Flowin' Owen

Time: 52:42

Distance: 10.63k

Pace: 4:57

Map

I got to run with my old roommate and teammate at Brown this morning. His girlfriend is in Duke's Medical School and is hospitable enough to let me crash when I come to Durham. She informed me last night that Owen was arriving late and we fixed a plan to give him a little surprise upon opening the front door. Anyway, fast forward to this morning, we got to go out and get in some distance together. He had found some trails near Katie's house his last visit and that's where we ran.

It was a little sketchy getting to the trails as the sidewalks in Durham were seemingly designed by Shel Silverstein. Once we got to the trails it was nice to wander around a pond that was an old rock quarry. Owen informed me that the quarry provided much of the rocks that helped to pave Interstate 40. Learn something new everyday.

Slangin' Karhu Kicks

Time: 60:01
Distance: 8.51 miles
Pace: 7:03
Map

This was my first solo run since being in DC. I was in a rough place after last night, not due to the drinks but the lack of sleep. I've probably averaged 5 hours a night since being in DC which isn't ideal but is the way it has to be. I considered sleeping in and forgetting the run, but then I figured I would be in a grumpy mood trying to fit shoes knowing I had been a slackass.

I ran out of the hotel and headed down the hill. The streets were quiet and still. There is a fall chill in the air that brings memories of cross country season. I found my way down to the Arlington Bridge and ran across to the National Cemetery where I decided to turn around and run back along the bike path through Rock Creek Park. I had a general sense of where I was going and eventually came to the Connecticut St. Bridge that goes over the park. I was familiar with the bridge having walked across it with Jilane, Aja and Meagan a couple of years ago. However, to get to the bridge from the park, you have to run up this massive hill to a good eating spot called Open City. I had no time to waste and had to be back at the hotel so that I could clean up and get down to the expo that ran from 9 am to 7 pm. Woof!

The second day of the Nation's Tri Expo was a success. I sold more shoes and received great feedback from the participants. We had some good rushes where I was handling 4 people and answering multiple questions at the same time. It brought back memories of working in OK Runner on a busy Saturday. I was even visited and brought a coffee by Ms. Jilane Rodgers. Overall the day was a success. We sold lots of Craft apparel and I handled my own on the Karhu front. I would have liked to sold more, but some people weren't ready to pull the trigger.

The breakdown was super quick and we were off to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Corey, Kris (DC rep), Emily and I had a great meal at a small place just around the corner from the hotel (Hilton Washington aka Hinckley Hilton where Reagan was shot). Afterward we walked down to Dupont Circle and got a drink at some outside patio bar. It was fun to people watch but much too uptight for our style. Last night with the mustaches was a better laugh (you'll have to wait for that story since I'm posting recent to long ago).

Oh yea. It was 9/11 today. Very strange being in the nation's capital on this day and not really being able to take in the meaning since we were all downstairs building the brands.

Splits:
8:13, 7:25, 7:08, 6:53, 6:46, 6:40, 6:42, 6:59

Party Started

Time: 68:41
Distance: 9.60 miles
Pace: 7:09
Map

Mr. Owen Washburn rolled by the hotel a little after 7:00 this morning and we hit up the DC tourist sites. He took me on a route past the White House and onto the Mall. We ran by an Army unit on their morning pt which involved lots of shouting. We took a loop around the Capitol building, where you get to see the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. We headed up 14th St. and parted ways at Columbia Ave which took me right back to the hotel.

Today is the start of the Nation's Tri Expo and it's my job to "sell the shit out of Karhu." The prices were right and people were buying. I had some negotiators, but I held firm to our bargain prices. Conversing with the participants was great fun and I tried to talk to as many people as possible even if they weren't trying on shoes. As any rep would attest, expos are one of the most tiring aspects of the job. It's a lot of time on the feet, long days and little time to eat. However, I'm of the opinion that you have to make the most of the situation and it might as well be fun. I try to joke with those passing by and wish as many people good luck.

I was definitely tired at the end of the but was ready to rally for a fun night in DC. I met up with Owen, Katie, Ben Stern, George McArdle, Nark, and some others at Bedrock Billiards after having dinner at Bistro du Coin with Emily, Corey and a couple others. The dinner was great and it left me full of steak for the second night in a row. The papas frittes were on point too.

