Hey Kiwis,

We have just completed our third year at Stony Brook University and have just arrived home for a three week break before we head back. It has been a good year for us both and we have been pleased with our progress.

I mentioned in our last blog that we were heading to Regionals, in North Carolina, with the goal to qualify for the NCAA Track and Field Champs. We both achieved this and were off to Eugene, Oregon, a week later. We were both relieved and excited to qualify for Nationals as the pressure at Regionals was on everyone to perform to their best on the day, hence there being no room for error. There were two 5km races of 24 girls in each (top 5 from each heat and next 2 fastest advanced onto Nationals). Holly came 2^nd in her race in a time of 16:25. The 1500m was divided into 4 heats (top 5 and next 4 fastest advanced to the final), and then two final races (top 5 and next 2 fastest advanced onto Nationals). I came 3^rd in my heat in 4:22 so advanced to the final which was held 2 days later where I placed 6^th in 4:18 which also qualified me for Nationals.

We headed back to Stony Brook for a week before we flew to Eugene. Heading into the national meet we both had our eyes set on becoming All-Americans and therefore being competitive with the top girls. Training for us both had been going really well and we knew going into the meet we were prepared. We had a few days before our races to enjoy Track Town USA and had the chance to run on Pre’s Trail, which was pretty special.

(Lucy) On Thursday I had my heat for the 1500m (top 5 and next 2 fastest advanced onto final). I went into the race knowing I would have to be very alert the whole time to go with any moves that were made and to grab one of the spots to advance. The race went out at a steady pace so I just sat in 5-6^th place trying to stay out of trouble and relax as much as possible. Races like these suit me well as I prefer a race that is steady from the start to the finish. Going into the last lap I started to pick off the girls in front of me and challenged the leaders down the home straight to win in 4:13:19 (a slight p.b). I was pleased with this result as it gave me confidence going into the final.  

I had Friday to recover and early Saturday morning the final took place. I knew going into it I needed to stay relaxed and focused on what I wanted to achieve. The atmosphere heading onto the track was amazing with over 12,000 in the crowd - the noise was pretty spectacular. On the start line I knew we were all equal and this could be anyone’s race. The race went out pretty slow and all 12 of us girls were bunched up trying to get into good positions. With 600m to go a move was made and unfortunately I didn’t react in time to go with it, which cost me in the end; I came 8^th in 4:18. I went into the race hoping to be more competitive with the top places but it wasn’t my race and I know it will come. What was exciting was that I received an All-American honor (top 8 receive this) which was very special! After racing at Indoor and Outdoor Nationals last year I found the experience helped me to stay relaxed and focused this time round. Racing against the top girls in the country has been a humbling experience and continues to make me strive to become a better athlete for the years to come.

(Holly) On Friday I ran the 5000m. I went into the race wanting to approach it in exactly the same way I had approached every other race in the season. I think this ultimately came from the past experiences I have had of being at other NCAA National meets. At Eugene, both Lucy and I went into the meet with respect for the other competitors but also having a lot of confidence of our own. I was pretty relaxed going into the race and, with the amazing Eugene Track Town crowd cheering loudly, it was exciting to get on the track and run the race that I had been training for throughout the season. The race split into two groups from the start and I sat in the middle of the chase pack. The race started out on a reasonable pace however slowed down after the first mile. It was just a matter of concentrating on the front of the pack and to go with those who made a move. Eventually there was a break away that went from approximately an 80 second lap to a 71 second lap. I held back a little when the break happened (in about 10^th position), knowing that there was still another mile left, and so therefore pacing myself at this stage of the race. At 800m to go I had made my way into 4^th position and was just trying to continue a faster pace to the line (the last 2k’s were approx 3.05 pace). Running into the last 100 meters it was like being in a 1500m race – the positions 4^th to 10^th were all run in 16.06 and 16.07. So, after lunging my upper body over the line with two other competitors on my right, I crossed the line in 7^th in 16:06.77 (a slight p.b.). Overall I was very happy with the race and the result. This race will prepare me for future races where I will be running for certain places, rather than time, and has given me a lot of confidence in this top competition. It is a real honor to be an All-American and I am excited to move forward into cross country and future track seasons with the aim of achieving greater goals.

We are now looking ahead to the cross country season, so it’s great to train here in New Zealand. Well done to all of the runners and winners of the NZSS Cross Country. Good luck with the rest of your cross country season – we look forward to hearing more results!

