I'm not sure what has driven me back to the blog at this particular time. Maybe it is all the happenings going on in my life right now and maybe it is simple frustration release, since I am injured and can't run them out (I think we can all see no where this blog is heading ... haha). No matter what the reason may be though, right now, I simply feel the urge to share and open it all up for discussion.
We'll start with the obvious ... about a month ago, I broke my ankle. After 3 weeks of seeing manual therapists, rehab specialists, soft-tissue manipulators, etc. and convincing myself that the pain and swelling was merely a bone bruise/jammed ankle joint, I suffered the financial hit of going to the Ortho to get X-Rays/MRI's. The initial results of an X-Ray showed no fracture and gave me a little relief. From there I was sent for an MRI. The results were not good; A fully fractured Talus bone in my inner ankle. The radiologist and my Ortho were perplexed to say the least. For an athlete who has never had bone issues or a history of ankle injuries, it is very complicated to fracture your Talus bone without having fallen from a great height, been in a car accident or suffered some other trauma of the sorts. Not only that, but the reason it did not appear in the initial X-Ray is because the Fracture is internal, not peripheral, meaning that it broke straight through the center of the bone.
Now, being the critical thinker that I am, I have labored over and discussed with doctors as to how this could have happened. Weeks later, I feel I have come up with a culprit that at the least does the job of putting my wondering mind to rest. I do believe that mistakes were made on my part that led to this occurrence and unfortunately, those combined with other outside influences were enough to cause traumatic stress on my body. This issue, however, can and will be an entirely different post, and is a lesson that should be hard thought on by any athlete. The good news of all of this (if there is any ... and trust me, I dug for this) is that because the fracture is centric and not peripheral, the bone is in one piece. This means I avoided the possible displacement and deadening of the Talus that can frequently occur with this injury. In most cases, those issues will lead to much more severe results and a paralyzed athletic career. For me, this is not the case ... and I will be back!
For now, I have become a friend of the water and between swimming for 2,000-4,000m per day, aqua jogging for 30-60min, arm biking for 30-60min and maintaining strength through a truncated weight routine, I hope to exit the other side healthy and not a complete slouch.
One of the main things getting me through this injury and keeping my brain occupied is my impending move. Bitter-sweetly, I will be moving out of Austin in the coming month in order to be nearer to my girlfriend and take yet another step towards my future. While I am incredibly sad to leave the city, the people, the teammates, the "family" at Rogue and so many more behind as I depart, I know that they will always be a big part of my life. Just because I am gone, does not mean we will leave each other's hearts and souls. I will always take the spirit of those who have supported, guided, looked to and befriended me alongside wherever my path may lead. And while it is as sad as it is that I say goodbye (for now), I am ecstatic about what lies ahead.
I have spent a lot of energy over the past 8 months (as has my gf) creating time and opportunity to see one another. And while I would do it all again a million times over, if we are both going to reach our goals and aspirations, we need to give ourselves every chance we can to do so. I am more than excited to spend more time with her in my life and to do so without disruption to her or my other responsibilities and goals. It is a change that I see only as positive for both of us. We support each other fully and believe in each other even more. I hope that my friends and loved ones here in Austin will understand the reasons for my leaving and be supportive of the choice I have made to relocate to Knoxville.
I will always love this city and plan to frequent it after my move to visit the friends, "family" and places I have loved for the past 6+ years. I plan to enjoy my last month in Austin, even though I hobble around it on these darn crutches, and will take in every moment of this vibrant, unique city. It definitely is a one-of-a-kind place that will be missed!
Today marked my first "track workout" of the 2010-2011 season and there were a few things that were immediately apparent. Before I jump into this though, I'll start with some brief, basic (laymen terms) physiology and a short background. Then I'll get into today's re-affirmation of a training aspect I learned long ago ...
Whether you believe in the physiological training principles of Daniels, Lydiard, Cruz, Dellinger, etc. There are a couple main components that transverse all theories. First, training is broken down into four types: Aerobic, Anaerobic, Lactic and Alactic. For the most part, every specialist in the field of running agrees on this basic concept. Where the differences arise however, is in how to mix these 4 types to acquire the best results. Now, the mix will certainly be different in dealing with an 800m runner vs. a marathon specialist, but the importance of having all four types present is still just as important and training can be generally similar during certain periods of training. Secondly, there are 3-4 periodization blocks in a training program. In my opinion, there are really 4, but some tend to combine the first two as one block of training and others tend to combine the last two. No matter which, periodization is definitely important when preparing for a specific "command performance" (the most important race of the season if there is more than one or your goal race if you are training for one specific endurance event). It allows you to progress through your training and arrive at a peak just in time to feel fresh and ready for your goal performance. Finally, there are two types of muscle fiber: Slow Twitch (Type I) and Fast Twitch (Type II). Slow twitch muscle fibers are used in an aerobic capacity and while not able to fire as quickly, can last for longer durations. Fast Twitch muscle fibers on the other hand function in an anaerobic fashion and can fire more quickly than slow twitch, but also fatigue much more rapidly. The proportion of fast twitch to slow twitch fibers that a person has influences his/her ability to perform at different distances. The greater the proportion of slow twitch fibers, the more suited a person is for longer distances. It has been reported that large amounts of aerobic, endurance training can create a change in fast-twitch muscle fiber composition, causing them to act as a slow-twitch fiber, but not vice versa. This is where my dilema has previously occurred.
