Athlete's Blog
Entry #236
Week of January 9, 2012
by Stephanie Rothstein
Next weekend is almost upon us and I'm very much looking forward to my 28th birthday. I've been trying to figure out how I wanna celebrate it. I know, I think I'll fly to Texas and run a marathon that's what everyone wants to do on their birthday. Alright all kidding aside I am ready for what lies ahead. Looking back at 2011 I haven't been able to pinpoint what that year meant to me. I experienced some of the most amazing highs with my run at Houston in January, one of my best friend's wedding, screaming at Ben while he shattered his pr in the Barcelona steeple putting himself on the World Team, swimming in the Mediterranean and above all saying yes to the love of my life. On the flip side there was also a dark 4 months for me that I couldn't run and didn't know if my health had blind sided me again and I wasn't meant to do what I love. During this particular injury I was able to truly find that balance that I believe every athlete needs. Thanks to the awesomeness of Lauren's track season and her tiny photo on the cover of Runner's World Picky Bars began to sore. We had built this company from scratch with our hearts and it now, with the help of Jesse, Lauren and the Picky team resembled a full fledged viable entity with Picky Eaters from all over. I quickly learned the world doesn't stop when you get injured, you only stop yourself from being productive in any other part of life. Running is part of who I am, not what I am.
Blogs have always been tough for me to write because sometimes when I think about what content to include I'm filled with a million ideas( many you don't wanna read). Why is what I have to say important? Perhaps because there's someone reading it thinking their life had a similar trend or you just need a quick break from your routine and get to peek into someone else's soul. If anything I hope to entertain, encourage, and provoke thought to those reading.
On to the juicy stuff- what has the last 3 months of my life been like? I moved into a 300 sq. foot studio in a garage which seemed perfect at the time... until my old fiancee came to crash the party and moved in. But seriously that has been a game changer. I moved away from Ben 2 years ago so we could pursue our professional running careers and I was more than taken care of by the McMillans, Team US AZ and of course Adidas. Living in Flagstaff also put me within a 2 hour drive to John Ball who has single handedly gotten me to the starting line. This guy will never take credit for his gift and he will even make you feel bad about trying to thank him. Back to Ben- we finally crossed the finish line of long distance and I have faith and courage that it has been worth it for us to be apart. My marathon build up has been full of 100 mile weeks, 25 Diablo Burgers, windy tempos, keeping Redbox and Harkins in business, YMCA employees wondering if I live at the gym, Picky bars post every workout and laughable exhaustion. I could not have done it without the support of Flagstaff and those I might not even know. Lastly I'd like to thank my friends and family who's invites I've turned down, birthdays I've forgotten, holidays missed, and continued support in my selfish pursuit for the Olympic Trials Podium. In the word's of Dr. Stan Beecham "Are you nervous for this weekend-no. I'm excited and ready for the opportunity."
Entry #235
Week of December 11, 2011
by Scott Smith
'Tis the season for giving, and as my parents told me when I was younger "It is a better feeling to give than to receive." I still haven't figured out where I stand on this adage but one thing I have found this to hold true for is a good old fashioned butt- whoopin. As I write this blog my procrastination has swamped me with laundry and tying up some loose ends before heading to the national club cross-country championships. (Side note, this blog will most likely come out after we get back from the beautiful northwest, and thus will include some hypotheticals). Club Cross last year was one of the most, if not the most fun, races I have ever experienced. Before, during, and after. One reason it was so fun was because we were on the giving end of a good old fashioned butt-whoopin as a team, however I personally was on the receiving end of one delivered by Mr. Nick Arciniaga. The worst part was he told me this was going to happen, and the week leading up to the race I repeatedly and vehemently disagreed with him. He and I had an 800 workout before the race where I repeatedly ran faster than his PR, so I just figured he was capable of running his mouth much faster than his legs. Not the case. So to this day I have not heard the end of it, however that was just the first in what has been a 5 race series in which I currently lead 3-2, and have the opportunity to put him a crushing 2 races behind this weekend.
