Conversations of a Long Distance Runner

Finally...

2007-06-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Finally another new post. Wow, it's been awhile. Not much has changed. Let's see, highlights from the last year or so:

Boston Marathon
Winning hardware at the Disneyland half
sub 38:30 10k

That's about it in the running department. I've been working hard over the spring so far, especially after a disappointing spring racing season. Trying to build mileage up. Last week looked like this:

S - 8/6
M - 11/4
T - 14/4
W - 4/8
R - 12/4
F - 4/6
Sa - 18

Total: 104 miles.

This week should be around 110. I figure this month should be my second 400+ mile month. I'm feeling pretty good so far. Still a long, hot summer to go.

Lazy Summer Already

2006-06-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is really here in Minneapolis. Nice and warm and very humid. Needless to say last week wasn't the best training I've had. Somehow I did manage 73 miles last week. I was hoping for a bit more. Had a really good tempo run on Monday, followed by a hilly run on Tuesday. It was supposed to be 14 miles and only ended up with 13.5. Plus, I cut Thursday's run a half mile short and Saturday's long run two miles. The humid conditions are really bothering me.

Overall training for last week looked like this:
Su - 6/4
M - 10 w/4 Tempo
Tu - 13.5
W - 6
Th - 4/11.5
F - 6
Sa - 14
Overall 73 miles at 7:57/mile

So Chris Carr finished his first marathon in 4:45. Not a bad first time, but could've been a lot better if he trained properly. Made way too many first timer mistakes. Hopefully he sticks with running and keeps his fitness, then tries a marathon next year. I guarantee if he does this he will take an hour of his time.

If you're going to run a marathon on less than a 40 mpw base, please read this article. Another reason why the marathon deserves more respect than a majority of people give it.

Oh, no matter what Runner's World says, running with headphones in a race is bad. Very bad and very dangerous. Another of the reasons I don't read Runner's World. If you're a runner and are going to read a magazine, please read Running Times. It's geared towards runners, not Gallow-walkers.

One of these days I will post my lessons learned and give out all the running secrets I know.

One Long Run Down, 17 to Go

2006-06-05T11:20:00.002-07:00

Well the first week of training for Twin Cities is officially in the books. It was a good week, except that start was extremely hot and humid, and I was too lazy to get up early to run. I manged 71 miles, but without any speedwork. I have another easy week of running, before the speedwork starts.

Su - 6/4 recovery
M - 7 easy w/strides (supposed to be 8)
Tu - 13 easy (hilly/7:46/mile)
W - 6 recovery
Th - 12 easy (7:42/mile)
F - 6 recovery
Sa - 17 long run (7:47/mile)

The long run was pretty uneventful. It felt pretty good and I tried to hit all the hills possible. I have to make sure to continue with the hills. I was going to race an 8k on Sunday morning, but a few too many beers the night before put an end to that idea. Fish and chips and beer are so good the night after a long run.

This weekend I'll be in Milwaukee for the Jimmy Buffett concert. For some reason I don't think I'm going to get every mile in. Maybe an easy six on Saturday, then a two hour run along the lakeshore. We'll have to see.

Thursday Run Recap

2006-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I struggle to come up with nice, clever headlines. Obviously I'm not a writer.

Had another good, but uncomfortable run last night. We went out around the lakes, along with everybody else. We managed 12 in about 1:34:30 (7:43/mile), but I didn't really feel comfortable at all. Too much people dodging.

I think it's funny how competitive some runners are. Last night as we made it Lake Calhoun, one of the faster local runners was there. We happened to pass him, then he decided to take off. I think he was sending a message or something. Was pretty funny. In races we're usually right behind him.

Has anyone noticed how far downhill Calhoun has gone? It used to a fun, hip lake. Now, I don't know how to explain it, but now it's so crowded and the people are incredibly rude. I miss winter running.

This week should be around 75 miles and next week, I should be up over 80 miles again. Feels good to be putting in some miles.

Back to normal

2006-05-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Order was restored last night. Much drier conditions and temps in the low 80's. Did a quality 13 miler (1:46) through the hills of Eden Prairie. I love running in hills, it just feels so good to get to the top of a good long climb.

