TN to TX

Brevard

I'm not going to bore you with 4 week worth of log. I'll just say that I had 3 really strong 50 mile weeks and then I took a week off.
I know you are thinking, why a week off? injury? death in the family? getting locked in the cellar with no way of escape? I am going to tell you, it was none of those. I was exhausted. I had spent two jam packed weeks working a running camp in Brevard, NC for high school runners. As junior staff, we are required to run twice a day, monitor the high schoolers and participate in the sports at night against the kids After we put these kids to bed, well it is time for us to have some fun. This involved making smores and waterfalling. The morning run began at 6:30 a.m. So needless to say, I think I survived off maybe 20 hours of sleep that week. I really to make my point, I'm going to have to put pictures in.
  Waterfalling @ Midnight
Pointing in costume on the graduation run (notice my knees-roots are hard to see at 5:45)
 
 Dancing at the top of the run
 
Group of Junior Staff on the top of John's Rock


Austin in 3 days!  

Chicago training week 3-Mud!

Date	Description	Route	Distance	Time	Pace
Mon 6/28/2010	Afternoon Normal Run		5.5 Mi	39:30	7:10/Mi
Tue 6/29/2010	Morning Cross Training/Other		6 Mi	45:00	7:30/Mi
	Morning Normal Run		5 Mi	37:00	7:24/Mi
Wed 6/30/2010	Morning Normal Run		7 Mi	53:00	7:34/Mi
Thu 7/1/2010	Evening Normal Run		6 Mi	44:02	7:20/Mi
Fri 7/2/2010	Morning Normal Run		7 Mi	53:05	7:35/Mi
Sat 7/3/2010	Afternoon Normal Run		6.2 Mi	50:00	8:03/Mi
Sun 7/4/2010	Afternoon Normal Run		9 Mi	1:10:00	7:46/Mi
Totals:			51.7 Mi	6:31:37	7:34/M

This week was what summer is meant to be; beautiful weather, grilling out and seeing old friends.  The older I get, the less friends I have back in the Murfreesboro. I was beyond happy to see my best running partner. She had spent a semester in Australia and is now interning as an accountant in Charlotte, NC. The first activity we did was a six miler. Every minute of it was filled with stories and laughs. The pace might not have been the quickest but it was by far the best run of the week.

The worst run of the week is a tie between my long run and the run on Tuesday. The run on Tuesday is by far more humorous. I decided to go do a ladder work-out with the not-so-little sister. This really was not much of a work-out, basically you start out on a soccer field and you sprint one side, then two, then three, then the whole field. It was less than a mile. The first sprint and jogging lap went fine. It was the second lap where it got a bit crazy. So we are sprinting, I in flats and Tori in cleats. We both go into the corner neck and neck. I trying to draw upon my track training decide to take the corner like a track corner. I soon found out that wet soccer field and flats do not mix well. I ended up flat on the ground covered in mud. Tori meanwhile had stopped and had just started laughing. I decided not to let it bother me and just try to take the next sprint easier. Well, slowing down did not help. I fell in the same puddle. At this point, I had to give up. I took off my soaking shirt, tried to towel off, and ran home (little sister did not want me getting her car dirty).  Needless to say, I was a bit embarrassed running down the side of the road covered in mud.

This next week will hopefully be a 53 mile week. I am traveling to Brevard to work a running camp and the mileage I rack up there is whatever they want to give me. 

Balls..that was just balls-Chicago Week 2 training

Mon 6/21/2010	Evening Normal Run		6 Mi	45:04	7:30/Mi
Tue 6/22/2010	Morning Cross Training/Other		5 Mi	45:00	9:00/Mi
	Evening Normal Run		5 Mi	38:11	7:38/Mi
Wed 6/23/2010	Evening Normal Run		6 Mi	47:00	7:50/Mi
Thu 6/24/2010
Fri 6/25/2010
Sat 6/26/2010	Morning Normal Run		5 Mi	39:00	7:48/Mi
	Afternoon Cross Training/Other		7 Mi	53:00	7:34/Mi
Sun 6/27/2010	Evening Normal Run		10 Mi	1:15:00	7:30/Mi
Totals:			44.0 Mi	5:42:15	7:46/Mi

“Balls..that was just balls”-Lauren Fleshman. I don’t know if any of y’all (yes I just used y’all) are track geeks like me but at USA track and field nationals, Fleshman made a gutsy move with about 700 meters to go in the 5k and ended up winning it all. Fleshman has been injured and had to learn how to run again (there is a really good article in Running Times this month about her form). When ESPN interviewed her about the move her response was “Balls, that was just balls”. Needless to say, she is my new hero.

I did not have any balls when facing Mother Nature this week. Typically, I do not let weather defeat me. This week I surrendered. I was getting into the routine of running around 7:00 pm to beat the heat and humidity of TN. Two days in a row, I had my shoes laced up and ponytail ready to get out the door and the heavens opened up to huge massive storms. Instead of going to a gym to run on a treadmill, I wussed out and ate ice cream. So I decided to pad the week with some cross training, two cycling sessions with spandex and all.  I would have preferred running miles.

I did get a new piece of gear this week and it was only two dollars! It was been a life saver. This great piece of gear is a bug band. This plastic band keeps all those pesky bugs away. Bugs have been terrible here since the flooding earlier in the year. This band works, it is easy and simple and I don’t have to smell like bug spray for several hours. Or even worse, taste the bug spray. I was not paid to promote them, just thought I would pass the word along.

Roommate situation has been resolved. I went with the place that has the pool and is cheaper. I just now have to deal with an agent who does not know the difference between “your” and “you’re” and “yore”. His lack of common grammar rules bothers me just a bit.

This week will be a slight increase in mileage but I’m looking forward to it. 