I had a fun time catching up with the boys at a dive bar that only Owen could find. When we arrived half a dozen people were running around with fake mustaches on. I had no idea what was going on but it definitely lightened the mood. A guy came up to me and offered me a fresh mustache straight from the paper backing. How could I refuse. I promptly attached it to my face and immediately felt like an asshole. Sorry to all those mustachioed readers out there, but how do you do it?

Drum roll please... I would like to introduce you to Pancho Kinley and Emily Sanchez.

Don't mess with this couple mang.

DC Tour

Time: 74:22
Distance: 10.20 miles
Pace: 7:17
Map

Owen and I started out the run in Rock Creek Park running south and then took a spin through Georgetown. He showed me the newest Apple store that had to fight to join the community. Next we ran down to the Washington Monument where we ended some pickups that started near our buddy Abe Lincoln. We ran halfway up the Mall before hooking a left on 14th and running straight north back to his home.

My work day started off back at the Pacers Logan Circle location. I got to meet the manager Robbie Wade who is an Irishman that knows a lot of the same people that I do. We weren't able to chat long because the store was super busy with an apparel showing, customers and a policeman who would have loved to stay all day and talk track. I believe his name was Reggie Harrison and back in the day he ran 44 point in the 400m for George Mason. (I just did a quick google query and can't find anything so I might have the name or school wrong, but Robbie confirmed it). Anyway, we narrowed our shoe choices down from everything on the wall to a pair of New Balance, Adidas and Karhu. In the end which did this guy pick? Karhu! That's right the former 44 point guy came through with a pair Forward Rides.

That made my morning and in the afternoon I went over to the Hilton Washington to help set up the Karhu/Craft booth in the Nation's Tri Expo. We got a good jump on the event and will be able to finish up in the morning. Dinner tonight was at the F Street Bistro where Corey's former athlete now manages. The manager hooked us up big time with a great meal and discount.

DC Fun Run with Owen

Time: 78:22
Distance: 9.56 miles
Pace: 8:11
Map

Yesterday evening I arrived in Washington, DC and immediately walked over to a bar with Owen to play some trivia. The team competition was close and our table was in the hunt for the win going into the final round which we absolutely tanked. The music round was not for Owen, Ben, myself and their two friends.

We were up relatively early for a run from Owen's house to Rock Creek Park. It was good to catch up and chat about all the people we do and don't keep up with these days. The weather was a plus too as it felt a bit like cross country season. Our average pace wasn't so hot but considering some of the hills and relaxed early pace it turned out being fine. After my run yesterday I'm not concerned about getting in quality runs, but just the stuff that will allow the body to recover.

After dropping Owen off at the Brookings Institute I headed over to Pacers' Arlington location. I found a money parking spot behind a building under heavy construction which allowed me to avoid the street meters. I had a great visit with the staff at the store and helped out as much as possible. From what I could tell, Karhu will be a success there. Later in the day I drove over to the newest Pacers store in Logan Circle which is right next to a Starbucks that I lounged at the last time I was in DC. This location is no more than 5 minutes from Owen's work. My parking spot this time was found across the street at Whole Foods.

I just missed the manager Robbie, but had a good chat with former American University runner Steve Hallinan. He is now one of the key members of the Pacers Elite Team. I half invited myself to their workout in the morning, but ended up not going because they are ready to start their intervals at 6:00 am and I was already going to have a long day.

Day Off in DC

Time: none
Distance: none

I didn't get out the door this morning for a run and then it started raining. Little motivation + rain = no running. I needed a day off anyway after this past weekend's amount of racing.

During the afternoon, Nark's brother who is in town from the Caribbean came out to Columbia Heights for some Best Buy shopping. I was just lounging at Owen's house watching a bit of soccer. We enjoyed a snow cone and then headed out to meet up with our friends for dinner and beers.

We found ourselves at a bar that had open mic night. The cover bands were okay, but the stand up comedians were terrible. One was an old dude with a sweet fedora had terribly awkward routine with some shouts and mumbling. The other was a girl who was too nervous in front of a live audience and the only response to her punchlines were crickets.

