Week in Review

67 miles1 hour weights50 mins. pool9 mins. 58 secs. on the Armory track20 inches of snowYet another eventful week draws to a close, and it's hard to believe that Nationals is less than two weeks away. Part of me feels fit, confident and well-prepared....the rest of me feels like there's still so much work to be done. Regardless of what happens in New Mexico, I know I've come a long way in a short period of time. If anything, the past few weeks' training has made me more excited for the upcoming outdoor season. I can't wait to set a new 10k PR and...

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Standard Sunday

1 hour 35 mins. (13 miles)Back in Charlotte, back at McAlpine. I can't complain, though; the sun was shining and having Jess and Pezz as company helped pass the time quick...

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More Manhattan Shenanigans

AM: 48 mins. (~6.5 miles)PM: TravelA mere 12 hours after my race, I was out the door with Maraya and Simmons to enjoy a recovery run in Central Park. We had the option to run on our own this morning in case some people preferred the treadmill, but I'm 0 for 3 in outdoor runs since arriving here and was dying of cabin fever. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of taking the subway to Central Park instead of running there--the sidewalks were mostly...

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NYU FastTrack Invitational 3k

AM: 3 milesPM: 2 mile w/u + strides3k race in 9:582 mile c/dTotal: 6.5-7 milesDespite being pummeled with what would later be described as the "4th biggest snow in NYC in 141 years," the NYU FastTrack Invitational proceeded as scheduled today. I arrived at the Armory around 2pm with the QU crew and was surprised at the number of athletes who'd braved the storm to show up to the meet. There were a few scratches in each event, but overall there were...

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A Tree Falls in Brooklyn

AM: 6.5-7 milesPM: 20 mins (2.5 miles) + strengthWow, I don't even know where to begin with today, except to say that I'm officially done complaining about the conditions in Charlotte. That's because I have an entirely new weather system to lament: the storm of the century in NYC! That's right, we left Charlotte today to return to NYC for another Armory meet, only to find ourselves in the midst of a full-on blizzard. I know you're probably thinking,...

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Familiar Story

AM: 53 mins. (7 miles)25 mins. poolPM: 60 mins. weights + coreI ran with Jordan from school this morning before pool practice. Not much else to say about today except that it rained. Again. I'm over ...

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NYU Pre-Race Workout

AM: 4 milesPM: 2.5 mile w/uTarget: 2xmile @5:25-5:35; 2x200 w/full restActual: 5:32, 5:29, 34 high, 34 low2.5 mile c/dTotal: 7.5-8 milesThe goal for today's pre-race was to get the legs turning over while feeling relaxed and comfortable. If only every Tuesday workout was so easy! Jenna offered to pace me through the first 800 meters of each mile, which I gratefully accepted, so for the first two laps of each interval I cruised along while expending little mental energy. The workout passed in a flash, and before long it was time to cool down and...

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Yet Another Rainy Monday

AM: 25 mins. pool7 milesPM: 3 milesI was excited to head out to McAlpine for a girls' run with Jenna, Pezz and Tanya after pool this morning...until it started raining. And by "raining" I mean more or less flooding the entire city within a matter of hours. I've concluded Charlotte basically sits in a floodplain, and weather like today's just reinforces that dire fact. At any rate, Jenna and Tanya and I resigned ourselves to the prospect of splashing around in the rain near Queens and through Freedom Park for our morning miles. It was cold and soggy...

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Week in Review

68-69 miles2 hours weights30 mins. elliptical4 AFDsFinally, the trifecta! I notched a successful track workout, predator run and long run this week. It's one thing to feel like I'm getting fitter every day, but it's much more rewarding to see that my workouts are backing me up.Next weekend I'll make a return trip to the Armory in NYC to attempt a fast 3k. I still don't have a solid 3k time to my credit and would love to run 9:50 or faster. I'll need sub-5:15 speed if I want to close with the leaders at Nationa...

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Sunny Solo

1 hour 35 mins. (13 miles)Instead of joining the team at McAlpine at 10, I opted to go a bit earlier and complete the long run on my own. I planned this so I could accompany Jordan to the Winter Flight 8k he would be racing early in the afternoon, along with several of our other CRC friends. Instead, Jordan made an uncharacteristically smart game-time decision to opt out, which I'll let him share with you if and when he ever updates his blog.As for my own run, it was nice and relaxed and not as boring as I expected 13 solo miles to be. Mostly this...

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Breakfast of Champions

AM: 6+ milesAfter yesterday's weight lifting session and predator run, followed by a fun girls' night of sushi and wine, I had no ambitions for this run other than taking things super easy. I planned to meet some of my Queens OCOMM peeps at the Original Pancake House for a quick breakfast before heading to work--they were running the Cupid's Cup 5k that had been rescheduled from last week due to the weather--which meant I had to be up and at 'em...

