Against the Wind

Runch Break

2012-02-24T14:00:00.001-05:00

Distance: 3.05 mi.
Time: 22:26.60.
Pace: 7:22.

I had to do some work from home before today's runner's lunch aka "runch," the group that meets at the Burger Company every Friday. I rolled up to one of my accounts to pick something up and then ran from there. Mike Kahn needed a ride to the runch so I ended up cutting my run short. Running through the Southpark area made me feel grateful for the areas in which I normally run. Wide, safe neighborhood streets are nothing to take for granted. This was not an enjoyable run. I really enjoyed the runch, however. We had a lively group today. I was also able to pick Mike's brain on the ride over about web design, networking, and computer logistics. You can find Mike's web design resources here.

I have also been talked into pacing Brinkley for tomorrow's 10-mile race. I have improved but I'm not on Dave's level right now, so this is going to be a pretty hard effort for me. I better start hydrating...

Reviewing the Neighborhood

2012-02-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 6.92 mi.
Time: 51:48.59.
Pace: 7:30.

It's hard to believe I've lived in Eastover for almost four years. Today I ran one of the few routes that I'm actually going to miss. It's a loop that goes up through some hills off Randolph and Wendover before cutting over towards part of the Booty Loop, on Selwyn. The legs were very tight yesterday but felt fresh again today.

Extended Cooldown

2012-02-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Distance: 2.07 mi.
Time: 15:41.31.
Pace: 7:35.

As the title indicates, this run was simply an extended cooldown after yesterday's workout. I barely had time for a run today but I didn't want yesterday's hard effort to be the lingering memory for my legs. Don't look now, but I've also got a small streak going - seven consecutive days with no time off. Ha! It's a start.

Speed Endurance

2012-02-21T19:17:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.7 mi.
Time: 1:12:08

Warmup: 2 mi.
Workout: 4*1/2-mi. @ 5k pace w/ 1/4-mi. jog rest + 5-km @ half marathon pace.
Cooldown: 1.6 mi.

This morning, just before lunch, I hit the Speed Loop with the Lunar Racers in my hands and some faster miles on my mind. My goal for today was twofold: I wanted to work on some speed, get the heart rate up high, and then try to run 3-4 miles at half marathon pace after I was already tired. Logistically speaking, this didn't quite go as planned, but I'm pleased with the effort.

2:55.5 (2:17 for 1/4-mi. rest); 2:50.8 (2:07); 2:51.8 (2:06); 2:53.8 (2:19).

I got the legs and arms pumping and was able to maintain focus on each repetition. After some water from Rebecca's porch and a brief rest, I set off down East Boulevard for the last part of the workout.

19:31.52 for 5k. 6:06.25, 6:09.25, 6:34.88, 0:41:14.

I am not using East Blvd. for speed work ever again; I shall find anoter route to the greenway. It took all I had to keep the downhill first mile from getting out of control. It took all I had to keep the uphill third mile from getting away. This was also a good bit harder than I wanted; while I'm still trying to find my half-marathon pace, I can assure you it isn't sub-6:10. I also did a good bit of car-dodging, narrowly avoiding an incident at East and Scott Avenue.

I certainly accomplished my goal of running hard when tired, but my body is clearly aching for some shorter races right now.

Evening Reunion

2012-02-20T18:33:00.000-05:00

Distance: 5.31 mi.
Time: 44:03.
Pace: 8:18.

This is the first time I have run on a Monday in over a month. With Adrienne back from cobra-charming in India, we put together a decent group to run easy from the Dowd. It was great to have Thomas back out there, and even better to have my running buddy back. I was glad to keep the pace easy and relieved to get my weekly mileage off to a head start.

Week in Review

2012-02-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

Distance: 40.7 miles.
Time: 5:10:56.

I believe it must take a good bit of mental toughness to run 17 miles and finish hard without any company. I'd say that was the highlight of the week, but I got in some great track work as well.

This was a necessary down week. One of the reasons I wanted to drop from a full to a half is that I won't have to amp up my mileage too quickly. For the coming week, though, I do plan to push it, before it's time for a short taper.

Short Stretch

2012-02-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

Distance: 3.74 mi.
Time: 29:17.
Pace: 7:50.

Naturally, I was a bit tight on this one, and since I had little time before my presence was needed at the airport, it was a short run. I basically got in just enough to put me over 40 for the week.

Exploring the Town

2012-02-18T17:26:00.000-05:00

Distance: 17 mi.
Time: 2:07:37.46.
Pace: 7:30.

I went long today, which means I again bailed on the Sunday group. I was happy to get it done early, though. I needed one last big long run, and a fast finish, and the body was up for it today. I mostly cruised around but brought it home with a 6:37 after basically making a circle around the center city. I did lock down the training-friendly apartment I mentioned in an earlier post, and I picked up some good vibes by rolling through there near the end of this one. Running all over the city really bangs home the idea of how far one is going, but man, it sure is fun sometimes.

Just Miles

2012-02-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 2.85 mi.
Time: 21:51
Pace: 7:41.

The title says it all; this was simply a small amount of time on the feet. I did break a sweat.

Eggers Burns

2012-02-16T21:33:00.000-05:00

Distance: 8.9 mi.
Time: 1:08:40.

Warmup: 2.2 mi.
Workout: 5*600 meters w 2-min rest + 2*1600 meters w 400-m jog rest.
Cooldown: 1.7 mi.

I had hoped to join the Charlotte Runners at the Philosopher's Stone run tonight, for a tempo, but of course they were doing some sort of themed run for Valentine's Day. Avoid. Eggers came to my rescue with a call for 600-meter repeats at the Marion Diehl track. Eureka!

I was feeling a good bit under the weather and would be working with depleted glycogen stores on this one. Dreaming of doughnuts, I chased Eggers around the asphalt oval, 600 meters at a time. He was really burning and I was content to sit back a bit. He encouraged me to fight through breathing and energy woes, but I bolted for a water fountain as soon as I had finished my fifth.

Splits (rest): 2:06 (.11 mi. in 0:57.4); 2:05.7 (.21 in 2:00); 2:08.2 (.15 in 2:00); 2:03.4 (.14 in 2:00); 2:01.85 (.16 in 2:00).

That third one is worrisome as it represents an ongoing issue with me - losing focus in the middle of a race or workout. After some water for my parched lips, I went back to the line for two versions of the metric mile, 1600 meters.

5:44.1 (400m in 2:42); 5:35.2 (.11 mi. in 1:32).

Positive feelings abounded after a strong close. It was great to have Eggers out there for pacing and encouragement, even though we did different workouts. We cooled down back to his house and called it a day, with plans for more track work in the near future. It was nice to get the legs moving with something other than a tempo run.

New Digs?

2012-02-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

Distance: 8.22 mi.
Time: 1:03:29.
Pace: 7:44.

Today, I took what I hope to be the final steps in landing a place of residence that will greatly benefit my training, among other things. I want to live near the areas in which I always run, and my potential home will also be a positive change for my lifestyle in general. Excited about the possibilities, I took off from Freedom Park for today's easy run and ran all around what I hope will soon be my neighborhood. My muscles were tight today, though. I felt greatly encumbered and stopped for an extending stretching session on the speed loop. I felt much better after that and eventually worked my way into cruise mode.

Change of Plans

2012-02-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

I announced in my previous post that I have decided to scrap a full marathon in favor of a half. That decision warrants an explanation, and I will attempt to do give you one here. The following is my reasoning, in order of importance:

Training. Marathon training, albeit not where it needed to be, did wonders for my fitness level last fall. Based on my recent 8k I would guess that I'm in about 17:40-ish shape for a 5k right now. I was struggling to break 19 as recently as five months ago, so that's a significant boost. I believe it to be a case of endurance meeting speed, which has always been my strength. However, my mileage is still not very impressive. I am struggling to get to 50 per week right now, and that's not high enough to get me where I want to be for the 26.2. By running a half, I hope to gain an idea of where I really am for longer races while also capitalizing on the work I've put in. The fact that Mitchell and Eggers each co-signed this plan further validates my decision.

Finance. Wrightsville went out the window when I realized my friends were headed to Tobacco Road instead (something about fast women and sponsored entries...), which would have put me on my own for lodging costs and gas. The entry fee was also over $100 last I looked. As for Tobacco Road, there was, I believe, an $80 entry fee and I would have had a free place to stay. I still would have spent about $100 on gas, however, and stayed longer, thereby increasing my dining expenses. I estimated the total cost of this marathon to be around $260, which really isn't bad for a good event. However...the Corporate Cup half is local, so there are no travel or lodging fees. With an assist from my buddy Jeremy, I received a free entry through a coupon code. I will obviously drive to the race site, and I will probably go out for a breakfast afterward, but the definitive cost of me running this race is exactly $0.00.

Logistics. My sister's family is in the process of an Army move throughout March, and will need my help. I myself will be vacating my apartment at the end of March. Adding a full marathon 150 miles away on top of all that - plus the usual social and professional responsibilities - is a bit much. Even for me.

So, there it is. I have made my decision, and I feel good about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make some tweaks to my training plan.

Week In Review

2012-02-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

Distance: 47.3 miles.
Highlights: a lot of rest.. double on Sunday.. good drill work.

I should have easily hit the 55-mile mark, and instead failed to break 50. I am at least running consistently, though, and that's a change for the positive. This was a week that involved a couple big days, but no speed.

Things have changed all of a sudden on the racing front. I am no longer running the Wrightsville full and have instead opted for Charlotte's Corporate Cup half. Stay tuned for a more detailed post on that topic.

Valentine's Run Double

2012-02-12T19:52:00.000-05:00

Distance: 4.6 mi.
Time: 35:55.
Pace: 7:49.

I met the CRC group at Freedom Park for a Valentine's Day-themed run. I missed the memo to wear red or pink, but the Hovises had on enough of each color to count for everyone. We kept the pace easy, something I was rather thankful for, and a few of us went out for Italian afterward. I was hurting for some calories after the day's work.

To Freeze Or Not To Freeze

2012-02-12T14:28:00.000-05:00

Distance: 15 mi.
Time: 1:54:58.
Pace: 7:39.

I was excited about meeting the contingent led by Paul at Old Bell this morning, but a busy night at work and an aggressive cold front had me rethinking things. Also, the idea of having to be in a certain place at a certain time is one of the many things that is making running feel like a job to me these days. I need to snap out of this eventually lest I become a running hermit, but for today I was willing to exchange good company for warmer temperatures.

I set out my back door in the direction of McAlpine Park by way of Randolph and Sardis. Once there, I took a system check and realized I would be better served by cutting this one short and doubling up later. The sidewalks were prevalent on this one, and my legs took a pounding, all felt in the groin and hamstrings (certainly better than if it was the knees and shins, mind you).

Bite Me

2012-02-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

Distance: 8.47 mi.
Time: 1:05:01.
Pace: 7:41.

After some hard running followed by some hard slacking, it came as no surprise that I was very tight on today's easy run. I ran around the neighborhood for awhile. I stopped at Kati Robertson's place to congratulate her on a good 5k earlier in the day, but she was not home. With lonely spirits I trudged towards home, by way of Selwyn Avenue, whereupon I would find my left hand in the mouth of a very large dog. I was approaching a woman who was having a hard time getting Fido to sit and stay at the crosswalk. I zigged when I should have zagged, and as I put my hand out to keep the animal at bay, it jumped up and took hold of said hand. He didn't clamp down hard, though; if anything I think he was trying to play. The woman apologized profusely but I just shrugged and ran home.

Drills + Slacking

2012-02-10T17:04:00.000-05:00

I am a little bit behind on training - yes, again. I am trying to find the routine that works best with my schedule without also making running feel too much like a job. While I'm certainly doing better than I have in awhile, I'm still not where I need to be in this regard.

I did get ahead on drills at the tail end of the week. I got in some serious calf work on Thursday, and the result is I am waking up without tight, sore feet for the first time in a long time.

Short Junk Run

2012-02-08T16:51:00.000-05:00

Distance: 4.71 mi.
Time: 36:02
Pace: 7:39.

I wanted to keep things short and easy today, so there isn't much to report here. A friend of mine honked at me for wearing short shorts on the way back home, but as I always say: when your legs are this sexy, ya gotta show 'em off. I joke, I joke!

System Update

2012-02-08T07:38:00.000-05:00

I have increased the mileage lately, and I'm pleased to report that the body has handled it well thus far. I have been eating and sleeping much better than I did last fall, and while I haven't nailed down an exact routine, I've been doing my drills more and more as a method to prevent injury. ("Drills" consists of lunges, calf raises, wall sits, and post-run stretching more than normal).

I have done two good long runs already after fearing that I had gotten behind: an 18.5-miler and a 20-miler. I hope to do a 22 and another 20. As far as races are concerned, I have to say that I am indeed going to pass on the Cupid's Cup 5k. I am eyeing the Charlotte 10-miler that goes down the McMullen greenway and is held later this month. The mileage will only get higher and the work even harder between now and then, but after that it will be taper time.

