She Won't Let This Beat Her

A very dear friend of mine, Darcel Fahy was recently diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. She is 25 years old and faces a tough uphill battle. I have teamed with her to try and raise money for ovarian cancer research. I have dedicated the running of the Boston Marathon to this cause and in Darcel's honor. We are selling "runner's packs" through her website that is dedicated to her cause (www.wontletthisbeatme.com). You can read her story there as well as purchase a runner's pack that consists of a moisture wicking shirt and runner's bag. The cost is $26.20.

It truly is a worthwhile cause and you have an opportunity to be entered into a special prize drawing for each runner's pack purchased. Join me and Darcel in this fight and be a part of Boston.

www.wontletthisbeatme.com

Click on the 26.2 for Cancer link to the left of the page.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Taking the Plunge; An Announcement Forthcoming

I decided last week that my knee/quad pain was enough. I took the plunge and began physical therapy. Although it hurt, it helped. And yesterday I was able to bike and get back on the treadmill for a 2-miler. I'm starting back to baby steps, but with just under eight months to go, I've got plenty of time. I need to be smart and take it slow and be careful. Tomorrow marks my second PT appointment and I am actually looking forward to it.

On another note, I am going to be making an announcement here and on my facebook page in the next few weeks concerning my Boston Marathon experience. I will pass along that information by Labor Day or the week after. I am awaiting some information regarding this announcement that is out of my control. It's a rather exciting adventure that will only enhance the Boston experience so stay tuned.

A Runner's Life

I am convinced that the runner's life consists of moving from one injury to the next. Often the injury bug comes at us out of nowhere. We can go a year or more with very little issues. And sometimes we can get caught into a pattern of overcoming one pain and falling right into another.

The way my year was going (pretty much for the past YEAR), things seemed to be in rhythm. I was racing more than I ever had and I was not experiencing any pain or issues. The only thing I noticed since late spring was that my training run times were slipping a bit. I found it harder to run at the faster paces that I was seeing just prior to and after the Chicago Marathon in October. Perhaps that was the sign I ignored that my body was breaking down.

Granted, it could have been worse and I'm not out of the woods yet but for 24 days (July 17 - August 10) I battled what I though initially was runner's knee. Turns out I have had a case of quadriceps tendinitis. Possibly one of the more irritating injuries I've sustained because it really didn't limit my walking much. Actually, I could also run pain free. But the day after the runs is when I would pay.

Finally, after completing the Citizen's Helping Citizen's 5k in Indiana, PA on July 17 I had reached the breaking point (figuratively). I knew that the time had come to shut it down. As always, I struggled with staying active. Even the more simple weightlifting moves and core exercise moves engaged the quads and the knee. By far it has been one of my more frustrating injuries. I simply had to wait.

Finally, last Monday I was pain free and had freedom of movement for the first time in awhile. I decided to start slowly with a 2 mile treadmill jog and then followed that up with a 2.5 mile treadmill jog on Thursday. Last night I couldn't help myself and went to run the Richland Community Days 5k where I placed first in my age group and 13th overall with a time of 21:15. A slow time for me, but the injury and a very hilly difficult course explain that.

Still, the pain is back (although not debilitating) and I will trudge forward carefully over the next few weeks. I feel I'm going to have to back off of racing a bit through the fall and make sure that I am fully overcoming this injury before proceeding. With Boston just a few days over EIGHT months away, it's not crunch time yet.....but it's getting closer. i

Ahhhh, the life of the runner.

Two Sub Twenty's

Today I ran the 2nd leg of the Indiana Road Runners Clubs' Triple Crown Series. I needed another good showing after a great run in the April Fool's Run 10k. Traditionally the Hoodlebug 5k (held in Homer City, PA as part of Summerfest) is a hot and humid evening run that starts at 6:00 p.m.

Tonight did not disappoint with the race time temperatures reaching 88 degrees with high humidity.

Despite the tough conditions I was able to put together at 19:30 which was good for 1st in my age group and 18th overall. That will score me big points but won't be nearly enough in the race series.

Yesterday I ran the Rockwood Rotary 5k race on the Allegheny Highlands Bike Trail in Rockwood, PA. For the fifth time in my racing career I ran on back to back days. Each time I have gotten faster on the second day. This weekend was no different as I ran a 19:49 yesterday shaving the 19 seconds off today.

All in all a fairly successful running weekend as I was able to break the 20:00 barrier for the 14th time in my, now forty-six 5k races. Half of those sub-20:00's (7) have come in the calendar year 2010.

The Long Slow Road

Nine months and 27 days. That's how long it is until Boston. As I hit the road today for a ten miler (the one I should have done yesterday), I realized just how far off in the distance that seems. Even though I have a very busy summer and fall racing schedule of varying distances it still seems such a long way off.

As I struggled in the heat and humidity today and thought about the future so much is uncertain. I am not guaranteed of anything except being qualified for the 115th Boston Marathon. I still need to register, get accepted and then make it to race day. Lately I've struggled with my motivation, my energy levels and my overall running. Despite those struggles I continue to put up great race times. But it's all the days in between that feel like a very heavy burden.


