Adrenaline 5k Race and Post Race Recap

My performance in the Adrenaline 5k in Haddonfield yesterday was okay. Not a great race, but also not terrible. My race plan was to go out in 5:25-35 for the first mile, keep it under control and then try to pick it up through the finish.

Before the race started, I met up with a bunch of the Breakneck guys at Eric Bonnette's parents house (conveniently located about a minute from the start line). Joining me in the group were Eric, Nick DeSantis, Matt Ciociola, Jason Simon, and Abel Bermudez. I then met Katie Van Horn who was also using the house as a pre-race meeting spot. All of the guys went out to warm up on the trails around the house. I did a shorter warm up than the rest of the guys to match what I've been doing be for my workouts. I didn't want to change up anything from my routine right before race time.

During the warm up because I felt really good and I wasn't too nervous about the race. I don't think I've ever PRed or run close to running my best when I've felt great during the warm up. I laced up my flats and did a couple striders to get to the start line. To keep myself from going out way too fast, I lined up a few rows back. The gun went off and I saw tons of people take off in a pace that was way too fast for me.

I went out easy and about a half mile into the race the pack had thinned out somewhat. I looked around to see if I recognized anyone. I noticed an ETA Coach singlet and the runner turned out to be a Hawk Harrier Camp Alum John Williams. The was a noticeable wind throughout most of the race, but it wasn't anything to tough to deal with. Either way, I decided to tuck into the pack that I was running around. After we made a turn leading to the one mile mark, I noticed I was running in the same pack as Katie and Abel.

I went through the first mile in exactly 5:30, right on pace. Abel was a couple seconds ahead but the packs were breaking up and turning into a huge mass of people. I saw Abel trying to get out of the pack he was in and had to force his way out. The move was similar to something I saw Matt Ciociola do in an indoor mile race; an action that was later dubbed the "Ciociola Shove". I kept the pace going and tucked back into a pack about a half mile in. There was a water stop, but I avoided it. I did notice a Ralph Harris working the station that no one in the front of the race seemed to be using.

I kept the second mile under control, but it turned out I actually eased up on the pace. I went through the 2 mile in 11:20, which simple math tells you was a 5:50 mile. Previously I would have put on a surge to try to immediately get back on pace, but this time I decided to do it gradually because I knew the end of the race had a slight downhill. A little less than a half mile I heard a someone call out my name from the pack I was in. It was none other than Hawk Harrier counselor Bill "Ding-a-ling" Ling. He asked if we were going to break 18. I knew that unless I fell off the pace, that it wouldn't be an issue. I responded with a simple "yeah" as I was starting to breathe heavy. Bill took off to pick off some people and I think somewhat to gain some ground before I started my kick.

From running this race a few times in the past, I knew that even though you can see the finish, it is actually a lot further away. Eventually I ran past Coach Jason right as I was starting my kick. I probably picked off 10 to 15 people in the last quarter mile. Sure enough the first 2 people in front of me were Bill and Katie. As I crossed the line and worked my way through the chute, I saw Nick who finished well before me and Bill who was being told "If you're going to vomit, don't vomit on that mat". I didn't feel nearly as bad so I know that I can go faster. My chip time was 17:39 and placed 82nd overall which I consider a solid performance. Last year, I also placed 82nd, but only ran 17:54.

Post Race

All the breakneck guys regathered at the Bonnette house and started our cool down. Eric was upset about his performance and ran out early to get another 30 minute run in. After everyone was done cooling down, we opened up the cooler of beers from Philadelphia Brewing Company that Jason Simon brought with him. After having a couple, Nick and I ran down to the awards ceremony to check out the results and for him to pick up his age group medal. We returned to the house to have a couple more drinks and then headed over to the running store. There was some food and drinks at the store to find out the details to the post race party that night. After I had about 6 beers before 1 PM, I knew I'd have to take a nap to be able to make it out to the party without being a zombie.

Nick drove me back to his house and I took a nap on his couch. Around 4:30, Matt came over with another cooler of beer and we had one before heading out to dinner at Skeeters. Matt, who has been preparing a presentation on nutrition, proceeded to order close to 3,000 calories for himself. Since I was driving us to the party I only had a beer, some fires and nachos and 10 garlic parm wings. A little after 7 we headed to the party in a restaurant in Haddonfield. The party was open bar all night. We stayed stayed there and hung out with a lot of friends and runners then eventually took a fun cab ride home. It was a lot of fun, but we were all paying for it this morning.