DC with OW

Time: 46:38
Distance: 5.85 miles
Pace: 7:58
Map

I had a nice recovery with Mr. Washburn this morning from his house up in Columbia Heights. We started off by dropping an 8:54 mile out the door. Owen's big Cherry Blossom performance had forced some tight hamstrings. I was happy to run slow and wander through the streets of DC eventually finding Rock Creek Park. We ran up some huge hill with a decent grade around mile four. The hill took us past a couple embassies which is always a refreshing reminder that Washington, DC is a city of international importance. It was good to catch up with a good friend and former teammate on the run.

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Time: 53:36
Distance: 10 miles
Pace: 5:19
Map

Want to know how not to run a big 10 mile race? Don't run a half marathon the day before, drive 8 hours, sleep 6 hours, and run the opening mile in 5 minutes. Despite all those factors, I was still thinking I could run a respectable time somewhere in the 52:30 range or 5:15s.

Here's how the splits summed up my race:
5:02, 5:15, 5:05, 5:15, 5:18, 5:25, 5:34, :14 (to get back on the course's mile markers), 5:36, 5:30, 5:18.

I went out too hard the first mile, hung tough for 4 miles, sucked for a couple miles, folded for the second day in a row, got caught by my Charlotte Running Club teammates and then ran the last 1,000 meters. That's the simple summary of my race.

The more detailed summary would start back up in Columbia Heights were Ben Stern, Owen, Ben Clark and a couple of others would walk to the Metro. Our plans were to meet up with George McArdle near the start of the race at 7:10. The race time was 7:40 and my window for getting a proper warm up was gone. I ended up being able to jog about 4 minutes total from the Metro to the corner to find George and then another 4 minutes after bag checking my warm ups.

I managed to find Dan Matena and the rest of the Charlotte Running Club crew and we all made our way to near the front of the race. Before settling into the corral just behind the Kenyans and Ethiopians, I was able to see Caitlin and Megan Hovis run by at the start of the women's elite race. They received a 10 minute head start so that proper press coverage could be given to the ladies.

The race off the line was competitive and I was quick through the first mile. I didn't have any particular goals heading into the race which was probably my downfall. I wanted to enjoy the race experience and help out the CRC, however after not running up to par in the half marathon, I was seeking a bit of redemption. The pace was honest for the first 5 miles and then I fell apart. The wind in Haines Point combined with the early pace did me in. I backed off for a couple of miles and let some guys pass me. With about a mile to run I was caught by Dan Matena and John Compton. To give you a bit of perspective, I went through five miles with an official split of 26:05 to their 26:53. I picked up the pace for the final few minutes feeling recovered, but not interested in racing. I think I passed back a couple of guys and finished 37th overall a few seconds back of Compton and a few strides up on Matena.

For the second day/race in a row I crumbled when it started to hurt. I had a couple of guys to run with from miles 6 to 8, but I refused to man up. I thought I would be able to handle the entire race better than I did. It's time to get back on a more organized training/racing schedule.

After the race I was in pretty rough shape. I didn't cool down at all and on the Metro home I had to stop to vomit in a trash can. Since all I had consumed that morning was coffee and water it was a big deal. Before getting back to Owen's house we made a stop at a grocery store to purchase some Pedialyte. I didn't feel better until around noon while we were at the Red Derby and I was finally getting properly hydrated with water, Pedialyte, and a couple bloody mary's.

Tarpy and Washburn

Time: 61:12
Distance: ~8.5 miles

I spent the morning bumming around Jilane and Ben's apartment before leaving for a hipster coffee shop. The joint served the black stuff in a French pressed fashion. While we drank coffee Ben and I got smoked at Scattergories by our female companions.

I got to run with Mr. Washburn and Mr. Tarpy in the afternoon through Rock Creek Park. I met up with them at Owen's apartment and we left for the park. The route was very similar to one I ran last year about this time when Aja and the crew was together for Marine Corps Marathon. During the run I got some inside information on Tarpy's plan for the NYC Marathon. I won't reveal all the details but the plan does involve: the subway, a sports bar, two jerseys, a shave and the fade route.

