Getting geared up for Gate

It’s less than a week now until I race my first 15k at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida. It’ll be the longest race I’ll have ever run and I’m actually not dreading that. Like I said in my last post, I’m discovering a new  found confidence with longer distances. Last year I attempted to run the 20k at New Haven. I wasn’t prepared for it and dropped out just before 9 miles. I know that some people  including myself were a little surprised to see me at such a long race. That was over a year ago and things are a little different.

One year ago today, I slipped on ice and shattered my right wrist while walking our dog Paavo. Aside from the thousands of dollars in medical bills, the accident really changed me for the better. I didn’t come to this amazing realization about what running meant to me because I’ve always known what it means to me and I’ve always known what I want out of it. I think what it did was make me realize that I am in fact tough. I have a vivid image in my head of my mangled wrist and hand and of course the external fixator drilled into my bones that I chose to have instead of a cast in order to train. The pins and screws have been removed. I bring them with me to all of my races  just as a reminder of what I went through. I’m still a little shocked by it. I do think that the accident has brought out a new confidence that has helped quite a bit in my running.

My weekly mileage isn’t exactly all that much higher than last year, but the volume in specific workouts has definitely gone up and I’m recovering from it much better than before. We’ve also incorporated a lot more maintenance work into the program and I’m more on top of all of those little things that make the difference. So, I guess you could say I just feel ready to go.

473 Float

It was a Saturday afternoon with perfect weather, although a storm was fast approaching, when we headed to the mountains for the workout. Lesley, Devon, and I met Artie, Rebecca, and Tim at Whipple Dam in the heart of Rothrock State Forest. If you have never been, I suggest you go. The setting is absolutely breath-taking, even more so when you are climbing the mountain. The workout scheduled was 4×7 minutes hard with a 3 minute float between the interval aka the “473 Float.”

Coach Groves used to bring us here often. It was known as the Shaver’s Creek Loop. It’s an amazing place to have at your disposal. The whole course is “hard roads” which I call packed dirt and some loose gravel. But this was a place where you could get lost in it. By “it” I mean just the joy of running. Running in the mountains with friends, there are few better ways to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning, and add in the views on this run, it just can’t be beat.

This would be the second “time” workout for Rebecca. When I say “time” workout I mean she is running hard for a certain length of time as opposed to a distance. Some people struggle with workouts such as this, because they can’t unlock what it is inside them to get them to push when they don’t know how far they are going, but only how long. I always felt you needed to be able to nail the time workouts to get to the next level. Because you are able to disengage, and put yourself in pain for length of time not just distance. Both elements are needed to be successful and to get the next level, but having one without the other limits your success.

On this day, we would see a great workout from Rebecca. Not only did she battle the terrain, but she had to battle the elements. And if you have ever been to the State College area, you know that means almost anything at anytime. But today, for our sake, it was just a thunderstorm with heavy rain.

As Artie mentioned in the first workout, they are on a “Krush program.” So he needed to add more elements at different times so they could accomplish multiple goals in a session. Mother Nature is something he can not control, but was an added bonus on this day and a few others.

Also new to the mix was Tim Murphy, Rebecca’s training partner. Tim starred for Don Bosco Prep (NJ) in High School and went on to compete for The College of the Holy Cross. Tim was a great addition to the group because he was able to help carry the load in the workouts and just added to the socialization of the atmosphere.

When I watched this workout after I filmed it, I just shook my head in amazement. Because Rebecca absolutely drilled it and looked great as she did it given the terrain and weather. If you are keeping score at home, after this day, the “Krush Program” was 2 for 2.

Music By: Ian Stringer, Greg Lackey, Gregg Davis, Public Enemy, and The Chemical Brothers

The Beginning…

Artie and I often discuss many things when we go running. One topic started popping up a lot on the runs last November, doing a video project focusing on Rebecca’s training as she prepares for the Olympic Trials. While we ran we were always discussing the finer details of the her training program: workouts, race schedule, lifting, ab work, diet, and a myriad of other things. We had everything planned and were ready to start filming to get the project underway, but then something happened that we didn’t plan. If you have ever been to State College for an extended period of time, you get a real quick idea what the weather is like throughout the year. Basically we have summer and winter. Yes the winter is cold, but more so it seems that the snow and ice just seem to linger. What is the importance of the winter weather for the summer trials? The obvious answer is base training to lay the foundation for the event-specific work. And logging miles during the winter months is important but also dangerous when you live in a place that enjoys conserving its rock salt.

On a cold winter day, Rebecca was walking Paavo, her and Artie’s vizsla, around their house and she slipped on ice. When she fell, she broke her wrist in 4 places. The broken bones cost her 4 weeks of running. After coming off the best fall of her career which saw her have two top-5 finishes in US Road Championships (5k and 10k), some changes in the training plan would need to be made. Using an adjusted schedule developed by her coach, Artie Gilkes, she would begin to prepare for the Trials. She had 13 weeks to get ready and time was ticking.

Artie put her in what he called a “Krush Program.” She would miss two big races, Mt. Sac and Stanford, so they would need to find a race for her to get a qualifier. And they would also need to decide what event, 5k or 10k. There were lots of questions that needed to be answered and only 13 weeks to find them. It was a wild ride for those 13 weeks and we hope you enjoy it as we retell the story behind them over the next several weeks.