God bless,

Holly and Lucy     

Well my time in the States is nearing its end and next semester I will be completing the final chapter of my journey here at Stony Brook.  The last 3.5 years have had been a mixture of highs and lows.  6 conference titles and pb's of 8.04 3k, 14.10 5k and 29.45 10k indicating that I was ready to make the next step on to national level.  Unfortunately it seems that every time I felt like was ready to make this step something wrong would happen.  ITB problems and little niggles in my feet would hamper my training during the season and when I did get into the regional competition, I always seemed to struggle with the weather.

This past season I targeted the 10k and qualified for the eastern regionals with a 4th place 29.45 finish at the Penn Relays.  I was really happy with this for a few reasons.  I had been training for this the whole year, even training through the indoor season in order to run as fast as possible.  This was my first competitive 10k on track where I was going for a fast time.  I felt really relaxed during the race and only really found that it started to get a bit difficult with about 800m to go.  This time ranked me 28th in the region so I was sure I could easily better that time and maybe run in the region of 29.15 if I pushed myself, putting myself in a position to challenge for a top 12 and more importantly ncaa qualifying spot.  Unfortunately due to a mixture of extreme heat and an achilles problem that really impaired my training building up to this past weekends race I didnt even finish the race.  After 5 laps at regionals I felt like I did with five laps to go when I ran at Penn Relays so pulled out feeling surprisingly and annoyingly drained.  17 other guys failed to finish as well so I am not really beating myself up about it but I am still pretty pissed of that I wasn't able to perform to my expectations on the day.

Next semester will be my last semester at Stony Brook as I graduate in December with a environmental studies degree.  This will also be my last chance to get to nationals so I am really going to go hard.  I am taking a bit of a break now until I get back to New Zealand then I will jump back into training as soon as I get over the flight.  I feel like the 2 months I have at home are really important in my build up to my ncaa xc assult and even though it is winter, I find that I can train much better in those conditions as opposed to the blistering heat I have had to run in over the past few weeks.  I am really keen to take on the trial of miles and get a few 100 mile weeks and come back feeling really fit and rearing to go.  I feel like I have been pretty pessimistic in the past which is probably what has been doing me in.  I think I have left my niggles a bit to late kind of expecting them to go away by themselves instead turning into something that has slowed me down in the long run.  I also felt like that if I did all the training then I would get through which I think made me mentally weak in some aspects and really impacted me when things weren't going well.  Having realized this, I really need to have a new lease on life and my training, take it seriously but still have a good time if I wish to achieve all I want to achieve over here and stay injury free.

From the looks of it out xc season is going to be a pretty good one with some competitive racing out at Paul Short and Princeton which should set me up nicely to run well at conference and regionals.  Not too sure what I will race in New Zealand as I feel like it too early to take on some competitive xc races but would like to take on a few on the road in August.  Most likely I will run the Wellington road champs as I have run well here in the past and feel like it is a great indicator as to how my training has gone over the break.  Will probably run a few relays and possibly some 5k's if I can fit them in.  The team should be pretty decent next year.  We are only losing one of our top six with the 2 English guys coming back for a fifth year and grad school.  We also have what looks like a pretty good bunch of incoming freshmen with Eric Speakman leading the pack then a few sub 4.20 yanks which may not have much of an impact right away but should form a pretty strong backbone in a few years time.

Good luck to Holly, Lucy, Carl, and Julian at nationals and hope everyone else's training is going well.

Tim 

Back in Colorado now which means I am officially on my break after the season... again!

The race in Austin was pretty rough. I remember getting through 1km in just over 2.50 
and I probably managed that pace for about 2.5km but by 3km I was in the shit-box. I
think I remember seeing around 8:47 when I went through and it only got worse!!!

I knew that going into the race it was either going to go great or shit, unfortunately I got
the latter but it was a great experience nonetheless. I got to feel what it's like to run at 
a huge meet here in the states and will take a lot from it. 2 weeks prior I had run the 5/10k
double at altitude at conference, then stopped running all together for 5-days so I wasn't
going into the race with any massive expectations - just wanted to get out there and see
what I had. Have to say the humidity was pretty insane, sounds like East was pretty bad 
too - especially with the numbers that dropped out. 

So now I am officially into my break again. I'll likely take around 10-14 days off and slowly
get back into it. This year I'll be going into the summer a lot different than last year. Last
year I was pretty worn down from being ill, and didn't have a lot of good running in me. 
This year I ran a half-decent 5k but more importantly knew I had a lot more in me. My foray
into 10km territory wasn't the best but at least now I know what it's all about. My goal this 
season was 14:00, so didn't quite achieve that but considering I ran 14:11 less than a month
after being entirely-spent during indoors I am pretty happy that we have found the type of 
training that I really respond too. To be honest that was the highlight of the season - being 
really worn down, then in around 3 weeks getting myself up to running 14:11 at SAC. Would
have loved another shot to try and give 14:00 a crack but you can only play with the cards
you are dealt with and either way I took a big chunk off my PB. More importantly, sub-14 
feels so much more achievable now and will be going into next indoor season with that 
firmly as the expectation. 

