Well as the end of the year approaches I am beginning to look ahead to Boston. I have already made the decision that this will be my last Boston for the next couple of years. (this will be #4 in a row) Will it be my last marathon? NO. I have no plans after Boston. I may run another Marathon in 2011 or 2012 but I am not making any plans. I do plan on doing a couple tris and other races through the summer I am not making any set plans after Boston.
I have also decided to run this race as myself. I mean no sponsorships etc. I want to wear my own gear and just race. (I have some ideas already) I am not against any sponsorships but rather would just have my own racing gear on. I found it to be fun to be sponsored this year by Team Marathon but unless they ask me to come back I doubt I will race Boston for them. When you are sponsored (not paid) there is other work your have to do and while I enjoy it I rather not have all that responsibility this coming year. I want to stay healthy and enjoy Boston 2011.
Boston training will begin around the end of the year. I am going to approach this year a little different then in years past. I am going to modify my schedule a bit this year to include more swimming and lifting then in years past. Also I am going to modify my schedule to keep the miles in check. In past years I have run several high mileage weeks and I know this caused my back to flare up. Recovery is also important. I have to stress the importance of stretching and recovery. I even purchased a pair of recover socks to help in this process. I think this approach should keep me healthy through my training. I plan on keeping a base of 20-25 miles until the end of the year. I was sick for over 2 months so 8-12 weeks of rebuilding should give me a nice base to begin training for Boston.
Well I did my first 5k since August and since I was sick. I ran 19:21 and was 10th overall and 1st in my AG. Not a bad run since I was not really training and it has only been about 7 weeks since I started feeling better.
What is next? Well I was thinking about doing Brian's run this Sunday in West Chester. I have run this race the past 3 years. They changed this race from a 10k to a 5 miler last year. This is a good race and a tough course but I think I am going to skip it this year. I think I am going to do a 5k the following week in Malvern. I am not 100% that I will do it but it is always nice to do a new race and since I have no really been training I do not want to attempt to race a 5 miler so I will stick with a 5k.
Sorry for the long time since last post. Things have been a bit crazy. I am back running 3 times a week and I also swimming 3 times a week. Slowly getting back in shape. I will be putting together some more blog posts this week that will sum up what has been going on since last post. Enjoy the week.
It is hard to believe that the Boston Marathon sold out in 8 hours. That is just crazy. I am glad I got in. I will have a post in the near future about plans training etc. This maybe the farewell tour of 2011 since I am not sure I will return in 2012. I have run this marathon 3 years in a row and this will be #4. Stay tuned.
Well looks like I am on the rebound. I am beginning to feel better. Doc thinks it was a crazy virus that I had. So I am taking this fall to rebuild and get back into racing shape. I am going to run but only a couple days a week and cross train the the other. I want to get ready for Boston 2011.
So I have been to a couple Doctors and have had all kinds of blood work done. All tests are negative for Lyme. They did say that it was possible that there was some previous signs that I may have been bitten by a tick. Honestly this whole thing has been crazy. I finally saw an infectious disease doctor and he basically said that I could have gotten a virus and it caused havoc in my body and now it will take some time for me to recover. I do have a follow up in a couple weeks so we shall see.
As for the rest of the racing season I will most likely not race anything long maybe a 5k or something once I am back to 100%. I am going to cross train the rest of the year and then begin training for Boston in Jan 2011. Thanks for following me. I will update my progress. Enjoy the weekend.
Well is has been over a month since my last post and the reason I have not posted anything is that I have not been doing much as in terms of training. I have been run down for over a month now. I have been to the doc several times and they have taken blood but we still do not have any answer. I was tested for Lyme but it has come back negative. Although it was negative I am still experiences signs of Lyme. I am putting all my training on hold since it is hard to run and train when I have low energy and anything that taxes my body makes me feel worse. I have more doctor appointments scheduled and hopefully we will get to the bottom of it. I just wanted to keep the readers of my blog informed as to what is going on. I will post more once I know what is going on.
This is a follow up to the story that I wrote about back in June 2010 about the gentleman who passed away during the Sprint Distance Philadelphia Triathlon. I received an answer today about what was the nature of his death.