Long Medium Run

2012-02-07T19:31:00.000-05:00

Distance: 14.5 mi.
Time: 1:55:41.68 - 7:58 ppm.

Clearly, I did not intend to run over 14.5 miles today, but that's what happened. I do want to start getting in a better medium-long run, but it will need to be more like 10-13 miles, not pushing 15. However, Adrienne wanted to do 10 today and she's leaving for India tomorrow, so I wanted to run with her. I started from and finished at the Dowd so that's where the extra miles come in to play.

Week In Review

2012-02-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

Distance: 48.8 miles.
Highlights: five days of running... Winter Flight 8k... 20-mile long run... New racing shoes.

I keep trying to hit six days of running for the week, and it keeps not happening. I pushed the distance close to 50 again, however, thanks mostly to the 20-miler. I ran in racing flats twice - once for an easy tempo run and once at Salisbury's Winter Flight 8k. I continue to progress and I'm really looking forward to running more short races, but for now, I'm happy to be gearing up towards Wrightsville's full marathon.

For this coming week, I am due for a shorter long run but I don't want to cut back the overall mileage. I do, however, want to keep things pretty easy. I may not even do a workout, unless I get antsy.

Do It While You Can

2012-02-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

Distance: 20.0 mi.
Time: 2:32:47.15 - 7:38 ppm.

I wasn't really sure what I would end up doing today, but I was determined to get in at least 15. It didn't happen this morning. After the race yesterday Adrienne and I each went straight to work. There was no run this morning because of church, after which I was still feeling exhausted. But David Brinkley wanted to meet, and I knew I would hate myself later if I didn't get in a good run. He wanted 15, and I told him I would meet at his house in Madison Park and do 15-20 myself, depending on how I felt.

We started off slowly enough running towards the Booty Loop. It was here that we encountered Compton, and I stopped him to ask what he had planned for the day. Like us, he had just started his long run and wanted to keep the pace easy, having raced the Winter Flight yesterday as well. As evidenced by the map, we end up basically running around in circles for most of this one. I actually thought that made it go by a lot faster. The three of us were together for 9 miles before Compton branched off to go home.

We headed back behind Montford and crossed Park Road right at the McAlister's, towards Dave's house. He was ready to be done and I was tightening up a good bit. When we got back to his place I spent a few extra minutes stretching and taking water. As before, I had been taking Gu chomps throughout this run, and I actually felt pretty well-fed - just very tight in the legs. I had still felt great a few miles earlier, however, and so I was determined to go the full 20. I told Dave I didn't want to be in this position again next week - desperately needing to amp up the distance and not knowing if I had it in me.

I didn't want to go too far from Dave's house, so I just ran back and forth on Seneca for the last five miles - towards South, then back the other way, then back towards South and back to Dave's. Seneca is a tough road to run on when you're tired; it's very hilly. We had kept the pace easy throughout but I was pleased to get the 20 done.

2012 Winter Flight 8k

2012-02-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 1.98 mi. in 17:11.4 - 8:41 ppm.
Race: 5.02 mi. in 29:46.67 - 5:56 ppm. Splits: (1) 6:02.38; (2) 6:11.34; (3) 6:08.42; (4) 5:51.35; (5) 5:28.15.
Cooldown: 2.09 mi. in 18:25.94 - 8:50 ppm.
Chart
Map
Graphs

Race Results

Eggers' race recap

My true goal for today was to somehow prove to myself that I'm in as fit as I believe to be - in other words, to simply gain some confidence as I progress towards my second marathon. I felt like I could go under 30 minutes, so that was my time goal. I achieved both of these things, even surprising myself a bit in some respects, and I'm quite pleased with the day. I will write the recap now and add a couple pictures later...

This race was not scheduled until 10am - a good thing considering the hour-plus drive we had ahead of us. Baum and Mitchell were going to carpool from the east side of town, and Adrienne and I hit the road at 8am after a breakfast of waffles and strawberries. I don't normally eat that much on race day, but I figured I could get away with it due to the later start. I also had a few glasses of white wine and some sushi the night before.

Adrienne and I arrived on the campus of Catawba College right at 9am, then phoned Eggers when we couldn't see any kind of direction as to where to go. His response was something like, "yeah, it's tough to find - I spent the morning before the race last year kind of running around campus like a mad man. You'll just have to figure it out. Good luck." Perhaps I should have called Mitchell instead. Adrienne's intuition found us in the right place a few moments later. She went inside to get our bibs while I parked, and when I met her we bumped into Mike and Brian, as well. There was a decent crowd of runners inside the gym, conversing and trying to stay warm.

The four of us darted around for a bit, trying to figure out where the starting line was so we could dump our stuff (racing shoes, extra clothes, etc). I spotted John Compton and he helped out with the start location, then we took off for a warmup. We ran into Eggers, fashionably late as always, and got in just under two miles, most of it on the first part of the course. It was about 45 degrees and lightly drizzling - perfect weather for a race, in my opinion. Mitchell found a dry spot for our bags and we ran into Kevin Ballantine. He and I both had the same goal and talked at the Runner's Lunch the day before about trying to work together to hit said goal. I told him I wanted to start out conservatively without getting too far behind - 6:10 or so - and he mentioned that the first mile was the only fast mile of the course, so it might behoove us to bump it down to 6-flat. Ok, fair enough. Speaking of the course, I'm usually pretty stressed about making sure I know what awaits me in a race, but I would not have such an advantage today. I just tried not to worry about it and just do what I can. It was kinda neat to be racing in an unfamiliar atmosphere.

I slapped on my racers and headed back to the start. Adrienne and I wished each other luck as she settled back a bit and I found a spot on the front row. For reasons unbeknownst to any of us, former Olympian and record-holder Joan Nesbit was the guest of honor, and she gave a few words at the start. Pretty neat, right? But again, it wasn't really clear why she was actually there, unless I just wasn't paying attention (the likely scenario). There was a prayer and I looked around at my competition. I was on the far left, with Kevin in the center. We exchanged knowing "oh-there-you-are" nods. I didn't see Eggers anywhere, though. A bit after that, there was a mark-set-horn, and we were off.

I made a point to get around any crowds up front, found myself right behind Dan Matena and some orange-clad Asheville studs, and then slowed way down. I let a good number of people pass me, ducking my head back a couple times until I saw Kevin. We eased into a comfortable sub-6 mile pace and went down a treacherous hill that was followed by a sharp right turn. Kevin had predicted that "at least four people" would bite the dust here. I eased up a good bit and took the turn with caution. We conversed quite a good amount here, with Kevin providing some very helpful pointers about the course. It sounded like things were going to get pretty tough sooner rather than later. Mrs. Nesbit sidled up next to us for awhile, chatting and asking what he had planned to hit as goals. When we told her sub-30, she said, "Oh boy, I've gone out too fast, then!"

We hit the mile in about 6:02, feeling pretty happy with keeping the plan, but I was questioning things. My legs felt tight and my lungs were struggling to grab air. I think this is where experience saved me a bit; in the past I might have gotten scared and eased up, but instead I just told myself that my body was getting used to the pace and working out the kinks. Kevin and I began to reel in several runners after the mile mark as we turned off the road and into some side roads, making a few turns in the process. I had a couple steps on him at this point, and during one sharp left I turned my head just quickly enough to see that Eggers was about 10 meters back, waiting to pounce. That inspired me, and it was here that I left Kevin and began to mow down a good bit of runners in front of me.

The details begin to get a little hazy at this point. I will take that as a good thing - a sign that I was very much zoned-in, focused on racing and not worrying about much else. Again, I didn't have any real idea what I was going to see as far as the course was concerned. The blank memory may hurt the entertainment value of this recap, however!

So I broke away from the early pack and came across the first female and a masters runner, working together up a long, steep hill. This would be Miss Molly Nunn and Mr. John Anderson. I felt comfortable and went right on by them. I quickly learned that they weren't about to let me get away without a very serious fight.

John and Molly hung right on my shoulder, and I began to feel rather used. It was about this time that Eggers came strolling past the three of us, and for a moment I felt a bit deflated. Here I was thinking I had a great chance to finally beat my longtime friend - at a time when his training is down and mine is up - and he's flying past me up a steep hill.

I put the demons to bed and just tried to keep Molly in my sights. John had left to hang with Eggers, now about 10 seconds ahead, and Molly was wasting me on the uphills, with me gaining some ground back on a short down or a flat section. We did this for what seemed like an eternity, but I think it was really a little more than a mile and a half. My second mile was 6:11; my third was 6:08.

Working the hills and enjoying the country-like setting of the highway lanes, the four of us raced on. There was a lone runner up in the distance - an African-American Masters runner named Joseph Willis - and, it seemed, no one close behind. Compton, Matena, Mitchell, and the Asheville men were obviously long out of sight up front.

I split a 5:51 for the fourth mile. Again, the details are hazy, but sometime a little before or right after that marker, I finally found an opening with Molly. She appeared to ease up slightly right at the same instance that I found some more air in my lungs. I went for it. I slid to the outside and sprinted past her, trying to keep pressing before she could pass me back again. We came to another huge hill, and I feared for a second, but rebounded to keep pressing in an effort to reel in John. He slowed down some and I caught him at the top, nearly running into him as we made a turn back into campus and prepared for a fast finish. I knew I had him. With no more uphills, I knew I had him, and it was time to set my sights on someone else.

I thought about screaming, "Eggers, don't slow down!" but he seemed to get that idea. There were a couple instances when I thought he appeared to be coming back to me, but alas, that was not the case. He caught Joe Willis going around the track as I tried to bring them both back. I am confident I gave it everything I had. I had not been passed by anyone the whole race, except for Eggers. Maybe next time? Willis stayed in front of me, too; I would have had him with another ten meters but I didn't have another ten meters. I ran into him in the finish chute, then apologized; he was cool and slapped my hand. I accepted a piece of paper that had an "8" written on it - hey, this is just like high school! Eggers whooped my ass and I have to hand in a number. I had run my last mile in 5:28 and my last three miles in 17:27. I didn't even think I had that in me. What more could I have done?

I waited for Adrienne - despite claiming to not worry about time, she broke 36 minutes, and finished first in her age group! Kevin and Brian weren't quite as pleased with their performances, but each has had some minor setbacks recently. We will all be there in due time. There was some racking-up of awards and a jubilant post-race lunch, but I will have to save that for another post.

I hope you all enjoyed reading. 'Til next time.

Keeping It Clean

2012-02-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

Distance: 3.4 mi.
Time: 25:53.13 - 7:37 ppm.

I had intended to run more like 7-9 miles this morning, but I was lazy and didn't get out of bed on time for that, given lunch plans and a meeting I had later in the day. With a race tomorrow, I suppose it's just as well that I only ran 3+ around the 'hood. The legs were pretty tight. I did the workout late Wednesday night and nothing yesterday, so hopefully I was able to run out a little bit of the junk today.

Racing This Weekend

2012-02-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have decided to toe the line this weekend. I managed to get in a good, 18-mile long run last weekend, and I want to see where I am physically. I feel like I am getting in increasingly better shape, and I want a chance to prove it on the road course. The Salisbury Winter Flight 8k stakes claim as the oldest race in the state. I don't know anything else about it, but I have a lot of friends in the community that have run it. By all accounts, it's not a fast course at all, featuring several steep and gradual climbs. It does finish around a track, which sounds pretty awesome, and if it's a big race there will be some competition to push me. So there's that. We also have a fun group headed up to compete: myself, Brian Baum, Eggers, and Mitchell - and I even convinced Adrienne to sign up, as well! Brinkley was game but had to back out due to a friend coming in town at the last minute. We're all looking forward to this one.

Breaking In The Racers!

2012-02-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 1.51 mi. in 12:51.6 - 7:58 ppm.
Workout: 5.0 mi. in 32:27.5 - 6:29 ppm.
Cooldown: 0.79 mi. in 6:30.87 - 8:15 ppm.

I finally bought a pair of racing flats recently, and they arrived last Thursday via UPS. They are the Nike Luna Racer 2. They came in several different colors, but only a select few styles were on sale. I ended up with fluorescent orange and teal - Miami Dolphins colors. They were only $50 with the sale and they look pretty badass. I ran around them some in the parking lot when they arrived, but today I wanted to put them to work. I have signed up for the Salisbury Winter Flight 8k this Saturday, and I wanted to try these before toeing the line.

I showed up to the Met to run the Tuesday night Meetup route, once again on Wednesday and by myself for this week. I was a bit pressed for time so I cut my warmup short and then changed shoes. I felt light and very fast with these bad boys on my feet. I did stop about a mile into the workout to make a shoelace adjustment, but after that, everything felt great. To my pleasant surprise, the pavement didn't beat up my feet too badly. I finished the run and didn't have any blisters or any kind of pain at all, and I seem to have figured out the lacing setup - always an issue for me.

I averaged 6:29 pace again for the five-mile route. It didn't feel all that hard, which is good because the race is just a couple days away. More on that later, though. I begrudgingly cut my cooldown short, as well, because I had somewhere to be later, but I managed to get in a good bit of calf stretching later on in the night.

