My Top 3 Memorable Moments on Team Sneaker Factory

While being on Sneaker Factory’s running team there has been many memorable moments.  These are my Top 3 in chronological order.

Freehold St. Paddy's 10 Mile Run 3-30-2008
While I ran my first race for Sneaker Factory on 8/18/2007 it can feel a bit odd to be the new guy on a team.  At the beginning you can question if you choose the right team or if being on a team at all is right for you.  After the Freehold 10 mile run I knew I choose correctly. During the race we had a nice pack of Sneaker Factory runners comprised mostly of our men’s masters and a couple of our open runners (Matt S. and Andy V.).  For most of the race we ran as a pack clicking off 6 minute miles as one big coherent group of orange.  This race brought back memories of college and high school XC races and how much fun it can be to be part of a team when everything clicks and you work together.

Masters Men 40's - 1st Place

13. Paul Buccino            Westfield,NJ       42 M  56:47  * 
22. Christopeh Blume     Summit,NJ          40 M  59:17  *
24. John Sabatino          Morris Plains,NJ   41 M  59:25  *
28. John Hogan            Washington,NJ      42 M  59:37  *
29. Rocco Della Serra      Cranford,NJ        46 M  59:40  *
36. Kevin Devine        Basking Ridge,NJ   46 M  1:01:17 
65. Mark Nyhan           Morristown,NJ      43 M  1:04:49 
89. Carl Weaver           Morris Plains,NJ   58 M  1:07:29
(*=Scoring Member)
http://www.compuscore.com/cs2008/march/stpad101.htm


Newport Liberty Half Marathon 9-25-11
The great thing about this win was we were not supposed to win.  Our team was made up of mostly aging over 40 men up against a number of teams with younger runners.  Included was a young upstart team called GSTC which was garnering a lot of attention and most of the young and FAST guys (and girls). This was a David slew Goliath moment (or at least soon to be Goliath).

Men’s OPEN – 1st Place

3. Michael Rolek            Maplewood,NJ       25 M 1:10:45.00 *
5. Rich Burke                  Morristown,NJ      44 M 1:15:00.00 *
11. Doug Clark                 Morristown,NJ      42 M 1:17:20.00 *
28. John Hogan              Washington,NJ      46 M 1:22:26.00 *
29. Zachary Dietrick      West Orange,NJ     26 M 1:22:28.00 *
36. Tony Kharitonov           Short Hills,NJ     42 M 1:23:23.56
56. Thomas Lamanna   New Providence,NJ  45 M 1:26:51.63
60. John Knepper           Midland Park,NJ    44 M 1:26:58.45
(*=Scoring Member)
http://www.compuscore.com/cs2011/sept/libhm.htm

Mount Washington Road Race 6-15-2013
Since running my first Mount Washington Road Race on 6/20/2009 I have set the goal to finish in the top 3 of my age group.  While this has not happen yet hopefully it will one day.  With a number of good men's master runners on Sneaker Factory I knew our team could score a podium finish under the right circumstances.  While we ‘only’ placed third in the men’s masters category it still got us on the podium and an award.

There are many challenges with this race. First, is getting into the race since entry is via lottery. Second, the race is a 6 hour plus drive from NJ which makes the logistics of getting a team even to the starting line a challenge.  Much thanks goes to Zsuzsanna for ‘rallying the troops’ and stirring up interest in race.

Male Masters – 3rd Place
                    
Rocco Della Serra  1:20:29
John Hogan           1:20:46
John Sabatino        1:22:53 
John Knepper         1:23:51
Barry Lass             1:28:50
Norbey Gonzalez  (1:31:03)
http://www.coolrunning.com/bin/res_load/res_print.cgi?r=13/nh/Jun15_53rdNo_set9.shtml

Summary:  There has been many more memorial moments, including our last win (Men’s Masters 40’s) on 11/9/2014 at the Giralda Farms 10K run, however, these are the ones that hold the most significance to me.  It was FUN!  Best luck to all my teammates.

