On Three On Three

Out With the Old, In With the New

2009-04-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

To all those who check this blog I have finally shifted to my own webspace.

onthreeonthree.com, once a dream, is now a reality.

Visit my new training blog at: onthreeonthree.com/blog

I'll keep the old blog up as an archive of 2008.

It's coming......

2009-04-14T07:49:00.001-07:00

There will be a major announcement regarding the blog in the near future. For anyone still checking in on me, thanks for caring. No news to report at the current time, still injured.

On the run, but not literally

2009-03-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Bad News:

After almost four weeks of physical therapy I am still experiencing some tightness/soreness/pain in my left hamstring.

The Good News:

I have made progress. Recently some strengthening work on my hamstring and hips has changed how things feel. On Sunday I was convinced for a period of five hours that the injury had disappeared. Those chunks of time have since been happening more frequently. It is becoming more difficult to find the spot that hurts, however when isolated it is still pretty sharp. My PT person says that the spot is likely getting smaller and that my leg is getting stronger. That is all great stuff. Once I feel like this thing is under control I will start running again. The time off has been good, but I am ready to get back at it. This phantom hamstring spot is on the run and soon I will be too.

AU plays Villanova on Thursday night in the NCAA tournament, for one day in 2009 I will be attending a sports school. Time to get pumped!

No pain means a gain for this guy

2009-02-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day.

No pain during my run (3 miles) and for most of the day. My leg was a little sore early in the day, but feels great post run and stretching. I have been to physical therapy and hope to continue for the next few weeks.

My priority is to run one week without any pain before even thinking about setting any goals. This was the request of my new training-adviser/coach Matt Centrowitz. I'll write more about coach Centrowitz in another post.

So therapy, stretching, icing, and short runs are the name of the game right now. I'm just glad today was a good day.

Hold on tight to your dreams

2009-02-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

I turned the final corner towards the finish line, only 600m to go. My legs were sore and my body was tired. With close to 13 miles of running completed I wanted to be done. I was disappointed and hurt. The streets of Houston seemed quiet, but there were people all over. I exited the shadows of downtown to feel the sun on my face. I squinted and wiped the sweat from eyes. With 400m to go I could feel someone catching me, but I didn’t care. I glanced at my watch one last time, a mistake. With 300m to go I could clearly hear an announcer saying people’s names as they crossed the line. Would he say mine? Would it matter? People lined both sides of the finishing straight-away. They were cheering, but not for me. At 200m I could see a large monitor at the finish; the camera was following the lead woman. At 100m I could hear music, and as I got closer to the finish line it became clearer. It was the Electric Light Orchestra, “hold on tight to your dreams, hold on tight to your dreams.” After blocking out sounds most of the race, I heard every word of that song’s beginning. One more runner passed by me before I crossed the line, I gave no response. 1:10:18 for the 2009 Houston Half Marathon. My disillusionment turned to anger, frustration, and more disappointment as I was ushered indoors by USATF and race volunteers. I had seen this movie before, but it didn’t feel any better this time. Before the race I held out hope that it would be the end of my journey, but as it turns out, it was only the beginning.

Hold on tight to your dreams indeed; hold on tight to your dreams.

------------------------------------------------------------------

A lot has changed since November, December, and even early January. Without getting too philosophical and deep I will say that life is moving fast, and frankly, at times I am struggling to keep up. Sure, it's a cheesy metaphor, one often overused in the world of (apparent) narcissistic bloggers like myself. Unfortunately it's all too true. At some point we all have to move forward in various areas of our lives, and for me, it seems that everything is coinciding at once. I don't mean to be melodramatic, but it sucks. How many cross-roads can one come to in a day, week, month, or even a year? I don't know, but I feel like I am finding out.

Here is a short recap of everything since November. If you want more details you'll have to e-mail me.

I got in nasty shape. I got engaged. I finished my third semester at AU. I went home for Christmas. I felt like garbage on my runs. I got my first massage. I had a fantastic New Year's eve. I PR'd for 3k (8:31). I returned to DC. I got sick. I finished a short film project. I got sort of hurt. I raced terribly in Houston. I got sick again. I continued to be sort of injured. I shot video at the USATF XC Champsionships. I realized that my sort of injury is a real hamstring problem.

Welcome to today. All I could do was take a hot shower and stretch for 25 minutes, then ice for 15. Tomorrow I am setting up a doctor's appointment, thus signaling the beginning of the end for this injury. Stay tuned for more updates on that.

-------------------------------------------------------------

I remember everything I was feeling that last 1/2 mile of Houston. I can close my eyes and see the finish. After two weeks of a weird running schedule following it, I visited my fiancee Emily in Baltimore. While there I went out for a run to this private school in full winter gear (pants, under armour top, hat gloves), as the temperature was hovering between 15-20 degrees. It is about 2.5 miles out to the school and as I got to the football field I stopped. I instinctively went over to the bleachers and sat down. The campus was so quiet and the air so crisp. The sun was shining bright, but at 4:00 in the afternoon it was beginning to set. I hung my head trying to make some sense of everything. I felt uncomfortable with the silence around me. I started whispering/singing to myself. "Hold on tight to your dreams, hold on tight to your dreams." For some reason I just couldn't shake that song from my head. With it I kept reliving the finish, the emotions still hitting me hard. It still hurt. After about five minutes I got up and finished the run. I felt defeated and that feeling wasn't going away.

I know that in reality finish-line DJ's have a playlist of songs for big races. The list probably includes tracks like "Don't Stop Believing", "Living on a Prayer", "Break My Stride", and other such hits. It's an 80's pop-fan's dream, and a cliche festival for those finishing a big event. However, I see the moment I crossed that line in Houston as a sign, and I refuse to let go of it. Any song could have been playing. It could have been Bon Jovi, it could have been Whitney Houston, hell, it could have been Kenny G. Instead it was, "Hold on tight to your dreams." It doesn't get any clearer than that.

So, I will hold on tight to my dreams, and better yet, I won't give up on them either.

1-3

2009-01-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it was ugly.

Honestly, I am embarrassed by my performance last weekend. I never expected for my predicted champion to be out this early. Now what to I do? Well, I guess I could pick the games for this weekend.

First, let me make a few comments about last weekend's debacle of a playoff lineup.

-Miami sucks. So for all of the Baltimore bandwagon fans getting really pumped about their victory over the Dolphins, chill out.

-On that note, Baltimore is pretty good. Their defense is peaking at the right time and the offense is good enough to win on most days. However, I still like the Pats over them any day.

-If Atlanta had stopped Arizona from picking up that freak first down on 3rd and 16, then Matty Ice would have led the winning drive. It almost came true. Maybe next year.

-Arizona is not good. Trust me.

-The Colts had that game but insisted on giving it to the Chargers. It's too bad, because the Colts were actually pretty good.

-San Diego can win it all, but probably won't.

-Go Eagles.

Here are the "NEW" predictions.

-Eagles 21 Giants 15

-Steelers 34 Chargers 14

-Panthers 28 Cardinals 24

-Ravens 24 Titans 17

Playoff Predictions 2008-2009

2009-01-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

Oh hello. I'll just be a second. I have to get a glass of water. The taste of vomit is still in my mouth after watching Brett Favre throw the game away against the Dolphins. That second pick really threw me over the edge.

(pause)

Ahhh, that feels better. Wait, wait, the Chargers came back from a three game deficit and made the playoffs at 8-8? Hold on a second. You mean to tell me that the second most talented team in the league (behind the Cowboys), took half the season off, then decided to care when they realized that their division was a joke? Oh no, throwing up again. Hold on…..

Ok, ok, ok, I think I have it under control now.

That was the 2008 NFL season? Holy crap, it went by fast. It seems like just yesterday we were six minutes into the first game and Tom Brady was upright. Matt Cassel was a backup, Matt Ryan was a doomed rookie, and the Miami Dolphins were hoping to win more than one game. Surprise, the NFL is crazy! It turns out you can't predict anything in this league. Anyone who had the Falcons and Ravens making the playoffs was probably drunk when they came up with that idea.

So, as I do every year, I’ll remind readers of my history. I have been writing a playoff predictions “column” since the 2001-2002 NFL season. In the last seven years I have predicted four Super Bowl champions. If not for a few freak things (like last year’s ridiculous helmet catch by David Tyree of the Giants and Reche Caldwell dropping a sure touchdown against the Colts two years ago) I would have six correct predictions in that span. Out of the last seven years I have predicted the Patriots six times and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once. I might be a hometown-team-guy, but my hometown-team is pretty good. You do the math.

Like in 2002-2003, I am in a tough spot. The Patriots finished with the best record in their division, but thanks to Brett Favre (again), they are on the outside looking in. However, this year’s Pats won 11 games (instead of nine) and the Dolphins took home the division title (instead of the Jets, ridiculous). (FYI: The Dolphins won only one game last year. Not two, not three, one.) The natural question at this point is: Who’s it going to be? Good question. The last time this happened I went with Tampa over Oakland, and I was right. Maybe this will be my finest hour once again.

Over the years it’s been easy for me to pick the Pats. It’s funny, because even though I don’t think they are the best team this year, I still would have picked them to win it all. I refuse to bet against Bill Belichick at this point. (If you think that the video tape thing was his magical formula, guess what…….you’re an idiot. He proved this year that he can take anybody and turn them in to a top 10 QB in this league. Bill has done it twice now, so maybe, just maybe, he is decent football coach.) Consistency wins playoff games in the NFL, and Belichick is as consistent as they come. However, this year he’s at home on January 2nd, so he isn’t perfect.
Ok, let’s get on with the show. Not much has changed in the league this year. Things looked a little weird at the beginning of the season, as the NFC appeared to have closed the talent/coaching gap. However, a 16 game season has a way of working those things out. Although the NFC has made a few a strides and has produced a higher quality playoff field than last year, the AFC is still better from top to bottom. The Chargers did make the playoffs at 8-8, but they are by far the most talented 8-8 team in league history. (Little Known Chargers FACT #1: they are bunch of babies). I look at the five and six seeds for both conferences and I feel this tells you everything you need to know. In the AFC the Colts and Ravens were 12-4 and 11-5 respectively. In the NFC the Falcons and Eagles (both birds) were 11-5 and 9-6-1 respectively. Records don’t tell the whole story though, it comes down to consistency. I’ll give Falcons credit, they are going to be a force for the next few years and they are a legitimate threat. The thing to remember is that while everyone in the AFC was fighting for their playoff lives (except Brett and the Jets), half of the NFC was imploding. The Bucs tanked, the Bears fell asleep, and I can’t begin to explain what the Cowboys did (although the Redskins might be my favorite disaster of the season). The Colts (on a down year) and Ravens did not sneak in, they fought in. Yeah, the AFC west is terrible, but still better than the NFC west. It’s like off-setting penalties; they cancel each other out. (Little Known Chargers FACT #2: they took half of the season off)

Before I finally predict the this thing like I’m Miss Cleo circa 1999, let me hand out a couple of awards.

Life Time Achievement Award: Eric Mangini, (former) New York Jets Head Coach. Great job Eric, you had a team at 8-3 and successfully finished 9-7. Must be a New York thing, blowing big leads that is.

Best Player You Have Never Heard Of: Brett Favre, New York Jets QB
Wow! Where did this guy come from? Before this year I had never heard of the guy. Apparently he played in Green Bay for a few seasons. He was by far the best player for the Dolphins at the end of this season. (I really hope you are picking up what I am putting down)

Slam Dunk of the Year: The Firing of Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions Head Coach. I mean, the team went 0-16. I love how ESPN didn’t even talk about him with like six weeks to go. I can imagine someone sitting in a conference room saying, “hey do you think we should lead with a story about Marinelli on the coaching hot seat?” Then someone responds, “yeah, right after we announce that dinosaurs are extinct.”

Trade of the Year: Cowboys trade three draft picks (including a 1st rounder) to Detroit for Roy Williams (WR). Detroit is awful, 98% of the time they make the wrong decision, but somehow they opened a Wonka Bar with the last Golden Ticket. Two things that definitely happened while this trade went down were: 1) Jerry Jones panicked, drank a ton, and then had one of his grandkids come up with this deal using “Franchise Mode” in Madden 09. 2) The Detroit Front office, in complete disarray and surprised that they are offered a trade, had a couple of interns test the deal out using “Franchise Mode” in Madden 09. When the league office approved the deal, it was at that moment, they knew it was legit. You have to love EA Sports, they make everything so easy. I can’t wait till Wall Street 09 comes out, the stock market comes to life with EA Sports, it’s in the game!

Best Former USC Quarterback in 2008: Matt Cassel, New England Patriots. So here is the competition: Carson Palmer, injured. Matt Leinart, soft. John David Booty, an idiot rookie. When you consider that Cassel never started a game in college and two of the aforementioned guys were Heisman Trophy winners, this is a pretty big goof on Peter Carroll’s part. In August Cassel could not make an “NFL throw”, now he’s about to get a fat contract. Well done Matt, you deserve it; we wish you could stick around. Good luck in Detroit.

Best Gag-Job in 2008: The Tennessee Titans on Vince Young. Think about it for a second, then remember the Rose Bowl where he beat the USC Trojans, ok now think about the suicide rumors, ok you should have it figured out now. Vince Young is probably locked in a closet somewhere.

Biggest Joke of 2008: The San Diego Chargers. Ron Burgundy told me all about San Diego once. True Story.

Biggest Loser of 2008: Tom Brady, New England Patriots. He’s not a “loser”, but he definitely lost the most this year. Yeah, he put a ring on Gisele’s finger, but football-wise things have changed. Once viewed as the savior, the best QB in the league, clutch, and a first ballot hall of fame guy, he is now expendable. Today on WEEI in Boston people were calling in and talking about how the Pats should ship Brady off to first bidder. One caller referred to his knee “as Mickey Mouse.” (whatever that means?) Cassel, winner of 11 games and a mirror image of Tom Terrific is the new hotness. I love Cassel, and he is apparently an above-average QB, but don’t forget folks, Tom is money. Time to get sidetracked for a second. Here is what Cassel brings to the table that Brady doesn’t: the ability to run, more meat on his bones, and two non-surgically repaired knees. Tom brings the following: playoff pressure-experience, the ability to throw the deep ball accurately (this takes years to develop, Matt doesn’t have it down yet), the ability to sense the location of the pass-rush (Cassell’s biggest flaw), and three Super Bowl rings (not gonna happen for Cassel, sorry band-wagoners). In the end the Pats will make the best decision for the football team, and that decision will be Tom Brady and his Mickey Mouse knee.

Ok, I’ll make quick work on this now.

NFC

Wild Card Round:

Philadelphia Eagles (6) over Minnesota Vikings (3) 28-13. The fact that Minnesota can’t sell out a playoff game should tell you something. Eagles are lucky to be in the playoffs, but are riding the high of last week’s blowout. Wait till Tavaris Jackson meets Jim Johnson’s defense. I just think experience wins this game and these guys don’t have it.

Atlanta Falcons (5) over Arizona Cardinals (4) 24-21. Arizona too can’t sell out their home playoff game. I think Matty Ice leads the Falcons down the field in the fourth quarter for a miracle road victory.

Divisional Round:

Philadelphia Eagles (6) over NY Giants (1) 20-7. Call me crazy, but I think the Giants lay an egg in this game. I think they are a good team, but I like Eli to make a few good mistakes to make up for last year. Donovan holds on to his lunch just long enough.

Carolina Panthers (2) over Atlanta Falcons (5) 31-24. Love the Falcons, but not two weeks in a row with a rookie QB. Big Game Jake has been waiting for this since losing the Super Bowl to the Pats. Carolina is legit.

NFC Championship:

Carolina Panthers (2) over Philadelphia Eagles (6) 21-0. The dream ends here for Philly. It would have been awesome to see a rematch with the Giants, but this will have to do. Carolina’s clear advantage in the running game makes the difference. Philly can’t do anything right this week.

AFC

Wildcard Round

Miami Dolphins (3) over Baltimore Ravens (6) 17-13. It’s tempting to pick the Ravens, but I think the Dolphins can grind it out. The Ravens play great defense, but it won’t be enough in the face of the wildcat formation. Interestingly enough the Dolphins only win last year came over the Ravens.

Indianapolis Colts (5) over San Diego Chargers (4) 35-17. If the Chargers win this game they are going to win the Super Bowl. I just don’t think they will. Peyton makes it easy for me and takes care of business. LT cries on the sidelines.

Divisional Round

Pittsburgh Steelers (2) over Miami Dolphins (3) 28-10. The Steelers are probably the best team in the league. The Dolphins are a worthy feast.

Indianapolis Colts (5) over Tennessee Titans (1) 24-21. The old guard rises up! I think the Colts are better and have been since week seven. Vince Young breaks out of the closet.

AFC Championship

Indianapolis Colts (5) over Pittsburgh Steelers (2) 27-21 [OT]. Miracle touchdown run in overtime shocks the Steelers at home. Revenge for the Colts is sweet, even though they didn’t have to use their golden footed kicker.

Superbowl XLIII

Indianapolis Colts (AFC) over Carolina Panthers (NFC) 28-24. Peyton Manning MVP.

So there you have it folks. This is the only circumstance I have the Colts winning another Super Bowl in the Bill Belichick era of NFL football, so enjoy it Peyton.

Veteran's Day 10k

2008-11-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

In four years at Tufts I was all-NESCAC each year. However, I never made the first team. I was 11th as a freshman, 12th as a sophomore, 8th as a junior, and then finally 9th as a senior. As a freshman I was happy with my performance, the other three years I left my conference championship disappointed. Perhaps the most disappointing of the four was my senior year when I went from being in 3rd place with 1k to go (and moving well) to 9th place at the finish line. To make a long story short as poorly as I ended up running over the last 1000m of the race I still had a great shot at getting my first first-team all-NESCAC. With approximately 300m remaining I was dry-heaving and wobbling towards the line. As a few dudes started to ghost me like Patrick Swayze (including my own teammate Matthew Lacey) I was holding on to 7th place (the last spot). As I willed my failing body (the only time in my entire life this has happened) closer to the finish I could taste first-team. Then I heaved one last time and out of the corner of my eye I watched two of my teammates fly by me right before the line. Josh Kennedy who had finished 7th the year before and Brian McNamara (my roommate for 3 years) shattered my dream of first-team success. Granted, our team ended up winning the meet as we had four guys in the top nine, but I was a little down about it. Yet afterwards, Kennedy and Mac were laughing it up having realized the situation during the final stretch. They knew, yet they did it anyway. No hard feelings though, they did what they had to do.

