Sunday, November 10, 2013

Fall training update

I wanted to post about my current training status as well as what I have been up to the past few weeks since my last post.  I must say I have been really busy lately.  Even though fall is my off-season I tend to be busier than when I'm traveling and competing!  But everything is going great.  Training is going well, and the club seems to be in a good place.

I think it's safe for me to say I'm 100% healed from my Achilles injury that was bugging me for most of the late summer and early fall.  I finally listened to my coach, my body, and my support crew (doctors, physical therapists, etc.) and got it under control.  My base training is in full force as I am up to three workouts a week and full mileage.  It just feels good to be back with the team and training regularly again.  Now it's just time to play a little bit of catch up!  Without overdoing it of course.

Going back a few posts ago, I laid a general outline for a typical training week for myself.  Currently I am in a base, or strength, phase.  We are doing a lot of aerobic work with long intervals and short rest.  For example, on Monday the team did 8x1000meters with 2 minutes rest.  It was a good test for me to see where I am at physically.  Aerobic sessions tend to be a weak point for me so as much as it hurts, I enjoy going out and getting a real good strength workout under my belt.  Tuesday was a recovery day and Wednesday I had a 4 mile pace run broken up into two sets of 2 miles with a 5 minute break in between.  After recovering again on Thursday, Coach Gags cranked up the intensity a little bit and decreased the volume by giving us (300, 300, 300, 400)x2 on Friday.  It was a good workout to check-in on my fast twitch fibers, as we try to make sure we don't neglect them throughout our fall training.  That workout was followed by a long run of 14 miles on Saturday and a recovery run today.  My mileage is up to 65 miles per week right now and I plan on bumping that up a little bit to 70 miles a week for most of the year.  Each year I try to progress and I feel that my body can handle a little bit more mileage this year.

But enough about me...the NJ/NY Track Club has really been doing a lot lately to help promote the club as well as raise funds for our season ahead.  We had two great fundraisers on October 20 and 23.  First, we had a BBQ and picnic fundraiser in Pittstown, NJ, where folks came out and took part in our silent auction, played games with a lot of the athletes, and conversed with us to get to know each of us a little bit better.  It was a great turnout for the first fundraiser of the year, which was also a good way for us to lead into our other fundraiser of the Fall which took place at the Yale Club in New York City a few days later.  At the Yale Club, the athletes were able to speak with a lot of fans from the metropolitan area over some drinks and hor'dourves.  And for anyone who might visit the Yale Club, I suggest you try to get your hands on some of the Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls.  They were the BOMB, for lack of a better phrase.

I would like to thank everyone that came out to support all of the athletes and coaches at both of our fundraisers.  Being able to interact with fans of the club is very rewarding for me.  It helps get me through some of the cruel workouts that Coach Gags will put us through, knowing that you are all there on the track with us rooting for our success.  Make sure to continually check out njnytc.com as we will be posting news of our races this winter, fundraisers that will be held in the future, and soon-to-be NJ/NY apparel for sale!

In other news, Starting Line Designs has started a petition that can be found here.  The petition was created in order to grab the attention of gaming companies and hopefully in the near future, we could find a track and field video game on the market.  Not a video game with Sonic or some other fictional character.  A game with real athletes and real competitions.  Click on the link above and there you'll be able to read more about the petition! Please sign it!

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Friday, September 27, 2013

ElliptiGO!

So a quick update on my training of the past two weeks, as the last time I posted, I was going through much frustration with my achilles injury that did not seem to be going away quickly.  I am happy to say that things are much improved!!  I started seeing a Physical Therapist who gave me exercises to work on both in his clinic, as well as at home, in order to strengthen my lower leg in the right way, while also speeding up the recovery of my Achilles.  I even went to see an Acupuncturist!  That has been quite an experience in itself. Getting poked with needles in various areas of the body in order to help my Achilles.  But hey…it seems to have helped!

The past few days I have been allowed, by Coach Gags, to run 30-35 minutes a day on top of the cross training that I was already doing. There is no pain and no tightness in my lower, which is a huge weight off of my shoulders, as I thought I would never be healed.  It will still be a few weeks until Coach will allow me to do any workouts, but at this point, running pain free is all I could ask for. Injuries are no fun!!

