Blog # 4: April Edition

The Road to Orlando: A Monthly Running Blog Chronicling my Training and Racing Leading up to the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials 

Blog Summary:

• 14:27 5K PR and 1st place (won by 26 seconds) at a collegiate track meet at Miami University on March 17.  32 degree temperature with 17 mph winds.

• 31:13 10K and 1st place (lapped second place) at a collegiate track meet at Cedarville University on March 25. 24 mph winds.  Ran as a workout.

• 14:20 NEW 5K PR and 4th out of 117 at a collegiate track meet at Lee University in Tennessee on April 7th.  Rained during the entire race.  Third consecutive 5K where I have run a personal record.

• My new 5K PR is a tad faster than what marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge can run in the marathon.

• Next Up: Toledo Glass City Marathon on Sunday, April 23

• You can track me during the race by downloading the RaceJoy app, searching for the Toledo Marathon, and searching for my name.  

Frankly speaking, I’m on a roll.  So far this calendar year I have run three 5Ks, and in each one I set a new personal record.  I haven’t had good luck with the weather, but I’m still pleased with the outcomes.  Although  the peak race for this cycle is the Toledo Marathon, I’ve been trying to simultaneously train for the 5K.  One reason I’m focusing on the 5K is because I strongly believe that developing more speed will raise my ceiling potential in the marathon.  A second reason is because I do not believe I will have the ability to run a PR at the 5K distance or below after this year.  I realize this may sound dramatic, but I have my reasons for thinking this.  After Toledo, my training will shift to being more marathon specific, and I will not do as many speed workouts.  Also, most competitive 5K races are in April during the collegiate track season.  With the Olympic Trials being in early February of next year, I won’t be able to start doing speed workouts until March to allow my body to fully heal from the marathon.  That then only gives me one month to get into peak shape by April, which simply is not enough time.  Another reality is that I’ll be another year older.  Maximum heart rate and maximum oxygen consumption (V02 MAX) decline with age, and both are important variables for success at the 5K distance.  In the competitive running scene, you typically see runners specializing in longer distances as they age.  Many pros focus on the 5K and 10K in their 20s, and then they transition to half and full marathon road racing in their 30s.  Some shift their focus to the ultra marathon scene once they reach a point they can’t improve in the marathon.  From the outside looking in, I understand it may seem like I have a defeated mindset.  Quite the contrary.  My acceptance of the reality that my prime window is closing at the 5K distance has given me a strong sense of urgency and motivation to do what it takes to be better than I have ever been before.  My opportunity to run fast at shorter distances was this track season, and I took full advantage of that opportunity by bettering my 22 year old self by 22 seconds in the 5K.  I’m now fast enough to pace world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge through the first 5k of his marathon.  

Race Recaps

5K in 14:27 at Miami University on March 17 (1st place)

I almost decided to back out of this race once I saw that the weather was going to be garbage, but I opted to race for three reasons: 1) I had already tapered for the race, 2) my family told me they wanted to watch, and 3) a runner from Miami graciously agreed to pace me through the first two miles and block the 17 mph wind.  This meet had teams from Miami, Bowling Green, Xavier, Wright State, Dayton, and some other schools.  The Miami runner shot out to the lead from the gun, and I just tucked in right behind him for two evenly paced miles.  He dropped out of the race at the 2 mile mark, and then I maintained pace for the final 1.1 miles.  It felt great to win a D1 college meet and run a PR.  Although I had set a PR a few weeks prior at a road race, running a PR on a track carries more weight and legitimacy due to the indisputable accuracy of the distance.  

10K in 31:13 at Cedarville University on March 17 (1st).  Ran as a workout.  