Red Cross 5K

17:12
1st overall out of 286
Pace/Mile: 5:32
Age Grade: 82.43%
Age Group Place: 1st of 24
Date: 12/5/2010
Location: Millburn, NJ
Comments: The course is certified, however, I heard from two people that the course may have been short. I would like to believe the time; however, it does seem fast considering my present shape. All in all the time does not really matter since I got the win. Complete results at http://www.compuscore.com/cs2010/novdec/redcross.htm

Race To The Top of Vermont - 4.3 miles Uphill

41:44.6
13th overall out of 293
Pace/Mile: 9:43
Age Grade: NA
Age Group Place: 4th of 48
Date: 8/29/2010
Location: Stowe, VT
Comments: The first 0.3 miles are paved and the rest is hard packed dirt. Fortunately, I was able to run the whole way although there were a few steep sections that my run was slowed to a crawl. Even though my splits where kind of uneven I think I paced myself much better than Mount Washington. My first mile was my quickest; however, I would definitely say that it is the easiest mile of the race. All in all I was happy with my result and I actually liked the distance better than Mount Washington, long enough to test you, however not so long that it totally wastes your legs. I opted to run back down because I figured it would be the quickest way down and I am glad I did. It gave me a chance to better see some of the scenery, cheer the other racers on, and was a good cool-down. It didn't seem to pound my legs that much since most of it was packed dirt.

Splits (my watch)
8:40 at 1.0
18:18 at 2.0 (9:38)
28:46 at 3.0 (10:28)
39:38 at 4.0 (10:52)

Escarpment 30k Trail Race - One and Done

4:53:36
79th overall out of 187
Date: 7/25/2010
Location: Windham, NY to North Lake in Haines Falls, NY
Comments: The race is called the Escarpment Trail Run 30K. For me it was more like a 15K trail run followed by a 15K hike. All in all it was a disaster; however, I am still glad for the experience. In many ways I was not adequately prepared for the race in addition to starting out too fast. Anyway about halfway through the race my legs cramped/stopped functioning like they have done at the end of most of my marathons . However, the big difference this time is that I had to navigate over boulders and technical/treacherous trails on legs that hurt with every step. All in all it made for a very long day.

From Wikipedia, "An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that results from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escarpment

Garmin Splits
Mile Split
1 9:20
2 11:10
3 13:47
4 13:36
5 13:09
6 12:48
7 13:16
8 12:22
9 24:57
10 24:01
11 13:01
12 20:34
13 18:39
14 20:54
15 16:46
16 19:22
17 26:19
17.6 9:28

Pine Beach 5K

17:24.24 (chip time)
7th overall out of 893
Pace/Mile: 5:36
Age Grade: 80.76%
Age Group Place: 3rd of 47
Date: 6/27/2010
Location: Pine Beach, NJ
Comments: Last mile was really tough as I tried to shake one of my running buddies (Rudi), however in the end it all worked out.
Approximate Splits:
1 mile: 5:38
2 mile: 5:41
3 mile: 5:29

Woodcliff Lake 10K

37:23.1
1st overall out of 156
Pace/Mile: 6:01
Age Grade: 78.33%
Age Group Place: 1st of 14
Date: 6/13/2010
Location: Woodcliff Lake, NJ
Comments: It is always nice to get the win. My Sneaker Factory teammate John Sabatino (i.e. Chachi) definitely made me work for it and for a while there I thought I might not be able to catch him. Complete results at http://www.compuscore.com/cs2010/june/woodcl10.htm

So far this year...

