Jeff's Blog

Ok after a workout the other night (since I was out of shape and it was hard)  I was think about the "worst" workouts I've ever had in my career...  So here's the list

5. Freshman year in college, first ever Deming workout.  We would run from the arena to Deming Park.  The only catch is that's 3 1/2 miles each way.  With a 8 x 1000meter workout in the park.  FIRST college workout.  Maybe not the hardest one EVER but it was a shock....

4.  At my high school there was a mile + long hill running up the hill in the back.  I use jog down and run up 4 sets.  In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't the most productive workout in the way of race prep, but mile long hill repeats SUCK...

3.  The return from Winter Break marked the yearly most dreaded workout.  It was a 1600/ 2 x 1000/ 4 x 800/ 4 x 400.  My Junior year I hit (4:38 / 2:56 - 2:58/ 2:14 - 2:15 - 2:14 - 2:12 / 64 - 63 - 63 - 58) that was one of my best workouts but it was one of the hardest at the same time.

2.  Last summer I was working out with one of the current college kids.  We did a 3 x 2 mile... I ran 10:23 / 10:14 / 10:16.  Josh SMOKED the first one and the suffered a SLOW, PAINFUL death.  I toughed it out through the grace of god.

1.  My buddy Tom and I did a 10 x 1 mile workout in prep for a marathon - 5:12 - 5:08 - 5:06 - 5:04 - 5:04 - 5:03 - 5:07 - 5:02 - 4:59 - 4:56 I was soar for a WEEK.  Even a couple years after college this remains one of the best workouts I ever did. 

This could have easily been a top 10 (or 20) list but let me tell you when you're running 3 1/2 mile too the place to do the workout and you keep thinking "*&$% are we there yet" and "did we start, is part of the workout" and really start thinking how you'll have to run back... that's classic.  It's one of my favorite running moments. 

SOOOO... I had my first night off in a couple weeks. (and the only one coming in the next few) So I met up with my buddy Denny and did the first workout on my way back into shape.  I was WAY to tough but it was a decent workout.

Here's the workout -

1.5 mile warm up/ 1 mile on the track (5:16) then 1.5 mile tempo (5:40 pace) then back to the track for another mile (5:15) / 1.5 mile cool down

Not my fastest workout but I'm on my way back from the foot problem so I'm happy.

Coming up here in the next few weeks is one of the premier fund raisers in our area.  We have the Bar Stool Open.  The Bar Stool Open is a mini golf tourney.  We bus the players from Bar to Bar and they play a hole at each bar and the low score wins the grand prize.  The event has gotten so big that we have 18 bars on 3 - 6 hole routes.  It raises a lot of money for United Cerbral Palsy and we have a lot of fun in the process.

So besides working 2 jobs I'm going jump in freezing water for Special Olympics, Bowl for Kids Sake (Big Brothers/ Big Sisters) and play mini golf with about 1000 of my drunkest friends... Gotta have something to look forward.  The next month may be busy but it will be fun.  Best wishes everyone.

Hello everyone... Im sure that everyone gave me up for dead but I'm not... I don't think.  It's tax season and I work seasonally as a tax pro and I've been putting in 80+ hour weeks sooooo let me try to catch you up while I have a chance to breath for a moment.

1.  It was COLD (below 0 temps) I had a foot injury so I wasn't running much so it wasn't THAT bad

2.  I had a foot injury... Saw that coming did yeah.  The ball of my right foot has been soar.  I'm setting with my foot in an ice bucket right now. *&^$*&^%& that is cold!!!

3.  I am back running.  I am trying to get back in shape by my first race of the 09 season on April 4th.

4.  Coming up on the 28th of Feb.  I am doing the Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics.  So the foot in the ice is kind of training...  I'm hoping for unseasonably warm weather that day.  Better for me... not so much for the people paying to see me do it.

OW and I'm on book 12 of the Left Behind series.  Very interesting books... honestly that's really all...  Been to busy to get in trouble.  Happy Singles Awareness day everyone... I mean Valentines day...

So I watched the new COMEDY Marley and Me.  Let me warn everyone that this movie is NOT a comedy.  Repeat NOT a comedy.  It is a very good movie, I would recommend seeing it but it is not the comedy that they have advertised it as.  However that got me to thinking about a few of those B comedies that some people not have seen.  Here's a few comedies that are must see B movies.

Nessary Roughness (Rob Snyder got his start in this movie with a small role) - It's about a big time football team that gets stripped of all their scholarships and must form a team out of the regular student body.

Swingers (Vince Vaughn got his start as a lead in this movie) - Great guy movie.  It's about a friend who tries to help his friend move on from a 4 year relationship that he doesn't seem to want to let go.  There are a couple of scenes in this movie that are on my all time list.