With that in mind, I really can't wait for the upcoming cross season. I will also likely be red-
shirting (competing unattached slash in a Wellington-Scottish singlet) next indoor/outdoor
track season, which means I can just focus on a few specific meets and not worry about
points at conference. It also means that two years from now I'll still be competing and going
one-step further than this year and make the NCAA-Finals. 

One thing I will be doing different next season and in general is how I structure my build-up. 
With such long seasons here, trying to do too much too soon can really jeopardise how 
you are able to perform at the end of the season when it really counts. As such, this summer 
I will likely not run much more than between 80-90 miles a week (albiet probably entirely off
singles) so that I get to the start of cross season ready to start training, not race-fit. That was
the mistake I made last year - I was very, very fit come the start of the season and absolutely
spent by Conference. I became far to hung up on running over 100 miles a week which is 
bloody hard up here. It's easy to let the numbers take a hold of you when what is most important
is how you are feeling and responding to the training, whether it's 80 a week or 110. 

This time I'm going about it very differently. I'll still have plenty of good running in me, but also
plenty of rest so that I am ready to roll come Regional's and National's. 

Well that's it from me for a while. I'll update in a few weeks when I am back into some running. 

Cheers,
d-wal

Am into my 3rd day here in Texas and still don't race until tomorrow night.

So far am enjoying my time here in Austin. It's hot but I've only been jogging
so far so not too bad, racing in it will be a different story but I've run in the heat
plenty of times before so not dreading it like some of the other guys seem to be.

Haven't done much but run, eat, and hang around in the hotel but I watched a
few races yesterday - the track is absolutely awesome. It's massive and has a 
sweet view over down town Austin. 

Looking forward to racing. I am in the first of two heats starting at 8:05 tomorrow
night. Going into it with absolutely nothing to lose. I plan on sitting back a bit and
hopefully can pick some guys off as they start to die. A week ago I thought my 
season was over, so am pumped to be here and give it everything. Don't have 
any time goals in mind, just want to run hard when it counts as it will likely go out
pretty slow. 

Good luck to all of the kiwi's East & West. 

d-wal

Well it's lucky I didn't write a blog right after Conference (last weekend) as for the last 5
days I thought my season was done and haven't run a step, but today I got the news that
my 14.11 was good enough for the National Qualifying meet in Texas which are the 
prelims for Nationals that are now going to be straight finals in Eugene. 

After Oregon we had accepted that I wasn't going to get in to the meet as my 10k was shit
and I was ranked like 70th in the 5k with only 48 going to the National Qualifier. With that 
in mind we went into Conference just wanting to run hard and hopefully get a medal. I
ran as hard as I could but didn't have the legs in the last 8 laps and ended up 4th in the 10k.
I really think the 10k only 2 weeks before was still in the system but it was my first one so
was a bit of a learning curve before and after the race. The next day I ran the 5k which was 
one of the hardest things I have done. Was very shattered after the 10k but wanted to try
and get some points for the team. The race went out pretty fast as there was a lot of fresh guys
in it - I ran 2.55 for the 1st km and was out the back picking up t-shirts. Got pretty rough but 
rallied in the last km to be 10th. 2 spots out of scoring but it was a solid effort. Was a very hot
New Mexico day at altitude. 

We really thought there would be no chance I'd make it to the NCAA Qualifier, especially not
in the 5 but out of the blue it happened. Some might wonder why I just didn't keep training just
in case but I ended up being 76th on the list, with 48th being 14:00. It is also the first year of this
system so we couldn't look back and say "well, 14.10 made it last year on the list so lets keep it
going just in case". The 5k was without doubt the deepest event in the West, and it seems like 
a lot of the guys seem to think their best shot is in the 10, although there are still 26 guys at 
14:00 faster. The 10 is pretty stacked too but looks the the 5 and 15 are the deepest events.

 So today I threw the trainers on and rolled out for a easy 50'. Was anything but easy but it won't
take long to get back into it. The break will probably end up being pretty good for me as in the 
last two weeks of the season I ran two 10km's and 5km with the last two races at altitude. The 
shit food and piss probably wasn't the best for me but at the same time I'm going into next weekend
with nothing to lose and very excited. Not so excited about how hot it is in Austin but not racing
until 8.45pm so shouldn't be too bad. Not sure what the goal is going to be. I only ran one 5k 
during the season but believe I was in shape to get close to 14:00 so am not intimidated by those
guys. I'm just going to get stuck in and give it everything. 