A Lighter Left Wrist

2012-01-31T14:23:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.00 mi.
Time: 1:07:59 - 7:34 ppm.

I intentionally left the Garmin at home this afternoon. I love using the watch but I'm beginning to get a hankering for a smaller one. The 305 is a very large watch. Anyway, I parked at the Dowd just before 12 and entertained ideas of running with Theoden and the crew from the Observer, but instead just took off on my own. I mapped out the route manually when I got home; it was just a tad over 9 miles.

For what it's worth, today is also the 30th anniversary of my baptism!

Week In Review

2012-01-29T22:19:00.000-05:00

Distance: 51.1 miles.
Highlights: good solo tempo... upsized long run... highest weekly total in, I think, 18 months.

I did not get off to a good start this week, but I buckled down and found a way to get in the miles. The fact that I completed this much running during Restaurant Week is both impressive and a slight cause for concern.

50 in 5

2012-01-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Distance: 6.58 mi.
Time: 51:08.97 - 7:47 ppm.

I actualy felt pretty good today, as I took effort to keep the pace easy and ran just enough to put me over 50 miles for the week - in five days.

Long Run + CRC Watching

2012-01-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

Distance: 18.35 mi.
Time: 2:21:59.76 - 7:45 ppm.

I debated the pros and cons of signing up for the Charlotte Running Club's first race, the Winter Classic 8k at McAlpine. I obviously love McAlpine and wanted to be part of something special here, but ultimately decided that a big long run needed to be my top priority. I have gotten behind schedule because of last week.

I showed up to the main entrance at 6:30am and, after helping Caitlin unload some water bottles, began to look for my buddy Megan Hovis. After a few solo miles I found her and Jason Martin on the course. We all ~~tried to avoid being asked to volunteer~~ talked about how happy we were to be there for the club's inaugural race. We picked up JLG at the park and then Lamperski and Kent on the way back towards the course.

I was able to impart well wishes on several friends I knew to be racing: Brinkley, Brian Baum, Michael Greene, Lamperski, Michelle, Billy, Jamaar, Paul, Compton, Allen Strickland. I'm sure I'm leaving several people oht but that's who I remember seeing before the race.

I settled in a spot near the start and prepared to spectate. I had hoped to be further along on my miles for the day - I had done fewer than 9 at this point. It's Caitlin's fault. I decided I would run around the course until Brinkley came through and then disappear for some more miles. I spotted most of the familiar faces after mile one of the 5k course and the hill the first time. When they turned to repeat that section, I ran a lonely back mile and then just kind of jogged around once I spotted Compton racing through the woods. In addition to others mentioned, I also got to see Greg Isaacs, Mike Kahn, John Fillette, Stan Austin, Carolyn Maye, Eric Bilbrey, Caleb Boyd, and Dalena Custer. Once again, I apoogize if I am omitting any competitors I saw!

As promised, I watched the leaders through Dave come through the chute. He appeared to have run well. I saw some fast finishing kicks from Paul, Greg, and John, as well. Then I turned and disappeared, the lonely long distance runner left with several miles of trail yet to pass.

I started thinking about some advice Mitchell had imparted to me some months back, about mentally dividing the run into sections. I figured the cheery miles with Megan and the others would comprise the first quadrant. Number Two would be the few miles spent jogging around the course. Quadrant Three would be the toughest section, that part of the long where one first starts to feel the pounding yet simultaneously realizes there is still a lot of path left to conquer. And this is where the suddenly lonely runner currently found himself.

Enter the always jovial Allen Strickland. I was about 14 miles in when we crossed paths on the trail and jogged together, and I enjoyed hearing his take on the race. For the whole hilarious entry, go to Allen's blog. By the time I entered the last quadrant, I actually felt stronger. I completed extra mileage with help from Eggers, Baum, Mitchell, and Megan again.

The CRC put on a great event, and I managed to catch up to my training plan a good bit with a big long run. Today was a good day, although Jess Bilbrey asked me if I was ok to drive home after breakfast at Toast, so I was clearly spent.

Easy Run + Speed Loop Stalking

2012-01-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 7.2 mi.
Time: 54:27.38 - 7:36 ppm.

Whenever I am near the Dilworth speed loop, I make a point to swing through there to ~~spy on~~ check on any of my running mates to see who is putting in the work. Today, I happened to have inside information that Adrienne and Christi would be meeting for some 400-meter repeats, so I began my run from the Dowd and looped through a couple times until I found the ladies.

After bidding good luck to CC and AA I set off to find "Grumpy Jamaar," who I was told was running and pouting somewhere nearby. I came back to the loop to see the girls come past a couple times, and was told that he had gone to Run For Your Life.

I awkwardly walked into RFYL and asked if they had seen Jamaar.

"Who?"
"Jamaar Valentine. Charlotte Running Club. Runs ultras. You know...Jamaar."
(blank stare)
"He's black and wears really short shorts."
"Oh, Jamaar! Why would he be here? He's at the speed loop."

By the time I got back to the loop, the girls were sweaty, tired, and done, and Jamaar didn't look all that grumpy. Adrienne had crushed about ten repeats.

Despite what I thought was a pretty good sales pitch, we failed to convince our friends to join us at the weekly Runner's Lunch. As for my run, I felt far from fresh as this now made about 28 miles in 36 hours.

Greenway Rebellion?

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.36 mi.
Time: 1:10:54.27 - 7:35 ppm.

I didn't really do anything rebellious on this run; I just keep running the same routes and therefore am running out of post titles. I'm sorry I'm not sorry. I did run on the semi-constructed new section of the LSG, but I turned off when instructed. All systems felt fine today despite a semi-tough effort fourteen hours prior.

Same Workout, Different Day

2012-01-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 3.1 mi in 23:58 - 7:38 ppm.
Workout: 5.0 mi in 32:28.3 - ~6:30 ppm.
Coolown: 1.45 mi in 11:46 - 8:08 ppm.

By no design of my own, I missed Monday and Tuesday. So if you're scoring at home, I am well on my way to following a 30-mile week with another down week - five weeks into a twelve-week marathon cycle, no less.

I am always going to call myself a slacker, but despite these misgivings I am not worried. I am gaining confidence as a runner. As for this week, tonight was a great start and I still have four more days to put in work, with new shoes and a recovered foot.

I showed up to the Met for the customary Tuesday tempo, a day late but no dollars short. I felt pretty good and just tried to push a but without straining. The average was 6:29; the fastest split was a 6:14.

Week In Review

2012-01-22T20:48:00.000-05:00

Distance: 31.8 mi.
Highlights: pain recovery...down week...good, hard effort on Tuesday.

Listening to the body, I took some time off this week. I feel I have learned from lesson from fall '10 to not fret when I need to miss some days to heal. I think too many runners get paranoid about losing fitness when taking time off, and I aim to not be one of them! I will say, however, that I had gotten off to a great start for Wrightsville and I'm a little disappointed I have already had to take a step back, but it's also only a 12-week plan.

Back To The Sunday Long

2012-01-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Distance: 11.07 mi
Time: 1:23:28.37 - 7:33 ppm.

I had a big lunch at Brio today that took awhile to settle so this run got started off a little rough, but I got in just over 11 at what seems to be the comfortable pace these days - 7:30 or thereabouts. I have been doing a good job maintaining the more natural, efficient running form I discussed in a previous post. This change is, I believe, allowing me to slowly ramp up the mileage without increasing the pounding on my feet and legs.

I'm Back

2012-01-21T14:46:00.000-05:00

Distance: 7.33 mi
Time: 56:03 - 7:39 ppm

After taking three days off to rest my heel, I got back out on the roads today in a shiny new pair of Pegasus 28s. I felt fine, running a loop from Eastover all throughout Myers Park and the surrounding areas. It's nice to have my regular shoes back.

A Step Back

2012-01-18T10:33:00.000-05:00

When I got home last night I took off my shoes and found a blood blister the size of a golf ball on my right foot. No wonder I was hurting. I proceeded to sterilize some scissors and needles and get to work, then bandage myself up. There will be no more speed work in the Lunar Swift. I just need to get a new pair of Pegasus. Also, my oft-troubling right heel has flared up again. I had Adrienne (she's a massage therapist) work on it and she told me I just needed to do a better job of stretching my calves. So it shouldn't be too big of a concern, but I've decided to let this be a down week in an attempt to recuperate.

Running With The Chicks

2012-01-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 3.2 mi in 25:13.02 - 7:55 ppm.
Workout 1: 6.45 mi tempo in 42:13.17 - 6:33 ppm.
Cooldown: 1.8 mi in 15:31.8 - 8:47 ppm.
Workout 2: 10 x 1-min hard/easy in 9:08.07 - 7:05 ppm.
Cooldown: 0.7 mi in 6:47.4 - 9:26 ppm.

I once again made plans for the Tuesday that involved meeting some friends at the Dowd and doing a tempo run with the Charlotte Runners. At this point I feel like I'm combining the best aspects of both groups - the CRC and Charlotte Runners - but we may have to get to that in another blog post.

A few things were different today. Thomas, unfortunately, is temporarily on the shelf after aggravating his glutes. Hopefully he won't be out for too long. Danielle and Alison Reed also joined Michelle, Matt, and I. We warmed up through the speed loop again but didn't see anyone this time, and Jaskot called it a day. So it was just me and the girls as we headed towards the Metropolitan.

The Charlotte Runners didn't start off late this time - they were already moving towards us as we all just sort of took stride and went with them. The loop is just over 5 miles and the girls actually wanted to do a 6-mile tempo, so I told them I would try to hold 6:30 pace or so and run back up the hill on Edgehill (across from the main CMC entrance) for an extra mile or so.

There's one runner in this group, Evan, who usually holds a pretty quick pace. A few others tend to start off probably a good bit faster than they should. There are some good runners in this group, for sure, but I'm not sure that trying to race each other every week is really what they need. With Michelle in tow, I headed up the hilly part of the loop that includes Edgehill and Queens Road East. I heard Michelle saying something about trying to use the small downhills, but I was just trying to keep Evan and the other frontrunners in my sights, knowing we had a flat section (Selwyn Avenue) coming up. The first mile went by in 6:39, the second in 6:26, and the third in 6:20. I caught up to Evan, who actually stopped abruptly right near Queens U, and the other leader, who I found out later to be Cody Case. I was feeling ok but my feet were hurting. After over 420 miles and my first marathon, I finally retired the second pair of Nike Air Pegasus 28s. Today I was running in the aforementioned Lunar Swift, and they don't quite fit the way I prefer. I could see painful blisters in my future.

Despite the foot troubles I tried to press on. Cody pushed me a good bit on the back side of the booty loop, but as planned I turned up Edgehill to tack on more miles. I slowed down a bit through here, as the tempo, the foot pain, and the elevation rise finally caught up to me. I doubled back down Granville and another of the Queens Roads (who can keep track, really?) before finishing the loop at the back of the pack. The girls were already here; I had added on an extra mile-and-a-half instead of just a mile. Oops.

Alison, Danielle, Michelle, and I grabbed some water and cooled down. Michelle somehow talked me into doing some minuters after this. Danielle was done for the day and ran home, and we coaxed Alison into joining us as we headed over to the speed loop. For this I just tried to maintain some turnover and not do anything crazy. We encouraged each other as the three of us just stayed together. Mich kept joking that my watch was off because the fast section seemed to be taking forever. We did 10 minuters - 5 fast, 5 slow - and then I jogged back to the Dowd in the rain, glad to be done for the day.

Week in Review

2012-01-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

Distance: 43.9 mi.
Highlights: missed a couple runs; good tempo run; sore on the long run.

I missed a couple runs this week and, therefore, did not get in the desired amount of miles. The long run was ok - I at least got in 16 miles if not the desired 17. The body felt a little less than fresh this week for the first time in over a month.

Bad Muscles, Good Company

2012-01-14T07:11:00.000-05:00

Distance: 16 mi.
Time: 2:00:00 - 7:30 ppm.

This one hurt, but I got the miles in at a decent pace. I think I worked harder than necessary on account of being a little overdressed, but it was 22 degrees when I started so I bundled up. I don't have any recent experience in running in weather this cold since I was injured last winter and haven't seriously trained through a winter in nine years. I need some new jogging pants.

Anyway, I started by myself before being joined by Mitchell and Brinkley. The former only wanted to run 8 miles so we went to Harris and back before dropping him off. I think I failed to mention in previous posts that I have started using Gu chomps instead of the Gu gel during long runs, and certainly plan to do the same during any long race. I got the idea from Brewer, who mentioned that constantly sucking or chewing on one of the chomps helped him stay hydrated and somewhat full during the race. As this is my second time using them, I can say I feel the same way. I also don't feel quite as hungry or drained after a run.

I was feeling awfully tight today, stopping to stretch or to re-lace my shoes or to simply slow down the pace more than usual. I got it done, though. I was hoping to go for 17 but this will work. On to the next one.

