Website has moved to MikeSayenko.com

2011-11-21T11:16:00.001-08:00

I have launched a new website MikeSayenko.com I will no longer be updating this website.

IAAF World Championships Marathon Recap

2011-09-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

The day of reckoning has come, Day 9 of the Championships.. Marathon day!

Overall, I had a great experience at the Track and Field World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. This race was definitely a motivator for the future…to get back to this level and run better. There’s Moscow in 2013 and of course the Olympics! The atmosphere for this meet was everything I imagined the Olympics to feel like. Every aspect was over-the-top organized, with a seemingly unlimited budget. There was the architecturally unreal stadium, a brand new Athlete’s Village, including two tracks next to each other, a 200m and 400m blue track, made exclusively for the event.

The Athlete’s Village had everything you could ask for, live performances from Korean taekwondo to traditional dancing, cultural experience projects like pottery, an all-you-can eat cafeteria, a place for currency exchange/ bank, a post office, a salon, you name it.. it was there. There was no need to leave the Village, everything you needed was right there. We were also given tons of souvenirs as gifts – a huge beach towel, an Adidas backpack, a World Championships Mascot Beanie Baby, postcards, comparative stamps, and a ton of print material.

The only thing I would have changed is that our race would be on the first day of competition. It would have been nice to be able to really explore all that Daegu had to offer, but I tried to remain low key in the days leading up, not wanting to wear myself out before the race. I went downtown a few times to the flee markets, a mall that went on for miles (think Time Square on steroids), and mostly to the track to watch the best athletes in the world! There were a few hikes in Daegu that looked fun but strenuous, including one to a temple on top of a mountain that was about a 2 hour hike. The marathon women, being completely finished, as they competed the first day, decided to go on Wednesday, with a 98º day. It sounded tempting until I stepped outside for two seconds. Overall Daegu was very warm, welcoming, and very organized... you were not going to get bored, stranded, or have a shortage of food.. but maybe a little shortage of English, as one out of five couldn’t say anything at all. That seemed to be the only challenge, well…and the extraordinarily bright lights/ colors that were everywhere.

On to the race, the weather on race day was as ideal as you could have in Daegu, Korea at this time of year. The temperature was 75º at the start with 60% humidity and 80º at the finish. Ideal conditions for a marathon are about 54º. Every 6º beyond that, you can expect to add one minute to your time from ideal conditions. I was prepared for anything, as most of the week was 85-90º and extremely humid at times. I prepared by training in long sleeves and running tights the entire month before the race. The USA guys all had cooling vests on pre-warm up, during the warm up, and all the way up to the race start. These same vests were used at the 2004 Olympics by Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor, who both medaled for USA in similar conditions. We were the only team out there with the vests, but I do feel like it helped cool my core body temperature.

In the weeks leading up, I went over the race countless times in my head, and I truly believed that 2:16-17 was doable on that day. My plan was to run 3:13 1k splits for the race, which would put me at 2:16:00 pace. The race went accordingly for 15k, but well before that mark, the all too familiar twinge began in my plantar fasica. Every step from the gun I could feel the pain in my left foot. The thought of stopping lingered in my mind. Fortunately, the pain subsided after 8k or so and never got worse so I ran through it. I had no intentions of dropping out, as I didn't come this far to represent USA and not finish.

From 15k to the half- way point, I started to drop off the pack significantly. Negative thoughts came pouring in. I was able to push through, remembering all the hard training I had put in and those supporting me. Eventually, I got in a groove and was able to click off a nice rhythm. Through the course of the race, I made an effort to continuously pour water from the aid stations over my head and shoulders to cool me down. This helped significantly to ease the heat and humidity that I’m not used to, training in Seattle. One possible effect of the heat, was my inability to completely relax for the first half of the race. Of course, I’m not sure if it was because of the heat or because of the lost fitness in the last month prior. Leading up to the race, training didn’t go according to plan due to my plantar fascia. This was particularly true during the last month, where I didn't do any runs at marathon pace longer than 6 miles.

Nevertheless, back to the race: after 15k I was running solo, but I was able to pick off a few people. Unfortunately, I was never mixing it up with the front guys like I envisioned. My hope was that I would be in the top 25 or so at the finish. Time is definitely secondary in a championship race, such as this. However, I know that had my foot felt better the month leading up to the race, I would have been better prepared and run faster. I ran 2:22:49 which is over 2 min slower than I have ever run at the distance.

Despite the setbacks, of injuries and weather conditions, I regained a fundamental cornerstone to being a professional runner, simply that I really do love running, in itself. Sometimes you have to go back to where it started to realize why you’re doing what you’re doing. This means to love dreaming big, running with the best, and stretching to the edge of my limits. However, there is something to be said for living in the moment, and taking in what God gives you. The World Championships has rejuvenated my training by reminding me of the simple joy in running. That running is not a chore or a job, but something I take pleasure in doing. Injuries will not weigh me down, learning from your trials is what life is about. Trials push you to discover something inside yourself, your deep desires. It forces you to examine your life. It’s up to you to see the positive!

Articles:

Pictures from Daegu

End of the Championships Ceremony on the infield of the track, fireworks, signing, and lots of celebrating with the Americans!

The USA Pack around mile 3

Tera Moody (top American Marathoner 17th place- same coach) and I

Neil Chasan, Bob Adams (Head of US Medical - based locally in Redmond, WA), and I

Me in the US Athletes Lounge Area found my star, everyone on the team is on the wall.

Neil and I in the center of the Athletes Village

Yep our building, all the athletes stayed in high rise apartments and USA had a whole building to themselves.

Basement of our Apartments, next to the dinning hall is an area where you can have a Korean cultural experience, I'm not gonna lie I never checked it out.

Ingvil (former teammate at UW, ran 4:02 in the 1500 and finished 6th in the 1500 final) and I

Dinning Hall

Bernard Lagat (American Record Holder at 1500 and 5k) and I

A look at the Athletes Village

Kenenisa Bekele (World Record holder in the 5k and 10k) and I

First Korean BBQ! sooo good :)

The Stadium

My second Korean dish, lots of kimchi

Mo Farah (5k gold medalist and 10k silver) and I

Video of the marathon guys trying out the cooling vests the Wed before the race

Neil and I at the athletes tent at the marathon

Start of the Marathon

Us warming up in our cool:) vests!

I wanted to bite into it, but thought it would be un-professional

after the race, we are pooooped!

We were still celebrates after the race, America has that mystical feel to it for the Koreans as we were signing autographs and such, pretty sure not one Kenyan signed an autograph :)

The Kick :) Not pretty

Sorry back to the start

Random Tandem bike shot on our way to dinner, scariest time of the enitre trip

My water bottles, Nuun ready!

Random Shot with a booth girl not sure what she was selling, Medical Tours!?

Coffee shop where I would meet Neil every day for some treatment

The Marketing was incredible, signs everywhere and HUGE ones! all over skyscrapers

Roommates

I had a Bolt encounter in the village but he wouldn't stop for 2 seconds to take a picture with me so I can post it on here and brag, booo!

Roomies again, Mike Morgan before the five o'clock Shadow retired.

RRudish, World Record Holder in the 800 in action winning the 800.

Bolt in Action

Teg ready to go in the 10k!

Loved every second of the 10k, who doesn't love watching 25 laps of pure entertainment

Bekele went on to struggle and dropped out, and two weeks later goes on to set the worlds fastest time, not sure how he pulled that off after 2 years off from competition.

Scotty Bauhs finished 3rd american

Mo got robbed, personally I think he started his kick too soon

Ethiopian starts dancing, never a good idea.

Marathoners trying out the cooling vests Wed before the race.

Athletes Village

weird plants inside the athletes village

Neil Chasan, my physical therapist who came with me on the trip.

Taking the subway to downtown.

Buckets of water with anything that lives in the water.

Look Bobble head manikins

Never eating on the floor again.

Time Square

Mens 800 Final!

Love Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia, the name alone means greyhound. awesome

The Russian won the womens steeple solo, in a World Leading time

More Weird Buckets of Swimming Creatures

Time Square Lights again, this is a never ending mall

Sayenko Battles Through Pain In Worlds Marathon

2011-09-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Foot problems hamper Sayenko, but he makes a big push late to finish in 2:22.49.

Mike Sayenko running Sunday morning through the streets of Daegu, Korea. (Photo courtesy Paul Merca)

Sept. 5, 2011

For Immediate Release Contact: Michael Bruscas August 29, 2011
» Sayenko's Long Road Takes Him To World Championships

DAEGU, Korea - Former Husky Mike Sayenko competed in his first IAAF World Track & Field Championships on Sunday, running the marathon on the final day of competition and finishing 37th for Team USA. He was the second-highest finishing American in a time of two hours and 22-minutes.

Sayenko said afterwards that he had been coping with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and the pain was persistent throughout his run through Daegu. "Through the first kilometer, I could already feel it," said Sayenko. "It got pretty rough around 6k, and I wasn't sure I'd actually finish the race."

He persisted, however, and endured the pain as best he could.
"I was running with some Spaniards up until 15k, when I got dropped. At that point, the pain got pretty rough, and all the negative thoughts started popping up. Then I started getting into a zone; running by myself helped, then I got into a groove, running 3:25 (kilometers). I ran like that the rest of the way, and started picking people off. The pain in the foot calmed down, but I felt it the rest of the way."

The splits back up Sayenko, as he was back in 52nd-place at the 15 kilometer mark. At the halfway point he was still just 54th, but over the last 15 kilometers he passed more than a dozen competitors to get into the top-40.

"My goal was to finish in the top 20-25, so it wasn't exactly the race I was looking for," he said. Still, a great experience and quite an achievement to finish for Team USA and represent the UW admirably.

A more detailed article to be published soon with lots of pictures.

Korean Market

2011-09-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

Daegu Day 5: Lots of weird stuff at the market downtown. Anything goes in this market. They had everything that lives in the water in buckets from sting rays, frogs, water snakes, eal, and lots of scary looking fish. It was crazy because it was in the middle of downtown Daegu in this nasty couple blocks next to the mall. Lastly they sold dog skinned or alive. They had puppies close by and was very disturbing so we bailed. But I had to show you some of these pictures I have never seeing anything like it. Neil Chasan, my physical therapist and Sergio Reyes, the USA Marathon Champ kept me company for this crazy trip downtown.

After all the crazy stuff we saw we finally decided we had enough. So we walked a quarter mile to “Time Square light”, expect that it goes on for BLOCKS and BLOCKS and it is enough to give you a seizure. Its really more like a less impressive version of Time Square, but on steroids if that makes sense. Then we found dinner after walking for what seems like miles on in. We finally found a Korean BBQ, where you take off your shoes, sit on the floor, and try to pick meat off a pork spine. Lets just say when I got back to the village I had to run to the cafeteria to get more food.

Race - The Marathon will be presented live on the Universal Sports Network and Universalsports.com at 5pm PST - Saturday, September 3rd.

Sayenko's Long Road Takes Him To The World Championships

2011-08-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

The 2007 UW grad will run in the World Championships marathon on September 4.

Things are looking up for former Husky Mike Sayenko as he heads to the World Championships in South Korea.

Aug. 26, 2011

By Daniel Roth

For many athletes there is no bigger thrill or source of pride than putting on their country's colors and representing their nation in competition. At a certain point in time, whether it is just before the race starts or some other symbolic moment, reality sinks in for some athletes and they comprehend and appreciate the significance of their accomplishment. That's exactly what happened when former Washington distance runner Mike Sayenko received his Team USA gear a month ago in preparation for the trip he and many of our country's top athletes will be taking to Daegu, South Korea for the 2011 IAAF World Track & Field Championships.

The Championships begin on August 27, with Sayenko running the marathon on the morning of September 4, the final day of competition.

For any athlete, the pride of representing your nation is special, but for Mike Sayenko, it holds an even deeper significance. Mike moved to America from Odessa, Ukraine when he was 8 years old, became a naturalized American citizen and now wants to give back to the country that has given him so much since his arrival.

"For me America is my country," said Sayenko. "Giving back to the country that has given me the opportunity means a lot. I never thought I'd have running take me this far, get a scholarship at a University, be able to run professionally and represent the US at the World Championships."

Sayenko has taken full advantage of the opportunities that being an elite runner in America has given him. After taking up and immediately excelling at running in high school, Mike received a scholarship to the University of Washington where he studied Fine Arts.

At UW, he improved every season, and competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships three different years. As a senior in 2006, Sayenko placed 10th at the NCAA West Regional meet and then finished 65th in the huge NCAA field, helping UW to a 12th-place finish, still the team's top finish since 1993. He also owns the fifth-fastest 10,000-meter time in school history at 29:07.22.

He now puts this knowledge and training that he received at UW to use regularly in his own business, Sayenko Design, a design firm in Seattle. By operating his own business, Mike is able to balance being a professional athlete, which demands difficult and frequent training, with flexible work hours to pays the bills. A normal work day for Mike is exhausting for most just to think about.

"I usually go for a run, come back, eat lunch, do some work, and then do my second run. And sometimes work after my second run," Sayenko explained.

That doesn't seem so overwhelming until you realize the kind of training that an elite athlete does on a daily basis. Mike lists the Sammamish River Trail, Eastlake Sammamish Trail, and the waterfront of Sammamish Lake as some of his favorite places in the area to work out. (Note: all of these trails are at least 10 miles). And once in a while he'll take a full lap around the lake, a paltry 23.5 miles.

Mike's strong work ethic allows him to maintain this balance, but he recognizes that he definitely does not do it alone. It is a team effort and always has been for Mike Sayenko, who eagerly thanks many other people who have helped him along his journey to the World Championships. Sayenko attributes much of his success both at UW and since his graduation to the longtime Washington Track and Field and Cross Country coach Greg Metcalf. Sayenko is very grateful for Metcalf's guidance as well as the trust and belief in Mike's abilities that his former coach has displayed over the years.

"I remember running my first marathon (senior year)," Sayenko recalls. "He (Coach Metcalf) wasn't thrilled about the idea. In the back of his mind he knew I could do it, he just wanted me to focus on cross country. But he just had this belief in me. He helped me get to the race; he flew down and watched me run. That's where I first qualified for my first Olympic trials in that race. Ever since then he's really been encouraging. He's flown me out to a couple other races that weren't on the team schedule but because he had this belief in me that `Mike can do this, he can go and qualify, he can run this time, I'm going to take him anyway.'"

Other coaches and team members have also enabled Sayenko to reach his dreams of being a professional runner and representing his country. His current coach, Brad Hudson, has coached several Olympians and Mike attributes a lot of his growth and improvement as a runner over the last few years to his coach's wisdom and experience in the sport. Mike believes that working with Hudson has helped him not only train and use supplements more effectively, but also learn to listen to his body and how it responds and recovers more than he had in the past, which he thinks has given him an edge.

With the help of his coach, Mike now runs longer distances with shorter breaks than he ever has before and better understands how to get the most possible out of his body in training and competition. Sayenko also readily admits that without his physical therapist and chiropractor keeping him healthy, or his sponsors (Powerbar, Club Northwest, and Infinite Running) he wouldn't be in the position he is in today.

But perhaps the most important member of his team is his wife Hayley. The two met at a barbecue that Mike hosted a few years ago while he was still at UW. Mike and Hayley got married on June 11 of this year. Hayley, who is also a runner and competed for University of Kansas, has been a huge help for Mike in his training, especially on long runs. Sayenko says, "She'll bike along and give me fluids and gel packs." But making his long runs more manageable isn't the only area where Hayley has helped Mike in his preparation for the World Outdoor Championships.

Now that he is a married man, Mike can no longer just eat cheese quesadillas for dinner. As every athlete knows, although they are delicious and easy to make, cheese quesadillas provide only marginal nutritional value. Not to mention that a quesadilla for dinner doesn't exactly scream "marriage material". Additionally, Mike suffered through bouts of anemia during college and was not able to fully reach his potential in college due in part to the lack of oxygen his muscles would receive during competition. So revamping his diet has been doubly beneficial. Not only does he now eat like a respectable, mature adult but the addition of more fresh produce, a salad a day, various other dark leaf vegetables and steak which contain lots of iron into his diet have increased his athletic abilities as well.

Combine the improvement in his diet, increased and more intense training with an already impressive collegiate runner and it is easy to see how Sayenko has experienced success professionally in recent years and become one of America's top marathoners. The race that Mike is most proud of is the Chicago Marathon in 2010. For the first time, Mike was able to train fully for that race by training in altitudes, meeting with his coach In Eugene, Oregon and avoiding injuries. With his preparation complete for that race and the knowledge that Chicago's course is much flatter than most marathons, Mike was excited to "just go after it, and run as fast as possible".

On that day in 2010, massive crowds screamed his name even though few people knew him and the weather was hotter than expected, which took a toll on all of the competitors. Everything finally worked out how it was supposed to and amongst a loaded field that included the 2008 Olympic Marathon champion, Mike finished tenth and second amongst all Americans in a new personal-best time of two hours and fourteen minutes. That was two minutes faster than his previous best, another great showing at the 2009 New York Marathon where Sayenko placed 14th and eighth among Americans.

Over the last several years, Sayenko has used his natural talent as a runner and has truly taken full advantage of the chances to succeed available in America. Throughout his life, he has been given the opportunity to reach his dreams and naturally, he has run with it.

