Father's Day was this past Sunday and, although it was no different than any Father's Day of previous years, with the events that have occurred over the past year and my recently released article in the June issue of Runner's World, I reflected on my situation as a son more than ever before.

I began to think about my father ... both of them.  I thought about how, even amongst all of the trauma and pain I went through, I must be one of the luckiest men in the world.  I have had the privilege of being shaped and molded by two incredible, distinct men.  One gave me my physical gifts/attributes while the other took those gifts and matured them to make them better.

I am thankful for being born the son of Barry J. Brown.  I appreciate the genes and attributes he passed along to me and the support I receive from  the amazing friends he gathered over the years both on and off of the track scene.

I am blessed to be the son of David L. Norris.  His unwavering love and support is something I could never thank him enough for.  To become a man like him is something I can only strive for and I feel lucky to have a first-hand mentor in becoming just that.

Hopefully I can take this blessed situation I have been put in and make the most out of it by becoming an outgoing, athletic resemblance of my father, Barry, and a loving, individual resemblance of my father, Dave.

Thank You Both and Happy Father's Day!

I flew to Nashville this past weekend to compete in the Music City Distance Carnival's Invitational Mile.  While the event was scheduled to go off very late in the evening (10:25pm), I was excited about the possibility of good weather and good competition.  The meet did not disappoint.

 

The weather the entire weekend was perfect.  The locals were claiming it was getting "a little too hot", but for a Texan like me, it might as well have been heaven.  I don't believe anybody could complain about the temperature at race-time however.  It was a balmy 70 degrees and wind was non-existent.  The weather was perfect for a fast Mile to ensue.

 

Coming into this race, I had been feeling very confident about my training and where I was physically.  I had recently received some good test results from the F.I.T. Lab and was beginning to feel much more comfortable running "at pace" and faster.  Even with all of this, I had my instructions.  Coach Hayes wanted me to focus on going out conservatively and closing hard, winding up the last 400m with negative splits each 100m.  I felt this was a great idea seeing as my finish had been ... let's just say ... "lacking", in my last 2 races after having gotten out to great starts and feeling good.  This is how the race unfolded ...

 

The gun is up, the gun is off, and the race begins.  There is some jostling for position (more so than usual) as we come off the line and head into the first 100m, but I make sure I run tall and strong and take control of my position.  I settle into 4^th as we come off the first turn and it feels like we are flying.  At 200m, I realize that I feel this way because we ARE flying.  The rabbit and Andrew Bumbalough have gone out in 27 high and the rest of us are through in 28 low.  The pace feels quick but comfortable.  However, this is not the race plan set forth by Coach, so I quickly pull back the reigns and settle into a more relaxed pace behind another competitor.  By 400, Andrew has a 3 second gap on the runner I am following and that gap continues to slightly grow to 4 seconds as we go, positioning unchanged, through the second 400.  This is fine by me however because I am still on pace for my own race-plan, coming through 800m in 2:01.  Just before the end of the second lap, I see the runner I am following beginning to fatigue.  Just as I am about to make a move around him, Matt DeBole beats me to the punch line and swings around us.  I am quick to follow.  I queue off of DeBole’s pace over the next lap, as I know his intention is to run under 4min and that he has been very close many times before.  All the while, I never think of the now lone-Bumbalough out front as the rabbit has dropped off.  I am running “MY” race, and as Marty Liquori did many times throughout his career, I knew that if I was patient and closed as hard as I wanted to, that he would come back to me eventually.  Coming off the last turn onto the homestretch of the third lap, I swing wide a bit and start to push my eyes ahead of me to two things.  First, the clock.  I am still on pace.  It looks as though I will come through 1200 right around 3:02 … perfect.  Second, I know gaze directly in the center of Andrew Bumbalough’s back 5 seconds ahead of me.  I decide right then and there to start winding it up as I make a move around DeBole. I hit the bell lap in 3:02 as I thought and begin to focus on running smooth and relaxed while winding at the same time.  Another runner goes around me as we head into the back stretch, but he is not dropping me and Bumbalough is coming back to the both of us.  200m out from the finish, we are within 2 seconds of Bumbalough.  Here I focus on form and running tall, feeling as if the win is definitely within my reach.  As I dig down for the final push, I dig just a little too far.  I strain instead of relaxing.  I head into the last 150 holding on instead of letting my body stride out and finishing up.  I cross the line a disappointing 4^th in 4:01.