Always Finding New Routes

2012-01-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.06 mi.
Time: 1:08:48.6 - 7:36 ppm.

After taking Wednesday off, I explored the streets from home for another medium-long run on the Thursday. I'm going to be moving in a couple months after nearly four years at Eastover Ridge, so I figured I might as well keep running from home for the time being. I've found the roads to my liking more and more these days.

CRC-Charlotte Runners Face-Off

2012-01-10T18:28:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.81 mi.
Time: 1:12:04.63 - 7:21 ppm.

This evening, I met up with Michelle, Thomas, and Matt Jaskot at the Dowd. At my behest they agreed to do a short warmup through the speed loop and then join the Charlotte Runners at the Metropolitan. When we got there, Adrienne joked that our arrival reminded her of the "face-off" scene from Anchorman. I chatted with Brian Davis and a few others before we headed down to the "starting line."

We were at the back of the pack, and T&M had planned to go easy, so they all just chatted behind me as I slowly started to weave through the other runners. My schedule called for a regular run with sprints at the end. I didn't really feel like doing that, though, and after an easy opening mile with the group I started to pick up the pace in an effort to reel everyone in.

Everyone always treats these runs as races, but I guess I can't really talk if I always take the bait. Starting at the back and trying to gain on everyone is a good way to make sure I push. Unbeknownst to me, Thomas and Michelle had decided to try to catch me at some point, but they would have to try another day. This wasn't a very organized workout on my part but I was able to push the legs and lungs a bit, and so I was happy with it.

Medium-Long and BCS Title Game

2012-01-09T18:18:00.000-05:00

Distance: 8.97 mi.
Time: 1:08:50.96 - 7:41 ppm.

I took tonight off from work to watch the LSU-Alabama game. This run happened right before that. I just ran my partly trail/mostly road loop that starts at Old Bell.

Speaking of that football game, I think we should all agree that there was no national champion in college football this year. The system has long been a joke, anyway, but this year was one of the worst in recent memory. LSU beats a team in their division, on the road, goes on to win their conference title and finish undefeated...yet they have to play that same team, Alabama, in order to win the national title? How does this make sense? You could tell LSU didn't even want to be there, and I don't blame them. College football sucks.

Week in Review

2012-01-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

Distance: 45.3 mi.
Highlights: five runs this week and they all went pretty well - two medium-long, a tempo, a really good long run, and an easy run.

I managed to run pretty consistently for the second week in a row. Baby steps. Marathon training has gotten off to a good start.

Sunday Shakeout

2012-01-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

Distance: 3.01 mi.
Time: 22:51.19 - 7:36 ppm.

Today I just ran a short shakeout from my parents' house after visiting with them for a bit. I try not to ever repeat post titles for this blog, but that's getting a bit difficult. Also, I think I failed to mention that I bought a pair of the Nike Lunar Swift recently. They were on a ridiculous sale at the Nike factory store in Concord Mills and I wanted a cheap alternative pair for when the Pegasus begin to wear out, which is the case currently.

Going Long with Friends

2012-01-07T17:56:00.000-05:00

Distance: 15.6 mi.
Time: 1:52:38 - 7:13 ppm.
Splits

Caleb Boyd posted on the CRC Facebook page that he wanted some company for his 18-miler, and Dalena Custer and I responded to join in. Mike Kahn also showed up for a cameo appearance. Caleb set a pace that's faster than what I usually run for long, but my breathing was relaxed and my legs didn't tighten up until near the end of it. My average today was faster than what I ran for the first half of Thunder Road and would put me well on the way to a 3:10 marathon. The three of us enjoyed rolling through the woods at McMullen and putting in the miles.

Greenway Shaping Up

2012-01-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.64 mi.
Time: 1:11:14.14 - 7:24 ppm.

I ran towards town and all over the place this morning, and on the way back home I discovered that the addition to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway seems to be close to completion. In fact, the path itself is done but not exactly open yet as there is construction going on elsewhere. It now connects from the Metropolitan all the way to Elizabeth Avenue.

Winter Is Here

2012-01-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

Workout: 8 miles w/4 mi at 15k/lactate threshold/tempo pace.
Distance: 8.0 mi.
Time: 55:57.3 - 6:59 ppm.
Splits: 7:20.4, 7:27.6, 6:24.4, 6:30.7, 6:23.5, 6:03.4, 7:45.6, 8:01.1.
Chart
Map

As expected, winter has finally arrived here in Charlotte. Our season basically lasts from January 1-March 15. Anything before or after that is wildly inconsistent. I started this workout around 2:45pm - and it was 35 degrees with fairly strong winds. Yikes! At least the sun was out. I got a chance to try on a heavy-duty dry-fit shirt I got for Christmas, and wore that along with long shorts, gloves, and a hat. I didn't wear shoes, though.

Just kidding about the lack of shoes. I started from the Dowd and ran the first two miles at a comfortable pace before taking off down the greenway. I alluded in a previous post to a change in stride, and while I'd like to get to that in more detail in its own post, I can basically describe it as shorter, ground-hugging strides that make me feel like I'm simply gliding across the pavement. This results in both quicker steps and a lesser pounding, although the faster stride movements can lead to some tightness near the end of the run.

It takes a bit of concentration to run this way at higher speeds, but it works. Anytime I felt like slowing down today, I just started thinking about my form, about keeping my legs down and hugging the ground, and I would find myself moving a good bit faster every time. As you can see above I didn't quite run negative splits but I did nail down a 6:03 in the last mile - not bad for the end of a short tempo. I'll take it.

Man, it was cold, though. In lieu of the usual post-run Gatorade I warmed down inside the Y and retreated to Dilworth Coffee for a warm cup of goodness. I'll have to get used to this crap, I guess.

Off To A Good Start

2012-01-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.0 mi.
Time: 1:07:50.93 - 7:33 ppm.

I'm determined to get this week started and finished correctly, and continue doing so every week for all eternity. I cannot remember the last time I put together more than two weeks of consistent efforts. Today's run wasn't very memorable, but I kept the pace honest and the mileage was right on the money. Actually, Monday is supposed to be a day off per my plan, but I didn't run this past Sunday and would rather take Wednesday off. There's nothing wrong with a little flexibility as long as I get the work done.

Year In Review

2012-01-01T22:36:00.000-05:00

...On second thought, I've decided I don't really want to write a year-in-review post. Why? Well, it's mostly because I just didn't race that much. The only big one was my first marathon, and I've already written a lengthy race recap as well as a week-by-week breakdown of my training for said marathon. Not to mention, I obviously blog about every single run, which is not the case for some of my fellow blogging runners, who simply show up every now and then when they feel like writing about something (Jordan being the delightful exception, and I assure you his expanded running journal is much more entertaining than this one). The point of all this is that I don't see the point of a year-in-review post. Maybe next year, when I plan to run a lot more races, God willing.

Week In Review

2012-01-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 38 miles.
Highlights: new training plan commenced; great hilly medium-long run; better mileage.

I skipped Tuesday and Wednesday and ended up skipping Sunday as well, which led to my cramming 28 miles in between Thursday and Saturday. I was feeling it by the middle of the run on Saturday, so hopefully I won't do that anymore. On the bright side, I have officially begun training for another marathon!

Failing The Common Sense Test

2011-12-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

Distance: 12.44 mi.
Time: 1:37:18.76 - 7:50 ppm.

I felt like crap today. I can't remember the last time I didn't feel great, or at least pretty good, on a run. I was due for a reality check, or at least a reminder that, "Hey, it might not be a great idea to skip the middle of the week and cram all your training in at the end," which is pretty much what I ended up doing this week. This new training plan, while exciting, is going to be much more demanding than my last one. I can move days around but I can't afford to skip multiple days just because I don't feel like running. We all have bad days and I'm not worried about today, but I did run 28-plus in three days straight, so I was kind of asking for it. Lesson learned, I hope.

Nothin' Doin'

2011-12-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

Distance: 6.77 mi.
Time: 50:16.77 - 7:33 ppm.

Today was just an easy day. I began from home and ran around the neighborhood, including a stretch of the Booty Loop, before calling it a day.

Can't Get Out Of Dilworth

2011-12-29T13:21:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.63 mi.
Time: 1:12:08.7 - 7:30 ppm.

Despite Monday's run at near McAlpine, I have been a major road warrior these days. I believe simulation is best, and as long as my body doesn't feel the wear and tear, the roads may be the law of the day for awhile. Actually, that's complete crap; I'm just a creature of habit, and I've gotten in the habit of running in the roads around Dilworth and Myers Park for awhile now instead of hitting the trails.

At the end of today's run, I found myself side-by-side with a dad and his young son, who were on bikes. I couldn't help but overhear their conversation, as Dad was explaining to an inquisitive Junior that he needn't worry about the upcoming mountain trip - the family would be safe from the advances of Bigfoot. Now that's funny.

Monday Riser

2011-12-26T16:16:00.000-05:00

Distance: 9.27 mi.
Time: 1:10:47.9 - 7:39 ppm.
Map and Elevation Profile

As discussed, this week marks the beginning of another marathon training cycle. I love the way that looks on my computer screen. It seems as though I just finished the last one, and really, I guess that's the case. The truth is that I have recovered well and felt remarkably fresh in the days since Thunder Road. More importantly, the training has left me feeling fit and I want to build on that. I am confident that my body will continue to hold up, although I certainly plan to take increasing measures to ensure that is the case.

Today I started at Old Bell and ran up Sardis through the neighborhoods behind Boyce Park. This neighborhood features some steep, rolling hills and very lovely homes. It's obviously much nicer on the side closest to Sardis and gets increasingly worse as you approach Monroe Road.

I was pleased with today's run. If you look at the elevation profile in the link at the top, you can see this was an effort that involved a good number of hills, and I still managed 7:39 pace for the whole thing without any tribulation. I write comments like this in my blog so that I'll know how I felt when I go back and review my own training.

Week In Review

2011-12-25T22:06:00.000-05:00

Distance: 27.9 miles.
Highlights: A couple of good tempo runs; some cold-weather running gear purchased and received; marathon planning.

This week marked the end of my slacking period that followed Thunder Road. I am proud to say that, while the mileage was low due to many days off, I still ran at least 10-11 miles every week for a long run and put together several good workouts - not to mention a great race - during this "slack" period.

More importantly, I made a choice for the next marathon, or at least the next marathon's date: it will be March 18, either at Tobacco Road or Wrightsville Beach. I am strongly leaning towards Wrightsville but am going to wait a bit before making a final decision.

I found a new marathon plan, and I'm thrilled to get started. It is much more mileage-based than my last one, with heavy emphasis on medium-long runs and tempo runs, and without all those crappy 800- and 400-meter repeats. In fact, this plan is similar to what I did in the fall of 2010, when I achieved good fitness remarkably quickly by piecing together some marathon workouts with the help of Eggers, Brinkley, and Oelz. I will be doing a 12-week cycle which starts this coming week.

I'll Have Some Wine Now, Please

2011-12-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

Tempo: 5.04 mi in 34:50.92 - 6:55 ppm.
Cooldown: 0.8 mi in 5:46 - 7:37 ppm.

This wasn't really a tempo run; I just started off a little quicker than usual and decided to go with it. I've changed my stride - more on that later - which makes it easier to get out at a swift trot even when I don't plan on it. This was my first run in a new pair of Nike Lunar Swift that I bought for half the retail price at the Nike Factory Store. I wasn't too pleased with them but they will make a nice alternative to the Pegasus when I want to run a little faster than usual.

Running through my parents' neighborhood, I crossed paths with my niece and brother-in-law in the park. I then remembered I had more important things to do today and cut the run short.

Merry Christmas!

Figure-8

2011-12-24T09:52:00.000-05:00

Distance: 10.28 mi.
Time: 1:20:17.2 - 7:49 ppm.

The title of this post refers to what today's route looks like on the map. I once again decided to meet Adrienne today for part of her 14-mile long run. I told her to find a spot about five miles in and I would meet her there. That spot turned out to be the corner of Chilton and Sharon, which is part of the Thunder Road course. At this juncture I'm going to stop pointing out when I run sections of the marathon course, because the damn thing goes all over the place. So that's all I have to say about that.

I felt like crap today. All I really remember about this run was watching how much more fit Adrienne seems to be getting while pretending not to struggle a couple strides behind her. She finished strong and went home while I ran another mile or two by myself, although I had intended to do more.

Get Some Booty

2011-12-20T17:54:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 3.0 mi. in 24:06.81 - 8:03 ppm.
Workout: 5.09 mi in 33:45.23 - 6:38 ppm.
Cooldown: 0.7 mi in 5:41.1 - 8:22 ppm.

Today I showed up to the Charlotte Runners' "Five on the Booty" run for the first time since October. I like this run and wish I could make it more often. After some weeping and gnashing of teeth, I decided to make this a tempo. I showed up early to get in 3 easy miles and then joined the group. The attendance was sparse today on account of the holidays and, likely, the rainy weather.

