USATF Half Marathon Championship Preview

Abdi	Abdirahman	Tucson	AZ	Nike
Thomas	Adam	Charlottesville	VA	Ragged Mountain Racing
Scott	Bauhs	San Luis Obispo	CA	ASICS Aggie Running Club
Shadrack	Biwott	Mammoth Lakes	CA	ASICS Mammoth Track Club
Adam	Bohach	Decorah	IA
Isaiah	Bragg	Dublin	OH	U.S. Air Force
Chris	Burnett	Wichita	KS
Ian	Butler	Lakewood	CO
Ferando	Cabada	Clovis	CA
Michael	Capriolo	Akron	OH	Team Ohio
Brian	Cull	Somerville	MA	Somerville Road Runners
Matt	Daniels	Evergreen	CO	Hudson Elite
Sean	Davidson	San Luis Obispo	CA	ASICS Aggie Running Club
Noah	Droddy	Boulder	CO
Brandon	Dworak	Memphis	TN
Nick	Edinger	Kent	OH
Dustin	Emerick	Evansville	IN
Scot	Fauble	Flagstaff	AZ	Hoka One One NAZ Elite
Nicholas	Filippazzo	Wantagh	NY
Brian	Flynn	Rockingham	VA	Pacers/New Balance
Mason	Frank	Bloomington	MN	Run N Fun
Patrick	Geoghegan	Portland	OR	Genesee Valley Harriers
Joe	Gray	Lakewood	WA	Club Northwest
Isidore	Herrera	Ventura	CA	Cal Coast Track Club
Charlie	Hurt	Charlottesville	VA	Ragged Mountain Racing
Cory	Irwin	Canal Winchester	OH	Columbus Running Company
Cory	Keehn	Hays	KS	Kansas City Smoke
Ryan	Kienzle	Canton	OH	Team Ohio
Bill	Klimczak	Boulder	CO
Christo	Landry	Charlotte	NC	Mizuno
Conrad	Laskowski	Gaitherburg	MD
Greg	Leak	Tacoma	WA	Tacoma City Running Club
Chris	Lemon	Springfield	OH	Dave's Racing Team
Craig	Leon	Eugene	OR	Team Run Eugene
Scott	MacPherson	Austin	TX	Rogue AC
Scott	Mate	Stow	OH	Team Ohio
Paul	Matuszak	Philadelphia	PA	Philadelphia Runner/Puma TC
Tyler	McCandless	Boulder	CO	Boulder Harriers
Raymond	McCormack	Orlando	FL
Dustin	Meeker	Towson	MD
Steve	Menovcik	Grand Ledge	MI	Patient Endurance Racing
Danny	Mercado	Flagstaff	AZ	Team Run Flagstaff
Tony	Migliozzi	North Canton	OH
Ryan	Miller	The Woodlands	TX
Joe	Moore	Manhattan	KS	Kansas City Smoke
Andy	Morgan	Peninsula	OH	Team Ohio
Teage	O'Connor	Burlington	VT	Green Mountain Athletic Association
Graham	Peck	Baltimore	MD
Phillip	Reid	San Luis Obispo	CA	ASICS Aggie Running Club
Malcolm	Richards	San Francisco	CA	West Valley Track Club
Andrew	Riggins	Cuyahoga Falls	OH
Carlos	Roa	Jamaica	NY
Aron	Rono	Beaverton	OR
Eric	Schott	Cape Girardeau	MO
Jack	Schlabig	Galena	OH
Evan	Schwartz	Columbus	OH
Louis	Serafini	Brighton	MA	The Heartbreakers
Jeff	Sigmund	Brecksville	OH
James	Sjostrom	Aurora	OH
Christopher	Sloane	Gaitherburg	MD
Paul	Stoodley	Columbus	OH
Orinthal	Striggles	West Columbia	SC
Andy	Wacker	Boulder	CO	adidas Rocky Mountain Elite
Ian	Walsh	Easton	PA
Logan	Wells	Westerville	OH	Columbus Running Company
Jonny	Wilson	Flagstaff	AZ
Verelle	Wyatt	Akron	OH	Team Ohio
Tim	Young	Fredericksburg	VA

Columbus, Ohio

This will be my 3rd US Half Marathon Championship in my running career.  My first one, in 2012 hosted by Grandmas in Duluth, MN, was a really tough day.  I finished 84th, and was nearly last in the entire field.  The second one, in 2014, was in Houston.  Houston was great-I set a PR at the time-1:07:29, and finished a respectable 56th.

This one is in Columbus, Ohio.  The course looks fun.  I will be competing as well as I can.  It's nice the weather will hold out this time-conditions look great for racing.  In March, I dealt with the brutal heat and humidity at the 15K Championship in Florida, and then 4 weeks ago the extreme winds and unseasonably chilly weather at Cherry Blossom.  Cherry Blossom was a solid place for me, snagging top 10 American, though I don't think I was as sharp as I am now.  I know I am fit.  My workouts show.  I feel fitter than when I ran 1:06:50 in January-which was 5:05 pace.  But it's not just about time-every course is different.  This course looks fun and I think it has a good variation of ups and downs.  I want to place well in this and show I am one of the country's best half marathoners.  This race is that-The US Half Marathon Championship.  It is not always about the time, it is about running with others who are better than you, running and pushing yourself towards the front.  That, is what I have been training for.  To run with the best.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go.

-The Impossible Dream

Training 4/4-4/24

The last few weeks I have gotten in awesome workouts.  The USATF Half Marathon Championship is this coming weekend, hosted by Columbus, Ohio.  Next post will be my race plan and how I feel going into the race.  Below are my last few weeks of training.  This week is just easy miles.

