NPC OLYMPICS 2016 RESULTS

NPC Olympic Winners
(Left to Right)
Gentlemen: Schaffer (Bronze), Mayo (Gold),  Dinius (Silver)
Ladies: Lee (Gold), Heckard (Silver), Hood (Bronze)

NPC OLYMPICS 2016 RESULTS

DATE: 22 JUNE 2016 (0700)

LOCATION: NAVY SUPPORT ACTIVITY MIDSOUTH, Millington, TN

WEATHER- Sunny 82°, PARTICIPANTS: 35

AWARDS	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
LADIES	Lee NAVMAC	Heckard PERS 408	Hood PERS 97
GENTLEMEN	Mayo PERS 41	Dinius PERS 00	Schaffer PERS 45

OVERALL RESULTS

Overall	Name	Command/Code	Time	Pace
1	Mayo	PERS 41	0:17:44	0:05:43
2	Dinius	PERS 00	0:18:04	0:05:50
3	Shaffer	PERS 45	0:18:49	0:06:04
4	Brown	PERS 408	0:19:40	0:06:21
5	Reid	PERS 43	0:21:30	0:06:56
6	Williamson	PERS 407	0:21:37	0:06:58
7	Lee	NAVMAC	0:21:49	0:07:02
8	Kline	PERS 40	0:22:21	0:07:13
9	Hilton	PERS 97	0:22:41	0:07:19
10	MCClarin	PERS 405	0:24:00	0:07:45
11	Heckard	PERS 408	0:25:14	0:08:08
12	Smith	PERS 409	0:25:38	0:08:16
13	Law	PERS 8	0:25:46	0:08:19
14	Hood	PERS 97	0:26:30	0:08:33
15	Battista	NAVMAC	0:26:37	0:08:35
16	Magno	PERS 13	0:26:51	0:08:40
17	Walker	PERS 5	0:27:10	0:08:46
18	Gray	PERS 4013	0:27:30	0:08:52
19	Bedoya	PERS 409	0:27:31	0:08:53
20	Gassant	NAVMAC	0:27:49	0:08:58
21	Blish	PERS 44	0:27:59	0:09:02
22	Maits	PERS 97	0:28:39	0:09:15
23	Infante	PERS 4010	0:28:52	0:09:19
24	Schenkel	PERS 412	0:31:03	0:10:01
25	Switzer	PERS 462	0:33:00	0:10:39
26	Escalante	BUPERS 3	0:33:00	0:10:39
28	Kurneta	PERS 4013	0:34:34	0:11:09
29	Risley	PERS 4412	0:35:32	0:11:28
30	Johnson	PERS 43	0:35:51	0:11:34
31	Ceschini	PERS 47	0:36:32	0:11:47
32	Green	CNRC	0:43:05	0:13:54
33	Skeer	PERS 13	0:50:46	0:16:23
34	Kimble	PERS 13	0:51:00	0:16:27
35	Dorsey	PERS 13	0:51:45	0:16:42

Double Loop Course

YOUTUBE Video: https://youtu.be/tRcz9mCHzJE

 

Navy 10 Nautical Miler 2016

HUNTING (again).  A year had passed from my 2015 10NM Run.  I had trained harder and raced faster for other events.  My Winter was getting times good enough to qualify for Boston and the Spring was to improve my shorter distance 5K running.  The 10NM was in between those distances where you need to go really fast but maintain good speed much faster than Marathon pace.
My coach had been telling me to start running in the front and not be afraid of the elite runners.  For a few 5K races in recent weeks, I've been trying to run with big dogs at the start line. 

Late to the Start Line (Or on time to an Early Gun Start).  Porta-Potty or not, when you gotta go, just GO!

START

With the full intent of starting at the line with the big dogs, I found myself with a setback.  The race was supposed to start at 6:00AM for Wheelchair and 6:03 for the rest.   I was in a slow restroom line while speeches were being made and the national anthem played.  By the time it was my turn to go in, I was still in the porta-potty when the race started.  Eight minutes early from the scheduled start.  I gave a little chuckle.  No Stress.  "Just go into hunt mode," I thought.
 



Just passed my friend Jeff. 
 I think I was listening to
David Bowie "Modern Love" when I passed him. 
 Nautical Mile #2

During the first mile, I thought a top 20 finish was probably where I was going to end up.  There was just so many people in front of me.  I kept recalling my coach telling me to stay with the "big dogs."  That was what I was trying to catch and had no real idea how far they were ahead. 



