The Power of the Mind

"All that I am, I am because of my mind."

-Paavo Nurmi

I think the most important thing in distance running is psychology.  Yes, you need to train your body.  Yes, you need to look at your splits.  But you also need to look at what you believe you can do.  You also need to train the mind.  Without the mind, you cannot push the body.  The mind controls the body-and when the body is in pain, the mind must not listen to it.  The mind can be very powerful when it controls the body.  When Roger Bannister broke the 4:00 mile, it was only weeks later it was broken again by someone else.  There are many examples like this in distance running.

I think there are 2 parts, really that the role of the mind takes place in distance running.  The first part, is it being able to push the body to train.  Intervals are hard, and they should be hard for the most part.  They are not meant to be easy.  The mind tells the body how many it will do that day, and it will do it.  The second part, and perhaps the most important, is the mind pushing the body to race.  Racing is different than training.  The goal of training is to get your body to adapt to a better pace, or higher amount of mileage, and to get stronger.  Sometimes, and very often with elite runners, the workouts are harder than the races in a certain way.  Besides the workouts being very demanding, this is also because the body is getting stronger, and the mind has to push HARD for the body to get where it is trying to be.  Racing is when the body is adapted and ready to perform.  But the body cannot race without the mind.  The mental push and focus required during races is very demanding, but physically, the body is there, ready.  All the body needs during a race is for the mind to tell it the ENTIRE WAY..."get to the finish line...with NOTHING left."

If you can do this, you have MAXIMIZED your potential on that race day.  If you feel you could not run one more single step faster during that race, that you had absolutely nothing left and everything was left out on the course, then your mind has conquered your body.

This is not easy to do.  It takes weeks, months, and years to master.  And yet, it keeps going, because as we break new barriers as runners, we have set new ones to break.

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My mileage was a bit lower this week(I only hit 78), but I did the Kentlands 5K as a race tune-up to get my body(and my mind) ready for my first big fall race in a few weeks.  The race went well, and my goal was to compete and get my stride open, even though my body was not completely fresh from the pervious training weeks.  I placed 2nd and got nipped in the end for 1st place, running 15:15 and losing by one second.  In hindsight, I really didn't care that much that I lost, more so that I competed and got in the effort since the REAL race is in 2 weeks.  I am not in peak shape for the 5K right now-which is a good thing!  Still, I was impressed that, despite very humid conditions(worse conditions than last year), I ran faster than last year.  And, picking up $200 was pretty sweet too.  I am looking foward to getting in one last hard workout this week and then tapering down.  The day after the 5K I did another 20 mile long run (my 6th in a row!) at an easy average of 7:00 pace-I did sleep in a bit and it was humid as $hit though.  But its really great I have done 20+ milers every week for the past 6 weeks, I think just getting used to this is going to make me so much stronger by the time november rolls around for the marathon.

Workouts & Tune-Up

Last Wednesday, August 22 I had a really great workout.  It was 8 X Mile with 2:30 rests right around threshold pace.  I split 5:06, 5:00, 4:59, 4:56, 4:59, 5:03, 5:01, 5:01.  The short rest was really great to get my confidence up.  I feel like 5:00 pace is getting "easier," and the more sub 5:00's I hit the easier it becomes.  I hit 92 miles for that week, and did another 20 mile long run on Saturday in 2:14.

This week I am tapering the mileage down somewhat(probably in the 80s) and am racing the Kentlands 5K on Saturday morning.  I did a tune-up workout today of 1600, 800, 400, with full recoveries(3-4 minutes).  The 1600 I hit 4:39, which was great!  My first sub 4:40 mile in a workout.  The 800 was 2:19, and the 400 was a 67.  I didn't want to go much faster in pace as the distance got shorter in order to save my kicking legs for a strong tune-up race this Saturday.

August 13-August 19: 105 Miles/Week

Monday: AM: 8.5 miles
PM: 5.5 miles


Tuesday: AM: 5 miles
PM: 10 miles

Wednesday: AM: Track: 5 x 1 Mile w/ 3-4 min rests, 4:55, 4:51, 4:53, 4:53, 4:56.  7 Miles total. 
PM: 3 miles easy

Thursday: AM: 17 miles, did Edward's Ferry/Club Hollow Loop(14-15), added on 2 after

Friday: AM: 9.5 miles
PM: 4.5 miles

Saturday: AM: 15 miles


Sunday: AM: 20 miles at Capital Crescent/DC, 2:10:00


Total: 105 miles


Had a great week.  My body has adapted very well to the 100 mile weeks and this week I added a track workout of 5 x mile which surprisingly went very well.  I just wanted to get a good workout in that challenged me enough to get that threshold pace back.  I'm also happy with my long runs-I've hit 20+ mile long runs every week for the past 4 weeks, and one at 22.  I'm also finding that I'm closing fast in all of them, starting at 7:00 pace and finishing in the 5's somewhere.  My average ends up being right around 6:30 pace.  For now this is where I need to be and I will gradually be introducing more quality running as the fall season comes in.  I think I am going to do the Kentlands 5K as a pre-race tune-up for the Philly Half like last year-but it's certainly a race I could care less about PRing-it isn't an easy course, and I'm not training for a 5K.  Nevertheless, it's a good tune-up race to get the race legs going. 

