Farewell to Canadia

67 mins.8-8.5 milesI was up and on my feet early this morning to put in a few miles before heading to the first of many airports. I ventured back down to the seawall where I'd run the day before the race, heading out and back in just about 32 minutes. Once back at the hotel I met up with my dad and Tim, who were hoping to put in a short jaunt as well, so we set off at a relaxed pace for the rest of the run.Pedestrian path along the seawallTo break...

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Cross-Training and Sightseeing

45 mins. ellip.15 mins. coreAs predicted, I woke up this morning with my fair share of aches and pains, the most insistent of which was my lower right leg. Somewhere around mile 10 of the race I began to feel the beginnings of a horrendous blood blister on the metatarsal head between my first and second toe, so I inadvertently spent the rest of the race trying to avoid it. Naturally, I also favored the outside of my foot for the entire two-mile walk...

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Week in Review

63 miles4 airports (OKC, SLC, SEA, YVR)13.1 miles from UBC to Stanley Park69 seconds for my 400 on Tuesday1 delicious basket of fried picklesThe gorgeous view from Prospect Point, which sits atop Stanley ParkThis was a fantastic week all around, from my blazing speed on the track on Tuesday, to a fun night with friends at Jazz in June on Friday, to a great race and time with the fam in Vancouver this weekend. I'll probably take the majority of next...

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Scotiabank Half-Marathon

~1.5 mile w/u13.1 miles in 1:22:266th overall female2 mile walk back to the hotelCourse mapOverall, this race experience was head and shoulders above my half in Joplin a few weeks ago. Not only was my time faster, which obviously is the end goal, but I felt much stronger and more focused throughout the entire race.That said, let's start at the beginning. Tim, Pam, my dad and I caught a cab at the bright-eyed hour of 6am to the race start, which was located at the University of British Columbia's Thunderbird Arena. The morning was cool and overcast,...

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Canada, Eh?

30 mins.4 milesAfter a seemingly endless day of travel, which commenced when I left Main Street at 6:30am and ended when I finally arrived at the Sheraton Wall Center over eight hours later, I had little desire to strap on the kicks. However, I knew I needed to shake out the legs and the weather was perfect--60 degrees with a light breeze--so away I went.View of the Vancouver waterfrontWithin five minutes of leaving the hotel I found a bike/jogging...

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Pickard Fartlek

21 min. w/u (2.5-3 miles)5x2 mins. on/3 mins. off~3 mile c/d incl. 1 mile barefoot and 2x100m barefoot stridesTotal: 9-9.5 milesI put in a solid fartlek effort this morning while Jordan and Scotty tempoed. After that we trotted over to the track so they could do some three hundos. Naturally I opted to jog barefoot in the grass and stride it out while they took care of the really difficult stuff. I'm really enjoying the barefoot running and I definitely think it's strengthening my feet and lower legs. Which is a relief, because my man calves weren't...

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This is Bad, Real Bad, Michael Jackson

54 mins.7.5 milesIn case you've been living under a rock, the King of Pop died today. To be honest, I'm a bit taken aback by how widespread and deeply felt the reaction to this news has been. I've never been a fervent Michael Jackson fan, although I certainly acknowledge and appreciate the transformative power he's had on modern pop music, and although I may or may not have rocked the falsetto on a Rock Band-inspired version of "Beat It." But--and I feel like I'm being charitable here--he was kind of a weirdo. And not just a weirdo, but an (allegedly)...

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Anywhere But Here

AM: 47 mins.~6.5 miles15 mins. corePM: 4 milesOkay, so I realize I just said a few days ago that I wouldn't dwell on the weather. But seriously, this morning it was 80 degrees with 80 percent humidity when we started our run at 7:30. Not a cloud in the sky. This is the worst weather day we've had thus far this summer, and believe me, that's saying something. I think I'm quoting verbatim the sentiment I expressed to Jordan later today: "We are never, ever, under any circumstances, spending another summer in Oklahoma ever agai...

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Jordan's 2k Cutdown

2 mile w/uTarget: 2xmile @6:00-6:10; 2x400mActual: 5:49, 5:53, 70.7, 69.0 (!!!), 33.4 (for 200m)2x100m barefoot strides20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)8-8.5 milesJordan had a bear of a workout on tap today, a cutdown in 400m increments from 2k all the way to 200m, so the Three Musketeers rolled up to the Norman High track around 7am in hopes of beating the heat and getting 'er done. I'd tentatively planned a pre-race workout, in case I end up going for gold in the half on Sunday, and Scotty hoped to jump in and out of Jordan's workout to provide as much...

