The 2013 Giralda Farms 10k: Gettin' a Pr, gettin' paid, and beating rivals

Among the many Road Races in NJ, the Giralda Farms 10k and 5k is one that I had yet to take part in.  I've been racing on the roads regularly since 2005.  Given the USATF-NJ Long Distance Grand Prix series schedule of Championship races for the Open age group, Giralda has just never made the list for me.
The race offers open unrestricted prize money. Which, until this year, I have not felt certain of having a shot at.  This touches on a subject that affects a very small number of runners, how much money is enough to get you to a race you wouldn't otherwise bother with?

Moments before the start of the race. Photo compliments of Thinnmann.

If the money you win is the same amount of money as the entry fee you paid, you're not really winning anything. Trying to look at this as "glass half full" irritates me slightly.  I think that race organizers have been trending toward stinginess in this, or laziness in attempting to convince sponsors to help out with this end of things more.  I mean, it's a sport, we're competing.  It's not a poker tournament, "getting your money back" is just...lame.
That all said, knowing the scene a bit, given months of solid training and improved fitness, and lack of a fall marathon, it seemed like a good time to give this race a shot. It paid off! 3rd place, $100.  I had to beat some fast guys to do it too!  David Nash, Atilla Sabahoglu, Ben Clarke, Dominic Kiralyfi, Rich Burke, and none other than Abdelaziz Rochdi (wait, that's Youssef Rochdi! yea buddy, we know it's you, what's with the fake name and now you're suddenly 35 when last year you were 29? BUSTED!! What's your game? This guy has some splain'n to do!)

I'd heard that this course was hilly, yup, no lie, it is, take a look at the cousre profile here.

Note, I measured it long with this tool, I might have erred slightly.

As for the 10k and running it: I wouldn't rate this as a day I felt great, but I had my mind set on competing hard. The first mile is almost entirely downhill, so much so that, you almost don't truely benefit from it because you sort of need to put on "the brakes" or you'll just pound it out of yourself early. I was in 3rd after 30m and remained there the whole time, gradually fading away from Mennitt.  At 1 mile I was at 5:15, feeling controlled, the winds were rough and from there I couldn't exactly get rolling.  Through 4miles I was on pace for roughly 33:10, at 5miles I was still holding steady in 26:42.  I was saving something for the last 1000m which is uphill. I did not anticipate, nor could I avoid a sea of runners who were running a much slower pace on this loop course. Having done my very best to manuever it, and having to shout a warning ahead just once, I finished strong in 33:14 officially. A pr by 17seconds.

This is less than what I expected for this day, but the winds were gusting around 20mph. So I'm pleased with the effort for the day.
But again, 1-PR+$100+beating a few guys I have never beaten on the roads before= a good day.

So, the GSTC men swept 1-2-3 in the 10k, and in the 5k, 1-5! The Women's Master's 40's team finished 4th, which is great! A year ago, GSTC didn't have 4 women in their 40's! Also, the GSTC Wmn's 50's team was 7th (yes, 7th scores points in the Club Grand Prix Championship)!  There were many great achievements at this event for our club and I'm sure there were also many among the other running clubs in our great state!

There was an avid crowd of supporters and running fans, the Rose City Runners were the organizers of this event. I know a number of them, all good people!
Here are some scenes from the 10k action!

L to R Atilla Sabahoglu of CPTC, Mike Anis, Stephen Mennitt, Chris Croff.  Croff blasted to the lead immediately, Mennitt gave chase, and I tried to keep them in sight. In the end it was Croff, Mennitt, Me, and Sabahoglu was eventually 8th.

Somewhere in the 2nd mile of the race I believe, being chased by David Nash and Atilla Sabahoglu

Taking flight toward the finish line! Beards enable flight, it's true.

No idea why I can't get this rotated in the right position. But here it is, a nice new mug to remind me of a great running club in Madison, NJ. The other side of the mug has the name and date of the race on it. Now, It can live in the cabinet with my Ashenfelter 8k mugs!

