Saucony 2009 - fam A thank you to runningMarch 9, 2009 I'm not accustomed to writing about my experiences in a personal journal entry let alone an online blog. I did some blogging in the past about 6 years ago, but it was very short lived with just a couple of entries. I don't like to keep a running journal for logging mileage and have only taken the time to log a journal a few times in the recent past when I felt it was important to do so. I like to try to live in the present and be completely present in what I'm doing when it comes to my running. I try to leave the past in the past, but I do internalize and hold onto the lessons and past experiences that I feel are important and help me grow and move forward toward something better. My thoughts and internal dialogue seem to always be evolving in many directions. Perspective is very important to me at this time and I find myself reflecting on my life in this way daily. To be frank my personal perspective on things can often change. The more I learn the more it changes. This is one of the reasons I have reservations about writing journals or blogs. If I'm going to write these blogs I might as well do it in a way that will be most valuable to you. It is hard for me to guess who will be reading this so I will generalize and cater to those of us who are looking to excel in running and enhance our life experience through running and racing. So here we go. I've been running professionally for over 8 years now and have experienced many ups and downs in my drive for achievement. I've travelled the world with my racing and have been to so many incredible places. Running has also helped me grow in immeasurable ways as a person. It has helped me develop quite a lot of personal character through years of discipline, focus, determination and will. I have achieved things I never fully imaged I could do and now measure my success very differently than I have in the past. In short running has helped me grow in ways nothing else in life could. I'm very thankful for all that running has given me and continues to contribute to my life. This is a major reason why I'd like to continue to find ways to motivate and inspire others to run and challenge themselves as true runners. What I do as a runner is so simple. In the past I used to struggle with the simplicity of running and like many people I felt that it was a meaningless task. At times I struggled with the thought that I was wasting my time running. That is a valid opinion for some to hold, but I've come to see it quite differently. I'm currently training at altitude in Arizona and make trips almost daily driving thirty minutes to Sedona for runs. There are trails here in Sedona that I think everyone should run at some point in their life. When I run these trails everything just seems right and running becomes more meaningful than anything I could do. I think this is one of the main reasons I've had success training at high altitude here in Arizona. In my opinion, mindset and motivation has much more to do with success in racing than any series of workouts or over refined race buildup. Great high level workouts and mileage cannot develop without this important foundation of running. Many athletes and coaches overlook this crucial aspect of training. I see a lot of athletes ritualize their training turning everything into a cycle or habitual routine. I try not to make this mistake. I try not to give in to mileage counts, interval times or comparison of performance in training. Don't get me wrong I am methodical about what I do and think about my next move daily, but I also move freely with it and try to let decisions come to me organically. I don't force training when unnecessary. I run very hard when the time is right to do so and I run easy when I need. I compare times, performances and training only to what I've done in the past and I get my best results this way. I suppose that is why I enjoy training solo when I'm here and why I enjoy doing most of my runs alone now. I've planned a tough workout for tomorrow and I know it will be done on the track alone most likely with no one else at the track to see it. I can tell you that being there alone will in no way take away from my effort or intensity. In many ways it contributes to it. To be honest I sometimes find it harder now racing with people. Perhaps that is why I run better when I run away from the field and race myself... |
About fam
