St. Patricks Day 5k and my training so far

As I am getting back on a regular blogging routine I wanted to recap how my winter is going and my goal races for the Spring and then lastly my past race/week.  This training cycle has been a slower buildup then I am used to, as I spent much of December, January and February just grinding out weeks with long runs and the occasional speed stuff during the week.  I constantly felt like I was taking 2 steps forward and one step back between re-injuries with my hamstring and various illnesses.  At one point after 5 days straight off in January dealing with the flu to instantly be followed up with a stomach virus I was beyond frustrated.  I had started feeling like my goals for the Spring were going out the window and my negativity had quickly started festering.  At this point between the constant stream of positive energy from my coach and me just taking a step back and giving myself some perspective I was able to just acknowledge that this is just the ebb and flow of running.  No training cycle will go perfectly, no plan is perfect, it is just about being able to adapt and keep believing in yourself. 

During this training cycle I’ve had some poor weeks down to 30 miles, I’ve missed several workouts and long runs and even did not hit the times I wanted to on some workouts.  In the past I think that would have weighed heavily on me but this year I’ve been a lot more mindful with my running.  While taking time off because I was sick is frustrating I waited until I felt 100% before starting up again and I think that helped me hop back into it.  Then to follow-up the flu having to miss workouts and long runs because of my hamstring and a stomach virus was hard to stay positive through as I know in the past I would have run through these things but I kept realizing by doing the right thing in January/February it will allow me to be better off in April.  Progression is not always a straight line in front of you as there are many obstacles, barriers and sometimes steps backwards to get you to where you want to go, but the key is to make it all a part of your journey.  The good and the bad of my training so far is what has gotten me to where I am today.  It’s obviously easier to look back with confidence now that I am running well that I made the right decisions, but I’d argue it’s because of the decisions I made is why I am running well today.

I finally raced for the first time since Boston 2017, in a local 5k with some really good competition upfront.  When my fitness started coming around I pinpointed this 5k on a Friday evening as a race I wanted to run to gauge some of my fitness ahead of Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in early April but I told my coach I was unsure if I could run a fast 5k.  Last year I spent a lot of the year doing specific 5k workouts so I had confidence when I ran 16:10 at the Shamrock 5k in March.  So going into this race I was somewhat unsure and I really didn’t set a goal, although if you had asked me I would have guessed I’d run about 17 minutes.  My goal was to just run hard and race a bunch of my teammates who were all very fit right now.  I also got to run a race with my wife for the first time in several years so that was very fun!  Leading up to the race I was feeling really good on my runs and had no real hamstring concerns but I was still a bit skeptical, also this was the first real race I was going to be running with my coach so I was going to basically judge the entire experience on the outcome of this race(I kid).  I was operating on confidence in my ability to get up for a competitive race, and the fitness I have achieved over the past several months which has been very different then past training cycles. 

So Friday night came and it was of course a cold and extremely windy evening so I did my best to ignore all that noise.  Everyone has to run in this so no reason for making excuses or worrying about it.  I felt good on the warmup, tossed in some strides and rolled up to the line extremely calm(well calm for me, which is still probably super stressful for other runners.  If you ever see me at a race see how antsy I am at the starting line.  There are countless photos of me bouncing up and down everytime I get on the starting line).  The race started and it was immediately downhill and everyone was flying, probably 400 meters in I look around and I am back in about 14^th place 50 meters back of the lead pack.  The very first thoughts to hit my mind, Am I ready for this, Am I trained properly.  I quickly tossed those thoughts away, (remembering the fantastic book I read “How Bad Do You Want It?) settled in and moved to the inside to run the tangent while several other people went very wide.  As we hit the straight-away into the wind I started to get comfortable and confident again and moved up.  As we hit about 800 meters in I was in the top 5 and settled in trying to get some cover from the wind (there was none).  Andy and Conrad had pulled away a little so a pack for 3-4-5 had opened up behind them and I knew we had a big climb coming up with a lot of downhill to follow.  I knew Ed running next to me was a fantastic downhill runner so I knew after the mile it was time to break up the pack if I wanted any chance.  I came through the mile around 5:10 according to my watch and started working up the hill.  I broke up the pack a bit and came in close contact on Conrad but once I hit the top I lost some focus going down the hill.  Missing out on that beautiful sweet free energy, something I need to work on taking advantage of.  As I rolled through 2 in 10:30 or so I felt good and sitting in 3^rd but was not sure what I’d have left for that last mile.  Instead of focusing ahead on running hard I did my usual look over the shoulder worrying about getting caught, which is one of my worst traits I’ve picked up.  This time I managed to hold onto 3^rd and pushed into the finish line to run 16:21 but felt I left a little out there from all that worrying about getting caught.

