Thank you Boston Celtics, I love you.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Don't Stop Believing or Accidental Genius 2008
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”
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 2nd). To be brief, Wardian is a legend around
At 8:05 I stepped to the line and waited for the gun. Like it felt at
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 10th 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 17th 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
On my 20th 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 21st 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 22nd mile. All of a sudden I was in fourth place and moving away.
On my 23rd 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
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 25th mile was more of the same as I came up on a hand-crank guy and actually started racing him. I missed the 25th 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 5th 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 4th 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
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
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Running Smart by Accident
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.
The Celtics are in the NBA Finals.
Again.
The Celtics are in the NBA Finals.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tanking It
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Movie Madness Weekend
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.
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.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Alyssa and BU
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.
Friday, April 18, 2008
The Warm Has Arrived and Other New Changes
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.
- 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.
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