Learning to Race Again

Thanksgiving morning found Ben, David and I amidst a crowd of 15,000 for the Manchester Road Race in CT. Live llamas, people dressed up like llamas, Teletubbies – you name it; this race had it all. It was an exciting venue for us to make our debut as members of the In the Arena New Hampshire Track Club. For me it has been a long journey to the starting line.

Almost 7 months have passed since the last time I raced. Following that race I spent two months with minimal running while combating IT band syndrome. The next three to four months consisted of slowly building up my mileage. I finally started working out again about six weeks ago.

Racing again after so much time away is almost like racing for the first time. It was hard to predict how I was going to feel, and harder still to interpret how I would feel while racing; racing is always going to hurt, especially the first race back.

On Thursday I approached the race as I approach all of my races: with a carefully constructed plan. I guess my inexperience road racing got the best of me though, and my plan went out the window. The race had a mixed start (men and women) and the women were quickly enveloped in the mix. Sally Kipyego blasted to the front, splintering the rest of the women’s field.  Instead of going with the flow, I decided to run conservatively the first mile, hoping that this would pay off in the latter portion of the 4.748-mile race. I reached the first mile at 5:18 and had already lost sight of the lead group of women.  I used the second mile (which is mostly uphill) and the third mile (which is all downhill) to make up ground. At the four-mile mark I could see a group of three women ahead of me. Despite closing the last ¾ mile under 5:10 mile pace, I was unable to improve upon my finishing place. 

While it is disappointing to think that I could have performed better had I employed a different race tactic, I am encouraged at how well I felt despite just starting up again.

In the Arena had a successful morning with Ben running a great race to place second in 21:43. David ran 23:14 finishing 25^th in a very competitive men’s field. I was the 11^th woman across the line in 25:50. I then headed home to Long Island to eat some turkey.

Complete results can be found here: www.manchesterroadrace.com

I’d like to thank the organizers of the Manchester Road Race for their hospitality and for putting together a great race! 

Toni

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Things are starting to get Icy in Hanover.. Yes it is getting colder but also our Ice Tub is finally up and running!!

My time with ITA has flew by! It's already Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner then a few indoor meets and bam! we are in Santa Barbara for are winter training!. Training is going great! After doing the Aerobic threshold test I am able to push my training to the next level with out over working my body. And so far it has been paying off as I am feeling alot better and going alot faster in recent workouts!

As for the holidays it seems like Thanksgiving has come an gone already because we had a team Thanksgiving Dinner last friday night and have been eating leftovers ever since. I have some video clips of the dinner but unfortunatly my computer is on the fritz so I wont beable to share our first ITA thanksgiving. Now its time for round two of turkey and desserts! I guess I will have to add an extra mile or two to my long run to make up for the double thanksgiving.

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I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!

Hanover News

Good Evening. Im David Brent and heres whats happening in the world of Hanover, NH

SInce my last post training has been going great.................until the last 2 days. All training runs, workouts, lifts, etc. were going fantastic and according to schedule...............till friday. Someone decided to put a tree root underneath some leaves on a trail that we run frequently. The combination of my foot contacting the uneven root surface and the momentum of my body caused my ankle to give way. My ankle is currently rather swollen and sore, but I will live. The only thing I can do is ice, ice, ice!!!! It has been rapidly improving. I took the weekend off and am hoping to be able to complete a full day of training tomorrow and be back on schedule for the Manchester road race this Thursday. 

Earlier this month I took a nice trip back to Michigan. It was fun to catch up with some hometown friends and see the family. I also watched the Eastern Michigan Cross Country team win the Mid American Cross Country Championships. Congrats to all of them. It was a great time and it brought back many old memories of being on the cross country team at EMU. 

We are currently in the process of contacting schools in the Upper Valley to start the Mighty Milers program. We hope to be in schools implementing our programs in the upcoming week or two. It has been a rewarding and exciting process and I look forward to our progress in the future.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate my sister Sarah and her high school volleyball team(Monroe St Mary’s Catholic Central) for winning the Michigan volleyball state championship this past Saturday. I was lucky enough to watch it out here in Hanover live online. It was a very exciting game and she played great!!!! I am a very proud big brother!!!!

http://www.detnews.com/article/20101120/SPORTS05/11200388/1361/Class-C-volleyball--Monroe-St.-Mary-Catholic-Central-beats-St.-Louis

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101121/SPORTS/711219992

From Hanover. Im David Brent and you stay classy Upper Valley.

