Week in Review

68-69 miles1 day off1 Chocolate Elvis smoothieAlthough this week was intended as a recovery week after Hood to Coast, I must confess that I don't feel very recovered at the end of it. Maybe it's from running so many days in the trails, or from doing several long-ish runs at the end of the week, but at any rate I definitely don't feel any spring in my step. I plan to get a massage early next week, which should help, and I may suffer through another ice bath if I don't notice any improvements soon. That said, this week was fabulous in that I was...

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Sunday at the River

88 mins.12 milesFor the fourth day of the last five, I ended up at the river for today's run. Dad was supposed to do 12 and I was attempting 16, so we both agreed that the flat soft surface would be best. I jogged the first 5k loop with him before we parted ways, he to continue around the loop and me to venture out onto Columns Drive. Since the road isn't marked I'm not sure of any splits, but I sure felt like I was hammering. The only mile I timed...

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Dad on the AO

64 mins.8 milesSince my dad, who is now also under Jazzy Jeff's tutelage, was scheduled to do a tempo-ish run this morning, we decided to hit up the AO. We jogged down there in ~20 mins. to warm up and then I paced him through six laps (almost 3.5 miles) at 7:30 pace. Despite the heat and staggering humidity (we got a late start), he ran very strong and consistent, starting at 7:40 pace and cutting down to about 7:15 for the last mile. Neither of us were thrilled about the uphill run back to my house but overall it made for a solid r...

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TGIF

1 hour 46 mins.14+ milesSince my training has been rather haphazard all week, I decided to further confound things by running long on Friday instead of the weekend. Meredith's parents were coming into town, as were mine, and we both wanted to get it out of the way before family time. With that in mind, I met her and Jim at 7am at the Cochran Shoals parking lot and we set off. The humidity was up but temps were quite cool. As this was my third day...

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Chocolate Elvis Run

AM: 70 mins.10 milesPM: 30 mins.4 milesI met Jeff at the river and we basically ended up replicating my run from yesterday. We kept the pace pretty uptempo, but by the end we were both dragging. He's still a bit run down from Hood to Coast and I just get tuckered out trying to keep up on the technical trails, so we were both quite relieved to reach the parking lot at the end. Afterward we took a quick trip to Planet Smoothie and each enjoyed a Chocolate Elvis smoothie, which was undoubtedly the 500-calorie highlight of the morning.I'm pretty much...

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Doubling Up

AM: 78 mins.~10.5 milesPM: 30 mins.4 milesMy second attempt to meet up with Meredith at the river proved successful. I met her and Jim around 7:30 after already having gotten in ~30 minutes on my own and we headed up into the trails. The terrain was quite muddy and uneven in some parts, thanks to 72 straight hours of rain, and the steep ascents felt especially arduous on my still-fatigued legs. That said, it was so enjoyable to run with the two of them and get to know them both better. I'm hoping we can get into a regular meeting routine soon.Did...

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Raining Cross-Training

AM: 50 mins. ellip15 mins. corePM: 30 min. walkToday is the first day in over a month that I did not run a single step, and it felt terrific. I intended to meet Meredith at the river early this morning, but when my alarm sounded at 6:15 I awoke to a torrential downpour. Set it for 6:45, woke up again, still raining. After that I decided to turn it off completely and didn't move again until almost 8:45. I rarely sleep this late (and I went to bed...

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Red Eye Hangover

45 mins.6 milesIf I had to use one adjective to describe today, it would be "groggy." Courtesy of the Tylenol PM I took on the tarmac last night, I slept through my entire flight from Seattle to Atlanta. That's the good part. The bad part is, all I wanted to do for the rest of the day was continue sleeping. However, after a brief nap, I busied myself catching up with office work and other Brooks-related business. It poured rain on and off throughout the day and for a moment I considered not running at all. Then around 4:30 there was a break in...

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Week in Review

86 miles30 hours in the van1 red eye flightWow. What a week. I don't even know what else to say. Hood to Coast was an amazing, exhausting, rewarding experience and I'm so glad I decided to participate again this year. While I had to forego my long run and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to attempt any hard workouts next week, I can say without question that it was worth it. I'm looking forward to a solid recovery week and a night's sleep in my own b...

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The Morning After

52 mins.7 milesAfter the soundest ten-hour sleep of my entire life (albeit in a condo housing 20 other people), Gen and I and a few of the guys from the Brooks men's elite team decided to embark on a shakeout/recovery jaunt through the streets of Seaside before boarding the vans back to Seattle. The first five minutes were some of the most painful I have ever experienced, as my quads are indescribably sore. Every bend, squat, shift and step hurts in some way. That said, as the run progressed I began to feel marginally better, and I'm glad I got...

