This One Time at a CX Race...
Last week was Thursday Night Football, which is not super conducive to running - especially since we played in Tampa - but after the game we get what Amanda has dubbed the "mini bye", aka a full weekend off from work. It's glorious. I got runs in early in the week and even had a solid workout on Wednesday. We went 8x400 with float 400 rest so basically a four mile tempo run. I averaged 5:35's so it was pretty much right on goal pace for this time of year. After the workout I headed to the airport to go to Tampa where I got in a meh out and back five miler before the game.
Friday I was on little sleep so I went for a quick ride after work and then I took Saturday off. It was a little weird to take a day off when I had time to go somewhere do a different run, but I felt like I needed a little rest. Sunday I woke up and headed down to Boundary Waters Park to pretend to be a cyclist.
I like to mix it up a little and "race" my bike every now and then. It's a nice change and, since I stink at it, there is very little pressure to preform. I'm really just out there to have fun, push myself, and get out of my comfort zone. I'm not sure what place I finished - I never saw any results - but I know that I didn't get passed at all, except for the start. Man, did I get left in the dust. I ended up settling in and working my way up past a pretty good size group after the first half of the first lap. A lot of people went out too fast. After that, I think I passed two more people so I'd say it was a solid race. I didn't get caught by any of the women or juniors either, so definitely positive results there.
I still struggle in some of the tighter sections, because I'm a terrible bike handler, but I was able to hawk a few guys down on some of the sections where I was able to mash the pedals. I guess that's what happens when you have decent 10k fitness...even if I was on the least expensive bike in the entire field, $500 mountain bikes for the win...or like 10 or 15 place.
Why Can't We Have Nice Things?
Maybe it's because I have cyclocross on the brain, but can someone explain why cross country gets no love? If we are always looking for ways to popularize running for the masses, why not use cross country? It's the perfect event. It utilizes the fact that running is a mass participation sport, something that USATF seems to want to distance it self from, but also provides a spectator friendly product for the elites.
Think about it, imagine a national cross country league - for lack of a better term. You have teams, say 10 franchises that are regionally based, that roster 10 runners with seven competing in the series of meets. These meets are run on spectator friendly courses and utilize existing iconic courses/meets - Franklin Park & Van Corlandt come to mind. Prior to the "pro" race you hold an open race for all comers. Anyone that wants to race, signs up and races. Teams are scored three deep and age group results are kept. Some places you could even hold a high school invitational before that. Following the open race, the racers become spectators and watch the pros duke it out on the same course they just ran thereby allowing everyday runners to see the pros up close and personal and see just how incredible they are since they are running the same course.
This whole time you have an expo/trade show/carnival going on providing sponsors with the opportunity to get out in front of the people who are buying their products. The season could run from August to December with a championship meet in January two meets per month spread out across the country. I know it would take a lot of money and it's a pipe dream, but I really believe cross country is the best way to create excitement around professional running beyond the 'once every four years' situation we have right now. How many people that ran cross country in high school never ran an xc race after that? How many new runners that didn't have the chance to run in high school have never run it? It would create an amazing atmosphere and most importantly, would be perfect for broadcast/streaming. I could go on about this for days. I actually went on a 40 minute diatribe about it the other afternoon. I really think it could work. Now who wants to spot me the cash to get it started?
NYC Marathon - Molly Huddle and Gwen Jorgensen are bosses oh and Michael Wardian is not human...
Molly Huddle finished third in her marathon debut, which is impressive but according to LetsRun.com, she ran the fastest final five miles of anyone in the race. That's unreal. Having never run a marathon before that's where you'd expect her to suffer the most. Nope, she killed it. It sounds like she's going back to the track - and she should, being the American record holder at 10k - but I am looking forward to seeing the eventual Molly vs. Shalane vs. Amy Cragg vs. Desi marathon battle.
Gwen Jorgensen is amazing. She finished 14th and ran 2:41 off of triathlon fitness/training. I know that running is her strong suit - and by strong suit I mean she dominates people - in tris but still, the marathon isn't something you just jump in and preform well at. She is a boss.
What I'm listening to...
One more from Phil Gaimon's Real Talent podcast...Phil sat down with cyclocross stud Jeremy Powers in a wide ranging discussion in a recent episode. The thing that really stood out to me was their discussion about Jeremy hustling and learning to make himself marketable in addition to being a great rider. I found this particularly interesting at both a personal and professional level. Personally, it obviously an interesting topic. I definitely try to make myself somewhat marketable on a local level with this blog and on social media. If I'm an interesting follow maybe I can get a small level of sponsorship from a local company - like Dirty Spokes - or even something larger like when I was on Saucony Hurricanes. Working in sports, I find it interesting because it's something that I see many pro athletes go throw. How can you add value in ways other than just your performance? Or how can your performance open doors for other ventures.
