Week in Review

~55 miles0 doubles17 miles at Houston14 miles at marathon goal pace7 AFDsThere's no point in rehashing the past seven days of training, as essentially the week can be reduced down to yesterday's marathon and I already covered that. Looking ahead to next week I will be staying in Texas (Houston and Austin) until Wednesday to travel with our local sales rep and host a few wear test runs, which is always a lot of fun. I'm home on Wednesday night but not for long--headed to Atlanta on Friday so I can conduct a Saturday morning run club with some of...

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Houston Marathon: The Good, The Bad and The DNF

Target: 26.2 @2:45:59 (6:19 pace) or fasterActual: 13.1 @1:22:50; 6:20, 6:30, 6:40, DNFFirst things first: despite the end result (or lack thereof), I'm actually feeling pretty positive about the weekend in Houston. Physically I am fine, emotionally I am stable (keep your snarky comments to yourself) and mentally I came away with some valuable lessons and, most importantly, a determination that is more fervent than ever to achieve the elusive OT qualifying time.Secondly, race debacle aside, the overall experience in Houston was fantastic. I had...

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Taper Time

Monday: 5 milesTuesday: 6 milesWednesday: 6 milesOkay Dad, here's that taper you've been asking for. As I predicted last weekend, the first few days of this week have made running almost an afterthought. I would've been hard-pressed to squeeze in any more miles without sacrificing sleep, time at our corporate office or safety. All three of these runs took place within the confines of my hotel's fitness center in either the early morning or late evening hours. Fortunately the treadmills were equipped with individual TV's so I was able to keep boredom...

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Week in Review

77 miles3 doubles12 mile "long" run4 AFDsThough my dad questioned whether 77 miles qualifies as a taper, I would contend that it does for someone accustomed to logging 85-95 miles per week. Besides, I only had one hard effort--my lengthy workout on Thursday--and no true long run to speak of. That run is usually reserved for Sunday, but today found me at McAlpine with Jordan for a mere 12 easy miles.Leading up to next week's race, however, I expect the volume to drop off significantly. Much of this is due to my early week travel to Boston, which...

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Final Houston Workout

3 mile w/uTarget: 15 mins. uptempo(~6:30ish); 3 mins. rest; 6x3 mins. @~5:40 pace w/1 min. rest; 3 mins. rest; 20 mins @MP (6:19) or fasterActual: 15 mins. (6:32, 6:23); 6x3 mins. (800m @2:50, 2:49, 2:50, 2:49, 2:50,2:47); 20 mins. (6:10, 6:13, 6:08)2 mile c/dTotal: 14 milesThis final workout before Houston found me on the paved section of the American Tobacco Trail in Durham with my trusty sidekick JSK. We're making a rare tandem work trip and spending a few nights in the Research Triangle area, which has given us some refreshing new training...

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Week in Review

80 miles3 doubles3 states (NC, IL, CA)3 treadmill runs2 weeks until HoustonThe take-home lesson from this week? With a modicum of determination and some skillful schedule juggling, you can find a way to meet your training goals regardless of obstacles. When I woke up on Monday to find a blanket of snow--soon to be ice--on the ground in Charlotte, I thought for sure it would hamper my running. When I looked ahead to the rest of the week and saw a schedule filled with early mornings, rental cars and airports, I mentally acquiesed to the seemingly...

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13.1 LA Race Recap

3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 13.1 miles @MP (6:19) or fasterActual: 1:20:27 (first half @~6:15; second half @~6:00)1:20:30 gun time; 1st place femaleTotal: 16 milesAs most of you know, my training leading up to Houston Marathon has been fragmented at best. For various reasons, I haven't had the opportunity to enact a marathon simulation run, which I consider to be 13-16 miles at marathon pace or faster. Luckily I have the best job in the entire world....

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Coast to Coast Travel

Mon and Tues: CharlotteWed and Thurs: ChicagoFri, Sat and Sun: Los AngelesWhew. What a week. Honestly as I'm typing this it feels more like two. Things started with a bit of weather-related tomfoolery in Charlotte, as Mother Nature decided to grace us with four inches of snow on Sunday night. This meant the landscape was absolutely beautiful on Monday but quickly turned treacherous by Tuesday. Turns out that when you live in a city where it allegedly...

