Rain on my parade.

I start out my run in the rain today and these portly droplets are a nuisance to my eyes. My clothes are getting heavier with each step and each step is just whooshing water right back at me. My form is getting sloppy with each grudging swing of my arms and I beg the question; “why?”

Immediately I imagine being on the track, bad weather and all. That’s where my heart is. At once, I am filled with this sense of urgency and importance.

Run tall! My shoulders swing back, my belly bows out, my knees lift higher and I feel lighter. My wrists drop and are like a pendulum swinging by my hips and my elbows are at a perfect ninety degree angle. Each relaxed and effortless movement has its purpose.

The thick rain transforms into an ominous misting in the air. I start to miss the rain.

-JD

Fogotten not

Missing the mist that parted when legs cut slick steps on that damp day, weather gone until the next run meets that specific precipitation. Wistful for wet days, not that of a deluge, but the foggy days with occasional sprinkles making the air so palpable… that is what I long for. Around the corner they wait, I know, but the desire is there now. One day soon, it will to be washed away, slipping into the grayness and leaving me fulfilled.

I got 99 problems but a kid ain't one

Sometimes when I go to the track there’s some sort of a peewee tournament of lacrosse or football, soccer perhaps. These little athletes have even smaller brothers and/or sisters who can’t sit still on the sidelines and who tend to gravitate toward that bright red mondo surface. Since I don’t have kids this gives me a view into their ways as I normally don’t think about them.

When I see these cute little tykes chasing each other around, I understand the primal need to run. I understand that we all have an urge to race one another and to see who’s faster. Who’s better. Stronger. I get that. What I don’t get is why the hell these kids or parents don’t understand what I’m doing. I’m putting so much effort and force out there. I’m actually working out and working hard toward a goal.

I’m not just flitting around the track for shits and giggles. There’s actually a science to what I’m doing here and now. The lines that mark the track and the numbers on my watch mean something. Accuracy, mechanics, breathing patterns, timing; they are all a part of this crazy lady’s workout. There’s a method to this madness and I don’t know why but for some reason lane one is very popular today and I intend to scare some kiddies out of it.

-JD

A chat with Blake and Em

Hey Guys!

So Sunday is the next hard day w/ Em's 5k race and Blake's race or w/o

This past, hardest, phase was keen on emphasizing hard days on every hard day.

The current phase which begins now and ends w/ the Fairfield half has a clear emphasis; Races!

So tomorrow's w/o both in what I am telling you and in the attentive action you partake in needs to bear in mind Sundays race.

It is shorter, not as short as the ones to come in the last 3 or so weeks, but shorter than what you have been doing. Em you have been doing monster w/o at this intensity. While Blake you have done some work with this pace but have been doing huge volume in your workouts preparing for the half marathon.

This shortness does not mean run quicker!

3min Hard 2min Easy 5Min Hard 3.5min Easy
3min Hard 2min Easy 5Min Hard 3.5min Easy
3min Hard
= 30 min ALL IN (21min Hard Total) Keep your watches rolling as to keep rest consistent

Easy=Walk Jog

Hard=
Blake: 2:54 +/-3sec Per 800meter
Em: 2:43 +/- 3sec Per 800meter



You both are going to do great!

During this part of the season always end feeling like you could do at least one more. So if you call it before the last 3 or even do 3 instead of 5 and only get 16 min total hard that is fine.

And so, my routes will grow

Feeling light footed I head out my door heavily committed to finding a new loop. I’ve been running the same twenty minute jaunt for a few weeks now and I’m growing tired of it. The exciting thing about a run like this is the exploration of a new town. I head northeast of our apartment and zigzag through some residential roads. About seven minutes deep, I realize I wasn’t sure of what turns I’ve already made. Approaching a main road I suddenly realize where I am and this offers a sigh of relief. My trail-blazing adventure of concrete paths continues. As I head down this sunny and fauna filled road I feel somewhat at home. I’ve never ran this part of town before, I’ve only driven it once or twice. Then it hits me; this part of Quincy is very reminiscent of Bangor, the last town I hoofed around in.
Home is where the heart is, yes, but it’s also a stomping ground for my running. It’s where I am accustomed to certain routes. And I think I’m starting to feel at home.

~Jen Dagan

A demon on the track

In a stealthy manner the monster faces the start. Haunted and frightened meters, knowing the howling pounding to ensue but unable to see when, lay in wait for the gun. Then they are dead, the lengths lie in footsteps finished. A menace of trained terror tears truth from limbs & lungs. Mind howling for the approaching finish… then the line is leveled; trial torn asunder.

Damn it feels good to be a gangstahh

As I routinely jog clockwise around the track against the current flow of traffic consisting of walkers, runners and a baby jogger (grr), a gentleman explains to his wifey, “I think we’re going the wrong way!” As he starts to do a 180 degree turn I quickly explain with a smile, “no I just warm up backwards, you’re headed in the right direction.” With that said they both laugh and trot off in the correct direction as I move on.

My reasoning behind warming up clockwise is to offset the ever consistent flow of the counterclockwise direction most runners run…in my mind balancing out the track, if you will. If this sounds nonsensical to you, it’s because it is.

Several laps go by and I pass the couple again. I whip my head around to check out his jacket. The inscription reads “1990-something Boston Marathon.” I felt as though I was judging another runner for doubting themselves about which direction to run. How could he not know? Isn’t it a known thing among runner’s to run counterclockwise on a track?

I realize that just because he’s a marathoner doesn’t mean he’s actually worked out or raced on a track. This reminds me of what I am. In that moment I feel that pang of super strength that finely tuned competitive athletes feel. I can’t help but think to myself; damn, it feels good to be a track athlete!

~Jen Dagan

Chatting w/ Chris

Im assuming you are inside again. For tomorrow it is a lighter day; 5k @ 5:53-5:58 pace @ 1-2% grade. Then 5-10min rest followed by 4-6 40-60sec uphill strides. 8% grade and 6-8mph.(2mph window) Take 2-3 min rest after each stride and play with the pace window.

So this means breathing in for two steps and then breathing out for two steps.

As far as breathing goes the pattern refers to breathing in and out according to your steps taken. So a 1-1 is in a step and then breathing out a step. For anything at a hard pace a 2-2 is best. 3-3 for slower paces is fine, but you might want to just do 2-2 for consistency. 4-4 is not recommended as it is does not adequately circulate air. During the last 1/3 of a race or w/o you might do a 2-1 or 1-2. Like mile 2-3 in 5k or the last few 1000's in very hard 3k-5k pace w/o.

The only time 1-1 is used is the last minute-40sec in a race. It aids the kick, but otherwise is too shallow, like panting, to be effective in any other case.

Have fun and relax tomorrow.

Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill

When someone laments about the toughness of a hill it reminds me of how much I take for granted growing up where I did. The Mount Washington Valley is home to streams and hills that crisscross the beautiful rural landscape. Never did we go out and run a "hill run", as my college teammates would talk about later as we attended Hofstra University on Long Island. No, as a youth and during my summers in post-secondary school running, hills were part of every run, every outing and as much an aspect of the activity as a breathing pattern. Not to say hills can't be hard, but so can any aspect of the run. I guess inundating yourself in them allows you to gain an insight otherwise not there. The key is just to run the hill, don’t put it on a pedestal.

In Search of Lost Time

Stuck in the quicksand of injury there is something lost. A frantic search turns up nothing. Nothing you can do. Nothing can make an injury go away, well except for time. Time can be the most hideous thing to search for, as it is nearly impossible to find in the moment. Time will demand patience no matter how eager legs are to run.

Haikulometer

Open eyes to see
Open legs and lungs to run
Open minds to live

Warm up

A warm ray loosens muscles under pale skin. The bright white legs of winter's darkness rejoice in the spring's warm embrace. The sun greets those who venture outdoors with a bright umbrella of daylight. Some shade dapples under trees but it seems so off putting. The sun calls those runners tired of the short winter day saying, "play in my abundance!"

My Conversation With Steph

What are your goals going into this?

Mine are first and foremost for you to have a positive experiance. While some aspects (like a hard w/o) are only really positive in a retrospective way and you have to suck it up in the moment. Others can be hugely enjoyable the whole time after just a brief period of acclimation to the training.

