Week in Review

66 miles0 doubles1 workout1 night as a flamingo4 AFDsTrue to plan, I took a glorious "down" week from running, which consisted of only one workout, no long run and absolutely no doubles. It was quite odd. Also true to plan, I managed to make the most of my downtime by fitting in a massage with Byran, a stretching/bone cracking session at Greenapple Sports & Wellness, and plenty (read: too many) meals out with friends and glasses of wine. The...

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McAlpine Tempo Run

2 mile w/uTarget: 5 mile tempo @5:50ish pace; 5x30 sec. surges w/1 min. jogActual: 29:14 (5:50, 5:56, 5:54, 5:48, 5:46); 4 min. rest; 5x30 sec. w/1 min. jogOnce more for old time's sake, I met Caitlin and Pezz at Old Bell for some good, solid tempo action. I was not solo, as my friend Dane is in town for a quick visit and I somehow managed to convince him to join us for this early workout despite his body being firmly set in Mountain time. We all rolled up to the parking lot a few minutes early, a rare enough occurrence on its own, and promptly...

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Week in Review

85 miles3 doubles5 days in Dallas5 AFDsOverall I'd consider this a very successful week from just about every vantage point. I found a way to maintain the quality and quantity of my training despite a hectic travel schedule, enjoyed the opportunity to see some old friends and spend time with my parents, and helped the inaugural 13.1 Dallas event go off without a hitch. The remainder of my weekend following the event could not have been any better....

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13.1 Dallas Race Recap

~1.5 mile w/u13.1 miles @1:19:58*3rd female, $250; ResultsTotal: 14-15 miles*includes bathroom break (oops)As is always the case at 13.1 races, I was up way too early for a Saturday morning to help set up the Craft and Karhu tents. Fortunately my parents arrived yesterday, which means I was able to stay with them at the Marriott mere blocks from the start instead of at the ghetto LaQuinta with the external rooms where I had the pleasure of sleeping...

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Katy Trail Mile Repeats, or "The Time I Beat Troy Aikman"

2+ mile w/uTarget: 5xmile @5:35-5:40 w/2-3 mins. jogActual: 5:41 (2), 5:34 (2), 5:38 (3), 5:34 (2), 5:362 mile c/dTotal: 10 milesAh, the best laid plans.I woke up at 6am on Tuesday morning with every intention of completing this workout on the high school track in Marblehead. Only problem was, once I jogged over to the track I discovered it wasn't a track at all, just a football field with nothing around it. Awesome. By the time I realized where the actual track was I didn't have enough time to run over there and utilize it before work. Fail #1....

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Week in Review

80-81 miles3 doubles7 nights in Marblehead2 nights in our new house4 AFDsWith most of the weekend devoted to moving into our new place, Jordan and I are finally starting to feel like Marblehead residents. Of course, with half our belongings (including Weezy!) still waiting for us in Charlotte, it's difficult to truly feel grounded anywhere. It will likely take several more weeks and at least one more epic road trip before this new chapter of our life can officially begin. Every day is an adventure, that's for sure.From a running perspective, I'm...

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First Massachusetts Long Run

1 hour 57 mins. (15-15.5 miles)For our first Saturday in Massachusetts, Jordan and I had big plans. For starters, it was move-in day at our new place. This meant we'd finally be able to unload Felix (the Jetta Sportwagon) after a week of Jordan craning his head and muttering "I can't see anything" and me wringing my hands nervously every time he tried to change lanes. I'm sure my boss, Huub, who has been acting as our hotel proprietor and pancake...

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Tired Legs Workout

3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 6x4 mins. uptempo w/2 min. jog; 6x1 min. hard w/1 min. jogActual: 6x4 mins., w/1k splits of 3:36-3:38 on #1-5 and 3:31 on #6 (3:35 for 1k = 5:45 pace)6x1 min. hard2 mile c/dTotal: ~12 milesJordan and I were up before the sun to knock this out before heading to the Karhu offices. As we're staying with my boss until we get the keys to our new place on Friday, we decided to do this on the now-familiar dirt bike path that begins less than 400 meters from our temporary home and runs all the way into Salem. Specifically, we...

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Week in Review

83 miles2 doubles1 night in DC1 night in NY5 AFDsAnother solid week of training in the books, capped off with a respectable performance at Army 10 Miler. There's still plenty of work to be done, but I'm happy with where my fitness is and willing to be patient over the coming months.JER and MRN ready to enjoy (read: devour) apost-race brunchAs I often say, however, the best part of this week's training was not necessarily the miles themselves but...

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Army 10 Miler Race Recap

~.75 mile w/uTarget: 10 mile race @sub-60 (6:00 avg.)Actual: 58:55 (5:53-54 avg.); slowest mile 6:00, fastest mile 5:48, 10k split 36:3010th female; Results2.25 mile c/dTotal: 13 milesAfter a full day of traveling in a severely overloaded vehicle, Jordan and I arrived to Jilane's place in DC just before dinnertime on Saturday. She and I set off on an easy 10-minute shakeout while Jordan put in a more substantial run before reuniting with Caitlin,...

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Final Speed Loop Workout?

3.5 mile w/uTarget: 3 miles @~18 mins. (5:55-6:05); 3x400m @77-78Actual: 17:22 (5:55, 5:45, 5:42); 75, 73-high, 73-low3.5 mile c/dTotal: 12 milesWith only a few precious opportunities remaining to run with my Charlotte friends, I was excited at the prospect of working out with Caitlin and Pezz, who's in town for most of the autumn, early this morning. Caitlin and I are both racing Army 10 Miler on Sunday and Pezz has the Tufts 10k up in my new stomping grounds on Monday, so all of us were looking for a workout that was moderately difficult and...

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Sometimes the Hardest Thing and the Right Thing are the Same

I don't know a witty or eloquent way to ease into the big news, so I'm just going to say it: Jordan and I are moving. To Boston. Very, very soon. For those of you we haven't told in person, I apologize for this mass notification. I know from reading a book on social media for a book club that I'm now unable to attend that sharing the news in this way might be perceived as impersonal or inconsiderate, but there's just no other way to guarantee that you'll all start planning our going away party together at the same time.As you might expect, this...

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Week in Review

80 miles2 doubles3 workouts4 days in ATL4 AFDsFor the second week in a row I managed three workouts/quality runs while maintaining respectable mileage and feeling strong and healthy. Without a doubt, this can be considered a rousing success for where I'm at right now.On the list titled "not a rousing success" might be my pitiful attempt at racing 13.1 Atlanta yesterday. I won't go into all the details, but basically I need to be more realistic about my current fitness and the race course needs to not pass directly in front of the start/finish area...

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