2010 Year in Review

And just like that, 2010 is over. In some ways it seems to have stretched on forever, considering everything that has transpired in the past 365 days. And yet there are moments from those days that are so vividly etched into my memory that they could have just as likely taken place this morning, or yesterday, or a few weeks ago. I remember exactly one year ago today strapping on the flats for my first tentative workout after battling an autumn full of injuries. I was standing on the track at San Diego High with Jordan, basking in the warmth of...

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(Christmas) Week in Review

81 miles3 doubles4 AFDs6 states and a district (NC, VA, DC, MD, WVA, PA, OH)Yes, I realize that skipping straight to the "week in review" is cheating. I'm doing a disservice to the entire week by not detailing the City Sports run club where we posed for a photo in front of the White House Christmas tree, or my 11-mile run around the Mall with Jordan, or the frigid runs in Ohio where I trudged along solo after Jordan and I traded Achilles injuries....

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Merry Christmas To All

Lots to discuss as I am falling a bit behind on the blogging, but this post unfortunately will not provide any immediate amelioration. Instead I want to report that Jordan and I are safe and sound and enjoying a snow-capped Christmas holiday with family in Mason, Ohio. I'm currently sipping a glass of champagne garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds before settling in for a long winter's nap, er, feast; what could be a better way to spend a holiday afternoon? We arrived here on Christmas Eve eve via DC where I made my third trip this past week....

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Week in Review

78 miles3 doubles0 workouts1 ugly sweater party4 AFDsAm I really typing this entry five days before Christmas?? Holy moly, how time flies! It is incredible to think that 2010 is less than two weeks from becoming a slowly disappearing object in my rearview mirror. Many of my fellow bloggers are jumping the gun a bit to produce their "year in review" lists, but I'll probably hold off a few more days on that. Instead, let's take a brief look at this...

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DC in December, Round 2

For the second Tuesday in a row, I hit the road early with the District as my destination. Craft and Karhu is sponsoring the City Sports DC Run Club for the month of December, which simply means that I am in attendance at each of their Tuesday night runs with wear test products, giveaways and of course lots of enthusiasm. Last Tuesday was the first run of the month and it was a rousing success. It was also painfully, take-your-breath-away cold and...

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Week in Review

45 miles1 double1 day off4 nights on the road (ATL, DC, Raleigh)6 AFDsWelp, my mileage was quite literally cut in half this week due to the Achilles/lower leg muscle thing. On a positive note, I made it through Club XC despite this niggle and was able to run well for the team. On a negative note, it's pretty stiff and sore today. Such is to be expected. I can only hope I'm able to train through it and not compromise another few weeks of mileage,...

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Big Day of Racing

Part 1: Thunder Road MarathonResult: Jordan won, 2:24:46Part 2: USATF Club XC Champs3.5-4 mile w/u + strides6k race @21:04 (21:06 in official results)9th place overall team1.5 mile c/dTotal: 9-9.5 milesWow, what a day. I don't even know where to begin, but I suppose chronologically would be the best idea. For Jordan, the morning started just past 5am when he awoke to begin his pre-race prep. He was already long gone by the time I got up around 7,...

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Thunder Road and Club XC Eve

As I'm typing this entry, we are less than 24 hours away from the biggest racing weekend Charlotte has seen since...well, forever. (D2 Track Nationals was arguably a more prestigious weekend but tomorrow's events will by far have more participants.) As many of you already know, Jordan decided a little over a week ago to attempt to defend his title at Thunder Road. Like last year, he plans to wear the Karhu Racers. Unlike last year, he plans to wear a pair that aren't three sizes too small. Another difference between this year and last is that he...

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Week in Review

80 miles3 doubles7 days in Charlotte5 AFDsThis entire week was built around Wednesday's monster workout, and it went incredibly well. The flip side is that now my left Achilles is in a bad way. I'm still able to run, but it's stiff and swollen for most of the day and growing increasingly uncomfortable. I had planned to go at least 12 this morning but cut it to 10 after things didn't improve. While at home I've been rehabbing like a madwoman with ice, heat, epsom salts, compression socks and the Stick. Treatment seems to lead to some noticeable...

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Ladies Run at McAlpine

4.5 mile w/uTarget: ~30 mins. of Caitlin's tempoActual: 5 miles (6:17, 6:13, 5:58, 6:07, 6:09)2.5 mile c/dTotal: 12 milesEarlier this week Caitlin and I responded to an email Aaron sent out trying to rally a group of speedy girls for a fun run at McAlpine. We agreed to meet at 9am, starting at Main Entrance (Caitlin) and Old Bell (me) and running toward each other, and we very beneficently opened up the invitation to a few select guys as well. That said, we had no idea that over 20+ people would rally on a cold Saturday morning and join us. It...

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Club XC Nationals Prep Workout

2+ mile w/uTarget:Part 1: 3x6 mins. w/first 90 secs hard, 3 mins. restPart 2: 4xhill loop (500m), 1 min. restPart 3: 5xlake loop (~600m), 2 mins. restActual:Part 1: 3x6 w/mile splits of 5:42, 5:35, 5:33Part 2: 4xhill @ avg. 1:52Part 3: 5xlake @2:00, 1:59, 1:59, 1:58, 1:571.5 mile c/dTotal: 11 milesFor at least a week, Jordan has been scheming to create a workout for me that would, as he rather gleefully put it, "take me to the well." Another time he boasted it would "make me vomit." The closer we came to the fateful day, the more excited he became....

