Who Says You Can't Go Home

One of the perks of my amazing job is the almost constant opportunity to run with different people in new and exciting places. Because I happened to be traveling this week to Texas and Oklahoma--the former being the state where I grew up and the latter being where I spent a summer with Jordan a few years back--this week's running was made extra amazing due to the amount of familiar faces I had the pleasure of seeing.

My first stop, Austin, brought 90+ degree temperatures and, not coincidentally, several days of pre-5:30am wake-ups. On Tuesday morning I hosted a wear test run at Luke's Locker and enjoyed some miles around the Lone Star capitol and Town Lake with some store staff and customers. Wednesday morning found me at the same place, same time for a track workout at a nearby high school. I was fortunate enough to tag along with several of the aforementioned Luke's crew who were also planning a trip to the oval, and though their workout was neither the same pace nor the same rest as mine I still benefited from their presence and encouragement as I pushed through the palpably humid air. On the jog over to the track I met a Luke's runner who shared her incredible story of losing over 100 pounds in the past year, solely through the old-fashioned method of drastically changing her diet and training for her first half-marathon. 100 pounds--can you imagine?! She said she went to pick her dad up from the airport a few months ago and he literally walked by her without a sliver of recognition. This young woman was eager to talk to me about my training and my Trials preparation, but I was quick to assure her with complete sincerity that her progression was much more remarkable and inspiring than mine. Stories like hers make me fall in love with the running community all over again.

Speaking of the Trials, however, while in Austin I also had the opportunity to catch up with Allison Macsas, my roomie from Houston Meltdown 2011. Allison, who runs for Team Rogue Elite, missed the Trials standard by a heartbreaking 30 seconds on that day but just last week redeemed herself with a sub-2:45 in Vancouver. Team Rogue Elite coaches Ruth England and Steve Sisson (who is also the head women's coach at Texas) graciously invited me into their home along with the rest of the female Team Rogue Elite contingent for an evening of delicious wine and food and conversation. As is inevitable with a group of runners, the conversation eventually drifted back to training, and I remained mostly quiet as I listened to Steve espousing his own pearls of wisdom. The one sentiment that stuck with me the most was his notion of "checking off all the boxes" every day. He rightfully believes that one day or one workout isn't any more significant than those that come in line before it or after it, but rather that the sum total of continued consistent training ultimately moves mountains. If you go to bed each night secure in the knowledge that you've "checked off all the boxes" of that day's training--whether it be running, stretching, core, weights, fueling, massage, whatever--then you can rest easy knowing you've done everything you need to do in order to add one more drop in your fitness bucket. For someone like me, this perspective is both challenging and comforting. Challenging because my work and travel schedule often means the only box I check off is hastily stretching a hammy or calf muscle while hurrying through a frantic post-run shower, but also comforting because it means that greatness can be achieved in small increments and gradual accumulations.

As my trip brought me further north to Ft. Worth, the influx of familiar faces continued in earnest. Thursday afternoon I took in an easy afternoon double around the Rivercrest Country Club with my friend and former training partner Cindy. It was just like old times--plus one small addition, as on this day I was also pushing her almost-two-year-old daughter Ellie in the baby jogger. This was my first baby jogger experience, one that left my upper arms sore for several days, and I finished the run absolutely awed by people like Mike Beigay and Mike Kahn who can click off sub-6 miles with their kidlets in tow. Friday morning found me once again running on the familiar Trinity River Trails, only this time with another old training buddy Megan Skeels. A former high school stud (her Texas Relays two-mile record stood for over 15 years) and Arkansas standout, Skeels also went the motherhood route and put her running on hold for a few years before returning to the sport with the marathon Trials in her sights. After a disappointing finish in Houston (noticing a Houston pattern here?) and an agonizingly close 2:46:30 in Eugene a few weeks ago, she may re-train her sights on the half-marathon qualifying time this summer. Whichever route she chooses, I have no doubt she'll be toeing the line with me in Houston in 2012.


Ellie showing off her new Karhus (and her undies...oops!)

