Rounding Into Shape

by Antonio Vega on November 16, 2012

It feels great to be back racing and training. As I mentioned in my last blog, I had decided at the last minute to race in the Twin Cities 10-Mile last month. Given what I’ve been through and the amount of time I’ve been training, I was pretty pleased with how I raced.

Believe it or not, I was only 10 seconds off my 10-mile PR which might say more how soft my PR is then how I actually ran. Still, it was a joy to get back on the roads and race in a very competitive field.

Now, I’m back in Des Moines (where my wife is going to medical school) for a couple of we...

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Returning To Racing

by Antonio Vega on October 2, 2012

I must admit: It feels great to finally be back training full time. This is what I do and what I love. The road bike that I bought to get me through my injuries when I couldn’t do much more than cross-train has been retired--hopefully for good. I’ve taken my training slowly and gradually but my workouts of late have been much better then I ever anticipated. In fact, my training has been going so well that I have decided to race the Twin Cities 10-Miler (October 7).  Originally, I had planned on just training through the fall with possible races sometime in the w...

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Renewed Purpose

by Antonio Vega on September 12, 2012

About a month ago, I moved back to the Twin Cities from Des Moines to rejoin Team USA Minnesota. It’s great to be back and training in my hometown again. For the first time in many months, I can report that my training has been going well. I’m in surprisingly good shape and have a renewed sense of purpose with my running. My enthusiasm for training has returned and I find myself looking forward to every practice to see how hard I can push myself and what new goals I can accomplish. It’s a great feeling to have again.The other big change in my life is I have taken a ...

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The Long Road Back

by Antonio Vega on July 31, 2012

The road back to running after the type of injury and surgery I had is never a short (or easy) one. It has now been about three months since I had hip surgery and I am very happy to report that everything looks good and is healing well.Recently, I had my three-month follow up with the surgeon who operated on me and he had trouble identifying which hip was operated on which I took as a great sign. My doctor was so encouraged that he gave me the OK to finally start training again which is all I needed to hear. Right now, I am running around 40-45 miles a week and starting to feel like ...

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Renewed Sense of Purpose

by Antonio Vega on June 28, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Duluth, Minnesota for the U.S. Half Marathon Championships, just to get back into the atmosphere of professional road running. Before I left for Duluth, I knew I wouldn't be running the race, but I just wanted to be around all the top runners and stay in touch with the sense of excitement one gets at a national championship race.The race was terrific and I really enjoyed talking with some of friends and fellow competitors. I won the half marathon championship in Houston in 2010 and reflecting back on that huge victory for me, made me realize how e...

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