Heat and Humidity in Heusden

The KBC Nacht Meeting is an increasingly popular event for the 5k as the weather is typically ideal, the pacing is quick, and everybody is ready to roll. So as one might imagine, I was excited to get into a fast race and ride the train to a PR. There was quite a bit of confusion coming into the meet though as the meet director was rather unresponsive and even though my 5k PR was better than many placed into the B heat of the 5k, I was pushed back into the C heat. My coach Dennis was disappointed, but encouraged me by saying that in years past, the C heat had been won in a faster time than the B heat.

Despite my best efforts to get that changed, I was unhappily stuck in the C heat with a few other key Americans (among them Jon Peterson, Joe Stilin, Joe Bosshard, and Sean Keveren) who were equally discontent. Race temps were unusually warm and humid as race day temps exceeded 90°, which was part of a two day heat wave that swept through the area.

As the main program of the meet ended, with the C through F heats of the 5k placed in the night program, the sun had set, the temperature was dropping, and we even flirted with a few raindrops from the sky. As we checked in, I found the pacer in the call room and he informed me that he was going through 2k at 65 seconds per lap, or 4:20/mile, which is pace for 13:32. I let the other Americans in the call room know that was the plan and we agreed to share the lead after that to push the pace to a fast time. Nobody came here to run a slow tactical race.

As we were let onto the track the B heat was just finishing up and as I cheered on some friends, I saw the winning time was 13:39. Not the sub-13:20 that I had been told was expected from that heat. For a split second, I hesitated and thought that maybe the temperature was getting to people more than aniticpated and that our race would be even slower, but I immediately dismissed the notion and knew that the race was in our control. We could make our own destiny.

A short prayer for strength, get lined up, and off we went. The pacer was one of the better ones I've ever had as we came through the mile in 4:19 and he hit his splits right on. I sat in third position and just tried to zone out, letting my body do the work and reassuring myself to stay relaxed, stay calm. After 5 laps the pacer dropped off, leaving Joe Bosshard in the lead. I let him know that I would take the next lap and we came through still holding pace as I went to the lead. I lasted in the lead for a lap before Jon Peterson moved up on the outside and took the next two laps, which left me back in fourth place.

Coming through the 2 mile in 8:43, we had slowed a touch, but with the lead sharing, anything was still possible. At this point I knew that I just had to have another 4:20 in me and that a PR, despite the conditions, was within reach. Entering the final kilometer, there was definitely a gut check. Do I really want this? Long fall workouts and laying in exhaustion on the track after spring sessions flashed through my mind. I knew I had enough: I wanted it.

I hit the bell lap at 12:37 in the third position and thought to myself that all I needed was a 63 for a PR and a just slightly under to break into the 13:30s. Joe Stilin led, followed by Joe Bosshard and myself. I tried to make a move on the backstretch, which was held off by Bosshard.

200 to go, I can see the clock, I know it's a PR, what else do I have to give?

I moved around Bosshard on the final turn and began to close the gap on Stilin. I asked myself a final time: how much do you want it? My body responded with a final kick to gain the lead and get the win in a new PR of 13:37.71, two seconds faster than the B heat winning time. I was both exhilarated with the win and the new PR--what a way to end my first European track trip!

Yet there still lingered a frustration of missed opportunity. Couldn't the meet have simply made the B heat complete with the fastest seed times? Why did politics, agents, and favors play such great role in a black and white sport? Either one has or has not run a time, jumped a height, or thrown a distance.

The opportunity to win the B heat reach a little further for my career as a distance runner. It holds just that much more weight, giving me an incremental advantage for future races and potential contracts. In a sport with so little money and a those resources being skewed so far to the top two or three in a particular event, every advantage has to be considered.

This being said, I do want to thank my sponsors Team USA Minnesota and Saucony for their support throughout this first year as a professional. A very special thanks also goes out to the Pittsburgh Marathon, as without their generous support, this entire European trip would not have been possible. They chose to invest in me as an emerging elite runner in the US and my gratitude cannot be overstated. If you are looking for a great spring marathon run by a top-notch organization, the Pittsburgh Marathon ought to make your short list of marathons to consider.

Full Results:

1 FINAN ERIC    USA             13:37.71

2 STILIN JOE    USA             13:38.92

3 BOSSHARD JOE  USA             13:39.62

4 SHITARA YUTA  JPN             13:44.13

5 LAMA ABABA    ETH             13:45.07

6 MOEN SONDRE NORDSTAD  NOR     13:46.70

7 KEVEREN SEAN  USA             13:49.65

8 ETERSON JONATHAN  USA         13:49.98

9 EDVIK MARIUS  NOR             13:51.72

10 SHITARA KEITA    JPN         14:05.88

11 FLUEGEL JULIAN   GER         14:06.66

12 DE VULDER STIJN  BEL         14:11.11

13 ROWN MITCHEL AUS             14:12.03

14 MELLINA POL  LUX             14:13.66

15 IROSE DAIKI  JPN             14:17.91

16 KEMPF ANDREAS    SUI         14:19.33

17 VAN ASSCHE LUKAS BEL         14:29.66

18 YUFU IKUTO   JPN             14:32.63

19 GILBERTSON JOHN  USA         14:53.97

Letterkenny Mile

Inconsistent. This is an awkward place for me. I had prided myself on the consistency of my races in college, yet upon reflection that was only born out of the continuity of my training: three uninterrupted years of training.

