Josh Runs – Page 82 – and does other stuff

Annapolis, MD

It is a bittersweet reality: The next five months of running and racing in Rochester will be my last. Since October, I have been working very hard not only on the roads, trails, and track, but also on my butt in front of my computer. As this is the final year of my Ph.D. program, it is also my “job market year,” which has required incredible preparation, hundreds of applications, and dozens of interviews. Earlier in February, my employment-seeking journey came to an end when I accepted an offer to become an Assistant Professor of Economics at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. I am very excited to begin my new career in August, but I will miss many aspects of the running scene in Rochester: the Spring and Fall season, the Erie Canal, Mendon, the Park Ave/Cobbs Hill area (where I live), and many of the fantastic races that are now very familiar to me. But most importantly, I’m going to miss running and training with some really great people that I’ve been lucky to meet the past few years. Without good friends like Travis, Pauling, and the RKR guys, all those miles would have not been nearly as fun. And of course, I have Josh to thank the most…without the countless hours of brutal speedwork, long runs in the bitter cold, and time spent thinking and talking about running (in general), there is no way my racing abilities and love for the sport would be even close to where they are now.

But great memories aside, this is a nice opportunity to spread RKR to a different part of the country, and I need to make sure that when I come back to visit, I’ve still got what it takes to compete in Rochester races! I have not yet done much research on the running scene in Annapolis, but I am confident that I can find some like-minded racers down there. If any of this blog’s readers have suggestions, please send them my way. Until the big move in August, I’m going to keep up the intensity (Josh and I rocked some really great speedwork sessions in December and we have been quickly rolling back into things over the past few weeks) and get my mileage back to 55 to 65 per week. There are many fun races to be run this Spring: Johnny’s 5mi, Spring Forward 15K, Flower City Half Marathon, McMullen Mile, and of course I have to defend my Wa Wa Waddle title! Until then, I just need to keep telling myself that Winter is almost over….isn’t it?!

A Mighty Wind

Spring has yet to arrive in Rochester, and even though it wasn’t snowing during todays workout it was only about 25 degrees and the wind was at a steady 20 mph with gusts well over 30 mph out of the wnw. Mike and I had a 4×1 mile workout planned on a 1 mile stretch of the Erie Canal trail which just happens to run east-west. We knew from doing our warm up strides into the wind that it was going to be rough, but we had no idea how rough it was going to be.

We ran the first one with the wind and were flying along nicely until the final 100 meters when we hit a pack of ice and snow that had blown onto the trail forcing us onto a small rocky patch along the canal that had some traction. Despite that little set back we managed a fairly easy 5:14 which we both agreed was really a 5:12 because of the slow down on the snow. Our return trip took 30 seconds longer and that was with us switching every 400 meters to share the burden of breaking the wind. I was not surprised by the slow time, but I was surprised at how hard it felt.

The next rep we really got moving and ran a 5:06 with the wind pushing us along. You know it is windy when you are running 5 minute pace and you can feel the wind still shoving you along. Even though we were just taking 90 seconds rest I was feeling pretty good as we turned to face the wind one last time. The first 800 meters went nicely in 2:50 but then things took a horrible turn for the worst. The next 3 minutes the wind was howling the kind of wind that just stands you straight up. I felt like was I at a dead sprint the last 400 meters and we ran it in over 1:40. When we finally finished I felt like I just ran up 100 flights of stairs. I am certain had we run that hard with no wind it would have been well under 5 minute pace.

All this has left me dreaming of a warm calm day in May when I can get on a track!

Freezeroo #6 10K in the snow

After all my worrying and complaining, the weather turned out to be not so bad. At race time the temps were right around 20 degrees and there was a melted patch cleared down most of the center of the road. I was impressed by the turnout of about 200 people for this the last in the Greater Rochester Track Clubs Freezeroo Series. I didn’t run any of the previous 5 so i was not in the running for the series title, but I did think I had a shot at winning this particular race.

This race was also to be the debut of my new adiZERO Gebrselassie Special Edition shoes. I was even welcomed to the starting line bu a whispered “Who’s the guy in the bright shoes?” I am happy to report that the shoes felt great, and even at 3 oz heavier than my Asic Pirhanas I didn’t feel them on my feet at all.

I got the run down on the current series standings from Matt Roberts (above in the yellow shirt) he was the current series leader beating Josh Harter by 1 point. The first 4 people in the standings were all on the line so it looked like everyone was really going to be fighting for every place.

I took a quick lead from the gun, but was soon passed by by Keith, who gave me a good run for my money over the next 400 meters until eventually fading off the pace. Josh H, Matt R, and a guy I don’t know in blue hat and white singlet stayed in tight pack right behind me for the next few miles. My plan was to get out quick but relaxed and hopefully open up a bit of a gap during the first mile. The sound of foot steps never faded as I hit the first mile in 5:35.

This picture above gives you an idea of what the roads were like. Up front it wasn’t much of an issue but I imagine that passing was tough in the middle of the pack. This shot also gives you a nice look at what the hills were like. None of them were terrible, but the whole course just kind of rolled. I ran the next 2 miles in 5:44 and 5:41, which was slower than I wanted but the sound of foot steps had started fading and I was having trouble finding the motivation to really push the pace. I hit the turn around at 5k and for the first time got a look at my lead which seemed to be about 10 seconds on a pack of 3 runners.

freezeroo7 — Matt Roberts and the chase pack.

This picture makes it look like I was really suffering, but in fact I was feeling pretty good. I was just thinking I had to make up this hill just before the 4 mile mark and then I could make a strong push for the finish. I apparently took it a bit too easy and clocked my worst split of the race 5:55. I knew I had run that mile slower but I was annoyed to have run it that slow and started to make a strong effort for the first time in the race.

We got spaced out by this point in the run but I hadn’t looked back and didn’t really know how close anyone was.

After my 5:55 mile I thought they might be on my tail. I mentally told the chase pack to “eat my shorts,” and I picked up the pace (or at least that is what Lisa typed I was thinking when I stepped away from the computer for a minute). I put in a 5:42 4th mile.

There was one last big hill at mile 5 then a nice long gradual downhill until a very un-fun 200 hill the last .2 miles. I finished with a 35:25 splitting the last mile in 5:32 with a 74 final .2. This was a 50 second PR and although this was not as fast as I was hoping to run I can’t complain about any PR and a first place finish. Race Results Here

I’d like to thank the guys at Rochester Runner Pics for the great photos! They are at lots of the area races and do a great job.

so much for zen and dealing with snow.

It was just a month or so ago when I was proclaiming how nice it was to just let winter wash over me and embrace it as it part of running in Western NY. Well now it is the end of February and my good will toward the snow is gone. Last week Lisa reproached me for loudly proclaiming “This is Bullshit!” when I saw the weather called for snow on my long run day. Now as another storm rages outside I don’t even have the heart to curse it anymore. I’m just worn out by it, in January we had 3 days with no measureable snow. A few weeks ago we actually warmed up for a few days and 90% of the snow was gone until we got hit by a fresh 10 inches. Yesterday I saw a few patches of grass but after this latest storm and projected temps in the 20’s for most of the next 10 days it will likely be sometime before the ground makes a reappearance.
Tomorrow I’m running the last of the Freezeroo races. A flat out and back 10K course that I was hoping to set a PR on. It is probably going to be about 19 degrees at the gun and who knows what the roads will be like. The crazy thing is I still have a good shot at a PR since my old one is so bad. For awhile I was debating whether or not to run the race depending on the weather. I finally decided I was going to run no matter what. Not because of some inner peace about the weather, but more to spite it. It is my way of saying screw off winter, I’m done with you.