Well, I've made it through yet another 'introductory' week of running. I've always had a love-hate relationship with getting back to training after breaks: it's nice to be running again and have something to do mid-day (as napping and gaming actually get boring after a bit), but I also hate the fact that I alternate days of feeling like god and feeling like the same truck that ran me over at Pre-Nat's came back to avenge my carcass denting it's fender.
Overall it was a passable week, though. I'll probably run between 50 and 56 miles for the week depending on if/how far i drag my ass around tomorrow. Starting off Monday was hell as I was still fighting the muggle that had begun to set into me during the last few days of break (symptomized by a light cold as the virus tried take hold and zombify me), but things improved from there to the point where I actually had a good run cruising 50min at Miccossukee with the Prince on Thursday and had as fun of a 'long' 12 miler with the crew this morning as...well, one can have on a Saturday morning.
The real issue of the week has been trying to get things ironed out with exactly what in the FUCK I am going to do with my life. Seriously, that's not a joke. I'm going to finish my undergrad this spring and still have too many options to sift through. And yes, I did just complain about having options--they're a bitch as one must eventually pick one of them. That sucks when it's determining one's life path and earning power, likely...sucks a LOT.
However, I did just get back from talking with one of my professors who was was the President of the company handling Burger King's advertising (among other big names) before he quit to teach--props to him, but damn.... I don't know if my love of money would let me do something like that. I mean, really. My worry: Will taking the chance to pursue my running dreams derail me from having a reasonable existence afterwards? (read: not living a shit life and always struggling to get by fiscally, or being wholly dependent on my significant other for our household income to be reasonable) His advise: you're not a golfer, you can't take a bunch of years "off" to establish a career then try a comeback... you've got till you're 28-30 and taking a break between now and then all but ends your chances of being good." Direct quote. Guy used to run, too (surprise, surprise looking at how he worded it), so he can look at it from both sides of the coin--hence why I went to see him.
So I guess the decision is to hope I'm running for FSU completing a Masters in Integrated Marketing and Communications next year, but all the while know it's okay of I'm someplace else, pursuing the dream, and either not being studious at all or taking distance learning stuff. Still sucks. I wish this was 1950 and I could just hop into a mail room and bank on being CEO of the company within 5 years--stupid world economy and population growth!
On another note, I'm super pumped to be going home soon. Like...MAJOR pumped. While I love having a meal plan and not having to cook (our meal hall food isn't really bad, so it's not too shitty a deal), I 100% am dieing to get back home and have my mom be cooking again. Oh how I miss the phrase "When are you going to be done running so I know when to have dinner ready?" Gawd, my family loves me. Lucks.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
On Finaly Being Done
Well, I didn't really write much of shit all through the entire cross-country season...not surprisingly! Seriously, all that running over hill and dale combined with the early "beat the heat" mornings (there's no way to actually beat it though...it just means waking up earlier to slowly dehydrate oneself over a easy run or long tempo) I simply found myself drained of all motivation. Well, not ALL motivation...I was motivated to have a good go at cross country for the first time in my life and manage to stay within our traveling squad.
I would say that I had marginal success in the first one of those, but regrettably only fully achieved the second due to us not being as incredibly deep of a squad as we were last year. Never being of not as a harrier (I still maintain that one can't find a person whose lifetime 8k best was 24:49 at the end of last fall but came out of the spring with 5k and 10k bests better than mine!), I am surprised I manged to run reasonably swiftly--for me--over the course of the season and improved from a dismal 33rd at ACC to a (moderately decent) 13th.
And I suppose I should be happy with that...right? But I'm not even close. In fact, to be honest, I'm quite pissed off at the whole situation. Coming into the season I was having quite strong workouts and numbers--especially considering that I played it safe and didn't try to crush the summer. However, by the time Pre-Nat's rolled around I found myself running on the flattest of tires for legs. Though I managed to realize my issue lied in forcing myself to over-reach in the work department whilst simultaneously neglecting the recovery, I never felt like I was really back to 'normal' after that point. But really, that's my fault and I knew all along that if I pushed to far I'd likely never get things back--my body just doesn't work like that; I can't recover as well as others and if that limit is pushed too much.....
After Pre-Nat's coach and I looked over my training and realized I hadn't had a week more than 1/2 a mile under 80 since we reported back on August 19th--considering that I averaged approx. 72 mpw last spring, that's a pretty solid jump for me! After cutting back into the 70-75 range until conference I was feeling better and managed to get my shit together for that meet--which was great, but also devestating as it kills to feel like you're getting back to where you should be racing whilst at the same time have your team lose a title you'd really wanted to retain (but that's also partially us as we did make the decision to really crust the work leading up to that...so possibly the extra 4 points to win? We'll never know.
Besides that, the season was a bust, really. I found myself struggling hard on the hilly Regional course and, once again, feeling flat from the word 'go,' but manged to suck it up and not get beat by EVERY Kenyan in the meet. Nationals was looking up, though, as I finally started to feel my legs get back under me in the 9 days between the two championships. As excited as I was going into the meet I really wanted to take Ol' Frank Shorter's advice and go out hard then hold on and discover my manhood--but elected to play it safe in order to give us as a team the best shot possible at repeating some semblance of "The Miracle in Terre Haute." Ironically, however, the decision to take the safer route, something I dragged Kuba into as well, would lead to a bigger wrench in the works than I could imagine! Kuba, A.J. (Braman's Golden Child--BGC, for short), got out through the first kilo in 2:49-2:50 in about 150th place then went through a mile at 4:39/40 in 140-150th. This is where Kuba and I had decided we needed to 'wake up' and start getting guys before the race, so we started trying to move. But it was hard! We'd figured that by merely being mentally active in trying to pass people that it would happen--but it wasn't that easy. By the time we'd gotten to the 5k mat we were with a couple of Portland guys in around 120th and still moving. However, coming down the hill I felt my right side start to get tight as I was beginning to wheeze a bit. CRAP! I hadn't had a cramp issue since fucking high school! I knew if I needed to relax or the breathing would get harder and that, in turn, would make the cramp really come on and I'd be all sorts of fucked. This worked, though I had to slow, until between 7.5k and 8.5k when it all fell apart. Coming up through the middle on that stretch things just cinched up and it became an issue just to keep forward progress--but I was still the 5th man and needed to make sure that we at least got a score--even if it was my sorry ass keeping the FSU tradition of some guy having a miserable race and dragging his ass in DFL...Christ! Though it sucked and I was doing about 6min pace at a point I managed to "only" lose about 50 more places (testament to my will power or how bad the guys behind me were hurting? Don't know). I finished 202. Wow.
