Oxymoron

by coach Oscar Gonzalez

There are many oxymorons that we used in the English language.  Words such as JUMBO shrimp, girly man, awfully pretty, and black gold just to name a few.  However, after I started training for and running marathons I eventually came up with my very own oxymoron….”successful failure”.  Let me tell you about how this term came about.

My very first marathon was San Antonio 2009.  That had to have been one of the hottest damn summers I have ever trained in.  Despite the heat, every training run was AWESOME.  I felt like a million bucks every Saturday and every run during the week was equally as great.  I experienced no cramping, no dehydration and no injury.  I was training for a 3:45 and was confident that I would achieve my goal on race day.  Plus, the marathon was in November and I was looking forward to a nice, cool race.  BUT I forgot that in Texas weather is anything but predictable.  I walked out of my hotel and was greeted by a warm blast of air and a ton of humidity.  I stuck to my race plan…big mistake.  This was my first successful failure, although I had yet to realize it.  I cramped, I bonked, I died, I walked, I ran, I stretched, I failed, I ran a 4:22 but I finished.

My next marathon was, once again, San Antonio.  I wanted revenge for the previous year.  I trained a little harder, a little faster.  I was training alongside some of my group members that were faster than me the previous season.  However, my overall “A” race for this particular season was for Austin.  San Antonio was supposed to be a fun run.  I started out with the 4 hour or so group.  And by the half way mark I had almost caught up to the 3:45 group.  But this was also the point where I jammed my knee and that was end of that race.  DNFs suck.

I took a couple of weeks off and did nothing but mope around the house and then got back to training.  I was determined to make Austin my come back race and redeem myself.  I still trained with the faster group.  I still had my 3:45 goal.  I figured that Austin would definitely be a cooler race since it would be in mid-February.  I mean, it was in the 40’s when I ran the Austin half marathon the year before.  But, like San Antonio, it was warm.  Is this just my damned luck?  I ran a 4:03…an 18 minute PR.  I missed my goal, AGAIN, but I set a shiny new PR.  This is when I came up with the term successful failure.

I then signed up for Chicago and trained harder yet.  I was STILL trying to hit that elusive 3:45 goal I set back in 2009.  I figured that if I wanted a cool weather race, I had to leave Texas.  Well, you guessed it, Chicago was warm too.  WTH???  I just wanted to run a cool f!@#$% race.  Was that too much to ask?  This time, I just went out with my coach’s words in mind, “You do your best with the conditions that you were dealt”.  I ran a 3:54…a 9 minute PR, ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FAILURE.

I don’t know about y’all, but these types of failures aren’t too discouraging. I could get used to failing and still setting a shiny new PR.  I might even qualify for Boston using this method, although, by that point, I might be in my 60s.

Anyway, the point of this is… DO NOT let a missed time goal make you throw in the towel.  It could have been a bad day.  In my case, all my marathons have been warm (to say the least) but a successful failure keeps me coming back for more.  I will eventually catch that goal from 2009.  Until then, I will accept a successful failure.  I will keep fighting and digging deep until I surpass the damned goal.

(Oh, and, if you want a cool weather race, you might want to avoid signing up for any marathon that I sign up for.  There seems to be a pattern.)

Make a list, check it twice

by Minh Duong

The day before Vancouver, I sat down in my hotel and put together some thoughts.

1. Be Patient
2. Trust your training
3. Love every moment
4. Only take with you what are willing to carry–physically and emotionally
5. Remember why you did this

Be patient

Coming off a hot Austin marathon, I said that I would run only one marathon ever.  I had my reasons: huge time commitment; I love sleeping in; it was off my bucket list; Texas marathons had a chance of being hot, etc.

The main reason is that I am not a long distance runner.  Many around Rogue might be surprised by that statement but it’s true.  I would say that I’m faster than average but that doesn’t equate in experience or skill at the longer distances.  I’ve run mainly 10Ks and 5Ks for many years but Austin 2011 was only my first full and San Antonio 2011 was only my second half.  There is a world of difference in opening full throttle for 10K and strategically running 26.2.  I had experienced that at longer distances, I would start to cramp up if I ran moderately fast especially in heat.

Looking back, I was impatient. Transitioning from middle distance to longer distances takes time.  Deciding to run Vancouver, I approached it with the goal of finishing strong and not qualifying for Boston. Boston would take a few seasons.  For the race at hand, that meant going out slow.

Trust your training

For a while other Rogues like my sister had been trying to get me to join Team Rogue but it was an early morning marathon group.  The target race for the spring was Boston or Vancouver.

Training for Austin, I had done a lot running at too fast a pace.  Even though it wasn’t advised, I ran faster than marathon pace for too many long runs.  By the time Austin arrived, I was a little beat up.

With Team Rogue, I followed the regimen which included learning to run easy.  I didn’t try to “head bang” anymore.  It took me days to recover from Austin.  By the next day after Vancouver, I was fine.

For Vancouver, my coach Jon Schrup worked out plans of 3:25 and we changed it to 3:15.  Most of all I didn’t want a repeat of Austin and San Antonio where I hobbled to the finish.  The plan was broken down into 5K segments and instead of steady pace, we had trained for progressive runs.

Love every moment

The hotels rooms in Vancouver at the special marathon rate went quick so I didn’t get a room in the same hotel with everyone else in Team Rogue.  Strangely enough, all the Team Rogue women who initially wanted to run Vancouver had dropped out but that worked out. I ended staying in the same hotel as the other spring marathon Rogues.  I didn’t want to be part of that Team Rogue sausagefest anyway.

It was beautiful cold and sunny morning and all the Rogues coincidentally wound up in the same subway car for the ride.  While walking to the start, we all happened to catch Allison Macsas starting her half.  I gear checked my stuff and headed to the nearest toilets in the first corral. After about 5 minutes waiting in line, a volunteer was ejecting people from Corral 1 who weren’t supposed to be there even though they were just waiting to use the toilets.  The runners protested but left the corral.  If it was a race in the US, there would have been more than words.  #EveryonewasKungFufighting

The first 5K was mixed.  I was right on target for the first mile but sped up too much for miles two and three.  I blame it on adrenaline and that hot blonde I was chasing. Who can blame me?   I was supposed to average 8:03 but ended up at 7:42.  I saw Michael Wedel pass me and kept just ahead of Ryan Zysk.   I ran into Schrup around 5K and said to him as was running too fast.

For the second 5K, I was focused on slowing down and conserving.  At this point Ryan caught me so we ran together.  We began coming down from the first set of hills. If you can call them that.  At one point a woman was yelling, “You’re almost at the top of the hill!” Ryan and I remarked to each other “That was a hill?”. I had slowed to 8:03 and was being cautious.

The 3rd 5K was uneventful and I don’t remember much of it.  I slowed down based on the hills and feel.  At the end of the segment, I began to pull away from Ryan according to plan and had been averaging running around 7:50.

From 15-20K, we ran by the University of British Columbia and there was an older man advertising for the “Bare Buns 5K”.  He was wearing nothing but a barrel.  That’s what it looked like, and I did not care to investigate further.  I was pacing at 7:30 here with a long downhill.

At the halfway point, they diverted us through a parking lot which I thought was strange but my right knee started bothering me.  For the next 10K, I sped up slightly.  The only thing I really remember was leaving the park behind and running on the bridge that didn’t crest until the end.  I was holding pace at 7:28.

Up until this point everything was going to plan. Around the 20 mile marker, my right quad locked up along with the right calf.  I almost sat down from a sudden loss of balance. From nowhere, Schrup came up and gave me a water.  I took the last of my GU and told him I was going to coast in.  There was some miscommunication as Schrup may have thought I was going to walk the rest.

The next 10K was gingerly trying to finish.  The main problem was the sea wall.  Now on a normal run or in the middle of the marathon, running along the sea wall would have been pretty.  At the end, people are gritting teeth and hanging on and it was unendingly long.  I slowed down to 8:42 by this point hoping I wouldn’t cramp every mile like had happened in Austin.

Past the 35K marker, a woman in pink shorts passed me and something overtook me.  ”Oh no she DID-NT (two snaps)”.  So I sped up to 8:21.  By this time it was warm with the sun was high in the sky, and I had taken off my arm warmers and hat.  But running along the sea wall meant sudden gusts of cold winds.  I’m pretty sure the sudden gusts caused my nipples to instantly punch two holes in my singlet.