 

After the race, I am not happy, nor am I upset with the performance I have turned in.  It is definitely a big step back in the right direction.  By going out conservatively, I have taught myself what it is like to close with a negative split again.  I wanted to cover the final quarter a few seconds faster than the 58-59 I did, but I will count it as a small victory instead of a small defeat.  I will look at the positives and accept what God has given me on the day.

 

I do this and it gives me a good perspective coming into the final two weeks of training before the USA Championships.  My body is coming into its own again and I am feeling confident about the steps I will take in the next couple weeks.  I will show up ready to get tough and race at USA’s.

This BLOG is LOOOOOOOOONG overdue.  Many of you have asked me if I would post my daily runs and weekly workouts on this site.  I hesitate to do this for a few different reasons.  The main reason for this is that I already host all of my training, complete with footnotes, feel, etc. on flotrackr.com.  Many of you know this website, but many of you still do not.  I highly recommend you check it out. 

One of a runner's best used tools should be his/her training logs.  You've all seen them.  They can be found in any Barnes and Nobles, Borders, or other book store and are basically a calendar with Running-Related entry blanks.  The only problem with these traditional logs is that after a few years of running, they begin to pile up and storage space is not always plentiful, hence, many people simply throw away or do not keep, in the first place, these very important records.

The importance of these logs are two-fold.  They help you understand what worked and, more importantly, what didn't.  You can see patterns in them leading up to great races and PR's or (on the other side) to injury and defeat.  These logs can help you refrain from repeating the latter.

But I digress.  Flotrackr.com is an online running log that you can sign up for, for FREE (and none of this "free, but read the small print" business either ... actually free).  This is a service started by a friend and ex-teammate of mine and is entrepreneurial ingenuity.  This online log is only an added bonus to the great site they have created, and which has revolutionized and made more accessible the sport of track and field to the people who wish to follow it.

I keep all my daily runs/weekly workouts on my flotrack account, and by adding me as a contact on flotrack, you will gain access into my day to day training.  I do need to log more about the ancillary training I do, but when it comes to running, you'll find it all right there.  All you will need to sign up for your own account is a creative username and password ... that's it!  So if you would like to get an idea of what it is I do on the roads/track/trail from day-to-day, sign up, get on board, and take a look. 

For those of you who don't wish to do this, what I will offer to you is a brief synopsis of my weekly routine listed by day below (Understand that this is only one period of my training however and that it varies as you cross into different times during the season.  I will post what a typical base/interval period of training would look like for now.)

Monday -
a.m. 60-70 min run (10-11 mi) / strength session / training room & hot-cold contrast bath
p.m. drills & stretch,15 min warm-up, speed development, 10-15 min cool down / core session and hurdle mobility / training room & ice-bath

Tuesday -
a.m. 20 min shakeout
p.m. drills & stretch, 20 min warm-up, intervals or hills or mix, 30 min cool down / core session and sand  / training room & ice-bath

Wednesday -
a.m. up tempo 15% of total weekly volume (90-95 min/15 mi) / strength session / training room & ice-bath

Thursday -
recovery day
a.m. easy 45-60 min (7-9 mi) / training room & ice-bath
p.m. optional easy 20 min shakeout

Friday -
a.m. drills and stretch, 20 min warm-up, threshold run, 5 min jog, short intervals, 30 min cool down / strength session / training room & ice-bath
p.m. easy 20 min shakeout / core session

Saturday -
recovery day
a.m. easy 45-60 min

Sunday -
a.m. 20% of total weekly volume (2 hrs/20 mi) / training room & ice-bath

I hope everybody finds this overview insightful and helpful.  Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions you may have regarding this training at darrenbrown@darrenbrownrunning.com

I am proud to announce the addition of two new sponsors to the emerging Elite Austin Racing Team, TEAMRogue Elite.  I would like to personally thank Advanced Rehabilitation and The University of Texas FIT Lab for their contribution and support in this endeavor.  Great companies like these are enabling highly talented athletes to continue to fine-tune their abilities in their quest to represent the United States of America in World Championships, Olympic Games, and other International Competitions.