No workout, no run seems to come easy to me anymore. It's almost the complete opposite of last summer and early fall as I prepared to run Chicago. And then I was overcoming a broken navicular bone and dealing with coming back into form. Oh, how I long for the feelings I had back then. I'm pretty sure I can get it back but for now it's a massive struggle to get myself out the door and running. It's an intense debate with myself to get moving on my lifting workouts. It's an overall struggle to deal with the heat of summer.


Like I learned last year, I truly hate the heat and humidity. I love summer, but for other reasons. I cannot stand it for running. Everything seems to be 1,000 pounds heavier this time of year. The long haul continues and I honestly look forward to those cool September and mornings to return.

Hectic Week of Racing

The past week I ran two races that could not have been at further points opposite each other on the spectrum. On May 29 I was in Chicago to run the Soldier Field 10-miler. A stirring ceremony celebrating the sacrifice of so many outside of Chicago's Soldier Field had me on the verge of tears. We then took off on a 5 mile out and back trek that came back along Lake Michigan. With race temperatures in the middle to upper 70's and high humidity I was amazed how well I was able to do. I wiped myself out physically but the effort paid off in the form of a

finish time of 1:12:37. That was good for 364th overall out of over 8,300 participants. I never feel as though I am a very fast runner. I simply do the best I can, but when you see figures like that....even I have to be impressed with what I have been able to accomplish in terms of running.

The finish to the Soldier Field 10-miler is perhaps the most stunning of all the finish lines I've ever come across. After running back along the bike path next to the Lake, you loop to the backside of Soldier Field and enter the stadium underbelly coming out of the runway tunnel and onto the field. The finish line itself rests at the 50 yard line in the center of the field. My only regret was not heeding the advice of my dear friends John and Linda Flanagan who warned me that it is easy to forget to watch yourselfr cross the finish line on the jumbotron. Despite several hundred self-reminders in the final mile, guess what dear ol' Vin forgot to do? Yep, but it was still amazing to run on the field. I will watch my NFL Sunday Ticket this fall with a different perspective.

Yesterday after returning home from the Windy City earlier in the week I went down to Roxbury Park for the Grand Old Lady 5k. It was an event put on by the Johnstown YWCA. Even though it was on my race schedule all along, it still was weird because I hadn't registered for it. Normally I am a pre-registered runner. I like to plan. However, finding the registration form for this particular race was not very easy. As a result, I drove down and registered just before the race start. Being on familiar ground is always a bonus and after running a race with 8,300+ the week before in sunny and humid weather it was quite a change to be running with 33 other runners in what seemed to be a torrential downpour. But just before the race start the rains cleared and the sun came out. It was bright and also humid. This time, I came across the line in 2nd overall with a time of 20:02. A relatively tough course with a few challenging hills made it harder than it should be. I've also felt as though I may be running too much, so the next few weeks I will monitor my running and try to sneak in some more rest where I can.

Pictured (as has become a regular thing for me on this blog) are the race shirts, bibs and corresponding medals for each of the races.

First and Foremost

Had been having some calf issues since the Pittsburgh Marathon and on Friday morning those issues returned again. I battled through it and took some ibuprofen and decided to go to Camp Harmony for the Race Along the Lake 5k. With Chicago and the Soldier Field 10-miler squarely in my sights, I decided to "take it easy" on this one and if my calf screamed stop, that's what I'd do. But as I have become accustomed to doing, I couldn't help myself. I found myself right out front with Jesse, who I met in the first mile of this race. He was doing the 10k and offered to pace me for the first half of my race which was largely downhill. This "out and back" run meant that all of that downhill would suddenly become an "uphill" at the turnaround.

Hard to tell who was pacing who but I decided to just enjoy the first 9:00 minutes or so at a brisk yet comfortable pace. At the turnaround I began the trudge back up the long hill I just descended and quickly realized that I was alone. Halfway back up the hill I realized that I would be a winner of a race for the second time this year. Despite the low turnout and the lack of someone to push me, I used "the hill" as my motivation. As a runner I have learned that I thrive on hills. Despite saying I don't like them.....truth is, I'm made for the hills.

Finished in 19:27 and brought home my second victory of the season. Even better? I decided to purchase my first motorcycle yesterday as well. Although I don't have it in my possession as of yet, I hope to very soon. It is pictured below along with the race shirt, bib and medal from yesterday's race along the Lake (which is actually the Quemahoning Reservoir in Hollsopple, PA).

7G

No, I am not inventing the newest generation of iPhone. I surpassed another milestone with my Wednesday morning run crossing over the 7,000 mile mark all time. Normally I celebrate these minor milestones but for some reason I was asleep at the switch and missed the fact that I had surpassed the mark until I was logging my workout into my log yesterday.

I looked back to see when I had crossed the 6,000 mile mark and to my surprise I had hit that number on June 23, 2009. As a result I am encouraged that I have done 1,000 miles in just under 11 months time. Since I began running seven plus years ago I have always strived to run 1,000 miles in a year but had yet to do it (Jan. 1 - Dec. 31). This lets me know that barring any unforseen circumstances I should be able to cross 1,000 miles sometime around Thanksgiving week.

