Fight until we make the top 7...or die!

For those of us who ran XC in HS, and found ourselves "on the bubble" as the 7th or 8th man, we know odd coupling of stress and motivation that was thrust into our training and racing.  Some rise to the challenge of the pressure to perform, others crack, crumble and shy away from it.  Some people just win, plain and simple their bodies developed into a natural state of readiness to run fast and win.  But this doesn't describe me.  I am not a born winner, I'm just a born fighter.  Maybe I've done so many things, simply because someone told me I shouldn't or couldn't or wouldn't believe I was good enough to beat them.  There is more valor is fighting than winning.  As winning is merely one half of the outcome, while the fight may be as masterful as it is tragically flawed.
My development as a runner has had plenty of valleys that followed some great peaks.  Maintaining the mindset of competing when you know, realistically, you aren't going to win against the best, can be daunting.  But that is a key aspect to sportsmanship, knowing that you should give it "the old college try" for yourself, your teammates, coaches, and your opponents.  Besides, pain doesn't hurt.  Sucking when you don't want to suck is what really hurts.
 So it's all kind of gone like this:
 Winter/Spring 1995'-weather kept all of my "training" indoors as a HS freshmen, and as the spring pushed on I realize I don't like getting my ass kicked by girls at dual meets in the mile.(Yes, they combined boys and girls together), so I learned to try hard at running, and I hit a 5:57 by season's end.
Winter 96'-I ran a 5:24mile, I got a Varsity letter for the first time, but I still get my ass whipped at most meets.
August 1997, After concluding that soccer wasn't working out, I was fighting for a Varsity Singlet on the Edison High School Cross Country team.(trust me, it was well worth the fight, the JV uni's were cheesy)  At the time this seemed tough, but I was in the mix, and after the first couple weeks of Captain's practices and then official team practices, I'd done it.  I'd pulled away from a couple of guys who have been with the team 3-4yrs.  I work my ass off, I travel with the team to all the invitationals and championships, and my spot was never safe.
August 1999-After a summer of rehab for a bad case of IT band syndrome(thanks crowned suburban roads!), I found myself fighting to regain enough fitness to be the #7 man on the Ramapo College XC team, the older guys on the team go easy for the first few miles of a run, but the back half always turned into a race(or so it seemed when you just can't hang with the pace).  I manage to slide into the 7 slot, and by late season I'm 6th and twice 5th.  But the whole season is a battle with the IT band and tenacious teammates ready to take my spot.  I make the trip to the Regional Championship and run my best race of the season, we place 25th(I seem to recall), better than Ramapo had done in a long time I'm told.
Fall 2000-04'-Each season is a battle for a Varsity spot, 00' was pretty good, 01' and 02' were a bit of a let down, I sat out 03' with stress fractures, I finish anywhere from 8th to 3rd in these yrs I'm on the team at Ramapo.  I allowed myself to be distracted by douchey fraternity "brothers", crazy girlfriends, and assorted shenanigans.  Got sick all too often from living in the dorms, and generally drank far too much.  I was mediocre at best, and at my worst, a bloated 170lbs of drunkenness.  As one of my coaches put it, in a season-end review, "Dedicated, but with limited Athletic ability".
Spring 05'/06'-I'm back home and the heavy drinking isn't so interesting anymore, running with some old teammates and competitor's, but nothing's too organized.  I also start running with Rartian Valley Road Runners, the only dedicated runners I know besides HS kids and my college teammates who are now too far away to run with regularly.  I join RVRR, and find some steady training partners there, as well as some decent competition on the NJ race circuit.  The battle has shifted more to an internal struggle of staying motivated and focused on good/consistent training.  I run my first marathon(lackluster, but still sub 3hrs), and I'm fighting the clock and a lack of self acceptance.
2007/08'-I run the Boston Marathon, I run the NYC Marathon, and the Philly Marathon along with some HM's and many other races, I kept getting PR's. I grew accutom to this.  Faster, Faster...aaand injured.
2009'-5months of not running from Dec 08' into the spring of 09'. I battle back, and ran some fast races late in the yr, much to my own surprise.
2010-Jan/Feb brang me some long overdue PR's in the 800m, 1mile, and 3k indoors.  I was truely surprised at my fitness in the short game, and I was thinking big things for the rest of the year.  The Boston marathon turns out to be an effort that I'm not sure I'll ever reproduce, getting a nice little PR and finishing inside the top 150, truly a great thrill.  In August-I hurt my lower back in a competitive trail HM, I finish the race 5th, but the damage is done, and now 2yrs later I'm still struggling with the aftermath of it.  But I still went to the Club National XC championship...and ran like crap, at least we had a good time in Charlotte, NC afterward!  The end of this yr brings about a sobering realization, no one is pushing me to be a better runner, and so, I switch to racing with GSTC.
2011-12-I run some good races in 11', no lifetime bests, but I'm in the hunt and racing with some very talented and dedicated teammates. In Sept I qualified for Boston and entered, but the 12' race wasn't blessed by the gods, to say the least. To end 11', I went to Club Nationals in Seattle, looking like the slowest of 6 men, but surprised some and ended up being the 5th!  So far this yr has been interesting, I've run a 20k pr that is faster than my HM best by a little bit, and so I've got a fighting chance for a spot on the Club National A Team, or so I like to think.

