"When you're going through hell..."

"...keep on going. Don't slow down. If you're scared, don't show it. You might get out before the Devil even knows you're there."

Welcome fans, stalkers, and accidental clickers. A few stats for you:

1:53.x

1:54.71

1:55.75

1:54.2 HT

Those numbers are, respectively, my best 800m split in a relay, my indoor 800m PB, my outdoor 800m PB, and my best 800m split in practice. I tell you these numbers to put this number in perspective:

1:54.81.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the time that I ran for 800 meters recently at the MSU Spartan Invitational. A time that ranks right up there with my best times ever. A time, that, quite frankly, I was not expecting.

You may have noticed that it has been a while since my last blog post. This is not because I've been super busy (well, I have had some work stuff come up as of late, but not anything super crazy), or because I've lost interest in telling you about my life (my ego is still well intact, thank-you-very-much). Rather, its because I didn't feel like writing about how crappy my running has been going. When last you left me, I sounded like I had it all figured out, that I had just turned a corner and was about to really turn it on. However, since then, my running has been at best, stagnant. I've missed a few days due to work and injury, have had to call it quits during workouts, and have felt less than ecstatic about my everyday runs (to be fair, I have no idea how fast I am running them, and only a slightly better idea of how far I am going when I go on them). You can see then, why this last weekend came as a surprise to me.

I entered the meet with a 1:56.8 (my high school PR), an entry time that I honestly felt was a bit of a stretch. In all actuality, a 1:59 seemed like a much more realistic goal, and I was going to walk away from the meet satisfied if I could slip under the 2 min barrier. Nervous could not begin to describe what I was feeling that afternoon. The fantasy that I could actual PR did not actually cross my mind. 

My confidence began to build slightly when I saw my training partner, Jake Crowe, throw down a 3:50 in the 1500 meters. This confidence stemmed from the fact that, for the faster stuff we had been doing during workouts, I had been able to keep up and even surpass Jake (the longer stuff is a way different story). I did not think that Jake was ready to run that fast, given what we had been doing, but sure enough, on a day with perfect conditions, things just fell into place, and Jake opened up his outdoor season with his fastest 1500m to date.

The time had come for my race. I was in the last of three heats (the faster seeded heats being run first). The officials lined us up. A strange, foreign feeling gripped me as I waited on the line for the starters command. A feeling of confidence. My nerves did not go away. But this feeling, a feeling I have NEVER felt before, told me that I was fast. Faster than the people in my heats. That I had the speed to not just compete, but actually win. 

The starter called us to the line. We advanced to the lines, assumed our starting positions, and waited. And then waited some more. Leaning forward anxiously, I began to lose my balance as I waited for a gun that should have already sounded. Finally, he fired the gun. My balance was off, and my first step was more sideways than forward as I had to adjust to keep my balance. We were off.
Instantly, my confidence melted away. Losing a step did not help, but what really struck me was how fast everyone was moving. A hundred meters into the race and I was clearly in last place. Still, I didn't feel like I was over-extending my self, and I did have contact with the back of the pack. We sailed along, the pack pulling me through 200 meters. As I rounded the corner to finish up the first lap, the pack eased in to a somewhat more settled pace. The confidence resurfaced, albeit weaker than before, and in that moment I knew that I was not out of my league.
Just prior to completing the final lap, I made move out into lane two and went around some my competitors. This put me in about mid-pack. Jim, my coach, informed me that the first lap was a 56 (meaning it was probably a high 56-low 57). Relieved that I did not feel like I was over-exerting myself, I ran the penultimate curve, biding my time before continuing my assault on the straightaway. It was here, on the backstretch, that I started to feel the acid building up in my legs, the pain that is all-to-familiar to 800 meter runners. I ignored my body's plea to let off the pace, knowing that this was the point in which a race was made. Continuing my move, I used the backstretch to move me into 3rd, trailing only a couple of SVSU guys. I moved up onto their shoulder. The first one was tying up badly, and I knew that I should go around him on the curve. I moved, placing myself into second. And then a fear, begotten of memories of races too many to count. Races where it felt as though my blood consisted of not plasma, but rather pure acid. Where runners passed me, moving around me at a disheartening pace in numbers that, in my hypoxia-induced delirious state, my brain interpreted as infinite, and faded into the distance to a finish line that seemed to get farther away with each step.
Too my surprise, my fear was never realized. I tied up ever-so-slightly, and the runner in front of me inched away. His superior finish was probably as much due to my fear-induced relegation to an inferior finish as to his superior closing speed.   But a great mass of runners never passed me in this closing stretch, and my finishing kick, although still wanting, was not completely shameful.
And that, my faithful readers, is how I ran one of my fastest, and easily one of my more memorable, 800s of my life. I guess the lesson to be learned here is that although you may be going through a rough stretch, if you push on through, good things can happen. Moreover, I hope this is indicative of more great racing to come.
Blaze on friends!

