Green Lightning Running

Baby Steps

2012-02-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

3 mile w/u
Target: 2x1 min., 2x4 mins., 3x2 mins. all w/1 min. rest
Actual: Above + 2x30 secs.
2 mile c/d
Total: 8-8.5 miles

I must admit I was a little nervous for my first post-Trials workout, but fortunately Jordan prescribed something untimed and thus easily achievable. I took to the Neck for some hard running on familiar (albeit challenging) terrain, grateful for the opportunity to open up the legs and lungs without being pained by the knowledge of what pace or distance I was covering on each interval. I could've been running 5:40 pace or 6:40 pace--after drastically misjudging the effort on Sunday's long run, your guess is as good as mine--but the important thing is that my body felt strong. Not fast, necessarily, but strong and surprisingly willing to accept the increased effort. I still have no idea what I'll be capable of on Sunday, but it's exciting to finally feel mentally and physically ready to resume hard training.

Week in Review

2012-02-05T16:36:00.003-05:00

65-66 miles
1 double
15 mile long run
8 mile "uptempo" run
1 hour yoga

By Tuesday of this week, I could tell that my body was finally starting to come around. My stride and cadence began to feel more natural, my breathing more controlled and my overall level of fatigue significantly reduced as compared to the previous week. On Friday I was feeling ambitious enough to attempt an 8.5ish mile uptempo effort--albeit with no real concept of splits or pace--and when I checked my watch at the end of the run I was pleased to see I'd covered the loop about three and a half minutes faster than I had the previous day on a not-slow "normal" run.

As if that development weren't exciting enough, the week was further improved when Jordan went out for a tentative tester run on Saturday and ended up covering a full 10 miles with me after proclaiming his back/SI joint felt 100% better. The fact that he will be as sore as if he'd raced a marathon afterward is of small consequence when compared to this mental and physical transformation. Though both of us have quite a bit of travel in the coming weeks, his return will definitely make it easier for me to resume my early morning run schedule and, just as importantly, significantly reduce his level of grouchiness.

Though the highlight of most red-blooded Americans' weekend is undoubtedly the Super Bowl, for running nerds like myself the prospect of a football game pales in comparison to attending the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday night. Tickets were already sold out when I checked the meet web site on Friday morning, but two of my kind and generous friends who also happen to be employed by New Balance hooked us up big time. It was great fun to cram into the stands like sardines with several thousand of our closest friends (including some of our actual friends like Jeff and Melanie, Teresa, Emily and her mom, and Tom and his girlfriend) and enjoy a competitive running event purely as a spectator. We capped things off by spending the night at Emily's and joining in on the BAA Sunday long run, where we once again traversed the Boston course and lamented the placement of Heartbreak Hill before finishing off the run with a few soft surface loops around the reservoir. Oh, and did I mention that Emily's husband Matt made brunch? After two weekends in a row of great runs and even better breakfasts, I could get used to this routine.

So now that my body feels like it actually belongs to me, I suppose it's time to think about resuming "normal" training. I'll probably try to increase my mileage into the 70s this week and I'm actually returning to Mercedes Marathon, home of last year's OT qualifying run, to attempt to recreate that magic in the half. Considering that this morning's 6:50 pace run felt like 5:50 pace for the final few miles, I'm less than optimistic about blasting a huge PR like I'd rather naively envisioned when I signed up for this a few weeks ago. Regardless, I do hope to get in a long, hard effort and at the very least revise my embarrassing official half-marathon PR of 1:19:58. (For those of you who aren't math majors, this time is about 30 seconds off of the half-marathon pace I ran twice in a row at the Trials. Pathetic.) Whatever happens at Mercedes, the important thing right now is that my body truly feels 100% and I'm finally mentally excited about running again. It's a great feeling!

(Recovery) Week(s) in Review

2012-01-29T12:28:00.003-05:00

1/23 through 1/29:
55 miles
0 days off
0 doubles
0 workouts

1/16 through 1/22:
0 miles
7 days off
2 hours elliptical
5 days in SLC
4 airports (BOS, DEN, SLC, JFK)

As promised, I took an entire week off from running. Eight days, actually. My first run after the Trials didn't occur until Monday afternoon, shortly after arriving on a red-eye flight from Salt Lake City after an exhausting week/weekend of working the Outdoor Retailer show. I don't know what I was expecting from that first run back, but what I got was one of the most humbling experiences of my entire life. Simply put, it was awful. Every stride felt slow, awkward and incredibly unnatural, almost as if I'd never run before in my life. Really? I asked Running. I've given you so much of myself, day in and day out for the past however many days, and this is how you choose to repay me? By making me feel as though I couldn't run one single mile at my marathon pace right now if my life depended on it? How rude.

Fortunately, my runs got better, albeit only marginally, as the week progressed. By Saturday I felt ambitious enough to embark on my first double digit run, bolstered by excellent company. Emily and Carly drove up from the city and I took them on a few loops of the Neck before returning to the fort for a gourmet breakfast whipped up by Jordan. (While I truly hate that he's not running right now, I always appreciate a well-crafted flapjack.) On Sunday I reciprocated the drive by meeting Emily, Carly, Teresa, Terry and some new (to me) BAA faces for a "long" run on part of the Boston Marathon course. They planned to do an 11-mile loop twice, but once was more than enough for me at this stage in my recovery. Though it was ridiculously windy and my legs felt pretty terrible climbing the Newton hills, I was definitely glad I made the trip. I look forward to many more runs and workouts with these guys as I return to serious training.

What I've been doing in the evening instead of doubling

For now, however, I definitely plan to take it easy for another week. I may throw in a baby workout on Thursday or Friday if I'm feeling frisky, but I plan to keep the mileage where it's at and really listen to my body. It's silly to jeopardize some potentially great spring performances by rushing back into things now. I've got big goals for 2012, and it's important to keep the big picture in mind. So instead of training my heart out, I'll just live vicariously through my friends and training partners as they knock out some great workouts and races. Life could be worse!

(Trials) Week in Review

2012-01-15T23:16:00.005-05:00

55ish miles
26.2 mile long run
2 days off
4 days in Houston
6 AFDs

The CRC Musketeers after the pre-race dinner

I'm not sure if the 'ol "Week in Review" post is necessary this week, but I guess I'm a creature of habit. It's worth noting that I took a day off on Thursday (unforeseen, due to a hellacious day of travel which even now pains me to recall) and of course Sunday after the race. While my legs were surprisingly not destroyed--surprising both due to the fact that I, you know, ran 26 miles for the second time ever, but also because almost the entire race course was made of concrete--my feet were a totally different story. Thanks to all the turns and the aforementioned concrete, Allison and Caitlin and I and I'm sure a hundred other people suffered from some pretty debilitating blisters. To make this even more graphic for you, I'll share that around mile 25 I felt one underneath the first metatarsal head on my right foot swelling and ballooning up with fluid. This, as you can imagine, made each pounding footfall increasingly more uncomfortable than the one that preceeded it. With less than half a mile to go until the finish, I suddenly stopped feeling it. Instead of being relieved, I realized with a sense of dread that this could only mean my blister had popped. It did, and it had, and I'm pretty sure a week from now I'll still wince at the memory every time I step down on it too hard. Ah, the glamorous life of a marathoner.

One other point of note, which may or may not be of interest to anyone except myself, is that it turns out I didn't slow down nearly as much as I thought during those final miles. On the contrary, the splits show that I stayed more or less on pace even though every sensory cue from my body indicated otherwise. The slowest mile of the race was actually mile 14, when Caitlin and I took a break from leading our pack to let someone else take on a bit of the work. While we greatly appreciated her willingness to help, in hindsight this mile and the one immediately following it cost me almost 30 precious seconds. I'll never know whether this was the exact moment where my hopes of sub-2:40 were lost, but it definitely didn't help. See below for the play-by-play (and note that the first mile numbers don't match up due to the difference between chip time and gun time). Regardless, I read somewhere that only 34 women PR'ed at the Trials, and I'm proud to be included among them.

Meagan Overall	Mile Splits
6:23	0:06:20
12:21	5:58:00
18:29	6:08:00
24:29:00	6:00:00
30:32:00	6:03:00
36:43:00	6:11:00
42:54:00	6:11:00
48:54:00	6:00:00
55:03:00	6:09:00
1:01:10	0:06:07
1:07:18	0:06:08
1:13:24	0:06:06
1:19:33	0:06:09
1:25:56	0:06:23
1:32:09	0:06:13
1:38:12	0:06:03
1:44:27	0:06:15
1:50:35	0:06:08
1:56:45	0:06:10
2:02:53	0:06:08
2:09:01	0:06:08
2:15:17	0:06:16
2:21:29	0:06:12
2:27:32	0:06:03
2:33:44	0:06:12
2:39:51	0:06:07
2:41:06	0:01:15

So, moving on: what's next? Such a simple question with no readily available answer. Much of this spring's training and racing depends on how quickly my body recovers from this weekend's little jaunt. Though highly out of character, I plan on taking a full week off with no running whatsoever, no matter what, effective immediately. It's rare for me to take more than one or two days off even over an extended period of time unless I'm injured, but this is a conscious decision that I think will benefit me tremendously in the coming months. Last year after Mercedes, I felt decent enough after the marathon that I ran 60 miles the following week and never really allowed myself any down time. In hindsight, I'm sure this is what led me to feel sluggish for months afterward any time I tried to run fast and probably also contributed to the fierce case of IT band syndrome that flared up in mid-March. So, in an effort to actually learn from my mistakes, I plan to be extremely cautious when coming back this time around. Forced rest won't be easy, especially considering how ingrained I've become in my daily routine, but I'm confident it's the right decision.

Enjoying some time with the parentals on Sunday morning

And so, at long last, the "2012 Olympic Trials" chapter of my training and racing has drawn to a close. It's hard to comprehend, after investing so much of my physical and emotional energy into this pursuit over the past year, that it can be brushed aside so easily. But although the race itself is now behind me, the entire experience has definitely renewed my will to train, to compete, to become a better and more experienced runner. I'm so excited to see what the coming year brings!

But first, I rest.

US Olympic Marathon Trials Recap

2012-01-14T19:58:00.001-05:00

Goal #1: Finish
Goal #2: Finish not last
Goal #3: Finish with a PR (sub-2:45:00: 6:18 pace)
Goal #4: Finish top 50
Goal #5: Finish sub-2:40 (6:05 pace)

Actual: 2:41:05 (6:08 pace)
49th place out of 152 finishers
Results; Mile by Mile Splits
Splits (that I remember): 10k @38:00; 10 mile @61:10; 20k @1:15:55; 13 @1:19:30
Slowest mile: 6:23
Fastest mile: 5:58
Goals Achieved: 1-4

My alarm went off at 5:15, but it was unnecessary. I'd been thinking of this morning, dreaming of it, consciously and subconsciously, for almost a year. I looked over at Jordan, who was also wide awake, and we both wordlessly swung our legs over the side of the hotel bed and stood to our feet. It was time.

An hour later, our backpacks filled with various race-day miscellany, we slowly trotted down the darkened early morning streets of downtown Houston. Leaving the Residence Inn behind, my destination was the Hilton, then Caitlin's room, then the George R. Brown Convention Center, and then my destiny. Not listed in order of importance. As Caitlin and I filed into the elite athlete holding area, flanked by Jordan and Garrett, the incomprehensible reality that we were actually doing this became ineluctable. My entire body tingled with nervous energy, though on the surface I remained quiet and calm. Caitlin, Megan Hovis and I situated ourselves along a side wall, soon to be joined by my friend Allison. Almost one year ago Allison and I roomed together at the 2011 Houston Marathon, both of us walking (hobbling) away from that event feeling more discouraged than triumphant. This year, this time, we were determined to work together with Caitlin for our vindication. With 30 minutes to go we were herded down the escalator and outside to the elite athlete staging area, and you could almost feel the collective sharp intake of breath as we were thrust into the cold, wind-blown shade of the downtown skyline. After a few minutes of jogging, a stride or two, a bathroom trip or four and a hasty discarding of clothing into the bag drop, I found myself being led to the starting line.

How to describe the feeling? Surreal, yes. Overwhelmed, for sure. Nervous, excited, anticipatory; all accurate. But as I queued up behind the starting line, the starter's commands nearly drowned out by the noise of the crowd, my peripheral vision a blur of broad stripes and bright stars, everything else was superseded by an almost eery sense of calm. Caitlin and I turned to each other and grinned, our faces mirroring the same understanding: this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it was time to make the most if it. Less than a minute later, we were off into the early morning sunshine.

As Caitlin described in her own fantastic race recap, the first 10 miles passed almost imperceptibly. I don't remember any physical effort being expended, although I'm sure it was. After completing a flat 2.2 mile loop of the downtown area, we circled back through the start (and finish) area before heading out on an 8-mile loop that we would cover three times before finishing our journey exactly where it began. (Is there symbolism there? Maybe. Who has the time to uncover it all.) During these early miles, Caitlin and I worked diligently to cultivate a pack of like-minded runners, to varying degrees of success. Allison was invested, and though her words were minimal, her consistent stride and quiet confidence spoke volumes. At one point our group would swell to almost 10 women, but the entire first half of the race found Caitlin and I bearing the brunt of the leadership responsibilities. Every so often another woman would join or another would drop back, but by midway through the second loop our formidable cadre had whittled down to four, the original three plus Laura Farley. Laura and I had never met before, and may never again, but for the next hour I would swear she was one of the best friends I'd ever known. That's part of what the marathon does to you, of course. It breaks you down physically, scrambles you emotionally, blunts your powers of reasoning and perception--sometimes all at once.

And we ran.

We passed together under the finishing clock after the second loop, a mere eight miles separating us from the sweet relief of no longer pushing our bodies past the point of sensible resistance. My feet had long since relinquished any protest, instead succumbing to the cruel concrete and myriad turns that the criterium course had forced upon them. To say that I had developed a few blisters would be equal parts completely accurate and wildly insufficient. I could sense that Caitlin was faltering along with the fragile equilibrium of our group. I turned back once, then twice, beckoning her to follow, but from that point onward it was eyes straight ahead. I wasn't feeling so chipper myself, and as the 20-mile marker came and went so did my contact with Laura and Allison. I asked, begged, pleaded with my body to stay in contact, but it had other plans. As the two of them slowly slipped away, so did my hopes at sub-2:40. My foggy brain couldn't do the math, but it didn't have to. Somewhere deep inside, with the inner metronome finely honed over miles and trials too numerous to count, I knew. And so I trudged along in the grim resignation of no-man's land, fervently willing myself to stay positive even when innate, primitive self-preservation instincts screamed at me to STOP.

I didn't stop. Each step was a renewal of will. I focused on one runner ahead, then the next. A few minutes later I realized I was approaching my friend and one-time training partner Megan Skeels. As I pulled up alongside, I could tell that she was foundering. "Tuck in with me," I implored. "We can still break 2:40." It was a lie; we couldn't. But part of me was still trying to convince myself, to reaffirm why I was still pushing and pushing and forcing every muscle in my body to endure this assault. Megan shook her head; the movement was slight, but it said enough. I pulled ahead, turned and motioned her to follow, then continued on in my single solitary provision of hell.

I've often heard it said that the marathon is a war of attrition, and never has that truth been more evident than in these final miles. As terrible as I felt, as certain as I was that the next step could be my last (did I mention exaggerated suffering? another unfortunate side effect), I was still passing people. And not just people. People I had absolutely no business finishing before. Names I knew, faces I recognized from running magazines and articles and training groups and the actual profession of running. I was dying, but then again I suppose it's all relative.

With two miles to go, I saw Jordan. This was the second or third time I'd spotted him, though he swore he had shouted at me almost 10 times. It was entirely probable, just like it was probable that my mom had screamed my name as I passed at mile 8, just like Rebecca Thomason and my high school coach and Matt Jaskot and my dad's running partner and my former teacher and a dozen other people had stood less than an arm's length from me at some point during the morning, pouring their energy and enthusiasm into me. No, seriously. I mean, don't get me wrong, I heard plenty of generic cheering. I also heard lots of voices shouting my last name, which was splayed across my chest via my bib number. (And, astonishingly, although every customer service representative and solicitor under the sun seems to bumble their way through the pronunciation of "Nedlo" as though it were written in Farsi even though it's perfectly phonetical, I didn't hear a single inaccurate rendering.) But I was overwhelmed, amazed and utterly humbled by the number of people who called me by my first name. It is highly unlikely that I will ever run another race in any venue or capacity for which I can say the same. Utterly, completely blown away by the support of the crowd.

But I digress. I saw Jordan, and I heard him say, "You can still do it!" I knew he meant that I could still break 2:40, and just as surely I knew that he was wrong. But shortly thereafter, I heard the voice of someone else: "You're in 54th place!" First of all, I had no idea if they were right. I had no idea if they knew how to count, or if they'd been paying attention, or if they even comprehended how significant their words would be. What I did know is that although my goal of sub-2:40 was gone, I could still finish out the final 10 minutes of this run, the most important run of my life up to this point, with purpose. With determination. With a resolve to pour everything of myself into each step. With gratitude for the opportunity I was given--no, for the opportunity I worked my ass off for--and the single-minded focus of simply putting one foot in front of the other, as fast as I could, for as long as I could, for as long as it took until I crossed the finish line.

And then, unceremoniously, I did. There was no fanfare, no announcement, nothing but the full-bodied release and wearied relief that any competitor, at any level, feels when they encounter the intersection of weariness and satisfaction. I wasn't at the front of the pack, not even close, nor was I within miles of contention for the coveted Olympic spots for which this race exists in the first place. But I was, emphatically, finished.

I waited for Caitlin. She came soon after. And we hugged, and high-fived, and probably would've cried had either of us spared the energy. When she could barely walk, I propped her up. When we didn't know where to go, my parents magically appeared to guide us to the escalators back to the elite holding room. We'd been there only hours before, but as different people. I came here as the 152nd qualifier of over 200 women. I started the race today as seed number 140 based on those who actually toed the line. Just over two and a half hours later, I finished as one of the top 50 female marathoners in the country. There has been plenty of talk about how the women's qualifying time needs to be lowered, and while that could comprise a separate post unto itself, I categorically agree with the sentiment. And to the same people, I say: make the standard whatever the hell you want. I will run it. I'm just getting started as a marathoner, and I will be at the 2016 Trials. No matter what.

But today's effort isn't about 2016. It's about right now, today, the ability and capacity that I had to give during this moment. Though I'm not completely satisfied with my time, I can honestly say I gave every part of myself at every part of the race. That may not be enough to earn an Olympic berth, but it unquestionably embodies the Olympic spirit, and I sincerely believe the same can be said for every single woman who toed the line today. We didn't all run together, not literally, but in some sense we did. We are all Olympic Trials Qualifiers. We all ran the Olympic Trials.

We all ran. We all run.

We all have a memory to last a lifetime.

US Olympic Marathon Trials Results

2012-01-14T13:19:00.001-05:00

2:41:06
49th place out of 152 finishers (~200 starters)
Results

Recap to come but I wanted to post up the results. Looking forward to sharing all the details with you when I have a few free moments. What an amazing experience!

(Taper) Week in Review

2012-01-08T11:35:00.007-05:00

60 miles
1 double
1 day off
3 runs in Palm Springs
5 AFDs

Well, friends, I challenged myself to keep this week's mileage at 75 or below, and suffice it to say I knocked that goal out of the park. Looking back in the archives, this is my lowest weekly mileage total since the week of August 23rd. I hadn't intended to go quite this low, but taking Friday off (and omitting a planned Thursday evening double) was the smart decision for several reasons. I can only hope I will reap the rewards of my infinite wisdom come Saturday.

If nothing else, this sharp reduction in mileage has allowed me to focus on the ancillary factors that had all but fallen by the wayside during my 100+ weeks. Excluding the day of our red-eye flight I've averaged 9+ hours of sleep each night, and I've been able to fit in 20-30 minutes of core, drills and strength almost every day. And trust me, I know how crazy this sounds, but Jordan and I actually had time to watch a movie one night. Although I would be lying to say it doesn't feel a little bit strange to not spend literally every waking hour of my free time in running clothes, I suppose it's not half bad.

Looking ahead to next week, it appears as though--holy shit!--I'll actually be racing the Olympic Trials marathon. Pardon me for sounding surprised, but although intellectually I've known this day was coming, some part of me never comprehended that the race would actually happen in a real, tangible way. But as it turns out, Jordan and I will be getting on a plane Thursday morning bound for my home state for the express purpose of running this race. Of course the weekend will encompass a flurry of other activities--reunions with far-flung running friends from literally all across the country, lots of free food from the hospitality suite, technical meetings and pre-race massages and event dinners and a promised evening of post-race revelry and merriment--but I'd be kidding myself if I didn't acknowledge that the race itself doesn't loom larger in my mind than the broader "experience" of the Olympic Trials, at least as I sit here typing this less than a week out. I'm full of excitement and nervous energy at the culmination of a year's--some would argue, a lifetime's--preparation, all for one single moment. If you can consider an event spanning almost three hours to comprise a single moment, that is.

Time permitting, I plan to check back in with some real time snippets of next weekend's activities. Of course I always hope that people enjoy reading this blog, but I originally penned "greenlightningrunning" over three years ago as a record for myself, a time capsule of a a journey of miles and trials that, at the time, I had no idea would lead me to the present moment. I want to document as much of the Trials experience as I can, knowing full well it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity despite my hopes to the contrary. I want to preserve the details of the weekend for my readers, but more for myself, and of course for my hypothetical (and I mean extremely hypothetical, Suzanne) grandchildren who will one day stare in disbelief as their wrinkly old grandma waves her cane this way and that while animatedly describing the glory days when, believe it or not, she ran pretty darn fast.

More to come from Houston in just a few short days. See you there!

Taper "Long Run" with the BAA

2012-01-07T22:35:00.001-05:00

Target: 12-14 miles w/some portion @MP
Actual: 9 miles easy, 2 miles @11:50, 1 mile easy, 5x1 min. on/off, 1/2 mile easy
Total: ~13.5 miles @1:36

For my last "long run" before the Trials, Jordan and I decided to take a Saturday trip into the city and hook up with BAA coach Terry Shea and his wife, Carly, among a few others. Jordan planned to run a progressive uptempo with the boys, while I was aiming to get in about an hour of easy running before dropping the pace for a few miles.

In the past several days leading into this run, my body has been a mess. Not only has my foot still been achy--nothing debilitating, just a nagging, dull discomfort that refuses to subside--but I woke up on Friday morning feeling like absolute death. Fortunately/unfortunately, I'd already decided to take the day off for the sake of my foot--my first day sans running since late August--which meant that after struggling to spend a few minutes being productive at my computer, I had enough free time to stumble back into the bedroom and pass out for another hour before getting ready for work. I spent the entire remainder of the day feeling, for lack of a better description, decidedly out of sorts. Tired, achy, warm and vaguely uncomfortable. I instantly flashed back to the day before when I'd taken my absent coworker Mattison's mouse--which, in my defense, he'd originally stolen from me--and ignored the warning from my other coworker who warned me that Mattison had been deathly ill before leaving work the previous day. I'd shaken off his suggestion of sanitizing the mouse because, really, how long can germs last?? If I was about to find out that answer the hard way, just a week out from the biggest race of my life, I would be livid. After barely surviving the entire day at the office, I curled up on the couch, choked down a meager dinner (that's when you know something is wrong with me) and collapsed into bed at 8:30, an hour which is considered early even by my octogenarian standards. But wouldn't you know, my eyes snapped open at 7:30 on Saturday morning--yes, that's an astonishing 11 hours later--and I felt good as new. Phew!

And so, back to the run: 9am, Harvard track, Jordan and I, Carly and Terry, a few other BAA peeps. We set off toward the Charles and embarked on the same 4.2-mile loop where I'd tempoed with Terry and Emily last month. After one easy loop together the group disbanded; some to pick up the pace, others to begin a workout and Carly and I to the indoor track bathroom before continuing with our easy run. Though the weather had been downright frigid the past few days, this morning brought temps in the low 40s, negligible wind and bright sunshine--quite pleasant by Boston winter standards. We chatted through another loop before I dropped Carly back off at Harvard, at which point I planned to attempt a few uptempo miles. Though I felt infinitely better than yesterday, my legs were inexplicably heavy and I was doubting my ability to run sub-7 pace, much less sub-6. I was able to huff and puff my way through two miles in 11:50, but good grief did it feel hard. This was roughly the same pace I maintained when cruising through longer intervals on Tuesday, so needless to say today's efforts did not inspire much self-confidence. Even the one minute portions felt forced and awkward, all energy completely sapped from my legs. Considering how strong my training has been and how confident I've felt over the past few months, this isn't exactly the best timing for a complete physical meltdown. At this point I'm trying to engage in positive self-talk and remind myself of all the marathon paced workouts I've nailed, trusting that the fitness is there. There's absolutely no benefit to dwelling on the negative, so as I jogged back to the parking lot I sternly instructed myself to shake it off and chalk this up as one more sub-race pace "workout" in the bank.

Fortunately, the rest of the day left little time for self-pity. After the run we went straight to Carly and Terry's for some late morning turned early afternoon brunch and coffee, then Jordan and I headed across town to visit Jeff "G-Unit" Gaudette and his better half Melanie for the afternoon. In addition to being Jordan's current and my former coach, Jeff also used to own a massage therapy business, so naturally I implored him to come out of retirement for a pre-Trials rubdown. He was happy to oblige so long as he still had a good angle on the Bruins game, and I'm confident his handiwork will help flush out whatever is ailing my tired legs. Several hours and a plate of homemade nachos later Jordan and I hit the road back to Marblehead, happy to have enjoyed a relaxing Saturday in the city with new friends and old.

Cali Farewell Workout

2012-01-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

6k w/u + strides
Target: 2x5k @MP (6-6:05 pace) w/3 min. jog
Actual: 18:42 (5:59 pace); 18:35 (5:57 pace)
~800m c/d
Total: 10 miles

When deciding whether to work out today or tomorrow, the answer was obvious. On Tuesday morning we would still be basking in the warm sunshine of Palm Springs, while Wednesday would find us fresh off a red-eye flight just in time to greet the coldest day thus far in Boston. So, despite having a busy day of work and travel that included meetings in LA and San Diego and that aforementioned red eye, we woke up early to enjoy one last hurrah in shorts and a t-shirt.

While warming up, Jordan suggested using the same route he'd taken for a similar effort the previous day. It was fairly low traffic and only featured a few turns, so it seemed ideal. What would make the loop a bit challenging is that it started with a long, gradual uphill for a full mile--not the most enjoyable way to kick things off, but fortunately this segment was immediately followed by a flat half-mile and then a gradual downhill mile before finishing slightly uphill for the final kilometer. Certainly not the rolling hills of Charlotte or even the Marblehead Neck, but still a bit mentally challenging. Jordan's plan also dictated not running faster than goal marathon pace, as the purpose here was not to achieve any fitness improvements but rather to gain comfort and confidence at the clip I'll hopefully be maintaining for over two and a half hours in less than two weeks' time.

As expected, the first mile was a bit of a grind as my breathing and legs struggled to find the pace on the uphill section. As soon as we turned the corner, however, everything fell into place. I was completely cruising through the middle portion of the interval and breathing like it was a light morning jog. Even the final slightly uphill kilometer did little to fatigue my breathing, which returned to normal almost immediately after finishing the first interval. Three minutes later, we set off again on the familiar loop with similar results. This time, however, I found my legs and lungs struggling more than I would've liked on the final uphill kilometer despite once again killing the middle section. Overall I'm still pleased with my breathing but frustrated by how tired my legs felt toward the end. Jordan assured me this is normal and that my body will snap out of it before next weekend, so I'll have to trust in that. I'm also nursing a slightly sore left foot, which meant I played it smart and cut the cooldown out almost completely--hey, I'm tapering!--so I could run home and stick my foot in the icy non-heated pool in Jordan's dad's complex. We're both depressed about leaving beautiful, warm, sunny California later tonight, so I'm glad we were able to fit this in before departing. Nothing but rest and recovery between now and Houston!