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Week in Review

95 miles3 doubles21 mile long run4 AFDsWithout question, this was a defining week for me. Not only did I achieve my highest mileage in several years, but I did so while managing two of my strongest workouts in recent memory. It was these workouts that solidified my decision to man up and book my Houston flight, for better or for worse.Looking ahead to next week, my mileage will surely be lower (which is not necessarily a bad thing, since I do have that pesky marathon on the horizon now). For starters, Snowpocalypse 2011 is scheduled to roll into...

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Super Distance Summit Run

60 mins. (~8 miles)This weekend I had the privilege of attending the Super Distance Summit at Queens put on by Coach Simmons. This is the first year that I've been present, and it was definitely an edifying way to spend the weekend. Guest speakers included Greg McMillan, the legendary coach Joe Vigil, biomechanist Jay Dicharry, Coach Simmons, high school powerhouse Fayatteville-Manlius coach Bill Arris, and finally Renato Canova, arguably one of the best coaches alive in the sport today. It was a stacked lineup, and it did not disappoint. I could...

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Decision Making Run

Target: 20 miles w/last 10 @MP (6:20)Actual: 21 miles in 2:24: 10.5 easy, 9.5 @6:20, 1 mile wogTime is running out.Houston Marathon is a mere three weeks and one day away, and my flight isn't going to book itself. At the end of last week I told myself I'd make the call by the end of this week, and for better or worse that decision would all come down to how I performed on today's long run.The run started well before daylight, when I met Alice Rogers and Ann Falcone at the entrance to the McMullen Creek greenway. The last time I was here I nailed...

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Breaking Through

2.5 mile w/uTarget: 6x5 mins @~5:45 pace w/2 mins. rest; 20 min. tempo @6:20Actual: 6x5 mins @5:42 down to 5:30 pace; 20 mins. @6:04, 6:02, 5:52, 2 mins.2 mile c/dTotal: 13-14 milesAt one point during our warmup today, Caitlin remarked that she was holding fast to the confidence she gained a few weeks back during a killer 3x2 mile workout. It was that session, she said, that told her she was ready for her upcoming half marathon at Houston. I remarked that I hadn't yet experienced that feeling of completely nailing a race-specific workout. Typing...

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Week in Review

91 miles18 miles at Davidson4 doubles4 AFDs4 states driven (OH, KY, TN, NC)I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty pumped to close out 2010/begin 2011 with my highest mileage week in several years. I'm even more excited that through it all, my Achilles has not only held up but has in fact felt 100% normal. I was a bit apprehensive that my workout on Saturday would set me back, but to my delight it felt great on Sunday's long run and even allowed me to pick up the pace for a mini-tempo in Davidson. This doesn't solidify my decision to race Houston, but it...

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Davidson Trails Long Run

Target: 18-20 miles w/30 mins. uptempoActual: 2:05 (18 miles) incl. 10-15 @6:44, 6:28, 6:32, 6:17, 6:19 pace for .66)For our first big long run of 2011, Caitlin and I rounded up a group to meet north of the Queen City at the Davidson College trails. I'd never been here before but everyone I know raves about the shaded, rolling, well-manicured grass trails near the college campus. Since the prospect of running 2+ hours at McAlpine was almost enough to reduce me to tears, I was desperate to try someplace new. Fortunately several other people were...

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CRC Hangover Run

AM: 2 mile w/uTarget: 1x5k, 2x3 miles @faster than MP (6:19)Actual: 18:35ish for 5k, 1x3 miles @~18:001 mile c/dTotal: 9 milesPM: 4 milesHappy New Year! I woke up this morning excited to attend the first annual CRC Hangover Run, but also nervous because I planned to use the 5k prediction "race" as just a small part of my larger workout. Originally, my plan was to start around 6:20 pace and then cut down. However, several things threw a wrench into...

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