The following week I decided to race again at Cedarville, but I trained through the week leading up to the race instead of cutting back my mileage.  I ran 100 miles that week and wanted to see what I could do on tired legs.  The weather was even worse with 24 mph winds.  Ultimately I decided to run the race as a hard workout with the goal of averaging 5 minute miles.  I led from start to finish and executed my workout according to plan.  Although there was a runner clipping at my heels during the first 5 laps of a 25 lap race, I ended up winning by close to 2 minutes and lapped the second place finisher.  I don’t bring this up to brag.  I have great respect for my competition.  I would get lapped in a professional track race.  The cool thing about running is that you compete against yourself as much as you race against your competitors.  All of us were struggling out there in the wind together for 25 laps.  Luckily there were a number of people who knew me and were cheering me on throughout the race.  Additionally, the guys in the race gave me words of encouragement as I passed them.  We were a brotherhood out there.  I cannot emphasize enough how welcoming and supportive the running community is.  

5K in 14:20 at Lee University (Tennessee) on April 7th (4th/117)

After easily winning two college meets, I was motivated to find a competitive meet that would push me to my max and help me run another 5K PR.  In regards to the 5K, I would rather lose a race and run a personal best time than to win a race with a slower time.  So I was intentionally looking for a race where I wouldn’t win.  My process for finding good track meets to compete in is to look at the racing schedules of Ohio colleges and reviewing the race results from the previous year.  My preference was to race in Ohio so I didn’t have to travel, but I couldn’t find any meets that met my standards.  Jeremy Wysocki, my friend and training partner, told me about Lee University having a very competitive meet.  Once I saw how fast everyone ran there the prior year, I knew I had to compete.  So I paid $80 to register, took leave from work on Friday, and booked a hotel for 2 nights.  I left for Tennessee right after work on Thursday, slept in Friday morning, and stayed off my feet all day before finally racing at 8:30 PM.  The April weather decided to be combative once again.  Although the temperature was fine and the wind was only 9 mph, it rained during the entire race.  It wasn’t a torrential downpour, but there were puddles on track, and my shoes were noticeably wet.  If I had to guess, the rain probably slowed us down by a half second per lap (6 seconds overall) due to the less than ideal traction.  I spent a majority of the first 2 miles in 7th-10th place, but I moved up during the final mile and ultimately finished 4th.  First and second place were way out ahead, finishing in 14:00 and 14:06.  Third place edged me out by a bit, running 14:18 to my 14:20.  It would have been nice to break 14:20 and be closer to the 14 minute barrier, but I’m happy with the way I competed.  I left Tennessee at 11PM that night, got back to Ohio after a 6 hour drive, slept for 2 hours, and then joined my training partners for a 16 mile long run.  

Next Race: Toledo Glass City Marathon on Sunday, April 23rd

I have a soft spot for the Toledo Marathon since it was the first marathon I ever did.  I ran a 2:54 in 2013 after a very lackluster buildup, peaking at about 50 miles.  After not running at all during 2018, I started training again in 2019 and managed a 2:45 at Toledo in 2019, good for 24th place.  I continued training hard and signed up for the 2020 race.  Obviously Covid happened, so I had to settle for running a virtual marathon, and I technically won the race that year by running a 2:27 bike path marathon.  Now I’m back again in 2023 with the goal of competing for the win–for real this time.  For those of you who haven’t run Toledo before, it is a flat course where you run on the roads, bike trail, and through neighborhoods.  Although a good percentage of the field runs a Boston Qualifying time, there are a lot of turns on the course that can slow you down.  The course record is 2:20:58.  Prize money is awarded to the top 5 finishers ($1,000, 800, 600, 400, 300).  There is also a $500 bonus for the course record.  My goal for this race is strictly to contend for the win.  I am not overly concerned about my time like I was when I tried qualifying for the Trials.  If the course record is within reach with 6 miles to go, then I’ll go for it. I obviously do not know who will be racing, but the winner from last year beat me at the California International Marathon in December.  Overall, I’m confident in my current fitness and am excited to race.  My wife Megan is racing the half marathon, and I have other friends and training partners racing as well.  You can track me during the race by downloading the RaceJoy app, searching for the Toledo Marathon, and searching for my name.  I’ll provide a recap of the race in my next blog.  Talk to you then!  Cheers!