Sligo Runner

There Are No Junk Miles By Kenny Ames There are no junk miles. Every mile run is an accomplishment. Every step we take and continue in motion is an achievement. If you attach a purpose to each run, then you assign meaning to every mile. How could that be junk? Some would offer a definition of junk miles as being those that are not adding to overall performance. They may believe there are no bad miles, but that these excessive miles are not optimal for performance. One coach may say any run that isn’t a quality session or long run is junk. The theory is that some miles are useful but others useless or even counterproductive. I don’t subscribe to that theory. I argue that there are many reasons why we run, so how could they be junk? Some miles are faster than others. I don’t try to run my track mile pace while pushing the double Bob up a hill. Some miles I take easier than others, which is advisable. Instead of viewing these miles as junk, examine just why do we run? I run for he...

Marathon Number 50: The Shamrock Marathon's 50th Running There is a thin line between a monumental achievement and just another solid marathon. For a few miles of my running of the Shamrock Marathon, I made a tactical choice to go for it. It didn't work out, so instead of a PR in the 2:57-58 range, I "settled" for just another solid marathon time of 3:01. Which is ridiculous that I even typed that considering it took me 11 years to even break 3:01. Maybe as I gain more marathon experience, I also gain an appreciation that I'm even able to constantly flirt with sub 3s and that just missing means I still ran a good race. And my streak of winning marathons ends at 1. At the expo Saturday update March 19 I drove my family down to VA Beach. It was an uneventful ride as the boys mostly slept. Upon arrival, we dropped off our bags at the hotel and got lunch while waiting for our room to be ready. We grabbed sandwiches at a lunch spot a few blocks away. Then we went to th...

The mental game and running By Kenny Ames I raced my forty-ninth marathon and got my first win on Nov. 7. I’m not the fastest runner in most races, but every now and again I get the opportunity to compete in my age group or win outright. As experienced runners know, getting a win, setting a personal best, or just having a good race requires conquering doubts as much as hard physical training. "Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up." Amby Burfoot Just before 8am, I lined up for the Cross County Trail Marathon. It was my first in-person marathon since the 2019 Marine Corps, and I had an audacious goal: to win. I led off the line for a minute before another runner passed me and set the pace. The crushed stone and rocks and roots didn’t let me get into my desired pace, so I let him go. It was a brutal start, I was in second place and off of my other goal of g...

I WON! I won a marathon! I have won shorter races (5 miler, 5K) but this was my first (and possibly only) marathon win!! I o vertook the leader with 2.5 to go and hung on for the W. I finished third overall and second male in the Hatfield McCoy Marathon in 2016. I came in second overall and first master's runner in 2018 at Deadwood, South Dakota Marathon. This victory, however, will forever be special. What an amazing rush and feel to be able to cross the finish line of a marathon first overall! First place! This was my first marathon wearing my Montgomery Road Runners Club singlet. I figured since I did many morning track sessions and hill routes with the club, I should represent. The day started out fine. It was perfect marathon weather in the 30s/40s to start - I was shivering on the line, as it should be. I had felt lightheaded 20 minutes before the race due to a head rush, but that had passed. The Cross County Trail Marathon is actually run on a trail - go figure! I would say ...

Planning is Essential for the Run-Commute By Kenny Ames As many workers return to the office, the runners in us may be afraid of losing time to run. Fortunately, some of us may have the option to run to and from work. For the last five years, I have become an expert in the run-commute. When I became a father, my schedule changed, and the only way I could fit in the time for a proper run was to get my miles to and from the office. And sometimes, I have had to commute by pushing the jogging stroller. Early on, I discovered that the key to the run-commute is planning. The considerations are: what do you have to bring with you (clothes, laptop, towel, toiletries), how are you going to bring it (backpack, drawstring, stroller), do you have a shower at work (is it just a shower or does it have towel and toiletries?), and can you store clothes at work? At work, I have a drawer where I store clean clothes, hooks and hangers for my suits and shirts, and even a dry cleaner onsite. I have both a ...

 I returned to the track back in May. During the pandemic, I had lost motivation and was just concerned with getting in my miles. There were lots of virtual races I ran from 5Ks and 10K and even a few mile attempts. The longest virtual run I raced was the Boston Marathon in September of 2020 that I ran on the Anacostia River Trail, starting in Hyattsville, going down to the Frederick Douglass Bridge then up to Lake Artemesia.  But I wasn't really doing any speed. I hadn't run track in years. Worried that my VO2Max was declining with age and unable to find the fifth gear I used to have, I joined Tuesday Northwood Before Dawn, a group that runs track. My first few sessions were a struggle as my ego was bruised by the slower than I'm used to times. After about a month, I noticed that my speed was returning. This translated into better tempo sessions as I continue to train for Cherry Blossom and a fall marathon, probably Boston on October 11. More importantly, my confidence ret...