Ran 5 in the morning early. Went to the track for hurdle work. Form is definitely improving and its feeling much more comfortable already. Rested up til practice where I was back at the track. Workout was as follows:

2 mile warm up
10 x 100 strides
6 x 200 fast with 100 recovery
400 easy
5 x 250 fast with 150 recovery
400 easy
6 x 200 fast
400 easy
6 x 250 fast
400 easy
4 x 200 fast
400
4 x 250 fast
1200
8 x 150 good
2 mile cool down
10 x 100 strides

Ice bath time.

Questions that come into me could be featured as my blog for the day so get your questions in. I’m sure many people have similar ones. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was 5’6” and about 115 lbs. By my senior year, I was 6’3” 160 and still growing. Everyday after classes I had to nap not because I was tired but because my body was so physically exhausted from growing pains that I couldn’t move them. When I woke up this morning, that is how I felt. Everything from my arms to my ankles was sore. That good kind of sore when you now that you worked hard. Nothing a little 8 mile shake out can’t fix this morning.

8.5 mile morning run in 57 min.

Egoscue for an hour

6 mile run in 38 for afternoon practice.

10 x 100 strides.

Loosened up throughout the day.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Woke up early and got a good 5.5 mile run in. Got some quality dynamic stretching and drills in after the run and loosened up a bit with the rolling stick before breakfast. Then I headed over to the college to get my first hurdle drill workout in of the season. Pretty excited to add this component to my training. It’s been over 18 months since I last did any hurdle work, let alone a steeple chase, so I will need all the time I can get to train and perfect my form before I race on in February/March.

The drills that I was used to were pretty standard hurdle work. Legs going through the motion of lead leg, trail leg, and the combo. First couple drills were a disaster. My form is in pretty rough condition. I met up with my hurdle coach and he said the same. Definitely a lot of work to do. The one thing I liked that he said is that any drills that aren’t applying the hurdle form in motion over the hurdles are a waste of time. Strengthening the core, hips, and pelvis are important but that can be accomplished through single leg over hurdles, marking steps, and being very technical with the drills. One of the first things my coach said was that in order to compete with the Kenyans (who dominate this event), you can’t lose any time on the hurdles. The fact that he jumped straight to the highest level of competition and wasn’t messing around made me like him even more. After an hour of drills, my form had already improved.(Hurdles are easier to work with than the steeple barriers because you can set them at different heights for training purposes, much more mobile, and they don’t take up 4 lanes.) Did about 1.5 miles to shake out the legs after the hurdle work.

3 hours rest and then back to the track for my workout. Normally we aren’t on the track on Mondays but training is being ramped up.

2 mile warm up
10 x 100 strides
6 x 200 with 100 rec
400 easy
4 x 400 with 200 rec in between intervals
400 easy
3 x 400 with 200 rec
400 easy
3 x 400 with 200 rec
800 easy
2 x 400
Mile easy
800 fresh
Mile fresh
10 x 100 strides

Felt sore at the end but considering the faster speed intervals for the 400’s (between 57 and 62 for all of them), it felt much easier than the last time. Nice salmon and sweet potato dinner. Not sure why I shared that info but I thought it tasted pretty awesome (and I made it). Some great questions and comments coming in from the Ask Nick button. Keep ’em coming.

About 19 total for the day.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Sunday runs are my wicked easy days. Just a simple 3 to 4 mile run in order to rest up and recover for Mondays workout. This week we are on the track twice so I will definitely have my work cut out for me.

So what I do on most Sundays is head to Beverly Hills High school Track and go for a run with this 10 year old named Louie. I met him through a mutual friend at the Egoscue Clinic that I go to for body alignment. Louie is only 10 years old but is already running a 22 minute 5k and is getting faster by the month. We run for about 20-25 minutes while talking about all things running. Seeing the passion this kid has for running at such a young age is incredible. He wants to know all about shoes, race strategy, elite guys, qualifying times and I try to tell him as much as I know. I show him some pre-run stretches and post run exercises.

It’s really cool to see a young kid so excited to go for a simple run around the track. It reinvigorates my drive for my goals and reminds me why it is that I love this sport.

I run miles and miles and miles to get one result. A time. So running 3 of those miles with Louie, a curious 10 year old, asking questions, a lot of the time, about me, makes all those miles worth it. He brings it full circle. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

I was looking forward to this run all week because it’s such a gorgeous and, actually, fun run. Up in the canyons, overlooking the whole city and part of the ocean, dirt path, no cars, and it was 70 degrees which was awesome. The first 3.5 miles are all up hill and we had a great crew starting out (Tony, Yermie, Richard, and Moses). I wish we had at least a half mile warm up on flat land before we started the climb but I didn’t design the mountain. We literally start and don’t get a break til 3.5 miles up where it flattens out briefly and then continues up. It slopes down a little bit later and then back up (and down and back up) but its a great workout to push hard up the hills and then relax on the downhills. I will be feeling it in my glutes tomorrow.

