Track and Field Blogs - Flotrack Blogs

It's closing in on one year since my last Floblog. I know it's been a long time but, it's been even longer since I've raced (so not much excitement). I just raced this past Sunday, I'll get to that after answering the question "What the heck happened?" Last April I pinched my sciatic nerve and after 2.5 months of x-training and trying to race at the Olympic trials (which didn't happen) I took some much needed recovery time. I started back up running in August and was just logging miles until I did a 25km trail race at the beginning… more »

My early season efforts have consisted of a 13:56 10th place finish at Carlsbad, a 3:41 win in front of the hometown (Chico) crowd and a 13:30 at Cal Berkeley. I think i'd have to give myself a C, A and B (respectively) averaging out at a B for the "preseason." While I want to do my best every time that I step to the line, I'm happy with the spot I'm in right now. I am set up very well for the regular season which will start off at The Adidas Track Classic in Carson, CA. The NYRR set… more »

I have to start out by thanking everybody for the immense amount of support I have gotten leading into and since the Boston Marathon. I have been very fortunate to have a great support base coming from my family, my college teammates, my high school teammates, and even some old teachers (their memories must not be strong enough to remember me well). People say it a lot, but I mean it: I would not be where I am without the support of everybody. When I come home and it is 100 degrees and I have a workout, there is always… more »

There is a game that American distance runners play every year. It is called "pick the best early season 5k." This year I went with the wild card at Brutus Hamilton. It was a hard choice given that I ran a good 5k last year at Mt. Sac and that I have never run at Stanford with out coming away with a P.R. Given that Mt. Sac was a great race I may have already lost the "pick the best early season 5k" game but I am still excited about my race on Friday. This will be my first time… more »

When I first heard about this race a couple months ago, I didn’t think much of it. Travel and Gear. I don’t need to get locked into that BS. But after seeing what Puma has been setting up, with this Unattached Mile, and the Street Meet in Boston and the ones to come, I thought to myself, “This is what I’m all about.” Events like those are something that I love to do and want to be a part of. Whether it’s making my own singlet (Your Ad Here), holding my own Mile Street Race, taking my quest to become… more »

As mentioned in the first edition of this series, rivalries are the spark that ignites added interest into sports. Here I hold a magnifying glass up to three more pairs of track rivals to see if we can get some flames of interest going as the outdoor track season gets underway, because we all know how effective holding a magnifying glass up to an ant on a hot day can be. Half Mile Headliners: Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds In 1999, Khadevis Robinson burst onto the national scene by grabbing the indoor and outdoor US championships at 800m. He just… more »

Anniversary 1: the annual recurrence of a date marking a notable event ; broadly : a date that follows such an event by a specified period of time measured in units other than years Its been about a year for me now, and what a big year its been. A one year anniversary. I put the definition above solely because I've read some cool things that start with a definition so it feels like you are about to be given some great knowledge about life or something....but don't worry, you probably won't learn too much here ;) Many of you… more »

So it has been quite awhile since my last blog, sorry guys. I know everyone has been anxiously awaiting this and finally I have something worth talking about haha. Since my last blog describing the Boston Indoor Mile I have battled an achilles tendon injury and the Alaskan winter. Luckily I has able to work my way into descent shape in time for my SoCal trip.Coming into Arcadia I was wanting to get 4:36 mile pace down pat. Unfortunately my hometown track has been covered with snow and thick ice. You may be thinking that I thrive in those kind… more »

Some times it is impossible to understand why things work the way they do. I felt like I was in great shape going into Carlsbad and was eager to take on some of the worlds best. I ended up leaving Carlsbad with my tail between my legs after being so far back that I didn't even see the leaders finish. I went up to Chico with no expectations and just hoped not to get beat up again and I ended up running a PR and taking down one of the best Milers in the country. If I'm not mistaken I… more »

Well tomorrow will be the end of my downtime, and my first run in the last two weeks. A lot of people have a hard time taking time off from running, but I really think allowing your body to rest after a hard segment is just as important as training in the long run. It was nice to have a break after the last segment to think about the positives and negatives of my last few races. I think a lot of things went well and it felt really good to PR in the 3k, 10k, and 15k but I… more »

It's always exciting when we have a large group of guys getting ready for a marathon. It seems like we have the best performances when everyone gets ready for the same race. I'm not taking part this time but it always gives me confidence when the guys I run with every day do well. From what I've seen there are going to be at least a couple on them with break through performances next Monday. You always want to see that jump to the next level after you made a big step in your training. Sometimes it takes longer than… more »

April Fool’s Day; a holiday that tests one's creativity, duplicity, and gullibility. This year, every one of your favorite running websites attempted to pull a fast one on you. Here at Flotrack, the promise of an insane Usain workout left many Rick-Rolled. Let’s Run claimed the recession was forcing them to shut down, and Track Shark, oh…well (RIP). One that had some people fooled still days later came from Dyestat. They posted an article in which the premise was a little out there, but plausible enough. That combined with most reader’s desire for the story to be true got message… more »

At the request of Seamus "PD" Nally, here is a new blog. Boston is now only 2 weeks away, and our 6-man group looks really strong. Everyone has been able to hit every workout, it's almost scary how well everyone is handling the training right now. I am getting pretty comfortable running my threshold work at about 5:05 pace or just under, and I am hitting some workouts, that I have never been able to do. I'm definitely excited for the race, and looking for a big PR. On April 20th, I'm hoping I can inspire some friends and teammates… more »

tran-scend Pronunciation: tran(t)-send Function: verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin transcendere to climb across, transcend, from trans- + scandere to climb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1 a: to rise above or go beyond the limits of b: to triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of : overcome c: to be prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material existence)2: to outstrip or outdo in some attribute, quality, or powerintransitive verb: to rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits synonyms: EXCEED Ride the wave. I try to ride the wave while I race. To make the connection… more »

In a quote that was my first "Quote of the day" (I got about 5 text messages letting me know that I'm famous) I said I hope I don't get annihilated on the course at Carlsbad. Well I think annihilated might actually be a good way to put it. I felt great going through the mile in 4:15 hanging right with the leaders. Then after the first turn around I put in a move to be around 3rd or 4th place. Soon however it started to hurt. It didn't necessarily hurt more than any of my other races in the… more »

And then the pack started moving. The gentle jostling for position during the first mile had now become an all out roller-derby of elbows and shoulders, surges and spikes. Rohatinsky firmly moves to the lead, Huling counter surges the split second the pace falters. I think we’re nearing 1000 to go, things start to burn…pace falters again…I’m starting to feel it, it’s time to go. Nervously determined, I move out and take control. Constantly looking up at the jumbotron, I realize that despite my move and continued acceleration, it looks like everybody is still there. I start to panic…getting worried…what… more »

This past weekend a few of my teammates and I took a road trip out to Chicago to run the Shamrock Shuffle 8k. The race, despite the rather winter-like conditions, drew out over 13,000 runners! Quite a big race in my opinion, especially considering that it was 33 degrees, Snowing and had gusts of winds blowing between the buildings in the downtown area. See some pics before for details. Personally I had a pretty good time, although I would have been a lot happier if the conditions were better and I could have gotten a pr. What can you do?… more »