New Year's Eve Workout

AM: 20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)2x200m stridesTarget: 8x400 @78 w/60 sec. restActual: 76, 79, 80, 80, 77, 79, 78, 78~20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)Total: ~7.5 milesPM: WiiI woke up this morning with my entire lower legs sore to the touch, no doubt due to the new drills Jordan and I tried out yesterday. We both hobbled around the house for a while and debated postponing the workout, but ended up deciding it would be best to get things over with before heading...

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Palm Springs Double

AM: 2 miles, drills, in-and-out 800m, 2 milesTotal: ~4.5-5 milesPM: 47 mins.6 milesThis morning Jordan and I suited up and headed over to the Palm Springs High School track to do some drills. I showed him some of the ones Jeff taught me in Charlotte, and in turn he added a few more to the mix. One of these involved jumping from foot to foot while tapping a bench with the other foot, a move that was fun but exhausting. Within a minute we were both...

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Two Runs in the Dark

AM: 3 milesPM: 58-59 mins.7.5-8 milesJordan and I rose before the crack of dawn this morning to prepare for our 9-hour road trip from Santa Rosa to Palm Springs. In order to get from Jordan's mom's house to the house where Jordan's dad was staying, we decided to run. Genius idea. This actually involved a good deal of strategizing the night before, as we had to drop off our bags in advance so the car could be loaded, so we spent the night with only...

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Week in Review

67 miles1 bloody nose3 doubles with Dad4 AFDsI'm disappointed that I didn't get to 70 miles this week, but I would've easily surpassed that mark had I not taken Friday off. I suppose Jordan and I could've run when I arrived in San Francisco, but I enjoyed doing some sightseeing and walking around in Union Square instead. This was definitely a solid week in terms of doubles, effort, and taking the time to do strides and drills and the like. I'm hoping to keep that up next week while in California, perhaps even throwing in a workout if time and scheduling...

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Annadel State Park Revisited, or "Please Don't Talk to Me Right Now"

90 mins.~12 milesAfter yesterday morning's hilly run, my legs were fairly banged up today. I wanted to get in a longer effort, but I also requested that we take an easier route. Apparently Jordan was engaging his selective hearing during this conversation, because he proceeded to take me on an even hillier route than yesterday. I was NOT a happy camper. So much so, in fact, that as we were grinding our way up a particularly steep hill and Jordan offered encouragement in the form of, "We're almost to the top," I responded with, "Please don't talk...

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Annadel State Park

~82-83 mins.10.68 miles (says Mr. Garmin)For my first run in Santa Rosa, Jordan wanted to take me to Annadel State Park. This is where he put it almost all of his runs throughout high school and when he was home from college, and he was excited to show me his old stomping grounds.When we pulled up to the main parking lot, we were greeted by cool temperatures and a light mist. Apparently this is pretty typical Northern California winter weather (as...

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Sightseeing in San Fran

Day offI pretty much knew I wasn't going to get a chance to run today due to travel. Unlike in Atlanta, where I can leave my house exactly 65 minutes before my flight and still make it in plenty of time, today my parents and I left Mt. Pleasant at 8:30 to make the two and a half hour drive to DFW. I spent the rest of the afternoon gradually making my way westward, and finally touched down in San Francisco just past 4pm Pacific time. Jordan and his...

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Merry Christmas to All

AM: 68 mins.8 milesPM: 3 milesI woke up bright and early on Christmas morning to go running with my dad and some of his friends. We kept a pace that was considerably slower than I'm used to--probably between 8:30 and 8:45--and it took my body a while to relax and feel comfortable instead of trying to fight it. Once I did, I actually kind of enjoyed the leisurely tempo. I'm probably guilty of running a bit too fast on many of my "easy" days, and this morning's run was really more about the company than anything else. Plus, I've got ten days of hammering...

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Riff Ram Bah Zoo!

49 mins.Strides, Drills7-7.5 milesFirst and foremost, I must give a shout out to the TCU Horned Frogs, who pulled out an amazing fourth-quarter upset to beat the previously undefeated Boise State Broncos in last night's Poinsettia Bowl. Go Frogs!Now on to the important stuff. I'd fully planned on going to the Mt. Pleasant High School track this morning, but it wasn't meant to be--not for lack of motivation, but moreso for the innate hectic-ness...

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Country Roads, Part Deux

AM: 73 mins.10 milesPM: 4 miles30 mins. walking around the drivewayThis morning was a solid ten degrees warmer than yesterday, which put temperatures in the mid-30s at go time. Unfortunately the sky was spitting a misty drizzle throughout my entire run, which kept my face and hands sufficiently chilly when I was going into the wind. Unlike yesterday, when there were quite a few cars on the road, today it was pretty much just me and the cows. The peaceful solitude is quite refreshing considering I do 90% of my runs in the city. One thing I was consciously...

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Feels Like Christmas

AM: 60 mins., Drills8-8.5 milesPM: 4 milesWhen I awoke at my parents' house in East Texas this morning I was greeted with temps in the low 20s that promised not to rise much during the day. I waited until 9am in hopes of things warming up a bit, but it was still 25 or so with overcast skies and a stiff breeze. At that point I was expecting the worst, and was actually quite surprised at how good I felt out there. My face was quite chilly during a few sections into the wind, but otherwise I enjoyed meandering around the country roads behind my parents'...

