Will Run For Food

Remember how I said when I was stopping this blog that I was working on something else? Well I wasn't lying. In fact, this new endeavor is bigger, better, and badder than runLBP...it has videos, pictures, blog posts, and a second writer!

Will Run For Food

My good friend Mike and I have resurrected "Will Run For Food" and are taking the series to new heights. Check out http://wrff.tumblr.com and you can see the video of our pilot episode "Episode 1-New York City" plus a whole lot more!

"Woody"

Remember when I said I wasn't going to write any more blog's for this one? Well, I lied.

And I came back just in time to report some of the lowest of lows!

The US Road Mile was about as disasterous a race as I could have hoped for. I felt good for about a 1/2 mile, and then the wheels came off all at once. It was an odd experience, it just kind of all of a sudden happened. People started passing me, I tried to respond, and I couldn't get my legs to move. I dropped out a little after the 3/4 mark. I obviously tried to forget the experience as soon as possible, but much easier said than done. And amazingly, the hits kept coming.

The Red Wings lost to the fricken Sharks. I'm not even that big of a hockey fan, but playoff hockey is intense and fun to watch, and anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love all things Detroit. So I watched the game, got even more upset, and then slept for about 4 hours before my flight back to Michigan.

And it got even worse from there. I woke up with a sore foot. The left foot. The same one that has had 2 stress fractures in a 3 year period. It didn't hurt in the fourth metatarsal, but it still hurt.

So I got home to Bath and tried to nap away my sorrows. Obviously, this wouldn't be easy either. So I begrudgingly got in my Dad's homemade truck (see above picture) to drive up to the local YMCA and get in a swim.

I usually don't mind driving "Woody", and his may or may not be true, but I'm pretty sure the radio was stuck on a station playing Creed. So even the driving was ruined.

Then, as I'm driving over I-69 on an overpass, the hood of that damn truck flies up with a POP! and obscures any point of view I could have ever imagined having. After a brief freakout moment, I pulled the car over, shut him down, got out and slammed the hood shut and latched it with a few four-letter words spewing from my mouth.

I got back in the car and just started laughing. Couldn't get much worse than that...

And it really hasn't. I do not have a stress fracture (thankfully!) and my foot is starting to feel better. I'm skipping the great meet that is taking place at Occidental this weekend (gonna be a stacked 15!) to get my training back and going and get my head on straight.

To put it bluntly, I've struggled with my first year and a half as a pro, but I'm going to figure some things out and get ready for some nice racing come June, July and August. As always, it's go time, and I need to "Let's Go!"

Something New

It's been a while. I haven't had much to post. I had a very poor race at Princeton in the 800 and then an alright race at Penn in the mile. Things are perking up training wise, and I'm pretty excited about the US Road Mile on May 12th in Minneapolis and then a fast 1500 in L.A. on the 22nd.

BUT, while I haven't been doing much blogging, I have been working on something...

I am officially announcing the end of runLBP. Don't get me wrong, writing a post each week is actually one of my more enjoyable moments. I love to write, and forcing myself to do so each week is something I enjoy doing. There were some weeks where I wouldn't want to, but because I had this blog going, I had to do it. (And yeah, I realized a long time ago that this is a BLOG, even though I hate that word and prefer web-journal (which may sound just as lame).) But, most things come to an end, and with runLBP, it is about that time.

I started up my blog with the hopes that it would make me more marketable and help me get a shoe contract. Wishful thinking, I know, but it does make some sense. What I realized since pretty early on is that you simply have to run fast to get a shoe contract. So instead of writing the blog to get noticed, I was writing a blog for family and friends to stay in touch with my running.

Thankfully, you'll still be able to do that. Because, as I said earlier, I have been working on something else.

It is not ready yet, but it is going to be more than just runLBP. As I mentioned earlier, I love writing, but the project I'm working on is going to allow me to write about more than just running. Hopefully I'll post even more than I do currently because the blog is going to be all encompassing in regards to my likes and dislikes rather than just about running.

So stay tuned on here, because I will link to the new guy as soon as it's up and running.

It has been a pleasure to write runLBP posts for all this time (116 posts!), and for the 25 of you who read every week, thank you so very much...but onto something new now, hopefully you check out what's to come...

The Law of Larry??

For all the things in life that are unpredictable, a few things will always remain constant: The sun will rise and fall each day; my family will love me even if I don't have a good race (I hope...); and if Gus Johnson is announcing a sporting event, it is going to be exciting.

Bill Simmons coined the "Law of Gus Johnson" in regards to football games this fall:

If Gus Johnson is calling an NFL game, the odds quintuple that (A) the lead will change hands in the fourth quarter; (B) someone will complete a long pass in a big moment that will make Gus' voice hit an octave only dogs can hear; and (C) the game will go into overtime or at least come damned close. It seems impossible that the mere presence of an announcer would alter the course of the game, but here's my theory: I think God sits in his Man Cave on Sundays and says, "Which game is that Gus Johnson calling? I get a kick out of that guy. I think I'll make his game exciting and see if he completely loses his mind."

But Gus got his start in college basketball (he announced Princeton's 1996 upset of the defending champs UCLA in the first round) and is famous for his excitability while announcing. Great games gravitate towards Gus Johnson.

Now if only the same were true of Larry Rawson.

Actually, great games (or in this case, great races) do present themselves to Rawson, if only he could get excited about them.

The Boston Marathon was Monday. It is one of those races that even non-track fans know about. If my cousin, an avid basketball fan living in Boston, is posting on Facebook about watching the finish line from his room, it's a marquee event.

Mondays for me means a drive to Rutgers with Coach Gags and a workout before returning home around two and heading into work. So, I wasn't able to read a ton about Boston until later on in the day. Not that I didn't get glimpses.

