6x600M @ St Joes

76-36-1.52.4
76-32-1.50.7
74-34-1.48.9
76-34-1.50.6
73-36-1.49.9
73-32-1.45.3

Iron What??

After last Thursdays sizzling 97 degrees it was only 92 degs yesterday afternoon so tempo run it was!!!
Initially I thought I'd gone out too slow as I only clocked 1.43 at the opening 1/4 mile marker,however I then dropped a 6.54 opening mile and more or less settled into a good rhythm and tempo for the remainder of the loop as my splits indicate.
I only have two more tempo runs left b4 Nationals after a two week hiatus for the next two weeks,I've enjoyed the tempo run around the loop,chances are it stays in my rotation post Nationals as I begin to build for the "fall classics" 5th Avenue Mile and Syracuse.

Tonite I'm off to the Camden riverfront to throw devil horns around as Iron Maiden are back in town for the 4th time in 6 years,frankly in this headbangers humble opinion Iron Maiden are the greatest thing to come out of East London since Pie and Mash!!!!......why do you think my blog is named after an Iron Maiden song????

Art Museum 8.4M Loop

Mile 1-6.54
Mile 2-13.50
Mile 3-20.36
Mile 4-27.36
Mile 5-34.40
Mile 6-41.46
Mile 7-48.40
Mile 8-55.40
Finish-58.18

Mistaking Kindness For Weakness

Blame it on a lack of sleep not getting home from NYC till 12.25am and then having to be up by 5.33am for work but yesterday saw me make good on the time honoured expression that the F in my name Kevin F Forde stands for fiesty!!!!!

In my almost 11 years of running the dock it has been duly noted I can be "as pleasent as cancer" or as "cuddly as a Porqupine" first thing in the morning.....and not much better in or around lunch time on a bad day,factor in a lack of sleep,sprinkle in the thought that my chain is being yanked and a couple of pushy contractors trying to run roughshed over me and the dock it it was no surprise I asked the time honoured questions"do I have welcome written across my forehead?" "do I look like Sonic Hedgehog to you?" did I channge my name to Stradovarious???"....NO well then don't walk all over me,don't play me like a Sega Genesis and don't play me like a violin either!!!!!!

It's hard not to feel the loading dock gets a bum rap at the best of times from outside influences but when my own boss pulls crap like yesterday"we can't have person x down in the storeroom Friday for inventory cos they can't count so we're sending him up to the dock and keeping Joe downstairs......"then the gloves tend to come off,how does your problem now become my problem up here because he screwed up the count last year???

It's a good job I run, to manage my stress levels alone it's a life saver and while it was only a recovery 5 miler looping around Clark Park the constant looping around helped defuse any lingering anger the days shift at work had brought on......I run therefore I am.....less prone to choaking the living shit out of the next arsehole who crosses me at work.........would not look a miss on a tshirt me thinks!!!!

Pleading The Fifth But Finishing Sixth

I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear I like my toast done on one side
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk I'm an Englishman in New York
See me walking down Fifth Avenue a walking cane at my side
I take it everywhere I walk I'm an Englishman in New York

Englishman In New York-Sting

The good news is I made to and from New York City last nite w/out incident or rancor for my race at Icahn Stadium for the second of four Tuesday Nite At The Races series.
The bad news is my time of 2.09.5 is slower than I was hoping for period muchless as a seed time for Nationals.....but w/ an 800m on tap at Heywards Field in Portland Oregon aka Tracktown USA in just over two weeks I'm hopeful of a faster time then leading into Nationals in just over five weeks time.

At least I arrived on Randall's Island at a decent time b4 the meet,the horrors of a fortnite ago seemed like a bad dream as I was able to make my way from midtown to 103rd and Lexington and then walk over the 103rd St bridge and over to the track and have ample time to register,warm up and shoot the breeze w/ the regulars who know me from my frequent trips to NYC
Took some good natured ribbing about arriving on time from some of the NYC fraternity of runners who knew what I went through two weeks ago,I took it in stride I was happy to be here on time and wanted to be focused yet relaxed b4 the meet got under way.

After one heat of the womens 1,500m and four heats of the mens the 400m quickly came and went and then seeding for the 800m.
The seeded heat was a little too rich for my blood 1.50-1.59 and judging from the 8th and last place runner who crossed the line well adrift of the field w/ his 2.07 those guys were the real deal.
Heat 2,ten of us seeded between 2.00-2.10 I lined up 4th on the starting line and waited for the starting gun to go off......