Tuesday night track workout

I really think the best way to describe my training since the new year (really, since last spring) is as being "consistently inconsistent." Its been consistent in the sense that, although workouts have been sparse, and my week is as likely to have had 2-3 rest days as it is to have had 2-3 weeks straight with no days off, I've been pretty good on getting out there, doing 8-12 miles, and a respectable pace. Or so I believe, given the fact that I've either been training without mapping the distance or sans watch (or, as it has been of late, neither mapping or timing my runs), so I don't know how fast I am going. And core work has been coming in spurts, and is steadily getting more consistent. Given this, my workout last Tuesday came to me as quite a surprise.

We met at ELHS track at 6 pm. It was just starting to get dark. Although warm for February, the rain made the mild temperatures feel a little cooler than it really was, although once we were moving, it really was not too bad. After an easy 3 mile warm-up, the workout began. It was a 2 mile, 400 rest, 1 mile, 400 rest, 2 x 800 with 400 rest, and then 2 x 400 with 200 rest in between them. The goal was to be running around 10k pace for the two mile, and having the pace increase slightly for each subsequent interval. Given my lack of racing (or even timing my runs), I had little idea of what I should be running, so I just went out there and ran by feel.

We took off on the two mile. Surprisingly, 5 minute mile pace didn't feel like I was over extending myself, and I ran the first repeat with the lead group, even taking over for a few of the middle laps to help with the pacing duties (there was a little wind; not enough to really slow you down much, but enough to make it kind of cold when you were out there leading). After this, I decided I was just going to take each repeat as it came, and not worry about the next. For the mile, Jake ended up leading, and the entire group strung out. Going into the last lap, I was the last of the four of us (Jake, Donnie, Kats, and myself) in the lead group. I decided to move on the last lap, and slowly ate away at the lead each of them had on me. I caught Jake with 100 meters to go, and came in with him, running a 4:49 and closing in 69 seconds. Unlike the 2 mile, I felt like I had maybe over reached a little when I put the throttle down on the last lap, but it really didn't feel too bad.

The 800s were pretty uneventful. I ran an even-splitted 2:22 for the first, and a negative-split 2:22 on the second. Then came the 400s. At this point, I knew I was having a good workout. The goal on these was to go as fast as we could without straining. The first one I clocked in 61. The second was a tick below 60 seconds. And neither of these felt like I was straining. It felt a little tough after everything else, but it didn't feel like I was actually running outside of myself. 

Given my inconsistent training, this workout was a surprise to me. I've been trying to come up with explanations as to why I felt so good during the workout (I definitely didn't feel good going into or coming out of it... my calves were trashed for the next few days after this!). The ideas that I've come up with so far: 1) Last spring/winter's training, where I was doing marathon-like training, is starting to make itself known in my faster workout. This is what I would call the "Letsrun-training adaption theory." 2) My hips/knees/feet/ankles etc. were not bothering me, and I felt like I could really stride out. I think this is a function of me having worked on my form and doing dynamic stretching. It just felt really easy to both open up my stride and, at the same time, get a decent turnover going. 3) I've been running my easy runs easy. And I mean really easy. I'm talking capital E-A-S-Y. I don't think I've been going slow, its just that I haven't been straining when I'm running. And if I have a day where I feel like I need to run 8 minute-per-mile pace, I will do that (I don't actually know that I was running this slow one day, but I am pretty sure that I was running between 7:45 and 8:45 minute miles, and would be pretty surprised if you told me I was running either faster or slower than this pace). For reference, last year at this time, I was running anywhere between 6:40 (at the slowest) and 5:30 pace on my runs. I do get going under 6 minute miles when I am doing hard runs, but for easy runs, I'm just going by feel. 4) I'm getting better sleep, have gotten my heartburn under control, and handling stress better, and am just dealing better with a lot of extrinsic factors that seeming shouldn't affect running, but do.

