Well it happened again, I sidetracked myself once again. I doubt that many people will see this blog since its been so long. Its not how many times your thrown off the horse its getting back on to ride again...or something like that. Basically my life the past few weeks has consisted of working two jobs, and getting my school situation figured out. After some thought I ended up going to the community college near me for this semester in order to get some credits, raise my gpa and hopefully build a springboard with which I can get into another school that provides me with some good opportunities. As for running, well I've had a lot of day 1's lately but not many day 2's and definitely no day 3's. That is until today. I started back with a real plan and hope that this carries me towards my goals of getting back to the top of the NCAA. There is a saying that you don't appreciate what you have until it is gone. Well for me that is abundantly true. I did not appreciate the gift that I was given to be able to run well until I had lost the team I ran for, and was able to step away from the sport and realize what I truly love about it. What I love about running is the competition against myself. There aren't many other sports where at the end of the competition the only person you can criticize or blame is yourself, and that's what I love about running. I'm not calling this a comeback, I'm just making a commitment to run this week, and when I get to the end of this week hopefully I can say that I'll run next week. Overall I just want this to lead to me getting as fit as possible and trying to bring myself back into competitive racing shape and hopefully run for another school at the top of the NCAA.
So after that long rant about life and running, I guess I'll let you know how the actual running went. I ran on Saturday and Sunday with Brendan Fennell, a former American University and Pearl River High School runner who I've trained with the past few years off and on. We went 6miles the first day only averaging 7:15 a mile but the last few miles were under 7. Today went 4miles in 30minutes easy on the roads. This snow isn't the best for starting back running but I've got to play the hand I'm dealt. Anyways, thanks for reading if your reading, and hopefully I'll be back next week.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
Hell Week
The first week back training is always the worst for me. Finding the motivation to get out the door is especially difficult when you know what kind of pain your in for because of how unfit you are. This week went as well as any first week could have gone. This week I also managed to set up a full training schedule for the next four months. I've decided to slowly build up my mileage do some workouts and race three times during the indoor season. Then I'll take a brief down period before going full bore into training for some outdoor races.
This week was hell week for a number of reasons. Mainly because of how unfit I felt, but also because of the torture I put myself through by getting barely any sleep because I had so many papers due. Sunday night I got zero hours of sleep, Monday was a whopping two hours, Tuesday I recovered a little before getting zero again Wednesday night. College classes plus work plus getting back into training left my body pretty dead but the semesters almost over and I'm sure my body will adjust to everything fine.
Saturday is also the NCAA regional championships, and while I'm no longer on the Iona team I still have great support for everyone racing in Connecticut today. They put in the work and "transcended the bullshit" and are just one stepping stone away from the national championship where I'm sure they are podium material. On a smaller scale it is also the New York State championships where my high school is going to be competing for a state title, the first one since my freshman year. Good luck to everyone. Here's how my week of running went:
Saturday
4miles
27min
Ran from my house to the PR middle school trail did some loops then back home
Sunday
7miles
48min
Ran with Tommy Lappas, did a PR-TZ loop. felt alright but prbly shouldn't have gone this far on the 2nd day
Monday
4miles
26min
Ran between classes on nature study in New Ro. felt fine, hammered because I was by myself and I tend to do that
Tuesday
4miles
25:50
Ran between classes again on nature study
Wednesday
4miles
25:12
Ran between classes again on nature study, legs have been feeling fine but I can't be hammering everyday
Thursday
5miles
35:50
Ran with the high school team easy on highview loop. felt good to run easy, those guys look ready to do work at states
Friday
3miles
20min
Ran with cahill between classes. Felt fine
Week Total: 31miles
Overall it feels good to have this week behind me. Next week I'm going to go up a little but nothing major, but I'm also going to start a core/drills routine. Basically I'm going to be doing most of the same stuff I did at Iona plus some other stuff.
Making sure that I remember to keep doing the small things from the start is very important as well. I have to keep reminding myself that everything I do now will play a role in how I perform in the future. So eating/drinking right, getting sleep, stretching, and doing core/drills/strides/stretching, all will benefit me in the future and help me reach my maximum potential.
Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone in their upcoming week of training
This week was hell week for a number of reasons. Mainly because of how unfit I felt, but also because of the torture I put myself through by getting barely any sleep because I had so many papers due. Sunday night I got zero hours of sleep, Monday was a whopping two hours, Tuesday I recovered a little before getting zero again Wednesday night. College classes plus work plus getting back into training left my body pretty dead but the semesters almost over and I'm sure my body will adjust to everything fine.