Ryan Hall ran 2:04:57??!? And he took 4th?!?! I was shocked and impressed.

But Desiree Davila had the lead with 400 to go and almost WON The Boston Marathon?!?!?! You have to be kidding me.

I read recap after recap. Almost everyone described themselves as standing up and yelling at their computer screen as they watched the final straightaway. Even Alberto Salazar (who coaches 5th place finisher Kara Goucher) reportedly was yelling at a screen trying to will Davila to victory. I couldn't wait to watch the footage of the finish.

Sadly, I was disappointed.

Not with Davila. Her race was inspiring. Let'sRun.com's Weldon Johnson's analysis of Davila's effort was spot on. Davila raced as tough a race as she could, and even though she didn't win, she almost achieved the impossible. Which in my book is pretty damn impressive.

It's too bad Weldon Johnson wasn't announcing the race. When Davila takes the lead at the 2:47 mark of the video below, the announcers should be going nuts. It's not that Rawson doesn't show much emotion, he does say, "Look at the move being made by Desiree right now, look at this!" But then: silence. Kilel retakes the lead and it's business as usual for the two announcers. Perhaps they were deflated that Davila was not going to win, but that final straightaway was a hell of a ride, and they announce the winner as if it was a high school dual meet.

This is what announcing of a big event should be.

I may not know exactly what we need to do to make track a more popular sport in the U.S., but I do know that some better announcing would help. If Buffalo Wild Wings can get Gus, why can't we?

The Question

It's an age old question. A lot of us ask it from time to time, few actually take the time to figure out the answer. Most of us overestimate, while some err on the under. But we all do eventually ask it: After we've stopped running (I mean really running), how fast are we???

One thing that I'm looking forward to when I'm done running competitively is the random race. I have a good amount of friends who have challenged themselves to run an all out mile or organized an out of the blue street race (from time to time I've gotten in on these as well). It will be fun to go out and race after having not done it for a while. As I'm grasping my knees and sucking for air, I'll realize that it wasn't really that fun.

The "how fast am I right now?" question comes up fairy often in a group of running friends. We're a competitive group (see Dan Nunn's bet).

Krisch had to take 4 months off for a femoral stress fracture after his college career. He just started running two or three weeks ago:
"I could run my high school PR," said Krisch referencing a 9:07 2-mile.
"WHHHATT??!!" everyone responded in hysteria.
"You couldn't break 10," somebody says to get the bartering going for a bet.
"That's ridiculous," Krisch retorts.
The bickering back and forth continues for about 20 minutes too long.
"Fine," says Will, "Saturday, go run 9:30 at Riverbank."
And then we find out how much of a man Krisch is.

Amazingly, this conversation occurs about twice a month. Sadly, the races occur only every once in a while.

I'm happy not to be in the position to ask myself the question yet (although I do ask myself how fast I can become every time I race), but I know that I eventually will. And down the road when I'm a few lbs over the reg and bored with my job and easy runs, I'll lace up the spikes, go up to the track, not let anyone know I'm going, and I'll rip off a mile...hopefully it's under five.

If I can run my HS PR when I'm washed up...I won't be very washed up.

New Spikes

Deja Vu?? - finally time to race for me. (pic courtesy of Kyle Merber)

My old spikes are strewn about the country. The most special ones are under my bed here in New York: the red Milers we won Penn in are there; the navy and white Victorys that I broke 4 in for the first time still have red dust from the mondo of the armory. My home back in Michigan has the important high school spikes: the red, cheetah-spotted Ventulas I ran 1:51 in; the black Kennedys that took me to a 4:10. Then there are the rest of the spikes. They could be anywhere. I gave a pair of MaxCats to my buddy Weeth. I definitely left a pair or two in my locker at Gtown. I donated some to a shoe drive -- so my spikes may be strewn across the globe. My latest pair of spikes has been relegated to workouts. They may go under the bed with the other keepsake spikes, but they didn't have a ton of great moments. But there's a new pair to give status to now.

I love a new pair of spikes. They're different from regular running shoes or training flats...they're sacred. Regular shoes you just put on and go out for a run. Spikes? No, you put them on when you first get them and they clink and clack on your wooden floor as you delicately walk around in them and careen your neck around and around to glance at them to make sure they look cool enough, but spikes are for special occasions: Racing.

I just got a new pair of spikes for the Outdoor Season. It starts up Saturday for me. I'll be catching a flight to Eugene Thursday afternoon after a pre-race workout and then Saturday will be go time. Two laps on the track is all I'll need to get the season going. And it should be a blast.

It is the Pepsi Invitational and it's mostly a college race, but Coach Lanana was nice enough to let Gags put me in the 800 field to get a good season opener going. I haven't seen the field, but it will definitely be a good one as U. of Oregon and OTC have a ton of high quality guys. It will be a very good opportunity to race some fast guys. I'm pumped.

I'll lace up the new spikes and race my butt off.

I Need A Montage

Carnage.

The day is approaching to give it your best

You've got to reach your prime!

That's when you need to put yourself to the test

And show us the passage of time.

We're gonna need a montage. (Montage)

A sports-training montage! (Montage)

I'm alive in that picture. Just barely though. Gags doesn't know what Twitter is, and he's always asking me what the heck LinkedIn is (I don't know the answer to that)...but the one thing he has ever said to me about online rules, is not to say what our workouts are. So that's why you don't get many times on my blog, because some things are sacred; Gags workouts being one of them.

And just show a lot of things happenin' at once.

Remind everyone of what's goin' on. (What's goin' on?)

And with every shot, show a little improvement

To show it won't take too long.