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Hood to Coast: Third Leg, or "Victory in the Morning"

~5 min. w/u5.77 miles @ 36:07 (~6:15 pace)~4 min. c/dTotal: 7 milesCourse mapI didn't sleep at all between my second and third legs, but we did stop at Starbucks for some early morning caffeine, so I felt relatively awake and lucid at go time. Temperatures spiked dramatically after sunrise, and by the time our van took over for the third and final time at 9:30am, it was well over 75 degrees. My legs were absolutely trashed at this point and I was...

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Hood to Coast: Second Leg, or "In the Still of the Night"

~2 min. w/u6.06 miles @ 39:35 (~6:35 pace)~8 min. c/dTotal: 8 milesCourse mapAfter a fitful two-hour nap, our van rolled into downtown Portland around 2am to make the second exchange with Van 2. I was groggy, stiff, and completely uninterested in running any time in the near future. Unfortunately, Tara only had a four mile leg and then it was my turn again. At this point it was obviously pitch black and quite chilly outside, so I probably should've...

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Hood to Coast: First Leg, or "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain"

~5 min w/u5.67 miles @ 33:30 (~5:52 pace)~5 min c/dTotal: 7 milesCourse mapVan 1 teammates at Brooks headquarters before our journeyL to R: Liz, Rick, Alex, Bri, Tara, meAfter a traffic-intensive drive from Seattle to Portland, we arrived at the top of Mt. Hood around 6:30 pm. What a breathtaking view! Since I was in Van 2 last year (which doesn't go to the start of the race), this was my first time to journey to the top of the mountain and witness...

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Life is Short, Run Long

AM: 60 mins.8 milesPM: Hood to Coast!Gen and I awoke this morning to a pleasant 57 degree temperature and decided to go for an easy shakeout on the bike path. We ran out and back for about 30 minutes together before parting ways, she to go back to the hotel and me to add on a few more minutes. As I was winding along the path I noticed a bench with some flowers on it. Only as I got closer did I realize it was the memorial for Liz Duncan, a former...

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Taking it to the West Side

AM: 75 mins.10 milesPM: 27 mins.~4 milesBridge connecting the Sammamich River bike pathAfter getting in an easy ten miles this morning, I headed off to the airport to catch my 11:30 flight. I'm happy to report that my travel experience was much smoother and less stressful than last week, albeit just about as long. I'd forgotten that it takes five hours to travel from Atlanta to Seattle, even on a nonstop flight. After arriving, my already long afternoon...

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Miss Congeniality

AM: 90 mins.12 milesPM: 25 mins.3 milesToday I had the pleasure of meeting and running with a potential new running partner and/or friend, Meredith. I met Meredith's husband Jim at Phidippides (a local running store) a few weeks ago, and he and I struck up a convo about marathon training. Turns out he and Meredith just moved to Atlanta a few months ago from Florida, where they both ran track and xc at Florida State, and are both looking for new places to run and people to run with. He passed my info along to Meredith and we started corresponding...

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A Jilane Kind of Day

25 min. w/u (3+ miles)Target: 2k in 7:30 (w/800m rest), mile in 5:55 (400m rest), 1200m in 4:21 (400m), 1k in 3:35 (400m), 800 in 2:44 (200m), 600 in 2:08 (200m), 400 in 65 (200m), 200 fast (collapse on track)Actual: 2k in 7:33 (800m), mile in 5:59 (400m), 1200 in 4:22. Kicked off the track.23 min. c/d (3 miles)Total: 10 milesAfter a lower mileage weekend and a lackluster run yesterday, I was really hoping for a solid workout this morning. But, alas, it was not to be. Unfortunately the combination of arriving home at midnight last night, plus needing...

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Norman Run

70 mins.10 milesEasy run with Jordan and Scotty D. through the streets of Norman. We left Campus Lodge at 8am, met Scotty along Brooks, then continued to meander through the neighborhoods for another hour or so. It rained on us pretty much the entire time (and basically nonstop for the rest of the day), so the temperature was quite pleasant. I expected my legs to feel light and refreshed after an easy weekend, but for some reason I felt pretty heavy and sluggish throughout. No double today, as I will be traveling home into the wee hours. Hopefully...

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Week in Review

73 miles1 massage2 rental carsHad I followed the prescribed schedule this week, I would've run right at 85 miles. As I type this on Tuesday morning, I'm actually kind of glad that I fell short. I'm of the personality type that always wants to do more or better than I did the previous week, and an 85-mile week would've set me up to keep attempting higher and higher mileage the next few weeks. Sounds good in theory, but I know my body's limits, and it would be too much. I do want to be a bit higher than 73--closer to 80 is ideal--but I'm comfortable...