At this point you're probably thinking my week of reunion runs must be drawing to a close. Hardly! I was borderline giddy on Friday afternoon as I continued northbound toward Norman, OK and the famed OK Runner shoe purveyors. Jordan worked at OK Runner for almost three years while he was in grad school, and we both consider the entire crew (including Luna Bar-loving pup Lance) to be family. Returning to Norman brought back a flood of memories from the amazing summer that Jordan and I spent living in a crappy apartment above Mr. Roberts Furniture on Main Street. Back then our days consisted of little more than running, slinging shoes, running some more and savoring warm and windy evenings of laughter with friends. (Come to think of it, that's pretty much what our lives are like now too. Sweet!) Norman might not be many people's idea of summer vacation, but the company we kept made every moment enjoyable. I was lucky enough to spend some time with a few of those people this weekend--Scotty, Jerry, Jason, Kristi, Aja, Craig and Jenny, to name a few--and even put in some miles together around town. On Saturday afternoon I experienced what I might consider to be the singular most random encounter of my entire life, during which I ran into my mom's former college roommate in the bathroom of Jason's Deli. The randomness was further compounded by the fact that neither of us live anywhere remotely close to Norman and have not seen each other in about five years, so needless to say it was quite the pleasant surprise! (In the course of our hasty catch-up conversation--which, yes, also took place in the bathroom--I learned that Tina actually reads this blog. Since she is quite an accomplished writer this means I will have to take measures to step up my prosaic game going forward.)


Lance the OK Runner guard dog hard at work

Though every single one of the moments described above made my heart happy, the run on this trip I enjoyed the most took place this morning with my dad. For the final leg of my trip I met my parents in Plano for a post-Mother's Day dinner and hotel sleepover, and this morning I took my dad on a tour of the crushed gravel path on the Frito-Lay campus that Jordan and I discovered a few months ago. At the tender age of 62, my dad ran a blazing sub-22 minute 5k yesterday after hovering in the 22's and 23's for the past year or so. Even more remarkable, we averaged right around 8:15 pace for his long run today, which meant he ran just over a minute per mile slower than his race pace! I hope I'm still running when I'm his age, much less still improving, and it was fun to catch up as we clicked off the miles together.

So that pretty much sums it up--only not at all. It's not exactly possible to articulate how blessed I feel to be able to reunite with so many friends and family in the course of a week, all while getting paid to talk about the sport and the brands I love every day with fellow runners and athletes. Home is where the heart is, as the axiom goes, and this trip brought the realization that I am lucky enough to have several homes and many companions with which to share them.

It's a good feeling.

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Where the Blacktop Ends

~75 mins.
10 miles

Despite not getting to bed until 2:00 this morning, several intrepid members of our party reconvened at the hotel-motel-Holiday Inn at 7:30 on Sunday for runs of various distances. Scotty and Jordan planned to do 16, as did Jilane (although her plans changed significantly when she chose to count the 3.75 miles she ran back from the bar the previous evening toward today's mileage). Aja and Kristi were looking for 10, and I was good with 10-12 as well, so without further ado we set off in search of some country roads.

After pounding the pavement and dodging some Sunday morning (read: church-bound) traffic for two miles, the road gave way from asphalt to soft, smooth, almost clay-like dirt. Within minutes we had nothing but cornfields to our left and amber waves of grain to our right; I couldn't have painted a truer picture of rural Oklahoma if I'd tried. The scenery was stunning in its simplicity, and for miles upon miles our only companions were of the bovine variety. That said, as the mileage crept up the temperature gauge followed, and just before the girls' 5-mile turnaround we found ourselves in desperate need of water. Luckily we spotted a large farmhouse under renovation just off our dirt path and decided to take a peek-a-loo around the grounds in hopes of finding a water hose. We made it no more than 20 yards onto the property before three large, angry and surprisingly agile canines came bursting forth from behind the house, no doubt with the intent of chasing us down and mauling us until we were dead. Let's just say I don't think any of us have sprinted as fast in recent track workouts as we did in the next 30 seconds, and if it weren't for the electric fence on the edge of the property I doubt I would be typing this today.

By comparison, the rest of the run was fairly uneventful. We finally found that water hose around mile eight at a church/school on the edge of town, and at this point our minds were focused completely on the Holiday Inn pool and a few rounds of apple juice from the continental breakfast. To be honest, I still felt relatively fresh and would've liked to add on a few more miles, but by the time we made it back to the hotel I was content to rest and relax while we waited for the boys. Overall, this run was great fun with good company and the perfect way to cap off our stay in Enid, America.