Austin Marathon (from the Bike)

Time: none
Distance: none
Bike: about 30 miles

It was another early morning that was filled with excitement. Yesterday, Owen did just about everything in his power to sabotage his race in hopes of finding an excuse for a poor performance. He played a few games of pong, ate a plateful of brownies, dug a hole for the whole pig and smoked a pack of cigarettes. He didn't actually do that last one. Owen was up early and looked to be in good spirits for his debut in the 'thon. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be joining him down at the start line but wanted to serve a role in his performance and watch the race from Hanley's bike.

I rode down to about the 10k mark on the course. It was along Town Lake where I caught my first glimpse of the race. The runners who I thought were the leaders came through and one of them was sporting the Brown tattoo. Turns out Dan Kahn was near the front of the race and it wasn't until later that I realized these guys were running the half-marathon. (It looks like a former NYC Marathon champion, German Silva, was in the field. I've been reading Shannon Rowbury's blog and Silva has a training facility down in Mexico where Rowbury and Leo Manzano have been putting in work.)

The press truck was about a minute behind with the marathon leader who was only about 10 seconds up on Owen and a pack of 3 other runners. Owen looked great but he was being followed closely by an obnoxious Euro dude who wouldn't leave his hip. I understand and am fully for the principles of drafting and racing tactics but when there is no money at stake in a non-championship atmosphere why not help out? I could tell that Owen was annoyed with the dude especially when his request for help was returned with a "sorry, sorry." I'm not sure if he was sorry for not understanding the question or for refusing to share the lead. Besides the Polish dude (who I don't think finished) Owen was running with Gilbert of RunTex fame.

Around 8 miles Owen and his Pollack buddy broke away from Gilbert and looked like they were going to chase down the leader. I was trying not to follow too closely or aid Owen too much because there are some written and unwritten rules to marathoning and road racing in general. I'm all for encouragement and advice but I kinda draw the line with domestiques during the race. Since I wasn't officially a part of the race I thought it be better for me to keep some distance and not appear too vested in Owen's race. Just before the halfway mark Owen had broken the Pole and was running solo in second place. He looked great and was about 20 seconds behind the leader. When he asked for a Gu packet I quickly rode ahead and asked a girl if she would hand a vanilla flavored packet to my buddy running in second place. This was probably unnecessary but a safe way of getting Owen the packet.

I decided to look up the official rules but couldn't find anything relevant, but I remember watching Geb break the WR in the 'thon and the commentator mentioned something about people on bikes not be allowed to give water or substances. I did find this interesting from the 2009 IAAF Competition Rules:

(d) pacing in races by persons not participating in the same race, by athletes lapped or about to be lapped or by any kind of technical device.

Technically, I think Gilbert could be disqualified as late in the race he was helped by members of his support crew. I think at one point he had 4 or 5 others running around him near the 24 mile mark. It's not a big deal on a race of this scale but something that definitely isn't allowed in larger races.

Anyway, Owen looked good until about 18 when the leader started pulling away and by 20 Gilbert was gaining on him. By 21 Gilbert had caught and passed and by 22 things were going from decent to poor. At one point I took a call from Tom McArdle and he asked, "Is Owen gonna win this shit?" I wish I could tell him that was going to be the case, but it wasn't meant to be. Owen's form stayed together until about 24 when the wheels fell off. I feel bad writing about the latter stages, but Owen doesn't like to sugarcoat things either. He didn't completely fall apart, but it definitely wasn't the way he envisioned closing out his debut. You feel bad when your buddy starts to falter but there isn't really anything one can do. I was a bit helpless as I watched the pace slow, the grimmace intensify and know the course was about to head up a hill. I'll let Owen give his account of the race in the coming days.

