Happy Holidays

I have been making myself verry merry over the holiday season catching up with friends and family.  I've been making so merry that I am writing to you slightly past my deadline.  I hope the holiday season has been good to all of you and your loved ones.  Relocating 1000 miles from home has made me very thankful for my time with my family and friends.
Before I departed for home I was watching the Chicago Bears play the New England Patriots and was dreading coming home.  The weather in the Chicagoland area was awful with heavy snow and winds.  Now the tables have turned.  As most of you know, the northeast is being pounded with near whiteout conditions in some areas.  I heard Syracuse NY has seen over 70 inches of snow...in only a month!  I can't imagine what it is like trying to get a run in out there.  Because of all this winter wonderland excitement, I have prolonged my departure back to the Upper Valley a few days.  Say what you want about Illinois Tolls, but everyone of our streets are cleared, even with our heavy snowfall.  So will be enjoying the roads in the land of lincoln for a few more days before I head back to take on the nasty Northeast weather.
Stay Warm!
Matt

Christmas Cookies Are Pretty Neat!

Hello Everyone!

I know what you're thinking,
and the answer is yes, this
picture was taken in Turkeyville, USA.

I hope you are reading this after a very nice Christmas spent with friends and family. I had a great time and ate more than my fair share of cookies and candies to last me until next year. I got a ton of awesome presents this year. My favorites were an iPhone from my parents, a T-shirt from my sister with a map of Michigan that says “I’m from here” on it, and some Reese’s peanut-butter trees that I guess were from Santa because they were in my stocking. All of those were great, but the best gift was from the doctor who I saw last Monday. He told me my foot was basically completely healed and I’m out of my walking boot and wearing normal shoes again – and way ahead of schedule – AWESOME!

I can’t for real run yet, but I am starting to increase the amount of weight I’m bearing on the Alter-G (at Michigan Rehabilitation Specialists) every day. I’m at 60% of my body weight now and am going up 5% per day as long as it feels comfortable. The doc told me that he was almost ready to tell me that I could go out and run but was nervous to pull the trigger for fear something might flare up again, so I’m still taking it easy for a bit just to make sure.

It was really interesting to listen to my doctor, John Grady in Oak Lawn, IL, talk about what was going on with my injury while being able to look at a picture of my tendons on an ultrasound screen. He said that the cyst in my foot had pushed through the bone in two places – one on the top of my calcaneus bone into my ankle joint and two on the outside of my calcaneus bone. Where the cyst had pushed through on the outside I was repeatedly fracturing the bone. That had been going on so long that the bone actually formed somewhat of a buttress around the fracture line. The harm from that fracture was also causing damage to my Peroneal tendon that wraps around the outside of the ankle and attaches under the midfoot. Since that tendon was damaged, my plantar has had to endure more stress than usual and has become extremely inflamed – even after taking time off for my bone to heal from surgery it still has quite a bit of inflammation. So Dr. Grady hooked me up with a shot of anti-inflammatory into my plantar and some brand new custom orthotics, which I’ve never had. They take 3 weeks to make so I’ve been taping my foot every day to give the plantar a little support and relief. I’m really excited I’ve finally got everything in my foot figured out and on the right track, and even more excited that I’ll be able to run pain free for the first time in years!!! All said and done, Dr. Grady spent 2 hours with me in his office and I can’t thank him enough for all of his help.

This is all very cool stuff for me and I was Fired Up(!!!!) when I walked out of the doctor’s office, then had to drive through a stupid Midwest blizzard from Chicago back to Ann Arbor and didn’t get back until 2 AM. While I was driving, I realized that I will be running in Santa Barbara in just a couple short weeks and suddenly, the blizzard did not matter. 

mmmmm xmas cookies

Parent's Christmas Tree.

I went to a Michigan Bball game.

Reese's, Shirt, iPhone...!

