Month: February 2020

Nearly 700 men and women will line up tomorrow for the Olympic Trials Marathon. I can’t think of a year with this much interest–going beyond just a few thousand runner geeks scattered across the continent, this has nearly gone mainstream. I think with the stacked shoes, the large field, Atlanta’s push to make this the biggest and best ever, and some very compelling races up front.

About the shoes
wow, Nike is offering free Alphaflys to anyone who wants them. Wonder if anyone will chuck their sponsorship in favor of a possible better time to wear the shoes. If I were a 2:12-14 guy, or 2:28-32 woman and was on a modest sponsorship or unsponsored, and didn’t have an alternative, yeah I’d think about it. Nevertheless, Hoka, Saucony, Adidas (maybe) and Brooks at least will have their new shoes or prototypes out there on the course. If it’s a Nike sweep and some from down in the depth charts make it, I’ll go bleeghhh! Looking closely because in 2020 I’ll likely get a stacked shoe for my own masters plodding.

On the large field
It’s partly the shoes (see above) but also just a lot of interest and prestige in getting a Trials standard and the opportunity to line up with current and future legends in an all-American event. I do think they’ll have to adjust the standards. Have been hearing arguments saying they should go the other way, lessen the men’s standard to 2:20 or 2:25, and women’s back to 2:48 or 2:50 and make it an even bigger event. But I disagree with that. If they do that it becomes more of a high-end citizens race, and it would be fairly crowded and not really simulate the Olympics.

What are the Olympics? It’s about having the best in the world line up and have a go at it. And the Trials should be relatively close to the expected conditions (including course and weather) and having a limited field on a special day does that. So if I had a choice I’d keep it at approximately 100 men and women qualifying for their respective races. Right now that would be about sub 2:17 and 2:38. Those are good, near-elite (I think better than “sub-elite). However, in non-Olympic years USATF should host a more open US championship (Not tied in with a mass race, but stand alone championship), with qualifying times in the 2:20-25 range for men and 2:45-2:50 for women. That would give incentive for sub elite runners to keep going every year, not just once every four years, and it would be an exciting annual event for three years, culminating with Olympic Trials on the fourth year.

The courses for the US Championships should be fast and races run in good conditions (or as good as possible). That way more athletes would have a chance to attain the now very stringent standards. Meanwhile, the Trials should simulate expected conditions at the Olympics.

Atlanta Running City USA
I think the moniker from Atlanta Track Club is a bit pretentious but they’re doing a wonderful job at building these trials up, and you have to hand it to them. I expect the races on Saturday will be fantastic and that credit goes to ATC and all their hard work.

About the races
I wrote up some a few months here are my picks and darkhorses.

Women: Emily Sisson, Sarah Hall, Kellyn Taylor — but any one of a dozen runners (Linden, Hasay, Huddle, Tilliamuck, Kipyego, Rojas, Flanagan, Theatt among the more notable) will be in there.

Men: Jared Ward, Leonard Korir, Galen Rupp, Scott Fauble. I’ll keep Fauble in there a co-favorite to make the team should Rupp or Korir falter. Likewise there is a dozen or more other men who could contend if they have a great day or if their shoes are working extra well. I think someone off the radar will bust into a top 5.

Shoutout to some friends
I know or have met a bunch of qualifiers so have a good race Megan, Evan, Sarah, Tony, Laura, Lindsay. Hope you all have good races and a great experience in Atlanta.

Over the past few months I have chronicled my injury, with some sad posts, hopeful, and maybe a bit frustrated. Here’s a happy one. I have built up gradually in 2020, starting with just 1.5 miles on the first week of the year to 28 miles ending last week. However, rather than counting miles I have been going by minutes, and that has helped me hold back. So last month it was five days a week for 20-25 minutes a run, and now at the end of this month I have built to 40-50 minutes–with a big jump to 62 minutes on my birthday last week.