"Derek's death was ruled an accidental drowning"
This post is not intended to dwell on what occurred but rather shed some light on what is being done to share the life that Derek lived. I did not know Derek and until I read the story I had no idea who he was. I just felt that is was necessary to find out what really happened. I personally love to race whether it be a triathlon or a marathon or even a 5k and when I was starting out I asked alot of people for help and advice and now people come to be for questions and advice and I try to help them as best as I can. With Derek I felt that he was someone trying to do something to make his family and friends proud but had a tragic end so I feel that it is necessary to help spread the word and give my quote "advice" or on this case the information I was sent. I was contacted by someone who is helping raise money for Derek's children and they asked me to help spread the word. I have added a link to my blog that will link you to all the info you need and I also will post a copy of the flyers that were sent to me.
Well the official training has begun. I do not like to use the word official because the fall is full of several races all leading up to the marathon and I run all year so it is more like a ramp up in mileage for several weeks and the a taper and then a race so I guess you can call it training. I have few races planned for the fall. Tomorrow night is the last 5k of the summer series. I did 7 so far and tomorrow is number 8. I ran 18:37 last week best time this year on that course. We will see what this week has in store.
Last week I ran 85 miles. This is the most I have ran in one week this year. I do not plan on averaging 85 miles a week. I ran this much to see how my body would feel so that I can judge my weeks. My back issues come and go and I just have to mange them. I am stretching more and doing more core work it adds to the workout time but it helps. Overall I feel pretty good and I am going to do my long run based on how I feel. I hope to get a 20 miler in withing 2-3 weeks. Well enjoy your training and keep cool. Summer is still going strong but the cool days to train are soon to be here.
Well July 2010 is in the books. I ended up running 231 miles for the month. This is a pretty good number since the injury and was a solid month of training. The last three weeks of July I ran 53, 57 and 68 miles. Now that we are into August marathon training officially begins. I am signed up to run Philly again this fall.
As for the series of 5ks I have been running there are two left. The last three I have run 19:22, 19:01 and 19:03. This is a tough course but I enjoy running it and all the runners are good which makes for a great racing environment.
Well enjoy the summer. Hopefully the heat will not be as bad as it was in July but August always seems to be a brutal month.
Will post results from the Westtown 5k series and I also post a course map on here.
"No one cares if you will do this run next year or not Negative Nelly. This was something fun for the participants and local folks, not someone who wants to compete in this type of thing all the time. Good luck in whatever ELSE you do in the future."
so this is a comment that was left about the firecracker 5k. I chose not to publish it rather make it a topic of a blog post.
First off.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog I am glad you stopped by and visited.
Second
This is my Blog. I can write whatever I chose and I can write my own opinions so that is why I have a blog and that is why it is called blogging.
Third
If you are going to leave a negative comment please leave a name so I can address your concerns
Finally
With the race I understand you point but without serious runner this race will fail. Races need the support of serious runners to help spread the word and make races popular and keep them from folding. Also when the advertise awards for age groups then they need to stick with that. I know it was the first year but a race needs to build its popularity so it can survive from year to year.
Well this was a new event in Broomall, PA. it was a local 5k. It was a good turn out and the timing was well done but the race director seemed to mess things up. There was only a prize for 1st int he age groups and top 4 male and females overall. Honestly I don't care about an award but don't advertise one thing and do another. I think the race director needs to get a clue. I probably will not do this race next year. I want to run the pickle.
There is still no update but reading some message boards people are ripping the Race Director for his actions. I think there will be changes next year. Also you got to remember they are putting on this event to make money. I know safety should come first but sometimes the bottom lines rules. They need to lower the cost and make the race smaller. It grew to fast. This is just my opinion.
So June 2010 in the books. I ended up running over a 100 miles for the month. Not a bad total after getting back on the road about 6 weeks ago.
I also did several races in June.
Here are the results.....