View from our last dinner, at Pacific Beach in San Diego
Can you blame us for wanting to stay??

Week in Review

2012-01-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

87 miles
2 doubles
1 run in Sacramento
2 runs in Santa Rosa
1 run in San Jose
5 runs in Palm Springs

While many sensible people--including myself in most scenarios--wouldn't consider 87 miles to remotely resemble a taper, in reality it was. I only doubled twice and ran easy every day excluding Thursday's workout. Also, my long run was "only" a two-hour, 16+ mile jaunt with no uptempo sections. I also enjoyed at least 9+ hours of sleep per night (including some embarrassingly early bedtimes but hey, my body still thinks it's on the east coast) and plenty/too much good food and wine. So, believe it or not, this week was very much a step down from most in recent memory.

That said, next week I'm going to try my hardest to "only" run 75 miles. I'm pretty sure only fellow runners can understand that it will be much more difficult to limit my mileage than to increase it, but that's the beautiful, horrible paradox of the taper. We'll be catching a red-eye home on Tuesday night, unceremoniously thrust into what promises to be a frigid awakening contrasted against the blue skies and palm trees we've been enjoying in Palm Springs all week. I'll probably take advantage of the weather and pancake flat terrain with a short marathon-paced workout tomorrow, designed more as a confidence booster than a fitness provider. From then forward the remaining 10 days of training will primarily be an exercise in self-restraint and harnessing nervous energy. This is my least favorite part of the training cycle but probably also one of the most crucial for ensuring race-day success.

Over the past few days I've enjoyed reading fellow bloggers' "year in review" posts and have considered writing one myself. However the reality is, this entire year has been a build-up for the Trials, so it would be disingenuous of me to summarize the past 365 without acknowledging that as my focus. With that in mind, you'll have to wait until at least January 15th for my annual summary. In lieu of that, check out my interview with "Writing About Running" blogger Pat Porter. My 15 seconds of fame!

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve and a fantastic first day of 2012. Best of luck with all your training and racing goals!

San Jose Bike Path Workout

2011-12-29T22:15:00.002-05:00

2 mile w/u
Target: 3x1k @3:45, 1 min. jog; 10k @3:50/k (6:10/mile), 3 min. jog; 3x1k @3:40
Actual: 3:43, 3:41, 3:50 (got lost); 10k @38:15 (6:08/mile); 3:36, 3:41, 3:36
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 13.5-14 miles

This workout was supposed to take place in Palm Springs, but no thanks to United Airlines that was not to be the case. As we were traveling to the airport from downtown San Francisco with Jordan's aunt Emily (she of "red eye flight before running the turkey trot 10k" fame ), we got an automated call saying our Wednesday evening flight had been canceled due to very enigmatic "mechanical issues." Fortunately Emily was happy to host us at her beautiful home in San Jose; even more fortunately, said home boasts one of the most impressive wine cabinets I've ever seen. Oh, and it's also conveniently located just over a mile from a perfectly adequate bike path. As far as travel disasters go, this one actually turned out just fine.

And so, at 9am on Thursday morning, suffering from the slightest of wine headaches--just doing my part to simulate late stage marathon fatigue--Jordan and I set out into the gloriously warm air with the bike path as our destination. For my final substantial workout before the Trials, Jordan wrote out a mish-mash of intervals all designed to hone in on my target marathon pace, which quite honestly could range anywhere from 5:55 to 6:10 at different points in the race. Thus, the goal for today's effort was to stay comfortably relaxed the entire time and to feel confident running within the prescribed pace range.

To my pleasant surprise, the entire workout felt ridiculously easy. I expected the first few 1k's to jar the system a bit, but my legs eased into six-minute pace immediately with no resistance. (We encountered a brief detour during the third one, when we missed the turn over a bridge and instead found the bike path abruptly ending at the freeway. Oops.) After jogging around for a few minutes, it was time to begin the uptempo segment. Jordan was adamant about keeping the pace at 6:08-6:10, so as per usual I was content to tuck in and follow his lead. After what felt like an eternity, I glanced down at my watch hoping to see that at least 10 minutes had passed. To my dismay, we were only at 3:35--less than a kilometer in! With a loud exhale, I voiced a complaint that may have never previously escaped my lips during a workout: "This is so boring!" And, truly, it was. Other than a few sharp, steep inclines on the path my heart rate never spiked, and the minutes seemed to stretch on forever. It was a bizarre, yet exhilarating, sensation to calmly click off a 38-minute 10k in the middle of a workout without being slightly out of breath. Even the final 3x1k did little to fatigue me aerobically. After finishing the final interval, Jordan looked over and asked incredulously, "Are you even breathing hard?" And, even more incredulously, I responded, "Not really." It was...strange.

I think I'm ready.

Week in Review

2011-12-25T23:55:00.001-05:00

102 miles
3 doubles
2 days in Cali
30k long run
4 AFDs

For what may be the first time in my life (although I can only speculate as I'm too lazy to research this), I logged back-to-back 100+ mile weeks. Many of these miles took place in the dark of night (even more in the dark of morning) amid a busy work and travel week. The good news is that it's all downhill from here! With three weeks to go until the Trials I'll enjoy somewhat of a taper in mileage as well as a significant cutback in workouts and "hard" runs. I've still got one big effort on tap for sometime next week, but at this point most of the hay is in the proverbial barn. There's more harm than good that can happen between now and January 14th, so I'll need to take advantage of the extra free time in Cali to focus on the little things: sleep, stretching, core, icing (I've got a bit of a tender left foot courtesy of Annadel), strengthening exercises and wine tasting. (Like how I slipped that last one in there?) Though I won't be doing much to gain more fitness, I have to trust that the accumulated work I've put in over the past weeks and months will all coalesce and manifest itself on race day.

20 days!

Christmas Day Long Run

2011-12-25T23:37:00.000-05:00

Target: 18-20 miles @progressive pace
Actual: 30k in 2:06

Greetings from the glorious, sunny, cloudless state of California! After a long Christmas Eve-Eve of travel, we arrived in Santa Rosa and were greeted by Jordan's mom in the wee hours. The following morning we groggily suited up and met Jordan's high school buddy Steve Laurie for a medium long run at Annadel State Park, which both of them remain steadfastly convinced is the best training ground in the country, if not the entire world. (For the record, while the trails are expansive and the views often breathtaking, I found the footing to be far too rocky in many portions for me to settle into much of a rhythm. Not to mention it's ridiculously hilly--something my quads announced with a vengeance the following day.) After Christmas Eve service at Suzanne's church, we once again loaded up the car with Sacramento, and Suzanne's niece's house, as our destination.

And so, on Christmas morning, after all of Santa's presents were opened by 9-year-old Wyatt and his 7-year-old sister Logan, it was time for Jordan and I to step out into the surprisingly chilly air and bang out a good old-fashioned hard long run. Fortunately Tim and Tara live a mere mile and a half from the awesome American River Trail, a bike path that stretches farther than you would ever care to travel in one run. Even better, it's almost completely flat and accompanied by a wide dirt shoulder on either side of the pavement. Though I knew the dirt would make the effort more difficult, I also knew that my body needed as much of a reprieve from pounding as it could get. So we set off into the sunrise with Jordan on the path and me on the adjacent dirt, gradually inching down the pace as the miles (or rather, kilometers) clicked away. We hit 15k in just over 64 minutes before turning around and making a significant effort to increase the tempo. Whereas the bulk of the first half of the run saw splits hovering around 4:10 per kilometer, on the return trip we were pushing around 4:00 and occasionally dipping under. I have no idea what that means, but what I do know is that my legs were absolutely spent. The quads were screaming from the previous day's 14-miler in Annadel, and a searing hot spot had inexplicably developed under the ball of my right foot. The final few miles felt much more difficult than they should have given the slower-than-marathon pace, but with all said and done the goal of the run was accomplished and another 100+ mile week was capped off nicely.

And now, we feast!

3x20 Minutes in the Dark

2011-12-21T16:11:00.006-05:00

2.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 3x20 minutes w/4-5 mins. rest; first 10 minutes @10k pace, last 10 minutes @marathon pace
Actual: Above (see Jordan's blog for splits)
2 mile c/d
Total: 14.5-15 miles

With only three weeks remaining until the Trials, things are getting pretty serious around here. Jordan wants me to complete three more substantial workouts in the next few weeks, and with several ideas rolling around in his head he put in a call to Jeff "G-Unit" Gaudette to solicit his advice. Together they decided on today's effort, designed to start things off with me pushing pretty hard and then conditioning my body to "buffer the lactic acid" during the second half of each interval. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure what means, but since they both have those big fancy Ivy League degrees I agreed to just go with it.

As has become all too normal these days, my alarm sounded at 5am sharp. I was up immediately to stretch the legs, take in a few sips of coffee and otherwise implore my body to look alive. We were out the door shortly thereafter with our nerd-lamps lighting the way to the Neck. Whether our pace would be affected by the early hour, the prevalent wind or the terrain of the Neck remained to be seen, but as per usual my plan was to let Jordan set the pace and simply hang on for dear life. I knew the ensuing hour wouldn't be much fun, but with his assistance the workout goals should be achievable. Besides, mentally all I had to do was will myself to run hard for 10 minutes and then trust that the remaining 10 minutes would feel like a jog in comparison.

Predictably, the opening meters were quite a shock to the system. If there were any doubt about me being firmly settled into marathon training, the fact that 5:40 pace felt like a sprint definitely solidified this reality. That said, fortunately the first seven minutes of each interval covered almost completely flat terrain. A short, steep uphill in the ninth minute didn't do me any favors, and the fact that more hills were to come in the 11th and 12th minute made the beginning of the "easy" section feel frustratingly difficult. Luckily, Jordan's impromptu decision to turn down a previously uncharted side street shortly thereafter proved wise, as it offered a gentle downhill section and a reprieve for my tired legs and ragged breathing. By the 15th minute I was more or less recovered, and the last five minute of each interval were the most comfortable of the entire segment. If that's how the workout was designed to feel, then I suppose that in itself makes it a success.

And yet, by the final few minutes of the third segment I began to truly feel the weight of the workout descending on my body. I was covering well over 5k on each interval (almost 5.5k on this last one, as it turns out), which meant by this point I was over nine miles into what was more or less an on/off tempo run. I wanted to finish the final 150 meters feeling fit and fast, but instead I found myself sputtering and grinding to earn a respectable split. Overall I wasn't thrilled with the workout, but like I've said before when all is said and done I'm willing to look at it as time on the feet at or below marathon pace. As I told Jordan afterward, I don't think it would've mattered if I'd had three minutes or ten minutes of rest between each interval. My breathing returned to normal almost immediately upon finishing, but there's just no way to force my legs to move faster than they did today. Though not indicative of any blazing speed, it does speak volumes for my strength, and for that I am quite pleased.

Three more weeks. Two more workouts.

Week in Review

2011-12-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

100 miles
3 doubles
20 mile long run
20k tempo run
2 runs with Pops
4 AFDs

Praise the Lord, I finally hit 100! The majority of the week was about as un-glamorous as any in recent memory, as I completed more runs on treadmills and by the light of my headlamp than I ever care to again. But where there's a will there's a way--and if that way has to come via a 38+ mile Saturday and Sunday, then so be it. That's right, I followed up Saturday's tempo run with an even longer (albeit much slower) run with Jordan and Dad on Sunday morning. Despite sleeping in for the second consecutive day, Sunday mid-morning brought literally breathtakingly cold weather, the first of its kind since we moved here. With an actual temperature of 20 and a wind chill in the single digits, it took a lot of mental fortitude and about a gallon of coffee to push the three of us out the door. (Trust me, any time you have to strap on this glove you know things are serious.) Two and a half hours later I was very nearly frozen solid and I couldn't feel my legs (which given the circumstances isn't necessarily a bad thing), but at least I got in the miles. At the beginning of this training cycle I wouldn't have even considered attempting a 20-miler immediately on the heels of an 18-mile workout, but by now it's almost feeling routine.

Mileage aside, the most important part of the weekend was spending time with my parents. Jordan and I had a great time showing them our charming New England town and hosting them in one of the fort's ocean view guest bedrooms. (Have I mentioned we have guest bedrooms? And that we want you to come and visit?? Please do!) Though unfortunately we won't be able to spend the official Christmas holiday with them, we will be reunited again in just four short weeks when they come cheer me on in Houston. While my mom may have single-handedly derailed our newfound gluten-free lifestyle with the siren's call of donuts and flapjacks, I don't recall either of us complaining. Life's too short to miss out on good food and good people, and we enjoyed plenty of both this weekend--in between a few miles, of course.

20k Tempo Success

2011-12-17T20:01:00.000-05:00

2.5 mile w/u
Target: 12 miles @6:05-6:10
Actual: 20k @6:05 pace (1:15:52)
19:10 for 5k; 38:05 for 10k; 57:10 for 15k; last 5k @18:42
3 mile c/d
Total: 18 miles

First things first: Jordan actually said he was impressed with my workout. Out loud. And better yet, in writing. This is unprecedented, folks. I'm tempted to just leave it there and call it a day for this blog entry. However, since I know you're dying to continue reading, I'll share a bit of insight into how the workout went down.

For starters, it was a rare treat to sleep in. I woke up before 5am on Friday morning to slog through 10 miles on the hotel treadmill in Nashville--for the record, this was the same treadmill I'd had the pleasure of getting acquainted with less than 10 hours prior--and then booked it to the airport for an early flight. I arrived back home in Boston just in time to greet my parents, who were flying in to visit for the weekend. So not only did I get to sleep in until 7:30--!!!!--on Saturday, but I had the pleasure of lounging around with Jordan and the 'rents until almost 9:00 drinking coffee and catching up. When we finally did suit up for this morning's effort, my dad eagerly tagged along. He wouldn't be attempting the hard effort, but with a nice warmup through town and down the causeway we were able to give him directions for the Neck loop and back home. With many miles of hard work ahead of us, we wouldn't see him again for several hours.

From the outset, I knew it was in my interest to simply fall in step behind Jordan and let him dictate the pace. His queenmaking skills haven't let me down yet, and today would be no different. So even though the first rolling loop of the Neck felt like a jog, I resisted the temptation to ask him to speed things up. With over 75 minutes of hard running required, no heroes would be made in the first 5k. During the second loop I still felt terrific aerobically, though the constantly undulating terrain began to take a bit of a toll on my legs. We exited the Neck into a stiff headwind along the causeway somewhere between 11 and 12k, and at that point I told myself I only (only?) had less than 8k to run. We'd decided in advance to make up this distance with a simple out-and-back on Atlantic, headed first in the Swampscott direction and then returning back to our original starting point near the Neck. This section was nowhere near as hilly as the Neck, but I soon found out it consisted of a lot of false flats and gradual grades. The wind proved even more cruel than the terrain, seeming to shift its diabolical aim every time we turned expecting a reprieve. I was lucky to have Jordan out front, but his 135-pound frame can only do so much.

With 1k to go, we turned back onto Beach for a truly flat final stretch out to the causeway. This was when Jordan told me I was running well enough to "earn" a bonus 12th kilometer. Awesome. Actually I was still feeling surprisingly strong, but that didn't stop me from gasping out to him that I didn't want to be forced to finish uphill on the Neck. He replied, "Don't worry, you'll stop just at the base." As it turned out, he was wrong by about 100 meters. The last minute of the final kilometer was agonizing as I tried to push the pace uphill, somehow managing to finish with the fastest split of the day. (See Jordan's recap for all the gory numerical details.)

Even without looking at the numbers, I was pleased with how today went based on the perceived effort alone. I'm in the middle of my highest mileage week of the entire cycle and straight off a travel day, not to mention the terrain and conditions of today's course are much more difficult than I'll face in a month's time. In looking at the splits, I consistently got faster throughout each 5k and finished the final segment at or just below six-minute pace. That said, when I look at the big picture it's almost incomprehensible to think that I'll need to run an additional 22k at this pace in order to achieve anything close to my goal time at the Trials. I'll just have to trust that my fitness, combined with an appropriate taper and the energy of the competitive atmosphere, will be enough to make me swift on my feet when the time comes.

Downtown Louisville Workout Disaster

2011-12-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

4-4.5 mile w/u
Target: 4x1k @3:25, 4x800 @2:45, 4x400 @80, 4x200 hard
Actual: 4x3:15-3:25, 4x2:45, 4x80, 4x40
1 mile c/d
Total: 13+ miles

Well, this was an unmitigated disaster. I'm staying in downtown Louisville for work, and the bike path that I thought traced the outline of the river was practically nonexistent (or at least I never found it). Instead I ran all of my intervals on what was basically a glorified sidewalk in full view of all the morning commuters. I'm sure they were wondering why the spandex-clad lunatic girl was sprinting back and forth in front of them while stopping every few minutes to shout obscenities to herself. (Actually I was shouting obscenities at my new Timex GPS watch which is far too sophisticated for me to understand, and on second thought perhaps this behavior made me blend in with some of the downtown street denizens. Either way, I lose.)

On the plus side, I didn't quit and I didn't start crying. I'm embarrassed to say how many times I came dangerously close to one or both of those outcomes, and with gusto. Instead I finally changed my watch to the one setting I know how to read, chrono, and just ran hard for the approximate amount of time mandated by each interval. If the goal paces were achieved I'd be shocked, but the bottom line is that I put in almost eight miles on my feet at faster than marathon pace. Given today's circumstances, even that seems like a small victory.

Week in Review

2011-12-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

94 miles
20.5 mile long run
2 doubles
6 days in TX
3 AFDs (oops)

Once again, despite an insane week of travel and work I somehow managed to hit my workouts and mileage. Even better, I benefited from over half of it--at least some portion of six of those days--taking place on soft surfaces. At this point in the training cycle my body needs every reprieve it can get, and I have no doubt that removing my legs from the punishing pavement helped mitigate the damage done.

That said, with just five weeks until the Trials much of the hardest work is still ahead of me. I'll be presented with more logistical challenges next week, as I'll be traveling with a new sales rep in Nashville and Louisville from Tuesday until Friday. When I touch down Friday afternoon, it will be literally within minutes of my parents, who are coming to visit the magical fort for the weekend. While I can't wait to spend time with them and show them around Marblehead, the reality is that I won't have the luxury of stretching out my weekend training or venturing into the city to run with Emily and Teresa. It doesn't mean the miles won't happen, but I predict many runs that both start and finish by the light of my headlamp in the near future.

Interestingly, I had a conversation that indirectly addressed this topic while in Austin. I was at the hotel bar before dinner one night and ran into Liz Wilson, my friend and former coworker (and Hood to Coast teammate) at Brooks. In addition to being one of the most outgoing and energetic people I know, Liz also happens to have placed fifth at the marathon trials in 2000. Seeing as she knows a thing or two about marathoning, I decided to ask if she had any advice for me leading up to next month's 26.2. Though she didn't have much to offer in that department other than to "drink early and often" (an adage we were, ironically, embodying at that very moment, only not with water), we continued to talk training for several minutes. Like me, Liz has always pursued running and her career simultaneously, and even at the peak of her training she was otherwise gainfully employed. Hell, she ran 2:37 off no more than 80 miles a week simply because she didn't have time to double. Liz said she often considers what we do for a living a form of training in and of itself. The hours spent traveling and standing on our feet working at expos might not count as actual miles, but the weariness and exhaustion they induce on our bodies really isn't much different. It was an interesting perspective, one I'd never considered before, but it certainly makes sense. As I enter into another potentially draining week, I'll hold fast to the principle that each day's own unique challenges will serve to make me a mentally and physically stronger runner.

Indie 5k: Fastest Vendor in America!

2011-12-09T21:46:00.005-05:00

4.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k race @17:25 or faster + extra
Actual: 17:22, ~10 minute rest, 5x60-90 secs. @5k pace
Results
2.5 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles

So, having not run a 5k in many months, apparently I forgot that it essentially necessitates sprinting as hard as you can for three miles and then running even faster for the next 40 seconds. This is inherently not what one would call "fun." However, if said 5k takes place in the middle of the biggest running industry reunion of the entire year, in one of the coolest cities in the country, while most of the participants are either hung over or likely still legally inebriated from the previous night's debauchery, and costs approximately zero dollars to participate--well, that's pretty hard to pass up. And so, just like last year, Jordan and I woke up ridiculously early on the morning prior to the longest and busiest day of the entire event so we could jog over to Zilker Park and line up next to several hundred of our friends and colleagues for a good old fashioned road race. Going in, I felt confident I was fitter than last year--when I popped a 17:29 out of nowhere just a month removed from injury--but I also realized that last year's performance did not take place in the midst of a string of 90+ mile weeks. I was hoping to run faster than the 17:29 I posted then, but more than anything wanting to put forth a quality effort and hopefully add on some more substance afterward.

Lining up a good five or six rows back from the starting line, I found myself standing next to my buddy and former employer Tim Rhodes of Charlotte-based Run For Your Life. Several summers ago I engaged in a memorable 5k battle against Tim, in which I agreed to spot him two minutes and still pledged to run him down. On that day I came up literally inches short, my 16:59.5 no match for his valiant 18:59.3. Currently neither of us are in top 5k form, but we agreed that a 2:30 handicap should just about level the playing field. Customary trash talking ensued, and before I knew it another innocent bystander was invested in the outcome. Tim's friend Paul Epstein, owner of Running Wild in Pensacola, FL, leaned over and asked what I planned to run. When I responded with "somewhere in the 17:30 range," he announced his intentions to run with me. I was thrilled, hoping we could work together but also secretly hoping I could crush his spirits later in the race. (Just kidding...but seriously.) A cursory scan of the crowded starting line didn't indicate that there were any women lined up ahead of me, which was surprising. As I mentioned previously, last year my time barely cracked the top five, so I wasn't expecting this year to be much different. Speculation aside, I knew I would find out one way or the other within the next few minutes.

At 7:30, a full half hour after the expected starting time (hence the lengthy warmup), the gun finally went off. Having run the course last year I knew that after a relatively flat opening 800 meters, we would enter the first of two figure-eight loops. This course layout meant that we would be forced to climb a short, steep, highly unpleasant uphill section not once or twice, but actually four times throughout the race. Two of these climbs would be matched by equally steep and short downhills (think heavy footfalls and pinwheeling arms), while the other two were accompanied by much more gradual descents. As we approached the first uphill, my eyes were glued on the racers ahead as I scanned for other women in the mix. I didn't see any, but found it hard to believe I was in the lead. My hoped-for racing buddy, Paul, put a solid ten meters on me in the first few minutes, but as we approached the first mile marker I found myself gaining on him slightly. My watch read 5:48 as I passed the first marker, but I found it difficult to believe I could be working so hard only to maintain such a pedestrian pace. (Note: I distinctly remember thinking the same thing last year. Either it just takes me an embarrassing amount of time to get warmed up or the first mile is actually mismarked. Naturally I choose to believe the latter. The world may never know.) Shortly thereafter I passed Paul, who hung tough by immediately latching on through the downhill. Near 2k I found myself approaching another familiar face (back?), Donny Forsyth of Charlotte Running Company. Donny is a great athlete and tough competitor, and I knew he wouldn't let me pass him without a fight. Sure enough, despite my best efforts to break away, I could hear his insistent breathing and footsteps right on my heels. I passed through two miles in 11:20 with Donny in hot pursuit.

At this point, it occurred to me that I could actually win. This might sound obvious to someone reading, but again based on past results the thought had never previously entered my consciousness. If there were another woman ahead of me then she was so far gone that I couldn't even see her, much less think about catching her, and for the first time since the race began I actually began to doubt that this hypothetical person actually existed. As I pressed uphill for the fourth and final time, finally beginning to shake Donny, I knew that if I could just hang on for another thirty seconds I'd be home free for the final 600 meters downhill. I pushed through all the way to the line as the gun time clicked just past 17:25 (which I would learn later was actually a 17:22 chip time), pleased with the strength of my effort but still uncertain as to whether I'd actually won. Finally, after asking Jordan and several other finish line bystanders, the victory was confirmed. I hung by the finish line for a few minutes to catch my breath and to cheer/jeer Tim home as he almost outkicked the 50-year-old lady in front of him before setting off across the street with Jordan to add on a few more miles to my workout. Though my legs were shell-shocked and not a little indignant at what I'd just put them through, they finally began to respond about halfway through the pickups. I finished the workout just how I'd finished the race--feeling not exactly fast but unquestionably strong. And though I'm sure many people would dispute this, I now have a ridiculously heavy Texas-shaped trophy proclaiming that I am the "fastest vendor in America." If the hardware says so, I should probably add it to my business card.

The trophy and sweet Timex GPS watch I won

Trinity River Trails Fartlek

2011-12-07T21:24:00.001-05:00

AM: 40 min. w/u (5+ miles)
Target: 2x1 min.; 1x5 min.; 2x2 min.; 2x1 min. all @5k pace
Actual: Above, plus 5x30 sec. on/off ("Out" in 40 mins., "back" in 34)
1 mile c/d
Total: 10.5 miles
PM: 43 mins. (5.5 miles)

Brrrr, was it cold this morning! Despite my expectation of mild, if not warm, weather in Texas, it's been downright freezing since I landed in Austin on Monday morning. As someone who hails from this glorious state, I should've known that just because it was 70 degrees on Saturday doesn't mean it can't be 30 degrees and raining on Sunday, which it was. By the time I made the drive from Austin to Dallas on Monday afternoon temperatures were barely hovering above freezing, with the wind chill at least 10 degrees colder. Good thing I've got plenty of Craft gear for layering!

At any rate, come Wednesday morning there was work to be done. I spent Monday and Tuesday nights near the stomping grounds of my alma mater and was absolutely thrilled to put in some mileage along the soft surface trails that I know like the back of my hand. I woke up Wednesday a bit apprehensive about trying to run hard in the frigid weather, but fortunately the wind had abated and I had the luxury of waiting until close to sunrise before heading out the door. The mercury was hovering in the low 20s, and I felt every bit of it. The first few miles were dark and finger-numbing, but since the workout was designed as a pre-race for Friday's 5k and thus quite brief, it made perfect sense to indulge in a long, easy warmup before flipping a U-turn and cranking down the pace. And once I did, I felt awesome! Seriously, I have no idea what kind of pace I was maintaining as I don't have a GPS and the unpaved section of the river trail doesn't follow the mile markers, but I felt like I was flying. Once the sun began to poke its first tentative rays above the horizon, my body responded to the slight increase in temperature accordingly by increasing the pace even further. I felt good enough to take the liberty of adding on 5x30 seconds on/off at the end, with the final result showing that I'd completed the return trip a full six minutes faster than the outbound (which means I wasn't dilly dallying too much on my rest segments either). I finished up the run with a huge smile on my face, grateful for the rare moments like this one when the daily grind suddenly feels so effortless.

Next up: back in the car with Austin as my destination. The rest of the week will be jam-packed with The Running Event trade show, reuniting with dozens and dozens of industry friends, tromping the Town Lake trails, competing in the Indie 5k and of course spreading the Karhu and Craft gospel far and wide. It's sure to be exhausting but also incredibly rewarding and a ton of fun. See you in ATX!

Week in Review

2011-12-04T16:05:00.002-05:00

94 miles
2 doubles
10.5 mile Boston tempo
20 mile long run
4 AFDs

Even as I type this, I'm shocked that I was able to run almost 95 miles this week. The intensity of my work schedule and the resultant non-running-related exhaustion should've rendered serious training almost impossible, but somehow I got it done. For future, that simply means that barring injury or illness there are no excuses for not putting in the miles!

