HEPS Preview: The Art of Celebration

They interviewed my buddy Erison on HepsTrack.com (an extremely thorough "all things Heps" website) a while back. He's an Olympian and all, so it was pretty warranted. This question and answer, however, was a little more out of left field:

Q: The headband-wearing anchor on that Championship of America team was a guy who we hear had never beaten you in a head-to-head matchup. Is it true that in practice Liam Boylan-Pett would conclude his training runs with a wild celebration?

A: I don’t know about all that, but I think he practices them in the mirror before races.

In the mirror before races, Erison? It's true, but why tell the public?

Irregardless, HEPS is one hell of a day to win a race. I was lucky enough to do it three times. Each time had a little bit different celebration, and, to be honest, each one was in all likelihood subconsciously planned.

Indoor HEPS at the Armory 2007. No one from Columbia had ever won the mile. So when I won, I decided to rep the school:

Pop!

Subconsciously this one started with the 2006 NCAA BBall tourney when the Jersey-Pop became commonplace. (Please check out that link, its a bayd-ass pic. I only didn't put it in the body of this post because it makes my jersey-pop look extremely weak.)

Indoor HEPS at Cornell 2008. I had a stress fracture that winter. Winning wasn't going to be the most easy thing in the world. I ended up bombing in the 4x8 later that day, so I still have somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth about the whole meet, but rocking that mile win was fricken awesome. Plus, there was a great Columbia Cheering section so I had to point at them to thank them as I crossed the line:

That was a fun/intense race.

The crowd in that one was the subconscious planning. It was one of the most intense races I have been a part of. I'll be the first to admit that I don't like Cornell, but they packed their gym and it was raucous in there. The first turn was one of the loudest turns I've ever run around. Plus, the mini-dog pile the us Columbia kids formed was awesome.

Outdoor HEPS 2008 at Yale. It was my first outdoor title. I don't have a picture of the win. Ben True was pretty much untouchable my junior and sophomore year outdoors (although I fought valiantly with him for 2 second places in the 1500). He wasn't his normal self senior year, but that didn't mean I couldn't be jacked with the win. I took the lead with 300 to go. By the homestretch I was clear:

Don't ever look back.

It was pretty much relief down the homestretch. I smiled, raised my arms, and was genuinely happy. If I wouldn't have won an outdoor title I would have been pretty upset.

So there you have it. College Basketball, Intensity, and Relief were the reasons I celebrated. And practicing in the mirror never yielded results as good as the actual race.

And to end this pat-myself-on-the-back-for-winning-a-few-races post, I'll say that HEPS is going to be sweet. My entire HEPS preview almost read like this: "IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!" It's back in the Armory, kids are ready to run fast, and the Columbia Women have a shot at winning the team title. HEPS is a fantastic meet where times don't matter, but you sure as hell better run fast if you want to win...

Here's my favorite post-race HEPS pic. This one wasn't planned at all. And that's why it's my favorite. It's Coach Wood and I pumped we got a win at HEPS:

Moving On

New York...

...or Michigan?

Falmouth was disappointing to say the least. The Friday shakeout for the Saturday race left my left foot feeling sore and flared up. I had a stress fracture on the 4th metatarsal of this foot as a senior at Columbia, so I have always been extremely careful with that area for the past 3 years. But I decided to ice it a bunch and figured that I could race one more mile on it and then call it a season. However, as soon as the spikes went on for the race on Saturday I knew I was in trouble.

The race had a money bonus if you got under 4, so the racers had decided to split up the pacing duties. I offered to take the first lap just for the chance that my foot wasn’t going to allow anymore. Turns out 600 meters was all that I would make it. The foot was getting worse so I decided to pull the plug, dropping out of a race for the first time since being a sophomore in high school trying to complete the 16, 8, 3200 double and not being ready for the heat and pace of the 2 mile. It’s not fun to drop out of a race, but hopefully I kept my foot from getting too bad. About to see a specialist to try to figure it all out as we speak.