What I'm reading...
Michael Wardian is inhuman. I read an interesting New York Times article about Wardian and Dean Bell completing all six of the World Marathon Majors with Wardian setting a record for average pace, finishing in under 2:31 (on average). He ran nine marathons in 2016, in addition to 10 ultras...lite work. He is an incredible example of pushing yourself to the limits and finding out that those limits aren’t what you thought they were. The human body is seriously capable of some amazing things. You can check the article out here.
In other election news…
Not super psyched about the election results, but there was a bit of a silver lining here in Atlanta. With a new transportation vote passing a sales tax will send money directly to green space and public recreation. I’m not a big tax guy but I am a big outdoor recreation guy, so I’m really happy to hear that Atlanta is moving forward with its urban redevelopment efforts. The most exciting part of this vote passing is that it will give the city enough money to purchase the remaining right-of-way to complete the Beltline – a 22 mile rail-to-trail loop that will eventually circle the city with new parks, greenspace, and pedestrian transportation options. A two-mile section of the Beltline is complete and runs from Piedmont Park in midtown through the historic Old Fourth Ward to Krog Street Market. It’s a fantastic place to run, walk, bike, or just hang out. Amanda and I spent some time down their last weekend hanging out at Ponce City Market. It’s an old Sears building that’s been re-imagined to feature a food hall, shops, and a roof top carnival. It’s a must see if you are in Atlanta. You can read more about the future of the Beltline here. If you are in Atlanta, I absolutely recommend checking it out.
East Coast Trail and Ultra Podcast
It’s partially informative and partially irreverent, but
I would expect nothing less from Sean “Run Bum” Blanton. The show generally
focuses on trail and ultra running on the East Coast but I stumbled on this
podcast because they had my cousin Greg Haley as a guest on their latest
episode. Greg is a really interesting guy. I won’t spoil too much for you since
you should give it a listen, but he’s a legitimate mountain man, living in the
woods in Tennessee. He just started running a few years ago and now he cranks
out trail 50ks left and right. That’s only a slight exaggeration. He also
recently started a small business called Frontier Trail and Mountain Division,
everything from buffs and neck gaiters to hydration pack add-ons. Give it a
listen if you want to hear from a true mountain man.
What I'm reading...
Michael Wardian is inhuman. I read an interesting New York Times article about Wardian and Dean Bell completing all six of the World Marathon Majors with Wardian setting a record for average pace, finishing in under 2:31 (on average). He ran nine marathons in 2016, in addition to 10 ultras...lite work. He is an incredible example of pushing yourself to the limits and finding out that those limits aren’t what you thought they were. The human body is seriously capable of some amazing things. You can check the article out here.
In other election news…
Not super psyched about the election results, but there was a bit of a silver lining here in Atlanta. With a new transportation vote passing a sales tax will send money directly to green space and public recreation. I’m not a big tax guy but I am a big outdoor recreation guy, so I’m really happy to hear that Atlanta is moving forward with its urban redevelopment efforts. The most exciting part of this vote passing is that it will give the city enough money to purchase the remaining right-of-way to complete the Beltline – a 22 mile rail-to-trail loop that will eventually circle the city with new parks, greenspace, and pedestrian transportation options. A two-mile section of the Beltline is complete and runs from Piedmont Park in midtown through the historic Old Fourth Ward to Krog Street Market. It’s a fantastic place to run, walk, bike, or just hang out. Amanda and I spent some time down their last weekend hanging out at Ponce City Market. It’s an old Sears building that’s been re-imagined to feature a food hall, shops, and a roof top carnival. It’s a must see if you are in Atlanta. You can read more about the future of the Beltline here. If you are in Atlanta, I absolutely recommend checking it out.
What I'm following, liking, and retweeting...
Roots Rated is the absolute best site/app for finding things to do outside. When we have a free weekend or plan a trip somewhere it's the first thing I check for suggestions of where to go.
Jobie Williams is a southern trail runner who doubles as an awesome photographer. He snapped an epic shot of me at River Gorge last year and always provides some really cool trail running photos.
In honor of his apperance on the East Coast Trail and Ultra podcast, and his race win this weekend, here's one of my cousin Greg tinkering with his Frontier Mountain and Trail gear. I love the Made in Appalachia tag.
Wild fires are doing serious damage in north Georgia, Tennessee, and the western Carolinas. The smoke spread was so bad we had to move practice inside one day last week. Wander North Georgia is trying to raise money for the fire fighting efforts.
I'm coming home. Amanda and I are heading north for a few days of RnR this week.
