The Doug Cross Running Page
Welcome to my Home Page! This page includes my own training log, running links, and other running related stuff I find interesting. To read about my mediocre running career, check out my bio.
My Running Bio (updated 12/07) | Favorite Links (updated 11/04) |
Training Log (updated 09/01/04) | My Races (updated 07/17/04) |
Notable Quotes (updated 02/04/04) | NJ Road Racing () |
Running Pictures (updated 04/03) |
Periodically Updated Quote:
"Running, one might say, is basically an absurd pastime upon which to be exhausting ourselves. But if you can find meaning in the type of running you need to do ... chances are you'll be able to find meaning in that other absurd pastime - LIFE." - Bill Bowerman
What's New...
12/03/2019 - I ran the Open / Masters race at the Footlocker South XC Regional . My time of 17:42 was almost 30 seconds slower than I ran on the same course two years ago, but I really haven't been able to get in any quality work lately - just easy distance. My first mile was 5:25, then I ran 6:00 (ouch) and I don't feel like calculating my last mile pace... My final race of the year will be the USATF National Club XC Championships on December 14. It's a 10k at the Paul Short cross country course at Lehigh University. Wish me luck!
09/27/2019 - Nobody reads this website anymore, but I'll document that on June 2, 2018 I raced a mile at the Music City Distance Carnival . I ran 4:49.91. I followed that up with a 10:29 two mile road race at the Scenic City Scorcher on July 21, 2018. Fast forward to 2019, and I slogged through the Expo 10K in 37:07 and was first masters finisher since Stewart Ellington couldn't make the race. I followed that up with a lackluster 5:08 mile at the Hal Canfield Mile on June 20. The Pilot Fireball 5K has become a July 4th tradition and I ran 17:45. Then I ran a 10:49 two mile at the Scenic City Scorcher in Chattanooga on July 20. My 16 year old beat me in that race... again.
12/21/2017 - On November 25, I ran a 17:13 5K at the Footlocker South Regional Masters XC Meet . I was there with my 14 y.o. who was racing in the 13-14 year old category. This was my first cross-country race in over 13 years and my first time wearing spikes in over 10 years. The course was fast, weather was cold (35 degrees), but no wind... I went out in 5:20, second mile was 5:51 and I closed in 5:34. I got a strong dose of reality when one of the finisher chute volunteers said "Good job mixing it up with the young guys." I guess I'm starting to look OLD.
07/26/2017- After a sweet vacation in mid-June, I'm getting back into running slowly. On July 3rd, I ran a 19:10 5K at the Pilot Fireball 5K with my 14 y.o. son. I've run 20-30 miles for the past couple weeks and then 39 miles last week. I still haven't done any quality work, as my left Achilles, right SI joint and right hamstring are giving me trouble.
06/21/2017- I've completed a few more spring races. I ran a 16:57 at the Dogwood Classic 5K and a 36:34 at the Expo 10K . I was 2nd masters at Dogwood and first masters finisher at the Expo 10K. Training has been 20 - 40 miles per week - basically just distance. I also ran a 5:01 full mile time trial on the track... I think I've run three track workouts since February. My right hamstring and back cannot handle quality track work...
04/26/2017- I ran a 17:45 5K at the Covenant Health 5K . My next race will the the Dogwood Classic on April 29 and then hopefully a 1500m in Nashville on May 6. I'm shooting to run a sub 5:00 mile at a track meet on May 20. I think it's possible, but my running has been limited to mostly 25-40 miles per week because of a cranky achilles tendon and troublesome hamstring. I'm hoping to get in a couple of quality track workouts over the next few weeks.
06/10/2016- Because I ran with my oldest son this past fall and spring, I'm now in competitive jogger shape! I've been running about 25-35 miles per week, notched a 17:30 5K at the Dogwood Classic and a 37:16 at the Expo Classic 10K . I'm getting excellent physio therapy from Robin Boughey. I almost feel like a runner again!
08/25/2014- I've lost about 10 pounds, but now that my son's summer track session is over, I've been slacking on the running thing. I probably need to get out the door around 5:30am, so that I can get a quick run in before taking the boys to school. After the Carter Mill 10K , my back started acting up again. I don't have many PT sessions left for this year (my current medical plan limits visits to 20 per calendar year), so I'm going to try to self-treat for now...
07/22/2014- As a result of taking my middle son to summer track practice, I've been able to run 3-4 times per week lately. I jumped in a couple of races, notching a blazing 19:13 at the Fireball 5K and 41:44 at the Carter Mill 10K . I continue to get PT from Mick at Optimal Performance. I've also added some of my results to my Athlinks.com profile. I think you can go to athlinks.com and search for my name. I had forgotten about that website... it's pretty cool.
05/06/2014- I am a jogger now, but getting rehab for my lower back. I hope to get healthy and run consistently. I'm also on a mission to collect links to some of my previous performances... Compuscore.com still has results from my northern NJ road racing days and marathonguide.com has my Columbus Marathon results 2001 Columbus Marathon. Two of my college bests are still listed at Wheaton T&F Top Ten for the time being until I get bumped off the list. I was also able to locate my results from the 2001 New Haven 20K. Although a slower time, 2002 New Haven 20K. Here's my half marathon PR 2001 Philadelphia Distance Run. Lastly, The Gate River Run still has results from 2002. This reminds me of a song by Bruce Springsteen, but I digress...
10/16/2011- My lower back has been acting up lately, so I'm going to see a physical therapist on Wednesday. I was still able to run twice this weekend, 4 miles each day.
07/27/2011 - I ran the Carter Mill 10K this past weekend in 42:39. It was a nice rolling out and back course with use of the community pool after the race. It was pretty humid for the start, but the cloud cover kept the heat manageable. I wore Adizero Tempo which are a nice lightweight trainer from Adidas. They may be the replacement for my beloved Supernova Classics, which were discontinued in 2010. I haven't updated my training log here, as I'm using athleticore.com and don't want to enter the data more than once.
07/22/2011 - I've been running a few times per week in and around my new home of Knoxville, TN. I typically get in about 4-6 miles per run. It's been enjoyable with access to gravel roads and paved greenways, but the humidity and hills are for real. I'm still only going about 7:15 per mile, but it's good to be healthy and moving again.
09/22/2010 - I haven't updated this page in 8 months... I've gotten in a few short runs lately, but am still at least 10 pounds overweight.
01/16/2010 - Another injury to report... I tore my ankle about a month ago. I stepped on a baseball bat that was left on the driveway. It was dark and I never saw it. My ankle still is swollen and I cannot run more than 100 feet or so. I don't remember the last time I had that kind of intense pain.
08/06/2009 - I pulled my hamstring 3 weeks ago while running a 200 meter repeat. I had no business doing a track workout since I really have not been running much at all. I probably have averaged less than one run per week over the past several months. I'm going to physical therapy and also getting ART treatment. 07/02/2009 - There is some very sad news in the NJ road racing community. Jesus Resendiz, a strong road racer who raced with the Fleet Feet team was killed while working with a highway construction crew in Jupiter, Florida. Jesus lived in Perth Amboy and raced consistently on the NJ road circuit during the years 2004-2006. If you would like to help out his family in their time of need, please contact Carlos Martins. He has been in contact with the Resendiz family and will forward your donation. For those of you who would like to help but don't know Carlos, please email me at rundugrun (at) yahoo (dot) com and I will put you in contact with him directly. 05/23/09 - I hate gasoline with 10% ethanol. I hate it. There, I said it. I feel better. I used to get over 350 miles per tank and now I'm lucky to get 330. Also, it has cost me two repairs on small engines (lawn mower and blower)... evidently, the ethanol in the gas is damaging to small engines if left in the tank for a long period of time. I'm pissed off about the ethanol scam, the resulting higher food prices and the lower gas mileage. Anyway, I found the product, 50 Fuel, it is pre-mixed oil and gas for small engines. Most importantly, it contains ethanol-free gas which is impossible to find at gas stations in New Jersey.
07/18/08 - I ran the Verizon Wireless Corporate Classic 5K last night. My time was 19:42 and I ran hard. I guess that's what happens when you don't run for a couple of years. The weather was warm and humid, but not too terrible. Andrew Hanko, a kid from Montville who will be a sophomore at the Naval Academy, won the race. I work for BD (Becton Dickinson) and we had over 60 runners register for the race. I hope to run consistently again so I can lose the 10 pounds that I've gained since I haven't been running. While warming up I ran into old running buddies, Gary Rosenberg and Dom Grillo. Dom biked across the country last year and then raced a marathon in 2:40. Gary is an executive with The Running Company.