That's called a montage. (Montage)

Even Rocky had a montage! (Montage)

What I can tell you though, is that the feeling I have in that picture has been commonplace lately. Either I'm going to be in really good shape, or my legs are going to fall off. I did this workout with John Maloy my 5th year at Gtown the week before Penn. We did 100 at 12.5, 200 at 26, 300 at 40, 400 at 51. That was all with a lot of recovery. THEN, we did a 300, 200, 100 cutdown. Problem was: only 30 seconds rest between each interval. We ran 38.1, 24.4, and 11.7. It was one of the hardest workouts I've ever done. I think I still have a headache from it. Then John split 1:48 and then I split 1:46 on a 7:16 4x8 the next weekend.

In any sport, if you want to go

From just a beginner to a pro

You'll need a montage. (Montage)

A simple little montage! (Montage)

That's why I sometimes wish that my life was like a movie (who am I kidding, I always wish that). Like the lyrics that have been making their way into this post from a "South Park" episode, life would be easier with a montage. Just throw on some awesome music, do a few exercises, and you're good to go!

Always fade out (Montage) into a montage... (Montage)

If you fade out it seems like a long time (Montage) has passed in a montage... (Montage)

Montage... (Montage)

Asspen
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore...

Last Chance Recap

Rutgers, NJ. The Outdoor Track

The Res Loop and Bridal Path are clear, the weather is decent, and all is good in the world. Because yes folks, it's finally outdoor season. And as we all know, Outdoor is the season that matters. That's where the races matter and the big bucks are made. And I am excited that it is here. First though, a recap of the 8 last weekend and the indoor season...

There were some good things and some bad things to take out of the 8 at Columbia's Last Chance Meet last weekend.

The Bad: I lost. Now I know you can't win them all, but it's still never fun to lose. Especially to a field that you can beat. I didn't feel like I raced that smart, and even though I felt good in the race, I'm still pissed I got beat.

The Good: I felt good in the race and had a pretty darn good kick. In replaying the race in my mind, I got out really well the first 50 and found myself in 4th behind the rabbit, the guy who won, and Gtown's Ulm (who I was on a 7:16 4x8 with). I thought it was perfect. But Ulm let the pace lag a little bit behind the front two and from 250 to 300 I had to make a surge to get back into the race. I was probably through in 53 high or so and had moved up into 3rd and was close to the leaders. 4-600 was pretty relaxed and I think since we all knew it wasn't a super fast race we were getting ready for our drives to the line and the end. A Dartmouth kid moved up on my outside and positioned himself in 2nd to the guy who won. On the backstretch with 120 to go I wanted to move, but The Dartmouth Kid was there, so I had to wait it out around the turn and then when I tried to slingshot my way into the lead, the leader was ready and held me off 1:49.11 to 1:49.16. I closed the final 200 in 26.8, but it wasn't quite good enough.

It was almost an indoor PR and that was a 1:49.07 that came last year in a perfectly set up race where I closed in probably 28high, so I have to be happy with the way this one ended...other than the fact that I got beat.

As has been the case since my first year at Columbia though, now comes the fun part. Indoor Season, as Gags puts it, is more like our exhibition season. It's a time to get into shape, and you definitely want to run well, but the most important part of indoors is getting ready for outdoors. My indoor season only had 3 races - a win in a 1:51.5 800, a 2nd place 3:43.6 1500 and a 2nd place 1:49.16 800...plus a few rabbiting gigs here and there. I'm in some good shape heading into outdoors. So, Let's Go!!

Last Chance

The only picture of me running this year that I know of. If you're looking to donate an awesome black singlet my way, let me know...

Armory. Saturday Night. 800-meters. Last indoor race of the season. Should be a fun one. Hopefully we run fast.

And that's really about it.

Although I do feel somewhat responsible for Charlie Sheen's acts of craziness after I rated his CBS show as the worst in my 2010 Recap. He did send me an email to let me know I was a [expletive deleted] idiot, and that he was winning!

But other than that, not much going on in NY. HEPS was a fun meet to watch as usual. A little disappointing with how much Princeton dominated the meet, but can't really complain about the atmosphere for a track meet.

The training has been going really well lately. I haven't raced since the New Balance 1500, but have gotten in a really good block of training. Hopefully I'm not too rusty for the race, but I dont' think that I will be. Although, jumping into an 800 for the first race in a while always hurts like hell.

After this race, we'll take another break from racing for a bit and gear up for the outdoor season. It is going to be a long one this year, and hopefully I do the European season right this year (three alright races doesn't cut it for a European season). Hopefully I'll start things up in early April to get the racing juices flowing.

If you're in NY, head up to the armory around 8:05 for the 8 on Saturday night.

Energizer Bunny

Checking on Lukas. No headband since it wasn't a race for me!

I had my second rabbiting gig on Saturday night. It was a lot cooler than the Madison Square Garden one...because the talent in the race was unbelievable. It was an exciting day of running. Here's a blow by blow recap of the day. But we're going Memento on it so there can be a little surprise at the end:

11:30pm - walk into the bed room...pass out cold, sleep for 10 hours with only a few bathroom breaks.

9:30pm - after a nice cooldown and stretch, I watch some of the races with Columbia kids going on at the armory. I pop out and meet with Christine, Krisch and Delilah at Coogans for some post-race chili (terrible call, I was sweating profusely as I ate it), a beer, and a lot of complaining about how much my legs hurt. We finally finish up dinner and train home after a long day.

8:30pm - cooldown with Russell Brown (he won the Boston Indoor Mile last weekend in 3:54) and Mike Weisbuch through Washington Heights after the race. Lukas was happy with the pace job, I think he and his coach were a little too ambitious with the 4:15 first mile. Either way, the kid is going to be very, very good. He has his stuff together mentally. Zach, a coach at Columbia, asked me how mature he was mentally compared to me and I put it at a 24...I scored myself at a 2.