The law of diminishing returns has really been kicking me in the ass the past 4yrs, but I am in no way ready to lay down my arms.  New goals have gotten tougher to achieve, and thinking back, making the top 7 on the college and HS teams seemed hard, but it didn't take long at all.  I'm going full on Guerilla warfare on running!  And it just occurred to me, that I've always kept at it because I want to see if I can stay up there with the big dogs. So all these yrs later I've got the same goal as I did in 97' and 99', the pace and combatants are just way faster. The base building is under way, we'll see how I shape up this time around.  So, like Manowar, We'll to fight until we win or fight until we die! 

Altitude with Friends: Western States 100, Yosemite, and Sequoia

Filling You in since the last post: I didn't run the Road Mile, my back was not having it.  And the steeple at the USATF-NJ Track Championship didn't go well either(lower back probs), but I did run the towpath training run(34.2miles), and I didn't fall to pieces.  I'm fighting the good fight still.  And So, we went to Cali.

No, I did not run the WS100, my buddy Mike Dixon did.  I went along to watch/support, it was exciting and motivating to see people testing their endurance over such extreme terrain.  High altitude trail running is most challenging, Lindsay and I took an "easy run" with his helmet cam up the first couple miles of the race course later that morning to get a feel for what the racers all experienced, we went up 40mins and back down in 20, and I don't think we went very far(maybe 3miles up, and that might be generous). I want to run that race in 2014!
 The adventure of running trails is ever enticing, a whispering in my heart tells me, "go west young man", in an old-timey kinda way.  A strange guy with a ridiculous top hat and a big curly mustache is probably living inside my left ventricle.  Yeah, he's in there, and he's been slowly manipulating my thought processes for quite some time.

Just 3 drops of this magical elixir and you will recover from high altitude runs in mere minutes!

So, we rented a couple RV's.  Saw Dixon start the race along with several hundred other Mountain Goats, and then we slept a while until moving on to see him in Forest Hill at mile 62!  Everyone in town was very interested in the race, seeing all the action at the aid station was cool.  I enjoyed the opportunity to encourage every runner that came along as we waited for Dixon at Bath Rd.

  2011 start, check out the later part of the video as they climb. Note the goofball who false starts!

Quick Background: Dixon and I drove from NJ to Yosemite back in the summer of 2005, not to run, we mostly hiked, runs took place from motels in various states.  So anyway, this was a nice return to a place both of us, and our friends have been or wanting to come back to (for at least half of them it was actually their first visit there).
So, we went on to see Dixon again at mile 99, where we ran with him back to the finish at Placerville HS' track.  Surprisingly, he had a bit left in his legs and ran what seemed like a fast speed in the last 200m!  We also saw some other finishers coming in ahead of him on the run to meet him at 99, men and women both, of varying ages.  Endurance running really levels the field at a certain point.  Such incredible accomplishments for them all!

I caught 3hrs of sleep before rolled out to hit a trail head on the edge of the Yosemite Valley, we parked RV1 at the trailhead, where the other bunch could get it later that day. We backpacked in on the Big Oak Flat Trail to the top of El Capitan.

5:58am roughly, sunrisi on top of El Capitan!

