French Lick 10K

ChornyRuns! - One word summaries!

Life: Scattered
Coaching: Exciting
Training: Conservative
Racing: Overdue
Nutrition: Vitamin-D

Life

A Blog entry... there's an idea. So, what have I been doing since the 8tuff miles in February? That's a good question. I've loved. I've lost. I'm loving some more. I've worked hard. I've been lazy. I've traveled a lot with the track team and enjoyed some great performances from my steeplers this past outdoor track season. I didn't race because of an Achilles tendon injury, took some time off from running, traveled a bit on my own to Salt Lake City, Park City (my favorite) and even zipped through Teton and Yellowstone National parks. Training is back on and ready for some more intensity. I feel like I've been all over the place for the last 2 months, so I'm looking forward to getting into a groove with life again.

Coaching

Just to recap. The outdoor season was fantastic. DeSean Turner and Andrew Poore went 1,2 at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships and gave us an amazing performance in front of a home crowd. They both ran fast enough to qualify for the U.S. Championships in June where they got a taste of their first big time championship race. Their season and personal bests (8:43.44 and 8:44.10) were the 22nd and 26th fastest by an American in 2010 and climbed to 5th and 6th on Indiana University's All-Time Records list.

On the Women's side, Sarah Pease was the Big Ten Runner-up and went on to place 4th in the Steeple Chase at both the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Championships. Her season and personal best 9:56.91 was the 6th fastest by an American this year and is the New IU School Record. Sarah's fellow steeplers also had a very successful year with 5 others running times that now populate the All-time IU top ten performance list. 4). Caitlin Engel 10:31.27 5.) Breanne Ehrman 10:40.46 6.) Erica Ridderman 10:45.40 7.) Samantha Ginther 10:46.53 and 8.) Kelsey Duerksen 10:46.98.

BUTTTT, now it's Cross Country Season and the Hoosiers are Amazing. Last week was our first big competition of the year at the Adidas Wisconsin Invitational. On the men's side, we have a very impressive top 5 followed by a solid 6, 7, 8, and 9. Going into the meet they were ranked 26th in the NCAA and there were about 7 teams in the race that were ranked in front of them, including #6 Wisconsin. Well, well, well... Patience was the key, and in the end, the Hoosiers won the meet and beat Wisconsin by over 30 points (for those of you who don't know... in cross country, your top 5 runners are scored based on their finishing place, therefore the low score wins. i.e. 1,2,3,4,5=15 points and a perfect score.) Here are the results... The next week, the men were ranked #7 in the NCAA.

For the Hoosier Women, going in the the race, they were not ranked in the top 30, but were very close. With a solid 5th place team finish, the young team, led by Sarah Pease's 7th place individual finish, managed to bump a couple of ranked teams, and are now ranked 24th in the NCAA. Results

Next up, Chili Pepper invite this Saturday at Arkansas.

Training

I've dealt with many small and not so small injuries over the past decade and I'm trying to be nice to my body. I've only climbed up to 60 miles a week at the most, but have primarily stayed between 50 and 60. I'll admit, I've become afraid of the pain that I used to simply deal with and I might need to readjust my feelings about that as I increase my intensity. I've been running workouts and some have been pretty solid, but no stand out workouts that have been overly impressive. This past Saturday I ran my first race since the spring and going into it, I had no idea what to expect...

Racing

French Lick 10K. Very pleased with my performance and fitness, but not with the outcome. I didn't know the course very well, but was told that the first 2 miles climbed up hill and then the last half was 'rolling'. I found out that 'rolling' means something completely different to people from Indianapolis than it does to people from Bloomington. I was planning to hang back for the first 2 miles and then race hard and wear people out on the 'rolling' hills. We were out at a very conservative pace, 5:27 for the first mile, 5:46 for the second, on a steady and solid incline. I let a few guys get a lead, about 80-100m and then started to slowly close the gap. The problem was... the rolling hills never showed up to help me. I spent the last few miles catching back to within about 40m of the top three, only to watch them start kicking in to the finish. I have to say, I was very pleased with my last 4 mile splits. 4:52, 4:42, 4:45, 4:53 and I think I'm ready to start training more. :)

Nutrition

Vitamin D has been studied more than anything this past year. "Vit D affects virtually all aspects of our health." Watch this video

Are Limits Real or Self Imposed?

An anonymous person posted a comment on my last link and it brings up a question on which I would love some discussion. Are Limits real, or self-imposed?