Admittedly, a substantial long run helps. I ran over 35 miles on Saturday and Sunday alone, which bumps up the total mileage number significantly. However, even more important than the number of miles run this weekend was the company I enjoyed them with. After a great workout with Emily and Teresa on Saturday, they agreed to reciprocate by driving up to Marblehead for the Sunday long run. The three of us plus our trusty queenmaker JSK embarked on a glorious jaunt that took us from the fort, through downtown Marblehead, all the way down Atlantic Ave., along the Swampscott boardwalk, and to the island of Nahant. Jordan and I ran around Nahant with Huub about six weeks ago and have been looking to come back ever since. Today we traversed a similar loop as that first time, admiring the gorgeous ocean views and equally gorgeous ocean view homes, before returning back home the way we came. The pace naturally picked up on the return trip with the wind at our backs, and before long Jordan and Emily had separated from Teresa and me. Though it seemed like we were plodding along due to the distance between us and the other two, in reality we were probably cruising along at 6:45 pace for most of the final miles. This was Teresa's longest run ever and she was definitely feeling it toward the end, but we hung tough and tried to enjoy the scenery as much as possible. It was great to have the opportunity to show the city folk our quaint little New England hamlet, and as we meet more BAA members I envision massive group runs (and possibly sleepovers??) taking place right here at the fort. A girl can dream.

With another quality week behind me, I'll start Monday off less than auspiciously by missing my morning run. I have a 7:20am flight and am simply not hardcore enough to wake up at 4:00. Fortunately after landing in Austin I'll finish the day in Ft. Worth, Texas, home to my horny toad alma mater and some of my favorite soft surface running trails. Come Wednesday I'll be joined in Austin by Jordan and Huub and a few hundred of our favorite industry colleagues at The Running Event, a massive trade show/reunion that I look forward to attending every year. On Friday morning we'll compete in the Indie 5k, arguably the most hotly contested free prizeless race in the country. Last year I ran 17:29 on the rolling course and was the fifth overall woman, if that gives you an idea of the quality and depth of the field. Currently knee deep in marathon training and having not raced a 5k in many months, I have no idea how I'll fare, but I'd be pretty pleased with anything in the 17:20 range. If nothing else, it will be one workout that doesn't require Jordan to do all the heavy lifting! Overall I'm looking forward to the trip and the opportunity to put in some soft surface miles with friends in both Ft. Worth and Austin. Giddyup!

Charles River Tempo with the BAA

2011-12-03T16:27:00.006-05:00

2 mile w/u
Target: 60 min. tempo @6:00-6:05 pace
Actual: 1:03:30 for 10.45 miles: 6:25, 6:07, 5:57, 6:00, 6:02, 5:59, 5:57, 6:03, 5:57, 5:53
3.5 mile c/d
Total: 16 miles

After what turned out to be a busy and exhausting week of work--including three consecutive 12-14 hour workdays--nothing could have made me happier than Emily's email suggesting that we start the workout at 10am today. Coincidentally we had nearly identical tempo runs on our schedules, and the idea also interested fellow BAA runner Teresa and BAA coach Terry Shea. I'll admit I was just a tad nervous as Jordan and I made the drive down to the city this morning as these ladies aren't exactly slouches. Emily is the current Canadian National Marathon Champion, and former Stanford standout Teresa recently qualified for the Trials with a 1:14 half performance in Philly. That said, I know I'm getting fitter by the day, and I was looking forward to the opportunity to have someone other than Jordan dragging me around.

We parked at the Harvard track, adjacent to our meeting spot along the Charles, and set off for a few easy miles. The air was cold and crisp but the wind was calm and the sun warmed our skin almost instantly. In short, it was a great day for a long hard run. The BAA contingent was quite familiar with the 4.2 mile loop we would be traversing, one that turned out to be quite flat but not necessarily fast due to the frequency of turns and some unexpected puddle jumping during the first few miles. However, with no stops or street crossings it was definitely our best bet for today's effort. The plan was basically to run the loop 2.5 times, taking our splits at each mile marker but then clicking our watches again after completing the .2 miles from the end of the fourth mile to the starting point. This meant the tempo distance would actually be closer to 10.5 miles, but with only 10 mile splits taken. (Trust me, it's not nearly as confusing as it sounds. Basically we just had .2 miles of "freebie" distance after each four mile loop.) Ever the overachiever, Jordan was planning to alternate between 1k hard (i.e., solo) and 2k easy (i.e., with us). This meant that only Emily, Terry, Teresa and I would be together the entire time.

Just past 10 the group was assembled and ready to rock. Since none of us had taken a very long warmup, we decided to ease into the pace with a relaxed, "slow" warmup mile. I figured this would be somewhere between 6:20 and 6:30 and was indifferent to the 6:25 split. I knew the pace would quicken soon enough, which it almost instantly did. I could tell that Teresa, who has struggled with injury over the past few months, began to labor when the pace dropped significantly between miles two and three. She chose to stop after the first loop, leaving me with Emily, Terry and sporadically Jordan. By the halfway point, I also found myself feeling decidedly labored. My breathing was fine, but my legs felt tired and heavy. Emily, on the other hand, looked fantastic. She naturally assumed the leadership position in the group and kept pulling me forward to keep up with her short, swinging ponytail. After the sixth mile I told myself to just hold on until seven and then I could back off. After seven, I resolved to complete the second loop before slowing to something more comfortable. Then, just as we approached the starting line for loop #3, I found myself suddenly hit by a second wind of sorts. Within a few meters my mental state went from "Sweet mercy, just hang on for a few more minutes" to "Hey, I think I can pick up the pace." Sure enough, our last two splits were the fastest of the day--although even that wasn't enough to wear out Emily, who went on to complete the full third loop!

For my part, it was exciting to see over half the splits clocking 6:00 or faster, something that rarely happens for me in tempo runs. The other day I said to Jordan--half jokingly, but in reality speaking the truth--that if the Trials were tomorrow I'd have already done significantly more quality than I did before running my qualifying time last year. As exciting as that realization is, it only serves as more motivation to keep pushing my limits and seeing just how much fitter I can get in the remaining six weeks. Working out with people like Emily, who are clearly faster than me but not so far out of my league that they crush my spirit, is exactly what I need right now. I look forward to many more sessions like this one in the weeks and months to come.

Sub-6 before 6

2011-11-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

3 mile w/u
Target: 5x3 mins. w/2 mins. rest; 5x2 mins. w/1 min. rest; 5x1 min. w/30 secs. rest
Actual: Above
~2 mile c/d
Total: 11.5-12 miles

In my opinion, there is no reason to ever get up at 5am. The one exception might be if you have to catch an early morning flight (which I will be doing next week) or perhaps want to snag some killer deals at a Saturday morning garage sale. Today, however, waking up before the rooster was an absolute necessity due to the rigors of the sales meeting. The fact that Jordan and I were at the office preparing for said sales meeting until almost 11 the previous evening didn't exactly make this any easier, but when there simply isn't another option the excuses tend to run out pretty quickly.

And so, the crack of 5:30 found Jordan and I strapping on our nerd laps and begrudgingly lacing up our shoes for what promised to be a decidedly lackluster workout. Fortunately, either by incredibly shrewd planning or sheer coincidence, Jordan had written up a fairly low-key, effort based workout that I was confident I could tackle. Since the Neck seemed to be the most sensible location, I knew the pace would largely be at the mercy of the wind and rolling terrain (and the ungodly hour), so my plan was simply to tuck in behind Jordan and not stress about the speed of each interval. Based on his feedback and verbal encouragement, I'm pretty sure it was more or less a success. I do know that my first few 3-minute intervals were at 3:38/k pace (thanks to the handy dandy new conversion chart on Jordan's blog, I can tell you that 3:44 is 6:00 pace, so this would put these around 5:50 pace) and I'm fairly certain the shorter intervals were all faster than that despite the abbreviated rest. Any time I can hit sub-6 pace before 6am is considered a win in my book, so I'll take it! Now if I can just stay awake through another 14-hour workday, the day will be a rousing success.

Week in Review

2011-11-27T19:57:00.000-05:00

86 miles
3 doubles
21 mile long run
2 nights in State College, PA
30 hours in the car
6 states (MA, NY, PA, WVA, OH, KY)

Praise the Lord, we survived! The drive to and from Ohio was no picnic but well worth the time spent with family and friends. Many would say that the highlight of Thanksgiving is the delicious meal, and while ours was certainly tasty, the running nerd in me must admit that nothing beats starting the holiday off with a spirited race and an enthusiastic cheering squad. (Well, winning would've been better. But I tried.)

Another unexpected result of the race was finding a new friend and potential once-a-year training partner. I met Amy Robillard, who finished a fast charging third behind me on Thursday, as we were both panting our way through the finishing chute. I soon learned that not only does she live in Mason, the Cincinnati suburb where Jordan's family resides, but her house is literally a mile away from theirs. Contact info was exchanged and plans were made to put in a few hours together on a local riverside bike path later in the week. Come Saturday morning, Jordan and I met Amy and a few other intrepid post-holiday runners at Buckeye Running Company, a new specialty shop a few minutes' jog away from the casa. We had a full day of driving ahead, but not before getting our long run out of the way. Though my legs felt weary and lethargic, the run was still made enjoyable by the company and change of scenery. I learned that Amy, who won the Flying Pig Half-Marathon earlier this year, is actually running a marathon in just a few weeks, her first one back since giving birth to her second child a few years ago. Her son, Jameson, has spent the majority of his short life in and out of the hospital battling an autoimmune disease, so Amy's training is often sporadic and squeezed in amid the myriad duties of being a special needs mother. Her spunk and vibrant personality in spite of (or perhaps because of) adversity is incredibly admirable, and with a recent 1:18 half under her belt I have no doubt she's going to surprise herself in her coming marathon. After a few hours spent together on our feet I felt like I'd known her for years--what other sport besides running can create that kind of spontaneous friendship??

And so, with another hectic yet enjoyable week behind me, I continue to feel my strength and fitness steadily progressing. Next week will even be more challenging in terms of training, as our North American sales force descends upon our corporate office for a week of sales meetings, but I'll try to fit in the miles as best I can. With the Trials only weeks away, I can't afford not to! There is still plenty of work to be done.

102nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Race Recap

2011-11-24T13:09:00.001-05:00

2-2.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 10k race @35:30-35:50
Actual: 35:39; 2nd place overall female
Results
1/2 mile c/d
Total: 9 miles

Ever since deciding to come to Ohio for Thanksgiving, I knew Jordan and I had to run the Cincinnati turkey trot. Two years ago we'd planned to race the 100th anniversary event, even going so far as to pre-register and pick up our packets a few days in advance, but then Jordan very selfishly came down with the swine flu the night before. Needless to say, the race went on without us. This year, however, I was determined to toe the line at the oldest (and probably one of the largest) Thanksgiving Day race in the country. (According to Jordan, there is another turkey day race in upstate New York that also claims to be the oldest, but I'm pretty sure the race that owns the URL "thanksgivingdayrace.com" has to hold those bragging rights.) I might also add that though this race is huge--over 14,000 participants this year--and pretty darn competitive--top 3 men under 31 minutes and top 4 women under 36--there's no prize money or even a free pie to speak of. Instead, today's race was about nothing more than putting forth a good honest effort and enjoying the health and good fortune of being able to partake in such a magnificent event with family and friends. In fact, not only were Jordan and I on the starting line, but so were his uncle Dave--fresh off his 60th, yes 60th lifetime marathon a few months back--Dave's wife Stuart and Stuart's sister Emily--herself fresh off a red-eye flight from San Jose that landed a mere two hours before race start. We even had our own spirited cheering squad that braved the overcast and windy weather to come cheer us on, consisting of Eloisa, Jordan's little siblings Tyler and Madison, Stuart and Dave's children Nolan and Sophia, and Jordan's mom Suzanne who was also visiting from the west coast. With that kind of support in the wings, how could you not be fired up to run fast?!

A few of our adoring fans: Nolan, Madison, Sophia and Tyler

With just a few minutes to go before the start, Jordan and I reluctantly shed our warm layers and stepped to the front of the pack. We saw quite a few collegiate guys who looked legit, plus several women whom I knew could contend for the win. In particular, I recognized Tara and Kara Storage, identical twin elite runners who train in Ohio. For a second my heart sank and I mentally relegated myself to accepting third place, but I quickly nipped those negative thoughts in the bud and told myself that anything could happen if I gave it my best effort. From the moment the gun went off, I did just that. Quickly one of the twins (I had no idea which, but learned later it was Kara) shot to the front, gapping the entire women's field by at least 10 meters after the first few minutes. Twin #2 (Tara) also put several strides on me during the first mile which trended uphill and wound around the downtown Cincinnati streets. I split fairly comfortably in 5:42 before immediately opening up my stride on the mostly downhill second mile. I caught and passed Tara fairly quickly, but Kara remained at least 15-20 meters ahead of me despite my 5:35 second split. At that point we reached one of three bridges on the course, the first of which would lead us over the Ohio River and into Kentucky. This was the first noticeably steep ascent of the morning, and my heart rate responded accordingly. As we crested the bridge and began striding downhill toward the third mile marker, I noticed that Kara wasn't putting much more distance on me. In fact, it seemed as though I was ever so slightly gaining on her. Sure enough, by the time we approached a second bridge (really a mini-bridge in comparison to the other two) on the Kentucky side during mile 4, I found myself within several meters and, during the descent, matching her stride for stride. Though I was laboring, I knew that reeling her in was a good sign. There was a chance I could actually win this thing!

For the next mile we ran side by side, neither of us giving up any real estate. During this mile mile we approached the final bridge which would take us back to Cincinnati, and this was by far the steepest and most difficult of the three. I knew the pace was slowing, but at the same time she wasn't pulling away. When we finally reached the summit and the grateful reprieve of a long downhill with just over a mile to go, the victory was still very much up for grabs. Less than a minute later, however, two men closed quickly from behind and overtook us, and before I knew what was happening Kara latched onto their backs and found another gear. It was a gear I did not have. Within a minute she put 10 meters on me, a gap I was unable to close for the remainder of the final mile. Despite this, however, I never gave up in the remaining few minutes. My last mile, a 5:30, was the fastest of the day--I don't remember my other second half splits but there was definitely a high 5:40 and even a low to mid 5:50 in there--and I didn't stop pushing until I crossed the finish line. With a few meters to go I could hear our trusty cheerleaders screaming my name, and though I couldn't quite muster a smile on my face there was certainly one in my heart. I crossed the line just under 35:40, shy of the victory but still earning a road PR on a very hilly and windy course, which is nothing to be disappointed with given that I'm in the middle of marathon training. Jordan also ran a great time and outkicked three guys in the final straight, proving he's still got some wheels despite being many months removed from serious training. There is much to be thankful for on this holiday, and I can't think of a better way to start off the day other than maybe having my pops there to toe the line next year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Post-race mimosas (and peanut butter): Stuart, Emily and the KinLos

Week in Review

2011-11-20T20:26:00.000-05:00

95 miles
3 doubles
3 runs with Caitlin
19+ miles in PVD
5 AFDs

Both in terms of quality and quantity, this is one of the best training weeks I've had this year if not ever. I nailed two workouts, ran longer than usual on Sunday and added 95 total miles to the books. Even better, I got to do it with some great friends. It was awesome having Caitlin in town this weekend, just as much for the relaxed hang-out time as the running (although that was pretty grand as well). On Saturday afternoon the three of us loaded up and drove down to Providence for a party celebrating Kim and Tarpy's recent engagement (which also doubled as Kim's "holy crap I can't believe I'm actually 30" birthday party). We saw many familiar faces, including Molly, who delayed what was supposed to be her Saturday morning flight to partake in the revelry and merriment; Roisin, who debuted eight-week-old Hope in full party regalia; former Brown teammate Matt and his wife Danielle; and of course Jordan's all-time biggest man crush Keith Kelly.

Lovers

Though the party lasted until the wee hours, I'm somewhat embarrassed to note that Caitlin and I snuck upstairs and passed out well before 11pm. I'm blaming the mileage and my overall lameness. Lucky for us, the party continued the next morning when everyone who stayed the night suited up for a morning run. Since Kim is only now resuming training post-NYC and everyone else is just lazy, our joyful group run lasted a mere 43 minutes. From there on out it was just Caitlin, Jordan and I trying to find another 14 miles around the mean streets of Providence. It was unseasonably warm and far windier than I would've liked, and there were several points during the second half of the run when my body felt more tired than it had in weeks. Fortunately I had Caitlin and Jordan to help me soldier through, and slowly but surely the miles clicked away. Some long runs are enjoyable and some are just about putting one foot in front of the other, and this was certainly the latter. Regardless, we all had a blast celebrating with Kim and Tarpy and other friends, and I'm so thankful we were able to make the trip down.

Looking ahead to next week, it would probably be wise for me to dial things back a notch. The body is feeling strong and healthy but there are still eight full weeks to go before the Trials. Fortunately/unfortunately, since we're driving to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving--that's 15 hours each way for the folks keeping track at home--I suspect my mileage will naturally take a bit of a hit. And since I'm planning to race the Cincinnati Turkey Trot 10k on Thursday, a hard workout Tuesday is highly unlikely. This week will be about surviving the travel and stuffing our faces and spending time with family--and if we get in some quality miles along the way, then all the better. Happy Thanksgiving!

Marblehead Neck Tempo With the Three Musketeers

2011-11-18T18:07:00.004-05:00

3+ mile w/u
Target: 8 mile tempo @6:10 pace
Actual: 13.47k (8.4 miles) in 51:11 (3:48/k ~6:05/mile)
3k cooldown
Total: 22k/13.8 miles

Caitlin's in town! Caitlin's in town!

Okay, giddiness aside, it was awesome to have my training partner back matching me stride for stride on today's workout. I have no doubt that I pushed harder and ran faster than I would have solo or even solely with Jordan, simply because of the positive energy and affectionately competitive spirit that our presence brings out in each other.

In a stunning turn of events, Jordan is caught up on his blog and already did a stellar job of recapping today's effort, so I won't add much more except to reiterate how pleased I was with the strength and consistency we both exhibited despite the hilly terrain and blustery wind. I ran faster today for almost half a kilometer farther on a much more difficult course than when I did the Ipswich Bike Path tempo a few weeks ago. Considering that I'm in the middle of one of my highest mileage weeks in months, this is a huge confidence booster. I'm excited for some easy recovery miles tomorrow before tackling a Sunday long run with Caitlin. It's such a treat to have her visiting and I want to maximize every mile! Here's to a great weekend ahead.

Longest Track Workout Ever

2011-11-15T13:05:00.004-05:00

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 3200, 2000, 1600, 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 all w/400m jog
Actual: 11:50 (5:55/5:55), 7:14 (5:46 through mile), 5:44, 4:14 (2:49 through 800), 3:30 (2:48 through 800), 2:44, 2:01 (79 through 400), 76, 35
Total time: 58:17 for 14.2k/8.8 miles (11k workout plus 3200m jogging)
3k cooldown
Total: ~14 miles

Any way you dice it, this workout was destined to take up a large chunk of time. Jordan and I were up well before 6am to prepare, and after firing off a few work emails we put on our costumes and headed out the door. Continuing with the past week's trend it was unseasonably warm this morning, and I was already sweating in my light windbreaker by the time we reached our destination at Village School. (This is the track that eluded me several weeks ago which I erroneously thought was located at Marblehead High. Turns out it's not that far away, and Jordan and I have been using the adjacent grass fields for some of our evening shakeout runs ever since.) The warm weather also brought with it a prevailing wind which would prove especially obnoxious on the top curve of the track, but fortunately my trusty coach and pacer would be front and center to provide me with a significant drafting opportunity throughout the workout.

Last night when we were discussing this morning's details, we revisited the blog archives to find a similar effort that took place when we were visiting my parents for Thanksgiving last year. This time around I wouldn't necessarily be shooting for drastically faster times, but rather increasing the total workout volume from 8k (6 miles including jog recoveries) to 11k (8.8 miles including jogs). Two weeks after that session last year I ran 21:05 for 6k at USATF Club XC Champs, so I certainly wasn't in terrible shape at the time. With all that in mind, I was interested and not just a little bit eager to see if I could sustain similar paces today for a longer duration.

As is often the case with me, the first half of the first interval felt uncomfortable and a bit choppy. It took well over a mile for me to settle in and allow my limbs and breathing to relax. I quickly learned that checking my watch after each lap would make for an extremely long morning, so I decided just to glance at key markers in each interval and otherwise simply focus on tucking in behind Jordan. There was a point midway through when I had a minor mental freakout--for some reason I thought the sequence went "1600, 1200, 800" and I had no idea there was actually a bonus 1000 tucked in there--but otherwise I grew more comfortable and confident as the workout progressed. Once the 1000 came and went, I knew the most difficult sections were behind me. While Jordan added on an extra 200 meters hard after each of my intervals, I tried to keep the 400-meter jogs between 2:15 and 2:25. This seemed to be just the perfect amount of time to allow my legs and lungs to recover, maybe even a bit long as the interval length decreased. I may or may not have run blades out for the final 200, which was more of an homage to my training with Tanya at Queens than an actual attempt to muster up more speed; either way, the lighthearted moment indicated that I hadn't completely drained my energy or gone to the well.

Overall I was satisfied with my execution of the workout, especially compared with the November 2010 workout, and I could tell that Jordan was as well. I cannot stress enough how much of a help he was from start to finish--I literally could not have done this, physically or mentally, without him. So often he sacrifices his own training to improve mine, and I try never to take that for granted. His efforts certainly did not go unnoticed today. I know Caitlin and I both are already looking forward to him doing the same for Friday's tempo. It will be just like old times! Just a few easy runs between now and then before the band gets back together again. Can't wait!

Week in Review

2011-11-13T23:23:00.000-05:00

87 miles
3 doubles
2 runs with the BAA girls
5 AFDs

Believe it or not, I actually spent the entire week at home--that's seven consecutive nights in my own bed, which is just craziness--and actually began forming some semblance of a routine. Jordan was gone from Tuesday until Saturday night, which made my solo Wednesday workout particularly challenging, but his absence also afforded me the opportunity to hook up with a new group of girls that I will hopefully continue to train with throughout my Trials progression.

On Friday evening, facing a completely empty calendar for the following day, I sent a note out to my friend Betsy who is temporarily living in Cambridge before starting a new job in January. Betsy resides full time in NYC and runs for the NYAC team; I met her through Heidi (who made a guest appearance in last week's blog for our NYC Marathon spectating/long run adventure) and she also ran at Dartmouth with my friend Melanie who is our favorite shirtless buddy Jeff's girlfriend. Got it? Good. At any rate, I hadn't connected up with Betsy since I was in NYC for 13.1 last spring, but in a recent email she'd mentioned that she often does weekend runs and workouts with the BAA competitive team. Turns out they had several runs scheduled for the weekend, so I happily agreed to drive into the city both Saturday (solo) and Sunday (with Jordan) to take advantage of the new scenery and company. And what a good decision--it was definitely worth it! On Saturday, Betsy and I met up with her friend Carly--whose husband, Terry, coaches the BAA team--for a fantastic 95-minute jaunt around the Charles River. The air was crisp and cool but our skin quickly warmed under the bright sunshine, and it was simply a gorgeous day to be outside enjoying the picturesque New England autumn. On Sunday morning I returned with Jordan in tow, and we set off again with Betsy to meet a larger group of BAA girls. Needing a more masculine environment, Jordan quickly parted ways, and I spent the next two hours exploring new territory and making new friends. I spent the final half hour with Emily Kroshus--a Canuck who actually went to high school with my North Carolina friend and competitor Heather Magill and also knows Meggan Franks--and it sounds like she will be a perfect training partner for me to link up with on my upcoming marathon-paced efforts. I can't tell you how I excited I am to find some like-minded women to run with, even if it's a bit of a hike to meet up with them, and I'm sure Jordan is just as excited to break away from my slow pace for a bit and actually meet a few guys. It's win-win!

Of course, next weekend I won't have to look far to find a training partner since Caitlin is coming to town. We're already planning a tempo run on Friday and a long run on Sunday--with any luck, interspersing several brunch outings before and after--and I can't wait to show her our perfectly quaint New England town! Things are still a bit hectic as Jordan and I get settled into our new lifestyles and surroundings, but life is very, very good.

Threes

2011-11-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

2.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 10-12 x 800m @2:40 w/90 sec. rest
Actual: 2:40, 2:42, 2:40, 2:41, 2:39, 2:40, 2:40, 2:40, 2:40, 2:39
2.5 mile c/d
Total: 10+ miles

After Saturday's workout debacle in Central Park, I was feeling less than confident about hitting even faster splits for just a slightly shorter distance today. It also didn't help that Jordan is busy changing lives in upstate New York all week, which meant I would be rolling solo. The section of trail I'd selected along the Marblehead dirt path, which is flat as a pancake and almost as straight, is great for training but not necessarily conducive to blazing fast times due to the nature of its dirt and gravel surface. Still, I resolved to approach the session with a positive outlook and made a conscious decision up front not to allow any negative thoughts to permeate my mind. Success was attainable, but only with the right outlook.

From the outset, I could tell this was going to be difficult. The brisk pace and early hour made for a rude awakening for my entire body, and 90 seconds of rest simply isn't much. I tried to make the most of it by walking for the first minute, then jogging for 30 seconds to ease into the next interval. Halfway through I came to the realization that while things certainly weren't going to get any easier, they didn't seem to be growing much harder either, and I knew that if I stayed calm and focused I could hit the remaining goal times. I didn't exactly knock it out of the park or produce any extraordinary splits, but in the end I hit the goal that Jordan prescribed. On the one hand it's easy to get discouraged when I look back on much faster 800m workouts that I did while at Queens, but I have to remind myself that I was deep into 5k and 10k track training then, not preparing to race 26.2 miles. For today, the goal was met.

If successfully completing the workout was the first positive thing to happen this morning, the second was learning that Caitlin had booked a flight to come visit us next week. We started talking a few days ago about the possibility of an impromptu trip, then after finding some reasonable fares online it looked like our idle conversation might become reality. Sure enough, next Thursday night I'll be picking her up from the airport for a weekend of hanging out, exploring my new town (which is still largely uncharted by Jordan and I), eating good food, cuddling with Weezy and, of course, running. I can't wait!

Since it's common knowledge that all good things come in threes--or is it bad things? I can't remember--then I knew it wouldn't be long before getting more good news. Sure enough, later in the morning I received an email from the president of Bonk Breaker letting the Bonk Breaker team members know that they would be launching a yummy new flavor, Apple Pie, just in time for Thanksgiving. I absolutely love Bonk Breakers and eat at least one per day, so needless to say I'm abundantly grateful for their sponsorship and thrilled to learn about a new flavor. So far my favorite is PB&J, followed in close pursuit by Espresso Chip, but I have high hopes for Apple Pie.

With all this good news coming before 10am, it's hard to believe the day could get any better. In reality, it probably won't. Either way I should get back to work.

Week in Review

2011-11-06T23:07:00.001-05:00

87 miles
1 double
3 days in NYC
27 hours in the car
8 states + 1 district

The fact I was able to run almost 90 miles during what could arguably be considered one of the busiest weeks of my life is a small miracle. That I also managed to complete two workouts (notice I said "complete," not "successfully complete," thanks to my underwhelming effort in Central Park) and a long run, all with only one double, gives me the confidence that my upcoming marathon training cycle can be executed no matter the location or life circumstances. Each week, each workout will build upon itself incrementally, until before I know it I'll be in the best shape of my life. This belief is what drives me forward every day with renewed excitement for the challenge ahead.

NYC Marathon Weekend

2011-11-06T22:32:00.000-05:00

Friday, 11/4: Rockefeller Preserve w/Madeleine
78 mins. + strides
10 miles

Saturday, 11/5: Central Park w/Jordan
4.5 mile w/u
Target: 8x1k @3:30 w/2 min. jog
Actual: 8x1k @slow w/2 min. jog
4 mile c/d
Total: 14 miles

Sunday, 11/6: West Side bike path, Prospect Park, Brooklyn w/Jay, Heidi and Jordan
1 hour 48 mins. + 7 mins. ; 16 miles

Wow, what an amazing weekend of all things running-related. If you aren't a fan of the sport you could probably think of better ways to spend a few days in the Big Apple, but as far as Jordan and I are concerned it was an absolute blast.

