Support Comes in Twos: Saucony and ProCompression

This week I want to take a moment to thank two new sponsors I've been able to add to "Team Marco" this year. I like to think of sponsors as key ingredients in the support network almost every runner has to invariably create to successfully compete post-collegiately. 

Whether you train your butt off to make an Olympic team or just to shave a few more seconds off that personal best - having someone outside your little support group give you the nod means a lot. So, on that note, thank you to Saucony and ProCompression for the support this year. 

I'm pleased to be representing another local San Diego company in ProCompression. There are a lot of compression sock companies out there but I believe this has to be one of the better ones. They have a simple and comfortable compression sock (in tons of colors!) but it gets the job done in both recovery and competition. 

The Saucony Hurricane Program offers great support and an opportunity to take part in Saucony events regionally. I'm excited to get to know the regional reps and compete for an organization that has an eye out for the running community at large. 

I've only been out of college going on three years but it has become apparent that finding your support (#FindYourStrong) year in and year out to continue training is so important. It's tough for sure, but with a positive attitude and friendly spirit you will be surprised at whom you find are willing to help. 

I'm going to close up with my tentative racing schedule for this spring and summer. Maybe you'll be at a few meets on this list! 

April 7 - Carlsbad 5k - Open Division

April 13 - Pomona-Pitzer Invite - 1500 

April 18-20 - Mt. SAC - 1500 

April 28 - Payton Jordan - 1500 or 5k 

May 4 - Oxy Invite - 1500 or 5k 

May 19 - Bay to Breakers 12k  

June 1 - Jim Bush Invite - 800 or 1500 

June 2 - State Street Mile 

June 5 - Summer Nights Series - Mile 

June 19 - Summer Nights Series - 800 

June 22 - Bonita 5k 

June 26 - Summer Night Series - 1k 

July 4 - Alliant Energy 8k 

This makes for a long racing season and there will definitely have to be some adjustments in there to maintain fitness over the several months of racing. However, I've set myself up well early and look forward to mixing and matching these racing opportunities. I'm putting myself a little out of my element but I like that challenge. 

Once again, thanks Saucony and ProCompression! Thanks for reading! 

- Who can you inspire? 

Cuyamaca 6k, Update

Here are some recent race results:

10/20/12 Cougar Challenge 8k - 26:24/22nd

11/3/12 Cuyamaca 6k - 18:59/3rd

I had planned on competing at the San Diego Association meet this past weekend but was forced to pull out at 2k because of an issue I've been having with a minor rib injury. Who knew you could aggravate a rib by sitting in one position too long?

If you think you can, you will! 

Disregarding this past weekend's DNF this fall's training progression has been going very well. I have continued to improve my strength and flexibility and been able to alleviate a lot of the pain I had once felt down my leg. In turn my running has been able to improve. I'm still a long way off of where I would like to be but I'm ever optimistic.

I have two more races planned (Dana Point Turkey Trot and US Club XC) however both of those now depend on how my mysterious rib injury heals and available funds ($$$).

To end I'll comment on the picture to the right. It's pretty self-explanatory and it's message is clear. The power of positive thinking (one of my Ps I try to practice- Patience, Perseverance, and Positivity) goes a long way in making dreams and plans a reality. Plus, no one wants to be around a Debbie Downer!

Happy Running!

Santa Monica 5000

My second race of the fall was last week (October 7th) at the Santa Monica 5000. I was looking forward to getting onto the roads after a pretty challenging cross country course a few weeks earlier. I had been dissatisfied with the way I had competed in my first race out and so I had a concrete goal to stay engaged during this race.

My training indicated I was probably good for something in the mid 15s for the 5k and that is just about where I fell in (15:46). Excluding a sleepy mile two, where I ran a bit slow, I managed to run strongly throughout the entire race and caught 4-5 competitors the last mile or so. The course was simple and scenic. Starting out just south of the Santa Monica Pier looping back around to Ocean Ave before making a quick u-turn to finish at the Pier.

Somewhere the last mile. 

The lead group went out quickly but that wasn't where my race was going to be. I had no choice but to let them go and concentrate on staying positive and running within myself. I floated around 15th-20th place through most of the first half of the race before I could notice runners ahead of me tiring a bit. I knew the last 1200 or so of the course was going to be on a slight decline and I wanted to make sure my momentum was really picking up the last mile.
I counted 4-5 runners lined up ahead of me and set out to catch them one by one. I probably missed one or two but I came away with a solid effort and great weekend experience.

Steve Murdock and I had driven up from San Diego together and roomed the night before. We had some time to kill before check-out so we took our stuff down to the beach and cooled off in the waves. The ocean was a refreshing reminder that everything can start anew. As quickly as you can build something you can also wash it away, but, you can always rebuild it again. Just like my fitness slowly but surely continues to improve. I should always value my ability to train hard and race well, and I will.

A big thanks to the organizers of the Santa Monica 5000. They put on a great event in a great city. Hospitality was amazing and I definitely look forward to racing there again! Another shout out should go to Forest Braden and the UCLA Men's AND Women's cross country squads for both achieving top 25 rankings at the same time for the first time in school history. "Witness the Fitness" indeed! Great job crew!

Next up are two cross country races (at Cal State San Marcos and another locally in SD) before Thanksgiving festivities! Hope to see you out there!