So, I tell this story because this was pretty much my race today at the Veteran's Day 10k. Will Viviani and I led a great pack of two other Pacer teammates (Bert Rodriguez and Steve Mance) through about 5k, and then all three ended up out classing me in the final 1000m of the race. (However, to his credit Bert ran a pretty gutsy race as he got a few seconds on Will and I at about 4-4.5 miles. Also Mance died in the fifth mile and then came back to life in the sixth which was also pretty awesome.) So this race was basically a team time trial, as we passed only one guy the entire way. Needless to say, the four man pack was a dominating force.

I got off the line really smooth and strong as we supposedly went through the mile in about 4:48. I say supposedly because we also supposedly went through the second mile in 5:12. Something tells me the marker was a little off. Ahead of our pack was a group of foreign friends and our other teammate Steve Crane. They were on pace to break 15 through the 5k so we let them go early. Other than that we were chasing Wilson Komen from Georgetown Running Company (who fell off the aforementioned lead pack) and we never quite closed the gap. So I maintained the lead of our tight pack until just after 5k. Then Bert started getting in on the lead action. From that point until about 4.5-5 there was a lot of lead changing in the group. I think we all grabbed the lead for at least a few strides.

Finally Bert got a few seconds on Will and I, and Mance started to fade a little during the fifth mile. The worst thing about running with these guys late is that they are all faster over the shorter distances than yours truly. So, I knew that even if I got a stride or two on either of them I was screwed. Regardless, I continued to trade mini-moves with Will as we sat about five seconds behind Bert for most of the fifth and sixth miles. As we neared the six mile mark Bert got a few more seconds, Will passed me for good and got a few strides on me, and then back from the dead comes Steve Mance. The photo below shows exactly how it went down. I am the guy presumably in third.

So, four guys from my team got me (the three in the picture plus Steve Crane), which is actually pretty awesome. I ended up 7th overall in a time of 31:33 after a few foreign friends dropped out and two were disqaulified. Don't ask me what happened because I have no idea.

Overall this was a solid effort after my biggest two weeks in over five years. I felt strong today but by no means fresh. I had a little bounce at the beginning but got sluggish towards the end. I am confident that I can run faster with a little rest, and that come January I will run two faster back-t0-back.

94

2008-11-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

It's been five years since I have written a 94 in my log. It has also been five years since anything in the 90's followed anything in the 90's in consecutive weeks. So, things are going well right now. Below are my last six weeks of training. I apologize to anyone that is a loyal reader of the blog (if there are such people???), my lack of posts is pretty lame. I like to put a lot of time in to posting, but I haven't really felt like I have had the time. So here are a few bullet points to catch people up:

* Army was an OK race. I went out pretty quick (25:15 @ 5 miles) and actually felt ok, but then at around 6.5-7 I started to feel crappy. I limped home to finish in 51:25. For those of you doing the math at home, that means my last 5 were in 26:10. There is no question in my mind that I peaked at Philly (which is fine with me) and that my five weeks of tapering started to have an impact. I was literally doing nothing and your body needs something in order to sustain a high level of performance.

* I have been stretching everyday. Some days are better than others, but overall this has made a huge difference in how I feel. I also use The Stick a lot. Long term this will help prevent injuries as I raise the bar on my mileage totals.

* I have been taking Endurox for about a month now to help with recovery. I have been feeling great out there, so it is definitely doing something. I usually use about a scoop or so after each of my runs. My flavor of choice is chocolate.

* Steve Crane and I have recieved invitations to run at the Houston Half Marathon, site of the 2009 USATF Half Marathon Championships. This is the race where Ryan Hall broke an hour for the half a couple years back. I am hoping to break 1:06 and inch closer to the trials qualifier (1:05:00), should be a great place to give it a go.

* I am running in two races around DC in the near future. Tomorrow (November 9th) I will run in the Veterans Day 10k down at the Tidal Basin. Next Saturday (November 15th) I will run an 8k Cross Country race at the site of the 2009 USATF National Championships held in February.

* My cousin Sam Brigham of Montpelier High School in Vermont recently finished with the 25th best time at the Vermont State Championships. With this he qualified for the New England Championships held at Derryfield Park in my home state of New Hampshire. At New Englands he ran his best race of the season on a tough course and finished 135th with a time of 17:22. I am pumped for him as this was his first season of XC, mad props to the Brigham crew in Montpelier.

* I am working on some crazy projects right now (literally at this moment), three to be exact. More on those in the future, but they are taking up a lot of my time as well.

* I think the Pats are still a scary team. Once the training wheels come off Matt Cassel things will get interesting I promise. The team played extremely well in that loss to Indianapolis.

That's all I've got right now, I'll write a race recap after the Veteran's Day race. Train hard.

Week: 9, 11/01 - 11/07 Week Miles: 94.01, November miles: 104.51		94.01
Saturday	easy 10.5 over in Arlington, Custis trail and some balance on the track, did a few striders and felt ok out there, great week and a 2008 mileage pr	10.5
Friday	easy run out there today, felt good for most of the way, Roosevelt Island	10.5
Thursday	good run in the morning with Jeff Caron (UMaine Alum), out along the toe path in Georgetown, felt good today, pretty smooth after last night's terrible evening run, did a GU pack at 46 minutes again and think it helped	13
Wednesday	AM - Morning workout, got an extremely early start today, 6:30 AM warm-up, 3 miles easy on the warmup and felt sluggish, snapped out of it to run 20x400 in 69-70 w/ 35 sec rest, felt solid, 4.5 on the cool down PM - Easy 6 miles, stretched and sticked afterwards, felt like crap on this run, was pretty tired and yawning and had the hiccups, I was a mess	18.51
Tuesday	felt ok today, not great, sluggish towards the beginning, Roosevelt Island again	10.5
Monday	11 miles in Baltimore, did a 9 loop and added on grass loops in the middle, felt ok out there even though I did the 20 yesterday	11
Sunday	really solid long run, out on the NCR trail north of Baltimore, did GU packets at around 6.5 and 13 miles out there, was a little tired towards the end but overall had great rythym out there	20
Week: 8, 10/26 - 11/01 Week Miles: 90.51, October miles: 310.01 Top		90.51
Saturday	finishing the week off, Roosevelt Island again, probably a loop PR, had everything working today, didn't push too hard but took advantage of the good vibes, what a great week of training, feel great	10.5
Friday	easy run, out to Roosevelt Island, felt ok out there but not great, still time was pretty good out there	10.5
Thursday	second long run, felt good out there today, took a GU at 1/2 way, out on the capital crescent trail along the canal	13
Wednesday	AM - Workout morning, 12 miles total, 3 up, 4 mile tempo run in 20:20 (5:00, 10:00, 15:04), 2 min rest, 1 mile in 5:05, 4 mile cool down, felt pretty crappy after 2.5 in 12:31, over a pretty dead feeling PM - 6 mile easy run, left ankle is a little sore but worked up over the course of the run	18.01
Tuesday	easy run out to Roosevelt Island, felt pretty sluggish but got through it, time was respectable though	10.5
Monday	easy 10 miler out to Lincoln via McArthur Blvd, felt pretty good but took it really easy	10
Sunday	evening long run, after a long morning of shooting at the Marine Corps Marathon, ran at a good clip and legs were sore towards the end, out in Silver Spring, good tough run	18
Week: 7, 10/19 - 10/25 Week Miles: 82, October miles: 310.01 Top		82
Saturday	easy 10, felt good today, legs and body were fresh this morning	10
Friday	easy 10 in the morning, felt tired but got through it ok, out into DC and back through Arlington	10
Thursday	easy 12 out to Roosevelt Island, felt decent until the last few or so	12
Wednesday	workout day, 3 miles warm up, 7x800 in 2:20 (6-2:22ish, 7-2:25ish) w/ decreasing rest from 60 sec (5 sec off each interval), after the tough 7th one I took a full 3 minutes and did an 8th in 2:21, felt better out there but had lost my fastball, cooled down 4 miles, overall a decent workout but I know that I can feel better out there	11
Tuesday	another day out to Roosevelt Island, about the same time, 1:10:38, felt a little tighter and more sluggish this time around	10.5
Monday	Roosevelt Island, two laps, felt pretty good today, tried to take it easy but was in quite a good rhythm out there,a beautiful fall day	10.5
Sunday	back to real business with a great long run today, absolutely hammering the Shirlington loop, Orange GU around 1:08:44, really chilly as I wore a hat and gloves	18
Week: 6, 10/12 - 10/18 Week Miles: 81, October miles: 310.01 Top		81
Saturday	easy 10 in the morning in Annapolis, woke up @ 5am and was throwing up, tried to rally, successful, 10 was off, but I made it through	10
Friday	easy 10 in the morning, out from Iwo Jima down to the point where Cherry Blossom runs, 1:11ish on the total time	10
Thursday	easy 12 mile day, felt pretty good, three laps and little more on the Roosevelt Island, 2nd lap was my strongest	12
Wednesday	workout day, 3200 in 9:59, 3 min rest, 400 in 69, 3 min rest, 3200 in 9:51, 3 min, 400 in 67, 3 miles warm up, 4 miles on the cool down	11.5
Tuesday	2 laps around Roosevelt Island, decent effort out there, felt ok	10.5
Monday	easy 10, McArthur loop out to Lincoln, tired but not too bad out there,	10
Sunday	long run, Shirlington loop, pretty solid run, pace was pretty good the whole way	17
Week: 5, 10/05 - 10/11 Week Miles: 50, October miles: 310.01 Top		50
Saturday	solid 10 in Baltimore during Em's marathon, up hill, down hill, all over the place for about 68 minutes, felt ok but wasn't enjoying the downhills	10
Friday	easy 8 out there today, felt ok	8
Thursday	easy 8 on the standard loop, felt ok but not great, gave new shoes a go, still too big	8
Wednesday	back to work, easy morning run, 8 miles on the canal	8
Tuesday	staying retired	0
Monday	day off after race	0
Sunday	3 up, 3 down and a 10 mile race in between, Army 10 miler, splits were (5:03, 9:58 [4:54], 15:06 [5:08], 20:08 [5:01], 25:15 [5:07], 30:26 [5:10], 35:39 [5:12], 40:55 [5:16], 46:32 [5;37], 51:28 [4:56], official time gave me 51:25 which was nice, did pretty well early on but moved too early on 2, should have chilled a little longer, last couple were a definite struggle	16
Week: 4, 09/28 - 10/04 Week Miles: 39.5, September miles: 233.5 Top		39.5
Saturday	another day off, because why not?	0
Friday	easy 6 loop, felt good out there	6
Thursday	back was really messed up, but hey, no problem, take a day off	0
Wednesday	6x200 in 33, 200m jog rest, 1xmile 4:43, 2 min rest, 6x200 in 33, 200m jog rest, 3 miles on both sides	11
Tuesday	easy run the day before working out	6
Monday	easy run today, lower left back/butt hurting a little from stretching the previous day, not sure what happened but it worked itself out during the day	6
Sunday	solid run after a weird weekend, did the two laps around Roosevelt Island, felt strong towards the end but apparently ran really slow out there	10.5

Still Alive...

2008-10-22T18:56:00.001-07:00

.....just really busy. Here is a photo from me at Army 10 miler. Lots to report, no time to write a good post.

"Life is hard." - Kate Makai

This changes everything? Probably not...

2008-09-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, I am a few days removed from the half and still on cloud nine. I have done a lot of reflecting about how this all happened and here are few things I realized:

*Stretching was/is huge. Most of you that know me, know I don't stretch. Well, the whole week leading up to the race I stretched for at least 20 minutes each day. This must have caught my body by complete surprise and worked wonders. This has convinced me to start stretching full time.

*Cookies are great, but poisonous. With two and half weeks to go I made changes in my diet. I cut out most of the sweets I usually like to eat and increased my vegetable/fruit count. I was by no means perfect, as my girlfriend and I downed some Jelly Belly's and Snow Caps one weekend, but I really cut back. I held off on my Z-Burger trip until after the half, and let me tell you, it was awesome. But seriously, I have been eating really well the last couple of weeks. I am going to continue the trend, but it won't be easy. I love chocolate.

*The taper was perfect. On Labor Day weekend I was absolutely toast. I hadn't had a "full" good workout since August 6th. I had run two sub-par 5k's (Cigna 5k in Manchester and Alumni Run) and felt like crap. After hitting rock bottom with a 16:22 at Alumni Run I started my taper a week early, making it a three week plan. I was extremely nervous, but ready to try anything. For the next two and a half weeks I struggled. I was running six miles almost every day and all I hoped for was a spark. I had two workouts, one a complete disaster. Yet, through all of this I stuck with the taper plan. Really I had no choice, but as I neared the race I knew I couldn't feel awful forever. Then, when I needed it most, I started to come out of it. With exactly a week to go I had an "average" run, this led to an "ok" run, which led to a "good run". (If you're counting at home we are on the Wednesday before) So with a good run under my belt (the first in weeks), I had a decision to make. Would I workout one last time or not? I decided to push my luck and went for it. My game time decision of a 2 Mile in 10:15 followed by 5x400 in 70 (w/ 35 sec rest) was exactly what I needed. I felt smooth, confident, and had more in the tank. At that point anything was possible, but I kept my expectations reasonable.

*Head games were not a problem. I had an inner confidence last weekend that I haven't had in years. I think the last time I felt it was indoor track of 2004. On Sunday I had no idea what I was capable of but I knew I could run well. I had done the long runs, the workouts, and the running in the heat; I deserved to run well. All of the negativity I had felt just a week before wasn't there. I believed that I had earned it even before I started the race. The best part of it is, for the first time in a long time (maybe high school), I "still" believe I earned that race on Sunday. And you see, that is the hardest part for me. I have a hard time recognizing my good races for what they are.........accomplishments. I always find some way to rationalize every performance or attribute it to something. My 11th place finish at 2002 DIII XC Nats, that was because the race was slow. My 14:31 at the opening meet of my senior outdoor season, I was lucky. My 30:14 at Penn, I had fast people to run with. But in reality, I ran those races, I had earned them. Sorry for the philosophical rant, but it feels good to be working past all of that. I am not out of the woods yet, but I am making progress.

So, here I am, with a new PR, a big PR, a really good PR, now what do I do? Well, I am going to run the Army 10-miler next weekend (Oct 5th), take a week off/really easy, then re-evaluate my short-term goals a little. I know that the little things (stretching, diet, recovery, etc.) are important. I think I am finally ready to start paying more attention to them. There is more work to be done and I look forward to it. I am still the same person, a skinny kid with marginal leg speed...........but I just happen to have a new PR and a little more confidence too.

Here is the week leading up the 1/2:

Week: 09/14 - 09/20 Week Miles: 46		46
Saturday	took the day off before the race, not a terrible idea, needed the rest	0
Friday	felt ok again, had my moments, overall not too bad	6
Thursday	easy 6, felt ok out there but not great	6
Wednesday	3 up, 2 mile in 10:15 (5:07, 5:07), about 2 minutes rest, 5x400 in 69 with 35 sec rest, 3 miles down, felt good today	9
Tuesday	best run I have had in weeks, control was good, felt smooth	6
Monday	easy 8, felt ok out there today, showing signs of life	8
Sunday	easy run with it's moments, felt average out there, but not great, really warm outside.	11

1:06:56

2008-09-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Saying that my half-marathon went well could be the understatement of the year. If you are wondering what I felt like at the finish line, watch this video (yes, it's safe for work, and on a completely separate note, for those of you that think that stupid Giant/Patriots Superbowl was the best ever, just remember who invented the "us against the world" attitude).

So here were my different levels of expectations for the race, this should really put it into perspective for anyone reading:

LEVEL1 - 1:11:04 was my PR, set over a year ago at the New Bedford 1/2 in the freezing cold Massachusetts air. So my first expectation was that I was going to PR, this was not going to be a problem, unless I tanked or dropped out.

LEVEL 2 - My "I ran well" goal was to run 1:09:??. I hadn't felt well for a while, so I backed off my expectations. I thought that if I shot for 1:09 I would at least break 1:10 and maintain some respectability.

LEVEL 3 - My "Best Race" goal was anything under 1:09 all the way to 1:08:00. I didn't really know if this was possible, but I held out hope.

LEVEL 4 - My "Body was kidnapped and replaced by someone else" goal was anything just under 1:08. I mean I would have been pretty pumped with a time that was over three minutes faster than my PR.

LEVEL 5 - My "non-existent" goal was low 1:07's. I didn't really think much about this before the race, so it was kind of out of the question.

LEVEL 6 - My "I use fabric softener but I'm not soft" goal was breaking 1:07. I wouldn't have believed this if you had told me before hand.

However, something happened this week. After a month of not feeling well and finishing my workouts like crap something changed; I had a good day. To be honest, it was expected. I had been following a taper plan, but with less than a week I was still worried. Before I get into the days leading up to the race, let's go back to the race report.

So, I arrived in Philadelphia mid afternoon on Saturday and grabbed a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Yes, this felt pretty touristy but I really didn't care. I was glad to be eating and we were across the street from our hotel. At 5:00 we had a technical meeting where I saw a bunch of people that I have only seen in results or photos. In other words, these were fast people. As I walked in the race people wanted my head-shot in case I placed as one of the top Americans. I was a little embarrassed, as I did not figure to be among that group on even my best day. Still, I did what they asked and sat through all of the rules.

After the meeting Robbie Wade and I went back to our room and watched the Wicker Man on HBO. At some point we got hungry because we skipped the pasta dinner at the elite athletes meeting. (Wait, did you notice what I just wrote? Yeah, we watched the Wicker Man. Yeah, it was messed up. Maybe not the best choice for a pre-race movie) So, we wandered around the streets around our hotel until we found a COSI, where I was able to get a sandwich. (FYI, Philadelphia has a lot weird smells and isn't really my kind of town.) Then after a little American Gangster on HBO, a hot shower, and some stretching it was time for bed.