12/07/07 - I can't believe it's been 2 years since I updated this page. I suppose at this point, nobody really cares, but I'll write a bit for my own sanity. Pretty much all of the links on the front page are dead, so don't click on them. I don't want to lose my comments, so I'm not going to erase them, though. Back to me... Since the birth of my 3rd son (Joshua), I really have not run much. I got in some consistent recreational running this summer and was able to run a sub 30:00 5 mile race as a relay member on a triathlon. Since then, it's been pretty much downhill. I've gained about 10 pounds over the past 2 years and it's not fun. Someday, I hope to run again, if for no reason other than I'd like to feel healthy. I've updated my bio section, as well. One other running related item... I decided at the last minute to drive to Central Park to watch then end of the Men's Olympic Trials Marathon. I found a parking space on the street not far from 90th and Central Park East. I followed the crowds and arrived as the runners had passed the 30K mark. Abdi Abdirahman dropped out of the race near me, so I walked up to him to offer encouragement. He talked about his hip and hamstring giving him trouble for the past few weeks. His demeanor was good, not upset at all. I think he has a very good chance to make the US Olympic team in the 10,000 meters on the track. The finish of the race was great, with huge jumbotrons showing each finisher. NYRRC and NYC did a fine job hosting the race, but they could have done better in publicizing it. I bumped into several runners who were registered for the ING NYC Marathon the next day and none of them had heard about the Olympic Trials event. You'd think that the NYRRC would have included a brochure with their race packet. It's a minor complaint, because the event itself was very well run. Obviously the tragic death of Ryan Shay became the focus of the event. I cannot imagine what pain his parents and wife are going through now. 10/29/05 - My Microsoft FrontPage software is not functioning, so I am not able to easily update this page. You won't see any updates here, but you can check out my log at www.athleticore.com. In sum, I haven't run consistently in over one year and am just getting back into easy running. 01/01/05 - Dathan Ritzenhein placed 3rd in
his professional debut at the Silvesterlauf 10km, running 28:24. Ritz finished
in excellent company behind Olympic Gold Medallist Stefano Baldini and XC star Sergiy
Lebid. 12/05/04 - Here's a good article
about sprinter Kelli White's career and demise. 10/08/04 - I haven't updated in a while... I bruised my
ribs a few weeks ago and have only been running easy mileage since. I probably won't
update my training log until 2005. 08/29/04 - USA Marathoner Meb Keflezighi earned the silver
medal in the marathon today... He ran a smart race, losing out to eventual winner
Stefano Baldini over the last 2 miles. There have been a few celebrity sightings on letsrun lately. Click here for
a post by Joetta Clark Diggs about leaving Jearl Miles Clark off the 4x400 relay
team... And
here is some training info from marathon great Benji Durden. 08/19/04 - Marathoner
Deeja Youngquist has reportedly tested positive for synthetic EPO. She is a member of
Eddy Hellebuyck's training group in Albuquerque. She had a dramatic improvement in
her performances after arriving in Albuquerque. Eddy tested positive in January of
this year, but it didn't reach the public until last month. 08/16/04 - I finally updated my links page... added a couple
interesting websites. Did you know that 1984 Olympic Marathon silver medallist, John Treacy ran a
13:16 5000 meter race just prior to his Olympic success? Coincidentally, that is
exactly the same time the US Olympian Dan Browne has run this summer. In addition,
Treacy completed the 10,000 / marathon double at the '84 Games, which is Browne's plan for
2004. Dathan Ritzenhein is planning on competing in the 10,000 meters in Athens
despite a stress fracture in his foot. He has built up to running 25 minutes on
grass in his recovery process. 08/13/04 - There is so much drug related news, it's hard to
keep up... Irish distance runner Cathal Lombard, who dropped
his 10K best almost 3 minutes in less than 2 years, tested positive for EPO. In
a refreshing change, Lombard admitted he was guilty even before his 'B' sample was tested.
Greek
sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou missed a second drug test in one week...
Kenteris shocked the world by winning the Olympic 200 Meter Gold Medal in 2000.
Rumours were rampant that he was taking banned substances even four years ago.
Now both athletes have conveniently been hospitalized for 3 days (enough time to
clean drugs from their systems) because of a mysterious motorcylce accident. The
Greek athletic officials have characterized the injuries as minor... Reasonable
people ask why are the athletes being hospitalized (and unavailable to drug testers) if
the injuries are minor?? On the US front, Torri
Edwards got a 2 year ban for testing positive for the stimulant nikethamide. Calvin
Harrsion also received a 2 year ban for testing positive for the stimulant modafinil. 08/01/04 - There were a few notable track performances from US
runners this past week. Tim Broe ran 13:18, which has put him on the Olympic 5000
meter team with Jonathan Riley. In a surprising run, marathoner Dan
Browne ran 13:16 for 5000 which shows he's in great shape... That's a big PR for
him. Browne will be running the 10K and marathon in Athens. Incidentally, EPO
cheat Mohammed Mourhit finished the same race in 13:44... I guess that indicates what he's
able to run when not on the "juice". 07/17/04 - I ran the Dash and Splash
5 Mile in 28:40... details in my races. 07/15/04 - The USA Network showed the
entire women's
5000 meters at the Olympic Trials commercial free. In addition
to that, the race itself was excellent, with Shalane Flanagan forcing the pace for over 2
miles only to have both Marla Runyan and Shayne Culpepper to pass her in the final lap.
Culpepper surged past Runyan just before the finish line and Flanagan held on for
the final Olympic spot. In other news, master sensation Eddy Hellebuyck and 100 meter sprinter Torri
Edwards have tested positive for banned substances. Edwards, who has earned a place
to the Olympics tested positive for a stimulant and Hellebuyck's was an EPO violation (the
exact details of which are unclear). 06/24/04 - As I predicted, the BALCO scandal is taking down
some BIG names. World-Record Holder Tim
Montgomery is facing a lifetime ban because of evidence he took as many as 5 different
illegal substances. In more positive news, Paula Radcliffe has recovered
from sports hernia surgery to run 14:29 for 5000 meters. After a rough past
year, Paula looks ready to challenge anyone either on the track or in the marathon in
Athens. 06/09/04 - Alan Webb continued his solid season, winning the Ostrava
1500 in a time of 3:32.73 and in the process defeating several world class milers. 04/30/04 - Dathtan Ritzenhein of Colorado University ran 27:38
for 10,000 meters tonight at the Cardinal
Invitational. That is the 3rd fastest collegiate time ever, I believe. Meb
Keflizighi won the race in 27:24, with Kiplitan 2nd in 27:32.30, Lombard of Ireland 3rd in
27:33.53, Abdi Abdirahman 4th in 27:34.24, Bob Kennedy next in 27:37.45 then Ritzenhein
27:38.50, followed by Dan Browne in 27:42. All were under the Olympic 'A' standard
for the event. Quite an impressive race... 04/23/04 - The results of my MRI were negative. Nothing
seems to be structurally wrong with the area. I've got a prescription for PT to help
strengthen my back and core. 04/17/04 - I had an MRI taken of my SI joint and hip area...
I saw the doc at 1:30PM and I was getting the MRI 5 hours later. Now that is
quick service... I know of a fellow runner who had to wait for 3 months to get an
MRI - he lives in Canada, the land of socialized medicine. I should have the results
early next week. 04/13/04 - Since I'm cheap and am using a free web hosting
service, they feel free to put ads at the top of the page... I cannot control the content
of the ads, and I do not approve of what they purport to be selling. I'm going to
remove some stuff on this page to see if that changes what ads are displayed. 04/04/04 - Thirty-nine year old Colleen DeReuck pulled
an upset, winning the women's Olympic Trials Marathon over heavily favored Deena (Drossin)
Kastor. Jen Rhines secured the last Olympic spot by running a smart race and
catching fast starter Blake Russell in the last mile. A three-time Olympian
originally from South Africa, DeReuck brings a wealth of international experience to the
US team. Click
here for a good recap of the race. Competitive runners must read "Runners" by Roger Hart. 04/03/04 - For the record, the price of gasoline is cheap.
In 1981 gasoline cost about $1.00 per gallon. If the price had just kept up with
the rate of inflation, gas would cost over $2.90 per gallon today. Click here
for a concise article about gas prices. This is basic Econ 101 stuff, people!
Gasoline is a very cheap product... It bugs the heck out of me that our political
"leaders" either don't understand this (frightening) or even worse, ignore the
facts because the truth might get in the way of their "class-warfare" political
campaign. For those of you who like graphs, click here for a graph of how the
inflation-adjusted price of gas has fluctuated since 1980. 03/28/04 - I injured my lower back again moving some boxes in
the attic. It hurts to run. I'll be heading to the doctor soon... I've updated my NJ Road Racing
page with highlights of the USATF
8K Championships. 03/11/04 - To peruse the training logs of some solid runners,
check out run-insight.com journals.
