Monday, June 8: 8:00 PM - 7 Miles, 47 min
Tuesday, June 9: 6:00 PM - Track WO w/ Roland, Ari, Tony, Mario, & JP
24 min w/u
4 x 800m w/ 2.5 minR - 2:19, 2:19, 2:15, 2:15 (3 minR)
4 x 200m w/ 1 minR - 30.1, 30.8, 30.8, 30.2
25 min c/d
Wednesday, June 10: 9:00 PM - 6 Miles, 41 min
Thursday, June 11: 6:00 PM - 13 Miles, 91 min w/ Lincoln crew
Friday, June 12: 7:00 PM - 30 min easy, drills and strides on the track, 10 min easy
Saturday, June 13: 9:30 AM - 10 min shakeout
7:00 PM - NB Boston Twilight Meet #3 (Flotrack Coverage) (Photos)
20 min w/u
5000m Race - 14:44.20, 5th place (Video)
20 min c/d
Sunday, June 14: 8:00 PM - 10 Miles, 65 min
Week Total = 64 Miles, 7 1/2 Sessions
This week marked the conclusion of the NB Boston Twilight Series with Meet #3. Before I go into details about my own race, I must say that the meet overall was a huge success. We had great races all around with several personal bests and qualifying standards met across the board. To highlight the meet, we had three NB Boston athletes hit automatic qualifying standards for Nationals. Rebecca Donaghue did so in the 1500m while winning the event in a personal best of 4:13.78 and pulling 9 girls across the line under 4:24. Despite that being an automatic qualifier, she will not be contesting that event at Nationals and instead be entering either the 5000m or 10000m events. Next, Dave Juiliano secured his spot at Nationals in the Mens 1500m as he set a new Club Record of 3:43.18 to place second behind Maine Native Ben True in a race that had 10 guys under 3:50. Finally, in the last race of the night, Jenn Donovan was part of a stacked steeple field that would put all six finishers ahead of the US Provisional Standard. Jenn raced to a 20 second season PR, finishing in 10:10.99 to capture that Automatic US Standard as well as a Club Record. There were many other exciting performances at the meet so if you're interested in finding out more, you can read the recap on our team blog, watch the race footage and interviews on Flotrack, browse through photos from the races, or check the results.
Moving onto the Mens 5000m, we had a great turnout with talent from all over the east coast. We had two guys that were looking to break 14:00 and a field size of 25 guys. After last week, I was determined to run a better race here and hopefully be more competitive with some of the guys around me. NBBers Jeff Paterno and Tony Orth were assigned pacing duties for a 14:00 pace, and did a great job doing so. Not too long after the crowded start, those 4 guys had separated themselves from the rest of the field. Behind that gap, were three more NBB guys including Roland Lavallee, Ari Zamir, and myself. I found out early on that I would either need to hang with these guys or start running this race solo. I hesitated at first, but quickly tucked in behind my teammates. We were running slightly faster than my goal pace of 70 seconds per quarter, but I was feeling good, so I was hoping I could hang on for a while. At 1200m, I was at about 3:27 and on pace for low 14:20s. With my confidence not being very high after last week and my realistic judgement kicking in, I started to let the gap open up between myself and my teammates. I can't know for sure what would have happened if I just stayed with Ari, but I wasn't feeling comfortable enough to take that chance and was afraid that I would rig in the last mile... and I didn't want another death march to the finish this week. So like last week, I was all by myself again not even 4 laps into the race even though there were 25 guys in the field. I tried to stay relaxed and settle into 70 second quarters, but after about 2400m, I was starting to run north of that pace and continuing to slow. Even though I came through 3K right where I wanted to be (8:46), I knew I was off the pace and that unless I could pull off a remarkable last 2k, I would miss my goal in this race. I continued to run by myself and continued to let the pace slip a little more each lap. Finally, in the last 400m, I could hear someone starting to reel me in, so I tried my best to hold them off and did so finishing in 14:44 and without passing or getting passed by a single person in the last 11 laps of the race.