I got a good reaction to the gun,got over into lane one going into the turn w/out having to weave all over the opening turn and settled in to the rear of the pack in 7th place.
I heard splits of 29,30,31 as we went through 200m I was a couple of meters behind the leaders so I was probably somewhere in the region of 31-32 seconds and in touch w/ the pack,no running in no mans land always a plus over any distance but essential in the two laps of an 800m
63 seconds at the bell and a bit of jockeying for positon around the turn as I passed one runner and held off another at the top of the back stretch I'd have liked to have gone to my "go to move" from my repeats but that's the difference between a race where any number of situations can jump off and an interval session where you more or less dictate the outcome.
1.30-1.31-1.32 at 600m for the front of the pack,at a guess I was somewhere between 1.33-1.36.
Off the final turn I wasn't running flat out....but I was wasn't gassed either as I w/held the challenge of a would be 6th place finisher and crossed the line 6th in 2.09.59.

In terms of time I'm a little disappointed,I went 2.09.7 at Widener just over two weeks ago so I failed to improve any signifigent time on that,however in racing terms it had been a good performance and at the end of the day there's just no substitute for races it's as pure as it gets.
So 2.09.5 will be my seed time for Lisle.....not earthshattering by any stretch and potentially not good enough to get on the podium but in words of Coldplay "Everything's Not Lost" and I still have a few weeks to work on that,it'd be nice to lower that in Haywards Field in my next race.

800m @ Icahn Stadium

Heat 2
6/10
2.09.5
Full Details To Follow

Still I Was Getting Used To It By Then.......

When you've followed the fortunes of the England soccer team as long as I (42 years and counting)you tend to take defeats in your stride,not sure if that's the stoic British stiff upper lip mentallity or the realization that heartache,disappointment and being deflated and let down by the "Three Lions" comes w/ the price of addmission!!

Former Liverpool legend Bill Shankly once famously said of football"some say it's a game of life or death....I say it's more important than that"....and for a time I wholeheartedly bought into that,each England defeat would bring tears,tantrums,and often things thrown now when they lose I take it in stride,maybe I've come to expect it,maybe I've outgrown "the national past time" or maybe just maybe I've come to acknowledge there are far more important things in life than the result of an England football game and prehaps that's why I adopt an "Pythonesque" attitude towards such matters these days!

Onto things I can control,my running and a easy 5 miler around trusty Clark Park as I prepare for a return trip to New York and Icahn Stadium for a crack at an 800m seed time for Nationals.
After the cock up that was my last trip I can only hope for smooth sailing up the Jersey Turnpike this afternoon and getting to Randall's Island in time for tonites meet,after watching the Olympic Trials last nite and the mens and womens 800m finals I'm inspired for a great two lapper.....fingers crossed!

Inspiration,Determination,Perspiration And Frustration

Well,track geek that I am means the next week will see me obsessing over the US Olympic trials in Eugene.
There's already been high drama in the opening three days of events,redemption for Dathan Ritzenhein and Amy Hastings in the 10,000m after both finishing 4th in the marathon trials earlier in the year,Ashton Eaton's world record in the Decathlon,the unpresidented dead heat for third in the womans 100m between Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh which will probably require a head to head race in one of the upcoming Diamond League meets to determin who gets the final berth in the 100m and then yesterday we witnessed the 2004 400m champ Jeremy Wariner fail to make the team for London in six weeks time.

I was inspired by Fridays races to notch my best set of 6x600s on Saturday morning at Lower Merion and getting me back on track no pun intended to hopefully going sub 1.45 b4 I depart for Lisle Illinois for Nationals also in six weeks time,having slowly worked my way down from 1.50's when I began in mid April my progress was halted by my partisipation in the Mid Atlantic C'ships two weeks ago and a hiccup last week after "musical running tracks"hopefully my final 4 6x600m between Saturday and July 28th will continue in the fashion Saturdays did.

I rounded out my week w/ an out and back 10 miler along the river via South St Bridge,Schuylkill Banks and Kelly Drive yesterday morning,w/ a return trip to New York on tap Tuesday I opted against the traditional 14 mile "long run" but factored that in to my weekly mileage to allow me a 40 mile week,w/ my own trip to Oregon on tap in three weeks and the start of my taper I'm eager to notch 40mpw these final three weeks.
It was a hot one even at 10.20am as the pile of sweat soaked running clothes on the hardwood living room floor bore testimony to post run.....thank God for dri fit running clothes.....and laundry day!!!!my running clothes took a pounding this week and it's probably gonna get hotter and steamier as the summer progresses.

Finaly the enevitable....England going out of a championship on @#!$ing penalties!!!!
Six times since Italia 90 we've gone out on penalties,it felt like it was destined to go that way,not a single 0.0 during Euro 2012 thus far so you just felt one was due and sure as shit we got it!
When Italy missed their second spot kick there was the chance we could end the curse that has haunted us for the past 22 years.....yeah right! w/ the scores at 2.2 Ashley Young cracked his penalty off the crossbar and then w/ Italy now 3.2 ahead Ashley Cole had his saved leaving Italy to score their next spot kick and send England home from another tournament lamenting their inability to win penalty shoot outs......thankfully I still have five days of Olympic Trials to enjoy.

