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.

USA Outdoors

My first US National Championships—a time to line up against guys I had competed against during college, guys I’ve watched at world championships, and even guys for whom I’ve stood in line for an autograph (mainly Bernard Lagat)!  And even coming out of the race with a 10^th place showing and a new PR of 13:41 (formerly 13:44 from 2011), I must admit disappointment, but only the most disappointment one is allowed when setting a new PR.  Of course I’m thrilled to finally knock a few seconds off my 5k time after three years of injury and frustration, stoked to have competed and placed top 10 in a national championship, but it was the story line that unfolded during the race rather than the results which is the root of my dismay. A video of the race can be found here.

At no point during the race did I feel that I was in the race.  The entirety of the race from my perspective was just hanging on by a thread to the lead pack which surged and slowed in the mildly windy conditions and relatively slow first half.  With each ebb and flow propagating and exaggerating itself throughout the bulk of the pack, I was caught on the tail end of the accordion, fighting on each backstretch to keep contact and finding myself backing off the gas on the homestretch.

As the race began to pick up the last mile, I was able to consciously make moves around those who were dropping off, but I never really felt like a competitor in the lead pack—and it is in that where I find my greatest disappointment.

Coming into race week, my legs had been feeling pretty fatigued from the intensity of our training and I was without much of an explanation as to why I was so energy poor.  My best guess is cumulative training fatigue in combination with the illness my body had to fight last week which left me searching for that “pop and spring” so desperately desired during race week.  As my college coach pointed out in an encouraging email to me, “If you run a PR when everything is perfect, that is to be expected.  If you run a PR when things aren’t quite right, that is a much better accomplishment.”

Yet with all that being said, as my close friend Ricky Lupp reminded me in a phone call the afternoon of the race, “It’s crazy to think that on Jan 1 you weren’t even running, and now you’re in the national championships.”  And more truthfully is that my training didn’t resume until March 1.  My coach, Dennis Barker, remarked after the race that two months ago if he had proposed I could be 10^th at the national championships, I would have told him to stop dreaming.

If anything, I feel that this performance is an encouraging introduction to the runner I can blossom to be under the careful guidance of Dennis, the support of Team USA Minnesota, and the support of Saucony.  Now that Dennis and I have begun to figure each other out with the coach/athlete relationship and have been in a training good rhythm for four months to bring me to a new 5k PR, I am supremely confident that with additional consistent training under his tutelage that some very exciting things can happen.

And I’m excited to announce here that I will be taking off for a series of track races in Europe tomorrow!  I will be traveling with my teammate, Jon Peterson, and we will be competing in the following meets:

7/5 - 3000m at Memorial Leon Buyle Meeting in Oordegem, Belgium

7/13 – Mile at Letterkenny AC Meeting in Letterkenny, Ireland

7/19 – 5000m at KBC Nacht Meeting in Heusden, Netherlands

I will be doing my best to update my blog during my travels and give race reports for the next month!

Results:

1 Bernard Lagat Nike 13:31.41
2 Andrew Bumbalough Nike / Bowerman Track Club 13:32.01
3 Hassan Mead Nike / Oregon TC Elite 13:32.42
4 Ryan Hill Nike / Bowerman Track Club 13:32.82
5 David Torrence Nike 13:34.95
6 Trevor Dunbar Oregon 13:34.96
7 Joe Bosshard Colorado 13:38.19
8 Jonathan Peterson Team USA Minnesota 13:39.51
9 Tyler Pennel Reebok / ZAP Fitness Reebok 13:40.49
10 Eric Finan Team USA Minnesota 13:41.33
11 Joe Stilin ZAP Fitness Reebok 13:48.05
12 Daniel Quigley Nike / Oregon TC Elite 13:52.86
13 Brendan Gregg Hansons-Brooks Distance Projec 13:56.18
14 Scott Dahlberg Boulder Running Company/adidas 14:01.87
15 Sean Keveren Unattached 14:07.95
16 Lex Williams Unattached 14:11.73
DNF Erik Olson Stanford

Lessons in Portland

This is a tough race to write about.  After the high of breaking 4 minutes in the mile 10 days ago, this race could be considered a rather grounding event.  In the last week and a half after the mile, Jon and I have put in some good sessions on the track that set us both up well for a 13:30 race, but things just didn’t click tonight.

A couple of days ago I came down with a cold that left me deprived of my normal energy and my legs feeling flat.  Come race day I was on the recovering side of the hump, but apparently not quite far enough away from the peak for the body to cooperate for a fast time.  It is frustrating after having put in the work and knowing that I’m in PR shape for a stroke of bad luck to catch me like this on a last chance meet, but that’s the nature of sport. 

Enough of a preamble, let’s get right down to a race recap.  First things first: I lined up next to Mo Farah (2012 Olympic Champion in 5k and 10k, amongst other credentials) and said what I always say to my fellow competitors on the line, “Good luck.”  He didn’t return the omen.  From the race results, it was apparent he didn’t need my wish of luck anyway.

