Mike Sayenko - Infinite Running

Personal Bests

1,500m - 3:48.02
Ken Shannon Invite (2009, 3rd)

3,000m - 8:02.20
Husky Classic (2009, 6th)

5,000m - 13:49.78
UW Last Chance (2009, 2nd)

10,000m - 28:25.85
Cardinal Invite (2009, 2nd)

10K (Road) - 29:09
Peachtree Road Race (2010)

1/2 Marathon - 1:03:52
Houston Half Marathon (2009)

Marathon - 2:14:27
Chicago Marathon (2010)

Mike Sayenko

Coach: Brad Hudson
Event: Marathon
Sponsor: Powerbar, Nuun, Club Northwest, Infinite Running

Career Highlights:
As a collegiate runner at University of Washington, Mike Sayenko was a Junior All American at 10k and twice earned NCAA All-West Region Team honors in cross country. He was the fourth place finisher at the 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships 5k and finished sixth at the 2006 Pac-10 Championships 10k. During his senior year he made his marathon debut at the 2006 California International Marathon (2:19:45). At age 22, he was the youngest qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials.

After Mike graduated from college, he focused on the marathon distance and ran another PR at the Olympic Trials Marathon in 2007. He was the youngest finisher at the trials, running his second marathon in 2:18:35 (29th place).

The following year, Mike competed for Team USA at the Austin International Marathon Challenge. He finished second overall and led Team USA to victory over Kenya, Great Britain, Canada, and Malawi. Later that year, he finished fifth at the 2008 US Marathon Championships in Twin Cities, MN.

In 2009, Mike continued to improve at a range of distances, running personal best times in the 1500, 3K, 5K, 10K, 12K, 15K, Ten Miles, Half Marathon and Marathon. On 10/10/10, he ran another marathon PR at the Chicago Marathon (2:14:27), finishing 10th overall in a world-class field and 2nd American.

When he is not training, racing or coaching, Mike works as a graphic designer for Sayenko Design. He is a 2007 graduate of the University of Washington where he studied Art, Art History and Design. He volunteers his time as a coach for the "Marathon Club" of a local elementary school. His program encourages young athletes to run 1-3 miles twice a week until the total reaches 26.2 miles.

Race Highlights

9th, 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships, Houston, TX 1/29/11 – 1:04:20
10th, 2010 Chicago Marathon, 2nd American, 10/10/10 - 2:14:27
7th, 2010 USA Track and Field Championships, 10k - 06/24/10 – 29:26
9th, 2010 USA Road 10k Championships - 29:09 (Peachtree Road Race)
8th, 2009 USA Marathon Championships - 11/1/09 (NYC Marathon) 2:16:38
5th, 2008 USA Marathon Championships 10/5/08 (Twin Cities) 2:19:18
2nd, 2009 Stanford Invite – 28:25.85
2nd, 2009 University of Washington Last Chance meet – 13:49.78
2008 US Olympic Trials Marathon 29th place in 2:18:35
2010 Pacific Northwest Runner of the Year
4th fastest 10K time at University of Washington, All-American at 10k

Mike's Blog

Mike Sayenko

2/25/2013 12:18:48 AM

Which distance is toughest? 5k, 10k, or the Marathon

Have you ever thought of running a 5k, 10k, or marathon? Have you ever wondered which one is the toughest? I want to answer that question for those of you exploring running or are a veteran trying to get a perspective of an elite distance runner and running coach.

The 5k, 10k, and Marathon can all be very tough on an off day. The 5k is tough because of the VO2 max system you're working. VO2 max (also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity) is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual.

The VO2 max system is an uncomfortable training zone / racing zone. If you run it correctly, the last mile is very hard with lactic acid building every minute. Therefore, I would say 5k beats out the 10k.

In the 10k, generally the first 5k-6k is comfortable until the final two miles. You have to wake up and start working for it. The only down side is it's 25 laps on the track, if you do feel off... well lets just say you might be counting a lot of laps.

