2012 in Review

2012 was quite a year for me.  I can honestly say it was the most eventful year I have ever experienced, with many highs and very few lows...

To create a chronological reflection of the year 2012, I can first start from the biggest highlight of them all - the USA Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Texas!  This was an experience of a lifetime, and one that I will never forget, ergo Alzheimer's.  I know I have the ability to compete with the best Americans in the marathon, and other events such as cross country, but facing the difficult recovery from Cal International 5 weeks before, I was plenty happy with the results from that race.  Again, as I've posted in the past, this race was pure carnage, and I loved it!  Only 3 more years until the next Trials, and you can count on that race being just as epic as the 2012 Trials.

Insert Arlene Espinoza into my life and the year 2012 could have been capped off right then and there.  Finding the love of my life and the spice that has been animated from her has been everything I've dreamed of.  We've shared a many of adventures together, and I can only reverie that there'll be many more upon the horizon for the two of us.  Thank you Arlene for entering my life and fulling the void that was much needed for this lonely of lonely distance runner!  To enter some of the adventures we've concocted over the past 11 months are as follows: we had 5 weddings of attendance from February until August, one marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, 2 road trips to California(one of which was for a wedding), countless running and driving miles shared together in New Mexico, a pleasant trip to the Big Apple (New York), hundreds of baked goods created and eaten, holidays spent with family, and a grand New Years Eve Party!  I'm sure there are more, but I'll conclude that chapter of 2012 as it is.

As the spring approached, I decided to enjoy the free time I had and hit the road racing circuit with a few trips and attempts at some prestige road races - Gate River USA 15k Championships, Crescent City Classic, Bloomsday, and the USA 25k Championships where I finally cracked into the top 10 at a USA Road Championship race.  Once those races were over Arlene and I traveled to Duluth to race in the Grandma's Marathon along with Dana and Lauren Patton.  With great preparation I was hoping for a pr, but the warm weather didn't help and I ran a decent time of 2:22 and change.  Arlene however, ran a great pr, and Lauren Patton finished her first marathon ever!  All-in-all, it was a great race and it was nice to see the Heitzman's in their hometown.

As the summer came, everyone enjoyed the extremely hot weather with bbq's and sweaty long runs throughout Albuquerque, and on occasion a camping trip here or there, and one epic journey to Silverton, Colorado as my roommate Loren Wohletz completed his epic 100 mile endurance race called; Hardrock 100.  This was a grand adventure, and after having the opportunity to pace a small section of the race, I got hooked and wanted to complete my very own ultramarathon.  Although, I knew I couldn't finish a 100 miler, or even a 50 miler, I would hone in my sights on a local and new 50k ultra called the Mt. Taylor 50k.  This new avenue of trail racing was exciting and challenging, so that was on the horizon for me, but before that September race, I had a few more chapters to add.

In August, I was still on the hunt for a teaching job, and could only muster 3 interviews throughout the entire summer.  But at the last minute I was called to interview in Los Lunas and was offered a 3rd grade teaching position, which in fact would turn into a 3rd grade sentence-ship.  Nevertheless, it's a job and I'm doing the best I can to stay afloat.  Also, in August we were forced to move out of the Dukes House and rent an apartment up in the foothills.  And... since I had such a long commute to work, and my 4runner wasn't the most ideal car of gas efficiency, I decided to trade it in and buy a brand new Honda Civic.  Ghesh, too many grown up things happening all at once.  It was a bit stressful, and overwhelming, but it is what it is...

Come the fall, and all is brisk and calm, except for Hurricane Sandy and the fact that the New York Marathon would still go on... wait, no it's cancelled.  The chaos that occurred in New York was too much to handle; so instead, Arlene, Allen and I had a great time touring what was left of the aftermath of Sandy and enjoying ourselves in a new city I've never been to!  It was a grand ole time.

So, as the year finally ends, with a last minute marathon in Las Vegas, which turned out to be as disastrous as hurricane Sandy, and can look back in review and reflection upon the many events that happened with a smile and happiness.  If only one event was altered, I'm sure I would still be here writing about it and thinking how it effected the entire year, but in reality, I think it was all the little things that were not mentioned.  All the moments spent with friends and family that make you laugh and cry with one another.  Even all the missed opportunities that flew by, all the "adventures" we wanted to take, but were too busy to take them.  Well, being too busy might have been the right thing to do, because we really only remember the times when chaos confronts us in the face, and how adverse we are in overcoming them.  Without all the chaos, the year would really just fly by, and before we now it, it'll be 2022.  I don't agree with all the other people that claim the year went by very fast...  it's only because we look back upon a few moments, not the everyday moments.  So this year, I'll be looking forward to just one day at a time and enjoying each day, as it presents itself.

New Year on the Horizon

Well, as the new year approaches, I've been starting to hear a lot of people make affirmations that things are going to change once the clock strikes midnight.  I feel almost the same way as I sit here with a bout of sickness and lack of mileage being tallied away on the scoreboards.  But I do know, that after the last marathon I experienced and the minimal training that took place once I found out that I wouldn't be racing in New York City occurred; I should be stepping up my game and producing more miles.

I don't feel that there is a motivational factor going on, I feel there is a draining factor that sucks the life out of me.  Something sucking my will to live...  And of course it's stemmed to those ungrateful kids I teach...  I hate to type it, but I am exhausted after a day with them, and if I somehow knew how these kids were, I would have never taken that position.  It's a bad thing to say, but I can't comprehend how evil 9 year olds can be to one another.  I know I am the teacher, and I'm suppose to teach them right from wrong; which is why my soul gets sucked from my barely standing body each day I pry two children away from each other as they torment their lives just to make themselves feel better...

