Step in the right direction

Only got time for a real quick update cause it's been a long day, there's a big storm approaching and the already early Saturday deadline here at work has been moved ahead an hour because of said storm.

Finished 32nd overall today in the 5,000 meters at BU's Valentine Invitational. I was 5th or 6th in my heat, I believe, losing major ground in the last 100 meters. Gotta work on that. My time was a 14:55, and while 16 seconds off my all-time PR from two years ago and a little slower than I had hoped to go today, this race was a step in the right direction as far as my current situation is concerned. It wasn't a great race by any means, but it was much better than the last two, so I'm happy with the improvement. I felt pretty strong throughout but had a rough 1K stretch in the latter part of the race. Kevin had my splits as 4:45 through the mile and 9:30 through the two-mile, so I was running fairly evenly to that point. I'm feeling very aerobically fit right now, and with my long-term focus being on getting acclimated to longer racing distances, I think I'm well on my way to where I want to be a few months from now, as I look towards nailing a qualifier at Chicago in the fall.

This was my final indoor race for this season. It was nice to get my feet wet again on the track after a two-year hiatus and I look forward to dropping my times during the upcoming outdoor season. The next race of importance will be the New Bedford 1/2 Marathon in March and training over the next few weeks will be focused on longer strength work with a little bit of speed mixed in. Kevin and I mapped out a rough agenda for the next few weeks which will involve a mid-week track workout and a weekend tempo/hill session. I think that arrangement is gonna work out just dandy.

A quick kudos to Stonehill sophomore stud David Metzger for taking out my Stonehill 5000-meter school record with his 14:37 today, including a 30-second final 200. Fellow second-year standout Dickie Gerry ran an impressive 4:12 in the mile, just behind the winner and my Reebok Boston teammate - the workhorse Justin Lutz.

That's it for tonight. More tomorrow while I'm snowed in at home. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Remember, a kick in the ass is still a step forward.
-My Dad