Wednesday, November 26, 2008

21 MILE SUCCESS

Quick marathon training update:

I ran 21 miles on Saturday and was able to break my all-time 4-mile record today. Needless to say my body feels really good.

During my 21 miler, I started off very slow to see if I could catch up to my pace and finish fast. I was about a minute slow at the 7 mile mark, caught up by 11 and crossed the 20 mile mark faster than I ever have before. Then I ran an extra mile just to prove to myself that I could do it...since that's where I faltered last year.

I ran that last mile in 7:21 - 17 seconds faster than my pace.

If I can do that on December 14, I'll just need to run the final 5.2 miles in about 42 minutes...which should be really easy.

This week I ran 5 miles on Monday, swam yesterday and ran 4 miles this morning on the Plano track. I ran a 24:41 - my fastest 4 miler ever.

It was good to be out on the Plano campus. That track brings back a lot of old memories. Like when I used to throw up after running sprints...

Less than three weeks away...

Gregg and I are planning to run our 12 miler at White Rock on Saturday. I'm looking forward to that.

TECH FINALLY FEELS THE PAIN

...And I mean that as a compliment.

After the Oklahoma game...actually during the second quarter of the Oklahoma game...as Texas Tech fans realized what was slipping through their fingers, a new type of pain they've never felt crept into their souls.

It's the feeling of complete and utter loss, of everything you've hoped for being swept off the board...the feeling you get only when the college football team you root for, invest in, are passionate about, loses a truly big game.

It's a similar feeling across the sports world in every sport...but it hurts a little more on the college football continent.

Texas Tech has never before felt that pain.

Oklahoma has. Most recently when they lost the national title game...no, got obliterated in the national title game...by USC.

Texas has. Most recently when they lost to Oklahoma in 2004. The Longhorns only loss of the season which cost them a shot at the conference and national title.

USC has. Most recently when they lost to Oregon State on a Thursday night which will probably be their only loss of the year and cost them a shot at the crown.

I could go on and on and on giving examples of big time programs losing big time games which mean everything.

Texas Tech has averaged four losses since 2002. When you lose a game early or late in the season which is part of two or three other losses, it doesn't hurt as bad.

Yeah, it'd be nice to upset OU or OSU or UT, but lately if Tech were to lose to those teams, it's really no big deal.

Tech can say goodbye to the Trivial Loss. The Trivial Loss comes with little or no real pain. Sure, there's disappointment but not the kind of pain that makes you want to throw up. The Trivial Loss is experienced week in and week out by the lower class teams in the FBS. Baylor, Vanderbilt, Duke, Virginia, Washington State, Rutgers, Indiana and Southern Miss go through it many times every year.

Welcome to the big show Texas Tech.

My brother-in-law lives in Austin and bleeds burnt orange. When Texas loses a truly big game, he crawls under his bed and won't eat, drink or talk to anyone for weeks.

He has a friend who went to Tech who would always make fun of him and call him a baby.

That friend texted my brother-in-law on Saturday with these simple words, "Now I know how you feel."

As simple as that.

National title expectations come with horrific costs of losing.

And now Tech is a part of the club.

Now it's not to say that Tech still doesn't have an outside shot of winning the conference and even playing for it all...but at this point they're out of the driver's seat and need some help from OSU and A&M.

That fact cuts deep and will definitely leave a mark...and I mean that as a compliment.

BAD NEWS FOR BIG 12 HEISMAN HOPEFULS

As a self-proclaimed Heisman Trophy expert, I have a bad feeling for the four Heisman Trophy hopefuls out of the Big 12.

Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy have all had fantastic years and received national exposure, but they might end up canceling each other out. Let's look at the nominees.

Crabtree (the Texas Tech sophomore WR) trails only seven receivers across the country in receiving yards. He's second in the nation with 18 TD catches, tied for sixth in receptions and plays for a team that's been seen on national TV several times this year.

Bradford (OU's sophomore QB) is third in the nation in passing yards with 3,710, second in passer rating, second in yards per attempt, first in TD passes with 42 and has only thrown six interceptions. He, too, has played on a national stage this year and is a well known name.

Colt McCoy (Texas' junior QB) is eighth in completions, first in completion percentage at just over 77%, 12th in passing yards, has thrown 30 TDs against just 7 picks and is fourth in passer rating. He's played on a national scale the last three seasons, is a household name after his performance in big games this year and gets a ton of coverage from ESPN.

Graham Harrell (Tech's senior QB) is first in passing yards, first in completions, third in completion percentage, third in TD passes, only thrown six interceptions and also receives national coverage and people know him.

You could make a case for any one of those players to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender.

There's just one problem.

They all play in the same conference and in the same region.

Historically (and as unfair as it may be) the Heisman Trophy voting has a lot to do with TV market size, publicity and seclusion.

And I mean seclusion in the sense that the candidate is in a region or area or coast all by himself.

Harrell, Crabtree, Bradford and McCoy may have all picked the wrong season to be playing so well.