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Enid, America

52 mins.
7 miles
15 mins. core

Another day, another hot and windy early morning run. Fortunately we didn't have to deal with it for too long, as we needed to make quick work of this jaunt before preparing for a busy weekend. A few laps on the grass track and a big loop through the surrounding neighborhoods took up most of our time. Jordan and I parted ways near Andrews Park, he to do a few strides at the track and me to book it home for some core work and a shower.


The beautiful bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Lisle

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent at OK Runner, where business was rather slow until (naturally) the moment we needed to leave for Cat and Stu's wedding. Jordan managed to help a few customers while knotting his tie (multitasking and salesmanship at its finest), and by quarter of two we were on the road. Destination: Enid, America for the holy matrimony of Cat and Stu (cue the "Princess Bride" scene: "Mahwege. Mahwege is what bwings us togeva today. Wuv, twoo wuv...").


L to R: Kristi, Aja, Jilane, me, Jess. I heart these girls.

Due in no small part to Jordan driving 20 miles over the speed limit, we arrived at Emmanuel Baptist Church with plenty of time to spare before the 4:00 ceremony. After taking our seats with the likes of other OU former teammates such as Kristi and Coleman, Jilane, Aja and Jess, we were ready for the show to begin. And what can I say, it was beautiful. Cat looked gorgeous. Everything went off without a hitch, and before we knew it Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Lisle were walking back down the aisle from whence they came to the timeless croonings of Justin Timberlake's "My Love." Classic.


Team MJ: reunited and it feels so good

After a few, er, detours, our party headed over to the wedding reception. Like the wedding, this was also gorgeous and tasteful, if a bit sweaty due to it taking place in a largely unshaded backyard at 5pm. The bride and groom timed their 8pm departure just as the storms were rolling in, which both cooled things off and sent the rest of us scattering to our respective locations for the night. From there, we did what any sane group of people would do when faced with the prospect of a long night in an unfamiliar small town: we hit up the local pub. Callahan's turned out to be a fun spot, though regretfully none of us received the memo in advance that it was 80's night, and we happily spent the rest of the evening catching up with friends and throwing back a few cold ones. Great times all around.

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Enjoying the corner booth at Callahan's

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The Requisite "Marathon Monday" Title

AM: 45 mins. ellip.
15 mins. core
PM: 45 mins.
6 miles

First off, mad props to Aja for running 3:14 at Boston! She crushed her White Rock time by almost 10 minutes. Solid work. I know it was a tough day out there for many people, but I'm fairly certain none of them suffered as much as I did upon discovering that all the TVs were on the fritz in the fitness center this morning. This meant that I did my entire 45-minute elliptical session in complete and total silence. The only positive about that otherwise torturous experience is that it allowed me to think about and prioritize the million things I have to do before finals next week. Nothing like forced silence to help you get your "to do" list in order.

This afternoon I laced 'em up and headed down a familiar route past campus, through Freedom Park and down the bike path. Despite still not feeling entirely myself, I hit the turnaround point almost exactly where I used to PI (pre-injury), so at least this tells me I'm not wogging 9-minute pace. Gotta appreciate the little things, I suppose.

Foot felt decent, some noticeable discomfort when toeing off aggressively. The relative infrequency of the discomfort tells me I'm not toeing off all that often, which means my stride still isn't entirely back to normal. Maybe tomorrow.

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Dallas White Rock Marathon

Team OK Runner Elite and Aja, aka Team JJJSM+A

~1.5 mile w/u
~5 miles @ 30:33 (approximate)
~1 mile running to/from car to pick up Scotty D and Jordan
~7 miles pacing Ms. Aja De
Total: 14-15 miles

Wow. What a day. I could probably write my longest blog entry to date on today's relay and all the surrounding events, but instead I will be somewhat lazy and link you to Jordan and Jilane's comprehensive descriptions. I suggest you check them out for photos, videos and some stellar race commentary from their perspectives.

