Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Boston Marathon
Boston sucked this year. I wasn’t winded, fatigued, or tired when I finished. My ass –left side– started getting really tight (glutes/hamstring) around mile 12. I still ran great through 16, then 8 guys passed me in one mile. At that point I knew my race was over. I got so tight that I literally couldn't run with full range of motion anymore. So at mile 17, I stopped racing and debated for several minutes whether I should even jog in or not (risk of injury, am I damaging my body?, etc). I decided to keep going and simply jogged in the last 9 miles. I stopped to talk to people on the side of the road, talked to runners as they passed me, and actually got to enjoy the sights and scenes for the for the first time. It's way different jogging in easy and taking in the sights vs. racing in as hard as you can and staying completely focused on the task at hand. I still don’t know what happened – it wasn’t a hydration, weather, or fitness issue. Anyway, I'll be back with a vengeance - I'm still pissed.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mount Washington Road Race
The Mount Washington Road Race served as this year’s US Mountain Running Championships and the only qualifying race for the US Mountain Running Team. I’ve always been a good mountain runner, but never really in the ‘top’ pack. I knew I had a chance to finish top-6 and make the team, but very few people, including me, would have bet any money on that. I assumed I would finish somewhere in the top-10.
The race started and the front pack took off on a blistering pace. I hung on the back and for the first two miles I knew I was going too fast and wanted to quit. My head hurt, I was breathing hard (too hard), it was hot, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I remember thinking “This is the pace. This is the feeling of what it takes to be national class. This agony, this is what separates these guys from me. They’re willing to endure this pain and push on; I’m not.” Usually I wouldn’t be going this hard or would slow down right away. But my strategy today was to stay with the front pack no matter what. I was either going to make the team or I was going to die trying. I got a second wind after two miles and actually felt okay after the halfway mark. I had been in 8th place for a while and around 4 miles, I passed an elite marathoner for 7th. At that point, I thought I had a chance. Zac Freudenburg was in 6th and I had the confidence of knowing I passed him around the 8 mile mark of the Pike’s Peak Ascent last year. I worked on Zac and finally caught and passed him just after mile 5. At this point I was in the top-6 and on the team, but I couldn’t settle because I assumed there was somebody behind me working on me the way I had been working on Zac. I desperately wanted to pass Max King for 5th and comfort. I caught and slightly passed Max around mile 6. I couldn’t drop him though and he and I traded the lead for the next mile. I didn’t care who came in 5th or 6th between us, I just didn’t want to finish 7th. Max pulled away from me for good around mile 7 and I finished in 6th place. Joe Gray was at the finish line (I assume looking to see who else made the team) and I was so excited about finishing 6th and making team that I grabbed him and bear hugged him (not because it was Joe, I just grabbed the first person I saw). At the same time Joe said “Damn Tommy, we’re going to medal this year!” For every good race a runner has, we have 10 bad ones. This was one of those races I don’t want to forget. It’s an unbelievable feeling to finish top-6 at a US Championship race and it’s even more incredible to make a national team. I was in shock all weekend and I’m still kind of in awe.
(here’s a good write-up: http://ironboy.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/mount-washington-road-race-mwrr/)
The race started and the front pack took off on a blistering pace. I hung on the back and for the first two miles I knew I was going too fast and wanted to quit. My head hurt, I was breathing hard (too hard), it was hot, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I remember thinking “This is the pace. This is the feeling of what it takes to be national class. This agony, this is what separates these guys from me. They’re willing to endure this pain and push on; I’m not.” Usually I wouldn’t be going this hard or would slow down right away. But my strategy today was to stay with the front pack no matter what. I was either going to make the team or I was going to die trying. I got a second wind after two miles and actually felt okay after the halfway mark. I had been in 8th place for a while and around 4 miles, I passed an elite marathoner for 7th. At that point, I thought I had a chance. Zac Freudenburg was in 6th and I had the confidence of knowing I passed him around the 8 mile mark of the Pike’s Peak Ascent last year. I worked on Zac and finally caught and passed him just after mile 5. At this point I was in the top-6 and on the team, but I couldn’t settle because I assumed there was somebody behind me working on me the way I had been working on Zac. I desperately wanted to pass Max King for 5th and comfort. I caught and slightly passed Max around mile 6. I couldn’t drop him though and he and I traded the lead for the next mile. I didn’t care who came in 5th or 6th between us, I just didn’t want to finish 7th. Max pulled away from me for good around mile 7 and I finished in 6th place. Joe Gray was at the finish line (I assume looking to see who else made the team) and I was so excited about finishing 6th and making team that I grabbed him and bear hugged him (not because it was Joe, I just grabbed the first person I saw). At the same time Joe said “Damn Tommy, we’re going to medal this year!” For every good race a runner has, we have 10 bad ones. This was one of those races I don’t want to forget. It’s an unbelievable feeling to finish top-6 at a US Championship race and it’s even more incredible to make a national team. I was in shock all weekend and I’m still kind of in awe.
(here’s a good write-up: http://ironboy.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/mount-washington-road-race-mwrr/)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Week ending June 19, 2010
On Sunday I ran the Garden of the Gods 10-miler. Then I got in the car with my dog, Grumble Jones, and started driving to New Hampshire and Mount Washington. On Monday afternoon I got to Bloomington, IN and stayed with my friends Jimmy and Heather. Jimmy and I went out for a run and got caught in a rainstorm. Jimmy stopped at one point to look at the sky – the sky was turning a greenish color and the clouds were swirling. A few minutes later tornado sirens started screaming. We ran to a nearby IU parking garage and waited out the storm. And what a storm it was. Tornados in Bloomington, hail, and downed trees everywhere.
