So yesterdays race did not go well. 15:35 is not at all the performance I was looking for, but I guess everyone needs to start somewhere. Results posted here -->http://az.milesplit.com/meets/116609/results/216061
I've been doing well with my diet, but had a very bad stomach day yesterday, resulting in some tossing of the cookies prior to hitting the sack that night. So obviously I need to sort out some race day diet issues. Good thing I live with a nutritionist, so hopefully we can get these things hammered out. Besides the stomach, my legs felt pretty good, as did my breathing.
Definitely weird to be at sea level again, and able to take a deep breaths. The next race isn't for a month, so with some workouts and some diet experimentation, there will be improvements, and I will run better. Obviously I'm a bit disappointed, but I know that good things will come and that I need to be patient and trust my training.
My teammate Julian ran awesome, crushing the field in 14:40, in his final tune up for the Ekiden race in Japan, so thats a positive for sure.
So for now, its back to the mountain and back to the trails to get fit. Breaking 30:30 will happen in a month. Of that much I'm sure.
Club XC is in 10 weeks.
Nick Hilton: The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Just another tuesday.
Tuesday:
7:00 AM- Wake Up
7:15 AM- Facebook and Oatmeal
7:30 AM- Shower
8:30 AM- Massage
9:45 AM- Grocery Shopping (Mans' gotta eat!)
11:00 AM- Coffee and Peanut Butter Toast
12 Noon- Run
1:00 PM- Smoothie
1:15 PM- Foundation and Core
1:30 PM- Shower
2:00-6:00 PM- Work (getting those bills)
6:15 PM- Run
7:00 PM- Power Lifting
8:00 PM- Dinner
9:00 PM- Relax
10:00 PM- Sleep
and do it all over again the next day, with some minor revisions.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner
PS: First race on friday night. Phoenix Community 5k XC Race.
7:00 AM- Wake Up
7:15 AM- Facebook and Oatmeal
7:30 AM- Shower
8:30 AM- Massage
9:45 AM- Grocery Shopping (Mans' gotta eat!)
11:00 AM- Coffee and Peanut Butter Toast
12 Noon- Run
1:00 PM- Smoothie
1:15 PM- Foundation and Core
1:30 PM- Shower
2:00-6:00 PM- Work (getting those bills)
6:15 PM- Run
7:00 PM- Power Lifting
8:00 PM- Dinner
9:00 PM- Relax
10:00 PM- Sleep
and do it all over again the next day, with some minor revisions.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner
PS: First race on friday night. Phoenix Community 5k XC Race.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Getting To Work.
The title says it all. We're getting to work here in Flagstaff, both on the roads and on the job scene. The fine dining scene, I found out, suits me pretty well, and its a pretty solid job on the whole. Mr. Blood made his debut at the Kickstand Kafe today, making drinks like a boss. After a few trips down to Phoenix, Ryan is well on the way to getting back running. The legendary Dr. John Ball will get him on the roads in no time.
On my end, the running is good. Back into my first full week since being in flag has been fantastic-although going up hill still sucks, literally, i suck a lot of air- and I'm starting to feel good and confident about the upcoming training. Through the core, lifting, running at altitude, and foundation work, I wholeheartedly believe that we'll be ready to rock and roll come race time in a few months.
Our fearless leader Ryan Mulcahey has been instilling us with a sense of team unity and confidence. As the 5 of us that make up our group are all in this together, we're all in the hunt of getting the best out of ourselves while we can. There's a synergy between everybody and a lot of good vibes, which hopefully will lead to some great things down the road.
I'm chomping at the bit to start to run fast, but am keeping things easy, as per instruction from Ryan M.
Other highlights of recent events includes some leisure time spent in the Oak Creek Canyon (pictures to come soon) with 2 new friends and one old (all are technically new to blood) who invited us to do some swimming, bouldering, and cliff jumping. Good times were had by all.
Moving to Flagstaff, so far, has proven to be an excellent decision, and I'm very confident more good things are a-coming.
