13.1 Chicago Pre-Race Workout

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.

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Week in Review

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!

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A Request For Help

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.

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Week in Review

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.

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Great Harvest 5k

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.

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8 x 1k at AG

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.

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Week in Review

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.

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