I was so disappointed I didn't even want to see the rest of the guys after the race, much less coach. Braman's done a LOT for me in my time here and I think it hurts me more to let him down that it does to simply have a bad race. Thankfully, though I know I'd ruined his and the team's chance at a top 10 by going out so far back, coach wasn't in a fit nor ready to kick me off the travel squad nor force me to forgo a break as some sort of ill-guided punishment. In fact, the wily old bastard greeted me with a stern look--and a JOKE! "Well...we know ONE thing at least! I'm a better cross guy than you...MY worst day here? 201. Yours? 202 HAHA!" Then, of course, being reminded of the fact that "see, if you'd listened and got out in 50th-80th you wouldn't have to PASS, just maintain with a bunch of guys dieing around you and THEN if you died you'd have died to 120-150th instead of over 200!" Genius. Not everyone can make a living passing on cross country courses--sometimes it's better to just have to stay put.
Well, either way, it's all over now. It didn't go the way I, nor the rest of the men's team wanted, but it happened. To be honest, this season actually shows a huge impovement in us as a team and really points to exactly where we are as a squad these days as compared to when I first came here. If we got 12th any other year before this, we'd be pretty damn happy--but after last fall's experience, and then seeing exactly how good we all could be in the spring we not only wanted more--but expected it and accepted excellence as a norm. I, and we, made some mistakes in getting overzealous at points--but learning has occurred and we'll be better athletes for it. We're ready to get geared up for track now and we've all still got Ciaran's last year in mind. If his chipmunk-cheeked, ugly ass can do it, why can't anyone?
Oh, and Erika and I are still dating. Shes great. She bakes stuff and makes me Halloween baskets and buys me Keurigs. Did I mention She's great?
I would say that I had marginal success in the first one of those, but regrettably only fully achieved the second due to us not being as incredibly deep of a squad as we were last year. Never being of not as a harrier (I still maintain that one can't find a person whose lifetime 8k best was 24:49 at the end of last fall but came out of the spring with 5k and 10k bests better than mine!), I am surprised I manged to run reasonably swiftly--for me--over the course of the season and improved from a dismal 33rd at ACC to a (moderately decent) 13th.
And I suppose I should be happy with that...right? But I'm not even close. In fact, to be honest, I'm quite pissed off at the whole situation. Coming into the season I was having quite strong workouts and numbers--especially considering that I played it safe and didn't try to crush the summer. However, by the time Pre-Nat's rolled around I found myself running on the flattest of tires for legs. Though I managed to realize my issue lied in forcing myself to over-reach in the work department whilst simultaneously neglecting the recovery, I never felt like I was really back to 'normal' after that point. But really, that's my fault and I knew all along that if I pushed to far I'd likely never get things back--my body just doesn't work like that; I can't recover as well as others and if that limit is pushed too much.....
After Pre-Nat's coach and I looked over my training and realized I hadn't had a week more than 1/2 a mile under 80 since we reported back on August 19th--considering that I averaged approx. 72 mpw last spring, that's a pretty solid jump for me! After cutting back into the 70-75 range until conference I was feeling better and managed to get my shit together for that meet--which was great, but also devestating as it kills to feel like you're getting back to where you should be racing whilst at the same time have your team lose a title you'd really wanted to retain (but that's also partially us as we did make the decision to really crust the work leading up to that...so possibly the extra 4 points to win? We'll never know.
Besides that, the season was a bust, really. I found myself struggling hard on the hilly Regional course and, once again, feeling flat from the word 'go,' but manged to suck it up and not get beat by EVERY Kenyan in the meet. Nationals was looking up, though, as I finally started to feel my legs get back under me in the 9 days between the two championships. As excited as I was going into the meet I really wanted to take Ol' Frank Shorter's advice and go out hard then hold on and discover my manhood--but elected to play it safe in order to give us as a team the best shot possible at repeating some semblance of "The Miracle in Terre Haute." Ironically, however, the decision to take the safer route, something I dragged Kuba into as well, would lead to a bigger wrench in the works than I could imagine! Kuba, A.J. (Braman's Golden Child--BGC, for short), got out through the first kilo in 2:49-2:50 in about 150th place then went through a mile at 4:39/40 in 140-150th. This is where Kuba and I had decided we needed to 'wake up' and start getting guys before the race, so we started trying to move. But it was hard! We'd figured that by merely being mentally active in trying to pass people that it would happen--but it wasn't that easy. By the time we'd gotten to the 5k mat we were with a couple of Portland guys in around 120th and still moving. However, coming down the hill I felt my right side start to get tight as I was beginning to wheeze a bit. CRAP! I hadn't had a cramp issue since fucking high school! I knew if I needed to relax or the breathing would get harder and that, in turn, would make the cramp really come on and I'd be all sorts of fucked. This worked, though I had to slow, until between 7.5k and 8.5k when it all fell apart. Coming up through the middle on that stretch things just cinched up and it became an issue just to keep forward progress--but I was still the 5th man and needed to make sure that we at least got a score--even if it was my sorry ass keeping the FSU tradition of some guy having a miserable race and dragging his ass in DFL...Christ! Though it sucked and I was doing about 6min pace at a point I managed to "only" lose about 50 more places (testament to my will power or how bad the guys behind me were hurting? Don't know). I finished 202. Wow.
I was so disappointed I didn't even want to see the rest of the guys after the race, much less coach. Braman's done a LOT for me in my time here and I think it hurts me more to let him down that it does to simply have a bad race. Thankfully, though I know I'd ruined his and the team's chance at a top 10 by going out so far back, coach wasn't in a fit nor ready to kick me off the travel squad nor force me to forgo a break as some sort of ill-guided punishment. In fact, the wily old bastard greeted me with a stern look--and a JOKE! "Well...we know ONE thing at least! I'm a better cross guy than you...MY worst day here? 201. Yours? 202 HAHA!" Then, of course, being reminded of the fact that "see, if you'd listened and got out in 50th-80th you wouldn't have to PASS, just maintain with a bunch of guys dieing around you and THEN if you died you'd have died to 120-150th instead of over 200!" Genius. Not everyone can make a living passing on cross country courses--sometimes it's better to just have to stay put.