16:21 is my second fastest 5k since college, 11 seconds slower than Shamrock last year and on a cold, windy evening in mid-march I’ll gladly take it.  I had some general concerns I was not ready to push this hard in the week leading up to the race but I felt I did a fantastic job to ignore all that noise on race day and just be confident I was ready to race.  During the race I did not let myself get psyched out or worried, I was very mindful to run the race I was capable of and to execute according to my strengths and I am happy for that.  And above all else I am just happy to be back to running fast after a long 9 months of getting here.  The road back sometimes isn’t all physical, I’ve dealt with a lot of mental demons/barriers over the months thinking maybe I just won’t ever be able to do this competitively again.  The pain just would never go away.  Sometimes as a runner when you get injured and can’t run you isolate yourself a bit, and a lot of my 2017 I did that and I’m sure it didn’t help with me getting back out there mentally.  So getting past all of that for me is a huge win.

My 2018 is just beginning and the best is yet to come, I have some big goals for 2018 and as long as I stay smart, motivated, and focused I think I can achieve them.  I couldn’t be prouder of all my Falls Road teammates and friends who ran so fast and kept me on my toes all race and for the past 9 months.  When I couldn’t run I pulled tons of motivation from watching them all run such fast times and I couldn’t wait to be back out there with them.  As for what’s up next on 8 April I’ll be running my first Cherry Blossom 10 miler going after a shiny new PR and then at the end of April I will be traveling back to the Jersey Shore to run the NJ Half Marathon and give it all I’ve got.  As always thank you so much for reading this and I hope you enjoyed.

Halfway Recap of 2016

Halfway through 2016 and it’s time to look back and realize what I’ve accomplished and where I am at as a runner.  I think sometimes as people we get so caught up in hitting our exact goals that we lose sight of everything else that we are accomplishing as a person.  This year so far is a good indication of that for me.  My goal when this year started was to run a Personal Best at every distance from 1 mile to Marathon (not every but the ones run more frequently).  So far I have only knocked out 10M and Half Marathon, but I am really close for 5k, 8k, and 10k and if all goes well a fall marathon.  But if I just look at it like that I haven’t accomplished a ton yet this year however 2016 has been the most consistent year to date of my life.  Coming from a runner who used to live in a world of inconsistency.  In 2016 so far I have run 7 sub 17 minute 5k’s, to date in my entire life I have only run 5 and only been under 16 once.  Until this year I had only broken 60 minutes in the 10 mile 3 times, this year I have done it 5 times.  I have won more races this year than I have in my entire career combined (not counting high school dual meets).  Earlier this year I received my first ever cash award from a race and quickly went over to the Falls Road Running store to spend it all like a kid in a candy shop.  While I have not achieved some of the major accomplishments I have wanted this year I have been so consistent race in and race out and that is nothing to lose sight of.

