6 Mile Trail Run

Today, I headed to South Vineland Park for a Sunday run with my friend Tony. Tony and I did the HS course, which is a 1.5 mile loop four times. It was more of an adventure than I expected. I have been feeling a little under the weather due to the Holiday Cheer! To makes things a little more interesting, the woods were filled with an intense game of PAINT BALL.

Long Run - 14 Miler

Marissa and I were the only ones braving the run today. The group has dwindled down to only a handful, but still enjoying the running group. With only two weeks away from the Marathon, the mileage was pulled back to fourteen miles. Todd was with us the entire time; he was riding alongside us throughout the two hour run.

I struggled the past two weeks with my left hip giving me some issues. Earlier in the year, I had the same challenges with it causing me to do my runs in the pool. The last thing I want to happen is an injury so close to the big day, therefore, I headed back to the pool on Thursday for an hour in the deep end.

I was worried on how my hip was going to feel today, but things went well. I imagined we averaged around an 8:40 pace on the trail. I am ready to keep the distance at a minimal for the next two weeks.

Mentally, I am ready for the 26.2; now I have to be ready physically.

Track Workout

As we hit the track last night, we were able to enjoy running in the rain. The objective of the night was to run our 5K and 10K pace; both of which we will not be doing in the Marathon. I enjoy running 400s; must be from my days playing football. The problem I seem to always face is how excited I get to only run a hard 400. I was jumping out of my shoes on the 400's; really defeating the purpose of pacing.

2 Mile WU Run
4 x 400's @ 1:50 pace
4 x 400's @ 1:45 pace
.5 Mile Cool Down

15 Miler

I have been struggling with my Saturday runs, but this one took the cake. I do not know if it was the lack of sleep the past week or the poor dieting, but I could not get out of bed for the run. I slept in rather than meet up at Cadence for my usual long run. I did not feel as bad knowing that there were only going to be two of us taking the plunge for the 20 miles. As I checked my email in the late morning, I received a message from one of our coaches the night before preparing us for the run. Lisa talked about the loop she had planned with water, Gatorade, and gels strategically placed on the course. Wow, know I am feeling terrible about not showing up. For the past six or seven weeks, I kept wondering why I paid so much money for this class and they cannot even put out water or Gatorade on these long runs. The day I do not go is the day they pick it up.
Anyway, it became time to suck it up and get on the road for a long run. I am not the biggest fan of stuff; especially when I am running. Well today, I felt like the bag lady. I had the Ipod, the belt holding my keys and gels, and a water bottle in hand. I have enough problems taking the weight off; I do not need any extra STUFF weighing me down.
I ran the Williamstown Bike Path which allowed me to cover 11.5 miles. I felt average at the start of the run; 8:50 to 9:00 pace. Then really found my pace at a consistent 8:40 pace for the next eight or nine miles. On such a beautiful afternoon, I was again the only runner on the path. I was looking for inspiration and motivation from others, but could only find it on my Ipod. I try to keep the music very light to keep myself relaxed during my runs. I will begin to make my playlist for the Philly Marathon which will consist of U2, OAR, Dave Matthews, and etc. Of course, the run will end with a classic, Neil Young's "Keep on Rocking In The Free World."

I was able to finish the bike path run then quickly talked myself out of another loop. I ran over to the HS track for another 3.5 miles. I did the last two miles in a 8:00 pace. This was a small victory to the major let down of not completing the 20 miles. I will be pulling back my mileage in order to get my legs back in time for the Philly. It is exactly three weeks away and I am going to need every minute of it to get healthy.

Track Workout - 7 Miles

I headed to Manayunk for a track workout this evening. There were only two of us on the track as Todd (coach) kept our times and our spirits high; especially with everyone in the entire city and surrounding towns getting ready for the World Series. I warmed up with a two mile run at a 8:40 pace. As I stretched waiting for Marissa to arrive, Todd had me start without her. The first order of business was to run two miles at half-marathon pace. I was able to hold a 7:45 pace consistently throughout the quarters. Next, I ran two miles at marathon pace. I struggled to get a constant pace during the run. I was aiming to run at a 8:30 pace, but was very inconsistent with the pace ranging from 8:10 to 9:00. Finally, we ended with a one mile cool-down.

7 Miler

I decided to train indoors today rather than bear the cold and darkness of the outside. It was the first time I hit the weights in over a month. I have been putting most of my focus on running, but still enjoy a great lift once in a while. Following the marathon, I will make the weights a priority again.

Following the circuit training, I headed onto the treadmill for a 7 miler at a 8:34 pace. I forgot my Ipod and had to listen to CNN for the majority of the time. I do not know about you, but I am so tired of hearing about this election. The big news of the day was how Palin is now a DIVA?