5:00 am wake up! Actually, it wasn't that exciting. I got my gear on, grabbed some breakfast at the elite athlete room and got on a bus to the line. At the line the people from ING had us all set up with our own tent. There was a ton of food and our own private bathrooms. Ok, fast forward through a short two mile warm up, nipple band-aids, and some vasoline and we are at the start. I did a few striders but with all of the people flying around it was tough to get good ones in. At the line I got right up front and stood next to my teammate Steve Crane, who was standing next to Catherine Ndereba (2008 Olympic Marathon Silver Medalist). They do the anthem, life is good, and I wonder how I will feel out there.

So, bam, the gun goes off and within 200m I knew it. All of the problems with my legs were gone, and I was smooth. Today was going to be a good day, how good was next on the agenda? My first mile was done on feel, so depending on the split I was going to decide my plan of attack. Click, 4:59 for the first mile. This was a best case scenario. Our friends for Africa had taken off and were trying to run 61 minutes, but some of us Americans were content with 5 minute pace. So, I went all in. Yup, a mile into the race. I abandoned my stitched together plan of running a conservative 5:10ish per mile race and packed up with three dudes. So at two miles, I was 10:04 and it was me, two Philly guys, and Robbie. Perfect pack. At four I was still feeling it, as I went through in 20:18. The fifth mile was really messed up, but I remember one of the guys (later identified as Ross Martinson) asking if we were game for 5:00-5:05 per mile. I said "yeah...........as long as I can."

At this point we started to drop Robbie a little, but I had no idea that at 6 miles he would actually drop out of the race. I went through 10k in 31:29, a lot faster than I had envisioned myself running, still I felt good. It wasn't until 8 miles that I really started thinking about my PR for 10 miles (which was a great race for me). At that point I had dropped both of the Philly guys, and felt pretty good about my chances. As I neared the 10 mile mark I couldn't quite put away Ross Martinson. I attempted a few surges, but he hung in there. Still, at 10 miles I PR'd in 50:53. This was awesome, I started adding it up in my head and I realized that I was running the race of my life. Granted, I slowed down a little, but I was still ok. I thought about running 1:07 low, and I made the commitment to finish strong.

In the last three to four miles I started coming up some dudes including Andrew Letherby (someone a lot faster than me) and a few Kenyans. At this point I had my own camera guy on a motorcycle shooting me, just me. I was in shock and convinced myself that the lead master must have been right behind me and they were getting the wide angle. Nope, I just keep rolling and passing dudes.

Wow, did I have balls out there. Too bad I didn't have the legs to match it over the last mile or so, I just sort of ran out of gas. So Martinson and Letherby both got by me again, but I was still ok. It was all gravy, because hey I was through 20k in 1:03:24 and heading for a huge PR. I kicked around the final turn, taking it way too wide, but all I saw was the clock. I had a chance at going under 1:07. In a fury of 70 second quarter speed I willed my body to the line. I looked up and I was under. 1:06:56. Fist pump.

This was the best race of my life. If you line up all of my PR's, this one is far and away my best. It was just so un-real, and I am still in a pretty big state of shock. I was so pumped I did two short cool downs and even jogged up the Rocky steps. Yes, it was just one of those days. I ended up 17th overall and was 3rd among Americans. So, I guess the head-shot came in handy after all.

I am pretty tired of writing so I'll wait a day to post about my previous week. Wish the Patriots had won today, but hey, still a good day.

"Matt Cassel is our quarterback"

2008-09-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up my last two weeks. It is so funny that the new Patriots season mirrors my running. I mean, I was feeling pretty good about things a few weeks ago until bam, then I wasn't. It's kind of like how I was feeling about the Patriot's season until about 7 minutes to go in the first quarter of week one, then bam, down went Brady.

So, on both fronts I have been trying to convince myself that everything is going to be all right. Unfortunately, I am not sold just yet (on either).

On the running end of things I have been taking it easy the past two weeks. I did some good training for about 3+ months and I am hoping that I can get something out of it next weekend. However, I have yet to finish a workout with some power since mid-August. This week was a complete disaster, as I attempted to do some 600's and tried to get my legs moving a little faster. In the end it was embarrassing, and didn't end well. I finally took a day off this week, with the hopes of an energy boost on Friday. Still nothing, just more tired legs and a weak body. So, what am I going to do? I'll continue to rest into next weekend, but I am not sure what to expect. I guess I'll cross my fingers and hope.

On the football end of things I have been in a state of denial for the last week. I have talked myself into the Matt Cassel era, to the point where I now believe they can win 10 games with the guy. I had observed this guy for last few years, but during this pre-season I had seen enough. Simply put, he was awful. The guy who played against the Chiefs last week was not Matt Cassel, it must have been someone else. I don't know which guy will show up for the rest of the season, but I 'll cross my fingers and hope.

Here are the last two weeks.....(try not to laugh)

8/31 - 9/6 : 71 Miles

Saturday	easy run, feeling a little tired	6
Friday	easy 12, morning run	12
Thursday	easy 8 in the heat, tired and sluggish	8
Wednesday	3 up, 8x1000 w/ 1 minute rest, the first few were in 2:59-3:00, 3:02 for 7, and 3:05 for 8, I was falling apart at the end, did a 5 mile cool down at 8 minute pace	13
Tuesday	6 easy	6
Monday	After a long morning of driving back, I made my way on the 6 loop,	6

Sunday

good solid long run, 14 of it with TUXC

9/7 - 9/13 : 53.5 Miles

Saturday	easy 6, not feeling good	6
Friday	easy 6, just trying to get something going	6
Thursday	day off	0
Wednesday	3 miles warm up, 2x600 (1:40, 42), 8x400 (68-69), 2 min rest on each interval, felt pretty awful throughout, 3 miles on the cool down,	11
Tuesday	did my standard 8 loop, felt tired	8
Monday	easy 6 recovery run	6
Sunday	total time of 1:48:38, short 2-3 mile tempo @ 5:20 pace towards end	16.5

NFL Kickoff 08

2008-09-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things I think about the upcoming NFL season I think you should know:

* The Minnesota Vikings are good, but not that good. Anyone who believes that they are going to A) Win their division, B) Win the NFC, or C) Win the Super Bowl is using an illegal substance. The Vikes are apparently the trendy pick to win this year, but I just don't see it. I think they are talented, well coached, and good defensively but they have a huge question mark at quarterback. I love the people who say, "Tavaris Jackson will be fine, don't worry about him." Well, let's consider that A) young quarterbacks struggle in the NFL, B) mobile quarterbacks don't win consistently in the NFL, and C) average receivers can only take you so far. In the NFC North I still favor the Packers and Bears, with the Packers a slight favorite.

* The New York Jets are not making the playoffs. Stop this nonsense.

* The Buffalo Bills are better, but probably won't make the playoffs.

* I still like the AFC South to have three playoff teams, Colts, Jaguars, and Titans.

* Just say no to 19-0. No team is winning all of their games this season, not even my favorite team.

* The two best teams in the NFL are New England and Indianapolis.

* The Jaguars are good and could contend, but they have to deal with the Colts. David Garrard is a good quarterback, Peyton Manning is great. Let's not forget, the Patriots own the Jaguars.

* The Giants will probably (and hopefully) miss the playoffs.

* LT will get hurt, Adrian Peterson will get hurt, and so will Donovan McNabb. Sad, but true.

* Week Five, your new Chicago Bears starting quarterback is........Rex Grossman. Mark it down now.

* Don't sleep on the Seahawks and Redskins.

* Don't believe the Cardinals hype, they can score, but they can't defend.

* Your 2008-09 rushing leader is: Joseph Addai (IND), because why not.

* Your 2008-09 MVP is: (still) Tom Brady. Did you watch pre-season? Totally different team without him.

* Jerod Mayo, 51, New England Patriots, remember that name. He is awesome.

* Anyone who thinks that Peyton Manning will be any less effective is an idiot. He's Peyton Manning, he does 100 commercials at the same time, speaks all of JR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings languages, and knows all the defenses from league's 32 teams. Granted, he'll still choke come playoff time.

* Don't bet on the Atlanta Falcons at all this season. I have no idea what they are capable of, good or bad.

* Carolina Panthers. Have you ever seen a blue panther in Carolina? Nope.

* Miami Dolphins. Not so good this year. It might have been a good idea to keep your best defensive player, draft a real quarterback, and not rely heavily on a burnt out stoner at running back. I mean I am no Bill Parcells or anything, but who is making the decisions down there. Oh yeah, that's right........

* Reggie Bush, better year this year. Book it.

* Steven Jackson, fantasy killer. One week he is 50 points, the next week he's out. Don't trust him.

* The Patriots are still the best team out there.

Nothing to lose

2008-09-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'll get this out of the way, Alumni Run was fun, but not a great race for me at all. Matthew Lacey ('06) and I decided beforehand that we would get out quick, but not too quick. This meant leaving the field behind, but staying in control. At Grafton, 5 minutes is a fast first mile, so it was important to remember that a good effort didn't necessarily translate to a goood split.

So, the gun goes off and immediately I get to the front. It's Lacey and I, you would think DWAI, no problems. However, I felt like I was working about 10 times harder going up the opening hill than he was. Every step felt like I was running through the ball cage at McDonalds. Meanwhile, I looked over at Matthew and he was fast. I was dying at 400m IN!!!!! About 200m later (600m), we worked our way down hill and I struggled to fully catch up. 600m IN!!!!! At this point I knew I was in trouble. However, I also knew I was in shape and just tried to get one stride where things felt right. I followed Lacey all the way to the mile mark in about 5:07. He was probably 2 seconds ahead at that point. The next thing I knew, the race had completely slipped away.

For those of you who don't know, Grafton's weird and difficult first mile is followed up by a fast downhill mile. If played well, 4:50 is really not a big deal. Well, on Saturday, it was huge. I had nothing. I immediately had to change my outlook and focus on maintaining second place. I had nothing left in the tank, so this was going to be a problem. Slowly but surely a pack of dudes were hawking me down. I made it to the two mile mark and could feel them breathing down my neck. I made it another quarter of a mile before they actually caught me.

To my surprise it was new Alumni Dave Sorensen ('08) and Tufts Captain Nick Welch ('10). This was awesome. After spending five seconds feeling sorry for myself I remembered that Sorensen was my teammate. I looked at him and said, "Work with me Sorensen." Welch, who had pulled alongside us, was not going to beat us. As crappy as I was feeling I was able to set a great pick for Sorensen, who would go on to finish second. At this point I thought third was between myself and Nick Welch. I like Welch, but I loved my chances.

However, as I approached the three mile mark I heard people cheering a different name than Nick's. I heard, "lets go Jesse." Simply put, this was a nightmare. Jesse Faller ('10), Tufts returning All-American, may not have my gas tank over long distances, but he does have a better kick. In addition to having said kick, he has complete command over it, unlike this guy. So at about 150 he pulls alongide me, and eventually by me. What's funny, is that he thought it was over. I had been dying a slow death the entire last two miles, and he thought there was no way I could respond. Well, for about 2 seconds that made two of us. Then, I started thinking sneak attack. For a split second I held my breath, got on my toes, and attempted to pull alongside. I wasn't crafty enough, as Jesse looked back and did his best Usain Bolt impression. All I needed was one good stride and I could have made it interesting. Instead, it was over, I would finish fourth in a disappointing 16:22.

But, the Alumni romped, and pretty close to my projections too. Matt Fortin ('06) and Brian McNamara ('05) came up huge and we had five inside the top eight. It was truly a dominating performance. There would be no question this year, we deserved the title. Mad props to Matt Lacey who also romped at 15:40, setting a Tufts record (Undergrad & Alumni). Also credit should go out to Dave Sorensen as well, he made up for my bad day out there. In case you were wondering, yeah, we had more dudes too. Chad Uy ('07) was 10th and Aaron Kaye ('05) was 12th. Depth was a huge strength.

Peter Bromka was beaten by Cat Beck.

Overall, I have felt like crap for a few weeks now. There is no mystery, just a little surprise. I really believed that I was strong enough to train through August and still run solid at Alumni Run. I ran solid, but not nearly solid enough. For the last few days I have been reflecting, "maybe I'm just not that good." I mean I never thought I was "that good" but I thought with an elevated summer, maybe I could start getting there. I'm not sure anymore, and that kind of sucks.

The worst part is that this cycle was supposed to be a bridge to my next cycle. I have only been running in the low to mid 80's (in singles) to help bridge the gap to the mid 90's (with a few doubles). But, right now, I haven't been able to do it all. I can't run the miles without doubles, the 20 mile long runs, the harder workouts, and good races all at the same time. Unrealisitic, maybe? Unfortunately, those are my expectations, and now my outlook is filled with more doubt and a look to change it all up completely. I have even had thoughts of focusing on track for the winter. How the **** does that prepare me to qualify for the marathon trials in three years?

In the end I just want feel good and make some progress. With all of the work I have put in since the marathon (yeah I said it), I don't feel progressed. However, I have one card left to play before I completely give up. The one thing I did better than my long runs in prep for the marathon was my taper plan. My father and I put together a researched plan and it worked. So, this weekend he went back to the drawing board and I went back to my logs. As I get ready for this half marathon in Philly, I am starting my rest a week early. The plan also calls for some fast intervals, with less volume in my workouts. It might work great, it might be crap, but we're going to give it a try. At this point, I have nothing to lose.

Recently I discovered that I can copy and paste my log into the blog, so that is what I am going to do. I have cut down the comments, because hey, you don't need to read everything. Unlike my previous posts it works in reverse.

Week: 17, 08/24 - 08/30 Week Miles: 83, August miles: 376 Top		83
Saturday	Alumni run 5k in 16:22	11.5
Friday	easy 10 today, felt good, rainy morning run	10
Thursday	easy run today	12.5
Wednesday	morning workout, felt ok, still a little sluggish, wish I had more bounce, 16x400 in 69-70 w/ 35 seconds rest,	11
Tuesday	another easy 10 today	10
Monday	easy 10 in	10
Sunday	long run, funny set of circumstances, got to the run late, knew they were heading to Rock Creek, so I hammered all the way till I got to them, took me about 36 minutes, so about 5-6 miles, I was running extremely hard the entire way, then the pace stayed solid throughout the rest of the run	18

Stay the course

2008-08-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

*Note: If you are looking for the 2008 Alumni Run Preview, it can be found below this post.

So, last week was my first back in the Washington area. I led off the week by getting another solid 20 mile run in, making it two out of the last three weeks. On this particular run I did a good job of getting fluids the entire time, as my Dad rode the bike again. My time was a little bit better too, but overall I am feeling a little sluggish. My mid-week workout didn't finish as well as I would have hoped, but still pretty solid. Given that I have continued my buildup, I shouldn't be particularly surprised with my lack of energy. My goal is to keep it in the mid 80's for another two weeks and mildly taper into the Philadelphia Distance Run. I don't know how this going to work, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Here is last week:

August 17th - 23rd

Sun: 20 miles, solid run, a little sore but overall good.
Mon: 10 miles, early in the morning before driving back. Ran down to Tufts and through streets of Somerville.
Tue: 10.5 miles, tough run in the heat, pace was a little quick too.
Wed: 12 miles total, morning workout, 5x1600 (4:56, 4:52, 4:51, 4:50, 4:55) w/ 2 mins rest (400m jog), last one started to get a little ugly in the second half, called it at 5.
Thur: 10 miles, easy
Fri: 12 miles, easy, warm outside
Sat: 10.5 miles, easy
Total: 85 Miles

Tufts Alumni Run 2008 Preview

2008-08-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

"From here, you will witness the final destruction of the alliance and the end of your insignificant rebellion"

- Emperor Palpatine (Return of the Jedi)

The Star Wars analogy is often used when referring to the idea of moving from the undergrad team to the alumni. It is something as inevitable as Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader. No matter how good you were as undergrad, no matter how many times you cursed the alumni for beating you at an indoor meet, no matter how many times you said, "I will never do to undergrads what the alumni did to me," (see alumni runs 2002 & 2007) it always happens. We all join the dark side eventually. In years past I have reflected on the transformation of not only myself, but have observed other righteous TUXC personalities as they have succumbed to the pressures of time.

I was there the day the alumni first beat the undergrads, it was my sophomore year. The alumni came boasting an all-star roster, including the newly graduated class of 2002 (JR Cruz, Ben Smith, Jason Mann, Justin Lewis, and yes, even Marc Gould). The undergrads were in shambles. Mike Don, Brian McNamara, and I were all injured over the summer, leaving the race to Matt Lacey and the rest of the freshmen (Neil Orfield, Kyle Doran, Mike Cummings, etc.). It was ugly, it was awful. I tried my best that day (with only a few weeks of abbreviated training) but it didn't matter. I was 19th and the alumni got us. What most don't realize is that this set a whole bunch of "great" things in motion, including the infamous Connie quote "Kyle, your mileage sucked this summer." That year many of us agreed that we would never do that to an undergrad team. While the alums laughed it up, we had to endure a season that didn't begin with a leisurely race against our team's legends. Instead, in our coach's eyes, it began a disaster. Pretty dramatic, huh?

However, never say never. Just as Anakin was swayed in about five minutes of screen time in the Revenge of the Sith (I know, really nerdy), I have changed my mind as well. We all have. I should have seen the writing on the wall. I should have gotten on board earlier. But, better late than never. Beating the undergrad team is now a must.

Remember this? Well, 2008 is going to look a lot like 2007.

In 2007, we captured our second title behind the front running efforts of myself and Matt Lacey. It was epic, but couldn't have been finished off without the help of Josh Kennedy, Matt Fortin, and Mike Don. Our Alumni victory got even better as the undergrads qualified for nationals at season's end. It was a win-win situation for all parties involved. (Except that the undergrads lost the real match-up of the season. )

So, what's in store for 2008? Well, I am past the point of having gone to school with actual members of the Tufts University team. Granted, I know most of the juniors and seniors on the team, but it's not quite the same. So, I have no idea what their future looks like. They'll be good, they have an all-American returning, and a handful of talented seniors, juniors, and sophomores. Good coaching. They also train pretty hard over the summer, so in the end I have confidence in the 2008 Jumbos. But something tells me you aren't reading this to hear about the current guys. Something tells me you want to here about the legends of the fall.