The other big news in my little world is that I am leaving Washington, DC. I loved the city, loved the Georgetown team and really appreciated all that Coach Henner did for me both as a Georgetown runner and after. He has been an amazing coach and really will do anything for his athletes. However, we both decided that if I am going to run at the level that I want to, I needed a little bit more than a college coach.

I have narrowed down my choices to 2 different yet similar places/coaches/groups. I will either be moving back to my home state to train with Olympic Silver Medalist and his coach, Ron Warhurst, or will be moving back to New York City to train with Coach Gagliano. Both coaches are legends and really know how to coach middle distance runners.

I have been given a great opportunity and I am really excited about either group that I join. The next 2 years of my life are going to be all about running, and I am really looking forward to making a push towards my goal of making an Olympic Team (It is funny to say that out loud considering how long the odds are, but that’s the goal, and I’m going to make a run at it).

I was thinking of contacting ESPN to see if they wanted to show “The Decision Part II: LBP to Ann Arbor or NYC?” but I’m not sure they’re interested. Flotrack maybe?

Look out for the decision sometime this weekend or early next week….as always, Let’s Go!

Quick Hiatus

Back in Michigan after a long day of travel. Don’t have my bags, but thanks to Coach Henner quietly yelling at Bumbi and I for not bringing our spikes carry on, I have some flats to race in tomorrow for Shay! It’s nice to be back, and I’m a little jet-lagged, but going to be ready to roll tomorrow.

The race in Dublin was alright, it’s hard to complain about a sub-4 mile, but was disappointed with the race. Still trying to get a big one, but sometimes you have to wait a long time for them. (Bumbi and I did spend some time listening to Rage Against the Machine after the race to get over it.)

For those of you have enjoyed the daily posts during July, I’m going to take a little break. I’m going to be up north and not check internet all weekend. I’ll post a recap of the entire trip sometime next week once I get back. Happy summer.

Let’s Go!

The Final Leg

Mmmm. Chocolates.

Made it to Dublin for the last leg of my European tour yesterday and now getting ready for the mile this evening. It is a pretty stacked field with 9 guys under four, so I’m pretty excited about what could go down. Overall, I’ve been pretty happy with the spacing of my races, although I wish one more could have been in between Brasschaat and this, but gotta role with the punches.

Staying at a Holiday Inn Express near the airport which is about a 5 minute walk from the track. It is a pretty Americanized hotel, so it’ll be a nice transition from here to home.

Last year leading up to the last race (which was in Brasschaat) I was ready to get the hell out of there and get back on American soil. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about going home, but this year has gone by a lot quicker and I could definitely stick around for a few more races if there were any great ones. However, The Ryan Shay Mile is going to be way too much fun, so I want to get home for that anyways.

And I am running in Halifax, Nova Scotia on August 3rd to finish out the season. I’m entered in both the 8 and 15, and will probably find out a few days before what I’m actually running. It will be a nice way to end the season.

Lately, I have been reading books that I only really half read in middle/high school. Been getting through “To Kill A Mockingbird” lately, and Holy Sam Hill, that Scout is a pretty awesome little girl. I loved what Atticus had for his kids after Mrs. Dubose passed away: “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.”

Right now, don’t have a link to the race...will post online tonight either here or on twitter how the race went. It’s 20.00 Ireland time...so 3pm for the East Coasters.

Go time this evening in Dublin! Let’s Go!

Adios Amsterdam!

Bumbi and I over a scenic canal (stolen straight from his blog...boo yah)

So first off, my apologies to those expecting an awesome new bball dunk. This wasn’t like a normal LBPjam in that the real things are actually athletic feats. I was a little disappointed with the fact that I’m not that good at soccer. However, even though LBPjams are fantastically amazing in an athletic sense, they are also meant to be fun, which is what I had when I was making the soccer jam.