Over the past few weeks I have also had the opportunity to try a new form of cross-training in the form of the ElliptiGO.  I don’t know how many of you have heard of the rapid expanding movement that is taking over endurance training world, but these pieces of equipment are great! The easiest way to describe them is by saying they are like an elliptical mixed with a bike.  You stand on them (no sitting!) and are able to simulate running, just like a stationary elliptical that you see at the gym.  The difference is that the pedals are connected to a chain, like a bike, which allow the machine to move. They definitely turn some heads when you’re out cruising the mean streets of Princeton.

I was fortunate enough to try an ElliptiGO for the past week.  At first I wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. But from the first ride I was hooked. Using my heart rate monitor, I was able to track how much of a cardio workout I was getting.  Using multiple gears on the ElliptiGO, I was able to cater my workout to the type of terrain I was riding on.  It was a great way to get a great cardio workout in, while not having to stay stationary in a gym and lose your mind.  Also, you don’t have the impact of running on the ElliptiGO.  Muscles, joints, and ligaments all get a little bit of a rest from the impact of the ground.  It allows for your body to rebound quickly from day to day and for me, my Achilles to heal!

All in all in it has been a great couple of weeks training, thanks to my support team and the ElliptiGO.  I can’t wait to continue to progress and get back training with the NJ/NY Track Club soon!!

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

The Sponsorship Experience...

I think that my first two years in the post-collegiate running world have been a solid two years for me as an athlete.  Are there some goals that I did not achieve yet? Yes.  I will be the first to admit that.  But making a World Championship Final (2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 800 meters), running the World 'A' Standard more than once, and having a decent performance at the 2013 USA Outdoor Championships (7th place) are a few of the things that I pride myself on.  Two years ago, if anyone would have told me that I would accomplish these things and not have a stable financial sponsorship, I would have told them that they must not know anything about track and field.  Yet, here I sit, still training in my UConn track and field apparel, as the one who was so naive to think things would be different.

I'm not writing this for anyone to read it and say, "Aww, poor Mike.  I feel really bad for him." No.  That's the exact opposite of what I want people to take away from this post.  I want to open the eyes of the avid track and field gurus, those that my be a casual fan of the sport, and some who might have not had much interest in it until recently.

I have heard all of the reasons why organizations, mostly shoe companies, are not interested in sponsoring me.  And I understand that I don't fit the mold of every company.  But as an up-and-coming athlete, I don't think I'm selfish in saying the support of a company is huge in helping someone like me break out into the next level.  It's hard to compete against athletes that live comfortably and have every resource at their disposal, when you're trying to train and just keep your head above water (financially).  To make myself clear, I'm not saying that I deserve the money or support that some of the best athletes in the world get.  But I do believe that I have proven myself at such a level that I deserve to be supported in some way.

A survey completed at the most recent USA Outdoor Championships showed that over 50% of the distance athletes that completed the survey make under $20,000 a year.  And over half of those 50% make less than $5,000 a year.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?  These are the athletes that are fighting tooth and nail to succeed in their sport and they can't even make enough money to support themselves. 

Now the question is, do I fall under that category? Yes, I do.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm part of that overall 50%.  I take pride in what I do.  I have been working night and day for years to become the best athlete that I can be, not to say that other athletes have not done the same.  I respect and admire what every track and field athlete does on a day to day basis.  But I feel that I am not getting the most out of myself and my sport.  I have to face the truth that what I earn does not cover all my costs and I do have to work part-time.  I have a lot of school loans, as I started college with no scholarship at all, plus the cost of living is not cheap in today's world.  My wife, Katie, works 40+ hours a week as a Registered Nurse, and if it wasn't for her, we'd really be in trouble.  She is our savior, and I am thankful for her support every single day.  But I need to support her too, as she is my wife.  With that in mind, I work as much as I can so that we are able to pay the bills but also have a normal life full of family visits, adventures to see friends, or just a night out with her and I.  It's not easy waking up some days at the crack of dawn to run a 14 mile run right before working an 8-9 hour shift.  But it's what I have to do in order to fulfill my dream of running professionally.  Sometimes I think I must be nuts to continue this so called "dream."

