Crab Feast

Anybody interested in crushing some crabs tonight?

2122 Massachusetts ave NW
apt 409

Tell them you are here to see DJ and go up to the roof. Apartment 409

Festivities begin at 8 pm. Bring whoever.

I'll post her cell phone number in a little while, my cell phone is currently out of commission.

Matias

NY Times Article:

Gist is men get slower with age, for women- age does not seem to be a factor.

The data is interesting, but the theories seem lousy- totally unscientific. Click for the excerpt and link if interested.

Saturday Run

There will be a run from the store this Saturday as usual. I will not be able to attend because I will be working the expo at the rock n roll half this weekend. For those that are interested, the doors to the store will be open by 8:15 and we should be out the door by 8:30.
The distance of the run will be however far or short people want to go. It sounds like there will be women from the team who will be getting a long run in. I am thinking the typical hour run will probably be a good starting point. If anybody wants to go longer or shorter than that, make sure to post it in the comments.

TRAINING RUN

Last night Steve(always on the)Money,(i am running out of ways to play with Steve's name), Jason, Chris and some new stud(forgot his name(sorry), came out to do the fartlek. Tough run. Good run. Jason and all look strong. I am tired today. that's two hard runs in 4 days. Keep it up_______M

Parks Half-Marathon

Is anyone else doing the Parks Half-Marathon? My apt is right near the finish line so I'm thinking of having a post-race celebratory gathering if there's interest. Let me know.

6pm at the store for 12x3 minutes on 1 off

please confirm via the blog so I know that a few other souls will be slugging it out.


BTW----Jake, we are rooting for ya man. If you come back strong we can even make a movie about the "comeback" and maybe even sell it to aspiring young runners who need that extra kick when all is not looking good(:__________M

WOW. I am still floored by Mighty Matias's splash. Matias, you are indeed the mightiest of us all! None the less, us mortals must move along

I want to do a fartlek run on Wed eve between 5 and 6pm from the store. 12x3 minutes on 1 off with 2 mile warm up and cool down. total miles =11.5. Last week Scott, myself, Matt and this guy Chris did them and it was solid. Scott is out this week and I have not heard from Matt or Chris. Takers please give me a shout asap. M

Getting Results

Here is a great site that was passed along to me...a huge database of results. Type in a name and try it...

http://www.athlinks.com/

IMLOU

Date: Sunday, August 26th, 2007
Race: Ironman Louisville (2.4m swim, 112m bike, 26.2m run)
Weather: 7am 72°F 80% Humidity, 1pm 85°F 43% Humidity, 3pm 88°F 37% Humidity

Recap:

The days leading up to the race were hot, topping off at 98 degrees on Friday, so everyone was concerned that goal times and nutrition plans would have to be modified to deal with the weather. Fortunately Louisville saw its coolest temperatures in over a month on race day.

They modified the swim course a few days prior to the race “due to significant rainfall upriver, resulting in an unseasonable increase in the Ohio River’s current.” So instead of the traditional mass start with 2000 of my closest friends, it was a time trial start that consisted of lining up single file and jumping off a dock one by one. Never have a felt more like a lemming.

Swim goal: 60 minutes
Actual time: 58:16 (1:32/100m, 86th overall)

I was off to a solid start and felt fine coming out of the water. Now for the bike…

The plan was to be super conservative the first 60 miles, then depending on how I felt work miles 60-90 of the course, then kick butt on the last 22 miles. I believed a majority of the time would be gained on the uphills and the last 20 miles since it was net downhill. So I worked the hills, but began working them at mile 25… a little ahead of schedule. But it felt great, I was passing people and the hills helped loosen up my hamstrings and hip flexors from the swim. I hit 40+mph on some of the downhills so I was having fun out there.

Fortunately I backed off for the next 30 miles, but every once in a while I’d hit a few hills, pass a cyclist here and there, and really start to push it, then back off. A mental tug of war.

The bike course included a 30 mile loop done twice, miles 30-60 and 60-90. When I came back around for the second loop, I was surrounded by other cyclist on their first lap. So instead of passing a cyclist here and there on a hill, I found myself flying by cyclist after cyclist. The adrenaline was pumping, my legs felt good, I believed today was my time to shine on the bike, so I kept it rolling.