Well, either way, it's all over now. It didn't go the way I, nor the rest of the men's team wanted, but it happened. To be honest, this season actually shows a huge impovement in us as a team and really points to exactly where we are as a squad these days as compared to when I first came here. If we got 12th any other year before this, we'd be pretty damn happy--but after last fall's experience, and then seeing exactly how good we all could be in the spring we not only wanted more--but expected it and accepted excellence as a norm. I, and we, made some mistakes in getting overzealous at points--but learning has occurred and we'll be better athletes for it. We're ready to get geared up for track now and we've all still got Ciaran's last year in mind. If his chipmunk-cheeked, ugly ass can do it, why can't anyone?
Oh, and Erika and I are still dating. Shes great. She bakes stuff and makes me Halloween baskets and buys me Keurigs. Did I mention She's great?
Monday, September 5, 2011
On Camp and being Like Spike.
Once again I fail at updating my progress through what could, quite possibly, be my (second but) last NCAA Cross-Country campaign! Whatever, I've got a log full of memories in addition to my own fading ability to remember things, and that's enough--probably.
Anyway, we're on our way back from Zap Fitness right now after having been in the mountains getting some solid training since Thursday afternoon. Personally, I've always loved Appalachia. Most people would say it's nothing more than a bunch of coal mines and trailer parks--but I feel like they've just made the crucial mistake of assuming the entire region is like West Virginia. West Virginia sucks--don't let anyone tell you different. On the other hand Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are sweet places. Note I didn't include South Carolina. It sucks, too. Really, don't go there.
Training's been great, the last week and a half or so. After get back up to Tally for pre-season on the 19th I've been on quite the roll! Despite only going 6 miles in the tempo that first Monday I feel like I've been getting fitter by the day! The "Time Trial" (a 4mile tempo for everyone on the squad and an official try out for kids wanting to try and make it (20:20 for 4miles now makes it, gentlemen--so train hard all you under-developed HS guys and be out there next year!)) went easily, as did the next long tempo the following Monday. Then, THEN, we rolled up to North Carolina on Thursday and I won my first ever Cross-Country race! That pretty much sets me as a favorite for the to slot in Terre Haute come November so I figure Sambu and all those boys out West may as well just throw in the towel and start fighting for 2nd. Hah....if only. But seriously, while it was kinda fun to win the whole goal was to run a good LT-type workout in non-Florida weather (I emplore anyone to attempt anything longer than 20min continuous in Florida at 5:10 or less pace until the end-ish of September). I kinda messed it up though. We were supposed to run approx. 5:10 pace and stay together as a team, but I got frustrated with getting suck behind guys coming back to us and struck out to get up to front after about 2.5 miles. The rest of the crew in the 'race' still had good workouts as Dave (on big 9 days after starting back up) moved through to 4th (he's a freak talent and I was just waiting to see his 1:48 running ass come flying by, laughing, about 5m from crossing the line...)
Bright and early the next morning we rolled for a good long run on the Virginia Creeper where 2.0 and I cracked out 18 miles (Ol' Dirt Proct's longest run ever by a solid deucer). This, of course, was followed by a mad dash to Mountain House for a feast fit for a King such as myself.
Sunday capped off two big weeks for me (though most people wouldn't really consider them that--but hey, I'm a lil' bitch so...meh!) so this next week back in Tally I'm gonna drop things down about 20 miles per week and make a big push to be like Spike The Lizard. Spike is a new addition to the H-4, and despite being the position of a non-full-time resident has been accepted with open arms. Spike has also been given a major level of respect for his position of King of Lazy. The guy seems to do nothing but chill under his heat lamp on a giant toy tank in the cage and grow. Big. So that's what I'm going to do. Minus the heat lamp...maybe. I recognize that I'm doing everything I can in training to take my body to the level it needs to be for me to reach the next realm within my running 'career', so it makes sense that I need to emphasize doing everything I can when I'm NOT exercising to recover from the evil I put myself through--to grow. So that's what I'll do. When I'm not running I'm going to sit, to chill, to nap, and recover. Even though that means the #1 Girlfriend is gonna hate me for being so damn boring. Hell, I may even partake in some Satan Biscuits as it seems I'm already having trouble keeping flesh on the ol' skeleton! The blessing of a Smyth-like metabolic rate is a blessing, but also a curse if I don't pay attention and drop too low too far out from the race(s) that matter (and thus lose allllll of my minimal ability to recover. Stupid endocrine disorder!).
Anyway, we're on our way back from Zap Fitness right now after having been in the mountains getting some solid training since Thursday afternoon. Personally, I've always loved Appalachia. Most people would say it's nothing more than a bunch of coal mines and trailer parks--but I feel like they've just made the crucial mistake of assuming the entire region is like West Virginia. West Virginia sucks--don't let anyone tell you different. On the other hand Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are sweet places. Note I didn't include South Carolina. It sucks, too. Really, don't go there.
Training's been great, the last week and a half or so. After get back up to Tally for pre-season on the 19th I've been on quite the roll! Despite only going 6 miles in the tempo that first Monday I feel like I've been getting fitter by the day! The "Time Trial" (a 4mile tempo for everyone on the squad and an official try out for kids wanting to try and make it (20:20 for 4miles now makes it, gentlemen--so train hard all you under-developed HS guys and be out there next year!)) went easily, as did the next long tempo the following Monday. Then, THEN, we rolled up to North Carolina on Thursday and I won my first ever Cross-Country race! That pretty much sets me as a favorite for the to slot in Terre Haute come November so I figure Sambu and all those boys out West may as well just throw in the towel and start fighting for 2nd. Hah....if only. But seriously, while it was kinda fun to win the whole goal was to run a good LT-type workout in non-Florida weather (I emplore anyone to attempt anything longer than 20min continuous in Florida at 5:10 or less pace until the end-ish of September). I kinda messed it up though. We were supposed to run approx. 5:10 pace and stay together as a team, but I got frustrated with getting suck behind guys coming back to us and struck out to get up to front after about 2.5 miles. The rest of the crew in the 'race' still had good workouts as Dave (on big 9 days after starting back up) moved through to 4th (he's a freak talent and I was just waiting to see his 1:48 running ass come flying by, laughing, about 5m from crossing the line...)