Will a contract solve all of my problems? Absolutely not.  Here comes the second part of my thoughts on sponsorships.  Financially, the support of a company, whether it be an apparel or non-apparel company, makes things a little bit easier.  Athletes can get all of the training, rehabilitation, gear, and travel that they need to succeed.  Yet once the races have been won and the teams have been made, who knows this other than the avid fans of the sport, or the athlete's friends and family?  What I'm getting at is that track and field needs to market their athletes better.  That's the responsibility of the athlete and the companies or organizations that support them.  Not many athletes in the sport have marketed themselves the right way or built their brand to the point where their brand and their achievements fuel each other as one cohesive unit.  That's what I am trying to do with the help of Starting Line Designs.  They're providing me a platform and support to build my brand, and get it out into the community.  My hopes are that my brand can help me support myself not only during my competitive career, but also in my future endeavors.

Until then, I'm going to continue working day after day, week after week, to become the absolute best athlete that I can be.  I don't know if I will ever get a sponsorship.  But I will put every effort into supporting myself off the track as well as on it.

Before I sign off, I want to acknowledge the support I have received during my relatively short professional career so far.  My wife has been the greatest supporter anyone could ask for.  She was willing to follow me to New Jersey, away from family, and help me fulfill my athletic dreams.  New Jersey/New York Track Club has also been instrumental in my successes on the track since college.  Brands that I support are Swiftwick and 110%.   I believe in their products, and they have helped outfit me with some great gear.  The New York branch of Nike has been a recent addition to the support system for NJ/NY Track Club, providing us with shoes as well as opportunities to go out and help build the foundation of the running community in the tri-state area.  Finally, USA Track and Field and the USATF Foundation have been very helpful in providing grants for a lot of up and coming athletes that need a little bit of extra support to break out.  Thank you so much to all of them.  I literally would not be able to do this without you.

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Training update

I just want to keep everyone updated on my training....or lack thereof.

My Achilles has been giving me problems for over a month now.  It's getting better but not as quickly as I would have hoped.  Luckily this time of year is really low key for me anyway, but I want to get back to full training as soon as possible.  In some of my earlier posts, when it first started, I assumed that it would be a relatively quick process and that I would be back to training in no time.  But things don't always go the way that they are planned.

Anyways, no more moping.  That's what I have decided.  My stubbornness hasn't helped, but I have quickly learned that patience is the biggest piece to the puzzle when it comes to rehabbing an injury.  It will heal.

So in the meantime, I have been cross-training like crazy.  I want to still work on my aerobic fitness even if that means I can't go out and pound the roads and trails.  Swimming is a daily necessity for me.  I know what some of you might be thinking...."I can't swim! That's not for me!"  And one year ago, I was thinking the same exact thing.  I couldn't do one lap in a Junior Olympic pool, without stopping and catching my breath.  After about 5 strokes, I would find myself hyperventilating and my training swim would quickly turn into a struggle to get to the wall during each lap.  My advice...keep with it!!!  I decided I needed to learn to swim in order to supplement my training.

Swimming takes pressure off of your joints and muscles but you can still get a good workout from it.  Believe me, it takes time to get the hang of it.  But once you do, it's a great way to get a little extra work in without beating up your body.  At the moment since swimming is my primary form of training, I swim twice a day for a total of 60-90 minutes depending on how hard I am pushing myself.

Other ways that I cross train is via the dreaded elliptical and the stationary bike.  Both are not fun for me.  I'm not a big fan of going to a gym, stepping on a machine, sweating like crazy, but not going anywhere.  I have come to accept it, but I still don't enjoy it!  Twenty to thirty minutes on those machines is a good way for me to get a second aerobic effort for the day, besides swimming 30-40 minutes that morning.

My advice to anyone going through an injury?  Stay positive, no matter what the circumstances are.  Negativity will only lead to laziness and a lack of motivation to get back to fitness.  Not to mention it will make everyone around you annoyed and you don't want your problems to become their problems.

So at the moment, this is my life.  I hope to be back on the roads soon, and the track soon after that.  I am still motivated as ever to get back into racing shape and mixing things up on the track.  This is just a slight hiccup in the road.