Dinner time near El Captian with Lindsay Hamoudi, Mary Nguyen, not pictured are Kyle Spencer and Lauren Santonastaso

The next day, the five of us continued to the top of Yosemite Falls and took the Yo' Falls trail down into the Valley where the inhabitants of RV2 were waiting to pick us up.  Carrying 50lbs of gear down a steep trail is rough, the only medicine for this of course was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale!  

We drank plenty of this stuff!

We took a day off to recover and relax and hang with the whole gang(14-15people), and so the following day 6 of us hiked up to the top of Half Dome, a challenging and visually rewarding hike, 2 huge waterfalls(Vernal and Nevada) along the Mist and John Muir Trails, and climbing up the cables for an incredible 360 view!  Little Yosemite Village was along the way too, where we were able to jump into a calm/deep section of the Merced River on the way back down, that water was COLD!

Some other hikers ahead of us going up, looks scarier from below

Lindsay dives into the crystal clear/freezing cold Merced River

Lindsay and I did another run with his helmet cam in Sequoia on a series of trails that brought us by some of the Giant Sequioa's, ran through some controlled burn areas(a naughty decision).  Despite the smoke we did just fine, and took in a couple of  incredible views of some pks ranging from 12-13,000ft(Whitney was hidden from view).

My last run out there was a solo affair, started at Wuksachi Lodge and ended at the Lodgepole, here is a profile that was an out and back from Lodgepole, very similar, but the way I ran it was roughly the same distance with a small add on from the parking area to the trailhead itself.

The map of the trails themselves didn't appear well, so check out these stats.  The map indicated that it was 7.2 out from Wuksachi, and a bit longer to the Lodgepole. The last 2.6miles of the way up were tough.

This run was loaded with downed trees stacked over each other across the trail, so this was mega-technical.  It was a great challenge, makes me feel ready for more.  Now if only I can come to an agreement with the Snake Oil salesman in my heart...

Just when they said I shouldn't be running...

...I went running anyway.  At least that is to say, after I dragged my ass into the chiropractor, Dr. Bruce Grossman in Highland Park.  I first went to him about 1yr ago, then, like now, struggling with a chronic L5 disc injury from none other than, yes, A TRAIL RACE!  Anyway, I have generally managed the scenario, with a couple flair ups here and there.  But just recently, it was the worst its ever been.  I can attribute this to, carelessly attempting to lift a lawn mower into the back of my car...after running a 50k trail race.  Yes, a bad move.
The next day I could barely stand up straight, and then I actually couldn't straighten up at all, tottering about like a hunch back.

This was me a few days ago, including the creepy grin.

So, the good doctor set me back on the path to well being.  Of course he tells me not to run until I've made it 48hrs without pain.  In this regard, I'd say he's a smarter man than I, and one who knows a fair bit about running for a guy who isn't a runner.  He's worked with the Rutgers football team and after the first visit last yr, I did gain confidence that he is legit and can understand where I'm coming from.  I'd recommend him if you need a chiropractor around HP/South Edison.
Events of recent days:
Friday morning at 10am-Spinal adjustments and electro-stim at Chiropractor's office.
Saturday morning: 6am- I'm standing on the D&R canal towpath with some a group of about 8 runners.  We're going running...for a while.  Near 5hrs later, we're in New Brunswick. I ran 34.4miles.  A couple hundred other runners joined us along the way, several others ran 68.4miles(New Bruns. to Trenton, and ran back with us!) Along the way, we saw 2 monster turtles, and just really enjoyed being out there! We had an excellent bbq afterwards too! RVRR is just swell!
  Remember, I admitted the Dr. is a smarter man than I.
Now you must think, "Mike, you must be a glutton for pain!"
But, I'll one up any man when it comes to taking things a step too far(for better or worse). And in 16yrs of competitive running you learn what you can handle, but you don't learn anything without taking some risks.
Onward--------->
Sunday(Today) 8am- I compete in the USATF-NJ Club Track and Field Championship at Monmouth University, in both the 5k race walk, and then 2hrs later, the 3k steeplechase!

They do this on the track too...wow, look at those hips swivel!