Thanks for all the support, and thanks to everyone who happens to be reading this! 600 views?! Thats nuts. You guys are awesome.
We're gonna make some waves for all of you.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner
PS- For all who are wondering about the cross-country cat Kiwi (loving that alliteration), she is doing fantastic and has gotten into the habit of sleeping all day, and either treating me as a steeple barrier or jumping on my head all night.
On my end, the running is good. Back into my first full week since being in flag has been fantastic-although going up hill still sucks, literally, i suck a lot of air- and I'm starting to feel good and confident about the upcoming training. Through the core, lifting, running at altitude, and foundation work, I wholeheartedly believe that we'll be ready to rock and roll come race time in a few months.
Our fearless leader Ryan Mulcahey has been instilling us with a sense of team unity and confidence. As the 5 of us that make up our group are all in this together, we're all in the hunt of getting the best out of ourselves while we can. There's a synergy between everybody and a lot of good vibes, which hopefully will lead to some great things down the road.
I'm chomping at the bit to start to run fast, but am keeping things easy, as per instruction from Ryan M.
Other highlights of recent events includes some leisure time spent in the Oak Creek Canyon (pictures to come soon) with 2 new friends and one old (all are technically new to blood) who invited us to do some swimming, bouldering, and cliff jumping. Good times were had by all.
Moving to Flagstaff, so far, has proven to be an excellent decision, and I'm very confident more good things are a-coming.
Thanks for all the support, and thanks to everyone who happens to be reading this! 600 views?! Thats nuts. You guys are awesome.
We're gonna make some waves for all of you.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner
PS- For all who are wondering about the cross-country cat Kiwi (loving that alliteration), she is doing fantastic and has gotten into the habit of sleeping all day, and either treating me as a steeple barrier or jumping on my head all night.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Pictures...Can you find the goofy blood pic?
Pictures from todays hike, don't worry there won't be too many of my words.
A Damn Good Day
What a freaking thursday! Blood and I got the itch to hike, and since we're not totally acclimatized yet we decided to start our summit attacking with the relatively mild Mt. Elden, which tops out at 9300 feet. And a great hike it was. The panoramas from even halfway up were spectacular, as was the natural beauty of the mountain and the aspen trees. About 3/4 of the way up we decided to stop at this rock which offered a great view and get some pictures. As I was standing on this rock I saw what seemed like an oddly placed rock over a little hole. I picked it up and voila! We had found a piece from the global gps game called geocaching. To find out what geocaching is, check out this link --> www.geocaching.com, so we signed the little paper in the jar, and returned it to its locale for another to find.
We continued our hike into the clouds, as it was a bit of an overcast day, where it got a bit chilly. But trucked onto the summit about 9300 feet above sea level. Ironically enough, I get better cell service on top of the freaking mountain than I do in the house where I'm living. Figures. We rested at the top a bit, got super wet, made some phonecalls (found out that I got a job, Oh Yeah!), ate some food, than headed back down.
As we started our descent we noticed that the clouds were definitely lower than they had been on the way up. Which meant getting a good deal wetter on the hike down. Ok for me because I happened to remember my waterproof jacket, but Mr. Crybaby Blood didn't, and reminded me on the whole way down how damp and cold he was.
We kept our minds off the rain, though, by having good conversation which had quite the interesting flow. This is how it went: Religon-->Aliens-->Quantum Physics-->Time Travel--> Evolution-->Sharks-->Wildlife Conservation-->Wolves-->Liam Neeson being a badass. Makes sense right?
After some homemade mashed potato bowls, we're calling it a day. And what a day it was.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner
P.S. Never Forget. Saying prayers for those lost, and those still fighting.