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Monday, August 26, 2013

The Decision....and our philosophy at NJ/NY Track Club

Two years ago, after I graduated college, I was faced with a decision.  Where next??  I knew that I wanted to run post-collegiately, but I didn't know where.  I met and spoke with a few coaches from different training groups.  I had to weigh the positives and negatives of each team and what was most important to me.  I spoke with Coach Roy at UConn and we both decided that it was probably best that I leave Storrs, CT.  I wanted to let the college guys develop on their own and I didn't want to be the guy that stuck around as a "Super Senior" for several years.  Next I realized that I couldn't leave the Northeast.  I would be too far from home, friends, and everything that I knew.  From there...it was a no brainer for me.

I decided to join the relatively new, still developing group that was based out of the tri-state area of NJ, NY, and PA.  In just a few seasons as a training group, they were making huge improvements and talented athletes from all around the northeast were joining the team.  It was a group full of runners that I knew and a training philosophy that I was familiar with.  The New Jersey/New York Track Club was my new home, and I haven't regretted it for a moment since.

Recently, many other athletes have made the same decision.  We all come from different backgrounds, but everyone feels that this team is the best opportunity for them to develop into the best athlete that they can be.  Our goals are to be competitive on the US and international level.  We want to be regarded as one of the best training groups in the world on both the men's and women's side.

Frank Gagliano is the brains, knowledge, and experience behind the team.  He has been coaching for over 50 years and has had countless athletes succeed on the domestic and international stage.  His philosophy is pretty simple - mix in strength/aerobic training with speed/anaerobic training.  We will do 800 meter repeats and 1000 meter repeats from October until July or August.  But at the same time we work on speed throughout the year by doing some 200 meter repeats or hills workouts towards the end of the fall, until our summer season has ended.  For a little more specific training schedule, please see my previous post about my typical week of training.

Since every athlete is different and we all come from different training backgrounds, we all have different strengths and weakness.  This leads to a dynamic training group that constantly pushes the envelope in workouts and races.  For example, one of my teammates, Christian Thompson, races the 10k and half marathon while another training partner, Tevan Everett comes from a 400/800 background.  Everyone else is somewhere in between those two.  In strength workouts, Christian will usually push us through every interval, while in speed workouts, we will all be trying to hang on to Tevan as long as we can.  It makes for fun, intense workouts every week.

I am constantly striving for lofty goals.  NJ/NY Track Club will be the team to get me there.  With the recent additions of Russell Brown, Kyle Merber, Donn Cabral, and Robby Andrews, among others, we will continue to grind out the work that needs to be done to turn heads, run fast, and win championships!!

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

My Very First Running Camp

Before I dive into the bulk of my post, I want to give everyone a quick update of my training/racing schedule....

Unfortunately, I have decided to call it a season.  My Achilles tendonitis that I touched on in one of my previous posts, has been a bit of a pain in the you-know-what.  I was hoping to get back into racing on the track again this season, but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me.  I'm taking it all with a grain of salt.  It can be hard to get over injuries, especially when you're as stubborn as can be.  But overall health is crucial in this sport and taking time off now is better than a bigger layoff down the road.

On a lighter note....I was very fortunate to be part of my very first running camp this past weekend - The Montauk Project.  Some of you may have seen ads for it or a few of the hundreds of photos that have been posted on Instagram (#MontaukProject). I was told it wasn't your normal running camp, and it wasn't.  It consisted of a small number of runners that had varying backgrounds in the sport.  There were some runners that had run multiple marathons and were gearing up for a season of Fall races, but there were also some athletes who had just picked up the sport within the past few months, or weeks, in order to attain a healthier lifestyle.  I must say, it was one of the greatest experiences I have had as a professional track and field athlete.

My primary goal leading up to the camp was to share my experiences with the runners and teach them about the sport from a physical, as well as a mental, aspect.  What I experienced though, was much more.  I was able to take a step back from my focused and intense outlook on the sport, and remember the reasons why I started the sport in the first place.  Fun, hard work, and comradery.  I find that sometimes I get so caught up in my training and competition that I lose what are truly the best parts of the running world.  The thrill of competition, where you toe the line to see who the fastest man is on that day.  The experience of meeting and training with other athletes, all with the same goal - to get better, whether it's as a unit or as individuals.  And the fun of traveling to new places and seeing the fruits of your labor unfold before your eyes.  Those are some of the best parts of this sport.