Likely, its a combination of these things, which, I should add, are not exactly independent of each other. For example, running easier on my easy runs has enabled me to focus more on my form during these runs; dealing with stress helps me recover better so that I can go hard when I need to; dynamic stretching is helping me with my range of motion that enables me to run with better form; the fitness that I gained from last spring is helping me recovery faster and run easier at faster paces. The list really could go on for a while. Regardless, this workout is leaving me excited for my prospects this spring. I'm really not sure what I am focusing on racing-wise. I do know that I'm running the Shamrock shuffle in Chicago in late March and the Martian Meteor 10k in April, but the rest of the plans are pretty up in the air right now.

Well folks, I think I've babbled on for long enough now. Time to get out there and blaze!

Massage biochemically enhances muscle recovery

Welcome back to another edition of "...Or we can blaze!" Just a brief update before I start talking about a study. 

When last we talked, I was, unfortunately, again talking about injury setbacks (seems to be a theme... maybe I should rename this blag 1001 different running injuries, and how to go about developing them). Well, folks, injury has struck again. This time, it was in the form an angry hamstring. I was enjoying an easier Sunday stroll with my roommate Nick and good friend Eric Loveland, when my hamstring decides that it was going to contract, and then not relax. This was by far the worst hamstring issue that I have ever had. It snuck up on me suddenly, and made it nearly impossible to finish my run (against my better judgement, I somehow hobbled my way back home; had I known for sure that someone would come and get me in a reasonable amount of time, I may have just started walking). Luckily, the injury only required a couple of days off, and, a week later, it is basically non-existent. So not too much harm done.

Also notable on that run was the fact the Eric Loveland (who should now be referred to as Eric "Superman" Loveland) got hit by a jeep from behind. I would like to embellish, the story a little, and tell you that Eric got completely blindsided and hit full on by the Jeep, shattering it into a million different pieces, and walking away unharmed (which is why you should call him Superman). But the truth of the matter is that the Jeep, which was coming up from behind way to fast on way too snowy roads, giving way too short of a warning with its horn, and not being patient enough to make sure we were out of the way before it passed, only clipped Eric's shoe, knocking him on the ground and banging up his knee. Sure, Eric's knee got a little bunged up, and I'm sure his heel felt a little off kilter for a while, but, considering how serious it could have been, things turned out pretty okay for him.

Back to my training. Since getting over the hamstring issue, I've actually put in some pretty good runs. Now, I've been running san-watch, so I can't say that I've put down any amazing workouts or anything like that, but I can say that running has, for a change, felt effertless and it has felt like I've found a pop in my stride that has been missing. Plus today I put in 17.25 miles, which didn't feel all that difficult (until the last few). So what this probably means is that in a few weeks I'll be writing about another overuse injury, as that seems to be what happens when I start feeling good- I start too over-train. :)