Making Progress

These past few weeks have seen alot of new developments for the ITA team. We have now been in Mount Lebanon Elementary School for a few weeks reading to the students. My reading buddy is a third grader named Ethan, or "Cool Ethan" as I like to call him. We are well into a gripping tale of a little girl trying to make it back home with the help of some new friends: a scarecrow, a tinman, and a lion. I never realized how long of a book the movie would make.


Our second big venture is our partnership with the New York Road Runners' Mighty Milers Program. It is a great program aimed at elementary and middle school students around the country. The students will run laps around their school, gym, or athletic fields during recess or after school. The kids will recieve prizes for reaching certain benchmarks and their totals will go toward a national tally. New York Road Runners have set a goal of 2,500,000 miles for the 2010-2011 school year. We have targeted some great schools through out the Upper Valley that we hope to work with. This week we will make initial contact with the PE teachers and principal's at out target schools. So wish us luck as we try to convince them that this would be a great program to bring to their schools.

If you want to learn more about The Mighty Milers program click here www.mightymilers.org

If you want to see the best part of the Wizard of Oz click here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KSiyaqnZYs

Surgery, plus a video.

Hello loyal ITA follower,

A lot has developed for me since my last time Blogging - October 17th. To make a long story short, the day after my blog, our doctors discovered a large cyst growing inside the calcaneus bone in my left foot. I was told that if I continued to run I’d risk the collapse of the bone and, consequently, damage to my ankle joint from such a fracture. Basically, if a collapse occurred there was a good chance that I’d never run again. Within two days I was in for an MRI and Tim was consulting with some of the best foot specialist around the country. We talked it over, decided that surgery was really my only option, and chose Dr. John Grady in Chicago – one of the best foot and ankle specialists in the nation whose office is a reasonable drive from my parents’ house in Ann Arbor, MI.

So right now I am on my parents couch with my foot elevated for 40 minutes out of every hour, but an improvement from 50 minutes an hour for the first week post-op. I’ve been watching a lot of TV to say the least. I also took apart and fixed an Xbox with the dreaded Red-Ring-Of-Death, and increased my Halo Reach time. I’ll have to send my mom to the store to pick up Black Ops soon, I’ve heard good things. My sister has been picking up all the Harry Potter movies from the library. I’ve watched the first 5 so far, and #6 is on HBO on-demand. I basically fill in the rest of my days looking at youtube videos, browsing reddit and facebook, and trying to stop my dog from barking out the windows.

Surgery was last Friday and I just saw Dr. Grady yesterday for my first checkup. Dr. Grady’s son runs for Notre Dame who took third in the team standings at the Great Lakes Regional in Rochester, MI yesterday. It looks like they’ll get one of the first at-large bids into the NCAA meet. The reason for my saying that is that Dr. Grady was kind enough to stop by my parents’ house on his way back to Chicago to check on my foot, saving us the drive there and back. The diagnosis is I can start walking a bit with a boot Monday (tomorrow) and biking with a boot for ~20mins on Friday… That means, I’ll be back in the Upper Valley in no time! I am incredibly happy with how things have progressed so far. I have to take a second to thank the doctors at the Sharon Health Clinic in Sharon, VT for discovering the “ticking time-bomb” in my foot, Dr. Grady for performing the surgery and going out of his way to check on my foot, and ITA for all the support – Tim and Amory specifically - for guiding me through the stressful process of getting surgery, which Tim is too familiar with himself, and for setting up top notch health insurance that allowed me to see one of the best foot specialists in the country.

Until next time,

Lex

Here is a video I made of my dog, Flash...

Thanks

I had originally promised one of our teammates, Ben - whom you all know has been stuck aqua jogging with me in the pool for the past few weeks due to a not so fun injury - to write a really long and wonderful blog about how incredibly awesome aqua jogging really is. I agreed to do so because the very last time we had to pool run together (hopefully for a long while now that we are both running without pain...knock on wood) Ben was.....NOT very optimistic, something that is unusual for him. Now if any of you have ever run in the pool (i.e aqua jogged) you know that it really IS NOT wonderful and can seem like the most horrible thing in the world somedays! Anyway, the next day I had my very first hard interval workout with the team. It did not go very well. Lets just say, I'm not quite in the shape I was over the summer haha! On our cool down after the workout I started to think about writing this blog about how 'wonderful' aqua jogging is and I realized something. I realized that, despite how horrible the pool seemed compared to running, I was so very thankful that I was able to continue training in the pool, thinking how much worse that workout would have been if I hadn't been able to cross train at all.