When the Going Gets Tough

2011-08-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

I recently had an athlete I coach (Susan - 1:32 half marathoner) ask a very good question so I thought I would post my answer.

Mike - I am intimidated by the tempo runs. 6:45-6:53 is a pace I haven't held for 10 miles in a half marathon. While I think it's physically possible, it is mentally tough, especially the last couple miles of each 2 x 5 mile tempo. I know you must have crossed the hurdle in races - how do you stay tough and push through when your mind and body are saying to slow down?

thanks,

Susie

Great question. I have this problem all the time. To push yourself when things get tough.

Some tips I would say work well with the mental game is focus on something on the road, I usually look down 5-10 meters in front of me it helps me focus on my rhythm/ pace (if there is a person your drafting off I usually watch their calves).
My watch also helps, its GPS and so I usually look at it every half mile or quarter mile for my pace. Next, I also try not to think about how fast I have to run during the workout, I break it down in my mind to each mile. Mentally I tell myself this is the last mile, when in fact I may have three more.
Next, if you can having a training partner or someone that will pace you for part of the workout helps a lot because you save 2-4 sec per mile when you are drafting behind someone and you can mentally shut off and just follow their rhythm. And having someone bike next to you to mimic a pacer as well helps in the same way.

Hope that helps, If anyone has a question out there please feel free to and I will answer as many as I can in my next blog post!

Mike

Team USA in Daegu to include 8 defending champs, 19 medalists

2011-08-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

INDIANAPOLIS – Eight reigning world champions will lead Team USA into the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships. USA Track & Field on Wednesday announced its roster for the 13th edition of the Championships, which will be held August 27-September 4 in Daegu, South Korea.

On the roster are a total of 19 World Championships medalists and 16 Olympic medalists. At the most recent 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Germany, Team USA won a total of 22 medal, well ahead of second place Jamaica (13). Of the 22 medals, 10 of them were gold for Team USA, which was also ahead of second-place Jamaica (7). At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, Team USA tied its own record from 2005 by winning a total of 14 gold medals and equaled the best ever for total medals won by an American team with 26.

A total of 66 men and 63 women find their names on this year’s team.

The list of Team USA’s reigning World Champions includes Allyson Felix, who will attempt a difficult double at this year’s World Championships in the 200m and 400m. Felix, the three-time World Championships gold medalist in the 200m, won the 400m at the 2011 USA Outdoor Championships to become the first female ever to win national titles in the 100m, 200m and 400m in a career.

The American record holder in the 400m, Sanya Richards-Ross will defend her world title in the one-lap race. In the midst of an already brilliant track and field career, Richards-Ross has won a total of five Olympic and World Championships gold medals in the 400m and the 4x400m and is coming off a season-best time of 49.66 in winning last weekend in London.

Also looking good of late is defending world champion Christian Cantwell in the shot put. Cantwell returned nicely from shoulder surgery earlier in the year and currently holds the fourth-best throw in the world in 2011 and posted wins in the Diamond League this season in Stockholm and Lausanne.

Team USA will be eying as many as three medals in the decathlon, with a lineup that includes defending world champion Trey Hardee, 2011 world leader Ashton Eaton, and 2004 Olympic gold medalist and ’05 world champ Bryan Clay.

Other team members looking to defend their world titles include world indoor and outdoor championBrittney Reese, who is again leading the world in the women’s long jump this year, Kerron Clementin the men’s 400m hurdles, three-time world champion Dwight Phillips in the men's long jump andLaShawn Merritt in the 400m, who ran an impressive 44.74 July 29 in Stockholm in his first race in almost two years.

Those on Team USA who are the current world leaders in their events include American record holderDavid Oliver (M110m hurdles, 12.94), Jesse Williams (MHJ, 2.37m/7-9.25), Eaton (MD, 8729),Carmelita Jeter (W100m, 10.70), Shalonda Solomon (W200m, 22.15), Jenn Suhr (WPV, 4.91m/16-1.25) and Reese (WLJ, 7.19m/23-7.25).

Named to Team USA’s relay pools for the men’s 4x100m were Walter Dix, Justin Gatlin, Michael Rodgers, Trell Kimmons, Ivory Williams and Travis Padgett and for the women’s 4x100m were Carmelita Jeter, Marshavet Myers, Miki Barber, LaShaunte’a Moore, Alexandria Anderson and Bianca Knight. Those named to the pool for the men’s 4x400m were Merritt, Tony McQuay, Greg Nixon, Jamaal Torrance, Michael Berry and Miles Smith and for the women’s 4x400m were Richards-Ross, Felix, Francena McCorory, Debbie Dunn, Jessica Beard and Natasha Hastings. Athletes already on the Team USA roster in other events also are eligible to compete in the relays.

Head coaches for Team USA at the 2011 World Championships are Connie Price-Smith for the women and Vin Lananna for the men. Head managers are Diane Wholey for the women and Ken Brauman for the men.

For more on Team USA at the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships, visitwww.usatf.org/events/2011/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/

2011 World Outdoor Championships Team USA
*denotes 2009 World Champion
Men’s 100m: Walter Dix, Justin Gatlin, Michael Rodgers
Men’s 200m: Dix, Darvis Patton, Jeremy Dodson
Men’s 400m: Tony McQuay, Greg Nixon, Jamaal Torrance, LaShawn Merritt*
Men’s 800m: Nicholas Symmonds, Khadevis Robinson, Charles Jock
Men’s 1500m: Matthew Centrowitz, Leonel Manzano, Andrew Wheating
Men’s 3000m SC: William Nelson, Daniel Huling, Benjamin Bruce
Men’s 5000m: Bernard Lagat, Chris Solinsky, Galen Rupp
Men’s 10,000m: Rupp, Matt Tegenkamp, Scott Bauhs
Men’s 20km RW: Trevor Barron
Men’s marathon: Nicholas Arciniaga, Michael Morgan, Sergio Reyes, Jeffrey Eggleston, Mike Sayenko
Men’s 110mH: David Oliver, Aries Merritt, Jason Richardson
Men’s 400mH: Jeshua Anderson, Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement*
Men’s HJ: Jesse Williams, Dustin Jonas, Erik Kynard
Men’s PV: Derek Miles, Jeremy Scott, Mark Hollis
Men’s LJ: Marquise Goodwin, Claye, Trevell Quinley, Dwight Phillips*
Men’s TJ: Christian Taylor, William Claye, Walter Davis
Men’s SP: Adam Nelson, Christian Cantwell*, Reese Hoffa, Ryan Whiting
Men’s DT: Jarred Rome, Jason Young, Lance Brooks
Men’s HT: Kibwe Johnson, Michael Mai
Men’s JT: Mike Hazle
Men’s Dec: Ashton Eaton, Ryan Harlan, Bryan Clay, Trey Hardee*
Men’s 4x100m: Dix, Gatlin, Rodgers, Kimmons, Ivory Williams, Travis Padgett
Men’s 4x400m: Merritt, McQuay, Nixon, Torrence, Michael Berry, Miles Smith

Women’s 100m: Carmelita Jeter, Marshavet Myers, Miki Barber
Women’s 200m: Shalonda Solomon, Jeter, Jeneba Tarmoh, Allyson Felix*
Women’s 400m: Felix, Francena McCorory, Debbie Dunn, Sanya Richards-Ross*
Women’s 800m: Alysia Montano, Maggie Vessey, Alice Schmidt
Women’s 1500m: Morgan Uceny, Jennifer Simpson, Shannon Rowbury
Women’s 3000m SC: Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek, Delilah DiCrescenzo
Women’s 5000m: Molly Huddle, Amy Hastings, Lauren Fleshman
Women’s 10000m: Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Jennifer Rhines
Women’s 20km RW: Maria Michta
Women’s Marathon: Katherine Newberry, Alissa McKaig, Colleen DeRuck, Tera Moody, Zoila Gomez
Women’s 100mH: Kellie Wells, Danielle Carruthers, Dawn Harper
Women’s 400mH: Lashinda Demus, Queen Harrison, Jasmine Chaney
Women’s HJ: Brigetta Barrett, Inika McPherson
Women’s PV: Kylie Hutson, Jenn Suhr, Lacy Janson
Women’s LJ: Brittney Reese*, Janay DeLoach, Funmi Jimoh, Tori Polk
Women’s TJ: Amanda Smock
Women’s SP: Michelle Carter, Jillian Camarena-Williams, Sarah Stevens-Walker
Women’s DT: Stephanie Brown-Trafton, Aretha Thurmond, Gia Lewis-Smallwood
Women’s HT: Jessica Cosby, Amber Campbell, Jeneva McCall
Women’s JT: Kara Patterson, Rachel Yurkovich
Women’s Hep: Sharon Day, Hyleas Fountain
Women’s 4x100m: Jeter, Myers, Barber, LaShaunte’a Moore, Alexandria Anderson, Bianca Knight
Women’s 4x400m: Richards-Ross, Felix, McCorory, Dunn, Beard, Natasha Hastings

Link to Article on USATF

Prep for Worlds

2011-07-19T21:44:00.001-07:00

There has been a lot going on since I last blogged, so yes I have an excuse! I am excited to report back, as my pulse slows down slightly. Things going on…I got married, June 11th... to my beautiful wife Hayley... who is now officially Hayley Sayenko. If you don't believe me Facebook it, hehe. She is officially Ukrainian :)

Next we found an apartment in Bellevue, Washington, settled in, bought my first couch, no longer eating cheese quesadillas for dinner, did a nutrition seminar at the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon, Hayley snagged a fantastic job, and I just realized I am going to be running around in Asia like a mad man in less than a month.

On the training end, I have just under four weeks till the World Championship Marathon in Daegu, South Korea on September 4th. I have been running in long sleeve tops and sweats in an effort to acclimate, but really, who can in Seattle, as it still feels like winter. I hardly saw the sun in July with temperature averages around the 60's. Nonetheless, I have been wolfing down 106, 120, 123, 131, and 116 mile weeks the last five weeks.

It has really started sinking in, I received my Team USA gear and booked my flight, that I will be representing my country. I feel so blessed and honored to do so. I am doing my best to be as fit as possible for the race. This country has given me more opportunities then I could ever ask for, as I moved to the United States when I was 8 years old. I never thought I would be a runner, being able to chase my professional running dream of making the Olympic and World Team, study at a great University, receive a scholarship in college, and the list goes on.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the training I’ve done, for those of you who love the stats.

Sunday, July 31st
Ran at Sammamish River trail.. all gravel except last 3 miles. Gels every 45 min, started out with one, Powerbar sports drink every 2-3 miles. Ran in long sleeve the whole way, 62º at start 64º at finish.

MILE SPLITS: 7:00, 6:34, 6:17, 6:14, 6:08, 6:04, 6:04, 5:58, 5:59, 5:49 (62:11- 10 miles),
5:49, 5:45, 5:49, 5:49, 5:48, 5:47, 5:42, 5:42, 5:41, 5:39, 5:41, 5:40, 5:39, 5:38, 5:31, 2:45

Wednesday, August 3rd
Felt pretty good, got in a good rhythm. Was pretty warm out 75º. Total 1:51 min - 17 miles total.
12 x 1k w/ 90 sec recovery.
SPLITS:
2:57.5, rec 90
2:55.6, rec 88
2:55.0, rec 88
2:54.6, rec 87
2:53.8, rec 89
2:53.5, rec 86
2:53.5, rec 87
2:54.5, rec 85
2:52.7, rec 87
2:52.3, rec 87
2:49.7, rec 87
2:48.4

AVG 2:53.05 (last 11)

Saturday, August 6th
Marathon sim. 10miles easy to light mod. (long sleeve warm up only ) (quick change) 10miles Marathon pace 2mile w.d. From Marymore park to east lake sammamish gravel trail, got drinks every 2.5 miles, gels every 45 min and at start, felt pretty good. 63º out, no real wind.

SPLITS: 6:34, 5:56, 5:53, 5:52, 5:46, 5:34, 5:30, 5:33, 5:33, 5:26 (57:41 - 10 miles),
5:07, 5:11, 5:07, 5:11, 5:05, 5:06, 5:03, 5:05, 5:03, 4:55.. avg 5:05.3 last 10 miles on Sammamish River Trail - 1:48:40 for 20 miles - 5:26 per mile.

Next time, I will update you all on some great gadgets that I have been blessed to try, such as the OptoJump, k4 Laser, and Recovery Pump.

WORLD RECORD “HUMAN CENTIPEDE” at Bay to Breakers 12k!

2011-05-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I have your attention, I will get to the world record shortly. What is my favorite race of all time? I can tell you after years of experience, it’s the Bay to Breakers 12k. Why? This race is filled with excitement, craziness, laziness, nakedness, and a little bit of running for some… but it’s mostly just a big wild block party that seems to be on the wrong day. As Halloween is on October 31st, it is indeed one big costume party that lasts all day long. We saw Bumble Bee man, Elvis, a pink gorilla, and plenty of other characters in restaurants and night clubs well after the race.

This was my second time running the race. I was approached a little differently than years past. Usually, you end up emailing the meet director to be part of a race. This year I was recruited to be on LinkedIn centipede team on facebook. I was approached by Armen, the man putting this all-star team together… he said the goal was to break the record. Last year they tried to do the same, coming up miserably short by 30 seconds.

Our impressive team consisted of 11 Golden Boys (California) and 2 out of state guys, Ryan Shay and I. Thinking of the depth in California running is amazing. Most of these guys were college rivals and some at the professional level now. Cal Berkley had four guys alone in the race Giliat (13:40 – 5k’er) and Yosef Ghebray (13:45 – 5k, 2 weeks prior), Mark Matusak (3:39 – 1500), and Chris Chavez (28:55 – 10k’er). Also current foe’s included Jimmy Grabow (28:35 -10k) and Charlie Serrano (ran 28:24 for 10k – 2 weeks ago).

I was very nervous for several reasons, on 1) how good the team was and 2) how out of shape I was. I didn’t want to disappoint, I had run 38:05 for 12k at Bloomsday just two weeks prior. And the goal now was to run about 10 seconds per mile faster on another tough course, GOD please be with me! Race starts, and we fly through the first mile in 4:48. Another nerve-wracking thing was our bungie cord cable that harnessed us all in. I didn’t want to trip at the start if the guys went out like a bat out of hell. We had the fittest guys up front and two floaters that were running on the side of our pack unharnessed. They were there to replace anyone that might need to drop out. The harness took some getting used to, as I had to bring my elbows up quite a bit as my arm was constantly hitting the bungie cord.

Fast forward to the finish.. we ran 37:00 new WORLD RECORD! Our team even out-kicked some elites running individually. I was impressed, we had 13 guys run 4:58 mile pace and we were around 10th overall in the race. We also won the centipede competition. After the race, we proceeded to run the course backwards. Everyone thought we were the Salmon boys that show up every year swimming up stream. We had about 100 people yelling at us throughout the course. It was a blast! I hope to come back in the future and lower our own standing World Record!

SPLITS: 4:48, 4:55, 5:30, 5:06, 4:53, 4:40, 4:41, 2:25

RESULTS
http://zazzlebaytobreakers.com/index.php?page=results

ARTICLE
http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/05/16/linkedin-armen/

Never thought I would be in Daegu, South Korea!

2011-05-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of five runners to represent team USA! I’ll be running the marathon at the 13th IAAF World Championships in Track and Field, to be held in Daegu, Korea, August 27 – September 4. The world championships are every two years and are considered to be the Olympics of track and field outside the Olympic year. I am very honored to represent my country. I was so excited when I heard the news, I ran a tempo on my easy run by accident.

One of my dreams since I began running was to run at the World Championships. It will be a great experience to race at the international level and see many of the same guys that will be competing at the Olympics next year. Also, it’ll be a great way to build up to the Olympic Trials Marathon on January 14, 2012.

I now have a prayer request, to stay healthy until the race and for the rest of the year. As I had dealt with planter fascia problems for five months after Chicago Marathon last October.

Up next is Kansas City’s Hospital Hill where I’ll be running the half-marathon on June 4th. Stay tuned for more updates!

Article:
http://www.usatf.org/News/Team-USA-Marathon-squad-announced-for-2011-World-C.aspx

Mike Sayenko joins the Infinite Running Team

2011-05-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

San Diego, CA – March 11, 2011 – Mike Sayenko, one of the country’s top marathoners, has announced that he has joined the Infinite Running team.

Currently, Mike is training for the US Olympic Marathon Trials, to be held in Houston in January 2012. Last October, he was 10th overall (2nd American) amongst a world-class field at the Chicago Marathon. He ran a PR of 2:14:27.

As a collegiate runner at University of Washington, Mike Sayenko was a Junior All American at 10k and twice earned NCAA All-West Region Team honors in cross country. During his senior year he made his marathon debut at the 2006 California International Marathon (2:19:45). At age 22, he was the youngest qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials.

After Mike graduated from college, he focused on the marathon distance and ran another PR at the Olympic Trials Marathon in 2007. He was the youngest finisher at the trials, running his second marathon in 2:18:35 (29th place).

The following year, Mike competed for Team USA at the Austin International Marathon Challenge. He finished second overall and led Team USA to victory over Kenya, Great Britain, Canada, and Malawi. Later that year, he finished fifth at the 2008 US Marathon Championships in Twin Cities, MN.

Rob Hill and Merhawi Keflezighi (founders) of Infinite Running welcome Mike to the team. “Mike brings a great deal of talent and experience to the Infinite Running team. He is a top competitor on the national scene and highly respected athlete. Mike has also had great success as a coach, working with other young post collegiate athletes in Club Northwest. We all feel he is a great addition to our group.”