Date........Race.................................Time...........Overall Place...Age Place...PLP
5/31/2010 Ridgewood Run 10K...........36:33.67......16th of 1293......5th...........80.1
5/23/2010 Run for Rachel 5K..............17:27.56.......3rd of 523.........1st...........80.58
5/02/2010 Our House 5 Miler..............31:04.9........17th of 413........4th...........74.86
4/24/2010 Clinton 15K........................56:21..........11th of 374........3rd...........79.1
4/10/2010 Essential2Life 5K...............17:38.9.........4th of 516........1st...........79.7
3/28/2010 Ocean Drive 10 miles.......1:00:54............3rd of 491........1st...........78.8
3/21/2010 Rover and Clover 5K...........17:50............45th of 522......1st............78.9
2/02/2010 Empire State Building Run-up.13:58......38th of 206........7th............NA

Plantar Fasciitis

While it is fairly easy to write about your running and racing when everything is going fine it is a bit different when things go wrong. On 9/19/09 after the Ramsey Run 10K I developed a case of Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot that only got worse until I was forced to take about 10 days off after the Ashenfelter 8k classic on 11/26/09. Basically after the 8k I could not even walk, I had to hobble, hop, limp and do whatever just to get back to my car. It has been a long road back, but has been fun and could have been much worse. Anyway it is great to be back to running and racing again. My foot still tightens up when I sleep at night or I sit around too long, however, I just have to be mindful to stretch my calves and foot. Below are some of my recommendations if you find yourself with a case of Plantar Fasciitis.

Book – This book definitely helped. It has 30 recommendations which some are listed below.
http://www.amazon.com/Injury-Afoot-Relieve-Healing-Fasciitis/dp/0980172454/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276280239&sr=1-2

Rest - This was the hardest thing for me to do however, after racing on Thanksgiving Day 2009 and being barely able walk afterward, I finally accepted the fact that my body needed some time off. I ended up having to take 10 days off in a row. I rode my bike during this time period to not lose too much fitness.

Ice - The standard recommendation is 10 to 20 minutes several times during the day. The best times are right after a workout and right before going to sleep.

Stretching - Stretch calves, hamstrings, also stretch the foot that hurts you.

Shoes - I stopped using any old running shoes. I am now rotating 3 new pairs of different running shoes.

Insoles - Wear all the time (not just while running) at least until your condition is gone. I would try the superfeet insoles first because they are reasonably priced $30-$40. I have the blue type since I have flat feet however there are different types. Currently I use the superfeet for walking around and the custom orthotics for running.
http://www.superfeet.com/products/Blue.aspx

I also purchased new custom orthotics since my old ones (Langer) had cracked, http://www.langerbiomechanics.com/pg_2_2b.htm I would have just gone to a podiatrist to get fitted for another pair of Langer orthotics, however, when I inquired about them I was told that the company was out of business. So instead I purchased...
http://www.doctorsorthotics.com/shop/carbon-fiber-sport-running-orthotic.html

Sleep with Nighttime Splint - I liked this one the best, however, it feels kink of bulky and you have to take it off to walk.
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-NS.html
I also have this one, however, I did not like how it bends your toes up (annoying!), however, you can walk with it and it is not bulky at all.
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-STRASOC.html

Immune System - I think part of my problem with plantar fasciitis was due to a weaken immune system from too many miles and a diet that is deficient in certain things (I eat very little fruits and vegetables; also I do not have enough variety in my diet). Below is a link to a good article.

http://runningtimes.com/Print.aspx?articleID=9255

From the above article…

Signs that Your Immune System May be Dysfunctional
• Unexplained fatigue. Remember that aging is not a reason to feel tired.
• Craving sweets in the late afternoon or evening.
• Needing more time to recover from workouts.
• Recurring "itis" injuries, such as plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis.
• Frequent colds and flu.
• Insomnia.
• Exercising makes you more tired. If instead of feeling energized, you’re exhausted after your workouts, you may be in an advanced stage of adrenal dysfunction.