Last year, I made the mistake (not my first) of becoming a mileage hoarder. I was reading a LOT about the training that some of the greats like Boston Bill Rodgers, John Walker, Peter Snell, Frank Shorter, Jack Bachelor, Marty Liquori and others used to do. One theme seemed apparent ... Mileage, and lots of it. So in my opinion, what I needed to do to become like them was to hoard every mile I could put on my body for as long as possible. In doing so, I felt strong as an ox and could run for days (or so it seemed). The problem is, my race lasts less than 4min (hopefully!). I had spent soooo much time preparing my slow twitch muscles to be able to handle hours of running at a time that I had failed to prepare my fast-twitch muscles for 4min of a screaming pace around the track. So much so that some of them had even joined the other side and were acting as slow-twitch fibers in order to ensure my endurance causing the fast-twitch fibers that were left to be weakened in numbers and burnout even quicker than before. When realizing this, I panicked and began doing speed session after speed session to "catch up" ... a dangerous spot to be in for a track athlete. What resulted was complete and total fatigue and inconsistent performances. Now, what I don't want to get misconstrued is the idea that I feel that intense speed and interval training is required all year to maintain fast-twitch muscle fibers and turnover capability. This is not the case. This would break down the body if administered year round, would cause possible injury and a racing peak far too soon ... if at all. What I do feel though is that the closer your goal racing distance is to 800m, the more important it is to maintain speed, turnover and speed endurance (Type IIa Muscle Fibers).
Now onto my discovery ... errrr, re-discovery. I once again found myself hammering back the miles, staying healthy and feeling strong this fall. And, while I have been doing a little speed maintenance work early in my base phase during easier days of running, as the long aerobic workouts began, I found myself stepping back from those in order to ensure recovery form the long, aerobic workouts. This led to a flat feeling coming over me a few weeks back. I still felt healthy, I still felt strong, but getting up on my toes and pushing off felt awkward and forced. Initially, I worried, thinking, "here we go again". But, before forcing myself further into a corner this time, I thought about it. How can I maintain upkeep of my fast-twitch muscles without lulling them to sleep, giving up my aerobic work or adding extra stress to my training program?
The solution. Luckily, for a few months now, I have been incorporating basic drills and general core strengthening exercises into my routine. Now that I have gained the initial fitness benefits from that, I decided I could ude that time to do extended bouts of more explosive strength work. Therefor forcing those fast-twitch muscle fibers to continue functioning as they will need to further along in the season. I began this work 3-4 weeks ago and immediately started feeling more "pop" in my step, stride and sprint. Now, while I am not fully comfortable at my goal race pace yet for this coming spring, lets be honest I have a long way to go before I need to be race ready. So today, after running 10 in/out 400's where the 10 "ins" started near 5k race pace and ended under 1500m race pace and the 10 "outs felt steady and smooth, I am feeling like I have found a good balance for this period in my training and a safe way to maintain my speed endurance while continuing to progress my aerobic ability. The faster 400's by no means felt smooth today, but I was recovering quickly, did not tire physically and felt as if I could continue going as long as I got the 400m recovery at steady pace. The closer I get to track season, the more comfortable those efforts will get, and it made me feel very positive about my abilities to string 4 of those quarters together smoothly by the end of the season.
For now, I stick to the plan, learn from past mistakes, and look ahead to what's next ... the San Antonio Half Marathon on November 14th, 2010. This is a major over-distance event for me, but one I look to compete very well in alongside my TeamROGUE Elite teammates Scott MacPherson (look for him to win), Erik Stanley, Kara June and Allison Macsas. This will be my longest effort of the year and will begin a fall/winter season that will include USA Club XC Nationals and USA XC National Championships, two other events that don't fall under my strong suite, but are challenges I hope to tackle with success before moving onto the track this spring to focus on the 1500/3k Steeplechase.