3761

Jeremy

Borling

Chicago

IL

USA

Overall

28

M

2:30:05

2:30:05

1

1

1

INC

676

57:34

1

1:15:34

1

1:54:38

3

2:30:05

2

Gilbert

Tuhabonye

Austin

TX

Overall

34

M

2:31:58

2:31:58

2

2

2

INC

741

58:06

3

1:16:35

2

1:56:22

4

2:31:58

2569

Adam

Nevens

Santa Monica

CA

USA

Overall

29

M

2:33:48

2:33:48

3

3

3

INC

942

59:20

5

1:18:08

4

1:58:22

2

2:33:48

3923

Owen

Washburn

Washington

DC

USA

M 25-29

25

M

2:36:02

2:36:03

4

4

1

INC

710

57:49

2

1:16:03

3

1:56:09

13

2:36:02

2359

Michael

McGrane

Arlington

MA

USA

M 35-39

38

M

2:36:40

2:36:40

5

5

1

INC

1217

1:00:54

8

1:20:20

5

2:01:25

1

2:36:40

1655

Jonathan

Feddock

Lexington

KY

USA

M 25-29

27

M

2:38:21

2:38:22

6

6

2

INC

902

59:03

7

1:18:00

6

1:59:17

11

2:38:21

6

Craig

Ottman

Keller

TX

USA

M 25-29

26

M

2:39:32

2:39:33

7

7

3

INC

1162

1:00:35

10

1:20:09

7

2:01:55

6

2:39:32

4948

Patrick

Darragh

Austin

TX

United States

M 35-39

35

M

2:40:32

2:40:34

8

8

2

INC

1244

1:01:04

13

1:20:56

12

2:03:25

5

2:40:32

907

Andy

Gardner

Kingwood

TX

USA

M 25-29

28

M

2:41:04

2:41:04

9

9

4

INC

1172

1:00:40

14

1:20:33

11

2:03:01

7

2:41:04

4644

Adam

Cohen

Norman

OK

USA

Master

40

M

2:41:12

2:41:12

10

10

1

INC

INC

INC

INC

4007

2:41:12

1429

Peter

Keenan

Saint

MN

USA

M 25-29

26

M

2:41:48

2:41:49

11

11

5

Congrats to Adam Cohen who had a great race and Pete Keenen who was part of the Dartmouth crew.

The evening's festivities were great even though Brown (Owen and I) couldn't manage a victory over Dartmouth. Terrible. We only played a couple games of pong and our performance was rather lackluster. Instead of re-posting the photos of the day, I'll simply give a link to Meagan's blog.

Valentine's Day Surprise... Better than Chlamydia

Time: ??
Distance: a partial lap of the UT rec fields
Gym: no
Bike: yes

It was an early Valentine's Day morning for me as I still had to pack for my quick trip to Austin. I was told to bring some sleeping equipment because Hanley's pad was going to be full of Dartmouth dudes. Kristi and Coleman picked me up and took me to the airport as they were on their way to Edmond for the Frigid Five. I almost didn't pack running shoes so that if I were tempted to run it would be possible to do so. I opted against that idea and brought along some kicks in the hopes of scoring a bike to watch the marathon.

The flights went without a hitch. It would be pretty hard for Southwest to mess up two 35 minute flights (OKC to Dallas to Austin). I gave Owen a ring to tell him that I had landed and he told me that "we" would be there shortly. I assumed "we" referred to Owen + Hanley, but I was surprisingly greeted by Owen + Meagan. She pulled off a wonderful stunt and came to hang out for the weekend. Great Valentine's Day gift. Since, I didn't know she was going to be there her present didn't come along. The afternoon was spent hanging out at Hanley's and being introduced to lots of folk, some familiar faces and lots of new ones.

I rode the bike during Meagan's double run in the afternoon. Hanley has a decent road bike that requires biking shoes, but I was able to ride with the Lunartrainers rather comfortably. I took Meagan in the direction of Owen's old neighborhood and even found the rec fields that I ran on a few years ago when I was down in Austin for the Texas Relays. We got to the fields and I was in good spirits so I ditched the bike and jogged a lap with Meagan. The achilles felt okay. It didn't hurt, just a little sore, but running anything legitimate wouldn't be a step in the right direction.

In the evening I was privileged to play a little pong for the first time. Beirut is a game, flip cup is a game, but pong is a sport... or so I'm told. My new goal for the weekend is for a Brown vs. Dartmouth victory in pong. It's good to have goals and when I decided to not race the marathon I've been without focus. Being fit, injured and without focus is a terrible time.

DC Downtown Monument Run

Time: 54:32
Distance: 8 miles

Meagan and I started out from Jilane's like we did yesterday, but instead we took a little bit of cash and brought our metro cards. Our goal was to run along the Rock Creek Parkway and then run through the Mall from near the Jefferson Memorial. There were quite a few tourists and runners near the reflecting pool near the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument. It was cool running in an area with so many significant pieces of history about in such a small amount of space. We took a quick spin up towards the Capitol and then ran back near the Smithsonian Castle before taking 12th St. up the Metro Center station. This was definitely one of the best and quickest ways to see the city on my last day in DC.

Meagan and I met up with Owen back in Woodley Park for brunch at Open City, of course. I had the OC Royale which involved 2 eggs (over easy), 3 pieces of bacon, hashbrowns, an english muffin and french toast. I ate it all and helped Meagan finish her pancakes. Oh yea, we also had a chocolate muffin for dessert.

Day Off

Time: zero
Distance: zero

Running was the last thing on peoples minds today. A group of us met up at Open City for breakfast/brunch. We had a good time rehashing stories from the night prior and talking about our excursion to rubber product stores. The body feels pretty decent, but it could use a day off.

In the evening Meagan and I took the metro all the way out to Fairfax, VA to meet up with her good friend from Texas. We went to dinner at Uncle Julio's and Meagan and I split the matamoros. We saw that frog legs were on the menu and I jokingly suggested we should get them, but we were really wanting fajitas. The matamoros luckily combined frog legs and more traditional fajita stuffing items.

Kermit the Frog.

Marine Corps Marathon

Time: 114:47
Distance: ~16 miles

The day arrived and normally I might have been a little disappointed that I wasn't competing competitively, but I took solace knowing that I'd be helping Meagan and Jilane run a great race. I didn't sleep great the night before because I was on duty to let Jeff into the apartment upon his arrival from Charlotte. He got in around 1 am and I promptly went back to sleep for another 4 hours. The alarm went off at 5 am and it was time to get things rolling. I had to head over to Colin's house to pick up a hungover Owen and bring him back to Jilane's before the crew made up of Owen, Jeff, Jilane, KP, Aja, Meagan and myself were to leave for the metro.

Outside the air was cold, a little humid but there was no wind which made the weather ideal for marathoning. We boarded the metro in ideal fashion as trains were pulling up just as we were walking onto the platform. The metro was bustling with all the marathoners, friends and family heading to the start of the race. Some people were visibly nervous, others relaxed and joking (Owen and I), others shivered while some fidgeted. We got off the train at the Pentagon and proceeded to make our way near the front of the race.

The howitzer sounded at 8 am and the race was off with our group (injured Team OJ and Team MJ) was only about 6-8 seconds behind the actual start line. It was a little difficult to navigate our way through the mass of people out in front without wasting too much energy. I would say that by a half mile we were into a decent rhythm and despite comments to get me to slow the pace down we went through the first mile right on pace in 7:02.

Our splits for the first 8 miles looked something like this:
7:02, 7:06, 6:29, 6:25,
6:34, 6:43, 6:56, 6:32...

Meagan made a comment around mile four that her stomach was hurting and by mile eight we needed to stop. She and I bombed down the hill and to the facilities while Owen and Jilane continued on with the race. When we reentered the race I could see that the new Team OJ was about 80-100 meters ahead of us and I wanted to use the next mile or two to catch up with them. I actually didn't split the 8th mile (I stole that split from Jilane's log) and the two miles between 7 and 9 were a combined 13:40. And that includes the bathroom break. I don't have a split from 8 to 9 as a result but I bet it was another 6:30 if you consider a pit stop takes 40 seconds.

Meagan and I got to mile 9 and I urged her to take a Gu but she wanted to let her stomach settle. Around this point a Mizuno sales rep from Florida whom I met the day before at the expo caught us and we ran together for about a half mile. Meagan still looked good and we were clipping along but Owen and Jilane were not coming back. Our splits from 8 to 11 look something like this:
13:40 (includes stop), 6:35, 6:32

Meagan still looked good and neither her breathing nor turnover had changed much from the start of the race. After the fast mile on 11, we backed things off for the next couple miles.
6:47, 6:48

Just after half-way which we went through in 1:28:xx, Meagan had to go to the bathroom. Again. At this point I was getting a little frustrated and I knew she was even more frustrated by having to stop. At this juncture I stopped my watch and just waited. Meagan made the comment upon resuming that her legs felt fine but her stomach was still killing her. At some point I basically forced her to eat a Gu in hopes that she would have something for later in the race and considering we were still on sub-3 hour pace with a couple stops, things weren't looking all that bad.