21 Miler

On Saturday, we headed for our longest run yet; 21 miles. The weather was rainy and unusually mild for the late October morning. The forecast called for the day to be a wash-out, but this did not keep me from heading to Manayunk for our group run. I was a must for me to get this twenty miler in due to the Philly Marathon only being weeks away. I was determined to run an hour and a half out to get my first three hour run under my belt.

After mile 6, Marissa turned around to head back; she was sick the entire week and just felt weak. Another mile in, Lisa figured she would turn around and try to catch up with Marissa. After mile 9, Lindsey decided to turn back for Cadence. This only left Steve and myself for the long journey. Steve just kept laughing at me because of my will to run three hours. We had great conversation until about the 2:15 mark. We both focused in on our running and were probably too tired to talk.

As we finished the race and headed back to Cadence, I was rewarded not with a medal or a t-shirt but with a sealed envelope from the City of Philadelphia. It was a twenty-six dollar parking ticket (two hour limit). So lets get this straight:

Cost of signing up with Cadence to run - $350.00
Cost of paying the toll on the Expressway - .50 cents
Cost of paying the toll on the Ben Franklin Bridge - $4.00
Cost of parking on the streets of Manayunk - $1.00
Cost of your time expiring on the streets of Manayunk - $26.00
Cost of running 21 miles on a Saturday Morning - Painful but Priceless

The Mule In The Well

The following story was told when I was in HS by our football coach minutes before the game:

This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE WOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!
This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him . . . all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

10 Miles

Today, I ran on the treadmill due to the days getting shorter in daylight. I headed to St. Matthew's Baptist Community Center for one of the three treadmills only working in the entire gym. I was able to keep a decent pace at 8:34 for 10 miles. Maybe someone can let me know, but the pace on the treadmill seems much faster than on the road!

Bike 48 Miles

Today felt like the first day of the changing of seasons; just the wrong season. The cold air was whipping me around the road like Dorothy in Kansas. I felt very strong for the first 30 miles of the ride probably because the wind was at my back the entire time. During the ride, I stopped at numerous places on the journey to catch the scenery of the ride.

Hill Repeats - 11 miles

All week I was planning for my 20 miler until our coaches wanted to pull us back for a shorter distance; hill repeats. I was a little down due to the fact that I want to be fully prepared for the Nov. 23 Philly Marathon.

Things brightened up pretty fast with the hills! I was looking for a tough workout and that is what was in store. We headed down West River Drive then made a right onto Montgomery Drive. From there, we ran the famous Belmont Plateau twice. The course is the home of many hs and university cross-country teams. The day was absolutely beautiful; chilly morning with the sun shining down on us. The picture is a look of the Philadelphia sky line when running back down the hill.

Following the cc course, we headed back with a strong headwind in our faces. When we were on the brink to start feeling sorry for ourselves, a surprising thing happened to us. The Breast Cancer Walk For A Cure was taking place in Philly; that is three days walking equaling 60 miles to raise money and to find the cure. The amount of energy we received from the walkers was

unmeasurable.

Swam 1800 yds

Swam at St. Matthew's Baptist Church tonight. I warmed up with 500 yd freestyle. Following the warm-up, I did 5 sets of 100 yd freestlyle. The first 50 yd at sprint pace then an easy 50 yd as a cool down. The next exercise was 1o sets of 50 yd freestyle. The first 25 yd at sprint pace followed by an easy 25 yd as a cool down. I followed the sessions with a sets with the floatation device and the kick board.

10 miles + Swim

I had off from work today due to the celebration of Columbus Day. I am an Italian American and thought that the perfect way to celebrate this day would be with a painful ten miler. I planned on getting out on the road early; more like 11 am. On a day off, one must enjoy his morning with a nice egg white omelet and COFFEE before putting in his work.

The work was the run today. I did not feel myself for the first six miles; probably due to the rough weekend. I had a great Saturday with my long run and a healthy breakfast and lunch. This is when things went for the worse. My brother Jeff and his wife Colleen hosted a party Sat. night with a ton of CHEESE dips and alcohol. I fell to the weakness all of these treats not just on Sat. but again on Sunday.

I headed through the streets for the run looking for a new route, but only found more traffic. I ended the run at Williamstown Track for the last four and half miles to make sure I was running my marathon pace. I felt stronger in the last four and half miles; running an 8:50 pace.

I believe the 8:50 pace is where I can comfortably be at during the Philly Marathon. The next six weeks will be crucial in my training; I must be under 4:00

16 Miles on River Drive

Today was my long run with the Cadence Team and boy was I looking forward to it. I had a terrible week of training; was only able to get out on the road twice during the week due to my grandmother's passing then followed by a little sickness. I knew I was going to get sick when a father picking up his daughter from the school was coughing and sneezing in the office all over the place! The second he left, all the windows were opened, but I believe it caught up to me. I was able to rest a little yesterday in preparing for the run today.