Find out more about Mike Sayenko and Infinite Running at:
www.infiniterunning.com/ET/ET-Mike-Sayenko.aspx

Contact
info@infiniterunning.com
(760) 994-5995
www.infiniterunning.com
www.hilldevelopmentgroup.com

Bloomsday down!

2011-05-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

Bloomsday went about as well as I thought. I have some work cut out for me, after a month of total running I was able to run 38:03 (about 90 sec slower the last year) for the 12k course. Based on no workouts this is a good starting point for me. I was in a similar situation back in December of last year. Where after seven week of training I was able to run 64:20 for a half marathon. As long as I stay healthy I will get much fitter every week from here on out. Keep me in your prayers for a healthy planter fascia. Stay tuned!

Bloomsday 12k!

2011-04-28T12:36:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I am very sorry for this, as I have been on the fence for about two months. I developed a low-grade planter fascia (for the second time). The first time was during the Chicago Marathon, and I could hardly walk after that race! Long story short, I got my second cortisone shot about a month ago. I am now healthy and ready to roll. Hopefully, with my rehab program the injury won't reoccur. It's now time to get my feet wet and see where I'm at in my fitness. I'll be running Bloomsday 12k this Sunday in Spokane, Washington. It is always a highlight of the year for me, along side 40,000 + runners (one of the largest non-marathon races in the country). Stay tuned for more updates in the next month!

Below is the elite entries:

TOP MALE RUNNERS

2011 LILAC BLOOMSDAY RUN

(List current as of April 26, 2011)

101 - - Peter Kirui . . . 23 . . . Kenya . . . Bloomsday 2010 Champion (34:28) . . . 3rd place finish 2011 City Pier City Half Marathon (59:40) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Utica Boilermaker 15k (42:48) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Peachtree 10k (27:56) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Bay to Breakeres 12k . . . 5^th place finish 2010 Paderborner Osterlauf 10k in Germany (27:55) . . . 2010 Vattenfall Berliner Half Marathon in Germany (1:00:17) . . . 7^th place finish 2010 World’s Best 10k (28:12) . . . Champion 2008 Straconi 10k (27:45) . . .

102 - - Belete Assefa . . . 20 . . . Ethiopia . . . Champion 2011 Crescent City Classic 10k (28:14; PR) . . . Personal bests of 13:18 for 5000m (2010) and 1:02:45 for Half Marathon (2010; Nice, France) . . .

103 - - Julius Kogo . . . 25 . . . Kenya . . . 2^nd place finish Bloomsday 2010 (34:33) . . . Champion 2011 Pike’s Peak 10k (28:06) . . . Champion Ukrop Monument 10k (29:02) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Pike’s Peek 10k (28:45) . . . Champion 2009 Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 5k (13:39) . .

104 - - Allan Kiprono . . . 21 . . . Kenya . . . 2^nd place finish 2011 Crescent City Classic 10K (28:19) . . . 2^nd place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (45:41) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Beach to Beacon 10K (27:42) . . .

105 - - John Korir . . . 35 . . . Kenya . . . 4^th place finish Bloomsday 2010 (34:42) . . . 4^th place finish 2011 B.A.A. 5k (14:09) . . . 4^th place finish 2010 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (46:05; PB) . . . Did not compete in Bloomsday 2009 . . . 3^rd place finish Bloomsday 2008 (34:17) . . . Bloomsday 2007 (34:18; #12 Bloomsday All-Time; 1^st place) , Bloomsday 2005 (34:26; 1^st place), Bloomsday 2003 (34:16; #10 Bloomsday All-Time; 1^st place) . . . Only 3-time men’s champion of Bloomsday . . . Ranked # 10 Running Times World Road Racer of the Year, 2007 . . . 7^th place finish 2008 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (46:30) . . . 10^th place finish 2008 World’s Best 10K (28:41) . . . Champion 2007 Bay to Breakers (34:44) . . . Champion 2007 (17:54) and 2006 (18:16) Steamboat 4 Mile . . . In his career, Korir has won nearly every major U.S. road race including: Utica Boilermaker 15K, Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, Bloomsday, Beach to Beacon, Falmouth, Crescent City and World’s Best 10K (Puerto Rico) . . . In 2003 and 2005, Korir was named Male Road Runner of the Year by Running Times Magazine . . .

106 - - Stephen Muange . . . 29 . . . Kenya . . . 3^rd place finish Bloomsday 2010 (34:39) . . . Champion 2011 3M Half Marathon (1:04:13) . . . 7^th place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (47:30) . . . 5^th place finish 2010 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (46:34) . . . Champion 2009 Big Sur Half Marathon (1:03:37) . . .

107 - - Simon Ndirangu . . . 25 . . . Kenya . . . 2^nd place finish 2011 Cooper Bridge Run 10k (29:01) . . . Champion 2010 Cooper Bridge Run 10k (27:49) . . . Champion 2007 Carlsbad 5000 . . . . .

108 - - Lani Kiplagat . . . 22 . . . Kenya . . . 4^th place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (46:30) . . . 4^th place finish 2011 Crescent City Classic 10K (28:58) . . .

109 - - MacDonard Ondara . . . 26 . . . Kenya . . . 3^rd place finish 2011 Crescent City Classic 10k (28:35) . . . Champion 2011 Trolley Run 4 Mile (18:00) . . . 5^th place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (46:52) . . . 10^th place finish 2010 LA Marathon (2:14:10) . . . 5^th place finish 2010 Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon (1:02:26) . . . Champion 2010 All America City 10k (28:57) . . . Ran 28:22 at 2008 Azalea Trail Run 10k . . . Champion 2008 Tulsa Run 15k (44:37) .

110 - - Robert Letting . . . 26 . . . Kenya . . . 8^th place finish Bloomsday 2010 (35:14) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Crim 10 Mile (47:16) . . . 2^ndplace finish Bloomsday 2009 (34:45) . . . 10^th place finish 2010 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (47:05) . . . 4^th place finish 2010 Cooper River Bridge Run 10k (28:15) . . . 4^th place finish 2010 Crescent City Classic 10k (28:28) . . . 2^nd place finish 2009 Azalea Trail Run 10K (28:16) . . . 3^rd place finish 2009 Crescent City Classic 10K (28:22) . . . 3^rd place finish 2009 Cooper Bridge Run 10K (28:29) . . . Champion 2008 Cooper Bridge Run 10K (28:47) . . . 2^nd place finish 2008 Crescent City Classic 10K (27:45) . . . 2^nd place finish 2008 Azalea Trail Run 10K (28:15) . . . 11^th place finish Bloomsday 2008 (34:55) . . .

111 - - Tesfaye Sendeku . . . 28 . . . Ethiopia . . . 6^th place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (46:53) . . . 4^th place finish 2010 Bay to Breakers 12k (35:59) .

112 - - John Kosgei . . . 26 . . . Kenya . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 NCAA 10000m (28:55.93) . . . 2010 Big 12 Championships Double Winner 5k and 10k . . .

113 - - Andrew Ledwith . . . 25 . . .Salt Lake City, Utah . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 Deseret News 10k (27:31) . . .

114 - - Justin Young . . . 31 . . . Superior, Colorado . . . Ran 2:13:54 at 2008 Rotterdam Marathon . . .

115 - - Bado Worku . . . 22 . . . Ethiopia . . . 3^rd place finish 2011 Cooper Bridge Run 10k (29: 15) . . . Champion 2010 Pike’s Peak 10k (28:43) . . . Ran 13:18 for 5000m in 2006 . . .

116 - - Josphat Boit . . . 27 . . . Kenya . . . Champion 2011 Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon (1:03:57) . . . 9^th place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (47:50) . . . 8-time All-American at University of Arkansas . . . Two-time NCAA champion at 5k and 10k . . .

117 - - Benson Cheruiyot . . . Kenya . . . 3^rd place finish 2011 Trolley 4 Mile (18:35) . . .

118 - - Ezkyas Sisay . . . 22 . . . Ethiopia . . . Champion 2011 Icebreaker 5 Mile (23:15; Great Falls, Montana) . . . 2^nd place finish 2011 Naples Half Marathon (1:03:25) . . . 11^th place finish 2011 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (47:58) . . . 4^th place finish 2011 Cooper Bridge Run 10k (29:15) . . .

119 - - Andrew Carlson . . . 29 . . . St. Paul, Minnesota . . . Champion 2010 US 25k championships . . . Champion 2008 US 15k championships . . . 2-time All-American at University of Minnesota . . .

120 - - Worku Beyi . . . 24 . . . Ethiopia . . . 4^th place finish 2010 Pike’s Peak 10k (28:45) . . . 10^th place finish 2010 Peachtree 10k (29:12) . . . Ran 1:03:45 in 2010 New York City Half Marathon . . .

121 - - Fernando Cabada . . . 29 . . . Boulder, Colorado . . . 3^rd place finish 2010 Twin Cities Marathon (2:15:25) . . . 4^th place finish 2010 Crim 10 Mile (48:30) . . . 2008 USATF Long Distance Runner of the Year . . . Ran 2:12:27 at 2006 Fukuoka Marathon . . .

122 - - James Carney . . . United States . . . Champion 2009 US Road 15k Championships . . . Ran 27:43.64 at 2007 Stanford Invitation 10000m . . . 4^th place finish 2009 10000m US Outdoor Championships . . . Champion 2008 Road 20k championships . . . Champion 2008 US Half Marathon championships . . .

123 - - Joe Gray . . . 27 . . . Newcastle, WA . . . 15^th place finish Bloomsday 2010 (36:39) . . . 19^th place finish Bloomsday 2009 (36:49) . . . Champion of 2009 USA Nat’l Mountain Running Championships . . . Washington State Road Running Champion – 2008 and 2009 . . . Champion 2010 Henry Weinhard’s St. Patrick’s Day Dash 3.4 Mile (18:30) . . . 6^th place finish 2010 Azalea Trail Run 10k (29:34) . . . 5^thplace finish 2010 Towne Bank 8k (23:22) . . . Ran 1:06:16 at 2009 Naples Daily News Half Marathon . . . 4^th place finish 2008 U.S. Mountain Running Championships . . .Champion 2008 Run for Life 10 Mile (50:44) . . . 32^nd place finish 2008 USA XC Championships (37:34) . . . Ran 31:30 at All America City 10k . . . 8^th place finish Naples Daily News Half Marathon (67:04) . .

124 - - Jeffrey Eggleston . . . 26 . . . Flagstaff, Arizona . . . 16^th place finish Bloomsday 2010 (36:44) . . . 7^th place finish 2011 Pike’s Peak 10k (28:33) . . . 2^nd place finish 2010 US Marathon Championships (2:14:09) . . . 20^th place finish Bloomsday 2009 (36:52)

125 - - Josh Moen . . . 28 . . . Minneapolis, Minnesota . . . 8^th place finish 2011 Crescent City Classic 10k (29:35) . . .

126 - - Boaz Cheboiywo . . . Kenya . . . NCAA Cross Country Champion while competing for Eastern Michigan University in 2001 . . . 11^thplace finish 2011 Cooper Bridge Run 10k (30:10) . . .

127 - - Ian Burrell . . . 26 . . . Tucson, Arizona . . . 8^th place finish 2011 Cooper Bridge Run 10k (29:20) . . . 6^th place finish 2010 US 7 Mile Championships (33:24) . . .4^th place finish 2010 US 10k Championships (28:51) . . . 5^th place finish 2009 10 Mile Championships (47:41) . . . Three-time All-American at University of Georgia . . .

128 - - Sam Kosgei . . . 26 . . . Uganda . . . 3^rd place finish 2011 Azalea Trail Run 10k (30:10) . . . Champion 2010 Space City 10 Mile (48:26) . . .

129 - - Mike Sayenko . . . 24 . . . Bellevue, Washington . . . 17^th place finish Bloomsday 2010 (36:47) . . . 10^th place finish 2010 Chicago Marathon (2:14:27) . . . 2010 Pacific NW Runner of the Year . . . 9^th place finish US Road 10k championships (29:09) . . . 22^nd place finish Bloomsday 2009 (37:12) . . . Ran 2:16:38 at 2009 NYC Marathon (8^th American) . . . 11^th place finish 2009 USATF 10 Mile champs (48:28) . . . 13^th place 2009 USATF Half Marathon championships (1:03:52) . . . 19^th place finish 2009 USATF 15K championships (44:41) . . . Ran 28:25 10,000meters at 2009 Stanford Invitational . . .

130 - - Mike Reneau . . .33 . . . Corvallis, Oregon . . . 6^th place finish 2010 US Marathon championships (2:16:47) . . . 9^th place finish 2010 US 10 Mile championships (49:14) . . . 7^th place finish 2008 Chicago Marathon (2:16:20) . . .

131 - - Steven Crane . . . Champion 2010 Seattle Half Marathon . . . Ran 1:05:27 for Half Marathon in 2009 . . .

132 - - Christian Hesch . . . 32 . . . Hollywood, California

133 - - Uli Steidl . . . 39 . . . Seattle, Washington . . . . 21^st place finish Bloomsday 2010 (37:24) . . . Ran 30:42 at 2011 Willamette Invitational 10000m . . .

USA Half Marathon Championships

2011-02-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

Olympic Trials Course is definitely much tougher then the regular Houston Half Marathon course. What made it tough was the three U turns and the many 90º turns, coming to a complete stop and then having to accelerate back up with windy conditions at points. The trials aren't going to be as fast as I thought, definitely having strong lateral strength is gonna pay dividends. I made a mistake in the race of not trying to go with the lead pack of about 10. Instead I was in the chase pack that never got going. I was running with Josh Eberly and Jeff Eggleston for the first five miles, then as Jorge Torres was moving up I decided to go with him. That broke that little pack and I lost contact of Jorge a mile later. Only to get picked up by Joe Driscoll and David Nightingale (whom I battled the last 6 miles with).. we eventually caught Jorge with two miles to go. Then we got gapped the last mile and I tried to catch him the last quarter mile as I went around Joe to out kick him by three seconds.

I thought the race was run very well. The food was excellent. The technical meeting was very thorough. The officials and volunteers were very helpful. The course itself was the only complaint, the tight turns but, it makes sense to have it that way for the Olympic Trials. This was very helpful in knowing how I need to adjust my training to mimic the trials course. Next up will most likely be the ING New York City Half Marathon in March.

RACE SPLITS: 4:43, 4:57, 4:52, 4:51, 4:57, 4:57 (30:20 - 10k), 4:57, 4:55, 4:59, 4:51 (49:04 - 10miles), 4:55, 4:54, 4:54, 31sec last 0.1

RESULTS
Place First Last Age City State Time Pace
1 Mohamed Trafeh 25 Duarte CA 1:02:17 4:46
2 Ryan Hall 28 Mammoth Lakes CA 1:02:20 4:46
3 Patrick Smyth 24 Mammoth Lakes CA 1:02:32 4:47
4 Fasil Bizuneh 30 Flagstaff AZ 1:02:47 4:48
5 Jason Lehmkuhle 33 Minneapolis MN 1:02:49 4:48
6 Ryan Vail 24 Portland OR 1:02:51 4:48
7 Scott MacPherson 23 Austin TX 1:04:03 4:54
8 Jorge Torres 30 Boulder CO 1:04:18 4:55
9 Mike Sayenko 26 Bellevue WA 1:04:20 4:55
10 Joseph Driscoll 31 Blowing Rock NC 1:04:23 4:55
11 David Nightingale 25 Washington DC 1:04:29 4:56
12 Michael Chavez 25 Fort Collins CO 1:04:49 4:57
13 Josh Moen 28 Minneapolis MN 1:05:05 4:59
14 Leo Kormanik 28 Atlanta GA 1:05:26 5:00
15 Joshua Eberly 30 Gunnison CO 1:05:33 5:01
16 Kenyon Neuman 24 Boulder CO 1:05:36 5:01
17 Tyler McCandless 24 Boulder CO 1:05:38 5:01
18 Christopher Erichsen 25 Saint Paul MN 1:05:42 5:01
19 Gian-Paul Caccia 24 New York NY 1:06:02 5:03
20 Patrick Rizzo 27 Boulder CO 1:06:07 5:03
21 Daniel Tapia 24 Castroville CA 1:06:19 5:04
22 Sergio Reyes 29 Los Osos CA 1:06:20 5:04
23 Craig Leon 26 Athens OH 1:06:28 5:05
24 Kevin Pool 27 Folsom CA 1:06:30 5:05
25 Trent Briney 32 Flagstaff AZ 1:06:31 5:05
26 Jason Finch 33 River Falls WI 1:06:43 5:06
27 Matthew Folk 34 Perrysburg OH 1:06:53 5:07
28 Austin Baillie 28 Boulder CO 1:06:59 5:07
29 Erik Stanley 25 Austin TX 1:07:03 5:08
30 Jason Griffiths 30 Phoenix AZ 1:07:08 5:08
31 Matt Barrett 24 Monroe WI 1:07:10 5:08
32 Miguel Nuci 31 Turlock CA 1:07:15 5:08
33 Matthew Forys 25 New York NY 1:07:22 5:09
34 Dan Greeno 23 Saint Michael MN 1:07:37 5:10
35 Paul Jellema 26 Cedar Lake IN 1:07:38 5:10
36 Kyle Brady 22 Wheaton IL 1:07:39 5:10
37 Jason Ordway 23 Bellbrook OH 1:08:10 5:13
38 David Berdan 29 York PA 1:08:21 5:14
39 Eric Rasmussen 28 York NE 1:08:30 5:14
40 Skyler Nesheim 26 Des Moines IA 1:08:40 5:15
41 Bryant Jensen 27 Ogden UT 1:08:41 5:15
42 Daniel Browne 35 Chula Vista CA 1:08:48 5:16
43 Oscar Ogwaro 24 Rome GA 1:09:00 5:17
44 Kenneth Foster 24 Colorado Springs CO 1:09:01 5:17
45 Warren Brown 24 Mineola TX 1:10:02 5:21
46 Donovan Fellows 31 Woodbury MN 1:10:03 5:21
47 Justin Patananan 30 Palmdale CA 1:10:24 5:23
48 Bobby Reyes 26 Longmont CO 1:10:59 5:26
49 David Costanza 32 La Verne CA 1:12:27 5:32
50 Brennan Benkert 23 St. Clair MO 1:13:08 5:35
51 Adam Cohen 42 Norman OK 1:13:58 5:39
52 Joshua Ordway 30 Bellbrook OH 1:14:46 5:43
53 John Weldon 16 Houston TX 1:17:08 5:54
54 Andy Olin 35 Houston TX 1:46:42 8:09
55 Craig Tadlock 45 Irving TX 1:52:15 8:35
56 William Garner 61 Houston TX 1:54:03 8:43
57 Aaron Berkowitz 37 Pearland TX 1:58:30 9:03
58 Jorge Arizmendi 54 Cuernavaca 1:58:48 9:05
59 Matthew Assiff 43 Houston TX 2:03:39 9:27
60 Kevin McKenna 56 Spring TX 2:05:07 9:34