This running camp truly captured those aspects, in my opinion.  No matter the skill level or experience of the athlete, every person that took part in the camp put their all into every run and every workout.  They rallied around each other during hard sessions and supported each other during recovery runs.  Blood, sweat, but luckily no tears, were shed during the four days of the camp.  I watched a group of relative strangers become one cohesive unit that were reluctant to leave each other as they all parted for home.

I found myself coming away from the camp with a new, refreshed mindset as my current season comes to an end and I shift my attention to next year.  I feel inspired to continue to give back to the sport of running and every person that is involved in the running community.  I hope to continue to share my knowledge and experience with anyone that is looking for help, advice, or just an overall pep talk.  I love my sport.


For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Balancing it All

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of the races that I run and the training that I do.  Whether it is going to work, doing work at home, or just simply spending time with my friends and family, I have to keep everything in a balance in my life to be able to succeed on the track.

A happy runner and healthy runner is nine times out of ten, a fast runner.  And maintaining a balance in life is a huge part of making those two things possible.  As much as I would love my routine to be run, video games, nap, repeat, that is not the case.  I work at Princeton Running Company in, yes you guessed it, Princeton, NJ.  I work anywhere from 15-25 hours a week based on my running/race schedule.  Primarily, I work there to help pay the bills, but I also enjoy it because it fills the time between my training sessions.  Too much time sitting at home staring at the walls can lead to insanity, in my opinion.  At the same time, too much working can definitely negatively affect my training as I need to allow my body to recover from workouts.

When I'm not at work or on the track, I try to help out my wife, Katie, the best I can at home.  She is an incredibly busy woman with a full-time job as a Registered Nurse while also taking classes for her Master's Degree.  Although she doesn't always think I'm the best at cleaning....I do what I can!  Cooking, however, is one thing that I LOVE to do.  It gets my mind off of the sport and off the stresses of life, so it's almost therapeutic for me as well!  I'm constantly trying new recipes and I'm at the grocery store enough that I have it nearly memorized.

I love to spend my free time with Katie as well as the rest of my friends and family.  This of course is the best part of doing a sport that is very flexible.  I am able to travel, as long as I bring my running shoes and gear.

I find that getting away from track is the best way for me to balance my life.  It's very easy to allow it to consume all of your thoughts to the point where you find yourself a bit possessed.  I love what I do and I know that I give it 100% of my effort.  That's one thing that I take pride in, so I don't want anyone to get that confused.  But keeping that balance between work and play is something that keeps me happy, hopefully keeps me healthy, and keeps me on the right track.....no pun intended!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

My typical week of training

I've been asked many times..."What is your typical week of training like?"

A simple answer without going into much detail is that every week is different.  Other than the Fall season, my training changes from week to week based on the goals for that week.  Sometimes I might have a race coming up or we might work on a specific part of my racing where I am weak.  To give you all a general framework, I'll lay out a typical week of training....

Monday
Morning Aerobic Strength Workout
    ex: 8x1000m
Afternoon/Evening Weight Room Session
Evening Swim
   Usually around 30 minutes

Tuesday
Recovery Run
Sports Massage

Wednesday
Morning Tempo or Fartlek Workout
   Distances and paces vary throughout the year
Afternoon Speed Session or Hills
  ex: 6x200 or 6x150m hills
Evening Weight Room Session

Thursday
Recovery Run

Friday
Race Specific Workout - These workouts usually develop over time from 5k type of workouts in the Fall to 800 or mile specific workouts in the late winter and spring
   ex: 8x400 at mile race pace or 3x400 at 800 race pace
Afternoon/Evening Weight Room Session
Evening Swim

Saturday
Long Run

Sunday
Recovery Run

That's the basic outline of my training schedule for the year.  Again, from week to week we may shift workouts around based on the goals for the week.  Sometimes we back off of swimming and weight room sessions in order to get ready for hard workouts coming up.

Last week, as it was my first week back from Europe, I did a lighter fartlek workout on Tuesday (6x2mins at 5k pace, 2 minutes recovery).  Then on Friday I had a mixture of a mile and an 800 workout with 3x600 at mile race pace and 1x300 at 800 meter pace, or just a little bit faster.  My long run for the week was twelve miles.  I've gotten up to fourteen miles this year and was pretty consistent there but as the season goes on, we try to make sure we taper and freshen up my legs.