RHYTHM

I was in rhythm by mile3, I was rolling to the music.  When I got to Navy Lake, I was passing people in bunches.  I was passing friends who knew I was coming as my music was blaring.  My friends Johnny, Plex, Veronica, Anik, and Jeff would laugh at me and my 80's music as I went by.
I took the right onto the long stretch of Bethel Road when I got a glimpse of the lead car half a mile ahead.  I still couldn't make out any of the elite runners or how many there were ahead.  At this moment I was in a group of four (3 males and a female), except for that lead car 1/2 a mile from us, I couldn't see anyone ahead.  I decided to surge passed this group for a very long hunt.

I sensed a putrid smell.  There it was! A fresh dead skunk at Mile5.  Oh the smell of a country road in the morning.  Thank goodness it wasn't too hot, that thing would be ripe and cooking. 

As I entered the base, I felt alone.  I couldn't hear anyone behind me.  There were no cheers after people cheered me when I passed.  I asked aid stations volunteers how many runners were ahead, there were only SIX!?!  However, I hadn't seen any of them.  I had chased almost everyone down (except 6 runners) by Mile7.  I was "No Man's Land".  No one in front and no one I could hear behind.  I'd later find out I was 1minute behind #6 and 1minute ahead of #8. I found myself having to play mental games and utilize speedplay to keep tempo.

The FINISH

The weather was not as hot as last year. But really heated up at Mile8.  On the final mile kick out of the base, I gave out a huge yell. I was getting physically exhausted and being alone was mentally taxing. But instead of cruising in, I wanted to hammer it home.  I was further motivated at seeing another runner ahead, albeit over 300yds ahead.  Finally a target to attempt to catch. 
However, at 300yrds with less than a mile left his lead was pretty much insurmountable.  Just seeing him though still made me push harder. 
In the last 100yrds, I saw the clock reading gun-time below 1h20m.  I hammered hard to try to get under it but missed it by 1-second.  I would later find out my chip time was 1h18m10sec. 
I didn't run a perfect race but I still finished 4th in Chip-time and 7th in Gun-time.   I ran this race the way I trained for it.  I chased and passed what I could and if I was going to get beat, that runner had better be ready for the heat and pace.  I couldn't hunt down fellow runners Tim, Marcus or Morgan (the Overall Winner).

However, I found out I was good enough to win the Masters and go almost 4 minutes faster than the previous year.  By all accounts it was Great Race Day.


-SOUNDTRACK-
I meticulously set my music for 1h17min (off by +1minute).
10 NM Music - 1:17:12
4:18 Macklamore "Can't Hold Us"
4:06 Nelly Furtado "I'm Like a Bird"
4:50 Billy Idol "Dancing With Myself"...
3:37 General Public "Tenderness"
3:59 David Bowie "Modern Love"
3:34 Fleetwood Mac "Tusk"
4:48 Allman Brothers "Ramblin Man"
4:27 Aerosmith "Rag Doll"
4:43 The Alarm "The Stand"
4:23 Red Rider "Lunatic Fringe"
4:18 Simple Minds "All the Things She Said"
4:43 One Republic "Counting Stars"
4:21 Nicki Minaj "Starships"
3:50 Fort Minor "Remember the Name"
4:03 Lady Gaga "Poker Face"
3:28 La Roux "Bulletproof"
4:37 Billy Joel "Pressure"
5:07 Jackson Browne "Running on Empty"
Each song was purposely placed in an area close to where I'd be on the course.  I thought of what kind of tempo I'd want to set or what motivation I'd need to push myself harder. (yeah, it's OCD)


-MENTALITY-

I started thinking about my Friend.  She had talked about buckling down for her M-Series races. I told her that I start to thinking about things that motivate me. Sometimes I think about being peaceful. Those are the best. Everything is smooth and you are invincible. But times like this 10NM when things aren't as smooth, the weather isn't as nice or something just didn't go right. I start falling back on this internal rage. That chip on your shoulder. Not really hate. But that feeling that I wasn't good enough. So this is my chance in my little world where I can do something about it. I can run my butt off to prove I am better than that chip. 
I'm in my late 40's now. That means I've had 40+ years of life giving me a bunch of great moments. But, it's also given me a bunch of heartache. Something in the past that got us and beat us. I sometimes dig into those moments of failure, even though they have nothing to do with running and draw energy and power from it. It's mentally thinking, "this run can make some of those past aggravations better. I am better than that!" 
I just wanted to share that. Sounds trivial, but I sometimes I let the negatives come into my head, but instead of dwelling on it or push me backwards, I will do everything to beat those fears.  I guess I need those fears to motivate me too.