Things started out as is becoming routine these days with a lengthy car ride. Less than 48 hours removed from pulling our overladen Uhaul trailer up to Fort Sewall Lane, Jordan and I were back behind the wheel headed south. Our destination on Thursday night was Madeleine's place in Pleasantville, just north of NYC, and we reached it around 11pm. The sun wasn't even contemplating rising when the three of us awoke the next morning and set off for the amazing Rockefeller State Park trails. We could barely see for the first 40 minutes and spent a few dicey moments dodging fallen tree limbs from the previous weekend's snow, but it was blast tromping around in the woods for a bit before heading into the city. From there it was a whirlwind of activity as we moved from place to place meeting with various editors in conjunction with the Runner's World media summit. I've never been part of those types of meetings before, and it was valuable experience for me as I transition into my new role at Karhu.

Once the trip's primary business was finished, it was time to fully soak up the NYC Marathon weekend experience. For once, I was attending a major race without the intention of either running or working the expo, which is a rare experience not to be taken for granted. Over the course of the next two days we spent time with literally dozens of friends all involved in the marathon in some capacity or another, whether that meant racing or working the expo or supporting a loved one's race efforts. We saw friends from Charlotte, friends from Brown, friends from Brooks and Mizuno, friends from local running accounts and many more as we enjoyed great meals, visited the enormous expo and took down a pint or two. On Friday night we rubbed shoulders with the running industry elite at the Runner's World VIP party in Midtown, then bumped fists with the running nerd elite at the LetsRun.com soiree in Union Square. It was one part work, one part play and all parts exhausting, and by midnight I was already several hours overdue for bedtime.

Come Saturday morning, after a few much-needed hours of sleep and even more needed sips of coffee, it was time for a workout. Jordan and I waited until almost 11am before venturing out onto the bustling streets of Chelsea, a short but hectic two-mile jog from Central Park. He'd written 8x1k on my schedule at a pace I was confident I could nail despite the fact that we planned to use the soft surface of the reservoir and carriage trails. We entered the park and were immediately swept up in the excitement of the next day's race. The finish line and clocks were set up and the air fairly crackled with energy and buzzed with the voices of countless different nationalities all converging for one singular purpose. The spirit was infectious, and I trotted toward the reservoir with 100% certainty that I was about to knock the workout out of the park.

But remember earlier this week, when I learned that the way you feel during the warmup doesn't necessarily indicate how the workout will go? Turns out that can work against you just as easily as it can work in your favor. After two intervals I was in disbelief at how hard I was working to run so slowly. After the third interval it was so bad that Jordan took my watch away so I couldn't see the evidence. I would've dropped out in an instant had I been solo, but he encouraged--read: mandated--that I press on. After a particularly dismal seventh interval even Jordan was ready to pull the plug, but at that point I'd come so far that I wasn't about to quit. It was humbling and not a little embarrassing to know how royally I'd failed at this workout, particularly since it shouldn't have been that challenging to begin with, but what can you do? At the end of the day it's still time on the feet (barely) under marathon pace, and sometimes that's all you can ask for--particularly when you're wrapping up one of the most exhausting weeks of your entire life. To be sure, I spent a few minutes pouting on the cooldown, but with such an exciting weekend on tap and the crisp fall sunlight on my face it was hard to stay despondent for long.

If Saturday's run was decidedly lackluster, Sunday more than made up for it. Jordan and I met Jay--who, by sheer coincidence, literally lives one city block away from the friend we were crashing with--and then ran down to the West Side bike path to rendezvous with our friend Heidi. Jay had mapped out a route that would take us across the Manhattan Bridge and into Brooklyn, where we'd head all the way up to Prospect Park before finishing near the 8-mile mark of the race. Even more brilliantly, he'd timed the run so that we'd arrive just a few minutes before the elites were scheduled to pass. The run flew by in what seemed like only a few minutes, and before I knew it we were lined up with the other spectators eager to catch a glimpse of the day's contenders. Though I didn't know many of the top male competitors, our friend and roommate for the weekend Mike DeCoste would be shooting for 2:30 pace and of course we had Spada and Theoden and many others in pursuit. On the women's side, our good friend Kim Smith was gunning for the win and would be joined in the elite start by our friend Camille, my former D2 rival Sarah Porter and several other familiar faces. We stood literally inches from the course as Mary Keitany flew by well clear of the field, then cheered like crazy as Kim passed after the next chase pack. The men followed shortly thereafter, still bunched together in a small pack with Meb tightly wedged in the middle. At that point it was too soon to tell how the race would play out, and we were all eager to watch the remaining drama unfold. From there our group hopped onto the subway, each bound for different destinations to finish our race spectating. Turns out that Keitany's early recklessness would catch up with her, while Kim's patience meant she was able to secure a top five finish and a London Olympic birth. Records were shattered on the men's side with a simply extraordinary performance by Geoffrey Mutai, while Meb hung on to best his own personal record by several seconds. No matter who you were rooting for, the finish was inspiring to witness.

Several hours later, after reuniting with more friends (including a random run-in with our buddy Dave Nightingale in a ghetto grocery store on the Upper East Side), it was time to reluctantly say our goodbyes and head home. We still had a train ride and multiple hours in the car before returning to our barely lived in house in Marblehead. We were exhausted and already in need of a weekend to recover from our weekend, but I wouldn't trade the past few days for anything. If this experience doesn't get you pumped up to train and race, I don't know what will!

Ipswich Bike Path Tempo

2011-11-02T15:31:00.001-04:00

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 8 mile tempo @6:05-6:10 pace
Actual: 13k (8.08 miles) @50:00 (6:10 pace)
2 mile c/d
Total: 13 miles

After two consecutive days totaling 20+ hours in the car, a 10pm arrival to our new home in Marblehead and an alarmingly early 5:30 wakeup call on Wednesday, I was not super pumped about attempting this workout. My legs were still quite sore from packing and moving, not to mention tight from being crammed in the car, and I was running on little sleep. Fortunately/unfortunately, when your boyfriend also doubles as your roommate and coach, there's little chance of a workout like this not happening. We quietly packed our bags for work and sipped some coffee in the darkness before hopping back into the car a mere eight hours after we'd left it. Jordan knew of a flat unpaved bike path that he'd spotted near our office when he was driving to Newburyport a few weekends ago, and ever since then he'd pegged it as the site of my next tempo run. For better or worse, that run was happening today.

We found the path relatively easily despite the darkness and our unfamiliarity with the area, and after strapping on our headlamps we set off into the darkness. The cold and damp air permeated my multiple layers, and though I was wearing spandex shorts underneath my tights I doubted I would be able to strip down when the time came. Fortunately by the time we turned around halfway through the warmup the sky was lightening ever so slightly, and after 25 minutes of easy jogging I reluctantly admitted I'd be able to shed a few layers. Still, my body felt terrible. The strides were halfhearted at best, tired and sluggish, and though Jordan tried with uncharacteristic enthusiasm to pep me up I was having none of it. Before we began, I was 100% sure I was about to bomb this workout.

And then, inexplicably, quite the opposite happened. From the first few steps I found myself surprised at how easily the pace came. Jordan set the tempo and I clipped along with him, sometimes behind and sometimes beside, my stride fluid and my breathing relaxed. Often during tough efforts I catch myself engaging in negative self-talk and discouragement, but this morning my thoughts were positive and upbeat. Even when the path ran out unexpectedly and we had to make an unplanned u-turn, even when we had to literally mark time at several road crossings and waste precious seconds waiting for morning traffic to pass, I remained composed. With 4k to go we crossed the road where we'd parked our car and ventured over to a new side of the path, and I had every intention of crushing the final 15 minutes. Unfortunately, however, at that point the trail surface changed significantly. What had previously been firm, densely packed dirt and gravel now gave way to loose sand and rocks interspersed with awkward bumps and divots, all the while grading consistently uphill. In short, we'd left a greenway and found a cross-country course. The scenery and foliage was beautiful, and I'm sure I would've loved this path on another day, but for the purpose of this morning's run it was definitely sabotaging my efforts. I finally turned around with 2k to go and tried to pick the pace back up on the downhill slant, but overall the final section proved frustrating. That said, when I finished at 50 minutes I couldn't believe how manageable the workout felt relative to my body's (and life's) general state of shambles. On a paved surface without any interruptions I'm confident I could've run close to 6-minute pace with ease. I guess I need to always keep in mind that the way my body should feel or perform during a workout isn't necessarily indicative of how it actually will. It's important to keep an open mind and always remain optimistic rather than counting myself out before the first steps are taken. I'm sure there are more important lessons to learn in marathon training, but that one definitely has to be near the top of the list!

Week in Review

2011-10-30T22:26:00.003-04:00

66 miles
0 doubles
1 workout
1 night as a flamingo
4 AFDs

True to plan, I took a glorious "down" week from running, which consisted of only one workout, no long run and absolutely no doubles. It was quite odd. Also true to plan, I managed to make the most of my downtime by fitting in a massage with Byran, a stretching/bone cracking session at Greenapple Sports & Wellness, and plenty (read: too many) meals out with friends and glasses of wine. The week culminated with a wicked going away/costume party on Friday night, my best friend Brookelet's wedding on Saturday night (and also the only public event I've attended since knowing Jeff Gaudette during which he has not removed his shirt) and, much less enjoyable, a full 12-hour packing/boxing/loading/disposing marathon on Sunday. I was more sore from going up and down our stairs a hundred times than after the hardest workout in recent memory. It's a good thing I didn't have any grandiose running plans for the week, because it simply would not have been possible to fulfill them.

Walter White from "Breaking Bad," some loser who didn't
dress up, a saucy flamingo and her devil friend

Standing on one leg. It's what flamingos do.

If you thought I'd have a less hectic week on the horizon to start the month of November, you would be drastically mistaken. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, Jordan and I will lock the doors to our Uhaul trailer, unceremoniously dump our bewildered cat into the fully stuffed backseat of my car, and drive away from Charlotte forever. Well, definitely not forever, but for the time being. We hope to conclude our two-day drive sometime on Tuesday evening with our belongings intact and our kitty cat (and the areas of my car she will no doubt use as her personal litter box) no worse for the wear. We'll have less than two days to get somewhat settled in before jumping back in the car and heading down to the Big Apple for NYC Marathon weekend. For what might be the first time since starting my career in the running industry over five years ago, I'll be attending a major marathon without the intention of working the expo or participating in the event. Instead, Jordan and I will be joining our CEO and footwear designers for some industry media interviews on Friday plus a Runner's World party on Friday night. After that, the weekend is our oyster, and we plan to take advantage of the trip into the city by meeting up with friends from literally all over the country--some Charlotteans in town for the race, some industry peeps working the expo, some Brownies and some actual NYC residents--for a weekend of running, socializing and of course marathon spectating. As much as I desperately need a quiet weekend in our new place to spend some time settling in, there's absolutely no way I would pass up what's sure to be an amazing weekend in an equally amazing city. Time to hit the road!

McAlpine Tempo Run

2011-10-26T19:51:00.000-04:00

2 mile w/u
Target: 5 mile tempo @5:50ish pace; 5x30 sec. surges w/1 min. jog
Actual: 29:14 (5:50, 5:56, 5:54, 5:48, 5:46); 4 min. rest; 5x30 sec. w/1 min. jog

Once more for old time's sake, I met Caitlin and Pezz at Old Bell for some good, solid tempo action. I was not solo, as my friend Dane is in town for a quick visit and I somehow managed to convince him to join us for this early workout despite his body being firmly set in Mountain time. We all rolled up to the parking lot a few minutes early, a rare enough occurrence on its own, and promptly set off into the darkness for an easy warmup. The plan was for Pezz to start a few minutes ahead of us with a hard mile followed by a few minutes of rest, then join us as we passed the mile marker and continue on together for the rest of the tempo. The mid-40s temperature felt even colder down by the creek, but we all reluctantly shed our top layers in preparation for the hard effort ahead.

After only one brief costume change, Pezz charged out of the parking lot and onto the trail for her first mile. Caitlin, Dane and I stretched and dawdled around for a few minutes before setting off in hot pursuit. The first mile felt hard, as expected for the temperature and the early hour, but miraculously we went through exactly on pace. Dane, who is fighting a bum Achilles, wisely backed off after this mile while Caitlin and I rejoined Pezz. I wasn't feeling great and was worried that the two would immediately leave me in their wake, but to my relief (not that I wish a bad workout on anyone!), neither of them seemed to be feeling stellar either. We forged ahead together. By the two mile marker Pezz and I had put a slight gap on Caitlin, and I swiveled my head around to make sure she was sticking close. I wanted to shout some words of encouragement but I was already pressing to an uncomfortable level so I kept silent. Pezz and I ran side by side through three, then almost to four, when I saw Caitlin jogging across the pond toward us. Apparently she'd taken a short rest after the third mile and was now joining us so we could finish together. Her reappearance could not have come at a better time, as I was hurting and already contemplating dropping out. Legs buoyed from a few minutes of easy jogging, Caitlin bounded to the front of our train and seemed infused with a new energy. The final few minutes were dangerously close to the redline for me as I clung to them for dear life, resolving not to let down the group on what would surely be our final workout together for some time. We finished in unison, breathing ragged but satisfied with our efforts. After a few minutes of walking (yes, walking), I felt recovered enough to stride out my uptempo sections around the pond before we trotted back to Old Bell together. Regardless of the workout's outcome, I always consider it a privilege to run side by side with these talented ladies, something I'll sorely miss in Beantown. I may have to sneak back down this winter to get in some more workouts together!

Week in Review

2011-10-23T22:02:00.004-04:00

85 miles
3 doubles
5 days in Dallas
5 AFDs

Overall I'd consider this a very successful week from just about every vantage point. I found a way to maintain the quality and quantity of my training despite a hectic travel schedule, enjoyed the opportunity to see some old friends and spend time with my parents, and helped the inaugural 13.1 Dallas event go off without a hitch. The remainder of my weekend following the event could not have been any better. I ate good food and took in a movie with my parents, got a facial with mom and took a leisurely early Sunday run with pops before leaving for the airport. Upon arriving to Charlotte I was picked up by Caitlin and reunited with my precious Weezy after two weeks sans snuggling, then capped off the evening with a costumed CRC fun run from Freedom Park. (Not having packed anything resembling a costume, I went dressed as a Karhu and Craft rep. Very clever.)

A motley crew at the CRC costume run

With only one week remaining in Charlotte (sniffle sniffle), I've got a lot of activity to pack into a short period of time (including literally packing). I need a massage from Byran, some bone cracking from Dr. Greenapple and a few quality runs with Caitlin and the CRC crew. I've also got a stellar weekend to look forward to, beginning with our very own going away party hosted by Caitlin and Rebecca and culminating with the wedding of my dearest friend Brooke on Saturday night. And did I mention packing? We plan to be on the road at some point on Sunday for one more epic northbound drive. With such a busy week on tap, it's a relief that this is a planned down period for my training. After six consecutive weeks of 80+ miles, I'll drop down to 60ish this week with only one light workout planned. My 10-week (gulp!) Trials training plan starts November 1st, and the goal is to wake up next Monday feeling fresh, strong and eager to tackle the miles ahead. I've worked hard since rebounding from injury in early September to lay a good foundation for my winter training, and after a surprisingly good race at Army 10 Miler and a reasonably not bad race at 13.1 Dallas, I'm confident in where my fitness stands right now. The building blocks are in place; now it's time to rest up and prepare for what lies ahead!

13.1 Dallas Race Recap

2011-10-22T23:08:00.000-04:00

~1.5 mile w/u
13.1 miles @1:19:58*
3rd female, $250; Results
Total: 14-15 miles
*includes bathroom break (oops)

As is always the case at 13.1 races, I was up way too early for a Saturday morning to help set up the Craft and Karhu tents. Fortunately my parents arrived yesterday, which means I was able to stay with them at the Marriott mere blocks from the start instead of at the ghetto LaQuinta with the external rooms where I had the pleasure of sleeping with one eye open on Wednesday and Thursday. So I got to sleep in until the indulgent hour of 4:45, which was lovely.

Immediately upon stepping outside into the early morning darkness, I was chagrined to discover that the air was significantly warmer and more humid than any other day since my Wednesday arrival. Earlier in the week I'd run in capris and long sleeves, but with the temperature hovering around 65 and a humidity percentage in the 80s, I was already uncomfortable in my lightweight jacket. This did not bode well for my upcoming race performance, but there wasn't exactly anything I could do about it. I jogged over to the start/finish area and spent the next 90 minutes setting up our space and preparing for a morning of sales. Before I knew it there were fewer than 30 minutes until the start which left little time for dawdling. I quickly warmed up with my friend Andrew, then hustled over to a construction site with the hopes of finding a port-a-potty without a line 30 deep. Victory attained, I stripped down to my skivvies under the Karhu tent and then made my way to the start. I recognized several familiar faces from my previous time in the DFW running community, as well as a few speedy ladies who I knew would be contending for the prize purse. One was Melissa Cook, a multiple-time All-American from Texas A&M and a multiple-time Olympic Trials qualifier as well. She's been around for years and is legit. I also spotted Justyna Mudy, whom I recognized from her 1:17 performance on the horrific hills of 13.1 Atlanta a few weeks ago. No question they were both fit, and likely out of my league. I spotted a few other potential contenders but was confident I could run with anyone else in the field.

Once the race began, it quickly became apparent that the placing would be anticlimactic, at least from my perspective. A relaxed 5:58 first mile put me at least 20 seconds behind Melissa and Justyna and the same distance ahead of all the other women in the field. Though a considerable gap would form on either side of me as the race progressed, my placement would not. Around mile 2 I caught up to a group of guys and inquired if I could tuck in for a few miles. "Sure!" they enthusiastically replied before sprinting off and leaving me alone once again. For much of the race this is how I would remain, though I didn't mind much. Years of living in this area enabled me to recognize almost every street on the course, which was surprisingly comforting. Though my legs were heavy, my breathing felt calm and relaxed, and I made it through the early miles by repeatedly reminding myself that the Katy Trail section would begin at mile 7. This would mean a straight, gradual downhill for almost four miles, and I knew I could use that real estate to make up for some slower early miles as we gradually meandered to the top of the trail.

During mile 9, however, a situation arose. Had my personal race been closer, had a championship of some sort been on the line, perhaps I would have tried to fight through it. Instead, with several minutes separating me from the next woman on either side, I didn't think twice about scampering into a port-a-potty near the side of the trail a few minutes later. Ironically, my split of 6:26 for this mile (including the stop), my slowest of the day, would've actually been my fastest had the brief detour not been necessary. Oh well. Mentally the break did nothing to dampen my spirits as I knew the finish line was within reach, and once we exited the trail near the American Airlines Center I had no doubt that I could push through for two more miles. It certainly didn't help that the last of those miles was almost entirely uphill, the steepest and longest grade in any direction on the course, and with mere minutes to go I got passed by two guys who had been trailing me for the entire race. I desperately tried to latch onto them, succeeding for a few strides, before watching helplessly as they pulled away. Frustrated, I almost shut things down and shuffled in until I rounded the final turn and saw that I could still edge under the 1:20 barrier. I crossed the line just a few ticks under, happy to set a new (admittedly weak) PR and score a few bucks. The last time I raced a half in Dallas was at the 2007 White Rock Half-Marathon, when I was pleased to run 1:26:30 and just barely miss a then-personal best. It's easy to get discouraged now when the top women finish leagues ahead of me, but looking at how far I've come helps put things in perspective.

Karhu Sisu congratulates me, Melissa and Justyna

But enough about me. Let's discuss the real noteworthy Nedlo performance of the day, that of my dad John. Not only did J-Ned win his age group, but he also ran his fastest time in years, a blistering 1:36. Oh, and did I mention he is 62?! Simply incredible. I wish I could've seen the faces of the guys half his age as he left them in his dust. After several years of struggling with injury and motivation, rarely breaking 1:45 in his half-marathon attempts, my dad has finally been able to string together an entire year of solid training (and, not coincidentally, an entire year of solid training in Karhus), enabling him to absolutely crush his goal for the day. Congrats, Dad!

Me, Andrew and my coworker Tinley slinging shoes post-race

Katy Trail Mile Repeats, or "The Time I Beat Troy Aikman"

2011-10-19T18:17:00.003-04:00

2+ mile w/u
Target: 5xmile @5:35-5:40 w/2-3 mins. jog
Actual: 5:41 (2), 5:34 (2), 5:38 (3), 5:34 (2), 5:36
2 mile c/d
Total: 10 miles

Ah, the best laid plans.

I woke up at 6am on Tuesday morning with every intention of completing this workout on the high school track in Marblehead. Only problem was, once I jogged over to the track I discovered it wasn't a track at all, just a football field with nothing around it. Awesome. By the time I realized where the actual track was I didn't have enough time to run over there and utilize it before work. Fail #1. My fallback was the Beverly High School track which is located a mere 400 meters from our office. However, they're currently redoing the infield so when I jogged past on my second run at lunch there were men in hard hats and bulldozers and the like making a mess of the place. Fail #2. This left me with only one option, and that was to attempt to squeeze this in mid-day Wednesday after waking at 5am and flying until noon and before working all afternoon at the 13.1 Dallas packet pickup at Luke's Locker. That the pieces all fell together in such a way that I was afforded a full 90 minutes to squeeze this in was a miracle in itself. So, while feeling as though I'd already lived through a full exhausting day prior to a solo hard effort might not be ideal pre-workout protocol, it was all I had.

Originally, when the workout plan was Tuesday, Jordan had prescribed six faster intervals with two minutes rest. Given the switch to Wednesday and my upcoming half-marathon on Saturday, the decision was made to decrease the volume and intensity slightly with the intention of preserving my legs. But if I'd thought that mid-5:30s would feel easy, I was wrong. The fact of the matter is I'm just a horrible solo pacer, particularly on a completely straight stretch of pavement such as that of the Katy Trail. At least it was marked every quarter mile, though I question how precise some of those measurements are. I'd like to blame my erratic splits on the potentially erratic markings, but the reality is just what I stated earlier. I'm a horrible solo pacer, and traveling for eight hours before working out sucks.

As alluded to in my blog title, the highlight of this working was beating Troy Aikman. (Just in case you, like Caitlin, are one of two people on earth who doesn't know who he is, see here.) To be precise, he had no idea we were racing. We just happened to be covering the same ground at the same time. Although--and I'm being completely honest here--it really wasn't a race because of how fast I blew past him. The first time I thought, "Hmm, that guy looks a lot like Troy Aikman." The second time, when we made eye contact, I amended that to, "That guy is definitely Troy Aikman. And I'm definitely kicking his ass."

So no matter what happens at 13.1 on Saturday, at least I have that going for me. Which is nice.

Week in Review

2011-10-16T15:18:00.000-04:00

80-81 miles
3 doubles
7 nights in Marblehead
2 nights in our new house
4 AFDs

With most of the weekend devoted to moving into our new place, Jordan and I are finally starting to feel like Marblehead residents. Of course, with half our belongings (including Weezy!) still waiting for us in Charlotte, it's difficult to truly feel grounded anywhere. It will likely take several more weeks and at least one more epic road trip before this new chapter of our life can officially begin. Every day is an adventure, that's for sure.

From a running perspective, I'm comfortable with where I'm at right now. Comfortable, yet hungry for more. For comparison's sake, this time last year I was just a few weeks off a foot injury that had me sidelined for the entire month of September. On October 24, 2010, I averaged 6:00 pace for the Uptown Run 8k. Last weekend I ran over five seconds faster per mile for twice the distance, and on October 22nd I hope to race 13.1 Dallas at approximately the same pace as the Uptown Run. It's obvious that I'm in significantly better shape than this time last year, now I just need to stay healthy until the Trials and trust that the fitness will come.

First Massachusetts Long Run

2011-10-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

1 hour 57 mins. (15-15.5 miles)

For our first Saturday in Massachusetts, Jordan and I had big plans. For starters, it was move-in day at our new place. This meant we'd finally be able to unload Felix (the Jetta Sportwagon) after a week of Jordan craning his head and muttering "I can't see anything" and me wringing my hands nervously every time he tried to change lanes. I'm sure my boss, Huub, who has been acting as our hotel proprietor and pancake maker for the entire week, was also excited at this prospect. But before we left Chez Valkenburg, he offered to take us on a running tour of his favorite long run route to and around the nearby peninsula of Nahant. Though I traditionally do my long runs on Sundays, I couldn't think of any reason not to move it up a day this week. After all, I'd only worked out once and it was already several days ago, so why not run long a day early and facilitate better recovery leading up to next Tuesday's workout? I was game.

After several days of seemingly incessant rain and fog, Saturday dawned beautiful and crystal clear if a tad breezy. We slept in past sunup for the first time all week, not stepping outside with Huub until after 8am. Though Huub rarely runs more than an hour at a time, he was confident he could survive the entire run albeit at a restrained pace. Since we had no idea where we were going, the plan was to hang back with him to and around the peninsula, which should take about 75 minutes, at which point we were free to rev the engines for the return trip. We began the run by turning right on Atlantic--which, not coincidentally, borders the Atlantic--and hitting the pavement toward Swampscott. The unfortunate name of this seaside town belies how picturesque and truly lovely it actually is, particularly on a stunning autumn morning such as this one. Tons of people were out walking, running, riding their bikes and otherwise embracing physical activity with the cascading surf as their backdrop. For the entire run out approaching Nahant, we were faced by a stiff cheek-flapping headwind which would've made maintaining a respectable pace rather futile, so I didn't mind tucking in behind Jordan and moseying along at Huub's speed. When we turned left on the causeway to the peninsula the gusts intensified, but once we entered the refuge of Nahant the conditions improved measurably. By an hour into the run I was itching to drop the pace, but every time we approached an intersection or fork I had to wait for Huub's guidance, so eventually I just fell back in step with the boys.

Once we turned back onto the main causeway, our return route apparent, Jordan and I made our move. The 20-mph wind which had previously been buffeting our every step now acted like a jetpack strapped to our backs. Organically the pace dropped almost two minutes per mile, and before I knew it I found myself running near marathon pace with little strain. I couldn't help but be reminded of the 2011 Boston Marathon, which boasted similar conditions, and found myself jealous of all those who'd taken advantage of the opportunity to run screaming fast times on that day. It's no stretch of the imagination to envision that conditions would've been ripe for a huge PR.

Jordan and I finished the run with Huub not too far behind, then spent a few minutes doing some stretching and core in the basement fitness center. After showers, breakfast crepes and some freshly made espresso it was time for Jordan and I to head over to our new home at the fort! For those of you who don't know, we've acquired a seasonal rental through the end of May overlooking the harbor near the grounds of historic Fort Sewall, a public landmark that represents the easternmost point in Marblehead. In fact, we learned upon meeting the owners yesterday that the original part of our house used to be the fort caretaker's cottage. Our place is furnished (with another family's belongings, which is sort of weird but unarguably convenient), and offers some of the most stunning ocean views I've ever seen. I must admit that typing this right now while overlooking boats bobbing in the harbor waters does seem a bit surreal but I'm certainly not complaining. We're lucky to call this place our home for the next few months while we seek something more permanent. And I've heard that watching storms from here is amazing! Check out a few photos while we try to get settled in.

Driving up to our new home, the square one right on the water

I took this photo from our dining room window. True story.

Our nice, big living room with doors opening into the two guest
bedrooms. Ocean views from both! Come visit!

