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Setbacks and things ahead ...

Darren Brown — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:44:00 GMT

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!

Thanks for reading!
db

Strength Training for Speed

Darren Brown — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:36:00 GMT

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.

Thanks for Reading!
db

TeamROGUE Elite moving forward ...

Darren Brown — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:32:00 GMT

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.

Altituuuuuuuude

Darren Brown — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hey Y'all,

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!!!

Under Armour in Running

Darren Brown — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:11:00 GMT

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 ...

Best of luck UA ... I'm a supporter!

Rites of Passage and Signs of Things to Come

Darren Brown — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:20:00 GMT

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 ...

TeamROGUE

Darren Brown — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:30:00 GMT

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.

All the best,
dbrown

Hiatus Over!

Darren Brown — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:05:00 GMT

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!

Finals - USA 1500m Track & Field Champs

Darren Brown — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:59:00 GMT

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!

Prelims - USA 1500m Track & Field Champs

Darren Brown — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:02:00 GMT

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.

God Bless,
dbrown

Father's Day

Darren Brown — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:49:00 GMT

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!

Music City Distance Carnival Mile

Darren Brown — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:18:00 GMT

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.

Weekly Routine in a Nutshell ...

Darren Brown — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:24:00 GMT

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

New Sponsors!!!

Darren Brown — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:57:00 GMT

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!

Peaks and Valleys

Darren Brown — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:02:00 GMT

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

Racing of Late ... Training of Now!

Darren Brown — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:09:00 GMT

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.

Training Cycles ...

Darren Brown — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:51:00 GMT

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.

San Fransisco Trip ... the good, the bad, the ugly ... the positive!

Darren Brown — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:32:00 GMT

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.