LBI 18 Mile Run

1:54:49 chip Time
13th overall out of 746
Pace/Mile: 6:23
Age Grade: 77.5%
Age Group Place: 4th of 80
Date: 10/11/2009
Location: Long Beach Island, NJ
Comments: I kind of fell apart the last few miles. According to my Garmin my worst miles were 16 (6:41) and 17 (6:45). Mile 18 I was able to pick it up a little and pass one guy and run a 6:29 (Garmin).
Splits:
Official 9 mile split 56:16 (avg pace 6:15)
Official 12 mile split 1:15:19 (avg pace 6:17)

Ramsey Run 10k

36:03
3rd overall out of 183
Pace/Mile: 5:48
Age Grade: 81.2%
Age Group Place: 1st of 45
Date: 9/19/2009
Location: Ramsey, NJ
Comments: Set my new masters 10k PR and this is the highest age grade that I have received as a master. So I am happy with my time, however, I am a little disappointed in myself for not finding a way to win the race since first (and second) were only 3 seconds ahead of me. I should have tried to catch the leader earlier. I still might not have won but at least I think it would have been the better way to go. Complete results are available at http://www.compuscore.com/cs2009/sept/ramsey1.htm
Splits:
Mile 1: 5:50
Mile 2: 5:48 (11:38)
Mile 3: 5:52 missed this split so this is a guess
Mile 4: 5:51 approx. (24:21)
Mile 5: 6:01 (29:22) I think this mile marker was off (this mile I bet is long and the 6th is short)
Mile 6: 5:32 missed this split, however, based on the overall split it would have to be around this, since I would need to be around 34:54 at 6.0 to finish up in the time I did.

The 40-50 Workout

The University of Oregon does a well know workout called the "30-40" workout. "The 30-40 consists of this: Run the first half of a 400-meter lap in 40 seconds, the second half in 30 seconds. And repeat, as often as you can stand to do it. It requires repeatedly pushing into anaerobic territory, recovering slightly and doing it again." (from http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1224550533173210.xml&coll=7). There is also a message board thread about the workout and paces and conversions at http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2724380&page=0

I converted the workout to paces that I thought would be appropriate for my current condition, 40 seconds for the quick 200 meters (5:20 pace for 1600 meters) and 50 seconds for the slow 200 meters (6:40 pace for 1600 meters). The quick pace of 5:20 is halfway between my current mile pace (5:06.5 on 6/8/08, the only all out mile I have ran recently) and 5k pace (5:34 pace, 17:17 chip time on 6/28/09). The recovery pace of 6:40 is approximately my current marathon pace (6:38 pace, 2:53:48 on 5/17/09, downhill so it does not really count) or (6:48 pace, 2:58:22 on 11/2/08, NYC). Also one other change I decided to do 6400 meters total (16 * 200 meters fast, slow) instead of stopping the workout after I did not hit a split.

Anyway I averaged 40.6 for the fast 200 meters and 50.4 for the recovery 200 meters. The range was 37.3 to 42.8 for the fast 200 meters and 44.3 to 53.5 for the recovery 200 meters. I completed the 6400 meters in 24:17 (6:00, 6:07, 6:14, 5:56) 1600 meter splits. All in all the workout was not as bad as I thought it would be. The recovery 200 meters felt relatively easy for the first mile or two, however, during the third and forth miles the workout started to catch up to me and even the recovery 200 meters were not much of a recovery. If I do the workout again anytime soon I would like to try to be stricter about keeping the splits under 40 and 50 seconds. My complete splits were 39.4, 48.2, 40.3, 50.0, 40.2, 49.8, 40.8, 51.2, 40.7, 49.6, 41.3, 50.7, 41.2, 51.4, 40.7, 51.5, 41.0, 52.3, 40.9, 51.9, 41.0, 50.8, 42.8, 53.5, 40.4, 51.6, 41.7, 49.0, 40.5, 51.1, 37.3, 44.3

The main reason I did this workout is because I am running a 10k on 9/19/09 (10 days from now) so I figured this would be a good workout to get my legs moving at a slightly quicker pace then most of my workouts have been. Since I am aiming to run mostly longer races this fall for my 'hard' workouts I have been concentrating on marathon pace runs of 10 to 12 miles, tempos runs of 5 miles at half-marathon pace and hill repeats.

