First off, Thank You.
Thank you to everybody who reached out before the race, Thank you to everybody who came to the marathon, and Thank you to everybody who reached out after the race. I can't express what it really means to me to hear from all of you. You provided the emotional energy necessary to go the distance, and the continuing motivation to move on the next race.
With that said, let us talk about the race itself.
Beforehand I was pretty nervous.
A. Because I couldn't poop.
B. Because 26.2 miles is a long way to run hard.
It was actually a relief when the gun went off, because all the waiting was finally over, and I could just freaking run the race.
The first 7 miles were very controlled (5:15-5:20ish) and were run with a big pack. At times it was hard not to just burst away, as we were running through the incredible crowds of downtown Philly, which were LOUD.
After 7 you hit a series of hills through University City and Fairmount Park, and let me tell you, we ran these cautiously. My instinct is to pick it up and work up a hill, but apparently, I was the only one. We ran anywhere from 5:32 on the ups, to 5:14 on the downs. And after we hit ten miles, I was still feeling very good, and very antsy.
At this point I just wanted a consistent, faster pace. 5:15's or better. I was hesitant to get out in front and push, because of my inexperience, and opted instead to sit in the pack and run 5:20's.
We hit 13.1 in 1:10.35, comfortably, but it was at this point that the race changed. Everyone got more aggressive, the real racing was about to begin. We hit 14 in 5:10, our fastest split yet, and our group was beginning to string out. At 1/2 way we had 9 guys, that would whittle down to 4 by 17.
After 14 miles the surging began. We would run a 5:10-5:12, than the eventual winner would throw in a 5:05. We'd settle back for a mile, where I would lead and not let it slow too much, until the next surge. This time it was back to back 5:05's. Coming through 17 miles, I was still feeling pretty good, but the surges were beginning to take their toll.
We were down to 3 by 19 miles, and facing a long gradual uphill climb to the turnaround in Manayunk at 20 miles. The leader threw in a sub 5 (I ran 5:08), and finally broke away from Dube (runner-up) and myself. I ran with second place through 21 and 22 splitting 5:10 and 5:12. But definitely was no longer an aggressor, I was in hang on mode. 23 was 5:22 and I fell back from Dube, and was running by myself in third. This was where I began to hit the wall. At this point I told myself to "just hold 5:20's!"
24 was 5:32, and I thought to myself, "just hold 5:30s!"
25 was 5:42, and I thought "Just make it to the finish without being passed you bastard"
Those 2 miles were loooooooong. I didn't take water, I just stared straight ahead and focused as hard as I could on putting one foot in front of the other. It was there I saw some familiar faces, which gave me a MUCH needed shot in the arm and kept me inspired to keep pushing.
26 was 5:48 and then I was in the home stretch. The noise of the crowd brought me home, and I crossed the line, grabbed my knees, and tried not to cramp.
The race was emotional as hell. Seeing everyone out on the course was fantastic, and every bit of encouragement through that 2nd half of the race was sorely sorely needed, and incredibly appreciated.
I can't wait until the next one.
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Some Final Thoughts
Being that we're now less than 5 days from the Philly Marathon, I thought it would be good to type out one last entry with some final thoughts before the big race.
Needless to say, I'm very excited to go home for a bit, run a race, see family and friends, and just spend a wee-little bit of time back in the keystone state. It's always a refresher to see everybody (although I practically guarantee that I'll be WAY more tired when I get back to Flag than when I left), and is a fantastic way to reset and get ready for the second part of the year.
To say that I'm excited to run my first marathon would be an understatement, as this is the race that I feel that I've been best suited for since my formative years of running. Even with that excitement, I'm trying to stay as even-keeled as possible, as I don't want to run a 4:45 first mile and blow up in spectacular fashion. I've been training and racing smarter than I ever have before in my career, and I don't want that to change now.