Anyways, we went out for 50 minutes (about 7.5 miles) and then turned around and pushed it back. Hadn’t done a legitimate long run in a while (since the one in Central Park was awful) so it felt great to be moving for a long time at a good clip. About 15 miles total for the run and then straight to Coach’s pool (about 5 minutes away) for a 15 minute ice bath.

Since the joints were taking quite a beating on the way back with the steep decline and slant, the ice cold water really helped the legs get rid of all the lactic acid buildup over the past few days. 15 minutes is about the longest you want to be in a cold bath for. Any longer, it can actually have the opposite affect and cause more circulation of the same blood (or what 20 minutes of heating your legs would do).

Legs feel really fresh and ready for a tough week in terms of workouts and mileage. Next race will be on December 10th in Santa Monica. I will run a 5k and hope to get in the low 14 minutes.

Would love to hear about some upcoming races or training schedules on your end. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Slept in this morning after a busy Thanksgiving. Loosened up a bit before going for my morning run. Felt pretty loose for the day after a race so I decided to run about 6 miles. Kept the pace pretty even at 6:45. Did some dynamic stretches afterwards to get some more blood flowing to the muscles. Just rested the legs til practice.

3:30 practice next to the Ocean. Ran another 6 with some strides afterwards. Lots of rolling out on a foam roller in addition to massaging the quads and hamstrings with a rolly stick. Need to feel very fresh for tomorrows long run at Westridge. Wicked hilly and wicked long. Looking forward to it.

Hope everyone is recovering nicely from their Thanksgiving feast. If you’re worried about putting on some pounds before next week, it helps to eat at least 3 hours before you plan to go to bed and going for a brisk 15 to 20 minutes after walk after you eat is really good. Obviously your metabolism slows when you sleep so if you are hungry when you go to bed, you are helping your body work less to digest dinner. Feel free to eat a big breakfast in the morning (as you do want to consume about 40% of your daily caloric intake in the morning….you are “breaking the fast”).

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR

Nick

All in all, I am relatively happy with how the race went. That’s the tough part about this sport. You can win and feel like you could have done more or lose and feel like you’re on top of the world. I’d put myself somewhere in the middle today. 29:50 for 10k (6.2 miles).

Got up at 5:15 after a night full of bathroom breaks (I made the waiter just leave the pitcher of water at the table), too cold temperatures, too hot temperatures, etc. But I felt rested. Was never very nervous for the race, definitely a bit anxious though. Did my usual pre race routine which included a granola bar two hours before the race, some light stretching, 3 mile warm up, 10 x 100 strides with dynamic stretches in between, put racing shes on, last minute sips of water to wet the mouth, few more stride outs at the starting line, the classic “try to stand still but shake the calves and ankles out during the national anthem”, then the gun.

Race started out quick and Tony took the lead. I stayed a few meters back within the first pack but looking back it may have been a little too quick for the first mile. Tried to stick with the first pack but they were not slowing up at all. I stuck with the 5th place guy for a while but he sped up after two downhills and gaped me by about 30 meters. From mile 3 to 5.5 I was in no-man’s land. All by myself which is tough mentally. I tried to close the gap on the next guy but was unsuccessful until two guys came up behind me and passed me. I thought I was done but stuck with the second one. We caught the first guy who passed me with about a mile to go, hit the last turnaround spot and I heard the guy say “let’s do this”, and we started to move. We worked together for about 400 meters switching the lead back and forth and saying little bits of encouragement until he fell off and I extended my stride and picked it up with a half mile to go. I hit the 6 mile marker and knew I had about one minute to go. Some dudes playing bongos on the side of the road forced me to pick my pace up. I saw the clock…29:39, 40, 41, I knew I had to go if I wanted to break 30. So I sprinted it in around 29:50. I could argue that with the massive crowd blocking our path for a few seconds and the hairpin turns that I was probably 10 seconds faster but stuff happens. Good race. Big PR. Legs felt pretty good except for some right side groin soreness. Coach was happy.

Did a 35 minute cool down. 20 at normal cool down pace. 5 at a fresh pace and last 10 at easy pace. Pretty tired by the end but more hungry.

3 warm up. 1 striders. 6.2 race. 6 cool down. 16 + total.

Back in LA and off to the Maddens for Thanksgiving dinner. Their family is awesome and I’m pumped to see all of them. And, of course, eat. Family, food, and football…what could be better?! We Are One 365.

Happy Thanksgiving.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Got an easy 4 mile run in this morning with a lot of dynamic stretching afterwards to loosen up the legs and muscles. Just been mentally preparing myself for my strategy at each mile for tomorrows race. The gun goes off at 7 in the morning so I will be heading to bed quite early. Driving down to Dana Point, which is about an hour and 20 minutes south of Santa Monica, with the other members of my team who are racing tomorrow. Might do an easy 10-15 minute jog on the course just to get the legs loose after the drive.

Stay hydrated throughout the day and sleep well. Don’t eat much in the morning. You want to be hungry when you toe the starting line. Best of luck to everyone and a very Happy Thanksgiving.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Some days, I find myself searching for my purpose with running. Its been tough recently with the increased levels of training, overcoming a groin injury, and not always feeling 80%, let alone 100%. But I find that the more I surround myself with positive people who have a unique outlook on life, the more I am able to draw upon my own experiences and help figure out what I’m truly trying to accomplish.