My remaining splits were:
6:29 (coming off a break), 6:48, 6:41, :30.

I jumped out of the race around 16 miles when I spotted Owen. We left Meagan about 15 meters behind two women who were looking strong and I hoped that she was going to be able to use them to her advantage. I was a little upset at this point and vented to Owen about my frustration and hoped for the best as Meagan was going to do a loop around the Mall.

Owen and I made our way across the Arlington bridge to the Arlington National Cemetery and then on to the finish. What a cruel race director or course designer! The finish basically sent the marathoners up a hill for 200m, a hill that you would choose to run hill intervals on, a hill not meant for a finish of a 'thon. Anyway, it was painful to watch the wheelchair participants inch themselves up ever so gradually. The leaders of the race managed the hill a bit better but still some had trouble getting their knees to lift after 26 miles of running.

Owen and I sat in the bleachers at the finish line for about 20 minutes before the first woman started coming in. Actually, there were two women at the finish that were only separated by 11 seconds. The tally got to 5, 6, 7 and then 8. Finally we could see Jilane at the bottom of the hill and one woman was not too far in front of her. Jilane managed to pull off a 10th place finish with a time of 2:58:10. Big ups.

I stood around and waited to see if Meagan was going to break 3 hours. She didn't. I kept waiting and by the time the 3:15 people were coming in I decided to get the eff out of there and I wanted to congratulate Jilane. I walked up the hill and Meagan was one of the first people I saw. She ended up dropping out at 20 miles and curled up into a ball. At least she wasn't the girl who tried to console her and was later seen clutching her hand with a broken finger.

Despite there only being a finish by Team J, the girls raced great. Jilane ran well the entire race even though she felt terrible the first two miles of the race. Overall, the race experience was great and I need to get fit and stay healthy so I can partake in one of these marathon things that people end up getting addicted to. Rumor has it that Team OJ (the original one) might be making a debut in Austin.

Day Off

Time: zero
Distance: zero

Meagan and I were supposed to run 4 miles easy this morning but we were out a little later than expected last night with friends. We went to dinner in Dupont with Owen, Jilane, Ben Stern, Aja and KP. It was a fun time and the food was great even though the service was quite lackluster.

I spent much of the day at the expo meeting up with Brooke who also got into DC last night. We hung out at the expo for a bit and then Aja and Jilane came to pick us up with hopes of going site seeing. Unfortunately, it rained most of the afternoon and we spent most of the day watching college football on Jilane's horribly itchy couch.

Rock Creek Park

Time: 50+ mins.
Distance: ~7 miles

Owen and Ozzie were kind fellows and picked Aja Clark and I up from the BWI airport this afternoon. It was great seeing Ozzie again (although there is no way his fat ass is going to run fast at the 8k he's been training for). We immediately headed for Rock Creek Park to drop Oz off at the Nike truck which is a behemoth. I heard the thing was a monster, but it's like a short semi (if I wanted to see a short semi, I'd talk to Wee Man).

Owen, Aja and I headed back to Colin's (Owen's buddy from high school) apartment to change clothing and then we were out the door to return to Rock Creek Park. Owen showed us some pretty sweet trails in the park, trails that he used to run at 5:45 am when he lived in DC a couple summers ago. The trees were turning colors along our route and it was hard to imagine that we were running in one of the biggest cities in the US. Overall, the run was a great way to see the park and catch up with Aja and Owen.

Later in the day we picked up Jilane from work and then headed to the Marine Corps Marathon expo to bug Meagan and her Brooks friends.

Izumo Ekiden Review

Last night I had the opportunity to chat with Jeff Gaudette and Owen Washburn about their time in Izumo, Japan. Both are on hand to compete in the Izumo Ekiden race that I raced in last year. The guys were excited to get out there and see what it was all about. I went to bed before the race concluded, but managed to find results.

It looks like the Ivy League team placed 17th overall and was won by Nihon University. There is a lot going on in the results but I will try to explain using the Ivy League team as an example. Sage Canaday started things off and ran 24:47 which placed the team in 19th, Emory Mort took the sash and ran 17:26 for his leg which was the 16th fastest split on that leg and moved the team up to 18th place, Owen Washburn ran 27:09 for the third leg which was the 17th fast split and moved the team to 17th place... Ari ran the 4th leg which is the one I ran last year. He covered the 6.5k distance in 19:47 which is solid considering I ran 19:44.

Owen and Jeff should have a good recap about the race in the coming days.

What I've Been Doing...

...not a whole lot. I'm going to roughly fill in my runs for the last few weeks in a single post.

Fri. 5/30 - 57:14

Thurs. 5/29 - 34:11

Thurs. 5/29 - 33:40

Weds. 5/28 - 40:01 (ran a mini 5k tempo with Carrot Top in 18:32)

Weds. 5/28 - 28:08

Tues. 5/27 - 34:29

Sat. 5/24 - 22:00 to the track. Convinced Mike DeCoste it would be a great idea to run a mile in sub 5:00. Owen and I took pacing duties and led off with a 75 second quarter. Down the back stretch Coste wanted to go fast so we did. The man showed some heart and clicked off a 4:47 mile in trainers. Afterwards Owen, Hamel and I paced Craigga to a 67.7 Freeman. Yup, we still got it.

Fri. 5/23 - 35:40 to the Brown Stadium to watch Oz and Sarro run a tune up workout for Regionals. Did some light jogging on the infield with Owen.

Thurs. 5/22 - Shakeout run in the morning with Meagan. Beer mile in the evening. See post below.

Weds. 5/21 - 45:01 in the streets near Brown and down by the Blvd in Providence. Ran with Meagan up to campus and then headed down Lloyd where we ran into Oz and SarBro. They joined us for the next few miles.

Tues. 5/20 - 28:16

Sat. 5/17 - 63:03. Wow that was a good run. Perhaps that was with Geoff Thurner and Jilane in the streets of Norman.

Fri. 5/16 - 88:22. Who am I? That's like 12 miles. Ran out at Lake Draper with Jilane and Thurner. Went to the end of the dirt trail and back.

Beer Mile

Time: 6:21
Distance: 1 mile
Beers: 4




The showdown between Christian (Bob the Belligerent Beer Mile Champion '06) and I ('07) was today. I haven't been running much these last few weeks but this race gave me the motivation to put in some work. Leading up to this race my training has been mainly focused on the drinking. However, on Sunday I went to the track and ran 3 x 400, 800m, 3 x 400 in 68, 68, 67, 2:28, 68, 69, 61. On Monday at Jilane and Tony's Big 12 party I decided Tecate was the beer of choice, not because it is Mexican but due to the fact I could drink one in under 12 seconds.



The race started a little late because the graduating class of '08 is terrible at golf. It took those slags over 6 hours to play a round of golf. Finally, once everyone was present and the PBRs were unloaded we got started. Christian was first off the line followed by John Haenle and myself. I slowly closed the gap over the 400m that was rumored to be run in 65 seconds. On the second beer I beat Tabib off the line and it was over from there. I planned on running 6:00 or better but my third and fourth beers were rather pathetic.

Hurt Tank

It's been quite awhile since my last post because I developed a pain in my right hip/quad. area. The last run I did was on Monday following Owen's departure. I went out for an easy 10 on Dead Presidents with Scott Hollingsworth and the leg never felt great. I managed to get through the run and in the afternoon I doubled with a 5 miler around Lloyd Noble. It didn't feel any better. Perhaps worse.

I decided to take a few days off to see if I could shake whatever was causing discomfort. At that point every time I landed on my right leg I could feel something was not quite right. I'm still not positive if it is muscular or if it's the bone. My freshman year at Brown I had a femoral stress fracture which wasn't any fun. At the time, I had to take off 16 weeks. Most of the time I gimped around on crutches. In this instance, I had to decide that whatever was giving me a problem needed the opportunity to heal.

It has now been a little over 2 weeks and I am able to walk comfortably again. I'm almost certain that my hips are out of alignment and I need to visit a "bone bender." I hope to get back out there soon. It's frustrating to know I was in really good shape and that I would be opening my season at the John Jacob's Invitational on Saturday. I was going to open with a 5k and was hoping to run under 14:20. What is more frustrating is now that the weather is nice I'm not out there with all the fairweather joggers. I trained through the freezing temps and windy mornings to be stuck inside on nice afternoons. Such the cycle.