The marathon is a whole different animal. It's 26.2 miles, what really separates the marathon from 5k/ 10k is the distance. Its such a long way and so many things can go wrong. The training leading up to the race is really the tough part here. It makes the race seem almost easy. Running 120 miles a week with 2-3 hard sessions, week in and week out is very difficult. So if you get to the start line, its like you're half way in your race already. Marathons are very relaxed for most of the way, until usually the last 10km. This is when the real racing starts. Unlike the 5k and 10k, this works out to be about a quarter of the race. Whereas for the 5k and 10k the toughness of the race sets in the last third of the race.

Happy Running,

Mike

ps. Feel free to drop me a line on coaching tips would love to help!

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

6/19/2012 8:48:32 PM

Pursuing the Olympic Dream!

It's game time! An Olympic year, once every four years, is a time to relish for Track and Field fans. Track and Field athletes come out of hibernation to show the world sport at its purest. It's beautiful and it's Olympics at its finest!

I will have the opportunity Friday night in Eugene at Hayward field in front of 20,000+ fans. 6:45pm, at the crack of the gun, I will have the chance to qualify, along with 23 other men, for my first Olympic team at 10,000 meters.

I have been in this sport since sophomore year in high school. Some 13 years and more miles under my legs then my car. To be exact, 50,000+ miles with wear on those wheels. I've had this burning desire to be the best I can be since my sophomore year. The road has been a roller coaster. In retrospect, it's helped shape me into the person I am today, building my character. It all contributed - every sacrifice, every injury, every frustration, every bad race, every disappointment. God gave me a gift for a reason, and the desire as well. I intend to use it. To put it better from Chariots of Fire, Eric Llddell says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."

I can guarantee on Friday night I will lay it all out on the track for those 25 grueling laps. It's a great opportunity, a cherished journey, and a gift!

In order to realistically make the team, I need to run under 27:45 (the Olympic time standard), which is about 25 seconds better then my personal best. I have already run a minute faster since my college days, so why not a mere 25 seconds more? I had knocked down 13 seconds off my best already this year. Including running the Olympic time standard, I also have to be in the top three at the finish line to punch my ticket to the London Olympics. No matter what the outcome is, I plan on celebrating years of sweat, hard work, passion, and glorifying God.

You can watch the coverage on Friday at NBCSN at 6pm Pacific time.

God Bless!

TV Schedule:

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

4/27/2012 1:07:49 AM

Winning is Always Fun!

Won Ruston 5k in Tacoma over the weekend on April 21 in 14:23 by 14 seconds, followed by a 4 mile cruising tempo in 20:25. The race played into my favor, I was hoping to control the race.. and just run fast enough to win. My big race is this Sunday at Stanford (where I need the Olympic Trials A standard of 28:15 for 10k). I took control early in the race, running the first mile in 4:34 in the lead… knowing that I still had a long way to go to the finish, I let Craig Leon lead for about half a mile.. from 1.5-2 miles. From there, I didn’t want the race to come down to the final stretch. I flew past with a mile to go never looking back, running 4:31. I achieved my goal of getting the win and in the process ended up running the fastest road 5k I have run this year… on forward to Payton Jordan 10k at Stanford next Sunday! Watch me live at 10:20 Pacific Time... http://live.flocasts.org/payton-live.html

RESULTS:

1 1 Mike Sayenko 10:16:11 10:30:34 0:14:23 27 M
2 9 Craig Leon 10:16:11 10:30:48 0:14:37 27 M
3 2 Joseph Gray 10:16:11 10:30:59 0:14:48 28 M
4 10 Ben Mangrum 10:16:11 10:31:19 0:15:08 33 M
5 49 Rick Bogatay 10:16:11 10:31:19 0:15:08 25 M
6 19 Brett winegard 10:16:11 10:31:27 0:15:16 32 M
7 45 Dan McLean 10:16:11 10:31:31 0:15:20 30 M
8 16 Jesse Stevick 10:16:11 10:31:41 0:15:30 30 M
9 39 Ryan Prentice 10:16:11 0:00:00 0:15:38 21 M
10 7 Jeff Hashimoto 10:16:11 10:31:57 0:15:46 41 M
11 11 David McCulloch 10:16:11 10:32:03 0:15:52 41 M
12 24 Dominic Smargiassi 10:16:11 10:32:08 0:15:57 25 M
13 22 Mike Lynes 10:16:11 10:32:14 0:16:03 45 M
14 21 Joel Bendtsen 10:16:11 10:32:20 0:16:09 26 M
15 14 Joseph Sheeran 10:16:11 10:32:44 0:16:33 54 M
16 42 David Cannon 10:16:11 10:32:49 0:16:38 55 M

