Group Run at the River

90 mins.
12 miles

I had a lovely group run this morning with Jim, Meredith, Jennie and her husband Leo. This was the first time these two pairs had met each other, so I brokered the introductions and then let comradery take its course. Actually all parties got along swimmingly and it was a fun time.

Jennie and Leo only wanted to go an hour or so, so we did a pretty basic loop up in the trails and then dropped them off back at the parking lot. Jim and Meredith and I did another flat 5k loop and then they also called it a day. I decided to run another 12 minutes or so to bring it to an even 90. Jeff had 13 on my schedule for the morning, but my legs are feeling rather fatigued from yesterday's effort and I didn't want to push things too much. Besides, it looks like I could crack 60 miles on the week, which is pretty stupendous. 61 would just be showing off.

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Don't Call It a Comeback

56 mins.
8-8.5 miles

Before I detail this run, let me just say that I'm marking this date on the calendar as the first time I have felt good running hard since before MCM. Seriously. I finally felt like my old self today, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

But back to the beginning. The day started with a drive out to Braselton, Ga where I Brooks-ed up a local road race. If you think mid-20 degree weather feels cold while running, let me assure you it feels even worse when you're just standing around watching other people run. However, it was all worth it for the quote of the morning, spoken by a middle-aged man who was chatting me up before the race.

Dude: Hey, isn't that guy on your car the one who died?
Me: (Pausing while I realize he is thinking of Ryan Shay) Um, no.
Dude: Because if so you guys should really do something about that.
Me: Yeah, no, he's very much alive. Thanks for the heads up though.

Were he actually dead, as Jilane said, the flames would be viewed as most inappropriate. Anyway, so after standing around at this race for a few hours and gradually losing all feeling in my extremities, I went over to the sponsoring store, Runners Fit, to work the floor for a few hours. By the time I got home it was nearly 4pm and I wasn't feeling motivated to drive out to the river to run. I decided it might actually be better to run on the bike path in Candler Park and Inman Park. For starters, there's no mile markers (or at least not consistent ones), so compulsively checking the pace wouldn't be an option. Also this route is gently rolling throughout, aggressively so on the second half, so I knew I would constantly be working even if the pace dropped off.


My setup at the race, including the very much alive Brian Sell

Basically I just felt great on this run. I started dropping the pace almost immediately and kept up the intensity throughout. I would estimate I ran ~43-45 minutes at "tempo" effort, which I would put somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.5 miles. No way to know for sure, really, but that's not even the point. This run was reminiscent of a few months ago when I did a similar effort on almost the exact same route; I felt like I was continuously pressing yet remained fluid throughout. Definitely a confidence booster given how I've been feeling lately. I'm still going to fight Jilane for the short leg of the relay next weekend, but at least I know I'll be able to run respectably.

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Almost a Workout

AM: 4 miles
PM: 3 miles

So this afternoon I had a tempo on tap. Originally Jeff wanted me to do 5 miles at 6:20 pace, but after realizing that I am slow and out of shape he amended this to "6 miles, if you think you can handle it, at whatever pace you can run, don't look at your watch." With the sad state of affairs my running is currently in, I was more than happy to accept the latter instructions.

However, it turned out things were not to be. I opted to drive to the river for the run to stay on the softer surfaces, but by the time I got out there it was cold and almost dark. After one time around the flat loop I was freezing and my stomach was all screwed up and I just wasn't in the mood. I didn't take any mile splits but I did glance at my watch at the finish, and it looks like I did 5k in ~21 minutes, with the first mile being a warm up. That's definitely not fast, but the two miles I ran uptempo actually felt pretty decent. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow, hopefully with better results.

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Massage for My Legs, Lima Beans for My Foot

58 mins. + strides
8 miles

I met Meredith at the river this morning for one of our standard trail runs. She was coming off a few days' break (having run a 5k on Thanksgiving AND a half-marathon on Sunday while visiting her family in Florida) and only wanted to go ~45 minutes, so we turned back a few minutes earlier than usual. After dropping her off I had about 10 minutes to kill, so I jogged out for five and then did some strides on the way back. Overall I'm still feeling a bit sluggish and my foot is sore, but things could be worse. At least I didn't maim myself playing video games like my teammate. Between her ankle, Scotty's foot and my general lack of fitness, Team OK Runner Elite (also known as Team JJJSM) needs to achieve some monumental improvements before next weekend. Who would've thought Jordan would be the healthy one?? The irony abounds.