Finally, too the title of my blog. As many of you know, not only am I a runner, I am a science enthusiast (for those of you that can't tell, that is a bit of sarcasm, considering that "enthusiast" doesn't quite mean the same thing as "I've decided to make a career out of science and go to graduate school to get my Ph.D. in biochemistry). As such, I enjoy perusing the science literature, and my interest always perks up when two of my loves, running and science, intertwine. Well in the journal of Science Translational Medicine (Feb. 1 2012 edition) this week, there was an article on how massage may actually have a biochemical basis for enhanced recovery. A news release can be found here, and here is the original article. The authors looked at genes differentially regulated (i.e. either more or less mRNA, which makes proteins, was produced) in legs of subjects who, after a bout of aerobic exercise, had one leg massaged and one leg, the control, that was not massaged. They found a number of genes that differed in the massaged leg compared to the subjects non-massaged control limb. Additionally, a number of pathways that function in recovery were turned on in the massaged leg to a higher degree than those of the non-massaged leg, suggesting that massage aided in the recovery after exercise. Interestingly, scientist found that a pathway that leads to mitochondrial biosynthesis was turned on, which makes me wonder if not only does massage aid in recovery, but does it actually increase the benefits one would receive from a bout of exercise. 

Like almost all scientific studies, there are a few caveats. For instance, from what I understand, the subjects were not regular exercisers, but rather underwent a single bout  of exercise (actually two- one initial to measure VO2 max and other parameters to define the second test experiment, done two weeks later, where the biochemical measurements were taken). But this study does give credibility to massage as a form of recovery, and does point in the direction of many directions for future studies: does massage aid in the recovery of the habitual aerobic exerciser? Does the type of massage (deep tissue, athletic, gentle, etc.) matter? Is self massage as effective? Foam rollers? How frequent?

Well folks, I hope you enjoyed this post, and until next time, as always, blaze on! :)

A Mid-Winter's Update

Well folks, its been about two months since my last post, so I thought maybe, just maybe, it might be time for an update. For those of you who need a refresher, when last we left our swashbuckling hero (me), I had just run a mediocre race at the Grand Finale cross-country race, and was slowly making a comeback. Since then, I guess not much has changed. After a brief tease the last day of November, December decided to take a holiday until, well, after the holidays, so the running in December went fairly well. However, it has finally arrived. I can't really call it a super bad winter, but I'm not liking it. Especially because, despite a new ordinance stating the East Lansing residents must scoop their sidewalks, the sidewalks have delightfully remained quite white. Normal traffic then crushes this snow into ice, which is then covered by more snow, making the Michigan walkways a treacherous landscape, booby-trapped with hidden ice and uneven footing. The slipping and the sliding has played its toll on me, giving me a bum groin that brings back memories of my Junior year of college, when I had given myself a sports hernia. Although the pain is definitely not as bad as it was then, it is similarly persistent, giving birth to doubt in the back of my mind... In addition to this, the combination of short days, occasionally late evenings in the lab, and minor (a cold) sickness, running has been anything but consistent.
Alas, with the inconsistencies in my training, it is hard to stay motivated. I'm hanging in there, but I can't wait until the end of January (and, really February), when the sun will finally be putting in full days of work instead of pulling this winter part-time-crap that he is famous for, and the freeze leaves us to the brisk chill of Spring...
No races are planned for the immediate future, although I am signed up for the Martian Meteor 10k in the middle of April, and will likely be running a St. Pat's Day race. Until then, I am hoping to finally get healthy, and begin logging in the miles.
Until next time, blaze on friends!

Playmakers' Grand Finale

'Twas the Sat' before Thanksgiving, and all through the trails, runners were racing, being tough as nails...

Hola! And welcome back to yet another edition of Blaze! Finally, after about six weeks or so of not racing, I have returned to action. Today was the Playmakers' Grand Finale race, a cross-country race put on by our club team as a last harrah before club nats in December. We also use this race as a final measuring stick for picking who will be on the team that runs at club nats, so it acts as a sort of selection race as well. Not to give away the ending, but I was not in the mix for the "varsity" club nats team. However, considering how my training this fall has went, I don't think that it was necessarily a bad race either. I ran a 26:40 or so. Not bad, considering that I ran slower at the Autumn Classic, my last outing. But not really an improvement either. At least I'm not regressing.
For the most part, the rest of the team ran great. Our top guys ran PRs (Jake finally breaking the 25 min barrier), or at least ran close to them. So overall, it was a good showing.
This will probably mark the end of my cross-country season for the year, as I don't see myself paying my own was to Seattle to run club Nats. So what's next for me? Well, I'm tempted to run a Turkey Trot back in Nebraska on Thanksgiving, but I haven't made a decision yet. Then, I'll probably start prepping for an indoor season once again, and possibly run a 3k or mile indoors in December before Christmas break. Really, this last race has shown me a few weaknesses that I need to start working on. I really don't feel strong right now, and especially not on hills, so I think that may be a focus area for a while.
One last thing before I sign off: I am growing more and more convinced that my cat is 100 % pure awesomeness in feline form. That is all. Blaze on!