6x600m Repeats @ Lower Merion

71-35-1.46.4
72-34-1.46.1
72-34-1.46.6
71-33-1.44.5
72-34-1.46.0
72-32-1.44.6

Getting It Done In The Sun

I believe there's line in a musical that goes"only mad dogs and englishmen go out in the midday sun"......I guess you can add runners to that list too!!
Inspite of a scorching 97 degrees at 4pm I hit the Art Museum Loop....but NOT to do a tempo run!
I'm no stranger to running in Philadelphia summers over the past dozen or so years but I'm also astute enough to know how to run, a tempo run in those conditions would've been borderline dangerous so I opted for an easy eight....technically 8.4 miles in order to keep my weekly mpw on tap for 40mpw,w/ Nationals now six weeks away and my traditional taper three weeks off it would be nice to make the most of the last three weeks of 40mpw.....but sometimes in order to do that you have to be a little more cautious than usual in order to have another day.

I didn't start seeing other runners untill I crossed over Falls Bridge and headed down Kelly Drive,there was something reasuring about not being the only one of "my kind" to be out there in the broiling heat,by our very own defination we as runners are "strange birds".....but as the saying goes "birds of a feather stick together"
A well earnt rest day tomorrow b4 taking on 6x600m repeats Saturday morning and hopefully reversing the outcome of my last two repeats.

The World According To Yoda

First off I'm NOT a sci fi geek and the fact I had to Google the Yoda quote I wanted proves that!
On the first day of Summer we were greeted w/ a excessive heat warning but this didn't stop me from doing my easy/recovery 6 miler out and back along the river via Schuylkill Banks.
To quote Yoda"Do or do not.....there is no try" I had the option of blowing off my run but in some respects that wasn't an option,I've ran in extreme heat b4 and will again although I may have to rethink the Art Museaum Loop 8.4 tempo run today.....maybe an easy out and back 8 miler along the river is the way to go on that.
Good news my blisterd toe suffered no ill effects from the run,I should be good to go for my 6x600m repeats on Saturday.....by which time it should've cooled off some!!

Blistered,Not Blistering

I believe it was Dolly Parton who once sang"you can't have the rainbow w/out the rain" and while not the greatest Dolly Parton fan I apreciate the sentiment.
Sometimes you need a sub par performance to appreciate the good ones that went b4 it.
Having slowly built up my repeats over the last few weeks and lowered each of them,6x600m,200m,300m,400,600m ladder,5x3x300m,4x1mile and 5x1,000m it would've been nice to continue in that fashion.....however having to take a brake from repeats for twelve days to work some races into my schedule meant my last two repeats weren't a continuation of the previous weeks of good work.

Granted yesterday was a hot one,how hot? well I blisterd my toes again like I did on May 29th on my 5x3x300m repeats,I only have two more schedule midweek repeats between now and Nationals{six weeks from Thursday}but I may have to consider my new Saucony Kinvara's over my Hittori's if those two afternoons are hot enough to blister my feet,at least w/ my weekend 6x600s I can get to the track by mid morning and not the middle of the afternoon.

Opening in 5.06.2 was nice....it'd would have been even nicer to have held that pace,maybe I'm not there just yet,and maybe just maybe the heat sapped my strength over the next three mile repeats,maybe I wasn't as focused as I should be,you can't just "dial it in" you have to focus on each lap of each repeat and maybe the heat,the feeling I might be blistering and having to weave in and out of two groups of runners on the track and just not being "on top of my game on the day" resulted in the subsequent 5.14.3-5.26.0-5.23.1
There's always next time,blisters aside I should be out for my easy/recovery six miler this evening and come Saturday I want a crack at better 6x600s than last Sunday.

4X1Mile @ Temple

1.15-1.19-1.18-1.13-5.06.2
1.16-1.23-1.19-1.16-5.14.3
1.21-1.24-1.21-1.20-5.26.0
1.20-1.24-1.22-1.17-5.23.1

Art Imitating Life?Life Imitating Art??

"Cause you've been hurt before I can see it in your eyes you try to smile it away,somethings you can't disguise
Don't wanna brake your heart maybe I can ease the ache so let me give your heart a brake"

Give Your Heart A Brake-Demi Lovato

I'm about as connected to the Top 20 as I am to the inner workings of the G 20 Summit,it's out there but I tend not to pay any great or passing interest in it so it was more by chance than luck on Saturday morning as I sipped my morning cup of rosey lee on the recliner b4 departing for St Joe's that I flicked on VH1'S Top 20 Countdown.
For the past several years the only radio station I've listened to is WXPN so I have no real concept of what's "popular" in terms of the music charts but the Demi Lovato song struck a cord w/ me.
I've no idea who Demi Lovato is but I love the song it struck a cord w/ me in the same way the Kelly Clarkson song "My Life Would Suck W/out You" did a few years back and is destined to be a staple on my ipod for the coming weeks and months.

After a topsy turvy kind of week last week I needed to get this week off to a solid start and promptly kicked things off w/ an easy 6 miler out and back along the Schuylkill Banks to Lloyd Hall,the grey skies and threat of rain almost kept me closer to home but the prospect of eight loops of Clark Park seemed somewhat daunting......I'm dizzy enough to begin w/ w/out looping around Clark Park eight times,w/ talk of an excessive heat warning Wednesday and Thursday that is something I may have to consider but I need to get through this evenings 4x1mile repeats first and then see what tomorrow brings.....

It Can't All Be Unicorns,Sunshine And Puppy Dogs

The fact it took two bites of the cherry to get my 6x600m repeats in sums up my week,the up and down nature of said 600s mirrors the up and down week I just had!
The fact I got to St Joe's on Saturday only to discover lacrosse practice on the infield rendering the track off limits summed up my week on the down side,the afternoon and subsequent Keane concert that nite represented the up side of the week.

I had options on Saturday,turn around and head back across town to Temple or venture out into the suburbs to Lower Merion,Haverford or Villanova.....OR postponed them till Sunday at the expense of my long run,I was already in the hole for my weekly target of 40 miles anyway so missing out on a 14 miler didn't seem like the end of the world.
Upon return to St Joe's yesterday I discovered there was STILL lacrosse practice going on........one step forward and two steps back.....
In an act so often played out in the past when St Joe's was off limits I treked out to Lower Merion on foot to hit the highschool track there.....for a split second I though I'd crapped out there also when I saw bulldozers in the parking lot......it was the parking lot that was being renovated NOT the track!!!!I'm sure the breeze block in my pants will blend into the current reconstruction project!!!

Having slowly built up my repeats period muchless the 6x600s over the past few weeks it was a bit of a setback yesterday to see 1.47's in the mix not to mention the 1.49 but having not done any repeats period for 12 days nor any 6x600s for two weeks maybe I'm being too hard on myself,at least my closing 200m on #6 at 32 seconds was my fastest closing 200m to date.....something to build on next Saturday when I reenter the "death cage"
As for the location of my repeats next Saturday and the subsequent Saturdays leading up to Nationals I'm leaning towards Lower Merion.......there's a "should've had a V8" reference in there somewhere.......
I figure highschools must be close to done for the summer this week or the next,highschool lacrosse should be done also,the drawback of St Joe's or any college facilities is the risk of them being used for any number of activities that render the track out of bounds so I may just head out to Lower Merion right off the bat.

Saturday was Keane's concert at The Mirriam Theater,it was my 4th time seeing Keane in eight years since their 04 debut"Hopes And Fears" which remains one of my all time fav cds.
I'm loving their new cd "Strangeland" in my humble opinion their best cd since "Hopes And Fears" and Saturdays show saw a nice mix of all four cd's not including their 2010 mini cd "Night Train" in the 24 song set list.
Hearing"Bedshaped" always lifts my spirits,it's their "Stairway To Heaven" or "All Along The Watchtower",I would've liked to have heard "The Lovers Are Losing" off of "Perfect Symmetry" but alas it didn't make the set list.....like I said it was that kind of a week......

6X600m @ Lower Merion

73-34-1.47.7
71-34-1.45.0
71-36-1.47.0
72-35-1.47.3
75-34-1.49.3
74-32-1.46.8

Better Late Than Never

A while ago I received a comment from David Haas on my blog,upon some research I discovered that as well as having several blogs David also is a staff writer for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog which promotes healthy lifestyles for cancer victims.
I could sit here and waffle on about the blog but I'd rather direct you to it and let you check out the great work that's being done in this field.