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Lazy Sunday

72 mins.10+ milesIn stark contrast to yesterday, today was filled with...a whole lot of nothing. I am not exaggerating when I say we did not move at all from when we awoke circa 8am until just after 2pm. We got more than our fill of Olympic equestrian jumping (or whatever they call it), badminton, table tennis, trampolining, soccer, and several others that I'm sure I'm leaving out. Finally our feelings of lethargy, exacerbated by my increasing hunger...

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Slingin' Shoes

32 mins.4 milesAfter finally recovering from the emotional roller coaster that was yesterday's travel experience, I was ready for a relaxing Saturday in Norman. Unfortunately, that's not what I got. Jordan and I ran 4 easy in the morning and planned to do another hour or so in the evening. He was scheduled to work at OK Runner, and lured me to the store as well on the premise that we would leave when things started to die down. Instead, we ended up participating in one of OK Runner's top sales days ever. From the moment we walked in at 10am until...

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"Let's just say I'm on my way and I'm in a minivan."

63 mins.8.5 miles run~800 miles flown~200 miles drivenWhen my alarm went off at the unholy hour of 5:35 this morning, my initial reaction was one of confusion. Why would I possibly be getting up so early on a Friday? Then I remembered, I was meeting my friends Colleen and Kristin for an early run before heading to the airport. Once I got out the door it wasn't too bad, and we actually had a group of about 7-8 people who met up at Inman Middle School and ran through Little Five Points, Inman Park and Candler Park.After showering and packing up,...

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Return to the AO

AM: 20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)Target: 5x1.5 miles @ 6:25 pace w/800m jog restActual: 9:38 (6:25 through the mile), 9:38 (6:25), 9:31 (6:20), 9:34 (6:21), 9:29 (6:19)23 min. c/d (3 miles)Total: 15 milesPM: 40 min. walkSince I'm taking an early-ish flight to Oklahoma tomorrow, I got permish to tackle tomorrow's workout today. I wasn't sure how spry I was going to feel after doing 300s a few days ago, but sometimes you have to roll with it and hope for...

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Stuck in the Middle With You

AM: 67 mins.9 milesPM: 34 mins.4.5 milesWhen I woke up this morning it was pouring rain, so it took me about .05 seconds to make the executive decision to text Jeff and tell him I wouldn't be meeting him at the river. Unfortunately, he texted back before I was able to crawl back in bed and told me it wasn't raining up there. So I begrudgingly got dressed and headed out the door. We ran from Cochran Shoals, doing part of our usual route and also exploring...

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Back to the Track

AM: 27 min. w/u (3.5 miles)16x300 w/100m jog (35 sec.) recoveryTarget: 4x60 sec., 4x59, 4x58, 4x57Actual: (58, 60, 61, 60); (60, 61, 61, 60); (60, 60, 59, 59); (59, 59, 58, 58)20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)Total: 10 milesPM: 29 mins.4 milesMy hamstring was a bit stiff upon waking up this morning, but I think it might be more due to the massage than anything. Regardless, I took an extra-long warmup to make sure it was nice and loose before hitting the track. Today was a preview of what fall workouts will be like: lower temps (70 degrees at the start),...

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Massage Monday

AM: 60 mins.8 milesPM: 30 min. walkDefying all expectations, the weather has continued its unprecedented mildness for another day. After sleeping in until 8 (!!) and doing some office work, I finally made it outside for my run around 9am. Temps were in the low 70s and the humidity was quite low as well, which made for a very pleasant run. Did the Candler Park loop plus out and back on the Freedom Trail to Highland Bakery to make it an even hour.The true highlight of my day was the long-awaited massage I enjoyed this afternoon. After still not hearing...

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Week in Review

81-82 milesA few walks97,352 hours in the car with my bossNot only was this my highest mileage week to date, but it also included two legit workouts and a respectable long run. While I'm still a long way from where I need to be, I'm pleased with how quickly I was able to recover from the workouts each day. My hamstring is still an issue, as is my burgeoning obesity, but I aspire to start resolving both ASAP. Next week I'm back to eating only cereal,...

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Chattahoochee Long Run

1 hour 44 mins.~14.5 milesAfter getting a late start this morning, then having to wait in a line of cars to enter the Cochran Shoals parking lot for 15 minutes (how I love the weekend warriors that screw things up for the rest of us), I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was still only 68 degrees outside at 8:45am. Thus, my long run was much more enjoyable than those in recent memory. I basically did my usual "long run at the river" route: one 5k dirt loop, half a loop then out to Columns Drive, out and back to Johnson Ferry on Columns, back...

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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

77 mins.10+ milesRan to Emory via the long route through Druid Hills, did a loop in the park, then took the long route home. We've been experiencing some uncharacteristically nice weather the past few days, so this run was quite enjoyable. I checked weather.com before heading out and it said that the humidity was only 58%--practically unheard of for the morning this time of year. It was only 33% last night for my double--again, very unusual. I hope this will continue for my long run tomorr...