I have struggled with how to approach this preview. Do I give a rankings list like the Has-Beens Mile? Do I give pre-race awards? Do I just give people what to watch for? It really has been giving me fits. I decided that in making my predictions I would not only give my predictions for the top 12, but key match-ups for Alumni Run 2008. So, away, we, go....

Key Match Up #7: Brian McNamara (Alumni) vs. Dave Sorensen (Alumni)
We welcome Dave Sorensen, the two time All-American steeple chaser with open arms. We also welcome the fact that he has been training this summer. Add to the whole situation that he was third place finisher at last year's alumni run, and suddenly the alumni return the top 4 from the race. Hmmmmmm. Well, back to the match up. You all know Brian "Mac" McNamara, a 2005 graduate, the 2006 Has Been's Mile Champion, and a future employee of K&L Gates. What you might not know is that he is training a lot this summer. With his sites set on a fall marathon and possible swing at Boston 2009, he is in shape. I know first hand that he has what it takes to be at the top of the race. For a while I predicted him to be third in the race, that is until Dave Sorensen decided to crash the party. Now I'm not so sure. These two met during the indoor season when Mac beat Dave head to head in a mile. Mac waived his finger like Ronaldo and all was right with the world. Dave would later go on to finish 9th at Division III indoor nationals. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. Ultimately, this match up is a great thing for the alumni no matter who wins.

Key Match Up #6: Josh Kennedy vs Himself I don't even know if this guy is going to show up. Here is a great story for you. So we run the Has Been's Mile this winter, and Kennedy doesn't show up. He lives a block from Tufts, so really he had no excuse. On the cool down a group of us decide to go over to his apartment to find out what's up. We get there and he is getting in his car and asks "so, who won?" I was in shock, he had absolutely no explanation for not even attending. I don't know what happened to this kid. I hope he isn't into second life or something like that. If he shows up to Alumni Run it will be a big deal. It will probably be a huge mental thing for Kennedy, so I am not really sure what to expect from him. Can he over come his second life persona and make the pilgrimage to Grafton? The world awaits, and away, we, go.

Key Match Up #5: Andy Bonventre (Alumni) vs Aaron Kaye (Alumni) Andy put together a good year of racing on the track. Aaron Kaye put together yet another year of being awesome at life. This is going to be a tough call for me. I am not sure who wins this race. If it we're a mile I would give a slight nod to Bons. However, this is a 5k, and it's on Grafton. Until Bons proves that he can A) Run a 5k that's on par with his mile time and B) Beat AK in the game of life, I give the nod to AK. From what I hear I ron Man was a better movie.

Key Match Up #4: Peter Bromka (Alumni) vs The Freshmen (TUXC 08) I know nothing about the freshmen class 0f 2008, but I do know Peter Bromka. Peter is a master of what I call "residual fitness." Only Ben Smith can rival his ability to call upon past year's running without actually training for an event. After doing part of a long run with Peter a couple weeks ago I was convinced that he would step up for this event. He may not beat the top freshman in the race, as at least one always seems to run out of their mind, but he will beat a lot of them. Sunglasses and all, he'll wear his short Nike shorts (one's we have never seen) and try to mow down some freshman on a course he used to live on. And if he doesn't, he'll probably eat a ton at the barbecue afterwards. Sounds like a win-win for Bromka.

Key Match Up #3: Mike Don (Alumni) vs Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (TUXC) This could be a huge match up when it comes to team scores. I expect Jerzy to be up there after a great freshman year and a solid summer of training. I expect Mike Don to be up there because he's Mike Don. I trust that he has trained a little for this event, so the early read has Mike Don with the edge. Last year Mike showed up as the gun was about to sound, that won't happen this year. Jerzy is dangerous, but it's Grafton and I trust Miguel on the farm. In addition to the team battle this is a battle for tall and short people all over the planet. Mike Don is tall enough to play point guard for team USA, Jerzy is half the size of Dustin Pedroia. I am not making fun of them, just pointing out an observation. Alumni vs TUXC, Tall vs short, who wins?

Key Match Up # 2: Nick Welch (TUXC) vs Jesse Faller (TUXC) Two classmates: one the captain (Welch), one the All-American (Faller). Jesse Faller has mastered the charge at the end of the season. With his 14:31 at the end of outdoor track he had us all asking: how? Welch has consistently improved over his time at Tufts, is this his breakout season? Alumni run could provide our first glimpse as to who is the lead dog for TUXC. I'll keep a majority of my comments close to the chest, but I'll give you this bone to chew on. Welch will be the top finisher for TUXC at the Alumni run. His training has looked good so far and he has the experience to run a solid effort at his team's first competition. Although this combo helps TUXC at the top of the standings, it won't be able overcome the "sith."

Key Match Up#1: Matt Lacey (Alumni) vs Nate Brigham (Alumni) For the first time since the Spring of 2005, we have a legitimate question mark in front of us. Who will it be? Matthew and I have beaten each other over the last few years, but either Matthew was in shape and I wasn't, or I was in shape and Matthew was hurt. Our schedules couldn't align and things never lined up for a "real" race. I don't discount any previous efforts, because they were all legit. Take last year for example, Matthew and I were both in good shape all summer. However, just weeks before he missed some time due to injury. The alumni run dream match-up was still great, but not at 100%. My consistency allowed me to escape with the victory. This winter, roles were reversed at the Has-Been's Mile, as Matthew was ready to rock and I was just getting my year started. Now, finally, after three long years, it's time for a battle. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that we're going 1-2. We talked a few weeks ago and discussed going sub 16 and even making a run at Andrew Pitts' record. This time the hype is real, this time the teacher and the apprentice go head to head.

Top 12 Predictions

12 - Ryan Lena (TU)
11 - Random Freshman (TU)
10 - Matt Fortin (A)
9 - Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (TU)
8 - Jeff Ragazzini (TU)
7 -Mike Don (A)
6 - Jesse Faller (TU)
5 - Brian McNamara (A)
4 - Nick Welch (TU)
3 - Dave Sorensen (A)
2 - Matt Lacey (A)
1 - Nate Brigham (A)
0 - Usain Bolt (JAM)

Team scores:
Alumni - 1 + 2 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 18
TUXC - 4 + 6 + 8 + 9 + 11 = 38
Jamaica - 0

Yeah, I have a lot of faith in my fellow alums, maybe too much. I just have a feeling about this race. I am pretty confident in the top 3, but beyond that, anything can happen. If you're scoring at home, if the Alumni team goes 1-2-3, the race is literally over. I wish all parties involved the best of luck and let the debate begin. Will the legends of the fall reign supreme? Will the young bucks fight back with grit and determination? Will the dark side prevail? Well, you already know the answer, go ahead, say it. Say yes................yes.

The Home Front

2008-08-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

So I went home for a couple of weeks, which was lovely. I didn't accomplish a tremendous amount while there, but then again, that wasn't my goal. I did manage to see my family, get some good training in, chill with a few friends, and watch a ton of Olympic swimming; so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

I don't really have a ton to say about my visit, other than I ran a race and didn't run it all that well. I approached it sort of like a workout, in the sense that I didn't rest, didn't workout that week, and didn't get too nervous beforehand. With all that said, it was still a race in my mind, and I wish I had felt a little better on the day. I went out in 4:50, about 5-8 seconds slower than I had planned on. Immediately I knew my hopes of a sub-15 finish were on life-support. Even though I didn't feel all that great I hung in there the second mile, only dropping down to a 4:59. So, two in 9:49 was not ideal, but not horrible. Then it got pretty interesting. I really struggled the last mile, with the last 400 resembling a three-legged race (it was really not my day). I just ran out of gas after my sluggish start. I got passed by a kid who registered himself as Sal Manilla; quite embarrasing. I never really gave up out there, which is a good sign, but they don't give gold stars for effort in this sport. My training is going better than my finishing time of 15:30, so I'll take it for what it was, a solid race effort. Below are my last two weeks of training.

August 3rd - 9th

Sun: 10 miles, solid run after the drive, felt really good.
Mon: 20 miles, waited an extra day for the long run, good decision I suppose. Had my dad out there on a bike helping me out with fluids, huge help. Didn't feel so great out there, but got through it.
Tue: 10 miles, easy.
Wed: 14.5 miles total, workout in evening, slight drizzle and cool, 20x400 in 69-70 w/ 200m jog rest (1 min) at the MV track. This was my first workout alone after working out each week with the Pacers, felt really good today.
Thur: 10 miles, tired not such a great run.
Fri: 12 miles, easy w/ Alyssa's gentleman friend Chris Hamel, good run.
Sat: 9.5 miles, easy w/ Mac, Skip, & Makai
Total: 86 Miles

August 10th - 16th

Sun: 17.5 miles, easy, good lung run with Mac & Bromka out in Eastham, MA.
Mon: 10 miles, did a mile towards the end of the run in 5:10 to wake-up my legs, maybe this wasn't a great decision.
Tue: 12 miles, felt good.
Wed: 10.5 miles, did the first half easy with my Dad and sister, then the second half at my pace (perhaps a little too quick). Not exactly an easy pre-race effort.
Thur: 10 miles total, 5k race in 15:30, buh.
Fri: 12 miles, easy, felt pretty awful the first 7.
Sat: 10 miles, not a bad effort to finish the week off, felt better.
Total: 82 Miles

If you are still reading at this point, let me give you a heads up. My 2009 Tufts University Cross Country Alumni Run preview is coming.

Can't Use the Crutch

2008-08-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last week was another good week, best so far since the marathon. It's funny, that is how I have been measuring things as of late. My writing most often features the phrase "since the marathon." I am not exactly sure what this means, but I think it's a crutch. Saying it or writing it gives me a way out, an excuse. Almost as though I am waiting for some bit of running enlightenment. However, let me assure you (as I am sure you already know), there are no miracles in running. Only opportunity and preparation meeting, then deciding they want to hook up with success. It's a little like that new New Balance commercial, but I like the way I said it better. I can't take all the credit though. Connie Putnam and Ethan Barron tried to drill this in to my head over four years at Tufts. Too bad I didn't listen.

No more, "since the marathon."

I took this week off from racing, as I drove home to New Hampshire on Saturday. The trip was not great this time around, as everyone decided to drive north that day. Traffic jam after traffic jam killed my spirits, especially in New York. (On a side note I listened to National League baseball on the way home, Braves vs Brewers. For all you AL fans out there, trust me, this was no thrill.) However, I made it home without incident, stopping only once. That stop was in Massachusetts for gas and ice cream. Not bad if you ask me.

If you haven't run today, get out the door when you can. Can't use the crutch.

July 27th - August 2nd

Sun: 17 miles, this after a race again, however I felt much better and the weather was a little cooler this time, humidity is a killer though, stay hydrated
Mon: 10.5 miles, humid run, tired
Tue: 10.5 miles, easy, felt terrible
Wed: 13.5 miles total, workout @ 7am, 12x1000 in 3:05-07, 80 sec rest, humid as can be, I sweat the weight of gatorade jug out there, good workout though, stayed strong throughout
Thur: 10.5 miles, easy
Fri: 10 miles total, 2.5 easy out to Gilman School track in Baltimore, then 8k in 27:56 (6:08, 5:54, 5:37, 5:19, 4:56), 2.5 easy on the other side, nice little excercise, felt strong
Sat: 10 miles, easy (then I drove home 9 hours)
Total: 82 Miles

Fred Smoot can be my wingman anytime

2008-07-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am a little late on this, because last week was well, a week ago. Still, I have been busy doing nothing this week. I have done a little bit of work, but for the most part I have been a waste of space. I am not sure if that is really going to change much over the next few weeks, but at least my location will. My plan is to head home to NH for a couple of weeks, with my sights set on the Cigna 5k in Manchester on August 14th. I ran 15:16 last year, but this year it's time to break 15.

Last week I did another race, this time a 5k in Crystal City. This race started at 8pm so I had all day to hang out and work myself up into frenzy. Surprisingly I held it together for most of the day. I took a nap, ate some Cheeze-Its, and drank some water. The pre-race details aren't anything spectacular. I showed up about an hour early and warmed up about 45 minutes before with the Pacer guys. It was hot as balls out, but at least there was a breeze this week. Humidity is weird around here. Most of the time it sucks and it plays mean tricks too. Sometimes it will go away for a day, and you think life is okay. Then it comes back and you remember how much it sucks, especially to race in. (those are some of the worst sentences I have ever written)

So, I did a few striders and it seemed like everyone and their mom had a Pacer jersey/shirt on at the line. I know it was a Pacers sponsored race, but wow, what a following. Also, this was just a normal 5k around here and they had like 1700 people, that's crazy. FYI: that's a 1/3 of the people at Tufts.

So the gun goes off and people are hammering. A substantial group at the front was surely looking to cash in on the Fred Smoot Smack Down challenge; 80 dollars to the leader at the mile. At about 800m in I was in about 8th place and running about 4:35 pace. After that I slowed down a little and hit the mile in about 4:40. (Now, it's up for debate as to the accuracy of this mark, because I didn't think my second mile was all that slow and I went through in 9:45. For those of you doing math at home, that's a 5:05 second mile. I don't think so.) The Smack Challenge was won by former NY high school standout Kevin Tschirhart in 4:25 with Steve Crane (the race winner) a stride behind. As it was I got off the line too fast, I didn't need a sub 4:30 to completely trash my race.

So, as I said I went through 2-miles in 9:45 and was in fourth place. I got real close to Robbie at this point, but I could never quite get right on his shoulder. He would hang on to third and I would hang on to fourth as I finished in 15:29. Overall this was a solid effort and a step forward. I cooled down four miles and tried to avoid the free Bud-Light they were handing out at finish area. I think that was a good life decision as we don't know what happened to Robbie for our long run the next morning. In hindsight I wish I had gone out a little easier and tried to work the second mile more, but hey when Fred Smoot calls, you answer.

July 20th - 26th
Sun: 14 Miles, after the Rockville 8k this run was on a short turnaround, and it was unbelievably hot, I was lucky to survive this run.
Mon: 10.5 miles, easy run
Tue: 10.5 miles, easy run
Wed: 10.5 miles total, take down workout, 1600-4:47 (400m-2min rest), 1200-3:32 (400m-2min rest), 800-2:17 (400m-2min rest), 600-1:39(400m rest), 400-62 (200m rest), 2x200-30 (200m rest)
Thur: 12 miles, easy run, unbelievable weather (in a good way)
Fri: 10.5 miles, easy run
Sat: 10 miles total, 5k in Crystal City 15:29
Total: 78 Miles

Racing Returns

2008-07-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

So, this past week I made the decision to return to racing. On Saturday I jumped into the Rockville Twilight 8k, held at roughly 8:45-9:00pm. This race was a pretty cool event, as they had an "elite athletes room" prior to the race. It made me feel a little weird to be sitting in an air conditioned office before warming up, but with the 90+ temperature outside I wasn't complaining. I spent the time chilling alongside fellow Glover Park resident Rich Wilson (Amherst 07'), as we tried to hide out in one of the conference rooms. Emily decided she wanted nothing to do with the "elite" base and decided to camp out near the car; her call I guess.

In this office building I saw a bunch of dudes, fast ones too. This wasn't a run-of-the-mill 8k, this was a fast race. Among those who showed up were speedsters from the Georgetown Running Company (pretty much their whole team), Michael Wardian, Dave Berdan, and Robbie Wade. There were also a handful of foreign athletes there and a ton of fast women, including the seventh place finisher in the Olympic Trials 5k (Julie Culley). Considering where I am right now, seeing all of these people put me at ease. I wasn't thinking about winning the race or even trying to make the top five. I was focused on running "my race", a conservative approach, but still a hard effort.

The warm-up was relatively uneventful, but slightly frustrating as they delayed the start of the race by about 10 minutes. Race officials claimed that they were waiting for the sun to go down completely before starting the event. I don't know if I believe it, but it made a difference in the temperature during the race. Overall the weather was pretty terrible leading up to Saturday, mid to high 90's with the kind of humidity that hurts your body. All week I had been leaving for my runs a little after 7:30pm, doing my best to avoid excessive exposure. I was used to the conditions, but still, it was hot as balls out, and the air quality was awful. Finally, the field begins to line up and I end up sneaking in on the left side at the last second. I was probably in the second row back, but I had 6'6"ish Scott Anderson plowing the way for me.

The gun went off and a group of athletes of African descent immediately took charge. I was doing my absolute best to stay in control and not follow. I camped out a little behind Michael Wardian and Robbie Wade for the first 1/2 mile and tried to get comfortable. My goal for the race wasn't to run 25:00, it was to run a controlled race right above the "red-line." During the second half mile Wardian and Wade started to put a few seconds on me, but I was still right behind them. They likely went through the first mile around 5:00 and I went through in 5:07. My first mile was exactly what I wanted it to be, between 5:05-5:10.

Over the next few miles I was all over the place (5:20, 5;13, 5:29), but I maintained a consistent effort level throughout. It should be noted that miles two and four feature some more rolling hills, with the fourth mile being the most difficult on the course. Granted, I slowed down a little in the fourth mile, but I was actually moving up in the race standings. Overall the course was honest, not too difficult and not a bowling alley either. For my fifth mile I managed to pick things up and closed in 5:00. Now, to be honest, the fifth mile is about 50 meters short (because it's 8k not five miles). So in reality, the fifth mile is probably 5:10ish, which is still a good sign.

I had a bunch left towards the end, but the heat was definitely starting to get to me. I could see a couple of guys I recognized ahead, including Jake Klim (GRC) and Lewis Butler (Pacers) over the last mile, but I would have had to use everything to get up to there. Rather than kicking my brains out, I "surged" to the end maintaining my composure. For my first race back I was happy to finish in 26:10. I ran into a fired-up Wardian in the chute afterwards, as he ended up running 25:30, an exceptional race in the heat. Robbie Wade also ran a fantastic race, finishing in 25:07 for fifth overall.