But now I have to peace out on Amsterdam and head to Dublin for the Morton Mile tomorrow evening. It is looking like a pretty good field with 8 sub-4 guys, so should be pretty fun. Hopefully I’ll have internet in Dublin so I can give a few more posts from this side of the Atlantic.

Then I’ll be heading home to meet Kara Goucher in Michigan and head up north with the fam for the Ryan Shay Mile. Really looking forward to that one and hopefully can have a good race there even with some possible jet-lag setting in.

Then I’ll have only one more race to go with a trip to Nova Scotia for an 800 or a 1500 there to close out the season on August 3rd. Should be a nice little way to close things out.

Finally race tomorrow night, just got excited again! Let’s Go!

ps - leaving the LBPjam here because I haven’t been taking as many pictures lately seeing as I see the same things ever day.

That's The Midwest For Ya...

If you followed my journal during my European travels this summer (you can find that starting here), then you’ll remember that I always pack two extra things for each track trip:

It was April of 2007, and the Columbia Middle-Distance Crew was getting ready for their trip out to California for the warm weather and the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays. Senior Kent Collins was the captain of that team.

If you know Kent, then you will know that this conversation actually did take place. (My family had the pleasure of meeting Kent this year when the Final Four was in Detroit and he and my brother went. I will not be surprised if he is a topic of conversation at family dinners for years to come.)

It was the night before we left on an early morning flight, here is how the conversation went:

KENT: Hey man, make sure to bring two extra pairs of underwear.
ME: Haha, why?
KENT: dude, you always bring two extra pairs of underwear…one in case you poop your pants, and one in case your roommate poops his. (He said it as if I was stupid for even asking.)
ME: Well, what if we both, um, you know? And then one of us does it a second time?
KENT: Well you pray to God that both you and your roommate followed the rule…otherwise, two total pants poopings is all you get.

So yeah, I always pack a few extra pairs of undergarments. However, I was a little nervous heading into the USA Road Mile Championship in Minneapolis this past week. That’s because I wasn’t sure who my roommate was going to be, and I definitely wasn’t sure if he new about the Underpants Rule.

Upon arriving in the Twin Cities, I had no worries at all. But that’s because the race directors took such good care of us, that I figured they’d have extra tighty-whities up the whazoo. I roomed with Jordan Fife, and he was a great guy.

It’s pretty fun when you’re on the elite level because everyone is so professional and does their own thing so that they can run fast. Jordan was coming from Flagstaff for some altitude training, so we were on different schedules, but we made it work. And I’m pretty sure we had no problems in regards to briefs.

As far as the race, I am happy with it, but definitely not pleased. I was waayyyyy too close to some guys not to nip one or two of them at the line. I felt like a group of 7 of us separated from the pack in the last 400-meters, and I happened to take last out of that group. It was good to be a part of that group, but I need to beat a few of those guys next time I am there. But 7th place in a race stacked with middle-distance talent, and I cannot complain too much.

Now, I just have to get ready for Occidental and what promises to be a fast 1500 next weekend in LA. Other than Bernard Lagat and Lopez Lomong, it is pretty much a USA final in the event, it is going to be really fun. I’m treating it like my Big East Meet and HEPS combined…

LET’S GO!!

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Check out race footage here: http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=26167

Also, for an article I wrote for Columbia College Today, check it out:
http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/may_jun10/alumni_corner

Family Records

The spiked shoes on the runner in front of him gripped the cinders and then tossed them out behind. His Chuck Taylors failed to have the same effect as they slid across the black surface. With “FRASER T&F” stitched onto his singlet in blue and gold, and a budding pony-tail flowing in the wind behind him, the runner in the Chucky T’s labored past the spiked runner and crossed the finish line in first place.

His time for the ½-mile: 2:00.0

And with that a family record was born. It was the late 60s, and 2-flat for a freshman was promising to say the least. That runner was my Dad, and as a freshman in high school, the guy could run.