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Shady Sutton

58 mins.8 milesOkay, so I promise not to dwell on the weather every single day...but, the 5-day forecast is indicating 100-degree temps on tap from now until Friday. The "lows" at night barely hover at 80. So just bear in mind that when I describe us going on an "easy" run, it's likely more difficult for me than I'd like to admit, owing to the fact that it's virtually impossible to stay cool and even more so to prevent dehydration. Ugh.With that out of the way, Jordan and I enjoyed an "easy" run to Sutton Woods today. Two days in a row of soft...

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Week in Review

64-65 miles2 actual core sessions1 glorious night in Enid3 lovely companions for my Sunday run1 averted dog attackAfter spending such a great weekend with friends, it seems like the rest of the week doesn't really matter. I did get in a few semi-workouts and some solid recovery runs, but honestly the best part of this week was just having good times with good peeps. So, with that in mind, I think the best way to approach this "week in review" is...

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Where the Blacktop Ends

~75 mins.10 milesDespite not getting to bed until 2:00 this morning, several intrepid members of our party reconvened at the hotel-motel-Holiday Inn at 7:30 on Sunday for runs of various distances. Scotty and Jordan planned to do 16, as did Jilane (although her plans changed significantly when she chose to count the 3.75 miles she ran back from the bar the previous evening toward today's mileage). Aja and Kristi were looking for 10, and I was good...

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Enid, America

52 mins.7 miles15 mins. coreAnother day, another hot and windy early morning run. Fortunately we didn't have to deal with it for too long, as we needed to make quick work of this jaunt before preparing for a busy weekend. A few laps on the grass track and a big loop through the surrounding neighborhoods took up most of our time. Jordan and I parted ways near Andrews Park, he to do a few strides at the track and me to book it home for some core work...

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Windy Fartlek

20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)Target: 5x2 min. on/3 min. off fartlekActual: 4x2 min. on, 1x3 min. on18 min. c/d (2.5 miles)Total: 8.5-9 milesWind: 17mph gusting to 25mphDespite being out the door and on the road by 7:30, today's run was pretty brutal. It was hot, humid and exceptionally windy. I was grateful that I didn't have a "real" workout on tap like Jordan, because it certainly wouldn't have gone well. Instead, I opted to do a fartlek as per the schedule I just received from Coach Simmons. Actually he'd scheduled a short tempo run, but since I did...

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Bleh

AM: 58 mins.8 milesPM: 2 milesFor whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling it this morning. My legs weren't sore or even particularly tired but just felt very flat, and by five miles I was completely over this run. Decided to see if I could loosen things up a bit in the evening since Jordan was doubling anyway. He had four on tap but I held myself to two, largely comprising some grass loops around Andrews Park.Also of note, I received the remainder of my summer training from Coach Simmons and I'm eager to get to work. It looks like the mileage will...

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Pickard Miles

18-19 min. w/u (2.5 miles)Target: 4-5xmile @6:10-6:20 w/2 min. restActual: 6:10, 6:12, 6:13, 6:1013 min. c/d (1.5 miles)8.5-9 milesWind: 15 mph15 mins. core (no really, I swear!)Against his will, Jeff permitted me to do a "baby workout" today. That said, he advised I not run much faster than half-marathon pace, so this is what we came up with. I recruited Kristi to come along for the fun and Jordan/Mr. Garmin to set the pace, so we agreed to meet just after 8:30am. None of us felt the need to do this on the track since the pace wasn't blazing,...

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Double?? Who Does That?

AM: 59 mins.8 milesPM: 32 mins. + 4x100m strides4.5-5 milesJordan and I got a late start this morning, so he only had time to run four miles before getting ready for work. Since I don't have such responsibilities, I opted to continue running and mosey up to OK Runner where I could retrieve my car once he brought it. The ~2 miles up Robinson into a stiff headwind were a real treat, as were the sweltering temps, but fortunately Jordan was waiting for me outside OK Runner with cold water and a towel. See, he can be nice sometimes.In the evening I...