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Week in Review

65-66 miles1 trip to Charlotte1 tasty sushi dinner with G-Unit2 days at 2 different airports2 days left until I'm officially unemployedOverall I'd call this week a success on all fronts. In addition to completing my first supervised track workout, I also got in some house hunting in Charlotte and several solid runs/outings with friends. I'm thoroughly looking forward to the next few weeks with my family and with Jordan and his family and I'm hoping...

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Leaving On a Jet Plane

60 mins.8 milesI got started just after 7am on this cold and windy run. It wasn't quite as windy as last Sunday at White Rock but it wasn't much better either. My legs felt decent and I would've liked to put in more than an hour, but instead I had to hurry back and get ready to leave for my 11am flight.When I arrived at the Atlanta airport--which is widely known as being the world's busiest--I was greeted with more chaos and bedlam than I have ever seen in one place. I've flown in or out of here on Thanksgiving morning, on the morning before Thanksgiving,...

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Saturday at the River

81 mins. + drills11 milesI was supposed to do 14 today but it just didn't happen. I woke up early to meet Meredith at the river before she went to work, and the time we spent in the hilly trails totally wiped me out. I dropped her off at ~57 minutes and another dirt loop was all I could manage. My hamstrings and quads were just trashed. In an attempt to gain something from the run, I did a few of the new drills Coach G-Unit showed me at the end. They didn't help my legs feel any better, but at least the run wasn't a total wash.The rest of the day...

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No Creative Title, I Just Doubled

AM: 53 mins.7 milesPM: 4 milesI woke up feeling pretty stiff and sore after my track workout yesterday. My foot was a bit tender as well, so I opted to jog down to the AO to put in some time on the softer surface. There was some serious commotion going on nearby, and I counted at least a dozen fire/ambulance/emergency vehicles that sped by with their sirens blaring. I sort of forgot about it until later tonight when I stumbled upon this NY Times...

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Charlotte Track Workout

20:15 w/u (3 miles)Strides, DrillsTarget: 3x1200 @5k pace; each lap cut down 87, 85, 83Actual: (84, 86, 85); (84, 85, 87); (86, 86, 83); (87, 85, 84?)10 min. c/d (1+ miles)Total: 7.5 milesToday was the first of what will undoubtedly be many track workouts with Coach G-Unit. I made a relatively last-minute decision to drive up to Charlotte yesterday so I could spend today checking out apartments and taking a spin around the campus. It also fit my...

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Breakfast Run With the Girls

70 mins.9-10 milesThis 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....

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If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say...

AM: 6 milesPM: 4 milesRunning by myself is bori...

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Katy Trail Recovery Run

~61 mins.8-8.5 milesBy Monday morning, the contingent of Team JJJSM+A and our fans had dwindled to myself, Jordan and Scotty. We indulged in sleeping as late as we wanted and then lounged around the room drinking coffee for a few hours before heading out the door. We were in for a shock when we finally got around to checking the weather, as temperatures had dropped over 50 degrees since the previous day. After a Sunday that was warm, muggy and windy,...

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Week in Review

62-63 miles5 awesome relay team members1 bottle of Jordan wine8 people crammed into a 4-seater1 giant bag of peanut butter M&MsThis was undoubtedly the most enjoyable week of running that I've had in quite some time. I'm sure part of it has to do with my legs and feet (and body in general) finally feeling better and back to normal, but mostly it's because I got to spend so much time with friends. Even though the weather at WRM absolutely sucked...

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Dallas White Rock Marathon

Team OK Runner Elite and Aja, aka Team JJJSM+A~1.5 mile w/u~5 miles @ 30:33 (approximate)~1 mile running to/from car to pick up Scotty D and Jordan~7 miles pacing Ms. Aja DeTotal: 14-15 milesWow. What a day. I could probably write my longest blog entry to date on today's relay and all the surrounding events, but instead I will be somewhat lazy and link you to Jordan and Jilane's comprehensive descriptions. I suggest you check them out for photos,...

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Norman Wog

~52 mins.7 milesMcNellie's Pub Run champs and our benefactors for the eveningAfter 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...

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The "Meagan" Loop

~63 mins.~9 milesJordan 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...

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Norman Night Run

32-33 mins.4+ milesAfter 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...

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When it Rain, It Pours

59 mins.~8 milesMy rainy view of downtown on the drive homeThe 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...

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Back on (Grady) Track

AM: 4 milesPM: 15 min. w/u (2 miles)Target: 8-12x400 in low 80s w/1 min. restActual: 82, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 79, 7916 min. c/d (2 miles)Total: 6.5 milesToday 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...

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Monday Double

AM: 45 mins.6 milesPM: 4 milesDespite 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 lat...

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Week in Review

60 miles7 (!!!) days of running2 (!!!) doubles1 botched electionWithout 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,...

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Group Run at the River

90 mins.12 milesI 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...

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Don't Call It a Comeback

56 mins.8-8.5 milesBefore 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...

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Almost a Workout

AM: 4 milesPM: 3 milesSo 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...

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Massage for My Legs, Lima Beans for My Foot

58 mins. + strides8 milesI 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...

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Afternoon Jog

46 mins.6 milesNot 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 a...

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So You're Saying There's a Chance

AM: 4 milesPM: 20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)Target: 4x800m @ 2:40 w/2 min. restActual: 2:43, 2:44, 2:44, 2:4420 min. c/d (2.5 miles)Total: ~7 milesFor 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...

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Rivercrest Country Club Loop

60-61 mins.8 milesYesterday 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...

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