The pacer was erratic the first mile, as the first 800 was covered in 2:14, the next in 2:09, resulting in a mile split of 4:23.  At this point I was feeling decent, but was having a hard time getting into the psyche of a real race.  The next couple of laps clicked by and I found myself getting gapped by the pack ahead of me, yet my legs were stuck on cruise control around 67 seconds per lap.  Every time I tried to switch gears to try and close the gap on the pack, my legs gave a sluggish response and refused to respond to my mind’s urgings.  I believe I split 8:46 or so at two miles, meaning that my second mile ended up being a rather lackadaisical 4:33.

The gap slowly increased over the next few laps paralleling my decreasing mental focus on finishing hard.  It was like my mind and legs were both slowly turning simultaneously into sludge and only a small part of my sub-conscious ineffectively fought back.

Finishing in 13:47.83 is still my second best time ever, and this after only 3.5 months of consistent training; a far cry from my 3 continuous years of training leading up to my PR race of 13:44.91.  It’s also a long way from the 13:32.00 I had set my sights on to achieve the “A” standard and get an auto-qualifier for the US Outdoor Championships.  I am now in limbo and will have to wait until Wednesday when final declarations are made to see if I can sneak into the race based on field size (meaning that if not enough individuals get the auto-qualifier of 13:32.00, they then go to the descending order list and let in individuals based on time until they reach a field size of 24).

Every race serves a purpose and an opportunity to learn about myself as an athlete.  I would say the takeaway from today is how much mental preparation and visualization of success before the race can make a difference.  I found myself slowly sliding down the valley of doubt with the onset of my cold several days ago.  And even though most of it had lifted physically, holes were still pierced through my confidence.  I am continually discovering the power of the mind when it comes to athletic events and the need to believe, even when the circumstances appear grim.

Shoutout to Kevin Schwarz, a close friend and supporter, for coming to the race

Shelton Track Club                          6/15/2014 - 9:46 PM
 Portland Track Festival - Open - 2014 - 6/14/2014 to 6/15/2014 
                     6/14/2014 to 6/15/2014                     
 
Event 24  Men 5000 Meter Run High Performance
================================================================
 Meet Record: R 13:19.78  6/9/2012    Dathan Ritzenhein, Nike Or
     USATF-A: A 13:32.00                                        
    Name                    Year Team                    Finals 
================================================================
Finals                                                          
  1 Farah, Mo                    Nike Oregon Project   13:23.42
  2 McNeill, David               New Balance           13:28.13
  3 Rono, Aron                   Wcap                  13:35.80
  4 Stilin, Joseph               Zap Fitness           13:36.21
  5 Keveren, Sean                Ragged Mount          13:39.26
  6 Quigley, Daniel              Oregon Track Club     13:41.37
  7 Pennel, Tyler                Zap Fitness           13:41.56
  8 Peterson, Jonathan           Team Usa Mn/Brooks    13:42.65
  9 Bruchet, Luc                 Point Grey Tfc        13:45.66
 10 Fernandez, German            Nbsv                  13:47.08
 11 Finan, Eric                  Team Usa Minneso      13:47.83
 12 Dahlberg, Scott              BoulderRunCo/adidas   13:56.94
 13 Kwiatkowski, Chris           Pacers New Balance    13:58.67
 14 Reid, Phillip                Asics Aggie           13:59.02
 15 Britt, Barry                 Vandal Track Club     14:01.38
 16 Puskedra, Luke               Nike Oregon Project   14:01.48
 17 Zarda, Zach                  Unattached            14:13.05
 18 Halsted, Trevor              Unattached            14:21.59
 19 Gildea, Sean                 Colorado Sch          14:34.39
 -- Smail, Nouredine             American Dis               DNF

3:58.73

Wow.

3:58.73.

My first PR in three years. The race video can be found here. My post race blubbering of excitement can be found here and here. Finally, a small article on the race can be found here.

After the injury riddled winter I had, having only been training for three months, having this kind of race was a big surprise.  My confidence has been so down this spring following such a disappointing winter and a rather mediocre race at the Oxy High Performance meet.

But with my first sub-4 mile, the win, and meet record, my confidence made a bold move back in the right direction.  We have been training hard lately and let up just enough before this race that my legs finally felt like they had some zip to them and fortunately I was able to capitalize on the day.

Going into the meet, the elite athlete coordinator took a chance on me just getting me to the starting line since my previous mile PR of 4:04.94 was from 2010.  When I had run that four years ago, I remember the dream of a sub-4 mile suddenly became real—tangible.  But following that year I took a wrong turn on Unlucky Street and ended up in Injury City.  That dream of a sub-4 mile began to fade and over time it weathered to a silvery grey—a distant thought that occasionally slipped in and out of my mind.