Past 40K, it was starting to get a bit blurry but I swear that at one point we were running on the sidewalk next to pedestrians.  Schrup met me near the end as I was trying to speed up.  Speeding up brought multiple spasms and he advised me not to slow down to the safe side of redlining.  The last 2.2K was at 7:30 pace.  I finished at 3:26 which was a 20 minute PR from Austin.  Then became the second phase of Vancouver:  the journey of obscene eating.  (Warning many animals were harmed during the gluttony for which I am unapologetic).

Only take with you what are willing to carry–physically and emotionally

I didn’t bring my GPS watch because I hadn’t learned to use it yet (ancient Chinese riddle: Can anyone really learn how use a GPS watch completely).  So I relied on my manual watch and feel.  During training, I purposely didn’t take anything during the runs because I did not want to rely on gels.   For the marathon, I had one GU and portioned it for a third every hour.

Unlike Austin I had a more realistic goal so there wasn’t too much pressure.  When circumstances changed, I changed the goal without any hesitation.  Finishing with a PR was the new goal.  Going minimalist helped me to focus on the race and not anything else.

Remember why you did this

So I had all these valid logical reasons not to run another marathon after Austin or so I thought.  Then in November my friend Stacy died.  Stacy wasn’t a runner but had ran her first 5K (Race for the Cure) in the spring after battling cancer.  It had been a dream of hers and she wanted to run other races, perhaps longer distances.  But the cancer came back, and she didn’t get another chance.

It was a cold slap of reality because she was my age.  See, I didn’t actually have reasons; they were just excuses. For many of us, life presents challenges like work and family that do not allow for us to train and run a marathon.  Stacy had trained and ran despite chemo.  Compared to her, I didn’t have reasons.  All my reasons were really inconveniences and trepidations.

In December, I joined Team Rogue and signed up for Vancouver; no more excuses.  In January, Stacy’s husband sent me these pink plastic bracelets with the words “Faith – Hope – Love  Stacy” on them and asked me to wear them to remember her.  So for the next several months, whenever I woke up at 4:30 am and didn’t want to run, there was that pink bracelet on the nightstand.  No more excuses.

Somewhere in the training I was reminded why I started running again.  Even though we complain about the five pounds of sweat we lose in the summer runs and the early mornings we could have slept in, we love running.  I love running.

Getting to Boston will take some time.  Austin was the first step.  Vancouver was the second and there are many more to go.  The most important thing is that I remember why I run and not let myself become the biggest obstacle to success.  For those of you that have a dream of doing something like run a marathon, visit Kilimanjaro: find a way.  We may not get many chances in life to do what we love.

Ten marathons: Feels like it’s just the beginning

by Matt Waldbusser

The hard truth is I let myself get overweight.  In 2007, I was a father of two, working full time, and in graduate school.  I had all the excuses I needed.  While standing on the scale one day, I did not see numbers.  Instead I felt shame and embarrassment.

The answer was and still is quite simple: just run.  I ran the Austin marathon in 2008 with a 4:42 finishing time.  This remains to me one of my most proud racing moments as I proved to myself that I could do it if I just got up off the couch and ran.

After a 4:25 Austin 2009 marathon, I got the idea that maybe I should actually train with someone who knows what they are doing.  That is when I found Rogue Running.  Three years later, here I am just finishing my 10th marathon and hitting a PR of 3:47.  In 4 years I’ve been able to knock off almost an hour off my time.  More importantly:

• My health has greatly improved.  I weigh almost 40 pounds less than I did in 2007
• I used to have bad migrane headaches.  I haven’t seen one in over 4 years
• I am a happier person
• I have learned to approach things in life with the view that …”it’s not as hard as the last 6 miles”
• Through this all I have found great friends.  It takes a special kind of crazy to knock out a 20 mile run during theTexas summer.  The good news is we all found each other.

This weekend I hit my high point in running.  However, it wasn’t about what I had done that made me hit that high, it is what I know is in front of me.   I do not look at 10 marathons as what I have done, but now what it enables me to do:

• I am the healthy husband and father my wife and kids deserve
• I let all of the Rogues in Vancouver convince me that qualifying for Boston is not out of reach
• I have a coach who’s helping me focus on cross training for triathalons.  He never lets me settle in a workout.  In just 6 weeks he’s changed my mindset, the body is now to follow.

There is no way I could have done this without support from people I am very grateful for:

• Rogue Running – I continue to learn every time I show up.  The coaches have taught me a lot over the years and there is always an encouraging word there
• TUFIs – only this crazy bunch of Rogues could somehow make a 3 hour run entertaining
• Blake Uptain from Moxie Multisport – tore down all of my mental walls in 6 weeks
• Adriana – I hit the wife lottery here.  She was my cheerleader and the boot in my butt when I needed it

Finally, I am posting a photo.  I have kept this private but this is me in 2007.  I keep it on my desktop as a constant reminder of why I do what I do.

10 reasons to train for 10 miles

by coach Chris McClung

So, I am coaching a program to train for the Run for the Water 10-miler on October 28. The program starts on May 5th – THIS Saturday. For those counting at home, that gives us 25 weeks or just under 6 full months to prepare…. for a 10-miler. Now, that is no typo. Some of you will ask, why? Why do I need 25 weeks to train for a 10-miler, or maybe why do I want to train for a 10-miler at all? After all, half marathons and marathons are all the rage, right? I am writing this to answer those questions, and not because I need more people in the class. As of this moment, we have 13 people already signed up, 3 more verbally committed, and more on the way. No, I am writing this because I think many of you actually NEED this program and here are 10 reasons why…

#10: Because you need a PR. Has it been a while since you PR’d? Have you been frustrated recently by a lack of results? Well, I ask… when was the last time you raced a 10-miler?!? Exactly! Sometimes you just need a “win,” and why not stack the deck a little bit in your favor by racing a little-raced distance.

#9: Because, even if you mess it up, you can always race again in a week or two. You have put all of your eggs in one race basket before, and you have dropped that basket or had it smashed out of your hands by ugly weather. With this program, you will have a mulligan, not necessarily to use but to take the pressure off when you do race.

#8: Because you can’t stand the heat anymore. My group calls itself The Early Birds. We do our quality workouts at 5:30 am on Wednesdays. In the summertime, that can mean doing your workouts in 80 degrees vs.100 degrees. I am not a morning person, but will take 80 degrees every time. Last summer may have driven you crazy, so much so that you are contemplating another hobby this summer. Don’t do it… just suck it up and switch to the morning group!

#7: Because it is time to actually train for the first two races in the Distance Challenge. The Distance Challenge is already a challenge. There is no need to make it more so by rolling into the IBM 10k and 10-miler under-trained after a summer of vacations and debauchery. Let’s do this thing right. We will do both races as a part of this program and then tee you up to roll over into an Austin Marathon or Half Marathon program to close the deal.

#6: Because you don’t HAVE to do a marathon or even half marathon right away. Some of you have never done a marathon and are feeling guilty about it. You see all of your friends doing it. Part of you is jealous and the other part of you is telling the jealous part that it doesn’t matter… that those people are just crazy or have more time on the hands to train or whatever. I am here to tell you that you don’t have to run a marathon now or even ever. There is plenty of glory and pain in shorter races. I promise to show you that, and you may or may not like me for it.

#5: Because some of you are in a marathon rut, and it is making you slower. Marathons don’t have to make you slower. But, for some of you, racing 2, 3, 4 or more marathons a year has become disruptive to your improvement as a runner. I am here to tell you that you can’t get faster at the marathon until you get faster at shorter distances. Training for the 10-mile or half marathon distance is the perfect way to keep your mileage and consistency up, while working on speed that will translate to the longer distances. Which leads me too…

#4: Because you can train for a marathon without doing one. What’s the difference between training for a 10-miler and training for the marathon? Nothing… at least for the first 4 months. Whether you have done a marathon or not, this program will prepare you to be a better marathoner in the future by building your consistent mileage, without the training disruption of the big race at the end. Our long runs won’t be quite as long, and the speed phase will be different, but all of the same training principles still apply.