-AWARDS & RESULTS-






Captain Paul Dinus is one hard guy to catch. 
 Last year he ran a 1:18:25. 
 I beat that but he came out today with a 1:14:58 getting 3rd Overall.



My training buddy Tim getting
#2 in his Age Group! Great job

I want to get my medal with a glass of wine or Champaign in my left hand too. 
Marcus (atop) actually beat me to the line. One of the 6 guys I couldn't hunt down from the back.
(also pictured is AG 2nd Place - Jeff N.)

MILE SPLITS
Mile 1 - 6:36
Mile 2 - 6:35
Mile 3 - 6:53
Mile 4 - 6:54...
Mile 5 - 6:46
Mile 6 - 6:45
Mile 7 - 6:39
Mile 8 - 6:49
Mile 9 - 6:52
Mile 10 - 6:56
Mile 11 - 6:59
Mile 11.51 - 2:51




Last year #1 in Age Group (45-49). This year #1 Masters. Gotta work Harder to get into the bigger spots. Working the Can't Stop Endurance Training Shirt on the Podium

Took almost 4minutes off my time last year.
In 3yrs of The Navy 10 Nautical Miler
2016-1:18:10, 4th place (-03m54s)
2015-1:22:04, 8th place (-55m54s)
2014-2:17:58, 516th place
49.5 Intensity Points (Daniels Training Table) on 51.1VDOT

It's was nice to get the old guy (Masters) 1st place award

FULL RESULTS AT RACEONLINE.COM

Racing with New Friends

I ran the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville Alabama a few months prior to the Shelby Forest Loop Marathon.  Rocket City was unseasonably warm, cramp-filled and test of will over pain.  I gutted out a 3h23m02sec marathon which was PR and good enough to gain Boston Qualifier (BQ) time.


After a few weeks, I thought about the race and what it took out of me.  But did the course beat me? Or did old marathon experiences creep into my psych.  At mile 18, the crash happened, but my conditioning got me through.  Did I put to much pressure into that one race?  All though the fall, I ran long distances well under 8minutes in carefree/easy fashion.  Sometimes I'd laugh and joke with fellow runners as we galloped around Midtown Memphis and Germantown TN.   At the end of the runs, I'd be surprised by how fast we were actually going.  Why didn't this happen in Huntsville?


In early January 2016, I saw a video by Bill Rodgers (4x Boston & 4x NYC winner) talking about small marathons.  He noted their importance for runners.  Paraphrasing, he said that they were a great way to test yourself while not putting too much pressure.  I remembered the trail marathon and half marathon loop, I completed the previous winter.  Very care free while the competitors were more like running with friends than people who wanted to beat you. 


I contemplated running big city races for 2016, but I thought about a very small marathon (probably 40-50 entries) in February.  USATF certified courses, relatively flat, well supported and I had run the half marathon the previous year.  It was also a loop marathon.




The Shelby Forest Loop Course
Loop marathons are nothing new.  I had actually ran the marathon portion of my Ironman events in loop fashion, 6.55 miles out and back then do it again.  The Shelby Loop was actually about 1mile out and 1 mile back.  Marathon runners would have to complete the loop 13 times. 


I spent every January weekend running the loop learning about every little rise, bump, hole, and slant.  I even marked off trees in quarter/half mile distances.  My running buddy (Scott) and I would take off every Saturday at 8:30AM sharp with my Spaniel (Rouge) in tow.  We'd talk, joke, listen to my 80's music and relax through the run.  We didn't go slow nor did we exert to go to fast.  We just grooved the run.




The Marathon
Weather during February was very unpredictable.  The previous week was hard rain.  January had snow days.  Pine cones were scattered about by the wind.  This particular February Sunday a marathon was to be run on this course.

I got to the course early and took my usual slow stroll to the turn around point then back.  I brought my Spaniel with me to make it feel like a practice Saturday.  When I got back to the car, I saw Scott who would be running the 1/2 marathon about 30minutes after my start.  I also met another runner new to the sport of Marathon.  Her name was Brenda, she was brand new to endurance sports all together.  With her mother in tow and support, she was going to break through for her first marathon today.  I assured her that distance was nothing but time to enjoy the moments of living.  You will feel pain and joy at the same time.  But you will know that feeling is yours and that you are ALIVE.