After I finished, I was half relieved that I did better than last week, but still had that feeling that I didn't race to my potential. I guess part of the reason was because there was no race around me to race in. It's been about 14 months since my last competitive track 5K and now that I'm finally healthy and in reasonable shape, I was hoping to actually be competitive again. Part of me wished I had just grown a pair and stayed with Ari for longer, but with my inconsistency recently, I just settled for what was more comfortable. I did run a lot better than I did last week, and for that, I am relieved. But I'm certainly not happy with what I did out there. I guess maybe I should be happy with it when I consider the preparation I've done leading up to it. But then again, I'm not happy with my preparation so how could I be happy with the result it produced. I'm probably being a little harsh on myself, but I just know I can do better... with everything!
This was most likely my last track race of the year, which means another year down without a track PR. I'm bummed that I wasn't able to take better advantage of these opportunities, but I am glad that I was actually able to take part in them... unlike last year when I was just watching from the sidelines. In that sense, I do see this race as progress. It may be a very small progression from where I was a couple months ago, but it is progress nonetheless. And that is enough to keep me going. As I said before, I don't have any more track races planned, and the only other race I have on the schedule is the Beach to Beacon 10K on August 1. If I can be more consistent in these next six weeks and work a little harder, I think I could be in pretty good shape for this race and have one last chance of finishing this training cycle with a great performance. I might do a race before then, maybe a 4th of July race, but I'll wait to see what Kevin suggests and take it from there. Either way, I'll be excited to race in Maine again with my friends and teammates in my favorite race of the year, and I look forward to a positive close to the "season". Beyond that, there will be many more races and many more goals as the New Balance Boston Men look to have one of their strongest cross country teams ever to join the already successful Ladies in their high ranks. First, we've got a lot of work to do, so stay tuned for more to come.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Move On and Man Up!
Monday, June 1: 0 Miles
Tuesday, June 2: 6:00 PM - Track WO w/ Ari, Mario, Tony, & JP
24 min w/u
4 x 600m w/ 2 minR - 1:43, 1:42, 1:40, 1:41 (3.5 minR)
4 x 200m w/ 1 minR - 30.8, 30.5, 30.5, 29.8
24 min c/d
Wednesday, June 3: 5:30 PM - 5 Miles, 40 min w/ NB Corp Group (National Running Day)
8:30 PM - 6 Miles, 45 min w/ CVC
Thursday, June 4: 0 Miles
Friday, June 5: 9:30 AM - 6 Miles, 40 min w/ strides on grass after
Saturday, June 6: 11:00 AM - 20 min shakeout
7:30 PM - NB Boston Twilight Meet #2 (Flotrack Coverage)
20 min w/u
3K Race - 8:40.50 (Video)
21 min c/d
Sunday, June 7: 9:00 AM - 13 Miles, 87 min
Week Total = 51 Miles, 6 + 1/2 Sessions
As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of disappointment with how this week ended for me. Things were going just fine at the beginning of the week. After Saturday's and Tuesday's workouts, I was feeling pretty confident that I'd be ready for a solid 3K this weekend. I put all this attention on myself while trying to build up these meets and get everyone excited, motivated, and inspired to come out and race with us and be a part of something special. On Wednesday, I was mentally prepared to run a fast 3K and actually compete in this race. However, between my run on Wednesday and my race on Saturday, I sabotaged all that preparation and ruined my race before it even started. For those of you that know me well enough to read between the lines on this weekly ramble, you know that I've been trying to balance quite a few things in my life, and on occasion, have note done very well with that balance. I've gotten by most of the time, and up until this point, I've been able to align the good days when it mattered. Saturday, however, was not a good day. I knew it when I woke up that morning and I knew it when I stepped on the line that night. As a result of a couple bad days leading up to it, I was both mentally and physically drained and could not find the excitement, motivation, or inspiration that I had been preaching just a few days earlier.