Also of note, I got a massage tonight. Hopefully this will help my hamstrings loosen up and change my life. Is that too much to ask?

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Afternoon Jog

46 mins.
6 miles

Not much to say about this afternoon's run except that it was slow and I was sore. My foot was pretty tender today as well, no doubt aggravated by yesterday's blazing workout. I was supposed to finish off this jog with some strides but I opted in favor of nursing my foot instead.

Oh, and Georgia let me down. Looks like the Republicans will preserve the ability to filibuster after all.

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So You're Saying There's a Chance

AM: 4 miles
PM: 20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)
Target: 4x800m @ 2:40 w/2 min. rest
Actual: 2:43, 2:44, 2:44, 2:44
20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)
Total: ~7 miles

For my first day back in the ATL after an extended Thanksgiving break, Jeff decided to treat me to a nice 800m workout. While 4x800 is a considerably shorter workout than any of the ones in my marathon buildup, it was also slated to be run at pace I hadn't hit since, oh, somewhere around 2001. Not to mention I'm pretty sure I haven't cracked seven minute pace since MCM. Nonetheless, around 4pm I headed down to the AO to get this party started. In hindsight, I could've probably used Grady High School track since it was after school hours, but I don't even consider that an option anymore after getting kicked off the last time I attempted a workout.

Anyhow, after a 20 minute warmup I pretty much just jumped right into things with a near-suicidal 36-second opening 200m. Geez. I settled down after that (read: felt like I was going to pass out) and finished off the first interval in 2:43. Normally I would wear flats for this type of workout, but with the foot in mind I opted to stay with the trainers, and I'm pretty sure the T5s would've enabled me to run at least five seconds faster per interval. Or something like that. Anyway, basically after the second go I was in a world of hurt. My legs are not accustomed to this. About 100 meters into the fourth and final interval I came to a dead stop. As in, I was pretty sure I couldn't run any farther. Not wanting to end things on such a sour note, I walked around for a few seconds, took a few deep breaths, then sloooowly jogged back to the starting line for another attempt. I was able to complete that one, which I guess is a victory in itself.

So yeah, while I'm definitely not anywhere close to being in shape, I find this effort to be somewhat encouraging. I legitimately didn't know if I could run faster than six minute pace with the way my legs have been feeling lately, so knowing that I can do so (at least for two miles' worth) gives me some hope and peace of mind (side note: I used to think that phrase was "piece of mind" until like two years ago. Same with "for all intents and purposes," which I used to hear as "all intensive purposes." But I digress).

On a totally unrelated non-running note, today I also had the privilege of voting in Georgia's Senate runoff election. We are currently one of two states still undecided in its national Senate races. If Democratic challenger Jim Martin defeats incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss, and if Al Franken someone pulls out a miracle in the Minnesota recount, the Dems could be up to 60 seats in the Senate! Fingers crossed.

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Rivercrest Country Club Loop

60-61 mins.
8 miles

Yesterday Jordan and I bid my parents farewell and then drove to Ft. Worth to spend our last night in Texas. On Monday morning I wanted to take him on one of my familiar running routes from when I lived there, mainly focusing on the river trail and also Rivercrest Country Club, which is closed to golfers on Monday and therefore free reign for runners like us. While we could've run to the river from our hotel in downtown, I preferred to start and finish from Rivercrest so we drove there.


The facade of Bass Hall, an architectural and cultural
landmark near our hotel in downtown Ft. Worth

The most notable factor on this run was the wind. I'd almost forgotten how gusty it can get on the exposed river trail, and Jordan was no doubt feeling a preview of things to come upon his return to Norman. He decided to be very un-chivalrous (which is shocking) and refused to allow me to draft, so I had to pull my weight and keep the pace respectable on the windy sections. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable run. We started with a few miles on the golf course, then ran through Crestwood and the Greenwood Cemetery before hopping onto the river trail for the remainder of the run. We finished up Hidden Road, which is about a 600-700 meter hill that I used to have the pleasure of climbing almost every day, then jogged a few small loops on the golf course to bring it to an even hour.

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