There are about a dozen elites and almost elite whose logs you can review. 02/21/04 - Check out www.athleticore.com
(free registration required)- it has training logs of some decent runners, including Jim
Akita and Michigan All-American Mark Pilja. I ran 5 times last week, 4 miles each time. Everything seems to be
normal... normal hamstring and adductor pain, normal knee pain... However, my lower back
seems to be completely pain-free. 02/17/04 - Although it's already old news, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflizighi and Dan
Browne finished 1-3 at the Olympic Trials Marathon. Browne's race was back up to
his high standards after a frustrating fall season. Surprise 4th place finisher
Trent Briney, ran 2:12:35 which is an PR by over 8 minutes. He is a member of the Brooks Hanson's Project. The
BALCO net is starting to get tighter around Barry Bonds... 01/28/04 - Thirty-eight year old Rod DeHaven injured his SI
joint at the New Haven Road Race last year, and will not be competing in the Olympic
Trials. It seems that his career might also be over, as well. 01/23/04 - Click
here to read a diary entry from Kevin Collins as he prepares for the Olympic Trials Marathon on February 7th. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention... I'm injured. 12/27/03 - I actually ran 2 miles last week and my back didn't
feel too bad. I'm going to get back into running very gradually. 12/09/03 - Iona College All-American Richard Kiplagat is
carrying a heavy burden. Click
here to read his story and see how you can help. 12/04/03 - Sadly, Khalid Khannouchi is injured
and will not run the Olympic Trials Marathon in February. 12/01/03 - Here's
a sweet article about NCAA XC Champ Dathan Ritzenhein and his injury struggles. 11/26/03 - After not running all summer because of a stress
fracture, U of Colorado runner Dathan Ritzenhein won the
NCAA XC Championships in a very close finish over Ryan Hall of Stanford. Hall's
race is a big breakthrough for him as he led the Stanford men to a dominating victory. In Division III, Calvin College coached by
Olympian Brian Diemer, destroyed the competition in winning the title over Stevens
Point and North Central. In the wake of the revelation that Regina Jacobs has used illegal performance
enhancing drugs (THG), here is a
good article that discusses how the positive test has affected Regina's nemesis, Suzy
Favor-Hamilton. 11/24/03 - At the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday, Edward
Callinan of Cherry Hill finished 3rd in an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:21:22.
Running Company teammate and northern New Jersey road racer, Gary Rosenberg
finished 16th in 2:32:37. Complete results here. 11/22/03 - We're approaching the Christmas shopping season, so
I have included a list of great books that
any serious runner should love. 11/21/03 - Recent US Marathon Champion and NCAA 10K Champ Ryan
Shay details the running exploits of the entire Shay clan (scroll down for Ryan's
account). 11/15/03 - Regina Jacobs' B sample has tested positive for
THG. Now I know how her body became so ripped after the age of 35. Speaking
of BALCO, THG and transformed bodies, I've updated My Thoughts page regarding Barry Bonds
(he was a BALCO client). On the local scene, Gary Rosenberg is trying for a PR at the Philadelphia Marathon in 2 weeks. 11/03/03 - All around good guy and New Jersey native Joe
McVeigh ran his "last competitive marathon" in 2:28:30 finishing 6th among US
men. Click
here for a good article about Joe. Here are the results
from the ING NYC Marathon... times were slowed because of the unseasonably warm
weather. My back still hurts. 10/27/03 - Here's a good NY Times article
about Clint Wells. Regina Jacobs has shut down her website... 10/24/03 - For those of you who love to watch T&F, check
out this video of the 2002
Commonwealth Games. Day 6 has most of the final track events. 10/23/03 - Regina Jacobs' tremendous breakthroughs appear to be
a bit tarnished. According to the
Washington Post, Regina has tested positive for the designer drug THG, which is at the
heart of the BALCO drug scandal. Regina's positive is in addition to that of shot
putter Kevin Toth and sprinter Dwain Chambers. Two more US track athletes are
rumored to have tested positive. On a personal note, I had a bone scan last week which revealed the beginning of
a stress fracture near my SI joint. I can't run for at least 6 weeks or so. 10/21/03 - Keep an eye on the BALCO / THG drug story... I
have the feeling lots of big names are going to be involved. Here's
another article about the impact on T&F. Do you think track and field has a
drug problem? The
situation in baseball is much worse. They don't even announce if anyone tests
positive and there aren't any repercussions after they do. 10/16/03 - There were several notable NJ finishers at this past
weekend's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.
Edward Callinan of Cherry Hill finished 44th in 2:22:03, painfully missing an Olympic
Trials qualifier. Two local northern NJ road race standouts, Carlos Martins (86th place /
2:28:17) and Elliott Frieder (99th place / 2:29:12) were the second and third New Jersey
finishers. Among the US elites, Meb Keflezighi secured his Olympic "A" standard
by placing 7th in 2:10:03. Regarding the Olympic qualifier, Meb says it's "It's off
my back". The second US finisher was a resurgent Todd Reeser who placed 14th in
2:15:11. 10/11/03 - In case you missed it, last weekend 42 year old Eddy Hellebuyck won the Twin
Cities Marathon in 2:12:47. That time is a US Masters Record. The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
is on tap this weekend, and has announced bonuses
for any US runners who exceed the Olympic Trials standards. Race director Carey
Pinkowski has always gone the extra mile to help US runners, which has distinguished
LaSalle Bank Chicago from the other major US marathons. 10/07/03 - My back is slowly improving. I tried to
shuffle down my driveway and it still hurts, but I guess it hurts less than it did 2 weeks
ago. 10/01/03 - I've updated My Thoughts page... Bernard Lagat's
'B' sample tested negative for EPO. Although the IAAF didn't
say he's innocent, they said he has been cleared to compete. 09/22/03 - Here's an interview with
John Zupanc, coach of DIII powerhouse UW-Oshkosh. Check out more interviews and
other good collegiate stuff at www.trackshark.com.
09/21/03 - My lower right back and upper gluteal muscles (near
the SI joint) are really messed up. I can't walk without a limp and while ART
treatment makes it feel a little better that only lasts for a day or so and then I'm back
to walking around like a crippled old man. Once I've got my health insurance
situation stabilized (I'm starting a new job soon), I'm going to get some more doctor and
PT opinions on my injury. Needless to say, I'm not planning on running any races for
the foreseeable future. 09/10/03 - My lower right back is really sore. It
hurts to walk and really hurts when I try to run. I'm going to get some
more treatment for it this week. I've already been to my ART guy twice. Here's
a good interview with Brian Sell, who finished 2nd at the New Haven 20K with a
breakthrough performance of 59:18. 09/08/03 - Eddy Hellebuyck ran a US Master's record of 14:13
for a road 5K at the CVS / Downtown 5K in
Providence, RI this past weekend. He broke the previous record of 14:19 held by John
Tuttle. 09/06/03 - My lower back was a bit sore yesterday, but I
decided to go for a run anyway... sometimes those aches loosen up during the run.
Well, that decision was a big mistake. I was able to run about 6.5 miles and
then the pain was so bad I had to stop. I walked about 1.5 miles home. Today
it hurts just walking around the house. Bummer. I've been icing and taking
Voltaren. I saw my ART guy yesterday and will go back on Monday. 09/04/03 - Click here for a picture of
me at New Haven. 09/02/03 - According to the IAAF, Kenyan mile sensation Bernard
Lagat has tested positive for EPO. On a more personal note, I finished 46th at the New Haven 20K yesterday in 1:06:20. I
don't take EPO. I'll write up a summary for my races section soon. 08/21/03 - Chad Johnson of the Nike Oregon Project trains
160 miles per week. Click
here for an interview with Chad. I'm thinking of running an early December marathon. Possibilities include California International (CIM), Jacksonville and Memphis. I'm leaning toward CIM because it
will have the deepest field. 08/14/03 - Steve
Spence recently ran 23:47 for 5 miles. That time seems to be a US Master's
Record. 08/10/03 - Here's a cool picture of my bashed foot. Click
on it to enlarge. 08/07/03 - I ran 5 miles today. It hurts to run on a
broken toe, but it feels much better than last week. Mike Mykytok has written a book about running, Pushing Through. I
have not read it yet. As long as I'm discussing books, I recommend everyone browse
through one of the many pictoral books about 9/11. It is critical that our memories
of that day remain fresh. I have read One
Nation (Time Life)and A
Nation Challenged (NY Times) - both are excellent. I was impacted
all over again as I paged through and relived that day. If you read them, you'll be
surprised at how much you've already forgotten... 08/01/03 - I tried to run today... An excellent
podiatrist assured me that if I could run without limping it would be OK to continue
training. Unfortunately, after about 1/4 of a mile the pain was too great (and I was
limping) so I had to pack it in. I'll try to run again in a couple of days. 07/28/03 - New Jersey athlete Ryan Grote finished 6th at the
IronMan Triathlon in Lake Placid, NY. He finished one place behind Olympian Ryan
Bolton. Click
here for results. X-rays indicate that I have a fractured
proximal phalanx on my fifth toe. That explains why I haven't been able to put
any weight on my fifth (pinky) toe without excruciating pain. 07/27/03 - I smashed my little toe while running to answer the
phone Friday evening. I'm in job hunting mode, so I really try not to miss any phone
calls. Anyway, my toe really hurts. I saw a doctor who thinks I should get an
x-ray because he thinks I might have "chipped a bone". I'm icing my foot
several times per day and taking anti-inflammatories. I can't put any weight on the
toe and I'm hobbling around the house. And I was just getting into pretty good
shape, too. 07/24/03 - Here's a good article on the
current status of Adam Goucher. 07/19/03 - I'm reading the Kenny Moore's book, Best
Efforts. It's a great read with details about the lives and training of many
world class runners. 07/15/03 - Click here for an
interview with Notre Dame grad and All-American Luke Watson who will run for adidas
and train at Team USA in California. 07/13/03 - Here's a good
article about Mary Decker Slaney, who is being inducted into the Distance Running Hall of Fame this weekend. 07/01/03 - I won the Montville Firecracker 5K in
15:43. It's my fastest time on that course. Gene Mitchell, owner of the New Jersey Running Company stores finished the Grandma's Marathon in 2:22:55. He missed
qualifying for the Olympic Trials by 55 seconds. In the warm temps he became dehydrated,
threw-up and was forced to walk late in the race. Gene ran his last 10K in over 36
minutes... ouch. That's unfortunate because he was in excellent condition. He
is tentatively planning on running a fall marathon to get his OT qualifier. The
first US finisher was the infamous Teddy Mitchell, who finished 4th in 2:16:00. 06/16/03 - Daniel Lincoln
of Arkansas won both the 10,000m and Steeplechase at the NCAA T&F Championships
this past weekend. Daniel was a 4:16 miler and 9:31 2 miler in HS. 06/15/03 - I didn't get the job in Newark. That kind of
stinks that I didn't even get a job offer after what I went though... oh, the total
bill to repair my Jeep was over $1000. That's an expensive interview, no? 06/08/03 - Click here
for a good article about steepler Anthony Famiglietti. Tim Broe was the top US runner at the Steamboat
Classic. He covered the 4 miles in 17:50 and placed 4th... Marathon
world-record holder, Khalid Khannouchi was 7th in 18:11. Shadrack Kosgei ran 17:34 for the
win. 06/02/03 - My car was stolen in broad daylight while I'm on an
interview in Newark, NJ. That's actually not a big surprise... What is
surprising is that the perpetrators left a lot of evidence in the car (clothes, the tools
they used to gain entry, etc) and yet the police don't even want to look at the evidence.