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

8/16/2011 2:13:17 AM

When the Going Gets Tough

I recently had an athlete I coach (Susan - 1:32 half marathoner) ask a very good question so I thought I would post my answer.

Mike - I am intimidated by the tempo runs. 6:45-6:53 is a pace I haven't held for 10 miles in a half marathon. While I think it's physically possible, it is mentally tough, especially the last couple miles of each 2 x 5 mile tempo. I know you must have crossed the hurdle in races - how do you stay tough and push through when your mind and body are saying to slow down?

thanks,

Susie

Great question. I have this problem all the time. To push yourself when things get tough.

Some tips I would say work well with the mental game is focus on something on the road, I usually look down 5-10 meters in front of me it helps me focus on my rhythm/ pace (if there is a person your drafting off I usually watch their calves).
My watch also helps, its GPS and so I usually look at it every half mile or quarter mile for my pace. Next, I also try not to think about how fast I have to run during the workout, I break it down in my mind to each mile. Mentally I tell myself this is the last mile, when in fact I may have three more.
Next, if you can having a training partner or someone that will pace you for part of the workout helps a lot because you save 2-4 sec per mile when you are drafting behind someone and you can mentally shut off and just follow their rhythm. And having someone bike next to you to mimic a pacer as well helps in the same way.

Hope that helps, If anyone has a question out there please feel free to and I will answer as many as I can in my next blog post!

Mike

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

8/12/2011 6:50:28 PM

Preparations for World Championships Marathon

There has been a lot going on since I last blogged, so yes I have an excuse! I am excited to report back, as my pulse slows down slightly. Things going on…I got married, June 11th... to my beautiful wife Hayley... who is now officially Hayley Sayenko. If you don't believe me Facebook it, hehe. She is officially Ukrainian :)

Next we found an apartment in Bellevue, Washington, settled in, bought my first couch, no longer eating cheese quesadillas for dinner, did a nutrition seminar at the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon, Hayley snagged a fantastic job, and I just realized I am going to be running around in Asia like a mad man in less than a month.

On the training end, I have just under four weeks till the World Championship Marathon in Daegu, South Korea on September 4th. I have been running in long sleeve tops and sweats in an effort to acclimate, but really, who can in Seattle, as it still feels like winter. I hardly saw the sun in July with temperature averages around the 60's. Nonetheless, I have been wolfing down 106, 120, 123, 131, and 116 mile weeks the las

t five weeks. It has really started sinking in, I received my Team USA gear and booked my flight, that I will be representing my country. I feel so blessed and honored to do so. I am doing my best to be as fit as possible for the race. This country has given me more opportunities then I could ever ask for, as I move

d to the United States when I was 8 years old. I never thought I would be a runner, being able to chase my professional running dream of making the Olympic and World Team, study at a great University, receive a scholarship in college, and the list goes on. Here’s a glimpse of some of the training I’ve done, for those of you who love the stats.

Sunday, July 31st

Ran at Sammamish River trail.. all gravel except last 3 miles. Gels every 45 min, started out with one, Powerbar sports drink every 2-3 miles. Ran in long sleeve the whole way, 62º at start 64º at finish.

MILE SPLITS: 7:00, 6:34, 6:17, 6:14, 6:08, 6:04, 6:04, 5:58, 5:59, 5:49 (62:11- 10 miles), 5:49, 5:45, 5:49, 5:49, 5:48, 5:47, 5:42, 5:42, 5:41, 5:39, 5:41, 5:40, 5:39, 5:38, 5:31, 2:45

Wednesday, August 3rd

Felt pretty good, got in a good rhythm. Was pretty warm out 75º. Total 1:51 min - 17 miles total. 12 x 1k w/ 90 sec recovery.