7/23-8/12 & The Great Mo Farah

Personally my favorite track race during the London Olympics was the Mens 10,000m.  The favorite and World Record Holder Kenenisa Bekele seems to be unstoppable at this distance, because of his blistering kick.  In fact, any Ethiopian period is a threat to this distance-they have dominated the event.  Farah got the silver at last year's World Championships to yes, an Ethiopian.  But this year Farah was ready for a re-match, and certainly as you can see in the video, he delivered.  In addition, Mo pulled American Galen Rupp to grab silver for the United States, the first American medal in the distance aince Billy Mills in 1964.  Incredible and epic race.  Rupp and Farah, in addition train together under coach Alberto Salazar in the United States.  The 1-2 finish and celebration at the end between the two athletes symbolized a great friendship between Great Britain and the United States.  Rupp's hard work on his speed payed off dearly-particularly his 1500m speed-and his kick is what got him the silver if you watch the race.  One of my favorite athletes, Dathan Ritzenhein, who just missed the team for the mens marathon, also competed in the Olympic 10,000m.  He didn't have the kick that Rupp had, however he ran a solid race for the 10,000m.  Great job Dathan!  I am sure though that he wonders what he would've done had he made the marathon team, considering Americans Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman dropped out of the race.  I believe he would've run a strong race and finished in the top 6.  Ritzenhein is enetered in this year's Chicago Marathon.  I wish him well.

TRAINING 7/23-8/12:

After the Twilighter I immediately went into a 3-week base building phase.  I did only miles and no fast workouts.  I will do workouts starting this week.  I find that I get fit, very , very quickly when doing workouts so getting into them 4-5 weeks before I race a half marathon is a good approach for me.  I also needed to get my base miles and long runs up.  I have been doing 2-3 doubles per week.  On Saturday, 8/11, I had a terrific long run: 22 miles, starting out at 7:30 pace and finishing up at 5:30 pace, averaging about 6:30 pace the entire way-considering it was pretty humid I actually felt pretty good.  I think my last 5 miles was about 28 minutes.  I find I am closing faster towards the end of many runs.

Runs and mileage are below:

7/23-7/29:

Monday: PM: 7 miles
Tuesday: AM: 11 miles
Wednesday: AM: 5.5 miles, PM: 6 miles
Thursday: AM: 11.5 miles
Friday: AM: 13.5 miles, PM: 5 miles
Saturday: AM: 20 miles
Sunday: AM: 14 miles  

Total Mileage: 94

7/30-8/5:

Monday: AM: 11 miles
Tuesday: AM: 10 miles: 63:00
Wednesday: AM: 10 miles, PM: 6 miles
Thursday: AM: 9.5 miles, PM: 4.5 miles
Friday: AM: 3 miles, PM: 12 miles
Saturday: AM: 20 miles: 2:12:00
Sunday: AM: 14 miles

Total Mileage: 100

8/6-8/12:
Monday: PM: 10 miles
Tuesday: AM: 12 miles
Wednesday: AM: 3 miles, PM: 14.5 miles
Thursday: AM: 9 miles, PM: 6 miles
Friday: AM: 8 miles
Saturday: AM: 22 miles: 2:26:00 (started out 7:30 pace worked down to 5:30 pace)
Sunday: AM: 17 miles

Total Mileage: 102

Marathon Road

2012 Rockville Twilight 8K Race Report

The Rockville Twilight 8K is pretty much the race of the summer.  It's the most competitive, and you get a mix of collegians who are home for the summer, africans and area elites all thrown in a distance that isn't too short but isn't too long either.  The course is tough, with several U-Turns and rolling hills.  It fairs well for a strength runner such as myself.  Before 2012, my highest placing in this race was 11th from last year, when I ran 25:32, my best time on the course.  I did have a good race last year, and was proud of the effort I gave.  This year though, I wanted more.


The conditions were somewhat like Oregon/Seattle weather as a faint mist covered the air with temperatures in the 70s.  It felt great.  Especially since I raced that mile a few weeks ago in 90+ degree heat.  This was no doubt a breath of fresh air.  I got to the elite room and found Matt and a few GRC guys.  I was bummed Joe Wiegner didn't show up, as he has run well in the 8K in the past.  I chatted with Wilson Komen and Mike Wardian for a bit(who just completed the GRUELING Western States 100 Miler).  I also met Anna, who recently joined the =PR= Racing Team and was happy to have her on our team.  (Our team ended up placing 2nd by a mere 5 seconds to Capital Area Runners).