Unfortunately, the guy I was running with struggled. I think there is a series of three good climbs to start, then a little respite for a mile then two or three decent climbs. Nothing too big, maybe 200 feet in a half to three quarters of a mile. It's good training for a bumpy Twin Cities Marathon.

1-7.36 2-7.41 3-7.50 4-7.46 5-7.54 6-7.58 7-7.40 8-7.47 9-7.44 10-7.42 11-7.49 12-7.47 13-7.46

It feels good to be getting in some mileage again. I really hate the whole tapering process. One of the things I really paid attention to for Fargo, was nutrition in the weeks leading up to the race. I think it was the first time I hadn't gained any weight during a taper. I ran the race at about 175 lbs. I'd like to get down to around 165 for Twin Cities, hopefully 160. I might have to give up weight training to accomplish that, not sure if I want to do that. Maybe not lift for the month leading up to the race and see what happens.

Spring? Where did you go?

2006-05-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well the training for the Twin Cities Marathon officially started on Sunday. Temps in Minneapolis were a ridiculous 95+, with high humidity. Needless to say, I was soaked by the end of all the runs this weekend. I was wringing the sweat from my clothes and my shoes were soggy.

For the first time in a long time, I had to cut a run short. What was supposed to be a 15 miler, turned into a 12 miler. I must remember to bring Gatorade with when it gets this warm, and get up early to run on days like that. This week is supposed to be cooler, but summer is here.

Last weeks training:

Sa: Fargo Marathon
Su: 5 Easy
M: 7 Easy
Tu: 7 Easy
W: 10 Medium
Th: 6 Easy
F: 7 Easy
Sa: 12 (supposed to be 15)

Total: 54 miles @ 7:58/mile

Fargo Marathon Race Report

2006-05-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

A little back story. I've been running since 2003 and really been posting on here since about that time. I made all the new runner mistakes back then and ran my first marathon in 5:20. On that day, I would have never dreamed about having to write a race report like this.

I watched the weather on Friday night and everything was looking pretty good. Lows in the mid 40s with very little wind. Woke up at 5:00 and looked out the window. The flag was completely still. All I kept thinking was what perfect marathon weather. We got to the Fargo Dome around 6:30, still no wind. All the weeks and years of training were going to pay off with a Boston Qualifier.

I just sat in the dome and tried to relax before the race. It was nice being inside on sort of comfortable chairs. Then we decided to leave and go warm up. I should've know it was trouble when it was hard to open the door. The wind started to blow. They said it was about 25 mph constantly out of the north and gusting to around 40 mph. The course was a north to south loop, with miles 9 - 23 into the wind. Right then all my dreams of qualifying went out the window. I remembered what somebody told me last week, "Don't kill yourself if it's windy". On top of all the wind, it started to rain while waiting for the start.

Originally my plan was to go out really easy. Try to run 7:30s for the first few miles. I lined up a few people from the front. I figured they'd help to slow me down. Needless to say, it didn't work. The first mile was 6:53. I know I was in good shape, but not that good. The wind pushed me along to a 7:11 and 7:18 for the next couple miles. Finally, I was starting to feel comfortable. I was running about 10 feet behind two guys. I decided to catch them for someone to talk to. Asked them what they were going for and one answered 3:30. Oh was that guy going to pay the 2nd half.

So running with the one guy we put up some consistent, easy miles. 7.03, 7.07, 7.09, 7.08, 7.09, 7.08. Good thing they felt good, cause the wind was about to enter the race. There was no shelter at this part of the course. I ran my one of my worst miles of the race for mile 10, 7:18. The guy I was running with fell off a bit too. I was really hoping to find some help with the wind. I was caught about 20 yards or so behind a group of about six runners. The guy caught back up and goes, let's catch them. We caught up with them, but when we did, two or three of the guys dropped off. The next mile was 7:12. I wasn't ready for those type of miles yet. So I took the lead. Needless to say, I dropped everyone in the group. I caught up with the next group, then those guys dropped off too. The next couple miles were 7:07. I was feeling really good, and went through the half at 1:33:35.