I'm sure most of us have been affected by cancer one way or another,several years ago the woman who was about to become my stepmother died of cancer and she never smoked in her life so yes it's affected me,so please check out the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog and get in informed opinion on the great work being done to help cancer patients try to overcome their illness through a healthy lifestyle and for the runners amongst us let's not take for granted the gift we're given in being able to run on a daily basis.
Please check out http://www.Mesothlioma.com/blog

Money,I'm Telling You,It's The Shoes

Ok so I can't in all certainty say the reason for a seasons best 54.31 over the Art Museum Loop was all down to my new Saucony Kinvara's but the facts don't lie in my old Acsic Rush 33's I'd gone:57.13-59.39-58.41 but today in my first run of any kind in my new Sauconys I went 54.31......coinsidence????
Granted some smouldering resentment from Tuesdays spectacular cock up trip to New York may've had something to do w/ it,also the fact I got home at 12.50am,hit the zzzs at 3.30am and spent most of Wednesday slumpped in my recliner could have given me some extra energy,also I'm not ruling out being "inspired" in the past few days,mix all them ingredants together and you have a heady cocktail of roughly 6.30 mile pace.....a case of cock up being replaced by cocktail!!!!

I've chalked up Wednesdays loss of miles {I needed 8 to stay on pace for the week} as just that a loss,I'm not running tonite b4 my 6x600m repeats on the track in the morning nor am I going any further than 14 miles on Sunday,I'll settle for a 31 mile week and be done w/ it.

8.4m Tempo Run Art Museum Loop

Mile 1 6.21
Mile 2 12.54
Mile 3 18.19
Mile 4 25.54
Mile 5 32.28
Mile 6 38.58
Mile 7 44.28
Mile 8 51.14
Finish 54.31

An Eleven Hour Day.......For 61 Seconds Of Work...

Boy,I thought my Feb 9th bus trip to NYC was to quote the always quotable John McEnroe "The Pits Of The World" and my recent run of bad luck was behind me........boy was I wrong!!!
The rain might've been enough to put some people off going to Randall's Island from the Bronx,Brooklyn,Queens etc let alone Philly but not me,I clutched onto the belife conditions would improve,or at the very least"be ok" when I got there.....little did I know getting there would be an adventure all by it's self!!!

Starter for ten on the kackfest was arriving at 30th St at 2.25pm for a 2.30pm bus and no sign of the bugger.....and yet Bolt Bus's scheduled 2.30pm was there and ready to leave on time.....so it couldn't be a rain or traffic issue,just Megabus or Megabust as I'm now calling them being two bob again{seriously I have numerous diary entries of Megabust tales of woe......the newest chapter was about to unfold and write it's self!!!}
3pm the 2.30pm bus showed up,by leaving at 3.10pm I was already 40 mins behind schedule and w/ the rain falling the short journey through Center City to access the Ben Franklin Bridge took forever,at 3.45pm we were only as far as Camdem,technically we should be getting up towards Newark by now,I told myself to stay calm and not use up nervous energy on a situation out of my control and made major inroads into my ''The Golden Decade" book a lookback at British track and field in the 80's.

As is so often the case on a weekday ride to NYC on the bus things got backed up at the trusty Lincoln Tunnel and it was 6.22pm when we arrived in midtown Manhatten,not only almost two hours late,But I now needed to be at 125th and Lexington in 38 minutes.....and still take the #35 to Randall's Island to be at Ichan by 7pm when the meet started.
Even w/ the #6 express I didn't get to 125th St till 7.09pm but the #35 was coming around the corner,hey I could be across the bridge and inside Ichan by 7.15pm and in time for the second event the 800m.......yeah right!!
The driver decides a 15 brake is due and heads to the nearby McDonalds,it's 7.25pm b4 she gets back behind the seat and just when I though it couldn't get any worse....she blows by Ichan Stadium and drops me off at the next stop a quarter mile down the road!!!!

By the time I got into the stadium the first heat of the 800m was on the track and I didn't have enough time to get registered and changed to get into the slower second heat.....this trip had become a Pamala Anderson.......a major bust!!!!
Having gone all that way and not ran would've been criminal and might've seen me take a "header" into the first available river on the way back to Manhatten so I jumped into the final heat of the 400m,I needed something to show for my trip..
61.6 in wet windy conditions wasn't too bad,it's not like I warmed up b4 hand.
And so to the aftermath,a blown opportunity to get a 800m seed time for Nationals,there's an 800m and 1,500m here again in two weeks or an 800m in Philly at the Germantown Accademy meet,which ever I run I'll still have to use a slow seed time for Natioanls on July 9th's entry deadline,although I think I can alter my seed times after I've entered w/ my two Haywards Field races in mid July,something to look into.

As far as running is concerned that's really the end of the story.....but NOT my night,I figured getting from Ichan to midtown to get the bus back to Philly would be a piece of cake,leave at 8pm for a 9.40pm bus.....
I arrived at 33rd and 9th w/ 10 mins to spare.....only to discover that's not where the Megabust busses depart from now.....they now leave from 41st between 8th and 9th Ave,it's pissing down w/ rain and to add insult to injury I got off the subway at 42nd St I could've stayed there rather than take a needless trip to 34th St.
I arrive at 9.40pm w/ said Megabust getting ready to pull out.....only to be informed that even though it's 9.40pm this is the 8.40pm bus..........
On top of that like the day hadn't been a major kick in the nads w/ steel toecaped boots I get misdirected to the wrong line and almost missed the next Philly bound bus at 10pm......