First Bike Segment 22 miles (1:09:04) 19.11 mph
Second Bike Segment 23 miles (1:07:37) 20.41 mph
Third Bike Segment 30 miles (1:27:40) 20:53 mph

So far I had stuck to my bike plan, but went a little harder then I expected. Instead of cruising in the fourth and final section of the bike course, I decided to CRUSH IT!!! It was net downhill, with a tail wind, and all I kept telling myself was “I’ll be fine, it’s a flat marathon and plus running muscles are different than bike muscles. I’ll be fine.” And plus I was enjoying the roller coaster bike course.

Fourth Bike Segment 37 miles (1:38:27) 22.55 mph

The last 12 miles were tough, the course changed from net downhill to flat. We still had the tailwind, but knowing how close I was to hopping off the bike into a familiar pair of running shoes made the last stretch a struggle. I could feel the sun beating down, and my head heating up. I pressed on and felt surprisingly well once I hopped off my bike.

Bike Goal: 5:40:00
Actual time: 5:22:48!!!!
Total Bike: 112 miles (5:22:48) 20.82 mph

Now it was game time baby, 26.2 between me and the finish line. First mile: 6:20, WTF!!! Chill out and settle into 7 min goal pace.

2nd: 6:59 (nice)
3rd: 6:55
4th: 6:57
5th: 6:55
6th: 7:04 (quick bathroom break)
7th: 6:57
8th: 6:50
9th: 7:00
10th: 7:05
11th: 7:48 (long bathroom break)
12th: 7:07
13th: 7:07 (Passed Andy Baldwin, from the TV show the Bachelor, never saw him again)
14th: 7:07
15th: 7:30
16th: 7:56 (10 miles to go, try and keep it together)
17th: 8:21
18th: 8:26
19th: 8:54 (wow, this hurts bad)
20th: 8:50
21st: 8:24 (10K to go, let’s pick it up!!!)
22nd: 8:41 (On second thought, bad idea to surge with 5 miles to go)
23rd: 8:51 (…hurts real bad)
24th: 9:31 (Total meltdown)
25th: 9:22
26th: 8:48 (You will do this)
0.2: 1:42

I’ve never experienced that kind of pain. Every sensor in my body was telling me to walk/stop, people were dropping like flies, and the last 6 miles became a game of survival from one aid station to the next.

Somehow I did not walk during the marathon, and actually moved from 60th to 29th overall after the run.

Run goal: 3:05 7 min/mile
Actual time: 3:24 7:47/mile

Overall Goal time: 10:00:00
Actual Time: 9:51:55

Third in the 25-29 Age Group, less than 4 minutes from the 2nd place guy. Top two go to Kona for Ironman Hawaii.

Ten hour race and it came down to 4 minutes. Yes, I may have pushed it too hard on the bike, but I had a great time. All those hours on the bike finally paid off. And yes, I paid for it during the marathon, but it was worth it. Could I have been tougher on the marathon? Yes, but at the time my body was screaming at me to walk. Did I underestimate the difficulty? Uhhh, yea.

Thanks to:

Bucknell crew riding along side of me in March during my first marathon (a big step in believing I could finish an Ironman)
Georgetown running crew for the support and organization of group runs (Klim/Dwyer you guys rock)
Montgomery County road runners for the support, especially Vasili, Jon Weiss, and Dennis
My parents/sisters/grandpa for coming out to races and providing support
DC tri club for organizing training tris and Tuesday/Thursday bike workouts (special thanks to Ryan Strohl, Monte Hawkins, and Joe Sigismondo)
Chicago olympic trials crew for the workouts (Special thanks to Chris Wehrman who is building an army of runners in Chicago, Dan “The Dream” Weaver, Brent, Donnie… can’t wait to see you guys kick butt in NYC)
Greg Costello, who has and will continue to do great things in running (and possibly triathlons)
Ashish Patel, for showing me the dedication and work ethic required to be successful at triathlons… and also that awesome West Coast bike ride.
Kelzie Beebe (of course) and her parents who provided a place to stay in Wisconsin during a training ride, and Kelzie’s uncle for a place to stay in Louisville. Couldn’t have done it without you. Wanna swim on Wednesday?
Everyone else… Mark Scheufler, Evan Honeyfield, Jesse Graytock, Kevin O (who is doing IM Wisconsin next weekend), Megan N, Lauren, Jenny, Gena, Laura, Aileen (who is kicking some serious butt in races, recently became a club nationals 5K champ).

Four minutes… guess I’ll just have to do another one.