They basically said that they don't have time to pursue minor infractions like CAR
THEFT and VANDALISM. So, the message being sent is... "It's OK to steal cars,
we won't punish you for that crime." If you don't enforce the laws, you end up
with cities like Newark - where no one wants to live (except criminals). The car was
recovered in neighboring Elizabeth, NJ... another town with a high crime rate. 05/28/03 - Pamela Chepchumba, a Kenyan runner, tested positive
for EPO. Click
Here for the news article. 05/26/03 - I ran 32:12 at the Ridgewood 10K to finish 11th.
Details in my races. 05/23/03 - Check out Running
Company's new website. 05/18/03 - I finished 3rd in 49:26 at the Midland Run 15K. Details
in my races. 05/15/03 - I've started a new job as a contract recruiter for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. 05/11/03 - Dan Browne won the Fifth Third River Bank Run, which serves as the
USATF 25K Championships. Complete results are here. 05/05/03 - Rich Byrne, manager of the Ridgewood Running Company
continued his excellent 2003 road racing, running 48:28 at the Broad Street 10 Mile placing 3rd. Click here for full results. 05/02/03 - Mike Fish of
Sports Illustrated writes a
good article about David Kimani. 04/26/03 - I finished 4th in 16:18 at the Main Street 5K in Sparta,
NJ. Of course, the first 3 got prize money... Details in my races. 04/23/03 - Here's
a good article about Jason Bodnar.. a must read for the serious runner. Here's a
link to US Youth T&F... looks
interesting. The top 2 NJ finishers at the Boston Marathon, Michael Danahy and Elliott Frieder are
both former NCAA Division III All-Americans. Danahy graduated from Bates College and Frieder from Haverford College. Danahy is currently a grad
student in Chemistry at Princeton, while Frieder works in Public Relations at KPMG. 04/22/03 - At yesterday's Boston Marathon, Robert Cheruiyot
of Kenya won in 2:10:11. In a race slowed by unusual warm temps and a strong
headwind, Cheruiyot
pulled away from countryman Timothy Cherigat in the 22nd mile. Kenyans swept the
first 5 places. Last year's winner, Rodgers Rop struggled to finish seventh. Eddy
Hellebuyck led all US finishers in 2:17:18, finishing in tenth place. The second
US runner, Ken Pliska ran 2:30:12... most of the top US runners had recently run the US
Championships or are preparing for a fall marathon. The first local (NJ) runner was
Michael Danahy of Princeton who ran 2:32:03 for 30th place. Elliott Frieder was the
next NJ runner placing 57th in 2:39:11. On a personal note, I plan to race this Saturday at the Main Street 5K in Sparta, NJ.
It's a fun race with a formerly fast guy Andy Ball as race director. He puts
on a fun event. 04/18/03 - David Kimani, Alabama's 13:10
5000m runner died Wednesday. Click
here for a tribute from fellow elite runner, Tim Broe. 04/17/03 - Chris Lear's new book about Alan Webb, SUB 4:00 is due to be released
June 1. Deena
Drossin was training 140 miles per week in preparation for the London Marathon where
she ran a US record of 2:21:16. 04/15/03 - Click
here for a picture of Andrew James. 04/14/03 - I've updated My Links page... In related note, I
spotted Drew Ryun posting on the Letsrun.com message board (yes, that Drew
Ryun). I actually met the Ryun family when Jim dedicated the new track at my high
school. I own a huge poster of Jim Ryun
standing in a field... autographed, of course. 04/13/03 - Paula
Radcliffe won the London Marathon unchallenged in 2:15:25!! Former WR
holder Catherine Ndereba, finished second in 2:19:55. Deena Drossin set a new
US record running 2:21:16 for third place. On the men's side, Gezahegne
Abera won a very close race over Stefano Baldini, Joseph Ngolepus and Paul Tergat.
The top six men finished within 7 seconds of each other. Abera seems to
specialize in winning very close races. He has won his last 4 marathons by a
combined TOTAL of 6 seconds. Full results here. 04/11/03 - Chris Graff won his first USATF Championship by
running 47:09 at the Papa Johns
Ten Miler last weekend. Full results here. I've started my NJ Road Racing page...
it needs some work. 04/10/03 - Andrew James Cross was born on April 9, 2003. Baby
and mother are healthy and happy. 03/21/03 - At the recent World Indoor T&F Championships, the
USA had several impressive performances. In the distance races, Regina
Jacobs won gold in the 1500m and David
Krummenacker won gold in the 800m. This is redemption for Regina as her last few
opportunities competing on the world stage have been disastrous. She got sick before
the 2000 Sydney Olympics and did not compete, had a very poor showing at the World Indoor
T&F Champs in 2001, declined to run the 2001 World Cross Country Championships,
dropped out of her 1500m heat in the 2001 World Outdoor Champs and then opted out of the
2002 World Cross Country Championships after she had dominated the US Championships.
Krummenacker looked impressive pulling away from the favorite, Wilson Kipketer in
the final straight and Jacobs was never challenged in her win. 03/15/03 - Click
here for a picture of another of my favorite training shoes... Here's a good article about
the greatest distance runner of all-time, Haile Gebrselassie. My current rotation of training shoes includes Adidas Supernova Classic, Asics
Tiger Paw 99 and the Mizuno Wave Phantom. I just got a pair of Nike Streak Spectrum
Plus, I'm going to try them out as racing flats. 03/09/03 - Deena
Drossin won the USATF 15K Championship (Gate River Run) in 47:13. That's 59
seconds better than her previous US record. Local NJ runner, Carlos Martins, ran
49:59. Full results
here. 42 year old Eddy Hellebuyck won the master's division with an impressive
45:43 clocking. 02/20/03 - Good interview with
2003 US Marathon Champion, Ryan Shay. On a personal note, I'm doing too much "thinking" and not enough
running... 02/09/03 - Ryan
Shay, Kevin Colllins and Clint Verran earned berths to the 2003 World Championships
Marathon by being the first 3 finishers at the US Marathon Championships in Alabama
yesterday. It was a big PR for Kevin Collins and only Shay's second marathon since
graduating from Notre Dame, where he was a perennial NCAA All-American. 02/08/03 - run-insight.com has posted several "journals" of
good runners (Slattery, Brannen, Cordes, Bak, Flanagan, etc). 02/03/03 - Iraq is being investigated
by the International Olympic Committee for allegedly torturing and murdering its own
athletes. 02/02/03 - Forty mph winds ruined any chance for fast times at
the Las Vegas Marathon... The winner ran 2:33.
Click here for an
interview with Tony Young, a 40 year old who has recently run a 4:08 mile and 1:53.89
800 meters. 01/23/03 - Here's a good interview with
marathoner Clint Verran. 01/11/03 - Part 2 of Naoko
Takahashi interview. 01/09/03 - Read this interview about
Olympic Marathon Champion and the first woman under 2:20:00, Naoko Takahashi. 01/05/03 - Here's a picture of my favorite training shoes. 12/28/02 - Check out this article about recent
Olympic Trials Qualifier, Jason Mayeroff. I ran twice this past week on the treadmill. Just an easy 3 miles each
time, and my abdomen feels OK. I won't know if the surgery was successful until I
get my miles up and try some harder running. I hope to be training consistently by
the end of January. 12/11/02 - I figured I'd report in 2 weeks post surgery.
I'm healing up nicely now after a very painful initial week. There is still moderate
discomfort and I certainly am in no shape to run, but I can actually walk pretty much pain
free. In running news: Here's a nice
article about a guy who won a marathon after turning his life around. Check out
www.runningmovies.com, if you like
running and movies (duh). Jon Sinclair, road racer extroadinaire, has his own
coaching services at: http://anaerobic.net/index.html.
Chad
Worthen finished the California International
Marathon in 2:22:03, missing the Olympic Trials qualifying mark by 3 seconds (bummer).
