Till I Collapse

This fall has to be one for the memory books. I have fallen in love with Coach Blackwelder’s training and it has made me feel very confident in each of my races I have entered this fall. From my opener in October at the USC XC Invitational, Vulcan 10k, Charlotte Turkey Trot 8k, and just recently USATF Club Nationals, I don’t think I have been this competitive in years.

The journey to Club Nationals started earlier this fall. I found out they were going to be in Tallahassee this year and realized that trip would be fun and a chance to mix it up with some of the best guys in the nation over 10k on the grass.  With the focus to remain strong through December, we started workouts on the grass in late September. We focused on strength over speed. Longer intervals and tempo runs to build up the aerobic capacity of the body to handle longer race later in the year.

Races started rough and each one seemed to help fine tune the engine. I was really grateful for the opportunity to race in Birmingham at the Vulcan 10k. My good friend and fellow professional runner Lauren Scott, graciously hosted me and showed me around after the race. Look for her to turn some heads this spring on the track. That 10k showed me what I needed to work on and provided insight to what I needed to do for Clubs. Also allowed me to experience a long car ride on the legs and racing the next day. Which is what I knew would happen for Clubs.

The lead up to Clubs went pretty smooth. I had a few bumps and bruises, but nothing that Brad McKay and Tiffany Schride at Performance Therapy couldn’t work out. I also have partnered with Frigid Cryotherapy. Cryotherapy has definitely rejuvenated my legs more than any ice bath I have ever taken. They also have Normatec Recovery boots there to help flush out the legs after hard sessions.

The weekend of Clubs started Thursday evening at 7PM. I locked up Gotta Run Simpsonville, picked up my friend Clay, and headed down the road on the first part of the journey to Tallahassee. We stopped in Atlanta for the night and crashed at Clay’s family’s house for the evening. Morning came too soon, and we went to a local bike path to get in an easy shakeout and strides before shuffling down the rest of the way to Florida.

The drive went pretty smooth. Only hitting traffic when we rolled into downtown Tallahassee. Immediately I went to pick up my race packet at the host hotel before heading to the course to preview it and get in a few fast strides before dinner. The course looked manageable. Rolling terrain on grass and crushed sea shells made up a loop that we would have to traverse 4 times (two 3k loops and two 2k loops). There were tons on runners looking over the course. There were a lot of pro groups there (ZAP Fitness, NAZ Elite, Hudson Elite, Adidas BAA, ETC.) and it began to set in tomorrow was going to be a battle.

After settling into the hotel and grabbing dinner, I rolled out and stretched before heading to bed early. Set my alarm to go off at 6AM so I could get breakfast in and loosen up before heading to Apalachee Park. I shoveled down a bowl of oatmeal and a couple cups of coffee (pre-race staples, actually coffee is just a staple…..without it I am unpleasant to be around for workouts). I returned to the room, lightly rolled out over the foam roller and started dynamic stretches to prime the legs for war.

I got to the course around 9:30AM. It was cold and crisp morning, with a slight breeze. I stayed hunkered down in my car and relaxed before hiking my way down to the staging area near the finish line. I ran into a couple of my friends who came down to spectate and they were nice enough to keep me company on part of my warm-up. Right as I finished jogging, there was announcement for the men’s field to make its way to the start to check in. I grabbed my bag and shuffled up to the start. I waited in line where they checked our bibs and chips on our spikes before we were assigned boxes and sent out toward the line. I finished my drills and quickly changed into my spikes and singlet with 10min till start.

In what seemed as though seconds had passed, USATF officials began screaming to get on the line. Silence overtook the herd of runners surrounding me as we all turned our heads to the starter and waited to be released onto the course.

The pace shot out very fast. I was following my coach’s instructions to get out faster than normal (2:15 at 800m based on what a friend told me) and I felt overwhelmed with everybody going out so hard so early. I was able to calm myself.  A good friend of mine, Seth Proctor (FSU XC Alum), gave me some words of advice for the course and I was sticking to them in the early parts. I was in about 60-70 position through the mile. And soon I started to slowly move up mile by mile. I came through 2mi by the finish in 9:20, and had moved up to about 50th. Already people were falling off and I began to feel more comfortable and started to test the boundaries.

Around 5k into the race. PC: Justin Britton

The second loop around the course I moved up to mid30s and as I started up the hill into the 3rd loop, I started to press the pace. In my mind a top 25 finish seems to become more of a possibility. A lot of great runners were falling behind and I started to get that swagger back that I knew I belonged here. Next thing I knew I was running beside Craig Lutz and Parker Stinson (both multiple time All-Americans in college) and realized, this is my shot. I covered surges and pushed through rough patches. With a lap to go I was in 28th, but started to feel the wheels come off.

PC: Justin Britton

I barely remember much between 9k and the last 200m of the race. I think my body naturally kept itself running. But the last 200m I found myself kicking harder than I have in a few years. I passed numerous people (at 9k I faded a bit) and just missed passing Parker Stinson at the line.

I finished 26th, had to put my legal name of Phillip Freudenthal. It’s a long story why I go by Adam.