TRAINING REPORT

Not sure where everyone is at or who is still running, alive, etc. I met up with Melissa, Susanna, Julie, Chris and his girfriend yesterday at 7am. We ran a solid 90 minutes or 13 miles as a group in Rock Creek Park and then Melissa went to add on some more. My total for yesterday was 17 as it is a 2 mile out and back run to the park from my house. Melissa looks strong as she seemed to handle the humidity well. Hope she is able to maintain for a Fall marathon.

I felt fine after the training yesterday and was able to use the WAWA race today as a good tempo. It was mad hot and the course is one big hill, so it is an excellent run to enhance strength and endurance. I was not in race shape but did what I wanted, which was to run a hard 10 miles at just under 6 minute pace. I tacked on a few more to make the total 13 miles. Aaron Church and Wardian raced it with Wardian taking the win in just over 53 minutes.

Considering the hard day yesterday and today I feel good. Legs are tired but that is to be expected. Looking forward to peaking for a October Marathon.

Hope others are doing well

________M

Tempo on Monday

I've been doing tempo runs on Mondays for a few weeks now--when my racing and traveling allow for it-- and am tired of pushing myself along those long, boring stretches alone. Anyone up for joining me? I know it's not a tempo for some of you speedy guys out there, but I could still use the help if you are feeling particularly chivalrous!

WHAT: 10 minute warm-up; 45 minutes-- starting about 6:20 pace and working down close to or under 6:00; 10 minute cool down.
WHEN: Monday (8/27)
WHERE: C&O Canal (I'm jogging over the Key Bridge from the Gold's Gym in Rosslyn)
TIME: Meet across from the store (by the Key Bridge) at ~ 5:00. I know this is early-- I'm on recess hours here on the Hill. If someone needs to meet later, I can accomodate with enough of a heads up.

Let me know (rungiraffe@gmail.com) if you are interested.

Thanks!

-LT

Saturday Run

Max is running early and Allen won't be around, but I plan to meet at the DC/MD line at Rock Creek Park at 0900 for an easy run. I have a bad sinus infection and haven't been running but I should be good to go on Saturday. Therefor, I am only running around 6-7 miles and don't want to make the trek to the store. If anyone wants to meet, simply reply in comments. Again, I won't be running fast/long but will do my best to make jokes etc.

If there is an interest in meeting at the store, someone should start a post.

TRAINING SCHEDULE

NO Running tomorrow. Weights and stretching only.

Tuesday I will do a Marathon speed workout ala Wilson. 2 mile warm up and Farltlek run of 3 minutes on and 1 off. Do this 10 times on the canal. Meet at store at 4:30 or 5 if anyone is interested.

Wednesday is 10 mile easy run.

Thursday is 7 miles easy in the morning and 5 miles easy in the eve.

Friday is Hills.

Saturday and Sunday are still up in the air.

No more talking. Soley focused on a goal. Yah right. M

RUNNING REPORT

Sorry Allen, I did not read your post in time or I would joined you. I ran a miserable 21 miles this am from the store(on my own). I do not like running long runs alone in DC as there is nothing new for me to explore and my mind wanders into oblivion and I get bored. Oh Well. Ran 21 miles in 2 hrs and 18 minutes. Out and back. Started at the store and did a straight shot down rock creek park all the way to the intersection of east way highway and the park and a little beyond. This is right around the area we meet for DC/MD line runs. At that point, I turned around and ran more or less back to the store. I think this about 21 miles. If I am wrong and someone has GPSed it, let me know. Anyway, at the 1 hr and 45 minute spot, I really started to get hungry. My body felt weak and I was light headed. I thought about laying on the ground and pretending to be really out of it so that someone would feel sorry for me and give me a goo or something. I thought better of it and kept going and struggled on home. Not all runs are fun.


M

Long Run Sunday

I am going to be doing 15-17 miles at some point tomorrow morning. I am open to all paces, more like from 6:00-7:00 min pace. If anybody wants to meet up somewhere, let me know. It will probably be convenient to meet at the store since I have to work tomorrow at 12.

birthday cheer for all to hear

I would like to wish Ms. Megan Sowa and Ms. Dawn Sell a happy birthday. Megan will be all liquored up in Clarendon at 7:00 if anyone is interested. Her number can be located in the bathroom stalls of many fine establishments under the words "For a good time call." Or just call me (if you have my number).