I didn’t run on Thursday (the day I drove from PA to MA), which was not only my first day off in June, but my first day off since May 15. On Friday I ran 4 miles on the Watatic Trail – a cute little trail in Ashburnham, MA that I used to run a lot when I lived there. Saturday was the Mount Washington Road Race (another blog). 56 miles for the week.
I didn’t run on Thursday (the day I drove from PA to MA), which was not only my first day off in June, but my first day off since May 15. On Friday I ran 4 miles on the Watatic Trail – a cute little trail in Ashburnham, MA that I used to run a lot when I lived there. Saturday was the Mount Washington Road Race (another blog). 56 miles for the week.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Garden of the Gods 10-miler
The Garden of the Gods 10-miler started fast. I knew from last year a few Kenyon’s would be there and to let them go. Regardless I started really fast and was in the top-5 quickly. I pushed the first big hill of the race, between miles 1 and 2, for two reasons: to pass into 4th and drop/demoralize that guy or 2) to have him go with me and tire him out. Either way I used the hill to gain 4th place. That guy ended up catching me between miles 7 and 8 and I finished 5th. I have a love/hate relationship with the race. I love it because it’s very demanding, but I also hate it because it’s so tough. There isn’t a flat section on the course and you’re constantly rolling up and down hills, which just beats up your legs.
Week ending June 12, 2010
Sunday June 6th I decided to go bottom to top on Pike’s Peak. My legs felt really heavy the first few miles and I thought about turning around at Barr Camp, the top of the incline, or right then and making it a short day. I decided to push to Barr Camp and make a decision there. I should have known it was a bad idea and was going to be a long day because I ran an uphill workout the day before. That alone should have told me not to run up Pike’s Peak today, but I also had a bad night of sleep, tossing and turning all night, and didn’t eat breakfast. The combination of those three factors was devastating. At Barr Camp I decided to go on to the summit. What a terrible decision. It took me 1hr 26min from A frame to the summit. I was walking (wobbling) most of it, I was out of water, and I was worried about falling and my safety. Some guy caught me during the last mile and talked and walked in together. If he hadn’t stopped to walk up with me, I was going to ask him to stay at the top a few minutes to make sure I made it. I was weak, uncoordinated, and not moving fast. I told Tim Parr the story a week later and he said “Oh man, you were in a bad place.” Correct, Tim.
Nothing special on Monday or Tuesday. I ran intervals on Wed: 5 x 3:00 uphill. Friday and Saturday I put in 7mi and 4mi, respectively, getting ready for Garden of the Gods 10-miler. 69 miles for the week.
Nothing special on Monday or Tuesday. I ran intervals on Wed: 5 x 3:00 uphill. Friday and Saturday I put in 7mi and 4mi, respectively, getting ready for Garden of the Gods 10-miler. 69 miles for the week.
Week ending June 5, 2010
Week ending June 5, 2010
I knew I was going to start writing a blog and started taking notes about my runs the second week of June. I don’t remember the first week of June very well. I do remember that I was planning on running Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day but decided not to at the last minute. I’m pretty sure I just ran the trails around Cheyenne Canon instead. This is what I can gather from my log book…On June 1 I ran intervals up Barr Trail. I did 3 sets of 4:30, 6:00, and 3:00 hard uphill with rest in between. Good training for Mount Washington and Pike’s Peak. On June 2, I ran a few hard intervals: 1.5, 1.75, 2, and 2 miles. I like to do back-to-back hard days on occasion. On Saturday June 5, I ran uphill intervals again: 3 x 7:30. 86 miles for the week.
I knew I was going to start writing a blog and started taking notes about my runs the second week of June. I don’t remember the first week of June very well. I do remember that I was planning on running Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day but decided not to at the last minute. I’m pretty sure I just ran the trails around Cheyenne Canon instead. This is what I can gather from my log book…On June 1 I ran intervals up Barr Trail. I did 3 sets of 4:30, 6:00, and 3:00 hard uphill with rest in between. Good training for Mount Washington and Pike’s Peak. On June 2, I ran a few hard intervals: 1.5, 1.75, 2, and 2 miles. I like to do back-to-back hard days on occasion. On Saturday June 5, I ran uphill intervals again: 3 x 7:30. 86 miles for the week.
Intro
My name is Tommy Manning and I am a distance/mountain/trail runner. I have been running since high school (minus a few years due to a motorcycle accident and three subsequent knee surgeries) and am still competitive today at age 34. I live in Colorado and train year round. My fall and spring tend to revolve around coaching high school cross country and track, but I still get the miles in.
This blog will be about my running: training and racing. I’m not going to write about my job, my relationships, nor my weekends on the blog. This is a running blog and I’ll do my best to keep my personal life and personal opinions out of it. I don’t want to be the guy who writes pages and pages and pages about his runs or races. I don’t want to give too little info either. I want to be informative so you the reader can get a snapshot of my training life.
I wanted to start this blog on June 1, 2010 and it’s now late July before I started. I’ll blog from 2010 and beyond. For a little background, my best times in 2009 (at the age of 33) were: 5k 15:38, Half 69:57, Marathon 2:26:57.
This blog will be about my running: training and racing. I’m not going to write about my job, my relationships, nor my weekends on the blog. This is a running blog and I’ll do my best to keep my personal life and personal opinions out of it. I don’t want to be the guy who writes pages and pages and pages about his runs or races. I don’t want to give too little info either. I want to be informative so you the reader can get a snapshot of my training life.
I wanted to start this blog on June 1, 2010 and it’s now late July before I started. I’ll blog from 2010 and beyond. For a little background, my best times in 2009 (at the age of 33) were: 5k 15:38, Half 69:57, Marathon 2:26:57.
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