8:14pm - with the crowd the loudest I've ever seen it at the Armory (minus the time I won the Indoor Heps Mile in '07--at least that's what I keep telling myself), Bernard Lagat crosses the line in 8:10. He makes it look easy as he runs his last mile in 4:02. Lukas doesn't quite hold it together and runs 8:43...good enough for a 10 second PR and the third fastest indoor time for a high schooler ever.

8:03pm - in a rabbit situation, I get the coolest pre-race introduction I probably will ever receive. They get the whole thing, all my cool accomplishments, and play hard with the Columbia 4x8 at Penn to get me a nice ovation from the college kids watching the meet. Granted my intro is 4 minutes shorter than Lagat's, but still. Nerves settle down, gun goes up, crack!, it's go time. We immediately get in line: Robbie Andrews, Russell Brown, Bernard Lagat, Me, Lukas V, and then Harbert Okuti, a local runner. It's a little confusing getting the splits since we started 18 meters back of the finish line for the 2-mile. I stay what I think is the right distance behind Lagat and we start to get into a rhythm with the front pack pulling away ever so slightly. You can find Lukas's splits here and know that I'm anywhere from .2 to .7 seconds ahead of him throughout the rabbit job. Right before the race the director tells me that if I can stay longer I should, but as soon as I hit 1800-meters (my job is 2k), I know I only have 1 lap left. So I make it that lap and turn into spectator. The other two rabbits do the same and we watch from the inside of the track...up close and personal. Meanwhile I was sucking for air and my legs were HURTING.

7:05pm - Russell and I head out for a warm-up. We head north from the armory in Washington Heights. About 8 minutes in (we're planning on going out 10, 10 back for 20 minutes), I realize that this is the farthest north of the armory I've been on a warm-up...and it's dark. "Yo man," I say, "I could probably wait and tell you this, but I'm gonna throw it out there that I've never been up here before, so I'm not exactly sure how safe this is..." Russell immediately slows down, "Alright, we're good, let's turn back." So we only got in 19 minutes.

6:00pm - show up to the armory and we get to hang out in a room with just the 2-milers. It's pretty cool getting to hang out with Lagat and realize that before a race he gets a little nervous and likes to relax with his legs up just like you do. He is an extra nice guy, as is Lukas.

noon-4pm - A whole lot of nothing. I do some napping, eat some lunch, watch Wisconsin whoop up on Ohio State in the second half. It's a lazy day when you have a night workout.

11:00am - Mmmmm, mmmmm, a delicious breakfast burrito. You get yourself some corn tortilla, steam it up a bit, throw on some black beans, add in some scrambled eggs, don't forget the cheese, toss on a little salsa and top it off with some avocado...hot damn! You've got yourself a meal! Probably a little much for a day when I'm essentially rabbiting, but...

9:30am - head out for a shakeout...although it's not really a shakeout. Because you can't just rabbit and count it as a workout in my new running life. We had to make this a real day of training. I got my brother and my buddy English to meet me in the park and we rocked 4 miles at 5:30 pace through Central Park.
--
So there you have it. A Saturday of running. Overall, it was a 15 mile day with a 4 mile tempo in the morning and a 2k in 5:20. I'm getting in shape, but a long ways to go 'til Outdoors.

And, as a plus, got paid, so a little will be going to ThinkDetroit again!

And, check out http://www.njnytc.com!

New Yorker - Imported

The Motor City

"It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." - Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird

I will be the first to admit that there are a few things in life that I seem to overplay (Skyline Chili anyone?). I get into something and I talk it up to any and everyone. It may be overkill, but I go with it anyway. And with how much I love The City of Detroit, some may think I overdo it. Especially considering that my hometown of Bath is a two hour drive away, yet I quote an Eminem movie on the bottom of my LBPjams page. While I may aggrandize some things a little for show, I truly do love Detroit.

They've been around for a while now, all the "Woe is Detroit" pieces in newspapers, radio, and TV spots. Time Inc. even had "Assignment Detroit", where the company bought a house in the city limits, and reported on the city because they believed it was a true "American story." There were no jobs, people were leaving, the politics were rough, and, as Time predicted, some great stories came out of it.

Being a sports fan, I stuck to the Detroit stories related to the Pistons, Tigers, Lions and Wings.

In 2009 when General Motors couldn't afford to pay for a sign over the fountain in centerfield at the Tiger's Stadium, instead of taking the sign down Mike Ilitch (owner of the Tigers and Wings at the time) left it up and put up signs for Chrysler and Ford as well with a sign reading: "THE DETROIT TIGERS SUPPORT OUR AUTOMAKERS." (Article Here)

Then, after the Lions finished 0-16 for the worst season ever, Mitch Albom stood up for Detroit. He pointed out that things weren't great, but the city was going to fix them. In "The Courage of Detroit" he wrote: "We don't talk about whether Detroit will be fixed but when Detroit will be fixed."

My memories of the city stem from street sports in the suburb of Royal Oak. We would drive down Woodward to get downtown and then over to Corktown and my Aunt Sue's house. Then we'd walk the three blocks from there to Tiger Stadium. It was only a buck fifty to get into the game, even on Kazoo night with my Aunt and all her crazy friends. Then maybe my uncle would take us to Lafayette Coney Island for a chili dog. Or we'd visit Granny in Clinton Township when she'd get back from yet another shift at the Sears she worked at for more than 50 years. Sometimes we'd meet all my Dad's high school buddies and play basketball long into the night.

Now when I go, I see Detroit more. I see the old Train Station, dilapidated but still amazing. I see the empty houses from the freeway as we get to my aunt's house. Tiger Stadium is no more, just a field. My mom drives me by the car factories. She tells me that both my grandfathers worked there. My Dad even put in time on the line. The parking lots aren't full.

