Run, Foster, Run!

PSU track alumni weekend has just come to a close. I finished it off with a midday workout, involving some tempo, some 200s, and some puking in the grass. The last two 200s where 23.6 and 24.1. It’s been a long time since I have tried to run that fast, and man-oh-man did it hurt. After heaving up breakfast, I took the time to dunk my head in the ice bath (no one had sat in them yet so they were still clean – or at least that’s what trainer Ben said), and go collapse for a little while before some light stretching. Solid day.

I played in the Harry Groves golf tournament yesterday, and had a blast. Our team should have done a lot better, but we couldn’t seem to sink any putts. My three highlights where a 280 yard “Happy Gilmore” style drive down the middle of the fairway, accidentally throwing Brian out of the kart on a sharp turn and see him barrel roll mid-air and land on his feet, and the third was reversing the kart into a telephone pole. You can probably infer from those highlights what sort of day it was.

I’m heading down to Jacksonville, Florida later this week. It’ll be a good chance to work on my suntan. There will be a track meet too.

Congrats to all the alumni that made it back this year. I for one, will certainly be partaking again next year.

I’ve been neglecting this website a lot lately due to various reasons, a major one of which was writers block. I sat down a few times to write, got distracted, and quit. I’m still suffering from a concrete wall of un-imagination (real word?), but I’m going to persevere.

The quick news: PSU won the 4x800m at Penn Relays. It’s been 25 years since we got that done, and let me tell you, I don’t think there is a team out there who wanted to win that as bad as Penn State. I remember my first day on campus, Coach Gondak telling me that was a goal he had in mind for my time at PSU. I failed to get it done, but it was absolutely awesome to be there when the guys finally put it all together. I have a feeling the monkey is off the back and Penn State won’t be waiting 25 years to win it again. As another note, I watched the race with Steve Shisler (Penn Relays 4x800m meet record holder from ’85) and the State College High School coach. So you know, it was cool to have that history there to share the moment.

I took a week off training early this month just to get my head on straight. It’s been a long, season, and trying to mix running with working, resulted in poor performances and mental fatigue. It was good to take a lot of steps back, go fishing, and recover. Mental fitness is just as important has physical, and I think that mental injuries can be just as limiting as physical. It was better to take the time to heal now, than make it all worse for later.

I’m going down to Henderson High School to run in the Puma Last Man Standing 2 Mile on Friday. It’ll be the longest track race I’ve done in 6 years, if I make it to the end. The catch is that at the end of each lap, the last place competitor is eliminated. To tune up for it I did a variation on the 30/40 workout. That’s a 30 second 200m followed by a 40 second 200m. I did 1600/1200/800/400 with 2 minute recovery and then followed it with 3×400 going 40/26. It wasn’t a really intense workout, just good fun.

I’m also lifting again regularly and that’s going well. Starting to get some heavier squats in at around 225 lbs and managing sets of 3-4 so I’m about par with some of the female sprinters. Apparently the bar is beginning to bend a little which is the main goal. I’ve also been deadlifting 180lbs which I am reasonably happy with, until the throwers show up and snatch it.

I’ve been thinking about making a video about living and training in State College. It’s pretty self-indulgent, but I love seeing how other guys live and train, so if there is an interest out there, send me a comment. This blog has mostly become one glorious self-indulgence, so I’ll try and save it by saying thanks again to Pacific Plastic and PFG! It’s thanks to them that I keep from living in poverty!

As always remember to check out www.lifebackontrack.com, especially the news section. And if you haven’t donated you can here. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but throw us a bone. It’s going to be a grueling mission involving blood, sweat, tears, and Teddy Quinn’s guitar as backing music. To help you get in the mood for that, listen to 6.40 onwards on this video:

Penn State Track Shack

Kara and I were up in Berwick, PA, over the Easter weekend and came across this cool photo on the Berwick Brewery wall:

That’s early on in the 1980 Berwick Run for the Diamonds – 9 mile race. Greg Fredericks finished 2nd to Pete Pfitzinger. To beat Fredericks, Pfitzinger had to run a course record that still stands. Between a few alums, others so far identified are Larry Mangan, Pete Bortolotti, and Tom Carter.

I’m very sure that all of these guys ran many races more memorable than this one, but I think it is very cool though that this little slice of running history still exists on a wall of a brewery in small town PA.

I asked the owner about it and he said that a couple of locals had brought it in one day and stuck it up. He couldn’t remember who or why, just that it was there. I told him that Kara was going to win this years version of the race. I don’t think he believed us, but when she does, I think I’ll take a photo in and put it on the wall. Maybe in 30 years it will still be there.