So now I find myself on the other end of the spectrum. One week 3:58 in the mile, the next, 4:06. It's a frustrating place to be when so many people have invested so much time and resources into my European trip and I don't reach my potential. And this, too, is born out of my training. While very good under my coach Dennis, it took until March 1st for us to find a groove as coach and athlete, striking that careful balance between quality and volume in which I would not only find health, but success as well. Now with almost 5 months of consistent training under my belt, it has been enough for PRs in the mile, 3k, and 5k. But what that ultimately indicates is the clear potential for further growth as an athlete with continued consistency.

On the start line at the Letterkenny AC Sub 4 Minute Mile Challenge

A good friend, amazing coach, and even better mentor, Steve Price, once told me that it never mattered how great one workout was, only how many good workouts one could string together. As I reflect upon the last 4-5 months, I see myself on the former side of that statement, but certainly working towards the latter.

So as I gear up for my final 5k of the season in Heusden on Saturday, I will attempt to put this race behind me and hope that the pendulum of performance swings in my favor. I know the fitness is there and the opportunity is incredible, so I will have to wish myself well into a fast time and great race.

As a side note, I want to say thanks to Letterkenny Athletic Club for hosting such a great event and especially to Daragh McDaid for all his work to put on such a class of a field. Many thanks for showing us a beautiful part of Ireland!

Beautiful Irish hills in the background of Letterkenny

Finally I want to say a special thanks to Stephen Cunningham and his wife Courtney for driving all the way up from Dublin just to watch me run for 4 minutes. Stephen and I were good friends back at the University of Cincinnati and he now serves in the Irish Defense Forces. A great pleasure to see a fellow Bearcat!

Good friend and fellow Bearcat, Stephen Cunningham

Full Results:

Racing in Belgium!

My first international race and my first international win! On Saturday Jon Peterson and I raced the 3000m the Memorial Léon Buyle race in Oordegem, Belgium.  I was very pleased to come out with the win and a new PR of 7:54.18 (previously 7:59 from 2011). Race video can be found here: (copy and paste into browser, sorry I cannot make it a link while posting from my phone!): http://www.vimeo.com/100023083

Since having arrived in Brussels, we spent the first few days at Jon's friend's place, who graciously hosted us and even made us a wonderful breakfast to help us celebrate July 4th in Belgium.

We spent the first few days getting ourselves adjusted to the time change and taking in a little of what Brussels had to offer. Come Saturday for the race, we swung by The Atomium, which was constructed for the 1958 World Fair and is an iconic structure on the skyline of Brussels.  After taking a quick tour, we drove out to Oordegem to get ready for our race.

Going into the race, my legs had felt like they have the past two weeks or so: decent, but still sore. It's difficult to explain properly, but the best thing I can come up with is how one's legs feel the day after a hard workout.  The kind of ache during the next day's run where the soreness just lingers from mile one right to the end.  I'm still wishing that my legs would come back under me and feel the way they did for the Adrian Martinez Classic (the mile race I ran a month ago), but my coach Dennis comically remarked, "Keep feeling bad if you keep winning."

The start line was pretty aggressive with a large field.  I was sharing lane three and the guy to my inside blocked me out like he was protecting the paint in a basketball game when the gun went off.  I quickly fought back to find position through the first turn and popped up right behind Chris Solinsky in 5th place by 200m right on the rail. 

The next few laps were pretty dull with the exception of another competitor trying to cut in front of me to get on the rail and cut me off.  Each time he tried to move in even though there was no room, I put my hand out on his side and gently held him off as I was already running right up on Solinsky.

Our third lap was a 65 (we wanted 62-63 per lap) and Jon Peterson came rolling up on my shoulder and sat for about 200m and then we decided to move.  He gave me a signal and went to the front we me in tow.  We rolled up on the rabbit and started to pass him, so he went wide as we came through the mile in 4:14.

Jon took the next lap through in 62, I then swtiched leads with him and hit the split, then he took back over with 600 remaining.  With 500 to go, another competitor ended up splitting us so I came into the bell lap in third, but still feeling like I had more in the tank, despite the lingering soreness in my legs.  On the backstretch I was able to shift gears to move into first and then keep things moving on the homestretch to pull away for the win.  Last lap was about a 59, which I'm happy with, but know that I need to be able to close faster in championship style races.

Overall I'm very pleased with the race, and am most happy with how Jon and I ran tactically together the last mile to pick up the pace and control the race. Although I must admit I feel that there is a lot more in the tank and that I could be running faster if I could get my legs to feel good for races. Yes, I'm setting PRs, but it's because I'm easily in the best shape of my life, not that I'm fully reaching my potential in each race. As I have mentioned previously, the way my legs feel now may be due to this being my first full training cycle under a new coach and a new program. It feels so similar to my first year of college. I can only be optimistic about how things will pan out the next few years so long as health and consistency is on my side.

Post race we gave Katie Mackey a ride back to her hotel, then celebrated with some sandwiches in the car on the way home and a Leffe Brune once we got to the hostel for the night.  Tomorrow we take off to Amsterdam for a couple of days to see the sights before heading to Leuven, Belgium (home base) to get in a workout and rest up for the mile in Letterkenny, Ireland on Sunday!

Race results are shown in the picture below.