Walter Pett decided to stop running after that year (he claims he hated the coach), but his two-minute half would live on for years to come.

My brother and I have encyclopedic minds when it comes to our track times. (My mile PR’s from 7th grade on: 5:20, 4:54, 4:38, 4:21, 4:17, 4:10, 4:09, 4:08, 4:06, 4:04, 3:59, 4:00.) And because of this, we have a set of family records. Call it the Boylan-Pett Record Book. We have categories for each age group. There’s seventh grade 800, which Will has at 2:19, and 12th grade 3200, which Will has at 9:31. Then there’s every other age group and record ranging from 800-3200, which I have. Juust kidding, Will has freshman year 1600 and most 3200s as well.

Will and I dominate the record books. Only one record didn’t have the name Will or Liam next to it. It was the 800 (or half-mile, since that’s what they ran back in the 60s) for 9th grade: and the 2:00 remained the record after I was only able to run a 2:01 as a relay split.

But this week, there were some changes made to the record book, which is now titled the Boylan-Pett/Pett/Fanta Records. That’s because Annie, my little sister, decided to drop a 63.7 one-lapper as a seventh grader! Yiikes that is moving! Congrats to Annie for moving her skinny little self around the track so quick. I’m looking forward to see what her and her teammates can do the rest of the track season as they have some fast girls rocking the Mid-Michigan track circuit.
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Training went well this week. I’m looking forward to heading out to Minneapolis to run a road mile on Thursday night. Back to some good old fashioned street racing, and I really can’t complain about that. It is shaping up to be a really good field, and I’m starting to get pretty jacked up for it.

Got to actually run some fast stuff in practice on Friday as I did 3x600 with the first two at 1:26.6 and then 1:26.4. Then ran the last one in 1:21 after coming through the first 200 in 28high. Nice to get back to some 800 paced stuff and starting to get sharp for some racing...

That’s all for this week: the picture is in honor of Mother’s Day and my favorite Mom quote of all: “She just shown on me like the sun.” Happy Mother’s Day!

Let’s GO!!

20 Bucks

Mayfield Drive between Maplegrove Ave. and Forestdale Rd. in Royal Oak, Michigan was home to many an athletic endeavor for my young self. This was the block in front of my cousins’ house. Whenever my brother and I visited, there was bound to be a sporting event. Whether it was road football (I was like the Randy Moss of Boylan Backyard Football with glue-like hands), street hockey (where my cousin Joe once turned into Dominik Hasek and allowed him and my brother to win a huuuuge upset over the neighbors Jeff and Matt), or wiffle ball, we got after our sports.

But one sporting event stands out on that strip of road: The famous races against my Uncle Gerry. They started when we were fairly young. We would line up at the neighbors driveway under one of the humungous Oak Trees and race to the stop sign at the corner. We wouldn’t beat him. He had an amazingly quick start and then would pull away from us. The catch was, if we ever beat him he would give us $20. That was a lot of dough to a 9-year-old kid.

Then something started to happen. We started getting bigger and faster.

At the same time, Gerry’s first step slowed a little. So, he did what any Uncle would do who didn’t want to just give $20 away. He shortened the race and started to “improve” his start.

We moved about 10 feet up from the driveway, then 20…soon it was only a 25-yard race. He would also false start pretty much every race we ever ran. He would be called out, return to the starting line, and we would re-start the race. He would false start again, and the process would be repeated. Soon enough we would just let him false start and accept that we were going to have to come back from three meters down in a 20-meter race. (ed.’s note: my Uncle Gerry would, and certainly will, vehemently deny any false start accusations.)

My brother, Will, was the first to beat him. A few years passed and he tried to avoid my cousin, Joe, and I since it was clear he was in trouble. We eventually talked him into it at Uncle Gerry’s lake house in Empire. Yeah, he got a false start, but we still caught him. And, yes, Uncle Ger gave us the 20 bucks.