Office Space (many of you have likely seen this) - Anyone who has ever worked in an office wants to take that bat out to the feild.   "Well Bob, I wouldn't say I've missed it."

American Out Laws - Great movie about the story of Jesse James and the James Younger game.  It's not a western, it is a comedy

If you're having the winter blues and need some moviation...

Hoosiers (Still think it's Gene Hackmans best role ever)

Breaking Away (Make you want to grab a bike and race Lance)

Running Brave (If you can find it) if you can't find the movie check out this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOj0zjPzg-c&feature=related

So I didn't run the race that I had planned for this past weekend.  Seems the couple people I was traveling with dropped out.  So I found a couple people who said they wanted to run a marathon....

We found a marathon in Springfield, Missouri.  The Run for the Ranch Marathon is a New Years tradition as it turns out.  It is a race that people do for part of their 50 States and is a last chance marathon for the year for many others.  It was a very fun atmosphere.  The race was 8 - 5K loops (and a finish loop).  After running the first 30K very strong (I wasn't even checking my watch and I was still hitting my 5K splits) the finish of the 6th lap brought my race to a very painful slow down.  My left hip started throbing and I had to limp/ jog the last 2 laps (I was unable to finish the last 1.4 mile short loop).  Despite leading the first 6 laps, it turned bad FAST!!!  The marathon has a way of doing that.  I was glad I made the trip.  I felt VERY good about my fitness but I feel like I need to work on balancing out some of my lower body muscles to prevent this event from occuring again. 

So I will be limping into the New Year (my quads, not my hip anymore), It would have been nice had I held on and ran my 2:38 but it was a fun trip anyway. 

As the coach that I am, let me leave you with a few quotes for 2009 that I always like to tell the kids...

"NEVER! EVER! Ever, give up!"

"I won't lie, this stuff sucks.  So we better have some fun doing it"

"Only those who are willing to risk pushing too far will ever know how far they can go"

and most importantly

"Never let what you can't do interfer with what you can do.

Happy New Years everyone.

It's been a couple weeks since my last post and let me tell you it has been COLD here.  We've had a couple days this week were the high never got above 22 degrees.  I was able to get my long run in today despite the 20 degree high today.  I ran 18 miles.  This is liekly my last long run before my race on the 27th.  Best wishes everyone.  Stay safe.

Friday brought the first workout of the new training season.  It was a simple 1 mile - 3K Tempo - 1 mile. (5:12 / 9:22/ 5:06)  It was a strong first work out.  We'll see how it goes.

I'm finishing up a new book.  Book of the Dead, it's a interesting book, but it seems that it's part of a series that of course now I have to read.

The Book of the Dead (Pendergast, Book 7)

Seems that now I'm REALLY behind.  Both Brad Meltzer and David Baldacci have released new books.  The Baldacci book is the 4th book in one of my favorite series of all time.  I don't think I'll ever get caught up.

Divine Justice

The Book of Lies

Friday brought the first workout of the new training season.  It was a simple 1 mile - 3K Tempo - 1 mile. (5:12 / 9:22/ 5:06)  It was a strong first work out.  We'll see how it goes.

I'm finishing up a new book.  Book of the Dead, it's a interesting book, but it seems that it's part of a series that of course now I have to read.

The Book of the Dead (Pendergast, Book 7)

Seems that now I'm REALLY behind.  Both Brad Meltzer and David Baldacci have released new books.  The Baldacci book is the 4th book in one of my favorite series of all time.  I don't think I'll ever get caught up.

Divine Justice

The Book of Lies

So I hope everyone's doing well.  I'm finally getting caught up on everything now that the season is over.  So here we go...

So after my couple weeks off I've been working my training back up.  My plans right now are to run the Huff (Huntington Ultra Frigid Fifty) in December and then So back to Land Between the Lakes to chase 60K record that I choked up in the last 6 miles last time.

No Problem Right ?!?

Anywho, Sunday was my first long run since my time off, only 16 (Only?  Yeah it will get MUICH worse).  The only bad news it was also one of the coldest days of the year so far.  40 Degrees and a light rain.  OW and it was windy.  Bad news is that the weather will only get worse.  Anyway putting the miles in between now and the end of December getting ready for the HUFF will be fun.  No heavy speed work, mostly miles and pace change work.  Best part of training. 

The Cross Country Season concluded yesterday in the state finals.  Basically our #1 and #5 runners had the worst races of the year in the state finals.  Our other 5 girls ran well but in the end we finished 22nd of 24 teams.  We're young soooo it was more of a learning experience.  Life MIGHT calm down.  Likely not though.