The Daily Runner

Run for the Pies 5K + New Blog Launch

2010-06-14T09:54:00.005-04:00

Run for the Pies 5K

The start of summer, year in and year out, is marked by the Run for the Pies 5K, a race that serves as a benchmark for the runner looking to improve upon their times throughout summer and into the fall. For me, it was a chance to chase a PR and see if the 60 mile weeks I'm putting in really do pay off.

I arrived at The Landing with plenty of time to warm up and then watch the elite race, which some teammates were running in. As always, it proved to be an entertaining footrace, with an unusual amount of PRs set in the hot and muggy conditions the night presented. Turns out, the course was only 2.9 miles, an outcome I hoped would not come with the completion of the open race.

After some striders I felt ready to go, and lined up behind Cody, a teammate who would be pacing me. We got a good start and quickly settled into position. The first mile was in a rather pedestrian 5:50, my fastest first mile despite my urge to start out at a better clip. Still, I pushed forth. The second mile went out and back, including the dreaded cone in the middle of the road. Mile 2 was clocked in 5:55. I was following the typical drift of splits, getting progressively slower. With about 1K to go, I went and used the somewhat downhill finish to my advantage. Mile 3 was in 5:53, and the last tenth in 39 seconds. I snuck in just under 18:20, my official time being 18:19, which is also an official PR. Best of all, I earned my first Pie, a (temporary) badge of honor for area runners. To top off the night, I got 5th in the age group, earning myself a medal. With more mileage, some of which will be at altitude, I will be able to whittle my 5K time down into the low 17s.

New Blog: "Faranji!"

While reading the last sentence of the previous paragraph, you may have done a double take. Sorry, but there are no typos, and I did intend on using the word "altitude". This summer, for 17 days, I will be in Ethiopia training at altitude with some elites, as well as garnering some service hours for various volunteering opportunities. My mom, dad, and I are participating in the Visit and Train program through Running Across Borders (RAB), an organization that helps provide living accommodations and job opportunities for Ethiopian runners trying to reach elite status in athletics. The RAB camp is located at 7,600 feet above sea level, providing the perfect environment for training. I will chronicle my experiences, day in and day out, at my new blog, aptly named "Faranji!", which means foreigner in Ethiopian Amharic. The departure date is July 11th, so stay tuned as I gear up for this amazing experience!

Road Racing Recap

2010-04-25T16:22:00.009-04:00

I have officially shifted back in the road racing circuit from track season after two weekend's worth of racing. Let's recap.

Run to the Sun 8K

After a disappointing finish to my high school track season, where I placed 9th at Districts in the 2 mile in a time that was 10 seconds off my best (ran 11:19), I decided to capitalize on my fitness by running the Run to the Sun 8K. My goal was to run in the range of 30 minutes, conquering the deceivingly hilly course on River Road. Place-wise, I was aiming for top 10. So it was no surprise to me that when the race started, I was bumping shoulders with the likes of Justin Jacobs and John Metzgar, local elites who frequently win. But the pack quickly thinned out and I ran the majority of the race alone. I placed 10th overall in a field of 463, finishing in 30:37 and winning 2nd in my age group.

Beaches Chapel 5K

Racing weekend #2 brought along a local 5K in Jax Beach, where I was shooting to take advantage of some cooler weather before the summer humidity set in. Turns out, I was a week late on that prediction since race day brought temps approaching 80, which was much hotter than the temps in the upper 60s that I enjoyed at Run to the Sun. Still, my goal aside from running a fast time was to be competitive and hopefully take home the overall male title. Competitive I was, as I took the lead from the gun and took a pack of about six runners through a slow first mile in 5:54. It went downhill after that, as the pack engulfed me and surged ahead. I ended up picking off everyone again (except one woman, who won the race in ~17:50), only to be outkicked by a fellow high schooler and a man in his 20s. This low key race ended up giving out awards to only the top runner in each age group, so I was award-less since I finished in second place in my age group (and 4th overall in field of 174) with a certified course PR of 18:35. Still, it capped off a successful two weekends of racing. Next on my plate is the Memorial Day 5K so until then, keep on training!

Shod or Un-Shod: That is the Question!

2010-02-11T20:37:00.011-05:00

For those of you who stalk running message boards as much as I do, you may be aware of the new running philosophy that has taken over the Internet like wild-fire. Sparked by New York Times Bestseller Born to Run, barefoot running has started a movement among runners and fitness gurus alike, and has increased in support since the publishing of the book a year ago. The new phenomenon has spawned new products and training philosophies and has dramatically influenced the running industry today.

For those of you who are new to the subject of barefoot running, I'll define some terms to make things easier. As defined by Merriam-Webster, shod is an adjective that means to be furnished or equipped with footwear, like running shoes. So un-shod is exactly the opposite; if I'm going for a run un-shod, then I'm going for a run without shoes. You may also hear the term minimalism thrown around, which means running in a very thin-soled shoe, like a racing flat. Now that I've translated all the jargon you need to know, it's time to delve into the debate of barefoot running.

Next time you happen to be at one of your local running stores, take a long, thoughtful gaze at the shoes on display. Hopefully, you'll be able to glean a few similarities that are present in most running shoes. First, you should notice the large, thick, cushioned soles of the shoes that are usually equipped with innumerable useless technologies, like Gel units or dual-density midfoot supports. Using conventional wisdom you might think "Well, if I'm going to pound the pavement, I'll need all the cushioning I can get to absorb shock." But, the more padding there is between your foot and the pavement, the duller your nerve endings in your foot become. A sports journal published a study on barefoot running in 2001, concluding that "running barefoot is associated with a substantially lower prevalance of chronic foot and lower leg injuries." Having a cushioned sole between your foot and the ground leads to a larger susceptibility to injury within the foot and lower leg since a thick, cushioned sole doesn't allow you to alter your form in a way to reduce shock, which leads us to our next observation.

Another thing you should have noticed during your gaze upon the quintessential running shoe is that the shoe has a large heel used to absorb initial impact, which occurs at the heel. When running in most shoes, you heel-strike, whether it's inadvertent or not. A large, cushioned heel leads you through this "heel-to-toe" phase, so don't be alarmed - you weren't cursed with bad form. If you were to try running barefoot or in a thin-soled shoe, you would discover that you would land on your whole foot rather than just your heel. By midfoot striking (landing on the whole foot) you cause less shock since you have a greater area to disperse it to. And if you were to try heel-striking barefoot, it would feel unnatural. The latter statement thus concludes the reasoning on eschewing shoes to reduce injuries.

So, what's next? If you want to run barefoot or minimalist, work into it gradually. Start with distances of 800m or less, and proceed with caution. Tendons like your achilles and planter fascia are not used to un-shod running, so be vigilant and play close attention to any aches or pains in the foot or lower leg. It's a methodical advancement, to say the least, but within a month's time you'll be happy that you can take your training to new heights because you're injury free. Run happy and run natural!

Update

2010-02-11T20:19:00.004-05:00

Some of the more avid road racers might be aware of my recent performance at the Matanzas 5K, but to bluntly state it, here's my result: I ran a 19:04 and took 2nd in my age group. No, I'm not announcing my cessation from running, but rather making a change in the content on this blog. Most of you have heard me ramble on and on about the various races I've run. While I've not intended to bore you all, I have kindled an interest in a more interesting subject which is the science of our sport (i.e. kinesiology, physiology). For example, instead of explaining the race itself where I PR'ed, I'll explain how I PR'ed (the training used to achieve my time, etc). You can also expect weekly reports on hot topics in the running world like barefoot running, quality v. quantity and the like. So stay tuned for periodic postings!

Gator Bowl 5K

2009-12-31T20:02:00.012-05:00

The Gator Bowl 5K has been a New Year's Eve tradition for the past three years, marking my final attempt to fulfill my running resolution for the current year. If some of you remember, this race was my debut into the "local running scene" two years ago as I ran a 22:44 5K and placed high in my age group. Last year, I hoped to shave a significant chunk off my previous time and break 20 minutes, which was the goal I set for that year. I came up short in the former goal, running a 20:52 in my attempt. This year I came into this race disappointed from my previous performance, which was a 15:47 4K at AAU Cross Country Nationals. At this point all I wanted was a PR, so I set my goal merely as sub 19.

Leading up to this race I logged four 50 mile weeks, which included no speed whatsoever except for daily strides done after my run. My family and I embarked on a nine day cruise (see my travel blog, www.alektravels.blogspot.com for a full report), coming back the day before today's race. Despite logging 68 miles over the span of 8 days, I was a little apprehensive whether or not the fabled "sea legs" would impair my performance. When the race came, I felt fresh and ready to perform. The temperature was in the mid 60s with climbing humidity.

Upon arriving at the race I met up with my track club teammates Eric, Steven, Matt, and Mary Ann. We headed out on a brief one mile warm up returning just in time to snatch a spot at the front of the starting line. After a slight delay, it was the command "runners set" followed by the boom of the cannon. The usually large pack took off, as well as Eric, Matt, and Mary Ann. I hung with Steven for a little while as we passed by the first mile marker in approximately 5:40. The first mile is notoriously fast so I took the first split with a grain of salt and headed on. There was a noticeable wind leading up to the halfway point so I drafted behind a runner before throwing down the gauntlet as the course meandered back into downtown. Mary Ann, and Matt who was pacing her, were about 25 meters ahead of me as I approached the two mile mark. I clocked in at 11:30, giving me a 5:50 second mile split. Now on the brink of pain and suffering, fatigue started to set in as my head started to tilt and my arms started to lose control. I passed the 4K mark in 14:34 a new PR, and by now Mary Ann and Matt were a mere 15 meters ahead of me. I was in pursuit of some of the top freshmen in the state so I knew I was in for a big PR. My short, stubby calves turned over as fast as possible bringing me to the three mile mark in 17:22. The last tenth seemed like an eternity but I finally crossed the finish line, and in the process chalked up a long-overdue PR of 17:58, which was more than a minute faster than my previous best of 19:06. I felt exhausted but I was able to process one bit of information, which was the fact that I had achieved the goal I had set last New Years: to break 18 minutes in a 5K. Once getting some water I regrouped with my Dad who was in awe as well as the rest of the team. Eric ran a PR of 17:26 while Mary Ann just edged me out at the line, beating me by 4 seconds (it was a PR for her as well). Steven rounded out the group with an 18:55, a PR of almost a minute for him as well. After a two mile cool down I checked the results just out of curiosity. Last year I missed out on an award by 10 seconds but with my recent advance into the 14-19 age group I was just hoping to place top 10. To my amazement I was edged out yet again for 3rd and this time by just 4 seconds by another 14 year old. Still, I came out of this race with a big PR and a sense of accomplishment.

After thinking it over, I attribute my PR to high mileage as well as general strength training. This leaves me to wonder how I will do once I start integrating track work into my regimen. Track season is starting up with a one-mile time trial followed by some workouts these next few weeks. I plan to compete at the Matanzas 5K, where I hope to dip under 18 once again and come home with an age group award (11-14). So long, happy running, and a happy new year!

Outback Distance Classic 6K

2009-11-26T14:42:00.009-05:00

The past few years have sparked up the tradition of the annual Thanksgiving race. Last year my sister joined us in the crisp, early morning trot. But this year, due to logistics, she couldn't make it. Just like last year's race, I would be racing the 6K while Dad would tackle the Half-Marathon (you can check out his race on his blog). The weather, although perfect, was not as cool as last year so I donned my gloves with a singlet and shorts and was ready to go. Wanting to capitalize on a successful cross country season (where I set my 19:09 5K PR), I set my sights on running a sub 22:00 and a top 10 finish in the enormous field teeming with weekend warriors.

I lined up towards the front, ready to burn up the long and wide expanse of asphalt that lay ahead of me. Following the painfully drawn-out Star Spangled Banner, the gun was shot within seconds. After jockeying for position, I led a large chase pack as the minutes ticked by. Coming up to the mile mark, the half marathoners split from the 6Kers and I said goodbye to the majority of the people around me. I passed the mile mark in 6:00, which was my slowest first mile in recent memory. I pushed forth in the following miles, catching a person here and there. My second mile was 6:15 and my third was 6:20. With a half mile to go, the course winds through residential neighborhoods making the finish notoriously slow. To make matters worse, those in the top 10 had the task or evading youngsters and their parents running the "joey" one mile waddle. One last turn and the finish was in sight as I mustered a kick and finished in 22:04. After taking a few minutes to collect myself, I did the math and found out that my last half mile was in an astounding two minutes and 45 seconds. Despite not meeting my goal of sub 22, I still finished in the top 10 (tenth) while setting a new 5K PR (19:06).

Next race on my plate is the prestigious AAU Cross Country Nationals in Orlando, Florida. As some of you devoted readers may be able to recall, I ran this race last year and finished the 4K distance in 16:00. This year I'm looking to get as close to 14:00 as I can, and also make a run at All-American status (top 25). Otherwise, it will be another month until track starts but in the meantime I have the task of racking up some mileage.

Cross Country Race Wrap-Up: October 3rd and the 10th

2009-10-15T20:40:00.008-04:00

Ponte Vedra XC Invitational

After a successful meet at Ridgeview, we hoped to continue our dominance at a moderately sized meet right in our backyard. On Saturday, bright and early, the Nease Cross Country contingent traveled right down the road to the newly built Ponte Vedra High School. After previewing the course the day before, my teammates and I felt ready to crank out some PRs on a fast course. On another note, we received favorable weather leading up to Saturday and hoped the recent spell of heat would be long gone.

Varsity Girls were up first and the Nease Girls improved on the times from last week, many of whom PRed, en route to a 10th place team finish. The girls confirmed that the course was indeed fast and spectator friendly, providing a multitude of opportunities to cheer the team on. Varsity Boys toed the line next and soon throngs of runners from different teams stormed across the field and towards the woods. After one mile, five of the seven Nease Varsity guys were in the Top 25. But a threat in the form of Lake Brantley loomed behind the boys and was closing fast. With a half mile to go, the meet went from an invitational to a Lake Brantley vs Nease dual meet; the top seven were either Nease or Lake Brantley. But in the final turn, Lake Brantley unfortunately prevailed, taking the top three spots. Still, Nease didn't go down without a fight and took home 2nd Place out of 15 teams. Next up, was Girl's JV, the penultimate race of the day. Nease JV Girls didn't fail to impress, demonstrating their impressive depth. Again, many PRed.

Finally, it was time for the Guys JV Race. By now the mercury was closing in on 80 degrees, so I was anxious to get the race over with. 126 runners crammed into their starting blocks and waited for the pistol to fire. With a boom everyone sprinted but luckily Josh, our number one guy on JV, assumed the lead from the get go. I tucked in a few steps behind him and tried to prevent throngs of runners from passing me. The course meandered around the baseball complex and a lake before hitting the first mile. I worked my way up about twenty positions and now I was surely in the top 20. Josh was still leading the pack as the course took us for a loop on the track. Once retracing our previous steps, mile 2 was passed. On the second time on the track, with a half mile to go, I started to kick and attempted to make my way up through the ranks. With 300 meters to go, it was a race for 5th place as I duked it out with a couple - you guessed it - Lake Brantley kids. The familiar ending repeated itself as I was passed as if I were standing still. Little did I know, I crossed the line in 19:38, a new PR which got me 8th overall. Luke and Alex followed 10 seconds later, finishing in 9th and 10th respectively. Brad rounded out the top 5 in 21st place while Luis and Kyle finished in 34th and 37th, respectively. As you can tell, a common trend is exhibited here: everyone PRed. I stop at the 7th spot for writing purposes but the rest of the JV all had excellent showing; great job Grinder, Joe, Tim, David, Alex and Jeremy! To wrap up, Nease JV took four spots in the top 10 and came home with 2nd Place, losing slightly to the elusive Lake Brantley squad. Needless to say, it was a job well done by every member of the team.

Bale N Trail

October 10th brought us what is considered by many to be the state's fastest course. It was the Bale N Trail Invite at Bartram Trail High. Due to SATs coinciding with the race, three varsity runners were absent from the meet thus catapulting me into the team's number 6 spot. Being on varsity, I felt obliged to run fast against teams that were close to us in ability.

Everyone arrived at the meet at around 6:30 AM, giving the varsity runners ample time to lounge around before heading into their pre-race routines. At the Ponte Vedra Meet the week before, it seemed that our first spell of cool weather was here. But after lingering around for a few minutes at the team tent, I already detected the omnipresent humidity. Once the sun was up, the mercury was pressing 90 degrees and didn't seem to be going down anytime soon. Due to pre-race nerves, I sought a bathroom only to find to my dismay that the line was literally making it's way into the parking lot. A few minutes later, the seven of us started our warm up, running on some of the course. We passed by a bathroom that had a line that was about one tenth as long as the previous one, so a couple teammates and I decided to wait. Thirty minutes later and the three of us finally emerge, rushing to finish our warm up and get ready to race.

The whole team arrived at the start with seconds to spare before the gun sounded. After a loop behind the baseball fields followed by a loop around the lake, we passed by one mile. The heat and humidity had reached an unbearable point and it was dramatically affecting everyone's performance. The second mile looped back around the baseball fields while the third mile looped around the lake and then towards the finish. I suffered across the finish line in 20:08, falling short of my goal time, which also was true for most of my teammates. The team finished a disappointing 14th out of 32 teams. But, little did we know, that we would have an excellent showing the following week.

Cross Country Race Wrap-Up: September 19th and 26th

2009-09-20T17:28:00.012-04:00

Nease JV took home 2nd at the Bob Hans Invitational

After a short hiatus from the blogosphere, I am now immersed in the cross country racing season, back on my blog to chronicle the races that occur week in and week out. I will post bi-weekly wrap ups about the races that occured.

Katie Caples Invitational

This race kicked off the cross country season and I was able to don my Nease singlet for the first time in my four-year stint as a member of the team. Three weeks prior, our team designated one of the all-comers cross country meets to serve as the team's time trial to determine varsity. I missed out on varsity by two seconds, meaning I'd start off my season toeing the line at the Junior Varsity race. I had two main goals in mind; first I wanted to improve on my time that I ran at the time trial (20:31); second, I wanted to break 20 minutes, the elusive barrier that I now felt was in my grasp. As for place, I wanted to be in the top 20, or at least relatively close to it.

The Katie Caples Invitational was held at Bishop Kenny (BK) High School, which is situated right along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. The series of races were held in the evening, providing cool weather for all those competing. The course is one of the fastest in the state, host to great times every year.

After warming up and stretching with my JV teammates, I stripped my warm up gear and headed to the starting area. The starting line was packed with runners from many schools, and looking back on the results it turns out that 279 runners finished. After moments of standing around, the starter prepared to fire his gun. With a bang, 279 runners sprinted ahead as I held my position in the middle of the pack. The first turn of the course took us onto the track, where I jostled for position. After a jam-packed first mile I cruised over the low cut grass, clocking my first mile in 6:10. The course traced back much of the first mile, but then took us along the river. I slowly moved up in the field, but I was a far cry from top 20. My second mile was in 6:31, and once again the course looped around on previous ground. With a half mile to go, I dug deep and made my way towards the finish. Once on the track, I quickened my stride only learning to my dismay that I had nothing left. A couple runners here and there whizzed by me as I crossed the line in 19:53, putting me in 40th place overall. The rest of my team crossed the finish on my heels, with the next four runners coming in 20:06, 20:07, 20:58, and 21:17, respectively. As a team, the JV boys squad finished 8th of 22 teams with an average time of 20:29.