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Week in Review

80-81 miles2 doubles6 days in Texas6 AFDsI feel like a broken record saying this but, well, all things considered this turned into a decent week. Despite battling sickness and dealing with the now routine hassles of traveling, I managed to notch one okay workout and one respectable long run with friends. It was great to spend some time relaxing with my parents and indulging in some home cooked meals, but I must admit it was a bit of a relief to finally touch down in Charlotte after 16 days on the road.Next up: a week of (gasp) no travel! Well,...

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Salem Lake Long Run

1 hour 55 mins. (16 miles)This long run went 100% better than the run in Ft. Worth last week (or, specifically, 100% better than the last 30 minutes of the run last week). I felt strong and relaxed throughout, and for once wasn't dying to stop as we approached the two-hour mark.The preparation for this run actually began almost a month ago, when Jenna, Tanya and I had agreed to meet up at a new running venue after a hectic November of traveling. Jenna, who now coaches at High Point, often takes to these trails on the weekend with her team, and...

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MPHS Track Workout

2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 2400, 2000, 1600, 1200, 800 w/400 jog; start @6:00 pace and cut downActual: 8:55 (5:57 through mile); 7:20 (5:52); 5:43; 4:11; 2:42 = 37:20 for 6 miles2 mile c/dTotal: 10-10.5 milesJust before bed last night, no doubt wrapped snuggly in a tryptophan-induced haze, my dad asked Jordan and me if we'd like to accompany him to the Mt. Pleasant High School track in the morning. Pops is gearing up for a five-person relay at the White Rock Marathon next weekend and was looking to put the finishing touches on his speedwork....

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Turkey Trot Meets Great Flood

1 hour 40 mins.12 milesWhile many of my friends in Charlotte, Atlanta and Dallas were lacing up their boots for a formalized Turkey Trot, Jordan and I were meeting up with my dad in the kitchen of my parents' East Texas home to drink some coffee in preparation for our own trot of sorts. Though no such official event exists in the Piney Woods region, my dad nonetheless assembled over a dozen of his friends and fellow local runners to partake in an early morning pre-feast run. Naturally, Jordan and I were the featured celebrity guests, which no doubt...

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Week in Review

83 miles4 doubles5 days in Austin2 days in Ft. Worth1? AFDWhat a week. Austin was incredibly busy--I enjoyed neither the luxury of sleeping past 5:30am nor cracking open a computer until Friday--but it was also a great time. Rarely does the opportunity present itself to reunite with so many familiar faces, and I'm incredibly thankful that I was able to see old friends and new while down in the Lone Star State.As far as running goes, overall I'm pleased with the week. If nothing else, getting in the volume was an accomplishment considering how busy...

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Cowtown Long Run

1 hour 46 mins(~14-14.5 miles)Yup, the inevitable finally happened. I'm sick.In hindsight, this is an ineluctable conclusion to the past few weeks of crazy travel, crazy work hours, a lot of running, a lot of free alcohol and not a lot of sleep. As early as last Sunday afternoon, I came to the realization that it was not a question of if I would get sick, but rather when. In that respect I suppose it's a miracle that I didn't feel the first tell-tale...

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The Running Event Indie 5k

2 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 5k race @sub-18Actual: 17:29 (5:47, 5:38, 5:37); 5th place woman2 mile c/dTotal: 9 milesFor those of you not familiar with The Running Event, it is essentially a giant industry trade show. Virtually every vendor you've heard of (Asics), and some you haven't (Thermajock), attend and set up display booths in a giant expo hall. When I say "every vendor," I mean everything from footwear to socks to accessories to nutrition products. If you can picture a brand that exists in your local running store, it's a safe bet that...

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Week in Review

80-81 miles4 days in FTL2 doubles13.1 miles along the beachApologies all around, as I'm seriously behind schedule in typing this up. Though the post is dated for Sunday, it's actually the following Friday as we speak. Things have been crazy busy in Austin (which is another post) and this is literally the first time I've cracked open a computer since I blogged about my race in the hotel lobby on Sunday afternoon.What I do remember about the week in question is that it was seriously frontloaded to accomodate my travel and work schedule for 13.1....

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13.1 Ft. Lauderdale

2 mile w/uTarget: 13.1 @not super slowActual: 1:25:30 (minus a few, er, stops); 3rd femaleTotal: 15-15.5 milesIf there's one thing I love doing on a Sunday, it's waking up at 3am. Let's just say that neither myself nor Nora, the Florida sales rep, were super pumped when my alarm sounded at a time when cool people are probably still awake. For uncool people like us, the alarm meant it was time to wake up and head over to the finish line where we would...

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Success! (Finally)

2 mile w/u + stridesTarget: ~5 miles uptempo (~6:30 pace) down the McMullen Creek Greenway; then in-and-out miles back (3 hard @6:00)Actual: 35:35 for 5.8 miles (6:15, 6:06, 6:05, 6:04, 6:03, 4:37 for .8); 6:30 (.8), 5:52, 7:28, 5:50, 7:30, 5:58 (on dirt)1 mile c/dTotal: 14.5-15 milesPraise Jesus, I'm not as terrible as I thought. In fact I would venture to say that, not unlike the greatest runner of all time, I'm contemplating coming back from brief thoughts of retirement. (Obviously that's where our similarities end.)Details to follow soon, but...

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