-Lex

'Tis the Season

The Days in 2010 are quickly and relentlessly winding down.  The holidays are upon us, the daylight hours dwindling, and it’s just Brian and I left at the house.  With the entire ITA roster out visiting family or warmer weather, Brian and I, the two sole New Englanders (represent), are left behind to hold down the fort.  Our days have been filled with frantic last minute Christmas shopping, frigid runs, and festive movie watching (who knew there were so many Christmas movies on TV?).  But today marks the last full day in town for us last remainders, as Brian and I will both embark home, leaving behind the jovial haven which is the Upper Valley.  But never fear, we will be back, returning and reuniting at the beginning of 2011.  Bellies full of holiday feasts, and spirits lifted by family cheer, the ITA team looks forward to 2011, where we will release the fury and ignite forth onto great horizons.  So from all of us here at ITA, we wish you all a great holiday festivous and a joyous new year.

Until next time, nothing but the Truth,

Ben

It's Always Sunny in Gainesville...

...Even when it's a tad bit chilly. This week I am writing to you all from Gainesville, FL where I am enjoying an early Christmas break. Unfortunately for me Florida has been experiencing a cold spell much like the rest of the country. While the weather hasn't been ideal for sunbathing, it has made for some quality running. This past Tuesday I completed a "Lady Michigan"- a workout which alternates between interval and tempo pace runs. The original workout, created by former University of Michigan coach, Ron Warhurst, is slightly more lengthy. T.C.O.B., it's what I do.

Its freakin freezing in here Mr. Bigglesworth!

Good Morning,
I hope everyone is staying warm!! It has been a very cold past couple of weeks minus monday when it reached a record high 50 degrees....... and on tuesday it was right back down to 18! Gotta love this New England weather. Speaking of that on our long run on Sunday we started out at about 34 degrees in rain and within the first 5 miles it went from rain to sleet to snow to rain back to snow back to sleet and then eventually for the rest of the run it was just a cold rain. That didn't phase us to much as we picked up the pace throughout the whole run and my last 5 miles of my 15 miler were in the low 5:50's! By the end of our run it was about 40 degrees.

Like I said above on Monday it was a record high but by the same time on Tuesday for our workout it was back down to 18 degrees and the outdoor track was frozen over with a nice layer of snow on top! This forced us to do our workout on the Dartmouth indoor track. The work out was called the Michigan! We had to modify it a little bit by changing the tempo part from 2k to just a mile because we were on the indoor track. The workout consisted of me running a Mile hard followed by a mile tempo then a 1200 hard followed by a mile tempo then and 800 and a mile tempo then end on a fast 400! after every hard interval we had 3 min rest and after every tempo we had 2 min rest. We did all of this in lane six on a flat 200m track! Needless to say I was very pleased with my results as I went 4:30/4:58 3:23/4:53 2:12/4:48 58...

As you can imagine I was feeling yesterdays workout on today's run  but that was nothing compared to my hat freezing to the side of my head and my sweat freezing on my eyelashes!

As much as I cant wait to head to Santa Barbara for some warmer weather! Im definetly going to miss training up here in New England! Even though the weather can be miserable I feel that It gives you a different kind of toughness that you cant get in California. 

And on that note My  Nephew Frankie would like to say Happy Holidays everyone!

Happy Holidays!!

-Brian

Bonfire Story

Good Morning, 

So, as usual I am struggling with something fascinating to write about for today’s blog. In the last 30 minutes I have not come up with much but would like to share a story that I was telling Brian earlier today. He got a good laugh out of it so I hope everyone will enjoy it. 

A few years back I had a family friend that lived in Chicago. She was 20 years old and a college student. She is a very small petite woman and for all intensive purposes is Taylor Swift. 

It is a week or two before Christmas and her neighbors are going on a short trip to some warmer climates. They have asked Taylor to watch their wonderful golden retriever until they return from vacation. Things are going fine and according to plan the first few nights. Unfortunately and sadly on the third night an unexpected event occurs. The dog decides to pass away - honorably and painlessly in his sleep. 