"Our" fort, Fort Sewall

Tired Legs Workout

2011-10-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 6x4 mins. uptempo w/2 min. jog; 6x1 min. hard w/1 min. jog
Actual: 6x4 mins., w/1k splits of 3:36-3:38 on #1-5 and 3:31 on #6 (3:35 for 1k = 5:45 pace)
6x1 min. hard
2 mile c/d
Total: ~12 miles

Jordan and I were up before the sun to knock this out before heading to the Karhu offices. As we're staying with my boss until we get the keys to our new place on Friday, we decided to do this on the now-familiar dirt bike path that begins less than 400 meters from our temporary home and runs all the way into Salem. Specifically, we warmed up to the end and then chose the final ~1k stretch for the workout portion as it was unbroken by any street crossings. This meant the scenery was repetitive and somewhat unexciting, but it was well worth it to stay on a mostly flat soft surface for the entire workout.

Overall, this went about as well as could be expected for two days after the 10-mile race. Aerobically I felt great on the 4-minuters, with breathing that remained controlled throughout the intervals and quickly returned to normal during the rest segments, but I could tell that my legs still felt flat and fatigued from Sunday. Sure enough, I was barely able to muster a faster pace on my one-minute "hard" sections than on the previous intervals that were four times as long. This was frustrating but not unexpected, and given the proximity to the race I was not too disappointed. I have plenty of recovery days remaining this week and should be ready for a speedier effort next time around.

Week in Review

2011-10-09T22:48:00.000-04:00

83 miles
2 doubles
1 night in DC
1 night in NY
5 AFDs

Another solid week of training in the books, capped off with a respectable performance at Army 10 Miler. There's still plenty of work to be done, but I'm happy with where my fitness is and willing to be patient over the coming months.

JER and MRN ready to enjoy (read: devour) a
post-race brunch

As I often say, however, the best part of this week's training was not necessarily the miles themselves but rather the friends they allowed me to spend time with along the way. Running side by side with Caitlin along the National Mall is an experience I'll remember forever, made all the more bittersweet by the fact that races together will be fewer and farther between now that I'm moving. Spending the night with Jilane on Saturday and then with Madeleine in New York on Sunday were also rare treats. I'm so grateful to have friends spread across the country as it makes anywhere feel a little bit more like home!

Army 10 Miler Race Recap

2011-10-09T21:58:00.001-04:00

~.75 mile w/u
Target: 10 mile race @sub-60 (6:00 avg.)
Actual: 58:55 (5:53-54 avg.); slowest mile 6:00, fastest mile 5:48, 10k split 36:30
10th female; Results
2.25 mile c/d
Total: 13 miles

After a full day of traveling in a severely overloaded vehicle, Jordan and I arrived to Jilane's place in DC just before dinnertime on Saturday. She and I set off on an easy 10-minute shakeout while Jordan put in a more substantial run before reuniting with Caitlin, Garrett and former Charlottean B-Mac for a pre-race dinner and strategizing session. We left eager to get a good night's sleep and toe the line in the morning.

Full of nervous energy, I awoke immediately at the sound of my alarm and was out the door by 6:20. The plan we'd decided on the night before was for both me and Caitlin (along with Boriana, who came in from Tyson's Corner) to rendezvous at the Pentagon metro stop near the race start/finish. Jilane lives just a block away from a metro so it should've been no problem for me to hop on a train there and ride it all the way to the race. But as I was approaching the Capitol South metro station in the early morning darkness I could tell that something was amiss. A dozen or so other people, each dressed similar to me and sporting an Army 10 Miler race number, were standing on the sidewalk outside the station wearing expressions of annoyance. Turns out that for some inexplicable reason the station was closed. Trying to stay calm, I asked the guy next to me where the closest alternate station was, assuming I'd jog there. Overhearing my question, another guy said that he'd just parked nearby and would be happy to drive us to the next station. Despite having no indication that he was anything other than a deranged serial killer masquerading as a runner who'd staged the station closure as an elaborate ruse to kidnap and murder us all, I happily agreed. (Dad, don't tell Mom.) I piled into his car with the randos while texting Caitlin about where she should start looking for my body in case things went awry. Fortunately he whisked us to the next station without a hitch, and a few minutes later I was safely on a metro train bound for the Pentagon station with smooth sailing--or so I thought.

The first part of the ride passed uneventfully. As our car emerged from the underground to cross the Potomac River, revealing a stunning sunrise splashed across the backdrop of the Mall, the man sitting next to me turned and said approvingly, "It's going to be a beautiful day." I'd barely begun to nod my agreement when he added, "Last year I ran this race in Afghanistan." Wow. Talk about putting the event in perspective. In an instant my earlier transportation difficulties were all but forgotten--until a few minutes later, when our train lurched to a halt amid crackled words from the conductor about door trouble from the car ahead. My anxiety level slowly began to rise with every passing minute as my watch ticked to 7:00, then 7:10, then 7:15. At this point I was already 15 minutes late to meet Caitlin and, with no reception in the tunnel, I figured she'd already gotten tired of waiting and decided to head to the elite tent without me. Once the train finally pulled into the Pentagon station, however, I learned that the "door trouble" mentioned earlier was actually the result of 30,000 participants trying to exit for the race. I was barely able to shove my way out of the door and onto the platform as it was covered with wall-to-wall people. I soon learned that Caitlin and Boriana faced the same obstacle, and by the time we'd fought our way up the escalator it was already close to 7:30. It took us several minutes and a few uses of the iPhone compass app to figure out where our elite tent was located, but once we had our bearings we took off in more or less a dead sprint. This wasn't exactly the warmup I'd envisioned, but it would have to suffice. We arrived at the tent with just enough time to change out of our warmups, stand in line for the bathroom and take a few gulps of water before being directed to the starting line. After the ordeal we'd just endured, it seemed as though the race itself would be a piece of cake.

For the first few miles after the starting cannon sounded, it was just that. Caitlin and I settled into a rhythm next to each other, consciously allowing a group of 4-5 women to go out ahead of us while we adhered to our goal pace. We split our first mile in 5:51, then the same for the second, then the same for the third, all the while telling each other we needed to back off and conserve energy but still clicking off the same splits. I was pleasantly surprised to feel so comfortable running what amounts to an aggressive pace for my current fitness level, but in the back of my mind I feared the early miles might catch up with me later. Through the halfway point, however, I felt terrific. It was amazing to run the race with Caitlin at my side--believe it or not, with as much as we train together we rarely have the opportunity to race this way--and despite our increasing effort levels we managed to offer each other bits of encouragement every few minutes. It also didn't hurt that the day was, in a word, perfect. The 60-degree start temperature, though unseasonably warm, was tempered by low humidity and no wind. To be honest, anything colder would've been to my detriment due to the extremely abbreviated warm-up. The course itself, which begins and ends at the Pentagon and offers a running tour of the National Mall, the White House, the Kennedy Center, the Watergate Hotel and plenty of other attractions, was mostly flat and fast. Several times during the race I found myself just feeling thankful for the opportunity to enjoy such a fantastic race on a beautiful day while feeling healthy and strong.

Caitlin and I running with our male escorts early in the race

Eventually, however, my euphoria gave way to fatigue. I stuck with Caitlin through six miles, then through the 10k, before the quick early pace began to take its toll. At some point during the seventh mile I inexplicably caught back up to her, excitedly proclaiming, "I'm back!", only to watch her pull away decisively a few meters later. From that point on she would remain fixed in my field of vision, at times slightly farther away and at times a bit closer, but all the while decidedly out of reach. The last 5k, which just happens to feature the only hills of the entire course, found me in no-man's land. Remember when I said I needed to work on my mental toughness? Well, be careful what you wish for. Somewhere toward the end of the seventh mile Jordan popped up on the sidelines, entreating me to stay focused and telling me I was in the top 10. In reality I think I was in 11th or 12th at that point, but his comments and a few cheers from Jilane renewed my determination to finish strong. I split 5:51 for mile 8, my fastest thus far of the second half of the race after a few 6:00s in a row, passing two girls in the process. With two miles to go I was able to roughly calculate that I'd need to split two 5:55s in order to break 59 minutes.

The bad news is Caitlin dropped me shortly thereafter. The good news is I then
dropped the girl in pink.

Unfortunately, with the ninth mile featuring a long uphill grade on one of the bridges, my best efforts could not prevent another 6:00 split. At one point I passed a wheelchair racer, who looked at me and said, "Hey, I think you're the first woman!" I have no idea why he thought that since he'd clearly been passed by quite a few other females, so I quickly replied, "I'm not." His response--"Well, you are for me!"--brought a fleeting smile to my face, once again putting the entire race in perspective. With just five minutes of hard running remaining and determined to meet my goal, I forged up the final hill before taking a sharp downhill to the finishing straight. I could see Caitlin crossing the line just ahead as I managed to sprint in just a few ticks under 59 minutes. Not only had I beaten my goal, but I'd finished with my fastest split of the day and achieved what is realistically my best case scenario for where my fitness is right now.

Me, Caitlin and Boriana looking fresh as daisies as we represent CRC post-race

Wogging back to Caitlin's hotel after the race--there was no way in hell we were getting back on the metro--we recapped the run and how much we enjoyed the course. Though I might plan my pre-race preparations a little bit differently, I have every intention of returning next year in better shape and improving upon this year's finish. As for the rest of 2011, well, now all I have to do is get fit enough to run 16 more miles at this pace and then I'll be all set!

Final Speed Loop Workout?

2011-10-05T13:02:00.005-04:00

3.5 mile w/u
Target: 3 miles @~18 mins. (5:55-6:05); 3x400m @77-78
Actual: 17:22 (5:55, 5:45, 5:42); 75, 73-high, 73-low
3.5 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles

With only a few precious opportunities remaining to run with my Charlotte friends, I was excited at the prospect of working out with Caitlin and Pezz, who's in town for most of the autumn, early this morning. Caitlin and I are both racing Army 10 Miler on Sunday and Pezz has the Tufts 10k up in my new stomping grounds on Monday, so all of us were looking for a workout that was moderately difficult and not too high in volume. Since the above was on Caitlin's schedule from Mark Hadley, that's what we went with (except Pezz the overachiever threw in a few more reps afterward).

Also in the mix was Jordan, who isn't 100% fit but is finally 100% healthy, which makes him the perfect candidate for dragging us around the Dilworth Speed Loop. We started off conservatively, the three girls chatting about upcoming races while Jordan lagged behind, until he got frustrated with the slow pace and the conversation--he hates, hates for people to talk during workouts or races--and shot to the front. Within the span of a few meters the pace dropped significantly and the gabfest dwindled to silence. He told me after the workout that we'd run our first 1k at 6:10 pace so he wanted to bring us back down to the prescribed 5:55. To be honest, I would've been fine with starting off a bit slower, but when everyone changes gears at the same time I'm not looking to get left behind. Sure enough, we split 5:55 on the dot for mile one before hanging a left and cruising through the slight downhill section of the course. My breathing grew increasingly labored, to the point where I couldn't even muster a hello to Michelle and Thomas, whom we saw a few minutes later. I was both relieved and distressed to see a 5:45 split at the mile marker--relieved that my 10-mile race pace should not, in fact, feel this difficult, but distressed at the prospect of holding the pace for another mile. Surprisingly, I never really felt my effort increasing past that point, and though the final few minutes were tough I was able to stay with the group and finish strong. After a generous rest and an equally generous cup of water from Rebecca's porch (thanks for the Crystal Light packet too!), the 400s came and went in no time flat. Aided by the slight downhill, we were able to open up our stride and easily surpass the prescribed pace. It's the fastest/hardest I've run in months and it felt great to test the legs. Here's hoping all three of our races go just as well as this workout!

Sometimes the Hardest Thing and the Right Thing are the Same

2011-10-03T19:35:00.005-04:00

I don't know a witty or eloquent way to ease into the big news, so I'm just going to say it: Jordan and I are moving. To Boston. Very, very soon. For those of you we haven't told in person, I apologize for this mass notification. I know from reading a book on social media for a book club that I'm now unable to attend that sharing the news in this way might be perceived as impersonal or inconsiderate, but there's just no other way to guarantee that you'll all start planning our going away party together at the same time.

As you might expect, this change has come about as a result of opportunities presented to us by Karhu North America (KNA). Several events fell into place in such a way that enabled KNA to award me a promotion while also offering Jordan an opportunity in sales and product development. Both of these positions necessitate us living near Beverly, a North Shore suburb of Boston, where the KNA corporate office is located. For me, I knew from day one of accepting a position with the company that all roads pointed north if I wanted to advance. Neither Jordan nor I expected it to happen right now, or in such a way that would allow him to be so directly involved. To help architect this footwear brand and hopefully grow it to the potential that Jordan and I both see in the near future--well, it's an opportunity that can't be ignored. Though we've known about this and wanted to share it with you for several weeks, we had to hold back out of respect that I'm sure many of you business professionals can understand. Not only is the news now out, but the first stage of our multi-phase moving process (which involves two cars, a very uncooperative kitty cat, a houseful of running shoes and at least two 16+ hour drives) will actually begin this weekend after Army 10 Miler. We'll be back and forth a time or two after that, but will likely be gone for good at the end of the month.

As with any major life decision, this one involves an element of risk. I was just thinking on an easy run this evening about all the unpredictable paths that my life has traversed to this point. Many of them shared that common element: uncertainty. Almost exactly seven years ago, I was just a young and inexperienced 22-year-old with little insight into the direction my life should follow. I slowly developed a passion for both the sport and industry of running, was offered my first "real" job as a tech rep for Mizuno, and embarked for the city of Atlanta sight unseen without knowing a single person there. And yet without taking that leap of faith, I doubt I'd be here today, able to say without a hint of regret that I've turned that first tech rep position into a blossoming career. Another unpredictable and equally life-changing opportunity came my way three years later via my then-coach Jeff Gaudette. I still remember cradling the phone to my ear and listening uncomprehendingly as he basically said, "How would you like to quit your job, move to Charlotte and run track as a graduate student for this small private school called Queens University?" The idea was so ludicrous, so unfathomable that I had no choice but to acquiesce. Had Jeff not believed in me, and had I not taken a chance on myself, I would've never gone on to become a multiple time All-American and most certainly would not have possessed the courage to attempt qualifying for the Olympic Trials, much less actually done it. Those decisions and others like them have been filled with uncertainty but ultimately transformed my life in amazing, rewarding ways.

Of course, the saddest part for both Jordan and me is the people we will be leaving behind. I could write volumes about the relationships we've developed over the past few years in Charlotte, but suffice it to say that if you're reading this then you've been part of our journey in some way. I heard once that there are three types of friendships in this life and, though admittedly cheesy, that sentiment has stuck with me. The first kind of friendship is there for a season. Some of the friends we've made here are just that, friends who are present for this season in our lives. Maybe they were just peripheral friendships or maybe they were a result of proximity, but for whatever reason these ties will gradually weaken and fade as time passes. Other friendships exist for a reason. Whether that reason was attending Queens, working at Run For Your Life, joining CRC or any number of other circumstances, for whatever reason these friendships were made possible during our time here. Some of them might wane, but others have been strengthened over time to the point that they will accompany me no matter where I travel. And finally, the third type of friendships are there for a lifetime. These, of course, are the ones that make me most sorrowful at the prospect of moving. And yet, paradoxically, knowing that I'm leaving these friendships also offers me comfort, because I know that a few thousand measly miles can't even begin to erode the bonds that we've created. You know who you are, and I hope you know how much you mean to me. To both of us.

I could go on and talk about the Charlotte running community, about CRC, about lazy Sundays at the pool, about early morning group runs and nights at Common Market, but I'm trying not to get too emotional just yet. Instead I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has played a role in our lives during our time in Charlotte. No matter where our life leads, we will carry part of you with us.

Week in Review

2011-10-02T21:53:00.000-04:00

80 miles
2 doubles
3 workouts
4 days in ATL
4 AFDs

For the second week in a row I managed three workouts/quality runs while maintaining respectable mileage and feeling strong and healthy. Without a doubt, this can be considered a rousing success for where I'm at right now.

On the list titled "not a rousing success" might be my pitiful attempt at racing 13.1 Atlanta yesterday. I won't go into all the details, but basically I need to be more realistic about my current fitness and the race course needs to not pass directly in front of the start/finish area at five miles. What was I supposed to do, not stop?! Seriously though, I'm frustrated that I wasn't able to capitalize on such gorgeous cold weather and force myself to push through when the going got tough, but I'm also grateful that I was able to complete five miles at tempo effort and watch my new friend Meggan Franks crush a huge PR. I don't need to make a habit of dropping out of races, but with Army 10 Miler on Sunday and 13.1 Dallas in three weeks, there are still plenty of opportunities for quality performances this month. The weather is finally changing and I'm finally gaining strength and fitness--now I just need some mental toughness to go along with it!

Back in the ATL

2011-09-30T11:15:00.000-04:00

25 min. w/u
Target: 5x2 mins. w/2 mins. jog, getting faster
Actual: Above
20 min. c/d
Total: 9+ miles

I'm back in my former stomping grounds to work 13.1 this weekend and kicked things off with a slumber party at Brooke's. Since I was already downtown, I decided to execute this little mini-workout at one of my all-time favorite training surfaces, the Active Oval in Piedmont Park. Back in the olden days when this blog (and my stab at becoming a serious runner) was in its infancy, I toiled through many a hard effort at the AO. It's hard to beat a flat, gravel half-mile training surface surrounded by skyscrapers right smack dab in the middle of Midtown. As I trotted along today, it was fun to think of some workouts from the summer of 2008 when I really thought I was getting in shape, realizing how far I've progressed since then. I would love nothing more than to come back in a few years and feel the same way about where I am right now! I may be on the doorstep of 30, but I sincerely believe there are many more years of improvement ahead of me. Thanks, AO, for reminding me of this today.

Reality Check on the Speed Loop

2011-09-27T22:44:00.001-04:00

3.25 mile w/u
Target: 3x15 mins. @6:20, 6:10, 6:00 w/3 min. rest
Actual: 3x15 mins. @6:02 (3 min.), 6:00 (5 min.), 6:05
3.25 mile c/d
Total: 14 miles

When Jordan wrote out the proposed paces for this workout, I thought it looked way too easy. In fact, I was so confident (for some completely unfounded reason) that I estimated I should be able to coast through each interval at 6-minute pace or faster. Unfortunately there were several factors stacked against me, not the least of which being that this would make for my third hard run of the past four days. I also anticipated the weather finally breaking, a wish that never even came close to becoming a reality. It has literally rained and stormed at least once a day for the past week, which meant that my two preferred locations for this workout, McAlpine and McMullen, were a big fat mess. Yet another early morning thunderstorm meant that the air was thick and muggy for my 9am start time as well. I've learned both anecdotally and through research that a dew point over 70 unfailingly makes for a miserable workout or race experience, but with 13.1 Atlanta coming up on Sunday I really couldn't afford to push this back another day.

And yet, all the above taken into account, I stubbornly maintained my grossly overconfident attitude and refused to let Jordan set a relaxed pace. Each interval seemed to follow the same pattern: run too hard for the slightly uphill first k, rebound for a nice downhill second k, begin to overheat and struggle on the third k, then count down the seconds of a seemingly endless fourth k. To Jordan's credit, he refused to let me quit when I stated flat-out that there was no way I could do a third set. To my credit, I only cursed him internally and didn't make a scene in the middle of Dilworth Road East. Instead I drank a cup of water (courtesy, as always, of the Rebecca Thomason front porch refreshment center), tried to calm my breathing, actually listened to Jordan's advice to start the third set slower, and simply trusted him that I'd be able to hang on. Sure enough, I did, albeit at the slowest pace of the day.

This workout wasn't great. It definitely wasn't pretty, and I probably would have dropped out had Jordan not been there. If this is supposed to be my marathon pace, then I have a heck of a lot of work to do between now and January. Regardless, keeping a long-term approach in mind, I'll consider finishing this a success in itself. Here's to hoping my legs rebound and recover in time to run a similar pace for 13.1 on Sunday!

Week in Review

2011-09-25T17:04:00.000-04:00

85 miles
3 doubles
2 workouts
4 days in Mass
5 AFDs

Without a doubt my best week yet! I'm getting stronger and fitter every day and slowly starting to gain back some confidence. Let's hope this carries over into the next two weekends' races, 13.1 Atlanta and the Army 10 Miler!

Progressive Long Run

2011-09-25T11:17:00.003-04:00

Target/Actual: 15-16 miles w/pace progression
First 10 mins: slow jog from my house
Next 45 mins: 7:05-7:15 pace
Next 40 mins: 6:59-6:23 pace
Last 15 mins: slow jog to my house

From my first few steps out the door this morning, I was ready to be finished with the run. Though autumn had teased us with a few brisk mornings last week, today the air hung thick and damp with 93% humidity and an oppressive dew point of 72. Trying to reconcile the post-workout heaviness of my legs with Caitlin's goal of a fast, progressive long run further heightened my dread. And though normally Sunday runs take us to novel locales such as the Whitewater Center and the Beatty trails, the weekend's almost incessant rain meant that even our default backup location of McAlpine was too messy to traverse. Instead, we'd be starting from our houses and meeting in Freedom Park just like we do for "normal" weekday runs. On the one hand, this was great as it meant I could sleep later and didn't have to drive anywhere. On the other hand, I anticipated that it would be mentally challenging to make my body run almost twice as far as it's usually accustomed to on the familiar neighborhood streets.

In the end, however, all my worries were unfounded. We picked up the pace naturally, almost imperceptibly, during the first hour with Caitlin's friend Will in tow and her boyfriend Garrett escorting us on his Huffy 10-speed. Once Will split off to head home at the intersection of Queens and Queens and Providence and Providence (for any non-Charlottean readers, yes these are actually four different roads with only two different names among them that intersect in one glorious representation of Southern infrastructure), Caitlin and I turned onto Providence and began to gradually inch down the pace. Maintaining sub-6:50 was tough on the Colville hills, but the pace quickened noticeably as soon as we turned back onto Providence and enjoyed a long flat section all the way to the Booty Loop. We parted ways at the entrance to Freedom Park feeling fatigued but not exhausted, both in agreement that steady long runs like this are just the ticket to improving fitness for the Trials. This may not be the most enjoyable type of workout, but with good company and baseball stories from the peanut gallery it turned out just fine.

Two Workouts in One Week. True Story.

2011-09-24T14:03:00.006-04:00

Workout #1: Tuesday, 9/20
2.5 mile w/u
Target: (3:00 uptempo, 1min. jog, 1:00 fast, 1 min. jog) x 6
Actual: Above
3.5 mile c/d
Total: 11.5ish miles

After traveling to Massachusetts for work on Monday, Jordan and I had to improvise Tuesday's workout setting. We settled on the Marblehead Neck, a spit of land that juts out from mainland Marblehead and boasts more multi-million dollar homes than the Booty Loop. (Very Great Gatsby-ish, or at least what I envision when I picture something Great Gatsby-ish. I could be totally wrong here, but you get the gist.) A few weeks ago when staying at my boss's home in Marblehead I'd done a run around the Neck, and though I remember it being a very pleasant and charming outing I couldn't recall much about the distance or the terrain. As I would discover today, it turns out there's not a flat stretch of road on the entire peninsula. That might not be of much significance during a lackadaiscal easy run, but when you're less than one month clear of injury and attempting your first workout in twice that time, the prospect of a constant roller coaster ride can be pretty daunting. It's almost better that I didn't remember what I was getting myself into.

An aerial view of the Neck

Prefaced excuses aside, this turned out to be a successful effort. I benefited greatly from having Jordan front and center to set the pace, both of us grateful for the recent upswing in the health of his foot. Since I don't own a Garmin and had no bearing for distance markers on the Neck, I was at the mercy of Jordan's pace-setting abilities and my own questionable fitness level to dictate the pace. Gear-changing workouts like this aren't my forte even when completely fit and healthy, but I tried to sprint the one-minute sections as hard as possible while still making sure I would be recovered enough to start another uptempo section in a minute's time. Predictably, I excelled on the segments with more downhill and struggled a bit on those with a less forgiving grade, but in the end according to Jordan I ran "well," which is as lofty as his praise gets. Apparently I averaged 5:50 pace or faster on all the three-minute segments, so I would guess the one-minute segments were around 5:30 pace, but honestly the specifics are beside the point. The objective of today's workout was to run hard but controlled, and that hurdle was cleared with room to spare.

Workout #2: Saturday, 9/24
3.5+ mile w/u
Target: 25 mins. uptempo (~6-6:10 pace); 3x2 mins. @5:30 pace
Actual: 25 mins. w/4 mile split of 24:01 (6:02, 6:05, 6:00, 5:53); 3x2 mins. w/400m splits of 82, 79, 78
2 mile c/d
Total: 11 miles

What's that they say about the best laid plans? All week I'd intended to workout on Friday with Caitlin and Spada, but that dissolved when they had to start at 6am and I had to take Jordan to the airport (yes, the same airport we'd just arrived to 12 hours prior) at 6:30. I dropped him off and drove to Old Bell to soldier on alone. Throughout the 30-minute drive the sky was dark and overcast but with scarcely a drizzle--that is, until the exact instant I pulled into the parking lot when the clouds opened up and commenced a deluge of diluvian proportions. Equal parts stubbornness and the desire to not waste a drive out to the park forced me out of the car and onto the trails, but less than a mile later I had to turn around when the rain was so intense that it literally stung my eyes with each shard of moisture. Begrudgingly, I decided to try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow, which of course is actually today, began auspiciously enough. Megan Hovis and I agreed to meet at Old Bell mid-morning, she for an easy 34-mile run (not really, but close) and me for some company on the warmup. The 75-degree air was fraught with humidity and the sky promised more rain, but we were both confident it would hold out until the afternoon. Three miles later, we were proven wrong. In a scene so identical to yesterday it was almost comical, seemingly within seconds the ground went from dry to literally soaked with rain, more puddles appearing and overflowing by the second. Every time we thought it couldn't rain any harder, Mother Nature just laughed and kept dumping it right on our heads. At one point Meg's contact lens got pushed halfway behind her eyeball by the insistent drops. The only thing more ludicrous than attempting a workout in yesterday's weather would be doing the same today, but at this point I didn't have much choice. Meg and I bid each other a soggy farewell before going our separate ways with promises of checking in with each other via text later to make sure we hadn't drowned or gotten trapped in the park.

After a few minutes of stretching and trying to collect myself mentally, I set off from the start line of the Footlocker course. I turned left at the bridge past the half-mile marker while the rain intensified with every step, hoping that neither the road crossing nor the wooden bridges would be too treacherous to pass. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself right on pace after the first mile despite multiple instances of bobbing and weaving around puddles and, in some cases, charging through calf-deep water. There were several moments when I could scarcely see three feet in front of me due to the volume of the rain and the complete saturation of my contact lenses--not it really mattered, since I spent the entire run with my head down to navigate the rapidly eroding landscape at my feet. About halfway through, soaked to the bone and shaking water from my head like a truculent puppy, I literally began laughing out loud. There may exist worse conditions for trying to run fast, but I've yet to experience them. And yet somehow the pace didn't lag too much, although admittedly I was working much harder than I should've been to hit the prescribed times.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, the rain ceased. Almost immediately the sun burst forth from the clouds, causing a steamy, stifling mist to rise from the ground and into my already oxygen-deprived lungs. Did I mention the weather wasn't ideal? Regardless, I finished the tempo with my fastest split of the morning and then wogged around for a few minutes before starting the two-minute intervals. 75 degrees and flooding might be borderline dangerous, but 75 degrees and steaming is almost more uncomfortable. Like the tempo, the quicker intervals felt much harder than I would've liked, but by this point I was just so thrilled to be done that I hardly noticed. I felt good enough on the cooldown to throw in 5x20 second strides, more to pass the time than anything else, and finished up at my car feeling as though I'd just endured a monsoon worthy of Noah and his furry friends. It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.