I cooled down an easy three miles, jogging through the neighborhoods of Rockville. I felt good and had no problems after the race. I took water throughout the race and drank a bunch afterwards. Recovery was not going to be a problem. It appeared as though I had accomplished all of my goals for Saturday, but yet something felt incomplete. I can look at this race and say I did exactly what I wanted to do, but that's only partly true. Do I wish I had run faster? Of course. Do I get frustrated that I broke 25 this winter for 8k and ran 25:14 for the first 5 of a 10 miler too? YES!!! However, I have to remember the circumstances to keep me grounded, confident, and hungry. Saturday was my first race in almost two months, it was hot as balls, there was mega competition, and I have only scratched the surface of working out. These aren't excuses, they are the reality of the situation. On Saturday I was ready to run 26:10 and I did. I am what I am at this point, and I am content. Hopefully, I'll keep improving and be better next time.

Another interesting note is that I have joined up with the Pacers-Brooks Racing team around here. This was a decision I had been weighing for quite some time as I had narrowed my club/team search to two groups. I had people advising me to go in several directions, but ultimately this seems like the best fit for me right now. I never wanted to burn any bridges, and in choosing a group I hope I haven't. I am extremely excited to be a part of the Pacers training/racing group and appreciate the support of Pacers Running Stores and the guys on the team. I have been on board for about four weeks now, and I look forward to training/competing week-in and week-out. I'd also like to give props to the Georgetown Running Company guys, who are a great group of runners/people and were extremely welcoming this past winter/spring. In the end everyone just wants to get faster, so I'll train with anyone that isn't a Jets fan.

Ok, so here is the past week's training:

July 13th - 19th
Sun: 16 miles, easy run but a little quicker the 2nd half, felt ok
Mon: 6 miles, needed and easy day, had a headache all day, run was excellent though
Tue: 10.5 miles, felt great today, breathing was good, legs felt ok, pace was even
Wed: 11.5 miles total, 7am workout day, 14x400 in 70ish w/ 200m rest (approx 50sec - 1 minute), I was actually hoping to do 16, but my body started to break down on 13 and 14, pulled the plug and felt pretty terrible the rest of the day, ridiculously hot out
Thur: 10.5 miles, felt ok today, easy run
Fri: 10 miles, easy, felt good
Saturday*: 11 miles total, 8k race in 26:10 for 14th
Total: 75.5 Miles

*(I followed up my race with an early Sunday morning death march of 14 miles in 90+ heat, poor life decision)

Ghosts Lie at the Bottom of the Sea

2008-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Forget the title of this post, most people know that I am a bit of head case. It could even be said that I am a tad bit neurotic. So, if you want to preserve an opinion of me that does not include some weird stuff, stop here.

Former Tufts standout Ben Smith once said, "I wish people weren't so neurotic about running sometimes." (Or something to that effect) However, it was Ben who was perhaps the most neurotic of all my former teammates, making the statement especially comical (maybe even ironic). The thing is, the only person more neurotic in TU history than Ben Smith was probably me. So, it's time to take a peak inside my head.

Last night, I had a particularly bizarre running dream. I have all kinds of weird dreams, ones about me missing Patriot games, not studying for exams, and the occasional flying escapade. I haven't had a running related dream since before the marathon, so for the last seven weeks or so I have been sleeping easy. However, last night I found myself in a two-mile race at Colby College in Maine. I couldn't tell you who was in the field, they were all anonymous dudes, except for one. I have no idea why Ryan Bak was there, but he was. I haven't spoken to Bak in a few years, and haven't seen him either. I missed his 5000m pre-lim at the trials a couple weeks ago, and to be honest I haven't really thought much about him. Yet, for some reason, DIII legend Ryan Bak was at this two mile race and we were going head to head.

The gun sounds and Bak takes off. The funny thing is, I stay with him. Early in the race I am absolutely rolling, and having no problems. Then, Bak falls off the pace and I over take him. People are flipping out. There is even a swimming pool in the middle of the track, and the people in the pool are going nuts. At this point I realize that I am in a dream, because there is no way I am beating Bak in a two-mile.

So I'm pulling away and I get a huge lead (and I mean huge). The race felt over, and then like clockwork I start to tie up. My legs lock up like they always do in running related dreams, I can't move, I'm paralyzed and tripping over myself. I felt like Tim Galebach (<-watch the whole video, tough to watch, mad props) must have almost eight years ago at the junior olympics. All of a sudden my huge lead disappears. This is where my heart-rate goes through the roof, as nothing can stop Bak now. What can I do? My legs are tying up, Bak is cruising, and two laps is just too far to hang on. Bak catches up, I want to cry.

Then, the unthinkable happens, I either come out of it or Bak starts to experience the same thing. I know this sounds crazy, but I went "Monk." I only know this, I cross the line first. Then I get a Kentucky Derby sized wreath around my neck. Then I wake up. Crazy.

Upon further review, this is the first time in my running-dream-history where I have actually finished a race (I think?) with a victory. I usually drop out, wake up, or finish running terrible. I have had dreams where I have already finished the race, but a successful race from start to finish is truly revolutionary. Not only that, but I scored a victory over Bak. Of course, it's not a real victory, it's a dream. However, this dream is in many ways a victory.

At this point, I am inclined to believe that some of my confidence related issues may be a thing of the past. Perhaps, the days of psyching myself out before the race even starts are over. Then again, maybe not. I don't know, I guess only time will tell. On Saturday I will be racing in the Rockville Twilight 8k, my first since the marathon. No matter what happens, this dream does mark a step forward for me, because this time I wasn't running around with a giant inflatable hammer at the naked quad run.

Dream on.

Another Week Passes

2008-07-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

A real solid week of training this week. It was pretty similar to the prior week in terms of numbers, but overall I felt better about the quality. Sunday, run was a quick run, as the last four to five miles were likely under 6:00 pace (and when I say likely, I mean definitely). I was able to respond well to this, working out off of short rest on Tuesday. I have been running in the Brooks Defyance for my normal training runs. However, on days where I need extra recovery I have been running in the Gel Kayano XIV. Both are great shoes, however the extra support of the Kayano is not something I need on a daily basis anymore. For the rest of the week I kept up my string of 10 mile daily runs. I wanted to get out for a 12 on Friday, but I felt terrible and it was too hot during the day. Hopefully I can make my way over 80 next week.

July 6th - 12th
Sun: 16.5, hard run, last 4-5 sub 6:00
Mon: Easy 10 in the evening
Tue: 11 total, 4x1000 in 3:00, 4x600 in 1:47, 1:48, 1:48, 1:46, 2 minutes rest of the 1000's and 1 minute on the 600s, goal pace was 15:00 5k, so mission accomplished
Wed: Easy 10
Thur: Solid 10, pace was good today
Fri: Felt terrible, easy 10
Sat: Easy 10 in the evening, eating was off all day, bought a box of Wheaties, problem solved
Total: 77.5 Miles

In other news, it is time to get excited about the upcoming NFL season. I played Madden for the first time since before the Super Bowl. It felt good, and for my first game I played with Brett Favre and the Packers. I threw seven interceptions, fumbled twice, and only lost by 10 in a shootout........with the Cardinals. After that performance, Brett should stay retired. In my next game, I went back to my roots and the Pats blew out the Dolphins by 20. Can't wait for that to happen in real life again.

Making My Way Back to Workouts

2008-07-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

So another two (plus) great weeks of training have gone by since my last post. After my initial four weeks I figured I was ready to step back on the track for some work. Like the rest of my training I eased into it by starting with workouts I knew I could handle. Here is what the last two weeks (before this week have looked like.

June 22-28
Sun: 16 with Pacer guys, most of this run was at a really good clip, last few miles I started to run out of gas and coasted in. Never felt particularly comfortable, but oh well.
Mon: Easy 10, changed shoes to Brooks Defyance
Tue: Easy 10
Wed: 8 miles, really hot out
Thur: 10.5 total, workout, felt ok/good today, rhythm is still a little off out there, 12x400 w/ 90 sec rest (includes 200m jog) [73,73,74,73,73,74,74,73,73,74,74,72], 3 miles on both sides
Fri: 10 miles
Saturday: 9.5 miles
Total: 74 Miles

June 29 - July 5
Sun: 15 with Pacer guys again, got moving pretty quickly along the canal, 1:35:30 on the total time, last few miles were at a "good" clip but this time I was able to respond a little better.
Monday: Easy 10
Tuesday: Easy 10
Wednesday: 12 total, 3 miles warm up, then 8x800 (2:27-2:30) w/2 minutes rest (400m jog), 3 miles cool down, felt ok out there, could have done more but kept it real.
Thursday: Easy 10, felt terrible.
Friday: 10.5, legs were a wreck, tired and overall not good.
Saturday: 10 miles, 5 easy miles with Em, then five by myself, good way to end the week as I felt pretty crappy after the workout.
Total: 77.5 Miles

So the jump in mileage would explain why I felt so crappy at the end of the week, but what I didn't mention was that work was also pretty tough. My sleep patterns were off, work was stressful, and overall I didn't really want to run last week. Although I put up a good number, make no mistake, it wasn't a great week feeling-wise. Running is not glamorous and it isn't about the numbers for me. At this point I want to get stronger, and sometimes it is going to be tough. Last week was about fighting through some of the tiredness to move back into a routine. Overall, mission accomplished.

So far, this week is going well, I'll update on Sunday with the details.

Training Update, Recovery and Such

2008-06-20T12:57:00.001-07:00

With four weeks having passed since the marathon I thought it would be good to talk about my current level of training. I decided to take some of the pressure off by saying that I won't race until at least six weeks have passed. With that in mind, next week will be my first attempt at a workout (by that I mean interval related training). I want to take things slowly to avoid A) getting injured, & B) getting fried. So far I think I have played it well, but I wish I felt better. Below is what things have looked like since the Marathon....

5/25 - 5/31 ( 37.7 Miles)
Sunday was the marathon, so I had a great 26.2 on the board early. I had a little bit of trouble walking the next two days, so I decided to take them off. With my first day back in DC, I decided another one wouldn't hurt either. All in all I took three days off after the marathon. I decided to give running a shot on Thursday evening, with an easy 3 mile shake out run. I was nervous, as I hadn't felt well since the marathon. My eating was off, legs were sore, and I was falling asleep at 10pm each night. Surprisingly, I felt ok on the run, and did the same thing the next day. On Saturday I ran an east 5.5 with Em to finish off my first week of recovery.
(S-26.2, M-0, T-0, W-0, Th-3, F-3, S-5.5)

6/1 - 6/7 (27.5 Miles)
This was actually a better week in terms of daily mileage. Take away the marathon from last week and I am left with 11.5 miles. I stuck with the 5-6 mile range for this week choosing not to force the issue. At times I felt good out there, at other times I felt heavy and un-able to get moving. I knew eventually things would turn around, but this was a weird week. On one of the days off I decided to play some basketball and ran into AU coach Matt Centrowitz at the gym. There is a future post coming about this encounter, but I will say it was "interesting." Alyssa was in town that week so I did a couple of runs with her, the best being the 6 on Monday.
(S-5.5, M-6, T-5.5, W-0, Th-5.5, F-0, S-5)

6/8 - 6/14 (56.5 Miles)
Back to business, well sort of. The difference this week was that I didn't take a day off. Also I started to upgrade my daily mileage a little bit. I made a commitment to try and do away with the 5 milers and infuse some 8 milers. On the Wednesday of this week I got dragged out for a 12 miler with Steve Crane and Robbie Wade of the Pacers group down here. This was about 3 miles more than I had planned to run, but I figured "why not?" I did pretty well, I only started feeling tired at about 10-11 miles, and even then I was fine. The pace was probably at a 6:35-45 clip most of the way, but I am in shape, so it was no big deal. Other than the 12, not too much to report on the week. Solid all around though.
(S-8, M-8, T-6, W-12, Th-6, F-8, S-8.5)

6/15 - 6/21 (55 Miles)
Another solid week, however this week I had a day off. I wanted to upgrade things again, with a goal of getting my daily training runs back to about 10 miles. I sort of succeeded this week, but I ran into a little trouble. For the last couple of weeks I have been working up at AU (for their HS students program), and this week the kids actually arrived. My hours through Wednesday were at 43, a schedule I had not seen since my days at Summer Bridge Manchester. So, my day off came on Monday, day 1 of the program. I worked from 8 am to about 11:30pm (this after staying up till midnight on Sunday for the Celtics), at times just babysitting, but mostly running around. (On a side note this job has me in a new place, doing much more administrative stuff, but it's cool I still get to do programming in the evening). My "work" days off were on Thursday and Friday, so on Thursday I mixed in a 3 mile tempo run (16:27 [5:25, 5:31, 5:31]) to begin the process of waking up my legs. The goal is to work out a little next week, so this mini-tempo was a good start. Friday's 10 was a good run, as I had the "fast" feeling again. Instead of pushing it the last few miles I pulled off the gas and jogged home. If I am going to get through a long run on Sunday I have to be intelligent.
(S-10, M-0, T-10, W-8, Th-9, F-10, S-8)

I LOVE YOU CELTICS

2008-06-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you Boston Celtics, I love you.

Don't Stop Believing or Accidental Genius 2008

2008-06-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

Picture Courtesy of David Lantman

Vermont City Marathon Recap, Part 1
-Marathon Website
-Results
-Course Map
-Some Pictures
-Race Video

2:29:09

Where to begin? I am not really sure. Going into this marathon I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had read a bunch about training, talked with my dad countless hours, bounced ideas off of fellow runners, and watched so many of my peers attempt the distance, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened that Sunday. Ultimately I hope this marathon will be viewed as the start of something special, the beginning of a journey few attempt. I didn’t finish the race with a mentality of “I never want to do that again.” Instead I crossed the line, shook a few hands, gave some hugs, sat down, and thought about the next one. I know that sounds really cliché and something out of Tom Brady’s quote book, but it’s reality. Simply put, I’ll do it again, and I’ll do it better next time.

The Week Before

When I ran my 22 mile dress-rehearsal run three weeks before the marathon I was certain I pushed things a little too hard. Averaging 5:47 for the 20 mile tempo portion was a dangerous thing to do with only three weeks to recover. I should also point out that the 20 mile tempo was the longest I have ever done in my entire life. Overall this effort left me exhausted, and even in the last week before the marathon I was still feeling the effects. A confidence builder, maybe, but also a huge risk. My last long run of 13 miles (exactly a week before), broke a streak of weird-feeling runs. I finally started clicking off some good mile splits towards the end, and things looked up. This also allowed me to return to the site of my dress-rehearsal run and put to rest some lingering nerves. This happy-go-lucky attitude changed when I felt like trash the next two days, and struggled with 5 & 6 milers. However, I did not lose hope. On the Wednesday prior to the race I put together a solid tune-up run on the track; 3 miles in 16:15 (5:25, 5:37, 5:13), the last mile felt easy, but my rhythm was completely off. After the tune-up my work was done. I ran on Thursday and Friday mornings, and took Saturday off.

One of the things I tried to focus on the last few weeks was proper hydration. Now, I am not sure I executed this as well as I could have, but I did a pretty good job. The tough part was avoiding what Connie Putnam used to call “a spill situation.” At some points I was drinking way too much water and running to the bathroom every 10 minutes. During the last week I was particularly good, but hydration is not a final week, or even a final month focus; hydration is an everyday thing. Looking back I would say that I struggled with staying properly hydrated on a daily basis. When my father and I learned how important this was leading up the marathon I quickly made an effort to improve my water intake. However, would it be enough? With a few days to go I was constantly nursing Propel fitness water, Gatorade, or a glass of water. On Thursday night I threw down a Harpoon Hard Cider for good measure and crossed my fingers. The morning of the race I took a few sips from a watered-down Gatorade, and that was it. I am not sure what the magic formula is on the whole hydration thing, but I apparently I did something right. Personally, I think I am on to something here. Monitoring how much water I take in is something easy, and after a few days doesn’t take much of a reminder. Yet this small practice could be the difference between a good marathon and a great marathon. So, not to get preachy or anything, but drink more water.

Another thing I tried to pay attention to the last few days was my diet. I tried to avoid all of the things I really enjoy, specifically cookies. I ate a bunch of crap the Wednesday evening before my marathon, and even waiting for the plane on Thursday I had some “authentic” New York pizza from Michael Scott’s favorite joint. However, that was it, no more crap after that. My nutrition manager and best bud Dave Lantman helped me eat well over the next couple of days, filling me with whole wheat pasta, a superfood smoothie, and the adult taste of “cheddar beer” chips (my one luxury item and exception to the rule). The day before my marathon I had a huge turkey sandwich for lunch, and chicken parmesan with spaghetti for dinner (and I snuck in a piece of BBQ chick pizza). So, why does any of this matter? Why should you care? Well I am no saint when it comes to eating, but in the days leading up to the marathon I ate a lot, and tried to focus on carbohydrates. I didn’t want to be running out of energy during the race, so carb-loading needed to be a three day process. In hind-sight I eat ok, but still too many cookies. My pre-race breakfast was a bowl and half of Quaker Oatmeal Squares and a banana. That particular breakfast was featured before all of my long runs this winter/spring.

Now, hydration and nutrition aside I had some mental crap to work through before this race. I had no idea what to expect from body going into this race. I had trained hard, but wasn’t exactly sure of what my ceiling was. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to run 2:22, or 2:24. However, I knew in my heart that I wasn’t quite ready for that kind of an effort. Heading into the last few weeks I saw running sub-2:30 as being my realistic goal, with 2:28 as a fantastic race. Finally setting this goal helped put my mind at ease. I wasn’t thinking about hitting a standard, or beating a PR, it was about me focusing and trying to stay in control. Ultimately the idea of “control” is something I am not particularly keen on, and although my recent stretch of races has indicated progress, I still like to go out too fast. So, even before the gun started I had to tell myself to cool it. A marathon is 26.2 miles, and if I didn’t play it smart I would regret running the last 15. Another thing I worked through was overall confidence in my training and ability. Too often in my college career I forgot about all of the work I put into a particular season. I toed the line at nationals each season thinking the wrong things, expecting the race to come to me. What I needed was more confidence in my ability to go and take the race. There were occasions when I did this and to put it bluntly, people just didn’t beat me on those days. So, trusting my ability and the work I had done was huge. I constantly played the 22 mile tempo run over in my mind, citing everything that was wrong with it; yet appreciating the overall performance. With a couple of days to go it would all come down to focus. Could I focus that long?