I started the race with dead legs and was just hoping that I could tough it out a get through it ok. I used every mental trick I know to get around the fact that I felt like crap. It was a big field and I knew that the majority of that field would be (or should be) behind me, so the goal was to not get stuck behind those people. I also knew there were guys in there that would most likely be ready to run away from me at a pace that I couldn't handle. So I got out quick in the first 50 meters, picked a spot around 7-8th place and settled in. The positioning seemed fine, but I could tell the pace was slow. Since I was just trying to maintain whatever competitive edge I had, I didn't want to worry about the pace and just wanted to focus on keeping contact. Shortly after that, coming through the 400 in about 70, the front quickly adjusted the pace downward to make up for the slow start. Of course, I wanted to go with them, but the guys immediately in front of me and to my outside did not speed up. I started to frantically look for a way out of this box as I watched the leaders open up a significant gap. It seemed like forever, but I got out about 200m later. Because of the rate those guys picked up the pace, that was enough time to open up a good 20m on me. I really wanted to be able to latch onto someone and disassociate from the heaviness of my legs for as long as possible. But now, not even two laps in, I was laboring to try and regain contact. I tried to chip away at the space between us as I ran a 65 for the next quarter and still didn't make up much ground. I was probably running the same pace as they were, but just could not close that gap. I hit the mile in about 4:31 and was still about the same distance behind them. Going through at 4:31 really wasn't a bad thing, but the fact that I was already running by myself for 3 laps and was already struggling to hang onto that pace was a very bad thing. I felt like I wasn't even part of a race, which is why the remaining laps went so badly. I just started feeling sorry for myself and counted the laps until it was over. At the time, I didn't feel like I had given up, because I felt like I was working really hard and my legs just weren't responding. I continued to run by myself until some guy finally reeled me in and passed me in the last 200m.
Within about 2 steps after crossing the finish line, I started to feel the anger build. I could not believe what just happened. How could someone that puts so much emphasis on this sport do so poorly in a race like this? How could I ever consider myself an elite athlete if I can't perform on race day? How could I run 7 seconds slower than I ran in practice 3 weeks ago? It was such a bad feeling and I did not know how to react to it. There was a really great meet going on around me and I didn't allow myself to enjoy it because I was so consumed by this anger and disappointment. I had just been given a perfectly good opportunity to run fast and I threw it away.
Looking forward, I have another opportunity just around the corner, so I need to figure things out quick and make sure this weeks incident doesn't happen again. I know my training hasn't been stellar leading up to this track series and has probably been the most inconsistent in years, so I know I can't be expecting any earth-shattering performances. But I do know that I've been working pretty hard and would like to assure myself that I'm in better shape than I was as a sophomore in college some six years ago. I'm running the 5K next week and for all I know, it could be my last track race of the year. I would like to think that I'm better suited for a 5K right now and would like to be able to put together a race that reveals the fitness that I've shown glimpses of in workouts over the last month or so.
I know there were probably some people that had high hopes for me this past weekend and I apologize for not following through with those expectations. I had a bad race on Saturday and I have to take ownership for that. My teammates are out there getting it done, my coach has done everything he can do. I have the support and tools in place, so now I just need to man up and fulfill my end of the bargain.
Tuesday, June 2: 6:00 PM - Track WO w/ Ari, Mario, Tony, & JP
24 min w/u
4 x 600m w/ 2 minR - 1:43, 1:42, 1:40, 1:41 (3.5 minR)
4 x 200m w/ 1 minR - 30.8, 30.5, 30.5, 29.8
24 min c/d
Wednesday, June 3: 5:30 PM - 5 Miles, 40 min w/ NB Corp Group (National Running Day)
8:30 PM - 6 Miles, 45 min w/ CVC
Thursday, June 4: 0 Miles
Friday, June 5: 9:30 AM - 6 Miles, 40 min w/ strides on grass after
Saturday, June 6: 11:00 AM - 20 min shakeout
7:30 PM - NB Boston Twilight Meet #2 (Flotrack Coverage)
20 min w/u
3K Race - 8:40.50 (Video)
21 min c/d
Sunday, June 7: 9:00 AM - 13 Miles, 87 min
Week Total = 51 Miles, 6 + 1/2 Sessions
As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of disappointment with how this week ended for me. Things were going just fine at the beginning of the week. After Saturday's and Tuesday's workouts, I was feeling pretty confident that I'd be ready for a solid 3K this weekend. I put all this attention on myself while trying to build up these meets and get everyone excited, motivated, and inspired to come out and race with us and be a part of something special. On Wednesday, I was mentally prepared to run a fast 3K and actually compete in this race. However, between my run on Wednesday and my race on Saturday, I sabotaged all that preparation and ruined my race before it even started. For those of you that know me well enough to read between the lines on this weekly ramble, you know that I've been trying to balance quite a few things in my life, and on occasion, have note done very well with that balance. I've gotten by most of the time, and up until this point, I've been able to align the good days when it mattered. Saturday, however, was not a good day. I knew it when I woke up that morning and I knew it when I stepped on the line that night. As a result of a couple bad days leading up to it, I was both mentally and physically drained and could not find the excitement, motivation, or inspiration that I had been preaching just a few days earlier.
