Gate River on the Horizon - Base training is OVER!

Well, another week in the trenches has gone by and I still haven't poked my head out to test the speed I've been hibernating away since the Olympic Trials. I think I hit a pretty decent amount of mileage this past week, and expect to feel the sluggishness in my legs when I venture to the track this coming week (tomorrow to be exact). I keep telling myself that I've been doing "base" these past few weeks and that this phase will end and the track portion of my training will begin. But, in all reality, my mileage will remain the same and I will just introduce some quicker stuff into my mundane training weeks. I'm typically overtly amped about running more miles than I drive in a week, but adding in some quicker stuff may bring some weight to my eye lids throughout the day. Either way, I'm excited to touch the track, as its been an obscurity to me since October.

As for interesting news; I've just been in a mileage daze to be aware of anything out of the ordinary. Most days seem to blend together, and are only broken up by the appearance of the different schools I substitute at. Although even the students at these indistinguishable schools blend together, as I attempt to fill the void of their teacher. I can't image how they feel. Aside from all these other interactions I make throughout my day, I have seemed to have met a wonderful person named Arlene, she oddly enough shares the same obsession of running as I do along with a balancing act routine in life. Her presents in my life has made everything more interesting and pleasant, as I attempt to achieve some kind of greatness in the sport of running.

So the next stop on this running circus is the 2012 USA 15k Road National Championships, or better known in Jacksonville by the locals as, the Gate River Run! This is going to be another stacked USA Championship race where it has been posted that 21 guys have run under 29:00 in the 10,000m or better:

Fasil Bizuneh - 27:50
Bobby Mack - 28:11
Mo Trafeh - 28:17
Charlie Serrano - 28:24
Mike Sayenko - 28:25
Sergio Reyes - 28:29
Nick Arciniaga - 28:29
Christo Landry - 28:30
Sean Houseworth - 28:33
Scott Smith - 28:35
Jimmy Grabow - 28:35
Tim Ritchie - 28:37
Dustin Emerick - 28:41

Jeff Schirmer - 28:42
Matt Llano - 28:43
Antonio Vega - 28:47
Danny Mercado - 28:53
Chris Chavez - 28:54
Ben Bruce - 28:55
Jake Schmitt - 28:56
Jesse Armijo - 28:59

Yes, that is my name at the bottom of the list... But, irregardless I don't consider myself a huge contender in this field, which only plays to my advantage as I will be pressing hard to stay with some fast guys that are more prepared for this race than I am. Coming off of pure mileage is going to be bit of a a shock when that gun goes off and the leaders blitz a 4:30 first mile and blow the doors open, leaving me and a good amount of guys behind. I can only hope to hold on and attempt to run a hard race that's redlining insanity! But, once this carnage is over, I will have a pleasant evening at my friend's: Pat and Laura's wedding in Jacksonville. This coming week should be interesting, with a fun-filled story to go along with it! Until then, happy trials!

Weekly Mileage:

Mon - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Tue - am. 8 miles / pm. 12 miles

Wed - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Thur - am. 6 miles / pm. 10 miles

Fri - am. 6 miles / pm. 14 miles

Sat - am. 12 miles / pm. 10 miles

Sun - am 20 miles

Total: 138 miles