Now a little about each of these companies:

Advanced Rehabilitation - Voted best place to go for a sports injury in 2008, Advanced Rehabilitation works with not only a majority of the elite athletes in Austin, but also with the everyday persons suffering from any number of medical injuries or complications.  The staff is great to work with and I enjoy conversing with the other patrons while we all work towards fixing, rehabbing, or simply bettering ourselves in one way or another.  I have already begun to see Dr. Z at the Anderson (North) Location and can not speak enough of him or my time there.  Dr. Z truly understands the human body and its form, but always takes the time to thoroughly listen to you and what you are feeling in order to get a better understanding of other incidents that may have lead up to the possibly compounded problem at hand.  I always leave Advanced Rehabilitation feeling better than I arrived and am excited to continue going on a weekly basis for maintenance work even when I am healthy and feeling good!

The University of Texas FIT Lab - One of the most important pieces of information that an endurance athlete can know, is how his/her body is reacting to the training he/she is putting it through (VO2 Max Levels, Lactate Threshold Levels, Body Fat Percentages etc.).  The UT FIT Lab has committed to providing the testing that will enable us to know this data throughout the year as we progress through different training cycles.  I am heading in tomorrow to get a baseline read done and will return again for another round of testing in a couple months ... and then again a couple months after that.  I am grateful to be working with this fantastic group of individuals who are all incredibly informed and excited about the work they do.  Not only do they dedicate their lives to the study of the data they get off of athletes like myself, Leo Manzano, Joe Thorne, and Lance Armstrong (all athletes who have been tested here), but they are also very involved in the promotion of fitness throughout the University and Austin.  They sponsor a large number of fitness initiatives and lead training groups around the UT campus for faculty and staff.  This is a major part of what the Elite Austin Training Group hopes to do throughout the city of Austin and This is only another reason why we are proud to be associated with the University of Texas FIT Lab.

THANK YOU!

Throughout the years, my Mother and Step-Father (also my original and eternal coaches) have spoken of Peaks and Valleys when it comes to training and racing and how to mentally weather both.  Their wisdom never seems to fail and since they have both been there to one extent or another, I should probably take their advice at first mention, but alas, I hold firm that wisdom is not communicable, but learned through experience.

I am beginning to rise out of a deep and dark Valley that seemed to have followed a fairly high peak.  I had been winning 10k's with merely threshold run efforts, running close to 4min for the mile without any true speed-work, and winning tactical races by staying calm, being patient, and making the right moves ... I was running high and very confident in what was ahead.  Then I began a rapid decline into the depths.  I pushed my limit a little too much, got a little too ahead of myself, and with the combination of that and the weather getting hotter and muggier, I paid the price.  A few disappointing races later, and I found it hard to run any pace, for any distance with ease.  Even a light shakeout felt strained.  This is where it could have gone past the point-of-no-return.  I could have buried my head in the sand and felt sorry for myself for what was happening OR I could stay positive, keep a good state of mind, and weather the storm.  It wasn't easy, but the ever-repeated words of my parents rang in my ears daily.

Every season has Peaks and Valleys in racing and training.  The ideal is to keep your peaks low and limited (till the very end), so when you hit a valley, they are shallow and short.  I had not done this well, but knew I was also strong from months of strength work and that I would come out of this low period just as fit as I went in, ready to get started on the next period of training.

Today began this new period.  After my first two rest days in a while and a few terrific sessions at Advanced Rehabilitation with Dr. Z, and I am making a rapid return to feeling good.  I had a great long-run today (which has dropped from 2 hrs. to 90min in this new period of training) in which I ran a steady 15 miles with the final 4 a little up tempo.  The legs were a little tired at the end, but my breathing, chest and shoulders felt relaxed and loose, not strained and tight.  This is a great sign of things to come.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation as the weather gets hotter/muggier and you are making transitions in your training, keep your head up.  You'll probably never truly believe in it until you have experienced it yourself (like I did), but you will rise out of it,  you will get back on track and you will not lose fitness by taking it easy for a couple of days.  Listen to your body but keep your focus.  Good Luck to everybody training and reaching for their goals.