10 miler 1:06:28 5k-19:53 5k-18:53 5k-19:28
July races so far
8k-30:29 5k-18:25
So my plan is try and avg about 30 miles a week through July and then begin to pick up the training in August. I have not decided on what fall marathon I am going to run yet. I will update my blog once I decide and of course there will be a count down.
This is a sad story....Read below and you can draw your own conclusions. I have done the Olympic race before and this can be scary for someone who never swam in open water. I am not drawing any conclusions since they still do not know what happened but one thing they may need to considered is making this race smaller. The just added the sprint a couple years back to allow more to race but I think it is just to make more money since the price has gone up drastically in the past 5 years. I am for the sport of triathlons but when the focus goes away from the positive aspect of the sport to the negative aspects such as a death many questions are going to be raised. I will be anxious to see what the results are and how they will approach this race next year. Please feel free to leave your opinion.
Cause of triathlete's death still unknown
By Alfred Lubrano
Inquirer Staff Writer
Summoned by a lifelong desire to excel, Derek "Rudy" Valentino entered the Schuylkill on Saturday in an amateur sprint triathlon to test and push himself.
The 40-year-old Prospect Park mail carrier also wanted to show his two sons that hard work gets rewarded, a family friend said.
His wife and one son gathered on the riverbank to cheer his efforts in the sprint race, a shorter version of a triathlon, which involves swimming, biking, and running.
But Valentino disappeared after he went into the water at 8:22 a.m. Saturday. A search was launched after he failed to emerge by 9:40 a.m., and police found his body in the river on Sunday, nearly 34 hours after the start.
The cause and manner of Valentino's death have not yet been officially determined. A source close to the investigation said that Valentino apparently drowned, but that it was not yet clear whether health conditions or other factors might have contributed to his death.
The organizers of the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon said Monday they would give Valentino's sons, Jordan, 15, and Ryan, 17, race-finisher's medals to honor their father and the goal he could not reach.
"He always wanted to be the best he could be so he could be the best for his boys," said Samantha Savunikas, a family friend. "His boys admired him greatly for going after this goal."
She added that St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church in Norwood and the U.S. Postal Service were organizing donations to the family.
Savunikas said that Valentino, nicknamed "Rudy" after the actor Rudolph Valentino because of his good looks, seemed to be in top condition.
In addition to his own athletic pursuits, Valentino had spent years coaching and helping his sons in football, basketball, and baseball, she added.
Valentino was entered in Saturday's sprint triathlon, which included a .47-mile swim, a 12.4-mile bike ride, and a 3.4-mile run. On Sunday, more experienced athletes took part in the Olympic triathlon, which normally includes a .93-mile swim, a 24.8-mile bike ride, and a 6.2-mile run. The swim leg of the race was canceled on Sunday.
Participants in the triathlon were shocked when they learned that Valentino was missing.
"The mood on Sunday for the Olympic was quite somber," said participant Deborah Chamberlain, 45, a human resources executive in Washington. "There was not much chatting or excitement. It was very quiet."
Conditions for the race were fine, according to Jim Carney, 45, of Bala Cynwyd, who participated in the sprint triathlon and entered the water 14 minutes after Valentino did.
"The current wasn't too bad," said Carney, who works in finance. "There was a little debris, like branches, in the water."
Water flow was 700 cubic feet per second, "significantly less than average flow" of 1,100 cubic feet per second, according to Bob Hainly, assistant director of the U.S. Geological Survey's Pennsylvania Water Science Center in New Cumberland, York County.
Carney said that the swimmers were not allowed to wear wetsuits. While wetsuits aid buoyancy, they are forbidden when the water is above 83 degrees because they would be too hot to wear, according to USA Triathlon, the official governing body of triathlons in the United States.
On Saturday morning, the Schuylkill was 84 degrees, said Richard Adler, CEO of Philadelphia Triathlon L.L.C., which owns and operates the race.
"It's a tragic accident," Adler said, adding that this was the first fatality in the six years of the race.
Speculating on what might have happened to Valentino, triathletes said some swimmers succumb to exhaustion and black out. Others accidentally take in too much water when having panic attacks or sucking too much wind. Also, in the beginning of a swim race when athletes are packed together, participants can get hit or kicked.
