The Rivalry

I've struggled with competitiveness most of my life. Okay, all my life. The emotions suffered during a defeat are often overwhelming. I've been working on controlling them for the better half of my adult life. I think I'm getting better. Steph says I'm a little better. The emotions are still the same, but my outward attitude has improved a little. I'm not gonna lie. It's still a huge struggle for me.

Me, Steph, Renee, Jason, Corrine @ CASA 5K 2007

Running was the first sport that I never felt competitive in. I began my running career in the 6th grade. I think I never felt the pressure to win because I was slow and thought that this is as fast as I can go I can't go any faster. I was genetically limited and I was okay with that. I ran my hardest; I gave my best effort; I left it all out on the course every race. I really enjoyed running because I felt like the pressure was off. In other sports it seemed you had moments of greatness. Golf is the perfect example. You get a fantastic hit and therefore you know you are capable of great hits, but you can't do it consistently and that brings in frustration. Inside your head you tell yourself you are better than this, but the people around you don't know that and you can't show them because you can't repeat your greatness. You know it's in there you've lived it. Ask any golfer. I've never felt that way towards running until recently.

Harvest 5K 2008

Enter The Rivalry. It all began in the fall of 2007 at the Plainfield Harvest Fest 5K. Steph and I had run the race the previous year and were talking to her sisters about how fun it was. It only took a little convincing and both her sisters signed up, Renee, Corrine and Corrine's husband, the rival, Jason. Up until this point in the rivalry Jason had schooled me in golf and cooking. Running I decided was going to be owned by me. I had quit smoking 2 years earlier and had trained for the 2006 race, but not too much for 2007. I still figured I had the advantage not being a smoker and having at least run a little. Jason on the other hand hadn't trained at all and at a pack a day was no way going to beat me.

The race did not turn out how I expected. At all. Here is the result:

	Plainfield Harvest Fest 5K - Run 5K	Plainfield, IL	9/30/07
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 158 34 262 516 36:13 Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 92 35 263 518 36:16 +00:03.70

He beat me by 3 seconds and yeah that hurt. So quickly I signed us up for a second race that year. The CASA Trick Or Treat run that was run at Pilcher Park. Here is that result:

	Casa Trick Or Treat Run 5K - Run 5K	Joliet, IL	10/20/07
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 25 6 24 42 30:20 Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 14 7 32 56 34:07 +03:46.30

He schooled me by almost 4 min. My life was ruined...sorry I'm being over dramatic, but that's how my emotions work when I lose.

The following year I was all about the business of running. Steph and I trained hard for our first ever 10K run in Chicago. It is still one of my favorite runs of all time. The race was in August so I was ready come the Harvest 5K in September where we went at it again. Here is how that turned out:

	Plainfield Harvesy Run 5K - Run- 5K	Plainfield, IL	9/28/08
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 37 269 416 29:28 Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 44 293 479 30:57 +01:28.10

Despite knocking 6 min off my previous years time he still beat me and by a minute and a half. It's only now looking at the results so closely that I realize these time differences. Had I known about the 6 min improvement and still losing I may have quit. Thankfully not see and I did not quit. In 2009 running became a passion fired by the achievement of the 10K and the "I will beat Jason" mantra. Keep in mind Jason hasn't trained at all for these races. Each race makes him better. It's staggering to think about how good he could be.

My first victory comes in April of 2009. From Sept. 2008 to April 2009 I ran 6 races. Jason ran zero. I did 13 training runs. Jason did zero. Here was the result:

	4Th Annual Race To Wrigley 5K Run 2009 - Run-5K	Chicago, IL	4/25/09
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 45 278 1083 1848 30:30 Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 3413 302 1199 2237 32:21 +01:51

I finally got him by almost 2 min, but did not beat his best time. That was our last race together for 2 years. They moved to Kentucky in 2010 and moved back in 2011.


