Wow, I'm actually posting regularly again!

Sorry for the delay, folks! I just got done with NYSAIS, which was pretty chill. I started perfectly; slow, then gradually accelerating, then continuing at a steady speed into the hills and beyond. I passed 20 to 30 different guys before placing 72nd out of some 150 runners, in an elite league, so everything went better than expected! I got a time of 20:41, which is pretty good considering I haven't blast-trained in ages. Will be working on my speed into winter season. Right now, my form is great. My endurance is spot-on, although it could use a weekly long run or two. What I need to do, then, is find a runner partner who's about my pace so we can get faster together. That done, I'll be clocking some ridiculous times VERY soon.

Will keep you guys posted. It was a GREAT race; never felt better when finishing. Even sprinted at the end, which i'm almost never able to do. Beat out my competitor from Browning by two places!

Peace.

Thrust

NYSAIS, the next level of competition for my school's cross country team, is on Saturday. Federations, the statewide competition, is on the 20th. I must remind myself that I am competing against no one but myself. If I do this, I will excel. Since I last posted, I've gotten much faster. I'm able to run a 5k in 19:40, although I lost some endurance this season by concentrating entirely on speed. Not that endurance has ever been a problem for me before ;). In the next month or two I'll be getting back into 10k's, 10 milers, and half marathons. Running independently while participating in winter track should allow me to improve over the next several months, thereby avoiding a peak or a plateau. The two most difficult things for me, as always, is being consistent in my training and avoiding dumb mistakes. Not eating too much before a race, not overdoing it with coffee, etc., and not overexerting myself during a training run.

Persistence. I WILL make it to the Olympics eventually!

Resolve and recovery

Mile 232.6 (4 mile run yesterday, 3 mile run on saturday morning)

4.1 miles in 30 minutes. That's astoundingly good for someone who was sedentary for all of a month. That's a 44 minute 10k - if I kept that pace.

Today I'm going to run a 5k in under 20 minutes. I've never done it before, but I can and I will.

Exploration

Mile; 212.8 (9 mile run at 1:25)

Slow going today, as it is HOT, HUMID, and unbelievably difficult to run hills in New Jersey without constantly wanting to stop. It was worth the go, and I'm better off for it, but I really think It'd be wise to stick with night runs from now on.

Know what the best part about running on County roads is? Without sidewalks, I get to compete with SUV's for space. I haven't lost that competition yet xD

Still got it

Mile: 204.7

I couldn't run ONCE during my trip to Malawi, even with how much I wanted to. Running on a different CONTINENT, what a great concept! The problem is, potable water is hard to come by in the rural parts we were staying at, there are no running trails to speak of, all the roads nearby were unsafe for pedestrian traffic, and there was no one to run with me! (much less an ipod to listen to)

Wanna know something weird, though? I went for a run yesterday when I got back. It was an ordinary, run-of-the-mill 10k, and I went as fast as I could go. What's so weird about that?

I wasn't a single minute slower than my average 10k time before the trip began.

Pain

8.5 on the treadmill in the AM, 10 in the park (two five mile loops).

Current mile; 198.5

I've not run two-a-days like this for a long time. I'm not getting a lot faster but I'm going farther between stops and clocking MUCH more mileage this way. In the morning I was going a much faster pace thanks to some music I had on hand, but since you can't run with a laptop I ran SANS music, SANS partner, and basically SANS motivation. But I did it anyway. And you know something? I'm prouder to say that I can do ten miles without any help than If I could run 100 miles with all the tech in the world. It's a matter of pride, y'know?

That said, there's no way I'd run without an Ipod if I had the CHOICE. Without one, you're forced to focus on nearly every footstep, every position of the spine, and each swing of the arms. That's a lot of pain!

Mile 180

Ran ten miles today on the treadmill in New Jersey. Yeah, yeah, I HATE treadmills and so do most people, but I needed to run where music was playing. My Ipod's in The Hamptons and I don't have a running partner, so there's not much else to do BUT use a treadmill. Would've done twenty instead but that's for another day. Just being able to do this distance is a benchmark with my shoulder as it is.

At 6 AM tomorrow I'll try for twelve miles and see if my body can handle it. If so, I'll increase the mileage in similar increments every half-day up to twenty miles before I go to Malawi. That done, I'll get faster and faster each time and I'll be set for the Marathon when It roles around.

To be noted; I felt the endorphin rush today a few minutes after I stopped the run. That doesn't happen too often anymore. It was an overwhelming sense of calm and well being, almost like a one-ness with the universe (If I can presume to be omniscient).