Women
1 Jennifer Rhines 36 Mamoth Lakes CA 1:11:14 5:27
2 Serena Burla 28 Ellisville MO 1:11:38 5:29
3 Nan Kennard 29 Boulder CO 1:12:03 5:30
4 Katie McGregor 33 Savage MN 1:12:13 5:31
5 Tera Moody 30 Colorado Springs CO 1:12:30 5:33
6 Clara Grandt 23 Waldorf MD 1:13:13 5:36
7 Lindsey Scherf 24 San Francisco CA 1:13:40 5:38
8 Amy Hastings 27 Mammoth Lakes CA 1:14:07 5:40
9 Magdalena Boulet 37 Oakland CA 1:14:28 5:41
10 Melissa White 29 Lake Orion MI 1:14:50 5:43
11 Loretta Kilmer 27 New York York 1:14:59 5:44
12 Jennifer Houck 26 Wright MN 1:15:02 5:44
13 Heidi Westover 30 Walpole NH 1:15:16 5:45
14 Sally Meyerhoff 27 Maricopa AZ 1:15:24 5:46
15 Addie Bracy 24 Summerfield NC 1:15:41 5:47
16 Zoila Gomez 31 Alamosa CO 1:16:24 5:50
17 Kara Storage 29 Beavercreek OH 1:16:57 5:53
18 Erin Moeller 33 Mount Vernon IA 1:16:59 5:53
19 Kelly Williamson 33 Austin TX 1:17:00 5:53
20 Esther Erb 24 Blowing Rock NC 1:17:08 5:54
21 Dawn Charlier 33 Dallas TX 1:17:17 5:54
22 Robyn Friedman 37 Newton IA 1:17:31 5:56
23 Caroline White 25 Wichita Falls TX 1:17:50 5:57
24 Leah Thorvilson 32 Little Rock AR 1:17:51 5:57
25 Ann Alyanak 32 Bellbrook OH 1:18:17 5:59
26 Ruth Perkins 30 Puyallup WA 1:18:29 6:00
27 Caitlin Chrisman 25 Charlotte NC 1:19:06 6:03
28 Kayte Tranel 28 Lincoln NE 1:20:05 6:07
29 Jackie Pirtle-Hall 28 Saint Charles MO 1:21:07 6:12
30 Heather Wood 24 Los Alamos NM 1:21:23 6:13
31 Emily Potter 31 Southern Pines NC 1:21:39 6:14
32 Kaci Lickteig 24 Dannebrog NE 1:21:45 6:15
33 Danielle Quatrochi 34 Boulder CO 1:21:47 6:15
34 Sarah Bashinski-Flam 35 Poland OH 1:22:40 6:19
35 Kelly Chin 30 Brooklyn NY 1:23:37 6:23
36 Zoe Baur 16 Bellaire TX 1:24:45 6:29
37 Kathleen Russo 51 Salisbury NC 1:44:53 8:01
38 Mary Cody 59 Houston TX 2:02:00 9:19

Up Next: USA Half Marathon Championships this Saturday!

2011-01-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

I have been battling planter facia problems ever since I crossed the finish line at the Chicago Marathon. All of that was relieved after I finally decided to get a cortoson shot on Nov 30th. I managed to get in fantastic shape since then thanks to my coach Brad Hudson. I am shooting for the USA Half Marathon Championships this saturday in Houston, TX. Home of the 2012 Olympic Trials. I will use this race to familiarize myself with the atmosphere and race course (as the first 8 miles will be the loop we run at the Olympic Trials).

I really want to thanks all the support crew behind me, Elite Sports and Spine, Sports Reaction Center, Brad Hudson, Hayley, and the list goes on and on. You can follow the race live on Flotrack.org. Look for results here by Monday.

2010 ends Ranked 11th in the US

2011-01-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

2010 was celebrated in many ways. Health for most part of the year is something I am really thankful far beyond any accomplishments. Track season culminated with a seventh place finish at the USA Track and Field Championships 10,000m. The next week I had a blast at the Peachtree Road Race, also the USA Road 10k Championships, where I finished ninth in a road 10k PR of 29:09. Being consistent at all the distances, running under 14 minutes in the 5k for the six 5k races I entered the last two years. Finishing top 10 at all three USA Championship races I ran. The year culminated at Chicago Marathon on October 10th where I finished 10th and was the second American... with a 2+ min PR, which ranked 11th in the country. I am looking forward to 2011 and most of all ask for health with my planter fascia which has been a battle on and off since the marathon last fall. Happy Running!

2010 PERFORMANCE LIST

2:08:41 a ( 4) Ryan Hall (CA) 14 Oct 1982 19 Apr 2010 Boston MA USA
2:09:26 a ( 5) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA) 05 May 1975 19 Apr 2010 Boston MA USA
2:10:35 ( 7) Brett Gotcher (AZ) 01 Sep 1984 17 Jan 2010 Houston TX USA
2:11:06 ( 8) Jason Hartmann (CO) 21 Mar 1981 10 Oct 2010 Chicago IL USA
2:11:38 a ( 6) Mebrahtom Keflezighi- 2 05 May 1975 07 Nov 2010 New York NY USA
2:11:48 a ( 3) Nicholas Arciniaga (CA) 30 Jun 1983 06 Jun 2010 San Diego CA USA
2:12:24 a ( 9) Jason Lehmkuhle (MN) 04 Oct 1977 19 Apr 2010 Boston MA USA
2:12:33 a ( 8) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) 30 Dec 1982 07 Nov 2010 New York NY USA
2:13:47 a (12) Antonio Vega (MN) 07 Dec 1983 19 Apr 2010 Boston MA USA
2:14:02 ( 1) Sergio Reyes (CA) 25 Oct 1981 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
10
2:14:09 ( 2) Jeffrey Eggleston (AZ) 01 Oct 1984 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
2:14:27 (10) Mikhail Sayenko (WA) 12 Jul 1984 10 Oct 2010 Chicago IL USA
2:14:32 a ( 6) Jeffrey Eggleston- 2 01 Oct 1984 17 Jan 2010 Tempe AZ USA
2:14:55 (11) Michael Morgan (MI) 20 Feb 1980 10 Oct 2010 Chicago IL USA
2:14:57 a (11) Jorge Torres (CO) 22 Aug 1980 07 Nov 2010 New York NY USA
2:15:06 a (13) Tim Nelson (OR) 27 Feb 1984 07 Nov 2010 New York NY USA
2:15:25 ( 3) Fernando Cabada (CO) 22 Apr 1982 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
2:15:34 ( 6) Maxwell King (OR) 24 Feb 1980 16 Oct 2010 Baltimore MD USA
2:15:49 (12) Lucas Humphrey (MI) 10 Apr 1981 10 Oct 2010 Chicago IL USA
20
2:15:50 (13) James Carney (CA) 24 May 1978 11 Apr 2010 Rotterdam NED
2:16:12 (13) Patrick Rizzo (IL) 25 Jul 1983 10 Oct 2010 Chicago IL USA
2:16:15 ( 4) David Jankowski (NC) 05 Aug 1986 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
2:16:31 ( 5) Drew Shackleton (CA) 21 Jan 1986 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
2:16:36 a (16) Drew Polley (MI) 01 Nov 1985 19 Apr 2010 Boston MA USA
2:16:46 ( 9) John Crews (NC) 08 Sep 1984 16 Oct 2010 Baltimore MD USA
2:16:47 ( 6) Michael Reneau (OR) 07 Apr 1978 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
2:16:52 ( 9) Joshua Ordway (OH) 11 Jun 1980 17 Jan 2010 Houston TX USA
2:16:54 (16) Justin Young- 2 25 Jul 1979 18 Apr 2010 Wien AUT
2:16:58 ( 7) Mbarak Hussein (NM) 04 Apr 1965 03 Oct 2010 Saint Paul MN USA
30

10 years of Running! My Personal Best Progressions Chart

2010-11-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

It's been five weeks now since Chicago Marathon, where I ran 2:14:27 for 10th place in a new personal best. Most of the time since then has been spent in pain. The day after the marathon I could hardly walk, as I couldn't put any pressure on my left heel. I kept thinking for the best but, after two weeks I knew it was more then just soreness. I started to suspect that it was a heel spur (a calcium build up on your heel).

I proceeded to bike and run here and there for five miles a day for a week or so. After a month of trial and error, I finally deciding to really get this thing checked out. Getting a bone scan relieved my worries of a heel spur and any possible surgery I thought I might need. I have classic plantar fasciitis. With some help from the doc on custom orthotics that have arch supports, rigorous exercises plan, icing, and anti inflammatory I am back to training. I still have minor pains but I can finally train and did my longest run since the marathon three days ago, of 9 miles!

I hope to have this thing behind me and run Club Cross Country Nationals on December 11th. After which I will make a decision on my 2011 racing schedule leading up to the Olympic Trials in January of 2012. I hope to run a spring marathon of next year on a flat fast course and improve my time hopefully by another 3-4 minutes to give myself a good shot at making the Olympic Team. I am assuming it will take at least a 2:11 marathon to do it!

Now, one last thing to celebrate, and is the title of this blog! My ten years of running. Wow, never thought I'd be running for so long! This graph below depicts my running progression over the last decade.

I've realized how much the sport has given me - relationships, competitiveness, challenges, perseverance, and courage. It's encouraging watching yourself improve over time, as long as you're consistent with you're training. Running is a sport where you can continue to improve and enjoy the process throughout your lifetime. It would be fun to see some of your progressions, so if you have one or want to come up with one reply to this post.

Till next time, train smart and keep it safe!

Mike

Chicago Marathon 10th on 10-10-10

2010-10-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wesley Korir (4th on the left), Sammy Wanjiru (winner, MJ of our sport), Me on the right

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Pre Race:

The day of reckoning finally came Sunday, October 10th, 2o10. I have been training for this particular day for nearly 32 weeks or 8 months. It didn't hit me that I was actually going to be racing on Sunday until I started my warm up. I was feeling goose bumps up and down, and a jolt of nervousness I haven't experienced in a long time. It felt good to be nervous again, as it wakes me up and gives me a sense of urgency; a feeling that you sometimes want for a race. I had a nice cup of Joe an hour and a half before, and then we boarded the school bus to the starting line. Felt like I was going to school as I sat next to my comrade Jason Hartmann, who ended up finishing just ahead of me as the top dawg of Americans. But it’s always nice to have police escorts, because it makes you feel important, especially on a school bus!

The Race:

The forecast called for daytime highs of 80 with not much wind. All I could think of the last couple days leading up to the race was of the temperature. The actual race start was 67º and was around the mid 70º's by the time I finished. I planned on sticking to my game plan, and not change anything up before the race. Particularly, I wanted to be cautious of going out too fast. The first half wasn't too bad as we were nicely covered by the cool shade of the Chicago sky scrapers. The dense concentration of buildings reminded me of New York City.

Luckily, the temperature didn’t affect me as much as I thought it might. As a precaution, I poured water cups over my head around every 5k and took in my drink with Powerbar Gels every 10k. However, I did feel the heat at the finish. I was able to grab all my water bottles except one, despite them not being organized well on the tables. The first bottle ended up being on the opposite side of the table from where I was running, so I had to do a long-arm Michael Jordan reach around to get to it. Nonetheless, it worked out fine, as some people had to completely stop and look for their bottle.

Before the race the plan was to run 66:30 through the half and try to negative split. This worked out pretty well for me as I had a nice mini- pack of Mike Morgan, Luke Humphrey, and Patrick Rizzo to run with for about half the race. Our little four-man pack worked together through 9 miles before Rizzo dropped back. And then there were three… we worked together till the half way point, which by then Luke somehow developed a nice seven second lead on Mike and I. At that point I decided to step in and close the gap. Not realizing I would lead almost every step of the way from there to the finish.

I was a big underdog at the start of the race, as a lot of Americans were planning on going out in 64:30 through the half. I made up a lot of ground over the second half of the race passing runners in a flurry, left and right. At the halfway point, I was 26th overall amidst the field of nearly 40,000 competitors. By the 25-kilometer mark, I had moved up to 21st, and at the 30k mark I was up to 14th. With three miles to go, Mike Morgan had caught back up to me, after I had dropped him seven or eight miles ago. All I could think of was, ‘don't blow this Mike and suffer well’! I began thinking of all the months of work and I wasn't about to give that up. I let Morgan lead 24th and 25th mile in a pedestrian 5:21 and 5:24, after averaging 5:05 mile pace for the first 23 miles. And at that point I settled instead of pushing, running completely out of glycogen at 23 miles, I proceeded sucking every ounce out of my 12 ounces of Gatorade from my bottle including an espresso PowerBar gel. A mile later I felt refreshed and with 2k to go I regained the lead with a second wind blowing past the last 2k in 5:04 mile average with a sprint finish I have never had before at the marathon. In the end, I left a little too much out there. If I had maintained the 5:05 mile pace those last miles, I would have ran around 2:13:30.

My time of 2:14:27 was two minutes and eleven seconds faster than what I ran at the 2009 New York Marathon. There I finished 14th overall as the eighth-best American (as it was the US Championships). This Chicago performance left me hungry for more; my next marathon will most likely be in spring of 2011! In the mean time, it’s time to lick my wounds and get to 100%, as I have been nursing some long-time, nagging injuries. I ask for your prayers to get completely healed up, as I take a 2-3 week break from running and enjoy life outside the sport. Again, thanks for all your support and encouragement, I couldn't have done it without you guys!

In Christ,
Mike

MILE SPLITS:

4:59, 5:03, 5:03, (15:38 - 5k),

4:58, 5:06, 5:00, (15:41 - 5k),

5:07, 5:07, 5:05, (15:52 - 5k),

5:05, 5:03, 5:04, (15:47 - 5k),

5:10, (66:30 half), 5:03, 5:05, (15:54 - 5k),

5:07, 5:04, 5:06, (15:48 - 5k),

5:07, 5:10 (1:41:42 - 20 miles), 5:11, (16:11 - 5k),

5:16, 5:24, 5:21, (16:41 - 5k),

5:24, 5:05, 62 last .2

Results:

1 Wanjiru, Sammy (KEN) 1 20-24 23 - +00:00 02:06:24
2 Kebede, Tsegaye (ETH) 3 20-24 23 - +00:19 02:06:43
3 Lilesa, Feyisa (ETH) 4 20-24 20 - +01:46 02:08:10
4 Korir, Wesley (KEN) 8 25-29 27 - +02:20 02:08:44
5 Kipruto, Vincent (ETH) 2 20-24 23 - +02:44 02:09:08
6 Cheruiyot, Robert Kiprono (KEN) 5 20-24 22 - +03:04 02:09:28
7 Moiben, Laban (KEN) 9 25-29 26 - +04:24 02:10:48
8 Hartmann, Jason (USA) 13 25-29 29 - +04:42 02:11:06
9 Harroufi, Ridouane (MAR) 10 25-29 29 - +06:37 02:13:01
10 Sayenko, Mike (USA) 37 25-29 26 - +08:03 02:14:27
11 Morgan, Mike (USA) 17 30-34 30 - +08:31 02:14:55
12 Humphrey, Luke (USA) 18 25-29 29 - +09:25 02:15:49
13 Rizzo, Patrick (USA) 20 25-29 27 - +09:48 02:16:12
14 Terfa, Negari (ETH) 7 25-29 27 - +11:19 02:17:43
15 Arciniaga, Nick (USA) 12 25-29 27 - +11:48 02:18:12

Articles:

Chicago Marathon 10-10-10 The Date to Motivate

2010-10-04T16:20:00.001-07:00

It's finally here race week, Chicago Marathon is at the footsteps. I have been training for this week for the past 32 weeks without a single day off and averaging 100 mpw. I cant wait to toe the line with the worlds best this Sunday at 7:30am. I can truly say I have prepared for this marathon better then any other one I have done... making this my sixth marathon. Doing everything solo has prepared me mentally for the 26.2 mile ride. Doing long marathon simulators, such as 28.6 mile long run in 5:55 mile pace (longest run I have EVER done!), 20 miles at 5:16 mile pace working down from moderate running to marathon pace and 15 mile simulator two weeks ago at 5:04 mile average has given me the confidence at the distance. I hope to celebrate the years work on Sunday October 10th, with the fastest 26.2 mile run I have ever completed!