Check back for updates on my latest training in this new period ...

dbrown

So I've had 4 races in the past 4 weeks and even though there was a win in the mix and no finish outside of the top 4, I feel as if they were all mediocre at best.  I've come to hold myself to a higher standard than I used to.  Running just over 4 minutes is simply NOT good enough anymore.  I'm a better runner than that and I'm a better athlete than I am currently showing.

Having said that, I am going to say this ... It's all good.  The mediocrity is fine for this time of year ... it's actually encouraging.  Nobody likes losing, but everyone likes winning more when it really counts.  That's why I am excited to say that I am done racing for a few weeks (3-4 ... except for a possible appearance in the Congress Ave. Mile).  I have canceled my trip to Carson for the Adidas Home Depot Meet this weekend and can't wait to get started on this next training block to take those 2:57 1200 splits and finish them off with :57 second final quarters.  You do the math!  The next time I step on the track, I am going to be that standard of athlete to which I now hold myself.  I am going to race and I am going to win.

Check back often for updates with how the training is going and some of the steps I take along the way.

Since my race in San Fransisco, I have returned feeling a little discombobulated both physically and mentally.  I quickly got my head around the fact that the reasons for my poor final lap were quite obvious and fixable.  A lack of speedwork (anaerobic, lactiate threshold, or VO2 Max), high mileage volume (90+ the week of), back to back cross country trips (Boston - Austin - San Fran), and possibly the hint of a battling sickness were all culprits in the race's results.

 

With the switch of mentality going from worry to optimism, I then also needed to figure out how to adjust my training to now focus on those areas and prevent another resulting race like the one i've recently had.  After having the discussion with my coach, we layed out a plan and got right to it including postponing speed development a day to let the legs recover a little more until doing it directly before a hard VO2 Max workout on Tuesday and a lactate threshold workout on Friday.

 

Tuesday's workout went "well".  If you were to ask anyone else who was there, they would probably tell you it went great, but herein lies the runner's continuously disgruntled critisism of himself.  I did repeat K's, by myself, in very warm tempuratures and a slight wind, and I was having to hold myself back while still running 3-5 seconds faster than goal pace.  The pace felt easy, but the legs felt like goo ... and don't seem to have fully recovered since.  This is why I say it went "well" and not "great".

 

The past week has been miserable training, even my easy runs have felt strained and my legs have felt heavy, dead, and full of "gunk".  I followed Tuesday up with a mediocre 500m interval workout on Friday and a sub-par 1hr 40min long-run on Sunday (it was supposed to be 2 hrs.)  Now I know my sister's wedding debocle Friday and Saturday and the 95 degree (95% humidity) weather conditions contributed to the poor Sunday run, but I should still be able to stay moving on my feet for 2 hrs.

 

The only bright spot I have had in my training this past week came on Monday when I set out to do Repeat 200's in breakdown sets of 4 both at and then working down below goal race pace.  After getting through my first 4, I felt fantastic and, despite the warm tempuratures, decided to move ahead and do them straight through without breaking them up into sets of 4.  I completed the workout feeling good about my speed and even though I still did not feel completely relaxed and comfortable running at pace, it was a major step in the right direction and I left feeling good about where I am physically.

 

Tuesday was a little rough again with 2 easy runs that did not feel easy, but an icebath later and through my continuous struggle to catch up on sleep and rest after the trips to Boston and San Fransisco, my easy shakeout this morning seemed to go much smoother than they have been.  I tell you this because there is a very important lesson in it all, whether you are training for your first 5k, your last marathon, or a USA championship event.  Training goes in cycles and every day is not going to be a good day.  Listen to your body and do what it asks of you because you ask a lot of it.  Mine needed some rest.  It doesn't need me to call it quits for the season ... not even close.  A few easy days or one missed workout replaced by rest does not kill a season.  Pushing, when your body needs to chill, does.  All it needs is to catch up so you can hit it hard again and get to the next level. 