   I did the race walk was in hopes of grabbing some points for GSTC, as we were gunning for a first ever win at this meet! Although willing, I am essentially a novice in race walk. I did it twice while I was in college, and that was all in good fun to amuse my teammates.  But today was more awkward than you'd imagine, going at it with a tight/pain ridden back.  But no one else in our club's active roster had ever done it.
Lesson learned: Be careful of what stories you tell... or else you might be  race walking the day after a 34mile run too!
Thankfully, our strategy worked, I was the only Open finisher, and thus, scored 5pts for the team, and was unceremoniously crowned USATF-NJ Mens Open 5k Race walk Champ of 2012!  I actually finished DFL, but none of them were under the age of 40.  They all lapped me at least once!  A somewhat surreal experience, but it was cool, afterward, I congratulated some of these race walkers.  They were all very enthusiastic and cordial.  Doing their best to encourage me about trying it again in the future(sorry guys, this was a limited engagement, I'm sticking to the steeple!)

Notice the wince of pain on my face, the landing was less fun.

So, the 3k steeple...yup, I did it.  It wasn't pretty, I ran a shitty time, and I knew every landing in the water jump was going to hurt like hell.  And it did.  My hopes of an easy stroll and limited pain just weren't meant to be.  I battled, gained ground on one runner and finished 4th for the last scoring position(1pt for the team).  We won the meet, and I joined some friends at Sandy Hook, did a Beer sampling and had a nice early dinner with friends!

 

I wasn't as pumped about it as the guy in this video, but it was a pretty cool end to a full day.

   On the drive home...I saw a double rainbow in my rear view mirror as I drove north on the GSP.
Times like these have taught me, that pain is my play thing.  I'll persist through a lot of it, more than most people.  Challenge yourself and see what you can achieve.  Flesh withers to dust, Pain is temporary, and Championships never die!
It's been a good weekend, time for some R&R.

My first Trail Ultra race

It was inevitable.  Despite all the road, and track racing that keeps me off the trails, one way or another I was going to try stepping into this weirdly low-key world of Ultra-distance trail racing sooner or later.  (For the kids who don't know what "Ultra-distance" is, this is a distance longer than 26.2miles).  The Dirty German endurance festival was in the calendar at the right time, so I said, "Sure, why not?"

Pre-race prep with Dixon and Kate Ayzenberg, photo by Shannon Weldy

Many of my runner friends(lets be fair, I have friends who don't run...yet!), have left the roads to answer the call of wild.  I've always loved running trails since the first time I ran on the D&R canal path when I was a JR in HS.  My friend and long time teammate/training partner, Mike Dixon, has been rather dominant on the trail circuit.  His upcoming attempt at the Western States 100mile race, has pulled me into the fray.  Somewhere along the way, I'll be pacing him for a solid portion of the race. So in preparation of that, I knew I needed to prove my ability on the trails.  Mind you, several times I've run the Half-Wit Half Marathon, a very hilly course in Central PA.  And I placed rather well each time, 5th on two occasions!  But that's 13.1 miles, you can fake it for 13.1miles.  To prove you've got trail legs, you've got to go super long.  He suggested the Dirty German 50k, part of the Dirty German Endurance Fest.

This was a fully "runnable" course, although I was a bit disappointed to find that roughly 4miles of this course was run on paved park path, but it had numerous creek crossings, and log obstacles, so it was still a good challenge.  The scene at a trail race is as aforementioned, low-key.  People don't do extensive warmups with intricate dynamic warmups exercises.  Mostly, they're prepping their water bottles/packs, energy gels, etc.  There was something resembling a starting line, but no start mats.  It is also somewhat difficult to tell who the fastest/toughest runners are, some old guys are really good at this endurance stuff!
  Moments before the start, I was adjusting my shoe laces one last time, and performing a stretch for my lower back, when Dixon walks over to me, and asks "You ready?"  I look up and say, "yeah", and as I'm speaking, one knee on the ground, everyone starts running!  I didn't hear a sound, not a word signaling a start.  Later, I'll have to figure out how I missed that.

Start/finish area of the Dirty German Endurance Fest

 I went into this with full intention of a conservative start, warming up within the first 20mins, and as I'm letting that happen, I see about 20-30runners getting ahead of me, granted they all had about a 5seconds jump on me while I wasn't quite ready at the "start". My racing instincts tell me, I'm going to get pushed back by those who are less agile.  So, I work my way up into some open space, and through the first 30mins of the race I start to pass runners, all except one are in for the 25k(of course knowing Dixon was out there way ahead).