Taylor needless to say is sad and slightly nervous to tell the owners about what had happened to the dog while they were away. Fortunately, for Taylor, the owners where very understanding and not too surprised about the event. The dog was getting old and they knew this day was coming. Taylor, then proceeded to ask the owners what to do with the dog? They instructed her to take the dog to the local vet were they could take care of the K-9 in the proper manner.

Now, Taylor Swift is not a body builder by any means. She had no idea how she was going to get the dog from crowded Chicago to the vet. Taylor, however, is motivated and an innovator. With a little ingeniousness and creativity she had a solution. 

In the closet was a large suitcase with rollers. The dog weighed roughly 100lbs and Taylor had no prayer to try and carry it. The decision was made that it would be much easier to get in and out of public transportation if she rolled it in a suitcase. She thought she was a genius!!!!!

She grabbed her coat, loaded the dog into the suitcase and headed out. As she walked down the street she complimented herself on how innovative her plan was. Until she arrived at the 30-40 step staircase that was needed to be climbed to get to the people mover. As she struggled to get the suitcase up the steps a man notices her situation and asks if he can be of assistance. As they arrived at the top of the staircase the man comments on how heavy the suitcase was and asked “What do you have in that suitcase?” 

Taylor, is now put in an awkward situation. She debates on whether to tell him the truth. She is concerned about how he will react if she tells him there is a dog in this suitcase. After a slight hesitation she decided to make up a false object(in this case objects) that were occupying the suitcase. She responded "I am hauling computer parts in the suitcase." 

Before she even could blink the next thing she knew was that she was on the ground and slightly disoriented. The man had shoved her to the floor and ran off with what he thought was computer parts!!!!!!!!! 

It is unbelievable what some people will do in todays world. Serves the man right for stealing! I would love to see the look on his face when he gets back to his home and opens up the suitcase to find a dog!!!!!!!!

In closing, I hope that you all enjoyed the story. It is a good one to tell around a bonfire or during an awkward silence.

Everyone have a safe and Merry Christmas. I will be headed back to Michigan in the next few days and according to the weather channel training is going to be snow filled while I am there!!!!!!

Happy Holidays!

David 

Looking forward to warmer temps...

Well the date and location have been set (tentatively) for our departure for warmer weather, January 12 Santa Barbara.  That's 5 weeks from today.  It's nice to be able to start the count down, because today was the coldest yet at a chilly high of 24 degrees.  It doesn't look like it is going to get much warmer anytime soon.

Our initiative to start implementing the NYRR Mighty Milers program is coming along.  We have collectively reached out to over 15 schools in the Upper Valley.  We've noticed that best way to reach out to the schools is by contacting the PE teachers, and many of them are very excited to hear more about our plans for the program.  We have also begun looking for schools in California that we could work with during our stay there. 

The team looks good as we continue with our training in preparation for the track season.  The team had a great debut at Manchester Road Race.  Look for some of the team to compete next at the Millennium Mile on New Year's Day.

Matt

Seasons Greetings: From Michigan

Sorry, I had to do that...

Hello Everyone, This is Lex Williams reporting from my parents couch in Michigan. Things have been progressing nicely for me as far as training/recovering from surgery goes. I’ve been biking now for just over two weeks and I’m up to 40 minutes per day! Also the last 4 days I’ve been able to get on an Alter-G treadmill at Michigan Rehabilitation Specialists (MRS). This is where my former coach, Ron Warhurst, works out of.

For those of you who don’t know what an Alter-G treadmill is, it’s a treadmill encased in a pressurized bubble that allows you to “Alter” Gravity and run at a percentage of your body weight. Every day, I go in to MRS and put on some compression shorts made of a material similar to what you’d see used for a wetsuit. The shorts have a zipper around the top so when I’m ready, I step on the treadmill and zip in to the bubble. I hit a couple buttons on the touch-screen and the bubble inflates, lifting me off the treadmill track and calibrating for my weight. I can offset up to 80% of my weight to run on as little as 20% of my actual bodyweight, which is what I’m doing currently.

