Norman Wog

~52 mins.
7 miles


McNellie's Pub Run champs and our benefactors for the evening

After a fun and festive night at the McNellie's Pub Run celebration, Jordan and I slept a little later than usual before heading out for a short jaunt. We didn't have a particular route in mind so just kind of wandered the streets, past campus and across Main before turning back toward Campus Lodge. We stumbled across what looked to be the staging of a Christmas parade at Norman High School, which reminded me of the time I was an elf in the Christmas parade when I was five and they glued felt ears on me and the glue wouldn't come off and I cried for hours afterward. But I'm totally over it.

Otherwise not much to report. We're rounding up the gang and heading down to Dallas today to pick up our packets at the White Rock Marathon expo. Team OK Runner Elite has some work to do tomorrow.

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The "Meagan" Loop

~63 mins.
~9 miles

Jordan and I got up this morning to put in a few miles around the familiar streets of Norman. We ran the loop that I opt for pretty much every time I'm in town, although to be honest I'm not really sure why. There's nothing remarkable about the loop, but for some reason I prefer it over most others that we do. Anyhow, Jordan mentioned that the route doesn't have a name, so I suggested calling it the "Meagan" loop. He said you can only name a run based on something significant that happens along the way or a significant landmark you pass and therefore my suggestion was unacceptable. However, since he has yet to name a better option, I am hereby appropriating "Meagan" as the official name for this loop. Deal with it, JSK.

Oh yeah, and the run itself was fine. Quite chilly but with little wind, and I always enjoy the company.

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Norman Night Run

32-33 mins.
4+ miles

After a long day of travel, which included a slightly weather-delayed flight from Atlanta to Dallas and a now-familiar drive in a rental car to Norman (no minivan this time, so save the jokes), I was less than enthused about running. I had fully intended to run in Atlanta in the morning--honestly, half of why I scheduled my flight as late as 11am was so I could get in a jog beforehand--but the rain that started on yesterday's run with Meredith never really abated. It was absolutely pouring when I woke up this morning, so I decided I'd just wait and get in a jog with Jordan. But by the time we left OK Runner and made our way to Campus Lodge, it was dark and chilly outside and I was quite tired and hungry. Jordan ignored my whining and insisted we get out for a short spin around campus, so I finally gave in and changed into my costume.

As it turns out, the run was quite pleasant. Though dark outside, Jordan sported his stylish and functional headlamp, and there were plenty of people out and about near campus and Campus Corner. Though the temperature was cool, there was zero wind to speak of, and it ended up being a beautiful night to be out. We did a quick four-mile loop and then cleaned up at home before heading out for sweet potato fries and fine wine at Blu.

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When it Rain, It Pours

59 mins.
~8 miles


My rainy view of downtown on the drive home

The title of this post could very well be the title for my life at this moment. But for blogging purposes, it also serves as the title for my morning run. When I awoke at 6:15 the rain seemed to be taking a break after having fallen on and off all night, and a quick look at the weather forecast on my phone showed that the rain was slated to continue all day. Meredith and I decided to meet at the river for a run in hopes of catching the eye of the storm.

Our hopes held out for about 30 minutes, at which point the skies opened up and the deluge began. We were still in the forested trails for the next ~15 minutes, but as soon as we reemerged on the flat loop we were instantly drenched. As much as I hate starting a run in the rain (and we all know I have an aversion to melting), it was actually kind of fun to tromp around in the puddles for the remainder of the run. Yesterday's warm front has held steady and it was well over 60 degrees, which no doubt helped keep things comfortable. I'm also not nearly as sore as I anticipated from yesterday's track workout, so that kept things pleasant as well. Overall, despite being thoroughly soaked at the end, Meredith and I had a great time out there this morning.

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Back on (Grady) Track

AM: 4 miles
PM: 15 min. w/u (2 miles)
Target: 8-12x400 in low 80s w/1 min. rest
Actual: 82, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 79, 79
16 min. c/d (2 miles)
Total: 6.5 miles

Today was super busy from a real life perspective, and the daylight almost got away from me before I headed out the door for my afternoon workout. I guess the Atlanta weather is trying to prove a point or something, because temperatures were in the mid 60s this afternoon and I was comfortable--warm, even--in short sleeves and shorts. An alternate title for this post could've been "Outrunning the Storm," as the wind was picking up and the sky looked pretty dangerous when I was jogging my warmup. As everyone knows, I tend to melt in the rain, so I was really hoping to get this in before the downpour started.

Oh, and I can't believe it took me until the second paragraph to mention the most exciting news of all: I ran at Grady High School track AND didn't get kicked off! Up top. I seem to have a knack for being unceremoniously evicted from high school tracks--both on the east coast and the west coast--so today's uneventful experience was a refreshing departure from the usual.

As for the actual workout, it went pretty well. Unlike last Tuesday's intervals where I felt frantic and out of control the entire time, I felt pretty smooth and restrained throughout. Jeff had advised I do 8 to 12 repeats, and after I finished #8 I told myself if I ran the following two under 80 seconds that I'd call it a day. If not, I'd make myself do the final two. Whether laziness or determination was the real motivator, at any rate I clocked just under 80 for #9 and #10 and was happy to peace out. My foot is a bit tender after spending the entire workout on my toes, but I'm not too worried about it. I'm still wearing trainers despite wanting to get back into the T5s and I'm hopeful that will pay off in the long run. All in all, a solid workout and confidence builder for this weekend's relay.

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Monday Double

AM: 45 mins.
6 miles
PM: 4 miles

Despite my legs being pretty fatigued from my ambitious week last week, I had a couple of enjoyable runs today. The weather was absolutely beautiful this morning; even though the temperature was hovering at 30 degrees, the sun was shining and the air was still. Simply a great day to be outside. Actually, both of these runs passed pretty quickly, as I had plenty to think about. Things are about to get pretty real around here...but more on that later.

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Week in Review

60 miles
7 (!!!) days of running
2 (!!!) doubles
1 botched election

Without a doubt, this was my most solid week of running since before MCM. I got in a few quasi-workouts, a quasi-long run and even some quasi-doubles. It feels good to be back on the right track, and I'm hoping to build on this for the rest of December. My foot is much better, although still not 100%. The lima beans and ibuprofen will continue indefinitely, I suppose.

Lucky for me, running isn't all I have to look forward to this week. I'm off to Norman in a few days to visit Jordan, see some familiar faces and enjoy a fruity beer or two at the McNellie's Pub Run celebration. Then it's down to Dallas with Team OK Runner Elite (also known as Team JJJSM) to change a few lives at the White Rock Marathon Relay. Should be a fabulous weekend all around and I'm pretty stoked.

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