ChornyRuns! Races! Training! Coaching! Nutrition! Jan. 26th, 2010

ChornyRuns! - One word summaries!

Life: Promising
Racing: Next
Training: Appropriate
Coaching: Impressed
Nutrition: Essential

LIFE

I like what I have going on right now. I see the great potential that the future may hold. It is up to me to be a co-creator, to shape it how I would like. "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve" (Napolean Hill) The future is already there waiting, you just have to start shaping it.

RACING

Ran my first double in a long time at the Gladstein Invitational here at Indiana University. Mile Friday night, and the 800m on Saturday. I've only run one other open 800m in my life and that was in 1999.

Back on 1/9/2010, I raced my first mile in a few years and, if you read my earlier post, you'll see that I was satisfied with my 4:14.60. It was a conservative opener and so I figured with a couple more weeks of training, I could expect a good shot at sub 4:10 and possibly a PR of 4:07 (listed to the right). I figured that I could go out in about 2:04 for the first half, and then hope to close strong, so I was 2:04-2:05 at the half, but at that point I knew it was going to be an uphill battle to the finish. My legs were already burning at 600m.

When something like this happens in a race, and you KNOW that you're not going to be able to finish strong, dropping out of the race always seems to present itself as a possibility. It's amazing what ideas your mind will try to feed you when you are in pain. Sometimes, that's where the real battle takes place. I think it's hard-wired into your brain to think thoughts that might lead to actions that will protect yourself from feeling the burn or even from feeling the potential embarrassment or disappointment. It must be a natural reaction to oxygen deprivation. If you can only decide before hand that IT IS NOT an option, it makes it easier to have those ideas, and just let them pass.

So, I smiled inwardly, and said "this is going to hurt a little bit". I held my form together as best as I could, and finished far behind the others in 4:23.02. I cooled down and started to prepare for the 800m which I would run the next day.

Feeling tired and a little nervous on Saturday, I warmed up for the race by running 3 miles, stretching and doing a few solid pickups around Assembly Hall. I knew that this race would only hurt for about a minute and I knew I could handle that. After what happened in the mile, I just didn't want to blow up and risk running slower than 2min. I was so tired and sore from a great week of workouts (see below) that I didn't know what was going to happen. With luck, I was thinking I could run close to my PR, 1:55. Again, didn't happen. I think I was 58sec at the quarter, and thought that I might have a chance to run a 1:56. I actually started to move (from the very back) but with about 300m to go, some guys got mixed up and someone might have gone down. I managed to zig zag through the mess and break through to the other side. It killed my momentum, but I got going again and finished 4th in my heat, running 1:58.04.

Although I didn't run the times I wanted, I did run two of the fastest 800s I've run in a long time, so I know it was good for training. Onward!

This Friday 1/29/2010, I am running the 3K at the Indiana Relays. Actually, it is my job to pace some of my IU guys at 8:10 pace. This means that I will be coming through the mile at 4:20-4:22 and if I feel good I'll keep going. I know what you're thinking... if you only ran 4:23, how can you expect to be the pace maker at 4:20? Stay tuned... I'll let you know how it goes.

TRAINING

Since I wrote last, my Achilles Tendon is still inflamed. I'm changing shoes, so let's hope this will help. Going to try the Mizuno Inspire.

Weekly mileage since July: (*signifies a day off.)

-----------------------------------

July: 53, 50, 50, 60
August: 62, 61, 50, 52, 60
Sept: 60, 60, 63, 60
Oct: 70, 55*, 67, 70, 72
Nov: 70, 53*, 70, 60*
Dec: 45*, 30***, 48*, 50*, 51*
Jan: 56, 60, 61
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WORKOUTS

Three great workouts during the last couple weeks.

1) Tuesday's (1/12) 2x3200m on the indoor track... alternating each quarter in 65/75.

66.5/72.8/64.9/76.4/66.3/78.7/66.8/81.6 = 9:34 (full rest)
68.0/77.4/66.5/76.9/66.8/77.9/66.8/75.9 = 9:36

As you can see, the last couple '75s' were a little tough and not '75'. Coach Helmer bumped me down to the next group who were trying to run 67.5/77.5. The splits were not that much different, but this second rep was quite easy. Overall, I only ran 2 seconds slower, but I had no difficulty staying on this pace.