Here's a short clip of my first or second day, That's Ronny standing next to the treadmill. Camera work by Josh Perrin:



Before starting I spoke with Dr. John Grady, who performed my foot surgery in Chicago on November 5th. Dr. Grady did some research and spoke with a colleague about the use of the Alter-G as a tool to help me get back to running faster. He came up with a nice progression to add 10 minutes, 15% of my bodyweight, and some incline to my session each week. I’m very fortunate to be able to use the Alter-G because it allows me to start getting used to the running motion again so soon, even if it is just at a fraction of my weight. I’ll be way farther ahead when I get off the treadmill to do some real running for the first time. Even in just four days, I feel like I've made some big improvements with my foot's mobility and readjusting my legs and body to the motion of running

I’m staying in Michigan until after Christmas and will join back up with my teammates in the Upper Valley shortly after. I can’t wait to get back with the team and my home in NH. Live Free or Die!

-Lex

Whelp, Howdy There Folks

Life in the Upper Valley has been quite delicious of late, full of Thanksgiving feasts (I had three) and miles ran. It would be easy to go forth and talk about these epic turkey spreads, of the team’s inaugural race, or of how the training and community service work have been progressing. Even to waggle the chin regarding the recent duck hunting adventures on frozen waters, or of my physical therapy sessions to get movement back into my healing toe (side note: in good news, my therapist believes that although I cannot currently bend my toe per se, I should, in time, gain back full range of motion) would be a pleasure. But alas, none of this will suffice. As I sit here at our dining room table, contemplating just what to write about and listening to Brian scream at the television in fiery rage (apparently he was unjustly, unmercifully and undeservingly killed in the newest release of the Call of Duty video game), only one thing clearly and joyfully jumps to the front of my mind begging, pleading, nay, imploring to be told. And that my friends, is of that wonderful day, the day of the year’s first snow fall.

Now don’t get me wrong, we’ve had snow fall from the sky already this year (psh, who do you think we are? Florida?). No no, what I am talking about is the first of the snow to land and accumulate in vast quantities on the ground. Okay okay, I’ll admit ‘vast’ might be an exaggeration, but still, the ground was covered and the trees white. And, allowing me to digress momentarily, I have to divulge, that while I have hung up my skis in pursuit of a career in athletics, something inside me always awakens when the flakes begin to fall, yearning for a world blanketed by a thick layer of deep snow. But I wander! Back to the task at hand. This past Saturday the team set out on a terrific long run along the banks of the Connecticut River. It was a gentle twenty miler, with a gradual (some might argue my word choice here) four mile climb in the middle up to the high point. Things were going smoothly, we were just clipping along having a grand old time, when, as we turned up the dirt road signally the beginning of our climb, the sky opened up, spitting snow with such flurry that our foot steps disappeared as soon as they were formed. A rosy hue emerged on my bare knees and I had to fight to keep the snow from packing into my eye sockets, reducing my visibility to mere feet. Lips pursed, I crested the top of the climb, legs perfectly numb, eyes burning from the onslaught of frozen crystals, and with the knowledge of still having nine more miles to run the simple question of “what am I doing here?” may, just may have crept into my mind for a fleeting second. But just as quickly as it entered, a deafening response boomed forth, erasing all doubt and uncertainty. The response, from the depths of my being, which shone forth like a beacon of light? “This... is... awesome!” A smile slipped across my face, as the kid inside me burst through joyfully. The rest of the run was nothing less than a treat. The snow had created a new world to explore, an adventure waiting to be had.

The snow has since all melted away, and our plans to vacate the Upper Valley to the refuge of Santa Barbara for winter training is looming. While the rest of my teammates are eagerly awaiting our western departure, I will miss the snow and ice. I will just have to hope for a few good snowstorms before we go, giving me due time to enjoy a proper winter, and rejoice in all it has to offer.

Now that there was a true story, until next time,

Ben