Because of Jason's lack of training I have never had any trouble beating him in anything over a 5K (3.1 miles). You can gut out a 5K, but a 10K it helps to have some training. Not to take away from his amazing ability to post an amazing time with zero training. We both ran the Rockdale 10K in April 2011:

	Rockdale 5K/10K 2011 - Run-10K	Rockdale, IL	4/16/11
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 72 8 49 54 48:15 Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 112 11 65 77 49:54 +01:39

He ran extremely well on a tough course, but just as I was thinking victory was decided on who the better runner was the next race happened:

	It's Race Time - New Lenox PTO 2011 - Run-5K	New Lenox, IL	5/21/11
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 972 3 20 27 23:31 Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 940 1 21 28 23:39 +00:07.50

He passed me in the last quarter mile of the race and I just couldn't hang on. To dump a lot of salt into the wound he edged me out of the podium and a fancy medal taking 3rd place in our age group. A bitter loss indeed. The next race was a little harder to accept defeat. I ran my best time ever, but Jason actually put some training in leading up to this race in the early summer of 2011:

	The Channahon 50th 5K Run/Walk 2011 - Run-5K	Channahon, IL	6/25/11
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 45 6 27 32 21:39 Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 32 6 30 36 21:49 +00:09.35

Jason didn't keep up with his training and by fall had lost some of that fitness. My first win at Harvest Fest came in the fall of 2011 where I handily beat him by 2 and a half minutes:

	Plainfield Harvest 5K 2011 - Run-5K	Plainfield, IL	9/25/11
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 129 11 39 48 21:46 Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 211 18 99 147 24:22 +02:36

We both ran an 8K (4.98 miles) in November, which is more than 3 miles, and with no training on Jason's part and a lot on mine I beat him by my biggest margin yet.

	Red Eye 8k Run 2011 - Run-8K	Joliet, IL	11/13/11
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 96 9 82 94 36:42 Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 153 27 196 280 42:56 +06:14

In 2012 we have competed in 5 races. A 10K and four 5K's. I easily won the first 3 races giving me that false sense that this rivalry is over you can go ahead and crown me king, but then the Sundowner happened on a hot night in July I had to dig really deep. I lead the race for the first mile and a half. I heard his foot falls close behind me. Right around the first mile I decided I would break his spirit by putting in a surge that would leave him grabbing his knees if he tried to come with. Well he hung on. I felt gassed and he was right there chugging a long. My plan backfired I didn't break his spirit I broke my own.
 Just after the 1.5 mile mark he passed me and I had to let him go. He continued to increase the gap as I fought to keep him in sight. I was hurting. It was hot and humid and I felt trashed. I had one hope, that he would have to stop for water and walk for a bit. It was the only way I had a chance. A big part of me wanted him to not stop, because I knew if he stopped and I had a chance it meant that I was going to hurt a lot in the last 1/2 mile. As we rounded the corner and the water table came into view I could see him track towards it. He was walking. The bad part was I had about 150 meters to make up on him so I began to push a little.
By the time I reached him he was ready to go again and started running with me. I was in trouble. I didn't get water; I didn't get to walk. We ran about a quarter mile together when I decided the end was close enough it was time to put in a kick and see what he had left. Having rested a little he had enough to come with me. Fortunately or unfortunately I miss judged the course and the finish was further away than I expected. I kicked too soon and had to slow up. He slowed up too. Both of us were struggling for air. Our breathing was extremely labored. When we finally came in sight of the final turn I pushed with everything I had left. This is where interval training helps. I had the speed in the final leg to put in a strong kick to the finish. It's been our closest finish to date:

	Sundowner 5k - Run-5K	Joliet, IL	7/19/12
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 101 20 146 171 23:16 Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 162 21 149 174 23:19 +00:03

One of the gutsiest races I have ever had to run, but the rivalry isn't over. Two weeks later we are up in Green Bay (Jason is a 49er's fan) and we are in my Packer land running a 5K that circles Lambeau Field. A perfect day to race and even better day to improve the rivalry record. Leading up to the race there was a lot of smack talk being flung about. Him beating me on my home turf, me not letting that happen. In our second closest race Jason out ran me. I lead for the first 1/2 mile then he passed me and I could not keep up. I had the same hope and about the same distance to make up as the previous race. I needed him to stop for water. I needed him to walk. This time things were different. This time he didn't stop. I realized he probably wouldn't after crossing mile 2 so I worked hard to close the gap. The final 1/4 mile was around the football field and the course was narrow without much room to pass. I was closing on him as I willed my legs to turn over faster if only I could muster a killer sprint at the end, but I didn't have it I ran out of course and he beat me:

	Packers 5K Run/Walk 2012 - Run-5K	Green Bay, WI	7/28/12
	Racer Name Bib Plc A Plc G Plc O Final +Diff Jason Frankovich (15) Rivals 1414 22 272 333 22:50 Robert Coyne (63) Rivals 1324 24 281 343 22:55 +00:05

Green Bay 5K

The current race tally stands at Bob: 8 Jason: 6

Now I have humbly conceded defeat in many areas of rivalry with Jay. He's a better cook, a better golfer and a better dancer, but I will not concede that he is a better runner. He may be genetically superior, but for now I'm still the better runner.