Girls' Varsity and JV both placed 17th, while the Boys' Varsity finished in a thriller, taking home 5th place. All in all, a very memorable and successful meet.

Ridgeview Bob Hans Invitational

With another good week of training under our belts, the team traveled to Ridgeview High School in Orange Park for the Ridgeview Cross Country Invitational. Confidence running high, the JV squad and I were prepared to match our times from last week and possibly take 1st Place in the JV team competition. Still, we were unaware of what challenges the course would pose for us.

The whole squad arrived at Ridgeview bright 'n early, most of us arriving there at 6:00 AM. Varsity Girls raced first followed by the Varsity Boys and then the JV squads in the previous order. I couldn't figure out much about the course from the confines of the team tent so I guess I'd figure if the varsity ran good times then the course wouldn't be half as bad. Varsity girls had a great showing, many of them setting PRs in the process. Varsity Boys followed suit, taking 4 of the top 10 spots. The varsity boys ended up winning the meet. Many though had mixed feelings about the race, saying that some parts of the course were notoriously slow. Still, I felt I had the ability to whittle a couple seconds here and there from my Katie Caples PR. After a quick 15 minute warm up with the rest of JV, I stripped off my outer layers and prepared for battle.

Once at the starting line, we did a couple of strides before squeezing in to our assigned box. I was already soaked with sweat as was everyone else, the humidity high and temps close to 90. The starter prepared the pistol then raised his arm. Within seconds we were off, quickly funneling in. I stayed in the middle of the pack, creeping up slowly towards the end of the first mile. I crossed the first mile in 6:07 and was among the top 20. The course now started to get sloppy, going through high grass and sand. The second mile took a lot out of me as I clocked a 6:30 split. The third mile wasn't much better, meandering through segments of trails as well as more sand. The third mile was the most miserable, but I pushed towards the finish line determined to better my time. I crossed the line in 19:52, a 1 second PR. I received 10th place and my teammates took 5th, 13th, 14, and 19th, which rounded out those in the top 20. Mostly everyone PRed minimally or was off their time by a little but all in all it was a good team performance. Our team average dropped to 20:09 and we took home a 2nd place team trophy for our efforts. Stay tuned for next week's wrap-up as Nease takes on the fast and flat courses at Ponte Vedra and Bartram Trail, respectively. So long and keep running!

Tour de Pain 5K

2009-08-12T10:08:00.009-04:00

There is no better feeling than falling asleep in your own bed in own room. I say this because it has been a whirlwind of travel these past two months. After one month in CT it was time to get even further from home as we hopped across the pond and began a 12 day cruise through Europe. Upon our return in the States, I took part in the 5-day Princeton Cross Country Camp. Needless to say, I was a prime candidate for DVT (Deep Vein Thrombrosis) as we immediately began the tedious and grueling 16-hour drive down the Eastern Seaboard. We arrived to a still fully intact home in the wee hours of the morning (4 AM). But it never felt so good to be back home in good ol' Ponte Vedra.

And now that I was back home, I also had to suffer through the unbearable heat and humidity in my training and racing. Still, I wanted to see where my fitness was before Cross Country (XC) season was underway. So I decided to sign up for just the Tour de Pain 5K and see if I could take a stab at my PR set in July in CT (in perfect conditions to boot). Once at the Baymeadows venue for the day's 5K, I quickly reevaluted my goal to be sub-20, which would be a Florida PR. I got a decent warm up and was quickly soaked with sweat as I lined up at the starting line. The start was delayed a bit but eventually the cannon fired and many runners took to the concrete, hazy jungle that unfolded before them. I got into a good position and held a decent pace at the beginning. I came through the first mile in 6:10, as my breathing became heavier, an indication of the oppressive humidity. The conditions taxed me more in the second mile, as I made an attempt to slog past runners. I clocked the second mile in 6:30 and it seemed my sub-20 hopes were leaving my grasp. With the home stretch in sight, I kicked with half mile to go. One last turn I would be done, so I sprinted with 200 to go and slipped under 20-minute milestone with a 19:49. I lost my balance briefly but quickly regained it as my parents came over to congratulate me. Despite unfavorable conditions, I prevailed and ran my fastest time in Florida. Next race on my plate is the Bartram Trail All Comers XC Race, where I hope to whittle away some time and get closer to my all time PR. After that it's my favorite, the Summer Beach Run, where I can hopefully bite off a large chunk off my weak 5 Mile PR. It's hot out there but summer is coming to a close. To check out my training, take a look at my new training blog where I post a weekly wrap-up of training and occasionally discuss training methods as well as some miscellaneous information as well. So long and stay tuned!

Not Your Typical 5K

2009-07-16T20:31:00.008-04:00

Boy, was this race a nightmare. I guess they weren't kidding with the name "Not Your Typical." The course and weather were unbearably bad. Mind you -- we're from Florida -- so the CT heat at the 6:45 PM start of this race should have been something we could laugh off, but not today. It was 85 degrees at the start and somewhat humid, conditions that were more challenging than virtually all of our races in Florida, which are held in the early morning with temps ranging in the 70s. But wait, that's not all. The terrain of the course certainly was not "typical" and it was a painful reminder that "We weren't in Jacksonville anymore." The course took us on a treacherous journey up long, steep hills followed by more long, steep hills. I pushed hard in the first mile but only mustered a slow 6:33, and it only got worse from there. After climbing another steep hill (10% grade), I reached the halfway point and took the effort down a notch so I could at least salvage a decent tempo run. The second mile was utterly miserable, giving me a record slow split for 2009 -- a 7:18. Now my quads were feeling like ground beef, so I welcomed the "too little, too late"downhill with half a mile to go. I finished in 21:23, running a 6:49 last mile. I was more mad than exhausted, yet still a little content that I had a PR from last week. Dad, on the other hand, looked more pissed than ever and his time demonstrated how miserable the course was with him running a 23:28, his slowest time for a road 5K in years, and two minutes slower than his PR from March of this year in Jacksonville (on a flat course with temps in the 60s). At the finish line, and for the next few hours, Dad was consumed by a spontaneous and "Not Your Typical" bout of Turret's Syndrome, swearing like a sailor and hating life. Both of us were in PR shape, each of us having logged our highest mileage of the year on killer CT hills for the past two weeks (with some speed work) and yet we managed to find the only course on the Eastern Seaboard where our hard work did not yield the results we deserved. Since we had no reason to stick around and stew in our misery, we got out of there lickety split after snagging some cold and hard pizza and warm watermelon. And once we got back to the car, we saw the finishing temperature was 83 degrees at 7:30, a painful punctuation mark to our futile and frustrating outing. All in all, a waste of $50 and an especially tough setback for Dad who is trying to rebound from his two-week illness in June and regain his race-day confidence.

Next race on the calender for me anyway is the Tour de Pain 5K, a precursor to cross-country season where I will be gunning to improve my PR. The race comes on the coattails of my week at Princeton Cross Country Camp (Aug. 2-6) so I should be primed and ready to PR. As of now, it's the day before departure for my vacation and I'm planning for two weeks of higher mileage in the mid-40s. So long and feel free to comment!

Glorious Gallop 5K

2009-07-11T11:12:00.011-04:00

Just like the title suggests, this 5K was glorious in many respects. At first sight, it seems like your typical small town 5K: no chip timing, a small field, bottled water as the only post-race refreshment, and no T-Shirt. But if you hold this race under the microscope, you'll discover many desirable attributes: the course is flat and fast, the field is highly competitive, and the weather is cool. I selected this 5K on an impulse after many CT runners told me that it had multiple downhill segments. After a six-month drought of no 5K PRs, I wanted the perfect conditions so I could destroy my previous mark of 20:18. The race boasted a late start time of 7:15 PM, which offered plenty of time to ice and stretch, and allowed the sun to sink deeper toward the horizon. Once my Dad and I arrived at the race (Dad had to watch this one from the sidelines to accompany my grandfather as a spectator, who is still recovering from neck surgery), we went to the gym and paid the small entry fee of $15 and in exchange I was given a race number and a cute souvenir pedometer. I quickly pinned the number to my Jacksonville Running Company tech shirt then scurried off and ran a mile warm up. Once I felt warmed up, I laced up my racing flats and headed over to board the bus, which whisked runners up to the start and offered a preview of this point-to-point course. Upon arriving at the start, I began a methodical and thorough warm up, including running another mile and conducting strides, plyometrics, and stretches. For this race, I was not donning my usual flashy singlet with matching shorts. Instead, I took a different approach and sported a tech shirt with some normal Nike shorts. At about 7:10 PM, everyone started to line up on the cramped residential road, and I tried to snatch a spot up near the front. I don't remember any cannon but just a squished mass taking to the streets. I got a great start and cruised down the numerous downhills. Although the race course was nestled in a a typical Connecticut rolling hills environment, the first mile featured a series of consecutive downhill segments. However, half of them were steep enough to roll down, so my quads were reacquainted with the "pulverized into ground beef" feeling I've been encountering after my training runs on some major CT hills. Good thing I was wearing my Garmin watch because there was no mile marker, let alone a clock. I clocked a fast first mile in 6:08. The second mile brought us around to a lake, which included many less steep and gradual hills. I pushed harder into a headwind, trying not to fall off my pace too much in the second mile. I picked off several runners in this segment and it seemed that I was the one born and raised on hills. Again, there was no mile marker for the second mile, which I ran in 6:27. Once I passed water and gulped it down between breaths, I pumped my arms and charged up a long hill. At the apex I reached into another gear, leaned forward, and again used my arms to propel myself. I passed the 4K mark in 15:40, which was a 20 second PR for that distance en route to this 5K finish. With half a mile to go, the course spared the runners with a gradual downhill to the finish, which I strided down. One last turn put the finish in sight, and a moment later I crossed the line in a major PR of 19:20, a full minute faster than my previous best. Dad came over to congratulate (and envy) me. But no age group award for me, as Dad saw many older teenagers ahead of me who likely snagged the top spots in the ever competitive 14-18 age group. Checking results the next day, it showed that I finished 43rd out of 337 runners and 16th in my age group -- a very competitive field! To celebrate my achievement, Dad and I headed over to the festive local carnival held in conjunction with the race and got some hot, hand-cut french fries and then headed out, topping off a great day and a great race. Stay tuned to my blog as my next race is to be contested on Wednesday. I'm determined to prove this PR was no fluke and might even shave some seconds of it. So long runners and keep PRing!

Bethel Firecracker 8K

2009-07-06T09:02:00.013-04:00

July 4th brought me to a race in a different neck of the woods. No, not Florida, or even the South. Instead, I returned to my roots in Connecticut, which is where I was born and spent the first three years of my life. What brought us up here was helping my Grandfather recover from a neck injury he recently sustained (see my Travel Blog for more information on our stay in CT in June/July). But it worked out well for my training since it spared me two weeks I otherwise would have had to train in the nasty Florida heat and humidity. Up here in CT, it's hilly and cool, so I couldn't ask for any better training conditions. To gauge where I was with my training, Dad and I decided to sign up for a 4th of July 8K located more than an hour away across the state. Little did we know that the course was notoriously hilly and was not a spot for PRs. Still, my goal was to break my weak PR from February, hills or not. Dad and I began the hour and 30 minute trek at 6:30 AM, along with my sister, Tania, who decided to tag along and take pictures. Another prospect that attracted me to this race was the 11-14 age group, one that you seldom find in the local races back home. So, to say the least, I had my hands full for this race. After our arrival to the small and quaint downtown area, I picked up my packet and got a decent warm up in on the course. Once it was 10 minutes before the start of the race, I lined myself up near the front and waited for gun. After a little delay, the runners bunched up then took to the streets. I didn't dart off as usual and felt strong leading up to the first hill, a short and steep one. The first mile was otherwise smooth and easy, as I clocked in at 6:50. I picked more people off during the second mile as more hills encumbered the runners around me. The second mile split was slower but nonetheless a hillier mile, giving me a 7:00 minute split. After a quick and flat downtown loop, the course wandered through residential hills, which took more out of me despite the fact I gained on more runners. My third mile was a steady 6:53, but it felt harder than the previous two. Few runners were in the vicinity so I tucked in behind a runner carrying a large American flag, which turned out to be a big mistake. The fourth mile was a painful one, tracing back our path to the finish. I started to begin a kick, following the flag bearer. I was knocked out of my painful haze when I heard a voice about 20 meters behind me. It was a fellow runner, calling us back because the navigationally challenged flag bearer had taken a wrong turn. A few censored words later, I was back on the right course trying to make up lost ground. Too bad there was a challenging hill ahead of me, slowing down my progress towards the finish. Once the finish was ahead and in sight, I sprinted towards it crossing the line in 34:42. My last mile was in 7:07. Although it was a PR for me, I was expecting something faster but that was impossible on a course as challenging as this. Dad finished in 38:27 (two minutes slower than his 8K PR in February and comparable to his pace for a half marathon in FL), which was a sign that this course wasn't challenging just for me. Dad had just completed two consecutive 30-mile weeks on CT hills with me leading up to this race, so he was reasonably well prepared for this race. We hung out on the nearby town green for a little while, waiting for the awards. I was happy to learn that I took first place in my division and was awarded a not-so-impressive drawstring bag embroidered with the race logo for my efforts. Still, I ran a decent PR with little speed training geared towards the race. In the upcoming weeks (and for the rest of the summer) I'll keep piling on the miles, and will be looking for a long overdue 5K PR at the Not Your Typical 5K on July 15th in Middletown, CT. So long and keep up the summer running!

Run for the Pies 5K

2009-06-16T07:47:00.011-04:00

Alas, the Run for the Pies 5K has come. It is one of the South's most prestigious and fun races in the summer, featuring apple pies to all men who break 20 and women who break 24. If you can remember back to last year, I had a decent showing in this race, running a 22:01, but it was an effort not worthy of a pie. Run for the Pies is a benchmark for me, signifying the beginning of my summer running campaign, both in racing and training. This summer I will be gearing up for cross country season in the fall and I'm looking to amass a lot of mileage, which will hopefully lower my times as well. But I digress -- back to the race. What made this race unique was its 8:00 PM starting time, poising all running for PRs in favorable conditions. I arrived there with more than enough time to spare and began a long warm up with my teammate, Eric. Once our warm up was complete, we found a spot on the sidewalk and got ready to watch the elite race. My dad was sidelined yet again, due to a bout with viral bronchitis that he was recovering from that kept him bedridden for two weeks. From his spectator standpoint, he pointed out that the conditions were perfect, but I questioned the credibility of his declaration because there is never one waking moment in Florida where it is not humid. As we watched the elite race, Eric and I both got excited about the performances the top runners were throwing down, giving us hope that a PR was in store for both of us. Once the last few runners finished, the runners taking part in the open race assembled at the starting line. The temperature rose another 10 degrees while waiting at the starting line and I was anxious to just get the race over with. Once the cannon shot off, the crowd lurched and I dodged some weekend warriors, beginning my quest for a sub-20 finish. I hung around Eric for the first mile and tried not to get sucked into a fast first mile. But my speedy-start habit persisted and I clocked my first mile in 6:12. Alarmed by the pace, I subconsciously slowed down. I knew my 2nd mile was my weakness and hoped the negative splitting I had done in training would help me with a steady 2nd mile. Turns out my second mile split was a painstakingly slow 6:51. My chance at a pie was slowly slipping out of my grasp. I used the rest of my energy reserves to push through the last mile, but I could not dig out of the hole I was in. The finish was in view as I charged down the road, gasping for breath as I gained on the Run for the Pies banner. But about 30 meters from the finish, the digital clock read 20:00, and I knew that my chance at a pie had evaporated. I didn't make note of my finishing time, too dejected to care, but later learned that it was a 20:18 (which tied my PR from the Memorial Day 5K). I walked around like a chicken with its head cut off, in a confused haze due to oxygen debt. Finally, I met up with my parents and we made our way to the Jacksonville Landing, the site of the post-race party, where I consumed two pieces of pizza saturated with rain. I thought it was a waste of time waiting around, and I was essentially out of contention for an award so we left, capping off a crappy performance. But I looked to the future, thinking of the great weather and training that awaited me in Connecticut. As I finish up this entry, I am in Connecticut, getting in some great training. My easy run pace has plummeted while my endurance has skyrocketed, so I feel that I will able to achieve my goals in my two upcoming road races in CT. On another note, the weather here beats the oppressive heat and humidity in Florida, since it has been in the mid-60s and overcast for the majority of my stay so far. So long runners and keep training well!

P.S.- As most of you know, the summer means family vacations and this year we have decided to take a cruise of the Mediterranean Empires. Stay tuned to my travel blog, which will be updated weekly.

Memorial Day 5K

2009-05-25T18:59:00.021-04:00

I pulled myself out of bed at 6:15 AM, getting ready for the first 5K of the summer racing season- the Memorial Day 5K at Green Cove Springs. After overcoming my early morning grogginess, I prepared my racing outfit and racing flats along with other miscellaneous belongings into my draw string bag, ready to take on the day's goal. Once my long season on the track was over, I felt I could end the 5K drought with a solid performance at today's race. My goal: the elusive sub-20 5K barrier that I have been trying to break for half a year. I felt that a sub-20 today would set me up to get a pie at Run for the Pies, and set a PR in the process. On the other hand, Dad was dreading today's 5K, being exhausted and working on four hours of sleep from the night before from grading around the clock and only two days remained on his deadline. His goal included less of breaking barriers and more of just surviving the race. The remote destination for the race was a good 40 minute drive through the countryside, as we arrived at Spring Park at 7:10 AM, giving me ample time for a thorough warm-up. Turns out that the whole 1st Coast Track Club contingent was there, and I met up with Eric and Steven upon arrival. Their goals were similar to mine, maybe a few seconds here or there but nonetheless it was shaping up to be a good race between us. We warmed up for about a mile on part of the course then headed back to strip down to our racing gear. All of us adorned matching 1st Coast TC singlets as we lined up near the front of the starting line. After doing a couple strides to get the blood flowing, I felt I was ready and took position once the Star Spangled Banner was finished. The gun went off and the crowd around us jostled for position as I filed behind Steven and ran up near the front of the pack. The key to a faster race for me was a faster first mile, a tactic that I hadn't applied well in the recent months. Once the 90 degree turn back to the start was made, the first mile marker loomed in the distance. I crossed it in 6:12, making myself a prime candidate for a sub 20 5K. I kept trying to push as the course made another 90 degree turn, having us complete the previous loop. The oppressive humidity was getting to me and to make matters worse the sun started to come out for the first time in days, making my goal harder to achieve. The second mile was at a more pedestrian pace- 6:39. By now I was being picked off by some regulars- top masters woman here, age group winner there. I put in my best effort to make the last mile faster but failed to do so, my last mile being in 6:45. My tank was empty as I manged a 40 second sprint to the finish, coming under the banner in 20:18. Steven and Eric awaited me at the finish chute. They both had phenomenal performances, Steven running a 19:58 which was only three seconds away from his PR, and Eric who took a large chunk of time off his PR by running a 19:26. I told them I took eight seconds off of my PR on a certified course, which was the 20:26 from Matanzas. The next person to greet me was Mom, followed by- Dad?! Turns out the grading caught up to him on race day causing him to drop out at mile 2, giving him a reasonable 14:20 two-mile tempo run for a dirt cheap price of $18. Due to my recent birthday, I was now in the competitive 14-19 category therefore leaving the hardware for Eric and Steven to snatch up in the 11-13 division. After lingering around for about 20 minutes with Dad pouting and whining about how he had to get back to grading, we decided it was about time to go home, even though I wanted to stick around for the pancake breakfast. But I'll save the fanfare for my next race -- the prestigious Run for the Pies where I will continue my mission to break 20 and finally fulfill this goal. Over these next weeks I will be getting extensive training with new Coach Paul McRae, preparing me for an 8K (July 4) and 5K (July 15) in CT where I will try to break into the upper echelon of 5Kers by running a sub 19 5K. These upcoming dog days of summer are where the going gets tough but as long as you can train through it and be consistent, then you will be rewarded once the fall racing season rolls around. So long and keep running!