Bright and early the next morning we rolled for a good long run on the Virginia Creeper where 2.0 and I cracked out 18 miles (Ol' Dirt Proct's longest run ever by a solid deucer). This, of course, was followed by a mad dash to Mountain House for a feast fit for a King such as myself.
Sunday capped off two big weeks for me (though most people wouldn't really consider them that--but hey, I'm a lil' bitch so...meh!) so this next week back in Tally I'm gonna drop things down about 20 miles per week and make a big push to be like Spike The Lizard. Spike is a new addition to the H-4, and despite being the position of a non-full-time resident has been accepted with open arms. Spike has also been given a major level of respect for his position of King of Lazy. The guy seems to do nothing but chill under his heat lamp on a giant toy tank in the cage and grow. Big. So that's what I'm going to do. Minus the heat lamp...maybe. I recognize that I'm doing everything I can in training to take my body to the level it needs to be for me to reach the next realm within my running 'career', so it makes sense that I need to emphasize doing everything I can when I'm NOT exercising to recover from the evil I put myself through--to grow. So that's what I'll do. When I'm not running I'm going to sit, to chill, to nap, and recover. Even though that means the #1 Girlfriend is gonna hate me for being so damn boring. Hell, I may even partake in some Satan Biscuits as it seems I'm already having trouble keeping flesh on the ol' skeleton! The blessing of a Smyth-like metabolic rate is a blessing, but also a curse if I don't pay attention and drop too low too far out from the race(s) that matter (and thus lose allllll of my minimal ability to recover. Stupid endocrine disorder!).
Monday, August 22, 2011
On Returns and Beginings.
Soooo.....right. Well, I feel like quite the dead beat blog-daddy now, don't I? What's it been 8, 10 weeks? I'm certainly not going to try and blame it on some lame thing like a lack of internet connection (it's 2011, damnit!)--but I will say that I ceased my blog-tastic run due to the fact that I have real concern for anyone passingly reading this. What does that mean? That didn't do anything all summer. I mean, I chilled--a lot--and a definitely watched some serious television and got caught up on all the BBC only shows I'd missed and over the spring semester at school. I ran too, but that's really pretty lame to talk about. How fun would it be to write, much less read, this over and over again: "Yeah...so...ran today. It was hot. I didn't go very fast, but it wasn't, like, slow, or nothin'. Miss having people to run with. Did I mention it was really hot??" How much fun? Nawt very!
This being said I'll just surmise the summer quickly beyond that parody. After finishing the NCAA season I still had a few weeks of summer school left so I enjoyed the chance to live the muggle life for a bit. It actually wasn't that bad (well, I guess because I was merely impersonating a muggle, not actually one. Their lives must really be lame and unfulfilled)! Hell, I even studied for a French III test once! (That's not a lazy athlete remark, that's a Seth L. Proctor had a hatred of study-like efforts instilled in him during his time in private school remark. Plus, despite actually being kicked out of University during my illustrious career as an eff-up, I've actually become enamored with the 4.0 GPA)
Overall, really, I just enjoyed time with my family and ate like a king. I've got a really close knit family and it really does feel good to get back and see everyone and finally be present at those giant Sunday dinners I've been missing for so long! (Especially when you're allowed to dictate what's made since you've been gone so long!)
Buuut we're all back in Tally now and, despite it being no fun to not have Mommy cooking again, It's great to see all the guys I've missed running with so much over the last couple months. It's a different team to be certain, but we're still a damn good squad. What's scary, however, is that I'm now the grizzled old veteran! Seriously, it's a strange, strange feeling to look around the room and see that you're the only senior and that the guys you still remember as little kids in Fout and Brooksy are now elders on the team themselves.
What's different for me, too, is that I've now got the kid I remember as an 80lb HS freshman on the same team as me! Little Will grew up a block over from me, went to the same school, and had the same coach--and now we're on the same college team. It's weird. I can't put my finger on it, but it is.
Right now we're all just starting to wind into things and get into the swing of training as a unit again--all whilst enjoying copious amounts of post-run Jim & Milt's (something I may have missed more than anything). We've just finished our first workout together again, and though we didn't have the massive crew as quite a few guys are still in the process of getting medically cleared, I can really feel things starting to come together again. Plus the art formerly known as Banter has been of the highest of quality, and it seems as though everyone has been working on their Kuba impersonations! Plus, with the addition of a tougher standard and a good number of kids looking to make it, the annual Time Trial on Friday is something to look forward to and enjoy seeing what happens.
However nice it is to be back, though, I've gotta say that I'm sad to see the best training partner I've ever had (wellll...at least in very high contention with Old Man Hughes and Chris) say farewell to his collegiate career. Mayday was a damn good athlete, a great friend, and a dependable constant roommate on trips. Not someone to be replaced easily! I'll miss him, but I'm sure he'll be vastly successful at whatever he gets up to now. The guy's sharp and has a hell of a work ethic--one doesn't go for a 16:3X, 9:48 HS athlete to a 14:13 guy without it (and some talent!)!
So, that's it. Now that I'm back I will dedicate myself to cranking out more consistent postings and, more importantly, more entertaining ones that this long, dry, re-introduction/summary. The year and the season are young, but I swear I felt a bit of Fall in the breeze the other day (even if it was still 93* with a 75* dew-point)!
This being said I'll just surmise the summer quickly beyond that parody. After finishing the NCAA season I still had a few weeks of summer school left so I enjoyed the chance to live the muggle life for a bit. It actually wasn't that bad (well, I guess because I was merely impersonating a muggle, not actually one. Their lives must really be lame and unfulfilled)! Hell, I even studied for a French III test once! (That's not a lazy athlete remark, that's a Seth L. Proctor had a hatred of study-like efforts instilled in him during his time in private school remark. Plus, despite actually being kicked out of University during my illustrious career as an eff-up, I've actually become enamored with the 4.0 GPA)
Overall, really, I just enjoyed time with my family and ate like a king. I've got a really close knit family and it really does feel good to get back and see everyone and finally be present at those giant Sunday dinners I've been missing for so long! (Especially when you're allowed to dictate what's made since you've been gone so long!)
Buuut we're all back in Tally now and, despite it being no fun to not have Mommy cooking again, It's great to see all the guys I've missed running with so much over the last couple months. It's a different team to be certain, but we're still a damn good squad. What's scary, however, is that I'm now the grizzled old veteran! Seriously, it's a strange, strange feeling to look around the room and see that you're the only senior and that the guys you still remember as little kids in Fout and Brooksy are now elders on the team themselves.