"People want to accomplish goals, and it can get difficult," said Julie Deery, 45, a Bala Cynwyd mosaic-tile artist who participated in four Philadelphia Insurance Triathlons, though not this last one.
"Sports are dangerous. People die swimming, or in marathons. Something could always happen to any of us."
A bunch of much needed updates since my last post.
Running….
Well the running is going well. It is taking some time but I am getting back into form.I am averaging about 20 miles a week and will probably get close to a 100 for the month. I consider this all progress since the amount of time I was not running due to injury. Speaking of my injury it is getting better the pain comes and goes depending on the day. There is some tightness in my hamstrings and Piriformis muscle. So I am stretching regularly and doing my core work also. I did have one set of shoes I was running in but I decided that I needed a different pair since I think the shoes are causing some of my issues to get aggravated. I think before when I was hurt my right side was over compensating for my left so I did not notice any issues with my shoes but now since my body is working normal on both sides I notice small changes especially if the shoes are not correct. Also I decided to take a break from the Nike Frees. They were bothering my feet too much and I was not used to running in them and I did not want to risk injury. I think they will be good to use for track workouts. So that is a summary of how the rebuild/recovery is going.
Racing….
Well I did my first race since Boston on June 19th. It was a 10 miler in Baltimore. I ran 1:06:28 and I was happy with my time. This was my first time running this race and the course was tough. I will definitely want to run this race next year. I also began running the West Chester Summer Series last Tuesday. It is a series of 8 races all cross country. It is a 5k race. I ran 19:53 last Tuesday. I hope to improve on that time tonight. Also this past Sunday I did the running for cover 5k in south Philly. I ran this race last year and had fun. I ran the 5k in 18:53 this year. I was 4th overall and was happy with my time. I have an 8k this Friday and a 5k next Monday July 5th. After that I have no real races scheduled until the fall so I probably will be doing a lot of training and slowly getting my miles and speed back.
In other news….
I have been sponsored by team marathon bar. I have included a link to the site here where you can look around and check out the profiles of all the athletes. I am responsible for promoting their product and giving out free samples. They provide me with racing gear and product. If you want more info or some product please contact me. This is a good program and I looking forward to promoting their product and before you ask the bars are good and I like the taste and they do give me energy.
I will post more this week. I wanted to give an update of what has occurred since my last post. Enjoy the week and keep cool in this heat.
Well I am back on the road again. Running that is not traveling. I ran for the first time in 34 days last Monday. I ran for about 30 minutes. I was so sore the next day. Not running for 30 days does make a difference. My endurance is still there but my legs are not at fill speed. I ended up logging 18 miles for the week. I am beginning to feel better. I am alternating my running days and the days I do not run I am swimming which is nice break.
I ran today and logged 6 miles in a new pair of NIKE 5.o Free. I definitely felt the difference when running with these. I will incorporate them into my runs. It will take time to get back to full speed. I am glad I did take the month off and get better. As I said I do have some soreness but that is to be expected since I am just beginning to run again.
So what is on tap for the summer?
Well I am going to do the Chester County Running Store summer series. It is a series of 8 cross county races at the Westtown School spread out throughout the summer. This will allow me to race and also work on speed.
Also I am doing the Baltimore 10 miler which in on June 19th in Baltimore MD. This race is capped at 4000 so it should be a nice race without a large crowd.
But one of the most important races is Running for Cover on June 27th. Click on this link or go here
you want to join team ELBO. Any questions let me know. Also if you beat me I will buy you a beer. This is a fun event and it will give you an excuse to race. Well I will keep the blog more update as my running begins to take shape. Stay cool, hydrate and wear sunscreen.
Well I am done with PT right now. Back feel pretty good. I plan on begin to start running again next week. Hopefully run a couple days a week until I feel that I can handle running 6-7 days. I plan on also cross training and continue to stretch and do weights and core work. I will keep an update on how things are going. Enjoy the rest of the week.
Looking to do a good deed this summer. Check out the link for fresh air families.
Here is what they did last year:
In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes FOR up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.