We continued our hike into the clouds, as it was a bit of an overcast day, where it got a bit chilly. But trucked onto the summit about 9300 feet above sea level. Ironically enough, I get better cell service on top of the freaking mountain than I do in the house where I'm living. Figures. We rested at the top a bit, got super wet, made some phonecalls (found out that I got a job, Oh Yeah!), ate some food, than headed back down.As we started our descent we noticed that the clouds were definitely lower than they had been on the way up. Which meant getting a good deal wetter on the hike down. Ok for me because I happened to remember my waterproof jacket, but Mr. Crybaby Blood didn't, and reminded me on the whole way down how damp and cold he was.
We kept our minds off the rain, though, by having good conversation which had quite the interesting flow. This is how it went: Religon-->Aliens-->Quantum Physics-->Time Travel--> Evolution-->Sharks-->Wildlife Conservation-->Wolves-->Liam Neeson being a badass. Makes sense right?
After some homemade mashed potato bowls, we're calling it a day. And what a day it was.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner
P.S. Never Forget. Saying prayers for those lost, and those still fighting.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Getting started here in Flag
Today was yet another exciting day in Flagstaff for myself (they all seem exciting now, which I'm sure will change sometime in the future, but hey I'll enjoy the excitement and newness while I can!). Had coffee with an old friend of mine from back in the ol' berks county xc days, Rachel! It was fantastic to catch up, and it's absolutely nuts that there are 2 people from the same area who just ended up in the same city over 2,000 miles away from home. To add to the whole "Its a small world after all theme" we even went to preschool together. Crazy shit, I know.
A bike ride seemed like the best thing to do next, and proceeded in getting moderately lost on the trails of flagstaff (Which happened to be very well marked at the beginning, but not so well in the middle). But found my way home eventually, without experiencing hypothermia, starvation, or the need to defecate in the forest, big win for me.
The conclusion of this day was a lifting session/meeting with fellow teammates Matt, Julien, Blood, and with our "advisor" (never call him coach) Ryan Mulcahey. Definitely was an incredibly positive session, learned some new core techniques. Principally the "Foundation" core work, check out the website here--> http://foundationtraining.com/home which seems to be addressing a lot of weaknesses that I, and the other runners, have. We'll see how we progress, but really liking the theory and what the founder has to say.
Also discussed some goals and some things to shoot for in the future, look to hopefully see us at Club XC Nationals this winter. And watch for us on the track at some of those big fun western meets (Stanford, Mt SAC, etc..). And eventually, we hope to be in Europe this summer competing on the international level. We're hoping to develop my 6'3 self into a big F**king machine, which, to be honest, I can't wait for.
Checking out for the evening.
Nick Hilton: The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
 |
| Berks County Reunion |
The conclusion of this day was a lifting session/meeting with fellow teammates Matt, Julien, Blood, and with our "advisor" (never call him coach) Ryan Mulcahey. Definitely was an incredibly positive session, learned some new core techniques. Principally the "Foundation" core work, check out the website here--> http://foundationtraining.com/home which seems to be addressing a lot of weaknesses that I, and the other runners, have. We'll see how we progress, but really liking the theory and what the founder has to say.
Also discussed some goals and some things to shoot for in the future, look to hopefully see us at Club XC Nationals this winter. And watch for us on the track at some of those big fun western meets (Stanford, Mt SAC, etc..). And eventually, we hope to be in Europe this summer competing on the international level. We're hoping to develop my 6'3 self into a big F**king machine, which, to be honest, I can't wait for.
Checking out for the evening.
Nick Hilton: The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Welcome! The last few weeks in a nutshell.
Well, here it is. My opening blog post to the aptly titled "Moderately Talented Distance Runner" (Lock Haven teammates will be sure to appreciate this title). I'm sure all 3 people who read this already know who I am, but in case someone happens to stumble upon it I shall introduce myself. My name is Nick Hilton, I am a runner-specifically a steeplechaser- formerly of Lock Haven University and Exeter Township Senior High School. After working a 7 month stint at the West Reading store A Running Start I have moved to Flagstaff, AZ to pursue a career as a runner. Now, someone might ask: "Why Nick, since you're admittedly 'Moderately Talented' have you decided to pursue a career in running?" My answer is simple. I believe that I have the right mix of determination, tenacity, toughness, and just enough talent to make it. It is a dream that I have wanted to pursue since I first took up the sport, and it is a dream that I am absolutely determined to make happen. Anyways, I digress, moving on.