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Solid Predator Effort

AM: 15 mins. ellip.60 mins. weights + corePM: 2.5 mile w/uTarget: 3 mile predator faster than last weekActual: 17:09 (5:40, 5:53, 5:36)2.5 mile c/dTotal: 8 milesToday's predator run kicked ass. This was the best workout I've ever done at McAlpine, and I felt fantastic doing it. It certainly didn't hurt that we had absolutely gorgeous weather this afternoon--when's the last time I've been able to say that on a workout day??--temperatures in the upper 50s, sunny, with a light breeze. I actually went with the team to practice, though none of the girls...

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Medium Loop With JSK

AM: 61 mins.8.5 milesPM: 3 milesJordan and I headed out the door around 8:30 this morning to take in a medium loop. For whatever reason, my legs felt unusually good, and I actually enjoyed picking up the pace a bit the second half of the run. Oh, and it's sunny again for the second time this week! I'll take ...

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All By Myself

AM: 53 mins. (7 miles)PM: 15 mins. ellip.60 mins. weights + coreSo I got up at the usual Wednesday morning hour of 5:15, stumbled bleary-eyed into the bathroom to get dressed, then dragged my uncooperative body over to the Dowd to meet the CRC group...aaaaand no one was there. Or at least, not one of the 10 or so CRC people I know well enough to recognize in the semi-darkness. I couldn't believe it. Not sure if I missed out on a group-wide memo or something? At any rate, I immediately got back in the car and headed home, where Jordan was doing...

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A New Workout Distance

AM: 3 milesPM: 3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 10x600m @5k pace w/2 mins. rest; hammer #9Actual: 1:59 (79 through 400m); 2:00 (80); 1:59 (79); 2:00 (79); 2:00 (78); 1:59 (79); 1:58 (78); 1:57 (78); 1:54 (76); 1:57 (78)2 mile c/dTotal: 8.5-9 milesSo, I don't think I've ever actually done a 600 workout before. The down side is that I have nothing to really compare this workout too. The up side is also that I have nothing to compare it to. Vaguely I had the notion of coming through the 400 at my goal 5k pace--5:20 per mile, or 80 per lap--then just trying...

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Oh, It's Raining Again? Shocking.

AM: 58 mins. (8 miles)PM: 3 miles + strengthI had an early morning meeting at Run For Your Life today, so naturally I figured the best way to get there was on foot. This was a great idea except that midway through our meeting it started pouring. Fortunately Tim tossed me a RFYL hat on my way out the door, which ended up saving my return trip from being utterly miserable (and instead was only marginally miserable). I definitely kept a quicker clip on the way home, but it didn't save me from being completely drench...

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Week in Review

68 miles45 mins. weights20 mins. ellip.25 mins. poolThis week was just about perfect in terms of mileage and intensity. I had a solid shape-cutting workout on Tuesday, a so-so "predator" run Friday and a delightful long run on Sunday. The body is feeling strong and I can tell that my fitness is coming along every single day. I'm also excited to get settled in with the twice-weekly weights routine, as improving my strength and form can only help make me a better runner.As expected, the performance list filled out quite a bit after big meets at UW,...

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Valentine's Day Long Run

1 hour 27 mins. (12 miles)Twas a beautiful morning out at McAlpine today. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the geese were squawking, and the muddy trails were traversed by many Queens athletes in pursuit of their long runs. I maintained a very relaxed pace with Tanya, Jess and Jenna for the first hour or so, enjoying the sunshine and conversation. Jess fell off a bit after that, complaining of hip pains, so our group was reduced to three for the remainder. We picked things up to sub-7 for the final few miles but never really pressed...

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Snowy Saturday Morning

20 mins. core5+ milesWe woke up to a winter wonderland outside for the second Saturday in almost as many weekends. Fortunately, there was far less ice than last time, making our short loop through Freedom Park less treacherous than we expected. However, with all the powdery stuff on the ground we certainly weren't breaking any land speed records, but given that both of us needed a recovery day it was probably for the best. Overall this run was a fun, relaxed way to start the day before enduring 7 hours of craziness at Run For Your Li...

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Predator Run, Sort Of

AM: 20 mins. ellip.45 mins. weights/strengthPM: 3.5-4 mile w/u3 mile predator @17:39 (5:52, 5:53, 5:54)4+ mile c/dTotal: 10.5-11 milesIn an effort to get caught up on blogging at my dad's behest, I'm going to quickly run down the most important points from the day:1. As of this week, the QU track team is starting a circuit routine in the weight room twice a week. This is designed to improve our overall strength and form. What it will do in reality is make me sore in a brand new variety of areas.2. My predator run turned into a prey run. It pretty...

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Sleeping In

AM: 61 mins. (8.5 miles)PM: 3 miles + strengthI set my alarm last night with the best of intentions. When it rudely awakened me at 5:15, I rolled over and asked Jordan if he wanted to get up. His reply: "You're the one who set the alarm." With the ball in my court, I turned the offending object off immediately and we fell back into a delicious slumber until 7:30.It. Felt. Awesome.Don't get me wrong; I missed running with the CRC crew at the Dowd. But it was toe-numbingly cold this morning and I didn't have to go in to work today, so there really...