So 2 weeks have passed since Boston and things are getting better. Back is doing better, foot and leg feel good. I hope to be running in 3 weeks we shall see. PT has been great. It is amazing what PT can help with and how it helps you get better and stronger in ways that I never knew.I will keep my fans updated on my progress.
I did help out at the Broad Street run this year. It was hard because I wanted to run but chose not to. I must say it was different seeing the race develop from the other side. The volunteers make huge difference and really help the race. I recommend that anyone who is a serious runner volunteer at a race and see what goes into the prep. I will be back at Broad Street next year. Well enjoy the warm weather and stay hydrated.
Well a week has passed and I am beginning to feel better. All the soreness is gone from the Marathon. I am now in rehab mode. I am doing PT two times a week and stretching and doing other exercises various times a day. I feel better but I am not going to rush it. I plan on taking about 3 weeks off from running then get back into in June and then begin to increase mileage over the summer with plan to race a fall marathon. Most likely I will race Philly in Nov.
I am swimming and doing alot of low impact cardio work.
This weekend is Broad Street. I originally had planned to run but I decided not to run do to my back. This is a great 10 miler but with 30,000 runners I think it maybe a nightmare this year plus the Phils play that night and so might the Flyers. The weather looks nice so I may go check out the race from the sidelines.
Here is Mike Danko’s race report on the 114th running of the Boston Marathon. So sit back and grab a Gatorade because I am going to take you along the famous journey through Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston.
Before I begin the actually race report. Let me refresh everyone of how the journey began.
My training began back in Dec 2009. I was following my usually 16 week program.Then we had the most snow ever in the Philadelphia area. 70 plus inches. I trained through that. Then the back issues started. I was diagnosed with l4/l5 partial herniated disk. So I stopped running and got treatment (PT and Cortisone Shots). I began pool running and some light road running. I was about 300 miles less than last year in mileage going into Boston. I had managed to get two 20 plus mile runs in and also I had done some high mileage weeks and my base was high during the month of December so I was not worried. So as I approached the Marathon date I decided to run and whatever happened, happened. I was going to have fun no matter what.
Fast forward to Friday April 16th. Jen and I head out we arrive in Boston around 2pm check into the hotel and then head to the Expo. Got my race stuff and even more free stuff. A free bag and arm warmers from Brooks and a free race jersey, hat and case of mix1 juice from race menu. So I was pleased free gear is always nice. After the Expo we chilled and then Head to Fenway. We watch the game for a few innings and then headed out. It was so cold and I did not want to get sick so we headed back to the Hotel
Saturday got up quick run on the treadmill (raining out) and then went to the JFK museum and did some other fun things. Had dinner with another buddy who was running the race.
Sunday just did some things around Boston. It was raining again. Got all my race gear ready.
Ok now to the race…time to toe the line
Monday (Race Day)
Got up around 4:30. Showered and got dressed. Met my buddy around 5:45 for the buses and we waited. We boarded the bus and headed out around 6:10. After about 45 minutes on the Bus we were at athlete’s village.We setup camp and relaxed. We got a spot in the sun so that we could stay warm. The time really goes by fast here. You are either lying around or waiting in line for the porta potties. Around 8:30 I got ready and waiting to begin the trek to the starting line. I met up with the people from race menu real quick and then dropped my gear off and walked to the corrals. It was cool to see the jets fly over the start. The National Anthem was sung and we were ready to race. The cannon sounded and we were off (took about a min to get to the line).