2) Friday 1/15 Road run, 12min LT, 10min tempo, 2x5min faster than tempo, 6x30/30. 4min rest between each. Very solid, ~5:16 LT, ~5:00 Tempo, ~4:52 interval, felt great on the 30/30.

3) Tuesday (1/19) 5xmile on indoor track, (4min) cutdowns 4:56 to 4:40
Ran: 4:51, 4:52, 4:46, 4:44, 4:29 The last one felt great, but I was pretty tired from this workout which is probably why I didn't do too well in the mile this weekend.

COACHING

IU currently has 8 guys that have run 4:10 or faster in the mile. I don't know if there's another college in the country that has that potential. There might be, I just don't know. Our fastest guy has run 4:03. Two IU runners just ran 7:55.25 and 7:57 for the 3K this weekend. They are getting fast.

My steeplers are impressive. I am going to try to find a camera to video tape one of our steeple sessions. Maybe I can put a video together and start some Steeple Clinics.

NUTRITION

It is important to get antioxidant protection from a multi-Vitamin. Vitamin C is great, so is Vitamin E, but don't forget about the B vitamins, CoEnzyme Q10, alpha Lipoic Acid and many, many more. A 'Potency-Guaranteed' multi should be your first choice when supplementing your diet. I recommend Usana's 'Essentials' for many reasons. e-mail to ask what makes them different, or watch this video.

Video of the Indiana Open Mile, 1/9/2010

I didn't realize that Flotrack was there to record, but I'm in this race. It was my first one in a while, so I'm not out to win it, just getting one under my belt. I'm in the all black uniform. VIDEO

ChornyRuns! the mile in 4:14.60

Well, that's out of the way. This was my first race on the track since May 31st, 2008, before the Olympic Trials. After many nagging pains and a couple injuries, I've gotten myself back to a point where I feel like I'm ready to start training again.

Here's what I was thinking going into the race. If I run faster than 4:12 I'll be pleasantly surprised, but if I run slower than 4:16, I'll be disappointed and maybe a little worried that things are coming around. I know that's a small window, but I just needed to make sure I didn't blow up and run stupid.

200m Indoor Banked Track at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, Indiana University.

I wanted to be 2:06-2:08 at the half way point, so after a 62 second split, I needed to let up a bit, and that pace felt pretty decent. I think I came through right at 2:08 high, and was about 3:12 at 1200m; right where I wanted to be. I started to push the pace thining that a 58 could get me 4:10, but going into the last lap, I really started to feel the booty-lock (Chapman's official term). I smiled the whole last 100m because I knew I couldn't go any faster but I was going to be just fine. I haven't felt that pain for a long time. I love it!

So, this race basically says... 'OK Thomas, time to get out there and train.' My PR is 4:07, and I think I have a good shot at taking that down this season. Still taking care of my Achilles Tendon, but I should be back out on the track in two weeks, and again in 3 weeks.

ChornyRuns! this Saturday

RACING

IT'S OFFICIAL! I'm racing the Mile this weekend at Indiana's first Indoor Track Meet of the season. I am so nervous. I have no idea what to expect. It's one thing to go into a race knowing that you're ready, and quite another to go in blind. I plan to race 4-5 times during the indoor season, so look for more updates.

TRAINING

Since I wrote last, I've been dealing with some Achilles Tendon inflammation. This has actually been nagging me since October, and I'd really like to be done with it.

Here's my weekly mileage since July: (*signifies a day off.)

-----------------------------------

July: 53, 50, 50, 60
August: 62, 61, 50, 52, 60
Sept: 60, 60, 63, 60
Oct: 70, 55*, 67, 70, 72
Nov: 70, 53*, 70, 60*
Dec: 45*, 30***, 48*, 51*, 50
Jan:
-----------------------------------

So, as you can see, I've trailed off a bit in December, trying to get my Achilles better. Some days it feels better, but then others it's still pretty bad. I've already started to introduce steeple drills and those feel great, very smooth. My speed is decent, Lactate Threshold is coming close to solid, not as good as it's been before. VO2Max is where I haven't done a ton of work yet, and that's why I don't know what to expect on the track tomorrow.