Hypothetical outcomes from the Club Cross Country Championships:
We lose, and I lose to Nick: For the sake of not wanting to be extremely negative I will just leave it at I will be extremely upset.
We lose, and I beat Nick: Normally going into one of these races I will say that it was a successful day if Nick is last and I am second to last, but seeing as that would cause us to amass monstrous team score team score I would still be very frustrated with this outcome.
We win, and I lose to Nick: Still very excited that we were able to repeat as champions, but a little nervous that Nick has leveled the score with an undetermined game 7.
We win, and I beat Nick: Best case scenario, hopefully we won by a decent margin, maybe not enough to qualify as a "butt-whoopin," but who knows. As I put Nick two races back, I will ease the verbal assault because I like Nick and don't want to hurt his feelings especially with the trials coming up.
In all seriousness this is a great time of year with all that holiday cheer and hoopla, and it honestly does feel good to help people out, so give where you can, and be grateful when given to. But if you find yourself in a competition don't be afraid to dole out a good old fashioned "butt-whoopin."
Entry #234
Week of November 28, 2011
by Aaron Braun
It is almost a week after Thanksgiving, and most people seem to have completely forgotten about it, and moved into full Christmas mode. Trees for sale, exchanging Christmas lists with family and friends, Christmas Story and Grinch movies on TV, and Christmas lights galore all mean that Thanksgiving has passed, and Christmas season is here. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving is a very under-rated holiday. Outside of the 4th of July, I can't think of a more American holiday than one that involves families coming together to stuff their bellies and watch football all day. Of course the main purpose of Thanksgiving is in the name, to give thanks. This seems to be something my generation is getting worse and worse at doing; we're all so worried about how to constantly improve our lives that we forget how fortunate we are to have the things we have.
Thinking about this makes me remember something Dr Stan Beechem talked about to Team USA Arizona about a year ago. It is a competitive advantage to be thankful for what you have, and not worry about the things you think you "need" to reach your goals. He pointed it out to us this way: he asked us how many pairs of running shoes we had in our closet, and if we really needed all of them in order to succeed. While I more than happily accept all the shoes adidas sends me, the rest of the group and I all conceded that no, we didn't need all of them to succeed. Therefore, Dr Stan points out, we already have more than what we need. We, like just about every American, are living in excess. But back to why it can be a competitive advantage: compare a runner who knows he has everything he needs to succeed to a runner who thinks he is lacking one or more tools to succeed. If they are racing against each other, going into the race the runner who believes he has all he needs to succeed is fully confident, knowing he has done the work needed to succeed; while the runner who thinks he is lacking something is sure to have that in the back of his mind, and will likely use it as a built-in excuse for why he may fail. Now which of these runners do you think has the competitive advantage?
This brings me back to my original premise, keeping that thanksgiving state of mind is something that can help you throughout the year. It doesn't matter if you're an athlete or not, being thankful for the things you have, and not worrying too much about the things you don't is the best way to reach your goals.
Now talking about all this makes me want to announce the things that I am thankful for, both last Thursday and everyday throughout the year: my beautiful and ever-supporting wife Annika, my daughter Makenzie who somehow manages to get cuter every single day, my parents who raised me to become the man I am today, my many other family and friends who also had big impacts in their own distinct/different ways, my opportunity provided by adidas to continue to pursue my dream of becoming the best runner I can possibly be, and finally God for setting out a plan for me that I am able to further discover everyday.
Happy Holidays everyone, be thankful!
Entry #233
Week of November 7, 2011
by Megan Herrick
Building. There are so many senses of the word. Building an apartment complex in the construction profession. Building trust in business relationships. Building communities as city planners. Building frosting-covered masterpieces on "Cake Boss."