I'm also fitter than I've ever been in my life, of that I'm 100% sure. I have 0 doubts in my mind that my coach has prepared me fantastically for this race, and will get me to the line healthy, fit, and ready to roll. She's taken me from a 3:46 1500 runner in the spring, molded me in 6 weeks into a 1:04:41 1/2 marathoner, and now has helped get me into a position to run a very competitive marathon. I've been putting in a TON of consistent work since June, and am ready to toe the line and put 100% out there. I can't thank her enough for helping me out and getting me into this position.
The field is certainly pretty tough this year, as there is some talk that the course record will go down (2:16.47), but that doesn't scare me one bit, it has me licking my chops for a good; competitive race.
So, it's only a few days until Sarah and I board the plane to come into town, and through these next few runs I'll certainly be doing lots visualizing and mental preparation for the race to come. Along with that, I'll also be thinking of everyone who helped me get to this point. It's been a long road, and this is certainly NOT the end, but hopefully the beginning of a new phase of my career.
And when the race gets tough, as it certainly will, I will be using the home crowd and all of you as motivation to put one foot in front of the other, and get to the line in a speedy fashion.
Thanks again,
I'll see you all on the other side of 26.2
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Needless to say, I'm very excited to go home for a bit, run a race, see family and friends, and just spend a wee-little bit of time back in the keystone state. It's always a refresher to see everybody (although I practically guarantee that I'll be WAY more tired when I get back to Flag than when I left), and is a fantastic way to reset and get ready for the second part of the year.
To say that I'm excited to run my first marathon would be an understatement, as this is the race that I feel that I've been best suited for since my formative years of running. Even with that excitement, I'm trying to stay as even-keeled as possible, as I don't want to run a 4:45 first mile and blow up in spectacular fashion. I've been training and racing smarter than I ever have before in my career, and I don't want that to change now.
I'm also fitter than I've ever been in my life, of that I'm 100% sure. I have 0 doubts in my mind that my coach has prepared me fantastically for this race, and will get me to the line healthy, fit, and ready to roll. She's taken me from a 3:46 1500 runner in the spring, molded me in 6 weeks into a 1:04:41 1/2 marathoner, and now has helped get me into a position to run a very competitive marathon. I've been putting in a TON of consistent work since June, and am ready to toe the line and put 100% out there. I can't thank her enough for helping me out and getting me into this position.
The field is certainly pretty tough this year, as there is some talk that the course record will go down (2:16.47), but that doesn't scare me one bit, it has me licking my chops for a good; competitive race.
So, it's only a few days until Sarah and I board the plane to come into town, and through these next few runs I'll certainly be doing lots visualizing and mental preparation for the race to come. Along with that, I'll also be thinking of everyone who helped me get to this point. It's been a long road, and this is certainly NOT the end, but hopefully the beginning of a new phase of my career.
And when the race gets tough, as it certainly will, I will be using the home crowd and all of you as motivation to put one foot in front of the other, and get to the line in a speedy fashion.
Thanks again,
I'll see you all on the other side of 26.2
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Why not?
November 17th 2013 is definitely going to be a big day. The plan was to run the 1/2 marathon at the Philly marathon, and try to better my time from the last time I ran the 1/2.
But...
I've decided that I want to make Philly my debut MARATHON instead. So on 11/17 I'll make first attempt at the 26.2 distance.
Here's the rationale:
1.) I've already achieved the "B" standard for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials, which was my original goal going into this season (I wasn't expecting to break the 1:05 barrier at AFC). Since my plan is to transition to the marathon anyway, why not get one under my belt, since there is really nothing to lose.
2.) I'm healthy, fit, and running well. I've been able to put in a really solid of uninterrupted training since June. My workouts have been very consistent, and even before the decision to switch, I had run over 20 miles several times. The original plan was to debut next fall, but I want to take advantage of my current health and fitness and get a baseline idea of what the marathon is like so I can have a better idea of how to run very fast next year.
3.) I can't think of a better place to debut than Philly. It's a great running town, and I definitely have always wanted to do something big in Philadelpha (since I feel like I'll have some homefield advantage). So what's bigger than trying to win my debut marathon in front of the hometown crowd?
4.) When the miles get tough, I'll have family and friends to get me to the line. There's nothing like performing in front of family and close friends.
