Start From Scratch

Time to jump back on the blog train.

I had a great summer back in Calgary. I really enjoyed spending time with my old friends from high school, and stepping away from being completely surrounded by running, and runners.

Biggest news; I left my old training group in Arizona and have moved to Toronto to train with Athletics Toronto under the guidance of Dave Reid.

At different points during my season last year, I had thoughts about possibly leaving the training group in Arizona. There were many reasons that played into these thoughts. One of the biggest factors, as with any decision an up and coming athlete in Canada, was money. My parents have been overly generous over the last two years, sacrificing a little on there end and funding me while I was down there. Each month they gave me $1000, and that is what I lived on. Most of it went to rent, and then rest went to groceries. I definitely wasn't living a luxurious lifestyle; but I was making it by, somewhat, comfortably.

The second biggest reason; overall well-being and happiness. There seemed to be a lot of negativity within the training group, and a lot of it was directed at me. Unlike most groups I've been in where warm-ups and cool-downs are light-hearted and fun, it seemed the ones in Arizona became a 3-mile complain session. If someone wasn't there for whatever reason, the topic of discussion quickly turned to talking behind that persons back.

One thing I've continually said when people have asked me about my move is, "When one of your training partners threatens to 'effing knock you out', after a race, it's probably time to look into a new group."

Please remember, this is just my experience with this group. I believe the coaching, training, therapy, and all those things are really amazing. I wish everyone still involved nothing but the best.

On a brighter note, Toronto has been amazing! I really lucked out with a great apartment and awesome roommate. I have a pretty spectacular view of Lake Ontario and downtown. I face east, so every morning I get to watch a beautiful sunrise over the famous skyline of downtown Toronto.

So far while being here I have met Ty Domi, Adam Growe (the host of Cash Cab), and watched The Tragically Hip play at a very small, intimate venue, for free. I also returned to the desert and saw a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Phoenix, a lifelong dream that definitely lived up to expectation.

On the running side of things, it has been great. Definitely a more old-school, mileage based approach then what I have been used to in the past, which has been awesome. I had a few hiccups when I first arrived in Toronto with being a bit sick. I think moving into a high-rise, and working downtown definitely played a factor in that. Most recently I went to Kingston to run in the Athletics Ontario Cross Country Championship; my first race since moving out here. It went really well. I won the 10km race in 31:15.44. I sat with the back for roughly 7km, when I threw down a pretty decisive move. I broke the field and never looked back. From what I hear Hussein Hashi made a great effort to pull be back. I have to give him a lot of credit, it was a pretty windy day out there, and he was in the lead for a lot of the race.

I'm now 2 weeks out from the Canadian Cross Country Championships and very much looking forward to it. I'll be heading out to Vancouver on the 20th, and staying for a week. The race is November 24th, and Jericho Beach in Vancouver. Anyone who is in Vancouver at that time should definitely come out to watch. It's always a great event, and the races are very exciting.

Thanks for reading, remember to subscribe to my blog to be alerted on updates, and follow me on twitter. I encourage you to share my blog on twitter and facebook and leave questions and/or comments.

Whirlwind Update #2.

Well, Another season has come and gone. All in all, it's been a pretty darn good one. 4 personal bests in 3 events, lowering my own provincial record twice, a senior national team, Olympic trials final, travel from coast to coast of Canada, and most importantly, meeting and creating connections with some truly amazing people.

As I said in my last post, Nationals wasn't the most satisfying race of my life. I am content with my result, but obviously wanted and expected better. I am still young in the sport and am learning more and more each year the importance of patience in championship racing. I am certain in the years to come my placement at Nationals will be a lot for on par with my ranking going in.

After the trials I had a few days to decompress and then traveled out to Moncton for the first stop of the east coast part of the National Track League. Moncton was a slower more tactical race, in which I practiced my patience and ended up 6th in a close race where only 2 seconds separated 1st from 7th.

I then headed to Halifax for NTL #5, the Aileen Meagher Track Classic. This meet did a fantastic job of advertising and getting fans into the stands. Having two locals going to the 2012 Olympics probably didn't hurt. The meet organisers did a great job of creating a really fun, energetic environment. It showed in the results of the races. This race went a quicker and I ended up 4th in my second fastest time of my life.

I was pretty stoked on that result and went into the NTL finale in Toronto feeling really strong and confident. Nate Brannen came to Toronto to race and had Geoff Harris pace. Geoff, along with having a phenomenal season in his individual races, has gotten pretty good at pacing 1500m as well. I knew this was going to be a great race and I needed to take advantage of it. I immediately tucked in behind Nate and decided I was just going to stay there for as long as I could. Turns out, I was able to stay there for the entirety of the 1500m race. I finished second to Nate in a new personal best time of 3:40.15. I was really happy with my performance and very proud of my courage, I just really wish I had of dipped under that 3:40 barrier.