USA TF TV coverage thoughts

I was screaming, yelling and cursing at ESPN. This was not because the USA lost to Ghana in the World Cup. This was for an entirely different reason, with two laps to go in the men’s 5k, right were Lagat would unleash a mighty kick, ESPN changed to a no-hitter. They gave us a warning and then cut to the talking heads at the baseball game.  This took 10 minutes or so. The race was over in three.

I was upset but I do realize that to ESPN a no hitter is going to bring in more of an audience then track and field. Of course, if most track and field fans are like me, we have little to no interest in a no hitter.

This was not the end of the mistakes. I know as an announcer it is not easy to always get the runners right but the following mistakes were just outright awful. First of all, in the final of the 1500, Shalane Flanagan falls. The announcer notices it but cannot identify who it is. She is an American Record holder and medalist on the World scene. Secondly, they flashed a graphic with all the stats on Bridget Franek and pictured Jenny Barringer. Why was this graphic not checked before hand? They also indentified Alan Webb’s record as being set in 1987-he would have been 5 at the time and again this was a graphic.

Then there are just the mistakes of not knowing your audience. The most we are shown of a distance race is maybe the first and last two laps. They continually explain to us how an event is run. There was a two minute segment on explaining long jumping. While races and field events are going on, they cut to fluff pieces. The 800 women’s race was raced 10 minutes before coverage started but instead of replaying during some of the downtime of the broadcast, they play fluff pieces.

It was comedy of tragedies.

I hate to be critical without offering up suggestions. First, track and field needs to look to how other sports cover events. In world cup soccer, never once did they stop and explain how a throw-in works or why it happens. Cut the explanation time. I know track meets do not run quickly (well unless you are at the Penn Relays) so why not schedule the jr. events in between the pro ones? That way cutting to commercial would be easy. Cut the fluff pieces and show the competition or just make sure you show when the moves happen. I know 10ks can be boring but in an instance they turn exciting. Also, if your announcers do not know certain events well bring in guest announcers; bringing in Vin Lanna to discuss the distance events this weekend was a smart move. Finally, double check your facts would be my other suggestion.

There needs to a tighter product and it can be done but first the small mistakes must be avoided. 

The curious case of the skunk

For the past three years, I have worked a running camp in the mountains of North Carolina. Part of our training as staff is to learn how to deal with wildlife on trails. If there is a horse and rider, stop and let the rider tell you what to do. Don't worry about deer for they run away. If there are bees, re route the trail and keep kids from getting stung; the epi pin is only used in the most dire situations. If there is a bear get real big and just hope you are faster then the slowest runner. 

I have never been told what to do about a skunk. 

To set the stage, I was out on my long run of the week at around 6:45 a.m. It seemed that all the wildlife in the small park was waking up. I really was not quite awake myself and I had to really focus as not to bite it over rock or tree branch. I'm not particularly clumsy but it had been awhile since I ran true trail. I was only about 4 miles into my 10 mile run when I saw it.

Now, skunks are not fearsome looking creatures, in fact they look like some form of a house cat. The Disney portrayal of the animal (flower) in Bambi is pretty right on except for the whole talking part.The skunk was enjoying some sort of greens and minding its own business. I was the one bothering it. I was trying just not to scare it and end up on the wrong end of the animal. 

I decided the best idea was to wait till it moved off the path. So I waited and waited and prayed that animal moved the opposite direction. About five minutes later, the skunk was far enough off the trail that I was able to sprint by.

I did not get sprayed but I feel like there might have been a better way of handling the skunk

Week 1 of Marathon Training for Chicago

Week 1
Mileage=45 miles (after 6 tonight)
Average Pace=7:39

Mon 6/14/2010	Evening Normal Run- VA loop very slow slog		6 Mi	46:15	7:42/Mi
Tue 6/15/2010	Afternoon Normal Run-My legs felt very heavy after a morning spin Class		5 Mi	38:00	7:36/Mi
Wed 6/16/2010	Evening Normal Run-Best run of the week! I love getting caught in a storm		6 Mi	45:22	7:33/Mi
Thu 6/17/2010	Afternoon Cross Training/Other-A little upset that I only got a spin class in that morning due to huge storm in the afternoon		6 Mi	47:00	7:50/Mi
Fri 6/18/2010	Evening Normal Run-Really hot! Run was fine but felt like I had run in a sauna		6 Mi	45:38	7:36/Mi
Sat 6/19/2010	Morning Long Run-Beautiful run through the park. I really do enjoy trail running. I was surprised on how easy 10 miles felt after no longs runs in the past 3 week. I am still pondering proper protocol when approaching a skunk		10 Mi	1:16:54	7:41/M

I still have a 6 mile run to do this evening but we are currently under a heat warning (95 but feels like 104).  The heat has been a bit of a problem but I’m slowly getting adjusted. I should be in NC for most of July.

I had not expected to be able to feel so decent coming off of basically a month lay-off. I was running three to four times a week but nothing over 5 miles at once though last week I had made it up to 35 miles. The long run surprised me the most, I thought for sure I would be slogging through the last four but I felt better than ever.

This week has been a week of organizing my life for Austin. I finished financial aid forms and like most of America it appears I will be soon be in debt. I’m looking at apartment and have narrowed it down to two different roommates. One rooming situation is a 4 person apartment with three 20 year olds and is a very good deal. The other is sharing a place with a 25 yr old teacher/runner who it seems I would click with and is about 75 dollars more expensive. I have the money in loans to pay for either but with the more expensive one I would have to work to pay to do fun things.  I also applied to every major sporting goods chain in hopes to pick a little more cash besides what Flotrack will be giving me.

Another 45 mile week next week! I really excited b/c of USA championships. I know I will be glued to my computer screen.  I was able to go last year when it was Eugene and it is such a cool experience.