Now it’s hard to compare $20 to $10,000, but the Puma Mile on Friday night kind of reminded me of those races down Mayfield. Mainly because that mile on Friday night at Mt. Sac was one of the funnest (yes, I know that’s not a word) races I’ve run in a while. Also, some girls got a head start.

I’ll let you watch the race and the interview on your own and take what you will from those. But know that I was pretty broken by that loss. I threw what I had on the track, and it just wasn’t quite good enough. Sometimes that is how it goes.

But also know that I needed that race. I hadn’t raced like that in a while, where it was all out there, nothing held back. I “Let’s Go!”ed and it felt good. The best races of my life have been the ones where I just ran, nothing else. Didn’t give myself time to think, just tried to win a race. I did that again on Friday night, and even though it wasn’t worth $10,000, it worked out in different ways.

And I do think that was one of the best races I have raced. Now I just have to make sure I can pull out a few more of those the rest of the year.

And as for my Uncle Gerry, he may have twenty more dollars to give away, my little sister just ran her first track meet as a 7th grader…and she’s ready to roll. Let's GO!!

Race footage: http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/236734-2010-puma-mt-sac-relays/326815-m-mile-h01-2010-puma-mile-trackside

Post-race interview: http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/236734-2010-puma-mt-sac-relays/326898-liam-boylan-pett-runner-up-at-2010-puma-mile

POWERBAR

Jackpot! So in some awesome news, I am now a member of PowerBar Team Elite. What this essentially means is that I get to replenish after workouts with PowerBar. I’m pretty syked about it as it is my first official sponsor and who wouldn’t love some free energy bars and drinks? Plus, I’ll get to put a cool little logo on my jersey and rock some PowerBar gear around at meets. You can check out my PowerBar Profile.

Also, opened up the season this weekend out in Stanford. It was a good opening race, and definitely showed that I come June and July I can be hoping to do some serious damage out there. I ran 3:43.92 and ran a tough race. I thought I was going to win the thing with a hundred meters to go, but when I told my legs to go, they just didn’t do it. I think the training made it so I didn’t have any pop in my legs. But the good thing is that its only March and there is a loooong ways to go before I need to get really going and flying around the track.

Right now I can’t find a video of the race on Flotrack, but they did post a nice little interview of me. There is some talk of a personalized headband, so we’ll have to see what we can do about that the rest of the year.

(Also, in great news, Michigan State made the final four…I’m extremely jacked up about this one. Izzo is an amazing coach…if he coached runners I’d definitely call him up. Winners are winners.)
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Training was good last week. Ran a pretty tough 300-250 workout on Tuesday where we were alternating between 3k and 1500 pace, then didn’t really rest up before Friday’s race. With a few more weeks of training and a few rest days, I’m going to be ready to pop a big one….Let’s GO!

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

S.A.D. -- See Ya!

It was a gloomy few months in Washington, DC. However as winter turns to spring and gray clouds disappear I have noticed a hitch in my step that seemed to lay dormant all winter. I don’t want to say I actually had Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I was pissed off about all the snow coming down.

After a week full of 70 degree days and runs with shorts and tees, I really can’t complain. Today I even sat in a park and read outside for a good 30 minutes (my Mom the Librarian will be so proud). And things seem to be looking up in terms of weather regarding my outdoor schedule as well.

We did some mapping out of the season and I am going to be traveling across the country plenty to get a scent of the fresh California air. It will all start next weekend with a trip to Stanford where I will be running the 15…From there I will stay put Easter Weekend and run an 8 at William & Mary. Then I will travel back out to Cali for Mt. Sac and the PUMA mile and its $10,000 contract (who wouldn’t run in a race with a possibility of $10k?). Then I may run at Penn before heading back out to Stanford for a hopefully moving 15 at the beginning of May. It’s all pretty exciting and that’s just the first part of the season. We’re trying to get as ready as possible for USAs in Des Moines, so a racing we will go. I’m pretty pumped.