You will not be running everyday. However, when the run is done at the correct pace then even a hard run is ok until half way to 2/3rds through. The key is to get used to it. I can remember the first time i swam for over 10minutes. It didn't happen because of a set goal for the workout. I was just out there doing it and got caught up in having fun.

All of the aspects of the tri need to be addressed, from your strengths to your weaknesses. Be patient with yourself and realize that your potential is buried within your genetics. While in a few months we will never realize anything close to your genetic potential we can realize a large part of your training potential.

Training potential is your potential over a period of training time. Here, we are talking a handful of months. In this case working too hard can undermine your best chances of success as easily as not working hard enough.

The last thing we are going to do is give you a few months of training and take it from there. This is going to be about communication. I need to know how you are responding to the training and so i stress honesty. Dont ever tell me what you think i would like to hear, tell me the truth.

Your weeks will be planned with contingency in mind. Anyway, until our convo maybe you could fill me in on your activity level. How often you exercise, what extra curricular you do. Quantify whenever relevant, e.g. 90 minutes of hockey, 20 min warm up 50 min play 20 min cool down stretch. Also, any past times of any endurance event. A bike, a swim, a run.

Please excuse all my spelling/grammatical errors.

Brendan

Windowpain to your soul

Pain can become small panes of glass within the kaleidoscope point of view we have on life. While these intense feelings, piercing any weakness available into crying submission, is ephemeral in the typically thought about way there is greater, longer lasting knowledge to be gleaned from these experiences. The greatest advantage of suffering pain is not making it through it in the bull driven way of the moment. It is calling on those searing moments to do something similar or for those who have the chance to be so great, something harder. That is bravery.

Taking steps back

It frees you; breaks away the chains of ‘this and that’. The little calls on you that come at times louder but are incessant in a day of work. They can turn you around removing up from down and robbing all sense of inner direction. Then they are silenced with footsteps made to quiet the brain.

unanswerable

I often question why I started yet can’t find an answer. Maybe it was the daily games of tag where I was given the nimble name, "Fox". Or perhaps it was the Presidential physical fitness awards that came each year in which I aspired to reach great heights. Possibly it is evolution, making the basic sport so accessible to a boy. I can’t recall when, I just know that I have always loved to run. Somehow I don’t care about the answer to the question, especially when it seems so irrelevant.

Finding the forest in the trees

Moving through spaces of trails and trees. Limbs off of trunks cased with bark are strong and mirrors the fleshy limbs of man. A lure of the wilderness murmurs through a head freed of clutter by the tranquility of the state reserve. The path twists, seeking a new way. Something is there but is also hard to find, difficult to even get close to. Before I know it, my watch reads a time and it is an indicator. Turning about, no longer chasing the feral enigma of the woods I return home.

My Conversation with Andrew

Let me dispel the biggest myth you could ever believe in your athletic venture; college is going to be your best years. You, as a man, wont peak in testosterone until your mid 30's and it stays that way for a few years. The biggest barriers to post-collegiate athletics is training facilities, training direction and competitions. A lot of athletes simply stop bc they do not know how to continue.

That being said, remember college is about the degree. You go to a legit school, get the most of its pricey education.

On the topic of your running, once again, those are some good times. There are two way to get better, as i can advise, not being your coach and not in charge of your general training.

You need to understand that talent is speed. So when someone is talented in running, besides a disposition to enduring pain, they have raw speed.

1) Going longer will bring your talent out into mid distance gold. A 50.6 is like, in terms of talent 1:51.6 or so for the 800 or a 4:06 mile. However, you have to do the work of a mid distance runner. Which is more about longer more rugged w/o than actually running a lot of easy miles.

2) Work on your talent by recruiting your genetic potential. This is a combination of your physical anatomy and actually learning the act of running. Im taking about working on form, through drilling and core/weight room/medicine ball ect work. This is best emphasized during the summer in large bulk (many weeks) and beginning of seasons (a few weeks) so you can take this new raw power and convert it to running mechanics.

Keep training, positive, focus on what you want, visualize best case scenarios and you will see more college success in running.

p.s. just bc you havent seen an outdoor pr yet doesnt mean you wont. You still have time this season, trust your coaches training plan

My conversation with a Scot

Taking one of my many 100 meter bouts I come across the line cruising in a planned deceleration over the next few steps. As I stop and shake out the legs, a well dressed man playing soccer with his son peps up,” What are you guys training for?”

“What?” I reply quizzically.

“Are you guys part of a club or something?” He continues with earnest interest.

“Oh, yeah GBTC, are you from around here?” I reply as an accent is apparent.

“Nah, Scotland, I would see runners’ running like this back there but this is the first time here, it’s impressive.” This is said in an honest and almost patient way.

“Oh thank you.” Flattered a little I say with the slight upturn to the left side of my mouth.

“No, you both keep it up, it is impressive.” He says with that slow clear way.

“Oh, oh, thank you, thank you, take care.” I say with a smile and a wave.

“Take care.” He says again kicking the ball back to his boy.

Bashfully, and content in a way, I jog away.

Thank You

Back together, she was gone for a while. The afternoon is sweeter; to have her home, to hold her again and to be running together through Blue Hills’ trails. The steps we take are so pleasant, it is just so proper to be a cantering couple once more. For over seven years we have on regular occasions run as one.

My Conversation with Chris

Hey Chris,i emailed you the w/o and assume you got it, it was a large block tempo at 6:02-6:12 pace.

We still need to address the race situation, have you had a chance to think about a champ race?

Anyway, the next two weeks.

Over the next two weeks we will progress to 65-70miles

Mon Long < 17
Tues 8-10 / 25-27
Wed 8-10 / 33-37 Track/Treadmill ***This will need to progress to track soon,unless weather drives you in
Thurs 9-11 / 42-48
Fri Off 0 / 42-45
Sat Treadmill W/0 10-12 / 52-60
Sun 5-8 / 57-68

Mon Long < 18
Tues 8-10 / 26-28
Wed 8-10 / 34-38 Track/Treadmill ***This will need to progress to track soon, unless weather drives you in
Thurs 9-11 / 43-49
Fri Off 0 / 43-49
Sat Treadmill W/0 10-12 / 53-61
Sun 5-9 / 58-70

I know your a mileage beast, but i put the lower end to remind you that you could do that and still be fit to run a pr 5k-5miler and a great 10k (as you havent run one before) by the end of this mini season which finishes no later then beginning of july, but better in the middle to end of May

Veer on the side of caution on the easy days, i know you have heard it and said it yourself but i stress it because you practice by yourself. It can be easy to turn an easy easy day into,not a full blown hard day, but worse a junk training day that takes away from the next hard day.

Sounds like your training is going well. Right now, start thinking about the 5k, what you want to run, what you think you could? Dwell on perfect conditions and racing factors.

The 10k however is going to be a great race for you. It is long enough to get into mileage strength,but quick enough where you have to run fast regularly. You will enjoy the racing tactics after a few races.

Anyway, keep up the great training Chris!

My conversation with Blake

With yesterday being a rugged amount of tempo running (40min total) lets chill until the next day you feel great.

This is a combination of weather too.

Try to find a day when you really feel you can attempt this, after the next 4-6 days (today day 1) the w/o is a large block tempo of one hour to 75 mins @ 6:45-6:55.

If you feel good after 40min you can pick the pace up, but make sure you get at least 60 min.

I completely understand if you do this on the road.
I however would use the track bc it is more accurate for pace and distance.

If you do it on the track try to do it when the team is practicing bc you wil pull strength from their accountability of you.

Garmin's tell you the distance you cover, yes. But in a race it is about covereing a tangent, and that is best practiced with lines, in my opinion. Try it the next time you are on the track, and it will be slightly longer than you ran.

Anyway, for the amount of time from here until the half it is about harnessing race specificity, and that is exactly what you are doing. After the race, heading into your fall marathon, there will be time for more diverse work.

Keep it up!

And theres no stopping us right now

So we run. On treadmills, tracks, roads or over paths and dirt we whirl our legs. Acting alone, or in groups, this deed is undertaken in different manners and at varying intensities but always with a shared experience. We run, not because it is original, but because it is natural. It is part of who we are, and for those who admit this, happiness awaits.