After warming up, I threw on my Mizuno Wave Universes and got ready to the start.  I was debating on debuting my Ronin 4s(pictured below) but this shoe is really going to be more ideal for my half marathon/marathon racing.

The Universe 4 is my perfect road 5K-10K race shoe(pictured below).
 

But enough about shoes.  The race ended up being delayed by about 10 minutes.  As I got into position to start, several college guys lined up behind me saying stupid shit and I really wanted to shut them up.  No matter.  I would leave them in the dust once the race started.  Stay calm.  I looked over my right shoulder and saw a dozen africans anxiously waiting for the G word.  I suddenly felt confident, strong, and fearless.  I could beat these guys, I thought.  We took off.

We surged down Washington Street and a large pack of 10-12 runners mostly africans surged to the lead.  I started off at the tailend of the pack.  A few other guys(either college or local) went out fast briefly in front of me before I would pass them later on.  As we made the turn onto Martins Lane we climbed the hill and the pack began to make itself whole.  I tucked right in the pack with 2:16 marathoner Wilson Komen at my side.  The pace did not feel that hard.  I looked around and knew I was hungry to beat these guys.  Then the downhill came, and the pack surged.  I am not really a downhill runner.  Komen, who is like a head and a half taller than I am, sprinted downhill to gain meters on me.  I was trailing the end already.  Still I stayed consistent and hung tough.  I heard coach George Buckheit(who formerly coached Brandon), who gave me a helpful "STAY IN CONTACT CHRIS!"  I didn't let them leave me as we turned a hard left onto Mannakee I pulled up next to Komen as we passed another fading runner.  Mile 1 I split 4:50something.  We climbed up another hill towards Beall where we would make another left.  Komen and I worked together and hung at the back of the lead pack, which was already starting to break up.  Staying straight all the way down, we surged up a long hill-a hill that I run up frequently some days.  It's a bruiser, and it's easy to lose your rhythm on it.  I started to pass Wilson Komen at this point.  (A quick word about Wilson: From Kenya and a coach himself, he is one great guy-just positive about everything-if you talk to him-he will give you great advice-especially to "hammer" during a race!)  I "hammered" and got to the top of the hill and surged downhill towards Washington Street again where the crowds were.  I hit 9:50something for 2 miles.  I made the turn onto Washington again and began the real part of the race.  At this point there was only one white guy ahead of me, with everyone starting to spread out.  Now, is the time.


I began to surge slightly to begin my attack on some of the Africans falling off the pace.  As we climbed up Martins again, I began catching one.  Just one, for now.  Others ahead.  As I passed him, he looked over at me in surprise.  Hello, have you seen me before?  He didn't want to let me go, though.  As we got to the top of the hill, he surged down the hill and I stayed on him.  I hit another gear and passed him again and stomped on it.  I heard a moan.  He was hurtin.  I could feel him losing ground on me.  I prevailed and moved on to the next one.

I made the hard right turn onto Mannakee Lane(right before Mile 3) and could see a few others in the distance.  I split 14:58 at 3 miles or something under 15.  Another left turn and I would begin to catch the next guy.  As we meandered through the Montgomery College Campus, I caught the next guy on the uphill, and he had no response.  I kept moving.  GO!!!!!

I felt so strong.  Nothing was going to stop me from continuing to catch guys.  My strength as a cross country runner and endurance athlete kicked in at the right time during mile 4.  It was a series of U-Turns and uphills and downhills.  I then caught Seife Gelatu, whom actually I know and was having a very good race.  He is a strong runner at the 8K-10K distances.  He grunted a "hey" and tried to hang on to me.  I began really pushing the gas pedal at this point.  As I ran up the hill towards mile 4, I noticed Wardian and other runners who usually have beaten me in the past way back on the other side.  A new perspective, I saw.  I was far up.  And I wanted more. 

I hit mile 4 in 20:10 or something, so it was a slow mile due to all the turns and hills.  I turned for home onto 355 and continued to press on.  Seife had lost ground on me, and I was on my own.  I had to keep pressing though.  Less than 5 min left.  Last mile.  I ran in a series of fartleks, I would surge and then coast, surge and then coast.  I finally saw a guy who looked like he dropped out who I past.  At this point I knew I was close to top 5, which earned cash.  This mile is in a way a dragger, you're just running on 355 waiting to get to the damn finish line.  The pain has set in from all the hills and it isn't getting any better.  But it's less than 5 minutes!  I continued to cruise and made the slight turn onto East Hungerford Drive toward home. I could see one runner in the distance but he had too much on me to catch him.  He would eventually get 5th.  I made one last final surge toward the finish line and let out a loud roar for some reason while crowds cheered and crossed the line in 6th place in 25:08, a new course best for me by 24 seconds.