Then I started to think about all of the things I am thankful or grateful for and what a lucky girl I am. So given the fact that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and that most people overlook it due to the excitement of Christmas, I have decided to make a list of the things I am most thankful for, one for each day of the month.

Things that I am most thankful for are:
1. My family - Without them I would not be here. They are the most supportive and wonderful people in the world and I love them dearly (even when they drive me nuts on trips home)
2. My friends - Lets face it, life would be so much harder without them, they get you through the toughest times like fender benders in the pitch black of night in the middle of no where (thank you Jason!)
3. My teammates and my coach - Without them I would be miserably training alone in a concrete jungle. I am so grateful to be part of such a fun team with a great coach!
4. Running! Without running I would probably pull my hair out some days, running is such a great way to clear the mind and let out some stress :)
5. My health - Without it, I would not be able to run and then I would just be cranky! Without it I also could not do the simple things in life that we take for granted like walking or even getting out of bed in the morning.
6. My education - It saddens me to think of children who do not have the opportunity to go to school and learn how to read or write.
7. Having a roof over my head - one of the worst things to see is a lonely old man sleeping on a park bench in the dead of winter, something I have seen all too often in Boston. I am so grateful for my warm bed and the roof that covers it!
8. Chicken, vegetables and people who are responsible for the invention of pasta - without them I might starve!
9. Deep tissue massages - While painful and often extremely uncomfortable, I feel like a million bucks the next day!
10. Doctors - While they don't always tell you what you want to hear and can even make you really angry sometimes, they have helped me overcome some terrible injuries that I probably wouldn't have figured out on my own (though given my injury history, I could probably read my own MRI's and XRays now)!
11. Cross training (ie the pool, bike or any other piece of machinery that has allowed me to train like crazy without further injuring myself) - without it, I would be in terrible shape and getting in shape would take WAY too long!
12. Having lived in both the country and the city - I've had the pleasure of going hiking both in the mountains and through the woods, swimming in lakes, climbing trees (falling out them on occasion), being able to run down the middle of the road without seeing a single car...all things I would not get to experience in a city. Living in Boston taught me how much more I loved living in the country! I have become much more outgoing and have met so many interesting and different people living in the city that I never would have met in the small town of Jaffrey where I grew up.
13. The seasons - There is nothing more beautiful than a fall day in New Hampshire, having two feet of snow on Christmas in the winter, the smell of fresh cut grass in the spring and a the warmth of the sun on a hot summer afternoon.
14. GPS and maps - without them I would always be late for everything because I have the worst sense of direction in the world!
15. Working with Kids - I have taught children from inner city elementary schools how to ride bicycles in after school programs. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a small child who has never even touched a bike let alone ridden one, whiz by you with a smile on their face yelling 'look at me, look at me, I can do it!' Kids are so much brighter and more intelligent than adults give them credit for!
16. The sun - Without it, the world would be a very dark, cold and gloomy place!
17. Change - Life would be really, really boring if things never changed.
18. Memories - Having lots of good memories reassures me that I've done lots of fun things in my life.
19. Hugs - A good hug can make anyone feel better!
20. Laughter - I love hearing people laugh, it just makes me happy.
21. My Eyesight - About five months ago I had corrective eye surgery so I no longer have to wear glasses or contacts. It was the best decision of my life and I owe a huge thank you to my grandmother for this. I can't describe how amazing it is to go from not being able to see an inch in front of your face to reading a road sign over 100 feet away!
22. Making other people smile - It makes me feel wonderful to know that I can make other people smile or laugh, even if it is at the expense of my own embarrassment :)
23. Soldiers - Without them, we wouldn't have any of the privileges we have today.
24. Fruit smoothies - There are no words... :)
25. Challenges - Life would be boring if everything were easy.
26. Meeting new people - because I talk to everyone and anyone, I meet lots of interesting people and hear really neat stories. I once met a man in our hotel pool on the other side of the country, who used to go to school in the town next to mine. He used to hang out at the little convenient store in my hometown that my grandmother was a manger of that went out of business many many years ago. The world really is a small place!
27. Sleep - I know that when I go to sleep I get to wake up the next day and start a new adventure.
28. Good Conversation - I just LOVE to talk, enough said!
29. In the Arena - for allowing me to be a part of this team and to reach my goals as both an athlete and an individual who loves working with people.
30. YOU who are reading this blog - thank you for your support of our team and our efforts to make a difference.