In the profession of running, building takes on a whole new meaning. Coming off a foot injury this past summer, I have come to learn and respect the process of building up mileage and fitness on a whole new level. In the midst of marathon season, the "building" of base, endurance, strength and mental toughness are exemplified. Similar to construction, runners must take the time to build a strong foundation. This past fall, I've been running more miles than I ever have – more importantly I've been staying healthy. I know that this large base will provide for even stronger race performances in the coming months. An idea "Cake Boss" would explain as icing on the cake
But unlike loud-mouthed, yet talented cake extraordinaire Buddy Valastro, runners can't complete their build in a day. I know the analogy sounds simple but there have been plenty of workouts this fall where I expected my building process to culminate to the fastest, most effortless-feeling steady state or tempo run. With running, I think the building process may take the longest compared to other professions. Likewise, patience has to be the highest. My collegiate teammate and friend, Gabriele Anderson, recently shared a quote that stuck with me. I'm not a "motivational-quote person" so it's a testament to what I'm about to share. Gabe tweeted "If you don't enjoy the process, you're not going to enjoy the outcome either." As runners we build and build with expectations of producing our greatest masterpiece: top finisher in the marathon, winning a USA Championship, qualifying for the Olympic Games. While the process may seem grinding at times, enjoying the process/journey is equally important as the destination.
Following the fall marathons and watching my own teammates train for the trials in January has inspired me as I build my own foundation. I feel like I'm in a good place with good things ahead. And I can't blog without saying how happy I am with my husband Paul by my side. With our recent marriage in September, I'm proud to say that I'm now a Herrick and am excited to begin my journey with Paul, who provides the most support in my own building process each and every day.
Entry #232
Week of October 31, 2011
by Brett Gotcher
Would you love to feel good in training every single day? I know I sure would. Well guess what: It’s not going to happen! As runners, we all wish we could feel our best every time out the door. We wish we could always have that rare feeling of everything coming together effortlessly. Unfortunately, this is unrealistic and the sooner we can understand it, the better off we’ll be. Don’t get me wrong, it is entirely possible to have long stretches where you feel good the majority of the time, but I would suspect that there are usually a couple days along the way where you’re dragging. Maybe it’s the day after a hard workout or a long run, but they still creep in there. If you’re lucky, that dragging feeling will only last a day or so. But for some of us, it can last a week or even longer. What’s the key to this problem, you ask? It’s simple: Just survive.
I’ve become very familiar with the word “survive” since moving up to the longer distances. It can be applied to so many different situations in training and racing. When you run a race like the marathon, you’re going to have times when you feel good and times when you feel not so good. I’ve found it really helpful to think about surviving the bad times to get to the good times. If you have the confidence to know that you’ll come out of this bad time eventually, then you’ll be ready to roll once you start to feel good again.
The same can be said for having a rough patch in training. I’ve slowly gotten used to the fact that I’m not going to feel good everyday. Before this was the case, it was easy to get psyched out trying to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. When one bad day turns into four bad days and the usual ice bath or massage doesn’t do the trick, it can become a bit worrisome. You know you’re starting to lose it when you wake up one morning and think to yourself, “Hmm, maybe if I drink a gallon of coffee this morning, I’ll feel better.” Shocking, it didn’t work.
I recently had a week just like this. From the moment I woke up in the morning until I laid back down at night, I was tired. I slogged through 60-minute runs that felt like 3 hours and workouts where I felt my mom could run faster. But I survived. I made it through each day without losing too much hope, knowing I would eventually come out of it. When I did, it led to a great week of training where everything seemed to come together. It can be a hard thing to do, to simply let this flat feeling run its course. As runners, we tend to freak out when every little detail doesn’t go exactly as planned. Just remember that it happens, that it’ll probably keep happening, and that you can survive it.
Entry #231
Week of May 30, 2011
by Danny Mercado
Hey everyone! This is my first blog ever, so any feedback would be really, really helpful!
Well, I think it would make sense to kind of let you all know how I actually came to be a McMillanElite sponsored athlete who is also supported by Team USA Arizona.