#3: Because you really, really need the longer base period… no really. At Rogue, we believe in periodized or phased training, starting with a “base” period of easy running to build aerobic strength and capacity. In this phase, we are building your aerobic engine, and the longer the base, the bigger and more powerful your aerobic engine. Some of you are so busy racing or rolling from one program to the next, that you short-circuit the base phase every time. You are running races with a 4-cyclinder engine at max RPMs vs. blowing by people with your souped-up V8. In this program, we will take our time in the base phase, while keeping it interesting with an early focus on strength and form. We are making fine wine, not moonshine.

#2: Because it’s time to break bad habits or at least start good, new ones. At Rogue, we like to say that all of the “one percents” add up to matter, and sometimes they matter more than the running itself. The “one percents” are the strength, the drills, the stretching, the strides, the recovery runs, etc. Some of you have been so consumed by the running part of your training including the long runs, that you are slacking on the one percents. In this program, we will do the one percents like they are the 51 percents.

#1: Because I care. No, I am not implying that other Rogue coaches don’t care or that I care more than they do. I want to convey that I am doing THIS program in THIS way because I care. I care that all of you have long, happy, and (if you want) continually faster lives as runners. And, I think that some of you need this program to continue to develop optimally to achieve that end. I will invest tirelessly to help you achieve your goals. We will do it together. Who is with me?!?

Want in on this? Get it here.

From Houston to Austin to…

by Jimmy Ho

I promise this entry will not be a novel this time.  After my first marathon, I was on a running high. I wanted to run the Austin full marathon.  My coach, Ruth, advised against.  I figured with all of my training that I have done, I would be easy to keep up the mileage and run Austin with a simple goal of finishing under 4 hours.  My partners in crime, Cassundra and Manny, were doing the half.  So with a little of hesitation, I signed up for the half marathon.  I knew with running half, I did not need to keep a 40+ miles running week.  I scaled everything back and was running about 20 miles over 4 days a week. Some of the runners from Team Veggie joined the advanced 10k group, but I was not interested in running as much after the marathon.  I know it builds speed, but I will find a way to improve my speed in the future.  It could be me being stubborn thinking I can do it on my own, but we will see.

 

The last month of marathon training I had scaled back extracurricular activities.  I normally play basketball at work during lunch.  I stopped that just in case I got hurt for some reason.  With the race over, I started playing basketball again.  The running definitely has helped with my speed and stamina. My game was off when I got back so it has been frustrating.  When marathon training started, I only had time to lift weights once a week for about 30 minutes.

 

Without the strict schedule or the time constraint, I am now able to lift weights twice a week for an hour each time.  I have always wanted to be jacked, but as a runner, is that possible?

 

The time between the Houston marathon and the Austin half marathon felt like forever.  I guess I like the feeling of racing because you get a sense of  ccomplishment.  Good thing I did not thoose to run the full.  I started to lose interest in running just a little bit before the race.  Going into the race, my only half time was 3M in 2011 where I ran a 1:58.  I knew that I could beat that easily.  I wanted to run a 1:30, but I figured I was out of my mind.  I met Cassundra, Manny, and another Rogue, Becky at Rogue at 6 am.  We warmed up by running to the start line.  I got a pace band from Ruth to run it under 1:45, but I knew I was going to leave the throttle wide open.  It was a cooler morning so it was great race weather.  I was once again sporting my Beef Team shirt.  One of these races I will finally wear a Rogue shirt.

 

We started off running an 8 minute pace.  It felt fast, but great on

my legs.  It was definitely crowded even though we started out in the

3:20 pace group.  I saw my wife at mile 2.  It is awesome that she

shows up to the race to support me although I tell her she does not

have to.  I do not recall that Congress Avenue is a gradual incline.

I started to pick up the pace and left my running buddies around mile

4.  I was thinking uh oh.  I am on my own at this point.  Cassundra

caught up with me around mile 7. She is a great partner although I

secretly think she is faster.  We always have a good pace going when

we run together.  We passed through the Beef Team cheering section

around mile 8 which was cool.  I saw my wife again with our friend,

Lauren, at the turn in front of city hall.  The Livestrong section

along Cesar Chavez was awesome.  I love it when the crowd provides

energy to the race. We made a quit pit stop shortly after.  After

that, there was a steady climb towards Mopac.  I was not a big fan of

that.  I was starting to feel sluggish.  I was thinking to myself, was

I out of shape?

 

Along the feeder of Mopac, I was like this sucks.  It was a little

hilly, and I was starting to doubt myself of my time.  Cassundra

started to pull away somewhere along Enfield.  I ran by a supporter

who said in a very monotone voice, “Make this race your bitch.”  I

laughed out loud and heeded her advice.  The “big” hill at Lamar was

not big at all.  I raced past everyone up the hill and even passed

Cassundra.  At the top, I was like I should be able to coast to the

big finish along San Jacinto.  It was nothing like that.  You had to

deal with a few more hills before San Jac.  At that point, my claves

started to tighten up.  I was like this is the worst timing.

Cassundra and I were side by side when I decided to sprint with 800

meters left. With about 400 meters left, my calves tighten up even

more, and I laid off the gas just enough for her to finish a second

ahead.  One of these days I will get her.  My time was 1:39:44.  It

was an 18 minute personal record, not bad at the end of the day.  I

also learned that I am pretty decent hill runner.  I, however, was

disappointed with the crowd support.  It was thinned out and not very

loud.  Houston’s crowd was absolutely incredible.  I fed off the

energy.

 

I have one more race before I am done running races for the season.  I

did not plan to do the Capitol 10K because it is so crowded, but my

half marathon time was good enough to qualify for an earlier wave so I

went ahead and registered.  I am starting to replace my Saturday long

runs with soccer.  I figured with all the running I do, it can help me

with my stamina, and I think soccer can help with my speed a little

bit.  What’s after that?  I know I will run a marathon in the fall or

winter.  Where is the question?  I like Ruth a lot as a coach so I

might end up with whatever group she will be with.  At the start of

this whole running process, I never thought I would say this- I want

to qualify for Boston.  It is probably going to take either a few more

races or for me to get older to jump into the next age group. I might

have to get to Cassundra to try to run a 3:10 one of these days.  LOL.

I think it would be an awesome experience to run Boston.

Until next time, Rogue, happy running.

Amy’s Fall Marathon Season Recap

by coach Amy Anderson

As is our custom, my athletes gathered together last night for an end-of-season celebration.  We met at the Yellow Jacket Social Club just down the street from Rogue for great food, a few adult beverages, lots of laughs and maybe a teardrop or two.

The season was scheduled to begin with Twin Cities, but a freak incident the week of the race left Kelli Hardin unable to run.  The team was hurting with her as she realized that all those summer workouts would have to pay off in a later race.

On to October 9^th.  John Strohmeyer ran his personal best (so far!) in Portland, while 11 others ran that day in Chicago.  Warm sunny conditions there gave the team mixed results.  Connie Weaver, Jessica Gonzales (BQ!), Scott Maddeaux and Oscar Gonzalez set PRs.  Alicia Isaac-Cura, Brent Weber, Don Carnes, Garrett Williams, Nathan Schatz and Jim Baird also laid it all out on the line, making the team proud.

Next up was Columbus, where Dori Livingston made her marathon debut with a strong happy race and Katherine Gross shaved a chunk of change off her previous time and set a PR.

Three team members traveled to Washington DC for the Marine Corps Marathon and all three ran personal bests!  Big congratulations were in order for Lauren Pearson, Matt Miller, and Emily Timm Miller.

Five teammates got to experience the magic that is the New York City Marathon.  Rudy Sanchez (PR! Re-BQ!), Barbara Mayfield and Andrea Guidry raced, while John and Scott were running yet another fall marathon so soon after their previously mentioned PRs.

The last race of the team’s season was San Antonio.  Hand-made signs and internal dialogue were as brutal as the weather: “Suck it up, Buttercup” and “HTFU”.  It was humid to start and hot to finish, but Erin Abrahamson ran her marathon debut with style and a victory dance at the finish line. Will McKenna set a PR while running a race prep workout for the Austin Marathon. Anna McGarity, John T. Davis, Jess Kolko, Brent Weber and Don Carnes all gutted it out to the Alamodome, impressing their coach and their teammates with their fierce determination.