There have been a lot of progressions made since the inaugural year of TeamROGUE Elite last year ...
After an up/down first year for TeamROGUE Elite, we are starting to find our stride. We have new, dedicated athletes who bring the fire and drive to our program that we were looking for. It has proven itself immediately with the immediate change in attitude and race results felt and seen by all. We think of ourselves as a family now. And as a family, we are starting to roll, helping each other along the way. For example, this past weekend, 4 of the TRE athletes opened up their year with the IBM 10k Uptown Classic. We had impressive wins on both the men's and women's fronts from KAra June and Scott MacPherson, two of our newer athletes. Those performances were backed up by solid 3rd and 4th place finishes from myself and Erik Stanley. Now, while I was upset by the third place finish personally because I am a competitor by nature and hate to lose, instead of dwelling on it, my Rogue family instinct took over. I was really happy and proud of Scott (and Kara ... but it doesn't apply as much) for the race he ran and was actually very impressed as well. He ran a tough, gutsy race from start to finish and was the better man on the day. So while I am also very eager to get out there and beat him in the next one, I am also very grateful that I have the opportunity to train side-by-side with him until then!
On top of seeing our roster grow and improve, we have been lucky enough to acquire a few more sponsors who help us through our day-to-day grind. Doug Consiglio is working one-on-one with our athletes as a professional massage therapist to keep our bodies in line and able to perform the daily tasks required to become the best, PowerBar and FLUID have stepped up to provide us some of the best nutritional and recovery products available, Pure Austin has given us access to their extensive and top-of-the-line athletic club/gym, and Soleus has provided our team with one of the most important products for a track athlete's training needs ... intuitive and reliable watches.
Myself and (openly speaking for my team) TeamROGUE Elite are incredibly grateful for all of the support we get from the community and sponsors alike. Without all of them, we couldn't chase our dreams and we can't wait to share the glory with everyone once we achieve them.
I'm baaaaaaaack. Just wanted to stop by and drop you a line to catch you up on my training over the past couple months, as I have been building a solid base and preparing for the upcoming World Championship Indoor Season.
A few months back, while I was panning the upcoming season with my coach, Steve Sisson, I found out that the USA Indoor Championships were going to be held in Albuquerque NM this year at 5000+ ft. of elevation. So what did I do?! After getting a solid base phase in and the first of two transitional phases, I discussed it with my coach, grabbed one of my TeamROGUE Elite Teammates (Kyle Miller) and left the day after Christmas to head up here to good 'ole ABQ for 6 weeks of altitude training.
This is both Kyle's and my first extended trip to altitude and its been ... interesting. Really, it has been a very positive experience so far. The first few days were rough. I was running soooooo slow and feeling sooooo tired ... check that, exhausted! Even before I broke a sweat I felt like I was ready to be done running. Needless to say, we pressed on and after a few days were feeling a bit better. Now, after a couple weeks, we are starting to finally feel adjusted. Training has been going very smoothly (knock on wood), so Kyle and I are getting ready to open up our season this weekend at the Lobo Invite here in Albuquerque in order to get us back into the racing mindset and learn a whole new side of altitude ... racing at it. I'm looking forward to the learning process this weekend and finally getting an accurate test of where I am and what I need to focus more on now to get where I want to be by the end of February when I return for the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
All the best and I hope everyone is having a GREAT new year!
db
p.s. Hopefully I will be back soon with some exciting news related to an earlier post! Everybody keep their fingers crossed!!!
I want to talk about a recent event in the world of running and the response to it that has left me a little angry ...
Recently, Under Armour has decided to enter the competitive side of running (they plan on making performance footwear and apparel) and are currently partnered with the media organization flocast.com. They are doing a new segment each week where they give an inside look into their production and some of the products we can expect to see from them. I think it is great that a company is doing this and showing the openness that they are to those of us who have been in the sport and care about where its heading.
Other people have not been so friendly. At the bottom of the page, there is a small space that allows the flocast user to leave comments on videos (while hiding in anonimity) and I have been shocked at the amount of negativity that can be found there about this company's entrance into the market. Some claim that it is simply a gimick and that they are only concerned with profit, others that they are only truly concerned with football and baseball and could never produce a good product, and some that have written them off even before they have started for other rediculous reasons.