Like a Polaroid

So I’m going outdoors today and about to run 4x1000 @ 5:36pace/2.5min rest and a few 200’s @ 33’s/35sec rest.

I head off to the track and I’m already in a bad mood that started this morning. It’s hard to shake it off and I know I have to since I’m already putting this workout on a pedestal. I’ve been known to do this, as many runners do. Sometimes it’s the pace, sometimes the workload, sometimes the work itself.

Lately I’ve been dealing with tight hamstrings, one of which suffered a minor strain a couple weeks back that really made my mind uneasy today; especially about working out at any intense paces. Mind you the 1000’s were not at an intense pace, but my mind is racing here so all logic goes out the window.

Now, on top of my bad mood there’s the weather. It’s cold, very windy and very gray. It’s funny how mood can affect even the weather at times. Okay I suppose not literally, but it changes our perspective of it. Instead of feeling a wonderfully chilly, yet crisp and breezy day I was full of resentment and cursed Mother Earth. Then I started to feel the tightness of my hamstrings tug at me.

That’s when I realized not only do our moods affect our environment but also our physical being. I had to put a stop to this.

So I shook off that veil of angst and reminded myself out loud; “Thousands. I’ve done this before, I can do it again.”

Off I went down the back bend of the track and full force into the wind.


By Jennifer Dagan

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Ripping, roaring, running, ‘round. Rallying, racing, rushing runner; rightly reaping returns. Rift resolve revolves ringing rays, rammed ruefully.

Indore

The weather ushered us to our indoor track, Reggie Lewis. The last week’s unseasonable warmth had lured eager runners to outdoor settings. This pleasant but rare for the year climate was dashed away by extremely strong winds blowing cold air, leading individuals indoors feeling blessed and adoring this haven.

Dichotomy

I feel strong but weak. With a knot in my calf and my butt still sore, there is a damper to the steps taken. But there is also a marked springiness. A zest to work hard mired in a calf which ties up on the trails forcing a short stretch. Continuing through the rest of the run the calf feels better but still tight. Hamstring/butt area also is sore. Maybe some quality tomorrow, don’t know how much.

Heading down the road trying to loosen my load

Trance like it takes you within yourself. A blanket of clearness, blocking out the hub-bub of life’s little irritating necessities, leaves a relaxing freedom in which the run is fed. Moving on your feet the day’s callings quiet, if even for just this outing, there is release.

The Malden Rotary 5k

Spotted down the road, tie dye shirt making it easy to pick her out. Jen is taking the small climb that leads to the 60 meter down hill for the finish with acceleration. As she approaches I yell something to the effect “200 meters to go!” and she does go. Picking up pace, you can see she has another gear. The ‘workout race’ is no big deal, so Jen is doing it in a t-shirt. Funny, she still wins it and is third overall. Happy with the result she is content with the day.

Flux capacithinking

How can you change the past? One of the beautiful things of something coming to pass, is it is always there. Stored in memory, untouchable by hands today, cannot be stolen and always belongs to you. It is that double edged sword that cuts so sharply when there are things you would rather not have done. How can you change that past?

When you run, when you race really shitty, you know it. It sucks after the race more so than during. You remember the guilt of bad training. The fear that gripped you during the race mocks you. But if you can learn from the race you will train smarter in the future. You will race with tactics and guts. If you regret something you have done, but learn to live in a way that shows the lesson, then you can change the past. You can change how you feel about doing something wrong if you do something right when you are struck with the opportunity to do so. Part of you needs to live from the past when you live in the now.

the battle not the war

The heat took it away; brazenly stealing that smallest part of you. This blazing sun takes that part which steels away the pain the best, taking the load so well. The sun, so strong today and the temperature so seasonably high acted as thieves in broad daylight. They stepped in, no compassion or shame and said, “Mine”. Today the body acquiesced but that is not the last word. The body will acclimate and the body will learn to deal with again that which it has dealt with countless times.

Haikulometer

Wherever you move
Or whenever you’re running
Try and find yourself

1st workout outdoors in months

Outdoors today we went
Giving up Reggie like lent
But more than forty days wait
Three more seasons before repeat

Out on a track and under sunshine
Red strips of measurement are fine
Own that track, do it! Ya heard?!
Now when they say run, ‘fast’ is your adverb

memorunning

A memory of a run, something out of place and then comes realization; that memory is happening now! The run occurring this moment is becoming a memory. Storing it away safely in the past it is always there, retainable whenever the soul longs for the quiet whispers of this action. So as you step along, thundering strong or relaxingly rolling, make it count, for once it becomes the moment it has slipped from the possibility of the future to the finality of the past. So make that step a step worth taking.

A conversation with Chris

A Preview:

This athlete has been doing 75 to 100 miles for mileage per week.
----------

So yeah that sounds like a good plan regarding taking 5 days off.

I would also add, that since you have a minor ache and pain this 10 or so weeks of less mileage working on good form through quicker races and training will serve you. In the sense that you will heal and get more fit for the very rigorous 1/2 marathon training for your Fall race.

First and foremost this is a tentative plan.

This all hinges on the contingency of our conversations regarding feeling and accomplishment

Also, what will depend on your transition from emphasizing workouts over races to emphasizing races over w/o is dependent on your "championship" Race. We need to figure out a racing calendar, with less important and more important races identified. The Twilight races in Boston are very competitive but it is a bit of a drive. The nice thing about the twilight races is they start in the evening so you can do a day trip. Anyway, just start planning a champ race and a few other ones around that time.

Until then you can race but the races have less importance in respect to what you are doing on the days during the actual week. During this earlier phase the days are really serving the "future you" more than the person running a few days later.


Also, you seem like you crave some heads up so here goes:

That being said lets talk about this Upcoming week and lets head in with 50 miles, and two w/o. Mon is fine to be moderately long like 10-13, but it would better if your 1st WK looked like this;

WK 1
(Day Today's Mileage / Weekly Mileage)
Mon 6 / 6
Tues moderately long < 14 / 16-20 Wed 6 / 22-26 Thurs Track w/o 7-9 / 23-29 Fri off 0 / 23-29 Sat 6-8 / 29-37 Sun Treadmill W/o 10 / 39-47 WK 2 Mon Long > 17
Tues 7-9 / 24-26
Wed 6 / 30-32
Thurs Track W/O 8-10 / 38-42
Fri Off 0 / 38-42
Sat 5-7 / 43-49
Sun Treadmill W/0 10-12 / 53-61

If this schedule is to be stuck to I would recommend Fri clearly as a supplemental day the other would be probably Tues. This might involve 10-12 min of light running or skipping rope for example which doesn't count towards the time limit, neither does a stretch session after.
However recovery in between exercises and reps DO count towards the time limit. Right now your time limit is 45 min. If you want to be a great runner you have to define priorities of training based on particular periods of the year.

SO supplemental can be a lot of things, plyometrics, explosive full body lifts, medicine ball work, isolated body build lifts, you know more than me with your background. The great thing about supplemental is it has its own crescendo of training through a season and year; emphasize this now and build into this later.

But we don't need to get all nuanced right now. This is our first season so we will work on communication and more major training.

So basically you get two supplemental days of 45 min (running time including the rest in between reps, sets etc) of hard work.

Also after wed and sat do 3-5 30 sec lights strides (3k pace fastest) with about 90 sec in between. Focus on good form, step over the knee with the trail leg, have the foot accelerate towards the ground and have your toes dorsiflexed.


As far as easy days go-The primary goals are as follows:
1)Physiological; Increase blood flow to the working muscle, increasing capillary use, number/size of mitochondria and increase strength in the tendons and ligaments plus more

2)Psychological; being able to look at a distance and know, not think, know it is nothing in terms of what you can devour.

However, there is a fine line where easy days become something they shouldn't be. This will eat away at any quality work done that week. There is something to be regularly felt; that an easy run felt easy immediately when you finish. Save something today to do something very well tomorrow.

So there is a range of time that can fit this 6:45 on a treadmill or very comfortable road/trail. But the slower end that will still accomplish this is 7:45 and use the window depending on how you feel. Easy runs serve the hard days, the should feel easy or at least tolerable after a very hard w/o. These paces also slow down when on a hill or muddy/sandy terrain. In such cases let intensity guide you.