So yeah, pleasant surprise today. Not often your season ends and then starts back up again part
way through your break!! 

Good luck to all the other kiwis competing at both the Qualifiers. Going down the list from the West 
haven't spotted any other kiwi names but a few aussies - seems the NZ'ers are all out East!! 

d-wal

It's been about 10 hours since I ran the 10k in Oregon and I'm now in Washington (Just over the border)
as we fly out very early tomorrow morning from Portland which is only 5 miles away. 

The pace went out as planned but from the gun I wasn't feeling it. Just felt flat. Frustrating as I didn't
feel terrible, just couldn't "go". I was sharing the pace with another guy for the first 5k and went through
in 15.02. That would have been fine it I was feeling good but unfortunately I wasn't. My final result was
5th in 30:27. Bit of a bummer but am not going to beat myself up too much about it. I actually started feeling pretty good by about 8km but it was far to late by that time. I was also solo for the entire last 5km. I'm looking at it thinking that if that if I can run under 30.30 feeling pretty shit and basically by myself then I can live with that. It's far from ideal but I can take a lot from it and really attack my next 10k. It's also no surprise that all the fast 10ks in the states come out of races with big trains where you can just sit in and tick the laps off and always have someone around you, ours was pretty bloody thin but I always enjoy being at Hayward Field, they crowd is always supportive and very knowledgeable of the sport. 

Not entirely sure why I felt like I did. The original plan was that we were running on friday, so maybe I didn't
do "enough" of a workout on tues, but can't really see it making that much of a difference. Just really not sure. It seemed like most of the guys felt pretty shit. Luke Puskedra ran 29.30 after going out in 14.35 and
the Mercado's ran 29.52 and 30.02 off the same 5k split. I talked to the Mercado's after and they said they 
just weren't feeling it as all of them ran about 1:00 slower than their PB's. The weather at 10am when we ran was ok - a bit windy but good temp's. 

Not sure what is in store for me right now. I basically have Conference to nail a time to get to Regionals but 
I can't see the 5k or 10k there being fast at all so hopefully Berryhill has an ace in the sleeve idea about how to get a time. As it currently stands id need 10 guys to pull from the 5k to get to regionals - not an unreal situation as a lot will run the 15 or 10 but the chances are very, very slim - especially with stanford this weekend. 

I'm fit but for some reason just couldn't get it out today, one of those days. 

d-wal

What's up NZRun fans..

Am currently in Eugene for the Oregon Relays this weekend where I will be running the 10k.
The race was supposed be tomorrow night but has been changed as G-Rupp is going for the
US record and Alberto reckons conditions will be ideal on sat night, so the Gods have
spoken on that one.  No dramas though, doesn't change much at all - just meant that today instead
of just an easy 30-odd minutes I did a 20min warm up then a 1k in 2.57 then half mile cool-down. 
Was nice and easy but good to get in something a little more than just a jog so that I'm not flat 
come saturday. Takes me back to the days of the Team DC Speed-Session on thursdays. 

In terms of the race, up front pace is on for Ruppster to get the US record, and he has two guys
pulling him along. Back from that Oregon is throwing in a 13.41 guy to take the pace through 5k
at 29.15 pace. This has left me with two options: Either sit on the back of that and go through around
14.40 or run by myself and try to hit around 14.50. After talking to my coach we think I should go
with it. From the guys I've talked to about running 10's it seems pretty bloody important to get in a
rhythm that first 5 and relax as long as possible so if I can run in behind some other guys then that
is going to make it a hell of a lot easier. I'm not sure what I can run as its my debut, but I want to get
out there and give myself a shot of running fast. There are only so many times that you are fit and
have the chance to sit in and run well so I want to make the most of it. At the end of the day I just 
need to run 29.50 to go to Regionals but I didn't come out here to just run "ok", if I wanted to do that
I would have just stayed in Fort Collins and run at the homemeet.

My training hasn't been 100% for the 10k but it wasn't 100% for the 5k either and that went pretty
well so I believe I can knock out a good one, especially seeing as over the past year my mileage
has been consistently pretty high. So the plan is to just sit in behind the Oregon guys and relax as
long as possible, then man up and see what I can do. Its either get stuck in and give myself a shot
or fuck around running alone. Overall I'm just excited to get out there and give it a crack as running
at Hayward Field is pretty bloody awesome. 

