Joining the Philly Runner Track Club

I’m officially a member of the Philly Runner Track Club, or PRTC!

Are You A Pro Runner Now???

No, I’m not. I’m actually paying them to be part of the club.

Sweet then why did you join

I’ve been teetering on the edge of ‘serious runner‘ for 6 years now. I have stints of good training and race results followed by months of mediocre training and no motivation.

Joining the club is my formal bid to back up the constant talk of PR in the 5k.

I didn’t just join on a whim though.

Injuries under control

Had you asked me over the years WHY I’ve never been in PR shape, I’d say my leg. Every time I run 40-50 MPW for a month, my right leg really hurts.

Well, I decided to take that seriously this time by stretching every night, rolling out, and taking ibuprofen religiously. I’ve managed to put in 50-60 MPW for the last month and my leg is a non-issue (I even saw a doctor about it and he said I was good to go).

So now what

I ran the 5k at Ursinus this weekend in my PRTC uniform and managed a 16:12. Given that the fastest mile I’d run in the months leading up to it was a 5:45, I was pretty happy (I also ran the Alumni mile after where Drew absolutely torched me in the last 200m). I even made the club Instagram post!

View this post on Instagram

***Results Alert*** Some more #PRTC members opened up the #indoortrack season today at the @ursinuscollege Frank Colden Invitational. Some highlights included Kieran Sutton winning a tactical mile race in 4:24 with Chris Mateer just a few seconds back. In subsequent heats Alec Brand, David Choi, Ethan Hermann and Max Krall all raced well to some nice season opening marks. In the 5k, Alex Predhome adjusted back to the short track, finishing 3rd overall, while Sam Stortz, competing at his alma mater, made his PRTC debut; finishing 6 overall and defeating Pat McLaughlin for the first time in at least 50 races dating back to high school. Thanks @uctfxc for inviting us out! #diadora @phillyrun

A post shared by Philadelphia Runner Track Club (@phillyrunnertc) on Feb 2, 2019 at 6:38pm PST

The plan for the next few months is to run 60-70 MPW and go for a PR in the 5k at Swarthmore and 54 flat-ish at Broad Street.

If things go well and I stay injury free, who knows what could happen. Maybe I’ll run faster than I ever thought I could or maybe I’ll be out of the club in a year.

I don’t know, but at least I’m committed to trying.