Since then I took two weeks off, during which I realised I must be maturing and growing up. I went back and read a post I put up in 2010 about my 2 week break, you can read it here. This year was significantly different. Instead of pulling all-nighters and drinking my face off, I focused on what this two weeks is actually about, recover. Don't get me wrong, I had a few good nights of going out and being a normal human, but certainly nothing like that of the legendary break of 2010.

I have gotten back to running now, and admittedly probably did a little too much too soon. Can't blame me though, how could I not with the Olympics going on! I have really toned it down and am being a lot more cautious. The season is long, I don't need to get fit in 2 weeks.

Speaking of running, I think I'm going to go for a run right now!

Thanks for reading, remember to subscribe to my blog to be alerted on updates, follow me on twitter. I encourage you to share my blog on twitter and facebook and to leave questions and/or comments. Feedback and interaction with my readers is always encourage.

1500m final

So, the final of the men's 1500, I am proud of the way I ran the race, I'm not overly happy with my 8th place finish, but in content. I found myself in the lead with a little over 400 to go and made a really solid move. I just wasn't quite able to hold on as long as I thought.

I felt amazing over these last couple weeks of training and I thought I was ready for the race of my life. I guess that race will have to wait for one of the meets out east.

Thanks to everyone who has been following me and giving me support. It has been truly amazing and entirely overwhelming. You all really helped carry me through the weekend.

Olympic Trials 1500m Semi-Final

Well, that was a bit of a crazy race. The way it works is there are 2 heats of 12 men in the semi-finals. From each heat the top 4 finishers automatically qualify, and then the next 4 fastest times after that. I had the advantage of being in heat 2. This is an advantage because you get to see what heat 1 runs and you just have to make sure you are faster than the 5th finisher in their heat.

Heat 1 happened pretty much according to plan. They went out fair slow and ended up coming home strong over the last lap and a half or so. The 5th place finisher was about 3:51. So now everyone in our heat who wasn't confident on being top 4 knows that they have to run at least 3:51 or better to make it to the final. Right off the gun Robert Jackson from Speed River took the lead. I knew it was definitely faster than 3:51 pace, but I felt really comfortable and was expecting somewhere around 63 through 400. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the clock and it said 60 seconds. It didn't really phase me, as I said I felt really strong and comfortable and had no problems with a bit of a faster time. Coming around the corner with just under 1000m left in the race, I got clipped pretty bad and almost hit the track. I was able to recover pretty well and maintained by composure and most importantly my position. Jackson maintained the lead through 800m where we slowed down a bit to 63, coming through in 2:03. With 600m to go the pace started to get a little quicker again and from here on out about 5 of us broke away. That group included myself, Taylor Milne, Justin Marpole-Bird, Geoff Martinson, and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot. Coming down the home straight we were all in a group, and I was sitting in 5th. I debated just staying there because I knew the time was much faster than 3:51, but I like to have a big "Q" beside my name rather than a small "q" so I worked my way up in to 4th to guarantee me a spot in the final.

I want to say thanks to everyone who came out tonight to cheer me on. I heard you all and it really helped me out. It was great meeting some of me new twitter followers in person as well!

Lets keep the cheering going. The 1500m final goes tomorrow, Friday, June 29th, at 2:25pm at Foothills Athletic Park. Be there or be SQUARE!

I am all eyes on the 1500m final right now. But just FYI I am entered in the 800m semi-finals at 6:55pm tomorrow as well.

Time has Come.

Well, the time has come. The one meet everyone has been looking forward to all year is upon us. The 2012 Canadian Olympic Trials have begun.

My final preparations leading into the meet have been unbelievable. I have been doing a lot of change of pace sessions to get ready for the tactical races that are inevitable at championship races. In every single one I have surprised myself both with how fast they have been, but also how smooth and just utterly strong I have felt. I have also been getting verbal feedback from some of my peers to reinforce the way I have been feeling.

I would love to have as many supporters out as possible. If you are in Calgary and have the time, why not come watch Canada's best athletes compete for their spot on the 2012 London Olympic team. Tickets are only $15 available at the track.

 My race schedule looks as follows.

1500m semi-finals - Thursday @ 6:20pm
1500m finals - Friday @ 2:30pm
800m semi-finals - Friday @ 6:55pm
800m finals - Saturday @ 3:15pm

Of course both the 1500m, and 800m final are tentative as I do need to qualify through the semi-finals.