Thankfully the ride home was something to write home about in a good sense as I struck up a conversation w/ the passenger next to me who'd also endured the "day from hell" and we swopped horror stories back down I 95 back to Philly and hopefully put behind us a collective "day from hell'',fate?serendipity??kismet??? I don't know,what I do know is misery loves company, and if I do have to bus it to and from NYC in two weeks I'm switching back to Bolt Bus.......to be continued I'm sure.......

400m @ Icahn Stadium NYC

Heat #3
1/5
61.6

To find out how I ended up running a 400m not an 800m tune in tomorrow......

All Roads To Nationals Go Through New York

Since I began my career in masters track in earnest in 06 it's become a rite of passage to race in New York.
I started out in the 06 Mac c'ships at The Armory and progressed to Millrose Games,5th Avenue Mile,Thursday Nite @ The Races and since 2010 the Tuesday Nite Speed Series @ Icahn Stadium.
Even last year when I was struggling b4 I knew I had anemia and after it was diagnosed I still managed two of the four Tuesday Nite Speed Series races,I'm not sure what it is about running in New York but something special seems to happen when I get there.....and I have the results to back it up!

Tomorrow's 800m is an important one for me,it's a final scheduled 800m b4 Nationals entry deadline and ergo my last chance to post a seed time,Saturday's 2.09.7. won't cut it I know that so I need to conjure up a similar 800m to the one on June 22nd 2010 when I went 2.03.7 and finished 5th of 8 it was the 800m that convinced me to run the 800m at Nationals a few weeks later where my 2.02.4 earnt me silver,let's hope that old "New York Magic" is in full effect tomorrow.

Easy 6 miler around Clark Park this evening,let's hope some of that David Rushida 800m Icahn magic from Saturday is still in the air tomorrow evening and I can tap into it.

Double Dippin' At Widener

First things first an easy 8 miler this morning to put the seal on another 40 mile week,w/ another race on tap come Tuesday there seemed little or no point going long{14 miles} today.
And so to yesterdays double at the Mid Atlantic championships in Widener,as I mentioned earlier in the week I hadn't competed at Mids since 08 which is probably when I lasted doubled.
I'm not big on doubling I don't think you ever get the best out of the second race unless you hold back on the first and if that's the case why run two races if you're not going all out?
So why the u turn on the double yesterday by yours truly?after going to Swarthmore flatter than a pancake almost a month ago I needed a confidence boost over two laps as I look to reestablish myself at both 800m and 1,500m.

1,500m first,11 of us toed the starting line,I'm guessing I got the 11th spot on the outside as I had the fastest seed time{4.20}and quickly got to the front of the field down the back straight,I love the 1,500m for that reason you have the whole of the back straight to get clear,over 800m and the mile you're going right into a turn which can be a fustercluck at the best of times.
The pre race plan if I had to make the pace myself was to try and go:70.70,70,50 for 4.20 so imagine my surprise to go through the opening 400m in 65.
Glass half empty I'd gone out too fast,glass half full it's good to know I can get out fast in the opening lap for upcoming races.
2.17 at 800m a 72 second split,I knew my team mate Brent Wright wasn't too far adrift so there'd be no mailing it in today which suited me,this was always about running as hard and as fast as I could.
3.31 at 1,200m a 74 second split,I'd need a 48 second closing 300m to get under 4.20 but had to settle for a 52 second split to record a 4.23.7 finish.

Four hours later it was time to do it all over again but this time at 800m,after all the upheavals last season w/ the anemia which forced me into running the 5,000m at Worlds and then the 10,000m at Nationals this was like the 1,500m my first meaningful 800m in almost two years....minus the "brain fart" I had at Swarthmore.
I lucked out and drew lane 6 which suited me,I much prefer to run the opening turn in lanes in a 800m race and being on the outside meant come the brake line I was well positioned to hit the front.....an objective the runner in lane 7 also shared!!!
As we duked it out along the back straight drifting in from the outside I gained the psychological and physical advantage by not only getting to the rail first but also going into the second turn in the lead.
30 seconds at 200m on route to 62 seconds at the bell,w/ James S right on my heals I knew I was going to have to work this all the way to the finish.
Between 400m and 450m around the top turn I began to put a little daylight between myself at James,w/300m to go it was time to go "repeat mode"
1.35 at 600m thanks to a 33 second split I now kicked for home w/ 200m to go and closed in 34 seconds,almost par for the course on the "Death Cage" 6x600m repeats that have become the backbone of my training since mid April.
2.09.7. again like the 1,500m 3 seconds off my seed time and an improvement on the 2.11.7.I ran at Swarthmore but the confidence booster I was looking for going into the race phase of my season.