What's different for me, too, is that I've now got the kid I remember as an 80lb HS freshman on the same team as me! Little Will grew up a block over from me, went to the same school, and had the same coach--and now we're on the same college team. It's weird. I can't put my finger on it, but it is.
Right now we're all just starting to wind into things and get into the swing of training as a unit again--all whilst enjoying copious amounts of post-run Jim & Milt's (something I may have missed more than anything). We've just finished our first workout together again, and though we didn't have the massive crew as quite a few guys are still in the process of getting medically cleared, I can really feel things starting to come together again. Plus the art formerly known as Banter has been of the highest of quality, and it seems as though everyone has been working on their Kuba impersonations! Plus, with the addition of a tougher standard and a good number of kids looking to make it, the annual Time Trial on Friday is something to look forward to and enjoy seeing what happens.
However nice it is to be back, though, I've gotta say that I'm sad to see the best training partner I've ever had (wellll...at least in very high contention with Old Man Hughes and Chris) say farewell to his collegiate career. Mayday was a damn good athlete, a great friend, and a dependable constant roommate on trips. Not someone to be replaced easily! I'll miss him, but I'm sure he'll be vastly successful at whatever he gets up to now. The guy's sharp and has a hell of a work ethic--one doesn't go for a 16:3X, 9:48 HS athlete to a 14:13 guy without it (and some talent!)!
So, that's it. Now that I'm back I will dedicate myself to cranking out more consistent postings and, more importantly, more entertaining ones that this long, dry, re-introduction/summary. The year and the season are young, but I swear I felt a bit of Fall in the breeze the other day (even if it was still 93* with a 75* dew-point)!
Monday, June 20, 2011
On Starting Back, The Summer, and The System.
Wednesday was a good day. Actually, it was a damn near amazing day if I've got to be truthful! Let me give 'ya the shakedown of all of its goodness:
Wake up in the morning, peruse French book an feign studying whilst coffee brews
Come said caffeinated deliciousness, creep Facebook, and get some laughs on Letsrun ('cause I'm lammeee)
Erika arrives after class; Throw clothes on an roll to Jim & Milt's for some quality Sarah time
Roll to class to take LAST French final of all time; Leave 20min later after bending the test over the desk and making it my bitch
Home for some lunch and an epic nap-time
Wake, drink tea, and watch Slumdog Millionaire with Leedshow
Roll to Chris Hughes' house to run with him, Leeds, and HS Throwback Champ Drew "The Hobbit" Horner
Home for dinner with Erika before a solid TV and tea sesh
Pass out on couch and crawl back to bed
How great is that?!? Pretty damn great. Unless you're a dusty bastard--and in that case you can go straight to hell.
The best part? Easily the run. When I managed to drag myself from bed around 4:30 I heard the rain starting to pound the skylight...disaster. Honestly, I thought for sure I'd be rolling into Chris' to jog with him at 5:30 to a bright sun and an absolutely inhumane humidity/dewpoint level. However, it was just one of those amazing days where the storm hung aboot long enough to kick the heat and humidity out and simply provides one with amazing, and rare, cloudy 75 degree weather to run in! Add in the fact that Drew and Leeder came long and it's a damn fine run filled with a few memories and plenty of shit-talking (the art form formerly known as "banter").
It was strange to go for a run with Drew for the first time since my sophomore year of high school, actually. When Drew left he was a freak to me--Bekele level unbelievable to be fully honest. The guy was All-State in Cross-Country and Track, had school records, and was leaving to go to college on scholarship. Champion. Now, years later, I'm running along in a rainstorm, just like we'd done so many times back in the day, with two of my high school teammates. Rather surreal when one considers the paths we've taken to get there--but awesome nonetheless!
This leads me to why I hate the System. No, not the government (though I do listen to old Against Me! albums, stare at my black bandana and lighter and think "What if?"), but the athletics system we have to work within. The NCAA system is great--actually, it's goddamn amazing and one would be hard pressed to truly discredit that notion so I'll not waste good time defending its many merits. However, there most certainly is in issue in some of its modus operandi.
Now, Drew is an incredibly successful guy and that's a fact. He gets to live where he wants (Atlanta) and just flies into Tallahassee to do what he calls "a stress free job," and makes solid bank doing so. I wouldn't mind that life! Buuuuttt Drew also never got the chance to fully express his athletic abilities due to the fact that he ended up at an inferior university due to the fact that he needed the scholarship money and it was easier to get things covered at a less recognizable institution. And therein lies the problem: athletes who should be going into institutions where they can have the coaching and support they need to reach higher levels end up lower down the ladder than they deserve simply because the money isn't there to be handed out to non-high school All-Americans. This leads people to not only miss out on athletic opportunities, but (more importantly) to miss out on opportunities offered academically at larger, more funded, more bastions of academia schools.
This frustrates me to no end; as an Athletic-Student (word order changed for emphasis) who is taking a financial hit to attend a university that will allow for both of those I'm especially frustrated. But what, oh, what can I direct my anger at? I choose not to blame the football team (though I defiantly think that teams who have won an ACC or NCAA championship in the last year should be able to eat in the athletic meal hall for dinner, too!!), but to blame the feminist movement and whomever decided it was a good idea to splice Tile IX together way back when. Seriously, it's had the opposite effect of what it intended: it did not end gender discrimination--it passed it on! Now, as a male athlete of decent ability in an Olympic sport, one can look around which ever school one is attending and see female athletes of equal to lesser ability being allowed greater opportunities (financially speaking). Hell, there are even women's Equestrian and Rodeo teams at some schools to offset the football scholarship allowance. Ugh...the system blows sometimes! I love it...but it sucks, too. It's like Starbucks: It has some delicious [pansy] stuff, but it is still a massive, evil corporation that puts good, local businesses out and makes little anarcho-punks want to throw bricks through their symbolically oppressive windows.
But now that's turned into a semi-sexist rant that will probably result in someone reaming me for my expression of opinion in such a public way. C'es la vie!