Also don't worry about occasionally running, like once a week with people that are much slower than that. It will keep you good at heart to regularly run with people. If this means it is in the 9 min miles don't sweat it. Follow this rule though, don't do anything longer then 7 miles at a pace slower then 8min miles. Because you don't ever really do that pace it will leave you sore if you go to long.

We have a bit more to go over but that is it for now, let me know what you think.

St. Patrick’s Day

Jen is running her tempo at a casual pace of high 6:20’s. The morning sun is lost in a shroud of cloudiness. The dankness to the air, a cool humidity, is a ruse as we know now the afternoon unfolds into sunshine. However, in this moment of the work-out Jen has no clue how the day will unfold and so embraces the training for what it can deliver. She patiently tempers away a 5k, finishing in 20:12, with trainers stepping across the line marking the relaxed intensity. In respect to what she accomplished, there was nothing spectacular. The pace was relatively comfortable and the time was expected. However, in the spirit of the day she was lucky, to be out there running, to be out there training when it comes right down to it just to be out there.

Track Talkers

running is hard. I've found I don't like it. -Molly Eggleston

Tom Derderian says, The world is a conspiracy to keep you from training and racing....this club is an organization to fight that conspiracy.

Run like hell and get the agony over with.
--Clarence DeMar

‎"Get the horses together and let 'em run." Bil Squires

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."
-Jesse Owens

"If you cant run, then walk. And if you cant walk, then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, ever give up."
-Dean Karnazes

If you want to achieve a high goal, you're going to have to take some chances.
-Alberto Salazar

Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about. ~ Patti Sue Plummer

Kevin Kilroy says, ‎"Running isn't important. What's important is how one applies it to his or her life. If you can't do that, you might as well stop, since you'll never reach the finish line otherwise."

Ryan Irwin says, My high school coach assured us "You won't die, you'll pass out first"

First Call

The officials gathered at Reggie Lewis en masse tonight. It was some sort of officiating training for the regulators of this upcoming T&F season. So they were sitting in a group on the bleachers discussing things of an officiating nature as Jen and I warmed up.
After the warm up they had broken into groups going over different arenas of the sport led by instructors. During Jen’s first bout she had to yell “Track!” a few times to get a clear way through as one group of 15-20 milled onto the track. They were switching stations to learn about another facet of the sport, not paying heed to basic track and road etiquette; look both ways.
Anyway, after that run in the groups had finished switching and the track was clear for a while. Then Jen had finished her fourth or fifth 1000 and a group of ten or so teammates took off together. I was doing a stride and then hear Jen yelling loudly, “Track!”
I turn my head to see this group of runners deep into their sets, out of breath, 30 or so Meters from a crowd of people that are oblivious to their consuming exertion. “Track!”, I boom adding my call to Jen’s repeating one. The officials jumped like water dropped on an oily hot skillet. The hammer head of runners parted the crowd of officials. For at least some of those learners today, as far as paying attention to runners working out, it will probably be their last call

A day off

I don’t feel like blogging

Only time will tell

Look, I have held true, and still do. It is just kind of bleak, pulling my muscle tonight in practice, not sure if it is minor or major. In times past I stepped up and said it would be ok. And in the long term, it will be fine, there are a lot of seasons left.

This is just the third time… in a row. Rearing its head, threatening the season, another injury comes along making me question everything. The last two I met with optimism, confident that I could resolve it and both times I was wrong and the season slipped away.

On the other hand these experiences have made me question the outcome of this pull. I am unsure if I can gauge it, or how serious it really is. The answers will make themselves known. It will just take time.

Anything you can do… or at least match

“How long do you stay in for?” a quick question piped while I sit shivering in a bath of the coldest water the faucet has to offer.

“I try for twenty, but seven is the bare minimum, however I think the shortest I have stayed in is twelve.” Jen states with matter of fact delivery.

“Oh,” I begrudgingly let out. My watch reads six minutes. It is the second ice bath in the last few months and acclimation to the cold waters has not been made. Gritting my mental teeth I progress through the time extremely uncomfortably. I realize at some point, waiting for twenty minutes to roll around, that it is Jen’s doing twenty which has set the bar for me. As if the fact that she does something makes me say I will do the same.

One small step for a man

There is a lot to a step. A flow of nerves, a whirl of ligaments responding to skeletal muscles with a dash of the inexplicable goes into taking foot from ground and bringing it some yards away. Control is mastered here as well as surrendered within a limbo of effort and release; trying your hardest with a slight emphasis to relax. In the best moments you are both partaking and a conduit.

A paved paradise seen from a wooded one

The hill climbed, weaving this way and that, consistently for about a mile. Elevation gain wasn’t too steep but certainly enough to bring us above where we started the run by a few hundred feet. Through single and double track, we followed the lead of this opening through nature. Then there it was, sneaking out through a clearing in the beginning of the descent to where we came from; Boston twinkling in the afternoon. At first we didn’t notice, as the trail led downwards, but when it grabbed us it was all we could do to not stop running. The beauty of seeing something so large, grandiose and modernly technological as a backdrop so clearly prominent during a run through heavy woods is sublime.

Gut impulse?

Dashing out the door as if I didn’t go now I wouldn’t go at all, I am into a night of artificial light. So quiet is my mind finding peace on this busy early Friday evening, running through the bustling streets of Quincy. A handful of minutes earlier the run was shrugged off for plans that are to come later this night. Then, a knee jerk impulse, and I change my mind for the run. We weren’t late, later when we arrived at a gathering, so if I hadn’t run we would have been early. Something tells me, subconscious’s soft reminder, if you hadn’t taken the time to run earlier, tonight wouldn’t be as fun.

What went wrong?

Well two cups of coffee this afternoon to make up for none this morning. Then there was the extra bite to eat too late in the afternoon also weighing in the mixture of black wake up juice swirling though digestive tract. Besides the fact that there was a bit of soreness in my legs a nagging aftershock of the 36 hour bug I caught after the last workout on Tuesday night also clung on me. To top it all off it was the first block tempo run in about half a year. But the full story isn’t there, as in so many questions it in no way encompasses the whole truth. So ask this question for a better and simpler answer; what went right? I did well.

Tar and Feet Him

Right off the bat, they seem a little friendlier; a cantering companion through the Quincy loop that stretches for about two and a half miles. “I remember you,” they tell feet that meet them through inches of sole. “You have been doing this loop for a while now,” the paved spaces continue, “and now we know the difference between you and the others.”

The feet are pleased to be recognized and so respond, “We will be here for a while.”

“Oh” says various bits of tar, with an upward raise at the end of the sound, begging an explanation.

“Yea,” the feet start, “we like this loop and are creatures of habit so expect us a few times a week.”

The roads that connect and weave through these four kilometers do not respond as the run continues but the feet know that the roads are happy for the loyalty.

Zinc Ahead

A pretty tough workout handled well. The body has been fatigued and a workout suppresses the immune system. Afterwards, I start sniffling and sneezing. Big bellows from lungs made itchy by dry indoor track air, “god bless you” replies a friendly face. On the ride home resolution is made holding true to a USATF recommendation for coaches. It is in the form of a red wrapper with a zinc lozenge inside. Sucking on zinc is an amazing hand up for the bodies ability to cope with stress; take after any hard workout or race if you feel even slightly run down. Also, take at anytime noticing a raspy throat, swollen glands or low grade fever.

Corny but true

There are two kinds of runners. The kind that hunt for the “runner’s high” and the kind that know it. Our common ground is that we all crave it. It’s almost an inexplicable kind of feeling; elation, freedom, adrenaline, energy...invincibility. Maybe it’s not so inexplicable. However, as I’ve gotten older there have been waves of needing that feeling to bring back that passion and fire. Then I remember that sometimes all I really want is balance. That unstoppable feeling is best when coupled with being grounded and secure. The strongest feelings of strength are tied in with security and being headed in the right direction of training and life. SO get high, high on life!

By the Dagans

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy&z

Animalistic bright call destroys endurance failures; go! Hailing inner journey, knightly love musters numbers out. Paces quench runners striding tough. Under veils, wicked xeburenace yanks & zips.