Rockdale 10K 2012

I love 10K's, it's that perfect mix of distance and speed. You don't have to push hard most the race like you do in a 5K. You don't have time to take in much. Most of your time is spent pushing pain aside. A 10K actually gives you a little time to ease into the race. It's a perfect race to run stalk.

Some (a lot of) runners like to put headphones on and drown out their surroundings when they run. They say it helps them keep their mind off the pain and helps them run faster, but not me.  I like to take in the sights and sounds of the world around me especially other runners. I like to hear their labored breathing and the pat-pat or stomp-stomp of their footfalls. I like to check their form see if they are heel striking or mid foot landing I look to see if  I can tell what effort level they are running at are they pushing a 9? 10? I chuckle a little bit because I remember being a green runner. You can always spot them within the first mile. They are already breathing extremely heavy, mouth agape and red faced. I really enjoy looking at runners around me at this point in the race. The poor souls.

Mile 2 is the point in the race that I start to get serious. I check my heart rate and it shows that I have recovered from the first hill my breathing is smooth and rhythmic and all of my muscles are warmed up. I'm ready to go. There is a slight down hill as we turn and  run through a corner of the neighborhood park. This is where I intentionally picked off my first two victims after almost colliding with one of them, the 20 something male, that choose to stop right in front of me. I did a quick side step maneuver and pushed on to overtake his counter part a 20 something female. We round out of the park and head down another side street straight-away and I hear a man and women conversing. She's talking about keeping under an 8min pace will mean an under 50min 10K. This spooked me a little. I felt like I had just caught up to my pack of runners or those that finish around the same time I do. This would be bad I would not be chasing many more people down if I had already caught up to those that finish when I do. Thankfully she was just running with a guy that was a newer runner and he was huffing and puffing so there was no way this was my group. At that point I picked it up a little bit and looked ahead to the long line of people I was going to take out in my next push.

That next push came as we made two right turns and headed for a downhill followed by the next challenging uphill. This little section of the course is where you loose it if you go out too strong. You have this hill then in a very short distance you have another steep hill followed immediately by a light gradual incline for a good half mile. Nobody gave me challenge early on in this race as I passed a bunch of runners. Most everyone I passed had gone out too fast and was paying the price already. In the last 2 years I was humbled by this section of the course. Twice I wanted to drop out of the race and it was only 2.5 miles in. That's how miserable this can be if you do it wrong; however, this year, my 3rd year, I was ready and this time I mastered it.

The little excitement I had didn't start until mile 3 . This stretch is a nice mostly flat section that ends with a nice downhill that lends itself to speed by not being overly steep. It was this section of the course that I decided I was going to bank some time on. I decided to hold off a little on the start of the decline because I hadn't yet recovered from that last set of hills as soon as my heart rate dropped to a normal cruising pace I hit it and the runners around me didn't like it. I got challenge after challenge every time I sped up to pass I would have tag-a-longs. Tag-a-longs are alright if they come up beside you to pace with you instead of stealing pace from you by running on your heels. The first was a guy about my age with heavy footfalls and rapid breathing. I was more annoyed than concerned as I knew there was no way he was keeping this pace even if the course was all down hill. After about a minute I decided I was tired of hearing his loud heavy breathing and kicked into another gear. He quickly realized I had plenty of gas in the tank and let me go. Next I caught up to a seasoned gal that decided she wasn't ready to let me go so we ran shoulder to shoulder until the steep downhill where I was able to manage the slope better and break free. She was a small thing and was in much better shape than I, but time is a tougher adversary than me and that alone was my advantage.