But here's the thing about Detroit: the people are not giving up. The city may be downtrodden, but they are going to do something about it. It may be an uphill battle, but Detroit plans on winning it.

Then there was the Superbowl Commercial. As soon as I saw the I-75 Detroit sign I was in a trance. I shushed everyone. "It's the hottest fires that make the hardest steel." Hell yeah, I murmured. "Add hard work and conviction and a know how that runs generations deep in every last one of us." Eminem started playing and my jaw dropped. "This isn't New York City." I gotta get outta New York, I thought. "This is the Motor City, and this is what we do." Holy sh*t.

I'm not from Detroit. When people ask me where I'm from I say Bath. They then ask where that is and I say just north of East Lansing and MSU. My Mom told me, along with my entire graduating high school class, to do that. Take pride in where you're from, she said. And I do. That's what people from Detroit do.

I like that pride, and I'm going to try to help. It's not much, but it's better than nothing: every time I win prize money in a race, I am going to make a small donation to the Think Detroit PAL. I won some prize money in my New Balance 1500, and got money to rabbit at Millrose, so two donations are heading to help Detroit's youth through athletic, academic, and leadership programs. A car commercial can do wonders for a city.

My first car was a Chrysler. A New Yorker. Funny how the names worked out like that. It was imported from Detroit. And it was the greatest car in the world.

Millrose Recap

Millrose Games Track.

I was supposed to run a 4:08 mile for one of America's best distance runners (Galen Rupp) to help him out with the first half of his 2-mile run on the tight turns and sharp banks of the Millrose Games track. Instead, I took the pretty good field of runners (Stephen Haas has been running well this winter) through a mile in around 4:18 and then stuck around because I was still in prize money position for an extra 600 meters or so before stepping off the track at Madison Square Garden.

All in all it wasn't a great run for me, but it was a payday as a rabbit job. Plus, it's always fun to run at Madison Square Garden and be a part of the history of the Millrose Games. However, looking at the half filled (or half empty) stands made me wish that Millrose Games could be an even greater meet.

The main problem with Millrose Games is that the ticket prices make you think you're going to a Knicks game. And here's the thing. Other than the Wanamaker Mile, you really aren't seeing the talent level in all the events that would suggest that (although the Knicks have sucked in recent years). They get a few good people in each event, but overall, there are probably 3-4 really good events at the Millrose Games. If they are going to be charging $70 for somewhat good seats to a track meet, it needs to be one hell of a track meet. Other than the Wanamaker Mile, Millrose isn't quite there yet.

That being said, I wish Millrose Games could fill up the Garden. There is a fun energy when you're at a meet in MSG. The place is filled with history, its loud, and you can't ask for a better place to star than New York. But in order to fill up the Garden, we need to get great athletes in every single event. New York City is a great place for a track meet, hopefully some athletes can see how great a meet Millrose can be and can make next year a great year for the meet.

Training has been slacking a little bit with all the racing (meaning mileage has been down), but it looks like I may be up in Boston next weekend for a fast mile and then we'll really get back to piling on the miles and putting in the work. We look at indoor season as the NBA's pre-season and we're using it to get ready for Outdoors. Will have a post midweek letting you know the rest of the Indoor season plans.

Effin' Snow

Complaining is for wusses. But excuse me while I wuss up for a little bit...

Whoever thought of this "I Heart NY" slogan didn't live in New York right now. This place sucks. Last year I had snOMG in DC and now it's just a Sh*t Storm of Snow (that's what I'm coining it since I feel that way about the pattern of snow every four days). I luckily missed the first big storm right after Christmas, but now this snow just keeps piling up. Plus, some of it melts, then it freezes, and the resulting slush is disgusting. I have been running on cement or treadmills for a while now, and I could really use some soft surfaces. Plus, these indoor tracks have some tight turns.

And that's that. No more complaining. You either run on the cement, or you don't. Plus, now that the NJ-NY Track Club has a logo (with t-shirts to boot!), life is good:

T-shirts available for $100

I am going to rabbit the Millrose 2-Mile on Friday night. The race goes off at 8:27pm and I'll be asked to lead the first mile of the race. There aren't many racers, so I'll be there to lead Galen Rupp through and hopefully he can keep the pace up. I am getting a little payday, add that into last week's and I'm starting to feel like a professional runner for once. Should be fun!

Snow sucks.

New Balance Recap

On yesterday's long run with Jeff, we were going by a lady who had one of those water belts on. I was thirsty, so I grabbed one off her, chugged it down, then threw it back at her. True story.

Well, not really, but I thought about it. Instead I kept on going with my run and felt tired from the weekend at the armory. And with that, a recap of the race:

First off, I forgot that the 1500 meter didn't start in the normal spot. So when everyone was over on the far turn, I was a little confused. I made my way over to the actual starting line and felt alright. It was mayhem at this meet; it is a high school meet that has a few elite events added in, and there were a TON of high schoolers on hand. Even so, it made for a pretty great atmosphere for a race...warming up was a different story.

But the race got out alright and since there were only 8 guys, my somewhat slow start wasn't a problem as I found myself in 3rd for the first half of the race...one of the people in front of me was a rabbit. We were through around 1:59.5 for the first 800 and I was starting to get in the racing zone, but after Sean Tully (our rabbit and my NJ-NY TC teammate) stepped off the track, the pace lagged quite a bit. 800-1100 was pretty slow, but then with 2 laps to go, Kyle Miller took off.

I was almost boxed in, but was able to answer his move and try to hang on. He was rolling from pretty far out so I gave him a few meters figuring I'd catch them back at some point, but I was wrong. He clearly was ready to go and had a really good race. By 200 he was about 15 meters in front, and I was clear from 3rd place by about 10 meters. I tried to, but couldn't, muster up much of a kick, and even though I closed the gap some, Miller got me by a little over a second and a half. I took 2nd with a 3:43.6. Not a bad opening 1500.