They could very well split all the Big 12, midwest votes and allow another candidate from a big market to take home the most coveted trophy in college football.

Look at Tim Tebow (my pick before the season). He's fifth in passer rating, thrown 22 TDs against just two picks (a better ratio than McCoy, Harrell and Bradford) and is completing nearly 66% of his passes on a team ranked second in the AP that will have a chance to be #1 going into the bowls if they can beat Alabama in the SEC Championship.

And there's really no other true contenders on the entire East Coast or in the SEC.

You could make an argument for some other guys, but they may be on non-contending teams.

While true that the Big 12 contenders are household names, not all of the Heisman voters follow the games and performances across the nation. It's easier nowadays with ESPN GamePlan and all the different channels that games are on. And it probably wouldn't matter if there were just two Big 12 contenders...but having four is just too many.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think any of the Big 12 contenders has a shot to win. There's just too many good players in too close a zone.

You may read and see on TV that one of those (or two or three of those) Big 12 guys is the frontrunner...but when the voting shakes down, it'll go to the player on a contending team that doesn't have any competition (especially not four athletes that deserve to win) in his region.

Tim Tebow.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

IS MY WATCH BROKEN?

I think Nike is playing a cruel trick on me.

I bought a new stop watch/heart rate monitor in August to assist in my training. You know, one of those fancy-dancy ones with the thing that wraps around your chest?

Anyway, I think the seconds on it must be a tad slow...

I broke my 8 mile personal record on Tuesday morning averaging less than a 7 min/mile.

And this morning I ran 12 miles in 1:24:31 which is about a 7:02 pace. I finished in a sprint and didn't even feel tired. My heart rate averaged 153 for the entire run, and it never went over 171 (my high end). I don't even think it got close to 165.

The elements were in my favor. It was 37 degrees with hardly any wind when I left the house. When I got to the 6 mile mark and turned around, the wind began blowing rather hard out of the north but I was running due west, and a cross wind is much, much easier to run in than a head wind. The last 2.5 miles of my run were due south so I had the wind at my back.

So my watch is either lying to me, I had a good pace because of the elements or my body is beginning to respond like it never has before at this point in my training.

I hope it's a combination of the last two things. I'd hate to have to sue Nike.

Friday, November 14, 2008

PLAYOFF MEMORIES

The Texas High School Football Playoffs are a unique and once-in-a-lifetime type of experience (although many athletes will experience it more than once).

High school football players in the playoffs stop caring about the length of practice. Those bumps and bruises that have been nagging for several weeks don't nag so much anymore. Coaches seem to be nicer and more enjoyable to be around. You feel like a superstar walking the halls and driving around town.

It's such a different experience because you don't know if Monday's practice will be the last Monday practice of the year - and if your a senior - the last high school Monday practice of your life.

Because of that you don't care how long it goes because you never want it to end. And these guys don't realize the magnitude of the moment right now. They will in ten years.

I was at the 2004 3A Division 1 State Title game between Abilene Wylie and #1 Cuero. Wylie went into the post-season unranked and beat the #2, 3 and 9 teams in the state to get to the final game. They beat Cuero on a field goal as time expired.

The guys that won the State Championship in 2004 are beginning to realize just how special they're run was. I sacrificed a ton and would have given tenfold more to have been able to go through something like that. To win a state championship.

Today more kids have the chance to win a championship than ever before since every division crowns 14 champs, but it doesn't water it down any for those guys that are going through it or for their memories and bonds with their teammates that will be broken by death alone...nothing more.

I always get a little nostalgic this time of year. My Plano team went three rounds deep and was destined for a rematch with Duncanville in the state-semis. Duncanville had beat us in the
second week of the regular season and we were ready for revenge.

What we weren't ready for was a Jersey Village team that none of us had ever heard of. Their running back was a freshman named Selvin Young - he's now a running back for the Denver Broncos.

Jersey Village had us figured out. We didn't adjust. And just like that. The season was over. Gone with the sound of the Texas Stadium horn, the roar of the opposing sideline and the deep and utter silence of our own.

The young men playing out there tonight all over the state will remember tonight and the rest of these games forever. They'll remember their specific opponent, the guy they battled all night. They'll remember the date. The place. The sounds and the smells. They'll talk about it with their teammates for years to come. Every time they get together.

And the only ones that will have no regrets, that won't stare off into silence with a half-smile and squinted eyes will be the ones who were lucky enough, good enough and tough enough to win the whole thing. To realize every high school football players' dream.

To end the season...with a win.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

20 MILE RUN

Ran 20 miles this morning. First time to run that distance since the marathon last year. I felt surprisingly good.

My right knee cap has been giving me some small pain issues on the tail end of my long runs (17 or longer). During the 17 it started in mile 16. During the 18 it started at 17. And today it started at 19. I guess that's a good sign. It doesn't make me run any slower...just a little uncomfortable.

I was never really in any amount of pain at all during the run, which is rare. Usually you're wanting a car to run you over after about 2 hours.

I'm still nervous that I won't be able to run 6.2 more miles. I'm planning to run 21 in two weeks.