This crossing was knee deep, which was a relief for my swollen big toe

 Trail events like this are fun, because you can always get an honest answer from people about the distance they're going, and often you'll get some friendly conversation out of the deal too.  I met Ryan Jones, 34, from somewhere near Philly as I recall, we ran together, chatting about our running history and recent racing, until we hit one of the aid station.  I stopped briefly to refill my 10oz handheld bottle, and left him behind, catching up to a few of the faster 25k runners.  I exchanged places with Ryan several times, having had to jump into the bush for a #2.  At about mile 14, I caught my left foot on a root or rock, bashing the big toe, fell, hitting my elbow and left knee.  A 25k runner who was right behind me, asked if I was alright(as I had about 15mins earlier when he fell), as I assured him I was fine, but encouraged him to pass me as I was running with a limp and my foot was hurting more and more, pain radiating into all areas of the foot besides where I hit it.
After a cautious 2min stop at the 4th aid station/halfway point, the next hour of running was very trying, as my foot throbbed more and more, my normal gait was thrown off badly.  I did contemplate dropping out, or crossing the 25k finish line, I thought, 'No, I came to run an Ultra, #$@& that! Pain is temporary, this will fade.'
Pulling out of the start/finish/aid area, I saw Ryan behind me, and he caught me about a mile later.  As he passed, I said, "There you are!  I stubbed my foot a little ways back, this sucks, I'm hurtin'."  He offered some empathy, and then proceeded to easily run away from me.  I encouraged him with some words, as he was running well. So, I battled the rest of the race, despite needing to stop once more at a porto-john, once to tie a shoe(loosened from multiple stream crossings), and taking a moment to think if I should drink an extra cup of something at the last aid station before the finish.

Pennypack Creek

  In ironic fashion, and with sorrowful disbelief, I had my second fall at nearly the same place along the course during the 2nd loop. With tired legs, you start to struggle to lift your knee high enough, and that's all it takes to catch your foot on a rock or root.  The 2nd hit was a shock of pain like I've never felt before, the toe, already swollen, felt like someone had just been crushed it in a vice.  I completely lost my balance and fell forward hitting both knees this time.  My left hamstring started to ball up in a cramp.  This added to the struggle, keeping my leg straight, wanting to grab my foot, and wanting to get back up and run.  Don't forget, I still had it in my mind to catch Ryan!  From the place where I struggled to get back up, I could hear the German accordion player's music.  I knew I was about 1.5miles from the finish, and strangely, despite the refreshed pain, it faded faster this time.  I guess my toe was already as swollen as it could get, so it wasn't as hard to keep going this time.  The next minute between heavy breaths, I was on the verge of tears, no lie, I was half crying or something of that pathetic sort. I wasn't feeling so bad for myself, just scared that I'd injured the toe(we'll see how that turns out I guess).
I never did see Ryan during the entire 2nd loop after he ran out of sight, but I talked to him after the finish.  He was only 1:10 ahead of me!  Oddly, he mentioned he saw me chasing him in places where there were switchbacks, but again, I never saw him.  He said he was thinking to himself, "Man, this guy isn't going to let me go, I can't just cruise it in!"  So, I can pat myself on the back for that, I fought hard the whole way through some serious pain and discomfort.  If you can have someone running for their life in a 50k, while you've got a busted foot, I think you get bonus tough guy points for that!  And believe me, running with a swollen big toe, really sucks!

My Big Toe in an early stage of bruising, it hurts worse than it looks

 So, as I came into the clearing where the finish was, I mustered what was left in the tank, and "sprinted" the last 150m, I knew Ryan had already finished, but if you've got some fight left in you,why not stretch it out and run hard to the end?
Today, I'm limping, both knees hurt, my lower back hurts, my toe hurts like hell. But I ran 31.075 miles of trails, and hung tough.  I finished 3rd behind Dixon(3:29:xx) who broke the CR, Ryan Jones(3:51:00), and I was 3:52:09.  The Volunteers were great(informing me of my position and estimated gap behind the next runner during the race), the cheer I received at the finish was respectful. And I got a cool little German-style Cuckoo-esque Clock(3rd overall prize), pint glass, mesh cap, and tech tee for my efforts, some nice keepsakes for my first Ultra race.

PS congrats to Shannon Weldy on finishing her first 50k trail race, sub6hrs! And to Dixon, for winning and breaking the CR!