Right, all that is fine and dandy--but what really, really matters is that I'm back running and have a plan for the summer! Here, let me give you a general overview of the most general summer training plan ever:
Start at 40 miles for the week last week; Work up 10% each week with every 4th week being a 'down' week at 20-25% less volume; Throw in the typical FSU 5-6 mile Steady States and Light Speeds after 5 or so weeks; Arrive in Tally at the end of August fit to train. That's the key right there, actually. last summer I spent a lot of time relaxing and trying to get my body back under me after all the medical issues I'd been having (which are a story for another day!), and, once back, running between 55 and 75 miles per week to avoid any complications. However, feeling stronger physically--and being rid of the leg issues--after last year I've made it my goal to get to 85 miles a week by the end of the last cycle where we show up at school for pre-season. While I recognize that isn't much, I feel it's a rather good [maybe ambitious] goal as when I went over my logs I only averaged 76.1 miles per week from the start of August last year 'till the end of Cross-Country, and averaged even less at 73.2 from Jan. 1 to the end of track (less if one counts the winter up until that point!). Truthfully, I must say that I'm rather surprised that those are the numbers! I never thought I had the ability to run as decently as I did off of such relatively 'low' miles.
So, that's how it's going to break down for the summer--and I'm STOKED! With moderately ambitious plan set forth for volume and complete faith in Braman's periodization with the intensity, workouts, and volume I can't wait to be knee deep into the whole thing. As for now, however, I'm just excited to go win some watermellon deliciousness this 4th of July and see the #1 Girlfriend after a few weeks of separation--and in the even shorter term take a nap before I have to meet Little Will to run this evening!
So with that I bid the blogosphere adieu...
Wake up in the morning, peruse French book an feign studying whilst coffee brews
Come said caffeinated deliciousness, creep Facebook, and get some laughs on Letsrun ('cause I'm lammeee)
Erika arrives after class; Throw clothes on an roll to Jim & Milt's for some quality Sarah time
Roll to class to take LAST French final of all time; Leave 20min later after bending the test over the desk and making it my bitch
Home for some lunch and an epic nap-time
Wake, drink tea, and watch Slumdog Millionaire with Leedshow
Roll to Chris Hughes' house to run with him, Leeds, and HS Throwback Champ Drew "The Hobbit" Horner
Home for dinner with Erika before a solid TV and tea sesh
Pass out on couch and crawl back to bed
How great is that?!? Pretty damn great. Unless you're a dusty bastard--and in that case you can go straight to hell.
The best part? Easily the run. When I managed to drag myself from bed around 4:30 I heard the rain starting to pound the skylight...disaster. Honestly, I thought for sure I'd be rolling into Chris' to jog with him at 5:30 to a bright sun and an absolutely inhumane humidity/dewpoint level. However, it was just one of those amazing days where the storm hung aboot long enough to kick the heat and humidity out and simply provides one with amazing, and rare, cloudy 75 degree weather to run in! Add in the fact that Drew and Leeder came long and it's a damn fine run filled with a few memories and plenty of shit-talking (the art form formerly known as "banter").
It was strange to go for a run with Drew for the first time since my sophomore year of high school, actually. When Drew left he was a freak to me--Bekele level unbelievable to be fully honest. The guy was All-State in Cross-Country and Track, had school records, and was leaving to go to college on scholarship. Champion. Now, years later, I'm running along in a rainstorm, just like we'd done so many times back in the day, with two of my high school teammates. Rather surreal when one considers the paths we've taken to get there--but awesome nonetheless!
This leads me to why I hate the System. No, not the government (though I do listen to old Against Me! albums, stare at my black bandana and lighter and think "What if?"), but the athletics system we have to work within. The NCAA system is great--actually, it's goddamn amazing and one would be hard pressed to truly discredit that notion so I'll not waste good time defending its many merits. However, there most certainly is in issue in some of its modus operandi.
Now, Drew is an incredibly successful guy and that's a fact. He gets to live where he wants (Atlanta) and just flies into Tallahassee to do what he calls "a stress free job," and makes solid bank doing so. I wouldn't mind that life! Buuuuttt Drew also never got the chance to fully express his athletic abilities due to the fact that he ended up at an inferior university due to the fact that he needed the scholarship money and it was easier to get things covered at a less recognizable institution. And therein lies the problem: athletes who should be going into institutions where they can have the coaching and support they need to reach higher levels end up lower down the ladder than they deserve simply because the money isn't there to be handed out to non-high school All-Americans. This leads people to not only miss out on athletic opportunities, but (more importantly) to miss out on opportunities offered academically at larger, more funded, more bastions of academia schools.
This frustrates me to no end; as an Athletic-Student (word order changed for emphasis) who is taking a financial hit to attend a university that will allow for both of those I'm especially frustrated. But what, oh, what can I direct my anger at? I choose not to blame the football team (though I defiantly think that teams who have won an ACC or NCAA championship in the last year should be able to eat in the athletic meal hall for dinner, too!!), but to blame the feminist movement and whomever decided it was a good idea to splice Tile IX together way back when. Seriously, it's had the opposite effect of what it intended: it did not end gender discrimination--it passed it on! Now, as a male athlete of decent ability in an Olympic sport, one can look around which ever school one is attending and see female athletes of equal to lesser ability being allowed greater opportunities (financially speaking). Hell, there are even women's Equestrian and Rodeo teams at some schools to offset the football scholarship allowance. Ugh...the system blows sometimes! I love it...but it sucks, too. It's like Starbucks: It has some delicious [pansy] stuff, but it is still a massive, evil corporation that puts good, local businesses out and makes little anarcho-punks want to throw bricks through their symbolically oppressive windows.
But now that's turned into a semi-sexist rant that will probably result in someone reaming me for my expression of opinion in such a public way. C'es la vie!
Right, all that is fine and dandy--but what really, really matters is that I'm back running and have a plan for the summer! Here, let me give you a general overview of the most general summer training plan ever:
Start at 40 miles for the week last week; Work up 10% each week with every 4th week being a 'down' week at 20-25% less volume; Throw in the typical FSU 5-6 mile Steady States and Light Speeds after 5 or so weeks; Arrive in Tally at the end of August fit to train. That's the key right there, actually. last summer I spent a lot of time relaxing and trying to get my body back under me after all the medical issues I'd been having (which are a story for another day!), and, once back, running between 55 and 75 miles per week to avoid any complications. However, feeling stronger physically--and being rid of the leg issues--after last year I've made it my goal to get to 85 miles a week by the end of the last cycle where we show up at school for pre-season. While I recognize that isn't much, I feel it's a rather good [maybe ambitious] goal as when I went over my logs I only averaged 76.1 miles per week from the start of August last year 'till the end of Cross-Country, and averaged even less at 73.2 from Jan. 1 to the end of track (less if one counts the winter up until that point!). Truthfully, I must say that I'm rather surprised that those are the numbers! I never thought I had the ability to run as decently as I did off of such relatively 'low' miles.