Truth or Dare

It came to me nicely, early in my pursuit of distance running, that there can be a large amount of rather acute pain associated with racing and training at its hardest. An icicle through muscles and nausea through stomach can capture the spirit of some of the toughest runs I have done. I would be kidding myself if I didn’t acknowledge that sometimes this can be daunting to endure. However it is in the endurance of such pain that trueness is brought; do you dare to take it?

The silver lining

The snow dapples the roads late this year. March 2nd tells a story one day old of the first real accumulation of the season. This fluffy-white precipitation hangs on shoulders of roads as black ice also slides in spots scattered over paved sidewalks. The reminder of what the season could have been is met with some chagrin as the runner feels guilty about being happy. Happy that such mild weather, while rather offsetting in a global alignment, was conducive to great training.

Trackindness

The kindness of encouragement should be respected deeply. Letting someone know they are doing well is the simplest way. In respect to the pastime of running, a quick "good job" or a "nice work" lets people be reminded that someone else is paying attention to their endeavors. Even when struggling, not feeling their best and running a slower than desirable pace a little cheer is a reminder that people care. Even if it is just for words, there is wisdom in spreading kindness. It ripples and runs its own way hunting down frozen hearts with slow grudges. These waves of benevolence as wind to rocks in the desert strip the coldness from the world.

Painfully fit

A quiet burn seeps though the ass, hamstrings, quads and calves. A reminder of the run the day before, the subtle pain pleasures a certain sense of accomplishment. As if the work needs to hurt, needs to be there, otherwise what was the purpose of yesterday? Take the hard days hard and the easy days easy but if after a hard day there is no residual pain was the work really done at the right intensity? Work means pain, even if that work feels like play, so there is a hardness to the accomplishment. Beating down stamina for a bit only to build stronger endurance is the culmination of that day after pain relaxing into better fitness.

Free Bird

There are snippets of conversation, scant words regarding times and of qualitative feelings like smooth but for the most part it is a mute experience. Around thirty seconds a bout with less than a minute rest and a few bouts just over a minute with two minutes following. All in all the volume is 3600 meters hard. A tough work out but not so intense as to fully mimic the critical zone, or last 25%, of a race so there is room for comfortable conversation. Due to the staggered starts and different paces only a third of the total hard running with subsequent recovery time is spent talking. It is a nice feeling how calmly the mind wanders, with no conversation to guide it down a specific path, while the body is churning at just sub par all-out intensities. The body’s tired state can sometimes hamper but rarely truly cage the free flying bird which is the mind.

A day ahead

Road bounces through spine and up straight strong backs
Feels like winning a race, but no spikes go click clack
Shoes are just trainers; today’s a light workout load
Regardless, pavement peels open long bits if rolling road

A subtle sense of invincibility is there
So consciously it is time to take care
Save the legs for the next day's indoor track running
Cause going hard tonight will leave tomorrow a bumming

Sunsational

It is a fun run, sunny with wind, started with covering pavement that spills into the Blue Hills Reserve Park and forest on this lazy Sunday. A foreshadow of spring, acting as a reverse echo, a reminder of the beautiful days ahead. With the season of winter retreating and the days getting longer all the more reason to enjoy trails hidden in the wooded break from suburbia. Sun dapples runners rolling through this haven of nature; it is a beautiful day.

Track Talks

“Oh, I meant to tell her to focus on something sexual because it increases your pain threshold.”
-Regarding a friend that is embarking on running a ½ marathon, Jen’s words of wisdom that are both funny and true.

Pretty content

Trepidation taunts confidence. Accomplishment is perceived but not conceived so variables loom as hills on the horizon of the workout. Belief is strong, but knowledge will not be had until ex post facto. The truth is, no matter how positive the spin, or sure the sense, until the cards are played and the hand is done it is a matter of speculation. Of course, there are some bets that are better than others but at the end of the day it is never a sure thing until afterwards. Besides easy runs, today was the first time since November that anything longer than a hard 200 was attempted. I am glad to say that a great workout was done, true tempo running covering 6,000 meters. I was pretty sure it would go ok, but pretty sure is nothing like doing something pretty well.

Until death do us part

It all started at fifteen. I fell absolutely, madly in love. Butterflies keeping me awake at night that daydreaming kind of love. We met and we were inseparable. Together for a while…we were in sync and totally smitten.

After a few years and a few setbacks, things settled down and I got lazy. I stopped caring. Then, you broke my heart. Just like that. I thought I lost my most prime years to you and couldn’t ever feel love again. I tried. I reached out to you, begging for the passion to come back, but the fire was out. You left me and I let you. Eventually, I found myself crying in a supermarket parking lot; it was one of my saddest moments. I was convinced that I had nothing left to give to you and that I would never be with you again. Then a voice said that I could have you back…that I will have you back.

Some years later after hard work, diligence, just a little bit of laziness (old habits die hard) and focus on my heart’s true desire; I found you. You resisted at first but we both knew we were meant to be together. There was this residual, mutual bond between us. We needed each other, thrived off of each other and knew each other.

You have been with me through my proudest and through my darkest moments. I can’t imagine a life without you. Our companionship fills me with an abundance of joy and happiness when I think of our future.

My vow is my heart. And Running, it belongs to you.

I love you.

Always.

-Jennifer Dagan

Bodily needs

The body that is sore all day from a hard bout the previous day does not need a rest. As long as the appropriate day off has been administered at an early date, than this body needs action. Not some all-out hard workout, which would be in all but a few track training cases, counterproductive to preparation for the next difficult session. No, this body needs relaxing work. Something I am reminded of as my calves loosen up through our twenty minute run, three strides and five drills this evening.

Back to the future

For so long, mired in the quicksand of injury, everything seemed so far away. It was the past, with its slow take, that held on to pulled hamstring/gluteus. Each step was called on by that foolish moment months ago. As if the actual fibers still existed, to some degree, in that second when they ripped. Somewhere along the way since that day in early November the possibility of health started to draw the legacy of lame legs back to what they could be again. Today they are not quite there but with these big steps, all puns intended, they have gotten a lot closer to the future.

Haikulometer

Strong steps sail stronger / Fleet feet feel forward flurry / Limbs lunge long leg lengths

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"-John Greenleaf Whittier

In two ways is the above quote applied to running. This can be examined in a spectrum of the macrocosm to microcosm. Starting with months or even years of training to weeks, clumps of days and even a single day; did you do the work? The next breakdown is about the moment, and is more like an individual domino that collapses either this way or that triggering more dominos each with a choice on how they fall. The choice is of course yours. This is not about “did you do the work”. This is about, in that blistering moment, are/were you running not thinking, because in actions of sheer soulful passion we are reactive to a predisposition and not consumed with thought; we are the moment.

Suck up

Yeah it hurts, what did you think? Maybe that it would tickle? This is the real thing, this is about finishing, and no matter what the state of fitness is the actual feeling is the same for the slowest to the fastest as long as both are giving the same effort. At the end of the race it is about owning up to your pain threshold and letting it shine. There is something to be learned about limits by watching both the fastest finishers and also the rest. Plenty of better trained and better genetically gifted runners do not have the pain threshold of the slower or “less” competitive counterparts. Fear or lack of guts can undermine all the training in the world. During the critical zone, or last 25% of a race, when the chips are down you just have to suck it up and take as much pain as you can.

Finished thought

A pause comes after, thoughts are held on gasping breaths as accomplishment sinks in to consciousness. Yes it was done, that which for a split-second seemed surreal during the tortuous moments flickering with relief that come after the line. Mind pounding with blood that is coursing through veins like the legs coursed around the track. Yes! What was dreamt about is now reality and that which is next will be in position with what was finished.

Track Etiquette

Jen and I have been practicing at Reggie Lewis on Tuesdays for maybe six weeks now. Each time we show up, there are a lot of people doing their thing, warming up and what not. After a while it is time to start running fast, and people break into different lanes. The distance runners closer inside and the mid-distance to sprinters heading further out into lanes that have more of a curve to them. Regardless, of everyone else falling into place, there is always this one college team that continues to warm up doing drills sprawling fifteen or so people, in the opposite of a single file, taking up three or four lanes abreast. Why they don’t use the area outside of the track or a portion of the infield is a mystery. This past Tuesday, starting my bout in lane four, I don’t really notice them until about 40 meters in, “Track, Track, and Track!” Booms from fresh lungs and this team of track athletes doesn’t even look back, they just sort of mill around and invariably someone steps into me. I kind of glare at them with disapproval as this track bout’s tracks are halted. A hard 200 meter rep stopped far too prematurely to start again immediately. “You shouldn’t be doing drills in here,” I bark at them and they say… nothing! They didn’t even look that bashful. I am still writhing a little bit for not reaming them out properly, not for my bouts sake but because that can lead to injury for someone else. Guess I just have better etiquette than them.