I then saw my first woman of the race. I sat behind her for about a quarter of a mile, then I told her to follow me. She stuck with for a few minutes. I heard someone say, "third woman". That really surprised me. Soon she fell off too. It pretty much was the same story throughout the race. I was having a blast with the crowd. I was surprised so many spectators turned out for the race. Usually North Dakotans try to run runners off the road (that was a joke, hehe). They were really great support. The course finally went down in the valley for a mile or two, so there was some shelter from the wind. It was amazing how many people were struggling. I kept thinking to myself, all that hill work I've been doing for a flat course is paying off.

I really wasn't even tired at the 20 mile mark. My legs felt great. My feet were a little sore, many of the roads were concrete. I went over the Troll Bridge and through 20 miles at 2:23:10. I knew Boston was in my reach. The half split back off from the course to finish about mile 21 and I so wanted to go that way, but I still had a couple miles of wind left to deal with. I'm still feeling good and passing people. Each time, I offer words of encouragement. I'm sure I was really annoying, but so many runners have done that for me when I'm struggling. It was nice to try to repay the favors.

Finally, mile 25 came and we finally head south. I had seen someone about a quarter to half mile ahead of me at mile 24. I was thinking about trying to catch them, but decided to play it safe. I ran the worst mile of the day, 7:21. I got a little closer to the person and saw it was the 2nd place woman. I passed her with about .75 mile to go.

At last I turned into the parking lot for the dome and crossed the 26th mile marker (7:11). There was a couple people outside and I might have mentioned that I was going to Boston. I turned to come down the ramp into the stadium. I gave a little fist pump outside. I didn't realize I was on the big screens inside the dome. When I entered it was a wall of sound. I just let everything out, all those months and years of training through all types of weather and all hours of the day came out. I crossed in 3:07:58 (chip time).

I immediately tried to run over to my family who was all there, but the volunteers stopped me. I forgot my medal and chip. Finally got that taken care of and ran over. I don't think there was a dry eye for anyone in my family. My family is the best. Probably one of the best days of my life.

Here are my splits.

1-6.53 2-7.11 3-7.18 4-7.03 5-7.07 6-7.09 7-7.08 8-7.09 9-7.08 10-7.18 11-7.12 12-7.07 13-7.07 14-7.00 15-7.05 16-7.11 17-7.17 18-7.12 19-7.14 20-7.11 21-7.09 22-7.06 23-7.15 24-7.16 25-7.21 26-7.11 .2-1.28

I'm going to Boston!!!!

Rain, rain, go away

2006-05-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Talk about a wet weekend. My last four runs have been in the rain. I had a great long run on Saturday. Usually that run is one of my hardest, but I got in 22 miles in about 2:51 (7:47/mile). I tried to keep my pace slow and under control the first half of the run. Then just ran relaxed the rest of the way. I sped up a little bit. Here's the splits:

1-7.44 2-7.53 3-7.52 4-7.59 5-7.56 6-7.57 7-7.57 8-7.29 9-7.42 10-7.59 11-7.57 12-8.04 13-7.44 14-7.49 15-7.52 16-7.38 17-7.41 18-7.37 19-7.30 20-7.27 21-7.43 22-7.41

Overall it was a good week of training. 91 miles at a 7:52/mile pace.

S - 4/6 easy
M - 4/6 easy
Tu - 12 with 6x.75 miles at 5k
W - 15 med (7:44/mile)
Tr - 4/8(strides) easy
F - 6/4 easy
S - 22 miles (7:47)

Hopefully I'm ready for Fargo. Now it's time to taper. I'm not a big fan of the whole tapering.

Internet advice...

2006-04-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot to include this in my last post.

There is a local writer for the Star Tribune writing a running blog about his training for Grandma's. It's a good read, but he's going about the training all wrong. Making lots of rookie mistakes (like only running for 12 weeks before the race and running long runs way too hard) and there seems to be lots of bad advice being given to him too.

At least there is a plug for Run n Fun in there. It's the only running store I shop at. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and the owners are great people and runners. When I walk in, my shoes are waiting for me at the counter. Talk about service. Maybe I shouldn't go through eight or nine pair of shoes a year.

Nothing falls like London Rain...

2006-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well I'm not really in London (even though I wish I was there), but it is definitely raining. A good saturating spring rain. What better to do, then a nice easy six miler over lunch? After a four and eight miles with some strides yesterday, today's run felt nice. I have proven my theory correct, I'm slower on the crushed limestone. I was running about 8:10 on it, hit the pavement and the same effort resulted in a 7:55. Little too fast for a recovery run.

