July thee 23, Twenty-twelve

Change is the only constant....


My next major target is to run 2:12.36 at this year's Twin Cities Marathon.  I am not sure if that will win the footrace or not, but that is what I really want my result to read as I cross the finish line.  I will be more regular with the training updates; maybe once or twice per week.  


I made it through the spring and early summer racing season, and now am in the beginning stages of preparing for this monumental task.  I am going into this segment of training thinking that this goal will happen without a doubt, but my contingency plan if it does not is to accept the result like a man.  I will prepare diligently and intelligently.  I will not take any shortcuts.  I will race with fire in my belly.  


Here are brief recaps of the 6 competitive efforts I put forth after the Olympic Trials Marathon from the end of April through July 4th.  Some were fine, some less than stellar.  It is weird to me in that some years I have trained so hard and ran a ton of miles and did killer sessions, but the results never matched up.  And then this spring, I really cut back on all of that, and the results were beyond what the training would indicate.  It is such a fickle sport.  That is the beauty of it though and why I feel there isn't anything that can compare to the loneliness of the long distance runner!


Race #1 Get in Gear 10k Minneapolis April 28, 2012
Defended my title from 2011 in 30:01.  This sucked because there was a $200 premium for breaking 30 minutes.  I guess I shouldn't have waved at my wife and newborn daughter coming down the straight.  But I was so surprised with how easy the race felt and how simple it was to break the young Kenyan named Festus Kigen that I just eased it in.  Really pleased with where I could be heading this spring.


Race #2 Newport 10k Newport, NJ May 12, 2012
Finished 7th in 29:55.  Felt off from the gun.  I had hammered a long run the previous Saturday averaging 5:15 for 13 miles of it so that probably contributed to the dead legs.  Almost caught the pack chasing the leader, but didn't have enough to go by.  Slightly disappointed.


Race #3 Brian Kraft 5k Minneapolis May 28, 2012
Champ in course record 14:20.  Faster than last year by 4 seconds, but that was after my wedding weekend and some good old-fashion fun. Rated as a good day.  Ran splits of 4:32, 4:37, 4:37.  Pleasantly surprised I was able to able to knock of sub 4:40s as I had done barely any running that fast.  I think it goes to show how far high-end aerobic preparation can take you.  But I guess 14:20 in the grand scheme of my racing life is not that fast.  I was pretty much alone from the gun and it was a picture perfect day with clear, blue skies as crisp as my daughter Mae's eyes.  Warm but manageable.


Race #4 Dam to Dam 20k Des Moines June 2, 2012
5th place, 1:01.46.   Over 2 minutes faster than last year, but not nearly as hot or sticky.  Ran a lot of this solo figuring more guys would come back to me.  If I were to do it again I would put more into it beween miles 3-7 because I basically lost a minute during those miles.  Really believed I could win, but alas not meant to be. This may have been my last competitive Dam to Dam. 


Race #5 USATF Half Marathon Championships at Grandma's Duluth MN, June 16, 2012
11th, 1:04:42. I felt so good between the start and mile 5.  I split 23:45 for 5 miles and 29:40 for 10k so I was bound to run a PR and finish high.  Yet, I developed a bit of a stitch just before 6 miles and slowed down and started running over 5 min miles.until about mile 11 where I rallied somewhat. I may have run faster for the last 6 miles of Grandma's Marathon in 2011 than I did for this half-marathon on the same exact course!  Nice one.  I also finished behind some people that I really think I have no business finishing behind, but that is another thing that makes the sport so great.  You never know who is going to show up and take scalps.  These people up in Duluth provide, without a doubt, the most hospitable experience imagineable.  Thank you Grandma's Marathon.


Race #6 5th Seasons 8k Cedar Rapids, IA 4th of July 2012
9th place, 24:30.  Nearly a complete and utter disaster here, but I then remembered that it was 85 degrees with the dew point at 72 which is amazon jungle like humidity.  Unfortunately, I suck in these conditions, but I was proud that I never gave in.  The winner of this race was convicted performance enhancing drug abuser Alene Reta who I absolutely despise.  Luckily he will not be invited back after I made the race director aware of this.  Major props to Hassan Mead who finished 2nd.  Quite possibly my last competitive outing on the 4th in Cedar Rapids.


Never say never.

It's been 13 weeks since Julie and I left for Houston, TX, and the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials.  The race result was a complete and utter disaster.  From the gun, I felt off; tired, worn-out, flat.  At mile 17ish I stepped on some kind of hole in the road and tweaked my achilles.  That was the last straw, and I pulled the plug at 18.  Not the way I wanted to have my day play out, but that is the hand I was dealt and I have to deal with it.

It's disappointing not being able to finish such a prestigious race, but I am ok with deciding to stop.  Sometime it is just not meant to be your day.  I want to thank my wife, family, teammates, and all those who supported the Trials attempt.  I learned many valuable lessons from the build-up in regard to preparation.  I will gladly share the wisdom with anyone who cares to listen.  Maybe someone can heed the advice, apply it to their training, and crush a marathon.  That would be my hope anyway.

Regardless, I was easily in the best shape of my life, but perhaps it (the prime fitness) happened a little too early.  I had a fantastic race at the Manchester Road Race over Thanksgiving, did a hard 24 mile run the following Saturday, ran some really solid 2 mile repeats on the roads that following Monday finishing off the last couple in the 9:20 range, and then raced a half-marathon that Saturday or Sunday (I cannot remember which day exactly).  I even went through 10 miles in a PR (48:10) before the wheels came off.  So I was fit, but it might have just been a matter of timing it a little better.  Who knows?

Aside from that, our little bundle of joy Doris Mae Gabrielson was born on Feb. 23.  She is such a little peanut and I love her so much.  Julie is a great mom and wife, and after a period of adjusting to the new lifestyle I am back to almost full training mode.  Workouts are going well and I can feel the fitness being built.  I have adjusted some of the ways I have approached training in the past and feel pretty good about things at the moment.  We also have a BOB baby stroller so I look very, very forward to taking her on all my runs once June rolls around and she will be able to handle the jostling.

I plan on running the Get in Gear 10k in Minneapolis on April 28, and then a few other races before the US Half Marathon Championships hosted by Grandma's Marathon in Duluth in June.  I love Duluth and cannot wait to spend another weekend up there.  They host a fantastic event and it is definitely something special to be a part of it.

Finally, the fam will take a trip out to Rapid City in June to visit Julie's folks and the rest of her family.  This happens to coincide with my good pal Kurt Decker's race at the Black Hills 100 miler.  That's right, people actually race 100 miles.  At one time.  I am planning to crew for Kurt and get him through a couple 10 mile stretches or so.  I am looking forward to it as I look to run more trail races myself in the near future a la good old Max King.