Overall, it was a good race. It's clearly not fun to get beat (and beat pretty good), but looking at big picture, last year's opening outdoor 1500 at Stanford was a 3:43.9, whereas this year I closed the 3:43.6 in a 57 last 400. I'm still missing some strength after missing the time with the stress fracture this fall, but pretty excited about what we're going to be doing coming up.

I'm rabbiting the Millrose 2-Mile this Friday, should be a fun time. Enjoy the footage courtesy of Flotrack of the race...

Gtown Race Recap



The Georgetown Perp Indoor Track...

In all honesty, I was extremely nervous for this race. It was the first one of the year. I was officially coming off of injury. But mostly, I was back on what was once home turf (although this was a Georgetown "Home Meet" it was at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md.), and I couldn't bomb my first race of the season with all my friends watching! Delilah noticed, claiming, "you never stopped eating!"

But, I pulled things together and got together a really nice opening weekend of racing. We'll look at it running diary style:

8am - wake up, 10 minute shakeout run in what we felt was a "balmy" DC day that registered around 35 degrees. I hate the Northeast.

9:45am - after an $18 (sub-par) buffet breakfast from the hotel, we all cabbed over to Gtown -- we stayed at the Key Bridge Marriot -- and got on the bus with the team.

10am - upon entry of the bus, I was showered with boos from the Georgetown team. I leave places right.

10:30am - we arrive at Georgetown Prep for Georgetown's "Home Meet". This facility is unreal. I wish I would have gone to high school here, but I don't think my parents would have been willing to shell out $48,000.

12:00pm - after some sitting around in the surprisingly chilly track facility, I realize that I don't have any caffiene for my 1:35 race. I call Liz Maloy, and she saves the day with a 5-Hour-Energy.

12:15pm - I almost throw up when I chug the 5-Hour. Then I get jacked up for my warm-up. Things are starting to shape up as the nerves are settling a little.

12:45pm - Alex (teammate on the NJ-NY Track Club) and I warm up. We do our walking drills, run 20 minutes, then do some stretching and get ready for the race with some strides. All said, it takes about 40 minutes...then you leave 5-10 minutes for things like bathroom breaks.

1:35pm - FINALLY, race time. I headband up, do a few mini-stretches. "Runner's to your mark!....BAM!"
--we're going. Theon (a stud for Gtown) takes the race out fairly quickly and I find myself in 4th place with Brian Hencke and Alex in front of me as well. John Maloy is right near me as well. We come through the first lap in around 26 (i'm probably 27). Not much jostling goes on the 2nd lap and I'm still on the rail in about 4th place. I hear 53 for the leaders and I am probably 54 mid for the 400. I'm focusing on keeping the pace up and Theon is still leading at a pretty good effort. Around the backstretch I can tell some things are about to happen and then on the turn, Alex takes off for the lead. I pass Brian on the inside of the turn then as we straighten out with 250 to go I move by Theon to answer Alex's move. We are through in 1:22-3 and I am up on Alex's heels staying focused and feeling good. He's charging pretty hard but then backs off some on the backstretch. I think about moving by him, but Gags told us to race to win that morning so I hold off for one push in the final 50. Alex struggles through the turn and I slingshot off it into the lead and pull away over the straight to win 1:51.55 to 1:52.05. It was a very good opening race.

1:40pm - we jog 20 minutes, then stretch.

2:30pm - we have to jog 20 minutes again to get ready for the 4x800. I didn't get to double all last year, and even though I wasn't looking forward to the pain of another 800, I know it's good long run.

3:30pm - after redoing all the walking drills, strides, all that pre-race stuff, we take off for the 4x8. Alex led off and handed it to me in the lead. I went out very hard...definitely too hard. Splits were 26, 53, 1:22, 1:52. Yikes, that is coming back slow. I was hurting afterwards as well. I liked going out hard for it though, Coach Henner always used to like us getting out hard early in the season because it makes it easier to do so later on, and I definitely by into that philosophy.

4:00pm - 15 more minutes of jogging and some hurdle drills. Day done: 1:51.55, 1:52.4split, on a flat track, I'll take it for a first race.

--
The meet at Georgetown was awesome. The Hoyas also invited our NJ-NY Track Club to an alumni event with hours d oeuvres and good times. It was a great event, and hopefully it turns into a yearly thing. It was great to go back to Gtown, and I'm hoping all the guys and girls can put together a great season.

Now, this week, I'm running a 1500 at the Armory for the New Balance Indoor games. Hopefully I'm ready to go for it, and hopefully I don't nervously eat the whole morning.

Message Boards

Pearl Jam!

I have been blessed this holiday season with the use of my Mom's car. In the Chevy Malibu (that's right, Michiganders buy American made cars) exists a wonderful little XM radio player. The move to XM was a great one by my Mom. It allows for a lot of Jamming out and singing along in long car rides or quick jaunts to the video store (of which I frequent when in Bath). It has definitely been a perk to the car on my quick trips back home. This vacation, however, there has been an even greater surprise: The addition of a PEARL JAM RADIO STATION.

Up until today this thing has been awesome. It plays rarities, full concerts, even anything that's related to Pearl Jam (which led to the amazing "I'm The Ocean" by Neil Young listening before a workout (to which I had to have an amazing workout)). While only about 1/3rd of Eddie's lyrics are understandable, I sing along to 4/3rds of it.

Everything was great and the Xmas vacation was going off without a hitch. THEN, Pearl Jam Radio did something terrible. They invited in hosts to talk. And these guys didn't stop talking. I thought I would listen to it for a while and eventually they'd play some music. I was wrong. It was like watching ESPN where instead of showing sports they just talk about it...it sucked. I was still playing it out hoping for the best when I heard one of the speakers say this:

"Now on the message boards..."