Saturday is also the NCAA regional championships, and while I'm no longer on the Iona team I still have great support for everyone racing in Connecticut today. They put in the work and "transcended the bullshit" and are just one stepping stone away from the national championship where I'm sure they are podium material. On a smaller scale it is also the New York State championships where my high school is going to be competing for a state title, the first one since my freshman year. Good luck to everyone. Here's how my week of running went:
Saturday
4miles
27min
Ran from my house to the PR middle school trail did some loops then back home
Sunday
7miles
48min
Ran with Tommy Lappas, did a PR-TZ loop. felt alright but prbly shouldn't have gone this far on the 2nd day
Monday
4miles
26min
Ran between classes on nature study in New Ro. felt fine, hammered because I was by myself and I tend to do that
Tuesday
4miles
25:50
Ran between classes again on nature study
Wednesday
4miles
25:12
Ran between classes again on nature study, legs have been feeling fine but I can't be hammering everyday
Thursday
5miles
35:50
Ran with the high school team easy on highview loop. felt good to run easy, those guys look ready to do work at states
Friday
3miles
20min
Ran with cahill between classes. Felt fine
Week Total: 31miles
Overall it feels good to have this week behind me. Next week I'm going to go up a little but nothing major, but I'm also going to start a core/drills routine. Basically I'm going to be doing most of the same stuff I did at Iona plus some other stuff.
Making sure that I remember to keep doing the small things from the start is very important as well. I have to keep reminding myself that everything I do now will play a role in how I perform in the future. So eating/drinking right, getting sleep, stretching, and doing core/drills/strides/stretching, all will benefit me in the future and help me reach my maximum potential.
Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone in their upcoming week of training
Saturday, November 6, 2010
New Beginnings
Hi, Welcome to my blog. Many of you already know me, but for those of you who don't my name is Mike Hickey. I am a runner from Rockland County, New York. I ran for Pearl River High School where I established myself as one of the top runners in New York State. After High School I went on to Iona College where I spent a year and a half running for the Gaels. Right now I am in a runner's limbo. I am no longer on the team at Iona due to some disciplinary actions that I received, so I am starting back into my training and looking for a school to attend/run for.
In High School I began running freshman year, but didn't really get into the sport until my sophmore year. That year I was able to be counted among the top runners in the state and that motivated me to train hard, and distinguish myself in cross country and on the track. Most things remained the same, I was basically a solid performer but nobody special, until my senior year. Senior year I was able to place 3rd at the state meet, which was dissapointing, but looking back losing to two national champions in Chris Stogsdill and Alex Dier is nothing to be ashamed of I guess. On the track I ran a pr of 4:18 indoors before getting the flu and basically ending my season, then in the spring i ran a pr of 8:35 in the 3k at penn relays before running a series of dissapointing races before nationals where i placed 7th in the 5k and running 15:11.
After High School I went on to attend Iona College. Iona is a school that is not very far from where I live, yet it is one of the best xc programs in the country. They have been in the top 10 at nationals for the past 8 years I believe and it was an honor to be able to go there. Thinking back on this, I realize that I never really appreciatted what I had at Iona, and instead of working hard my first year in order to take advantage of the amazing training situation I was in I instead decided to party and have a good time. My second year I came back determined to train, and I ran a series of good races. Running 26:16 at van cortland park, and 25:03 at the Princeton Invitational. However eventually I fell back into my old crowd and wound up partying again and for this I wasn't allowed to return to the team for next semester.
Now that I am on my own, without a program to run for, I begin to realize the potential that I have within myself to run some competitive times. I have never gotten in what most people would consider consistent training for more than 2 months at a time before I get either discouraged, distracted, bored, or sick. I have never had a full winter or training, and my summer training usually starts in early-mid august for the xc season. So basically the main purpose of this blog is to document the trials and tribulations that I go through this winter and spring as I prepare to train on my own and hope to run some races that I can truly be proud of. Thank you for reading, and next week I'll come back and post my training and whats happened during the course of the week.
In High School I began running freshman year, but didn't really get into the sport until my sophmore year. That year I was able to be counted among the top runners in the state and that motivated me to train hard, and distinguish myself in cross country and on the track. Most things remained the same, I was basically a solid performer but nobody special, until my senior year. Senior year I was able to place 3rd at the state meet, which was dissapointing, but looking back losing to two national champions in Chris Stogsdill and Alex Dier is nothing to be ashamed of I guess. On the track I ran a pr of 4:18 indoors before getting the flu and basically ending my season, then in the spring i ran a pr of 8:35 in the 3k at penn relays before running a series of dissapointing races before nationals where i placed 7th in the 5k and running 15:11.
After High School I went on to attend Iona College. Iona is a school that is not very far from where I live, yet it is one of the best xc programs in the country. They have been in the top 10 at nationals for the past 8 years I believe and it was an honor to be able to go there. Thinking back on this, I realize that I never really appreciatted what I had at Iona, and instead of working hard my first year in order to take advantage of the amazing training situation I was in I instead decided to party and have a good time. My second year I came back determined to train, and I ran a series of good races. Running 26:16 at van cortland park, and 25:03 at the Princeton Invitational. However eventually I fell back into my old crowd and wound up partying again and for this I wasn't allowed to return to the team for next semester.
Now that I am on my own, without a program to run for, I begin to realize the potential that I have within myself to run some competitive times. I have never gotten in what most people would consider consistent training for more than 2 months at a time before I get either discouraged, distracted, bored, or sick. I have never had a full winter or training, and my summer training usually starts in early-mid august for the xc season. So basically the main purpose of this blog is to document the trials and tribulations that I go through this winter and spring as I prepare to train on my own and hope to run some races that I can truly be proud of. Thank you for reading, and next week I'll come back and post my training and whats happened during the course of the week.
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