During my last couple months in Eugene, I had quite a dilemma ahead of me: either stay in Eugene and try my hand at road racing/another year of track and field, or just head on home and maybe train there. Either way, I didn't really have a lot of confidence in either choice because I knew I didn't have the money to travel and race all the time. Needless to say, this was pretty frustrating and nerve-wracking.
One option I hadn't tried was contacting a couple friends, Nick Arciniaga and Jordan Horn, and seeing if there was any way I could try to get on their team out in Flagstaff. I didn't know a whole lot about Greg McMillan or the rest of the team, but I did know they mainly coached marathon runners. I figured that would be my future, so it didn't hurt to try.
I got an email back from Nick saying initially that Greg wasn't all that interested in adding members to the group. I was a little bummed out but didn't pay too much attention, as I thought it would be a long shot to begin with. At that point I figured I would stay out in Eugene and train under Andy Powell, and figure things out from there.
About a week before the USA National Championships, I got an unexpected email from Nick, saying that Greg was really interested and that he wanted to meet me during the meet. I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe that he had changed his mind and wanted to meet me! We got along right from the start. The meeting during that time went well and he wanted me to visit Flagstaff to see what it was like.
I was really excited to get out here. Once I got off the plane, I fell in love. I liked the atmosphere, the team, everything. It just seemed really perfect and their training philosophy really ran parallel with mine. I decided at the end of the trip that I would be a part of this amazing team.
Right off the bat, things began to click. Training was going great and I had been feeling really confident. My first race as a McMillan/Team USA Arizona athlete would be at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half-Marathon on the east coast. I ran with Jordan for most of the way until 9 miles, where he pulled away on a big downhill. I went on to place 5th overall in 64:02, which got me an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. Since then, I've convinced myself that I should give the trials a shot, and now, that's what the rest of this fall is geared towards. I plan on running the trials and seeing what damage I can do at that distance.
So far I am incredibly happy with where things have gone. I've been here for a little over two months now, and I feel with that half-marathon race my choice to come here has been validated. It's odd, looking back now, that a little over two months ago, I didn't even know if I would continue running. It's really incredible how quickly things can change and I really do feel blessed to be a part of a team that is geared towards the longer distances and road races. Everyone here has been so supportive and helpful that it's been really easy to get comfortable.
That's all for now. I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to everyone back in West Covina/La Puente, my former teammates and coaches in Eugene, my brother, Diego, for never letting me settle and give up on this dream, and the team here in Flagstaff. This team is amazing. Prepare to see big things out of the people here. I'd also like to give a really special thanks to Jordan Horn and Nick Arciniaga for sticking their necks out for me and begging Greg to take a look at me. If it wasn't for them, I literally wouldn't be here right now. I'd rather not think of where I would be if I wasn't here.
Cheers,
Danny Mercado
Entry #230
Week of May 30, 2011
by Nick Arciniaga
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The Times, They Are A-Changin’
Just couple weeks ago, Team USA Arizona had the privilege to meet with the Race Director for the Honda LA Marathon, Peter Abraham. Just over three years ago Peter took over the LA Marathon when it was in shambles; lots of debt, poor reputation, and no respect from any of the other major marathons around the world. Peter changed everything from their marketing campaign to their race course, making it more attractive to both runners and sponsors. Now the LA Marathon is quickly becoming one of the best in the US again, and soon it will be one of the best in the world.
Peter talked with all of us as both a group and individually, encouraging us to find new ways to market ourselves in order to build our fan base and make us more desirable to our current and potential sponsors. This really got the ball rolling with me, knowing before that there were things I could be doing to help myself in the long run. Until now, I didn’t have the motivation or even knowledge of what I should do. With a few simple words, Peter changed that for me and helped me realize that with all the spare time I have when I’m not running or recovering, I could be out making myself less of an unknown, with very little physical activity.
I have never been one for self-promotion, nor am I a social butterfly. But as it turns out, I do like to type. Blogging is fun for me, so I started a new blog, NickArciniaga.blogspot.com, and I opened a twitter account. My goal is not to talk needlessly about myself, but to inform all of my potential followers what I am doing, and how I am training leading up to big races like the World Championships (9/4/11) and the US Olympic Trials (1/1/12).