The Race

I arrived at the starting area about 45 minutes prior to the wheel chairs start (7:15). I was pretty nervous, and used the time to walk around and shake out some of the nerves. I met my dad in the park with about 25 minutes to go and got my emergency GU packet for the race. He gave me a hug and wished me luck. After that I moved closer to the starting line when I bumped into my mother and my manager/nutritional specialist/lion-king expert David Lantman. They too wished me luck and informed me of the water-bottle and GU packet they would have for me at around 9 miles. I also had six water stations that I had given elite fluid bottles to (with GU packets taped on), filled with a watered-down Gatorade (At miles: 4.9, 9.3, 13.0, 16.9, 20.9, & 24.5). With about 5-10 minutes to go I gave my stuff to David, put some Vaseline in important areas, and took a final swig of water. Before lining up I did a number of striders and chatted it up with others on the line. It was at this time that I was introduced to Michael Wardian (who would later finish 2^nd). To be brief, Wardian is a legend around Washington D.C. and is the USA National 50k and 100k champion. I had raced him a handful of time this spring, and had beaten him each time. However, the marathon is a different beast, and this was to be his eighth of the year. Also, lining up was two-time defending race winner and Olympic Trials qualifier Matt Pelletier of Rhode Island, and Hilary Lelei of Spira and “Las Cruces, New Mexico.”

At 8:05 I stepped to the line and waited for the gun. Like it felt at Eau Claire my senior year, the start seemed surreal. The day was finally there, and the gun finally sounded. I got off the line well and tucked in, determined to maintain control and run an intelligent first mile. The plan was to go out at about 5:40, and I went through the mile at 5:42. I literally said out-loud to the guy next to me, “perfect.” That guy turned out to be Erik Malmstrom, a UPenn grad from a few years back. Erik was a great guy to run with because we had similar goals, and we both wanted to stay in control. At this point I was already in 4^th/5^th, with a couple of relay teams with the leading three (Pelletier, Lelei, and Wardian). Behind Erik and I was a pack of dudes who had run this race before, some just under the 2:30 mark. Of course, I didn’t really care what was going on behind me, I was looking forward. My pace quickened immediately following the first mile. Miles two and three ended up at 5:28 and 5:29 respectively, and although there was a little bit of downhill I was already moving a little too quick. However, I was running really easy. At that point I trusted my training and taper, and stayed smooth. As I made my way through miles four and five, a pack of about 3-4 guys came up on Erik and I. A mile marker must have been off because I have a split of 5:07 for the fourth, and 5:55 for the fifth. So, average the two and you get about 5:30 for each mile which makes way more sense.

As I ran in this pack I sensed a feeling of urgency, specifically from a guy by the name of Chuck Terry. Mr. Terry began to push things as he led some of this pack away from me. At six miles in I could not afford to be running much faster, so I let him and two others (Erik and 45-year-old Mark Stickley) move away from me. My sixth mile would turn out to be 5:31, still too fast. After letting three guys go (including my new-found pace buddy Erik) I began to run alongside St. Lawrence grad Jon French. So at six to seven miles I was in eighth place. Mentally this was kind of a downer. I really wanted to be in the top six, and I really wanted to win some money. Mile seven would be a 5:36, with mile eight (slightly uphill) a 5:43. Although I was remaining calm I was pissed, because Terry’s move was a pretty arrogant thing to do so early in the race. Oh well, all I could do was hope that I would get another chance at him later.

During the first eight miles I took only cups of water at various stops, but nothing consistent. I had planned to take my first GU packet at around seven miles, but due to the pace craziness I lost focus. Instead I waited till I could get water bottle, because when you take GU you need lots of water. My ninth mile was closer to my goal pace, with a solid 5:39. However, I was already starting to feel a little less than spectacular. I grabbed my bottle from David somewhere downtown at about nine miles. At the time it was a huge lifesaver and a much needed boost. I took my GU and drank a majority of the Smart Water (endorsed by Tom Brady) David had gotten for me. I carried that sucker for about a half mile before dropping it. My good vibes started slipping away as I crossed the 10 mile mark in 55:40 (5:25 10^th mile) and felt pretty terrible. I felt so terrible that I couldn’t tell you what happened in that mile, just that Jon French was trying to ghost me, and that I couldn’t even hit the split on my watch. The same could be said for mile 12, but I managed to hit my watch on that one. My split for those two miles, 11:23, still pretty good. As French started to put a little distance on me, I felt worse and worse. I was fighting to stay with the kid, as the track-runner in me tried to keep in contact. Finally just before mile 13 I gave up a little. Instead of fighting I crossed my fingers and hoped that he would run out of gas at some point. At 13 I was 1:12:45 (5:41), and at the half marathon 1:13:20. Wow, what a start. I was pretty pleased with that split, but with the way I was feeling, I was also pretty scarred. The feeling for miles 13-14 can be summed up in this statement, “****.” Use your imagination on that one. Mile 14 was the beginning of an uphill stretch and was clocked in 5:47. Jon French had a huge lead.

Mile 15 was the major hill in this race as the course climbed up by Battery Park. Over the course of the race I acknowledged everyone that cheered for me, and I heard a variety of things. “Go Tufts, Go Jumbos, Go number 17, Go Nate, Go tall guy!” However, on the hill my Aunt Dodie was cheering for me and was less than three feet away, and I couldn’t respond. This really was a rough patch for me. As I went up the hill I knew I was struggling, and my split showed it (6:01). At the top of the hill David had a water bottle and a GU packet waiting for me. This was a) unexpected and b) huge. I dumped a majority of the water on my head and took only a portion of the strawberry flavored GU. As I moved away from the downtown area of the city I noticed that stretch in front of me appeared to be a straight-shot. At this point I could still see Jon French and now was able to catch a glimpse of Mark Stickley again. In fact, at some point Stickley was passed by French as I neared the 16 mile mark. After a slightly up-hill mile I went through the marker at 5:56. It was at this point though; things would change…….forever!

At about the 16 mile mark my body started coming alive again. I couldn’t tell you exactly when it happened, but it was around 16. Immediately I started cranking things again, and the course went from slightly uphill to like a bowling alley. I could now clearly see Stickley (45 years old, and a former 2:17 marathoner) and I knew I was going to catch him. My 17^th mile was dialed in at a 5:42, and things were looking up. My only concern was the structure of the course. At this point in the race the course goes in and out of some Burlington neighborhoods. This is kind of cool, because people are straight chillin in their driveways as you run by, but it also means a lot of tight turns. To make a long story short, these turns hurt. I likely lost a few seconds per mile in these neighborhoods, because my tall lanky frame did not respond well to said turns. As a result I did not catch Stickley until roughly 18-19 miles. My 18^th mile ended up at 5:48 as I stayed a float and drew closer to the finish. Mile 19 operated in much of the same way, as I finally caught Mark Stickley and moved into 7^th place. My split on 19 was a true gem at 5:41, and I put him away for good. My body was a wreck, but I was moving and things weren’t that bad. Was there more good fortune in store for me?

On my 20^th mile I must have lost a little focus or encountered something, because I lost a little momentum. I can’t remember too much, but I do remember moving up. My split was a little slower after the 19 mile gem, but still steady at 5:47. The thing I kept holding on to was the last 4-5 miles, which took place on a bike path. I knew that if I could get to the last part I would be fine. As I approached 21 miles I came up on a blast from the past, Chuck Terry. This was one of the guys that took off on me at 7-8 miles and performed what I call an “arrogant” move. Now Chuck Terry is probably an awesome person and a hardworking runner, but even he has to admit, his move was a bad idea. I might be unfair for placing the blame on him, but he had run this race before, he knew better. I went by him pretty quickly and immediately focused on putting him away. My 21^st mile was run in 5:44, and then in a surprising twist of events I would see two more guys right in front of me. Like magic both Jon French and Erik Malmstrom both appeared out of nowhere. I can’t remember who I passed first, but I know Erik was walking and Jon French had a pretty short stride. I seized the opportunity as I turned into the bike path with a 5:39 22^nd mile. All of a sudden I was in fourth place and moving away.

On my 23^rd mile I came back down to earth as I clocked a 5:52. I started to cramp a little in my legs, and I had trouble keeping focus. I was literally just trying to hold on at this point. At about 23.5 I got the surprise of a lifetime as I ran through Leddy Park. I could hear something as I approached, but only with them starring me straight in the face did I accept the reality. There was a live band, and they were playing “Don’t Stop Believing.” Emotionally I couldn’t handle this, as that song was featured as my cell phone ring and has been an anthem of sorts for my first year in Washington. So overcome with emotion I began clapping my hands and even pointed out to the kids at the water stop, “Hey, they’re playing Journey, it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be!” What a wack job, no surprise as to why I slowed down a little.

Mile 24 was a 5:49 as I remained steady and in survival mode. There was no one around me, it was hot, and I really wanted to stop running. Although my splits were good and I could keep running them I wanted it to be over. The 25^th mile was more of the same as I came up on a hand-crank guy and actually started racing him. I missed the 25^th marker because I was too busy trying to show him what was up. Just kidding, we had a nice chat, specifically about Journey. As I drew closer to the finish I asked everyone on the bike path how much of a lead I had on 5^th place. Most people looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently there wasn’t anyone there. This made me feel great, and took a lot of the pressure off as I headed down the stretch. I was going to enjoy my run through the park.

The 26 mile was pretty awesome as I knew that 4^th place was going to be mine, and that in all likelihood I was breaking 2:30. As I approached the 26 mile marker the course came through the Waterfront Park and through a sizeable crowd of people. I could hear the announcers talking about me, and just before making the final turn I clicked my watch. Miles 25 & 26 were awesome at a combined 11:23, and I had a chance at breaking 2:29. I tried to kick it in, but each time I pushed my legs they started to lock up. I decided to concede my late goal of breaking 2:29, and instead relished the chance to showboat like a division one basketball player. As I neared the finished I started popping my jersey, and let everyone know where I went to school, Tufts University. I always wanted to do that.

I crossed the line in 2:29:09 and in fourth place, nearly two minutes in front of fifth. I took off my chip and hugged my dad who was waiting at the line. It really was amazing, I finished my first marathon, and I finished it well. I managed to shuffle my way over to the Key Bank VIP area with my family (courtesy of my Uncle David), and finally got to sit down. Shortly after sitting down I was summoned on stage for an interview with the radio announcers. They kept telling me that I did a great job, and that if I wanted 2:19 I could get it (more on that later). I managed to drink a lot of Gatorade, sit down some more, and even chatted with race winner Matt Pelletier, runner-up Michael Wardian, and NESCAC legend Ben Peisch (you should read his Celtics blog, it’s awesome). After checking out with the race officials I learned that I had scored a $500 pay day for my efforts, more the covering my expenses for the trip.

It was great to have so much of my family at the finish, as my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents were all there for me. Also, my main man David Lantman, a current Burlington resident and Merrimack Valley Alum was also a huge help. I have received numerous calls, e-mails, and facebook messages about the race and I appreciate everyone’s support. I only hope that I can return the favor when you all rock it out in some fashion.

I have so much more to say in terms of post-race goals and reflection, but that will have to wait. Already, this post is a six page document in Microsoft Word, and has taken a couple of weeks for me to put together. I promise there will be more incite, but until then, thank you and enjoy.

Running Smart by Accident

2008-06-03T07:08:00.001-07:00

Well, sorry for the delay on my report, but it is coming. I am trying to do a really detailed account of my training/eating/hydrating leading up the marathon, the actual race, and my post race feelings. This process is taking a lot of time as I am currently swamped with my summer job. I will spoil the surprise by saying that I finished 4th overall at the Vermont City Marathon running 2:29:09. It was a pretty amazing day, and overall I am more than pleased with my effort. Also, I would like people to consider the following statement:

The Celtics are in the NBA Finals.

Again.

The Celtics are in the NBA Finals.

Tanking It

2008-05-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's getting close to the Vermont City Marathon, a little over a week away at this point. I guess that means it is time to start tanking. Actually I have been a little like the 2006-07 Boston Celtics and have been tanking for some time now. One of my major problems in college (arrived at by a lot of self-reflection and analysis) is that I did not take recovery seriously enough. Instead of allowing my body the proper time to heal after strenuous workouts or runs I would instead continue to beat it up. Now, there is a certain amount of "gutting it out" that has to occur in order to achieve success. I can't spend more time recovering than working hard, that just doesn't make sense to me. However, I can't just drive myself in to the ground either. Overall, I have made adjustments that I think will pay dividends next weekend.

First, I want to shed some light on my mentality leading up to this year. This an example of a typical cycle I would run in college. I would like to state at this time, that this is a bad idea.

Saturday: 8k Cross Country Race, 12 miles total for day
Sunday: Long Run 16-17 miles
Monday: Recovery Run 11 miles
Tuesday: Grafton workout (5-8k worth of work), 12 miles total
Wednesday: Recovery Run 10-11
Thursday: Over-distance run (aka Charles Street Thursday), 13 miles
Friday: 8 mile pre-race run
Saturday: 8k Cross Country Race. 12 miles total for day
Repeat

So, for a second lets examine some of the finer points of this schedule. First I "love" the idea of racing, then doing a long run, then one recovery day before a workout. What's fantastic is that during one of my years we raced, did a long run, then ran our workout on Mondays. Speechless. At what point did we think we were gaining anything from a) the race b) the long run or c) the workout? The concept of recovery in this schedule is non-existent.

Above I wrote "Recovery Run 11 miles" because some of us actually believed we were recovering on those days. Now I am not saying that we should have tanked our mileage on those days, but it we should have taken it easier. Training pace was always estimated on our team at 7 minute-per-mile pace. I have news for my fellow Jumbos, it was faster. We probably rolled most days at 6:30 and didn't even know it. Now, it's ok to train that fast, but on recovery days we should have been running 7:15 pace. I acknowledge that I am to blame for this. I didn't know this was a bad idea, and looking back I would have trained a little slower on "easy days."

Another thing to think about was our idea that taking it easy the day before a race made a difference. Well, no. In fact all this did throw me off my rhythm. At one point Matt Lacey and I decided to run at least 10 the day before a race for a few weeks, it made no difference at all. This was purely a mental ruse designed to trick us into believing that we allowed out bodies to recover. (Sorry for the run-on sentence) On another occasion Peter Bromka and I ran 13+ around Watertown at 7pm the night before a race (in 5 degree weather) and experienced few side-effects, besides bombing a 3k/5k the next day of course. However I don't blame that run, I blame the 90 miles we ran that week without recovery, combined with the expectation that we would "just train through it." Note to everyone, "just training through it" is the biggest excuse in the world, one I am not above using of course. Somehow we have to justify the fact that we were'nt on our A-Game that day, so why not blame the training, it's an easy target. However, I was and still am the idiot who decided to go out and do said training and had high expectations.

This is another thing that in reflection I f0und particularly frustrating, my inability to set realistic expectations. During my four years of high-school, college, and even now I see the ultimate goal as being a time when I can go out and run my best any day and everyday. Not only that, but that I should win all of the time, and that if I am not winning or surprising the hell out of everyone, I haven't done a good job. So my options were/are to either a) set a pr b) beat someone much better than me c) thoroughly dominate my competition or d) bomb the race from fear of failure. Guess which one happened the most, that's right you guessed it. (see: every nationals race not held at St. Olaf) This is worth entirely separate reflection piece, but seriously, why couldn't I just allow myself to race within myself on a regular basis? Unfortunately I can't put the answer in to words, but here is a story that might help explain it.

When I was a freshman in high school I won my first outdoor track race at the first meet. It was an away meet at Goffstown and I won the 3200m run in a blazing 10:45 (I think). From what I remember I lapped almost the entire field, including our team's supposed best 2-miler. After I finished the race my mom was so excited and hugged me, she couldn't believe I beat everyone like that. To tell you the truth I couldn't either. Then she hands a cellphone to me so I can talk to my father. The first thing out of my father's mouth was, "so what was your time?" "10:45," I responded. "Eughh," he said. Now I love my dad, but after winning my first race in high school you think he would have been a little bit more excited. I joke about this story with him today, because in the end his reactions helped me from ever becoming complacent. At the same time I have difficulty appreciating certain accomplishments as well. So, I'm a mental case, we all are.

Now, where are we, oh yeah recovery. So for my marathon prep I have frequently built in recovery days after long runs, as well as spacing my workouts between long runs adequately. The other huge key is daily training pace. During the fall I was running pretty hard on my daily runs. Even early this winter I was out there hammering too hard. So, after reading a great article on letsrun about training, I decided to slow down out there. To make a long story short, this worked out. I am not going to say I felt great out there everyday, but my long runs always seemed to go well. Simply put, I started to listen to my body a little bit better. Instead of worrying about what my totals looked like on the mileage log, I worried about how I felt. Now, that's not to say I didn't care about my totals, but I rested when I needed rest.

So, the taper plan I am using can be found in a book called "Advance Marathon Training" by former Olympian Pete Pfitzinger. So far, it's working out well. Two Sunday's ago I did my "dress rehearsal" tempo run. This run consisted of a 1 mile warm-up, then 20 miles hard, then a mile cool down. Now, the plan was to run the first 10 at 6 min pace, and try to run the second 10 at 5:45 pace. Instead I went out at 5:39 and was never able to get in rhythm. In the end I averaged 5:47 for 20 miles and finished just under 1:56 for my total time. I probably ran too hard, but after going out in 5:39 I found it difficult to keep slowing down. Following that run I felt terrible for a couple of days, and even took a day off. I tried a tempo run that next Thursday and could only make it through three miles before pulling the plug. Simply put, my body wasn't ready for it. A couple days later I ran a 17 mile long run at 7:10 pace and things felt better. Yesterday was my last "workout" and consisted of 5x1000 at 3:00 with 400m jog rest. This was not easy, but not really that hard either. I have a short tempo planned for next week, designed to keep my legs moving prior to the marathon but overall my work is done.