The winner, in 2:11:56 was the indomitable Elly Rono, who seems to win a marathon
every 5 weeks or so! US Olympian, Rod DeHaven finished 3rd in 2:13:19 in his effort
to run under the new IAAF Olympic qualifying time of 2:12:00. 11/28/02 - Happy Thanksgiving! I had my abdominal surgery two days ago, and I'm pretty sore. I arrived at
the hospital at 7:30, filled out paperwork, I was being cut open by 9:00 and by 10:30 Jen
was driving me home. Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital runs a smooth "operation". The surgeon said that my tendons
were split as he suspected, but there was not evidence of a classic hernia. He
repaired the split tendons and they should take about 4 weeks to heal. So, I'll try
running easy at the beginning of January. At that point, I'll know if the surgery
was a success. 11/11/02 - I saw Dr. Andrew
Boyarsky today, he thinks I have a "split tendon" and we've scheduled
surgery for November 26th. He's pretty confident that he'll be able to fix the
injury. After all conservative treatments have failed, I'm excited to try something
new. If it doesn't work, I'm not much worse off since I am not able to train now
anyway. 11/09/02 - 3:40 1500m runner Terrance Armstrong has his own web page,
complete with training
log. 11/06/02 - Sweet run by Meb Keflezighi at
the NYC Marathon - he
ran his debut marathon in 2:12:35. Meb ran an aggressive race staying with the
leaders before fading over the last 6 miles. 10/23/02 - Check out Keith Dowling's
training. He's a 2:13 marathoner who placed 6th at the 1996 Olympic Trials Marathon. Click here
for a picture of Paula Radcliffe and Rich Byrne running the Chicago Marathon. There were a couple of solid performances at the Steamtown Marathon. Top
finishers include Matthew Sandercock at 2:21:20 and Maurits Van Der Veen at 2:21:40.
10/19/02 - There were some excellent performances at the Chicago Marathon last Sunday. Alan
Culpepper, one of the top 5000/10000 track men in the US ran his debut marathon in
2:09:41. That's a solid performance based on his recent track times. Kyle
Baker, who has been racing frequently and fast this summer ran his debut marathon in
2:14:30. Additionally, my former college buddy Bill Kabasenche qualified for the
Olympic Trials by running 2:21:35 and the manager of my running team (Running Company),
Rich Byrne got his "A" Olympic Trials qualifier by running with Paula Radcliffe
most of the race before "fading" to finish in 2:19:12. Congrats to all. I've updated My Thoughts
page. Beware, it's about the NJ Senatorial race... I'm still doing PT for my injury, but I'm starting to think that I've got a
"sports hernia".
That can be confirmed by exploratory surgery. I'm going to give the PT a
little more time before I go back to the doctor. 10/07/02 - The Yankees lost. HAHAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHA. 09/30/02 - Dan Browne, who has been the most consistent US road
racer over the past 2 years, ran a great debut marathon in
2:11:35 in humid conditions at the Twin Cities Marathon this weekend. The race
featured 11 American men under the 2:22:00 Olympic Trials Qualifying Standard.
10,000 / 5,000 meter specialist Brad Hauser was also successful in his debut marathon,
finishing in 2:14:15. Click
here for the first 100 finishers. At the Berlin
Marathon on the same day, the US produced one more Olympic Trials Qualifier, Jason
Mayeroff in 2:18:27. Click
here for searchable results. 09/17/02 - From personal experience, Voltaren is a much
stronger anti-inflammatory than Celebrex. In defense of Celebrex, it's claim to fame is
that it is a COX-2 inhibitor. Although I have no real idea of what that means, it is
supposedly much better for your stomach while retaining the desired anti-inflammatory
effects. On a related topic, I am definitely not running the Chicago Marathon. I hope to
just get running again consistently. 09/13/02 - I've been taking Celebrex (anti-inflammatory) to see
if that will help my abdomen and hamstring injuries. The abdomen hurts when I sneeze
or sit up, so I figured I'd try the Celebrex in addition to physical therapy. I'm
pretty certain that I won't be running the Chicago Marathon in October. 09/09/02 - Check out http://www.tilastopaja.net/ for the most
comprehensive track performance lists on the internet. Also, you can view the end of
the 1964 Olympic Men's 5000m at the following link: http://www.runningpast.com/media/1964olympic5k.mpg
09/04/02 - There are 2 pictures of me from New Haven.
Click here for picture #1
and here for picture #2
or go to www.mensracing.com and follow the links
to the 2002 New Haven 20K photos. My left ham is still painful and I haven't run in 3 days... 09/02/02 - I placed 29th at the New Haven Road Race 20K in
1:06:25. I was cruising along around 5:11 pace when my left hamstring cramped up on
me shortly after the 6th mile marker. I slowed and eventually stopped to try to
stretch the ham - it improved enough to finish the race, but well off my goal.
Details in my races. 09/01/02 - I'll be racing the New Haven Road Race tomorrow which serves as
the USATF 20K Championship. My next race will be the Philadelphia Distance Run on September 15th. 08/28/02 - Check out Hal Higdon's account of the epic
duel between Salazar and Beardsley at
the 1982 Boston Marathon. It's a great read. 08/17/02 - I placed 8th at the NYRRC Club Championship in 25:15.
The race is an improvement on my performance at the Sheehan Classic. Details in My Races. 08/10/02 - Finished 13th at the Sheehan Classic 5 Mile in 25:47. I went
out in 5:11 and it felt fast. I got more comfortable as the race progressed, and was
able to pass 2 runners on the final hill and finish strong. I think the week's miles
and two hard workouts made my legs feel sluggish. I had no snap in 'em. I'm
happy I was able to average under 5:10 per mile after how I felt early in the race.
I think the hard training now will result in better performances in September and October
when I'm more rested. 08/05/02 - Went to the wedding of Scott Wilson in Anderson, Indiana this
past weekend. Scott is a XC and track coach at Anderson
University and was my roommate for a few years in college. A 4:13 miler in high
school, he sports PRs of 3:51 (1500m) and 14:41 (5000m). 07/31/02 - Paula
Radcliffe ran 14:31 to win the 5000m at the Commonwealth Games. That
performance, added to her 2:18 marathon debut and World XC Championship mandates that she
be considered one of the greatest women runners of all-time. Her vocal and
persistent anti-drug stance also makes her one of my favorite distance runners. 07/25/02 - My internet access has been limited lately due to a lightning
strike that hit very near our home recently. I apologize for the delay in updating my
training logs - I'm sure I left many of you on pins and needles. ;-). 07/12/02 - Regarding Alberto Salazar's contention that "Until you
can run significantly under 28 minutes for a 10K, and under 13:20 for a 5K, you shouldn't
even think about running a marathon". I guess it's a real good thing that Bill
Rodgers, Dick Beardsley, Ronaldo DaCosta (former WR holder), Josiah Thugwane (Olympic
Marathon Champ), Gert Thys (2:06:33), Tesfaye Jifar (NYC Marathon Champ) and scores of
other very successful world-class marathoners didn't believe that. The marathon and
5K/10K are two totally different animals. 07/11/02 - Excellent interview with
Franklyn Sanchez (13:38 5000m) on mensracing.com - Franklyn is coming back after 12
months of injury. 06/29/02 - Finished 1st at Montville 5K in 15:51.
Running Company teammate Angelo Harasts took second. This is my hometown race
and is in conjunction with a carnival, parade, etc. 06/22/02 - I finished 2nd at the Denville Run for the Roses 10K
in 33:12. My right ham/butt hurts some, but my back feels fine. Details about
the race (not my butt) in My Races
section. 06/01/02 - I've decided that complete rest not only does not heal any
nagging injuries I have, it usually makes them worse! After I dropped out of Ottawa
because of my hamstring problem, I took 2 weeks off completely from running. On my
first run back, my right hamstring was more painful than at any time leading up to, and
including the marathon. I think when I stop running my muscles must contract so that
when I return I'm more tight than ever. This is not the first time I've noticed this
phenomenon. Hopefully I've learned not to stop running completely during my break
between "seasons". I still have the annoying psoas/abdomen pain - I'm
seeing my ART guy and also have an appointment with a massage guy who treats a lot of
runners. 05/12/02 - I dropped out of the Ottawa Marathon just past halfway.
I'll have more details later, but here's the short version: My upper right ham started
hurting around 10k and just kept getting worse. By 15k, I was getting occasional
sharp pains which was forcing me to change my stride. By 20k, I was fighting to run
without a limp and my pace was slowing. I went through the half in 1:13:05 and
stopped shortly thereafter. I think I'll need some good massage and PT for both my
hamstring and abdomen muscle strains before I begin serious training again. 04/20/02 - Tom McArdle
of Dartmouth finished 2nd in the 10,000m
at the Mt. SAC Relays in 28:18. That's a 52 second PR for him. On a
related note, Shawn Found ran 28:40 in the same race. Using my impeccable logic,
since I beat Found at the Gate River
Run last month, I clearly can run a sub 28:40 10K... in my dreams. 04/13/02 - I finished 2nd in a disappointing 1:09:24 at the Queens Half Marathon. I got a
slight sidestitch around mile 8, slowed from 5:10 miles to 5:20+ and allowed eventual race
winner Julio Chuqui to open up a 10-15 second gap on me. I was able to close the gap
over the last couple of miles and had a decent kick, but my mental lapse left me too far
out of contention to catch him. It was a classic case of needing to suck it up and
go with Julio when he pulled away, but I was mentally weak and let him get away.