As Adrienne, John Cendroski, and some other dude settled into AA's half-marathon pace, I strode ahead with the intentions of clipping sub-7 for mile one. I did that, but then I had the Queens Road hill to deal with, and I was feeling awfully tight. I had thoughts of scrapping this thing, stretching, and finishing up with the group. I put those thoughts out of my mind, however, and started to burn a bit on the flat Selwyn section. I sandwiched splits of 6:27 and 6:29 around a 6:47 down Queens West - slowing only because I didn't have a headlamp and was concerned about falling on my face.

I cheered in the rest of the group, did a quick cooldown, then called it a day.

Recovery Days Are Here Again

2011-12-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

Distance: 3.00 mi.
Time: 24:01.12 - 8:01 ppm.

Well, I've been better at making sure I get in a recovery day lately, and even better at keeping the pace easy. I'm proud of myself. That is all. Bye.

Week in Review

2011-12-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

Distance: 22.4 mi.
Highlights: Some serious slacking followed by a run with Adrienne and a really good long run.

I'm trying to decide what marathon I will be running in the spring, and therefore when I need to begin training for it. Until I get that figured out, my schedule is kind of up-in-the-air, but today's long run was a good jolt to get me motivated again after working my tail off the last three weeks.

The Little Lights...Are Not Twinkling!

2011-12-18T23:12:00.000-05:00

Distance: 13.47 mi.
Time: 1:40:39 - 7:29 ppm.
Map

For this afternoon's long run, I tried to plan my route around checking on the valets downtown and also somehow making it to the CRC Christmas Lights Run, which would start across from Freedom Park at 5:30. I had been slacking majorly lately, and while that may not be a bad thing, I decided I was ready to kick-start my training again.

I made a point to keep a pretty decent pace throughout this thing, and did so with many sub-7:20 miles through Dilworth, Wilmore, and downtown. I left Capital Grille around 5:20 and headed over to the park. I hadn't taken into consideration that I would be warmed up (8 miles in) and no one else would, so the pace flew up to nearly 8:30 for the first two miles of the lights run. Oh, well. With a map in my hand and Lamperski, B-Mac, Kent, and everyone else in tow, I decided to lead the group on a tour of lights.

Mike Kahn, Megan Hovis, Allison Reed, Anthony Monaghan, Jason Meulemans, Kent Morris, Chris Lamperski, Brian McMahon, Greg Isaacs, and John Fillette were among the men and women I shared miles with this evening. It was an enjoyable experience but we all agreed the Queens West/Hillside neighborhoods would have involved a lot more lights. No matter, it was a nice night out and fun.

Back at the park, I chatted with Jade, Brian, Spada, Billy, and a few more. I was getting tight and cold and still had a couple more miles to run, however, so I didn't stay long. Today was a good effort that I needed to shake off the December cobwebs.

Saturday Morning Fever

2011-12-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Distance: 8.94 mi.
Time: 1:08:44.7 - 7:42 ppm.

I once again made plans to meet AA for her long run, only this time I decided I wanted to meet halfway through it. She was doing a progression at the end of it. We met on Princeton Avenue by the park and I followed her all over the place on a route she had pre-designed. To me, one of the best things about having a Garmin is I no longer feel the need to map out routes in advance; I just run, and estimate the distance it will take to get back to where I started. Some people, however, insist on hitting even mileage marks on their Garmins, and my Saturday morning running partner is one of them. The progression went well. Someone is starting to get faster, and it isn't me!

Week in Review

2011-12-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

Distance: LOL
Highlights: um..I ran a couple times.

I got in a long run at McMullen this week and that's pretty much it.

Changing the subject, today is my 30th birthday, which is important to the purposes of this blog for two reasons: (1) I will move into a less competitive age group for races next year, and (2) I am in significantly better shape than I was at age 25. So there. Life is good.

McMullen: Long Time, No See

2011-12-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Distance: 11.0 mi.
Time: 1:29:31 - 8:09 ppm.

I picked up AA early this morning and headed over to McMullen Greenway for a long run. I had basically done nothing all week, other than running my ass off at work, and I figured I might as well keep things easy. Her plan was to run 11 miles with the last three at half-marathon pace (7:20s). I could not remember the last time I had run at McMullen - June? Late May? I know it had been awhile.

We cruised through the forest on one of winter's colder days to this point, and eventually ceased conversation as the "pickup" part started. I was thankful for the lack of snakes as they are clearly hibernating and planning my doom for sometime next summer. We both ran well, although I'd be lying if I said I felt good - stomach problems assailed me (shocking, I know).

Rollover

2011-12-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

Distance: 1.97 mi.
Time: 14:56.27 - 7:35 ppm.

There isn't much to say about this one - this was just another one of those, "My legs are sore, I just need to shake things out" runs. It's amazing how well they work.

Week in Review

2011-12-04T15:33:00.000-05:00

Distance: 39.3 miles.
Highlights: good tempo run, pacing at the ACC 5k, long run with a fast finish.

This was a pretty decent week of running for me, as I approached the 40-mile mark again. It amazes me how much effort it takes to run more than 40 miles per week. I'm trying to lay out a plan of attack for the next marathon, but for now I'm just going to continue keeping the legs fresh, just doing what I can to not lose any fitness.

Considering that work is pretty physically demanding and time-consuming this time of year, I predict the next two weeks will be very low-key.

Long Run with a Pickup

2011-12-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 11.03 mi.
Time: 1:22:42.89 - 7:30 ppm.
Map

I had planned to meet the group led by Mike Kahn early this morning at McAlpine, but that didn't happen. Given that it's not hot outside and I don't usually have much to do on Sundays, I don't really stress waking up early. It would have been nice to run with them, but I settled for a solo trek from home.

I ran towards Plaza-Midwood and finished the last 5 miles or so of the Thunder Road course, then cruised through Dilworth and headed home. I picked it up a bit at the end, running the last mile at 6:50. I felt great!

ACC 5K Pacing!

2011-12-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 1.4 mi in 12:59.2 - 9:17 ppm.
Race: 3.21 mi in 21:43.49 - 6:47 ppm.
Cooldown: 0.8 mi in 7:36.04 - 9:10 ppm.

Earlier in the week, I agreed to help pace Adrienne Anetrini in the ACC Championship 5k. I was not going to register; instead, I would just start the race with her, try to pace her to a PR, and then drop off at the 3-mile mark. This was a small race so I didn't feel ill about being a bandit.

Adrienne, Devitt Rogers, Jeremy Gray, and I warmed up from the Dowd toward the race site. JLG and Devitt were also "bandits." I would never want to run a 5k with less than a 2-mile warmup, but Adrienne was ok with it, so we headed to the line. A guy and his girlfriend nudged past us to get in front of us in the chute, and after the start I was practically tripping over them. I was pissed. How are you going to push people aside in the corral and then start off that slowly? Get your ass to the back of the line next time! Had it been me that was racing I would have a few choice words for this dude, but instead I just went around them and sidled up next to Adrienne.

I was trying to rein in what appeared to be a fast pace, but then at the 1-mile mark I realized my watch was measuring the distance a good bit shorter than the race markers. I then remembered this was a RFYL event. Sigh.... We lost Jeremy somewhere around that time, and Devitt and I exchanged Thunder Road war stories. This race went right the Wilmore section, just before things had gotten dicey for me back on November 12.

We were running positive splits, but AA hung on and finished strong. By my calculations, she easily ran a PR, but again, the course was long (by more than a tenth of a mile, on my watch). No worries, though - it's December and we're all a ways away from doing anything important in regards to this particular distance. Fun was had by all.

Nothing To See Here

2011-12-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

Distance: 2.07 mi.
Time: 16:02.12 - 7:45 ppm.

Learning my lessons from last week, I made a point to get in a short, easy recovery run today after yesterday's somewhat hard effort. It would pay off the next day.

Tempo? Why not?

2011-12-01T10:08:00.000-05:00

Tempo Run: 7.0 mi. in 47:43.01 - 6'50" ppm. Splits: 719, 723, 655, 646, 628, 623, 626.
Cooldown: 6.72 mi. in 21:12.4 - 7'48" ppm.
Tempo Run Map

I woke up a little late today; nevertheless, I decided to hit the road for some miles. I had tentative plans to make it a faster effort - a tempo run, I guess. I started out a bit quick but settled into it, and when I got to the hill on Morehead Street I picked up the pace. The next thing I knew, I was comfortably cruising at about 6:45-50 per mile. When the terrain leveled a bit, I picked up the pace even more, headed down East and through the Speed Loop. This is, of course, a very rolling neighborhood. When I came to an uphill my pace would shoot up to near 7' per mile, but when things leveled out or I had a slight downhill it would dip under 6. This was a pretty quick pace for me for a 7-mile tempo. I've gotten really good at pushing myself even when solo. My splits for the last three miles were 6:28, 6:23, and 6:26, with the latter including those sharp inclines on Queens West and Radcliffe Avenue. I was pleased with the proceedings of the day.

Take it Easy

2011-11-29T14:09:00.000-05:00

5.47 mi.
40:58.32 - 7:30 ppm.

I felt relaxed again today as I just tried to get the legs moving. I've noticed my easy runs have gotten faster lately, which isn't necessarily a good thing. It could be a sign that things are just getting easier for me, but there's really no point in trying to push it on what's supposed to be a low-key day. Alex, Matt, Mike and I talked at length about this on Sunday's long run.

Relaxed Venture

2011-11-28T14:57:00.000-05:00

5.57 mi.
42:29.4 - 7:38 ppm.

I felt much better today than I did yesterday, just going for an easy cruise through the Freedom Park areas.

Week in Review

2011-11-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

Distance: 36.8 mi.
Highlights: Jamaar's 12-hour run, Turkey Trot 8k, painful long run.

This was a fun week, as I helped Jamaar "make history" on Monday and then ran my best race of the year on Thursday.

Running out the Kinks

2011-11-27T10:56:00.000-05:00

9.92 mi.
1:14:56 - 7:34 ppm.

I didn't do any kind of recovery run after the Turkey Trot (aside from a cooldown on race day, of course) and I came to regret on today's long run. I met Mike Mitchell at Old Bell and prepared to get through a painful 8-12 miles.

We watched as several of our friends came rolling through upon finishing a workout - Hovis, Paul, Jason Martin, and a few more - then met Alex Wernikoff and Matt Rich, who each decided to join us.

Matt picked our brains about our recent marathon experiences. It's always nice to be able to listen to and get feedback from an old marathon warrior like Matt (who, I'd like to add, is faster than all of us despite being 50 years old).

Once again, though, I was hurting on this one - just tight and sore from running the Turkey Trot and failing to do a recovery run.

2011 Southpark Turkey Trot 8k

2011-11-24T17:42:00.000-05:00

Warmup: 2.73 mi. in 21:06 - 7:44 ppm.
Race: 5.0 mi. in 30:34.32 - 6:07 ppm. Splits - 6:15, 6:04, 6:19, 6:07, 5:47.
Cooldown: 1.8 mi. in 15:51 - 8:49 ppm.
Running Buddy (Garmin data)

Well...I surprised myself today, to say the least. As discussed in yesterday's post my legs have felt heavy and my only ambitions today were to have fun and possibly treat this as a tempo run. I got a free entry from Theoden so I didn't really care. What happened instead was that I ran my best race of the year, with a faster pace-per-mile today than I achieved in any 5k I ran (out of six events). The conditions were right but, as expected, the crowd made this thing a little nutty. Let's get to the details!

The race wasn't until 9 so I didn't wake up until just after 7. I decided not to eat anything and instead just stretched and put together my racing outfit. I made it to Southpark mall a little early and found a parking spot on the first level of the deck near Dillard's. Then I set out past the crowds at the porta-jons and began warming up on the course. I passed by a young couple that was wearing matching outfits and ran down Barclay Downs to turn on Runnymede. This part of the course was hilly. I ran into Jason Martin and jogged back to the start with him, but he wasn't racing. He was - you guessed - running as a bandit. I was glad to see him there because he always screams at everyone near the finish.

I ran past the massive crowds of people at the start and plopped down in front of the Dixon Hughes building to stretch. The race director announced that we had less than five minutes until the start. I didn't believe him so I took my time loosening up, and then he announced we had two minutes. Ok fine, I'll head to the pack. I wasn't really sure what to do. I busted my way past several people so I was at least in the road, but I didn't have time to get any closer. I estimated there were at least a hundred people in front of me, and that didn't include those on the other side of the median (on Morrison Blvd.).

I heard, "one minute!" and then a bit later heard a gun go off. Was there not a "runners set..." or had I just not heard it? It didn't matter because I couldn't go anywhere. People were gradually easing towards the start as I put my finger to the watch and looked for the timing mats. I finally crossed them and immediately panicked as I was stuck behind a huge pack of people with no room to maneuver. My casual attitude immediately went out the window as I bolted for the curb and sprinted around as many people as possible, just hoping the spectators would stay out of the way. They did, and I found a small clearing up the hill on the Morrison and darted across the median. I was running like a wild animal and continued to weave through people. I had not begun to consider the possible consequences of such a disorganized start. To be honest, I was actually having a blast weaving through the crowds.