On Sunday I experienced a little bit of pain in my achilles and since then have taken three days off from running completely.  But I've made sure to cross train by going into the pool and doing anywhere from 60 minutes to 90 minutes of swimming to continue working my cardiovascular system.  Other things that I have been doing to work on my achilles include: taking anti-inflammatory medication such as Ibuprofen, using my foam roller to keep my calf muscles and achilles loose, icing the area of pain, and putting heel cups in my shoes to raise my heel slightly and take some stress off of the achilles area.  There are other methods of treating this type of injury, but I find that these work the best for me.

Paying attention to injuries and making sure you don't train through them is a HUGE part of this sport.  Running through a little bit of pain because you think it will go away isn't always the best recipe for success.  It could lead to big problems down the road and instead of taking a few days off initially, you could end up taking weeks, or months, off later.

I should be back up and running in no time though as the achilles feels like it's just about back to full strength.  My plans are still to race again this summer.  We will evaluate my fitness next week and see where I am!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Welcome to my Blog!


Welcome!! This blog will showcase the professional experiences, both good and bad, of me, Mike Rutt!  I will be blogging here about training, competition, and travel associated with running professionally, as well as life experiences, a few goofy things, and anything else that YOU, the readers, want to hear about!

Let’s kick things off with a recap of the most recent USA Championships as well as my summer of racing thus far.  My training group, the New Jersey- New York Track Club (remember it’s ALWAYS NJ before NY…commonly confused) flew out to Des Moines, Iowa for the USA Championships in the middle of June with one goal, to prove ourselves against the best athletes in the country.  Everybody was training well, and we knew that we were all ready for some big performances. Coach Frank Gagliano (Gags) and I were confident in my abilities and knew that if I raced the way my training had showed, qualifying for the World Championships in Moscow, Russia was by no means out of the question. 

NOTE: The qualification process is tricky and there is a lengthy document explaining the rules, but basically the top three athletes in each event qualify for the World Championships as long as they have reached a certain standard of performance during the qualifying dates.

The first two rounds of the meet went according to plan and I qualified for the final, comprised of the top 8 athletes in the event (Oh! I haven’t mentioned that I primarily run the 800 meters, that’s an important piece!)  The final was….fast.  That’s all I can really say about it.  It was one of the fastest final rounds ever for the 800 at USA’s.  I ended up placing 7th and running a time of 1:45.7.   I felt great through most of the race but I just didn’t have the wheels during the last 200 meters to place in the top 3.  Overall, it was a great experience and I learned a lot, as I do from just about every race that I run.

Although I didn’t qualify for the World Championships, my season was far from over.  Since then I have raced in Edmonton and Vancouver, Canada; Budapest, Hungary; Kortrijk, Belgium; and Lignano, Italy.  The goal for all of those meets was to run fast and make some money in the process.  I didn’t quite achieve the success I had hoped, but I must say traveling to all of these places is definitely one of the perks of this sport!!  They were all great experiences both from an athletic and “stereotypical American” tourist standpoint

Ferenc Puskas Stadium - Budapest, Hungary



Wembley Urban Sports Center - Kortrijk, Belgium


Municipal Stadium - Lignano, Italy
I returned home from Europe a little over a week ago.  It was great to get back in the States and spend time with my wife, who made sure to remind me that she was at home working full-time and doing graduate school while I was off traveling the globe (I love you Katie).  There was little interruption between my racing and returning to training though.  I plan on racing into the month of September.  I don’t really know where I will be going yet or what distances I will be racing, but I’m excited for what there is in store for me.  I still think that there is a PB, personal best, in my legs and I hope that I get another chance to run fast.
 
And who knows, maybe within the next few months I’ll even get sponsored.  Yes that’s right, I’m not sponsored by any shoe company, as many of the top athletes in the country are.  I will save that rant for another post, though.

Before closing out this post, I would like to give a big thank you to Starting Line Designs (@YourRaceDesign) for helping me start this blog.  They have done a lot of work in a little amount of time to help me create a platform in which I can build my name in the running community!

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to read this post.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to put them below!  Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @Mike_Rutt!