2009 Mount Washington Road Race - 7.6 miles

1:24:47
78th overall out of 917
Pace/Mile: 11:10
Age Grade: NA
Age Group Place: 9th of 93
Date: 6/20/2009
Location: Pinkham Notch, NH
Comments: Because of the nature of this race I knew it was going to be tough, however, it was even tougher than I anticipated. The start is actually downhill and flat until 0.3 miles then once the road turns uphill the next 7.3 miles are all uphill. I had two goals going into this race, to break 1:20 and not to walk. I missed on both accounts.
Start to 1 mile (actual 0.9 since the mile markers are from the start of the road and not the actual start)Went out too fast and was right behind the women's leader when we hit the hill. This is by far the easiest mile because you are fresh, it has 0.3 downhill/flat, and it is 0.1 mile short. Hit the mile marker in 7:09 (goal based on split predictor for 1:20 would be 8:00)
1 to Mile 2 (1.9) Time 16:58 (goal 17:55) This was a hard mile, was breathing like a freight train, was totally red lining it and it was only the second mile.
2 to Mile 3 (2.9) Time 27:02 (goal 28:18) Started to settle into the pace and was more optimistic that I would be able to maintain my pace.
Halfway (3.8) 37:15 (goal 37:52) Lost sometime, however I was glad that I was halfway through and was still optimistic about my time.
3 to Mile 4 (3.9) 38:18 (goal 38:52)
4 to Mile 5 (4.9) 50:02 (goal 50:16) Lost more time, really struggling at this point, just trying to convince myself not to walk.
5 to Mile 6 (5.9) 1:02:02 (goal 1:01:30) Over goal time at this point, however too tired to care or even realize, just trying to keep running.
6 to Mile 7 (6.9) No split (goal 1:12:47) Not sure of the exact point however somewhere slightly after 6 miles I turn a corner and am confronted with another ridiculously steep section and I start walking. From this point on I walk the steep sections and run (if you can call it that) the rest. Even though I was redlining it most of the way ultimately it was my legs (and willpower) that did me in. The inside of my left knee joint (this has never bothered me before) and my hip flexors hurt so much that I thought my legs would "lockup" and stop functioning.
7 to Finish (7.6) Was very confused by this point whether I had 0.6 or 0.7 miles to go (it was 0.7), continue with my walk/run, walk the 22% "wall" and then see the clock and realize that I still has a shot of at least breaking 1:25 and run to the finish.

Things that I would do differently:
1) Run the first mile slower, try to stay as close as possible to goal pace.
2) Wear lighter shoes with good traction. I wore my Brooks Burn, which are about 10 oz. They are great shoes, however, since you are going uphill every ounce counts. Plus I think you could get away with light racing flats since you are not pounding your legs. Maybe something like the Nike Air Zoom Streak XC.
3) Do more specific training for the race. Yes I did the hilly runs and the hill repeats. However, I should have done the treadmill runs at 11.5% incline.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUR2qS4FgqI
I can be seen at 27-28 seconds in (green singlet), several places behind the women's leader Brandy Erholtz. I was in about 30th place at this point, like I said I went too fast.

The Course:
From http://www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com/
The Mt. Washington Auto Road is 7.6 miles in length, has an average grade of 11.5% with extended sections of 18%, and the last 50 yards is a 22% "wall" to the finish. There are mile posts along the course, but these posts represent mileage from the Auto Road office across Route 16. Mile one is thus actually 0.9 mi. from the start. And mile posts 2 - 7 are thus 1.9 - 6.9 miles. From milepost 7 to the finish is 0.7 mi. There will be a digital clock at the exact halfway point of the race (3.8 mi.). The course rises 4650 vertical feet from start to finish. Relax, there's Only One Hill!