It isn't all about running

Why do we write? Why do we speak? There are hundreds of languages that humans speak. What's the point?  For sure, we want to be heard. We want to express ourselves, to be understood.  I like to talk about running.  But I like to talk about a lot of other things too.  There are things that I want to hear. So I listen.
I am a surely a runner, and most people I know make that association right away.  I've found I have to hang out with other runners, because at least we get bored of asking each other about running. So, we will do and talk about other things once in a while.
For instance, my housemate is learning Spanish translation. He is very fascinated with language, and we have some great conversations about words and various languages, roots and origins. Good for the brain.I'll have to say that once in a while, I need to remove my mind from running. I need to be a bump on a log. Move little and just think.  Maybe pick up my guitar, read a comic book (don't pick on me, some of them are really well written!). Or go somewhere, get a snack, watch some people. Do something, experience something, as long as it isn't running.

A happy dog! What could be better?

A shadow of my former self. If you want to get philosophical, you are a different person every day. You aren't who you were yesterday.

There is a lot more to all of us, what we like, what we do, where we've been, who we are. People just need to remember that. I'm more than a runner. And so are you.
Who are you? Who am I? I am fairly sure that I know the answer to that in my mind and in my heart. Running is maybe just my favorite way of putting it out there, but there is so much more.
With that, I bid you all a good day. And now, I am going to take my parent's awesome dog, Fonzie, for a walk, because I love him.

The Oregon Trail

Commuting in a 10yr old Honda Civic w/138k miles and worn out struts to work 35-40hrs a week and running 100miles in that same week, is tiring. Yes, I put out another 100mile week (103 to be precise), but I have to admit, it will likely be the last one for the year. With the remaning races and roughly 8 weeks in the calendar yr, I'll have to start cashing in the chips soon. This is not to say, "I've found my limit", rather, "I'm in a good place and know I shouldn't push beyond it for now". Keeping things in check around 80-85mpw would be wise.

Last night, with my GSTC teammates, Ken Goglas, and Steve Mennitt I prodcued an effort in a workout that was unprecidented in any of my previous training.  I know we were battling a bit in this workout.  Or maybe it's only in my head, because I'm the one battling to stay close to them.  Our team is deep and figuring out who will be part of the A team, B team, and perhaps C team for the Club National 10k XC Championship in Bend, Oregon will be a series of tough decision. I'm working on making those decisions more difficult for our Captains and Club President.

Behold my lack of graphic desgin abilities! Or some 3rd grader's attempt at a history project. Note: Currently the members of GSTC are searching for the Oxen, as it appears they have wandered off during last night's interval workout.

2 miles at T pace-10:22-this felt smooth, no lie.
4x1k at 8k race pace-3:00, 3:02, 3:02, 3:01-too fast, oops.
4x200 at mile race pace-30-32ish-yea, oops again.
Still, I feel good today. Onward ho!

The trail to Oregon is long. The pace has been grueling, if our flights are delayed, we might have to ford the river...

No Fluke, Crushing the XC

We all "pop" a good one, now and then. Well, some of us do. It has always seemed to me that I seldom do. But, I've been running well this yr, and people are taking notice. Post race conversations with competitors have been a bit longer than usual. It's nice to get some recognition for your hard work.

Far Left to Right: Sean Donohue, Ted Doyle, Paul Matuszak, Matt Eder, Me, Ken Goglas, Mike Fonder. There are a couple other people in this photo, identify yourselves! This was just before the end of loop 1 at the 8k nj xc champs race. Note: Like me, Paul has a beard, he beats most others due to his beardpower.

Oct 20th-On a course that was claimed to be short(and I honestly don't care if it was I still ran fast as hell), I "popped" a 15:35 for "5k", finishing 4th.  This was remarkable to me. I felt strong through the whole race.

Oct 27th-Before anyone could recover from the shock of seeing me beat some well accomplished runners the previous week, I ran 26:00 for 8k. I'll admit, my case was overstated, but not by much. Ken Goglas beat me by 16 seconds (coincidentally the same gap he beat me by in the previous week's 5k race), and Mike Fonder just ran away from us in the last lap (25:20)  Let's not ignore, I ran 26:53 on the exact same course last yr. I am pleased with this result.