This morning I had intended on going for a short 3 mile run. It was a really nice day and I hadn’t been to the beach in a while so I started extending my run not really sure exactly how far I would go. I didn’t put my watch on so I didn’t know the exact time but I knew how far it was to the beach. I continued down to Ocean Ave and Alta and went to the railing of the cliff that looks over the Santa Monica beach north of the pier. No clouds, no wind, flat ocean. I was at peace. But while doing some dynamic stretching, I just kept thinking about the hundreds of runners this past weekend at the DI, DII, and DIII cross country nationals and how I am planning on competing with a lot of them this upcoming track season.

It’s intimidating because I am outside of that collegiate bubble that they live in. And some of them, at the DI level, are some of the fastest runners in the nation. Obviously, not all of them all steeple chasers but they all still have that drive to win. The drive that I thought I still had. It made me question my ability. It made me wonder if I’m good enough. Tons of these thoughts running through my head. Negativity after negativity. So I stopped thinking and smiled. I smiled because I felt that sensation of blood moving through my tired legs. Blood being pumped all the way from my heart. The heart that represents all my hard work, the patience and persistence with workouts, bad races, the “don’t wanna get out of bed” days, the failures, the miles. The same heart that continues beating after my last interval in the workout where I literally can’t take another step. All of my goals, my aspirations, my dreams can be made possible by that sensation. In the end, it gave me more fuel for my passion and for my unwritten future.

I ended up going about 9 miles and felt pretty good. I knew this afternoon would be light so I wasn’t too worried about going a little longer this morning. I have all day Wednesday to recover and prepare for Thursday mornings’ race.

Practice was a little over 3 miles. Smooth run on San Vicente with Tony as we wondered why Coach picked the little things to yell at us about. When we got back to the meeting spot and did our striders, I was forced to smile again. Gunner, an 83 year old world record holder for the Masters Division in the 2000m Steeplechase, was being yelled at by Coach for the same reasons as we were. Gunner smiled at me as he started his striders. He told me afterwards that although his times are getting slower with age, he is faster comparatively and that he looks forward to setting a new world record. In the meantime, he is reading about particle physics. The guy is incredible. He comes to practice to workout. He clearly still gets some enjoyment out of running but the fact that he continues to push himself to his limits makes me wonder if he has any.

It’s days like these that I know I right where I need to be. To have a coach that isn’t putting up with the trivial crap that plague many teams and focus on the important aspects to running fast is awesome. To know that he does not want you doing anything he doesn’t tell you to, that he doesn’t want to see you if you’re injured, and to be prepared everyday for whatever he gives as the workout is exactly the guidance I need to get me to the next level. I think it takes a combination of factors to be a successful runner. I have some ability as a runner, I am taking advantage of an opportunity, I find innate ways to motivate myself even on the worst of days and I have direction from a guy who has higher expectations for me than I do. Believing in yourself is critical but having people work with you because they believe in you too is a remarkable feeling. I may have some days where my feelings change but who doesn’t. The original goals that I set, I still plan to accomplish them.

I don’t know what your goals are. But I hope you set them just far enough out of reach where they seem unrealistic. This is important because if you truly want to accomplish them, you will go that extra mile, above and beyond your own expectations of yourself, and make them realistic. Listen to your body and to your mind in order to get what you want. Don’t be afraid of guidance and family is key. Life is too short to have regrets. Always Remember. Never Forget. No Regrets.

Wore the shirt today…maybe that’s why I was feeling motivated. We Are One 365.

Nick

The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself.
—Wallace Wattles

I hope its a combination of sitting in a very cramped place for a long period of time and having a tough previous week of training as to why everything from my lower abs to my knees feel so incredibly sore and tight the past few days. I’m looking forward to this 10k on Thursday morning and would really like to break 30 minutes in it.

This mornings’ run was 6 miles at around 6:40 pace. Took a few miles to get down there but felt smooth on the way back. Listening to Wait Wait Don’t tell me is always a fun time as well.

The afternoon practice was at the track. I looked around at the beginning of our 200’s and saw the 6 of us all walking to the starting line and it was the first time that I got some chills about this upcoming season. There are a lot of talented guys on this team and being able to train with them at a level that I have never done before gave me an added sense of accountability and motivation. These guys expect big things from me and I know they are going to post ridiculous times as well. It’s up to me to take care of myself and, although I have been working hard, continue to take my training to the next level. Yes, recovery days are important and I need to take care of this recent tightness problem but starting next week, hurdle work will be implemented into the daily training.Walking to that starting line today reminded me that it is always a great day to be a runner.

Track workout: Two mile warm up followed by a series of 200’s with strider’s at the end. Lots of rolling out and use of the stick afterwards to try and get loose. 11 total for the day

Massage is definitely in order for this week. Loosen up the stomach muscles before dinner on Thursday. Yep, that was my Thanksgiving dinner joke of the day. Also, to whomever made the “no white pants after labor day” rule, too bad. I’m rockin’ them.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick