Archive for March, 2009
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
Without sport this wouldn't be so weird
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Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
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A family away from home
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
Things have been going great… I have been able to get in some awesome training and sightseeing all in one. My friend Leyton has been cool enough to take me around the south Island over the last 5 days. It has worked out great because he knows all the places to train as well as all the sights to see along the way. I have seen it all….Mountains, Sheep, Beaches, Glaciers, Pancake Rocks, Sheep, Blow Holes, Glow Worms, and Sheep. I also drove across the craziest bridge in the world. It is only one lane and it travels Bikes, Cars, and Trains. Yes I did say Trains!! The trick is to pay close attention before crossing.
This morning I found myself back in Christchurch with a local running club. We ran two hours from the sign of the Tahake to the sign of the Kiwi along the amazing Port Hills summit road. Unfortunately it was raining and very foggy so we couldn’t see the amazing views. Still, it was rather cool to run a-top these huge hills on an empty fog covered road.
Tomorrow I will be heading back to Wellington by way of Train and Ferry.
Thanks to everyone here in Christchurch who has treated me like family. You all know who you are and it has been an awesome time.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2009
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Pacing Job..
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
Because everyone here in New Zealand has gone out of their way to make sure my trip has been enjoyable, I wanted to help out with their International Track meeting. So Friday night I paced the Christchurch mile to a winning time of 3.54. I took the field through the 1200m in 2.54 and felt fairly good doing it.
The local Maori people did a traditional Haka dance to challenge us on the starting line. It was a once and a lifetime experience to stand facing the Maori during this challenge, which I have been told was their war cry. Traditionally the opponent should stare back at their challenge to show they are not afraid. I believe footage of this is online with Flotrack.
Saturday night we watched the Crusaders Rugby game from the SBS box seats that over looked the length of the field. It was the first time I have ever watched a live Rugby match. It was an 80-minute long game with lots of action and plenty of injuries. It was very exciting to watch.
Now I am just focusing on my training and getting ready to do a little sight seeing. It should be really enjoyable and I hope to get a lot of good pictures so I will keep you all up to date.
Posted in Just Chillin, Racing | No Comments »
Front Page of the Sports Section
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
Front Page of the Sports Section!
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Milestone Mile down Jackson Street
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
After a few days of doubles my quads started to feel better and I figured I would be ok for the Milestone Mile. The morning of the race was a beautiful calm day with lots of sunshine but unfortunately the race wasn’t until 7:20pm. Around 5:00pm. The weather turned for the worse and the wind was gusting up to 40 miles per hour. Wellington was having a southerly move in which causes lots of wind in an already windy city. As I warmed up around a large grass Cricket field the wind was stopping me in my tracks and even pushing me backwards. The gun went off and we started down the road straight into the harsh wind to the half-mile mark. It was a roundabout that brought us straight back the way we came. My quads felt awful despite the slow pace. A few guys tried to put a gap on me now that we had the wind to our backs. I kept my eyes on them until I caught back up with about 400m to go. At that point we started to push the pace. It wasn’t until the last 10 meters that I put in one last surge to pull away from the field for the victory. The event was awesome with a great atmosphere. The local kiwis lined both sides of the street and really got into the race. Nick did the commentating which added an extra kick to the event. After the cool down we all relaxed at Lone star with some food and good conversation.
I want to say thanks to all of the people in Wellington for making me feel so at home.
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New Zealand
Friday, March 6th, 2009
My journey started with a 5 hour flight to L.A. which for some odd reason seemed to last forever. I had a quick hour layover before I was on my long 12-hour flight to New Zealand. I was really excited to have a row seat because I knew I would be getting up to use the lavatory many times due to my compulsive over hydrating. That was before I saw the man I would spend the next 12 hours beside. I could tell immediately that he was sick and now all I could do was worry about getting sick myself. If there is one thing I know about runners it is that we are all strangely paranoid about getting sick. I guess because it is so taxing on our bodies to try and train and race when we are sick. Once I got to Auckland I had to clear customs, recheck my bag and then take 5 min bus ride to the domestic terminal for my last leg of the journey. It was a short flight to Wellington and when I arrived I could see the hills coming out of the water, it was beautiful.
My first run I felt too good, which is why I got myself into trouble. I was running around a grass field next to the large and steep hills, every lap I would see this trailhead that just kept calling my name. Long story short I eventually found myself at the top of this thing. After enjoying the view for a second I turned around and realized it was going to be a long steep decline. It took me a long time to get back down and the entire way I was braking so that I didn’t get going out of control. It really was that steep….. Now my quads are so sore I can hardly squat down. When I got back and told Nick what I had done he just laughed and couldn’t believe I did it. Then he told me of a much easier way down.
So anyway.. things are going well, I’m having fun and I will get some pictures up when I get a chance.
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US Championships!!!
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
This weekend I captured my 3rd U.S. title for the 1500 meter. It was a slow pace so I put myself on the outside and made sure I had a clear shot to sprint at any point. You never know what is going to happen in Championship races so it is best to be ready for anything. It felt good but somehow before I finished my cool down I was already thinking about Outdoors. I realize the importance of staying healthy and being ready to race come the end of June, something I have struggled with in the past few years. I’m excited to leave for New Zealand in a few days to regroup. I will be doing a few races while I’m there however my main objective will be training. It’s going to be fun so I promise to give updates and take lots of Pictures.
Posted in Racing | 2 Comments »
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