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Unlucky Run

48 mins.6.66 milesHad I known we'd ended this run at exactly 6.66 miles, I would've probably jogged another minute or two. Hopefully no bad luck will ensue. At any rate, the run was fine. We dropped off our PT Cruiser (good riddance) at the rental place at 8:00 and then decided to kill two birds with one stone and run home. Jogged up 36th, down the bike path on Robison, took a spin around North Base and then headed home. The legs still don't feel sore, but are a bit more fatigued than I'd previously realized. Hopefully a few more days of easy running...

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Week in Review

53 miles13.1 miles in Joplin8 hours in the PT Cruiser3 days with family10 (at least) cookiesMe, Jerry, Jordan and some other unimportant people at the startof yesterday's raceWell, there's not much to say about this week that hasn't already been recapped in Saturday's race entry. I'm neither pleased nor upset about my race performance, not satisfied but not terribly disappointed either. I simply did the best I could given the conditions at hand,...

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Not Gonna Happen

Day offTo be honest, part of me wanted to run today. I wasn't sore from yesterday's race, which is supremely disappointing, but I'm sure my body could still use the rest. (As an aside, I'm pretty sure this is my first exercise-free day since Easter Sunday.) So Jordan and I spent the morning sleeping in, drinking coffee, watching the Spongebob Squarepants movie with Kelly and Preston and attending their church. We capped off the trip with Mexican food and cookies before departing the Show Me State. It was great to spend time with family this weekend,...

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Boomtown Days Half Marathon

~1 mile w/u + strides13.1 miles in 1:24:42 (minus ~50 secs. bathroom break, obviously)0.00 mile c/dTotal: 14-14.5 miles3rd overall femaleFirst of all, big thanks to Jilane, Tush, Jeff and Ozzie for their blog shout-outs. I do this for the fans.Secondly, this race sucked. Or maybe I sucked and the race was just fine. At any rate, whoever put together the elevation chart for this run certainly wasn't a math major (and, for that matter, wasn't even as good at math as my seven-year-old cousin Preston, who wowed us at dinner Friday night with his swift...

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Destination: Joplin

43 mins. + strides6 milesThe legs felt great this morning on our short shakeout jaunt. Shortly after 2pm we hit the road in our rental car (which was a PT Cruiser and NOT the Pontiac G6 we were promised), bound for Joplin. A few weeks ago a customer at the store said, "Wow, it's sure pretty up there" when Jordan and I mentioned we were headed to Joplin for a race. I would contend that this man was confusing Joplin with another locale, seeing as how I've spent quite a few Thanksgivings and other holidays there with my mom's side of the family and...

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A Date with Kristi and Mr. Garmin

61 mins.8+ milesBecause I'd pre-planned a run with Kristi at 9:30, I enjoyed sleeping through Jordan's entire morning run. Kristi and I met up along Jenkins and embarked on a simple route up Lindsey, across 24th and back down the bike path on Robinson before heading back to Main Street.Since I wasn't running with Jordan for the first time in forever, he offered to let me use his beloved Garmin. I had no idea what to do with it, but he showed me a few key buttons and assured me that it wasn't difficult. It seemed to work fine for the first few...

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Running is Boring; Let's Talk Movies Instead

58 mins.8 milesNothing too exciting to report today, just got in some easy miles around town with Jordan and Scotty. We did put in about half of this run on the OU rec fields, which can be a bit repetitive but at least affords plenty of soft surfaces. I'm feeling a bit sluggish compared to Monday, no doubt a result of the blazing speed I threw down on those four hundos yesterday, but I supposet that's to be expected come taper time.Rather than leave you with this lackluster posting, I thought I'd pass along some movie reviews. Jordan and I have...

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Boomtown Half Marathon Pre-Race

21 min. w/u (~3 miles)Target: 2xmile @6:00-6:10 w/3 mins. rest; 2x400@72-76Actual: 5:56, 6:00, 74.4, 73.618 min. c/d (2+ miles)Total: 8 milesWind: 16mph gusting to 22mphToday's pre-race "workout" was a nice, relaxed session aimed at finding race pace and turning the legs over a few times. It would've been a breeze (pun intended) had it not been so, well, breezy outside. Having the wind in our face on the final turn and half of the home straight meant that it was never really at your back, but fortunately today's intervals were designed to be pretty...

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Dear Splashpad Manager, You Suck.