The course today resembled the Philadelphia Distance Run with a few more twists and turns. Steve and I separated ourselves from the rest of the runners after mile five (5). The pace with the team was around 8:30 then we moved in the 7:50 to 8:00 min./pace for the rest of the run. We were running on River Drive then Kelly Drive; really a perfect morning with all the runners, bikers, and college rowers on the river.

As we came across the Philadelphia Art Museum, we couldn't resist running the steps just like Rocky! During the run with Steve and Todd (coach) on the bike, conversation was inspiring. Todd was telling stories of when he turned pro (triathlete) and his first race had Chris McCormack by his side.

Overall, a great run after such a shaky week of training. I feel more confident in my training for the upcoming weeks. I am going to have to put more focus on training rather than the social thing!

Total 16 miles = 2:11:36

17 Miler

Today was my farthest run and probably my best in how I felt. Todd, one of the coaches wanted to me to go out at a 7:50 pace. I began to laugh to think that this time was realistic in any way. The group headed out onto the trails at around an 8:00 pace for the first 8 miles. As we completed the trail and headed onto the side roads, the run became very confusing and HILLY! Around mile 7, I forced myself to run with Steve whom is the best runner in the group. He pushed me through the next 7 miles at a pretty intense pace due to the addition of the inclines. Everyone regrouped in the middle of a town (no idea what town) and decided to take a chance by heading on Cathedral St. towards the trail. The problem with this was no one has ever been on Cathederal including the coaches! After a mile on Cathederal, two Philadelphia Cops pulled up to us to let us know that we were going in the wrong direction. We were able to regroup ourselves and head back to Cadence. I felt very strong the last four miles; the pace was at least 8:00.

What I learned from the run:
I can run a solid pace for long mileage; all mental
Know the course before you run it

Under The Weather

Saturday morning was a battle to get out of bed; the rain was pouring down the humid air making for an unpleasant morning. As I layed there, I knew sleeping in was not an option for me. Lets face it, I need to pick up the pace if I ever want to do anything. After reading Chuckie V's post that stated, "a rainy day seperates the recreational triathletes from the serious ones. I want to be a serious one.

I met my running crew at Cadence in Manayunk by 8 am. The plan for the day was to do approximately 9 miles with a lot of hill work. There were five of us participating in the run. The coaches stayed back at the bike shop while we headed out with only a map. It was a great run; there were only a handful of people on the road which supports Chuckie V's post of triathletes love for rain.

Time was not a focus on the run due to the hill work and that we did not have a clear idea of the route causing us to stop briefly to check out the map. Overall, I am excited to start training on more hills.

7 mile track workout

Today was a track workout at Roxborough HS in Manayunk, PA. I showed up early to get a few extra miles in before our track session. I met up with Amy and she joined in for a three mile warm-up. I enjoy running with her because all I have to do is nod my head as she talks the entire time!

The session consisted of a mile warm-up followed by stretching. As the group was stretching, the two coaches reviewed a few pointers such as your arm motion, relaxed upperbody, and etc. I signed up for the class to let the running experts diagnose me and build me from scratch. Boy, I was wrong with this assumption. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy being a part of the running class. I just now understand that I have to be assertive in asking specific questions; pick their brains from nutrition to recovery. Trust me they know too; Lisa (coach) placed third at Ironman Louisville then competed at the World Championships in Kona.

The heart of the workout consisted of 3 x 1600s at half-marathon pace. The first mile was completed in 7:37 which is about my 10K pace (I think?). By the last mile, I felt comfortable at the 8:00 pace. The true test is to be able to hold the 8:00 pace for 13 miles.

I wanted to share a favorite quote of mine. I read it years ago then had it sent to me through RunnersWorld. Now it is hanging in my office.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running. "

Sunday - A Day To Remember

Yesterday, I had to prolong my long ride for my sister’s birthday. I traveled to my mother’s house for a nice morning with family. It was Stephanie’s 31st birthday. I can only hope every year is as good as her last. As she matures in her life, Stephanie is becoming more comfortable with herself and the people around her. I seem to always live in a life of turmoil and questions and Stephanie can attest to this. Stephanie has been a support to my life as she has for everyone she knows. Now, it is good to see that the ball is in her court; she has become a decision-maker in her own life not just in others. Stephanie has lost over one hundred pounds; half of that in the past year. She has learned a healthy life style is as physical as it is mental. I used to worry about Stephanie, but not anymore. I am excited to be a part of her 31st as she keeps raising the bar in her own life.
See I just prolonged the Sunday ride again. I took off from Williamstown and headed to the big road; Union. After speaking with everyone at the training session on Saturday, I realized that I must start enjoying hills before they eat me alive in Louisville. I traveled through my hometown and was able to take Union Road all the way to Route 49. The ride was exactly 50 miles. During the ride, I focused on staying relaxed and hydrated. I went through two bottles; one of water and the other of Accelerade.
Yesterday was a first for me on the bike. Well, let me say off the bike. I traveled through my development and picked up the sidewalk from the road. I was not paying attention and that is when I hit the grass then tried to get back on the sidewalk. Wham! I went flying off my bike; scraping my arm and leg. Following the fall, I took a quick look around to make sure no one saw the fall then was pretty excited that I was able to get the first fall out of the way. I was feeling pretty macho about the fall until I realized that I must have been traveling around 10 mph before the fall! Embarrassing, but worth laughing at.