Famiglietti won his first national 3,000m steeplechase title since 2002 at the 2008 Olympic Trials in bold, front-running form. Famiglietti took the lead early in the final and ran alone throughout the race, running 8:16 pace for all but the final two laps. Although he slowed somewhat in the final 800, "Fam" won easily in 8:20.24. Famiglietti ran a season’s best in the opening round at the Olympic Games when he clocked a personal best 8:17.34 (bettering his previous PR of 8:17.91 from 2004), which also was the fastest time by an American in 2008. Known mostly for his prowess in the steeplechase, Famiglietti’s 2007 season was highlighted by his 5,000m runner-up finish at Mt. SAC on April 13 in the year’s second-fastest time by an American of 13:11.93, which is the fastest time by an American ever on U.S. soil. Famiglietti’s 2006 season was highlighted by personal best performances in the 1,500 meters (3:35.83) and at 10,000 meters (27:37.74). He posted a then personal steeple best with his runner-up finish of 8:17.91 at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Famiglietti made his breakthrough in 2000, improving his personal best by more than 17 seconds and placing seventh at the Olympic Trials. He headed into the 2001 GMC Envoy USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with the fastest time by an American in 2001 and came away with second place, a personal-best time, and a berth on Team USA for the World Championships. His victory at the 2001 World University Games is the first international title by an American in the steeplechase since John Gregorek captured the WUG title in 1991. While in Beijing, he cut his hair into a mohawk and bought a bicycle so he could travel around the city. He gave the bike to some children before he left for home…was a psychology major at Tennessee but has no plans to practice psychotherapy: “I’ve got to figure myself out first”…is an artist, with a particular interest in abstract expressionism. Famiglietti has a quotation from the 1980s New York graffiti artist Basquiat (aka “Samo”) tattooed on his forearm…has an interest in Eastern religions. 2008: 13th at Olympic Games (8:31.21)...Olympic Trials champion (8:20.24)… 3rd in opening round Heat 2 at Olympic Games (8:17.34 PR, U.S. Leader)…ranked #1 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 8:17.34. 2007:4th at USA Outdoor Championships steeple (8:27.64)…USA 8 km champion (22:35)…1st at adidas Track Classic 3,000m (7:41.27)…2nd at Mt. SAC 5,000m (13:11.93PR)…ranked #6 in steeplechase, #5 at 3,000m & #10 at 5,000m in the U.S. by T&FN…bests of 8:27.64 & 7:41.27. 2006:4th at AT&T USA Outdoors 5,000m (28:27.73)…U.S. k km champion (13:50.1)...3rd at Stanford (27:37.74)…3rd at Reebok Grand Prix (3:55.71)…8th at Stockholm (8:24.41)…7th at Rieti (3:35.83PR)… 5th at Linz (8:19.77)… 9th at Roverto (13:24.47PR)…ranked #2 U.S. in steeple, #5 U.S. at 1,500m by T&FN…bests of 3:35.83, 8:19.77, 13:24.47, 27:37.74. 2005: 2nd at USA Outdoors (8:20.49)6th in opening round at World Outdoor Champs (8:21.84)...1st in at adidas Track Classic (8:25.16) 1st at meet in Columbus (8:20.04)...2nd at Rieti (8:19.46)...best of 8:19.46 2004: 2nd at Olympic Trials (8:17.91PR)...8th in opening round at Olympic Games (8:31.59); 1st in 1500m at Sea Ray Relays (3:43.38)1st at Penn Relays (8:25.02)7th in 3000m at adidas Oregon (7:50.70)14th in 5000m at Mt. Sac (13:38.29)ranked #2 in U.S. by T&FN bests of 8:17.91, 7:50.70 & 13:38.29. 2003: 3rd at Pan Am Games (8:40.22)best of 8:31.03 in opening round at USA Outdoors...ranked #4 in U.S. by T&FN. 2002: USA Outdoor steeple champ (8:19.07); 4th at USA Indoors 3 km (7:59.15)4th at World Cup (8:32.27)13th at USA 4 km XC (11:47)4th at Gresham (8:21.05 ); ran 8:23.30 in Monacoran 8:24.49 in Stockholm ranked #1 in U.S. by T&FN best of 8:19.07. 2001: World University Games champ (8:21.97); 2nd at USA Outdoors (8:22.68)...4th at US indoor 3,000m (7:59.41)...11th in opening round at World Outdoors (8:44.54)10th in 4 km at USA XC Winter Nationals; 3rd at adidas Oregon Track Classic (8:23.20)...ranked #2 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 8:21.00 in Stockholm. 2000: 7th, Olympic Trials (8:25.37) ...2nd SEC Outdoors 4th, NCAA Outdoors (8:42.49) best of 8:25.37. 1999: 8th in heat, USA Outdoors (8:42.58)... 6th at NCAA Outdoors (8:50.11)...best of 8:42.58. 1998: Southern Conference champion in steeple and 5 km...11th at SEC XC...75th at NCAA XC...best of 8:52.12. 1997: Southern Conference XC runner of the year runner-up. 1996: Southern Conference freshman of year in XC Sign Up
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I'm like, the oldest rookie in track and field. I got back into running at 27, and for that past 7 months I've been going to train with my track club for every workout, never missing a day, and barely ever getting out to run alone.
I figured I have so much catching up to do, I might as well get the most out of my coaching, learn everything I can etc... I think I'm starting to outgrow this philosophy. I'm reading about training and learning a ton on my own, and I miss the solitude of long runs that I can't do because I'm doing intervals and speed as much as I can and my body gets too trashed.
I originally got in to running alone at 16, out of the blue, 'organically'. I just took off one night late coming home from a party. And despite a complete lack of guidance, I did well in high school meets. I need it to be like that again, I can't let the more than 10 years of refined and mature thought processes I've developed stop me from tapping into the animal suppleness that once upon a time let me know that I had a talent for this sport.
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Hopefully a marathon is in your future soon...I think that you have the right mindset for it.
Are you still in Flagstaff? This interview says you are back in NYC.
http://twoangryrunners.com/?p=288