Today was the final race on my calendar for this year – the Rutgers Big Chill 5k. I try to run this race every year. I went to college (undergrad and grad) at Rutgers, so it’s great to be back on campus. And the timing of the race – early December – usually works out … Read more
Thursday was Thanksgiving – which means it was time for turkey trots around the country. For me, that meant the Ashenfelter 8k Classic. I ran this race for the first time last year, and I finished in 31:52. I was hoping to improve on that this year. This is also a big race for our … Read more
This week, I ran the Last Chance XC Championship 8k. It’s one of the USATF-NJ team championship races, and it’s part of the USATF-NJ Grand Prix. This wasn’t a big goal race for me. I’m still only five weeks out from Chicago, so I’m just getting my legs back under me. But I felt good … Read more
Last Sunday, I ran the Chicago Marathon. It was the first of my Abbott World Marathon Majors. When I ran the Erie Marathon last year, I was hoping to qualify for Boston. My time there didn’t make the cutoff for Boston 2024, but it did get me in to Chicago as a consolation prize. In … Read more
Sunday, I ran the Jersey Shore Half Marathon. This is the third time that I’ve run this race. It was the first half marathon I ever ran, way back in 2014. I finished in 1:55, and I was just excited to finish under 2 hours. I was also very undertrained, and about a week after … Read more
This weekend was the By Hook or By Crook 12k in Sandy Hook. It was both a USATF-NJ team race and a USATF National Masters Championship. Plus, it was a good opportunity – four weeks out from Chicago – to test my fitness. This race has been marked on my calendar, and I’ve been looking … Read more
This week started off great. I was coming off an easy week last week, and I cruised right into a cross country 5k race to begin the week. It went pretty well – see the race report below. From there, things went a little south. I think I overdid it a bit on Monday’s long … Read more
I survived the first four weeks of marathon training – including two peak weeks at 85 miles, a twenty mile long run, and two 18 milers. My reward? A quick mile race on Sunday followed by a week of relative rest and relaxation. I worked a down week into the schedule here to give myself … Read more
This was supposed to be another racing week – with a XC race on Tuesday and a mile race on Saturday. The mile race ended up getting postponed due to a forecast of heavy lightning in the area. And the XC race was quite hot and humid, resulting in a less than stellar performance on … Read more
This week, we start to put the “race” in “racing season.” I’ve got two races coming up – the Fitzgerald’s 5k Lager Run (which I care about) and the RRVR Summer Series XC (which I’m not focusing on). My plan is to race the Lager Run, take it easy at the Summer Series XC race, … Read more