 - Wednesday, June 25

Boulder, CO to Park City, UT
505 Miles, about 7 hours








This trip might seem a little out of the way as I am going up into Wyoming but I'll be avoiding the tough section of the Rockies, I'll only be adding an hour or two to the trip, and I'll get to see former UVM phenom and Maine original, Katy Jackson. It's been a few years since we've crossed paths, so it will be good to see her.

Day 5 - Thursday, June 26

Park City, UT to Chino Hills, CA
668 Miles, about 10 hours

This will be another longer day in the car, but it's the final homestretch so hopefully those afterburners will kick in and I'll make it with enough time to grab dinner with the guys (for more information on who those guys are, see the post below this one).

I might even get a few hours of sleep before I get on a plane to Eugene at 6am the next morning. I can asure you that the two weeks spent there at the Olympic Trials are going to be awesome!

The JC Experience is heading West!

Once again, I have fallen behind on this thing. I have been quite busy and have plenty to talk about so here it goes.

As I alluded to in my last post, I have some big news to reveal. I did my best to tell all my friends, family, and supporters about this first, so I would imagine that anyone reading this has already heard this news. However, if I did not have a chance to get this information out to you, I certainly apologize. I never realized how many people I knew in this area until I had to contact everone I knew in a matter of a few days. It's been tough getting around to everybody so be patient if I haven't gotten to you yet.

Anyway, let's talk about this news that I've built up so much. As I mentioned before, I took a trip out to Chino Hills, CA a couple weeks ago amidst my many travels. The reason for this visit was to gather some information and consider an opportunity that was offered to me. Not too long ago, I was offered a spot on the Pacers Elite Development Team. What is that? Well, it's a new program that is starting up this summer and is located in Chino Hills, about 30 Miles East of Los Angeles. It will consist of six athletes living together in what they have designated as the team house, and these athletes will train together on a daily basis as they work to become some of the top distance runners in the country. This program will be funded by the Pacers Running Company, The Lydiard Foundation, and Reebok, along with hundreds of other sponsors. It's an opportunity for a elite distance runners to train full time without the burden of life's many expenses. After visiting the area, and talking more with the coaches and athletes involved, I considered all my options and weighed all the pros and cons. After a lot of thought, I decided to accept the offer and will be joining this program at the end of this month.



To give you an idea of who will be joining me, here are a few brief descriptions of my future teammates and coaches.

Pacers Elite Development Program

Coach Steve Sumner - Owner of the Pacers Running Company and Founder/Manager of the Elite Development Program. Steve is the back bone of this program and will be very involved with our training and competition schedule. He is also the coach for the Pacers Running Club and is very involved with the extended running community in the area.

Coach Marco Ochoa - Head Coach of the EDP athletes. Marco was coached by Joe Vigil at Adams State and continued under his guidance through the 1996 Olympic Marathon Trials where he placed 5th.

Carlos Handler - UC Riverside, Concordia University, native of Southern California, trained in Boulder, CO for the last year. 14:09 5K, 1:05 Half-Marathon.

Danny Mackey - Eastern Illinois University, Colorado State University, native of Chicago, trained in Eugene, OR for the last 2 years with the Bowerman Athletic Club. 2:21 Marathon Debut. 10th in the U.S. Marathon Championships.

Steve Magness - University of Houston, native of Texas. 4:01 Mile, 14:20 5K.

Jimmy Grabow - Long Beach State. 13:44 5K

Joe Dare - Lasalle University. 14:15 5K, 29:25 10K

Legendary New Zealanders, Rod Dixon and Lorraine Moller with also be advisors to the program and contributing frequently to aid in our success.

I'm very excited to join these guys in what will be my new home for the next 4 year. I look forward to our many adventures as we work hard to establish ourselves as contenders at the national level in American distance running.

This has all happened rather quickly and therefore, I have been scrambling over the last couple weeks to get my life packed up, see as many people as possible before I leave, and plan the trip from the Northeast all the way down to the Southwest. Though this has caused some stress along the way, I have to say that the overflow of support from all of those around me has been truly incredible. In the last couple weeks I've seen more friends and family than I thought I had.

To give a few shout outs, I have to mention a few highlights of the last week. First of all, the Carter/LaRosa Birthday Celebration was a blast as Mark and Heather were wonderful hosts and the quality of people in attendance was unbeatable. The USATF NE Championships was a great opportunity to see some friends and teammates as well as some great performances, including Rebecca's incredible solo 5k effort as she qualified for the Olympic Trials with only a few hours to spare. Followed of course by a huge dinner party at John Brewer's.

The next day, I ventured up to New Hampshire to spend an evening with Tony and Tracy, had dinner at the Portsmouth Brewery, and shared some great conversations throughout the night. I spent a few days in Maine with my parents as they threw me a mini party at Gippers. I was able to catch up with Liz, one of my best friends who's been a big part of my life over the last 10 years. I had a nice afternoon/dinner with my sisters in Boston, and just last night, I was joined by the wonderful group of Gabe, Liz, and Maloney. There was no way they were going to let me leave Boston without going to R.F. O'Sullivans one last time with the "usual suspects"!

In the middle of all these mini adventures, I've been packing and trying to "simplify" my life as much as possible. I will have one more party at the house this Saturday, and then I take off early Sunday morning with the DSTNCE-Mobile and start the 45 hour drive to Chino Hills. I am still working out the details of my trip and will have an outlined itinerary ready for you in the next day or two. So if you happen to live between Boston and Los Angeles, I just might stop in for a visit! Consider that your warning and don't be surprised if you see me rolling up in front of your doorstep in the next week.