Putting things into perspective: the past three months I've been like a ticking clock with my training, I expected 25:30-40 for the 8k if I felt good. Honestly, I felt weird. Not bad, just not all that good either.  If 26:00 on a rough day is what happens, I can live with that...for now. Anyway, I finished 3rd, and I'm stoked about that. In both races I beat guys that I figured I wouldn't.  After the 5k, I stepped onto the starting line for the 8k telling myself, "I can win this race"! I don't frequently feel that way. Confidence can do a lot for you in racing! Am I satisfied? Not exactly...no.

As I've said before, there is more honor in the fight than there is in the win. Some may have been surprised, and some may doubt it, but results don't lie.  Cross Country is my thing, and I'm crushing it.

Mid-fall Update on Training, Racing, and staying Inspired

At the midway point in the USATF-NJ 5k XC Open Championship at Deer Path Park in Readington, NJ. There are 6 runners pictured here, look closely, and you will see an extra foot/lower leg.. From L to R: Mike Dixon, Will Griffin, Eric Dubois(piece of his leg and head anyway), Mike Anis, Steve Mennitt, Ken Goglas

So, it's October 23rd.  The Club National 10k XC Championship is now less than 8 weeks away.  I ran the Paul Short XC Invitational on a hot day in 26:36. This is slower than what I produced on a chilly day in 2009 by 9seconds. Two huge factors here, heat and density of field. It was about 78 and rising when I started, probably 80 when I finished. This Open race had 516 runners in it, the majority of which were Collegiate guys, and they always start fast. It's only natural at a huge race of this sort that people start out hard. Well, I didn't exactly. My opening mile was 5:18, probably slowed by taking the turns wide to avoid getting tripped and pushed and others runners who were already redlining and settling after 1000m.  The results page has mile splits, a very cool thing to have in a race like this.  So, apparently, I was in roughly 350th position. I finished 87th. Take a look at this excerpt from the results below:  full results from Open race here

67        Peter Drews, Sr                 5:14    26:27    5:20  Williams College     
68        Matt Hassett                    4:57    26:27    5:20  Georgetown R C       
69        Elias Howard, So                5:11    26:29    5:20  Dickinson College    
70        George Oliver, So               4:54    26:29    5:20  Cornell              
71        Ryan Lee, Sr                    5:12    26:29    5:20  University of Richmon 
72        Sean Leighton, Sr               5:00    26:30    5:20  University of New Ham 
73        Pat McLaughlin                  4:59    26:30    5:20  Unattached           
74        Andreas Kellas, Jr              5:15    26:31    5:21  Army                 
75        Connor Strynkowski, So          5:06    26:31    5:21  Cornell              
76        Stephen Keith, Jr               5:01    26:32    5:21  Lehigh University    
77        Ryan Cooney, Fr                 5:02    26:32    5:21  Lehigh University    
78        Joe Beveridge, Sr               5:11    26:33    5:21  La Salle University  
79        Ryan Chiesa, Fr                 4:55    26:33    5:21  University of New Ham 
80        James Beacham                   4:55    26:33    5:21  Unattached           
81        Daniel Salas, Fr                5:01    26:33    5:21  Dartmouth College    
82        Michael Lederhouse, Fr          4:48    26:34    5:21  Georgetown University 
83        Tucker Hamilton, Fr             5:06    26:35    5:21  Brown University     
84        Kirk Webb, So                   5:06    26:35    5:21  University of Pennsyl 
85        Tyler Erhard, Sr                5:08    26:35    5:21  Bucknell             
86        Louis Saviano, Sr               5:00    26:35    5:22  University of New Ham 
87        Michael Anis                    5:18    26:36    5:22  Garden State Tc      
88        Alec Brand, Fr                  5:05    26:38    5:22  Shippensburg         
89        Jason Hartman                   5:28    26:38    5:22  Unattached           
90        Robert Biro, Fr                 4:55    26:38    5:22  University of New Ham 
91        Ed Sheridan                     5:09    26:39    5:22  Unattached           
92        Zachary Simmons, So             5:12    26:39    5:22  Dickinson College    
93        John Corona, Sr                 5:06    26:40    5:22  University of New Ham 
94        Dan Swain                       5:12    26:40    5:22  Una                  
95        Matthew Lutcza                  5:08    26:42    5:23  Unattached           
96        Victor Allen, Jr                5:12    26:42    5:23  University of Pennsyl 
97        Michael Kurvach                 5:03    26:43    5:23  Unattached           
98        Connor Clark, Fr                5:01    26:43    5:23  Dartmouth College    
99        Stephen Schelander              5:04    26:44    5:23  Sstc                 
100       Noah Williams, Fr               5:17    26:44    5:23  Williams College     
101       Tyler Scheving, Fr              5:09    26:45    5:23  University at Buffalo 
102       Mike Garrity                    5:08    26:45    5:24  Unattached           
103       Austin McGinley, So             5:06    26:46    5:24  Shippensburg 

