Well, it's been quite some time since I've put up any kind of post at all. Sorry about that. Lots of exciting things going on! By that I mean, working 45 hours a week, and running some solid mileage.
On the running end of things, things are starting to go pretty well. I'm definitely starting to feel much fitter than I have in a long time. Workouts are in full swing, and mileage has topped out around 90. Pretty solid for a sea level boy at 7000 feet. Recently I was allowed to progress at the end of a long run and get a little aggressive, which felt good. Ran 5:33, 5:24, 5:16, 5:20, at the end of a 16 miler, with the last mile after that 5:20 up a hill. Good things are certainly a-coming. Even my speed feels good, all we've been pretty much doing has been hill oriented, which has fantastic for the ole' speed. Yesterday completed a 5 mile hill climb from 7500 feet up to 9500 feet. I kinda got a little weak at the end, where I should have been aggressive. But I'm learning.
Ryan Blood is starting to come around, his mileage is slowly slowly climbing, but he's feeling better, and even did 3 miles of the hill climb. He's turned into a coffee shop master, and knows how to make drinks like a boss.
Along with my running re-education at altitude, I'm also getting an education on what the pro scene is like. Sometimes it seems a little disheartening, because overall, doping seems to be much more widespread than originally thought. Maybe when I was in college or high school I was purposely naive of what really goes on, or maybe i just honestly believed doping wasn't as prevalent. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me, whether you're taking EPO or in the gray area of being ahead of the scientific curve, you're in the wrong. One of the reasons I love running, and have kept at it for so long is that its all about the pure gutsy effort and getting the best out of yourself. And when I say pure, I mean that its YOU doing the running, you're body, without performance enhancers. I don't know, maybe i'm exaggerating, maybe its not as bad as I think. But its certainly not good. How can a guy like me, even after working my ass off, expect to beat a guy whos able to run 3 workouts a week while doing high intensity mileage, because he's recovering twice as fast? Its just frustrating. I will NEVER dope. I will get the best out of myself, doing it the right way, and will surround myself with people who are doing the same thing.
Anyways, enough of the rant. Racing continues on 11/4 at the PHX 10k, hoping to make a big jump compared to my last effort.
Nick Hilton: The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
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