Trail Run in Fairmont Park - 12 miles

I woke up this morning around 6:30 am not wanting to get out from under my comforter. This was truly the first day of the fall weather season; my car’s temperature read 58 degrees. As fall weather hits, so does the Philadelphia running season. Tomorrow is the ever-so popular Philadelphia Distance Run. The PDR was my first big race in my life. I believe my finishing time for the 13.1 mile run was 1:57. I do not think this time would have placed me on the podium, but it was a thrill to be amongst all of these runners on a perfect Sunday morning.

I reached Manayunk minutes before the 8:00 am run. Steve, Paul, Marissa, and Todd (coach) went on a different route today due to all of them doing the PDR tomorrow. I was joined by Lindsey, Franny, Brady, and Lisa (coach) for our long run through Fairmont Park. The run was a comfortable pace allowing for all of us to talk. I learned a lot from Lisa during the run. Lisa was giving me advice on IM Louisville; this will be my first in August. Lisa not only completed IM Louisville two years ago, but placed third in her age group and qualified for Kona World Championships.

When I heard this, I instantly became excited to pick Lisa’s brain on every aspect of training, nutrition, hydrating in a race, and etc. I was waiting to hear about the secret carbohydrate to protein ratio or the natural supplement that will help in hydration during races. I was pleasantly surprised on the numerous tips from our discussion including: Red Bulls give you wings in a race, Swedish fish are her favorite on a run, and lastly Lisa drinks Coke every two miles in a race. Folks, it is really that simple.

6 miles out - 51:47
6 miles in – 47:49

Hours after the run, I headed to the pool for some laps. I warmed up with a ten minute session. The warm-up was followed by ten minutes of leg kicks using the kick board. Then I ran through one set of drills. Lastly, I cool downed with another ten mile interval. This was the first time the pool had the heater on months.

A Tribute To My Father

Last night marked a big day in my life; seven years to the day since my father passed and my first Back To School Night as a principal of an elementary school. It was a bittersweet day indeed. Looking back on that day in the hospital, alot has changed in my life. I was a junior at Rowan University majoring in Special Education and coaching HS football at Triton Regional HS. Since my father's passing away, I have been busy with life:

Graduated from Rowan University with a degree in Special Education
Became a Special Education to middle schoolers for two and half years
Received my master's degree in Administration from Wilmington University
Became a supervisor of a federal grant dealing with "at-risk" students for two years
Became a vice-principal of the same middle school for two years
Became a principal at an elementary school
Ran the Philadelphia Distance Run twice (half-marathons)
Completed Ironman Rhode Island 70.3
Completed more than 40 Runs/Triathlons
Volunteered numerous hours to the Buena Community
Raised $3000 for the Leukemia and Lymphomia Society

Last night following Back To School Night, I traveled to my father's burial site for some reflection. My father gave me the tools to not only survive in this world, but to excel in it. While standing near his grave, I began to laugh at myself and how I arrived to where I am today.

I just cannot wait for him to see me at Ironman Louisville.

7 miles on the Trail

I set the alarm for 5:30 am but a restless night kept me from any running that early in the day! The only thing that got me up and going was the thought of my coffee while driving to work. Following a day of work, I was able to hit the Williamstown trail around 6:30 pm. The weather was decent; the humidity that I felt in my house yesterday was almost gone! The run started off slow at an 8:40 pace then was able to pick it up to around 8:10 for the last three to four miles.

On a pretty nice day in September, I was the only person on the trail running. There were plenty of families and couples walking and riding their bikes in what seemed to be enjoyable. I can only imagine what they were thinking of this sweaty guy painfully running by them. It does feel good to know that I am the only one hitting the trail for a workout worth my salt or even my dinner.

The Sunday Blues

I was planning on a long bike ride of fifty miles this morning. This was before I picked my head off of the pillow. The temperature outside did not warrant me to be on my bike; 92 degrees and humid! Also, I had a long night in Atlantic City drinking Vodka and Tonics as if it was my job. This is a brutal excuse to why I was not on my bike training. I need to remind myself that Ironman Louisville next August does not really care about the weather nor my wild nights in the city. Instead of getting on the bike today, I headed to the local bar for the football games. I met up with Dave while the others never showed up.