67th was 11 seconds ahead of me, 103rd 10 seconds behind. This is the sort of competition that you dream of as a post-collegiate athlete.  Having done some more runner-nerd math, I calculated that I passed a runner on avg every three seconds from the 1mile mark to the end of the race!  Yep...I think that is cool.
 

More recently, was the USATF-NJ 5k XC Open Team Championship. GSTC, ran the show, we took the first 5 spots on the Men's side!  Individually, I finished 4th in 15:35! I beat some guys who whipped my ass at the Liberty HM, really it was just the sort of thing that I would never expect.  I've been traning and racing with some of these guys for years. When you keep getting beat by the same people again, and again, you might start to believe, "Well, he's just better than me." It is hard, but we have to remind ourselves that this is just a defeatist rationalization for a lack of hard work and patience.  Every dog has its day. So when you finish a race with someone in your sights that historically has left you in the dust, it gives you renewed strength!

Anyway, I figured I was fit enough to run at least 16:05, 15:55 if I ran a smart race.  This was a huge breakthrough race for me. My previous best XC 5k race was 16:22(RVRR summer series July 21, 09'), and my best on the Deer Path course was 16:23(2012)! More runner-nerd math: 16:22-15:35=47seconds.  At age 32, after competing for 18yrs.  I know a lot of runners that have run for many yrs; none of them ever told me about the time that they ran a 47second 5k XC pr when they were 32.  I can go, faster I'm sure of it. Sidenote: Yes, I heard the course is a bit short, but I'm comparing times on this same course, so it's a solid case for analysis.

Workouts and general aerobic runs: have suddenly gone off the charts, 8k worth of intervals are often totalling somewhere around 25:00-25:20. In previous yrs, this sort of workout I would perhaps at best have totaled 26:00 and with longer recovery times between each interval.  I go out of my way a bit to run with Chris Croff, Jacob Edwards and Chris Johnson in Summit or the Watchung Reservation, a lot of days I feel like somone is pulling me along a touch faster than I'd like, but those are the days you get a little better. Also, I never felt good enough to go and run doubles the day after workouts.  This bodes well for the upcoming USATF-NJ 8k XC championship on Sunday. 

Inspiration: I love running, watching African's win marathons is cool.  But I also enjoy watching boxing.  Welterweights and Middleweights most of all (140-147lbs and 151-160lbs) currently seem to be where the best guys are to watch.  Recently, I have watched Ruslan Provodnikov fight Timothy Bradley(a fight he very narrowly lost by majority decision) and Mike Alvarado. Alvarado was in two brutal fights against Brandon Rios(who is now slated to fight Manny Pacquiao on 11/23).  Provodnikov is the type of fighter that "takes two shots to give one". I identify with this sentiment. Early on, Alvarado was throwing more punches and landing at a better rate. But as the rounds wore on Provodnikov's heavy shots took their toll on Alvarado, who went down twice in the 8th and was nearly down again the 10th. He did not come out to answer the bell for the start of round 11.  