So, with that said, here goes nothing. Only a little under 3 weeks remain to the big day. Have done some higher volume workouts up here to get prepared for the longer distance. The key one was a 16 mile steady state run, where I ended up averaging 5:22 pace at 7000 feet, with the last 5 miles at 5:17 pace.
I know its going to be a brutal test over those last 6 miles, but I trust that with my preparation and a little help from the hometown crowd that I'll bust through the wall and do something great.
Thanks as always for the continued support, I can't wait until race day
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
But...
I've decided that I want to make Philly my debut MARATHON instead. So on 11/17 I'll make first attempt at the 26.2 distance.
Here's the rationale:
1.) I've already achieved the "B" standard for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials, which was my original goal going into this season (I wasn't expecting to break the 1:05 barrier at AFC). Since my plan is to transition to the marathon anyway, why not get one under my belt, since there is really nothing to lose.
2.) I'm healthy, fit, and running well. I've been able to put in a really solid of uninterrupted training since June. My workouts have been very consistent, and even before the decision to switch, I had run over 20 miles several times. The original plan was to debut next fall, but I want to take advantage of my current health and fitness and get a baseline idea of what the marathon is like so I can have a better idea of how to run very fast next year.
3.) I can't think of a better place to debut than Philly. It's a great running town, and I definitely have always wanted to do something big in Philadelpha (since I feel like I'll have some homefield advantage). So what's bigger than trying to win my debut marathon in front of the hometown crowd?
4.) When the miles get tough, I'll have family and friends to get me to the line. There's nothing like performing in front of family and close friends.
So, with that said, here goes nothing. Only a little under 3 weeks remain to the big day. Have done some higher volume workouts up here to get prepared for the longer distance. The key one was a 16 mile steady state run, where I ended up averaging 5:22 pace at 7000 feet, with the last 5 miles at 5:17 pace.
I know its going to be a brutal test over those last 6 miles, but I trust that with my preparation and a little help from the hometown crowd that I'll bust through the wall and do something great.
Thanks as always for the continued support, I can't wait until race day
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
A Win!
 | |
| Cruising home in the final mile |
So for the first time in my competitive career I got to do something that I've always wanted to do. Break the tape.
In no race that I have won since the beginning of my career, have I won a race that had tape at the finish line. Let me tell you that it is every bit as cool as you think it is.
If you haven't figured it out yet, this weekend went pretty well. I ended up winning the 10k in 30:39, 18 seconds over the 2nd place finisher, who just so happens to boast a 13:36 5k PR.
The race played out like this: The pace was pretty honest early, with a 4:50 first mile, with three of us in front. The course starts to climb after the mile mark and we slowed to 4:58 for the 2nd mile. I noticed my competitors beginning to labor a little bit as we climbed, so I threw in a test surge, and formed a gap and just continued to push a bit through miles 3 and 4, which were a slow 5:08 and 5:17 respectively. By the time we reached the 4 mile mark, I had increased the lead to about 100 meters, which I held through the finish. The course cruises downhill for the final two mile, which I recorded in 4:43 and 4:40 respectively.
The time definitely was not what I wanted to be, but the race was definitely more of a tempo effort, which bodes well moving forward.
The weekend overall was much needed, and I always enjoy spending time with Sarah and some good friends on the sunny shores of Santa Monica.
Results Here--->http://www.geminitiming.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/sm5000_10k_fl_131.htm
So, next up for me is the Phoenix 5k in November, which will serve as my final tune up for Philly on 11/7.
I honestly can't wait for Philly, I'm absolutely chomping at the bit to come home and post a good race in front of friends and family. I've put in a lot of work in the past year and am ready to do my best to put on a show for the hometown crowd.
About 6 weeks to go, gotta keep the nose to the grindstone, hammer out some great workouts, and be ready to roll for 11/17.
I'm 100% sure that the energy from all my supporters will propel me to my best performance yet, and I can't thank you guys enough.