I started the race with dead legs and was just hoping that I could tough it out a get through it ok. I used every mental trick I know to get around the fact that I felt like crap. It was a big field and I knew that the majority of that field would be (or should be) behind me, so the goal was to not get stuck behind those people. I also knew there were guys in there that would most likely be ready to run away from me at a pace that I couldn't handle. So I got out quick in the first 50 meters, picked a spot around 7-8th place and settled in. The positioning seemed fine, but I could tell the pace was slow. Since I was just trying to maintain whatever competitive edge I had, I didn't want to worry about the pace and just wanted to focus on keeping contact. Shortly after that, coming through the 400 in about 70, the front quickly adjusted the pace downward to make up for the slow start. Of course, I wanted to go with them, but the guys immediately in front of me and to my outside did not speed up. I started to frantically look for a way out of this box as I watched the leaders open up a significant gap. It seemed like forever, but I got out about 200m later. Because of the rate those guys picked up the pace, that was enough time to open up a good 20m on me. I really wanted to be able to latch onto someone and disassociate from the heaviness of my legs for as long as possible. But now, not even two laps in, I was laboring to try and regain contact. I tried to chip away at the space between us as I ran a 65 for the next quarter and still didn't make up much ground. I was probably running the same pace as they were, but just could not close that gap. I hit the mile in about 4:31 and was still about the same distance behind them. Going through at 4:31 really wasn't a bad thing, but the fact that I was already running by myself for 3 laps and was already struggling to hang onto that pace was a very bad thing. I felt like I wasn't even part of a race, which is why the remaining laps went so badly. I just started feeling sorry for myself and counted the laps until it was over. At the time, I didn't feel like I had given up, because I felt like I was working really hard and my legs just weren't responding. I continued to run by myself until some guy finally reeled me in and passed me in the last 200m.
Within about 2 steps after crossing the finish line, I started to feel the anger build. I could not believe what just happened. How could someone that puts so much emphasis on this sport do so poorly in a race like this? How could I ever consider myself an elite athlete if I can't perform on race day? How could I run 7 seconds slower than I ran in practice 3 weeks ago? It was such a bad feeling and I did not know how to react to it. There was a really great meet going on around me and I didn't allow myself to enjoy it because I was so consumed by this anger and disappointment. I had just been given a perfectly good opportunity to run fast and I threw it away.
Looking forward, I have another opportunity just around the corner, so I need to figure things out quick and make sure this weeks incident doesn't happen again. I know my training hasn't been stellar leading up to this track series and has probably been the most inconsistent in years, so I know I can't be expecting any earth-shattering performances. But I do know that I've been working pretty hard and would like to assure myself that I'm in better shape than I was as a sophomore in college some six years ago. I'm running the 5K next week and for all I know, it could be my last track race of the year. I would like to think that I'm better suited for a 5K right now and would like to be able to put together a race that reveals the fitness that I've shown glimpses of in workouts over the last month or so.
I know there were probably some people that had high hopes for me this past weekend and I apologize for not following through with those expectations. I had a bad race on Saturday and I have to take ownership for that. My teammates are out there getting it done, my coach has done everything he can do. I have the support and tools in place, so now I just need to man up and fulfill my end of the bargain.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Into June and into the Twilight
Monday, May 25: 4:00 PM - 8 Miles, 52 min
Tuesday, May 26: 6:00 PM - Track WO w/ Mario, JP, & Tony
25 min w/u
8 x 400m w/ 1 minR - 71.4, 68.1, 66.3, 67.9, 66.4, 64.3, 63.2, 62.8 (Avg = 66.3)
28 min c/d
Wednesday, May 27: 0 Miles
Thursday, May 28: 6:00 PM - 12 Miles, 88 min w/ Lincoln crew
Friday, May 29: 7:00 PM - 10 Miles 72 min
Saturday, May 30: 9:00 AM - Track WO w/ Ari & Tony
26 min w/u
1600m w/ 3.5 minR - 4:37
2 x 800m w/ 2.5 minR - 2:14, 2:14
4 x 400m w/ 1.5 minR - 65, 64, 65, 63
26 min c/d
Sunday, May 31: 8:00 PM - 10 Miles, 64 min
Week Total = 60 Miles, 6 Sessions
June has arrived and I can't believe how we got here so fast. Most collegiates are now finished with their track seasons, and I am just getting started. I don't know if there will be much of a season to speak of since I really only have two races planned right now. However, depending on how those races go, I may start looking around for some others. Those two races I'm speaking of are a 3K and a 5K at the last two NB Boston Twilight meets. As many of you know, I've been trying to promote these meets quite a bit in recent weeks. Why? Well, first of all, because it is my team that is hosting them and I want to help make us look good and make our hard work become a success. Secondly, since I'll be competing in them myself, I want to get as much competition as I can to help provide an opportunity to run fast. Lastly, I fully support the sport and I think this has potential to be one of the better track series in the country. And if utilized by the people we're targeting, it could really help the sport and help raise the bar for the Boston area, as well as for athletes across the country.