More details in my races. Khalid Khannouchi beat an outstanding field and ran a world-record
2:05:38 in winning the London Marathon. I'm very happy for him after his
disappointing showing at the 2001 World Championships. 04/11/02 - The London
Marathon is this Sunday and the field is loaded. It should be a good race
between Geb, Tergat, Khalid, El Mouaziz, Pinto, Jifar, Tola etc. 04/02/02 - I'm starting a new consulting job at Sony Electronics as a
Technical Recruiter. My first day will be April 8th and the position should last at
least 4 months. I'm happy to be working again. 03/26/02 - I've been struggling with an abdominal muscle strain for
almost 2 weeks now. I haven't noted it in my log because I think that maybe if I
don't write it in my log, it doesn't exist (or it might go away). Well, it hasn't
gone away and really bothers me when I have to run fast (and sit up quickly). I
don't think it's smart to run an 8K race and risk really hurting myself for my goal race,
the Ottawa National Capital Marathon. So, I'm
backing out of the USATF 8K Championships and taking this week very easy. I'll
resume full training next week - I'll have 4 full weeks of good training before I need to
start my taper. 03/19/02 - I'm running the Powerbar 20 Mile this Saturday
(3/23). I'm going to run the first 10 miles easy (~6:45/mile pace), then attempt to
run the next 10 miles at marathon pace (5:30/mile). I'll wear my training flats so I
don't get tempted to run the entire thing as a race. My next competitive effort will
be the USATF 8K Championships in
Central Park on April 6th. There is a real possibility that I will finish dead last
in that race. That's fine with me, as long as I run a PR. 03/17/02 - Jen, Ryan and I just got back from vacation in Florida.
So, although it's now old news: on March 9th, I finished 28th at the Gate River Run 15K in 47:17.
It serves as the USATF 15K Championship. Details in my races. 03/03/02 - Gabriel Muchiri of Kenya won the Newark Distance Classic 20K.
The first NJ finisher was Terrance Armstrong. I'm planning to race the Gate
River Run 15K this Saturday, March 9th provided my various aches and pains don't
worsen. 02/25/02 - There's a new picture of Ryan on the Family Pictures page. 02/19/02 - At the Motorola
Marathon this weekend, Greg Wenneborg was the first US finisher and qualified for the
2004 Olympic Trials with his 2:18:47 clocking. Greg is the director of Craftsbury Running Camp in Vermont. 02/18/02 - Joe LeMay continued his
mini-comeback after disappointing showings at the Olympic Trials and the NYC
Marathon. He won the Al Gordon
15K unchallenged in 46:33. This follows a solid 1:05 performance at the Naples
Daily News Half-Marathon. Khalid Khannouchi finished 13th at the World's Best 10K
in Puerto Rico in 29:47. That's a very slow time for him, I hope he's not injured.
Paula Radcliffe of Britain won the women's race in a very impressive 30:43.
She is preparing for her debut marathon this April in London. As for me, I'm dealing with the left leg pains that invariably crop up
when I visit 100 mile weeks. Nothing serious, though. 02/08/02 - So, Mary Slaney is planning on running a marathon... read
this New York
Times article about Mary and try to explain to me how they could fail to mention that
she tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended from competition for 2
years. It's as if it never happened... My hamstring is getting tight on me, so a visit to my ART practitioner
is in order. 02/06/02 - The running community lost a good man recently. Andy
Palmer died while on a long run in North Carolina. Click here to read about Andy's life. 02/05/02 - I finished 4th at the Pomoco Group Half Marathon. Details in
my races. 01/27/02 - The Naples Daily News has a
good article about the state of US distance running. Men's
results of the Daily News Half Marathon are here. The first New Jersey finisher
was Carlos Martins in 1:10:26 (14th place). I'm tentatively planning on racing the Pomoco Group Half Marathon in Hampton, VA on
February 2nd. 01/23/02 - Click the link for track's
top 10 annual performances since 1909. On a completely different topic , here's
an article on Plantar Fasciitis. 01/12/02 - I got a Petzl Duo headlamp
from my mom for Christmas. It has a low and high beam and it's not heavy. Very
useful for running at night. 01/10/02 - I've added www.ryunrunning.com
to my links page. If you scroll
to the bottom of his site, you can watch the video of 3 of his races in their entirety. 01/09/02 - Check out the training log of Tom McArdle,
All-American at Dartmouth. Another example of what it takes to be a good runner. 01/07/02 - I'm reading The
Silence of Great Distance, by Frank Murphy. It's a combination of a short
history of women's distance running and also a biography of former U of Wisconsin star
Stephanie Herbst. The book is very good on several levels and I highly recommend
it. You can get it at Amazon.com - I haven't seen it in regular bookstores. 12/30/01 - Ryan has his first cold and I was up to 1AM last night trying
to get him to go to sleep. He was pretty miserable and gets worse at nighttime. 12/17/01 - Check out www.onrunning.com
- it has good running info and since it's based in the UK, coverage of international track
and XC as well. After some down time this week (and lots of ibuprofen), my knee is
feeling much better. There's a new picture of Ryan on the Pictures Page. 12/12/01- I was running with Elliott Frieder on Saturday and he
mentioned that I probably should increase my mileage more gradually to avoid injury.
I was completely healthy and pain-free at the time. Just 2 days later tendons in
the back of my left knee started to hurt and now I've had to curtail my training a little
because of the pain. I guess he was right. I got a little greedy, trying to increase the
mileage that fast. On the local yokel front: Carlos Martins and Fouzi Aloui entered
this past weekend's USATF-NJ
10 Mile Championship tied for the lead in the New Balance USATF-NJ Grand Prix
competition. Carlos defeated Fouzi soundly, finishing 2nd behind Dave
Slavinsky. Although I don't understand the intricacies of the Grand Prix scoring
system, I assume he has won the overall title. Carlos is a former Division I
All-American and a 9:07 HS 2 miler. My Running Company teammate Gary Rosenberg
finished 6th in 54:27, only one second slower than the aforementioned Fouzi Aloui. 12/09/01 - Scott Fry (former U of Wisconsin star, current coach at
Tiffin University) sounds off on the Letsrun.com
message board... here is a quote from one of his posts: "What's wrong with being a little crazy? Everyone said I was crazy
when one time I did 2 months at 140 miles a week just to see what would happen (this was
10 years ago before mileage came back in style) And these were serious runners. Off of
high mileage and no running under 5:30 pace I ran 29:17 and then 1:03:48." 12/01/01 - I finished 11th at the Chase Corporate
Challenge in NYC. Although my time wasn't good, I'm satisfied because I'm really
just getting back to consistent running after the marathon and haven't run anything fast.
Why did I even race if I know I'm not in shape? Because this may be my only
opportunity to run a race on Park Avenue in Manhattan. As I mentioned earlier, I'll
be a man without a corporation in just a few days and the Chase Corporate Challenge limits
participation to teams comprised of employees of corporations. By the way, running
on Park Avenue in 60 degree weather was great. I really enjoyed the race experience. 11/30/01 - My last day at work will be December 7th. Isn't that
Pearl Harbor Day? How fitting. My company, a division of Intel Corporation,
announced that they are laying off about 20% of the employees at our site. I have
the least amount of seniority and was "chosen" along with 4 others in the 13
person HR department. I'm not bitter because I know that our division was losing a
lot of money and something had to be done. This was the second "redeployment
action" in the 12 months that I've been with the company. I survived the first
one, but I couldn't dodge the bullet the second time around. The company hired
aggressively during the late 1990s when profits were good - now that there are no profits,
they can't sustain the headcount. Understandable. As a recruiter, I know that
the holiday season is not a good time to find a job, but I'll be trying... On the
bright side, training is going well after I recovered from a nasty cold/sinus thing.
I'm tentatively thinking about running a spring marathon. There's a new picture of Ryan on the Pictures Page. 11/18/01 - Jen and I got up at 5:00AM and watched the meteor
shower. Very cool. Last week I went into NYC for the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City
Music Hall. The show was fun, but what really hit me was walking past the Ladder 4
Fire Station in Manhattan. They had the pictures of 15 firefighters they lost on
September 11th posted outside the building. The entire outside of the building was
covered with flowers, signs of support and pictures of those firefighters who lost their
lives. I was angry and sad all over again... 11/05/01 - Clint Verran,
2nd place US finisher at 2001 NYC Marathon, has his own website. 10/31/01 - I just finished reading Frank Shorter's autobiography, Olympic
Gold. Did you know that he averaged over 120 miles per week for 10 years??