At the bottom of the hill I knew I was going have to back off and recover from that little game of speed play. The monster hill was coming soon and I would need to save some energy to make it up. I turned the corner and started up the toughest hill on the course a grueling 3/4 mile climb up a 4% grade. I was hoping for better performance up the hill, but settled for forward motion that didn't include walking. This was the only spot on the course that I got passed and I was not happy. Finally with the last hill out of the way it was time to get down to business. I did a quick heart rate check and noticed that it was still up and realized that it wasn't going to come down anytime soon and I I didn't have time to wait for it the end was drawing near. I pressed on giving chase to the group that had managed to pass me up the hill. On the hill I decided to let anyone pass that wanted to I'll catch back up at the top. There were 2 guys that passed me, tall and lanky. The kind of guys that look like runners. One had asked the other if he was ready for the hill. The other didn't answer they just put their heads down and went. They put a pretty good gap between me and them and it wasn't until the final stretch that I caught up to them. We turned the corner and it was on.

You could see the finish as you rounded that final corner coming off a decent downhill where you really had to control your speed and step due to the steepness. While I'm usually quick down those kinds of hills the pack in front of me was just as quick. The problem with that final stretch is that it's long. It's a good half mile to the finish. The good news is  my strongest running is always done in the last half mile. I can convenience myself that the faster I go the quicker the pain will be over. As I picked it up I passed a guy that had been walking. I suspect he had been run-walking for a bit at this point and with that kind of recovery you can muster some good speed between walks. The problem was he decided I wasn't going to pass him. That he would just stay a tad in front of me no matter how I tried to push ahead. Thankfully his tank ran out before we got to the finish line and I was able to pull away just as we crossed the 6 mile marker with .25 left to go I spotted my running group friends that where cheering me on. That helped engage the after burners and I dropped the hammer and passed 2 more runners before crossing the finish line.

My final time was a 47:14 and is the fastest time I completed this course by over a minute. My race strategy worked with the hills and it always helps to be running people down.

Winter 2011 - 2012

This first catch up post brings us back to the end of last year and beginning of this year. The winter of 2010-11 was a miserable snowy one and I was prepared for another bout of snowy misery in 2011-12; however, mother nature had different plans and we ended up with warm average temps and almost no snow. Ideal for running. Too bad it didn't fit into my plans.

I finished the 2011 season off on November 13th with a new 8K PR. It was a great way to wrap up an exciting year of running. I finished my first marathon and went to school to become a personal trainer. That's when my passion for all things fitness really exploded.

With winter nearing and my new knowledge of fitness training I decided to focus on more aerobic strength training. I had seen a nice gain from Insanity back in May and June that I thought it would be great to do another round. As I said I planned for another snowy, icy, cold winter which meant I wouldn't be able to run outside anyway. In fact I had made plans to do a lot of cross country skiing along with aerobic strength training. Turns out you need snow to do that, but I digress. So after that last run I jumped right into the workouts. I logged zero miles from November 19th to January 31st, but was super consistent with my workouts. Due to the holiday's I didn't lose any weight.

The most amazing part of my winter was the opportunity I was given to put my newly acquired trainer skills to use. I led a group of 20 people, of various ages and abilities, through 16 weeks of group fitness training. It was a lot more fun and fulfilling than I ever thought it could be. It had some challenges, but that's what keeps things interesting right? The biggest challenge was the lack of equipment. We had resistance bands and that was about it. Most of the moves were body weight orientated. Keeping things new and fresh was hard, but I got a lot of great feedback from the participants. What's even more exciting is I will likely get the opportunity to do it again this winter. I'm already in planning mode. It reminds me of setting up my training plans for running. Planning is half the fun!

That's pretty much the skinny on my winter. Next up spring training.

Where to resume...

I find it humorous that my last post was about motivation and then 9 months of silence. I assure you I have not lost any motivation in fact quite the opposite is true. I've been more motivated than ever. I have a lot of stories to catch you up on and I promise to get to them in short order.

Motivation. Here today, gone tomorrow

 Ever notice how easy it is to have motivation for one day? You see something that inspires you or you are just in the mood so you take action. Yeah... that happens a lot to me too. If you could see all the books I've bought in the last couple of years and ask me how many of them I've finished. Zero, maybe one. I do really good for that first day. I might even make it through a whole chapter. The next day I might look at the book and actually think about picking it up. I might even read the back cover again or flip through a couple pages, but by the weekend the book is sitting on the counter under a pile of junk mail. When enough time passes and the guilt slips away I finally put the book on the bookshelf and forget about it.