Florida Middle School State T & F Championships

2009-05-17T09:56:00.036-04:00

At 4 o' clock on Friday, May 15th, I embarked on my journey from Orange Park HS to Clermont, Florida where the Middle School State Track and Field Championships were to be contested. All my training since the beginning of March has gone to the cause of the State Championships where hopefully a PR in the 3K and 800 awaited me. The meet was scheduled to start at 9 AM on Saturday morning, but the team decided to get there the night before. Once Aaron, Eric, and Steven all arrived at the high school, and we all climbed into Coach May's van and headed down towards Clermont where we would meet up with the rest of the 1st Coast Track Club. During the 2.5 hour drive down, I envisioned my success for all of 10 minutes then got to watching "Invincible" with Steven and Eric. We arrived at the hotel at about 6:30 PM, checking into our rooms then promptly leaving and heading over to the track which was within close proximity of the the hotel. The track was just one of many training facilities at the National Training Center. After a couple minutes of driving around looking for the track, it turned out it was right under our noses the whole time situated in a large ditch. Despite its unusual location, the facility was well groomed and the track was one of the best I've ever set foot on. The four of us did a mile warm up while Coach May wrestled with the team tent, then hung out for a bit afterwards before going back to the hotel to change for dinner. We went to a nearby Carrabba's where we met up with another teammate, Carl. The restaurant was packed with many other teams whose athletes, like us, were carbo-loading before the big day ahead of us. Eric and I both ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo, not knowing it caused slow-digestion and made you sluggish. By 8:30 PM we were done with dinner and back at the hotel. After frolicking around for another hour and a half, Eric, Steven and I called it a night and zonked out at about 10:00 PM. I got a nice quiet and undisturbed nine hours of sleep before waking up at 7:00 AM and getting breakfast. I continued the tradition of having biscuits with gravy before a big competition and also downed a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. The whole team checked out of the hotel at 8:30 AM, and made our way back towards the ditch the track was situated in. I could tell the temperature was climbing as I emerged from the car and made may way over to the team tent. Once the field events were underway, the running events began. Steven, Eric, and I were checked in for the 3K by the time the 4x400m relay started. The track club's relay team, made up of Aaron, Jontue, Garrett, and Carl, had an excellent showing as they took 3rd in the 4x400m relay. Next event up was the girl's 3K, which we watched from the infield as the boys got ready to run. Capturing 3rd place for 1st Coast Track Club was Mary Ann, finishing the 3K in 10:55. Now the boy's 3K was ready to be contested as the field of the 24 best middle school distance runners in Florida stretched across the width of the track. This event was surely the one with the most depth, featuring what was possibly the strongest field in the Southeast. The sun beat down on us as we lined up on the crimson track, ready to run our hardest. The starter gave the commands and this herd of buffaloes took off at the sound of the gun. I made a smart move by cutting straight into the inside lane, wasting little energy unlike Steven and Eric who jostled for position ahead of me. I was filed towards the back only ahead of a couple people who made the smart move of not starting out too fast. Matt, a fellow teammate, was vying for a state championship and licking his chops for months at the thought of winning the 3K. He was leading the pack as I watched him from about 70 meters back in the chase pack. The first few laps ticked off effortlessly as I caught a couple more people, passing the 1st mile in 5:58. It seemed like it was getting hotter and hotter as the laps progressed and I knew that if I didn't pick it up I would fail to PR. With about 2 laps to go I caught Eric and Steven, who fell off the pace dramatically. Still, I could not manage to pick up the pace any more. I groaned for another lap and a half until kicking it into the finish. Eric came in about 12 seconds later, followed by Steven. I knew for a fact that I did not place top 8 (I placed 19th) and that I possibly didn't PR. Dejected, I dragged myself back to the tent where I was congratulated for my efforts. Matt won the race in a pressure cooker, but was still off his PR by 4 seconds. My Dad told me I ran a good race, considering the conditions which made everyone's time much slower than their seed time. I waited patiently for the results of the 3K to be posted and once they were put up, I ran over to the group of people huddling around them only to find out to my dismay that they were botched. It only included 17 athletes when 24 athletes competed int the event and, beside the top 3 runners, all of the times were botched between 10-20 seconds. I walked back to the tent and told my mom who immediately complained to the meet director, who reassured us that they would be corrected (not true). But, my competition in the meet was not over as I had one last event- the 4x800m relay which consisted of Ronald, Steven, Eric and I representing the 1st Coast Track Club 'B' team. However, the relay was the last event to be contested so in the meantime we cheered on our team to a possible top 3 finish in the team points. The next event for the track club was the 1500m, an event where Matt and Mary Ann were both slated to have at least a top 8 performance. Mary Ann won her heat, placing here 3rd overall. Matt, although fatigued from the recent 3K, still had an above average performance placing 7th overall. We quickly amassed more and more points as Jontue finished 4th place in the 400m and Kiari finished 4th in the 200. Aaron also had a stellar performance in the 800m, running a 2:08 to finish in 1st. By now the meet was winding down, leaving us with the last meet to be contested, the 4x800m relay. The 'B' team's goal was top 8 while the 'A' team, consisting of Jontue, Carl, Matt, and Aaron, was gunning to win the relay outright. My goal was to PR en route during the relay and hopefully put our team in striking ground of a top 8 finish. The 1st legs of each relay team were called to the starting line, while I waited in line as the 2nd leg. The gun shot off and our 1st leg, Ronald, got us into perfect position staying in a pack of about 5 runners who fought for places 3rd through 8th. Ronald was looking strong after a fast first lap and was in 7th for the remainder of the 2nd lap. Coming around the bend, he brought it home handing the baton to me. I took off in pursuit of 3 runners about 50 meters ahead of me. I hadn't made up any ground on the 1st lap, but I quickly switched into a higher gear for the 2nd lap and with 100 meters to go I made my move. I began to sprint passing two runners and gaining ground on a third. Once I passed the baton to Steven, we were in 8th place but soon it became 9th then 10th. I was sprawled in the sand pit, exhausted from a hard race. The 'A' team was in first with a comfortable gap, while Steven was getting passed by a couple people as he handed the baton to Eric, our anchor. It looked like the sore legs from the 3K were catching up on Eric as he ran an 80 second 1st lap, three seconds off his PR pace. By now we were out of contention but just to feel good I wanted Eric to out-kick a pursuer in a purple uniform, part of the team that edged us out at regionals. Turns out that history repeats itself and once again we were edged out by a second putting us in 10th place with a time of 10:29. The 'A' team performed to their expectations, winning the race with class. Once I was back at the tent packing my belongings, my Dad told me that my split for the 800 was a new PR of 2:36. This pleased me that I was awarded at least one PR for my efforts but what surprised me more was how fast Ronald went. He ran a 2:27 in his first 800m ever, putting him in the upper echelon of the state for 800m runners. Another piece of good news was that our team placed second overall at this state championship meet. Once packed up and ready to go, a couple teammates and I sprinted up a nearby hill overlooking the track. It was a good way to end a successful season and now I'm gearing up for some road races along with the Hershey State Track & Field Championships in late June. I'll be competing in the upcoming Memorial Day 5K, gunning for sub 20, then trying to better that time at the Run for the Pies. So long runners and see you at the races!

Hershey Track & Field District 2 Championships

2009-05-10T17:45:00.013-04:00

The week before my state meet, I found myself at the Hershey Track & Field District 2 Championships at Orange Park High School, the common training ground for 1st Coast Track Club (formerly Clay PAL). Yes, we are now 1st Coast Track Club after breaking away from Clay PAL and forming our own organization with a new namesake. This meet served as a tune up before the state meet, having us work the leg turnover and possibly set a few PRs in the process. The meet was nothing out of the ordinary so I'll save the painstaking details for next week. But here's the rundown. The mile was first and I was gunning for a PR after almost two months of not racing it. Since the meet was only for athletes under 14, it gave me hope that I could come home in the coveted top 2 spots and earn a bid to the Hershey Track & Field State Meet on June 27th. Once the mile race was set to begin, I knew that my most serious competition would be my fellow teammates. At the firing of the gun, Steven bolted to the front and brought me through the first lap in 1:17. I quickly settled into my pace, climbing the ranks as the laps progressed. Going into the bell lap, Eric was leading, I was in 2nd, and Steven and Billy were right behind me. Eric brought it home in 5:31, taking 1st place. I came in six seconds behind him in 5:37, grabbing the number two spot. Steven was five seconds behind me, and it was PRs for the three of us. Once we caught our breath, we continued to bake in the 93-degree sun, waiting for our next event, the 800. Once we were divided into heats, we asked our competition what they were planning to run. It seemed like a walk in the park until we found out that one runner, Rubyn, was a sub-2:20 runner, leaving the rest of the field to fight for the second spot. Once the race was underway, Steven was shot out of a cannon, and assumed the second spot. It stayed that way the whole race as Eric and I surged and switched in and out of third place. Eric and I ultimately finished one second behind Steven in 2:41. The three of us received ribbons and t-shirts for our qualifying finishes, capping off a sucessfull day. Be sure to check back next week as I race in the middle school state meet and 1st Coast Track Club tries to take home the team title! So long and keep running strong!

North Region Middle School Track Meet

2009-04-19T07:29:00.018-04:00

The weekend of April 18th brought me to Starke. FL, a.k.a. the middle of nowhere. No, it was not for your typical road race but rather for the regional track meet where a slew of runners, throwers, and jumpers will take their shot at qualifying for the Middle School State Meet on May 16th (hey, that's my birthday) in Clermont, Florida. The qualifying standards are either top 4 overall or if you hit a difficult automatic qualifying time. I had already assessed that my best shot at qualifying would be in the 3K, after months of specified training with my coach and teammates from Clay PAL. After a long drive we arrived in podunk Starke, quickly finding their only and somewhat rundown high school where the meet would take place. My dad dropped me off, going to buy some coffee to curtail his grogginess. I found the Clay PAL tent at the end of the stands and waited around while more of my teammates showed up. We brought a lot of talent to the event and with only 13 athletes in our ranks, we had our sights on winning the whole meet. The first events to be contested were the field events and then the running events were underway 30 minutes later. First up was the 4X400m relay where my team won handily. After a long warm up with fellow teammates Steven and Eric, it was time to get ready for my 3K race. I had the usual race garb on but instead of wearing a singlet I donned a Clay PAL sleeveless shirt, one of two remaining shirts from our coach's collection that Eric and I pounced on. The three of us made it to the inner field and watched the girls 3000m. The turnout for the 3K was small- only 7 kids showed up, 4 of whom belonged to Clay PAL (including me). Our chances of sweeping the top 4 spots were looking highly probable. Once the girls were finished, an official lined us up on the opposite end of the track. Once the starting pistol fired, all the runners fought for position for the first 100 meters. Matt, a very fast teammate of mine who was looking to break his PR of 9:43, assumed the position of 1st with Steven at his back while Eric and I close in on a couple of other runners. After about 2 laps the positions played out. Matt, of course, was in 1st while Steven, Eric and I formed a pack holding off a possible competitor. We all cruised through the 1st mile in 5:58. I was leading the charge and was in 2nd place up to this point, until Eric came up to the front with me. We shared the lead for another 100 meters, then I filed behind him with Steven a couple meters back. Each lap hurt more as I struggled to keep up with Eric. With only a lap to go in the 7.5 lap race, Eric picked up the pace as I made every last effort to go with him. Then in the last 200 meters Eric opened up a big gap with a quick kick, finishing in 11:18. I came in at 11:26 while Steven finished four seconds behind me. Matt was already back under the tent since he won the race in 9:43 and lapping the whole field in the process. But, it was a Clay PAL sweep with all of us running PRs. Once we got back to the tent we were swamped with congratualtions, but for all of us, the meet had only begun. After the 100m dash and 100m hurdles, the 1500m would be next, giving us another chance at qualifying for the state meet. The time passed by quickly and before we knew it, the four of us were toeing the line, along with another teammate, Billy Walker, who decided to run the 1500m and the 4x800m relay later. There were over 30 kids running the 1500m, which made for a congested start once the gun fired. Throughout the first lap Eric and I were trapped behind kids who started out too fast. We slowly picked off one by one and then caught up to Steven but the soreness in our legs prevented us from getting a better time. Matt got 2nd, losing by a hair while Billy came in 7th, Eric kicking in 8th, then me and Steven following in 9th and 10th, respectively. My legs were toast but I knew that only one event loomed ahead: the 4X800m relay. After exiting the track I made it back to the team tent and let my legs take a breather. I discussed some strategy with the rest of the 4X800m team: Billy, Steven, and Eric. Being the 'B' team, we knew that we would have to work for top 4. We developed the order in which we would go. Billy was first, Steven second, I was third, and we let Eric take it home with his blistering kick. For a while we practiced hand offs on the infield while the crowd diminished. Finally, it was time for the relay. The good news was that there were only four teams, meaning that we could walk, jog, or roll and still qualify for states. After racing directions were given out, the relay was soon underway. Coming around the first lap, Billy was in 4th and kept that position for the remainder of his segment. He passed the baton off to Steven who made up the lost ground, putting us in 3rd once the baton was handed off to me. I began pursuit of the nearest competitor, about 30 meters ahead of me. I gained more ground on him, then with 200m remaining I broke into a sprint and made his lead a mere 10 meters once handing the baton to Eric. Eric began a fast pace, trying to chase down the runner ahead of him. With about 200m to go, Eric unleashed his kick and passed the runner in front of him to assume 2nd place with about 100m to go. But it was a sprint to the finish and in the end we lost. En route to the relay finish, Eric ran a new PR of 2:38 to cap off a successful day. After the relay, the rest of the team awaited the team scores for the guys. It turns out that we won the meet and for our efforts we received a small half-foot trophy. The team now started to pack our bags, looking ahead to the state championship on May 16th where we have an outside chance of winning the meet. But this is only possible if everyone runs to their full potential. I have my eyes on top 8 in the 3K, which will score some much needed points for team Clay PAL. These next couple weeks are crunch time as we gear up for the MS Meet so no road races for a little while. So long runners and keep training!

Fleming Island 5K

2009-04-12T19:54:00.017-04:00

It was an early Saturday morning, the unbearable humidity leaking through the house. The Fleming Island 5K is only an hour away, and I try to plan my attempt to break 20 in my head. I have put in the proper training and have the ability to break the 20 minute barrier, but it will only be possible if the outside factors (i.e. the weather) cooperate on race day. My Dad and I left the house a bit earlier than usual since the race was scheduled to start 30 minutes earlier than the usual 8:00 AM start. The extra 30 minutes probably benefited Dad more than me since he claims that "he is more affected by the humidity because of his bigger body mass." At 7 A.M., we arrived at Fleming Island High School, which is where the race would finish. Since the race featured a point to point course, we took about a half mile warm up jog to the start. More runners started to assemble at the start line, which was on a skinny one way strip of road. I started sweating after just waiting around for a little while and I could tell that the humidity was getting close to 100%, with a large cloud cover over head. After the national anthem, everyone flocked to the start. I got good position and got a good start once the cannon fired. After making a couple turns, the pack slowed as we took on a couple of hills. Once the one mile mark came up on the horizon, I made my move to catch up to a couple of kids who were ahead of me. I passed one mile in 6:30, a little bit slow. The humidity already started to take it's toll on me as my breathing started to become labored. I still managed to pass a few people, but I could tell that my pace was falling off. Mile 2 hurt more and my pace slowed to 6:40 for that mile. I kept wishing for the race to be over, knowing that a PR was not an option today. The course meandered for a little while as I kept waiting for the high school to loom ahead in the distance. Once I saw it, I knew I was almost there and tried to make an effort to finish strong. The race finished with a lap around the track, but I was in too much agony to enjoy this neat feature. As I rounded the final bend on the track, second after second ticked away on the clock above the finish line. A couple people passed me as I essentially jogged through the finish in a time of 20:44, almost 30 seconds away from my PR. I was bent over for about half a minute, then exited the finish chute with a look of disappointment written on my face. I was soaked thoroughly with sweat and waited until my Dad crossed the line. He was a full minute away from his PR as he crossed the timing mats in a personal worst for this year- 22:22. It made my performance seem decent by comparion, but Dad quickly shot down that theory, again stressing that he is more affected by humidity than I am. We met up with my mom, who was dragged out to see both of us (well, mostly Dad) under-perform in this race. I grabbed a couple of bananas and waters to drown my sorrows as I waited for the results to be posted. Once I saw a big pack of sweaty runners, I headed over there and slinked my way around to check out the results. I was 2nd in my age group, losing by 20 seconds to my teammate, Eric. I saw that Dad placed 5th in his age group, something that was best not to be seen by him anyway. Fortunately, by that time, my dad had already left with his tail between his legs for his group training session (he has enrolled in a 5K training program with Coach Paul McRae in an effort to break 20:00 and beat me at Run for the Pies 5K in June). After checking the results, I waited around for the awards ceremony so I could claim my hardware. By 8:45 AM, it was finally underway. They started with the fun run winners, who got movie tickets for their efforts, then went on to the overall winners. They failed to get beyond that, announcing that they didn't have any age group awards. The crowd around the awards table quickly broke apart, everyone heading to their respective cars in the parking lot. My head was hung over for the rest of the day but I have a chance to redeem myself next weekend at the North Region Middle School Track Meet, where I attempt to qualify for states in the 3K and possibly another event. So long and check back soon!