The Start

About 35 competitors including me and Brenda lined up for the start.  A man who recognized me from my Memphis Runners Track Club "RoadRunners" magazine article asked what my goal time would be.  I told him I was ranging between either 7:35pace and/or sub 3:20 minutes.  He said that he would stick with me.  But as the gun sounded, he took off going 7's trying to chase down a 16year old Phenom (Rayder) who galloped like a deer and ran as fast .  I thought not to follow that pace. 

There was another man slightly ahead.  He seemed a bit older than me but not as much, maybe early 50s?  I caught up to him and looked at my watch .  He was rolling at about 7:30 pace and breathing easy.  I asked him what his goal would be.  He wanted to also get under 3h20min.  I asked if he wanted to run together through this.  He accepted. 

When other runners ask if you want them to join you on a run or race, there's no real obligation to stay with them, especially if they are going at the pace set out.  So if you lag behind, you will be dropped.  This is the biggest difference between a race and a practice run.  The clock always moves and you CANNOT push pause.

Rolling

The man running with me was 50 named Jeff.  He drove all the way from Missouri to run the marathon.  He had run this marathon a two years back and mustered a +3h20min race. 

We ran smooth through the course.  Some people hate the monotony of loop courses.  Especially courses like this where the same tree, bend or pothole comes up every mile.  After practicing on the course I was well acquainted with the boredom.  However, like my practice runs I had with Scott, I carried conversation with Jeff.  We'd talk about our homes, careers, and share a joke, all the while we didn't really notice the speed we were going.  I was looking at my watch at the end of every loop.  But I wasn't bothering with the math or time calculations.  I was more interested in keeping good breathing and sharing good conversation. 

I'd see Brenda's 30-something frame smoothly gliding over the course.  Jeff and I would be amazed at her ability to keep consistent even though this was her first marathon.  We'd also see other runners start cracking such as a male 20-something college student who started solid but started to droop at his mile 15.  The man who was said he was going to stick with me fell off at mile 8. 

Jeff and I were at mile 22 when we realized, WE ARE AT MILE 22!  My body was refreshed, I could go at this forever.  At that mark, we were on pace for 3h17min.  I make a remark to Jeff saying if we bumped it up just a bit maybe we could get down to a 3h15.  Jeff laughingly didn't want to hear it.  My remark was like telling a pitcher he was going into the 9th inning with a No-Hitter.  It was essentially a jinx.

Going into mile 23, we saw the Phenom on his last stretch to the finish.  I joked to Jeff, "I guess we're not winning this one."  Meanwhile we were still doing fine until the start of that last lap.  Jeff seemed strong, essentially, he was.  Every few seconds I'd look at my watch calculating a finish time.  Something else was happening, my rib cage started to implode and tighten.  It was like an anaconda grabbed me and crushing my chest.  I couldn't keep going with Jeff and let him go at mile 25.  I calculated that I was going to finish around 17min. "Why finish in excruciating pain like Huntsville when I can cruise this speed and still have a bigger/better BQ time?"  I thought.  I didn't push it.  I rolled in under 8min pace at my last 1/2mile. 

Finish

The race coordinator yelled out my bib number and my time 3 Hours, 17minutes and 26 Seconds as I crossed and a finishers medal was placed around my neck. 

I laughed as I realized that I had just PR'd by ove4 5 1/2 minutes in the smoothest marathon I'd ever run (except for that last 1/2mile).  No stress, no aggravation, no big deal. Even my chest came back to form, the anaconda released its grip moments after finishing. 

I met up with Jeff.  It would be another 10minutes before a fellow (old) runner came in (Elliot age 48 from Chicago).  Jeff and I thanked each other for the most enjoyable PR either of us has probably ever had.  We took a picture with Elliot and started our way to our cars and home.

As Grace (my wife) and I started out of the park, I noticed the 20yr old college student in full pain.  Behind him though, lapping him (again), was Brenda.  She looked very strong.  Grace and I stopped by her mother who was providing Brenda with a sports drink and power bar.  We cheered her as she strode off for few more laps to her first marathon finish.  I'd later find out Brenda time would be 4hrs14min (2minutes from the women's winner).