Back on the Train.

Jeez, looks like I have a lot to update.

Non-Running

I can't really think of a whole lot that has happened. I'll just start typing and hopefully some things come up. I like to think I don't lead that boring of a life.

I got back with Amy and then broke up within 2 months. It was a pretty bad situation, but sometimes those are the ones you learn the most about yourself, and other people.

I'm back in Canada, so thats pretty cool. It's surprising how big of a cultural difference there actually is between the USA and Canada. I have been saying that since I've been back, and people ask me what the differences are, but I can't say really. It's all the small things. I used to think I could possibly live in the states one day, but after being back this time, I retract that statement.

I have been lucky enough to have had a few really cool people come into my life recently. They are the type of people you make and immediate connection with and can just sense that you are going to get along. That is my main goal right now, to surround myself with people that I have real connections with and have potential to stick around for awhile and not worry too much about the people who are just passing through.

Running


Man, tons of races. All of that have been pretty good, obviously a few I wish I could redo.

In April I had the Sun Angel at ASU, Mt. SAC relays in California, and I was lucky enough to go out to the 2012 Penn Relays as part of Canada's Distance Medley Relay team. ASU and Mt. SAC were both really good. 3:43 at ASU for a season opener was really exciting. That was by far the fastest I have ever gone for my first 1500 of the year. That excitement continued with a new PB at Mt. Sac running 3:41.13. My performance wasn't nearly as good at Penn Relays, but the experience was unbelievable. I really hope I get chosen for that team again. I'd love to experience the meet more and redeem myself a little bit.

After the April races we went up to Flagstaff for a yearly altitude training camp. It was a ton of fun and we had some really solid workouts. One of the highlights being 1x800 at 1000m pace where everyone ran WAY faster than expected. I ran 1:50.8, a PB by over 2 seconds in practice. Then we headed back to California for the USATF OXY HP meet. I really wanted another PB, but running 3:42.35, the 3rd fastest time of my life had to do. After OXY we headed back to good ol' AZ for one last meet in the US. In my previous races I had been going out pretty conservatively and then really coming home strong. This time I decided I'd just go for it. I split through 1200m in about 2:55, which is the fastest I had ever done, and then died a slow painful death over the last 300m finishing in 3:46. It was ridiculously hot, which made flying back up to Canada a few days later a lot easier. I went up to Edmonton for the Running Room Blue Mile. It's just a fun road race that I ended up second in.

That brings us to the current month of June, and the racing has continued. I flew out to the west coast for Harry Jerome and the Victoria Track Classic. Jerome wasn't that great, I had a really weird mind set going into that race. I knew it was going to be fast and I knew that I generally have a pretty good result there, so I kind of thought no matter what I do I was going to run fast. I figured if I just went out, didn't get caught up with a pace that was too fast and just ran my race, I'd come out of it with a good showing. But, I didn't run the race on the track or my race. I kind of just run around in circles for a few minutes and forgot to race. Victoria was a lot better for me. The race wasn't quite as fast but I was actually in it this time. From Victoria I flew up to Edmonton to race an 800. I ran a big PB of 1:49.11 and had a ton of fun doing it! I came home afterwards and registered to double at nationals because I had so much fun.

Now I'm back in Calgary putting in the final bits of training in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Trials here at Foothills Stadium. For anyone who is in town and looking for a way to spend their afternoons this coming weekend, I recommend coming to check out Canada's best track and field athletes try to qualify to represent the country at the 2012 London Olympics.

Thanks for reading, remember to subscribe to my blog to be alerted on updates, follow me on twitter. I encourage you to share my blog on twitter and facebook and to leave questions and/or comments. Feedback and interaction with my readers is always encourage.

Things Are Coming Together

Well, it's been an eventful month. Let me just rhyme off things that have happened in no particular order and then address them in detail after. I'm back to the single life now, training is really coming together, I raced a pretty solid 1000m, I ran a road 5k, I had a few more little hiccups in training, I got older, I had the weirdest St. Paddy's day ever, my tickets for Red Hot Chili Peppers arrived, and I continue to learn a lot about myself.

Non-Running Based Stuff:

So as I said, I'm back to the single life. Which is bitter sweet. Having a relationship end is never easy. A constant in my life for the last year is now gone and it's been tough getting used to it. What's really been helping me get through it is knowing that we made the best decision for both of us. I know she is now able to focus a lot more on herself, and I am really happy and excited for that. It was crappy and hurt, but for the long term it will be a lot better for both of us. Being in the sport of track makes it really hard to have a relationship and be fair the to the other person. Especially when you don't really live in one place for very long like I have been doing. I have determined you either need to have the most understanding partner in the world (extremely hard to find), or be in the same training group to make things work.