For me, this will be just my third race of 2009 and my first track race since May of 2008. Even though it's been a crowded and bumpy road leading up to this point, I feel like I've made some good progress in my fitness. When I consider a combination of my toughness at the James Joyce Ramble, my composure in the 3K Time Trial, and the ease of my recent workouts, I feel confident that I can stick my nose in these races and actually be competitive. I don't have anything to hide as far as my goals and racing strategies. I've already stated publicly that I want to be sub 8:25 and sub 14:35 in these races, which I think are very reasonable goals, but really, I just want to race hard, be competitive, and finish the race feeling satisfied... feeling like I took some risks, feeling like I raced with confidence, and walk away feeling like I ran as close to my fitness level as I could. I think there will be some good performances all around and quality entertainment for anyone in attendance. So again, come out and run with us, or just come out and support the races and have a beer with us afterward. Either way, we'd enjoy your company so we hope to see you there.
Tuesday, May 26: 6:00 PM - Track WO w/ Mario, JP, & Tony
25 min w/u
8 x 400m w/ 1 minR - 71.4, 68.1, 66.3, 67.9, 66.4, 64.3, 63.2, 62.8 (Avg = 66.3)
28 min c/d
Wednesday, May 27: 0 Miles
Thursday, May 28: 6:00 PM - 12 Miles, 88 min w/ Lincoln crew
Friday, May 29: 7:00 PM - 10 Miles 72 min
Saturday, May 30: 9:00 AM - Track WO w/ Ari & Tony
26 min w/u
1600m w/ 3.5 minR - 4:37
2 x 800m w/ 2.5 minR - 2:14, 2:14
4 x 400m w/ 1.5 minR - 65, 64, 65, 63
26 min c/d
Sunday, May 31: 8:00 PM - 10 Miles, 64 min
Week Total = 60 Miles, 6 Sessions
June has arrived and I can't believe how we got here so fast. Most collegiates are now finished with their track seasons, and I am just getting started. I don't know if there will be much of a season to speak of since I really only have two races planned right now. However, depending on how those races go, I may start looking around for some others. Those two races I'm speaking of are a 3K and a 5K at the last two NB Boston Twilight meets. As many of you know, I've been trying to promote these meets quite a bit in recent weeks. Why? Well, first of all, because it is my team that is hosting them and I want to help make us look good and make our hard work become a success. Secondly, since I'll be competing in them myself, I want to get as much competition as I can to help provide an opportunity to run fast. Lastly, I fully support the sport and I think this has potential to be one of the better track series in the country. And if utilized by the people we're targeting, it could really help the sport and help raise the bar for the Boston area, as well as for athletes across the country.
For me, this will be just my third race of 2009 and my first track race since May of 2008. Even though it's been a crowded and bumpy road leading up to this point, I feel like I've made some good progress in my fitness. When I consider a combination of my toughness at the James Joyce Ramble, my composure in the 3K Time Trial, and the ease of my recent workouts, I feel confident that I can stick my nose in these races and actually be competitive. I don't have anything to hide as far as my goals and racing strategies. I've already stated publicly that I want to be sub 8:25 and sub 14:35 in these races, which I think are very reasonable goals, but really, I just want to race hard, be competitive, and finish the race feeling satisfied... feeling like I took some risks, feeling like I raced with confidence, and walk away feeling like I ran as close to my fitness level as I could. I think there will be some good performances all around and quality entertainment for anyone in attendance. So again, come out and run with us, or just come out and support the races and have a beer with us afterward. Either way, we'd enjoy your company so we hope to see you there.
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