Training for Chicago has been exciting in many ways, in one way the journey to get here and in another thinking of how grateful I am for the support I have been blessed with.

I want to thank everyone that has helped me along the way to get here, because truly I couldnt have gotten to this point without you. My massage therapist Igor Novikov, chiropractor Scott Hammons, physical therapist Neil Chasan, coach Brad Hudson, college coach Greg Metcalf who has always believed in me, high school coach Twiggs Reed and Kerry Bunday for developing me to become a man of good character, Altitude Project, Club Northwest, Strands, Powerbar, Nuun, First Endurance, friend's John Hill who helped pave the way for my marathon days getting me hooked on the discipline, Mike Hill, Nick Schuetze, Mark Mandi, Matt Owen, Uli Steidl for helping me grind through some really hard workouts, Trish Steidl, Josh Spiker, Greg Jimmerson, Tom Cotner, my wonderful girlfriend Hayley Harbert for her biking/ driving along and supporting me through my whole training block, my Mom (Lyuda), and most importantly God who has given me the talent and desire in something I would have never thought I would take this far.

No matter what happens Sunday I am thankful of the relationships I have been entrusted with and feel truly blessed to have such great people behind me.

Till Sunday,

Mike

US 20k Champs

2010-09-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

New Haven 20k (US Champs)
I was really excited to get out there again and compete. I was out in Mammoth Lakes, CA for six weeks doing a stint of altitude training, and ready to test the fitness.

I was hoping for a top 5 finish, I ended up finishing 9th in my first 20k, in a time of 60:59, it was a little disappointing. Marathon training has set in, and I know once I taper properly I will have a better go at it. I stuck with the leaders for 7.5 miles and then gradually started fading. Ended up reeling in a Kenyan guy last two miles. Now time to go back to the drawing boards and get ready for Chicago, as I completed a 28.66 mile long run the Friday after the 2ok.

MILE SPLITS:
4:53, 4:59, 4:41, 4:43, 4:44, 4:41, 9:55 (2miles), 5:03, 5:17 (49:01 – 10miles), 5:02, 4:54, 2:04

First day back in Seattle was great as I am recovering from my 20k effort in New Haven, CT. I was treated to an Alter G anti-gravity treadmill at Neil Chasan's Sports Reaction Center. Great facility on a brand new Alter G with a flat screen TV in front of me and a huge fan blowing in my face prevented me from sweating like a mad man at a fitness club. On this treadmill you can set your weight, for example I ran seven miles at 85% body weight. This allows you to reduce the impact on your body, and is really helpful with any weight bearing injuries. Once again, I feel so blessed to have health and support from guys like Neil. Cant wait to toe the line in Chicago in less then four weeks.

Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race 20K Results - 9/6/2010
Place Div No. Last Name First Name Age Sex Div Gun Time Nettime 10ksplit Pace
===== === ===== ============= =========== === === ===== ======= ======= ======== =====
1 1 12 Quigley Sean 25 M M2029 59:21 59:21 29:48 4:47
2 2 5 Trafeh Mohamed 24 M M2029 59:29 59:29 29:48 4:48
3 1 3 Carney James 32 M M3039 59:33 59:33 29:48 4:48
4 2 10 Young Justin 31 M M3039 59:45 59:44 29:48 4:49
5 3 11 Smyth Patrick 25 M M2029 59:54 59:54 29:48 4:50
6 4 18 Bruce Ben 27 M M2029 59:59 59:59 29:52 4:50
7 5 2 Gotcher Brett 26 M M2029 1:00:21 1:00:21 29:48 4:52
8 6 13 Hartmann Jason 29 M M2029 1:00:44 1:00:44 29:48 4:54
9 7 21 Sayenko Mike 26 M M2029 1:01:00 1:00:59 29:49 4:55
10 3 24 Chirlee Joseph 30 M M3039 1:01:11 1:01:11 29:48 4:56
11 8 17 Rizzo Patrick 22 M M2029 1:01:18 1:01:18 30:21 4:56
12 9 20 Schmitt Jake 23 M M2029 1:01:42 1:01:42 30:22 4:58

Officially doing Chicago Marathon on Oct 10th

2010-08-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Its been a while so I thought I would send an update. I have been in Mammoth Lakes, CA putting in 120 mile weeks at Altitude for six weeks now, at 8000ft with the countries best. Including Ryan Hall, Tim Nelson, Simon Biru, Shalane Flanagan, Scott Bauhs, and the rest of Mammoth Track Club. Most everyone in town is training for Chicago Marathon which makes it a bit more exciting.

One of the highlights was getting to be a counselor at the Altitude Project, a christian running camp for college athletes. This was a three week blast, just serving others and really digging into their lives, some of my best friends have come out of this camp, this being my third time going, but my first time being a counselor.

Its been a blast, and now its time to test out the water, at the US 20k Championships on Labor Day (Sep 6) in New Haven, CT. I'm really excited to get back out there and compete with the countries best. Below is the entries, looks to be a very competitive race as last years Brett Gotcher is back, after winning last year he went on to run a 2:10 marathon four months later (4th fastest debut ever).

This race will be a great stepping stone and a fitness check for Chicago Marathon. That's right, its finally official I am really excited to run the flat fast marathon on Oct 10th. After New Haven, CT I will finally be back in Seattle for a short week or so before I head out to Eugene, OR to train with Brad Hudson for the last segment before Chicago.

Stay tuned for the US 20k recap, up to date coverage and video will be here. God Bless!

Women		Men
Amy Hastings		Allen Wagner
Ann Alyanak		Ben Bruce
Carol Jefferson		Brendan Callahan
Cassie Slade		Brett Gotcher
Clara Peterson		Chris Chavez
Colleen Dereuck		Dan Browne
Elizabeth Herndon		Dan McGrath
Emily Potter		Doug Goodhue
Erin Nehus		Fernando Cabada
Heidi Westover		Jake Schmitt
Kara Storage		James Carney
Kathryn Hatch		Jason Hartman
Katie Dicamillo		Jeffery Rios
Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz		Josh Moen
Lauren Johnson		Justin Young
Lauren Uhler		Michael Kilburg
Loretta Kilmer		Michael Rolek
Magdalena Lewy Boulet		Mike Sayenko
Megan Hovis		Mohamed Trafeh
Nan Kennard		Patrick Rizzo
Nicole Hagobian		Patrick Smyth
Reilly Kiernan		Patrick Tarpy
Sharon Lemberger		Peter Gilmore
Stephanie Rothstein		Ryan Sheehan
Tara Storage		Sean Quigley
Tera Moody		Seth Pilkinton
Zoila Gomez		Stephan Shay
		Zachary Hine

Run of the Mill 5k

2010-07-15T13:17:00.001-07:00

Well the season has wound down, in fact starting with the week leading up to Run of the Mill 5k on July 10th. I started to jog really lightly, no workouts, and no worries! It was going to be a purely fun run, with a little bit of competitiveness thrown in there. Its been a blessing to be healthy since Feb 20 or so, not taking a day off since.

MILE SPLITS: 4:37, 4:53 (9:30), 4:29, 31

Trying to get away from Jmac early, as the first mile is all uphill, I decided to push the first 1.5 miles. I should have pushed even harder after the first mile. But, I decided to relax a little bit. Then Jmac pushed hard the last 600 and I went with it but he just edged me by half a second.

I ran 33 seconds faster then the previous year. The last four times I have run were 15:50, 15:26, 15:04, and 14:30. With this being the first year I have lost, but to a good competitor and a former teammate at University of Washington JMac, who was an All-American at University of Oregon finishing 8th at the NCAA 5k in 2010. He has run 3:59 in the mile, 7:53 in the 3k, and 13:45 in the 5k. Proud to see him come so far since high school, hope he can stay healthy and really show off his talent.

1. Jordan McNamara 14:29
2. Mike Sayenko 14:30
3. Matt Sheeks 15:32
4. Sean Sundwall 15:43
5. Phil Olson 15:54
6. Tony Young 16:08
7. Joshua Ricardi 16:09
8. David McCulloch 16:11
9. Kevin McGinnis 16:49
10. Bryton Reim 17:02

Up next is some rest and marathon training! Starting the season out with the US 20k Championships in New Haven, CT. With an announcement of which one I pick coming soon, either Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota, the US Championships this year on October 3rd or Chicago Marathon on October 10th.

Happy Running :)

Peachtree 10k Road Race Recap

2010-07-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hayley and I at the Kansas University Campus, was very impressed.

The Carson Twins and I

The comfy Marriott Bed, by mistake they gave me a single room, score! As usually your rooming with another athlete

My trophy, which I managed not to break on the plane ride back to Seattle.

Made my first visit to Hotlanta for July 4th Peachtree Road Race, also the US Road 10k Championship. Atlanta is usually really hot at this time of year. But, I managed to heat train by being in Lawrence, Kansas for a week and running mid day or late morning with Hayley biking along spraying me down with water.

In the end, I did all that heat training for nothing, as it was Seattle like weather on race day. Waking up at 4:30 am, something to note, that's 1:30am West Coast Time. It was about 67º no wind and hardly any humidity. It was perfect conditions in my mind at the crack of the gun at 7:30am. Off to the races!

Ran with Justin Young the first 5k, as we got dropped by the whole field pretty much and a good 10 sec behind at 2 miles. At 5k we were about 14:23 and we caught up to Jorge Torres (Olympian at 10k in 2008) and an Ethiopian, then I ran with Jorge Torres the rest of the race and an exciting finish as we stormed past 7 guys the last half mile and Jorge barely nipped me at the line we both ended up with the same time. Pretty happy with the race but wish I was top 6 places.

MILE SPLITS:

9:11 (2miles), 4:41 (13:52), 4:52 (18:44), 4:57 (23:41), 4:30, 57

After the race I got to catch up with Jay and Carmen Stephenson (baby due up in August, really exciting), and the Carson twins.

The whole weekend was fun as I stayed around for the July 4th firework show, which we got to watch from the top of the Ritz Hotel in Old Town Atlanta with Josh and Jared Carson. Then afterwords hung out with Ed Moran (the US Champ), Boaz Cheboiywo, Carson twins and Jeff Abbott.

RESULTS:

1	Edward Moran	29	28:19:00	Williamsburg, VA
2	Mohamed Trafeh	25	28:29:00	Duarte, WA
3	Brenton Vaughn	25	28:46:00	Blackhawk, CO
4	Ian Burrell	25	28:51:00	Flagstaff, AZ
5	James Carney	32	28:57:00	Boulder, CO
6	Andrew Carlson	28	28:58:00	Flagstaff, AZ
7	Bobby Mack	25	29:07:00	Raleigh, NC
8	Jorge Torres	29	29:09:00	Boulder, CO
9	Mike Sayenko	25	29:09:00	Bellevue, WA
10	Josh Moen	28	29:10:00	Minneapolis, MN
11	Fasil Bizuneh	30	29:14:00	Flagstaff, AZ
12	James Strang	24	29:15:00	Fayetteville, AR
13	Stephen Furst	24	29:20:00	Raleigh, NC
14	Aaron Braun	23	29:22:00	Alamosa, CO
15	Patrick Smyth	23	29:27:00	Minneapolis, MN
16	Justin Young	30	29:32:00	Superior, CO
17	Ryan Sheehan	26	29:42:00	Kalamazoo, MI
18	Leo Kormanik	27	29:50:00	Atlanta, GA
19	John Crews	25	30:21:00	Raleigh, NC
20	Michael Crouch	22	30:27:00	Charlotte, NC
21	Frank Tinney	24	30:38:00	Blowing Rock, NC
22	Jessi Armijo	27	30:48:00	Albuquerque, NM
23	Jason Schoener	26	30:49:00	Richmond, VA
24	Nicholas Stanko	29	30:49:00	Haslett, MI

USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-06-30T16:10:00.001-07:00

USA Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa was really fun and TACTICAL race.

Super slow at the beginning, 5:00 first mile, then 15:00 first 5k, 14:26 last 5k, 60 last lap.. second fastest 400 splits in the field, Rupp had the fastest w/ 59.5. Was solo the last mile and had stomach problems (had too much fiber – apple and orange 3 hours beforehand. That has been a problem in the past, so I don't know why I did it again), that slowed me down some the last 1200. I think I made a mistake by not going with the leaders. Nonetheless, felt great during the whole race, felt like I didn't even race.

The only part that felt hard was a 64 sec surge for a couple laps right before 5k, other than that felt great, and probably didn’t run hard enough because of the stomach problems… only real disappointment was not getting top 6 which gets into the cash. My left hamstring was also still tight, but not as bad as earlier in the week. I thank Brad Hudson for helping me get there, and thank God for the health and giving me the gift!

The most fun part about the trip was hanging out with Hayley in Kansas for a week. We went to a Kansas City vs Cardinals game in between getting a tour of Lawrence, Kansas.

Peachtree 10k up next in Atlanta, GA on July 4th, also the US Road Championships.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

SPLITS:
1:14.59
(8) 1:14.59 2:29.51
(9) 1:14.93 3:45.30
(8) 1:15.79 4:59.84
(10) 1:14.55 6:12.92
(11) 1:13.08 7:24.38
(12) 1:11.46 8:36.81
(11) 1:12.43 9:50.28
(13) 1:13.48 11:02.58
(13) 1:12.30 12:08.54
(15) 1:05.96 13:16.12
(15) 1:07.58 14:25.02
(16) 1:08.91 15:36.05
(17) 1:11.04 16:46.27
(14) 1:10.22 17:57.77
(14) 1:11.50 19:10.53
(13) 1:12.76 20:19.78
(14) 1:09.26 21:28.95
(12) 1:09.18 22:37.12
(10) 1:08.17 23:47.32
(10) 1:10.20 24:58.44
(10) 1:11.13 26:07.39
(8) 1:08.95 27:17.11
(7) 1:09.73 28:26.34
(7) 1:09.23 29:26.89
(7) 1:00.56

Portland Track Classic

2010-06-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Went down to Portland on Thursday to stay with my buddy Nick "Shooter". He even let me sleep in his bed while he slept on the couch, ahh the sacrifices of professional running. Really appreciate it Nick, I was really trying to save my millions of dollars I make running by staying over at Nicks, as he cooked a traditional runners pasta dinner with sausage, my man!

Back to the race, went in with just the expectation to finish. Had no time goals coming in but just to compete. The race went good, but wish I didn't relax so much as I keyed off Dan Brown and he had a rare off day at the office and by the time I realized I tried getting out, with 1k to go, but we had a few 70s in before that and completely lost the front pack. Over it was okay, if it was a perfect race, even pacing with few more guys to run with I think I would have run 13:40-43 or so. Not a bad tune up for Nats tho, and only 4 sec off my PR (I ran 13:53).

The best thing about the race is that my Achilles no longer is sore or bugging me, which has been a fight for the last 6 weeks. And usually would get really soar after a race.

Up next is USA Track Nationals in Des Monies, Iowa... I will be racing the 10k on Thursday night at 8pm. Excited as I feel I am ready for the best race of my season at the right time with things coming together nicely. I feel soo blessed to be healthy and for everything I have, thank you Jesus!

SPLITS:

64.8, 65.7 (2:10.5), 65.6 (3:16.1), 65.9 (4:22.1), 66.0 (5:28.1), 68.3 (6:36), 8:50 (3200), last 2 laps 67.5, 60.5, 29 ish last 200. Def had lots in the tank.

5000 Meter Run Open Men ================================================================================ Name Year Team Seed Finals Points ================================================================================ 1 Moran, Ed Nike 13:30.00 13:29.46 10 2 Chelimo, Kevin Oregon Track Clu 13:30.55 8 3 Dobson, Ian Oregon Track Clu 13:31.89 6 4 Rono, Aron AmeriKenyan 13:33.00 13:32.54 5 5 King, Kyle Unattached 13:41.00 13:39.34 4 6 True, Ben Oregon Track Clu 13:43.98 3 7 Cheseret, Robert US Army 13:13.23 13:46.56 2 8 Sayenko, Mike Strands/ Clu 13:49.78 13:53.69 1 9 Brown, Dan US Army 14:04.77 10 Ledwith, Andrew Team Strands 13:48.95 14:05.28 11 Ernest-Jones, Eddie Team Strands 13:51.92 14:19.51 12 Leak, Colin William and 13:45.00 14:23.68 13 Dahlberg, Scott Boulder Run 14:08.44 14:28.18 14 Meis, Chad Seattle Paci 14:20.80 14:48.54 15 Davis, Kirby BAC 14:40.00 14:50.28 16 Rinck, Anthony Bowerman AC 15:00.00 14:50.70 17 Howell, John Unattached 15:00.00 14:50.91 18 Hamilton, Vince North Central Hi 15:10.00 14:56.21 19 Trevino, Josh BAC 14:49.00 14:58.50 20 Tucker, Glen Unattached 15:55.00 15:41.44 21 Galbraith, Ruben Unattached 15:30.00 15:47.30 22 Diephuis, Jeff Run Portland 15:36.00 15:52.57 23 Goulet, Adam Brooks Easts 15:36.00 15:59.46 24 Bartosz, Daniel Unattached 16:30.00 16:05.58

Road Trip!!! to P-Town

2010-05-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well, after a good five week training block I am ready to roll out and start testing the legs again with a race in Portland, OR this Friday at 8:10pm at the Portland Track Festival! A tune up for the USA Track Championships in Des Monies, Iowa. I feel so blessed to be healthy and being able to do what I love to do! Not many people can say that.