SAT RUN

All,

I am meeting at the store this sat for 10-12 mile run at 8:30am. Will be some fartlek thrown in. Probably 3 mile warm up with 5 mile fartlek and 4 or 5 easy miles at the end. So far Jim and Steve are joining. I assume Allen is doing a run from the store as well.

M

LetsRun

I saw this on LetsRun and just about died...

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2074153

Running on water

This morning I met Jake for a pool running session: an excruciating 30 minutes of struggling not to sink or swallowing the pee infested waters along with a handful of other dedicated, pain-loving athletes. At least we were good entertainment for the lifeguard, who (when awake) looked rather amused by our activity. If you look hard enough, you'll see the lead weights in Jake's ankles... come and join the fun if you dare.

ITS CALLED BS

Dudes, if you do not know me by now then i forever give up and will go into hiding with the Pacers! No seriously, most of my posts and chatter is combination rambling, love, mixed in with some running talk/opinion. It's all for fun as what is life without ribbing, humor and yes, making a living somehow and some way.

Running is a strange animal to me. I have been aquainted with it for only a few years and still am wrestling with the whole concept of killing my body for....................endorphins, beautiful women, lots of dough, ya da ya da. Why we run and race, at least at our level is all about that inner-untamed animal within.

over and out

M

Long-ass response

My response to Max's comment in my recap post (below) was so long I had to make it a blog in my own page. please read and comment. I want all your opinions.

CLICK!

RACE REPORT

Came in from CO and went to the race with little or no sleep. Felt the power of..........not sure. Anyway, got to Leesburg about 5:30am and ate breakfast. This is the first time in my life I got to a race early. Saw lots of familiar faces as I drank my coffee and milled about. As race time approached, I saw young stalwart, Allen Carr wandering about with a big grin. Of course, he said he was in shabby shape and not really sure what he might run. I think once he saw his old college buddy at the race(the guy who won) the competitive juices started to flow. Allen ended up running well and coming in at #2 for the 10K.

I was not sure what i would run for the 20K. As the race gun went off, I tried to keep race champion Aaron Church in site. Not to be as the legs are strong from mountain running but there is still not much turnover. Ran even the whole way and was able to move a little faster on the way back and finished strong. Though I am not disapointed, with my time, it is a full 4 minutes slower than what I did last year.

Lesson learned is it can take up to 6-8 months to recover from a serious injury.

Good news is I can run with very little pain and am having fun.

Hope others are training well.

M

Leesburg 20k Recap

Click HERE.

Kudos to Allen and Max for great performances on a warm day. IF I missed anyone else, my apologies.

LOCKWOOD UPDATE

I have been traveling to the most incredible natural places in the United States over the past 2 weeks. Out and into the natural world does wonders for the soul. Lots of very slow mountain and trail running. No speed and no stress=fun and lots of love.

Check out Salida, Colorado, the Alpine Loop in Co, Durango Co, Gateway Co, Grand Junction Co, Lander Wyoming, Rock Springs Wyoming to name a few.

Saw up close, moose, golden and bald eagles, rattle snakes, elk, deer, antelope and lots of endless mountains and ladnscapes that make me proud of this great country.

I am running the leesburg 20k this sun.

chill

M

Wed Tempo Run

6:30 as usual from the store. Capital Crescent- 5x Mile at 5:15-5:30s with a 1/2 mile moderate recovery(3:30s)... Takers?

Leesburg 10k/20k

I am pretty sure I am going to run the 10k this Sunday. I saw that Dane was planning on running the 20k in one of the comments earlier and Max is listed in the 20k but he has been M.I.A. for a week or so now.
Is anybody else planning on running the race? And also does anybody know who the race director is because I can't find it anywhere on the races site?

Saturday Run

We will be meeting at the store at 8:15(8:30 start time) this Saturday for the usual easy distance run. It sounds like we will be doing the same run we did 2 weeks ago where we headed up the trails towards Rock Creek and back down. Staying in the shade will probably be the best bet considering the heat index got up to 105 today.
I will be there fairly early in hopes of getting in a 15-17 mile long run; if anybody else wants to get in on that let me know.

North Face 50k Recap

If you would all like to read a recap on the 50k Luke and I ran this past weekend, please feel fere to click here and go on over to my blog.

Luke ran stellar for a first ultra and not caryring his own water (dumb, dumb, dumb!)