Stay tuned to Flotrack next week because I think they’re providing some coverage of the Stanford meet.
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Meanwhile, training has been going extremely well. I have been doing some of the best strength stuff of my life and even popped 4 miles in under 20 for one of the few times and did it feeling pretty easy. Then later that day ran a 53 quarter as part of the workout and felt pretty relaxed and quick on that. Things are starting to come together and I’m definitely jacked for what is possible this outdoor season. I hit a good 73 miles this week with a solid long run of 13 with some faster paced stuff in there and definitely am ready to get out there and race.

Also, I hope Michigan State somehow wins today so that I don’t develop M.B.T.S.A.D. (My Basketball Team Sucks Association Disorder)…LET’S GOO!!!!!

Pay It Back

My perusing of Let’sRun.com’s “World Famous Message Board” depends on how well I have run. Yes, as vein as that is, it is true. I check the message boards if I’ve run well so that I can see what people are saying about me. If I’ve run poorly, I stay the hell away from it. It is not a confident booster to read that you don’t have what it takes. But I’m not solely self-centered, I actually check the message board if a teammate or friend has done well too.

So when Kyle Merber broke 4 last night in a race I rabbitted, I made sure to check out Let’sRun. While he was receiving his due praises, there were also some notes that mentioned breaking 4 doesn’t mean anything anymore. That too many Americans are doing it. That it has become too easy.

I beg to differ.

While the University of Washington may be excused, where sub-4 miles seem to come a dime a dozen, the mystique is still there. The problem with Washington is that no one races. Everyone sets one another up in a line and then runs accordingly to a really fast time. And don’t get me wrong, the fact that people run that fast is just amazing, I am jealous that I haven’t run a 3:57. But then watch Kyle Merber’s race from Friday night and tell me that it isn’t a little different running 3:58 for the win than running 3:59 to take 8th place in your race. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pitqexSNLcQ)

What happened at the Armory on Friday night was a sight to see. Kyle was able to accomplish a goal that he most likely set when he was in 6th grade when he first laced up his running shoes, and he was able to do it in front of and with people that mean the world to him. If he had run 3:58 at UW he would have been able to hug Coach Wood at the finish line and that would have been it. Instead, he was able to share it with his entire team.

So congrats Kyle, and congrats to anyone who ever breaks 4. A Syracuse coach came up to me after I rabbitted and thanked me. I asked him what Brad Miller ran. “4-flat,” he replied. I apologized. He said I didn’t need to, I did my job. I went on my way. But I hadn’t apologized because of my job, I apologized because I know what it feels like to break 4, and I wish that the Syracuse kid who I have talked to maybe twice in my life could have done the same.
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There are more stories from last night, but they are ones that may be kept secret for a while, ones to be told later when they make more sense. My training is going well. I am pretty excited to see what can happen this outdoor season. I have begun my training block and am discussing what my outdoor season will look like with coach. I’ll post up what I know as soon as I do. But I’m going to hit 73 miles this week and got in a nice tempo run of 7 miles on Tuesday before this pacing job last night. It’s going to be fun come April, May, June and July.

Let’s Go!!

Ps – check out two added LBPjams…BOO YAHHH.

Conference Meets

The video below, albeit shaky and blurry, is proof of why I love Heps. It is video of my first Heps Title. It was junior year and a 4:08 mile beat out Princeton’s Michael Maag. Yes, I love it because I win. Yes, I love it because the “LBP” chant and nickname was born. But more than that, I love it because this video is Heps.

How can an athlete not get up for a competition with that kind of atmosphere? I brought it that day because it was impossible not to. Other than Penn Relays, there isn’t a place I would rather race (sorry Heps, the 46,000 strong on the Saturday of Penn is unparalleled). Heps was the spot to go. If you didn’t have it that day, I don’t know when you would. I would win two more Heps titles, and both were great, but that first one, with chants filling the Armory, that one is extra sweet.