That includes downtime for injury and rest after marathons... It was a very good
read. He's pretty honest about his rivalry with Bill Rodgers and his feelings about
the Olympic boycott of 1980. This is a guy who never wanted to be rich. He
just wanted to earn enough money so he could train full-time. In just the past month
I've read books about Buddy Edelen (former marathon WR holder), Ron Daws (Olympic
marathoner), Rob De Castella (former marathon WR holder) and Frank Shorter (Olympic Gold
and Silver medallist in the marathon). I recommend them to any serious runner who
wants to gain a better grasp of training principles in addition to understanding the
history of the marathon. 10/28/01 - There's a new picture of Ryan on the photo page. 10/22/01 - I ran 2:26:38 at the Columbus Marathon, finishing 6th. Of
course the top 5 got prize $$... Details in my races. My legs are sore. 10/07/01 - Rod DeHaven ran his second PR of 2001, running 2:11:40 at
Chicago. If you haven't seen his training log, click here. There are no
secrets, just talent and hard training. Catherine Ndereba ran the 2nd half of her
world record marathon in 1:08:33... amazing. There are perhaps a handful of women
world-wide who could race a half marathon in that time - and she ran it after a 1:10 first
half. 10/02/01 - It looks like the next airing of New Balance Elite Racing
will be October 27 at 5:00AM. They show me briefly while covering the latter half of
Ndereba's race. Lynn Jennings has some tough words for former distance queen Mary
(Decker-Tabb) Slaney. Read her comments at Runner's
World Daily. 09/30/01 - I won the Harvest Festival 5K in 15:02,
details in my races. Terrance
Armstrong, who has only been training for 3 weeks, was second. 09/26/01 - I got some camera time on New Balance Elite Racing.
They covered the Philadelphia Distance Run and they showed me late in the race just ahead
of Catherine Ndereba. The commentator said I was "a fine, excellent local
runner" and then said I was going to be left in "the wake of Ndereba".
I think NOT! I valiantly held her off and I don't even get credit for it...
Oh, the next airing is scheduled for October 3rd on ESPN. Check your local
listings. 09/16/01 - The Cow Harbor 10K was cancelled, so I ran the Philly Distance Run Half Marathon in 1:08:26.
Click here for full results.
I was expecting sub 1:09, so I'm pleased. Great race, good course - very
enjoyable time. Very good weather, about 55 degrees at the start and low humidity.
Ronald Mogaka won in 1:01:25, first American was Mike Cox in 1:05:42, good for 9th
place. Catherine Ndereba ran 1:08:30 to win the women's race in a course record.
Yes, I finished just barely ahead of her. Details in my races. Jen and I got to see some
of Philadelphia the night before and the afternoon after the race. 09/11/01 - I just finished re-reading A Cold Clear Day by Frank
Murphy. It's a biography of Buddy Edelen who was an American distance runner in the
early 60s and held the world record in the marathon. Great book, I highly recommend
it to any serious runner. On a separate note, regarding the terrorist attacks today - someone
should pay and pay BIG TIME. I'm aware it's not an original sentiment, but once the
guilty parties are identified, punishment must be swift and severe. The bombing of
Libya during the Reagan years comes to mind as an example of the type of retaliation that
is warranted. 09/09/01 - Adidas has brought back the "old" Supernova - it's
now called the Supernova Classic. Smart move, it's a great shoe (basic, a little
stability, not too much cushioning and not stiff). I can run in them without my
orthotics and I have no problems. With other brands of shoes (Nike) I get sharp
pains in the arch and sole if I don them sans orthotics. On a related note, I'm
going to my podiatrist on Wednesday to pick up my new orthotics. I only wear them
when my arch is giving me trouble - I don't want to become dependent on them. More
injury musings - I've heard from more than one source that wearing Birkenstock sandals can
prevent and even cure plantar fascitis. I'd normally be skeptical, but I've heard
that from 3 separate runners. 09/05/01 - Interesting quotes from an interview with Steve
Spence (bronze medallist at 1991 World Champs Marathon): "The roads now are a lot harder than it was back then. At that
point there "It is really competitive and difficult to make money on the roads.
When I 09/03/01 - Ran the New Haven 20K in 1:04:36
and finished 17th. I felt strong throughout, details in my races. Check out www.stolzfamily.com -
the running section has some good reading from elite US distance runner, Gary Stolz. There is a new picture of Ryan in the Pictures page. 08/21/01 - The Track & Field World Champs were quite
enjoyable... The marathon finish was incredible as was the men's and women's 10,000
meters. My next race will be the New
Haven 20K on Labor Day. I still have to decide if I want to run Columbus (flat
course, 6000 runners) or get in 2 extra weeks of training and run NYC (more prestigious,
close to home, slow course and 30000 runners). Must think... 08/13/01 - I'm getting over a sinus/throat infection - just about
finished with my antibiotic. I've missed some training lately, and am considering
whether to run the NYC Marathon
on Nov. 4th instead of Columbus on October
21st. I probably could use the extra 2 weeks to train. I ran 25:41 in humid conditions at the George Sheehan Classic on August 11th.
Details in my races. I need to
get in more consistent training... 08/07/01 - I raced the Impact Unlimited River to Sea Relay
on the NJ Meatmasters team. We won "Fastest Elapsed Time" (we ran the
relay in the fastest time). The relay consists of a maximum of 7 runners, each
running 2 legs. Check out my races
for details. 07/29/01 - Josh Cox's latest training log is online: http://www.competitor.com/story.cfm?story_id=1803&departmentid=20 07/26/01 - Lots of drug news lately... 2 Chinese
distance runners and a German high jumper
test positive, and Olga
Yegorova of Russia tests positive for EPO. Yegorova of Russia has made a vast
improvement this year, running 8:23 for 3000m and defeating the seemingly invincible
Gabriela Szabo. She has the distinction of being the first athlete to test positive
for EPO. Now we know
how she improved so dramatically... EPO improves the oxygen carrying capability of
the blood and has been used by world-class cyclists for years. Many observers of
track have suspected that EPO use is widespread among elite distance runners.
International track and field federations have just begun testing of athletes for EPO. 07/22/01 - I've updated my
races page with details on the Chase Corporate Challenge
where I finished 2nd. 07/15/01 - I'm planning on running the Columbus Marathon this fall, so I hope to
increase my mileage over the next months. 07/12/01 - Rod
DeHaven's training log until the Chicago Marathon. 07/09/01 - Click here
for a picture of Ryan. 06/21/01 - Visit www.cyberscoreboard.com
or the USATF
Website for USATF Championship results. 06/14/01 - Ryan Douglas Cross was born on May 17th. He's real cool,
however I'm not the one who has to wake up in the middle of the night to feed him. If I
knew what I was doing I could post a picture, but I don't think FrontPage Express has that
capability. I think I need to upgrade ($$) to Microsoft FrontPage (FrontPage Express is
free)... If I'm wrong about this, and I should be able to post .jpg or .gif files, someone
send me an email. 05/30/01 - I've been trying to think of what to say about Webb's 3:53.43...
Yeeoowwwwsaa!! The fastest mile time by ANY American since 1998. 05/28/01 - I ran 31:29 at the Park Ave. BMW Ridgewood 10K for
3rd place. I was hoping for 31:00. Details in my races. 05/25/01 - "I think many people underestimate how much speed comes
from strength." - Dathan Ritzenhein. Read the entire interview with Dathan at mensracing.com. 05/20/01 - I raced the Midland 15K in 48:29, good
for 8th place. Details in my races. Note to Hazel Clark
and other athletes: Many cold medicines contain a banned substance known as
Pseudoephedrine (ie. Sudafed, Sinutab). This substance has been proven to enhance athletic
performance. Please check the "Active Ingredients" before you take any medicine. 05/13/01 - On 5/11, I ran 31:11 for 10,000m on the track.
05/09/01 - Check out joshcox.com -
training log and race reports of the rising US marathon star 05/01/01 - Click here for an
analysis from Kevin Beck (2:24 PR at Boston Marathon)
about the effect of his 120-130 miles per week training. 04/28/01 - Finished 6th in 15:39 at Main Street 5K in Sparta, NJ. 04/14/01 - Check this tidbit from Todd Reeser: "This year, I've only run five days a week, but on those days I'm
running 26, 27, 28 miles, and both workouts each day are very, very hard. But on my days
off, I devote the entire day to resting, and to my strengthening and stretching routine. I
don't think it was my hard workouts that got me hurt; I think it was being a slave to
going out and running on my easy days, and pushing the pace on those too hard. The best
thing is to rest; I'm not going to gain anything from running on my easy days." Wow, that's still 130 miles per week. On FIVE days. I'm impressed. 04/06/01 - Click the link for good interviews: http://hometown.aol.com/jgwinling/interviews.html.
In a recent
interview, Rod DeHaven reiterated that his key workout for the marathon is a 10 mile
"tempo" run at about 5:00 pace. Based on his fitness, that looks to be a classic
marathon pace workout. I'm a little beat up from my weekend race and long run. My left kneecap
has flared up and now I've got a sore upper quad/hip thing. I'm getting some PT, so
hopefully it won't curtail my training too much. Speaking of training, I got in my first VO2
workout of the season yesterday. 04/02/01 - 5000m race in 15:05 on Saturday (3/31). I went 4:49, 4:53,
4:49 - read my races for details. 03/25/01 - I ran 8:45.44
for 3000m on Friday. I was shooting for 8:40, but fell off the pace toward the end. I
followed that race with an 800m relay leg on Saturday in 2:08.8 - I felt really flat
during the 800. 03/19/01 - I'm running a 3000m indoor race this Friday at the Reggie
Lewis Center in Boston. The next day, I'm running a leg of a 4x800m relay for my team, Running Company. 03/15/01- Regina Jacobs has withdrawn from the World Cross-Country
Championships. In a related item, I've updated "My Thoughts" page. 03/13/01 - Good interview with Rod DeHaven at www.mensracing.com.
And a good one with Kevin Collins at www.runnersworld.com.