As I flung myself across the line, I had to force myself to keep moving through the shoot. I still had no idea where I had placed or my time exactly. People were collapsing on the ground. I kept myself composed until I was able to get to the end and then proceed to puke my brains out.

I grabbed my bag and changed shoes. Ben Sessions who came down to spectate, graciously warmed down with me. 8-9min miles never felt so fast. After jogging a couple miles, it started to sink in how well I competed. Ever since Cow Harbor 10k (where I had a breakout performance in 2014), I haven’t been able to put myself in the mix and feel like I belong there. This weekend helped me find that again.

I got back to the hotel and ice bathed in the pool, and rolled out after my shower. Went out with some friends that evening and woke up early to drive back to Spartanburg. Next year Clubs will be in Louisville……and you already know I’ll be there and be shooting for a higher finished and hopefully a berth on a USA team (top15 get processed but they only take 6 that declare).

PC: Debra Thompson

As for now, I’m trying to quickly recover to run the CRIT this weekend in Columbia. I made a promise that I would some time ago. Hoping the legs have one more race in them. But I will keep running till I collapse!

I would like to take a moment to thank my family for supporting my dream, my coach Carson Blackwelder for believing in me and giving me the best training I have ever had, Brad McKay and Tiffany Schride for their expertise in keeping my legs moving and constantly assessing my gait to keep me healthy, Frigid Cryotherapy for revolutionizing my recovery, and everybody who has supported me this far. I truly thank you!

#RunHappy  #GetHyped

Road to 2016

A great deal has happened to me since my last update. As I was gearing up for The Great Cow Harbor 10k, I thought I was in phenomenal fitness after cruising a 5k on the roads in 14:33. But reality would soon set in that my health problems of the summer had been lingering. As I toed the line for a 5miler in Columbia, I felt horrible. Breathing was a struggle and I felt as though my body had been in a boxing match. Each mile got slower and more labored. To the point I could barely drive home after the race. Had to pull off on the highway a few times to rest up and gather myself.

Frustration over why I felt so sick this whole summer overwhelmed me and I finally confronted my doctor. I demanded blood work to be taken and to figure out why I have been constantly sick. After a few test samples of blood were taken I await my results with anticipation that maybe in was an infection and that Cow Harbor would be an amazing return to form. But dreams have not come true as of late. The doctor gave me heart wrenching news that I had mononucleosis. With how my symptoms have been all summer, he confirmed that I have most likely been struggling with the disease for some time.

I barely made it to the car before breaking down. It felt as though a lot had been stripped from me. “What am I suppose to do?” A kaleidoscope of emotions filled my heart and mind. I am grateful my parents were there to comfort me and tell me that I can rebound from this. My family has always been the center of my support group for my running. Through multiple coaches, schools, professional contracts, and everything else these years of competitive running have taken me through, they never waiver as my foundation of love and support.

With a heavy heart I contacted the the race director for Cow  Harbor and my host family to break the news. Both were supportive and graciously told me they looked forward to seeing me in 2016. Soon anger and frustration turned to motivation. I quickly emailed a guy to consider coaching me, and mapped out a 5 week plan to eat healthy, rest  as much as possible, and slowly start jogging again.

I do not recall the last time I have endured such a long period of no physical activity. Even with some of my potential career ending injuries, I was able to cross train. With mono, no such option. A ruptured spleen did not sound appealing to me. Luckily the weeks ticked by. I work part time at a running store in town (Gotta Run Spartanburg, so if you are ever in the area please come by and say hello!) and at the YMCA as the site director for the After School Program, so that consumed my time and got my mind off my personal training and racing. Also grateful for my friends Matt Elliott, Kim Ruck, Seth Proctor, Rob DelViscio, and a few other people who always positive forces to keep my mind on the end goal: that I would be back to the grind.

I have been meeting with my coach the past few weeks and this is my second week of running. Granted it is not much, but I am blessed that I am able to shuffle along again and get into a core routine. The road is going to be bump and full of struggles, doubts, and set backs. But I can tell you one thing, those are the struggles I look forward to. I definitely believe God puts us through struggles to see how strong we are. He never gives us more than we can take and also does these to let us look at the whole picture and seek him to help heal not only our body’s but our souls. I have a new mindset going back to competitive running after this: have fun, enjoy the process, and if you can take it, you can make it! I will no longer take this sport for granted.

I would like to take a moment to thank my family and friends for being there for me in this difficult time and always supporting me. And I have a long overdue thank you. This is to Maggie MacKenzie. Without her love and support, this blog would not be here. She helped me work on it tirelessly and she did a great job helping me get it up and running. Thank you Maggie.

Till next time, #findyourstrong.

Trials to Miles

The key to our sport is consistency, and the only thing that was consistent during most of February and March was the fact that I was unable to run. After the 3k I hopped in with my good friend Matthew Elliott at ETSU, I ended up developing an issue with my posterior tib. Luckily Dr. Jack and my masseuse Casey at Southeast Sports helped me get back on track to have a solid March, but that was short lived.