Bear with me while I relive the glory days. Understand that my sense of self-splendor shuts down when I remember other Heps races: The fall in the prelims of the mile sophomore year followed by a dismal DMR where I stupidly allowed everyone back into the race after Erison ran one of his patented Pass Everyone In The Field relay legs at Dartmouth; sophomore and junior year failing to pass Ben True in the final straightaway of the 1500; or senior year when I failed to anchor a 4x800 relay team to victory and give a surely deserving Jonah Rathbun a Heps Title.

“Almost” – the worst word in sports. I almost had a second gear after getting myself into the race after falling; I almost still outkicked the field to win the DMR; I almost caught True; I almost pulled myself together in the 4x8 to put up a fight.

Even though I no longer have a Heps to run in, even though I hopefully have bigger things on the horizon, I think about these races. They, along with many others, are the reason I’m still chasing.

I am haunted by almosts.

(Video shot by Colin Pile, Columbia ’03)
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USA Indoors are next weekend. I am entered in the 800 and am looking forward to it. After three weeks of travel and racing I finally was able to have a good week of solid training and a weekend at home. On a snow shoveled track (with banks the same height as me) I was able to pound out some quick 150s and 300s on Friday to hopefully have me sharpened up a bit for some quick 800s this weekend. Still hit 68 miles for the week and I’ll back off this week in order to get nice and rested for the weekend. As always, Let’s Go!

Road Racers

I ran two races this weekend. One was the more conventional route, being on a track with the set distance of a mile (I won in the easiest 4:04 I’ve ever run) and the other was on the warm-up for the actual race against some old man who drafted behind me as I slogged through my 7-minute paced jog.

Going up the hill on riverside drive back up towards NYC’s Armory the dude legitimately locked in behind me and let me block the wind without humor or malice. I continually shook my head and laughed out loud to try to send the dude a hint, but he didn’t get it. He was unrelenting and remained tucked in, void of any wind, behind me. Around the crest of the hill he moved beside me, but clearly wasn’t still running with me as he was about 3 feet to my left. He got a few feet ahead then cut right in front of me. So I moved to my left and remained on the constant pace I had been at for the entire warm-up. Now I was catching up to him and his breathing cadence quickened and loudened (no, loudened is not a word). Then all of a sudden, he was gone. The dude turned around with no word or hint.

The only thing that bothers me is that I’m not sure who won and who lost our race, since I think only he knew the finish line.

And it is fun to challenge the weekend warrior once in a while, but I really wanted to tell this dude to come in and try to race me in a mile in 20 minutes if he was going to bother me so much on this workout. I’m pretty sure that he ended up throwing up somewhere because of the hard effort. At least that’s what I’m going to tell myself.
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Training for the week was great. Ran a 4:04 mile on top of doing a little tempo and stride action on Tuesday and still getting in 69 miles for the week. I’ll keep the mileage up in that area for the next couple of weeks and then cut it back some for USA Indoors, which is still remaining the main goal. I’m probably heading up to Boston this week and hopefully popping a quick 800…Enjoy the interview from Flotrack…Let’s Go!

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

An Introduction to runLBP.com

Welcome! This little blurb will be an introduction to what you can expect from runLBP.com and from me as I try to give you a glimpse into my life as a runner.

For those of you who don't me, I am Liam Boylan-Pett (also known in some running circles as "The Headband Kid" and "LBP" (hence the name of the site)). Having just finished up my collegiate eligibility last spring after some successful stints at Columbia and Georgetown, I'm trying to make it as a professional runner. With this website I'm hoping to give viewers a look into what I hope is what it takes to make the jump to be a successful professional track athlete.

I am also hoping that the site is entertaining. My articles (I hate the word blog for some reason) are not going to be purely training based, but rather some random thoughts as well. My goal with this is to show who I am not only as a runner, but who I am as a person. I always used to get this idea of people on Flotrack and Let'sRun as being larger than life, but as I met a good deal of them last year I realized they're all regular people too.