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I’ve signed up for a few races over the next two months, the first being this coming weekend. I’m going to run both the 800 and the 1500 at the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell. I’m going to try and break out of my habit of always being the person on the rabbit, so look for me to be further back than usual. I’ve tried to do this before, and failed miserably. Old habits die hard…

After that I’m going to run the Penn Relays Mile, and then am penciled in to do the PUMA last man standing 2 mile race at the Henderson Invite. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but I wanted the focus to be on doing races that were fun.

So you might not know but I spend my regular weekdays interning just off of 322 in State College at the offices of The Kevin Dare Foundation. It’s a very cool gig. I have my own office, computer, phone, and access to unlimited coffee and stationery.

We’re a little charity with a big heart and in 2012 we have some very ambitious plans. You see, Kevin Dare was the sort of guy who appreciated a challenge. He worked hard, and he won easy. So when we were looking to create a new event to raise money for the Foundation, I thought to myself, what sort of things am I good at? How can I challenge myself the way that Kevin did?

Now from this point, everything just sort of snowballed. I was out on a run with the Penn State guys, we got talking as you do on runs, fantasizing, elaborating, shooting the bull, about how cool it would be to go on an epic running adventure. I happened to mention that I was trying to come up with an event for the Kevin Dare Foundation. Luke Watson happened to mention that it was almost exactly 1,000 miles from State College to Minneapolis: ie. exactly 1,000 miles from where Kevin lived, loved and learned, to where he tragically died. It turned out with a little bit of research that not only was this possible, there was also a standing World Record for a ten person, 1,000 mile relay.

I’m a bit of a believer in fate so I’m not surprised that we found runners to do this pretty easily. We even managed to recruit Dennis Pollow a certified nutritionist, and Teddy Quinn a social media genius. The rest of the guys bring other talents as well, including being able to run a bit (ever heard of Brian Sell?).

So here are the details: August 26th 2012 (my birthday), we are going to start at the very spot Kevin passed away, the pole vault pit at the University of Minnesota. Alternating approximately every 5 miles, we are going to run all the way to State College, PA, in under the current World Record of 99 hours, 3 minutes, and 27 seconds. That is a pace of 5.57 min/mile. Each runner will cover right around 100 miles each in that time.

Now in addition to taking on this crazy feat, we’re also trying to raise money for The Kevin Dare Foundation mission. That mission is to provide scholarships to injured and ill high school student-athletes. At heart, we’re trying to give back to those who may have lost out on sporting scholarships through some tragic event, the opportunity to go to college. All of the runners on the team have been student-athlete at some point. We know how rewarding that can be. We want to be able to give a new opportunity to those who might feel that that dream has gone away.

So check out the website for the run – www.lifebackontrack.com, and for the Foundation – www.kevindare.com. Then call me, email me, or write me, and help us help them.

rfoster@kevindare.com/814.235.3528

I had a quick lunchtime chat with Nick Scarpello for his weekly track focused podcast. Check it out here. Hopefully there is something interesting in there.

Besides chatting with talk-show hosts on my lunch break, I’ve been working on getting in some high mileage running. I’ve also started focusing on gaining strength in the gym. I always enjoy lifting, especially squats and deadlifts, and it comes pretty naturally to me. I know there are numerous schools of thoughts towards distance runners lifting, but I have always found that the heavier I can lift, the better I can run. I feel powerful and economical. Progress has been very good, and I am already squatting up over 200 lbs and deadlifting over 150lb. I’m hoping to get close to 300 lb.

If you haven’t checked out the work I do with my day job, go to www.lifebackontrack.com, and www.kevindare.com. We’re going to try to run a WORLD RECORD! I think it’s pretty darn cool/interesting. If you are interested in being involved or just want more information

We’ve been having some tasty weather the last week and a bit. Thought I would share one of my favourite Summer tunes.

So the WIC has come and gone. I’m sitting in my brothers apartment back in Melbourne trying to massage the swelling out of my lower legs from yesterdays travel. I just had to take a long hot shower after my morning run to wash off the stink caused from running in re-used garments: 6 weeks living out of a suitcase and I’ve given up trying to stay fresh. The clothes I wore this morning are out on the balcony drying. I’ll run in them again before the day is out. Thanks to the 30 hours of travel I have tomorrow I’m trying to squeeze as much training in to my little 24 hour lay over in Australia before I head back to the States.