Week in Review

2011-09-18T18:01:00.000-04:00

80 miles
3 doubles
3 days in ATL
5 AFDs

Finally a great solid week of mileage, bolstered by the knowledge that I'm mentally and physically ready to start training like a big girl next week. Other than that, I have a lot more to say and no time to say it! More to come very soon, including...drum roll please...a few real live workouts next week! Stay tuned, friends. It'll be worth the wait.

Week in Review

2011-09-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

70 miles
2 doubles
4 days in Chicago
5 "tempo" miles
4 AFDs

With a few weeks of base mileage underfoot, I feel confident saying I'm ready to start integrating some workouts and harder efforts into my training. Sunday's tempo mashup was a good baseline effort and now there's nowhere to go but up! One thing I know for sure is that I better get my act together soon or Meggan Franks is going to kick my butt at 13.1 Atlanta in a few weeks! Not to mention I've got Army 10 Miler the week after that, plus a few other changes on the horizon that I'm not quite ready to discuss. Suffice it to say, life is getting busier by the minute and I need to put my training face on if I'm going to have half a chance of keeping up.

Chicago Half-Marathon Tempo Run

2011-09-11T22:50:00.001-04:00

~1 mile w/u
Target: Tempo some part of half-marathon
Actual: 3 miles @17:52 (5:54, 5:55, 5:58); ~1 min. break; 2 miles @~12:35
2 mile c/d
Total: 8 miles

Chicago Half-Marathon starting. Photo courtesy of Chicago Half-Marathon.

It doesn't take a genius or a seasoned coach to figure out that I was in no way, shape or form ready to race a half-marathon this weekend. I've been back to "normal" training for less than a fortnight, and the last time I completed some semblance of a respectable workout was a full six weeks ago. Heck, I haven't even done anything uptempo save for a few one-minute pickups during Wednesday's morning run. Still, I would be lying if I didn't admit that all weekend I harbored some teeny tiny urge to toe the line and see what these leggies could do.

That is, until my alarm went off at 3:30am on Sunday morning less than five hours after I'd set it. Going on back-to-back-to-back 12+ hour workdays on my feet at the expo, coupled with very little sleep and a plethora of pre- and post-race responsibilities on Sunday, made the logistics (and appeal) of going for gold highly unlikely. However, it did not mean I couldn't at least lace 'em up for a few quality miles before scampering back to the Karhu/Craft area for the rest of the morning. After hastily warming up and pinning on my number (might as well look legit), I squeezed through the corrals and made it to the starting line with less than a minute to spare. Racing flats, not so much.

After an exceptionally patriotic version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" worthy of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the starting horn sent us off. In pleasing contrast to 13.1 Chicago a few months ago, this morning's weather was in the mid-60s with moderate humidity. As the throng of 15,000+ runners surged forward through the park and onto Lakeshore Drive with the sun rising over crystalline Lake Michigan in the background, one would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't agree that it was a gorgeous morning for a race.

For me, however, a race was not in the cards. I split the first mile in a surprisingly comfortable 5:54 near the front of the pack, but by the second mile marker I could tell that my unfit and work-weary legs were not accustomed to (nor happy with) what I was subjecting them to. I suppose maybe I should've done a stride or something faster than seven-minute pace in the past month. Oh well. At any rate, by mile two I was securely in third place and already bargaining with myself about when to make my exit. One mile later I stopped, took a minute to rest my legs, and then rejoined the race with my friend Jill who was rocking out 6:20s with a few of her Fleet Feet teammates. (Jill, if you may recall, is my equally nomadic friend whom I originally met at 13.1 Miami and have since seen in NYC, Dallas and Chicago. If there is one person other than Jilane whose travel schedule rivals mine, it's Jill's.) After a few moderate miles with Jill & co., I decided that if I wasn't racing it was probably prudent to hustle back and do my job. Reluctantly I turned around and began meandering back toward the start/finish line, disappointed to leave the race but pleased to discover that six-minute pace didn't feel decidedly foreign. There are miles and miles of work to be done, but for today this knowledge is enough.

(Comeback) Week in Review

2011-09-04T23:36:00.002-04:00

70 miles
2 doubles
0 (!!) days off
4 days in DC
2 hours of dancing at the Holder-Robbins wedding

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm back! Yes, I feel embarrassingly slow. Yes, every part of my body hurts. No, I can't even wrap my brain around the idea of attempting a workout, much less a race. But it's a start.

Despite hitting "the wall" on practically every run this week--an unavoidable hallmark of the first few weeks back from injury, I've discovered time and again--I was just thrilled to be back out there. Not to mention, I had the pleasure of taking in some pretty awesome runs: an early morning trail jaunt at Renaissance with my friends Ben and Casey, a plethora of runs around DC that included everything from the Mall to Rock Creek to the C&O towpath and all places in between, and possibly the world's largest Dowd YMCA-CRC run on Saturday morning in honor of Jay's wedding day. (Me: "There's gotta be at least 50 people here. Biggest Dowd run ever?" Matt: "I'm pretty sure this is bigger than some years of the Dowd Half-Marathon.")

Three OT qualifiers and the Thunder Road Marathon champ.
Clearly we're more talented at running than at seducing the camera.

Speaking of awesomeness and of Jay's nuptials, well, let's just say a good time was had by all on Saturday night. A little too much of a good time in some cases, judging by the splitting headache that knifed through Caitlin's and my temples with every footfall as we wearily trudged back up to the church to retrieve her car on Sunday morning. I will say that if I logged my workouts on Athleticore and if I were Billy Shue I would definitely record two hours of "alternate activity" on Saturday night which consisted of one of the most vigorous dance parties I've ever participated in. What we lacked in rhythm and skill we made up for in enthusiasm, and thankfully AJ was the only (token) black guy in attendance to make fun of our inherent lack of coordination. The MVP award of the night must indisputably be awarded jointly to Larry and Kathy Seavers, two of the most amazing runners and people--and, as we found out, dancers--I've ever had the privilege of knowing. I've said it before and I'll say it here now: if I am blessed with half their energy and zest for life at their age, I'll consider myself fortunate.

My heroes, Larry and Kathy Seavers. Nope, that's not water on his shirt.

There's not much more to report on the running front as it pertains to my own fitness (or lack thereof), but I can't close this post without giving a shout-out to the most impressive Charlotte performance of the weekend (heck, maybe the entire year), Alana Hadley's stunning 1:17:14 at Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach. Not only was she the first American, but she also shattered the national 15-and-under age group record. That's right, she's 14. Huge congrats to Alana and to her father/coach, Mark, for this breakthrough performance. If that doesn't serve as a kick in the pants for me to get back in shape, I don't know what will!

Week in Review

2011-08-28T17:36:00.002-04:00

50 miles
1 day off
1 day in MN
2 days in TX
5 AFDs

I was quite surprised to add up the week's totals and see I'd reached 50 miles. Then again, when you consider that half those miles came this weekend--11 yesterday and 15 today--it makes sense that a handful of 4's and 6's could bring me up to 50. More importantly, I'm thrilled to write that as of today my leg/shin feels 97% normal, hands down the best it's been in the past month. No more morning soreness, no more limping, no more awkward stride, no more wincing every time I have to go up or down the stairs. What I'm saying, ladies and gentlemen, is that I'm back!

Ironically, this return to form comes almost a year to the day after I royally maimed myself at the Greek Fest 5k. Instead, this Saturday morning found me embarking on an early morning run with Caitlin and Megan--unintentionally each dressed all in black, which looked pretty sweet--before swinging by this year's Greek Fest race to cheer on some friends and CRC members. Last year I swore I'd be back to avenge my injury and narrowly-missed sub-17, but on this day I was just content and relieved to be bipedal and pain free. I may feel horribly out of shape and I may be laboring to run what I typically consider recovery paces, but at least I'm not in a boot. I couldn't say the same on this day last year, and the milestone does not go unnoticed.

After emerging unscathed from Saturday's passing of Hurricane Irene aside from wicked humidity and high winds, Sunday dawned sunny and beautiful with a decidedly autumnal dew point of 58. Megan and I had decided to eschew the planned McAlpine run in favor of some single-track fun at Beatty, and a few email chains later we'd recruited almost 10 others to join us. The run was, in a word, wonderful. Beautiful weather, fun and challenging trails, rewarding conversations with some friends I see often and others not often enough. What I absolutely love about trail running is the complete lack of awareness of pace, distance or mileage. The first time it even occurred to me to check my watch today was over 50 minutes into the run, which is rarely something I can say for standard outings on the local roads or bike paths. It went against every instinct in my body to turn around with Alice a mile into our third loop, cutting the run to 15 instead of stretching it to almost 20 with some of the others. As much as I would've loved to inadvertently notch my longest run since before my marathon in February, the rational side of me acknowledged that it probably wasn't a prudent choice the day before I start my training.

So that brings me to the week ahead. Practically speaking, August was a complete and total wash as far as running was concerned. In fact, I would go so far as to say I've been more sedentary this month than any other month in the past five years. Maybe it will be good for me in the long run, maybe not, but regardless there wasn't much I could do about it. What I can do now, however, is start fresh. Tomorrow marks the start of a new week and Thursday brings a new month, so it is fitting to view this as the beginning to my fall training. I'll start slow, focusing on mileage and strides before jumping into any workouts or races that are bound to leave me frustrated and discouraged, and I won't plan to toe the line again until 13.1 Atlanta on October 2nd. Between now and then I will approach every run with a sense of purpose, as well as a renewed freshness and appreciation for my health and my abilities. Though fitness feels so far away right now, I have to trust that it is merely lying dormant beneath the surface for the time being. Patience isn't my strong suit, but now is as good a time as any to practice some. Most of all, I'm just excited to get back out there again in good health.

Week in Review, Don'tcha Know

2011-08-22T19:57:00.003-04:00

27 miles
3 days running
4ish hours elliptical (I lost track)
3.5 days in Boston
4.5 days in Minneapolis
6 AFDs

It's currently Monday evening and I'm typing this on the plane home from Minneapolis. Actually, to be completely factual, on the plane to Atlanta from Minneapolis. I still have a layover and another hour in the air before touching down just past midnight. From there I'll enjoy a restful 36 hours at home before embarking on my next adventure, a quick sojourn to San Antonio and Houston. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a look back at another glamorous week in the life.

From a fitness perspective, I'm getting slower and fatter by the day. Running was nonexistent save for an awesome trail adventure with a few friends on Monday morning and two lackadaisical jaunts around picturesque Marblehead, Massachusetts (fun fact: hometown of Shalane Flanagan) with the Karhu CEO on Wednesday and Thursday. I'd planned to cross-train every day once I departed Charlotte, but when your CEO is a 6-foot tall Dutchman named Huub Valkenburg and he fixes his steely blue eyes on you like the Russian from Rocky IV and firmly requests that you accompany him on a jog, you don't say no. (Actually, once you get past the initial terror of meeting Huub he's actually quite congenial and charming. The real force to be reckoned with is his 14-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, Dutch, who deviously snuck into the guest bedroom while his master and I were out on our morning run and proceeded to extract and devour my Honey Stinger chews and several packets of dry oatmeal from the depths of my backpack. This landed him squarely on my shit list, but I respect the effort and the healthy food choices.) Once I arrived in Minneapolis, I played it smart and slogged away on the elliptical in the hotel fitness center while my coworker Jeff and later Caitlin enjoyed the beautiful weather on their outdoor runs. Several months ago I'd planned to actually run the race with Caitlin, but for both injury and logistical reasons another finish line hand-holding scenario would not materialize. Instead Caitlin powered ahead on her own and earned a sweet medal and PR despite running solo for almost the entire race. Having her around for a weekend that would otherwise have consisted of 24/7 work was a real treat even if we didn't enjoy any Minnesota miles together.

While we're on the topic and in case you're not aware, Minneapolis is quite lovely. They call Minnesota "the land of 10,000 lakes," and I had the pleasure of seeing at least a few dozen of them during my time in the Twin Cities. Add to that the beautiful blue skies and mild summer weather (temperatures ranged from the low 60s to low 80s all weekend), and I could almost picture living here. Of course, then I remind myself that nine months out of the year this part of the country is straight out of a scene from the movie "Fargo"--hopefully minus dismembered body parts in the neighborhood wood chipper--and I'm jolted back to reality. The other noteworthy aspect of the Twin Cities is the abundance of bicycle lanes and other pedestrian-friendly infrastructures. Never in my life have I seen more people riding their bikes from place to place at all hours of the day and night. Bicycling magazine recently named Minneapolis the #1 bike city in the nation, and it's not difficult to see why. There's something about watching people young and old traversing a city by the power of their own two legs that's sure to warm the heart of any runner, cyclist or all-around fitness enthusiast, and I am no exception. It also serves as a glaring reminder of how far Charlotte has to go before it can truly be considered hospitable to pedestrians, but that is another topic for another rambling post.

Also, a few words about Minnesotans: they are genuinely, unfailingly nice. Everywhere you turn you're met with a blinding smile and a sincere inquiry into how you're doing or how your current condition can be improved upon. It's quite disconcerting, to be honest. Just this afternoon when I was driving to the airport I spotted an orange road construction sign that said the following: "Left lane closed ahead. Please take turns merging." And, I swear to you, everyone did. When I inadvertently rebelled against the system by becoming "that guy" who waited until the last possible second to change lanes, neatly cutting off the person directly behind me, I winced and braced myself for the blaring horn or shouted expletive to follow. When neither did, I looked into my rearview mirror and, I kid you not, the other driving was waving at me. With all his fingers. This, friends, is Minnesota. To be frank I find myself utterly at a loss for how to respond to it. I'm not entirely sure if I could handle this unwavering friendliness year-round, but for one weekend I found it quite refreshing. Heck, I might even pay it forward and actually talk to the person sitting next to me on my connecting flight instead of averting my eyes and/or feigning sleep as soon as they sidle in beside me.

Okay, probably not, but it's the thought that counts. Don'tcha know?

Injury Update/Week in Review

2011-08-14T16:54:00.004-04:00

50 miles
3 hours elliptical
2 days off
4 days in ATL
40 hours at home before my next trip

Well, as you can probably surmise from the above stats, my injury did not fade away into oblivion this week as I so fervently hoped. I was deliriously optimistic after an almost pain-free run with Jordan on Monday, but then on Tuesday morning my leg had reverted back almost completely to where it was before I'd taken last weekend off. This resulted in me cross-training on Wednesday and Thursday, which led to a great trail run in Atlanta on Friday, which produced a so-so run on Saturday...and you get the idea. Suffice it to say that significant progress is not being made.

All of this leads naturally and logically to the bright idea of taking some definitive extended time off. By that I mean a week or maybe even two. Earth-shattering, I know. Truth be told, as much as I abhor the idea, this is probably the best two-week period of the entire year to do so. I've got a crazy busy work schedule coming up, the Trials are a full five months away and all I'll be missing in the meantime (other than next weekend's planned 13.1 Minneapolis with Caitlin) is more hot and humid weather. Such a simple decision, right?

Except, of course, it isn't so simple for a stubborn, high-achieving runner like myself. As I was telling my massage therapist Byran while he firmly kneaded somewhere between two and 20 fingers into my calf muscle earlier this afternoon, it's so difficult to discern when a small, seemingly insignificant pain or tightness is going to recede within a few days and when it will slowly and almost imperceptibly metastasize into a full-blown injury. If I took days off every time some part of my body felt sore or tight I'd have most likely picked up a different sport by now. Clearly, however, I managed to let this little niggle turn into the latter scenario, and it's obvious that until I'm able to completely shake this ailment there's no point in half-assing my training just to have numbers on the board.

With that in mind, it's fortunate that I'll be far too busy within the coming days to dwell on my current situation. As I mentioned above, my work and travel schedule for the next few weeks is going to be intense--and this coming from the girl who considers waking up with little idea of what day it is or what city she's in to be a fairly normal occurrence. After returning home from Atlanta on Saturday night I've got just over a day and a half at home before embarking on an eight-day trip to Boston (for meetings at our corporate office) and Minneapolis (for 13.1). I'll then be home for one full day before taking the world's quickest trip to Texas on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. From an injury perspective, this is actually good news because the frequency of hotel stays means I'll likely have access to an elliptical machine should I make the (smart) decision to take some time off from running. Many years of training have convinced me that there's little fitness gain achieved by cross-training during injury, but for me the benefits are just as much mental and emotional as they are physical.

Unfortunately for my tens of adoring fans, a break from running will most likely also mean a break from gracing you with my trademark wit and charm. I know, I know, the idea is almost unthinkable. If you don't hear from me for a few days, please do try to soldier on. And if you do hear from me, it will be to share the joyous news that my leg has taken a turn for the better. Let's hope that comes sooner than later. Until then, run a few miles on my behalf!

Week in Review

2011-08-07T22:43:00.000-04:00

42 miles
4 days off (2 days no exercise)
3 doubles
2 hours elliptical
5 AFDs

As you can see, in light of Tuesday morning's debacle and my admittedly increasing shin pain, I went against everything ingrained in my body (and mind) and made the smart decision to take most of the rest of the week off. Aside from a few mandatory run clubs with Pacers in DC and one self-imposed mandatory fun run with my good friend and District hostess Jilane, I was pretty much a slug for the remainder of the week. I called off a morning run with Jilane on Wednesday after less than a minute of uncomfortable steps, and in the evening we were easily persuaded to scrap a half-hearted cross-training plan in favor of enjoying a relaxed dinner and a bottle of wine. (Antioxidants, anyone?) Friday, Saturday and Sunday I invoked all sorts of self-restraint and didn't allow myself to run a single step, instead slogging through a few elliptical sessions more for sanity's sake than anything else. I even passed on a long run at Davidson and group breakfast at Toast--where the special was peanut butter banana french toast--because I was adamant about being "good" on my final day off. Ugh.

As much as I hate to admit it, there's probably a reason that my mental and physical unraveling coincided in this particularly insidious manner. In order to find the last time when I only ran three days in one week, you'd have to go all the way back to the end of August last year when I hurt my foot at the Greek Fest 5k. On the one hand (foot?), I think it's a tremendous accomplishment that I've been able to train (relatively) happy and (relatively) healthy for almost an entire year. At the same time, perhaps this was my body's not-so-subtle way of demanding me to take a break and recharge the 'ol batteries before the real training begins this autumn. Because let's face it, we runners are stubborn. I definitely wasn't going to take the initiative to do so myself.

Looking ahead, I'll play next week by ear depending on how my leg feels. I plan to head out for a "tester" run tomorrow and, if all goes well, I'll probably ease back into fairly normal mileage and low to moderate intensity. I also hope to seek some treatment from Dr. Greenapple this week and maybe even a massage on Sunday. Taking one week off may prove to be quite beneficial, but if a week turns into a month then we have a problem. I plan on being extra vigilant next week to ensure that doesn't happen.

8 x 1000M Fail

2011-08-02T22:39:00.001-04:00

4 mile w/u
Target: 8x1k w/Caitlin et al
Actual: 3:24, drop out
5 mile c/d
Total: 10.5 miles

This was a fail of epic proportions. I awoke at the ungodly hour of 5:10am so I could depart my house at 5:45 and rendezvous with Caitlin, Spada, Billy and Eric at the Dilworth Speed Loop. I even dragged a bleary-eyed Jordan, who finally returned from his week-long trip to California, along with me.

As for the workout itself, there's really not much to say. From the first step of the first interval I could tell it wasn't going to be my day. When I fell off the back of the group a mere 400 meters into the second repeat, I stopped in my tracks and decided to call it a day. Instead of lingering around with the group and further augmenting my embarrassment, I turned on my heels and ran back home with Jordan. We took the long way, remaining mostly silent after I spent a solid 10 minutes venting my frustrations, and for the final mile and a half I was so dejected that I slowed to a crawl and allowed Jordan to pull ahead by himself. I was not in my happy place.

Though I'm obviously frustrated about how today's attempted workout panned out, I'm even more discouraged about how I've been feeling over the past few months as a whole. To be sure, the relentless summer weather and my constant travel schedule aren't doing me any favors, but I'm not buying either of those as legitimate reasons for not being able to recall the last time I felt truly fresh and inspired on a run. My mileage is slightly higher this summer than it has been in previous years (80-90 on average as opposed to 70-75 the past two years), but good grief I'm not trying to do 130 miles a week here. Plenty of runners at my level are running just as high if not higher mileage without their bodies putting up a fuss about it. As for me, I can't seem to string together more than a few months of high quality, pain free running without something going wrong.

Jordan thinks it's mental. He thinks I'm burned out and in need of a bigger break than my recent "down" weeks have provided. I can understand why he says that, but to be honest I don't really agree. Very rarely do I wake up dreading a run or wishing I didn't have to put in the miles, and I always head out the door with the sincere objective of leveraging my training on that day--including all the core, strengthening exercises, stretching and drills I do on a daily basis but try not to bore you with on this blog--into tangible long-term fitness gains. I want to work hard and I want to be a better runner, and in return I don't think it's too much to ask for a little bit of cooperation from my body.

Did this post turn into a disgruntled rant? Why yes, yes it did. Sorry about that. I promise the next time I write it will all be sunshine and midgets and peanut butter. As Caitlin and I have discussed before, after each workout you should be allowed five emotional minutes to experience whatever emotion you're feeling at the time, but then you have to move on with your day. This took a little bit longer than five minutes to write but hopefully you'll let it slide.

Week in Review

2011-07-31T22:16:00.000-04:00

87 miles
3 doubles
1.5 days in NYC
1.5 days in Boston
5 AFDs

Despite another hectic week of work, I was able to basically achieve my mileage goal. I would be lying if I didn't admit I almost snuck in three (junk) miles on Sunday evening just to reach 90, but fortunately I was sensible enough to talk myself out of it. Honestly, what's holding me back worse than my seemingly incessant travel is the nagging shin/posterior tib pain. Generally it's fine (although still noticeable) after I warm up for a few miles, but my first few steps of the day (as in both literally my first few steps out of bed and also my first few running strides) are quite uncomfortable. I'm rehabbing it with visits to Dr. Greenapple, ice cup massaging, strengthening exercises and compression socks, but as with any semi-injury I suppose it just takes time to heal completely. As long as it doesn't get worse I will continue to run on it. If it does regress further...well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Off to DC for the majority of this week. Yay for running in my favorite city!

Success on the Dilworth Speed Loop

2011-07-29T14:24:00.003-04:00

3.25 mile w/u
Target: 4x1.5 miles w/3 min. rest; starting at 6 min. pace and cutting down
Actual: 8:37 (5:45 avg.), 8:34 (5:41), 8:36 (5:44), 6:30 for <2k (5:37 through mile)
3.25 mile c/d
Total: 13.5 miles

Last night Caitlin and I discussed our strategy for this workout, more from a perspective of our mindset rather than the physical details. Or, to be more specific, how the unavoidable and almost debilitating heat/humidity would force us to change our definition of "success" from the outset. We agreed that setting overly ambitious goals--unrealistic due to the weather regardless of whether we think we should be able to achieve them--would result in us walking (or hobbling) away from the workout discouraged and dejected. Instead, we resolved to set the bar low and focus more on strength and effort rather than straining to hit a certain split. In theory, we are the smartest people on Earth.

Fast forward to 12 hours later, when we trotted on over to the Dilworth Speed Loop to meet up with our male escorts for the day, Caleb and Billy. The three of us agreed to let Caitlin set the tempo, and after a few precious sips from her water bottle we were ready to begin. Within the first few minutes, it was safe to conclude that I felt awful. Considering that I haven't run a hard step save for a few strides since Beat the Heat two Saturdays ago, my body was surely confused and not a little indignant about the mild torture I was forcing upon it. After finishing the first interval I was relieved to learn we'd run faster than six minute pace but doubtful of my ability to continue at the same effort level. Fortunately my body seemed to snap into gear after recovering from the first unexpected jolt of speed, and the second and third sets felt much more comfortable. That said, though my breathing regulated itself to a relatively controlled level, I could tell after two in a row at low-5:40 pace that my legs weren't going to cooperate for much longer. Sure enough, once we approached a slight uphill just past the mile marker of #4 I could feel my form unraveling and my legs straining to keep in contact with Billy and Caitlin. Instead of forcing the issue, I backed off and jogged it in.

Despite ending on a less than inspiring note, I was actually very pleased with the cumulative effort. We ran much faster than expected and kept our cool (pun intended) in drastically less than ideal conditions. As seems to be happening more and more frequently, Caitlin set the tone for our effort from the first step. I can't wait until our fitness balance shifts--not because I want to "beat" her in our workouts, but because I need to return the favor for all the intervals she's been dragging me through lately! We'll have a chance to work together on a much bigger stage in just three short weeks at 13.1 Minneapolis, and I'm confident the fitness gains from today's workout will manifest in our performance on race day.

(Down) Week in Review

2011-07-24T18:17:00.003-04:00

61-62 miles
1 double
1 day off
3 days in ATL
4 AFDs

If ever there existed weather which necessitated a down week, we just endured it. Good grief. Last weekend's unusually mild temperatures turned out to be a sick and twisted joke, lulling us into a false sense of comfort and then BAM!--we're right back on the very threshold of hell. There was a moment on Wednesday morning just after Jordan and I had finished a sweltering, stifling "easy" run at the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, a moment when we stood breathlessly panting next to my car while literally wringing out a deluge of sweat from our shorts, after which I looked Jordan dead in the eye and said: "Do not ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, ever let me complain about winter again. And if I do, remind me of this day."

So.

With that being said, the week's training wasn't entirely bad. Mostly that was due to the company of friends, in particular my former CRC teammate Stephanie "Pezz" Pezzullo. Pezz moved to Flagstaff about six months ago to pursue her goals as a steeplechase Olympic hopeful and has enjoyed a very promising year. Within the past month alone she qualified for the finals of the steeplechase at USATF Outdoor Nationals and finished as the one of the top Americans in both the Boilermaker 15k and the Peachtree 10k, her first road 10k ever. Lucky for me she's back in Charlotte for a visit, and it's been great to catch up with her on a few runs this weekend. If a fraction of her speed happens to rub off on me along the way I definitely won't complain.

Looking ahead to next week, there is--spoiler alert!--quite a bit of travel on my agenda. Tomorrow I'm headed to NYC for a Craft wear test run at New York Running Company and a few store visits, then Tuesday I'll train it to Boston for a few days up at Karhu and Craft HQ. I can only hope the weather will be slightly more tolerable in the Northeast or else my high mileage goal for the week might be overly ambitious. Either way I doubt that any workouts will happen until I return to Charlotte due to travel and work commitments, but I plan on bumping the miles up to "normal" again beginning tomorrow.

Speaking of Craft, I would be remiss if I didn't close out this entry by offering a shout-out to Andy and Frank Schleck and the entire Team Leopard Trek crew for an amazing performance at this year's Tour de France! I could not be more proud to have them representing our brand and showing everyone that Craft's performance apparel is truly the best in the world. Allez allez allez!

Week in Review

2011-07-17T20:28:00.003-04:00

93 miles
30 miles on soft surface
17 mile long run
4 runs in Texas
5 AFDs

Another high mileage week is in the books, but I think it's obvious to everyone that I need some down time! Disappointment over Saturday's race plus some lingering calf/shin pain in my right leg plus a jam-packed early week of work in Atlanta means I'll truly be taking it easy this week. This will include--gasp!--a planned day off on Tuesday. A quick review of my blog showed that my last day without running took place during the week of April 18th, so I think I'm due for another one. Tuesday's workday will start early and finish late, which conveniently makes it ideal for respite from pounding the pavement.

That all being said, don't interpret everything above to indicate that I'm giving up on the higher mileage. On the contrary, I firmly believe that the work I'm doing now will pay off come January even if its benefits aren't immediately apparent. After this week I plan to jump right back into the high mileage/moderate intensity training, hopefully with fresh and well-rested legs and a renewed mental outlook. My next major race is 13.1 Minneapolis in five weeks, and with Caitlin by my side I truly believe we can run sub-1:18 given tolerable weather conditions. One down week, four quality weeks of training and then we'll see what these legs can do!