Hopefully running fresh on Tuesday nite on a fast track in New York at Icahn Stadium I can not only improve on this time but also post a decent seed time for Nationals in Lisle Illinois in eight weeks time.
It was nice to get two victories under my belt not to mention add two medals to my collection but we all know in order to win medals at Nationals I have to run faster....the good thing is I believe I can!

Mid Atlantic C'ships Cliff Notes

1,500m
1/11
4.23.7
Splits
65
72
74
51

800m
1/8
2.09.7
Splits
30
32
33
34

Full details to follow........

Next Stop,Tracktown USA

Little by little over the past few years I've systematically crossed off several of my"running to do"items on my list,as a marathon runner between 85-05 I ran 26.2 in London,New York,Boston,Chicago and Athens.
When I returned to my first love track in 06 I began a new list and over the last six years I have:ran Penn Relays,ran Millrose Games,medaled at the Millrose Games,become a National Champion,won 5th Avenue Mile,set a world record......

That just leaves three things,become World Champion,win an Indoor Nationals title and run at famed Haywards Field in Eugene Oregon,today I moved one step closer to the later.
Next month the annual Hayward Classic now in it's 30th year takes place there and I'll be there having just booked my flight and hotel,all that remains is to mail off my entry form by June 25th.

I'm excited to run where Pre ran so many of his great races,granted it won't be a Masters invitational at the US Olympic trails a la 2008 w/ the 3,000m or the World Championship trials last year w/ the 1,500m but that's ok I'm just delighted to have the chance to not only finally run there but also cross off another of my "running to do"items......and then start working on the final two!!

Down By The River

Following Tuesdays 5x1,000m repeats at Temple it was a scheduled easy/recovery day yesterday.
As is my won't I opted for the out and back 6 miler down to the Schuylkill Banks via the South Street bridge w/ the turnaround at Lloyd Hall.
I love running along by the river.....though it's slightly less fun in the winter w/ the wind whipping off the Schuylkill River but in spring,summer and early fall that slight breeze can be as refreshing as a chilled Gatorade after a hard workout.

The biggest concern today was if I'd make it an even seven/seven split,normally Thursday is Tempo Run around the Art Museum Loop....however w/ a double header on tap at the Mid Atlantic C'ships at Widener this Saturday over the 800m and 1,500m the tempo run will be put on ice till next week.
Frankly running two extra miles today over yesterday should serve as no issue when easing through 9 minute mile pace and besides a little extra time out there today will allow a little more time to visualise my race plans for Saturday.

I haven't raced at Widener since 2010 in a 10,000m race,I haven't competed in my home association c'ships since 08,I was injured in 09 and stayed away in 10 and 11 for fear of injuring somebody else.....those of you w/ long memories will know what and who I mean!!!,but those days are over and as the countdown to Nationals ticks down to eight weeks I need to get some quality races under my belt period but also to establish seed times for Lisle,Saturday kicks off the first of seven races between June 9th and July 24th.

A Ringing Endoresment

You know you've "blown up" when there's a Seb Coe book named after your blog!!!!!!!
RESPECT!!!!!
"Running Free" is the last of the Dave Miller Seb Coe biographies I haven't yet read,I'm presently reading "Coming Back" having already read"Born To Run" a few weeks ago.
Having grown up idolozing the "holy trinity" of Irish milers Ron Delaney,Marcus O Sullivan and of course the "Chairman of the boards" Eamonn Coghlan I also grew up not only at a time when the "Four Horsemen" of British 800m/1,500m athletics Ovett,Coe,Cram and Elliott were in their prime but also at a time when I was embarking on my career as a would be 800m/1,500m runner.
My feet were firmly in the Seb Coe camp during the whole Coe vs Ovett debate but came to appreciate the genius of Ovett after his career.

While I lack Seb's numerous world records and two Olympic golds over 1,500m I can make the link between us w/ our fathers,while Peter Coe was instrumental in Seb's outstanding career he could also be a harsh task master when it didn't go right,his infamous "you ran like a @#$^" quote after the 800m in Moscow reminds me of several clashes I had w/ my own father Kevin if I didn't execute a race plan to detail.
Most people remember Seb's victories in Moscow,Los Angles,Stuttgart etc but there were lows,Prague 78,Athens 82 not to mention the 800 finals in Moscow and LA in 80/84 and how he had to overcome illness and injuries between Moscow and LA and was overlooked for 88 Olympics not to mention publically lambasted for his inclusion in the LA team when his form was suspect....and yet he's the only olympian to win back to back 1,500m golds.