So, that's how it's going to break down for the summer--and I'm STOKED! With moderately ambitious plan set forth for volume and complete faith in Braman's periodization with the intensity, workouts, and volume I can't wait to be knee deep into the whole thing. As for now, however, I'm just excited to go win some watermellon deliciousness this 4th of July and see the #1 Girlfriend after a few weeks of separation--and in the even shorter term take a nap before I have to meet Little Will to run this evening!
So with that I bid the blogosphere adieu...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
On Current State of Proct Affairs
Great, so after two [incredibly long] posts I've failed to mention anything about how things are going on the training front--probably need to at least graze the subject, eh? Well, I should also put in the excuse that I've been doing a whole lot of jack shit on that front since the Regional 10,000m. After the race I took 8 days fully off minus a couple forays into a Yoga class at the Muggle Gym and a trip or two over to Moore to hit up the weight room for some epic lifting (Well, not really. Me getting 'swole' is not really gonna happen).
As of this week I jogged a frog's hair over 20 minutes with The Leeder on Monday to test out the leg a bit. It having felt mostly good, I gave myself the clear to run every other day for ~60 minutes. I went Wednesday morning with Brooksy for 52:30 over to the ol' stand-by San Luis and, again, felt pretty good in the leg and back. (Despite feeling the full awkwardness that is my form after having been off for over a week!) Friday morning, however, was quite a bit different. I had plans to go shark fishing later in the day and evening so despite my usual nature decided to wake early and try to be out the door by 7:30 to a) "Beat the heat" as Bobby B so oft says, and b) get it out the way and enjoy the fishing and Friend Friday at the athletic meal hall!
Things felt good at the start, but at around 45 or so minutes my glutes and quad starting giving me trouble and getting weak. I managed to get back fine, and even felt better once I picked it up the last 5min to make it back to use the bathroom (yep...my body generally tries to punish me in some manner for making it run in the morning!), but it was kinda weak and tingly for the rest of the day.
I've since taken Saturday and am taking today off as well. I'm frustrated as I'm really itching to get back at it, but I also can't imagine dealing with the leg for the entire Cross-Country build-up and season. The issue, even when it wasn't really acting up too very badly, really hurt me in my ability to race well all track season and I can't have it hindering me in the Fall. I need to be epic. As for now I guess the 30minutes of Aquajogging I've been doing with the #1 Girlfriend will have to suffice for helping me not loose to much for now.
So, anyway, here's to it feeling okay this coming week and letting me get some jogging in--and that a pair of mad fresh running kicks will have some positive effect on the condition. (As I've been stuck in the same one's since Indoor ACC's)
As of this week I jogged a frog's hair over 20 minutes with The Leeder on Monday to test out the leg a bit. It having felt mostly good, I gave myself the clear to run every other day for ~60 minutes. I went Wednesday morning with Brooksy for 52:30 over to the ol' stand-by San Luis and, again, felt pretty good in the leg and back. (Despite feeling the full awkwardness that is my form after having been off for over a week!) Friday morning, however, was quite a bit different. I had plans to go shark fishing later in the day and evening so despite my usual nature decided to wake early and try to be out the door by 7:30 to a) "Beat the heat" as Bobby B so oft says, and b) get it out the way and enjoy the fishing and Friend Friday at the athletic meal hall!
Things felt good at the start, but at around 45 or so minutes my glutes and quad starting giving me trouble and getting weak. I managed to get back fine, and even felt better once I picked it up the last 5min to make it back to use the bathroom (yep...my body generally tries to punish me in some manner for making it run in the morning!), but it was kinda weak and tingly for the rest of the day.
I've since taken Saturday and am taking today off as well. I'm frustrated as I'm really itching to get back at it, but I also can't imagine dealing with the leg for the entire Cross-Country build-up and season. The issue, even when it wasn't really acting up too very badly, really hurt me in my ability to race well all track season and I can't have it hindering me in the Fall. I need to be epic. As for now I guess the 30minutes of Aquajogging I've been doing with the #1 Girlfriend will have to suffice for helping me not loose to much for now.
So, anyway, here's to it feeling okay this coming week and letting me get some jogging in--and that a pair of mad fresh running kicks will have some positive effect on the condition. (As I've been stuck in the same one's since Indoor ACC's)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
On Motivation
I'm sitting in front of the TV alternatively attempting to splice coherent sentences together for this blog during commercials while watching the final day of the NCAA meet on CBS at the moment. While I missed the men's 10,000m yesterday due to being out combining boating, alcohol, boiled peanuts, and 7 foot ocean predators about 5 miles off the Gulf Coast, I'm determined to watch the closing stages of the meet come hell or high-water (as I managed to not lose a hand or get pulled off the boat yesterday, I think I can pull that off). More importantly, however, I'm interested in seeing how Ciaran closes out what has, truthfully, been one of the most inspiring years I've ever seen an athlete put together. No matter what happens today Ciaran (or Cir ['keer'], or, as Braman's shortened it to lately, Key) has run a season to be proud of and there's nothing that could make the day better than getting to sip on my tea, eat my fried chicken, and watch him destroy 5,000m and help the rest of the team win a 4th (that's right, I still say 4!!) NCAA title.
Wow! Just watched the 4x100m...someone call the NCAA Baseball council and have them give Hyman an honorary Golden Glove for that catch. Sicksauce.
Okay, whoops, back to working into the main point of the blog today... Ciaran is a monster this year and the guy has got some serious momentum behind his Irish ass. Seriously--I spoke last time about how my 5,000m has dropped over the past 18 months, but I just thought about how much he kicks my ass with progress, too. (Damn...even lose in that too! Getting destroyed in straight races and stat battles...EFF!)
The guy had a 14:10 PR coming in and split just off of that closing a massive PR 28:32 10,000m at Stanford. Damn. Same with The Man, The Legend, The Pudding Fart-est...Michael Fout. The guy gets a set of training without injury and crushes out huge PR's and lays down a 28:34 10,000m debut; Huge year and even bigger things on the horizon for a guy I'm happy to call my friend, teammate, and [future] neighbor.