I passed a cheering Mike Kahn and came upon another pack. I was on the right side of the road so I just went around them on the sidewalk instead of darting back across the road. I played this fun game for the entire first mile and came through in about 6:15, but I was feeling great, so I kept pushing. I passed Matt Jaskot, who was just chillin' after running 20 miles yesterday, and Jeremy Gray. I motioned for them to come race with me and then got ready for a fast downhill section on Barclay Downs - after passing designated CRC cameraman Mike Kahn again.

It wasn't until the hill on Runnymede in the third mile that I began to question what kind of effort I really wanted to put out today. There was a woman that kept trying to pass me, and between fighting her off and realizing that there was no way my endurance would fail me, I decided to throw in another surge. I passed by my CMPD friend Alex Watson on Sharon Road as he shouted and waved, and began to reel in more people. No one passed me this race, something I'm proud of, and I had lost count of how many I had reeled in. Of course, that wouldn't have happened if I had actually been where I needed to be at the start. In front of me with 1.5 miles to go was a high school kid, then another four or five runners up ahead of him. I caught him and encouraged him to come with me to reel in the others. He said, "let's do it," and hung on my shoulder for about a quarter-mile before I dropped him.

We ran through the Coca-Cola Plaza and I tried to really pick up steam. My last mile would prove to be my fastest of the race by far at 5:47, which is also faster than any mile split I've hit in any race this year. I was remarkably pleased with my efforts. I passed a group of runners, one of which called out, "way to fnish, Jason" but I don't know who he was. I saw Jason Martin standing and screaming at the corner of Morrison and Rexford as I tried to dig in to catch Anna Donlan. I wondered if I was going to break 30 but then realized the finish line was further away than I thought after my eyes focused. I gained on Anna considerably but I couldn't catch her. I crossed the line in a time of 30:34 on my watch - 30:36 chip time for an average pace of 6:07. My gun time? 31 minutes. I was so far back at the start that it took me 24 seconds to get to the line. Whoops.

I was elated at how well I had run, especially after such a chaotic start and with such a nonchalant attitude. I know a lot of it had to do with the extra fitness from marathon training and all the weight I have lost this year. I found myself extra motivated to keep working harder and improve my overall outlook towards the sport.

After the finish I congratulated some people I knew who had run - Aaron Linz, John Christiano, Jeremy Gray, and a few more. I looked around for Adrienne but there were just too many people so I gave up after a few minutes. I joined Thomas, Michelle, Jaskot, Anna, Dalena Custer, and Ethan Coffey for a cooldown run. We all had fun and raced well!

Jolting the Legs

2011-11-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

3.02 mi.
22:23 - 7:29 ppm.

I just went out for a short run today in anticipation of the Turkey Trot tomorrow. That's right, I'm racing on Thanksgiving Day. I won a free entry from the Run with Theoden Facebook page, so I'll be toeing the line. The legs, naturally, have felt far from fresh since the marathon so I don't know how fast this thing will be, but I'm going to try to treat it as a tempo run and go fast if I feel up for it. The event is large - supposedly close to 8,000 competitors - so it's going to be a bit nutty.

Double Duty on the Booty

2011-11-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

6.51 mi.
1:00:13 - 9:16 ppm.

After making sure I didn't have to work, eating and resting for a bit, I returned to Kati's to meet up with Jamaar and company once again. Adrienne and a few others were just finishing up, and I jogged down Selwyn to catch up with Thomas, Michelle, and Jamaar. Our hero was in remarkably good spirits after having run two marathons at this point. We were joined for awhile by Matt Jaskot and Emily Barrett, and ran into David Brinkley near the end.

Thomas had gone to the gas station to get some beer, and so the five of us jogged down the loop while drinking. Yup, that's what happened. The mood was festive and we were all very proud of Jamaar - not to mention impressed and flattered by how many people came out to run with him. In 12 hours (6am-6pm) he ran by himself for less than half an hour. That's impressive. The Charlotte running community is outstanding.

Naturally, we were all in party mode when he was done, and went out to celebrate the achievement...after taking a series of really bad pictures.

I left out the part about the rain. From left: Emily Barrett, Jason Blackwood, Jamaar Valentine, Matt Jaskot, Michelle Hazelton, David Brinkley, Thomas Eggar [photo courtesy of Jamaar Valentine].

"12 the Hard Way"

2011-11-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

7.8 mi.
1:06:08 - 8:31 ppm.

My friend Jamaar Valentine, a certified crazy person, is training for the Uwharrie ultra late winter 2012, and decided to take advantage of some time off from work by running for twelve consecutive hours on the Booty Loop. You can go back and read that if you want to, just to make sure you read it correctly, but I assure you I'm not making this up. The fact that he actually did it - and got a small army of support along the way - is something you couldn't make up.

I had planned to join him to help out for a bit shortly after lunch. I parked my car at Freedom Park and began jogging up the loop in an attempt to catch him. It didn't take long before I spotted a black guy running with a blonde and another dude. As I got closer I realized it was Jamaar with John Fillette and Rebecca Thomason. We all ran together for a bit, and when I rejoined after a pit stop at the park I was greeted by Allison Reed and Emily Hansen. We made a stop at headquarters - Kati Robertson's house - and then continued on. I left the group to see if I could get one of my employees to work for me on short notice. I was inspired by Jamaar's efforts and all the help he was getting and I wanted to come back for more.

Post-Marathon Thoughts

2011-11-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

I only ran once this week, for just over five miles, so in lieu of the typical week-in-review post I thought I would add a "training in review" post. Here is a week-by-week breakdown of my marathon training, going back to the first of August:

August 2-7: I have on record 26+ miles, but I think I ran without the watch once this week, so it was more than that. I botched a tempo but got in a good long run. This was the week I permanently gave up on Brooks and started training in the Nike Air Pegasus again.

August 8-14: I botched another tempo run. This was an uneventful week. 41 miles.

August 15-21: I ran two workouts plus an awesome long run in the mountains that included something like 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Solid week, 37 quality miles.

August 22-28: 43 miles, including me upping the ante on the long run for the first time, to nearly 16 miles.

August 29-September 4: Only 27 miles. I came down with a mild virus and as a result missed a long run. This was the beginning of a major freefall in my nutrition, which wasn't great to begin with, and likely caused the virus. I did however run a season-best in the 5k on a difficult course.

September 5-11: 46 miles, including a really good long with Eggers, Brinkley, and Baum, plus a fantastic workout. I started some noticing some pain in my heel about this time, however, which I would later self-diagnose as achilles tendinitis.

September 12-18: One run for 9 miles. Took the week off to rest my achilles tendon.

September 19-25: 46 miles. I felt horrible all week but got back in the swing of things with a half-decent workout and a painful 18-miler with Mitchell.

September 26-October 2: Only 38 miles but I got in a good workout and my first 20-mile run of the cycle, which I did by myself.

October 3-9: 33 miles. I'm back to slacking off again, but I rolled on a tempo run with the Meetup runners and on a solo speed workout at McAlpine. This was a planned cutback week as far as the long run goes.

October 10-16: 44.4 miles. Good week, bad week. I screwed a tempo run - again - but ran my longest run of the cycle, and tied for longest of all-time (later surpassed by the actual marathon, of course) at 22 miles. I also retired the Pegasus I had been training in and got a new pair.

October 17-23: 46 miles. I got in two really good tempo workouts with the Meetup group and my second 20-mile run...and yeah, that's about it. My training had clearly become "quality over quantity" at this point but at least the quality was good. Besides, I was still fighting that sore achilles at this point.

October 24-30: 44 miles. I ran a double on Thursday, getting in some intervals at McAlpine and then a tempo run with the Meetup group for their costume event. I also ran 13+ with a pickup at the end for the Sunday long run.

October 31-November 6: 24 miles. The taper had begun but I did run 19 miles of the course between Saturday and Sunday.

November 7-13: 36 miles. Race week! I ran two short shakeout runs and then the race. My legs felt very fresh through the first half, but they got heavy through the center city and I eventually fell apart due to some bad cramps. I still finished in a time of 3:29:47, good enough for 83rd overall out of nearly 1,000 competitors.

The question now is this: What caused the muscle cramps that ruined my day on November 12? I ruled out poor race-day fueling; I had that down pat. I did wait until two days before the race to start carb-loading, so that likely had something to do with it. Again, my nutrition intake went from bad to worse back in September, which affected some of my workouts and probably led to a vitamin deficiency. So step one for the next marathon is to discipline myself to eat better. Step two, however, is to increase the mileage. As I write this I have since parlayed marathon training into my best race of the year at the Turkey Trot - less than two weeks after the 26.2. So I want to build on my training, stay healthy, and get faster. I have also dropped 15 pounds since July and 30 since March, and think I can get a little bit lighter. That won't hurt, either!

Testing the Body

2011-11-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

5.52 mi
42:47 - 7:46 ppm

I don't know what compelled to lace up the shoes today. I guess I just really wanted to run. I took it easy, obviously, really hoping an easy run could work out some of the muscle soreness. That seems to be the result but I don't plan to run any more the rest of the week.

Week in Review

2011-11-13T16:51:00.000-05:00

Distance: 35.6 mi.

Well, once again, I completed my first marathon this week. I think it has finally set in. I'm very proud of the accomplishment but mostly I'm just glad I got the first one out of the way. No longer will I have to say things like, "Well, I know I'm fit, but I just don't know how I'll handle the last 4.2 miles because my longest run is 22...." The truth is I never know what will happen in any marathon, but at least I know I can do one.

2011 Thunder Road Marathon

2011-11-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

Race: 26.2 miles.
Time: 03:29:47 - 8:01 ppm. 10k split, 45:26; Half split, 1:36:29; 20 mi split, 2:31:28. 83rd overall, 12th in age group.
Full Results

Well, where to begin? I am about to write the details of how I finally became a marathoner. As I write this the following Monday, I still don't think it has sunk in yet. I spent most of Saturday after the race being disappointed that I didn't run faster - I thought I could at least get 3:15, and was well on my way all the way through mile 18 before my leg muscles started cramping up. That's crazy talk though - I finished the thing, and in a very respectable time. I'm hungry for another shot at it, but I'm very proud of what I accomplished. I'm going to describe this event in detail, breaking it down into sections.

Pre-Race
After a restless night's sleep, I jumped out of bed at 5:20 a.m. and ate some oatmeal and a banana. I showered and took care of some pre-race grooming and then proceeded to put together my racing outfit. I was going to wear my longer, pocketed Under Armour shorts and an Upgrade Lifestyle tech tee. On top of that would be a long-sleeve dry-fit, my Advantage Parking hat, and some North Face gloves. These items would be shed when I deemed myself properly warmed up.

I left home and arrived at the Bank of America Corporate Center around 6:45 - plenty of time. I parked there and hung out in Founders Hall for a bit. It was just me and a couple security guards - very quiet. Around 7 I jogged down to Three Wells Fargo, where I would meet David Brinkley, his girlfriend Alisha and sister Karrie, Daniel Eggers, Josh Brewer, Brian Baum, and Mike Oelz. David's friend Jeff was also there. I stretched out for a bit and put the two gels I would be using last - including one with caffeine - in my shorts and put the other two in my gloves. It was under 40 at the time and I figured I would keep the gloves on for awhile. Baum actually joined us later and informed me of a bathroom at Panera Bread that had been empty when he used it. All the buildings downtown were packed with runners, surprisingly. That's surprising because normally everyone crowds into the convention center. I later found out the city decided to throw another "Screw You" at this event by locking the convention center at the last minute. Wow... There was no sign of Oelz or Brewer yet as I jogged down to Panera, making sure my watch was working, used the bathroom one last time, and then jogged back to Tryon for the start, right in front of the Levine Center for the Arts. Adam Mull spotted me and we exchanged a man-hug and wished each other luck. Stephen Spada yelled out good luck from a distance. I found Oelz and Eggers in the corral, and then spotted a long-haired, shirtless Josh Brewer. We embraced and he mentioned, ever so stoically, that this was a great cause for the three of us to be reunited. I agreed and mentioned that he was a beast for running this thing shirtless. I looked around for Stan Austin and anyone else who looked like a pace leader, with poor results.

Miles 1-6: Feeling the Pace
I left Eggers, Brewer, Oelz, and Baum and settled further in the corral because I didn't want to get caught up in running too fast. I had lost Brinkley and Jamaar, who had planned on attaching himself to David in the hopes of running a huge PR in the half. There was still no sign of any pacers. The national anthem really got me fired up, and after a casual command of "Go" we were off. Here I was, actually running a marathon. Surprisingly, I had never really gotten nervous. I knew this was going to be a very long morning and that I had plenty of time to ease into things. Before we turned onto Third Street, I looked down at my Garmin and noticed that it wasn't measuring distance or pace. Are you kidding me? I shut it off and restarted it as we jogged down Third and into the morning sun. The watch began the process of locating satellites, and I tried not to panic as minutes passed by and it still hadn't come on. We crossed the first mile marker just under I-277 and finally, my watch came on. I could still use it to gauge my pace, which is all that really mattered, but unfortunately it's useless for judging the data post-race. Oh well. I knew something was bound to go wrong but I didn't need it that badly.