St. Patty's Day 10K & 5K

2009-03-22T14:23:00.017-04:00

My hamstrings were as tight as a rubberband, my quads pounded into ground beef, and my calves ripped like shredded paper. My toughest week of running was almost complete -- I just had to survive the St. Patty's 10K. My tough 40-mile week started with a speed session on Monday, a tempo on Tuesday, and a track meet the next day. I had a breakthrough day at the track meet, running 5:39 in the mile (placing second) and running an 800 in 2:38 about 15 minutes later. Thursday was an easy day, then I had the Bob Hayes Invitational Track Meet in Jacksonville the following day where I ran one second slower in both events due to a stiff wind that slowed most distance runners' times by 3-5 seconds. Yesterday I ran an easy 4 miles with Dad, which then brings us to 6:15 AM today, getting myself ready for the 10K. My goal was to PR of course but I knew my performance would be affected by the killer week I had just endured. Dad, like me, was also aiming for a 2009 PR to creep closer to his 2008 PR set at Run for the Pies last June. Dad, my grandpa, and I were out the door at 6:45 AM, my grandpa being the designated photographer for the day. We left the house with no GPS in hand, or directions for that matter, only relying on my memory from last year when we got lost in a "less inviting" area of the city. Everything was smooth sailing until Dad took the wrong turn, making us drive a sequence of turns to get back onto Main Street. After Dad's short tirade, we made it to Evergreen Cemetery, site of today's race and October's Pumpkin Run as well. We quickly proceeded to do a brisk warm up, shivering in the unseasonably brisk weather. Once back at the car, I took off my warm ups and put on my signature white gloves, preventing my hands from turning into two blocks of ice. Dad and I headed over to the start, trying not to get stuck behind a pack of weekend warriors like last year. We secured a good starting position, only about 5 feet from the timing mats. The gun soon went off and I followed Dad's burly body as we went through the first mile in 6:42. My goal was to hang with Dad until he went onto to finish the 5K and I continued on another loop through the cemetery. Mile 2 was a little slower, as I expected, our split being 6:57. In an attempt to keep up my pace, I pulled ahead of Dad as the third mile progressed. The 5Kers eventually took a right turn while the rest of the 10Kers took a left and ran over than same course again. The second half of the race was much more gruelling, the feeling of the races from the past week noticable on my sore hamstrings. The slight hills were much more prominent on the second loop, a sign that my hill running remains a weakness in my training regimen. My pace slowed into the mid-7:00s for mile 4 and 5, and I made my best attempt to hold that pace for the last mile, trying to pick off a few people. I began my kick at mile 6 and raced towards the finish in a PR of 43:30. I saw a couple kids around my age finish in after me, but I was almost sure they were not in my age group. It was only 15 minutes until the 5K awards were presented, where Dad gladly accepted his 1st place plaque for his 45-49 age group. He ran a 21:25, 20 seconds faster than his time at the Nocatee 5K just two weeks ago where he had earned a third place award in his age group. Dad has claimed hardware in four of his six races this year, whereas I am 6-for-6 (just wanted to clarify who is the new chairman of the running department in the Abate family). I, too, placed first my age group today , tacking on another 100 points to my Grand Prix standing. It was a good way to top off an exciting albeit exhausting week of running. I go into this week with high aspirations to get a good week of training in, and possibly lower my PR in the mile in a track meet on Tuesday. Currently, Dad and I are possibly looking at doing the Fleming Island 5K on April 11th, a race where I am almost certain to set a PR. So long and keep running hard!

Gate River Run 15K

2009-03-15T07:48:00.024-04:00

March 14th, 2009, the day of the nation's largest 15K (13,000 finishers this year) and the National 15K Championships -- the Gate River Run. The race features a large number of elite runners from throughout the U.S. who are attracted to the race's large prize purse and challenging course. The race also boasts a very tough 13 & under age group and it was my goal to at least place top 5 and receive a plaque for my efforts. Race morning started with the usual, except I had to wake up an hour earlier since the race required everyone to be there at 7:45 AM due to traffic. So Dad and I were on the roads at 6:15 AM, the traffic slowly building up the closer we got to downtown Jacksonville. Luckily, we only had to endure about 15 minutes of stop-n-go before we quickly snatched a parking spot located near the start. After doing a couple stretches, we ventured out on a 1 mile warm-up, returning to the car after about 10 minutes. I stripped my outer layers off, revealing my green Nike singlet and shorts. I carefully slipped my shades on then headed to the start. We entered the roped off section for the seeded runners, and waited around for a little while. We had about 20 minutes until the 8:30 AM start, so I continued stretching while watching the seeded area slowly fill up and recognizing many familiar faces from the Jacksonville running scene. With less than a minute to the start, everyone moved up then took off once the cannon fired. I took note of the 30 some seconds it took me to get to the start, then filed right next to Dad for the first mile. I approached mile 1 at a good clip, passing it in the mid 7:20s, my desired pace that I planned to hold for the duration of the race. After taking a few turns we headed up the Main Street Bridge, the first and smaller of the two bridges that the course offers. By now I could hear Dad's labored breathing and heavy footfalls, about 10 meters behind me. Going up the bridge my teammate, Steven, came up to my side and greeted me, then took off with a "Beep Beep." I passed mile 2 in reasonable time, my split being in the low 7:20s. Over the next mile I passed some familiar faces, trying to stick with them only to realize they were going too slow. The course was now winding through the neighborhoods of San Marco, taking us to the 5K mark, which I passed in 23:02. Just before the 5K mark, I declined a homemade waffle from a friendly sidewalk supporter (what's up with that?) I was comfortably hitting my goal pace for the next 3 miles, holding 7:25s consistently. Many spectators lined the course during the second 5K, many reading my personalized bib number and yelling "Go Alek!" Miles 4 through 6 were a painless blur, and I passed 10K in 46:09, keeping an almost identical pace from the first 5K. The rest of mile 6 featured some rolling hills that slowed my pace to the mid-7:30s. At the beginning of mile 7, the course ventured onto a major road as we began the death march towards the Hart Bridge. About half way through mile 7, we ran up the ramp and began the half mile incline up the Hart Bridge (a.k.a. the Green Monster). My stride dimished to a shuffle as I pumped my arms going up the bridge with "Eye of the Tiger" and "Gonna Fly Now" blasting through speakers during the ascent. But once I reached the apex, I turned on the after burners and flailed on the downhill, passing a couple runners here and there. Once we hit the ramp, there was only a third of a mile left as I continued to surge, racing to break 1:10. I finally had the finish in sight and I watched second after second tick off the clock. I crossed the line in 1:10:28, quickly being filed out of the finish chute. As I exited I was handed the coveted top 10% cap, along with a medal and towel. It took about 3 minutes until I was able to meet up with Dad then another 10 minutes until my mom found us both. By my guess, I was almost sure that I broke 70 minutes and also cracked top 5 in my highly competitive age group. We got some refreshments at the post race party and marveled as the top 10 men and women recieved their awards. Once all was said and done, we made our way back to the car, finishing a sucessful day for both of us. A few days later when the results were posted, my guesses were confirmed -- I finished 4th in my age group and ran a 1:09:56 chip time, giving me an overall place of 859th (top 7%). My plaque is in the mail. Dad finished with a chip time of 1:12:47 (top 9%). He was exceptionally bitter for not receiving a top 10% cap for his efforts (he still doesn't understand why and has been coveting my cap ever since). I realize that now is my time to excel in the shorter distances, since I just recently ran a 5:39 mile at a major middle school track meet in Jacksonville. March and April is the heart of track season, a time where I undergo regimented training for my ultimate goal of running in the Middle School State T & F Championships. Sprinkle in a few 5Ks along the way and you've got yourself a season bound for success. So long runners and feel free to comment!

Daily's Ortega River Run 5 Miler

2009-03-01T20:08:00.013-05:00

Saturday was the morning of one of Jacksonville's largest running events -- the Daily's Ortega River Run 5 Miler. The race boasts a field of over 1500 runners and one of the toughest age group fields to boot This year I journeyed to the race so I could redeem myself from my heartbreaking 5th place finish last year. To give you a little background information, last year I shuffled home in 38:46, getting outkicked by one second for 3rd place (and then I got bumped down another spot because another runner in my age group had a faster chip time than me). So my motto for the day was: "Give me plaque or give me death!" I enjoyed an extra 30 minutes of shut eye since the race was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM. Dad and I headed out the door at 7:00 AM, begining our 45 minute drive to the secluded and picturesque Ortega Village. My aunt, grandma, and younger cousin are in town for the next few months so they joined my mom and sister, driving to the race 30 minutes later than we did. Upon arriving at the crowded side streets of Ortega Village, Dad and I headed to the day school to pick up our packets, then headed back to the car. I warmed up for 10 minutes on the nearby hills, also observing that the conditions this year were quite similiar to last year -- high 60s and humid. After returning to the car from my brief warm up, I stripped off the outer layers and put on my flats. I wore my green singlet with matching green-striped shorts and sported the shades I recently bought at 1st Place Sports. Dad and I headed to the start line and I met up with my teammate, Steven, while Dad lined up about 10 yards behind us. The elites quickly filed in and the race was soon under way. At the fire of the gun shot I took off in a quick start, not far behind the elites. About a tenth into the race was the first turn, which then took us over the metal-grated draw bridge. The incline was little to none, and I held the same clip for the 1st mile, passing the one mile marker in 6:30. After seeing my time, I quickly adjusted my pace to 7:00 minutes per mile. The course took us onto a main road were I passed two miles in 13:30. We winded through a few neighborhoods and with my trusty Garmin in hand I looked to see that I had passed halfway in 16:50, a little too fast but a good split nonetheless. My optimistic mood soured once I was faced with bridge number two, a much steeper and longer incline. I shuffled up the bridge, trying to catch up to people who were walking. At the crest of the bridge, I passed the 3 mile mark in 20:49, an indicator that my pace had suffered once I encountered the bridge. But using the bridge to my advantage, I picked up my legs and powered down the hill. Once off the bridge, the course ventured onto the rolling hills of McGirts Road. There was an ebb and flow of runners going up and down the hills, some racers passing me on the uphills but slowing down on the downhills. We received some support from local families but it wasn't enough to take my mind off the pain. I passed mile 4 in 27:58, my sub-35:00 goal quickly escaping my grasp. The hills sucked all the life and energy out of me in the last mile (but these hills "pale in comparison" to the hills in Connecticut, Dad declared proudly as he fondly recalled his glory days in high school cross country). I used my last ounce of energy and rounded the last turn of the race, with a quarter mile straight-away ahead of me. The seconds kept ticking off and I raced towards the finish, crossing the line in 34:57, a time slower that what I had hoped for, but a new PR and almost four minutes faster than last year's time on this course. After exiting the finish chute, I saw at least five kids in my age group roll in after me, no less than a minute behind me. Dad wasn't far behind, either, crossing the finish line in a PR of 36:41, 30 seconds faster than his time on this course last year. Once Dad found me, we regrouped with our designated "cheering section," where I received the same criticism that I receive from my supportive sister, Tania, after every race: "You looked like you're going on a Sunday morning stroll." (translation: "You're not working hard enough -- you should be doubled over, cursing, and foaming at the mouth at the finish line like Dad.") But I let my award do the talking, coming in 2nd place in the most competitive age group field this event has seen in years. Dad didn't even break the top 10 in the highly competitive 45-49 age group, even with his spiffy new PR. We all splurged on the free chips and ice cream that they were giving out at the festival, washed down with my quota of chocolate milks for the morning (3) and Powerade. Got Tums? All in all, it was a respectable outing, but there is nothing wrong with having room for improvement. I'm off for this weekend, having a time trial in Orange Park, while Dad will be chasing yet another PR and possible hardware at the Nocatee 5K right in our backyard in Ponte Vedra. The week after that is the USA 15K Championships: The Gate River Run. I hope to score a top 3 award in my suprisingly competitive age group, while maybe teaching Dad a lesson or two in pacing and tackling the Green Monster (the dreaded Hart Bridge at mile 8). It's shaping up to be a good few weeks of training ahead of me while I gear up for track season! So long and keep racing well!

Pirates On The Run 10K & 5K

2009-02-24T19:09:00.016-05:00

On Saturday, February 21st, I was dragged out of bed at 6:15 AM by my groggy dad, in preparation for the Pirates on the Run 10K & 5K. The three of us were out the door at 6:45 AM and were greeted by unusually chilly weather. After scraping a thick coating of frost from the car windows (this is Florida, right?), we began the hour-long trek to Fernandina Beach. My goal for the race was to shatter my outdated 10K PR of 46:49 by at least 3 minutes. My dad, on the other hand, would just be trying to break 22 in the 5K, after a week of low mileage and moderate pain in his knee. Both of our courses would venture for a mile through the streets of Fernandina, then head on to the Egans Creek Greenway. The 5K would only have to run on about a mile of greenway, while the 10K had 4 miles of "mudfest" to cover before hitting the asphalt again. We arrived at St. Peter's Church, where packet pickup took place, at about 7:50 AM, 40 minutes before the race start. After parking the car on a crowded side street a few blocks away from the church, Dad and I jogged to a packed mess hall nestled behind the church. Packet pickup was quick and easy and I proceeded to do my warm up. Dad objected, opting to stay in the cozy, heated mess hall. I quickly got away from all the commotion and did a light jog for about 10 minutes. I returned back to the church 10 minutes before the start. While my dad rubbed some Tiger Balm (a product he bought while we were in Thailand, with its sweet-smelling, clove oil answer to Bengay) on his legs, I stripped off my outer layers and scurried to the bathroom. Dad and I headed down to the start, lining ourselves up behind two old men yelling at each other in raspy voices. It was too late when I noticed the lack of a starting mat for our chips. The race director read through the usual instructions, then gave us starting commands. The cannon fired after he said "go" causing most of the field to lurch, double-take, then take off again. I bobbed and weaved then found a couple men to pace off of. The first mile was in 6:48, with Dad just ahead of me looking strong at 6:42. My speed was immediately reduced when the course took us to the Greenway, causing us to cross a dirt path, and traverse a bridge before reaching the actual greenway. Tire tracks ran on both sides of the path, with a myriad of potholes to side step. The path was still slightly damp from previous showers but my answer to this was wearing my cross country spikes without the spikes which made them flats. The 5Kers had little of the mudway to endure, turning around at mile 1 1/2. Dad wasn't far ahead of me, a good indicator that I was on pace. I passed the two mile mark in around 13:55, indicating a slower mile after arriving on the greenway. The scenery was OK, but rather boring at times. The only other sign of life beside the labored breathing of my fellow runners was the occasional walker out for a morning stroll. The third mile was very monotonous, and I passed the 5K turnaround point in 21:40. I picked up the pace over the course of the next mile, knowing that his was the stage in the race where I would need to push the hardest. I passed a high schooler who started out too fast, and a man who seemed like he was experiencing heart palpatations. I passed 4 miles in 28:00, keeping up 7 minutes over the next mile, passing the 5th mile in 35:00. Promptly after mile 5, the greenway spat us out onto the road, where a couple of Pirates greeted me with their "Arghhs!" Over the course of the last mile, I had a sea of walkers to weave through slowing my time down substantially. The course took a final turn into Central Park, where the finish line was nestled behind a baseball dugout. I had about a 4 foot alley to run in leading up to the finish line, with many spectators storming the course. I finished the race in 43:49, exactly 3 minutes faster than my previous PR for this distance. Upon finishing I was handed some water and Mardi Gras beads, only to have the beads stripped off my neck by Mom who would save them for my younger cousin. I was pleased with my peformance but disappointed with my dad's, my 10K race being run at a faster pace than his 5K, which he finished in 22:05. His only goal was hardware, so if he marches to his own drum, that's fine with me. "Mr. Excuse Factory" claimed that the mudway had taken too much out of his legs in mile 2, so that when he tried to bring it home hard in mile 3, there was nothing left. Dad still managed to place 18th out of 280 runners, but was very disappointed with his time yet again. I easily had first place in my 11-13 division locked up, beating the closest competition by almost 10 minutes. After stopping by a local bakery to pick up some bland sourdough bread, we headed back over to the church where all the runners were greeted with a tasty (and free) pancake breakfast. Dad and I drooled over our pancakes and sausage links and quickly found a table where I slathered my pancakes with butter and syrup. Two full stomachs later, it was awards time. The 5K awards were distributed first, and Dad claimed his second place award in his age group for his lackluster performance (his third consecutive piece of hardware since December), then came the 10K. I received my award like a pro, strutting back down to where we were seated, posing for the camera. It was a good day for running and a good inidicator of how I'll do next weekend at the Ortega 5-Miler, and it gives me hope that my goal to crack the top 10% at Gate is within my grasp. So long and keep running!

Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track Meet

2009-02-09T19:48:00.008-05:00

I will seldom write about track meets but the one I most recently partook in was different. First, it was an indoor meet, and my first one ever. Second, it was my first time to be able to swim with "bigger fish," being able to run with Florida's fastest runners in the 3K and mile distances. Of course I wasn't in contention to win either race (or any heat for that matter) but it was a good learning experience. Hopefully next year I will be able to climb my way up the ladder some more and improve on my time from this year. But let's start off. The meet was, like the title suggests, the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track Meet. It is the only major indoor meet in Florida and attracted over 700 HS athletes in its second year running (pun unintended). I began my trek on February 7th bright n' early to the Stephen O' Connell Center at U of F. With my trusty Garmin in hand, my mom and I navigated the back country roads leading us to Gainesville. Once we arrived at the O'Connell Center it was about 8:00 AM, the meet 30 minutes underway. We entered the stadium and met up with my coach in the bleachers. I already had everything ready so I just watched the meet for about an hour, waiting for my event to start. Like most indoor tracks, this one was 200M per lap, 8 laps to a mile. After watching most of the 200M heats, it was time for me to go down the track and check in. The check in process was pretty quick, so after that I just waited around until the 3000M was called to get ready. In a matter of minutes we were asked to report to the entrance to the track, shortly after crossing the track into the warm up area. More runners started turning up while the rest of us lounged around for what seemed like a long time. Once the girls' 3000M started, the officials counted off all the guys into two heats. I was in the first heat and given a giant 8 sticker to put on my left shoulder. The first heat was the slower of the two but nonetheless, very competitive. Once the girls were done, they separated us into five lanes, three in each lane. The gun was shot and we all took off, each one of us in our respective lane until about 100M into the race. I got a decent start, but was in dead last for the first lap. By the second lap I caught up to a kid of my age and ability. I hung at his sholder for a little while, failing to eventually pass him. Over the course of about 8 laps we picked off about 3 runners but we also got lapped multiple times. I tried to keep count of the laps and looked at my watch to see the time, 6:03, that we passed one mile in. I was on pace to beat my goal, 11:50. But for the last 7 laps, I failed to keep track of the number of laps I ran since I was lapped multiple times. I finished at what I thought was 3K, in a time of 10:52. Many of the people I lapped ended up finishing ahead of me. After catching my breath and downing a couple cups of water, I quickly exited the track and headed up stairs to the stadium seats. I found my coach who quickly confirmed that I was indeed one lap short, meaning that my 10:52 would convert to an 11:37 if I had run the whole thing. There were about 3 events in between the 3K and the mile, so I went back to my seat and continued to watch the meet. After watching about 30 heats, it was time for me to go down to the track and check in. Now that I had already run one event, I felt more optimistic about my stradegy and how to handle the 200M track. More runners started to appear in the holding area for the mile and I began a series of stretches to ensure that I would be able to have a faster start. A couple heats later most of the milers exited the holding area like a pack of wolves and headed over to the inside of the track, where we were separated into heats. I expected to hear my name called for the first, slower heat of the mile. My friend and teammate, Matt, was called for the first heat despite the fact that he has a 4:50 mile PR, at least a minute faster than most of the "tots" he was racing in the first heat. Finally my name was called for second heat. I found myself amongst a bunch of high schoolers with only one person of my age. I talked to my fellow competitor, Marlon, a little before the race, hoping maybe he could be someone to chase and make me feel less guilty about finishing last. He told me he had a 5:28 PR, so much for being a competitor. But he reassured me that it was a long time ago. Once last place in the first heat plodded home in 7:20, the second heat stormed the track and we aligned ourselves on the waterfall. The starter raised his gun and the crowd was silent, until it was fired releasing a sea of cheers. I quickly collapsed my position to the inside lane and resumed the role of 'caboose', trailing about 20 feet from the lead pack. In about a lap though I caught up to Marlon and rode at his shoulder for a little while, hopefully saving some energy for a final kick. We cruised past a few kids who looked like they should be in the 200M, not the mile. With a lap to go Marlon started to pick up the pace and I hung on, waiting for the final 100M. Once we went around the final bend he acclerated using his quick turnover, and I was close behind finishing in 5:54, a mere half second behind Marlon. After the race I congratulated him and we both agreed that it was time to go home, eat, and take a nap. Once I made my way up to the bleachers, I gathered my stuff and prepared to leave. Upon exiting, I thought about my performances and concluded that it was a successful day, and a good way to start off my track season. My next race on the calendar is the Pirates On The Run 10K in Amelia Island. I'm looking for around a 43:00, which would shatter my previous PR by more than 3 minutes and beat my dad's PR by a minute. So long and keep running!