So, what does all of my blabbering sum up to? I don't know, but I guess we'll find out next week.

Movie Madness Weekend

2008-04-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend I shot my final project for Production II, a short film entitled Calculus. First off, a special thanks go out to my cast (Jeff Lee, Anthony Brenneman, and Ariana Hodes) and crew (Claire Darby, Dustin Harrison-Atlas, and JP Eason) for their help in making it all happen. Also, shout-outs should go to Larry Engel, the AU MPC Equipment Room, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and Laura Murray for their guidance and assistance.

Wow, what a process this was. The other night I compared the experience to that of a cross-country national meet. You spend so much time thinking about and preparing for this one day or moment, then when it comes it's like , "wow, I can't believe this is actually happening." This feeling overtook me about five times within the first hour of shooting on Saturday. I was both excited and nervous; because in the end my name is attached the final product.

I have working on this project since the beginning of the semester but more recently put a lot of time and thought into the final logistics of the production. You'd be surprised how many pieces there are to a seven minute short film. To make a long story short, it isn't as simple as showing up with a few actors, a camera, and some microphones. It starts with an idea, then moves to a script, then a better a version of the script, then a final version of the script, location scouting and approval, finding actors beats, creating shot lists, attending casting sessions (props to Claire and Dan for their organization of this), production schedules, finalizing a crew, script rehearsal, equipment reservations, and finally shooting the actual film. What's great is that I did all of these things, and for the most part did them well. However, I am not striving for a job "well" done. I seek higher standards of organization, planning, and production that I will only achieve after multiple attempts in the film/video world. So on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being my highest possible standards, I give my performance a 6.5. Ultimately I think it will turn out awesome, but I still have a lot to learn. Below is a recap of my production weekend. Reader will find some of things I learned, in what was the most educational experience of my second semester.

Friday Pre-Production Wrap-Up
After having script read-through with my cast on Tuesday I was able to finalize some of the final changes to my script. This allowed me to finalize a shot list and move towards the final details for production. These final details included equipment, materials, and location preparation. I started my day off early by arriving at school shortly after 9am. This allowed me to pickup my equipment early (20 total items!!) from the AU Media Production Center, guaranteeing the use of a DVX-100 for my production. Of the camera's available to me at this point, the DVX-100 is pretty decent and allowed my DP (Director of Photography) and I to shoot in 24P. In addition to that I got everything else under the sun including three microphones and various other toys.

After equipment pick-up I made trips to Trader Joe's and Staples for a few materials. Trader Joe's helped supply a few snacks for the cast and crew (primarly Cats Chocolate Cookies), while Staples provided me with batteries and Summerbridge favorite, blue-tape. After running around Bethesda I was able to go home and do a final edit on a script due in one of my other classes. Just before my afternoon class I typed a quick e-mail to my cast and crew, assuring them that the weather forecast (thunderstorms) would not deter my current plan. Fast-forward three hours later, I was done class and still finalizing little details for Saturday. Somehow I squeezed in an eight mile run, watched a little NBA playoffs, cooked dinner, finished making my shot lists an bulletin board materials, and did a final equipment check. Oh, but wait. The final equipment check wasn't so simple. Of the 20 items I took from the equipment room, not one was a lighting kit. This was an awful feeling. I needed a lighting kit and the rumor was that the equipment room had a waiting list. Luckily after a few calls to classmates, one of my crew members (Yay Claire!) had one for the weekend. This saved me from an early death. I was able to get to bed around 1:30am, looking forward to my 7:45am alarm.

Shoot Recap 4.26
On Saturday I scheduled four scenes to be shot. Three were outdoors, the last in an academic building hallway. The weather prediction was scatter t-storms, I got a bright sunny day. As Grady Little would say, "Who knew?" Things started off pretty slow. Everyone told me to budget more time for setup, and I thought I had added enough. It turns out I was wrong. The first scene, budgeted for 2 hours, lasted just under four hours. By 12:30 we were running a full scene behind schedule. Issues with sound equipment and the need for more time with my actors contributed to a stressful beginning. However, I pulled it together and tried to proceed as planned. After lunch I attempted to get back on schedule and did just that. I shifted the missed scene to the end of the day and went on to the third location. After re-focusing things went a lot smoother, and we subsequently finished the day on time. (Special thanks should go out to Genna Duberstein for her help on the bulletin board, as I had zero time to prepare it for the shoot.) My first full day of shooting ended at approximately 6:40pm, with all four scenes shot. After getting home around 7:15 I was flat out exhausted and still had a lot of prep-work for the following day. As a result I took the day off from running (GASP!) and focused on my project. I had to be in bed earlier than the last few nights, as I planned to race a 10k at 8am the next morning. This was of course prior to a noon start time for day two of my production. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, I'm pretty brilliant.

Race/Shoot Recap 4.27
Sunday started off at 6:15am with a quick bowl of cereal and a commute to Gaithersburg MD. Only about 30 minutes away, I was able to get to the race in plenty of time for packet pickup and a solid warm-up. I had figured this race would be pretty dead in terms of a talent pool, as there was another big race in DC at the same time. While doing striders at the line it seemed the competition was a little weak until five minutes before the gun. Then, all of a sudden the entire nation of Kenya showed up at the line. Pardon my political incorrectness, but seriously, nine runners of African-descent came out of nowhere. Fantastic. Westchester Track Club decided to crash this cash party, and all of a sudden my guaranteed payday was in serious jeopardy. With money going out to the top 10 ($200 for 10th place, which was pretty awesome), I knew this was going to be a little tough. The gun goes off and I find myself in a pack of nine Africans and Michael Wardian. The race went out quick, because the 10k was down-hill at many points during the race. I opened with a 4:47 and was within striking distance of the Westchester guys, but then they decided to run 29 minutes. So, about eight of them ran away from me like I was a freshman and they were the seniors, leaving me with one guy the size of Bekele and of course Wardian. I managed to drop Wardian and ran the next three miles with Tariku Aboset. At about five miles he decided he wanted no part of my long legs down the stretch of this race and ghosted me for about 400m. At six miles I was in 10th place and had comfortable lead on Wardian. With the last 400m being downhill I ran a 56 and somehow managed to break 31. Here were my splits for the race (4:47, 4:52, 5:03, 5:03, 5:04, 5:06, 56) for a total time of 30:54. It was a pretty good effort considering a huge lack of sleep and a recent upswing on my my training. I figure with some more freshness and I might have been able to run about 20-30 seconds faster, but I am not going to play the woulda, coulda, shoulda game. I ran what I ran. Overall a good race and I scored $200.

I got home with plenty of time to prep for the shoot, as I left before the awards ceremony. It was a little strange rushing out of there so quick, but I had to do it. The night before I had set up all of the lights and gear in an attempt to make things easier on the crew. With the shoot being at my apartment life was going to be much easier on day two. Everyone showed up on time and we got to work right away. However, we still managed to start running behind schedule. Most of the time was spent lining up a good "master shot"and working with my actors. Jeff, my lead actor, was huge. I learned so much from his preparation for the role and his attention to detail. I'll have more later on my improvements in my next post, but overall I wish could have directed him better and with more focus. I guess it comes down to me filling multiple rolls. Ideally I would be just the director, and my only job would be to work with my actors. After massive amounts of prep time, we finally got rolling. We knocked out the three remaining scenes and finished at 7:00pm. After cleaning up and a Chinese food feast our day came to a close. Again, I was pretty exhausted and ready for bed.

So that was my weekend. I'll try to write some more about my final thoughts on the process. Oh yeah, and maybe I'll actually tell people what the film is about.

Alyssa and BU

2008-04-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Per request:

I would like to announce that my sister, an exceptional student-athlete at Springfield College, was recently accepted to Boston University for graduate school. She will likely be entering their two year social work masters program, and live the dream.

I would also like to mention that I also applied to Boston University for graduate school. However, unlike my sister I did not meet their standards for acceptance. Kudos to her, send mad props.

In her honor I am going to create a list of qualities that make her a fantastic person, likely the reasons she was accepted to BU:

- Ability to cry a full five seconds after injury. The pause before the crying is truly a gift, one Alyssa has mastered. Don't believe me, I've got some great video.

- Ability to run barefoot in the snow during the winter and make faces at our neighbor's house. This turned out to be especially important when the ignored us for almost two full years. Again, there is a video out there.

- Ability to mimic the theme music to a cult tv classic, "My So-Called Life." Go now, Go.

- Ability to toss soda cans from a two story window (after stabbing them with a fork). She may have had some help with this, but it was none-the-less impressive.

- Ability to relate fashion statements to pop music. My favorite example: Alyssa once said "Then people started wearing their shirts like this (tucked in) and they came out with a group called Ace of Base." One question remains for me, who is "they"?

- Ability to pick out amazing Christmas gifts. When I was in 7th grade I received a copy of a Janet Jackson single (on tape). It was "what I always wanted."

- Ability to dress up like a starwars character at the request of her brother. There is a great photo of this above. She actually let me tie two bundles of sox to her head so she would look like Princess Leia. Always a willing participant.

- Ability to solve problems. Once she took our emergency key and didn't have the time to put it back in it's proper place. So, instead she put it (and this is brilliant), under the door mat. This was great, as I got locked out the next day and had no way of getting in. When my dad pulled in the driveway that February day, he was also impressed with Alyssa's problem solving skills.

- Ability to balance (standing) on a water tube (occupied by me might I add) while singing Ace of Base's hit single "All that She Wants."

- Ability to wear an eye-patch. It's been a while but I know she's capable.

- Ability to hum the theme from Home Alone and get others to join in. She also does a killer Beyonce impression.

Simply put my sister is an awesome person. There is no one I would rather have as a sister and I am extremely proud of all her accomplishments. Love you Lyss and congratulations.

The Warm Has Arrived and Other New Changes

2008-04-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

If there was any doubt about Spring having begun in D.C., the debate is now over. The last few days have no shifted my daily running wardrobe to simply shorts, socks, and shoes. That's right folks, it's time to work on the tan out there. In addition to the weather I have other topics I would like to discuss. Below (in bullet points) are some current thoughts of mine.

- Where have I been? After the Super Bowl loss my blog concept lost serious steam. To be honest I couldn't handle writing anything for a while. I really enjoy writing about sports, but for the longest time I couldn't even look at anything Patriots related. Now, I would say that I am over it. I have put what was an amazing season behind me, and am going to move forward. By the way I am writing you would think I believe I am actually part of the team. Sometimes it feels like that.

- Do I find Blogs cliche? Yes I do, but do I think I am too good for them? Certainly not. The thing for me is to find a real purpose to having this blog. Before it was to write about sports and other things, now? (this brings me to my next point)

- What does the future hold? Dare I say, anything. I would like this to be a place where I post some stuff about my feelings on sports, my current level of training, and my experiences with film school. Will there be wild cards, of course, but when you think about it, those three topics should fill the space.

- Quick Sports Hits: The NBA playoffs start this weekend. I for one am excited. I started getting back into the NBA last season as the Celtics amassed the league's 2nd worst record. This year I was rewarded for following that dreadful squad, as they did a complete 180 and earned the league's best mark. There will be more about the NBA soon, but wow, I can't wait to see some of these games. Early prediction on my end has the Suns and Celtics in the finals. The Red Sox are just starting out so I am not ready to get into freak out mode about them. If I was home listening to WEEI everyday I would be debating whether or not we should trade Bucholz. Instead, I am taking it all in and learning to appreciate the concept of National League baseball. Last week I went to a Washington National's game at their new stadium. Unfortunately I didn't see a solid bunt or 10 sac flies, but I did see a pitcher get a hit. You have to love small ball. Also, I drafted Manny Ramirez in my fantasy keeper league. You could make an argument that was the best decision of my year. As for the Pats, time to get ready for the draft. I still have a weird feeling in my stomach about them. I don't think I can handle another last minute loss in the Super Bowl. If I had my say in the draft room I am going after a corner, because Ellis Hobbs isn't getting it done. I like Jenkins out of South Florida, but he is not top-ten pick material. Maybe they can trade down.

-Running Update: Training is going well. I have been putting in pretty decent mileage for most of the year. My totals look a little off because of some days off in the last month, but the quality is definitely there. This week I am on pace for 84 miles, which would be my second highest of the year. Some people may be aware that I recently signed up for the Vermont City Marathon (Memorial Day Weekend '08) and that it's the current focus of my training. My races this winter/spring have been excellent thus far: 31:22 - 10k in February, 24:57 - 8k in March, and a 51:02 - 10 mile just two weeks ago. Workouts have been a big part of this as I have stepped up the quality, pushing myself with more volume (28x400 in 70 w/35sec rest, 10x1000 in 3:01-03 w/ 2min rest, 4x3200 9:55-59 w/ 3min rest). Long runs have also been crucial, as 18-20 miles on Sunday is now a staple. In the coming weeks I will look to do a few more workouts, race a 10k on the roads, and do my dress-rehearsal run. I am sure to feature more posts on this and my upcoming taper for the marathon.

-Film School Update: I am currently working on my final project. I'll spare you all the details at this moment, but planning is going well. I am scheduled for two days of shooting next weekend, and I can't wait to get it off my plate. Recently I have been helping others with their final projects for the semester and working on a documentary script for my writing class. I also do some photoshop work for my digital imaging class. I'll get more into this stuff, but right now it is all up in the air.

-Returning to NH: I am flying home for my mom's graduation on the weekend of the 10th in May. I can't wait.

Don't Stop Believin....

2008-02-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

Yes it hurts. The Pats blew Super Bowl XLII. The Giants won and Eli straight up played great. Writing those words is difficult, but a reality. No game past or present can or will change what occurred last night. This one will hurt for a while. My congratulations to my friends who are Giants fans. It feels great to watch your favorite team with a championship, and I am truly jealous that my team was not the one to do it this year. With that said, I hope the team can recover and give it another shot next year. This is what happens when you get greedy. For the first 10 weeks of the season I didn't care about going undefeated, then something changed. I wanted 19-0. Now it's 18-1, a chilling sound. I refuse to stop believing though. Climbing the top of the mountain is not easy, and it should not be. To next year we go. Just had to get that out there.

On the exit ramp...

2008-01-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on the divisional round and the upcoming conference championships...

I have seem to lost Mercury Morris' cell number, does anyone have it? I just wanted to let him know the Pats were getting off the highway and are nearing his neighborhood. I really don't like him.
The Jags played really well on Saturday, but their receivers needed to catch a few more balls in the second half. Dennis Northcutt anyone?
Is anyone else loving the Patriots "half time adjustments?" In Bill we trust.
Did anyone else see how upset Wes Welker got after dropping that ball? You would have thought we were down by 11. I love it.
Asante played pretty poorly. David Garrard was picking on him all night.
The Green Bay game really was something to watch. Although it turned out to be kind of a blowout, it was my 2nd favorite game of the weekend. Football in the snow is an amazing thing, my thanks to Favre for making it special on Saturday.
The Seahawks must have read my predictions, they gave up out there.
So, all those people who thought the Cowboys would be the team to upset New England are feeling really smart this week. Of course I am surprised at how well the Giants are playing, but the real shock was the passive approach by Dallas. They were sleepwalking in the second half.
You have to love Jerry Jones and his guest sideline appearance at the end of the game. I am sure he really calmed down the players.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Eli Manning has turned the corner. I think we are going to see more of this from him.
Ok, I can't keep a straight face. No way.
T.O.?????????? Tears??????????? Team????????
With the exception of New England there isn't a more talented team than San Diego. Position-by-position they are stacked both offensively and defensively. Even with the back ups they still have solid players out there.
What was Manning doing at the end of the game? That was an awful pass to Dallas Clark to end the game.
I have the same feeling as when the Indians beat the Yankees this fall to advance to the ALCS. I wanted Red Sox-Yankees Armageddon, I wanted Patriots-Colts.
I hate the Chargers. *(See initial column)
I have been about .500 on my predictions so far, but my champion is still intact. I think Green Bay wins easily, and New England wins a tight one. I am not sleeping on San Diego folks, they are good, just not ready to beat a healthy Patriots team at Gillette.

Don't fret, feasting on San Diego will be just as satisfying.

2008 Has Beens Preview

2008-01-14T15:57:00.001-08:00

Tufts Alumni have traditionally stayed in shape. In the past they could always be counted on for the occasional scare at the Alumni Run each Fall, and perhaps a thought or two at an indoor meet as an unattached runner. In fact, Alumni Run 2002 saw the Alumni beat the undergraduate team at what is now now known as the Alumni Massacre. As a member of that under-manned team I thought it was a freak occurrence. However, I was wrong. It seems as though the fruits of Tufts XC recruiting haul over the past 5-10 years are starting to ripen for a new team, Team Alumni. Never before has the mid-winter classic, the Has Beens Mile been, met with such anticipation. Why, you ask? Because this time, the Alumni have the goods. This time the Alumni are the balls. This time the Alumni just might be better than the actual team.

On the heels of our victory at the 2007 Alumni Run, we are ushering in a new era for Tufts. An era when even a nationally ranked team cannot defeat its own legendary past. The best part is we will be welcoming new studs each year. Talk about a premier feeder program. Recently a strong Alumni squad has added the likes of Myself, Matt Lacey, Josh Kennedy, Brian McNamara, Mike Don, and Justin Lewis.......the list goes on and on. Consider that the Alumni Track meet held this weekend that both the mile and two mile were won by Tufts Alumni. Consider that the top 3k time over the past two years was run by Matt Lacey at a BU mini Meet. Consider that of all the races this Saturday everyone will be watching the Has Beens Mile.

Now, let's get on with the predictions. I am going to write this similar to Bill Simmons and his rankings for the NFL. I will use some sports references and I may say a few ridiculous things. Please remember this is all in fun and I love you all. Really.

The "Old School" Group:

Jason Burke, Steve Kaye, Matt Lyons, Ethan Danahy, and Rod Hemingway
I know Jason Burke can probably smoke us all at the marathon any day, but I have never seen him show up to this mile. The others, although great in their day, are not ready for the speed that awaits this Saturday. I want to make sure I give credit to those who built the foundation, so to the Old School, you guys are awesome.