03/11/01 - I've decided to run a 3000m on March 23rd at the Reggie Lewis
Center in Boston. Kevin Beck
and I are going to try to run 8:40. If you are interested in running excellence, peruse
the training log of Bob
Hodge (PRs: 2:10:59 / 28:24). Also, I've added a new link to the website of my ART practioner, Dr. Rob DeStefano. It was
designed by Joe LeMay, top US distance runner and
Lotus Notes guru. 03/04/01 - I ran 8:52.04 for 3000m at the MAC Open Champs today at The Armory. I was shooting for 8:45, but I went out
too slow and had too much left at the end. Live and learn... 02/25/01 - An unexpected 7 inches of snow snarled traffic and ended any
thoughts of driving into NYC to race on the 22nd. I'll run a 3000m on March 4th instead...
weather permitting. 02/15/01 - I'm planning on running an indoor 2 mile race at The Armory on February 22nd and if all goes well, a
5000 meter race outdoors on March 31st. I had planned on running the Red Dog Half-Marathon
on March 24th, but the race director cancelled it. 02/11/01 - Click here
for a very good article about elite US running. My knee seems to be getting better. I was
able to run 19 miles yesterday without much discomfort. By the way, the orthopedist I saw
last week was useless. I get tired of wasting $$ on doctors, but the good ones I have
found, I've found by trial and error... 02/01/01 - My knee is still not completely better. I can run for about
30 minutes before it starts hurting again. I believe it is patello-femoral syndrome where
the kneecap is being pulled laterally because the vastus medialis muscle is too weak. I'm
doing exercises to strengthen the vastus medialis, but unlike other times I've had this
problem, it's not going away. I have an appointment on Feb 7th with a reputable sports
orthopedist. I've added 2 new links with information about patello-femoral injuries.
Scroll down to the bottom of my links page. 01/24/01 - I updated my
links page and my knee is getting better with consistent quad exercises and a
temporary reduction in mileage. 01/16/01 - Trouble in paradise! My left knee, which is periodically
troublesome, has become a serious problem. The pain is on the medial side just under the
kneecap. I've been reduced to walking on my recent runs because it hurts so severely. It
seems like classic patello-femoral syndrome, so I'm doing the recommended quad exercises.
I took one whole day off and it's still not better! I'm getting impatient. 01/12/01 - I ran a 3000m
race last night at The Armory. I ran 8:56.6
and got lapped by the winner who ran 8:15. I thought I was capable of sub 9:00, so I'm
pleased with my effort. It is a good start toward my goal of peaking in mid-late May. My training is also getting more
consistent. 01/05/01 - I'm planning on running an indoor track race on 1/12.
Probably the legendary 3200 meters. I also may run another indoor race on 1/19. After
that, my first road race will be the Red Dog Half-Marathon on March 24th. I'm planning to
peak in mid-late May for 10K road races and hopefully a 10,000 meters on the track. 11/23/00 - I'm building my mileage in preparation for spring racing
season. I hope to run some fast 5Ks and 10Ks. I'm getting the usual knee pain whenever I
start up training again after a layoff. 10/31/00 - Ran 2:34:33 at the Columbus
Marathon which was good for 19th place. My quads are quite sore from my first marathon
experience. I was shooting for 2:30:00, but I crashed after 18 miles. Check out my races for details. 10/22/00 - Excellent American performances at the Chicago Marathon. Kudos to Josh Cox, Eric Mack
and Christine Junkerman especially. 10/09/00 - My hamstring is much better and I've decided to run the Columbus Marathon on October 29th. This will
enable me to regroup after my hamstring trouble. Check out Josh Cox's training log - good stuff. 10/03/00 - In the aftermath of my half-marathon, I've slightly strained
my right hamstring. I missed an entire week of training and the ham still isn't quite 100%
yet. I'm thinking of running the Columbus
Marathon on October 29th instead of Hartford on October 14th. Columbus, in addition to
being a much further drive, is a bigger (6,000) and more competitive marathon. The extra
two weeks will give me plenty of time to heal. 9/24/00 - In my final tune-up for the Hartford Marathon, I finished 6th at Liberty Waterfront Half-Marathon
in 1:10:56. 9/07/00 - Finished 2nd at Warner Lambert 5K in 15:30.
Considering the heavy training I'm doing, I'm satisfied with the effort, if not the final
time. 9/06/00 - I'm in my final push for the Hartford Marathon on October
14th. I hope to get 3 more solid weeks of training before I taper for the race. I'm
planning on running a 5K tomorrow evening and then a half-marathon on September 24th as my
final tuneup. 8/19/00 - Finished 13th at NYRRC Club Champs in 25:15. This is the
solid race I was hoping for last week. I was 2nd finisher on my team (Runner's Pace)
behind J.R. Meloro who ran 25:11. 8/12/00 - Finished 14th at Sheehan
Classic 5 Mile in 26:14. I was shooting for sub 26:00, check out My Races for details. 8/03/00 - I've decided what races I'm going to run before the Hartford Marathon on 10/14. I'm going to race
the Sheehan Classic 5mi on 8/12, NYRRC Club
Champs 5mi on 8/19, and the Liberty Waterfront 1/2 Marathon on 9/24. I might do the New Haven 20K on 9/04... but I haven't decided
if the 20K and half-marathon are too much, too close together and too close to marathon
day. 7/23/00 - This week will be an easy one for me- I try to take a
"down" week about every 4th week. I believe it helps me recover and ward off
overuse injuries. I've updated my
thoughts page with a couple of observations regarding the Olympic Trials. 7/15/00 - I am very happy with the coverage of the Olympic Track Trials
by PAX TV. I just finished watching both the men's and women's 10,000 meters. They showed
most of both races, LIVE! The races were great, there were gutsy performaces by both
winners and exciting drama for the remaining 2 Olympic qualifying spots. The commentary
was weak, but I'm getting used to that... I just ignore it and watch the races unfold. If
you're happy with the coverage, go to www.paxtv.com
click on the "Feedback" tab and let them know that you approve of their
coverage. Click here
for the remaining Olympic Trials TV schedule. By the way, NBC owns 32% of PAX... 7/01/00 - Finished 1st at Montville 5K in 15:48. The time is a little
slow, but since I ran a total of 26 miles the 2 days prior to the race, I'm satisfied. 6/30/00 - I've decided to run the Hartford Marathon on October 14th. When I ran
in college, I never had a desire to run a marathon. But now I do. Go figure. I'm thinking
that since I'm 31 years old, there is not much time to waste if I want to run a fast one. 6/17/00 - Finished 4th at Run for Roses 10K in 32:41.
This will be my last hard racing effort for a while. I'm contemplating running a
fall marathon, so I need to build the mileage and racing doesn't fit in that picture. I've
added www.runquick.com to my links page - looks like a good training
and coaching site. 6/12/00 - Finished 7th at President's Cup 5K in 15:14. 6/04/00 - I added some cool links... Letsrun.com and Paragonrunning.com
look pretty good. 6/03/00 - Finished 3rd at Stillwater Stampede in 25:54. 5/29/00 - Finished 4th at Ridgewood 10K in 31:17. 5/25/00 - Read the "Bell
Lap" column about drug testing by Steve Holman. Marla Runyan has a website to go along with her new 15:07 5000 meter
PR. She really has improved since she abandoned the heptathlon and began running middle
distance races in the mid 1990s. 5/21/00 - Just ran Midland 15K in 49:03 and finished 9th. 5/15/00 - Check out www.AthletesVillage.com,
you can sign up for free and then go to the "Mentor Athletes" section and peruse
Rod DeHaven's training log since last summer. 5/06/00 - Just won Chilton Applechase 10K in
33:19. Solo effort, I was shooting for sub 33:00. Also, I'm starting to add old training logs. 4/23/00 - Happy Easter! It's been a tough week. I got the stomach flu or
something on Tuesday night (4/18) and was sick for 2 days. I had a fever of 102 degrees as
well as the typical stomach flu symptoms. I'm starting to feel better today, so hopefully
training will be on target this coming week. 4/15/00 - Today my wife and I were doing some spring cleaning out in the
yard... I lost my balance while cutting up a dead tree and ended up cutting my hand open
instead. 5 stitches, I think. There's a lesson to be learned here, but I'm not sure yet
what it is. By the way, I went to the ER at Chilton
Hospital in Pompton Plains, NJ and they were very efficient, pleasant and fast. I
arrived at the hospital around 5:30pm and was out before 7:00pm. 4/08/00 - Finished 4th at St. Mary's 5K in
16:01. My goal was sub 16:00. I went out a little too fast (5:03), then let my pace
slow during mile 2, and let Elliot Frieder pull away from me in mile 3. I've got work to
do. 4/07/00 - I've added Running Research
News and Peak Performance Online to my Favorite Links.
were few foreign athletes over here. Those who were here, I knew who they
were, we raced often, and we were friends. Three weeks ago the 8k had 400
bucks for the win and like 25 bucks for eighth. Eight Kenyans, a couple
Russians, showed up. It was crazy. I was 8th in 23:41. I thought I could be
competitive for the win in a 400 dollar race."
came into the sport, it wasn't easy but it was very feasible to do. Now,
outside of the US championship races, you are really limited in what you can
make. It's tough. I don't envy guys out there now trying to do it for sure."