Me, Jordan, Caitlin and Thomas post-race and sans shower at Foothills Brewery.

Beat the Heat 5k

2011-07-16T23:07:00.001-04:00

5k w/u + strides
Target: 5k @sub-17 (5:27/mile)
Actual: 17:17 (5:24, 5:46, 5:30)
$215 won ($150 overall, $65 age graded)
Results
3.5 mile c/d
Total: 9.5-10 miles

To quote the ever-supportive Jordan Kinley: "Well, that was unimpressive."

So yeah, that pretty much sums up my performance last night. The weather was amazing by North Carolina summer standards--a surprising respite from the stifling heat and humidity we've been dealing with lately--and the course was as fast as one could hope for in this area. (I should qualify that, however, by adding that practically the entire second mile was uphill--but it was followed by a long and generous downhill for mile three.) No, there are really no excuses for why I just felt flat, tired and heavy-legged from the gun. Caitlin pulled away from me shortly after the first mile marker, and though I caught Heather shortly thereafter I was unable to make a decisive move to pull away from her. Instead she was the one who confidently charged ahead with just over a quarter mile to go, putting a full five seconds on me in a very short period of time. As for the overall winner, a Kenyan from the Raleigh area whom none of us recognized (but who was, incidentally, wearing a pair of Karhu Racers), she was pretty much in her own race from the start. But the frustrating part there is that her finishing time of 16:52 is something I should be fully capable of running right now. Instead I was farther away than I'd considered as my worst case scenario.

If the race itself could be described as terrible, the post-race festivities more than made up for it. A group almost 20 strong (including three of the top five male finishers as well as a solid Charlotte contingent of Jordan, Caitlin, Matt, Billy, John, Thomas and Allen) posted up for the duration at Foothills Brewery in downtown Winston-Salem. Without question, the best part of a night race is the revelry and merriment that ensues afterward. A good time with good friends makes a world of difference in washing away the lingering disappointment of a hard-fought battle lost.

Week in Review

2011-07-10T18:44:00.002-04:00

90 miles
2 doubles
2 days in DC
15 mile long run
5 AFDs

My second 90-mile week is in the books, and I'm surprisingly no worse for the wear. That's not to say I enjoyed every minute of it, but I'm certainly growing stronger and more confident with every passing day. It's nice to head out the door for a 12-mile run and not think much of it. Though the weather is oppressive, I honestly don't think about it at all except during workouts. On every other day it's just a fact of life, something that doesn't even factor into my consciousness. To constantly dwell on it would be a pointless waste of mental energy.

That said, the weather conditions I'm about to encounter will surely make North Carolina seem tame in comparison. I fly to Texas tomorrow afternoon to spend four days in Dallas and Austin before returning home late Thursday night. My mileage will likely suffer, due more to the travel and work obligations than the weather, and I'm hoping against hope that I'll return home feeling fresh and light for Saturday night's Beat the Heat as opposed to heat-addled and exhausted. We'll see.

Without question, the best part of the past few weeks' running has been exploring some new and/or rarely visited routes. Since the beginning of July I've logged some single-track miles within a relative stone's throw of my front door (Renaissance Park on Tyvola, a 10-minute drive, and Anne Springs Close in Fort Mill, just a few miles across the SC border), as well as a few solid outings in my hands-down favorite urban running setting, Washington DC. Anytime you can cover Capitol Hill, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, Teddy Roosevelt's Island, Georgetown, the C&O Canal towpath and the Mt. Vernon Trail on foot is a win in my book (as is any route traversed with the incomparable hostess Ms. Jilane Rodgers). I may not be able to afford to permanently reside in the District, but I'll gladly take any opportunity to visit on behalf of Craft and Karhu.

Other notables for the week? A much-needed massage from Byran, a bitchin 4th of July BBQ (if passing out on the living room floor at 7pm isn't patriotic, then Jordan isn't a true American), storm chasing down I-85 and a narrowly missed copperhead blitzkrieg on the Davidson trails today (after which Allen may or may not have screamed like a little girl with little pigtails, despite the fact that I was apparently the one who narrowly escaped death). All in all, not much more a gal can ask for in a week's worth of training.

McAlpine Death March

2011-07-09T10:21:00.007-04:00

3 mile w/u
Target: 3 mile @17-low; 2 mile @11-low; 1 mile @5:30 all w/800m jog
Revised target: 3 mile @sub-18; 2 mile @ 11:30; 1 mile @sub-5:40
Re-revised target: Don't drop out; try to hang on to Spada
Actual: 17:37 (5:50, 5:50, 5:57); 11:52 (5:53, 5:59); 5:41
1 mile c/d
Total: 11 miles

I realize that reading about how brutal the weather is might be getting a little old. And I swear, I'm doing my best to not dwell on it in every single post. But today in particular merits an exception, so please humor me as I address it up front and then move on to the nitty gritty details. The facts themselves need little elaboration: upon finishing the workout, I consulted my personal weatherman (i.e., the iPhone) and learned that the temperature was 78 degrees, with 91% humidity and a dew point of 73. The temperature wasn't the issue. Rather, it was the stifling, sweltering, stagnant air that had me literally flinging sweat off my body in every direction less than two miles into the warmup jog. Around this time last year I posted a blog written by Paul's coach, Tim Budic, which succinctly argues why the dew point is the most reliable indicator of how weather affects performance. Similarly, a current LetsRun thread explains dew point and even offers one person's aptly titled "Misery Index," or a combination of the temperature and dew point. Peruse both of these useful links at your leisure, but just know that today's weather was bordering on dangerous.

Regardless, there was work to be done. As Jordan, Paul, Spada and I set off on our warmup jog we tried not to dwell on the weather, but nonetheless noted we'd be amending our ambitious prescribed paces in favor of survival. Spada and I decided to start out at 5:50 pace for the first three-mile segment, which I knew might prove difficult considering the conditions, but I was willing to give it a shot. For me personally, I knew the most important thing was not to lose contact with Spada or else I'd be left sputtering in no-man's land indefinitely.

The first mile, which began with a slight downhill from the three-mile marker on the trail, felt comfortable enough. By a mile and a half, however, my breathing began to noticeably labor, and despite passing through two miles at Spada's side I could tell he had more in the tank than me. He pulled ahead for the third mile, during which I made a conscious decision to back off or risk not finishing the workout. Even at that, I contemplated dropping out. After all, the interval finished at the Old Bell parking lot--how easy would it be to just call it a day and slink wearily back to the car??

But of course, we pressed on. The half mile recovery jog was over before we knew it, and within seconds of starting the second interval Spada had already dropped me. For the first mile I kept my eyes trained on his back, marveling with jealousy at the ease of his stride. It looked like he was barely jogging! I silently reminded myself to apologize to him after the workout for doing so little to help him run faster. A few minutes later, however, I noticed something strange: despite how much I was struggling and how much he appeared to be doing quite the opposite, the gap between us was almost imperceptibly narrowing. With each stride I gained another fraction of a meter, and by the time we reached 1.5 I'd pulled up alongside. He had towed me along for the first mile and a half, and now I would return the favor for the remaining 800 meters. Though this would be our slowest mile split of the day, it was also when we were working the hardest to fight through the cloying air and piercing sunlight to simply hold the workout together. We finished side by side, our breath ragged and gasping.

With only one hard mile to go, you'd think we would be elated. Instead, I again questioned my ability to continue. The only saving grace was knowing that Jordan had stashed a Nuun bottle at the start of the Footlocker course where we'd begin our final interval. If I could just take in a few precious sips, hopefully I'd be able to regulate my body temperature enough to finish strong. As Spada and I shuffled along beside each other, I voiced what I knew he was thinking: even if we barely broke six minutes for the mile--even if it was the hardest six-minute mile of our lives--we'd still be running under our goal marathon pace. For today, that would be enough. My spirits began to lift ever so slightly as I offered him encouraging words. Suddenly: disaster! Jordan had taken the water bottle! In hindsight, the action makes perfect sense; we weren't returning to that spot again, so if he didn't snag it on his way past then we might not get it back. In the moment, I was crestfallen. I literally asked Spada for an extra 30 seconds of rest to mentally regroup, which he didn't seem to mind allowing.

Maybe it was the extra recovery, or the knowledge that we were almost done, or the motivation of finally being able to match Spada stride for stride, but for whatever reason I felt surprisingly strong on the mile. After expecting to barely break six, I found myself passing through the halfway point comfortably on 5:40 pace. I kept the effort level high, but never straining, and was pleased to finish up with my fastest split of the day without going to the well. Considering that just minutes earlier I'd questioned even attempting the mile, it's hard to not look at that as a victory. Overall, though my splits were unremarkable, this workout actually ended up being a surprise confidence booster. If I can run below marathon pace in these conditions, I have to think that when the weather breaks--in, you know, three or four months--the same pace will feel like a breeze. A cool, dry, delightfully comfortable breeze.

12x400 at JCSU

2011-07-06T22:05:00.000-04:00

2.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 12x400m @75 or faster w/400m jog
Actual: 12x400m w/200m jog
75, 75, 75, 79, 74, 74, 73, 73, 71, 74, 73, 72
3 mile c/d
Total: 10 miles

There are few prospects less appealing to me than waking up at 5:30am to almost immediately begin sprinting around the track. (For reference, I'd put it somewhere between, say, attending a Star Wars convention and sitting front row at a Justin Bieber concert.) Fortunately, knowing I'd be sharing the oval with Caitlin, Billy, Eric and even potentially the Paul and Spada show made dragging my body out of bed slightly more bearable. I'd gone to sleep thinking the plan was 16x400 with 60 seconds rest, which seemed daunting. I awoke to a text from Mark Hadley via Caitlin saying that the workout actually only called for 12 repeats at 75 seconds or faster with a 400 meter jog. While the idea of running fewer intervals was obviously welcomed with open arms (feet?), I knew that running faster would prove challenging. Despite that, I was also not thrilled about the longer rest; 400 meters might not seem like a lot, but when you're moving at a snail's pace between every interval it could potentially draw out the workout much longer than any of us would like. Fortunately upon arriving at Caitlin's I learned that she was on the same page, so we agreed to up the ante and try to hit the same splits with only half the rest. We're crazy like that.

All in all, the workout went quite well, especially considering my current mileage volume. A quick snapshot of the past seven days, beginning with last Wednesday, looks something like this: 12, 18 (14/4 double), 14 (9/5), 12 (w/workout), 12 (hilly trails), 12. Well-rested I am not. With that said, I was surprised to be able to lock into 75-second pace right out of the gate. It normally takes my old grandma legs three or four jolting laps to find the proper tempo, but today they snapped right into the pace. Except for the noticeable 79-second outlier for #4--during which I inadvertently chastised the boys for taking the first 100 out too fast, causing them to apply the brakes a bit too liberally for the remaining 300--every single interval was at or below target pace. (Speaking of outliers, that 71 for #9 accidentally happened after we took a few extra seconds of rest to guzzle down some precious agua. Guess it really perked us up.) Our 200-meter jog was consistently at 75-80 seconds, more than the minute I always took when cutting shapes under Simmons' tutelage but far less than the 2:00-2:30 that Mark had prescribed, and up until the last few intervals I felt like it was perfectly adequate. My underlying fatigue finally showed through on the 12th and final lap, when Caitlin and the boys ran away from me like I was standing still, but otherwise I couldn't really ask my body for more than it offered today. If I can make it through the next few weeks of high mileage, I just might end up pretty darn fit!

Week in Review

2011-07-03T18:31:00.000-04:00

90 miles
3 doubles
2 days in Charleston
5 runs with Jordan
5 AFDs

It wasn't easy, but I managed to hit my mileage goal despite having to seriously backload the week. My body is tired but strong, and I'm looking forward to challenging myself and pushing my limits even further in the coming weeks. Gotta just keep doing what I'm doing, one day at a time.

McMullen Tempo With the Big Dogs

2011-07-02T12:17:00.000-04:00

2 mile w/u + strides
Target: 8 mile tempo @6:00-5:50
Actual: 6 miles in 35:40, one mile jog (8-8:30?), one mile @5:47
2 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles

Originally I'd planned on joining Caitlin for her nine mile progression run on Friday, but after Thursday necessitated a 14 and 4 double I knew I needed an easy recovery day before cranking up the engines again. Fortunately the all-star trio of Paul, Spada and Mike Beigay were gracious enough to extend me an invite to their Saturday morning session, so with Jordan in tow I set off toward McMullen just as the sun was rising.

After an unexpectedly gorgeous day on Thursday, in which the weather gods mercifully offered low humidity and a tinge of crispness to the morning air, I was hoping against hope that Friday and Saturday would bring more of the same. Friday morning felt downright cool, albeit with slightly higher humidity, but I could tell as soon as I stepped outside this morning that we would get no such respite for today's workout. Oh well. Our warmup jog was easy and relaxed, and I took solace in the fact that I wasn't completely drenched by the time we returned to our cars. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. With a few final encouraging words we set off at a brisk pace along the dirt path, Paul leading the charge with the rest of us flanked in a "V" formation behind him. I tucked in and hoped to just get carried along.

To be honest, I never truly expected to be able to hang with them the entire way. Maybe some people (i.e., Jordan) would respond that with such a negative attitude I'd already sealed my fate before the workout even began. I knew that running with them for at least five miles was realistic, but the end result would depend on just how much they decided to drop the pace during the second half. I felt relatively comfortable at our four-mile U-turn, despite dropping a 5:50 for mile three, but once we started heading back the other way I could feel my effort level rising precipitously. Mile five was also 5:50 and my breathing was noticeably labored. Each time we hit a bend or slight incline in the trail I could feel myself losing contact with the group by another few meters. Jordan gamely held back, offering encouraging words and entreating me to stay focused, but I knew I was done. I made it to the sixth mile marker before coming to a stop and waving him ahead to catch the group.

After catching my breath for a few seconds, I slowly began to jog back. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to finish the workout, especially since this is my goal marathon pace come winter, but I also knew that the purpose of a tempo run is not to run yourself to exhaustion. As I approached the penultimate mile marker I decided I'd pick up the pace and try to bring it in with a sub-5:50 effort. If I hit the 800m mark slower than 3 minutes then I'd shut it down, but I passed the marker comfortably in 2:53 so I continued homeward. I finished with ragged breathing and heavy legs, but I was satisfied that I'd somewhat managed to salvage the workout.

Overall, I had a great time mixing it up out there with a different workout group. And it goes without saying that I'm thrilled to have Jordan back in action, not to mention the fact that he cruised through this tempo as though he'd never missed a beat. With the workout behind us and a holiday weekend ahead, it's time to relax and enjoy some much needed recovery!

Good Old-Fashioned Southern Road Trip

2011-06-28T21:50:00.003-04:00

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 200m-300-400-500-600-700-800-700-600-500-400-300-200 w/60-90 sec. rest
Actual: Above, starting at 5:30 pace down to 5:15-5:10
2 mile c/d
Total: 9 miles

Charleston's Cooper River Bridge

After a few hectic weeks of work and travel, I was beyond excited to spend a few days relaxing with my parents and Jordan in Charleston, SC. Though Jordan frequently visits accounts there (and was actually in town the previous week), neither my parents nor myself have ever been. After receiving what turned out to be a fabulous hotel recommendation from a friend and a vague idea of some touristy things we wanted to do, our trip began to take shape. Once my parents touched down in Charlotte on Sunday afternoon we set off for our riverside peninsula destination.

Ma mere et mon pere

In short, though the trip was wonderful from almost every perspective, one area that proved less than pleasant was running. With lows barely bottoming out at 80 and highs cresting the mid-90s (with humidity percentages following suit in the inverse), finishing a run with shorts that looked as though I'd fallen into the Cooper River was pretty much the norm. On Monday morning's easy run with Jordan and my pops I didn't mind it so much. The pace and conversation flowed easily and we were able to steal a few patches of shade, plus it's hard to complain about the gorgeous view with the Battery to our right and the harbor to our left.

Enjoying some R&R on the pier near our hotel

Tuesday morning was a different story.

At Jordan's suggestion, we rose before the sun to venture across the bridge to Mt. Pleasant for a track workout. He's worked out once or twice before with Irv and his crew from On the Run, so we hoped to meet up with them for a few laps together around the oval. As we exited the car and eased our groggy legs into a long warmup jog, I remarked to Jordan that even at 6am the conditions were reminiscent of the sweltering 13.1 Chicago from several weeks ago. An auspicious portent it was not. Even though the workout Jordan had prescribed (read: made up during our jog) didn't sound terrible, my already sweat-soaked shirt indicated that it wouldn't much matter. With a burgeoning bad attitude rising quicker than the sun, I rather petulantly whined to Jordan that he should have to pull me along, just like old times. Though I'm pretty sure he hasn't done so much as a stride in the past few months, he agreed without hesitation. I had my old partner back in action and just in the nick of time. Within the first few intervals I could tell that my breathing was unusually labored and my heart rate quicker than normal. The hot, damp air seemed utterly devoid of oxygen as I struggled to gulp enough down in between intervals. After the first few I stopped clicking my watch and instead concentrated on not falling off Jordan's hip or, worse, dropping out. I overheard Jordan saying that the 800 was 2:40 and the second 400 was 75, but other than that I honestly don't know many splits. It's been a while since I felt quite so terrible during a workout, and that's saying something. It wasn't my finest hour, but thanks to JSK I got it done.

Though the workout conditions weren't ideal, our recovery protocol certainly was. The expansive whirlpool tub in our room and easy access to the hallway ice machine made a post-workout ice bath a no brainer. I replenished (possibly over-replenished) my lost calories with pumpkin french toast at breakfast at our hotel, the Vendue Inn, and a huge burger from Pawley's in Columbia on the drive home (as seen on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives"). Not surprisingly, a few good meals proved to be a great way to cap off our trip and erase any lingering disappointment from my workout! I can't wait to travel to Charleston again--only maybe I'll wait until autumn next time.

Week In Review

2011-06-26T17:31:00.002-04:00

70-71 miles

2 doubles

4 days in CHI

3 AFDs (oops)

As promised, I enjoyed a relative down week of training. Though my mileage wasn't terribly low--and, in fact, would've been higher if I hadn't confessed to Jordan on Saturday afternoon that I was already at 65 miles, thus inciting him to relegate me to a measly five mile run on Sunday--there were really no workouts to speak of. True, I did do 16x1 min. on, 1 min. off with Caitlin at an ungodly early hour on Tuesday morning, but what the session delivered in speed it made up for with a relative lack of volume. The remainder of my runs took place in Chicago with new friends like Jill--whom I originally met at 13.1 Miami, then 13.1 NYC, then hung out with in Dallas, then reunited with at 13.1 Chicago--and old friends like Claire Shearman, my former Mizuno co-worker who now designs apparel for New Balance. Five or six years ago we both moved to Atlanta sight unseen to undertake new positions in the running industry and quickly became inseparable morning running buddies. Some of my fondest memories of the ATL include Claire, which made it a real treat to be able to spend some time with her and countless other industry peeps at the Fleet Feet conference this past week. (It's like a high school reunion, only with people you actually want to see!)

The best part of this week in running? Knocking out my Sunday five miler with JSK by my side. I've missed my running buddy over the recent weeks and months as he struggled through a series of debilitating injuries, and nothing makes me happier than the prospect of returning to our almost daily routine of matching each other stride for stride (that is, when I'm not making him block the wind and drag me through workouts while I stare at his back).

Looking ahead, my mileage increase will begin on schedule tomorrow. Several of my early runs will take place in Charleston, where I'll be traveling with Jordan and my parents after they arrive later today for a much awaited visit. A running mecca it is not, but the one positive about logging the miles in Chucktown is that it will make Charlotte seem cool and devoid of humidity by comparison when we get home. Either way, it can only make me tougher.

Let the summer training begin!

Week in Review

2011-06-19T22:29:00.000-04:00

87 miles
3 doubles
3 days in DC
2 runs with Jilane
5 AFDs

As the month of June rapidly comes to a close, with it comes a respite from the seemingly continuous racing I've been doing the past few months. Now that the Running of the Bulls 8k is in the books, I don't really have anything else coming up until the Beat the Heat 5k in a double fortnight. (Okay, that's probably not an actual expression. Damn you Wimbledon!) With all of the top five finishers from last weekend slated to return for the 5k champs, Beat the Heat could end up pushing all of us to some pretty quick times.

Though I do hope to be competitive at that race, the 5k is definitely not my focus. After talking at length with Jordan about how we want my training to shape up before I begin my marathon block in preparation for the Trials, I think we're going to use the rest of the summer as an opportunity to gradually increase the mileage and strength while backing off a bit on the intensity. If you look at my log, I've more or less averaged 80-85 mpw for the past three months excluding a few planned down weeks. Now we'll look to bring that number up into the 90-100 range while still utilizing strategic breaks when sensible. One of those breaks will actually take place this coming week, as I'll be traveling to Chicago for the Fleet Feet Conference and most likely won't have time to log many high mileage days. (Workouts are even less likely.) Whether I'll reach 60 or 80 on the week is TBD, but either way it will mostly be slow and casual. Once I return to Charlotte and have a (relatively) extended stretch at home, the mileage bump will begin. Knowing my propensity for injury I'm aware that I'll have to be diligent in monitoring any seemingly minor aches or pains, but as of now my body feels healthy and strong. I'm excited to begin this next phase of my training cycle as I progress toward my ultimate goal, the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials.

Running of the Bulls 8K

2011-06-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

2+ mile w/u + strides
Target: 8k race @5:45 pace (28:40) or faster
Actual: 28:14 (5:41 pace); 2nd female, $300
Results
4 mile c/dTotal: 11 miles

I'm so tempted to take the easy way out since Caitlin just penned a great recap of yesterday's race, but she already told me that such laziness is unacceptable. Thus, I will try to share some of the action from my perspective without completing rehashing what she's already written. (Okay, and because I'm just a little bit lazy.)

For starters, while we're on the subject of Caitlin, I award all the credit to her for running such a tough, smart race and for keeping the pace honest throughout. There were several sections during the middle miles where I would've gladly slowed down to return to my rapidly diminishing comfort zone, but she forced me to stay focused and on my toes (literally) for the better part of 30 minutes. Without her efforts we surely would not have had five women finish faster than the time Caitlin ran to win the darn thing last year. While during the 2010 race Caitlin pretty much ran solo from the gun, today we had an amazing group of five women who stuck together through the first two miles, then three of us who continued to battle it out all the way to the finish. This speaks volumes for the current quality of women's running in the state of North Carolina and also for its breadth, as today's top five hailed from Charlotte to Wilmington and nearly everywhere in between.

Two of those ladies, Heather Magill and Lucinda Smith, were familiar faces from last month's Capital City Classic 10k in Raleigh. They were tough competitors then and proved to be just as much so today. The third place finisher, Jackie Kirby, is the one I knew the littlest about and also the one who gave me the biggest scare! Once the three of us began to separate from the rest of the pack midway through the race, I tried in vain to shake Jackie from my shoulder. She kept falling back slightly on the uphill sections--at which point I would breathe a sigh of relief that she'd finally been broken--only to see her doggedly fight back into contention with each corresponding downhill. Finally, with about half a mile to go, I was convinced I'd finished her off. Caitlin, one of the strongest hill runners I've ever seen, was in the process of pulling decisively away from me but I was convinced I had second in the bag. As I accelerated down the final hill leading into the former Durham Bulls stadium (which signaled roughly 250 meters to go), I casually looked over my left shoulder only to make sure my position was clear. To my chagrin (or, more accurately panic), Jackie was practically close enough to reach over and give me a love tap. For the remaining minute I was literally running scared, convinced that she was going to come sprinting past me and my pathetic attempt at a kick at any moment. Mercifully that dreaded moment never came and I managed to barely beat her to the line, but it was no easy feat. Though I hated it at the time, in hindsight this is exactly the type of competition that we need here on the regional racing circuit! (And just in case you're wondering if we are all arch-enemies, in reality Caitlin and John and I enjoyed a lovely cooldown jog with Heather and Jackie and Molly Nunn and several other racers. I can't imagine there are many other sports where your heated rivals turn into casual buddies as soon as the competition is finished.)

Almost being (unknowingly) caught on the final hill

Despite being handed my first defeat in quite some time, I was quite pleased with today's result. There's nothing I could've or would've done different from a tactical standpoint to change the outcome. Simply put, Caitlin was just too good. And, quite frankly, if anyone is going to beat me I'd prefer it to be one of my closest friends and teammates. In the process we smashed our time and pace expectations on a humid--albeit relatively cool--morning, which says more about our current state of fitness than a high placing necessarily does. For me, this race also quantifies some significant improvements over the course of recent weeks. On April 30th Caitlin and I ran 29:30 for five miles (and took our now infamous hand-holding photo) at the Heart & Sole Five Miler. If you extrapolate today's 8k out to a full five miles, we bested that time by a solid minute on a comparably difficult course. I also learned that my near-nemesis Jackie ran 16:34 on the track this spring, which is also an encouraging indicator of my current fitness level. Finally, deep down I'm just relieved that I've apparently been able to shake any lingering effects of the heat and dehydration from 13.1 Chicago a fortnight ago. (Sorry, but every year when Wimbledon rolls around I get the urge to incorporate "fortnight" into my everyday conversation.) After a full week of feeling sluggish, fatigued and just generally exhausted, I'm finally on the rebound and feeling like my normal self. There's always room for improvement, but the Running of the Bulls 8k shows that I'm on the right track.

Rock Creek Park Fartlek

2011-06-14T16:39:00.002-04:00

3 mile w/u
Target (in mins.): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
w/rest jog equal to half of the preceding interval
Actual: Above
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 13+ miles

After two aborted workouts attempts last weekend, I would be lying if I said my self-esteem wasn't suffering just a tad. With one of my summer goal races less than a week away, feeling overwhelmed with fatigue on lethargy on every single run isn't exactly ideal. With that in mind, I wanted Jordan to write me a workout for Tuesday that could be based off of time and feel rather than pace and distance. I also knew that I would most likely be running on the bike path in Rock Creek Park, which, while a great place to put in some miles, is not marked (as far as I know). So Jordan came up with the above, giving me the weenie option of omitting the 6 and the second 5 if I wasn't feeling it.

I spent the majority of Monday afternoon and evening making the 7-hour trek up to DC before finally stopping at my friend Owen's pad for the evening. I stayed up for a bit socializing and going on a late-night roommate grocery shopping trip, which meant I was in bed later than I'd planned and thus slept in until 7:30 this morning. Normally a 8:00+ workout start would be a suicide mission in the oppressive summer heat, but lucky for me--and I wouldn't realize just how lucky until later in the workout--a welcomed cool front blew into DC yesterday. This meant that when I stepped outside it was 65 degrees and what felt like zero percent humidity, more like a crisp autumn day than the dregs of summer. In a word, it was heavenly.

Despite the auspicious conditions, I started off tentatively, wary of the leaden tiredness I expected to descend upon my legs at any moment. When that feeling never came, I began to open up my stride and really challenge the pace. The sun was shining brightly overhead and the trees were buffeted by a cooling breeze, making for the most enjoyable workout weather I can remember in some months. Of course, the amazing scenery of Rock Creek didn't exactly hurt either. I've traveled far and wide and will contend that DC has the best urban running environment of any city in the US. As I passed through the foliage of Rock Creek toward the heart of the District, with the Potomac River and Virginia to my right and the National Mall and all its monuments to my left, I found myself thinking about the times this winter I'd trudged past these sights on frigid solo runs in the snow or wind. Today the trails were flooded with other runners, cyclists and pedestrians, some using the path as a via point and others simply out enjoying the day. As the workout progressed I found myself feeling stronger and stronger, at some moments focusing on my form or pace and at other moments enjoying the beauty of my surroundings. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I do know I finished up quicker than when I began.