Here is the start list:

ENTRANT CLUB SEED TIME
Robert Cheseret US Army 13:13
Ian Dobson OTC Elite 13:20
Aron Rono AmeriKenyan RC 13:33
Kevin Chelimo OTC Elite 13:37
Kyle King Unattached 13:41
Andrew Ledwith Strands 13:50
Mike Sayenko Strands 13:49
Eddie Ernest-Jones Strands 13:51
Ben True OTC Elite 13:56
Eric Burck Unattached 14:10

The Schedule for the Rest of the Season:
6/11/10 Portland Track Festival 5,000m
6/24/10 USA Track Champs 10,000m
7/4/10 Peachtree Road Race (US Champs) 10k

I'm excited to get out there, here is what the last couple weeks have looked like for me (prob the most solid training all season), via Strands.com my FREE online training log. Its the most comprehensive training log I have ever seen and has a great user interface! best of all it integrates all social networks into the website, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to name a few.

May 10-16
M: Easy, 7 miles in am / 7 miles in pm
T: 12 x 800 w/ 1min rec, avg 2:14.3
W: 13 miles easy am / 5 miles easy pm
Th: 6 miles am/ 8 pm
F: 10 mile Threshold, in 49:49.. closed in 4:44 last mile, felt great
Sa: 12 miles easy
Su: 18.6 miles in 1:48, SPLITS: 6:45, 6:17, 6:04, 6:01, 5:58, 5:56, 5:58, 5:56, 5:55, 5:49, 5:47, 5:40, 5:37, 5:34, 5:31, 5:34, 5:18, 5:16, 3:22 (5:30 mile pace) felt great!

May 17-23
M: 10 miles easy am/ 7 miles easy pm, 10x10 sec short hill
T: 8 miles easy am/ 6miles easy pm
W: 3x 2k, 1k w/ 3min rec 5:44.0,
2:46.1,
5:43.3,
2:45.3,
4:38.7 (stopped a lap short),
2:43.0

Th:
13.7 miles easy
F: 7 miles easy, 10 x 10 sec short hill
Sa: 19:30 4mile threshold am. / Mile, 8x400.. 4:13, avg 63 for 400's and closed in 59
Su: 7.5 miles easy

Also, I have a few new sponsors, Nuun a sports drink company, First Endurance specifically their patent Optygen HP formula and Juice Plus! I take all three every day and they are great energy boosters and helps recover much quicker then synthetic multi vitamins.

Juice Plus - Good nutrition takes time and planning. Clinically proven Juice Plus+^® helps you bridge the gap between the 7 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the nutrition you actually get with your busy schedule.

You ask how is Nuun different then any other sports drink out there?

portable
nuun comes in a tough tube that is water resistant and perfect for carrying in your hand, bike jersey, pack…wherever. 1 tube = 6 litres (~1.5 gallons) – enough for a good ride or a week at the gym. and if you travel, forget trying to find your normal drink or suffering the indignity of bags of powder bursting in your luggage, a couple of tubes in your bags will get there in one piece and get you through the week of training in colorado or the pyrenees.
balanced
we spent years researching the levels of electrolytes needed for the product to be absorbed the quickest and to provide optimal salt balance to prevent cramping and maximise hydration. an editor of a major triathlon publication used nuun and had “no cramping issues for the first time ever in an ironman”.
refreshing
designed for the active palate, nuun’s got a light flavour that’s not overwhelming when you’re on the go. if you’ve ever watered down sports drinks because they’re too strong, then you’ve made them less easy to absorb; this ultimately defeats the purpose of using them. some call the nuun taste ‘tart’ and that’s probably the best description we’ve found yet, other than ‘just right’!
simple
a bottle of water, 1 nuun per 500ml (~16oz) … doesn’t matter where you are, how windy it is, how much space you’ve got – drop in nuun and you’re good to go.

Bloomsday 12k

2010-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Bloomsday was my return to the greater northwest! After being in Albuquerque, Sana Anna, LA, Kentucky, and San Diego. It has been over two and a half months since I have been back home in Washington. And immediately I was welcomed with rain (of course), as it was only 55º outside in Spokane as I went for my shake out run on Friday morning.

Last year this was probably the worst race I had all season, so I was coming in with hunger to do much better and hopefully be the top American. I was going to run Cardinal Invite 10k at Stanford but decided against that as I felt I wasn't in form to PR yet. I had to stay up late Saturday to watch tho, as Galen Rupp was going after the American Record of 27:13 set by Meb nine years ago. And it was worth every minute of it as an unexpected winner was Chris Solinsky, clocking 26:59!!! to win and CRUSH the AR by 14 seconds! doing it on a 56 last 400 and 1:56 last 800, very inspiring and motivational to get my butt in gear, here's a good article.

Back to Bloomday on Sunday (luckily I slept just fine after watching that amazing race the night before) At the crack of the gun, I ran with Dan Browne for first 3miles, then dropped back to Steve Pifer and ran with him till top of Doomsday Hill, then dropped back to two Kenyans, and kept dropping back, Jeffrey Eggleston passed me with 600 to go, not too happy about being passed by four guys the last 1.5 miles and two Americans the last half mile. Its the hills that kill me, if it wasn't hilly I would have been fine, it takes me a long while to recover after those long hills, so after doomsday hill it took me a good mile to get my legs under me.

Best news of the day was that I had NO PAIN AT ALL in Achilles so I was really happy about that, because after a race it has been pretty soar the last two races. Now back to the drawing board and put in a solid training block after three weeks of racing.
SPLITS: 4.41, 4.42, 4:53, 4:57 (19:15), 10:13 (29:28), 5:02, 2:17 = 37:47 for 17th at Bloomsday, 25 seconds faster then last year.

Results:

Place	Name	Home	Time	Award
1.	Peter Kirui	Kenya	34:28	$7,000
2.	Julius Kogo	Kenya	34:33	4,500
3.	Stephen Muange	Kenya	34:39	3,000
4.	John Korir	Kenya	34:42	2,500
5.	Simon Cheprot	Kenya	34:46	1,800
6.	James Kipketer	Kenya	35:00	1,350
7.	Gilbert Okari	Kenya	35:08	1,000
8.	Robert Letting	Kenya	35:14	900
9.	Ridouane Harroufi	Morocco	35:43	700
10.	Dan Brown	Chula Vista, CA	35:49	5,600*
11.	Philemon Terer	Kenya	36:07	500
12.	Stephen Pifer	Johnson City, TN	36:23	2,900*
13.	Kevin Chelimo	Kenya	36:30	300
14.	Julius Kiptoo	Kenya	36:35	250
15.	Joe Gray	Lakewood, WA	36:39	1,450*
16.	Jeffrey Eggleston	Flagstaff, AZ	36:44	750*
17.	Mike Sayenko	Bellevue, WA	36:47	1,000-w
18.	Chris Erichsen	St. Paul, MN	36:57	500*
19.	Chris Chavez	Menlo Park, CA	37:06	--
20.	Josh Eberly	Gunnison, CO	37:11	--
21.	Uli Steidl	Shoreline, WA	37:24	750-w
22.	Mbarak Hussein	Albuquerque, NM	37:51	1,500-m
23.	Dennis Simonaitis	Draper, UT	38:13	1,000-m
24.	Kevin Peters	Boise, ID	38:14	--
25.	Dan McLean	Tacoma, WA	38:37	500-w

Kentuck Derby Mini Maraqthon

2010-04-25T22:14:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I decided to switch directions and run a half marathon as a training run in Kentucky, Louisville for the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon.

I thought it was interesting that the race was 13.37 which is way longer (according to my Garmin), but I guess its standard that a half is at least 13.25 to be certified but event still seemed a little long. The course itself is really a good one, first 4 miles are hilly but after that it was flat and fast, gradually down on some parts.

Didn’t feel too tired in the race but was never in rhythm, b/c we were surging back and forth every half mile in the race. Wesley Korir and I traded leads the entire race and he finally surged ahead for the win last half mile, he ended up running 4:28 last mile, I ran 4:50. I just tried to run as easy as possible and I sort of did that except, I didn’t want to push and lead as much as I did, surging way too much, the big race is next week with Bloomsday.

SPLITS: 5:27, 4:59, 5:06, 5:00, 4:51, 5:02 (31:30 - 10k), 4:54, 5:26, 4:58 (47:13 for 15k), 5:10, 5:06, 5:25, 4:50, 33 last .1 (4:40 mile pace) - also based on my garmin most of the mile splits were off, esp 1st mile and 7th, 11th.

Here is an article on the race:

While winning this race is a habit for Korir, the event was brand new to Sayenko. The 25-year-old decided to run here after a suggestion from a friend.

The Ukraine native first met Korir, a Kenyan, at a West Coast meet. They had not competed against each other since college.

On Saturday Korir was just a little better down the stretch.

“It was like a heavyweight fight,” Sayenko said. “We were trading blows. We were surging every half-mile or so for the whole race. Then he put in the last surge, and I couldn't respond.”

Korir was happy for the company as well as the competition.

“We came uphill, and I saw he was struggling,” he said. “I knew that was the right time to make a move. You run neck-and-neck with someone until 800 meters. To run 13.1 miles by yourself is boring. To have someone to run with was really fun. It was a fun race.”

MT. SAC RELAYS

2010-04-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

First race since December (4 months)… def felt a bit rusty. Was on my own the last 800, fell off with the wrong guy after 3200, he dropped a couple of 70’s before I realized and took the lead w/ 2 laps left and by then it was hard to catch anyone. I closed very close to a pack of 3, which I should have tried to run with earlier. I got really tired starting at the mile, just was out of rhythm and didn't think I could actually finish at 6 laps but decided to finish anyway. I was thinking I was in 13:38 – 13:45 before the race so this was disappointing.

Up next, Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, WA and hopefully improve on last years race where I ran 37:10ish and really struggled the second half. For now to visit friends, my high school coach Twiggs Reed and Odog aka. Matt Owen.

In the mean time I can use prayer for my achilles as its quite a bit soar and bugging me on the run.

SPLITS: 67, 2:13, 3:17, 4:24, 8:17 (3k), 8:51 (3200), 12:53, 64 last lap, 31 last 200

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Results

Event 910 Men 5000 Meter Run Invitational University/Open

===============================================================     Name                    Year Team                    Finals =============================================================== Finals                                                            1 Dan Huling                   Reebok                13:24.72   2 Brent Vaughn                 Nike                  13:26.05   3 Diego Alberto Borrego        Mexico                13:27.26   4 Brandon Bethke               Arizona State         13:27.83   5 Andy Vernon                  adidas                13:28.60   6 Brian Medigovich             Unattached            13:29.16   7 Scott Bauhs                  adidas                13:29.18   8 Elliott Heath                Stanford              13:29.75   9 Yuta Takahashi               S&B TC Japan          13:31.37  10 Boaz Cheboiywo               Nike                  13:31.50  11 Lee Emanuel                  New Mexico            13:31.56  12 Chris Derrick                Stanford              13:31.67  13 Tiidrek Nurme                Estonia               13:31.87  14 Kyle Perry                   New Balance           13:34.86  15 Brian Olinger                Reebok                13:35.03  16 Jeremy Johnson               Brooks Team           13:35.13  17 Samuel Kosgei                Lamar                 13:35.75  18 Chris Barnicle               New Mexico            13:36.02  19 Kevin Chelimo                OTC                   13:37.55  20 Justin Tyner                 Air Force             13:37.66  21 John Beattie                 Tulsa                 13:42.03  22 John Kosgei                  Oklahoma State        13:42.17  23 Colby Lowe                   Oklahoma State        13:42.60  24 Philipp Bandi                Unattached            13:44.75  25 Jason Hartmann               Nike                  13:46.00  26 Diego Estrada                Northern Arizona      13:49.35  27 Christopher Clark            NYAC/PUMA             13:51.21  28 Joe Macdonald                Butler                13:52.07  29 Jordan Fife                  Brooks Team           13:54.05  30 Reuben Mwei                  Adams State           13:54.26  31 Scott Smith                  UC Santa Barbara      13:56.72  32 Mike Sayenko                 Strands               13:57.43  33 Michael Skinner              Great Britain         14:04.47  34 Patrick Mellea               Bryn Mawr Ru          14:30.71  -- Sean Houseworth              U.S. Air Force             DNF  -- Robert Curtis                Melbourne TC               DNF

Altitude Training Update and Time to test out the Legs-

2010-04-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have now been in Albuquerque, NM for six weeks. Chilling at a cool 5,800 ft of elevation. Healthy and sound now, I am focused on training and am excited as I am gaining fitness quickly. I will be making my 2010 debute at Mt. Sac Invite 5k in LA on April 16. From there I will decide between two races Cardinal Invite 10k (Stanford) May 1st or Bloomsday 12k on May 2nd.
I am getting back to doing the little things, which I stepped away from the past year; Icing, Core, Drills, Sprints, and of course the best one, napping. Running is not a one-dimensional sport to be great you have to take care of the little things. Rest is just as important as hard sessions especially at altitude as it takes longer to recover from the hard sessions.
Now you might be thinking what are the benefits of altitude training?

Altitude running affects distance running by lowering the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the running muscles, which is the result of the blood’s reduced saturation of oxygen. Hemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that combines with oxygen; it carries the oxygen from the capillaries in the lungs, through the left side of the heart, from their to the rest of the body. Most people assume that there is less oxygen at altitude but that is not the case, atmospheric pressure is lower as altitude gets higher, the effects of higher altitudes are a lower pressure of oxygen in the blood and a diminished oxygen – hemoglobin association. So the percentage of oxygen in the air doesn’t actually change but rather the pressure, meaning there is a lower partial pressure of oxygen available to drive it into association with hemoglobin.

Jack Daniel’s a coaching legend and exercise physiologist prefers 2000 to 2500 meters (6500 to 8200ft) of elevation for reaping the benefits of altitude training (p 194 Daniels Running Formula). I am staying at near the ideal elevation (5,800ft) and doing most of my running higher. It usually takes about four weeks to fully acclimate to altitude, hence why I am in Albuquerque for more then a month. Over the next year and a half, leading up to the Olympic Trials I want to find out if altitude is of great benefit to me. As everyone responds to altitude differently, some have a great stimulus and some don’t have one at all.

Strands Extends Sponsorship

2010-03-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Strands has been very good to me over the past year and of course I am thrilled to re-sign with them through 2010.

Help Team Strands.com support our great sponsor! Set up a free Strands.com account today! Invite 15 friends to do the same, and we'll send you a free Strands.com Mizuno Technical Running Tee! For more information about this promotion, follow this link => http://tr.im/invite_blog

Below is the press release.

Team Strands.com announces 3-year partnership with Mizuno USA;

Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 5:46pm

Corvallis, Oregon, January 17, 2010--Strands.com has announced a partnership with Mizuno USA for the sponsorship of Team Strands.com—a team of world-class and developing national class athletes through 2012.

Team Strands.com will include Olympians Elva Dryer, Kate O'Neill, and Olympic Trials Qualifiers in every distance ranging from the 800 meters to the Marathon. Some new names added to the 2010 roster include Josh Moen, Michael Kilburg, and Andrew Ledwith, among others.

Moen was the runner-up in a closely battled 2009 USA 10-mile Championships where champion Abdi Abdirahmin and Moen posted the fourth and fifth fastest times ever run by an American in the 10- mile (46:35 and 46:38, respectively). Michael Kilburg brings 28:20 and 13:49 2-time NCAA All-American track credentials to the team, and Ledwith was the fourth-place finisher in the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships and 2009 Irish National Cross Country Champion.

Team Strands.com Roster:

Meghan Armstrong
Matt Downin
Elva Dryer
Josh Glaab
Zoila Gomez
Matt Hooley
Eddie Ernest-Jones
Mike Kilburg
Andrew Ledwith
Josh Moen
Seamus Nally
Kate O'Neill
Jason Pyles
Marian Pyles
Jon Rankin
Mike Reneau
Mike Sayenko
Chris Siemers
Patrick Tapry
Justin Young

Mizuno USA Inc. offers a complete line of high performance running and track & field footwear and apparel. "We at Strands.com are thrilled to be partnering with a leader in the specialty running category," said Matt Downin, Director of Marketing at Strands.com. "This partnership ensures that our athletes will be training and racing in the highest quality shoes and apparel available.”

“Strands.com is committed to providing the best online tools for athletes to get the most out of their training, and Mizuno shares that same commitment to quality and excellence for the athlete, so the partnership was a natural fit.”

US Half Marathon Championships (Aramco Houston Half Marathon)

Team Strands.com athletes Josh Moen and Meghan Armstrong placed 6th and 11th, respectively, at the 2010 US Half Marathon Championships in Houston, Texas this morning.