 

I fly to Minnesota today for tomorrow's USA 1 Mile Road Championships in Minneapolis.  I think that by removing myself from the muggy weather, having another easy shakeout run this afternoon in Minn., icing down the legs one more time tonight, and RELAXING, I will be ready to get after it and try to make it "2 for 2" on the Road Mile Circuit.

Well, they say that for every up there is a down, for every positive there is a negative, and that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction ... I believe them.

After a very positive and uplifting win in Boston, I flew back to Austin for two days in which I did a solid repeat 300 workout and an up tempo 90min medium long-run.  After that, I took a very early flight out on Thursday and 10 hours later found myself walking into the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel in Berkeley Marina. 

As soon as I got to the hotel, I ran into Brian Olinger (congrats on the expected little one brother), a good friend of mine who mentioned that he was going to take the train into San Fransisco that evening in order to see Alcatraz and grab dinner since there was nothing locally around us.  A 45min run later, Brian and I were headed to San Fransisco.

Alcatraz was pretty sweet.  What was even better though was the view we then had of it from the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant in fishermans warf, pier 39.  It was a chilly evening and after getting lost on a trolley that broke down, we got back to the hotel around 945pm ... just in time to check some emails and get to bed.

Friday was very relaxing.  It was a chilly and very windy day, but I headed over to the track to get a look at it before the following days event.  On the ride home I decided that because of the cold, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go back that night for the longer invitational events and opted instead for a night of a movie (Yes man) and room service.

The next morning would provide a lot of the same weather, but the forcast promised improvement.  Around lunchtime I decided to head to the hotel's cafe to get a muffin and a couple bananas as I had the day before.  Unfortunately, they were out of both!  With no other restaurants being nearby, I had to settle for a glazed crueler, a chocolate crueler, and an apple ... not the healthiest pre-race in the world.

At race-time, the weather had improved (still a little windy), but I was still not feeling all that "hyped" for the race.  I told myself this was a good thing, since it meant I wasn't wasting nervous energy and then found that with a little warm-up, my focus came right around.  We had pacemakers for the race, so the remaining wind did not cause much nervousness as the race was set to start.  The only interruption to my concentration came as I was beginning to do some last minute strides and the official brought me a new number to put on my chest.  This caused me to miss doing any last minute strides and get on the line cold ... something I don't think was a big deal.

The gun went off and we ran a quick first lap in 58 seconds.  The pace felt quick, but not out of control and I was easily able to tuck into 4th and tell myself to relax and run the pace with comfort.  At 800 meters (1:57), I was confident and telling myself to start thinking about positioning to go for the win because I was gonna run FAST.  At 1100, I made a move onto the leaders shoulder, but by 1200 (2:57), a challenge from Michael Coe caused me to relax back again and settle in behind the two before planning to mount a final attack in the last 200/300 meters.  Somewhere between 1200 and 1300, something happened.  I didn't lose concentration, I didn't wuss out, but I found myself being gapped by Torrence and Coe.  at 1300, Tommy Schmidt made a move around me and it seemed that every time I tried to react and push, I ran myself more into the ground.  A 31 second 200 and a final 36 second 200 later, I crossed the line in a disappointing 4:04.

Originally, I was baffled at this result.  How did go from being confident that I was about to run 3:55 to running 4:04.  They seem so far apart!  After thinking about it though, I am positive about the results.  I look at the combination of travel, training, weather, food, etc. that led up to the race and I am no longer surprised by the last lap 67.  With how easy the first 1200m felt, I am positive that a few weeks from now, when I have not traveled across the country, am not still running 95 miles/week, am not battling wind, and do not eat donuts for lunch, I will run a time that is going to blow peoples minds.

I am confident in my coach, I am confident in my training, I am confident in my abilities, and I am confident in myself. 

Up next: USA 1 Mile Road Championships in Minneapolis.