Spring Racing Season

This Saturday I will begin my racing career with ETA Coach. I, well technically my alias Remy LaBouche, will be racing the Adrenaline 5k in Haddonfield, NJ. Many of my Breakneck Track Club teammates will be racing as well and we'll have a pretty good turnout. I've done this race the last couple years and it always attracts many fast runners.

In the last couple weeks, I've had a couple workouts. The workouts have not been difficult and the hardest part is to hold back and only hit the times listed. I've joked with friends and Coach Jason that my workout times are at little girl pace. I've done a combination of short intervals, which feel like long striders, and some threshold 1200s. I've really liked the threshold work because the rest is short and the workout is done quicker. I'm not a fan of just standing or jogging around waiting for the next interval.

I know that the purpose of these workouts are mainly to build up strength and have a solid base for the rest of my racing season. Right now the plan is to race occasionally once every month or so to gauge the progression of my fitness and then eventually be in shape for the summer racing season. Since I'm nowhere close to being in good shape, I have low to no expectations for the race this weekend. I will also be participating in the Phillies 5k on Saturday March 26th, but I will most likely be running the race as a workout.

With a Little Help From My Friends

"If a man coaches himself, then he has only himself to blame when he is beaten." - Roger Bannister

With that being said, I've recently began my career under Coach Jason Kilderry with ETA Coach. The decision to become an ETA Coach Athlete was pretty simple. Many of my friends have seen tremendous improvements through Jason's science based training and coaching. For more on Jason's training philosophy check out www.ETAcoach.com and find them on Facebook.

After a decent showing at the Feel the Love 5k, I've been running 4 or 5 miles a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Through some recommendations from Coach Jason, I've eased back on the pace. I'm trying to keep my runs at around 7:30/mile and it's been very difficult because I've been used to running much faster. I'm excited and anxious to step on the track for some workouts this week, but I'm sure that will wear off soon. The weather has also been fantastic for the last couple days. I'm getting used to the 50-60 degree weather, even with the rain. I've been hoping into the trails by my house to keep things interesting. It's been pretty muddy, but a lot of fun.

Next up on my racing schedule is the Adrenaline 5k in Haddonfield, NJ on March 19th. It should be a fast one.

Getting Ready to Feel the Love

Snow, Thaw, Freeze, repeat. That's the best way I can describe the weather the last couple weeks. I haven't been good at updating my online training log recently, but I have been getting the runs in. I'm averaging between 4-6 miles a day with 3 days off every 2 weeks. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Most of my runs have been only on the roads because most of the trails around me are inaccessible or too dangerous to run fast through. On Wednesday during a 55 minute run I started to feel the effects of running on the hard surfaces. I got a minor pain in my shins (the early stages of shin splints) which I'm pretty sure is from running the Ice Steeple for the last couple days. Hopefully, it's just some aches, but I'll be watching it. I've been running through neighborhoods to avoid the narrow shoulders, traffic, and ice. Because of this, I've had to practically steeple frozen mounds of snow and ice at least every quarter mile. I took a rest day yesterday, and did an easy 25 minutes today and felt pretty good.

Tomorrow afternoon is my next race, the Feel the Love 5k in Bryn Mawr, PA. I'll be racing with Laura O'Mara (Team Lomstead) and hopefully we win some type of award. Even if we don't, we'd win for most fantastic racing uniform (if that was a category). From my training, all I know is I'll be able to finish. LoM will be a biggest factor in our placing because she'll place better among the women than I will against the men. I'll be happy if I break 18. The weather is looking like the best we'd be able to get for February, 38 degrees and sunny. I have no idea what the course is like, but from the times in previous years, it looks pretty fast.

Wish me luck. I'll need it.

T-Shirt TIME!!!!

Today it was finally warm enough to go for a run in shorts and a T-Shirt. It doesn't quiet make up for the run I did yesterday in 34 degree rain and ice.

Yesterday I cut my run short and only did about 4 miles. The conditions got really dangerous and cars were having trouble driving. There was about 2 inches of ice on the roads and people were driving way too fast. For safety's sake, I cut the run short.

Today was a lot better. It was 47 degrees and sunny when I went for my run. I met up with my Feel the Love 5k partner Laura O'Mara and went for a run from the Haddonfield Running Company. I went out in a t shirt and shorts and we ran for an hour. It felt easy and the run was at conversation pace. After we ran through a mile marker check point we calculated our pace 7:30 per mile. It was great to see my watch register a run over an hour again.

In other news, Quinn Rogowski entered this world today 1:24 pm to proud parents Brett & MaryRose Rogowski.... the exact time I finished my run and got back in my car today. Also, the 30,000 participant cap for the Broad Street Run 10 Miler was reached today. I'm glad I registered the first day.

Alumni Mile and Snow

Time for quick update of my training. I've been running about 4 times a week and supplementing my training with aqua jogging and biking. The extensor tendonitis has seemed to clear up. My long run has worked its way up to 8 miles and my pace has started to pick up. On Monday night I did a run a that was little less than 8 miles. I used the heart rate monitor to where I was at. My pace was around 6:50-6:55 per mile and my heart rate was right around 160 bpm. This is considerably faster than my first run for the year at the same bpm.

I also had the joy of doing some running in the snow. With about a foot of it still on the ground and people refusing to shovel their sidewalks, its a part of every run. On Sunday, I joined Nick DeSantis and Garrett Watkinson for Nick's easy run. We ran about 45-50 minutes in the 8 inches of snow that prevented us from going to Atlantic City. It was at my normal run pace and I felt strong. After the run, we did some striders on the road. The striders felt good and so did moving fast. When I have the opportunity and it's safe conditions, I will add them into my normal run.

Last night I ran my first race of 2011. The Rider vs Monmouth Alumni Mile. There were 4 guys running and I knew before the race that I was going to place second. I did an abbreviated warm up with fellow Rider Alum John Smith and while we were warming up, we saw our competition. They looked slightly out of shape. They asked what I was shooting for as a goal time and I said about 5:00. They said they were nowhere close to that shape and would be happy breaking 6:00. John Smith has been training and was shooting for a 4:25. I then changed my goal to not be lapped by Smith.

The gun went off and John took off. I settled in at my own pace and was well ahead of 3rd place. I went through the first 200 in about 37 seconds (right on pace for 5:00), but knew it wasn't gonna hit the time by myself. I went through the 400 in 75, 800 in 2:31, 1200 in 3:47 and finished in 5:05. On lap number 7 I was running scared. About halfway through the first turn, I heard the bell ring for John's last lap. He had already lapped everyone else in the field by this point. I picked up the pace and surged through the lap and managed to not get lapped. Smith finished in 4:31 by himself and I finished 2nd. For the second straight year (and the complete history of the Rider Monmouth indoor dual) all Rider Alumni beat all Monmouth Alumni. I know I could have gone faster if I had someone to run with.

I've also set my racing schedule for this winter / spring.

February 12, 2011
5th Annual Feel the Love 5k:  
Team Lomstead

March 19, 2011
Haddonfield Adrenaline 5k

March 26, 2011,
Phillies 5k

I may add some other 5k's in there. Hopefully I'll run sub 18 next month. I'm shooting for 17:30-45. I think it's an obtainable goal, but I really won't know what kind of shape I'm in until I race.

First Run 2.0

After several days of not feeling any pain in my foot, I decided to test it out on an easy run. I don't know if it was the new shoes, time off, the significantly slower pace, or all of the above but I felt great.

I put on my new heart rate monitor and went out the door with the goal of keeping my heart rate between 70-80% of my maximum heart rate (about 154-168 bpm). I was able to program the watch to alert me when I was exceeding this limit. What I learned was I'm not nearly in the shape I thought I was in and need to run at a significantly slower pace.  I quickly got to my target range and needed to back off the pace. To stay in my target range I felt like I was crawling out there (probably because I was). I felt like I could have easily held the pace for another 7 miles. I ran 3.5 miles in 26:44 (~7:38 mile pace). My average heart rate was 162 bpm and the highest I got up to was 169 bpm.

The only redeeming factor for me is that estimating from VDOT tables I'm in approximately 17:50-18:10 5k shape (For those that don't know about training using VDOT, I'll hopefully get a page in the near future on this blog that will explain it in more detail). It's not a great time, but better than I thought I was. Of course estimates from a table in a book are significantly different than an actual race result. Depending on how my training goes this month, I may look for a low key 5k got get a better estimate of my fitness. One of my goals by the end of 2011 is to get back under 17 minutes for 5k. With proper training and staying healthy, this should be an obtainable goal.

New Year, New Philosophy, and a New Start

"Take a primitive organism, any weak, pitiful organism. Say a freshman. Make it lift or jump or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. It gets a little stronger or faster or more enduring. That's all training is. Stress. Recover. Improve. You'd think any damn fool could do it, even... But you don't. You work too hard and rest too little and get hurt." - Bill Bowerman

I originally read this quote in the book Bowerman and the Men of Oregon over 3 years ago. I ignored this when I read it because it seemed pretty obvious and I wasn't writing my own training schedule. My current training philosophy simplified from this quote:  

Proper Stress + Proper Recovery = Improved Performance

After this holiday season, I received some gear that will help me out as I start again, a brand new pair of running shoes and a heart rate monitor. Theoretically, if I can run based off of my heart rate (which puts a numeric value to my perceived effort) I should be able to optimize my stress and recovery and prevent over training.

I've spent the last week training on the stationary bike and aqua jogging, but soon the gym will be soon be packed with New Years Resolutionists. I will try to avoid the gym during "prime" hours to attempt to get a continuous workout in. My foot has been feeling better for the last couple days and I will test it out tomorrow. I'm going to start out slow and continue to bike and aqua jog until I get fully acclimated to training again.

I have also set the race I plan to train for this winter: the Broad Street Run. I've run this race the last couple years, but have never raced well there. Hopefully with a solid training plan, I'll be able to change those results.

Happy New Year

Holiday Runs & Extensor Tendonitis

Ugly Sweater / Holiday Party

I felt recovered enough to get back to running and will fill you all in on the very festive week I've had. Last Saturday night,  after an easy 2 miles to test out the foot, I went to an Ugly Sweater / Holiday Party. I went dressed as Buddy the Elf and had a great time. Matt Ciociola drove me back to Nick DeSantis' house and the next morning we woke up and went for a run to pick up my car and drive some people back. I was definitely overdressed for that run and felt hungry and very dehydrated.

Jingle Bell Run

Monday night I took part in a Jingle Bell Run in North Wales. This was also a lot of fun; especially the tour of the Prism Brewery. Many other stops at bars were made that night and it was a very fun run. I stayed up that night to watch the lunar eclipse and slept in the next morning.

Tuesday was an easy 3.4 mile loop around Fairess Hills.

Wednesday: A run with many members of Breakneck Track Club from the Haddonfield Running company. I ran a 6.6 mile loop in just under 7:00 mile pace and felt relatively good the entire time. After the run, I went to Skeeters Pub for some wings and refreshments with Nick, Matt, and Garrett Watkinson.

I stayed over Nicks house for Thursday Night's Christmas Eve Eve Party / Festivus celebration. I went for a 4 mile run on a bike path by the house, did my Christmas shopping, and then helped prepare for the celebration. We set up the Festivus poll and then during dinner I let Jason Kilderry and Nick DeSantis know how they've disappointed me in the last year with a can of silly string for each of them. Back at the Halloween Party, around one in the morning they both sprayed me with with silly string. I vowed that I would get them both back at some point when they had least excepted it. I got Jason the moment he finished his meal and Nick when he was almost done cleaning the dishes. Later in the night we had a gift exchange, Christmas music power hour, Four Lokos, and walked to Skeeters to continue the party. The next morning I woke up and my foot was hurting again.

I've been worried that the pain I've been feeling was a metatarsal stress fracture. I went to a physical therapist friend of mine to get a more professional diagnosis. Luckily that does not appear to be the case. Extensor Tendonitis most likely caused by tight calf muscles, hilly running, and possibly running on ice is the diagnosis. I took 2 off days on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I did 45 minutes of biking yesterday and will continue to do alternate exercises until I don't feel the pain anymore. Hopefully that's sooner than later.

The 1st Setback & Alternate Training

First I need to express the sheer joy of the Phillies signing Mr. Clifton Phifer Lee. This was all I was thinking about all during Tuesday's run. It ended up being a short run because about 2 miles in, I felt a sharp localized pain in the top of my left foot. I decided to play it safe and cut the run short.

Over the last decade + of running, I've learned the difference between pain that you can run through and pain that you shouldn't. I've been using the RICE technique to treat it for now. For those of you that don't know, that is Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. There doesn't appear to be any swelling, so I haven't taken any ibuprofen. On Wednesday, I felt the same pain, but mainly when walking up and down stairs. I decided to take the day off.

Typically when I'm in the heart of training, I take an off day once every 3 weeks. I'm nowhere close to the weekly mileage I would like to do, so my body needs a little more time to recover until it gets used to the training. In these early weeks, I'll probably take an off day once a week and gradually increase the days between until I back to the once every 3 week plan.

Today the pain was a lot more dull and I feel like I could have gone out for a run. There was also a nice snow falling and I love snow running. Instead I headed to the gym to do a half hour of aquajogging and 45 minutes of biking. I got a couple strange looks for staying in only the deep end and going in small circles. I didn't pay them much attention because those same people wouldn't understand the point behind competitive running.

Right now my goal is to supplement this aquajogging and biking for my normal run as to not loose as much of the fitness I've developed in the last week and a half. Hopefully I can be back to running by tomorrow or this weekend, but I'm not going to rush the recovery.