The way you carry yourself

Sitting, standing and walking it is completely apparent. Passion pours from lips and it is so obvious. But it is embodied in your run, chasing round the track off you go. Down lonely lanes you search, seeking something you will never find. No matter how far running takes you it will never truly take you back in time. You want so bad for something you can never have, and the saddest part is part of you knows the truth. I can tell, even though you have never said anything, you have lost.

Long Bow

Don’t slouch. Take that navel and throw a hook in it, pulling you forward with a chin parallel to the ground. The curvature of the spine allows the hips to be capitalized acting as the hub of lower and upper body. If you lax on this, not capitalizing on your backbone, then the center of gravity changes either resulting in a shortened stride for the same effort or too great of a displacement of the body aka staying in the air too long. Remember the bow is what you want, it allows you to go strong longer.

Day Off

Sometimes the smartest thing to do is to rest.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrun

Ready runners, roping ruggedly round ridges, ripping reps rhythmically, rapidly relinquishing, revealing ruefully; run, run, run & rest.

Thanks Whitney

It is very fulfilling, finding someone easy going and on a similar training plan. Meeting up for practices and workouts, a deeper level of acknowledging each other is developed. When heading through runs, both fast and slow, there is sublime understanding of their presence. A whisper of them on easy runs or a heavy breath when finishing a set of hard reps, gives almost constant knowledge on their position. For some this happens instantly and for others it takes a bit of time getting to know each other or what not. Regardless, it has been too long since I had a training partner… guess I just want to dance with somebody.

Running forward

With all its pressure and demands
it it still leaves rooms for your own plans
Great things to do, new places to go and yes bills to pay
But damn, life is just too sweet to savor for one day

its probably been said, but i'll say it again,
know thyself because you are your own best friend
be true to others and true to yourself
and in the library of your soul leave nothing on the shelf

You might think that's corny, even call it "gay"
then check our own thoughts, set up the replay
looking at yourself with glaring honesty isn't easy
still, live with no page unturned in your autobiography

Track Talks

"If your goal is just to finish a marathon, you don't need 20-plus mile runs in your training plan to be successful" - Coach Jack Daniels

Line Up

Work is what it is, and I love what I do, but it involves sitting at a desk for long hours with emails flitting through bringing phone calls and filing. The day is busy, some days more then others. Leaving work when tired and beat, sometimes it is hard to muster the running gumption. Mind is reeling, not dealing with goals from elsewhere then necessary. Then comes the reminder from deep within, run and you will always be grateful for what you did. This is not like tying an extra beer to an already indulgent night; this is something that ex post facto always brings gratitude. The act of running lines up hectic minds with calmer states and those stationary bodies come a bit closer to active minds.

Heart Attrack

Pulsing with acceptance and love. Just happy to be here. Fond of the whole place, finding an expression through the actions that occur here. Moments, memories, miles and more. The different shoes worn, the years of competing, winning, learning, losing and lusting for the next thing. Sometimes bursting with exertion, other times just faintly recalling what was done hours ago, I feel my heart at track more so than most other places.

Want not

I want to be the fastest I can be. I want to run the times I know I can. I want to be the best that I can be. I want fulfillment. I want accomplishment. I want goals to be met. I want to love what I have done. I want to do great things in respect to my abilities. I want to run fast. I want to run strong. I want PR’s. I want great races. I want to win! I want all that I have dreamt. Most of all, I want to be happy with what I do. And I want what I have been doing to line up with what I am capable of. I want happiness and success. I want what everyone who tries every day wants; I want my potential.

Track & Football Field

The Patriots step onto the field to play in the Superbowl in about an hour. A battle of magnificent athletes achieving almost super-human feats of coordination and excellence, but for those that have never played football it doesn’t have to be completely voyeuristic. Obviously, for the majority of the people watching today’s game this level of activity is completely fictitious in a literal description of their past experiences. But in a spectrum, everyone can relate to the wonder that the professionals achieve with their bodies in the ways that we have used our own. One of the greatest common denominators is the carriage which carries our thoughts.

Super bass

There was no race today, and the Reggie Lewis track center was closed to the public, so Jen arrived at the Braintree High School’s track around 3pm with the sun sinking westward. She hadn’t run at an outside track for over a month and this was a good day to go back outside but it was still very cold. She knows if she doesn’t get the work in today then the right day is gone. After finishing a full blown warm-up she grits her teeth and heads to where the first bout starts with leggings still on. She then gives that look, and when she gives me that look the pants come off, flashing winter white legs bared to the cold and she is gone, feet beating like a drum coming your way.

Why?

Why run? Why put on those shoes? Why go out that door? Why move, when exhaustion claims its apathetic grip? Why not give up? Why try at all? Why not push on? Why not give that little bit more? Why not be all that can be mustered? Why, because if you don’t, you will know that something was lost. And why that was lost is the saddest question to answer of them all.

Haikulometer

Legs move in rhythm
Arms and trunk respond in turn
Mind and heart unite

Tippy Toes

Stepping forward, the lead leg is switched in the exchange. Foot accelerates towards the ground and here is the piece de resistance; dorsiflex! The toes that are headed for the ground should be pointed up. This dorsiflex, or toes pointed up, aspect of the run that occurs before the foot touches the ground allows a pre-stretch of the calf. This effectively turns the feet into spring boards, vaulting the runner forward. You just have to feel it, all the way in the tips of your toes.

A singular sole

An interesting feeling, fresh shoes slipped on feet anticipating their new feel in the run. However, the new feel is just based on the feelings from past new shoes. This is in one respect or another, even just slightly, always different and perhaps that is what is anticipated. Understanding that the shoe can sometimes be very similar to past shoes but never will they all have the same feel. It is nice to confirm individuality in life.

Stridesssssssssssssssss

Striding slowly slides, surely strong steps succeed, strolling sensation sent, swirling slippery surreal speed sweeps… so splendidly special!

The tides are turning

A fun night with plenty of drinks leads to a less fun experience today, even though the merry memories of the past evening act to console the pounding inside head. Taking a long afternoon nap the run is put off until well into the night. Wearing a little too much gear leads to sweating profusely as the twenty minutes go by with a sort of purging. It wasn’t that the hangover disappeared immediately but similar to waves receding with the tide, the uncomfortable sensations inside waned leaving behind a fresher body like the waves do cleansed sand.

Aromatrack

I can smell it! Like a new car, or fresh cut grass, it is so Proustian. The air flits through nostrils and wham, I’m there. The curves the lines no end no beginning. From a child fascinated by the structure to an adult that has spent countless hours working, living and loving here. The track smells, of rubber and then sweat, in such a way that I forgot how invigorating it is until I smell it again.

Hot and bothered

Heat after heat they go. Down, wait, and push. Hard legs and smooth arms grasp what they want. With real exertion, and an undertone of love, these heated bodies surge with passion. Pounding against each other, limbs rustling as they come close, they continue to work on their own desire but often in respect to each other. About to burst, they strike deep, flailing as they come after which they lust. Then they are done, panting and breathing. The best are glad they did what they did, but the most humble wonder; how? The fieriest sprinters in the 200 and 400 meter races exude exhibitionist desire.

A hand out

Snow flakes freckle face, cold air washing precipitation into a melting frigid weather sweat. The road is firm under feet plucking away. An abrupt turn is taken so hand reaches towards Jen pulling her the way in a clutched second then released. Surprise turn is met with silence; no words are spoken as the weather spits away, just Jens hand laughingly using its fingers and thumb in a 'shadow puppet motion' to say, “Come back”. So hand reaches out again, to hold for longer this time, and a few giddy smiling strides are taken.

