Explanation
* And so, if you've noticed, I've had a change of plans for the Fall.... perhaps not a complete change of plans, but an addition to the racing schedule in an extreme direction. Since I made the decision to pull out of Chicago and focus on an old school Cross Country, I have been racing and training really well.
However, recently I was invited to partake in the Breakers Marathon in Rhode Island on October 20th, in a pretty much win-win situation in that I would not be out a single dime. Plus, it fits my work schedule beautifully, as three days later I take off to the Marine Corps Marathon Expo for a week of hellacious, non-stop, no rest, WORK. Why not trash my legs prior to MCM so that I can lose my obsessive-compulsive running habits and not be compelled to run in the dark streets of an uknown city and just hang out with my peers and family. So, case closed. I will race it and attempt a sub-2:25 effort, if all goes well.
Now, back to this week. It's been a rough training week, as I have been driving quite a bit this week and it has aggravated my right gluteus medius/hip flexor once again, plus, I strained my hamstring on a "recovery" run the day after my Belmont victory (reason #1 on why I hate running with others, I seriously train slow at times). And so, I don't expect much from the Mercer Invite 6K. I really wish it was an 8K, but now, after this training week, I'm pleased it's a 6K, as I am not on top of my game.
Belmont took a lot out of me, physically and emotionally. The field was top-loaded, with a handful of sub-14:30 guys and the weather and hills were not friendly. Plus, I had to be strong mentally since I drove the 3.5 hours to Nashville, visited four accounts, worked all day, and then lined up to race. On the line I remember telling myself, "you better make this race worth it" because I have been sacrificing a lot of sleep and rest in order to work, train, love properly. Anyway, it was a big win, as I was able to break the Kenyans and win by over 10-seconds quite handidly over a strong field, of which at least 2-3 of them will be making NCAA Division Cross Country Nationals. So, I'll take it, it was one of those days that I was just brutally strong. Everytime the Kenyans would surge, I would work my way back to close the gap and then instead of sticking with them, I would surge past and push the pace. I did this for 2 miles until they cracked. The last 800M was very ugly, but then again, I'll take it.
So, expect to see a minor increase in long runs and longer interval work once a week, and perhaps a noticeable increase in mileage for Breakers, but other than that, I'll just be on the road, literally.
However, recently I was invited to partake in the Breakers Marathon in Rhode Island on October 20th, in a pretty much win-win situation in that I would not be out a single dime. Plus, it fits my work schedule beautifully, as three days later I take off to the Marine Corps Marathon Expo for a week of hellacious, non-stop, no rest, WORK. Why not trash my legs prior to MCM so that I can lose my obsessive-compulsive running habits and not be compelled to run in the dark streets of an uknown city and just hang out with my peers and family. So, case closed. I will race it and attempt a sub-2:25 effort, if all goes well.
Now, back to this week. It's been a rough training week, as I have been driving quite a bit this week and it has aggravated my right gluteus medius/hip flexor once again, plus, I strained my hamstring on a "recovery" run the day after my Belmont victory (reason #1 on why I hate running with others, I seriously train slow at times). And so, I don't expect much from the Mercer Invite 6K. I really wish it was an 8K, but now, after this training week, I'm pleased it's a 6K, as I am not on top of my game.
Belmont took a lot out of me, physically and emotionally. The field was top-loaded, with a handful of sub-14:30 guys and the weather and hills were not friendly. Plus, I had to be strong mentally since I drove the 3.5 hours to Nashville, visited four accounts, worked all day, and then lined up to race. On the line I remember telling myself, "you better make this race worth it" because I have been sacrificing a lot of sleep and rest in order to work, train, love properly. Anyway, it was a big win, as I was able to break the Kenyans and win by over 10-seconds quite handidly over a strong field, of which at least 2-3 of them will be making NCAA Division Cross Country Nationals. So, I'll take it, it was one of those days that I was just brutally strong. Everytime the Kenyans would surge, I would work my way back to close the gap and then instead of sticking with them, I would surge past and push the pace. I did this for 2 miles until they cracked. The last 800M was very ugly, but then again, I'll take it.
So, expect to see a minor increase in long runs and longer interval work once a week, and perhaps a noticeable increase in mileage for Breakers, but other than that, I'll just be on the road, literally.