As we wrapped up the evening and the season, I looked around and saw not only an amazing group of athletes, but more importantly I saw friends who have run many a mile together, shared many a memory and plan to share more of both.  I’m honored to be their coach.

CAP10K & Dallas Half Results

Rogues were racing all over the place this past weekend! A number went to Dallas for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon, while hundreds remained here in Austin for the infamous Capitol 10,000. In both cases, runners were surprised with blissfully cool, dry weather and nearly ideal racing conditions.

Results that we’ve managed to gather so far are posted below – if you don’t see yours (and want to!), please let your coach know.

Congrats to absolutely everyone, and thank you for representing Rogue so well!

DALLAS ROCK N ROLL HALF MARATHON

ALLISON’S DALLAS GROUP
Yung F.: 02:39:38 (PR)
Priscilla M.: 02:13:13 (PR)
Lauren B.: 02:40:14 (first half!)
Sally C.: 02:38:31 (first half!)
Lee H.: 01:54:40 (first half!)
Sarah P.: 03:04:07
Debbie A.: 02:00:07 (PR!)
Keri B.: 02:03:03 (PR!)
Charlene C.: 01:46:40 (first half!)
Heather M: 02:20:27 (just about equaled her PR!)

JENN’S GROUP
John Doocy 1:42:48 (very close to his PR)
Steve Vasquez 1:48:24 (huge PR!!! about 10 min. off his HM PR!)

CAPITOL 10,000

SCOTT’S BASIC TRAINING GROUP
Christine Aduddell 1:16:46
Jay Ash 55:32
Oscar Bauer 53:42
Stephanie Blacklock no time available
James Chamblee 50:33
Leanne Churchward 1:11:20
Suzanne Daniels no time available
Brunie Drumond 56:15
Kathy Ellison 1:06:37
Julie Gallo 59:18
Maureen Kelly 1:12:18
Kristin Kreisel 1:10:12
Rolando Martinez 1:01:56
Martha May 55:34
Ken Mills 1:06:24
Theresa Rangel 56:49
Sarah Saenz 1:37:51
Daniela Santoni 1:13:06
Rommel Sulit 1:00:06
Ursula Turner 1:11:58
Eric Vasquez 1:04:51
Frank Zepeda 57:11

ALLISON’S ZOOMA GROUP (TRAINING RUN)
Brunie D.: 56:15
Ashley E.: 01:11:29’
Patrictia S.: 01:00:14
Janna G.: 01:10:29
Laura B.: 01:31:24

JENN’S GROUP
Eric Smith 53:58 (PR!!)
Kristine Surowaniec 1:00:00 (5-min. PR!!)
Elizabeth Wheeler 1:02:14
Brandi Young 53:26

DARREN’S 10K PR GROUP
Christee Hodge 45:40:00
Pamela Johnson 53:27:00
Kris Martinez 40:49:00
Rose Mata 51:52:00
Demetria (Dee) Vasquez 54:23:00
Jay Washburn 42:14:00
Minh Duong 39:22:00
Mike Fitzgerald 52:29:00

CHRIS’ PR 5K/10K GROUP
Richard Bondi: 53:07 (PR!)
Brandi Duncan: 55:03 (1st 10k!)
Jenn Giles: 1:01:04 (PR!)
Becky Gordy: 53:59 (PR!)
Carey Harris: 58:21 (PR!)
Marissa Stinson: 54:46 (PR!)
Jennifer Webb: 55:00 (1st 10k!)

CINDY’S PR 5K/10K GROUP
Karen Russell: 46:50

MARILYN’S BASIC TRAINING GROUP
Zayra Villarreal: 1:07
Cameron Siewert: 1:05:46
Martha May: 55:34 (a PR for her and 2nd 10K)
Leslie Snyder: 1:34:43
Michael Pistone: 58:36
Ginger Courtney: 1:22
Mike Mahar 1:11:02
Ryan Hensley 60:52

MARK’S BASIC TRAINING GROUP
Mike Hernandez: 1:02:22
Adrienne Cunningham: 1:08:25
Susan Hochman 1:12:31

CARMEN’S GROUP
Chris K.: 35:20
Susan: 46:33
Catherine: 39:45
Cindy S.: 44:36
Jen H.: 40:45
Jen S.: 40:45
Tia: 36:51
Amy: 37:54
Seth: 42:01
Sid: 46:41

BOBBY’S PR 5K/10K GROUP
Ginger Bane – 57:00 (PR)
Ryan Bane – 49:58
Amber Dawkins – 50:35 (PR)
James Dodds – 40:37 (PR)
Jesus Gallegos – 46:52 (PR)
Sara Jacobson – 1:00
Josh Landry – 58:33 (PR)
Monica McAlister – 1:00 (PR)
Jorge Nicanor – 55:13
Kim Theel – 58:25 (PR)
Erin Tsukamoto – 56:00

CAROLYN’S NORTHSIDE RUNAWAYS
Angela McKnight: 1:07:30
Chelsea McKee: 1:01:02
Clay Hearn: 54:41
Denise Ewers: 1:04:13
Elizabeth Wheeler: 1:02:14
Eric Smith: 53:48
Jamie Dugan: 45:34
Kristen Muennink: 1:00:08
Kristine Surowaniec: 1:00:00
Lana Estess: 54:37
MyHong NguyenPhu: 54:10
Nick Delbar: 1:00:14
Saira John: 59:15
Scott Webster: 39:59
Shelley MacAllister: 1:09:35
Susan Moore: 1:11:11
Thomas Tobler: 47:56
Valori McMillen: 1:07:13

Inspiration for all!

We love hearing and sharing success stories, and recently received the following from Rogue James Dodds:

I ran quite a bit on my own in order to self train for a marathon in 2008-09. I ended up running pretty slow. My marathon time was 4:56:03. My Cap 10K was 55:20 and then I ran a 10K in Fredricksburg, Tx and ran a 53:09 … that was all in 2009 … AND I weighed 215lbs …

I decided to run with Rogue beginning in Oct. of 2009. My marathon time was lowered to 4:41:03 … that will improve this year.

BUT my 10Ks were

Cap10k: 46:07
Wildflower 10K in Fredricksburg, TX: 45:43

and I weigh about 189 now …

Running with Rogue ended up making we way faster and even helped shed a few lbs. I always tell my friends that “I must share my accomplishments with Rogue” because that is where I found that motivation and kick to really start making changes.

If you know or happen to meet James, congratulate him – that is both an amazing 10K drop and a great weight drop. We can’t wait to see what he does with that marathon time this year!

If you have a story, thought or race report you’d like to share, feel free to send it to allison@roguerunning.com for (almost certain) publication. Rogue wouldn’t be Rogue without our members, and we want everyone to hear from you!

Boston Report #4: The Roller Coaster Called Boston

by Niccole Crank

First of all I am incredibly thankful for being a part of Boston and Team Rogue, and I am thankful to the many people that support me, coach me, guide me, direct me and encourage me or even slap me around. I truly am blessed you all are what amaze me and inspire me every day. I really did not think my performance was worthy of a race report (perfectionist) but I owe it to myself and the ones that want to know what happened. It is way too long but it is good and worth the read, I love you all, you are why I run in the dark and through it. For without you it’s not worth it.

Was Boston a great race? mmmm. A great experience, definitely.

Okay to appease my family and number freaks…..I did PR, I ran only two minutes slower than each of the half marathons I competed in added together in the last 6 months (3M 1:24:18 + SA 1:27:13= 2:51:31) (Boston 1:25:10 + 1:28:19= 2:53:29), I PR’d in the 10K in Boston, I came in 42nd amongst national and world class athletes, 2nd in Texas…. And so on. These are stats my husband tells everyone (thanks honey), they make me feel a little bit better, but my time at Boston was a smaller step than intended, I am ready to move forward. I want to start competing. I am ready to jump, now I understand the requirements. I ask a lot of myself and others, maybe too much but that is part of who I am, I push the limits.