Some of you may have read the very introspective post I put up and then took down. I just sat down one night and put pen to paper with no real vision of what I was going to write and just let my brain tell my hand what to do. The result was a very personal and, I think, interesting look inwards on myself. I got a lot of positive feedback on it, and I really appreciate that. Since it was so personal, it was kind of hard for me to put it up. I decided to take it down after a few days because, with the positive, came the negative feedback. Some very important people to me read it and came away with a bad experience. I never had any intention of that and I decided the best thing would be to take it down. I have been debating sharing it on an individual basis based on interest. If you would be interested in reading it, please either comment below or contact me via e-mail, twitter, or facebook.

Over the last month, I have continued to do a lot of self reflection and I have had some really amazing chats with good friends whose opinion I really trust and appreciate. I have learned a lot of things about myself and am really excited to get back to focusing on Peter.

What else, I turned 23! I know I'm still a baby, but I sure am starting to feel old. As most people know along with my birthday comes St. Paddy's day, my week birthday anniversary. I can say, without a doubt, that this St. Paddy's was by far the strangest I have ever had. Started out normal enough with Geoff Harris, Olivier Collin and myself going to a little pub I'd been meaning to check out for a long time now. It didn't disappoint, we had a couple cleansing ales and played a few games of pool. Around 8:30 we decided we wanted to go somewhere else. I knew of this bar that is just a bit outside of Old Town Scottsdale, which would have been crazy on St. Paddy's. We decided we see how it was. Turns out, they were having a theme night! The theme was "Gothic Surgical Green and Black Medical." Needless to say it was no the normal Scottsdale crowd. Long story short, after a few drinks we started mingling with the crowd, and ended up getting in on a little photo shoot they were having in the back of the bar. I asked the photographer to find the craziest dressed people and have them take a photo with us because it would be a pretty funny contrast, he just looked at me and said "Dude, you guys are the craziest dressed people."

And last but certainly not least, actually probably the most exciting thing of all... MY CHILI PEPPERS TICKETS CAME! It's official, in september I'll be coming down to the desert with a buddy to take in the Chili Peppers and have a bit of a vacation!

Running Based Stuff:

Just before and for a little bit after my 5000m in Seattle I was plagued with a few really strange little injuries that kept me from training at 100%. For a little bit leading into the race my Achilles was acting up and as stated in my race report, Wynn found a bunch of weird things wrong in my stomach that was affecting a ton of other stuff. I quickly sorted all of that out and got back into things. And then my lower legs felt as though they were casted in cement. So my training took a bit of a hit with that as well. FINALLY, as of a week or so ago, I have everything sorted out and feeling good. Training has been going really well and I have finally been able to fight through that pain at the end of workouts and finish strong instead of giving up like I was mentioning before.

I ran a 5k road race here in Scottsdale at the beginning of the month. It was a lot of fun. I won the race a got a sweet plaque that I have no idea what to do with. And this past weekend I ran 1000m race at the ASU Invitational. It was pretty much a team time trial. It was 6 guys from the training group and 1 kid from Minnesota. We also had Andrew Ellerton pacing us through 800m. I ended up 4th in 2:23.05. Which is right where I ideally WANTTED to be, but not exactly where I expected to be. I wanted to run around 2:22.5 +/-, but in all honesty, I wasn't entirely confident I could actually run that. I figured I'd be about 2:24. In the race that lack of confidence came through and I was quite as aggressive as I wish I would have been. But I have a lot of confidence coming out of the race. I went through 800 in about 1:54 feeling super comfortable and relaxed and was able to close in about a 27 feeling really strong. Splits, from what I got from the video were, 28.3, 28.7, 29.0, 28.5, 27.9. So my last 400 was my fastest with the last 200 being the fastest of all. You can watch the race HERE

That about sums everything up. We're getting into race season now, which seems crazy. Speaking of crazy, the Olympic Development camp, that I am a part of, is starting this week here in Phoenix. There are a bunch of athletes down training and attending seminars and talks put on by different people. Should be a lot of fun, and a little hectic.

Thanks for reading, remember to subscribe to my blog to be alerted on updates, follow me on twitter, check out my donations page, share my blog on twitter and facebook. I encourage you to leave questions or comments in the section below, or feel free to email me. I really want to get more involved with my readers.