Moen, who spent much of the race forcing the pace from the lead pack, eventually faded to sixth but managed a personal best finish of 1 hour 2 minutes, and 53 seconds. "I just wanted to go out and run hard from the gun," Moen said in a post-race interview with Flotrack. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I was hoping for better today, but I'll take it."

ABOUT - Strands.com is an online training log and social networking site where athletes share their training, connect with friends and teammates, and streamline their online activities. The site is operated by Strands Labs, Inc. For more information on Strands Labs, Inc. visit http://corp.strands.com/.

-END-

Albuquerque

2010-02-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well, tides have turned in a big way and I have nothing but praise. The injuries have finally subsided about a week ago now. And I finally have no pain anywhere for the first time in a long time (7 weeks ago!) its almost a foreign concept. All the help thanks to some great support system from: Dr. Scott Hammons from Essential Chiropractic (who specializes in runners!), Neil Chasan from Sports Reaction Center in Bellevue, and Igor Novikov a fantastic sport massage therapist. I've been seeing these guys weekly to get me back on my feet at 100%.

Feeling strong for an entire week now with everything in place, I decided a trip to Albuquerque, NM is in order, for some altitude training! I have never been there, but many of the top athletes in the world have trained there including Paula Radcliffe, who holds the world record in the marathon at 2:15. I have heard its a great place to train, having only been to Mammoth Lakes, CA and Flagstaff, AZ I'm excited to check out a new altitude place and see what the fuss is all about.

Albuquerque is 5,280 feet (1 mile) above sea level and the mountains resorts reach altitudes of 8,000-10,000 ft above sea level. This is pretty much ideal for endurance athletes, with the thinner air, you produce more red blood cells (which carry oxygen to the working muscles). So the theory is you will be able to carry more oxygen to your muscles when you go and race at sea level.

I humbly continue to ask for your prayers for health down there, as I leave this Saturday. We take health for granted when things are going well, but when you cant even take a step without pain it makes you appreciate every mile.

More updates to come including race schedule.. hopefully open up at Mt. Sac 5k if God willing!

One snowball after another!

2010-02-03T23:13:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I've posted something due to my lack of motivation. The other half is that I don't have any tasty races to report on... but wait that's not even the half of it.

About five weeks ago I was in the best shape of my life, things were going well.. running tempo runs light years better then ever before and stepping into just a couple of repeat sessions I was already ahead of the previous years best sessions. At this point I started to get tightness in my glutes, and thought it was just my piriformis being tight. So of course I ignored it for an entire week, pulling together a string of three amazing workouts. It wasn't till the following Monday till I could hardly walk.

At that point I finally said I needed to do something about this, so I went in to see my physical therapist, Neil Chasan. We concluded that my SI joint was out of alignment, which was causing the pain in my glut area and throwing my mechanics off in the process.

This injury took me out of the Houston Half, I struggled and suffered cross training without much progress so decided to pull out. Then, a week later it appeared to have subsided. But it only gets better from here, as of course cross training (biking on the mean streets of Seattle)... almost three Thursdays ago now. I ended up falling directly on my hip, just about 6 miles from my house coming back from a 50 mile bike ride. I freaked out near a construction zone next to gas works park.. as a biker was coming towards me, I decided to slam my breaks which caused my bike to flop me over to my left side.

To make a long story short now the issue is my left hip and pain in the psoas/ growing area. I am now just chilling trying to get to 100% even if it means no running for a while. Injuries are part of the game and its a good refresher on life in general.

So I ended up going down to Miami and Houston as a spectator and catching up with some friends such as Meb keflezighi, his bro Hawi, Mr. Hall among others, riding the press truck in Houston, and taking a dip in the ocean in South Miami Beach.

I could use your prayers for a quick and healthy recovery. I know God has a plan, he has given me this talent and opportunity to use it while I can. Its not all about running fast, but about enjoying the process, the gift and talents he has given us. I keep reminding this to myself as its easy to get caught up in the moment of trying to run fast in circles (the track). And for what? Running would be pretty empty if that was all it was about, but its soo much more.

No matter at what point you are in running or how talented you are, you are doing this for a reason. There is sacrifice, desire, perseverance... this is also a talent. Use your time wisely because tomorrow is a lie. Use your gift and be faithful with what you have been given.

I will keep you posted on my health in the next week or so.

Take Care!

US Club Cross Country Championships

2009-12-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

It has been six weeks since New York City Marathon. The recovery process was extremely good to me, as I was amazingly able run up and down stairs the day following the monumental 26.2 mile effort with a breeze. This was the quickest and least painful recovery process from the five marathons that I have run. That made me excited, and I was itching to start running after only a week off.

Of course I had my horizons set on my next obstacle, the US Club XC Nats in Lexington, KY. Club XC has been an annual event for three years now and brings back the team camaraderie which is truly missed since graduating from UW. We brought a full open womens and mens teams which made it that much funner. This is the only reason why I run every year, well that and a fun after party.

The Race
I got out hard, had to get in position. If you want to possibly win you have to get out, so I did. I was hoping for a top 10 finish, even tho I'm coming back from a marathon, and its been five weeks of total running. Anyhow the course is one of the most challenging courses I have ever seen. Up and Down the entire way, no flat sections period, and really un-even surface. Besides that it was perfect racing conditions, around 40º and not much wind.

As I got out, I was about top 15 through the first 5k, after passing the mile in 4:42, 3 miles in 14:19. Then I started to feel the pace, and dropped back to 20th or so... coming through 5 miles in 24:16, I started to pick people off again, and caught back up to Mark Mandi with 400 to go. At that point with spit all over my face I just dug as deep as I could, and finished 17th in a new XC PR of 30:30 for 10k.

Our team finished 6th, which tied the best finish ever (only 16 points out of fifth, done only twice)... all this without the services of three big guns, one of which was injured (Mike Kilburg) but decided to grind it out, a truly gutsy performance.

From here its time to get ready to run with the best in Houston for the USA Half Marathon Champs where I PR'ed last year in 63:52, I am looking to improve on both my place and finish in 2010! Check back for results and more!

Race Schedule From here:
1/17/2010 Houston Half - USA Champs
1/31/2010 ING Miami Half
2/13/2010 US XC Champs or Husky Classic 5k

And from there the rest of the season will be decided.

Results:

 PLACE   PLACE   SCORE                  FINISHER                  TIME        TEAM   

1    1 JrM     1  David Jankowski, 25, Blowing Rock, NC      29:18    Zap Fitness    
2    2 JrM        Josh Simpson, 25, Morgantown, WV           29:27    *New York Ac   
3    3 JrM     2  David Nightingale, 24, Blowing Rock, NC    29:40    Zap Fitness    
4    4 JrM     3  Jimmy Grabow, 25, Running Springs, CA      29:57    InternationalCityRtc
5    5 JrM     4  Charlie Serrano, 25, Simi Valley, CA       30:01    InternationalCityRtc
6    6 JrM        Jesse Armijo, 27, Albuquerque, NM          30:03    Dukes Track Club
7    7 JrM     5  Lucas Meyer, 26, Ridgefield, CT            30:04    Boston Athletic Assoc
8    8 JrM     6  Paul Michel, 27, Gunnison, CO              30:05    BoulderRunCo/adidas A
9    9 JrM     7  Ryan Bak, 28, St. Louis, MO                30:05    Big River Running Co
10   10 JrM     8  Thomas Kloos, 32, San Francisco, CA        30:10    Transports adidas Rt
11   11 JrM     9  Paul Hefferon, 23, Kansas City, KS         30:12    Kansas City Smoke
12   12 JrM    10  Thomas Morgan, 28, Blowing Rock, NC        30:14    Zap Fitness    
13   13 JrM    11  Brian Baker, 24, Beaumont, CA              30:15    InternationalCityRtc
14   14 JrM        Justin Lutz, 29, Framingham, MA            30:16                   
15   15 JrM    12  Crosby Freeman, 25, San Francisco, CA      30:22    Asics Aggie Rc 
16   16 JrM    13  Nate Peck, 24, Blowing Rock, NC            30:28    Zap Fitness    
   17   17 JrM    14  Mikhail Sayenko, 25, Bellevue, WA          30:30    Club Northwest       
18   18 JrM    15  Mark Mandi, 26, Seattle, WA                30:31    Club Northwest 
19   19 JrM    16  Phillip Reid, 24, San Luis Obispo, CA      30:33    Asics Aggie Rc 
20   20 JrM    17  Pat Mellea, 23, Ardmore, PA                30:33    Bryn Mawr Running Co.
21   21 JrM    18  Sergio Reyes, 28, Los Osos, CA             30:35    Asics Aggie Rc 
22   22 JrM    19  Greg Reindl, 25, Denver, CO                30:38    BoulderRunCo/adidas A
23   23 JrM    20  Scott Dahlberg, 25, Gunnison, CO           30:41    BoulderRunCo/adidas A
24   24 JrM    21  Chris Chavez, 23, Menlo Park, CA           30:43    Transports adidas Rt
25   25 JrM    22  Austin Ramos, 25, Fair Oaks, CA            30:44    Transports adidas Rt
26   26 JrM    23  Aucencio Martinez, 26, Alamosa, CO         30:45    BoulderRunCo/adidas A
27   27 JrM    24  Nicholas Hirsch, 26, Gunnison, CO          30:46    BoulderRunCo/adidas A
28   28 JrM    25  Ari Zamir, 24, Allston, MA                 30:47    New Balance Boston

ING New York City Marathon 2009

2009-11-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

The race was a huge blessing with all the things going on around me. The three months leading up were crazy, I was in Ukraine, then quad strain four weeks ago, car accident (5 days later), then hamstring issues, and on top of that my long time good friend Karen died of liver and pancreas cancer in just five days of doctors finding out about it. It has been a really tough last month, I didn't think I would run after most of this, running for Karen was the only motivation for me.

I want to thank all my friends and family support. Specifically I want to thank Mark Mandi, who has helped pace me during workouts. Tom Cotner, who has supervised my training for the last two years and knows about anything you can think of (hes really smart! make sure you have plenty of time to talk tho if you ask a question). Greg Metcalf, my college coach who has always supported me and believed in me and continues to allow me to use the UW facilities and meets. Neil Chasan, who has helped me rehab from the quad strain a great Physical Therapist. Dale Schenck, who has helped work on me throughout the year helping me stay loose with massage. And last but not least Greg Jimmerson, who has given me the inspiration, and also a great masseur as well. Again thanks for everyone that has helped me along the way.

Now for all the nitty gritty if your a running fan you will probably enjoy this if not, well then I hope it helps you somehow in your attempt at the distance.

Also, please follow me on the right side bar, under followers to receive the lates blog updates. Let me know of anything you would like to hear about and I will cook something up.

Diary of the race:
Woke up @5:45am, race @9:40, we got an extra hour from time change. I got decent sleep, about 5 hours. Just had a powerbar and Gatorade 3 hours before the race. I set up water bottles every 5k, and I drank at every station.. Last bottle was @36k, mixed Powerbar 2X Espresso Gel into my 15k bottle, 25k, and 36k, and I had one before the start (about 2min before the gun went off). I think I would give myself an A for drinking on the day, compared to all my other marathons (five in all now), this was by far the best.

Had tight hips before the race which ended up being my determent along with flats that started go give me blisters at mile 6, and i just couldn't push off my toes and run aggressively around corners.. made it painful.

I was running with the lead pack the first 5miles but decided to fall back after I realized I was over my head running sub 5min pace and I knew I couldn't hold that for the full distance. Fell back to a group of Moen, Sell, Nick Arcianaga, Allen Wagner, Pat Tarpy, Migidio Bourifa (Italian), and I.. ran in that group for 13.1 then Nick made a move, and Sell and I wear trying to play catch up at mile 14, after working together for 2 miles, Sell was done, really falling back as we got onto first ave (ended up running 2:25).

From then on I was on my own trying to catch the pack with Nick, Tarpy, and Migidio Bourifa (Italian), but the pack was too big (over 40 meters). So I ran on my own the last 10 miles starting at mile 16. The wind was really tough, it was relentless the entire race. And it was blowing in your face the entire race, which made it really hard the last 10 miles, the beating of the bridges, uneven surface, pot holes really wears on your legs on this course.. and is really what makes it so tough.

Again Congrats to Meb, it was a great day as a friend of mine won the race! First American to win the ING New York City Marathon in 27 years. Couldn't have been a better day for US Distance running as we put six in the top ten.

More Good in Depth Article, Injuries and wind challenge humbled, grateful pros

MILE SPLITS:
5:39 (all uphill), 4:48, 4:56, 4:55, 4:53, 5:06, 5:09, 5:11, 5:03, 5:01, 5:10, 4:59, 5:10,
(66:46 for the Half)
5:06, 5:16, 5:11, 5:11,
5:09 (18 miles - 1:32:03, 5:07 pace - 2:14 flat pace),
5:17, 5:27
(20miles - 1:42:48, 5:08 mile pace about 2:14:20 pace),
5:31, 5:23, 5:25 (through 23 miles was on 2:15:35 pace, 5:11 mile pace, 1:59:07), 5:38, 5:16, 5:22, 70 sec last 0.1

RESULTS:
1 8 Meb Keflezighi 02:09:15 CA USA USA
2 6 Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot 02:09:56 Kenya KEN
3 4 Jaouad Gharib 02:10:25 Morocco MAR
4 5 Ryan Hall 02:10:36 CA USA USA
5 11 Abderrahime Bouramdane 02:12:14 Morocco MAR
6 9 Hendrick Ramaala 02:12:30 South Africa RSA
7 15 Jorge Torres 02:13:00 CO USA USA
8 19 Nick Arciniaga 02:13:46 MI USA USA
9 10 Abdi Abdirahman 02:14:00 AZ USA USA
10 16 Jason Lehmkuhle 02:14:39 MN USA USA
11 12 Jackson Kotut Kipkoech 02:15:10 Kenya KEN
12 21 Peter Gilmore 02:15:22 CA USA USA
13 39 Migidio Bourifa 02:16:01 Italy ITA
14 29 Mike Sayenko 02:16:38 WA USA USA
15 28 Mike Reneau 02:16:45 WI USA USA
16 45 Jose Telles De Souza 02:17:28 Brazil BRA
17 34 Allen Wagner 02:17:49 PA USA USA
18 24 Max King 02:19:11 OR USA USA
19 40 Mohammed Awol 02:19:31 NY USA ETH
20 18 Christopher Raabe 02:19:49 DC USA USA
21 23 Pat Tarpy 02:20:43 RI USA USA
22 2292 Antonio Liuzzo 02:22:36 NY USA ITA
23 49 Helder Ornelas 02:22:44 Portugal POR
24 205 Brett Winegar 02:23:11 WA USA USA

Getting Ready fo ING New York City Marathon

2009-10-18T22:55:00.001-07:00

Getting Ready fo ING New York City Marathon

2009-10-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

After a rough week after the 10 mile USA Championships not being able to run for much of the week due to a quad strain caused by a massage and hardly able to walk that Monday. During that entire week I saw Neil Chasan, owner of Bellevue Sports Physical Therapy Center. After five days of flexibility, ultra sounds, electrical stim, and a good job taping the quad to get extra blood flowing through that area to promote recovery I was able to get to 100% by that Friday. Seemed almost a miracle since I could barely walk on Monday.

Neil helped Asses my mechanics, and found several imbalances that he and I will work on after the marathon to put me in even better shape then I am from this training cycle. That is exciting for me because I knew that I had this imbalance for a while, but did nothing about it. I was a little burned out from doing all the little things such as flexibility, drills, weights, and core routine. So I stopped doing all the little things completely. I have not done any since last track season, some four months ago. Part of it is traveling all around Europe getting distracted by many things and the fact that in Ukraine the act of running and stretching is really bizarre to people, I didn’t even attempt to do any of the little important things that help with injury prevention and imbalances.

For example my hip flexors are very tight that carried over from this summers Europe Tip. I hope that after working on the flexibility and strength work that I will pick up that signature kick that is so often needed at the end of a professional race, as there is usually more then one athlete left with 400 meters to go.

I decided to wait to make my decision to run NYC marathon until I got healthy and attempted a workout. So Monday Oct 12th I attempted my first workout, a 14-mile tempo on the familiar Sammamish River trail at marathon pace. The workout by surprise went really well, enough to make me want to add a couple miles to the end of the workout. After a solid week of training I decided that NYC Marathon is in the cards! I am excited to give it a real go, and this time take a real swing for the fence. On November 1st, I will get a chance to battle it out with the best in the country and the world! With US Olympians such as Abdi Abdirahman, Ryan Hall, Meb keflezighi, Brian Sell, Jorge Torres, and Bolota Asmerom. The

Americans are followed by two-time winner and defending champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil (2006, 2008) headlines an all-star field of former champions including Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa (2004), Paul Tergat (2005 and former World Record Holder) and Martin Lel of Kenya (2003, 2007).

I just feel blessed to be running in the same race as some of the greats and legends of the sport. For now its time to start tapering and feeling good before the long 26.2 mile trek. After a rough week after the 10 mile USA Championships not being able to run for much of the week due to a quad strain caused by a massage and hardly able to walk that Monday. During that entire week I saw Neil Chasan, owner of Bellevue SportsPhysical Therapy Center. After five days of flexibility, ultra sounds, electrical stim, and a good job taping the quad to get extra blood flowing through that area to promote recovery I was able to get to 100% by that Friday. Seemed almost a miracle since I could barely walk on Monday.