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required: and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48

You can dress it up and phrase it however you want to, but Boston #1 was just not the performance my body indicated I could do if it had been an “on day” and if my start had gone smoother, if my mind was stronger. I slipped for a few minutes, my time was disappointing, but not devastating; it is fuel for the hard work to come. In a nutshell, I was on pace to run a 2:50 or better but the fighting through the corals in the first half took the wind out of my sails, and left me more depleted than we had planned. It is what it is. Similar to a turkey sandwich, it was good but not satisfying.

On a positive note, Boston is my starting place, a new beginning. I showed up on an off day, I fought hard, I stayed with it regardless of my circumstances and pain, I did not give up, I put a dot on the radar map with my name on it. I am much more proud of the fight and coming back from the edge than of my time. The experience was life changing but my time left me with a stale taste in my mouth; it left me thirsty for a really awesome time. I did not break world records or shatter my goals, but I did find out what I was made of and also what I thought I was lacking, what I am really disappointed with, and what needs improvement.

Most importantly is learning to deal with how my perception changes when my body and mind are weak, when I am fighting off injury. I hesitate and my mind lies to me, takes me to dark places I have not been before and I begin to question myself, my abilities, I question everything. Which is unlike my bolder half, it leads me to wonder if my convictions are accurate, and if I really have what it takes… if I am really talented. It is now obvious that I have two sides to my personality, the yin and the yang. While the yang is dominant and present most of the time, I have to deal with the yin side if I want to run free and break my own barriers. Run to win. So Boston was my first race where things were wet, slimy, messy and more complicated than I liked them, but learning to deal with the mess will make me much tougher in the end. Life gets interesting when you least expect it.

yin and yang n. (Chinese philosophy)

the two fundamental principles, one negative, dark, passive,

cold, wet, and feminine (yin) and the other (yang) positive,

bright, active, dry, hot and masculine. The interactions and

balance of these forces in people and nature influence their

behavior and fate. –[RHUD]

Boston-

I was going along in good spirits until about 8 weeks before Boston. Suddenly things shifted. My body was weak (Austin?!) and other little things that need changing in my life, personality flaws, nerves, mental doubts, fears, hesitation, selfishness, past regrets, past wounds, old injuries, well, they all surfaced in full force unexpectedly in the month or two leading up to the race and put a full court press on my hopes for Boston, for my future aspirations. There almost was no Boston. I hope to look back and say those weeks and that race, this time was and is one of my defining moments, because it is the grit of life and how you respond to it and how you grow from it that truly shapes you. Stretching, growing, shining, dreaming, loving, recommitting are all a choices made at the uncomfortable times.

You see, running is more than running for me. Racing, pushing the limits, breaking down barriers, expanding my dreams are metaphors for my life. There is double meaning. If I can do these things in my running life, if I can make sense of it all, if I can accomplish things I never thought possible, then I can do all those things in every area of my life. Then this is just the beginning. You see I have great dreams and great plans…. and running is the road to a map that takes me there. It is not meaningless; it is not just one foot in front of the other. It is essential, just like God is essential in my spiritual life, just like the air I breathe. I run, I pray, I breathe, I dream, I race, I believe…. therefore I can. Therefore I am.

So amongst these obstacles, I challenged myself to be honest, fearless and optimistic so I could feel great leading into Boston and hopefully have a great race. It was definitely a challenge. As the race drew near my body became weaker, my passion was slipping, and I was starting to feel alone in my struggle. Other people’s doubts were starting to follow me around like a wet lost dog wherever ever I would go, and their doubts were starting to smell.

I felt conflicted, I swam around a little while with my doubts, with the sharks, then I had enough and looked for the shoreline. Steve and a few friends gathered around and threw me a life line. I swam back to shore. I made my choice, I chose my passion amongst unbelievers. The smell was gone.

You come to that place, that line in the sand where you stand on one side with your dream, and the world stands on the other, and you have a choice to make if you are brave enough. Which is intimidating, because if you lose what you love; you lose part of what defines who you are.

When you put yourself on the line for something or someone you truly love, you risk failure, you risk rejection, in a sense you risk everything. What you love defines you, it is scary, it is real, and only the brave want to go there. It is easier to hide and not know the answers and play life safely, than to put it all on the line, risk failure and find out that you may not be good at the things you love and you may not can have the things you love.

But that is the thrill of the race. It is worth going after. It is worth the risk.

Sunday night Before the Race-

It is the night before the race I sit and wait quietly, patiently.

I am empty. I wait, I listen for God and don’t hear him….and I don’t get it………….I am running out of time, so I just pray about it anyway.

I am not afraid…. I don’t think…. I am ready, but my body is in a haze? With everything prepared and quiet I look into the mirror one last time, for courage I guess, and lay down to pray and find conviction before drifting to sleep.

I will it to be a great race, I do believe… even if I can’t feel it, I still believe, I still love, I still trust, I still pray, I will try my best until I fall to the ground is what I decide. … I will go with my pace band I hope my body will get in check, if it does not I will adjust in the race, or I will die trying.

The Race-

I realized a few hours before the race that the start might be a real issue. The time I submitted was my Portland time of 3:08 and there had been a cut off date that did not allow me to submit my Austin time of 2:55. Steve and I really had not talked about it too much, because there really was not anything I could do about my coral. I needed to run quite a bit faster to be in the elite coral range (and be competitive) so I was stuck with coral 4. When Mike had told me his pace, I knew he would be aggressive for his seeding and he was just ahead of me in coral 3 which worried me because his pace was 7-10 minutes slower than mine and those around him might be even slower. I did not realize each coral held 1000 runners, and my training partners and competitors were in coral #1. After some thought, a new plan emerged. I knew I had to fight my way up through the crowd early on if there was any chance I was going to PR. I just did not realize the cost of the wrestling match that dance was going to be.

The gun went off and I shot as far as I could, 5 whole feet, once I crossed the starting line I tried to pass people but held back a little as to not kill my quads. It was packed, there would be no weaving in and out of people for many, many miles, so I briefly thought. One guy shot to the sidelines and I followed him. “Adam” was running for a cause, I will not forget his orange shirt and his conviction, or his large quads. We had to off-road it. In the ditch, around gutters, against the guard rail, past an infant (seriously), around barricades, shoot across the road, then back… you get my drift. Some groups in Coral 3 were happy with 6:50-7 minute or more pace and running shoulder to shoulder chatting happily. I really was not there for a fun-run, people were not letting me pass, so off-road it stayed for a while.

I did that for the first 6 miles and my back, left hip, and quad seized up and locked down from the uneven surfaces. I knew that was bad news and decided not to push quite as hard, the pain was a level 7-8 and holding. I hoped it would eventually go away and tried to focus and regroup on what my plan should be. I was worried and decided to PR in the 10K even though it was an old slow fun run PR. If all went to hell at least there was one slow PR to celebrate. It was silly to do that but I needed to smile about something and I definitely got a kick out of it even though my new time was barely faster ( 39:56).

Back to the marathon, the current was strong and the waters were deep that day. Yeah that, or the crowd was rowdy, smelly and unruly. The universe was testing me to see how badly I really wanted to chase down my dreams and there I was… wanting, and scrapping with what I had. I was around 9 miles or so, I had been fighting for over an hour and my body was about to get tired. Mentally it was difficult to continually pass everyone so I focused on pressing toward the half and pictured how crazy Wellesley might be.

People around me were so happy, but I am not sure they were living two strange realities like I was. It seemed like I was running a challenging race against the front runners in one reality but doing pretty well, and in another I was stuck in the back with a mob rough handling me, pushing me around, and keeping me from racing. It was like that movie “Bounce” with Gwyneth Paltrow. Where she missed a train in the beginning of the movie and her life had two different realities paralleling each other at the same time, one being much more difficult and troublesome. In one universe I was running a race that started in coral #1 or 2, I was following my race plan and things were going according to plan, and I would have just enough fuel to kick it in at the end and maybe break 2:50. In the other I was in my current state.. surreal, limping, locked up, still fighting but tired and dredging through each coral hoping to break through the madness or see Steve shortly after 14.