4/4-4/10:

Post Cherry Blossom was just mileage.  86 miles total

4/11-4/17:

Mon: AM: 5 miles
PM: 4 miles

Tues: AM: Track: 1 x 1200m: 3:36, 3600m: 11:09(4:57 pace)
PM: 6 miles

Wed: AM: 14.5 miles
PM: 3 miles

Thurs: AM: Track: 4 mile tempo: 19:43 (4:56 mile pace)  
PM: 6 miles

Fri: AM: 12.5 miles
PM: Track: 3 x 300m sprints: 50, 48, 47

Sat: AM: Track: 6 x 800m: 2:20, 2:19, 2:19, 2:20, 2:18, 2:18
PM: 4 miles

Sun: 19 miles

Total: 102 miles

4/18-4/24:

Mon: AM: 5 miles
PM: 5 miles

Tues: 16 miles

Wed: AM: 9 miles
PM: Track: 4 x 1600m: 4:54, 4:47, 4:43, 4:38

Thurs: AM: 3 miles
PM: 5 miles

Fri: AM: 9 miles
PM: 5.5 miles

Sat: 6.5 miles

Sun: AM: 12 miles
PM: 5.5 miles

Total: 90 miles

2016 Cherry Blossom Runner Results!

Congrats to all who raced Cherry Blossom!  It was a tough windy day which made the times all that more impressive!

RESULTS:

Exavier Watson- 59:18, 112th place overall!
Craig Greene- 65:26, PR!, 11th in age group 50-54!
Tommy Leblanc- 1:12:08
Tracy Heichelbech- 1:17:33, 10th in age 50-54!
Lea Vikke- 1:17:54, PR!
Martin Wetzler- 1:17:59, PR!
Fed Bernal- 1:19:02
Mike Conroy- 1:21:41
Laura Turbe- 1:21:42, PR!
Omar Ali- 1:26:05
Byron Blunt- 1:26:48
Christina Guzzo- 1:33:23 (speedy pregnant woman!)
Alyssa Wargo- 1:38:42
Alice Kwon- 1:39:47, first 10 miler!
Pat Graves- 1:42:37, first 10 miler!
Sasha Pryborowski- 1:42:38

The Battles in Racing Conditions

Jacksonville Half Marathon

January 3, 2016

Conditions: 48-50 degrees, cold rain, but no wind

Result: PR- 1:06:50

USATF 15K Championships

March 12, 2016

Conditions: 80-85 degrees, 90-100% humidity

Result: very slow time, 26th place

So far this year, each race I have run has been a wild card in terms of conditions.  On January 3, I ran a PR in the half marathon of 1:06:50 in Jacksonville.  It was cold rain, which was annoying, but there was no wind.  And the temperature was near perfect.  Then, on March 12, I did the USATF 15K Championships, also in Jacksonville(the race is also known as the Gate River Run).  It was hot, and humid as hell.  It was hard because I wasn't used to the conditions.  When you aren't used to those conditions(especially training all winter), they can really give you a good ass-whooping!  I placed 26th in the USATF 15K Championship.  I have gotten to the point where I am not satisfied with that, and I think that is a good thing because I know I can run with that front pack once I am ready, place in the top 15.  But moving on now to Cherry Blossom...

I have trained well the past few months.  I have done some workouts that indicate I am fitter than before I ran 1:06 for the half marathon in January.  What I have noticed in my training is that it seems I am just a little bit more comfortable at quicker paces now.  Things started to click really well after I returned from the Gate River Run 15K.  Sometimes a race in really rough conditions does wonders later on.  Below are my most recent weeks leading up to Cherry Blossom this Sunday.  Of course, now on my 3rd road race into 2016, there are more conditions to conquer.  This time the temperature will be good(maybe a bit brisk, but I will take ANYTHING over the conditions I dealt with at Gate River).  When it's humid there really isn't much you can do.  When it's cooler you can always layer up a bit.  This time, the challenge will be the wind.

First rain but great temperatures, then hot/humid, now cool/windy.  There's always something.  But it can bring opportunity.  I think for tomorrow, I could place really well.  I have a shot at sticking with the lead pack.  If it makes sense, I will go for it.  The leaders may not be able to run as fast, and if I can draft off of them I will be able to do well.  I will run this race to place well.  I know I am very fit, the workouts below speak for themselves.  I should be able to summon a very good kick too, as I have worked on my foot speed as well.  Last year, I was just behind the top pack.  Maybe this time I can hang with them for a while.        
3/14-3/20:

Mon- 10 miles
Tues- 6 miles
Wed- AM: 9 miles
PM: Track: 4 x 1600m: 4:48, 4:45, 4:48, 4:49, all with 400m jogs between, 9.5 miles total
Thurs- 10 miles
Fri- AM: 5 miles/PM: 5 miles
Sat- Track: 8 x 800m: 2:22, 2:22, 2:21, 2:21, 2:21, 2:20, 2:21, 2:19, all with 400m jogs between, 
11 miles total
Sun- 2 hour run w/ Conrad

Mileage: 85 Miles

3/21-3/27:

Mon- AM: 5 miles/ PM: 5 miles
Tues- Track: 8 x 300m: 49-51 each, 6 x 400m: 67-69 each, 9.5 miles total
Wed- 11 miles
Thurs- 10 miles
Fri- 10 miles
Sat- Drills + 8 x 100m strides, 2 x 1600m: 5:02, 5:01
Sun- 15 mile run

Mileage: 75 miles

3/28-4/03:

This week I did a light 4 x 800m on Wednesday in 2:31, 2:29, 2:28, 2:27.  It was enough just to get my racing gears going for Sunday, and felt relaxed doing those paces, which is a good sign.