In other news, a lot else has been changing in my life. My sister’s wedding was this weekend and she is the first of all our cousins to tie the knot. It has been a pretty big deal in my family for the last seven months leading up to the wedding day. It was a beautiful wedding, and pretty fun. Both our family and her new husband’s family are huge nerds/sci-fi geeks, and there was a lot of Star Wars, Back to the Future, Zombies, and other awesome paraphernalia. The last big news that I should mention is that I am now officially a homeowner. I just bought a house and things went pretty smoothly and I am almost fully moved in. I’m pretty excited to say the least. Almost all grown up….?
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Entry #229
Week of May 23, 2011
by Emily Harrison
A Week of Immersion and Awakening
This year, I have the privilege of being the Assistant Director of the adidas-McMillanElite High School Training Camp (http://www.mcmillanelite.com/highschoolcamp/home.html). My goal is to use my previous experiences as both a camper and a counselor to create a memorable week for our campers.
I attended running camp for three summers when I was in high school: one year at Ragged Mountain Running Camp held at the University of Virginia and two years at Blue Ridge Running camp held at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. I had great experiences at both camps and came away from each with something memorable. I had decided to attend Blue Ridge because I wanted to broaden my experience, it had a great reputation, and some girls from a neighboring high school were attending.
Several years later, between my junior and senior year of college at UVa, I was a counselor at Central Virginia Running Camp hosted by UVa. Here, I was still a participant in daily camp activities and at times you almost feel like a camper.
Rewind back to high school: Each summer, I was the only one from my team who chose to go to camp. This was a little scary since I knew there were many teams who'd be going together and would already know one another. This actually turned out to be a good thing because I then got to know the other runners from nearby high schools, which led to many friendships outside of my team and created something else to look forward to when we would go to invitationals during the season. I remember doing all the girly things, such as braiding our hair, designing shirts and decorating our rooms. These activities created the bonds we'd share later on in the season and throughout the year, even though we went to different schools.
Coming from a smaller high school, I loved coming to camp and seeing that I shared the same passion and drive to be the best with other high schoolers. Running with the top girls from other divisions was a great confidence builder because I normally wouldn't have the opportunity to compete with them during the season. Then, when I would see these girls in competition, I would be more confident that I could race with them.
Not only were my interactions with other campers important. Hearing the experienced advice of the counselors and speakers was a unique opportunity for me that I would not have found anywhere else. One speaker at Blue Ridge, Juli Henner, made a significant impact on me. Juli was an Olympic 1500 meter runner in the Atlanta Games and (still is) accomplished coach. I remember sitting there deciding that I wanted to be good enough to get recruited by a Division I school and how that would be a dream come true.
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Once that dream came true, it was time to dream a little bigger. In many ways, attending summer camps was one of the many building blocks that has lead me to where I am today, giving me the opportunity to work with Greg McMillan and Team USA Arizona as part of adidas-McMillanElite (www.mcmillanelite.com), yet another unique opportunity you won't be able to find anywhere else. Runners at the adidas-McMillanElite High School Camp will be working with the elite athletes who live and train in Flagstaff on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to being a part of helping someone else's dreams come true.
My Mom and I after the Virginia AA State XC Championships where I came away with the State title.
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Entry #228
Week of May 16, 2011
by Alvina Begay
"What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first steps to something better."
-Proverb
Having a bad race is always tough. It's especially tough when you go into a race feeling confident and with expectations to do well. I had a bad race day on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I started the race but didn't finish. After the race, I was negative and grumpy for a few hours. I went over all the things that may have contributed to feeling poorly and called my mom and Trina to vent. I decided not to call Coach Greg until I calmed down. When I finally called Greg, he said a few words that put things back into perspective. He reminded me not to dwell too much on the negative aspects of the race and to remember and know that I am fit. After our brief conversation, I was able to comfortably shift my focus and thoughts to the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in three weeks.