In that run I managed to score a personal worst for a 5K race, with a 19:50. Nevertheless, it was a good run. The plan was to go 6:30, 6:20, 6:10 but I did quite the opposite. The first kilometer (downhill) was probably closer to 6:10 pace, but once I got onto the bike path I settled more into 6:20s pace, hanging into the top 10 or 12 (half of them women). It felt good, like a tempo, with a heretofore 23 mile peak week I figured this would not be sustainable for a 5K, and I was right.

6:19 first mile.

The second mile was just a matter of pacing and finding that rhythm. At the turn around on the bike path I felt my stomach coming up. Not great.

12:47 at 2 mile

I surged some after about 2.2 miles but could not hold more than 20 or 30 seconds, and it was much of a surge. With 600 to go we had a 200 m hill, nothing huge but it wasn’t pleasant feeling.

19:15 at 3 mile and ambled into the finish.

That’s probably 40 seconds slower than my slowest (and those were slightly long courses), but I crossed and cooled down pain free. Awesome.

And now I have a baseline from which to work. After this week I’ll also start building by miles (about 5 mile increments every two weeks to start), and go from there.

So as I turn 62 what can I do running-wise. Not an ultra runner, so no 100Ks in mind, although I haven’t ruled out a 50K some day. And I kind of loathe the middle distances, a 1K or mile just doesn’t have a of appeal. However, I’m certain to race a road and maybe even a track mile or two in 2020. Nope. But 6.2 miles, that’s something I can sink my treads into.

So tentatively, pending full return from this injury, here’s the schedule:

April – USATF 10K masters championships
May – Bolder Boulder 10K
July – World Masters 10K road championship
Fall – (to be determined) – flat fast 10K to break 36 minutes

There’s a reason for the latter. With the new decade upon us, much has been be said recently about 6DS3. Six decades sub 3 hour marathon, going back to the 1970s. And there are a couple dozen men and at least one woman vying for that. That’d be a tremendous feat for sure. Another sub 3 is still on my list but with debut in 1983, that would only make five decades.

However, I do stand the chance of doing sub 36 10K over 6 decades and if anything this would be more difficult than sub 3 marathon.

Here’s the list, with best time per decade:

1978 – 31:54
1989 – 32:20 (also did 32:50 at altitude)
1991 – 32:11
2000 – 35:50 (at 5000 feet)
2017 – 35:43 (age 59)

It’s going to be a stretch this year but on a good day on a good course I can do it, and fall (October) might be the best time.

Also have a better chance to do six decades of sub 29 8K/5 mile, or six at sub 18 for 5K. However first, must build up and stay healthy!

Speaking of that. Up to 25 miles a week and feeling good.

Doing 62 minutes of running today, including a 5K progression to see where baseline fitness is at.

The world is not crumbling but these are unsettling times.

I’m happiest the few, or less than that, hours a week that I’m on cross country skis in the mountains. I’ve been to Snow Mountain Ranch, Devils Thumb, Eldora, Steamboat Springs, Minturn, and Frisco. If I could I’d be out there three times a week but it’s been only once or maybe twice. Still with more than a dozen days on the snow this year, and two more months of winter to go I’m just happy to get out on the trails.

I haven’t been liking my job for a couple years now–and yes it relates to the bigger picture, as the work I am involved with can have political implications,and a lot of top-down pressure–but have found some focus and for now I press on.

However, what I really want to do is coach runners and endurance athletes. And leave the politics and rat race behind. Soon.

INJURY UPDATE
I’ve had several visits to a local physical therapy clinic and that has helped me along. After starting up a little too fast in December (building to some 50 minute runs, just a little over three weeks after starting up again), I had to take another week off at the end of the year and started up about the first of January. Got in a whopping 51 miles last month. But they were smart miles, keeping the duration under the radar so as not to irritate my hip and glutes.

Yes, it’s epidemic because you hear about it all the time, but my glutes were not activating properly and that likely led to the misalignment of my SI joint. But I’m now running up to 30-35 minutes, five days a week, and building up ever so incrementally.

I’m still in recovery but by March (early, middle, or late?) I should be over the worst of it and can start building up with mid-spring goal of an hour or so a day. Getting there.