Seb always found a way to bounce back and answer his critics on the track.....something I'm atempting to emulate this summer,having overcome my 09 achilles injury I proved my critics wrong for the second time in three years w/ my 2 silvers and a bronze in Sacramento 10 Nationals,however this time last year my poor form was due to eventually being diagnosed w/ anemia and the rumour mongers were again out in force penning my running obiturary,I'm out to prove them all wrong again this summer in Lisle at Nationals,the fact I returned to arguably my best two events the 800m and 1,500m probably helps w/ the "Seb Coe mindset" Seb had the last laugh after the LA 84 1,500m final.....I aim to do likewise.........

5x1,000m Repeats @ Temple

1.12-1.17-35-3.04.5
1.13-1.20-35-3.07.7
1.17-1.18-34-3.09.4
1.16-1.16-35-3.07.8
1.17-1.18-33-3.08.1

Long To Reign Over Us

It would be remiss of me not to mention the current celebrations going on back home in London for the Diamond Jubilee to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 60 years as head of the monarchy.
I have vague recolections of the Silver Jubilee in 1977,I was a punk 13 year old kid who couldn't give a toss that she'd been Queen for 25 years,fast forwarding 25 years years to 2002 and the Golden Jubilee at 38 I had a more respectable attitude towards things but in truth only glanced at the celebrations on tv.
Maybe now 10 years later I have a better appreciation for the fact Elizabeth has reigned for 60 years,the fact my recently acquired 46'' flat screen HD tv allows me to enjoy the celebrations much better then ever b4 doesn't hurt but deep down I know there may not be a 70 year much less 75th Jubilee celebration so I should take advantage of watching history now rather than on the History Channel as a retrospective celebration on the life of Queen Elizabeth II

Size Matters

Tomorrow marks a month since moving into "Chez Possum"it's still a work in progress but thankfully the basics are now in place,phone,internet,tv and satelite dish.
I upgraded to HD tv w/a new 46'' screen,something I'd wanted for a while but something I wasn't willing to do untill I had my own place,now that that's taken care of it was off to Best Buy and my new Insignia tv.
People w/ HD tv's always tell you how clear the picture is,how awesome HD is.....they're right!!!
I'm loving the high def after only two days,I'm already at the stage where if it's not a HD channel I don't want to watch it!!it's criminal but when you've got a 46'' screen you want it filled!!!

There was one drawback of the upgrade to high def,Saturdays installation which was scheduled between 8am and 12pm was pushed back to between 12pm and 4pm.....don't ask cos the reason is hard to swallow,anywho it was close to 7.30pm b4 the new dish and receiver were hooked up so getting out to run was now down the tubes,ergo my scheduled repeats from Saturday would now be on Sunday and Sundays scheduled 14 mile long run would fall by the way side....I'll take speed over miles everytime if I can't have both and have to pick one.

So w/ last week out of the way it was time to get cracking w/ this week,an easy out and back 6 miler along the river to Lloyd Hall and Boathouse Row to get the week under way,I may have done numerous 3x2 mile repeats last year and won the M45 10,000m at Nationals......but there was no frickin' way I was doing 8 loops of Clark Park to run 6 miles!!!

6x600m Repeats @ St Joe's

71-34-1.45.5
72-33-1.45.0
69-35-1.44.3
73-35-1.48.2
72-35-1.47.8
72-34-1.46.0

Dancin'

Well if it's Friday it's a rest day....and if it's the first Friday of the month that means 80's nite at Club Fluid.
I've been MIA for the last three months,in March my achilles was giving me jip and w/ Indoor Nationals 2 weeks off I didn't feel 5 hours of being on my feet was the best way to prep for a podium finish in Bloomington so I bagged that one,in April I was frustrated w/ my whole search for a new place to live and I bagged that one and then last month which was the "Prom Nite@ Sex Dwarf" it was the day b4 I moved and I didn't feel gettting home by 2.40am w/a whole day of moving on tap was the way to go......given the unholy cock up that was my move it's proabaly a good job I didn't go.
But it's a whole new month and time to dig out my dancin' shoes{if I can find them post move!!!} and go off and enjoy myself for the night and forget about all the crap I've had to endure in the past month since the move.

Knocked out my tempo run yesterday 57 seconds faster than last week 58.41/59.36 but still shy of my 57.13 debut two weeks ago.
The time honoured "Death Cage" 6x600m repeats are on tap for tomorrow lunch time w/ another Sunday 14 mile long run to not only wrap up the week but phase one of my training program,next week sees the begining of my race schedule between June 9th and July 24th leading upto Lisle and Nationals