When I think about what I have accomplished this year, it’s pretty amazing that at 34 I am finally becoming the runner I should have been in college.  A consistent runner who doesn’t blow up or let his mind get him off task (focusing is not my strong point, oh look a blue car).  I used to be called a practice champ many times by teammates, because I could put down really good workouts but when race day came I was constantly defeated by myself and sometimes my opponents.  I remember my earliest example of this was my Senior Year in High School when I was the leading 1600m runner in my county going into conferences.  I had run a 4:29 earlier in the year and in my first ever interview when asked about my strategy I made mention how I sat back 700m, and pushed the next 500m and then just held off any competitors.  Well come conferences I tried to use the same strategy again and had become over confident, so most of my competitors I guess read the same article and all started their moves right before me and broke me.  I ended up running almost 5:00 minutes that day and taking dead last.  It had nothing to do with my fitness it was fine I was just mentally beaten by myself and competitors.   This continued in college, even though I got in better shape I became a hit or miss type runner. I’d hit with a big PR 5k 15:52, 10k 33:13 and follow that up with many 35-36 minute 10k’s, or 17:15 5k’s.  I just always defeated myself when the race got tough or didn’t go my way (Kelly might say I act the same way when things in my life don’t go my way…).  But in 2016 even when races end up getting away from me or not going as I anticipated, I still have been able to run well.  And I think it just goes to show that as I have grown as a person these last 12-16 years it has also reflected in my running to help me do things I thought I’d never do again.  Race in and out I can't make sure things go as I want them to, but I can make sure I still run well and don't let that mentally defeat me.

So when I think about 2016, and while I didn’t hit my goal at Pittsburgh, and still haven’t broken 16 in the 5k, this year has been my most consistent year of my life.  I have been able to go out and even on rough days like Pittsburgh or the Crab Run 5k, where I just didn’t have it, I still ran PR’s or solid times.  And it’s that perspective that I think is important for me and all of us to focus on at times.  All the good that is coming from all these results this year is only making me a stronger runner for the future.  I am raising my ceiling as I keep improving my fitness and am gaining confidence as I go.  Many people asked me this year, “Why are you racing so much Nick?”  I usually joke back that since my wife is pregnant I need to win to save up, or get in all my races before I have my first child.  But truthfully, this year racing has been an utter joy for me.  It’s kept me motivated since early March to get out and grind each week.  And each race is used for an entirely different reason.  Sometimes as a workout, sometimes as an all out effort, or on the rare occasion as a way to sober up after my birthday!  A friend once told me she races to stay in shape, which I thought was a completely ridiculous concept and probably said something rude back to her when she told me it.  But in 2016, the motivation and fun I am getting from racing I can’t replace with any workout.  I missed most of my 20’s with running and didn’t race at all since college so this year is kind of finding that joy with running in a new way.  Meeting tons of friends at races, and mixing it up with some competitors while working hard, it’s been a great year so far.  I am a firm believer that racing to stay in shape can work if you are smart about it and for me in 2016 it has been an experience I have lacked in previous years but has kept me going strong.

Long story short, I think from putting in a really solid early year base (Jan/Feb/Mar) I have been able to keep at it since then and keep my fitness really high for me.  The past few years, I would only race if I felt I was 100% rested, had some taper days and thought I could PR.  I think that lead me to miss many potential races where I could have run really solid or even personal bests, because I was just scared of failing.  But we will never know what our result could have been if we don’t line up and go for it.  We fail every time we don’t actually try.  In 2016 I have made it a habit of going for it and seeing what happens.  Some results this year have been completely unexpected (Tim Kennard 10 Miler) but if I waited for the exact right moment I would have never ran that PR. That said at some point I think in late July I’ll slow this train down for a bit, hit recharge and go after a really exciting fall.  But I don’t want to ever skip opportunities because I think I might fail again.

Last few races:

Crab Run 5k – 16:55 4th Overall

BRRC Meet of Miles – 4:46 5^th Overall

Pikesville 5k – 16:36 – 2^nd Overall

As always some photo's from my past couple weeks and one extra special non-running one.

You’ve got to start somewhere!

I’ve wanted to at least be blogging once a week with my training but neglected the past three weeks.  It’s a common theme for me when my training hits a setback or isn’t going as I expected my excitement about running goes down, when sometimes that is when you need that motivation the most.  I hit a setback about 3 weeks ago when I had thought I was beginning my build up post Boston when my hamstring issue plaguing me off and on since October got to be too much.  With some talking to my doctor it was advised to hit up some physical therapy to strengthen and get back to 100%.  Some initial advice is this issue is linked to my weak glutes which are forcing my hamstrings to do all the work and the glutes nothing.  Funny thing about running, everyone will say to get faster all you need to do is run, which is 100% true but to stay healthy and always be at your peak you need to make sure you do not neglect all your other strength, mobility, recovery training.  I’ve neglected it too long and now it is beginning to have a negative impact on my running.

