Blog

Less than 24 hours to the start of the 2010 Chicago marathon. I like to stay away from the hoopla and do my own thing rather than stay with the big hitters and get stressed out. The story of the weekend might be the record heat hitting the midwest. It won't be a hot as the 2007 event but it's not gonna be cold either. We are still going for it but it's going to be a sweat fest. It's time to determine what kind of men we are and lay it on the line. The nerves are high but so is the energy. Its go time!

Greg Mcmillan said it well in an email the other day when he said "I'll be out on Lake Mary Rd. sharpening the steel". That line injected some serious adrenaline into me and made me realize we are into the final stages of a couple months of hard work.  Last Saturday, we were out on Lake Mary for a 15 mile tempo run and I had a total buzz kill. I wasnt feeling the mojo the last few miles and actually stopped early rather than dig a deep grave 2 weeks out from the main event. Perhaps I had too many steady runs in there between workouts. At a...

Just over 2 weeks remain to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what defines us and makes us who we are. How do we as athletes want to be remembered 30 years from now? I have recognized only a handful of meaningful races remain in my competitive running career. One of those races will go down on Oct 10th in the Windy City. Chicago presents itself as an opportunity to achieve legendary status or it is a wasted chance.  I have remained in this sport for as long as I have for many reasons including w...

This past week I had seemed more tiring than usual and Im not sure if it was the workouts, the depth of the marathon training, or possibly a little bit of travel. I had to travel back to Boulder to adhere to some business matters which went well in my opinion. It was fantastic to see old friends in Boulder and receive some treatment from Dr. Richie Hanson. (A youngman with old man knowledge of human physiology) While in Boulder I made some realizations about my training. In this marathon build up one of the tweaks I have made is to keep some of...

Every time I have gone through the marathon process, I feel like I have learned a little bit. Hopefully all those little things will eventually add up to one large improvement. I have never had Ryan Hall type success and been able to knock it out of the park my first time in the batters box. I have had to grind and fight over years to chip away at this grueling event we call the marathon.  Now that its only 4 weeks away, I feel better than I ever had going into the 26 mile foot race.   The New Haven Road Race was this past weekend and...

The last few days have been lovely. The temps have cooled down and the crisp autumn air has swept in new athletes into the McMillan elite athletics program.  Its exciting to see more and more college grads pursuing the dream to become a full time athlete and possibly become an Olympian.  The increase in post collegiate training groups has definitely improved the mid layer of American Distance running therefore pushing the very top to new levels. If USATF and those supporting athletics in this country continue to not be short-sighted a...

6.5 weeks remain before the Chicago marathon but a little unfinished business remains on labor day (September 6th) in New Haven over a 20 kilometer distance. I find it hard to remain focused on the Chicago marathon and shorter races along the way. Keeping your eyes fixated on the big picture instead of getting worked up over the shorter races because you want to perform well is a challenge physically and emotionally. My performance in New Haven will have a little bit of guesswork involved since my training is different in years past and Im in a...

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a serious man workout to get ready for the chi town marathon....a 25 kilometer tempo run on Lake Mary Rd. Im fairly nervous about this and excited at the same time. Everyone has their benchmark workouts and tomorrows Lake Mary workout seems to be the workout that indicates how prepared you are for the 42 kilometer distance. The McMillan Group will be out on Lake Mary a few more times but the ball starts rolling tomorrow. Fasil did his 25k tempo on Lake Mary last weekend since he is competing in the US 10 mile cha...

I had an extremely painful experience of packing all my possessions and moving them to storage which was one of the worse days of my life. (12 x1000 in the AM, 14 hours of packing and moving, and a 1 hour evening run). I pulled out of Boulder and made the 700 mile drive to Flagstaff, AZ for a training camp to ready myself for the Chicago Marathon.  The drive was exceptionally dull and mundane. I took I-70 west through Grand Junction and then drove South West towards Flag. Those road are no place to break down or you may just end up in some...

The first week of August brings the Eastern States Cross Country held on the campus of Millersville University.  I try to make the annual voyage back to Lancaster County to influence HS kids about the benefits of athletics, the places running can take you, and the people you meet.  Wins all around. I landed in Philly at 2am on Aug 2nd. I crashed at th hotel airport and the next morning practiced my running around the philly airport. I actually found a crushed limestone loop which was a pleasant surprise.   New Balance was kind en...