I also decided to focus on the positive things that happened while I was in Grand Rapids. I met a few new people and visited with my long time friend Andy. Molly Dunn was one new person I met. Elite races usually pair people up to share rooms in hotels. Molly was my roommate. She is trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the Women's Marathon. She asked me a ton of questions about training at altitude and working while training. It was fun to share my experiences with her. I hope to see her in Houston in January.
My friend Andy is generally a positive person so it was good to have him around. He told me stories of his days working at Hungry Howies, how he was asked to rap on stage at a concert with his favorite Christian hip hop artist (the concert is on Youtube and you can actually see Andy rapping), and how excited he was to win $300 for his second place finish in the 5K. We also toured the Gerald R. Ford Museum.
I am now back in Flagstaff and have resumed training. I'm glad to be back because I was missing the dry air. Thanks for reading!!!
Week of June 20, 2011
By Tracy McMillan
Long run nutrition strategies from Team USA Arizona
I am in the process of training for 2 hard trail races later this year (Imogene Pass Run & the Soulstice Run) with a group of friends called Moms on the Run. To help me prepare for these 2 efforts, I thought I'd poll the team to get some long run nutrition advice and ideas. Here is what some of our longer distance folks shared with me:
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Megan Duwell
I don't like to eat or drink too much but I always have a little something before long runs - usually a granola bar (or powerbar) and i always have coffee with creamer too. Make sure its fresh coffee, because I've tried "day old" coffee and it doesn't settle well for long runs!
Andrew Lemoncello
I always eat very lightly a couple of hours before the run (a piece of toast and jam) with coffee but I always make sure that for every cup of coffee I have, I drink a glass of water as i know I will be peeing a lot. This has always worked well for me! I tend to focus on the nutrition and hydration the day before rather than on the day itself.
Stephanie Rothstein
All depends on what foods work well with your stomach. Most things that are easily digestible are bowl of oatmeal with some nuts, dried fruit (little), toast with pb and jelly, bowl of cereal. You're looking for prob 200-300 calories worth of food about 90 mins to 2 hours before long run. East food before drinking coffee helps. You want a little protein and fat along with a carb source to help the energy last but not too heavy.
Danielle Domenichelli
I think it really varies from person to person. I don't do anything different pre-long run than I do on any other day. I always have coffee, water and either a piece of toast was PB and banana or a packet of hearty/low sugar oatmeal. I usually just drink water on the long runs. Sometimes if I do 2hrs I would take a gel 3/4 of the way through.
Trina Painter
I am a no eater…can't stomach much before a long run. I have coffee and that's about it. I will take some gels on the run and that seems to sit well with me. Also, a liquid meal sometimes works better for me as well... maybe a U Can or something like that.
Ian Torrence, our ultra guru!
I keep race day morning edibles very light, just a large glass of water to start. I eat a Clif Bar or a Pay Day (salty goodness). I need a little kick start as well. I'm not a coffee fan so I use Chai (made with rice milk), but whatever works for you on that front. I stay away from heavy stuff like dairy products, meats, eggs, and cereal (grains are dehydrating).
The key, I believe, is the week leading into that race or long run. Eat your normal diet and amounts & stay hydrated. I'm not a believer in carbo-loading. I feel it stresses the digestive track and dehydrates. You're an athlete, you're body will now take in and store what it needs because of the training process you're undergoing. When race day nears the fact that you'll be letting your foot off the training petal will allow the body to store the energy it needs for the big event, because it's so used to all those long runs. You don't have to force that glycogen building process if you stay consistent with your training.
With that said, what you eat the night before can also affect your long run/race. I feel your biggest meal before your event or long run should be two days before (so Thursday night if the race or long run is on Saturday). If you feel the need to somewhat indulge that's when to do it. Keep it light, simple and eat early in the evening the day before your long run or race the next morning. This should set you up well for the morning of your event/long run...so that you won't feel the need to eat much or eat the wrong things.