Matanzas 5K

2009-01-25T15:28:00.011-05:00

January 24, 2009, the day I sought to break my 5K PR on the acclaimed "fastest 5K course in the South" at the Matanzas 5K. Unlike last year, this year I was running fewer races with more training, almost guaranteeing a PR at every event I run in. My last 5K was the disappointment at Gator Bowl, where I was plagued by the wind and the unseasonable weather, causing me to finish in 20:51. Now I was at Matanzas, hoping to improve on my previous time and maybe snag some hardware in the ultra-competitive 11-14 age group. The race is a fast course through the heart of St. Augustine. Since the race has a later 9:00 AM start, I managed a good 9.5 hours of sleep even though I woke up slightly groggy and was retaining my stuffed up nose from the previous day. We were out the door by 7:20 AM at my command and arrived at the race too early, like always, with a good hour to spare. I wandered around, slightly comatose, for a little bit and eyed the awards. First place received a big Matanzas 5K glass mug with Matanzas 5K coffee, while 2nd and 3rd received slightly smaller mugs, and 3rd through 6th received even smaller-sized mugs. It looked like a parade of Russian nesting dolls. Next to me, my dad was eying his small "Masters Super Clydesdale" award, a group for men over 40 years old and over 225 lbs. This division usually has a slow contingent of about 30 or so runners, none of whom has broken 23 minutes for a 5k in the past several years at this race, which makes sense because most men that old and that big have trouble walking to the fridge. My dad looked to finish first in this division, giving him some road race hardware for the second consecutive month. About 20 minutes later, I met up with my coach and teammates, and we began our warm up shortly thereafter. When it came to be about 5 minutes until the start of the race, I stripped my outer layers and positioned myself in the massive field of about 1300 runners. I positioned myself farther back deliberately to help prevent me from going out too fast in the first mile. Unfortunately, the start was divided by an island in the middle, making for a very congested and slow start. Once the gun went off it took me a good 10 seconds to reach the timing mats and I could tell that lots of weekend warriors had positioned themselves too far toward the front of the field. Dad and I wasted a hefty amount of energy bobbing and weaving through the slow crowd, but once I got into the open I felt fine. The course brought us along A1A, passing the St. Augustine waterfront and Bridge of Lions. The first mile popped up along the horizon quickly and I passed it in around 6:40 gun time. By then I was widening my lead on my dad as the course veered to the right and gave us a tour of the neighborhoods of St. Augustine. By now I felt the onset of fatigue and struggled to keep up the pace. The course passed by Flagler College and soon the second mile came, which I passed in about 13:10. I started suffering in the 3rd mile and just wished for the race to be over, ending every second of agony. Finally, the finish came into my line of view and I sprinted towards it, crossing the line in 20:36. I quickly exited the finish chute and waited for my dad to cross the line, which he plodded through in a disappointing 21:52, 30 seconds away from his PR last June. Following suit, he left the finish chute as quickly as he could and headed to the parking garage, disregarding my "hellos." Dad emerged about a minute later, angry with himself for his performance. We escaped to the food tent and then to the gym where awards and raffles would be presented. I was sort of pleased with my performance, reminding myself that this was my fastest 5K on a USATF certified course. After about 40 minutes of analyzing my race, I got to check the results. In my very competitive 11-14 age group, the top 3 places were taken up by 14 year olds (high school runners). Fourth place was a 13 year old, fifth was my teammate Steven, and then I placed 6th, coming home with a small glass mug reading "Age Place" on the front. My dad's award came at the end of the ceremony and he received the "Masters Super Clydesdale" award (another small glass mug) with a pout on his face. So it proved to be an OK day for me and a bad day for Dad, but the fact that we both received awards for our efforts brought back the feeling of good ol' hardware. Now that I am entering a jam-packed race season, I'm trying to choose races that matter. It starts with my first indoor track meet in Gainesville next weekend, where I will compete in the 3000 and mile, gunning for a PR in both. My next race after that won't be until February 21st, when I will be doing the Pirates on the Run 10K in Fernandina Beach, and then the Ortega River Run 5 Miler the following weekend. It's that time when I pick up my training for the important racing events before the weather starts warming up, bringing us the inevitable hot and humid Florida spring and summer. So long and keep (thinking of) PRing!

VyStar Gator Bowl 5K

2009-01-03T11:25:00.010-05:00

December 31st was the day I sought to fufill my New Year's Resolution from a year ago: to break 20 minutes in a 5K (I'm pretty predictable, eh?). But let's rewind back a year. I'm at the Gator Bowl 5K in Jacksonville, competing in my 2nd ever road 5K. I had a feeble build and with it I finished the 5K in 22:52, a blazing fast performance to me at the time and my 5K PR at the time. Later that night, I toasted to the New Year and made it my goal to break 20 in a 5K before '09 came. Fast forward a year and I'm here again at the Gator Bowl 5K looking to make my resolution true. Since my PR at the Reindeer Run 5K, my training wasn't going so well. About a week after the race I came down with a severe cold that halted my training by half a week and made me suffer through the short runs I managed to squeeze in. Unfortunately I had little time to get back into the swing of things because of the trip to Charleston (you can read a report on that trip on my travel blog). But more or less, I was ready for the Gator Bowl 5K, whether or not a PR was within my grasp. Since the race would start in the afternoon at 1:30 PM, I had plenty of time to gear myself up for the race. We arrived 45 minutes before the start of the race, a good hunk of time to spare. And the second I got out of the car, I entered the furnace that is Jacksonville. A couple more paces later I noticed another prominent force mother Nature brought to the table on this hot winter afternoon, that being the wind. The combination of wind and heat made downtown Jacksonville feel more like a convection oven to me. After about 15 minutes of frolicking around, my coach arrived and warmed up me and my teammate, Steven. Twenty minutes later and I'm toeing the line, preparing to (hopefully) achieve my resolution. Once the gun fired I powered forward, dodging the chip timing system. I got into the groove traversing the city streets, turning every once in a while. I felt some soreness in my legs but took it with a grain of salt and thought it was nothing to worry about. The course took us out to the Stadium, on the way passing the first mile which I crossed in 5:58, a time that made me double-take at my Garmin watch to see if the distance was accurate. It sure was, and that lightning-fast first mile reminded me of my sore legs that wouldn't go away. I struggled through the 2nd mile, knowing it would take a miracle to break 20 minutes. At this point I was just trying to survive the dreaded last mile, let alone cruise through it towards a PR. I ended up plodding through the streets, plagued by the omnipresent wind and heat, and finished in 20:52, my second best 5K time. I was disappointed with my fourth place finish (of the 30 runners in my age group) and didn't receive an award (nor did I deserve one). My watch registered a suspicious 3.16 miles, but I ignored it and let myself accept my performance. Luckily, I'll have some high-intensity track training starting in January which should bounce me back for the Matanzas 5000 on January 24th. So long and keep trying!

Reindeer Run 5K and 10K

2008-12-14T14:58:00.008-05:00

A perfect day for racing awaited me and my dad on the morning of December 13th, the morning where I would compete in the 5K and my dad in the 10K. I thought I could cap off my month's training with a PR. It was a frigid morning for the average guy (about 38 degrees atthe start) but it was PR weather for the 400 some runners that would race the Reindeer Run 5K and 10K in Amelia Island. The venue rings a bell, doesn't it? Yes, indeed, it was the place where I suffered through an extremely slow 10K in August at the Turtle Trot, plagued by every runner's worst nightmare thrown into one race. But, now it's December, I'm faster, the course is different, and the weather is perfect. My prerace preparations began at the usual-you know it- 6:00 AM. The race started at 8:30 AM, so we followed my mantra-the early bird gets the worm- and left no later than 6:40. I caught a quick snooze on the hour-long drive, and woke up right when we arrived. Since the venue was so far away, we had to pick up our packets at the race site. After we got ourselves settled, we went for a quick, half-mile, warm-up run around the complex to get somewhat used to the cold. After our not-so-warm warm-up, I quickly consumed my Honey Stinger Energy Chews and headed out to the starting line. I came prepared for everything and quickly put on my arm warmers and gloves. Once the cannon fired, I weaved among some people and quickly made my way into the top 20 as we turned into Fort Clinch State Park. According to the results last year, I had an outside chance at top 3 in the 5K, so I quickly chased after the lead pack, following in their wake. It took me most of the 1st mile to adjust to the cool, crisp air, but after that I was good to go. By the turn-around point, I made it into the top 10 (10th to be exact). My hope of winning was just a hope, but I felt strong at the turn-around point and a PR seemed likely. I had a competitor about 20 ft. ahead of me and I made it my goal to chase him down. On the way back, many fellow competitors who went on to do the 10K cheered me on. I passed the 2 mile mark in 12:59, right on pace to break my PR. By now there were not many 5K competitors left and I was on a lonely, desolate stretch of road with my prey ahead of me. I kept gaining and gaining on him and with about two tenths to go I pulled the plug. I let the lion out of the cage as I quickly whizzed by him and exited the park. I sprinted the downhill towards the finish and crossed the timing mats in a huge PR- 20:19. The feeling of a PR didn't hit me until afterwards. I improved my 5K time by over a minute since the end of October! But my work wasn't over yet. There was still one more PR to achieved. After I got a banana and some water, I went back out onto the course to fetch my dad. He came earlier than expected (placing 21st overall) and I brought him in with a time of 44:41, a PR by almost 2 minutes for him (and more than 2 minutes faster than the time he ran just one month ago when I beat him at Native Sun 10k. We both were satisfied with our performances and went to check the results. I placed first in my age group, beating 2nd place by almost 3 minutes, while Dad got 2nd in his age group. He let me take over the Abate family 5K throne while he prevailed in the 10K (for now). It was a sucessful day for both of us and the first time we both PRed in a race since the Run for Cover 5k in May. My next race is the Gator Bowl 5K, which is my quest to break the 20:00 barrier. Dad on the other hand is competing in the Jacksonville Bank Marathon next Sunday to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon (he needs to run a 3:30). Hopefully these can be PR races for both of us! So long and keep PRing!

AAU National Cross Country Championship

2008-12-07T20:18:00.016-05:00

It was after 3 months of hard, intense training that I was finally ready and prepared to prove myself. The occasion- the AAU National Cross Country Championships in Decatur, Alabama. My goal was to break 16:00, something that seemed impossible to me at the beginning of my training. My journey to this race seemed endless but let's just start at the important part- the day before the race. I had to wake up at around 5:00 AM on Friday to pack my bags and head out the door to my coach who lives in Orange Park. He was going to drive me and the rest of our 4-man team (plus some parents, including mine) to good ol' Decatur, Alabama. Once we arrived at the house we all piled into the van and began the treacherous 10 hour drive. I was quite productive during the ride by catching up on some homework as well as some shut-eye. Luckily during the drive we passed through the central time zone therefore giving us an extra hour. I had the breakfast and lunch meals of champions- McDonald's and Chick-fil-a. In a couple more hours we arrived out our motel- I mean hotel, the Day's Inn. It was complete with hot breakfast, free wi-fi, and shark tank swimming pool (a term my dad coined after staying at the Tallahassee Day's Inn and observing the very dark and ominous swimming pool that no one would go near). We didn't come to Decatur for the hotel so once we checked in we were back on the road to the Jesse Owens Memorial Museum where we would pick up our packets for the race. The process was quick which gave us some time to spare to check out the museum. We saw the tiny shack Jesse Owens was born in and got to see all the memorabilia inside the musuem. After about 30 minutes spent at the museum we headed to the Oakville Indian Mounds, the park where the race would be taking place. One thing that suprised us all was how flat the course was. It was a nice scenic trail winding through and around the nearby woods. It was unusually flat for the region of Alabama we were in. It was a perfect course to PR on. After our course walk/jog through, we went out to dinner at a nearby pizza place. We had our hopes high when we saw it won numerous awards including Best Pizza, Best Italian Restaurant, etc. All of us were quickly disappointed when we took a bite out of the pizza. It was at the bottom of my all-time list, only slightly better than the Hungry Howie's garbage pizza I had at the Last Gasp Cross Country race. But I made do and had a couple of extra slices for good luck. Once I got back to the room, I prepared myself for the next day's race and then quickly conked out at 8:00 PM. The next day I woke up bright and early, 5:30 AM to be exact. I went over my race plan in my head multiple times. I waited until my parents were up and then started getting ready and making sure everthing was good to go- timing chips, spikes, bib numbers, etc. After putting on 5 or so layers, we headed to the lobby to get our complimentary hot breakfast. I gorged myself on about 5 biscuits with gravy, enough to last me until dinner. Dad enjoyed the breakfast and proclaimed that it was better than the continental breakfast at the Tallahassee Day's Inn (as the biscuit and gravy dripped down his chin.) Once we were finished with our hot breakfast (our best meal in Alabama by far), we packed up our stuff and headed out to Oakville Indian Mounds for our races. We got there about an hour before the coach's son, Cameron, would race. I enjoyed seeing all the runners finishing and it doubled as a source of motivation for me. I was the last race of the day so I had plenty of time to prepare myself. Once Cameron's race was over, it wasn't another two hours until Steven, another teammate of mine, would compete in his race and then it would be another hour before I competed in my race. But I still watched everyone and cheered for everyone crossing the finish line. About 40 minutes before the race, I stripped my multiple layers and started warming up in the 40 degree weather. 20 minutes later I stripped to my singlet and shorts as I was assigned my starting block. I headed to starting block 6 and waited about another 15 minutes, doing a few stride-outs here and there. I was good to go. Upon "runners set", I hunkered down and got ready to go. The gun shot and I found myself sprinting, trying not to be stuck too far behind. I hugged the inside once we came upon the first turn which took us around the lake. I kept accelerating and tried to stay at a good pace. At about the 1st kilometer we began the loop in the woods. I had a couple of down hills to take advantage of and I climbed up a few more places. I completed the first mile in an amazing 6:14, my fastest mile to date. My surroundings were all a blur, the only thing filling my mind were my monotous foot strikes and labored breathing. Once the trail winded out of the forrest, there was a slight incline that took out more energy than you could expect. I slowed down for a bit but then pushed hard once coming upon another decline. The trail brought us back to the heart of the crowd where there were multiple spots to view me. I passed mile 2 but was in too much agony to notice it. With my fists clenched and a mean yet painful look on my face, I sprinted towards the finish after rounding the final turn. Once I crossed that line, it was like someone pressed the stop button. I regained my senses and looked down at my watch, forgetting that I had to stop it. It read "16:08" which made me feel sort-of confident that I met my goal of 16:00. The next 40 minutes had nothing more than me waiting in the finish chute for someone to let the 200 some runners out. Eventually they handed out top 25 medals (I finished 76th in the nation in the 13-year-old division) and after that we were released. Since I was the last race of the day, we all piled back into the van and headed back home. During the 20 minutes that I was awake in the long car ride home, I reviewed my success in these past two months, reminding myself that I had improved 2:30 since October and 1:00 since just two weeks ago. All in all, I felt I was sucessful in reaching my goal and improving such a large amount. Here at the Nationals it wasn't going to be my typical road race where I would get 1st in my age group without even trying. Now I like to chase PRs more than receiving a useless piece of wood. I still am feeling the sense of achievement I earned a few days ago. And to make things better, on the results online they posted the real times- not the clock times that were 40 seconds slow for my race. It turns out my time was 16:00, no more no less. I achieved my goal. Only now I'll have to chase a new goal. My next 5K will be the Reindeer Run 5K in Amelia Island this Saturday. I plan to take the family 5K PR away from Dad (21:22 that he ran this summer at Run for the Pies) and get it into sub-21 territory. Then I plan to lower that time some more at the Gator Bowl 5K on Dec. 31, where I hope to achieve my New Year's Resolution from last year- sub 20 in a 5K. But only time will tell if I will break that goal. So long and feel free to comment!

Outback Steakhouse Distance Classic Half Marathon & 6K

2008-11-28T07:59:00.011-05:00

What better day to race than on Thanksgiving, burning off that extra piece of turkey you'll later consume. The three of us (me, Dad, and Tania) all trotted off to PRs on Turkey day in what were perfect conditions for us to achieve our goals. The day started off to the usual 6:00 AM wake up, each one of us getting up after each other. We were out the door by 6:45, all prepared to seize our chances in these perfect conditions to PR. My goal was to get top 10 in my 3-19 age group and beat my time from two years ago. Tania's goal was more or less the same, also trying to break her time from two years ago. Dad's goal was to beat his previous half marathon time (his best time since we moved to Florida in 2006) that he achieved at the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon in October. After a short half mile warm up we toed the line, each one of us with our goals in mind. When the gun would go off Tania and I would be gunning to complete the 6K while Dad went on to complete the half marathon. Once the race crew was ready, they fired the cannon and we took to the streets. I got into my desired pace and cruised through the first mile in 6:40. I tried to speed up but couldn't. My calves were very tight due to my previous day's speed workout. But I kept on pursuing my goal. By mile 3, fatigue started to set in. I was right on pace for a 25 and I continued to endure the pain until the finish line, which I crossed in 25:07. I placed 9th of 135 runners in the 19 and under age group and earned 25 more Grand Prix points. But that was just the beginning of one of the three PRs that would be set that day. Directly after my finish, I set out to find Tania and help her with her goal. I met her right in time as she pushed the pace for the last half mile and crossed the line in 38:20, a 45 second improvement from two years ago. After my sister's finish we got some fruit and then I set out to fetch my dad and help him towards a PR. Once I met up with him I gave him his sports drink as he pushed the pace. Apparently, he saved too much in the tank because I couldn't even keep up with his break-neck pace for the last mile. Dad crossed the line in 1:42, a three minute improvement on his best time from just a month ago. Dad is starting to feel more confident about his chances to run a 3:30 in the Jax Bank Marathon on Dec. 21 and qualify for the Boston Marathon. It was a good day for all of us and it gave us some comfort knowing that we could go for that extra piece of turkey afte having burned a plethora of calories. This race marked the end of my serious training as I start to taper for the AAU Cross Country Nationals in Decatur, Alabama next Saturday. After that I will get back into the base phase and gear myself up for the long distance racing season. So long and keep running!

