120 mins.
15-16 miles
I had a fabulous long run today with Jim, Meredith and Ashley at the river. Ashley picked me up at 8:30 to carpool for the drive, and we met the other two just before 9:00. Ashley was attempting her longest run ever and I realized this would be my longest run since MCM (sad, I know), so we all agreed to keep the pace slow and easy. We embarked on a circuitous route that kind of took us everywhere--started out on the flat loop, ran all the way out Columns Drive, did a few loops in the trails on the other side of Johnson Ferry, came back down Columns, did a short loop up in our usual trails, then finished on the flats. My legs felt great the entire time and had I been alone I would've pushed the pace, but the company and conversation definitely made it worth my while to relax and keep things slow.
After the run we headed straight to the Flying Biscuit for what very well might end up being my farewell brunch. A cold front was blowing in and the temperature was lower than when we began the run, so were eager to get inside for some coffee and sustenance. After stuffing our respective faces we deemed the entire outing a rousing success.
70 mins.
9-10 miles
This morning I had a run planned with Ashley and Jennie. We really just wanted to hit up the Flying Biscuit and figured we better burn a few calories first. Because I knew I wouldn't be doubling, I opted to jog over to Ashley's from my place so I could get in a few extra miles. I arrived just as the watch hit 15 minutes and then stretched on the curb until Jennie arrived.
A word about the weather today: it's disgusting. Like warm, muggy, drizzly, gross. It doesn't feel remotely like Christmas and I'm not happy about it at all. That said, the run was still enjoyable thanks to the company. Ashley and Jennie are pretty excited about me going back to school and running track this spring (although sad to see me leave). Both of them ran collegiately--Ashley was a 5k/10k girl at Georgia State and Jennie ran the 1500 at the University of Akron--and they're already making plans to come to one of my meets and paint my name on their stomachs or something.
Anyhow, the run passed quickly. I parted ways with them in the middle of Little Five Points and finished at my house just at 70 minutes. After that it was time to meet the girls at Flying Biscuit and really get the morning started.
72 mins.
10 miles
I woke up this morning in Brooke's pajama bottoms at her parents' house in Woodstock. We had intended to come downtown and go out last night after I took her to pick up her car from the shop, but then her dad Doug E Fresh (who has beaten Jordan in pickleball like a million times, incidentally) offered to take us out to dinner. Fast forward to 10pm, at which point we were still hanging out with the Starrs and just decided to stay there for the evening.
So yeah, we woke up around 7:30 and spent a few hours lounging around and drinking coffee. Jordan called me midway through his morning run and we chatted until he finished at 72 minutes. I was feeling pretty lazy and disgusting, considering that he was an hour behind me and had already finished a lengthy jog, so I vowed to also run 72 minutes at some point today. Given my lackluster outings the past few weeks, that was a pretty bold declaration. I knew I could not accomplish it on my own due to aforementioned laziness, so I texted Ashley and enlisted her company.
Fortunately she was happy to oblige, and she met me at my apartment around 4 this afternoon. We took the long way to Piedmont Park and then just lapped the AO for a while. Neither of us had been down there in a while and we both wanted to get on a softer surface, so it was the logical choice. I felt pretty crappy for the first 30 minutes (my hamstrings are so sore from the hilly runs of the past few days) but perked up the last 20-30 minutes or so. We reached my driveway at exactly 72 minutes and I knew I had achieved victory.
Oh, and I bought that space heater. My apartment is already up to 60 degrees! Life is grand.
52-53 mins.
7 miles
For the second week in a row, Jennie and I met at Ashley's apartment for a run. Today we were joined by a fourth, our friend Kate who works at Big Peach. It was markedly colder today than it has been on any run so far this year, and I (over)dressed like a hobo to compensate. I wore the shirt that earned me the famous Green Lightning moniker, a top that we at Brooks affectionately refer to as the "Old 98er" because it costs 98 bucks. I even committed to gloves and a headband around my ears, as the wind chill had temps in the low 20s.
Partly because it was cold and partly because we wanted to get to the crux of the morning (i.e. breakfast), we kept things at a pretty decent clip. I'm actually sore from running yesterday, which is more than a little embarrassing, and I was huffing and puffing toward the end of today's effort. Also, my face was frozen. I was pretty happy to pack it in just after 50 minutes and head over to Highland Bakery.
Also, I'm getting a space heater today. The insanity ends now.
56 mins.
~8 miles
So, after talking with Coach Jeff, we decided it would be advisable for me to take a few days completely off in hopes of healing up the foot. I'm pretty sure that was discussed with the implication that those days off would begin today. However, that was before I got an offer I could not refuse: a run AND breakfast with other people! And, even better, this run would occur within steps of my own neighborhood, meaning it wouldn't be necessary to leave thirty minutes early to drive up to the river.
Springvale Park, directly across the street from Ashley's place.
Apparently the swan who lives in the pond is not very nice.
Needless to say, I needed little convincing. I met Jennie, a cool girl who works at West Stride (actually it's owned by John McDonnell's niece, a former high school standout from Oklahoma and an All-American at Georgetown), and Ashley, the Adi tech rep, at Ashley's condo in Inman Park. While I used to live in Inman Park, I never really explored the back neighborhoods behind the main strip, and I am discovering I absolutely love the quaint parks and beautiful houses back there. At any rate, we embarked on a circuitous run (that unfortunately took place mostly on sidewalks and roads) through Candler Park to Decatur, flipped a U at the MARTA station, then headed back down Ponce and finished up through Little Five Points. The pace was respectable and the hills were challenging, so all in all my legs were quite fatigued by the time this jaunt was finished. Afterward we headed to Flying Biscuit for revelry, merriment and carbs. It was pretty much a perfect morning.
Woodruff House in Inman Park. This is where the founder of Coca-Cola
used to live. Now it's clearly owned by some family with a little brat who
likes to ruin this majestic house with his basketball goal.
120 mins.