Before I sign off, A HUGE shoutout to my co-worker, mentor, and friend Nick Arciniaga for winning his 1st NATIONAL TITLE at the US Marathon champs this past weekend. This guy puts in A TON of work, and deserves it more than anyone I've ever met. CONGRATS!
Until next time,
Nicholas Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Friday, October 4, 2013
My Dad told me to blog.
Back by somewhat popular demand! Or, otherwise known as, my Dad told me to blog again. So! Here it is!
Things have been great out here in Flagstaff, boringly great for the most part. My last race was the George Kyte XC Classic at Buffalo Park, here in flag. XC at 7000 feet didn't sound too appealing, but I was happy to get on the line and test my chops on the ole' XC course again.
Ran 24:45 (which is only 17 seconds off of my XC 8k pr at sea level) for 2nd place. Was happy with the time, not so much with the place. Waited too long to really move, and got caught by a speedy collegian with a little more turnover than I had at that time. The race felt like a tempo for the majority of it, the last 1k or so proved to be my downfall, as I wasn't able to shift to the next gear. Overall, positive effort.
Results here --->http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/xc/2013-14/files/2013KyteResults.pdf
Note: Technically I won the Open Men's Division, but both races (Open and Collegiate) were ran together, so overall through the whole thing I took 2nd.
Next on the docket is the Santa Monica 5000 (where I'm racing the 10k!!) I'm actually leaving for this race, in about 90 min. I'm super pumped as always to head to California for a weekend. Pictures should follow.
For this race, the absolute only thing that I'm focused on is bringing home the W. For whatever reason I want this win bad. So I'm gonna do everything within my power to take it. The field is strong, but I've been feeling really fit and strong myself. It should be a fun race.
Results can be found on www.santamonica5000.com.
On a different note, I just want to say that I'm incredibly grateful to the people who continue to support my career and help me grow as an athlete. I'm getting closer and closer to being where I want to be, and everyday you guys help me and inspire me to continue pushing.
So thanks to Mom and Dad, Vince, Kym Wilkens-for keeping my stupid hamstring, sartorious, and adductors in line, Sarah, Trina, and all my teammates and fellow runners in town.
Also, best of luck to Nick Arciniaga at the US Marathon Champs, and Adam Vess who will be travelling with me to Santa Monica and racing the 5k.
Bless all of you, and Thank you!
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Things have been great out here in Flagstaff, boringly great for the most part. My last race was the George Kyte XC Classic at Buffalo Park, here in flag. XC at 7000 feet didn't sound too appealing, but I was happy to get on the line and test my chops on the ole' XC course again.
Ran 24:45 (which is only 17 seconds off of my XC 8k pr at sea level) for 2nd place. Was happy with the time, not so much with the place. Waited too long to really move, and got caught by a speedy collegian with a little more turnover than I had at that time. The race felt like a tempo for the majority of it, the last 1k or so proved to be my downfall, as I wasn't able to shift to the next gear. Overall, positive effort.
Results here --->http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/xc/2013-14/files/2013KyteResults.pdf
Note: Technically I won the Open Men's Division, but both races (Open and Collegiate) were ran together, so overall through the whole thing I took 2nd.
 |
| Finishing the final 400 at the George Kyte XC Classic |
Next on the docket is the Santa Monica 5000 (where I'm racing the 10k!!) I'm actually leaving for this race, in about 90 min. I'm super pumped as always to head to California for a weekend. Pictures should follow.
For this race, the absolute only thing that I'm focused on is bringing home the W. For whatever reason I want this win bad. So I'm gonna do everything within my power to take it. The field is strong, but I've been feeling really fit and strong myself. It should be a fun race.
Results can be found on www.santamonica5000.com.
On a different note, I just want to say that I'm incredibly grateful to the people who continue to support my career and help me grow as an athlete. I'm getting closer and closer to being where I want to be, and everyday you guys help me and inspire me to continue pushing.
So thanks to Mom and Dad, Vince, Kym Wilkens-for keeping my stupid hamstring, sartorious, and adductors in line, Sarah, Trina, and all my teammates and fellow runners in town.