I was surprised this morning to see a bald eagle flying over my street this morning. My dog seemed even more startled. There is a very interesting collection of birds in the neighborhood, including a woodpecker, blue jays, cardinals, hawk, and now the bald eagle.

I posted before about Kevin Beck's blog. I've been addicted to it the last few days and completely read the whole thing. He's a very good runner and writer. I was supposed to run the Space Coast Marathon in November, where he won the half and was a guest speaker. It would have been nice to be able to talk to him and Bill Rogers. I really like picking the brains of runners that are so accomplished.

This weekend is my last really long run of training (22 miles) before training. It's supposed to be a balmy 50, with rain and 20 mph wind. I'm hoping for around a 7:55 pace, maybe throw a couple faster miles at the end.

I...I'm still alive...

2006-04-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

What more can I say about the eventful fifteen miler yesterday. I managed to almost get hit twice (I'll post the email I sent the police/mayor of Eden Prairie below) and ran a strong 7:44/mile pace through big hills. I wish I would have kept up the hills, but the lure of running in the warm, spring sunshine around the Minneapolis lakes was too much. After the Earth Day half, I decided to get back in them.

I feel strong and I know I'm running better than I ever have. I even managed an easy four this morning. I'm not a morning runner, but I might have to become one. That is, if I can get out of bed. It's so beautiful around Lake Harriet in the morning. I love the sounds of ducks waking up in the morning and the reflection of the bandshell on the lake.

In other news, get the new Pearl Jam cd on May 2nd. It is simply the best cd they have ever made.

Also, I can't believe the Twins are getting a new stadium, with my money, without me getting a vote. They went around the law to get this through the legislature. Why should the people of Hennepin County alone pay for it? Some of the comments made by legislators are absolutely ridiculous.

Finally, here's the email I sent to the mayor of Eden Prairie...

First off, I'm a runner and I don't run too often on the sidewalks/trails Eden Prairie because of the horrible drivers. It seems like every time I run, I almost get hit by a car.

Last night, April 26th, I was running Anderson Lakes Parkway at 5:15 pm. I stopped at the stoplight at Columbine Avenue. I look over and a Tan Lexus blows through the red-light with the guy talking on a cell phone, almost hitting another car. I just shook my head and looked back. There sits a police officer in a black, unmarked car. I was very surprised he didn't do anything.

The light then turned green and I was given a walk sign. I started to cross, when a driver from Columbine Avenue started to make a right hand turn. Well I was in the middle of the crosswalk and had to throw my hands on the hood. The officer just drove by. Actually looking at me.

I had to stop again at the Highway 212 stoplight. Waited for the walk sign and ran across the highway. I was on the crossing the road on the other side of the Amoco Station when another car went into the crosswalk almost hitting me. Again, the same officer drove by. Again, he looked at me and did nothing.

The lack of courtesy for pedestrians in the city of Eden Prairie is pathetic. The response of the police in the situations where a pedestrian almost gets hit is just as bad. Something needs to be done before someone is seriously hurt or killed.

2006-04-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well not really the hardest ever, but it was up there. I started out with an easy three mile warm up. Then I went into the intervals. Six reps of three quarter miles (which turned out to be 4.5 miles) at my 5k pace. I ran the light rail trail here in Eden Prairie, which is crushed limestone. I tried to get my pace to around 6:05, but I had to settle for 6:15 or so. I ran really solid and strong throughout. Then an easy three to finish. It was the perfect day for running, with temps around 50 and very, very sunny. So in all 12 miles at about a 7:18 pace. Not too bad. Fastest training run ever for me.

On top of everything, I went over 1,000 miles for the year today. About two weeks earlier than last year.

Twin Cities Marathon Signup Begins

2006-04-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

In honor of the first day to sign up for the Twin Cities Marathon, I decided to write an email to a friend who is signing up for the their first marathon today. I know it's not very well written, but I just jotted a few ideas down.

I was thinking about this as I was falling asleep last night... "What advice can I give someone running their first marathon?" I was just kinda thinking about the first time I ran Twin Cities (G'mas doesn't count) and how much fun it was and still is for me. I was quite sad watching the race last year. I really missed not running TCM.