Fast forward to two weeks ago when my teammate, Jon Peterson, and I ran a 5 x (500, 300, 200) workout on the track, all at sub-4 pace.  It was one of the hardest workouts of my life, resulting in two collapsed heaps on the track following the last set, yet we were able to maintain sub-4 pace through to the end.  It was when I was lying on the track, gasping for air, lactic acid pooling in my legs that the dream of a sub-4 mile started to gain color again.

As I did my prerace routine of a Clif Bar and coffee, that dream seemed to gain strength and life.  I began to imagine what it would feel like to cross the line and see 3:5X.X.  I told myself that with 500 to go, I could maintain sub-4 pace, no matter how much pain I felt.  I had proved that in the workout two weeks earlier. 

Yet with 600 to go, I found myself not hurting at all—in fact when I heard “2:30” from the timer shouting splits, the only thought I had was, “This is it. This is the day. Sub-4 in the mile is happening right now.”  With 400 to go, I stayed calm and relaxed having a few more gears to shift.  At 250, I decided to swing wide and move around a pack of five, which pulled me even with Leo Manzano (2012 Olympic Silver Medallist in the 1500).  With 150 to go, on the outside of lane one, I was neck and neck with Manzano.  We hit the final straight…..and to my own disbelief, I began to edge ahead.  Inch by inch, I was pulling away.  As Manzano faded out of my peripheral, Hamish Carson came into focus and we fought each other right to the line.  With 10 meters to go, I honestly was just looking at the clock and realizing I was going to finally break 4. In my final step, race instinct kicked in one more time and told me to lean.  Good thing I did because it got me the win by 0.01 seconds!

The final kick

Immediately after finishing, I went up to the finish line official, put my hand on his shoulder, and asked, “That was a full mile, right?” I wanted to make sure it was real!  He looked at me with a confused face and answered, “Yeah….a full mile.”  Only then did I ask if I had won and after a short minute, they reviewed the photo finish and revealed me as the victor.  I could not have been more shocked.

For the first time in my life, I had a line of kids next to me after the race asking for autographs.  The first kid handed me a pair of Saucony LD4 spikes (the ones I had raced in!) and I stood there and asked him where he wanted me to sign them.  He shrugged his shoulders and I laughed, “This is the first time anyone has ever asked for my autograph, thanks!” 

So with that mile under my belt, I now am gearing up for the Portland Track Festival 5k next weekend with a greater sense of confidence.  The time to hit is 13:32, which is the “A” Standard (guaranteed entry) to compete in the US Outdoor Championships at the end of June in Sacramento.  I definitely feel a little pressure going into it to make it happen, but the little boost of confidence from this mile PR is going to help in a big way. 

3:58.73 to win the Adro Mile

Time to Race

My first race in 10 months.  My first 1500 in 3 years. 

Words I never thought I would have to write in my online running log (found here).  It has been a strange and difficult last two years with the transition out of college to a new team, new coach, new city. 

After moving to Minneapolis in the fall to join Team USA Minnesota, I hit a few bumps.  First a right achilles injury in the fall, then a left achilles injury in the winter, and then an iron deficiency just a couple weeks ago that had me in total wonder as to why I was so exhausted.  Yet through these situations, I finally was able to dust off the spikes and lace up for a 1500 at Macalester College.

Admittedly it wasn’t anything to write home about, but I did come away with the win after running wire to wire in 3:55.05.  It was the classic “first race syndrome” with jello legs halfway through and the feeling of running through sand the last 200.  Challenged with 400 to go, my rusty race instincts booted up and turned a rusty gear to hold off my opponent and close with a little room to spare.

While my past 7 months of training have been rather inconsistent, I’m hoping that a little reliance on Old Man Strength, a friendly runner’s term, will carry me through this season unscathed to some faster times once I hit the track for a 5k.  On deck for next weekend is the Payton Jordan 5k at Stanford—a mecca of sort for US distance runners and a prime opportunity for a fast race.  This will be my first ever trip to Palo Alto to hit the famed oval there, as we never made the journey during my collegiate days.

I have a tendency to liken this first year with Team USA Minnesota to my first year at the University of Cincinnati, which my legendary college coach, Bill Schnier, likes to call, “the worst freshman year of anyone he’d ever coached.”  While I wouldn’t exactly call this year the worst, it certainly has been far from consistent, which has a direct impact on my performances.  I always told our freshman at Cincinnati to be patient and let the work come to fruition with time, as it would take a year to get used to the new level of training to see the fruits of their labor.  Likewise, I see that same thing at work here at Team USA Minnesota: my first year might have a couple flashes of bright light (hopefully a 5k PR!), but I am confident that with consistency under this new program that I will be able to reap what I have sowed in the next year.

   

I often think about what Ben True said when he was under Mark Coogan—he gave himself 5 years.  Those first two years he did well with a couple of hot races, but he really took off on that third year running some incredible races on the track and fighting with the top guys in the US for national team spots.  I hope that my story is similar and too can be inspiring for others seeking the highest level in athletics.