I also think it's very mental. I remember thinking last year that "there was no way I could run 11 more miles"...etc.

I've got to take it in stages...two or three miles at a time and not let my mind wander.

I took a 1/2 serving of Infinit at 12 miles and took the last sip at 14...that's all I took in the whole run and felt great.

There was no wind today which was good, but was it ever cold. My hands were burning then numb until about the 13 mile mark.

Feet giving little twinges of pain underneath, but nothing that doesn't work itself out. Other than that, no pain whatsoever in any part of my body...except that knee cap thing.

Just a few weeks to go...

Saturday, November 01, 2008

MARATHON TRAINING UPDATE

My marathon training is going very well this year. I just completed my week 12 runs and have steadily increased my stamina, eliminated injuries and lowered my heart rate during the runs since beginning my 18 week program in early August.

My first long run of this year my heart rate averaged around 165 beats per minute. This morning I ran 13 miles 1:20 under my pace and my heart rate averaged 146.

Last week my heart rate averaged 151 during my 18 mile run in Plano.

I had some major foot issues when I started running in August and during the first month of training. Those issues have been absent for about a month.

The only things that are giving me problems are my left hip, which is minor, and my right groin, which is a little tight during the early stages of some of my runs but not all.

I have six weeks until the race. I believe I've figured out what went wrong last year and have resolved those problems.

I'm not stopping or walking during my runs and am not using solid food either.

I'm very paranoid that something will go wrong this year. I just want to cross that line under 3:20:00. It's been two years coming, and I really took it for granted last year...thought it would be easy.

It will mean much more to me this year. Six more weeks until we find out if I can do it...

TENNESSEE/ALABAMA ADVENTURE

The following recaps Mark Rogers and Jackson Alexander's trip to the Tennessee/Alabama game in Knoxville on October 25, 2008.

My college roommate, Jackson Alexander, transferred to Tennessee and made the football team as a walk-on when we were sophomores. He played one season and came back to Abilene. We've been meaning to go up to a game for the last several years and finally made it happen.

The trip was not without its disasters.

I forgot my driver's license and had to be searched and searched again using credit cards and insurance cards to make it through security.

Then Jackson left his car keys on the parking lot shuttle at DFW.

Then we went to the wrong gate and had to run .656 miles (I looked it up) in about 5 minutes in boots, jeans and with our luggage to the correct gate for the flight which (according to the flight attendant) we were 60 seconds away from missing.

And that was all within the first hour of the trip.

Once we got there, things settled down and we were able to enjoy ourselves. We made it to campus on Saturday at around noon leaving around 7 hours to kill before kick off.

The Tennessee/Alabama game is an interesting phenomenon. Not an in-state rivalry, but is a lot like OU/Texas - the states are connected, most of the time the game has national title or the very least conference title implications, etc...

I couldn't believe how many cars had Tennessee and Alabama flags. Or how many people were in groups that were split right down the middle...half wearing crimson, half wearing orange.

You don't see that at Texas/OU. You're either all Texas or all OU. I think it has to do with the fact that there are so many extended families that branch out all over the southeast. My mom is from Alabama and has a huge family from the coast up to Birmingham into Georgia and Tennessee.

I think that's what makes SEC football so intense. There are so family close connections between families, players and coaches.

Anyway, back to the pre-game. I got to stand at the front of the line during the "Vol Walk" when the players and coaches walk to the stadium from the athletic offices. Philip Fulmer slapped my hand in what will probably be one of his final "Vol Walks".

The band went marching by soon after the players which completed the electric feel on campus.
It was crazy because as bad as Tennessee has been this year, those fans still get up for games like they're in the national title hunt. Unbelievable dedication.

And not one seat was empty in the monstrous structure that is Neyland Stadium. More than 106,000 people. I've been to the Cotton Bowl many times and to a few Texas games in Austin(before the major renovations there) and have never seen anything like it.

The first half was a close game much to the chagrin of the Alabama fans whose section we were sitting in.

You could just feel the upset developing.

That's when Tennessee decided to try a long field goal in a 6-3 game. I've talked about it on the webcast before...in a situation like that - a low-scoring, defensive struggle - field position is king.

You win field position, even as an underdog, and you have a great shot at winning the game.
Tennessee lined up for a field goal, which I was sure was going to end up being a quick kick, and they kicked the field goal...???!!!

No one could believe it, not even the Bama fans.

It game the Tide a short field which they used to score the game's first touchdown and that was all she wrote.

The game never had the same feel. Had Tennessee punted, pinned Bama deep and preserved the three-point defecit, the second half would have been much different.

As it turned out, Bama won 29-9 and secured their #2 ranking for at least another week. Most of the fans had departed with a few minutes to go in the game. No doubt had Tennessee won, there would have been a huge party and celebration right there on campus. That would have been fun to be a part of...

My buddy and I made it back home with no other major catastrophes, but it was definitely a trip neither of us will forget.

Sorry for the tepid tone of this post...it was also posted on www.bigcountryfootball.com - my Abilene Reporter News blog.