SPLITS: 2:57.5, rec 90 2:55.6, rec 88 2:55.0, rec 88 2:54.6, rec 87 2:53.8, rec 89 2:53.5, rec 86 2:53.5, rec 87 2:54.5, rec 85 2:52.7, rec 87 2:52.3, rec 87 2:49.7, rec 87 2:48.4 AVG 2:53.05 (last 11)

Saturday, August 6th

Marathon sim. 10miles easy to light mod. (long sleeve warm up only ) (quick change) 10miles Marathon pace 2mile w.d. From Marymore park to east lake sammamish gravel trail, got drinks every 2.5 miles, gels every 45 min and at start, felt pretty good. 63º out, no real wind.

SPLITS: 6:34, 5:56, 5:53, 5:52, 5:46, 5:34, 5:30, 5:33, 5:33, 5:26 (57:41 - 10 miles), 5:07, 5:11, 5:07, 5:11, 5:05, 5:06, 5:03, 5:05, 5:03, 4:55.. avg 5:05.3 last 10 miles on Sammamish River Trail - 1:48:40 for 20 miles - 5:26 per mile.

Next time, I will update you all on some great gadgets that I have been blessed to try, such as the OptoJump, k4 Laser, and Recovery Pump.

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

5/23/2011 12:50:15 PM

World Championships, Daegu, Korea

Just last week I had heard of the news, I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of five runners to represent team USA! I’ll be running the marathon at the 13th IAAF World Championships in Track and Field, to be held in Daegu, Korea, August 27 – September 4.

The world championships are every two years and are considered to be the Olympics of track and field outside the Olympic year. I am very honored to represent my country. I was so excited when I heard the news, I ran a tempo on my easy run by accident. One of my dreams since I began running was to run at the World Championships. It will be a great experience to race at the international level and see many of the same guys that will be competing at the Olympics next year. Also, it’ll be a great way to build up to the Olympic Trials Marathon on January 14, 2012. Here is the article from USA Track and Field.

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

5/19/2011 12:31:32 PM

WORLD RECORD “HUMAN CENTIPEDE” at Bay to Breakers 12k!

Now that I have your attention, I will get to the world record shortly. What is my favorite race of all time? I can tell you after years of experience, it’s the Bay to Breakers 12k. Why? This race is filled with excitement, craziness, laziness, and a little bit of running for some… but it’s mostly just a big wild block party that seems to be on the wrong day. As Halloween is on October 31st, it is indeed one big costume party that lasts all day long. We saw Bumble Bee man, Elvis, a pink gorilla, and plenty of other characters in restaurants and night clubs well after the race.

This was my second time running the race. I was approached a little differently than years past. Usually, you end up emailing the meet director to be part of a race. This year I was recruited to be on LinkedIn centipede team on facebook. I was approached by Armen, the man putting this all-star team together… he said the goal was to break the record. Last year they tried to do the same, coming up miserably short by 30 seconds.

Our impressive team consisted of 11 Golden Boys (California) and 2 out of state guys, Ryan Shay and I. Thinking of the depth in California running is amazing. Most of these guys were college rivals and some at the professional level now. Cal Berkley had four guys alone in the race Giliat (13:40 – 5k’er) and Yosef Ghebray (13:45 – 5k, 2 weeks prior), Mark Matusak (3:39 – 1500), and Chris Chavez (28:55 – 10k’er). Also current foe’s included Jimmy Grabow and Charlie Serrano (ran 28:24 for 10k – 2 weeks ago).

I was very nervous for several reasons, on 1) how good the team was and 2) how out of shape I was. I didn’t want to disappoint, I had run 38:05 for 12k at Bloomsday just two weeks prior. And the goal now was to run about 10 seconds per mile faster on another tough course, GOD please be with me! Race starts, and we fly through the first mile in 4:48. Another nerve-wracking thing was our bungie cord cable that harnessed us all in. I didn’t want to trip at the start if the guys went out like a bat out of hell. We had the fittest guys up front and two floaters that were running on the side of our pack unharnessed. They were there to replace anyone that might need to drop out. The harness took some getting used to, as I had to bring my elbows up quite a bit as my arm was constantly hitting the bungie cord.