We ran up Third/Providence, turned on Charlottetowne, and then again on Randolph. I tried to hug the curbs so as to avoid running further than necessary. There was a large crowd of us running together and I made a point not to let myself get stuck behind someone who was running too slow. Doing so led to me running a 7:02 mile around the third mile, which unfortunately would prove to be my fastest mile of the day. Other than that, though, I was doing a great job of keeping the pace easy. We ran down Colville and turned on Providence and I tried to ask the people around me if they knew where the pacer was. No one had seen anybody. I sidled up next to an older woman and began chatting with her. I never introduced myself but given the results I discovered her to be Julie Spitzer from Greenville, SC, aged 40-44. She looked like she knew what she was doing and told me she was shooting for around 3:20 and that she kept an even pace if I wanted to hang around. She told me this was her 11th marathon so I figured she knew what she was doing. Julie is about 5 feet tall, if that, so I had a hard time keeping track of her amongst the other runners, but I tried not to let her get too far ahead of me. She put some distance on me up the steep Providence Road hill, but I never let her stray too far away. At mile 5, the intersection of Providence and Sharon Amity, I passed my parents and Eggers' wife Katie for the first time. I could barely see them because the sun was in my eyes. After that I took my first gel and split the 10k at 45:26 - 7:20 per mile, perfect. I was truly keeping things easy at this point, which is all I really wanted to do.

Miles 7-15: Enjoying the Sights and Sounds
I saw Ryan Watson in Foxcroft and talked to him for a little bit; he and his friend were running the half. I left them and ran down Sharon, waving and pumping my fist every time I passed a crowd of people. I was now gearing up for the Booty Loop section, where I was prepared to shed some clothing, knowing my parents would be there. I took off my gloves and hat, then immediately put my hat back on as I felt it was still a bit cold. I tossed my parents the gloves as they waved and cheered, then passed Kati Robertson and Ben Malmquist as they did the same. Several people later told me they didn't recognize me on account of the hat, but oh well! Running down Queens Road West, I found myself catching up to Julie, then running by her. I knew I may regret this but I wanted to go on feel, and I was feeling great as I began to put some distance between myself and her. The half-marathoners were about done and I continued to reel in several of them. I turned splits of 7:19, 7:14, and 7:17 on this section of the course, even though it was hilly. When I got to the big hill on Morehead I eased back a bit so it wouldn't hurt too much, then turned and waved as Jason Martin and John Compton (and Caitlin? I heard a female voice cheering but couldn't see who it was) cheered me past. Jason remarked that I was incognito with the hat and long sleeves. When we got to the half-marathon split, I pumped my fist and slapped hands with Rob Ducsay, the Chic-fil-a cow, and several other people. There was a raucous crowd and some music at this point and I really fed off that. Immediately, though, things got pretty lonely. The half-marathoners were gone now, and so too was most of the crowd support. I passed John Fillette and Dezi Kabouris and came through the half in 1:36:29 - on pace for a 3:13 marathon. I had not started out too quickly and was still feeling great at this point.

Running down Tryon Street, I came upon another runner who appeared to be struggling a bit and I asked him his goal. He said he was hoping to run 3:30 but had no idea whether he was on track or not, having failed to properly do the math after seeing the clocks. Someone get this guy a GPS watch. I told him that he was way ahead of schedule and may want to hang back as the course was about to get pretty rough. He thanked me and I went by him. Helping other runners, and being helped in return, was about to become a big theme at this point in the race.

I rolled down Camden Avenue and tried to ignore the aroma from Price's Chicken Coop and Phat Burrito. Emily Hansen was here cheering with a bunch of other girls, and she even ran a few strides with me, remarking that I looked like I was doing great. Well, I was feeling great! I passed my parents in front of Pike's and tossed them my hat as they waved and cheered.

Waving at Mom and Dad as I approach them on Camden Avenue.

Miles 16-20: A Turn for the Worse
I found myself unpleasantly surprised at how awful the downtown section was. I knew there would be some hills on Mint, Third, and Trade, and I knew the pavement would be rougher on the legs in this section, but the placement on the course combined with the sudden lack of crowd support made this, in my opinion, the worst part of the course by far. I passed Theoden Janes near the stadium and called out, "How long is this race, again?" He laughed and told me I was looking good. I soon started hurting, though. After we came down Trade and turned on Caldwell, Julie came trotting past me and quickly disappeared up the road. Oops. Maybe I should have stayed with her back on the Booty Loop. I passed Mike Mitchell on Caldwell Street and gave him the so-so signal when he asked how I was feeling. I passed my parents again at the corner of Parkwood and Davidson and tossed them my long-sleeve shirt.

I ran up Davidson and started walking. I had stopped a couple times previously to shake out some leg cramps but this was the first time I had actually stopped to walk. My left foot was completely numb, and when I tried to stretch my legs my calf locked up and I kind of fell down onto the curb. A runner passed and asked if I was ok. "Just leg cramps," I responded, "my legs just quit working but I'm ok." "Just try to run through it," she said. I found that even just walking for about thirty seconds seemed to make me feel better, so I just tried to shake things off. At this point I had taken three Gu gels and water at every stop, so I didn't think I was dehydrated. I hadn't started out too fast and I hadn't stopped to use the bathroom or for any other reason at all. Everything had been perfect up to this point, and now leg cramps were ruining what had been shaping up as an incredible marathon debut. For awhile I simply ran through the pain but it would get to the point where my legs would actually lock up completely, and I had to catch myself on the curb to avoid falling down.

The Final 10k: Toughing it Out and Staying Positive
The clock at mile 20 read 2:31:28, and so I realized that even if I ran the last 10k in an hour I would still be right at 3:30, and that would be a time I could be proud of in my first marathon. The fears of hitting the wall that clouded my brain when I was downtown had subsided because I had, in fact, hit the wall, and now it was just a matter of getting through it. I composed myself when I ran through NoDa, passing through the "wall" which I found was about as wide as a doorway. I was wobbly at this point and almost ran into it. I was disappointed at the lack of crowd support here - I had been told it would be good and it was almost nonexistent. I managed to put together an 8:36 mile in this section, which I can assure you took everything I had. I was still running when I turned onto the Plaza, when once again my legs locked up and I almost fell down in front of a startled police officer. I had passed Dave's friend Jeff downtown, and he had passed me back on Davidson, and we continued to go around each other a few times in the last part of the race. I also did the same thing with another runner who introduced himself as Devin. Devin told me this was his 20th marathon and that I was really blowing it out of the water for a first-timer. I thanked him and we tried to encourage each other as he was also half-running, half-walking on account of leg cramps. I passed my parents and chugged an entire bottle of water as Devin and I limped down the Plaza. There was a large crowd in the middle of the road, and the runner in front of me took a beer that he was offered, which caused the crowd to go nuts. He drank a little bit of it and dumped the rest on his head.

I was no longer worried at this point because I knew we were almost done. I left Devin and passed Jeff for good on Hawthorne Lane. Some older guys asked me if I knew the course and I told them there was a big hill coming up and then they were home free. They thanked me and wished me luck as they trotted past and soldiered on. Several runners passed me when I was walking and said something to the effect of, "come on man, you got this." I appreciated the encouragement but I ran when I could and walked when I got to the point of falling over, and this was basically how the race went for me all the way to the finish. I am proud to say that I actually ran all the way up the Hawthorne hill, partly because Jason Martin was screaming at me. Thanks, Jason. Without the support of other runners and my friends, this race would have been a whole lot tougher. Jason seemed legitimately concerned when he saw me and I told him I was dealing with cramped muscles and just trying to get through it.

When we turned on Martin Luther King I found myself ecstatic and in disbelief that we were actually about to be done, and that I was about to complete my first marathon. I heard two women coming up behind me, saying something "You go this, so close, now here let's get around this guy (meaning me).." They passed me with a male runner who was finishing up. I thought, "Oh hell no.." and then passed them back, along with several other runners. I pounded my chest and blew a kiss to the heavens as I crossed the finish line. My legs gave out one final time and this time I really teetered but once again caught myself and put my hands to my knees. A couple people asked me if I was ok. I was more than ok. This was, all at once, the greatest feeling I'd ever experienced and the worst feeling I'd ever experienced.

Hobbling in to the finish.

Post-Race
Someone handed me one of those plastic bag-looking things and draped a medal around my neck. I grabbed the medal and kissed it. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my head, ranging from confusion as to how things fell apart for me to elation that I had actually finished a marathon. My parents found me and I hugged them, thanking them for being there for me as they always have (more on that in a moment). I tried to sit down but my whole body locked up so I realized that wouldn't work, so I walked around and sampled some of what was there for me: Gatorade, water, bananas, Great Harvest bread (my mom loves that place and sneaked away with a couple samples), beer, garlic pizza, and a granola bar. The Gatorade and the garlic pizza really hit the spot. The beer made me feel like I was going to pass out. I found Stan Austin and congratulated him on finishing his eleventh marathon of the year. He had paced for 3:30 - Stan can run sub-3 - but said it was a rough day for him.

I was walking around aimlessly when I heard a familiar voice say, "Well how was your first marathon?" It was Eggers, who had just notched another PR by running 2:59. Brinkley PR'd by ten minutes from last year and qualified for Boston with a 3:04. Josh Brewer outdid both of them by running 2:58. Baum ran 1:27 in the half, Jamaar 1:31 for a huge PR, and Oelz finished it in 1:38, which means I must have nearly caught him before the split. Billy Shue finished second in the marathon with a new PR of 2:38.

I found Billy, John, Clayton, Paul, and Carolyn after the race and tried to soak up the moment. This was an incredible experience and I cannot wait to do another one. My favorite parts were touring the city and playing to the crowd - every time I passed a large crowd I waved and pumped them up, receiving loud cheers in return. And this is a small race - I can only imagine what that must be like in a big marathon.

Dedication
I was brought up in a home where I wasn't allowed to play video games or even watch tv during the day, unless the weather was bad. This led to a childhood of constantly running around in the yard - pretending to be Jerry Rice or Desmond Howard or Marshall Faulk - or playing basketball in the driveway for hours on end, until I literally could no longer stand up and my mom had to berate me to come inside and join the family for dinner. I have led a life full of athletic achievements, ranging from the mundane to the pretty outstanding, and my parents have been there every step of the way. In a society where laziness and poor habits are almost encouraged, I was raised to be an athlete - and I'm now a marathoner. Thanks, Mom and Dad. I dedicate my first marathon to you.

Proudly wearing that medal, and actually managing a smile.

Pre-Race Shakeout

2011-11-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 3.33 mi.
Time: 24:35 - 7:22 ppm.

I met my running friends at Fuel Pizza downtown, then went to check out the expo and pick up my packet. Really, I just went to pick up my packet because there wasn't much to see at the expo. Everyone says the Thunder Road expo is pretty weak; I would counter that by saying the event itself is weak and the expo simply reflects that. I can only imagine how badly the race directors screwed themselves by changing the date this year. Someone told me there were 1,500 runners registered for the full marathon and I think she was exaggerating.

After I got home I slapped on the Nikes and went for a short stroll through my neighborhood. Actually, I ran down Colville, which is the third mile of the course. I felt very fresh and had to hold back a bit from running too fast. This was obviously a great sign.

Nutrition-wise, I didn't really start planning for this race until Thursday night, and that would be a harbinger of things to come. For today I had eggs, bacon, grits, and strawberries for breakfast, a chicken caesar salad for lunch, and several helpings of tilapia, rice, and green beans for dinner.

Running out the Junk

2011-11-07T14:00:00.001-05:00

Distance: 6.12 mi.
Time: 47:13 - 7:43 ppm.

I didn't feel all that fresh today, but as is usually the case with me I felt warmed up and ready to roll a few miles in (I held back, of course). I've also run 25 miles in the last three days, which means I need to do next to nothing between now and Saturday. I am going to run a couple more times but nothing serious. The barn door is closed. At this point I just need to focus on resting, eating, and getting my mind ready for this thing. That last part is already kind of taking care of itself. Mentally speaking, I feel like I'm ready.

Thunder Road Preview: the Bad Side

2011-11-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

Distance: 8 mi.
Time: ??

I have developed a very nasty habit at the worst possible time: forgetting to charge my Garmin. I will make sure this doesn't happen on Friday!

After setting my valets up for a show downtown, I decided I wanted to run the last 8 miles of the course, away from town on Caldwell Street and then back. Unlike yesterday, I felt very sluggish, but I think that has more to do with working and staying out late the night before than it does with anything else. At any rate, any soreness is all in the muscles and not in the joints, so that's a good thing. Mostly I am trying not to worry about anything weird that happens to me; I understand the mind has a way of playing tricks on the runner this close to a big race.