A few things to test my skills- My Garmin was really far off the mile markers, it was 20 -50 yards early (from all the weaving around) so I was not sure how reliable it was, I somehow stopped my stopwatch accidentally, I think it hit my Garmin, and my pace band was optimistically for 2:47:59. Things were interesting, but I tried not to acknowledge any negativity and stay positive in hopes it would turn around with a second wind… or a third, or a shot of tequila.

When Wellesely came up I could hear the girls screaming from a mile away and my spirit lifted. I decided I would take advantage of all that energy and hoped they could magically transfer some of it to me with each person that I touched. I slapped every hand and took in all the energy that passed along with each five, each smile, and each scream. The crowd roared as I held up my arms. It was fantastic and worth the energy expenditure. I gained much more than it took to participate entertaining the crowd. I did not kiss anyone but did blow one or two kisses and yes everyone freaked out. I regained a little bit of my stride for another mile and then I felt my pace start to fade.

I started praying that I would see Steve sometime soon, my spirit was briefly lifted for a few minutes and for the first time my mind ran out of energy and went a drift. Suddenly I was scared. I was starting to drown.

I felt empty. I was an impression of myself and I hoped that my strong will would break through somehow. I found myself fighting off my own doubts as well as Steve’s from the months before, which surprised me because he was 150% supportive the weeks leading up to the race and yet I remembered the few doubts he had (1-2 months before).. Those lies again.One minute you are happily running along, the next a mountain lion attacks you and you are fighting for dear life. I had prepared for that after mile 22 or 24 but I did not expect it so soon, with the constant physical fighting for good positioning early on I was uncertain.

I was starting to lose my vision of what was next, which is fatal for me, so I grasped and fought with what I could and I hoped I could knock myself out of it or pray my way through it. Sometimes my instincts will take over and my body starts racing again, if I am challenged by someone, if I find the passion.

I was like a boxer that had fought 9 really hard rounds and almost knocked out their opponent, and was briefly excited till the opponent got up again, then and had to go another couple rounds maybe overtime. It is the not knowing how long the suffering will last that can defeat you. You may be at the end of it, a second from relief or just the beginning. I was like the salmon swimming upstream just before the top….. Tired in a way I had not felt in a long while, like the tired when my husband had left the country I had 3 kids under 5 years and it is was day 13 or was it?… delirious a bit.

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -Harriet Beecher Stowe

Who am I in this weakened state, I know what I want, I still believe, but how long can you go before passing out? Can I believe? Can I have faith when my mind can’t breathe?

The world rushes in like high tide and floods life and weighs you down so that your strong dreams and convictions and your positive attributes are really hard to hang on to, the current can be really strong and in that flash flood of a tide I find myself wondering,

Where is your faith now?

I answer-

I know what I want, I still believe! I start to pray.

But how long can I go before passing out?

Can I believe, can I have faith when my mind can’t breathe? – Yes… I think.

I ran up the first Newton hill unsure if that was actually it and Steve popped out of nowhere. God love his soul… The Tide Turned!! Answered prayer!

He was going slow and I could barely catch him. After a few hundred meters I felt his pace, he encouraged me asked me what was going on, reset my stride, ran me up Newton #2 and #3, and tried to talk me back into my happy place again. I was incredibly grateful (he saved me). He glued me back together and I was fragile but hopeful and with a glimmer of inspiration just maybe I could do it. 2:51?,2:52?, 2:53?

It was a long 8 miles to go. When he said good bye I was optimistic and scared but I held on to that grain of mustard seed and prayed I could hang onto it until the finish line. Steve told me to drop if I could and in the worst case use other girls to race to the finish line if that was my only motivation. He gave me a a 6:35 prance…. My vision was shaky, but at least there was one and I pranced to the best of my ability up heart break hill.

The rhythm in the past weeks was 10-15 seconds faster so my body did not like it, and I was not sure if a little faster would reset my body or if I would completely fall apart. Heart break hill was 10 seconds slower than I hoped, but I was really excited to be done. In awe of the great crowd support I picked up the pace on the downhill and hit 6:20 ish. I kept passing people and I really thought I might be on pace.

That was the deceiving thing about the race especially the last half, I was always passing people except for a few minutes here and there and yet my pace was 10 seconds off. I think that is largely where I was unprepared, I need to work on my own pacing rhythms when I run with Kamran I find it… but on my own when I am tired my body awkwardly falls into old marathon pace or the pace of the pack, and painfully so. That pace feels like defeat, well only because it is.

I kept up a steady pace until 23 or 24. Right after 40K I just really wanted to go with the flow of the runners, I was so tired that I could feel my back grind with each step I took and I really thought I might eat pavement. A girl came out of nowhere and it seemed like she was sprinting, I suspect I had been the bunny rabbit for quite a few miles unknowingly… I went with her and after half a mile or so I was truly scared to kick it in at mile 23 or 24. I think it was 24, the long…. Long … long flat stretch and it seemed like the longest mile or two in my entire life, the crowd seemed to close in on me and was a little oppressive. I was truly in a dark place and my husband jumped out and yelled at me, answered prayer #2. I decided that I would hold my pace until 25 and then surge with what I could. Unfortunately that pace was unknowingly 6:45 or so as everyone around me was fading, I went with another girl that was attempting to pass me and I let her be the bunny for mile 24, It seemed like we were running much faster because again we were passing people. I knew to hang on a step behind her, mile 25 was just right, then I would pass her and she would break. So the 25 mile marker hit and I took off, my body thought it was 6:15 pace but really it was just 6:30 and I was flying by people. We finally rounded the corner to the finish line that was a million miles away, I really did not know if I could make it, it looked so far away. I thought I might eat the pavement again, but I kicked it in again (or tried) and I dropped to 6:15 ish pace and passed guys all the way to the finish.

2:53:29 just glad to be done is what I thought, happy to be alive, excited I did it with all that went on. Conflicted and happy. I congratulated everyone around me and shook their hands. We just shared a life goal together whether they knew it or not.

I was happy for a little while that race was so hard on so many levels, “Welcome Back” I thought…. Walking down the chute to get food some thoughts were starting to emerge. “Overcoming the conflicts of this race is what separates the wannabes from the winners, and I will have to overcome those challenges without hesitation to go where I want to go.” It’s not glamour, it’s grit,” I thought. “Now the real racing begins!” “Now it gets real.”

Then Miles 22-24 really started to bother me. I made a choice to let someone pass me in fear that I may get hurt and it would cost me a few weeks or a month rehab, or that I would just eat the pavement, or hit the wall…..but that decision cost me 35 seconds.. maybe a minute, maybe more.

It cost me my pride and my goal. Am I running or am I racing?

At that moment at least 10-15 people told me how amazing I did, and that I propelled them through the last part of the race, they hung on when they saw me run by. Random people came up congratulating me asking me my time, they seemed amazed so I decided that if even for 1 hour or maybe even that day I would go with it and enjoy it. I fell a little short or a hell of a lot short, but that was my best that day weak or not that is all I can ask for. Count the blessings in the short run, be thankful for everything, and analyze the disappointments later. Spend my energy making myself stronger. Today my best may have reached surpassed my “A” goal but on that day B or C was all I had.

The start I could not change, it probably added 2 maybe 3 minutes to my time, I did my best there, but the hesitation bothers me. I made good choices most of the race but the feeling of inadequacy even though I was thankful and persevered was disturbing… that stale taste of loosing.

So it is a bitter sweet PR, it was so perfect and unsatisfying at the same time. It is just what I needed to make me a better runner. If I had been in coral 1 and the race had gone according to my plan I would have learned nothing, I would be more resistant to Steve’s coaching, I would be more selfish, I would be cocky and most importantly I would have a harder time believing in the face of fear and the feeling of abandonment. Now I know those feelings are a choice. Faith, hope, and love conquer all whether you can feel it or not. If you step up or pick it up in faith you may get something from nothing.

Believing even in a vacuum creates energy that can ignite even the darkest places.

When you put yourself on the line for something or someone you truly love, you risk failure, you risk rejection, in a sense you risk everything.

But that is the thrill of the race. It is worth going after. It is worth the risk.

Only the brave will win.

Boston Report #1

The Boston Marathon 2010

by Dionn Schaffner

3:32:57. If you want to know more, read on…but make sure you are seated comfortably….you know how I can get with my race reports….