For me, UA entering the Running market can only mean good things and progress. Sure, they may not have a proven product yet, but the bigger question is, are they committed to making one? Look what they HAVE done in football and baseball in such a short time-frame! They committed to making a top-of-the-line product and they threw recources behind it to ensure success. I have had the opportunity to speak with the UA Run Group and I assure you, they have that same committment towards running. Plus, you wouldn't tell a guy who runs 15:00 for 5k to stop running just because you don't think he will ever be a 13:00 5k guy would you?! We are a small sport and one that needs to be open and accepting, so if that is not who you are, then maybe YOU should leave the sport. I'd rather lose YOU than the 20 or so 15:00 guys you will push away. On top of that, who wouldn't want to see more competition (and more money) enter the Running Scene. I remind you that I was an economics major, and just as more good runners pushing each other produces better overall times, more competition in the market is going to produce better products and a greater investment into the sport we love so much.
Quit with all the hate folks and give them a chance to succeed. Constructive criticism is probably the best thing they can ask for right now and, if they listen closely, I know the running world will tell them exactly what it is they're looking for ... just check those comments below the videos! Who knows, maybe UA will even come out with something brand new that we haven't seen before and that all the haters hadn't thought of ...
Recently I went in to the University of Texas FITLab, who we are very grateful to for being a sponsor of TeamROGUE Elite, and had my baseline fitness tests done. In these tests, they look at and measure our DEXA Body Comp, VO2Max, HR Max, and Lactate Threshold. The tests require about 30min worth of running on a treadmill during which they gradually increase the pace (to maximum speed - 5min miles or 12mph on this particular treadmill) and then the incline until you decide you can no longer go on.
During this testing, the goal is to push yourself as long and as hard as you can; because I was hurting so much from the test, I didn't even notice the pain I was in from one of the long distance runner's most common rites of passage. Sometime during the test, the inside seam of my flats ripped open on my left foot, resulting in my toes sliding forward into the front of my shoe with every step. By the end of the test, I had jammed my big toe into the tip of the shoe so many times, that a HUGE blood blister had formed underneath my toenail. Thinking it would slowly die and fall off, I left it alone. Later that night however, it felt as if a fire cracker had been set off on the tip of that toe. The pressure under the toe became so great that my toenail had popped straight up in the air, connected now only at the base. At this point I had to remove it to prevent infection ... root, cutical, and all ... and am now of the opinion that it will never return. Moral of the story, if you ever do get a blood blister under your nail or a black toenail from running, burn a hole in the top of the nail to relieve the pressure and save your feet from becoming ugly, but proud reminders of the tolls we pay as runners.
Despite this event however, there was also a lot of good that came out of these tests. After working with Dr. Z at Advanced Rehab to finally fix the hip problem that has plagued me for 4 years now and that had really became enflamed during this past year, I seem to have done more than just relieve that injury's pain. I seem to have also fixed a disability and hindrance to my running abilities. When the tests were over and done and the data analyzed, it turns out that despite having just taken 3 weeks off and my body comp being 1.5% "fatter" than I was in June when these tests were done, I am actually "fitter" and had better VO2Max, HR Max, and Lactate Threshold levels than I did last year when I qualified for the 1500m finals at The USA Track & Field Championships! This has been a very exciting find for me and I am hoping that it is a positive sign of things to come in the year ahead ... but only time shal tell ...
The time has come! This past Monday marks the first week of official team practice for the newly formed TeamROGUE. Everybody involved is incredibly excited about the endeavor and opportunities for success we have ahead of us. If you read my website's homepage, you will realize that we have organized this team differently than any of the current post-collegiate groups in the country. Yes, we borrowed organizational ideas from some of them, but as a whole, we are a new, unique support system and group that has grown its roots in THE grassroots capitol of the world (in my opinion) ... Austin, Texas. So here are a few of the highlights from TeamROGUE thus far:
Athletes: We currently have 8 athletes, 5 of whom are USATF Championship/Olympic Trials finalists, 1 of whom is a Kona World Ironman Championship Qualifier, and all of whom are multiple time NCAA Champions/All-Americans. This is the most exciting part of the group. Our athletes are not only the most talented athletes we believe ever assembled by a newly formed post-collegiate group, but these athletes are driven, smart and most of all, good persons.
Team Organization: Our team is being formed as a non-profit organization that will be used two-fold. TeamROGUE will provide the support structure for these elite athletes while, at the same time, the athletes then provide a healthy, active culture and community for our city's youth population in which our next generation will be able to participate in positive events promoting their health, safety and future opporunities. We have already passed our Texas State Non-Profit Incorporation and are waiting on final approval from the IRS which we hope to recieve very shortly so we can carry out this wonderful mission.
Local Support: We can not thank all of our local supporters enough for the services and in-kind donations we have already recieved. We even have free haircuts from Bird Barbershop!!! How cool is that?! We are in fact still looking for a few more local sponsors for in-kind support for certain areas of our athletes' lives and hope that recieving our 501c(3) will help with those, but can't say enough how grateful we are to have people like Dr. Z at Advanced Rehab on board and creating a long-term relationship with us already.