And cautionary; without music there is no motivation to run. Without water there is no energy to run. Without sleep the brain cannot tell the body what to do. I'm not superhuman yet I keep forgetting these basic principles. What Is WITH you, Cameron?!

HEAL - mile 170

I can't believe it - I broke 50 minutes for a 10k last night! 49:44 when I thought I'd be lucky to break 54 again. Two things I'd like to thank for that - Ibuprofin and good music. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere close to that. Speaking of which - 8 miles in the park today untimed - was done without any music and any sort of timekeeping. Couple that with no running partner and I was completely unable to do anything faster than 6.5, 7 mph. Old people in the park were running faster than me, UGH.

Lesson learned - music is key.

Regression

Mile 156.4

A 5k run in the morning to Georgica - Main - Home with mum, then swimming a good ways in the ocean / nearby lake, THEN a 10k at the end of the day means that my shoulder's not doing it's best at the moment.

That said; it's healing, and although I'm still stuck trying to break 50 minutes again, I know it's doable and I'll be back to full speed and distance by Wednesday or Thursday if I do this right

I've gone without Ibuprofin for the last three days, trying to let my arm heal without any meds, but it doesn't seem to be making any headway besides causing me more pain than necessary (My dad's nursing diagnosis was a pulled muscle) so I'll go back on it tomorrow and see If there's any immediate improvement in time.

Running on montauk highway - that counts as NY right?

mile 146.2

Just ran a 10k in 54 minutes... >< It's not 12 minute miles but I REALLY need to TRAIN MORE!

I'm not worried about finishing my goal of 500 miles - that is attainable no matter what happens. I'm worried about running it slowly

Mile: 140

so.. hauling the luggage at Philly international airport gave me a pulled shoulder muscle that kept me from running substantially these last few days. I DID manage a 5k in 19:30 and a 7 - 7.5 mile run into and through midtown and back. Going to go for a ten - twelve mile run today If I can manage it, no matter how slow it is. Speed comes later.

Progress

Mile: 130

I'm still on the injured list and it BURNS, especially now that i'm doing hard labor in addition to daily workouts, but I'm proud to say I'm able to run again after 2-3 days of taking it easy. I did two three-mile runs in the Hamptons with my Mom, though my leg was still beat up pretty bad, and this past Tuesday when I got back to Jersey I tried a 20-mile run with my Dad. In 100 degree weather, while it's sunny and humid. We had plenty of water, sure, and my dad was riding the bike (he doesn't run distance) so he could keep going as long as I could... but the bike broke down three miles into the journey! Couple that with the fact that I didn't even bring my Ipod, and there was no way I could finish.

Wednesday I tried again on an indoor treadmill. No dice; my ankle wouldn't let me run a full MILE before giving out. I tried again that evening and managed a short 3-mile loop on Central Park's bridal paths, clocking an absolutely ASTOUNDING time of 36 minutes, or, 12 minute miles (that's sarcasm, folks! I haven't run that slow since I entered this sport)

It's been a few days, as it's Friday night, and I'm in Texas now but somehow through the humidity I was able to run nine miles today in 1 hour, 29 minutes, 30 seconds. That's pretty slow all things considered, but I'm just glad i'm not on the disabled list anymore ^^ .

If I've got the energy in me tomorrow after a day of roofing and construction type work, I'll run a 10k or two and record that time. Wish me luck!

Proud of an achievement.. embarrassed at a fall

Mile: 107

I ran a grand slam of seventeen miles in central park yesterday after taking Thursday off, clocking in at 2 hours and 24 minutes; I'd been aiming for sub- 2:30 so that worked out just right :) It was a pleasantly cool but sunny day that beckoned persistence. Although a few people passed me in the short run, it seemed like no one was going the distance I was; they went off the road or stopped running within a mile or two of striding past with their brand-spanking-new Ipods and gleaming bronze tans. Arrogant to the last, they can be. Then again, so am I when it comes to going faster than everyone else. I get used to running past casual joggers so often that it feels like my natural right to pass all runners... even if they've got the form and pace of Junior Olympics athletes (I made the mistake of challenging one a few months ago during a hill).

At any rate, the first loop was slow going because I didn't want to overexert myself after two-a-days the week before, but once I realized I was holding myself back I picked up the pace and gave it my all, finishing the second loop 4 - 5 minutes faster and the third one only a minute slower than that. I still don't have the perfect playlist down for runs, but it did the job this time around - my heart and soul was in this one from the beginning to the last mile.