Native Sun Mandarin 10K

2008-11-16T07:47:00.007-05:00

Ah, the feeling of victory. To clear things up, yes I beat my dad. But let's rewind to the beginning of the eventful morning. Of course I overestimated the driving time and suggested we leave at 6:40 AM. Once we were on Mandarin Road, we looked around for the park at which the race was held. After about a quarter mile on the road we saw a church parking lot filled with runners. We turned in and found a parking space. Turns out that there was no parking near the race start so they bussed us from the church to the race. In about 15 minutes the bus came and we all got on it safely. And then the unthinkable happened. The bus was going out the exit and made a very wide turn. There was a series of screeches and then a lot of people yelling "Stop!" The bus stopped and everyone poked their heads out the window to see what happened. The back bumper of the bus had rammed into the side of a parked Acura SUV. The SUV's window was shattered and the door was severely dented. Everyone was then unloaded off the bus while the driver and the owner of the car assesed the damage. And to top it all off, it started to rain, which added more challenge to the unbearable humidity. After about 20 mintues of waiting in the rain, another bus came. We barely made it on but some people (including the owner of the totaled car) could not make it on and would miss the race. With about 10 minutes to spare, we arrived at the site of the race. The rain was coming down hard but the race was still going to be held on time. I stripped my outer layers and got ready for the race. Right before the race, the rain started coming down in a full downpour, but it didn't seem to phase anyone (except perhaps my dad who was hating life all morning long). Everyone was off in a matter of seconds and I was right behind my dad covering his every move. We passed the first mile in 7:00 and it made me think if I would pull off one of my usual acts - crashing and burning. My dad started to slow down a bit by the second mile. By then his breathing became labored while I was just cruising along, waiting for the perfect time to leave him in the dust. We passed through mile 3 in 22:20, which is what I expected. My dad muttered a few curse words at that point (general audience translation: "This pace is too slow"). He proceeded to try to pick up the pace and shake me loose. It didn't work. By mile 4, my legs were cramping up a little bit but I knew that I had the edge over dad, who was really suffering by that point. He is always more affected by the humidity because of his massive body mass and today was no exception. At mile 5 we were right on pace. The time was 37:40 and that's when I made my move to lose dad and kicked it in towards the finish. I tried moving my cramped legs and water-logged shoes faster, opening up a bigger gap, but I could hear Dad close behind. I dashed towards the finish in a sprint and came in with a time of 46:49, finishing 7 seconds in front of my dad. I shattered my previous PR of 47:53 and figured it could have been even faster if the conditions were better. I finished 1st in my age group and racked up another 100 Grand Prix points for my efforts. I rewarded myself with a healthy, organic, post-race brunch brought to us by Native Sun. All in all it was a sucessful day. I expect to improve more in my next races. I'm going to be doing a lot less racing this winter and get some more crucial training. The next time I will toe the line will be at the Outback Steakhouse Distance Classic on Thanksgiving Day where I am doing the 6K. My sister, Tania, will also do the 6K, while Dad will seek a PR in the Outback Half Marathon held that same morning. So long and keep avoiding this humidity!

Hog Jog 5K

2008-11-08T20:05:00.010-05:00

Today, I woke up before the alarm. I completed a full, 9.5 hour sleep cycle and was ready to go kick up some dust at the Hog Jog Cross Country race. I prepared myself in a matter of minutes and was ready for any scenario. The race was in a remote area of Orange Park, which called for about a 1 hour drive. My goal for this race was to finish in a decent time, PRing if the conditions were right. My mom and I were out the door by 7:00 AM and I could tell from the start that I would perform well. We got there just in time for me to warm up with the rest of my teammmates and check out the course. It was a two-loop course with a portion of the loop being like a beach with very loose sand. I figured this would slow me down by a bit depending on how well I ran for the remainder of the race. With about ten minutes until the start of the race, I stripped off my outer layers and placed myself up near the front of the line. Eventually, it was time to start and the cannon fired. Everyone began in a mad dash to get their place on the narrow trail. I was amused by many kids sprinting for the first 200 meters and then proceeding to burn out in a matter of seconds. I got into a groove but before I could try to speed up I went up a small incline and into the white, loose, sand. I weaved side to side, looking for a hard patch to push off of. I endured what seemed like several seconds getting added to my time because of slipping on the sand. The couse finally took a turn into the forest and found some hard ground that would lead me up to the 1st mile marker which I passed in 6:59. The trail meandered its way through the forest and then came out into a clearing followed by a loop around the lake. By then I was competing with a fellow competitor of mine, struggling to keep up with the quick pace. We finished loop one and headed back to sand. The only difference this time though was that I attacked it a little more, trying to retrieve some seconds that I lost on the first loop. I passed mile 2 in 13:55, meaning I sped up on the second mile. I tried to keep hold onto my pace and finished strong. Once I made it out of the forest I knew I was home and finished in 21:45. I was satisfied with myself and rewarded myself with a couple cookies. The fast time made up for the presence of no award since my age group was 11-14. I can sense the improvement after a month of training and hope to beat my dad in next week's Native Sun Mandarin 10K. I can almost guarantee a PR for myself but can't tell how close the race between me and my dad will be. My dad ran a 1:25 in a 10-mile training run today, which makes me a little nervous. So long and keep running!

Evergreen Pumpkin Run 10m & 5K

2008-11-01T12:56:00.009-04:00

Race temperature? Perfect. Preparations? Eh, not so perfect. The Evergreen Pumpkin Run 10m & 5K (I did the 5K) was literally beckoning me to PR with it's lightening fast course and perfectly crisp, cool weather. My pre-race countdown began with the usual sound of the alarm at 6:00 AM. I got my belongings together and tried to get into the perfect mindset for me to PR. After a month of regimented training with my new coach that included grueling fartleks, energy-draining 5 milers, and hard mile repeats, I was ready to PR. I felt a new strength in my legs that I have never had before and a higher tolerance of pain. But one thing that overcame me on race day was my sleep output. For two days in a row I got no more than 6 hours of sleep because I was frolicking around at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Stdios in Orlando. My mom, frustrated with my inability to get to bed at the right time, said it was "PR or bust" for me on race day. So, a tired albeit determined version of myself woke up on Sunday, race day. The race takes place in Evergreen Cemetary, a venue where 1st Place Sports holds a multitude of events. The race is a good tour of the cemetary, winding through a beautiful park scattered with oaks, following a pumpkin-lined trail. We got there with 30 minutes until race time. I devoted 15 minutes of those minutes to warming up and the other 15 minutes standing in the never-ending line for the John. About a couple minutes until the projected start time, I thought 'Ah, the heck with it' and proceded into a mad dash to get to starting line in time, also completing the impossible feat of stripping my warm up gear off just in time to toe the line for the race. The gun went off and I bobbed like an apple in water trying to get through a crowd of weekend warriors. I got my place but was determined to not let anyone pass me. I hunkered down, concentrated, and cruised through my first mile in a recent best of 6:34. The next half mile I kept up the blistering pace, powered by a plethera of people lining the course cheering us on along with the 10 milers. My second mile was around 13:40 and my hopes were up. Then came the time where people started to pass me. Ah, the joy of crashing and burning. I plodded along the last mile and saved a little for a final sprint to finish. I looked at my watch and saw what I had expected, a PR by the time of 21:33, a 15 second improvement. My PR got me 3rd in my 11-14 age group, but now the hardware I recieve isn't used for glorifacation of myself like I used to do. I figured I did well in the race considering the conditions over the past two days leading up to the race. Hopefully I can learn from this situation and hope it never happens again. The next race I'm diong will be the Hog Jog on November 8th which I will do with the kids I train with. Then after that will be the long-awaited duel between me and my dad, the Native Sun Mandarin 10K (we've been trash talking with each other for weeks leading up to this race). After a recent 5 mile PR of 36:27 which I did in practice, I feel confident that I can not only beat my dad, but also PR massively and reach my goal of sub-45. So long and keep running in this cool weather!

AAU Florida Cross Country Qualifiers

2008-10-16T16:55:00.011-04:00

This past weekend, I competed in tthe qualifying race for AAU Cross Country Nationals. But let me explain. AAU is the Amateur Athletic Union and is host to many sporting events around the nation including the Junior Olympics, which are held in July. They also have a multitude of cross country and track events throughout the year and since the fall is cross country season, I decided to try to qualify for AAU National Cross Country National Championships in Decatur, Alabama on December 6th. The race showcases the best runners in each age group across the nation. But to qualify for this race you must place in the top 20 in age group at a state qualifying race. So that was the race I was participating in this past weekend. It was held in Altamonte Springs, which is just outside of Orlando. Our method of transportation was driving at 6:00 in the morning the day of the race. We got their with plenty of time and met up with my coach and his other runners. The course was held around a softball complex and, at first glance, it didn't look very hilly. And boy was I one to underestimate. My race was the last one of the day. It consisted of all the 13 and 14 year old boys and girls. The race course was a little complicated but it was nothing to worry about. The race would start with a straight-away then we would turn and stay on another path for about a third of a mile. Then we would begin two laps in the forest and come out and around the softball complex, finishing close to where we started. By the time the race started it was 9:30 AM and hot. But the field was suprisingly small with only 10 runners, which meant I would automatically qualify for the championships in Decatur when I completed the race. The race started and I began a mad dash to get my place in small pack. I was hanging around the back for the first half mile but right before the forest I made my move and past three runners, two of which were struggling and I knew wern't going to finish close to me. I tried to keep my quick pace up but with the rolling hills it was almost impossible. I found myself struggling even more on the second lap and on the home stretch. Finally I kicked it up and had a strong finish, finishing in 18:35 for a 4K. The time was what I expected but since it was a 4K the race played out differently. My coach said by the time Nationals roll around that my goal should be under 16:00. It may seem like a long shot but now I'm getting in some crucial training and I hope to be able to PR at the Pumpkin Run 5K in a week and a half. So long and keep taking advantage of this perfect weather!

Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon & Freedom 5K

2008-10-05T12:14:00.011-04:00

It seems like I have hopped right back into the road racing scene. This weekend was the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon & Freedom 5K. Initially my plan was to do the half marathon with dad so I could take some time off my Miami Half Marathon time but my dad and I concluded that I wouldn't do the half marathon since my training has shifted to focus on shorter distances. But coming off a fast 5K last week, I wanted to see if I could match my time. The accompanying Freedom 5K was the answer to my plea. Dad would go ahead and do the half marathon. We had to wake up at 5:15 AM for the 7:00 AM start. It was a cool and crisp morning as both the Freedom 5K and Marine Corps Half Marathon started to a rising sun. The gun went off after the star-spangled banner, and I bolted to the front of the pack. The first mile was a straight away that led to the Main Street bridge, where the half marathoners left to run over the Acosta bridge and the 5Kers (that's me) headed to the Jacksonville Landing. After the midway water stop, the 5K course took us to the boardwalk, inches away from the St. Johns River. The split for my first mile was the usual 6:45. The second mile went on and on and the thought that the course may have been measured improperly entered my mind. I came in through the second mile in 14:15, which almost made me certain that the course was long. The third mile I decided to take it easy, not caring about my time and just wanting to hear the race director say at the end of the race that the course was long. My finishing time was 22:35, good enough for 5th in my 3-19 age group. I received a nice looking medal for my efforts and was also set to indulge in all the post-race refreshments. After about an hour of waiting I decided to go over the last mile of the half marathon course as my cool down and cheer people on. I noticed a lot of familiar faces in the crowds of finishers. Finally I spotted my dad, huffing and puffing in agony. I joined him at his side and told him there only was a half mile left in his 13.1 mile journey. I was inspired by all the distance runners and longed to do a race (or training run for that matter) that exceeded 7 miles, the limit of what I am allowed to do now. I was somewhat amazed yet sympathetic for my dad. I was amazed that he pulled off a decent time and overall finish (he ran a 1:45:24 and placed in the top 15% of the 1300+ runners in the field) and he met his time goal for the race, while being the weekend warrior he is and accumulating most of his weekly mileage on Saturdays and Sundays. Now all he will have to do is hold that pace for another 13 miles and he will qualify for the Boston Marathon. But I pitied him because the poor sucker thinks he'll qualify for Boston on his crazy training regimen (refer to the past sentence) and erratic, fast food frenzy diet in Tallahassee. But I can leave that for him to take care of. After I came home in all the anguish that I was in, I decided to map out the 5K course online and it turns out that it was an extra tenth longer. The official distance was 3.22 miles. And that means that I ran an identical pace to the Children's Way 5K last week. I also learned that I finished 16th in a field of 430 runners. So that ended my roller coaster day on a high note. Next week I will take on the AAU National Cross Country qualifying meet in Altamonte Springs, FL, my first taste of a real cross country race. So long and keep training consistently!

Children's Way 5K

2008-09-28T19:48:00.014-04:00

Finally, a race at the right time and right place to set me up for a new PR. The Children's Way 5K was my first 5K race since the Celebration 5K in July, where I performed poorly. A new PR was a must since I have been under the wing of my new coach, Coach May, for about a month. Coach May coaches some of the area's top youth distance runners and recently I have been added to the list of pupils he coaches. I have sensed improvement already with the quality of my runs. But now on to the race. It was only a year ago that I did this race and finished in a slow and sluggish time of 27:35, which was my PR at the time. So today was a PR or bust on a fast course through San Marco. The race started at 8:00 AM but I was awake before 6:00 AM, trying to get myself pumped. My dad wasn't here at the race since he was spending the week in Tallahassee, where he competed in a very challenging cross country race, the Prefontaine Forest 5K, where he finished in the top 25% of the field on a course featuring rolling hills on trails covered with loose sand and strewn with dead trees. My mom brought me to this race with plenty of time to warm-up, which I used to my advantage. The weather was cool and I felt almost no humidity. I noticed that the grass was somewhat damp and I wondered if it rained. It turned out that the course had to be "modified" because a road running along the St. Johns River was flooded. Up until the gun went off my mind was filled with doubt, wondering if I wouldn't push as hard since the course was short. But my thoughts were erased and I clicked into my pace for the start of the race. The first mile snaked its way through a town center-like area of San Marco where I saw the new 1st Place Sports store, sandwiched between two boutique stores like itself. My first mile went by fast and felt a little easier but it was too early to tell. The time was the usual 6:45 mile, the pace I've hit for my recent 5K races. On my second mile the pace fell a little off and I clocked a 14:15, my slowest 2 mile since, well, my first race! After I saw the flashy red lights displaying my split, I took off, my mind full of anger and adrenaline. The final turn appeared before me and I kicked it into my last gear picking off people left and right. Then I saw my 3 mile split: 20:45! I did the quick calculation in my head and figured out that I clocked in 6:30 for my third mile, the fastest mile of the whole race. Another thought came upon me, like a slap in the face. I was in PR-ville and with that musing I reached deep into my body to muster all the energy I had left. Cruising in through the finish line my time was 21:30, a time that can speak for itself. After I exited the finishing chute, my mom rushed over to me and gave me a high five. Then came the bad news. It turned out the course was short due to a last-minute modification. Now my europhia I was experiencing left my body and I wanted to find what the real distance was. But I decided I would dwell on that subject later. I headed to the food and there was an assortment of all the food you would find at a party. There was pizza, ice cream, chicken sandwiches, anything that tasted good. This 5K probably had the best festivities and post race refreshments out of any 5K in the area. The awards came and I was very happy to learn that I got first in my age group, receiving another 100 Grand Prix points to thrust me into the lead for my age group in the 2008-09 Grand Prix standings. Overall, I was satisfied with the day and it turns out that the course was only 0.05 of a mile short of 5K, which meant that I would have PR'd if it were the proper distance. My next race is the Freedom 5K this weekend (so I can PR a little bit more) and after that it is the Evergreen Pumpkin Run 5K which I hope to have a big PR in after a month of regimented training. So long and keep running in this good weather!

The Carrabba's Summer Beach Run

2008-09-11T18:05:00.008-04:00

Ah, the dreaded Summer Beach Run. Well, that's at least what people have told me. The conditions followed the trend from previous years-hot and humid. And even though the race was postponed two weeks due to Tropical Storm Fay the conditions would have been the same. But one thing that did surprise me was the condition the beach was in. It was packed perfectly and wasn't at all like the torture of the Tour de Pain 4 mile beach run. During my warm up, I noticed a somewhat strong headwind, but it was nothing that would be an excuse for a poor performance. The Summer Beach Run, unlike the Winter Beach Run, is one of the biggest races in Jacksonville and is the oldest footrace in Florida-dating back to the 1960's. Some 1100+ runners toed the line at at 7:00 PM to kick off the race but before we ran we gave a moment of silence to honor long-time Jacksonville-area race organizer John TenBroeck who just that past week lost his battle to cancer at age 67. And for the first time in a long while the cannon wasn't shot by him. After the moment of silence we were all stirred by the firing of the cannon and took off. I was dreading this race and just wanted to get a good week of training in. But I still tried. My approach for this race was just to run an evenly paced race. I tried to fulfill my goal and I went through the first mile in 8:10 and the second one in 16:30. At the turn-around point the change in weather was instantaneous. It went from a moderate headwind to a hot furnace, all in the matter of a few seconds. I wanted to go faster but just couldn't; my legs wouldn't move faster. So I took the last 2 miles at a mid-8:00 pace, the cruise-control I was in. I just wanted to receive my Grand Prix points. I finished in a slow and disappointing 43:34, good enough to get 5th in my age group, missing 4th place by about 30 seconds. I stuck around to receive my portion-controlled Carrabba's post race meal and finally didn't hear my name announced for an award, another humbling experience for thyself. But on another note my dad finished in 38:55, a very respectable time (two minutes faster than his performance in this race two years ago) that he managed to muster despite having the same desire I had to run this race-none. He placed in the top 130 finishers in this field of 1100+. Now the weather is cooling (very slightly) and I am reaching possibly the best weeks ahead of me as I get taken under the wing of my new instructor-Coach May, who also coaches some of the best youth distance runners in the Jacksonville area. So long and see you at my next race, the Children's Way 5K!