I’ve come away from the trip with a feeling of satisfaction, despite not running particularly well. In reality I knew that just making the final would be a hard task, and although I hate to use the phrase, the trip was for me all about gaining experience. It’s been a steep learning curve but I think (and hope) that it’s going to make me a better runner.

I was very lucky to share a room with Craig Mottram for the week. The man is a National Sporting Treasure. He has made every Olympics since 2000, and was travelling the athletic circuit before I was even in High School. He’s had the career of most athletes five times over. I decided early on that this would be the best chance I would ever get to learn from one of the all time greats. Craig wasn’t just accommodating of this, he actually insisted that after my racing was over that I join in and follow along with his preparation. I couldn’t actually race with him, and we drew certain boundaries such as not showering together, but besides that I did my best to emulate his preparation. I felt a little bit like the little kid who follows is big brother around, but it was entirely worth it.

It made me realise that to make the top, there is no room for excuses or cutting corners. His life is a continual cycle of running, recovering, icing, and sleeping: rinse and repeat. I see now that the little outs I have been giving myself in the past are just thinly veiled excuses. It took being around a great athlete to realise that what I have been doing is just not enough. There is no satisfaction in getting run out of a heat, and while I doubt I can ever reach the storied heights of a runner like Craig, it has firmly made me believe I can be better than what I am.

This blog barely scratches the surface of the week I had, and I’m going to continue writing about the WIC over the coming weeks (lighter, funnnier stuff I promise).

To end though I’ll leave you with one other snippet. Turkey apparently has no enforced road laws. Everyone seems to happily drift from lane to lane, darting through traffic mercilessly, stopping wherever and whenever they feel like it. It bloody works though! Traffic never seemed to jam, I saw no accidents, and despite the endless stream of cars, we always got where we were going fast. It had its terrifying moments though. Craig and I caught a taxi down to a place called Floryal Park to go for a run along the Aegean Sea. Through suburban streets the mid 90s Fiat was pulling 140km/h plus. We didn’t die, but I certainly left a few years of my life out there.

ı arrıved ın to Turkey yesterday mornıng after about 22 hours of travel vıa KL. The trıp was pretty easy wıth some enough empty seats to stretch out on. I sleep very well on planes and managed about 9 hours on the second leg ın to Istanbul. Its never great sleep and I usually wake up every hour or so wıth part of me turnıng numb but wıth constant readjustıng I get through ıt pretty good. I knew when I woke up at one poınt droolıng on myself that I was gettıng some qualıty zzzs.

Most everythıng went off wıthout a hıtch as we headed to the hotel. We learned pretty early on that a Turkısh 5 mınutes ıs longer than an Australıan one. Despıte extended waıtıng perıods we got settled ın to the hotel rested up ate and headed to get accredıted and do some traınıng. The teams are splıt between two hotels. The larger WOW hotel seems to hold most of the teams whıle we are at the smaller Raddıson. We headed to WOW to collect our stuff and then boarded a bus from there to the traınıng venue. We waıted ın the bus for about 20 mınutes before ıt fınally pulled out. Wıth no amount of exaggeratıon the bus drove out of the hotel turned rıght and then pulled ın rıght next door… The traınıng venue apparently had been the buıldıng next to us the whole tıme. It was very odd.

It was basıcally a bıg warehouse wıth a temporary 3 lane track ın ıt. The buıldıng ıs stıll beıng constructed so the aır was thıck wıth concrete dust and forklıfts were zıppıng ın and out between athletes. Craıg Mottram and I headed out to run an easy shake out around the parkıng lot. ıt was pretty uneventful untıl on the way ın Craıg nearly got clocked by a Reese Hoffa shotput. The bıg guys were throwıng on to mats laıd over the concrete floor wıth a net behınd as backıng. They were gettıng so much pop off the mats though that the shots would clear the net and head off across the concrete floor lıke mınature cannonballs. One shot managed to force ıts way under a garage style door and ın to the next buıldıng. ıt was quıte comıcal to lısten to the clatter as ıt bounced off whatever was contaıned next door.

Ive been lovıng soakıng up what Turkısh culture I can. Everyone we have met has been very frıendly and the food has been great. Im hopıng to go ın to Istanbul proper at some poınt to see the sıghts but rıght now I am enjoyıng the feel of preparıng for competıtıon wıth snıppets of suburban Turkey ın between.

Sorry for the spellıng and grammar ın the blog. I cant work a Turkısh keyboard very well and there doesnt even seem to be a coma button.

I wıll try to wrıte more soon because there ıs certaınly not a lack of materıal.