Good luck to all the other guys and girls running in the states this weekend as well as those
throwing it down at the Rotorua 'thon. 

d-wal

Well am back from the Mt.Sac relays in Cali where I finally nailed a decent 5km. Have been
fit enough for a while but after tweeking training a little bit it finally came out. We had spent 
indoors nailing track workouts thinking it was going to get me faster, when in reality all it did
was make me tired so we went back to some very basic stuff that I seem to run well off. For 
3 weeks after indoors I ran 90miles a week with a basic longer race-pace track session once
week, Hills, and 2 long runs. We also introduced a couple of tempo runs which got me working
but didn't tire me out like the track does. From that I went from running 14.20's feeling shit and
tired to 14.11 at Mt.Sac feeling really good off what was mainly 10k leaning training. 

The race was just what I needed - I was able to sit in and just tick off the laps, although the 
guys around me weren't too content on doing the same as people were going back and forth
from me a lot in the middle stages. I lost a few seconds on my second mile but managed to 
finish strong over the last 800. I went from the mid-teens to finishing 5th in that last half mile.
It was great because I feel like if I had run a little more aggressively, I could have run 5 or so
seconds faster on the night. In the end its what I wanted though, I went into the race with 14.10
as the goal so 14:11.20 will do for now. It was very important for me mentally as things are
finally clicking now and I feel like I can really give 14 a crack this season. 

For now it will be more of the same, as in two weeks I am going to the Oregon Relays to run 
another 5km. I am currently ranked 57th in the West Region for the 5k, and need to be Top 48
to go to the National Qualifying meet. At the moment 48th is 14.08, but with Stanford and a 
number of other top meets coming up out here I think I will need to run 14.05 to go. We have 
also considered a 10km, but will wait on word from the organisers at Oregon to see what the
field will be like in terms of depth. Likely though it will be the 5. I haven't thought a lot about it
yet but I will likely try to run pretty close to my 3k split at Mt.Sac (8.32) but focus on that 4th km
as if I can hold 14.10 pace through 4km then finish like I always seem to over the last half mile
then that will have me in a good position to run 14.05 or faster. 

d-wal

The last time I blogged I think I had just arrived back from Iowa State where I ran the 5000m.
The rest of indoors was pretty up and down - I raced 5/6 weekends and the cumulative effect
really beat me down. As such, although I was fit I was struggling to get to races feeling good 
both mentally and physically. A good example of this was Iowa itself, where the week of was
pretty rough. That was the trend of the season - fit, but tired. Pretty simple fix really: less intensity
too close together. 

Since indoors I have just completed my 3rd week in a row of 90 miles/week up here in Fort Collins,
which is right on 5000ft. My training has shifted very much to a 10k leaning style of 5k training, as 
opposed to the mile/5k work during indoors which was hard to maintain. The reason behind this
was pretty simple; I wanted to be able to stay consistent, to nail week after week of training and 
feel good. What I have found up at altitude is that I get pretty beat down off intense stuff, yet thrive
off big miles and long sessions so we are sticking to that. 

Weekly format looks something like this:

Mon: Easy 45 + plyo's, Strides and core. 
Tues: Track session
Weds: 30' AM -- 60' PM
Thurs: 1:30'
Fri: 60' Easy + plyos, strides and core. 
Sat: 14 x 90sec hills + 30' PM
Sun: 2:00

I'm on the track once a week on tuesday and have been alternating between a 10k session
and a more 5k race specific session. So far that has been something like 6x800 @ 14.10
pace w/ 75sec rest or a longer session - last weeks was 2400, 2000, 1600, 1200, 800, 400
with a lap jog (about 2') in between - cutting down the pace each rep. I have noticed that I 
recover from that longer stuff very well which has meant I have been able to get great consistency
and retain the two long runs a week as well. On Monday and Friday I am pretty diligent about 
doing 4x150 at around 21secs with a full walk/jog recovery. Its one of the things I picked up
from Aish which I really like to do - It means that no matter what type of training I am doing, I 
always have speed in the legs. 

Plan for the season is to nail a regional time - 14.00's should get me there. Then once I do
that, I may run a 10 - but that is up in the air at the moment as all I am thinking about is 
getting the 5 in. I'll be heading to SAC in 3 weeks time to try and nail that. Hopefully I can
get into a heat that is won in 14.00 or under, because I believe that by that time I will be as 
ready as ever to run right around there. At the end of the day though, I just want to take the 
next step which is 14.10, then go from there rather than get too ahead of myself. The main
thing for me is just showing up to races feeling good and not having left it all at home on 
the training track - if I can do that, I'll be ready to roll. Thats the plan!! 

This weekend I will be running a low-key 1500m in Greely, CO. I will not be altering training
at all for it - just a chance to get a race in before Mt.SAC. 

Congrats to the World XC boy's and those who put it all out there at T&F Nat's. 

d-wal