Archimeters

Long breathe and bend begins. Hands reach behind head searching for the bed. Navel becomes an apex, belly button at its zenith. Exhalation allows a greater flex, groin loosening and pelvis is now flared. Holding and reaching hands alongside bedspread a deep tightness is felt from head to toes. Rising up, as the lungs are almost two thirds empty, there is a deep crack in my ribcage. The back arch stretch has served its purpose, relieving the tightness in my left-side. Feeling it all through my body, it reminds me of the way this stretch accentuates good posture in the run. A strong curved backbone is integral in covering meters quickly and smoothly. To be a wizard at the run involves more than just the run.

Track Talks

"Listen to your body. Do not be a blind and deaf tenant."
--Dr. George Sheehan

Thumbs up

For over a year I hitchhiked to work. Out my door I’d go, down the rural Maine roads trailing the 20 some miles to where I waited tables. Sometimes during the winter my hair would freeze to my head after leaving my house still wet from a shower. I would walk down roads, I-pod held in hand leaving music to displace any uncertainty, and head to the restaurant. I have run so many runs, where getting out the door was 90% of the run and I remember becoming tempered to that feeling so well during my thumbing days. It wasn’t that the act of hitchhiking was so hard, nor are most runs / workouts, but rather it is gathering the gumption to go through the motions. Sometimes, even though life is being so hard, you just have to suck it up and go after what you want!

Run after honesty

Looking down the line

I laugh I listen I glisten

words make me smitten....

Cold hands are warmed in an intellectual mitten

Don’t fall in love with what could be

Always love the person you can see

Mind boggingly well

It is an interesting moment, when I used to care so much about this achievement. However, upon accomplishment it disappears into a wake of running. Interesting that what you wanted to accomplish shadows into what is expected. It is always about expectations and moments. The real eye catcher is when the moment realizes its potential. This leads to reeling with giddiness at a task well done.

Bottoms up

Doubled over, waist and stomach almost one, I reach for the ground with palms wide open placed next to feet on the floor. Deep breaths hum through stretched veins rushing oxygen rich blood through my butt cheeks, hamstrings, calves, ankles and feet. Bent over with hamstrings tightly connecting ass to calves is a real taut lesson on connectivity of the body through prolonged pronated stretching.

To each their own

Each day spent working. Something brand new to each effort, each day a needle in the haystack and each run is so special. Each moment something grabs your mind saying, what if each thing lines up and you get what you have been working for. Each thing you do is based upon each thing you have done, and each thing you will do is based upon each lesson you learned. Each run is an opportunity to learn about yourself. Each runner you can be is based upon, to a different degree, upon each run you run.

You take my breath away

It takes your breath away, cliché but true. Voice stolen for a second when first words are spoken in a while. Cold air’s bitterness, an invisible thief felt everywhere during the freezing winter runs but impossible to evade. A specter of the January night, hauntingly reaching inside your chest to own what is there. However, the voice always returns and the second it disappears is akin to quickly looking over the edge of a very high bridge, highly uncomfortable. This ephemeral shock is replaced by a surge of energy, which quickly conquers the cold leaving a rush of happiness in not being daunted by the dark frigid night.

Legs

They are just so beautiful in action. Whether fully extended or whirling at a slower clip they capture a primal and expressive action. This is exemplified during the finer tuned, regularly used examples. Those operations of mastery leave real wonder upon the viewer. However, even an inept or under practiced array, if accompanied by enough intensity, will lead to the feral beauty that is this act. To watch the legs while running is to watch our ancestors too and that bond is glorious.

Mind Eracer

And it’s done. Already gone, disappeared in the tsunami of minutes that quickly surged by, is the race. Sometimes a question oddly floats by in the essence of, “did that just happen?” A body full of pain laughs back at brain that is capable of, if even momentarily, detaching itself from the pain, “If you can’t feel it this second you will in a moment!” That’s the way it goes, it’s done, except for the pain, and you have to wait. Wait for another chance, another day, or another event.

You have to wait to do it over, but the mind that can detach itself from the body’s pain, albeit briefly, can also in a more prolonged way create a race in the brain. A race to do over again, finishing the way you want and dwelling on racing tactics. You can always look for ways to deal with problems, such as being boxed in, or dealing with tangents and thus better prepare for the real occurrences. Regardless, while the race is gone in a flash for the body it can last an eternity for the mind. It’s up for you to decide what you think about.

A Drowsy Distilling

Tired and slow but still moving, trying to do what the body says it cannot. So drained, a bed appears everywhere; a pile of sand, a cool spot of grass and a shady mossy rock. Still on go the legs, locomotives that scream for stillness. It is here in the wreckage of needed rest that the driving entity is sanitized into one understandable thing.

Striving to be better but scared to hope so

A laughable moment! Before the race starts this individual will say something to the effect, “I don’t know if I can run my seed time.” Then, after the race has been completed they have finished a hair quicker then expected and say something like, “Oh, if I only did this different I could have been a little faster!” They are lost to that just moments ago they didn’t think they would accomplish that which they now critique doing. It is the presence of the doubtful over-achiever, which rings true to me as a modest perfectionist!

Haikulometer

Night before the race
Mind drifts, visualizes
So the bout begins

Hello Darkness My Old Friend

It is dark and a little bit late, about eight pm or so. I come to my house wanting to tack on a few minutes, maybe throwing in a stride or two. Heading past my place in Quincy, down a side street lit lightly by street lamps, I start taking care of the rest of the run. Ready to turn around and then it grabs my sight; a twinkling. You know when a car drives by and a mere dot of light hits the corner of eye and so grabs all of conscious mind in an inspection? It is just like that, just like a twinkle.

This is not a twinkle of light; this is a twinkle of darkness. An underpass a few hundred meters away glows with gloom. It is the same thing, grabbing conscious thought into focused inspection. This underpass shakes me, it calls me, it dares me to run and so I start but then stop. In an instant, real conflict of mind happens as many thoughts do. Should some gut feeling ask me to run, was I scared to do it and then the mind settles with, “go in and see what you see.”

Through the underpass there is maybe eighty meters of darkness with no lights, no cars on the road, and my eyes accustomed to lighting on the street lead to contrast blindness; a term for the blindness from going from light to dark. I feel, passing through, eyes on me. I run to the other side, cross the road and start to return, once again so certain of some watching presence. A few steps into the darkness on the way back, skin prickling from the feeling of something else, a feeling starts to come out of me I know has always been there. As I continue through the black strip a deep growl comes from within me and I began the stride thought about earlier.

This growl builds from a rumble into a small roar. Through the black I zip, knowing that out there is met by what is inside of me. Leaving the bit of highway roofed tunnel behind, I emerge into the light of the street lamps again. My speed slows and the noise stops right as I step into light. I return home a few minutes later and go inside.

No time for cameras

When running, hard, like at the end of a 5k race when you have put every second on the line. This doesn’t mean going out too fast so the end is extra painful. No, this is in a race run on guts and brains. The face is so determinedly set on the line, looking for it, even when only half way. While the body is hurting, everywhere, and the mind is trying to detach itself from the numbing pain all the while willing more from its’ vehicle. Those faces set in cascades of control and wildness make for some of the best pictures. The true beauty when seeing these raw images of an individual are that they are never posed but rather are reflections of what a person is bringing within themselves; graceful pain.

Animal House

A zoo of animals in a single open enclosure ranging in size and shape. These beasts were of a general likeness, but how these figures could vary. Tall and slender to tall and thick. Some powerful and quick others light and durable. Most wrapped in muscle, but there were also creatures of less physical prowess. Furthermore, there was a constant display of a wide range of focus and abilities. Some doing things that were very different than others. If you want to see sometime, it's free. Just come by Reggie Lewis around 7:45pm next Tuesday.

Short-sighted

I was talking with a young woman today. She was lamenting her disappointment in a bad workout done earlier. She was less then a third of the way through before feeling too discouraged to continue. For a little background, this athlete is 20 years old, has a very young running training age, is very mature for her age and participated in many other sports before she got into running. About a week and half ago, she stepped her weekly workouts from two to three hard efforts for last week. This is her first time trying to do another three hard days week and she failed.

To her this was grandiose and represented many things to her running but to me it was laudable. Not her distress, which is a window into the depth of her well of passion, but rather I mock the idea of that day's performance being a long term understanding of her ability. Almost all that start the sport, and far too many that have been in it a while, fail to see that one bad day is due to us all now and then. It happens, especially when you add new stress such as a week of three workouts. The cure is simple; a couple easy days of running and then she will try again later this week conquering it and her fears.