There was a lot of surprise yesterday when I got my first big win on the Elite/Professional stage of Track and Field.  The race/course wasn’t conventional, the pace wasn’t blistering, but it was still a competition and I walked away with a “W” that I am extremely proud of after having beat a lot of very, very talented athletes.  I would also say that, while there was indeed a bit of surprise by myself, I think that should be expected.  Anyone who lines up against a field like that and is able to come out victorious should feel blessed on the day.  More so than surprise though, the feeling was one of relief.  Finally, I’ve competed where I know I can.  I was confident in myself and the possibility that I could be as good, or better, than anyone on the day (why else line up?!) and that, combined with the Grace of God, created this Victory.

Among those in the field were multiple-time NCAA Champions, USA National Champions, and Olympians.  Then there was “simply” (I put this in quotations because, in comparison to the other honors, it seems meager, but is still something I am incredibly proud of myself) a three-time All-American from Texas who is still known more because of who his father is and what he did than for his own accomplishments.  Maybe after yesterday’s win, some of this will begin to change …

As stated before, the pace was not fast, but on a course like this and in the day’s conditions, mental toughness, quick reactions and a strong will/presence was what prevailed.  This made it a greater mental victory than it was a physical one.  The course was 3-laps of a city block in downtown Boston beginning on Boylston, near the marathon finish line.  From there, it headed down Boylston and then took lefts at each of the following streets, Dartmouth, Newbury, and Exeter respectively before taking a final left back onto Boylston.  After 3 laps, the course ended at the marathon finish line.  Meet directors did a good job setting up the course so as to run us on the far sides of the streets around the block we were circling in an effort to give us a more angled approach to the turns.  In doing this, they were able to help keep us from making 90 degree turns that would have most-assuredly produced some tumbles and serious road rash.  That being said, the final two turns in each loop were still pretty brutal on the legs and between the unconventional and inconsistent turn angles (not one had the same approach or exit as we moved through the turn) and potholes, manhole covers, grates, etc., the pack-running that ensued off of the slow pace was something to experience!  Running tall, strong, and with wide elbows was a must to ensure you kept “your” space.  From there, it was simply a matter of telling yourself to stay relaxed and try to run as evenly and effortlessly as possible.

The race itself was interesting and was kind of a learn-as-you-go experience.  It started with a very chilly morning that had gusting winds down the starting/finishing street and was not making for a fast race.  During pre-race warm-up, I worked a little harder than usual to ensure I was nice and warm and got a good sweat going.  I didn’t want to head into those turns cold and lock up from the uneven pace.  They took us over to the line 10min before the race and we were able to do a few strides in the sun over the first 100m of the course.  Then came the introductions of which, I must say, were pretty intimidating.  Finally, they lined us up and, unfortunately (although it ended up working out perfectly!), I was one of three runners to be placed on a second line starting behind the first 7.  I looked up and down the line when they told me of this and strategically chose a position behind Rob Myers and Pablo Solares, two guys who I knew were fit and quick, meaning they would get off of the line and out of trouble well, allowing me to settle in behind them.  The gun went off and I did just that.  It worked perfectly.  Over the first 400 meters, there was some jostling around the turns and the pace seemed to be quick, but effortless.  I don’t think anyone could have guessed our pace.  First 400 … 65.  Immediately the brain started rolling over the plan of attack.  “It’s going to be lazy and doddle”, I said to myself, “be ready for a kick … save something”.  We continued around the course, heading into the second lap, still kind of feeling out the turns and seeming to get more and more packed in as we went along and people continued to jostle for position.  I decided at this moment that I was fine tucked into 5^th/6^th place where I could avoid the wind as long as I ran strong and with a presence.  I had to make my space mine and then find a way to relax inside that space, even with the chaos going on around me.  The key here was to relax and not waste precious energy on useless tasks, as some of the runners had begun to by swinging out really wide on turns and crashing back in on the group on the straights.  Because of the long straights and wide roads, I also knew that I could still mount an attack from this position and the likelihood of being boxed in was very low.  Staying consistent with this thought, throughout the second lap, as Pat Tarpy made a move along the inside, in order to push the pace, I decided to follow right behind him and found myself now sitting 3^rd/4^th right around the time we crossed 800 (2:09).  Not too much longer after this, as we crossed the finish line for the completion of a second lap, Steve Sherer made a move as well, on the outside though.  With 500 to go, the pace had all of a sudden dropped and Ian Dobson was close in pursuit as they both passed Cragg and a fading Tarpy.  I welcomed this push with open arms!  I am still in a strength phase of my training and was very excited to see it was going to be a long, wound-up kick instead of a last minute free-for-all.  I could also see that Alistair Cragg was not looking to cover this move right away and took the opportunity to slip solidly into 3^rd.  We crossed 1200 in 3:12, moving at a pretty quick clip now and only seeming to build with each stride.  Dobson never halted the move he made to cover Sherer and by 350 to go had overtaken him for the lead.  Seeing this move, I decided to jump on Dobsons heals.  I know I am a little more of a middle distance runner than he is and was originally planning to sit there until I mounted a last minute kick … but then I began to think of the rest of the pack and the speed it possessed.  I could feel that there had been some separation during this series of moves and even though I never took a look, I could sense there was now a little bit of distance.  The plan went into revision immediately and, in hopes of keeping the rest of the kickers out of the equation, I reacted by posing my own hard, steadily increasing move right past Dobson and into the lead.  From here, aside from almost shitting myself as I waited for the pack’s response, I just told myself to relax and keep pushing, harder and harder, little by little, all the while saving something just in case.  As I rounded the second to last turn, I knew I was in the last 150m and that I needed to get around one more turn and spend what I had.  I was still waiting for somebody to come up on my shoulder and to have to react, but no one ever did ...  As I rounded the last turn I focused on staying tall, running strong and keeping the push going.  Luckily, I think the series of moves, the hard final two turns, and the jostling still going on back in the pack (which I had freed myself from) kept anyone from being able to respond to my final move and allowed me to run through the finish without using my final gears.  As I neared the tape, I wanted to yell out, I wanted to throw my hands in the air and celebrate, but I withheld until I knew that I had secured the Victory.  Then the celebration came; the thanks for the blessed day, the excitement, and the congratulations!