WORKOUTS

Best workouts lately:

1) 6mile cut down tempo 5:31/5:12/5:14/5:08/5:04/5:05 = 31:19 it was cold.
2) 16x200m goal 30 with (30sec) rest. I averaged 30.5 and (32.7) After the first couple, I thought there was no way that I could finish 16 straight on that rest, but half way through, I found the resolve to challenge myself, and I made it through. just fine. It hurt, but I was fine.
3) 8x800m (60) = 2:21(55) 2:20(55) 2:20(55)2:20(55) 2:20(60) 2:21(60) 2:19(60) 2:18

COACHING

The steeplers and I have started to do steeple sessions, and I think there is a lot of potential for our group. I am working with 5 guys and 8 girls. I have 3 guys who are looking great and they are great examples for the others to follow. My top girl was 7th at the NCAA champs last year and is getting faster and faster. 2 other girls have experience but still need some work, and the rest of them are rookies who will benefit by watching the veterans.

Right now we are doing 'side drills' and won't be over the top until Feb. March will be here before we know it, so Steeple season is on the horizon.

Nutrition

Many of you know that I'm quite passionate about nutrition so I'll add some tips and hints and advice that may improve the quality of your life, because if you don't have your health, what do you have?


Vitamins D: From Oregon State University, "vitamin D is now seen as one of the most critical nutrients for overall health." Read the article HERE.

USANA has always recognized Vitamin D as an important nutrient; consider our Vitamin D for your seasonal health during these winter months.




Thanks for Reading. -Tom-
Independent Usana Distributor
chorny@usana.com
231-578-8888

Athletes and USANA
Nutritionals you can Trust
Rev3 Energy Drink, Cleaner, Smarter, Stronger

Favorite Track and Field event to watch...

My favorite event to run is the 3K steeplechase, but I have always been a fan of the Triple Jump. I had a chance to watch John Edwards compete back in 2001 and it was amazing. So graceful and powerful... I would love to do all of the events, but Triple might be my favorite to watch.

What's your favorite? The Survey is at the bottom of the page. Thanks for reading.

-Chorny-

Why Do I Run

I wrote this many years ago...
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Why Do I Run?

I feel like I should write some words of motivation, so I'll do my best, but I don't claim to be effective all the time: (I'm going to steal this idea from the Bill Bowerman in ""Without Limits"" because I feel that it is 100% true...).

Running is an absurd past time...some might say…… We get shouts from everyone..."nice shorts fag" "run, Forrest, run" etc. Is there a point to running? I run from here to here! I end where I begin so in fact I get nowhere. I run up a hill...hard, jog back down, and then do it over and over again. To someone who doesn't run, this is torture, it's insanity.

I run until my stomach feels like it is bleeding. I run until I feel like I'm literally going to die because I just can't get enough oxygen to compensate for the speed that my legs just carried me over the track or to the top of a hill. If you're not a runner, you will never...and I mean NEVER feel the satisfaction of pushing the limits of your body so much. There's power in finishing a long run. There's power in running quarters on the track or doing 1000m repeats. It's a power that lifts you up to the top of YOUR world so you can take a deep breath in and look out over your kingdom with open arms to say...IF I CAN DO THIS, THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T DO. To finish a workout...that's a victory. To push beyond that pain threshold just a bit further, that's a victory. SUCCESS lies just beyond your comfort zone...

SUCCESS lies just beyond your comfort zone...so step over that line. I know...I know...this is gonna hurt a little, you say with a concerned look, but it's ok...no need to worry....you'll be fine in a few minutes. Awwww coach, one more hill, one more thousand, one more mile...one more, one more, one more. If you occasionally keep on adding one more...you'll eventually find yourself a new person, and there truly will be nothing that you can't do. Awww...this is going to hurt a little....but now you say it with a little smile, cause you know...you just know!

Running takes time, and it takes dedication to be on a team, so, "Running, one might say, is an absurd past-time. But, if you can find meaning in the kind of running it takes to be on this team...chances are, you can find meaning in this other absurd past-time........life!"

Life is not about winning or losing, it's about learning HOW to win and lose. It's about taking every lesson along the way and on ONE DAY, putting it all together for that perfect performance. Some of us will never win a race. Some of us will strive day in and day out, and never get on the podium. It does not matter! What matters is the journey. There are lessons to be learned from every situation. Running will teach you who you are if you let it.....just remember...that "perfect performance" may not come in a race...maybe it will just be life.

I would say good luck with your season or your race (or your life), but that really won't matter without the workout you do today...whether it's repeats, a long run, or just a recovery run, so, good luck with your run today. LIVE and LOVE LIFE!!!

TC

Reborn Chorny Runs!

Thanks to Joe Jasinski for putting this together.