Provodnikov beating the tar out of Alvarado. photo courtesy of usatoday.com

As a runner, I don't fancy myself to be too slick.  I just grind it out, like Provodnikov. I train hard, and I stay focused on hitting the target, even if it means I take a pile of punishment in the process.  I'll keep coming at you, hurt and tired, that's the only way I know.

This is what it looks like when you've won a fight against Mike Alvarado, no one said it would tickle. Photo from boxingnews24.com

Consistent Mileage Increase

 60, 68, 64, 73, 80, 62, 59, 71, 74, 85, 74, 86, and already this week 73miles(haven't run today yet and still have tomorrow).  Those numbers represent how many miles I ran in each of the last 12 weeks.  The highest totals in 5yrs. If you've been reading, you may recall the mention of a 100mile week recently. That was a Wednesday to Wednesday stretch. The Sunday to Saturday 100 is coming soon, I mean hey; this past week all it would have been is getting my ass out the door 7 minutes earlier and keeping it rolling for an extra 7mins. Had I done this, the 100 would have happened.

OK, so what happens when you run 100miles in one week? Somewhere from unseen speakers, a wicked guitar verse begins to ring out in the distance. Perhaps "Getting Strong Now" or "Going the Distance", or something embellisingly dramatic that has nothing to do with running? Nope, back to reality.
What about 120, 140, 160, etc? I mean, I have been saying I'm going to run to work(nearly 14miles away from home), and like so many other things in my life, I've procrastinated on this. But here I am writing about it, so I think this is the cry-wolf moment that I can't back down from. It looks like I'll be saving some money on gasoline very soon.

Of course, you don't want to run yourself to a breaking point. Rest/recovery and nutrition are paramount in all this.  But there is much to be said for consistently putting in time that you haven't committed to something ever before. 50miles with 3 quality efforts per week could be more effective than 100miles with 1 quality day. However, 100miles with 1 or 2 "quality" effort is subjective the idea that one should be acquiring fitness at the most accelerated rate for readiness for frequent competition. To have more patience in this would allow for a large build up of the aerobic system for greater endurance. I am comfortable with this idea, and not feeling pressured to run "hard" 3-4 days a week any longer.

There are 13 weeks left in this yr, I would like to run no less than 60miles in the last two weeks of the yr, in each week previous to that I figure on an avg of 85 from here on. I'll need to do some exploring to make this happen no doubt. Thankfully there are plenty of great trail systems in NJ that  I have yet to get into.
 
Convincing myself that running 40-80mins, sometimes twice per day, is a doable thing; has been a surprise. A yr ago, I would struggle to convince myself to run for 70mins at the end of a day. Getting out the door before work, was just hard. I love to run, but what can I say? I was struggling mentally, and often. Personal circumstances were just making running half a chore. Many have joked about running "being my mistress", well if it got in the way of some things. Then damn some things! I like running...I like it... a lot.

Running, yup.

 I believe much is possible. I can commit more to running. She is good to me. So I will.

the image above is property of mrwgifs.com

The Terrible Unicorn is Slain! Let the training...continue.

Anis-1 Unicorn-0.  If you'll be in Hopkinton on April 21, 2014, I will see you there, and we'll go for a run to Boylston Street in Boston. Beers to be had somewhere downtown afterward.

For those who enjoy a retelling of a mythical tale(with "historical" reference!):
 Well, while it may not have been written in the history books; it is well known that George Washington was faced with a difficult decision on December 25/26, 1776. Cross the Delaware and attack the Hessian troops qaurtered in Trenton...or find the Great Unicorn of the Delaware River. So, his choice is well known, and perhaps was the best choice for that day. But, the Unicorn has mocked us with it's carefree magical frolicking ever since. Life is hard, and darn it that Unicorn has been just making it seem a bit unfair! That is until, it met the challenge of the bearded one!