I did a 5k this morning with my mom, as we usually do in the mornings in EastHampton. Unfortunately I tripped and fell on an uneven sidewalk, injuring my knee. I don't know the extent of this injury, and It doesn't seem THAT bad, but at the same time I can't walk straight without being in pain. We'll see how long it takes to recover from this one.

Kinda humiliating to be on the 'hurt' list from one of these slow and short runs, I must confess =/ I thought I'd've been able to run a 10k on Sunday FAST if this hadn't happened.

20-miler by next Wednesday. It WILL happen.

Rest

Mile: 87 (one six-mile run tuesday night, one six-mile run Wednesday morning)

Tuesday night's run was another exploration-type; I went up to 114th street and Broadway, moseyed over to 1st avenue on the other side, descended to 79th street and crossed the park, and finally made my way back to Broadway, uptown to my house. All in all, according to google maps, that's 7.8 miles. I call bull on its directions, though, because It was meant for car routes and didn't take the same directions I did, so I'll call it a six-miler. I realized something pretty interesting on this run; Manhattan is CONSTANTLY under construction, with buildings being built and renovated, sidewalks and roads torn apart and repaved - you couldn't NOT have all this repair and revision going on, or else the infrastructure would crumble in a matter of years. (If I remember right, that happened in the 70's)

Yesterday I wanted to try out my distance capabilities, seeing as I've been honing my legs to perfection for the past two weeks, but I was so sore I couldn't do more than 6 miles at a 52:00 minute pace. That is acceptable - I've decided to not run until tomorrow morning when I'll attempt 17 miles. Until then, proper diet and hydration are all I can do to prepare.

If everything works as planned, where I increase my peak distance by 3 miles per week, I should be set to run this double marathon by October first. That, however, doesn't leave me any time whatsoever for recovery in case I injure myself. I'll have to play these next few weeks with EXTREME caution.

Playing it semi-safe

Mile: 75 (including last night's 8 mile and this morning's 10k run)

Decided to hit up Riverside park for the first time in two years because Central Park is starting to bore me. Trees, rocks, and waterfalls are all fine and good for a hiking trip or a leisurely walk but unless there's some variation, I am not a happy camper! To that end, I went from 94th street down past Chelsea Piers to 14th street and back in ~ 1 hour, fifteen minutes. The views HERE were absolutely spectacular! Almost as good as, if not better than, the Broadway run I did last week If i'm any judge of these things. You had the river reflecting a great sunset at that point, docks that held the Mounted Police station and the U.S.S. Intrepid, (seeing that gave me a HUGE patriotic vibe, I love that ship!) as well as the burned-down tower that's always looked like a great place to explore but is off-shore. That's just describing what was to the right - to the left I saw the UPS headquarters, the weird looking building that David's architect friend designed, the High Line railroad, the West Side Highway, and TRUMP TOWERS! Why does all that excite me? I'm an infrastructure nut - you can't have a functioning city without this stuff, people! Ohh and there was also this cool-looking factory I forget where but you don't see too many of those in NY these days! (Or anywhere In America If the papers are telling the truth) There was so much to see that I wanted to keep going once I hit 14th street, but too much more and I'd've passed out from the heat and strain all this running is putting on my body.

This morning I woke up too late to run outside, but mum let me into the gym where I ran a 10k on the treadmill. I decided 'Hey, I've been trying to best my friend's time for ages, why not give it a go today?' so I oscillated the speed between 8.5, 9, and briefly 9.5 miles an hour to finish with a 43:00 net time. That was faster than my best RACE time! (43:48 according to NYRR) My friend Matt however managed a 42:11, which was my goal for today, but I'm sure I'll catch up in the next week or two. Always good to have both a speed AND a distance goal in mind.

I am NOT looking forward to the 6-miler tonight, my knees are KILLING me! Can't be helped, though, I'll just have to watch my form. The good news is, since I bought a proper hydration belt today, I won't run the risk of heatstroke like I did yesterday. Yay for optimism! (reaches for the Advil bottle)

Reckless Move

Mile: 61 (including what I did on Saturday and today, which is the subject of this post)

Allright, so I allowed myself a day of rest on Friday after the Broadway run, but I wanted to get back into the swing of things Saturday. Guess who smartly left their running shoes in New Jersey while I was all the way out in Easthampton? Yup... x( but I was determined to be productive somehow, so I decided to run barefoot like the Kenyans alongside my mum. Slow and easy pace, good conversation, and decently paved asphalt meant the going was fine until we hit some privately-owned roads. Ever tried running on broken glass? That just BEGINS to describe how painful the ordeal was. Even so, It was kind of cool to run barefoot and I DID get three miles in that day.

