Macon Tracks Running Club

Well the summer running season is off to a slow start for me. I have just been running on worn out legs. The marathon takes it out of you for sure. I thought I could bounce back quickly because this was my 2ND one. Wrong!! Took a week off for some Achilles and shin splint issues. Those are just about gone. Now I have a left foot pain about 1 inch below my ankle. Hurts to walk on it.

 Kurt gave me a great 5k training plan for a sub 18 performance. Just what I need for my summer goal. Problem is that it entails a lot of speed work which requires healthy legs. What is a boy to do?? Well I guess I have to go slow and hope that this injury improves over the next several days. In the mean time I’ll try a little bike riding and a few “Easy” miles.

 Man this running thing can be a little frustrating at times. But when its good, nothing can beat it!

Run Strong Friends,

Sam

I have to admit I train pretty hard at this point in my running life. I try to run 7 days a week. I try to hit all the major training types with some regularity: speed work, long runs, mid-week tempos, hill work, etc. My internal goal is just to see how well and how fast I can run. It does not have to be anyone else’s goal, it just happens to be mine.

It’s hard for me to maintain a high level of effort for extended periods of time without some external motivation. So I find things that motivate me to do my very best. I try to always be training for something. Last Spring I was training to break sub 20min in a 5k. I also set a goal to place in the Eatonton Torture Trail 10k. Every time I went out to train I had those goals in mind.

Then in late summer I had the motivation to do well in my 1st marathon attempt at Chickamauga in November. It helped me focus on those long runs and those other days when I was tired and didn‘t really feel like running all that much. Recently the Boston Marathon provided the internal fuel to keep my training at my highest level to date.

Now that I have Boston behind me I needed to find something else. I needed an extremely challenging goal to shoot for. Something that will inspire me to train harder than I’ve trained before. Something that will push me to new limits. Something bigger than the Boston Marathon. Something that will reward me with a fitting prize should I be successful.

Well I found that goal. I’m shooting for the moon. My goal is to win an Anniston Woodstock 5K Bobblehead Trophy!!!!

It won’t be easy. The road to victory will be long and hard. They’ll have to be many hours of 400 meter intervals. Hundreds of repeats up that dreaded hill at the Children’s home. Long lonely 6am long runs. Even then the chance of success is slim. To win this coveted prize I would need to be 1st Master. Last year that race was also RRCA’s Alabama State Race. So the competition was very tough. I was second master, but still over 2 minutes behind him.

This year the race is even more prominent as it is RRCA’s 2008 Southern Regional 5K Championship. Runners from all over the southeast will converge on Anniston Alabama all with the same dream I have, to win the glorious Woodstock Bobblehead Trophy. I’m starting in a much better place this year as I already have one 18:13 min 5k under my belt. If I can find a way to claw out 30 to 40 seconds off this time I at least have a chance. But I’ll still have to run the race of my life.  

I now know the pressure Ryan Hall has placed on himself to do well at the Olympics. His is driven to bring home Olympic Gold from the games in China, I am driven to bring home Yellow Plastic Woodstock Bobblehead from the games in Anniston Alabama! Let the games begin!!!

Run Strong Friends.

Sam

Link to all photos:  http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/martins00/2008%20Womens%20Olympic%20Trials/?albumview=grid

Here are my favorite photos from the race:

Last week I sort of completed two marathons:

I trained for the Boston Marathon for 4 months just about 7 days a week. I spent many hours away from home, on the road running towards that single goal of having a good Boston Marathon race. On Monday I completed that goal. For that I am most thankful.

Also last week I completed my M.B.A. I trained (studied, worked on projects) for it for 16 months. I spent many hours away from home, in the office working towards a single academic goal of having a stellar academic record. On Saturday I completed that goal. For that I am most thankful.

Life for me is all about having goals. Something to wake up to in the morning and work towards. It gives me purpose and energizes me. At the moment I find myself pretty content with myself and ready to take a short break from major goals.

My goal for the immediate future is to spend more time at home:

• To lay in the bed with Bethany, my six year old, and read more books and tell more stories. She loves that.
• I want to help Brenley, my 11 year old more with her Math. I love Algebra anyway and she enjoys having me give her equations to solve.
• I want to lay around more in the evenings and watch Reba with my beautiful bride Robin. It’s her favorite show.
• I want to work more around the house. Clean out my garage, paint a few walls.

I guess my next major goal is to be a better husband and father to my family that I adore.

Run Strong Friends,

Sam