The most important thing is to enjoy everything about it. I've always went to the sign up party. It really makes it real, especially compared to filling out a form online. You have to buy the "In training" shirt too. It's fun running around the lakes wearing the shirt and people wishing you luck, talk about running and all the other fun stuff. I always make sure to wish people luck when I see them with it on.

Another thing, do some tune up races, like the City of Lakes 25k and one of the White Bear 20 milers. Why run that far alone and not get a t-shirt??? I always think the 20 mile run is the worst. You're out there for hours suffering and you get absolutely nothing. Whatever you do, do not do the Woodbury Country Mile Half Marathon (that's a mouthful), it will ruin any confidence you have. Try out the Urban Wildland in Richfield. It's one of my favorite half's. You're working so hard in training for the marathon that you might as well put the training to use.

Oh, get a couple massages throughout the summer. This will help alleviate the pains of training, plus they feel really good. Get a new running outfit for the race. You want to look good in the finishing photo, that I know you're going to buy.

Keep with your training. I guarantee it will make the race a lot more fun. Remember when you get tired in the race to high five the kids. It's something Sean and I do. No matter how bad we feel, it makes it so much better when you smile and have fun with the crowd. The people will simply amaze you.

Anyways those were just some random thoughts I had. Remember this is your first marathon, you'll never have another first like it.

First time...

2006-04-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend here in Minneapolis for both weather and running. I ran an easy 7 miler on Friday night. Pretty much went by fairly quick.

I was a little nervous about my 20 miler on Saturday. I was in the middle of my first back to back 80+ mile weeks and I really hadn't run over 15 miles in a couple weeks (due to a trip to Utah and two weekends of races). I had managed at least a 15 miler each weekend though. I started by parking the car at the top of Summit Ave and catching a ride over to Lake Calhoun. I planned to do miles 5-25 on the Twin Cities Marathon course, in honor of signing up for the race this week.

I started ok, but just wasn't feeling the greatest. I was running about 7:45 the first few miles, that was a bit faster than I wanted (I was hoping for a strong finish run). I slowed down to the 7:55 for the next bunch of miles. I was tempted to cut across the river and cut the run short. But I pushed on. I manged to get across the river and into St. Paul for the beginning of the nasty hills. I was surprised how small they really were, especially having trained on much bigger ones. I went up them hard and managed to have some of my best miles the last five. I think I went up the hills in 7:30's and finished right around 7:40/mile.

I then gave myself a treat of Jamba Juice, but unfortunately it ended up all over my car and I.

Overall it was a good run, a good confidence booster for Fargo in a few weeks.

Boring Run Post

2006-04-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

OK, so last night was not the most exciting run. An easy seven around Lake Harriet with some strides at the end. The strides felt really good. I've been really, really lazy with them this training period. I have ran all my intervals and tempo runs though. I made a real effort to keep the pace slow and easy. I think I've been running my recoveries a bit too hard. The easy part of the running was about 8:10-8:20/mile.

So now for my little thought of the day. I really think 99.9% of the runners out there underestimate what they can accomplish. This is coming from a former 5:20 marathoner who is on the verge of qualifying for Boston.

Boston Marathon Thoughts

2006-04-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

I guess after watching the Boston Marathon on Monday, I decided to get back into this whole business of writing. It was great to see the American's doing so very well. Also, followed my running partner during the race (he crashed the second half to a 3:18). But still, he ran Boston.

Well obviously loads has happened since my last post. I can't believe it was from last summer.

First, I did manage do complete the Chicago Marathon, but had a major blowup around mile 15 and stumbled in to a 3:50. Ouch. It was a complete mental breakdown during the race. Hopefully I'll never experience that again.

Since then I've had a string of PR's. I ran the Winter Waddle 5k in about 19:18, the Disney Marathon in 3:15, the Human Race 8k in 31:10, Run the Valley 10k in 39:30 (5th overall and 2nd in age group), and the Earth Day Half Marathon in 1:28:20.

I'm currently training for the Fargo Marathon.