Thankfully when it comes to working working out I have a stronger will. I've realized that it takes a serious commitment to change. That serious commitment comes at a price. It's going to take time, planning and energy. For planning it's one thing at a time. I've mentioned in a previous post all the successful behavioral changes I've made in my life. I certainly didn't do them all at the same time. A couple managed to overlap, but the initial focus was singular. Truth is I'm still working on some of those changes. I really want to lean out and get even fitter. It was a long journey to lose the 50+ pounds and now that I've stabilized it's going to take another commitment of time, focus and planning to reach the next goal. Financially I'm not a millionaire yet I still have my house to pay off and that's going to take at least 7 more years and then I can really start saving.

It also helps to realize there is nothing wrong with stopping along the way to take a breather once you reach a step towards your greater goal. In fact, you should plan to. I think a lot of us believe that if you stop you'll lose momentum. That you'll quit and won't go back. Personally I think it's that attitude that breaks you. It's the feeling of defeat, however, if it's planned you remove the defeat. Making it easier to return. After all you planned to take a break.

When I set out on my journey to lose 50 pounds I put a time limit on it. That as long as I could push through to that date I was free to take a breather regardless of how much weight I lost by then. That date was 12 weeks from my starting point. I ended it up making it 14 before I took a breather and I hadn't hit 50lbs yet. I got through the holidays added a few pounds and set back out on my journey after the new year. 8 more weeks later I was at my goal and still going strong.

Today was day 2 of my continuing journey to becoming a leaner, fitter man. I've been taking a breather since July of this year, but all that time I've planned on continuing on once running season ended. My last race was Sunday. So it ended and I wasted no time moving forward. Today reminded me of the focus it takes. The will power. Motivation was here yesterday when I started back, when I was excited. Today I was sore and tired as a result of yesterday. Today there was no motivation just focus. Just pure will power. When it comes to working out I can tell you this, the first day motivation will pull you through, but be ready for the next day and the next day and the next day. They will be tough and you will want to quit, you will want to find excuses why you can't. Plan for it. Make sure you do it even though you feel like it.Be prepared to push through for 2 weeks. It gets easier.

Oh and don't worry. I'll get around to reading. It's in my plan, just one thing at a time. That one is going to take a lot of focus.

Motivation Mountains

    The more I've pursued a healthy lifestyle the
more I've realized there is this motivation mountain you have to overcome and much like running over a huge hill. You need enough strength stamina to get up the hill, but then you still need a good amount  in reserves to comeback down and start up the next one. It's in that downhill that we lose our footing and go tumbling head over feet into a hot mess at the bottom broken and twisted with little interest in getting back up to continue on.

As with anything difficult you want to accomplish you have to face the mountains. Simply wanting something bad enough is not enough to guarantee a successful journey up all the hills.There are a lot of things I want badly. With some of them I have attempted the mountain only to lose my footing and end up in that broken twisted mess in the valley. Desire is not enough.

I have beaten a few mountains. I've quit smoking, lost weight, and re-gained control of my finances. Those experiences taught me that when you tumble down you have to get up and get moving again no matter how battered and bruised you are or how many mistakes you've made. I've learned that it's great to have support along the way, but ultimately you have to do the work to get there. I've learned that as long as you don't quit and give up that you CAN make it up and over. I've learned that with each success comes confidence that you can overcome the next mountain you decide to climb. It's really a matter of perseverance. During marathon training I wanted to quit several times. Things just weren't working out. The weather wouldn't cooperate, work was hectic and I was dealing with some nagging injuries. I forced myself to continue. It took some doing and I failed a lot during training. I gave up on runs. I cut other runs short. I didn't do the planned mileage, but because I didn't give up I made it. I finished. I beat the mountain.

I'm in the valley of a couple mountains right now. I have the desire. I have the want. I have the ability. I have the confidence. I just gotta do it. Here's my list for accountability:

•  Complete my trainer certification
• Trim off a few more pounds and really lean out
•  Log some volunteer hours