How was your first Ultra? Comment, share!

Running in the Ramapo's with the Ironmen

Thursday: I battled traffic to get out of Jersey City and head north to race a 3k steeplechase at the Ironman Invite.  98% of the athletes attending were High Schoolers from Bergen County.  Exceptions being a handful of runners from Felician College who I saw in the 5k, and perhaps they ran the 1500m too.

The meet was well organized and well attended for a Thursday meet.  In my opinion this is a much better venue to take young Athletes to for a mid-season meet.  I believe most dual meets rarely offer a decent field in many events.  So, this was a good chance for kids to compete at a higher level prior to the championships.  Meet Director, Rob DeCarlo, of Don Bosco Prep, who advised me with my training for Boston this year extended the Open invite to me.

I've missed a good handful of opportunities to race the steeple up till this now for 2012, so this was perfect.  A low key event on a Thursday afternoon, in a familiar place(Ramapo College, my alum).  I had the chance to compete against some very talented kids(yes HS kids), and saw a mean 600m duel in the Men's 5k between Rob Albano(Felician College) and Ryan Tucker(Don Bosco Prep).  Tucker gradually cut into Albano's lead throughout the race and unleashed a steam rolling kick with 170m to go, it was a photo finish! Tucker clipped Albano by .08seconds, an incredible finish!

My race went rather well.  Instincts dictated my pace, as usual, too fast early on.  So I paid for that later, as Nick Lapinski(Don Bosco Prep) passed me with about 700m to go and ultimately beat me by about 5 seconds. 

Watch this!

 Both before and after the race, hand shakes and congratulations were offered to/from all.  The sportsmanship is something one must be thankful for when you think of all the training you put in for any competition.  

After the race, I joined him and two of his teammates for a 30min cooldown run into the Ramapo Reservation.  One of the Don Bosco Ironmen, Chris, informed me of his plan to run the Philadelphia marathon this fall, to qualify for the Boston Marathon!  It's cool to hear a 18yr old kid tell you he's going to run Boston!  The Reservation or "the Res" as we would refer to it casually during my days at Ramapo College, is a meaningful place to me. My teammates and I would run the trails there 3-4 days a week, where I got my ass handed to me during more workouts than I can count!  It is one of the best places to run in North NJ! Go there, see for yourself!  Waterfalls, streams, creeks, glacial deposit rocks, bears, lakes, ponds, and forest for miles. 

 Oh yes, Black Bears...aren't they adorable?  I suggest you pet one...j/k, stay the F#*& away from them! Mama don't take kindly to strangers!

McMillan Reservoir in the Ramapo Reservation. Not legal to swim there, but that hasn't stopped me.

Up next: The Our House 5miler in Summit...tomorrow afternoon!

Racing a Road Mile?! And training for everything under the sun

We're post-Boston.  What's next you wonder?  First of all, I'm constantly trying to figure ways to run with friends and teammates more often.  My work schedule is isolating most of the time.  One small remedy to that, is a return to canvassing for Environment NJ.  Holy Tree Hugging Batman!, you say to yourself.  Anis does something besides run, work in a running store, and plan every minute of his life according to when he can escape a sedentary activity...so he can go run?  Believe it kids, I do other things to.  Canvassing door-to-door in residential neighborhoods 2 days per week is a good alternative exercise.  You wear a backpack, you talk a lot, you run up and down lawns and steep driveways, sometimes up long steep roads that lead to the absurd monstrosities that people call a "house".  It's something I've done over the years, mostly during the summers.
But I've been running too. I haven't posted an update on training, because it's been very informal, my legs did feel like the 19yr old car that you're embarrassed to be seen driving in.

So, after some recovery time I will now run/race in the next month:
A 3k steeplechase, a 5miler, a road 10k, a trail 50k, The College Ave Road Mile! (you should too, it will be awesome!), a 34.2mile trail run(non-race), and a track race (3k sc, 10k, or 5k, maybe a relay leg?)... the next day.

The So-cal Road mile, cool!

 

Look at the Italian-American man beat everyone else. 

Jeff Perrella and I know the following: Italian+beard+running=AWESOME! 