I changed the channel immediately. If there's one thing I've learned in my 25 years here, it is to never believe anything you read on a message board. The things are stupid. They are a bunch of anonymous people spouting off rumors. They actually get me upset.

The things don't make much sense. For a band's message board, it is people speculating when the next album will come out or what songs they will play at their next concert. How about you just wait and see or let the band announce it instead of trusting some dude who lives in his mom's basement and scours the Internet looking for info about Phish on WikiLeaks?

Or message boards for sports teams. If I have to hear how awesome some recruit that Duke, Miami, or Michigan is getting in two years, I expect him to be the greatest person in the world. And let me tell you, every Duke basketball player is awful.

And while the reason I wrote this entry was to complain about the Pearl Jam Radio Station, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Let'sRun.Com "World Famous Message Board." I hate that thing. The front page of Let'sRun is pretty much invaluable, and I go there for all of the running related news I am looking for. But the Message Board itself is stupid. As Sam Bair, Jr. (the father of the father/son combo that broke four minutes for the mile) said in a piece I was writing about him and his son: "They're [the message board posters] a bunch of guys who haven't done it. Probably a bunch of 5-minute milers." Yikes, that 5-minute-miler reference is like the kid in "Sandlot" telling the other that he plays ball like a girl. While I know a few people that are definitely not 5-minute-milers who post on the message board, the thing that upsets me the most about Let'sRun Message Board is how highly they themselves think of it.

Say there is a coaching opening at Oregon. Most likely, the message boards will be humming with rumors about who the next coach will be. Probably ten names will be thrown out there (along with about 30 names that have absolutely no shot of getting the job). They will be big coaching names and logical heirs to the Oregon coaching job. Then, one of those names will be hired. Instead of just announcing who the new coach is on the front page of the site, Let'sRun praises their message board, saying, "As previously reported on Let'sRun.Com's World Famous Message Board". They ignore the fact that about 30 other names were thrown out there.

The message board can be good for gathering a quick bit of information, but using it as an actual news source like Let'sRun sometimes does is a joke.

In conclusion, I don't really like message boards. I can live with the running ones because they get a little talk going about our sport. But when it messes with my Pearl Jam listening that's when it's enough.

So make it a new year's resolution to stop looking at message boards. Happy 2010, here's to a better 2011.

runLBP 2k10: The Video Game

Bust out your NES Power Pad, because EA Sports, in partnership with BP-Pizza Gaming, is proudly presenting the latest in track and field video gaming: "runLBP 2k10"...

Syyyyke. But they do need to bring back the Power Pad don't they? No, "runLBP 2k10: The Video Game" was just a better title than "runLBP's best (and worst) of 2010".

To go with the grain of pretty much every website/magazine/news outlet, here goes some of the highs and lows for the site and life in general:

Best Race: Ryan Shay Mile. It was one of the few races all year where I just said eff it and ran hard. It didn't turn out a W, but it definitely had me excited about running.

Worst Race: Tie, Puma Mile, Nova Scotia Mile, and Falmouth Mile. The Puma Mile was actually a really good race, but the lack of $10,000 definitely hurt. Nova Scotia I won $250, but I ran a time that barely would have qualified for NCAA Regionals and I didn't even feel that good doing it (thankfully that was a fun overall meet). And then Falmouth Mile was the first race I dropped out of since sophomore year of high school. Dropping out of races sucks, even if it is because of injury, and that wont be happening this year.

Lowest Point: The layover in Denver on the overnight flight from New Mexico back to DC after USA Indoors. The combination of New Mexico, a red-eye flight, a sub-par performance at USAs, a travel partner doing med-school homework, and reading "Born To Run" left me wanting to leave society and go live in the mountains. Sadly, I returned to DC and slept for 28 straight hours.

Best Blog Post: Tie, The Bet and the Leslie Nielsen Tribute. I liked the Leslie Nielsen one the most, but since it had absolutely nothing to do with running...although the Dan Nunn didn't really either.

Best Youtube Video: LBPjam7  See above video.
Enough said.

Worst LBPjam: There wasn't one!

Best Meal (savory): Criff Dog! This thing is unimaginable. If you read the blog, you know my affinity for chili dogs. Well here, you get yourself a hot dog, wrap some bacon around it, fry up an egg, add some cheese, put those things in a bun, and you've got yourself a meal. This was only discovered recently, and as my brother Will so eloquently put it: "Criff dogs haunt me."

Best Meal (sweet): The Pancake Sundae. I am haunted by this one as well. I'm sure not as much as Maggie, because while Liz and I ordered the dangerously delicious delicacy, Maggie decided to go with the tomato soup. Probably tasted like throw up.

Best Dessert of the year...

Best Tweet: REEEEEEESE'S. Not really. Instead Paul Pierce's after the Celtics beat the Heat.

Best TV Show: Tie: "Mad Men" and "Parks and Rec". Both were detailed, and both affected my every day life. I'm trying to work Don Draper's sidepart into my repertoire, and those shapes! still get me.

Worst TV Show: "Two and a Half Men".

Best Run: Central Park Reservoir at night. A nice little escape from the city.

Worst Run: Fricken' Snowmageddon in DC. That had a lot to do with the lowest point of 2k10 since flying back to DC was a less than ideal destination.

Best Call: The move back to NYC.

It's go time again. Overall, the running in 2010 sucked. So now it's kind of go big or go home (literally, since I need me some money or else see ya soon Mom and Dad!). But seriously, I am very excited about what the running is going to bring in the coming year. I have some goals set and the NJ/NY TC and Coach Gags are helping me work towards them. We're starting to piece together an indoor season and hopefully I'll be able to put my nose up in some races on the east coast throughout the winter. I have yet to really say it out loud yet, but the goal now is getting ready for 2012.