As for my part, I will share a bit about my leg of the race. First of all, as the other blogs have indicated, the weather conditions were quite less than ideal for a marathon today. Or for my hair. Or really for anything. 60-70 degree temps, winds gusting upwards of 35 mph, and disgusting humidity do not make for optimal race times. (In the end, the winning marathon times were ~8-10 minutes slower than they have been in previous years, which gives you an idea of what we were dealing with). For myself and Scotty D in particular the conditions were rough, as both of us ran on the exposed sections around the lake for our race legs. I had hoped to run close to six minute pace for my leg, but all thoughts of time flew out the window (no pun intended) with the wind. Instead I just wanted to maintain our position and put forth a solid effort.

So, at mile 10 Jilane handed off the baton (read: slap bracelet) to me and I tossed her the car keys. She would later bring the car, which I parked at my exchange zone, to pick me up after I finished. Jordan and I ran together for the majority of my leg, as he was in the midst of his 20-mile effort at this point. I felt pretty strong on the first three miles, but when we turned into the wind it was all over. Jordan did his best to block the gusts for me, but in the immortal words of Doug Starr, "he's a little dude and that's why I feel comfortable around him." His 140-pound frame could only do so much, and I still felt like I was running through quicksand. That said, I was in control enough to ask him to pick up the pace a few times in the last mile, and I tried to finish strong with the handoff to Scotty at mile 15. While I didn't pass anyone, no one passed me, so I suppose I consider my effort a small victory.

After Jilane and I met the boys at mile 20 (again, read Jordan's blog for more commentary about this leg of the race), we started on our second mission for the morning: helping pace our beloved Aja on the remainder of her marathon debut. Her goal was to run 3:40 and qualify for Boston, but it was clear when we all met up at 19 that she would be able to run much faster if she kept her composure. We gradually tightened the pace down from 7:50 to 7:20s and then clocked off the final two miles sub-7. I have never seen someone so happy, confident and comfortable in the latter stages of a marathon--much less a debut marathon--as Aja was, and Jilane and I were pumped to help her shatter her previous race expectations. At 3:23 and change, Aja easily slid under the Boston qualifying time and looked strong doing it.


Aja looking fresh as a daisy at mile 25

When the dust settled (again, no pun intended but geez these are softballs), Team OK Runner Elite ended up in first place in the co-ed open division and third place in the overall relay, behind two all-male teams. Our time of 2:30 wasn't quite as quick as we'd hoped, but given the weather it would've been unrealistic to expect better. Overall I couldn't be prouder of our team and of Aja, and can't wait to come back in 2009 to defend our title AND lower our race time.

This entry is already longer than I'd planned, but I would be remiss if I didn't close without a few highlights of the day:

1. Scotty D. answering a knock on our hotel room door at 2:30am to find two assumed call girls who had mistakenly come to the wrong room.
2. Jilane, Aja and I rolling up on some guy wearing a Texas Longhorns jersey at mile 25 of the marathon. Aja was wearing an OU jersey. All three of us gave him the upside down horns and a hearty "Boomer Sooner!" as we left him in the dust.
3. The homeless man with the five-year-old Greyhound bus ticket approaching us in the parking lot asking for "money for food." Jordan made me give him one of my Clif bars, which he apparently did not recognize or trust. We went back to the car a few hours later and found the uneaten, unopened bar resting on our windshield.
4. Dropping Jilane off for her 5pm flight at DFW, only to discover moments after we left that she was actually flying out of Love Field. Subsequently taking a tour of Dallas airports.

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Marine Corps Marathon

Well, the Clif's notes of today's story is that things just didn't work out for me. Put simply, I had stomach problems. The entire time. Which is disappointing, because to an extent that wasn't something I could control. My legs actually felt pretty good running at or below goal pace, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to overcome my other issues.

Anyhow, let's go back to the beginning. Jordan, Jilane, Jeff, Aja and I awoke at the dark and early hour of 5am to loosen up, drink some coffee, take warm showers and otherwise prepare for the race. Jordan left around 6 to pick up Owen and get lost for a few minutes, but by just after 6:30 they had returned. Kelly had also arrived, so the seven of us set out for the Woodley Park metro stop to ride to the race. We joined the throng of other runners with the same idea and got out at the Pentagon. This may or may not have been the most expeditious route, as we ended up having to walk/jog a good two miles to the start from there, but nonetheless it helped us keep warm and shake out the legs. The race started beside Arlington National Cemetery and just past the Iwo Jima Memorial (which would be the finish location). The weather at the start was perfect: low 40s, calm winds, and the promise of sun. Jordan, Jilane, Owen and I snaked our way to the front of the pack, while Kelly and Aja hung back (Kelly was hoping to run 3:40 and Aja planned to accompany her through the first 16). Owen and Jordan's tentative plan was to run with us for 16 and then cut across the Arlington Memorial Bridge and wait for us at the finish.