———————————————————————————————

Sometimes a race is more than just a run. It seemed to be a common theme this year in my circle. And what better stage than the 114th running of the Boston Marathon.

At the beginning of my marathon training season this year (which began about 10 days after my Triathlon season ended), I’m not even sure I had a specific training goal…as in a goal pace for the race. I just went in knowing that I would be doing a lot of running.

Last year, I had to balance my running within my Ironman training and while I successfully completed both my first Boston Marathon (with a 3-minute PR and requalifying for 2010) and my first Ironman (just over 14 hours), I knew I hadn’t given each race its all out best effort. But that wasn’t my goal that year. My goals that year were to get there, get it done and have an absolute blast while doing it. And, boy, did I!

However, Coach Maurice aptly put it, last year, I “participated”. This year…..this year was the year to “race”. That meant giving each race its own time, space and attention to train. And more importantly, Intensity on race day. He even went through my 2010 Tri Race calendar and crossed off races that I had planned on doing. I had already signed up for the Gulf Coast 70.3 as a GREAT practice for IMFL. The only problem was that it was 3 weeks after Boston. Mo said, “No way. You will spend time tri training for that race instead of focusing on Boston. And then you will run Boston with that 70.3 in the back of your head saying, ‘I can’t blow up – I have another race coming soon’ and you won’t give it your all.” Clearly, he knows me too well. Criss-Cross – off the list. Boston. Boston. Boston.

I had some early wins in the Team Rogue training process. Training runs where I kept up with Nedra and Ruth on shorter runs, staying shoulder to shoulder with Cindy Schlandt during strides, and keeping up with Chuck Duvall and Amy Anderson on some early long runs. They may not seem like big deals, but it got the wheels turning… hey..I’m hanging with kids who went 3:30 last year….could I do a 3:30 this year? And there it was…the little seed. Planted.

But seriously…3:30? That’s like 8 minute miles. For twenty-six point two miles.

That’s a long way to go at that speed for me. Especially considering my last year’s PR was 3:42… an 8:24/m pace. Shave twenty-four secs per mile…for twenty-six miles point two miles? Immediately the chant begins: BE AGGRESSIVE. B-E AGGRESSIVE. B-E A-GG-R-E-SS-I-V-E!

And with some convincing from instigator friends, the hunt began. I started training with the 3:30 pace group with Team Rogue. I had some good days and I had some bad days…but most days, I was keeping up. Mind you, it was BARELY keeping up, but keeping up nonetheless.

But as race day approached, I began to realize that it wasn’t going to be a physical challenge….it was going to be a mental one. This race was going to be more about what was going on in my head and in my heart than anything my legs were doing. I just wasn’t confident that I was physically capable of pulling it off. I’m not a runner….as Sisson so aptly puts it, I’m a dancer who runs…. I’m an accidental Boston qualifier, a poser. Sooner or later, I was going to be exposed for that…and this season might be it.

As many of you know from my FB statuses, I was needing A LOT of affirmation from you all. I held on to every positive workout I had. I looked at the pictures of my garmin that showed paces that started with 6s and 5s (albeit for super short distances – but I was needing every little bit of positivity I could find). I honestly had serious, SERIOUS doubts that I could pull it off. And yea, I was fishing for reinforcement and y’all didn’t disappoint. You kept feeding my positive vibes, telling me I could do it, reminding me of all the hard work and training I’d put in. I knew as my friends, y’all would back me on whatever crazy endeavor I said I wanted to do…and would do so exuberantly. Coach Sisson…on the other hand…he’s a straight shooter. He will tell you exactly how it is.

In fact, I was so nervous that my goal was such a stretch and that he wouldn’t agree to it, I was too scared to even talk to him about my final race plan. Everybody else had ironed and finalized their mile by mile plan with him…but I didn’t. I was way too scared. Scared he was going to say, No way. Give up that dream. It’s not going to happen. You aren’t that fast. I didn’t tell him what my plan was…until the night before.

And as I suspected, I did not get the RAH RAH, You are totally gonna crush it, pat on the back, you’ve got this thing, no worries kid, type of speech that my friends gave me. He said, “This is a big goal for you. You are going to have to have a really really good race and have lots of things go right to get it. But you know what? You have your plan, now go execute it. You’re a gamer. Somehow you bring it on game day. You have a plan and you follow it. That’s what you do.” I knew he didn’t want to completely rain on my parade, but I could tell….he had serious, serious and realistic doubts. He’s no bullshitter.

I walked away from that conversation thinking, I knew it. He doesn’t think I can do it. Why do I think I could possibly do it? But I AM a gamer. There’s definitely something different about race day conditions for me when I’m there to race and not just participate. I’m a performer…Give me a stage, or a spotlight, or some screaming fans…and baby, it’s On! I think that’s one of the reasons I love racing in my team kits. Gives me that performance-level super suit feeling. Race days aren’t every day training days. You suit up special for race day because race day performance is special.

I mulled over my talk with Sisson during our last team dinner. Listening in on everyone’s conversations around me, but circling, circling in my head. I was so nervous, I didn’t even have a beer! Can I? Should I go for it? Is it too aggressive? Will I show up on race day? Am I physically capable of pulling this off? Am I mentally capable? This is WAY out of my comfort zone here and I had lots and lots of doubts.

I leaned over to Mike, “Sisson doesn’t think I can do it.” “What?” he replied. “He doesn’t think I can go 3:30.” Mike: “Yes, you can. Trust your training. You can do it. I know it.” I mulled it over some more. Maybe Sisson is trying some of his Jedi mind tricks…throwing down a challenge, because you know I’m always down for a challenge. Some of his athletes need the Rah Rah speech, maybe I need the “Oh yea? Then prove it to me” speech.

Fortunately the rest of the evening was filled with positive messages, calls and texts from my inner circle. Supporting me, cheering me, calming me, energizing me and most of all believing in me. And by the time I went to bed….I believed in me too.

Race morning was surprisingly uneventful. I was nervous…but the good kind of nervous. The kind of nervous that you can morph into a powerful energy and use. It felt good. It felt invigorating. I felt alive. I felt ready.

We got through all of the logistics of getting ourselves to the club buses that then took us to the start. It’s kind of weird riding in a bus for what seems like over an hour and think, ok – now just run back the way you came. Team Rogue took up a lot of the first bus. It was good to have everyone around. Everyone was feeling pumped and ready to roll. We’d all been through some bad ass training together and now it was time to prove that it works.

I was one of the few Team Roguers that were in the second wave, so I hung out on the bus after all the wave 1 folks left, hit the restroom a final time and made my way to the starting line. I was in corral 17. Just three back from the start of wave 2. A good place to be….but it was crowded. 3:45 qualifying time must be popular!

I was loaded with all my nutrition, my paceband and garmin on my left wrist (auto pause off, virtual running partner on 8:01/m pace, autolap ON), my faithful timex on my right (that would keep track of chip time in case something screwy happened with my garmin and GPS..I wanted to make sure I knew what the running clock was at all times.)

Overall race plan was this:

Miles 1-5: Get in. Get going. Find your groove. Bank a little time, but not a lot.

Miles 6-16: Ten miles of exposition-type rollers. You can do these in your sleep.

Miles 17-21: Warm up is over. Time for some hill work.

Miles 22-26.2: Close. Leave Nothing on the course.

And we were off! I was a little nervous in Mile 1 because my plan called for banking 8 secs each mile for the first 8, so I could have those for the hills. So that meant 7:53/M pace. But everyone in that corral was running closer to 3:45 (8:25/M) pace. I had to weave and go around folks..and it was making me nervous. And rightfully so. Mile 1 came…8:05. Shit. Shit. Shit. I need to find some open space and find my groove. Move people. MOVE. Anything I feel before mile 5 doesn’t count for shit. I know I need 5-7 miles before I start to feel like an actual runner, but I need to get moving here.

Miles 2-4, I made up some time per my plan by going 7:42, 7:46, 7:47. Ok…I’m back on pace where I should be. Phew.

Mile 5. Oops…relaxed a little too much 8:05. Plus dealt with throwing down a Gu. That always slows me down a bit. Dang it. Get back after it D. You’ve only got bankable miles through Mile 8…then its steady MGP time. Get there.