Cleverly diguised as a "marathon", the hunt for the Great Unicorn began on the morning of August 18th, 2013. Roughly 130 brave souls lined up armed only with gps watches and energy gels. The Unicorn watched from across the river grazing on local greenery, amused by what appeared to be a bunch of silly wanderers with numbers written up on paper which had been pinned onto their shirts. What a curious sight for this beautiful and terrible Beast!

Once the runners began, in 3 separate waves spread 30 seconds apart; a strategy employed by General Santa Anna in the slaying of the Chupcabra in the days following the battle of the Alamo Feb 23-Mar 6, 1836.  The Strategy might have proven successful, if not for one man's unrelenting surge to the front! Mike Anis! For the first time in its existence, the Unicorn felt the sick pain of fear, and all that it could do was to run for it's life. The Unicorn could never have expected a negative split run, and eventually was caught! Anis' beard reflected the piercing rays of the sun back into the eyes of the Unicorn! Now blinded, it could no longer run. It knew its time was at an end, and thus it accepted its fate and burst into flames! Then handily winning the race, Anis hauled the broiled carcass back to finish line and shared in the bounty with all in attendance!

Ok, so story time is finished. So, for real, recently training has been pretty darn good. I've run more miles in the past 7weeks than at any point since Sept/Oct of 2008. More miles do not always equal gains, but the truth is many faster runners than I have done a lot more mileage than I have. How much faster or stronger can I get? There is surely one way to find out, run more.

Recent Highlights:
Aug 18-Win the "Chasing the Unicorn Marathon" in 2:37:05, got the BQ. 3rd fastest marathon among 8, 1:19:13/1:17:52 splits. Felt good, recovered in a few days.
Sept 4-11-Ran 100miles in 7 days for the first time in 18yrs of competitive running.
Sept 17-Had a great workout, the kind that lets you know a PR is coming and no one can stop you
Sept 22-Newport Liberty HM, finish 10th, time of 1:12:15, this is a PR by 42seconds(Shamrock 08'), my GSTC teammates also produced some impressive performances, inspiring stuff.

Cruisin' on the towpath in PA! Gettin' after the Unicorn and taking home the W!

Supplemental training: standing fearless in the face of a waterborne Rottweiler!

Start of the Newport Liberty HM Sept 22, 2013 pictured all clustered up here: Chuck Schneekloth, Sean Donohue, Kyle Price, Dennie Waite, Jon Lindenauer, Mike Anis, Stephen Comanto, Will Griffin, Ryan Johns, Peter Schaeffing. Sorry if I missed anyone here. All fine competitors!

Winning a marathon is a special thing, a true thrill. I surely didn't look at a calendar on Jan 1st and say to myself "This yr, I will win a marathon. Yup, I'll just go and do that then." I mean really, who wins a marathon? How often does that happen in life? I can always say I won it, and no one can eeevvver take it away from me. The five friends who came to see me race were better support than if I had thousands of screaming maniacs every step of the way. Rob Decarlo, Tiff Schwartz, Erin Higgins, Jeff and Hardina Blough; I can not thank you all enough for being there on that day!

The month between the marathon and the Newport Liberty half was a solid block of patient miles with some ambitious workouts. I can't say what the workouts were in detail, spies could be reading this! Or perhaps I've decided this post should not revolve around "nerd stuff" like workout statistics.
 So I knew this HM would go well. And while I didn't feel terrfic on this particular race-morning, I know I can't complain too much, as runners say, "a PR is a PR"! But I think I'm faster than this race has shown. I'll just have to be patient for the next racing opportunity.

One thing is for sure, after about 4miles of letting us beat him Will Griffin ran away from me like I was going backwards. Also, Sean Donohue is hard to catch, couldn't do it this time, give me another 13.1miles and it could be interesting.  More importantly, I've been very consistent, and I'm excited about running all the time now! About getting together with other dedicated runners that I know, about hard workouts and solid long runs! About the planning and the recovery, and just tuning my body for going far as quickly as I can make it go!

Next up: 5k XC!