National Support: The responses from our possible national sponsors, which will compliment our local efforts, has been incredible. We never could have predicted (although we hoped!) the amount of interest we would begin to draw on the national level. We are looking forward to settling this side of the organization soon and starting a partnership that will grow and flourish over the many years to come.
That's all I will overload you with for now, but I hope you can all sense, through this blog, the excitement myself and my new teammates have about TeamROGUE Elite. We will carry this excitement through our fall training and onto the track as we turn heads with our performances.
Well, it's been a while since I have been on here and at first the reason was solely that I was frustrated with the way training and racing had been going. I had been dealing with injury, poor performance, poor luck, etc. so between being mildly embarrassed about that and beginning to feel sorry for myself, the posts became easier and easier to ignore. It was hard to hear people continuously tell me I was having a good year, a big year, a breakout year just because of a few highlights when I felt like I was running worse than ever.
I'm done with that. I'm done feeling sorry for myself (I actually have been for quite sometime as you'll soon find out) and I'm ready to continue moving forward with all of my goals, personal and communal, professional and athletic. Things have actually already been moving since my main focus has been getting everything prepared to hit it hard over the next 3 years. My formation of a TEAM here in Austin is underway and our amazing list of inaugural athletes have already migrated to the great City of Austin. We are really excited about the start we have and the results we are anticipating.
Start checking back regularly as I catch you up on what's been going on the past couple months, where I am as of now, and where I'm going because its definitely going to be a ride to get there!
In my last blog I mentioned that I was NOT satisfied with making the finals of the 1500, even though that alone was one of my goals. After competing in the final, I wish my performance had shown this dissatisfaction a little more, but in the end, the results are what they are, and for me, they are quite disappointing.
There are a few things that I am going to take away from the Final as positive however. First, for the first 1000m, I could not have had a tactically more sound race. I got out well, moved up well, and spent the majority of time on the rail while still getting out and into position in time to not be boxed when the move was made. Secondly, I now know what it is I need to work on in my training. My ability to shift gears simply was not there. I tried to wind up the pace as Stephen Pifer went around me and my body was simply not reacting. Maybe I should have taken a little more of a chance and gone harder at that point in time or maybe I should have been the one to make the move myself, but either way, I made a decision at the time and it turned out to be the wrong one. I can always say would-a, could-a, should-a, but the fact is, as I was winding up, the field was pulling away and it left me with a LOT of work to do over the final 250m when I finally reached top speed. Lastly, my summer season has gotten a lot more interesting and competitive since making the final. I will now be traveling to Ireland, England, Italy, back to England, back to Ireland, England again, Sweden, and Finally back to England again. The races have gotten more competitive and the cost to me has gotten a lot less. I am in more demand than I was before and with a few fast times over the summer season, I hope to only increase that demand not only with meet directors, but with sponsors as well.
I made the finals of the USA 1500m Track and Field Championships and am proud to be able to say that. It will not, however, let my 2009 season be defined by that statistic alone. I want to run a lot faster and feel ready to run a lot faster. Follow me as I chase times all throughout Europe over the next few weeks. It's gonna be exciting!
Yesterday was the Prelim of the 1500m at the USA Track and Field Championships. A major goal of mine going into this year had been not only to qualify for the USA Champs, but then to make the final. I am happy to report that I have successfully completed one of my goals. This Sunday I will compete in the final of the 1500m at the USA Track & Field Championships.
Do not be fooled however. While I am pleased with tackling this obstacle that was in front of me, I am in no way satisfied and I am not happy to merely be "in" the final. Sunday is an entirely new race where anything can happen and I assure you that I will be looking to make things happen. The purpose of these Championships is to pick the team that will represent us at the World Championships in Berlin. I want to be on that team. The excitement of making the final is over. Now it is time to get prepared mentally and physically for the biggest race yet of my career.
I've never been "the favorite" and I'm pretty sure that nobody has ever even really considered me worthy of "underdog" status, but I know there are a lot of people out there who believe in me and have never counted me out. I am realistic about the way I am running and my chances of making the team, but I also know that I am the only one who knows how my body has been feeling and how my training has been going, and I am ready to surprise some people.
So with that being said, thank you to all those who have continued to believe in me even when others haven't. Your support and cheers are my inspiration and I want to win this as much for you as I do for myself.
Look for me as I toe the line on Sunday and cheer as loud as you can no matter where you are, even if you're simply yelling at the television ... I'll hear you. Follow Me.