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Breakfast Club Revisited

AM: 58 mins.8 milesPM: 30 mins.4 milesWoke up early to meet Jeff and Dave Howe, my sales rep, at the Big Peach for the Friday breakfast run. We stuck with the same route as last time, running straight down Peachtree to Midtown and then winding through the neighborhoods and the park before finishing up at Flying Biscuit. The course is pretty tough, as it's downhill for the first half and then quite hilly for the second, and my legs were tired from yesterday's workout.On the "new life" front, today I reached an unprecedented low by eating all three...

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Cutting Shapes: the ATL Version

23 min. w/u (3 miles)20x400 in sets of 5 w/30 secs rest b/t each; 1 lap jog b/t setsTarget: first set 83, second set 82, third set 81, last set 80Actual: (82, 83, 83, 84, 84); (82, 82, 83, 83, 84); (83, 82, 83, 84, 84); (82, 82, 84, 83, 81)16 min. c/d (2 miles)Total: ~11 milesSo, remember how a few months ago we did 10x400 for our first track workout? With one lap jog after EACH interval? How I miss those days. Today's formidable workout basically doubled the number of intervals while cutting the rest in half. To be honest, I was pretty sure going...

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Doubling Up

AM: 67 mins9+ milesPM: 31 mins4 milesI met Jeff at the river at 7am for our newly established Wednesday trail run. Actually, I arrived a few minutes early, so I jogged 10 minutes while I waited for him to arrive. Once he got there, we set off along the dirt path for a few miles before heading up into the trails. Maybe it's because this is still a novelty to me, but for the second week in a row I was amazed at how quickly the time passed while we navigated the trails. I didn't look at my watch once (as compared to about 20 times on an average run),...

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Lackluster Tuesday

AM: 59 mins.8 milesPM: 30 min. walkMy legs weren't so much sore this morning as they were heavy and exhausted. I plodded along to Piedmont Park and basically just looped around the AO indefinitely. Not sure how many loops I did, but it was nice to zone out for a bit without worrying about where I was going.I fully intended to double in the evening, but got home late from working an event at City Sports. I was tired and hungry and tired. Ate a quick...

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4x2 with Peanut Butter on Top

AM: 17 min. w/u (2+ miles)4x2 miles in 6:30-6:35 w/800 jog in between(6:29, 6:33); (6:28, 6:36); (6:26, 6:36); (6:27, 6:35)11 min. c/d (1.5 miles)Total: 13 milesPM: ~30 min. walkAs I mentioned yesterday, due to some scheduling conflicts we've had to rearrange things a bit this week. Normally I would not do a tempo on Saturday followed by a long-ish run on Sunday followed by intervals on Monday. However, Jeff said he wants some of our workouts to...

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Week in Review

71-72 milesseveral long walks5 AFD (alcohol free days)I feel pretty good about the mileage and the "new life" this week, as it was just what I needed to ease back into training mode after last week's down time. The workouts increase markedly both in distance and intensity next week, and Jilane and I are doing a bit of creative scheduling to work them around social and job-related conflicts, so we'll see how things go. As of now, the only nagging issue is my left hamstring, but I'm hoping that more stretching and ice baths like the one I took today...

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Candler Park Long Run

91 mins.12 milesFreedom Trail bike path overlooking the Candler Park golf courseI woke up this morning with absolutely no route in mind for my run. That usually ends badly, as I tend to misjudge the length of whatever random loop I pick and thus either run way too far or not nearly far enough. Today, however, I was content to do basically a mindless figure-eight on the streets and Freedom Trail in Candler Park and Inman Park. It's always liberating...

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On the Road Again

11 min. w/u (1.5 miles)8 mile cut-down starting at 7:00, 5 seconds faster per mile(6:53, 6:45, 16:30 for 2.5, 16:10 for 2.5, 6:16) ~ 53 mins.9 min c/d (1+ miles)Total: ~11 milesI woke up early, determined to make it out to the river before it got too hot. Apparently there was some sort of party out there that I wasn't invited to, because when I arrived at the Cochran Shoals parking lot at 7:30 every single parking spot was filled. I flipped a U and...

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Feeling Notso Hotso

AM: 40 mins.5.5 milesPM: 30 mins.4 milesI woke up this morning with a serious stomachache. Not sure what it was from, could've been something I ate or my tap water (which I've had my doubts about for some time). Nonetheless, since I had a workout scheduled, I decided to drive out to the river anyway and hope for a miracle to transpire while en route. It didn't. I made the executive decision not to even attempt the workout, and instead wogged a (vaguely nauseous) five or so miles on the dirt loop.Though my stomach situation was still a bit tenuous,...

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