Also, best of luck to Nick Arciniaga at the US Marathon Champs, and Adam Vess who will be travelling with me to Santa Monica and racing the 5k.
Bless all of you, and Thank you!
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
BOOM!
Well, I'll try not to get too pumped about this, but.... I QUALIFIED FOR THE OLYMPIC FREAKIN' TRIALS!!!!!!
Ok, ok I'm done. But seriously, I'm pretty pumped. This is the kind of performance that I've been looking for. And while I know that it's a big step for me, I know that in the grand scheme of things I still have a ways to go and lots of work to do, but this run has done a lot for me confidence wise.
It's just a validation that I'm doing the right things, and heading in the right direction, and gives me more motivation to work my ass off more going forward.
I'll break down the race quickly and how it unfolded. Gun went off, and the first two mile were pretty controlled as they were pretty rolling. 4:55, 4:50. about 1/2 way through the second mile you start the dive downhill which made the pace start to get a bit hot. The next two miles were 4:38 and 4:25 (Hot damn!) and a pack of four kenyans broke off from the main pack.
After 4 miles we hit the flats, and I'll be honest, after cruising downhill my quads were pretty jacked up and that flat did not feel so great. We ran 4:49, 4:52, and 4:55 for 5,6,7 and came through 10k in a PR of 29:34. Mentally I was in a good place at this point, I was in a pack of 4 and just came through a rough patch and was feeling ok. Definitely wasn't feeling great, but just focused on running in the pack and keeping up a good cadence. The next few miles were flat as well and we slowed a bit, running 5:06, 4:59, 5:01.
I didn't panic after the 5:06 on mile 8, because I knew I had a good bank of time from those downhill miles, but I knew there was a biiiiiiiig hill coming up, so I didn't want to relax too much and tried to push our pack a bit for 9 and 10.
We were down to 3 guys at this point and approaching downtown and the hill, we had passed one of the Kenyans from the original front pack so we were fighting for that 4th place prize. I knew the guys around me were fatiguing a bit so I took control of the pack and started to attempt a push to pull away. I put about 10 yards on the two guys, but they reeled me back in, but I pushed again on the second 1/2 of the hill and finally broke free and was alone in 4th.
Whomever thought that it was a good idea to toss in a long steep hill on mile 11 of a 1/2 marathon is certainly a mad man, cause that freakin' hurts. A lot. My 11 and 12 split was 10:25 (I missed the 11 mile mark). So my pace was definitely killed by the incline, but I rallied coming over the top and just tried to get back into a rhythm for the final 1.1 miles and pushed the best I could. The last 1.1 was 5:41 and I crossed the finish in 1:04:41 for 4th place overall, 1st American.
The feeling was pretty incredible at the line. I knew I was fit enough to run sub 1:05 (which is the qualifying time for the olympic trials), but to actually get out there and hit it is a feeling words can't do justice for.
So now I'm back in Flagstaff and ready to get back on that grind. For me It's time for some more miles and work to get ready for the next attempt at the 1/2 marathon distance on November 17th in Philadelphia.
Since I ran sub 1:05 here, that takes some pressure off of me for Philadelphia. Now I can focus on really getting after it there and trying to contend for the win. I don't have to worry about the time nearly as much because I have a qualifying mark under my belt.
The goal for that race is to contend for the win and try to break 1:04.
My next racing will be 9/7 at the George Kyte Classic (an XC race) up here in Flagstaff, and then 10/18 in a 10k at the Santa Monica 5000.
Thank you everybody for the huge outpouring of support post race, you guys are my inspiration and keep me going when things start to hurt.
Also a huge shout out and thanks to Run Flagstaff for their support, Kym Wilkens for helping keep me healthy, and Sarah Grothe (who also finished her first 1/2 marathon in San Diego!) for keeping me sane.
Thanks again everybody!