Top 3 in either the 8 or 15 on the right day is what matters now, so that's what we're working towards. There will definitely be highs and lows along the way, but might as well shoot high, because then if things go really well, maybe I can make a video game with the PowerPad. As always, I will document most of it right here. Happy 2010, here's to a better 2011.

$50 Haircut

That's some long ass hair.

Every Monday and Friday morning I catch the 8:25 up-town 1-train at 116th and ride it to 168th St. before walking to the Armory to get picked up by my coach and taken to practice at Rutgers. Public transportation, while sometimes packed with people like sardines in a can, can be a nice treat. There is always a person on each bus/train that is “that guy.” The person you look at because they’re either yelling or singing, or just in need of a shower. One of my trips I was looking around the subway car and didn’t really notice anyone of the sort, but then I saw my reflection in the window across from me. I was “that guy.”

I was dressed in running pants, a big winter coat, and my hair was out of control. I had showered the night before, but with my hair looking like a rolling tumbleweed of the old west, if visible stink lines would have emanated from me, I wouldn’t have objected.

The hair being out of control thing isn’t for any reason, I just decided not to cut my hair other than a trim until New Years. I used to never cut my hair during the season. This all started because when I was a seventh grader, my brother and a group of his buddy’s told me they’d give me $50 if I didn’t cut my hair until the cross country season was over. Meanwhile, I was already a month removed from cutting my hair. By the end of the season I was Tom Brady as Bieber before Brady or Bieber even existed.

Now, I’ve gone with the no haircut until 2011 to go along with my current life mantra of trying to be a blue collar runner while being a white collar worker. Don Draper meets Rocky in Rocky IV.

Running wise, things are going very well and all the cross training (oh that god-forsaken cross training!) seems to have payed off some as my workouts have been going great and my mileage is up in the 70s again. We are starting to piece together somewhat of an indoor season and I am starting to get that racing itch, even if the real racing of the year is a long ways away.

It’s cold again, but Michigan boys love the snowy running. Plus, I have a lot of hair to keep my head warm.

An Ode To Dining Halls

Thanksgiving Dinner at John Jay with CU Mid-D

I approached Weisbuch at VCP, seeing him for the first time since leaving Columbia.

Excitedly, he grinned and asked: “How’s life without John Jay, Liam?”

John Jay, being the cafeteria at Columbia, I forced myself into smile and replied in monotone: “Oh, it’s great, Buck. I’m eating really good food, and it’s easy to cook and all the food is very nice.”

He smiled even more: “Gee, I can’t wait ‘til I get to make my own food!”

I looked down at him, reached over and grabbed him by the face, “Don’t you ever say that,” I tightened my grip, his smile morphed. “Don’t you ever say that. Stay here, stay in John Jay as long as you can,” his cheeks were jiggling I was holding his face so hard. “Cherish it. For the love of God you have to cherish it.”

True story.

Well, not exactly. Mike Weisbuch, now a senior on the Columbia team and a fellow Michigander, is well aware how great he has it at John Jay and how nice it is to have a buffet of passable food prepared for you every night. Plus, he’s a lot bigger than I am, so I wouldn’t be able to “look down” at him.

But last night I was treated to the famed Thanksgiving Dinner at the John Jay Dining Hall. I joined the a group latest edition of the Columbia Mid-D crew: Matt Stewart, Dylan Isaacson, Phillip Pierott, and Mike Buck. A dinner filled with apple cider, turkey, corn bread, mashed potatoes, cookies, apple tarts, green beans, and, of course: GRAVY and STUFFING. Oh was there gravy and stuffing.

I am still full, and waking up this morning knew I had to write a special on the great dining halls that the fine institutions and universities around this great country provide. All you can eat on your Parent’s dollar, who can complain?

So, for those of you who are college students and take for granted this great eating period of your life, in the words of Billy Madison: “You have to cherish it. For the love of God you have to cherish it.”

UniWatch

Alan Weeth, Columbia UniWatch Co-Creator

January 2006, the Columbia Track and Field Team receives some fresh new duds to wear to meets. Boathouse makes the uniform, and to the team who was split between Hind and Adidas singlet’s, they are happy to have the new singlet’s and short shorts.

The next weekend, my buddy Alan Weeth and I, who were obsessed with an ESPN column called “UniWatch”, decided to do our own Columbia version of “UniWatch.” Complete with a long analysis of why in the ham sandwich would Sarah Decker be running with a hot dog in her hand?

Now, Columbia has moved on to bigger and better unis…sick right? But that doesn’t mean there can’t be a runLBP mini version of "UniWatch". Where we look at all things track and field uniforms. Just two things to point out for now…

- So what’s the deal with arm warmers? I guess they kind of make sense in terms of not wanting to wear a long sleeve under your jersey, but just put some socks on your arms! Plus, it could lead you to looking like this… But then again, you could be Ritz, and anything you wear is cool, cause he’s from Michigan. Midwest boys have style.
- The other new trend popping up is compression socks. Chris Solinsky may have broken the American 10k Record in them, but if he thinks he looks as cool as Bill and Wilt he’s got another thing coming. If he pulls the Kerry Kittles, he may be onto something. Meanwhile, Columbia runner Tom Poland may have just qualified for NCAAs in XC (a big congrats to the first guy to do so in over 5 years!), he has quite the style going…

Times change, and soon enough, there will be a new compression sock or arm warmer out there…and I’ll probably be all over it. The original Columbia UniWatch is currently being searched for, but Alan Weeth is too busy making clothes for Ambercrombie and I am too busy worrying what my new uniform will look like (I’m thinking Empire State Buildings all over it). Until then, don’t wear anything that foolish, kids who wear headbands are losers.