Took another day off on Sunday since I was still shoe-less and a bit sore from the previous day's run. Today, however, I had that URGE to get to it, so I headed for the park to try and break a distance record or two. I drank a bottle of water beforehand, brought one along with me, and polished it off before I began the stated distance; 10 kilometers. I was doing GREAT! Had a fresh new playlist going on my Ipod full of fast-paced music, temperature held steady, and I felt really strong even though I was sweating like CRAZY. After the hill on 82nd, however, things got bad very quickly. I sweated faster but was overheating, running in a haze, and by 90th street began to recognize what was possibly heatstroke. I know that you're supposed to work through muscle pains, stomach cramps, and what have you but THIS was too much. Couldn't even see thirty feet in front of me by that point, the sweat was pouring into my eyes I stopped running and checked my time on the stopwatch;

4 miles in 23:26 minutes

Allright. Fine. Checking weather.com, It's 93 degrees out today in broad daylight. Lovely! This is why I'm titling today's post 'reckless'... I was told not to run when it's above 75 out and for good reason it seems. Provided it cools down tonight, I'll round off my mileage with an 8-miler at a slower pace. If it doesn't: fuhgedaboudit!

Broadway

"Pick a goal of a certain distance to run before the summer's end, in New York, and blog about it."

"Five hundred miles in fifty days."

That's how this started. A short, ten minute conversation in the back of a Taxicab launched my most ambitious project yet. So ambitious, in fact, that I had to start a separate blog just to cover all the content that'll be streaming in as I work through this.

Today's run was, besides the marathon itself, my proudest accomplishment to date. Track and Field season ended less than a month ago, at which point I was only running four miles a day every other day. I was running FAST, be it known, but as an endurance guy that was just too little for my taste. So, as soon as school let out on June 9, I cranked it up to six miles every other day. Two Sunday nights ago I set a definite goal to meet; run an ultramarathon distance of 52.4 miles. Crazy, I know, considering how young I am and how little time I've given myself to prepare -I plan to run it by this December - but ambition has been nothing but helpful so far in life. To that end, I ran eight miles on the treadmill and allowed myself a day to recover before stepping it up again to ten. On Father's day, after going out to dinner in Chatham, I tried to go twelve miles out to a farm but the massive hills and the fact that I didn't know the area OR bother to bring any water whatsoever meant I could only go ten. Allowing myself a day to recover, I was able to go twelve miles Tuesday of this week, and with another recovery day wednesday (pulling only three miles at a slow pace) I was ready to go Thursday morning

My provisions were everything a runner could ask for; Advil taken beforehand along with a cup of coffee, twenty ounces of water, and four FRS (quercetin) chews. A recently bought swiss utility belt held my phone, subway card, emergency money, and water BUT it would cause me some problems later on. Taking the one train up to 218th street, I crossed the Broadway bridge and walked out past the tip of the Island to ensure I was really running 'tip to tip.' Texting my mom 'starting' and pressing the timer on my Ipod, I fixed my gaze on the road ahead and began to jog.

That's right; jog. Not run, not sprint; jog. I'd immediately started getting a pain in my leg that wasn't debilitating but was really working to slow me down. Add to that the fact that I'd never ran with this water-belt before and this wasn't a good start to the race. I kept running, picking up speed as was possible, but I was working furiously to tighten my belt and keep it from bouncing around. I'd been following the elevated tracks at that point to keep on Broadway; didn't work as they disappeared underground, and I veered left to try and relocate it. (facepalm) street signs weren't helping when I approached the intersection as none of them were going where I was, but I'd found Amsterdam so I followed it as best I could. Bad move; it went up a fourty-five degree angle hill some five hundred feet up in the air, or so It felt like at the time. I got a pretty good view of the streets ahead of me, thankfully, and I was doing this for the visuals more than anything else, so I just shrugged my shoulders and got directions from a local senior for how to get back on track. It must have been... 180th street at that point. Very steep downhill at that point, nearly got ran over by a minivan trying to cross the street, but I made it.