The smart folks(coaches) in the audience say, this is a lot of racing in one month.  Well, yes, it is.  Many of these efforts will be great strength builders for some fast racing later this summer/fall.  How do you train for all this?  Run fast, run slow, run up, run down, jump over things you encounter during runs(or find some hurdles at a local track), vary everything, and don't do too much in 3-4days early in a week, what feels like 3-4 days of amazing training can turn into a week of feeling like crap and running only slow miles when you want to be doing some fast stuff.  It's that simple.
Some say, running one thing well is better than running many races with sub-maximal performance.  I say, that is boring, and I enjoy being the guy who can rip a 4:30 mile, do a 3k sc in 10mins, and generally go distances that most people don't like to do using a car.

Dear Boston, Thanks for the Pain and the Memories

Pictures can't describe the slow hot march of pain I dragged myself through this past Monday.  The road between Hopkinton and Boston is hilly.  Maybe you've heard about it?  Well I've run it before, once in cold temps, once in moderate temps.  So perhaps it is fitting that I had "the opportunity" to take part in a truly historic run, one that grinded me down to the slowest pace I'd ever run at any point during a marathon.

The people in Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, and Newton got us through the race. The cups and bottles of water(colder than what the aid stations offered), ice cubes, soaked sponges and paper towels, and orange slices, are what sustained us all through the race.  Let's not forget the fire fighters in Natick and Newton who set up a cooling tunnel with sprayers and some sort of canopy.  Thanks to those people, including the little kids; they stood there waiting to relieve us, waiting with outstretched fingers for a chance at touching speed and determination, aspiring to the bravery they were witnessing.  That those people care so much that we run through their town, made all the training and all the torture through the oppressive heat worth every moment.  After all, what good is joy and pleasure without pain to make it feel right?  Last night, the first night back in my own bed since Saturday, I slept well, and woke up, thankful to be alive.

Can I say I am disappointed with my time?  Yes, I can say that.  What I am really disappointed about is just how hard it can be to figure how much to adjust one's pace when facing high temperatures.  I wasn't staring into, the sun was staring into me.

So this was my slowest marathon, definitely very sobering in regards to one's mortality.  But knowing that people care, believe in you, love you, and are waiting for you at the finish gets you through.

To my Mom, Ilene-has always been proud of my accomplishments as a runner.
To my girlfriend, Trudy-Dropped me off at for a shuttle to the start, ventured solo in a city she'd never been to before, and waited for me for 3hrs in the heat, and endured my state of medical-misery for several hours after the race until we finally were able to get lunch.
To all of my teammates and Coaches in Garden State Track Club- We are all kindred in the spirit of competition.  Shawn D'Andrea, Alex Fowlie, Pat LeStrange, a group of tough distance runners who have all trained and raced with me, and we all learned a valuable lesson on Monday, that running 26.2miles  in extreme heat and finishing is a tough deal. I'm proud of you guys! Rob Decarlo for being a 2nd brain for my training plan leading up to this race, we got a damn good 20k out of it!  Chuck Schneekloth and Ken Goglas for checking up with me often while I struggled with a bad Achilles tendon, their encouragements and concern helped bring balance and sanity to a scary situation.
To Mike Dixon(aka the MD in MDMA)-We've been teammates for more than 10yrs, because no matter who we represent or who sponsors us, there is always "our team".  In the sea of runners, we made our way to the starting line together, I've run more miles and had more post race beers with him than any other person I know.  Without each other, I don't think either of us would ever had done as much, or been as great as we are at running.
To the Raritan Valley Road Runners who ran the 116th Boston Marathon and the club at large-Lesley Wassef, Laura Swift, Nova Roman, Lianne Price, Nick Birosik, Joanna Stevens, you all are incredible.  Resting out of the sun before heading to the start with you all was a nice way to spend some time and commiserate with the challenge we all were about to face.  For the rest of you, thanks being my friend in running.
To Saucony and its Representatives, Dan Suher, Jess Cohen, and Tom Hylan-the sponsorship as part of the Hurricanes program has set me up nicely with some great shoes and gear to train and race in.  Also, to all the Hurricanes I met before and during the race, who encouraged me to keep pushing as I was slowing down.
 The people along the course, the residents, volunteers, police and medical personnel-You kept us alive.

3:00:26.-not great.
514th male finisher-have done much better.
Red badge of courage-couldn't have earned one on any other day.
Memories for a lifetime-yes.