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented (and Olympic Trials qualified) Distance Runner
Ok, ok I'm done. But seriously, I'm pretty pumped. This is the kind of performance that I've been looking for. And while I know that it's a big step for me, I know that in the grand scheme of things I still have a ways to go and lots of work to do, but this run has done a lot for me confidence wise.
 |
| All My Gear Pre-Race |
I'll break down the race quickly and how it unfolded. Gun went off, and the first two mile were pretty controlled as they were pretty rolling. 4:55, 4:50. about 1/2 way through the second mile you start the dive downhill which made the pace start to get a bit hot. The next two miles were 4:38 and 4:25 (Hot damn!) and a pack of four kenyans broke off from the main pack.
After 4 miles we hit the flats, and I'll be honest, after cruising downhill my quads were pretty jacked up and that flat did not feel so great. We ran 4:49, 4:52, and 4:55 for 5,6,7 and came through 10k in a PR of 29:34. Mentally I was in a good place at this point, I was in a pack of 4 and just came through a rough patch and was feeling ok. Definitely wasn't feeling great, but just focused on running in the pack and keeping up a good cadence. The next few miles were flat as well and we slowed a bit, running 5:06, 4:59, 5:01.
 |
| Beautiful Course along the Bay! |
We were down to 3 guys at this point and approaching downtown and the hill, we had passed one of the Kenyans from the original front pack so we were fighting for that 4th place prize. I knew the guys around me were fatiguing a bit so I took control of the pack and started to attempt a push to pull away. I put about 10 yards on the two guys, but they reeled me back in, but I pushed again on the second 1/2 of the hill and finally broke free and was alone in 4th.
Whomever thought that it was a good idea to toss in a long steep hill on mile 11 of a 1/2 marathon is certainly a mad man, cause that freakin' hurts. A lot. My 11 and 12 split was 10:25 (I missed the 11 mile mark). So my pace was definitely killed by the incline, but I rallied coming over the top and just tried to get back into a rhythm for the final 1.1 miles and pushed the best I could. The last 1.1 was 5:41 and I crossed the finish in 1:04:41 for 4th place overall, 1st American.
 |
| Flippin' Hills! |
The feeling was pretty incredible at the line. I knew I was fit enough to run sub 1:05 (which is the qualifying time for the olympic trials), but to actually get out there and hit it is a feeling words can't do justice for.
So now I'm back in Flagstaff and ready to get back on that grind. For me It's time for some more miles and work to get ready for the next attempt at the 1/2 marathon distance on November 17th in Philadelphia.
 |
| Sarah and I checking out the starting area |
The goal for that race is to contend for the win and try to break 1:04.
My next racing will be 9/7 at the George Kyte Classic (an XC race) up here in Flagstaff, and then 10/18 in a 10k at the Santa Monica 5000.
Thank you everybody for the huge outpouring of support post race, you guys are my inspiration and keep me going when things start to hurt.
Also a huge shout out and thanks to Run Flagstaff for their support, Kym Wilkens for helping keep me healthy, and Sarah Grothe (who also finished her first 1/2 marathon in San Diego!) for keeping me sane.
Thanks again everybody!
Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented (and Olympic Trials qualified) Distance Runner
Friday, August 9, 2013
Time for an update!
Hello All!
It's certainly been awhile, and I apologize for that, sometimes the whole blogging gets thrown to the side for awhile.
But as I'm about to begin my next racing season, I guess I should start getting back on this thing!
Firstly though, lets talk about how the spring ended, since I never really covered that. My last event of the year was the Jim Bush Classic, held at UCLA, and that was to be my all-out attempt to crack 3:45 and get a USA B-standard.
I know I was fit enough to run that fast, to me it wasn't even a question, I thought that 3:45 was on the slower end of what I should've been able to run. I believe that I was definitely in 3:42-3:43 shape. Below you'll see my final workout before the race, the one that really gave me the confidence in my fitness.
The race didn't pan out as planned. Got caught back in the pack right off the line, and spent much of the race trying to get back into contention. Ended up running 3:48, which was disappointing but at least consistent, I really didn't have a really bad race from Mt. SAC on. So for me, this season I lowered my 1500 PR from 3:54 to 3:46, and my mile from 4:08 to 4:06. So I would call it a productive season, and a good step in the right direction for the next year.