Miles 6-7 went 7:51 and 7:53. Ok…back on pace. Good. Toss down some thermolytes.

Mile 8. Dang it. Again with the too much relaxing. F*ck! 8:08. No problem. Miles 9-16 are supposed to be steady MGP, but I feel good at just sub 8’s, so I’ll get there. Here we go:

Mile 9-16 went steadily by. I didn’t take as much notice of my surroundings as last year. I could hear all the fans yelling and screaming, but they were really just ambient noise this day. My inner dialog was cranked up to 11! My splits went: 7:58, 8:00, 8:04 (oops), 7:59, 7:56, 8:07 (battled getting my Gu down and then getting through the water stop and trying to actually get some water in my body instead of up my nose…nice, D, you look like a freakin’ rookie out here trying to get water..sheesh…how embarrassing. Focus. FOCUS!), 8:11, 8:06.

And then the real dialog began.

Bing, BING, Bing. Attention. Attention. May I have your attention please. We are now entering the hill phase of this workout. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your tray tables in their full upright and locked position. The warm up is officially over. Please prepare to WORK.

Ok, D. Here we go. We have a 10-mile run workout that starts now. 5 miles of hills. 5 miles of closing. You are a little bit behind pace, but not too much. We have one goal at this point. Get through the hills and give yourself a chance to close. That’s it. You don’t have to crush them, just do them. All we need is a chance to close. Just the opportunity. You are a closer. That’s what you do. You close. We just need to get in a position to give ourselves a chance to do what we do best. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just a chance. Let’s do this thing.

Mile 17 – 8:21 (shit. 10 seconds slower than what I wanted. C’mon D.)

Mile 18 – 8:15 (better. Plan said 8:16. Good)

Mile 19 – 8:01 (plan was 8:05. Getting close)

Mile 20 – 8:21 (plan was 8:15. Still having trouble navigating water stops. Dang it. I’m running with a damn bottle next year. F*ck it.)

Mile 21 – 8:32 Heartbreak Hill. Even though I was passing people right and left, my plan said 8:21. Dang it.

Bing, BING, Bing. Attention. Attention. May I have your attention please. You are now leaving the hill phase of this workout. Congratulations. Now go kick some ass.

I came out of the hills feeling good. Yea, my quads were a little tight, but my spirit was awesome. I looked around and saw the agony and defeat on some other runners faces and thought, not me. Not this day. I’m fixin to close the bad boy out right here. Let’s do this thing. WOO HOO!

I had fire and I was ready to go. I’d lost a little time in the hills and sub 3:30 was probably out. But I still felt very confident about 3:30:59. I was ready to get back to 7:50s and lower. I’m a closer. That’s what I do. And now it was time to close.

But then I felt it. That little f*cking tingling whisper in the back of the calf. What? WHAT? You have got to be kidding me! I take a quick glance down at my race belt. Nope…didn’t miss taking any nutrition or thermolytes along the way. I drank TONS of water (even inhaled some through my nose for good measure). My belly wasn’t sloshing or anything. WHY? WHY? I do NOT have time for CRAMPS!!

I started into the emergency stash of Thermolytes….please lord let these get there in time. I switched to Gatorade at the water stops. But to no avail…the tingling was getting stronger and more frequent.

God Dammit! I had just been watching a special on Apollo 13 the earlier in the week and I felt like that command center. Ok, we’ve had an explosion with our main thrusters…we need to switch to auxiliary power systems to guide the ship back safely. Shut down the calves STAT! (I knew Mike would cringe at that word and I smirked through the pain). Re-route all systems. GO GO GO!! We only have a few seconds to shut those down before they explode and crank up the other systems so we don’t lose time. Move it, people. MOVE IT!

So instead of using my calves, I switched to running, one-legged cycling drill style…..all hip flexor, no calf, no foot. I was flat footed and loud as I kept pounding the pavement. I could hear what Amy’s response would’ve been (“quiet feet Dionn, quiet feet!) …but I had no choice. I did not, could not stop for cramps.

Miles 22 and 23 went 8:11 and 8:18 as I battled, willed, begged, pleaded, emplored by calves to not cramp up. Please, please, please. I just need a few more miles. You can do this. Stay with me. Stay with me!! Ugh. I was cramping even earlier than last year. Last year hit me at mile 24 and barely made it those last two miles…now I’ve got to keep it together for four????? F*CK!

Going into mile 24, I felt like I’d mastered my no calf/no foot running style and started to pick up the pace. Little circles with the hip flexor. Circle, circle, circle. Just picking up the foot. And putting it back down. Pick it up. Put it down. 8:05. Better. But I think we’ve missed our window of landing on the moon. Now our job is to return everyone home safely to Earth. Pick it up, put it down. If we have the wrong entry trajectory, we will simply burn up entering Earth’s atmosphere. We need to focus on getting in and getting in safely. No hot dogging. Mile 25 – 8:06.

I was definitely bummed as I didn’t get my chance to close….and I was really, really ready to hammer it home. I said to hell with it, we’ve got 1.2 to go…let’s push it just a little bit more. I pushed and cramped and pushed and cramped my way down to 8:00. I knew I was resembling those video clips of runners hobbling down the final stretch…dragging a cramped and locked appendage towards that finish line. The last 200 meters or so I limped, hobbled, ran at a 7:50 pace. Crossed the finish line, clicked my watch and could barely read the 3:32:xx. Damn it. So close. So. Close.

I hobbled through the finishing chute and each time I stopped to pick up whatever goody they were handing out (water, blanket, goodie bag, medal, dry clothes bag), snipers shot me in the back of my legs and full throttle cramps seized my calves. It took me a few moments to get going each time but I managed.

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. I missed it. GRRRRR!!!! Tears welled up in my eyes. Last year I cried for entirely different reasons. This time it was from disappointment. And now I’m crying in the finishers shoot. Medical asked me if I needed help. I said No. I can’t believe I couldn’t pull together 2 minutes…..2 freakin little minutes over the course of 3 and a half hours! Seriously, D…how lame is that! DAMMIT! I mean we are talking, what, 3 seconds of every minute. There…in just that long to think that statement, I could’ve run faster and made 3:30. GRRRRRR!!! UGH! All that hard work…and to miss it, by two minutes. Dammit.

But then my iPhone started pinging and vibrating. Text message after text message. Facebook alert after Facebook alert started rolling in.

“You did it!”

“Way to rock it!”

“Helluva PR!”

“I’m so proud of you!!”

“You are my inspiration!”

And I was like…hey, wait a minute….yea…maybe it wasn’t such a bad race afterall. I DID take 10 minutes off my time from last year. I did requalify. I posted a quick status on FB to which more responses came pouring in. And with each one, I began to feel better and better about the race. As I continued the couple blocks walk through the finish line and back to the hotel, I felt better and better with each step. (Although my calves still felt like shit). And by the time I got to my room and through a quick shower, I was excited.

I joined the rest of the team in the bar, got HUGE hugs and congrats from my teammates. And also a very heartfelt hug and “I am so proud of you” from Coach Sisson. Who honestly stated, “I didn’t think you could do it. I wasn’t sure if you had it in you…here (pointing to my heart), but you did. And you did it! Now we know what’s possible…when you believe. And now you believe it. And I believe it too.”

A few moments later I got a text from Coach Maurice: “You are a BAD ASS!! Welcome to racing! You know how to do it!!” To which I responded, “Was that enough race intensity to start the season?” “You put a big “!” after Intensity.”

We continued to celebrate into the late night, rehashing our journeys mile by mile and step by step. Everyone had personal struggles, both physically and mentally, that they had to overcome to get to the starting line and down to the finish. There were cheers and tears, laughter and libations as we toasted well into the night.

It’s been a fantastic journey…one I couldn’t have done without so many of you. My sincerest thanks to my family for their unwavering commitment and putting up with my crazy schedule, my friends for your words of encouragement and support, my teammates for dragging me around runs and urging me to test my limits, my coaches for their wisdom, plans, critiques and comments. This 3:32 is every bit yours as it is mine…for without you…all of you….it would not be.

And now..get ready, people. I’ve got a taste of racing…and guess what… I LIKE IT! I’m going sub-3:30 next year. Boston 2011. Who’s in?!?!?!?