Well, I will try not to complain publicly anymore and express that the good news is that with the new year, I am halfway done with teaching, and fully aware of the problems parents have on their hands, or lack of parenting.  I just need to find a way to not be as drained from work, and run more!  Now that problem, seems to be a problem in itself...   Do I start to care less?  Do I just quit, as many staff members have this year?  Or, the one solution I've been missing - run in the mornings and evenings!  Run even when I'm tired, because it's only going to make things better!  My new plan of action will be to just run as much and as often as possible, and before I know it, Spring will be here and Freedom will be upon the Horizon

New Olympic Trials Marathon Standards

How do I start this post:

A) So, the new Standards are out, and many people are a bit discouraged with the bar being raised once again.

B) Why does the usatf want to cripple our sport when the options are right in front of their face to improve our fan base and public interest?  Does running a 2:18/2:43 really make those that are seeking participation and interest in our sport increase their efforts and rise to those new standards?  As if, because having an "easier" time standard will automatically make runners only run what's expected of them.  I don't think so.

C)  Bring it on!!!  Keep raising that bar, and just try to keep me out!  Cause, I ain't backing down and would love to hit that "A" standard to run another great race all on your dime usatf!  (Actually, it's the host city that pays for it, the usatf doesn't do jack shit for the runners, except tell us what to wear in the race).

D) WTF?!?!  Why excluded all those potential runners, families, and fans?!?!  Let's close down an entire city, block off all the streets and let 50 runners occupy it, because they felt that in the last 4 years all they wanted to do was have a chance to make the Olympic Team and represent their country!

E) All of the above wrapped and warped into one giant post.

Well, either way, all the talking and posting on Letsrun or tweets (I don't tweet) isn't going to change the time standards.  And, in a selfish kind of way, I don't feel impeded by the new standards.  I do feel disappointed though.  I knew this was coming, and knew the idiotic thought process behind the usatf and their perception of squeezing down on the lifeline that feeds them - the runner.  They (usatf) feel that by increasing the time standards, they are raising the bar, when in fact they are just pulling down the shades and blocking out the light!  The more they keep excluding runners, jumpers, and throwers, the less and less people will care about them and move onto more inclusive activities.  There is no need to push away all those talented runners.  And in my opinion, I'd rather see a bad runner have the opportunity to race in the trials, than a good runner out on the sidelines.

The new times are:

A Standard: 2:15 Men / 2:37 Women

B Standard: 2:18 Men / 2:43 Women

Alt. B Standard 1:05 half marathon Men / 1:15 half marathon Women

All I know, is that a lot of good runners will be left out, and I'm not going to wait until the last minute, or in my case, the last week to qualify.  My goal is also the "A" Standard.  So, when the window opens on August, 1st, there'll be a surge of runners going after it!  Good Luck to us all, and hope to hear that you're training hard and ready to race! 

Recovery and Reflection

Well, the worse performance of my life was this past weekend at the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon.  A combination of all events in my life from August until the finish of that race was the greatest indicator of how I felt.  Excitement, chaos, turmoil, frustration, anger, happiness, relief, and finally...... acceptance.  All this, crammed into 26.2 miles, is that normal or even possible?  Well, when you run that slow (for me), then yes!  I guess I'm not as down on myself as I could've been, since the New York City Marathon was cancelled, I was just going through the motions.

I've always been told, and have used this saying in my classroom that, "you learn more when you fail".  Well, I guess the only thing I learned was the fact that miles are VERY VERY IMPORTANT! As well as the motivation to race hard.  After the New York City marathon was cancelled, I guess my thought to run another race kind of floated away.  I thought I was excited to race a marathon, and hopefully win one, but once I re-upped my training, and fortitude to go one more month, I guess the fire was already dwindling away.  As for racing in Vegas, that city just isn't a place I'd want to be in for more than 24 hours.

So, as the long run soreness escapes my body, along with the self-pity, I am starting to refocus on my next training cycle and what I need to fix.  I finally wrote up a plan; actually, two plans, and will be running again by the end of this week.  Since I am still busy with school, and dealing with the fact that these 3rd graders need me more than I need them, I will attempt to keep my mileage at 90 miles a week.  It's not in the same neighborhood as most of the other "elite" runners out there, but it's all I can manage.  And I feel that with that, along with key workouts; the Boston Marathon will be a success!

A side note on the crazyness happening in my class...  One of my students' dad was found dead in a burning car in the Bosque (forest area by the Rio Grande).  That is the second family member death this year from one of my students...  It's a different world down there (Los Lunas), as most of these incidences are Drug related.  'Breaking Bad' is a reality, and I'm here worried about getting mileage in for a leisurely marathon.   

Sin City

As another marathon approaches, I wait for some kind of cancellation sign to warn me not to show up in Las Vegas.  Yet, the only sign I will be noticing is the iconic neon "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign that illuminates the strip.  And the Strip is exactly where I'll be at 3pm this Sunday.  It was a bit hard for me to pick another marathon, since I am already hyperactive about picking my next race.  So, once New York was cancelled, I had to, and got to, choose where I could race next.  The thought of not racing also entered my mind, but after the first couple of months at my new job, and the balancing act of training that goes with an Über crazy job, I somehow feel that I owe myself a race.

So, after my last tiny workout of the week, I feel very excited to get out there and just gruel through 26.2 miles.  I have no idea who'll be toeing the line, but I'm pretty confident no "big" names will be there.  The only thing I want to do, is run a conservative race, and enjoy myself out there.  I can only hope I have the fitness and fortitude to win this race, as I've never won a marathon in my life.  The Las Vegas Rock and Roll marathon will be my 6th marathon, and if I can pull off the "W", that would be an impressive accomplishment.  I guess, I could plan 100 scenarios, but once the gun goes off on the Strip, I'll make my best assessment and race with the best intentions to Win.