Coming into the race, I know that the prize money was a big attraction for most of the athletes, and even more so for somebody like myself who does not currently have sponsorship, but the funny thing is that when it came down to it, the paycheck never once went through my mind as a motivational factor throughout the race.  The doubters, the nay-sayers, the lack of confidence in my abilities, my hatred of losing, and my desire to compete and beat people is all that went through my mind during the race.  Saying I was the best on the day in a field like that is more important to me than any paycheck ever could be.  This is my reward, this is my payoff, and although I am accepting the 3K and very much appreciative for it, the win is the direct result of my work and so this is what I will relish.

I have to close this post by giving my sincere thanks to everybody involved in this meet, my running and for helping me take yet another step along the way.  Thank you to the B.A.A. put on a GREAT event that I am looking forward to competing in for years to come, to my agent, Bobby Gordon, for helping to get my entry into this event accepted, to Rogue and TEAMRogue (who I happily represented during the race!) for their continued support, belief, and cheers, and a HUGE thank you to my family and friends for showing me their unwavering support throughout this transition period in my life.  Thank you everybody and God Bless you all!

After having several, several months of 90+miles/week in my legs and after numerous long tempo/threshold runs, I have recently found myself in a position of strength that I have never had before.  It was a good feeling and I was pleased to be able to run longer distances more consistently than ever before, but my focus is not the 10k ... hell, my focus isn't even the 5k (yet ...).  Therefore, when I started doing workouts focused more on my event (1500/Mile) and the pace that I would have to run in order to compete and win, I felt so incredibly out of shape.  60 second quarters, which used to be a breeze, now seemed strained.  I was recovering quickly and could do a lot of them with very little rest, but I could not string them together for very long without the curtains closing in ...

All that seems to have taken a turn for the better as of late.  A couple of good, hard 200 sessions for speed development and a hard repeat 800 workout at a, now more-comfortable, goal race pace, and I feel like I am ready to give it another go.

Next up is the Boston invitational road mile this Sunday.  While it is sure to be more of a strategic race due to prize money, the nature of the roads, and the competition present, I am looking forward to using my strength and recently re-found comfort at pace to compete with anyone who steps on the line that day.  Time to start racing ...