 

Takeaways

I cherish all my marathons.  All of them, including the painful and time extensive ones (those over 5hrs).  This one I'll cherish not because it was a PR, but because it was done meeting new friends literally on the run. 

 

Runner Qualifies for 2017 Boston Marathon, Credits NTNM - The Bluejacket Newpaper

When Rome de las Alas returned from an individual augmentee (IA) assignment with a few bad habits and nearing retirement, he looked to the Navy Ten Nautical Miler (NTNM) to get back on track.

De las Alas was stationed at Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) and now serves as the civilian audit liaison for CHNAVPERS Office of Inspector General.

Overweight, out of shape, and with unhealthy vices, de las Alas registered for the 2014 NTNM the day before the race.

He started the race thinking “I’m going to blow this course away.”

“But I ended up getting blown away by the course itself and theother runners,” says de las Alas. “I was pissed off at the course; I was pissed off at myself.”

De las Alas used that anger to make a change. “Since that day, I have only missed six days of running,” he said.

He recently qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon.

This isn’t de las Alas first foray into fitness. “I was sponsored by the North West Navy Fitness League back in 2002-2005. And I finished 12 marathons and four Iron Man triathlons. I was racing four, maybe five times a month.”

But in 2005 he went IA and picked up the local habit of smoking. “You’re sitting in the desert all day thinking ‘yeah this sucks’. I was working out too but I lost focus. I wasn’t racing. The races out there weren’t really races,” he said. “There were no qualifying events.”

“The locals weren’t really runners, they were just sitting around smoking,” he added. “So I ended up smoking.”  His bad habits followed him back to NSA Mid-South.

“I got stationed here at NRC and I still had these bad vices,” he said. “I was coming close to retirement. And I realized ‘this can’t be my life’”.  The impending retirement gave de las Alas a reason to examine his choices and lifestyle. He said he started to think about life beyond his Navy career.  “Obesity and that kind of stuff kills you! If you’re not healthy, you’re not going to live that long,” he said.

He was ready for a change and the NTNM was his starting point. “I picked up running and I started losing weight and I started getting faster,” he said, adding “I started enjoying the run!”

De las Alas said it is important to keep your goals realistic so they are easier to obtain.

“For a day of running to count, I have to run 1.5 miles,” he said.  “It was just a Navy standard that I could hold myself accountable for.”

De las Alas said he hopes other can use the new year and impending NTNM as a starting point for their own health and fitness journey.

“Write down promises to yourself,” he suggested. “I had to write down goals. Like go to Ironman Kona (Hawaii) by the time I’m 60; by the time I’m 90 still be able to run 10k. When I’m 100 still be able to run a 5k.

“Write stuff down so you can hold yourself accountable. When you write down all these goals and you’re accountable to these goals, they are life goals,” he said. “You’re going to fight to meet them.”

De las Alas said goals were even more important for those nearing military retirement.

“When you have something to look forward to in your life it gives you life,” he said. “I see that all the time. If you don’t (have goals) don’t be surprised if you shrivel up and die. You’ve got to have purpose.  That’s what life is all about.”

He added that staying healthy is a great fiscal choice when it comes to retirement. “If I were telling a retiree how to maximize their retirement (pay and benefits), I would tell them to be alive to receive it!”

De las Alas said that having goals and pushing to do better in all facets of life helps you compete not only on the course but in your career.  “You’re not going to be young forever! But what makes you young is continuously competing and trying to make yourself better,” he said. “That E5 or E6 or that O3 or O4 that is still early in their career; you’re in the prime of your life where you still have to compete to make rank, to make promotion,” de las Alas said. “PTing or participating in races gives you that physical focus that converts over to your professional performance.”

For those that think they don’t have time to invest in a fitness routine, de las Alas has advice on that as well.  “Running actually gives you time,” he said. “I use my runs on my lunch break to think through problems and contemplate what I am doing in my day.” He went on to say “find ways to make running part of your life. I don’t just mean scheduling it in your day, but incorporating it into your lifestyle.”  Earlier in the week he had been feeling sick and didn’t want to run, but decided to go on a run with his son. That time together was not only great time spent with his son, he said, but an easy way to get some miles in.

For new runners, de las Alas said to start slow.  Whether it be an hour, 30 or 45 minutes, just getting some exercise will get you started, he said. On the days he only logs 1.5 miles, de las Alas can achieve this in around 10 minutes.  “I started out with 30 minutes; only two miles,” he said.  Now he regularly runs 300 miles a month.