With PT under way, a new found respect for core work and new recovery techniques aside, I still had a race to run the Bel Air Town Run 5k on June 1^st.  The 5k is an event that gets a ton of disrespect these days but it's to me one of the hardest, most painful races you run.  With everyone sucked into the half and full marathon craze the 5k loses all it's luster as only a 3.125 mile race, but believe you me when you run it all out, it really hurts...  That said having done 0 workouts since Boston and only one 40 mile week, I was not confident about this race.  But I needed a kick in the butt and to just race to get back at it, so I came out here nonetheless.  As I warmed up I was worried but also had some excitement to try and become a 5k runner again, as opposed to the half and full runner I have become of late.  I toed the line, took a deep breath and I was off.  The first 200 meters in I was in about 30^th place behind probably the entire Bel Air High School track team.  I settled in and ignored these kids sprinting down the hill and focused on me.  Having forgotten my watch was a fantastic start to this race, so I relied on effort and racing people around me.  I came through the mile in 5:10, which I am told might be 5:20 but it didn’t matter either way I felt pretty good through 1 mile.  As the second mile dragged on I really didn’t feel like I was slowing down but the gentlemen at 2 miles seemed to tell me a different story as he shouted 11:04, doh.  I was a little deflated since I had felt smooth through mile 2 and I knew mile 3 was the toughest but I had to push on, or at least I told myself to.  Mile 3 was terrible though, the lack of training and miles since Boston got me and even as I crested the last hill to the final downhill I had nothing.  I was passed by about 6-7 runners the last 600 meters, just terrible.  I finished in 17:47, 19^th overall and 1^st in Age Group(Won a sweet glass bowl, not pictured).  That said it is technically still a post collegiate PR(I think I have run faster during the Club Challenge 10 miler, and I did 17:43 on the track 4 days before Boston) but it’s not what I wanted.  As the title says I had to start somewhere and now I know the work ahead of me.  If this race did nothing else it upped my motivation to get faster and my excitement for a summer of pain and fast running, which is exactly what I was hoping this race would do.  Sometimes even when you are tired or not at your best lining up and racing can be a positive experience as long as you can take something useful from it.  For me I learned a lot from this race about where my fitness needs to be improved and got some butterflies of running 5k’s out.

The advice I can give to runners everywhere is don’t be afraid to race, don’t be afraid to fail.  I could have easily bagged this race for not being “ready” and who knows where my mind would be at today.  I could also look at this result and be super disappointed that I lost to a few teenagers, and finished 90 seconds slower than someone who I finished even with at the half marathon in March, but instead it’s about focusing on the positives and using the negatives as fuel to get out there and get stronger.   It’s about having a goal and using races, workouts and any motivation you can to reach it.  I want to run sub 16:30 by the end of this summer, and yesterday gave me my starting point.  The rest is up to me to get strong enough to do it.  I just need to enjoy the process of getting there, one step at a time.

Last 4 weeks of training since last blog:

5/5 – Off

5/6 – 7 Miles, a couple miles in the 6:20 – 6:30 range just to get the legs moving

5/7 – 7 Miles today – Plyometrics

5/8 – Off

5/9 – 7 miles

5/10 – 6 miles – Plyometrics

5/11 -11 miles – strides

Total – 38 miles

5/12 – 7 miles

5/13 – 6.5 miles

5/14 – 7 miles, attempted a workout but just couldn’t get into it, shut it down after second interval

5/15 – Off

5/16 – 7 miles

5/17 – 5/18 – Off   Trip to Cooperstown cut into training, bah to real life!

Total 27.5 miles

5/19 – 7.5 miles

5/20 – 9 miles

5/21 – Off

5/22 – 7 miles

5/23 – 8 miles

5/24 – 10 miles

5/25 – Off – Hamstring

Total – 41.5 miles

5/26 – 7.5 miles

5/27 – Off

5/28 – 8 miles

5/29 – 8 miles – 3-4 at 6:20 pace – No workout until after race so just getting legs moving – Core/Plyometrics

5/30 – 8.5 miles

5/31 – 8.5 miles

6/1 – 10 miles – Bel Air Town Run 5k – 17:47

Total – 50 miles