Thanksgiving is a day to remember the things we are most thankful for, even the smallest things that we often forget about. Enjoy the holiday, enjoy the food and remember all the little things you are thankful for. I apologize to Ben once again for not telling the world all about the joys of aqua jogging and how awesome it is as promised...maybe next time :)

Andrea

The Week That Was

So, I’m not going to lie, this week has been awesome. Good times had by all, suffice to say. For me, it was my first full week back to running after my turbulent little mishap a little over a month ago, and boy was it glorious. Thursday saw my first workout of the season: a simple six mile tempo run in the freezing rain (a good old welcome back slap in the face if you ask me), and Saturday I was able to kid myself with a shortened long run -complete with an uninterrupted five and a half mile stair-stepping uphill, ranging from gradual to grimacing. Needless to say, I was in Heaven. This week we also saw the return of “Just Below Average,” our very own top-notch trivia team, where we gallantly battled into contention for the win before sadly falling short in the final round.

But more importantly, this week saw the inauguration of ITA’s involvement in the program Everybody Wins. Everybody Wins, or EW, is a school based initiative which seeks to promote and improve reading in local elementary schools. Every Wednesday we all pile into a car and drive down to the Mt. Lebanon Elementary school where we meet up with our fourth graders and read to them during their lunch hour. Even after only one session the experience has been remarkable. My little buddy is as excited and fluttered to read as anyone I know, and is already whipping through novels like nobody’s business. Currently we are reading The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and yes I’ll admit, I am very happy he is such a good reader so I can sit back, bask in the story line, and admire the Garth Williams prints adorning the pages.

Everybody Wins, is only the beginning of ITA’s involvement with the local community. Currently we are working with various proposals to formulate and execute a plan to promote healthy lifestyles and to curb the rising obesity epidemic in America. Our plan, as ambitious as it sounds, is to start here in the Upper Valley by working with local schools to help instill an active and healthy lifestyle into the youth of the area. By focusing on the younger generation, we hope to inspire a lifetime of healthy living and help construct a ripple effect to other aspects of the community. I am very aware about the selfishness that is professional running, and I feel very humbled and honored to be able to be apart of a team that prides itself on giving back to its community -for it takes an entire village to raise a man. I cannot wait to begin working with more schools and implementing our new initiatives, as well as to begin to make a difference in the lives of others. Thank you ITA for this opportunity, thank you.

Until next time, never false

Ben

Top of the Heap

This past weekend I took a respite from Hanover’s increasingly chilly temps and spent some time at my beloved Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. While it’s been a few years since I last toed the line at this historic cross country course (a line that is ever-changing these days due to never-ending construction), I hope to do it again some time in the future.

The occasion for my visit to VCP was to cheer on my alma mater, Cornell, at the 2010 cross country “Heps” (aka the Ivy League Championships). Having been a part of four major conference championship meets, as either an athlete or coach (Atlantic 10, Heps, Big 10 and ACC), I can say that there is definitely something special about the Heps. The small size of the conference makes for an intimate atmosphere. And you are left in a state of tense anticipation until team scores are posted – since it seems like everyone has someone up front.

The allure of VCP stems from the inherent uncertainty in the race that the course provides; that and some punch-you-in-the-legs-hills. The first mile is flat around an open field. Mile two takes runners into the woods and through the back hills of the park – leaving coaches and spectators in the dark. The back hills present both a physical and tactical challenge. The constant turns, ups and downs make it difficult to see where your competitors are. Once runners re-enter the field, there remain less than 1000 meters to the finish.

Cool temps and a dry course provided ideal conditions for the race. Princeton dominated (as many expected), winning the team and individual titles for both men and women. The Cornell women had a solid race but finished a disappointing 4th behind Columbia and Brown. The Big Red women return many of its top runners so I am excited about their future. On the men’s side the local Dartmouth team ran an impressive race to finish 2nd (I was probably the only person sporting red cheering on the Big Green).

I spent the rest of the weekend in the NYC/Westchester area visiting old friends. I had a fantastic long run at Rockefeller Park where, of course, I managed to get lost. For anyone who finds him or herself in the Westchester area, I would highly recommend a journey along Rockefeller’s picturesque trails – but plan to do a long run so you can enjoy getting lost too.

Toni