De las alas’ goal for this year is to bring his time down. Last year his finish time was around one hour and 21 minutes. With his recent half marathon times, he believes he can finish the race closer to one hour and 17 minutes.

“The competition has actually gotten harder,” he said pointing out that the competition is drawing more and more runners from around the country.  Goals are all very relative, he said. No person will have exactly the same goal at a race.  “My individual goal is to get better and hopefully to talk to more people about being more fit and being excited about the (NTNM) run.”

De las Alas said the NTNM is a unique and inspiring race with “undulation, southern living, and beautiful countryside.”

“You see the lake, you see cheering happy families, trees, long stretches where you can go as fast as you want,” he said. “And in the end you get one of the best medals ever made. It’s a pretty medal!”

For regular racers trying to decide if they want to add the NTNM to their schedule this year, de las Alas offered this review: “It’s well supported with lots of volunteers helping out. Lots of organizations are out there FCPOA, CPOA, and Filipino association. There’s always going to be somebody rooting for you. There are straightaways and coming into the finish is really cool because that announcer is wonderful and gets you pumped up.”

He said the NTNM is a unique experience that everyone at NSA Mid-South should take advantage of.  “You have the home field advantage and can train right here on the course,” he said. “And nobody in the world has a nautical miler! That in itself is unique.”

Runner Qualifies for 2017 Boston Marathon, Credits NTNM - The Bluejacket Newpaper

Page 2 The Bluejacket
Thursday, January 14, 2016

From NSA Mid-South

Public Affairs

=============

Why I Got a Coach

I have actually been laughed at for getting a coach.  Most recently I saw an associate who thought I was crazy for spending money.  Typically when I tell someone I have a coach they say, “All you need to do is run”, “You can learn all that from books”, or (my favorite) “What a waste of money.”  To be fair to all who doubt getting a good coach, you really DON’T NEED A COACH.  I knew I didn’t need one, but if I was going to get any better I WANTED someone who could see something I wasn’t seeing.

Here’s how I went about getting a coach and what he’s done for me.

MEETING COACH KEVIN LEATHERS & CAN’T STOP ENDURANCE (CSE)

I started the endeavor of hunting down a Boston Marathon Qualifier (BQ) since 1996.  However, doing it required training, proper nutrition and learning more about myself and capabilities.  I had always been a runner who died out especially at the mid to later stages of the Marathon.  I constantly read, sought advice and trained the best I knew how.  But I continually failed in almost every marathon by  bonking or giving up during crucial moments of the marathon.  I longed for the success I had in high school sprinting with my Track Coach, Mr. Danforth.  He knew what made me tick, how far he could push me and believed in me mostly because I did the work he asked.  With hard work and belief, we almost pulled off a state championship.

I heard of a running forms class by CSE.  I researched CSE and Coach Leathers.  I looked at his credentials as a Road Running Club of America certified Coach and his work with St Jude Heroes program.  I even called a local running store (Breakaway) about him and his work.  I ended up taking the class which improved my form and helped me gain a rhythm (180 beats to be exact).  Within a few runs over the next few days, I noticed that I was running more efficiently and not wasting so much energy.  I also noticed some aches going away, specifically plantar fasciitis.  The shooting pain from the fasciitis went away and I was going faster, much faster all because I changed my form by just a bit.

I contacted him again for a consultation if he could help me get a BQ.  He sent me a questionnaire about my goals, previous results and running/endurance sports experience.  Even though I was trying to hire him, I felt more like I was being interviewed.  But that was just part of the process.  We sat down for our first meeting and looked at where I was both physically and mentally to get to that BQ goal.  We also went through expectations on both sides which included fees, work, Seattle Seahawk football games and future meetings.  Although nothing could be assured in getting a BQ, with work and my current capabilities, it was more than possible.    

I got very excited by the BQ possibility and the pending workouts he proposed.  I hadn’t been in a structured running plan since high school.  But, I took them on with vivacity and determination.  They were neither easy or beyond my capabilities.  The idea was to start with speed and increase lung capacity then increase mileage.  He’d say start with low miles and build to big miles.    