And we are off…..Here we go. The race started out fast. The first couple miles are always a bit crazy because people are trying to find their rhythm and settle into a good pace. I ended up going through the 5k check point quicker than I expected. I was still moving from the started and knew that I had to settle down. I went into this race with no goal but I thought I could run a 3:10 based on my training and knowledge of the course.A 3:10 marathon averages out to a 7:15 pace per mile. Going through the first few miles I was at 7:07. Slowly I began to slow my pace. I was eating cliff blocks and hammer caps ever 30 min (45/15/45 etc) and taking my hammer caps (00, 30, 00 etc). I was out on the course enjoying myself. I was running and having fun. I got to see some sites I had not seen before. Along the way I ran with some people some first timers and some vets of the race. As I got to mile 11 I met a guy who was running the marathon for the first time. I think his name was Scott he said he was shooting for 3:10 but had some IT band issues. I told him I was on pace and he could run with me if that would help him. He was like cool and ran with me until we got the Wesley College. Here is about half way and the girls line the course and screen and have signs. It is really cool but it can cause you to use energy too quickly. Well that guy Scott who was running with me took off and I saw him begin to run faster. I could see him increase his pace but I did not go with him. I continued to run my own race and kept my pace around 7:12. As the miles began to wind down I felt good. I was holding myself back because I knew that the hills were approaching.As I passed mile 16/17 I saw that guy Scott and he was dying. He was really dehydrated and looked bad. I told him try and get some gel and Gatorade. He faded and I kept going. As I made that right the hills were upon us. I attacked the hills and made nice work of the first one. I tossed the nice brooks arm warmers that I had gotten for freeL. I did manage to keep the nice gloves I purchased on Saturday. So as I crested the top of heartbreak hill I felt good. I was still on target. I just had to get back down the hill and make the final run towards the finish. As I made my way down the hill I began to increase my speed as I felt good. Once I was through Cleveland circle I could see the CITGO sign and I knew that end was near. Before I finish the last three miles I want to revisit the Newtown Hills. These are a series of 3 hills at about mile 19-21 in the marathon. I compare it to the last round of Rocky II. The hills are Apollo and the runners are Rocky. Some will win and some will lose. I paid the price my first year here so I know what the hills can do. They can be demoralizing to some runners who go out to fast because they are so late in the race. The last 10k of this marathon is tough.
Back to the last 3 miles. So as the race hit the final 5K I ran into to a friend of my one race buddy. This guy is a sub marathoner as well but he was also looking to run 3:10 or under. So I began to run with him and this is where the pace really picked up. We were moving. We use each other to push ourselves. As we crossed the Mass-Turnpike and saw the CITGO Sign I and made that turn into Kenmore Square I knew there was a mile left. I could feel a small crap in my calf but at this point it did not matter. We began to hammer it.Quick downhill and then up hill.Made a quick right then that famous left onto Boylston. As you make that left you have .2 miles left. You can see the finish and you know the end is near. As we ran the last part of race I knew I could make it under 3:10. This is probably the best part of the race. Where else do you get to run down the middle of the street in a major U.S. city will thousands of fans screaming for you.As I crossed the line I looked at my watch and I saw 3:09:50 and I knew that it was done. I had run a great race. I once again paid respect to the queen of all marathons and in turn she allowed me to survive the race in one piece. Also I had nailed the nutrition and hydration for the race and the weather was perfect.
I must say that overall I am pleased with my performance. After all the issues I had this winter it was nice to have a great race. I do feel that experience helped also. The weather was great the crowds were awesome. The volunteers were great.As I said it before if you have been to Boston to watch or run the Marathon you know what I mean when I say that it the Superbowl of all Marathons.One Big Thank You to Boston.
After the race, met Jen and we headed back to hotel and then go some food and then went to some stores and shops.
Tuesday before we left I went to Bill Rodgers store and got his autograph and picture. This was a great experience. He won the Boston Marathon 4times. It was great to meet him. He was telling stories and just talking to everyone. He is a very nice guy and I am glad I got to meet him.
One last Thank you to Boston.
Here is a breakdown of my times
Checkpoint
Time
Pace
5k
21:37
6:57
10k
44:05
7:05
15k
1:06:44
7:09
20k
1:29:34
7:12
half
1:34:30
7:12
25k
1:52:33
7:14
30k
2:15:40
7:16
Newtown Hills
35k
2:37:59
7:15
40k
3:00:26
7:15
Finish
3:09:50
7:14
1ST Half
1:34:30
2nd Half
1:35:20
50 sec positive Split
As you can see I went out a bit fast and by half I had settled in. The pace did go up around the hills but the last 10K I was still strong.
I did requalify again which is an accomplishment itself at Boston.