Last night I managed 15. I really didn't know what to expect since the night before I did some 5k intervals and the back to back race weekends were starting to take a toll on my legs. The start of the run was into a 20+mph headwind with lots of hill climbing. Finally got out of the wind around mile six, but still had a long ways to go. I was running in the 7:40s and I thought I was going to pay for it at the end. About mile 10, the thunderstorms came through. Still managed to finish the run at a good pace. Overall pace was about 7:44.

I promise to keep writing in here.

Crazy Weekend...

2005-07-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

After having my running streak snapped on Thursday, I had to take two more days off. That's what I get for trying to play soccer again. Then I abused my body over the weekend, drinking more beer than I've drank all year, driving eight hours, and not sleeping long enough. Needless to say the start of my Chicago Marathon training was a struggle.

I think the temp was in the low 80's with very high humidity. I was covered in sweat after one mile. I struggled trying to keep the heartrate in check the whole time. I managed to average around 8:15 the first ten miles. Then I tried to bring it down to pace (6:50/mile) but could only get down around 7:15.

Mixing beer and marathon training doesn't work, but then again I knew that.

Last night's 10 miler...

2005-06-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

One of the new training ideas I will be incorporating into my new training will be to increase the pace of my runs. I run with a heart rate monitor, so I will try to keep my runs in the aerobic range.

So last night my goal was 10 miles at a little under 8:00/mile pace. I ran with Sullivan last night. We started out at about 90 degrees with very humid conditions. You couldn't even see the Minneapolis skyline, it was so hazy. Once we got onto Lake Harriet I started to feel very confortable and the third mile was my fastest. The skies were fairly ominous and at mile 5 the sky opened up. It was a nice refreshing rain that cooled us down and the temp dropped to around 75. I felt really good throughout the run and I'm semi-looking forward to tonight's 14 miler.

1-8.06/130 2-8.06/144 3-7.47/146 4-8.05/145 5-7.51/151 6-7.51/146 7-7.58/147 8-8.02/146 9-8.13/145 10-7.40/152

Introduction

2005-06-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

I decided to try this to help remember my training and also just share my thoughts on current events. Nothing too exciting here.

So if somebody who doesn't know me is reading this, here's a little running history on me...

Here's my running log.

2003 Running...

I started running semi-seriously about two and a half years ago. I had run a 5k and 10k in 2002, with times of 28:40 and 1:02, respectively. Not the greatest times in the world, but not too bad. I then tried training for Grandma's Marathon on less than 40 mpw. Big mistake. I injured myself during training and ended up running a 5:20. Ouch. I ran a half marathon during training in 1:57.

I had signed up for Twin Cities' Marathon before, so I was comitted to running that and stumbled across in 4:45 or so. I also ran the same 10k I had run before, and ran that in 52:00. I also, set a 5k PR at 21:40 after Twin Cities'.

2004 Running...
I started the year off with the Disney Marathon. I did it in 4:09. I took an hour off of my time in six months.

I increased my miles in preparation for Grandma's Marathon to around 55 mpw. I saw some big PR's in the shorter races. I ran the Get in Gear 10k in 42:40 (6:51/mile) and New Prague Half Marathon in 1:37 (7:23/mile). I again fell short in the marathon running a 3:57.

I trained all summer long for Twin Cities' Marathon based on heart rate to increase my aerobic base. I don't remember setting any PR's. Again I fell apart and ran a 3:53.

2005 Running...

This year has been good. I started off with a 3:39 (8:21/mile) at the Disney Marathon in some warm, humid weather.

I then increased my miles using Steve Pfitzinger's "More than 70 mpw" schedule. I've had some big PR's. I ran the Run the Valley 10k in 40:40 (6:32/mile) and placed 2nd in my age group, 14th overall. Race for the Cure 5k was next in 19:26 (6:25/mile). Then I had the race of my life in the New Prague Half Marathon, which I ran in 1:29:00 (6:47/mile).

All the training leading up to 2005 Grandma's was going well. I had averaged 75 mpw during training and was hoping to qualify for Boston with a 3:10, but it wasn't to be. I was on pace through 18 miles and just fell apart and finished in 3:41.

All this has lead me to the decision to hire my first coach, Sonja from the Steve Pfitzinger coaching staff. We'll see how this goes for my next race, the Chicago Marathon.