TRAIN HARD - RACE FAST

My first race under the program was a 10K in my Road Racing Series (RRS).  My previous PR (personal record) was 43:17 (6:59Pace) and had run this course in 46:02 in 2014.  Once I hit the course, something was very different.  My lungs were much stronger, my legs turned over much faster (in cadence) and I cruised up hills like they were flat.  I finished the 10K in 40:35 (6:33Pace).  That’s a 2min40sec improvement from my 2001 PR  and the crazy thing was I could have gone faster. 

I’d hit my training even harder under his supervision and found speed where I never had it before.  I showed up to my next road race series event even more charged up.  I had a 10mile PR in April earlier in the year in which garnered a 1:12:09 (7:13Pace) on a fairly flat course.  I ran this same RRS course the previous year (2014) in 1:16:18.  The course was in Shelby Forest National Park over some serious hills and a upward switchback.  There was no way I should PR this course… Until, I did.  I took every hill in cadence (like a Jeep Willy) and crested the tops, when the road got flat or sloped down, I went even faster.  I was floating and flying.  I ran the course exactly like Coach Kevin told me.  I finished looking at the clock laughing.  I PR’d with a 1:06:31 (6:39Pace) on one of the hardest 10mile courses in the area. 

After the race, Coach Kevin gave me another sheet which included longer runs.  Distance miles in the teens and 20s while not sacrificing speed-work during the mid-week.  The concern now was body stress.  Aches started coming in the form of arches, Achilles, calf, and groin pains.  Kevin would continuously remind me of taking care of them and would monitor how they would be affected by the workout.  I kept plugging away knowing the last event in the series would be the Half-Marathon. 

I never broke the 1h30min thresh-hold. But Kevin calculated the work I had put into my running as well as current racing.  He estimated that I should be able to get below 1:28.  My best Half was 1:31:32 (6:59Pace) in May earlier in the year.  But, he believed in me and my training effort.  With that confidence, I took off on a cold windy Sunday morning and blasted the course, never once letting up.  When I came to the finish, I surpassed his expectations and came up with a 1:26:45 (6:37Pace).  Almost 5-minutes faster than my May PR and over 6minutes from the 2014 run on the same course.   

I had a great Road Race Series.  I had PR’d in 3 events.  I was in great shape and my confidence was at an all-time high.  But a good Road Race Series wasn’t the goal.  The BQ was the goal and Kevin refocused me with more miles at distance speeds I’ve never imagined I could meet.  It wasn’t necessarily that I needed to go fast, I needed to be patient and use pace.  That’s what long miles and adding “MP” (Marathon Pace) at the end was teaching me.  It was also teaching important lessons in endurance running.  Long Distance training means being on the road experiencing different trials and tribulations.  Whether it be weather, stomach pains, or a malfunctioning GPS watch.  Things will go wrong.  But, in training we learn from them so when the real thing (race) comes, we can handle it.  We put the “Gut Check” in “Check”. 

During my last meeting before my BQ Race (the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL), Coach Kevin and I sat down.  It was not so much technical as much as mental.  It was reaffirming that the work would get “US” (and I mean US) through and onto a BQ.  On paper I should crush this, but the course conditions (weather), my mind, and time have something to say about that.  Because when all else fails, it is the training, form, breathing and mentality that will get you to the end. 

I finished the Rocket City Marathon and earned the BQ.  But it was painful and took every ounce of my training to get me to the end.  If you want to know about it, please read this: Rocket City Marathon – Race Report.

TAKEAWAYS

Family are supportive but sometimes oblivious to the work, technical or mental aspects of running (unless of course they run with you).  Non-running Friends are just as supportive.  Other runners are great references, but they are running their own runs.  A Coach guides you to your best potential and design success defined by what you want.  That's what Coach Kevin did for me.  He listened to what I wanted to attain, devised a strategy and monitored my path to that success.  All I had to do was run it and do the work.  
 
That is the biggest key, WORK.  Kevin believed in me because of the work.  No magic pill or spell can make you go faster.  Running a 300 miles/month may not even make you faster.  It's the belief that you can go faster because you prepared under the guidance of someone who knew what they were doing.  Someone who combined sports science, physical fitness and threw in a mental game to build a person strong enough to race.  That's what my coach brought out in me.   



Lastly, I might talk up my Coach but that's because of the success I've had with him.  To me he's the best.  The Memphis Running community has a lot of great coaches for every level.  Find a coach in your budget sensitive to your goals.  Remember this is recreation, but it's also your chance to rev-up the engine and let it roar.  Let that coach bring it out of you.  

I'll see you on the Road!