The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. Only a week ago, as a part of the life back on track relay, I helped to break the 1000 mile relay world record, an event which helped raise over 20,000 dollars for the Kevin Dare Foundation (The foundation is still taking contributions, if interested visit www.lifebackontrack.com) . Finishing the relay was an incredible high, and probably the most remarkable experience of my life thus far. And, only a few short days after, I was to depart with my good friend and comrade Ryan Blood (and my cat, Kiwi) for Flagstaff Arizona, where I am now, to pursue my dream.
The trip out here was long (almost 38 hours), but exciting. Day one we drove from Harrisburg, PA all the way to Kansas City, a trip of over 1000 miles and 17 hours of driving. Needless to say, Kiwi was not too happy about the driving, and she let me know for about the first 4 hours of the trip. Neither was she happy about being gently placed in my backpack in order to sneak her into a hotel for the night.
After some rest, we trekked across the longest state in the world (false) Kansas and reached our overnight stop in Colorado Springs. After a quick tour of the incredible Garden of the Gods we chowed down on some fish tacos made by former Adams State standout, and friend of Blood's, Matt Levassiur. Kiwi had a run in with a one eyed cat named lucy, who wasn't too fond of Kiwi, who quickly shacked up behind a couch for the night, safe from the clutches of the one eyed cat. After a good nights sleep (for me and blood at least) we hit the road once more through the majestic rockies and the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona.
After 9 hours of driving, we were able to spot the San Francisco Peaks in the distance and got real excited. The first night in Flagstaff was a whirlwind of meeting people, eating food, and having a few adult beverages. We are thankful to people like Alicia Shay and Ryan Mulcahy who have been fantastic to us on our arrival and with getting us set up and ready to roll.
Welp, that's about it for this one. I promise that this will be the longest post, as I had to squeeze several weeks worth of excitement into one.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner.
The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. Only a week ago, as a part of the life back on track relay, I helped to break the 1000 mile relay world record, an event which helped raise over 20,000 dollars for the Kevin Dare Foundation (The foundation is still taking contributions, if interested visit www.lifebackontrack.com) . Finishing the relay was an incredible high, and probably the most remarkable experience of my life thus far. And, only a few short days after, I was to depart with my good friend and comrade Ryan Blood (and my cat, Kiwi) for Flagstaff Arizona, where I am now, to pursue my dream.
The trip out here was long (almost 38 hours), but exciting. Day one we drove from Harrisburg, PA all the way to Kansas City, a trip of over 1000 miles and 17 hours of driving. Needless to say, Kiwi was not too happy about the driving, and she let me know for about the first 4 hours of the trip. Neither was she happy about being gently placed in my backpack in order to sneak her into a hotel for the night.
After some rest, we trekked across the longest state in the world (false) Kansas and reached our overnight stop in Colorado Springs. After a quick tour of the incredible Garden of the Gods we chowed down on some fish tacos made by former Adams State standout, and friend of Blood's, Matt Levassiur. Kiwi had a run in with a one eyed cat named lucy, who wasn't too fond of Kiwi, who quickly shacked up behind a couch for the night, safe from the clutches of the one eyed cat. After a good nights sleep (for me and blood at least) we hit the road once more through the majestic rockies and the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona.After 9 hours of driving, we were able to spot the San Francisco Peaks in the distance and got real excited. The first night in Flagstaff was a whirlwind of meeting people, eating food, and having a few adult beverages. We are thankful to people like Alicia Shay and Ryan Mulcahy who have been fantastic to us on our arrival and with getting us set up and ready to roll.
Welp, that's about it for this one. I promise that this will be the longest post, as I had to squeeze several weeks worth of excitement into one.
Nick Hilton: Moderately Talented Distance Runner.
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