Race video is here ---> http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=30&do=videos&video_id=90996
So after that, it was time for a little down time. 2 weeks of sporadic easy running, and getting ready for my best summer of training to date. I was fired up and motivated after that race, I wanted my season to end with a bang, not a whimper. So I was ready to rock and roll after those two weeks.
Next for me was the Flagstaff Downtown Mile on July 4th, and that was certainly an exciting affair. Took home the win in that one in 4:21, after a thrilling kick-off down Aspen St. with NAU All-American (and co-worker of mine) Brian Shrader. The results said I won by .6, but it was certainly less than that, definitely one of the most exciting races I've been in.
The end of that race signified the end of mile training for me, and the beginning of some serious mileage and a build-up leading up to the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon in November.
So since then I've been racking up some mileage and putting in some good longer workouts in preparation for a good fall of some base-building and longer racing.
First on the docket for me will be the America's Finest City 1/2 Marathon in San Diego on 8/18. I'm really excited as this will be my 1/2 debut, and I want to go out there and put down a strong early time. Workouts indicate that I should be in sub 1:05 shape, so we'll see how this first one plays out.
The rest of my season includes the George Kyte Invitational up here in Flagstaff, for a little high altitude XC action. Than a 10k at the Santa Monica 5000 in mid-October. Philly 1/2 is November 17th, than Run Flagstaff Elite will be making its team XC debut at Club XC in early December.
I'm really excited about this season. I'm ready to crush.
It's certainly been awhile, and I apologize for that, sometimes the whole blogging gets thrown to the side for awhile.
But as I'm about to begin my next racing season, I guess I should start getting back on this thing!
Firstly though, lets talk about how the spring ended, since I never really covered that. My last event of the year was the Jim Bush Classic, held at UCLA, and that was to be my all-out attempt to crack 3:45 and get a USA B-standard.
I know I was fit enough to run that fast, to me it wasn't even a question, I thought that 3:45 was on the slower end of what I should've been able to run. I believe that I was definitely in 3:42-3:43 shape. Below you'll see my final workout before the race, the one that really gave me the confidence in my fitness.
The race didn't pan out as planned. Got caught back in the pack right off the line, and spent much of the race trying to get back into contention. Ended up running 3:48, which was disappointing but at least consistent, I really didn't have a really bad race from Mt. SAC on. So for me, this season I lowered my 1500 PR from 3:54 to 3:46, and my mile from 4:08 to 4:06. So I would call it a productive season, and a good step in the right direction for the next year.
Race video is here ---> http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=30&do=videos&video_id=90996
So after that, it was time for a little down time. 2 weeks of sporadic easy running, and getting ready for my best summer of training to date. I was fired up and motivated after that race, I wanted my season to end with a bang, not a whimper. So I was ready to rock and roll after those two weeks.
Next for me was the Flagstaff Downtown Mile on July 4th, and that was certainly an exciting affair. Took home the win in that one in 4:21, after a thrilling kick-off down Aspen St. with NAU All-American (and co-worker of mine) Brian Shrader. The results said I won by .6, but it was certainly less than that, definitely one of the most exciting races I've been in.
The end of that race signified the end of mile training for me, and the beginning of some serious mileage and a build-up leading up to the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon in November.
So since then I've been racking up some mileage and putting in some good longer workouts in preparation for a good fall of some base-building and longer racing.
First on the docket for me will be the America's Finest City 1/2 Marathon in San Diego on 8/18. I'm really excited as this will be my 1/2 debut, and I want to go out there and put down a strong early time. Workouts indicate that I should be in sub 1:05 shape, so we'll see how this first one plays out.
The rest of my season includes the George Kyte Invitational up here in Flagstaff, for a little high altitude XC action. Than a 10k at the Santa Monica 5000 in mid-October. Philly 1/2 is November 17th, than Run Flagstaff Elite will be making its team XC debut at Club XC in early December.
I'm really excited about this season. I'm ready to crush.
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