Woodcliff Lake 10K

37:16
1st overall out of 172
Pace/Mile: 6:00
Age Grade: 78.0%
Age Group Place: 1st of 15
Date: 6/14/2009
Location: Woodcliff Lake, NJ
Comments: This is my first road race win since 9/11/04 so I was very pleased with the win. For those that have not run this course before it is fairly hilly especially during the fourth and fifth miles, however from 5 miles to the finish it is mostly downhill and flat. I did not get my exact splits, however, they were something like 5:55, 5:55, 5:55, 6:15, 6:30, 5:30. In typical fashion for me they did not have the correct award. They give me a medal with the word faculty crossed-out and promised to mail me a correct medal. However, I knew the awards for this race where just cheap medals since I ran this race two years ago, I mainly ran this time to collect points for the USATF-NJ Series. Complete results are available at http://www.compuscore.com/cs2009/june/woodcl11.htm

Run for the Red Marathon

2:53:48

12th overall out of 411

Pace/Mile: 6:38

Age Grade: 75.5%

Age Group Place: 4th of 104

Date: 5/17/2009

Location: Stroudsburg, PA

Comments: This is a FAST course, however, the downhills really pound your legs. According to marathonguide.com 30% of all finishers ran Boston Qualifiers and I would definitely recommend the race to anyone that is within a few minutes from a BQ or some other time goal.

CHERRY BLOSSOM 10K

36:27
5th overall out of 602
Pace/Mile: 5:52
Age Grade: 79.7%
Age Group Place: 2nd of 89
Date: 4/5/2009
Location: Newark, NJ (Branch Brook Park)
Comments: I was pleasantly surprised by this race since it was much better than I thought it would be. My last car was stolen and ended up in Newark, so I don't have the fondest memories of Newark. Anyway the park was nice, the awards were nice (fleece vests with race logo made by Columbia) and everything was fairly well organized. I guess my only complaints are that I am not crazy about out and back type of courses and that one or two spots on the course could have been more clearly marked. My 5k splits were 18:14 and 18:13. I actually did not run as evenly as those splits suggest, my splits were 5:53, 5:38 (caught a few people, however was hurting after 2 miles so I back off the next mile), 6:05, 5:57, missed the last two splits but they had to be around 5:50.

Wurtsboro Mountain 30k

2:00:24
5th overall out of 161
Pace/Mile: 6:28
Age Grade: 75.9%
Age Group Place: 1st of 41
Date: 3/28/2009
Location: Wurtsboro, NY
Comments: The Wurtsboro 30k was a very interesting, scenic and challenging (Hilly, with a Capital H) course. I actually lead the race for the first mile since the race went out slow. I stayed with the leaders through most of the hills until about four miles; there was a pack of four of us. I let them go after that (i.e. they dropped me) since I felt the pace was getting to be more than I could handle. I was on pace to break two hours up until about 25k which I hit in 1:40:03, however my legs were wasted by then and did not have another sub 20:00 5k in them. I would definitely recommend the race, not as a time trial, but as a different, challenging race. More accurate course description available at: http://www.sullivanstriders.org/30k_up_and_down.htm

Rover and Clover 5K

17:16.1

3rd overall out of 467

Pace/Mile: 5:34

Age Grade: 80.9%

Age Group Place: 1st of 75

Date: 3/15/2009

Location: Hillsdale, NJ

Comments: I decided to run this race since Hillsdale is one of the towns that boarder where I live and figured (wrongly, once again) that I would have an outside chance of winning the race. This was my first race as a master that I got an age grade Performance Level Percentage of over 80% (80.9%) based on compuscore's calculator. http://www.compuscore.com/agegrade/calculator.php This meets one of my yearly goals to achieve an 80 plp. The course was kind of poorly laid out with a 90 degree turn 100 ft or so into the race thru an opening about 10 to 15 wide and a few other oddities that one should expect at a local 5k run. By half a mile I was in 6 or 7th place with all HS guys ahead of me, however by 1.25 miles or so I moved into 3rd place and that is where I stayed since I was unable to make up any ground on 2nd. All in all I was very pleased with the time.

NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon 2009

1:19:24

33rd overall out of 4586

Pace/Mile: 6:03

Age Grade: 79.5%

Age Group Place: 3rd of 410

Date: 1/25/2009

Location: NY, NY (Central Park)

Comments: The air was crisp and clear...I could complain that it was too cold at 14 degrees, however, something was working for me since this was the second fastest half marathon I have ever run. And my best if I take age grading into account (which I really can't). I went out a little fast at 5:55 for the first mile, 12:02 at two (6:07), 17:52 at three (5:50), 24:02 at four (6:10), from that point on I kind of ran a more even pace between 6:00 - 6:05, except between miles 9 to 10 which was my slowest mile something between 6:15 - 6:20. I think my split at 10 miles was 1:00:34. NYRR's changed the course slightly they moved the start and finish back approximately two miles, start was at West 63rd, I liked it.

1st Day 5K

17:56.5
4th overall out of 227
Pace/Mile: 5:47
Age Grade: NA
Age Group Place: 1st of 26
Date: 1/1/2009
Location: Fair Lawn, NJ
Comments: I have always wanted to run a race on New Years Day however, I never got around to it till this year. Course had some ice/snow in some parts which slowed down the times. Considering the condition of the course I would not have run this race if I had not pre-registered.

Running Goals 2009

1) Run at the 80% for my age in at least one race this year. In 2008 I received age grades of 79.9% in two races and 79.5 in one race. Close but like they say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Which until September means.
Distance........Time ..............Pace
5K................17:27 ..............5:37
5 Miles...........28:52 .............5:46
10 K..............36:19 ..............5:51
15 K..............55:15 ..............5:56
10 Miles.........59:31 ..............5:57
13.11 Miles...1:18:58 ..............6:01
(using http://www.compuscore.com/agegrade/calculator.php)

2) Win a road race. The last race I won was 9/11/04 which is too long ago (http://www.compuscore.com/cs2004/sept/ramsey1.htm). The funny thing was I was not even in very good shape back then I was just running about 15 or so miles a week plus some biking. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. However, I would like the race to at least have a 100+ people. Lately I seem to be very good at getting second or third place because instead of taking a risk and going for it and possibly 'blowing up' and getting 5th or 10th place for that matter, I just run a 'safe' nice and even pace race and collect my second or third place award. Like they say No Guts No Glory.

3) 2:55 marathon. Since breaking 3:00 I have felt less urgency towards the marathon. However, I would still like to improve my PR and 2:55 seems like the next logical step. A 2:54:48 is 6:40 pace which seems doable if I get the miles in.

4) Run 2700+ miles this year. I ran 2652 miles in 2007 which was my second highest ever. My PR is 3001, which was from about 20 years ago. I would like to increase my mileage more however; I need to mindful not to ignore my family and job commitments. Also run 75+ mpw for at least one week. My high week in 2008 was 70 miles, my all time PR is 91 miles, I would like to break that sometime, however I want to be smart about it and not get injured in the process. The purpose of increasing mileage is to improve race times, period.

5) Run different types of races. Yes this is an easy one, not even really a goal. However, I know I need to be mindful to not just run the same races as I did last year. I would like to do at least one XC or trail race, track race, hill or mountain race, maybe a stair climb. Also some different distances like 4 miles, 15K, 20K, 30K, etc. Furthermore I should extend this to workouts.

6) Finish higher in the USATF NJ point series. In 2008 I finished 153 place in the series. I must admit I have never been much for series since I feel that they do not prove much (just who collected the most points throughout the year).