57 mins.8 milesJordan suggested we get in some "heat training" by running later in the morning today, which I agreed to on the condition that we could finish up the run at the Andrews Park splashpad. He was happy to comply, so shortly after 10:30 we hit the roads. By two miles in, Jordan said out loud what I had been thinking: "My legs feel the best they've felt in at least four days." Sure enough, both of us felt quite peppy, to the point where the pace dipped below 7:00 without me noticing. I'm usually more in the 7:10-7:20 range on easy runs,...

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Week in Review

66-67 miles2 days in Ohio1 day in Ft. Worth4 hours of valet parking2 new running friendsAnother solid week of training in the books, minus Tuesday's botched workout, and I'm feeling pretty fit headed into next weekend's race. To be honest, not being eligible for any prize money really takes the pressure off; instead I'm just out there to run hard and put in a good effort. Obviously I would like to run a PR and somewhat redeem myself for a lackluster outdoor season, but whether I do or don't it's not going to drastically impact my life.Both Scott...

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People Like Me. They Really Like Me.

88 mins.12 milesWind: 16-20mphToday was a very exciting day for me--and probably equally so for Jordan--because I actually met up with and ran with girls! Other than running with Kristi a few weeks ago at Lake Draper, this was the first time since moving to Norman that I didn't have to spend the entire run worried about slowing down the boys. As I said, I'm sure they were just as happy about it as I was.At any rate, thanks to Jordan's social coordinating efforts, I met up with Jenny Graef and Andrea Larabee at Sutton this morning. Jenny is a grad...

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She Works Hard for the Money

60-61 mins.8 milesWind: 20-24mphThis morning we put in an easy eight at Sutton with Scotty D. The weather is heating up in a hurry around here and I have a feeling that 8am start times are about to be a thing of the past, but at least on the shaded trails of Sutton the conditions were bearable.We got in another workout of sorts this evening, only in much nicer clothes and slightly different footwear, valet parking cars at Scotty's sister's friend's wedding (you got that?). In addition to the ten bucks an hour plus tips we were also afforded access...

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Miles at Norman High

20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)Target: 4xmile @6:00 w/1 min. restActual: 5:57, 5:55, 5:54, 5:4322 min. c/d (~3 miles)Total: 9-9.5 milesJordan, Scotty and I started at the same time (granted they were aiming to run almost a minute faster per mile than me, but who's counting) on a sunny yet fairly mild morning at the Norman High track. The breeze was a bit stiff on the homestretch but its effects on the pace were negligible, so overall it was a pretty great morning to be on the track. On paper this workout looked pretty easy...until I noticed there was only...

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Back on the Streets of Norman

72 mins.10.5 milesDue to yesterday's travel we postponed our "half and half" 10-miler to today. Despite the cooler weather this morning my legs were feeling a bit flat and I was wary of the northern wind (which I forgot to look up online, hence not posting the speed above, but I'd put it at 10-15mph). As per usual, I ran 30 minutes solo before joining up with Jordan near our casa on Main St. We jogged another mile before jumping into my tempo, splitting the first mile in 6:31.While I never felt great on this outing, I definitely felt better than...

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Happy Birthday, Jordan! Now Go Rent a Car.

59 mins. + 4x10 sec. hill sprints8 milesWhen Jordan and I landed at DFW after our early morning flight, we were greeted by an unexpected text from Craig saying we didn't have to come in to work. With the day suddenly wide open, we decided to make an impromptu trip to Ft. Worth and visit a few friends, namely my great friend and former running partner Cindy. She just gave birth to a baby girl a week ago and I was excited to pay her and Eloise Grace...

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Loveland Bike Trail Workout

2 mile w/uTarget: 3x3 miles @6:05-6:10 w/2 min. restActual: (6:18, 6:11, 6:14); (6:08, 6:20, 6:15); (6:25 aaaand stop)~1.5 mile c/dTotal: 10.5 milesWell, I suppose I was due a botched workout. The past few weeks have gone unusually well, after all. I won't blame this on the fact that it was already a steamy 80 degrees when we started the run at 10am, or that the sun was beating down relentlessly, or that we stayed up past 1am drinking wine on the...

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Monday in Mason

61-62 mins.8+ milesDay #2 of sleeping in was just as fantastic as Day #1, even if it meant we didn't head out the door until well after 10. No matter, since we just had an easy eight on tap. We covered some familiar territory through the nearby park, back up to the grass fields where Tyler and Madison played their games (yay for a mile or two on soft surfaces) and back on the local bike path.I could get used to this whole "being on vacation" busine...

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