So what was the point of all that? To hype a couple guys looking to go pro in the future on a blog that has almost zero traffic? Or to hope they read it and like me more for it? Meh... hair of both, maybe? I don't really know, actually--but what I do know is that it segues perfectly into the main point for this:
Big things can happen if you just believe in yourself and get some good work in.
I really started thinking on this idea of being able to make huge jumps and reach new levels the other night sitting around watching some South Park with the Three Roommates. (Well, actually, I only I have one roommate officially as I live in a 2 bed 2.5 bath condo...but Smyth (Smithers, Shmee, Shmitty) lives in my garage (kinda), and my girlfriend is here enough to count as a semi-housemate. So yeah, the Three Roommates and were watching South Park on Wednesday and started talking about what went down in the Pre 10,000m.
As one could surmise, I'm a big believer in the Hard Work and Belief school of thought on sports (provided one has SOME genetic ability...). I thought EVERYONE was this way, too. Well, this is why it was interesting to me: One roommate's sentiment revolved around the statement of "Why do we even try dude...no matter what we do someone is just going to dust us. We'd be getting double-lapped out there, man." While the other thought "Well, I just want to get some of the barriers out of the way so I can say I did it. I just wanna walk away as a sub-4, sub-14 athlete--I can live with that." The Girlfriend #1 (Erika), is injured and is mainly just concerned with the desire to get out the door and jog down the road again. Myself, of course, had to counter with "I just wanna see where I can get...I mean, sure, I'll get my ass kicked by quite a bit by a LOT of guys--but, man, I just can't walk away from this without knowing I gave 'er and at least came close to what I'm capable of."
I can completely understand where the others are at, though. Honestly, (prepare for cliche sentiment) we are in a country and culture where, mostly likely, athletics is not going to be our ticket. Most of us aren't in anything near a state of poverty and our best chance at achieving fiscal gains as an adult is to jump out of the University setting running (haha..) and be searching for "Real" careers to chase and set ourselves up for an "Adult Life." Well balls to that! I don't mean to sound like Arciniaga (I think), but the guy was damn near dead on about keeping at it! I can't say it enough, I just want to see where I'm at--if that 14:07 was the best 5,000m I'll ever run, then so be it. However, I'm not going to call it a day until I can say I've given everything a shot and that X time IS what I was capable of.
Now, does this mean that I forever will define my life by a set of arbitrary numbers? No, but what I will, and DO, define myself by is a deep-burning desire to never quit without knowing I gave it a true go. No matter what "it" is in my life. So here's to not quitting on oneself--ever. And here's to the teammates who've shown that desire this year and the possibilities such an outlook provides: Mike Fout and Ciaran O'Lionard. It may sound lame, but thanks guys.
Wow! Just watched the 4x100m...someone call the NCAA Baseball council and have them give Hyman an honorary Golden Glove for that catch. Sicksauce.
Okay, whoops, back to working into the main point of the blog today... Ciaran is a monster this year and the guy has got some serious momentum behind his Irish ass. Seriously--I spoke last time about how my 5,000m has dropped over the past 18 months, but I just thought about how much he kicks my ass with progress, too. (Damn...even lose in that too! Getting destroyed in straight races and stat battles...EFF!)
The guy had a 14:10 PR coming in and split just off of that closing a massive PR 28:32 10,000m at Stanford. Damn. Same with The Man, The Legend, The Pudding Fart-est...Michael Fout. The guy gets a set of training without injury and crushes out huge PR's and lays down a 28:34 10,000m debut; Huge year and even bigger things on the horizon for a guy I'm happy to call my friend, teammate, and [future] neighbor.
So what was the point of all that? To hype a couple guys looking to go pro in the future on a blog that has almost zero traffic? Or to hope they read it and like me more for it? Meh... hair of both, maybe? I don't really know, actually--but what I do know is that it segues perfectly into the main point for this:
Big things can happen if you just believe in yourself and get some good work in.
I really started thinking on this idea of being able to make huge jumps and reach new levels the other night sitting around watching some South Park with the Three Roommates. (Well, actually, I only I have one roommate officially as I live in a 2 bed 2.5 bath condo...but Smyth (Smithers, Shmee, Shmitty) lives in my garage (kinda), and my girlfriend is here enough to count as a semi-housemate. So yeah, the Three Roommates and were watching South Park on Wednesday and started talking about what went down in the Pre 10,000m.
As one could surmise, I'm a big believer in the Hard Work and Belief school of thought on sports (provided one has SOME genetic ability...). I thought EVERYONE was this way, too. Well, this is why it was interesting to me: One roommate's sentiment revolved around the statement of "Why do we even try dude...no matter what we do someone is just going to dust us. We'd be getting double-lapped out there, man." While the other thought "Well, I just want to get some of the barriers out of the way so I can say I did it. I just wanna walk away as a sub-4, sub-14 athlete--I can live with that." The Girlfriend #1 (Erika), is injured and is mainly just concerned with the desire to get out the door and jog down the road again. Myself, of course, had to counter with "I just wanna see where I can get...I mean, sure, I'll get my ass kicked by quite a bit by a LOT of guys--but, man, I just can't walk away from this without knowing I gave 'er and at least came close to what I'm capable of."
I can completely understand where the others are at, though. Honestly, (prepare for cliche sentiment) we are in a country and culture where, mostly likely, athletics is not going to be our ticket. Most of us aren't in anything near a state of poverty and our best chance at achieving fiscal gains as an adult is to jump out of the University setting running (haha..) and be searching for "Real" careers to chase and set ourselves up for an "Adult Life." Well balls to that! I don't mean to sound like Arciniaga (I think), but the guy was damn near dead on about keeping at it! I can't say it enough, I just want to see where I'm at--if that 14:07 was the best 5,000m I'll ever run, then so be it. However, I'm not going to call it a day until I can say I've given everything a shot and that X time IS what I was capable of.
Now, does this mean that I forever will define my life by a set of arbitrary numbers? No, but what I will, and DO, define myself by is a deep-burning desire to never quit without knowing I gave it a true go. No matter what "it" is in my life. So here's to not quitting on oneself--ever. And here's to the teammates who've shown that desire this year and the possibilities such an outlook provides: Mike Fout and Ciaran O'Lionard. It may sound lame, but thanks guys.
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