There will be a new article on the site every Sunday (most likely in the night). It will be a journal type entry that will go over something I have been thinking about on my runs, and then a look into my training and workouts from the past week. Also make sure to check out the archives in case you've missed an entry or want to check from my previous blog that goes over my European trip from last summer. On top of that, I will always be updating my "list" section with fun articles or books I think the public should enjoy. Be sure to check out race videos and interviews, along with a few projects I worked have worked on in the footage section of the site. And also, a special treat in the form of a Runion article (which are spoof type running articles I write for fun) can be expected every once in a while.

For now, this intro will remain the centerpiece of the front page, but soon enough, every new article will be the main attraction. Each week, the newest article will be available in full on the front page. The last three will also be available in snippets, and be sure to click on the “Archive” at the bottom of the homepage to check out my past entries as well.

This is my first attempt at a site on this web we call world wide, so bear with me in the coming months. But I am looking forward to adding even more pages and fun aspects to the site. Check out the site, let me know what you think by contacting me through the “contact me” at the bottom of the page. Stay tuned for more Runion articles, more Will Run For Food type videos. Most importantly, stay in touch to see how I survive my first year as a B-list Runner! As always, Let's Go!

Hills

I hate hills. Running up them is awful. Running down them hurts. Frank Shorter may have said that hills were “speedwork in disguise,” but they aren’t nearly as fun as speedwork.

And I should preface this with the fact that my road mile this weekend was not nearly as fast a course as it should have been. And this is because from 100 to 900 meters, the course was an uphill through Lafayette, Calif.

Overall, I had a very solid race, and was able to take home 4th place and 250 dollars. Especially in comparison to 5th Avenue, I am very pleased with how it went. After doing a 6xMile workout on Tuesday I was able to chill a little bit before the race, but I definitely was not race sharp for something like this.

The weekend itself was a blast. With friends and other runners to hang out with all weekend, we had an amazing time. The race director, Priscilla Bailey, who is married to Tim Bailey (2nd place finisher in the race), proved to be a great host and I definitely plan on going back next year.

After the race sunday we made our way into San Francisco for the afternoon. I hate to say it, but San Fran is a pretty cool city. It is also hilly as hell, but it made for some good times.

And there is so much more news to put on here for this week, but most of the news will have to wait until next week.
1. A few of us have started wearing Phiten necklaces, these things are loaded with titanium and I feel recovered at all times.
2. I have barely passed my brother in terms of who has made more money as a professional runner, this is embarrassing to say the least.

So until next week, this is all I’ve got.

Wake Up Call

Yikes. I was not ready to come through the first half-mile at 1:55 and be 2 seconds back of the main pack. But, you live and you learn.

I got my ass kicked this weekend in New York, and it sucked. As I talked to Coach Henner on the phone after the race, he put it pretty well into perspective: “Forget this one happened, and come back to DC and we’ll go back to work on Monday.”
And so that is what I will do. I found out that I have a long ways to go to get to the point that I want to be at, and there is no point not to start working towards it. The goal may be a little loftier than I once thought, but nothing would be fun if it wasn’t hard.

There was some redemption this weekend, and that was Koronets Pizza after the race. Koronets is the best pizzeria pizza that I have ever had. The slices are larger than my torso, and the taste is better than any filet mignon I’ve ever had. One slice of cheese and a Dr. Pepper please. (Although I forgot to consult the Doctor on this trip and just went with a slice).

I have recently dabbled in some pizza making artistry. My father makes the best pizza known to man. I have taken that recipe and tried to make it my own…with extremely promising results. Eventually a pizza shop in my name will be opening up, but that’s a whole different story…

And one last note: A huge congrats to team Columbia. A group of mostly ex-Columbia guys, sprinters alike, who dominated the Fred Brown relay this weekend. In the 65.4 mile relay race, they won by 28 minutes. Boo YAH.