At that point, I figured I had to do something to drop a pound or risk giving up the run today. It was hot, sweaty, and the going was so slow that It wouldn't have been worth it unless I could salvage my time; I ditched the PowerBar I had in my pack and took out my water bottle, pulling my belt so tight that a bear hug would've been gentle by comparison. It felt easier to run with the bottle in hand, so I sipped steadily from it and made my way to 96th street where my mom would be waiting. She'd cautioned me about this part of Manhattan before I started the run; no buildings were taller than three or four stories; the (now) elevated tracks dominated the skyline as far as the eye could see. The few people that were out on the streets at this hour stared at me open-mouthed with a look of worry. Were they staring because I was running HERE, because I was smiling broadly as I clutched my water belt, or because I was a stranger? It wasn't unnerving. It was CUTE. I get those same kinds of stares when I run in New Jersey or Texas - people think runners belong solely in parks, I guess.

Around 140 or 130 street I started to recognize familiar landmarks; the skyscraper-tall apartment buildings that my cross country bus would pass on the way to Van-Cortlandt park, recognizable graffiti tags that covered buildings on either side, and in the distance, the silhouette of Riverside church. This gave me a MAJOR mood-boost! I downed the last of the water and picked up the pace as fast as I could manage, texting my mom to let her know I was almost there. The minutes flowed quicker, one into the other, until I was back in the 'city proper' past Cathedral parkway. At 96th street I SPRINTED through the mobs of people stumbling into the subway station, past the movie theater, and into mom's camera as I saw her standing at the corner of 94th right next to our apartment.

It was the marathon all over; I was basically halfway there with six or seven miles done, somewhat dehydrated, but eager to continue. I hugged her and took off that stupid water belt, insisting that it'd only serve to keep slowing me down. She was worried I'd get heat stroke, for good reason, so she made me drink some water she'd brought down from the apartment. I downed half of it in twenty seconds, my ipod's shuffle setting selected my favorite song (Pjanoo by Eric Prydz) and I tore down the sub-hundreds with a fury!

I absolutely FLEW through these blocks; the CVS passed in three seconds, then the Barzini's, the Barnes and Noble at 83rd, the intersection as 72nd street, and the movie theater at 68th, thanks in part to the fact that the sun was hiding behind the buildings. Columbus Circle saw me slow up a bit, but I picked it up some more trying to get past the fifties. Oh, but there there was Times Square. LMFAO blasted its trip-hop as I ran through green and red lights alike, ecstatic at seeing the vibrant colors, buildings, and people clustering around this hub of activity. It was stop-and-go work all told, which took a massive toll on my knees, and once I got into the thirties I felt like it was high time to quit. Trucks and red lights kept forcing me to stop, costing me thirty seconds or more each time, whereas I'd been smooth sailing for the previous hundred-and-fity blocks! Now I was lucky to get three blocks in before stopping, and I damn near got ran over a couple times as I tried to run through the light to keep my momentum up. You can't and really shouldn't be playing chicken with New York City drivers, but I just wanted to RUN, couldn't they see that?!

At any rate, something not quite me would send the impulse to my legs to start running again each time the light turned green. My brain said 'walk' but my body did not obey... why? I don't know but I was thankful for whatever it was, and as I passed the 'teens and onto Houston street it was time to take my reserve Energy gel. Bad idea when I was dehydrated again;(no belt and no water for the past five miles) the normally sweet vanilla goo burned my throat like ACID and didn't give much motivation to keep going. Even so, I was passing through Chelsea and I saw the familiar red Library Tower that meant I was getting close. Press on! It seemed like my friends who lived in this neighborhood were saying through the vibrations. I obeyed. The stop-and-go traffic ceased just as suddenly as it began. Thank you Chelsea!

A few minutes still, I passed Chambers street. The pace increased. Just a little further and.. It..should..be... THERE! 222 Broadway - my mother's workplace at Merill! I phone her and tell her where I am breathlessly, passing beautiful skyscraper after skyscraper. "You've got less than a mile to go!" She tells me enthusiastically;"Go, Cameron, go!" Music to my ears; I take the rest in a full-out sprint as best I can manage. City hall passes and fades, and Wall Street appears ephemerally. Battery park approaches and I immerse myself in it, jogging to the furthermost point I can see. I call my mother again; I have made it! The wind's whipping by, I'm exhausted, but I've made my introduction to this beloved city and It's given me the most fantastic Urban views I could ask for. Truly, there is no place quite like New York. Let me tell you; I've seen a lot and done a lot in the few years i've been on this Earth, but no experience has made me happier than I was at the moment that I went through the financial district. Pure, unadulterated, ECSTACY be it from the endorphins flooding my head or the visuals I was getting. Either way, I really must do that again sometime.