About halfway through March, I developed a soreness in my throat. And a severe cough. I ended up going to urgent care twice. First time they said it was the common cold and another few days of struggling through running I returned to find out I had bronchitis. After getting on medication I thought I was clear, and I was quiet wrong. Just a few days later I ended up “sleeping” most of the evening on the bathroom floor with a fever. Needless to say I lost 6lbs in the course of the night and the flu was upon me.  I rode out four glorious days in my bed. Between trying to get my calorie intake back up and the countless number of Netflixing I did, my mind could not get off the fact that I couldn’t run and I was missing training. It sucked to dropout of the 15k in Columbia, then scratch Reedy River, and have to call the race director at Cooper to tell her I could not make it. Frustration was clouding my mind.

Why couldn’t I catch a break? I just wanted to get out there and compete and show my fitness. The string of success I had during the winter really amped me up for a spring that I was hoping would smash my record book. Instead I had to battle health issues and self doubt to get this train back on the track.

Week after week I looked toward my comeback race at the Riker Danzig Newport 10000. I was lucky enough to hop in a 3k at my alma mater the week before Newport. Coach Ben Paxton (who am I very grateful to have been coached by and who helped develop me into the running I am today) let me into the race. The day before I did a long interval workout and used the 3k to simulate how I would feel at the end of the 10k. Well I can tell you, I felt bad. Never knew a seven and a half lap race could feel longer than a 10k. But each stride was rough. I was spent when I finished. I kept reminding myself….I had the flu. It will take time to get back.

I never like going backwards. That is exactly what I felt like was happening. Nothing felt as smooth as before. But that race at Winthrop was exactly what I needed. My next few workouts exceed my expectations. My tempo was back down to normal pacing and so was the speed segments. I found a renewed confidence in my running again. And it helped to have my friend Kimberly Ruck to keep me positive.

Finally my trip to Newport had arrived. I flew up to Newark on Thursday after a light prerace workout. The plane rides were as comfortable as a plane ride can be for a guy that is 6’2″. My adventure started off with navigating the train system to the subways to take me to Newport. Only thing is I feel asleep on my subway and wound up in the heart of Manhattan by the Freedom Tower. I acted like I knew what I was doing, but quickly ducked back down into the subway and hitched the next ride back across the river. I finally got to the hotel and posted up for the night. Grabbing dinner and some snacks I quickly passed out from the days events.

The next day was beautiful. Woke up and made some coffee as I studied the course on my computer and watched the morning news. I tried my best to memorize the course, but after looking over it for an hour I decided that I would just do my best to figure it out. As I stepped out of the hotel It became apparent that I was under dressed. It was a crisp morning as I navigated the course. The scenery was beautiful. especially the neighborhoods the course traverse through. I was getting excited and anxious to race. Also came back to a package at the hotel from Saucony with my race kit in it. Gotta love a sponsor who personally delivers to you on the fly!

My best friend Maggie came in from Fairfield to come watch my race. We got a late lunch together and walked around the mall. We we ended up hanging out until I headed to dinner with the other athletes. They race director Will Fodor treated us to an amazing pasta dinner. I got to meet some of the race coordinators at the dinner and it was a lot of fun to talk about the New Jersey area and share where I was from. Soon the dinner was over and I ventured back to the hotel to prep for the morning.

Morning came and I threw on my warmups, grabbed my bag and Generation UCAN and headed out the door. I started my warmup with Kimberly. Easy 20min along the last few miles of the course and proceeded to jam out and do drills as I put on my kit and flats. As I started to stride over to the start my nerves were on end. Then there I was on the line. That moment of complete calm before utter chaos. Every body slightly lowering into their starting positions. Seconds pass like hours. Then….GO!.

We started off quick, well for my current fitness it felt quick but I committed myself to holding on to the leaders as long as I could. That was the game plan and when the monkey jumped on my back I would sort that out as it came. Quickly the nationalized Kenyan was laying on serious surges in the first mile. I just laid back and maintained contact. We circled back to toward the start and we had developed into a solid pack. A moment of panic occurred as we did a 180 turn and some loose gravel sent people sliding and me well off course onto the sidewalk. I accidentally bumped into Donn Cabral as I corrected my course and surged back. The next two miles started taking its toll on my and I fell off the pace.

Former teammate Ricky Flynn passed me and I tried to rally to go with but he just motored by. I kept trying to hold form and push. And when I got to five miles I found a new gear and started to clip away. I steadily moved up from 8th to 6th and finished in 30:20. I was disappointed I could not crack into the top 5 but I was happy with a solid comeback to racing after about a month off from issues.

The rest of my visit to NJ was short. I had only a few hours to get cleaned up and grab lunch with Maggie. We explored the waterfront and some local eateries before she was sweet enough to drive me to Newark Airport. Apparently my train skills did not impress her and she felt the need to personally make sure that I did not end up in another town. It was a great way to end a fun trip to the Northeast. I will be back Newport and watch out Cow Harbor because I am hungry to get after it there!

I am taking the next week to just put some mileage on my legs and heal up from the race. I don’t wanna rush back into intense training and have another set back. I am really blessed to have amazing sponsors, family, and friends to help me through the trials we face in life. They are in my corner and I am ready to get after my goals. Till next time everybody!

#FINDYOURSTRONG