From the start, Jilane and I both felt a bit sluggish. The first two miles were mostly uphill, and that combined with the chill of the morning had us starting off a bit slow (over 7:00 for both of those miles I believe--I didn't take any splits). After a few downhill miles through Georgetown that were substantially quicker, we settled into pace. The first 10-12k of the course is fairly rolling, which kept things a bit challenging, and I could already tell my stomach was unsettled by mile 4, which kept things even more challenging. After waiting as long as possible, I finally jumped in a port-a-potty just after mile 8. Jordan waited for me while Owen and Jilane kept going, and he and I resumed the pace as soon as possible. At this point I began to settle into a rhythm and felt pretty good (at least as far as my legs were concerned). I believe we went through the half in just over 1:28, which is a touch over 6:40 pace (although this includes the bathroom break, which probably cost me 45 seconds to a minute). At this point I knew I needed the bathroom again, so I made another quick stop. I was growing pretty frustrated but also felt utterly helpless, as I had no idea if my stomach would calm down or continue to plague me. Turns out it was the latter. I struggled to put down half a Gu around 14, but opted not to finish it because I knew my stomach wouldn't apprec. Jordan held a water bottle for me the entire time (I think he may have gotten it from Jeff when we saw him around mile 4?) and he was so helpful at keeping me focused and providing encouragement. He rejoined Owen at 16 near the Lincoln Memorial and they bid me adieu.

At this point, I had a lot going on in my head. On the one hand, I knew if I kept locked into the pace, I could still break 3 hours pretty comfortably despite the two bathroom breaks. On the other hand, I knew my stomach still didn't feel right. I ended up stopping again around 17, and at that point things looked pretty bleak. From then on, while I didn't feel as though I needed the bathroom again, the abdominal pain kept coming in waves and showed no signs of abating. Again, the frustrating part was that my legs still felt pretty good. All things considered, the first two hours of the race had gone by pretty quickly, and I knew that my legs would carry me to the finish at a strong pace if my stomach would only cooperate.

It didn't. Finally, as I started to head up the bridge that leads into Crystal City at mile 20, I gave up. Actually, "curled up in the fetal position on the side of the road and prayed for death" is a more accurate description. I sat there for a while before deciding to cut across the Mall and walk a shortcut to the finish in hopes of seeing Jilane. The "shortcut" ended up being about three miles and taking well over 45 minutes, so by the time I arrived at Iwo Jima the clock read 3:10 and I knew she was done. I found Brooke and Rich and then managed to find Jeff and then Jordan. I may or may not have cried on his shoulder for a hot second, but I dried my eyes once we found Jilane. I was thrilled to learn that she had run 2:58 and looked sassy while doing it, so for at least a few minutes that distracted me from my own disappointment. After that we were so involved with the process of avoiding the masses and getting home that I didn't have much time to reflect on the morning's events.

But, alas, now I am a few days removed and have had adequate time to rehash things. So, what's the take home message here? For starters, I seriously think there may be something medically wrong with me. It's no state secret that I have stomach problems pretty frequently while running (although this was definitely the most intense I've experienced), and I need to find out if I have a food intolerance or allergy or incurable disease or something. After several years of bitching about it I'm finally going to sack up and go to the doctor to get this figured out. Another take home message: my friends absolutely ROCK. I can't put into words how much it meant to me to have so many people supporting Team MJ at the marathon (and at the subsequent party...but that's another story for another post). Jeff, Jordan, Owen, Brooke, Aja and so many others gave selflessly and showed how much they cared in countless ways this weekend and in the months leading up to the event. Their thoughtfulness is such a blessing, even if I haven't always expressed it to them. And finally, like Jilane and I have said time and again, I take with me the message that this whole experience has been about so much more than one day. Sure, I'm disappointed. Yes, I cried. I wish things would've turned out differently. But to be honest, I wouldn't trade a single minute of the past four months, regardless of the outcome.

And finally: Team MJ for life. Love ya Jilane.

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