Turtle Trot 10K and 5K (Heat+humidity+hills+humility=HELL)

2008-08-30T16:37:00.008-04:00

This was the worst race of my life, no doubt about it. But wow, did I suck! Let me start from the beginning of this awful morning. I had to wake up at 5:50 AM as usual to leave at 6:00 for our 70 mile drive to Amelia Island for the Turtle Trot 10K and 5K (I did the 10K and my dad did the 5K). We arrived and you could already feel the heat and 100% humidity. The reason I wanted to do this race was because I hadn't raced a 10K since April. I wanted to run a decent race if possible and see where I was in terms of speed and endurance. The race started at 8:00 and I took it out in the first mile at the pace I wanted to hold. I went through it in 7:45, but was struggling already because most of the first mile was a series of gradual inclines. and it went all downhill from there. The next miles were plagued with hills and the omnipresent humidity. By mile 3 we were in Fort Clinch Park where the hills were less frequent but the humidity was still present. And man was I going slow. It seemed that you could walk faster than I was running. I had to stop and walk for the first time ever in a race and not just once or twice but three times. My training has suffered a decline since my vacationing started and I have to get my act together so I can get better. I vowed to myself not to do no more than 2 races a month so I can focus on my training. But back to my final minutes in hell. I stopped a few more times but then the sacred "mile 6" sign popped up in the distance and I reached into my body to muster a few minutes of hard running to the end. And once I saw that clock, I wanted to cry. Humility overtook me as I crossed the finish line in 1:00:43. All I wanted to do was crawl under a rock. I didn't even feel I deserved my first place in my age group award. The only positive thing I can say about the race is that it humbled me and has motivated me even more to train harder so this can never happen again, even when these types of conditions come upon me. On the other hand, my dad had a decent race but the factors that affected me also affected him, giving him a time more than a minute slower than what he usually gets, a 22:37. He did perform well in his age group, though, placing 2nd and getting a plaque that he has been longing for. All in all, this race under these conditions was a frustrating waste of our time, even though the Amelia Island Runners did a great job organizing the race. The next race I'm doing is the rescheduled Carrabba's Beach Run next week which I don't even want to think about how bad the conditions may be with the impending tropical storms. And after that race I will go through with my vow and only do the Children's Way 5K in late September and then a race in late October. So long and keep staying away from this horrendous humidity!

Tour de Pain

2008-08-16T06:43:00.012-04:00

Sorry about the late post, I just got Internet access in Poland. But on to the running. This Tour de Pain was my first one and a memorable one it was. I wasn't in prime shape since I was in Alaska for a week so I failed to preform my best.

4 mile beach run

I had a week to get myself back in shape for the races and did the best I could but nothing could of prepared me for the conditions of the 4 mile beach run. The race was scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM held right on Jacksonville Beach. It rained the whole afternoon but once we got there it stopped and cleared up a little. My goal was to get sub 30:00 and my dad's goal being sub 28:00. We stepped on the beach and saw that the conditions were OK. The sand was still pretty loose from the rain and wasn't packed well. To make matters worse, the race director announced that there were no port-a-johns on the beach to use. That caused my dad and me to run frantically to McDonald's before the start of the race to use the bathroom. We got back in time and the race was off a few minutes later. I took it out at my desired pace-7:20 for the first mile. My legs felt dead and only felt worse after having to jump over at least 7 streams in the first mile, much like a steeplechase. The second mile I hit in 15:40, a little slower than I expected. In the second half of the race things went from bad to worse. The conditions were horrible. It was like running throw a soaked sand box. The sand on the beach turned to muck. You had to make an effort just to get your foot out of the ground. I faded quickly and was passed by my competitors. But all things come to an end and so did this race. I finished in 34:08 with my head hung over. My dad on the other hand finished in 31:15, a time slower than what he did two years ago in his first Tour de Pain. The rain came back and we were quick to head out.

We woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning to head out to 1st place sports for the road 5K at 7:30 AM. My legs were sore and would only feel worse during the run. My goal today was anything under 25:00. The race started except I didn't do my usual act of bolting out. I still kept a fast pace going and went through the first mile in 7:10. The second mile was slower for me and more painful as I suffered through it in 15:00. The last mile I just winged and I finished the race in 24:07, a time I was OK with. My dad beat me by the biggest margin yet, finishing in 22:01.

Road Mile

After a few hours of rest we were back out to downtown Jacksonville for the last "stage" or race of Tour de Pain, the road mile. It had three heats, those being men 40 and over at 3:00 PM, men 30 and under at 3:15 PM, and all women at 3:30 PM. A realistic goal for me was somewhere between 6:30 and 6:50. My dad's heat went first and he got 6:22 so I realized that my goal was indeed reasonable. The course was two loops around a half mile course. My heat was off to the sound of the cannon and I pursued the competition. I went through the half mile in 3:16, picking off a lot of people who started out too fast. I came in at 6:44, a time that I was finally pleased with. I finished third in my age group and felt that I preformed good coming off of a week of vacation. My next race is going to be the Carrabba's Summer Beach Run, a race that is hit or miss. It will be two days after I come back from Poland but I am training hard here, preparing for the worst. So long and keep running!

Redirection

2008-07-18T09:48:00.002-04:00

Don't expect a new post on this blog because I am switching over to the travel blog.

http://alektravels.blogspot.com/
^It's my primary blog now so switch over!

Celebration 5K

2008-07-04T11:28:00.007-04:00

To kick off my 4th of July weekend was a race at 7:30 AM, the Celebration 5K. After a big time drop of time at Run for the Pies, I was ready to shed some more seconds and possibly get a PR. Lately I found out there were a few kids in my age group on my tail, so I wanted to preserve my #1 Grand Prix ranking. As usual I was clad in my Honey Stinger gear at the start of the race. It wasn't that hot but the humidity was starting to build up and could be a factor. The race course started at the 1st Place Sports location in Baymeadows and did a lap a giant around, finishing behind the store. So once the cannon fired 1070 runners took to the streets. I hung with my dad for a 6:45 first mile, feeling fine. Although this time I hung on to him through the second mile in 13:43. But as usual my dad, huffing and puffing, zoomed ahead of me while I endured a hard, painful, solitary last mile. I hit the last turn and picked up the pace finishing the race in 22:20, my fifth best time. Dad finished in 21:30, his second best time. The humidity was horrible and got the best of some people, slowing them down drastically including me. Although it was a good day as I received second for my struggling efforts. I'm am expecting a big change in my running since I'm doing the ACRR running camp in St. Augustine next week. It goes for a week including a mid-week track meet and end of week 5K. Hopefully I'll be good enough to place in the Tour de Pain in August. But right now I'm going to be on a hiatus from this blog probably posting once more before Tour de Pain. Be sure to check my vacation blog (http://www.alektravel.blogspot.com/) to follow our Alaska cruise and all the chaos that follows the planning! So long and keep running

Training

2008-06-30T11:09:00.002-04:00

It's been a long two weeks here in the sweltering heat of Florida. I've done no races lately, mostly focusing on training. These past two weeks have been my two highest weeks of mileage ever, 27 miles in both. My next race is this Friday, the Celebration 5K. It's a fast, flat course with few turns and I hope for it to be my PR race. Following the 5K I will have a running camp conducted by the Ancient City Road Runners that runs from July 7th to the 12th. It will be my first structured running class of any sorts and will help me improve my running style. My summer is going to turn into a hectic mess with all the traveling I will be doing later so be sure to check my travel blog! I will periodically post here during vacation to tell you how my training is going as well as the unique places I run in. Remember to watch both blogs for updates (check the travel blog, there will be a new post soon www.alektravels.blogspot.com). So long and keep running!

Run for the Pies 5K

2008-06-15T09:55:00.016-04:00

Saturday, June 14th, was the day of one of the biggest, most popular 5Ks in Jacksonville:The Run for the Pies 5K. The race is designed for both serious and recreational runners. The first race of the two is the Mizuno 5K championship that you have to qualify for by running a sub-17:00 5K for men and sub-20:00 5K for women. This race has some of the area's top runners. Any male who breaks 16:30 and any woman who breaks 20:00 receives Mizuno running shoes. At 7:30 the race started with the women's race, which starts two minutes before the men. There is a $100 bonus to the first person to cross the line, men or women. The course was about five loops around a 1K course. Kim Pawelek and JC Pinto, two of the area's top women, held the men off for a few laps before they got caught. Ryan Woods, one of the fastest 5Ker's in Florida, won the race and beat the women in a time of 14:39. Once all the championship competitors were finished, people started lining up for the Run for the Pies. This race is open to anyone and allows runners to compete for pies. To earn a pie you need to run sub-20:00 for men and sub-24:00 for women. My dad and I were out of contention for a pie this year but we made it our goal to get one next year. The top 5 in my age group also receive Run for the Pies medals as well as the top 15 in my dad's age group 40-44. I was almost guaranteed a medal but as for my dad he would have to run a very fast PR to just get 15th. The temperature at the race was extremely humid and hot even though the race started at 8. But I made do. Once the race started, I stuck with my dad through the stampede of runners for a 6:45 1st mile, my slowest yet. But that was my race strategy. The crowd thinned and so did my grip on Dad's pace. I let him go chase a fellow competitor as I grinded through a tough 2nd mile in Honey Stinger colors. 13:50 was my split. I didn't want a PR as much but just to get back into 21 territory after some drastically slow 5Ks. And that I did. I kept pushing in one of my fastest 3rd miles ever, but with that came some pain. I was on the final strech and kept pushing until the finish where I clocked in a 22:01. I was very pleased with myself and so was my dad who ran a 21:22, his best time in Jacksonville. In a field of 1150 runners, Dad placed 137th and I placed 162. We stuck around for the party and waited for the awards. I got a lot of looks and people pointing to me saying "That kid" and checking out my Honey Stinger jersey. I also got a wide-eyed look from Ryan Woods, the winner of the Mizuno 5K, as I passed him to get some pizza. I enjoyed the fanfare at the Jacksonville Landing as race director Doug Alred gave out lots of training gear to the crowd and raffled them off. Then came the awards. I was thrilled to learn that I was 1st in my age group and gladly accepted my Run for the Pies medal. What we were waiting for was if my dad medaled or not. The moment of truth came and we found out that my dad missed a medal by two spots and 20 seconds. But all in all, a great race for both of us. Once I got to check the results in my age group later I found out that I was only one second away from not being in 1st. If it weren't for my gun time and start in the front of the pack I would have been 2nd. Another worry is about my Grand Prix points. As of now I have 405 points but they say you have to have 500 points to be eligible for a prize. And I also did the 10 mile Winter Beach Run instead of the 5 mile race that day and my split for 5 miles would have won my division in the 5-mile race. So my mom is going to appeal about my eligibility for a Grand Prix award. Besides that, the next race for me is going to be the Celebration 5K on July 4th. Dad and I are thinking about a mid to late June track meet or race, but it isn't confirmed yet. These are the dog days of training where every mile counts. So long and keep running!

P.S. As you can see I posted a picture of the shrine as well as my medal!

World Golf Village 5K

2008-06-07T12:44:00.005-04:00

It was a hot June day as usual at the World Gold Village, the site of a 5K Dad and I were going to participate in. It was a "landmark race" for my Dad, but not so much for me since the biggest race of the season, Run for the Pies, is next week. I was sporting my Honey Stinger jersey while my Dad was wearing his Stinger cap. The weather was brutally hot, but the racing conditions were decent nonetheless because the humidity wasn't too bad. My goal for today was merely beating my time from last week, 22:22, while saving some fuel in the tank for next week. The field was moderately sized with about 500 participants. I had the chance for an age group award while Dad would have to push hard to get top 3. The race started in an orderly fashion and I took off in my regular 6:30 first mile. Dad's plan for the race was to try to stick with me for the first mile. My Dad did well with the plan (hence the word "try") but was about 15 yards behind me. Once we approached the water stop at mile 1.4 he passed me, his usual gasping self as I asked "Are you OK?" He grunted with a "yes" and shook me off. Mile 2 was more of a struggle for me as I clocked in at a slow 14:06. We were headed on the back leg of the course for mile 3, which finished with a loop around village lake. I held off some other runners and finished in 22:20, my 3rd fastest time and beating my time from Memorial Day. I accepted defeat from my Dad who finished in 21:40, his 2nd fastest time. But he couldn't be cut a break as he finished in 6th place in his age group while finishing in the top 10% of the field yet again. I was happy when I learned that I placed 1st place in my division. More people came up today and introduced themselves to me and told me how I am a good runner, how they see me in each race, etc. We stuck around afterwards for the awards and the raffle (we didn't win anything in the raffle, as usual). In other news, I still am in 2nd place in the Jacksonville Grand Prix standings in the 11-13 age group with 305 points. Follow up next week as I take on Run for the Pies, the most prestigious race in Jacksonville! So long and keep running!

Memorial Day 5K

2008-05-27T20:47:00.003-04:00

I was at the starting line, sporting my new Honey Stinger shirt with my arms crossed and a serious look on my face. It was go time. After race directions there was a loud BAM! and I took off, weaving through a clump of runners. I stuck to a training partner of mine, Mark, as he lead me through my usual 6:30 first mile. We approached the first turn of a flat and few turns double loop course. I let Mark speed away from me as I settled in a comfortable pace. The course was nice with tree-lined brick roads. After a few minutes I hit the second loop. My dad came up behind me as we cruised through mile 2 in 13:58. I figured today wasn't a PR day but a chance for me to get Grand Prix points and take home another plaque. I finished in 22:22, my 3rd best time and a good improvement from last week's 22:44 in hell. The humidity was less of a factor today but could easily slow you down. I took some criticism from my mom and sister, claiming that I "was just chomping on my gum and strolling at a leisurely pace". I rejected this theory and told my sister that she had no room to talk. Once I checked the results, I found I got 2nd and would receive 100 Grand Prix points. My dad on the other hand ran a 21:52 which put him in 14th place in his age group. I thought it was a successful day considering that I won an award and probably convinced a few people to check out Honey Stinger. You will hear from me again two weekends from now since there isn't a race this weekend. So long and keep running!

P.S. Our family visited Savannah this past weekend. Check out my travel blog to follow our recent family exploits! http://www.alektravels.blogspot.com/

RITA Cash in the Spring 5K

2008-05-11T07:19:00.005-04:00

Hot weather and high humidity dampened our Saturday morning at the RITA Cash in the Spring 5K. It was not an ideal day for racing but Dad and I stuck to the plan. After a big PR day for both of us last week at the Run for Cover 5K, we figured that we could possibly shave a few seconds off those times. We had trained hard on downtown bridges and in our speedwork with the Jacksonville Track Club during the week to prepare for this race. The race course started with runners going out a mile then coming back towards the start and doing another loop before finishing. My game plan was to run a faster first mile than usual and keep with the pace for two more miles. The plan didn't work. I went out on an average first mile in 6:35, with Dad following behind me in 6:45. The sun was beating down on us and was unforgiving and the humidity was oppressive. Dad even considered dropping out of the race! Dad caught up to me (gasping and wheezing) by the middle of the 2nd mile, which I clocked in at 14:20, a slower time than the norm. I didn't have much of an urge to push at the end since I didn't see any runners near me in my age group. I finished by dodging walkers at the end who still had a lap to go (one walker finshed instead completing another lap). My final time was 22:44, my 3rd slowest time in 2008 and slowest time in 3 months. My dad beat me by his biggest margain in 2008 in a time of 22:05, his 2nd fastest time this year. The race had about 350 participants and I received another plaque for placing 1st in my age group. Dad is still bitter about his 4th place finish in his age group (despite finishing in the top 15% of the field), but it gives him more incentive to train more. All in all, a sucessful day for both of us. So long and keep running!

Double PRs at Run for Cover 5K

2008-05-03T15:27:00.006-04:00

I was debating which title to use-the above or Double Hardware-but double PR described the day better. The race venue was downtown Jacksonville at the Run for Cover 5K. The race was a "landmark" race for my dad and me, one that we had chosen in the month of May to PR in. After a week of high spring break mileage, I felt ready to PR. For my dad, this was his first 5K race since the Nocatee 5K on March 1st. The start of the race was at 8:30 and when the time came around, I was ready. I shot off the starting line and clocked a 6:30 1st mile, "hairy plodder" 15 seconds behind me. I kept a good stride going as I passed some Jacksonville landmarks such as the Jags stadium and Jax Memorial Arena. I clocked mile 2 in 13:45, my fastest split for 2 miles this racing season. I was still holding off "hairy plodder" and on pace for a PR. By mile 2 1/2 my dad was starting to pass me. I decided to hang on to the end and stayed with him until the end. I rounded the last corner and came in at 21:50,a PR for me by 26 seconds. My dad's time was 21:33, his fastest time in Jacksonville. I came in 2nd in my age group and dad came in 2nd in his age group. We both PRed and both received 2nd place on a flat, fast course, what a day! Our next race is going to be the Rita CASH in the Spring 5K which my dad and I are doing. It will be a chance for me to shave a few seconds off my PR as I prepare myself for the Memorial Day 5K, a Grand Prix event. And speaking of Grand Prix, the standings were updated and I am in 2nd place in my age group! So long and keep running (and PRing)!

Grand Prix link-http://www.1stplacesports.com/jgp08men.htm

Spring Break

2008-04-26T08:41:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, this past week was my spring break. It was my chance to rack in some big mileage, possibly along the lines of 20-30 miles. I had the whole week off, so I seized the chance to try to run everyday. On Sunday I did a 4.6 mile run, Monday I did a 7.3 miles run, Tuesday a 3.5 mile run, Wednesday a 7.3 mile run, Thursday no run, Friday I did an all comers track meet and Saturday was a day off. My total mileage for the week was 25 miles. Since I didn't have any races this weekend, I wanted to do the JTC All Comers track meet on Friday. The events I wanted to participate in were the 400m and 800m. The track meet started at 7:00 PM but my first event didn't start until 9:20. I lined up in the 3rd heat for the 400. Seven people were in my heat. The starting pistol went off and I sprinted off from the starting line. I set myself into my pace and picked off a runner which put me in 3rd. Someone else passed me around the second turn. My legs were hurting and I couldn't go any faster. I finished in 4th place out of 7 people. I was so worn out I decided to bail out on the 800 which was right after the 400. My time for the 400 was 1:14. Good for my first time at a track meet. But I think I will stick with road racing for now. My next race is Run for Cover 5K on May 3rd. It will be a chance for my dad and I to both break 22:00 on flat, fast course. So long and keep running!

Any Way You Can 5K

2008-04-19T19:16:00.003-04:00

My spring break was kicked off with a small 5K that was used as a race to get a PR in. It was my first 5K since Nocatee and I planned to shave off a decent amount of seconds of my 5k PR. I wasn't accompanied by my dad for this race. The race was a flat, fast course with some turns here and there. It was an event that a wheeled race that started 10 minutes before the run. The run had about 250 runners. I started off with my usual 6:40 1st mile. My split for 2 miles was 14:03. As the run meandered through the Oakleaf community, I approached the finish. I picked up the pace and passed three people. I finshed in 22:16, shedding 8 seconds of my previous 5K PR. I recieved the usual 1st place in my age group and 25th overall. This spring break I'm going to rack up a lot of mileage trying to beat my dad's record of 55 miles during his spring break two weeks ago. Our next race is Run for Cover 5K on May 3rd which is a possible sub-22 race for me and my dad. I will repost later this week with a report on how my mileage has been going. So long and keep running!