That's all I have time for right now as I need to finish cleaning up this mess in my room! I'll have more on the proposed travel plan shortly and I hope to have more running stuff on the blog in the near future.

Thanks again for all the support and I'll see many of you on Saturday!

A recap of my recent travels

Sorry about taking a while. Here are some numbers.

Monday, June 2: 5:00 PM - Pool work, 30 min
Tuesday, June 3: 6:30 AM - 3 Miles, 23 min w/ Ben and Steve at Chino Hills State Park
Wednesday, June 4: 6:00 AM - 4.5 Miles, 30 min w/ Carlos and Ben at Cal Poly
Thursday, June 5: 6:00 PM - 5 Miles, 40 min w/ Mark on the Trails in Ann Arbor
Friday, June 6: 7:00 PM - 5 Miles, 40 min w/ Mark along the river
Saturday, June 7: 10:00 AM - 6 Miles, 44 min w/ Mark at the Botanical Gardens
Sunday, June 8: 10:00 AM - 7 Miles, 51 min w/ Mark and Katie

Week Total = 30.5 Miles

Monday, June 9: 7:00 AM - 5.5 Miles, 41 min w/ Mark and Katie
Tuesday, June 10: 6:00 PM - 5 Miles, 35 min w/ NBB Crew
Wednesday, June 11: 0 Miles

Well, it is finally good to see some numbers at the top of this thing. After 24 days of absolutely no running, I am finally logging some miles again. Nothing crazy, and all at an easy pace, but it's progress. My leg problem has improved quite a bit. It was a very slow process and I'm still not at 100%, but I'm able to run pain free. I will continue to keep the mileage low and the pace easy until I'm sure this issue is cleared up, so don't expect to see any crazy workouts on here anytime soon. As for racing, my first planned "race" will be the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, ME on August 2nd. Most of you know that this is an important race for me to participate in, and though I won't be at the fitness I'd like to be at this year, I will be there ready for a good experience just the same.

As I outlined in my previous post, I had a lot of traveling on my schedule recently. I'd like to use the remainder of this post to recap those travels as best I can.

First, I went down to the Big Apple and spent some quality time with one of my best friends, Paul Rupprecht (as seen in the picture on the right). I picked an older picture from our Colorado trip because this past week allowed me to recall a lot of fond memories from that unforgettable summer, as you'll see more of below. Paul and I have been friends for about seven years now, and have been through quite a bit in that time. We've shared conversations about pretty much everything from running, to jobs, to girls, and so on... including many memories that I'll never forget and many that I'd probably like to forget! Regardless of any difficult times that we've had, we've stayed close and have watched out for each other through all of our successes and struggles alike. Therefore, whenever I have an opportunity to head down for a visit, I try to take full advantage.

It was a short visit but we had a good weekend together. We started off by playing Rock Band at Greg's place, which I can now see why it's so addicting. The next day, we went to Paul's practice with the WTC crew. Paul did a workout and I spent that time talking with Coach Barnow about a lot of different things and taking a lot of good advice from him. We then had lunch and hung out with Paul's roommates (Stephen and Joseph) at the new apartment. I was gladly entertained by the young Catherine Kiplagat (Richard Kiplagat's 3 yr old daughter) and spent some quality time with the guys. We had some Ugali and Catherine tried teaching me some Swahili... which apparently, I'm a slow learner of. We also had a chance to stop by Rupprecht's store and then go to the Reebok Grand Prix. There were some weather delays but overall the meet was a great experience. I saw some very exciting performances, ran into a few old friends, and met some new ones as well.

The following morning, I got up bright and early to head up to the Ocean State and try to catch the start of the Rhody 5K. I made it just in time for the mens race and saw some friends to pretty well on both the mens and womens side, while NB Boston had a pretty good representation. And because of the running junkie I am, I was right in my element and had a great time taking in the atmosphere of a great road race and talking with everyone afer the races. After the festivities were over, Maloney and I drove back up to Boston and I started packing for my next trips that were just a few hours away.

I left Boston Monday morning to go to Chino Hills, CA. I spent a couple days there for one very important reason. Now, because this post is already long enough and my Cali visit would just open up a whole new can of worms, I'll save that for the next post. If you haven't already heard what this is about, be patient and you'll surely find out soon.

After a long flight back to Boston, I had 4 hours before I boarded another flight to Detroit, Michigan. I spent the next five days with two incredible people. They were none other than Mark Driscoll and Katie Gwyther. These two (as seen on the right) were also an integral part of the famous 2004 Colorado crew (as seen below).

Since that summer, we have all taken different paths and have found much success along the way. It's hard to believe that it's only been four years since I've met these incredible people. I can honestly say that my life is better because of their friendship, and the endless encouragement they've given me in that time has led me down some incredible paths. The five days that I spent with them last week was the perfect therapy to get me back to the right mindset. There was no stress to deal with, no burdens I couldn't handle, and no dream that wasn't entertained by those around me.

My visit included but was not limited to: some quality runs through Ann Arbor, an extensive exploration of the areas finest cuisine (including the world famous Zingerman's!)

...a look at the beautiful Michigan campus!

...and spectating yet another quality meet at the Midwest Distance Solution.

I was also fortunate enough to spend some QT with other visiting guests, including the intriguing Amanda Chase and the amusing Matt Carter, as well as Justin Lutz, Sasha Scott, Rebecca Donaghue, and Artie Gilkes, to name a few that we saw at the meet.

When all was said and done at the end of the week, I had seen some really great friends of old and met some very promising prospects of new, I had returned to the activity that I've missed so much and has been the back bone of this blog, and I was provided with a plethora of inspiration to motivate me through the next stages of this journey. So I'd like to thank everyone that contributed to these experiences and please stay tuned for another update to follow soon.