Another way I mentally "tricked" myself into doing this workout was resolving not to focus at all on the distance covered. I didn't even add up the segments in my head beforehand or try to approximate how far the entire run would take me. If you'd asked me to guess ahead of time, I would've probably put my estimate somewhere in the 10-mile range. Imagine my surprise, then, to read 1:17 on my watch as I clicked off the final interval. I was over 11 miles in before even beginning the cooldown! Given the spectacular weather I wouldn't have minded meandering around for a bit, but since I have a fun run scheduled at Pacers tonight I knew I needed to take the most direct route back to Owen's. This is the first time in a long time I've actually been sad to see a workout end, a testament to the powerful effect the weather can have on performance (and confidence!). On the mostly uphill cooldown my legs felt bouncy and fresh, my body energized and invigorated as opposed to fatigued and depleted. Whether this translates to Saturday's race remains to be seen, but I am incredibly grateful for this experience out on the trails today.

Week in Review

2011-06-12T17:04:00.002-04:00

85 miles
3 doubles
4 days in Austin
5 AFDs

The summer heat has descended upon us in full force, and nowhere is that more apparent than Austin, Texas. While I love running there, I can't say I was thrilled about 100+ degree temperatures all week. Though the intensity of my runs wasn't anything out of the ordinary, the sheer volume of mileage coupled with the weather and my travel schedule translated into some wicked dehydration come the weekend. At one point on Friday night, out to dinner with my friend Allison and her boyfriend, I looked down at my feet and almost gasped out loud. They were puffy and swollen almost to the point of being unrecognizable as my own (although when in doubt, the bunions are a dead giveaway). A sluggish run on Saturday and a failed "workout" on Sunday so pitiful I can't even bring myself to write about it further reinforced the realization that I need to take some time to truly relax and recover. With the 8k less than a week away, this is a slightly worrisome feeling.

Unfortunately, that rest won't happen right away. I'm driving up to DC on Monday afternoon for some account visits and a run club at Pacers on Tuesday. I'll make the return trip sometime on Wednesday and have a little less than two days to hang out at home before traveling to Durham for the race. Caitlin and I have grand plans of working together and really putting forth an honest effort, so needless to say I'll be extremely disappointed if my body decides not to cooperate. I'm going to take serious measures to ensuring I'm as rested and hydrated as possible by then and hope that my legs will be able to do the rest.

20x300 Fail (Sort Of)

2011-06-08T16:14:00.004-04:00

2.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 4x(5x300m); first set in 60s, then 59s, 58s, 57s
100m jog @30-35 b/t reps; 500m jog b/t sets
Actual set avgs: 59.5, 58.5, 57.5, 57-flat
2 mile c/d
Total: 10 miles

Every time I attempt a version of this workout, the same thing happens. I look at it on paper and think it's going to be a complete breeze. I mean, come on, starting at 80-second quarter pace? That should be cake. Never mind the fact that I'm in Austin and it's a million degrees and I only have 30 seconds between intervals. Pish posh.

In reality, inevitably, this workout kicks my butt. Every time. I'm still not entirely sure exactly what it is that does me in, but by halfway through the second set--that is, only a third of the way through the entire workout--I was already bargaining with myself for legitimate excuses to stop. Each set went something like this:

First 300: I feel great! Nice and relaxed. This is so easy.
Second 300: Not bad, not bad. A little short of breath but my legs feel strong.
Third 300: Hmm...this is getting a big harder...wait a minute, am I wheezing??
Fourth 300: This sucks. I hate running. I can't believe I have to finish two more before I get a break.
Fifth 300: (Cannot be printed here.)

So, how can I put a positive spin on this? The reality is that this workout directly exposes my weaknesses; namely, well, running fast. I can maintain 6-minute pace virtually all day long, but ask me to break 5:10 for a mile and things will get ugly in a hurry. So as much as I have to drag myself kicking and screaming through this kind of speed work, it's probably one of the absolute best things I can do to increase fitness. With the 8k coming up in 10 days, I'll take any boost I can get.

Also, I choose to look at it this way: When I finished the final interval, my watch read exactly 39:00. If you subtract out the three one-lap jogs and Nuun breaks in between sets, each of which lasted almost exactly 3:10, that would bring the total to 29:30 for 20x400m, or five miles. This means that, including each of the 100m jogs after each interval, I averaged 5:55 pace almost continuously. Not great, but not too bad. (Actually this could be completely wrong. I calculated it all out during my cooldown when my brain was certainly devoid of oxygen. But I'd appreciate it if you don't burst my bubble.)

Overall, though I'm still inclined to label this workout a fail--I honestly thought I could average 55-56 pretty comfortably--I'm just happy to have completed it. And yes, that's the second time in less than a week I've said that about a running performance. Deal with it.

Week in Review

2011-06-05T20:42:00.001-04:00

82 miles
3 doubles
4 days in Chicago
5 AFDs

Is it becoming a bit repetitive to say I had a busy week? Spending more than several consecutive days in my own home is a rare occurrence and this week was no exception. Our next 13.1 isn't until Minneapolis in August, but I still have tons of travel on tap before then, including another visit to Texas on Tuesday and a return trip to Chicago for the Fleet Feet Conference at the end of the month.

As for training, I think I've thoroughly exhausted the topic of yesterday's thoroughly exhausting race. I capped the week off with a fun, relaxed trail run at Sherman Branch with some CRC buddies on Sunday, followed by iced coffee, the French Open, pool time, froyo, a trip to Trader Joe's and some relaxation time with Jordan and Weezy--I challenge you to tell me a better way to relax on a post-race Sunday! I'm looking forward to next week's soft surface runs at Town Lake in Austin and hopefully a solid workout mid-week. The Running of the Bulls 8k is less than two weeks away and I hope to feel fit and fresh by then. Onward!

13.1 Chicago Race Recap

2011-06-04T22:30:00.000-04:00

~1 mile w/u + strides
13.1 miles in 1:21:42
Total: 14 miles
Results
1st place female, $1000

It happened just before mile 12. Turning to the man pedaling his bicycle alongside me, I mustered up enough breath and energy to ask how much distance separated me from the next female. It was the first time I'd spoken to him all day. He arched casually over his right shoulder to scan the pavement behind us, then turned back to me. "She's at least two or three blocks. I can barely see her." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," I replied. "Because I think I might need to stop and walk."

Not exactly the words you'd expect to hear from the mouth of the lead runner, I'll admit. But this was no ordinary race. This was a death march, a war of attrition, any other number of militant doomsday metaphors. It was, with no exaggeration, the hottest and most difficult race of my life. The only thing that kept me from succumbing to exhaustion and walking during that final mile was the knowledge that six minutes later I would be a thousand dollars richer. I am not ashamed to say there was no sense of pride, no intrinsic moral fortitude, propelling me forward. It was straight up cash money.

I knew from the moment I woke up that it was going to be a rough day for everyone involved. When my coworker picked me up from my hotel at 4:30am, it was already 76 degrees. The sun began steadily ascending on the horizon as we set up the Karhu and Craft booth at the race site. With it rose the temperature and humidity. After jogging barely a mile to warm up I found myself already thirsty and perspiring excessively. I put about a dozen ice cubes in my sports bra before walking over to the start line for the 7:13 gun time. Other than my friend Jill, a Chicagoan whom I originally met at another 13.1 earlier this year, I didn't know if there were any other fast women in the mix. Prior to the rapid weather deterioration--I'd been in Chicago for three days, any of which would've been perfectly acceptable for racing from a heat/humidity perspective--my plan was to take the race out hard and distance myself from the field within the first 5k. Now I knew that type of strategy would be reckless if not downright dangerous. Instead I decided to make a conscious effort to go out conservatively and see if others responded.

Despite those intentions, I found myself running solo less than a mile into the race. I split 6:07--faster than I wanted, but it felt like a jog--but my only female companion had already fallen back slightly. I knew the course would make a U-turn around mile 7, which meant I'd have an opportunity to assess the competition. I decided to keep pressing with the same effort until that point, then determine whether I needed to keep up the intensity or whether I could back off. Easier said than done, as less than two miles in I was already thirsty and oppressively hot. The flat, fast course was more or less an out-and-back along the South Shore lakefront path, which could've made for blazing fast times under other circumstances. Today, all metrics were tossed out the window. The sun continued to rise, its heat seeping onto the race course and its rapidly wilting participants. If there was a quarter mile stretch of shade along the entire route I never found it. Instead I continued to slowly bake, like the ill-fated frog brought to boil in a pot of seemingly innocuous water. By mile four I realized I couldn't look at the remainder of the race in its entirety. I had to literally focus on one mile at a time or else the enormity of the task at hand would overwhelm me. If you think I'm being overly dramatic, you'll learn later in this story just how dire the situation was.

As promised, the turnaround presented itself just before the seventh mile. Soon after I passed the second place female coming from the opposite direction. Was she thirty seconds behind me? A minute? Two? Fatigue had dulled my reasoning skills and I honestly couldn't tell. (In reality, she was probably 60 seconds behind me at that point.) At the time I thought that there was a sliver of a chance she could be within striking distance, especially considering my rapidly deteriorating physical and mental state. Despite this potential to be overtaken, I began walking through the water stops from mile 8 on. In most competitive half marathons I wouldn't even take water, much less literally stop running in order to drink. Today I was willing to absorb the extra 5-10 seconds per mile just so I could ingest a full cup of water and a full cup of Powerade without spilling precious drops. There was also a cold towel station at mile 9, which again I would not heed under normal circumstances but today grabbed with greedy hands. Each time I approached a mile marker I would dread splitting my watch, certain there was no way it could be sub-7, and each time I was downright shocked to see something in the 6:10-6:20 range. It felt like my legs were moving in quicksand, yet somehow I wasn't completely imploding. Every once in a while I would overtake a male competitor, but for the most part it was just myself and the assigned lead cyclist. As I approached the final few miles I could feel heat rising like a wave of panic in my throat, and I knew I was dangerously close to overheating. If the second place female was anywhere close, it was all over. That's when I turned and, without preamble, asked my cyclist companion to update me on the situation.

Pretty much the exact moment when I wanted to start walking.
Photo credit Ali Engin.

I knew then I had just over six minutes to go, and for over $150 a minute there was no excuse for walking. I focused all my energy on putting one foot in front of the other until the cyclist spoke again. "You're there," he said. "It's been an honor riding with you." An honor? With my poor attitude and performance? I was instantly humbled. At that moment I wished I'd taken a few seconds to thank him for his help out on the course, but with a burst of speed he was quickly gone. I never saw him again.

A few seconds later I rounded the final turn, once again shocked to see a not-too-terrible time flashing on the clock. Somehow I found the energy to "sprint" in to the line, if for no other reason than the knowledge that ice cold Powerade and water awaited me there. I was done, in every sense of the word. Grateful for the win but utterly exhausted. I hung around in the finish chute to congratulate the second place female and my friend Jill, who placed fourth, before my coworker Jeff insisted that I walk over to the medical area to cool down. I promptly sat down in a kiddie pool filled with ice cubes and gulped down another water. I could palpably feel my body temperature cooling with every passing second and knew that I was out of the danger zone.

As it turns out, others would not be so lucky. Twenty minutes later, just before 9am, the race committee made the decision to downgrade the race conditions from Red Flag to Black Flag. This meant that the race was effectively over. No more times would be recorded and runners were strongly advised to stop in their tracks and take a shuttle bus back to the finish. It was eerily reminiscent of a similar 2007 situation that unfolded, ironically, at the Chicago Marathon. This time the race management team was expertly prepared and fully competent, but some runners were still no match for the extreme weather conditions. I learned later in the day of the tragic death of one athlete and the hospitalization of 10 others, an unfortunate end to what should have been a fun and light-hearted event.

As for myself, I was extremely satisfied with my race efforts. My time was unremarkable and undeserving of $1000, but there were easily half a dozen moments when I seriously considered dropping out and wogging back to the start line. As cheesy as it sounds, I'm proud that I finished. I feel like if I can conquer conditions like today's, then I have no excuse for not doing the same in any and every race going forward. The same can be said for all of today's finishers. Congratulations to everyone who persevered today at the Chicago 13.1--I hope you're drinking lots of water and maybe even a beer or two to celebrate your triumph over Mother Nature!

Jill and I post-race. We've previously met
in Dallas, Miami and NYC. Neither of us live
in any of those cities.

13.1 Chicago Pre-Race Workout

2011-05-31T14:31:00.002-04:00

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 2xmile @5:35-40 w/4 mins rest; 2x1k @3:25 w/3 mins. rest; 4x300m strides
Actual: 5:35, 5:29, 3:21, 3:22, 54, 54, 54, 53
2 mile c/d
Total: 10 miles

Though I haven't done one in some time, pre-race workouts were a staple of my training while at Queens. Rather than being designed to elicit fitness gains or blazing fast times, the objective is simply to turn the legs over at race pace or faster and emerge feeling comfortable and confident in your upcoming race plan. In theory, it makes perfect sense. In practice, it often works like a charm. Today, I felt like death.

To be honest, I have no one to blame but myself. And perhaps Mother Nature. Sure, I could've started before sunrise, but I naively thought that departing my house for the AG track at 7:30am would still give me plenty of time to complete the relatively short workout before the heat and humidity became too oppressive. I was grossly mistaken. I'd also forgotten how much of the track--really, all but about 20 meters surrounding the starting line--is completely exposed to the sun. By the time I finished my warmup and strides I was already wilting rapidly. The first two mile repeats and their lengthy rest should've felt easy and relaxed, but instead every part of my body felt tense and heavy and almost unbearably warm.

I had just finished the second mile repeat and was slowly trotting around the top of the curve when I spotted a familiar face jogging toward me. My friend and CRC teammate John Fillette had just arrived for his own workout but graciously offered to run with me for the remainder of mine. What a difference his presence made! My first 1k, which I did solo while John finished his warmup, was as much a chore as the preceding mile repeats. But I felt instantly, inexplicably better once John jumped in for the second one. Just having someone else running alongside me translated to a tangible difference in my level of perceived exertion. Thanks to his company I finished out the 300s feeling relaxed and strong--albeit indescribably thirsty--and to offer a small token of my appreciation I stuck around and cheered him through a solo mile repeat at the end. He even joined me for part of my cooldown, which was an added bonus. I have no doubt John will crush it at the King Tiger 5k when he toes the line this weekend!

As for myself, this workout did little to affect my confidence in either direction for my upcoming race. On the one hand, the entire thing was a struggle. On the other hand, I was still able to run faster than my prescribed paces despite feeling terrible from the first few steps. I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed for better weather in Chicago this weekend, but either way I know I'm in solid shape. And it's not like the weather is going to improve any time soon, so I might as well get used to it. Game on, summer.

Week in Review

2011-05-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

60 miles
30 mins. elliptical
0 doubles
3 AFDs
5 states (NC, MA, NH, MA, RI)

Before I comment on this week's training, I first want to express my gratitude. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who sent me their thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, text messages, emails and donations on behalf of my family members in Joplin. As one benefactor stated, "I know we're not in close touch, but this running world and industry is one big family." Never has that been more apparent than after the outpouring of support I received this past week. For that, I thank you all. If you've not yet donated and have an interest in doing so, please see my previous blog post for both a mailing address and a PayPal account.

Though running is somewhat insignificant when compared to the events in Joplin, it is nonetheless what all my many adoring fans (read: my dad) look for on this blog, so I would be remiss without providing a brief recap of last week's activities. True to my word, I took a "down week" that consisted of significantly lower mileage, no doubles and no workouts. Doing so was hardly difficult. I spent the early part of the week in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, meeting with the rest of the Karhu North America team to learn about the exciting Karhu and Craft lines for Spring/Summer 2012. If you think that means we spent all day lounging around and logging miles, you'd be wrong. Tuesday's meeting lasted almost 11 hours and Wednesday's wasn't much shorter, which meant my runs were early and relatively brief. Portsmouth is a charming New England town, and what it lacks in terms of running paths and trails it makes up for with beautiful harborside views. My personal highlight was running across one of the nearby bridges solely because the other side was home of Kitterly, Maine. Prior to this week both Maine and New Hampshire were states I needed to cross off my travel "list," so I was psyched to easily traverse between the two in the course of a single run.

Originally I'd planned to undertake a rather cumbersome cab/bus/train combination down to Providence on Friday morning, but fortunately two of my coworkers who live in Providence graciously offered me a ride at the close of meetings on Thursday. Jordan flew out on Thursday morning and was eager to relive his glory days so without further ado we commenced our holiday weekend a bit early. I spent the majority of the following three days repeating the mantra "This is his special weekend. This is his special weekend" over and over in my head, as most of the time I felt like I'd fallen asleep and awoken in the middle of a "Van Wilder"-meets-"Animal House"-meets "The Hangover" scenario. I've never seen more doctors, lawyers and other Ivy League advanced-degree holders behaving in a more juvenile manner, but it was clear they were having a blast and their shenanigans were (mostly) harmless so I refrained from objecting too loudly.

Though there weren't too many ladies in the mix, I was grateful to have my friend Kim around for most of the weekend. After an incredibly courageous performance during last month's Boston Marathon (during which she gapped the entire field by almost a minute at the halfway point), Kim sustained a soleus tear and a DNF that was just as emotionally painful as it was physically. Fortunately she has healed quickly and is back on her feet already, so I was eager for us to log some miles together. Not only did I get to tag along for several runs with the RHT (record holding trio) of Kim, Molly and Roisin but I also recruited Kim for shopping and day drinking and generally helping me put up with the silly boys. Definitely a clutch performance by Ms. Smith.

Memories! Jordan and I at Campus Dance '08, our first "event" together

Brown '06 classmates, teammates and best friends:
Craig, Jordan, Owen and Tushar reunited at Campus Dance '10

After such an exciting and exhausting week, Jordan and I could both use some time to rest and relax. Unfortunately neither of us will get it, as he departs for DC on Tuesday and I'm off to work 13.1 Chicago from Wednesday on. This means I'll probably be frontloading my mileage for the week, which might actually work out well since I'm planning to race the half marathon on Saturday. The temperatures are sky-high here in Charlotte and I can only hope for some reprieve in the Midwest next weekend. Either way I plan on putting forth a hard effort with the goal of earning a PR and the victory. The down week is over; it's time to get back to work!

A Request For Help

2011-05-23T16:58:00.006-04:00

As you all know, running is one of the most important aspects of my life. It is my hobby and my livelihood and my passion all rolled into one. It is normally the primary topic and concern of this blog.

Not today.

Like most Americans, I awoke this morning to the news of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through Joplin, MO last night. This was particularly alarming for me because most of my mother's family lives there. While none of them were injured, which is a tremendous blessing, they did not emerge unscathed. It was with an incredibly heavy heart that I learned of my uncle Evan, aunt Shelly and their daughter Avery losing their entire house and almost all of their belongings in the wake of this disaster. In an instant their shelter and their possessions were reduced to virtually nothing.

For the immediate future, they are incredibly fortunate to be able to stay with my aunt Kelly (Shelly's twin sister), her husband Mark and their son Preston. Unlike many of the hundreds or even thousands of other Joplin residents left homeless in the wake of the storm, they do not have to worry about finding a roof to put over their heads--for now. But there will surely be months of work and heartache ahead as they attempt to rebuild their home and their lives. The physical, emotional and mental strength it must take to start from nothing more than the clothes on your back is almost incomprehensible to me.

Evan, Shelly and Avery would never ask any of you for money. They don't know most of you. Truthfully, I probably don't personally know all the people who read this blog. But I am asking for your help anyway. I have set up the PayPal account below with the specific intention of reaching out to anyone who is willing and able to lend a metaphorical hand. I don't know if this post will generate two donations or 200, but I am positive that literally any amount will be received with open arms and a grateful heart. I can do nothing more than promise that every dime you donate will be given directly to my family, but I hope you will take me at my word. I do know that PayPal charges a transaction fee for me to extract the money, but I will match that amount in cash to ensure that your contribution is given in its entirety. If you would prefer to donate in person or to mail a check, you may send one to me at:

Meagan Nedlo
4754 Hedgemore Dr. Unit T
Charlotte, NC 28209

My intention with this post is not to put anyone on the spot or cause you to feel uncomfortable. I know there are countless worthy charities out there that many of you already support, just as I know that there are many of other Joplin residents who need and deserve this money as much as my family does. I write humbly with no expectations. But if you feel compelled to give, however large or small, please know from the bottom of my heart that it will be sincerely appreciated.

Week in Review

2011-05-22T18:19:00.003-04:00

85 miles
3 doubles
3 runs at McMullen
3 Great Harvest cookies

Another solid week of training in the books, including several runs with friends and a few great Karhu events. On Wednesday night I partnered with Bull City Running to host a wear test at their new social run at Fullsteam Brewery. This run is only in its fifth week and they already have over 100 participants! The venue was amazing and Jordan and I had a blast hanging out with the runners and then later spending the night with our friend Sarah the Brooks tech rep. Saturday morning after the Great Harvest race I hustled over to the beautiful new TrySports location (which is technically the same address as their old location, only a few spaces down in the shopping center) and lit up the pavement with neon orange and green Fast Rides for their morning group jaunt. I never complain when I get to run with people as part of my job requirements! And lastly, I closed out the weekend with a great--albeit sweltering--12-miler with Jenna under the shaded canopy at McMullen. We stayed up late Saturday night surviving the rapture and then watching the Oxy High Performance Meet online (congrats Pezz on your long-deserved sub-10 in the steeple!), which meant we slept in to the unprecedented (for me) hour of 9am. With the mercury already above 80 at our 10am start time I feared the worst for the run, but fortunately the relaxed pace and engaging conversation (and a few water fountain detours) kept things manageable and relatively comfortable throughout.

Looking ahead, next week will be a forced but admittedly needed down week as I travel to Boston and Portsmouth, NH for our bi-annual Karhu North America sales meeting. From there I'll train it down to Providence to rendezvous with Jordan and many of his college buds for graduation weekend and his unofficial five-year reunion. I'm looking forward to all of the week's activities but fully realize that those activities will not include very much running. However I've been hovering at 80+ mpw for several months and could use a break before my next round of racing. This time next week I hope to feel refreshed and reinvigorated and eager to ramp up the miles once again.

Great Harvest 5k

2011-05-21T17:39:00.001-04:00

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: win some Great Harvest Bread, then 3xmile on the greenway w/3 mins. jog
Actual: 17:44; 5:39, 5:38, 2:38 for 800m
Results
1 mile c/d
Total: ~10 miles

Last year Jordan and I had a blast running the Great Harvest 5k and winning plenty of free baked goods to boot. Because I am a fat kid trapped inside a skinny kid's body, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do the same this year. Plus, the race was taking place just down the road from the TrySports grand re-opening where I'd be hosting a group run later in the morning (which sounded like a much better idea in theory than after actually running a workout and a race), so there was really no reason not to participate.

As I warmed up on the first mile of the course with Billy, Paul and Eric, I came to the sobering realization that the course was much, much hillier than I remembered. To be honest I could recollect very little about the course from last year, and I'd sort of assumed that everyone who complained about its excessive hilliness were just being big babies. It didn't take long this morning for me to admit that they were correct. The first mile started on an uphill grade and only got worse from there, its difficulty further exacerbated by the number and frequency of sharp turns. I made the game time decision to consciously be conservative on the first half of the course so that I could truly run a "tempo" effort and save something for the mile repeats I had planned for afterward.

I have to say, standing on the starting line of a RFYL Grand Prix race without Jordan by my side was a little strange. For at least the millionth time in the past month I wished he were there with me, but fortunately I was still surrounded by a solid group that included Rebecca, Michelle, Danielle, Alice, Lat and several others. The clock ticked past 7:30 as we waited for a tardy Mike Moran to scramble over to the starting line, and then we were off into the morning sunshine. I found myself pulling up alongside Billy and Chad, both of whom I knew would be running close to 17-flat, and was surprised to see them starting so conservatively. For a few minutes I had inclinations to surge ahead, but then I reminded myself that they would be picking up the pace soon enough and it would serve me well to try to hang on then. Sure enough, just before the mile marker Chad kicked into another gear--they probably split 5:40ish to my 5:44--and before long I had another companion, my warmup buddy Eric. For the rest of the race he and I would work together, occasionally exchanging the lead but otherwise matching each other stride for stride. The second mile came and went quickly due to its mostly downhill nature--I split a controlled 5:41--but the final mile meant several long uphill sections as we retraced our steps toward the finish. With about 800 to go I could see John Fillette almost imperceptibly moving backwards toward us, and I quietly encouraged Eric to focus on John's back and reel him in. (John, if you're reading this, it was all in the spirit of friendly competition!) Sure enough, as we rounded the final uphill turn into the parking lot (who decided that was a good idea??) Eric took off and pulled up alongside John. I finished a few seconds later, more exhausted than I'd hoped to be and pretty happy to be done. I'd originally planned to take just five minutes before starting my mile repeats, but I could tell right away that there was no way I'd be recovered by then. Instead I took about 10 minutes to cheer in some friends, guzzle about a gallon of water and wring out my sweat-soaked shirt before begrudgingly making my way down to the adjacent greenway. (As a side note, how is the greenway so flat when the nearby neighborhoods are so hilly?? I liked Danielle's suggestion earlier today of running an alternate Great Harvest course out and back along the greenway--sure, it might be a tad congested, but it's still bound to produce speedier times!)

Top 4 women: me, Alice, Michelle and Danielle, Photo courtesy of
Danielle (and Chad) Crockford

Originally I'd made tentative plans to round up Johnny C. (the decisive men's winner), Alice (female runner-up) and Lat (her trusty sidekick) to bang out these repeats with me. When the time came, however, I couldn't spot John anywhere and failed in my repeated attempts to get Alice and Lat's attention. Rather than extending my recovery even longer, I opted to begin by myself. The first two intervals went surprisingly well; as expected, my legs felt fatigued, but my breathing was controlled and I never felt like I was straining to hit the pace. If anything, the biggest obstacle was the congestion from other runners and walkers, cyclists and people cooling down from the race. Tired and thirsty, I'd already decided to cut out the final repeat when I ran into my race partner Eric cooling down. He agreed to help lead me through a final 800 and did a great job of keeping the tempo honest when all I wanted to do was sit down and take a break. We finished up just in time to jog back over to the race site for the awards. As expected, I received the awesome prize of Great Harvest bread and cookies and a set of Great Harvest oven mitts. These will make a great addition to the apron and chef's hat I won last year for all those hours I spend slaving away in the kitchen.

8 x 1k at AG

2011-05-17T12:50:00.002-04:00

3 mile w/u + drills and strides
Target: 4x1k @3:25 (2:44 through 800) w/2 mins. jog; 4-5 min. break; 4x1k @3:20 (2:40 through 800) w/3 mins. jog
Actual: 3:24 (2:44 through 800), 3:25 (2:44), 3:24 (2:44), 3:24 (2:43); 4:30 rest; 3:18 (2:38), 3:19 (2:38), 3:18 (2:38), 3:17 (2:37)
2.5 mile c/d
Total: 11-11.5 miles

AG track, lane 2, Jordan holding the watch. 55 degrees, overcast, sprinkling at times.

I'm not gonna lie, this wasn't easy. After finishing up the first set right on pace I told Jordan that I knew I could speed up but wasn't sure I could hit 2:40. Turns out I was right--I actually ran faster. No idea how I pulled that off but I dug deep and managed to hold the pace until the end. Considering I struggled to break 2:40 for 800s on the Dilworth Speed Loop a few weeks ago, I'll take it.

Week in Review

2011-05-15T22:47:00.000-04:00

84 miles
3 doubles
5 nights in TX
1 night in OK
3 AFDs (oops)

This was my highest mileage week in some time, and also the best I've felt in as long as I can remember. Actually, the way my legs have been feeling lately remind me of how they felt in the two weeks between Houston and Birmingham. Every run is light, bouncy and enjoyable, the feeling we runners always yearn for yet rarely experience. I know it won't last forever, but you can be sure that I'm enjoying it in the moment.