But as we runners know, unforeseen circumstances have a way of cropping up from time to time. Still, I am encouraged to have done 1,000 miles in less than a calendar year and proud of my latest accomplishment that I will now refer to as crossing the 7G.

A Crazy Week

I have got to be out of my mind! Despite running a marathon in humid conditions and pushing through to a 3:30:08 in Pittsburgh last Sunday I decided that some well earned time off was in order. Chalk up two days. Wednesday morning I hit the roads again. I figured a light 3 miles wouldn't be too far out of line and so I awoke and hit the streets of Southmont. Just past one mile my right calf felt as if it had been hit with a bullet from sniper fire. A little light stretching and jogging worked it out and a daily regiment of ibuprofen ensued.

The next race on my 2010 schedule included a possible run at the Johnstown Christian School on Saturday and after my calf incident I wasn't sure I would do it. But lo and behold, Vinsanity decided that it was a possibility and so to make sure I had a day rest before the race I went back out Thursday evening to squeeze in another three miler.

Friday was a rest day and on Saturday morning I make the trip over to JCS where one of the toughest 5k courses lay ahead. The course consists of a STEEP climb right out of the gate for about 1.2 miles. That is followed by relative flat road for about a half-mile and then just over one mile of steep downhill running. Not the greatest of conditions for runners NOT having run a marathon six days earlier.

I decided that I would simply run the race and not worry about time or chasing anybody (LOL). Of course, that strategy backfired once again, for I am a highly competitive person. And I could not listen to myself yet again. Right out of the gate I found myself on the heels of the lead runner who is also a member of the Indiana Road Runner's Club. Only once had I ever challenged him finishing just 5 seconds behind him last October at the Red Cross Vampire 5k. That was two weeks after returning from Chicago. This was only six days and I knew immediately I would not challenge him. And yet I could not stop myself from wanting to finish second. As we mad the steep climb up that mile long hill, I heard the footsteps and breathing of someone directly behind me. But as we crested higher and higher those steps and breaths seemed to fall further and further behind. By the time we crested the hill, there was no way I was relinquishing second place. And so it was, on the 8th of May, 2010 that I finished in 2nd place overall in the Johnstown Christian School 5k in a time of 21:08 (almost 3:00 slower than my PR just to give you an indication of how difficult the course is)

Despite a pretty thorough week, it also ends one of the crazier ones I've encountered in my 8 years of running. It also ended with a nice trophy for the effort yesterday to add to my collection.

One To Grow On

PITTSBURGH MARATHON: MAY 2, 2010
Finish Time: 3:30:08

Above: My 8th completed marathon

Above: Inside of PNC Park just outside the bullpens.

Above: Make me a milkshake Malkin! I did another one!

Above: The Wall (at the expo; contained all runner's names)

Above: Somewhere just before Mile 6

Above: Minutes before the start

Above: Me taking the photo of "The Wall" shown above.

Running a marathon can be quite a humbling experience. Running multiple marathons brings experience. Yesterday it was that experience that gave me the ability to know where my limits stand and know when to back off and live to run another day. At the 10 1/2 mile mark of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon I knew I had become an experienced marathoner. Running in my eighth such event it was at this point in the race yesterday that I decided that pushing the envelope was something I really didn't need to do. As I had learned in Chicago, I am a cold weather runner. Race time temperatures were only in the upper-60's but the high dew point created a humid morning with a near steady rain.

Just past mile 10 I got the slightest bit light-headed. This, despite making sure I was careful to take on my gels and drink plenty of fluids at each of the aid stations I passed. It wasn't the scariest of moments, but for a split second I did think I was pushing far too hard for the conditions.

Despite my competitive fire, I knew that the "hills" were yet to come and I decided that backing off would not be the worst thing in the world. Besides, I had already gotten my Boston qualifying time in Chicago in October and a PR was not in the cards either. So I readjusted my expectations mid-stream and backed off the gas pedal. I had figured I would finish somewhere between 3:20 and 3:30 before I even arrived in the Steel City. All this meant was I would be looking at a 3:30.

Having crossed the halfway point on pace for a 3:20 I knew I had ten minutes banked to "give back". With the hills of Oakland and beyond still ahead I re-adjusted my thinking and stuck to my plan. I even took two "planned" walk breaks ranging from 0:30-1:00 each to save myself a little. Rewards for keeping my mile splits in the single digits. Despite the negatives and the fact that I wasn't completely happy with the end result immediately upon finishing I still came through the finish chute in 3:30:08. The positives that I learned today. My time was good for 360th of 4,022 runners. I also finished 35th in my age group out of 364 runners. My finish time was also almost an hour faster than the average finish time of 4:27:52. Finishing in the top 10% isn't bad no matter how you slice it. All in all, a good day and one for me to grow on.

Above: The course map at the Expo on Saturday

Above: It was a giveaway towel and yet another White Out at Mellon Arena for Game 2 vs. Montreal. Unfortunately, the good guys lose, 2-1. The end of one memorable day, however