Double dippin’ with tonight’s entry. I was inspired to write this by a runner I have never met and know in name only. He posts his logs over at the Ndorfnz site under the handle TimMeyer, so I assume his name is Tim Meyer. He has been working all winter long through the North South Dakota weather, indoors and outdoors, shoveling, walking to work, doing workouts on holidays. All in order to run a sub 16:00 5k. Which in these parts is really solid for a non-collegiate runner. Just yesterday he entered an indoor at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, IA. His finishing time: 15:55. So for tonight’s topic AND to continue my list of my favorite things about running I am talking about PERSONAL RECORDS!!!
Two of my closest friends, and training partners, Levi Ashley and Tom Nichols. We all set marathon PRs in a rain soaked TCM
So I am sitting here looking at my son, looking at me. I am reminded again of how much time this parenting thing takes. Dishes in the sink, planning to do for class this week, yada yada. I mean seriously, what did I do with my free time before Evan came along? But really, who isn’t busy? Whatevs. Life is good.
Friends in Running
So I need to find something to keep me motivated to update this site on a regular basis. I am a list maker. At school. At home. At practice. For some reason, if I don’t put down stuff on a list, it probably won’t get done. So here is my 2012 feature: My favorite things about running. Emotions, clothing, gear, routes, anything that comes to my mind. Maybe it will offend some folks, maybe it will get a chuckle out of you, maybe you don’t give a damn what I think. But when I consider all there is to enjoy about this lifestyle, well it needs to be written for future generations to enjoy. So without further ado, I present to you, my favorite thing about running. Number 1. . . .
January 14th brings on the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials. Coverage will be aired at 2pm on NBC, though people who care will know way in advance what happens. No live streaming of the race, which in this day and age is ridiculous. If the USATF wants people to be interested they need to make our events as accessible as possible to people (both diehard running fans and the general public) to view. I mean a marathon does not make for gripping TV viewing unless you are a running dork. But having it live would not hurt anyone, except maybe advertisers.
Regardless though, a couple of folks with Nebraska connections are entered: Mike Morgan and Allen Wagner on the Men’s Side. Bridget Easeley and Kaci Lickteig on the women’s side. I am obviously pulling for the locals, but the “coolness” of the event is what I like. That being said, the hype for both genders has been pretty significant. Top end depth on both sides is about as good as it has ever been. But, it is a marathon and that being said there are no guarantees.
Had a chance to chat with one of the women’s contenders earlier today, Desiree Davila. She runs for the Hansons Brooks Distance Project based in Rochester, Michigan. This is the same group that Olympian Brian Sell ran for and that Lincoln native Mike Morgan currently competes for. They are typically described or labelled as blue-collar (this is not a self-described adjective from the team), which seems to mean hard-working. But at their level, everyone is hard-working, so whatever. The interview was completed via Skype, so I apologize if the audio and video are off. I need to start hardlining these interviews as opposed to using wireless. There is also a series on FloTrack highlighting the Hansons Project here. Might be something to keep you busy at work.
Sold out this morning in less than a month of being open registration. I picked January 1st to be the sell-out date, so not too far off there. Congrats if you got in. This is a great race. If you did not, sorry Charlie. Lincoln has officially joined the ranks of races that sell-out too quickly.
I was hoping to wait for another snow storm to make my post title seem that much more clever. But we are in the middle (maybe end?) of a ridiculous streak of great winter weather here in Lincoln. If I had the lifestyle for it, I could be running in shorts and tee many of the last few days. Heck on Christmas I got my shirtless mile in.
On the bright side, the lack of snow is leading us into some of the best winter training that we have had in years. Typically, running in Lincoln in the winter is not a big deal. Mostly because all you are doing is base mileage which typically involves just going out for a run and very few formal workouts. It is used to get ready for the upcoming Spring racing season, which around here means getting ready for the Lincoln Full or Half Marathons.
I have been talking recently about how I have changed my training a bit this winter as I get ready for the USATF National Cross Country Championships. Going from formal/traditional intervals to fartlek/effort based training. This was mostly planned to accommodate the weather and letting go of worrying about pace and just trying to focus on running faster and harder no matter what the pace should be.
So the second part of the “let it go” series is focusing on the mastermind behind this training plan. I have coached with him for 8 of the 21 years he has been at it. I have learned a ton from him in that brief amount of time. His name is Matt Musiel.
Sitting in my car at the Fallbrook YMCA I could hear, feel, and see the wind and snow pummeling my car. Option A: Head inside and do my given workout on the treadmill. Option B: Head out with my intended plan this morning and go out on the country roads for my workout. Deep breath, option B it was.
No camera on my run in the country, but this 2011 Holiday Run photo will have to do