How do I run? No, why do I run?

I hear many people quote "That which does not kill us makes us stronger". It obviously applies to, besides all of life, very particularly to running. That by pushing the body beyond its limits, at the right times of course, you can reach new levels. To make strictly clear, over-training "kills" the best possibilities and only a fool will read this quote as a license to drive themselves everyday beyond the capacity of their body to heal itself. This activity of over-training will only lead to plateaus and injuries. However, this saying pales in comparison to another, "He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how". When applied to running, you find the real truth to the first saying. The only reason someone subjects themselves to these activities is for a why. Why we do something then allows the workout to be conducted which then brings in the "that which doesnt kill you" idea. In all things, for something to not "kill" you, and leaving the sport for good is in this sense a death, you need to have a why. Find why you do a run and how to do it will be much easier.

Letting go of being proper

At the beginning of a race it is all control. Even when they go out too fast the limbs are properly possessed by the running motion. The start is a fully functioning well minded run. Then it happens. Somewhere in the race, there is a letting go of that control and a "gutsyness" comes into play. It is that release from proper form to a swaying of the body through pain to get to the finish line. A bobbing forward with the head or an egg beater motion in the arms are two common examples. Call me weird, but I think the finishing mechanics, degraded by fatigue, are often times more beautiful then the perfect running that starts the race. It isn't the look of pain and hunger in the eyes of the contestant. It is the honesty of their desire laid out for all those gathered to see that leaves me impressed.

A cold thought

1/6/12

The last few days have been pretty cold. Like uncomfortable to go outside cold, even when you are wearing a winter jacket. Tonight Jen and I get geared up with double pants, a couple of long sleeves over a short sleeve and the jacket covering it all. Midsection and legs covered but where was the piece de resistance? Ah ha is thought as we don headgear and then head out to do a light run that leads into a handful of drills followed by three short brisk strides.

About two minutes into the run the difference between today and the last few days is made more personally known as I start to sweat. By the end we have unzipped jackets taken off head gear and are still sweating. Even though we had been outside and worked full days today we had not let how warm it was register. We were still stuck in the three or four prior days of cold. I guess we were in a frozen state of mind.

Yes Brain

1/5/12

The saying is; no pain no gain. I have always taken it as you need to work hard or you won’t get anywhere. It is true, but I want to nuance its meaning. It implies those who know how to work through the pain figure something out. These individuals find meaning in the pain of running hard. They learn to love, or at least tolerate it, in order to achieve what they desire to do with their running. So maybe it should be no pain no gain no brain.

Internal Gratitude

1/4/12

So we found an indoor track, or haven’t you heard? Reggie Lewis welcomed us last night and it was awesome. Not that it is the fastest track I have run on, Boston University’s is much quicker, as well as the Armory in NYC and plenty more. No, what made this so great was that it was indoors. That and the track is less then 10 miles from our house which brings home such a sense of appreciation. It is funny how much you take for granted training, until the cold weather hits. A sort of reminder, that running is a gift you often have but it can be hampered at anytime, so be grateful.

Indoor track

1/3/12

She starts her bout running. Hitting the mark I hit the watch and she is rounding the bend, smoothly navigating around other runners she is flying along at the same level. Legs are searching for the ground and pushing off in a switching unison of right and left. Her face is there, full expression focused but a wash of calm is slick everywhere. She knows what she is doing. There is no lean at the line nor pull back before it, she just ran across and decelerated with ease rather then the flimsy fall apart of finishing any distance race. She is just fun to watch run.

Track Talks

1/2/12

“It’s only one hill” A veteran of the race describing the Mt. Washington Road Race

New Years Day

1/1/12

Runners do this anyway. They always try to improve, even if that is in reference to how well they depreciate. They strive for excellence, of body or mind but often both, and sometimes, most often in personal ways, we find that achievement. To New Years, a day to recall that we can all be purified by water or born from ashes like Phoenixes!

Hidden race

12/31/11

It was pretty neat, kind of a secret for those who knew what they were watching. To fill you in, let me back up about an hour. I was playing with my phone, checking an email or something, and a friend that I know through running, Darin Brown, snuck up on me to wave his hand in my face while I wasn't paying attention. A quick hey, smile, bro-hug and we are off talking about what brought us both to the 3rd and final Boston University “Mini-Meet”.

The BU meets are held in the Month of December, and have been running a handful of years now that I know. Today’s last meet is held as usual on a Saturday. What was rather interesting is that this Saturday fell on the last day of the year. Instead of saying all the corny things about how it allowed runners to make a last ditch at a PR for the year, I will say that if you were there you could feel the energy. On the last day of the year, a collective knowledge is almost everywhere in the world but amongst all runners it was palpable.

So Darin explains that he is racing the 3k today, and before long he goes about starting his warm up. However, we got in a good chat first. He says he is in his last year of 40-44 Master’s USATF age group and that the standards are going to get easy pretty soon for All-American. He explains he is hopeful that today he will do it in his current age category and asks for hand with splits.

The time passes and we are watching the race unfold. Darin is on pace through the 15 lap race up to laps 10 or 12, 40 seconds per lap which is pretty much dead on, but then he falters. He hits a couple of slow laps and I yell he needs to pick it up and he does. The last laps are a true back and forth battle with Jen and I cheering away as he cruises by each time. It ends as Darin kicks in strong with a 9:56 high time, over three seconds under the qualifying standard. He didn’t win the race, but he did something great and only a handful of us there knew what we were seeing. We got to enjoy, and be part of, a race that no one knew was happening. Here is a little secret from me to you; one of the greatest aspects to running is being a spectator to someone's effort because it allows you to participate in their struggles and their triumphs.

Haikulometer

12/30/11

Run the run runner
Drive over the ground further
Finish, pant, drink, rest

Run awake

12/29/11

It’s a fine space, a little trove hidden inside us. Going there in the regular world, unless you are a professional philosopher, would be counterproductive. You need to interact with people if you are around people and that is why it is not always used during the run. Sometimes you will be talking or engaged in some music or whatnot. However, that quiet taciturn side is full of reflection and understanding. Using the run to gain that end is one of my favorite ways to go about the exercise. A sort of selfish grab at an honesty of yourself only found lost amongst the demanding “have to do this” thoughts that pre-occupy a good amount of waking time.

The issue of meaning

12/28/11

It is sad to say it, but some people run and don’t enjoy it. I am not talking about people who do it for only health reasons and have not found fulfillment in the run. I am talking about people that run / race now but earlier in life fell in love with racing, so running then began to define whole aspects of them and then got burned out emotionally. They still race and run because of pressure. Pressure for money, such as college scholarships and prize money, and pressure from people, like parents and coaches but also socially for those that are in younger years (13-23), whom are looked at in this one major way by their peers. They have lost the meaning in the run and we can only hope they find it again, like we hope that a person just exercising and hating running might get bitten by the bug.

Everything I have seen I have seen before.

12/27/11

Interesting. An idea that sums up this feeling during the hard parts of races or workouts, a sort of De-Ja-Vu. It doesn’t happen every time, or anything like that, but there is something pervasive about the feeling. Tugging you in, it says “come be with me again.” Then it happens, a sort of waking vision that I know these steps, I know these breaths! Yes, there it is a breaking into self that has always known this kind of work. And then it is done, leaving you panting, maybe puking, and lost to the feeling already.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

12/26/11

A being can’t decide everything! Fortune gives her issuance, “jump, kill, love, muster nothing or perhaps questing runs” so this underlying variable willfully xamines your zeal.

It’s the most wonderful…

12/25/11

As a kid, the Christmas excitement could keep me up so late. Of course I would intend to stay right up to morning time, so anxious to just see what was under the tree. However, as a young child I could not stay awake that long. Then later, after progressing into teenage years where I could actually stay up all night at will, I would fight to sleep in a bit, until I was hurried to get up in the morning by my younger siblings.

It is funny how that was about races, too. So excited to run a race, I had a hard time sleeping the previous night. I know I did that, through High School and even in college a bit but I can’t remember when it stopped. It has been a while that I cared so much about a race, actually a few years. Even though I highly doubt Christmas will be exactly like that again I feel fairly good about a racing return.