Fast forward to the finish.. we ran 37:00 new WORLD RECORD! Our team even out-kicked some elites running individually. I was impressed, we had 13 guys run 4:58 mile pace and we were around 10th overall in the race. We also won the centipede competition. After the race, we proceeded to run the course backwards. Everyone thought we were the Salmon boys that show up every year swimming up stream. We had about 100 people yelling at us throughout the course. It was a blast! I hope to come back in the future and lower our own standing World Record! SPLITS: 4:48, 4:55, 5:30, 5:06, 4:53, 4:40, 4:41, 2:25

RESULTS http://zazzlebaytobreakers.com/index.php?page=result

ARTICLE http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/05/16/linkedin-armen/

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

5/2/2011 2:34:11 PM

Favorite 5k

There are so many fun races out there. Sometimes it’s hard to decide what to do. Sometimes I want to race every weekend. This is definitely true with the 5k distance. It’s an event where you can recover from very quickly. This makes it very tempting to race all the time. I have learned through the years that you have to pick you battles in training. You can't race them all.

One of my favorite 5k's that I do get to run every year is Run of The Mill 5k in Mill Creek, Washington on July 9th. I have been the champion for three years in a row before getting taken down last year in a heated battle, loosing out by a second. This race is special to me because of my involvement in helping the race grow. I have been doing graphic design for the race every year. Doing everything from logo work, ads, brochures, posters, race numbers, tee shirts, and website. It has been special to me to see it grow from 400 runners the first year to nearly 2000. The atmosphere is electric, lots of energy in the crowds. The course itself is very scenic as it goes through the Mill Creek Town Center and into a bike path trails that loops you back into the town center.

If you live in Washington you have to come check this race out. Hope to see you out there!

Happy Running,

Mike

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

4/25/2011 7:04:11 PM

Favorite 10k

I have been running this event for years and have come to the realization of one thing, that road races are by far more exciting to run then track races. Running a road 10k is just pure fun compared to 25 laps on the track.

Peachtree Road Race 10k in Atlanta, GA has left me with great memories. It takes place on July 4th, Independence Day with crowds upwards of 40,000 people. The race produces some world-class times and is combined into a US 10k championship as well. The course itself is like a roller coaster, first half is much down hill and then the last is back up, with a nice slight down hill finish. I highly recommend this race to anyone that is looking either for some pure fun, a personal best, or both. I hope to run this year and set a new personal best (currently 29:09 last year at Peachtree).

Happy Running,

Mike

Direct Link

Mike Sayenko

4/18/2011 5:41:23 AM

My Favorite Marathon

I love marathons, I would say it is my favorite distance to run. There is something about the marathon distance that is great. A feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction, joy of sharing the experience, and much more. I was pondering all the marathons I have run, which is now six, and there has truly been some exciting highlights in my running career.

I would say Chicago Marathon this last year was my favorite experience. I had trained much harder for this one then any previous marathon and I was very motivated to run a personal best. I think any time you run a personal best its going to be a memorable moment for you. It was no different for me, I had trained for eight months for this, logging 100 miles per week. I ran a 2:11 minute personal best, running 2:14:27 and finishing 10th overall at a world marathon major marathon. The moment was rewarding because everything came together on that day. I had a game plan and I stuck to it. Half way I was no where near 10th, as I was around 27th position in the race. I steadily climbed my way up the second half of the race to finish 10th and the second American.

I would love to come back to Chicago again some day as this is one of the fastest marathons in the world and in America. I highly recommend this course for anyone looking to run a personal best on a flat course. The city is amazing as well to tour and rewarding after the hard effort.

Happy Running,
Mike

Direct Link

The Final Sprint
To become a sponsor, contact us here


	FAQ About Infinite Running Contact Us