Neil helped Asses my mechanics, and found several imbalances that he and I will work on after the marathon to put me in even better shape then I am from this training cycle. That is exciting for me because I knew that I had this imbalance for a while, but did nothing about it. I was a little burned out from doing all the little things such as flexibility, drills, weights, and core routine. So I stopped doing all the little things completely. I have not done any since last track season, some four months ago. Part of it is traveling all around Europe getting distracted by many things and the fact that in Ukraine the act of running and stretching is really bizarre to people, I didn’t even attempt to do any of the little important things that help with injury prevention and imbalances.

For example my hip flexors are very tight that carried over from this summers Europe Tip. I hope that after working on the flexibility and strength work that I will pick up that signature kick that is so often needed at the end of a professional race, as there is usually more then one athlete left with 400 meters to go.

I decided to wait to make my descision to run NYC marathon until I got healthy and attempted a workout. So Monday Oct 12th I attempted my first workout, a 14 mile tempo on the familiar Sammamish River trail at marathon pace. The workout by surprise went really well, enough to make me want to add a couple miles to the end of the workout. After a solid week of training I decided that NYC Marathon is in the cards! I am excited to give it a real go, and this time take a real swing for the fence. On November 1st, I will get a chance to battle it out with the best in the country and the world! With US Olympians such as Abdi Abdirahman, Ryan Hall, Meb keflezighi, Brian Sell, Jorge Torres, and Bolota Asmerom. The

Americans are followed by two-time winner and defending champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil (2006, 2008) headlines an all-star field of former champions including Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa (2004), Paul Tergat (2005 and former World Record Holder) and Martin Lel of Kenya (2003, 2007).

I just feel blessed to be running in the same race as some of the greats and legends of the sport. For now its time to start tapering and feeling good before the long 26.2 mile trek.

USA 10 Mile Championships

2009-10-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend it was the USA 10 mile champs on Oct 4th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was to be my last race before NYC Marathon on Nov 1st. Its a great workout as I prepare for the biggest marathon of my life in NYC, running against the best in the world as four previous champs are coming back and six Olympians from US are running (its also the USA Championships this year). All in the biggest media market in the world.

Training was going pretty ideally at that point, as every week I was improving by leaps and bounds. The Thursday before the race I went in for my customary massage. Of course massage is suppose to help you get loose and ready to go before the big one. Well not in this case the massage caused some damage... straining my quad causing damage to connective tissue, tendon, and some muscle (up by the groin area). Of course I just jogged the next two days before a race thinking I could possibly run through it.

I was sweating it not sure what I should do, run or not run? I did what most any runner would do and push through the pain, racing on pure adrenaline. The problem is the gravity of a hilly course.

Other then the quad it was perfect conditions for the race, about 50º no noticeable wind, and finally no rain as last year it pored for about 2 hours of our race (I ran the US Marathon Champs here last year to finish 5th).

MILE SPLITS: 4:33, 4:47, 4:56, 4:53, 4:52, 4:58, 5:07, 4:49, 4:49, 4:40.

I got out kicked, as my quad could not go any more. After the race I could barely cool down as my quad was as sore I had the G-Limp going and not by choice. I always wanted to be Snoop Dog, but not this way.

Since then I was not able to run on Monday and Tuesday, but getting much better as I have been seeing Neil Chasan , a great physical therapist out in Bellevue, WA. We have been working on flexibility, ultra sounds, electrical stim, and a good job taping the quad to get extra blood flowing through that area to promote recovery.

This Wednesday for the first time I was able to run almost pain free, on an Alter G treadmill, thanks to University of Washington and Greg Metcalf (my college coach). It's basically a treadmill where you can set how much of your body weight you run with as you run in a bubble from waist down. I ran at 65% body weight and felt like a feather, great machine... so I am still prayerful and optimistic for a quick recovery to try to salvage my training for the marathon. As soon as I get a 100% I will make the final decision on whether to run the race or not.

I am completely trustful in the situation that God will use this for good; I know he has something up his sleeve. In the mean time I ask for a quick prayer.

Men's Top-15 *Full Results

1.	Abi Abdirahman	46:35
2.	Joshua Moen	46:38
3.	Patrick Smyth	47:09
4.	Jason Lehmkuhle	47:16
5.	Ian Burrell	47:41
6.	Max King	47:58
7.	Anthony Famiglietti	48:09
8.	Mike Spence	48:13
9.	Craig Curley	48:15
10.	Joshua Eberly	48:26
11.	Mike Sayenko	48:28
12.	Chris Rombough	48:41
13.	Zachary Hine	48:45
14.	Stephan Shay	48:52
15.	Michael Reneau	48:53

ING Philadelphia Distance Run

2009-09-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

First time in Philly, didn't know what to expect. All I heard was how fast the race course was. I had been training for 7 weeks now and am building upon every workout. I like to think of it as a snow ball effect, every workout puts on a new layer of snow.. until you get one massive snow ball! well mine is about the size of a tennis ball right now with the hopes of growing into a nice big softball by the time Nov 1st New York City Marathon rolls around.

The conditions were nothing short of perfect, with a forecast calling for a slight chance of pain. My plan was to just try to run under 65min and go after it rather then sitting at home doing a 13 mile tempo by myself.

At the crack of the gun, I went straight to the lead pack and hung with them for two miles, the pace was a little too rich for my blood at this point of my training. Ran solo after 7miles.. To 9.5 then Joel Mwaura led for .5 then I dropped him and ran solo the rest of the way.. lightning fast course I wish I was in sub 63 shape for it so i can run with the front pack, as this is the only chance to run with a group. I did end up running 1:50 min faster then two weeks prior. Afterwords I had the treat of watching the Eagles vs. Saints.. unfortunately Eagles blew it in the second half.

One last tune up next weekend in Minnesota, USA 10 mile champs on Oct 4th.

SPLITS: 4:49, 4:43, 4:57 (15:04 - 5k), 4:59, 5:00, 5:03 (29:33 - 30:37 10k), 4:58, 4:56, 5:04, 5:04 (49:40 - 10 miles), 4:59, 4:57. 4:59, 30 sec last .1.

1. Ryan Hall - USA - 1:01:52

2. Samuel Ndereba - Kenya – 1:01:56

3. Benjamin Limo - Kenya – 1:02:01

4. Valentine Orare - Kenya – 1:02:22

5. Mike Sayenko - USA / WA – 1:05:04

6. Josh Cox - USA / CA – 1:05:09

7. Andrew Dumm - USA – 1:05:41

8. Lee Troop - Australia – 1:05:42

9. Joel Mwaura - USA / MD – 1:05:47

10. Mike McKeeman - USA / PA – 1:05:59

Super Jock N Jill Half Marathon

2009-09-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

First race or workout what ever you wanna call it was on Labor Day Sep 7th. It has officially been my 5th week of running and the plan was to use the race as a marathon workout. Meaning I was planning on running "Marathon GOAL pace". This is the premiere half marathon in Washington and usually some good folks show up. And apparently that was the case, as Ben Bruce from Nike Oregon Project decided to show up (8:26 steepler twice this year), and what I considered the favorite.

This was a week after I had gotten back home from the 8 week euro trip and was still a little tired from that but since the race was in my back yard I was able to rest a little better sleeping in my own bed.

The race went about as well as I could have hoped on the fitness that I had off of two workouts, I was very nervous before the race as my tempo four days before did not go over well as I only managed 5:17 pace for 8 miles and was really struggling the last couple.

So going back to the race, I worked in a pack of four for about 6 miles, at the point where the UW Bothell campus hills started coming. We dropped Mark Currell and it was down to Paul, Ben, and I. I stuck with them up until 10.25 at which point I knew I could not go with them any more so I just stuck to survival mode from there on out, but no one was behind me for a good quarter mile so I was able to comfortably cost in for 3rd.

After the race Ben, Steph, and I got a tour of Red Hook Brewery (also the sponsor of the race), a local favorite.

SPLITS:
4:47, 5:07, 5:03, 5:03, 5:02, 10:24, 4:55, 10:06 (50:31 - 10miles), 5:09, 5:17, 5:20, 31

RESULTS:
1. Paul Limpf 1:05:52
2. Ben Bruce 1:06:14
3. Mike Sayenko 1:06:50
4. Mark Currell 1:07:44
5. Mark Mandi 1:08:10
6. Sean Sundwall 1:09:33
7. Brett Winegar 1:09:35
8. Greg Crowther 1:10:32
9. Chris Olinger 1:10:41
10. Joshua Ricardi 1:11:06

Back to NYC!

2009-08-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

The season is rolling up quickly. As I finished the track season and a much needed break from running. The fall racing schedule and goals were laid out. I am excited to announce my participation in this years New York Marathon on November 1st. It will be my second time running the marathon through the streets of Manhattan, but this time the actual NYC course. As last time I participated in the Olympic Trials (where the top three went to the Beijing Olympics), which was run around Central Park four times and started at time square and ran into the park on the south side.

The Marathon is also the USA Champs this year which is a huge reason on participating this year. I will get a chance to run with the best in the country and I wouldn't want it any other way. There is going to be some BIG names such as Ryan Hall (Olympian and American Record holder in the Half Marathon), Abdi Abdirahman (Olympian at the distance), Brian Sell (also an Olympian at the distance), and Meb Keflezighi (silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics and 10k AR holder). So I have my work cut out for me, but that is what I love to compete with the best.

I am looking for a huge breakthrough this year if god willing. As I have had a stellar track season thus far setting personal bests at every distance (seven distances in all). My personal best in the marathon is 2:18:35 set back in NYC in 2007 at the Olympic Trials.

1500 by 2.7 sec
3k by 5.5 sec
5k by 19 sec
10k by 42 sec
12k by 1:49 min
half marathon by 2:22 min

My season schedule looks like this:

Sep 7th - Super Jock N Jill Half Marathon
Sep 20th - Philadelphia Half Marathon
Oct 4th - USA 10 mile Championships
Nov 1st - NYC Marathon (also the USA Champs)

Check back for updates about my trip to London and Ukraine and the first race coming up shortly.

God Bless!

Paris Vacation

2009-08-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

The above is Vincent Van Gogh inside Museum de'Orsay

yes I painted this, cant you see? I really liked the smooth soothing technique and the colors Claude Monet used here

Me enjoying a scrumptious French Crape, essentially a really thin pancake with Banana and Nutella

Yes we have one of those in New York, as a present from France

Good ol French Picnic with a Baguette, Cheese, lunch meat, and Whine

Yes, we pulled this all from a grocery store and even managed to get a cork screw from a waiter in a restaurant.

Of course had to get a night view of the Tower

In front of the Ecole Militaire, there was a museum inside but was closed at the time I got there so I got a tour of the canons

The Grand Palace

The Opera House, Le Palais Garnier

Inside The Opera House very beautiful

Salvidor Dali Museum inside the Place du Tertre (Espace Dali), me in front of the famous Melting Clock

Secre Coeur Church.

Beggars are clever in Paris one dude somehow managed to get a bracelet on my finger, after I repeatedly refused. he then proceeded to weave it into a bracelet giving me some cheesy story about how I'm suppose to make two wishes one before I enter the Church Secre Coeur and then one inside, and of course wanted money which is why i didn't want to get involved in the first place. Of course said he will give me a good price of only 10 euros... haha funny i said ill give him my change which was about 2.50 but i still felt like i got robbed in a nice way, so u can bargain with just about anything in Europe, that is my tithing to the church for the day, LOL

Dinner, fine dining, a cafe... tasty salmon

Outside of a Futurism Museum, that's why you see all the crazy pipes and such on the outside

Maggie and I in front of the Notre Dame

Me climbing up the Eiffel with my bare hands

at the middle top, of course you had to pay more to be at the very top

Eiffel at night just sooo good it lights up with sparkling lights for 5min at the start of every hour past 10, esp with cheese and wine, another big walking day saw Salvidor Dali work, Monet, Picasso, Renuar, the opera le palais garnier, walked.

Yes you have to see the Eiffel twice, during the day time and night

Inside the Louvre Museum, HUGE.. about 1k around with three floors

The Entrance is the Pyramid

Yes that is me in front of the Mona Lisa, nothing spectacular except for the crowd

Picasso Museum, this was one of my favorites, the composition was really dynamic and the use of shadow to portray sort of a sculpture in Oil Paints really stood out to me

Yum, best Felafel's you have ever had, in the Jewish district at L'As Du Fallafel

more of the Salvidor Dali museum

the Jewish district

Museum National d'historie naturelle

yes Salvidor Dali made all things, furniture, statues, paintings, advertising, acting.. an amazing man with an amazing mustash

Paris was great, after my last race in Belgium I partyed with all the Americans in Leuven, Belgium on July 26th after the races in Brasschaat. Then the following day, Moday I took a train to Brussels, Beglgium Nord (North) , 20 min train ride. Then took the Euro Star to Paris, France which was about one hour. Where I met up Maggie, a friend of mine from Seattle who was studying abroad in Rome, and on her way back home stopped by Paris for five days. I ended up missing the Tour De France by one day, as it ended in Paris on July 26th, Sunday. I wish I got to see that as well but cant do everything.

Was lots of fun with lots of walking, probobly walked about 5 to 6 miles a day so my week off of running and getting out of shape. I got to see pretty much the whole city, but as far as really taking in some of the museums it was hard. You can litteraly spend more then one day in the Louvre Museum alone. I had no French experience and sadley didnt come away with a whole lot more but people were nicer then I thought, as everyone always says they are kind of rude to the Americans.

Saw things such as Musee d'Orsay, impressionist art, climbed the eiffel tower, Notra Dame inside out, Latin quaters, Eiffel tower, Louvre Museum, Bastille, Grand Palace, Pantheon, Palais Royal China town (nothing impressive there), Museum Natural, Museum Picasso which I really enjoyed after seeing alot of Renissance Art it was a nice break, and much more.

2009 Atletiek Vlaanderen (Brasschaat - Flander's Cup)

2009-08-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last race was on July 26th in Brasschaat, Belgium. My last chance to get a PR. It was the last meet of the season with a strong field. I have been racing since January and was ready for a break after this race.

Yet another low key track lined with trees around the entire stadium. It was a great opportunity, the race was set up just as I wanted but I blew it with a lap to go as I came through in 12:40 with one lap to go, 9 seconds faster then I have ever came through with a lap to go. I blew it and ran a 70 second last lap, which usually I close in under 65 seconds. So I ended up running 13:50.1 which was 0.37 off my Personal Record (PR). Ohh well it has been a great season so no complaints there!

Season Accomplishments

I set a personal best at every distance from 1500m to Half Marathon, that is 1500m, 3k, 5k, 10k, 12k, 15k, Half Marathon
Second Fastst All Time Mark at the Half Marathon and 15k in Washington
Finished the season ranked 10th in the country at 10k
Ranked 30th in the world Indoors at 5k
Ran at Nationals at USA Indoor Track and Field Championships 3k, Outdoor Track and Field Championships 10k, Half Marathon Championships, 15k USA Championships

I took a well deserved break after this to go sight seeing in Paris and London, 5 days in Paris and 4 days in London. More to come on the blog about the two.

SPLITS:

4:23 (1600), 8:13 (3k), 8:46 (3200), 12:40 (with a lap to go - this is the quickest I have ever came through with a lap to go by 9 seconds)

Video of the Race

Results

5000 meter AC Heren Men A
Reeks:1
1 1147 TASAMA FAISA Dame* RFCL 13'34.97 Sen 87
2 9626 Sato Yuki JAP 13'35.32 Sen 86
3 9502 Bauhs Scotty USA 13'35.39 Sen 86
4 9567 Kennealy Mark IRL 13'36.71 Sen 00
5 9653 Vaugh Brent USA 13'37.16 Sen 84
6 9637 Slimani Kaddour ITA 13'37.30 Sen 79
7 9571 Kibet Moses UGA 13'37.84 Sen 91
8 9514 Butter Michel NED 13'38.09 Sen 85
9 9600 Nakao Yusei JAP 13'38.93 Sen 84
10 9542 Gillis Eric CAN 13'40.21 Sen 80
11 9612 Pierce Jon USA 13'41.00 Sen 83
12 9572 Kitamura Satoru JAP 13'41.44 Sen 86
13 9517 Christie Mark IRL 13'42.28 Sen 85
14 9555 Ishikawa Suehori JAP 13'44.69 Sen 00
15 9606 Okamoto Naomi JAP 13'49.60 Sen 00
16 9627 Sayenko Mike USA 13'50.15 Sen 84
17 9578 Lakhal Irba FRA 14'09.31 Sen 75
9532 El Asrir Abberahim MAR NA Sen 00
9525 DeBole Matt USA NA Sen 84
2489 Van Steen Maarten DCLA NA Sen 80
9552 Hirt Hassan FRA NA Sen 80
9617 Quigley Sean USA NA Sen 85

1.	Jordan McNamara	14:29
2.	Mike Sayenko	14:30
3.	Matt Sheeks	15:32
4.	Sean Sundwall	15:43
5.	Phil Olson	15:54
6.	Tony Young	16:08
7.	Joshua Ricardi	16:09
8.	David McCulloch	16:11
9.	Kevin McGinnis	16:49
10.	Bryton Reim	17:02