Run to the Sun 8K

2008-04-12T19:21:00.003-04:00

This weekend we ran the Run to the Sun 8K in Orange Park. The venue was the hilly River Road, which I suffered through in my first race on it (see River Road Resolution Run 5K post). The anticipation was getting to my dad when I was telling him that the course was hilly and anything but flat. He begged to differ saying it was hilly but not the rolling hills of Connecticut that he grew up running. We were prepared after three straight 10Ks for a shorter distance and prepared we were. The race started on a small road which took us to the dreaded River Road. It was as if I was shot out of a cannon, keeping my momentum for my 6:20 first mile. I started feeling the hills and by mile 3, I was ready to stop as "Hairy Plodder" passed me. I really wanted to stop. But I kept going, reaching imile 4 with substantial energy to finish the race. I picked up my pace in the last mile and came in at 38:00, slashing 36 seconds off my Ortega time on a hilly course. My dad came in at 36:50, which was 82nd overall in a field of 830 runners. I was 92nd overall and 4th in my age group. I was beaten by a superstar 11 year old and two 13 year olds. I closed the margin of time on my dad by 13 seconds. The sky was a clear blue and hot, repeating the same conditions of the Navy Run. I gained some grand prix points which put me in 7th place in my age group (if i had been credited with the proper points, I would be in 2nd place). My next race is probably going to be the Run for Cover 5k on May 3rd. I'm thinking of doing a possible Duathlon in Nocatee this weekend. The race consists of a two mile run, 12 mile bike, and another 2 mile run. My dad is passing on this race because he has a USTA team tennis match on Saturday, but I'm set on it if I can particpate. Stay tuned as my dad and I gain speed and climb the ranks in races! So long and keep running!

Navy Run 10K

2008-04-05T18:29:00.003-04:00

A cloudy but brutally humid day was thrust upon me and my dad for the Navy Run 10K. The 10K was held at the NAS Jacksonville base, a big military base. The race was our third consecutive 10K but we were both hoping for a PR after a fast trail run two weeks ago. The course was a giant loop and a chance for me to get a PR as well as the usual age group award. We arrived at the base at about 6:40, showing our base pass to get in. My dad claimed someone at the packet pickup told him to go straight until he saw tents. So we drove down for about four miles passing airplane hangers and construction. The base was packed with workers at this early hour. After figuring out that the race wasn't where we were told we went back to the entrance where the guard told us to take a right and go into the Navy Exchange store. We arrived with plenty of time as I scouted out my competition. The race was off and I started it off with a 6:40 mile, but noticed many kids who could possibly be in my age group (instead of the usual 11-13 age group this race was 11-14). I got into my pace by mile 3 as "hairy plodder" (a.k.a. my dad) passed by me. The half way split was about 23 minutes, the time I wanted. But the humidity escalated in the later miles and I was starting to sweat a lot and feel the pain in my quads. There were about 4 kids in front of me who I was starting to catch. I caught one at mile 4.5 who then starting walking later on. Then towards the end of the race I caught two kids but lost them. I came in at a disapointing 49:13 and 82nd place overall out of 340 runners. My dad came in at 47:04 (and 52nd overall), which was slower than his best. Later we overheard a strong area runner say the this race was two minutes slower than his St. Patty's 10K time. My time was half a minute faster which made me seem like I had a good performance. Awards on the other hand were the usual for me my dad. I received 2nd place while my dad placed 7th. I got a medal and precor towel. We stayed after the awards for door prizes which included duffle bags,sport bags, designer bags, precor towels, caps, and a lot of free shoes. This race started the beginning of summer running but hopefully won't get any worse. My next race is Run to the Sun 8K next weekend which is an important Grand Prix event. So long and keep running!

No running lately.

2008-03-30T18:15:00.001-04:00

This past week has passed with no running on my part. I grew lethargic since there was no race on Saturday. I managed to start this week of right with a seven mile run with my dad at Atlantic Beach with a running group. Later on we went to see "Run Fatboy Run", a movie that uses running to move the plot along but was a good comedy and had my fair share of running. The movie was about a man named Dennis who left his wife Libby pregnant on the alter. Five years later Dennis is unfit but wants his ex-fiance back. But to his dismay he finds out she is with a better guy who is fit and a marathoner. Dennis wants to prove himself so he decides to run the same marathon that Whit, Libby's boyfriend, is running. This movie is a comedy that incorporates running and I would give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. In two weeks I might possibly go to New Jersey with my mom to visit my sister. I want to run a race in New Jersey possibly two if we stay there for a week. This upcoming weekend I am doing the Navy Run 10K. It has been a hassle because the race is held in a base so we need to get base access one week in advance. So long and keep running!

Okefenokee Swamp 10K

2008-03-22T16:44:00.004-04:00

Today we went off the beaten path in terms of races, to the Okefenokee Swamp 10K in Laura S. Walker Park southeast of Waycross, Georgia. It was a chance for me to shave some time off my previous 10K and take home some hardware as usual. My dad on the other hand had a chance to take home an award which he seldom does. The race gave out awards to top 5 in each age group which guaranteed my dad an award. We were attracted to the race by the cheap entry fee ($13 on race day), the nice venue, a free pancake and sausage breakfast, and to get ourselves out of the house and explore. We all woke up and were out the door by 6:00 and hit the road which we would be on for two hours. The race had a field of about 150 runners but was very well organized. The course was on trails for the beginning and the turn-around point (it was an out-and-back course) with roads in the middle. The race started with a short stretch of road that directed us to the trails. They were small but very scenic. The trail emptied us onto a stretch of road a little after mile 1. At about mile 3 we encountered another trail which lasted for another 2 miles. My dad has already passed me by now on ace for a PR. My age group was fairly competitive with one kid who beat me by a minute. There was another face that I recognized for the St. Patty's Day 10K who went out to fast and was passed by me at about mile 3. He followed suit with the same game plan today and started walking at about the same spot. I was supported by my mom and sister who was in town which helped me to a PR of 47:53, nearly shedding two minutes off my St. Patty's time. My dad on the other hand beat his PR in Jacksonville by 30 seconds, with a 46:15. He placed 15th overall while I placed 30th. After a pancake and sausage breakfast (the sausage was a delicacy-deer), we awaited our awards. I received 2nd place while my dad received 4th. The 10K was a great experience and hope to make it a tradition. So long and keep running!

St. Patty's 10K

2008-03-17T19:06:00.003-04:00

A week has flown by and I have a lot to report on. I passed the time two weekends ago not running in Gate River Run but training instead. This past week I racked in some more mileage then normal-14 miles-in anticipation of placing for the St. Patty's 10K in Evergreen Cemetary. But to start off from the beginning of the week. My dad claimed to get faster I would need to train more. And so with a weekend off I managed to squeeze out a mere 14 miles but all the while fighting a tough cold. The week past by awaiting the 10K in hopes of gaining some ground with a top 3 performance. I awoke early on a humid Sunday morning. Lucky for me the venue was a shady Evergreen Cemetary. We hit the road and once we got to downtown Jacksonville got lost with the "piece of shit directions"-in the words of my dad. We drove threw every slum there is to Jacksonville. We almost had to resort to asking directions from people walking the streets. But with a little improvisation we arrived at the cemetary with 20 minutes to spare. The lines at the John were long so we went in the comfort of the wild-all the while probaly peeing on someones grave. The 10K had a companion 5K which both started at the same time. My dad and I were towards the front but stuck behind two overweight ladies who wern't fast. The course was two loops for the 10K of the Evergreen Cemetary on a small interwinding road. My dad pulled ahead of me in mile 2 but was disatisfied with his overall time since he didn't shave any seconds off his PR for Jacksonville. His finishing time was 46:38. Mine was 49:41. I thought I did decent for my first 10K and earned myself a third place finish, my first big finish in a bigger race. After the race we waited a long time for the awards and when they were about to be announced it turned out to be that the computer had the results but couldn't print them therefore leaving my dad to pick up two awards at the Baymeadows store (the other award was Nocatee 5K which needed two weeks to be personalized). There won't be any posts coming up soon on races because I am going on a temporary race hiatus for two weeks. Although I will post a picture of the "shrine" once the new plaques are set forth for me to hang. So long and keep running!

Nocatee Trailblazer 5K

2008-03-05T15:07:00.002-05:00

I did a 5th consecutive race this past weekend. It was the Nocatee Trailblazer 5K. The venue was the town of Nocatee which is being built from the ground up and will have a 25,000+ population once all construction is finished. The course was completly flat with just two turns. It was one loop and was run on Crosswater Parkway (a road perpendicular to Nocatee Parkway a.k.a. 210). The race turnout was surprisingly large for an inaugural race-300+ participants. I did decent in the race. My time was 22:25 one second from a PR. I took home 2nd place in my age group. The guy who got 1st place beat me by 17 seconds and is someone I know personally and lives in my neighborhood. I still am convincing my dad that we could have a sucessfull cross country team at my middle school if he coached. My dad on the other hand got a 22:05- a PR for him and his fastest time in 1 1/2 years. The race had an assortment of breakfast foods at the end. I have won my 4th award but can't redeem it untill next week due to the fact that this is a personalized plaque. Most of you also know that the Gate River Run is this weekend. Although this is the biggest race of the year and one I have always wanted to participate in. That dream will have to wait untill next year because both of my parents are out of town so therefore I cant compete. But there is a bright side. My dad claims that my running has plateaued and that I should maybe take a week off so I can get some crucial training in. I will be running the St. Pattys Day 10K which will be my first.

Ortega River Run

2008-02-27T20:03:00.003-05:00

Yes, I ran another race this past weekend. It was the Ortega River Run, a five mile run that is one of the biggest races on the Jacksonville Grand Prix circut. It has a relatively flat course that is also very scenic. I was mapping out my victory against my dad before the race, but my odds turned out against me and according to my dad I ate a large chunk of "Humble Pie" in the morning. The race began and I was off at break-neck speed. The split for my first mile was a 6:30. So far the course only encountered a small bridge with some metal grating at the top with was slippery. I was running at 5K pace and my two mile split was a 14:14 a two mile pace I usually run for a 5K. We encountered some residential hills and then a mini Hart Bridge with a steep incline and strong headwind at the end of mile 3. Again I had a fast split of 22:00 but my fast splits didn't arouse me as I watched my dad plod by me and leave me in the dust. In the forth mile I was thrust opon some grulling residential hills that made me realize the pain of going out too fast. The same happened for the fifth mile. Although I ran bad towards the end something cheered me up. The prospect that I was in 3rd place for my age group and would get an award to add to the famous "shrine". But in the last third of the fifth mile a thin kid whizzed by me. After I realized he was in my age group, I broke out into a gazelle like sprint, takinglong strides and catching up to the kid. Once I got to him, he saw my pursuit for 3rd place and started sprinting. Me and anything but my counterpart duked it out for the next 20 yards which he ended up winning by one second and taking home 3rd place. I came in 5th in my age group because someone had a chip time that was one second faster than mine. My overall time was a 38:40 and my dads was a 37:15. This weekend I plan for revenge at the Nocatee 5K. It will be a close one after I watched my dad beat me in 5x800's for sppedwork. Although he was faster i ran with 2 pound arm weights and did negative times for my last two repeats. Also I watched my dad go out too fast on the last half mile split and get left in the dust by a small man who I could have mistaken for Ponce De Leon (he had the funky stache and the same height as Florida's discoverer).

Swoop the 20 turns 5K

2008-02-16T15:34:00.002-05:00

Today (February 16th) I ran the Swoop the Loop 5K at UNF. Race weather was ideal, I got a good warmup in, and I was ready to go. I figured this could be a PR course for me since on the race flyer it said that the race was some-what of an out-and-back course (hence the name Swoop the Loop 5K). But apparently the race officials or whoever was making the flyer didn't know that this course included many turns, curves, and seldom straight aways. I started the race surrounded by a majority of UNF students (who didn't have to spend any money since they are stundents at UNF). I got my pace right, but about 200 yards into the race, there was a U-turn. Which then led to a curvy road and another U-turn. Any competetive road racer knows a race with a lot of turns will slow them down. So just 8 seconds shy of a PR, a clocked in with a 22:30. I came in top 35 in the whole race since most of the runners were weekend warriors or didn't know how to pace themselves. Although I was a hair away from a PR, I was still pleased with my performance and also happy that I took home another 1st place award.

Appeal Time!

2008-02-13T20:29:00.005-05:00

After the 2nd place, finish, (look at Winter Beach Run post) something told me that the race organizers botched the results and put someone who was older than me in my age group. I looked up his number in the race pictures today and saw that he is not anywhere near of my age. So I deserved the 1st place award but came home with the 2nd place one. I am planning to file an appeal so I can get the award I deserved and not have some incompetent race organizer place me behind a 30+ man. But in all worlds life goes on and I plan to race this weekend at the Swoop the Loop 5k in UNF. Accompany me if you want to qualify for the Gate River Run through a 5k because I plan to run in the high 21's. And I will take home yet another award and put it in my highly acclaimed "shrine."

Winter Beach Run

2008-02-11T21:01:00.001-05:00

Aches and pains speckled my body after the 2nd place performance at the Winter Beach Run. It was mid 70's with a slight breeze which was perfect race weather for my 10 miler on the beach. I raced with my dad by my side and came in 2nd in my age group with a time of 1:26:34. But since course was out and back, I was able to see everyone who finished in front of me. And among those people was no one who was in my age group, or even close to my age. Also my mom didn't see any of my age group finish before me in the small race field (for the 10 miler). My dad and I speculated that the race directors botched the results and entered the wrong age for this mysterious finisher who finished a minute before me but didn't claim his reward. But I still felt success since I came home with an award to add to my shrine. I am taking part in another small race this weekend so stay tuned on the results plus if I make an appeal to the results that put me in 2nd place.

Just so you know....

2008-02-09T12:02:00.000-05:00

This is the period where I am the least active (in terms of going places, etc.) so be patient. I will post periodically with race results and stuff. I plan to do the Winter Beach Run tomorrow (February 10th) so I will write something about that. In the meantime there will be more posts in about a month or so.

Running Away

2008-01-28T20:44:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I have taken up the sport running and am addicted to it as much as someone is addicted to nicotine. Lately I have competed in my biggest race the Miami Half Marathon. Although with the proper training a Half Marathon is a minor feat, I like to push my self to the limit and the day before the Half Marathon I planned to run the Tropical 5k. And in all of this I plan to beat my dad. So to the 5k. After an early rise, my dad and I got to the start. The race started and by mile 1 my shoe on my right foot got untied and my chip started to fall off. For the next 2.1 miles I hobbled trying not to have my shoe and/or chip fall off. I clocked in at 22:50, my second best time. I would have possibly got sub-22 without my shoe getting untied. But to add more insult to injury, I was 20 seconds out of 5th place, and the top five in each age group recieve a medal. So I tried my luck the next day, maybe hoping for a top 3 finish in my 12-14 age group. But ultimatly I wanted to break 2 hours and be the 3rd Abate ever to pull off this feat, joining the ranks with my dad. The race started to a rising sun and high expectations. I maintained my 9 minute pace throughout the whole race and went ahead of my gasping dad in the last mile and a half. I barely broke 2 hours but came in with a time of 1:59:51. Later once the results were posted I found out that I came in 13th place in my age group but coming in 2nd place for all 12 year olds. So as I start to take up running in longer distances I will only get faster, right?

Races, races, and more races

2008-01-20T07:27:00.001-05:00

I am writing now just to update you on a few races I have done. One I did two weeks ago and came in 5th in my age group with a time of 23:11. The course was very hilly and residential with only half a lane to race in. The next race I did was this past weekend. I got 1st in age group (I was the only one) and clocked in with a PR of 22:23. Now, I am starting to taper my mileage before we go down to my Miami for the Tropical 5K and Half Marathon that my dad and I plan to run in (yes, I am running the half marathon the day after the 5k). That's it for now but expect a post on Miami coming soon!

Miami is on the scene just in case you didn't know it

2008-01-04T21:28:00.001-05:00

Clubs. Bars. South Beach. Clubs. Bars. More Clubs. Where in the world is Alek Abate? Miami! I spent two days with my mom in Miami in conjunction with a visit to my relatives. We visited some oddities, saw some history, and spent most of the time in the car. So after a six hour car ride down to Miami we arrived at my relatives' house at six PM. The next day we started to sight see and started off by visiting the Coral Castle in Homestead, south of Miami. The Coral Castle was made by a man named Ed who was heartbroken when his 16 year old girlfriend backed out of their relationship right before their wedding. In spite of Ed's lost love, he spent 25 years building a castle dedicated to his lost love. It defies reality because Ed was only a five foot tall 100 pound man but yet he could move nine ton blocks of coral. The compound uses many astrological, mythical, and Egyptian references. Ed also seemed to be excellent at making certain shapes out of coral. Some include a table carved into the shape of Florida and also numerous chairs each meant for a certain occasion and most of them custom fitted to Ed's small five foot frame. So after the Coral Castle, we went to a nearby Orchid farm but ended off not buying any orchids. We had a picnic lunch and then headed back home. The next day we drove to South Beach and drove through the Art Deco district (there was lots of traffic due to Orange Bowl fans). We saw hot pinks and lime greens on the buildings with lots of circles. After our blast from the past we went to the Cloisters ancient Spanish monastery. The monastery has an interesting history dating back to when it was dismantled in 1116 into over 20,000 crates with the parts inside them wrapped in hay and brought from Spain into the U.S. in 1928. Once all the crates arrived in Miami they were told that there was a Hoof and Mouth outbreak in Europe. So the United States Department of Agriculture ordered the hay and boxes to be burned. But on the boxes were numbers indicating where the stones went. So there still are some stones left that were never used. A fraction of the remainder of the stones were used in the nearby Episcopal Church. The monastery had very good architecture and nice grounds around it. After the 30 minutes at the monastery, we stopped by KFC and then headed of to the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. This sparked my interest because the Biltmore hotel is apparently one of the Top 10 Haunted Places in the U.S.A. But when we arrived, we learned to our dismay that they had stopped giving ghost tours about four months ago (maybe due to the fact that it is a operating hotel and it doesn't want to disturb its occupants). That ended our stay in Miami but we are going back there in a few weekends so my dad and I can run the Miami 5K and half-marathon. Check back for posts of my upcoming races and excursions!

On the Run

2007-12-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

I am writing this post from the comfort of my couch (which is the best place in the world for me at this moment). I completed back-to-back 5K races and am exhausted because of them. Sunday brought forth my first race. The venue was the Jacksonville University golf course/briar patch (more of a brair patch) with lots of steep hills and bad footing. I finished 1st in my age group (13 and under). It was my first cross country race (7th 5K) and I finished it with a time of 24:45. We stayed for the awards ceremony which was held in a local sports bar. After an hour of second-hand smoking and bad pizza the awards were given out. The award was a pair of socks. Although I didn't appreciate my very first award at least it will be a memorable one. So after a mediocer race, I had another one today. This one was much more organized but had a much more competitive field. I finished the race beating my dad (YES!) with a time of 22:51. This shattered a minute off my previous PR. After my races I plan to relax on South Beach and enjoy myself in Miami. :-)

Winter Break

2007-12-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

I am about 1/4 into my winter break with lots ahead of me. I have spent the last five days with my sister and my family celebrating the holidays. On Saturday, the day after my sister arrived, she had a tennis lesson with retired tennis pro Todd Martin. The 90 minute lesson boosted Tania's game as well as her self-esteem. We enjoyed her four day stay and now are expecting my dad's father to come in this weekend for New Years. New Year's weekend has brought forth two back-to-back 5K races which I am competing in. Next week my mom and I plan to go visit her relatives in Miami. It will be a very exciting winter break so check back soon for more posts!

New Blog

2007-12-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am back with a blog except it isn't about vacationing. I had no say in the decision of making a new blog about my life. My mom nagged me to start a new blog and threatened to confiscate my laptop so I gave in. This blog, although it isn't a vacation blog, will still sound like my previous work due to the fact that I am constantly doing something over the weekends. So check back soon and have fun reading my blog!