In terms of team results, I am happy to welcome Anna Holt-Gosselin to the =PR= Racing Team.  Previously a GRC runner, she is now joining the Benedict-Sloane running club.  Anna ran 28:36 for an outstanding 6th place among the females.  Matt Linman also ran strong, finishing in 34th place in a time of 26:49.  Our team placed 2nd overall by a mere 5 seconds!  So close but what can you do.  Runners who I coach: Brandon ran a solid 29:59 for 98th and Marie ran over 40 seconds per mile faster than last year! 

Results below:

1   1/158     15 Eyob Alemu            30 Washington DC         24:12 24:12
    2   1/79      33 Christopher Mills     22 Falls Church VA       24:12 24:12
    3   1/164      3 Tariku Bokan          28 Herndon VA            24:21 24:21
    4   2/158      2 Demesse Tefera        30 Washington DC         24:22 24:22
    5   2/164     14 Temesgen Ilanso       28 Washington DC         24:52 24:52
    6   3/164      8 Christopher Sloane    29 Rockville MD          25:09 25:08
    7   3/158     16 Seife Gelatu          30 Washington DC         25:16 25:15
    8   2/79      67 Chalie Bitew          24 Washington DC         25:18 25:17
    9   4/158      6 Wilson Komen          34 Washington DC         25:27 25:27
   10   3/79      21 Kyle Stanton          21 Columbia MD           25:35 25:33
   11   4/79    1620 Graham Peck           23 Lutherville MD        25:42 25:38
   12   5/79     983 Cameron Hanlin        24 Hagerstown MD         25:48 25:44
   13   4/164    422 Chas Ballew           27 Washington DC         25:45 25:44
   14   1/112     59 Vladimir Tontchinski  45 Eugene OR             25:44 25:44
   15   5/164     17 Alex Battaglino       26 Baltimore MD          25:49 25:48
   16   6/79      57 Garret Martucci       24 Arlington VA          25:52 25:51
   17   7/79    2249 James Noonan          22 Rockford IL           25:54 25:52
   18   1/131      7 Michael Wardian       38 Arlington VA          25:55 25:55
   19   6/164   1705 Carlos Renjifo        29 Baltimore MD          26:00 25:57
   20   8/79    1888 Ryan Stasiowski       23 Eldersburg MD         26:14 26:11
      
This was a great summer race and great maintenance race before the fall.  I hit 78 miles this week with one day off.  This next week will be close to 100 and the weeks that follow as well.
Contrary to what some think, I will not race again until September.  I got an elite entry into the Philadelphia RocknRoll Half Marathon again.  Race date is September 16.

FLASH: 25:08, 6th at Rockville Twilight 8K

 1   1/158     15 Eyob Alemu            30 Washington DC         24:12 24:12   4:53
    2   1/79      33 Christopher Mills     22 Falls Church VA       24:12 24:12   4:53
    3   1/164      3 Tariku Bokan          28 Herndon VA            24:21 24:21   4:54
    4   2/158      2 Demesse Tefera        30 Washington DC         24:22 24:22   4:54
    5   2/164     14 Temesgen Ilanso       28 Washington DC         24:52 24:52   5:01
    6   3/164      8 Christopher Sloane    29 Rockville MD          25:09 25:08   5:04
    7   3/158     16 Seife Gelatu          30 Washington DC         25:16 25:15   5:05
    8   2/79      67 Chalie Bitew          24 Washington DC         25:18 25:17   5:06
    9   4/158      6 Wilson Komen          34 Washington DC         25:27 25:27   5:08
   10   3/79      21 Kyle Stanton          21 Columbia MD           25:35 25:33   5:09
   11   4/79    1620 Graham Peck           23 Lutherville MD        25:42 25:38   5:10
   12   5/79     983 Cameron Hanlin        24 Hagerstown MD         25:48 25:44   5:11
   13   4/164    422 Chas Ballew           27 Washington DC         25:45 25:44   5:11
   14   1/112     59 Vladimir Tontchinski  45 Eugene OR             25:44 25:44*  5:11
   15   5/164     17 Alex Battaglino       26 Baltimore MD          25:49 25:48   5:12
   16   6/79      57 Garret Martucci       24 Arlington VA          25:52 25:51   5:13
   17   7/79    2249 James Noonan          22 Rockford IL           25:54 25:52   5:13
   18   1/131      7 Michael Wardian       38 Arlington VA          25:55 25:55   5:13
   19   6/164   1705 Carlos Renjifo        29 Baltimore MD          26:00 25:57   5:14
   20   8/79    1888 Ryan Stasiowski       23 Eldersburg MD         26:14 26:11   5:16