This part of the course is supposed to be nothing short of awful, and I can see why. However, I would like to note that, while this course is indeed tough, most of the big uphills are preceded by big downs. Queens East, Morehead, Mint Street, Davidson, Hawthorne - they are all preceded by comfortable downhills. That's the easy side of the term "rolling" that's used to describe this course. This Davidson Street section, however, is just going to suck....plain and simple. It's long, the scenery is ugly, and it's wide open, very inviting to the elements. It will get better after that as I expect the crowd support to be excellent in the NoDa district, but this stretch of pavement will test my ability to run well without help.

From here I wound through NoDa and down what should be a fast section of the course on the Plaza. This next section will again be tough, as we turn down Central, towards uptown, only to wind back through some neighborhoods for a couple miles. We ascend the infamous Hawthorne Avenue hill right after the 24-mile mark, and at that point we're basically home-free. I'm getting antsy. This is going to be a beast, but I can't wait to see how I handle it.

In these course previews I left out the section that goes through South End and downtown, but I have run through there multiple times on other runs. I've bitched recently to friends about not trusting my training, but upon further review it looks like I actually knew what I was doing these last 15 weeks.

Thunder Road Preview Run

2011-11-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

Distance: 11.25 mi.
Time: 1:30:17 - 8:01 ppm.

Last night, Jamaar posted on the CRC Facebook page that he was running the Thunder Road half course from the Dowd at 7 a.m. I made plans to meet him at the intersection of Providence and Colville - mile 3.5 on the course - around 7:30. It was below 40 when I started but luckily I managed to locate my North Face gloves just before the run. I also had on a toboggan, a tech tee, the long sleeve dry-fit, and my long running shorts.

I actually parked my car at Freedom Park so I could do most of the run with him and whoever else decided to show up, and then not have to run too far to get back to my car. I underestimated how long it would take me to get from the park to the spot, however, and a 7:11 mile - not my ideal way to start a long run - put me at the meet spot at 7:36. Crap. Was I about to run this thing by myself? Surely they didn't wait six minutes for me in this cold... I decided that Jamaar's group just had to be ahead of me. And so I ran a 6:46 mile up Providence Road - a rather sharp incline - to Sharon Amity and turned towards Foxcroft.

This neighborhood features miles 6-8 of the course. I was pleased to note that I was able to navigate it without the map or any questions whatsoever as to where I was going. I know this course about as well as I possibly can without having run the race before. I headed out back towards Sharon, resigned that it would be running this thing alone, as I had kept up a quick pace and didn't want to go any faster. It was about this time that I spotted Jason Martin standing in the middle of the road up at the top of the hill.

We exchanged pleasantries and shared a couple laughs over our missed connection earlier. It turns out they had been behind me the whole time; Jason had stopped to use the bathroom and cut over to meet up with Jamaar and Mike Beigay. We waited for a bit until the latter two showed up.

Jamaar was hurting a bit and I was fine with taking it easy, so we hung back and eventually slowed way down as Jason and Mike pulled away. I hadn't seen Jamaar in awhile so we spent a lot of time catching up on what we had both been up to, and talked at length about our respective race strategies. Jamaar is running the half and hopes to come through just behind Brinkley, who plans to be there right at 1:30 (on his way to the full, of course).

I was pleased to slow down and take it easy after starting off fast. I was glad I had been able to connect with the group, and very pleased at how fresh I had felt after a few days off.

The Taper Begins

2011-11-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

Distance: 5.7 mi.
Time: ??

I didn't forget to charge my Garmin today - I just left home without it. Distance not needed as I ran my Freedom Park route again. I felt pretty good despite not getting much sleep last night.

Week in Review

2011-10-30T20:15:00.004-04:00

Total Distance: 44.42 mi.
Dedicated Time: 5:33:23 h:m:s.

I had a solid, consistent week of training. I wasn't quite ready to turn the volume yet this past week, but it was nice to have a much shorter, faster long run. For the first time all year, I have also begun to think hard about the race and really focus on it. I can't say everything feels perfect right now, but for the most part I feel very healthy and fit, and I'm getting excited about ripping this thing in half!

CRC Help

2011-10-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

Distance: 13.21 mi.
Time: 1:37:44 - 7:24 ppm.

I had tentative plans to meet Eggers and Brinkley at 8:00 at Old Bell. The possibility of a missed connection was detailed the night before, so I wasn't that surprised when I got to the lot and neither of them were there. I was glad I was there, though. I wanted to get this thing out of the way. My plan was to run up the road and try to find the CRC group of Aaron, Megan, Jason, and Kahn. I had a long-sleeve dry-fit on top of a short-sleeve dry-fit with my longer running shorts and a hat. I honestly felt fine except for my hands: I hadn't been able to locate my running gloves, a problem that will need to be rectified sooner rather than later. I took off down the greenway and hadn't yet made it to the park when I found Megan Hovis and Jason Martin. It felt like a reunion: I really enjoyed running with them over the summer, and it had been awhile.

Megan told me later that she barely recognized me at first on account of how much weight I had lost. Truth be told, it's a lot. I weighed 218 in March, before I had recovered from my injury; I weighed 205 this summer, even when I was training hard; today, before my run I weighed 187. I don't think I have weighed under 190 since right after college. This is an accomplishment. Body fat, not weight, is the important thing for health reasons, but when it comes to moving fast, I need to be light! Kahn said something about my weight earlier, as well: "I can tell even with layers on that you've lost a lot of weight. Your face is still ugly, but thinner, ya know?" Love that guy.

At various parts of this run, I found myself with Jason and Megan; Jason, Megan, Ben, and Compton; Aaron and the Matenas plus the rest and Mike Mitchell; and towards the end, just Mitchell and Compton. I greatly enjoyed the conversation and the faster pace. It's a good group. I ran my last mile - solo - in 6:45.

Thinking about the Race

2011-10-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

Distance: 6.88 mi.
Time: 51:59 - 7:33 ppm.

I ran from home today to do an easy 45-60 minutes on the roads. I was thinking about the marathon. By the time I had made it to Pecan Avenue, in Plaza-Midwood, I was on the course. I ran the section of it that goes through the neighborhoods and imagined myself trying to hold it together while passing crowds of beer drinkers and supporters (you know...assuming they'll actually be there). I ran down a side street and turned right on Hawthorne Avenue, up the "taker of souls" hill. Then I ran down Central Avenue, turned on 7th Street, and went home.

P Stone Double

2011-10-27T21:52:00.000-04:00

Distance: 4.41 mi.
Time: 30:35 - 6:57 ppm.

This run occurred over an hour after I was done at McAlpine, and after my cooldown, so I'm calling today a double. I joined the Charlotte Runners at the Philosopher's Stone. I wasn't really interested in the costume run shenanigans; today was my workout day and I had some unfinished business. I had cut my workout short but given some time to recover I was determined to go hard on this run if I was feeling fresh.

I started off easy with Jeremy Gray and Jim Cristini (Jim and Thomas Long were running in costumes) but when we hit the hill on Dotger, I took off. There were some fast guys who showed up for this one but I had caught everyone else shortly after crossing Laurel. It was tonight's run that led to me realizing that the map on Meetup was wrong. I thought I had run the right route in the wrong direction last week but apparently there is another whole loop that I had left out. The guy behind me was kind enough to yell out instructions every time I wandered in the wrong direction. My splits for this run were 7:27, 6:34, 6:34, 7:08, and 2:50 (6:59 pace for the last 0.41).

I had one beer and some food with the group, then I bounced. I'm ready to hunker down, rest, and get focused for the big day. It's right around the corner.

Working the Legs

2011-10-27T17:46:00.000-04:00

Warmup: 2.16 mi. in 17:09 - 7:56 ppm.
Session 1: 2 x mile with 3:00 rest. 6:09.7, 6:07.
Session 2: 2 x half-mile with 2:00 rest. 3:02.2, 3:00.4.
Cooldown: 1.95 mi. in 15:49 - 8:06 ppm.

I headed over to McAlpine today feeling a bit worn down, as seems to be the Thursday afternoon custom. I cut the workout short by a couple reps on the mile part, but what I did do went pretty well. The NCISAA state meet was to be held here tomorrow, and I chatted some with Ben Hovis about the prospects of his Providence Day boys taking the title (he was cautiously optimistic; they would go on to win). I was hurting but the workout went pretty well.

Neighborhood Hurt

2011-10-26T19:41:00.000-04:00

Distance: 3.75 mi.
Time: 29:01 - 7:44 ppm.

I ran a short route through my neighborhood today just to get the junk out of my legs. Nothing else to report here.

Shorter Neighborhood Loop

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Distance: 8.28 mi.
Time: 1:02:46 - 7:35 ppm.

I didn't feel all that great so I cut it short a little bit. All in all, I'm still happy with my progress. The race is just over two weeks away at this point. I'm starting to get pumped up.

Week in Review

2011-10-23T19:36:00.000-04:00

Total Distance: 46.09 mi.
Dedicated Time: 5:42:49 h:m:s.

I got in an excellent tempo run Tuesday, a good workout Thursday, and a great long run Sunday. I can't remember the last time every run went pretty well in a week, so I'm happy with where things are going. This is also my highest week of mileage in the cycle, and it has come at the perfect time, right before one more hard week and a taper. The mileage overall is still a little low for marathon training but I think it's good enough for now.

Last Big One of the TR Cycle

2011-10-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

Distance: 20 mi.
Time: 2:33:15 - 7:40 ppm.

Today would be the last big long run of my Thunder Road cycle. I regrettably failed to update my gel inventory; however, thanks to Katie's family I had gorged myself on sandwiches, chicken nuggets, strawberries, steak, shrimp, a baked potato, bread, and other things yesterday at Appalachian State's homecoming football game. I brought a clif bar to munch on at my halfway point but found myself more than full of energy on this one.

I would run nearly the same route I did for my first 20-miler, at least at the start, by running through Lansdowne to Providence. I went through Sardis Forest and instead of getting lost just continued on to Sardis North this time. Then, I ran the full Old Bell loop. I had wanted to incorporate some hills into this one, and got that done. After taking on some fluids just past mile 10, I headed up to Boyce to run through the hills of this neighborhood. All told I basically spent the first 14-plus on hilly roads before finishing up on the trails. I had stopped to stretch a good bit due to more muscle tightness, but all in all I felt pretty good. My fastest split was a 7:04 at mile 18 and I was still able to finish at 7:31.

First P-Stone Run

2011-10-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

Distance: ~9 mi. total.
Time: ?? Forgot to charge Running Buddy.

I had forgotten to charge my Garmin, so I wouldn't have it at my disposal today. I had decided to show up to the Meetup group's "Infamous P-Stone Run" at the Philosopher's Stone tonight. I wanted to get in my marathon workout of MGP, repeats, then tempo pace, using the group run as the tempo.

Without the watch I just tried to guess my distance based on what I know of the area and go on feel for the pace. I ran slow for a mile or more and then gauged what I thought to be MGP for the next two miles. After a brief rest I decided to run two times one mile hard, up and down Colville, which is just under a mile. I felt pretty good on this rolling street. I got done and ran back, getting to the P Stone before the group had taken off.

We walked down Caswell and then over to Greenway, where once again someone organized everyone to start. I had taken a mental picture of the course map just in case nobody else felt like running fast. I was warmed up and wanting to finish on a high note, so I took off down Greenway, up Dotger, over to Vail, and across Laurel. It was here that I apparently "got lost" by continuing on Colville down to Twiford. I wouldn't realize this until a week later, but I didn't actually get lost, I just ran the route listed above and that's apparently not the correct route anymore.

At any rate, I was flying. Without the Garmin I always run too fast rather than too slow. Afterwards, a guy named Ross told me he was 7:06 pace and guessed I finished two minutes ahead of him. So I dunno. But I felt good. All things considered I was a bit disorganized today but got in a great workout nonetheless. I wish I had the Running Buddy details to prove it.

Five Fast on the Booty

2011-10-18T19:05:00.000-04:00

Distance: 10.65 mi.
Time: 1:16:58 - 7:13 ppm.

I once again signed up and attended the Charlotte Runners' "Five on the Booty" run, once again making it more like ten on the booty for myself. I averaged a comfortable 7:30 per mile, but since I was late, the pack was already barreling towards me before I finished. I took off my shirt, drank some water and Gatorade, and then took off. I had caught most of the group before hitting Queens Road West. My splits for the last five miles were 7:03, 6:58, 6:44, 7:01, 7:03, and then 4:13 (6:27 pace) for the last 0.65 miles. It had started raining before I got done and I felt pretty good.

Freedom and Booty

2011-10-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

Distance: 6.44 mi.
Time: 48:15 - 7:30 ppm.

I ran my Freedom Park/Booty Loop route today (maybe I need a new name for it?) and added on a little bit. I felt fresh at first and sluggish towards the end. I have nothing else to add except that I don't think I'll ever get tired of running in this area. It's not a soft surface but has everything else a runner could possibly need: shade, sun, water fountains, hills, flat surfaces, a park, a greenway, and some pretty faces.