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Windy Wednesday

AM: 53 mins. (7 miles)Later AM: 25 mins. poolMan, was it hard to get up this morning knowing that 20-degree temps and 35 mph winds were awaiting me. Only the knowledge that I'd be happy to get the run out of the way propelled me out the door. That, and the fact that Jordan got up before 5am to get some work done before leaving for the day. Once I made it to the Dowd and met up with the 6am group, things weren't so bad. Good conversation and a relaxed pace almost made me forget about the wind...almo...

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Track Action

AM: 3 milesPM: 2 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 12x400 w/90 sec. rest faster than two weeks agoActual: 80, 80, 79, 78, 78, 77, 77, 75, 77, 77, 76, 742 mile c/dTotal: 7 milesI stepped onto the track today with the goal of running this workout faster than two weeks ago while staying controlled and smooth throughout. As the splits show, I achieved that. My average today was 77.3, as opposed to 79.2 from the previous workout. Granted, the conditions weren't great that day--cold and windy--but today wasn't much better. Though the wind wasn't a factor, it...

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Back at Home

AM: 57 mins. (7.5 miles)PM: 4.5 miles20 mins. core/strengthNothing much of note to report about today's runs, other than that my legs finally feel completely recovered from Friday's race. Just in time, as I've got some shape cutting on the docket tomorr...

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Week in Review

68 miles20 mins. ellip.25 laps at the Armory4 days in NYC2 nights awake past midnightWow, where do I even begin to describe this week? Certainly, without a doubt, it was head and shoulders above my expectations. After having such a crappy fall and early winter riddled with injuries, I can't even articulate how much it means to me to finally achieve a breakthrough.From here, however, there is much to be done. Currently I'm sitting at #3 on the DII national performance list behind Neely Spence and Tanya (Spence's teammate Mary Dell, who guided me...

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Central Park Sunday

85 mins. (~11.5 miles)This run was hands down the best way to close out our spectacular weekend in New York. For the first time since our arrival, we didn't embark on our run until after 10am and were greeted by blue skies and sunshine upon stepping outside. All seven of us plus Coach Simmons met in the lobby and headed over to Central Park together before going in separate directions to enjoy the gorgeous morning. I ended up doing the majority of...

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Saturday in the City

AM: 3 miles + strengthPM: 4 milesAfter yesterday's race and a fairly late night in the city, it would've been ideal to sleep in this morning. However, Tanya, Jess and I really wanted to make it back to the Armory for Simon and Nelson's mile race at 10:50, which necessitated a fairly early start to the day. Despite snowstorms all around us, Manhattan somehow managed to dodge the winter precipitation, which meant the streets were clear and dry when...

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New Balance Invitational 5k Recap

AM: 3 milesPM: 2 mile w/u + strides5k @ 16:54.67Link to results2 mile c/dTotal: 7 milesOkay, so now that I'm finally back in Charlotte and have had a few hours to recover from my crazy weekend in NYC, I can share my official race recap from Friday's 5k. First of all, let me just state the obvious by saying that this went better than expected. And I'm applying that as a blanket statement, because I'm pretty sure every single person who knows me (including myself) had no idea things would play out this well. Given the relatively short amount of training...

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New Balance Invitational 5k

16:54! I'm going to Nationals!!!Will write more later, and results are incorrect on Armory web site for now, but who cares. Guess I better start my altitude training for ABQ...

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Greetings From NYC

AM: 53 mins. (7+ miles)PM: 3 miles + strengthWhat a busy day! It started before the crack of dawn, when Jordan and I dragged ourselves to the Dowd to meet the group again. (Remember how I said waking up early would get easier? For some reason that only applies on Wednesday. Thursday still sucks.) I hung back with Ben for most of the run, wanting to keep things super easy in light of tomorrow's race, and felt very relaxed and comfortable throughout.The...

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The New Routine

AM: 56 mins. (7.5 miles)PM: 20 mins. ellip. + strengthIt looks like this whole "early morning from the Dowd" thing is becoming my mid-week routine. Good stu...

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The Great Flood

AM: 3 milesPM: 3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: Mile @5k pace; 800 @2:40; 2x400Actual: 5:44, 2:43, 73.5, 73.12 mile c/dTotal: 7 milesWell. Just when I think the weather can't make things any worse around here, it ups the ante. Today I left work at 2:00 and met Tanya, Jenna, Simon, Futsum and Alex at JC Smith for our respective workouts. Upon pulling into the parking lot it became apparent that the track was flooded. Okay, not the entire track, but essentially the first 75-100 meters were several inches deep in water out to lane 5. It was also bitterly...

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Mud Wrestling at McAlpine

AM: ~5.5 miles20 mins. core/strengthPM: 7 milesGood news: Most of the snow is melting at McAlpine. Bad news: The entire park is now a slushy, muddy, watery mess. Yes, to my chagrin, it was just as slow going as yesterday, only throw in some mud-splattered shorts and filthy shoes for good measure. In some parts the trail was still snowy and mushy, making for terrible footing, and the spots that had melted were just yucky. Overall this made for quite...

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