A horrible, awful, no good, bad day

Some days, its just better not to get out of bed. Saturday was one of those days. Unfortunately, this is not what I did. I started off the day feeling pretty stiff, probably from the workout the night before (hills at Mt. Hope Cemetery). Instead of taking it slow and letting my body loosen up, I went for a run almost immediately. So that was probably my first mistake. To be fair, I was going into work, and because of the MSU vs. Minnesota game, I would have to pay for parking if I drove, so I was multitasking: commuting to work while getting my run in. Well about half-way into work, I decided, "You know, the left side of my body hasn't been injured in a while. I think maybe I'll roll my ankle and that should help balance out my injury woes." So yes, I rolled my ankle. And it hurt. A lot. And here's where I made my second bad decision. I sat down for a while, trying to decide what to do: go in and get some work done, or do the smart thing, and go home, put some ice on my ankle, and just go into work later. Of course, I chose the not-so-smart option. Which meant that I had to run another 37 minutes total on my ankle instead of 12. And it was indeed on my trip back from work that I realized what a stupid decision it was.

All-in-all, my ankle decided to swell so that it was a good 25-50 % larger than it normally is. Oh, and the colors! My ankle is not a beautiful shade of what can only be described as "black-purblue."

I wish that I could say that that was my bad day. I rolled my ankle, and it turned blue, swelling to the size of a grapefruit. But, unfortunately for me, I did not just call it a day and go back to bed. No, I decided that I needed to go back into work to finish some things. And the Western blot that I was developing (the reason I even needed to run in to work at all) decided that it didn't actually need to have any protein on the membrane. So that was a waste.

And the day continued. When I got home, I was shocked to see that the Concordia men had taken third at the GPAC meet... behind Dordt! What does this mean? Well, it meant that the men would probably be staying home from the national meet, a first in years (sure enough, they didn't qualify). Since Colin probably will be reading this: my heart goes out to you guys. Go get um on the track! I should also mention that the woman had a good meet, taking second behind Nebraska Wesleyan, and just edging out Morningside. So congrats to the women, who will be headed to Portland in a couple weeks.

Needless to say, at this point, I really didn't even care about the Nebraska game.

Really, Saturday wasn't all bad. There was a new addition to my life. A short-haired black beauty (cat) named Lylah has decided to take up residence in my apartment (okay, I did most of the deciding), so that's actually been pretty good. I also pulled together an EB abstract (which was due today... nothing like waiting for the last minute, right?). And I'm actually able to run on my ankle, although there won't be any runs that require me to use uneven footing or sharp left turns in a while. I guess if this is as horrible as my days get, I'll definitely take them (every now and then). Blaze on!

October workout #1

I thought that I'd share with everyone that I officially have done my first workout since September! I can't say that it was anything earth-shattering, but still newsworthy. It consisted of a 16 minute warm-up, followed by 10 x 3 minutes hard, with one minute of light jogging in between reps... or at least this is how it was intended to be. The last few intervals were, uh... altered by a force of nature more powerful than I. Regardless of this, I managed to put in a total of 30 minutes of hard effort. I even cut some of my earlier rests short (although nature's call lengthened some of the later rests). All-in-all, I'm happy with the effort.
Other things of note: my ankle is actually starting to feel better and more stable. Whether I circumvented a serious injury by taking a couple of weeks off, I can never know for sure, but hopefully this indicates that I'm actually starting to learn from some past mistakes.
I think I may have found a new favorite pair of shoes, although I can't actually tell you what they are yet, because I am wear testing them...  :) Lets just say that they're not your typical name brand running shoes. However, I do think that they could be improved on.
Until next time, blaze on!