The Ann Arbor group

Matt Greenhawt
"Still cashing checks his body can't write, and happily ducking this event for the 10th consecutive year." - (his words)

The "I've got kids" Group:

Justin Lewis
I am not sure an explanation is necessary, but he is a legend.

The "As Clutch as Tom Brady" Group:

Matt Theodoros
I tell people all the time that there are two people I am scared to death of, one is Shug Knight the other is Gary Sheffield. In the same respect there are two people I would trust my life with if I were on the Titanic and it was sinking, Tom Brady and Matt Theodoros. You know both are coming out on top.

The "Wild-Cards" Group:

Neil Orfield and Kyle Doran
These guys would make it interesting if they actually planned to race. As far as I know Doran is chilling with the Duke Lacrosse team and Orfield is still trying to sell a Jim Rice baseball card to a blind kid on Ebay.

The "They're still smarter" Group:

John Murphy and Dan Barry
Did I just write that?

The "Righteous" Group:

Peter Bromka and Zachary Chrisco
Still celebrating the World Series victory. Check in next year.

The "What if they showed up" Group:

Ben Smith, J.R. Cruz, and Lauren Caputo
A great group of people and an amazing group of runners. Under no circumstances am I going to count out my mentors Cruz and Smith. Unless of course it comes to picking movies, in which case Ben "I think Crash is terrible" Smith might have to take back seat. (For the record Crash won the Academy Award for best picture) As for Caputo, ask JLew.

The "It's too bad he isn't healthy" Group:

Aaron Kaye
Last year's runner-up and arguably the best long-middle distance* runner in Tufts history. One thing is for sure you might want him as a roommate but you don't want him hanging around down the stretch of a mile. *(1000/1200m distances)

The "I almost forgot he graduated" Group:

Josh Kennedy
He probably won't take this seriously, but what if he did? WHAT IF HE DID?

The "I have no idea what they are capable of" Group:

Mike Don, Slams, and Mike Cummings
Each of these guys put up some times over the winter break. Each of these guys is tough and they all live together. Personally, I think they might be planning a group attack with Neil Orfield. It makes too much sense at this point. Out of the group I give Mike Don the nod, he is still a stud.

The "200m to go and you better have a gap on them" Group:

Adam Sharp and Matt Fortin
Although some will maintain that Adam Sharp's kick is not what it used to be, I am still a believer. I have seen him ghost too many people over the years to take him lightly. Fortin, yeah, you all remember him, he's fresh this weekend. The point is, don't let this thing go out in 3:30 for the 1200.

4.) The "Contenders" Group:

Andy Bonventre
Having made huge strides (literally and figuratively), Andy Bons is ready to compete with some elite Alumni talent. Having run 4:24 as recent as last week, he is poised to give the top group a run. Ultimately Bons is talented enough to win this race, and capable of mixing it up at the front. His best race is a fast even split one where his exceptional speed comes into play late. Unfortunately a seasoned field and traditionally uneven race do not bode well for his victory chances. He might be the second best miler in the field, but not on this day.

3.) The "I am a 10k Runner" Group:

Nate Brigham
I had a great 2007 with the exception of October. I am definitely stronger, and with a bunch of good races on the roads more confident. I think I can win Saturday, but with the way I see the race playing out, it isn't likely. I have the strength to hang until the last lap but lack the top end speed of others. It will be interesting to see what I can do in a fresh mile, but I keep remembering 2006 when I was out maneuvered by:

2.) The "Call Me the New York Giants" Group:

Brian McNamara
No one doubts his talent, but did anyone see this coming? He has put together a good series of races for a moderate training log. Workouts and indoor air exposure are huge pluses for this law student. He might not have the most fitness, but for the mile he is money. I would pick him to win this strategic race, except for.....

1.) The Juggernaut:

Matt Lacey
I saw the 8:28 a few weeks ago, it was awesome. I know I am not ready to run that fast and neither is anyone else. He may not have some of the leg speed of Bons and Mac, but he will attempt to out grind us all. I may be the one who lasts longest with him, but ultimately that will leave me as prey for a fast finishing McNamara. Once again Lacey is the class of the Alumni team, but this time he will show it. Lacey has worked hard and he will race hard this Saturday.

Has Beens or Who's Now?

2008-01-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

Per request I will be writing a preview for next week's Tufts Alumni Has Beens Mile. It will break down the key competitors and my prediction for the race. Although this blog currently covers the NFL playoffs I will make an exception.

Still surprised about Eli.

Wild Card Round Up

2008-01-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

So I went 2-4 on the wild card games. Not exactly my finest weekend. However, I will say that I was a 4th and 2 away from hitting 3-4. Here are some bullet thoughts about the games:

Still a believer in David Garrard? He may have made the key play in 4th quarter, but he played awful for most of the game. The Steelers were handing them the victory in the first half, then they remembered who they were playing. I hate to say I called the David Garrard thing because I picked them to lose (and they didn't), but he isn't that great.
Totally surprised that Good-Eli showed up this weekend. Completely. Can he make it three weeks in a row? Probably not, but hey the Patriots did win the Superbowl in 2001-02 so anything is possible.
Apparently all you have to do is smack San Diego around a little and they play terrible. It's too bad Tennessee isn't really ready to compete with more talented teams.
I'll take Vince Young over Philip Rivers any day.
I'll take David Garrard over Philip Rivers as well.
Seattle is good and could beat Dallas. I just don't think they will go into Green Bay and beat an inspired Packer team.
Washington has serious potential but I feel like everyone has been saying that for years.
Indy beats San Diego still. New England now beats Jacksonville. Green Bay and Dallas will still advance.
Still surprised about Eli.

NFL Playoff Predictions 2007-2008

2008-01-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Recent History

2001-02: New England*

2002-03: Tampa Bay*

2003-04: New England*

2004-05: New England*

2005-06: New England

2006-07: New England

*=Actual Champion

NFL Playoff Predictions 2007-2008

*Disclaimer: This is really long, but a great read, so enjoy it even if you know what comes at the end. Trust me, you know.

Recent History

2001-02: New England*

2002-03: Tampa Bay*

2003-04: New England*

2004-05: New England*

2005-06: New England

2006-07: New England

*=Actual Champion

Wow, time really does fly. It feels like just yesterday I was huddled in a corner at the Salemwood School writing last year's column. It feels like just yesterday that Mother Nature decided to take the winter off. It feels like just yesterday that the New England Patriots were my favorite to win the Superbowl. Oh wait, that last part really WAS yesterday.

Anyway, welcome to my 2007-2008 NFL Playoff predictions column. I am expanding my audience this year, so for some of you this may be your first experience with my NFL logic. Others have been here from the beginning, as my first predictions were from the 2001-2002 post-season, the Patriots first Superbowl victory. To give all readers some history, over the last six years I have predicted four Superbowl champions just prior to the playoffs. Although I have fallen off the past two years, I have gotten pretty good at picking some of the other games. Last year I picked the AFC's top two seeds to choke, and they did. Baltimore got beat up by Indianapolis, and San Diego played like a bunch of babies against the Patriots. In the AFC championship I was a Reche Caldwell drop away from picking an eventual Superbowl champion. I will concede that my NFC bracket was a bit screwed up, but I did have the Saints making the NFC championship game. The bottom line is, I may or may not know what I am talking about, but if you have read this far you apparently care about my opinion.

I thought I might start off this year's column with something extra special. It dawned on me that while I watch Patriot games I often say a lot of ridiculous things. However, obscenities aside I usually fall back on one particular statement: "I hate the _(insert team name)_s!!!!" I figured it might be interesting to make a list of the NFL teams that I currently like and dislike. I was surprised to find that I dislike half of the league. I really thought it would be more like 80%. I guess I have let go of a lot of anger of the past six years, as my favorite team (New England) has won a few titles. Below are the top three teams that I like (besides the Patriots) and dislike around the league.

Like:

3) San Francisco 49ers: How could I not love this team? First they traded the Patriots a 2007 fourth round pick, the one they used to trade for Randy Moss. Next they bought up all of the sub-par free agents from last year. Then they lost 11 games this year, making the first round pick they traded to New England last year the seventh overall selection in this April’s draft. Wow, never has a bad team done so much good in one year.

2) Minnesota Vikings: I love Adrian Peterson. If I were Brad Childress (the head coach) I would run him every play. He is so big and so fast, he yet he moves like at ballerina. He set the single game rushing mark, as a ROOKIE!!! A few years ago my good friend Dave Lantman, an avid college football fan, told me that Peterson would be the best running back in the league his rookie year. He said this following Peterson’s freshman year of college. Turns out he was right, and the Vikings obviously heard our conversation.

1) Cleveland Browns: Derek Anderson is the man. He has “IT” folks. Watch him play, he has guts and a good head on his shoulders. The Browns will have a tough decision to make with Brady Quinn waiting, but Anderson is their man. Also, Braylon Edwards is a stud, he really deserved his Pro-Bowl nod at wide-receiver. Their coach is a former Patriots coordinator, Romeo Crennel, and man did he deserve this year. These guys are young, they’re hungry and they play with an attitude. It is a shame that they won 10 games and didn’t make the playoffs.

Honorable Mention: Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.

Dislike

3) Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are a talented team that continues to disappoint every year since 2000. The Patriots game was ridiculous, but their mouthing off afterwards was worse. They have no class and what’s worse, they still have Steve McNair. Two things they need to do: fire Brian Billick (done) and start Troy Smith next year. Also, it might be time to let Ray Lewis go, he is starting to annoy me.

2) Pittsburgh Steelers: I cannot stand Hines Ward and the following quote about the Patriots: “You look back in the past, and we played them in the championship games, and you kind of wonder. It seemed like they were a step ahead of us at all times.” You have to be kidding me. They take their lead from this guy? I guess the whole team is a bunch of smug, cocky, and classless individuals. Wow, the Steelers would be number one if it weren’t for the……

1) San Diego Chargers: There are so many things about the Chargers that bother me. But, LaDainian Tomlinson takes the cake. This guy claims to be all class but cannot take a loss with grace. He feels it necessary to attack other players and coaches in the media, specifically the Patriots. As the face of the franchise I associate him with the whole team. This says it all: “I think the Patriots live by the rule, ‘If you’re not cheating you’re not trying.” LT, you are awful.

Honorable Mention: Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans.

So, that is a rather involved look into my head. As you can see teams that pose no threat to my favorite team are my favorites. However, good teams, playoff teams are on my bad list. A full list of liked and disliked teams is available upon request. Now, let’s get down to business.

NFC

As per usual I start with the NFC. I do this because they are the weaker of the two conferences. Heard this before? The last six years I have been using the same line. By now you would think that it would be evened out, but it’s not close. The AFC is still much deeper and stronger than the NFC. In the early 90’s this wasn’t the case, but something changed. Personally, I think it was the Denver Broncos. They smacked the NFC around in two straight Super Bowls (98, 99). Despite clowning on the Patriots every time we play them I appreciate Denver’s contribution to the league. So, on with the wild card rounds. First, the Seattle Seahawks host the Washington Redskins. Having spent time in Washington this fall I can tell you the Redskins are an average football team. One week they can play the Eagles tight, the next they can get blown out 52-7 by the Patriots. They are coming to the table with a back-up quarterback and an aging coach. I think the Skins can play some defense and they run the ball well, but there is one problem for me. This team is on a serious roll, having won their last five games to get in the dance. This either backfires (see the Philadelphia Phillies 2007) or turns out awesome (see Colorado Rockies 2007). Seattle is a good team, being on the east coast nobody cares. Memo to everyone: Don’t sleep on the Seahawks. With a quarterback and a decent coach anything is possible. The defense may not be able to hold up against Dallas, but against Washington it will be enough. I pick the Seahawks 24-13. In the other wildcard (New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers) game I am not sure what to do. Like everyone I am wondering which Eli Manning is going to show up in Tampa Bay; the one who looks like a scared high school kid or the one who played like the second coming of well, Peyton Manning a week ago. I know everyone in the national media is writing about and talking about the same thing but it really is the key to this game. If Eli plays like he did against the Patriots the Giants can make the Super Bowl. Really, no joke. I like the Buccaneers in this game, because I trust Jeff Garcia over Eli Manning. Although I would like to see the Giants win, I think bad Eli shows up. Earnest Graham will run well and the defense will step up for Tampa. Buccaneers 30 - 13.

The next round will prove to be just as boring as the Buccaneers will face the Cowboys. The Cowboys are good, really good. There is one thing holding them back. Their coach, Wade Philips, is the football version of Grady Little. You might love the guy, but he is going to make some bad decisions you can’t ignore. Against the Patriots he said that he wanted to force Tom Brady to beat his team. Wow, that sounds like a great idea. I can’t even think of an analogy to that situation. Usually you don’t want to force the other team’s best player (who rises to the challenge 999 times out of 1000) to beat you. It’s kind of like playing Monkey Ball Soccer and putting down your controller with 10 seconds to go, up only 1 goal. Actually, it’s nothing like that. Cowboys beat the Buccaneers 31- 21. In the other divisional game, things get more exciting. Mike Holmgren returns to Green Bay in what might be the game of the playoffs. This will be a really exciting game, in the snow, in Green Bay. It is almost a Christmas Miracle, minus the Christmas part. I like Seattle a lot. I think they can win the NFC. Unfotunately Brett Favre is on the other side of the field, and I like him too. Ultimately it comes down to this, Hasselbeck is good and Favre is great. A tight game, with the Packers winning 17-10.

In the NFC championship only the strong survive. These two teams are the only two teams that have played good football in the NFC all year long. Both have gotten decent quarterback play, both have good defenses. The Cowboys are the better team. The Packers are the more likeable. For a while I thought Seattle would be here and would upset Dallas. I don’t see Green Bay doing that though. Romo is playing out of his mind this year, and have you seen his girlfriend. He is a 4.0 away from completing the perfect semester. The Packers are a young team, take away Favre and you have a lottery pick team. The NFC is boring, the Packers could spice it up, I just don’t think they will. Cowboys 42 – 23. Yawn.

AFC

Now, on to the fun stuff. Although not their dominant selves the AFC was still better. The Patriots are clearly the class of the league, with the Colts not too far behind. Norv Turner could only screw up the talented Chargers for so long, and the Steelers have too much pride to play poorly until at least December. Overall you are seeing the same things, more talent and better coaching in the AFC (minus Norv Turner). First, let me say this about the perfect season, I love it, but they aren’t out of the woods yet. If I hear anyone say that Indy is flying under the radar I am going to start watching the NHL. If you are the defending Superbowl champions, have a 13-3 record, and your quarterback is Peyton Manning you don’t fly anywhere. YOU ARE A TANK AND EVERYONE CAN SEE YOU. If you can’t see these guys coming you don’t watch football. Ok, on with the predictions. In the first round the San Diego Chargers will face the Tennessee Titans. San Diego is pretty talented, and LaDainian Tomlinson will run all over the Titans defense. Congrats to the Titans for making it this far, they are like the #16 seeds in the NCAA basketball tournament. Thanks for playing but buh-bye. This is pretty close to a guarantee, unless Philip Rivers implodes a round early. Chargers 35 - 6. In the other game the trendy-pick Jacksonville Jaguars face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Everyone in the media thinks the Jaguars pose a serious threat to the Patriots, and maybe they do. However, I am banking on the fact that they are already thinking about the Pats. With that kind of mentality they won’t make it out of the Pittsburgh. I don’t like the Steelers, but I do they can win and big over the Jaguars. There is a reason David Garrard isn’t recognized as one of the league’s best quarterbacks, and this game will show why. Big Ben has a big day and so does the defense, Steelers 28 – 14.

In the next round, the Indianapolis Colts will get a real test from the Chargers. Unfortunately for San Diego, the Colts will have all the answers. Indianapolis has slowly developed into a physical team. Mix that in with an always potent offense and a hall-of-fame coach you have a serious contender. Philip Rivers, the Chargers quarterback, is not ready for this. If it is possible to take a step back, he took a leap this season. He is shaky and not the leader I thought he would be. I like the Colts 30 – 16. Now in the real game, the Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers. At this point the Steelers are pumped because they took care of business against the Jaguars. The only problem is, Tom Brady really wanted to play the Jaguars. It is not a good idea to upset Tom Brady. If anyone thinks for a second that the Patriots don’t own Pittsburgh, you’re crazy. America already saw this game. In fact I am picking the same score. Anthony Smith I guarantee you get lit up, Patriots 34-13.

Wow, here we are again. A year later, a year wiser. I remember the day after the AFC championship in 2007. It was freezing, I did a morning run down at the Tufts outdoor track. I cursed Reche Caldwell and dreamed of better days. Those days came. The Patriots were literally four yards away from going to the Superbowl last year. One first down would have sealed the deal. However, sometimes the sacrifices are worth it. If they had won the Superbowl with Reche Caldwell, Troy Brown, and Jabar Gaffney there would be no Randy Moss, no Wes Welker, and certainly no 16-0. The Pats would have continued with the status quo. Woops! The Colts made this bed, now they are going to lay in it. In the re-match everyone wants to see, we get the performance we all want to see. Tom Brady throws five touchdowns, three to Moss. The Pats win in a great game, but not really a close one. Manning, he gives everyone in New England his favorite facial expression. Patriots 38-21.

Superbowl XLII

I think this is all you need to know about NFC teams. The following is a real poll question on coldhardfootballfacts.com. If the NFC Pro Bowl team played the 2007 Patriots in a 10-game series, how many would New England win? Would you believe that 70% thought the Patriots would win 5+ !! What!!@$#!@?? I love the Patriots but that should never happen. The Patriots have a salary cap, the NFC pro-bowl roster does not. The scary thing is, I agree. Normally I would say that it is outrageous, but in reality a majority of the AFC pro-bowl roster is comprised of Patriots. Wow, just had to share that with everyone. So who do I think wins? Come on, New England. They are hands down the greatest team of the modern era, possibly all-time. The Cowboys are a good team, and can play with the Patriots, but I just don’t see them winning. Patriots 31-26. Tom Brady MVP. Hats and t-shirts all around!!!