You get what you give

Even though I've been pretty sporadic lately with my training I thought that I was ready to pick up myself and take the very opportune opportunity to go to Boston, visit with teammates and race GBTC Invitational. The key word I use is 'thought', sadly I needed to remember that my training is timing and time, they translate pretty congruently with races. Somewhere in my mind I had high hopes going in to debut myself in the 55 high hurdles, race the 800 and finishing off with a lovely relay leg. The hurdles were more or less an experiment. I had been hitting the hurdle height while in practice so I decided why not try it. It wasn't exactly what I hoped for or even close. One of those things that I did it, I can say I did it, and hope anyone that witnessed it forgets that I did it. At least if I decide to dabble again I should hit a PB. Then comes the 800. I have such a love, hate relationship with this distance. This instance turns out to be a hate, but it can't be faulted because my training time pretty much are in line with what I ran. On to the next. Lastly I we have one of my favorite races in indoors, the 4x200. 200 meters is bliss zipping and zooming just once around feels like a million bucks. It's a never fail that I can always pull a decent 200 time no matter where I am with my training; when it's good, it's great, when it's ok, it's good and when it's bad, it's ok.
In the end I can't be mad at my performances because if you don't put in much effort the end product isn't going to be that great, something that applies to all aspects of life. Live and learn.

The truth hurts

I'm on and off as to whether I want to open my blog to my personal training log. I have my tried and true favorite method the pen to journal and I have dabbled in a couple of online sites (most cater to a distance runner so I'm not entirely impressed with any one in particular), to keep track of what I do. But as I spin around the track and float aimlessly up and down the East River with a few splotches in Central Park, then come home to pull out my little green notebook, only to see empty entries for dates, I know something isn't right. This of course not because I forgot to record something down, no it's because I didn't do anything. Shocking I know! In the absence of training partners and unfamiliar territory, I've found myself *gasp* making excuses to not run. It's too late, I'm tired, the track is getting ready to close or is closed, et cetera, et cetera, none of which are even remotely valid. I don't have a job there's no excuse when you have a good chunk of the day to get something, anything in, I mean I used to go for runs after work which at times would be around midnight. For someone who basically eats, sleeps, and lives for running, why would I be making efforts to not do what I do. In Boston I had people to "check up" on me in a sense. On the track my coach was there and as were my training partners, I didn't do something or were slacking they knew. I had someone scheduling hurdle workouts, making sure I was practicing correct form. If my mileage was being kept up you could tell in workouts. Outside of the track I had my hurdle buddy who'd perfectly rope me into getting random time workouts done. Even at work both at the gym and the bar I always had someone asking how my training was going. I'm pretty sure that most people didn't care but in my need of the spotlight mind someone was always watching. In NY I don't really have anyone to answer to and no one even asks. I have my coach sending me the twice weekly workouts, and I in turn send him my training times but in the end it's not the same. I knew that this was going to be a tough transition, but it's a little tougher than I thought. So the decision is I can hide behind the deception in the privacy of the little green book where only I know what's really going on or I can force myself into the open and let everyone see the truth, no matter how ridiculous it may be.

I think that I just might make that leap and put myself on display (scary!).

Here's to a new year and new adventures

Exactly as the ball dropped at 12am Jan 1, 2010

Celebrating with some great friends!